//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 - Intercontinental Intervention (Part 1) // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// Arc takes the key from Stellar Flare’s hoof and looks it over soberly before speaking. “I knew he wasn’t happy with the direction we were going, but this… Tight Ship, he… he actively tried to stop us.” Hammer clenches a fist angrily. “He’s a traitor then!” Sereb growls. “Indeed.” Arc sighs. “Is he?” Applejack sighs. “It kinda sounds like it, Arc. This would thing have been over before it got started had Spitfire been successful.” Arc shakes his head. “No. He was only protecting his friends… Celestia and Decimus.” Lemon Heart’s voice rings out over his earring. “Sir, we’re approaching Canterlot.” “Good. I’m on my way.” Turning to the others, he motions to the stairs sadly. “Let’s get this over with.” Making his way to the Bridge, Arc enters with the key in hand. Soarin turns to him. “Hero of Light on the Bridge.” Wrangler appears hopeful. “Did you take care of that saboteur, sir?!” “Yeah. She’s gone.” Moon Dancer frowns. “How did she get in here?!” “With this.” Arc holds up the master key. Everyone gasps as he does so Lemon Hearts is the first to speak. “ Sir! Is… is that…?” “It’s Tight Ship’s, yes.” Turning, he gives it to Soarin. “I believe this is yours now.” Nodding, Soarin accepts it “Yes sir. I’ll do my best.” Arc looks to the rest of the crew. “Anything on the radar?” Moon Dancer shakes her head. “Clear, sir.” Thunderlane frowns. “There’s no movement from what I can see, sir.” Arc raises an eyebrow. “None?” “Right, sir.” “Is that… normal?” Wrangler sighs. “Not really, sir. At this time of day there should be innumerable Pegasi flying around.” Cherry calls out. “But it’s nighttime.” Arc shakes his head. “No, Cherry. Remember, no one raised the sun.” “Oh… right.” “Getting back to the matter at hand, do you suppose everyone is just scared to go out?” Soarin puts a hoof to his chin. “It is possible, yes. However, I believe that Princess Celestia knows we’re coming and ordered the capital locked down.” Moon Dancer nods. “During such a time everypony would be ordered to shelter in place. But I am rather surprised that nopony has yet hailed us.” Thunderlane frowns. “Or physically challenged the ship.” Wrangler looks to Arc. “We should go to high alert, sir.” “Agreed. Make it so.” Lemon Hearts gives the order on the intercom as Arc steps forward to the helm and stands next to Thunderlane. Looking out over the city before them, he frowns. “That’s a lot of fog.” Thunderlane nods soberly. “The weather’s perfect for it right now, sir.” Moon Dancer grimaces. “Yes. A bit of luck for the princess.” Arc turns his head. “Moon Dancer, are you sure there’s nothing down there?” “Radar is clear, sir.” “Radio chatter, Lemon Hearts?” “Everything’s silent, sir. Has been for some time now.” Soarin frowns. “That isn’t normal.” Thunderlane looks over to the captain. “Think it’s a trap, sir?” “Most likely. We should be ready for anything though.” Arc grimaces as he heads for Wrangler’s station. “Well, I’m going to charge up the O.R.B. then.” Putting his hands on the spheres, Arc channels his magic into the console for a solid minute. Stepping back, he breathes heavily and looks to Wrangler. “How’s… that?” “Twenty-five percent, sir.” “Enough. Activate the shields.” “Aye sir.” Pressing a few buttons, a barrier forms around The Equinox. She turns to Arc. “Barrier up and stabilized, sir.” Moon Dancer frowns. “A very defensive move, sir. But one that also doesn’t let us fight back.” “We don’t need to fire a single shot.” Soarin nods approvingly. “Right. Remember, our fight is against Princess Celestia and Decimus. Not the military or anypony else right now.” Thunderlane squints and leans forward. “Sir, I think I just saw something move down there.” Arc looks over. “Moon Dancer?” “Still nothing on screen.” Lemon Hearts frowns. “No radio chatter either.” Wrangler turns to him. “Sir, we could see for sure if you would raise the sun though.” “Agreed. But that would let Celestia know for sure that I’m still alive.” Cherry calls out to him. “Considering Decimus and his troops saw you, she probably already knows.” Arc sighs and nods. “Maybe. Well, it’s worth the risk I suppose. One sunrise coming up.” Concentrating, Arc holds out his hand. Slowly the sun begins to rise to the noonday position. It’s warm rays cut through the fog in moments revealing the terrain around the city. Thunderlane gasps. “Armada dead ahead!” Soarin cries out. “Take evasive action!” Thunderlane turns the ship as hard as he can. The ships take off and train their weapons on The Equinox. Arc turns to the comms. “Hail them!” Lemon Hearts does so. A moment later she turns to Arc.