The wind of the seas pushed against the sails of the Sea Horse. Gentle waves and the setting sun painted a beautiful portrait in front of Captain Twilight Sparkle as she scanned the seas for her target. It had been thirty days since they left in search of The Celestia, and Twilight was determined to take what was rightfully hers.
Twilight looked up to the top of the mast to see Rainbow Dash looking through a telescope, scanning the seas as well.
"Rainbow! Any sign of her yet?" Twilight yelled, with one hoof up to her cheek.
Rainbow looked down from her telescope at her. "Nothing yet, Captain."
Twilight sighed, silently fearing they may have been driven off course and lost them already. She looked back up to Applejack, who was carefully controlling the helm. Once she made eye-contact with Twilight, she patiently awaited the order.
"Helmsman, change course to--"
"There she is, Captain! The Celestia off the starboard bow!" Rainbow yelled madly in excitement as she pointed towards the ship in the distance.
A sick smile formed across Twilight's face as she savored the thought of finally bringing that beast down.
"All hooves to quarters, girls! Give me full sail!" A whistle blew, signalling all hooves to deck. Ponies jumped up out of the hatches and immediately started working climbing up the masts and pulling down sails and tying off ropes. With the wind at their backs, the Sea Horse quickly gained on the Celestia in the distance, causing Twilight to tense in excitement.
Each minute the Sea Horse neared the Celestia seemed like days to Twilight as she anxiously awaited to call for battle.
Rainbow looked frantically from her telescope and back to Twilight. "They've surely seen us now captain! They're preparing to fire!"
The massive man-of-war that was the Celestia had tremendous firepower. At least 50 cannons on each side were jutting menacingly out of the hull, and directly at them. Normally a smaller frigate-sized vessel such as the Sea Horse would never dare to take on the pride of the monarchy, but Twilight would not yield.
"Prepare for battle, girls! Sail upon them and be ready for my mark!"
All of the ponies on deck either jumped below deck or stayed above to ready the cannons up to their place, loading them with trained precision.
Twilight looked across each of the stations. Each of the two mares at each one looked determined and ready for what came next. Twilight looked back up at the Celestia as they were nearly in range now.
A single cannon from the Celestia fired. Twilight stood firm as she watched the cannonball fly into the water in front of them.
Applejack looked down in worry as she turned the ship to prepare to meet broadsides with the beast ahead of them. "A warning shot, Captain. Should we return fire?"
Twilight held a hoof up behind her, without taking her eyes off of her prize. "Not yet, Helmsman. Get us closer."
Applejack kept with the wind and sailed forward at full speed towards the Man-of-war. There was no doubt they were withing firing range now.
"Turn to fire!" Twilight yelled up to Applejack. She nodded and quickly spun the helm and caused he ship to lurch and spin to meet broadside to broadside with the Celestia.
The ships lined up, an almost serene silence hung in the air as time seemed to slow down, waiting for Twilight's order.
"Fire!"
Thunderous booms filled the air in waves as both ships fired at each other. Cannonballs flew through the space between them and quickly passed each other before zooming towards their targets at deadly speeds. A subtle whir of spinning metal sounded out in the air right before the giant metal balls slammed into the Sea Horse.
Wood splintered and shattered at the deadly momentum. The hull of their vessel gave way to new holes and broken bodies that were unlucky enough to be in the way. A few stations above deck had been hit, leaving their cannons lopsided, their ponies moaning in agony, and gunpowder packets exploding to leave small fires starting to spread across the deck.
Twilight looked up to the mast. The Celestia's firepower outnumbered hers almost two to one, meaning the damage was spread all the way up to her sails. Fresh holes flapped violently in the wind, threatening to throw them off course. She knew they weren't going to be able to line up a second time.
Rarity popped up from the hatch with a desperate expression. "We're taking on water, Captain!"
Applejack fought wildly to control the damaged sails. "Orders, Captain?"
Twilight gave a frustrated grunt and clenched her hoof. She wouldn't be defeated so easily.
"Steer us in! Prepare to board, girls!"
Upon the Celestia, Celestia herself stood on the deck, looking out at the attacking vessel. She stood calmly, coldly calculating her next move. She looked over to her her first mate, Shining Armor.
"Damage report," she said in a smooth, calm tone.
Shining Armor looked away from the mare he was talking to and answered her. "Minimal, your highness. The hull has been breached in a few places, but there are no casualties."
"Excellent. What of our aggressors?"
Shining Armor looked out to the sea to find them speeding towards the Celestia as fast as their damaged sails could take them.
"They don't appear to be lining up for another shot, but they aren't in line for our us to fire. W-What are they doing?"
Celestia raised an eyebrow at the frigate edging closer to them. It was suicide to try to line up with a man-of-war at this range, unless...
Celestia's eyes widened in the realization. The only chance they had at taking down her ship was a direct ram and board, and that's exactly what they planned to do. Celestia gritted her teeth, realizing she didn't have time to stop them now.
"Prepare the men to fight. They plan to board."
Shining Armor gasped, but raised a hoof up to his head anyway. "Y-Yes, sir!"
Back on the Sea Horse, the girls were handing rifles and swords out to the boarding party, preparing for impact so that they could jump to war on the opposing vessel. Twilight looked across the ponies readying their rifles, unholstering the swords, and adopting vicious smiles, ready to tear apart the opposing crew. That was why she chose them after all; the meanest criminals this side of the kingdom, Celestia didn't have a chance.
