Chapters “I can’t believe she’s finally finished.” A statuesque lavender mare, a pair of wings on her back and a long horn protruding from beneath a flowing purple mane with a lighter purple and peak streak running through it. Her violet eyes stared at the towering structure above her. There was admiration in her gaze, and an astounding amount of pride.
“Well, Princess-” There was a stallion standing beside the alicorn, a pair of wings tucked against his side. His coat was a muted brown, gray streaked through his short, once jet black, mane. “We owe this all to you.” He wore a polite smile, nerves hiding beneath his brilliant blue eyes.
Currently, the pair were standing in an enormous cave beneath the city of Canterlot. It had been carved from the solid stone of the mountain for a very specific purpose. That purpose was to hold the monolithic structure the two ponies were gawking at.
The structure itself was almost two-thousand feet long and dominated the entirety of the cavern. It’s towering frame stood almost seven-hundred feet high, winged creatures looked like mere specks as they flitted about the exterior. It was cylindrical, tapering off to a rounded tip at the bow. The stern was more box like, massive glowing spheres seemingly hovering behind it. It was made of steel, which itself was painted eggshell white with intricate golden strands of metal weaving their way up the hull from the bottom of the ship. There was also a name painted at the top of the ship in elegant purple writing.
March With Pride
“Fifteen years.” The alicorn, the Princess of Friendship herself, said with a short sigh. “A collaboration between Ponies, Griffons, Zebras, Minotaurs, and Seaponies, Yaks, Kirin, Changelings, even the Yaks. It’s finally done.” She had been at the helm of this project for all of these years, and was even the originator of such an audacious plan.
“She is a beautiful ship, Your Majesty.” The stallion stood at attention next to his monarch, casting a solitary glance at her. He had not been around since the inception, he was brought on a little over halfway through as a candidate to be the captain for this unique vessel. He had learned everything about this ship, the ‘March With Pride’, from its designers firsthoof. He knew how it operated, what it took, and every facet of its construction.
“Are you excited to finally take the helm, Captain Cloud Breaker?” It felt nice to hear his title aloud, it felt a little nicer to hear it coming from Princess Twilight Sparkle. He turned to his monarch, his smile becoming just a bit wider.
“I am, Your majesty.” He was going to keep decorum around the ruler of his people, even if he had become more familiar with her over the past few years. Familiarity was no excuse to forget protocol. “Are you excited to see her set off truly?”
In the past there had been small excursions with the massive ship, out to Cloudsdale and back mainly. It was to test that the systems were all working as they should, and to make sure that this thing could truly fly like the mages said it could. He had not been on the bridge for those moments, the Princess had commanded the vessel for those.
Now? The ship was to formally become his to care for and take out beyond the small continent so many species shared. From the moment the ship left dock, he was tasked with exploring the world beyond, documenting what was encountered and spreading harmony and friendship to whatever they encountered out there.
“A little sad, if I’m to be truthful.” The Princess started to walk, so the Captain followed. “It has been nearly fifty years since Princess Celestia and Princess Luna retired and left Equestria in my care. Despite everything that has transpired since, I still feel as though this is my greatest contribution to the world.”
Celestia and Luna, two names he knew from his lessons as a foal. His parents had worshipped the former as some sort of goddess among ponies, her reign lasting for over one-thousand years. It was a pony and a name that filled the tomes of Equestrian history, but not one he could say he had any personal experience with.
“Every creature on the continent contributed to this. The ultimate gesture of friendship to the rest of the world beyond our own little piece. An extended hoof to the great unknown.” The amount of pride that welled up in the monarch’s words filled Cloud Breaker with a sense of accomplishment that perhaps wasn’t earned quite yet.
“Thank you for entrusting it to me, Your Majesty. It is truly an honor.” The two ponies walked along the hull of the ship, exchanging nods with every creature who greeted them as they passed. Eventually they came to a long walkway made of pure magic, solid to the touch and made to walk on. The Princess looked up towards the door at the far end of the magical gangplank, then back to the Captain.
“Permission to come aboard, Captain?” In response, Cloud Breaker did his best to hide his grin, but failed miserably.
“Permission granted, Your Majesty.” It was a small gesture from the Princess, but it meant a lot to him. It was truly the symbolic passing of the torch for this historic undertaking. What’s more is the alicorn motioned for him to take the lead, ensuring he would be the first of the two to step aboard.
From the exterior, it was clear to see that the Equestrians were in charge of the decor and overall design of the ship, the interior was built to match. The Canterlotian aesthetic was ever present wherever you looked in the ship, soft white panels made up the walls, the support beams colored light gold. The doors that littered the halls were a bluish-gray over purple, which the other species deemed a little too garish for their tastes.
As for the layout, that was handled by the Changelings. Their understanding of making complex pathways built for transporting and housing thousands of individuals came in handy. The downside being, if you did not know where you were going, you would most likely get lost.
