The Free Skies

Chapters

Landing
Lore and Info
First Dawn
Stories in a Tavern
Chase
Reports
Planning
Preparations
Starting Line
Race
Jail Break
Changing Course
Sound the Bugle

Landing

Twilight was on the bridge when they came within sight of the Everfree Agri-flotilla, having been kicked out of the hold after re-sorting the ship’s supplies for the fourth time. The fireworks on the horizon caused confusion to go through all three mares before the radio crackled and a female voice said, “WTC Cloud Surfer, please dock at Bay 01.”

“Welp, I’ll make sure the ship doesn’t get stolen until you get back,” Tempest said, looking at Rainbow.

Rainbow leaned her head back and groaned. “Nooooooo.... Another race?”

Looking confused, Twilight asked, “What’s so bad about the Death races?”

Rainbow sighed as she guided her ship above the flotilla, fireworks going off around them as spotlights turned to follow them. “It’s not the race itself, it’s who I gotta work with. I mean, he’s kinda cute, but definitely not my type and he keeps hitting on me.”

Tempest smirked at the comment and gave Rainbow a teasing look. “Yeah, everyone knows your type is the awkward, bookish kind that likes pranks.”

At that Rainbow would splutter some and give Tempest a blushing glare. “No, it isn’t!”

“Tell that to your red face~”

Unable to help it, Twilight let out a small giggle at the rainbow-maned mare’s expense, causing said mare to groan in embarrassment as she lowered the ship into its spot. “To be honest, you do have a sort of roguish beauty about you that I kinda like,” Twilight teased, yelping in surprise as the ship jerked to the side and scraped the low retaining wall around the landing platform as Rainbow turned to give her a red but surprised look.

Quickly turning back to the controls, Rainbow corrected her mistake and set the ship down fully before running out of the bridge.

“.... Wow, didn’t think someone like you would have that in them,” Tempest said, staring at Twilight with an unreadable expression.

A red tint came to Twilight’s cheeks as she said, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Tempest chuckled and shook her head. “Nevermind. We’re here so you can go and do what you want.” With that Tempest followed after Rainbow, heading out of the ship.

Taking a few seconds to calm herself, Twilight followed after Tempest, coming out just in time to put up a barrier to stop a stun spell thrown by a unicorn guard aimed at Rainbow. “Stand down now,” Twilight demanded, glaring at the guards who were in a half circle around the end of the gangplank.

The guard who threw the spell quickly removed his helmet, revealing him to be Shining Armor. Spotting Twilight just through her shield he called out, “Twilight! Thank goodness you’re okay!” His relief turned to confusion as Twilight didn’t lower her shield. He was about to ask a question before Twilight interrupted him.

“The victim doesn’t want to press charges.” She inclined her head, “And to be honest, this has brought to light some problems; we don’t have time to waste here.”

Shining frowned, “They still-”

A male voice interrupted him, a turquoise-blue, slender stallion pushing through as he said, “Whatever it is can wait until after the race. You all know that Racers are exempt from most laws when it’s this close to a race.”

Pausing for a moment Twilight gave this new pony a once over; noting how his mane and tail looked messy and like they were nothing more than a bunch of hay he had glued to himself. His cutie mark, a blue breeze under a feather, his chin and jawline a darker color than the rest of his coat.

“Zephyr, keep your mouth shut,” Rainbow said with a growl.

Shining’s expression turned dark at that. “I don’t care that there’s a race starting. She could be Spitfire for all I care and I’d still insist on her facing her punishment.”

Twilight takes a step forward and interjects, “Then it’s a good thing the only punishment they’ll face is a fine.” She continues as Shining turns to her, “You know as well as I do that the first time someone is caught stealing that they only pay for what they stole and a fine. Seeing as I went through all of their supplies several times and saw nothing stolen, they only need to pay the fine,” She finished matter-of-factly.

“.... There’s still the fact that they have a count of breaking and entering.”

“That’s still only a week in jail and a fine.”

At this Rainbow spoke up, “And hey, didn’t us getting away alert you to those others? I’m pretty sure I heard weapons firing as we left Canterlot.”

Twilight glanced at Rainbow for a moment before turning back to her brother. “You know that will sway any jury to give them the lightest of sentencing, if any.”

Shining growled and pawed at the metal floor, muttering to himself just loud enough they could hear, “Yeah, they would get away with it....”

“Then why is there a problem with letting them in the race for a few hours?”

Shining huffed and paced some, staying silent for a long while before sighing. “Fine.” He turns to the greenish stallion and points to him. “But you will be detained in their place.”

Rainbow stepped forward and put a hoof on Shining’s shoulder. “Hey, he’s my mechanic for this race! You can’t take him without the race being considered void!”

Giving Rainbow a dark look, Shining pushed her hoof from his shoulder. “Then there will be six guards watching him until the race is over. Once it is, he’ll be arrested and charged for the same crimes.”

Twilight frowned and spoke up, “You know that isn’t fair, Shining.”

“I’m not going to let them have a chance to escape, Twilight.”

“Then keep her ship swarming with guards, not taking an innocent pony captive!”

Shining stopped at that and his face seemed to clear some. “You’re right.... That isn’t the way of the Guards.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Alright. Then the unicorn will be taken into custody and the ship will be impounded until this has been resolved.”

Twilight sighed but nodded. “I’ll need you to come with me, though.”

“Why is that?”

“I need to talk with the head bosun here and investigate why this happened.” At that she turned and started towards one of the local guards.

“You mean their claims that things aren’t fully making it here?”

“I don’t think they’re just claims.” Stopping in front of the guard she said, “please take me to the head bosun’s office.”

The guard saluted and in a mare’s voice said, “Yes, ma’am.”

The three of them left, leaving Rainbow and Tempest with the guards. “Well, that seems to be settled. Let’s go join the partying,” Zephyr said, putting a hoof around each Rainbow and Tempest.

Rainbow pushed Zephyr off and gave him a glare. “You don’t even care that you almost got dragged into this!”

“Aw ‘cmon, rainbows, I know you’d have my back if I did.” Zephyr took a step away from Tempest as the guards moved to restrain her. “Just like I know how you won’t just leave her to face everything.”

Rainbow would punch Zephyr’s shoulder at that. “You of all ponies know I’m not that reliable!”

Zephyr turned to Rainbow, a frown on his face. “You know that was my fault. I was the one at the controls. I was the one that opened that door. I am the one responsible for her-” He stops to take a breath, tears in his eyes as he looks away. “I was the only one at fault there, you did what you could to save her but...it was my carelessness that killed her.”

Rainbow’s expression softened and she put a hoof on his shoulder. “You’ve kept that all this time...?”

Zephyr stayed silent, walking away.

Lore and Info

This chapter will update as the story unfolds, so please check back whenever you find something you don't understand, or if you want to learn more about the world!

Agri-flotilla: A fleet of interconnected ships, usually anchored to a mountain to use the land for extra farming space. Mostly made up of Agri-helicarriers, but there are ships of smaller classes that protect the flotilla and its interests.

Scout: 10-40 feet long. A ship about the size of a shuttle, but built to be much sturdier and far faster. Used primarily as patrol craft by agri-flotillas and as scouts by smaller fleets to ensure there’s nothing dangerous in the fleet’s path.

Shuttle: 15-20 feet long. Think like a golf cart/taxi meant for only getting around inside of a city. Definitely not made to be used in anything above category 4 weather.

Racer: 20-25 feet long. A ship that’s about as big as a scout or shuttle, but made completely for speed and is almost defenseless. Used for emergency transport of a single person, mail, and in death races.

Fighter: 40-70 feet long. Larger than a Scout ship and more heavily armed and armored. Used as fast-response units by fleets and usually used by lone pirates.

Frigate: 70-100 feet long. Larger than Fighters and usually backup if an enemy isn’t deterred by fighters. Usually a flagship of small pirate fleets.

Bomber: 80-120 feet long. Rare ship type that is used only for large-scale assaults when negotiations have broken down completely. If a fleet has one of these anywhere, you can bet they have the means to produce old munitions from the Apocalypse War. Sometimes mistaken for frigates or cruisers.

Cruiser: 100-150 feet long. Larger than frigates, but used in the same capacity.

Cargo Freighter: 200-600 feet long. Used mostly by traders or converted into pleasure yachts by those wealthy enough. Very modular and big enough to carry other ships inside of it if you want to sacrifice cargo space.

Helicarrier: Think like the one from The Avengers only made from mis-matched or welded together pieces. Size is usually between 1,000 and 2,000 feet long.

Diver: 4,000-6,000 feet long. Huge ship at least four times as big as a heli-carrier that is sturdy enough to weather the currents and lightning inside of the Surface Storm. Used to decontaminate and bring up soil, airship parts, and anything valuable. Never attacked due to their position and as they have a hull thick enough that not even a fully grown dragon can pierce through it.

Dreadnought: 7,000-8,000 feet long. Bigger than a Diver but smaller than an agri-helicarrier. Used as flagships in large to huge fleets and as the lynchpin in the defenses of agri-flotillas. If you draw the attention of a dreadnought, you better say your prayers unless you have one yourself.

Agri-helicarrier: A helicarrier that has been converted to mostly fields for farming. Usually made from ten to twenty helicarriers welded together. Size is usually between 10,000 and 20,000 feet long and at least 4,000 feet wide.

Destroyer: 50,000 feet long relic of the Apocalypse War. Even a heavily damaged and sunken destroyer can still decimate any size of fleet. Only one has been recorded to survive the war and thousand years following it.

Canterlot Agri-flotilla: A collection of 568 interconnected ships, helicarriers, and agri-helicarriers anchored around Canterlot Mountain. Seen as the capital of the Equestrian territory.

Griffonstone Agri-flotilla: A collection of 893 ships anchored around the ancient buildings of Griffonstone. Home to most griffons.

Kludgetown Agri-flotilla: 314 ships anchored to the artificial mountain that is the ruins of the original Kludgetown.

Everfree Agri-flotilla: A collection of 205 ships dedicated to the preservation of what species there are left in the world.

Mt. Aris Agri-flotilla: Home of the Hippogriffs, a collection of 563 ships surrounding the ancient buildings in the interior of the mountain.

Grand Admiral Celestia: Celestia's title as she's the leader of all of Equestria's agri-flotillas.

The Moon’s Shadow: Sister ship to The Solar Wind. Flagship of Equestria’s second fleet. Decided lost in the Apocalypse War along with the entirety of the second fleet.

The Solar Wind: Flagship of the Canterlot agri-flotilla. Only known Destroyer to still be functional and Celestia’s personal ship.

Providence: Destroyed flagship of Griffonstone.

Apocalypse War: The conflict that mutated the world into what it is today, a thousand years later.

Death Race: An extremely dangerous race through hazardous areas or even parts of the Surface Storm. Preferred over large scale battles to resolve disputes between fleets. Those participating in the race are outfitted with transponders that give much more detailed information about the ships such as when the ship gets hit and when it is destroyed.

Skyways: What the various slipstreams and airways above the Surface Storm are called.

Surface Storm: What passes as a surface in the Skyways is known as the Surface Storm. It is a 2 mile thick band of radioactive storm clouds. Interestingly enough, its top 300 feet is the calmest portion of it, with most of the destructive power transferred into a constant powerful updraft, allowing smaller airships and large surface area ships to stay afloat without any power whatsoever. The top 300 feet of the Surface Storm also creates free water and energy. However, beyond the 300 foot mark, the winds return to shredding apart anything unfortunate enough to go down there, and the radiation and lightning incinerate whatever is left.

Storm Creatures: Within the 300 foot safety layer lies a bevy of strange creatures, each one built to survive on mostly sunlight and water (and occasionally, each other) despite their animalistic features. Many of these are heavily mutated, but recognizable versions of land creatures, as well as birds and, strangely enough, quite a lot of sea creatures.

