The sun hung at its highest point over the city of Hoofington. It wasn't as big as Manehattan, nor as sophisticated as Canterlot, though it resembled the latter in appearance in the fact that buildings were small and scattered throughout. The streets were mostly made of grass, with a few stone roads sprinkled around, here and there. Several oak trees rose out from the ground throughout the city, where they housed a number of different bird species, some of them rare. Outside, to the East, the vegetation grew wilder into a forest lined with oak trees as tall as they came, where an enormous lake sat at its center. The plaza, right in the middle of the city, was crawling with excited colorful ponies running around in swimming suits and basking in the sunlight; others walked around with caps and camping gear, checking the stores as they went along, chattering excitedly about what activities they were going to engage in: ranging from swimming in the lake, to bird-watching. It was a typical summer day for the small city, a vacationing spot filled with water parks and natural resorts.
A honking sound drew everypony's attention to the train tracks, coming in from the North. Off in the distance, a shiny black locomotive grew larger, billowing a stream of white steam as it approached the train station. The cranking and clinking of the wheels on the track grew louder and louder, much to the pleasure of a large crowd of merchant ponies awaiting the arrival of the Canterlot Express. Suddenly, the screeching sound of metal filled the air and the train started slowing down considerably. The clinking of the gears died down as it was replaced by the rattling and banging of the train's compartments against each other, the smoke seemed to vanish as well when the locomotive reached the station and came to a complete halt. The train released any excess steam with a loud hiss, and honked one last time for show.
The machinist, right elbow sitting comfortably on the lower frame of the locomotive's window, pulled down a retractable microphone and spoke into it: "Welcome, fillies and gentlecolt, to the city of Hoofington. We'll be stopping here for a few hours, as scheduled, to restock on supplies and perform routine maintenance on the train. In the meantime, you're welcome to step out and visit the city as it has excellent restaurants and picnic spots. Do remember that we'll be leaving at four 'o clock sharp, so be sure to bring your watches and keep your ticket with you at all times." With these words several compartment doors slid open and a crowd began slowly filtering through it.
Pinkie Pie was the first of the six to shoot out from the door. She darted from one place to the next, impossibly fast, 'ooing' at every trinket the merchants near the station sold.
"Now, now Pinkie. Don't wander too far off," said Applejack stepping out of the train.
"Ugh, the heat is unbearable! Where is my chapeau?" Bemoaned Rarity, rummaging through her bag.
"Ooh, ooh! Look, a giant water-slide!" Yelled Pinkie and darted out of sight again.
"Whoa Nelly!" Called Applejack, throwing a lasso at the pink filly and dragging her back. "We did not come here for sightseeing ya hear? So try and behave yourself, will ya?" She scolded Pinkie Pie, trying to ignore the puppy-eyed look she was giving her.
"Chillax Applejack! We've got four hours until the train leaves," said Rainbow Dash, suntanning lotion and sunglasses at hoof.
"I just don't wanna get sidetracked, if we miss the train—"
"We'll be fine! Try to kick back and relax for a change," said the pegasus waving her hoof dismissively.
"I'm afraid I have to side with her on this one darling, we're stuck here for four hours and I, for one, am not interested in sitting here getting sweaty for nothing," said Rarity, sporting a wide-brim, lime-colored chapeau.
Applejack could see where this was going. She gave a sigh and relinquished her hold on Pinkie Pie. "Okay, but whatever we do, we stick together ya hear? I don't wanna spend my day looking for y'all."
"Sure, mom," retorted Rainbow Dash.
The group spent most of the day wandering around the city, looking for spots of interest. Pinkie Pie was allowed to ride the giant water-slide twice, which she did excitedly, splashing everypony in the vicinity; Rainbow Dash laid back on the grass, trying to get suntanned while the rest went into a beauty salon after Rarity insisted that they all needed it; later it was Applejack's turn to drag them to a country-styled restaurant, where they tried a variety of spicy meals, much to Rarity's displeasure, who accidentally nibbled on the end of a red looking vegetable she thought was a tomato, but turned out to be pepper; even the quiet Fluttershy could barely contain her exhilaration when the group agreed to her pleas of going bird watching. It was nearly half-past three when the group decided it was time to head back to the train.
Fluttershy was still reeling about the different kinds of bird she had seen when a tall, thin saddle-brown earth pony approached them with a satchel full of notes.
