The Starstruck careened through the clouds violently, a sharp tug on the wheel and a pull of a lever stabilizing their altitude as the Cap’n gave the engines a hard punch. They shot through the clouds like a rocket, burning fuel fast as they tilted hard to the west, the dark world illuminated by only potent rain, and claps of lightning.

“We’re gonna need as many eyes as we can get hunting for these lightning towers, Princess, if your crazy theory is true!”

Celestia nodded to Luna, her eyes sliding shut for a moment. Her horn glowed dimly, before her lids parted to reveal her irises had turned to slits. Celestia flicked the lights dim in the cabin, as she peered past the glass.

“That’s cool.” Arin said, leaning over to whisper in Celestia’s ear.

“You can do it too, you know. Once you figure out how to summon magic; it’s a feat of my Sister in particular, developed from her own Lunar School of the Arcane.” She said in reply. “Nocturne makes it easy to draw Lunar Magics free.”

“Huh. You know, I have been noticing my night vision improving over time…” Arin said, scratching the back of his head. “Also, headaches whenever I’m up during the day. Is that normal?”

“Yes; Luna complains all the time when I wake her up for breakfast. It’ll happen to you, too.”

“There!” Luna called, pointing excitedly through the dark.

Star Chart squinted, putting his snout to the glass. “I don’t see anything.”

A bolt of lightning came down from the sky, sparks illuminating the land below as a small tower glowed with the natural power. He tilted the wheel down, dropping no more than a hundred feet above the ground.

“…Alright, you made a believer out of me. We’re still flying in the dark, Princess! I have a guess, but you’ll need to get your guards stationed on Starboard for a broadside!” Star Chart growled, spinning the wheel. Another bolt of lightning lit up the tower, the Captain pulling back on the throttle.

“On it!” Celestia galloped to the wind pipe, barking out a quick order, at the Captain’s command. “Starboard, turn your gaze to the ground and prepare to fire on the tower! Earn your pay, Soldiers!”

In that brief moment, Celestia felt like part of the crew. It gave her a sense of pride beyond her regalia – something with the strength of a ship you couldn’t get with frilly maids and waiters.

A dozen ‘aye’s met her call, as the three cannons were pulled to the hull with resounding thuds. “Fire at will!” She stated.

Star Chart spun the wheel to the left, then a hard right – tilting the ship in a deep angle to aim for the grounded target. Lightning struck the copper tower to their right. Arin could feel the waves of power emanating from its core, a large gem shining brightly within the strange, cone-like pyramid.

The canons blasted in deafening booms, shaking the ship as the tower shuddered. Of the trio, one found its home at the base – knocking the long rod from the sky.

“Shatter that crystal!” Celestia called, as the ship spun in a tight circle overhead. The canons roared, rain filling the gaps between volleys until one of the steel balls collided with the magical center.

Luna shielded her eyes, an overwhelming wave of light and tingly energy washing over the cabin. The lights flickered off and the engines stalled, the Captain cursing.

“We lost power! Rekindle that engine fillies and colts, pronto! We’ll be grounded otherwise!” He called into the wind pipes. They were sitting ducks in the air, as Luna turned her eyes back toward the sky.

“Arin! On deck! We have company approaching! A single Seraph!” She called.

Nodding, Arin withdrew Nocturne. “Come on Vapor Cloud, it’s our time to shine and earn our pay, like Celestia said.” The Pegasus nodded, slinging Sun Song off of his side as they both dashed for the stairs.

Throwing the cabin door open, Arin stepped into the rain with Vapor Cloud by his side. He could spot the white wings of a Seraph gliding down silently through the downpour. He didn’t acknowledge the duo on deck, instead, he stopped by the balloon.

He withdrew a long blade from his belt, and rammed it hard into the leathery material. Arin had expected to hear the hiss of air escaping, but he was relieved to see the sword bouncing off, the balloon covered in a golden aura. He darted his eyes to the window, seeing Celestia’s horn twinkling dimly in the dark.

The armored Seraph landed on the deck with a heavy thud, spinning his blade in small circles. “Well now, what do we have here? A race traitor and cutesy little pony. Come to play?” He said in an overly cheery voice. Arin gulped. He was a solid head taller than him, and looked well built under his silver armor.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you live, Sir Ascended.” Arin said quietly in reply, lowering his stance. Clenching the blade in both hands.

“Oh? I can tell just from looking at you, you’re an Inert. Not just an Inert. The Inert. Leotoln’s special boy, being sent off on his own little adventure. Are you having fun playing knight?”

“What do you know?” Arin asked, his stance tightening, bundling his nerves for the fight.

