FSE

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Sour-Bee carefully watched the figures as they circled around each other in a climbing spiral. He gestured to Cymbalaria who promptly stopped peddling and locked down the elliptical. She made her way over to him. "How well can you see those three?"

"As clear as day," she replied. "My optical systems are not only top of the line, but they are computer enhanced."

"Don't know what a computer is, but it sounds expensive."

"It is, though in my case it didn't really cost me anything."

"Gift?"

"No... I kind of stole what I wanted." The aeronaut looked at her quizzically. "What can I say. Before joining my current family, I was not the best possible pony to know. The professor and the others did a lot to set me straight."

Sour-Bee nodded to himself. "Noted," he replied with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Princess Twilight is all about friendship and second chances. You might want to talk about it with her when y'all get the chance."

Moving back to the helm the earth pony turned the bow to port and hit a couple of buttons. There was a soft hiss of steam from somewhere forward. The dirigible side-slipped, yawing ever so slightly to the left into a thicker bank of clouds. By now, the others were reaching the deck from below. Sour-Bee gestured to each of them to remain silent.

"What's going on?" asked Twilight.

"We're in sight of Mare Island, but it appears there's a patrol of some kind ahead of us." The aeronaut looked over at the princess. "You forgot to mention the Amarezons were alicorns."

"They're not," she replied. "They're pegacorns."

"What's the difference?" the professor inquired.

"Oh, I know, I know." Pinkie Pie responded in an enthusiastic whisper. "An alicorn is all sparkly glittery, while a pegacorn is more kind of humdrum."

"Well, that clears things up," observed Cyanide in a soft, deadpan voice.

Twilight shook her head with a bemused smile. "She's not wrong. An alicorn can use the magic of all three pony species and is extremely powerful. A pegacorn on the other hand is somewhat limited. They can fly but can't manipulate clouds or the weather like pegasi can, and their magic is limited to very basic telekinetic skills, minus the strength or fine manipulation a unicorn would have. They are however powerful warriors who mainly fight on the ground. A lot of scholars believe they evolved from earth ponies originally."

"They do kind of look like small, muscular versions of ma brother, Big Mac," Applejack whispered, lowering a borrowed spyglass from her eye and passing it over to Rarity.

"Darling, don't you mean your 'cousin,' Orchard Blossom," the fashionista responded with a knowing smile. She looked through the spyglass for a moment. "Warriors or not," she commented, "that leather armor look does nothing to enhance their couture."

The spyglass was passed around from one pony to another, each quietly contributing a thought or two. Sour-Bee listened silently, then confronted the elephant no one else had as yet discussed. "Any ideas how exactly we get passed them?"

"Overpowering them wouldn't work," said Clover. "That would probably put the whole island on alert."

"Could we sneak past them using the clouds?" asked Cinnamon asked.

"I've been watching the cloud patterns," replied Rainbow Dash. "Clouds seem to drift towards Mare Island normally, but when they reach a certain point, they kind of whirlpool around the island before resuming their normal movement. No cloud ever makes landfall."

"Maybe it's some kind of defensive spell," offered Spike.

"More than likely," Twilight confirmed. "It would prevent an enemy from sneaking up on them."

"What about making ourselves invisible?" asked Fluttershy.

"I don't know any spells that could hide us and this whole airship," the alicorn replied.

"Discord could," the yellow-furred pegasus said.

"No doubt he could," Rarity pointed out. "But whatever spell he conjured up would be way too flamboyant for our needs. Stealth is not one of his best traits."

Fluttershy looked down at her hooves. "You're right," she whispered. "Sorry I mentioned it."

"Don't be, darling. It wasn't a bad idea. It's just that Discord isn't ready to work as part of a team. I'm certain he'll get better, given time."

Sour-Bee skillfully adjusted their position in the cloud, joining in the conversation as he worked. "Let's say we get past the patrols and reach the island. How exactly are we going to find the Doctor's time machine, let alone wrestle it away from the crazy pony who has it?"

Tic-Tock reached behind him and pulled out a small device that looked like a silver cylinder with buttons. "We can use my sonic to track the TARDIS. If the Professor's Maestro Thyme is inside, it should be easy enough for his companions to trap and capture her there. We can then escape back to Ponyville."

"I thought you said it was broken?" asked Cassia.

"It can't cross dimensions or time in its current state but traveling from point A to point B will be a cake walk."

"So... How do we get to the island?" asked Applejack.

"What about using a Trojan Horse?" Cyanide offered.

"A what?" Twilight asked.

"A Trojan Horse... you know like the Greeks used."