"Excuse me, which one of you is Miss...err...Rarity?" Asked the pony squinting at a piece of paper he was carrying.
"I am," answered the white filly, stepping forward.
"I have this telegram for you from Mister Fancy Pants," said the stallion as he handed the note to her.
Rarity levitated it in front of her and began reading it to herself, as the group surrounded her and craned in for a better look. After a few moments she turned around to face the others, looking troubled.
"Twilight and Spike left Manehattan this morning with some stranger on a cruise. They're heading to Canterlot as we speak," announced the filly.
"They what?!" Asked Rainbow Dash in disbelief.
"I don't likes the sound of that. Who's this stranger he was talking 'bout?" Said Applejack, frowning slightly as she pulled the telegram out of Rarity's grasp.
"It seems he's some captain of a cruise named 'High Tide', though Fancy Pants doesn't know him very well," explained Rarity.
"Well, I'll be dipped! It says here they aint alone. 'pparently, that nib-nose D.A. went with them," said Applejack to everyone's general astonishment.
Fluttershy gasped, lifting a hoof to her mouth. "Oh no! What do we do?"
"Twilight's gonna get caught before we have a chance at getting to her!" Said Rainbow Dash loudly, grabbing both sides of her head.
'Why that no-good ruffian! Not only was he rude enough to lock us up, but he even had the nerve of showing up at my house with a search warrant after having ransacked it once already!" Snorted Rarity, her face contracting with fury.
"Simmer down everypony!" Called out Applejack. "It says here the cruise will be stopping at Stabbleside a few days from now."
"Stabbleside? That's southeast of Hoofington, in the coast right?" Asked Rainbow Dash.
"Soooo all we gotta do is take the train to Stabbleside," said Pinkie Pie, bouncing on her hooves.
"Right, we should get our bags and check the schedule for the next train. C'mon everypony," said Applejack, beckoning the rest to follow her.
******
It had been a very awkward morning for Twilight. It seemed that no matter what she did, she could not elude the navy unicorn following her around at every turn. Twice he had spotted her attempting to get off the cruise before it set sail. She had pretended to be strolling around the deck for a little air when he'd caught her in a last desperate attempt of jumping overboard, into the ocean. He was being enchantingly nasty as well, pretending to be friendly and conversational as an excuse for making uncomfortable questions and throwing snide remarks about her curious demeanor. Once the needles of the clock reached twelve, she knew her fate had been sealed: a loud horn signaled their departure and the S.S.Concordia drifted away from the coast, making any attempt at teleportation far too dangerous to undergo.
She was busy watching the remains of Manehattan sink into the horizon when the unicorn stepped inadvertently next to her. "Oh dear, it looks like it will be a few days before we see land again, wouldn't you agree, Miss Crème?" Commented the D.A. with fake concern.
"Uh, I-I guess so..." replied Twilight, forcing a smile.
Silver Tongue saw her discomfort and relished at the further opportunity to tease her. "Looking awfully green there Miss Crème. Not seasick, are you?"
"Oh, nonono! I'm totally fine, I'm just feeling a little under the weather, but I'll be alright," she replied hastily, waving her hoof dismissively.
"Oh how wonderful! After all, I was just asked by captain High Tide to inform you that we're invited to dinner at his table, and it wouldn't be the same if you were shut away in your cabin, feeling a little sick," teased on the unicorn, his mischievous smile growing at the look of surprise in Twilight's face.
Curiously enough, Twilight did feel sick at these words. But the worst was yet to come as he turned around to leave and confirmed her worst fears.
"Well, I'm off to my cabin to check up on Nemo and to have some well deserved sleep, so I'll be seeing you later. One more thing though: do mind to read up on table manners, we wouldn't want anypony else to see through that little charade of yours now would we, Twilight Sparkle?" And with this he departed, leaving her looking stricken.
During the following hours she paced around her cabin trying much too hard to come up with a plan for getting out of her predicament. She had thought of taking a vessel out to sea, right in the middle of the night, (after all they were still in an inlet and would soon be traversing through the Southern Canal into the ocean) but thought better of it: a storm would sink her in a heartbeat and even if she succeeded she would still be right in the middle of nowhere. Next she had thought of conjuring wings on herself and flying away, but she couldn't leave Spike behind, nor had any means to cast the spell as the instructions book on how to do it was still in the library, back in Ponyville. Finally she had thought of inviting the D.A. for a nighttime stroll around the deck and then pushing him overboard, but she was smaller than him and had no way of overpowering him, nor would his absence go unnoticed by the overly friendly captain.
