Shore Leave

The next afternoon, Mareitania was once again traveling through the waves of the Equestrian Ocean. Except this time, she was the centerpiece of a small flotilla consisting of her and four powerful ocean going tugs. Three of them were at the front of the liner while the fourth was at her stern to help with maneuvering. Having been on the move since sunrise, the liner was due to arrive in Horseshoe Bay the following day. On board the large vessel, there was only a small skeleton crew consisting of Steel, Port, Chef Michelin, and a few deck ponies.

On the starboard bridge wing, the Captain stood with a cup of freshly made tea as he observed his surroundings. To his right was the Equestrian coastline. Every now and then, he was able to spot a few crowds of ponies watching from the shore. To his left was nothing but open ocean. Something that he wished he could be sailing through without the aid of tugs. From where he was standing, he could see the three cables extending out to their respective tug. It was astounding to him that just the three of them were capable of pulling this enormous liner of his since it usually took between 6 to 10 harbor tugs to do the job in Manehattan.

As he stood there, taking an occasional sip from his cup, something else was also on his mind. That of course being what exactly Princess Sparkle wanted to meet him in Horseshoe Bay for. What kind of development had taken place? Was he in any serious danger? Why would she have had to meet him in Horseshoe Bay? These questions and more continued floating around inside his mind before the feeling of somepony tapping a hoof on his back startled him enough to make him jump and spill his drink.

"Woah!" Port's voice said in response to what had happened. "Sorry Cap. Didn't mean to scare you."

"You're fine, Port," Steel replied after sighing. "Guess I was just lost in my thoughts." He then cleared his throat and looked down at the puddle of tea now on the deck. "How's the rest of our little crew doing?"

"They're doing alright," his friend replied. "They just finished up their lunch. Not much for them to do though other than just sit around and watch the coastline. Chef Michelin said that he'd start preparing supper later on. Though he was complaining about not being able to make his usual meals with how the refrigerators aren't working."

"He always does like to make fancy meals," he said. "Can't really be helped though. No steam means no electricity."

"True," Port replied before looking at his friend. "You doing alright though? I know things are a little weird right now with what happened on the maiden voyage. Not that I can even remember this ship even going out on it. But you definitely have been on edge since you came back."

"Well. You can thank a certain changeling Queen for that," Steel replied. "I haven't had a good night's rest in over a week now."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the green unicorn said in an attempt to comfort his friend. "Maybe your new assignment will help get your mind off of things for a while." This made the Captain sigh once more as he turned to look at his friend. "I got assigned to work on your old ship."

"The Celestia?" he asked. "Ah. She's a good ship. Not as big or as modern as the Mareitania. But she's proven to be reliable."

"Where'd you get assigned to?"

"I... didn't get a reassignment," the red unicorn replied.

"You didn't?" Port asked in a surprised tone. "How come?"

"I guess I'm supposed to be meeting Princess Sparkle once we arrive in Horseshoe Bay."

"Princess Sparkle? What for?"

"I'm not entirely certain," he replied. "But I'm sure it's got something to do with what happened last week."

"I see," Port responded as the two looked out ahead of the liner and tugs. The waters ahead were calm and the sky was clear. Things were proceeding smoothly as the flotilla continued on. Every once in a while, they'd sail by a tiny seaside village. Ponies on fishing boats would wave at them as they passed, some even sailing alongside them for a brief time before going back. There was good reason why they were doing that too. They weren't affected by Chrysalis' magic. So they knew all about the grandeur of this ship. Even though she's only been in service for not even a month, the Mareitania was the pride of Equestria, being the largest and most luxurious ship to ever take to the sea. This made the Captain feel proud because he knew that she was also the fastest, despite no one else knowing it.

"At this speed, we should be at Horseshoe Bay sometime tomorrow morning," Steel said as he looked at his watch.

"Mmhm," Port replied before he started walking toward the steps. "I'm gonna go check on the stern line," he said. "I'll talk to you later, Cap."

"Let me know if you find anything wrong," the Captain said, prompting the green unicorn to silently salute in response before going down the stairs. Once he was alone again, the red stallion turned and walked inside the bridge. Once inside, he closed the door behind him and did the same to the door on the other side. After that, he walked over and stood behind the helm before standing up on his hind legs and placing his forehooves on the large wooden wheel.