Foals working: As long as a child has their Cutie Mark, foals aren’t questioned while they work and it’s up to their parents to keep them going to school. Most of the time those under age are forbidden from taking jobs or requests that take them away from their home, though there are exceptions such as if the foal in question is known to not have guardians anymore. This way of thinking does unfortunately result in orphans leaving orphanages to join up with a traveling ship’s crew or just saving up to get their own ship.

Weather Categories: Storms in Skyfree are categorized into ten individual classes.

Category 1: Light showers, thin breeze.
Category 2: Heavier showers, strong breeze.
Category 3: 30 mph winds, light hail, some lightning.
Category 4: 40 mph winds, strong hail, lightning.
Category 5: F-1 tornado. Extreme amounts of hail and lightning.
Category 6: F-2 tornado. Flying metal debris and hail.
Category 7: F-3 tornado. Lightning arcing between metal debris.
Category 8: F-4 tornado. Lightning charged hail storms.
Category 9: F-5 tornado. Clouds of plasma and fire.
Category 10: The Surface storm.

Magicite: Comes in several forms with varying prices and volatility, though no one knows if there are more kinds or not. Magicite is magic solidified into a rock form, somewhat like a gem.

Green Magicite:
Most common, but also the most volatile form. Used in magical weapons.
About 5,000 creds per pound when cut properly.
Clear Magicite:
Second most common and second least volatile form. Used in magical engines because of how well it burns and how long-lasting they are.
About 5,750 creds per pound.
Gold Magicite:
Third most common and second most volatile. Used in wizard staffs mostly, though other kinds can be used.
About 6,250 creds per pound.
Purple Magicite:
Second rarest kind and third most volatile. No known uses as of this moment.
About 9,500 creds per pound.
Pink Magicite:
Third rarest kind and the middle man of volatility. Used in magic generators.
About 9,000 creds per pound.
Red Magicite:
Rarest form and least volatile, also known as The Philosopher’s Stone. Used in high-powered staffs.
About 10,000 creds per pound.
Blue Magicite:
The middle man of rarity and third most volatile. No known uses as of now.
About 7,000 creds per pound.
Cyan Magicite:
About the same as Blue in rarity and of the volatility of Pink. No known uses as of now.
About 7,500 creds per pound.
Gold:
Rarest and most expensive metal.
500,000 creds per pound.

Weapons

Arcano Cannon: A ship-mounted, turreted shotgun. Needs a magical power source to work.

Power Generators

Most ships usually have multiple power cores for both redundancy and to power more things than just one core could.

Particle Annihilator Core: Produces the most power out of all the different generators, but it is the least stable and actually takes away from a ship's structural integrity. As such it is not recommended to put one on anything smaller than a large cargo ship.

Arcano Power Core: Cannot power anything but magical weapons. Must be recharged by a unicorn, but can go for months between charges. Not as stable as a combustion engine, but definitely more durable.

Solar Power Core: Basically just solar panels bolted to the top of a ship. The most stable power core a ship can have outside of either Wind or Lightning. Produces the least amount of power.

Wind Power Core: The best way to let others know you're old and want sails instead of propellers. Just as stable as Solar Power, but the energy produced varies with wind speed.

Lightning Power Core: Mostly used by those who follow storms, or who dive down into The Storm. It's a good idea to have at least one as you can't go a full day in the Skyways without seeing lightning at least once.

Hydrogen Power Core: The most widely used power core there is, as water is the most plentiful resource there is. Not as stable as a combustion power core, but much more stable than an Arcano Power Core.

Combustion Power Core: Old as the Storm, but still usable. Considered a cheap and replaceable part that should really be outdated.

Fission Power Core: A dirty and dangerous way to make power. More stable than a Particle Annihilator Core, but considered to be something only pirates would use.

Fusion Power Core: Literally a slowly exploding nuke. More stable than a Fission Power Core and more clean, but still considered something no respectable pilot would consider.

First Dawn

Twilight blinked as she noticed the light around her had dimmed, glancing to the lantern she had brought out with her only to see that it had run out. Stretching a little, she let the blanket she had draped over her fall off; closing the worn tome she had been reading and moving over to lean against the railing of her balcony. Twilight Sparkle rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes as she leaned against the railing of her balcony, gazing out across all of the ships and fields she could see as the sky slowly lightened and dawn’s hues of orange and pink covered the world.

“The Canterlot Agri-flotilla, my home and responsibility,” she muttered to herself, sighing as she looked down at the book she had been reading. She couldn't help but feel a pang of longing as she glanced at the old book, its pages worn with age and filled with stories of a world long gone. The urge to embark on her own journey, to explore the secrets hidden within the storm-shrouded world below, tugged at her.

“No”, she said, lightly smacking her cheek. “I have too much to do, and too many ponies depending on me. I mean, not just anyone can handle the pressure of being the fourth in the chain of command as well as making sure crops are all accounted for, repairs are given the proper urgency, supplies are all accounted for and properly distributed-”

Twilight brought a hoof to her chest as she took in a deep, calming breath and after a second let it back out as she moved her hoof away from her. “Keep in control, don’t let him be right.... You were appointed Head Bosun for a reason, you know you can do the job.”

Twilight's moment of contemplation was abruptly broken by the sight of a creature from the Storm, its form distorted and mutated by the harsh environment below though it was still recognizable as some sort of rabbit, as it began to ravage a field of cabbages. “Dammit, why did it have to be that one? Now I’ll have to listen to Cabbage Patch whine and rant about his cabbages being ruined all day.”

Turning, she headed for her cabin, pausing for a moment. To her left, her desk was pressed against the wall next to a full wall window, though there was enough room between the window and desk to fit a light blue curtain she could pull out to cover both the window and the door to the balcony. On the wall in front of her desk was a meticulously detailed calendar, showing what each day had in store for her. Next to it was a small cubby she used to hold the next day’s full list of activities.

Twilight’s eye twitched as she glanced next to her desk at the broken hinge of her open closet door, which she still hadn’t fixed. On the other side of the closet was a double chalkboard that she could pull out and flip when she wanted to, the current side showing sketches of a ship that had many marks all over it as if it had been erased and redrawn many times. In the middle of the room was a table with a few chairs, and on the table was the leftover bits of a sandwich from her dinner last night and her radio.

Lighting her horn she pulled her radio over to her and turned it on, quickly turning to the right channel and pressing the button to say, “We have another breach. This time on the Leaf’s Cabbage.”

A male voice responded, “Ugh, I can tell you won’t have a good day, Twily. We got the alarm as soon as it got within the perimeter. The guards I sent should be there by now.”

Twilight turned back and went out onto her balcony, looking down at where the creature was and seeing several pegasi poking at it with their spears, slowly getting it to move towards the edge of the field. “Yeah, they’re trying to get it to move no- ouch... he’s gonna feel that tomorrow.” She watched as the creature kicked out at a guard suddenly, sending him tumbling across the field and a gap to smash through a window into someone’s apartment.

The male voice sighed, “Great, now I’m going to have a bad day.”

“Just a few repairs, broken glass, broken bones, and maybe some retraining. Anyways, just letting you know about what was happening. See you later, Shining.” At that she would head into her apartment again.

“See you later, Twily. Might want to plan a nap or two into your schedule. I’m sure Grand Admiral Celestia will forgive you for missing a single day’s update,” Shining said, chuckling a little.

Twilight pouted a bit, moving past the table and towards a short hallway that led to her front door. On the right wall of the hallway was the door to her bathroom. “I can go a day without sleep.”

“Tell that to the Smarty-Pants incident.”

She stopped at the door to her bathroom and spluttered a little in embarrassment before turning her radio off, grumbling to herself. “That was years ago....” She sighed and looked to her balcony again, watching the last colors of sunrise fade as her thoughts turned briefly back to the book. "I may not be able to chase after legends," she murmured to herself, "but I can help ensure that our own story continues to unfold, one day at a time."

After going through her morning routine - and splashing almost-frozen water on her face - Twilight left her cabin with the old book floating along in her magic and a pair of saddlebags on her back, heading down the corridor and out onto a landing platform that had a few shuttles on it. She passed one that looked like it was a Scout ship with a mostly light blue paint job and the elevators painted in a rainbow. Another that looked like it was nothing but rust and tape, and a third that looked like almost a ball of metal welded together. The particular shuttle she approached had a skull and crossbones on the side, when she was close enough she called out, “Hello, Pipsqueak.”

A brown eyed, white colt with light brown splotches all over his coat and a brown mane and tail appeared from under the shuttle. “Heya, Ms. Twilight! Need a ride over to The Solar Wind?”

Twilight smiled and nodded her head. “Yes, though a stop along the way for some breakfast would be nice.”

“Oh... gonna talk with him again, huh?” Pipsqueak spoke as he stepped up into the shuttle, keeping the door open for Twilight

“Just because a couple of friends had a fight, doesn’t mean they aren’t still friends,” said Twilight as she climbed into the shuttle and sat down.

“If you say so.” The little colt turned the shuttle on and lifted off, heading towards the middle of the flotilla and the mountain it was anchored to. Twilight leaned back against the seat, electing to relax over the short flight over to a peculiar ship.

This ship was a cargo freighter on the smaller side with a purple and green paint job, its large side doors open so people could come and go across the short bridge that connected it with the agri-helicarrier holding fields of corn next to it.

Pipsqueak set the shuttle down on a clear metal platform and dutifully went through the process of turning the engine off for now. “Alright, I’ll wait here for you to get back.”

Twilight turned back to Pip as she disembarked, “Why not come in and get some breakfast?”

“Thanks, but no. Even though this is Canterlot, I still gotta keep an eye on things.”

Twilight nodded and then headed towards the bridge, going through the open doors as soon as she reached them.

Stories in a Tavern

Entering the tavern, Twilight is greeted by the cozy warmth of a crackling hearth and the soft murmur of early risers. The interior is a curious blend of rustic charm and mechanical precision, with brass fittings and polished wood accentuating the sturdy construction of the airship. The walls are adorned with nautical maps and exotic artifacts collected from far-flung corners of the world, each telling a story of adventure and discovery.

The central hearth, crafted from rough-hewn stone, crackles merrily with flames that lend a cozy ambiance to the space. Above it, a collection of gleaming brass pipes and valves hint at the intricate workings of the airship's heating system, a marvel of ingenuity and craftsmanship.

The furnishings are a mix of sturdy wooden tables and chairs, their surfaces worn smooth by the touch of countless hands and the passage of time. Plush cushions in rich hues of burgundy and gold provide comfortable seating, inviting patrons to linger and enjoy the camaraderie of their fellow travelers.

At one end of the tavern, a stage awaits performers who entertain with music, storytelling, and feats of skill, their talents adding to the vibrant tapestry of sights and sounds that fill the air. Sitting on the stage was a light blue unicorn with an almost silvery mane and tail, her cutie mark a wand with a shimmery veil seemingly coming from it.

Above, a series of intricately carved wooden beams crisscross the ceiling, their craftsmanship a testament to the skill of the artisans who crafted them. Lanterns hang from their wrought iron fixtures, casting pools of warm light that illuminated the space below and lent a sense of intimacy to the tavern's atmosphere.

Behind the bar along the back wall cleaning part of the bar would be a familiar face. Unlike the last time she saw him, he was no longer a pudgy, short dragon. Instead he was taller than her, thin but with toned muscles under his purple scales. Green spines ran from the top of his head, between a pair of horns and down to the tip of his tail. Hearing someone come in he looks up saying, “Twilight. Nice to see you again.”

Twilight gives him a smile and nods, coming up to the bar and sitting on a stool. “Yeah, nice to see you too, Spike.”

Spike walks over to her, wiping his hands with the towel he was using to clean the bar. “So, what’cha here for?”

Twilight sets the old book down on the counter, causing the dragon to raise an eyebrow. “Well, I was hoping I could get some breakfast and maybe some stories you’ve heard recently?”