For Cloud Breaker, he had spent months just studying the layout of the ship, then practiced walking to various destinations throughout while it was still under construction. His pathing still wasn’t perfect, but it was better than most. He navigated the halls, Princess in tow.
The duo made their way to one of the many lifts that littered each deck of the vessel. This particular one, lift One-Alpha, was the one that would take them directly to the bridge. He reached out with a wing and tapped a button next to the door.
The lift’s door rotated open, revealing a rather large tube designed to accommodate at least multiple Minotaurs at once. Plenty of room for a pegasus and a single alicorn. The interior was bathed in a golden light, the walls paneled with greyed metal.
“Interface.” The Captain spoke out as the doors slid closed. Almost immediately, a small magical projection of a pearl white unicorn with a perfectly coiffed purple mane appeared in front of him.
“Yes, Captain?” Her Canterlot affectation rang out through the tube. It was pleasant, soothing and level. During the implementation of this magical construct, he was told that it’s design and voice were based off of one of Princess Twilight’s old friends, he couldn’t remember the name right now.but all he knew it was somepony once held dear by the monarch.
“Bridge, please.” Normally he wouldn’t bother with ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ for the artificial pony, but in the presence of the Princess, he would.
The interface disappeared and a small whir came from above them, from the roof of the tube. There wasn’t any shafts that ran through the ship, instead the lifts operated with teleportation magic that Princess Twilight herself had developed and perfected over the many decades of her life. It was sudden, and largely unnoticeable save for the soft hum above. There was no change in momentum, or noticeable displacement. You simply knew you had arrived when a small ‘ding’ came from above the door.
The Bridge was Cloud Breaker’s favorite part of the ship, and not just because he was the Captain. It was a big circular room, almost three times the height of the alicorn he was standing next to. A raised platform in the middle of the room, screens surrounding it and a large chair dominating the platform. The rest of the bridge was built around that one position, stations for various operations facing away from the platform, giving the raised station a view of the world everyone else was doing. Screens and positions also dotted the ceiling, places for pegasi and other winged creatures to work and not obstruct the flow of traffic on the ground in hectic situations.
On a normal day, most likely, the bridge would be bustling with activity. Status reports, charts and maps, and messages from home all being relayed. For now, it was silent and still. The only souls being that of a pegasus Captain and his alicorn Princess.
“Care to take your position, Captain?” Princess Twilight looked around the bridge with the same wonder and awe he did. She had spent so long building this ship, even taking it out for its first time and yet she was still in love with it. He only hoped he could match that enthusiasm over his entire tenure on this vessel.
He moved around to the back of the raised platform where a ramp connected it to the main floor and strode up to his position. The chair was big enough to accomodate any creature on the ship, just in case something happened to him and someone else had to take over in his stead.
He sat in the chair, looking over the rest of the bridge. He leaned in it, causing the seat to rotate so he could get a full view of the bridge from his new seat. He was going to be seeing this sight every day for the next five years, so best get to it now.
“I looked over the creatures you chose as your officers.” The Princess stood in front of a station to his right, looking over the readings and charts that sprung to life on the screen. The Egineering station here on the bridge, if he wasn’t mistaken. “A Griffon first officer?”
“You told me I needed to look at all available candidates.” The Griffon in question was a female named Ganymede and she a long history serving the Empire abroad as an officer in combat zones before the Accords had been passed. “I saw her record, I knew that the task ahead presented certain dangers that neither myself nor any other pony had ever faced. I wanted a veteran presence at my side to consult.”
“I knew there was a reason I chose you.” Twilight said with a smile and a chuckle. “A good leader admits when their knowledge is lacking, and seeks to surround themselves with those who compliment their ignorance so they can learn.” It sounded like the Princess was reciting a passage from memory, but he didn’t mind. Those were his thoughts exactly, maybe a bit longer winded. “What about your other officers?”
In response, the captain swung his chair around to face the screen closest to it. He reached out with a hoof and tapped the screen awake. He didn’t quite remember everything about his officers off of the top of his head, so he brought up their personnel files.
“Lieutenant Commander Bulwark, Second Officer and Chief of Security.” The image of a Minotaur appeared on his screen, a sour countenance splayed across the bovine face of the creature. His almost black eyes too lifelike on the screen if the Captain was to be honest. “He was a high-ranking guard to the Council of Minos and from reports, he’s frustratingly thorough when it comes to the security of whatever he’s assigned to.”
There wasn’t much to say about most of these creatures. He hadn’t even met them quite yet. He had read all of their qualifications, spoken to all of their references and listened to the hours upon hours of interviews conducted, yet he had not met them face to face just yet.
“Lieutenant Jetsam.” This time a picture of a rather chipper looking seapony graced his screen. Male, colored a soft blue that might get him lost in the currents of the sea and with startling green eyes. “Chief Science Officer. He attended your friendship school and came highly recommended from it’s headmare, Starlight Glimmer. By all accounts, he’s a prodigy in all things achanomechanical and magical in general despite not being a unicorn. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring such a brilliant young mind on board.”