As minutes turned into hours she had to reluctantly accept that she wouldn't be worming herself out of her invitation. At eight 'o clock sharp, she gave a deep sigh and headed out to the dinning hall to accompany the D.A. and the captain, followed reluctantly by Spike.
The couple trudged towards the dinning hall, dragging their limbs along the parquet, much in the same way a convict does towards toward the gallows. When they arrived they stood in front of a double door made of mahogany, with brass handles. On both sides of the door stood a couple of porter ponies, wearing matching tailcoats and gloves. They each grabbed one of the handles and pushed the doors open to reveal a magnificent hall filled with long dinner tables, covered by crimson tablecloths and white lace on top. Each one of these tables was filled with succulent dishes such as roasted artichoke with chipotle aioli, blue cheese and citrus bruschetta, insalata capresse and avocado, wild mushroom and mascarpone soup, vegan artichoke and tomato bisque, grapefruit and fennel salad, oven-roasted sunchokes, and a ton more delicacies most ponies had never even seen or heard of.
Her mouth watering, Twilight scouted the inside of the hall for her host and spotted him at the end of the hall, sitting at the head of a table, accompanied by Silver Tongue and his assistant. They both wandered over to their table, under the scrutinizing gaze of dozens of other ponies, sitting at their respective tables. When the captain spotted them he ceased flattering a highly embarrassed Nemo, and got up to welcome them with open arms.
"Mister Blasé and Miss Crème! How wonderful it is to have you join us!" He exclaimed delightedly.
"The pleasure is ours, captain," responded Twilight, allowing the captain to kiss the tip of her hoof. She noticed he had switched his navy overcoat for an ivory uniform, badges gleaming in his chest.
The captain gestured them towards the sits on his right, across the D.A. and Nemo. Before the captain sat again, Twilight took the opportunity to shoot a defiant look towards Silver Tongue, who nodded in response, giving her a mischievous smile in return. He no longer looked shabby and scruffy, having shaved his three-day beard and properly combed his silvery mane backwards, in fact he looked quite dazzling with his ebony suit and royal-blue cravat. But if the D.A. without bags under his eyes was an unusual sight, Nemo Ius stood out even more with a sweeping purple gown, parted on the left side to reveal her leg and part of her flank. The filly had arranged her hair in a neat plait to reveal both her pink eyes, and was no longer wearing her red spectacles, a strand of fuchsia hair hanging on the right side of her face. Twilight had to stomp on Spike's foot to stop him from wolf-whistling at her, as the dragon drew in air to do so.
"You have arrived at just the right moment, I was just telling my dear attorneys here about these wondrous chandeliers I recently acquired," said the captain nudging towards the crystal chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceiling.
"You seem to have fine taste sir," agreed Twilight, taking a peek at the shiny orbs of crystal hanging on top of them.
"Oh please! Call me Tide, all my friends do," implored the captain.
Twilight nodded at him. "Surely, sir Tide."
"I always thought you were far too enthusiastic to appreciate your surroundings. Never knew you had a taste for fine arts Tide," interjected the D.A. with a surprised tone.
"You don't know the half of it my friend," replied the captain, turning towards him. "Lately I have taken a liking to all sorts of art," he informed him.
"Such as?" Pressed on Nemo.
"Well, mostly sculptures. I've become a big patron of the arts, shipping fine sculptures all around Equestria in order to help independent artists get well known."
The D.A.'s eyes searched the hall for a few moments before turning towards the captain again. "That's odd, for a stallion that seems to enjoy art so much, I don't see any sculptures in the hall. Did they not fit the environment?" He asked curiously.
"Ah, no my friend. I'm afraid they're locked in with the rest of the cargo: wouldn't want them to get damaged before we reached the museum back in Canterlot," said the captain fiddling with his hooves, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Damaged? Surely they're more likely to get damaged if they're locked inside a room with shifting objects right?" Inquired Twilight.
The captain cast her a dubious look and shifted on his sit uncomfortably, before he had the opportunity to answer, however, a distraction came in the form of a waiter carrying their dinner.
"Ah! Pesto and two-cheese panini! My favorite!" Said the captain, smacking his lips. Twilight and Spike exchanged meaningful looks, but did not press on the matter.