Spike chuckles as he turns to put an order on a ticket for Twilight. “Still fascinated, eh?”

“You can’t blame me for that, Mr. ‘I-want-a-story-for-bedtime’.” She leans forward against the bar, giving him a smile. “Had me telling the same one so many times I can still recite the whole thing.”

A cup clatters against the counter before Spike catches it and puts it back in its place. “H-had to bring up that embarrassment, did you?”

Twilight shakes her head saying, “I didn’t mean it in a mean way. Just a bit of teasing.”

Spike stood there for a few moments before sighing and turning to give Twilight a smile. “Still an awkward bookworm. Sure, I can share a few. Though can you stay for that long?”

“Given that I got rid of the lazy ones like Blueblood and Fleur, and have a schedule set up for the next seventy-two hours, I think the others can do without me for a few hours.”

“Yeah, I heard Blueblood complained, but Celestia shut him down with so much evidence of sloppy and lazy work he didn’t have any sort of defense. I assumed you had everything to do with that.” He shakes his head. “Can’t believe you’ve been Head Bosun for the entire flotilla for five years.”

Twilight smiles. “Speaking of which-”

“Yeah, yeah, I haven’t forgotten. I’ll pay you the hundred before the tavern makes its last call tonight.”

“Thank you, Spike. Now, about those stories....”

Spike chuckles and shakes his head. “Well, there’s been word that someone managed to steal a frigate from Griffonstone’s Agri-flotilla.”

“Impressive, but not really worth being a story.”

“Okay....” Spike paused, searching his memory, “A Scout was seen leaving Kludge Town towing a fighter with Storm King insignias on it.”

Twilight frowned. “That’s... more concerning than anything. Heard where the Scout was headed?”

Spike would shrug and continue, “The Everfree Flotilla got a new creature that they traded for from the Mt. Aris Agri-flotilla.”

She shakes her head and says, “That isn’t really a story.”

“I also heard that there was some sort of trouble from the Crystal Empire Agri-flotilla, though there hasn’t been any communications since then.”

Twilight dismissively waved a hoof, “Please, with all the Magicite that’s around there, it could be any number of mundane things.”

“Oh! The Discordian’s Tail Diver Class had some curious goings on during their last dive.”

“Oh? Like what?”

Spike smirked at that and continued, “Like shadows moving when they weren’t supposed to, secondary systems shutting off suddenly, several alarms going off for breached rooms, only they weren’t touched at all. Also, store rooms that had been filled from a certain area were found to be empty once the ship surfaced.”

Twilight, unknowingly, switched into a lecturing tone, “All of that separately doesn’t really mean much, I mean, they dive into the Storm regularly. Things going haywire are expected. Plus we don’t really fully understand the Surface Storm even though there have been people all over the world researching it, so shadows moving isn’t anything outside of what we think is possible while in the Storm.”

Spike waved a claw, “Ah, but there’s one eyewitness that changes the whole story. An Abyssinian by the name of Capper claims he saw a certain shadow through the Storm’s clouds. One that’s been presumed destroyed, yet no trace of it has been found.”

“Order up!” A call came from a window in the back wall, a plate of fried eggs, toast, and hashbrowns resting in the window.

Twilight sat in frustration as Spike went and picked up the plate, getting a glass of orange juice as well before setting the meal in front of her. “Terrible timing for that. What was the ship this Capper saw?”

Spike chuckles and hands over a fork and knife which Twilight takes in her magic. “We see the same shape every day.”

The fork would pause right in front of Twilight’s open mouth as she felt a cold rush go through her. I-It can’t be, she thought as she stared at Spike. After a few moments she shook herself and said, “T-that has to be a lie. I mean, wouldn’t the storm....”

“Hard to believe, but he was adamant about what he saw through the clouds with lightning lighting it up, even said that it came close enough that he could make out words on the side. ‘The Moon’s Shadow’.”

Another cold rush traveled down her back, her eyes moving to stare at the old book she brought with her. Among its pages she remembered reading the story of how Equestria’s second fleet and its flagship had been lost. “This has to mean that She was searching for something. Something from that area. Dammit, what could She be looking for?!”

Spike chuckles and pats Twilight on the shoulder. “Who knows, could just be something of sentimental value. Don’t worry about paying this time, I got it.”

Twilight barely heard and acknowledged what Spike had said, deep in thought as she ate her now cooling breakfast, her thoughts racing with this new information.

Chase

Twilight yawned as she walked down the C-D aisle in the second to last cargo hold for the night. Even with all of her lists and previous planning, she was still just barely going to make quota on her monthly audits thanks to her ravenous questions that morning. Only her brother, Shining Armor, coming to the tavern and chastising her had broken her out of more questions.

It was late enough that everyone else should have been gone, though faint noise from a few aisles over reached Twilight’s ears and the surge of alarm woke her fully. Setting her clipboard into her right bag she pulled out her radio, turning it to the channel her brother kept for her, only to notice the time on the screen on her radio and sigh. It was after the end of his shift. Turning the radio’s frequency to the right channel, she says in a quiet voice, “Centurion, do you have any guards in the forward cargo hold of The Peach’s Pie?”

She waited a minute after letting the button go before trying again. “Centurion, do you read me?”

A shiver ran down her spine as the seconds ticked away without an answer. Was it just that everyone was dealing with something already, or was this a sign that there were Shadow Soldiers aboard? Her mind raced as she stood there, straining her ears and sending out a scanning spell that returned nothing to calm her nerves.

Nothing but silence greeted her for several minutes before she heard another sound just one aisle over, making her jump. Turning her radio off she quietly made her way to the end of the aisle and carefully looked into the one she had heard the noise from.

The lights were dim but she could make out two figures about halfway down messing with what looked and sounded to be bags of flour. She sighed in relief as she came out fully into the middle of the aisle with her horn glowing. She said, “Stand down now and you’ll get a lesser sentence.”

“Crap, run for it!” One of the two figures said as they both dropped the bags they were carrying, the one that stayed quiet disappeared suddenly as the other started to run.

“Wha- hey!” Twilight rushed after the one running away, turning to follow the wall and loosing the spell she had been preparing. She smiled as she heard a yelp of surprise ahead of her and chuckled as the intruder turned into a lit hallway, exposing a singed cloud and multicolored lightning bolt cutie mark on a light blue flank as they ran. Twilight settled into a pace that was just fast enough to keep up, making use of her tracking spell to stay just in sight of the intruder’s rainbow-colored tail as her mind started a second train of thought. The chase now became a game of cat and mouse as Twilight kept track of where they were on the ship and their path through it.

After the first couple of turns it was obvious that the pony was trying to lose Twilight in the maze of passageways, so Twilight stopped and twisted down a corridor to the side. She was going to waste her own time, she wouldn’t be able to backtrack because of the guards likely swarming behind them, which meant there was only one exit the pony would be able to find in time to escape. It’s a good thing the ship didn’t have just one way to its keel.

Keeping track of her spell and the turns the intruder took, Twilight soon came out onto a walkway under the ship. The walkway in question went along most of the length of the ship and right in the middle another walkway met up with it in a T-junction and off to the left of the intersection was a cruiser-sized ship, clamped to the bottom of the agri-helicarrier. At the far end of the walkway she watched as her target came to a stop at the bottom of an identical set of stairs to the one she just came down.

The distance between them was too far for them to hear each other, but Twilight knew the other pony had to be cursing her out as they stared at each other. She took a moment to glance at the cruiser-sized ship clamped to the hull near the intersection, noting the rope that was just falling away from it that was still attached to the railing of the walkway by a grappling hook. “Damn, wasted too much time and that other one’s on the ship,” Twilight said as she panted from the run. Her eyes returned to the pony she had chased, stomping a hoof on the walkway as if in challenge.

At the other end of the walkway, her opponent crouched and spread a pair of wings. The whine of engines starting up made her glance to the cruiser, only to curse herself and immediately start to run towards the intersection, the pegasus having leaped forward in her momentary lapse in attention. A motion in the corner of Twilight’s eye and the sound of an Arcano Cannon charging up were all the notice she needed to hastily throw up a shield at an angle, the dozens of motes arcing across the keel of the ship and shaking the walkway to where Twilight tripped.

In the next second the pegasus reached the intersection and leapt for the cruiser, quickly disappearing inside as Twilight quickly stood back up and raced to the intersection, sliding to a stop as her mind raced to think of a way to stop them. She was torn from her thoughts as in a screech of metal and the cruiser fell under the walkway before its engines caught it and slowly pushed it under the walkway.

Shaking her head she paused for a moment as an insane idea popped into her head. She took the grappling hook in her magic and started running down the middle walkway, spinning the hook as she gathered up the rope. As she reached the end of the walkway a few seconds later she let the hook fly forward, wrapping around a dangling pipe as she heard some sort of cry of alarm behind her. Leaping off she used her momentum to swing her towards the escaping ship, getting closer and closer until she let go of the rope... barely missing the railing on the back of the cruiser.

Reports

Shining Armor stood on the bridge of The Solar Wind, lost in thought as last night’s events played out again and again. He mentally kicked himself with each detail he dismissed, each action he could have done differently. He was exhausted, but knew that he wouldn’t get any rest until that night.

Dozens of pirates and collaborators were captured in the span of a couple hours, ten guards killed, and his own sister missing, having been taken hostage on that single ship that escaped. His ears twitched as he heard the door to the bridge open, hoofsteps that were heavier than a normal pony’s making him straighten a bit more. He heard a sigh before a familiar, motherly voice said, “Full report.”

Shining turned and gave her a salute, pausing for a moment to notice that unlike usual, the Grand Admiral’s medals weren’t in their places on her navy blue suit jacket. Taking another moment to compose his thoughts he said, “At 2243 hours, a radio black out started and was assumed to be just a malfunction of equipment. A technician was sent to rectify the situation, but as of 0021 hours the radio black out had not been resolved. 0022 hours is when I encountered Twilight Sparkle, head bosun, racing through the halls of The Peach’s Pie and ran after her. We stopped on the bottom walkway around 0024 hours and saw a ship the size of a cruiser clamped to the keel of The Peach’s Pie. I observed Twilight running towards the ship and I caught sight of a pegasus at the far end of the walkway doing the same. Seconds later the cruiser shot once in our direction, causing both Twilight and I to raise our own shields. Once the smoke cleared I saw that the walkway between where I was and Twilight had been ripped off the ship by the shot.”

Shining took a breath and continued, “I called out to Twilight but she seemingly didn’t hear me. Then the cruiser let go of The Peach’s Pie, catching itself and slowly moving away at heading 53, following the secondary walkway under The Peach’s Pie. I...couldn’t do anything as I watched Twilight pick up a grappling hook and chase after the cruiser. She expertly used the hook and managed to barely scrape the railing of the escaping ship. In the instant that Twilight was starting to fall, a unicorn caught her hooves and pulled her onto the cruiser.”

“Was there any indication that this escaped ship was with the others?” Celestia inquired.

“No, in fact it was the ship escaping that called attention to the others. At 0030 hours I met up with a patrol of three thestrals and ordered them to the nearest radio towers. By 0034 hours all three brought the towers back online and sent out calls for reinforcements. 0040 hours, the various security checkpoints were reporting strange ships being seen on the cameras and two reports were from The Vault. The gold side was successfully locked down with all seventeen blast doors being closed. Several of the Magicite vaults were compromised, but due to the alert from the unaffiliated ship no Magicite was lost and all thieves were captured.”

“Aside from the ones who took Twilight.”

Shining hesitates and continues, “Yes, ma’am. From what the techs were able to figure out, the perimeter sensors between Blue Blood’s and Filthy Rich’s ships were set so the sensors weren’t connected, but they kept sending out a normal signal. No other perimeter sensors were tampered with and from how old the code was, this has been in place for at least ten years. That was enough for us to seize and search their ships which uncovered ledgers and letters between them and known pirates that weren’t captured last night.”

