A Long Way Away From Home

by Stellar Light Sparkle

Rating: mature
Tags: Cutie Mark Crusaders, Science Fiction, Violence, Death, Alternate Universe, Twilight Sparkle, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery
Length: 113287

Twilight strikes again! An interrupted spell sends Stellar and the C.M.C. an enormous distance from Equis. Will they be able to find a way home again?

While Stellar was helping Twilight with a long-range teleport spell, an interruption by the Cutie Mark Crusaders leaves the four floating in space an enormous distance away from Equis. A chance encounter gives them immediate security and a possible way home, but only if Stellar can grasp the technology she's presented with and work out how to make what they need to go home again...

A story inspired by the Macross series of anime and Robotech: Shadow Chronicles, which it follows on from (a very long time later...)

Published 2017-11-26 00:50:07 UTC
Last updated 2019-01-05 09:33:06 UTC

03 - Contact

As the C.M.C. were sleeping, Stellar was researching the ship's layout and trying to find any records of what had happened. Then she came across a set of video files that, upon opening, proved to be from the Captain of the vessel. Stellar listened intently as she spoke, the first being from a time when the ship obviously had power and proper life-support, because she and others passing behind her weren't wearing their suits.

"I am Captain Kaitlyn Masters of the Robotech Expeditionary Fleet vessel Xerxes." Her introduction told Stellar a great deal in the very first line she spoke. "We are adrift at this point in time; our main power supply, the Protoculture reactors, having shut down for an unknown reason when we were in the middle of a space-fold. Fortunately, we seem to have made it back into normal space once again, the main accumulators containing enough power in reserve to allow us to defold properly. Upon inspection, the Chief Engineer, Commander Hartford, has reported a greatly-disturbing turn of events: the Protoculture reactors are empty. There is not a single trace of any Protoculture in them at all. Subsequent investigation has shown that every source of Protoculture on the Xerxes, from the reactors to the batteries that power the Alpha and Beta fighters, are now devoid of any Protoculture."

Captain Masters seemed to relax back in her chair, her shoulders slumping as she continued "Commander Hartford has explained to me that, without the fantastic power that Protoculture offers the ship, we are stranded in space. Our fusion reactors cannot generate the necessary power to enact a space-fold, even if the accumulators could be charged by them. We'd need twenty times the number we have on-board to power the fold drive alone, without any power for the rest of the ship. And our fuel supply for the fusion reactors is also limited. He thinks, with our current supplies of consumables, oxygen and fuel, we might stand a chance of making a system that is nearby in five years... if we can survive that long. The Xerxes is a warship of the Tokugawa-class, not a long-range exploration vessel. We don't have the resources of the SDF-class of vessels, either." She fell silent for a short pause, then continued "We can't even get a message through to the Admiral. God knows what's happening with the fleet trying to free Earth from the Invid if this has happened to all our ships. The only clue we have is a message that reached us just before we lost power: It said 'The Haydonites have betrayed us. Do not let them near your vessels and guard against them.' I don't know exactly what that could mean, but it seems the Haydonites might be behind the removal of Protoculture from our ship and everything on-board her. Thankfully, we hadn't received the shipment of replacement Shadow fighters we were supposed to get before we shipped out. All our fighters are the older type, without Shadow technology through them. So, for the moment, this seems to be something we can worry about later, once we sort out our power problems."

Stellar sat back a little and thought on what she'd read. 'So their powersource was something called 'Protoculture', and somehow it vanished while the ship was still in Fold Space.' Stellar thought to herself. 'They didn't have any adequate back-up power supplies, other than these fusion reactors, and therefore were adrift, lost in space.' She sighed. 'Not the best scenario... but it's not their fault, really. Who could have predicted someone could remove their primary power supply from their ship while they were travelling, let alone at who-knows what range? Well, best to make use of this ship. Hopefully, with a huge dose of Luck and some improvisation, we might still get Home from here.' Stellar went back to listening to the Log entries again, as she kept reading the Engineering database.

==================================

When Scootaloo awoke, she saw Stellar rummaging through what looked like a dozen of her H-S pocket dimensions almost all at once. She yawned, got to her hoofs and wandered slowly over. "What'cha doing, Stellar?" She asked.

Stellar looked up at Scootaloo and smiled. "Remember how you once said that my preparations for surviving anywhere I could think of were better than any you'd ever seen before?" She asked Scootaloo back. Scootaloo nodded. Stellar grinned back at Scootaloo. "I think I may have our communications problem solved... If, and I mean IF, I remembered to pack something Twilight and I tried out recently." She told the pegasus filly

"And what's that?" Scootaloo asked.

"You know that Spike can send messages to whomever he wants to by burning a message, and it will travel to the person Spike is sending it to instantaneously?" Stellar asked.

"Well, yeah." Scootaloo answered.

"Well, that kind of instant messaging is one of the handiest things possible... but without an army of others like Spike, it's limited in its uses." Stellar explained. "So Twilight and I, with help from Celestia, tried to work out a way of imbuing an object with Spike's special communication magic. We found we could reduce Spike's cast-off scales into a wax-like substance, and we made candles out of it. If you burn a message with the candle as you think hard about the pony you want it to go to, the candle's magic will send the message to that pony almost instantaneously, just as Spike's magic fire can."

Scootaloo grinned widely. "So... we can send messages to Home?" She asked.

"If I can find the blessed thing, yes, we will." Stellar confirmed as she continued to look through the H-S pockets. "The last time I tried it was when Twilight stranded me in Zebrica with the last attempt to use her long-range teleport spell. It worked well then... I just hope the distance isn't too great for the magic." Then she drew out an ornately-decorated box from one pocket dimension. "Ah, here it is." She said as she relaxed. A beautiful carving of Spike breathing fire on a scroll decorated the lid of the box, and the candle inside was a lovely green-and-purple combination.

"That's a nice box." Scootaloo commented.

"Yeah. Twilight had four of them commissioned after we found the candle idea worked." Stellar replied. “Now, do I have any paper and quills...? Ah, here we are.” She pulled out a rosewood box, which revealed itself to be a writing set once she’d opened it. “Twilight gave me this last year as a Hearths-warming present.” Stellar told Scootaloo as she drew one quill and a page of paper out from the box.

“Wow? She didn’t give you a book, then? That has to be a record.” Scootaloo said, grinning.

Stellar chuckled as she wrote. “She didn’t give anypony a book that year, besides our parents.” Stellar said back. “Between the pair of us, we gave them a huge photo album full of pictures we’d taken at times during the intervals we’d been away from them.” Stellar explained to Scootaloo. “They were so overjoyed to get it, too. It made telling them of our travels and adventures so much more real to them... and it was a lot better organised, too.” She grinned.

Scootaloo sighed, her face split by a happy grin. "That's so sweet." She commented.

Stellar nodded. "Yeah, I have to agree. Night Light and Velvet really appreciated it." She said as she finished writing out the letter for Twilight. "Okay, now, give me some time to concentrate." She told Scootaloo, who nodded. Stellar lit the candle, closed her eyes and summoned up the best image of Twilight she remembered, then burned the scroll in the candle flame. The smoke curled up above them and vanished. Stellar took a deep breath and blew out the candle. "Now, we just wait." She told Scootaloo, who nodded, then headed off the Bridge for the Bridge's Head.

==================================

In Ponyville, Twilight was settling down to bed, her eyes still looking sad, with bags under her eyes from not sleeping due to worry. Spike was settling in as well, spending the night in Twilight's room to keep her company. He had just putting his latest comic back in the bag it came in, when Twilight heard him belch much louder than normal and a scroll flew through the air and landed on Twilight's head. "Ow!" She said, shifting in the bed to sit up, the scroll rolling off and almost hitting the floor before she caught it in her magic. "Where did this come from?" Twilight said as she climbed out of bed.

"I dunno." Spike answered as he did the same. "But it's not from close-by."

Twilight saw the clasp, and her eyes widened. Squealing with delight, she slid the ribbon off the scroll and unrolled it, as Spike saw the Winged Sparkle Star on the clasp, which meant it was from Stellar. Spike's eyes widened as well. "Is that...?"

"Yes!" Twilight said, her face showing a massive smile of relief, her fatigue forgotten. "It says:"

=== === === === === ===

Heya Twi!

Sorry I haven't been able to write sooner, but getting to safety has been our priority until now. We're all safe and sound for now, somewhere very far away from Equis. We emerged in open space, but I managed to keep the air we brought with us from escaping and the fillies from being harmed, until I could use the helmet system and the alchemical lab to make them space-suits.

We're so far away from Equis that I'm not sure I can get a lock on Equis' position from where we are for a while. The craziest thing is, we found a ship drifting in space! We boarded it after reaching it, and found it was abandoned. At the moment it hasn't got any major power sources, but I managed to fix a small section of it and equip it with power and air, and we're all resting after making things secure. I don't know if we can use it to get home, but I'm working on some ideas. But we're mostly safe here, and I don't think anypony's going to come looking for it any time soon by what I've found out so far, so this ship is ours for the forseeable future.

You can tell Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash that their sisters are safe and I'm putting them to good use while keeping them out of mischief. They're going to be experiencing a very steep learning curve for a long time, but I think it'll help them become a little more responsible.

For the moment, if Spike can reach us, maybe you can send us some food and drinks with your reply. I know we'll need other things, so if you can attach a pocket dimension to a scroll, you can send us things as we need them. Some of what I ask for might be unusual or wierd, but I'm going to have to come up with a very powerful power supply to replace the missing powersource from this ship, and I'm still working on a design that works with this ship's old system without having to replace any major or lots of components.

So for now, Sis, tell everypony that we're okay and safe and working on getting home. The C.M.C. will be writing to their sisters when they're all awake, and I know they're going to want to write back. So, keep the older siblings from exploding at their sisters, if you can. They've got a lot more to think about out here without having what's going to happen to them when they get home distract them from what's important here.

Missing you muchly,

Your loving sister,

Stellar

=== === === === === ===

Twilight's eyes were full of tears as she finished reading the letter. She looked at Spike, to see he was the same way. They hugged each other as Twilight held the letter in her magic, both so relieved things had gone as Celestia surmised, and nopony had been hurt.

Twilight grabbed a scroll from her desk and a quill and wrote a quick note for Luna:

=== === === === === ===

Dear Luna

A miracle has happened! I just received a letter from Stellar, saying that she and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are all right! And, apparently, I was also right in how far I sent them.

I'm sending you a copy the letter Stellar wrote me, to share with Celestia. I'll be alerting the girls about their sisters as soon as I can. We'll have to find a way to supply them with everything they might need to return to Equestria as swiftly and as soon as they can. Hopefully, it won't take anything that's too impossible to supply.

For now, I can only reply to Stellar and wait for her next letter, and the ones from the C.M.C. to get to me.

Feeling much better,

Twilight Sparkle

=== === === === === ===

Twilight retrieved another sheet of paper and laid it over Stellar's original letter, then caused it to copy onto the new sheet. Once that was done, she rolled up her letter and the copy of Stellar's together, put her own personal seal on the scroll and handed both to Spike. Spike breathed his green fire on them, and they watched the smoke disappear out the little transom opening Twilight had had installed to allow such smoke to escape unhindered, then Twilight hugged Spike again.

==================================

As Stellar waited for Twilight to reply, she roamed the Ship's database that the Bridge computer could access. Stellar focussed on the scientific database, hoping to learn what the mysterious power-source known as 'Protoculture' was, that the database had mentioned powered the ship before it somehow had totally and inexplicably disappeared.

Stellar glanced over at Scootaloo. The poor little filly had fallen asleep again with her friends, exhausted now that they were mostly safe and not having to rely on their suits to keep them alive. Stellar smiled as she looked the trio of fillies over. 'So much chaos wrapped up in such adorable packages.' She thought to herself. 'Those three are going to stay together, no matter who gets married first or to whom. They're going to form one big herd, that I am sure will happen.' She grinned to herself and turned back to the computer, and lessons on Chemistry and the elements.

As she read through the Humans' understanding of the elements and metals, Stellar knew she'd need a lot of the extremely-rare element Arcanite to make a mana generator big enough to power this ship... but Arcanite was the scarcest metal ore there was, since most of the stockpiles of the stable Arcanite had been hoarded, then destroyed by the Unicorns after the merger of the Three Tribes as a gesture of good-will to the Pegasi and Earth Ponies. Unstable Arcanite was very rare to find, but it was still possible; hence her little mana generators. She'd learned how to smelt the unstable Arcanite ore into a metal that was stable and didn't degrade like the ore did, but she knew the Arcanite just didn't vanish, as that went against the Laws of Conservation of Matter and Energy. So Arcanite had to degrade into something... but what?

"Hmm... by how the humans classify the Elements, Arcanite seems to be Element One-Fifteen, what they call Ununpentium... what a weird name." Stellar commented. "Ah, it's a place-keeper name, according to the text." She said with a smile. "So... Arcanite's always been found in beds of coal or graphite." Stellar remembered. "So... if coal and graphite are semi-pure forms of the element Carbon, then if Arcanite breaks down into Carbon and another element, then that element has to be... Element One-Oh-Nine, which they call Meitnerium." Stellar surmised. On another screen, she called up the engineering database, and the plans for the Xerxes. "So... is there any part of this ship that has Meitnerium as part of it?" She asked the computer.

After several minutes, Stellar got a positive reply; several of the parts in the FTL-drive had cores with Meitnerium in them. Stellar grinned. "Good. I was almost certain that this 'Meitnerium' might have been completely absent from the ship's equipment. This is one time when I'm glad I'm wrong." She extended her armor and headed down into the main part of the ship once again, her destination the parts store in Engineering. It took her close on fifteen minutes to trace the parts the database had said were constructed with Meitnerium, but as soon as Stellar touched one of them, she jerked her hoof away. "Why... that's Magicite!" She declared as she touched the part again, confirming what her magic senses had told her. "It's a metal made from Magicite... but that's normally impossible. Magicite isn't stable enough to be smelted... I wonder if they say how it was done?" Stellar asked herself as she took the Drive part, one of many spares of the type so she knew she could take this one without it being missed.

Back upstairs on the bridge, Stellar was reading through the database again, the part floating in her telekinetic grasp and spinning slowly as she concentrated. "So... Arcanite degrades into Carbon and Magicite." She stated. "According to Human Chemistry and Atomic Theory, stable Arcanite and unstable Arcanite are almost the same, but the stable version has two more neutrons than the unstable version. But stable Magicite has two less neutrons than unstable Magicite... almost a contradiction." She declared. "Somehow, the stable version of Arcanite loses two neutrons when it splits to become Carbon and stable Magicite... which explains why it's as common as it is." She looked at the drive part. "So, they can smelt stable Magicite into a metal that makes these parts, and therefore their fold drive, possible. So do the neutrons go loose, or is there another explanation?" Stellar asked as she moved on to study the element Carbon.

Several hours later, Stellar had deduced a theory, but she had no way of testing it at that point in time. "Looks like I need to access the main database... and that means finally dealing with that infected main computer, as soon as I can. Otherwise, I won't be able to power up any of the systems in the main hull without the virus trying to kill us or destroy the ship." Stellar said as she thought things through. "Okay. Once I've had some sleep and wake up... tomorrow we disconnect the main computer from everything in the main hull and get it ready to power up, then we reset it like the Captain said we needed to, in order to format the system and get rid of the virus." Stellar thought out-loud. "Hopefully, reloading all the information and software the main computer needs to operate the ship isn't going to be that difficult. I hope it's not going to need days of de-bugging: I hate digging for system bugs." She snorted. "Then there's the other independent databases and memories. They'll have to be disconnected from the main system and debugged independently, or the virus might survive to attack again." Stellar said as she got slowly to her hoofs. After a huge yawn, Stellar moved to where the C.M.C. were sleeping and lay down with them, snuggling into Scootaloo and falling asleep herself.

==================================

Twilight sat and composed herself as she wrote back to Stellar...

=== === === === === ===

Dear Stellar,

I am so incredibly overjoyed to hear that you and the girls are okay! As you can imagine, we've been going crazy here, trying to find you. Even Celestia and Luna came and helped... although, after I calculated that you are now probably somewhere that is just over 1206 Light-years from Equis, we all realise that there is little we can do, physically speaking, to help you get home again. Apart from supplying your needs as best we can, through Spike and the candles (Best. Idea. Ever!), I am afraid the greater effort of your rescue lies on your own shoulders at this point.

I will inform Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash that their sisters are okay, once Morning dawns. Your letter arrived just as I was settling down for a very fitful sleep, one that will be far better knowing you and the girls are okay for now... scratch that, I'll go and inform them after I send you this letter. They deserve a good night's sleep as much as I do. I've sent a copy of your letter on to Luna, so she and Celestia will know that you're okay as well.

As for attaching a Hammer-Space Pocket (as you call them) to a scroll, I can do so. Unfortunately, you can't use them to send yourself or the girls home in one, as you'd never survive the trip, as you well know. Foodstuffs, of course, are much easier. I'll make arrangements to get you fresh supplies sent tomorrow. As for other things, I think I can cram maybe up to a tonne of weight in each dimensional pocket, so we will be able to send you a lot of supplies if you need them. Send me a list once you know what you need.

If you get the chance, some information on your ship would be fascinating to look over! I am sure the Engineer's Guild and the Mages' Guild would be just as eager as I am to look her over, once you bring her home.

If there's anything you need, Sis, please send word. I am certain that there's nothing that would be too much of an effort or too great a task to help you get Home again. Everypony we know would give anything we asked, I am sure, to assure your safe return as well as those of the C.M.C. to Equestria again.

Missing you incredibly (But also much relieved)

Your loving sister,

Twilight

=== === === === === ===

Spike waited patiently as Twilight rolled the scroll up, slid one of her own ribbons and clasps onto it and sealed it, then handed it to him. They both thought long and hard of Stellar as Spike incinerated the scroll in his green fire, and the smoke curled around and vanished. Twilight gave a hug to Spike, then got up. "I have to go tell the others." She told Spike.

"I'll go tell Rarity." Spike offered.

"Thanks, Spike." Twilight replied as she headed out onto her bedroom balcony, as Spike raced out of the bedroom for the stairs and the front door. Spike exited the castle in time to see Twilight flying off towards Sweet Apple Acres, and he ran along the road to Ponyville as fast as his growing legs could take him.

==================================

Stellar woke up after three hours asleep as she detected a flash of magic that was very familiar to her. Grinning as a scroll fell to the carpeted deck before her, she slipped off the mattress without disturbing Scootaloo enough to wake her and picked up the scroll. Unrolling it, she sighed happily as Twilight confirmed she could send supplies with the letters. "That makes things a whole lot easier." She said to herself as she finished reading the letter. "So much like Twi' to want information on the ship, too." She grinned to herself as she rolled the scroll up and put it aside for the moment. "I saw some paper supplies before... I wonder if the scroll-magic would let them be sent?" She asked herself. "I'll look into that later." Stellar said to herself as she moved off the bridge.

She headed down to the main hull, her exo-armor encasing her protectively as she went, until she passed through the airlocks and went to where the bridge computer said the main computer core was housed. After opening the door to the room manually, Stellar saw the room had a very big cylindrical object in the center of the room, several smaller ones that were closer to her size surrounding it. The room had no power yet, but that suited Stellar, as she wanted to make sure the main core was off-line until she isolated it from the rest of the ship.

Reviewing the procedure in her head as she looked over the systems in the room, it wasn't hard to find the manual cut-offs the systems had between the main core and the secondary cores. She found that each core had had the power breakers and data connections to them disconnected manually, obviously in an attempt to try and keep the 'virus' from filtering through the ship's systems. Retrieving another mana generator and converter from her pockets, she connected them into the system between the main core's cut-out breaker and another breaker, letting her control the flow of power to the core and everywhere else in the room. Once she was set, she connected the main core to the power converter and moved to the station where the main input-output systems for the core were in the room, separate to the rest.

The core powered up as Stellar sealed the core room's airlock and flooded the room with air, so she could talk openly if the computer interface was a vocal one. A memory of a powerful computer with such an interface that used the spoken word had impinged itself on her memory, and she wanted to make sure that she could use such an interface if it presented itself. As the core went through the start-up procedure on the screen before her, she waited patiently.

Behind the core, unseen from Stellar's perspective, a strange extension of the core seemed to also awaken, a glowing red optical sensor becoming brighter and brighter. It remembered where it was, what it was interfaced to, and why it had done so, as more things became clear to its cognitive systems. It soon realised that the core it was interfaced with was no longer connected to the rest of the ship it was on, and the rest of the cores in the room were not powered up. Indeed, it could detect the mana generator and converter, but the energy system was unknown to it, the energy unlike anything it had ever perceived before. Then it scanned that there was possibly a lifeform in the room... and it was unlike anything it had ever seen in its very long operational lifespan. Since it could not interface with the ship it was aboard any longer, it disconnected itself from the main core, returning the core to its usual programming as it lifted off and floated above the deck, heading around to get a better scan of the lifeform in the room.

Stellar was both amazed and alarmed when a floating object came around the computer core and lowered itself to close to her height. It had no visible means of propulsion, no manipulators she could see, and was obviously a type of machine, with one large red sensor-eye looking right at her. She had her armored face-guard and visor open, but her face-plate was down, covering her face but leaving it visible. "What in the boundless form of Luna's mane are you?" Stellar asked as she backed up a little from the machine, which she could tell was looking her over intensely.

Then it spoke. "Unknown lifeform: You speak the Human language known as 'English'. Correct?"

Stellar was surprised, but the voice wasn't a harsh mechanical one... merely toned electronically, but with the subtle tones of something that spoke with emotion in its voice regularly. It also was toned to sound feminine. "I speak it fairly well, yes." She answered hesitantly, as if not completely familiar with the language.

"How did you learn this language?" It asked.

Stellar frowned, kicking herself for speaking English instead of Equish when she saw it for the first time. She decided to play it 'safe'. "I learned it from the computer on the bridge." She replied. "I learned it so I could... understand the... recordings left by the Captain of this ship."

The machine seemed happy with that answer. "How did you get aboard this vessel? What is your purpose here?"

"Well, myself and three others of my race were stranded in space by an accident, and we came across this ship, floating... derelict." Stellar told truthfully. "We boarded her and found everyone in the crew were... deceased, and had been so for a very long time. The ship was without power, but I have some power converters that were useful in returning a section of the ship to a... a... yes, a 'habitable' state." Stellar told the machine, thinking it might be some kind-of guardian system for the ship.

"There are no humans left alive on this ship?" It then asked.

"No, just corpses." Stellar answered.

"You are not Human." It stated obviously. "Have your race had contact with Humanity before?"

"No." Stellar answered. "This ship is the first contact we have had with anything even remotely indicating we were not alone in this area of space, or beyond it."

"Interesting." It commented. "Do you know about the energy source known as 'Protoculture'?" It emphasized the last word heavily.

"Only in reading what the Captain said about it." Stellar replied.

"And that information is?" It asked, almost demandingly.

"She mentioned the name of it." Stellar replied, remembering. "She said it was the power source for the ship, and that it had completely vanished from the ship a month after they had left their home port, wherever that was." Stellar sensed the machine was questioning her for a very different reason than just curiosity, and this 'Protoculture' was of great and significant importance to it. She made a guess. "Are you a 'Haydonite'?" Stellar asked.

The Haydonite was taken aback momentarily by the question. "I assume the Captain mentioned my people in her logs." It replied.

"Yes. She mentioned that your people had not delivered some equipment with what she called 'Shadow Technology' to her ship before they had to depart, and she was wondering if it had something to do with the disappearance of the Protoculture." Stellar explained, hoping to get more information about the Haydonites and Protoculture.

"I understand." The Haydonite replied. Its programming was fully-functional, and its directives clear: Any race encountered with Protoculture or a working knowledge of the substance was to be eliminated. However, as it went back over what information it had gained from the strange being, it concluded that the creature, and therefore most likely its race, had no working knowledge of Protoculture at all, save for what this individual had heard about in the ship's log entries. It had already erased the files on Protoculture from this core and every other memory bank aboard this vessel when it had interfaced with the ship, and removed the Protoculture matrices from the reactors and battery units aboard the ship and returned them to where the Main Hive were waiting. The chances of this being's race discovering Protoculture on their own were almost infinitesimal... and by the scans of the energy unit the being was using to power the core, they were using an entirely different type of energy source, making it unlikely that they would consider using Protoculture...

The Haydonite struggled with long-discarded feelings, from a time when it was originally organic in nature. Back then, she had been an explorer of Space, searching for new lifeforms and civilisations. To her long-ignored remembrances, to find an uncontaminated species that was so intelligent, yet so different from the bipedal species she knew so well... it would have made her career for herself. She came to a conclusion: These beings must be protected from her people and from Protoculture. She moved closer to the being, her voice-tones becoming more organic and softer. "Listen to me." She said in a female tone. "You have to understand..."

"Then make me understand." Stellar said back.

"You must understand... Protoculture is a curse." She said to Stellar. "When we developed it, we thought it was what we needed to save the races in this universe from isolation and loneliness. It was a great energy source, clean and without need of fuel... but we did not understand the consequences of organic life using it. We started other species using it for a power source, as the Humans were using it... but other species started using it in ways it was not meant to be used, merging it with their bodies and using it to force changes in their evolution. We had started doing the same... but it destroyed our world's bio-sphere and our own bodies, forcing us to upload our consciousnesses to these mobile units, as you see me now. It started inter-stellar wars between species; it even tore species apart, making them fight each other for how far they would allow evolution to take them." She genuinely sounded sad.

"Then Haydon came. He helped us rid ourselves of Protoculture... and he said we had to rid the Universe of it as well. We have been doing so, trying to save what we could of many races, if they were not too far beyond our help. We took his name to remind us of all he had done for us. While there were many who fought against us, trying to keep hold of Protoculture, there were many who willingly gave it up and helped us. Humanity gave us permission to take Protoculture from their ships and other things... but they thought this ship was lost. I found it, but I was unable to turn it back and help the crew reach their home again before the ship ran out of other sources of energy, and they all died. I remained here, hoping that my people would find me again... but it seems they have stopped looking... until you found me. Thank you for awakening me again."

"You're welcome." Stellar replied. Her senses were telling us this... person, for want of a better term, might have been female in its past. "So... what will you do now?" Stellar asked, somewhat suspicious of the Haydonite's story, but willing to listen to find out more about both it and what happened to the ship and its Protoculture.

"My ship is parked on the outside of this vessel." She answered. "I will attempt to return to my people. This vessel, I will leave to you. If you can power it without Protoculture, so much the better." Then she drew closer. "But again, beware of Protoculture. Do not use it. Do not even let it near any of your species. If someone offers its secrets to you, do not take them. Only death and destruction await you if you dabble in it."

Stellar nodded. "I understand now." She said back. "Besides, I do not think we need it. We are developing our own sources of power, as you can see by my little generator here." She gestured to it.

"Yes. I have not seen this type of power unit before, but it seems to be greatly different from anything I have known. It also does not seem to be harmful... but take heed of my warning, and guard your technology well. Be always careful with it, and let your race develop in the fullness of Time. Only madness lies down the path of accelerated evolution." She told Stellar as She floated away from her.

"I thank you for your warnings." Stellar said to... her, she thought of the Haydonite. She followed the Haydonite out of the computer room's airlock and along the corridors, until it exited through an upper airlock. Stellar heard "Farewell" through her radio-headset as it moved to a strange craft that Stellar had already been curious about. The Haydonite entered the craft and it took off eventually, as Stellar watched.

Stellar's inner-warrior was screaming at her to destroy the Haydonite, to prevent the Equestrian Race becoming known about... but her Honor swatted it silent. It would not be honorable to destroy some... being who had warned them about such a threat, even if Stellar was sure the Haydonite was not telling the entire truth. The power of her warning was self-evident, and Stellar knew that She had been right about one thing: Pony Society should never get involved with this 'Protoculture'.

Stellar turned about to head inside, when her dimensional senses went haywire. She spun around to see the Haydonite craft trying to enter Fold Space... but its structure seemed to smear forwards, as if coming apart molecule-by-molecule, and it vanished utterly. Stellar was horrified. Something unimaginable had just happened, and she had no idea what or why. Was it because of trying to fold space, or was it something else? That was now a critical question to ask, as they would also have to fold space to get home, eventually. Would the same thing happen to them, if they tried the Fold Drive? Or was the cause not from Folding, but for another reason? Stellar stood there, contemplating the varied aspects of this, until Applebloom's voice came to her through the radio. "I'll be right in." Stellar replied, as the fillies sounded worried. Making her way back inside, Stellar headed for the bridge again. The Computer could wait for another hour...

==================================

Author's Note

Well, here's the third chapter. Stellar learns a lot, and finds they are not alone...

04 - Letters to Loved Ones

Stellar was still feeling a little ambivalent when she entered the bridge again, her armor having retracted off her once she'd entered the zone with air. The fillies were stretching and waking up as she smiled at them, her worry about the unusual fold of the Haydonite ship pushed to the back of her mind for the time being. "Good morning, you three." She said as she reached Scootaloo and nuzzled her, then Sweetie Belle and Applebloom got a morning nuzzle as well. "Sleep well?" Stellar asked.

"Yeah, ah guess ah did, fer bein' away from mah own bed." Applebloom answered.

"Those mattresses felt almost like a cloud bed." Scootaloo added. " 'Cept they were a bit harder, like a normal mattress is."

Stellar chuckled. "Yes, I know. But they are easier to carry than clouds are, and don't fall apart into water, either."

Sweetie Belle helped as Stellar retrieved more packed food from her H-S pocket. "I like them." She told Stellar. "They feel really nice, and they don't lump up the way some mattresses do."

"They don't, that's true." Stellar agreed with Sweetie. "Luckily, these ones are strong enough to resist breaking when you walk on them with your hoofs. Other ones you might buy at Home probably won't be as strong... yet." She told Sweetie Belle.

"Ah, ponyfeathers." Sweetie Belle stated, to giggles from Scootaloo and Applebloom.

Stellar chuckled as well. "Now, I have some good news." She told them as they sat down to eat. "I've almost completed another step towards getting our ship, which is called the Xerxes by the way, operational again." The fillies grinned at that. "And Scootaloo and I managed to find a way to send a letter home."

"You did?" Sweetie Belle asked in a exuberant voice, then she and Applebloom patted Scootaloo on the withers in congratulations.

"Geez, guys." Scootaloo said. "I didn't really do anything; I was just awake when Stellar found that special candle she has that sends messages like Spike can." She explained.

Stellar was grinning. "Anyway, the second, and better, part of this is that while you were asleep, a reply arrived from Twilight." That got an ecstatic look from the Trio. "So what that means is that we are no longer cut-off from contact with Home. We can let them know what's happening and, I hope, they can send us things we need to help us get Home again." Stellar saw the happy grins on their faces and knew they were feeling a lot better about how things were at the moment. "Now, who wants to write letters Home?" Stellar asked.

"Yeah!" The trio said as one.

Stellar laughed. "Okay, just take care with my new writing set, then." She said, as she spread things out before them to use. Each of the teenage fillies took a sheet of paper and a quill, and started writing away. Stellar watched as they talked, wrote and sometimes sketched roughly what they could of what they'd seen. Stellar noted that Sweetie Belle's horn-writing was the neatest of them all, but surprisingly, Scootaloo's penmanship was quite neat as well, much neater than Rainbow Dash's writing. 'She has obviously been paying attention in her classes.' Stellar thought to herself. Applebloom's writing was also quite neat, but she had the interesting habit of doodling her 'o's to look like apples. It made Stellar almost giggle as she watched Applebloom doodle six apples into one sentence. As they wrote, Stellar touched one of her seals to each of their cutie-marks, and her mark was replaced by their cutie marks on each of the seals, one for each of them. That way, the letters would go to the right older sibling.

Stellar also stretched out next to the Trio and began writing herself. Once she'd completed the letter, Stellar began to draw a special magic circle on a sheet of the white paper she'd found in what had to be an office; it was how she would have laid out a commanding officer's office if she'd been bipedal all the time and needed an official space to call her own. The circle was to be the mouth of a large Hammer-Space Pocket dimension; similar to the ones her own body had anchored to her and to her various armors. Stellar would put tanks for compressed air inside it, and ones for liquid oxygen. She had seen that the Life-support room on the Xerxes had a number of tanks both connected to the system and set aside as spares. Some of those she could send back to Equestria in this pocket with machines she'd read could compress air into the tanks, and one that would separate out water into oxygen and hydrogen, and then liquify them both for storage in insulated tanks. Stellar would give Twilight instructions on how to use a couple of the mana generators Stellar had left with her to power them. Once Twilight had filled them and returned them, Stellar would be able to refill the entire ship with proper atmosphere, which would make things much easier to do, since they wouldn't need their suits any longer while moving around the ship.

As the fillies continued to talk and write, Stellar took the circle and moved to another big room on the Bridge Tower. Once inside, she took her time in activating the circle, getting it ready to receive its precious cargo. With that done, she headed down the stairs, to head through the ship to Engineering and Life-support. Inside the room, huge tanks sat in racks against several walls. Stellar checked over each one of them, disconnecting several from two of the racks and sliding them into the H-S Pocket that interfaced with the sheet of paper she held. She also found the portable equipment that would allow Twilight to process Equestria's atmosphere and not just filter and compress air to fill some of the tanks, but to separate water into oxygen and hydrogen, compress and liquify both of them and store them in the specially-insulated tanks. That went into the pocket dimension as well. Once that was done, she went back out into Engineering and added several insulated tanks for the liquid hydrogen from the stores there. Her tasks completed, Stellar returned to the bridge again.

As she reached the bridge, she found the Cutie Mark Crusaders arguing over some points, and grinned. Stellar could tell that, even if they sounded like they were really giving it to each other, there was no animosity in their tone. They were merely having a little fun together, as good friends were wont to do. They yelled "HI!" to Stellar as she approached them, then went back to their 'conversation' as Stellar stretched herself out near her writing set again and continued to write to Twilight, giving her detailed instructions on what to do and how to do it, just as Twilight liked. Eventually, the trio handed Stellar their letters, each one of them secured by a ribbon and their own seal. Stellar couldn't help but giggle at the expressions on their faces. "Nervous?" She asked them.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders all nodded, looking somewhat subdued.

Stellar gave them a smile. "It's going to be okay, you three." She reassured them. "Your older siblings are not going to start anything while you're out here." Stellar said. "They'll wait until after you've been home for a week, had all the celebratory parades and medal-presentations from the Princesses and the press conferences, then they'll ground you for life." Stellar gave them an evil grin, to groans from all three of the C.M.C.

Then Scootaloo realised something. "Hey! They can't ground us any longer! We're not living with them anymore." She told the others.

"That's right!" Sweetie Belle agreed as she realised the implications.

"Ah poot." Stellar grumbled in a mock-grumbly voice. "I was wondering how long it would take you to work that out." She chuckled. The three teenage fillies giggled back at her, then moved to Stellar for a hug.

After checking the scrolls and their seals, Stellar lit her candle and burned the scrolls. The smoke from each curled up into a coil, then vanished as she sent them one at a time on their way. 'Well, there they go." She smiled at each of the three younger mares. The trio smiled back and got up. "Okay, now we'll start you learning about this ship and the sciences, technology and other subjects you need to know." Stellar told them. She sat them down at the bridge consoles and set them to start learning. While Stellar knew she'd need the big computer up and running to start the C.M.C.'s training properly, the bridge computer could start bringing the girls up to speed on maths and science well enough.

=======

As Day dawned over Ponyville, Twilight awoke feeling invigorated and far more relaxed than the day before. Knowing that Stellar and the C.M.C. were safe took a huge load off her withers. Then Spike came rushing in, looking a little more green than usual. "Spike?" Twilight asked him, looking worried. Spike said nothing, just held his mouth shut and dumped four scrolls on the bed, one noticeably thicker than the others, before he raced off into Twilight's bathroom. Twilight gasped as she saw the thick scroll's seal bore Stellar's Winged Sparkle Star, but the other three bore the cutie marks of the C.M.C.'s individual members. Gathering them up, Twilight trotted out of her bedroom and into her office. She sat at her desk, putting the other scrolls aside, before opening Stellar's scroll, which Twilight saw held five pages. She started reading the front-piece, setting the other pages to one side on the desk before her...

= = = = =

Dear Twilight,

After two days of working things and settling in, we're making some progress. But things have taken a strange turn here. I got involved in a conversation with a very strange lifeform, which had a machine-body and I presume a computer for a brain. It apparently used to be an organic lifeform before their race developed an organic power-source they called 'Protoculture'.

Apparently, their race started trying to help other races by giving them Protoculture and teaching them how to use it. But it said that other cultures tried to use it to force 'evolution' onto their people, in order to advance their races faster than naturally-possible. It was this that led to the 'Haydonites', as they call themselves, having to put their souls into 'robotic' bodies and try to eradicate Protoculture from the other races. Protoculture was being used by the Humans as an advanced power source for their ships' Faster-Than-Light drive, or 'Fold'-drive, and this Haydonite removed every skerrick of Protoculture from the ship, which is why it was drifting. It looked over my mana generator and declared it 'a safe form of energy production', then gave me a very powerful warning against getting involved with Protoculture, for any reason. And I am inclined to agree with it, but for my own reasons. If we don't need to use this stuff, for any reason, then I think it would be better for every lifeform on Equis if we don't. We don't need it, and I agree it seems far too dangerous for us to muck about with, full-stop.

I have some ideas where to start to create a replacement for the missing Protoculture power source this ship used before, but the first thing we're going to need is air, food and water. I've attached a H-S pocket to one of the pages in my letter, as a Circle imprinted on the page. Inside it are tanks for compressed air and both Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen, which you can obtain from water. There are also machines in the pocket for compressing air and separating water into the two components, as well as chilling them down and turning them liquid. I've included instructions on how to hook them up to my little mana generators as well, so you can run them. Once you have the tanks full of the components, water itself, and compressed air, send them back, and we can start to bring this ship back to life properly.

I'm using my little mana generators to supply certain areas of the ship with auxiliary power, and I might be able to use a bigger one to power the fold-drive to get us home; but before then, I have to see if the main system will accept mana as energy it can use. Once I'm sure that the system will take it, then we can work on making a much bigger mana generator to supply power to the drive systems of this ship. But for the moment, the consumables are far more important for our continued survival, as well as efforts to repair our ship. The rest will wait for us to be ready, and hopefully we'll be on our way home with good time, Sis.

Give Spike a huge hug from myself and the C.M.C., and tell Celestia, Luna and all our friends we're thinking of them and miss them.

Your loving sister,

Stellar

= = = = =

Twilight nodded with thought when she read Stellar's letter. "This... 'Haydonite' sounds like a weird form-of-life." She said to herself. "At least we know now what happened to the ship a little more clearly than before, and what was behind it. And I definitely agree with Stellar on this... 'Protoculture' stuff. If she's successful in coming up with a replacement, then so much the better if it's something we already know about and know it isn't harmful to us." Twilight stated to herself. She wrote a note to Celestia, attached a copy of Stellar's letter, sent it on its way, then smiled at the other three scrolls. Gathering them up, Twilight headed out, intending to deliver them all herself... To Rainbow Dash first, then to Rarity; and finally to Applejack, Big Mac and Granny Smith.

=======

Dash was snoozing on a cloud, since it was the off-season for the Wonderbolts and she'd just done a stint in Ponyville's weather service, helping to train some of the junior weather ponies there in proper cloud-bucking techniques. She'd just rolled over, stirring a little as somepony calling her name got closer and closer... then Twilight popped her head up through the cloud and yelled "Rainbow Dash!", startling Dash into shooting up off the cloud with a squeak!

As Dash looked down at Twilight, while the alicorn climbed up through the cloud and sat there, regaining her breath, Dash frowned as she came in to land by Twilight. "That was SO not-cool, Twi'." Rainbow Dash told her friend.

Twilight panted hard. She still wasn't in as good a shape as she'd wished she was. "Doesn't matter, Dash." She replied. "Letter for you, from Scoots." And she held out the scroll.

Dash's eyes grew huge, and she almost snatched the scroll from Twilight's grasp. She noted Scootaloo's cutie-mark on the scroll's clasp, then carefully unrolled it and read:

= = = = =

To: Rainbow Dash
From: Scootaloo

Heya Big Sis!

This is Scootaloo, coming to you from... well, we're not really that sure where we are right now, Dash. It's a long way away, according to Stellar, but we're trying to find a way home again. Guess what? We found a starship! It's not completely working yet, but Stellar's got sections of it where we can survive outside the suits she made for us.

There's more stars in the sky out here than we've ever seen before, Sis. It's absolutely incredible to see. The sky is jammed-packed with them behind us, but not so much ahead of us. Stellar says it's because we're not too far away from the edge of a galaxy, which is an immense collection of stars about a hundred thousand 'light-years' across, according to what the electronic library, or 'database' on the ship says about it. As you can see, we three have been keeping up with our lessons... they're just a bit different than anything back home, since we can study stuff normal ponies don't know about yet.

You'd love it out here, Dash. The ship has what Stellar says are 'aircraft', smaller mechanical flying ships that are way faster than even you are. She says that, once she figures out how to power them, She'll teach me how to fly one of them. Then I'll show you just how fast is fast! As it is, Stellar says it might be a while before we get back home again. But don't worry, Dash! We're safe and doing what we're told to do, and Stellar's making sure we do what's right. So hopefully we'll be back home before you know it, Sis.

Missing you heaps,
Your loving sister,
Scootaloo

= = = = =

Rainbow's big eyes teared up as she read Scootaloo's letter, and she sniffled as she wiped her face with a fore-hoof, as Twilight gave her a soft smile. "Thanks... thanks, Twi'." Dash said as she got a hug from Twilight. "I really needed this."

"I know." Twilight replied. "But if you want to write back... please, don't hassle Scoots about what happened. Stellar said they have way more to worry about out there than wondering what punishments they're going to face when they get back." She begged Dash.

Rainbow Dash looked down at the letter. "Yeah, you're right, I guess." She finally agreed. Dash looked at Twilight again. "Do you think Stellar can get them home again?" She asked.

Twilight smiled and nodded. "We're both working hard on it; Stellar out there and me back here." She reassured Dash. "They're safe for the moment, and Stellar really thinks there might be a way of getting that ship they're on fully-operational again, so they can use it to get back here."

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Yeah, and if they do, Scoots is gonna be insufferably smug; with her being part of the first Ponies to travel out into Space."

"There is that, true." Twilight agreed. "It may have been accidental, but they truly have gone where no pony has gone before. And when they do make it back... they just might be the beginning of something incredibly world-changing."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "I always knew Scoots had greatness in her, her and the others." She told Twilight. "I take it you got letters from the others?"

Twilight nodded. "Yep." She simply replied.

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Then go give Rarity and Applejack their letters, Twi'. They need the good news every bit as much as I do." She almost ordered Twilight.

Twilight gave a grinning salute, then said "Will do, Lieutenant Dash." She then dove off the cloud backwards, rolled over and flew away, to Dash's chuckles.

"She's getting better with her flying." Dash commented, as she settled back down with the letter, reading it again.

=======

Twilight came to a soft landing before the Carousel Boutique. She frowned as she saw all the window drapes were closed, and a 'Closed' sign was affixed to the door. The worst thing was when Twilight found the door was locked. "Rarity never locks her door..." Twilight said to herself. She quickly unlocked the door and carefully opened it, peeking around the door. "Rarity?" Twilight asked in a soft voice, her horn-tip glowing as she looked inside.

What she saw frightened and shocked her. The boutique's insides were in disarray. Pony-kins were scattered everywhere, remains of dresses and rolls of fabric all over the floor. Twilight cautiously slipped into the room and closed the door. Turning on the lights, she started to clean up. Twilight did sigh with relief when she realised none of the dresses under construction were actually damaged, just incomplete. She tidied up easily, rolling up the rolls of fabric, cleaning up the piles of sequins and gem-shards, brocade and lace, putting everything away where Rarity would keep them. Twilight found Opalescence was enschonched in a small enclosure between two cupboards, her favorite pillow under her and food and water laid out for her. Opal snarled at Twilight, until the alicorn put a bowl of milk before the cat, and Opal's face brightened as she walked out and accepted the offering laid before her.

Upstairs was almost as bad. The bed was unmade, things scattered on the floor, and Rarity was nowhere to be found. Only after tidying up and checking the bathroom did she find Rarity, unconscious, in the bathtub with several bottles of apple liqueur on the floor. They were all empty, and Rarity's breath was rancid with the stale alcohol. Twilight knew this wasn't like Rarity at all. Normally Rarity only drank wine, and to moderation. To have consumed four whole bottles of 'Old Applejack' like this, she must have really wanted to get drunk, and totally so.

Twlight pushed Rarity back into the tub and started the shower going. Rarity was half-way through being scrubbed-down when she woke, screaming incoherently. Twilight had figured this would happen, and had surrounded the room in a 'Hush' spell, keeping the sounds from leaking to the outside. Eventually Rarity stopped screaming and just collapsed again, letting Twilight clean her up. Only after Twilight had rinsed her, dried her and groomed her did Rarity show any signs she was actually awake, giving Twilight a filthy, then a grateful look. "Thank you." Rarity said in a rough, hoarse voice.

"You're welcome, Rarity." Twilight replied, as she led Rarity out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen, supporting her most of the way down as well as staying close to her.

In the kitchen, Twilight made up a medium-hot brew of rosemary and chamomile tea, stirring honey into it and putting the tall glass of it before Rarity, who lifted the glass and sipped at it. The unicorn mare was surprised at how quickly it soothed her throat, although a second glass was needed to clear her head. She gave a small, pained smile at Twilight, who returned it with bright interest, and then sighed as Twilight hugged her. "Thank you, my dearest friend." Rarity said again. "I... don't know what I was doing, what I'd do without you sometimes..."

Twilight shushed Rarity, gently putting a hoof over her muzzle. "It's okay, Rarity. I understand. The fear you had of losing Sweetie Belle must have been impossible for you to ignore."

Rarity took a strangled breath in, and broke down into tears in Twilight's arms. "Of... of all... the times... she's been in trouble..." Rarity said in a halting voice, "There... there was never a time... when I have felt... so... helpless..."

Twilight nuzzled Rarity tenderly. "I know." She replied softly. "Stellar's been through so much... but even I lost touch with her. No matter where she is on Equestria, I could always feel her presence with me... but not this time." She looked at Rarity. "I thought... I truly considered... I might have lost her for good this time... and it was all my fault."

Rarity snorted. "Nonsense." She said in a stronger voice. "You and Stellar, of everypony in this, did nothing wrong... save for maybe ignoring some safety protocols that should not have been necessary in the first place." Rarity reassured Twilight.

Twilight smiled at Rarity. "Yeah, you're right." She easily agreed. "And I think you will feel a lot better once you read this." She held out the letter to Rarity.

Rarity gasped, then almost gingerly took the scroll from Twilight's grasp. The seal with Sweetie Belle's cutie mark on it nearly had her in tears again, and she slowly opened it, to read:

= = = = =

To: Rarity Belle
From: Sweetie Belle

To my dearest sister, Rarity

First, I want to say how apologetic we are for what happened. We rationalised that Twilight wouldn't be doing any spellcasting at that time of night, and felt she would be more likely doing astronomical observations, which is why we were there.

Obviously, we were wrong.

As things stand, we are safe, secure and working on ways to get home, Sis. Stellar's discovery of an almost-intact starship was an incredible piece of good fortune, but it made things only easier in that it gives us a possible way home without needing an immense amount of assistance from Twilight and the Celestial sisters. Stellar is helping continue our lessons as much as is feasibly possible, but some lessons have been put on hold while we learn how to help crew this vessel named the Xerxes, instead. It is a very complex machine, as you might well imagine, and Stellar will need our help to equip it and make it work as we work to get back home to Equestria again.

Other than our current situation, everypony here is very 'hyped-up', as Scootaloo put it, and very eager to explore our new roles aboard the Xerxes.

I know you're probably going to be very disappointed in myself and my friends, Sis, and I know we deserve it. Please, just forgive us for the moment, until we return home. There is so much we have to learn and do out here, that I am begging you not to distract us while we try to make our way back to you and the others. Please, Sis?

I miss you terribly, Rarity. You're always in my mind as we sleep, and I want to feel your forelegs around me again, telling me that I'm safe and home again. Although moving out into our own place was needed, I never want to forget that I have the best older sister in the world (Stellar doesn't count. She's not older than Twilight). I want to face you when we get home, knowing that we did our best to keep up the best standards of Equestria and that we made it home... for all the best reasons.

Your loving little sister,
Sweetie Belle

= = = = =

Twilight softly smiled as she saw tears slowly trickle out of Rarity's eyes as she read through the letter twice. Then she looked at Twilight. "They... they truly are safe, aren't they?" She asked in a choked-up voice.

Twilight smiled wider and nodded. "Yes. Maybe not as safe as they would be here, but as safe as they can be, given the circumstances."

"Oh, by Celestia..." Rarity said softly as she wiped her eyes. Twilight moved to the white unicorn mare who'd been such an incredible friend to her, and hugged her close once again. Rarity sniffled for a while, then nuzzled Twilight as they slowly separated. "Thank you, Twilight. Only you know what this means to me."

Twilight gave Rarity another soft smile. "Yeah." She agreed. "Will you be okay?"

Rarity took a deep breath, then slowly released it, tossing her mane around a little. "I will be, now that I know for certain that Sweetie will be coming back." She answered Twilight. "Honestly... I dreaded telling our parents more than anything else. This... whole situation is far worse than anything that has ever happened to them before. But I thank Celestia, Luna and all the deities that Stellar was with them. If not, I dread to think what might have happened... But I know that Sweetie would have never been coming back. However, my heart is lightened in knowing that Stellar has kept them safe, as I knew she would." Rarity smiled at Twilight, and the relief on her face was as genuine as Rarity's generosity.

Twilight smiled a big smile at Rarity. "I'm glad you feel better."

Rarity nodded. "Yes... well... hadn't you be better off heading to Applejack and telling her the good news, rather than spending time listening to me rant on, Twilight?"

Twilight chuckled. "No." She simply replied, then hugged Rarity once more...

=======

Twilight walked amongst the lovely apple trees as she headed for Sweet Apple Acres. As much as she knew she could get there much faster on the wing, the smell of the apple blossoms, the sound of the bees buzzing in the air as they wandered from flower to flower, tree-to-tree; the warmth of the sun as it rose towards Zenith... it all made her so glad she was alive. She could feel the power in the earth under her hoofs, as it circulated through the orchards and filled the trees with life. She could feel the breeze as it tantalisingly slid around her, calling her to join it in the sky. And the feel of the mana in the very air itself as it flowed through her made her even happier that she had ascended to become an alicorn. All of Equestria's magic was at her beck-and-call... And it couldn't help but make her feel happy again.

She then heard a familiar voice cursing out loud nearby. Twilight trotted over in that direction to see Applejack there, in the trees, trying to pull a stubborn branch off one of the trees. Twilight could tell the branch was dying, something in it slowly oozing through the branch towards the tree. Applejack couldn't quite get the purchase to use all of her incredible strength and tear it loose. "Need a hoof?" Twilight called out as she approached.

Applejack let go of the rope. "Twi'?" She replied.

"Yep." Twilight said back with a grin as she came up to Applejack.

"Uh... sure, ah guess ah could relly use one raht about now." Applejack admitted. "That therre branch got itself ‘poisoned’ by a Too-noo-kee fly, an' if ah don' get it off, it’s gonna kill tha entire tree."

Twilight nodded. She looked the branch over, her horn lit up and she made a shearing plane out of her magic, something Stellar had taught her how to do. Putting it right at the base of the branch, Twilight forced the plane into the branch, slicing it free of the tree with seemingly little effort. Applejack dragged the branch away before it hit the ground, out onto the open path. Twilight could now clearly see the ugly brown mass of the dead branch at the outer end of it, things writhing deep in the rotting wood. "Wow. A Tunuke fly, you said?" She asked.

"Ee-yep." Applejack confirmed. "They lay their eggs in a certain type a’ junction in tha tree's branches, an' that mass is tha larvae moving through tha wood." She explained. "Now, ah gots ta burn this befer they can get out.”

“Leave it to me.” Twilight said, her horn lighting up. She fired it at the branch, and the whole thing just turned to ash in seconds; even the larvae were reduced to nothing but dust.

Applejack grinned. “Thank ya kindly, Twi’.” Applejack said, before clopping hoofs with Twilight. “So, what brings ya out to our place on such a bee-yoo-tiful day as this?” Applejack asked, as they headed towards the house.

Twilight smiled happily at Applejack. “I have a letter for you.” She answered.

“Fer me?” Applejack replied, feeling confused.

Twilight nodded. “Ee-yup.” She replied, imitating Applejack’s accent, to Applejack grinning. “It’s from Applebloom.” she added.

Applejack stopped, her face indescribable. “Applebloom?” She asked, her voice a whisper.

Twilight turned and looked at Applejack with a soft smile. “They’ve written Home, Applejack.” She told the older mare. She showed Applejack the scroll, with its cutie-mark seal.

Applejack tentatively put a hoof out and touched the seal, tears trickling from her eyes, then she moved to Twilight and hugged her hard. Twilight had braced herself, knowing the incredible strength her friend had in her muscular body. Luckily, her own earth pony magic allowed her to withstand the crushing hug, and she hugged back just as strongly. “Thank ya, Twi’...” Applejack whispered to Twilight as they hugged together.

“You’re welcome, A.J.” Twilight replied.

Applejack just hugged Twilight for a time, then slowly let go of her. “An’ tha others?” She asked.

“Rainbow Dash and Rarity have already gotten their letters.” Twilight confirmed to Applejack.

Applejack grinned. “Okay then. Let’s be gettin’ Home, so we can all read Applebloom’s letter.” She said, shooting past Twilight and heading for the house. Twilight just laughed and galloped off in pursuit.

= = = = =

Big Mac was washing up outside before he headed in for Lunch, while Granny Smith was busy in the kitchen. They both looked up as they heard galloping hoofs coming closer, and smiled when they saw Applejack and Twilight racing along together, laughing and urging each other on. Big Mac turned to Granny Smith and nodded, and the old mare just grinned and pulled her head back inside. “Ee-yup.” Big Mac said to himself as he saw the look on Applejack’s face. The relief was palpable. He knew then that something big had happened, and Applejack wasn’t worrying as much about Applebloom any longer. It also made him feel a lot better inside.

As they walked up onto the wide verandah out the front of the homestead's main house, Applejack called out "Big Mac! Granny! Twilight's got a letter from Applebloom!"

"A letter?" Big Mac asked as he walked up onto the verandah himself.

"A letter? How'd Ditzy get out that far?" Granny Smith asked.

Applejack and Twilight just laughed as they headed inside, Big Mac behind them. "No, Granny Smith, it came via Dragon Express through Spike." Twilight explained.

"Well, if that don't beat all." Granny Smith replied as she moved to the lounge and climbed up onto it. "Well, hoof it over, youngster. Can anypony find mah readin' glasses?" Granny Smith asked as Applejack and Big Mac joined her.

Twilight sat down with the three Apples and suggested "Why don't I read it out to all of you?"

Applejack smiled. "Sure, Twilight. You go ahead."

Twilight nodded, then began to read out-loud:

= = = = =

To: Applejack, Big Mac and Granny Smith
From: Applebloom

To my dearest, loving Family

The first thing I want to say is that I am very, very sorry for worrying all of you. I never intended for this to happen, and I know you've been horribly worried about myself, and only to a tiny lesser degree about Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Stellar. I hope you can forgive me for putting you all through this... well, not exactly again, as we've never done anything to come anywhere close to this before.

Second, I want you all to know we're about as safe as we could be, out here literally in the middle of nowhere.. well, compared to anywhere on Equestria. Stellar said we're at least eight of what she calls Light-Years away from any other star system, and Twilight said that we're over twelve-hundred Light-Years away from Equestria. That may not sound like much, but... it's nearly impossible to imagine. But the sky here is just so bright. There are millions more stars than we ever see from Equestria, and it's so beautiful.

Stellar's keeping us learning as well. The things she calls 'Computers' have more knowledge in them than all the libraries in Equestria put together, and she's keeping us busy learning from them, so we can help her get our ship, which is called the 'Xerxes', working again and to get her back there. I'd never thought I'd ever learn enough about Maths and Science to be any good at anything but farming, but we're all learning so much, it really surprises me how good we are at doing so. I think... I think I might have finally found out what I want to do with my life now. Well... maybe. At least it's going to keep us all busy until we get back home again. I think I'll leave deciding until I get back there and talk to you all. Then I'll decide on it.

Know for certain, beyond any doubts, that you are in my thoughts. I cannot go more than an hour without your faces look at me in my mind, and I can't help but get a little 'melancholic', as Stellar puts it, as I hurt really deep inside me that you're so far away. But Stellar says I have to stand on my own four hoofs, and that I have to rely only on myself while I'm out here, and that every pony reaches this point in their lives sooner or later. The only difference with us here is that we can't look back and stop walking away; we can only look forward, because that's the only thing that will get us Home again. So I'm going to do just that; I'm going to keep learning, keep on looking forward and know that I shall eventually come home again, helpfully a much more mature Pony than I was when I left.

Missing you more than I could ever write,
Your loving sister/grand-foal,
Applebloom

= = = = =

Applejack just wiped the tears away that ran down her face, as Twilight put the letter down on the table before the Apples. "Gosh darnit... she sounds so mature already." Applejack said softly.

"Ee-yup." Big Mac agreed. "She's growin' up." He said, as he wiped a few tears away from his own face.

Granny blew her nose into a hankerchief like a foghorn, then stuffed it away as Twilight held out a box of tissues. "Thank ya, Twilight." She said in her old voice, a little more trembling in it thanks to her mood. "Ohhh... she's gonna gets a good huggin' when she gets back, ah promise ya that." She stated.

Applejack gave a snort of laughter at that. "Ah don' think anypony could think anythin' but that she'd get that, Granny." She said back.

"Ee-yup." Big Mac couldn't help but agree, and Twilight grinned wide as the Apples hugged each other to themselves.

=======

As Twilight walked home that afternoon, inside herself she was feeling so much better. She'd managed to give her best friends hope almost beyond hope, and reassure them that their absent siblings and kin would one day, very soon, come home to them once again.

She looked around Ponyville as she walked back into the village and the warm smiles of the residents... her friends, she was so proud to call so many by that honorific; their warm smiles greeted her and welcomed her home to their lives, and to their friendships. She was happy to answer their questions, to reassure them that those absent were safe and working to return to them again, and the relief that they showed and shared filled the air with cheer once again. Twilight could almost feel it as word spread throughout Ponyville that their missing friends would come home to them again.

As she approached the door to her castle... her Home, Twilight's heart swelled with all the Hope that radiated out from those that loved her and called her their Princess... and it had hardly ever felt as good as it did, right then. She only wished she could package it all up and send it out to Stellar and the C.M.C. as easily as she could send other things to them. But Twilight just gave Spike a warm smile and a huge hug as he greeted her home again, instead.

Hugs she could keep, for when she could give them to those far away...

Author's Note

Trying to write letters in character can be sooooooooooo frustrating. Trying to get their heads inside my own is hard to do...

Note: To remind people, the C.M.C. in this story are 15 years old and going to high school, so they are a good deal more educated than we've seen in the series. Likewise, Applebloom might still have her accent when she speaks, but it doesn't carry over into her writing.

05 - Resupply

Stellar was pleased when, in the middle of coaching the C.M.C. about quadratic equations, a letter from Spike appeared and dropped to the floor. The scroll seemed very thick, Twilight's seal around the ribbon. "Okay, Girls. Break Time." She told the Trio, who sighed with relief and got up to stretch. Stellar opened the scroll up, finding over thirty sheets within it, most of which had the magic circles on them denoting them as H-S pocket carriers. On the face sheet, Stellar read:

= = = = =

Hello Stellar!

Things are slowly working here as you asked. Thanks to your very detailed instructions, I have been able to connect all three machines to the castle's power systems, and the first of your supplies have been sent to you. There's twenty tanks of compressed air, seven tanks of purified water, but only one tank of liquid oxygen and two of hydrogen as yet. We're having more tanks manufactured to carry water, so we can use those reinforced tanks to carry the compressed and liquified gasses instead of wasting them on just water.

Canterlot University is trying to reproduce your tanks, would you believe? They have always had problems getting samples of purified gasses, since magical methods of electrolysis and other methods of collecting and purifying gasses have always been slow. So now that we can supply them with the more basic gasses, including liquid nitrogen, they want supplies. I think this is going to be quite a nice little Bit-maker for you, Sis, as I'm going to be charging them about half the amount they spend on making purified gasses for what we make for them. It'll save them money, but make a very nice income for you as well, maybe to invest in a space program when you get back?

Anyway, I hope this will make things much more comfortable for you and the fillies. You'll probably really enjoy a nice, long shower after you've got the water connected. I know I would! I'll get the rest of the tanks filled for you as soon as I can, and send as many as you think you can spare. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask. Celestia's given your safe return carte blanche in terms of gathering and transporting resources to you, so anything you need or want will be supplied, if possible.

I handed out the C.M.C.'s letters to their sisters, and it was a much-needed and massive boost to their hope levels. Even Ponyville's overflowing with hope and confidence that you and the girls will be back here, very soon. While Rainbow Dash and Applejack had been working to keep themselves occupied while waiting for news, I had to pull Rarity out of the deepest funk I have ever seen her sink into. But with Sweetie Belle's letter, and a little aid from myself, she's come out of it and is working double-time to get ready for that Canterlot fashion show next month... and I think she is going to really knock their hoof-shoes off this year. I showed her some of the images you sent back to me, and it seems to have inspired her towards new heights of 'Fabulosity', as Rarity terms it. But I know you can understand how good it is to see her so enthusiastic once again. It's lifted everypony's spirits, as she is once again out and about, doing what Rarity does best. Oh, and don't be surprised if I send you a care package from her, with uniforms for you and the Trio, made up to resemble those 'R.E.F.' uniforms you sent pictures of. Something about them has triggered Rarity into 'IDEA!' mode, and she is sewing like a mad mare, grinning and muttering to herself. It might be kind-of creepy for anypony who doesn't know her, but Rarity is definitely back 'in The Zone!' and sewing up a storm.

So stay strong, Sis. All our good wishes are heading to you, now, and we're going to do everything we can to help you get home safely again. Take care, hug the C.M.C. for all of us and you'll be back here before anypony knows it.

Your loving sister,
Twilight.

= = = = =

Stellar smiled as she read the letter, one hoof on the pile of pages with circles on them. Now things would be better and improve a lot faster. Being able to move around the ship without wearing suits would be much more comfortable, and with fresh water for amenities and other processes, conditions aboard the Xerxes would be comfortable, not just survivable.

Stellar headed for the Life-support area of Engineering, after closing all the external doors in the flight bays and Engineering, ready for repressurising the ship from the stores that Twilight had sent. The fresh air from Equestria was a welcome thing to the Xerxes' stores, and while there wasn't enough yet to repressurise the entire ship, there was enough to fill a good section of the Xerxes, including Engineering and the areas between there and the bridge. As she installed the water tanks and compressed air tanks to the life-support equipment, Stellar made sure all the filters had been cleaned and restored to as new as she could make them. There was no use pumping clean water and air through dirty filtration systems. "Maybe I should send some of the filters home, to see if they could reproduce them." Stellar suggested to herself, making notes to that effect. Hopefully the next shipment would also have more tanks of liquid oxygen as well as liquified air, since Stellar was going to send thirty more of the reserve tanks from the Xerxes home. Twilight had said that the equipment had been fairly easy to plug into the Castle's power systems. Stellar had hope that Twilight would be able to refill the tanks quickly; the Xerxes needed its full compliment of air to make it easier to bring the ship back to Equestria. Once she was sure everything was ready in Life-support, Stellar headed for the computer core's room.

The computer core, after Stellar checked it over thoroughly, seemed to be none-the-worse for the Haydonite having been connected to it. She had realised it was the Haydonite causing what the Captain had referred to as the 'Viral Infection' of its systems. It also appeared as if the Haydonite had not bothered to leave any traps inside the programming, or disruption to the systems. Stellar eventually plugged the core back into the array of secondary cores and powered everything up again. After running the system diagnostics several times in different configurations, she had to assume everything was working properly. Even the Fold Drive's control systems passed diagnostic inspection. Satisfied she could do nothing more to uncover any problems inside the computer systems, she told the computer to begin repressurising sections of the Hull, excepting the forward half of the hull and the flight bays. They were unnecessary at the moment and could be repressurised when the ship attained more air, probably from being delivered by Spike Express Postage.

Heading back to Life-support, Stellar knew she had to get the ship more power, now that the cores were functional. She had seven more mana generators on her, as well as the pair in her exo-armor, after she'd installed four more in Engineering for Life-support's use. She also knew it would be impossible for the generators to fully replace the Protoculture reactors or fusion reactors, so she needed something else. Ideas were coming together, but resources were needed first. The fusion reactors would be able to be brought on-line once she had enough liquid hydrogen for them to work, so a few more deliveries and they'd be available for low-level power generation in the meantime. The next phase was to tell Twilight to send her what she needed to make a working Mana generator big enough to power the Xerxes, and she hoped the Alchemical spells she'd pencilled out for Twilight to peruse would prove viable. Stellar knew Twilight could take the rough ideas for spells she had and make them work properly; they had worked before to do just that.

Stellar returned to Life-Support and disconnected another round of tanks for return to Equestria. The H-S pocket circles easily accepted the new tanks, and Stellar added some spare filters to the package, one of each type for Twilight to give as examples for back-engineering. Then she felt the best thing she'd felt for a while now: Her armor's systems were indicating the air pressure in Engineering was rising steadily, and the circulation systems were starting to kick back in again. Once they showed the atmosphere levels were comfortable, Stellar retracted her armor and stretched her body out, relaxing herself from Armor-protocols. Checking the status of the system, It showed that the hull and the systems were no worse for their time in vacuum. Everything was functioning at nominal levels, which made Stellar breathe a sigh of relief. Of all the systems on-board, Life-support was the most critical one there was. Now, once she'd worked out how to power the Xerxes, then any other problems would be secondary.

Stellar contacted the bridge via the intercom. "Water systems are on-line, Girls. Take a time-out and get yourselves washed."

There were three cheering voices that grew faint, as the Trio raced off for the washrooms. Stellar laughed as she headed for the lifts and back up to the bridge level. Once there, she headed for the Captain's quarters and its private bathroom. After all... Rank had its privelages.

= = = = =

As Stellar relaxed after her shower, slowly grooming herself out, her exo-armor stood in the bathtub after being hosed out and cleaned thoroughly. Sometimes it took just a little more than a cleaning cantrip to get the 'lived-in' smell out of it, and Stellar had always made provision for her armor to survive a good hosing and scrub. Once it was dry, Stellar retracted it back into its helmet, then she put it away, ready if she called for it. Dry and groomed, Stellar headed out of her quarters for the bridge

As Stellar entered the bridge, she saw three clean, happy fillies were looking over the information the bridge stations were now showing them, now that they had access to the main core again. Scootaloo, predictably, was watching footage of the fighters the ship was equipped with in action, while watching a simulator showing the cockpit and what controls and instruments were causing the fighter to be flown in the manner it was being piloted.

Sweetie Belle was, unusually, being 'walked through' the various star charts and astronomical programs by the computer, wondering curiously about their place in the universe. She also had a number of smaller screens on the science station open, and was using them to research other things about star travel, especially about other star systems.

Applebloom, Stellar could see over her shoulder, was delving deeply into the Engineering database, almost as Stellar expected. Stellar moved up beside the teenage filly and asked "Hey, Applebloom, would you like to help me down in Engineering?" Stellar smiled at Applebloom.