“Do you really think we’d be here without as many eyes and ears as we can get? How long do you think us Ascended have been prowling the lands? A couple weeks?” He laughed, stepping closer. “I’ve been here for three months, ‘Sir Knight’. You’re quite the talk at the campfire, you know. How stupid you look prancing around with these filthy ponies. You’re worse than the race traitors back home, you know – at least those beasts stand on two legs.”

Arin gulped down his anger, approaching with quiet determination. His target laughed, raising an armored hand up to the sky. A ball of green flames formed in his hands, bouncing it in his palm. With a simple toss, it went flying at Arin with immense speed.

Out of reaction, he lifted the flat of his blade up, flames parting in a large emerald bowl around him. The Seraph charged, aiming the tip of his blade for Arin’s throat. His wings spread wide, pumping behind him in a gust.

Vapor Cloud shoulder checked the threat before the blade could connect, throwing him off balance. Sun Song swung in an arc, the heavy blade sizzling as it sliced firmly into the armor, forcing a grunt from their enemy. A single heavy white wing thrust at the duo in reply, blasting them back with a waterlogged gust. His sword raised up, jade flames coursing over the weapon as he aimed for the offending Pegasus.

Vapor nimbly jumped out of the way as the blade crashed into the floor with overwhelming power, Arin using the moment to dart forward and give a potent thrust. He aimed directly for the burning scar left in the silver plate, Nocturne shimmering blue as it slammed harshly into the winded Ascended. Piercing the weakened armor, and ramming deep into his chest.

Their threat gave a soft gasp, his air driven out of him in one attack. The Seraph stumbled back as Arin withdrew his blade, ice forming in the fine hole he left in the armor. He grasped at his chest, eyes wide in shock under his silver helm.

“Nice teamwork.” He grunted, dropping his sword to the floor. “Didn’t expect you two to work together…”

He stumbled to his side, before falling to the deck with a thud. Arin didn’t take a single chance, and quickly cleaved Nocturne into the back of his neck. Ascended can survive fatal wounds, if left alone.

Arin dropped his sword, falling to his knees as he looked at the lifeless body before him. He just took a life. A sentient life found its end by his hands. Lightning struck, and the engine lurched back to life. Lights flickering across the Starstruck as it began to move.

“Arin, c’mon. He’s down. Let’s head back inside.”

The Knight didn’t respond, as Vapor prodded his side. Sighing, the pegasus approached the dead body – lifting it up on his back, before unceremoniously tossing it over the side of the bow. He grabbed Nocturne in his muzzle, sheathing it in Arin’s holster, before offering him a hoof up. All of this took less than a minute – but to Arin, it felt like hours. Mind reeling from the terror coursing through him.

“C’mon. We’ll talk about it in the bit. The Princesses need us.”

~

Arin huddled in the corner of the cabin, Luna casting him longing looks from the window. She turned back to the action, calling out the next target as the Starstruck swung in a wide arc.

“We’re gonna keep a little more distance this time around. Last thing I need is for the engines to burst into flames, and leave us out in a field with no backup.” He looked over Arin with a single-eyed glare, the dim light of the only lamp in the cabin illuminating his pale face. “Is that one gonna be alright?”

Arin didn’t reply.

“Sharp left, sharp left!” Luna called, the Captain rolling the wheel and dropping the throttle.

“Port side!” He called in to the wind pipes, several stallion replying with a grunt. The heavy rattle of steel ramming in to the left hull as the crew took aim followed, Celestia slipping away from her defensive position to wrap a wing around Arin’s side.

“It was your first time, spilling the blood of another sentient creature. Wasn’t it.” She didn’t question, rather clarify. Arin nodded dully, the Princess giving a sigh.

“I’m sorry to say this Arin, but there is a reason Knights of the Crown must attend military training before serving us. Your position calls for times of violence, and rending this violence requires immense discipline. Discipline taught through training and service. This is more than I could have ever asked of you. Than Luna could ever ask of you.”

“I don’t want to let Luna down.” He said, not looking up from the floor to meet those magenta eyes. He didn’t want to. He was afraid he may see something there, that he may see pity. And he didn’t want her pity right now. Arin wanted the blood off of his hands.

“Luna wouldn’t be hurt if you gave up your position as a knight. She would be hurt if you were hurt protecting her. And right now, you’re hurting. Have you noticed her eyes falling on you?”

The cannons fired all at once, another wave of magic emanating from the ground with resounding cheers from the crew.

“No…”

“Her heart hurts right now, not because you let her down – you did well in your fight. Her heart hurts because you’re hurting.”

“I still killed him… I even split his neck to make sure he didn’t get back up.”

“And what do you feel?”

He blinked. What did he feel. His hands pulled at his knees as the Starstruck rounded another sharp swing, keeping him in place. His leather boots supporting his weight nicely.

