Verve

The following few hours went by in a haze; Pumpkin and Tempest had passed out in each other's hooves, Vee eventually deemed herself ‘clean’ and swam out from the endless waterfall to build a fire. Celestia and Arin spent the better part of an hour trying their best to rid every bit of webbing from the frankly large Princess. Surprisingly, it took longer for them to wash the less filthy alicorn than it took for the others to wash themselves, who had been entirely webbed up. Including him.

Possibly because her wings were massive, and had burst through sections of webbing - and been the prime target for the silken strands. It gooped up, and marred her once pristine pinions in soot and waste.

It also didn’t help that every few moments, she’d catch him in another kiss. It made washing… difficult. By the time they could finally sneak off to their unpitched tent, a certain Seraph had already pitched one somewhere else. It eventually led to a love struck session in the shade, hoping the leaves of trees bought them enough privacy from any prying eyes to enjoy time together.

By the time they finished, it was well past time for a meal - and then afterwards, another rest. Pristine and clean, Arin patched together a quick soup from White Tail ingredients - mashed pumpkin, cheese, a rich chicken stock, and dozens of herbs and spices with a splash of white wine - soon a pot of the good stuff joined them, a loaf of bread split into five thick cuts to wipe it down with. At some point, Celestia decided to give the waterfall a name - Crystal Horn Cove, even if it wasn’t connected to an ocean.

“Something smells wonderful.” Tempest smiled, her clean mohawk ruffled and unbrushed. Pumpkin looked much the same, but it was obvious they were fiercely satisfied with their rest. “Makes me wonder what Umbra is being fed in captivity. Hopefully something sustaining.”

Arin frowned at the question, shaking his head. “Likely not. She’d be lucky to survive up until now on scraps. I have… unwanted memories of being imprisoned. Let’s just hope I can heal whatever wounds she’s sustained, if she’s still alive.”

“Hmhm! Well then, all the more reason to rest and put boots to our snoots. Preening can wait; flap off to bed early tonight, all of you. No more whips and chains and other fun things, we’ve got a Spooky-fry to rescue.” The Purple gulped down her soup quickly, stopping to add a splash of coffee or two to help perk her up.

At that, the group rushed their meals. Short conversations about trivial things helping keep the party alive, and as Tempest finished up her bowl - she sighed.

“Celestia?” She looked up to the pink-maned alicorn, who nodded.

“Yes, my subj-... yes, Tempest?”

“I’m sorry. For how I’ve treated you, these last several days. I have to admit, if you did not act, not once but twice now… we would have all died. Everything I thought I knew about you… it was all wrong. You’re strong and capable, and Equestria deserves no other leader than you.”

There was a stunned silence around the campfire, Arin dropping his spoon from his hand in shock. It took Celestia a moment to pry her jaw from the floor, but once she did, she bowed her head.

“Thank you, Tempest. But if I may ask, why the change of heart? We’ve been at odds since the very start.”

“...I guess I’m just ready for change. Before, I would have never thought of it. I know now that without you, no - all of you, I would have died several times across this journey. Arin for his healing powers, Pumpkin for her medicinal knowledge. Vee for her bravery to face the very living dead. And finally, you Celestia. Not only did you save me, but you’ve saved a pony I’ve fallen for, as well. And for that, I’m eternally grateful.”

“That’s just what friends do, Tempest.” Arin smiled, clapping her back with an open hand. “We stick together, we work as a team - and we prop our weakest members up. You’ve risked your life to protect us, all of us. And while Celestia can lead a nation, you can lead your friends. We’re at your side, to the very end.”

Vee fluffed her wings, staring into the darkened sky. In the far light of the sun, her eyes traced the outline of the Seraph vessel. “Stern-fry, you’ve been working for everypony but yourself from the start. This whole journey has been about rushing to save Spooky-horn, and applying the wingchop to some greedy mino-birds, no offense Arin.”

“None taken. Seraphs are ‘jerk-faces’, right Vee?” The Seraph gave a warm grin, the party’s purple pegasus giving her all-too-familiar ‘d’ohoho’.

“Right you are! Banned, all of them! From my shop! You too, Tall-fry. You’re still fired.”

Laughs all around from the campfire cheered the mood on, as dishes were swiftly cleaned and supplies stashed for the while. With that, the party split up for the eve - taking their rest for the long journey ahead.

‘Morning’ came quickly for the group gathered, tents were packed and kisses were held - and with a swift breakfast filling their bellies, Celestia moved the sun out of the way of the endless, encroaching lunar magic. She held worry in her heart, seeing the sun this close to passing over the far horizon. It forced the usually calm midday light into an anxiety inducing afternoon. They even had time for a quick Knighting Ceremony for Arin, though with a bit more focus on the words to prevent accidents. It’s not that Celestia didn’t trust her lover, it’s more so she didn’t trust Nightmare Moon’s tactics.