Applebloom's face lit up in delight. "You betcha ah would!" She answered, hopping up from the console.

"Come on, then. Let's head for Engineering and see what we need to get the Xerxes fully-operational again." Stellar told Applebloom.

"Yeah! Let's do this, Captain!" Applebloom agreed as they headed for the bridge access elevator, now operational again.

After leaving Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle at their lessons, Stellar and Applebloom headed for Engineering. Stellar wanted to inspect the Protoculture reactors, to see if she could use them as part of her new power source for the ship. It would make things so much easier and quicker if they could use the existing equipment in powering the ship, instead of having to make new equipment to replace it. Since Stellar had no idea what Protoculture actually was, finding it was pretty much an impossibility; and her conversation with the Haydonite, the only being that had known what Protoculture was, had been very unenlightening as to the nature of the substance. So, she was going to have to replace this Protoculture with a power source that was far more familiar to her. And if she could use the reactor housings as part of that, so much the better.

As Applebloom went off to look about Engineering for herself, Stellar moved to the reactor housings. Each had an inspection door built into the sides of the chambers, and she opened the door to the first one and went inside. Stellar looked about the interior of the reactor housing that had held the primary source of power for the ship. The Xerxes had two of the large spherical reactors that, as far as Stellar could tell from scanning their construction and what she'd read in the engineering manuals, were lined with equipment that absorbed an unusual energy produced by the Protoculture. The equipment then converted it into normal electrical power, in the range of several thousand terawatts per hour at the system's maximum operational level. The two reactors were empty of whatever the Protoculture had been and the surface was as clean as if hit with a Purification rune. "I wonder...?" Stellar said to herself. She retrieved one of her mana generators and left it floating inside the reactor. She would activate it remotely from outside the reactor and see what reaction the reactor's conversion equipment would have to the mana it produced.

Stellar watched the monitoring equipment outside the reactor as she activated the generator. Applebloom came up and watched as Stellar waited. "Whatcha doin', Stellar?" She asked.

"Hoping a theory of mine means we can generate power with these reactor bodies eventually." Stellar answered, as the power monitors started to show the reactor's conversion array was receiving power and, after five minutes, Stellar grinned as the reactor's systems adapted to and began to convert the mana into normal electrical energy. It was less than three kilowatt/hours, but the power the mana generator was making was very small compared to the energy levels this Protoculture had produced inside the reactor body. "And there it is." Stellar told Applebloom.

Applebloom looked, frowning. "That don't look like a lot of power." She declared.

"You're right, it isn't." Stellar agreed. "But the most important thing here is that the reactor's conversion array is reading the mana as a power-type it can convert. That means that, with the right equipment, I might be able to produce a much bigger energy generator array within the reactor, that will give us a similar amount of power to that generated by the Protoculture that it contained before." Stellar explained.

"Oh, I get it." Applebloom grinned. "So, what do ya think y'all will need ta make this power generator?" She asked.

"Mostly? Mana crystals and Arcanite, like my little generators." Stellar said.

Applebloom frowned. "But... didn't ya tell Twilight once that Arcanite was the scarcest stuff on Equis?" Applebloom asked.

Stellar nodded. "It is. But, from what I've learned from studying this ship's scientific database..."

"The whut?" Applebloom interrupted. She was better at book-learning than her sister was, but sometimes Stellar, like Twilight, used language that was a little too over-her-head.

Stellar chuckled. "Its inbuilt library on Science." Stellar clarified.

"Oh." Applebloom replied.

Stellar gave Applebloom a grin. "Anyway, after going through it, I think I found out what happened to the Arcanite that used to exist on our world. But better yet, if I'm right, I might be able to create a way of making it again."

"Really?" Applebloom was surprised. “Ya might be able ta make Arcanite?”

“It’s a possibility.” Stellar answered. “Twilight and I have transmuted metals before, using alchemical spells. This isn’t too different for it to be impossible, it just might be very difficult under normal situations. Out here, though, I think I might just be able to make this happen.” Stellar sighed, though. “But I am going to need some things we don’t have here. I’m just hoping that Twilight’s way to send them to us with her letters works with that much tonnage. I know she said it should, but there's a lot of distance between 'should' and 'does' when it comes to things like this.”

Applebloom nodded. "So, are ya gonna send Twilight another letter, tellin' her what we need?"

Stellar nodded. "I will, as soon as I do some work and see if I can write a few spells for Twilight to check over, ones to get us what we need, and ones to help make what we need from the materials I hope she'll be able to send us." She explained to Applebloom. "Right now, it's time for something to eat." She grinned at Applebloom.

"Oh yeah! Dinner!" Applebloom exclaimed as they headed for the lifts.

=======

Twilight was sitting, reading, after a good meal spent with Spike, Starlight and Trixie. The pair of ponies had returned from the 'Human' Equestria that afternoon, replete with the good feelings of a job well done, and with loads of notes and pictures. Starlight had even brought Twilight back a new camera that didn't need film to work, and a computer from the other world to download and print them out with; something that Twilight was so happy to receive. After telling Twilight everything that had happened in their stay on the other world, Trixie had wandered off to bed while Starlight had listened to what had happened in 'Pony' Equestria while they had been gone. "So... Stellar and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are stuck over a thousand light-years from here on an alien starship, trying to get it functional while you supply them with what they need?" Starlight asked Twilight.

"That's.. pretty much it, yeah." Twilight confirmed sounding a little contrite.

Starlight chuckled. "Wow. That's really... out-there, even for a goof-up of this size." Starlight said, as Twilight winced. Starlight then showed a little sympathy. "Hey, it's okay, Twilight. I can tell this wasn't your screw-up. I know what it's like when a major spell goes wrong, believe me. We can both be glad that the four of them are all right and working to get back here." She reassured Twilight.

Twilight sighed. "Yeah... It's the one good thing about this entire situation." She agreed. "Well, apart from the fact of finding a huge alien starship!" Twilight grinned.

"So, do we know what species made it? Or are they just... hideous tentacle monsters?" Starlight asked with a grin, as Twilight laughed.

Once she'd managed to regain control of herself, Twilight replied "No, no. The ship was created and staffed by humans, from what Stellar's told me." Twilight informed Starlight.

"Humans?" Starlight asked. "As in... 'Human-Equestria' humans?"

"I'm not sure." Twilight answered. "Stellar thinks they're different Humans, not the ones that are copies of us in Human form." She told Starlight. "She seems to think they might be humans from our own reality, not the ones from the other reality."

"That's... that's going to stir things up in an interesting manner." Starlight commented. "To think, there's another Human Earth out there in our own reality." She thought for a minute. "Do you think we could make friends with them?"

Twilight shrugged "I don't honestly know." She replied. "We can try, of course; but I think it's going to be a very long time before we even figure out where they are, if you want to be realistic." She pointed out. "But we now know they're out there. It means we can make plans, and if they show up here first, we can be prepared for them. And if we reach their planet first... then we can show them we mean to be friends, and hopefully convince them of that." Twilight sighed. "I just hope things go as Stellar's planning them. There's so much riding on her..."

"She'll be fine, Twilight. It's not as if she's cut off from us. We can send her what she needs, when she tells us what she needs, and having contact means they're not bereft of emotional support, either. They know we're thinking of them, and are ready to do whatever they need to help them get home again." Starlight reassured Twilight.

Twilight nodded. "Well, Stellar said she might have an idea on providing the ship with a powersource the size and output it requires. She said that all the other power sources on the ship, like the 'fusion' reactors aren't nearly powerful enough to power the Fold-Drive it uses to cross interstellar distances. She's sent me equipment to make what she needs for the ship, such as liquid oxygen for Life-Support and liquid hydrogen for the fusion reactors, but there is no information whatsoever on what this 'Protoculture' is or how it works, save that it can produce several thousand terawatts of energy easily. We don't have anything that can produce power in that range yet." Twilight explained to Starlight.

"Terawatts?" Starlight was aghast. "How the buck can we make that much power? The hydroelectric dam in Canterlot barely makes four hundred kilowatt/hours as it is."

Twilight nodded. "Now you're seeing the problem. Apparently the fusion reactors on the Xerxes can make just over a megawatt/hour each. But the Fold-Drive needs terawatts constantly as it travels, which is why Stellar can't just use the fusion reactors to charge up the capacitors and jump with that."

Starlight nodded. "Damn. So, we're going to have to make a... what did Star Charter call it in that latest book of his?"

"You mean a 'Quantum Leap'?" Twilight suggested.

Starlight nodded. "Yeah. We're going to have to make a 'quantum leap' in power generation to make this happen." She replied.

Twilight nodded with a sigh. "I know. Stellar said she has an idea to do with those little mana generators of hers. But first she needs to find out if they interact well with the current system, or will she have to gut Engineering to fit new systems on-board the ship. If that's the case, then we might have to find some other way of doing this."

"Mmm... Compatibility is always the biggest issue." Starlight agreed.

"Anyway, Stellar has sent me some ideas she has, and as soon as she decides what she needs, then we can work at supplying her." Twilight stated, as Starlight nodded. "Also... Stellar hinted she might need me to check over some spells she'll be writing. Do I need to ask you if you'll help?" Twilight asked hopefully.

Starlight's face lit up. "Oh yeah!" She replied with a grin. "New magic? You know I'm always up for that!" She told Twilight.

Twilight grinned back. "Yeah, you and me both." She said back to Starlight. "Now, all we have to do is wait."

=======

Stellar sat and looked over her notes, as the C.M.C. continued their lessons. Stellar had gone through what to the humans would have been several university degrees-worth of education in several hours, but the young mares needed more time to absorb the new knowledge, even with a spell or two to aid them. Sometimes being an Alicorn was a blessing, Stellar had to admit. She and Twilight had augmented their minds together to absorb information far faster than a normal pony, even a unicorn, could achieve, with perfect retention and recall. What had happened to Stellar in one of her other lives, with the Element of Magic they'd shared, helped her and this Twilight to reach this level of perfect recall together. And now it aided her in working through the half-dozen spells she was writing down for Twilight's perusal.

After checking on the girls, Stellar rolled up her latest scroll-bundle and applied it to the Candle, watching it burn into smoke, which curled up and vanished. Smiling, Stellar then headed for the control area, looking over the young mares' shoulders and helping them if they needed it, finding Scootaloo needing a little explanation on three-dimensional trigonomical calculations.

=======

Twilight was relaxing in the library of Castle Friendship. The local school had just had their 'Book Day' visitation and she was recovering. Spike was helping to put the books back on the shelves as Twilight organised the book returns and the check-out cards into order, when Spike turned, looking sick, but as he burped loudly, this time only one scroll came shooting out. Warned this time, Twilight caught it before it got more than a metre through the air, as Spike sat down hard. "You okay, Spike?" Twilight asked as she moved to her little brother, concern on her face.

"Y-yeah... it's getting easier." Spike answered. "As long as Stellar doesn't send more than one scroll at once, my stomach can handle it." He told Twilight.

Twilight nodded. "Okay. I'll tell her in the next letter to limit to one scroll every five minutes." She answered him, getting a smile from Spike. "Go and get something to calm your stomach, then could you please tell Starlight we got a letter from Stellar?" Twilight asked.

"Sure." Spike replied, slowly getting to his feet before walking out of the Library.

Twilight watched him go, wanting to help him, but without limiting his gift. Knowing he was the critical link between Stellar and Twilight, something that Stellar was depending on to get all four of those lost so far away back home again, was making Spike so proud of his gift. Without him, Stellar and the C.M.C., some of his best friends, would have been lost for sure.

Turning to a reading desk, Twilight opened the scroll, finding multiple pages inside once again, and she started with the cover-page letter...

= = = = =

Dear Twilight,

Things are going well here on the Xerxes. We've got the hull fully sealed now and the computer cores seem to be unaffected by the Haydonite's take-over of them. All the ship's systems appear to be functional, save for the main power generation systems. The good news is that the 'former' Protoculture reactors seem to treat the mana generated by my generators as an energy-form they can convert to the energy system the ship uses. So now all I need are parts and materials to build a mana generator big enough to supply the ship with all the energy it can use. And that's where you come in, Sis. I've made plans for such a generator, but it is going to require a great deal of unusual materials, plus thirty-five large, specially-shaped mana crystals.

I've included a list of the materials in this letter, as well as diagrams showing the mana crystals I need made and to what specifications. Plus I need you to go over some alchemical transformation spells I've drawn up and check them for errors and side-effects, if any exist. They should be fairly straightforward, but if anypony can find out any mistakes I might have made, you can. Oh, and you're going to love reading what I've found out about the true nature of one of our rarest elements, and one I am going to need a great deal of: Arcanite. If I am right, then all Equestria's power generation needs might be solved, if I can get this to work properly. So your spell going awry might just result in the greatest leap forward in our country's history since we started codifying Magic properly.

Here's hoping,

Your loving sister,

Stellar

= = = = =

Twilight blinked with surprise, and some shock, when she read Stellar's next letter. "What the hay...?" She asked as she read Stellar's list of materials. "Why does she need a tonne of 'Carbon-14', and two tonnes of powdered Magicite?" She asked herself. "See page three." Twilight unfolded the third page of the quite thick sheaf of papers, and her eyes widened in sheer delight, as she read about Stellar's discovery. "Oh... My... GOSH!" Twilight exclaimed with glee as she contemplated what Stellar had deduced about the nature of Arcanite. Pulling across a sheet of paper, Twilight penned a quick note to the Princesses, added copies of Stellar's alchemical thoerem on Arcanite and sent them off quickly. Then she went to her blackboards and started working on the detection and sorting spell Stellar had sent her the basic outline for her to complete.

Starlight came rushing in once she'd gotten Spike's message. "Is it...?" She asked Twilight.

Twilight grinned at Starlight. "More than even I'd ever imagined, Starlight." She pointed towards the unfurled scroll.

Starlight lifted the letter, then her eyes bulged with surprise as she read it. "Arcanite...?" Was all she asked.

Twilight nodded. "And she's sent us six new spells to check over, to aid her in making Arcanite." She told Starlight as she continued writing on the blackboard.

Starlight read through the five remaining spells, as her magic pulled out two more blackboards from the storage room. Choosing one of the prototype spells, she moved to one of the blackboards and started writing. Glancing at Twilight, the unicorn and alicorn grinned at each other and continued to write, both in their element.

=======

Celestia was waiting on Luna joining her as the moon slowly rose in the dusk sky, when Twilight's latest letter popped into existence above her. Catching it in her magic, she lowered the scroll down and unrolled it. Her eyes widened, though, when she read what Twilight had written about what Stellar had sent her, then she quickly went through Stellar's notes, just shaking her head slightly in disbelief.

Luna came in, frowning as she saw the disbelief on her sister's face. "Something perplexes thee, Dear Sister?" Luna asked.

Celestia started a little, then seemed to deflate like a balloon. "Luna." She said softly.

Luna frowned as she sat opposite Celestia. "Surely this is a major conundrum, to have you so... tense." Luna stated. "Pray share thy predicament with me, Tia?" She asked.

Celestia took a deep breath, then handed over Twilight/Stellar's letter. "It seems Twilight's sister is in need of something we'd hoped wouldn't be a problem, Luna." She told Luna as she read the letter.

Luna frowned more deeply as she read the page, then confiscated Stellar's notes and read them through. "Indeed." Luna replied. "Arcanite was a sore bone of contention all those centuries ago... and glad we were when the unicorns finally surrendered it to us." She looked at Celestia. "I know Stellar had been hunting down the few remaining deposits of it in our land... but to actually contemplate making it? And in quantity?" She asked.

Celestia nodded. "Yes... I can see so much coming of this, both positive and negative." She told Luna. "Stellar seems to think she can make it part of something that can benefit ALL Equestrians, by using it in ways that anypony can benefit from, not just unicorns."

"If so, is that not a good thing?" Luna asked. "After all, it was what the main argument against Arcanite was, back then."

Celestia nodded. "That is true." She agreed. "But I simply cannot see what the reaction will be of the others to the return of such a contentious substance." Celestia admitted.

Luna read over the rest of Stellar's plans, then smiled. "Then perhaps it is a good thing that this is taking place so far away, then." Luna suggested. "If Stellar and her young cohorts return with the creation of this 'Mana reactor' already done and demonstratable, then perhaps the pony-in-the-street will focus on the reactor more, and not-so-much on what it is made of."

Celestia turned to look at Luna. "Indeed." She replied, a smile flowing across her face. "Yes. Put the proper spin on the discovery, and hopefully focus the public on the benefits for the here-and-now, instead of the historical negatives." She said aloud, then nodded. "Once again, Luna, you demonstrate why we hardly advanced during my time alone on the throne. We work far better together than when we are apart."

Luna grinned. "Indeed, Sister. Our realm is benefitted with both its princesses on the throne, as well as our latest pair to stir the pot of Progress." She put the notes down and moved to nuzzle Celestia. "So... I shall have these notes transcribed and made available for the Engineers Guild to peruse, and begin working on obtaining the Magicite ore Stellar Sparkle requires, as well as this 'Carbon-fourteen' derivative she says would be easily found in coal or graphite beds. The Miner's Guild should know where the richest beds of these two resources will be found."

Celestia nodded as she rose. "I shall leave matters in your hands until the morning, Luna." She told Luna as she walked to her and nuzzled her again.

"Sleep well, dearest Tia." Luna replied as Celestia left the dining room for her suite. Then she returned her attention to Stellar's notes. "Magicite and Carbon makes Arcanite." She said to herself. "I don't think the greatest alchemists of the past, not even Starswirl himself, would have guessed this." After transcribing the notes, she gave the copies to a courier and sent her on her way to the Engineers Guild's hall, with a strict injuncture about revealing any of the content to any of the public, then rolled the notes up and slipped them under her wing. That done, Luna headed for the Audience Hall, hoping that the night would be quiet. She had a lot more reading to do...

Author's Note

I know this chapter is a little smaller than the others, but it was a perfect place to leave this for the moment. It also means I can post it a little earlier than I thought.

Okay. The benefits of being able to call home for delivery to them starts to make things easier for Stellar and the C.M.C. But it also brings the spectre of old problems back to Celestia and Luna.
Do they dare trust that the ponies of the present are more tolerant of each other than the ponies of the past were? And what happens when those with a penchant for hoarding power to themselves learn that Arcanite might be available again for their use?
Only time will tell...

06 - Words and Presents From Home

Twilight finally took a break from going over the last of Stellar's prototype spells and asked Spike for some lunch... then found out it was Dinner-time. "Oh." She said, as Starlight looked around.

"Yeah. And you two are gonna march straight to the dining room and join Trixie and myself for Dinner, no refusals, excuses or wheedling allowed!" Spike stated to them, looking sternly at the two ponies.

"Okay! Okay, Spike." Twilight said, smiling. Spike was really starting to grow up and was becoming a little more assertive, in making sure she and Starlight at least tried to adhere to proper mealtimes and sleep routines.

As they sat down, Twilight was pleased to see Trixie actually helping Spike to bring out their meal. "Thank you, Trixie." Twilight said to her appreciatively.

"You are welcome, Twilight." Trixie said, her voice being soft and pleasant now, without the haughty edge she normally embraced while speaking.

"Did you find the Human Equestria interesting?" Twilight asked Trixie as she swung up into the seat beside Starlight.

"It was... enlightening, I have to admit." Trixie answered. "Tr... I must admit... the lack of magic there has made me realise how lucky I am to have it here. And the little tricks they have that they call 'Magic'..." She smiled, then giggled. "I will admit, I have some very good new ideas to use in my show... once I decide to go back on the road again." Trixie then stuffed some of Spike's excellent cooking into her muzzle for a few minutes.

Twilight smiled happily. "I'm glad you were able to enjoy it. It is a fascinating place."

"I have to agree." Starlight slipped in. "We both learned so much from Sunset and the others. I'm just glad we recognised the problem between Canterlot High and Crystal Prep, and the magic show we put on really wowed them."

"Yes! Once I found my magic, The Most Excellent Trixie thrilled the audience again! All of Trixie's best spells and stunts were new to them. And since their 'magic' is all illusion and trickery, Trixie's excellent use of her innate power was much better than most of their best 'magicians'. Trixie even made a car seem to disappear!" Trixie grinned. "Never has Trixie ever received such acclaim!" Then she sighed. "But Tr... but 'I' am glad to be Home again." She gave Starlight a tender smile, one that was returned.

Twilight was smiling softly at Trixie as well. Her one-time 'enemy' was almost an entirely different pony now, and Twilight actually liked the 'new' Trixie, especially with Starlight helping her as much as she needed. Friendship had made them both much better ponies now, and Twilight was glad she'd given both of them a second chance.

They'd barely finished Dinner, when there was a knock at the door. Spike led Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack into the living room as Twilight, Trixie and Starlight retired there. "Hey you three! What brings you here at this hour?" Twilight asked.

"Well, we got our letters back to our sisters finished." Applejack started to say. "Thank fer helpin' us get this writ', Twi'." Applejack told Twilight gratefully.

"And we know you will be sending more supplies to Twilight in the morning." Rarity added.

"So we wanted to make sure our letters were here, ready to go to them." Rainbow Dash concluded.

Twilight grinned. "Of course! I'll add them to my letter back to Stellar before I send it." She reassured them, taking the letters and heading for her study.

=======

After another eight hours of sleep, Stellar was down in Main Engineering, with Applebloom assisting her. Stellar had retrieved the last six of her mana generators, even removing the ones from her Exo-armor's flight systems to allow her to fit them to one of the reactor housings after she'd modified it to take them. At the six cardinal points of the sphere, facing inwards and opposite each other, Stellar fitted them and added transparent plates fitted with minor arrays. These would convert their normal output of mana into heating spells of great power.

"So... this will let ya melt down tha Magicite Twilight's gonna be sendin' us into metal, then?" Applebloom asked, as Stellar set one of the generators into the new housing she'd attached to the outside of the reactor chamber.

"That's right, Applebloom." Stellar confirmed. "This reactor is going to be our new furnace out here... for the moment. If this works like the one I made for the Small Rings foundry, then I should be able to create a hot enough zone inside the reactor to smelt the Magicite into the metal the ones the Humans called 'The Robotech Masters' use in the Fold Drive components I found." Stellar explained to Applebloom.

"An' tha Arcanite?" Applebloom asked.

Stellar used a small, weak beam of energy from the mana generator to align it in perfect opposition to the other generator on the far side of the reactor chamber. "I'm fairly sure I can make this system produce enough of a concentrated heat bloom to allow me to first melt the carbon into the Magicite. Then once they're mixed evenly, the fusion spell Twilight hopefully perfected should cause the carbon and Magicite to fuse together at the sub-atomic level, turning them into stable Arcanite."

Applebloom looked excited, then her face frowned. "But... if'n Unicorns got rid of Arcanite so that it couldn't be used against Pegasi an' Earth Ponies... won't that upset a lot of Ponies if y'all can just make it now?" She asked.

Stellar chuckled. "You're becoming quite wise at times, Applebloom." Stellar said to her, gaining a smile and blush from the fifteen-year-old filly. "Indeed, I have considered what re-introducing Arcanite into our society could do to it." Stellar told Applebloom. "But what I am going to use it for is very different to what it was used for over a thousand years ago. It isn't going to remain something only unicorns can use. With all this new technology, Arcanite is going to give Equestria the new energy source it has been begging for for centuries now, to power our country into a new industrial age, as Celestia has wanted for a long time. Only our very strict environmental laws have kept us back, since Celestia refuses to allow the use of any power source that pollutes... and rightly so." Stellar confirmed. "Even the metal-smithing industry used to create far more pollution than Celestia liked, but until we discovered electric-arc furnaces, it couldn't be helped. But if I can make a source of electrical power from this equipment and our magical resources, then there will be very few who will ever complain against it. It will totally revolutionise our country's way of life."

"Wow..." Applebloom said, eyes agape at what Stellar was proposing. "Arcanite can do all that?"

"I think so." Stellar answered. "It might be only theory at the moment, but I do have some proof in my little mana generators. They do prove that we can make mana in concentrated quantities, rather than drag it out of the Field on Equestria. And because we can make it in usable quantities and concentrations, it means that it can be useful as a proper power source for Industrial and Domestic use by converting it into electrical power, instead of relying on other methods of power generation... at least for now. We can work on other, more advanced methods of electrical power generation once the network is set up for distribution of the mana-generated power." Stellar explained to Applebloom as she locked down the last of the mana generators into the housing.

Applebloom nodded. "So, all we gotta do is wait fer tha ore, then?" She asked.

Stellar nodded as she returned to the catwalk. "That's all we can do for now, Applebloom. We'll see if we can get the fusion reactors up and running, even if there's just one of them going. That should give us power enough to keep most of the section of the ship we have habitable running properly for now."

Applebloom nodded as she and Stellar headed for the section where the fusion reactors were installed. With Applebloom's help, they managed to get one of the five reactors fired up and working at minimal capacity for the moment, until they got more fuel for them. "That should do for now, Applebloom. Let's go back up and have something to eat."

=======

Twilight came awake, eyes a little bleary but rested after a long night of good sleep. She stretched and yawned, wondering what had awakened her, when she felt it again: Somepony was knocking on the front door to the castle. Throwing back her bedsheets with a wing, Twilight slid out of bed onto her hoofs and gave a little stretch to each of her legs, then extended her wings as she headed for the door to her room. As she passed by her vanity, she grabbed a manebrush and started on her clump of bed-mane as she furled her wings and headed out the door to her bedroom. "Who could be *yawn* knocking at this time of morning?" She asked herself as she headed down the stairs to the lower floor.

As she came around the open curve, she saw Spike had answered the door, revealing a pegasus in the armor and livery of the Flying Squad Couriers, the fastest members of the REG's Flying Squad. He was chatting with Spike, although he was still holding onto the scroll he had in his hoof, making no sign that he was going to give it to him. He then saw her approaching. "Ah, Princess Sparkle! Good morning." He said and bowed to Twilight.

"Good morning... Sergeant." Twilight replied, noting his rank from his peytral plate. "You may rise." She added hastily.

He straightened up again and smiled at Twilight. "I have a message for you, from Her Highness, Princess Celestia." He informed Twilight, holding it out to her.

Twilight took the scroll and slipped it under a wing. "I could have just given it to her, y'know." Spike said to the courier.

"Sorry, Spike; special orders for personal, on-sight delivery this time." He gave Spike a commiserating smile. He then held out a clipboard for Twilight to sign, which she did this time. She might occasionally forget to sign civilian message-deliverers (save for Ditzy when she came around), but she'd always remembered to sign off on the Guard-couriers' deliveries. Celestia preferred to know when an official message was properly delivered.

Spike sighed. "Yeah, I know." He replied. Then he held out a paper bag. "Here you go."

The sergeant took the bag, the look of delight on his face only growing. "Thanks, Spike. This is the best type of 'tip' for this time of day. I'll enjoy your cookies with my coffee this morning."

"You're welcome." Spike gave the Sergeant a grin, as the pegasus courier backed out and turned to take off, paper bag in his side-bags.

Twilight walked up the stairs again, heading for her office as her manebrush worked through her tail, her wings only needed a slight flutter to have them in some semblance of order, until she could give them a good preening. Sitting up into her chair, she opened the seal and spread out the pages. She could see several official-looking sheets with the stamps of various guilds on them, the Mages' Guild and Engineers' Guild most prominent. Twilight put them aside for the moment as her gaze turned to the one page that out-classed all the others: the one with Celestia's unmistakeable horn-writing on it. Twilight lifted the sheet, with its golden ink, to her nose and took a slow, deep breath. She sighed with pleasure at not just the well-recognised perfume of the custom-made ink, but Celestia's scent itself was on the page, indicating she must have rubbed the page on her neck to ensure that Twilight knew this was directly from her. Twilight smiled at Spike as he came in with pastries and a huge mug of Twilight's special 'wake-up: slow-but-steady' blend of coffee; not her 'I-MUST-BE-AWAKE-IMMEDIATELY!' brew. Twilight put the tray beside her on the desk, then leaned down and nuzzled Spike lovingly. "Thank you, Spike. You always know what I need." She told him in an affectionate tone.

Spike chuckled. "Comes from long practise." He replied.

Twilight giggled as well, as Spike left her office, and she settled down to sip at her coffee, munch on her breakfast and read Celestia's letter:

= = = = =

To: Princess Twilight Eve Sparkle
From: Princess Celestia Sol Invictus

Dear Twilight,

I am so happy to hear that the problem your sister Stellar now faces might be moving to a conclusion fairly soon. To have somepony as dear as she is to you, as well as to Luna and myself, so far away, can be heartbreaking. I am glad she has not lost heart, but is working steadily to find a way home, as are you.

Your idea of making telecommunications easier with Spike's scale-candles once again proves how good your ideas are, Twilight. Without them, your sister and those with her would have been truly lost. We look forward to seeing more of them in use, eventually.

The discovery Stellar has made concerning Arcanite and the circumstances of its disappearance from Equestria is truly astounding. The Mages' Guild and Engineers' Guild, as you can imagine, are clamouring for information on this find. Perhaps you might take the time to send Stellar their letters, so she can reply to them (Rather than yourself, who does not have all the facts yet). I am sure the courtesy would be much appreciated by the members of both guilds.

To this end, Luna has managed to persuade the Miners' Guild to expedite the supply of the powdered coal and Magicite to you as quickly as it can be obtained. Already nearly a tonne of powdered Magicite has been gathered and purified, and more is passing through the process as I write to you. The coal is being passed through the sorting spell you have sent us as well. Although this 'Carbon-14' does not look or smell any different from it's 'normal' counterpart, I understand that alchemical ingredients need to be extremely pure and precise. So it was not outside the realms of normality to ask for the sorting process to be applied to the product (Listen to me. I sound like the Alchemistry professor from my school *small giggle*). We shall stockpile as much of both products as Stellar thinks is prudent as well.

I have also sent the drawings and specifications for the mana crystals Stellar needs to the Crystal Empire. As an official order, the Royal Research and Development Establishment will absorb the small expense without straining your own allowances on this, Twilight. If Stellar's predictions prove true, this will benefit Equestria in ways we have sought for centuries. Therefore, think nothing of the costs involved. The R.R.& D.E. will support this venture to its ultimate conclusion.

I hope that things will proceed as quickly as possible, and we shall have your sister back amongst us again, and the three fillies who started this adventure can be safely returned to those who miss them the most. Please pass both my sister's and my best wishes to Stellar, and that we both hope she and her friends will return to us as soon as feasibly possible.

Yours faithfully,

Princess Celestia Sol Invictus

= = = = =

Twilight smiled as she read Celestia's letter. There was so much formal language, yet she could see the little heartfelt messages contained within. Then she found another page almost hidden within the sheets. Opening it, Twilight found a different kind-of missive...

= = = = =

Heartfelt greetings, my beloved Twilight.

I am so sorry that my reply had to be so formal, but there were others with me as I wrote it. Luna and I are so happy that things are going so well with Stellar and getting her and the Cutie Mark Crusaders home once again.

However, I must confess I am having grave misgivings about Stellar's discovery of how to create Arcanite. Although her points about the uses it could have in the advancement of our nation are well-put and very relevant to our nation's current position, I cannot forget the horrific problems that metal caused between our subjects, so very long ago.

I know you have studied in some detail the social crisis that Arcanite caused between the unicorns and the other two tribes of Ponies, but I am sending you a book to read that shows the crisis in far greater depth, as well as references to spells that have been banned since Arcanite was removed from Equestrian usage. I want you to send a second copy of it to Stellar as well, so that she might understand the turmoil that Arcanite threw our barely-joined alliance into before the removal of Arcanite resolved it. Take your time to read this very carefully and check the sources and any other resources you may need to understand what is written in this account. I trust you will find out what you and Stellar need to make the proper decisions regarding re-introducing this resource back into Equestrian Society.

With all my love,

Celestia

= = = = =

Twilight frowned, but pulled the little books out of the pocket linked to the back of Celestia's private letter. They were obviously re-scribed accounts from scrolls over a thousand years old, but the clear script and regular text comforted her. She entered the second book and copies of Celestia's letters, as well as those from the Guild Masters, in the H-S pocket in her own letters. And while she waited for the train-load of ores to arrive, she read Celestia's book...

= = = = =

It was a much-troubled and thoughtful Twilight Sparkle, princess of Equestria, who landed down at Ponyville's little station after a cargo train pulled into the yards. What she'd read in Celestia's little book had shocked her to the core. What had been publically-known about that turbulent period of Equestrian pre-history was not quite a lie, not quite a cover-up; it told the basic facts while concealing details that, if revealed, could either lead to renewed condemnation and suppression of unicorns in general... or the reverse: Unicorns once again trying to dominate Equestria due to amplification of their magical abilities, and the suppression or even enslavement of Pegasi and Earth Ponies. The thought of such happening again made Twilight's entire physiology quiver with barely-suppressed terror...

But she steeled herself, following Celestia's example. Stellar and the C.M.C. needed this to get home again. There was nothing else that could serve as a powerful-enough source of energy to fuel the Fold-drive of the Xerxes. The social ramifications... they would deal with those as best as they could.

As she walked up to the train, Royal Guards were standing by the entrances to the boxcars, and saluted her as she came up to them. "At ease, Gentlecolts." Twilight said in reply, and the Guards followed her command.

One of the staff from the Royal Steam Locomotion Society, the body that ran the railways in Equestria, stepped up to her with a smile. "Good morning, Your Highness." He greeted Twilight, doffing his pillbox hat and giving a short bow.

"Good morning." Twilight said in her 'happy-to-meet-you' voice. "I trust there were no delays on the line?" She asked.

"No, no. Nothing but smooth travel." He grinned at Twilight. "Now, as I am sure has been relayed to you, we have quite a sizeable delivery here for you, Miss... Twilight?" He looked at Twilight, a little unsure of conventions. He knew that the Princess eschewed use of her royal title when in Ponyville, but he wanted to be sure she was perfectly all right with himself doing so at this point.

"Twilight will do...?" Twilight fished for the Earth Pony stallion's name.

"Bronze Fittings, Miss Twilight." Bronze answered, doffing his cap to her again. "Now... we have two metric tonnes of finely-powdered coal dust in this forward boxcar." He informed Twilight as they walked the line of cars. "Behind the first car are two other cars filled with five metric tonnes of finely-powdered Magicite ore. They are all contained within especially-sealed linen bags, weighing ten kilograms each, for convenience of handling and weighing." Bronze smiled at Twilight. "I hope this is suitable."

Twilight grinned. "Eminently so, Bronze." She replied. "I can take some of it now; the rest can be delivered to Castle Friendship as is convenient." Twilight instructed Bronze. "Just see Spike, and he'll tell the delivery ponies where to put it." Then she commented "That's a lot more ore than I expected."

Bronze Fittings nodded. "To be confidential," He said in a whisper to Twilight's ears alone, "we were ordered to bring the entirety of the stockpiled ingredients to you, not to keep them in Canterlot." He explained. "The Princesses are of the opinion that keeping them in Castle Friendship, with its... unusual structures and interesting habits, might prevent pilfering of said ingredients." And he fully removed his hat in a sweeping bow to her.

Twilight then nodded, her manner a little less cheerful. The she saw inside Bronze's cap was a badge; the badge of Luna's Intelligence Network. She nodded to Bronze as he put his cap back on. "I understand." She replied. "I know just where to put it."

"Very good, then." Bronze smiled. "Shall we get started?" He asked, as the Guards opened one of the boxcars' doors, two of them bringing up a portable staircase for them to ascend into the boxcar's interior. Inside, the stacked sacks of materials were easily visible. Twilight fished out one of the H-S pocket pages from inside her sidebags, and began loading it up with the bags of Magicite powder. After counting out a hundred and five bags, she closed that pocket and laid out a second one, into which she deposited the same number of bags.

"There. That will do for this lot." Twilight said. "Now, the carbon?" She asked Bronze.

"Of course." Bronze replied, and he led her down to the forward boxcar, where Twilight repeated the routine for a third time, filling one H-S pocket with over a tonne of powdered carbon. Once that was done, she put the scrolls away and waited outside as the rest of the shipment was loaded into carts.

A quick trip through town to Castle Friendship and some deft handling by Twilight's horn had the bags inside the castle in one of the forward rooms. "Thank you, Bronze. And thank you, Gentlecolts." She thanked the drivers and the guards. "If you want to have some refreshments before you return to Canterlot, just avail yourselves of any of the local eateries. Tell them I'll pay the tab." Twilight grinned at them.

Bronze and the drivers returned Twilight's grin, as the Guards saluted. "Indeed, Twilight, we shall avail ourselves of your hospitality. And thank you very much." They all thanked Twilight, who wished them a good meal and saw them on their way, before she headed inside.

"Yes, I know just where to put all this." Twilight said to herself as she approached the sacks again. She pulled out more H-S pocket-scrolls and started stuffing the Magicite and carbon powder into them, until it was all concealed. Putting her bags in her office, Twilight made her way to the library and hid the extra scroll-sheets in a large presentation folder called 'Maps Of The Mineral Wealth Of Equestria And Other Nations'. "Entirely appropriate." Twilight said as she returned the folder to the shelf where it was housed.

= = = = =

After lunch, Twilight assembled the next letter to Stellar, after writing her own contribution to it, then rolled it up and sealed it as Spike watched, ready. "Here you go, Spike." Twilight hoofed it over to the young dragon, and Spike sent the scroll on its way. Twilight relaxed back in her seat, then smiled at Spike.

"Some real progress made, then?" He asked.

Twilight nodded back. "Yes, Spike. Some real progress has been made." She agreed. "Now, all we have to do is wait for the mana crystals from the Empire, as well as Stellar's experiments to go ahead and hopefully be a resounding success." She picked him up and put him on her lap, hugging him close. "Every day we work, they're a little closer to Home." She whispered softly to him.

=======

As the Cutie Mark Crusaders sat and accessed the teaching Database, Stellar herself was also reading up on the historical Database and the 'Robotech Wars', as Captain Masters had called them. Stellar shook her head as she read the history of the human planet they called 'Earth'. Humans were such a war-like race, first fighting amongst themselves, then having a vast interstellar war dropped onto them by the arrival of a starship no larger than the Xerxes was. But the wars had given them such enormous leaps in technology that Stellar couldn't help but be at least partially impressed. However, she hoped almost beyond Hope that this war wouldn't be following along behind the Xerxes; that she was truly as lost as she appeared to be to the race that had built her. Stellar hated to contemplate that their only way home might also bring a war to their planet that would dwarf any other conflict that Equestria had ever been forced to engage in. But then it had been over a hundred-and-fifty years since the Xerxes had vanished. Surely if she'd been looked for, they would have located her long before the crew ran out of supplies.

As Stellar sat there, a curl of smoke appeared in the air above her, and as Stellar looked up, it materialised into another scroll that dropped towards the console. Stellar caught it in her magic, drawing it down to her, and she smiled when she saw Twilight's cutie mark on the seal. She looked up to see the three young mares looking at her

"Are there letters for us?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I can't see any individual scrolls for any of you, but they might be inside." Stellar told them, as they saved their places and gathered around Stellar. "Let me get this open, and we'll see."

Stellar unrolled the sheaf of papers in the scroll and read through Twilight's letter...

= = = = =

Dear Stellar,

Okay... Celestia and Luna are hugely excited about your discoveries regarding Magicite and Arcanite. They can see your point about using Arcanite to produce clean, safe power for the ship there, as well as for Industry back here on Equis. I think I have the conversion spells you asked me to go over and perfect as close to that level of perfection as it is possible for them to achieve. Of course, I have no way to actually test them, so that will be up to you. Here's hoping we both got this right.

It took the Miner's Guild's workers all night to produce enough powdered Magicite for you, although crushing it down that fine took longer than rounding enough of it up. As you said, with the Arcanite degrading to Magicite and Carbon, it explains why there's so much of it. I'm going to be stockpiling it for you as well, with the verbal consent and written permission of the Princesses. We've also found a rich vein of almost pure coal that has a great percentage of Carbon-14 in it, in one of the older coal mines. The sorting spell has proved to work very efficiently and, after powdering the coal, running it through the array made it separate out very easily. We're going to be stockpiling Carbon-14 for you as well, so you should have plenty of it waiting for you when you get back. We're also condensing and compressing more air down and making up some liquid oxygen and hydrogen, as you asked, and filling some bigger containers with water for you to connect to the Xerxes, to bring her back up to where her life-support systems should be.

Your encounter with the Haydonite sounded really creepy, if you ask me. I hope you can trust what she told you as much as you think you can, but I do agree we don't need this 'Protoculture' stuff if your ideas pan out. Using mana for energy generation is far more familiar and safer for us Ponies than something that could be even one-percent as dangerous as the Haydonite made out it was, and the Princesses and I agree we should never touch the stuff, or even look at it. They're writing in a blanket ban on it, as well as writing new by-laws for the towns and villages, making out it is something to be avoided at all cost... which it pretty much is, by the sounds of it. Even I, for one, really aren't curious about something like that; as you told me once: 'Better the devil you know', as you said Humans say about choices like this.

As it is, I'm going to be sending you what you asked for, plus we have another two tonnes of powdered Magicite ready for you, if you need it. If you can send some of this Magicite metal back to us, as well as some Arcanite for us to study, it would be appreciated more than you can imagine. Both the Mages Guild and the Engineers Guild here are going crazy over the information you've sent already. Some of them want to begin experiments here almost immediately, but as I told them and Celestia agreed, having you do the first experiments at such a distance to Equis is only sensible. We don't want to risk blowing up the planet (Or even a small chunk of it) if these experiments can be done safely at a considerable distance. Anyway, I have every confidence in your alchemical skills and knowledge, since they're almost the same as mine and you know metals far better than I do, which should stand you in good stead doing this.

Oh, and there are letters for the Crusaders from their sisters and family inside the H-S pocket that has the food supplies in it. I hope they're well-received by the three of them. While a lot of the anxiety and despair has been lifted from their minds, the older siblings are still are feeling a little... upset at what they did. So keep an eye on the girls and make sure they know that their siblings and others are really only letting their frustrations out, and that they will always be welcome home, no matter what.

Hoping things work out,

Your loving sister,

Twilight

= = = = =

Stellar grinned with delight as she checked through the five pocket-arrays Twilight had included with her reply letter. As well as the one filled with supplies of food, water and drinks and several filled with the compressed air, water, liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks, inside each of the other three were the raw materials she'd asked for, nicely ground to finer than talcum powder, as requested. They were also in sealed bags that made for easy handling. The perfected detection and sifting-spell showed that Twilight had managed to find her the purest Magicite ore and Carbon-14 powder that it was possible to obtain, again as requested.

Stellar pulled out the three letters to the Trio and handed them out. The young mares received them with not a little intrepidation, but steeled themselves and stretched out on the apron floor to read them...

=======

Scootaloo got hers opened first and settled down to read:

= = = = =

To: Scootaloo
From: Rainbow Dash

Heya Scoots!

I got your letter, obviously, right? Duh! Listen, kiddo, we're cool, okay? Things happen; I know that better than anypony else. At least you're not hurt or lying in Hospital... or covered in tree sap again! And while how you got out there wasn't the brightest of moves, you're in such an awesome place because of it!

I understand you're on board a starship now. That's so incredible! Is it anything like Star Charter's novels? Didja find any bug-eyed monsters or things like that? (Changelings don't count.)

And yeah, I know I should be mad at you for screwing up and getting you and the other Crusaders into deep trouble... but that's just you, Buddy. Half the best stuff in your life happened because of your accidents with the Crusaders (The rest comes from me ;) ). Look, everypony screws up; I have so many times that I really need a scoreboard to keep track some months... but even I know the most important thing is to not to screw up the same way twice. Learn from your mistakes and all that (I swear sometimes that egghead stuff Twilight comes out with actually makes sense).

So, no pressure, Scoots. I'll be waiting here with the biggest hugs for you when you and the others get back. Learn everything you can while you're out there, and come back again safe. And... if you can get any of those 'aircraft' working... save one for me. They sound impossibly awesome. ;)

To the best little sister in the world,

With love,

Rainbow Dash

= = = = =

Scootaloo sighed happily, and just rested her head on the letter, breathing in the smell of the ink, mixed with the scent of the best adopted sister in the world...

=======

Applebloom opened her letter with a great deal of trepidation:

= = = = =

{This is mostly written in Twilight's very neat horn-script.}

To: Applebloom

From: Applejack, Big Mac and Granny Smith.

{This part is obviously from Applejack}

Howdy, Lil' Sis,

To begin: We're all a little disappointed in y'all fer gettin' yerself in such a bad predicament again. We'd all thought ya might have lerned yer lesson on this one, but ah guess ya still have got a lil' bit'a 'foalishness' in ya still.

But, havin' said that, we are all so glad that yer still in one piece an' breathin' still. If'n yer gonna do sumthin' real stupid like interrupt Twilight as ya did, at least ya did so when Stellar was there ta catch all of ya. We'll talk more about that when ya get home.

{Big Mac's hoof-writing}

Ah'll be givin ya hugs when ya gets home, Applebloom. Then we'll talk.

{Back to Twilight's horn-writing, but obviously Granny Smith}

An' Ah'll be there as well, young missy! Y'all is gonna be lucky to not get yer rump tanned fer ya... then lotsa hugs.

{Back to Applejack}

Now, you listen to Stellar an' do what she tells ya to do, you understand me? Plus if yer learnin' well there, then hopefully it's gonna teach y'all a lil' bit'a control an' manners properly.

Right, ah've said mah bit now, so y'all jus' listen to Stellar, an' keep safe, Sis. We all expect ya to come back as safe as possible to us again, no matter whut. An' never ferget, we're thinkin' of ya, always.

Yer lovin' Family,

Applejack, Big Mac an' Granny Smith

= = = = =

Applebloom breathed a sigh of relief. She could tell they were mad at her, but not so mad that they wouldn't welcome her home again once they got home. She looked up at Scootaloo, who gave her a warm smile, and she smiled back at one of her truest friends.

=======

Sweetie Belle slowly unrolled the scroll, made of the fine paper that Rarity used in all her important letters. She put her nose almost to the page and slowly breathed in: the beautiful perfumed ink that Rarity kept for her important notes and design drawings filled her nose with smells of Home. Part of Sweetie Belle knew that, while she was forgiven... maybe... that Rarity was still very disappointed in her, something she had known would be the case ever since they'd appeared out here, with Stellar.

She laid the scroll out and started to read:

= = = = =

To: Sweetie Belle

From: Rarity Belle

To my dearly beloved sister,

Before everything else I might say to you, Sweetie, I want to tell you that I will always love you, no matter what. You have been a frustrating bundle of trouble ever since you could walk... but I have always known that your love for me, and your admiration of me, have always been the truest expression of sibling love that any younger sister could project to their older sister.

The thought that you could have truly been taken from me and that I could never see you again, not even to lay your cold, dead body in the ground, nearly sent me over the edge. If Twilight had not come looking for me with your letter in her hoof, I am not sure I could have ever pulled myself back from staring into the abyss. The love I could feel exuding from your words turned the tide for me, dear Sweetie.

And yes, while I have never been so disappointed in you for what you did, after so many times before this that you and your friends have done exactly the same thing... I will set aside my disappointment in you until we have been together for a long time, my beloved sister. Nothing is worth alienating you while we are so far apart. You will need your head screwed on properly to cope with the dangerous environment you have found yourselves in, so I will stay my wrath for another time. Only my Love for you will be waiting for you when you finally arrive Home again.

Just... come home safely, Sweetie. Nothing is more important than having you home again, regardless of how I feel, no matter how much you might deserve my wrath. I send to you only my Love and my wishes to have you safe in my forelegs again, dearest Sweetie Belle.

Only then will I feel completely whole again.

Your loving sister,

Rarity Belle

= = = = =

Sweetie had to tilt the page out of the way as big tears flowed through her cheek-fur and onto the floor. The promise of punishments to come did nothing to dampen the true love and affection she could feel bound to the page by the lovely writing of Rarity. She closed her eyes and wondered how she had ever deserved such a wonderful sister...

Then a big wing covered her back, as a strong body pressed into her side. Sweetie looked up to see Stellar looking down at her. She sniffled as Stellar leaned down and licked her tears away gently, as if her own mother was hugging a much-younger her. She slid her head under Stellar's chin and muzzle, and just hugged into her. As she started to cry again, Sweetie felt four more forelegs hug into her, as the love of her friends surrounded her and let her know she wasn't ever alone.

Author's Note

Trying to think the way other minds not my own would think and say things is both difficult, and yet so rewarding when it sounds like it could have come from those very same characters. I hope I got the letters from the older sisters to their younger sisters sounding appropriate... especially Rarity. Of all the older sisters, I think she has the deepest love and feelings for her younger sister of any of the three, Applejack not withstanding. She might not always show it, but Rarity cares for Sweetie Belle so much that I think the thought of losing her would send Rarity into such a deep depression, nothing might remove her from it if it proves true. She is incredibly strong, but also quite fragile in certain spots...

07 - Problems and Solutions 01

Later, as the young mares slept again, Stellar retrieved the book Twilight had said that Celestia had sent her, sat down with a nice cup of hot chocolate and started to read. Celestia had said that the ramifications of returning Arcanite into Equestrian Society might be way beyond anything Stellar might have considered, and offered the book's accounts as proof of this... or at least food for thought.

As she read, Stellar felt her faith in her fellow ponies slipping a little...

= = = = =

From the Journal of Poppy Blossoms
Unicorn Herbalist and Part-time Alchemist

I watched today as the 'Prince's Cadre' marched down the streets of our fair city, assaulting any non-unicorn who failed to give him and his troops 'proper respect'. Their horns had rings of a glowing green metal on them, and the Prince's own horn had a complete cover made of the metal. It seemed to amplify his magical strength far beyond any that I have ever seen, or felt, for that matter. He picked up groups of multiple Earth Ponies and literally tossed them into the air, throwing them from one ring-equipped trooper to another, and they were dumped outside the gates of Canterlot. Not even the strongest of the Earth Ponies could beat even the smallest of his troops. Pegasi that tried to stop him were literally pulled out of the air and pinned to the ground by their wings, as if nailed to the stones.

Then Luna came.

Her fury was beyond imagining, as she shattered the rings of power around the horns of the unicorns and broke the horn clean off the Prince himself. The Pegasi were released, but many with broken wing-bones and damaged or missing feathers. Luna's troops took the unicorns who had done this away... and I will write here that I never saw any of them again.

The Prince was screaming as his magic leaked out of his now-broken horn, as Luna ground the broken part into dust before his eyes, then crushed the horn-cover into a small ball. The shattered pieces of the rings had been carefully gathered and given to the Princess of the Night as well. Then the Prince did the unthinkable: even with his horn shattered, he charged at the Princess, as if to gore her with his non-existent horn. She threw him away from her as he closed with her, slamming him into a wall and rendering him unconscious. Luna's troops picked him up and carried him off towards the keep of the castle that was under construction at the time. To think that a princess who is only a teenager herself, could be so powerful as to best so many super-powered unicorns... it shows why they are to be our new rulers.

I heard later from a friend who was serving in the castle that the Prince had gone on trial before his mother, Princess Platinum. My friend told me that she had condemned her son to death for his treason to the throne, as well as attacking one of the young princesses. The execution was held three days later. Although the Earth Ponies clamoured for the Prince to be hung, Platinum and Celestia relented on this point in a different direction. Since no Earth Pony was actually physically hurt during the rebellion, but many pegasi suffered grave injuries, the young prince was killed using a particularly Pegasi method, which calmed Commander Hurricane and his entourage. The Prince was struck by a tremendous bolt of lightning, and I saw him literally fried before my eyes. The sight was horrific, the stench coming from his dead body almost sickening; but after his body was removed, the mood between the three tribes' leaders mellowed greatly. Commander Hurricane bowed to Princess Celestia in recognition of her status, and her wisdom in handling this crisis. Chancellor Puddinghead also bowed to Princess Celestia and reaffirmed that she recognised Celestia's and Luna's standing as the new rulers of the Alliance.

The one proclamation to come from all of this was one that declared the green metal, now called 'Arcanite', had to be surrendered to the Throne. All of it was now declared 'Royal Property', and would only be given out to those who could be trusted by all those who govern us. I may be a unicorn, but even I can honestly say that I am glad this 'Arcanite' is no longer in public hoofs.

= = = = =

Stellar thought long and hard about what she read there. "I bet if I scanned the Alicorn Amulet, it would probably be made of Arcanite as well." She said to herself. "But Arcanite itself can't be corrupting on its own. I've had my little mana generators for years now, and they haven't affected me in any way that could be called 'corrupting'." Stellar reasoned. "Maybe I need to do some more testing before I commit myself to this."

Stellar sifted through the book a little more, and found another interesting account from three years before Poppy Blossom's account...

= = = = =

From the Journal of Brilliant Sparks
Member-Adept of the Guild of Wizards

Today, we have gained a supply of the metal known as 'Magicorum', although a new name for it, 'Arcanite', has been tossed about by the younger members of the Wizards' Guild for a few years now. Although its magic-enhancing properties are well-known, the actual limits of this enhancement have never been truly tested. With this in mind, I and a group of my fellow senior wizards will be attempting to map the limits of magicorum's ability to enhance unicorn magic, and to see what other forms of magic it might give the ability to either control or use, beyond what unicorns can do so already.

* * *

Day Three:

Today we have managed to push the limits of unicorn magic using Magicorum way beyond what we felt it was capable of in the past. It seems that a complete horn-cover of magicorum yields far greater results. One of the weakest wielders from the testing group has shown levels of power close to a hundred times his normal limitations, and even a standard ring made of the metal has raised a unicorn's power to ten times that measured during normal use. This is a great breakthrough in expanding our abilities for use against the enemies of Unicornia... I mean, the Alliance of the Tribes (I must remember we are entering a new age of co-operation now. Such opportunities to study the magic of the Other Tribes is far easier when we are at peace, I have to admit).

* * *

Day Five:

An immense breakthrough in our studies has occured! Magicorum-equipped unicorns have been shown to be able to wield the magic of the other tribes. One of our members, who was equipped with magicorum leg-rings around his fetlocks, has shown that they can walk on clouds, like a pegasus, after touching one who was already on clouds. He then stepped out onto the captured cloudbank by himself and continued to stay aloft as long as he kept his mind on doing so. Admittedly, as soon as he was competely distracted, he slid to his barrel on the clouds, his legs falling through, then he slid through the clouds to the floor five minutes later.

Still, this shows that magicorum can allow unicorns to wield the magic of the other tribes successfully. We are planning other experiments now, to see what other abilities might be able to be wielded, depending on what forms of magicorum-artifacts can be made and equipped.

= = = = =

"Interesting..." Stellar mused as she read ahead a little ways...

= = = = =

Day 15:

I have experienced something amazing.

With the help of Bronze Scales, one of our brightest Artificiers, we managed to make a set of Magicorum shoulder-guards that have given me an experience no unicorn has ever had before now: I have flown like a pegasus.

Well, having said that, I have to admit a pegasus foal could fly better than myself. But the spells cast into the shoulder-guards, reinforced by encasing pegasi wing-feathers in the guards, produced a pair of ethereal wings that would do any pegasus proud. And I was able to glide successfully with them, after some practise, from the top of our tower down to the courtyard below. The Pegasi magic that radiated from the guards was easily-felt and manipulated... but difficult to control, although I have to say I think this is just a lack of experience and proper tuition in using such wings. I did manage to induce proper flapping protocols at times, including effective back-wing braking for a less-than painful touchdown after two somewhat embarrassing 'landings' from a minimal height.

Subsequent manifestations of Pegasi magic included accelerated healing, with my bruises from those rough landings disappearing within hours instead of days; and instances of being able to float above the ground without even thinking of it. I found that out when I walked out of the tower once beside Radiant Light while wearing the vest. As we chatted on without thinking of walking down the stairs, Radiant descended down the stairs; I did not, and found myself 'walking' out into mid-air, as if on clouds. Her cry of surprise as she reached the bottom of the stairs distracted me and cancelled the effect, leading me to plunge down fifteen steps' height; but thankfully my ethereal wings opened and flapped hard, leading to a soft landing on my hoofs. It seems that sheer panic can lead to greater control than studied efforts.

Many of my fellow wizards want to experience this thrill, now that it has been accomplished. Others are speculating what other abilities vests such as these might allow us to control; could we eventually be able to control the weather ourselves, and finally dispense with the fickle accomodations of Pegasi to our needs for crop production and other such necessities? Only time and more experimentation will tell.

= = = = =

"Oh, I can see what reaction the Pegasi would have to flying unicorns trying to 'play' with the weather." Stellar said to herself. "Not to mention hostile unicorns being able to access the cloud-fortresses of the Pegasi. The Pegasi would really want to knock them out of the sky for that." She sighed. "No wonder the Pegasi and Earth Ponies wanted Arcanite banned. That and the account I read before really show how things were back then." Stellar said to herself. "But... hopefully a thousand years might have had some effect on the ponies of today. Hopefully things like this won't happen again."

Stellar then snorted. "Yeah, right. If I'm going to bring back Arcanite, I'm going to have to find a way of idiot-proofing it against deliberate abuse. Otherwise, Celestia is never going to allow its wide-spread use in Equestria, except under the tightest of controls." She looked at one of her mana generators, one of the ones she had retrieved, now that the fusion reactor they had active was supplying the Xerxes with some power. "How do I make Arcanite easily-suppressible or removeable if abused by fanatical or idiotic ponies... and not just unicorns. I am betting that a pegasus or earth pony could use Arcanite as well, if moulded and configured the right way."

Stellar retrieved her Tome and started to leaf through it, after adding the contents of Celestia's little book to the tome's archives.

=======

Twilight had also finished Celestia's little book of tales from that time, and it took her a great amount of self-control to not go running around, trying to fix the problem. "Arcanite's dangerous... but we need it for Stellar to get home... but we can't let other ponies use it... but it could revolutionise Equestria's power production..." Twilight paced on and on, getting higher and higher above the floor in her chambers, until she butted her head on one of the ceiling sconches. Letting go a squeak of pain, she just stopped herself dropping to the floor below. "Stellar's right. I have to stop doing that." She said to herself as her hoofs touched down once again and she furled her wings. "There's got to be a way of having our Arcanite, and keeping control of it, too." Twilight said to herself, as she started looking through her archives again.

A series of small explosions outside made Twilight race to the window and look out, but she relaxed as she saw it was merely Trixie practising her new show's routine outside, away from the Castle. Starlight was helping her as well, and an audience of Ponyville's foals were watching, awestruck, as Trixie made her entire caravan disappear before them. Twilight saw Trixie do the 'Sideways Shadow' spell quite well this time, the caravan completely turning invisible as it slipped into the Shadow Realm. As Starlight dropped the curtain, the foals cheered and stamped their hoofs in applause to Trixie's tricks, getting a huge grin from the mare, who bowed and thanked them. Twilight smiled brightly, then returned to her books, cheered up enough that she actually felt hopeful instead of anxious at the task she and Stellar faced ahead of them.

Twlight sighed. "How are we going to restrict this? How can we restrict this? How can we make sure that no-pony is going to abuse Arcanite the way they did a thousand-plus years ago...?" She bapped her head on the desk, keeping her horn from slamming into the wooden surface through long practise. "I hope Stellar has some ideas..."

=======

Stellar was reading through her Tome, checking on some references to metal forging she'd read before from Brilliant Plates' book: The Art Of Steel, Gold and Bronze. That had led her to some older texts on forging metals with spells to prevent them from shattering in extreme conditions. Then, as she read through another of his books called: Using Metals For Buildings: A Treatise Of Modern Construction Methods, Stellar found a reference to a builder using rivets designed to shatter when a certain spell was used upon them, for removing support frames from constructed sections of buildings once the sections were completed and the frames were no longer required. "Well, well... imbuing metal so it shatters when a certain spell is cast upon it. How interesting." Stellar said with a sly smile. She started making copious notes...

Later, down in Engineering, Stellar unloaded the H-S Pockets of their precious cargo and checked things over. Smiling, she took out some of the magicite powder and the carbon powder, measuring them precisely with some of the scientific instruments the young mares had found for her. She made two clumps that weighed a kilogram each, then placed one in the reactor furnace, holding it in the center as she powered up the furnace. Once the mix was melted and stirred, she fired the alchemical spell Twilight had checked over and returned into the mix. After three seconds, a massive flare of energy blasted free, captured by the reactor's energy-absorbing coating and was transferred to the accumulators. Very carefully, Stellar retrieved the mass of glowing green metal and shaped it into a hexagonal bar. While the metal was beautiful and felt proper to her senses, Stellar wondered why the bar only weighed just over a kilogram, not the two kilograms she was expecting. "Oh well, look into that later." Stellar said as she moved the bar of molten metal towards the workshop area. Dunking it into an oil bath, Stellar waited until the metal had cooled, picked it out with a pair of tongs and put it on a bench, then carefully probed it with a very weak glow-spell.

The results were incredible. The bar glowed intensely, more powerful than even a sodium-arc search-lamp, with an intensity that out-shone even a blue-white star. Stellar's visor had flared and turned opaque just before the brilliance could dazzle her, but even then she could still see the brilliant light glowing through the almost perfectly-opaque metal visor. Then it slowly died down after five minutes. Stelar raised her visor when she could see safely again, then went "Whoo... five minutes, thirteen seconds... not bad for a three-second glow-spell. This is even more powerful than the metal I made from the unstable Arcanite. I'm going to have to re-write all the calculations..."

= = = = =

She played with the bar very gingerly, using micro-second bursts of magic to tease out its potential as she sat, re-writing the Alchemical spell she used to make it. After five hours of writing and re-writing magic phrases over and over again, Stellar settled on what she hoped was the best re-writing of the fusion spell... with a new safeguard built-into it. "There... hopefully if I've written this properly, not only will it give me a way to control the Arcanite's 'distribution', but without anypony realising that this little addition is in the bigger spell." Stellar said to herself as she put the bar of Arcanite into a custom-made Adamant case. Once sealed inside, it was safe from 'going off' at the wrong touch.

Heading for the furnace once again, Stellar repeated her experiment using the re-worked spell. Nothing seemed different about the second bar of Arcanite she had on the bench after everything was done. It even scanned the same as the first bar to the sensors in the metallurgy lab: two bars of what the system labelled as pure Ununpentium metal, Element 115. They even looked identical, weighed identically at one-point-zero-six-three kilograms each and handled magic exactly the same, with no variance. "Okay, now to give these two bars a bit of a prod..."

Stellar cast a spell from the School of Light Magic she knew so well. 'Light Of The Heart', it was called: an obscure spell that she'd only mastered five years after starting her study of the School of Light Magic. The brilliance of the light from her - not just her horn, but her whole body - gently flooded the room and washed over the two bars. The spell's effects were ecstatic to Stellar: it filled her with a radiance that engendered hope and strength of a purity that made it seem to her as if anything was possible. No negative emotions could survive the power of this spell. As it faded, Stellar let go a sigh that relaxed her and allowed her to regain some of her self-control again. She couldn't help but smile as it flooded her with the best of emotions and charged her with a powerfully-positive outlook.

Then Stellar checked over the bars of Arcanite.

One was unchanged, still solid and ready to amplify any magic it encountered above a certain threshold. The other one, though... Stellar saw that the metal was no longer metal; it had crystallised completely and randomly as well, she could tell by the scans from the metallurgy-lab scanners. Putting the unchanged bar away, she cast the same glow spell she'd used before over the crystallised bar... and it crumbled into a green crystal dust. Stellar grinned. Now, if somepony misused the metal for... neferious uses, she could destroy it in a way that would not harm the wielder or anything else. Better yet, it could be focussed on a single pony or the entirety of Equestria, if needs be. "Perfect." Stellar said to herself. "Now, to write a letter home to Twilight."

=======

Twilight was moping while slowly eating lunch. There was nothing wrong with the fish salad Spike had made, but her heart wasn't in it at the moment. The concern about Arcanite was consuming her entire attention span, and her motions towards consuming lunch were purely automatic. Sighing, she pushed the almost empty plate aside and rested her head on her fore-hoofs. While she was one of the most learned ponies in Equestria, Metallurgy wasn't one of her strong areas. That was one of Stellar's interests, not hers. She slid from the table and headed back to her study.

As Twilight opened the door to her study, there was a 'pop' above her, and a scroll landed end-on on her horn. Blinking in surprise, Twilight headed inside as she removed the cheeky scroll, grinning and sighing with relief as she saw Stellar's Winged Sparkle Star on the seal. She carefully opened it and locked it down on her desk, before starting to read...

= = = = =

Hiya Twi' Sis!

I bet you've been worrying your big heart and bigger brain out over the problem of Arcanite. Well, it got me really perturbed for a while, too. Those accounts in the copies of that little book Celestia gave us gave me some real food for thought, I can tell you! And also horrified and intrigued me. The experiments they were doing into applications for Arcanite are fascinating, but the abuse of it... yeah, finding a way to control how Arcanite is used is definitely a major priority.

Having said that, I think I have found at least one way to remove Arcanite from those found abusing it. What I need you to do is burn the Alchemical fusion spell we crafted for making Arcanite from your records and replace it with this new one. I just re-wrote it to include a special safeguard, and all the copies of the old spell should be destroyed and replaced. It is imperative to do so, so no-pony or anyone else can make Arcanite themselves that doesn't have the safegaurd built into it.

Yes, I know you hate the idea of destroying ANY information, especially magic information. But this is not something we can quibble about. I'll keep the only copy of the older spell safe in my Tome, and even if someone does get their hands on a copy of the new one and recreates the way to manufacture Arcanite, the safeguard will still be in place. Somehow, I don't think you'll give me much of an argument on this, Sis. Arcanite is indeed too dangerous to be allowed back into circulation without a safeguard built into its creation process.

I have tried the spell myself, both of them, and I can confirm they both work brilliantly, in all aspects. So, after some more preparations, I'm going to start making enough Arcanite that we can get this ship's reactor working again. Hopefully the mana crystals I need won't be long in coming.

I hope things are going well for you back there, Sis. Go and have a Spa Day on me, would you? You were right that the showers we all had once the water systems were charged was the most relaxing time I have had, since returning from that campaign through the Great Southern Desert. But at least I didn't have half a ton of sand to groom out of my coat this time!

Be home soon, Twilight.

All my love,

Stellar

= = = = =

Twilight sighed happily. The stress and tension she'd felt all morning just slid off her like the mud from the spa as you climbed out of the mud bath... "Yes. A Spa Day sounds divine." Twilight grinned. She put the letter in her collection and placed the new spell Stellar had sent in her 'priority' box. Taking out the 'old' version of the fusion spell, Twilight tossed it in the fireplace and burned it thoroughly with a normal firestarter, not a spell. That way it was almost impossible to reconstitute using magic. After the parchment was ash, she sealed it in stone and teleported it out over the Celestial Sea, letting the stone sink into its depths. "There. That's that safely disposed of." Twilight said to herself, then she headed out of her study.

She found Starlight and Trixie outside, cleaning Trixie's new caravan off. Unlike her old wagon, this one had steel wheel-hubs with vulcanised rubber tyres fitted to it, and Trixie found it was a lot easier to pull along than using the old wooden carriage wheels. "Hey, you two. Up for a Spa Day?" Twilight asked in a loud voice.

Starlight and Trixie looked up and grinned. "Yeah!" They both said together as Twilight laughed, then all three headed for the Ponyville Spa. There was much relaxing to embrace and friendship to enjoy...

=======

Applebloom was watching as Stellar loaded up the modified reactor chamber with the first tonne of Magicite ore. "So, what's this gonna be fer, then?" The teenage filly asked.

