Cutter

With the above principle in mind, even a non-unicorn would have no issue making use of enchanted tools such as we have described earlier in this chapter.

It is this author's proposal, therefore, that the mass production of such tools would provide far more magically inept creatures opportunities traditionally only taken by unicorns. In particular, the assembly and operation of certain machines which hooves are unable to perform, such as the mechanisms found in

In

Yeah, I can't read that word.

I stifled a yawn and leaned back in my chair, setting the book on my desk before stretching my arms above my head. My eyes were bleary from the dim candlelight I'd been reading with, but I was still wide awake. Blinking until my eyes refocused, I turned and idly scanned my room. My bed was right beside my desk, which let me quickly slip from study to sleep, which had been my schedule for the past couple of weeks; I hadn't had much else to do as Celestia was busy with affairs of state, and Luna-

Anyway, things had been dull for me, not that I minded it. It gave me plenty of time to study. There was still a bunch to learn about Equestria, from the intricacies of the three tribes to sharpening my ability to read written Equestrian. I thanked God or whoever was in charge of random acts of magical mischief that spoken Equestrian was magic and so it sounded the same to everyone. I can't imagine how I'd have coped over the last eight months if I hadn't been able to even speak with anyone.

Especially Luna.

Probably similar to how I'm coping now, actually.

That thought urged a shuddering sigh out of me and I rose from my seat before stepping out onto the little tower balcony attached to my room. Like other nights before tonight, my gaze was immediately cast skyward at the moon and stars. I took a shallow breath of the chilly autumn air as I took in the sight of the new and distinctive markings plastered on the face of the alabaster stellar body: A huge cluster of craters forming the shape of a pony's head in profile.

I didn't have a solid enough understanding of the Elements or magic to know what exactly had happened to her. Celestia said she was still alive up there, but that idea wasn't much comfort. I gripped and leaned on the balcony railing as I again found myself anxiously dreaming up what she might have been going through up there. I hadn't seen what happened and sure the castle was partially wrecked, but still.

I can't say I saw this solution as being entirely fair.

A crash split the night air and caused me to jump. Looking down to scan the valley and courtyard for the source, I spied a small team of night laborers who were hard at work trying to clear the debris from one of the collapsed outer towers. Seemingly, the lowest portion of the tower which survived the battle, had finally fallen and nearly buried someone, if the stomping rant the foreman was performing was any indication.

The sight drew my gaze across the rest of the castle, which wasn't in a much better state. I was lucky enough to be considered the royal sisters' pet freak and so I was granted one of the comparatively few bedrooms still available. Most of the staff weren't so lucky, and now tents and bonfires littered the courtyard, a temporary arrangement while the princess and her advisors figured out what to do next.

Suddenly, a fluttering noise popped up behind me and I turned to see Celestia gently fly up and onto the balcony beside me.

"Hello, James," she greeted with a warm tone and smile.

"Hey, Princess," I replied, a bit sharper than I meant to, before looking away.

"How does it look this evening?" She asked as she trotted up right beside me. Glancing back at her, I saw her attention turned skyward and my eyes drifted that way as well.

"Good. I think you did good," I replied.

"Wonderful," she hummed. After a brief stint of silence, I noticed she was focused on the moon and her smile had lost some of its warmth. Grimacing for a moment I cleared my throat.

"How are you holding up?" I asked, at which her ear swiveled my way and she hummed again.

"As well as I can," she said with a slight nod. Her smile waned completely and she sighed. "I simply can't afford to-" Another crash down below made us both jump.

"Careful!" Someone screamed.

"Don't yell! Ponies are sleeping!" Someone screamed back. Celestia huffed as she watched the labor team far below.

"Let things keep me down," she murmured before offering me a weary smile. "For instance, Chamberlain believes it would be more economical to simply relocate rather than finish repairs on the castle." She tilted her head back.

"I-" Her expression fell as she scanned the rest of the castle. In particular, I noticed her gaze fell hard upon a particular tower that had remained unoccupied this whole time. Specifically, she seemed to be lingering on the sight of a brass telescope sitting on its highest balcony. "Am not entirely opposed to the idea." As we both stared at the telescope, she suddenly perked up and whirled around to face me.

