The news spread like a wildfire. Pretty soon, the entire crew of Ravager knew of the impeding fight. Bets were made, while hundreds of crewmen crowded in the hangar bay, where an impromptu ring had been set up.

“Do you really have to do this, Lieia?”

“Yep. I’m not going to kill them, Celly, don’t worry. Just need to teach them a lesson or two about humility and common sense.” She took her jacket off, tossing it on a nearby crate, turning to her two opponents. They were regarding her smugly. She stepped in side the ring, winking at Celestia, before facing the Monobrow and Thickhead.

“Okay, so I want to lay down some ground rules first. No spitting, no pinching, no tearing hair, and no complaining to your moms about getting beat up by a girl.”

That was the last straw. Howling in anger, the Moronic Duo hurled themselves at her. She easily avoided them, but they didn’t think about trying to rush her again. She struck out with her foot, tripping Thickhead and going after Monobrow. He swung a wild haymaker, which she intercepted, easily stopping his fist. He gasped in surprise.

“How did you do that?” She grinned at him, raising her other fist.

“Should’ve checked whom you were pickin’ a fight with.” She landed a solid one on his face, throwing him back a couple of feet. By now, Thickhead had recovered, going after Lieia, swinging his fists wildly, but she kept toying with him, deftly avoiding his punches, letting him exhaust himself. The spectators kept jeering. At once, she went on the offensive. She swept her right leg, scything his legs out from below him, pushed herself in the air with her arm and kicked him across the ring while they both still were in mid-air. The onlookers roared in awe, shaking the deck, but then a medium-sized crate slammed between her shoulders, sending the lithe woman flying across the deck. The viewers gasped. Monobrow laughed gleefully.

“Told you I’d beat you!” Lieia didn’t even move, and Celestia felt cold, icy fear take hold of her. Others started muttering and she futilely fought to keep tears out of her eyes.

“HEY! I’m not done yet, assholes!” The defiant shout rang out clearly. Celestia wiped away the tears and saw Lieia standing. Blood was trailing down her cheek, but she was standing steadily. She took off at a slow jog, heading back towards Monobrow. He blinked in surprise, but hefted another crate, lobbing it towards Lieia. She leapt on it, using it to keep herself in air, before landing in front of Monobrow, delivering a flat-palmed strike to his chest. All air left his lungs and he collapsed to the ground, wheezing, with a sound that could best be described as ‘chahhh’ escaping his lips.

She heard Thickhead shout and turned around, right in time for said moron land a solid punch on her jaw. Her head whipped sideways, and a stream of blood flew from her mouth. Once again, silence descended. Thickhead’s victorious leer changed to an expression that resembled a man being given a tube of Vaseline by a very muscular individual winking at him as she grabbed the sod by his throat and lifted him up like he weighed nothing. She glared at him venomously, drawing back her other arm.

“Don’t do that again.”

As she threw the punch, he frantically waved his arms, trying to latch onto her.

*smack*

He flew backwards, Lieia’s shirt fluttering in his grasp. As the hundreds of pairs of eyes followed his trajectory, cringing collectively as he tumbled head over ass through several crates, getting knocked unconscious in the process. Everyone looked back at Lieia, Celestia included.

It seemed Thickhead had ripped off more than her shirt. A gasp went up from the spectators, but soon a lot of the males were whistling appreciatively. Celestia blushed fiercely when she realised what had happened. Lieia’s shapely breasts were bouncing around, unrestricted by the bra that now was in Thickhead’s grasp. She paid that no attention, however, instead tearing off a large piece of Monobrow’s shirt, tying it around her ample chest, and then picked the half-conscious man up by his shoulders. He barely could stand straight. She eyed him for a moment.

“Next time, you might want to stay quiet, or at least make sure no one's eavesdropping.” She headbutted him, the loud, dry clack echoing quite nicely. Monobrow went down like a felled tree. Lieia turned to her spectators. The entire fight had only taken a couple of minutes. One of the spectators stood up, shouting as loud as possible.