"So," resumed the bulky stallion. "You mentioned earlier you were working on a case Silver?" He asked the D.A. in a casual tone, nearly making Twilight choke on her mango soup.
"Yes, it's the case with the terrorist attack on Princess Celestia," the unicorn informed him.
"Terrible business, just terrible," commented the captain, shaking his head.
"Isn't it?" Added the unicorn, directing his gaze at Twilight who was pretending to be busy, sipping her soup. "Apparently, the pony behind the attack was a filly who was a protégé at Princess Celestia's school for gifted unicorns."
"How dreadful! Why would she try to kill her own mentor?!" Exclaimed the stallion indignantly.
"That's what I'm trying to find out Tide, but try as I might I still can't find a motive behind her actions," he continued without taking his eyes off Twilight. "But that's not all, there have been a few inconsistencies, despite the considerable amount of evidence gathered against her, that seem to suggest she wasn't acting alone."
Spike's hand trembled with anger as he suppressed a mad desire of grabbing the flower pot in front of him and smashing it over Silver Tongue's head.
The captain looked at him inquisitively. "You mean she had help?"
"Oh, I mean more than that," replied the D.A. giving him a significant look. "My recent findings seem to indicate that some military personnel might have been involved."
Everypony stopped eating at looked at him stunned, even Twilight couldn't stop herself from opening her mouth in wonder at his words: she had not been expecting this.
"You don't say..." whispered the captain in disbelief.
"Which leads me to believe that either she helped a radical group within the military overthrow the princess, and they let her take the blame for it, or she was actually framed for a crime she didn't commit," finished the unicorn dramatically.
Twilight sat there, rooted to the spot, dripping her soup all over the tablecloth, a strange uplifting sensation in her stomach. Her heart had skipped a beat at his words, her mind completely blank, she merely stared at the D.A. torn between disbelief and excitement.
"Now, how does that one work out?" Inquired the captain, with a confused look on his face.
The D.A. looked at him and swallowed a piece of avocado before continuing. "For starters, the fact that we found the constituents for building explosive materials in her room was fishy, seeing how the suspect didn't have the means to either procure such ingredients nor sneak them into Canterlot, undetected."
"Perhaps she had help," suggested the captain.
"I thought so too at first," admitted the unicorn. "So I took her friends in for questioning, but none of them seemed to harbor any significant information, other than the fact that their friend had been acting strangely, during the weeks prior to the attack."
Twilight held her breath, images of her reunion with the princess flashing across her mind.
"Well, maybe they knew more than they were letting on, Silver. You don't know these terrorist types: their minds work in different ways than yours or mine," persisted the captain.
"They aren't terrorists!" Spat out Spike, to everyone's surprise.
Twilight threw a nervous look at Silver Tongue, who quickly understood. "Right you are, Mister Blasé!" He added hastily, trying to divert High Tide's attention from Spike. "You see, after interrogating them I felt they were hiding something, and so I had them followed. After much investigation and information gathering, however, I was forced to conclude that they were regular fillies just trying to protect her friend, whom they believed innocent," he added, giving Twilight a reassuring smile.
Twilight returned the smile in kind, her chest swelling with gratitude at what the D.A. had just told her: her friends' allegiance meant the world to her. She looked sideways and pretended to wipe her mouth, to prevent the other ponies from watching the pearly tears swelling up underneath her eyes.
"How can you be so sure of that?" Asked the captain giving Silver Tongue a skeptical look.
"Because of the fact that the suspect ordered the guards who were watching over the altar to escort her through town, at the time the explosive was set. If she had an accomplice it is more likely that he was within the military, or so I thought," explained the D.A. through the soles of his hooves.
"But doesn't that prove that she was behind the whole thing? Distracting the guards while her accomplice set the bomb?" Pointed out the captain, throwing up his huge arms in exasperation.
"Not necessarily," explained the D.A. "Though it is mysterious, maybe she was coached into giving such an order by somepony else. Or the guards who gave that statement could've lied about it, if they were involved. Any theories on that regard Miss Crème?"
Twilight had to admit it was very well done: the way he had staged the whole conversation in order to pass information to her, all the while allowing him to interrogate her without arousing suspicion.
"Maybe it was both?" Suggested Twilight, raising her wineglass and taking a sip. "Perhaps she was told to give word to the guards that their presence was required at headquarters, and they took the opportunity to spin the truth against her, to hide their involvement."