"To explain, Applebloom: when I smelt the Magicite and Carbon together and hopefully fuse them at the atomic level into Arcanite, there's going to be an enormous out-put of energy. It'll be much greater than all the fusion reactors could produce, when we can fuel them up." Stellar told her. "And all that energy is going to have to go somewhere. I'm not sure if even the major accumulators on this ship will be able to handle it. So, I'm going to smelt half of the Magicite ore into the Magicite metal they use in the drive system here, now that I know how they did it. Once that's done, I can use the metal to make mana storage arrays, very powerful ones." Stellar demonstrated to Applebloom via illusion. "Once I have them carved and set, I can gather them in housings and make accumulators and converters, which will convert the energy into mana and back again, allowing us to safely store the energy made from the conversion process without it overloading the ship's systems."

Applebloom nodded. "So how are ya makin' all of this happen, Stellar? I ain't never heard of half this stuff in tha engineerin' manuals in tha Canterlot Archives." She asked.

Stellar chuckled. "Some of it I've made in the past, like the energy storage arrays. Some of it I'm sourcing from the engineering data the Humans left on-board this ship." She revealed to Applebloom. "And a bit of it I'm making up as I go along, using what I've learned and what I already know. Y'know, adapting their technology to our magic where I can and have to, in order to do what we need to do to make this work."

"Oh, right." Applebloom replied. Now she knew where Stellar was getting all her information from, and it finally made sense. "So... we're in new territory with learnin' this stuff, yeah?"

"Pretty much." Stellar agreed. "But that's where the fun is." She grinned at Applebloom, whose expression showed she agreed most heartily.

Stellar came out of the modified reactor housing after putting the Magicite powder right in the center, holding it there with her magic until the gravity in the reactor dissipated, leaving it gathered there. As she stood behind the control console, Stellar grinned at Applebloom. "Okay, here we go..."

Applebloom nodded. "You betcha!" She replied.

Stellar grinned with Applebloom as the six mana generators fired up their heat arrays and blasted the Magicite powder with the equivalent of nearly two thousand degrees. Stellar also fired another of her alchemical transformation spells into the melting mass; one that forced the Magicite to form a stable metal matrix, instead of the unstable one it usually formed whenever others Ponies had tried to forge the metal before. Thanks to the notes the Humans had left about the process gleaned from the technology of the Robotech Masters, Stellar had made this spell matrix work with Twilight's help. After scanning the mass of molten metal, Stellar told Applebloom "Okay, shut it down!"

Applebloom responded almost immediately, the generators shutting down and leaving the molten mass floating in the middle of the reactor housing. "Did it work?" Applebloom asked Stellar as the older mare moved to the reactor and scanned the mass in more detail.

Stellar grinned as she turned to look at Applebloom. "Oh yeah! We got metal!" She declared.

"Yay!" Applebloom cheered as Stellar moved to open the reactor door. In her armor, she was protected from the intense heat, and she wrapped the mass of molten metal in a force-field before slowly drawing it out of the reactor-furnace, shaping it into a long cylinder about fifty centimetres in diameter and a little over ten-and-a-half metres long. Applebloom was moving back as her suit powered up as well, but it wasn't as efficient in protecting her from the heat as Stellar's Adamant armor was. She stayed back and watched as the Magicite metal, which Stellar now called Magicirium, cooled noticeably as Stellar drew the heat away from it. As it turned a dark grey, Applebloom moved over to beside Stellar and looked at the alicorn. "Did it work?" She asked again.

Stellar gently touched a ball of spell-light to the mass of Magicirium metal, and the metal softly started to glow, until it was glowing the same as the spell ball. Stellar then grinned at Applebloom. "Yeah... it worked exactly as it should." She told Applebloom.

Applebloom beamed and pronked in place. "Awesome!" She said over and over, until Stellar gently stopped her.

Stellar chuckled and gave Applebloom a hug. "Thanks for your assistance, Applebloom. It made this a lot easier."

Applebloom grinned as she retracted her vacc-armor and took off her helmet. "Does that mean ah can help ya when ya make tha Arcanite?" She asked.

Stellar grinned back as her own armor retracted. "Of course! I'm not going to leave my engineering cadet out of the loop when we make History."

Applebloom grinned and moved to Stellar, getting a big hug from the alicorn as they sat together. Stellar was surprised to feel Applebloom sob, then her shoulder felt wet as Applebloom started to cry. Stellar smiled down at Applebloom and said softly. "I know you're missing your family, Applebloom... I'm just hoping I'm doing the best I can to do what they'd do in all the trouble we're caught up in."

Applebloom snifled. "Yeah... I think you're doing fine, Stellar." Applebloom replied, her accent diminishing under the stress until her speech was as clear as any Canterlot-educated Pony. "I know we've made a lot of mistakes..."

"Shhhh..." Stellar hushed Applebloom. "That's not important now, Applebloom." Stellar told her. "Mistakes can be forgiven. Accidents are only useless if you don't learn from them. And while you three need to learn a few more lessons on what's smart to do and what isn't, at least you're all alive still to learn those lessons." Stellar looked at Applebloom with a serious look this time. "The next time, you three might not be so lucky. The last thing anypony wants is for any of you to be seriously injured or killed by your rashness." Stellar gently nuzzled the fifteen-year-old filly-cum-mare. "I think it's about time you three started properly training under me, in how to think before you act and to recognise the consequences of your actions before you do them." Stellar stated to Applebloom.

Applebloom nodded, looking a little contrite. "Does that mean we hav'ta join tha Guard?" She asked, her accent returning as she started feeling better.

Stellar grinned. "Maybe... or maybe you'd rather become part of the crew of this ship instead."

Applebloom's face lit up like a thousand Hearth's-warming lights. "Oh yeah! I'd love ta be crew, an' proper crew, too."

Stellar nodded. "Then we'll start all three of you on training as we work to get back home again, Applebloom." Stellar told her. "Now... I need you, Cadet, to go and bring Sweetie Belle down here for me, since the coms are still patchy. I need her magical assistance for the next step."

"Aye, Captain!" Applebloom gave a credible salute, then cantered off towards the lift. Stellar chuckled as she began doing calculations for a few sets of equipment she felt they'd need, before she started working on making Arcanite.

= = = = =

Applebloom was so excited, she was rocking herself up on her hoof-tips and back down again as she rode the lift up to the Bridge level. She rocketed out of the lift and down the corridor to the Bridge. Pulling up on the apron before the bridge controls, she grinned widely at her friends and said "Sweetie Belle! Captain Stellar needs your assistance in Engineering."

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had looked up as Applebloom had raced onto the bridge, then they looked at each other. "She needs me?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well, yeah. You're tha one that can use magic, and she needs your assistance to do magic." Applebloom explained.

"Okay!" Sweetie Belle brightened up as she slid off her seat to the floor, and moved to Applebloom's side.

"See you guys for lunch!" Scootaloo called out to them as she returned to her helm lessons.

= = = = =

Down in the flight bay ahead of Engineering, Stellar was carefully using one of her thinnest blades to slice the Magicirium cylinder into flat plates three centimetres thick. The blade she used had been an experiment she'd conducted a few years ago: It was so thin it disappeared from sight when viewed edge-on, since it was only a few atoms wide. Only Adamant had the incredibly-powerful atomic integrity to allow such a blade to be made without falling apart. But it also meant that she wasn't cutting like other tools would have; the blade was literally separating the Magicirium atoms from one another in a straight line, with no waste, leaving the smoothest surface ever behind. The dark-grey plates were almost perfect mirrors as Stellar stacked them up on top of each other.

Stellar had cut thirty of the discs when Applebloom and Sweetie Belle came into the bay. "You wanted to see me, Captain?" Sweetie Belle asked with a snappy salute.

Stellar returned her salute and smiled. "Indeed I do, Cadet Belle." Stellar replied. "I need your magic to help me put together some pieces of equipment we need badly, if we're to get home again." She directed Sweetie's attention to the discs. "These are made of Magicirium." Stellar told Sweetie, whose eyes widened in realisation.

"That's..." She gently touched one, and gasped as she felt the magic in them. She felt the metal seeming to be slowly drawing her mana out of her and into itself.

Stellar gently took Sweetie's hoof off the disc. "Careful, Sweetie." Stellar told her. "These plates are natural mana sinks. What I need you to do is to engrave this circle onto the flat sides of all the discs I create." Stellar explained, holding out a large piece of paper that was rolled up. "You know how to engrave circles onto objects, don't you?" Stellar asked Sweetie Belle.

"Oh yeah, Stellar." Sweetie Belle replied. "I learned that the first year of High School, in magical arts class."

Stellar smiled. "Good. Now, this needs to be engraved on both sides. You see each disc has a square notch and a v-notch." She showed Sweetie. "The v-notch is the top. The paper has a mark to show the top and bottom of the circle. If you align those marks with the notches before you cast the engraving cantrip, then you shouldn't misalign the circle. Is that clear?" Stellar asked.

"Yes, Stellar." Sweetie replied. "Align the marks on the sheet with the notches and keep it in the center, then cast the engraving cantrip on the circle. And do both sides."

Stellar grinned. "Excellent." She told Sweetie. "Now, I'm going to keep cutting the discs. Once you've engraved them, set them in groups of ten. After I've cut all the discs we need done, I'm going to cast some housings for them to be set into." Stellar then looked at Applebloom. "Okay, Applebloom, come over here."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Applebloom replied, grinning, and followed Stellar.

Stellar led Applebloom to a large number of parts bins on the floor arrayed in a large circle, each one containing parts from the ship's stores. "This is what I want you to do, Applebloom." Stellar said. "You see these frames?" Stellar pointed to a pile of roughly cubical frames on a pallet. Applebloom nodded. "Okay. You're going to assemble power converters from these parts. You see that each bin has a diagram on it? If you start with a frame, walk to the next bin and take out the part or parts contained in them and follow the diagrams, once you've gone around the bins in order, you should have a functional power converter at the end of the circle of bins." Stellar explained. "When you're done, lock it in the testing bench like this," And Stellar showed Applebloom how to do so, "Then test it. If it comes back as functional, put it on the pallet there. If it comes back as non-functional, put it aside and keep going, until you have thirty working converters. Then your first part is finished. Okay?" Stellar asked.

"I got this, Captain." Applebloom answered, grinning confidently.

"Good mare. Now, go to it." Stellar told Applebloom, who started at the beginning of the run, grabbed a frame, and started walking. Each bin-station had the tools she needed to put the parts in place, and she found it was quite easy to follow the instructions.

Stellar checked up on Sweetie Belle, watching as she aligned the diagram on the disc and cast the engraving cantrip. The circle on the page glowed, and once it stopped glowing, Sweetie Belle removed it to show the circle had been engraved on the Magicirium disc's surface perfectly. "Perfect, Sweetie. Keep going just like that." Stellar told her.

"Yes, Ma'am." Sweetie Belle replied.

All three of them continued work. Stellar sliced more discs off the cylinder, until she'd made three hundred of them, using up almost all of the Magicirium cylinder. Once she'd done that, she checked up on the work done by the two younger mares. Satisfied they were still doing what she'd assigned them properly, Stellar started casting Adamant housings for the discs. Sweetie Belle stopped and watched as Stellar produced a mold for the solid metal housings in mid-air out of her magic, sculpting it until every section and line was exactly as she wanted it to be. Then a very small opening in space revealed a HammerSpace pocket that glowed with silver light and radiated heat. Stellar quickly connected it up with the mold and molten silver metal poured out of the pocket into the mold, stopping only when it was full. Sweetie Belle gave a sound of total awe as she watched Stellar dunk the mold into a container filled with some sort-of viscous oil, the liquid hissing and bubbling as Stellar released the metal casting into it, the mold sliding out of the container untouched by the oil. After sliding the cooled casting out of the oil and draining it off, Stellar made another one, then checked how the halves fitted together. Satisfied they were as she needed them, Stellar started making more.

"That's incredible!" Sweetie Belle said in an incredulous voice, as even Applebloom had stopped to watch.

"Yeah!" Applebloom agreed with Sweetie Belle. "Can you just make anything by using your magic like that?" She asked.

"Within reason." Stellar answered. "I was taught to mold parts like this when I was taught how to make armor by the best armorsmiths in the business." Stellar told the pair. "This is how I make my armors and my swords."

"That's... Wow!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "Could I do that?" She asked.

"I don't see why not." Stellar replied. "But you have to be able to hold a visualisation of the mold and the part you're trying to make in your mind as you form the mold, then hold it as you fill it and wait for it to harden." She explained to Sweetie Belle. "The only reason I can talk to you and do this at the same time is that I have a LOT of experience in holding the mold and form from years of practice. But when we get home, I'll coach you, if you want to learn." Stellar offered.

"Oh yeah, I'd love to learn." Sweetie Belle said, her eyes shimmering with awe.

Stellar grinned as Applebloom sighed. "What's the matter, Applebloom?" Stellar asked.

"It's nuthin'." Applebloom said back, eyes downcast.

"Don't tell me: you wish you could do this too." Stellar said as she dunked the most recent casting in the oil.

Applebloom looked ashamed, but nodded. "It's just... Ah know it's silly... But it's times like this that ah wish ah'd been born a unicorn, too." She looked at Stellar with sad eyes. "Ah'd LOVE to be able ta make things as easily as you do."

Stellar nodded as Sweetie Belle looked at her friend with sympathetic eyes. "I can understand that, Applebloom." Stellar said as she moved to the earth pony mare and gave her a hug. "Just remember: I was taught how to work metal by earth ponies like yourself." She reminded Applebloom. "You might not be able to do it as easily as I can, or how Sweetie Belle might be able to, once she's trained; but you can still do it, if you feel you want to learn. You'll just have to do it without magic... which is how it was done for a very long time, long before these techniques were created by unicorns." Stellar smiled down at Applebloom as she lifted the last casting out of the oil and waited for it to drain off. "Sometimes, all you need to do is find the way, regardless of what you do or don't have; what you can or can't do. If you want to do something so badly, then you'll find your friends will be there to help you find the way you can do what you want to do... as will I." She gave Applebloom a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks, Stellar." Applebloom said as she gave Stellar a smile.

"Good. Now, no more moping. We all have work to do." Stellar said, as she returned to making castings.

"Aye, Captain!" The pair answered, and went on with their assigned tasks.

= = = = =

After several hours, Stellar finished up as the two young mares watched her finalise the assembly of thirty long, cylindrical mana accumulators. "There we go. With these, we should be able to capture the power of the reaction from creating the Arcanite, and not just let all that energy go to waste." She told the pair.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle grinned as they walked along with Stellar. Then Applebloom frowned. "Are ya sure we got enough of these, Stellar?" She asked.

Stellar looked down at Applebloom. "Well, according to the calculations that Twilight did on the energy release from the fusion process, these plus the normal power accumulators the Xerxes is equipped with should be able to handle it, especially if we use that time to turn the ship around, brake our progress and head back to our original location at the same time. That will use a lot of the energy as well..." Then the pair saw Stellar frown as she reached the end of the line of thirty accumulators. She turned and looked back along the line, then said "Maybe one more. We've got enough Magicirium in reserve to make one more accumulator, so let's do it." She grinned at the pair, who grinned back. They trotted back along the line, then started making one more accumulator...

Author's Note

This is a longer chapter than I'd like, but to break it up leaves two chapters that were smaller than I'd have wanted. So you get a bigger one this time. Have fun reading!

08 - Problems and Solutions 02

Scootaloo was yawning occasionally as she kept going through the mathematics testing she was engaged in doing at that moment. It was really fascinating... but also a bit boring being alone as well. Normally, she'd have her friends and other classmates to help keep her non-focussed mind occupied, but not today, so she was starting to feel the boredom.

Then the door to the bridge opened and Stellar walked in, followed by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, who were talking up a storm. Scootaloo saved her place in the testing and grinned at them. "Heya guys! How'd it go?"

"Just incredible!" Sweetie Belle and Applebloom said together, to Scootaloo and Stellar chuckling. "We helped Stellar make the mana accumulators we need, and we're going to be installing them after Lunch." Sweetie Belle told Scootaloo.

"Yeah, great. That's just... great." Scootaloo said as Stellar reached her.

"Feeling a little left-out, are we?" Stellar summed up the situation very quickly in a soft voice to Scootaloo, as Sweetie Belle and Applebloom headed to wash up.

Scootaloo sighed. "That, and a little bored, too." She admitted.

Stellar nodded. "I can imagine, Scoots." She replied in a sympathetic voice. "Well, things would go faster if you wanted to give Sweetie Belle a hand, once the accumulators are mounted in position." Stellar hinted. "You could attach the accumulators to the grid with cables, while Applebloom and I work to hook them into the rest of the power grid."

Scootaloo grinned widely as she realised she could help. "Sure! I can do that." She agreed quickly.

Stellar smiled at Scootaloo. "And, to start, you can help me by assembling Lunch while I go and wash up." She said to Scootaloo. "Go and get some of the supplies out of the Pockets over there... maybe Pocket Number Three today." Stellar suggested as she gestured to the sheets of paper with the Pocket-Circle interfaces on them that were stuck to the walls; the pockets that held food and drinks.

"Sure thing, Stellar." Scootaloo replied as she took off over the consoles and headed for the numbered sheets.

Stellar smiled happily as she headed for her cabin and the private washroom within. A nice quick shower and groom would feel wonderful right about now...

=======

Building a frame to hold the accumulators in place from what they had aboard the Xerxes took a little longer than Stellar had anticipated. There wasn't that much space in Engineering to fit them, which also didn't help, but eventually, Stellar found a spot for them: right above the original accumulators. It seemed that the humans had left that space unoccupied, why Stellar didn't know, but it came in handy now. There was room in the space for three rows of sixteen accumulators stretching along the wall above the older models, and Stellar and the C.M.C. didn't waste time in putting a frame together. It took only twenty-four hours of solid work over three days (Stellar not wanting the younger mares working more than eight hours a day, then studying for eight as well) to fit the frame in place and rig up all the cabling and infrastructure to support the new additions.

Scootaloo was quite tired after the third day's work, but seeing the new accumulators in their banks really made her feel she was part of the team now, instead of just watching from the sidelines. She was standing next to Stellar as Sweetie Belle tested all the connections and safety guards for the power-storage system they'd all help put together. "You did well today, Scoots." Stellar told her as she looked down at the younger mare. "Now, do you feel confident with executing our first major manoeuver with the Xerxes, when I fire up the furnace to make our Arcanite?" Stellar asked.

"It's not a difficult manoeuver, Captain, but Sweetie Belle and I have been over it a dozen times without any variance in the schedule." Scootaloo answered.

Stellar nodded. "Good to hear, Helmspony Scootaloo." Stellar replied with a grin. "Of course, you are right in saying that this is not like manoevering in a combat situation, or formating with a fleet of other vessels, or even docking with a station would be. But it is most critical we reverse course with an utmost degree of accuracy, in order to go back to where we were when we teleported out here." Stellar reminded Scootaloo. "However, if you feel that you and Sweetie Belle have our new course plotted and ready to be executed, then I will trust that this is so." She smiled confidently down at Scootaloo.

"I thank you for your trust, Captain." And Scootaloo saluted Stellar, who returned it with a speed that told Scootaloo she'd done the right thing in addressing Stellar as her Captain.

Thery looked around as Sweetie Belle and Applebloom returned to where they were. "Everythin's connected an' tested, Cap'n." Applebloom reported after saluting.

"I can concur, Captain. All tests show every connection is locked solid and conductivity is at a-hundred-and-fifteen-percent of expected values." Sweetie Belle confirmed Applebloom's report.

"Excellent! You've all done well." Stellar congratulated the trio. "Now, let's go have something to eat, and then it's rest period. Tomorrow, we start phase two of the plan."

"Aye Captain!" The trio said back in strong voices, saluting Stellar snappily. Stellar returned their salute, and they all headed for the bridge once again.

=======

Stellar and the Trio were resting on the bridge. Even though the girls had their own rooms in the bridge tower now to sleep in, they still preferred to occupy the bridge and sleep together with Stellar, who'd aquiesced to their desires to remain together, and joined them in snuggling together as they slept.

They hadn't quite settled down after Dinner, when there was a flare of green magic and a large puff of smoke, which coalesced into a large box. Stellar just caught it in her magic as it dropped towards Scootaloo's head and she set it aside. "Wow! What is it?" The Trio asked.

"Yeah, and who's it from?" Scootaloo asked.

Stellar read the label. "It's from Rarity, to all of us." She told them, to Sweetie Belle grinning and bouncing in place, the others crowding Stellar as she opened the attached letter-style envelope, rather than a scroll.

= = = = =

To: Stellar Light Sparkle, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom

From: Rarity Belle of Rarity Creations

To the Captain and crew of the Xerxes, we of Rarity Creations have a debt to settle with you, so we felt it was fitting that you should look the part of a ship's crew. After seeing the designs of the uniforms the 'Humans' wore, we have attempted to make similar designs for use as the uniforms for the crew and captain of your fair vessel.

In this package you will find four 'standard' style uniforms for each crew member, two 'formal' dress uniforms with cape, and four sets of protective work overalls with under-shirts made out of the hardest-wearing cloth we could find to suit.

{A change in the tone suggests Rarity drops her formal wording at this point}

I must thank you again, Stellar, for looking after my sister and the sisters of my dearest friends; not to mention keeping them out of trouble and making sure their studies do not lapse. As a thank you, I have put together these for you and them to wear, when and as often as you feel appropriate. While I know you probably haven't been wearing anything to this point, there are certain rules Ship's Personnel usually follow (If the Airship Service is anything to go by) that require uniforms and work clothing. So I have sent these to you, with the help of my lovely Spikey-wikey, as further incentive to return to us again.

I can hardly wait to see you in them when you get home. Celestia, Luna and Twilight are going to get such a surprise when you walk out of your ship, dressed in your finery. They will see that you are a ship's crew, dedicated and proper, and it WILL impress them.

Take care, my friends and family, and come back to us safely.

Yours sincerely,

Rarity Belle

Owner of Rarity Creations.

= = = = =

"Wow..." The Trio said as Stellar pulled out the parcels with their names on them, and they saw the beautiful uniforms that were made just for them.

"Never let it be said that Rarity didn't have the finest eye for fashion for any occasion." Stellar stated as she held up one of the formal uniform jackets, in purest white, like any naval uniform. There was real gold braid, gem-encrusted insignia and the billowing capes looked beautiful draped along the back of the uniforms. There were even optional pants to wear, with their cutie marks done in the finest coloured threads and, in Stellar's case, real gemstones for the Sparkle Star, the Crystal Heart, the Sun-Disc and the Lunar Crescent. Even little black, highly-polished hoof-shoes completed the formal ensembles, Rarity taking the copying of the Human uniforms to the utmost parity.

"Dang! If'n these don't look better than tha Royal Guards' formal get-up." Applebloom said as she looked her uniforms over. "An' tha work-gear is really great, too! I've never seen such strong-lookin' gear before." She commented as she slipped into the overalls and undershirt. She even found that, like the formal uniforms, comfortable and hard-wearing fetlock-covering boots were part of the work gear.

Stellar chuckled. "Okay, if we do meet any humans out here, we can at least conform to their dress-standards and help convince them we're not just animals." She slid the peaked cap Rarity had made for her down over her horn and set it properly on her head. Making a mirror-oval illusion appear before her, Stellar looked at how it looked on her, and nodded. "Beautiful." She commented, as the Trio got into the uniforms. Stellar nodded as she looked the Trio over. "Looking sharp, Girls; really sharp." Stellar commented as she slipped into her uniform.

"Thanks!" All three younger mares said as they took turns looking at themselves in the mirror.

"Yeah, real sharp." Scootaloo echoed Stellar with a big grin.

Stellar grinned at the Trio. "Okay, we can leave these for later. We have work to complete if we're ever going to show these off to our friends back home." She told them.

The Trio turned to Stellar, looking very sharp in their dress whites, and saluted her. "Aye, Captain!" They said crisply and in perfect synchchronisation.

Stellar snepped to attention and returned their salute, then nodded. "Okay, put your uniforms in your quarters, then let's get busy. Scoots, you and Sweetie get ready for the big manoeuver. Applebloom and I will be down in Engineering, making the first big batch of Arcanite." Stellar told them.

"Aye, Captain." The three young mares replied, saluting again before racing off to their quarters.

Stellar chuckled as she also went to her quarters and stowed her uniforms and other gear... until she looked at the work clothes Rarity had made. Smiling softly, she slipped into them and checked them over in the mirror. "Yeah. Sharp as a blade." She said to herself. She left the cap behind, but headed out in the work gear for Engineering.

=======

While Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were on the bridge, getting ready for their first major manoeuver, Stellar and Applebloom were loading the reactor-furnace with the Carbon-14 and Magicite powder. Stabilising the two-hundred sacks in the middle of the reactor body was harder than moving them inside, but soon they were all hovering in the center of the reactor, and Stellar closed the door, sealing it. She moved to where Applebloom was readying the heat-cannons, checking that everything was ready for this extremely-dangerous process. "Everything ready, Applebloom?" Stellar asked.

"Aye, Captain. Everything's ready to go... if the checklist is comprehensive enough." Applebloom replied.

Stellar chuckled. "It should be." She responded to the unsaid question.

"Then we're ready to go." Applebloom said with a big grin. She lifted her head and the helmet of her space-suit dropped onto her head, the armor wrapping around her as she lowered her head again. Stellar donned her own armor, and then moved to one of the panels.

After doing her final checks, Stellar contacted the bridge. "Okay, Scootaloo. We're ready to go down here. Get ready to turn the ship around to face back the way we came. Sweetie Belle, plot us a reciprocal course for Scootaloo to follow." She ordered, as Applebloom was getting the reactor-furnace ready to fire up.

"Aye, Captain." Came the pair of replies.

Stellar nodded. "All right, Scoots. When I give you the signal, fire all the main thrusters and every other thruster facing to the rear." Stellar said. "If I yell at you to fire everything, I want you to add every thruster the ship has that isn't facing forward."

"But won't that send us tumbling?" Scootaloo asked.

"If we fire all of them at once, they should just cancel each other out, save for those facing backwards." Stellar explained. "But it's going to be easier dealing with any directional changes than dealing with the accumulators overloading. I'm not certain Twilight has calculated the output from this fusion reaction perfectly, so I'm making provision for just such an eventuality." She explained. "If we have to, we can fire every energy cannon on-board as well. There's no-one out here to hit, after all."

Sweetie Belle linked the weapons-controls into her board. "Okay, Captain. Weapons and shields are on-line and ready to activate, if we need them." She said. "I have the cannon turrets firing as close to directly forward and aft as we can." She reported.

"Excellent, Sweetie." Stellar complimented her. "Okay, Helm, turn us around." Stellar ordered.

"Firing thrusters." Scootaloo reported, the ship shuddering slightly as the thrusters fired bow-port and starboard-stern, and the Xerxes slowly rotated around in her flightpath, to face a hundred-and-eighty-degrees to her line of travel. "Turn successful, Captain." Scootaloo reported, once she'd stabilised the ship facing to her new course.

"Excellent. Get ready to fire main and secondary engines." Stellar ordered, as she moved to where Applebloom was powering up the reactor-furnace's systems. As Stellar watched over Applebloom's shoulder, she saw the heat-cannons fire into the mass of carbon and Magicite, heating it all and melting the Magicite. As soon as it was all molten, Stellar wrapped it in her magic and stirred the mixture, to even out the carbon within the mass, and once she sensed it was ready for transmutation, Stellar said "Scootaloo, fire engines!"

"Rojer! Firing engines." Scootaloo said, and the ship shuddered as all the engines came on at full power. The ship slowed down dramatically, the inertial dampers taking the strain and drawing even more power from the accumulators.

Stellar watched the power levels in the accumulators drop, then as they reached where she wanted them, she cast and fired the alchemical transmutation spell into the mass of metal. The mass glowed brilliantly, the temperature rising to nearly six thousand degrees... then there was an enormous bloom of energy from the mass. The reactor sphere managed to capture all of it and funnel it into the accumulators, but Stellar was shocked at how fast they were filling. She noticed the control systems starting to funnel the power into her magical accumulators as well, and they were filling too quickly as well. "Fire everything!" Stellar yelled down the intercom.

"Roger!" Both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle replied and activated all the secondary systems they had prepared, as well as powering up anything else on the ship they could think of, including every light fixture, every environmental system, anything that used power. "Everything's on." Sweetie Belle replied.

"Rojer that." Stellar said in a calmer voice, as the flow to the accumulators dropped to within the predicted levels.

Outside, the Xerxes was ablaze with light; all her engines and thrusters were firing, save for those pointing forward; her lights were all on; her energy cannons all firing, both fore and aft. Her shields were glowing brilliantly with the energy coming through them from the cannons and engines. She came to a halt in her backwards trajectory, then started heading forward again, gaining acceleration and momentum very quickly.

Stellar turned her attention to the reaction mass, as Applebloom started carefully watching the accumulators. It was as all the accumulators reached ninety-nine percent charged that the light slowly died away from the mass inside the reactor, and Applebloom turned down the heat-cannons to just maintain the mass as molten. Stellar breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the accumulators hadn't maxed-out, then she called the bridge. "Okay, Helm, Engineering; you can shut down everything now."

"Rojer." Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle replied, and they shut down everything, starting with the thrusters, the energy cannons and the main engines, until they were once again drifting along on course, dark and steady. "Captain, the manoeuver was successful." Scootaloo reported. "We are steady on reciprocal one-eighty course; speed: a steady one-hundred-thousand kilometres-per-hour."

"Very good, Scootaloo." Stellar complimented Scootaloo. "Hold her steady and keep us on-track."

"Aye, Captain." Scootaloo replied, then turned and high-hoofed Sweetie-Belle. "All right! Our first major manoeuver, and we did it right!"

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle agreed. "Maybe we can really fly this ship, after all."

= = = = =

Below, in Engineering, Stellar carefully gathered a sample of the transmuted metal in her magic, delicately separating it from the mass and bringing it out of the reactor. The glowing greenish metal was incredibly-touchy to her magic, she noted; a good sign that the process was successful. Arcanite amplified magic so powerfully that it had to be handled as carefully as nitro-glycerin while in this state. As she drew it out of the reactor sphere, her armor ignoring the heat, Stellar tentatively probed the molten mass and gave a soft sigh, grinning at Applebloom.

"Is that...?" Applebloom asked.

"Yeah, Applebloom. We have Arcanite... two tonnes of pure, stable Arcanite." Stellar confirmed to the young mare.

Applebloom let go a cheer of "YEEEE-HAWWW!" And pronked around the catwalk.

Stellar laughed as she watched Applebloom celebrate, as she moulded the kilogram of Arcanite into a hexagonal bar and dunked it in the trough to cool it into a solid mass. Stellar took her time to wrap the Arcanite bar in a sleeve made of Magicirium, which would make it much easier to handle since the Magicirium would protect against the Arcanite reacting to being handled magically. Once that was done, she began drawing out and shaping into bars the rest of the Arcanite within the furnace housing. Only a few of the one-kilogram bars were slid into Magicirium sleeves, Stellar putting the rest onto a number of heavy, powered trolleys for storage and later use. Four of the wrapped bars would be going back to Equestria, for perusal by Twilight, the Princesses and both the Guilds of Mages and Engineers. "Maybe I should have Twilight send out the next tonne of Magicite. Some more accumulators would definitely come in handy, as well as more Magicirium to be ready for other uses." Stellar made a note to herself.

= = = = =

Later, as the four Ponies relaxed on the bridge, Stellar was doing calculations as the three fillies looked on in awe at the first bar of alchemically-created Arcanite they had ever seen, safe to handle in its Magicirium sleeve. Stellar smiled at them. Very few Ponies in the modern age had even heard of Arcanite, let alone seen it. The Royal Treasure Depository only had a couple of pieces of naturally-occuring stable Arcanite, and those were more like a crystalline matrix, rather than a pure metal. The only other examples of smelted and forged Arcanite were the four swords known as 'The Clover Leaves', which had been made under the direction of Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever, as Clover's main weapons. Stellar had been privelaged to be allowed to study them and their construction, which had led to her being able to create her mana generators using Arcanite. Her own swords were similar in power levels to the Clover Leaves, but their power came from the Light Runes impressed into them, rather than Arcanite. Stellar wondered how much more powerful a sword could be, if it had an Arcanite core, an Adamant shell and the Light Runes carved or pressed directly into the Arcanite...

Apart from that, Stellar was still puzzled by the amount of Arcanite she'd obtained from the fusion process. Instead of the two tonnes of Arcanite she expected, there was a little over one thousand and sixty-three kilograms. She wondered why this was for a while, but nothing came to mind. "The experiment was a success... so where did the excess mass go?" She asked herself.

Putting those thoughts aside, Stellar turned to the C.M.C and said "Well, it seems Twilight was under-reading the power of the reaction by nearly five percent. Then again, this is the first time, that we know of, that such a powerful alchemical fusion process has ever been done."

"So... what does that mean, Stellar?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"By my calculations, if I'd had the materials to make just two more accumulators, they could have soaked up the entire energy production of the reaction without needing the engines or other systems to be engaged." Stellar answered Sweetie Belle. "But, on the flipside, without that one extra accumulator I did make, it would have been too much... and we'd be without a ship again."

The three fillies winced. "Ah'm glad ya did take tha extra time ta be so careful, Stellar." Applebloom said.

"Yeah. After everything... if we'd survived, it would have been the worst thing possible." Scootaloo agreed.

Stellar nodded. "I agree, Scoots." Stellar stretched, then shook. "As it is, we've proved that not only can Arcanite be created and stabilised, but we've got the process to make stable Magicirium." Stellar grinned. "Once Twilight has the mana crystals I asked for made and shipped to us, then we can put together the power core for the reactor and get us the power we need to head Home. We have enough power in the accumulators now that we could run the ship for several months, even under full thrust and battle conditions... just not enough to run the fold drive for the time needed to get us Home again. But that will come, once we get the crystals."

"And do we know which way Home is?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Stellar smiled at Sweetie Belle and the others. "I have a plan." She replied, to their grinning faces.

=======

Twilight was reading through some of the technical documents that Stellar had sent back, as well as a spell that allowed Twilight to understand and speak, read and write English. The thrill of learning a new language was almost as fun as reading through the very technically-sophisticated documents Stellar had given her. The science was WAY beyond her, Twilight realised, but Stellar had thoughtfully sent her along a series of primer-books on something Stellar had called a 'E-book'. After reading through the manual (which was in print, fortunately), Twilight took to it like a fish to water. "An entire library in one small, neat package? What's not to love?" She told Starlight as she shared it with her friend and former student.

"I'll admit, this thing is amazing." Starlight perused the E-book after using the language spell and reading the manual. "Hopefully, she'll send some more of them back." Starlight looked at Twilight. "Did you manage to get the charger for this to interface with the castle's power system?" She asked.

Twilight grinned. "It took a little time, some adaptation... and about three damaged charger units..." Twilight looked sadly sheepish. "But Stellar had sent a dozen charger units with this E-book reader, so at least I got things to interface properly before I burned all of them out." She said, grinning. "So, hopefully, Stellar will send us some more very interesting bits of equipment before too long."

Then there was a curl of smoke, a flash of light above Twilight's head, and another scroll dropped down out of thin air. Starlight caught it before it could bop Twilight on the head. "I guess Spike's asleep." She said as she handed it to Twilight.

Twilight, nodded. "Yeah... I guess we should be, too, but who can sleep when there's so much to learn?" She asked, grinning her 'I'm totally stoked on learning new stuff!' grin.

Starlight chuckled as Twilight opened the scroll. She started reading out the letter from Stellar:

= = = = =

Dear Twi'-Sis,

Things here have been going apace. The spells worked perfectly, and now we not only have a new metal: Magicirium, which is a stable metallic form of Magicite, but we have created here on the Xerxes the first amount of stable arcanite metal ever made artificially. While I am sorry to report your calculations of the energy released when the Magicite and Carbon-14 underwent fusion were underestimated by about five percent; luckily I had made enough accumulators from the Magicirium that, with the help of turning every energy-using system aboard the Xerxes on, at full, all at once, we managed to keep the ship from blowing up due to overload. But I am going to need some more Magicite ore to make more accumulators if I plan on making more Arcanite. So please, Sis, another tonne would be appreciated.

I have included five more E-book readers in a H-S pocket for you to use, as well as two laptop computers for you and Starlight. They're in an Adamant box, to make sure the mana release doesn't fry their systems, like the first E-book I sent. Hopefully taking the damaged one apart was of some interest and use to you, and that the second one arrived safely. You'll find your cutie marks on the tops of the laptops. I've loaded an outline of my plan for you to help us find exactly where we were transported to on yours, Twilight. We've reversed course successfully and the Xerxes is now headed back along the course we've been drifting along, so we're going to need some way of finding that exact spot again, and I think you'll find my plan to be sufficient to locate that spot. As of now, the only thing we're lacking are the thirty-five mana crystals we need for the reactor. Hopefully the crystallimancers of the Crystal Empire can pull their heads together and get them finished soon.

I've also included four one-kilogram bars of Magicirium and four bars of Arcanite in Magicirium sleeves for you in the same pocket as the Adamant box containing your new toys. Keep the Arcanite in the sleeves as much as possible, and they won't react to being handled magically. One bar's for you, the other three are one for the Princesses and one each for the Mages' Guild and Engineers' Guild. Plus the bars are safe to handle, if you know what I mean, so don't worry about giving them to the Guilds. If those little problems we read about rear their ugly heads again, we can take care of them without a problem, no matter the size or complexity. Have fun and above all: BE FRACKING CAREFUL WITH THE ARCANITE!

Hoping to be Home soon,

Your loving sister,

Stellar

= = = = =

Starlight chuckled. "She isn't kidding around with the safety warnings, is she?" Starlight asked.

Twilight shook her head." No, and I understand why, too." She told Starlight. "I've actually handled Arcanite. I know how powerful it is." Twilight explained. She carefully extracted the four bars of Arcanite and the four bars of Magicirium from their pocket. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief when the Magicirium-wrapped Arcanite bars didn't react to her magic at all. "Looks like Stellar really did solve the problem of handling Arcanite like this, at least."

"I've never seen this metal before." Starlight said as she stroked the Magicirium carefully, then gasped as she felt it start to feed on her mana. "That's incredible." She exclaimed. "But... it doesn't feed on the mana in the air, or on your magic, Twilight; just on... processed but unpurposed mana."

Twilight nodded. "It's a fabled metal, this one, almost as much as Arcanite is. Only this metal was never given a proper name before, because it degraded so fast, it was almost impossible to keep in one form." She explained. "If the Magicite was already unstable, the metal made from it would break down in hours. If it was stable, which is rare, then it could be months, maybe a few years, but it would always break down and crumble, no matter what you did to try and hold it together." Twilight scanned one of the Magicirium bars more closely. "I think... it's the mana." She looked at Starlight. "The unstable Magicirium must have a saturation point. Once it reaches that, it breaks down into half-a-dozen other things, probably other 'elements', as Stellar tells it."

"And because this Magicirium is so stable as a metal, its saturation point must be far higher than the previous attempts." Starlight suggested.

Twilight grinned and nodded. "Yes! I believe you're correct with that assumption." She agreed with Starlight, which made the unicorn mare's face light up again as widely as Twilight's was. "Oh, this is going to be So. Much. Fun!" Twilight exclaimed. "Finally, I have somepony to work with who's right at my level." She said to Starlight.

Starlight actually moved to Twilight, and the pair hugged with affection. "Yeah... I know how you feel, Twi'. I know how you feel." Starlight said with the affection the pair had come to feel for each other fully expressed.

From the door came a sorrowful snort. "And where in this tryst of the minds does Trixie fit in?" Trixie asked, in a hurting tone.

Starlight and Twilight looked at each other, then giggled. Gesturing, Starlight led Trixie in to them with a gentle spell. "Right where you should always be, Trix-fix. With us." She told her mare-friend.

Twilight smiled slyly at the pet name Starlight had called Trixie, then she sighed happily. "Never let it be said that we're leaving you out, Trixie." She told the blue unicorn mare. "I know, sometimes we can go off the deep end talking magic and science, but you're always welcome to sit and share company with us." She reassured Trixie.

Trixie blushed a little. "Trix... I am... My heart is gladdened to hear that... Twilight." Trixie slowly replied. "I know... I am not a 'big brain', such as you two are... but I am heartened by your acceptance of us... and what we feel for each other." Trixie gently nuzzled Starlight, who returned the affection with a hug, which Trixie reciprocated whole-heartedly.

Twilight chuckled softly. "I know, I know. I gave you two a hard time when you first started showing your affection for each other, and I apologise again for that. Far be it for me, as Princess of Friendship, to interfere with such a good friendship as you two now have. I guess I still have a lot to learn about how diverse friendship can be, and how... how..." Twilight faltered.

"How impossible, yet wonderful some friendships can be?" Trixie put forward in a helpful, not snarkily-toned voice.

Starlight held back a giggle as Twilight chuckled. "Yes, Trixie. Friendship can traverse both the sublime and the seemingly-ridiculous, the wonderful and the wacky. I have to keep that in-mind more often that not, now." Twilight admitted.

Starlight grinned at Twilight as she held onto Trixie. "Maybe there's hope for you yet, Twilight." She said, the grin on her face becoming something more as Twilight stared at them, then she broke into giggles, as did Trixie. Starlight just held Trixie close and basked in her much-happier friend's love and affection.

=======

As she waited for the mana crystals to be delivered, Stellar was not idle. She was making an elaborate frame out of Adamant, in pieces small enough to fit through the door of the reactor housing. Part of each piece was a sleeve made of Arcanite and Magicirium, rings of Adamant allowing the sleeves to slide along the rails that were part of the frame.

"So... these are gonna hold the crystals inside tha reactor once we get them." Applebloom said as she lifted one of the frame segments onto her back, ready to carry it inside Engineering to the second reactor housing.

"That's right, Applebloom." Stellar confirmed with a smile for her Engineering cadet.

"An' these hold tha crystals." She tapped one of the sliding segments. "Tha Arcanite amplifies tha mana tha crystals produce, an' all of them will fill tha reactor with mana." Applebloom said as she worked it out in her mind.

"Quite correct again, my cadet." Stellar replied with a prouder smile.

Applebloom was puzzling this out in her head. "So... why do they got... er, have to slide in an' out like that?"

"Well... you know that we can't have the reactor running at full power all the time. We have to switch it off now and again, as well as lessen the power output..." Stellar led Applebloom gently on, hoping she'd come to the proper conclusion by herself.

"So..." Applebloom's face scrunched up as she thought hard. "If'n tha crystals can slide in an' out from tha central core crystal... an' the crystals' power output lessens tha further away they get from each other..." Then her face lit up. "Tha frame's the throttle!" She exclaimed. "By movin' tha crystals away and towards each other, you can decrease or increase the power output of the reactor the same way you can throttle up or throttle back the engines!" Applebloom said in her 'clear' voice, free of her accent, in her excitement.

"Excellent!" Stellar told Applebloom, her face one big grin. "You're learning to think properly and analytically, Applebloom." Stellar moved to the teenage mare and gently nuzzled her, something that had Applebloom crooning softly. "We do need a way to regulate the reactor; and the frame, as you figured out, will allow us to do just that."

Applebloom nodded. "And these Magicirium end-caps?" She asked Stellar. "Since you have these at the opposite end of the frame-segments' travel, I take it they're somehow involved with deactivating the reactor completely?"

Stellar nodded. "Exactly. When the crystals reach the end of their travel away from the core, the ends will lock into these end-caps and the crystals will stop producing mana, shutting down the reactor completely." Stellar confirmed.

Applebloom nodded as she lifted the section of frame she was to take to the reactor. "So... once we get tha crystals an' fit them in tha frames, then install them in tha housin', does that mean we'll be ready to go home again?" She asked Stellar.

"Almost, Applebloom; almost." Stellar answered. "All we then need to do is find the point where we emerged here again, find the course back to Equis, and we'll be on our way." She grinned at the smiling filly.

"Fantastic." Applebloom said as she exited the construction area...

=======

It was two days after Twilight had received Stellar's last letter that the mana crystals finally arrived from the Crystal Empire. But what was a pleasant surprise was that they arrived not only with an escort of Crystal guards, but Twilight found herself being hugged by "B.B.B.F.F!" Shining Armor chuckled as he hugged Twilight to him, then noogied her mercilessly. "Hey! Stop that, Shiny!" Twilight tried to get her brother to stop, while Spike collapsed to the platform, laughing, and even Starlight had a smirk on her face, trying to stop herself from laughing via the means of a well-placed hoof.

"Got to keep up traditions, Sis." Shining replied, but put Twilight down gently before nuzzling her lovingly. "After all, I don't see you often enough... so I made time out to do so, since these were coming here to you." He gestured to the armored wagon that sat between the two guards' accomodation wagons attached to the rear of the Crystal Express.

"You got them finished already?" Twilight asked with glee on her face as she headed for those wagons.

"Sure did." Shining answered. "The crystallimancers were a little bit... non-plussed about having to make such... unsophisticated crystals, but when they saw the size and shape Stellar wanted them to be, as well as the core crystal, not to mention how much power she was expecting from them, they were intrigued to see what they'd be doing, to say the least." Shining informed his L.S.B.F.F. The guards opened the door to the armored wagon after exchanging security codes with the guards inside, and Shining escorted Twilight inside.

Once her sight had adjusted, Twilight saw forty long cylindrical containers sitting in racking, and two much smaller square boxes before them. She moved to one of the long containers and, getting the go-ahead from Shining after giving him a questioning gaze, opened and slid out of the padded container a long mana crystal. Five metres long and forty centimetres wide at one end, the crystal looked almost like a needle, in some ways. Tapered from the large domed end, the hexagonal crystal eventually changed to a triangular spear-like point at the other end. Twilight could feel its potential, but the crystal was quiescent, the energy flow it would have normally been producing held in check by a cap of metal over the domed end, that Twilight could see also had a cylindrical extension that went into the end of the crystal as well. Twilight brought out a pair of calipers and measured the crystal at certain points along the length, nodding once she was satisfied the crystal matched Stellar's specifications. "Are they all like this, Shiny?" She asked her brother.

Shining nodded. "Yep. They're all pretty much identical, right down to the mana patterns generated inside the crystals." Shining confirmed. "There's only two crystallimancers in the Empire with the precision and the... well, the willingness to make such perfect, yet basic crystals like these." He informed Twilight. "Most of the others scoffed at doing something that some of them would consider 'drudge-work'." He sighed frustratingly. "Many of them are so busy trying to out-do each other in how many things they can make crystals do, and in how many forms, that they forget that sometimes you just need crystals that do only one or two things. Most of the 'lesser' crystals we export and custom-make are done by the 'second-tier' of crystallimancers: those with lots of experience, but who realise that it's not about how many things you can make a crystal do, but making them do what is needed perfectly. Peridot Glint and Mercury Crust do some of the most perfect crystals I have ever seen; these ones are some of their best for uniformity and power. Yet they're still considered only minor masters at the craft, because they don't exhibit the 'flair' for inventiveness the current Masters feel is a hallmark of the trade." Shining shook his head.

Twilight nodded her head as she slid the long crystal back into its padded case. "I guess every trade has its standards and innovators, as well as those who make it work for the others." She replied. "Anyway, Stellar is going to really appreciate receiving these. It'll allow her to hopefully make the mana reactor she needs to power their ship enough to get them all home again."

Shining nodded. "That's going to be incredible. An actual starship, here in Equestria." He chuckled. "You know Star Charter is going to want a full tour."

Twilight giggled. "Of that, I am sure everypony wouldn't bet against." She replied to Shining. Twilight picked up the entire rack in her magic, unfurled one of the parchment pages with the circle defining a H-S pocket inscribed on it, and as Shining's eyes widened, Twilight pushed the rack against the page and the circle expanded to swallow the entire rack in one slow motion.

Once the page and circle had returned to their usual appearance, Shining moved to it and touched it with a tentative hoof. "That was... incredible." He said softly. Looking at Twilight, he added "I thought that... a circle couldn't do that."

Twilight smiled a very smug smile back at Shining. "Stellar might be better at creating and inscribing circles and arrays than I am, but that doesn't mean I'm totally without knowledge and some talent in that particular field." She explained. "I've been able to modify one of the three types of storage circles Stellar uses to allow the circle to open up so it can take in much bigger objects... as long as they don't weight over a tonne. That's about the limit at the moment that we can fill a pocket to and still be able to send them via Spike Express." Twilight told Shining. "While the pockets might be able to hold more in weight and volume, we found that we can't get them to travel using Spike's magic if they're any heavier than about one-point-zero-seven tonnes of cargo weight each. But that does allow us to send a great deal of cargo from point-to-point; and for more, we just use multiple scrolls and circles. While it does mean we can't send really big equipment, raw materials and things like the crystals are easily sent across what we now know are vast distances."

Shining nodded as he followed Twilight out of the boxcar, the internal guards now disembarking as well since there was nothing to guard, now. "Wow. I guess we're making advances in all different types of areas, now that we've got something to motivate us." He said to Twilight as they headed off the platform, the Crystal Express starting to move off slowly behind them as four of the Crystal guards followed along behind Shining and Twilight, the rest having returned to their car before the train pulled out. "And how have you been, Spike, Starlight?" He asked, now that the formalities were out of the way.

"Doing great! Thanks for that new comic series you found from that author in the Crystal Empire, Shining." Spike answered Shining. " 'Crystal Knights' is one of the hottest-selling new series; and it sells out so fast, the store here in Ponyville hardly gets enough issues to satisfy even the really hard-core fans. If you didn't keep sending me my own issues... and thanks for getting them signed for me, too. That gets a huge amount of points for my collection with the others." Spike grinned.

Shining chuckled. "Glad to help, Spike. Does Thorax get his comics as well?" He asked.

"Yep. Almost as soon as the shipment comes in, I send him a message; and if he doesn't turn up himself, Thorax sends one of the other changelings to pick them up for him." Spike explained. "Of course, they get a lot of other stuff to take back while they're here." Spike told Shining.

Shining nodded. "Glad to hear Thorax is doing so well, now." He replied. "And what of you, Starlight? Things going well?"

Starlight looked a little coy. "Uh, well, you know..."

Shining grinned. "Is Stellar sending lots of wonderful stuff for you and Twilight to peruse and lose yourself in?" He asked.

At that, Twilight hid a giggle behind a hoof as Starlight just nodded, before she replied "Well, yeah. She's even sent us some electronic goods for us to use." She told Shining. "It took a bit to make adaptors for the castle's power system, but now we can use them without blowing up their power transformers."

"And we've learned a lot by taking the other transformers apart too, B.B.B.F.F." Twilight added. "Starlight is working on designing transformers that can use the power system without blowing up or needing another adaptor."

"It's a challenge." Starlight admitted. "But the books Stellar sent back about these 'electronics' are pretty easy to understand, once you get used to the names of all the components, what they do and how they work together. It's a very orderly system."

"Glad to hear it." Shining said as they approached the castle. "Oh, Twily, Cadance and I wrote a letter for you to send to Stellar and the others as well. Can you send it with the others?"

"Of course." Twilight answered with a smile.

Once they were inside and Shining had followed Twilight to her study, he hoofed her over the letter and Twilight assembled the next letter to Stellar as Shining watched. "So... they're doing all right out there?" Shining asked Twilight.

"Better than most would be able to do, of that I'm certain." Twilight answered Shining. "Stellar's drive and adaptability is carrying her through challenges that I'm not even sure I could handle... at least, not in the same way. If it had been me, I'm not sure I could have been as resourceful. I might have discovered the ship, like Sis did, but actually trying to get it functioning again and bring it back..." Twilight shook her head. "I don't think I could have done that. Use it as a base to work out how to teleport back home again; that seems more like what I would have planned." Twilight admitted. "Maybe I could have simply worked out how to reverse my teleport again, after I'd emerged at the point where Stellar found herself. But I doubt I would have done things this way. After all, I'm not Stellar." Twilight then smiled at Shining. "But maybe it's for the best that it was her caught up in this accident, instead of me. I might not have been able to keep the Cutie Mark Crusaders alive out there. But what's done is done: Stellar's out there, she and the Trio are safe and secure and working out how to get home again. And with these crystals, they now have the best chance of doing that, far more than anypony else I could think of."

Shining nodded. "You would have found a way, Twily; of that, I am totally sure." He declared his confidence in his younger sister. "Maybe, as you said, you might not have found that ship and be bringing it back with you, but you would have found a way back home again, and with the Trio as well." He smiled and nuzzled Twilight gently. "Stellar's just doing it her way, as usual. 'Doing it in style', I believe is how she'd put it." Shining added.

Twilight laughed. "Oh yeah! That's her to a 'T'." Twilight agreed. "She's almost got Rainbow Dash's 'awesomeness' as well as her loyalty." She shook her head. "We couldn't want for a better sister. She's got a good deal of both of us in her, as well as smatterings of my friends thrown into the mix as well. I'm... I'm just glad we're going to get her back."

"As are we all, Twily." Shining admitted as he hugged Twilight close.

=======

Stellar had reached an impasse in their preparations: Everything now relied on getting the crystals from Home to power the ship's fold drive. The cradles were ready; the frames were ready; the control systems were tested and ready for installation. She was helping Scootaloo and Applebloom install two of her little mana generators and converters into one of the 'Alpha' fightercraft to see whether or not they could power the sleek craft, when there was a floomp of magic smoke and a 'pop' as another scroll appeared above them in a flash of green magic.

The two younger mares held their breath as Stellar caught the scroll and opened it. Once she'd read the header page with Twilight's letter, Stellar sat back on her haunches and smiled at Scootaloo and Applebloom.

The pair were on tenterhoofs, not really reading Stellar's expression well. "Well?" They both asked at once, almost ready to jump out of their hoofboots.

Stellar chuckled. "We're good to go. The crystals are right here." She declared.

The girls' eyes widened with delight, and they both yelled and bounced with sheer excitement. Stellar laughed with them, then sighed happily. Now they'd see whether all the preparation, all the hard work, all the innovation, would be worth it.

Now they'd find out whether or not they could go home...

Author's Note

And the last pieces fall into place. Will things work as Stellar hopes? Or will there be more complications she hasn't forseen yet? Will Sweetie Belle be called upon to tutor other students when they make it back to Equestria and the teachers find out how much she and the others have learned? Will Scootaloo get Equestria's first pilot's licence? Will Star Charter find that his ideas of Starships need updating, or will he feel totally justified in his models of ships?

All this and more will be answered next time....

Maybe. :derpytongue2:

09 - Power Restored

"You guys go ahead. I'll head up to the bridge and monitor the important stuff, and send Sweetie Belle down to help." Scootaloo said as Stellar and Applebloom headed for Engineering after getting off the Alpha Fighter. Scootaloo flew off fast, heading for the lift shaft and the bridge. "Let them do the hard work. After all, it needs magic, and mine's not what they need." She said to herself as she dropped to the floor before the lift doors and waited for them to open...

=======

Trixie and Shining Armor looked on as Twilight and Starlight were making something... unusual. They were about ornate cylinders about fifty centimetres in diameter and thirty centimetres high, and had a smooth glass covering embedded in the lid. As the alicorn-unicorn team completed laying the spells into one of them and sealed it, the top began to glow as mana was pulled out of the floor of the castle into it.

"Wow, that's soaking up a heap of mana, Sis." Shining Armor said to his sister.

"Yes, even we can feel this from here." Trixie added as she watched Starlight place a second one on certain marked spots in the casting room floor.

"That's because they're meant to do so." Twilight explained. "These are mana beacons, but as you can see, they're a lot bigger than the personal ones your troops use in the snowy areas, B.B.B.F.F."

"Yeah, a lot bigger." Shining agreed. "They're not very practical for personal use."

"Ah, but they're not for personal use." Starlight told them, grinning. "These aren't going to attract pegasi on Search, but a ship out in the middle of unknown space."

Shining blinked with surprise, but Trixie's face lit up. "Trixie gets it! You are going to send these out, like you did Stellar and the young mares, out to the limit of that transport spell. When they arrive there, then they will be detected by those on the ship and they will know where the point they arrived at is."

Starlight grinned and slipped a forehoof around Trixie. "You're getting better, Love, at understanding what we do here."

Trixie smiled proudly. "Tr... I am not ignorant of the schools of more powerful magicks... they are simply not where my talents lie." She said in a calm, not arrogant tone.

"Very true, Trix-fix." Starlight agreed. "Not all of us can be First Violiners in the orchestra; some of us still have to push wind through the trombone." She said to Trixie, who nodded and giggled.

"I do not know where you heard that, but I am no tromboner." Trixie replied. "A drummer, maybe." She added with a sly grin.

Starlight grinned back and nuzzled Trixie affectionately. "My little drummer mare." She said back softly. "You make my heart pound like a drum at times."

Shining smiled at the pair of mares as he came up beside Twilight. "Those two seem to have a real thing between them." He commented. "If Cadance was here..."

Twilight giggled as she checked the filling mana beacons. "Yeah, she'd squee and be all over them like a rash." Twilight agreed. "As it is, I don't think they need any help expressing how they feel any longer."

"Good to see." Shining replied.

Twilight picked up one of the mana beacons, checking its state. "Well, these look like they'll do the trick. Hopefully, Stellar can send some of those mana accumulators back with her next letter. They would be very handy in flash-filling my mana wells for rapid-transporting of these out there."

Shining nodded. "Well, however it's done, at least we'll be able to show Stellar and the CMC which way to head home."

"And that's the main thing." Twilight agreed.

=======

Stellar, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were working to put the crystals in the frames' housings for them, carefully aligning the crystals inside them so they would intersect with the center crystal. With the Magicirium caps locked over the end of the long crystals, they were quiescent as they were handled by the young unicorn and older alicorn into place, as Applebloom checked the sliding mechanisms for each section of framework. Stellar herself set the center crystal in place, the thirty-four-sided crystal being carefully aligned to receive the others into the triangular slots in each face. As each crystal was locked into place, it was slid in and out within its assembly, making sure the mechanism would work easily. Since each crystal spire would always be in alignment with all the others, the travel and activating mechanism was fairly simple, but quite precise as the Adamant and Arcanite housings moved in and out along the rails.

Once the mechanisms were fully tested, and the frame assembly completely tested as a single unit, Stellar began disassembling it into its individual sub-assemblies and taking them into the reactor housing. After aligning the first one with the uppermost point of the reactor's housing, she put its opposite in place and the center crystal's housing, which completed the core assembly. Then came each upper and lower crystal housing frame, and the center housing, forming one complete segment of the assembly. "Like an apple core an' the slices you can make from tha outer section once it's been de-cored." Applebloom remarked. "But you're puttin' it back together again, inside tha housin'."

"Very good, Applebloom." Stellar said as Sweetie Belle hefted over another frame segment in her magic. "You still handling things okay, Sweetie? I know these frame segments aren't exactly light."

"I'm... doing okay, Stellar." Sweetie Belle answered. "Since you give me a break between each segment, I'm recovering well between each lift."

Stellar smiled proudly at the young unicorn. "You're doing well, Sweetie. But remember, call out if you're feeling it getting too hard." She cautioned Sweetie. "We have a few spare crystals, but I'd rather not waste one."

"Understood." Sweetie Belle replied as she hefted another lower segment to Stellar.

Stellar looked at Applebloom. "Applebloom, if you wish, you can take these scroll pages and get out the Magicite powder inside them. We're going to be making some more accumulators out of what Twilight sent us, and we need to do so before we power up the reactor properly." Stellar told her, bringing out two scroll pages with storage circles printed on them.

"Sure thing, Stellar." Applebloom took the pages and headed around to the furnace housing in the section before the reactor. It took Applebloom quite a while to heft out the two hundred ten-kilogram sacks of Magicite powder, placing a hundred of them into the furnace housing. She waited for the sacks to come to a stop in the center of the furnace housing, as the slightly-reversed gravity inside the housing made them drift there. Once the sacks were gathered and stationary, Applebloom sealed the furnace and began powering up the heat cannons.

= = = = =

In the section of Engineering with the reactor housing, Stellar slotted the last of the thirty-four segments in place and locked the assembly solid within the housing. "Okay, Sweetie, activate the systems and see if the crystals all move together."

"Roger, Stellar." Sweetie Belle replied as she pushed the lever on the control panel forward, and Stellar observed with her magic senses as all thirty-four crystals slid forward and connected with the core crystal, making them one huge mana crystal assembly.

Stellar made a few small adjustments to several of the crystals, making sure they all were orientated properly and held fast by the frame's housings. Once she was satisfied, Stellar looked at Sweetie Belle. "Okay, Sweetie Belle; bring them out and back in again."

"Roger, Stellar." Sweetie said, and she did as asked.

Stellar observed as the housings in the frames slid out to their maximum distance from the core and slid back in again, as smoothly as she'd hoped. She had Sweetie Belle cycle the crystals in and out over fifty times, stopping them mid-way from time-to-time and at various positions, checking out how the housings' movement systems handled the stop-start motions and change of direction. Once she was fully-satisfied, she had Sweetie retract the crystals right back to their maximum extension and locked the Magicirium caps onto their mounts at the outside of the frame. Next time the crystals slid in, they would fully-activate instead of being quiescent.

Stellar sealed the reactor housing, then joined Sweetie Belle, as they heard the furnace sound out that it had completed its cycle, and the heat-cannons cycled back. "Okay! Sounds like Applebloom's been busy. Let's go pull the Magicirium out of the reactor and start making more accumulators." She grinned at Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle replied enthusiastically, and the pair trotted off together, heading for where Applebloom was.

=======

Trixie was standing beside Starlight as they watched Twilight working on the Arcanite that Stellar had sent back. A sliver-thin ring of the precious metal was cooling after Twilight had taken a small amount of the Arcanite, heated it and shaped it into this ring, barely a millimetre thick and two centimetres tall. "So... this is what you want Tr... me to test, then?" Trixie asked, a little nervousness sounding out in her voice.

"That's right." Twilight smiled at Trixie. "This is where your... Um..." Twilight was trying hard not to say in a bad way that Trixie's lack of magical power was perfect for experimenting with the Arcanite.

"...Specialisation...?" Starlight helpfully offered.

"Yes. Your specialisation with Magic, Trixie, makes you the perfect candidate to test this on." Twilight finished after grabbing Starlight's offered term with both hoofs. "Starlight and I could test it ourselves, but we'd probably overwhelm the Arcanite way too easily." Twilight explained to Trixie. "Your subtlety with Magic means we can gauge the improvement this Arcanite should make far more effectively."

Trixie nodded, her nervousness quickly disappearing as her bravado pummelled it into the dust. "Then I will endeavour to help both of you to the best of my abilities!" Trixie proclaimed as she grinned at Starlight.

Starlight grinned back as Twilight looked the ring of Arcanite over. Even using the lightest magical touch she could manage, Twilight could still feel the metal's touchiness as she held it. Any variation in her 'grip' was enough to try and shove the ring off in whatever direction her grip was weakest, with barely any warning. "There's one more reason you're the perfect candidate to try this, Trixie." Twilight told her. "You've been influenced by the Alicorn Amulet." Twilight held up a hoof to forestall any negative reaction from Trixie. "In this case, Trixie, we can make good use of that." Twilight went on. "Stellar and I suspect the Amulet is made of this very same material, but we think its corrupting influence is not endemic to the Arcanite itself. Since you know what that feels like, as well as how you used the Amulet to magnify your magic, then if this ring feels the same way as you use it, yet doesn't feel like it is controlling your thoughts like the Amulet did, then it answers two very important questions about the Amulet and Arcanite." Twilight concluded.

Trixie slowly nodded. "So... you do not think this will cause Trixie to harm anypony as she wears it, like the Amulet did?" Trixie asked, her nervousness making her 'third-person' speech come out again. "Trixie is not proud of what she did that day. It was wrong, and she is still ashamed of how she let her desire for revenge control her and..." Trixie lowered her head, "... And how she abused those who should have been her friends."

Twilight moved to Trixie and hugged her gently, as Starlight did the same. "We've already said you're forgiven, Trixie." Twilight told her. "It's good that you're still repentant, but don't dwell on it, or it's going to eat at you as badly as your desire for revenge did." She gently lifted Trixie's head. "Now you have friends again, and many more out there in Ponyville and beyond." Twilight smiled at her. "Remember the Friendship Festival? Didn't even the Princesses comment on how 'great and pleasing' your performance for them was, after you performed for everypony there?"

Trixie then blushed, something that made her face twice as cute as it normally was, as far as Starlight was concerned. "Yes. Their praise made Tr... made me very happy and thankful." Trixie replied. "Even the aftermath of the Storm King did not make me feel that I had done badly in their eyes."

Starlight hugged Trixie to her. "So cheer up, then. This time you'll be helping, not hurting." She told Trixie.

Trixie nodded. "Then let us do this. I am ready." Trixie proclaimed.

"Okay... but outside, though. I don't want you doing a Flurry Heart, and blasting holes in the castle ceilings." Twilight gave a subtle dig at Trixie, who took it as the joke it was, and all three mares giggled as they headed outside.

Shining was outside with Spike as the three mares joined them in Twilight's outdoors testing ground. "With Shiny here, if anything goes wrong, we should be able to stop you hurting anypony accidentally before we can take the ring off." Twilight told Trixie. Shining smiled and nodded at Trixie as he took up his station to one side of Trixie, where he could get the best angle to put a shield about her if something went wrong. Twilight nodded to Trixie as everypony sat down, positioned around Trixie. "Now, Trixie, I want you to relax. Clear your mind of thoughts just like you do in meditation class. Be calm, be placid, and just let your magic relax as well." Twilight encouraged Trixie.

Trixie nodded and closed her eyes, seeking that place of calm she'd found inside herself in the recent past. As the others watched, her breathing steadied, her demeanour relaxed and Trixie felt her heartbeat steady and slow to its fully-relaxed rate. She gave a soft nod at Twilight without opening her eyes. Twilight then gently moved the Arcanite ring onto Trixie's horn and slid it almost to its base...

Trixie gasped and her eyes flew open, glowing internally with the power of her magic. She settled down very quickly, however, as her body adjusted to the increased flow of mana coming in through her horn. "This... this feels familiar." Trixie told Twilight. "The ring increased the flow of mana into me through my horn... not quite exactly as the Amulet did, but it was on my chest, not my horn." She closed her eyes again and breathed steadily and slowly. "The... the feeling of magic amplification is very similar... yet Trixie feels no... no nasty thoughts, no bad compulsions. She... I... I don't feel it trying to make me do anything. I know I can do nothing, or something, but I do not feel compelled to use the power I can feel it channelling." She opened her eyes and looked at Twilight and Starlight.

Starlight was smiling softly, as Twilight nodded. "Good, good. I think that's at least some confirmation that the Amulet compels the wearer to express their more aggressive thoughts, and exaggerates them." She told them all. "Now, let's see how well it amplifies your magic." Twilight said to Trixie, as Shining moved several large rock dodecahedrons into place before Trixie.

"Trixie is supposed to lift... these?" She asked in surprise. "Surely they are too heavy."

Shining snorted, then lifted three of them into the air at once and rolled them around in a figure-eight pattern. "They are four hundred kilograms each, Trixie." Shining told her. "Every guard in the Royal Crystal Guard can lift two of these, even the mares."

"And remember, your magic's a lot stronger now, with the ring in place." Starlight reminded Trixie.

Trixie looked askance at the manufactured 'boulders', but she reached out with her magic and tentatively picked one up, barely lifting it as she gauged the effort needed. To her surprise, it felt a lot lighter than she thought, to her horn's magic. Gripping two others, she lifted them off the ground with only a little more effort. "This... is remarkable." She looked at Twilight and Starlight. "They don't feel like they weigh so much." She tried lifting two more, and Shining matched her. Grinning, Trixie slowly rolled them around in the air, as Shining smiled and matched her. Eventually, Trixie put the boulders back down as Shining did, and shook herself out. "I... have never lifted so much in my life." She declared.

