Helios 21: Recon Action

=Helios 21=

>Crewmen ran to and fro along the bow of the ship, pulling ropes in order to keep the lighter than air craft afloat.
>Celestia stood at the bow of the ship, her horn glowing as she directed your party ever Westward.
>You stood in the middle of the deck, generally just trying to stay out of the crewmen's way as Captain Fancypants shouted orders.
>"Come along lads! Put your backs into it!" He shouted.
>The captain stopped next to you and looked to Celestia as she guided the craft you were in.
"Know anything about our destination Captain?"
>He shakes his head. "Afraid not ol' bean. Bad Wolf Bay has always been a bit of a mystery to us sky captains...for the Princess to wish to settle on its shores is..."
"Yeah..."
>Celestia had found you asleep on the stairs up to the castle, and that had only been the beginning of your nightmares.
>She had been alarmed as you both ran through the Canterlot streets, Celestia swinging her horn around rampantly casting detection spells.
>Celestia had stopped in the city square, eyes wide and full of horror.
>"She took them..." She had said.
>You had asked her "Who took who?"
>"Luna...she took the foals." Was your only answer.
>After that Celestia had teleported you both back to the barracks and woken every guard in it.
>She placed a few calls and had gotten Fancypants to gather his crew and get into the air.
>You had even swung by Ponyville to gather Twilight and her friends.
>And so here you were, flying at best speed to the edge of Equestrian territory.

>Princess Celestia stops casting her spell and trots past the two of you.
>"Come with me Anonymous."
>Just because you were married didn't mean this was a time for pleasantries.
>You silently follow her as she heads to the interior of the ship.
>She leads you into an impromptu meeting room in the bowels of the airship.
>Assembled around a small table was Twilight and her friends and Captain Dapper Thunder.
>"Hello everyp0ny." Celestia says as she takes her place at the table.
>Twilight props herself up on the table. "Princess what's going on? Why did you need us..." She yawns a bit. "...in the middle of the night?"
>Celestia takes a deep breath.
>"Roughly six hours ago, my sister Princess Luna stole several dozen young foals from around Canterlot and has fled to an island to the West of Bad Wolf Bay."
>The girls react with a mix of shock and horror.
>"No way!"
>"Oh, those poor foals!"
>"Why would Luna do this!?"

>Celestia holds up a hoof, silencing the girls. "Perhaps a history lesson is in order..."
>"Over a thousand years ago, before Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon, this very same thing happened." She said. "Luna stole several younglings from around the city and took them to found a new nation free of Equestria. I confronted her about it and brought the foals back to their homes...it was one of the catalysts for Luna's decent into Nightmare Moon..."
>Twilight speaks up. "And you think that something similar is happening here Princess?"
>Celestia solemnly nods. "That is what evidence leads me to believe, yes."
>A small chest was levitated onto the table and opened.
>Inside rested five necklaces and a tiara.
>"I intend to try diplomacy with my sister, but we must be prepared to use the Elements on her if she does not cooperate."
>The girls stare at the jewelry in the chest for a moment before Twilight nods in understanding.
>"You can count on us Princess."

>You, Celestia and the Girls step off the airship and onto the shores.
>Before you stretched an entire city of buildings made of earth with a gargantuan spire in the center of it all.
>Everything a worthless piece of rock needs to become the capitol of a new nation.
>You turned back to the airship, looking to the guard captain on the deck.
"We'll check it out on foot. Keep the ship safe Dapper, we may need to leave in a hurry."
>Dapper salutes and heads back into the bowels of the airship.
>Celestia surveys the land. "We need to split up Anonymous."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
>Celestia nods. "We need to find Luna as fast as we can. And if she has countermeasures, we need to avoid being a large target."
>You nod.
"Agreed."
>Celestia turns back to the girls. "I will take Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie with me to the South."
>The three of them fall in with Celestia.
"The rest of us will head North. What are we looking for?"
>"Any sign of sorcery. Luna is planning something..." Celestia said.
"Right."
>"And Anon."
>Celestia gives you a peck on the cheek.
>"Please be careful."

>You, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked through the city streets.
>The silence of a city that never was had been getting to all of you.
>There was just NOTHING here.
>No ponies, no birds, no tree leaves rustling.
>Just the howl of wind through the street.
>"This place jitters my critters..." Applejack says next to you.
>Rainbow Dash was walking next to her, the storm clouds overhead grounding her.
>"Y-yeah...Kinda like the Everfree Forest in here..."
>You remember hearing about the Everfree, a chaotically natural place in the world.
>Twilight looked around the raised buildings.
>"These look like transmutation marks...but...I didn't know that Princess Luna could do magic on THIS scale..."
>You run a hand over the side of a building.
>Looking down, you see that it is still connected to the ground.
>EVERY building is like that...
"They all look like they were grown right out of the ground..."
>A dark mist began to seep from the buildings