As he did this, he couldn't help but feel lucky about everything that he had been through. Not only to survive an attempt on his life by Chrysalis as she tried sinking him and Mareitania. But to also have something else that he wasn't ready to give up yet being taken from him. That being his virginity. Even though it was almost lost to that horrible changeling, he still had that one thing that gave him a sense of purity. This made him breathe a long sigh of relief as he looked through the windows out ahead of the ship.

"We've certainly been through a lot together, girl," he softly said as he tapped a forehoof on the helm. "I can only imagine what else will be in store for us." After saying that, he heard a knock on the wheelhouse door on the starboard side. "Enter," he called out before using his magic to open the door. On the other side was none other than Chef Michelin, Mareitania's Head Chef.

"Good afternoon, Captain," the gryphon said before stepping inside the wheelhouse, pushing a cart filled with sandwiches along with cups of tea and cider.

"Ah. Hello there, Chef Michelin," Steel replied. "What can I do for you?"

"Well. It is more like what I can do for you," he said. "Officer Port said that you may be in need of some refreshments." Steel just simply nodded in response as he lowered himself from the helm and walked over to his friend. "I hope you don't mind peanut butter sandwiches along with either a cup of tea or fresh cider. It's the best I can do given the circumstances of not having any power."

"I don't mind at all," the stallion happily replied as he took hold of a plate as well as a cup of cider. "Thank you for agreeing to come along to provide the crew with meals."

"My pleasure, sir," the gryphon said while taking hold of a sandwich and cup of tea as well. "It would have been impolite of me not to." This made Steel smile as the two clinked their cups of tea together before each of them took a sip. "Besides. I feel as though I owed some sort of debt to you. I can't quite put a claw on it though. But there's been this nagging feeling in my mind for over a week now."

"Yeah," the stallion replied. "Lets just say that you and Dotted got into an argument over some cake on the maiden voyage. And I got kinda got caught in the crossfire so to speak."

"Really?" he asked with a puzzled expression on his face. "I'd think I'd remember something like that."

"Mmhm," the Captain replied. "I'm sure changeling magic will do that to you."

"Changeling magic?"

"Why do you think Mareitania is in need of repairs even though every creature aside from me has no recollection of her ever going to sea?" Upon hearing that, Michelin rubbed a claw under his beak as he pondered the situation. His eyes then grew wide upon realizing what the pony was talking about.

"So that's why I ended up in that field outside of Ponyville," he softly said before taking another sip from his cup.

"Exactly," the pony replied.

"Well," the gryphon said. "I shall go and see if the others would like some refreshments. I'll talk to you later, sir." And with that said, Chef Michelin turned his cart around and walked out of the wheelhouse. Once alone again, Steel walked forward between the engine telegraphs and simply stared out the bridge windows as the flotilla continued on.

Several hours passed by before Celestia's sun disappeared and gave way to Luna's moonlight. With no electricity, the large liner seemed like a ghost ship as it was pulled along by the tugs. No navigation lights. No brightly lit cabins. And the decks just sat empty. With the majority of the small crew aboard having already turned in for the night, Steel was alone on the port side bridge wing. As he stood there, he could sometimes make out the lights of another liner far off in the distance. The stallion truly wished that his vessel could be doing that right now instead of being towed. But it was something that he sadly couldn't do anything about.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have stopped her," the stallion said as though he was talking to the very ship he was on. "If I could've, you wouldn't have to be having to get repaired." After saying that, he gently tapped his hoof on the railing and sighed. "At least you're not on the bottom of the Equestrian right now."

"Cap?" Port asked from the deck below. "Cap. You up there?"

"Yes," he replied before turning around and going to the other side of the wing, looking over the railing at his friend. "What is it, Port?"

"I've just finished inspecting each of the tow lines," he answered before letting out a yawn. "All four looked good to me."

"Understood."

"I'm gonna turn in," the green stallion continued to say. "Things are going to be busy tomorrow when we arrive in Horseshoe Bay."

"Yeah," Steel replied. "I'll be heading that way myself soon."

"Have a good night, sir," he said before saluting, earning one back from the Captain. Once that was done, Port turned and walked away, disappearing through a door.

Steel looked on as a green glow could be seen, presumably his friend using his magic to see where he was going. Turning back to look out ahead of the liner, a yawn soon escaped from his mouth.

"Suppose I should try and get some rest as well," he said to himself as he turned and walked into the wheelhouse. Once inside, he closed the door behind him before doing the same to the door on the starboard side. Inside the wheelhouse, Steel had laid down a mat along with a pillow and blanket just behind the helm. Even though he was on board an ocean liner with hundreds of empty cabins that he could have chosen to sleep in, it just wouldn't have felt right. The Captain always sleeps near the bridge. As he walked toward the mat, he looked over at the door that led into his hopefully soon to be old cabin. The green colored magic that had once enveloped the perimeter had been dispelled by Twilight after they arrived back in Manehattan.