Celestia sat in her chair for a few moments as she thought before saying in a cold tone, “Send out notice of their crimes along with the news that any and all deals they have are null and void. Their assets will be used to pay the fleet back what they stole and their execution will be set for a week from now. Make sure the head gunner knows to have all of The Solar Wind’s guns fully operational by then even if they have to requisition parts from other ships in the flotilla.”

Shining stared in shock at Celestia. Sure, executions weren’t new - they had one last week for a pirate that had killed a family of merchants in their cargo freighter - but to use The Solar Wind itself hadn’t been done for hundreds of years! The last one to get the same treatment was a pirate who named himself The Storm King, and he had been the captain of a dreadnought.

“A-a-are you sure that’s an appropriate-” Shining’s words suddenly died in his throat as Celestia’s gaze turned to him, the look in her eye promising demotions if he said more. “Y-yes, ma’am. I’ll let them know and set things up so I can be gone.”

Celestia’s gaze softened and she nodded. “Exactly my thoughts as well. Make sure you bring these foalnappers back alive. Oh, and don’t go taking that yacht of yours. Take The Indomitable Will.”

Shining shakes his head at that. “I can’t recommend doing that. Taking a dreadnought away from the flotilla would be inviting pirates to start probing attacks. Why don’t we have Blue Blood’s ship refitted and renamed? It’ll be a rush order, but I’m sure it will be ready within two days.” Shining would pause for a moment to let Celestia speak, but then he got an idea and risked speaking over her. “The nearest settlement that isn’t in a pact with us to share laws is four days away by even the fastest of cruisers. With a flight of fighters and scouts escorting Blue Blood’s fleet helicarrier we will find them before they get there.”

The alicorn hums in thought for a moment before nodding. “Very well, see to the refit and call for volunteers.”

Twilight groaned as she rolled over, the light from a nearby window making her head pound more.

“Good, you aren’t dead,” a somewhat familiar voice said, making her head hurt even more.

Barely opening an eye, Twilight caught sight of a cyan mare with a rainbow mane and tail glaring at her from a chair near a window with closed blinds. Confusion slowed her thoughts more as Twilight tried to place where she’d heard this mare’s voice before. “Wh-where am I...?”

The rainbow-maned mare snorted and muttered something Twilight couldn’t quite hear before saying, “Why would an egghead warehouse employee like you try to swing onto a moving airship? Don’t try to pass yourself off as a guard, I’ve already looked through your things and you don’t even have white coat dye!”

Twilight closed her eyes and pushed herself up to sit, a hoof moving to her head. “Why do I feel like I drank several barrels of whiskey? Wait... who’re you?” Twilight looks back at the other mare, noticing that the room they were in was bare aside from the bed, the chair, and a dresser with a mirror attached to the top of it.

The cyan mare rolled her eyes and stood up, heading for the door and revealing a cutie mark of a cloud with a multi-colored lightning bolt, a singe mark almost obscuring it. “Great, doesn’t even realize what’s happening....”

At that moment Twilight remembered where she saw the mare. “Wait, I remember that mark, you were one of the thieves! .... Why am I in the same room as you?”

The cyan mare stopped at the door and gave Twilight a glare. “Of course.... You jumped onto my ship, and the one thing you remember about me is hitting my flank.”

Twilight frowned as her memories came back. “Well excuse me, the last thing I remember is your ship shooting at me.”

“Ugh... then listen up! You were chasing me, and then when my ship was taking off and leaving, you decided to jump onto my ship. I don’t know why, but what I do know is that you’re getting off at the Everfree Agri-flotilla, so until then stay out of trouble and out of me and my crew’s way!” At that the rainbow-maned mare would open the door and leave, slamming the door shut behind her.

“What?” Twilight confusedly said to the already closed door.

She thought to herself, why let me go within Equestrian territory? Aren’t pirates supposed to maroon their prisoners on a Storm Creature? And why the Everfree, isn’t that just one big zoo?

Shaking her head she stood up. “Won’t get answers just sitting here.” Walking over to the door, she tried the handle and found that it wasn’t locked. “Wait, what? Why leave the door unlocked? Does this mean I’m not a prisoner, or are they just this new at being pirates?”

Planning

Exiting the room, Twilight found herself in a hallway with a door at each end and two doors on each side, the door across from hers opening to reveal a dark purple unicorn mare with a broken horn.

“Oh, hello,” Twilight said, surprised to run into someone right away.

The mare looked her over for a moment before saying in an evenly terse tone, “Don’t do anything to try to escape or damage the ship. You’re getting off at Everfree.”

Twilight frowned at that. “Why would a couple of thieves let the one that knows what they look like get away?”

“To prove a point.”

“And what point would that be?”

The mare sighs and shakes her head. “That we took you because you gave us no choice.”

A confused look appeared on Twilight’s face. “What do you mean by that?”

“If you hadn’t leaped after the ship like you did, you would’ve been left behind. If I hadn’t caught you when I did, you would’ve fallen into the Storm, and I know how bad the creatures can be.” At that the mare would turn and head for the far end of the hallway.

Taking a step, Twilight tried to stop the mare. “Wait, what’s your name? I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

The mare stepped to the side to avoid Twilight and said, “I’m not going to tell you my real name, but everyone calls me Tempest Shadow.”

“....That was the first time you tried to steal, wasn’t it?”

Tempest stops at the door at the far end, looking back at Twilight. “Yeah, ‘cause not everything’s been making it to Everfree.”

“Then it has been happening on the way between Canterlot and Everfree, or the captains of the various ships are keeping supplies not meant for them.” Twilight said assuredly.

“And how do you know it isn’t because Canterlot kept it from us?”

“Because I make the schedule, I check the work of every other bosun, and I make sure every ounce is accounted for in every ship that leaves Canterlot. I’ve had to the past five years to catch the ones who were slacking or stealing.”

At that Tempest looked confused. “Wait.... I thought you were just an overzealous warehouse worker?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I’m the head bosun for Canterlot.”

Tempest’s eyes widened at that and she left without another word.

Twilight took a deep breath and started to pace the hallway, thinking to herself about the situation, What are they talking about? Supplies going missing? I- it’s not impossible...

She took another couple slow steps, If they’re being tricked or… not reporting pirate attacks then- Twilight shook her head, “I won’t get anywhere by wondering what’s happening. I need the facts direct from the source there at Everfree.” Banishing the thoughts from her mind as she looked around, she idly said to herself, “I need to find something to do.”

Rainbow sighed and leaned back in her seat. This was the fourth time she was put on hold. “This situation just gets worse the longer it goes on....”

Waiting for a few minutes a male voice would come from her ship’s radio saying, “This is Shining Armor, I was told you had information on a recent event.”

Sitting up straight Rainbow said, “Yeah, I wanted to say this got way too far out of hoof. My crew and I thought the mare that leaped for our ship was just an overzealous warehouse worker and just ten minutes ago she told us her name.”

There was a pause before Shining would continue, “So you’re calling to arrange a ransom?”

“No! No, no, definitely not. We’re going to drop her off at the Everfree Agri-flotilla and only ask that you look into all of the shipments you send out ‘cause not all of what’s been promised gets to where it’s meant to go.” Rainbow sighed again and shook her head. “We were gonna try to bring this to your attention, but everyone kept brushing us off, so when we heard that there was gonna be a gap in security, well....”

A longer pause. “I can see where you’re coming from, but there’s laws in place for a reason-”

Rainbow slammed a hoof down on her dashboard. “If it doesn’t concern gaining a new creature Admiral Igneous has. No. Spine. His family’s turned to eating rocks so others won’t go hungry! I’ve tried everything to get him to order a Death Race, but he won’t.”

Muttering that Rainbow couldn’t make out came from her radio for a few moments before Shining came back. “Very well, we’ll look into this information. Don’t think that this will pardon you, though.”

“My crew and I knew there wouldn’t be any mercy for us stealing from Canterlot. What I wanted to avoid was being accused of foalnapping such an important pony.”

“.... That is what I was talking about, actually.”

“What were we supposed to do, huh? Let her fall into the Storm to be eaten by whatever creature came by?”

“The best thing would have been to stop before you left the flotilla.”

“Yeah, and then get captured and tried with that other bunch for their same crimes? No thank you. Look, we knew we’d get fines and such for stealing food, but finding out that we have Twilight bucking Sparkle in our spare room was too much. Spare us from execution and we’ll accept any punishment that comes our way.”

Silence pervaded the air, each second holding onto the silent radio feeling like a hammer blow to her as her mouth went dry. After about ten minutes Shining said, “I think I can convince the Grand Admiral to give you only community service or jail time. I can’t promise anything, but I will try my hardest.”

“Thank you, that’s all I ask for. We’ll... wait around as well.” With that Rainbow turned off her radio, looking at Tempest as the unicorn came onto the bridge. “Where is she?”

“She’s organizing our stores,” Tempest said, looking a bit uncomfortable.

“Guess we did get that workaholic after all.” Rainbow rolled her eyes and switched the ship back to manual mode. “Keep an eye on her, but don’t get in her way until we land.”

Preparations

On her walk through the hangar, Twilight passed through a few ships, each having one or multiple habitats for all sorts of creatures with seemingly no regard for any kind of classification. It was almost enough to make her change directions and reorganize the whole fleet, but she stopped herself and took a deep breath to refocus on her mission.

Turning away from the mess of parked ships, Twilight and her following made their way out of the hangar and up onto the main deck of the flotilla. Here she could at least see the sky and her destination over the wooden structures surrounding the central section of the Everfree Flotilla.

Shining said something to her about needing to file a report before breaking off, a stallion on a mission. Twilight herself was already moving towards a warehouse with a smaller shack that looked like it had been the tail end of a plane connected to it and the guard marking the entrance.

After a quick confirmation that this was where she was heading, Twilight thanked the guard and stepped into the office, looking around at how cluttered the desk and floor were while cringing. “Hello? I don’t have an appointment, but what I have to talk about with you is important,” Twilight said, not seeing anyone in the office.

Her vision was suddenly filled with a pair of baby blue eyes, causing her to hop backwards in surprise. In front of her was a mostly pink pony with a fluffy mane and tail that looked like the pony didn’t brush it at all. Her cutie mark was a general organization chart.

“Lemme guess, you’re here to stop us from making complaints,” the pink pony monotoned, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Twilight shook her head and held her hoof out for the pony to shake. “No, I heard about shipments being lost and I would like to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’m Twilight, and you are...?”

The pink pony just looked more suspicious and slowly moved behind the desk. “Why? You’re the one behind the shipments not fully making it here!”

“No, I promise I’m not. I had no idea any of this was happening, but now that I do I’d like to help make it stop any way that I can.” Twilight mentally caught up to the moment, realizing that something was in fact, actually wrong here.

“... Prove it.”

“Okay, did the captains of the ships mention Filthy Rich, or Blue Blood?” Twilight moved up to the desk, using her magic to tidy up a stack of papers only to stop as the pink mare’s hoof came down on the stack.

“No, they didn’t,” The pony replied as she messed the stack up how it was before.

Getting an idea, twilight paused for a moment before saying, “Did they give you any sort of paperwork stating the retraction and reclamation of goods that were signed?”

The pink pony stopped at that and looked at Twilight for a few moments before saying, “No, they didn’t.... You’d send ponies out with something like that?”

Twilight nodded and let the magic on her horn fade, looking over the desk again. “Yes. I haven’t had to so far, but it is in the hoofbook I sent out to everyone Canterlot deals with. I... don’t see it anywhere, so I can include another copy with a shipment when I get back to Canterlot.”

The pink mare opened a drawer on the desk and pulled out a book labeled ‘Canterlot Shipping and Handling Guide Book’. Opening the book, she skimmed through it until suddenly stopping on a page. “Huh, it is in here that you would do that for any changes. I didn’t think you’d be more organized than me.”

