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The Empire of the Moon on FIMFiction.net (not preffered: please read on Google Docs!)

Hours later, Derpy found herself on a winding road on the side of a mountain overlooking Canterlot, in a steep ravine between two peaks. She was in the midst of what felt like a howling mob, and was only glad that nopony was paying attention to her.

Up ahead was a huge building built into the side of the mountain and a long wooden dock extending over the ravine, built like a bridge, and connected to a huge airship like nothing she’d ever seen before. She had an idea of what sailing ships looked like, from stories, illustrations and pictures, but she’d never been to a city with a real dock, and the ship at the end of the dock was huge; the gas bag on top of it was bigger than the town hall of Ponyville, though Derpy hadn’t managed to get any good looks at it.

She didn’t like the crowd, but Luna was next to her, so she wasn’t getting any attention as the newsponies hurled questions at Luna, questions like “Do you have any comment on the sun being frozen in the sky,” or “is it true that the crowns have unilaterally requisitioned the only airship in Canterlot without compensation to the owner,” and even “do you believe your sister has anything to do with the abnormalities of the sun?”

Luna was steadfastly ignoring them, though Derpy could tell it had irritated her when the reporter asked if she thought Celestia had anything to do with the sun going haywire. Derpy felt annoyed, too, and wanted to tell the newspony to go away, but one of Luna’s bat-winged guards stepped in first, crowding the newspony away from Luna, and letting Derpy breathe a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay,” Luna asked her, and Derpy nodded. “Yeah, even though that big snooty jerkhead should be told to go home,” she muttered, and Luna smiled at her. Derpy smiled back, lifting her head up to look around the crowd; a huge wagon full of goods was being carted towards the dock, behind which she saw Twilight and the other girls from Ponyville. They were being crowded, too, which Derpy didn’t like, especially the way Fluttershy was cowering. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were on either side of her, and Rainbow Dash was behind her, wings spread, trying to project a bubble of security, but Derpy didn’t think it was working out too well.

“Luna?” Luna looked down at her, and Derpy sighed. “Could you do that scary voice you did on Nightmare Night? Make everypony back off and give us some room?” Luna chuckled at her, and looked around, craning her neck over the crowd, and getting a mishmash of jumbled questions hurled at her, and blinking from the flashes of cameras. “I am strongly considering it,” Luna assured her, but a shadow flitted over them, a hush falling over the crowd before Derpy could reply.

Princess Celestia herself soared over the crowd, and not on the chariot she usually rode for public appearances, cruising over the crowd on the wing, flanked by a quartet of pegasus royal guards, alighting on the ledge above the roar, next to the building. The crowd turned to look at her, and silence reigned for a moment. Celestia took a breath, but the reporters started hurling questions and requests for comments from her.

It was quite a world away from the response the Princesses got in quiet Ponyville. Derpy didn’t know if it was due to the Capital being more accustomed to the presence of the Princesses, ruder in general, or due to the exceptional circumstances of the sun beating directly down on them at around 8 PM in mid-autumn.

Celestia looked annoyed, though, and she sucked in more breath. Derpy, recognizing the signs of what was coming, dropped to the path and put her hooves over her ears.

“Be silent, and We shall speak!” The Princess’s voice boomed over the crowd, the Princess stamping her gold-clad hoof and throwing her wings wide, head high, while everypony who was still on their hooves dove for the ground, save Luna herself and the royal guards. Derpy nudged herself closer until she pressed against Luna’s hooves, trembling in fear from the Princess’ booming voice. With the crowd silent, Celestia lowered her wings and head. “Neither We, Our sister, nor any of our agents, shall be taking questions at this time,” she said, her voice carrying, though at a reasonably conversant level. “We shall issue a short statement at this time, and then We require that all ponies who are not part of the endeavor at hoof depart immediately. A more formal press conference shall be held on the morrow.”

As ponies’ heads started to rise, Celestia took in a breath. “As you are all aware, the sun has ceased its movement in the sky at approximately the zenith. I will state on the record now that it is not the doing of Ourself, Our sister, or any agents thereof. There have been sightings of a strong rainbow blast of energy into the sky from the royal tower. This was not, as some have speculated, a Sonic Rainboom, but was the effect of the Elements of Harmony being utilized by their bearers on Our command. Shortly thereafter, We are sure that all of you are aware, the sun moved to its proper place in the sky for a brief time, and then the royal shield was erected over Canterlot before falling suddenly.”

Celestia succinctly restated the events that Derpy was sure everypony present knew, but it seemed to be invigorating the newsponies, who were all on their hooves again, writing furiously. “The truth,” Princess Celestia began, “Is that an as-yet unknown power has usurped control of the Sun and Moon from Our sister and Us, and when we began to rectify the situation by calling upon the Elements of Harmony to add their strength to our own, an immensely powerful magical attack was directed at Canterlot Castle.”

Celestia could have continued speaking, but it was pointless; the crowd burst into shouts, questions hurled at her. Derpy looked up at her; far from anger, the expression on her face was one of annoyance, and she rolled her eyes. That made Derpy smile, feeling somewhat better, even as her eye focus switched, and she suddenly found the eye she was focusing on looking up to see Luna’s wings spread.

Derpy covered her ears again, as Luna stamped her far hoof on the ground. A cracking peal of thunder emanated out from the sound of the impact, silencing everypony, and Luna raised her voice. “My sister commands you, be silent and listen! She is still explaining!”

She hadn’t broken into the thundering Royal Canterlot Voice, or the regnal plural; but then, she hadn’t needed to. Everypony was immediately silenced, looking back at Luna, then back to Celestia, who smiled. “Thank you, Luna. As We were saying, the castle was attacked; an attack which was adequately rebuffed by the Captain of Our Royal Guards, Prince Shining Armor, Our niece, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and Our Champions, the Elements of Harmony. An expedition is being mounted immediately to travel to the source of the foreign magic which is at work, and rectify the situation, an expedition which is being led by my sister, the Princess Luna, and my own faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, who together exercise the full authority of the Equestrian monarchy on Our behalf.”

Derpy stood up, as Celestia gestured with her wings; everypony’s eyes had swiveled to look at Twilight Sparkle, who was looking back at her friends with an expression of utter shock on her face. Twilight looked up to Princess Celestia, who was already continuing in her speech. “The events of the day have been confusing for everypony, and dangerous for some. It is nearly absolute fact that trying times are ahead of us, but Equestria has weathered trying times before, and shall weather them again! Panic will not serve us today, or tomorrow, or in the days, weeks, or should it come to that, months or years to come. The situation we find ourselves in shall be faced with skill and courage; Equestria’s finest problem-solvers, magicians, and diplomats have been assigned to the voyage around the world, but we who remain behind have more than enough work to keep us busy. Experts in agriculture, weather, construction, and other fields of Equestrian life have been summoned, and shortly you can expect publication of guides on how to minimize the disruption to daily life. For now, Equestria requires each of you, everypony here, and elsewhere, to keep calm and carry on. We all have places to go, ponies to see, things to do, and so we must get on with it. Now, everypony who is not departing on voyage, part of the dock crew here, or otherwise engaged in supporting activities must depart in an orderly fashion, so our expedition may depart forthwith.”

The crowd milled about for a moment, but Derpy saw that those at the back were turning and walking up the path toward Canterlot, and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked back to Luna, who smiled at her, as the ponies around them started to thin out, those without a part in the current effort departing, as ordered. Soon, they were moving again, the only ponies around them either moving towards the ship, the dock, or away from the ship, and Derpy sighed softly. “This is a mess, isn’t it?”

“It is, I’m afraid. Derpy...” Luna looked down at her, and spread her wing, laying it over Derpy’s back. “I’m sorry.” “Sorry? For what?” “For just... For just jumping and assuming you were going to follow me.” Luna had a sad look on her face. “I don’t have any right to demand that from you. It... It was nice of you to carry the bags for Twilight and myself as we galloped through the castle stuffing things into them, but it doesn’t need to continue. I shouldn’t rip you from your life, especially not on a dangerous voyage.”

“Dangerous? Do you... Do you really think this could be dangerous, Luna,” Derpy asked, looking up at her, and Luna nodded sadly. “I’m afraid so, Derpy... You should probably go home,” Luna murmured softly. Derpy blinked at her, feeling annoyed. “Go home? While you go and fly off on a dangerous journey to save Equestria?” “I... Well -” “If I go home, who protects you?” Derpy wanted to scowl, but couldn’t get past sadness, frowning and pressing her side into Luna’s legs, wrapping her left foreleg around Luna’s right. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed, as she stared at Derpy’s face. “Derpy, this isn’t going to be a vacation. This will be -” “What, dangerous? You said that, Luna,” Derpy said with a tremble of her lip. “A lot of ponies think I’m stupid,” she said, “But I’m not. A lot of ponies think that I’m useless, a liability to have around... Y-You don’t think that, do you?”

Luna was pushed onto the defensive by Derpy’s question, but there was only shock in her eyes, not agreement. “No, Derpy! I don’t think that at all! I just!...” She lowered her voice from her surprised exclamation, lowering her head down to Derpy’s level. “I just don’t want you, my best friend in all of Equestria, to get hurt.”

Derpy blinked at the sentiment Luna voiced at her, and she felt tears coming to her eyes, which chose that moment to focus, letting her blurrily stare into Luna’s eyes. She paused, trembling, and Luna turned around to face her, a worried look crossing her face. “Derpy? Is... Is something wrong?”

“Yes, something’s wrong! You don’t want me to get hurt? What about you?” Luna blinked at her, as Derpy jumped forward of her. The sudden movement made the two bat-winged ponies start, looking to her, but Derpy ignored them - and they evidently decided to leave her be - as Derpy reared up, reaching up and hugging Luna. The Princess’s eyes went wide as Derpy wrapped her forelegs around her neck, squeezing her. “You’re my best friend in all of Equestria, too,” she said, with rather more petulance in her voice than she wanted. “I don’t - I don’t want you to go into danger any more than you want me to,” Derpy tried to explain, stumbling over her words. “So wh-why would you ask me to go home?”