> “No response!” Wrangler calls out. “They’re preparing to fire!” Soarin looks to Arc. “Sir, your orders?!” “Put some distance between us!” Thunderlane appears surprised. “Retreat?!” “Yes! Now!” Thunderlane accelerates as the ship curves away from the city and its defenders as they open fire on their craft. Arc turns to the tactical station as their shots hit their target. “Wrangler?!” “Shields are holding, sir! We’re in no danger!” Lemon Hearts turns to Arc. “Incoming transmission, sir.” Wrangler scoffs. “Now they want to talk?! Ignore it and let’s turn about and blast these punks!” Soarin shakes his head. “Sir, we should hear them out.” “Agreed, Soarin. Lemon Hearts, patch it through.” Doing so, she turns to the captain and nods. “This is Commander… Captain Soarin of The Equinox. We have urgent business with Princess Celestia that…” A voice from the other end cuts him off. “We already know whom you are and what you’re doing here, captain.” Arc clenches a fist as he mutters under his breath. “Him?!” “This is Admiral Gaston. Commander of the Griffon Kingdom’s Equestrian Defense Force. We have orders to fire on any vessel whom attempts to enter Canterlot’s airspace.” Soarin grits his teeth. “Fire upon?!” “That is correct. We were also told your ship would be arriving soon by Hero of Light Decimus himself.” “I have vital information on Hero of Light Arc that must be delivered to Princess Celestia at once though!” Gaston chuckles. “Don’t you mean Hero of Light Arc himself?” “What are you…?” “He was seen attacking Ponyville less than two hours ago before boarding your vessel. You seek to sneak past us to allow him access to the city! We won’t let that happen! Gunners, fire at will!” Lemon Hearts looks up. “Transmission has ceased.” Wrangler points a hoof. “Incoming salvo!” Moon Dancer gasps. “Confirmed. All ships firing!” Thunderlane calls out from the helm. “Orders?!” Arc clenches a fist. “Take us east!” Soarin nods. “Make it so!” Moon Dancer grimaces. “They are pursuing!” Thunderlane grins. “We’re faster though!” A short time later the shots lessen as the griffon ships turn back toward Canterlot. Arc grits his teeth. “Evaluation.” Wrangler steps forward soberly. “We could break through their lines with a fully charged O.R.B. system.” Thunderlane frowns. “Assuming they don’t have ground defenses in place, yes.” Soarin sighs. “And if they did we might not be able to escape before our barrier fell.” Moon Dancer looks over her console. “That is entirely possible. Even after they took off I was unable to detect the griffon ships.” Arc gasps. “They have some kind of dampeners, huh?” “It would appear so, sir.” Lemon Hearts sighs. “They can sneak up on us, but we stand out like a sore hoof. Clever.” Wrangler bows her head. “I don’t think we can take them on as it stands, sir.” Soarin looks to Arc. “What shall we do now, sir?” “We need more information. Thunderlane, set a course for the Dragon Lands.” “Sir?” “The Dragon Lord, or some of their subjects, had to have seen the griffon airships crossing the Celestial Sea. We could also potentially use their assistance with another attack on the capital.” Wrangler grimaces. “Asking the dragons for help now, sir? That sounds akin to playing with fire.” Moon Dancer shudders. “We might get burned.” “True. But at the very least I want to set down outside of the country. As long as we’re in Equestria all of us are in danger from attack.” Lemon Hearts appears nervous. “Begging your pardon, sir. But what’s to stop the dragons from doing the same? Or the military for that matter.” Soarin chuckles. “The military wouldn’t dare enter the Dragon Lands and start a battle. Arc nods. “Right. The Dragon Lord would almost certainly retaliate against them AND their nation. So we’d be relatively safe there.” Wrangler sighs. “From the military, yes. But there’s always the locals.” Arc smiles as he walks over to Lemon Heart’s station. “I suppose so. But I think they know where I stand with the Dragon Lord. Well… both of them, that is.” Looking down at the mare, he motions to the microphone. “Right now, I need to address the crew and citizens of Ponyville though.” Lemon Hearts pushes a few buttons and nods to him. Arc begins to speak. “Attention everyone. This is Hero of Light Arc. My apologies for the rough flying a few minutes ago. When we approached Canterlot the ship was attacked by airships sent by the Griffon Kingdom. We’re now on our way to the Dragon Lands to try and come up with a better plan. If anyone wants to get off before we leave Equestria please come to the Bridge and let us know to drop you off at Baltimare. Again, sorry for all of this everyone.” He looks to Lemon Hearts and gives back the microphone as she presses a button. Sighing, he turns to Thunderlane. “When do you think we’ll make it to the Dragon Lands?” “By