The Pirate Pegasusby Neo MachineChaptersThe Grand Galloping GalaThe Pirate PegasusGoodbye and FarewellThe Adventure BeginsSiren GulchThieves’ HoldBar Room DilemmaBounty CiderDead Pony’s TaleAttack of KorsanRarity’s CaptureNovember WindsNight Aboard the PerfectionNight Aboard the RaftWord of a PirateDeserted IslandCruise DatingVolcano EscapeDesert HurricaneThe Race is OnAlicorn IslandA Slow SeparationThe Fountain of BalanceThe ShowdownIt Doesn’t Work!Prisoners of The PerfectionThe Master PonyUnited and StrongBattle of the SkiesKorsan the AlicornFall of RegretReturning HomeBack to NormalUnanswered QuestionsMeanwhile…Bonus: The Tale of KorsanBonus: Captain Korsan's Crew of One Hundred UnicornsBonus: TreatmentRegal InvitesStowaway Cutie MarksCraig Y’ol TimberLord of the HornsCelestial InterventionThe Grand Galloping GalaThe following first hours of the Grand Galloping Gala at the Canterlot Castle run smoothly, with Twilight, her friends, and their plus-ones each finding their place amongst the heavily populated area. Most of the massive chambers the large castle is made of are filled to the brim with nobles with vast wealth, delegates from every corner of the world, high ranking political figures, and every celebrity of every species, shape, and size known to the common ponies, all chatting with each other and enjoying the night being served with traditional music, gourmet foods, and only the most refined drinks with hundreds of years in their production. However, the room with arguably the most activity is the ballroom. With a bright full moon and millions of stars able to be seen from its open walls, and the entire circular three-story room suspended over the cliffside city of Canterlot like a massive balcony, it is no surprise. Guests dance in the open center of the first floor as the upper two floors watch from their balconies. At the back of the uppermost floor is Twilight, standing next to a large white alicorn, a black alicorn slightly shorter than the white one, and a pink alicorn barely taller than Twilight, all princesses of their own accord. The four regal mares watch the festivities below peacefully, enjoying their view with the moonlight illuminating the ballroom. “I must say Luna,” The white princess proclaims, “your work with the moon is perfect. The light is at a perfect angle.” “Thank you sister,” The black mare replies, “It took several nights, but I managed to work it out.” “Miss Sparkle,” “Yes Princess Celestia?” Twilight responds, turning her head to her speaker in the process. “How have things been going in Ponyville?” “Nothing really eventful has happened over the past few months, just the usual really.” “I see. And how about you Cadence?” “Same here,” The pink princess answers, “Well, except for the preparations of the Diamond Eye.” “Speaking of which,” Twilight interrupts, “When are you going to show it?” “It’s all set in the next room downstairs. I’m just waiting for this last song to finish.” “Are you excited?” “Yes, it’s so beautiful. And with the moonlight at this angle, it’ll look even more beautiful when I reveal it.” “I bet it will be.” “Excuse me,” A stallion’s thick accented voice calls out from behind the four princesses. They look back to see it is a thin blue pegasus in a tuxedo. “Ah yes,” Celestia replies, “Sir Garrison Valkyrie, Ambassador of Cervidas. How may I help you?” “Pardon my intrusion, but the king and queen of Cervidas wanted to warn you of some upcoming economic troubles and possible future threats to security of your kingdom.” “Oh dear, please do.” “Over the recent five years, the crime rates have skyrocketed at Cervidas and surrounding kingdoms. This has mainly been influenced by pirate attacks.” “Pirates… even the landlocked ones?” “Especially the landlocked ones. Reports are vague, but they all seem to describe some type of large sea vessel that flies. They may sound ridiculous, but they’re our only leads and coastal cities report the same anomaly originating from ocean waters. Thus they are all classified by pirate attacks.” “My that’s-” “And must I remind you and how that affects our economic systems and inflation? Two-thousand years ago, there was only a one percent yearly inflation rate. A thousand years later, it increased a percent. Five hundred years after that, it grew another to three percent. These pirate attacks are estimated to exponentially increase that rate to unhealthy levels. And that’s just inflation. I have so much to inform you. There are also factors such as taxes, gross domestic production, employment, standard of living, debt, government payments, media coverage, income…” Oh no, Twilight thinks to herself as the words of the middle-aged ambassador ring in her ears, this is going to be a long night. I’m going to have to tolerate this if I’m going to represent Equestria as a princess. Maybe this music will end as Cadence will be able to cut him off to present the Diamond Eye. When will this music end anyways? Meanwhile outside the castle and in the middle of the royal gardens, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike are all gathered together by a fountain, each with bored looks on their faces. “This party blows.” Rainbow Dash moans. “I hate to admit it,” Pinkie Pie replies, “but you’re right. The dancing is so slow and all the ponies here just talk about politics and big words I don’t understand.” “And these dresses are itchy,” Applejack adds, scratching at her belly, “Or is it just me?” “This kind of reminds of our first Grand Galloping Gala,” Fluttershy declares, “Before we caused havoc to the gala anyways.” “I just hope that Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are having fun on their own.” “They’re in pretty dresses at a royal party, of course they’ll be excited. I guess the charm’s worn off for us it seems.” “Maybe,” Spike replies. “Why aren’t you with Twilight anyways?” Rainbow asks. “The ballroom she’s in has a section reserved for the princesses and specific guests. I don’t qualify so I decided to hang around somewhere else until I got bored.” “Ouch.” “Meh, I don’t mind, I understand.” “I’ve just noticed. Where is Rarity?” “Probably in her little euphoria with some of the guests here,” Applejack answers, “Perhaps the ‘charm’ hasn’t run out on her.” “Hey!” Pinkie Pie exclaims, “Maybe we can play ‘I Spy’.” “Sure,” Spike replies, “That’ll pass the time until something interesting happens.” “Okay, I spy with my little eye… something that is tall.” “The castle?” Rainbow Dash asks. “Correct! Your turn,” “Okay. I spy… something itchy.” “Applejack!” “Correct.” “Yay!” “Oh ha, ha.” Applejack sarcastically snaps, “You try wearin’ this hunk of sandpaper.” “Okay, my turn. I spy with my cutesy little eye… something brown.” “Brown?” Spike confusingly asks. “Yep.” “The dirt?” Applejack asks. “Nope,” “A tree?” Fluttershy asks. “Warmer…” “Warmer?” Rainbow Dash responds, “Hmmm…” Dash takes a moment to examine Pinkie’s eyes. She sees that they are looking off into the middle of the night sky in a much squinted manner. “My eyes are blue, so you’re getting colder…” “What are you even looking at? Some rock in space?” “Nope,” “We give up,” Applejack proclaims, “What is it?” “An ominous airship heading right at us,” “A what?” The mares and Spike quickly gather around Pinkie Pie as they look to where she’s looking. “I don’t see anything…” “See that dark spot in the sky, the one without any stars?” The four others squint tightly at the starry sky and eventually see the dark spot. “I see it!” Rainbow exclaims, “It’s a little brown, black, and… green?” As the mysterious dark spot grows, a very faint green glow surrounds the brown bottom half of the thing. “What is it?” “I told you, an airship.” Pinkie answers, still in her cheery tone. “There are no such things as ships that fly on air,” Applejack retorts. “Then what do you call that silly?” Drawing closer, the dark figure soon forms into shapes in the observers’ vision. “It is a ship.” Fluttershy mumbles, “A very… big and scary ship… that’s flying without magic.” “Yep,” “Hey, Dash,” Spike nervously speaks, “could you maybe fly up there and get a closer look at it?” “Well…” Rainbow Dash gulps, “I can try.” “Be careful.” “…And with that all said and done. Let’s move on to how the concepts of income have been changing.” Nooo! Twilight screams to herself internally. How do Celestia, Luna, and Cadence not go insane after this much talking? How does this music keep on going? And how has this ambassador keep talking after just one glass, a fancy thin glass! The music in the room soon starts to die down, much to Twilight’s relief. “Excuse me sir,” Cadence speaks, interrupting the ambassador’s lecture, “I have to present the Diamond Eye now. Perhaps we can continue later.” “I see,” the stallion calmly replies, “Proceed. In fact, I want to accompany you.” “Oh, that won’t be necessary-” “Please do!” Twilight accidently shouts. She quickly catches her tongue before continuing, “It would be good for the