“I...” Luna stood, stunned, lowering her head into Derpy’s embrace, as Derpy continued, “You wouldn’t jump ship, fly back to Ponyville with me and come hide in my basement if I asked you, would you?” Luna blinked at the question, and slowly shook her head. “No, Derpy. I... I wouldn’t.” “Then why would you ask me to go and hide in it without you?”

Derpy felt a hot sigh roll down her back, and Luna raised one leg, placing her hoof on Derpy’s chest. “I... I’m sorry,” she murmured, softly. “I shouldn’t have. I... I just shouldn’t have assumed you’d want to leave, or that I should have told you could. That was... Presumptuous of me, and insulting to you. Will you forgive me, Derpy, my friend?”

Derpy blinked, and pushed back, leaning back so she could look into Luna’s eyes, blue and emotional. She trembled for a moment, and smiled, pushing into Luna and embracing her tightly. “Of course I do, Luna.” She closed her own eyes, feeling tears leak down on her face, and reached back, pulling her own saddlebags out of the magical ones she was wearing, setting them down and rummaging inside them, pulling out a bakery box. She sat back, smiling and opening it, revealing the four, still-fresh muffins within, with chunks of zap apple visible on the surface, and a big slice of zap apple on the top. “Muffin?”

Applejack looked back, watching as Derpy and Luna sat in the road, sharing a pair of zap apple muffins, and sighed to herself. It felt like just a few minutes ago she was calling out to see if anypony in her kitchen could help sate Derpy’s legendary appetite for muffins, and now here she was on the side of a mountain, about to get on an airship to sail to the other side of the world.

It scared her, and she frowned. She wanted nothing more than to head back down the mountain and start galloping towards Ponyville. If she ran hard, and took some difficult terrain on hoof instead of sticking only to the roads, she could be home by sundown.

Then again, the way things were, she could go to Ponyville by way of Las Pegasus and be there before sundown, she thought with a bitter frown. The farm would suffer without her, but if she didn’t go, there was a good chance that Sweet Apple Acres, and every other Apple family farm, to say nothing of every farm in Equestria, would never grow anything again.

She still didn’t have to like it, though. But she couldn’t exactly abandon her best friends, to say nothing of her Princesses. She looked at her friends; Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty herself, probably couldn’t do anything but go. It just wasn’t in her nature to turn down a mission from Princess Celestia. Twilight Sparkle had the same deal going on; she practically worshipped the ground Celestia’s hooves trotted on, and Celestia had been her teacher since she had been a foal. Throw in the sudden responsibility that Celestia had saddled her up with and she’d have to go, there was no getting around it.

Pinkie Pie, she’d go wherever her friends were going, of course. A lot of ponyfolk didn’t think too highly of her, and they were wrong to judge her lowly. Pinkie Pie would always be at a friend’s side to cheer them up through thick or thin, come heck or high water. Rarity, well... Rarity’s motives could be hard to judge sometimes. Sometimes she only seemed interested in fashion and social climbing, but when it came right down to it, she’d sacrifice whatever needed to be sacrificed - social status, wealth, position, an opportunity - to help her friends. She was coming, of course, because her friends were going as well, and they needed her.

And then there was timid Fluttershy. A pony who didn’t know her would call her outright cowardly, and wouldn’t be altogether wrong in doing so, as Fluttershy was certainly averse to risk. At the moment, the pastel yellow pegasus looked absolutely numb, which was probably the only reason she wasn’t crying, whimpering, shivering, or attempting to fly off, but Applejack knew that when things were bad, the shy, timid, unassuming critter-caretaker turned into a ferocious protector, like the time she had literally stared down a cockatrice - while it was in the process of turning her to stone - or a fire-breathing, smoke-spewing dragon! No, nopony who really knew her could question Fluttershy’s courage in a crisis. It was only her courage getting to the crisis that was problematic. Once Fluttershy recovered from the awful pounding they’d taken trying to fix the moon and sun and the attack that had knocked them all half-insensate afterward, she was going to be miserable and terrified and want to fly home to her cottage and hide under a blanket.

Applejack wouldn’t be able to blame her; she honestly wanted to do that herself. But she’d have to persevere, and she knew that Fluttershy would, too.

Even so, it would almost be better, she thought, if Fluttershy didn’t snap out of it until they were off. That looked almost possible, given how Fluttershy was walking with her head down and a dazed look in her eyes. Applejack felt sorry for her, and sighed, swinging her head over to look in Fluttershy’s eyes. “Hey, y’all okay,” she whispered, but received only a dull look in response. She sighed to herself, but thought that surely Fluttershy would snap out of it sooner or later - and there were more important things to take care of.

Up ahead, at the end of the dock, she saw her brother wheeling his huge wagon onto the ship, carefully. Somepony that she assumed was the ship’s crew asked him, “Supplies?” Big Mac responded with his typical “eeeeyup,” and the crewpony pointed behind him. “Set it over there and we’ll get it down into the hold.”

Twilight was next onto the boat, looking a little nervous as she stepped off the dock onto the ship’s deck, and walking forward, towards the prow, followed by Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Rainbow Dash took off and started to fly around the ship, as if inspecting it.

It was certainly an impressive ship, Applejack had to admit; painted three shades of purple in a swoopy, wave-like pattern, with yellow and dark amber trimmings. A pegasus pony with wings outstretched was the figurehead, two lanterns hung on the back, and the balloon above it was like a giant sky-whale, painted with eyes and a huge white mouth, even with a fin on the back.

To call it the unlikeliest vessel Applejack had ever seen would be an understatement. She sighed softly, and looked towards the prow, where her brother was standing, looking out over the forested river valley below. “Well, this has been a mess, hasn’t it,” she asked, and her brother nodded to her. “Eeeeyup.” “So... Thanks fer’ haulin’ the wagon up here. I reckon you’re headin’ home now?” “Nnnnope!”

“N-No?” Applejack blinked, looking at her brother. “Waddya mean, no?” “I mean, I ain’t lettin’ you go on this trip alone,” Big Mac responded, to Applejack’s consternation. “What... You mean to say you don’t plan to head back to Ponyville an’ take care o’ the farm?” “That’s what I’m sayin’” he said, looking to her.

Applejack met her brother’s gaze, annoyed and staring into his green eyes. “Big brother, somepony has to take care of Granny, mind the farm. You’ve gotta go back.” But Big Mac shook his head. “I spoke with Uncle Strudel, an’ cousins Banjo, Guitar, an’ Fiddlesticks. They’ll go mind the farm while we’re away.”

Applejack felt annoyance starting to build, and she reached up, prodding her big brother on his enormous wooden hitching collar. “Yeah, but no four ponies, not even four Apples, are th’ same as you, an’ you know it.” “Eeeyup. That’s why you need me,” Big Mac retorted, gently poking Applejack in the chest with one of his mammoth hooves. “All the harvests have already come in, AJ. They ain’t gonna need to buck apples, just take care ‘o Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, the pigs, the cows, an’ the house an’ barn.”

Applejck stamped her hoof on the deck, making a satisfying, wooden thump. “Darn ‘it, Big Mac, you know that Granny ain’t gonna understand what’s goin’ on. She’s gonna be scared.” “Granny’s quicker’n that, an’ you know it, AJ,” her brother said, annoyance in his voice, too. “She ain’t gonna like us both bein’ away; I don’t like it either. But I ain’t gonna be any good on the farm that a couple o’ cousins an’ Uncle Strudel can’t be; but I can be useful to you here!”

Applejack hated to be wrong, it seriously irked her. She hated being beaten at logic by her big brother even more, but she sighed, and hung her head. “Yer’ right, Big Mac. I just... I just would feel better if I knew you were back at th’ farm to take care of Granny,” she said. Her brother lifted his foreleg, stroking her neck. “I would, too, but if this goes bad, it won’t matter where I am, whether I’m on the farm or somewhere else. But I can be helpful here, an’ that might make a difference.”

Applejack sighed, leaning forward and laying her neck alongside Big Mac’s. He responded by lowering his head to her shoulders, and Applejack sighed. “I don’t like it, but... Well, it might be good to have the biggest, strongest big brother in all o’ Equestria along. Who’s gonna mind Apple Bloom and make sure she goes to school an’ all?” “Don’t you worry none; Fiddlesticks can handle her, eeeyup.” Applejack smiled, and sighed. “All right. Let’s... Let’s get a move on, then.”

“Apple Bloom, are you crazy?” Sweetie Belle hissed at her, her face barely illuminated in the pale, ghostly light she was managing to emit from her horn. “When Rarity an’ Applejack find us, we are so dead!”

“Keep it down,” Apple Bloom hissed back to her, reaching out and putting her hoof on her friend’s muzzle. “They don’t know we’re in here. If we can just tough it out until we’re out to sea, they won’t have a choice but to take us with ‘em.”

Scootaloo whimpered softly, crawling closer to the two of them. “But this... Mmmmh. How’re we gonna last in here?” “I dunno,” Apple Bloom murmured. “But you heard ‘em all talkin’, right? ‘Afore they hoisted th’ wagon down into th’ boat? They’re gonna sail to th’ other side o’ the world. Figure, if we can just go unseen ‘til they’re out over the ocean, they won’t be able to take us back.”

Sweetie snorted, her breath running hotly up Apple Bloom’s foreleg. “But this lil’ compartment is gettin’ hot an’ stuffy, an’ I’m startin’ to cramp up.” “Yeah, I got that... Me too,” Apple Bloom admitted. “We just need to wait ‘til everypony’s asleep an’ we can slip out to stretch, like we did at the castle.”

Sweetie Belle closed her eyes. “This is a really bad idea. You know that, right?” “Yeah, I know,” Apple Bloom murmured. “But if it works, we can be Cutie Mark Crusader Sailors.” “More like Cutie Mark Crusader Stowaways,” Scootaloo muttered, but she reached forward, sticking her hoof out. “But I’m in.”

