Chapter Twenty One - Running the Reef

"I'm going to put you in command of Nebula," I said.

Applejack just stared at me.

"I have to sneak into Klugetown, and Nebula's just too noticeable, and a bigger ship will be harder to get through the reef."

"You're kiddin', right? Me? In charge? What about Ao? She's First Mate. She oughtta—"

I vigorously shook my head. "If Nebula was going into battle, Ao might be the better choice, but once Rarity and Pinkie wrap up the treaty stuff with the High Song, I need the ship to get to the Crystal Empire as quickly and safely as possible. That third Stormguard fleet is headed north, and we need every resource up there to be ready to counter it. I may be delayed several days, I just don't know for sure. Nebula needs a steady and sensible captain, and you're the right pony for the job. Plus, you're probably the only one that Dash would take orders from."

"I dunno…"

"Look, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Darn it, Twi! Don't you go puttin' a hex on us!"

"No AJ, I'm really asking! What is the worst thing you can imagine happening? Getting attacked by a fully grown dragon, maybe?"

"Uh… Yeah, outside o' some awful black magic, that'd be pretty much the worst."

"So, if that happened, what would you do? Seriously, I want to know!"

AJ thought about it for a second. "Well, I'd probably send Spike out to talk with the critter. Try to figure out what got it riled up and maybe calm it down."

"And if that didn't work? If the dragon was determined to attack the ship?"

AJ actually laughed. "I'd point Rainbow Dash at it, and let her go to town! A couple o' rainbooms'd distract the thing and give us time to get up high where dragons can't fly."

"There! That's a great plan." I told her. "You'll do just fine! Besides, Captain Calvados has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it again and sighed, shaking her head. "Okay, Twi, you win. I reckon I've got the best crew flyin' to back me up, don't I?"

I hugged her. "None better! Ket will be coming with me, but Sherbet will fill in for her as officer of the watch."

"So when are ya goin'?"

"Early tomorrow morning if everything goes smoothly. I need to get some things organized first, and Ralf is doing some metalwork for me, so I'll have to wait until that's finished. Oh! That reminds me, I'd better go below for a fitting!"

= = =

The rest of the day went by quickly.

Wepaten returned to the High Song on his beautiful bejeweled ornithopter, and Rarity and Pinkie Pie followed after on a little merchant ship named Dandelion, hauling our trade cargo from Twilight Town. Ket assured me that the Anubian commander's mood, though a welter of various feelings, was predominantly upbeat and hopeful. Quite the turnaround. It's good to have friends with strengths that balance one's weaknesses.

Dandelion's owner hadn't been too happy when her airship had been commandeered for the relief mission, but a promissory note from the Royal Treasury had sweetened her mood. Another note, signed by Princess Luna herself had made her positively eager to fly off to mysterious foreign lands. It's also good to have friends that happen to have a key to the Royal Equestrian Treasury.

Bookmark was taken on deck and readied for my hare-brained scheme. Ket fussed with the supplies, packing, unpacking, and repacking them to make sure everything was perfect. She replaced the sandbag ballast with netted jugs of drinking water, wrapped the fin gimbals in oiled linen to help keep out airborn grit and dust, and fitted lanyards to anything that couldn't be lashed down.

I told her that I would be adding a bag of specialized metal items that Ralf was finishing up, and when I had given her the approximate size and weight, she made a place for it.

"I have a bit of netting here that can be used to lash it down, Captain. We can pour out a bit of ballast or let a little more lift gas into the gasbag to get our buoyancy right."

"Great, Ket! He might not finish them until late. There's some tricky fitting to be done."

"I should be able to stow them properly and adjust Bookmark's buoyancy very quickly. I will want to check that just before we depart to adjust for the air temperature, in any case."

"Then you might want to get some sleep now. I'll have Ensign Shrrbrgrth take your watch."

She thanked me and went below.

Next, I took Tempest down to the guest cabin to explain my plan to her. When I'd finished she stared at me like I was crazy. "Do you have any idea how many deadly magical weapons the King has stolen? He will have most of them on his flagship and at least a dozen right where he can grab them!"

"I know."