citizens of Cervidas to hear a close up report on the diamond.” “…I guess so. Follow me Garrison.” As the two ponies shuffle out the back door, Cadence looks back at the relieved Twilight and gives a sharp stare at her, one that immediately translates in Twilight’s head. You owe me, Twilight translates the stare to in her head. “Well,” Twilight proclaims, “That was quite a-uh… An interesting lesson,” “Stupid Cervidasian bigwigs,” Celestia grumbles, “Always thinking we can’t run a kingdom. If I could, I would certainly take their thick scrolls on politics this stallion reads from and shove them-” “Ease sister,” Luna calmly retorts, “it’s just a couple days a year we deal with them. And they’re all not so bad-” “Oh shut up, you want to do the same thing.” “Yeah, I would.” “Hmph, stupid lot of them.” “So, Celestia,” Twilight nervously says, “Are you exited for the presentation of the Diamond Eye?” “Huh? Oh, yes.” “Shush,” Luna barks, “it’s time.” With the final note of the dancing music fading away and the dancers retreating to their seats at the edge of the room, a finely dressed staff member walks to the center of the chamber . “Ladies and gentlecolts, ponies and griffons and yaks and all other great species of the world,” the grey stallion proclaims, “It is my honour to announce to you, her royal majesty of the Crystal Empire, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and her unveiling of the Diamond Eye.” Soon enough, a large pedestal with a large blue cloth covering the top hovers in from the unseen parts of the first floor and onto the center of the ballroom in a pink glowing aura. The aura dies down as Princess Cadence gracefully walks up to it and begins to circle it. “Welcome everypony,” she announces to the onlookers, “This artifact was found a year ago shortly after the re-foundation of the Crystal Empire, several metres beneath the ice and snow of the Crystal Mountains. This gemstone is an absolute wonder in its design, construction, disappearance, and purpose, in that it’s a complete mystery. However, one of the few things we know about it, is that it is a symbol, a symbol of the rich culture of the Crystal Empire that thrived thousands of years ago and continues to now. And now, without future ado, allow me to present,” With a flick of her horn, the blue cloth gently hovers off of the pedestal and falls to the floor, revealing the artifact on top of the while pillar. “The Diamond Eye!” “Whoa!” Twilight exclaims. Oohs and aahs erupt from the audience as they gaze upon the Diamond Eye. It is a large, clear half-circle with a jagged edge along its diameter. Mysterious symbols and patterns can be seen either engraved into the crystal or are bevels sticking out from its relatively flat surface. With the moonlight beaming into the crystal, these engravings and bulges project onto the walls of the ballroom, causing more roars of awe to wake. “Any questions about the Diamond Eye?” “How much is it worth?” A mare from the second floor calls out. “In its current condition, five-hundred million bits, but that’s merely for its physical value. In all truth, it’s priceless.” “Where’s the other half?” A stallion on the first floor asks. “We don’t know, but the search it active.” “Any idea on what those markings mean?” Another stallion on the first floor yells. “We have no idea. It is a very ancient language that’s been dead for hundreds of years.” “Do you have any current hypothesis on what its purpose was?” Luna loudly asks. “Well, we have a few theories. It could have been a monument to somepony, a decoration, or even possibly a doctrine or creed of some kind. Any more questions?” “Yes,” a mare on the first floor responds, “What’s that thing outside coming towards us?” “What?” The pink princess slowly turns around to see a rainbow coloured blur outside one of the opening, charging right at her. She ducks as the mysterious figure flies right over her and brutally crashes into the closed door ahead. Twilight speaks to herself after seeing the crash, “Was that… Rainbow Dash?” In a pair of flashes of light, Twilight teleports herself next to Cadence and approaches the figure. “Rainbow Dash?” In a matter of moments, the figure reveals herself as Rainbow Dash and frantically runs up to Twilight. “Bad! Bad! Bad!” She hollers, shivering with her pupils shrunken into pinpoints. “Rainbow! What’s going on?” “P-p-p-p-p-p-pi-pi-p-p-p-” “Spit it out!” “P-pi-p-pirates!” “Wha-” All of a sudden, a series of explosions blast along the outside walls, shaking the entire ballroom. Screams erupt momentarily as ponies scramble around the chamber in terror. Stone and rubble fall from the ceilings and walls and onto the floor as the chaos ensues. Another volley of explosions erupts against the castle, this time with several bursting inside the room. The room then fades into darkness with the only light being a faint green hue coming from outside. “What the hay is going on?” “They’re right outside!” Twilight looks back towards the outside world, only to see a wall of dark brown planks of wood with small grooves glowing the faint green glow. A line of black cylinders are seen poking out of the wall of wood, emitting thick smoke. “Cannons?” The chaos and havoc continues with seemingly no end as screams and hollers fill the air. Twilight knows there is no hope in calming them down. However, after a long while of panic, the screams of terror are cut short by a loud, sinister, group of laughs echoing from the wall of cannons. A long and wide wooden plank then drops down from the top of the glowing wall and lands one end at the edge of the ballroom with the other tied to the wall. Now frozen stiff in fear, the onlookers inside the castle watch as a line of shadowy figures walk from the wooden barrier, down the plank, and into the ballroom, clustering around the edge of the plank. “Well, well, well…” A young stallion’s voice calls from the top of the wall, “If it isn’t the Diamond Eye.” “Who are you? What’s going on? I want an explanation now! If this is an invasion, prepare to get your flank kicked!” “Don’t fret. I have no quarrels with you. I’d be happy to explain what’s going on.” “Who are you?” “Allow me to introduce myself.” A sequence of metal steps is then heard as the mysterious pony walked down the plank. Reaching the floor of the castle room, he then starts to make his way up to Twilight. The purple mare makes her horn glow and reveals the stallion in the bright light of her horn. He has a dark brown coat of fur that nearly matches the color of the wood outside. His mane and tail are a mess of jet black hair, looking as if it hasn’t been cut nor styled in years, yet it somehow looks somewhat proper and neat. He’s walking on his hind legs without any sign of strain, with his front hooves swinging back in forth in tune with his motion. On his left side of his face is an icy blue eye staring dead straight at Twilight, while on the right side, he wears an eye patch that covers his other eye and a scar that peeks from the top and bottom of the black patch. His hooves each has what appears to be a silvery, metal shoe with five spikes protruding from them over the front of his limbs. Connecting to these shoes are long connections of copper gears, pistons, and other pieces of mechanical parts that stretch along the sides of his limbs and into the back. He wears a black metal battle harness on the upper part of his chest with a sickly blue and green light originating from the center circular buckle piece and through small grooves engraved in the straps wrapping around his entire torso, similar to the lights of the wall. Around his back is a large black cape that stretches down to the floor with its corners trailing and dragging against the wood. “What the…” Twilight terrifyingly mutters as the abnormal looking pony towers over her, smiling. Stopping only a few centimetres away, the bipedal stallion spreads his front hooves apart, displaying himself triumphantly. “I am the terror of earth, sea, and air. I am the ultimate pirate captain. I am Korsan…” The Pirate Pegasus“W-what are you?” Twilight stutters as she backs away from the two-legged pirate. “Frightening at first, I understand.” Korsan pridefully replies, “I never intended myself to assume this posture, but I guess that’s the price to pay when you experiment with mechanical arts on your own body. Personally, I’ve grown fairly attracted to it.” Celestia then flies down to the first floor alongside Twilight and Cadence. “What are you doing here?” She sternly asks him. “I have only come for the Diamond Eye. I apologize for my violent theatrics upon arriving Princess Celestia, this is a very finely constructed piece of architecture, but my ship was too big.” “Your ship? You mean that giant floating wall of wood and cannons behind you?” “Yes, ‘The Perfection’, the home of me and my crew of one-hundred, and the symbol of my ultimate goal. Five-hundred metres of blood, sweat, tears, and more blood