"Ah! But you are all forgetting one crucial detail," he cackled, waving at hoof towards Twilight. "The lass ran away from the law, didn't she? Why run if she was innocent, eh?" He added conclusively.
"Maybe because she knew so much evidence had been piled against her, and there was no way she'd get a fair trial," answered Spike.
"True," acknowledged Silver Tongue. "There's also the fact that the Imperial Guard was breathing down her neck, Tide. And I've gotten witness accounts that the late Commander Storm Chaser tried to execute the filly on the spot, after she'd surrendered."
The captain looked horror-struck at these words. "Jeez! I knew he was a mean, old ogre, but I never figured him to be a killer..." said the pony in a hushed voice.
"Though it was his duty to apprehend the suspect, the commander's strange behavior and his attempt at killing her can only be interpreted as a means of silencing the truth, meaning Miss Twilight Sparkle might've had nothing to do with the crime in the first place," concluded the unicorn.
A sensation of relief spread throughout Twilight, knowing now that not only did she count with her friends' support, but also that of the D.A. For the remainder of the evening she allowed herself to enjoy her meal, while swapping anecdotes and laughing alongside her new friends. Even Spike joined in with an occasional joke, making the captain roar with laughter, banging hard on the table. Life could not be better for the fugitive couple, who seemed to have found peace at last.
******
Over the following days the trust that Twilight had found in both Silver and Nemo seemed to strengthen. The couple of attorneys took the time to pay casual visits to Twilight's cabin, and stroll around the deck with her and Spike, pretending to engage in casual chatter. It turned out Silver Tongue wasn't as overbearing and unreasonable as she had initially thought: he was just a simple stallion, out to find the truth. Having talked to him a few times had given her the impression that he was an open minded pony, never settling for a definite answer and always keeping a certain measure of doubt in his mind. She had asked him how could he possibly live with the uncertainty of not knowing whether the ponies he'd put away where innocent or guilty. He merely answered that there was nothing more certain than doubt itself, to which Spike had replied that the guy was off his rocker, and that the stress of his profession had long since fried his brain.
Though she wanted to be cooperative, she still felt uncertain whether she should trust the unicorn with the discussion she had had with the princess. By now she knew that the stallion was aware of it, having tried to touch the subject a great deal of times. Nonetheless she felt it wasn't the right time to let him know of it: the last thing she wanted to do was put somepony else in danger. After all, somepony could overhear them and spill the beans all over the press. It was simply wiser to keep their silence until they got to Canterlot, where the D.A. had promised her the best protection the police could offer her.
Another thing that kept her from telling Silver Tongue about the meeting was the fact that he was friends with High Tide. Though she trusted the unicorn, she deeply mistrusted the captain, especially after he'd been so persistent on his theory that she was the culprit. By now she was certain that the captain was hiding something, and she had a hunch on what it was, though she didn't know how to tell this to the D.A: if she accused the captain of using sculptures as a front, to transport illegal substances, without any proof, she could lose the D.A.'s favor. She would have to sneak into the lowest levels of the ship, where the cargo was kept, to have a look at these sculptures. To that end, she had waited three days, since the stallion had avoided her question at dinner, for him to lower his defenses. And so, casting away her ladylike appearance, Twilight covered herself once more with her traveling cloak and stepped out, into the darkness of the night, while everypony slept.
The first stop would have to be the captain's cabin: since that was where all the keys were kept. The feat should be easy enough, all things considered, since there was few personnel patrolling the place. In fact, she needn't sneak into the cabin at all, just merely get in range of it to perform a reverse-teleportation spell on the keys.
Her eyes burning with the fire of determination, she stepped out into the deck, tiptoeing across the shiny parquet, keeping her back against the wall. She could see the cabin, sitting high on the cruise, at the end of five flights of stairs. She had to stop for a minute, when a sailor-pony came out of a room next to her an went whistling past her, flashlight at hoof. She wiped the sweat of her brow and started climbing the long metal staircase, that connected the deck with the captain's cabin. She tried her best to soften her steps, so as to avoid the clanging noise of her hooves against metal. So far she had been successful in her attempts, and had climbed nearly four flights of stairs when she heard the familiar voice of the captain addressing one of the sailors.
"Could you get down to the kitchens and ask the chefs there to whip me up some hot cocoa?"
