Fear Incarnate

Luna entered the port city of Baltimare two days after she left the castle. She had filed the shattered nub that was once her horn down to a flat nub low enough to be hidden by her mane, so that she wouldn’t be noticed. She had also stored her spear in a subdementional pocket, as to avoid notice.

She approached the docs without being seen in the dark night, and found the import office. She picked the lock to the building and entered silently. She krept through the deserted building cautiously, until she found the recent arrivals and departures office. She opened the door and closed it behind her when she slipped in. She approached the desk in the middle of the room and began searching the drawers until she found the exporting schedule. She looked at departures that were departing for Coltica directly or the surrounding countries of Prance, Poneland and Bitannia and only at the ones that were leaving that night or the night after. There was only one heading straight for Coltica that night, and it was leaving in two hours. It would not take long to get there and wouldn’t be too hard to stow away in.

She heard hoofsteps outside the room. They were slow and lazy but there, and approaching the room. Luna shoved the files back where they came from and ducked under the desk a split second before the door opened to admit the pony. Luna drew her dirk so that, should she be discovered, she wouldn’t have to waste time drawing it and could just dispatch of the pony. The pony sat at the desk and yawned before moving some documents around and writing on some, comparing, checking, double checking. For one so tired he did not skip any steps, this was a disciplined pony.

It seemed to be about half an hour before the pony finally left. Luna counted to twenty before leaving her hiding place. She quietly creeped out of the room and out of the building without being caught, and sighed when she was finally out. She began to move swiftly and silently through the docs until she found the ship she was looking for. The Sheildbreaker was its name, a small mercenary cargo ship that carried goods that were not detailed in the records, presumably government business because of it having been listed. Any illegal goods would have been shipped secretly aboard a public goods ship.

She jumped aboard and checked the deck for anyone coming by to check for trespassers and stowaways. Luna saw none so she went belowdecks careful to check for anyone. Being a single deck ship the boat only had sleeping quarters and storage below the main deck. She began to crawl through storage and soon found a place among furs to hide. She pulled down her hood and laid down in the crate and closed it behind her. With nothing better to do but wait she decided to sleep.

Luna was jolted awake by someone grabbing her. Before she could react in any way she was thrown to the bottom of the ships hull. She spun her head around to see a large tan coated stallion with a black mane and tail leap at her. Before she could do anything she was pinned beneath him. Luna’s ears folded back against her head in fear, if she had her dirk or her spear in hoof she would be able to fight this stallion but now that he had her pinned and her spear was still in the crate with the furs, she was helpless.

“Who are you?” He demanded, his heavy Coltic accent clear in his voice.

“I-I’m Moonlight, please don’t hurt me, I’m just trying to get away from them.” Luna stuttered fearfully.

A stupid name but the only one she could come up with in the heat of the moment, she couldn’t risk them knowing about who she really was and being turned in for it.

“Get away from who?”

“Them, the rebels. They tried to take me away for Celestia knows why and I ran.”

“What rebels?”

Luna looked at him as though surprised. “Haven’t you heard, most of the country’s citizens have turned against Celestia and are now fighting her and the loyalists. I was a loyalist generals sister and the rebels came for me. The country is in anarchy and I’m just trying to get away from the rebels. Please don’t hurt me, throw me off the ship if you have to just please, give me a chance to survive.”

“That will be up to the captain.”

Luna was removed of her cloak, dirk and waterskin and her hooves were locked behind her with iron shackles. Two stallions dragged her between them abovedecks and to the helm. The Coltic ponies held her by the shoulders roughly, much like how the equestrians did when Blueblood had beaten her and her horn was broken off. And in front of her stood who she assumed to be the captain. He was a very big stallion, they all were, he was a Pegasus stallion with a wingspan that was one and a half times wide as he was long. He was sea green of coat and dark blue of mane and tail. He wore a green plaid kilt like all of them did with a dirk at his belt, like all of them did. She wasn’t surprised due to the fact that nearly every stallion in the Coltic Isles had a dirk on their person ninty nine percent of the time. Walking through the woods? They have a dirk. In town? They have a dirk. At home? They have a dirk. At the market? They have a dirk. Making kids with their wife? There’s a dirk in the room and in reach. Sleeping? Dirk under the pillow with their hoof on the hilt. You will never catch a Coltic stallion without a dirk on their person or within reach.

Luna stared up at the frightening stallion with fear. This would be one hell of a voyage.