than you can imagine,” “You must have some advance technology to have such a massive thing able to fly. Are you the one who’s been attacking nearby kingdoms, both inland and coastal?” “Correct on both terms.” “Well, whatever plans you had for stealing the Diamond Eye, perish them. You’re under arrest.” “Arrest? Me? By who? You and what army?” “This one, guards!” At the instant of the princess’ command, tens of guards burst from the doors leading into the ballroom on all floors. Fully armoured and armed with spears, crossbows, and swords, Earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn guards line up side by side and prime their weapons. “One-hundred and twelve? Are you serious?” The brown stallion begins to chuckle to himself. “What’s so funny? I only see a hundred of your lackeys.” “You do indeed, but as a ruler of a kingdom, you of all ponies should be aware of the tactical disadvantages most of your troops have, them being Earth ponies and pegasi.” “What does that mean? And besides, I don’t see a horn on your forehead.” In a second, Korsan’s grinning face snaps into a scowl. “I rest assure you, that will be an issue I will be dealing with after obtaining the diamond now.” Korsan then outstretches his right hoof forwards, prompting the shadowy figures to line up in two formations of five by ten ponies. Each one of them reveals themselves by illuminating their horns of many colors. An all unicorn army? Stallions and mares of all sizes and colours at Korsan’s sides, all grinning with excitement, take a step forward. Swords and daggers levitate in front of them and go into an offensive stance towards Celestia. “As a pegasus, I’m aware of my current limitations. Perhaps I’m required to demonstrate to you what I mean. Attack!” With a unison flick of the pirates’ horns, every guard is encased in a magical aura and levitated off of the ground. The unicorn guards respond to this by using their magic to break from their entrapment. “Looks like you only have thirty-five guards now.” Korsan’s army then immediately charges forwards towards the center of the room, followed by the free guards charging at them. “Engage shields and fire!” The army quickly follows his orders as a multicoloured shield appears in front of them and a barrage of bolts of magic are fired through the back of the shield and into the resistance. In a matter of moments, the two sides collide and disperse across the ballroom, with usually two pirates attacking a single guard in close quarters combat. Whatever ponies that weren’t fighting at close range engaged in a long range magic firefight across the chamber. Onlooking guests hide underneath tables, chairs, musical equipment, or anywhere else where the fighting isn’t taking place. At the center of the room, amidst the chaos, Korsan slowly approaches the large crystal on the pedestal, admiring its beauty. “You think it’ll be that easy?” Princess Celestia, Cadence, and Twilight emerge from behind several groups of fighters and walk up to Korsan from the other side of the small pillar. “Perhaps,” “Give it up Korsan.” Cadence proclaims, “You’re going against four alicorn princesses alone. There’s no chance of you winning.” “Where is the fourth one?” Another mare’s voice speaks into his ear, “Right behind-” However, before she can finish, Korsan quickly turns around, seeing Luna with her horn glowing brightly. Before she can react, the pirate captain charges up to her and reaches his right hoof behind his back and underneath his swishing cape. His other hoof raises to Luna’s horn as the five spikes on his shoe appear to spring to life, slide down the metal boot, and grab onto the horn as a claw. His right hoof returns into the open, holding a miniature version of his harness in between its claws. In moments, Korsan wraps the small device around Luna’s horn and backs away swiftly. “Too easy.” Princess Luna thinks nothing of this and attempts to fire a magic bolt from her horn. To her surprise, it doesn’t fire anything and the horn’s glow instead dies down. “What did you do?!” “Anti-magic, your horn is no longer able to perform magic unless a very small needle can deactivate the strap from inside with great precision. My harness is similar, in that it prevents me from being affected by magic. And I assume at this point, your fellow princesses are realizing they can’t grab me with their telepathy magic. Isn’t that right?” Korsan turns around to see the trio sweating profusely as their horns are glowing vibrantly yet with nothing happening. “I swear, release me now or there will be serious consequences.” “Like what? You’re defenseless against me.” However, to the pirate stallion’s surprise, a small flaming figure appears from the third floor and charges into his face. He yelps in pain as he feels his face pulse with immense heat from the creature in front of him.” “That!” Korsan runs back and shoos the creature away, causing it to fly up and circle around the second floor. He examines the creature for a second and realizes what it is. “A phoenix, what an interesting pet you have. I have a special pet as well that I would love for you to meet.” As the flaming bird swoops down for another attack, a blue creature flies into the ballroom from outside and smashes into the phoenix, launching it into the wall. “Good Juliana, make sure that that pest stays away from Daddy’s work.” Korsan returns his attention to the black alicorn. “I reckon you have never seen an ice phoenix.” Leisurely, the tall stallion reaches an arm behind his back and cape and pulls out a long, serrated cutlass. The trapped princess’ eyes shrink as the jagged blades, with glowing light similar to that of his harness appearing in detailed designs on the sides, draw close to her as she backs away, forgetting that she has wings out of fear. “Stay away!” “Aww, scared?” Celestia’s voice hollers from behind, “You get away from by sister!” Korsan immediately swirls around and points his sword upwards with the broadside facing him and the older sister. His sword is immediately met by a beam of concentrated white magic, which absorbs the attack with no recoil. “What is it with ponies and announcing themselves before attacking? Actually, in hindsight, it’s a fairly hypocritical statement.” “Get away!” The white alicorn then charges at Korsan with her horn aimed at his throat. The pirate quickly reacts by pulling out an anti-magic horn strap and attaching it to Celestia’s horn as he dodges the dash. Princess Celestia fails to stop after missing and accidentally tumbles over her younger sister, sending them both falling onto the cold stone floor. “Any more resistance?” Korsan impatiently snarls, having his moment with Luna interrupted. His question is answered by Cadence teleporting behind him and delivering a punch into the back of his head. Korsan growls for a moment, but quickly recovers and smashes the back of his head into the pink alicorn’s chin. With her now discombobulated, Korsan strafes aside a step and performs a sideways flip over her, pulling out another horn trap and attaching it to her. Upon landing, the bipedal fighter grabs her by the neck and tosses her into Celestia and Luna, creating a larger tangle. “And now… Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Korsan looks back at the pedestal and sees the purple mare standing in front of it, staring at him. “How do you know my name?” Twilight asks. “I do research. What? Did you expect anything less of me, thinking I was just some mindless barbaric pirate? Don’t expect your fight against me to be any different to your superiors. I suggest you back down now, I don’t want to harm you, nor did I originally intend to with your friends.” “And let you get away with the Diamond Eye and hurting my friends anyways? Not a chance.” “I see your reasons, but you must realize that whatever your next move is that I don’t like will result in you getting hurt. You’re surrounded.” Twilight takes a moment to look in her peripheral vision and realizes that he is right. All the resisting guards have been taken out and she’s now surrounded by one-hundred pirate unicorns and Korsan. “Don’t push it.” Korsan then pulls out another cutlass from his back, making him now dual wielding. “Fine, I don’t see any other option…” “Quite, now move aside.” Defeated, Twilight slowly walks to the side and let’s Korsan finally come within arm’s reach of the large crystal. The pirate captain’s face lights up as his mechanical claws grab onto the large artifact. “Finally, the other half of the Diamond Eye is mine, now I can fulfill our quest. The moment of our triumph draws nigh!” His crew roars in laughter and cheer while the onlookers continue to cower. “Wait, you have the other half?” “Yes, I found it of the coast of Pingwin.” “That’s thousands of kilometres north of here! It’s an artic wasteland practically!” “Most certainly, and it is also the birthplace of my sweet Juliana. Come here Missy!” At his command, the ice phoenix