"Oh! On the topic of moving, how do you feel about traveling?" She chirped and tilted her head. I hesitated and recoiled.

"Traveling?" I murmured, finally processing her question and responding with a mild shrug. "I mean, it's cool, I guess. Why?" She blinked and waved a hoof.

"No, not the idea, I mean the action," she explained with a giggle before tilting her head again. "How would you like to travel?"

"Uh," I huffed. Before I could say or do anything more, she took a step closer and nodded.

"I think it could do wonders for you with everything that's happened," she declared with a noticeable hint of urgency in her voice. "Some time away from your desk to get your mind off of things." She smiled again and fixed me with an expectant look. But just like her tone, I could see a subtle desperation in her eyes that caused me to frown.

"Celestia, what's happening?" I demanded, leaning against the rail and folding my arms. She held her smile, but her eyes widened in surprise before her entire facade collapsed with a miserable sigh.

"There is an increasingly vocal minority calling for blood, James," she finally replied, sitting down beside me with her head hanging for a moment before fixing me with a severe look. "Yours." I flinched at her explanation.

"Me? What did I do?" I gasped, throwing my hands up.

"Everypony knows that Discord summoned you during our final confrontation," she said before rolling her eyes with a scowl. "Though most conveniently forget that he did so only to quite literally throw you at Luna and me." Yeah, me, a flying purple hippo, six goats, and a jellyfish which was the only living projectile he summoned that actually hit either sister.

I however was the only projectile with enough wherewithal to question what the hell had happened after the fact, and as a result, was the only one the sisters took into their care. Luna had been insistent, while Celestia was still nursing her jellyfish sting. Despite how literally world-shaking the experience had been, I found myself smiling at the memory until Celestia spoke again.

"And there's," she clenched her teeth with a quiet hiss. Her eyes slowly closed and she shook her head. "Another point of contention for these ponies. Your friendship with Luna." My eyebrows shot up and I felt a chill dance up my skin. Celestia held her expression for a moment before hanging her head again.

"They believe that since you were summoned by one villain and were close with," her mouth hung open as she struggled to get the words out. "With another-"

"What, that I'm going to hurt someone?" I spat, folding my arms again with an anxious grunt. My eyes drifted down to the ponies working below us for a moment. Celestia meanwhile shot me a look of relief.

"Right? It's ridiculous, I know!" She cried before throwing her head back with a groan. "But they've made up their minds that you're not to be trusted." I rolled my eyes.

"So what? Who cares if some ponies just don't like me?" I huffed.

"We intercepted an assassin, James," she replied with her head still thrown back. I felt another chill. "One of the maids who was preparing your food." I stared at her in shock for a while before she made a curt laugh and nodded at me.

"Honestly, for once I'm glad you ignored my request to eat more regularly," she said with a sad smile, her eyes drifting off to the side of the balcony. "If you hadn't, well." My gaze again fell to the ponies in the courtyard below.

"What's more, the Griffinstone colony near Trottingham has levied complaints against Equestrian farmers," Celestia continued, her tone becoming more miserable as she spoke. "My military advisors have received word that King Grover is sending a trio of warships to defend his colonists." She took a sharp breath.

"Beyond that, despite Sombra and the Crystal Empire disappearing entirely, some of his followers have resurfaced and started causing trouble in the north," she exhaled hard and her wings sagged. Her mane even began to lose some of its luster. "And of course, using my sister as justification, I've become the target of a large number of unsavory headlines, calling for me to step down from the throne, which has incentivized a few settlements and cities to consider secession." My attention finally turned back to her, though I could only murmur in response. I knew she was busy, but good God. When it rains it pours, I guess.

"And then my guards tell me they caught somepony attempting to kill you. As unstable as the country and everything is, I'm afraid," she hesitated and her eyes wandered before she finally turned to face me. "I'm afraid I can't guarantee your safety here." My breathing was suddenly difficult and I gripped the rail for dear life.

"So- So, shit," I gasped, bringing my free hand to the top of my head. "What am I supposed to do?" Her eyes shot down for a moment and she nodded before scooting closer and slipping a wing around my back.