Ever since then, he couldn't look inside without being flooded with memories of what went down in that room. So to avoid it, he had the door closed and even placed a 'Do Not Enter' sign on it. As he laid down on the mat, he turned over on his back and just looked up at the ceiling. He could feel the ship gently rocking side to side while it moved through the waves. As he laid there, a big yawn escaped from his mouth.

"Hopefully these repairs don't take too long," he said to himself. "But at the same time, I don't want it rushed either." After saying that, he began thinking about what would happen once they arrived in Horseshoe Bay the next day. Princess Twilight would be waiting for him there. For what purpose though? What kind of development had happened? As his eyes slowly closed, those thoughts faded away until the only sounds that could be heard were the waves and the occasional groaning of Mareitania's hull. Soon, another yawn escaped from him before he felt himself drift off into slumber.

The next morning, Steel was once again out on the bridge wing along with Port and Chef Michelin. The journey was nearing its end as the shores of Horseshoe Bay were just miles away. Along the shore, crowds of ponies could be seen while dozens of pegasi reporters flew overhead with their cameras flashing. This was an event that deserved to be recorded for the seaside village. The pride of the Clydesdale Shipyard was returning for some time in the dry dock for repairs even though she was still pretty much a brand new ship.

As the ship neared the mouth of the bay, the destination of her journey came into view. The large gantry of the Clydesdale Shipyard stood out significantly among the tiny homes of the residents at the far end of the bay. Just last year, Mareitania was just an empty shell inside one of the two slipways of the giant gantry. Now she was returning to the place of her birth. Only this time for urgent repairs that would no doubt result in a lengthy stay.

The crowds of spectating ponies cheered and waved as the large liner passed by. Seeing this, the small crew aboard the ship waved back.

"Quite the turnout. Right Cap?" Port said as he waved to the ponies ashore.

"You can say that again," Steel replied. "These ponies certainly cherish this ship as much as we do. Maybe even more since they're the ones who built her."

Soon, the flotilla entered the bay. Upon doing so, they were greeted by a small fleet of eight harbor tugs that would take over the tow from the larger salvage tugs. Like clockwork, the lines were cast off from the four to the eight. Once completed, the larger tugs pulled off but remained close in case they were needed for assistance. As the smaller tugs took up the strain of pulling the near 32,000 tons of deadweight that was the Mareitania, they positioned her in a way where the dry dock that she'd be placed within would be directly ahead.

On the shore, Steel could see that the dock had a set of railroad tracks on both sides. And on each track was a pair of small tank engines. But there was also something that he wasn't expecting to see. Positioned all around the drydock looked to be a squadron of the Royal Guard. Each one of them, with spear in possession, were standing so still that they could easily be mistaken for statues.

"Why are there so many guard ponies here?" Port asked as the liner was on final approach to the dock.

"Probably because Princess Twilight is here, I guess," Steel replied.

"Oh yeah," the green stallion replied. "I forgot you mentioned she was meeting you here."

"So how exactly are we going to get in there?" Chef Michelin asked as he gazed at the awaiting tank engines. "Are those engines going to help?"

"That's exactly what they're going to do," the Captain answered before pointing a hoof out directly ahead of the ship. "Since the drydock is too narrow for both the tugs and Mareitania to be inside at the same time, those locomotives will act in their place." He then rubbed a hoof under his muzzle as he looked at the size of them. They looked no bigger than a regular carriage. "So as they help to guide us in, we'll also keep a couple of tugs connected to the stern to help stop. Don't want to ram the other end of the dock and damage her anymore than she already is."

"Fascinating," the gryphon said while the tugs at the bow did exactly as Steel said they would and released their lines while getting out of the way of the large liner. The ship was then brought to a halt by the remaining tugs as lines were connected between the locomotives and the liner. Once complete, the little steam engines started to reverse. From his vantage point on the starboard bridge wing, Steel could see that the small locomotives were struggling to get the ship moving. Their small pistons were moving and sparks could be seen coming from their wheels. But even with the power of all four of them pulling, Mareitania remained still. Eventually, some of the tugs began pushing on the stern which in turn got the liner moving forward into the dock.