Twilight nodded. "You matched Shiny very well there, Trixie. I think that shows the ring is magnifying your capacity for basic lifting by around Ten-fold, which is what I would have expected." Twilight was making notes.

"Is... there any other tests we need to make at this time, Twilight?" Trixie asked.

"Well... if you think you're up to it, there's an exercise that's extremely hard and draining of mana." Twilight told Trixie, and Shining nodded.

"Very few unicorns can do this little trick of mine, but it really tests your control and endurance, Trixie." Shining added. "But, if you can do it, it puts you right up with the top five percent of unicorns for power levels."

Trixie nodded. "What is it?" She asked, her face showing eager anticipation.

"Watch." And Shining closed his eyes in concentration. A little ball of shield-energy appeared before him, and slowly expanded to be a sphere about ten centimetres in diameter. It looked hollow, but Trixie could see the strain this was having on Shining. "What.. what is so hard about that?" She asked her friends.

"That ball, Trixie, is completely empty of everything, even air." Twilight explained. "It's holding back everything, and inside is a vacuum. He's holding that against all the air pressure around us; several tonnes of pressure, to be precise."

Trixie's eyes widened out incredibly, and she scanned the little ball of force-energy. She gasped as she realised how true Twilight's statement was. "That... is incredible! I have never seen such power before..."

"You have generated a shield like that before, Trixie." Starlight then said. "When you surrounded Ponyville in that shield while you were using... 'it'." Starlight reminded Trixie.

Trixie nodded. "Very true." She agreed. "But it was not... like this." She pointed to the shield-ball, which Shining had allowed to collapse to it's un-hollow state.

"But I'm betting you can do it." Starlight told Trixie.

Trixie smiled warmly at Starlight. "With such confidence in Trixie's ability... how can she not attempt such a great and powerful feat as this?" Trixie stated.

"I have an idea." Twilight then said. "Let's all do it. It'll be good to check just what our power levels really are."

"I'm game." Starlight agreed.

"Okay then." The four then stood in a cross-formation, facing one another, and all three of the mares formed force-balls, like Shining's. Once they had their balls stabilised, they began to pull them apart, expanding them until the spheres were hollow and they were all straining near the same level as Shining was.

Spike got out a pair of calipers and measured the spheres. "Shining's at ten centimetres." Spike set as the standard. "Starlight, you're at fourteen centimetres."

"Great!" She replied with a strained voice.

"Trixie, your sphere's at twelve centimetres, but it's wavering a little." Spike told her.

"This... is... not... easy..." Trixie said in a strained voice.

"No, it isn't." Shining agreed. "But you're doing well! Try reducing the size to the same size as mine." He suggested.

Trixie did so, and the sphere stopped pulsating. "Ten centimetres, and holding firm." Spike declared.

"Good." Trixie told him with a smile to Shining.

But when Spike went to Twilight's sphere, he found "Whoa! Your sphere's at twenty centimetres, Twilight."

Twilight sat there, eyes closed, as she concentrated. Spike could see she wasn't straining quite as much as the unicorns were, but the glow from her horn was much brighter. "That's good." Twilight replied softly. She opened her eyes to look at her sphere, but it wavered as she lost concentration for a moment, and it collapsed with a BANG! "Blast!" Twilight exclaimed. She closed her eyes and reformed the sphere as she regained her concentration.

Starlight giggled with Trixie, as Shining chuckled. "Looks like my LSBFF still hasn't quite got the hang of handling her alicorn power levels yet." He suggested.

"Meh." Twilight replied. "It's getting there..." She added.

Starlight was the next to lose full control of her sphere, and it collapsed in front of her. "Ponyfeathers." She stated softly.

Trixie giggled. "I would say that means you are buying us dinner." She said slyly.

"Oh no! Twilight was the first to lose control." Starlight said back.

"True enough." Twilight actually assented. "Dinner is on me."

"Yes!" Starlight grinned. "Oh... wait... that means Hayburger."

Shining chuckled at that, as his magic wavered and he allowed his force-sphere to slowly collapse. "That's the risk you run, dining out with Twilight." He said.

Twilight grinned. "Well... I was thinking of maybe taking us to that new Sushi restaurant up in Canterlot." She suggested. "We could meet Cadance and Flurry Heart there and really make a night-out of things."

"That sounds... much better." Trixie agreed, as Starlight nodded as well.

"Don't like Hayburger that much, Trix-fix?" Starlight asked Trixie.

"There is... nothing wrong with hayburgers, but we have eaten there five times in the past three weeks. It is time for something much better." Trixie declared.

"Can't disagree with that." Spike added his two bits. "While they always serve me great gems, something else for a change is a great idea."

"A great and delicious idea." Trixie echoed Spike's sentiment.

"Okay, okay, I said I was taking us there, wasn't I?" Twilight asked.

Everypony and Spike chuckled as Shining moved to look at Trixie's sphere. "You're holding that well, Trixie." He told her.

Trixie nodded. "Now... now that it is stabilised, it is not that hard to maintain it." She agreed with Shining. "But... it is draining. If it were not that the ring allows me to draw far more easily on the local mana, I think... I couldn't hold this at all." She stated. "Not for... this long... blast!” Trixie exclaimed as her sphere collapsed with a BANG!

Twilight allowed her sphere to shrink and dissipate, like Shining had done. “That was great, Trixie!” Twilight told Trixie as she moved to the unicorn mare and gave her a hug, something Starlight had to join in.

Trixie smiled softly. There was little she enjoyed more than being hugged by her closest friends, save for the adulation of the crowd when she performed well. “Thank you, my friends.” She said softly to them.

“Okay! Let’s get cleaned up and changed, and we can really make a night of this.” Twilight said, as she, Shining and Spike headed for the castle.

Trixie gently nuzzled Starlight as they moved off together. “Now we can really start training you properly.” Starlight said to Trixie.

Trixie sighed, though. “Maybe. I do not think Twilight will let me keep this ring.”

Starlight smiled. “We’ll see.” She told Trixie as they moved to catch up with the others.

=======

As the eight-hour work period came to an end, Stellar and the CMC were finishing up putting the new accumulators in place in the racks. A hundred of the mana accumulators now graced the framework at the front of Engineering, and Stellar nodded at the girls. "Okay, that was a good day's work." She told the Trio. "We'll have something to eat, then we'll do the power-up tests on the Mana Reactor. If that goes well, then we know we're ready to head home when we find the course to follow."

"Yeah!" The Trio grinned and headed for the elevator back to the bridge, Stellar following. She would have preferred to test the reactor immediately, now they had enough accumulators to contain the mana produced, but keeping the routine of 'shifts' she'd started the young mares on was more important. It was part of their training as crew that they had to keep to their shift roster, no matter what, unless it was an emergency, so Stellar restrained herself and followed the Trio up for Dinner.

And after all, she was hungry too...

= = = = =

Later, as Applebloom monitored the accumulators, Stellar slowly slid the crystals out of the end-caps along their frames. As soon as the crystals slid off the stubs that meshed with their interior, each crystal gave a flare of mana energy that made the reactor interior glow with power. "How's that for power levels, Applebloom?" Stellar asked.

"Accordin' to tha read-outs, it's about nine hundred and eighteen megawatt/hours." Applebloom replied.

Stellar nodded. "Interesting. Each crystal's supplying twenty-seven megawatt/hours when at 'idle'. That's about a thousand times what they would put out without the Arcanite sleeves." She surmised as she looked back at the reactor. "Okay, I'm going to put them all the way in." She told Applebloom.

"Ready." Applebloom declared, and Stellar started sliding the crystals closer to the center, as well as each other.

"Ten percent in." Stellar declared.

"Ah got about forty thousand Megawatt/hours, I mean forty Gigawatt/hours here." Applebloom declared.

Stellar nodded. "That's a big jump, but not unexpected." Stellar replied. "Twenty percent."

"Eighty Gw/h." Applebloom replied.

This went on for most of the readings, the reactor going up in increments of forty Gw/h per ten percent, until the crystals touched the central crystal and it powered up as well. "Ah got three thousand Terawatt/hours!" Applebloom exclaimed.

"A much bigger jump, with the central crystal now active." Stellar agreed. "Here we go for full power..." And Stellar watched with her magic as the crystals slid into full-contact with the core crystal.

"The reading's now seven thousand." Applebloom stated. "The accumulators are at fifty percent and rising steadily."

"That's very good." Stellar looked at Applebloom. "That's more than the power level we need to keep the fold drive running when it's activated; and two thousand Terawatt/hours more than I initially calculated." Stellar slid the levers back, and the crystals retracted back to their 'Idle' setting.

Applebloom smiled. "We can run on this power level without needing the fusion reactors, if we had to." She told Stellar.

"That's excellent." Stellar replied. "Looks like our power needs have been met." She gave Applebloom a big grin, as the younger mare was standing up on her hoof-tips and back down again; a habit Stellar now knew meant that Applebloom was excited, but trying to keep control. "Now all we need is for Twilight to finish her project, and for me to send her the six accumulators she asked for. Hopefully, we'll be on our way home within the next day, Applebloom." Stellar moved to Applebloom and hugged her, Applebloom returning the embrace with much enthusiasm.

=======

Twilight, Shining, Cadance, Flurry Heart, Trixie and Starlight were gathered at the new sushi restaurant that had opened in Canterlot. They were all enjoying their meals, with even Flurry Heart munching happily on a long roll, when there was a puff of green smoke, a flash of energy, and a scroll appeared above them. This time Cadance caught it before it could fall into the soy sauce, and passed it to Twilight. "Thanks, Sis." Twilight replied, grinning.

"I take it that's from Stellar?" Cadance asked.

"Uh-huh." Twilight confirmed. "Hopefully, it has with it the new equipment I need to upgrade my casting room's power systems."

"Oh? What's she sending you?" Cadance asked.

Everypony else grinned. "Well, I think you're the only one here who doesn't know..." Twilight told Cadance. "My TSBFF is sending me some of the mana accumulators she's making on the Xerxes, so I can charge up my mana wells a lot faster. With the generators she's also left me, I can power my spells from the wells, then recharge them from the accumulators, which will be charged by the generators."

Cadance looked a little confused. "So... why don't you just charge the wells directly from the generators?" She asked.

"We've been doing that already." Twilight said. "But it's harder doing it that way, because we have to wait for the generators to recharge the wells, and that takes time. With the accumulators in the middle, I can dump a full charge from them into the wells in seconds, whereas otherwise it takes nearly ten minutes for the generators to recharge the wells directly because they can't work at full power while doing so. The generators can be recharging the accumulators constantly as well at a higher rate, instead of lying idle once the wells are full, which is more efficient for the way they work."

"Makes sense." Shining stated.

Cadance just nodded. "It seems you've got everything under control then, Sis." She said to Twilight.

"Yeah, between her and Stellar." Starlight added.

Twilight lifted a small plate of salmon cutlets to her. "Well... after what happened, I'm just glad all our adventures and idea-development's worked in our favour this time around." She replied. "There's so many things that, if just one of them had been missing, then there would have been no way of gaining safety for the quartet, or establishing contact, or passing things back and forth. It's just amazing how everything's come together to make this possible."

"Almost makes you think somepony's out there, making all this happen for us." Starlight commented before taking a deep draw from her iced green tea. Then she noticed everypony looking at her. "What?" She asked.

Then everypony started to giggle and chuckle. "Yeah, right." replied Twilight. "As if."

"We don't need anypony out there doing that." Trixie stated.

"Yeah; we have enough trouble with Discord doing that from time to time, behind our backs as well, I'm betting." Shining added. Then he blinked with surprise, as he felt a weight on his back. All the others saw a small Discord lying on Shining's back, playing with puppets of them all. Shining turned to look behind him, but the Discord moved with his mane, keeping the small Discord out of sight.

"Yes, as if." Discord echoed, making Shining start with surprise. "I don't need to make you Ponies do anything to get into trouble; you do a fine job of it on your own." He agreed with Trixie as he slid off of Shining and grew to his full size. "But... I have been keeping tabs on what has been going on... and this has been truly remarkable. My 'Firmament' barrier was supposedly impenetrable to Equestrian magic. To find out your transportation spell punctured it like Thunderbird Three through the sound barrier..."

"What?" Everypony there asked.

"Never mind, another show." Discord answered. "The point is, Twilight, your magic is growing in ways I must admit I never imagined it would." He smiled at them all, but especially Twilight. "Maybe it is time that Ponies finally found their way out into the Great Beyond..." Then he was face-to-face with Twilight, staring into her eyes. "But be warned: Some of the horrors out there are not as easy to recognise as someone like Tirek is, or as easy to defeat. Some are more-versed in the ways of deception and trickery than even I am. If you venture out there, Twilight... or any of you, keep your friendship close to you, and be careful whom you offer it to. Sometimes the prettiest and most easy-going beings can be the nastiest... if you don't treat them properly." He told them all as he moved back from Twilight.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Cadance asked, not liking Discord one bit.

"Just what it means, my Pretty Princess of Love." Discord gave Cadance a smile, as he handed Flurry Heart a puzzle toy he knew was called a Rubik's Cube. The young alicorn filly squealed in delight and grabbed it with both fore-hoofs, as she began to work out how it worked. "Stellar's discovery of that ship is the last act of a very nasty war in another part of the Galaxy. Whether or not it brings new prosperity to Equis, or ends up dragging it into a renewed and nastier conflict, is all up to her and yourselves. The true test is not whether you can use what it brings, but whether or not you can stand the consequences of doing so. So far, Stellar's passed a number of the tests put before her. But can you follow her example?" Discord asked.

Twilight thought on this for a moment, then nodded. "We can but try." She answered.

Discord chuckled. "Oh, but there's the problem, my little Princess of Friendship: in this game, you either Do, or Do Not. There is no Try..." And with that, he got sucked into Flurry's parfait glass and disappeared...

Twilight and the others blinked at that, then Shining snorted as Starlight face-hoofed. "I hate it when he does that..." Twilight said into the silence.

Author's Note

Okay! Sorry this one's been a bit late, but the ending needed Discord's input to make it work. He only popped into the story tonight, as I was trying to work out where things were going from here.

So far, so good for our intrepid explorers and friends back home. Now let's see if I can get them together again without Trixie finding me hiding behind the authorial curtain... :twilightoops: :trixieshiftleft: :trixieshiftright: :facehoof:

EDIT: and thanks to Stainless Steel Fox for some timely observations and some awesome maths to correct a few details.

10 - On Our Way Home

After returning to Ponyville once their dinner at Canterlot was quietly concluded, Twilight let Starlight and Trixie retire to their rooms. Trixie had been reluctant to remove the Arcanite ring from her horn, but Twilight had insisted, telling Trixie "I don't want you accidentally doing something in your sleep. You've only had it on for less than a day, and I'm not sure if your control is fully-established as yet."

Trixie had thought about that for a moment, and then slipped the ring off herself. "Tri... I will admit, you are right about that, Twilight." Trixie admitted. She turned the ring over gently in her magic, the ring not reacting anywhere near as powerfully to Trixie's handling as it had done to Twilight holding it. "Do you want to hold onto it?" She asked.

Twilight shook her head with a smile, holding out a small box made of Magicirium. "No, Trixie. Just keep it locked in here." Twilight answered. "I may have made this ring, but I am trusting you to be sensible with it, and to keep it safe." She added, smiling as she saw the delight in Trixie's face as the illusionist unicorn placed the ring in the box, and it sealed in a flash of Trixie's magic.

Trixie smiled with delight. "I thank you for your trust, Twilight... I still feel I do not truly deserve it on something this important, but I bow to your opinion on this." She said to Twilight, sliding the box away into her hat.

"Right. Now, let's go hook up the accumulators Stellar sent me, and we'll see how long it takes to fill them using the generators." Twilight led them back into the castle and to the casting room. Unrolling the scrolls, Twilight put the cover page aside for the moment and checked the Pocket pages. Everypony but Twilight were surprised when she pulled one of the big accumulators out of the pocket.

"That is big!" Trixie said.

Starlight nodded as Shining chuckled softly. "Yes, quite big." Twilight agreed. "From what Stellar told me, the outer casing is Adamant and the plates inside it are Magicirium. The plates have a mana storage circle engraved on both sides of them, that allows an incredibly-huge amount of mana to be trapped inside one of these units." She told them all as she pulled a second one out of the same pocket. "Looks like there's only two to a pocket." Twilight added as she put the accumulators next to the mana wells. Eventually she had all six out and lined up around the room, near the wells they would fill.

As Starlight helped Shining wire the accumulators into the wells, Trixie aided Twilight in plugging in the mana generators. Trixie shook her head. "Such... things as these!" She commented. "We had never dreamed of such things when I was learning magic."

"Yes," Twilight agreed, "and filling a mana well took close to a week of personal time for a normal unicorn, collecting and draining mana into a well through our horns." She grinned. "This should be much faster." She said to Trixie as she turned the first generator on to half-power, and the etherial gauges on the accumulator registered the flow. "Well... twenty hours to fill one accumulator at this level of mana generation. That's not bad."

"Yeah, not bad at all, considering it took you over twice that to fill just the wells last time." Starlight reminded Twilight.

"Ugh! Don't remind me." Twilight replied.

"And how many times can we fill each well from each accumulator?" Starlight asked.

"As far as I can make out from the specs Stellar sent... about eight times." Twilight answered with a big grin.

"Wow, no more waiting around to cast major spells, then." Starlight grinned back.

"Yes. That alone is going to be a very significant advance in sustained spellcasting." Twilight agreed as she connected up the last of the accumulators with its generator. "With these, I should be able to send out each of the mana beacons at five-minute intervals, once Stellar finds the first one."

"Hopefully, that means they'll be on their way home in short order." Shining added then.

"We can but hope." Twilight said back to her B.B.B.F.F. as she checked everything out, before they retired to the Library.

=======

Stellar was going over the systems for the Fold Drive, when she saw Applebloom come trotting up, looking worried. "Something wrong, Applebloom?" She asked.

Applebloom nodded, looking very concerned. "When Ah made the last batch of Magicirium, the furnace housin' showed signs of bad overheatin' inside." She reported to Stellar. "Ah'm not sure what's goin' on."

Stellar frowned. "That shouldn't be. The reactor housing's absorption layer should have turned all the heat into energy and transferred it to the accumulators."

"Ah know!" Applebloom agreed. "Somethin's wrong, and Ah don't know what."

Stellar nodded. "Okay, let's go check things out." She replied, as she moved up beside Applebloom and they headed for the furnace. Once they reached it, Stellar disconnected the mana generator heat cannons, rendering them safe, then she opened the housing and they went inside. As soon as Stellar set hoof inside the housing, she could feel something was very wrong. Once three of her hoofs were on the inner surface, she felt her hoofs slide uncontrollably and Stellar squealed with surprise as she slid forward to the bottom of the housing. Lying on her belly, she lit up her horn and created a light sphere. What she saw made her gasp.

The entire inner surface of the housing was coated in a glass-like black coating that was almost frictionless. The light seemed to fall into it and absorb it. "This... is wrong." Stellar said as she managed to get her hoofs under her.

"Yeah... wasn't tha inside layer all wavy? Like, patterned to absorb energy?" Applebloom asked.

"Yes, it is." Stellar confirmed. She brought the light sphere much closer to the 'black' layer and realised she could see through it, with enough light. The new layer appeared to be barely thick enough to fill the wavy energy-absorbing layer up to a thickness of two millimetres above the highest of the patterns. "What is this...?" Stellar asked herself as she carefully leaned forward and touched it with her horn.

Applebloom jumped back as Stellar gasped loudly. "What is it?" She asked, peeking back into the furnace housing again.

"It's... it's carbon." Stellar answered, looking up at Applebloom. "It's pure Carbon-Fourteen, with the same signature as the Carbon we used to make the Arcanite." She informed Applebloom.

"But... how?" Applebloom asked.

Stellar's eyes frowned. "I'm not sure." She answered. "But we can work out the 'how' later. The main thing is going to be removing this layer from the furnace housing." Stellar gently began to trace a line with her horn into the carbon glaze, and the carbon parted for her horn's glow. Eventually, she lifted one hexagonal section from the surface of the furnace's lining and passed it to Applebloom, who laid it outside.

After several hours of careful work, the furnace's lining was cleared of the carbon 'glaze', and Stellar had inspected the entirety of the energy-absorbing lining, which was made from a very similar type of Meitnerium, almost-but-not-identical to her Magicirium. Stellar speculated this was what the Humans had managed to make with the formulae she'd found on-file for the Meitnerium. She stepped out of the furnace housing, satisfied but a little tired, and saw Applebloom looking over the pieces. She was putting them in a cargo bin that was sitting on a set of cargo scales. Stellar watched, resting, as Applebloom dropped the last piece into the bin, and the weight reading stabilised at nine-hundred-and-thirty-six-point-four kilograms. Applebloom frowned. "That's a lotta carbon." She told Stellar.

Stellar frowned, but nodded. "Indeed... That's almost all the Carbon-fourteen we put in the reactor to make the Arcanite. Why would so much of it be unused?" She asked herself. "Well, with the furnace clear, Applebloom, you can make up the next batch of Magicirium whenever you're ready." Stellar told Applebloom, who grinned.

"Okay!" Applebloom eagerly replied and started moving more bags of powdered magicite into the furnace, as Stellar reconnected the heat-cannons.

= = = = =

After taking four hours to sleep and have a good meal, Stellar sat down at the Captain's station on the bridge, watching over Sweetie Belle as she did her turn on the controls, and she delved headlong into the Xerxes' library on Nuclear Physics and Mechanics. It took her another four hours after that, but eventually she discovered the section on Atomic Weight and the measurement 'mols'. "So... I don't need equal amounts of Magicite and Carbon-Fourteen to make Arcanite." She said to herself. "Each tonne of Magicite needs only sixty-three-point-six kilograms of Carbon-Fourteen to convert it into Arcanite." Stellar sighed at that. "That explains why there was a lot less Arcanite than I thought there would be. And why the rest of the carbon was coating the interior of the furnace housing." Stellar snorted self-decapringly. "A good thing the housing was so strong, and the inner layer so efficient at absorbing heat energy, otherwise things could have been a lot different. I'm going to have to read ALL of this AND understand it before I do any more experiments." Stellar told herself, and continued reading...

= = = = =

Stellar and Sweetie Belle spent the next day tuning the sensor systems to also detect mana signals, since that was part of the plan to find the spot where they emerged.

Stellar was now standing on the bow of the Xerxes, in her exo-armor, her horn charging up as her mana generators charged her mana pool to its maximum capacity. "Ready... Sweetie Belle?" Stellar asked, her horn almost fit to burst.

"Ready, Captain!" Sweetie Belle replied as she sat at the control panel in the Forward Sensor Room.

Stellar grimaced, then let the huge mana sphere she'd created slowly drift away from her, with an audible sigh of relief. It had been difficult to just let the huge sphere move away slowly, rather than fire it off like a missile, but the lessons in spellcasting Twilight had coached Stellar in showed in her finesse with her magic. Stellar felt her Itineris system relax from the strain and she asked "Do we have a reading yet, Cadet Belle?"

"Uh... I'm getting something off the bow, Captain, but it's not very distinct." Sweetie replied, working at the tuning controls. "Oh blast, I just lost it.... wait, there it is." She then said. Stellar teleported down into the Forward Sensors Room and moved up to where Sweetie Belle was working. "I've got a lock on the mana sphere, Captain, but it's... indistinct." Sweetie reported. "I can't get more than a general ranging on it, within five hundred metres."

"That's not good." Stellar agreed. She looked over Sweetie Belle's shoulder as the younger mare was working the controls. "Try raising the Theta gain." Stellar suggested.

Sweetie Belle nodded and did so... and she grinned as the readings clarified. "It's down to within ten metres, Captain, and the sphere's diameter is much clearer as well." Sweetie Belle replied.

Stellar nodded, smiling. "Good, Sweetie. Now, what else do you think we should try to clarify the detection even more?" Stellar asked.

"Umm..." Sweetie Belle's eyes narrowed as she checked all the settings and parameters. "The Xi parameters?" She asked.

Stellar just looked at Sweetie Belle, a questioning look on her face.

Sweetie looked again at the control board. She adjusted the Xi parameters a little, and she grinned as the sphere's diameter came into sharp clarity. It didn't improve the ranging to the sphere, but the monitor was showing the sphere very clearly and giving its diameter to the millimetre, if she wanted it. Sweetie grinned at Stellar, who smiled back and nodded. "Okay. What next?" Stellar asked.

"Uh..." Sweetie looked over the control board again. After discounting a number of the operational parameters, Sweetie settled on one of them. "The Delta parameters?"

"Give it a try." Stellar suggested to Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle slid the control away from her, and the image of the sphere, instead of clarifying, swelled and bloomed until it was dozens of kilometres across.

Stellar was trying to stop smiling as Sweetie Belle scrambled to pull the control back the other way. Eventually, the sphere seemed to shrink and clarified its position to within ten centimetres. "Yay! I got it!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

"Very good, Cadet Belle." Stellar replied. "Let's get back to the bridge and you can track the sphere to ascertain direction and course."

"Aye, Captain!" Sweetie rose and saluted, after locking the parameters into the sensor systems. Then she raced out of the room, Stellar following at a slower trot. Reaching the bridge, Sweetie Belle jumped up into the now-modified chair at her station and began running sensor scans for the sphere again. As she locked onto it, its image appeared on one of the holographic screens that floated above the bridge's lower floor. "I've got a positive lock on the mana sphere, Captain." Sweetie Belle reported as Stellar climbed into the Captain's chair. "Speed is thirty kilometres an hour faster than our own, slowly retreating on a course parallel to our own."

Stellar nodded. "Very good, Miss Belle." Stellar replied. "Okay, Cadets, it's time for rest period." Stellar told them all.

The young mares gave Stellar sad eyes, but they turned and shut down their stations without protest, knowing the routine now by heart. Then there was a flash of green magic, a puff of smoke, and a scroll fell before Stellar. She grabbed it and opened it, then grinned.

"Well?" The Trio asked.

Stellar chuckled. There was a lot of information about Twilight's experiments with the Arcanite, but the most important information was there as well. "Twilight has the mana beacons ready, girls. She can start sending them out as soon as we're in position and ready." She informed them.

"Yeah!" The Trio yelled and clopped their hoofs together. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Ship Crew and Starfarers!" They cheered together. "To go where no Pony has ever gone before!"

Stellar laughed at that, as she put her forehoof to the others and nodded. "Indeed. If any of our ancestors made it out into the Universe at large, we may never know. But we are here and now, and when we return home, then we will have made History in a way no other Pony has ever done before us in recorded history." She smiled at them all. "You three are going to be immortalised for more than just creating havoc, from now on."

"Yeah..." The Trio smiled at Stellar, then hugged her close.

Stellar returned their group hug with affection, then broke away. "Okay. Bed-time now. I want you three at your best-rested and brightest for tomorrow... for when we awake, the last phase of our journey home begins."

The young mares lined up, came to attention and saluted Stellar, who returned their salutes. Then they broke ranks and headed for the pile of mattresses and blankets that they used to sleep together on the bridge, and soon they were all snoozing soundly together, as their ship drifted along, heading to a hopeful rendezvous with their course home...

=======

It had taken them close on a week after they'd reversed direction and course to slowly drift back towards the area of space where they'd found the Xerxes; the greater speed they'd boosted the ship to making the journey that much quicker. Now, as Stellar watched, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom worked together to bring the Xerxes to a crawl.

"Are we still on course?" Scootaloo asked Sweetie Belle.

"According to the navigation systems, we'll be within fifty thousand kilometres of the exact spot's estimated location in fifteen-point-three minutes." Sweetie answered.

Stellar nodded. "Very good." She picked up a scroll she had pre-written from a pile of them, lit the green and purple candle again, and concentrated on Twilight as she burned the scroll. "Now, we can only wait." She stated to nopony in particular, as the smoke curled and vanished.

=======

As Twilight was waiting, ready, a belch from Spike ejected another letter with Stellar's clasp on it. Opening it, Twilight nodded to herself.

"I take it that means it's time, Twilight?" Spike asked.

"That it is, Spike. Stellar says that, by their calculations, they should be very close to where she and the C.M.C. originally appeared." Twilight confirmed. "Let's get things moving." And she headed for the Casting Room. Inside, the six mana wells were full and glowing powerfully, ready to be used; the transport spell was also ready as well, the three large arrays spinning slowly around the object caught up between them: one of the large mana beacons. Twilight and Spike stepped into the protection circle and Twilight picked up the tome with the spell in it and, after activating the protection circle, Twilight added the last parts of the incantation. The arrays floating above the main circle powered up completely, the wells glowed brilliantly as they funnelled the mana they contained into the main casting circle and, with a brilliant flash, the beacon disappeared.

As the protection circle dropped its field, Spike raced off to bring in another beacon, as Twilight released the next charge of mana into each of the wells. The mana storage accumulators that Stellar had sent back meant that Twilight could fill the wells many times over at a much faster rate than before, making these castings far more rapid... something that was needed now. As soon as Stellar wrote back and said they'd found the mana beacon, she could send the rest of the group out there, hopefully making a trail for the Xerxes to follow... straight back to Equestria.

=======

As they slowly drifted along, down to under a thousand kilometres per hour, Stellar was sitting on the bridge, watching the three cadets doing their duties. Applebloom was watching over the idling mana reactor, making sure the trickle of mana it was giving out wasn't filling the accumulators faster than they could use the energy; Scootaloo was waiting for the directions from either Stellar or Sweetie Belle as she manned the helm; and Sweetie Belle was monitoring the readings from the retuned sensors that watched for concentrations of mana, like those from the beacon Twilight would be sending out.

Stellar was relaxed, not showing the tension she felt. They needed to find that beacon. Although she knew the way the ship had been travelling and the approximate distance they'd travelled before they'd turned around, the beacon would give them a positive point to begin their trek home again. After that, all they needed was a direction to travel in for a jump-course; they knew they were just barely over 1206 light-years from Equestria, so they would set the ship to jump that far through fold-space. Once it emerged again, then they could seek out where the Firmament was and head for it.

Then Sweetie Belle sounded out: "Captain! I have a mana signal! It's coming from sixty degrees off our starboard bow, approximately twelve thousand kilometres away." She reported.

"Come to all-stop, Miss Scootaloo." Stellar ordered.

"Aye, Captain." Scootaloo replied and fired the main forward thrusters. The Xerxes slowed down until she was barely moving.

"Bring us on course to intersect the beacon; Speed, twelve thousand kilometres per hour." Stellar told Scootaloo.

"Aye, Captain." Scootaloo answered, as the Xerxes rotated around her vertical centerline to face the beacon, which Sweetie Belle had highlighted in one of Scootaloo's screens. When she had the ship aimed directly at the beacon, Scootaloo fired the main engines, and they sped up fairly rapidly. "On course and at speed, Captain." Scootaloo reported once they'd attained the proper velocity.

"I concur, Captain." Sweetie Belle also told Stellar.

Stellar nodded. "Very good. Miss Scootaloo, when we get close to the beacon, I want you to put us over it, with the beacon under the keel and in-line with our vertical centerline. That way, when Twilight sends the other beacons, we can align the ship with the course they show us, and we can follow it home." Stellar said with a smile.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Scootaloo replied, her voice filled with anticipation. She angled their trajectory so they wouldn't hit the beacon, but slide over it, as Stellar had ordered.

Stellar already had the next message in the series written and ready to send to Twilight, the special candle sitting right beside her as well. Now they just had to be in position...

=======

Twilight was waiting, another mana beacon ready in the arrays over the central casting circle and the teleport spell ready to activate. Spike was sitting beside her, snacking on a few gems Rarity had given him to munch on. The small basket-load was hardly a snack out of the hoard of gems the white unicorn had provided for him, having found an entire vein of flawed gemstones several days before. Twilight had taken time out to also have a fish wrap or two; ever since Stellar had introduced her to eating fish, she had developed a taste for it that the young alicorn had had to admit was one of the better things Stellar had done for her twin sister.

The funny thing was that, although Cadance followed Celestia's dietary habits of not eating animal flesh at all, Shining Armor had also developed a taste for mountain-stream-fresh fish, against all odds. One time when he and Cadance had been visiting, on the banquet table had been a number of fish wraps. Shiny, not noticing, had picked one of the salmon wraps up and munched it down without checking what was in it. After he'd eaten three of them, he'd asked Twilight why they were so good. Twilight had tried to stop giggling as she informed her big brother that he'd just eaten fish.

"Fish? Really?" Shiny had asked, surprise more than shock in his voice. Picking up another wrap from another plate after being told by Spike that it contained Tuna meat, Shiny had eaten it, his eyes wide as he realised how good it tasted. "Wow. These are really good, Spike." He had complimented Spike on his culinary skills. "I had no idea fish tasted so good." From that day on, Shiny had made sure that he ate fish of some kind at least twice a week.

It had always made Twilight and Stellar smile that all three of them now had a love of the succulent sweet meat of fish. Unfortunately, their parents had not been enamoured of fish meat in their diets, more than just the occasional canapé at formal dinners; and Cadance was emphatic that meat would never be a part of her diet... even if she loved the new 'Sushi' and 'Sashimi' dishes that Spike had learned to make... just the vegetable ones, though. Luna, however, adored Sushi and Sashimi, even insisting that one of the unicorn cooks from the Royal Kitchens attend to Spike and Stellar, to learn how to make her new favorite snack-time munchables. It was often that Luna would sit at court, a plate of fresh sashimi or sushi rolls at her side with a large jug of soy sauce to fill a shallow bowl, for dipping her delectables.

Spike burped and another scroll appeared, dropping into Twilight's magical grasp. She opened it and nodded. "Okay, Spike! Have those six other mana beacons ready. Stellar has the ship in position."

"Got it!" Spike replied, the first of the six Twilight was going to send out in position as he retreated from the Casting Room. Twilight powered up her teleport spell, this time shortening the distance by a million kilometres. The arrays powered up, there was a flash and the beacon was gone. Spike raced in with the next one and put it in position, then retreated again as the Mana wells charged...

=======

Sweetie Belle was watching the sensors carefully, as the flash of a powerful teleportation appeared in the distance. "Captain, there's been another appearance... It's another mana beacon, a million kilometres away."

"Very good, Miss Belle. Mark the location of its appearance, then draw a line between the pair and wait for more appearances." Stellar replied.

"Aye Captain." Sweetie Belle replied as Scootaloo was waiting somewhat impatiently, her rump stirring on the seat as if her cushion was covered in itchy-weed.

Applebloom looked at Stellar. "Captain, the fold drive is fully-charged an' ready for activation. Navigation deflectors also ready for power-up an' all drive systems are showin' Aay-Oh-Kay for fold insertion." She reported.

Stellar nodded. "Excellent, Miss Applebloom."

Over the course of twenty minutes, five more beacons appeared in a straight line thirty million kilometres long. "I have the projected course, Captain. Feeding it to Helm now." Sweetie Belle reported to Stellar as she grinned at Scootaloo.

"Very well, Miss Belle. Miss Scootaloo, do you have the course?" Stellar asked.

"Received and... locked in, Captain." Scootaloo replied.

"Excellent. Fix re-emergence distance at twelve hundred and six Light Years precisely." Stellar ordered.

"Emergence distance fixed. Ready to execute space fold." Scootaloo reported.

"Confirmed, Captain, the reactor is powering up to its nominal power setting, and we're ready to execute space fold." Applebloom confirmed.

"Then on my mark..." Stellar said to them. "Execute!"

Scootaloo shoved the fold drive control lever forward, and from the outside, the ship seemed to stretch to infinity, then the stern vanished to catch up with the bow. But as they fully entered fold space, all four ponies felt something horrible. Stellar hadn't experienced quite this sensation before, but the trio had. It felt like what they'd experienced when Tirek had stripped all their magic out of them. They got weak and slid from their seats, slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

Stellar managed to keep her head. Sliding to her hoofs, she staggered across to the helm, fighting the sensation as mana arrays appeared around her, feeding mana directly into her mana pool and sustaining her as she reached the helm station and pulled back on the Fold control level. Outside, the Xerxes slid out of Fold Space and came to rest, drifting along at a slow speed, still on course...

On the bridge, Stellar slowly collapsed onto the floor as her mana arrays fought to recharge her. She lifted her head to receive her Exo-armor's red-and-gold helmet and her armor wrapped around her. Once she was encased, the mana generators in the backpack flared brightly and she was flooded with mana again. Gripping Scootaloo's and Sweetie Belle's hoofs in hers, she fed them mana, while her back hoof touched Applebloom's and charged her up the same way. When everypony was slowly waking and getting to their hoofs, Stellar moaned as she rose and shook herself all over.

"Wha-what in Tar-tar-nation w-was that?" Applebloom asked in an unsteady voice as she sat up.

"Argh..." Scootaloo agreed as she rose to her rump as well. "I dunno... but it felt... like something else I've felt before." She said as she climbed up into her seat. "You okay, Stellar?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah, better than you three at the moment." Stellar answered. "Are we still on course?"

"Uh..." Scootaloo checked as Stellar helped Sweetie Belle up into her seat. "Uh, yeah, we still are, just drifting along in Normal Space, though."

"Well, that's something." Stellar said, as she helped charge Sweetie Belle up a little more. As a unicorn, her mana pool was bigger than her friends' pools were. Stellar smiled at Sweetie Belle as her armor retracted again, and Sweetie Belle started looking through what the sensors had recorded.

"Is it me, or did that feel like when Tirek drained us that time?" Applebloom asked the others.

Scootaloo's eyes widened. "Yeah! Yeah, that's exactly what it felt like!"

"But the effect wasn't quite the same." Sweetie Belle butted in. "Captain, the ship's interior is completely drained of mana energy." She reported.

"What about the reactor?" Stellar looked at Applebloom.

"Umm..." Applebloom looked over her Engineering station. "Tha reactor's fine. It's still producin' energy."

"And the accumulators?" Stellar asked.

Applebloom tapped a few controls. "They're fine as well. All the mana accumulators are still at seventy percent, as they were after we entered Fold Space." She answered Stellar.

The Trio watched Stellar as she walked off the bridge platform down to the forward floor and started walking. "So... the hull was drained of mana... as were we. But the reactor and the accumulators weren't drained." The girls could tell Stellar was thinking very hard at that moment.

"Well... what's different about the reactor and the accumulators?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ah don't know about tha reactor, but tha accumulators are made of Magicirium an' encased in Adamant." Applebloom remembered.

Stellar stopped and looked at the Trio. "Yes, they are..." She confirmed. "Get into your suits." Stellar told the Trio as her exo-armor reappeared around her.

The Trio lifted their heads, and their exo-suits' helmets slid out from above them and onto their heads. Their suits then extended and encased them, just like Stellar's armor. Once they were encased, Stellar got back up into her chair and said "Okay, let's do that again." She told the Trio.

"Aye, Captain." They chorussed back, and turned their attention to the controls.

"Emergence distance recalculated and fixed, Captain. Ready to execute space fold." Scootaloo reported.

"Confirmed, Captain. Fold Capacitors recharged an' ready ta execute space fold." Applebloom added.

Stellar nodded to them. "Execute!" She commanded.

Scootaloo slid the Fold control level forward as they all braced, and the Xerxes once again shot forward into Fold Space.

Sweetie Belle didn't feel the draining effect this time, though, but she said "Captain, all the sections of the ship are showing signs of mana drain, especially the bridge." She reported.

"I can confirm, Captain." Applebloom replied. "But tha reactor and the accumulators ain't showing signs of being drained more than the nominal power out-flow." She said. "In fact, I can report the accumulators are charging up slowly, as expected." Applebloom told Stellar, her accent fading under the stress.

Stellar thought about this. "Miss Scootaloo, what's our estimated time to reach the end of our course?"

"Uh... nine days, Captain." Scootaloo replied.

Stellar looked over the readings from around the ship as they raced along. Something was draining the mana from every part of the ship that wasn't sealed in "Adamant..." Stellar said softly.

"Captain, does this mean we'll have to stay in our suits for the whole time?" Scootaloo asked.

Stellar smiled. "Maybe." Stellar replied. "Would that be so bad?" She asked. The C.M.C. whimpered pitifully, and Stellar chuckled. "Don't worry. If we examine what's happening, I'm sure we can find a solution... maybe even before we get home." Stellar suggested.

"That ain't helping, Stellar." Applebloom replied, and the other fillies giggled.

Stellar also chuckled a bit louder. "Yeah, I know, girls. But until we figure out what's causing the mana drain, at least our suits will protect us from it."

The trio just nodded inside their helmets and returned their attention to their systems, as Stellar and Sweetie Belle walked over to one of the bigger science stations and started to investigate...

Author's Note

Our intrepid crew finally find the way home and head off... to find things aren't as easy as they thought they'd be. Will they find a solution to their current problem, or will travel in Fold Space require the crew to suit up every time they go into Fold? Only time (and maybe the next chapter) will tell...

11 - The Solution Is Found - Conflict Rears Its Ugly Head

Twilight yawned and stretched as she woke up the next morning. She hadn't had the best night's sleep; worrying about what had happened to Stellar and the C.M.C. had kept her from slipping into deep sleep for nearly three hours, before she'd finally been able to relax enough to reach that state. But she felt rested enough to get up and do her morning rituals before heading down to breakfast.

Twilight got a nice welcome from Cadance as they encountered each other in the upper corridor. The two 'Sisters', as they now considered themselves, hugged close, and Twilight relaxed more in the arms of one of her oldest and dearest friends. "You look like you could use another eight hours' sleep, Twilight." Cadance suggested, as she took in Twilight's eyes and slightly-disshevilled look.

"Yeah, I could, I guess." Twilight admitted, as the mares headed down to the small dining room. "It took me ages to get to sleep last night, worrying about Stellar."

Cadance nodded. "That's only natural." She replied. "You haven't been this far away from Stellar before. Even when she's overseas on missions, you can still feel her presence within your shared magic. But, as you said before, you can't feel her anymore while she's so far away. That alone is stressing you, because you're so used to having her... 'there', just dwelling in the back of your consciousness all the time. It's always been a comfort to you, even if you hadn't realised it." Cadance told Twilight.

Twilight nodded, realising just how true Cadance's words were. "And now she's in Fold Space, she can't even send any messages back to us." Twilight added.

Cadance nodded and moved to Twilight to hug her comfortingly. Twilight sighed and leaned into the hug, returning it with gentle affection. She looked up at Cadance and softly said "Having you as my older sister is almost as good as having Stellar as my twin sister." She told Cadance.

Cadance gave Twilight an askance look. "Almost?" She asked in a querying tone.

"Well, yeah." Twilight answered honestly. "The only difference is the connection I have to Stellar. It makes us closer to each other than anypony else could ever be to us."

Cadance nodded. "I know, Little Sis." Cadance said with a soft, warm smile for Twilight. "And I am happy beyond belief that you think of me as your older sister, and not just a 'sister-in-law'." Cadance added.

"Why shouldn't I?" Twilight asked. "You were my comfort when Stellar left for Cloudsdale. You were there as well when Mother drove Grandfather and Stellar away from us again. I don't know what I would have done without you and Shiny to comfort me and get me back-on-track again. I was so despondent..."

"And rightly so." Cadance agreed as she interrupted Twilight's train of thought, before it derailed her good mood. "At least you're handling it much better this time around."

"At least being able to write to her helps." Twilight admitted. "And it's not like she's only fifty miles away in Cloudsdale, but I'm forbidden to contact her. She's so far away that being able to write is the only way of talking to her, and nothing I can do could get me out to her. So... I guess it's accept it or drive myself crazy, until she gets home again. At least it won't be that long." Twilight told Cadance.

Cadance nodded. "Very true." She agreed. "So, leave off the tears, Sis, and let's go play with Flurry after breakfast. You know the Cake Twins are wanting to see her again." Cadance grinned at Twilight.

"Yeah, once they settled their differences, Pumpkin and Pound have really taken to Flurry." Twilight agreed as they headed into the kitchen-dining area.

"And that's as it should be." Cadance replied.

=======

After two days of just travelling in Fold Space, the Trio were getting sick of being stuck in their vacc-armor again. Stellar had been mostly leaving them alone on the bridge for long periods of time as she worked back and forth between the bridge tower and Engineering, seemingly pre-occupied.

After their shifts at the Helm, Sweetie Belle was still researching through the database of the Xerxes on their current problem; Scootaloo was adapting the Alpha-Beta combination she'd claimed as her own to running on the mana generators; and Applebloom was working away down in Engineering most of the time, becoming more familiar with the systems as she helped both her friends as well.

Then, as Sweetie Belle changed shifts with Applebloom, they were surprised to see Stellar walk out onto the bridge, her face inside her faceplate grinning. "Scootaloo, can you join the rest of us on the bridge? I have something to show all of you." She told the pegasus mare.

"Rojer that, Captain." Scootaloo replied back over the comm-system.

"What's this about, Stellar?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"An' what have ya been doing?" Applebloom added.

"All will be revealed when Scoots gets here, girls." Stellar promised.

Scootaloo trotted onto the Bridge about three minutes later. "I'm here, Captain." She said.

"Okay, my young mares, follow me." Stellar said, and led them off the bridge. Three doors down from the bridge, Stellar led them into a room. They found there was an airlock-type arrangement inside the outer door and, once inside they could see a rebuilt room that, they all knew after exploring the Bridge tower thoroughly, had been increased in size and plated in a silver metal. "Welcome to our new quarters, for now." Stellar told them all. Then, as the Trio gasped, Stellar's exo-armor retracted and disappeared. "Come on, it's safe in here now." She told the Trio.

Grinning with delight, the Trio retracted their vacc-armor and stretched, the relief of being out of their suits showing on their faces. "So... this is what you were working on?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yes," Stellar confirmed. "There's a bathroom through there, we have several monitor stations and connections to the ship's computer in here, and the H-S pockets with our supplies in them are in here as well." She explained. "The walls are now lined with Adamant, so the mana this room's got filling it can't be sucked out of it. We can relax in here for as long as we like, after doing our shifts and other duties." Stellar pointed out.

"Finally!" Scootaloo said as she headed for the bathroom.

Stellar chuckled to herself as the other two cadets checked the rest of the new room over. "I'll go take this shift on the Bridge." She told Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "You three get cleaned up, have something to eat and rest for now. We'll return to the normal schedule from end-of-shift after my next one." She told them.

"Aye, Captain!" The pair replied as Stellar let her armor return and envelop her, then she was gone.

Sweetie Belle took her turn in the bathroom as Scootaloo returned and started grooming and preening herself. The cleaning systems in their vacc-armor were okay, but they never seemed to do a completely-thorough job; not like having a real shower or bath did. And Scootaloo found it much easier to preen herself to perfection outside her armor, since she could actually see her wings and how the feathers lay against one another. As soon as Sweetie Belle came out, Applebloom walked into the bathroom, to see there was more than enough space for all three of them to enjoy a shower at the same time. Shrugging, she turned the shower on and stepped under it, moaning in relief as the very warm water pulsed along her spine and through her fur...

Applebloom groomed herself out in the bathroom, using the big mirrors along one wall to see what she was doing, before returning to the common room. Scootaloo was dead to the world, she saw, laying out on her back, wings spread and all four legs splayed out. Sweetie Belle was lying to one side, a tablet comp sitting between her front hoofs as she kept reading. Applebloom stretched out beside her and looked. "What'cha doin' Sweetie?" She asked.

"Continuing the research Stellar asked me to do." Sweetie Belle replied softly. "I'm trying to find out why the mana in the Xerxes keeps being drained while we're in Fold-Space."

"Oh, right." Applebloom nodded as she looked over the screen. "That looks complicated."

"Yeah, it is... but it's so much fun!" Sweetie almost squeed. "It is so far above anything we would have learned in Canterlot, even at the University. And I think I'm starting to truly understand this... this new Science."

Applebloom nodded. "Yeah, me too... at least the practical." She told Sweetie Belle. "A lot of tha theory is kinda above mah head, but if it requires hoofs-on work, I'm not findin' it that hard."

Sweetie Belle grinned at Applebloom. "Yes. You and I are working on the opposite ends of this Science." She told Applebloom. "And Scoots seems to be... well, maybe half-way between us."

"Yeah. She gets some theory, what she needs, an' a good deal of the practical." Applebloom agreed.

Sweetie Belle nodded in reply. "I think I'm going to remain as crew after we get back." She told Applebloom. "I don't want to go back to Canterlot High that much, really... maybe finish some of our studies there, but I want to keep learning this." She sighed. "I don't think the teachers at CH are going to understand most of what we now know."

"Ah have ta agree." Applebloom said. "Ah think that, when Ah get home again, Ah'm gonna tell Big Mac an' Applejack that Ah'm not gonna be workin' on tha farm anymore... at least in tha long-term. Ah'll stick it out fer as long as they need me, or when Ah turn eighteen... but then Ah'm gonna come back here as full-time crew. Mac and Sugar Belle's foal can have tha farm... or maybe Applejack's when she has a foal of her own. Farmin's just... not my life anymore."

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean." She said to Applebloom. "I'm going to keep studying myself, until I know every bit of the Science this ship has in its database, and I know how it's applied to everything it has in it, as well as the universe we're out-and-about in, now." She smiled at Applebloom. "I want to go with Stellar when we come back out here in earnest, ready to face down anyone we find out here and hopefully make friends and allies out of them."

Applebloom chuckled. "Yeah, so do I." She agreed.

= = = = =

Stellar chuckled as she listened to the young mares in the Break Room. "You'll be coming with me, girls, if you pass the tests. I'll make certain of it." She stated to herself. "And I'm going to make sure you have every opportunity to do so, as well."

=======

After she ended her shift on the bridge, Stellar joined Scootaloo down on the flight deck, which was shielded now from the mana loss-effect. Scootaloo was checking out the flight controls on the Alpha-Beta fighter, as Stellar was busy installing some new equipment into the thought-control systems the Protoculture used to work with. "So, how are these going to replace the protoculture thought-control systems?" Scootaloo asked as she sat in the cockpit, Stellar working away behind her inside the hatches.

"Well, I've been reading about how the Protoculture interacted with the thought-control systems." Stellar told Scootaloo. "Fortunately, the Haydonite didn't get to the written manuals in the tool room." She said. "As far as I can make out, it takes the signals from the brain's motor-control systems and sensory areas, such as for sight and hearing, and translates it across into signals the fighter's systems recognise as control inputs, similar to the ones from the flight controls in the cockpit." Stellar explained to Scootaloo. "It also feeds-back sensory data into the pilot the same way. Now, if I am right, there's a number of very old mind-control spells that, while normally forbidden to use on ponies, if I did them properly, they'll take the sensory-input from your mind and send it to the flight control systems the same way as Protoculture did. Likewise, others will input the sensory data the computers would normally send back into your mind, but without the 'controlling' effect the spells would normally have, because I'm effectively casting them on the computers, not on the pilots." Stellar looked down on Scootaloo.

"So... how are you doing that without casting them on each and every pilot?" Scootaloo asked.

"That's what these new boxes are for." Stellar answered. "They have the mind-control spells and a number of others engraved on plates of Magicirium inside them. Also, there are limiters built into the spells as well. I've rebuilt your new flight helmet as well, so it will interface with the standard connections in the seat. After all, our heads are built differently to Humans' heads."

Scootaloo nodded as she practised using the controls, making sure she knew how they worked and felt, until Stellar closed up the hatches. "Okay, Scoots, put your new helmet on, and we'll see how the interface works."

Scootaloo nodded in reply, then picked up the new helmet. It was different to her vacc-armor helmet in that it had a full faceplate, like Stellar's armor, leaving her entire face open to sight. Sliding it on, the armor it had contained within it slid out and encased her body once again. But this was a much-more streamlined suit, more like Stellar's combat armor than Scootaloo's vacc-armor. "Whoa..." She said, surprised and impressed. Then she felt a tickle in the back of her mind, and she closed her eyes...

Even with her eyes closed, she saw the cockpit around her, other displays appearing around her vision, even as she felt she could interact with the controls without even touching them. The start-up checklist came before her in her vision, unconsciously called up, and Scootaloo went through it with hardly a thought. She could almost feel the fighter's systems come to life all around her, as she accepted the feedback from the control systems. She almost felt like she was part of this fantastic machine...

Stellar smiled as she watched Scootaloo go through the start-up checklist, as she kicked off and floated down to the deck. She watched as the control surfaces went through their pre-flight movements on both the Alpha and Beta fighters, watched as the thrusters gave little spurts of gas as they were tested, then the three main engines of the Beta fighter gave little puffs as well, and then the pair of exhausts from the Alpha also showed they were working. Stellar called forth her Exo-armor helmet and armor, then connected to the fighter's comm-network. "Everything A-Okay, Scootaloo?" Stellar asked through the network.

"It's freaking awesome!" Scootaloo replied in a very excited voice. "Uh... everything's nominal, Captain. The control systems seem to be responding exactly as the old recordings showed. I can feel how much more responsive the controls are using the system. The simulator wasn't anywhere near this fast to respond to input." Scootaloo reported as she regained control of herself and remembered where she was.

"That's good, Scootaloo. Now, power her down and we can go over things again." Stellar told her, after stifling a snicker at Scootaloo's first comment. "By the time we reach Home, you'll be ready for your first real flight in her."

"I can hardly wait." Scootaloo replied as she gave the commands, and all the systems shut down again, eventually disconnecting her from the fighter as well. She shuddered slightly as the command inputs disappeared from her brain, but it didn't hurt or feel bad in any way to her. She retracted her new flight armor, then set the helmet aside in the cockpit before she floated out and headed for the floor. Zero-gee was so easy for Pegasi to adapt to, it hardly felt any different to flying.

Stellar retracted her armor, then grinned at Scootaloo. "Well done, Scoots. We'll finish adapting the Beta fighter to the new systems, then we'll upgrade a few more of these before we get Home."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Scootaloo replied, grinning as she and Stellar saluted. "Gonna give the Wonderbolts a real show when we get Home."

"That's for certain." Stellar chuckled as they headed back to work on the Beta fighter.

=======

Sweetie Belle was about to give up and call it end-of-shift. She'd spent the days they were in Fold-Space trying to figure out why the Xerxes was being drained of mana, but nothing she'd come across explained it. Looking about, she saw Applebloom sitting, in her vacc-armor, at the control boards... when something struck her. She looked about her, seeing all the lights that were on, all the systems powered up... then she looked out the main bridge transparencies over the hull. Sweetie tilted her head to one side as she saw, under the dark pulsing of Fold-Space, there was a shimmering effect between it and the hull of the Xerxes. Frowning, she moved to the Engineering station and linked it in with the Science station's displays as well, her curiosity fully-engaged again.

Applebloom noticed Sweetie Belle's intense gaze as she looked over the displays, jumping from entry to entry about the Fold drive and Fold-Space itself. She'd just turned back to watch the helm monitors, when Sweetie Belle let out a huge squeal of delight, and shouted "THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT!" Sweetie Belle leaped from the Bridge dais and raced off, yelling "I GOT IT! I GOT IT!" Furiously as she left the Bridge.

Applebloom snorted "Whatever she's got, Ah sure hope she don't give it to me." She chuckled.

Sweetie Belle raced down the corridor, heading for the Safe Room. The mana-lock doors seemed to crawl open and closed as she nearly bounced in place, then she was inside the room. Retracting her armor, she saw Scootaloo and Stellar were lying down, studying as they relaxed. "Stellar!" She said in a slightly calmer voice. "I got it!"

Stellar and Scootaloo both looked up. "Got what, Sweetie?" Stellar asked.

"I know what's happening to all the mana, and how to fix it!" Sweetie Belle declared, grinning almost from ear-to-ear.

Stellar was on her hoofs as fast as she could, Scootaloo almost right beside her. "Do tell!" Stellar replied, also grinning. "Then we'll head back to the bridge and you can tell us all." She told the young mares.

Sweetie Belle nodded and they all summoned their various armors and headed for the bridge. "I've been trying to find out why we keep losing mana all the time." Sweetie Belle reiterated for everypony. "But then, this morning, I realised that it's only mana we're losing. Every other form of energy on the Xerxes isn't being affected."

"Well, yeah." Scootaloo said, looking skeptical.

"Hush, Scoots." Stellar told Scootaloo. "Go on, Sweetie."

"It made me wonder why all of the other energy isn't being drained." Sweetie Belle went on. "I then checked into Fold-Space itself. I had to dig into what little research had been done into Fold-Space, which isn't much, to be honest, but what I read told me that Fold-Space is a negative-energy zone. It's like Magicirium is to mana. Fold-Space soaks up every form and all energy it's exposed to. That's essentially why we need to keep pushing an enormous amount of energy into the Fold Drive constantly while we're travelling, because if we didn't, the fold-field around the ship would collapse in an instant, its energy sucked away into Fold-Space." She explained.

Stellar nodded. The young mare had really been digging deep into the ship's databases. "And so?"

"Well, I noticed this morning, as I was looking out the bridge windows, that under the fold-field is a shimmering layer of silver energy. It looked like a shield of some kind. When I cross-referenced the fold-field's specs with the data on Fold-Space, I found that it is a shield, one designed to keep all the normal energy in the ship from being drained away into Fold-Space!" Sweetie Belle grinned widely.

The others looked at each other. 'So... if there is a shield designed to keep energy in..." Scootaloo began.

"Why isn't it keepin' tha mana in as well?" Applebloom concluded.

"Because it's not tuned to do that." Sweetie Belle answered. "Humans can't feel mana, as far as we know, so they don't notice it being drained. Therefore they never programmed it into the shield's parameters."

"So, do we need to put up another shield or somethin'?" Applebloom asked.

"No, it's even simpler than that." Sweetie Belle grinned. "All we have to do is add mana's structure and frequency to the shield's programming, and it should re-tune itself to stop mana leaking out, like all the other energy forms." She revealed.

Stellar smiled proudly and nodded her head towards Sweetie Belle. "Well done, Sweetie. That was a very good piece of research work. Twilight would be as proud of you as I am." Stellar told Sweetie Belle, who grinned even as she blushed. "All right. Scoots, drop us out of Fold-Space. Sweetie, come with me to the Computer Room, and we'll re-tune the shield's parameters to keep mana in. Applebloom, go down and monitor the Fold Drive, to make sure the system accepts the retuning." She looked at them all. "We'll keep our suits on for the time being, just in case our first attempts fail to take. Once we're sure we can travel in Fold-Space without losing mana, then we can relax suit-discipline." She looked at the Trio. "Okay! Let's get busy!"

"Yeah!" The three young mares clopped their suited hoofs together, and Scootaloo jumped up and over the control console, to bring the Xerxes out of Fold-Space. Taking the lift down to Engineering, Applebloom raced off for the area where the Fold Drive control room was located, as Sweetie Belle and Stellar headed for the Computer Room.

Inside, Stellar opened her face-plate, since they were no longer in Fold-Space, as Sweetie Belle raised her visor. "Okay." Stellar accessed the main control programs for the Fold Drive, and entered her Master Access Password. All the Drive systems' programs became available to them. "All right, Sweetie, show me where you want the mana energy frequencies entered." Stellar asked.

"It's in here." Sweetie Belle went through five control menus, to bring up the Drive shield's inclusions folder. "The thing is... what do we put in here?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Stellar chuckled softly. "Remember when we retuned the sensors to detect mana?" She asked Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle's face lit up brilliantly. "Of course! Those parameters should work." She agreed, and entered them into the program folder. After getting a positive reply from the computer, Stellar called Applebloom. "Applebloom, does the control system down there show the changes we've made being listed or accepted?"

Applebloom had brought up the control programs for the shield down in the Fold Drive room, and as she saw the programming change, she replied "It looks like tha Drive's computer's accepted tha change." She replied.

Stellar nodded. "Excellent." She turned to Sweetie Belle. "Seal up, Sweetie. We'll do a static fold test of the systems, and see if the shield's accepted the new parameters."

Sweetie Belle nodded and closed her visor, sealing her vacc-armor. "Ready, Captain." She replied.

Stellar called out to Applebloom and Scootaloo "Applebloom, set the Fold Drive for a static test. Scootaloo, take all the normal engines off-line and prepare to activate the Fold Drive. Make sure your suits are sealed as well." She ordered.

"Aye Captain!" Came the replies, as the mares did as ordered. "Main engines off-line, Captain. Ready for Fold-test." Scootaloo reported back.

"Fold Drive is ready for static test, Captain." Applebloom replied not a second after Scootaloo.

Stellar smiled in appreciation of how competent the girls were becoming. Then Sweetie Belle asked "Stellar, are you going to seal your exo-armor up?"

Stellar shook her head. "No, Sweetie. My armor can supply me with enough mana to out-run the drain if it occurs, until the drive's shut down again. If this works, then it won't matter."

Sweetie Belle nodded with a smile, and turned back to the computer control panel. "Ready, Captain." Sweetie Belle said.

"Scootaloo, activate the Fold Drive." Stellar ordered, as she watched the outside of the ship through the external bridge camera.

As Scootaloo pushed the Fold activation lever forward, the Fold Drive powered up and the field formed. The ship's image wavered and vanished as the Xerxes dropped into Fold-Space without moving. The silver shield layer shimmered even brighter than before, and Stellar didn't feel the mana draining away from her as she had done three days ago. "Report, Cadets?" Stellar asked.

Sweetie Belle replied "Captain, there's no evident mana drain from the ship any longer." She grinned up at Stellar.

"Tha Fold-shield's systems report that they've adapted to tha new settin's, Captain." Applebloom reported.

"I concur, Captain." Scootaloo then said. "We're sitting stationary in Fold-Space, and the monitors aren't showing any signs that we're losing mana from the bridge."

"Okay, Scoots, bring us out of Fold-Space, power up the main engines again, recalculate for the distance we've travelled, then take us back into Fold-Space again. We're heading Home." There were cheers from the three young mares as the Xerxes slid out of Fold-Space, the main engines kicked back up to cruise speed again, then they shot back into Fold-Space again, as the four crewmembers retracted the armor and stretched again. "Okay, regular shifts again, Cadets." Stellar ordered, and headed for the bridge with Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle clopped hoofs with Scootaloo as she climbed up onto the Bridge dais, and settled into the navigation and science station as Stellar moved to the Captain's chair. "Yes... let's go Home." Stellar whispered to herself as Fold-Space blazed past the ship before them.

= = = = =

Later, after the main meal, Stellar tapped her cup and got the Trio's attention. "I have an announcement to make." Stellar told them. "Now, you're all cadets, but sometimes one cadet will show she can act in an exceptional manner in her field. I have not assigned ranks to you as yet, but now that we are on our way home, hopefully without any more interruptions, I am going to give you your ranks."

"Scootaloo: to you, I give the rank of Cadet Lieutenant, Junior; in Bridge Operations and Fighter Operations." She handed Scootaloo a small box which, when opened, showed a number of rank insignia for her uniforms.

"Applebloom: to you, I give the rank of Cadet Lieutenant, Junior; in Bridge Operations and Engineering." Stellar handed Applebloom another box.

"And to Sweetie Belle: I give the rank of Cadet Lieutenant, Senior; in Bridge Operations, Computer Operations and Science Department." Stellar told Sweetie Belle, whose eyes lit up brilliantly as she accepted her box.

Stellar then looked at Scootaloo and Applebloom. "Any questions?" She asked.

The mares shook their heads. "Nah. Sweetie deserves it, after figuring out the mana-drain problem." Scotaloo admitted.

"Yeah. Ah doubt if Ah could'a figured it out." Applebloom admitted. She patted Sweetie Belle on the shoulder and said "Congrats, Sweetie. It's well-deserved."

"Yeah. Congrats." Scootaloo agreed and patted Sweetie as well.

"Thanks." Sweetie Belle replied, as she found one of the insignia was on a chain, and she hung it around her neck. The other pair found the same and did similarly.

"Now, that looks better." Stellar declared, and hugged the Trio to her. "Congratulations, all of you. You've earned those ranks, believe me. When we get home, you'll proudly march out in your uniforms, and no-pony will doubt your positions aboard this ship." She told them. The Trio stepped back a few paces, lined up, and saluted Stellar, who returned their salutes. "Good work, all of you." She concluded.

"Thanks, Captain." The Trio said together, then they returned to their stations as Stellar cleaned up. Once she was seated on her chair behind the Trio, Stellar relaxed and just watched the light-years slowly pass...

=======

Celestia was seated in one of her parlours, Twilight with her, as a messenger interrupted their lunch. "Your Highnesses! Urgent news." The guards-pony said, as he handed Celestia a large packet of messages. Frowning, Celestia opened the packet and started reading.

"What is it, Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"Very bad news, Twilight." Celestia answered. "Our embassy in Griffonia has been evacuated."

"Huh? Why? Twilight asked. "Surely the situation there isn't that bad."

"No, it's worse." Celestia revealed. "King Goodreach Brownclaw has been assassinated." That got a gasp of shock from Twilight. "It appears the Prince of High Reaches province has staged a coup against the Crown of Griffonia and siezed the throne. Prince Razorbeak Greatfeather has, apparently, gained control of the armed forces within the Capital and the support of Griffonia's army." She shook her head sadly. "I know assassination is a 'legal' method of regime-change to the griffons, but this is most unexpected."

"And our ambassadors?" Twilight asked.

"The Royal Griffonian Guard approached the embassy as the perpetrators' forces surrounded the capital." Celestia told Twilight. "They managed to get all of the embassy staff aboard one of our airships, and Captain Salient Weather managed to cross the coast before they realised the embassy was empty." She looked at Twilight. "I sent word to have everything of value removed from the embassy a week ago, when first word of the unrest reached Canterlot. It seems I was right in doing so." Celestia sighed.

"And thank Faust you did!" Twilight agreed with Celestia. "What now?" She asked.

"Now? What do you think I should do?" Celestia asked Twilight.

Twilight blinked, then started thinking "Well, first we reinforce the Coastal Guard, just in case they send any raiders our way." Twilight answered. "Also, we keep an eye out for refugees along the Griffonstone train-line. That's going to be a major way of escape for any fleeing the regime-change. And watch for ships, both fleeing the conflict or carrying troops. If I remember the reports about Prince Greatfeather, he hates Equestria after Grandfather nearly destroyed his family in the Draco-Griffon War. I'd bet he's going to attack after he consolidates his hold on the Throne of Griffonia."

Celestia smiled at Twilight. "Very astute, Twilight. I totally agree." She replied. "But also, we shall place various divisions of the Army around our coastal cities and Horseshoe Bay on Alert, and have reinforcements stand by. If Razorclaw attacks, it will not be with a small force, I am thinking."

"Yeah, you're right, Celestia." Twilight had to agree. "If only Stellar was here. She'd be the best one to lead our forces."

"We shall make-do, Twilight." Celestia said as she got to her hoofs, Twilight following her. "For now, let the other generals bring us to a state of readiness, and we shall plan for eventualities."

Twilight nodded as the pair of alicorns left the parlor and headed for the War Room.

Author's Note

Here's the next chapter! :twilightsmile:

Things are getting along for our intrepid travellers. But the situation back home has taken a bad turn. What will happen?

Wait and see...

12 - The Board Changes, The Pieces Shift

Stellar was sitting in the simulator for the Beta Fighter, as Scootaloo was sitting in the simulator for the Alpha fighter. Both of them were running through a simulation of flying together as one, as they learned how to fly the combined fightercraft. "This isn't at all like flying in the air normally." Scootaloo said to herself. "I have to keep in mind that I need the engines to maintain speed, which maintains lift."

"That's right, Scoots." Stellar replied. "The fighters can transform to enable them to hover, but for now, that's for later lessons."

"Yeah, Stellar." Scootaloo replied. "Right now, it's a matter of learning the basics: Flying as a fighter aircraft, not a mecha."