"Well, like I said," she hummed, gently hugging me with her wing. "I think some time traveling could do you some good."

One of the guards forming the protective ring around Celestia and me bumped into me and nearly toppled me over. "Hey!" She cried as I stumbled and caught myself.

"Sorry!" I cried back as I resumed the brisk pace we were being urged on at. This was the first time I'd left central Equestria, and the first time in months I'd left the vicinity of the royal castle, so I'd wound up freezing as I took in the sight of Vanhoover. There was a palisade wall wrapping from the shoreline to where we'd landed, and throughout the wall's interior were a mix of log cabins, some with as many as two stories, and more official-looking brick buildings. The latter of these all had signs hanging over their doors, which added to the idea they served some official purpose, but I couldn't make out exactly what all of them said due to my shoddy Equestrian and the speed we were moving.

At any rate, we rapidly approached the harbor, where a lot of the local ponies were hard at work, unloading or loading heavy crates and such from or onto the ships lining the shore. As they parted for our procession, we drew near a two-masted ship that was currently being loaded and had a small line of guards at attention along its part of the dock.

"The Quicksilver," Celestia said as we approached the gangplank. My gaze drifted upward as we boarded, and I could spy out a team of pegasi hard at work in the rigging. "I believe it's classified as a brig. No cannons, as the route we've decided upon is very well guarded, especially for the Lunar Sea, and a crew of fifteen, not counting the captain and her quartermaster." Once we made it to the main deck, as my attention was still on the ponies in the rigging, I found myself floored by the sheer height of the masts.

"Wow," I murmured, my eyes drifting to and fro. I wound up getting a look at the rest of the deck as a result. There was a pair of long hatches in the middle, between the two masts, down which cargo was being lowered. To the front of the ship, the bow I was pretty sure, was a big raised platform with a similar raised part toward the back, the stern. The portion at the stern had a pair of stairs leading up to it which surrounded both a set of doors and the helm. I had a feeling the doors led to the captain's cabin but found it strange the helm would be set so low. As for the front bit, I could see a pair of doors leading under it as well but had no idea what lay on the other side.

If I hadn't spotted a narrow stair between the hatches leading below decks, I would have thought that was the way to get to the lower levels. I guessed that was a mystery I could investigate during the coming days. Or weeks. Or, well, however long was I stuck on here.

Now remembering this ship was going to be my home for who knows how long sobered me up from the excitement of seeing a real live sailing ship up close. Before I could dwell on it much, Celestia tapped my back with a wing. Turning, I was greeted with the sight of a pair of new ponies: One, a unicorn with a grey coat, blonde mane, and bright, toothy smile, was wearing a bicorn hat and a yellow uniform. The other, also a unicorn, had a similar uniform with a white coat and an orange mane. Of the two, the hatless guy looked less enthused to see me or Celestia but still wore a meager smile.

"James, this is Captain Quicksilver," Celestia explained nodding to the one with the hat. Her horn lit up and she tipped her hat to me with a slight bow.

"Hello," I said, mimicking the gesture.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Cutter," she chirped in a sugar-sweet tone before hopping next to me and nudging me with her flank. "Don't worry about a thing! The princess explained the situation and I promise you you're perfectly safe aboard this ship!" She brushed her chest with a hoof before sweeping the same hoof toward the crew working around us. Her partner hummed and looked around at the crew alongside me. Most of the other ponies weren't in uniforms, though I did spy one wearing a bandana, another wearing a scarf, and-

I blinked and did a double-take. Toward the bow of the ship and exiting through one of the doors came a zebra in a red coat with a yellow sash around her chest and an auburn unicorn with a black mane and goatee. He was also wearing a wide-brimmed grey hat that matched his overcoat and had thick, round black glasses on.

"The whole crew was specially vetted by myself and the princess' agents to make certain nopony unsavory got aboard," Quicksilver explained as she swept her hoof across the deck before her attention fell upon the zebra and unicorn as the pair stood talking. She snorted and her hoof hit the deck with a sharp click. "Mostly nopony unsavory." I furrowed my brow.

"Who is that?" I murmured.