Apple Bloom reached out, touching her hoof to Scootaloo’s, and looked to Sweetie. The pale unicorn rolled her eyes, then smiled, meeting her two friends’ hooves with her own. “This is a terrible idea, but, one for all and all for one. I just hope Rarity doesn’t find out for a good long while, or we’re toast.”

Apple Bloom grinned at her friend. “We should probably... Close our eyes.” “Can you sleep? I dunno if I can sleep,” Scootaloo murmured, and Apple Bloom shrugged as much as she was able in the space they had. “I reckon we’d better try.” “Okay,” Sweetie Belle replied, closing her eyes.

"Why so glum, Rarity?” Lifting her head from the head prow railing where she had lain it after Big MacIntosh and Applejack had vacated the prow, Rarity turned her head to focus on Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie...” She sighed; trying to explain why one was feeling sad and having a good wallow in one’s misery was difficult to most ponies. To Pinkamena Diane Pie, it was almost impossible: but then, the circumstances of today’s sudden depression were far from ordinary.

She let out another sad sigh. “Pinkie, what reason haven’t I to be sad,” Rarity asked, pulling back from the railing and turning to face her. “The Gala’s been canceled; our dresses and the other things Fluttershy and I finished have likely been abandoned... You won’t get to see any of the hard work you put into preparing the Gala come to fruition, the Apples disrupted their entire Autumn schedule for naught, Twilight isn’t going to get to spend the Gala at the Princess’s side, Rainbow Dash isn’t going to get to perform with the Wonderbolts, Fluttershy never even got to see the gardens... And that’s just for starters,” she exclaimed, laying down, nestling back against the prow railing, looking up at her friend with a depressed gaze. “The sun is stuck in the sky, beating down mercilessly on everyone I know and love, we were forced to use the Elements in defense of the Realm again and it didn’t even work. Someone launched a magical attack that, had it not been for Shining Armor, Cadance and Twilight, likely would have killed us all... I’m not honestly seeing much of a reason to smile, my dear.”

Pinkie actually frowned, which only made Rarity feel worse. Her friend’s poofy mane sagged, making her feel a cold vein of guilt right to her heart. She hadn’t meant to make Pinkie feel down. Pinkie sat in front of her, reaching out, nudging her shoulder with her hoof. “This isn’t something I can fix with a song, huh?” “Probably not,” Rarity agreed, and Pinkie smiled at her. “I have some maracas,” she said teasingly, bringing the ghost of a smile to Rarity’s face. “Thank you, Pinkie... But I just...”

“You don’t see what there is to feel good about,” Pinkie said in response, and she slid her hooves under Rarity’s shoulders, lifting. It would have been easier to argue with a dragon than try to resist Pinkie’s attempts to cheer one up, so Rarity sat up, meeting her eyes. “But that’s just ‘cause you’re sad, which is kind of recursive, isn’t it? You’re sad because you don’t see what there is to feel good about, and because you don’t see what there is to feel good about, you’re sad!”

Rarity wondered where Pinkie had learned the definition of the word ‘recursive,’ but that sounded almost right. She sighed, lowering her head. “Yes, I suppose... But I don’t see what’s to feel good about, either.” “That’s what I’m here for!” Pinkie stood up, closing the distance and wrapping her leg around Rarity’s shoulders, hugging her tightly and patting her shoulder with her hoof. “Because we’re all together, because we’re going on an adventure on an aiiiiiiir-ship, because we’re going to fly across the sea and fix everything together!”

Rarity sighed, and lifted her front legs, hugging Pinkie in return. “Yes... I suppose we will. We always do, right?” She let out another sad sigh, which ran hot and gloomily down Pinkie’s back. “I just wish I was actually useful.”

“Rarity... I don’t understand, what do you mean?” “Pinkie... I’m a dressmaker,” Rarity said, letting go and standing up, looking at the balloon overhead. “Everypony but me is good at... At something which is useful. Applejack is strong, fast, reliable, good with critters, good with rope. Big Mac is enormous, he’s the biggest pony in existence, and remember that in the past, he’s been known to pull entire houses from their foundations and drag them across town.”

Feeling at once sad and reinvigorated, Rarity paced the forecastle of the airship, as the work behind them mostly went past them. “Twilight is - well, we all know what Twilight is. She’s probably the best magician alive today who isn’t one of the Princesses - she’s the Element of Magic! Rainbow Dash is the fastest pony alive, she’s the only pony who can do a Sonic Rainboom. You, Pinkie...” She smiled at her hot pink friend.

“You are you! You can make anypony feel better about themselves, even if they don’t really have a reason to feel better. You’re the Element of Laughter, after all.” She reached up, prodding Pinkie’s shoulder with her hoof. “You may work in a sweets shop, but what you do is so much more.

Pinkie shot a worried look at her, and Rarity sighed. “You’re important, Pinkie. You can do something useful. Even Fluttershy, perhaps especially Fluttershy; she’s warm and caring - not that I am not those things - but Fluttershy has a limitless capacity to feel for others. She’s good with critters - which, while I can’t see an immediate use, will almost certainly come up at some time in our travels. She’s good at helping ponies, too; stars forbid somepony should get hurt, but if it should come to that, Fluttershy can help them...”

Turning to Pinkie, Rarity sighed again, wrapping her forelegs around the hot pink pony. “But what about me? I’m a dressmaker, a shopkeeper. I hardly think my exhaustive knowledge of fashion and dressmaking will be of use on this voyage. And it’s unlikely that my ability to locate gemstones will be of any use - and even should such a situation come up, Twilight can use my own spell far better than I can.”

“Oh, come on, Rarity, you’re hardly useless,” Pinkie said with a smile, reaching up to stroke her neck. “What if we get to the other side of the world and find that the reason the moon’s hanging in the sky over there is because some lonely giant mare wants to look fabulous and can’t find any clothes that fit, so she’s wearing the moon as a beret, but you can fix everything by sewing her the biggest and fanciest gown ever made?”

Rarity couldn’t help but snort and chortle at Pinkie’s suggestion. “That seems... Improbable,” she replied. “Besides, where would I get that much fabric?” “Okay, yeah, that might be tricky,” Pinkie admitted. “Still! Maybe all we’d need would be a hat? We could cannibalize the airship’s balloon for fabric for a hat, right?” “Perhaps, but even so...” Rarity sighed, sitting down and holding Pinkie tightly to her. “I’m not going to be much use on this trip, and I know it.”

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Pinkie said, sitting next to her and nuzzling her neck. “You’re one of us. One for all and all for one, right? You’re one of my super-duper ultra-special bestest friends in the whole wide world, and nothing could change that.”

“Yes... Yes, I am, and I know.” Rarity sighed, looking up at the balloon, while Pinkie hugged her in turn. “But I think that’s the only reason I’m going. My skills aren’t going to be any use on this voyage, Pinkie. We’re not bringing Vinyl Scratch, and I know for a fact she’s your good friend, too. We’re not bringing Mr. and Mrs. Cake, even though they’re good friends as well.”

She looked down, into Pinkie’s eyes. “Honestly, if I wasn’t the Element of Generosity, I wouldn’t be on this voyage. I’d be slinking off back home to hide under the covers of my bed and go to sleep at high noon and hope that when I woke up, this would all be a terrible, terrible dream.”

Pinkie Pie, for once, seemed not to have something to say in reply, and Rarity sighed. “I know it’s true, Pinkie. I’d never abandon you girls, not in a million, million, million years, but I don’t really belong here, either. I’m only coming because of my connection to you, so we can keep the Elements together and working. I feel like I’m a loadstone, cargo, rather than a crewmember; payload at best.”

Pinkie’s eyes wavered, and she trembled as her eyes went watery. Rarity felt worried for a moment that she’d overdone it, that airing her worries to Pinkie had hurt her friend, but a voice from behind her interrupted her. “Nonsense, miss Rarity! Utter balderdash!”

She knew that voice, and looked around. Wearing a very fetching black tuxedo coat and shiny gold bow-tie, it was impossible to mistake the unicorn for anypony else; ice-blue mane, cutie mark of three shiny, golden crowns, with a monocle and ice-blue mustache, Fancypants was the spitting image of the distinguished gentlecolt. He had evidently just boarded the ship, and heard Rarity’s complaints, because he climbed to the forecastle, smiling down at her as she hurried to compose herself, to wipe her blurry eyes and stand up straight.

“Fancypants,” she said, putting a smile on her face. “I didn’t realize you were coming on this voyage... Oh! This is your ship, isn’t it,” she concluded with a grin, her day brightening.

The older stallion chuckled, shaking his head. “My ship? Oh, I wish. She’s a fine ship,” he said, walking to the fore railing and stroking it with his hoof. “But no, this isn’t my ship. The Princess personally gave me my marching orders, appointed me an advisor to this expedition and ambassador of Equestria.”

Pinkie Pie sat to the side, smiling; Fancypants’ arrival had seemed to cheer Rarity up, or at least make her more energetic, and she was glad for that. “That’s... Wonderful!,” Rarity gushed, standing and turning, facing the fore with Fancypants. “No doubt this will go much smoother with you here.”

Fancypants chuckled softly. “Oh, I should hope so. I’d be a poor advisor and ambassador if I complicated matters, wouldn’t I?” He sighed. “I just hope I’m up to the task. It’s been... Rather a long time since I’ve been abroad. In truth, I was about as old as that fellow when I last left for foreign shores. I fear I may not have it in me anymore.” The tall unicorn turned his head, indicating Big Macintosh, visible at the back of the ship, singlehoofedly acting as ballast while the massive cart he had pulled all the way to the ship from the castle was lowered below, the crewponies simply guiding it into the hold while Big Mac lowered it with the aid of a block and tackle. “It was quite a while later when I returned, of course, but even so... Oh, it’s been a very long time.”