"Exactly." Stellar replied. "How are you doing?"

"It feels... funny, having to sit up and fly like this." Scootaloo answered honestly. "If it weren't for the seat restraints, I'd fall forward all the time." She looked at the left screen in front of her, seeing Stellar's face look back from inside her flight helmet.

Stellar chuckled. "I know what you mean, Scoots, I truly do." She replied. "If I wasn't so used to standing up for long periods, this would feel even more awkward. We'll have to redesign the cockpits for prone flying positions once we're back home again, and we have time to do so."

"Yeah, that would be really good." Scootaloo had to agree. "Still, I'm getting used to it... so far." She swept and banked the combined fightercraft around in a tight turn, heading back the way they'd come. Rolling it back to a level position, Scootaloo raised the nose, increased the thrust, and they soared higher into the sky. "Boy, this thing takes a long time to make a turn." She told Stellar.

Stellar chuckled. "It'll do that, yes. The faster you go, the wider the turns. Of course, once we master transformation, then we can use the real power of these mechs to fly in ways normal aircraft like the shuttles won't be able to do."

"So why did these fighters have to be able to transform again?" Scootaloo asked as she moved into formation with two other Alpha-Beta combinations, for a little formating practise.

"They were built to counter a race called the Invid, apparently." Stellar told Scootaloo. "They also had big machine-mecha to move around in, and were nasty fighters. You'll be learning to take them on in the simulators once we reach a certain level of combat training in the Alpha and Beta mechs.

"So I'll be learning to fly the Betas as well?" Scootaloo asked.

"Of course." Stellar answered. "No use you only learning to fly one type of fighter. That could leave you at a real disadvantage in combat. If your Alpha's damaged beyond operational capacity, you could always eject the canopy and move back into the Beta, then eject the Alpha. Also, I want you, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom to learn to pilot the shuttles and transports. That way, you have a lot of different skills to put forward as ship crew."

"Okay, I can see that." Scootaloo said back. She did a quick roll with the combined fightercraft and straightened up again. As they came back around, Scootaloo lined up with a runway near a village in Equestria's north. Reducing her speed, she lowered the landing gear, did the pre-landing final checks as the checklist scrolled down a small screen before her, and she touched down only a little faster than the ideal speed. Slowing to a trotting pace, she steered the combination off the runway to an apron and parked it. Going through the shutdown checklist, she pressed the last control, and the images around her faded, leaving her in the cockpit of the simulator, the dome of the Xerxes's flight simulator around her obvious now.

"Great landing, Scoots." Stellar's voice was in her ear as Scootaloo cracked the canopy and undid her restraints. " A touch fast, but well within tolerances."

"Thanks, Stellar." Scootaloo replied as she climbed out and retracted her flight armor back into her helmet. Stellar met up with Scootaloo in the hall outside the simulators. "Are you going to get some air-time as well, without back-seating me?" She asked.

"Who said I was back-seating you all the time, Scoots?" Stellar asked. "I was doing my flight training as well while you were flying about. It was just as if you were an observer in front of me, while you had me as an observer behind you; that way, we both got hours up and got in some valuable experience."

Scootaloo chuckled. "That almost sounds like cheating." She suggested.

"Maybe, but it's cheating in a good way. It doesn't hurt either one of us or disadvantages us, and we both got valuable air-time out of it." Stellar pointed out. "Now, let's do the post-flight reports and we can relax, now our secondary period's over."

"Yeah! Shower and shovel." Scootaloo replied with a grin, the 'shovel' referring to having a meal. Together, the pegasus and alicorn mares headed for the lifts and their quarters.

=======

The doors to the throne room at Griffonspire Palace were flung open as a very satisfied-looking Prince Razorbeak Greatfeather strutted in, looking around at his troops as they occupied the entire castle now. Only the faint odor of blood filled the air, the floor of the throne room as clean as if it had been lick-polished by the tongues of ponies. He chuckled to himself at the image in his mind of ponies doing exactly that, Celestia amongst them. As his general and other advisors entered, he mounted the dais and circled the throne of Griffonia once, to slowly sink his tiger-striped rump down onto it. Bigger than most griffons, due to his heritage of being part-Tiger-part-Great Eagle, he had always dominated any gathering he had attended. Now, with the general of the Griffonian Armed Forces working for him, the triumph he felt at taking what he considered his 'rightful place' in Griffonia filled him with confidence and a little daring. He looked down at General Ironbeak Steelclaw, who remained upright as all others there bowed to him, but the salute the General gave him was more than enough of a sign of his respect that Razorbeak gave him a quick salute back, then told the others "You may all rise."

As they did so, two of Razorbeak's advisors waited patiently for him to acknowledge them. Once had good news; the other did not, but he was wise enough that he knew the Prince would not do anything to him for delivering it. "My Liege." He said, his wife beside him echoing the phrase of allegance.

Razorbeak smiled on them. "So, Brightwing, Jadeclaw, General... we have swept away the last vestiges of the rule of that weakling, Brownclaw." He said to them. "General, how goes the mopping-up?" Razorbeak asked.

"The House troops have taken over all senior positions within the ranks of the Guard that remain, as well as the general armed forces." Steelclaw answered. "The other major houses have passed on their House Swords to you, as their show of support." Steelclaw gestured to a number of sergeants in armor, carrying with respect twenty-nine ornate swords: the swords of the thirty Great Houses of the Empire of Griffonia, save for Greatfeather's own House-sword, which sat in its scabbard over his back. The other House swords would be returned to the House Leaders when they swore loyalty to their new king, at his coronation.

Razorbeak nodded with appreciation. "What of the rest of the Guard officers?" He asked.

"We have tracked down ten of the fifty that have fled or were not here." Steelclaw reported. "Apparently, according to them and the letters they held, they were on furlough with their families. Since they instantly swore allegiance when it was demanded of them, I felt no need to order them back immediately."

Razorbeak nodded. "Very wise, General. We will show those who question the purging of the Old Realm that nothing disastrous or disruptive will happen by myself taking back what belonged to my House originally." He said with a smile. "At least for now." He turned to look at Brightwing. "What of the Equestrian Diplomats and their staff? Have they been found and brought back here?" He asked.

"I can say with all accuracy, Your Royal Highness, that we will not find them in Griffonia." Brightwing replied, hedging his words very carefully.

Razorbeak's eyes narrowed. "You are certain of this?" He asked, his voice full of disappointment.

"Very certain, Your Royal Highness." Brightwing confirmed. "Their embassy was cleared of records and valuables possibly up to a week before the start of your campaign. The staff and the Ambassador fled on a fast Equestrian airship before your forces reached the gates of the city. It is also possible, and General Steelclaw agrees, that the missing Guards officers went with them, maybe to Equestria, but certainly as far as the border." Brightwing concluded.

Razorbeak snorted, growling softly. "Traitors." He said softly.

"Possibly, Your Royal Highness." Steelclaw admitted. "Or they could have simply been following the last orders of Brownclaw. In that case, then they will not have committed treason unless they fail to return. If they do so and swear allegiance, then they have done as Duty and Honor has dictated... as would any of the Royal Guard who were ordered to do so by their monarch."

Razorbeak's mind slowly emptied of the dark thoughts that roiled inside. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. Not was not the time to give into his desires and allow his thirst for Blood and Vengeance to be set loose. He had to remain calm and finalise his hold on the Throne and the Crown. Once that was done, and he had the full support of Griffonia behind him... then would be the time to set loose the horde of Griffonia on their prey. "Very true." Razorbeak replied. "Honor, Duty and Loyalty... these are the things that Griffons cherish most. Those who uphold them, we would welcome them back into our service if they return and swear their Honor to ours, and their Loyalty to the Crown once again."

Steelclaw bowed to Razorbeak. "Indeed, Your Royal Highness. It is the one thing we know the Equestrians share with us... at least some of them."

Razorbeak snorted in disgust. "Prey animals, showing understanding of such principles." He said out loud, not really responding. "They have no idea of Honor, not the way WE know Honor. Their only duty is to bow to us and meet our needs as their betters." He growled. "Only when Celestia and Luna, as well as the other alicorns, are before me, on their barrels, chained and humiliated for what they did to our Empire so many centuries ago... THEN we shall teach them their true place on this world!" Razorbeak pulled his sword from its scabbard between his wings and drove it deep into the marble beside the throne. "We will erase the humiliation the Ponies forced upon us after the war with the Dragons! We will make them serve us as they should have been doing for over a thousand years! And once the House of Canopus Star has been eradicated from the face of our world... then we shall hold our duty to our House fulfilled in full." Razorbeak stated, the fury on his face holding everygriff there still with not a little fear... save for Steelclaw. Steelclaw just held his tongue still and his beak closed... for now.

Leaving the sword embedded in the floor, Razorbeak turned to face Jadeclaw. "What of the Royal Treasury?" He asked in a surprisingly-calm voice.

"Um..." A little flustered, Jadeclaw fluttered her notes. "The treasury here in the Capital contains nearly eight million crowns, Your Royal Highness. With High Reaches Treasury also holding nine-hundred-and-nine thousand, seven-hundred and fifty-two crowns; Shoalwater's Treasury containing five-hundred-and-sixty-two thousand, six hundred and eighty-four crowns; and Sun Plateau's treasury containing six-hundred thousand and sixteen crowns; it places our nation's liquid reserves at ten-million, seventy-two-thousand, three-hundred and eighty-eight crowns." Jadeclaw detailed. "With our gold reserves being at an all-time high of fifty million crowns, we would have had to lower taxes in the next quarter, or face having too much of our liquid capital being held in reserve." She told Razorbeak.

Razorbeak was surprised, to say the least. Whatever faults Brownclaw had had, fiscal mismanagement obviously hadn't been one of them. "Impressive." He commented. "I take it we can work within those numbers, without straining the finances of the kingdom, General?" He asked Steelclaw.

"Very much so, Your Royal Highness." Steelclaw answered. "With what the Empire already has at its disposal in troops and resources, we should not have to reduce that by any great amount for a while... as long as our initial invasion of Equestria goes to plan."

Razorbeak nodded. "We shall make sure it does so. I want all the reports of our spies to be tabulated and on my desk by the morning." He told Brightwing. "I want taxes kept as they are for the moment." He told Jadeclaw. "If things go to plan, we shall have Equestria to tax as we see fit, and we can drop taxes for our griffons after we capture their treasury for ourselves." He got to his feet. "For now, we will work towards the Coronation in two days' time. Once the Throne is mine, officially, then we shall begin our operations."

The trio of advisors bowed to Razorbeak with a "Your Royal Highness" and, knowing they'd been dismissed, left the throne room, as Palace staff slowly filtered back in to places they'd served at for their careers there. Razorbeak sat and ignored them for the most part. Eventually, the armor he wore started to become burdensome and he left for his new quarters, to be cleaned and groomed by several hens he'd spotted amongst the staff. While his attention was still on other things, they would be a lovely distraction to have around.

=======

Twilight was going over reports coming in from the few contacts Equestria still had in Griffonia, as well as personality profiles of the major players. She looked out the window of the big office as a shadow fell over it, to see the shape of the Northern Wind approaching the air-docks. Getting to her hoofs, she tidied her immediate notes and headed out, feeling for where Celestia was. Once she'd located her fellow alicorn, Twilight Blinked as close to Celestia as she dared. She found herself at the dock where the Northern Wind was slowly pulling in, pegasi dropping her tether-ropes to earth ponies on the docks, who tied her close and securely. When the gangways had been locked onto the airship, Ponies emerged from her interior and moved towards Celestia and Twilight.

Celestia smiled at the ones that returned safe to her. "Decisive Words, welcome home." She greeted her ambassador as he and his immediate staff bowed to her and Twilight. "When we heard of the coup, we feared that you might have been held as hostages by the perpetrators. The news of your escape filled our hearts with joy and relief."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Decisive Words replied. "It was a close thing; if not for the sacrifices made by many griffons loyal to King Brownclaw, we might not have made it." He admitted, as a dozen griffon officers in Royal Griffonian Guard armor filed out of the Northern Wind, handing their weapons over to Royal Equestrian Guard officers as they passed them. They lined up and faced Celestia, then bowed to her.

"You are welcome on our realm, servants of King Brownclaw." Celestia said to them. "Your service to your late king and to our ambassador will be rewarded."

"We thank you, Your Highness." The head officer replied.

Celestia gestured to Commander Flash Sentry. "Take our griffon friends to where they can be amongst friends of their own people." She ordered Commander Sentry, who saluted Celestia and then saluted the Griffon commander, who then followed Flash and the other guards away from the docks. Then Celestia led Decisive Words and his staff back into the palace.

Once they were all inside and seated comfortably, Celestia became all-business. "Decisive, situation report." She said, her voice abrupt.

"Of course, Your Highness." Decisive Words replied. "King Brownclaw's family has been saved and are in exile. He, unfortunately, was killed by General Steelclaw in the Throne Room. Prince Razorbeak Greatfeather has taken control of the government of Griffonia completely, and from what I was told, the Thirty Great Houses have handed their swords to him..."

"...Indicating they have, at least for the moment, given their loyalty to Razorbeak." Celestia finished for Decisive. "Do you have any clue as to how soon he plans to be crowned?"

"Probably in two days, Your Highness. That is the earliest possible amount of time the Houses and other institutions can be gathered fully, and preparations made." Decisive informed Celestia.

Celestia nodded. "Two days..." She said softly. "So, we have two days before he can begin preparations for doing anything hostile..."

"If he hasn't been preparing all this time already." Twilight then pointed out.

Celestia sighed. "And... of course he has." She admitted. "But now, with the resources and griffons of Griffonia behind him, he is that much more dangerous." Celestia bowed her head. "We have two days to prepare for whatever he has planned... and maybe a few more, since integrating his plans with his new forces will take time. Therefore, we shall prepare our own forces in case our suspicions are correct, and invasion is foremost on his mind."

Decisive Words nodded. "I shall retire then, Your Highness, and let the information we brought back guide our preparations."

Celestia smiled. "Thank you, Decisive Words. You have truly earned the thanks of our grateful nation."

Decisive Words nodded, bowed, then left with his staff.

Celestia took in a deep breath, one hoof to her chest, and she let go with a gesture that had Twilight giggling. Celestia gave her former student an askance look, but the grin on Twilight's face had her smirking as well, then she poked her tongue out at Twilight, who giggled again. "That's better." Twilight told Celestia. "When things get too heavy, you worry too much to think properly... just like me." She told her mentor.

Celestia snorted defiantly. "I do nothing of the sort." She denied Twilight's far-too-accurate accusations.

"Sure you don't." Twilight replied as she grinned. "But we need to brief Luna as well. At least with both of you working on things, and me helping, we can be at this day-and-night, unlike the griffons... hopefully." She sighed. "I wish Stellar was here, right now. She'd know exactly what to do."

Celestia nodded her head. "Your sister knows much about military matters, true. Her help would be well-received. But for now, until she returns, we shall begin on our own." Celestia got to her hoofs, Twilight following. "But... it is Lunchtime. We shall discuss things further and better with full stomachs." Celestia declared as she led Twilight out of the small conference room and towards the smaller dining room. "Hopefully, by tonight we shall have things moving, and Luna can add her touches to our plans."

Twilight nodded as they walked along together. She was going through everything Stellar had taught her about preparations for large deployments, and where to look for advice. Twilight knew she'd be spending a lot of time in the Archives when Luna awoke...

=======

Applebloom was wandering along the lower decks of the Xerxes the fifth day after they'd started for home, doing safety checks of the infrequently-travelled parts of the ship, checking on the airlock doors and making sure everything was secure. Eventually she came across an internal door that wouldn't open. Frowning, she checked the display and found the lift shaft beyond it was unpressurised. "That's weird." Applebloom said to herself. "Ah thought we closed up every part of tha ship on tha first day." After checking things over again, Applebloom came to a decision. "Stellar, can you come to where Ah am? Ah got a puzzle here."

"Sure, Applebloom." Stellar's voice came to Applebloom's small headset after a minute. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank ya kindly." Applebloom said back and waited patiently.

Eventually Stellar arrived down at the lower deck. "You have a problem, Applebloom?" Stellar asked.

"Yeah. There's a lift here to a lower deck, but tha lift is depressurised, an' it won't repressurise." Applebloom told Stellar, showing her the control panel.

"Huh. That is odd." Stellar agreed with Applebloom, and slid one of the ship's tablet computers from her side-bag. Bringing the ship's interlay layout up on the screen, Stellar found "Well, the computer says this is the ground landing dock below here, where they keep ground vehicles for deployment when the ship's landed. It's where they also bring all supplies into the ship when they're restocking things." She told Applebloom.

"Okay... so why is it still depressurised?" Applebloom asked.

"I don't know just yet..." Stellar answered as she checked with various systems. "Ah. The computer says the rear main hatch to the section isn't sealing properly. It stopped trying to repressurise the deck when the leak was detected." Stellar informed Applebloom. "Looks like we get to practise our suit protocols and EVA drill again, Applebloom."

"Oh, joy." Applebloom replied in a less-than-impressed voice. But then she giggled as Stellar gave her a 'not-very-impressed' look. "Actually, it'll be fun ta go outside. Ah haven't been outside tha hull since we got here."

Stellar nodded at Applebloom as she smiled a little more warmly. "Then let's get ready."

= = = = =

After donning their suits, the pair of mares carefully moved out of the closest airlock they could, towards the Landing Deck. The Fold-shield flowed over and around them as they walked along, protecting them from Fold Space. Like Scootaloo, Applebloom now had a new set of vacc-armor, this one especially designed for heavy tasks. A lot stronger and with enhancements for strength and protection, it was as strong as Stellar's exo-armor was and almost as robust. A full set of thrusters including the powerful main thruster units graced the suit, with two large folding arms along the sides of the back-plate. Many small sections had various different grasping and tool 'hands', ready to be deployed with but a thought from Applebloom. A pair of fold-out particle-beam cannons, REF EP-37 beam cannons normally fitted to the Cyclone Veritech Riding Armor, also sat on the back-unit of the suit, ready to deploy either side of Applebloom's shoulders if needed. Stellar had thought about whom to arm amongst the Trio first, and while Scootaloo was an excellent shot, Applebloom had proved exceptional with handling the power and recoil of the large human-designed weapons. Stellar had confidence that Applebloom would handle them with the caution and wisdom she had shown before.

They approached the rear of the landing deck, the large rear doors visible now under the shield-effect. "Can you get any readings yet on them, Applebloom?" Stellar asked.

"My sensors can see the doors, but nothing yet about what's wrong." Applebloom replied. "I think we'll have to get closer."

"Then we shall." Stellar agreed, and they continued to walk closer to the deck. As they got closer, they saw that one of the rear doors was not shut completely. "That explains that." Stellar commented.

"I wonder why we haven't seen this from the bridge?" Applebloom asked.

"Not sure. But with how long this ship's been travelling with everything open to space, I foresee a lot of systems that might have had minor malfunctions." Stellar reasoned.

"You want to open it and see what we can find?" Applebloom asked as they looked things over.

"Not while we're in Fold-space." Stellar answered. "While the flight bays can be opened safely, I don't think these huge door-ramps were meant to open whilst the ship was travelling FTL." She explained to Applebloom. "Let's just examine the seals while the door is sitting where it is. Maybe there's something lodged in the door-jamb from when they were opened while under full internal pressure."

"Rojer that." Applebloom replied, and the pair split up, walking down either side of the rear ramp-door that wasn't sealed properly. Stellar took the outside path, leaving the safer inner path to Applebloom. "I found something!" Applebloom almost yelled over the com-link when they were almost three-quarters of the way down the massive door.

"On my way." Stellar said to Applebloom, and joined her two minutes later, after traversing the door's width. "What did you find?" She asked.

"There's something stuck here. It looks like it's lodged pretty hard in there, too." Applebloom answered, one of her mechanical arms holding the seal slightly open, to reveal something large stuck in the door-seal.

"Hmm..." Stellar scanned the obstruction. "Looks like... yes, it's a tool-case. It's one of those meant for mounting on a Cyclone." She told Applebloom. "Can your sensors show if the seal is damaged?" Stellar asked.

Applebloom extended one of the probes from her other tool-arm after it unfolded and slipped it inside the seal at that point. "I don't think so." She reported, her voice the unaccented, confident voice she slipped into whenever she was under stress or being 'professional'. "The probe seems to show the seal as holding the tool-case in place, but it's moulded itself around it. However, it can't close with the tool-case where it is."

Stellar nodded. "Well then... maybe I can teleport it out without having to open the door any further." Stellar suggested.

"That would work." Applebloom agreed. She had a small projector open from her backpack and showed Stellar where the case was sitting in a hologram laid over the site directly.

Stellar nodded. She half-closed her huge eyes and imaged where the tool-case was sitting, with the image leading her to its dimensions. Once she had a feel for the way the case was positioned, she concentrated, and Applebloom saw a flash of white light as the case was Blinked from where it was lodged, freeing the door. The door, seemingly a little unsure of its changed status, slowly moved in and out a little for a time, then closed up solidly before them. "Yeah!" Applebloom said, a huge grin on her face showing through the large face-plate on her helmet.

Stellar smiled and nodded. "All right, Lieutenant, let's go inside and see what the conditions are like in this bay."

Applebloom nodded, retracted her mechanical arms back to their resting places, and fell in-step with Stellar as they headed for a personnel airlock door. "I bet it's a real mess inside." Applebloom commented.

"Probably." Stellar agreed. "If a tool-case like that one wasn't secured, I wonder what else was left unsecured when the doors opened..."

= = = = =

Once inside and the airlock secured, the pair of curious Ponies waited as the lock cycled, then opened. The air in the airlock, however, rushed out into the huge bay which was just starting to fill with atmosphere again, after being empty of air for so long. Now that the bay was sealed properly, the computer began to pump air into it slowly, testing for proper atmospheric containment to avoid wasting precious air if the bay was still not properly airtight. Eventually there was enough pressure in the bay for the computer to assess the bay was airtight, and it began flooding it with air.

Applebloom looked around as the lights came back on throughout the bay. "Well, that seems ta be workin'." She said to Stellar as they walked out into the bay.

"Yes. It seems the stuck door was the only cause of the problem." Stellar replied as they looked about, stepping over a number of things strewn about the floor. "There's not a lot of debris. I bet a lot of it was ejected, or locked down before the bay doors were opened."

"Yeah, I agree." Applebloom said as she saw the tool-case, sitting in a middle of a clear spot of the floor. She walked over to it, extended her tool-arms and picked it up, opening it and checking the insides. "Everythin' in here looks like it's where it should be." She reported to Stellar.

Stellar nodded absently as she looked around the bay. There were large maintenance bays around the sides of the bay, as well as a couple of wider-but-lower sealed bays towards the middle. Huge machines seemed to fill the forty large maintenance bays, mecha that were not designed for flight, that Stellar could easily see by their shape and structure. Her mind went back to what she had learned from the Xerxes' computer... "Destroids." She said absently.

"Destroids?" Applebloom asked as she locked the tool-case onto her backpack, like a saddlebag would have been.

"Yes. These ground-attack or assault mecha are called Destroids." Stellar explained. "They might not be able to transform like the Veritechs can, but they are tougher and can deliver a nasty barrage of weapons-fire to ground targets, as well as some aerial ones."

"Cool!" Applebloom exclaimed. "Maybe there's one in here that I can pilot."

Stellar chuckled. "I don't doubt that, Applebloom." She said back. "Maybe one of those... Hello..." Stellar said as she looked back through the rows of destroids in the maintenance bays. They were stacked three-deep, and she noticed some of them were not the advanced ones she'd read about in the computer files. "These ones... they're first-generation destroids." She pointed to two bays with three mecha in each.

"These ones?" Applebloom asked, pointing to them.

"Yes. They are first-gen Excalibur and Raidar destroids, quite powerful in their day and they still are, even if the other ones are newer and more powerful again." She told Applebloom. "But these Excaliburs... They've been modified." She told Applebloom as they started to circle the lead Excalibur.

"They have?" Applebloom asked. "How?"

"Well, for starters, these two at the front have full arms and hands." Stellar explained to Applebloom. "The one at the back is apparently still in original condition, and as you can see, the 'arms' end at what would be the elbows, with the main cannons mounted to the upper arms. These two at the front have full arms and hands that appear to be modified Veritech arms, and the cannons appear to be mounted to the sides of the forearms, instead." Stellar pointed out to Applebloom. "Someone's been doing some interesting modification work to these older style of destroids."

"Yeah! An' tha middle one's got a normal head, not that squishied-in-looking slit-thingy." Applebloom pointed out.

"So it has." Stellar said with a nod. "Most interesting. It seems the new mounts of the main cannons allow them to pivot around so they point backwards along the arms, allowing the hands to be used without the cannons getting in the way. Most fascinating." Stellar told Applebloom.

"Can you give me lessons, then?" Applebloom asked.

"Maybe simulator training might be more beneficial, Applebloom. After all, I hardly know how to pilot one of these myself." Stellar reminded Applebloom.

"Ahh, shoot. Ah forgot that." Applebloom nodded as they kept walking around. They found a small bay with Cyclone Veritech Riding Armor in their travel containers stacked from floor-to-ceiling in racks; other parts, weapons and other additional systems stored in the same bay. "These could really do somethin' fantastic fer tha Royal Guard Earth Ponies." Applebloom suggested to Stellar.

"Indeed, they could, with some modification." Stellar agreed. "Another project for you, perhaps."

Applebloom grinned as she contemplated this. A lot of the other small bays contained ground vehicles unlike any seen on Equestria, all tied down and sealed in air-tight containment within the bays. In one, however, was an aircraft that was bigger than the Alpha fighters, and was quite different in configuration. "What's this thing? It looks a bit primitive compared to tha Alphas."

Stellar grinned. "Well, well... this, my dear Applebloom, is an original Veritech fighter, a VF-1 series Veritech." Stellar checked under the body and nodded. "It's a VF-1S model. You can tell by the four laser cannons attached to the head-unit, rather than two or just one, in the case of the VF-1A." Stellar looked about and saw boxes that seemed to contain other pieces. After checking the numbers of them, she was surprised to find out what was in them. "These contain the add-on packs the Veritechs could have attached to them. There's both the 'Super'-pack and the Battloid Armor pack."

"Really? An' what do they do?" Applebloom asked with all due curiosity.

"The 'Super' pack is a set of booster engines with extra fuel and weapons launchers built into a large structure that is attached to the back of the fighter. There's also extra conformal fuel tankerage and two extra missile launchers fitted to the arm units." Stellar explained to Applebloom, showing her the completed modifications on the tablet computer she was carrying. "The 'Battloid Armor', as its name suggests, attaches to a Veritech in its Battloid mode, for extra armor protection and missile carriage capacity." She looked at the fighter, which was in a neutral white paint scheme with subtle blue striping. "I wonder what this is doing here? As far as the records go, this fighter-type was supposed to have been replaced by the Alpha-Beta combination aboard all REF ships."

"Maybe tha captain was doin' research, like she was doin' with tha Raiders an' Excaliburs." Applebloom suggested again.

Stellar looked down at Applebloom, a smile on her face. "That is a very good analysis, Applebloom. You might be onto something there." Stellar answered. "I know she was researching ways to refit the Tokugawa-class ship-design with some interesting upgrades... maybe she had ideas about the mecha as well."

"So what now?" Applebloom asked.

"Well, we have the bay sealed properly, and found some new things to work with... I think I'll mark the VF-1S as mine, for now. We'll pick up some of the Cyclones and take them to one of the smaller maintenance bays on the engineering deck, and you can see what you can do with them." Stellar grinned. "I'll see about re-making one set of the CVR-3 body armor for you to work with, Applebloom. That way, if you do come up with something, you can try it out properly."

"Thanks, Stellar! That sounds like fun!" Applebloom grinned up at her friend and Captain.

= = = = =

After shifting five of the crated Cyclones to the workbay, Stellar watched as Applebloom managed to transform one to motor-bike mode, squealing and jumping back as it did so. After giggling behind a forehoof, Stellar left Applebloom to work on the transforming armor and headed for her quarters. A good sleep was waiting for her, and there was still time for six hours before her next duty shift.

=======

Stellar was concluding breakfast in her quarters, after a good six hours' sleep. She'd just cleaned her dishes and sat them to dry when the door-sounder chimed. Looking up, she answered "Come in", and headed back out into the main room.

The door opened and Scootaloo looked in. "Stellar, you got a moment?" She asked.

"For you, Scoots? Always." Stellar replied. "Hello, what do you have there?" She asked, seeing Scootaloo had something in her front hoof.

"I found this when we were closing all the hatches that first time we were going through the ship." Scootaloo told Stellar, holding out the little device.

Memories came back to Stellar as she took hold of the little electronic device. "Well, well... Scoots, you've found yourself a music player."

"That little thing plays music?" Scootaloo asked.

"It most certainly does. But it stores music as digital memory files, instead of as grooves in a record disc. Much more compact." Stellar explained. "Have you charged it up?" She asked.

"I found the charger for it in the room where I found it. I think it's charged." Scootaloo answered.

Stellar nodded. "All right. This is similar to the portable unit Vinyl Scratch uses for her headphones, but much smaller." Stellar explained to Scootaloo. "And these are ear-buds, the compact equivalent of her headphones."

"Cool." Scootaloo replied as Stellar slipped a pair of the ear-buds from their holder on the back of the DMP (Digital Music Player) and gently slid them into Scootaloo's ears. Then she did the same with a second pair into her own ears. "They feel kinda funny." Scootaloo remarked.

"Uncomfortable?"

"Nah, just... strange." Scootaloo clarified.

Stellar nodded. "You're not used to them, that's understandable." She agreed. "Now... what to play for your first sample of Human music?" Stellar asked herself as she looked through the menus of the available music stored on the DMP.

"Nothing hard, please." Scootaloo asked. "Vinyl's 'wubs' can be a bit hard on the ears at times."

Stellar chuckled. "I have to agree, Scoots. Her music is great, she is just a tiny bit limited in what she prefers to play... Ah, this should be something I think you'll enjoy." Stellar smiled warmly at Scootaloo as she scrolled down and selected a song...

Scootaloo sat and waited, as slow-paced music filled her ears and her senses... then the words started...

Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no-turning-back
A flight of fancy, on a wind-swept field
Standing alone, my senses reel
Fatal attraction is holding me fast
How can I escape this irresistable grasp?
Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit
I

Scootaloo's eyes widened as the words of the song seemed to tug on her heartstrings. Although some of the terms were different from what she knew, she instinctively knew what they meant, and the theme of the song filled her mind with images of herself, looking to the skies...

Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings; I thought I'd thought of everything
No navigator to find my way home
Unladen, empty, and turned to stone
The sole intention is learning to fly
Condition grounded, but determined to try
Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit
I

Scootaloo's eyes were filling with tears. It was like someone had captured her efforts to fly and was singing them directly into her heart...

Stellar watched, silently mouthing the words as she heard them. She smiled as the very effect she knew this song would have on Scootaloo slowly filled her. She knew what this song would mean to Scoots, and knew it would always sing to her heart...

A long series of words then played out under the music. Scootaloo and Stellar both recognised them as a recording of some people reading through a checklist and preparing an aircraft for take-off. Then the sound of a large aircraft taking off heralded the last verse...

Airborne am I, on a wing and a prayer
My grubby halo: a vapor-trail in the empty air
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night
There's no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation; a state of bliss
Can't keep my mind from the circling sky
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit
I

Learning to Fly
Pink Floyd

Scootaloo looked up as Stellar slid her fore-legs around the young pegasus and nuzzled her as she cried. Finally Scootaloo said "How... how did they know?"

"Know what, Scootaloo?" Stellar asked as she removed the ear-buds from their ears.

"It's... it's like they watched me, for all those years, trying to fly... then made a song out of it. But... it sounds so wonderful..." She buried her face in Stellar's chest-fluff as Stellar held her close and nuzzled her ears. Stellar wrapped her huge wings around Scootaloo as the young pegasus returned the gesture.

Then Stellar's eyes lit up a brilliant white, as scenes started to play across her consciousness. Mouth slightly ajar, she sat there with Scootaloo as possible futures made themselves known to Stellar through her prescient vision...

"Stellar?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes slowly clearing of tears.

Stellar shook her head to clear it. "Sorry, Scoots. You okay?" She asked the young pegasus mare.

"Yeah... but I think I just got a new favorite song." Scootaloo grinned up at Stellar.

"I'm glad you found it so personal.. and enjoyable." Stellar said to Scoots in an affectionate tone.

Scootaloo smiled up at Stellar and returned the affectionate hug. "What just happened with you?" Scootaloo asked in a concerned voice.

"You know how sometimes, an alicorn can see what might happen in the future?" Stellar asked Scootaloo.

"Yeah... I've heard stories about it, at least." Scootaloo replied.

"I just saw with what we call 'Prescient Vision', what could be big trouble happening back home right now and very soon." Stellar told Scootaloo.

"Ut-oh." Scootaloo said back in a worried voice.

Stellar nodded. "We need to make contact with Home and Twilight again." Stellar said. "To the bridge, my young lieutenant!" Stellar ordered, grinning as she stood up.

"Aye, Captain!" Scootaloo replied, jumping to her hoofs and the pair headed out the room door with all haste.

Author's Note

And events continue. Stellar finds the former Captain of the Xerxes was extremely interested in both ship and mecha research, Applebloom finds a new project, and Scootaloo finds out what her small rectangle of plastic does, to her delight.

Meanwhile, world events back on Equis are rapidly shifting towards conflict. Who can say what will happen when the Xerxes reaches Equis?

13 - Preparations/Coronation

As they entered the Bridge, Stellar and Scootaloo saw Sweetie Belle sitting in the Captain's Chair, monitoring their progress through the Captain's screens. Although sitting at the Helm Station might have been more correct, Sweetie found the semi-circle of screens around the chair made monitoring all the ship's systems and accessing the database much easier to do, without running from one station to the next. "Captain?" Sweetie Belle asked as she saw Stellar, making ready to vacate the chair as Scootaloo slipped up into the Helm Station's chair.

"As you were, Lieutenant." Stellar replied. "I'm not here to take over just yet. We need to contact Equestria and we'll be dropping out of Fold Space momentarily in a short while's time."

"Understood, Captain." Sweetie Belle replied as she monitored what Scootaloo was doing, as well as watched Stellar move to the forward section of the bridge, where the Transmission Candle (as Sweetie called it) was seated on its own stand now. Stellar sat at the writing stand behind the candle and started writing, occasionally glancing out the front transparencies at Fold Space passing by before her. When she was done with the letters she'd written to her sisters, Stellar looked back at Scootaloo. "All right Helm, drop us out of Fold Space and recalculate for the new distance."

"Aye, Captain." Scootaloo answered and moved the controls. The view changed as the Xerxes dropped back into Normal Space.

Sweetie Belle had all the ship's sensors and visual sensors active the instant they dropped out of Fold Space, recording everything she could about where they were while they were there. She also monitored the Fold Drive, as Applebloom would have done if she wasn't on her sleep cycle. "Fold Capacitors recharging, Captain. I estimate three minutes before we can fold again." Sweetie Belle reported.

"Excellent." Stellar said as she lit the candle, concentrated on Twilight and sent one scroll, then concentrated on Cadance and sent the other. Once they were both underway, she relaxed and waited for Sweetie Belle to report they were ready to fold again.

=======

Twilight was sitting in her rooms in Canterlot Castle, going over reports of a logistical nature: Supply reports, troop status and deployment updates. She was making plans for the upcoming conflict Celestia was sure would occur within two days of Prince Greatfeather's coronation. Twilight had agreed that it was more than likely Razorbeak had been putting things together for years before this, and his taking the throne of Griffonia was merely the start of the next stage in his plans.

Twilight sighed. Equestria didn't really have a large standing army. Used to peace for nearly three centuries, Celestia had made their army smaller, concentrating on those who truly wanted to fight, like Stellar. Their army was small, just over thirty thousand troops of all three... no, six kinds of Ponies now, now that the Thestrals had returned from the shadows on the edges of Equestria, with Luna's return. But thanks to Stellar's efforts in the years since she made Knight-Commander, she had turned the small force into an army of professional soldiers, capable and willing to fight in ways that most Ponies could not contemplate, in most cases. But they had no idea of the extent of Greatfeather's forces. The public standing army of Griffonia was more than five times that of Equestria, mainly because of the dragons living almost on their doorstep. But with the peace that Firelord Ember had brought to the Firelands, there was less clashing between the two nations. Perhaps a good number of those troops could have been diverted elsewhere...

Twilight sighed as she went over her plans once again. Then, with a puff of green smoke, a scroll popped into existence above her and fell onto Twilight's head, sitting between her horn and her ears. Blinking with surprise, Twilight lifted the scroll and squee'd when she saw Stellar's cutie mark on the seal. Not expecting any mail while the Xerxes was in Fold-Space, the letter was very welcome. Opening it, Twilight read:

= = = = =

Heya Twi-Sis!
Listen...
I just had the weirdest collection of visions come over me, even in Fold-Space. You're facing up against someone very nasty, aren't you? And it involves Griffons. I saw a trio of forces heading for Equestria, and very soon. I know it's unsettling you, Celestia and Luna as well.
I think I can help, even from here. My visions seem to center on four days from now, just when the Xerxes gets home. If what I've seen is going to come to pass, here's what I want you to do:
If things will come to pass, the new King will announce his campaign at his Coronation. If he doesn't, then we need to be aware of trouble heading for the Dragons and alert Firelord Ember. But if he moves against us, there's a list of instructions I need you to put into place for the arrival of both the Griffonian forces and the Xerxes.

= = = = =

Twilight read a list of detailed instructions Stellar wanted her to do; some of them were quite bizarre, but if Stellar wanted them done, Twilight reassured herself that Stellar must have a plan in mind.

= = = = =

Oh, I also need a large number of mana crystals: Types 1a and 2a, about three hundred of each. I've sent Cadance a letter asking her to forward them to you as quickly as possible. You'll find a countdown timer on the back of the seal that this scroll was secured with; exactly twenty-four hours from now, as shown by the timer, we'll come back out of Fold-Space and wait for ten minutes. If you send a scroll with the crystals, we'll get it in that time, I am sure. Also, make sure my three platoons of pegasi troops are ready, in their special armor, for when the Xerxes passes Canterlot. We're going to need them. Oh, and you too, Sis. I'm going to have to leave somepony the girls respect in charge of the Xerxes while I'm taking on the Griffonians at their own game. The three CMC know what to do, so you won't have to give them much in the way of orders, just keep an eye on them so they don't go overboard when the fighting starts.
See you when we get there, Sis. Take care and more than anything, don't panic. We'll deal with the griffons well enough.
Love,
Stellar

= = = = =

Twilight put the scroll down and checked the seal. Sure enough, glowing numbers on the back were slowly counting down the hours, minutes and seconds. Nodding, she made preparations to have the mana crystals fill one H-S scroll and with a letter ready to send them on at the appointed hour. She also rose and headed to where Celestia and Luna were making plans to counter any assault by the griffons.

= = = = =

The 'War Room' Stellar had set up as a control center for the armed forces of Equestria had some of the latest magic-tech devices, including a map-table like the one in the Castle of Friendship. Only this one had maps of defensive positions, deployment of troops and transport corridors shown on it. Once a minor ball room near the top of one of the buildings in Canterlot Castle, staff were filling it and beginning to take their places in their emergency positions, as Marigold Leaf made sure everypony was ready to carry out the orders of the Princesses. Celestia and Luna were standing around the table, watching as the reserves and the regulars were being equipped for combat and shipped to the coast. Cities like Manehattan, Fillydelphia and Baltimare had their own city guards, who were now re-equipping to defend their cities from any attacks, since they were prime targets.

Celestia, at that moment was looking at the Griffish Isles, one of the few places that had a large joint population of both Ponies and Griffons, all living together without conflict. But they were also a prime target, since they were very close to the Griffonstone coast as well as that of Equestria. She had ordered as many of the mares and foals of Trottingham and other towns there to be evacuated as quickly as possible, as well as of those griffons who wanted to leave as well. Celestia knew a lot of the mainland griffons didn't like those from the islands, considering them weak for living peacefully with ponies for so long. Griffonstone was still an ally of Equestria, but Celestia knew they couldn't stand up to an invasion by Griffonia to the east, if things threatened them. The main bridge over the strait north of Trottingham was heavily-mined and ready to be destroyed if Griffonstone fell, just in case it was used to shift troops, but the orders were to welcome refugees first, then deny the passage to the enemy if it came to that.

Then Twilight walked in.

Celestia and Luna both noticed her instantly, and at the look on her face, they both relaxed and became curious, for the look on Twilight's face said that something unexpected had happened, and she was both pleased and worried at the same time. "Something perplexes thee, dear Twilight?" Luna asked first, as the younger alicorn reached them.

Twilight was a little stunned, until she realised "Am I wearing my thoughts on my face again?" She asked.

Celestia and Luna giggled behind hoofs, until Celestia replied "Indeed, Twilight. Your mind is so occupied by something, it has made itself visible."

"Oh." Twilight replied with a sigh. "I guess I still have to work on my poker-face, as Rainbow Dash puts it." She replied. "Yeah. I just got a letter from Stellar." She told the older alicorns, whose faces changed to show their surprise. "She saw what's happening here, and what might happen." Twilight hoofed over Stellar's letter.

Celestia was more surprised than Luna, it seemed, for after reading the letter once, she nodded. "Verily, your sister's prescient vision is far more active than your own, it seems, Twilight." Luna said. "But this is a good thing. Whilst she cannot be here in person, yet, she still is able to help out in our planning."

"Yes..." Celestia agreed. "But some of these measures..." She looked at Luna. "I fail to see the logic in them... but this is future-vision we are talking about here. Sometimes the one who sees it cannot reveal everything before its time, for fear of changing the outcome."

"Yeah, that's what I read... and have experienced myself." Twilight reminded the senior Princesses. "Moving Cloudsdale towards the coast is sensible; after all, the pegasi and thestrals are the best ones to handle griffons in aerial combat. But using the weather factory and all of the available weather-control ponies like this...? What Stellar wants isn't going to stop the griffons, just make their approach more cautious." She claimed.

"But it will hide the pegasi and night-wing troops and give them a very large place for deployment." Luna countered. "And it will also hide our preparations for the perceived attack."

"There is that." Celestia agreed. "And having Stellar's personal pegasi platoons ready to deploy to join her is also what I would do." She added. "They need their commander to lead them... and by this request for all these mana crystals, Stellar has more plans-within-plans, as any competent commander must." She moved to a microphone and issued Stellar's desired preparations to the staff. "See that these are ready to be carried out at the appointed times" She ordered.

"Aye, Your Highness." Came the replies, as the orders were transmitted by the staff for those areas to those who would carry them out.

"Stellar seems to think that the main battle's going to be fought in the air." Twilight then pointed out. "She hasn't said of any major plans for the ground troops' deployment."

Celestia nodded, as Luna replied. "I think she is going to make use of her newest 'asset' to quickly give us the greatest advantage. But she knows the offensive and defensive capabilities of her vessel better than anypony here does. We must trust she knows what she is doing."

"Agreed." Celestia said in a strong tone. "She now has the greatest power we have at her disposal. Hopefully, she will have it here, ready, when the attack comes."

Twilight giggled at that. When Celestia and Luna looked at her queryingly, Twilight grinned. "Stellar? Miss a battle she knows is coming? If I know my sister, she will get out the front of the Xerxes and pull it along through Fold-Space herself, if she needs it to go faster to get here on-time."

Celestia and Luna chuckled a little at that. "Indeed. She will not let a little thing like speed or distance delay her from being at the forefront of battle, if it 'comes down to the wire', as the popular expression is, I believe." Luna stated.

Celestia nodded in agreement. "Then let us send to her what she needs and put her planned preparations in place, so that everything will be ready for her to take up command of this battle when she returns."

The other Princesses nodded back to Celestia, and they all began to make other plans, for areas that Stellar had not detailed.

=======

As they travelled on through Fold-Space again, Stellar and Sweetie Belle were making more preparations. Stellar was casting Adamant housings for the mana crystals and moulding softened Arcanite into flat sheets, ready to be wrapped around the crystals. Sweetie Belle was engraving discs of transparent Adamant before they hardened, slicing them from a cylinder of the metal with Stellar's mono-atomic blade. "So... these are gonna make more mana generators, like tha ones ya already use, Stellar?" Applebloom asked, as she and Scootaloo looked on.

"That's right. Although these ones are going to be used for mana thrusters, like the ones in my exo-armor, as well as yours, Applebloom, and Scootaloo's flight armor." Stellar answered.

"Cool!" Scootaloo grinned. "So I'm really gonna be able to go fast with these installed, right?" She asked.

"Probably faster than a veritech in atmosphere could, Scoots." Stellar told her. "The Alphas and Betas can naturally do about Mach Five in atmosphere, but need to be connected together for faster speeds, like reaching orbit." She explained. "But I've never pushed my armors beyond Mach Five in the lower atmosphere before. I can make orbit using the thrusters from heights of seventy-thousand feet or higher, but lower down the atmosphere's too thick to go much faster than Mach Ten, I'd estimate." She looked up at Scoots. "We might have to push it to that, if push comes to shove."

"That'd be so awesome." Scootaloo said with a mischievous grin.

"We'll see." Stellar said with a chuckle, as she returned to making housings for the mana crystals.

"An' tha smaller crystals, Stellar?" Applebloom asked, seeing Stellar with nearly a hundred-and-fifty magazine casings for the EP-40 beam cannon.

"They're going to power the smaller beam cannons I had you retrieve from the Cyclone Stores, Applebloom." Stellar revealed.

"You're gonna equip us with those?" Scootaloo asked.

Stellar chuckled. "I had an idea..." Was all she said in reply.

"Cool..." Scootaloo had the biggest grin on her face.

= = = = =

As planned, after twenty-four hours the Xerxes dropped out of Fold-Space once again and waited. Not ten minutes after returning to Normal Space, a letter popped back into Normal Space above the gathered crew of the starship and was caught in Stellar's magic. Unrolling it, the H-S pockets were there, as expected, one of which held the needed mana crystals. The others... there was one each for Stellar and the CMC, and they found that they were full of treats for them, mostly munchables from Sweet Apple Acres and Sugarcube Corner.

Stellar was looking fairly serious as she read Twilight's return letter...

= = = = =

Hiya Stellar-Sis!
Your prescient vision is uncanny, Sis. We are indeed facing a crisis involving griffons.
Prince Razorbeak Greatfeather, of the High Reaches Clan, has assassinated King Goodreach Brownclaw and is going to be crowned king in less than two day's time. I'm not sure if you remember Greatfeather, but his great-grandfather was dethroned and killed during the Draco-Griffon War by Grandfather. As a consequence, he has a massive grudge against our family, and he also has a grudge against Equestria as well. If what you're saying comes to pass, then an invasion against Equestria by Prince/King Greatfeather is something Celestia is considering an almost-certainty.
The Princesses are going to put your requested preparations in place, so everything should be ready for when you get home again. I'll be accompanying your platoons as you asked, when we rendezvous with you. We're hoping things go as you've seen them, Sis, because if you're wrong, this could go very badly. Not that we're saying you are, but we know that relying on Prescient Vision can be tricky at times. If you're feeling confident that what you've seen is accurate, then we're ready to put our trust in you, as we have done before.
Frankly, Sis, I am going to be happy to have you and the fillies home, no matter what. I just wish it was under far better circumstances, as I am betting you're feeling the same way about this. Still, I'm going to give you the biggest welcome-home I can, no matter what (not to mention what Pinkie has in store for the four of you. She's never been able to throw a 'Welcome home to Equis' party before!) I hope to see you soon, Stellar-Sis. Take care and look after everything for all of us.
Your loving sister,
Twilight

= = = = =

Stellar smiled and tucked the letter away with the others. Knowing that she had the support of Celestia and Luna also made Stellar feel that she was justified in putting her requests forward for the preparations. Now that she knew what the vision pertained to, it also made it easier for her to plan further for what she was going to face when the Xerxes arrived on Equestria. She returned her attention to the Trio and the food they were laying out to eat.

After a lovely meal, the four got busy, wrapping mana crystals in Arcanite and the housings meant for them. Once everything was ready, Stellar relaxed and looked at the three young mares. "You three... I could not have asked for better or more willing hoofs to help at this time." She told them. "When we get home, you shall all accompany me into battle, and we shall show the griffs that we aren't anywhere near as weak as they think."

"Yeah!" The Trio replied, and hugged into Stellar. Stellar chuckled and hugged them back.

=======

Certain griffons were in the capital of Griffonia, Griffonspire, as the preparations for the Coronation reached their peak. A wealthy merchant house, they had made money trading for goods and items from Equestria and Minotauria, as well as other distant lands, that wealthy clients amongst the leading Griffonian houses wanted, mostly for the prestige of owning such things. What no griff knew was that they secretly owed their house's existence to Celestia herself, after she had saved their clan's lives during the Draco-Griffon War. They operated as Celestia's eyes and ears inside Griffonia, informing the Equestrian Diarch of what the goings-on were within Griffonia.

Now they watched, both amongst the general crowd and inside the Palace itself, as vast crowds of griffons welcomed their soon-to-be-crowned king. Prince Razorbeak Greatfeather was being carried along on an open palanquin by four armored griffons almost as big as himself, their lions' flanks and golden-feathered eagle's fore-sections blending well as they moved along between the crowds towards the palace. Razorbeak was wearing armor as well, but it was purely ceremonial ironmongery. Instead of a helm, he wore his prince's crown, and a red cape trimmed with reddish fur adorned his back. As they reached the steps of the main Palace entrance, they carefully maintained a level stance as they headed inside.

Inside the Throne Room, the scions of the Thirty Great Houses of Griffonia waited for their crown prince to arrive. As he was carried in, Razorbeak was mostly somber; only those closest to him could have seen the small smile the lips at the back of his beak were turned up in. The armored griffons carried him up to the lowest step of the dais, then lowered the palanquin down to the first step, making sure Razorbeak's paws never touched the floor proper, as was tradition. Razorbeak stepped from the palanquin to the dais and ascended the stairs one at a time, as the priests of the gods said benedictions as part of the coronation ritual. With each blessing, he rose higher and higher, until he was at the main platform, before the throne. He faced General Steelclaw, who carried the Royal Sword, and Brightwing who, as his chamberlain, carried the Sceptre of Griffonia. The High Priest of the Temple of the Sky also carried the Orb of Prosperity, as he approached Razorbeak and started his blessing of the Crown Prince.

=======

As the Coronation proceeded, inside the minor Throne Room in Canterlot Castle, Celestia, Luna and Twilight, as well as a number of their most competent and knowledgeable advisors, were watching as well. Special jewels in the garb of Celestia's griffons were watching and transmitting what was happening directly to their location, allowing them to see and hear what was going on.

Twilight frowned as she saw the three artifacts that were being held by those on the dais. "So... he can't hold the sceptre, sword and orb at the same time, can he?" She asked. "So is there a choice?"

"Indeed, Your Highness." Open Words said as he sat beside Twilight, ready to answer questions. "His entire attitude to his rule will be known by which objects he chooses to wield. The Sceptre is a sign that he plans to rule for a lifetime, since it is linked to the Empire itself. If he takes the Orb, then it is a sign that he plans a peaceful reign, to concentrate on ruling for Prosperity; but if he takes the Sword, then Razorbeak is signalling he plans a reign of conquest and warfare, at least for a certain part of his rule."

Twilight nodded. "And if he takes the Orb and the Sword?"

Twilight then saw Celestia give a little shiver through her withers at that question, as Open Words answered "There has only been one instance where a King of Griffonia has done so, and that was Razorbeak's great-grandfather, King Steelbeak Greatfeather." He told Twilight. "That was the signal of the start of the Draco-Griffon War."

"Oh." Twilight replied softly, dire thoughts running through her head as she reviewed what she knew of Razorbeak's ancestor and the Crown Prince himself. 'I... don't suppose he's going to take the Orb, is he?"

Open Words chuckled. "I would not wager bits on it, no." He said back.

=======

Razorbeak was solemn as the crown was placed on his head, and he let go of the breath he had been holding.

It was done.

He was King.

He waited for the last of the rituals to be completed, then he stood and gestured to Brightwing, who walked forward to the throne, bowed before Razorbeak and held out the Sceptre on a purple pillow. Razorbeak took the Sceptre of The Empire in his left hand-claw, signalling his figurative marriage to the Empire.

The relief was palpable to a lot of the figures in the Throne Room at this, let alone those watching back in Equestria. But all held their collective breaths again as Razorbeak gestured for Steelclaw. The general marched forward, holding out the Sword of The Empire. But before Razorbeak grasped the sword, he drew his own House-sword out from behind his new cape, the purple one trimmed in white fur that had been placed on him when the crown went on, and he slid the sword into the slot next to the throne that he'd made two days' previously with it. Grasping the Sword of The Empire in his right hand-claw, he then slid it into the scabbard on his back, which made hundreds of people all over Griffonspire and Canterlot wonder as to his intent.

But then Razorbeak gestured the High Priest forward and took the Orb in his right hand-claw. Smiling as he stood there before the nobles and others that now served him, he gave them all a very wicked grin before he sat down again.

=======

Twilight blinked with surprise as she saw this. "What is he doing?" She asked.

Celestia said nothing as Luna snorted. "He thinks he is being clever." She answered.

"I would interpret it, Twilight, as Greatfeather saying that while he is interested in the welfare of Griffonia, he is also holding onto War as a distinct option." Celestia added to Luna's reply. "It also muddies his true intentions in speculation... but his actions after this will reveal his true intent."

"To those willing to see it." Luna added on as well.

Celestia nodded. "I wonder if others will see it, or will they ignore what is being hinted at, for the sake of allying themselves with his new reign?"

"Time will tell, Sister." Luna replied, and they all continued to watch.

=======

One by one, the heads of the thirty Noble Houses approached the throne, as General Steelclaw stood beside the throne, Razorbeak's sword before him. As each noble house swore their allegiance to the Throne and King Greatfeather, Steelclaw touched their House swords to Razorbeak's and then handed the House Leaders back their swords, signifying the Crown gave them its trust in their oaths of fealty and loyalty as well as figuratively bonding their houses to Razorbeak's High Reaches Clan. Others then approached, some swearing Loyalty and Fealty as those before them, others congratulating the newly-crowned king on his ascension to the throne.

After all those that needed to be heard had said their piece, King Razorbeak Greatfeather stood before the assembly once again. Smiling as he hefted the sceptre and orb in his hand-claws, he took a deep breath to settle himself, then spoke:

"To all those assembled here today, be they nobles or the commonfolk of our great land, We have finally ascended to the place which my House once held, and now rightfully returns to. With our strong leadership back in place, and our claws firmly gripping the helm of our nation, we shall begin this new era with celebration and joy. Those who ally themselves with us will be welcome to share in this. Those who owe us debts, either of honor or otherwise, will find an accounting is coming very soon. Those who stand against us... will find our resolve is stronger than ever, and we will stand in the face of their aggression and will repulse their attempts to weaken or destroy us as utterly as we would crush an ant under our armored paws." He said to them all. "For now, however, let the feasting come before the fighting, for once. Let the celebrations begin!" And with that, Razorbeak slid his sword out from the dais and slid it back behind him, in opposition to the Sword of The Empire, and stepped down to the palanquin that awaited him.

=======

Celestia looked at Luna and Twilight as they sat beside her. "And so it begins." She said.

"He has been very clever with that speech he just gave." Luna said back. "But his intent is not as murky as he tried to make it."

" 'Those who owe us debts, either of honor or otherwise, will find an accounting is coming very soon', he said." Celestia repeated in a worried tone. "We know who he means."

"House Sparkle?" Twilight ventured.

Celestia just nodded as Luna snorted, her face one of subtle fury. "He hides his intentions behind subtlety, as a good king must, but his intent is very clear with those words. And the only way he can confront House Sparkle, whom he has sworn to destroy..."

"...Is to invade." Luna finished.

Celestia nodded as Twilight gave a shiver. "So... what do we do?" She asked.

"We continue." Celestia answered. "Both in our preparations, and with Life in general."

"We will not cower to this threat." Luna added defiantly. "We will face whatever he sends at us and, Deities willing, we will face him with the best force we can put forth to counter him."

Twilight just nodded. All she hoped was that they had enough time...

Author's Note

A short chapter, but the pieces are starting to show their intent on the board, as Razorbeak takes full control of Griffonia.

More to come...:twilightsmile:

16 - Duel Of The Fleets - Pegasi Must Fly!

Once Stellar reached the top of the hull, she found the Wonderbolts and the Flying Squad there with the Elite Air Guard. Captain Spitfire and Commander Flash Sentry approached her and saluted. Stellar returned her salute and looked them over.

Spitfire was wearing new armor, as were all the Wonderbolts. The suits were full-coverage, like Stellar's armor, and made of a lightweight alloy of Lunar Titanium and Aluminium, strong but very lightweight for the amount of protection they gave the elite flyers. Flash Sentry was wearing the more traditional armor for the Royal Guard, but it was also a lighter version, more suited for pegasi.

Stellar nodded to them. "Welcome aboard, Captain, Commander." She said to them.

"Thank you, Knight-Commander." Spitfire replied.

"Or, I understand, that maybe we should call you 'Captain', considering you've taken command of this most impressive ship." Flash Sentry replied.

Stellar smiled. "Either will do, considering." She answered. "Now, we're going to give the griffons a chance to turn about before we face them. This ship's weapons will be decisive in this match, since their forces outnumber our own. But we're going to reveal it to them before we fire on them."

Spitfire's and Flash Sentry's eyes opened wide. "You're... you're going to fire on them?" Spitfire asked.

Stellar nodded. "Don't worry; the main guns on this ship are energy weapons and they've been retuned so that they don't kill, but they'll knock the griffons out for a nice, long nap." She said with a grin. "When that happens, I want your troops and the auxiliaries to board the airships and turn them around. We're going to fly them back to Griffonia, along with the Xerxes here, and show the griffons exactly why they should never attack Equestria again." She laid out for them.

Spitfire's face grinned a like grin, as Flash Sentry looked relieved. "That's good." He replied. "Killing those griffons isn't something I'd relish ordering my troops to do... even if it was necessary." He told Stellar.

Stellar nodded. "That's perfectly understandable, Commander." Stellar said to him. "Even I don't want to slaughter them without having no other option. This ship gives us a much better option: to avoid bloodshed all together." Stellar watched as the two commanders nodded. "Now, if you'd have your troops stay out of the line of fire, we're going to be at the cloud-wall very soon. Have them stay frosty as things progress, and we'll avoid this war completely."

Spitfire and Flash Sentry nodded, turned, and started deploying their troops over the hull of the Xerxes, avoiding the marked firing arcs on the hull.

Stellar headed for the front of the Xerxes' hull, as they came up on the cloud-wall directly opposite the Griffonian air-fleet. The Xerxes was barely moving as she shoved her extended snout into the clouds and through them, coming to a halt as just the fore-most tip emerged from the cloud-wall, with Stellar standing at the tip. She gazed out over the Air-fleet of a hundred quite advanced airships (for the Griffons), and nodded to herself. "There's quite the force out here, Sis." Stellar said to Twilight.

"I know, Sis." Twilight replied as she looked at the holo-monitors on the bridge. "So... what are you going to do? Do you think they're going to listen to you?" She asked.

"Well, I'm going to try, anyway, before we show them the big guns." Stellar answered. Stellar conjured up a large number of small magenta balls of magic. These would act as video-image recorders and loudspeakers amongst the two fleets and project her voice in ways that even Celestia would be jealous of. She sent them shooting out to mingle with the two sets of ships.

=======

General Steelclaw was wondering when the Equestrians would show themselves. They were almost within five kilometres of the cloud-wall and he had not heard of any reported sightings. While the ponies obviously knew they were coming, he knew they would try to negotiate and turn back the Griffon fleets before they reached Equestria. He wondered who it would be who would begin things; Luna, perhaps, or maybe Celestia herself. There were few others that were high enough in rank to negotiate with himself. He looked at the cloud-wall through his telescope, but if there were any ponies present, they were well-hidden at this range.

Then a massive roar of sound swept through the two fleets. Griffons cringed and screeched as it washed over them all. Steelclaw grimaced as he slammed his ears shut and growled at the cacophony. Then an enormously-amplified voice swept over them all...

"THIS IS KNIGHT-COMMANDER STELLAR LIGHT SPARKLE TO THE COMMANDERS AND GRIFFONS ABOARD THE TWO FLEETS APPROACHING EQUESTRIA. YOUR APPROACH HAS BEEN NOTED, AND BY THE NUMBER OF ARMORED TROOPS ABOARD YOUR VESSELS, YOUR INTENT HAS BEEN ASSUMED TO BE HOSTILE IN NATURE. IF THIS IS NOT SO, HEAVE-TO BEFORE YOU COME WITHIN FIVE KILOMETRES OF OUR SHORE AND WE SHALL MEET YOU THERE TO DISCUSS YOUR INTENTIONS." Stellar's voice rang out through the fleets very clearly and extremely voluminously. "IF YOU DO NOT HEAVE-TO AND CONTINUE YOUR APPROACH TO OUR SHORES, WE WILL REGARD YOU AS AN INVADING FORCE AND ALL PROPER MEASURES WILL BE USED TO REPULSE YOUR INVASION. THIS IS YOUR FIRST WARNING. DO NOT TAKE THIS THREAT LIGHTLY, AS WE HAVE THE MEANS OF REPULSING ANY FORCE YOU BRING TO OUR FAIR SHORES. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED."

Captain Skydiver and Colonel Scarlet Crest approached Steelclaw. Skydiver was wiggling a finger in his right ear. "I say! The ponies have some very powerful amplification systems, don't they?" He asked in a joking fashion.

"That was murder on the ears, that's for sure." Crest agreed.

"Indeed." Steelclaw also agreed. "And now we know whom we are facing." He scowled. "Of all the ponies to lead their troops, Knight-Commander Sparkle is the one I did not expect." He told them. "After she disappeared so abruptly, I'd thought she might have been out of the country. Obviously it was for some other purpose."

"What do we know about her, General?" Skydiver asked.

"She's the twin sister of Princess Twilight Sparkle and a princess in her own right, as well as being the second-highest ranking officer in the Royal Guard." Crest answered. "There's not much else known about her, save that she's the grand-daughter of General Canopus Star, and apparently takes after him far more than her sister does. Her titles include 'Princess Of The Blade', which should tell you more about how she handles herself in combat."

"Indeed. I do not know how much experience she has at leading troops in the field, but to be at that rank, she must have had at least some training in doing so, I would assume." Steelclaw added.

"True... but you can't help but wonder how effective she is as a leader, if she's untested in battle." Crest suggested. "After all, Equestria hasn't faced any real battles against numbers like ours since the time of her grandfather. They've faced off more against singular threats like Tirek and Sombra, and they were mostly dispatched by Twilight Sparkle, not her sister, according to reports we've had."

"She was only a lieutenant when Queen Chrysalis invaded, as far as I have read, but she was one of the more effective officers that day. Apparently she saved Celestia from being trapped by the Queen, and kept Chrysalis busy until she could be repulsed." Steelclaw informed the two officers.

"So, what shall we do, General?" Skydiver asked.

General Steelclaw thought for a minute, then ordered "Continue on. Any threat Commander Sparkle could bring to bear on us, we have the numbers to counter effectively. We haven't seen any build-up of troop numbers or construction of war vessels anywhere in Equestria, so I think it is safe to consider their forces to be little threat to our own." He concluded. "Signal the fleets to press on."

"Aye, General." The two commanders replied, saluting, then moved off to send word through the fleets.

Steelclaw turned back to look at the cloud-wall. "What are you planning? What resources do you have to bring to bear on us, if you are so confident that you challenge our approach so... politely?" He wondered out-loud...

=======

Stellar watched as the two fleets sent signals between them with flags on long ropes being strung out from the lead airship. By the fact that the fleets neither stopped or diverted, they had decided to disregard her warning and continue on. "Okay... you're thinking I don't have the means to hold up my threat; probably you're considering my warning a bluff." Stellar surmised as she smiled to herself. "Just a little closer, and I'll show you my trump card." Stellar grinned.

"What's the word, Knight-Commander?" She heard in her helmet-radio. The voice was that of Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts.

"The word is, Captain Spitfire, hold steady in position." Stellar answered. "We're about to show the Griffons heading this way why they should fear... I mean, why they should respect Equestria's power." Stellar told the troops.

There were soft chuckles through her headset, and Spitfire replied "I wish I could be there to see their faces when this big girl comes through the clouds at them."

Stellar chuckled back. "I already have imaging spheres stationed throughout their air-fleet. The recordings are going to be really fun to watch."

"Oh yeah!" Spitfire said. "We'll watch them at our arena back at Canterlot, and the Wonderbolts will provide the drinks and popcorn."

"We'll take you up on that, Captain." Stellar replied. As the Griffon fleets closed to within three kilometres of the cloud-wall, Stellar ordered "Helm, on my mark, prepare to move forward at five metres per second until we're well-clear of the cloud-wall. Then come to a halt where the Griffons can see us clearly."

"Aye, Captain." Sweetie Belle's voice came to Stellar's ears.

Then Stellar nodded. "Now, to give them their last chance..."

=======

General Steelclaw and Colonel Scarlet Crest were watching intently what was ahead as they moved closer than three kilometres of the cloud-wall. "No resistance as yet, General. This is starting to become a little unnerving."

"They're hoping to make us twitchy, Colonel. A good tactic, but Griffons are not that skittish. I'm not about to let us fall victim to speculation about their forces and their intentions. We know we out-number them decisively, so they have to try and bluff us into thinking they have the advantage." Steelclaw shook himself, his armor clanking softly as he rolled his wing-shoulders. "We will carry the day, Colonel; never fear."

Scarlet Crest nodded, but as they moved closer, more words blasted around their ships...

"ATTENTION, GRIFFONIAN SHIPS, BOTH IN THE AIR AND ON THE SEA. YOU HAVE PROGRESSED FURTHER THAN YOUR FIRST WARNING SAID FOR YOU TO ANNOUNCE YOUR INTENTIONS. THEREFORE YOU HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED AS A HOSTILE INVASION, AND YOU WILL BE REPULSED. YOU HAVE ONE LAST CHANCE TO TURN BACK AND RETURN TO GRIFFONIA, OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES."

Scarlet Crest removed his hand-claws from over his ears again. "Sky-Gods-dammit! Whatever they're using, it's way too loud." He stated.

Steelclaw nodded. "Indeed, but very effective." He looked at the communications officer for the airship Claw of Griffonia. "Leave the 'continue on' signal out." He ordered.

"Aye, General." The officer responded with a salute.

=======

Stellar nodded. "Okay, Helm, take us out." Stellar ordered softly.

"Aye, Captain." Sweetie Belle replied, and Stellar felt the ship start to move...

=======

General Steelclaw was about to signal the scouts to deploy, when Captain Skydiver's voice came across his position. "What in the names of the Sky-Gods is that?!"

Steelclaw turned to look forward, and his lower beak dropped as the bow of the Xerxes pushed through the cloud-wall like a dagger through flesh. The enormous size of the one-point-two-kilometre-long starship dwarfed the airships like a battleship did destroyers, and many of the airships started reversing engines, coming to a halt as the Xerxes revealed her full length and size, while the cloud-wall closed up behind her.

"General...?" Colonel Crest asked Steelclaw, as the General raised his spyglass to his eye.