As the ship began to enter, Port decided to go monitor the activity at the stern while Michelin walked away to gather his equipment that he brought to make meals. Now alone on the wing, Steel walked over to the edge of the railing and looked over the side. It didn't take him long to spot a familiar face on the ground below. Princess Twilight Sparkle was standing next to the tracks as she observed the procedure. Standing next to her was a bigger white colored stallion with dark blue hair. He stood out among the other guards as his armor was painted purple. As the liner slowly continued into the dock, the purple alicorn looked up and waved at the Captain, who happily waved back to her. Seeing that, she stretched out her wings and took to the air.

"Ahoy Captain!" she called out as she flew up to the wing. Once she was at the same level as he was, she hovered there and smiled. "Permission to come aboard?"

"Permission granted," Steel replied with a smile. "Welcome aboard." Upon hearing that, Twilight nodded before moving over the railing and landing on the wing. Once her hooves were on the wooden floor, she folded her wings and wiped a bit of sweat off of her forehead.

"It's good to see you again, Captain Blade," she said as she stood in front of him.

"I can say the same to you, Princess Sparkle," the stallion replied before bowing.

"Please. We've been over this," she said. "Just call me Twilight."

"Sorry," he replied as he stood back up. "Old habits die hard." This made her giggle softly as she looked around at his ship.

"How was the journey here?" she asked before looking back at him.

"It was good," he replied. "Would rather have done it under our own steam instead of being towed. But it is what it is."

"I can understand that," she said. "Well. At least you made it here safely without any complications." Soon, they felt the liner begin to slow as the remaining tugs at the stern reversed their engines to stop the massive ship. Looking at the locomotives on shore, Steel could see that they all have stopped pulling as the lines between them had gone slack. As the two ponies on the wing looked on, Mareitania was brought to a halt. With the lines on the stern being cast off, the large gate that would keep the water out of the dock was slowly closed behind the ship.

"Seems everything is secure now," the stallion said as he watched a group of ponies pushing a gangway toward the ship to let his small crew get off. As that was going on, another thought quickly came into his mind. "So why exactly did you need to meet me here?" he asked while turning to face her.

"Well," she replied. "As I stated in my scroll that I left for your boss to give to you. There's been a development. One that would put you at great risk if we didn't do anything about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Chrysalis knows you and your ship survived," she bluntly replied. This just made the stallion's eyes widen in horror. While he appreciated the Princess not sugarcoating her words, they still instilled a feeling of fear and dread. However, he wasn't too surprised as he had suspected this would happen. The extra publicity that every newspaper in the country gave to him and Mareitania was bound to find a way to the changeling Queen eventually.

"H-H-How exactly do you know this?" he asked, visibly shaken by what the alicorn said.

"I'd rather not answer that here," she replied as she reached out and gently placed a hoof on his back in an effort to calm him down. After a few minutes, he settled down and cleared his throat. "We'll talk about that when we go to meet Princess Celestia and King Thorax in Canterlot."

"Canterlot?" he asked. "That's quite the trip from here."

"Yes," she said. "Shouldn't take us too long to get there though."

"I suppose," he replied. "Should be just about a day's worth of riding a train to get there."

"We're not taking the train there," she replied before giggling softly. "We'll teleport there."

"Teleport?" he asked. "I've never teleported that far before."

"Don't worry," she replied in a reassuring tone. "I'll handle that for you."

"Alright," he said as the water inside the dock started getting pumped out. The process for draining the dock would take a while as the liner would have to be positioned perfectly on the keel blocks below in order for there not to be any unnecessary strain on the hull. "So I suppose we'll be on our way then?" he asked while watching the water being pumped out into the bay.

"Yes," she replied. "Just let me know when you're ready to go."

"Alright," he said. "Give me a few minutes then." After saying that, he turned around and walked into the wheelhouse. As he looked at the door leading into his cabin, he sighed and shook his head a couple times before opening it. "Might as well take one final look before it gets changed," he said in his mind as he stepped forward and entered the room. Once inside, his eyes slowly drifted around the room. He made sure that all of his personal belongings were taken out of the room before the ship left Manehattan. But soon, his eyes stopped and focused on the bed.

"Just relax," Chrysalis' voice echoed through his mind as the memory of what happened on that bed flooded into his mind. "Don't fight it. And let it happen." The stallion's eyes were clenched shut as he stood there, visibly shaking.

"Stop... it..." he softly said as his mind continued playing out the memory.

"I can't wait to feel you fertilize my eggs and create a new generation of changelings," her voice continued. "In fact. Why don't we find out just how good that would feel."