“Lieutenant Vent.” The next picture to come up was of a surly looking dragon, his scales orange and crest deep red. “Chief Engineering Officer. He’s a bit older than the rest of the crew, even by normal dragon standards. But he worked with you on the engine for this ship, and I can’t think of anyone better to keep it in order. Added on your recommendation, Princess.”
“Doctor Zebansi.” The next was a zebra mare, a scar crossing her face from her left eye to the right corner of her mouth but not dimming her smile one bit. “She was Chief of Medicine at Canterlot Hospital. That, mixed with her experiences in her youth treating her fellow zebras in less than peaceful situations, made her an ideal candidate.”
“Counselor Mandible.” The final creature on his list of important officers, whom he would most likely be seeing and interacting with every day, was a male changeling. His lime green chitin and orange wings contrasted to his blood red eyes. “If I’m being honest, the most important part of our mission. If we come across any species we can’t communicate with, we’re going to need his natural ability. That, along with being the son of your former student Ocellus, made him an ideal candidate for the ship’s counselor...and last resort for first contact scenarios.”
“Do you have faith in them?” The question from the alicorn was simple, but it rattled around in his head for a few seconds. He had to wait, contemplate, before he spoke again.
“I have to.” It was the only response he could find that was adequate at the moment. “They applied for this mission, the same as me. I have to trust that their motives are pure, their hearts in the right place. I do not know them yet, but if they are true followers of harmony and friendship like you and I, then I believe we will all be friends in no time.”
“You’ve been taught well, my little pony.”
A whistle sounded out over the bridge as the lift whirred to life from the side of the room. Both ponies in the room turned to look at who exactly was coming up here at this time? Perhaps his First Officer looking to get used to the space just as he had.
“Permission to come aboard, Captain?” The doors opened to reveal a white stallion, once solid in his build but now failed by his quite advanced age. Streaks of blue gave his greyed and thinning mane a little character, just like his one cobalt eye did to the other that was clouded by age. The symbol on his flank, a shield and a six pointed star, let Cloud Breaker know exactly who he was looking at.
“Of course, Your Majesty. To have both Princess Twilight Sparkle and Prince Shining Armor aboard my vessel? It is an honor.” The Prince of the Crystal Empire was rounding his eighties at this time, and it showed in the way he moved. Obviously, the once proud stallion tried his best to hold a steady stride and look as intimidating as possible, but the Captain knew better.
“Shiny!” The alicorn, which had been behind him, was now galloping over to the elderly prince. She gave her brother a warm and gentle hug, her eyes filling with the same love and adoration that Cloud always assumed they had when looking at her sibling. “What are you doing here?”
“Good to see you, Twily.” Shining Armor returned the hug, but broke free from it rather quickly. “Came to see all this before it left…” There was a hesitation. “And to ask a favor of the Captain.”
“Of course, Your Highness.” The lone pegasus in the room stood from his seat and stepped down from his station. “How can I be of service? A tour of the ship, perhaps?” Cloud Breaker was going to be nothing but accommodating to the Prince, he was a hero by all accounts and a sovereign of the Crsytal Empire, one who didn’t have much time left to live. The least the Captain could do was grant a favor.
“No,no.” Shining Armor waved his hoof. “A favor, I am afraid, I can never repay in full.” Well, that intrigued the Captain. “I wish to join you on your mission.” The pegasus cocked his head to the side, doing his best to interpret the request.
“Well, surely you can come along with us to the Equestrian border. We can drop you off so you can return-” Cloud Breaker was cut off by a raised hoof from the unicorn stallion.
“No. The whole thing. All five years of your journey.” Shining moved up to the pegasus and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I am not asking to be an officer, I am not asking for special treatment. Put me in civilian’s quarters with the families, anything.” There was a pleading tone there, an eagerness behind his eyes.
“Shiny?” Twilight stepped between the stallions, looking worriedly at her brother. “You can’t just leave for five years. What about Cadance and Flurry? You can’t just leave them, especially with how…” Cloud Breaker took a step back, so the siblings could speak without his immediate interference.
“...Old I am?” Shining finished his sister’s sentence. “Twily, I know I am old. I know that I am not exactly the picture of perfect health either.” He fixed his gaze with the alicorn’s, his full of confidence and life, hers full of worry. “You, Cadance, Flurry...you all can continue to serve Equestria and harmony for the next eternity. I’m not so lucky, Twilight.” The old stallion sighed. “They know, I asked them. They’re upset, but they understand. I want one last adventure in my life, one last chance to do something before...before I’m gone. Even being a guiding hoof for the Captain here when he needs advice would be enough for me.”
“...If you’re sure, Shiny.” The Princess spoke softly. “Captain?” Cloud Breaker stepped forward again. “Would you mind if I delayed the launch to tomorrow afternoon? If you accept my brother’s proposition, I want to spend one more night with him and my family.”