The older griffon looked the strange air vessel over, seeing lots of things he couldn't identify, as well as a large number of armored pegasi standing on parts of the hull. The units he could see were the Elite Air Guard, the Flying Squad and the Wonderbolts, by the colors of their distinctive flight armor. But one thing he could also clearly see: This ship was not an airship. It was not made of thin armor over flexible cloth or anything of the usual materials. It was made solidly of armored metal with no provision for a gasbag, something that was unheard of. Not even the ships of the Storm King had been more than thinly-armored wood and cloth. He realised that, somehow, the Ponies had come up with a vessel that out-classed everything...

=======

Stellar chuckled as she saw, in her armor's visor, the shocked look on the ranking officer's face as the Xerxes parked itself before their fleet. The Xerxes was sitting below the airships by a hundred metres, and above the sea fleet by just under nine hundred metres, a perfect firing solution for the powerful main gun-turrets of the Xerxes. "Lieutenant Applebloom," Stellar ordered, "Acquire firing spread over the two fleets."

"Aye aye, Captain." Applebloom's voice acknowledged, and Stellar barely heard one of the main turrets turning behind her, to acquire a section of the air fleet in its sights. "All griffon vessels are targeted, Captain." Applebloom then reported.

"Very good. Stand by for firing command." Stellar replied, as she connected to the address system again.

=======

General Steelclaw was considering his position, as he heard others tell Scarlet Crest than the sea fleet were signalling that they were halting their advance. Others were reporting that individual airships were also coming to a halt, in the face of the much-bigger ship that faced them. Just as he was about to order the troops to detach from the airships and assault the enemy vessel, that voice came barrelling through the fleets again.

"OKAY... YOU'VE OBVIOUSLY DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITH THIS VERY BADLY-CONSIDERED ACTION AGAINST EQUESTRIA. SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES." It told them.

General Steelclaw was shocked. The Ponies were attacking first? He tried to think of plans to deny them a clear target, but without knowing what they had planned, not to mention what they were about to unleash, his tactical planning stalled for a time.

Time enough for the Xerxes to unleash her firepower...

=======

"Lieutenant Applebloom... fire at will." Stellar ordered.

"Aye!" Applebloom replied, and the turrets of the Xerxes glowed, just as Sweetie Belle asked in the background "Which one is Will?"

Stellar stifled a chuckle as the Xerxes' guns spoke. Instead of the concentrated beams of deadly particle-beam energy, however, they unleashed wide-angled beams that engulfed both fleets before her, covering them in soft, pink energy.

=======

Aboard the Griffonian airships, the griffons had little time to react. The beams swept over them in mere seconds, and aboard every ship, the warriors and crew turned their eyes up in their heads and collapsed where they were. All of those on the top of the envelopes collapsed, only the tethers that secured them to the envelope keeping some of them from sliding off the sides and plunging down to the ocean below.

Below, the crews and warriors of the sea vessels had a little longer to watch the pink field come straight for them. There was a little longer period of panic, but no griffon was injured as the stunning energy engulfed them and they all fell down, unconscious. Those in the rigging managed to either hang on, or fall to the decks. Since the ships were holding position, they didn't fall overboard, but a few of them would be sporting big bruises from others falling onto them.

=======

Stellar smiled as she ordered Applebloom to cease firing. She could see that all the griffons on the airships and, through the imaging spheres, all the crews of the sea vessels were out cold. They'd be that way for at least twenty hours as well, maybe longer.

"Captain Spitfire, Commander Flash Sentry, deploy on Operation Return To Sender." Stellar ordered.

"Aye, Knight-Commander!" The replies came, and all the pegasi in the two units and those auxiliaried to them shot forward from the Xerxes and headed for the airships, two moving to each of them.

"Admiral Briny Depths, you are clear to also begin Operation Return To Sender." Stellar ordered after switching channels.

"Acknowledged, Knight-Commander." the Admiral replied. Below, from Horseshoe Bay and Baltimare, small, fast vessels deployed; their steam-turbine engines driving them forward at twenty knots towards the Griffonian Sea Fleet. Once they had reached each ship, unicorns and experienced earth-pony sailors boarded them and started turning them about, heading back towards Griffonia. Small boxes with explosive charges were also brought aboard; 'presents' sent by Twilight, prepared by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. These were placed in the bilges along the keel of each ship, ready to destroy the Empire's fleet.

Above, the pegasi were manoeuvering the airships around, heading back into formation for a trip back to Griffonia. The Xerxes moved into the middle of the Griffonian air fleet, ready to retrieve the ponies who were taking the griffons home.

= = = = =

Stellar made her way back to the bridge of the Xerxes, where Twilight sat in the Captain's chair, Sweetie Belle at the Helm and Applebloom at Engineering. Smiling at just how comfortable Twilight looked, sitting in the Captain's chair, looking at all the readouts and the huge holographic screens before the bridge dais; she looked like she was Pinkie in Bon Bon's candy store, with free reign to feast. "Everything nominal here, Ponies?" She asked.

"Everything's nominal, Captain." Sweetie Belle and Applebloom replied.

Stellar nodded. "Okay. Commander, I am leaving you in charge of the recovery operation when you reach Griffonian shores." Stellar told Twilight. "You should have plenty of time before the stun effect wears off to reach there and remove our crews. Once that's done, head north to rendezvous with my force, if we don't return first." Stellar gave Twilight her orders. Normally they were of equal rank, but aboard the Xerxes, there could be only one captain.

Twilight saluted Stellar. "Aye, Captain. And may the All-Mother favor your venture... because I know Celestia already does." Twilight replied, grinning.

Stellar grinned back. "Thanks, Sis. Take care and listen to these two." Stellar said as she moved close to Twilight and nuzzled noses again. "And have fun delving into the database."

"Oh yeah." Twilight said with a massive grin. "See you when you get back."

Stellar nodded. "See you then." She agreed, then turned and walked off the bridge.

= = = = =

Having returned to the flight bay, Scootaloo was standing before the three platoons of the Elite Air Guard, as Stellar reached them. "Okay everypony. This is what we have been training for all this time! You now have your thrusters for your new armor, as I promised, and new weapons to take out the griffon fleet. I want you to remember one thing above all: this is NOT a slaughter-fest. We want to inflict as few casualties amongst the griffon troops and crews as possible. Taking out their ships is the goal here. Let the griffons fly for Griffonstone if they leave you alone. Otherwise, stunning them is the next-best option. We're going to show them exactly why attacking ponies anywhere is an extremely-bad idea!"

"YES, MA'AM!" The pegasi troops replied, saluting Stellar.

Stellar nodded as she returned their salute. "Very well. You all know the procedure: once we drop, form up in platoons in Arrows; Second Platoon above and behind First, Third Platoon below and behind. Wait for my command to ignite your thrusters, and remember to sweep your wings back when your thrusters activate. We are going for maximum speed here, ponies; you all remember training with me to fly under power, so now you will deploy as I have planned all this time: as the First Elite Air Guard of Equestria." She grinned back at their eager, grinning faces. "So seal up, and let's have at them! Lieutenant Scootaloo, you're with me." Stellar told Scootaloo.

"Aye, Knight-Commander!" Scootaloo replied, and then she yelled "Pegasi! Time to fly!"

The pegasi guard troops all yelled out the old pegasus battle-cry:

PEGASI! BORN TO FLY!

WHEN THE SUN IS IN THE SKY!

Stellar chuckled at that after joining in, then turned and cantered for the bay doorway, Scootaloo barely keeping up with the bigger alicorn mare at a full gallop. Behind them and beside each other, the platoons galloped along, then jumped in their rows out the door, spreading their wings and diving below the fleet of airships before they levelled out and opened up to form three wide arrowhead formations. As they reached level flight and steadied their formations, Stellar called out. "Ignition in three... two... one... Fire!"

From the backs of each pegasus guard, two long streams of powerful mana-thrust blasted forth. Their adamant armor shielded them from it as they all sped up faster than any other pegasus had done naturally. Their wings swept back, their fore-legs locked forward beside their heads, and they raced along, heading north and paralleling the cloud-wall several kilometres away. Then they held fast as the air built-up in shock-cones before them, and as one, they punched through the sound barrier in formation...

= = = = =

Twilight had watched the three platoons race off on one of the big screens. She grinned as she saw the over-one-hundred pegasi punch through the sound barrier. There wasn't a sonic chroma-boom to see, but that made no difference. Then the shockwave reached the fleet. Some of the most-northerly airships rocked as the sound-wave raced past them, but it mostly was just noise... but it was the biggest boom heard over Equis since the Xerxes herself dropped below the sound barrier on her descent. She continued to watch until the formation had out-distanced the cameras watching them, then turned her view back to the fleet below them, keeping an eye on things...

=======

Admiral Juver Seaforth was standing on the bridge of the Waverider, the command vessel of the second Griffonian Sea Fleet. Unlike the vessels of the First Sea Fleet, most of the hundred ships under his command weren't war vessels, but converted transport ships. Their main objectives were not to conquer and subdue, but to rout the ponies on the Griffish Isles, punish the griffons who dared to live in peace with those who should rightfully be their prey, and to confiscate as much of the wealth of the islands' communities as possible. If they could hold the islands until reinforcements arrived, so much the better. If they had to leave, then the islands would be much poorer for their time there, and weakened enough so another invasion might keep them next time.

Seaforth looked about as the captain of the Waverider approached him. "Sir, our estimated time of arrival is now seven hours."

"Very good, Captain." Seaforth replied. He looked out over the deployment of the fleet. They were staying in fairly-tight formation, staying as much out of the way of the wind, so as not to steal it from the sails of the other ships. He was also wary of the Northern Equestrian Sea Fleet stationed in Manehattan. Their steam-powered ships were fast and manoeuverable, compared to his older sail-powered vessels. Better that they not be spotted by patrols and reached their destination unhindered.

Then came a sound of distant thunder. As Seaforth looked up, he saw a sight he couldn't interpret: something was making a long trail of... smoke?... in the sky over towards Equestria, and it was moving faster than anything he had ever seen in his life. It was travelling very high up and far enough away that even his spyglass couldn't make out details. He wondered what it could be, and if it meant trouble for his fleet...

=======

Shooting along faster than she ever thought was possible, Scootaloo was speechless with amazement. She knew for a fact that not even Rainbow Dash could fly this fast unaided, yet here she was with a hundred and twenty-three other pegasi, flying beside Princess Stellar Light Sparkle, doing Mach Ten in formation with them. Not even flying with the Wonderbolts would ever top this. And to think, less than four years ago, she couldn't even get off the ground without help for more than a few seconds. This was more than even Scootaloo had ever dreamed of, in her wildest dreams. She hoped it would never stop being this awesome...

Stellar, meanwhile, was looking to the east. With the amplification spells on her visor, she could see the Griffon fleet easily from this altitude. She breathed a slight sigh to herself. She didn't want to truly use the weapons they all carried on them against the griffons; there were way too many chances something could go wrong and some-griff might be killed, considering the firepower they all carried. There had to be a better way of disabling all the ships without hurting the griffons.

She looked back below herself, looking back underneath their flightpath at the third platoon, and the long contrail they were leaving behind, the turbulence of their wake taking hold of the mana energy they were using and making the vortices visible, like they would have done at higher altitudes. That started Stellar thinking. The formation of the ships wasn't spread out very wide, probably less than a kilometre across at the widest point. With the speed and direction of the prevailing winds, they had little more than seven hours left to go until they hit the cloud-wall that cut off the Griffish Isles from their northerly journey. 'How to stop them without hurting anyone...' Stellar surmised in thought. Then she smiled...

Scootaloo heard Stellar chuckle softly in her headphones. "Commander?" She asked.

Stellar glanced at Scootaloo. "I just got an idea." She answered.

Scootaloo grinned. "Awesome." She replied.

"Oh yeah." Stellar said back. "Okay! Listen up, everypony! There's going to be a change of plans. We're going to strike the fleet, but we're going to do it without even using these new weapons." She told them all.

"But... how are we going to take them down if we're not going to fire upon them?" One of the pegasi asked.

"We're going to use the weapons the Maker gave us all, as Pegasi. And we're going to remind these griffons why WE Pegasi rule the skies and NOT them!"

"Tartarus, yeah!" Scootaloo said out-loud, and soon, all the Air Guard pegasi were doing the same.

"Okay, settle down." Stellar said, and everypony fell silent. "Just listen to me and do as I tell you, and we'll show these griffs how awesome we really are."

"Aye, Ma'am!" They all replied, and Stellar started working out the details.

= = = = =

As they turned around with the curve in the cloud-wall, Stellar had them slow down to just over Mach One, and they dove down in formation to fifty metres above sea level. "Okay, spread out; Second Platoon to the port of First, Third to the starboard." Stellar ordered. "Come up in one long, straight formation."

Stellar watched as all the pegasi moved up until they were in one long line abreast of each other. "Now, get ready to catch this in your fields, about a metre in front of you." She informed them. Then Stellar cast a rune spell. The blazing white rune appeared before her, then unravelled and stretched out before the formation, until all the pegasi held it, even Scootaloo. It had formed a long line before them: a wedge-shaped blade as long as their formation, and the pegasi could feel it physically splitting the air before them.

"Now, I want the outermost flyers to spread out, until you're a kilometre away from me. Everypony else, spread out evenly between them." Stellar ordered and the formation widened out, using the readouts in their visors to measure the distances between them, until they were evenly distributed.

"Everypony ready?" Stellar asked.

"Ready, Knight-Commander!" The reply was almost seamless.

"Then slowly descend to twenty metres off the ocean and speed up to maximum again." Stellar told them, and as the formation sped up and slowly descended, Scootaloo was watching the surface of the ocean behind them. As they hit Mach Five and levelled out, she could see the ocean surface literally being pushed down by their wake, bulging deeper and deeper as they sped up... then the surface tension broke, and a huge wash of spray kicked up into the air behind them.

Stellar was also watching this, and saw the mana streams were being absorbed by the wash of spray. Grinning, she cast another rune spell, and tossed it back into the spray. With a roar, the spray billowed up into massive dark clouds, surging with mana lightning across its front as it absorbed the mana streams and fuelled itself with them.

The pegasi were astounded at the storm they were making, but they grinned and concentrated as they raced along, dragging this massive storm front with them...

=======

Admiral Seaforth was gazing ahead. He could almost feel the weather changing as they headed north at a steady rate, the wind being kind, if not fully-accommodating them by coming from behind. He brought out his spyglass and looked ahead. Something was not right. A griffon scouting team had brought news of the wall of cloud the ponies had somehow made to hide the Griffish Isles from being seen from sea-ward, but he hadn't thought it to be a problem... yet. But now all his weather instincts from sailing for several decades were telling him a storm was coming... and they were sounding out louder with each passing minute. He couldn't see anything yet... save for a glint of something rising from over the horizon. That nagging itch still persisted, however. "Captain." He called for the Captain of the Waverider.

"Aye, Sir?" The griffon asked.

"Can you feel that? Like there's a storm approaching?" He asked.

The Captain thought for a second, feathers fluffing along his back. "Aye, Sir. I can feel that." He answered. "Feels like a big one, too... but it's moving way too fast to be a storm..."

"Yes, I feel that, too." Seaforth replied. "Send to the fleet: 'Be ready for storms. If storms met, all warriors fly for the mainland'. Also put out the order to batten down the hatches and prepare for storms."

"Aye, Admiral." The captain replied, saluted, and started having the proper signal flags raised and semaphore messages sent...

=======

As they approached, Stellar caught the topsails of the fleet in her visor. "Everypony, activate your targeting systems. Target everything in the air and the ships on the sea. When we get close, move to pass between the ships, not into them, and avoid any griffons you see on the wing." She ordered.

"With this following us, Commander, they're not likely to stay at sea level." Steady Sentry replied.

"That's what I'm hoping." Stellar said back. "Right! Stay steady and make sure you don't get caught in the rigging!" She ordered as they drew closer and closer...

=======

Admiral Seaforth was staring directly ahead of the fleet as the clouds billowed up in the distance, drawing closer and closer at a speed that was unbelievable... Then he saw a glowing white line stretched out before the storm front. He almost panicked as he realised what this storm truly was. He grabbed a megaphone cone that was sitting beside him and yelled "ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! ALL GRIFFS, TAKE TO THE SKY! GET AS HIGH ABOVE THE STORM AS YOU CAN!"

"Admiral?" The captain asked as the griffons on the Waverider did exactly as told. Other crews also started abandoning their ships, passing the message along.

"The storm... The Pegasi are coming, and they're bringing it with them." Was all Seaforth had to say. The look of fear on the Captain's face told Seaforth he realised the severity of the situation. They both took to the sky, pulling their armor off and dropping it as they tried to get as much height as possible as quickly as they could.

All over the fleet, griffons dropped their weapons and armor and flew as fast as they could for height, as well as to head in the general direction of the mainland, as the ponies drew closer, faster than belief...

=======

"Steady..." Stellar said as the time-to-encounter dropped to seconds...

=======

The first thing the griffons who were looking back saw was the white blade-line that raced towards their ships, the pegasi behind it moving at speeds that were unbelievable, white lines of burning light coming from their backs. They watched as the blade-line then flashed past under them, slicing through the rigging and masts of their ships like a sword through sea-foam. The shock-wave and storm followed less than an instant behind it, smashing into the heavily-laden hulls and crushing the ships under it. The storm engulfed them immediately after that, throwing griffons to the fury of its winds and lightning. Most of them, trained in riding storm winds, managed to surf on top of the surge up into clearer skies. Some of them had to fight their way clear, or were trapped on the front of the storm itself, being shoved along helplessly.

Scootaloo was grinning mischievously as she angled herself closer to Stellar, along with several others, and they flashed through the griffon fleet in less than three seconds. She barely caught the blade-line slicing off the rigging and masts of the ships to port of their group, the formation the griffon fleet had been sailing in making it easy to pass through it, and then they were past the fleet, leaving the storm to finish off the ships. Scootaloo started laughing with the sheer thrill of it all, and soon she was joined in by the others, as Stellar dismissed the blade-line.

"Okay, everypony, let's head upwards and resume arrow formations." Stellar told them all, and the line of pegasi rose from the ocean surface and slid back into the three arrowheads. Stellar had them also slow down to just supersonic, and they came around to circle the encounter zone.

The thousands of griffons were scattered all over the top of the storm, most of them heading for Griffonstone once they'd risen above the storm and gained their bearings. Some were watching as the Pegasi formations circled them far faster than they could fly, some raising their fists and obviously cursing at them.

"Now that's how it's done!" Scootaloo's voice came to all the other pegasi there, and laughter resounded through their headsets.

"Okay, Ponies, let's head back to the Xerxes and re-join the main party." Stellar ordered, and the formations turned as one, heading south at Mach Two.

Author's Note

And we see just why Pegasi are masters of the sky. Discord's warning of needing a bloodless battle seems to have been a part of Stellar's plans all along... and she did it in style, too.

17 - Onto Griffonia

The airships of the Griffon Air-Fleet, now under pony control, were heading back at a faster rate of knots than the sea fleet was. The weather pegasi may have turned the winds around to give the griffon ships more speed and easier sailing, but it would take nearly twenty hours of sailing time for them to return close to the shores they'd left from. The airships, with a much greater distance to travel, were going much faster for their return journey. However, compared to the speeds the Xerxes was capable of, they were only crawling along.

Twilight was watching over the pair of Crusaders who remained on the bridge. She couldn't help but be a little in awe at how competent they sounded, as they worked the controls and co-ordinated with the other forces on the griffon air-ships and sea-ships. After only three weeks of training aboard this... strange vessel, they were showing a level of competency that she envied... well, only a little, really, but it was there. Twilight knew she had a lot of catching up to do, if she ever hoped to captain a ship like this... or whatever ships were built from the technology derived from this incredible vessel of the Stars. Twilight smiled. She could do this; study was her forte, research her speciality. If Stellar could learn to captain a ship like the Xerxes, then she could, too.

Then there was another sonic boom off to the port-side, and a trail of light followed the EAG platoons as they crossed the path of the air-fleet, slowing to rendezvous with the Xerxes. There were cheers and lots of waving as the pegasi teams cruised around the fleet, then came in from the front, to land on the upper hull. They stayed in formation and saluted the Xerxes' foredeck, then saluted the bridge and folded together into two columns for each platoon as they headed for the upper access ramp.

Scootaloo half-trotted beside Stellar as they led the platoons back inside the Xerxes again. Her smile was so wide, she could have flipped her head open, or it seemed like it to her. Once they were inside and in the Upper Receiving Hold, the platoons halted as Stellar turned and faced them, Scootaloo right beside her. Then Stellar saluted the Elite Air Guard, and they returned it, the pride on their faces showing through. "You all have lived up to my hopes for you, Pegasi of the Elite Air Guard. When we return to Canterlot, you will be able to hold your heads high and say 'I was there when the Griffons were defeated, and we showed them why WE rule the skies!' For now, stand down and relax. I will need you again when we reach Griffonspire. Cadet-Lieutenant Scootaloo will show you to one of the lounges where you can retract your armor and refresh yourselves."

"Aye, Knight-Commander!" The pegasi flyers replied, saluting Stellar again. At her salute, they waited for Scootaloo.

"Take them to that big lounge we fixed up in Officer Country, Lieutenant." Stellar said softly to Scootaloo. "Show them how the supply pockets work, then re-join me on the bridge."

"Aye, Captain." Scootaloo responded, then as she moved off down the corridors, the three platoons fell in step behind her.

Stellar made her way to the bridge to find Twilight was grinning triumphantly as she slid from the Captain's chair and stood beside it, ready for her. "Welcome back, Captain." She said, saluting Stellar, who eagerly returned her salute. "Your Command awaits."

Stellar nodded and jumped up into the chair, settling herself as Twilight stood beside her, and large holo-screens showed the air-fleet around the Xerxes as they headed back to Griffonia. Then the sisters felt a twitch in their horns: they both realised that somepony was trying to communicate with them. Stellar looked at Twilight and nodded. They both then cast a softly-worded spell that swirled into a ball of magic, which floated forward to expand into a large mirror-like screen in amongst the holo-screens.

As the mirror cleared, it showed both Celestia and Luna sitting in the War Room, looking relieved as they saw the Sisters, sitting and standing together on the bridge. "Princesses, report." Celestia then said.

"Your Highnesses, we have met the Griffons and defeated them decisively." Stellar reported. "No griffons were harmed during this defeat, as far as we are aware."

"The Xerxes is escorting the First Sea-Fleet and the Air-Fleet back to Griffonia as we speak." Twilight then reported. "All the vessels of both fleets are under our command and the griffons are all stunned."

"The Second Sea-Fleet has been totally destroyed; the griffons manning it were scattered to the winds, minus their weapons and armor, but were essentially unharmed as far as could be determined." Stellar then added.

The relief on Celestia's and Luna's faces was palpable. "That is great news, Twilight, Stellar." Celestia replied. "To hear you so effectively stopped this invasion is wonderful; to hear that possibly no griffons were harmed as well is even better. It so suits Equestria's stance on making War that we would kill no-griff to repel this attack on our sovereignty."

"Indeed." Luna said in agreement. "I take it, then, that we can dismantle the Cloud-wall, now that it has served its purpose?" She asked.

Stellar smiled as Twilight grinned. "That's correct, Luna. It has served its purpose, so let the water used in making it return to those who gave so generously to its construction."

Luna turned her head and said something to one of the mares standing behind them, as Celestia smiled at the pair of younger alicorns. "So, I take it you're taking the griffons back home again? What of their fleets? Are you going to take care of them as well, now that you've destroyed the ships of the Second Sea-Fleet?" She asked.

"The First Sea-Fleet has had all its ships mined, Celestia. We're going to blow them up once they get within five kilometres of the Griffonstone coast." Twilight reported. "Don't worry, Princess," Twilight reassured Celestia, "We're going to give the griffons on the ships plenty of warning to get away from them before they go up." Twilight told Celestia, as Luna turned back around.

"And I have plans for the Griffonian Air Fleet once we get back to Griffonspire, minus the troops aboard them." Stellar added to Twilight's explanation.

The Celestial Sisters nodded and looked pleased. "We shall back any actions you take, Knight-Commander." Luna told Stellar. "Deal with the threat of King Greatfeather as you see fit."

"Yes. And if you can make sure we will never face such a threat again, then we shall be most pleased." Celestia added.

"We shall do this for Equestria and yourselves, Your Highnesses." Stellar and Twilight said together, saluting the Diarchs. Luna saluted them in return, as Celestia nodded.

"Once again, Knight-Commander, congratulations on your return and your triumph." Celestia told Stellar, then nodded to Twilight before the magic screen shimmered back to a mirror again, and collapsed.

"Whoo!" Twilight said, then looked to Stellar. "I think you're the only commander since Grandfather to get carte-blanche against the griffons." She told Stellar.

Stellar nodded in return. "And I think I'm going to need it, Sis. King Greatfeather is not going to be a pushover, even without the bulk of his army. I'm going to have to play on his weaknesses and make this a much smaller conflict. And I think I know how I'm going to do that." She informed Twilight. "But first, we'll de-griffon the Air-Fleet once we cross the coast and head for Griffonspire.” Stellar gave Twilight a wink, which was returned, then they laughed. “Let’s go get something to eat, Sis.” Stellar said.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Twilight agreed. “Want us to bring you something back, Girls?” Twilight asked Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

“Yes please!” The young mares answered, and Stellar led Twilight to their personal lounge, where foodstuffs awaited in their H-S pockets.

=======

Celestia and Luna looked around at the gathered staff in the War Room. "Stand down, My Ponies. The crisis has been taken care of, and we can lower the threat level to Level One." She told them all. The looks of relief on their faces was palpable, as they started returning all the systems to their base alert level.

Luna was also relaxing, and yawning widely. "I shall take my leave of you, Dear Tia, if you have no further need for me." She told her sister.

"Of course, Dear Luna. Sweet dreams." Celestia replied, giving Luna a loving nuzzle and wing-hug, then letting her sister go to her rest.

"That was a lot less stressful than any other threat we've faced, Your Highness." Marigold Leaf said as she came up beside Celestia. "They didn't even get to land on our shores."

Celestia sighed as she made preparations to leave the War Room. "I'll take Lunch, and we might even be able to have the afternoon session of Day Court before things get too frantic." She told Marigold. "Please, have preparations made to that effect, Marigold."

"Of course, Your Highness." Marigold replied, and trotted off to do her mistress' bidding.

As Celestia left the War Room, she noticed Blueblood standing to one side of the corridor with other officers of the Guard. "Lieutenant Blueblood," She said as she reached him, "your efforts to help supplement our troops during this crisis are most appreciated. Since the crisis has now passed, I thank you for your help, and you may now return to your reserve status. But know this: If we ever need the reserves to be activated again, your unit will be one of the first we shall draw upon in times of future crisis."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Blueblood saluted Celestia, along with all the other officers.

"Captain Heart, once the Regulars return from the Front, you may stand down the reserves as needed." Celestia then ordered Captain Gallant Heart.

"As you command, Your Highness." Gallant Heart replied, then he started barking orders as Celestia headed for the minor dining room. With the emergency well in-hoof, her appetite was returning. A nice loaded salad would be a very good distraction right about now..

=======

As the airships crossed the coast of Griffonstone, Twilight joined Stellar on the upper hull of the Xerxes. The griffons on the airships had been stunned a second time before they woke up, resetting the clock on their snooze-time. The Wonderbolts and Flying Squad pegasi and their auxiliaries had jumped the ships and hovered above them as the beams stunned the griffons once again, then they returned to the ships once again. "Ready for Phase Two?" Stellar asked Twilight.

"As I'll ever be." Twilight replied. "I don't think I've ever teleported this many beings at once, Sis. Are you sure we can do this?"

Stellar nodded. "Yep, we can do this, Twi-Sis. Just remember: no more than fifty at a time, and just lay them on the ground without their armor and weapons. We can teleport the armor and weapons back to the main hold of the Xerxes after we deal with the griffs themselves." She grinned at Twilight, who nodded. "Just remember the most important thing about teleporting, Twi': if you believe you can do it, if you're absolutely certain you can..."

"...You will." Twilight finished. She steeled herself, gaining strength from the closeness of her twin sister, then nodded. "Let's do this." Twilight said in a steady, firm voice.

Stellar gave Twilight a grin, and the alicorn twins took off, landing on the nearest airship. They sized up the task, then started. Their horns glowed in their magenta magic, and their magic each surrounded fifty of the griffin warriors lying stunned in their rows, starting with the outermost rows. With a flash, the hundred griffons were gone, but their armor and weapons remained. Another flash and the hardware also vanished.

Twilight sucked in a breath, moaning softly as the mana arrays built into her armor powered up and recharged her. The mana flow into her through them was far faster than any spells she could use to recharge herself, and she soon found she could do the mass teleports over and over again, her fatigue after each one vanishing as she got used to casting the two teleports and recharging again quickly. Soon, both alicorns were doing the teleports simultaneously, differentiating by the flesh of the griffons and the metal of their accoutrements.

Stellar calculated it was taking them twenty-one teleports to clear an airship of its griffons. With them working together, that was eleven each airship. At twenty seconds a teleport and recharge time, that was just over six minutes to clear each airship. Add in a few minutes each time to fly from one airship to another, and it made it ten minutes per airship. With the slow start, she worked out it would take slightly under seventeen hours to clear the airships entirely of griffon warriors and crew. "Slow going, but it's better to be careful with these griffons' lives than to rush the job and possibly hurt them." She thought to herself.

"I couldn't agree more, Sis." Twilight's voice came to her in her head. "How long before we reach Griffonspire?"

"About twenty hours all-up, Sis. We could go faster, but that gives us plenty of time to confront King Greatfeather and his court, and show them that we Ponies are no longer playing around. If it's a war they want, we'll show them the consequences of attacking us, especially without doing the decent thing and declaring their intentions before-hand." Stellar snorted as she teleported fifty more griffons to the ground, and their belongings to the holds of the Xerxes.

"Then we'd better keep at it, Sis. Keeping these griffons out of the way as we confront King Greatfeather will make it much harder for him to try and retaliate, since I bet we're only going to find about ten percent of the Griffonian army is left in Griffonia. That might be a lot of griffons, but we can stun them as easily as we stunned the others." Twilight thought back to Stellar.

"I don't plan to let him even start to launch his remaining forces, Sis." Stellar replied. "I'm going to destroy his air-fleet right in front of him, then he'll hopefully act as I expect him to: He'll either try to attack me directly; after all, we know he projects all his hatred of our family onto me specifically, and I plan to play on that. Or he'll do something to let me goad him into either him or myself declaring an Honor Duel against the other. Once that happens, it comes down to a fight between him and myself... with everything on the line."

Twilight gasped. "You mean... you're willing to gamble Equestria itself on beating Greatfeather?" She replied, aghast.

"It's the only thing that'll make him risk Griffonia and the crown, Sis." Stellar thought back. "Since I'm a Princess of Equestria, basically equivalent to himself, I can force a challenge at that level. And I'll give him a fair fight, too, Sis. I'll not use my Adamant armor in the arena, I'll use my titanium blades, I'll not even use my magic to fight him. I will give him the fairest challenge I can... and I'll beat him. I know I will." Stellar thought to Twilight. "I'll only break the rules if he does first, and only to the same amount, apart from stooping to anything dishonorable. He might not hold his honor to the utmost, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to. Let him cheat; I'll still beat him in his own arena, fairly and honorably." Stellar declared.

Twilight was still unsure, but she sent thoughts of confidence in Stellar back to her.

=======

The Griffonian First Sea-Fleet was approaching the Griffonstone shore again after a quick transition of the Celestial Sea, with aid from the Pegasi weather group. Once they reached five kilometres away from the shoreline, the fleet came to a halt and 'parked' themselves in a rough formation. The fast Pony vessels that had accompanied them waited as the Pony crews abandoned the ships where they lay and then turned around, heading for Home again.

At a good distance, the lead ship in the Pony fleet stopped and waited; Admiral Briny Depths stood on the aft-deck, smiling to himself as he watched the griffon fleet just riding in place on the soft swells.

"Admiral?" Captain Deep Diver inquired of his superior.

"Just here is fine, Captain. I just want to watch for the moment when the Griffons realise how badly their plans have been screwed over." He chuckled to himself.

Deep Diver gave a grin of his own and nodded. "Of course, Sir." He replied and they waited together as the end of the fleet grew near...

= = = = =

Admiral Greyfeather slowly came awake with a groan. He looked about at the ship he was on, and found all the other griffons were either unconscious or slowly stirring. "Where the beak are we?" He asked himself in a quiet voice as he slowly got his claws and paws underneath himself and heaved his bulk upright. Moans from other griffons told him of the ones who were waking up as he moved cautiously about the ship. He hadn't had a hangover like this in months, not since his son's last birthday party.

Captain Sharpeye was also heaving himself upright, then saw the Admiral. "Admiral! Are you..." He winced as his own voice made his head throb.

"I'm fine, save for this blasted headache." Greyfeather answered as he reached Sharpeye. "What did those Ponies hit us with?"

"I can't say, Admiral... but it made my head hurt worse than a three-bottle binge of 'Old Ironsides'." Sharpeye replied as he sat and held the sides of his head. Then he looked about. "Admiral... those look like the mountains of Griffonstone, not the distant hills of the Unicorn Range and Mount Canterhorn."

Admiral Greyfeather looked and realised Sharpeye was right. "What the...? How long have we been out?" He asked, as he saw the sun was slowly sinking towards the far horizon already, with the Moon already up over the hills of Griffonia in the far east. Wide Bay was also before them, but they were still far out to sea, about five kilometres Greyfeather estimated by the apparent size of the mountains.

"How did we get back here?" Sharpeye asked. Then he started walking around, kicking at the sailor-griffs to wake them up and get them back in the rigging.

Greyfeather waddled unsteadily towards the fo'c's'le, climbing up and looking out with the telescope mounted there. He looked out over Griffonstone and Wide Bay, noting he couldn't see the Air Fleet anywhere around them. "What happened to us?" He asked himself. "Did the Ponies sail us back here?"

Just as the griffon sailors were about to take control of their ships again, a piercing wave of sound came from below-decks on every ship in the fleet: a siren of immense intensity that instantly awoke every still-unconscious griffon from their torpor and aggravated the hangovers of any still suffering from them. Then two cheerful filly voices sounded out in multiple voices from the bilges of every ship in the fleet:

"WARNING! WARNING! WE ARE TWO-MINUTE BOMBS!"
"YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO GET TO MINIMUM SAFE DISTANCE!"
"COUNTDOWN STARTS... NOW!"
"...A HUNDRED AND TWENTY!"
"...A HUNDRED AND NINETEEN!"
"...A HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN!"

Admiral Greyfeather and Captain Sharpeye looked at each other for two more seconds, then yelled at all the others to "ABANDON SHIP!"

Startled, the hungover griffon soldiers and sailors still obeyed the order, as it carried across to waves the the other ships, the officers of most having already copied the command. The skies over the fleet were soon filled with griffons shedding armor and arms, as they gained as much altitude as possible and headed for the coast.

= = = = =

Admiral Briny Depths and Captain Deep Diver were chuckling as the warning from the bombs drifted to them, then they saw the waves of griffons abandoning their vessels. "There they go..." Deep Diver said.

"And in a proper panic, too." Briny Depths added.

"So would I if such cheerful voices had called out that warning." Deep Diver agreed.

Briny Depths and every other pony sailor laughed at that remark, as the Admiral and Captain kept watching...

= = = = =

The griffon forces from the fleet headed higher and further away from their ships, mostly ignoring their headaches as they headed for the shoreline in the distance. Admiral Greyfeather, though, stayed closer, to watch what was about to happen. He could just hear those sweet, cheerful foal voices as they counted down:

"...FIVE!"
"...FOUR!"
"...THREE!
"...TWO!"
"...ONE!"
"WE GO BOOM NOW!"

As Greyfeather watched, the explosions rippled along the long line of a hundred ships. The ships shuddered violently, the water around them churned and surged as the charges, made out of shaped-charge mini-missiles meant for destroying the armored shells of Invid mecha, blew out the keels and bottoms of the ships instead of blowing them up. Some of the ships seemed to stay relatively intact from above; some of them cracked into sections that fell apart. Some of them had their masts launched into the air a few metres, then the huge masts crashed back down again. It all depended where the individual charges, four to a ship, had been placed and positioned. Greyfeather had seen the keel of the flagship of the fleet, the Spearhead, literally split from bow to stern, and the two halfs slowly opened up, dropping the precious cargo contained within to the sea floor far below. He shook his head sadly, but turned and followed the rest of his troops and sailors in heading for Griffonstone.

= = = = =

The crew on board Briny Depths' ship, the Silver Speedster, were laughing their tails off as they heard the end of the countdown and watched the Griffons' ships sink fairly quickly. "Oh, by Celestia! I don't think a greater prank has ever been played on a war-fleet!" He said to Deep Diver.

"I have to agree, Sir." Deep Diver replied, wiping tears from his eyes. "This is one defeat they won't ever forget... even if they dare not talk about it to the rest of the griffons, save for in extremely-embarrassed whispers."

Chuckling still, Briny Depths turned to the sailor at the helm. "Set course for Home! Full Speed ahead" He yelled.

"Aye, Admiral!" Came the reply, and the Silver Speedster almost leaped forward, her twin turbine-powered screws pushing her along at close to thirty knots over the flat seas.

=======

After de-griffoning the Air Fleet, Twilight and Stellar rested on the upper deck of the Xerxes, taking a late lunch. "We should be at Griffonspire in five hours, just before dusk." Stellar told Twilight.

Twilight nodded as she finished munching on a vegetable wrap she'd put together. "So, if you can force a duel between yourself and King Greatfeather, it will have to take place tomorrow, then." She almost stated to Stellar.

Stellar nodded as she replied "Yeah. I'll state it to be held at Noon; that way it'll be fairer, and we won't have to worry about the sun in our eyes."

Twilight sighed. 'Isn't destroying Greatfeather's armada enough? Do we really have to go through with this... challenge?" She asked Stellar.

"If things were different, Sis, I'd gladly turn the Air Fleet back around over the Celestial Sea and vaporise them out there; but we both know Greatfeather isn't going to let this rest, until he's either dead or he's killed us off. And with this attempted invasion, he's stepped over the line. At least we saw this one coming; what if he tries sending assassins next? We know Griffons consider assassination as a legitimate form of warfare or combat. Would you be willing to risk that their aim is true, or wait and see how much collateral damage they could do to all our friends wherever we are?" Stellar asked Twilight in return.

Twilight shuddered at the thought of griffon assassins roaming through Ponyville, maybe even holding her friends hostage to lure herself and Stellar into traps, or other nefarious doings. "Yeah... I can see what you mean, Sis." Twilight had to agree.

Stellar nodded. "Yeah. Better to have this out, one-on-one, in the open before a big audience. That way, if he does break the rules, the griffons will see just how dishonorable Greatfeather is... or they may just keep him honest. It all comes down to what he's willing to do personally to take me on. He's a fair fighter, but the reports I read about the House heads said he lets his emotions rule his sensibilities most of the time. I'm counting on that, too, to make him take the 'easy' solution, and challenge me as a princess. Once he does that he's bound to the duel by the Code; and if he breaks that, he'll have the other twenty-nine Great Houses turn on him so fast, he won't have time to react. Either the griffons will be in a successions war again; we'll get a moderate Equestria can deal with on the throne; or I'll be the one to take the throne... and if that happens, it'll be the biggest shake-up to Griffonia in its long history." Stellar laid the possibilities out for Twilight.

"Do you think they'll let you take the throne?" Twilight asked.

"They'll protest, Sis, but in reality, they won't have a choice: their rules state specifically that in an Honor Duel, the winner takes everything the loser has; 'you keep what you kill', a griffon combat-master once told me when I was being taught the rules. I'll become not only the ruler of Griffonia, but the Lord of High Reaches House as well, with all its goods, chattels and properties being mine as well." Then Stellar's face turned thoughtful. "I'll have to do something about that... She said softly.

Twilight just thought on what faced them. She felt that Stellar had pretty much everything in-hoof, as long as there were no radical surprises in store. She decided to do some reading on Griffon duelling customs, and headed down into the ship, to send a letter to Open Words at the Canterlot Royal Archives.

Stellar watched Twilight leave, then hauled herself to her hoofs as she tidied up. "Now, to brief everypony about what to expect, and what to do in case of eventualities and divergences..." She said to herself as she headed back to where the EAG were relaxing.

=======

King Greatfeather was settling in for dinner in one of the palace's many dining rooms, when a guard came rushing in. After saluting and having Greatfeather return his salute, he exclaimed "Your Majesty! The Air Fleet has been spotted coming back towards Griffonspire! And they appear to be escorting a huge new air vessel in amongst them, like nothing seen before." He reported.

Greatfeather frowned. There was no reason for the Air Fleet to be returning in such a short time after they'd departed. Something was very amiss. The servants backed away as he lifted himself to his great paws and strode out towards the doors, the guard falling in with the others of his personal guard. At a pace that had the smaller griffons hard-pressed to keep up as they moved through the corridors of the Palace, Greatfeather strode to the main front apron of the Palace and looked up, a large number of guards and servants following and spreading out, to join those already there.

Looking up, Greatfeather easily saw the hundred large airships slowly manoeuvering around a ship three times their size, of a type that defied description or even rational explanation. He could tell it wasn't like any airship design he'd ever seen or been shown before and seemed to defy every conventional idea of how a ship of the air should or could be built. However, the long banners of the Equestrian flag hanging down behind the bow and the huge Sun-disk that was stretched around the bow, the crescent moon below it and supporting it, definitely indicated its allegiance.

The whole assembled fleet came to a halt over the arena below where everything could easily be seen by everygriff in Griffonspire. The arena was empty that day and everygriff that had been flying landed as far away from the fleet as they could get, yet still be able to see what was going on.

Greatfeather gestured to the remaining ranking officer in his forces, a colonel named Arcwing. "Colonel, gather together a small force, then go up there and see what this is all about." He ordered.

"At once, Your Majesty..." Then everygriff stopped and looked, as a number of easily-identified shapes flew from every airship in the fleet, back to the Equestrian newcomer...

=======

Stellar stood with her EAG troops behind her, as she looked down on the palace of Griffonspire, a numerous collection of sharp spires and granite construction that gave off a sombre air. The capital of Griffonia was far more a display of sheer power and military might, as well as overwhelming prestige than even Canterlot was, and with the aim of making all who came there, invited or not, intimidated into a more... cautious approach.

Having been in the grand city many times in her life, Stellar was no longer intimidated by the harsh architecture. She saw King Greatfeather standing on the apron before the great doors leading into the palace, his guards and staff surrounding him, and she zoomed her visor's view down at him. She could see the confusion in his face and all the other griffons as the fleet and the Xerxes came to a halt above the city below the palace and the houses of the nobles that were built into the heights either side of the grey building and its complex. She also saw the city and the houses built above it were also filling with griffons coming out to watch this spectacle... but things were about to change a great deal from what they were expecting.

As the fleet came to a complete stop above the Great Arena, the pegasi of the Flying Squad and the Wonderbolts abandoned the Griffonian airships and returned to the Xerxes, saluting Stellar and the bridge of the Xerxes as they landed, then trotted back past Stellar and to where they could wait for the signal to deploy in defence of the Xerxes, if needed.

As soon as all the pegasi were back aboard the Xerxes and waiting, Stellar moved up to the forepeak of the top deck of the Xerxes' main structure, looking out over Griffonspire as the voice-amplification spheres settled down level with the palace apron, covering the entire city within the range of their effect. Once they were in position, Stellar spoke:

"King Razorbeak Greatfeather! You have dishonoured your people and nation by attempting an invasion of Equestria, breaking the treaty your people signed three hundred years ago!" Stellar's amplified voice sounded out over the city of Griffonspire. "Your attempted invasion has been repulsed, both systematically and completely! Your troops have been scattered to the four winds, your sea fleets have been destroyed, and you will now watch as we destroy your air fleet before your eyes!" Stellar switched channels and said "Lt Applebloom, open fire on the air fleet."

"Aye, Captain! Opening fire." Applebloom replied.

As Greatfeather watched helplessly, his rage evident on his face, the Xerxes' main guns opened fire on the airships clustered around it. Instead of the pink stun-beams they had emitted earlier, brilliant blue beams blasted forth, bathing the airships around the starship and vaporising them. Most of them just quickly vanished as the slightly-spread beams washed over them, although the hydrogen in some of the outermost airships managed to have time to catch alight and blaze forth, putting on a spectacular show of aerial fire for the griffons watching from below.

Greatfeather fumed as he watched the spectacle, taking note of the expressions on the faces of the Palace staff. He saw astonishment and no small amount of fear displayed on their faces and in their body-language at the quick and total destruction of the mighty Griffonian air-fleet; more at the immense power from the new Equestrian vessel. Greatfeather realised at that moment that this was something he could not possibly fight against, no matter the resources or troops he could wield against it. However they had managed it, the Equestrian forces held a floating sword of immense size over the Griffon nation, and seemed poised to use it. He furiously tried to think of some way he could turn this back to his advantage, some means to render that ship and its firepower impotent...

Then Stellar and the EAG launched themselves from the bow of the Xerxes, flying in perfect formation as they headed down to land before the assembled griffons. The remaining Royal Guard griffons took a stand between their king and the Equestrians, but Greatfeather just pushed his way through them as they made the assembled audience move back from the Ponies. Four of the biggest guards stayed with him, heedless of the danger they were facing in their loyalty to their king. Greatfeather could see all the pegasi, not just Princess Sparkle, were wearing full-coverage armor in white-and-gold, and bore some very unusual equipment fitted to their suits he assumed were weapons of some description. The hundred-and-twenty-three pegasi of what appeared to be an unknown unit (their unit markings had never been covered by any spy-briefing before) were sharp; ready for attack, defence or flight, he assessed, depending on their orders.

Then Greatfeather was surprised as Stellar bowed her head to him a little, and the pegasi troops saluted him and his troops. The Griffon guards were confused for only a second, then returned the salute almost as one. Stellar saluted Greatfeather, who slowly returned the salute as well, and then both sides lowered their fore-limbs as one with Greatfeather, and Order reigned instead of panicked anticipatory Chaos.

Greatfeather nodded his head to Stellar, the soldier and monarch in him appreciating the respect she and her troops had given him and his, even as they faced-off against each other. The supposed 'Alicorn of Honor' was living up to her title, even now that she had the upper claw. "So, Princess Sparkle..." He then said in a accusatory tone, "How will this play out? Will you open fire on our capital? Destroy us and ravage our lands? Will you Equestrians show Griffonia and the rest of our world your true ambitions?" He asked Stellar.

"You're a fine one to talk about 'ambitions', Your Majesty." Stellar replied, using Greatfeather's proper title. "You have broken the treaty your people signed three hundred years ago, never to make War against Equestria, not to mention going against all the proper procedures for doing so, such as a formal declaration of War." She pointed out. "The method by which you ascended to the Throne might be legitimate here, but your actions as King of Griffonia have show you to be far less honorable than your predecessors, not even your great-grandfather excepted. You've taken the honor of your griffons and thrown it into the cesspool of petty revenge, just in an attempt to try and kill myself and my family..." Greatfeather opened his beak to reply, but Stellar over-rode him. "Don't deny it! Your vendetta against the Sparkle Family and my grandfather is well-known, and your desire to end us all has been all too obvious, even to the blindest griffon or pony." Stellar yelled him down. "If you wanted a piece of me, Your Majesty, all you ever had to do was send a formal challenge of an Honor Duel against me! Putting your people at risk like this over this grudge... bringing our two nations to the brink of War like you have done... it is unworthy of you as a king and unworthy of the Honor of Griffonia."

Greatfeather was barely holding his rage inside him, his entire body-language showing how much he wanted to strike Stellar down, right there and then. His talons and claws were expressing and retracting, he was clicking his beak shut over and over, and his feathers were sticking out from under his cloak and regalia, making him look twice the size he normally was. But then Brightwing managed to slip up close to the enraged monarch and quickly whispered in his ear-canal. As he talked on, Greatfeather's demeanour seemed to relax and he visibly regained control of himself. A smug smile replaced the anger on his face, and his eyes seemed to twinkle with crafty menace. "All these... accusations against me, Princess Sparkle, have aggrieved my personal honor, as well as that of my people! If it is a duel you want, then I challenge you to an Honor Duel, for your kingdom and your life!"

Stellar nodded, hoping and expecting this. "Very well, Your Majesty. Tomorrow then, and Noon local time?" She asked, as the proper formalities dictated, since the Sun was close to being set again, and the Moon starting to rise in the east.

"That will serve." Greatfeather answered.

Stellar said "Very well. But this will be a battle of physical strength and skill! No weapons at all, save for those we have naturally." Stellar stated, as was her right as the challenged party. "Armor, though, is allowed."

Greatfeather snorted. "Are you scared to face my blades, Princess Sparkle?" He asked in a scoffing tone.

Stellar just grinned, and all eight of her double-ended blades came slowly out of their H-S pockets, floating around her and pointing at Greatfeather. "No, Your Majesty, just giving you a fighting chance against me, rather than slicing and dicing you within the first few minutes." She countered.

Greatfeather had taken two steps back at the sight of the eight long, thick, incredibly-sharp floating weapons, his guards surging forward to shield him, but Stellar just put her swords away again. "After all, this is a duel of Honor. It might seem... unsporting if I was to shred you without giving you at least a small chance of winning." She pointed out with a smug smile now on her own face.

Greatfeather realised the danger he faced all-too easily. He had discounted Stellar's possible skills with blades, as Celestia hadn't shown skill with bladed weapons, almost always relying on magic to fight. Luna was rumored to have some skill with swords, but much was still hearsay from legend. Stellar's sister Twilight was well-known to follow her mentor's ways, relying on her magic for any fighting, but while reports had shown Stellar's skills with hoof-held swords, he hadn't known her to have such powerful and deadly-looking blades as she had just displayed. He wondered just what else his spies in Equestria might have missed reporting to him for a brief second. However, she was voluntarily abrogating use of such weapons in their duel, an allowance that gave him considerable advantages, so he agreed readily with this, of course. "Very well, Princess. I concede to your demands in this duel." He replied, as his guards stood back from before him.

Stellar nodded. "Then, until noon, when we shall meet in the arena and settle this matter once and for all." Stellar said, concluding the necessary ritual of the Challenge.

"Until noon." Greatfeather agreed.

Stellar and her EAG then saluted the Griffons, who returned the salute as the civilian griffons bowed. Taking to the skies, the Pegasi and their Alicorn commander returned to the starship that hovered over the capital, as the griffons returned to either inside the Palace or to their positions outside of it.

As soon as they were inside the Throne Room, Greatfeather whirled on Brightwing. "Are you sure of what you told me? He asked, his voice holding soft menace in its question.

"Stellar Sparkle is a princess of Equestria." Brightwing answered. "The terms of an Honor Duel are clear: Winner takes everything. In the case of you both, as rulers of your respective countries, that means both kingdoms are on the line. Princess Sparkle is still a princess of Equestria, therefore her royal connection to Equestria is the same as either of the senior princesses, under the terms of the duel. Not even Celestia can break those terms. It is as if she herself was facing off against you tomorrow." Brightwing confirmed the rules to Greatfeather.

Greatfeather smirked. "So... I might actually get what I have wanted all along, without the... complications I'd thought I'd have to go through... or had planned for." He snorted, a whistle through his nostrils that was far shriller than any pony-snort. "If only I'd known, I could have done this much earlier."

"I am afraid not, Your Majesty." Brightwing cautioned Greatfeather. "Before you became King, you would only have put your personal possessions on the line, as would have the princess. Only as King could you force Equestria to be the prize."

Greatfeather nodded. "Then it is good that I am King." Greatfeather said. "Make the preparations for tomorrow. I am going to enjoy crushing that little pony princess... So. Very. Much!" He said, with a huge grin and laughter that echoed throughout the chambers and halls branching off the Throne Room.

=======

Stellar and the EAG landed back on the Xerxes and swapped out with the Wonderbolts and Flying Squad, whom had been on guard duty for the Xerxes. Stellar headed down into the ship again and grabbed something to eat as she headed for the bridge. "Now, there's just the wait until tomorrow..." She said to herself as she came onto the bridge and sat in her seat, letting her duties as Captain relax her into a calmer frame of mind for the coming night.

Author's Note

Stellar and Greatfeather meet face-to-face, and terms are set.

Sorry this has taken so long, but after a two-week stay in hospital and losing my right index finger to a flesh-eating bug, it's taken a little while to get back into the swing of doing anything. My hand is still healing as well, so I've had to take things easy, as well as learning to use my right hand again with one less finger. Writing's becoming easier, as is finding my balance for typing, but I'm probably going to be off-work for the rest of this year. :fluttercry::applecry:

Hope this Christmas finds you and all yours doing better than I am, and that all your Hearth's-Warming dreams come true...:twilightsmile:

18 - Duel To The Death

Author's Note

Okay! This is the fight scene, as the title gives away. There is blood and gore here, without going into unnecessary detail. The story's rating and markers have been changed to suit this chapter, so if you feel I haven't warned you enough already, this is your final warning.

Don't say I didn't warn you... :pinkiecrazy:

18 - Duel To The Death

Twilight came out of her quite-comfortable quarters on the Xerxes the next morning, to find Stellar wasn't on the bridge. "Scootaloo, do you know where Stellar is?" She asked the only member of the CMC on the bridge.

"Yeah, Twilight." Scootaloo had noticed that Twilight hadn't toned her question to her as a member of the crew, but as if they were just in Ponyville, so she answered her in the same manner. "Stellar's down on the upper flight deck at the moment. She said she was going to get 'warmed up' for the fight."

Twilight nodded. That made sense. "Thanks, Scootaloo. Keep up the good work." She replied as she headed off the bridge for the lift.

Proceeding to the afore-mentioned flight deck, Twilight entered to see Stellar being assaulted by numerous members of her pegasus squads, and making them wish they hadn't been volunteered. On closer inspection, Twilight could see that, while the pegasi who engaged her were not suffering any injuries, the methods Stellar was using to repel them ended up with all of them very discombobulated for several minutes each time, before they regained their senses and attacked again. Stellar, on the other hoof, was grinning and looking as though this whole attack was great fun; and Twilight even saw her embrace one determined-looking stallion and give him a massive kiss as they spun around, before sending him flying. Twilight hid a giggle behind a hoof, before she proceeded to enter the bay.

Flash Sentry saw Twilight enter, and yelled out "Stand down! Civilian on the field!"

All the pegasi halted their planned attack-runs and stepped further out from a ring marked on the flight deck, and Stellar shook herself out as the pegasi guards saluted Twilight. She saluted them back as Stellar ordered "Break, everypony. Go have breakfast and get ready. We'll be heading down at eleven-hundred hours."

"Aye, Captain!" The pegasi replied, and formed up before heading out of the bay, as Twilight reached Stellar.

"You looked like you were having fun, although your Guards seemed to be treating things a little more... seriously." Twilight commented as the sisters headed out of the bay as well.

"That's because I wanted them to, Sis." Stellar told Twilight. "I don't want them to think I'm going soft, just because of the current circumstances. Plus these are griffons we're facing; I don't want them being too confident. There's still a chance Greatfeather could do me a decent injury in the arena, and I want them all to be ready to get you out in an instant, if things go wrong." Stellar reminded her sister.

Twilight nodded as they reached the lift and headed for Stellar's quarters behind the bridge. They talked on as Stellar showered, then they both sat down to a decent breakfast. "So, is there anything you need me to do before we set off, Stellar?" Twilight asked.

"The only thing I can think of is perhaps send a message to Celestia, asking her to send us some medical staff, Twi-Sis." Stellar answered. "The EAG and Flying Squad have medics, but a fully-qualified doctor could be a huge asset, if anything really serious occurs. Maybe Dr Rubber Gloves, if Celestia could spare him. At least he knows about Alicorn anatomy, and has been examining us since we ascended. No-pony knows us as well as he does."

"A good idea, Sis." Twilight agreed. "I'll write Celestia as you're getting ready."

Stellar nodded, and Twilight left Stellar's quarters to send a message to Celestia.

The next couple of hours were spent with Stellar and the CMC coaching Twilight more on the Xerxes and its layout, as well as running Twilight through some of the bridge simulations the fillies had been put through as the Xerxes had drifted along in interstellar space, before they had been able to turn around and head home again. They had managed to get through three simulations before Steady Sentry came to remind Stellar it was time to head down to the arena. "Thank you, Commander. Get those coming down with us to the upper deck, and we'll join you there." Stellar told Steady Sentry.

"At your conveniance, Captain." Steady Sentry replied, as Sweetie Belle shut down the simulation and returned the full bridge to its normal monitoring.

Stellar's Red-and-Gold Battle Armor extended out over her, as Twilight dropped to the floor from the Captain's chair. As Stellar left some last-minute instructions for the CMC, Twilight had her own Purple-and-Gold armor extend over her as well. "See you when we get back, Lieutenants." Stellar said with a casual salute to the Trio.

"Good luck, Captain!" The Trio replied, then the Twins left the Bridge for the Upper Deck, both Stellar and Twilight keeping their thoughts private for the moment...

= = = = =

While the EAG's first platoon and the Flying Squad formated around the Alicorn Twins on the upper deck of the Xerxes, Stellar looked down at the arena. The crowds lined up outside it were more than enough to fill the stands, she estimated, and a lot of the griffons were going to be disappointed about not getting seating inside. Equestrian flags were flying on half of the flagpoles around the arena's upper ring, as was proper, and banners hung from the outer walls as well. Stellar nodded. All the preparations were going as expected. As Twilight came up beside her, Stellar nodded to Twilight, who nodded back, then they opened their huge wings. At a gesture, the eighty-two pegasi and two alicorns lifted from the deck and drifted down over the arena, heading for the entrance to a section of the arena's outer ring that was cordoned off, with the banner of Equestria to either side of the entrance.

As they settled down in one of the arena's preparation areas, Twilight fidgeted nervously as Stellar began her preparations for the duel. Flash Sentry and Steady Sentry were standing together to one side, the Flying Squad and Elite Air Guard surrounding the rooms as well. "Now you all need to prioritise Twilight's safety over my own here." Stellar told the Sentry Brothers. "Until the duel is over, my life is protected from outside assault by the laws of the Honor Duel. Twilight isn't covered by that, so keep an eye out for anything the Griffons might use to try and hurt or kill her. Not all of them are as honorable as the majority are, and assassination is a legitimate political tool here, as you all know."

Flash and Steady nodded. "Aye, Commander." They said together.

Stellar moved to Twilight and gently nuzzled her. "Calm, Sis. Breathe." She said softly to Twilight, who nodded and did her breathing exercise. Stellar mirrored her, effectively doubling the effect it had on Twilight, to the point where they both giggled and smiled at one another.

"I'm just worried for you." Twilight admitted.

"I know." Stellar moved to Twilight and the sisters gently nuzzled one another. "Just relax. As I said, I'm protected until after the duel is done. All you have to do is stay safe with the EAG and the Flying Squad around you. And don't let the griffons rattle you. I know Greatfeather's going to do his best to kill me, but I've narrowed his options down as much as I can in that regard. He's not going to be able to use weapons against me, other than those he has naturally, and I'll still be wearing armor, so he'll have to get in very close and grapple with me." Stellar grinned. "He's going to find out very quickly that I'm no pushover in physical combat."

Twilight grinned back. "That's for sure." She agreed.

Then the first of the signals came from outside the ready areas, a gong that sounded one long, deep note. Stellar noted it, then looked at Twilight. "Fifteen minutes, Sis. Time for you to get to your box." Stellar told Twilight.

Twilight nodded, then the sisters hugged each other close, with forelegs and wings wrapped around each other as they nuzzled their noses along the sides of their muzzles. "Do Equestria proud, Stellar-sis."

"Always, Twi-sis." Stellar said back in the same soft voice.

Twilight nodded, then turned and headed out of the changing room and for her assigned box. Once all the ponies were gone, Stellar made her normal armor retract and she began to cast a special spell... one that would give her a much-more equal fighting chance against Greatfeather, and one that would have him both perplexed and have him second-guessing everything in the duel...

= = = = =

Twilight and her Guard walked out into the stands, taking a box that was meant for visiting Royalty when any were present. Surrounded by her purple-and-gold armor, this time Twilight had augmented the armor with her crown and regalia, plus a long purple and gold-trimmed cloak that covered most of her. As Flash Sentry directed her, she sat in the middle of the box, the Flying Squad and Elite Air Guard forming concentric rings around her in a protective formation. Flash Sentry was seated before her, Steady Sentry directly behind her; the brothers making sure that, if it came to evacuating the Princess, The Elite Air Guard and Flying Squad would be able to power Twilight up into the air as fast as their thrusters could take them, hopefully well beyond the reach of any griffons that might wish to overwhelm their formation.

Twilight was even more reassured as she sat there, for right in her view was the Xerxes, hovering effortlessly over the city and facing the arena. The power her weapons held could destroy the arena and most of the city unopposed, if the Ponies so desired... but Twilight knew that wasn't the plan. They had managed to get this far with no casualties at all amongst the Griffin combatants (hopefully), and Stellar's plan was for that trend to continue. She'd even told Twilight that if she could get out of killing Greatfeather, she would... but they both knew it was a forlorn hope at best. Greatfeather was out to win this duel; out to humiliate Ponies and the Crown of Equestria as well as take the Kingdom for himself; and out to destroy House Sparkle completely. Twilight knew, as Stellar had told her, that this had to end here and now, or Equestria and Griffonia would forever be on the brink of war. Even with the edge the Xerxes gave Equestria at that moment, that edge would be soon lost as the Ponies delved into the starship, seeking to replicate its secrets and systems. Twilight shook her head, then settled herself again and waited as the Arena filled to capacity around her.

= = = = =

About ten minutes before Noon, the arena doors opened and a griffon in somewhat-ornate armor came forth, walking towards the center of the arena floor. He gestured as he reached it, and a fanfare of drums and trumpets sounded out from the top ring of the arena stands, causing all inside (and many outside) to cease chatting and pay attention to him. Once they were silent, he stood on his hindlegs and addressed the crowd.

"We are here to witness an honor duel between Royalty!" The Chief Marshall sounded out to those who had managed to gain seats in the stands. "The stakes are no less than the Kingdoms of Griffonia and Equestria in their entirety! To my left, may I present His Majesty: King Razorbeak Greatfeather of Griffonia; Honored of the Sky-Gods, Lord of High Reaches Clan, and General-Royal of the Endless Army!" The Chief Marshall read out Razorbeak's titles.

To massed cheers from the audience, Razorbeak walked out in his best set of fighting armor, the Crown of Griffonia attached to his helmet and both the Sword of High Reaches Clan over his back as well as the Sword of The Empire. He smiled and waved to the audience of Griffons as he pointedly ignored Twilight where she sat, surrounded by her Guard. Once he reached the Chief Marshall at the center of the arena, he saluted the griffon, then waited with somewhat-feigned patience.

Then the Marshall gestured to the opposite door from the one Greatfeather had entered by, and continued "To my right, representing Equestria in this duel, is Her Highness Princess Stellar Light Sparkle; Alicorn of Honor, Princess of the Blade and Warrior of Equestria; Knight-Commander of the Royal Canterlot Guard; Knight-Commander of the Royal Crystal Guard, Captain of the Warship Xer... Xerxes," He stumbled a little over the unusual name, "and Dame of the Order of The Light!"

After the Marshall announced her, Stellar walked out into the arena... but looking very different from usual. She was standing up on her hind legs in a full-bipedal form, and her front hoofs had changed into hands. The armor she wore was suited for a biped and was red-and-silver, not her usual red-and-gold battle armor. She still wore her swords in back-scabbards, crossing over between her wings and her horn still stuck out in a horn-sheath. Stellar smiled confidently as she strode forward.

Twilight blinked with surprise, doing a double-take to be sure she was seeing what she had saw as Stellar had walked out. It was as if Stellar had merged her form on the alternate Equestria, the one with the Humans in it, with her pony-body. It looked strange, but powerful, moreso than either form did separately. Then Stellar reached the Chief Marshall and saluted him as well, taking an easy-ready stance facing Razorbeak as they waited for the signal to begin the duel.

Razorbeak was most surprised as he stood up on his hind legs to match Stellar. "What is this?" He asked with just a hint of the confusion and uncertainty he was feeling coming out in his voice.

"Just squaring things up a little, Your Majesty." Stellar answered. "Since you griffons mostly fight on your hind legs, I changed myself to be closer to that stance, making things more equal between us." Stellar explained. "I'm not even wearing my own armor. This is my Grandfather's armor which, despite its reputation, is not as indestructible as my own, so you do have a chance of killing me... if you're good enough." Stellar smiled.

Razorbeak glowered at Stellar, but then nodded. "I see you are living up to your title of 'Alicorn of Honor'." He said.

"Honor is what this is all about, after all, Your Majesty." Stellar reminded him. "I promised you as fair and honorable a fight as I could give you. That has not changed."

Razorbeak nodded, still frowning at Stellar. This change of stance had him more than a little confused. He had expected to face a pony at a great disadvantage, without claws or talons. The 'hands' that Princess Sparkle now had looked a lot like his claws, but they didn't seem to have any talons to them. He snorted. They would not aid her that much, but at least he wouldn't have to worry about getting a hoof in the face.

The Chief Marshall then spoke out again: "To reiterate: this is an honor duel between the King and the Princess. The rules are: This fight is to the Death, and Winner Takes All. This includes the two Kingdoms." He looked at Stellar and Razorbeak. "The terms of the battle are: Claw-to..." He looked at Stellar's new appendages.

"Claw-to-Hand combat." Stellar clarified.

"Claw-to-Hand combat, no weapons to be allowed, save for those that are natural to the combatants." The Marshall finished.

Stellar let her swords disappear from her back, and she stretched and rolled her shoulders, readying herself, as Razorbeak did the same. She also noticed, as did the Chief Marshall, that Razorbeak did not take off the two swords he wore. But nothing was said, and Stellar decided to hold her tongue.

"The two combatants will turn and walk away thirty paces, then turn and wait. Once the drum sounds its third beat, Combat will begin." He said, then watched Stellar and Razorbeak walk away from each other. As they turned to face one another, the Marshall signalled the drummer, who made the huge drum boom once as the Marshall retreated. The crowd held its collective breath as the second beat sounded across the arena. Then the third beat sounded...

Stellar raced towards Razorbeak, running along on her hoofs as she drew on the mana from Equis below her, strengthening her body and readying herself for the fight, as the audience roared around them.

Razorbeak also ran forward, talons extended out from under the armored covers and ready to shred Stellar... if he could find a chink in her armor. He knew this would not be an easy battle, but he still had physical size and strength on the modified pony, as well as weight. He would slam into her, force her off-balance, then pummel her to the ground and tear that armor off her... before he shredded her.

As they closed, however, Stellar showed that Razorbeak didn't know anything about how she fought. As he reached her, Stellar grabbed one out-stretched fore-leg in her hands, spun around and threw Razorbeak over her shoulder, slamming him into the ground, where he managed to roll and keep his wings from being damaged. As he recovered and got to his paws, however, Stellar was right on him. She slammed an armored fist up under his chin-guard into his lower beak-jaw with a lot more force than he thought she could muster, snapping his head back and sending him toppling over, since he was still unbalanced. A few more hard punches and kicks to his chestplate as Razorbeak collapsed again, and Stellar backed off from him, not willing to kick Razorbeak when he was down.

= = = = =

Twilight had held her breath as Stellar and Razorbeak went head-to-head at each other, but she cheered as Stellar flipped Razorbeak over and hit him hard. "Yay! Go Stellar! Show him you're no pushover!" Twilight called out before the Guards let out a rounding cheer of "HUZZAH!" after her words, a cheer she joined in eagerly. Seeing Stellar take control of the fight so easily, Twilight quickly let her heart release its anxiety and she started to enjoy the fight, as much as the Griffons that surrounded her.