Rarity walked up next to Fancypants, rearing up and bracing her hooves on the railing, getting an even higher view out over the prow than he had. “Surely it’s not as bad as all that. With you along, I’m certain this trip will go better.” “Oh, I’d like to think so,” Fancypants said with a pleased sigh, sitting and reaching up to adjust his monocle with his hoof. “Though I think you’d do quite well on your own. Ponies like you and I, Rarity, we bring an important element to any voyaging party. We’re the talkers, the ambassadors; our presence opens doors, our efforts open minds. We can move in a society’s highest echelons and get the ears of those who inhabit the halls of power and the ministries of bureaucracy, the tradefloors of finance and the guildhalls of industry.”

Rarity couldn’t help but blush at Fancypants’ compliment. “You... You really think so? I’m just a simple dressmaker...” “Nonsense, miss Rarity! I’ve seen your work firsthoof - both your dressmaking and your ability to insinuate yourself into high society are extraordinary and exemplary!”

Feeling greatly mollified, Rarity sat back as well, peering out over the prow. “Well, since you put it that way... I’m sure I can find a way to be useful.” She grinned at Fancypants, who smiled back at her. “Much more useful than myself, I suspect. I should go see if those gentlecolts over there need a hoof with loading the provisions.” He stood up again, and Rarity nodded. “Oh... Wait just a moment. If this isn’t your ship, whose is it? I assume the owner will be coming with us?”

“Oh, that would be -” “Me!” The boisterous voice from the gangplank sent a cold jolt up Rarity’s spine, and she turned her head, only barely managing to turn an expression of utter disgust into one of cold, formal regard, as she beheld the Unicorn who boarded the vessel.

Tall, taller even than Fancypants, young, strongly built and with genuinely dashing good looks, the owner of the airship was one of the three ponies Rarity least wished to see at the moment. His mane and tail were the color of ripe wheat, impeccably styled, even the one ‘out of place’ strand that hung seemingly askew was carefully molded into place. He was wearing the collar of a tuxedo and a bow-tie, with a gleaming red rose on his lapel, and with the cutie mark of a compass rose.

Had she not known him, Rarity would likely have felt swoon at his regal, dignified, and dashing bearing, as ‘Prince’ Blueblood boarded the vessel. As it was, she felt the distinct urge to spit in disgust, a distinctly unladylike gesture she would normally never even entertain the thought of.

The feeling seemed to be mutual, as Blueblood saw her. He evidently hadn’t forgiven her for splattering cake all over him, judging by the cold glare in his eyes, and Rarity’s narrowed in turn. She hadn’t forgiven him for acting like the worst boor she had ever had the displeasure of knowing.

Fancypants let out a quiet sigh as he detected the naked hostility Rarity and Blueblood were glaring in one another’s direction. “Now now,” he said, turning around and standing up straight. “I know that there’s been some bad blood between the two of you in the past, but chin up! Our Princess has called upon us in service of the kingdom. Surely we can all put aside our differences and work together, especially in these trying times, in defense of the realm?”

“Well,” Blueblood said, taking in a dramatic breath. “One must do as one’s Princess commands, after all.” “Yes, one must,” Rarity replied, forcing herself to unclench her teeth as she said it. “Therefor, I shall be in my proper place in the grand cabin, as befitting the owner and commander of such a fine vessel. If you need anything, I’m sure the coxswain can take care of it.”

Blueblood turned around, haughtily, and Rarity couldn’t help but scowl. Fancypants let out a sigh, and lowered his head. “Between you and me,” he whispered, and added “and you, miss Pie,” as Pinkie leaned in conspiratorially from behind, “I’m quite certain the only reason he’s coming along is because he refused to sell the ship outright, and the Princess is too good-natured to commandeer it. He may be a talented shipwright, but he’s... Well, I shouldn’t speak ill of the lad, more than I have.”

Rarity nodded, as Blueblood passed the crew of ponies hoisting cargo into the hold. He paused, turning his head to look at Big Mac. “You there,” he said, sharply.

“Uh... Me?” Big Mac indicated his chest with his forehoof, his words muffled around the rope he was holding in his mouth. “Yes, you!” Blueblood eyed him up and down. “You’re filthy! Is...” He sniffed, his nose curling up in distaste. “Is that flour in your coat?”

Rarity grimaced. Her good nature told her to intervene - immediately - but she wanted to see what would happen if Blueblood antagonized the mightiest pony in all of Equestria. “Eeeyup,” Big Macintosh muttered through the rope, and Blueblood narrowed his eyes. “Then you must be the new chef. Go clean up, and for Celestia’s sake, man, put on your uniform! What on Equestria am I paying you for if you can’t maintain a minimum of decorum?”

Big Mac’s eyes narrowed, as Blueblood’s rolled, turning away from the farm pony and walking towards the back of the boat. Rarity scuffed her hoof on the deck, looking around. If nopony else was going to stand up for Big Mac, she would; she’d stand up for practically anypony against Blueblood, but especially the brother of one of her best friends.

“Coxswain!” Blueblood called out. “If that chef isn’t cleaned up and in his uniform by tonight, have him strapped to the mast and lashed nine times. Honestly!” Blueblood opened the door to the rear deck cabin telekinetically, walking into it and shutting it behind him. Even Pinkie looked angry, which was impressive, and Fancypants sighed, walking to the mid deck with Rarity and Pinkie.

The load was settled down, and Big Mac let go of the rope. “Why, that boor,” Rarity scowled, as Big Mac shook his head. “Nopony’s gonna be strappin’ me to no mast,” he muttered, and Fancypants held his hoof up, placatingly. “I assure you, my good lad, I won’t let that happen. I apologize, on behalf of Equestria, for his rudeness, and... I’ll talk with him,” he promised, and Big Mac met his gaze, then nodded. “Thank ye.”

Rarity stomped her hoof, angrily, on the deck. “And I shall straighten out that coxswain... Err, what is a coxswain,” she asked, in the general vicinity. One of the uniformed sailor ponies that was helping Big Mac lower the cargo looked over to her; a tall stallion, though surprisingly thin. “It’s the pony who’s basically in charge of a boat, even if somepony else might be the captain or the owner; basically the pony responsible for all the day-to-day affairs.”

“Oh... Well, then who is the Coxswain?” “Well, that’s just it; we haven’t got one.” Rarity blinked. “You... Haven’t got a coxswain? But he said you did.” “Yeah, well, he don’t know our names, either,” the sailor next to him spoke up - her accent was rough and abrasive, clipped and fast, unquestionably Manehattan in origin, probably from the Bronxo. “We ain’t got a mast, for that matter. He belts out fertilizer like that all the time and then walks off an’ assumes that the coxswain takes care o’ it. But we ain’t got a cox’n, and ain’t none of us in a hurry to remind him that he ain’t gotten around to appointing one o’ us.”

Rarity let that sink in for a moment. “We’re doomed, aren’t we?” “I’ll handle it,” Fancypants promised. “It’s been a long time, but I’ve been to sea before as more than a passenger, and I trust all of these ponies look up to the task. And you most emphatically do not need to lash anypony to keep order aboard a boat.”

Rarity looked up to him, and though she felt worried, the confidence in Fancypants’ eyes was enheartening. “Thank you, Fancypants.” “Oh, you’re quite welcome, miss Rarity.” He smiled. “Now, I need to go and straighten that lad out. If you’ll excuse me, ladies, gentlecolts.” He bowed his head, and the ponies near him nodded. Fancypants straightened up, and walked back to the great cabin’s door.

The hold of the ship offered a surprising respite from the sun, even though it was lit by pale-glowing magical lanterns.Twilight led Fluttershy down into it, looking back at her friend, disheartened. It felt as though everything had gone crazy, and really, it had. It was hard to believe, she thought, looking back on it, that it had been less than half a day ago where she had been shaking her rump with Cadance, watching Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna square off in a football match, or eating zap applechangas in the palace kitchen, and all while looking forward to the Grand Galloping Gala.

The Gala... They had been trying to have another Best Night Ever, and now her bones still felt like they were shaking from the impact of that blast. Nopony had really tried talking to Fluttershy since then, and she hadn’t looked like she was in the mood to talk. Now Fluttershy’s eyes had just a bit more shine in them than they had previously, and Twilight paused, stepping through a narrow wooden door, to the forecastle of the ship, as Fluttershy numbly followed her, Rainbow Dash bringing up the rear. “Fluttershy... Are you okay,” Twilight quietly asked, and the pastel yellow pegasus raised her head, slowly, her eyes focusing on Twilight’s.

“No,” she whispered, softly as she could. “No, Twilight, I’m not.” Fluttershy sank to the floor, her eyes closing, tears immediately welling up in them. Guilt and sadness stabbed at Twilight’s heart, seeing the most sensitive of her circle of friends crying. “I-I... I just feel so... So terrible. Someone tried to... To... To...” “Shhhh.” Twilight reached out, slowly caressing the front of her hoof against Fluttershy’s cheek, and Fluttershy turned her head in, rubbing against her. “We’re going to get through this, Fluttershy,” she promised, looking up at Rainbow Dash, who looked to be at a loss for words. Seeing the most boisterous member of their group at a loss made Twilight feel like she was at a loss as well, and she looked around the forecastle of the ship. It was tightly packed with bales of supplies, and Twilight’s eyes fell across a net laying folded atop one such bundle. It seemed such an odd thing, since it was an airship, and a leisure craft at that, so it probably wasn’t for fishing.

It came to her in a flash; it was a hammock. She recalled reading about them in the first-chapter preview of Daring Do! And the Buccaneers! In an adventure with with Naturalists!; at the end of Daring Do in Danger: Ahuitzotl’s Grand Scheme of Revenge and Payback in Spades had been an in medias res opening, with Daring Do nursing an injury to her right forehoof, going into detail about how she strung the hammock she’d been given to sleep in aboard the ship.

A swing of Twilight’s gaze back over the walls revealed hooks in the ship’s ribs, and she focused on the hammock, pulling it up and unwrapping it, stretching it between spars and attaching the ends to the hooks. Fluttershy’s eyes were still closed when Twilight glanced back to her, and Rainbow was looking at Twilight, her head tilted for a moment, until Twilight saw the recognition bloom in her eyes.