"Sure thing captain!"
Twilight panicked as she heard the pony step out of the cabin and start descending the stairs right above her. She looked around for a place to hide, but found none, she was about to jump out when she heard another voice from the captain's cabin.
"Captain, it's half past eleven: the cooks already went to sleep."
"Oh darn it! Hey, you! Come back, there's no need..."
She let out a deep sigh of relief as she heard the sailor climb back up and enter the room. She waited a couple of seconds just to make sure the stallion wasn't about to come out again, and resumed her silent climbing. She could see the two sailors and the captain through a wide window that spanned all around the cabin. Setting her sight on the keys hanging on a shelf on one side of the room, she mustered her forces and concentrated with all her might. With a popping noise the keys materialized in front of her; she took them and began her descent.
She sneaked her way towards the stern of the ship, and found it to be unguarded. She found some stairs leading downward towards a hatch, which she had great difficulty opening. Underneath it, a long flight of metal stairs led towards a dark corridor, filled with similar hatch-like doors. She walked around until she found one of them had a chain around the handle, with a huge padlock denying any kind of access to it.
Her heart thumping wildly, she pulled out the keys she had stolen and began trying them one by one. After a few attempts, the padlock gave a satisfying clicking noise, and fell to the floor with a clang, dragging the chains with it. Twilight grabbed the handle and turned it slowly. The door creaked open as she put her weight on it and stepped inside the room. Thought the place was shrouded in darkness, moonlight filtered through the portholes in the wall, casting it's revealing light upon a number of stone statues filling the room. She had found the sculptures she'd been searching for.
Twilight approached the wall to her left and examined the sculpture of a robed filly holding a torch on her right hoof. She placed both hooves on it and heaved forward, sending it crashing into the floor. A glittery black substance spilled from it. Before she had the chance to do anything else, however, she heard a voice behind her.
"Gunpowder...dear Celestia, High Tide, what have you done?"
Twilight turned around sharply to see the D.A. standing in the entrance. "Silver Tongue! What are you doing here?" She asked in shock.
"I went to your cabin for a little chat and saw that you were missing. I woke up Spike and he told me where you were headed," explained the stallion.
"Did anypony see you?"
"I don't think so...but tell me, what is all this?" Asked the unicorn looking at their surroundings.
Twilight hesitated for a moment. 'Would it be alright to trust him with what the commander had said?'
The D.A.'s voice brought her back to her senses as he placed his hooves on her shoulders. "Listen, Twilight, this is important. If my belief is correct and all these statues are filled to the brim with gunpowder, then this conspiracy is bigger than we thought and all of Equestria could be in danger."
Twilight drew a deep breath and began telling him everything the commander had told her before he was crushed by a landslide. Already she could see the growing concern in his eyes as he tried to think of the implications of what she was telling him.
"War?" Whispered the stallion hoarsely, filling slightly lightheaded. "Are you certain that's what he said?" He asked flabbergasted, wishing he hadn't heard anything after all.
"Yes, and unless we find the culprit behind this plot, I'm afraid countless lives will be sacrificed in meaningless battle."
The D.A. shook his head in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me this before?! This changes absolutely everything!"
Twilight traced the floor making circles with her right hoof, staring guiltily at the floor. "I was afraid you wouldn't believe me."
The unicorn quickly began pacing around, scratching his mane into a mess. "If this conspiracy runs as deep as you suggest, then we're going to have to move fast. First off, we're going to need to remove the princess from the care of the Imperial Guard. Next we're going to have to send a delegation to Princess Luna, have her brought back and placed under protection immediately. Then...there's no choice, we can no longer afford to have you wandering about Twilight, we're going to have to place you under the witness protection program."
Twilight's heart sank with these words. She understood only too well the implications of what the unicorn was telling her. "You mean I'm going to have to go into hiding? But what about my friends? Won't I be able to see them again?"
The D.A. stopped moving and gave her an apologetic look. This, if anything, made her feel even worse. "Twilight, I won't lie to you, it could be a long time before we catch the culprit. Yes, you would have to hide, and contact with the outside world would be limited until we've rooted out this conspiracy. I know you find this to be unfair, but you and Spike are our only witnesses, and therefore the only key to exposing and convicting the masterminds behind these acts."