“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you don’t fuck with Captain Grisova!” The cheers and applause broke free, with many of the crewmen cashing in a nice amount of credits from the bets they’d made.

Celestia pushed through the milling crowds, eventually meeting Lieia, who was getting some medical attention for her cuts and scrapes. She smiled when she saw the alicorn, just as the gash on her forehead was stitched up.

“Hey, Cel. Those two didn’t stand a chance, did they? S’pose they were a couple of FNGs, since they were so eager to fight me.”

“I don’t even know what to say, Lieia, I really don’t. How did you take them down so easily?”

“They relied on brute strength, while I have those augmentations to call upon. They should’ve asked around who they were going up against.” The medic finished the work on her face, and walked away. Lieia worked her jaw for a couple of moments, and then chuckled.

“Well, so much for simply spending the day quietly, eh? We still got a couple of ships left to visit. Let’s get it over with.”

Four hours later

Lieia’s personal quarters

“Twilight, you alright there?”

“Y-yes, Lieia.”

“You lie like a rug, Twi. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

“This may be a bit hard to believe for you, but while I was reading those databases, I came across something that is related directly to you.” Lieia sat up a bit straighter.

“Do tell.”

“Well, believe it or not, you’re royalty.”

“…What.”

“I’m serious! It took some digging, but I found your full family tree. You are the direct descendant of one Liiyah Tavrian. I looked around some more, and found out she was the Rebel Queen of Linv, back when there was no organised government or Coalition to unite your worlds. She waged a guerrilla war to bring Linv under her control. She succeeded, too, leaving a last will while she still was young. I have a copy of it on my PDA.” She sent it over to Lieia, who opened it impatiently, displaying it in front of her.

“That’s Old Linv. We had to learn it back in school, but hardly anyone speaks it, instead using the Common. Let’s see…” She licked her lips.

“Last will of Liiyah Tavrian, Rebel Queen of Linv. I leave everything I’ve conquered to my successors, be they young or old. My heraldry bears my will. Liiyah Tavrian, Rebel Queen of Linv. Boy, she doesn’t say much, does she?” Twilight chuckled dourly at that.

“No. She seemed to know what she did, though. Since she didn't name a specific heir, the rest of her family killed each other over the years following her passing, each of them trying to consolidate the position. In the end, there were only a handful of them left. They were the smarter ones, giving up on any chance to claim the throne, turning instead to simply living out their lives.”

Lieia nodded distractedly, rubbing her chin.

“It actually makes sense. Mom always said we was of noble blood. Her parents were as blue-blooded as… well, someone who’s nobility. Nearly had a heart attack when she married my dad. He was as simple and down to earth as they came. His family was good and honest people. Once, when I asked my Ma how I got my name, she told me it was passed down through the generations. I thought she was just making me feel better.”

“Lieia, this is the testament of your ancestor. I triple-checked every bit of information. You have every right to assume control over Linv.”

“Whoa, there! I don’t know anything about ruling in the first place!”

“Well, the sources claim that neither did Liiyah. She was a simple worker when she joined the rebellion. She came to be the leader of the entire organization in due time. She was a born leader; she knew the struggles of the simple folk, and sought to improve everyone’s lives, making all people equal. She’s not that different from you. In fact, I even found a portrait of her, preserved in a museum. Here, take a look.” She brought up a holo of a plainly-dressed woman and others moved closer for a better look.

The resemblance was startling. Liiyah had been a handsome woman in her youth, bearing a look of wry confidence on her face, a curtain of fiery red hair framing her head. She wore a simple, practical dress that accented her curves. She was holding a red, gold, and black banner in one hand, and held a pistol in her other arm, hefting it above her, smiling victoriously.

“Lieia, she has your cheekbones. There’s much resemblance between you two.” Celestia muttered, scrutinising the image.