“Well,” Cloud Breaker stepped forward again with a smile. “I humbly accept your proposition, Prince Shining Armor. You have seen more than my officers and I combined, your guidance would be most appreciated.” He turned to the Princess. “Maybe it’s for the best? My crew will all be here in Canterlot,I will call them all for a dinner celebrating our impending launch. It will let me get to know them a little better.”
“A wonderful idea, Captain.” The Princess said with a smile as she put a hoof on her brother and the two royals trotted off towards the lift.
Cloud Breaker sighed when the two royals were out of earshot. He wasn’t a fan of delays...
“Listen here, you overgrown pigeon.” The burnt orange dragon growled out as he took a chunk of the meaty drumstick he had been holding with his teeth. He glared at the Griffoness sitting across from him at the table. “That engine is my pride and joy. Ain’t a thing wrong with it, and I’ll wallop you if you say otherwise.”
Currently, all of the senior officers from the March With Pride were sat in one of the many dining halls that dotted the former palace of Celestia and Luna in Canterlot. The long wooden table was filled with delicacies from each of the creatures’ homeland as one last meal before their five year trek.
Vent, the irritable dragon, was currently arguing with Ganymede over some of the ship specifications. Particularly, the safety of using the engine. After Vent’s little challenge to the Griffoness, Ganymede didn’t look all that impressed.
If Cloud Breaker had a thing for Griffons, he would say that Ganymede was actually quite pretty. Soft aqua plumage, brilliant blue eyes, and fur as black as night on her back half. The way she carried herself did not hurt either, she walked, talked, and generally acted like someone who knew that they had both the mind and body to backup anything she put forward.
A good First Officer.
“I am not saying there is anything wrong with the engine, Lieutenant.” Her voice matched her overall demeanor, cool and smooth. She didn’t sound angry, like most griffons would be after being called a pigeon. “I am simply putting forth a concern considering how it operates. What if we encounter an area of the world devoid of mana?”
“Pah!” Vent waved a pudgy claw at Ganymede. That was the only response he gave to the concerned Officer across from him.
“You see, Commander.” Now it was Lieutenant Jetsam, the ocean blue seapony, who chimed in. “The Leyline Drive developed by Lieutenant Vent and Princess Twilight Sparkle accounted for that.” His voice was fast, off the cuff. No word was measured before it was birthed into the world from his beak. “The ship actually takes in more mana than it can possibly use to power the engine. Some of it goes to power the various...y’know...things around the ship. The rest go into these tanks where it’s stored in case of an encounter you described, which by the way is highly improbable. The atmosphere of the planet seems to be saturated with more mana than we could use in a million lifetimes, and considering that mana is always redistributed back into the environment after use, we don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Thank you…” Cloud Breaker interrupted the awkward silence on the other side of Jetsam’s rambling. “...Lieutenant Jetsam. Very informative.” He cleared his throat and put on his best smile. “He is right though, this ship was built by the best and the brightest, including our own Lieutenant Vent here. Even if we do encounter something unexpected, I have no doubt that we will be able to overcome it as a crew.”
“Captain.” Bulwark spoke up, his voice deep and booming. The minotaur put down his eating utensils and looked to the pegasus at the head of the table. “Permission to speak freely?” Cloud Breaker nodded at the Chief of Security and motioned at him with a hoof to continue. “Do you actually believe in the stuff you say? You don’t even know us that well yet, but you are putting a lot of belief into our abilities.”
“It’s the Equestrian mindset, I suppose.” Cloud Breaker leaned back in his seat. “I’m not putting belief into your abilities, I’m putting my belief into you . I believe that when presented with problems, each and every one of you will tackle them the best you can. I believe that each of you joined this mission for the same reason as myself, so I have to believe in you like I would myself.”
“Very noble, Captain.” Doctor Zebansi interjected. Her smile, seemingly ever present, was now directed at him. “That mindset most likely helped you during the Escallion Depths incident, didn’t it?”
There was a murmur amongst the crew at the mention. Cloud Breaker felt his polite smile falter, but he recovered it the best he could. Now every eye was set on him, waiting for his response or reaction.
“It was where the attitude was forged, Doctor.” Was all he managed to get out as the corners of his smile tugged downwards. “You don’t get out of something like that without learning a thing or two. But that is why we all are here, right? Because we all learned something about the darkness hidden beneath the surface of every creature? We have seen it, confronted it, even fought it.” Some creatures around the table, like Ganymede and Bulwark, had their eyes fill with pride. Others, like Jetsam and Vent, looked down in shame and avoided eye contact. “We know how to handle it. We know what it is like when harmony has temporarily left a place. So we all understand why we must spread it and the ideals of friendship.”
There was a heavy silence as he let his words sink in. He didn’t mean to be a downer, but he had to try to reinforce their mission and position while he could before they departed. This conversation, while not planned, was necessary.
“I propose a toast!” Mandible, the colorful Changeling counselor, stood and raised a glass in his magic. “To the coming adventure!” Cloud Breaker stood as well and raised his glass to the middle of the table. One by one, each of his crew stood and did the same.
