The Equus Crusade

To Twilight, Equestria looked beautiful from space. An arabesque of city lights covered large parts of the surface as great ships, with their round and colourful hulls, flew in the clean atmosphere as they went to explore the wonders of the galaxy like the adventurers of older and simpler times.

She observed her native planet from her room aboard the Canterlot’s Pride, the largest and newest ship in the entire Equestrian fleet. Her room was well furnished, with a large purple bed at its centre flanked by two identical wooden bedside tables and several wardrobes all painted in the same colour. A white carpet covered the entire floor.

The walls were also purple, although they were not as dark as the furniture, one of them had a large white clock on it and another one was just a large window from which Twilight looked at Equestria.

She was not alone there; Spike had just entered the room carrying two documents in his hands. He had grown taller and broader since the day of Twilight’s coronation, but could still fit within the large corridors of Equestrian ships. He approached her in silence, already knowing what she was thinking of.

“Sometimes I wish they could see what I have built… do you think they would like it?” She asked him, her eyes looking at a bright concentration of lights she knew was Canterlot.

“Probably, but they were all so different” Spike was not always an expert at comforting her, but he still tried his best “who knows what Rarity would say about all the new fashion”

“I just wish I could see them one more time, it’s been so long,” She said looking to the south of Canterlot, right where Ponyville used to be.

All of her friends had been gone for centuries, but she still missed them all as if they had died only a day before. Fluttershy had been the first one to go, followed shortly after by Rarity and all the others. Their deaths had occurred so long ago that Twilight often remembered all of them happening in the same day.

Spike was her only remaining friend, but she knew even he would have to leave her one day. Then she would become even more alone than she had been before Celestia sent her to Ponyville.

Living such a long life, much longer than any pony, had been a blessing and a curse. She, of course, cherished the ability of guiding her nation towards greener pastures and being able to learn so much about the worlds beyond her own, but she hated having to deal with so much loss. Even the friendship with Spike was now strained by their duties and responsibilities to Equestria; she knew he had not come there to have friendly chat with her. He was there to give her a report.

“Has something important happened?” she asked him once she had stopped thinking.

“Yes” Spike approached her and gave her the document “another three colonial vessel went missing along with their escort ships” he did his best to sound as calm as he could.

“Again?” Twilight did not pretend to sound calm, she had thought her efforts in the frontier had made it safe, but apparently it was not enough. Her efforts were ever enough.

“And Admiral Blue Song is here right now,” Spike informed her. "He wants to discuss this with you immediately”

He gave her the second document, which bore the admiral’s minute signature written in black ink. His decision to come aboard the Canterlot’s Pride without asking for permission was a sign of how little respect the entire military had for her.

“Of course he’s here,” she sighed, “I can deal with it, go tell him I will be there in a moment”

The crew of the Pride was not composed only of ponies. Thanks to Twilight’s efforts, Equestria had become a confederation of all the species on the planet. All of them were serving aboard the ship distributed across every branch and rank.

Earth pony sailors were playing a game of cards with a yak marine and having a good time as a dragon officer passed through the large corridor carrying a stack of documents to somewhere and a changeling aide followed his every step.

Seeing so many races working together was one of the things that made Twilight think that her suffering was a necessary evil.

The ship’s corridors were not as bright and pretty as her personal room. Bright grey was the dominant colour of the corridors, but there were still some occasional spots of paint and pieces of art scattered throughout the entire vessel.

The command bridge, where Blue Song was waiting for her, was slightly different from the rest of the ship. The first obvious difference was the constant noise made by the countless communication officers working on their consoles and talking with each other.

The second major difference was the darker tone of grey the prevailed in the entire room; someone had done everything he could to deprive the place of anything resembling joy.

The third and last one was the throne overlooking the entire bridge. It was supposed to be an imitation of the throne in Canterlot, but Twilight had quickly found out that the two of them were not even comparable. The one on Canterlot was larger and softer, but a lot less decorated.

Blue Song was close to that that throne, with a welcoming smile on his blue face. He was very thin, even for a unicorn, but he had been able to make a career in the navy thanks to his magical talents and his competence in military matters. Spike was right next to him, waiting for her to approach the admiral.

“Slept well princess?” he asked, not even waiting for permission to speak.

“Yes, just tell me what you need” she said, wanting to skip the pleasantries and get to the point. Her life was too long to be spent listening to pointless words.

He stepped away from the throne and approached her. His face became more solemn, as if he was about to deliver a long speech about duty, honour and sacrifice.

“You already know about the colonists and their escorts, I won’t give a boring report about the facts and we all know it’s pirates” He paused for what he sure thought was a dramatic effect “they will soon demand a ransom, but I have better idea” he paused again.

Twilight waited for him to finish, but he was expecting her to play her part in the act “and what is your idea?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“The Pride has been in this orbit for too long, it’s time for her to make a show of force” He paused yet again, something that was clearly getting on Spike’s nerves “And I should be the one leading the mission”

That last comment made Spike snap “why? Twilight is right here”

“I can defend myself, Spike, thank you” She said “but please tell me why you should be the one in charge”

“I’m the one who went to military academy, and this could be a delicate operation” Blue Song made his case pretty clear and strong “And I’m the only high ranking officer here”

“No you’re not” Spike intervened again on her behalf, but he was right. Twilight had made him an admiral because she wanted to have at least one friendly face in the Equestrian High Command.

“I meant the only real one” He looked him straight in the eyes “I earned my place at the top”

That was a jab at Twilight herself. Spike’s appointment had earned her the ire of many officer who felt like they were far more deserving than a lucky dragon who had never gone to any military academy. It had costed her the respect of the military. The comment had also caused an argument between Blue Song and Spike, whose narrow eyes showed he was only a few bad words away from incinerating him on the spot for his insolence.

The second problem the military had with her was her perceived weakness and indecisiveness when it came to situations that required a generous use of force. Now she saw an opportunity to improve her image and dismiss this arrogant admiral with a single move.

“The Pride is my vessel, I will lead it” twilight said, interrupting the intense argument between Blue Song and Spike. She relished the silence that ensued, it sounded like peace.

The admiral seemed taken aback by her decision, even taking a single step back before regaining his composure.

“Are... are you sure about this?” His voice trembled "The frontier is still a very dangerous place, filled with all sorts of..."

“I’m positive, you are dismissed admiral, you may leave this vessel at once,” She said with a smug grin on her face, glad to know she still knew how to deal with ambitious officers like this one.

“As you wish, but you are making a terrible mistake” he said, clearly angry that his stupid plan had been foiled so easily “good luck with the pirates” he coldly added before leaving the room.

That last sentence was the only thing that actually made her think about what she was doing. She was not a military expert, the pragmatic choice would have been to send a local and experienced force to deal with the pirates, but that would make her look like the greatest coward in Equestria.

She only hoped that Spike’s more aggressive attitude would help her achieve an easy victory.