immediately returns and hovers over Korsan’s shoulder. Korsan returns one of his swords behind his back and strokes shiny gradient of glowing light and dark blue feathers with his free claws, prompting the bird to land on his shoulder. “Have you turned that fire phoenix to ashes?” A gentle coo croaks from Juliana as a response. “Daddy’s so proud.” “Korsan, I’m giving you this chance, return the Diamond Eye to its pedestal now, go away, and I might forgive you.” “You really think I’m going to do that?” “A longshot, yes, but if there’s any good in your heart you’ll see this is wrong. Maybe we can work together and solve the mysteries of the Diamond Eye now that we have both halves.” “Ha! I know what your answer will be if you figured out my intentions are with the complete Diamond Eye. Certainly I can’t trust my crew to keep it a secret. So I’m afraid that I’ll have to deny your offer. Come along my hearty crew, we feast aboard!” “Huzzah!” The pirates cheer. One by one, the crew of a hundred pirates walks back up the plank and onto the massive airship, with the last member picking up the Diamond Eye piece with his magic and taking it with him. “Take heed all of you, know your place. And I better not find anypony trying to follow me, unless you intend to join my crew, in which, if you are a unicorn, you are more than welcome.” “Hey!” A mare’s voice calls from behind the doors across from Korsan’s standing, “What’s going on in there?” “Who is this? Reveal yourself.” Slowly, the massive stone doors open and Rarity walks into the room. Immediately, she’s frightened by the hovering guards, the hiding ponies, the toppled princess pile, the destroyed state of the ballroom, and Korsan standing beside an empty pedestal all at once. “W-wha-what happened? Who are you? What are you? Did you cause this?” “Oh my…” Korsan’s eye grow as his sights sharpen onto the white mare. A warm, fuzzy feeling starts to rise from the back of his neck to the center of his skull as the pirate captain finds himself entranced by Rarity’s appearance. “I apologize for my more, abnormal appearance. It is understandable for your fright, but you grow used to it in time. I am Korsan. And who might you be?” “R-Rarity…” “I must say, you look most certainly elegant. It might not be the brightest room in the castle, but I can see that you take considerable time to maintain a well-made public image, one to catch the eyes of many-a-stallion.” “Can it Korsan.” Twilight barks from the side of the room, “She’s not interested with pirates. You got your diamond, now go. You’ve already done enough damage to this place. Rarity, stay away from him, he caused this entire mess.” “This is not your concern miss.” “No, hold on.” Rarity snaps, “What makes you think that I’d be interested in you after you caused this and present yourself in this manner all of a sudden? Are you mad?! You return that Diamond Eye and get out of this place this instant or else I’ll make sure you’ll be sore for the next week.” “Hmph. Fine, it was a longshot anyways.” The pirate replies with a smirk, seemingly having taken no offense to the rejection, “Though I can always have one more member in my crew.” Quickly, Korsan runs onto the boarding plank and heads up to the top of the wooden wall with Juliana in tow. “Adieu!” “Hey! Get back here now!” However, but Rarity can reach the wooden board, it is lifted back over the top of the boat. “You won’t get away with this!” “Unfortunately,” Twilight somberly replies, “he has. He just had the upper hoof and trumped us. Anything we do now is just going to hurt somepony” Soon, the massive wall of wood and cannon barrels springs to life as it moves forwards and accelerates rapidly. Everypony watches as they see the back of the massive pirate ship sink below their view and disappear from their sights. Twilight and Rarity run up to the room’s edge and look out the window to see the massive floating boat already in the distance soaring away with the laughter of the pirates on board echoing back to them. “So that’s it? This pirate and his crew just came in here, knocked out a third of the guard, left the other two thirds stuck in the air by magic, stole the Diamond Eye, hurt the princesses, brought panic to the Grand Galloping Gala, destroyed the castle, and I think I saw Rainbow Dash soil herself, and you’re just going to let him get away with it?” “Well, the magic will wear off once the ship flies off a large enough distance.” “Still, you’re just going to let them get away?” “No, we’re going to go after them, and stop Korsan from causing any more of these attacks.” “How?” “I… I am not sure.” Goodbye and FarewellThe next morning, Twilight and Spike are back at their home and are now packing their bags for their upcoming quest. “So Twilight,” Spike asks Twilight as he’s putting a large collection of colourful gems in a suitcase, “What’s the plan again?” “After Korsan and his crew raided the gala,” Twilight replies, “Rarity and I watched their airship fly off in a specific direction. I looked at several maps after the raid and discovered he’s most likely heading northeast out to sea. There’s a location that’s directly in Korsan’s path called Thieves’ Hold, an infamous gathering place for criminals. Princess Celestia gave me permission for me, you, and our friends to take a ship to there and hopefully reach it before he does and cut him off, taking the Diamond Eye back and apprehending him.” “Sounds great,” “I knew you’d say that.” “But, once you catch up to him, what are you going to do? I heard that one third of the guards were hospitalized after the raid and the other two thirds were unable to fight right from the start. How are you even going to be able to take care of Korsan, let alone the ship? What do you know about him?” “Well, from what the guards, the princesses, and I experienced, Korsan is highly adept to mechanical arts, close-range combat, leadership, navigation, animal taming, and anti-magic, despite him being a pegasus.” “Wait, how does that work? Isn’t anti-magic an advance spell?” “Yes, but this stallion did something new. The straps he used to disable the other princesses’ magic power contained an unknown substance that nullifies magic. This substance is also probably used in his harness, his swords, and his ship. But that’s not the weirdest part. He stands, walks, and fights on his hind hooves and wears these weird claw-shoes on his front hooves, like you.” “Wouldn’t that be hard for him, being a pony and all?” “No, in fact, he’s even more agile than most normal pegasi. That’s what’s so uncanny about him. I think it has to do something with his mechanical exosuit based on what he said.” “He sounds tough, any weaknesses?” “Uh…” “Please tell me you know some weakness to him before you attempt to fight him.” “…He… He has a distaste for Earth ponies and pegasi for some odd reason and wears an eyepatch.” “Those are not weakness! What are we going to do then?” “We’ll… improvise.” “With what?” “Spike, why are you being so hypercritical about this?” “I just don’t want you or anypony getting hurt when we’re going after this stallion, that’s all.” “I guess you have a point. I guess I can do some research while we’re out at sea.” “That sounds good. By the way, you said something about him being a pegasus, yet he has a distaste towards them. Is that right?” “Yeah, he immediately acted kind of aggressive when Celestia brought it up. He then explained that he was going to use the Diamond Eye to fix that or something, not sure how though.” “Twilight, are you sure you want to do this only hours after his attack? This is starting to sound like this Korsan character has something big going on, something that we might not be ready for.” “I am sure. Cadence worked hard for the presentation for the Diamond Eye and it’s one of the only historical artifacts of the Crystal Kingdom lasting beyond King Sombra’s reign. And besides, if we don’t go now, Korsan might go somewhere else and we’ll lose him, possibly forever.” “Alright…” “Are you fully packed Spike? This will be a long trip.” “Almost,” “Hurry up please, we’re expected at Vanhoover in a few hours.” Meanwhile, at Rarity’s boutique, the white unicorn is also packing several suitcases. However, a smaller unicorn mare is following her around. “Sweetie Belle,” Rarity calmly exclaims at the filly, “for the fifth time, no. You cannot join us.” “No fair!” Sweetie Belle screams, “Applejack’s probably letting her little sister join, and Scootaloo’s going to want to tag along with us.” “Applejack’s half as firm as I am, and even she wouldn’t let Applebloom join us for such a dangerous trip. We’re spending at least a month one open waters with pirates and storms around every corner. Not to mention that that Korsan creep we’re after has the hots for me.” “Then why are you tagging along if it’s so dangerous?” “The only reason I’m joining my friends is because somepony needs to keep the integrity of the ship we’re going on up. Mom