>"Just one of the gifts The Queen has bestowed upon us." Came a voice from the shadows.
>The sound of flapping wings pushed the four of you back into a circle.
>Hoofs meet stone in the mist ahead of you.
>The obstruction parts to reveal five pegusi standing in formation ahead of you.
>Rainbow Dash immediately went on guard and the rest of you followed suit.
>The lead pegasus lifted her goggles and eyes you up.
>"Well well, if it isn't the Prince's handsome friend~..."
>Your face contorts in confusion.
>"Don't remember me? I'm hurt...The names Nightshade big guy."
>"And these..." The rest of her friends step forward.
>"Are my Shadowbolts."
>"And we..."They take off to the sky, leaving only Nightshade on the ground.
>"Are gonna put a stop to your adventure here, hot stuff."

-Music: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z0LoC7sh2s-
>Four of the Shadowbolts orbited in the air like hungry vultures.
>One of them, the one with the blue mane and lightning coming off her shot off behind you at a mind-blowing speed, Rainbow Dash right behind her.
>Two more broke off and began attacking Twilight and Applejack.
>The remaining two, Nightshade and a pegasus with a rather scarred face charged you.
>You slashed your sword in a horizontal arc as they closed, but the buggers were quick enough to dodge
>That wasn't the end of your tricks though, you grabbed the male and twisted him into a headlock.
>Nightshade darted back just out of reach and started jabbing you with her fore hooves.
>They clanged against your sword as you met each attack and bounced off her horseshoes.
>"Oh, you're a quick one aren't ya!?" Nightshade shouted.
>The pegasus under your arm bucks and twists, getting to the point where you have to toss him into a building wall.
>"And strong too! You'll do great in my room!"
>You try to block out what she means as you get back to sparring.
>Out of the corner of your eye you spot Twilight trying to blast her magenta maned opponent out of the sky while Applejack got a lasso around hers and was trying to drag him down.
>Your two opponents dove back at you as Nightshade kept talking.
>"You know, I think I saw you somewhere before!"
>She dodges a swing.
>"Yeah! You used to pal around with Spits before I got thrown out!"
>You really don't know what she's talking about, you blocked out most of your time with Spitfire.
>Too much rubber...

>Nightshade grows a sick grin. "Imagine that fat sluts face when I steal her ex for my own!"
>They were double teaming you now, leaving you to block the male with your sword and Nightshade with your forearm, and even then a few hits got through.
>They were forcing you back when something slammed into the male and crashed into a building down the street.
>That was accompanied by a laughing rainbow blur that snaked its way into the clouds ahead to avoid a similar fate.
>Nightshade looks behind her in horror. "What!? What in Tartarus was thaAAAAAA!"
>She continued screaming as you grabbed her mane and spun her around.
>Pegusi were always light...
"You."
>You smashed her face against a rock.
"Talk."
>You scooped her up and tossed her against a nearby wall, crushing her face against it with your fist.
"Too."
>Her leg shot up in your grasp as you threw her over your head and into the ground.
"Damn."
>She almost got a yelp of surprise out as your boot slammed into her face and cracked her goggles.
"Much."

-Celestia PoV-
>You and your party had headed the other direction from Anonymous.
>It wasn't long before you saw two streaks shoot out of the city from the North and clash over the water.
>You hoped he was okay...
>Fluttershy and Rarity had noticed the oddness about how empty this place was, with Pinkie calling "Weird with an extra order of weird and weird on the side."
>You had to agree with her there.
>The four of you approached a large building with a courtyard.
>It was hewn out of the same earth as the rest of the buildings, but this looked more finished, as if more attention had been paid to it.
>Stepping inside revealed rows and rows of stone pews laid out in neat order, all facing a podium at the back of the building.
>A podium which had a small colt sitting in front of it. "Hello everyp0ny!" he shouted.
>Pinkie Pie burst into the air. "PIP!
>She shot over to this "Pip" and started bouncing around him shouting his name.
>They exchanged a quick hug as the rest of you approached.
>Rarity stepped up. "Darling, what in the world are you doing here?"

>Pip smiled. "Princess Luna floated me up out of my house and brought me here! She says I get to be a king!"
>What?
"Did she say why Pip?"
>The boy gulps and looks up at you. "S-she said we're gonna start a new kingdom here after she gets all the magic she keeps in the moon."
>Your stomach sank.
>Both you and Luna kept immense reserves of magical energy in the bodies you controlled for use in emergencies.
>If she was gathering all that...
>Pip shuffled on his rear. "Princess...can I tell you something?"
>You shake your head.[spoiler][/spoiler] "Is it about Luna, Pip?"
>He nods.
>The boy looks over his shoulders in both directions, seemingly looking for someone who wasn't there.
>"I don't know but..."
>He leans in close and puts his hoof to his mouth.
>"I don't think it's Princess Luna..."