"No!" he shouted as his eyes shot open. He then looked down toward the floor as he breathed heavily. Thankfully, the sound of the activity happening outside drowned out his shouting. "It's all in your head now, Steel," he said to himself. "It's all... in your head." Soon, he took a few steps backward and closed the door. Once it was shut, he stood there and took in another deep breath, gaining his composure before looking at his sword, which was leaned up against the wall in its scabbard. Taking it out of the sheath, he looked at the polished steel. When he saw his reflection, he sighed softly before putting it back and securing the weapon around his body.

Tightening up the strap around him, he took one final look around the bridge. The brass on the engine telegraphs glistened in the light of the sun. Seeing that, he inhaled deeply once again and gulped before a smile formed on his face. It was as if his own ship was showing off her beauty to help cheer him up. And it was working as he walked over to the helm before gently patting it a few times.

"Port! Are you around?" he called out, gaining his First Officer's attention as he was outside on the port wing.

"Yeah, Cap?" he asked, looking in from the doorway on that side.

"I'm putting you in charge of the rest of the operation," the Captain said. "Make sure she'll be fine before you leave. Alright?"

"Aye, Captain," he replied before saluting. "Where are you going?"

"Princess Twilight and I are going to be on our way to Canterlot," Steel replied. "And we'll be leaving now."

"Understood," the green unicorn said. "Safe travels. And I'll see you back here when the repairs are finished." Upon hearing that, Steel nodded and saluted back before exiting out to the starboard wing. When he stepped out, he spotted Twilight looking over the railing at what was happening below. Upon hearing his hoofsteps, she turned around and faced him.

"Ready to go, Captain?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "And please. Just call me Steel." This made a smile appear on her face as her horn began to glow. As this was happening, Steel took one final look at his ship. "See you soon, Mareitania," he said in his mind before the two of them disappeared in a bright purple flash of magic.

It was only a few seconds before the two would reappear inside the main throne room of the royal castle in Canterlot. This was the farthest that the stallion had ever been teleported. So naturally, it took him a bit longer to gather his bearings than it took for her.

"Ah. There you two are," a familiar voice said, making the Captain immediately freeze up upon hearing. Turning to his left, his eyes soon rested on the ruler of all of Equestria, the Princess of the Sun, Princess Celestia. The white alicorn was perched upon her throne like the gracious leader she was.

"Your highness!" the stallion blurted before he quickly bowed in front of her.

"Captain Blade," she said in a warm and inviting tone. "It is good to finally meet you."

"Th-th-thank you, Princess," he stuttered. "It is an honor to meet you as well." As he looked up at her, Celestia simply smiled as she stood up and began walking toward him.

"You've been through so much, Captain," she said as she walked. "More than you've probably ever imagined having to go through." Upon saying that, she stopped in front of him, looking down with warmth and comfort in those beautiful eyes of hers. "And yet here you are."

"Well. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Twilight and her friends."

"Yes," she replied before stopping in front of him and the younger alicorn. "Captain Broadside briefed me on what had happened out in the Equestrian Ocean."

"I'm just glad we just so happened to be in the right place at the right time," Twilight added. "Which is why we don't want to leave your fate to chance again if we can help it."

"What do you mean?" Steel asked.

"I'm sure Twilight has already told you about Chrysalis knowing you survived. Right?" the elder alicorn asked.

"Yes," he replied while looking up at her. "She told me. But. How do you both know that?"

"I can answer that question," a new voice replied from behind the Princess. As she stepped aside, Steel saw a strange looking creature along with a smaller one of similar appearance. They both looked like a fusion of ponies and bugs. The taller one was a shade of green and orange with orange antlers and purple colored eyes. The smaller one was a shade of dark gray with white colored eyes.

"Steel," Twilight said. "I'd like for you to meet King Thorax of the new Changeling Hive." Once he heard that name, Steel's mind flashed back to Chrysalis when she said it. The way she said it though was clear that she despised him.

"King Thorax? So you're the one who took over her hive?" the stallion asked.

"Yes," he replied. "It's been challenging. I've been learning 'on the fly' as it is referred to."

"I know that feeling," Steel said. "Trying to be a Captain when you had zero experience in that role before is hard. Probably not as hard as being a King I'd imagine." Thorax silently nodded in response. "Something I'm glad to not be experiencing for myself."