"Now, ladies! When we board, kill everyone in sight. Leave no prisoners on that ship, but leave Celestia to me. Got it."
As a unit they all saluted her, then returned to their ferocious grins and waited for the two ships to collide.
The Celestia tried to turn to face them for another shot, but it was far too late now. With a strong gust of wind the bow of the ship collided with the Celestia, sending splinters of wood flying through the air.
Ponies threw hooks onto the other ships as gunfire and war cries erupted from both ships. With a strong leap, the crew of the Sea Horse jumped onto the mighty Celestia, climbing up with a yell as loud as their lungs could make. Twilight followed close behind, jumping onto the ship and drawing her sword with a devious smile.
The sound of musket shots and swords sliding off of each other filled the air as she walked through the crowd, impaling any poor Celestia crew member that might be in her way. She would let her boarding party take care of the crew.
"Stop right there... Sister." Shining Armor stood proudly before the Captain's quarters, his sword drawn, ready to take on any threat.
"Ah, so nice to finally see you, you traitor!" Twilight yelled in disgust.
"Traitor?! You are the one who disgraced the crown!"
"And you the one who remained by its side, knowing what they've done. What they are."
Shining Armor knelt down, ready to strike with hate in his eyes.
"Should you press on, I will have no choice but to kill you, sister."
"It would be wise of you to get out of my way if you value your life."
Shining Armor jumped towards Twilight with his sword slashing down at her. Twilight brought hers up and blocked the strike, throwing his sword back and going in for a stab of her own. Shining Armor swatted the sword away, and the siblings charged at each other, meeting swords in a stalemate.
"You shall not win this day, sister."
"I beg to differ."
A gunshot rang out between them, causing Shining Armor to stumble forward, and allowing Twilight to plunge her sword into her brother's chest.
"W-What?" Shining Armor tried to say as he could feel his life slip away.
Twilight shook a smoking pistol in front of him with a smile. "Always come prepared, Brother. 'Tis a shame, you would've made a wonderful addition to the Sea Horse."
Twilight pulled her sword out of him and he fell to the ground in a heap with a pained moan. Twilight quickly cleaned her sword off on his fur and kicked the door into the Captain's quarters.
Celestia stood there, lowering her head at Twilight, ready to meet blade for blade.
"I always knew you would be back, Twilight."
"I come for what is rightfully mine, Celestia."
"You have no right to it! It is the property of the crown!"
"I was the one who discovered it! I was the one who brought it to the kingdom!" Twilight shuddered in rage as Celestia guarded her most glorious accomplishment.
"And so you brought it to us, so it is ours."
"Not any longer."
Twilight charged at Celestia, giving her the best war cry she could muster. Celestia unsheathed her cutlass, blocking Twilight's first strike in a shower of sparks. Twilight continued her barrage with hundreds of strikes in a flurry, her blade cutting through the air and making glints off hot orange sparks fly across the room as Celestia met every strike with her blade.
Celestia couldn't keep this up forever. With every strike she lost ground, and Twilight might get a lucky strike. Once she sensed an opening when her swing came a bit wide, she plunged her blade forward, trying to meet her neck with it.
Twilight saw her almost land a killing blow, and teleported out of the way, and continued her barrage from the side this time, wearing Celestia down for the final hit.
Celestia wouldn't have this, though. With her magic she levitated a collection of flintlock pistols from a drawer and aimed them at Twilight.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the glint of the pistol shine at her, and teleported out of the way just as the pistol embedded a ball into the wall where she had just been.
It wouldn't be that easy though, wherever Twilight teleported, Celestia had a pistol trained on her position, making her teleport again and sending a deadly shot right where she had been. Twilight dodged four of them before she realized her magic wouldn't hold out for as many pistols she had.
Twilight smiled as she teleported one more time.
Right in front of Celestia.
Celestia gasped but was too late. Twilight had vanished yet again as she pulled the trigger, but instead of finding a place in the wood walls, blood began to spill from a wound in her chest. She brought her hoof up and looked at the blood as it dripped onto it. She fell to her haunches and looked up to Twilight, astonished.
"Y-You bested me."
"Of course I did. You never should've underestimated me, Celestia." To accentuate her words, Twilight pushed Celestia over onto the ground, leaving her to think her final thoughts of her defeat.
"Now, for what I came for." Twilight marched over to the chest behind Celestia's desk and stomped onto the lock, breaking it off with one swift motion.
Twilight opened the chest and filled the room with a bright gold and blue glow, the light flowing between the colors and lighting up Twilight's face with wonder.
Twilight lifted the orb out of the chest. Lighting struck inside of it and the bright blue flashes swirled around, telling of untold power and magnificent glory for the user of this forgotten magic, and now it was hers.
"T-Twilight, please... just use it for--"
Twilight sank her sword into Celestia, silencing her once and for all. She had no interest in her pathetic last words. She stepped outside, eyes glued to her prize, letting the wondrous cracks and flushes of the mystical orb mix with the cheers in the air that told her the crew had done it's job.
Twilight thrust the orb into the air, causing the clouds to spin around her position and and lightning to rain down all around her as the orb emitted a mere fraction of it's power.
"Hurray! Victory!" the crew shouted to the heavens that bent to Twilight's will.
Twilight looked out to the sea, and to her ship. With great pride she looked out and set her eyes on her next target. The kingdom itself.