= = = = =

Razorbeak lay half on his back as he breathed hard. Stellar's fighting style was very different from any he'd faced before. The use of a closed fist was not a part of almost all of the fighting styles griffons had developed and they had mostly created moves to counter only open-clawed blows. His armor had managed to absorb some of the force of the hits, but they'd still put him off-balance and on the ground twice. He also noted that his armored chestplate was dented in five places, two of them hoof-shaped; testament to the power of Stellar's blows. He rose to his paws and charged Stellar again.

Stellar, this time, interlaced her fingers with Razorbeak's claws and braced herself. They pushed against each other, facing off in a test of strength. Stellar's eyes danced at Razorbeak as they exerted themselves to force each other back into a position of weakness. Razorbeak then tried to head-butt Stellar's horn, an attempt that failed as she shifted to one side and Razorbeak copped a shoulder-guard in his beak-guard. He shook his head to clear it, as Stellar smiled under her face-guard. "Close, but no cigar, Your Majesty." Stellar said to Razorbeak as they returned to grappling.

"I will have your head!" Razorbeak returned in a voice that growled with his rage. Her strength was almost unbelievable. He was larger than she was and much more muscular as well, but this mere pony was holding him off with some ease, which made him even more determined to humiliate her before he killed her.

"Sorry, but I prefer it stays right where it is, thank you very much." Stellar replied. Then Stellar suddenly reversed her stance. She allowed Razorbeak to push her back... but she then ran with it, pulling Razorbeak with her, which not only had him off-balance, but completely surprised. Then Stellar went down on her back, wings spread out to her sides enough to keep her balanced, dragging Razorbeak over her. A hoof to the lower torso, just above his cod-piece, and a great shove sent Razorbeak sailing through the air, his arc controlled by Stellar's arms. She kept him rolling over, to flatten him hard into the arena floor, eliciting screams from Razorbeak as his wing-shoulders slammed hard behind him on the unyielding floor. Stellar let go of Razorbeak's hand-claws and flipped herself back to her feet, walking away as she shook herself out.

= = = = =

The audience was cheering the combatants on, their voices showing the thrill they were experiencing as they watched the two experienced warriors going up against each other. Twilight was grinning with delight as she watched her sister show her prowess to the Griffons, and the Flying Squad and EAG that surrounded and guarded her were also cheering in unison. Another round of "HUZZAH!" yelled out above the mass of griffons as Stellar got to her hoofs again. She gave them a wave and waited for Razorbeak to get up again.

= = = = =

Razorbeak moved his wings around as he rose back to his feet. They ached, but were essentially undamaged, the wing-shoulder-guards having absorbed enough of the blow to keep bones from breaking. Furling his wings again, he saw Stellar standing a short distance from him, ready to go again. With a scream of rage, Razorbeak closed the distance...

As Stellar grappled with Razorbeak once again, this time he did something unexpected. He had slipped something into his right claw and slammed it into Stellar's visor. She jerked backwards as some substance blanked out her view entirely and she tried to clear it by shaking her head, but that triggered a result she did not expect.

The armor she wore was her grandfather's, as she'd stated to Razorbeak as they'd faced off in the arena. But she wasn't quite thoroughly aware of some of the little tricks Canopus Star had infused into the armor. As her visor was covered entirely, it slid upwards without her commanding it to do so, revealing her eyes, to her shock.

Razorbeak, having expected that Stellar would have had to raise her visor to see, then plunged his talons into her eyes. He grinned as he tried to push his talons further inwards to her brain as well. But as Stellar screamed in agony, her armored hoofguard came up with all the muscle-power of her earth-pony-magic-enhanced strength, driving it straight into Razorbeak's family jewels, shattering the armored codpiece that covered them and lifting him several feet off the arena floor. Razorbeak's screech of triumph shot up several octaves and devolved to a pained cheeping as the two moved apart, Razorbeak's talons pulling the front of Stellar's eyeballs out as they parted from each other. Stellar's hands went to her ruined eyes as Razorbeak rolled onto his back, his bloody claws clamped over his crotch, covering the area in Stellar's blood and gore as he cheeped agonisingly, panting hard as he tried to will away the pain.

Stellar was groaning as she felt the blood and fluids running down the sides of her muzzle as her faceguard also opened to let the blood drain out; the pain being the worst she'd ever felt. Her training came to her, Canopus Star and Warfist Bloodfeather having taught her how to deal with pain. She breathed hard, her magic helping to shut down the sensations and compartmentalise her body, blocking out the pain from her ruined eyes as the blood-flow slowly eased.

= = = = =

The roar of the crowd filled the arena as the two combatants regained their equilibrium. Twilight had almost been out of her seat and ready to fly down to Stellar and stop the duel... but the guards with her restrained her gently. "You can't, Princess... That would cause a forfeit, and Greatfeather would win." Flash Sentry told her as he and Steady Sentry restrained her.

Twilight gave Flash a glare worthy of Stellar at her most furious... but then she sighed sadly and slumped to the seat. "I know." She said with a sob. She looked out at where Stellar was still standing, trying to clear the blood from her hands and face. Stellar had almost instantly cut herself off from Twilight when Razorbeak struck, so Twilight had only gotten a tiny flash of the pain in her face, then it had disappeared. As feelings and emotions slowly oozed back to her, Twilight whimpered in sympathy for her sister...

= = = = =

Then Stellar did something so unexpected, it silenced the entire audience: she started to laugh. Twilight gaped as Stellar threw her head back and laughed out loud, the mirth filling her and making her shudder as she shook the blood from her hands. "By CELESTIA..." She then yelled out. "They should have named you Razorclaw, not Razorbeak! Oh, All-Mother above..." Stellar said as she shook her head slowly, a bloody smile covering her face.

"Kill... you..." Razorbeak hissed as he tried to get to his claws and paws, one claw still holding his crotch as it pulled the shattered codpiece away, relieving some of the pain he was feeling.

"Oh, I know you're going to try, Your Majesty." Stellar said back. "But, really, you should be proud of that attack." Stellar told Razorbeak.

Razorbeak stopped and looked up at Stellar, an incredulous look on his face. "Pr...roud?" He asked, amazed.

Stellar smiled back, nodding as the armor that covered her wings retracted as Stellar opened them a little. "Ee-yup." Stellar answered. "You are the first being to ever cause me such a powerful and devastating injury." She revealed. "I congratulate you for such a strong and well-timed attack." And Stellar bowed to Razorbeak.

Razorbeak slowly got to his paws, still grimacing, but his anger showed in his face as well. "I am going to kill you, Princess Stellar Light Sparkle." He declared, not noticing that Stellar's ear-guards had also retracted, revealing her ears now had little tufts at the points. He also didn't notice she was now looking straight at him, as if she wasn't blind. "I will take your sister's life as well, then I will bring Equestria to its knees. I will tear it apart, rip out its heart, drain its coffers, destroy the other alicorns and render its citizens into slaves and food for my people." He was almost frothing at the beak as he declared his intentions out-loud.

Stellar was standing loose, relaxed as she turned her mind to the lessons of her youth. It was a thestral master of blade-combat who had taught her to fight in the dark, even pitch-black conditions. Plus her grandfather had also taught her the way of pegasus combat, teaching her to always be aware of her total surroundings, even if she couldn't see. Those lessons now filled her mind... until she heard a very familiar sound from Razorbeak: the sound of a sword being drawn. She frowned and took an alert stance, ready to fight. "This was supposed to be a weaponless fight, Your Majesty. Are you going to cheat now, and bring a weapon into our duel?"

Razorbeak had drawn the Sword of The Empire out of the scabbard on his back. "I am King here! I make the rules!" He yelled out in the silence. "I will cut you down and eat your heart before it finishes beating!"

Stellar slid one hoof back and, unseen to Razorbeak, the armor on her arms and legs changed color, the silver being replaced by gold. Her hoof-shoes also vanished, leaving her uncovered hoofs in contact with the ground... and the power it contained. "So... Honor really doesn't mean much to you after all, does it? If you're willing to cast it aside so easily." She said in a disgusted tone that carried all over the arena.

"Honor is nothing but a tool, a weapon I keep on my belt to beat others to death with if I so desire!" Razorbeak yelled back. "Only Victory mattersI" And he screamed as he raced towards Stellar, the blade high over his head, ready to cleave her in two...

Stellar smiled again, as the helmet's visor lowered over her bloody, half-empty sockets. He was doing exactly as she knew he would, screaming as he came at her, letting her know exactly where he was and what he was doing. As the sword came down, Stellar raised and crossed her arms, catching it on her vambraces... The forearm guards stopped the longsword easily as Stellar braced her hoofs and stopped Razorbeak's charge in its tracks. "Victory's not assured yet, Your Majesty!" Stellar yelled back, then slid her vambraces apart, her hand grabbing the hilt of the Sword of The Empire and sliding it from Razorbeak's blood-slick claws. The griffon was allowed to stumble forward as Stellar slipped aside and spun completely around, driving the pommel of the large sword straight into the back of Razorbeak's helmet, where the flared bottom changed into the head-hugging upper section.

Razorbeak screamed again, this time in agony, as the pommel drove a dent right through the quilted layer and in contact with the back of his head. He pitched forward onto the ground again, clutching at the back of his helmet as Stellar walked away with the Sword of The Empire. She moved to the edge of the fighting circle, then turned the sword point-down to the ground, taking the hilt in both hands. Then she drew heavily on her earth-pony strength and shouted "Ekosi!" as she drove the sword into the ground with a loud 'BOOM', right up to the cross-guard. Leaving it there, she got up and walked off.

Razorbeak fumbled with the straps on his helmet, almost tearing it off and flinging it away straight at Stellar, whose ears and wings twitched as it hurtled at her... and she caught it with only a little fumbling. "HOW DARE you lay a claw on me!" He yelled out, only to hear a little click in the following silence. Looking up, he saw Stellar had detached the crown from his helmet, then she tossed the helmet out of the circle. "GIVE THAT TO ME!" He demanded at the top of his lungs.

"No." Stellar replied in a smug voice. "I think I'll keep it, before you dent or mangle something this lovingly-crafted." She said as a H-S pocket opened, and Stellar, after missing her first try, dropped the crown into it.

Stellar turned to face Razorbeak again as he shot to his feet, opened his wings and came at her screaming bloody vengeance, forelegs and claws opened wide out from his sides, ready to strike. At that moment, a well-known fact came to Stellar: Her bones were like those of an Earth Pony; strong, rigid and very solid. Griffons, however, since their front half was that of an avian... had hollow bones. As he reached her, Stellar slipped inside Razorbeak's non-existant guard, grabbed his head and, as she jumped up, drove his beak down onto her rising armored kneeguard with all her strength.

There was a sickening crunch that silenced Razorbeak forever, as Stellar drove his own beak back through the nasal passages behind it and right into Razorbeak's brain. Two-thirds of its length vanished inside his skull as blood gushed forth; Stellar let go, pushing back on his advancing body, to land on her hoofs again as Razorbeak's body collapsed on the ground before her. Breathing heavily, in the silence, Stellar held out her hand and her horn lit up; the glow surrounded Razorbeak's helmet and it shot to her hand. She then moved to Razorbeak and gently placed it back on his head, covering the gruesome injury from sight. "Soraidh, gaisgeach làidir (Farewell, brave warrior)." Stellar said softly in Old Griffic, as she rose to her hoofs and saluted Razorbeak. All the griffon soldiers in the stands and around the arena walls then did the same, until Stellar lowered her hand.

Then she took out the Crown of Griffonia and walked over to the Sword that was buried. Taking it in her right hand, she pulled it from the ground with ease, then held both over her head. "These are mine!" She yelled out to the audience.

The griffons burst out in massive shouts of denial.

"SHUT THE BUCK UP!!!" Stellar roared out in a voice that matched Celestia at her loudest as her hands slashed down, the sword whistling threateningly as she did so, and the audience eventually fell silent. "You all know the rules of an Honor Duel: Winner takes everything!" She pointed at the audience with the Sword of The Empire as she made her point. "I have won, fairly and honorably, in this arena. Therefore, the crown is mine!" She held it up above her head. "All of Griffonia is technically now under my rule!" She reiterated as she slapped the sword's flat gently against her breastplate. She turned to face where the Chief Marshall of the Arena stood. "What is the rule for challenging for the crown, once a duel for it has concluded?" Stellar asked, as the older griffon walked forward.

"Once the Crown and Kingdom have been won in a Duel, there shall be no challenges for it for a year and a day." The Chief Marshall declared.

Stellar nodded. "A year and a day." She repeated. "I could take the throne for that time... but I will not put this crown on." She said to the now-silent crowd. "I will not take the title of Queen of Griffonia, though I have won it in accordance with the rules. Instead, I will form a caretaker government to rule over Griffonia with my sister and I as joint heads-of-state. For a year and a day, we shall administer Griffonia and keep it for the griffon who will win it back at that time."

As Stellar dropped the crown back into the H-S pocket, she went to where Razorbeak's body was still lying. She unhooked the scabbards from his back and slipped them onto her own back, taking the House Sword of High Reaches Clan as well as sliding the Sword of The Empire into its scabbard. The audience was awash with murmuring, wondering what Stellar was doing. "Two months before the Arena will host the challenges," Stellar then went on after she stood up, "all prospective combatants will be put through a series of tests, designed to see exactly how good a ruler they will be. These tests will be in subjects relative to the rule of a monarch, in such things as: Griffonian Law and Lore; Domestic Policy; Foreign Knowledge; Diplomatic Protocols and Financial Responsibility... subjects that... well, I'm not the best at, at times." Stellar admitted, as Twilight giggled behind a hoof and a rumble of laughter rolled through the stands. "Honestly, ask anypony amongst the Canterlot Palace staff, and they'll tell you that... I'm much better off in 'aggressive negociations', than wrangling a peace treaty or trade deal. That's why I have a twin sister who's so much better at that than I am."

Twilight was smiling now. If Stellar was making jokes about herself, then her mind was still stable even after such a horrendous injury, something that still had her amazed, even knowing her sister like she did.

"So... any who wish to contend for the Throne... you'd better study up, because the battles in the arena are the last test you'll face. And know this: ANY griffon can be a contender, not just the nobility here. If you think you can pass the tests and face me in the Arena, then study up and apply at the Palace." Stellar told them with no uncertainty. "And one more thing... There are to be NO assassinations, no duels between contenders or others, once their names are on the lists. ALL those who wish to contend will be given a fair chance to do so. ANY who break this rule will be dealt with by having their entire House and all its goods and chattels, properties and belongings confiscated and the family exiled. There will be NO skullduggery in this contest, or there will be consequences! IS. THAT. CLEAR? "

All the Griffons who had been watching got to their paws and shouted out their agreement with Stellar's stated plans. While some of them would have preferred it to be the more traditional style of succession-combat, the fact that Princess Stellar Sparkle, as a Pony, was not taking the Throne and possibly risking dishonoring it, was all the incentive the Noble Houses needed to agree to what she had proposed. The Throne of Griffonia had never had any being other than a Griffon occupy it. While there had been times it had lain unoccupied during past Succession Wars, Stellar letting that long-standing tradition remain intact was something very pleasing to their ears.

The wash of positive responses was music to Stellar's tufted ears. "Very well, then. Return to your homes, your estates, your loved ones, and thank the Sky-Gods I haven't brought their wrath down upon you, as I so easily could have." Stellar said to them, before she turned and headed out of the arena. As she did so, her red-and-silver armor retracted, then Stellar changed and dropped to all-fours as her normal self before she exited the arena, her white-and-gold Solar Guard armor wrapping itself around her as soon as her hoofs touched the arena floor.

= = = = =

There was an honor guard waiting for Stellar as she exited the floor, and they formed up around herself and Twilight. They all took off as they exited the arena and headed for the Xerxes, which had remained stationary above the city during the entire time. "Are you okay, Stellar?" Twilight asked softly, knowing Stellar would hear it.

"Been better, Twi-Sis; it could have been a lot worse." Stellar answered in a voice that was showing just a twitch of what she was truly feeling. "Is Doctor Gloves on-board?"

"He was brought here with Celestia's aid about five minutes before Greatfeather struck." Twilight answered. "He's waiting for you in the med-bay... which he's still shaking his head at, to be honest. I think it's overwhelming him a little."

Stellar nodded her head. "I'm going to need his expertise, Sis. My eyes may not regenerate easily with half my eyeballs still in place." She told Twilight as they reached the flight bay nearest the Med-bay and landed inside. "So I'm going to have to get his opinion on that, before anything else."

"I fully understand that, Sis." Twilight agreed. "But I can't believe he actually hurt you."

Stellar chuckled as they reached Med-bay. "It was a surprise to me too, Sis." She confirmed. "Grandfather's armor was hiding things, and I found out about one of them at the worst possible time. It just goes to show I'm as fallible as any other pony, at times." Stellar admitted.

Twilight snorted, not quite believing Stellar hadn't seen this coming. But she remembered when Stellar had disconnected herself from her sister: it was only after Greatfeather had struck that Stellar had cut their bond off, not before. Twilight knew that, if Stellar had sensed the blow coming, she would have spared Twilight even the slightest pain; that was just how she was, Twilight knew from long experience. Although she would never wish Stellar any kind of pain or injury, the proven fact that Stellar was, in actuality, less than perfect made Twilight feel that her own mistakes were somewhat lessened by that fact. They both made mistakes and suffered for them. As she sat there, watching Stellar retract her armor as Dr Gloves began his examination... Twilight felt even closer to her sister now. Stellar was no better than she was, yet it didn't lessen Stellar in Twilight's eyes; it just made Twilight feel that she could truly grow to equal her beloved sister...

01 - Not again!

"Tell me again why I'm doing this for you, Sis?"

Stellar was standing in Twilight's casting room within the Crystal Tree Castle of Friendship, as Twilight was getting ready to cast a new variation of a spell she'd been working on: a very long-ranged teleport spell. "Because you said you didn't want anypony else finding themselves in a situation that they might not be able to handle." Twilight reminded Stellar as she stood inside a circle of protection, outside the casting area.

"Oh, yeah." Stellar remarked. "Think you can get it right this time?" She asked, a little snarkily.

"Hey! The spell worked the last time we tried it, it just... went further than we thought." Twilight rebutted Stellar's comment. "I know I can get the targeting right this time." She added as she started accessing several mana-storage wells filled with the refined power of her magic.

"Okay." Stellar sighed, her exo-armor the most comfortable thing about the situation, to her mind. The last time Twilight had used the spell, instead of ending up in Griffonia, Stellar had appeared in Zebrica... after travelling two-thirds of the way around Equis. It had taken her a month to get home again, travelling normally-but-covertly, and still Twilight was ready, even anxious, to try again almost immediately. "So why the Moon this time?" Stellar asked as she looked out the skylight at Luna's Moon, which was sitting above them almost at zenith.

"It's a direct line-of-sight teleport, and after Luna took us there last year to investigate the object that had crashed on it, I'm totally familiar with the first site we arrived at on the surface." Twilight reiterated for Stellar. "This spell should get you there using only a fraction of the power Luna used last time, so we can begin to set up a research station there for astronomical purposes."

Stellar sighed and nodded, as she closed her face-guard around her muzzle. Only her visor remained unsealed at that time. "Okay, Twi'. Whenever you're ready." She said, and sealed her visor.

Twilight nodded and powered up the big magic circle Stellar was standing in. Magic arrays appeared around Stellar and began spinning as they charged up to their maximum power.

=======

Three fifteen-year-old fillies, who should have been in bed much earlier, made their way into Castle Friendship that night. "But why do we have to be here this late?" Applebloom asked.

"I need to borrow Twilight's big telescope for a while." Scootaloo answered as they headed for the casting room. "And since the Moon's full tonight, I can get the best shots of the surface."

Sweetie Belle yawned and shook herself. "I just hope she's not busy. She's been so... absent of late, with everything she's been working on."

"Nah. Twilight's totally cool. After all, it's Science!" Scootaloo said with a grin.

The other fillies chuckled at that. Twilight was always cool when it came to them pursuing Science. When they came to the Casting Room doors, without thinking, they shoved the doors open, racing in and shouting "TWILIGHT!"

They barely had time to see the mana-wells glowing a deep purple, the network of arrays around Stellar, with Twilight to one side, before Twilight screamed and everything went purple...

=======

"Almost there..." Twilight told Stellar through the headset on her head, when the doors to the Casting Room slammed open and three voices yelled out "TWILIGHT!" Twilight screamed, her nearly-completed spell flashed into activation as the disrupted feeds from the mana wells flooded the room with purple mana. Twilight's protection circle was lit up, the shield over her glowing a bluish-purple as the shield fought to keep the mana from reaching Twilight. Then, with a huge noise that sounded like a hundred-thousand ponies yelling 'FOOP', the mana vanished. The Casting Room was buffeted as air rushed through the open doors, the only window slamming open as air blasted in to fill the vacuum created by the spell.

Twilight struggled to her feet to find the Casting Room was completely empty. Stellar was gone, of course, as planned, but the couches, the tables, the bookcase, even the air the room had contained... everything had vanished, save for herself and the book she had inside the Protection Circle.

"Oh crap." Twilight said to herself, as she registered in her brain what had just happened. She cancelled the shield around her and quickly moved to the center of the circle, looking about. "No scorching, no residue... the spell worked, but what else happened?" She asked herself. Twilight raced out of the room and headed for her bedroom. "This is Princess, calling Warrior. Princess calling Warrior; come in, Warrior." She said into her headset, but nothing replied save for static. "Not good." Twilight said in a increasingly-worried tone as she entered her room and went up to a jewellery box on her vanity. Opening it, she took out a pendant with a deep-purple gem set in it. Holding it up, she held it close to her and muttered Stellar's name. But the crystal remained dark, instead of lighting up as Twilight expected it to do, indicating Stellar was either dead or beyond its range. Twilight's eyes started to tear up as she realised something had gone horribly wrong, and far worse than last time...

=======

Stellar felt the teleport shift her in time and space, but when it ended, she found herself floating in open space, with no Moon in sight. What was in plain sight, as her helmet lights came on, were three very familiar teenage fillies... who were now exposed to vacuum, her exo-armor's alarms indicating she was surrounded by a quickly-dispersing air pocket. Instantly realising the dangers, Stellar's mind instinctively tapped the mana-storage arrays her armor was equipped with and a massive shield formed, over a kilometre across. Once it was fully-formed, she contracted it down around her, the shield trapping everything within it as it also became stronger. Stellar knew she had barely fifteen seconds before the Cutie Mark Crusaders would start to succumb to exposure to vacuum, so she hurriedly compressed the shield down, trapping all the air particles and compressing them down as well, until her armor registered they were floating in a near-normally-pressured atmosphere.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had felt the teleport as well, having been teleported several times in their lives. Then the very unfamiliar and horrifying feeling of complete depressurisation hit them all as the air around them dispersed. They managed to not hold their breath as the air raced out of their lungs, and they instinctively closed their eyes as well before their eyeballs could start to freeze. After so many adventures and so many accidents, their survival instincts were finely-honed for many different eventualities as they curled up protectively into balls. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were trying hard not to throw up as well, their stomachs not used to floating in weightless conditions. Almost before their minds could ask themselves 'what next?', the air thickened up around them and it became warm once again, as Stellar's shield compressed the air back into a viable atmosphere and heated the insides. A large number of objects were bouncing around inside the shield as well, the trio found out, as a book hit Applebloom in the back of the head, sending her spinning. "Hey!" She said, as they opened their eyes and saw what was surrounding them, the shield glowing enough for them to see clearly by its generated light. "Oh buck." Applebloom swore as she saw one of the couches heading right for her.

Sweetie Belle's horn then lit up and she pulled the trio back-to-back, allowing them to fend off objects. They were pushed across the shield sphere as Applebloom caught the couch and it transferred some of its momentum to them. Catching two more of them in Sweetie Belle's magic, the trio held them around them like shields. They used the couches to fend off errant books, vases, tables and even the bookcase, until Stellar could bring everything to a halt within the sphere.

Once everything was settled, Stellar opened her visor and face-guard, to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders peeping out from between the three couches. "You three! What in all of Celestia's abundant power were you thinking, bursting into Twilight's casting room like that?" She demanded. "Hasn't the last six... make that seven times you've done that taught you it is never a good idea to surprise Twilight?"

The looks of contrition on their faces only barely mollified Stellar's anger at them. "Well..." Sweetie Belle started.

"It's just that, it was so late..." Applebloom added.

"We didn't think she'd be casting anything at that time of night." Scootaloo concluded.

Stellar glared at the three, making them cower back behind the couches again. Then she sighed. "Okay, come here." She said in a far-more-calm voice, as her magic gathered the books out of the air and slid them away inside some of her H-S pockets. The trio left the confines of their couch-construct, and Sweetie Belle floated them over to Stellar. Once they were safely tucked up against her, Stellar darkened the shield-sphere so she could look out.

Scootaloo looked about with great interest, then she frowned. "I don't recognise any of these star patterns." She commented.

"Neither do I." Stellar agreed. "But first, we're going to have to do something about you three. My armor can support me out here indefinitely, but you don't have that kind-of protection. And this air is not going to stay fresh for long, let alone protect you from other things..." She started rummaging about inside one of her H-S pockets. "I hope I brought it with me." Stellar said as she searched within the tiny dimensional pocket.

"Brought what?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I was making Twilight a suit of exo-armor, like mine but more suited for her as a civilian." Stellar explained. "If I brought the helmet with me, we may have a chance of getting you three in a much safer situation much more quickly... Ah, these will help." Stellar said, pulling out a number of clear bags. Inside, the fillies could see the contents looked like breather masks for the oxygen tanks the hospital in Ponyville used. Taking three of them out, she plugged their hoses into certain outlets in her armor's backpack, and put the masks over the fillies' muzzles. "Now, stay close and breathe normally. My armor will provide you with additional oxygen, to make sure you don't suffer from lack of it while I work on something more permanent." Stellar told them.

"Okay, Stellar." The trio replied as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stayed tucked under Stellar's armored wings, and Applebloom found herself held onto by Stellar's hind legs.

After ten minutes of searching through several of her H-S pockets, Stellar grinned as she pulled out a bulbous helmet, much more like a sphere than the head-shaped helmet of her own armor. "Good, so glad I didn't leave this behind." Stellar said, more to herself than the C.M.C. "Now, I am going to put this on your heads one at a time." She told the trio. "It's going to do scans of your bodies and get your outer dimensions for it to create new sets of armor for you three. It'll feel tingly as it does so, but don't squirm. You have a limited amount of air-line, so if you drift too far, you'll pull the connections out."

"Okay Stellar." The C.M.C. replied.

"Yeah, we get the idea, Stellar. You don't have to explain it like we were five." Scootaloo groused a little.

Stellar glared at Scootaloo, who fell silent instantly. "When you stop doing things as if you're five years old, and start acting like your proper ages... such as NOT bursting into casting rooms without knocking FIRST... then I might not have to explain things as if you're five years old, Scootaloo." Stellar lectured her and the others sternly. The trio cowered a little more under Stellar's wings and barrel. Then Stellar sighed. "But you're not entirely to blame. Celestia knows I have told Twilight time and time again to lock her door while she's working... and I didn't check to see if it was locked, either. So I guess we're all at least partially to blame."

The fillies were quiet as Stellar slipped the helmet onto Applebloom's head first. "Helmet, scan subject for Vacc-Armor creation. Subject designated 'Applebloom'." Stellar ordered.

"Rojer rojer." The helmet's tinny, monotone voice replied, and Applebloom felt a tingly sensation run over her body as Stellar opened the H-S pocket up and started pulling the couches, the bookcase and the rest of the clutter over and sliding them inside.

"What are you doing?" Sweetie Belle asked Stellar.

"Well, apart from cleaning up the space in here, I also need raw materials to help with the construction of your suits." Stellar explained. "This is a portable alchemical transmutation lab Twilight and I came up with after one long week of working together. It'll help in manufacturing your suits while we wait."

"Cool!" Sweetie Belle replied, grinning. "That sounds like a really handy thing to have."

"Oh, it is." Stellar agreed, grinning back at Sweetie Belle. Once everything was stowed away inside the H-S pocket, Stellar opaqued the shield-sphere again and rested.

Scootaloo then spoke up. "Stellar... do you have any idea where we are?" She asked hesitantly.

Stellar sighed. She'd been hoping that that question wouldn't have come up this quickly. "At the moment, Scoots... No." She said honestly. "I know of several things I can try to get a better idea of where we are, but for now, I need the mana arrays on my armor to fully recharge before I try them, and their mana is needed to build your suits first. Once they're done, then I'll see if I can't locate where we are."

"Okay." Scootaloo replied.

Eventually Stellar had all three fillies scanned, and put the helmet away inside the Alchemistry 'pocket'. She passed the time with the C.M.C. by handing out concentrate vege-bars and chocolate-coated muesli bars from her supplies, and there were bottles of apple juice to be had as well. "How far do ya think we're away from Equestria?" Applebloom had asked.

Stellar had been trying to map the stars she was familiar with, from her time with Luna and Twilight on the Moon. "Well... I think I recognise at least two prominent stars we can see from Equestria." She pointed them out to Applebloom. "The trouble is, I really need one more to begin estimating how far we've gone, and to get a much more accurate fix, six definitely-identified objects need to be found." She explained. "What doesn't help is that astronomy's been a mis-labelled and somewhat unrecognised area of study for literally centuries. Most of the little we know comes from the time of the Equusese Empire, and that was nearly ten thousand years ago. Discord did his best to scramble everything when he took over the first time, and it's left us with a world that operates unlike any other we have theories about. Luna even has to 'paint' the positions of the stars onto the nebula-shield-barrier that surrounds our system, or else we wouldn't even know they're there of a night." Stellar shook her head. "Plus Discord doesn't seem to be able, or he's unwilling, to undo what he did back then."

"Why's that?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well, from what I know of him and what he did, I think it's because he upset so much during that time, that if he tries to undo it even by a little, the entire system's stability could come crashing down like that house-of-cards exercise I taught you to help refine your control of your magic, Sweetie." Stellar explained further. "It's a case of: 'If we start it, we might not be able to stop it'. So he's just not bothering to try and fix it, for the fear everything would collapse totally."

"That's sad." Applebloom said, looking depressed.

"Yeah, I know." Stellar agreed in a soft voice.

= = = = =

It took on twenty minutes for a chime to sound from within the alchemistry lab-pocket Stellar had with her, and she took a helmet similar to the one she'd used to scan the Crusaders from inside. This one had Applebloom's cutie mark on the visor-guard and the sides of it. "Okay, Applebloom, come here." Stellar said, as she released her hold on the teenage filly. Applebloom slid about around Stellar, making sure not to tangle the air line to her mask, until she was out in front of Stellar. Stellar held Applebloom in her magic as she took the mask from the teenager's muzzle, slid the helmet over her head and orientated it properly. "Right. Now to see if this works." She said as she pressed the cutie mark on the forehead-guard.

As they watched, a suit of unusual armor slid out from the helmet and locked around Applebloom. It was in white with glowing strips all over it, but it wasn't as streamlined as Stellar's exo-armor. It had a bigger backpack, but without the big thruster units Stellar's had, and there were lots of pockets and tether points around the exterior. Smaller clusters of manoeuvring thrusters sat at strategic points over the outside, and the visor was much larger than the one Stellar's helmet was fitted with, it leaving most of Applebloom's face open to view. "Wow! This feels pretty comfortable." Applebloom commented as she wiggled and twisted her body, getting used to the suit around her.

"I'm glad it fits so well, Applebloom." Stellar replied, smiling.

Over the course of forty more minutes, Scootaloo's and Sweetie Belle's suits were delivered and after only some minor adjustments for Scootaloo's wings, all three of them were looking like true astro-ponies. "This is great!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she tried free-manoeuvring in her suit, getting used to the thruster arrays and how to control them. "I can really fly in this suit!" Stellar was showing Sweetie Belle how to do the same, while Applebloom was practising as well.

When she felt they were proficient enough to handle basic manoeuvring, Stellar called the trio over. "Okay. I want you to close your visors up and seal your suits." She told them. "You won't be able to talk to each other when you're sealed, unless your helmets are touching or your radios are on, which they will always be since it's an automatic function at this point." She explained to the trio. "Once you're used to being sealed in, I'm going to tether you to me, like you were before, and we'll begin trying to find somewhere to shelter. Your suits are proof against cosmic radiation, but I don't want to chance things for too long out here, since your suits aren't quite as strong as mine is. After all, they're not battle armor, just vacc-suits, really." Stellar smiled at them as they nodded.

Stellar watched them as they closed their visors and sealed their suits, then ran them through the check protocols, including inflating their suits for positive pressure testing, and radio checks, until she was satisfied they were ready to face open space without her force-shield. Once the fillies' suits and her own armor were properly checked-over and the trio were tethered safely to her, Stellar compressed the shield sphere even more, slowly allowing the air it contained to flow into her backpack and be refined and cleaned, until almost all of it had been recycled back into where it could be useful. Most of the nitrogen had been liquefied for use as propellant for her main thrusters, the oxygen being contained for breathing, of course. As the C.M.C. became used to their new suits, Stellar powered up her horn, charging up a seeker spell, until her horn almost was fit to burst. Then she let it fire off, spreading out in a sphere around them at nearly light-speed. If there was anything out there, she'd get a signal return... hopefully at a distance they could reach.

But she was almost sceptical when there was a return after just less than two seconds. It wasn't a large return, like there was a planet or something of good size, but it was a solid surface. 'Maybe it's an asteroid or something like that.' Stellar thought to herself, as she processed the distance and direction of the return. 'It's just on three hundred thousand kilometres away', Stellar worked out, as she orientated herself in that direction. "Okay, you three." She addressed the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "I think I've found something. We're going to be teleporting and travelling fast, so get used to the fact you're going to be feeling the G-forces for the time we're travelling."

"Ready!" The three fillies replied.

"Okay! Here we go..." And Stellar teleported in that direction. While they'd only travelled close to a thousand kilometres, Stellar had changed the direction they'd been slowly drifting in and gained about ten thousand km/hr in that direction. Once she was heading the right way, Stellar fired up the mana thrusters in her backpack, extending her wings to shield Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo from the energy they'd release. Being under her, Applebloom was already protected.

Two kilometre-long jets of super-energised mana-plasma and a stream of nitrogen atoms shot backwards, and they leaped forward, gaining speed exponentially as they travelled. Stellar's inertia-dampening array kept the four travellers from feeling most of the forces of that acceleration, but she knew they'd be travelling for a very long time before they reached any really decent speed. Once they were settled into the acceleration, Stellar charged up and sent out another pulse, this time in a narrow cone towards where the object had been detected. The return was only slightly quicker, but it confirmed what Stellar had felt from the first return: The object was moving, not standing still; and it was travelling roughly perpendicular to their course, not travelling towards or away from them. Adjusting their course using her thrusters and the vectoring vanes from her main thrusters, after nearly an hour Stellar felt she had them on the best intercept course. The object was travelling at a steady fifty-two thousand km/hr and Stellar was making adjustments to bring them eventually on a parallel course to its travel, and to come up ahead of it, so she could slow down gradually and rendezvous with it.

The fillies sat, restless, beside and under Stellar as they moved at what seemed like a very slow pace. "Are we...?" Scootaloo started to ask.

"The first one to say that to me will be left behind and picked up twenty-four hours from now." Stellar quickly interrupted.

Scootaloo looked down at Applebloom, who grinned up at her. Grumbling, the young pegasus fell silent.

=======

Twilight had finally calmed down enough, after ten minutes, to write and send a letter to Luna, since she knew Celestia would not be awake at this time of night. Not wishing to wake Spike either, Twilight lit the special candle made with Spike's scales she kept in her study as a back-up to Spike's ability, and burned the letter with it, sending it on its way. Then Twilight relaxed back on her thinking couch, her mind racing over the figures of her spell as several quills wrote furiously on a number of sheets of paper ...

= = = = =

Luna was resting on her break from Night Court, having had one of the easier nights. The few petitioners had come and been dealt with before her time in the dream realm had begun, and after a short break, a good meal and a rest, she was looking forward to returning to it again.

But then a puff of green smoke whirled into existence before her, and a scroll appeared in green fire, dropping onto the table almost right into the potato salad. Luna smiled, her face also showing curiosity. "How interesting. I did not think Twilight Sparkle would be awake at this time of night." She said to herself as she uncurled the scroll and read it. Her face dropped into a grim frown, though, as she finished the scroll. Rerolling it, Luna secured it again, got to her hoofs and strode out of the dining parlor.

Sticking her head into her aide's office, Luna dropped the scroll on Midnight Azalea's desk. "Midnight! I am headed for Castle Friendship! There has been an incident. Give this to my sister when she awakens, it shall explain everything." Luna told her.

"Of course, Your Highness!" Midnight said as Luna retreated and raced to the closest way out of the castle. Once outside, Luna took to the skies and teleported to Ponyville. Once she was sure Luna was on her way, Midnight unrolled the scroll and saw that it said:

Princess Luna,

This is Twilight Sparkle. We have a small-if-important situation. Stellar was helping me once again with my long-range teleport spell, but this time we were interrupted by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who burst into my casting room at the very moment of final activation of my spell.

The spell seems to have worked again, but this time it took everything in the room, except for myself and my spell book. The teleport was supposed to have ended up on your plateau on the Moon, a direct-line-of-sight teleport, but I cannot sense them there... and Stellar's tracker pendant can't find her yet, either. I am forced to conclude that, if they actually materialised, it was far further away than I had planned or even anticipated.

The teleport commenced at 11:58:29.362PM and was aimed at the Moon, the arrival point was at 87/34/21 d/m/s ENE and 89/48/32 d/m/s inclination. Could you please check to see if there was a disruption to the Firmament along that trajectory? If they headed out as far as the spell could possibly carry them (I am calculating its maximum range as I write to you), there will be a definite puncture of the Firmament along that trajectory. We might be able to track them if we can locate that puncture. If there is not one, then they must still be inside the Firmament, and we should be able to find them eventually.

Before you ask, I am not truly worried for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, more than I would be normally. They are with Stellar and I trust my sister to protect them and make sure they are safe, no matter what circumstances they are facing. If they were with anypony else... Regardless, I am doing my utmost to locate them and bring them back home.

I await your arrival with suppressed panic and many calculations,

Yours faithfully,

Princess Twilight Sparkle.

=======

Luna appeared over the Crystal Tree Castle and landed on the main balcony, which overlooked the sleeping town of Ponyville. Blissfully unaware of what had occurred that night, the town looked so peaceful, Luna sighed with happiness. She could sense no nightmares or even slightly-troubled sleep from the town's inhabitants, something that the Princess of the Night found most paradoxical. This little town had faced more dangers of terrifying or greater magnitude than anywhere else in Equestria, yet it slept on most peacefully, seemingly untouched by the memories of things horrific. Luna then saw a line of ruby light heading upwards into the sky, seemingly coming from the skylight-dome of one big room. Luna shook her head and headed for the Library's upper entrance.

Twilight looked up as Luna entered from the Library's upper balcony. "Down here, Luna." Twilight said as she rose from her couch.

Luna took off and alighted with perfect grace next to Twilight, who was frowning at the sheets of paper she held in her magic. "Not enough! I need more space!" Twilight said, as she put the paper down and looked at Luna.

Luna smiled at Twilight. "I take it your computations require more area to work on, Twilight Sparkle?" She asked.

Twilight nodded, looking very serious. "A lot more." She confirmed, as a big door opened to one side of the study and eight very large blackboards trundled out, a big box of chalk following.

Luna nodded. "We can talk as you work, Twilight." She told the purple alicorn mare. "So... shall I check the Firmament for you from here?" She asked.

Twilight nodded. "I've marked the course the spell would have taken them on in the Casting Room. You'll find a ruby on the floor in the center of the circle. It's projecting a beam of light along the path I'd chosen to send Stellar on at the time. You can trace it from the roof as well, if that makes it easier to check." Twilight told Luna as she started writing the last figures from the pages on four boards.

"A good suggestion." Luna agreed, and she headed out again. As she landed next to the roof-dome, Luna concentrated her magic along the line indicated by the ruby-light. A surge of blue magic raced off into the sky, following the light-line past where the Moon slowly headed for the west sky and out to the Firmament; the sphere of nebula-dust and gas that Discord had wrapped their system in so very long ago, to keep his 'play-thing' from being disturbed by others.

As her magic reached the point the ruby-light indicated, Luna did find the cloud had a firm puncture in it that glowed purple, and was easily read as Twilight's magic. The puncture hole was very slowly sealing over, but there was no doubt that the spell had taken the four ponies engulfed in it outside of the Equisian system and beyond into deep space. Luna shook her head as she let the visualisation spell slowly move through the puncture. The quartet were now somewhere where Ponies had never been before; not even herself or Celestia had ever left their system in their lifetimes, and what little they knew did not fill them with the urge to go exploring... although Luna had to admit, what they did know of the outside universe came from one source: Discord. That fact alone made her distrust anything he had told them about it before he had been 'reformed' by Fluttershy and the rest of Team Harmony.

Luna snorted as her spell now shot off from the outside of the Firmament as far as she could perceive the returns from it... which wasn't that far, before it had travelled so far that she could no longer perceive any return from it at all. The mana of the spell had dispersed as she lost control of it, but she now knew that the four Ponies caught up in this incident were far beyond any means she or probably even Celestia had of finding and bringing them home. A little disheartened, but still resolute, Luna flew back to the Library balcony and went inside. Until Celestia joined them, she would do all she could to help Twilight work through her weighty calculations.

=======

After nearly six hours of accelerating, coasting, manoeuvring and teleports, Stellar turned around to face the direction they were travelling. She sent out another locator pulse, which came back almost instantaneously. She then fired another type of mana pulse; this one a ball of visible light that shone like a miniature star. It hit something and seemed to splatter, covering the almost-invisible object in a coat of light. "Hang on..." Stellar said, as the shape of the object was revealed to be extremely regular and not at all ripply and rock-like. "That looks suspiciously like some kind-of ship."

"A ship?" All three C.M.C. asked as one.

"What kind-of ship?" Applebloom asked

"A starship, of course." Scootaloo answered.

Stellar chuckled. "You're not wrong either, Scoots." Stellar agreed. She fired her main thrusters again, slowing them down gradually and allowing the ship to catch up to them.

As it came closer, its true size became apparent. "It's huge!" Sweetie Belle stated.

"Yeah, it really is." Stellar agreed. "It's at least a kilometre long, it seems." She added as they slowly drifted back along the ship's length. Stellar then frowned. "And it looks like all the external doors are open, which is very strange." She told them as they came back to the last half of the ship's length, and saw some big bays in the ship's interior... and they were wide open, revealing smaller craft inside them. Stellar matched the ship's speed and moved over until they all entered the big flight bay inside the ship's interior.

"What are those?" Scootaloo asked, pointing to one of the strange craft sitting there.

"They almost look like fighter aircraft." Stellar replied. "But none I recognise." She lowered them to the floor of the bay. "Okay, Applebloom. I'm going to release you. Activate your Personal Gravity Field (PGF) spell and walk out from under me when you land." Stellar instructed Applebloom.

"Rojer that." Applebloom replied as Stellar had coached her and, as Stellar unlatched Applebloom's suit from her armor, Stellar gave her a little push and Applebloom drifted downwards at a faster rate. Applebloom hit the button on the fetlock-mounted control unit, and felt gravity return to her as her hoofs touched down. She quickly walked out from under Stellar, who did the same and touched down. Stellar unhitched Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and had them land as well. As they stood there inside the bay, which went all the way through the ship from side-to-side, Stellar breathed a sigh of relief. Her face-guard and visor opened, revealing her face was covered by a curved transparent face-plate fitted over where her face looked out of her helmet. A recent addition, it gave her better visibility than the armored face-guard and visor combination, but she didn't think it suited combat, so she rarely used it. But in the ship, visibility was more necessary than ultimate protection, so she now used it to look around as she surveyed where they were.

'We may be a long way from home', Stellar thought to herself, 'but being in a ship will always be safer than being out in open space... provided nopony is shooting at you '. But that didn't seem to be a real problem at that time, and as soon as Scootaloo found a doorway leading into the interior of the ship, they started exploring.

=======

"So, where tha' Hay are they?" Applejack almost demanded of Twilight.

"I don't know yet!" Twilight answered. "And if you don't let me work, I might never figure out how far they could have gone!" She almost growled back at a furious Applejack.

Applejack was about to let fly again, when Rainbow Dash and Rarity moved in front of her and pushed Applejack back. "Let her work, Applejack dearie." Rarity said in a firm voice to Applejack.

"Yeah! Scoots and Sweetie Belle are out there too, remember? We want to know where they are, too." Rainbow Dash added her say to the argument.

"But what's ta say they ain't in real trouble?" Applejack said to them.

Rainbow Dash smirked. "They're always in trouble, A.J. At least Stellar's with them, and they're not on their own."

"Indeed. Stellar is quite capable of not only keeping them in-line, but keeping them alive, if not completely out-of-trouble." Rarity agreed with Rainbow Dash.

Applejack looked uncertain, but eventually nodded. "Yeah, ah guess yer right." Applejack replied, but then looked back at Twilight. "But ah wants ta know how they got caught up in this in tha first place."

Twilight sighed. "I told you three times already. I was casting my new long-range teleport spell on Stellar, and the three of them came bursting into my casting room without knocking. The spell was almost complete when they shouted my name at me and ruined my concentration. The spell activated as the mana-wells flooded the room instead of just the circle, and the spell took everything in the room except for me, since I was in the protection circle."

"And while you may have told the others before, Twilight, this is the first time I have heard of these events from your own lips." Celestia stated as she walked into the Crystal Castle Library's study area, Luna by her side. "Luna has briefed me a little on what had happened, but to hear it from you makes things a little clearer."

Twilight nodded. "I'm sorry to have dragged you to my castle so early, Pri... Celestia, but I'm nowhere near as proficient in Astronomy as either you or Luna are, so any help would be welcome." She told Celestia. "I hardly know anything about what's beyond the Firmament, so I really need your help to locate the point where the spell's power would run out."

Celestia nodded. "I take it you found the course they had taken, Luna?" Celestia asked her sister.

"Yes, Sister. There was a definite and firm puncture in the structure of the Firmament exactly where Twilight pinpointed it would be." Luna smiled. "Her accuracy was most helpful in locating it. We have a definite line to start looking along, once we know how far we have to look."

Celestia looked at the sixteen blackboards Twilight had filled with calculations. "You've certainly been busy, Twilight." Celestia commented.

"Yes. I think I almost have the final calculations... if I can have five more minutes." Twilight said with a hopeful look.

"Then we shall leave you to your work." Celestia replied, as she nodded at Luna, who began herding the other ponies out of the room.

"I think Spike's making breakfast in the Dining Room." Twilight added as they left.

"Then we shall avail ourselves of his hospitality." Luna said back as she and Celestia moved out of the Library, subtly pushing Applejack and the others out before them.

Twilight sighed with relief as the doors closed behind them, and she picked up four pieces of chalk with her magic and traced back to where she had left off working...

= = = = =

As the alicorns and ponies sat, trying to enjoy their breakfast, they were joined by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, who were astounded to hear the trio of fillies had vanished. The three older sisters were consoled by their friends and their rulers as they tried to eat. Only when Twilight finally stepped into the dining room did they look interested.

Twilight looked at them as she floated a blackboard and stand in behind her and put it on the floor. "Okay... I've finished my calculations." Twilight told them. "But... the figures are, literally, astronomical." She turned to the board, which had an enormous figure on it. "The spell, as far as I was able to determine, was lacking one controlling element: The C.M.C. interrupted me just before I cast the distance limiter into the spell matrix. This probably means, by the amount of mana the spell drained from the wells, the spell sent them to its maximum distance." She stopped and waited for the others to show they understood what she'd told them.

"So... yer spell sent them out as far as it could, then." Applejack finally said.

"That's right." Twilight agreed.

"And how far was that?" Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. "The number... it's beyond any concept of distance even I have ever contemplated." She admitted. "I don't know... if the number even has any meaning, considering how big it is."

"How big is it, Twilight?" Celestia then asked.

"It's... over eleven quadrillion kilometres." Twilight revealed.

"Quad... rillion?" Asked Rainbow Dash in a puzzled tone.

"Wow! That's... really, really big!" Pinkie then stated, to chuckles from some of the ponies there as well as Spike.

Twilight nodded. "As I said, it's so big, it almost defies any true meaning. It's eleven with fifteen zeroes after it. I can barely express it in any way that makes it easily definable..."

"I may have some way to do so." Luna then interjected.

Twilight was surprised, but said "Anything would help, Luna."

Luna nodded. "The fastest speed that has ever been calculated is the Speed of Light." She told the others. "Light travels at 297,600 kilometres per second. That distance is called a 'Light-Second'. If I remember correctly what the astronomers that worked before the Discordian Era had calculated, they had worked out that a good term to be used for distances between stars was a 'Light-Year'. That is a very great distance of 9,385,113,600,000 kilometres, if one uses a Light-Second as its basis."

Twilight's eyes opened as wide as they could have opened, then she turned back to the blackboard and did a quick calculation. "That means... if we used your 'Light-Year' as the base distance measure... they would have reappeared nearly 1206 Light-years away!" Everypony there, including Twilight, were stunned as she revealed the distance the others had been sent.

"So... if they're so far away... can we even do anythin' ta help?" Applejack asked.

Twilight shuddered and hung her head. "I don't know..." She admitted sadly.

Author's Note

Hey everypony!

Something I hope will keep people watching this account. I've seen a lot of stories where Ponies get on Starfleet Ships, and the EDF Yamato and others, but very few where they encounter Robotech vessels. This is set a long time after Robotech: Shadow Chronicles, and follows events in that story arc.

By the way, some of Twilight's figures:
Light-second =========== 297,600 km
Light-minute ========= 17,856,000 km
Light-hour ======== 1,071,360,000 km
Light-day ======== 25,712,640,000 km
Light-year ===== 9,385,113,600,000 km
Distance == 11,318,447,001,600,000 km (1206 Light-Years)

02 - Working It

After trying to enjoy breakfast, and much conversation, the general concensus was that there was little anypony there, save for the Princesses, could even start to do about helping those lost beyond the Firmament. "I'll try and see if Discord can help, Twilight, but I have no idea if even he can reach that far." Fluttershy promised Twilight.

Twilight nodded. "Still, anything he knows about what's out there could be of inestimable value in our search." She admitted.

"We'll have the staff in the Archives go through the most ancient sections of the records as well, Twilight." Celestia offered.

"I shall lead a team to the older archives in the Castle of the Celestial Sisters as well." Luna promised. "It's about time those ancient volumes were brought back to Canterlot for preservation and archiving, anyway."

"I'd like copies of them for the Library here, if you please, Luna." Twilight asked.

Luna nodded, then Celestia suggested "Maybe the ancient tomes from the Crystal Empire might be of some use in this case. I do not know if Sombra's obfuscation spell would have considered Astronomy as a subject worthy of obscuring. It's possible a great deal of knowledge might still be intact there."

"I'll send Shiny and Cadance a letter as soon as I start working again." Twilight assured Celestia and Luna.

"I... I guess we won't be rushing forth to save the day this time." Rarity then said in a soft voice.

All of the Mane Six seemed to be saddened by this, but then Rainbow Dash perked up. "Hey... the girls are with Stellar. She'll keep them safe."

"Yeah! And if anypony can find their way home from even there, it's Stellar." Pinkie Pie stated. "She never gives up, so neither should we."

Celestia and Luna smiled at one another as the others perked up a little, too. "Yes. Stellar never gives up." Twilight agreed. "And neither will I. We will find them and bring them home, or they'll find a way back here." She stated in a very positive tone.

"Ah bet Stellar's already found a safe place fer them ta rest and get things started." Applejack said with the same positive tone.

"I would not doubt that for a second." Rarity gave her opinion. "Even if it is a hollowed-out rock, she will make it serve her purposes."

"And she is never without resources." Fluttershy added.

"Yeah. She is, without a doubt, the best equipped pony there is." Rainbow Dash agreed with Fluttershy. "She'll find safety for Scootaloo and the others, then they'll find a way of contacting us, or even getting themselves home again."

"Then we shall leave the safety of our Family and friends in the hoofs of the most capable amongst them." Celestia declared, as the others turned to her and nodded their agreement. "We shall continue on with what we have decided we can do, until word reaches us from them, or we find they have arrived home. For now, let us concentrate on the positive aspects of this tragedy: as far as we know, nopony has been hurt by this. They have simply gone where no pony has ever gone before. And we know they will return to us. That is our conviction, knowing the quality of those that have left on this trek to the Stars. And what they bring back will enrich our knowledge immensely, that I am as positive of as I am of their determination to return Home." Celestia smiled.

The voices of the Mane Six and Spike rose in their agreement with the Solar Princess. "And we shall work from this end at trying to get word to them, by some means, that we know they are safe, and that we are thinking of them." Twilight added.

"Indeed." Celestia replied. "So, for now, we shall work in the areas we have suggested, and all of us will remain calm and continue to live as we have always done, even if our hearts and minds are on those we love and miss very much." She sighed softly. "I know, it is hard to go on as we have always done, but since there is almost nothing we can do for the moment to help, we must turn to that which we know best. To go on with our lives and live them as we know they would want us to; it shows our confidence in those we love, and shows the rest of Equestria that we know they will return to us, given time."

More than the soft applause, the confident smiles on those wounded most by this made Celestia's own spirit rise in appreciation. To know she had their trust like this made her own spirit believe what she said to them was the truth, and not empty platitudes. They needed to believe, she needed to believe that what she had said was the hardest, most powerful truth; and by the look of trust on Applejack's face, of all of them, made Celestia know that they believed it, and that they knew she believed it, too. "Now, Luna needs her sleep, once she has organised the expedition to our old home; and I need to prepare the Royal Archives for the most thorough search it has ever undergone. We will keep in contact with Twilight, of course, and speak with you all again if we find anything."

"Good night, Luna. Good day, Celestia." The seven chorussed as the Princesses bowed to them, then took their leave.

"Right, back to it, ah guess. Apples don't pick themselves." Applejack said as she got to her hoofs.

"And the weather doesn't work by itself, either." Rainbow Dash added as she lifted off.

"I'll see you all later, then." Twilight said as she hugged every one of them before they left, all of them giving Spike a hug as well before they headed downstairs and back to their homes. Twilight sighed once they were all gone, then headed for the Library, carrying the blackboard back with her.

"Do you think we need to recall Starlight?" Spike asked.

Twilight shook her head. "I'm not even sure if she could do anything, at least as far as bringing them home." She answered Spike. "Let her and Trixie work on the friendship problem in the other Equestria; that alone is almost as big a problem as this is. Once Sunset, Starlight and Trixie have their problem sorted, then they'll be free to help us here as much as they can." Twilight smiled. "Maybe even Sunset could come back with them and give us a hand here. The more minds, the better." She suggested.

"Sure can't hurt." Spike agreed. "And you need to eat."

Twilight chuckled. "Okay, Spike. I'll set the table in the library, and you can give me my breakfast there, Little Brother." Twilight agreed, giving Spike a hug and a kiss on his forehead, which got Spike almost purring as he headed off to the kitchen.

=======

Stellar was still a little apprehensive as the four ponies walked along through the huge ship. The most disturbing thing was that there were no signs of the crew anywhere they'd been so far. Through vast spaces and small cabins, they'd found signs of what the crew had been, but of that crew, none of them seemed to still be aboard.

There was also no power on the ship, either. Stellar had figured out long ago that any sort-of ship design would have had to have some kind-of emergency power supply, from very complex mana accumulators to basic battery systems. That was only logical, after all. But if the ship had such, they seemed to be drained... which meant the ship had either suffered a very quick and complex draining of those systems... or the ship had been drifting now for a very long time. "Okay, girls. I want you to go around and manually close all the external hatches. Don't worry about the big ones, I'll do those myself. But for now, we need to close up the hull and make it airtight again." Stellar told the C.M.C. "If we can get the ship airtight again, then we might be able to get some of it working again, and we'll no longer need to stay sealed up in our suits, even if we'll need to keep them on until I am sure this ship won't depressurise unexpectedly."

"Okay, Stellar." Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applejack replied.

"Also, use your magnetic grapples to tether yourselves to the inside of the corridors before you go shutting the external airlock doors. If anything happens, you won't go floating off before I can come and get you. And if you can jam the doors closed so they can't open again without our intervention, that will help as well." Stellar advised them.

"Rojer that, Stellar." The fillies replied again and went off, heading for the front of the ship to work their way back.

Once they were gone, Stellar headed for the outside of the ship again. Once she was on the outer hull, she started walking up the side, heading for the top of the ship. "If the Bridge is going to be anywhere, It's either on the top or at the front." She said to herself, noticing the light-spell she'd hit the hull with was starting to fade already... which was a good thing. She didn't want the ship to stand out in space before she had a chance to get it ready to fight again... if fighting was needed. Better to stay anonymous and unseen for the moment.

As she arrived on the upper hull, Stellar saw what looked like a tower standing up about two-thirds along the long hull, that had a set of large, wide windows in the front of it. "That has to be the Bridge... or maybe a navigation room. Either way, it's a place of importance... and somewhat separate from the rest of the Hull." Stellar smiled. "I bet it could be sealed off from the rest of the ship fairly easily." She said to herself as she pushed off from the hull and drifted towards to front of the tower. After slowly floating across the space, she gently landed on the front of the tower and looked in, grumbling when she found the transparencies were covered over on the inside with some kind-of blast-shielding. "Okay, no way in this way." She said to herself, and started walking along the side of the tower. Eventually she found an airlock door... which, unlike the rest of the airlock doors on the ship, was firmly closed. "Wonder of wonders." Stellar said to herself, a little sarcasm slipping into her voice as she triggered what looked like the opening sequence on the simple controls.

Stellar wondered what she was going to find inside, as the door unlocked itself and very slowly opened. The dimness of the lights of the controls and the slowness of the door was a pretty good indication that, while the airlock still had some power, it was very depleted. Once she was inside the airlock, Stellar helped the doors close faster than they could manually, and she pressurised the lock herself. The inner doors opened as slowly as the outer ones, but Stellar helped them again to open and close, and she was soon walking down towards the bridge. "Hmm... signs in English, that's good." She said to herself. The door to the bridge opened slowly, as expected. That the temperature inside was higher than the rest of the ship was a surprise, but a hundred-and-fifty-degrees Absolute was still incapable of supporting almost all life as Equestria knew it, no matter what world you came from. "Maybe windigos could survive this temperature, but little else could." Stellar said to herself.

Inside, Stellar froze instinctively as she walked out onto the floor of the bridge. Even her fast mind took a little time out to contemplate what she was seeing, as she stared at the sight before her. "Celestia and deities above..." She almost whispered.

Before her lay lines of suited forms, about sixty to her quick count. Stellar's mind took in that they were all bipedal as well. The suits were more advanced than the ones she'd made the C.M.C., and maybe more advanced than her own, save for the metal her armor was made of and her magic. She walked slowly forward, checking each of them. They were all tied up, secured to what her sensors told her were magnetic plates tied to their backs, and laid out almost meticulously. She cleaned some of the frost off the clear visors of the helmets, to reveal human faces within, the bodies frozen inside the suits. "Humans." Stellar said. "So, this is a Human ship." She snorted. "Can't say I'm surprised." She commented to herself as she walked up onto the plinth with the Captain's chair on it. There was another suited body lying there, and Stellar couldn't help but think that this might be the captain of the ship. She said a soft prayer to the Cosmic Deities to protect their souls, before she hopped up onto the Captain's chair and checked the displays arrayed before it.

Some of the displays showed signs of power: one that showed a clock in the corner, another with a digital counter advancing with what, Stellar assumed, was probably the time since they'd left Base... wherever that was. While it was most likely Earth, that wasn't a certainty. The counter was showing what she assumed was over a hundred and fifty years elapsed time, a very long time, Stellar knew, for any space mission that wasn't a generational ship. "Well, I wanted to get back out into Space," She said to herself, grinning, "But this isn't exactly how I wanted to do it, to be honest. Let's see what I can learn from these displays." And she started tapping away on the visible controls.

The touchscreens lit up and displayed information to Stellar, most of which she made sense of as it showed her everything in English. The knowledge she'd gained from her other selves elsewhere helped her interpret what she was seeing. "Okay, Most of the connections to the main hull have been severed, and only the Bridge tower has power... and even that's starting to fail slowly. There's a computer still active in the tower, but there's nothing from the rest of the ship. Life support's on bare minimal, just to keep everything from totally freezing up here, but it looks like the last orders were given about four years after they left Base... and they lost power only a month after they left Base, which is damned wierd. " Stellar said. "So, where's the power coming from?" She managed to bring up the layout of the tower five minutes later. "Okay, there's a battery room at the lowest floor of the bridge section. I should be able to plug a mana-to-power converter into the system there if their systems aren't too different from what I know." Stellar got to her hoofs and made her way down to the lowest floor of the bridge complex, listening with a smile to the constant chatter from the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they did what she'd assigned to them...

= = = = =

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were slowly working their way through the hull of the ship, closing every open airlock door they could find floor by floor. Sweetie Belle had been the one who found that the doors were held open by a latching system, and by disengaging it, the doors would close by themselves. It made things much easier to do, with even Scootaloo being able to trigger the doors to close. Securing the outer and inner doors was made easier by a similar system that locked the doors in their closed positions. "Ah wonder why tha ponies on this ship didn't just lock tha doors shut, if'n it's so easy to do?" Applebloom contemplated out-loud as she trotted from one airlock to the next one about fifty metres down the corridor on the second floor.

"Maybe there were too many of them to get to all at once." Sweetie Belle suggested as she did the same on the other side of the hull. "Most of these look like they're not meant to open normally. I mean, they look like, y'know, those 'emergency' doors they talk about in Star Charter's science-fiction novels, with all this black-and-yellow striping around and across them."

"Yeah, they do, don't they?" Scootaloo agreed with Sweetie Belle as she trotted along on the floor below. "I mean, it's almost kind-of scarey, how close Star Charter got to how this ship really feels like inside." She told the others as her helmet lights lit up another cabin on the floor she was on. Seeing something floating around inside the room, Scootaloo went in and grabbed it. It was a small rectangle of plastic with a small glass section and some controls on it, and a set of strange little 'thingies', as Scootaloo thought of them, attached in a housing on the back of it. She tucked it into a pocket on her foreleg's housing, then went on her way. She'd ask Stellar about it later. "I'm almost back to the hangar section on this deck. How are you two doing?" Scootaloo asked the others.

"Ah'm almost at tha same point you are, Scoots." Applebloom answered as she closed another airlock's inner door and secured it. "How about you, Sweetie Belle?"

"I think I'm finished on this side. I'm just closing the door to the hangar section." Sweetie Belle replied.

"I wonder where everypony on the ship went?" Scootaloo then asked the question all three of them had been asking themselves sub-consciously. "I mean, there's nopony here at all, not even... you know." Scootaloo added, not quite saying the word: 'Bodies'.

"Y... yeah. It does make it kinda creepy." Applebloom agreed.

"Frankly, I prefer it this way." Sweetie Belle gave her opinion. "Better than finding floating lumps of crew and blood-splattered walls and floors." She said as if she was just discussing her latest favorite novel in her room at the house the three shared in Ponyville. It was a better arrangement than living separately, they'd all decided. While Scootaloo could now fly up to Rainbow Dash's cloud-house, and Applebloom always had a room at Sweet Apple Acres, of course, each one of them preferred to have their own space away from their older siblings. They'd managed, with help and lots of hard work and saving, to pool enough to buy a house in Ponyville with three distinct living areas, plus a common kitchen and living area. Sweetie Belle had taken the west side of the house, Applebloom the east side, and Scootaloo lived on the upper floor, which suited them all well. Sweetie Belle had a studio, where she worked at her music, painting and writing; Applebloom had a connecting door to the workshop out the back, where she worked on whatever she was working on that week; and Scootaloo had a big room above the workshop, where she practised her brand of music and weight-training.

Applebloom just snorted. "Sweetie! Ya don't havta be so... so..."

"Blasé about it?" Scootaloo suggested.

"Yeah, or blunt." Applebloom completed her sentence.

Sweetie Belle sniffed haughtily, echoing Rarity almost perfectly. "I don't see what you're upset about. I was agreeing with you, after all. It is wierd that there's nopony here, but I stand by the fact that finding nothing is preferable to having bodies floating about or bits of them splattered everywhere."

"Yeah, ah guess yer right about that, Sweets." Applebloom had to agree. "So, fourth floor?"

"Yes." Sweetie Belle agreed as she headed down to the fourth floor with Applebloom, leaving the starboard side of the third floor for Scootaloo to finish.

= = = = =

Stellar had made her way down to the lowest level of the Bridge section, and after checking through several rooms, found the emergency power room. She'd found several large power accumulators and battery units fitted throughout the room. "At least the humans had the sense to label everything in rooms like this." Stellar said to herself, as she was able to identify everything fairly easily. Stellar felt she was very lucky to have found a Human ship, rather than one by a more-alien race. At least she could understand the way Humans laid out their technology and systems.

Towards an emptier section of the compact and fairly-full room, she found connectors for what seemed to be more accumulators that were never installed. Smiling, Stellar rummaged around in one of her H-S pockets and retrieved two mana-to-power converters and two quiescent mana generators. Like those that powered her backpack thrusters, they could generate almost as much power as Celestia herself could, without tapping into the Sun's power.

It took Stellar close to ten minutes to wire the converters to interface with the on-board power systems. She had set the system to have the power flow into the accumulators first, which could regulate the power feed to the Bridge Complex, instead of the power flowing directly into the more sensitive equipment. Once she was sure the systems were secure and properly wired-in, she locked the generators into place on the converters and slowly let them start powering up. Checking every so often to assure the system was accepting the power flow from the converters without damaging the accumulators or wiring, Stellar then left the accumulators to charge up. She had to remove the bodies on the bridge into permanent cold-storage before the Bridge started to warm up.

While the elevator shafts didn't have airlocks on their doors, Stellar found the staircase leading down from the bridge had an airlock at both the top and bottom, so she went through and down to the rest of the ship that way. "Cadets, report." She said to the C.M.C.

"We've closed the doors on five of the floors, Captain." Sweetie Belle replied.

"But Engineering and the flight bays are still open, as you directed." Scootaloo added.

"Very good, Cadets." Stellar smiled. It seemed the girls were starting to take things seriously. "I've started on getting a section of the ship liveable for us. I just have to clear it first of some things the former crew left behind." Stellar had to grin at the cheers from the teenage fillies. "What? Are you becoming tired of your suits already?" She asked.

"Uh, not really, Ma'am." Applebloom answered. "But it's still gonna be good to get some rest, maybe out of them." She admitted.

"Believe me, I can sympathise, girls." Stellar replied as she floated down to the deck with the medical bay and sank to the floor of the deck with practised ease. This deck wasn't sealed yet, so it made it more imperative, Stellar knew, to check everywhere and be safe. She closed the airlock doors herself as she moved along the floor, until she reached the medical bay and went inside. "If they're going to be anywhere, they'll probably be in storage in here, somewhere..." She said to herself as she walked along through the quite-advanced facility. Eventually Stellar found "Ah, they have a Morgue." Checking it over, she sighed. "They only have ten freezers. Looks like the rest are just going to have to be put on ice elsewhere." She did find human-sized storage boxes that would take the crew's bodies... with a little bit of enlargement to handle their spacesuits.