"So, maybe we can get to him, but there's no way we're going to get out alive! You can't teleport us out; he's got these weird metal cones that—"

"Probably vortex disruptors," I said. "There are ways to disable them, but hopefully we won't need to."

She glared at me. "Look, you have no idea how murderous and capricious he is! He might kill us outright as soon as—"

"I'm betting his greed will outweigh his brutality for just long enough. After all, I've got something he wants very badly." I reached up and tapped my horn.

"Can't you just drop another—"

"No!" I shouldn't have shouted. I was trying to be calm, confident, and reassuring, but I had some new and very raw feelings about overwhelming and indiscriminate force as a solution to anything.

Tempest jerked back and gave me a doubtful look.

I frowned in annoyance at myself. "Sorry, but no. That option is off the table, even if the fleet isn't moored at Klugetown."

Tempest gave a little snort of a laugh. "You haven't seen the place. It really wouldn't be much of a loss." She studied my face for a second and then said, "Just joking."

"Sure."

She thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Well, it's not the worst plan I've ever heard. I'm in."

"Good! There's one more thing." I lit my horn and engaged the complex lock that sealed the hidden compartment below the deck. There were several sharp metallic clicks and three planks swiveled upward. I lifted the iron bound chest out and set it on the bunk.

Tempest watched me closely. "Got some weapons of your own, then?"

"Yes," I said as I opened the chest. "But Ms. Khaatarrekket has already stowed those aboard Bookmark. This is just—information, I guess."

She frowned in puzzlement and stepped closer.

I levitated the crystal out of its little sandalwood box and floated it over to Tempest. "Hold still," I told her, and lined up the gem with the stub of her horn. "Yes, it's the perfect size and shape for a core."

I put it back in its box and then stepped aside to let Tempest look into the chest. Her mouth fell open when she saw the rows of neatly stacked little ingots of pure orichalcum.

"You were right about the hidey-hole in the stern hold of the frigate. I'm beginning to think that every ship must have one in about the same place," I said, waving a hoof at Nebula's version. "I didn't expect this, but it makes things a lot easier for the both of us."

Tempest's rump hit the deck with a solid thump. "It… You mean…?"

"I keep my promises, Tempest. You will get your new horn." I paused and added (perhaps unwisely), "Provided we survive the next couple of days."

= = =

That evening Luna and I dined aboard Javelin[1] with Captain Quicksilver and his officers. I was honestly relieved that the food was plain and hearty, and the meal was served on ordinary silver and porcelain. The claret was very good, and we toasted the health of Equestria, Celestia, Cadance,—and ourselves, of course.

[1] To be technically correct, I ought to refer to her as THAS Javelin, meaning "Their Highness's Air Ship Javelin," But that's only really used in official documents. I use those sorts of prefixes in AS Nebula's logbook, such as when I noted the arrival of HDH Luna of Equestria, but this is a narrative, so I feel justified in leaving them out of the text.

The relief supplies had been completely offloaded, and the merchant airships (except for Dandelion) would be heading back north in the morning. Javelin would remain at Seaward Shoals as a reassuring presence for the ponies of the town . The revenue cutter wouldn't be much use if the Storm King's warships returned, but that wasn't likely. Not if I had anything to say about it.

We returned to Nebula and we went down to the guest cabin to turn in for the night. It was just big enough for both of us.

Luna tried once again to convince me to take her with me to Klugetown. "Thou knowest well that I am an accomplished shapeshifter, and any mote of shadow can conceal me completely."

"I can't risk it. The King may have magical ways of detecting shadow-walking or shapeshifting. I know how powerful you are, but a hit from one of those dark alchemical spheres and I could lose you!"

"And yet thou wilt expose thyself to the same danger!"

I sighed. "It's the best chance I can see to stop him."

Luna shook her head angrily. "The risk is too great. I cannot lose thee, Twilight! I would die—or go mad. I... No, I will strike him down myself! I will call upon the stars to smite that vile—"

I shoved her up against the bulkhead and made sure she was looking directly into my face. "No! You can't make the same mistake I did! Are you a warrior or a butcher? As a proud, powerful warrior, I love you with all my heart. If you were a butcher…" I let her go and looked away from her.