“Cheers.” The call came from them all at once. Each took a deep drink from their glasses, small smiles crossing the features of every creature at the table.
“What in The Maker’s name are the Escallion Depths?” Vent belched as he placed his food back on his plate, a small plume of fire coming from his mouth in the process. The Captain was hoping not to get into this, but he supposed if someone didn’t know, they had every right to.
“The Escallion Depths are a geographic anomaly located in the middle of the Badlands.” Jetsam started, closing his eyes as he recalled the information. “First discovered by the Thestral explorer, Escallion, about thirty years ago. It’s a chasm that spans twenty-five miles of the Badlands. The current depth is unknown as no one has ever reached the bottom. Escallion himself went missing delving as deep as he could. Only one group has ever returned from a depth greater than a mile and a half. They were the survivors of the vessel ‘Deep Pulse’, piloted by her captain Air Cutter.” Once the seapony reopened his eyes, he found that everyone at the table was staring at him. “What?”
“You talk too much.” Bulwark mumbled as the eyes returned to the Captain.
“I was First Officer aboard the Deep Pulse.” Cloud Breaker started off his story, doing his best not to meet the eyes of his crew. “We were helping King Thorax locate a rogue group of Changelings using the Deep Pulse’s advanced instruments in the Badlands. As we approached the Escallion Depths, we picked up something...odd.” Cloud fought with his memories as he struggled to remember some of the finer details. “A magical signature that hadn’t been recorded in decades: the beacon from Escallion’s ship. Also some sort of garbled transmission.”
Cloud Breaker stopped and took a drink from the glass in front of him, a delicious and bold red wine provided by Princess Twilight herself. It did good to steady his nerves as he thought back.
“The Captain, against my advice, took us down into the depths. The Deep Pulse was resilient, tough. It withstood a magic cascade point blank when it was first commissioned, he thought it could handle what the Depths could throw at us.” The Captain closed his eyes and sighed.
“What was down there, Sir?” Mandible’s soft voice was the one who spoke first.
“I don’t know.” Cloud Breaker was going to be honest with his crew. “To this day, I have no clue what it was. Some kind of creature or force. We registered it on sensors before we felt it, but not quick enough to get out,. I remember every sensor and meter going haywire first, magic was being pulled out of the ship. Straight from the engine. Then, when it was empty, straight from us. Unicorns losing the use of their horns, pegasi falling from the air as their wings stopped working, earth ponies collapsing as their strength failed them. Then the fighting started.” If he closed his eyes and really thought about it, he could still hear the brawl that encompassed the entire ship. “Harmony, friendship? It abandoned us down there. It was chased away with our magic and our senses. We became animals as the ship fell deeper and deeper into the Celestia-forsaken pit. Me and a few dozen of my crewmates snapped out of it somehow, and we escaped. The Deep Pulse, her captain, and a hundred ponies were left down there.”
“See.” Ganymede spoke softly, looking at Vent across the table. “That sort of thing has happened before, it drained the ship. Without a balloon, if something like that happens we would just crash. What’s to say we won’t run into something like that?”
“Yeah, well we’ll be sure to avoid any pits that venture too close to Tartarus, now won’t we?” Vent laughed raucously as he smacked the seapony next to him on the back. “Plus, we got more than a few eggheads with us.”
“Hehe. Yes, I suppose we do.” Jetsam chuckled nervously, casting an anxious glance at the dragon next to him.
“That’s why you choose this crew.” Mandible spoke once again, studying Cloud Breaker intently. “Everyone here has felt that, the same as you. They all know hopelessness, they all know what it feels like when Harmony is absent.” The Changeling was just as good at reading emotions as his file had implied, it seemed.
“And yet, they’re still here.” The Captain finished. “Each of you have seen dark times, situations that cost lives. You have each been to the bottom of your own Escallion Depths, and you are all still here. You yearn to see those days fade away, not just here or in your homelands, but beyond. You all believe in this mission, the same as myself. That is why you are here.”
Cloud Breaker was not known for speeches, in fact he was more known for his contemplative silences that spoke more than his words ever could, or at least that’s what he liked to think. But part of being a Captain was having these moments that could inspire, and taking charge of those moments.
“Tomorrow, we set off. Five years away from home, five years away from everything we’ve ever known and into the great unknown.” He stood once again, looking into the eyes of each of his Officers. “Tomorrow, we begin an adventure of untold dangers and unknowable adventures. Tomorrow, we will begin this mission to discover new creatures and lands and spread our message of harmony, resolving conflicts where we can and planting the seeds of a brighter future.”
The stallion raised his glass once again, and raised it high. “To harmony, to the future, and to the March With Pride.”
The rest of the table stood and echoed his sentiment with cheer as they raised their glasses and took hearty drinks of their wine. This was a fine crew, and Cloud knew they would do great things out there.
The city of Canterlot was a hub of activity usually, but today ponies and creatures from all across the continent were joined together in the streets of the Capital. Even deep below the city in the hangar carved from the rock of the mountain itself, the sounds of crowds above could still be heard.
