Twilight looked around to get her bearings. As per usual when arriving in a new world, the magic of the cross-dimensional travel spell had dropped Twilight and her companions at a replica of the stone map table as it existed back in Twilight’s castle. Or at least at whatever remained of the table in that particular universe.

Either way it seemed to serve as an anchor for the initial use of the spell and as such, Twilight could be reasonably confident of where she landed in whatever Equestria she found herself in. She should be fairly close to Ponyville and the better part of a day’s flight from Canterlot, though the devastation around her did not bode well for either location.

“Hey Princess, do you feel that?” Dashiel asked, looking around.

“Feel what?” Twilight asked, pulled out of her mental map-making by the question.

“Feels like a storm moving in. The air feels like a fucking hippogriff is sitting on top of me.” The pegasus flicked both of her wings into readiness and drew one of her hoofblades. “I don’t like it.”

The young alicorn had always had trouble adapting to her newly acquired pegasus abilities, but after a moment’s concentration she too could feel a presence weighing down over her. Along with something else.

“Trixie?” Twilight asked, turning to her knight, who was looking toward the nearby treeline.

“Trixie feels… “ began the showmare, closing her eyes and concentrating for several moments before opening them wide in alarm. “Trixie can sense strong illusion magic. Very close!”

As if the words of the azure mage were some sort of signal, there was a sound like the tearing of a thousand sheets of paper overhead and the massive keel fin of an airship began to appear out of thin air, several body lengths directly above the trio. The strange sound continued as the vessel’s sides and gasbag appeared, and a bare moment after the ship was fully revealed the sounds of launching harpoons could be heard.

A dozen of the barbed spears were fired into the ground at a steep angle, six to a side and connected to the airship by strong looking chains, dividing up the area surrounding the ponies into twelve segments of open air. Twilight had the feeling that she and her companions had fallen into an ambush of some sort, as she suddenly had the impression of being caught in a cage with very widely spaced bars. Looking over at Dashiel, she could see the warrior pegasus had the same impression.

“Don’t try to go between the chains on the harpoons. I know a shocknet when I see one,” Dashiel commented, before adding as she saw the questioning look from the other two ponies. “It’s an electrical net meant to catch pegasi by knocking them out of the air with a static charge, but it’ll work just fine on anything else passing between those chains too.”

“Ponies,” called down a strong female voice from above. “Throw down your weapons, lay down on the ground with your hooves extended, and prepare to be taken prisoner. This is your only warning.”

“Your call, Princess,” Dashiel stated, her face grim. “I’m pretty sure they want us alive.”

Twilight knew what the pegasus had been through the last couple of times she had been captured by an opponent, and it warmed the alicorn’s heart to know that even after all the horror and the pain Dashiel had experienced, she was still willing to put her fate in Twilight’s hooves. Twilight looked over at Trixie, who made a show of drawing the Zodiac sword and bringing it to a guard position.

“Your Great and Powerful Knight is at your command,” Trixie said simply, well simply for Trixie that is. Despite becoming Twilight’s sworn vassal, Trixie still maintained a large part of her proud and boastful nature, only instead of aggrandizing only herself and her own abilities, the mare now steered her speeches into praising her relationship to the Princess of Friendship.

The contemplation of her companions was brought to an abrupt close as a hatch opened up in the side of the airship and out leaped a sextet of large creatures in black armor. The creatures fell to the ground, easily managing their heavy landings before beginning to advance on Twilight and the others.

“Princess? What do we do?” Dashiel asked, giving ground as the pair coming toward her pulled a heavy collar and muzzled bridle out from their black armor.

Twilight intimately knew what those implements of bondage felt like once applied to her body and she knew the changes just their presence could have on a pony. Celestia help her, at times she feared their solidness, sometimes she craved their weight and pressure against her fur, and sometimes, sometimes she wanted to be the one putting them on a pony.

The alicorn froze for a moment as those thoughts and emotions rolled through her, and the two creatures approaching her took the alicorn’s stance as surrender and opened the collar, bringing it forward towards Twilight’s throat. For one last heartbeat Twilight stood passively before she ignited her horn and blasted both creatures backwards until they reached the bounds set by the harpoon cables.