"James, this way," Celestia called, at which point I realized she'd stepped away from the captain and me and was making her way down below decks followed by the guards carrying my luggage. I bowed to the captain before hurrying after her. Once I made it to the stairs, I glanced up at the unicorn and zebra again. At that moment, the zebra looked back at me, drawing the sinister unicorn's attention my way as well.

While he only tilted his glasses down to cast a critical and unimpressed leer my way, she fixed me with a subdued and knowing smile. As I stood there gawking at the pair, I was again bumped and nearly sent tumbling down the stairs.

"Don't you dawdle! Keep the damn stair clear!" A sharp old voice snapped.

"Sorry!" I cried turning to see a one-eyed and grizzled green pegasus who shook his head at me before flying back to the rigging. Huffing at the angry little pony, I spared another glance at the peculiar pair before hurrying down below decks.

At the bottom of the stairs, I immediately spotted Celestia stepping through a door that was set on the left side of a narrow corridor beneath the raised rear deck.

"This is your cabin," she said once I'd caught up and followed her inside. Or at least, I tried to follow her inside. "I had some of your books already delivered and you'll find a few changes of clothes in that wardrobe. Captain Quicksilver or her quartermaster, Happy Bay, can help you around the ship once things are underway." Once the guards dumped my bag and filed out, I was able to get a better look at the cabin.

"Seems pretty cramped," I appraised. There was a bed and a desk, like the ones I'd had back at the castle, but they were smushed up against each other, as the room was so narrow there was no space otherwise. In fact, the bookshelf and wardrobe were also pressed against each other, with the former coming right up to the foot of my bed. All in all, I had about five square feet of room to walk around in, and most of that was currently taken up by Celestia. At the very least, I had a hatched window to look through.

"Well, it was built with ponies in mind," Celestia mused, stepping to the side and allowing me space to step in. "But it'll still be fun! Rolling across the waves, hearing sea shanties!" She tilted her head down to better meet my eyes as I considered my new living space.

"And it's only for a little while. Just until things have smoothed out here at home," she offered with a sympathetic smile. I sighed at her words and considered the narrow space again as well as the sounds of the sea through my window. Carefully stepping past her, I pushed on the hatch and fixed it open, giving me a clear view of the harbor and the horizon beyond. Focusing on it and her words for a moment, I managed a smile.

"Yeah, and I guess it's not the first time I've had my living situation shaken up," I said with a curt laugh before turning back to her with a meager smile. "Least this time I'm on the same planet." Despite my attempt at a joke, she blinked and her ear twitched.

"I'm sorry, James," she suddenly said causing me to flinch.

"For what?" I asked.

"For all of this," she murmured, shaking her head before hanging it. "Luna and I-" She clenched her eyes and turned her head with a grunt.

"We were both still getting used to all of this governing business," she continued, finally opening her eyes and looking through the window with a sorrowful expression. "If I were older, wiser, maybe-" The creaking of the ship around us and the waves outside were the only sound for a short while.

"Maybe a lot of things could have been prevented," she finally said in a near whisper. I stood with my arms drooped at my sides and my eyes also focused on the sea outside. After a short silence, I considered her with my brow furrowed.

"It's not your fault," I offered. Her eyes drifted down before she turned to face me again. We held each other's gaze for a few seconds before she donned a serene smile and nodded.

"Make yourself comfortable. I need to go speak with the captain and then I have to return to the castle," she said before squeezing past me for the door, brushing my shoulder with a wing as she did. "I'll see you soon, alright?"

"Yeah, see you soon," I replied with a nod. She bowed her head at me slightly before stepping through the door and pulling it shut. Once I was alone, I sank down onto my mattress and cupped my head in my hands with my elbows on my knees. Eventually, my attention returned to the window and I sat up on my knees to lean on it and get a better look outside.

As I watched the waves and the sails filling the harbor, a splash suddenly caught my attention. Glancing down toward its source, I saw the ripples from where whatever had fallen had hit the water. To my surprise, a teal pony's head suddenly popped out of the water. They gasped a breath and shook their sea-green mane before looking up at the ship's side with a frown before swimming out of sight. I furrowed my brow at the sight before returning my attention to the horizon.

"Crewmate must've fallen in," I muttered.