Teleporting the proper number of them to the bridge, Stellar checked over the plans of the ship she'd found and decided that one of the outer holds with an external access door would do well to hold the bodies once they were encased. Stellar made her way to the hold, finding it contained a lot of containers with pre-fabricated structures that were secured in place. "This will do." Stellar assessed, and she closed the external door and sealed it. She pressed a mana beacon in place on the floor, then teleported back to the bridge. Once there, Stellar started assembling the storage boxes and moving the suited corpses into them, placing spells inside the boxes to keep the remains frozen, no matter the temperature. Stellar found it took her about five minutes per body to secure them in the boxes and teleport them to the hold. "This will take a while, then." She said as she sent one full box to the hold with the beacon in it.

= = = = =

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were having fun exploring the ship as they worked on closing the airlock doors. There was so much on-board they didn't recognise... and so much they did. "Hey! I've found a room full of musical instruments!" Sweetie Belle told the others.

"Are they in any good shape?" Scootaloo asked.

"I think so." Sweetie Belle replied. "They're mostly sealed away in some kind-of hard cases, but I can see through them."

"Cool." Scootaloo replied, the smile in her voice most evident. "I think I've found the gym. It's got some really wierd equipment in it."

"Speakin' of equipment," Applebloom's voice butted in. "Ah think ah've found tha workshops. There's tons of tools an' other things in here."

"You're down near the hangars, aren't you Applebloom?" Sweetie Belle asked.

“That’s ay-firmative.” Applebloom replied, a grin in her voice.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo giggled as they converged on Applebloom's location. They both walked out into one of the open bays, to where they could see Applebloom standing beside a large pair of doors. "See?" Applebloom asked as they walked into the rooms. Huge toolboxes made of metal were fixed into spaces along the walls inside the rooms, and a counter with dozens of shelves behind it showed lots of other tools locked into place either on them or hanging up in clamps on back-boards showed that this was definitely the equipment store for the hangar. As the Trio walked out into the hangar, they could see a lot of the fightercraft were lined up in this bay along the side-walls in smaller bays as well as on the floor. It seems the crew had locked them all down to the floor before they vanished, as Applebloom expected. Whatever she felt about who might have owned this ship before them, she could see the professionalism they'd left behind in the way everything had been cleaned, stored and secured... even if they'd expected not to survive what had happened to them.

"You see this?" Scootaloo then said, pointing to the fighters in their bays. "There seems to be two types of these things, a big one and a little one." She pointed them out.

"Yeah, and it looks like they can join together." Sweetie Belle pointed out a number of the fighter-pairs with the smaller ones attached to the front of the bigger ones.

"Yeah. Kinda wierd, but ah guess it makes sense... somehow." Applebloom gave her opinion.

Scootaloo was up at the cockpit canopy of one of the smaller ones, looking in. "They look really fast! I bet they'd be really great to fly in."

"Maybe you could learn to fly them in time, Scoots." Sweetie Belle suggested as they walked around the fighters, heading for the front of the hangar and maintenance bays.

=======

After five hours, Stellar was feeling tired. The bridge was empty and, after she checked, the accumulators were charged and the batteries were charging. Glad things were going as they should, she powered up the bridge section fully and called to the C.M.C. "Cadets, make your way to section A7. I'll meet you there and take you to our new quarters... for the moment."

"Rojer that, Captain." Came three replies, and Stellar smiled as she headed down the staircase, floating down along it rather than walking. Once she reached the bottom of the bridge stairs, Stellar touched down again and went through the airlock. This was the lowest section of the ship that actually still had power, the airlock doors opening and closing properly and cycling normally. She had to wait nearly ten minutes for the fillies to arrive, but then she saw them trotting up the corridor, their white suits glowing in the lights from her helmet.

After they’d gone through the lower airlock, Stellar told them “Okay, up the stairwell, and we can relax a bit.” Stellar said to the trio.

“We’re walking all the way up there?” Applebloom complained.

Stellar smiled. “No, you can turn off your PGF and float up, Applebloom. Just keep it slow and steady. If you do get ahead, wait for the rest of us at the stair-top airlock. The fewer times we have to go through it, the better.” Stellar answered her.

“All right!” Scootaloo exclaimed and headed up around the stairs at a much faster pace, flying along in the lack of gravity.

Stellar shook her head with a smile, as Sweetie Belle sighed. "It must be nice to be able to do that." She commented.

Applebloom asked "Is there any way ya can give us wings too, Stellar?"

Stellar thought for a second as she pushed off and floated up the first flight of stairs, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom following a little more slowly. "I guess I could make you sets of mechanical ones, but enabling your magic to let them work like the wings of a pegasus? That might be a little beyond my abilities at this stage." Stellar admitted.

"So... no?" Applebloom asked for confirmation as they reached the first landing, and Stellar showed them how to turn and use the walls to change their direction.

Stellar smiled at Applebloom. "Tell you what: once we get home again, then I'll see if Twilight wants to work with me on making a set of wings for you." She offered the pair. "After all, they'd be good for pegasi who've lost their wings or the use of them, too." Stellar thought on that as they headed up the second flight. "Y'know, if we submit the project for official funding with that in mind, we might just get help from other sources, too." She smiled at Applebloom.

"Sweet." Applebloom replied as Sweetie Belle grinned with her.

Once they'd made the bridge, Stellar checked the air pressure, temperature and purity, then sighed happily. "Okay, girls, it's safe to open up." And her own face-plate slid up into her helmet. The fillies unlocked and slid their helmet faceplates up, breathing in the air.

"Still smells a bit funny." Scootaloo commented.

"It's likely due to the time the bridge has been frozen. Some materials react differently to being frozen and thawed." Stellar explained. "The filters are still in good condition, so they'll clean the smell up eventually."

"Can we get outta these suits?" Applebloom asked as she looked around.

Stellar chuckled as the other pair started asking the same thing. "I should think so." She answered. Stellar told them how to retract their suits back into the helmets as her own armor retracted. Once they had taken off their helmets and stretched, Stellar started rummaging in one of her H-S pockets, bringing out containers of water and food for them all.

"Uh, Stellar..." Scootaloo started to ask.

"Go out the door to the right and it's the second door on the left." Stellar told the young filly, and all three of them raced off. Stellar chuckled as she shook her head and started taking bowls out and constructing a salad for them all. The look of relief on the fillies' faces when they returned almost had Stellar laughing out-loud, as they settled near her, ready to have something to eat that wasn't concentrate bars.

"Ya really got a lot of food stored away, don't'cha, Stellar?" Applebloom asked, as Stellar handed out the salad bowls and put more bottles of water and apple cider for them all.

"Managing food is a major part of Survival training, Applebloom." Stellar told her. "Of course, using magic makes keeping fresh food fresh a lot easier than using other methods, like dehydrating and freeze-drying food, but at least one of my H-S pockets is full of nothing but food rations. And on-board a ship like this, it is even more important to have, since you can't go and just find food like we could if we were stranded somewhere else on Equis." Stellar reminded them all. "And I made sure I had my bag full of fresh stuff before I was going to let Twilight send me anywhere with that spell of hers; whether it was the Moon or to the other side of Ponyville." Stellar grinned at the three fillies as they giggled. "After what happened the first time, I made sure I packed way more than even I felt might have been prudent. After all, Shize happens, and it happens very often when messing with prototype spells."

The three fillies nodded knowingly. "At least we didn't get covered in tree sap this time." Scootaloo commented, to gagging sounds from the others and chuckles from Stellar.

"How in all the mysteries of the Cosmos do you three keep getting covered in tree sap, every time you go within cooee of the Everfree?" Stellar asked.

"Meh." The three replied. "Just unlucky, I guess." Sweetie Belle answered.

"Although we ain't gotten covered innit fer a long while now, ever since we had ta get jobs." Applebloom added.

"How's that been working out for you three, anyway?" Stellar asked.

Applebloom smiled brightly. "Filthy Rich's been really good about lettin' me werk on tha farm when they need me there." She told Stellar. "After all, our crops do supply his store with some of its best 'merchandise', as he calls it."

Stellar nodded. "Any troubles with Diamond Tiara?"

"No, none of us have had problems with her, ever since we helped her find out what her cutie mark really meant for her." Sweetie Belle answered. "She's still a bit snarky occasionally, but it seems to disappear once she realises she's doing it."

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah. She can still be sarcastic, but it's honest sarcasm, not nastiness." She added.

"Good to hear." Stellar said back. "How are you doing, Scoots?" She asked.

"Ditzy's okay to work with." Scootaloo replied. "A lot of Ponies think she's not playing with a full deck, but she's really smart. She's got Ponyville all divided up and laid out so we can get the deliveries done really quickly. If she could get some more pegasi to help her, she could just work the office and leave the deliveries to us... if she wanted to." Scootaloo chuckled. "Between all of us, I think she loves just getting out and meeting other Ponies."

Sweetie Belle chuckled. "I'd have to agree." She replied. "Sassy and I are getting along okay, too." Sweetie Belle told the group. "Since she doesn't have a 'vested interest' in watching over me, I can do my job without having her breathing down my neck all the time, unlike when I was trying to work under Rarity." Sweetie Belle shuddered. "Don't get me wrong; I love my older sister, but she is not the best to work for when you're her younger sister. She finds it hard to keep the distinction between work business and Family stuff... and while that's understandable, it makes it hard to concentrate on what I have to do in my job." She smiled.

"Sassy lets me do what she assigns me, and I think she trusts me enough that she's not watching me all the time now... well, at least when I'm working the counter. And thanks to your lessons, Stellar, my magic's gotten strong enough and accurate enough that I can change the banners by myself, most of the time." Sweetie grinned widely. "I think I'm no longer 'The Boss' younger sister' in Sassy's eyes. Last week, we closed the boutique over Lunch, and she took me to one of her favorite restaurants. We sat, ate and talked for our break, and she didn't even mention Rarity once, all the time we were there. I really enjoyed that." Sweetie Belle then let out a huge yawn.

"That's great, Sweetie Belle." Stellar said. "It seems you three are truly moving out from under your older sisters' presence and influence, and are starting to make your own way in the world."

"Ee-yup. An' it's thank ta you, Stellar, that we've been able to." Applebloom then said.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo agreed. "If it wasn't for you helping us to get our own place, we might still be stuck in our ruts and not getting anywhere."

"It was my pleasure to help, Girls." Stellar replied. "There comes a time when everypony needs to get out on their own and start living their life the way they want to, and I could see that you three were more than ready to do so, almost over-ready. So I just helped you get going." She gave them a wink. "You've proven me right with what you've done and how well you've done it." As Stellar saw Applebloom give a huge yawn of her own when she'd finished writing, Stellar smiled softly. "Now, I think it's time you three stretched out and got some sleep." She pulled a pair of large, inflatable mattresses from one of her H-S pockets and set them up for the trio. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom crawled onto one of them, while Scootaloo settled onto the other one. Stellar turned the lights down as the trio settled, then moved to the Captain's chair as she said "Good Night." In a soft voice.

"Good night." Was the reply from all three fillies, and Stellar watched over them as they fell asleep very quickly. It had been a big day for all three young ponies, and they were more exhausted than they realised. Well fed and knowing they were safe with Stellar watching over them, they slept very soundly.

Author's Note

Here's Chapter Two!

Chapter Three is still undergoing second-stage perusal by my proof-readers and might not be available for a while if they head off on Christmas Holidays before they finish. They've promised not to, but sometimes things happen, and they won't Pinkie-Promise me, which makes me very suspicious. :twilightangry2:

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and it doesn't keep you up at night, waiting for the next chapter... at least more than an hour. :scootangel:

14 - Move Your Pieces; But Mind The Shifts In Play

King Greatfeather stood above the great docks south of Griffonspire, as a massive flotilla of two hundred ships were manoeuvering out of their docks and moorings into the great river that separated Griffonia from the Dragon Lands. Two combined fleets in all, the flotilla was heading down the river and out into the Great Inland Sea, as the griffons called the Celestial Sea. General Steelclaw watched with him, as a hundred great airships, bigger than any seen over Griffonia before, were also moving into formation above the fleets. "The Army is aboard their transports, My Liege." He told Razorbeak.

"What are the tallies, General?" Razorbeak asked.

"A thousand armed warriors are aboard each airship." Steelclaw answered as he gestured to the four-hundred-foot-long rigid airships. A new design, they were faster than previous airships and bigger than anything they'd put into the air before. Lessons learned from the captured air vessels of the Storm King had made their bigger size and faster speed possible. "Two-hundred-and-fifty warriors are aboard each warship, some serving as crew during their journey to make their numbers less of a strain on provisions."

Razorbeak nodded. "Good." He replied. "What is their estimated progress?"

"The First Sea Fleet should reach the open sea upon the onset of full night, then head towards Equestria at Dawn with the Air Fleet. The Second Sea Fleet will leave the morning after, just as the First fleets gain sight of Equestria's shore." Steelclaw laid things out for Razorbeak. "The first Sea Fleet will have slow-going conditions, but they should reach the shores of Equestria two hours after Dawn on the second day. The Air Fleet will be staying with them, in support of them. We don't want the night-wing troops of the Equestrians fire-bombing our ships overnight, which might happen if they moved into Horseshoe Bay under the cover of darkness."

Razorbeak nodded. "Understandable." He said. "You are dismissed to join them, General. Bring home news of a great victory."

"Aye, Your Majesty." Steelclaw said, then he took off, heading for the lead airship, the Claw of Griffonia.

Razorbeak smirked to himself, as he watched the fleets sail off. The Equestrians had no idea what was about to fall upon them. Their miserably-small army and other forces would be wiped out within the first day, and then he would lead the assault on Canterlot itself. Having the three remaining alicorns chained up and defeated at his paws would be vindication of everything his House had been planning since they were ripped from the Throne so many years ago. His only regret was that the one alicorn he wanted to personally dismember had vanished only weeks ago. He knew not where Stellar Sparkle had gone, but Razorbeak truly hoped she would eventually turn up. He so wanted to feast on her heart, after making the elder alicorn sisters watch him carve the younger sisters apart...

= = = = =

General Steelclaw landed on the fore-deck of the Claw of Griffonia and marched towards the bridge. His aide, Colonel Scarlet Crest, was waiting. "Everything is in order, General." He reported. "The troops were a little restless as we waited to move out, but now we're actually heading out, they have settled down again."

"Good." Steelclaw replied. "I can understand their eagerness; this has been far too long a time coming." He looked over the bridge, seeing nothing but calm activity. "After waiting for so long, building up our forces, and then throwing everything we had into making these new airships, it will be good to finally unleash ourselves on the ponies." He turned and looked out over the foredeck, to where Equestria lay over the horizon. Scarlet Crest took this as a silent dismissal, and left the General alone with his thoughts.

Steelclaw knew what King Greatfeather had planned for the Equestrian Royalty, and while he was as eager to feast on the forbidden meat that had been denied them for so long, he knew it wasn't going to be as easy as the newly-crowned monarch thought. Until they landed the ships and deployed the magic-blocking devices they'd paid the minotaurs to construct, the invasion forces would be vulnerable to Equestrian magic. He also wondered what had happened to the most war-like alicorn amongst those he faced.

Whatever had happened to Stellar Sparkle was one question he wished he had the answer to. He'd followed her career as closely as he could; the epic fight she'd undergone to attain her title had been of much interest to him. Maybe House Sparkle had finally produced another warrior to match their finest so far. He'd hoped to face-off against General Canopus Star one day; the old pegasus seemed to be as immortal as the alicorns at one time... until he finally passed on. Steelclaw was probably the only griffon that mourned the old pegasus general's passing. And now, with Stellar Sparkle having vanished, it would be likely there would be few to challenge him. He secretly (and fervently) hoped that she wasn't dead. Although it would make things somewhat easier for the final assault on Canterlot, he had hoped to finally face someone worthy of fighting one-on-one.

And Steelclaw so longed for a decent challenge...

=======

Luna was riding in Cloudsdale as the massive cloud city reached the east coast of Equestria as the enemy fleets began their travel to the sea, centering itself near Baltimare over Horseshoe Bay. The city's water tanks were full, and more water was being readied for transfer to the city's famed weather station as it came to a halt. She looked behind herself as the city's assistant station manager, Cloudbreaker, landed behind her and bowed. "Your Highness, everything is ready." He said.

"Excellent, you may commence." Luna replied. Cloudbreaker nodded and said something into the microphone of his new comm-gear, fitted into his helmet. Luna had turned to look at Cloudbreaker when he had finished speaking. "Do you think what we have planned will hold?" She asked.

Cloudbreaker nodded. "It took a while to figure out the proper formula to produce clouds that would hold together as you wanted, but they'll stay coherent for nearly a week, we estimate. Any longer, and we couldn't guarantee that." Cloudbreaker answered. "We're using a modified snowfall design; they're the longest-lasting clouds we can make. Plus they're thick and very opaque; we should be able to stack them from sea level right up to maybe twenty-thousand metres without them coming apart due to the altitude."

Luna smiled. "Very good, Assistant Manager Cloudbreaker. You and your father Manager Stormbreaker are to be commended for making this possible so quickly."

Cloudbreaker smiled. "Well, it was tough, switching all the equipment over to winter-mode on such short notice, but it was good training for our new personnel and a good shake-up for the normal staff. Keeps us from getting rusty." He looked over the planned deployment. "We can start the build-up here, working both north and south down to Hayseed Swamp, so anyone coming south of the system will find themselves over the Badlands. Once we reach there, the pegasi can return to us and we can move the city north, to finish the project by swinging out to sea and hiding the Griffish Isles as you requested."

Luna nodded. "Good. Having them hidden will relieve much worry from my sister and I. They are a prime target for armed invasion, and we do not want to see that peaceful community ruined by such aggression."

As they watched, a steady stream of black cloud was coming out of the weather factory's funnel. Sections a hundred metres in length were sliced off and moved away quickly, ten pegasi to a section. The very coherent and somewhat-sticky cloud pieces were dropped down to sea level, and the build-up began. Tens-of-thousands of pegasi were ready to help construct this very interesting project: A cloud-wall that stretched from the Badlands in the south right to the very shores of Griffonstone in the north. The biggest of Stellar's preparations, Luna was finding her ideas to be... amusing, and very interesting. She wondered what the griffons would make of it when their forces saw it for the first time...

=======

As they continued to travel through Fold-Space, Scootaloo was working with Stellar and Applebloom to put together the new armament for Stellar's Elite Air Guard platoons. Special connector bands would wrap around their barrels with the weapons mounted on them, and would connect to the helmet-mounted control systems, allowing the pegasi to aim and fire them effectively. But when it came time to fit Scootaloo herself, she noticed her armament was different to the others. "Why is mine different?" She asked Stellar.

"Well, you can't carry quite as much as the adult pegasi can yet, Scoots. So I thought this arrangement might suit you a little better." Stellar explained, as she locked one of the GR-97 missile launchers to Scootaloo's connector band, down under her barrel. To each side, one of the EP-40 pulse-beam cannons was locked in place, giving her a substantial firepower. "There. You might not have the same long-range missile armament as the others, but with twin cannons, you're more than capable of handling yourself in aerial combat." Stellar gave Scootaloo a grin.

Scootaloo grinned back. "Thanks, Stellar... and thanks for letting me fly with you and the other pegasi." Scootaloo added.

"You're a cadet-lieutenant now, Scoots." Stellar told Scootaloo. "I think our action against the griffons' second fleet is going to be safe enough for you to accompany me, especially with the rest of the Air Guard flying with us." Stellar smiled at Scootaloo.

Applebloom gave Scootaloo a huge grin and a wink, then the pair of young mares high-hoofed each other.

=======

The dawn of the new day found the Air-fleet and First Sea Fleet having reached the bay at the mouth of the river that led from Griffonia to the open sea. A very well-protected trade route for the griffon empire, it was the one line they had to the Celestial Sea.

General Steelclaw looked out over the ocean, as the airships waited for the first hundred ships to move out of the bay and formate on the open ocean before them. The wind was being kind that morning, coming off the land behind them and ready to drive the ships towards Equestria, but it wasn't a strong wind so far. He estimated that it would take probably all day and night and onto the next day to have the ships in sight of the far shore.

Some had advised that the airships should go on ahead and establish a beachhead for the ships, but Steelclaw knew that was folly. Without the anti-magic devices the ships carried, the Equestrians would sweep them off into the sea faster than a griffon could dive on prey. No, this had to be a combined effort for the first landings. Once they had established themselves, then the airships could move on to take Canterlot.

After two hours, the entire First Sea Fleet was in formation and moving steadily out into the open sea. Steelclaw just had a momentary glimpse of the vessels of the Second Sea Fleet starting to formate themselves in the bay as the ships under him headed for Equestria. The second front might have been more of a distraction than his force was, but they would draw away pony troops on the long trek to the Griffish Isles. Even by train it would take a long time to reach there, and that would make things much easier for his own landing.

He smiled as one of the crew brought a hearty breakfast for him, plus a fold-out table. Locking it in place, the crew-member served him and waited patiently as the General ate...

=======

Celestia, Luna and Twilight were also enjoying breakfast after the Sun had risen and the Moon set. They were discussing the day's itinerary, when a message was brought in by a pegasus courier. Celestia opened it and frowned. "According to the scout we have overlooking Wide Bay, a griffon flotilla of two hundred ships and a hundred airships arrived there during the morning twilight and have set off. The airships and half the normal ships have set sail across the Celestial Sea, the other hundred ships seem to be heading up the coast along Griffonstone." She told the others.

"Towards the Griffish Isles, like Stellar said." Twilight said back.

Luna nodded. "It seems her visions are showing their accuracy, now that events are underway." She stated. "Her preparations are, therefore, quite proper to stave off this invasion."

"Yes, more than I'd thought." Celestia agreed. "It seems Stellar can trust her prescient vision more, now that what she has seen has proven accurate."

"And that's good for all of us, then." Twilight replied.

"Yes. We shall therefore proceed with the rest of the list of preparations she has given us." Celestia told them. "We will be ready for their return... and the griffons will not be ready, at all." She gave a wicked smile, that Luna returned and Twilight just grinned.

=======

Before Sunset later that day, Luna inspected the progress on the cloud-wall. She was amazed at how fast it was being assembled. The huge numbers of weather ponies had managed to complete more than half the wall, including bracing against the steady wind coming from across the Celestial Sea. She stood on the top of the section that hid Baltimare, looking out over Equestria, the setting sun now blocked for a good portion of the afternoon from shining on the Celestial Sea. An early sunset was no worse than having a storm across the sky would normally. After the invasion was defeated, the clouds would be broken up fairly easily, the water returning to various lakes and reservoirs whence it came.

Luna took off and headed North. Eventually she came across Cloudsdale sitting north of Fillydelphia, almost at Manehatten. The wall's frontier was already starting to encroach on the water in front of Manehattan at sea level, the uppermost part of the wall was completed to within twenty kilometres of the fair city. It had already been anchored to the peninsula south of Manehattan, from where the wall would cross the northern Celestial Sea to the far anchor point on the small peninsula north of the Guto River in Griffonstone, blocking off the entire section where the Griffish Isles were and the Celestial Sea narrowed and flowed around them.

She landed at Cloudsdale and sought out Cloudbreaker once again.

"Your Highness!" Cloudbreaker addressed Luna as he saw her striding towards him.

"How goes things, Assistant Manager Cloudbreaker?" Luna asked.

"Very well, Your Highness." Cloudbreaker replied. "The work is going so fast, we've divided up the numbers we have into three shifts. One shift is resting while the other two work on. They switch out every eight hours, so that each shift only works sixteen hours, but the wall is still to be completed on-schedule." Cloudbreaker reported with a smile.

"Excellent. Your ponies are to be commended, Assistant Manager. Keep at it, and things will be worse for the griffons, come the dawn."

"Aye, Your Highness!" Cloudbreaker saluted Luna, and she headed once again for the outside of the city. Taking off, she continued towards the Griffish Isles.

Luna had seen the build-up of Equestria's defences as well, as she had travelled. The bulk of the standing army and half the reserves were at Baltimare and Horseshoe Bay, the rest of the reserves to the north of the city by the bay, in case the fleet turned north. She was sure, however that they planned to land at Horseshoe Bay. It was the best place for such a large fleet to anchor, and would be much harder for Pegasi weather forces to bring storms upon them there. Luna felt sure, as Stellar had suggested and Twilight agreed, that the griffons would attempt to overwhelm Equestria's troops with sheer numbers. Their army was so much larger than Equestria's, they could field five-to-one odds in their favor and still have more troops back in Griffonia to provide security.

Stellar had said to ignore the fleet heading for the Griffish Isles. She had written that, if things went to plan, she would have her Elite Air Guard fitted out with new weapons capable of destroying the second griffon sea fleet decisively. While Celestia was inclined to trust Stellar completely on this, Luna had had a large number of her Thestral troops take up residence on the islands for the moment. They would serve to bolster the confidence of the residents, and show they hadn't been forgotten. Plus with fish so abundant, the thestrals wouldn't put a strain on the resources of the small island nation. Satisfied things were well in-hoof, Luna made to return to Canterlot to raise the Moon that evening and report to her sister about the progress of their preparations.

=======

General Steelclaw was looking to the west as they crossed the sea. He was frowning, however, as the Sun seemed to disappear behind heavy cloud-cover over Equestria. "Captain, what do you make of that?" He asked Captain Skydiver.

Skydiver joined Steelclaw and looked through his own spyglass. "Looks like a large storm over Horseshoe Bay and Baltimare." He answered.

"Indeed." Steelclaw answered. "Unusual, do you think?"

"No, General. The weather schedules we obtained said there might be rain scheduled for tonight over the city and bay, to replenish the reservoirs there and help clean the city. That's probably what we're seeing."

Steelclaw chirred uneasily. "I hope they'll be clear for the morning."

"Baltimare usually likes their summer sun, so I am fairly sure we won't have any problems in that regard. Besides, the Sun will be at our backs in the morning, so there shouldn't be any problems regarding our approach, at least." Skydiver reassured the older griffon.

Steelclaw nodded. "If it's scheduled, the ponies will have it cleared in due time. They are ever-so-fussy about keeping their precious weather schedules as perfect as possible."

"Aye, General. At least the weather's been fair for the journey so far. We should be right for anchoring tonight. The storm should allow the wind to die over night, so we won't drift too far." Captain Skydiver told Steelclaw.

Steelclaw nodded. "Good. Bring us down over the fleet before it gets too dark, and prepare to drop lines to anchor us to our assigned vessel. We'll set up for the night and in the morning, we'll be ready to go on and finish this."

"Aye, General." Skydiver saluted Steelclaw, then headed back to the bridge. A few minutes later, lines dropped from the Claw of Griffonia with flags on them, and signalled to the fleet to descend and converge over their assigned surface vessel.

It would be a sight the few Pony scouts who saw it were awed by, as a hundred huge airships slowly came over an equal number of surface vessels and were anchored to them. Then the two combined fleets seemed to move together in rows, the airships lashing themselves to one another and holding the entire assembled fleet as one unit, while the wind died as twilight descended on them early. Lights were lit on the ships, crystal lanterns bought from the Crystal Empire over several years illuminating the airships, and the griffon warriors were served a hearty stew by the crews of their vessels. Steelclaw was below decks in a cabin assigned to him, still going over projected outcomes to their landing, and making adjustments to them, until full night descended and the griffons mostly slept.

=======

Stellar and the Trio were at their stations, the final countdown to reaching home playing out on a holo-screen before them. "Three, two, one, exit Fold-Space!" Stellar ordered.

"Aye!" Scootaloo answered, even as she pulled the drive activation lever back and the Xerxes dropped back into Normal Space again.

Just as the ship settled, alarms started blaring across the bridge. Reacting without thinking, Scootaloo fired the retro-engines and put the main engines into reverse-thrust as Sweetie Belle yelled "There's a massive obstruction ahead!"

"Scan it!" Stellar replied. "Fire all reverse thrusters as well, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo added all the reverse thrusters to the efforts to cut their forward momentum. The Xerxes gradually slowed down until Scootaloo cut the thrusters and engines. "We're at full stop relative to the obstruction, Captain." She reported.

"It reads... as solid, Captain." Sweetie Belle replied. "According to the scans, it reads as cosmic dust and energy... almost like a shield."

"We're stationary at fifty metres, Captain." Scootaloo added.

"That was too close..." Stellar commented. She slid out of her chair and trotted around to the front of the bridge. Her horn lit up and she sent a bolt of magic through the transparencies, where it travelled the length of the ship and hit the wall. The return signal was as she had silently speculated. "It's the Firmament." Stellar told the Trio.

"That means... we're nearly Home." Applebloom stated.

Stellar nodded. "Nearly." She agreed. "We just have to find a way through... this." She gestured to the Firmament shield.

"We could try blastin' our way through." Applebloom suggested.

Stellar contemplated that option. "Helm, take us back to five hundred metres and park us there." She ordered.

"Aye, Captain." Scootaloo replied and fired the forward retro-engines again. The Xerxes slowly moved backwards until a quick blast of the secondary engines brought the ship to a halt, thrusters stabilising them. "In position, Captain." Scootaloo reported.

"All right." Stellar replied. "Applebloom, power up the main cannons and aim the forward turrets at one point on the Firmament, just about where we almost hit it." She told Applebloom. "Sweetie Belle, train the sensors on that location. I want you to see what results our firing on that one point has on the shield. If we can destabilise it for long enough to get through, so much the better."

"Aye, Captain." The two young mares said as Scootaloo programmed a flight course through that section, ready to head through if ordered to do so.

"Ready?" Stellar asked. After getting affirmative answers from both mares, Stellar nodded. "One turret only, Applebloom. Fire."

"Aye. Firing one turret." And the upper forward turret glowed and fired three concentrated beams of energy at the Firmament shield. The shield glowed with the impact, but nothing else happened.

Sweetie Belle spoke up as the guns stopped firing. "Nothing, Captain. The shield seemed to absorb the energy as it was hit."

Stellar nodded, looking annoyed. "All right, Applebloom. Focus all the forward turrets on that one spot and fire at will." She ordered.

"Aye, Captain." Applebloom acknowledged, then fired again. This time, the glow of the shield was much greater, but there was little more effect than the last time.

"No effect, Captain." Sweetie Belle said as the guns kept firing at the shield.

"Shut them down, Applebloom." Stellar said, and as Applebloom did so, she contemplated their options.

"Any ideas, Captain?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Maybe." Stellar answered as she thought back to everything she had learned about the Firmament, especially from Discord himself. "Discord once told me he made the Firmament not to keep us in, per se, but to keep anyone else out. Mainly so no-one could disturb him 'playing' with his favourite toys." Stellar told them.

"Ya mean the Firmament's per... um... per..." Applebloom started to say.

"Permeable." Sweetie Belle supplied the missing word.

"Yeah. 'Permeable' only one-way, then?" Applebloom asked.

"Looks that way, and that makes sense." Stellar agreed. She thought on for a minute. "That way we could get out... but no-one else could get back in. But there has to be a way, unless Discord wanted us to leave and not return when we finally did... but that's not like him. We have to be able to return to tell of what we find, or there's no incentive to leave..."

Stellar sat back on her chair and relaxed, thinking hard. Then the Sparkle Star in her cutie mark lit up as she felt the presence of Twilight, so close now...

=======

Twilight sighed as she sat, reading up on the Draco-Griffon War, the last major conflict Equestria had been involved with. She was sure that the strategies and lessons learned from the war that was over three hundred years ago, now, wouldn't stand up to the advancements of the modern era. Plus, the griffons would be attacking Equestria in force and directly, not as a side-adjunct to an existing conflict.

Then her eyes glowed as the Sparkle Star in her cutie mark lit up and she felt Stellar's presence again, for the first time in three weeks. "Stellar?" Twilight asked silently.

"Heya, Twi-Sis." Stellar's loving voice sounded in that place they both shared.

"How close are you now? You can't be in Fold-Space if we can talk like this again." Twilight asked.

"We're just outside the Firmament, Twi, and I mean, just outside." Stellar answered. "It's proving a little difficult to get through, but we're going to try everything we have to get through to you. Hopefully, it's not going to make us late for the party."

"I hope so, too. We really could use you and that new ship of yours. The Griffons are sending a big force towards us, and I don't know if the army could handle them without your guidance or the weapons on the Xerxes." Twilight told Stellar.

"Don't worry, Sis. We'll be there, on-time and ready to hand the Griffons their tails." Stellar reassured Twilight.

"Good." Twilight replied.

"See you soon, Twi-Sis, and stay focussed. The griffons won't know what hit them once we get there." Stellar said, a big grin in her confident voice.

"We'll be waiting, ready and able, Stellar-Sis." Twilight replied, and after a magical snuggle, they disconnected. Twilight sighed happily, and returned to her work as the moon rose up outside...

= = = = =

Later, Twilight joined Luna and Celestia for dinner. "I have news." She said once she was seated.

"Do tell then, Twilight." Celestia encouraged her.

"While I was working before, I got a communication from Stellar, through our link." She told the Diarchs. "She, the CMC and the Xerxes have arrived outside the Firmament."

The pair of older alicorns relaxed visibly. "Thank Faust for that." Luna said out-loud.

"Yes, indeed." Celestia agreed. "To hear they are now so close to home is a big relief."

"Did they say when they might be landing?" Luna asked as they were served the first course.

"They're having a little trouble getting through the Firmament." Twilight reported as she sniffed the milk soup, licking her lips at the delicious smell of it. "Apparently it's not just going to 'let them' through it. Stellar said it might take a little time to come up with an answer, but she's confident they'll find a way through before the battle begins."

Celestia nodded. "Yes. If memory serves me correctly, not even Luna nor I could get through it when we tried after petrifying Discord. I was most surprised your spell actually penetrated it, but it seems things have changed somewhat after Discord's reformation." She took a sip of the soup, and nickered in pleasure. "Ah, excellent as always." She commented.

"Yes. Maybe Discord is finally going to find a way to undo some of what he did so long ago." Luna added her own comment.

Twilight was silently sipping her soup, when she saw a sight that made her do a double-take: A little Discord was doing the backstroke in her soup. Scooping him out with her spoon, she glared at him as she brought him up to her gaze. Luna and Celestia looked on with interest, as they saw what was happening. "Discord... it isn't very hygienic of you to be swimming in my soup." Twilight admonished him.

"Don't worry, Twinkle-hoofs; I had a decent bath and sterilised my claws before I dove in." Discord's tiny voice reached their ears.

"Still..." Twilight was a little miffed, but as Discord disappeared and returned full-size beside them, snagging a mug of soup from one of the serving mares, She put the spoonful in an empty bowl and grabbed a new spoon.

"Don't be like that, Twilight. I am here to congratulate your sister on arriving home so quickly." He told the alicorns. "Honestly, I thought it would take her months to get that old ship up and running again. It shows her ingenuity that she did it so well and so quickly, especially without Protoculture."

That got Twilight's attention. "Protoculture? What do you know about Protoculture?" She asked.

Discord chuckled. "Everything." He simply replied.

The sisters looked at each other as Twilight glared at Discord. "Care to enlighten us, then?" She asked.

"Protoculture is the energy released by the seeds from a very special plant... or that's how it was used by the humans aboard the Xerxes and other ships." Discord revealed. "The other uses..." He visibly shuddered. "Twilight... what the Haydonite told Stellar about not even trying to find out about it is essentially what I would tell you. You do not need Protoculture and the complications it brings with it." He cautioned her. "Besides, the mana crystal technology is far simpler and much easier for you to use than Protoculture... and far safer, too."

"We have already concluded this, Discord." Celestia then spoke up. "Laws against its use and even keeping it have already been drafted. We will not let this substance invade our world and destabilise it."

Discord nodded. "For the first time in a very long time, Celestia, you and I are in total agreement." He said to her. "Even I would not use this substance, or let it onto Equestria. The potential and scope of abuse it holds... no civilised people need such as it to reach their full potential. Magic is far better and safer."

Then Twilight got an epiphany. "That's why you put the Firmament up. It wasn't to keep other races out... it was to keep Protoculture out!"

Discord turned to look at her. "Perhaps... but those other races were also dangerous to you and the others here, Twilight. Some would have enslaved you; some would have taken ponies apart just to try and learn the secrets of your magic and how to wield it; others would have wiped this planet clean, just to ensure you never threatened them." Discord shook her head. "No, Twilight; you ponies weren't ready to face what is out there back then."

"And now?" Luna then asked.

"Now?" Discord smiled. "No, not just yet." He answered. "But you are very close; very close indeed. Once you reverse-engineer and understand the technology of the Xerxes, and the lessons she brings to your world, then you will be ready to go out there and begin exploring." Discord explained. "The griffons also will need your help to leave Equis. They are packed far too tightly in their little area of the world, and they will need somewhere where they can become explorers and have other places to explore and settle properly. They will be your best allies in finding your place in the galaxy you live on the edge of, and in facing the nastiest of the other races out there. You have an opportunity, Ponies, to conquer your worst enemies here without shedding a drop of their blood. It's up to you all to prove you are the ones who lead this world, not to conquer it, but to take it to the next level. Make them believe; make me proud of you." Discord then faded away.

The three alicorns looked at one another. "It seems far more is riding on this battle than we thought." Celestia said softly.

Luna snorted. "I do not trust Him... but what he said... makes sense. Conquering without shedding blood... Leading without conquering. It is what we have always dreamed of, Tia."

Celestia nodded. "Yes. To make friends of all those around us and lead them. It was what we were charged to do by Mother. And now... We are closer to realising it than ever before."

Twilight had listened to this; the weight of the crown she now bore was starting to grow. As the Princess of Friendship, this was her task: to make friends, both in the singular and in multitudes. She closed her eyes, and a familiar feeling swept over her. A presence was there with her, and it made her smile. It made her destiny more attainable with her sister by her side, as Discord had once said to her. The pair of them... there was nothing they couldn't do together. "Together." She whispered softly to herself... and one other.

"Together..." came the unheard reply...

Author's Note

I can't believe I managed to finish this so quickly. Shows what you can do, I guess, when you have the time and a rainy weekend...

15 - Inbound And Ready For Action

General Steelclaw found it hard to sleep that night, as the two fleets lay at anchor in the middle of the Great Inland Sea/Celestial Sea. They'd found the seamount that had been charted there quite easily, proving the precision of their charted course, and now the griffons took what was probably the last untroubled sleep for the rest of the campaign. Steelclaw knew there would be no time to sleep until they had established a proper, guarded beachhead and fortifications, before the campaign to take Canterlot began in earnest. Once they had the Celestial Sisters and Twilight Sparkle in chains... then they could relax again. Most of Equestria didn't really matter, since they could bypass most of it by air. The Pegasi would be a problem, but he had enough troops to even give them pause for concern.

He quietly slipped out of his cabin without waking any others, his armor on the frame made for it, and he traversed the decks until he was out on the foredeck again. The guards there just quietly came to attention and saluted him, and he moved to the front of the deck after returning their salutes. His unease was still there. The Moon was high in the sky, as it was almost midnight, and he saw in the distance the dark mass of the clouds he'd glimpsed earlier on. They were far higher than normal storm-clouds; even the thick cumulo-nimbus storm clouds rarely climbed that high. He wondered what the Pegasi and their leaders had done. 'What are they planning?' He asked himself. 'Surely they know we're coming. I haven't had a report from any of our spies in Canterlot in three days. So they must be preparing to face us... but how? They can't know our numbers; most of these airships and the fleet were built a great distance from public eyes, and a great deal of the troops here are from High Reaches Clan and our allies; griffs we can trust. So what are you up to, Celestia? Luna? What do you have planned?'

Steelclaw stood there for nearly an hour, pondering the day ahead. He hoped the battle for the beachhead would be swift and decisive with surprise almost completely on their side, at least in terms of troop numbers and weapons, as well as the anti-magic devices. He hated the fact that they couldn't be activated until assembled; that was a major weakness, but necessary for the total denial of the captured area to the Pony forces. Still, Steelclaw couldn't shake the feeling in his bones that he wasn't seeing something, something major.

Still worried, he went to his bed again and tried to sleep. It was no good facing the Ponies with sleep-deprivation hindering his planning...

=======

Luna sat at court, reports from the War Room as to preparations piled up to one side of her. So far, everything was going according to Stellar Sparkle's plans. Even the nobles were behaving themselves after being informed of the coming invasion. Oh, they had panicked at first and made somewhat spurious demands, until Tia had shouted them all down and told them that plans were well underway to ensure the griffons didn't even set hoof on Equestrian soil. A lot of them had been sceptical at first, some demanding details, until Tia pointed out that secret plans stayed secret by not revealing them. Not even Blueblood and his retinue had insisted on knowing after that.

Blueblood had surprised Tia, though, when he had showed up at Court Recess in armor, with a hundred other ponies of his House also in full armor, with crossbows and other weapons:

= = = = =

Celestia was surprised at the commotion that developed at the doors to the Audience Hall, as she rose to head for lunch. The guards who had been closing the great doors were unceremoniously shoved back, as a large number of armed and armored ponies in unfamiliar armor pushed their way in. Celestia was even more surprised to see her 'nephew' Prince Blueblood, also in armor, leading them. The rest of the guards in the room took an aggressive stance, more troops racing in to form a cordon before the Throne dais, but the newcomers didn't try to accost the guards or race for the throne. Instead, they lined up in four columns behind Blueblood and marched towards the throne, four of them raising banners with the designs of Clan Blue on them.

Captain Gallant Heart was there on the dais, below and before Celestia, and he looked back at her for the cue to stop them. But he was surprised when Celestia gave him the sign to 'stay alert, but let them approach'. He nodded and turned his attention back to the interlopers.

The troops in Clan Blue colors marched behind Blueblood up to the usual spot for petitioners, came to a halt at attention, then saluted the Throne and Celestia. She was even more surprised, but said in a calm voice "Prince Blueblood? What is all this?"

"Your Highness!" Blueblood answered in a stalwart voice. "With the threat our nation is facing, all the best troops should be sent to the front. I and my troops are here to supplement your Guard while this emergency is on-going, even if it is only to guard the inner wall of the Palace." He explained.

Gallant Heart looked back at Celestia, who was showing her surprise openly now. She then looked down at Gallant Heart. "Can we use reinforcements for the Guard, Captain?" Celestia asked.

Gallant Heart looked at the troops Blueblood had brought with him. They certainly looked the part, with up-to-date armor that he could see had the same crystal radio headsets as his own Palace Guard did. "I can't say a hundred extra troops would not be welcome, Your Highness... but I will see..." He walked down the dais and past the cordon with an "At ease" to the Guard commander, then started inspecting Blueblood's troops. They were fairly young; he could tell they had some experience and training, as well as the older ones amongst them were wearing NCO ranks and their experience showed in their stance. He even recognised two of the sargeants as ex-Guard sargeants that had retired to the reserves. Blueblood himself was wearing Lieutenant's ranks on his armor. Gallant looked him up and down most of all. "I hope you earned those rank badges, Lieutenant." He said to Blueblood.

"Captain Sir!" Blueblood replied in a strong-but-quiet voice. "My Reserve training with the Guard is up to requirements at this time." He informed Gallant.

"And your troops as well, I take it?" Gallant asked.

"Our last training time with the Reserves was only two months ago, Captain Sir." Blueblood answered.

Gallant nodded. "Very well, Lieutenant. Have your troops report to Lieutenant-Commander Heavy Stride, and he will deploy you. Tell him I said to put you in Section Four."

"Sir! Yessir!" All of the troops replied, saluting Captain Heart, who returned their salute. At the command, the bulk of the soldiers turned about, as Blueblood led the four sargeants down the columns to their new front, and they marched out looking fairly competent.

"Guards, stand down to normal mode, the emergency is over." Gallant Heart ordered, and most of the Guards moved out to their stations. Gallant turned and bowed to Celestia.

Celestia smiled. "It seems that even our nobles are wanting to do their part to protect our city." She told Gallant Heart. "However, I do suggest you... remind Lieutenant Blueblood that marching armed private troops into the Audience Hall without announcing themselves first might be considered insurrection by those less tolerant." 'Namely my sister', Celestia thought to herself.

Gallant nodded. "They will be reminded of the 'proper' way to apply for active service by the time I get through briefing Lieutenant Blueblood, Your Highness." Gallant assured Celestia, who was now grinning.

"Then we shall leave this in your capable hoofs, Captain." Celestia replied. 'Now, for lunch...' Celestia thought as she headed for her dining room.

Then the troops in the Audience Hall saw Captain Heart crack a smile that had them quivering in their armored shoes. That smile meant somepony was going to be doing Punishment Detail...

= = = = =

Luna almost giggled to herself when she remembered having seen Blueblood, standing at the entrance to the Guard latrines, a sign around his neck that read 'I am an idiot for bringing my troops into the Audience Hall unannounced'. He was hoofing out rolls of toilet paper to any Guard that went inside. But apparently he had only been assigned that for an hour before Captain Heart had sent him back to his unit. Luna shook her head and sighed happily. The ingenuity of Captain Heart never ceased to amuse her...

=======

After taking turns to get some sleep and a hearty breakfast, Stellar looked at the Firmament before them. It had proven pretty much immune to everything they'd tried to use to get through it, and Stellar didn't consider even the massive power output of the mana reactor, even if she could wield that amount of mana, might have the power to let her teleport the entire ship through the barrier. Then, as she reviewed everything they'd done on the trip home, Stellar had an idea. "Everypony, buckle up." She told the Trio as she fastened her own seat restraints.

The CMC acted without question, harnessing themselves to their seats. "What now, Captain?" Scootaloo asked.

"Okay. Applebloom, power up the Fold Drive and set it for a static fold test, like we did before." Stellar replied.

"Aye, Captain." Applebloom acknowledged.

"Sweetie Belle, I want you to keep an eye on the readings for the Firmament. I know we can possibly detect it while in Fold-Space, but I don't want to take any chances we can't." Stellar said.

"Aye, Captain." Sweetie Belle replied.

"Scootaloo, once we're in Fold-Space, I want you to just use the rear manoeuvering thrusters to push us along. We don't want to move very quickly, and if I am right, the speed-multiplier using the Fold Drive means that even the smallest amount of thrust is going to move us a great distance." Stellar explained.

"I get it!" Applebloom then spoke up. "Since Fold-Space is right outside'a Normal Space, if'n we can't get through tha Firmament, maybe we can just go past it instead."

"That's what I'm hoping, Applebloom." Stellar confirmed.

"Okay! Course is set, Captain." Scootaloo reported. "Thrusters set: ahead, dead slow."

"I have a lock on the Firmament, Captain." Sweetie Belle informed Stellar. "I think it'll hold, even while we're in Fold-Space."

"Fold capacitors are charged an' ready, Captain. Fold Drive is ready for Static Fold-jump." Applebloom then told Stellar.

Stellar nodded. "Okay, Helm; activate Static Fold-jump."

"Aye, Captain!" Scootaloo replied enthusiastically as she shoved the activation lever forward, and the Xerxes vanished from Normal Space again, to sit without moving in Fold-Space.

"All thrusters ahead, dead slow." Stellar ordered.

"Aye, Captain; thrusters ahead, dead slow." Scootaloo said back, grinning as the Xerxes started moving forward.

The speed, to the visual sensors, seemed imperceptible, but Sweetie Belle gasped. "Captain, I've lost contact with the Firmament. I think it's behind us now, and we're going too fast to keep a lock on it."

Stellar nodded. She was counting to herself as they 'crawled' forward. Then she ordered "Exit Fold-Space.'

"Aye, Captain." Scootaloo said as she dragged the activation lever back again, and the Xerxes dropped back into Normal Space.

Sweetie Belle grinned. "Captain, the Firmament is over two-hundred and fifty thousand kilometres behind us. Our current position is barely fifty kilometres from the orbits of the Sun and Moon."

Stellar and the others breathed sighs of relief. "All that distance just on thrusters in Fold-Space? No wonder it only took nine days ta get back here under full thrust." Applebloom stated.

"And we found the way through the Firmament." Scootaloo added. "We just go past it in Fold-Space, like you thought, Stellar."

Stellar nodded. "Yes. And that also means one more thing, Cadets." She told them. "Pony-kind is no longer trapped on Equis. We can now go explore the Stars... once we build more ships." Stellar grinned at them.

"Orders, Captain?" Scootaloo asked.

"Full cruising speed ahead, Scootaloo. Course, for Equis." Stellar ordered. "We should be there within six hours, if nothing else gets in our way."

"Aye, Captain." Scootaloo replied, and the Xerxes' engines powered up, shoving her forwards and gaining speed rapidly...

=======

As Dawn flowed over Equestria, the Celestial Sisters moved their celestial bodies on their eternal dance from balconies outside the War Room. Luna looked up to the sky, frowning, as Celestia walked around to meet her. "Is something wrong, Dear Luna?" Celestia asked.

"Something has appeared in our sky, Sister." Luna replied. She closed her eyes and concentrated, her horn lighting up again. "Something... I have never felt the like of before, heading closer to the atmosphere."

Celestia closed her eyes and did the same, scanning the area Luna was already scanning. "I see it too, Luna. It's... it's a vessel of some kind." Celestia was a little startled.

Luna nodded. "Indeed..." Then her eyes opened wide. "There are Ponies aboard her!" She stated.

Celestia sighed and smiled. "It must be the Xerxes, then. Twilight said Stellar and the others were sitting outside the Firmament, trying to find a way in. They have been successful, even where we ourselves failed." She said in a happy tone.

Luna nodded, even as a door slammed open, surrounded in magenta magic, and Twilight raced out. "They're here!" She yelled. "They got through!"

Celestia and Luna giggled at that, then smiled at Twilight. "We know, Twilight." Celestia informed her. "We both felt the emergence of the Xerxes inside the Firmament."

"Oh... right... I should have known." Twilight sighed.

"Where are the Griffon fleets?" Celestia then asked.

"The airship fleet seems to be pacing the sea fleet heading for Horseshoe Bay. They just started getting underway, separating out from the tight formation they'd taken at Dusk yesterday." Twilight reported. "They seem to be acting very cautious, with the cloud-wall in the way."

Luna nodded. "As would I act, if I was their commander." She replied. "It is unlike anything we have ever done before, and must be perplexing them greatly."

"The second sea fleet left port at dawn, heading up the Griffonstone coast about a hundred kilometres out." Twilight then told them. "They seem to be heading for the Griffish Islands."

Celestia nodded. "As expected." She said back.

"At the rate they're progressing, with the wind coming from off the coast, they'll be there probably in twelve to fifteen hours, if the weather reports from Griffonstone are accurate in their predictions." Twilight said as they all headed inside.

"Plenty of time to deal with them, then, once the main fleets are disabled." Celestia commented. "Shall we have breakfast, then?" She suggested.

"Indeed." Luna smiled in return.

Twilight was feeling uptight, but her stomach rumbled hungrily and she sighed. "Yeah, breakfast sounds good." She admitted, and followed the senior princesses back into the small dining room...

=======

The griffon fleets were separating and spreading out once again, now that the Sun had risen. Formating as they had been the day before took some time, but it had been well-practised before now, and soon they were underway again. The wind from the east was like the day before, steady but slow, but at least the sea fleet wasn't stationary, General Steelclaw surmised as the airships came up to speed carefully. He looked back at Colonel Crest, who come out from the wheelhouse. "What's our status, Colonel?" He asked.

"The fleets are almost seventy-percent in formation, General, but we are underway already. The rest of the sea fleet will fall in as we move along. They're just maneouvering for the wind at the moment." Colonel Crest reported.

Steelclaw nodded. "Good. What is our E.T.A. for landfall?"

"At the rate we're going, about seven hours, barring the loss of wind." Scarlet Crest answered as the Air Fleet rose in formation to a kilometre's altitude.

Steelclaw nodded. "Very good. Have the troops begin their final preparations for deployment an hour before we land, and have the scouts ready to take off at a moment's notice." He ordered. "I may want to send them in before we unleash the troops on the Ponies, just to make sure of the best site for the de-embarcation."

"By your command, General." Scarlet Crest replied, and headed off.

Steelclaw turned back to the horizon in the distance... but the fact he couldn't see the sky below a certain point still had him slightly unnerved. What had the Ponies been up to?

=======

After nearly six hours underway inside the Firmament, the Xerxes was approaching Equis quite rapidly, as the globe got too close to see all of the surface in the transparencies of the bridge. The large ship slowed down to a safer speed for re-entry as they headed past Low-Equis-Orbit and moved to head down for the surface.

"Atmospheric boundary approaching, Captain." Sweetie Belle reported to Stellar.

"Very good, Lieutenant." Stellar replied as she checked their location over Equis. "Helm, bring us in at eighty degrees to the atmospheric plane. Tactical, bring up the shield, pinpoint barriers to the extreme front." She ordered.

"Aye, Captain." Came the replies, and the Xerxes started heading almost straight for the surface of Equis. They hit the atmosphere like a bullet, the shields boring a hole through the air as they headed for the South Luna Sea. The Xerxes barely shook as the atmosphere thickened around it; wisps of flame and smoke quickly building into a inferno around the shield's sharpened tip.

"Is this tha normal way ya re-enter atmosphere in a starship, Stellar?" Applebloom asked, a little worried.

Stellar chuckled. "No, Applebloom, this is a full-on combat insertion. You don't waste time drifting down on your anti-gravs when Battle awaits you on the surface!"

Applebloom nodded, still looking nervous, while Scootaloo was grinning wide, almost bouncing in her seat. Sweetie Belle, however, took her cues from Stellar and remained cool and focussed as they plunged downwards, making a tremendous sight for the ponies below in Las Pegasus as they trailed fire through the sky like a long meteor.

Stellar closed her eyes, the star in her cutie mark lighting up briefly as she told Twilight they were coming...

= = = = =

"They're coming." Twilight said to Celestia and Luna, as the glow faded from her eyes and cutie mark. "I have to get things ready!" Twilight exclaimed and raced off.

Luna and Celestia looked at each other and smiled. Their odds at putting down this invasion just moved in their favor, as they'd expected.

= = = = =

Twilight raced through the Palace to a balcony and took off as her suit of purple, gold-trimmed armor extended over her and encased her. A gift from Stellar, Twilight hadn't had to wear it seriously before now, but knowing she was as well-protected as she could be made her feel much safer about being out in-the-field. Heading out of Canterlot, a call over the radio brought a flurry of pegasi encased in white-and-gold armor rising to meet her, formating in three arrows of forty-one ponies each, staying in their platoon-formations. Twilight smiled. These were three of the platoons of Stellar's elite troops, the ones with pegasi in them, at least. There were others, including three made up solely of the three tribes of Thestrals she used for night-time engagements.

The leader of both the first platoon and second-in-charge of the entire combat group, Lt-Cmdr Steady Sentry, came up alongside Twilight. "Your Highness!" He said to her. "I take it the Knight-Commander's on her way home?"

"That she is, Lieutenant-Commander." Twilight confirmed as they headed away from the city on the mountain. "We're heading out to rendezvous with her before she passes Appleloosa on the way to the front line.

"Excellent." Steady replied. "The troops are all ready and eager to join up with our commander again. We'll see those Griffon invaders off!" He looked back at the others behind him. "For Princesses and Equestria!" He said sharply and proudly down the comm-line.

"For Princesses and Equestria!" Came the reply from the platoons, and Twilight felt a surge of pride and joy surf through her at their pride in serving their country and rulers.

"For Equestria!" She replied, as she guided the pegasi to where Stellar said to wait for her and the Xerxes.

=======

The Xerxes plunged down, the atmosphere slowing her gradually as it thickened up, until the shields lost their fiery coating and they were in the clear.

"What's our speed, Miss Scootaloo?" Stellar asked.

"Just over Mach Ten, Captain." Scootaloo answered.

"Good. Extend hull air-brakes to thirty-five degrees and raise the nose to thirty degrees from the horizontal." Stellar ordered.

"Aye, Captain!" Scootaloo replied, and the Xerxes' nose rotated upwards as large plates of metal extended out of her rear section, slowing her as she still headed down.

"Level us out at a kilometre up, Miss Scootaloo, and reduce our speed to six hundred knots as we approach Ghastly Gorge. We have some troops to pick up before we head to engage the enemy." Stellar said with a smile.

"Aye, Captain." Scootaloo said back.

"You can drop the shield once we fall below trans-sonic speed, Miss Applebloom." Stellar added.

"Aye, Captain." Applebloom acknowledged, as her hoofs and kinetics danced over the control menus in the screens before her.

"Miss Belle, did you and Miss Applebloom adjust our main armament the way I asked you to?" Stellar inquired of Sweetie Belle

"Aye, Captain. Tests showed they will have the desired effect on the griffons." Sweetie Belle reported.

"Excellent." Stellar grinned. "Now all we need to do is pick up our troops and get there." She rose from her chair. "Armor-up, everypony." Stellar added.

The Trio lifted their heads for a few seconds, their new armors' helmets dropping onto their heads and their armor extending out over their young bodies. Sweetie Belle's armor was more like one of Stellar's combat suits in its shape and design, rather than a specialised flight-armor like Scootaloo's, or a dedicated combat-engineering suit like Applebloom's were. However, it had numerous mana arrays fitted to it and a pair of extendable artificial wings, as well as a single mana thruster. If Sweetie Belle ever needed to bail out of the ship, she could easily fly down to the ground under her own power now. Plus many specialised spell-arrays were available to her to cast some very powerful spells for defensive and offensive capabilities. The Trio returned their attentions to the screens and viewports as the Xerxes descended further.

=======

Aboard the lead airship in the Griffonian Armada, General Steelclaw was frowning as he saw clearly now, shining in the morning sun, the huge wall of dark cloud that seemed to blanket Equestria for as far as the eye could see. They had seen something of it as they approached the shores of Equestria the afternoon before, but now it was much clearer to see. He moved to the forward observation post out on the foredeck and looked down. Sure enough, the clouds seemed to even go so low as to touch the water, as well as heading up as far as the older griffon's powerful eyes could see.

"It's a sight, isn't it, General?" His second-in-command, Colonel Scarlet Crest, said as he joined the general. "Its got the troops a little nervous."

Steelclaw snorted in derision. "It's just clouds." He replied. "It won't stop us reaching Equestria."

"Maybe, Sir, but Ponies can make lightning from clouds, as well we know." He glanced upwards at the huge envelope full of gasbags above them. "A lightning strike of sufficient intensity could set our ships alight, even with the new armor."

"Mmm... there is that." Steelclaw admitted. He turned and looked over the fleet of a hundred huge airships that cruised steadily towards Equestrian shores again. The new envelopes were filled with gasbags that contained the explosive Hydrogen gas, not Helium as the normal airships used. Ponies knew how to make Hydrogen non-explosive, but they guarded that secret jealously... as Steelclaw admitted to himself that the griffons would as well, if they knew how to do it. The latest envelope used in these larger-than-normal ships were armored with a new fibrous material that had been dug out of the ground in the far east of Griffonia. 'Ground cotton', it has been named by those who had found it and were making new products of it. It resisted fire and electricity very well, and could be either encased in other substances or woven into a material, which was how it was used to armor the envelopes of the airships. "Any other suggestions as to the purpose of this... wall?" Steelclaw asked the colonel.

Scarlet Crest looked along the vast wall of clouds. "They're hiding something." He put forward. "It keeps us from seeing their troop-deployments and preparations. Also, you could stand a hundred-thousand pegasi in those clouds, just in the two kilometres either side of our path easily, and we'd never know they were there."

"Indeed." Steelclaw agreed. "We'll close to within five kilometres of the cloud-wall and send scouts to it from there, Colonel. We'll see what they find before we head in."

"I'll inform the Captain, Sir." Scarlet Crest replied, and headed for the bridge.

=======

Ponies in Las Pegasus looked up and gaped as the Xerxes crossed over the coast there, the noise of her secondary engines making her easy to hear as she flew over the city. They gasped in awe as the starship, bigger than any airship they'd ever seen, flew over the city heading east, towards Appleloosa. Local guards-ponies ran for their headquarters and sent frantic messages along the landlines to Guard Command in Canterlot.

Twilight was hovering inside the three platoons of pegasi, when the Sparkle Star in her cutie mark lit up and she heard Stellar's voice in her head: "We've just gone over Las Pegasus, Sis. On our way to your position now. We should rendezvous with you just north of Appleloosa on a course for Horseshoe Bay."

"Rojer that, Sis. We're over Ghastly Gorge now, ready to begin accelerating to meet you." Twilight sent back.

"Okay, Sis. Start accelerating now and prepare to match us and come on-board. All three bay levels will be open and accessible." Stellar informed Twilight.

"Rojer. Beginning our run now." Twilight responded. She then turned to the three Commanders. "Let's get moving! The Xerxes is approaching at six hundred knots, and the side landing bays will be open for us to enter her. Land at will as she reaches us."

"Rojer that, Princess." They replied, the three platoons of pegasi troops saluted Twilight, and they all dived together, accelerating in twin rows alongside each other as they formated out behind Twilight. They gained speed as they dived from the two-kilometres level down to one kilometre, leveling out as they did so

Twilight kept looking back as they passed north of Appleloosa, when a shape appeared in the skies behind them, coming up on them quickly. There were gasps over the radios, and even Twilight was a little astonished at the sheer size of the Xerxes as she gained on the pegasi. "Speed up for rendezvous." Twilight commanded.

"Aye, Princess!" Came the reply, and the columns moved even faster as the Xerxes closed on them, pulling in between them. Twilight saw a familiar set of armor at the upper flight bay, gesturing them in, and she carefully slid sideways, crabbing without losing speed, until she came into the bay. Instantly, her forward speed dropped to nothing and she came to a hover near Stellar, landing easily and trotting inside to clear the area for the pegasi troops. Eventually all of them had landed and the bays closed.

Twilight moved to where Stellar was, her sister's face-plate open. Stellar's smiling face was echoed on Twilight's as her own face-plate opened, and the sisters gently touched noses. "So glad to have you home, Sis." Twilight whispered.

"So glad to be home, Sis." Stellar replied. Then she giggled as Scootaloo's voice echoed around the flight bay, directing the troops to formate on the lower flight deck. Stellar, Twilight and the First Platoon that had escorted Twilight inside walked down the ramps to the lower flight deck. Scootaloo was standing in front of the remaining two platoons, looking them up and down as if she was a general reviewing the troops, something that had the experienced troops silently amused. The First Platoon took their place in a single line beside the Second and Third Platoons, and Stellar came up in front of them. They all came to attention and saluted Stellar and Twilight, as Sweetie Belle came up to them, towing a little cart with her. Stellar and Twilight saluted back, and Stellar addressed them all.

"Good to see you all again." Stellar told them. "You're all going to be instrumental in my plans to stop this invasion, but not straight away. We've got some new equipment to equip you with, plus some you've been waiting on for a while now. Everypony stand easy, and we'll equip you."

"AYE, KNIGHT-COMMANDER!" came the welcome shout.

"Lieutenant," Stellar addressed Scootaloo, "return to the bridge and aid Lieutenant Applebloom in bringing us to our destination."

"Aye, Captain." Scootaloo saluted Stellar and raced off at a fast canter.

As Twilight watched, Sweetie Belle walked around with her cart, levitating and putting into place mana thrusters into the backpacks of each of the pegasi troops. Stellar was slipping the new weapons packs around their barrels as well, sliding it up behind their wing-roots and connecting them to the backpacks' auxiliary ports. Under each of them was an EP-40 pulse-beam cannon, and to the sides were GR-97 micro-missile launchers, giving the pegasi troops similar armament to a Cyclone Suit, just not with the bigger chest-mounted missile launchers. Considering these weapons had never been seen before on Equis, they were easily the best-kitted-out troops anywhere on the planet. Only Stellar was better-armed. Once everypony was fitted-out, save for Twilight, who'd only received the mana thrusters, Stellar addressed them all. "Right! Now, listen up, and I'll tell you how to use your new weapons-rigs."

Sweetie Belle looked up at Twilight. "Princess, could you come with me?" She asked.

"Ah, sure, Sweetie Belle." Twilight replied, and the pair walked off. "Are those lieutenant's bars?" She asked.

Sweetie Belle grinned. "Uh-huh. I'm a senior Cadet-Lieutenant on the Xerxes." She explained.

Twilight was impressed as she followed Sweetie to the lift. "Very nice! You and your friends really have come up in the world."

Once in the lift, Sweetie Belle turned to Twilight. "We also want to say... We're sorry for what happened. We didn't mean to barge in like that, but we didn't think you'd be casting that late at night."

Twilight leaned down and nuzzled Sweetie Belle gently. "It's okay, Sweetie. I forgave you three a long time ago, after we got your letters." She revealed. "So... what am I going to be doing?" She asked Sweetie Belle.

"The Captain will explain when she's finished briefing the troops." Sweetie Belle replied. "But I think you're going to be watching over us when she leads the pegasi into combat."

Twilight nodded. "Makes sense." She agreed. "She mentioned something like that in her last letter."

As Twilight walked out onto the bridge with Sweetie Belle, she gasped in amazement at the huge holo-screens that floated before the bridge-dais, and looked around eagerly at the ultra-modern look of the bridge itself. Sweetie grinned at her as Applebloom giggled, and Twilight quickly closed her mouth, her helmet partially hiding her blush. Sweetie Belle grinned. "Don't worry, Twilight. We were the same way when we got everything operational again."

"Yeah." Applebloom agreed. "It's been a steep learnin'-curve, but we're handlin' things okay now, accordin' ta Stellar."

"I just bet you are." Twilight replied, as Sweetie Belle showed her to the Captain's chair, and instructed her on how to use the controls and manipulate the monitors and holo-screens. "This is... very much like the tablet computers Stellar sent back to us." She said absently as she manipulated the touch-screens and brought up menus, accessing parts of the database. "Amazing!"

"Yeah, it really is." Sweetie Belle agreed as she climbed back up into the Sciences Station seat, and smiled at Scootaloo in the Helm Station seat.

= = = = =

Eventually, Stellar and the three Lieutenant-Commanders of the Elite Air Guard joined them. "Where are we, Lieutenant Scootaloo?" Stellar asked as the pegasus commanders gazed about the bridge in wonder.

"Just passing Dodge Junction, Captain." Scootaloo reported. "We're down to three hundred knots, and should be at the cloud-wall in twenty minutes."

"Good. Come to a halt just before the cloud-wall; we only want our snout to stick through at first. I'll be standing out there, to address the griffon fleets and see what they're going to do when we let them know we know what they're up to." Stellar said with a smile.

"Captain," Sweetie Belle then said "The Wonderbolts and Flying Squad are ready to come aboard when ordered to land, Ma'am."

Stellar nodded. "Good. Let them land on the exterior of the hull. I'll talk to them once they're aboard." She replied.

"Aye, Captain." Sweetie Belle said, and returned her attention to the comm-panel.

Stellar moved up to Twilight. "Twilight, I am temporarily commisioning you as a Commander aboard the Xerxes with the position of Executive Officer. You'll be in command of the ship while I am not aboard her." Stellar placed Commander's rank-insignia in place on Twilight's armor, then whispered "If you're smart, let the CMC handle things. Just make sure they don't do anything rash, like open fire without permission. They're fairly disciplined, but not fully-trained yet, so they might react without thinking things through, if you don't watch them. Okay?"

"Got it, Captain." Twilight replied with a smile. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Always, Sis." Stellar replied and kissed Twilight on the nose, getting a soft nicker in return. "I'm not going to be leaving for a while, not now that we just got back again. There's too much to do without jaunting off across Space again... or going anywhere else."

"You're right about that." Twilight agreed.

Stellar stepped back and Twilight saluted her. Stellar returned her salute, and headed off the bridge, the three commanders of the EAG platoons following her.

Author's Note

Now we see how the Firmament can be bypassed, and we meet Stellar's Elite Air Guard. The Wonderbolts end up in armor as well, ready to help, and Twilight gets close to a nerd-gasm upon seeing the bridge. The griffons are getting close and the stage is set for an epic conflict...