“No. I have her cheekbones. Wow. You weren’t kidding, Twi. And you’re sure that we both are of the same bloodline?”

“Absolutely and completely! You, my dear friend, are the rightful ruler of Linv.” Twilight beamed happily.

“…”

“Lieia?”

The sound of Lieia’s forehead striking the flat surface of the floor was all too audible.

She woke up after what seemed moments later, but she glanced at the clock on the wall, eyes widening in surprise when she saw that she’d been unconscious for three hours. She sat up, muttering quietly, taking a look around. Her room was empty, save for Celestia, who had just lifted her gaze from the book she was reading.

“Ah, you’re awake. Why did you pass out like that?”

“Well, I just found out I’m a queen. How would you react in my place?”

“I see your point. At least we got some time to ourselves, now.” She set the book aside, smiling at Lieia.

“What shall we do, hmm?”

“Make out like there’s no tomorrow?” Lieia suggested hopefully.

“Let’s save that for later.” She climbed in the bed, laying her head on Lieia’s chest, gazing calmly in Lieia’s deep blue eyes. Neither of them said anything for a few moments.

“I could just spend the rest of my life like this, Celly. Just you and me.” She scratched Celestia’s chin, making the mare chuckle softly.

“That tickles.”

“Oh, does it, now?” Lieia scratched Celestia’s neck, and she giggled again.

“Stop it!”

“Nope. Now I know you’re ticklish. You’ve got nowhere to run now!” She rolled Celestia on her back, dragging her fingers across the alicorn’s slim chest, causing her to flail a bit frantically.

“Aaagh! Lieia, stop that! Seriously!” Celestia managed to squeal between the bouts of hysterical laughter. Lieia managed to keep her onslaught of tickles rolling for a few more minutes before Celestia went on the offensive, licking Lieia’s neck. The human flinched, drawing back instinctively.

“Eeeh! That’s playing dirty!” she shot Celestia sly glance, dragging her tongue across Celestia’s neck. She overbalanced herself, however, thumping her head on the wall.

“Ow!”

Celestia used the distraction to her advantage, however, brushing Lieia’s shirt aside, pressing her lips to the woman’s flat stomach and blew.

*THRRBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBT*

Lieia squealed, but failed to get free, pressed against the wall as she was. Celestia blew again, making Lieia flail wildly.

“CelEEEEEEEEEEEH!” She giggled madly, trying to extricate herself, but Celestia restrained her, blowing another raspberry. She was surprised, thinking that Lieia was nowhere near as ticklish as she was, since she was a battle-tested veteran. Said veteran was currently writhing under Celestia’s administrations of raspberries, gasping breathlessly. She managed to shoot Celestia a pleading look. Her eyes conveyed the message – stop the impromptu torture. Somewhat reluctantly, she raised her head, looking at Lieia.

“Sorry. I got a bit carried away there.” Celestia smiled sheepishly. Lieia’s chest was rising and falling like a deepwater swell as she regained her breath. At seeing Lieia’s flushed cheeks, she felt a sudden lust for her, a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time and she crawled closer to Lieia.

“Well, I won’t be holding it against you.” She scratched Celestia’s ear and the mare nickered softly, laying her head down on Lieia’s chest, looking at her somewhat dolefully.

“Do you want to talk?”

“What about?”

“Well-“ she was interrupted by a quiet drumming that came from the nearby vent, and moment later, Calypso emerged, a ball of fur in her mouth.

“Calypso, what is that? A rat?” It was, in fact, a kitten.

“Meow.” Calypso trotted over to the bed, depositing the mewling animal in it. She disappeared in the vent again, eventually carrying another five kittens out and adding them to the first one in Lieia’s bed, sitting down and looking at her expectantly.

“Meaow.”

Lieia picked one of the kittens up, a mottled grey one, a smile breaking across her face and she scratched its chin. The small animal purred, closing its eyes blissfully. Calypso eyed Celestia unmovingly.

