Guns of Pegasus

As the battle began to rage around us, I searched for a target. I focused my sights on what appeared to be a flagship of sorts. As we flew nearer, dodging flak and cannon fire, I radioed to Steel. "How far can the Artemis rockets reach?"

"300 meters, why?"

"If we can take out one of its broadsides from this range, we can get closer and pound it with the cannons" I yelled over the commotion.

"Sounds good, get me within an angle" Steel shouted back.

I turned the ship to the Artemis's firing angle and watched as several rockets shot forth and hit their intended target. I then shifted the engines to full speed and raced towards the galleon. As we neared, however, I noticed something I missed before. Harpoons. Just as quickly as I had noticed, the galleon fired them at us.

"Shit, they're going to board" I shouted, "Prepare for melee!"

The galleon slammed up against our port side and lowered a boarding ramp. I leaped from the captains wheel to face the pirates head on, sword in hoof, when I saw a figure no skyfarer wanted to see. A black feline body with black and silver feathers covering his head, a single patch over his left eye, and a blood-stained cutlass at his side. The infamous visage of The Raven, the most feared pirate in the skies of Equestria and the world. I quickly regained composure as he swaggered towards me.

"Well, hello there my dear, feisty, aren't we? Why don't you just put down that sword and let me have some fun, huh?" He then proceeded to cackle menacingly. "I would hate to have to scar a pretty face like that."

I growled in disgust at his implications. "I'm not just some cheap whore that you can have your way with, I'm Thunder Skies, Captain of the Cloudbreaker, and the mare whose going to kick your feathery ass back to the pit which you crawled out of, you miserable shit stain!" I looked around and saw Steel galloping over to back me up.

Raven didn't take well to being insulted. "Well then, Ms. Thunder Skies, a scarred face it is then" he said as he ran towards me, sword held high. I rolled to the right and took a quick swipe, only to have it blocked by a surprisingly fast parry. I quickly flew up to dodge a low cut, then dived at him, prepared to stab him in the neck, when he side stepped my dive, and I went crashing into the Cloudbreaker's deck. I leaped to my hooves and turned, ready to attack again, when a flash of silver went though my vision, and a searing pain burst through the right side of my face. I heard Steel yell my name as he rushed to defend me. Raven stood above my fallen form as he prepared to take whatever his twisted mind sought, when Steel rushed him and tackled him to the deck. I took this opportunity to regain my thoughts and stand up. Peering through my one good eye, I saw another airship come up alongside us. Another gangplank was lowered as I feared the worst. I took up a fighting stance, when I realized it was a friendly Captain's ship. The pirates took note of the change of tide and retreated back to their ship. The galleon then broke away and retreated with the rest of what remained of the pirates' fleet.

Steel then galloped over to me. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine" I groaned, "But my head feels like a gun barrel after a night with you in bed."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, ha bucking ha. You still need medical attention."

"Buck off Dr. Bullet Brain, I can take care of myself" I said as I leaned against a railing. "Thanks for the back up Captain...?"

"Rusty. Rusty Bucket" the other Captain replied, "so, what are you gonna do about the pirate that did this to ya?"

"He'll pay for this," I said, gesturing towards the bloody slash where my eye used to be. "Eye for an eye."