Twilight felt her gaze drop to the ground and the tears build up behind her eyes. She knew all this, but still she could not help but feel disheartened. After having gone through so much to see her friends again, having that taken away from her, just as she closed in on her goal, was downright crushing.
The D.A. gently placed a hoof on her chin and lifted it to look her in the eyes, he then spoke in a low and sympathetic voice. "Listen, I know it's unfair to ask a filly, who's not even half my age, to shoulder the responsibilities of a grown mare. But unfortunately for you and me, this is no longer about what's fair or unfair. This is about what our country requires us to do, in order to ensure peace. I know this is hard to accept, but sometimes fate calls upon the few to sacrifice themselves for the needs of the many."
Twilight swallowed hard, suppressing a sob. She listened earnestly at the unicorn, trying to take in every word, every feeling he evoked, wishing to make herself stronger.
Silver Tongue pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. "I pledge to you, that I will not rest until this culprit is caught, and I assure you that I will not allow you to come to harm. I solemnly swear to uphold my word, in the name of justice," he intoned, gesturing towards the brass scales on his flank. Twilight could not help but smile at his, wiping her tears with the handkerchief.
"So what do you say kiddo? Want to help me blow the lid on this joint?" Said the stallion, holding out his hoof for Twilight to shake. She looked at him appreciatively, slowly brought her right hoof forward, to meet with Silver's.
A flash. A deafening bang. A scream of pain and surprise. Twilight stood there rooted to the spot, warm blood splashing her face, as she watched Silver Tongue, eyes shut tight, fall in slow motion on the floor. Her eyes traveled from the mangled figure of the unicorn gasping for air, a gaping hole spurting blood on his chest, to the stallion standing in the doorway, some kind of long tube ending in two barrels on his hooves.
"No!" Twilight's scream rent the air as she flung herself on top of the stallion, trying to apply pressure to the wound.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such a shame I had to do that old friend, but you left me no choice..." spoke the familiar voice of the captain, as he stepped out from the shadows, shotgun at hoof.
"You!" Yelled Twilight, her teary eyes flashing with the utmost hatred at the sight of the bulky stallion.
"Me," answered the captain simply. "I'm sorry, Silver, I really am...I hoped you would stay away...hoped you wouldn't figure it out," he said in a grave voice.
Silver Tongue spat out blood, and opened his eyes, trying to take in the blurry outline of his friend. "H-h-how...l-long?" He managed to stammer, giving him a resentful look.
"How long have I been at this? Oh quite longer than you imagine my friend. You see, it's good business: war, that is."
"But why?! Why would you do this?! I thought he was your friend!" Protested Twilight, eyeing High Tide with disgust.
The stallion looked at her, but it was to Silver Tongue to whom he addressed the answer. "Nothing pains me more for it to have come to this, but I simply could not allow you to interfere in our plans. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but you were simply too good of an investigator to let it go and let Miss Twilight over here take the blame."
"That's because he's a good pony! He wouldn't let an innocent take the blame for the sake of pretending!" Retorted Twilight, breathing heavily.
"And that's why I had to get rid of him," explained the captain calmly. "It was sad really, being told that you were poking your nose in affairs that did not concern you. I was ordered to find you and get rid of you," he told the bleeding unicorn.
"Or...dered?" Whispered the D.A. squinting at the captain.
"I don't suppose there's any harm in telling somepony who has a hoof in the grave. The Canterlot elite has been the driving force behind the attempt on the princess. They caught wind of you asking the Imperial Guard uncomfortable questions and wanted you out of the picture. I walked into the Waldhoof Astoria, after you ran away from Ponyville, knowing you'd check in there as usual. How surprised I was to find not only you, but also our darling little fugitive here," he said, nudging towards Twilight.
"You mean you knew all along?" Asked Twilight, angered at the fact she'd been tricked.
"Knew? Of course I knew! I'd have to be an idiot not to realize it was you under that ridiculous get up! So I decided to kill two birds with one stone and I lured both of you onto my ship, hoping to dispose of you."
"You'll never get away with this, you monster!" Seethed Twilight, staring daggers at the stallion.
The captain threw his head backwards and roared with laughter. "I'm afraid we already have my little filly. Princess Celestia is being gradually poisoned as we speak, and Princess Luna is set to be assassinated on the tenth of July, during a parade on her honor at Griffin kingdom. And with you two gone, there will be nopony left who could possibly interfere," he said, cocking his gun and pointing at Twilight.