“She isn’t really very trustful of strangers.” She returned the mottled kitten back to its sisters and brothers. She chuckled amusedly as they ran about the bed, tumbling around and fighting with each other. Lieia picked Calypso up, stroking the cat’s coat.

“I knew she had kittens aboard, but I never expected she’d birthed six of them, let alone take care of them all.”

“They’re adorable!” Lieia gave Celestia another one of those crooked smiles she was growing to love.

“Kittens have that effect on people. And ponies, apparently.”

“Could I perhaps have one, as a pet?”

“Sure, but they’re a bit too young for that at the moment. You’ll have to wait for some time for them to grow up. A couple of weeks or so.” Celestia picked up one of the kittens, nuzzling it. Calypso sat up, still eyeing Celestia.

“Errroowwww.”

“She’s hungry, I’d say. I think I have some ham left in the fridge.” She left Calypso, returning with a plastic container a minute later, feeding its contents to the cat. That helped, and Calypso regarded Celestia less angrily.

“Well, what shall we do now?”

“I have something on my mind, Lieia. I was going to ask whether you’d sing something for me. I… You have a beautiful voice.” Celestia blushed, making Lieia laugh.

“You’re spoiling me, Celly. Ah, who am I kidding? I can’t say no to you.” She rummaged through her pockets, pulling her music player out. Moments later, a song started playing and Lieia winked at Celestia, waiting for the words to start.

It cannot be seen

But there's blood on the green

Only god knows I'm innocent

Take me, take me home

A dark seed reigns in me

Like the storm rules over the sea

I challenge thee, do not cross this bridge alone

Don't dare me now

The threatening shadows will pass by

They're getting closer now

Open your eyes

Wake up my dear young friend

And hate shall fade away

I will not move, yet

I'll stand still, instead

There on the battlefield he stands

Down on the battlefield he's lost

And on the battlefield it ends

War and anger shall reign

The clash of iron can be heard

By blindness you're driven insane

I'm lost in anguish and grief

Sorrow won't wane 'til you die

A shattered body deeply hurt

And darkness will cover the light

It's gone forevermore

The field's been left in sorrow

The father and the son

They're gone

The sun shines bright

And anger rises

Lorn and lonely

Torn apart

Don't you think

It's time to stop now

We were charmed and fooled by the old serpent's kiss

Let's pray

That heaven is on our side

Through violence and horror

Shall honour arise

So let's pray

And blessed shall be our leader

We follow the noble and bright

Don't you hear me crying

Crying

Come take me away

I hallow thy name

There on the battlefield he stands

Down on the battlefield he's lost

And on the battlefield it ends

War and anger shall reign

The clash of iron can be heard

By blindness you're driven insane

I'm lost in anguish and grief

Sorrow won't wane 'til you die

A shattered body deeply hurt

And darkness will cover the light

It's gone forevermore

That's what minstrel sings

Join in the horrible screams

Take part in murderous deeds

Renowned be the lion-hearted

Join in the minstrelsy

Wailing in endless grief

It eagerly longs for more

Broken bodies lay down on the ground

Blood sheds all over the place

The green will be stained forever

And hate reigns all over the field

They keep struggling on in anger

Fiercely intense

Outrageous, too blind to see

And in pain they keep on singing

We claim the land for the highlord

God bless the land and our highlord

War and anger shall reign

The clash of iron can be heard

By blindness you're driven insane

I'm lost in anguish and grief

Sorrow won't wane 'til you die

A shattered body deeply hurt

And darkness will cover the light

It's gone forevermore

Lieia never missed a single word throughout the whole song, making Celestia to wonder how she remembered them all.

“That was quite the breathtaking performance, Lieia. I do believe you’ve earned a reward.”

“Oh?” Lieia raised an eyebrow, just before Celestia pressed her lips to Lieia’s, kissing her deeply. Lieia responded, enjoying the blissful sensation, and things sort of got out of hand at that moment… Next Chapter: Chapter 17 Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 7 Minutes