A smile spread across Twilight’s face, relishing in a bit of pride. “My skills with organization are why I was picked above other candidates when Mrs. Inkwell retired. Since I was an intern before, I knew everywhere that needed to be improved and was able to give the Grand Admiral a full presentation as well as evidence of ponies taking things for themselves.”

“Huh, and here I just started working and was eventually given the position of Head Bosun.” The mare held out her hoof to Twilight. “I’m Pinkie.”

Shaking Pinkie’s hoof, Twilight smiled and said, “Nice to meet you, Ms. Pinkie. And please, if another captain tries to withhold any part of a shipment without the proper paperwork, well... they are trying to steal from the flotilla.”

Pinkie would get a vicious smile and giggle creepily. “Don’t worry, my Sis is in charge of security. We’ll make sure that they’re dealt with accordingly.”

Twilight nods and turns towards the door. “Good, now that this has been settled, how about we go and watch the race?”

Pinkie nods and leaps over the desk, not disturbing any papers. “Sure! You can sit with my family.”

“Sure, as long as they don’t mind.”

Rainbow slammed the dress she wore for the past few hours into a trash can, kicking the can off the side of the ship she was on. “Ugh... finally. Worst part of these Races,” Rainbow said stretching.

She would hear a whistle and roll her eyes as Zephyr said, “Wow, is that show for me?”

“Zephyr.Not today.” Rainbow grumbled in exhaustion.

“Aw, c’mon. Sure ya gotta pay a fine, but there’s nothing really bad about this situation, is there?” Zephyr cozied up to Rainbow as he spoke.

Rainbow glared at Zephyr as he put a hoof over her back. “Get. Off.”

“Ya got the whole situation the attention of those that matter, and from what I heard you even inadvertently got real pirates caught in the act.” Zephyr gives her what he thinks is a smooth smile. “So you’re really more like an anti-hero.”

Pushing Zephyr off she snorts in amusement. “Really? Keep to your own things, Zeph. Copying another mare isn’t something you want your crush to know about.” Rainbow turned and started to walk across a bridge to another ship.

Zephyr shook his head and came up next to Rainbow, pulling out a clipboard from under his wing and looking the papers over. “Not my fault the stuff she had is good. So, the course is one that hasn’t been used for a long while. The beacons are working, but a few are sending out weak signals so we’ll have to be careful around them as it isn’t known when or how they were damaged. There has been unexplained damage to a few ships in that area over the years, and I think it means the area’s too dangerous, but I was basically told to keep my mouth shut.”

“You think it’s an old tank or something that’s been hit with enough lightning to start up every now and then?” Rainbow asked, looking at Zephyr with interest.

“The reports aren’t consistent and almost look like freak accidents until you notice that each one happened on the lowest parts of each ship that got hit.” He shakes his head. “I’d think it would be something bigger than a tank with the damages.”

“I’ll make sure to take pictures if I notice anything down there.”

Zephyr gave Rainbow a chastising look. “Keep your radio on as well this time. It didn’t look good with me yelling at you and not getting any kind of response.”

“As long as you don’t keep a constant stream of flirting.”

“Please, you like it.” He smirked.

“The only part I like is that you don’t say any of that to other mares,” Rainbow muttered under her breath.

“Besides, I don’t like not being able to hear how your ship is doing.”

Rainbow looked at Zephyr. “Still on that ‘listen to her and she’ll tell you what she needs’ crap when it comes to ships?”

Giving Rainbow an offended expression Zephyr lifted his nose into the air and said, “Well excuuuuuuse me, princess. I’m only the best mechanic in the flotilla because of how I think. And don’t forget, I can choose another pilot for The Unseen Lego.”

“You won’t ‘cause you know I’m the best pilot we have.”

“Maybe the most reckless and lucky,” Zephyr sighed and shook his head. “You really need to cut back on the risks you take.”

Rainbow stops and turns to look at Zephyr. “Every risk I’ve taken I knew would work out, not because of my skills but because your work is good enough that you should be working on The Solar Wind. I might not like how you act, but your work is irreproachable.”

Zephyr let out a low whistle. “Wow, pulling out the ten cred words as praise.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and lightly punched Zephyr’s shoulder, continuing on her way. “You aren’t getting more than that. Now let’s get to the hangar, I want to get used to how the Lego flies again before the race.”

Starting Line

Rainbow pushed the door open, entering a small room lined with chairs. The few beings in the room made her pause and look them over.

The first one that caught her eye was another pegasus, though this one had a light blue mane and tail with streaks of darker blue, giving them a dynamic and slightly wild appearance. Her coat is a lighter shade of cyan, and she has bright amber eyes. Her cutiemark being three stars under a lightning bolt.

The next was a surprise, as it was a griffon she knew, stretched out across several chairs. White feathers on her head and neck with a brown coat of fur and feathers on her body and wings. Her front legs were yellow-ish gold, the same as her claws. The last two were hippogryphs, one with a gray coat, the other a dark blue.

The pegasus looked up from the clipboard between her hooves and smirked at Rainbow, saying, “Well, look who finally showed up.”

Rainbow smirked back and said as she raised her snout in the air, “Excuse me for actually being a celebrity with fans.” She reached under her wing and pulled out a signed picture of herself, tossing it to the other pegasus. “Here, I managed to finally keep one for ya.”

The griffon piped up from the side while rolling her eyes, “Yeah, yeah, Rainbow Crash. Or should I say Rainbow the Gutless.”

Rainbow's expression half dropped. The smirk frozen on her face in a neutral line as she stared at the griffon for a few seconds before saying, “You wanna run that by me again?” The words came out even, like Rainbow wasn't paying attention to what she was saying.

“You heard me. You’ll back out now if you know what’s good for you. I’ll be winning this one.”

The cyan pegasus scoffed and stood up from where she was laying. “In your dreams, Thunder.”

That caused both the griffon and Rainbow to look at the other mare, the griffon saying, “Why are you calling me Thunder? I thought that was one of those two.” The griffon pointed at the two hippogryphs.

The cyan mare chuckled, “Well you know, ‘cause thunder always comes after... Lightning!” The mare would strike a pose, wings up as if she had just landed.

Rainbow chuckled at that and held a hoof out for Lightning to bump. “She’s got ya there, Gilda.”

Gilda growled to herself but didn’t say anything.

Lightning returned the bump and sat down. “Nice to see you again.”

Rainbow nodded, sitting down next to Lightning. “Yeah, sorry about how I left.”

“Nah, it’s alright. I heard you saved someone on that flight and helped them when you came back here. ‘Sides, I kinda deserved that for how I acted with my wingmare.” The mare was shortly taken by a bout of melancholy before snapping back as Rainbow spoke.

“I... won’t deny that. I suppose we were both in a bad place then.” Rainbow put an arm around Lightning’s shoulders, giving her a half hug.

Lightning nodded at that and said, “I was young and running from my parents.”

“Oh? Too strict?”

The cyan mare shook her head. “They died.”

Rainbow winced at that and tightened her hug for a moment. She was quick to say, “I know how that feels....”

Lightning shook her head again and gave Rainbow a sad smile. “Look, let’s save all of this for after the race. Talking about the past will only get us unfocused.”

Rainbow nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Right. Well, at least we can have it announced that Prism Storm is flying together again.”

Lightning chuckled at that and patted Rainbow’s shoulder, standing up and moving over to her clipboard. “Only if we’re gonna do shows again.”

Rainbow would rub her neck with a hoof. “Yyeeaahhh, about that....”

Lightning looked over at Rainbow. “Something wrong?”

“I... kinda tried to do something about what’s been happening here, and got caught up in more than I wanted to.”

“Don’t tell me you were stupid enough to try to steal from Canterlot,” Gilda said suddenly. “You seriously are not that dumb.”

Rainbow gave Gilda a glare. “If you have to know, I didn’t go there to do that right away. I tried to get an appointment to see someone high enough, but... well, I heard that night that there would be a hole in the defenses, so I thought getting at least something would be enough to get things rolling.”

“But that didn’t happen,” Lightning said.

Rainbow huffed and crossed her forehooves. “No, it didn’t. Tempest and I got caught, but managed to escape... mostly. It’s a good thing Twilight isn’t gonna hold any of this against us.”

“Wait, what does this have to do with-” Lightning started but was interrupted.

Gilda snarled and stomped over to Rainbow, glaring down at her as she said, “So you’re even dumber than I thought! Seriously? The Grand Admiral’s own student?!”

Rainbow stood up and pressed her head against Gilda’s, scowling. “Hey, she jumped onto my ship! If I knew she’d do that, I wouldn’t have bothered with going back to the hole in the perimeter!”

Lightning pushed between the two of them, pressing them away from each other as she said, “No fighting. Keep it for the track or we’ll all be sanctioned and the race will be run another day with other racers.”

Gilda scoffs and turns away, her tail smacking Rainbow’s cheek. “Fine, that loser doesn’t deserve any more attention.”

Lightning sighed and shook her head, a bell going off just then. “Well, the track’s ready for us. Let’s get out there and make our own streams.”

Rainbow nodded, waiting for the others to leave before following after them. The five of them walked down a tunnel about a hundred steps long. Rainbow thought back to the first time she walked this tunnel, how a bout of stage fright kept her from going more than halfway until she heard her parents cheering her on. Closing her eyes she could still hear them chanting her name, encouraging her on to her awaiting ship.

Tears leaked from her eyes as she walked, remembering all the times she had to be cheered on to do something by her parents. How they always supported her, regardless of what happened calling her the fastest pilot ever. How they had protected her in that cage, giving their lives to force the creature out of its cage and into the enclosure that had been prepared for it.

Rainbow shook her head, clearing the memories away as she stepped out of the tunnel. She walked past the ships of her fellow racers, her eyes lingering on the curves and angles to note how they would fly. Each one would cut through the wind to a degree, but would deal with gusts and drafts differently. Then she looked at the ship she would be flying.

Even in the light of day, The Unseen Lego sat like a shadow within shadows, its faceted surfaces seeming to absorb the light. The aircraft's matte-black skin, interrupted only by a few thin red stripes denoting its unit, gave it a menacing, almost predatory appearance. Its angular shape, more akin to a stealthy bird of prey than a conventional fighter, spoke of its ancient purpose: to slip through enemy defenses unnoticed, strike swiftly, and vanish without a trace.

From certain angles, it seemed as though the Lego was not a solid object at all, but a negative space cut out from the air itself. Despite its sleek, futuristic appearance, the Lego bore the scars of its races. Tiny pockmarks dotted its surface where repairs had been made, each one a testament to the dangers faced in the hostile skies it prowled.

She smiled and rested a hoof on her ship. “Back together again, hey?” She patted its hull and then climbed up through the ship and into the cockpit. “Don’t worry big guy, I’ll get us both back safely. I promised my parents I would always come home, after all.”

Race

Putting her headset on, Rainbow heard Zephyr say, “Don’t get out front right away, use the other racers as a way to gauge the turbulence and find a way through.”

“It’s only one lap, Zeph. If I do it like that I’d need to pass them at the switchback,” Rainbow replied, glancing at the display off to her right that showed the track as well as dots for each racer currently at the starting line. “Wait, have any Eels come up to cause trouble this month?”

“Yeah, a pony almost got eaten whole last wee- oh... oh noooo....” Rainbow could hear the dread in his voice and cringed.

“Don’t keep me in suspense!” She sighs and looks at the tracker again. “We gotta go through Ghastly Gorge, don’t we?”

“First thing after the climb.”

Rainbow groans as she straps herself in. “Great, just great. We have a couple greenfeathers and it’s mating season for the Eels.... This race can’t get any worse.”

“.... Aaaand you jinxed it.”

“No, I’m serious. I gotta get out ahead of everyone and guide them through there or they’ll crash. The winds are bad enough for an experienced pilot, but add in territorial and horny Eels....” Rainbow shook her head.