The armored beings writhed in pain as a sudden field of miniature lightning strikes arched back and forth between the cables the creatures’ momentum had carried them to. Every being present froze at the loud crackling electrical sounds which seemed to go on forever, leaving two unconscious and slightly smoking creatures in its wake.

“We fight,” Twilight commanded, rushing to add, “But no killing. We just want to stop them from hurting us.”

Dashiel and Trixie both erupted into action. Dashiel executing a beautiful flowing front flip that carried her rear hooves directly into the face of one of the creatures moving in on her. Its companion seemed frozen in amazement as its partner was knocked out cold with almost no effort on the pegasus’ part. An immobility that lasted until Dashiel used her wings as an aerial pivot to bring those same rear hooves around in a horizontal arc, sending the second creature flying.

Trixie was a showmare, trained in escapology and illusion, to which she had added nearly a year of intense training in swordsmareship. In doing so the mare had taken what she already knew about how her body moved and added a new skill set that both complemented and enhanced it. Combined with the preternatural sharpness of the sword she held in trust, it was the work of moments for her to not only carve both muzzle and collar intended for her into scrap metal, but the armor her attackers wore as well.

“Threaten the Knight of Twilight at your peril, ruffians,” Trixie declared, striking a pose, and Twilight noted with approval the slight shadowing of muscle under Trixie’s soft fur. She had come a very long way since her small traveling wagon days, and it showed.

The two creatures in front of Trixie began to back up, realizing that they were unarmed in the face of an armed opponent. Trixie allowed them to open the distance, directing a quick look toward her liege lady to see if her course of action was approved, which Twilight did.

“We’d like to talk!” Twilight shouted back up at the airship. She and her ponies were well in control of the situation at the moment, but they were still caged. Albeit in a very big cage.

“And I’d like to see you in chains,” replied that same commanding female voice.

A moment later a dozen more of the large furry creatures dropped from the airship, and as they leapt toward the ground Twilight could see that this group was both armed with twin headed spears and armored in a dark steel. The new group of attackers crashed to the ground in a defensive group, and they were not alone.

At their head was a muscular mare of a pony who wore a black bodysuit beneath armored steel plates; and as the mare stood Twilight could see that she was easily taller than herself, almost matching Princess Luna in height. A dark rose mohawk manecut stood above the stub of a broken horn and a scarred right eye, which combined with the pony’s armor lent her a dangerous air.

“You’ve already given me more resistance than almost every other pony I’ve run across up until now,” stated the mare, clearly in charge of the other creatures. “But I don’t have time for more games. Surrender now, before I have to get serious.”

The cracked stub on the mare’s head sparked with summoned energy, underlining the threat, and in response Dashiel and Trixie both moved to flank Twilight on either side, forming a secure combat wedge.

“I didn’t come here to fight,” Twilight began, before amending it to, “I mean, I didn’t come here to fight you. We don’t have to be enemies, but we will protect ourselves if we have to.”

Twilight drew magic to herself and manifested a shield between her ponies and the hostiles as a demonstration of her ability to protect her friends. What she didn’t expect was the reaction she got from their leader.

“Wait! You’re an alicorn?” the mare asked, and Twilight saw a series of emotions flash across that scarred face.

“Grubber!” yelled the mare, not waiting on Twilight’s answer. “Any sign?”

“Nope! All clear,” called back a cheerful voice from the airship. The mare was just directing her attention back towards Twilight before that same voice added, in a much less happy voice. “Uh… scratch that. Big angry centaur in sight, coming this way.”

“How long?” the mare demanded, and Twilight and her companions all felt a chill of fear go down their spines as they realized that their opponents had to be referring to Tirek.

“Five minutes, ten tops. We should get going, Tempest,” replied the voice, who was apparently some sort of lookout.

“We’re coming. Lower the loading platform,” commanded the mare, and immediately, a large square of the airship’s hull descended toward the ground. Attached by ropes to the vessel, it was obviously a means to drop off or lift things up into the belly of the airship.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked, keeping her shield up in case this was some sort of trick.