Currently, the entire crew of the March With Pride was gathered by the ship’s side. Cloud Breaker and Ganymede stood at the base of the gangplank and looked over the roughly three hundred ponies standing before them.
Cloud Breaker was in his uniform, something he was going to have to get used to quickly. Every uniform for the crew was a jumpsuit, they were all dark grey and the only thing that differentiated them were the color of the stripes going up the legs and the insignia at the base of the neck.
The stripes on his uniform were purple, denoting a command role, and his insignia was that of Princess Twilight’s cutie mark framed by the halo of a sun. That showed his rank as Captain. Ganymede’s striped were only on her hind legs, purple as well. Her insignia was the same cutie mark, but framed by the crescent moon behind it.
“Welcome!” He called out to the crowd. “You have all been on this ship before, you know where your quarters are, you’ve run through the test flights. You are prepared for the moments to come today.” He hadn’t really prepared a speech, he had been told one needed to be given of course, and he had stayed up well past the time he should’ve been asleep trying to write one. But nothing would come, so now he was just speaking off the cuff. “But this mission is more than just today, it’s more than just the weeks we will spend getting to the edge of Equestria. It is the years beyond, the journey to distant shores and the challenges we’ll face there. Be prepared for the lands beyond, they are not home. They will not be filled with friendly faces and warm hearths, but if we do our job correctly they can be.” He held his head high and spoke a little louder, with a bit more purpose and pride. “Abroad we must follow the tenets of harmony even more than we do at home. Be kind to all you meet, be loyal to yourself and the ideals you hold dear, be generous with the sharing of wealth and knowledge, bring laughter whenever possible, be honest and forward with your intentions, and believe that through the magic of friendship all things are possible.”
Cloud Breaker saluted his crew, which was returned by the mass of creatures in front of him. He took a deep breath and studied the ranks,eager recruits and families of those who had requested to bring them along looked back at him.
“Welcome aboard the March With Pride, please report to your stations.”
The crowds came up and moved past the Captain and the Commander. Some shook his hoof as they passed, others just gave him a salute and a hello. He accepted them all gracefully and politely as he could considering the number.
“That was a good speech, Captain.” Commander Ganymede said as quietly as she could to still be only audible to the Captain through the dull roar of the moving mass of crew before them. “Though, next time may I recommend writing it down before you have to give it?”
“Noted, Commander.” Cloud Breaker leaned in closer to his First Officer. “It turns out I’m not good at writing speeches, though. We learn something new every day, hmm?” Once the mass of crew were done moving into the belly of the ship, the families came next. Wives, Husbands, and children of all species.
“You could’ve asked.” Ganymede responded smugly. “I love writing speeches. It’s common for Officers in the Griffon military to give speeches after every battle and before every deployment.”
“That doesn’t sound all that enjoyable, if I’m honest, Commander.” Cloud Breaker kept his eyes forward and on the passing mass, as did Ganymede, while still carrying on their conversation. The crowd was thinning now as the last of the civilians were boarding.
“It harkens back to the days of epic poems and stories our ancestors would write telling of their glory.” Glorifying violence was not exactly a thing that the Captain was comfortable with, but all he could do was shrug at the idea.
“Then next time I have to write a speech, I will come to you.” The pony at the very back of the line, the last ‘civilian’ to board, was Prince Shining Armor. He stood there, with his wife Princess Cadance and his daughter Princess Flurry Heart. “Commander, please make your way to the bridge, make sure everything is in order. I will join you in a few moments.”
“Yes, sir.” Was the curt response he received from his subordinate as she turned and made her way up the ramp.
“Captain.” Shining Armor gave the best salute his old bones could give as he approached Cloud Breaker, his family in tow. “This is my wife Cadance, and my daughter Flurry Heart. They’re seeing me off.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highnesses.” Cloud Breaker bowed to the two alicorns in front of him and gave a small smile. “The Prince will be in good hooves, I assure you. We’ll get him back to you in one piece, I promise.” His assurances seemed to have no effect, as the sad smiles across the mother and daughter’s face only persisted.
It was much easier to see, with his family by his side, why the Prince wanted one last go at adventure. His wife, who was the around the same age as himself if history was to be believed, was still as strong and beautiful as she had been in her youth. If you compared her to pictures from thirty years ago, or even from her wedding, nothing had changed. She looked almost identical.
On the other side, Princess Flurry Heart was just over Fifty years old now. She stood a full head and a half taller than her father, and she looked like she could be Princess Cadance’s sister if you didn’t know their family tree.
Both of the mares were strong and vibrant next to this wilting, once-great stallion.
“Stop with this ‘Prince’ nonsense.” Shining Armor barked, turning to his side so he could look at the Captain with his non-clouded eye. “For the duration of this voyage, royalty doesn’t matter. If you need to think of me as something, call me Captain. I’m not dead yet and I still hold the rank in the Royal Guard, still paid for it too.”