“So, you’re saying that if the Lunar Magic touches the far horizon, there’s a chance your magic could be severed, and we’ll be stuck in an eternal night?” Tempest seemed mildly concerned at that notion, but beyond that - she didn’t show it.

“It’s the theory. If the Solar Plane is entirely severed from the atmosphere, neither my Sister nor I may be able to retrieve it. We will fall into an eternal winter, and the bonds of other planes will weaken and falter as balance fails - and crops refuse to grow.” Celestia's pace quickened even faster at the thought - Pumpkin bumbling along on her broom beside her mare, Arin jogging to keep pace - and Vee flapping above.

“You don’t seem as worried as some of us are, Tempest,” Arin questioned, hurdling a log with a flap of his wings. “We’re teetering close to the knife’s edge, and that’s not something I like to do.”

“I’m not. With you all by my side, and when Umbra joins us - Nightmare Moon won’t stand a chance.”

The giant trees grew ever taller as they dipped into the valley; the forest canopy thick and growing, sheltering them from the light of the sun. Arin summoned magic in the form of a twinkling mage light to crack the dark, Pumpkin clicked her tail lantern on and Vee’s own lamp flickered with a soft, quiet magic after a twist of a lever.

“So Stern-fry, what’s the plan? Wingchop their throats, save the pony, slay the dragon, and all that fairytale jazz?” Vee held her coffee in her hooves - a strange sight to behold. Her usual purple aura hadn’t made an appearance in a while, and it was something Arin in particular noticed.

“Not exactly. First, we need to figure out their numbers, the location of Umbra, and their defenses. From there, it’s not an exact science. I’ve never taken an airship without an advantage before - like my own vessel or fleet to make that possible. They’re likely lax on security from the long wait, too. The main issue I have is reaching them quickly and safely, before an alarm can be sounded. I’m too heavy in my gear to make the flight comfortable for whoever has to carry me.” Tempest spoke aloud to the group, scouring her mind for an idea.

“...Then don’t. Why don’t we try luring them to the ground? Or forcing a landing?” Arin offered. The Commander considered it, leaping over a giant root with the rest of the party.

“The only way we’d be able to do that is through crippling the balloon. And unfortunately, with our time limit - I don’t think I could repair it alone. Not unless any of you happen to have several years experience repairing airship damages on hoof that you’ve been keeping secret.” Their pace picked up regardless of the rough terrain, the massive creek of trees shaking in the light wind above an odd, and almost terrifying sound.

“If it was literally anything else Tempest, I would be the first person to talk about experience. Mining? Done. Smithing? No problem. Weaving, stitching, baking, skinning, tanning, whittling - I’ve done it all. Except work on airships.” Arin’s breathless laugh came with a short leap over a crawling root - fanning his wings to glide several short hooves. If their pace was a little more rigorous, he could alternate wing beats, gliding, and running to travel near effortlessly across the forest floor, but with the rough terrain, a jog - or a canter - was all they could manage.

“I’m much the same, as well, save for more laborious pursuits. I’ve sought many hobbies to occupy the years,” Celestia spoke up, ducking her head under a vine, “but I’ve never touched an airship besides for travel. They’re costly things to maintain for military capabilities, after all, and I never thought myself war-inclined.”

“C-Can we stop yet? M-My magic is fading, and I don’t think I-I can gallop for long at this pace.” Pumpkin whimpered, her little broom faltering in the air. They’ve been traveling hard for hours, with little room for rest. Without another word, Tempest nipped her by the scruff and tossed her onto her armored back - giving her enough time between bounces to stuff her broom into her hat.

“What! I want a pony back ride! Sun-fry, your fur is comfy and prime retail for feather preening. My wings deserve a break, too.” Vee glared, flapping backwards in front of the Princess. Celestia rolled her eyes.

“Tax relief or pony back ride, pick your pleasure, Vee.”

“I can fight exhaustion, but I can’t fight the Pony IRS. I’ll take discounts any day. D’ohoho~”

Traveling through the forests of the World’s Edge was luckily rather uneventful so far. After the last two areas, a simple forest trek was a blessing. Strangely enough, they’ve come across the occasional ancient wooden post along the forest path, or marker showing that something has been through these woods before Yet no houses or halls sprung up to meet them in the dark - save the occasional collapsed structure, planks torn to pieces from a long fall. Did the ponies live in the branches of the trees? Another strange thing was the wildlife.