“Rainbow, help me,” she asked, and Rainbow Dash nodded. They both knelt down, Twilight carefully nudging her horn under Fluttershy’s ribs, while Rainbow Dash slid her forelegs under her.

“Wh-What?” Fluttershy looked up, as the pair lifted her. Twilight backed under the hammock, letting it rest across her back, and Rainbow Dash rolled her into the hammock. Fluttershy looked startled as she rolled over Twilight’s back into the net, squirming to right herself, blinking the tears away from her eyes. “W-What are you...” “I just... Think you’d probably be more comfortable in there,” Twilight murmured, reaching up and placing her hoof against Fluttershy’s shoulder. “You... Kind of took a pounding back there. You should get some rest.”

It felt cheesy to even say, but she couldn’t really think of a good way to tell Fluttershy that she was worried she’d break down if she tried to pitch in with whatever preparations were going to have to be made before they set off. She didn’t want to sound as if she were accusing Fluttershy of cowardice, but she knew the pastel yellow Pegasus was taking what had happened worst of all, and the way she had seemingly shut down after the attack had her worried.

Fluttershy wasn’t a fool, though, and she looked at Twilight; meeting her eyes. “You j-just... You don’t want me to break down and c-cry in front of everypony.”

“Fluttershy? No offense,” Rainbow Dash murmured, “But you kind of look like how I felt that time I broke my wing.” Rainbow sat next to her, laying her head on the hammock’s edge, on Fluttershy’s forehoof, and Fluttershy closed her eyes, a distraught look on her face, bringing a wince to Twilight’s. “M-Maybe you should just go,” Fluttershy said with a quiet sniff, laying her head down on the net. “I... Don’t want to be a burden.”

A stab of guilt seared through her, and Twilight winced, looking at Rainbow Dash, who looked equally guilty. The blue pegasus hung her head, turning and guiltily slinking out of the ship’s forecastle. Twilight swallowed, and reared up, wrapping her forelegs around Fluttershy and her hammock, hugging her. “You,” she declared, strongly but quietly, in Fluttershy’s ear, “are not a burden. You’re our friend, and right now you’re hurt and scared and afraid and we want to make sure you’re comfortable and safe and well.”

Fluttershy sniffled, and wrapped her forelegs around her head, hiding her eyes. “I don’t want to be here, Twilight,” she whispered, plaintively. “I just... I just want to go home and cuddle up with Angel Bunny and close my eyes and pretend none of this is happening.” Her ears drooped, and she tucked her rear legs up under herself, compressing herself into a very small space, a bundle of pastel yellow and bubblegum pink wrapped up in a hammock between Twilight’s legs. “I’m scared, Twilight,” she whispered.

Twilight closed her eyes, her throat working. She took a breath, trying to think of something inspirational she could say to Fluttershy, but nothing came to her mind, so she told the unvarnished truth instead. “So am I, Fluttershy,” she whispered, hugging her friend close. “I’m more scared than I’ve ever been. I want to poof back home with Spike and grab Owloysius and pull my covers over my head and pretend this was all some terrible nightmare and I’ll wake up tomorrow on the train to Canterlot and it’ll be time to wake up and get ready for the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“Y-You do?” “Yes, yes, I do. I want to just pull something over my head and forget about all of this... But I can’t, can I? Princess Celestia’s called me to do this. And even if I could just ignore that and run away... What then?”

“N-Nothing good,” Fluttershy whispered, slowly raising her head, looking at Twilight from behind her foreleg. “Nothing good. Maybe this could be fixed by somepony else... Maybe it could be. But we’re the ones the Princess asked,” she whispered, her throat working. “I-I can’t just abandon that.”

She looked down at Fluttershy, who was staring up at her, her seafoam-green eyes looking thoroughly miserable. “I guess I can’t, either. Y-You’re going to need us,” she whispered, raising her head and touching the Element of Kindness around her neck.

Twilight closed her eyes, squeezing Fluttershy’s shoulders again. “I need my best friends more than anything else in the world. I’m terrified,” she admitted. “Before I came to Ponyville, I didn’t have anypony except Princess Celestia and my big brother. But now? I can’t imagine doing anything like this without you.”

“M-Me?” Fluttershy looked up, and Twilight nodded, squeezing her tightly, stroking her pink mane. “Yes, Fluttershy. You. I need you, and Rarity, and Applejack, and Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash...”

Fluttershy closed her eyes again, sniffling and nodding. “I-I’m not going to run away, Twilight,” she whispered and Twilight smiled. “I know you’re not.”

“S-So why did you put me in a net?” “A net? It’s a hammock,” Twilight said, with a wry laugh. “Ponies sleep in them aboard a ship. I expect we’ll all get one. I just... I just thought you wanted to close your eyes and go to sleep.” “M-More than anything,” Fluttershy answered, squeezing her eyes to push the water in them out. “But don’t you?”

“Also, more than anything,” Twilight said, and Fluttershy was quiet for a moment, then asked her, “so why aren’t you in the hammock?”

The question stabbed through Twilight, and she winced, feeling guilty. “I, uh... I’ll find another hammock if you want me to,” she said, her ears drooping. “N-No. No, you won’t,” Fluttershy said, looking up. “Because you’ve got stuff to do, don’t you?” “I...”

Letting go, Twilight swallowed, dropping down to her forelegs and wincing. “Yeah, I guess I kind of... I... I’m sorry,” she said, looking up, into Fluttershy’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have... Have... Have treated you like a... An...” “It’s okay,” Fluttershy whispered, reaching out through the hammock’s mesh to touch Twilight’s shoulder.

Twilight looked down at Fluttershy’s hoof, and felt her lip quiver. Guiltily, she looked away, spying Rainbow Dash lurking behind the bulkhead separating the forecastle storage area from the main hold, peering in with worry and guilt in her own eyes. Her heart sinking, Twilight looked back at Fluttershy, reaching up to touch her friend’s hoof with her own. “No, Fluttershy, it isn’t. I... I’m sorry, I’ve treated you badly,” she admitted, the words feeling like they were squirming around as she said them. “I... I assumed that you... That you couldn’t handle this, and I’m sorry.”

Fluttershy peered at her, and Twilight felt herself squirming under the gaze for a moment, then Fluttershy wrapped her foreleg around her neck, pulling herself close to hug Twilight. “It’s okay, Twilight. I’m not mad.” She let go, and squirmed for a moment, flopping out of the hammock and landing on her side, carefully rolling to sit up. “But I... I can help,” she said, standing, and Twilight sighed, nodding. “Okay. Let’s, um... Let’s go see what we need to do.”

She turned, slowly walking out of the small room, Fluttershy’s hooves lightly clopping on the wood behind her. “Ah... Shy? I’m sorry,” Rainbow Dash awkwardly said, as they passed her, and Twilight looked back, seeing Fluttershy close her eyes and lean to the side, rubbing herself against Rainbow Dash’s chest as she walked past, from the shoulder, over her wings and past her flanks. “It’s okay, Rainbow. I’m not upset,” she quietly assured the other Pegasus, and Rainbow Dash visibly slumped with relief, then stood up to follow them out.

“Your Majesty, are you well?”

Luna was standing with Derpy at the ship’s prow, gazing out beyond its figurehead. A unicorn stallion had asked her the question; tall and distinguished, with a crystal-blue moustache and mane, still wearing a formal jacket. “As well as can be expected,” she answered him, as he bowed his head. “Forgive me, I haven’t learned your name.”

“Fancypants, your Majesty,” he answered, climbing up to the platform she and Derpy were standing on, looking out with them. She nodded to him.

“Fancypants. I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but nothing seems nice about these circumstances.” He nodded in return. “Unfortunately so, ma’am.” “As to answer your question,” she responded, “I am... Uncertain. It’s been a very long time since I sailed, and never aboard a ship that flew. The weather seems as if it should be a good omen - crisp wind, bright sunny skies... Except for the fact that it’s nine at night,” she said, after a glance aside at Derpy’s pocketwatch, which she was now wearing clipped to the outside of Star Swirl’s saddlebags.

“Indeed, your Majesty,” he responded. “It has been quite some time since I put to sea myself. I have reservations about whether I am as fit for it as I once was, but these are dire times, I’m afraid, so I must steel myself, and be as good once as I ever was. I shall not let your majesty down for as long as I still draw breath.”

She couldn’t help but smile, slightly. “I thank you, then, for your unquestionable valor. Are you the master of this ship?” “No, your Majesty. Your sister ordered me to the voyage because I’ve traveled afar, and know some of what we shall encounter, and I may yet still have friends who live in the old country who may be able to aid us.”

“Ah. So, you’re our ambassador, then?” “Just so, your majesty,” Fancypants said, with a nod. “Though it seems I’ve volunteered myself to be the coxswain on this vessel, given that the owner is, in all unfortunate truth, rather useless. On that note, I need to inform you that we are as ready to depart from Canterlot as we can be.”

Luna blinked, and looked back to him. “I... You’re waiting on me?” “You are the princess, Your Majesty.” “Ahem... Right, then, well... We should get under.... No,” she stopped herself. “My sister appointed her apprentice to speak for her. If you require Our approval to set sail, We should consult with Twilight Sparkle first.”

“Very good, Your Majesty. I believe she was belowdecks, I’ll fetch her.” “It’s okay,” Derpy said. “I’ll get her.” The gray Pegasus turned, carefully walking to the ladder belowdecks. “I should do something to be useful,” she murmured, tinnily, but Luna’s ears caught it, and she sighed. She didn’t want her friend to feel like dead weight, and let her go.

“So, Fancypants,” she said, to occupy herself while Derpy was away, sitting down and looking to the stallion at her side. “You seem to have things organized well enough. How long do you think we’ll be before we can make the ocean crossing?”

“Less than a week,” he replied. “I’ve asked the crew about this vessel’s capabilities, and she’s quicker than any ship at sail, but she’s small, and not truly suited for an ocean voyage.”