"This thing here is cutting edge technology and the next step in the evolution of warfare. It uses the blast of gunpowder to spew out projectiles at very high speeds, capable of penetrating even the thickest of skins. So don't worry, you'll hardly have the time to feel anything before you're dead."
"Shoot me here and we'll both blow sky high!" Twilight taunted him, gesturing towards the statues behind her.
"Oh don't worry, if I point downwards there's very little chance of hitting them," he said matter-of-factly. "Goodbye Twilight Sparkle, it was my pleasure."
Twilight closed her eyes and raised her hooves to shield herself, but the bullet never came. Instead they heard a shattering noise, as a bust was cracked open on top of the captain's head, knocking him unconscious. Behind him stood Spike and Nemo.
"Silver Tongue sir! What happened?!" Blurted out Nemo rushing forward.
"He's been shot, he's losing a lot of blood. We have to get him out of here pronto!" Replied Twilight, heaving the injured stallion into a standing position and throwing his forearm over the back of her neck.
"I'll help you!" Offered Nemo, doing likewise with the D.A.'s free arm and helping Twilight drag him out of the room.
The trip back was far more difficult, the group had a lot of difficulties dragging the barely conscious D.A. up the metal staircase.
While Nemo and Spike were busy struggling with the metal hatch, the stallion turned his head towards Twilight and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Meeting...with princess...what was it about?"
Twilight eyes met with his, as she considered his question. She gave him a sympathetic smile and whispered something into his ear. The stallion's lips widened into a smile from ear to ear as he whispered, "Never would've thought of it."
They managed to pull the unicorn onto the stern and set him carefully on the floor, where Nemo began to apply immediate pressure on the wound, while Twilight looked around for help.
"Twilight, look!" Yelled Spike pointing to the distance.
Twilight whipped around to see where her assistant was pointing and found out, with relief, that he was gesturing to several lit structures, scattered throughout the coast. They had finally arrived at Stableside.
"Quick Nemo, there's no time to lose! Help me hoist him into one of the evacuation vessels," said Twilight nudging her towards the side of the ship, decisively.
The captain hadn't had his last word on the matter, however, as he came sprinting up the stairs, shotgun on his hoof.
"Freeze!" He thundered, aiming for Nemo.
Twilight managed to push her overboard and into the vessel just before the captain unloaded his gun, leaving a huge dent on the metal surface of the ship.
"Oh no you don't lassie!" Yelled the stallion, letting out another shot at Twilight, who was trying to hoist the D.A. overboard. She barely ducked, dropping Silver Tongue in the process, missing death by a few inches.
The distressed captain opened his double-barrel shotgun and swiftly began loading a couple more shells.
"Now!" Signaled Twilight charging towards the captain. Spike grabbed the D.A. and tried to pull him up with all his might. Time seemed to come to a stop as Twilight jumped into a charging tackle against the captain, who was slowly lifting his gun and aiming it at her. She inched closer and closer, as his hoof delicately squeezed the trigger.
A flash of blue light. An echoing bang. Twilight suddenly found herself sitting perfectly safe on the vessel, which was now precipitating towards the water, alongside Nemo and Spike. Her eyes darted around, searching the boat for any signs of Silver Tongue, until she realized what had happened...
"You did this?" Asked the stallion at the badly injured unicorn.
"A reverse teleportation spell...simple stuff," croaked the D.A. pulling himself on his hooves.
"Your actions are meaningless old friend. What can you hope to achieve in that sorry state?" Taunted the captain.
"With luck...a little justice..." answered the unicorn, blue sparks flying out of his horn.
All of a sudden a massive blast beneath them shook the entire ship, sending the both of them tumbling to the floor. High Tide looked around in fear, and saw a dark cloud of smoke rushing out of the cargo bay below. Fear gripping him, he turned around to look at the unicorn, with utter hatred on his face.
"What did you do?!" He breathed menacingly.
"Blew up...whole cargo...no gunpowder...no ship," replied Silver Tongue in a barely audible whisper, lying on his side in a pool of blood.
"You! You remained behind to pull this meaningless stunt?! Why even try?! You're dead one way or another!" Barked the captain.
"Told her...fate calls upon the few...to sacrifice themselves...would've felt like a hypocrite...if I hadn't," answered the unicorn simply. "And to protect...the princess' dream..." he added, giving out one last breath, his last smile stretched wide across his face.