Birds hung high in the leaves far above, their massive wings breaking the faint light of the sun through the branches. From their small campfire, several sets of eyes would watch from the darkness - peering over them with curiosity. Friend or foe, it didn’t matter - the flames kept all at bay.

The deeper into the forest they traveled, the farther away the canopy grew - and the more claustrophobic the dark felt.

“I don’t like this,” Tempest confided in Pumpkin at the fire. “It feels like we’re intruding. Trespassers. Unwanted guests.”

The witchy pony nodded, snug against her lover. “I can almost hear the wilds calling out to me. Almost like it’s telling m-me to turn back. And… I don’t like it.”

Celestia stretched out her long legs, breathing in a sigh of relief. Finally, an end to their gallop. Here, the vegetation had grown much more dense and unkempt, bugs aplenty finding snug homes in cracks and crannies. Bioluminescent mushrooms shone in the dark of the distant sun, lighting up the deep world. Supplies were starting to run a bit short in the fresh department; packed cheese and bread being the simpler things to snack on, but did little to ease their worries.

“You know, we haven’t been really conserving our supplies - but maybe foraging could come in useful. Pumpkin, do you know of any fauna to aid our rations?” Celestia asked, after checking her bag for more food. Indeed, things would start looking grim soon.

“I-I did spot a few sulphur shelf mushrooms here and there. Or, chicken of the woods - as they’re called. They taste and look just like yellow chicken once you cook them! Or… i-it could be poisonous jack-o-lantern. I’d have to check for pores underneath to be sure it’s safe.”

“If you have a bad case of constipation, try snacking on Jack-o-lantern shrooms. Great for starting the runs, d’ohoho~” Vee chirped, tending to her wing happily. Coffee in hoof, mane free of webs, surrounded by delightfully spooky things to stare through - she was in her zone.

A firefly buzzed, and landed on Arin’s nose - making him twitch. It was huge, just like the trees of the forest. Out of instinct, he slapped the critter off - and it buzzed away unphased.

“Maybe we should post a second pony to nightwatch, just to be safe. Well… forest watch.” He attempted to rub off the feelings of little legs on his nose, Celestia’s wing scooping him up close.

“Wonderful! I take it you’re volunteering to go first?” She smiled innocently, pinning a soft kiss where the big bug had just been. That did the trick of getting rid of the itch, at least.

“Hey now, I said another pony, not a Seraph. Do you know how hard it is to keep up with all of you? Very! If I didn’t have wings, I’d have to ride on your back, Celestia.”

“Tia.”

“Right, Tia. Sorry.” He rolled his eyes at that; when would he ever learn?

“No. I trust Vee. As hard as it is to believe, I know little slips by her watchful eye. Even if she’s a bit… different.” Their leader gave a soft yawn, running her wine-colored hoof along Pumpkin’s cheek. “We traveled far today, with little in the way of slowdowns. You’re all doing well. I’d say we cleared well over a third of the distance, meaning we’ll be able to rest near enough to plan our assault.”

“I could fly up and check to be sure, if you’d like?” the Princess offered, leaning her head against Arin’s. But the offer was quickly rejected by Tempest.

“We’re not taking risks here, nor are we wasting any more precious resources. I know little of Seraphs, but from what I gather - they’d burn the forest down if they learned of our presence here. On top of this, we’re in foreign territory. Megafauna and wildlife are already a concern, and I don’t want to risk any of your lives to gauge our distance. We head west, until we break the brush line. From there, we’ll use the trees as cover to scout our next move.”

All of them could agree on this; while slightly less accurate, they didn’t need to crash into the hull of the Seraph’s ship with their expedition. They simply needed to clear the far side of the forest.

“W-What if they move, and we have to run after them?” Pumpkin asked,

“Unlikely. They’d have to charge the magic engines, which is a tedious and fuel inefficient process - or resort to wind currents. They’re anchored to something, and from there, we’ll determine our next action.” Tempest had really blossomed into a spectacular, and well educated leader. Not that she wasn’t before, but now - she actually cared about her allies beyond petty indifference. They were a real team, and hopefully, Umbra would fit right in. After all, she already knew every pony gathered here. Especially Arin.

“Well, I don’t have any more questions. How about you, Tia?” The Seraph took his time using her as a pillow - which she gladly obliged, tucking him under her wing. You can’t fight off sleep forever, and they’d have to eventually hop up from the comfy fire to cuddle in the warmth of their tent.

“Hmm… it sounds fair. But I’m still worried about boarding the ship. I’ll try to come up with some suggestions of my own, if you can’t think of a plan, Tempest.”