"What the heck are Greeks?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I mean I've heard of Geeks, but not Greeks."

"It's an ancient story from our world," the chimera explained, "about how a group of Greek soldiers snuck into an enemy city inside a giant wooden horse."

"Well, we don't have a giant horse, wooden or otherwise," Applejack pointed out.

Cyanide smiled knowingly. "Actually, we do. And we're standing right in it."

Every pony looked around quizzically except Cymbalaria, Twilight and the Professor. "What's your idea," asked Sour-Bee.

* * * *

The three pegacorns had reached their assigned patrol altitude and were flying a racetrack pattern back and forth along the northwest coast of their island. All were clad in brown leather armor, a bronze, crested helmet, bronze leggings, and a short sword. Each was alert and well-rested. One Amarezon, Silver Pike, stretched her forelegs slightly, letting off a huff of breath that fogged in the cool, pre-dawn air. "How long are we supposed to stay up here?"

"Another hour, then we switch places with the inland patrol," the flight leader answered.

"Any pony explain why we put up extra patrols this morning?

"Her majesty thought the moon's behavior was odd enough to warrant a little extra caution."

"That would be something Princess Luna would control. I wonder what it must feel like to manipulate power like that?" wondered Blackwing.

"Well, when you become an alicorn, you can tell us," Silver Pike teased her.

"That kind of power is why we increased our patrols...Not that we really have anything to fear from the Equestrians," the flight leader assured them. "We're too far off their coast for a pegasi to reach us."

Blackwing shook her head, the crest on her helmet waving briefly. "I wonder if it's Equestria we have to worry about or that crazy pony with the blue box. Harboring this, Maestro, while she carries on a private war with them can't be a good thing."

"Evaluating what is or is not good for Amarezonia isn't your job, Blackwing. Your job is to do you duty and leave such questions to the Queen and her advisors," the flight leader rebuked.

"Yes ma'am!"

Silver Pike paused for a moment, hovering as she put one forehoof to her ear. "Do you hear something?"

The other two pegacorns turned and looked. Moments later something pierced the vale of clouds that surrounded their island. Its shape was indistinct against the night sky. A soft huffing sound came from it as if it were struggling to catch its breath, but it was definitely moving toward land. The flight leader pulled out a spy glass to get a closer view.

"What is that thing?" asked Blackwing.

"It looks like an Equestrian dirigible, and it's in pretty sad shape. Forward envelope is partially collapsed. Some stay lines are loose causing the gondola to tilt at an odd angle. There's evidence of minor battle damage to the gondola itself." She paused in her description. "It definitely looks like it's descending towards the island, possibly to make an emergency landing. I don't see any pedal ponies along the gunnel, but the propellers are turning, slowly. I can just make out one pony standing at the helm."

"How's it moving towards the island? Nothing should drift randomly with the barrier spell in place."

The flight leader lowered her telescope. "From the sound it's making I think it may be steam-powered."

"Impossible," muttered Silver Pike. "If it had a steam engine it would never get off the ground."

"Agreed. Yet there it is." The flight leader turned toward the others. "Blackwing... Fly to the palace and alert the Captain of the Guard. Have them meet us at Three Furlong Valley. I think that's where it may touch down. Silver Pike, you're with me. Let's keep our distance and watch it until help arrives. I don't want to accidently stick my hoof in a trap."

* * * *

Onboard the Arrowknot, Sour-Bee glumly looked over his ship. The neat, orderly craft had a number of holes kicked into the deck, gunnel, and molding. The hatch covers were thrown askew and a few well-placed scorch marks left his beloved dirigible pockmarked and looking as if it had been in a fight. He had even deflated the forward chamber of his gas bag, recapturing the gas in one of his enchanted cylinders for future use. In his heart he knew the damage was cosmetic, but seeing it still rankled him more than a little

At his insistence, Twilight had reluctantly used her magic to give him a black eye, numerous bruises, and several partially healed cuts as well as ruffle him up so he looked like he'd been in a fight. Make-up would never fool any pony for long and it had to look real. What he didn't tell her was the injuries from the reverse healing spell ached more than a little. Sour-Bee chuckled. Every injury had, at one time or another, been earned in more than a dozen bar fights. Thus, the spell only retraumatized the tissue. He almost felt as if he were reliving old memories.

"How are you holding up, mister?" whispered an electronic voice from behind the barrel housing for the wheel.

"Fair to middling, missy," the aeronaut replied. He glanced down at Cymbalaria who was lying on the deck with both legs and one arm partially detached. "A lot better than you look," he whispered.