“Of course, Captain.” Cloud Breaker saluted Shining Armor. Now, Captain of the Guard didn’t hold the same meaning as Captain of a ship in the military, but Cloud would overlook that for the time being. This stallion had earned the respect.
“You can go on board, Shiny.” Princess Cadance put a hoof on her husband’s back, rubbing it softly. “Flurry and I want to speak to the Captain.” Shining nodded at his wife and smiled at his daughter, winking at her as he turned towards the ramp and started up it. “I love you, Shiny!”
“I love you, Daddy!” Flurry Heart called after him as well.
“I love you both so much!” Shining Armor called back. “I will see you both again, be sure of that!” The elderly stallion disappeared into the belly of the ship. As Cloud turned back to the two alicorns, his smile was met with a dual set of frowns from the Princesses.
“Captain.” Princess Cadance started out with a sigh. “Cloud Breaker…” She trailed off, doing her best to work up the nerve to say whatever was on her mind. “...my husband isn’t going to make it back to Equestria.”
The Captain hung his head and did his best to process that information the best he could. There was a lot he could say...he could deny Shining Armor passage. He could drop him off at the last stop in Equestria...he would do whatever was asked of him by the stallion’s family.
“He’s dying, Captain.” Flurry Heart stepped up, looking down at Cloud with her bright crystal blue eyes. “We’re not saying he won’t make it back because we don’t trust you, but because we know it to be true.”
“Is he sick? Do I need to alert Doctor Zebansi of any special care?” If Prince Shining Armor was at risk to die on his ship, then he would do his best to extend the Prince’s life for as long as he could. If he had any chance of bringing Shining Armor back, he would do all he could to get that done.
“He’s just old, Captain.” Princess Cadance spoke again, a calm resignation resounding in her tone. “He has lived a very...strenuous life. Some of the things he has faced have left him more brittle than other stallions his age. We’ve made peace with his decision and we’re okay with it.”
“It was going to come sooner or later…” Flurry Heart mumbled, her eyes drifting to her hooves. “Maybe it is better that we don’t see him go, you know? Aunt Celestia always said watching your loved ones go was always the hardest part…”
“I…” Cloud wasn’t sure how to proceed, but he would do his best. “...am sorry. If this is your last time seeing him, then you have my condolences.” He stepped forward and put a hoof on the younger alicorn’s shoulder. “I will do everything in my power to make however long he has left comfortable.”
“Don’t make his last days comfortable, Captain.” Flurry Heart met his eyes. “Make them memorable.”
“Captain on deck!” The cry came from Ganymede as the lift opened to reveal Cloud Breaker. The Officers, excluding Vent, Zebansi, and Mandible who were at their posts on other parts of the ship, all stood. There were other members of the crew on the bridge, just various technicians and underlings to the Officers, they all stood and saluted as well.
“At ease.” The pegasus strode to his seat on that raised platform in the middle of the bridge and sat down. Ganymede was sat at a seat directly in front of him, looking over the various diagrams and charts that flitted by her on the screen in front of her. “Status report, Commander?”
“Lieutenant Vent is doing a diagnostic of the Leyline Drive before launch. ETA: five minutes to completion.” She held a window on her screen with her claw and tapped an icon on the bottom right. Instantly it was on a screen in front of the Captain. It was a complicated cross-section of the Leyline Drive implanted in the ship’s hull. From what Cloud Breaker knew of the device, Lieutenant Vent was pushing mana between the different sections of the Drive, expelling it into overflow tanks, and then injecting it back.
“Status on the civilians?” He didn’t want this ship launching unless the more vulnerable of their passengers were secure. From what he was told by reports, the launch was a bit rocky, to say the least.
“Security is doing an final sweep of the living quarters on decks six through eleven.” Now it was Bulwark, who was at his station behind the Captain, who spoke. “Initial reports are confirming the civilians are secure in their quarters. Final reports will be available in a few minutes, Captain.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant Commander.” Cloud Breaker was about to ask Jestam about the conditions outside, when he was interrupted by an alert pinging on his console. It was an incoming communication on an encrypted frequency from Canterlot.
“It’s from Canterlot Control, Captain.” Jetsam piped up. “Most likely from the Princess at the launch festivities.” The Captain held back a sigh, this meant more speeches.
“Put them through, Lieutenant.” After a few taps of his console, the Seapony turned around and nodded at the Captain. “Canterlot Control, this is Captain Cloud Breaker of the Friendship Accord Ship ‘March With Pride’.”
“Captain Cloud Breaker!” Princess Twilight Sparkle was on the other end, and she had to almost yell over the dull roar of the crowd behind her. “This is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. Are you prepared to launch?”
“We are running through final checks, Your Majesty.” He quickly pushed a button on his console with a hoof, muting his end of the conversation. “Lieutenant, please put this through every communication station on the ship.” He received a nod from his science officer as the order was carried out. He unmuted his end off the link. “Do you have any words for the crew, Your Majesty?”