"Anyways," the bigger changeling continued. "The reason why we know that Chrysalis knows about you and your ship surviving is because one of the changelings who were there with you has now decided to reform himself." After saying that, he allowed the smaller changeling to step forward. "I believe the two of you know each other."

"Greetings, Captain," the smaller changeling said in a familiar voice. When he heard that, the identity of this gray colored changeling instantly came to mind for the stallion.

"Scythe?" he asked. "Is that you?"

"Yes," the changeling replied. "It's me."

"So you decided to switch sides, eh?" the stallion asked. "Why?"

"To tell you the truth," Scythe began to say. "This was something I've thought about doing for a long time. Long before we did what we did to you and your ship. I've grown frustrated with how I was treated by the others. Before we tried to take over your ship and convert it into a mobile hive, the others always treated me like I was beneath them. Giving me ridiculous assignments and having me perform humiliating roles."

"Like what?"

"Well," he continued. "Before I tried impersonating your boss, I was assigned the role of pretending to be Princess Sparkle's little dragon."

"Spike?" the young alicorn asked.

"Yes," he answered. "It was their way of making me feel smaller than them." He then walked forward and stopped in front of Steel. "Anyways. Chrysalis found out about your survival the moment you and your ship arrived back in Manehattan. She was there. Watching you among the rest of the ponies there. And when she returned to us, all she talked about was you. How she would not stop until she had you in her hooves once again. How she would get you to be her King. And how she wouldn't 'take no for an answer this time'." When he heard what the reformed changeling said, the stallion began to shudder at the mere thought of Chrysalis forcing herself upon him. "That's when I decided that enough was enough," he continued. "So a couple days ago, when she and the others were sleeping, I snuck away and returned to King Thorax to begin redeeming myself. Now I'm looking forward to paying my debt to society by helping to track her down."

As Steel listened to what the reformed changeling had to say, he still couldn't help but shake as his brain was running wild with thoughts of what she'd do to him if she caught him again.

"No..." he softly said while standing there, visibly trembling. Seeing this reaction, both Celestia and Twilight just silently looked at each other. The horror that Chrysalis must've put him through was clearly still affecting him, though neither one knew just what exactly happened. In an effort to calm the Captain down, Twilight moved beside him and draped her right wing over his back. It seemed to work as his trembling slowly faded as his breathing returned to a normal pace.

"It's okay, Steel," she said in a comforting tone. "We won't let anything bad happen to you."

"How?" he asked. "She can literally disguise herself as anything! She could be anywhere!"

"I know," she replied. "That's why I came up with a plan to send you somewhere that I know with 100% certainty that she can't get to you."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain it when we go to Ponyville," she continued. "But it's the only way that we can guarantee your safety while we track her down and bring her to justice."

"I can agree with that," Celestia added. "Twilight has gone over the plan with me. And I must say that it truly is your best option."

"But what about the Mareitania?" Steel asked. "I can only imagine that if Chrysalis was determined to find me, the first place she'd look is there."

"I'm sure you've seen the squadron of guards that I've deployed to Horseshoe Bay. Rest assured that they are some of the best of the best," the elder alicorn answered. "And to make sure that your ship will be truly protected, I've asked Shining Armor to deploy a protective shield around it with the only opening being a changeling checkpoint. If Chrysalis or any of her remaining followers try to enter, they will be found out and caught."

As he processed what she was saying, Steel could only imagine the sight of Mareitania being under a magical shield. He knew that the stallion she mentioned had performed much bigger shields in the past. One that even enveloped the entire city of Canterlot. So a shield around his liner shouldn't be too much to ask for.

"Alright," he said. "It seems you've thought of everything then."

"I can assure you that these actions have been taken with your safety being our top priority," Twilight replied. "And with Scythe helping us by giving information on where her usual hiding spots are and what disguises she regularly uses, it hopefully shouldn't be long for us to track her down."

"And.... what about my family?" he asked. "Are they in any danger? Are you doing anything to protect them?"

"We've taken that into consideration," Thorax replied. "And that's why I volunteered to help keep them safe. Your parents have already been informed and will be temporarily relocated to the Crystal Empire for protection. As for your brother and his fiancé, I was told that they've been briefed on the situation. They'll also be going there as well." The stallion could only imagine the reaction his older brother had to finding out about this.

"Thank you," he said. "I'm grateful for that."

"Think of it as my way of repaying you for not joining her," Thorax replied. "I'm sure that she tempted you with all kinds of things. I'm glad to see that you didn't succumb to your urges."