“Stop jinxing it.”

Rainbow rubbed her temples for a few moments, calming down with a sigh. There wasn’t really anything in the rules that said she had to share what she knew, but she knew that it was an advantage. “You know what, no. Just let the other pit crews know. That’s as much as we need to do about this.”

Silence came from her headset for a few seconds before she heard him sigh and say, “Alright.”

Rainbow nodded as she heard the muffled announcer start to count, the three lights above and in front of the five racers lighting up red. “It’s shut up or nut up time.”

The lights flashed to yellow as Zephyr said, “.... Crap, you did jinx it, the Storm’s getting weird around the cutback.”

“Can’t worry about that now!” Rainbow slammed the throttle forward as the lights turned green, her ship’s thrust pressing her back against her seat and pulling her ship’s nose up as she pulled the stick back.

The climb for the track was two miles up past a beacon showing everyone the track and where to turn. Rainbow glanced at her ship tracker and noticed that she was ahead of the others, but they were catching up quickly. While it was easy to climb, it wasn’t her ship’s strength and soon the other racers passed her and quickly nosed down into a dive straight towards the Storm. Unlike the others, Rainbow pulled back on the throttle and slowed as she reached the beacon, stalling in midair to maneuver so she was facing downwards. Rainbow took a deep breath as she felt her body disagree with gravity for a moment, then she pushed the throttle to full open and rocketed downwards. The dive was long and once they breached the Storm it became harder to keep steady as cross winds tried to blow them off course and rain obscured their view.

Trusting the sensor for the next beacon, Rainbow didn’t slow down like the others, feeling the G-forces pushing her back into her seat and diving through the winds while ignoring the thunks against her ship’s hull. Once the sensor said she had passed the next beacon Rainbow pulled up hard.The ship groaned against the wind before a contact warning sounded off as the ship scraped its belly on loose rocks on the ground. There was a split second of undisrupted flying before Rainbow’s instincts kicked in, she jerked the stick and dodged to the left as an Eel tried to tear off her right wing as she went past. Then the wind kicked back up, flowing directly down the gorge against her ship.

Using the wind, Rainbow pulled up from the ground to and flipped a switch. Servos adjusted flaps and control surfaces to gain more maneuverability in exchange for speed just in time to avoid an Eel coming straight for her. There was no stick jerking this time; Rainbow eased the throttle and simply passed over the eel as it jumped out at her, using the sudden lift and spinning the ship to its side, the ship gently began to bank against the wind into a turn towards the next beacon.

Rainbow took a deep breath and gripped the stick tighter. Despite the smooth flying, even a slight error would flip her smaller aerodynamic ship into the wind and dash it against the rocks. Suddenly she saw a dark spot rapidly approaching her. Her confusion turned to shock as Zephyr’s voice yelled over her radio.

“Someone just went down! Debris on the-'' Whatever he said next was cut off by the roar of engines and turbulence as she rolled her ship left, the dark spots resolving into flaming debris of a destroyed vessel, cursing to herself as she felt a heavy and sudden jerk.

“Rainbow! Are you okay? What did you hit?” Zephyr’s concerned voice came over the radio, equally soft as it was filled with iron.

“Which one of them crashed?” Rainbow asked as she felt the ship beginning to pull towards the ground. “Crap. What did I lose?” Opening the throttle fully again she set her trim and rudder to counter the pull.

“You lost most of your left wing. Thankfully you still have a bit of your aileron left there from what the diagnostics are telling me.” There was a short sound of static before his voice returned, “-ill enough for you to make it off the track.”

Rainbow scrunched her muzzle, “Get off the track?”

“The Unseen Lego can fly with most of its control surfaces gone, but not well. Get off the track Rainbow, I’m not losing another friend today.”

“Hell no! You know the rest of this track is so easy I could fly blindfolded and dizzy!”

“That’s not the p-”

Rainbow pressed down on the radio controls to override his message, “I’m gonna finish this race. With or without your help.” The radio went silent again as she veered just past the next beacon.

She heard a sigh and Zephyr said, “Alright, fine. Looks like it was one of the hippogryphs that crashed. Something went into their intake and blew the engine.”

Rainbow glanced at the tracker and growled, going through an archway and spinning around a strange sculpture before going through another smaller archway and gaining altitude. “Sounds like an Eel. I’m falling behind, can you help me with regaining the lead?”

Rainbow heard Zephyr start to say something but pause for a moment. “The beacon at the end of the switchback was just destroyed. With where you are, you’ll be able to take advantage of the wait to change the rules and fly right across instead of following the switchback.”

Rainbow felt a sinking feeling in her stomach and she shuddered a little. “Zeph, these beacons are meant to survive down here. Why was it destroyed?”

“Looks like a hail of inch-sized debris slammed into it before it shorted out.”

Rainbow swallowed, feeling her dry throat. Suddenly the clouds parted and far above and in front of her she could see the other racers. Though what was in front of her took her full attention and sent a chill down her spine as she said one word, “Providence....”

The Destroyer in front of her was broken in half with electricity arcing between the two halves. A mosaic of gunmetal gray and charcoal black, the Destroyer bristled with weapon emplacements and sensor arrays under its shields.

Along its dorsal ridge, a series of bulbous command towers protruded, each housing critical communications hubs and tactical command centers. The towers were interconnected by a network of reinforced walkways. The bow of the Dreadnaught tapered into a menacing prow, studded with forward-facing cannons and missile launchers. A huge hangar took up most of the back half, its engines sputtering and trying to start.

Already its automated turrets were turning towards the racers.

“P-Providence?” Zephyr squeaked out.

“Tell the other crews to get them out of there now! They have a Destroyer aiming at them!” Rainbow cursed and rolled, avoiding the first salvo sent her way.

“Forget about winning, this is enough to call off the race for another day. Just get out of there yourself!”

“I’m too close to it to have a good chance of turning around.” Rainbow’s eyes scanned the wreckage and were drawn towards the hangar. “....I’ll go through the hangar.”

“WHAT?!” Rainbow cringed at the sudden scream.

“You know the stories as well as I do. The hangar on the Providence is said to be massive enough that it goes from one side of the ship to the other. If that’s true then I have a straight, relatively safe route through. Even if they aren’t true I have a safe place to turn around.” She jolted in her seat as the guns on the Destroyer fired again, diving under the salvo and between the debris around the giant ship. “There’s enough debris for me to use for cover on the approach as well.”

“Rainbow, please, stop thinking about the race!”

“I’m not, this is the best way for me to get through this without dying.” Rainbow paused for a moment and then cut Zephyr off so she could focus. The controls fell away, the sensation of the seat fell away, and Rainbow’s wings unconsciously tried to spread from underneath the restraints as she stopped being a pony. Even through the cockpit, she could feel the wind rolling against her wings as she pulled into the approach towards the destroyer.

She dropped the throttle to zero and flipped into a corkscrew as a missile launched from the deck of the destroyer and whizzed past her, once she leveled out, she punched forwards just as the nose passed the threshold into the hangar bay.

Slowly building up throttle as she sped through the hangar bay, the pressure increased on every surface of the vessel as she maneuvered around metal supports sticking up through the ground and open holes where the hangar was split open. The ship began to shake under the turbulence in such tight confines, and Rainbow was vaguely aware of the warnings coming from her control panel, and Zephyr’s worried shouts coming through the radio.

She flew over an arch in the path where the ship was broken in half, and caught a glimpse of the exit. There was a massive steel beam hanging down over the middle, blocking the path.

With less than seconds to make a decision, Rainbow narrowed her eyes and flipped a cover up on a switch before flipping the switch itself, the sudden thrust pressing her back against the seat. Reaching forwards she flipped the switch off and shunted the throttle all the way down while jerking up on the stick. The ship flipped upwards and began to spin out, just as it came less than a few meters from the obstruction, Rainbow turned the ship into a sideways corkscrew, sending the vessel through the narrow passageway sideways and back out into the open air. She waited for exactly three and a half seconds for the ship to stop spinning enough to hit the throttle and regain control of the craft.

Turning the ship back in the right direction, she began bearing down on the next beacon just as the destroyer’s turrets finished turning towards her position. Before they could fire though she disappeared back into the storm. She shook her head as she continued to climb, just now noticing how quiet it was as her heart began to calm. “Whew, it’s too bad there aren’t cameras that follow us. I just used up so much awesome getting through there.”

“Your ‘awesome’ set off every warning system in the craft.” Zephyr monotoned through the radio system.

“Like I said, your work is trustworthy enough for me to not worry.” Rainbow said as she looked at the tracker, noting that the other three racers had seemingly made it through as well. “Too bad I had to use the afterburner too soon. The others will probably pass me on the final stretch.”

“No, from what I can see the other crews are getting ready to meet everyone at the finish line. Someone’s probably hurt and I doubt any ship got out of this without being damaged.”

Rainbow sighed and leaned her head back. “So it’s an uneventful last stretch.”

“Yeah, little miss ‘I’ll finish a race with one fucking wing.’ It’s a good thing we can’t see what actually happens during these, otherwise you’d be swarmed by fans after each race.”

She chuckled and focused back on her flying, leveling out just above the clouds. “Hey, as long as I don’t have to go to parties too much, I don’t mind having fans.”

Zephyr just sighed as Rainbow slowed to land at the finish line, followed quickly by Lightning, Gilda, and the last hippogryph. Unbuckling her restraints Rainbow made her way down and out of her ship, giving the screaming crowd a cocky smile.

Her smile faded as she noticed the guards coming up to her, the one in the lead saying in a familiar voice, “I’m sorry but I have orders to take you and your friend back to Canterlot for your trial.”

“I thought we went through this before and I only have to pay a fine?” Rainbow asked, confused.

Shining shook his head. “The Grand Admiral is accusing you of treason due to taking Twilight Sparkle.”

Jail Break

“We’ll be taking this one,” Twilight said to a pegasus with a clipboard, watching as a ship slowly moved closer to the dock in front of her and Pinkie. The pegasus nodded and handed the clipboard to Pinkie before flying off.

“Looks like we have Ocean Line this time,” Pinkie said as she looked over the paperwork. “His has been the lowest the past few deliveries.”

“Then we’ll just have to ask why that is.” Once the ship was close enough Twilight used her magic and extended the clamps to hold the ship in place, a ramp extending to the door that was just opening.

The pony that came down the ramp was a dark blue with a black mane. “Oh, this must be a special occasion if you’re here yourself, Pinkie,” Ocean Line said.

“There’s a Race going on right now, yeah. But that doesn’t have anything to do with this,” Pinkie said as she looked up from the clipboard.

Ocean’s expression turned to confusion. “What do you mean?”

Twilight spoke up then, giving Ocean a frown, “What she means is that we’re going to go over every piece of your ship and if there’s even an ounce not accounted for, you’ll be jailed for stealing.”

Ocean held out his own clipboard, rolling his eyes. “Please, everything is in order. There’s no need to threaten me like that.”

Twilight took the clipboard in her magic and quickly looked it over, double checking with the one Pinkie was holding. “Where’s the signed retraction of goods for these ten tons that aren’t accounted for on your paperwork?”

“S-signed retraction of goods...? I haven’t heard of anything like that before.” Ocean’s expression turned nervous.

Pinkie looks to a guard standing nearby and nods, the guard moving up into the ship. “Those ten tons better be in there still.”

“Now hold on just a moment, what are you talking about?”

Twilight takes a step forward saying, “For a shipment from Canterlot to be changed enroute, there must be a hoof-delivered retraction of goods signed by the head bosun. Without that, you can be charged with piracy.”

Ocean Line frowned and took a step forward. “And just who are you to say that?”

Twilight held her hoof out and gave him a humorless smile. “I am Twilight Sparkle.” Her smile drops as she pauses for a moment. “Head bosun of the Canterlot flotilla.”

The stallion stuttered for a moment as Twilight and Pinkie walked past him to check his vessel.