“There’s a giant pissed-off centaur that absorbs magic headed our way,” the mare in charge said, looking over at Twilight. “Likely attracted by what you’ve been doing to stop us, and unless we are in the air in the next five minutes he’s likely going to catch us on the ground. No offense, but compared to that, you three are small fry.”

“Take us with you,” Twilight replied, dropping her shield and using her magic to levitate over the fallen members of the first cohort. “We came here to defeat Tirek. Take us with you, we can help.”

“Three ponies, where three princesses couldn’t stop him before,” the mare noted, but nodding in appreciation at her returned soldiers. “Besides, you don’t even know why we’re here. Look, we don’t have time to talk about this. You don’t want to be stomped underhoof, I suggest you three come over here and catch a ride with me.”

“One condition,” Twilight stated, holding up a wing to keep Trixie from moving more than the automatic half step she had taken in response to the offer. Dashiel, by contrast, had held herself in check. “We’re coming onboard as friends, not prisoners.”

“I don’t have pony friends. You come onto my ship in chains or you can take your chances with Tirek,” the mare responded sternly.

“Tempest, he’s gonna be here any minute. We’ve got to go NOW!” yelled down the no longer cheerful voice.

“Take us with you, without chains, or we make sure you can’t leave either,” growled Dashiel, which gathered a sudden stern look of reproval from Twilight. She had come her to fight Tirek, not other ponies. It didn't feel right to threaten to drag others into her fight, but Twilight could see Dashiel's point. If they fought Tirek now, it would be on his terms, which meant that Twilight and company would be starting a deadly fight at a disadvantage. Not good.

“Is that a threat, little pony?” the mare, who Twilight gathered was named “Tempest” growled right back.

“Look, can’t we come to some sort of compromise?” Twilight asked, taking a step forward. “Something that gets us all out of here with no one in chains?”

“TEMPEST!” screamed the voice from above, clearly panicking now.

“Fine!” snarled Tempest, flinging a couple of muzzle bridles with built in horn blockers at Twilight’s feet. “But you and your unicorn have to put these on. I’m not having either of you using magic on my ship and giving away our position to that centaur.”

Twilight and Trixie shared a look, and Twilight could see the guarded fear in her knight’s eyes. Even with the bridle on Twilight would still have access to her earth pony strength and pegasus magic, but for Trixie it would be taking away a part of her very soul.

“Trixie you don’t—” Twilight began, before being forced to stop as Trixie picked up one of the restraints and put it on her own head.

“A little assistance please?” the pale blue mare asked, turning so that Twilight could easily access the buckles. “Trixie would like her headgear to be snug and not slip at a bad moment.”

“I’m so proud of you,” Twilight whispered in Trixie’s ear as she tightened up the straps, securing the bridle to her knight. As the horn blocker settled into place and the showmare’s magic dissipated the Zodiac sword began to fall to the ground, vanishing just before it made contact.

Twilight wasted no time in settling the other bridle over her own head, getting Dashiel to secure the buckles for her and taking the time to whisper, “You’re our safety. Keep alert and don’t let anypony get you alone.”

“Okay, we’re ready,” Twilight stated aloud, leading her companions forward.

Tempest’s face showed surprise for a moment, before settling back into the stern scowl the mare seemed to favor. She waved the trio forward, saying, “Then get over here quick.”

“TEMPEST! We go now or Tirek’s gonna eat us!” screamed the voice from above. Twilight and her friends needed no urging to dash the remaining few yards to the lifting platform.

“Hang on,” ordered Tempest, before raising her voice. “Okay, We’re all on! Raise the platform. Blow the cables and get going. Best speed ahead and get our cloak back up the instant we can.”

It said something about the training of the airship’s unseen crew that the first order was already in progress before the mare finished the string of urgent commands. The platform lifted upwards toward the belly of the airship, and as the group rocketed upwards Twilight could hear several small detonations from around the rim of the ship. The slithering sound of twelve body-thick lengths of chain falling toward the ground was then followed by Twilight and everyone else having to grab whatever supports they could find as the airship shot up and away.