“Do you anticipate problems with her seaworthiness?” Fancypants nodded. “I’m afraid I do. We’re going to prepare it as best as we can in Manehattan; material to patch the balloon, extra rope and rigging... I just hope we don’t encounter any bad storms.”

“We’ll make do,” Luna promised. “We have to. If needs be, I’ll keep this thing in the air myself.” “Hopefully that won’t be necessary, Your Majesty,” Fancypants said, and cut short anything else he might have been about to say by the approach of hooffalls.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, recognizing the sound of her approach before standing and turning to confirm that it was, indeed, the purple Pegasus nearing them. “Yes, Princess,” Twilight said, climbing up to the forecastle. “Derpy said you needed to see me?”

“I do - we do,” Luna corrected herself. “Fancypants has informed me that we’re ready to set sail, but he was waiting for Our approval to do so. As my sister has elected you to speak in her place, I thought it best to ask you to join us to make the decision.”

“Um...” Twilight swallowed, hard, sitting down on the opposite side of Fancypants. “Are we... I mean... I don’t know much about running a ship. Have we got everything we need?” “Everything we’re taking aboard at Canterlot, ma’am,” Fancypants confirmed. “We’re due to stop at Manehattan to take additional supplies and make modifications to the ship for the ocean crossing.”

Twilight blinked, and nodded. “Um... O-Okay. And you’re ready?” “As ready as we can be.” “Well... I guess we should go,” she said, looking up to Luna, who nodded at her. “I agree, Twilight Sparkle.” She looked back over the deck of the ship; one of the uniformed sailors was tugging on one of the lines suspending the ship from the balloon, with help from Applejack’s mammoth brother. Rainbow Dash had flown to the top of the great cabin at the back of the deck, and was sitting on it, peering out and around, while a mare in a sailor’s uniform walked up the deck, pausing every few paces to stamp her hoof on the planks, evidently checking something, as she moved with purpose. Fancypants nodded. “I’ll make it so, your Majesty, Twilight.” He stood up, and cleared his throat. “Make ready to sail!”

The older stallion’s voice was strong and clear as he called out the instruction, and to their credit the crew lept into action immediately, tying off the lines. “Shore crew, make ready to cast us off!” On the long quay that they were tied up to, two longshoreponies galloped down from the shelter the shore structure offered from the overhead sun, racing to the mooring posts, as Fancypants walked confidently down from the forecastle to the deck. “All hands in position,” he queried the stallion who was securing the rigging with Big Macintosh’s help, and the pony nodded to him. “We’re ready and raring to go. Just say the word and cast us off.”

Fancypants nodded, happily. “The word is given.” He turned, as the sailor started bellowing instructions belowdecks. “Cast off fore line!” The pony on the shore gathered the rope he’d loosened in his hooves, tugging it from the mooring post and hurling it onto the deck, while the one at the rear, a unicorn, telekinetically freed the aft line from the mooring post but held it tight around it.

“Cast off aft line!” The second line was duly levitated aboard, and Fancypants nodded. “That’s it, we’re off. Get us underway,” he told the sailor pony, who nodded to him. “On it!” The sailor turned and darted off down the stairs, to the belowdecks.

“So, um... How does this ship work,” Twilight asked, and Fancypants laughed. “I’ve no idea,” he admitted. “But these fellows are clearly professionals, and I intend to learn everything there is to be known about this vessel’s operation before we reach Manehattan.”

A sudden flap of displaced air disturbed them, and all their heads turned to see; the fins on the ship’s sides stretched and flapped, but they didn’t simply flap up and down. All four of the fins undulated, the first spar preceding the middle and the last in turn. Twilight laughed. “I get it! The fins scoop and push the air behind them!”

The ship slowly started to push itself from the dock, and Luna smiled, looking back to Twilight. “It seems that way, Twilight Sparkle.” She smiled, but a cry from the shore caught her attention; a pony crying out “Stop!” and “Look out!”

A streak of blue and white was pelting down the quay at full gallop, having evidently simply burst through past the ponies at the gates. “What in the world?” Fancy Pants aired the question on everypony’s mind, as the two ponies who had cast them off moved to block the middle of the quay. It didn’t seem to deter whomever it was galloping down the pier, though.

“My stars, she’s going to jump!” The ship yawed away from the dock as the crew executed their plans belowdecks, evidently in ignorance of the development, and Fancypants turned to shout down the hold hatch, “All stop! Stop the engines!”

They didn’t seem to get the message, though, and Twilight gulped as she saw the pony galloping down the dock; getting closer with each beat of the ship’s fins interrupting her vision, the oncoming pony clearly had no intention of stopping, and Twilight winced, as she didn’t think the galloping mare could make it, with the ship getting farther from the quay.

She raised her voice, looking back urgently, shouting “Rainbow!” The blue pegasus had already stood up and spread her wings. “On it!”

The ponies on the shore dove aside when it became clear that the onrushing pony wasn’t going to stop, and she reached the end of the quay, planting her hooves and leaping for it, her horn glowing a bright blue, the glow surrounding her whole body.

Closing her eyes, Twilight snapped into magic sight, and she had to give the crazy unicorn mare credit; her leap was fantastic, and she had correctly used magic to lower her own weight rather than to lift herself. Crackling blue ran the length of her outlined spine and horn, her Cutie Mark a brilliantly glowing musical note that Twilight recognized.

Starting out of magic sight, Twilight watched in shock as Vinyl Scratch’s leap carried her over the railing, landing hard but firmly on the deck. Rainbow Dash was still poised to leap into action, but had evidently arrested her leap into flight when she realized that Vinyl was going to make the jump. Both Luna and Fancypants were staring in shock, and she felt more or less the same.

“Twilight,” Luna asked. “Isn’t that one of the entertainers from the Gala?” “She is. Her name’s Vinyl Scratch,” Twilight murmured, quietly. “You know her?” “Um, yes, yes, I do.” “Good. You deal with this,” Luna said, shaking her head, and Twilight blinked, then nodded. “Um... O-Okay.”

“Are you nuts?!” Rainbow Dash pre-emptied Twilight’s own exclamation of the question, hopping down from the cabin’s roof and advancing on Vinyl. “I mean, good jump and all, but are you nuts?! What were you thinking?”

“I’d like to know that, too,” Twilight said, walking down the deck to where Vinyl was sitting up, looking back and forth between Rainbow Dash and herself. “What in Equestria possessed you to jump on the ship like that?”

“Okay,” Vinyl said, her voice sandy, and winded from her hard gallop. “I know you’re like, probably mad and all, but I really, really need to be on this ship, okay? I’ve gotta get to Manehattan.”

“Manehattan?” Twilight blinked, as Rainbow Dash walked around her, tilting her head quizzically at Vinyl. “Why do ya need to get to Manehattan,” Rainbow asked her. “I mean, Ponyville, I could see, but...” “Look,” Vinyl said, taking a deep breath. “It’s my housemate. Octavia? You guys probably don’t know her that well, but she’s in the Royal Canterlot Symphony.”

“The Royal Symphony?” Twilight blinked. “But they’re attached to the Royal Catering Corps... Which is in Manehattan.” “Right,” Vinyl said, gathering her hooves under her and standing up. “And everything else is cut off. The trains are all commandeered for official use, and the roads are all choked. Everypony’s decided that Canterlot’s not the place to be right now, and they’re all hitting the highways, and all these important muckity-mucks with their stupid carriages are choking it all up.”

“So you decided to jump on a departing airship? What kind of sense does that make,” Twilight asked. “I mean, if you just wanted to get away from Canterlot, why not just go down through the woods to Ponyville? Everfree doesn’t stretch this far, they should be fine.”

“Because I don’t need to go to Ponyville, remember?” Vinyl reached out, tapping Twilight’s horn with her hoof. “I need to get to Manehattan, because Octavia’s there, and word’s getting out about what happened, only it’s getting more distorted every time it gets told. By the time the word gets to Manehattan, it’s gonna be like the castle was leveled, and she’s gonna think I was in it, and be out of her gourd with worry.”

“So you disobeyed Celestia’s order for everypony to stay calm and stay away from the ship and jumped onto a moving airship to get to Manehattan as fast as possible?” “Well... Yeah, but when you put it that way, you make it sound like a bad thing, Twilight,” Vinyl said, with a shrug. Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, with a shrug of her own. “She’s got a point, Twi. Wouldn’t you do something stupid to get to us and let us know you’re okay?”

Twilight blinked, and sighed. She had done a lot of stupid, foolish, risky, sometimes even crazy things for her friends, and she would again, without hesitation... She looked at the DJ, who lifted her violet glasses; she nestled them in above her horn, peering at Twilight with magenta eyes, and Twilight sighed. “Alright, alright... I can hardly say no,” she murmured. “But how did you know we were going to Manehattan?”

Vinyl laughed, softly. “Dude, the rumor mill is workin’ overtime. I heard it from a mare on the road heading out of town who heard it from a friend whose brother’s boy works at the trainyard that they were sending out an express to Manehattan with news, and he overheard them saying the ship was going to Manehattan and asked why they were using the train, then, and he got told the ship was slower than the train and all.”

“Uh-huh...” Twilight blinked as she listened to Vinyl’s recounting of the rumor mill journey of the message. “So, why didn’t you try to jump on the train.” “Dude, I did. But, uh... That didn’t work out so well,” she admitted, scratching her mane. “I managed to toss my saddlebags into the last boxcar, but the caboose’s roof was all slick, and when I jumped on, I couldn’t get any grip. I had to jump clear, so I picked myself up and galloped straight here.”

Twilight blinked, staring at Vinyl, but Rainbow Dash laughed at her. “Wow. You tried to jump a moving train, fell off, and galloped up here to jump on an airship? Man, you are nuts, girl!” “I know, right?!” Vinyl Scratch laughed, grinning at Rainbow Dash, and raised her hoof, which Rainbow Dash promptly bumped with her own. “That was an awesome jump, too, you sailed on this thing like you had wings, or a hang glider or something. I didn’t think anypony without wings could make a jump that long.” Vinyl laughed at her. “It’s not so hard when you weigh less than a leaf. That’s what I did back there, I made myself lighter. That was pretty awesome, huh?”