tomorrow morning, sir.” “Good. Keep a look out for reinforcements from either the Griffon Kingdom or Equestria. I’m going to head to the Cafeteria and see how everyone’s doing.” He leaves the Bridge as Sorin sits back down in the captain’s chair. “We’re on our way again.” Thunderlane nods soberly. “Aye, sir.” Moon Dancer sighs. “Leaving Equestria again though.” Wrangler shrugs. “It’s not like this is the first time though.” Lemon Hearts looks out the window. “Yes. But we’re not leaving on good terms this time.” Soarin sighs as he turns to the now closed Bridge door. “And if we fail, Equestria’s last hope fails with us.” Meanwhile, Arc makes his way to the Cafeteria. Everyone sits around the large room nervously munching on soups and salads. Auriel spots him and waves. Walking over, Arc sits down with her, Dinky, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. The party pony is the first to speak. “Hey, Arc! How’s it going?!” Arc sighs. “Not the greatest.” Applejack nods soberly. “We all figured we’d fly to Canterlot and you’d set everything right with the princess.” Fluttershy shudders. “One way or another, that is.” “What happened, dad?” Auriel looks toward the corridor windows nearby. “Yes. We saw the sun rising so quickly.” “I used it to cut through some dense fog. A bunch of Griffon Kingdom airships were lying in wait for us.” Pinkie gasps. “What do you suppose they wanted?!” “Our hides. Fortunately I had ordered our shield’s raised, so there was no damage to the ship.” “So we’re going to get Ember, dad?” “Something like that.” Applejack grins. “That should even the odds.” “Hopefully. Say, is Derpy in the kitchen still?” Dinky nods. “Yup. She told all of us to eat something real quick though.” Auriel sighs. “Right. Feeding this many ponies isn’t exactly an easy job.” Arc stands up. “She’s not in there alone though, is she?” Applejack shakes her head. “Nah. Hammer’s helping out too.” Arc sighs as he sits back down. “That’s… good.” Pinkie raises an eyebrow. “Something wrong, Arc?!” “Yeah. If I had been able to…” His earring chirps as Lemon Heart’s voice fills his ear. “Sir, there’s a transmission coming in from Canterlot.” “Oh? Who’s it from?” “Princess Celestia herself is about to address the nation.” Arc raises an eyebrow. “The nation?” “Yes sir. It’s very rare indeed, but she’ll be using the same broad range signal you did when you were Lord Regent. Shall I put it on the intercom or keep it to just your office?” “Put it on the intercom. I believe everyone has the right to hear what’s she has to say.” “Yes sir. She’ll be going live in just a few minutes.” “I’ll announce it here. Arc out.” He touches his earring, severing the connection as he stands and clears his throat before speaking. “Attention everyone. I have an announcement to make.” Everyone stops talking and looks to him as he continues. “I’ve just been notified that Princess Celestia will be addressing the nation in just a few minutes. My Communication’s Officer will be airing it live over the intercom for everyone to hear.” He sits back down as Dinky leans in close to her father and lowers her voice. “Do you really think it will be anything good, dad?” Arc sighs. “I doubt it.” A short time later the sound of hooves clopping together rings out over the intercom system. Everyone stops eating and look to the speaker nearest them. Derpy and Hammer along with Coco Pommel, Natalya, and Gallus all step out of the kitchen to listen with the others as a spokespony’s voice rings out. “Good evening, everypony. Today I have the distinct honor of announcing that for the first time since her return, Princess Celestia is now strong enough to stand before you all and speak. So without further ado, please help me in welcoming our fair ruler, Princess Celestia.” Cheers ring out as the stallionpresumably steps back to allow Celestia to take her place at the microphone. As the applause dies down she begins to speak. “My fellow Equestrians… today has been a hard day for all of us. I’m sure everyone was understandably unnerved this morning when the sun did not rise as it has every day prior without fail. Rumors began to circulate that I was not well or had again been kidnapped. My presence before you all today is to help alleviate such baseless claims.” The sound of hooves clapping again rings out. Auriel turns to Arc. “At least she sounds okay.” “That’s not much consolation.” Dinky grits her teeth. “Yeah. Remember, she’s the one who blasted my dad not that long ago.” Celestia continues. “A short time ago, many here in Canterlot heard the roar of engines and explosions. Those were airships from the Griffon Kingdom whom came here at my request as part of a new treaty. They came to uphold their part of our agreement to defend Canterlot from any and all threats.”