"Was there any other questions you'd like to ask?" Celestia asked. When he heard that, Steel rubbed a hoof under his chin in thought before one important question came to mind.

"How long will I be gone for?"

"We're not entirely sure," Twilight replied. "It could be a few days. A few weeks. Even a few months. It all depends on how quickly we can track down Chrysalis and capture her."

"And what if Mareitania is ready to go before you manage to get her?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," she replied. "I'm hoping to have her captured before that happens though."

"Alright," he said. "I can't think of any other questions."

"Very well," Celestia said. "Then we will let the two of you leave. Once he is safe, we'll wait for you and your friends to return before we begin the search for Chrysalis."

"Understood," Twilight replied.

"Be safe, Steel," the elder alicorn said as she looked down at him. "I look forward to speaking with you again when it is safe for you to return."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia," he replied before bowing again. Once he got back up, he looked up and saw her give a warm smile before she turned around and started walking away, leaving him and Twilight alone.

"Alright," the purple alicorn said as her horn lit up once again. "Hang on!" After saying that, the two of them disappeared in a flash of magic once again.

Like before, it only took a few seconds to travel from the throne room in Canterlot to the front of Princess Twilight's castle in Ponyville. Once he was able to see clearly, Steel simply gazed up at the structure in front of him. It looked to be an entire castle built on top of a tree made of crystal.

"Wow," he said while looking on. Even though he's seen pictures of this castle in newspapers and magazines, this was the first time he saw it in real life. Meanwhile, Twilight was amused at his reaction to seeing her castle. But there was more important things to be doing. So to snap him out of his self-induced trance, she waved a hoof in front of his face. Once she did this, he blinked a few times before shaking his head as his cheeks turned a brighter shade of red. "Sorry," he said while rubbing the back of his head and grinning sheepishly.

"You're fine," she replied. "Trust me. That's not the first time I've had to do that. And won't be the last either." After saying that, she climbed the steps and opened the main door before going inside, prompting Steel to follow her in. Once inside, she closed the doors behind him. "Welcome to my castle," she said as she began to go up the spiral staircase that likely went up to the main portion of the castle.

"Quite the place you have here," he replied as he followed her.

"It certainly took some time to get used to. That's for sure," she said as they kept going. As the two climbed though, Steel kept thinking about this place that he'd be going to. How was it that she could guarantee his safety with a place that Chrysalis couldn't get to? How long would he be there? These questions and more kept flowing through his mind until they reached the top of the stairs. Once there, they were greeted by Starlight Glimmer who was waiting for them with a tray holding three mugs of fresh apple cider.

"Glad to see you again, Captain Blade," the unicorn mare said as she placed the tray on a nearby stand. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Thank you," he replied. "And please. Just call me Steel." This made the mare smile in response. "How have you been?"

"I'm doing alright," she said before sighing softly. "Mostly just been hanging around here."

"I see."

"I hear that your ship is being repaired now," she continued before using her magic to levitate a mug of cider over to him. "How long do you think that's going to take?"

"I'm not certain," the stallion replied while taking hold of the mug with his own magic. "Probably a month or so at the very least. She's got quite the list of repairs needing to be done. Along with some... modifications as well."

"What kind of modifications?"

"Mainly just a personal request from me," he said. "I'm hoping to get some new quarters made." This answer made her raise an eyebrow as it was something she wasn't expecting to hear.

"Why would you need that?"

"It's...." he began to say before the memory of what happened in his cabin that night started flowing into his mind again. As a result, his body began to shudder as he clenched his eyes shut while looking away from the two mares in front of him.

"Are you okay, Steel?" Twilight asked as she placed a hoof on his back. Sensing this, the stallion's shuddering slowly stopped as he breathed deeply to steady his nerves.

"I'm.... fine," he replied.

"Are you sure?" the alicorn asked. "I mean. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But you're clearly experiencing some emotional trauma."

"I'm... alright," he said before taking one final deep breath as he repressed the memory. He then turned his head to look back at Starlight. "It's... personal. But it's something that I need to have done." After saying that, he brought his mug up to his lips and chugged down the entire liquid content inside in one go. Once finished, he looked back at the two mares who just stood there with their respective mouths agape as they held their mugs. "What?" he asked while looking at them. "Did I spill some?"

"I've never seen anypony drink a mug of cider that fast," Starlight said as she looked at him.

"You'd definitely give Applejack a run for her bits in a drinking contest," Twilight added.

"I'd honestly like to see that now that you mentioned it," the light purple unicorn replied. "A sailor against a farmer. Now that's something to see." This just made Steel chuckle as he placed his mug back on the tray.