"Not to worry. My damage is only cosmetic. I can pull myself together in seconds if necessary."

"How are the others fairing?"

"Good. Every... uh, pony... is ready to go. I've got a good, solid, comm link with the Professor and Twilight. When you give the word, she'll teleport every pony off the ship and into cover nearby. Tic-Tock will then guide them to his TARDIS."

"Hard to believe she can move twelve ponies with a single spell..." Sour-Bee chuckled. "But then, she is an alicorn."

"By the way, you should put this in your left ear so I can talk to you directly." Cymbalaria removed a small ear bud from a compartment on her torso and handed it to the pony. "It's the same color as your ear-fur and should be almost undetectable."

Sour-Bee raised a hoof to his ear and carefully inserted the tiny device. "Fits kinda snug," he observed.

"It's supposed to," Cymbalaria replied, her voice soft, but clear. "Now, count to ten softly, but don't open your mouth. Just use your throat muscles."

The aeronaut complied. "Feels weird, talking without talking," he added after the count.

"Maybe it feels weird, but my programing lets me understand you clearly, despite the muffled tones you use. Just remember that when you talk to me, keep your mouth shut or the Amarezons might suspect something."

"How far away can we talk to each other?"

"About seven kilometers, or 35 furlongs if you prefer. If you need any information from the Professor or Twilight, I can relay it for you."

"Got it." Sour-Bee put his spyglass to his unbruised eye and scanned ahead. "Looks like we've got a bit of a reception committee up ahead." He looked over at the android and grinned. "Looks like it's showtime."

By now, the dirigible had descended to about five hundred meters and was crossing the island's coast. Ahead the pony could see a short valley clear of the thick vegetation that covered the rest of the island. He steered towards it, then flipped a hidden switch under the instrument console, locking the wheel in place. Within moments he was being surrounded by a dozen of the Amarezon pegacorns. His efforts were met with a strong warning.

" Turn your craft around. You do not have permission to approach or land on our island."

"Sorry," Sour-Bee called back. "Don't have much choice, Ma'am. Steering's busted. She can't stay up and if I put her in the water she'll sink!"

His explanation was met with a less than desirable response as three halberd wielding guard ponies dropped in on him with enough force to cause the ship to tremble. "Yield and withdraw from the helm... now!" the largest of them commanded as they pointed their weapons at him.

Sour-Bee stepped back a few paces as a fourth pony landed and took over the helm. When she tried turning the wheel it only moved a few degrees before locking up. The pegacorn turned to her leader. "He speaks the truth. The vessel cannot be turned."

The large Amarezon looked down on the aeronaut. "How do you land this craft?"

The earth pony pointed at a lever on the instrument console next to the wheel. "When we're about ten meters up, pull that all the way back. It will cycle the propellers into landing mode and kill our forward momentum." He watched carefully as the pegacorn at the helm managed the controls in his stead. It was obvious she had a good eye for distance because she pulled the lever at precisely the moment he had told her. When she did, Sour-Bee glanced at the completely silent android.

"Now," he throated. Cymbalaria silently relayed the command to Twilight. A small flash of colored light infused the forward part of the gondola. The aeronaut had hoped hiding below would conceal the alicorn's teleportation magic, but such was not the case.

"What was that?" the large Amarezon demanded, rounding on Sour-Bee.

"Some of my gear has a magical component," he offered. "When overstressed, the inertia compensator sparks a little."

The pegacorn stared at the aeronaut intently, trying to judge his explanation. Without any real knowledge of how his craft worked, she had to take his word... at least for now. She looked down at the silent android. "What exactly is this creature?"

"She's a tin golem," he said. "She functions as the crew for my airship. Unfortunately, when the pirates attacked us she was seriously damaged."

"Can she talk?"

"Well, she could if I had my toolkit and some time to patch her together."

"Good... then she can serve as a witness at your trial."

"Trial?"

"Did you truly expect to violate our sovereignty by coming here and not having to answer for your crime of trespass?" The pegacorn responded.

"Well... The circumstances are a bit unintended."

"That is something our council will decide. In the meanwhile, you are confined to your ship under guard. My assistant will conduct a through examination of your vessel to determine the truth behind your arrival here. You can move about your craft and effect what repairs you need. We will supply you with what you require. But whatever else you do," she warned, "DO NOT SET HOOF ON OUR LAND."

"Why?" he asked, certain he already sensed the answer.

"If you do, you will be instantly killed." She looked at Sour-Bee with a wicked smile. "Feel free to test this theory yourself if you are so inclined. It will spare us the need for a trial."