and Dad will look after you while I’m gone. And besides, Applebloom and Scootaloo will still be around to keep you company.” “But we Cutie Mark Crusaders must join you guys, think of all the possibilities for cutie marks we could get out there.” “The only things you and your friends will get on your flanks out there are splinters, bruises, seawater, tons of dust and dirt, or all at once.” “Please!” “For the final time… No!” “Do you really need all of those large suitcases?” “What?” Rarity takes a moment to look behind her and see a three metre tall pyramid of large purple suitcases, teetering back and forth from its height. “Oh… Well yes, yes I do.” “Really?” “…Maybe one or two too many,” In the meantime, on the distant outskirts of Ponyville at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack is rummaging through the central barn with a yellow Earth pony filly watching. “Applejack,” the small mare speaks, “can I-” “No Applebloom.” Applejack quickly responds. “But why?!” “First off, it’s dangerous. Second off, you’ll mostly be alone while we run the boat on our journey. Rarity’s twice as strict as I am, so there’s no chance Sweetie Belle will come along. “What about Scootaloo?” “She’ll also be alone on the ship since I said no for your permission. Third off, somepony’s gotta take care of my work at the farm while I’m gone. Big Mac has enough work on his plate already and he gets easily seasick, so he can’t take my place.” “Darn it…” “Don’t be so sad about it, you’ll be fine. Let’s see, what else do I need? I got a compass, some books, plenty of drinking water and plenty of food, clothing…” “Doesn’t this fancy ship you’ve been talkin’ ‘bout have all of those things?” “It doesn’t hurt to pack extra. Oh I know!” “It better not be-” “Apples! Lots and lots of apples, crates of them,” “…that.” “Don’t be such a neighsayer. I can bake up all sorts of goodies on my trip with a healthy surplus of apples.” “Can I help you bake-” “No.” Meanwhile, high above in the clouds, Rainbow Dash has already packed her things in four large saddlebags and is now flying with them resting at her sides. Behind her follows an orange pegasus filly. “…As fun as it would be Scootaloo,” Dash says, “I don’t think this mission would be that much fun for you.” “Oh come on,” the small mare confidently retorts, “my wings just developed and now I can fly. I could be of great help in recovering the Diamond Eye and beating that pirate for stealing it.” “I enjoy your enthusiasm, but I’m afraid it’s too dangerous as well.” “Danger’s my middle name.” “No, I mean really dangerous. I saw what Korsan and his crew did. They didn’t hesitate when they levitated the guards into the air, with only the unicorns breaking free. I can barely imagine the damage they would cause if you crossed into their territory.” “Whoa, this must be super serious if that’s coming from you. You’d usually laugh at something that seemed threatening.” “Quite, so you know you can’t join me on this.” “I guess so.” “I’m happy you understand. I’ll be back in hopefully a month or two.” “Okay. Bye Dashy!” “Bye Scoots.” Hm, the cyan pegasus thinks to herself as she sees her filly friend turn around and fly away, she seems to be taking this awfully well. She didn’t even bring up the CMC or wanting cutie marks… Meh, just might be me. Down below from where Rainbow Dash is flying, on the rolling grassy hills just outside of Ponyville, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are walking side by side pulling wagons of stuffed suitcases on them. “I knew it!” Pinkie cheers, hopping up and down as she moves forward. “You tempted fate, and now you must pay up.” “Are you still going on about the bet?” Fluttershy groans, “You’re right, whoo-hoo, but there’s a bigger issue at hoof.” “You’re not backing out of it are you?” “No. We just have to deal with this Korsan stallion and then we can take care of the bet.” “How about this, how about we make a new bet.” “Oh no…” “I bet that we’ll come across a giant carnivorous squid on our travels at sea.” “Pinkie, that’ll never happen.” “It’s an adventure at sea, of course it’s going to happen.” “No it won’t.” “Fine, then the bet is on.” “Wha-” “If I win, then you have to pay me twenty bits, if you win, you don’t have to pay anything.” “Hmmm… Fine, it’s not going to happen anyways.” I pray that nothing like that happens. I’d have a heart attack or something if some squid attacked us! “Are you excited?” “Excited for what?” “Excited that we’re going on a grand adventure out to sea against a pirate crew of course silly,” “Oh, well, it will be a pleasant cruise if that’s what you mean.” “I’m so excited! Just imagine the things we’ll be doing out there. Riding our ship throughout the storms, fighting pirates, getting in pirate bar fights, swing across boats onto the pirate ship, telling pirate tales, telling ghost tales, telling ghost pirate tales, getting pirate loot, getting kidnapped by pirates, being turned into pirate loot, and so much more!” “Most of those things you listed, if not all of them, are not going to happen.” “Wanna be-” “No.” A few hours later, at the ocean docks of the coastal city of Vanhoover, Twilight, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy meet up with their luggage in tow at the entrance. “So,” Twilight proclaims, “is everypony here?” “Yep,” Rainbow confirms. “Anypony forget something before we go?” Applejack asks the group, oblivious to the fact that her cargo of four massive crates of apples dwarfs the others’ luggage. “Well,” Fluttershy answers, “I wonder if I left enough food open for my animal friends…” “No,” Pinkie sharply replies, “you gave them quite enough. I could see the pile from outside.” “It seems we’re all set then.” Rarity says. “Now the only question remaining is,” Spike adds, turning his attention to the vast array of large and small ships scattered throughout the harbour. “Where’s our boat?” “That’s a very good question,” a familiar older mare’s voice announces behind him. The seven look back and see Celestia standing with them. “Princess Celestia!” They all exclaim in surprise. “Hello my little ponies.” “What are you doing here?” Twilight asks, “Aren’t you supposed to be in Canterlot right now after the robbery?” “Don’t worry, Luna’s taking care of the delegates. I just came here to wish you all good luck.” “I see.” “Your ship is over there.” The white alicorn raises a hoof towards the far right of the docks. The others look to where she’s pointing and sees their ship. It is a massive galleon with a solid red and gold painted exterior. Three tall masts on the ship pierce the sky, each with two wide, white sails sporting the symbol of Equestria, a shield with the sun and the moon together. Ten small steel cannons poke out of each side of the vessel. At the stern of the boat, hosts a large quarter deck with windows revealing the large galley and captain’s quarters. “The SS Raindrop, a fifty metre long, one-hundred fifty metric ton luxury behemoth of oak and steel, made to sail anywhere. Armed with twenty quick-fire cannons and a hundred metric ton anchor, this ship will take on any challenge and escape with only a few scratches. Although it may not be as powerful as Korsan’s airship, this will certainly strike fear in any small ship that wants to pick a fight with you. I’ve already taken care of food and water resources on board in the cargo bay, they should last you at most three months.” “Oh my… Celestia, are you sure you want to give us this massive ship?” “I’m certain. I well comprehend your understandings of ship operation and maintenance. Now, are all of you ready?” “Yes we are.” With a flick of the large alicorn’s horn, the eight ponies and cargo disappear from the wooden docks in a flash of light and reappear on the main deck of the large galleon. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome. Good luck all of you, come back safely.” “We will.” The white princess’ wings then unfold and Celestia takes off into the clear sky. With the vast blue sea ahead of them, Twilight returns her attention to her friends. “Alright, let’s take off.” “Aye-aye captain,” Pinkie promptly responds before saluting in her own random way. “Alright, first, we hoist the anchor.” Twilight’s horn glows as she focuses her attention to the unseen anchor over the edge of the bow. A loud rattling is heard as the ship begins to shift back and forth upon being freed from its restraint. “Done.” “The sails appear to be already opened.” Spike announces. “Right then, and finally…” The purple mare then swiftly runs up to the top of the stern and finds the wheel standing at the center of the deck. Grabbing it with her magic, she gently sets the steering wheel stiff and centered. “How about a little wind Dash?” “Gotcha!” Rainbow hollers. In a single bound, the pegasus launches herself into the air and hovers behind a sail at the center mass. Rapidly beating her wings, Rainbow Dash soon causes a large gust of wind to pump into the sail, jerking the entire galleon forwards. “That’s enough.” With the ship now pulling out of the harbor, Twilight gently turns the wheel clockwise, turning the ship as well. “Let’s see, it was seventy-eight degrees clockwise from the east…” As the ship almost becomes parallel with the coast, Twilight straightens the wheel, stopping the turning. “There, now we should be heading straight for Thieves’ Hold.” “Now what do we do?” Rarity loudly asks. “Just kick back and relax. We have a good tailwind now.” “Yay!” Pinkie exclaims, “Vacation Time!” “Good,” Applejack adds, “now I can start taking care of my stuff.” “Are all of those massive crates apples?” Rainbow questions the orange Earth pony. “They sure are.” “You realize that Celestia already stockpiled some food for us?” “Yeah, but you can never be too prepared. You don’t see me whining about Rarity’s stack.” “Rarity is ‘excessive for personal reasons’, Twilight is ‘too prepared’, you’re entering psycho territory.” “It doesn’t hurt,” Fluttershy retorts. “Whatever, I’m going to take care of my things and find a room.” “We should all at this point really.” Spike declares. “May the adventure begin!” Twilight proudly shouts. With the wind brushing over her shoulders and the waves rushing past the sides of her ship, high hopes fill the young mare’s head. The Adventure BeginsAfter several days and nights of sailing, with the only land last seen was the coast of Vanhoover a week ago, the seven ponies still continue their journey aboard their ship to catch Korsan. This night, with a half-moon in the sky and several stars twinkling in the sky, the group is in the galley, eating apple pie quietly, each spread out across a large table. More apples, Rainbow Dash thinks to herself as she pauses from her meal, at this point I might well be eating those hard biscuits in storage for a better tasting meal. “Hey Twilight,” Fluttershy asks to Twilight at the other end of the long dining table, “how much longer until we reach Thieves’ Hold?” “Halfway, another week probably,” Twilight answers with a mouthful of pie. “Don’t worry Fluttershy,” Applejack proclaims, “I’ve still got plenty of apples.” “Why does it have to be so far away?” Rainbow impatiently barks out, feeling her stomach growing queasy from the apples. “The Antlertic Ocean is huge,” Spike replies, “it would be a great place to disappear from the world.” “You know what’s strange?” Rarity asks out loud, “Throughout our entire time at sea, we haven’t seen a single pirate ship or any ship for that matter ever since we left the harbour. What’s up with that?” Twilight gulps down her mouthful of pie and answers, “You heard what the princess said about this ship. If any small pirate ships were to see us in the distance, they’d probably get away and not pick a fight. Though, you do have a point about there not being any friendly ships that we’ve seen. I guess rumors of powerful storms and sea monsters drive most ponies away from this area, making Thieves’ Hold a much more ideal place for Korsan to go.” “Speaking of rumors,” Pinkie speaks, “How about we tell some ghost stories while we’re all here together?” “In the middle of the night?” Fluttershy protests, “I’d rather not.” “Of come on Flutter, it’ll be fun. I’ll start. Once upon a time, there was a trading ship that was set to sail to the kingdom of Ti, but was sent off course by a large hurricane. The sailors on board didn’t know and continued to sail forwards, and eventually fell over the edge of the world. Legend says that if you’re lucky, when approaching Ti oversea, you’ll see a ghost ship sailing towards it before it sinks underneath the waves and disappear.” “That’s ridiculous.” Twilight retorts, “The world’s round, not flat. And there is no such thing as ghost ships or ghosts in general.” “My turn,” Rainbow Dash calls out, “this one will make you all unable to sleep tonight. Once, there was a stallion. His name was Pablo. Pablo was not a very good pony. He liked to… have-” “Inappropriate story Dash!” “What? It’s just us seven.” “Who even told you that story?” “Who told you?” “…” “Seeing as you know how it ends.” “…Well…” “How does it end?” Applejack asks out of growing curiosity. “Not well. Who’s next?” A small snicker is heard coming from the cyan mare as silence draws over the candle lit room. “I guess me…” “Good. Make sure it’s an acceptable story.” “Okay… Here is the legend of the Dark and Crimson Mare. There once was a young mare that lived alone in a house at the edge of a cliff that stood over the ocean. One day, during a very windy night, the cliff edge collapsed and fell into the ocean, taking the house and the sleeping mare, dressed in her sleeping gown, down with it. The mare drowned in her sleep in only a few minutes. Now, when you go to the missing cliffside at night at a new moon, you might be able to see the ghost of the mare hovering where she slept, with her fur coloured red, her gown completely black, and her eyes wide open, staring at you.” “Ooh! That is scary!” Pinkie exclaims. “Too scary,” Fluttershy squeaks. “How about you Fluttershy?” “Me? No, I’ve had enough scary stories for tonight.” “Oh come one,” Rainbow Dash replies, hovering over to the yellow mare and giving her a noogie on the top of her head. “Just tell us a story and then you can go, please.” “Well, okay I guess. Once upon a time, some fillies went into a haunted house. A ghost showed up and spooked them. But then the fillies remembered that ghosts were real, and discovered that the ghost was just a stallion with a blanket over his head. The end,” “It’s Pablo!” “Quit it Rainbow Dash!” Twilight barks as Rainbow starts laughing uncontrollably in the air, eventually falling onto the floor in her laughing fit. ”Sorry Fluttershy for that little instance, it was a… enjoyable story.” “Thanks.” Fluttershy cheers, “I’ll be going to bed now. Good night.” “Okay. Good night.” Slowly, the yellow mare exits from her chair and makes her way to the door leading downstairs. “So, who’s next?” “I guess I will,” Rarity declares as the sound of a door closing erupts behind. “There once was a pair of young unicorn brothers. The only family they had was their mother and each other due to their father leaving years ago. One day though, the mother died from disease, leaving the two heartbroken. Desperate to have her back, the two attempted a forbidden magic. However, instead of it bringing her back, what they brothers created was a monster, at the unseen cost of the older brother losing two legs and the younger losing his body, having his soul sealed inside a nearby empty suit of armour. It is said that they now roam a distant and unknown land, seeking a way to return to their original bodies at whatever the cost.” “Ooh, deep.” “Thank you, I heard it from the ambassador of Saddle Arabia during the gala.” “Cool. You want to have a go at it Spike?” “Wait!” Fluttershy’s voice calls from underneath, “Do you hear that?” “Hear what?” After a second of silence, Fluttershy suddenly bursts from the door with a frightened look on her face. “That laughing, coming from outside” “I don’t hear any, just us and the candles.” “Must be because I was in the dark and below the main deck,” “Could be, we should investigate.” “Wait, what if it’s the Dark and Crimson Mare? Or the ghost trading ship? Or Pablo?” “There are no such things as ghosts, nor Pablo. You can stay in here.” “Okay… Just be careful.” “Everypony else, follow.” Quietly, the five other ponies and Spike scramble up to the main deck and start to hear the faint laughing as well. They wonder around the dark, searching for a source either onboard or on the ocean. “I hear it,” Spike whispers, “but I don’t see anything.” “Sounds like a whole lot of laughers to,” Applejack softly replies, “Has anypony checked under the boat?” “That’s stupid,” Rainbow Dash retorts, “who’d be laughing underwater?” As Rainbow and Applejack soon engage in a silent argument, Spike turns his attention to the port edge of the deck, seeing Pinkie Pie looking up into the sky with her pupils shrunken, with a green tint reflecting in her eyes and her mouth at a gape. “Pinkie?” Spike nervously asks, “Do you see something?” “What if,” the pink Earth pony cryptically responds, “the laughing’s coming from right above us?” “That’s ridiculous, no pegasi would be flying this far out to sea. And the pirate ship we’re after is way ahead of us.” “Then what’s that?” “What?” Spike turns his head up and is shocked at what he sees. “Oh…” Spike and Pinkie see that Korsan’s airship is hovering right above the SS Raindrop, and is the source of the mysterious laughing noise. “Twilight! Rainbow Dash! Applejack! Rarity! It’s Korsan’s ship, it’s right above us!” “What?” The four mares exclaim as they look up and see the green glowing underbelly of the pirate ship as well. “How is that possible?” Twilight asks out loud, “Korsan had a head start.” “Who cares?’ Rarity joyously replies, “We can just take care of that creep and his crew now and head back with the Diamond Eye.” “I guess, but I haven’t really figured out how yet. We can’t teleport on board with the ship blocking any good teleporting location in view. We can’t fight it directly with the size and artillery it has. What can we do?” “I got it.” Dash pridefully cheers, “You, Fluttershy, and I can just sneak on board, grab the diamond, and sneak back down. Simple.” “It’s a heavy diamond, probably guarded. Are you sure we can do this?” “Yeah,” “I’ll go get Fluttershy, you go ahead and scout things out. Good luck.” “On it,” Swiftly the blue pegasus flies upwards to the bottom of the airship, hearing the laughing grow louder and louder. As Rainbow Dash makes her way up the side of the hull to the quarterdeck, a bright golden glow is seen emanating from the windows where the joyous hollers are coming from. Curious, Dash peaks her head up from the bottom and is immediately surprised at what she sees. A massive galley, five times bigger than theirs, lit up by hundreds of candles inside. The large room holds a gigantic a U-shape table, lined with one hundred chairs, with most of them being seated upon by unicorns of all shapes and sizes. Stallions and mares, young and old, tall and tiny, shaved and bearded, bare and fully dressed, bald and lengthy manes and tails, fat and skinny, bearing every colour of the rainbow and more, each had their own unique combination, with only a few being similar to one another. All seated are jubilantly laughing and cheering as golden bits, jewels, clothing, and large plates of food of every variety are being passed all around in the air by their magic. At the center of the room is a large serving table, with large black pots holding tons and tons of plants, breads, fruits, vegetables, drinks, and more delectable, making the spying onlooker drool beyond control. However, the main focus of activity lies beyond the serving table, with a young, pale mare with a long red mane and tail with a small dagger in her control fighting against an old, dark blue stallion with a small grey braid wielding a large two-bitted axe. The seated pirates watching the fight cheer each time the two fighters’ weapons clash, growing louder and louder and throwing around more and more items as bets. Yet the thing that grabs Dash’s attention the most is at the far end of the room, opposite of the dining and serving table. There, sitting upon a large chair on an elevated platform, with his own large table with food and treasures sitting on it, is none other than Korsan, quietly watching the fight with a smile on his face. It’s him… Rainbow thinks to herself as she continues to spy inside the lively galley. Soon the fight ends by the mare tripping over the stallion with her magic and disarming him in the process. Immediately, the galley roars in both excitement and short-lived anger as massive amounts of stuff is sent soaring across the dining table to the watchers that won the bet, soon obscuring their faces with the amount of stuff they won. As the old stallion rises back to his hooves, the young mare outstretches a hoof, prompting him to calmly shake it with his own. The two combatants then quickly head into a room to the right of Korsan’s behind with their weapons in tow. That might be the armoury where they keep the weapons. Wait a minute Dashy, remember, find the Diamond Eye and get out. Don’t get distracted. Suddenly, her train of thought is interrupted by her vision turning completely light blue and a blast of cold hitting her face. Rainbow Dash backs away in shock and sees with her recovering vision that it is Korsan’s ice phoenix attacking her. It loudly shrieks at her before charging in for another strike. Rainbow quickly reacts and flies back down to her ship. Stupid parrot! I’m not going to get back that diamond with that thing making a noise. Inside the galley, with the post-fight chaos still roaring through the atmosphere, the fighters return from the armoury and walk onto Korsan’s platform and walk to the other end of the captain’s table. The two then bow their heads to him, prompting the onlookers to quiet down, knowing that their captain will now be talking. With silence now the only thing being heard, Korsan tranquilly speaks, “You both did well. Miss Maria Vanshwitz, mechanic, your use of surprise and overwhelming your opponent are quite adept. However your technique and stamina are still lackluster. Please try to exercise that.” “Yes captain.” The young mare responds in a pant before walking to the dining table and taking an empty seat. “And Butch Taylor, cook, your strength and intimidation are well used. Yet your vigilance and speed need attention. I know you’re growing old, but please don’t let your age get the best of you.” “I understand captain.” The old stallion responds before also heading to a seat. “Crew of ‘The Perfection’, it has been a fine night with you all. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to get to my chambers early to further study the Diamond Eye. Good night.” However, as Korsan starts to exit his chair, the ice phoenix soars into the room from an open door, screeching as it flies to him. “Juliana, what’s wrong?” As Juliana reaches her master’s outstretched hoof, a small feather from Rainbow Dash is spit out of her beak and into Korsan’s claws. “A feather?” Holding the small feather close to his eye, Korsan examines it thoroughly before lowering it to his nose and sniffing it. “Northwester Equestrian Oak and refined steel,” Quickly, the pirate captain jumps from his seat and runs to the door with Juliana leading him. “Follow me!” “Yes captain!” The pirates at the table sharply respond as they follow behind him and his pet as they reach the port edge of the main deck. With Korsan and his crew watching, the ice phoenix flies overboard and towards Rainbow Dash still heading down to Twilight’s ship below. “It’s that blue wench from Equestria!” A middle-aged stallion crew member calls out. “What?! Why didn’t the lookouts see her?” “They might have fallen asleep from that last joyride you did.” “Get me a spyglass!” Almost immediately, a small telescope is levitated in front of Korsan. He swiftly grabs it from the air and holds it up to his eye, looking through it and getting a better look at the ship below. “It’s Princess Twilight, from Equestria. She’s with five others and a baby dragon. They’re probably here for the Diamond Eye. They’re following us with a galleon, fifty metres long, twenty small cannons, six sails, thirty centimetre thick hull, must be royal class.” “Easy pickings, let’s just sink them already.” An older mare calls out from beside her captain. “No.” Korsan retorts as his sights set on Rarity looking up at his ship. “What?” “There’s a mare on that ship down there, a unicorn. She could serve very well in our crew.” “So? We can just drop down, snatch her up, and then sink ‘em.” “I’m afraid it’s not as easy as your initiation as yours Barbara Shores. We have to be more welcoming to this one, but it will be worth it. And I don’t want to distract myself from our goal by having to do repairs. We’ll instead run down their defenses, give them and her some distress without getting our hooves dirty.” “How so?” The old stallion that fought in the galley asks. “We’ll take them through Siren Gulch.” “Are you sure captain? Very few travelers have ever made it through alive.” “We’ve seen it in action plenty of times. It is possible for a ship of this sort. And for the crew, that’s the funny thing about these ‘hero’ types, they always do manage to ride out that slim chance.” “You mean that there’s such thing as fate?” “In a scientific sense. Prepare yourselves sea artists! I’m going to need one of you to keep an eye on that ship and sketch me their faces. As for the rest of you, we’re changing course to Siren Gulch,” “What is going on up there?” Twilight asks out loud as the massive airship above turns. “They’re changing their course. I would’ve thought for certain they were heading for Thieves’ Hold.” “Rainbow Dash was caught by that weird blue bird up there. What if they’re trying to throw us off course?” “Maybe,” “Get away from me!” Rainbow screams at Juliana as the phoenix turns back towards Korsan’s ship. Dash then flies back down to the deck of the galleon alongside her friends. “Sorry guys, I couldn’t find the Diamond Eye. That stupid bird probably ratted us out.” “That’s fine,” Fluttershy comforts her, “Did you at least learn anything about the pirates.” “Their galley is on the lowest portion of the quarterdeck and the armoury is right next to it. And they have mountains of food in there.” “That’s quite a lot of food.” “Are you kidding?! It’s practically heaven on a boat!” “Oh no,” Twilight interrupts Rainbow, “This isn’t good.” “What isn’t good?” Rarity asks. “After doing some calculations, I just discovered where they’re going now.” “Where?” “They’re heading towards the tip of the Central Ley Line. It might be to throw us off, but