“Heck yeah it was awesome!” Rainbow held her hoof up, and Vinyl bumped her back. Twilight wanted to sigh dramatically, roll her eyes, or even berate them, but she just couldn’t find it in herself to be upset or angry at Rainbow Dash for having her spirits lifted by Vinyl’s stunt. Rainbow Dash was easy to please with that sort of ridiculous, over-the-top stunts, either by performing them or watching them. She simply smiled. “Alright, alright. You’re here, and we’re underway.” She pointed out past the side, where the mountain Canterlot was built into was receding in the distance. “Get settled in, we’ll get to Manehattan and you can find Octavia. If we’re lucky, we may even be able to get your saddlebags, too.”

“Oooh. I never thought about my bags.” Vinyl winced. “Damn, I need those. My headphones and portable disk player are in there, and so is the Disk of Destiny.”

“The... The what?” Twilight blinked; she could practically hear the capitalization in Vinyl’s words, and she racked her brain trying to think if she’d ever read of a magical artifact by such a name. “The Disk of Destiny, dude. I made it myself, took me for-ever, and I burned more vinyl getting it wrong than a record store fire. It’s an LP disk that changes itself to have like, anything I want it to have on it, like any song I’ve ever heard, or any sound I can think of. Pretty slick, right?”

“Uh... Yeah, okay, sure, that sounds nice,” Twilight said with a blink. “But why is it called the Disk of Destiny, then?” “‘Cause I thought it made it sound all old and awesome, you know, like something out of some kind of a myth. I tossed a bit to decide between the Disk of Destiny and the LP of Legend, but it came up heads.”

Twilight blinked, and sighed, relieved to learn that Vinyl had only given an impressive-sounding name to a relatively mundane home-grown artifact, rather than having come into possession of something ancient and potentially dangerous. Rainbow Dash laughed again. “Well, you’ve gotta admit, Twi, that’s as good a reason as any to name something.” With a grin she couldn’t quite suppress, Twilight nodded, looking around. Princess Luna had slipped away somehow, and was nowhere in sight, though Twilight couldn’t remember seeing her pass down the stairs belowdecks. Fancypants was at the forecastle, speaking with one of the crew, and they seemed otherwise alone. Letting her shoulders slump, she smiled. “I’m sorry I snapped at you, Vinyl,” she said, extending her hoof. “It’s been a long day.”

“Hey, s’all good,” Vinyl said, bumping Twilight’s hoof instead of shaking it. “Nopony got hurt and I pulled off a wicked jump. So, since I’m here, you wanna give me the down-low on what the heck happened? I was setting up my amps when Pinkie galloped past me on her back legs, riding that party cannon of hers towards the stairs, then a few minutes later, boom! All of my speakers blew out from magic feedback, the amps blew so hard all those wicked stained glass windows shattered.”

“Awh, what? All of them,” Rainbow asked with a pouty voice. “Every last one,” Vinyl confirmed. “Even the wicked sick ones that showed you and your girls bucking that Discord joker right in the face. Sorry about that.” “Nah, s’okay,” Rainbow Dash replied, though she had a bummed tone in her voice “I mean, you couldn’t have known, right?” “Yeah, but still... At least it was awesome, though.” “What was?” “The amp blow-out. Ka-boom, girl! Ka-boom!” Gesticulating with her hooves, Vinyl curled her forelegs into her chest, then swung them out, wide, suddenly, emphasizing the explosive nature of the event. Twilight simply grinned, and slipped off, heading down the stairs to the hold while Rainbow Dash and Vinyl spoke. She imagined they’d keep each other busy.

“That does sound kinda awesome,” Rainbow Dash admitted, with a grin, and Vinyl nodded. “Heck yeah it was. I need to think about how I can work something like that into my shows... I could probably force a blow-out if I channeled way too much magic into one amp, all at once. It’d be sick.”

She grinned at Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow grinned back at her. “Oh man, I have got to see that when you do it.” “Front row, Rainbow, you and all your girls, any time! Bring some earplugs.”

Cracking up, Rainbow Dash barely noticed the sound of the door behind her opening. A huge white unicorn stallion walked out, and she blinked, looking sidelong at him, wearing a high peaked cap with a golden anchor embroidered on the black band around the white hat, and a vest with golden epaulettes over his shoulders. She supposed he must have been the captain, and he certainly looked the part.

“Ugh, what is this?” His voice didn’t quite match what she had expected, though, largely because of the tone of utter disgust in it, and she blinked. “Uh... What’s what, Captain?” “This! You! And you!” He pointed at her and Vinyl in turn with his forehoof, and they both blinked. “Uh... What are you talkin’ about, dude,” Vinyl asked him, and he narrowed his eyes. “You will address me as Captain and/or Prince. What do I pay you commoners for?”

“Uh... What the hell’s he talkin’ ‘bout,” Vinyl asked, directing her question to Rainbow Dash, who looked back at her and shrugged. “No idea. What are you talking about?” She looked up at him, and he scowled at them in return. “Neither of you are in uniform! And for Celestia’s sake, have some respect when addressing your betters!”

“Uh...” “Who the hell do you think you’re talkin’ to,” Vinyl cut her off before Rainbow Dash could work up her own head of steam. “Are you so blind you don’t recognize The Rainbow Dash? The only pony in all of recorded history to pull off a Sonic Rainboom? And what about me, huh? I may not be The Rainbow Dash, but a heck of a lot of ponies have heard of DJ PON-3.” Vinyl levitated her glasses from behind her horn, affixing them on her muzzle’s bridge. “Yeah,” Rainbow said, picking up in Vinyl’s defense. “She’s kind of a big shot too, she plays the castle whenever big things go down. But so what if somepony doesn’t have a big shot name or a title, huh?”

“Yeah. Where do you get off callin’ somepony a commoner, anyway,” Vinyl continued, stepping forward, shoulder-to-shoulder with Rainbow Dash. “Like, seriously dude, who even does that? You need to step down and take a chill pill and apologize.”

“Apologize? To the help?” The huge stallion looked shocked and offended by the mere insinuation. “You’re on my ship, and I will not be spoken to in such a manner,” he said, stamping his forehoof on the deck. “How did you even get onboard? I didn’t hire a musician.”

“Uh, I jumped on? It was kind of important, and I smoothed it out with Twilight.” Vinyl rolled her eyes. “What’s it to you, anyway? Geeze, I thought Octavia was up-tight, but you need to see a proctologist, get that branch removed from your rump.”

Rainbow snerked and snickered beside her, and Vinyl grinned at the put-down she laid on the snooty stallion. “Why, I never! You impudent -!” He choked off, evidently at a loss for words, and Vinyl laughed at him. “Damn right I am, when somepony gets a snoot with me and calls me something like ‘commoner’. Seriously, like who does that? Now, are you gonna apologize to Rainbow and me, or are we gonna have trouble down the line?”

The stallion she was taunting had turned red in the face, and violently inarticulated at her, gesticulating angrily and wildly with his hooves as he tried to form words. The sight of him going through an apoplectic fit made Rainbow Dash break into a giggle. “Man, Vinyl, I think you broke his brain. Come on, let’s leave this loser and go find Pinkie, maybe she has a deck of cards or a board game or something.”

“L-LOSER?! How dare you!” He finally found his voice, and Vinyl laughed. “Yeah, loser. That’s what I call anypony who has a snout full of snoot and takes a tone with somepony like you do. Later.” She turned, to follow Rainbow Dash, as the stallion behind her whinnied in rage. She barely caught the motion he made, reflected in the shiny frame of her glasses, as he reared up and lunged at her.

She couldn’t have dodged in time. She didn’t need to. A blur of white, black and blue sped past, galloping up the deck from a dead stop, charging past her. Vinyl and Rainbow Dash turned in time to see the intervening stallion intercept the captain as he lunged at Vinyl’s flanks, interposing himself between them and rearing up, forcing the bulky stallion in the captain’s outfit to rear up and arrest his charge or plow into him. They squared off for a moment, in the air on their hindlegs, and the one in the uniform fell to the decks first, stamping and scuffing it. “You had to have heard what these commoners called me, Fancypants!”

“You should be ashamed of yourself, Blueblood!” the older stallion all but roared at him. “You call yourself a Prince, but you don’t act like one! The measure of a man isn’t in how he treats his equals or betters, but how he treats those he sees as lesser than him, and you are a poor man indeed! How dare you, Blueblood! For shame!”

“Woah, woah, woah!” Vinyl cried, sensing the trouble brewing far too late, trying to edge towards the two of them, gulping. “Guys, can we bring the heat down,” she said, but they were both focused on each other. “Sees as lesser? They’re a pair of performers, and that one’s a stowaway! This is still my ship, and I am still a Prince! I deserve and demand respect, especially here, and now, taking time and money out of my own business to attend this matter, and if these commoners won’t deliver it voluntarily, I’ll beat it out of them!”

Rainbow Dash snarled at the implication he’d actually have struck them, but she didn’t have time to do more than snarl. The older stallion lashed out, lunging up and striking, hard and fast. His hooves caught the younger, bulkier stallion at the forehead and neck, and he slammed him to the deck, eliciting a very filly-like shriek of pain and surprise from the loud-mouthed stallion.

“Aaah! Y-You hit me,” he cried out, the menace completely gone from his voice, replaced with panic, reaching up and touching his forehead. Bright red stained his forehead, and he gasped when he drew his hoof back and saw it. “Y-You drew blood! You cut me!”