A little while later Twilight was sitting at the bar in a tavernship, eating a late dinner as she listened to Zephyr tell her about the race and what happened after.

“I thought we got that sorted out?” Twilight asked Zephyr. The two of them were sitting at a table in a tavernship, Zephyr having found her there trying to get a ship back to Canterlot.

“I thought so as well, but that brother of yours said that the Admiral wanted them anyways,” Zephyr said between breaths.

Twilight bit her lip as she thought out loud. “Shining won’t want to stay any longer than he has to. That means he might skip gathering supplies since we’re still so close to Canterlot. There’s a chance he’ll have the guards look for me to take me back under orders, so we could possibly use that against him.”

Zephyr paused for a moment before his eyes narrowed and he leaned on the table. “What are you thinking?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and looked at Zephyr. “What else? They’re gonna be taken back and punished for something they didn’t do. I don’t want that to happen.”

Zephyr’s conspiratorial lean shifts a little as he leans forwards even more, his voice going into a whisper as he smirks, “You’re gonna break them out? Right in the middle of the flotilla?”

“We’ll have to ask for a favor and secure a ship out, but it is possible.”

Zephyr leaned back in his seat, “I’m in”

Twilight frowned, “Wait, just like that?”

He rubbed a hoof against his chest, “It’s like you said, they’re gonna get punished for something they didn’t do.”

“Well…” Twilight tilted her head, “But why do you care?”

Zephyr made a face Twilight couldn’t read before tossing a hoof, “That’s not important, what is important is where you think we’re going to find somepony who will do us a favor that huge.”

Ignoring her previous question, Twilight lit her horn and teleported a piece of paper and something to write with to herself, and subsequently scribbled away a quick note. “Hopefully a friend I made earlier. Someone who has family in the right place.”

Zephyr sat back down as he thought. “You... went to see Pinks, and-” His eyes widened and his lips curled a bit into a small smile. “I think I see what your plan is, and I know just the ship we can commandeer.”

“Good. You’re going to get the ship ready and pick us up at the right time.” Finishing her writing Twilight teleported the note away.

“How will I know when that is?” Zephyr paused for a moment before lightly knocking a hoof against his head. “Dumb question. This isn’t gonna be a stealthy and slow approach.”

Twilight giggled and nodded as she stood up. “I’d rather plan this all out, but we need to strike before his ship leaves.” She paused for a moment before looking Zephyr over. “You know... that was a really fast flip there.”

Zephyr chuckles and puffs his chest out. “I’ll be swooping in to save the three of you from getting caught again. The points I’ll get with Rainbow for this are worth the time I’ll pay for being part of a prison break.”

Twilight shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Just make sure you’re actually there when we need you and not off fantasizing.”

“Relax, everything’ll go smoothly on my end ‘cause the ship’s owner is locked up in the brig right now.” Zephyr stood up and headed for the door.

A few minutes later Twilight would be standing in front of the head bosun’s office and knock on the door.

“Come in,” Pinkie said from the other side of the door.

Stepping in Twilight cringed at remembering how cluttered the office was. “Did you get my note earlier?”

Pinkie paused in the graph she was making and looked up at Twilight. “It’s a big favor you’re asking for.”

“I know, but I can’t just sit by and let Rainbow and Tempest be punished for something they didn’t do.” Twilight stepped up to the desk. “Besides, I haven’t given you the whole plan so you can’t be implicated in it.”

“This’ll definitely cause ponies to lose faith in my dad. He’ll have to step down, take responsibility for this prison break.”

“Can you say that would be a bad thing?”

Pinkie looked down in thought, tapping a hoof for a few minutes before slowly shaking her head. “To be honest, I’ve thought he should step down anyways. I can’t say why I think that, it’s just....”

“It’s a feeling you can’t place or describe?” Twilight offered helpfully.

“Exactly, yeah. It’s time for him to step down and my sis to take his place.” Pinkie nodded and looked at Twilight. “Okay, I’ll set this up for you, but you owe me reeeeaaaally big.”

Chuckling, Twilight nodded her head. “I figured I would. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to keep this favor.”

“Well, that’s certainly a distraction,” Twilight said as she watched a cargo ship crash into several fighters on the deck of the Blue Manta. She shook her head and teleported onto a walkway under the ship, quickly heading up into the ship..

Twilight wasn’t familiar with the ship itself, but having been on almost every ship in the Canterlot Flotilla, she had the kind of experience and detail oriented mind to easily recognize one of the three layouts of architecture they used for this kind of model. It didn’t take long for Twilight to guide herself to the brig while avoiding the crew and the guards... mostly.

“Hey, what’re you doing down here?” A guard said from behind her.

Without saying anything Twilight whipped her head around and fired a sleep spell at the guard, hitting him between the eyes and making him clatter to the floor.

“Finally, you got my daisy sandwich and sunflower salad?” Rainbow’s voice said from a nearby cell after being alerted by the noise.

Twilight moved over to the cell, looking inside and seeing both Rainbow and Tempest. “No, but I do have a freedom burger.”

“Oh, hey Twilight.” Rainbow took a double take, “Wait- What’re you doing here?” Rainbow asked in confusion as Twilight stepped up to the door.

Without wasting a moment Twilight used her magic and unlocked the door to the cell. There was a purple flash from the lock, and the door swung open. “Getting you out of here.”

Rainbow paused for a moment and glanced around before saying, “You’re breaking us out? Why?”

“I don’t want you paying for something you didn’t do, so come on.”

“You realize this means you’ll get the same punishment as us, right?” Tempest said as she stood up, following Rainbow out of the cell. “Did you organize this all yourself?”

Twilight was already walking away when Tempest asked, there was only a slight head turn as she answered, “No. I had some help.” before she began stalking down a random hallway at the other end of the brig that didn’t lead anywhere. Rainbow and Tempest shared a look for a moment before tentatively following after Twilight.

“Who’s helping you with a prison break?” Rainbow asked as she caught up to where Twilight had stopped at the dead end.

“Zephyr Breeze.” She said, inspecting the wall, still not really listening.

“Oh, so that’s the crash we heard earlier,” Tempest said, shaking her head.

“No. That was a favor I asked Pinkie for. Zephyr procured our escape ship and is just waiting for the signal,” Twilight said as she stopped next to a window, her horn charging up with magic, bathing the dark hallway in ambient violet light

“What signal?” Tempest yelled over the sound of spellcasting filling the empty hallway.

Instead of answering Twilight turned to the wall and loosed a huge beam of magic that burned through the wall and shot upwards into the sky, harmlessly petering out after a few seconds.

“.... Yeah, I’d say that’s a good signal,” Rainbow said as she looked around through the hole in the wall. It took only a few seconds for a large ship to come down and line up its door with the hole, and less time for the door to open and the three of them to leap inside.

“You go and take over flying, Rainbow. You’re the best of us all so you should get us away,” Twilight said as she closed the door.

“Right, gotta have the best pilot flying a stolen ship.” Rainbow shook her head and headed for the front of the ship.

Tempest followed after Rainbow as she said, “We’ll need to get strapped in, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride out of here.”

Twilight followed after to the bridge of the ship, Rainbow having already taken Zephyr’s spot in the pilot’s chair. “Shouldn’t be, it looked like the distraction somehow managed to wreck all the fighters that Shining has, and with Pinkie on our side we don’t have to worry about Everfree pilots coming after us.”

Looking over the radar, Rainbow said, “Looks like Twi’s right. The only thing coming after us are missiles from the carrier. Tempest, you’re a good shot, take the weapons and shoot them down.”

Tempest nodded and moved over to an empty seat with a console in front of it, flipping a few switches. “Looks like all we got ourselves is missiles. I’ll be quick.” She pressed a few more buttons before the ship shook a little and faint explosions were heard behind them. “There, looks like we have a clear horizon now.”

Twilight nodded and moved over to sit down in front of the comms unit. “Feels nice to finally outsmart my brother.”

“Hey, we aren’t gonna keep you from gloating if that’s what you want,” Zephyr said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, besides, how else will he know who’s responsible?” Rainbow said, diving into the calm clouds and leveling off within the safe zone.

Twilight thought for a few seconds before nodding. “You’re right. I can’t just let him wonder.” Twilight turned on the comms unit but paused, there was already a transmission playing.

“Moon’s Shadow....”

Changing Course

Author's Note

Sorry for this chapter being so late! I had a block and life got in the way, BUT! A Youtube channel that I follow put out a new song and it helped me get past that block. Hopefully I won't have this problem again for the chapters left in this story.

(In case you want to know what song it was, Just click this link.)

Changing Course

The four of them sat in shock as they listened.

“This is the Crystal Empire Flotilla, calling for any help. We’re under attack, I repeat, we are under attack from belo-.... Holy Celestia... it’s the Moon’s Shadow.”

Under attack? Twilight felt the fur on the back of her neck stand up, How could they? Even the Moon’s Shadow wouldn’t want to take on an entire Flotilla. She looked around at the others to gauge their responses. Everyone seemed to be taking it the same as she was, everyone but Rainbow Dash. Her eyes narrowed, and Twilight watched her clench her jaw.

The prismatic mare in question was the one to break the silence saying, “Welp, time to head anywhere but the Crystal Empire.”

“We can’t just leave them to die, Rainbow,” Zephyr said, a small frown appearing on his muzzle while he turned to look at her. “I mean, the ship has space for at least a few dozen in the hold.”

“We won’t be able to withstand a single assault from a destroyer,” Tempest said.

“We won’t have to if we approach from the right way,” Twilight said distractedly, her mind racing.

“Twi, I’m grateful that you broke us out, but there’s no way we’re going to go there,” Rainbow said, shaking her head.

Twilight was interrupted from commenting on the sudden nickname asa new voice suddenly spoke up from the entrance to the bridge saying, “Could you be quieter? Trixie is trying to sleep.”

Turning to the doorway, they all saw a light blue unicorn with a two-tone silver mane with a sleeping mask over her eyes.

Rainbow looked at Zephyr and said, “Great, we were trying to not be accused of foalnapping, and you go and do it anyway.”

“Hey, last I heard she was in jail,” Zephyr said as he held his hooves up defensively.

“Yes, that... Trixie... found the door to her cell open suddenly after all of the guards left to do something,” Trixie said with a yawn, turning to head out of the bridge. “Make sure you don’t damage Trixie’s ship.”

Rainbow threw her hooves up and said, “Great, we have an actual criminal that escaped. No, scratch that, we stole the ship of a criminal that escaped.”

“Hey, relax Rainbows, we’ve already gotten away from danger,” Zephyr said placatingly.

“Well we’re going to find more. Turn our heading for the Crystal Empire,” Twilight said, looking to Rainbow.

Rainbow looked at Twilight for a few long seconds before saying, “I knew you were insane. There’s no way we’re going to go hoof to hoof with a destroyer.”

“I’m not saying for us to try to fight the Moon’s Shadow. Look, my thought is this; they’ll be expecting us to go to neutral territory that isn’t very dangerous. The last place they’d think to look for us is a place that everyone knows will be dangerous. Plus, the Crystal flotilla is allied with Canterlot, it isn’t likely that word would spread there for them to be on the lookout for us.”

“And what’re we gonna do about the literal demon from the War?” Rainbow asked.

“We stay out of the Moon’s Shadow’s sight and keep our radar signal quiet.” Twilight turned the comms unit off. “Besides, my brother will expect us to go anywhere that’s safe and out of Canterlot’s range of influence. With the Crystal Empire being neither of those right now, it’s the best place for us to go. I’ll turn off the transponder before you change our heading.”

Rainbow shook her head. “I still don’t see why we have to risk something like this just to be safe.”

Twilight stood up and headed for the door to the hallway. “Because we can do good by getting ponies out of there, make it so there’s more good than bad that comes with us being still alive. If you have a better idea to clear our names, go ahead and ignore me.”