“Just that we are all so proud of you! Each and every one of you, from the highest ranking officers to the families who are going with their loved ones, you have given up so much for the knowledge of future generations.” The Princess had to stop as she was drowned out by another roar from the crowd. “You have the love and support of every creature here in Equestria and the lands beyond, never forget that. Any of you.” There was a silence, one that the Princess and the Captain let linger so the crew could let that soak in. “Would you care to say a few words?”
“As we are going forth into the unknown, we will keep our homes in our hearts and minds.” He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, focusing on the words. He needed this to be good for the ones they were leaving behind. “We will to our best to put forth our best with every new land and creature we encounter. We will extol the virtues of friendship and harmony in our wake and we will do you all proud.”
“Good travels, Captain.You are cleared to launch when ready.” The alicorn called back as the link went dead. He looked around the room one last time, and only received a look from Ganymede that told him his little speech was subpar.
“Captain Cloud Breaker to Engineering.” He called out, knowing that the Interface would pick up his command and link him to the lower decks. A simple tone sounded, letting him know he was connected. “Lieutenant Vent, come in.”
“Yeah, this is Vent, Captain. Something wrong?” The dragon, informal as ever, was surrounded by various sounds of clanging and banging, work down there. “WILL YOU STOP THAT?! I’M TALKIN TO THE CAPTAIN!” Cloud Breaker flicked his ears at the unnecessarily loud dragon.
“Nothing is wrong, Lieutenant.” Just in case, the Captain manipulated the controls on his console to turn down Vent. “Canterlot Control has given us the go ahead to launch, I was wondering if we can get that done as soon as possible.”
“Ensign Crescent is finalizin’ the report now.” There was a sound of Vent putting laying metal on metal, then breathing fire to melt the two together. “We’ll put the whole kit and caboodle into startup right now. Get us free of the moorings and then we’ll launch, Captain.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Cloud cut the link and then hit a button on his chair that let him address the ship as whole. “All crew, report to stations and prepare for immediate launch.” He cut that link next and looked to Jetsam to his left. “Lieutenant Jetsam, start the decoupling sequence.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Suddenly, there was a soft but noticeable hum that ran throughout the entire ship. It cause the floors and walls to vibrate ever so softly, and the Captain could feel it in his bones. The engine had started up, a message on his console confirmed that. That was followed by a loud hiss and a pop that echoed through the hull. The clamps had released the ship, and they were no floating under their own power. It took a few seconds, but once he was sure, he gave the order.
“Commander, take us out.”
Now, normally, at least on Equestrian ships, the First Officer wouldn’t be the one to hold the Conn and pilot the ship. On Griffon ships, that was a different story. Since Ganymede expected that to be part of her job while he was on the bridge, he would not tell her otherwise.
The March With Pride rose slowly, just enough that it was lined up with the exit of its rocky hangar. The very top just nearly scraped the smooth rock above, but the clearance was perfect. The exit from their dock was slow, deliberate, but it was worth it.
The afternoon sun poured in through the large reinforced windows that made up the top and front of the bridge. As the majestic Equestrian landscape began to unfold in front of them, the Captain felt a small twinge of sadness. It would be years before he saw these sights again, before he could see Cloudsdale floating in the distance...before he could see Princess Twilight’s castle on the horizon, before he would see his home again.
“Lieutenant…” He spoke to Jetsam, keeping his eyes focused on the sprawling landscape before him. “How long until we reach Equestria’s western shore?”
“Well, sir.” Jetsam turned his seat to face the Captain’s raised position. “Princess Twilight make it expressly clear that we are not to reach top speeds while in Equestrian air space so we can allow the weather ponies and travel to be uninterrupted during our departure. At our maximum allowed speed, two days.”
“Good.” He stood, straightening his uniform and standing up. His wings ruffled slightly at his side. “I will be in my ready room, call me if I am needed. Commander Ganymede, you have the bridge.” As he moved away from his seat, a practiced dance took place. Ganymede stood and made her way up to the raised platform and took the seat Cloud Breaker once sat, while Jetsam transferred control of the ship to his console.
The ready room was a small room attached to the bridge, the only other door besides the magical lift. It was where Cloud was meant to do more menial administrative tasks that his job asked of him, it was also where he could unwind when he wasn’t immediately needed on the bridge.
He opened the door and was greeted with a little slice of home. His desk from his actual home in Fillydelphia was sat in the corner, it was a solid oak feature that sat against the far back wall. It was a corner desk, the side pressed against the wall and the front still in a place that he could watch the door. His typewriter from home and a number of trinkets and baubles sat atop the desk, while beside it was a fern.
“That’s not mine…” He remarked as he stepped towards the plant. Perhaps it was just for decoration, but it wasn’t something he requested. That seemed to be the only thing out of order, though. Pictures lined the walls and sat on his desk, they were of him and family, and of course on the ships he had served on in the past. It wasn’t home, but it was the closest he had for the next five years.
For now, a book was calling his name and begging to be read. The March With Pride would fly idly through Equestrian skies without him worrying too much.