Twilight was just able to make out the massive form of Tirek coming around a mountain as the lifting platform returned to its place as part of the lower hull of the airship. The bestial roar of the centaur shook timbers and everyone could hear the beast’s cry of:

“WHERE IS YOUR MAGIC? GIVE ME YOUR MAGIC!”

“Grubber! Get the cloak up. Now!” Tempest yelled.

“Working on it… and done! That big butthead can’t see us now,” said the voice of what was likely Tempest’s second in command.

“Maximum speed and keep us low. I’ll be up in a minute,” Tempest said, before turning to her troops. “You were slow and six of you were taken down by half your number of ponies. Do better next time, or else.”

Twilight and her group were shocked as the imposing creatures whimpered and cowered before the armored mare, before skulking away.

“Uh, Ma’am?” Dashiel began, nudging her commander. “This may not have been a good idea.”

“What do you me— oh,” Twilight replied, the words falling out of her mouth as her eyes adjusted to the gloom of the ship’s hold.

All along the sides of the ship's hold were captive ponies. Some chained to the walls, some in cages, and each and every one of them had a thick heavy collar locked to their necks with one of the muzzling bridles fastened around their heads.

“Slavers,” hissed Trixie, pulling out a pair of knives from under her cloak, as she too saw the bound mares and stallions.

“Sometimes,” Tempest admitted, and a mild snort of amusement was her only reaction to the hostile stances of Twilight and her friends. “But not at the moment.”

“Then explain this,” Twilight demanded, as she felt the magic within her pulse to the beating of her heart. All it would take would be a single word to have her symbiote remove the bridle from her head and then Twilight would blast this “Tempest” through the bulkhead and all the way to Tartarus.

“Prisoners, yes. Slaves, no,” Tempest said, adding. “Some of them attacked us at places where we’ve landed. Some begged us to take them with us when they saw our ship. They’ll all be taken to the Storm King, who will decide what to do with them.”

“What? Why?” Twilight asked, guessing the answer the moment she asked it.

“Right now, it looks like Equestria is all but wiped out,” Tempest calmly stated, turning her back on three Equestrians and walking toward a set of stairs leading out of the hold. “The Storm King heard about Tirek and sent me to find out if some or all of Equestria was ripe for conquest. Maybe find out if we can at least get a foothold on this continent.”

“That’s where I’ve heard the name before,” Dashiel commented. “The Storm King runs a militaristic empire on the far side of the South Luna Sea, or did, anyway.”

“Bang on, pony. I’m Commander Tempest, and I’m in charge of what’s left of this expeditionary force,” Tempest replied, her armored hooves clanging a bit on the steps up to the next level. “Coming?”

Twilight and her friends looked around at the despondent ponies, and Twilight noted that not a single one of them had called out to her, or made any sign of resistance to their plight. Each and every set of chains held a pony who had given up and was willing to be led to whatever fate this Storm King had in store for them.

“Come on,” Twilight ordered her companions, following Commander Tempest up to the next deck.

The alicorn had a good view of the maimed unicorn’s flanks and rear as they climbed the stairs and mounted the next deck of the airship. Tempest might have been many things, but a slouch in the physical department she definitely was not as she carried herself with a powerful and assured strength. A strength that had to have come from physical prowess instead of innate magical ability.

“Had a little trouble with the cloak, but it looks like we’re all clear, Commander,” said a smallish hedgehog, who came running up as the four ponies walked along what looked like a machinery deck, filled with the things needed to keep such a craft in the air. “That big centaur’s just flailing around now.”

“Good work,” Tempest replied, taking a moment before her frown changed to a scowl and directing it at her minion. “What do you mean we had a ‘little trouble’ with the cloak?”

“Well, you know how she doesn’t really like where she is and she uh… sort of said ‘No’ at first?” replied the hedgehog, shrinking away.

“We’ll see about that,” Tempest growled back, straightening to add, “These three are with me.”