Rainbow just stared at the doorway after Twilight left until Tempest spoke up, “You know she’s right. This is a good opportunity to try to get Canterlot to drop charges.”

Zephyr nodded and said, “I’d rather head to Kludgetown, but she has a point.”

“It’s also a pretty good opportunity to get blown to smithereens…” Rainbow added on, trailing off. Tempest shrugged and left to go about preparing the ship.

Twilight groaned as another bolt fell out of place. Whomever maintained this ship was doing a poor job, or half of it, depending on how you looked at it. Fixing the transponder was easy, it was putting it back that Twilight was still currently working on.

“I think if you look at that bolt hole any harder, it’s going to end up wider.”

Twilight jumped, and stepped back and away from the open systems. She spun, and saw Zephyr standing in the small doorway that led into the systems space just in front of the engine.

“Here.” He trotted forwards, leaned down, and scooped up a wrench in his wing in a smooth motion. Twilight, still too out of it to respond, watched as he displayed an incredible series of several actions at once. The component lifted into place, bolts spun into sockets, and were tightened down by the wrench. If Twilight hadn’t literally seen him do it with his own hooves, she would have suspected he was a unicorn in disguise.

“There.” He said, patting it like a proud engineer would.

“You didn’t tighten it all the way.” She used her telekinesis, gently shaking the part in question, it wiggled, like she expected.

“Well you haven’t checked if it works yet, right?” He shrugged, “That, and we can finish later, you’re hungry.” He said, more as a statement than a question.

“I-”

He rolled his eyes, though his smirk betrayed his amusement. “It’s practically sundown, you’ve been down here for hours.”

“I have?” Her stomach grumbled just then, as if it too had just been reminded of its existence.

“Yes. Dinner’s ready, come up topside and fill your belly first, head bosun.”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she headed for the door saying, “I doubt I’ll ever hold that title again with how I helped get Tempest and Rainbow escape. Kind of a deal breaker when you side with supposed criminals instead of your boss.”

Zephyr chuckled as he followed after her. “I’d suspect that’d be a deal breaker no matter where you go, but at least you now have friends for life.”

Twilight stopped to look back at Zephyr in confusion, but he passed her without saying another word. She shuffled in place for a second before following after him. It took a few minutes for Zephyr to lead the way, but they eventually came to the dining room where Tempest, Rainbow, and Trixie were already eating.

“Ah, the final two of the group. I had thought you might’ve taken a bedroom,” Trixie said teasingly, earning her a silent glare from Rainbow.

Twilight blushed a bit as she moved to sit down and said, “No, your ship just needs a lot of work. Looked like someone partially took the transponder apart and gave up on trying to put it back together.”

“Well yes, Trixie is a performer, not a mechanic. It broke and... well, not many are willing to pay for entertainment.”

“How do you make your money, then?” Tempest asked, a cautious look on her face.

“Taking ponies where they want to go, occasionally taking a cargo job, you know, the usual stuff.” Trixie shrugged as she glanced around at them. “Speaking of which, I do enjoy a good story myself. I’m curious as to why you took my ship.”

Twilight nods and gives Trixie a wave saying, “That would be because we needed a way off of Everfree and needed enough space for the four of us. Nothing smaller than a cargo ship seemed like it would be big enough, and with you said to be in jail, your ship was the only one we knew would be empty.... Well, it was presumed empty.”

“And why was it you needed a way off?”

“Twi and Zeph busted me and Tempest out of jail,” Rainbow said suddenly. “What is it with the twenty questions?”

“If I’m going to make a story out of this, I do need details.”

Tempest scoffed and rolled her eyes, swallowing a bite and saying, “Sure, while we’re at it we might as well share our life stories.”

“That... might actually be a good idea,” Twilight said with a thoughtful expression.

Rainbow shook her head as she said, “I’m gonna need a bottle of Sunshine if I’m gonna bring up anything.”

“If you don’t mind, I could tell it,” Zephyr said, setting his spoon down. “You told me everything I wasn’t there for anyways.”

Rainbow sighed and stood up, heading for the bridge. “Fine. Gotta make sure that the autopilot hasn’t taken us off course.”

Twilight watched silently as Rainbow left the room, waiting until she was gone before looking at Zephyr and saying, “I... get the feeling that we won’t like what we’re going to hear.”

Zephyr shook his head. “It’s... not something that can be brought up a lot, and Rainbow blames herself for what happened. Hell, I blame myself for the gate malfunctioning.” They sat there for a few moments in silence before Zephyr chuckled a bit. “First time I’ve left someone speechless. Anyways, when she was about twelve and I was ten, her and my sister.... Well, they were playing in an empty pen while I was learning how to replace the controls for the doors. The power was supposed to have been turned off and there wasn’t supposed to have been anything in the habitat connected to the pen, but... I connected the last wire to the console in the wrong place, and that shorted out the whole thing. Opened up the door that led to the habitat and the door to the control room started to close.”

Zephyr closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pausing for a few moments to steady himself. “I-it was Rainbow’s family’s ship, so her parents were watching over the three of us and when the doors started to move, they went into the pen and tried to get Rainbow and Fluttershy - my sister - out, but the door closed before they got to it.... I guess the Storm Creature had been a dragon before it was mutated as it was spewing fire as Rainbow’s parents tried to fight it while Stripped Gear - the pony teaching me - fixed the controls for the door. He got it partially working and I was pulling on the door to get it to open faster, but it stopped part way open. I managed to pull Rainbow through the opening, but.... The creature noticed us as Fluttershy was getting to the door.”

There was an even longer pause, and when Zephyr spoke again his voice was thick with emotion. “I-I don’t know why she stopped and turned back, but she did right before the creature sent a wave of flames towards her. I know the fire would’ve gone around the door a-and killed the rest of us, so she did the smart thing and saved us by using the emergency close in the pen, but she didn’t deserve to go like that....”

Suddenly Tempest stood up and moved around the table, putting an arm around Zephyr’s shoulders . She made a face like she was about to say something, but the words died, and she leaned into the hug. Zephyr’s wing opened and went around Tempest, pulling her a bit closer as a quiet sob escaped him.

Twilight stared on in silence. Of course, things like that weren’t uncommon in the flotillas, but Twilight was always above it, reading the reports on a paper. She’d never seen… This… It was raw and painful, and the empathy in her made her feel guilty for all of the deaths she’d seen come and go. Before she realized it she was up and part way around the table, moving to give Zephyr a hug from the opposite side from Tempest.

Zephyr moved to say something, only to stop and put his other wing around Twilight as tears finally started to leak from his eyes.

Sound the Bugle

Author's Note

I know it's been a long while since I last posted and I'm sorry. Life has been in the way along with a bout of writer's block.

Sound the Bugle

Twilight was restless, sitting at the window of the room she had been given. The stories she heard earlier were still floating through her thoughts, making her open the window and let in a cool, strong breeze to try to clear her head. It wasn’t helping.

Hearing what had happened to Zephyr’s sister and Rainbow’s parents had been bad, but expected. Twilight had heard plenty of stories from Spike about this and that… but he’d never talked about the consequences, not in detail… now she knew why he never told her about the aftershocks.

Trixie told her story next, revealing that her mother had been just your average sky pirate that found love in a whirlwind fight against a captain and his crew. The ship they were on had been passed down to Trixie after a raid went wrong. Apparently the ship they had attacked had a single Particle Annihilator Core powering the whole thing and a fault or stray shot had sent the generator into a meltdown.

The sailors had simply started to talk. Sharing stories on the wind as sailors do. The action, something bordering on normalcy to pass the time. Tempest had grown up in a small flotilla called Vanhoover, and as far as she knew her parents were still living there. When she was old enough, Tempest bought a shuttle for her birthday and took her friends out on a flight. Disaster struck as the shuttle was attacked by a creature from The Storm, killing Tempest’s friends and breaking her horn before the unicorn was able to kill the Storm Creature herself. She floated on the creature’s corpse for a couple days before Rainbow found and rescued her. Tempest had been a loyal crew member since then.

Their stories made her realize that she had everything handed to her. Compared to them, her own struggles seemed... insignificant. A brother and parents that loved her, another she considered a brother came from her test to become Celestia’s student. The toughest thing she ever had to do was gather evidence against those that were stealing from Canterlot, and that wasn’t more than snooping around some.

A voice broke through her thoughts, floating on the breeze. It took Twilight a few moments to recognize that it was Rainbow Dash singing, “Sound the Bugle now, play it just for me...”

Why is she...? Twilight thought, confused as Rainbow continued.

“As the seasons change, remember how I used to be.”

Her eyes widened as she realized this wasn’t something she should be hearing, that Rainbow thought she was the only one awake. The tears were audible in her tone, her attempts at song to comfort herself choking between memories. I can’t even imagine what she’s going through, and she’s hiding how much it’s hurting her from everyone....

“Now I can't go on, I can't even start. I got nothing left, just an empty heart...”

“I don’t like the sound of this...” Twilight muttered to herself.

“I'm a soldier, wounded so I must give up the fight. There's nothing more for me, lead me away... Or leave me lying here.”

Twilight’s ears folded back and she grimaced. I need to do something....

“Sound the bugle now, tell them I don't care. There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere... Without a light, I fear that I will stumble in the dark. Lay right down, decide not to go on...”

Another voice barely reached Twilight, singing, “Then from on high, somewhere in the distance. There's a voice that calls-”

Acting quickly, Twilight stuck her head out of her window and loudly sang, “Remember who you are! If you lose yourself, your courage soon will follow.” Some bond of emotion struck out at her, and her voice lowered, “So be strong tonight, remember who you are...”

A short pause filled with only Twilight’s heart in her throat, and the second voice continued. Now with her head poking out of the window, Twilight recognized Tempest’s voice, clear as day. “You’re a soldier now, fighting in a battle, to be free once more.”

Twilight couldn’t make out the rest of what was said. She pulled her head back inside and sat, her thoughts a whirl of nothing conclusive. After a few more minutes a knock came from her door.

Opening the door, Twilight saw Rainbow standing there, looking just as awkward as Twilight felt intruding on the moment. Tempest right behind her with an unreadable expression.

“Hey, can we come in?” Rainbow asked, rubbing her right front hoof against her left foreleg.

Twilight didn’t quite know how to answer that. She stepped back from the door and made space for them to enter as she stared. Being head bosun didn’t prepare me for this…

“So…” Rainbow looked around, anywhere except Twilight, “You heard all that huh?”

“Y-yeah...” Twilight sighed and sat down on the bed. “I don’t know how... that affected you, but I couldn’t just stay quiet. I’ve heard plenty of stories and tragedies, but...”

“It’s never been so close before,” Tempest spoke up, glancing at the door and deciding to close it.

Twilight nodded, looking down at the floor. “Yeah, and hearing your pasts... it feels like I don’t belong.”

“It’s not about ‘belonging’.” Tempest almost irritably corrected.

“Yeah- you stuck with us. That was a choice, not something that you were born into.” Rainbow shrugged, “That makes you okay in my books.”

Looking at Rainbow, Twilight started to say something only to be interrupted by Tempest, “Don’t. You think yourself lesser because you’ve had a cushy, happy life after hearing about us. I’m actually glad that you don’t know how we feel. That you haven’t lost anyone.”

“I agree,” Rainbow said, still looking awkward. “I don’t know about Zeph or Trixie, but it’s... comforting, that you’re here?” She sighs and shakes her head. “I’m really bad at this sort of stuff.”

Twilight chuckled, “I don’t think I know anyone that’s good at this aside from Celestia herself, but she’s had centuries.”

“Yeah... Still, I’d rather you were here instead of heading back to Canterlot.” Rainbow moved over and sat next to Twilight, putting an arm around her withers.

Before they could say anything else, the ship was rocked by an explosion and the last thing Twilight saw was a beam from the ceiling heading straight for her.