“I feel guilt…”

“And?…”

“Fear. Fear of what I’ve done. The life I ended.”

“The guilt means you regret your actions. Taking a life is never something somepony should do lightly. The fact that you feel pain now means you have a conscious, and you would never wish death to another, but you did so. Why?”

“…To protect Luna, to protect myself.”

“Exactly. The life you took was for a greater good; to protect those you love, Arin. The guilt you feel is natural. It will pass with time, and you may find yourself coming to our protection again before this day is through. And the fear you feel is part of it.”

He nodded.

“Be brave, Arin. Not because you’re a knight, but because we need you. Luna needs you. If you break, she’ll break too. You’re her shield, and without a working shield, she’ll falter to the onslaught. Don’t let that happen.” She offered her hoof, to help him to his feet, speaking with that same motherly love she always gave her subjects.

“Bravery is pushing on, even if you are afraid. Push on. You can pay your respects to the dead when we’re safe, it will help ease your mind.”

Arin nodded, taking her hoof in his hand. With a soft tug, he was on his feet once more. He quickly joined by Luna’s side, keeping a strong face.

“How are thy holding up?” She asked quietly, as he rested his hand over her soft withers. Her wing locked around his shoulders, holding him close to her body as she scanned the pitch black rain with her snake eyes.

“We are… sorry, I am attempting to get over it.” He said. She had rubbed off on him a bit too much. Her eyes went wide, returning to their natural rounded pupils as she looked up to her knight with a blush.

“Thou are…” Her shocked expression softened into a smile, leaning up to give her knight a soft kiss on the lips. He needed it, and gently accepted.

Vigor welled within them both, as she pulled from the kiss. Arin blinked, as the world seemed much too bright. Luna couldn’t help but giggle.

“It seems thou are sharing Our gift.” She said, her eyes returning to slits in a blink. He peered into the dark, shocked to find the world had lightened several shades. He could see past the lights, into the darkness. The distant treeline, the soft shaded plains beneath them. Distinct shapes popped into view, as he caught sight of another tower.

“There!” He called, pointing to their right. “Uh… Port!” He said in shock. Star Chart rolled his eyes, swinging the wheel wide.

“Hooves on port! Get ready to aim!” He squinted into the darkness, looking for a familiar flash of lightning to break the rain. It came, and with his eyes on the target proper, he pulled the bow up skyward and punched the throttle. He cut hard into a sheering wind, swinging in a low arc around his target.

“Fire at will!” He called. The canons answered, striking their target true. A burst of light filled the world, a heavy gust of wind nearly knocking the twisting ship onto its side.

The Captain cursed, drawing back on the throttle hard – spinning the wheel in the opposite direction with a grunt. “I’m not paid enough for this kind of mission.” He said beneath his breath, the ship lurching to right itself before crashing to the grassy floor below.

“How many more of these are there, Princess?”

Celestia thought back to Shining’s report, counting in her head the possible damage. “With how many deeds were stolen, there could be as many as… eight, as little as five.”

As Arin watched the clouds rolled above in aw of his newfound power, a blinding light nearly made him stumble backwards, Luna shielding her eyes as four pillars of light shot into the sky.

“Oh no…” Celestia whispered. The captain fell off the wheel, cutting the throttle as the ship sailed to a halt. Vapor watched in terror, his jaw falling open as the beams of light shot north.

Celestia collapsed to her knees. With no way to contact Shining or Cadence, it was only a dull hope that the Crystal Heart could hold. The lightning vanished across the horizon, a large wave of light radiating from the Empire.

The rain began to lessen, the storm slowly breaking above. The sun cracked the clouds, as Star Chart clicked the radio.

They waited. Several moments passed, and nothing. No boom. No explosion. Nothing.

“Cloud Tail? Get these clouds out of here. We’re gonna chug back to Canterlot.” Star Chart eventually crackled into the mic.

No response. Until faintly, the radio buzzed to life. “On it boss.”

Hearing the fuzzy voice, Celestia tried to send the letter again. It vanished without a trace.

She could only hope her family survived whatever just happened.

Arin rubbed away his eyes, feeling his night vision ending as he looked to the newly dim world around him. Did they lose?

Several minutes passed, the tension in the air so thick it could be cut with a knife. The crew set to work, righting the ship and preparing to head home.

The sound of a puff of magic broke the stunned silence, as Celestia received a return letter. It was from Princess Cadence. Relief washed over the room in a wave, the Sun Princess quickly unrolling the scroll.

Her relief turned to horror, as she spoke quietly to those gathered.

“The Crystal Heart is gone. After it absorbed the magic, it was stolen.”