“Oh, getting your own little harem, eh Tempest?” laughed the creature, bouncing back with a forced cheerfulness. “Surprised it took you this long, what with all the ponies throwing themselves at—”

“ENOUGH!” snarled Tempest, leaning forward in clear threat. “For now, they are guests. Not prisoners, not slaves, and Not. My. Harem. Understood, Grubber?”

“Uh, yes ma’am. Sorry ma’am,” the hedgehog blurted out quickly. “I’ll uh, just let the crew know.”

“See that you do,” Tempest said, standing up tall to look down on her minion. “I’m going to have a chat with our cloak.”

The hedgehog scurried away, and all three of Twilight’s team exchanged a quick look as he did. Commander Tempest was apparently a stern disciplinarian who ran a tight ship with an iron hoof, and it showed in how she dealt with her subordinates, ruling through fear and intimidation, not friendship and cooperation.

The armored pony stomped away along the deck toward yet another set of stairs and with no clue of what else to do, Twilight and her friends followed closely behind. Climbing up to the now third deck of the airship, a host of crew, mainly consisting of more of the large furred creatures that Twilight had fought, bustled to and fro in order to accomplish various duties. While the hulking yeti like creatures seemed to be the primary crew of the vessel, Twilight also saw a minotaur, an Abyssinian and a couple of diamond dogs. As each member passed their commander they saluted, dipped their heads or otherwise acknowledged Tempest in a show of obeisance.

After a few minutes the unicorn led them to a guarded and locked door that had “Cloak” written on it.

“Open it,” Tempest commanded, and the yeti-like creature hastened to obey.

Inside was a large room with a massive wooden column in it’s center, to which a large frame was attached on the far side.

“That’s gotta be the ships mainmast,” Dashiel whispered, looking around.

“So I hear you’ve been… difficult,” Tempest said, walking around the mast to address someone on its far side. A sound of rattling chains and thumping wood was followed by the sound of a voice that made Twilight’s blood suddenly run cold.

“Maybe I don’t like being chained up all the time. Maybe, just maybe, you shouldn’t keep the pony who keeps this whole ship safe locked into a Celestia damned breeding rack,” shot back the voice of Starlight Glimmer.

Twilight and the others were frozen in shock. Each of them had known Twilight’s student and knew of both her sacrifice and her ascension to becoming Solar Starlight, protector and restorer of a blasted Equestria. It simply made no sense for her to be here.

“I’ve told you this before. We need you in contact with as much of the ship as possible, as often as possible to keep your cloaking spell running. The rack is the only thing we have that can keep you in place long enough to do the job and not give you long term damage,” Twilight could see Tempest’s eyes narrow dangerously as the mare added, “unless you would prefer long term damage, slave.”

The statement that Starlight was a slave broke the surprise that had been holding Twilight in its grasp, and the alicorn charged around the mast with both murder and mayhem in mind, determined to free her friend and student. As she neared captor and captive, Twilight could see her friend’s unicorn body securely held in a padded wooden frame with multiple chains and fetters attached to every possible place on her, including a chain spiralling up her horn and attached to the mast behind her.

“What in Tartarus is going on here?” Twilight demanded hotly, letting her words lash out instead of her magic.

“Nice one, Tempest,” commented Starlight, in the mocking, slightly superior tone Twilight had originally known the unicorn by. “Where’d you get the changeling? And how did you—”

“Starlight, it’s really me. It’s Twilight,” said the alicorn, attempting to reassure the mare. “I’ll have you out of that in a minute.”

“What? No! It can’t be you!” shrieked Starlight in a voice of venomous fury that forced Twilight back on her heels in shock. “IT CAN’T BE!”

The bound mare heaved and strained at the frame holding her until the wood creaked, and groaned, but the builders of the intimate device had known their perverse trade well and it held firm while put to an ultimate test. All the while Starlight shrieked and cursed Twilight with every vile phrase that the princess had ever heard of, and some she never dreamed had existed, until the mare was reduced to screaming gibberish.

The struggle went on for several minutes until Starlight had completely exhausted herself and hung loosely in her bonds. Only then were her words coherent again.

“You can’t be Princess Twilight. I killed you myself.”

Tempest Shadow and Starlight Glimmer? Oh my.

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