The older colt in the tuxedo squared off against him, narrowed eyes, hunched down. “Blueblood, I am going to speak very clearly, so that even a useless idiot like you can understand me,” he snarled, no trace of the jovial gentlecolt in his voice anymore. “If I catch you laying a hoof on my daughter, or any mare on this ship, but especially my daughter, I will buck you within an inch of your wasted life and tie you up tighter than your own purse-strings!” He stepped on the panicked stallion’s cheek, eliciting a whinny of fear and squirming from the downed aristocrat. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” the stricken stallion yelped. “Get off me, you madman!” The commotion had caught attention, and Rainbow Dash winced as Applejack, Princess Luna, Big Macintosh, Rarity, two of the crewponies she didn’t yet know, and Twilight all charged up the stairs from the hold. “What in my sister’s name is going on here,” Luna demanded to know, and Fancypants looked up at her, unapologetic, but nodding his head. “This whelp tried to strike my daughter and miss Dash,” he explained, “and I am afraid, your Majesty, that I simply could not allow such reprehensible behavior to go uncorrected. Sadly, I fear I felt compelled to resort to violence, as it seemed to be the only language he was willing to use to discuss the matter.”

“He hit me, auntie!” Blueblood whined, and Rainbow Dash looked down at him, grimacing in utter contempt as the bulky stallion squirmed under Fancypant’s hoof. “He hit me! Me, a member of your family! You can’t let that go unanswered.”

Luna blinked, as everypony else looked around in confusion, and looked down at Blueblood. He was still squirming, and she rolled her eyes. “We’re off to a wonderful start,” she muttered, and took a step forward. “Fancypants, let him up,” she said, and the tuxedo-wearing stallion backed off, letting Blueblood get to his hooves. “Did you try to hit somepony,” she asked, and Blueblood shifted uneasily. “These common mares mouthed off to me - one’s even a stowaway! I simply demanded the respect to which I am due, and they continued to do so! I -” “Enough!”

Luna stamped her forehoof on the deck, hard enough to crack the plank it fell upon. “I don’t want to hear it! We’re out of port less than an hour and you’ve started a fight?” “But -... This is my ship,” Blueblood adamantly declared. “I deserve more respect than they have shown me.”

Groaning, Luna facehoofed, pressing her right forehoof over her eye. “Blueblood,” she muttered quietly, advancing on him. “This is only still your ship because my sister and I are quite considerate of whether or not we are behaving tyrannically. This is an emergency situation, and nopony in all of Equestria would fault us for commandeering it outright if need be.” She narrowed her eyes, staring down the shorter stallion, who backed away from her, nervously.

“If you raise a hoof to anypony on this ship again,” she said, quietly but menacingly, “I - and I have no doubt that Twilight Sparkle, speaking in stead for my sister, will back me up on this - will dispossess you of this vessel, claim it in the name of the Crowns, and have you held in irons until such time as it is convenient to put you off the ship. Do I make myself clear?”

“I-I... I...” Blueblood stammered, and Luna looked sideways, to Twilight. The smaller purple Unicorn looked quite overwhelmed, but she nodded intently at Luna, who looked back to Blueblood. “We are in accord, then. Do you understand us?”

“Y-Yes,” Blueblood stammered out, and Luna swung her head to the cabin’s door. “Good. Now, go to your room and think about what you’ve done,” she ordered, and Blueblood turned on his hooves, all but dashing into the cabin, slamming the door behind him.

Awkward silence reigned for a moment, and Luna looked as the entire population of the ship had by now materialized on deck, and were staring awkwardly at her. She sighed, softly, and drew herself up, craning her neck up over all of them, though she had to stretch to get her head higher than the mammoth red Earth Pony stallion. “I’m sorry to say that we seem to be having a little friction aboard the ship. It doesn’t bode well, I will admit, that it happened less than an hour from shore - or dock, rather, as we’re still over land. However, the matter is, I believe, settled. Does anypony feel differently?”

Nopony spoke up, and so she nodded. “Good. If anypony has a grievance with anypony else, please, bring it to Twilight Sparkle and myself before letting it escalate to blows, if at all possible. We are all literally in the same boat on this venture, and I am not exaggerating when I say we carry the fate of Equestria on our backs. We must pull together and work harmoniously if we are to get through this. Does anypony have any questions?”

Nopony spoke up, though several of them looked around at each other, or scuffed their hooves nervously. She sighed, and took a deep, calming breath. “Then please, return to what you were doing.”

Ponies turned and started to filter out, but Fancypants approached Luna and Twilight, lowering his head deferentially. “Your Majesty, miss Sparkle, I must apologize. I shouldn’t have struck him, and if you wish to confine me to -” “Be at ease, Fancypants,” Luna said, holding her hoof up to still his apology. “Nopony should tolerate a boor acting like a bully, and no stallion worth the name could or should stand idle whilst that bully raised his hoof to his daughter... So, which one of them is your daughter,” she asked, with a smile, “as if that weren’t obvious.”

Vinyl Scratch, who had (along with Rainbow Dash) stood quiet since the stampede of ponies to get to the deck, stepped forward, letting out a heavy sigh. “Hi, Dad,” she said to Fancypants, and nodded to Luna. “That would be me, yer’ Majesty.” “You’re quite the troublemaker, aren’t you,” Luna asked, trying not to grin at the brazen young mare. “First you leap aboard the ship, then you evidently enrage my boorish nephew a-hundred-times-removed, and now you reveal yourself to be the daughter of our Ambassador? I am impressed,” she murmured. “Please... Try not to allow any more fights to break out.”

“I’ll try, Princess,” Vinyl Scratch said, and Luna sighed, nodding. “Good.” She let out a heavy sigh, relief draining through her, and she looked down to Derpy, who had been pressing close to her side the whole time, keeping quiet. “Is it over yet,” she asked with a sarcastic smile, and Derpy smiled back at her. “I hope so. I’m almost out of muffins,” she murmured. “And right now, I just want to eat them both and close my eyes.”

Smiling, Luna nodded her head to the stairs. “Let’s do that then. It’s the best plan I’ve heard all day.” Smiling fondly, if a bit sleepily, Derpy nodded, starting down the stairs, with Luna following her. With the crowd dispersed, Twilight sat on the deck, sighing. “So... Father, huh,” Rainbow Dash asked, and Vinyl levitated her glasses above her horn again, walking over to Fancypants. The older stallion extended his foreleg around her, and she hugged him in return. “Hi, Dad. I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said, and looked back to Rainbow Dash. “Yeah, he’s my dad.”

“Well... You do look it,” Twilight said; with Vinyl and Fancypants together, it seemed so obvious; both had varying vivid blue manes and tails, both had white coats, and were both unicorns. They separated after a moment, and Vinyl sighed. “I’m sorry, though. I didn’t think he was gonna bust a capillary and actually try to roll us because we mouthed off at him, or I wouldn’t have egged him on like I did.” “Hey,” Rainbow said, speaking up, “I egged him on, too. Who could’ve known he’s some kind of like, freak who’d blow up because we told him exactly where he could take his going on about us being ‘commoners,’ huh?”

“Nopony, that’s who,” Fancypants said, adding “Except those who have the displeasure of getting acquainted with him and his attitudes, I’m afraid. But even I didn’t think he’d actually try to strike you over the matter, or I’d have stepped in sooner.”

“I guess we all could’ve maybe done that better,” Rainbow Dash said with a sad sigh and a scratch of her mane, but Fancypants shook his head. “Perhaps, but even so, you have every right to stand up to an idiot like that, especially when he starts spouting off nonsense such as he was.” He levitated a hoofkerchief from his coat pocket and used it to wipe blood from his hoof; a bright red smear, but not much worse. Then he turned and dropped the hoofkerchief to the deck, wiping it over the few spots of blood that were staining the deck. “So, Vinyl, how’s your mother,” he asked, his voice returning to the jovial tone it normally had. “I haven’t had the chance to speak with her - or you - for quite some time, sadly. I’d been meaning to catch up with you at the Gala, when I read your name on the playbill.”

Vinyl chuckled, even as she looked at Rainbow Dash, who was looking at her oddly. “Yeah, he’s my dad. Is that so hard to believe, RD?” She poked Rainbow Dash’s wing with her glasses, levitating them off her head to poke with them, while sitting down and carefully lowering herself to her belly. “Mom’s... Well, she’s mom. She’s in good health and she’s as unstoppable as ever.”

“That’s good to hear! I sadly doubt I’ll be able to find the time to see her while we’re in Manehattan - if she’s still living in Manehattan, anyway.” “Nah, dad. She packed up and moved to Appleloosa a while ago. Wanted to see the frontier, she said.”

“Really?” The older Unicorn chuckled softly “I haven’t kept up, I’m afraid. Still, I hope she’s having a jolly good time out there.” He lifted the hoofkerchief from the deck, frowning at it and folding it up several times, so none of the blood was on the outside, before tucking it back into his jacket pocket. “It’s good to see you, Vinyl,” he said, with a smile. “But, if you can spare me, I need to speak with the esteemed miss Sparkle here about some shipboard matters. Can you and miss Dash manage?”

Vinyl laughed, tucking her sunglasses back on her head, over her eyes. “Like, of course, dad. We’ll be fine. And... Thanks,” she said, smiling. “Any time, my dear. Any time. Miss Sparkle? I’ve been speaking with the crew,” he said, walking towards the stairs belowdecks, “and I’ve got a handle on how this singular vessel flies, if you’d care for me to summarize or go into depth about it.”

“Oh, I’d love that,” Twilight said. “Let me get parchment and a pen from my saddlebags, I can write it all down.” She followed Fancypants down belowdecks, and Rainbow Dash settled to the deck next to Vinyl, sighing. “Man, like... Sorry about that, you know? I did not see that guy doing that, or I wouldn’t have turned my back on him.”

“S’all good, RD,” Vinyl responded with a grin, holding her hoof out, and Rainbow Dash nudged it with her own. “My old man probably saved that huge rear end’s life. If he’d actually hit me or something, I would’ve had to like, hand him his own ass.” “Yeah, you and me both, sister,” Rainbow Dash replied with a grin. “So, the old guy’s your dad, huh? I took him for a stuffy old guy, Rarity’s crowd, but he’s actually pretty cool. How come he doesn’t know where his wife is, though?”

“Uh...” The question made Vinyl blink, and scuff her hoof on the deck. “His wife’s not my mom, RD.” “She’s - oh. Oooooh.” Rainbow Dash winced. “Sorry I br