"Maybe when things get settled down," he said, making the two mares nod before they drank out of their mugs.

"Well," Starlight said after finishing hers. "I'd love to stay and see you off. But I promised Trixie I'd help her with preparing for an upcoming magic show." After saying that, she placed her mug on the tray and looked at Twilight. "I'll hopefully be back before you come back. If not, I'll be at Trixie's wagon."

"Alright," Twilight replied as the unicorn mare stepped forward. Once she was in front of the stallion, she stopped and proceeded to give him a hug.

"Don't worry," she said into his ear. "I'm sure this place you're going to will be fine. And... if you ever need somepony to talk to. I'm here for you."

"Thank you," he replied as he returned the hug. Once they finished, Starlight stepped back and gave him a reassuring smile before she lit up her horn, disappearing in a flash of turquoise colored magic. As Twilight finished her mug, the stallion looked around at the interior of her castle. It reminded him of the corridors of his ship as many doors lined the hallway.

"Alright," she said after putting her mug on the tray and then making it all disappear. "Let's get going."

"Sounds good," he replied, making her nod as she turned and started walking with the stallion walking beside her.

"How are you feeling about all of this, Steel?" she asked as they walked. "I'm sure that it's a lot to take in all at once."

"I mean. Yeah. It's a lot to adjust to," he replied. "I've gone from commanding the largest ship in all of Equestria to now worrying that Chrysalis is gonna jump out of nowhere and try to finish what she started."

"I can understand that," she replied. "You definitely weren't expecting to have all of this thrusted upon you." The stallion just nodded silently as they continued walking. "It's good to see that you seem to be holding up well though, despite the emotional scars that you have."

"Well. I've got you and your friends to thank for that," he said. "Had you all not shown up and did what you did. I wouldn't be standing here today. And even though we've only interacted with each other for just over a week, I'd like to think that I made many new friends out of this situation."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," the alicorn replied as they walked. "I can say that the girls and I feel the same way." Hearing this made him smile as the two continued walking.

"So is there anything that you can tell me about this place I'm going to?" he asked. "Anything at all?"

"All I can say is that you most likely will have some trouble getting used to it," she answered. This made him raise an eyebrow as he looked at her while they walked.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's difficult to explain," she replied. "It's similar to here. But yet is completely different. It's something that you'll have to experience for yourself to understand."

"I see," he said before she stopped and opened a door that led into a room. This confused the stallion even more as he was beginning to wonder just what exactly she had in store for him. As she stepped inside, he looked in to find that it looked to be a library complete with bookshelves mounted into the walls along with a few tables as well. But his eyes then landed on what appeared to be a large mirror on a platform. Behind it was some kind of strange contraption with cables hooked up to the mirror itself. And sitting above it on a shelf was a single book. "What's that?" he asked, making her stop in front of it and look back at him with a smile.

"This is where you'll be going," she replied before gesturing toward the mirror.

"I... don't understand," he said as he stepped into the room. "Isn't that just a mirror?"

"I know that's what it looks like," she said. "But this is actually a gateway to a different universe. One that's similar to this one. Yet is completely different than any place you've been to." After saying that, she used her magic to push down a lever on the contraption. With his eyes widened in amazement, he watched as streams of pink colored magic were seen flowing from the book and into the machine before they went directly into the mirror. The glass portion then flashed pink for a few seconds before returning to its original state.

"I've never seen anything like this before," he said as he approached. "I didn't think anything like this even existed."

"First time for everything," she replied before giggling.

"And this place," he continued. "It's safe?"

"Of course!" she replied. "I wouldn't send you anywhere that wasn't safe."

"I suppose so," he said as she walked up in front of it.

"See you on the other side," she said as she continued walking forward. He looked on as she then disappeared into the glass without the slightest bit of hesitation. Instinctively, the stallion looked around behind the mirror. But he didn't find any signs of her. Seeing that, he walked back around and stood in front of the 'glass'. As he looked at his reflection, he tilted his head before reaching out with a hoof. Once his hoof made contact, it just rippled as if he had just stepped into a puddle.

"That's... interesting," he said as he pulled his hoof away, making the rippling effect stop. He then breathed deeply as he calmed his nerves down. He then looked at his reflection one final time before tightening the strap securing the blade to his side and straightened up his uniform. "Well," he said softly. "Here goes nothing." And with that said, he slowly stepped forward and disappeared into the portal.