She remained absolutely still and silent for a long while.

When I looked back, her mane was a pool of absolute blackness and the pupils of her eyes were slitted like a dragon's. "I would slaughter the world to save thee."

I froze, horrified.

Luna blinked and her eyes returned to normal as the stars reappeared in her mane. "But I would not knowingly tread upon an ant if it would rob thee of the least joy."

I threw my forelegs around her neck and held her tightly. "I will be back soon."

"Swear it," she whispered in my ear.

I couldn't lie to her, so I didn't.

= = =

We were up and on deck before dawn. Ralf checked the fit and action of his work one more time and then carefully wrapped it all in burlap and gave it over to Ket to stow aboard.

Everyone but the Morning Watch should have been asleep, but it seemed like most of the crew were on deck to wish us well and see us off.

Ket and Tempest got aboard and tied on their safety lines. I stood at Bookmark's gunnel and faced Applejack. "Captain Calvados, you have command of Nebula. Take good care of her."

"You know I will, Captain Blackmane. Go lightly."

I got aboard and tied myself in.

The Nebulas formed two lines and saluted as Ao, Halter Hitch, and Zephirine gave us a good telekinetic shove out over the leeward rail. Luna watched silently from the quarterdeck.

Ket switched on the power and the little fins buzzed, pushing us toward the Conundrum badlands.

We entered the big canyon near the High Song about an hour later as the sky was turning a pale gray in the east. The air between the canyon walls was still and cool, making our flight smooth and easy.

After a half hour, when it was light enough to clearly see the bottom of the canyon, I felt a swirl of air against my left cheek. I looked over the gunnel and saw a few little dust devils[2] dancing along the dry sandy watercourse below. We were nearing the entrance to the reef.

[2] Dust devils are very small vortices of air like tiny tornadoes. Pegasus foals who have a talent for wind work will often create them for fun. In Cloudsdale, they're known as "swirlies," and the difference in names is understandable as there's a distinct lack of dust in cloud cities.

I looked down at the woven wind chart, which I had tied to the thwart with some strong waxed sail thread. "We should see three irregular spires of rock around this next bend. Come left into the side canyon and leave the spires well to starboard. Keep a good grip on the tiller; there will be a vicious cross wind from our larboard side."

Ket repeated all that back to me, and five minutes later we were running the Katabatic Reef and hanging on for our lives.

It might have been easier on us if I had been born a pegasus, with a natural feel for air pressure, flow, and currents. As it was, with my wings outspread and straining to discern slight differences in the chaotic winds, I only just barely managed to feel out the changes marked on the chart that enabled us to dodge the worst of the violent downslope winds.

We still had a couple of uncomfortably close calls, dropping several hundred feet in an instant toward the rocks below us on one occasion, and actually scraping Bookmark's envelope against an overhanging cliff on another. If the wind-worn sandstone had been jagged granite, she would have been "gutted," as the old sky-hooves say, and that would have been the end of our journey.

It took us nearly half the day to work our way through that nightmarish labyrinth of twisting canyons and brutal winds, and by the time we had gotten through, we were all exhausted. Poor Tempest had the worst of it, I'm afraid. Not having wing magic, she was violently airsick for most of the journey. She had fortunately taken my advice to avoid eating anything before we set out, but she was badly dehydrated by the time we staked Bookmark down in a narrow little side channel of the main canyon where the wind was minimal.

After I had stretched a sand-colored tarp over Bookmark to make her difficult to see from the air, I passed Tempest a ballast jug and uncorked it for her. "I know you're terribly thirsty, but just take a few little sips and then wait for a minute or two before you take more, or you may bring it all back up."

She took the jug from me. "Right." She didn't nod, which was smart of her.

By the chart, we were just a league or so short of where the delta-like channels of the canyon's end spread out and dropped beneath the sand near Klugetown. The sun was getting low.

"Ket, will you feel up to a scouting trip after sunset? If you can sus out the Stormguard's position, Tempest will be able to advise us on the best way to approach them."

"Will do, Captain," she replied. "Are you planning on going in tonight?"

"That will depend entirely on how they're set up and what Tempest recommends."

I checked over Bookmark while there was still good light to do so. She had enchanted patches of cloth inside her gasbag that would automatically seal little tears and holes up to about a hoofspan across. They were brightly colored to make damage assessment easier, and I spotted three red spots on scraped areas of the fabric. I stuck patches of silk over on top to reinforce them until we could get proper repairs done.

To my surprise, I found several dings and scrapes on her hull as well. "I don't remember hitting anything but that cliff," I remarked to Ket.

"You were concentrating pretty hard there, Captain," she replied. "Couple little bumps weren't much to remark on."

I smiled. "You're a damned fine pilot, Ket. Feel like some food?"

Ket smiled at me. "That was a tasty morsel, right there, Captain, but I could do with a bit to chew on as well."

I looked over at Tempest, who grimaced and waved me away.

We had a quick meal of brick-hard ship's biscuits washed down with some ballast, then Ket prepared to go scouting. She spun her changeling magic around herself in a pulse of green light and emerged as a tiny desert fox, perfectly suited to the desert environment. I grinned at the novelty of a cute little fennec giving me a sharp and proper salute before she scampered away into the night.

I watched the stars move through the sky for an hour or so before nudging Tempest. "How are you feeling? Do you think you'll be able to stand watch for an hour or so? I need to talk with Luna."

"Yes, I'm feeling better. In fact, let me have one of those biscuits."

I floated one over to her. "I should be out for an hour or so. Give me a shake after two, or if anything else happens."

She nodded. "Got it."

I lay down on the sand and did a calming breathing exercise for a few minutes and then cast a soporific spell on myself, pushing my mind down through light sleep into dreamspace.

= = =

I woke up with Tempest nudging my shoulder. "Ms. Ket's back."

I sat up, a silly grin on my face, and stretched. "What did you find out, Ket?"

"Let me have your notebook and a pencil, and I will draw you a map, Captain."

I passed the items over and Ket turned to the first blank page and began to scribble. "This is the town. Looks like jetsam washed up on a stony shore. Big rock spires like we saw in the Reef, but all covered with pilings and shacks with slag heaps underneath. Lotta mining going on. The King's fleet is moored here on the northwest edge of the town, in this formation." She drew out the ships and their mooring lines, as well as an irregular dotted line around the whole thing.

Tempest pointed a hoof at the line. "Sentries. A picket line, right?"

Ket nodded. "In groups of three, with bright oil lanterns on poles, pointed outward. They really don't want anyone sneaking up on them. Topside watches on all the ships, too. And out here—" She drew a number of little circles in a rough fan shape to the northwest of the fleet. "—catapult emplacements. Damned big ones, too. They've tried to hide them by putting them near old airship wrecks, so they're not part of any regular defenses. "

Tempest chuckled. "Well Captain, congratulations on spooking the roadapples out of the Stormguard. This formation is purely defensive. Those catapults are to ambush anyone chasing them here from the High Song. The ships… That'll be the flagship in the middle, with the other three surrounding it. I'm betting they will be moving on just as soon as they can get refueled."

"That checks out, Captain," Ket said. "They've got a couple of big transfer lines rigged to the nearest spire. Looked like pumps up there, but I didn't get that close."

I nodded and ran through several scenarios in my head. "Okay, we wait until after sunrise. I have a feeling that if we go in tonight, the yeti guards may blast away before they get a good look at us." I reached out with my magesight and touched the Wheel of the Moon. "We've got five hours until moonset. You two get some sleep and I'll keep watch."

Tempest stretched out on the sand and put her head down on her forelegs. "Can you hit me with some of that sleep magic? There's no way I'll drop off otherwise."

I gave her a bit of my Mom's special night-before-finals recipe, and she sighed and closed her eyes.

Ket didn't need any help. She resumed her fennec disguise and curled up nose-to-tail in a little wind-eroded hollow above Bookmark. They say a good aeronaut can sleep anywhere and anytime. Accounting for my Third's special ability, I would add anyhow to that.

I had the utmost confidence in my plan, so I paced and fretted until the sky began to lighten in the east.

= = =

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Author's Note