it’s just as likely that going to Thieves’ Hold is throwing us off.” “What’s so bad about some Ley Line?” Spike replies, “It doesn’t sound that bad.” “Do you even know what the Ley Lines are?” “No.” “Anypony else?” No response is given by the others as they blankly star at her in confusion. “The Ley Lines are large uncharitable sections of land that surround the known world. Usually seen with extreme weather and abnormal phenomenon, they’ve been regarded as impossible to go through. And for the few explorers that go into the Ley Lines, it is said that no two ponies experience the same thing, if they even come back.” “Eep!” Fluttershy squeaks, “We should go to Thieves’ Hold.” “I’m with Fluttershy.” Rarity adds, “Wherever Korsan’s going is definitely not there. He’s just trying to throw us off.” “Wait,” Applejack replies, “If Korsan sees us still going to Thieves’ Hold, then wouldn’t he know not to go there?” “You’re right.” Twilight responds, “If we’re ever going to take him, we’re going to have to play along. Who knows, the Ley Lines may give us an upper hoof for when we confront him.” “Wait,” Rainbow asks, “If he already knows we’re here, then why isn’t he attacking us? He’s got a giant flying ship with giant cannons.” “I don’t know myself. Something doesn’t seem right. But if we’re going to get any answers, we might as well follow him.” Siren GulchIt has been several hours after Twilight and her team have changed course and have been following Korsan’s lead. Now, after seeing nothing strange since their departure, a thick fog suddenly rolls in and covers their galleon while Korsan’s airship flies over. “What the hay?” Applejack exclaims as the grey sheet of fog obscures her viewing of the ship above. “Where’d this fog come from?” “Is this Korsan’s doing?” Rarity yells out, lost in the haze. “No,” Twilight answers at the wheel on top of the poop deck, “We’ve just entered the Central Ley Line. Brace yourselves girls, we don’t know what’s ahead.” Rainbow Dash then flies up to Twilight from behind the ship and lands with a hard thud. “What is this?” Dash asks in annoyance, “I can barely see two metres ahead of me and whatever I do, I can’t change it.” “Relax Dash, this fog probably can’t be affected by pegasi like normal weather.” “Then how are we supposed to follow Korsan?” “Pinkie Pie was out on the bow before this fog rolled in. I’m going to need you to slow down our ship while Pinkie directs me with her visibility point.” “We’ll lose Korsan at that rate.” “His ship usually flies straight from what we’ve seen, we’ll still reach whatever destination he’s going even if he’s far ahead. More importantly, we don’t know what’s ahead and it could be very dangerous if we hit it hard before we can react.” “I guess so. I’m going to deal with the sails now.” “Good. Pinkie Pie!” “Yes?” A chipper voice echoes in response. “I’m going to need you to tell me whether to turn left or right and by what angle!” “Okey-dokey-lokey!” “Applejack, Rarity, I’m going to need you two to each take a side of the ship, see if anything’s coming at us.” “Got it!” The two mares reply. “Fluttershy, help Dash slow us down.” “Okay.” Fluttershy replies from underneath Twilight’s hooves, inside the captain’s quarters. “Spike,” “Yes Twilight?” The baby dragon responds, standing right next to Twilight, much to her surprise. “Oh, you’re here. Listen, if anything happens to me, I’ll need you to take the wheel. Got it?” “Yep,” “Good.” “Sharp rocks ahead!” Pinkie screams, “Turn an itty-bitty-smithy bit right.” “Okay, fifteen degrees clockwise…” Carefully, Twilight uses her magic to turn to wheel a very small bit, causing the entire ship to shift right. “More sharp rocks! Turn an itsy-bitsy-smoothie left.” “Thirty degrees counterclockwise…” “Whoa!” Rarity exclaims from starboard, “Turn right!” “No!” Applejack retorts, “Turn left!” “There’s a giant rock wall on my side.” “There’s also one on this side.” “Turn a kissy right.” Pinkie yells. “Thirty nine degrees clockwise…” Twilight mutters to herself as she turns the wheel. “Hey, Twilight,” Spike speaks. “What? Can’t you see we’re getting into a tight ravine?” “Do you hear that?” “Hear what?” “I don’t know, it’s very soft and faint… …Singing?” “What?” “Listen.” Soon, Twilight starts to faded sounds coming from all around her. As she focuses her hearing onto it more, making it more and more clear, the sounds eventually turn into very calm hums and singing. “I do hear it, sounds beautiful.” Meanwhile, at the bow, Pinkie Pie is also hearing the singing. Slowly, she feels her senses dulling out, despite her efforts. “So pretty,” she mumbles to herself, becoming more and more entranced in the music. With the fog starting to lift a little, a shadowy figure, surrounded in a light blue aura, can be seen ahead in Pinkie’s vision. As the ship slowly draws closer, the figure reveals itself to be a large, pink stallion standing on a rock poking from the water. “What are you doing out here?” Pinkie asks drowsily, “You big, strong, stallion you…” The mysterious stallion then motions a hoof for Pinkie to come towards him. The pink Earth pony obeys the gesture and leans herself over the front of the bow, puckering her lips and closing her eyes as her instincts hijack her mind. However, a large slam erupts throughout the ship as it crashes into the large rock and pushes it under, launching Pinkie back from the edge. “What in the world?!” Applejack exclaims, having losing her hoofing in the short-lived crash. “Pinkie, did something happen up there?” No response is given. “Pinkie? Are you okay? Rarity, how about you?” “So dreamy…” Rarity’s voice echoes from across the deck at the port side. “Rarity, quit your daydreaming. Pinkie’s not responding and this darn singing’s making me sleepy.” “…” “Rarity?” Applejack starts to turn her head in attempts to look at Rarity, but stops midway upon seeing a figure with a light blue aura in the distance, hanging onto the tall stone cliff edge. “Who’s that?” Drawing close, the ship reveals that shadowy figure is a buff, orange stallion, standing on a rock platform low enough for the crashing waves to splash just a little onto it. Almost immediately, Applejack’s mind melts and her senses are knocked out upon seeing the stallion. “Oh, hi there, you seem to be quite a fine looking stallion, especially around these parts.” Gently, the new stallion motions a hoof for her to come to him. “If you say so…” However, before Applejack can walk off the side of the boat to the mysterious stranger, the ship smashes against her side of the ravine and grinds against it for a few seconds before pulling out, causing some large rocks to smack into the orange mare and cause her to trip back. “Applejack? Rarity? Pinkie?” Spike nervously hollers at the edge of the poop deck, looking into the thick fog ahead for his friends. “Rainbow Dash? Fluttershy? Does anypony hear me?! Twilight!” Upon turning to Twilight, Spike is shocked to her nearly asleep on the wheel. “Twilight! Something’s wrong with the others! Wake up!” “Just put the bacon in the pancakes,” Twilight coos. “What? What’s bacon? Snap out of it, this ship’s going to sink at this rate.” The galleon then slams into the other wall of the ravine, sending the two flying a short distance to the left. “Twilight!” “I can’t, you’re my cousin’s uncle’s great grandfather’s brother’s nephew twice removed…” “What’s gotten into you and the others?” Slowly, still deep in her daze, Twilight gets up and slowly walks into the thick of the fog towards the bow. “Hey!” A sudden drop then hits as the ship falls down from a small unseen waterfall. Spike recovers from the fall quickly and runs towards Twilight, following her to the other mares gathering around at the port side of the bow. “Stop!” Spike looks over to where the others are drowsily staring at while their walking to see that over the side of the ship are a group of half-pony, half-fish creatures swimming alongside this rising waves. “Sirens! I should’ve known.” With the fog lifting even more, Spike soon discovers that he and his friends are now circling around in a large whirlpool with a large dark hole in the center. “Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, any one of you! They’re fake, sirens. They’re trying to kill us. Snap out of it!” “Give me a big hug…” Pinkie sleepily cheers as she prepares herself to jump into what she sees as a handsome stallion pool party. Spike quickly reacts by grabbing a large rope by the front mast and wrapping it around the six clustered together, tying one end of the rope with the middle of it. With a mighty tug at the other end, Spike pulls the hypnotized mares away from the edge, tying his end to the mast to secure them. “Okay, now I gotta steer this thing.” Frantically, Spike makes his way back to the wheel and grabs it tightly with his claws. Turning the wheel with matriculation, he turns the ship so that it circles around the outer edge of the whirlpool and keeps it in that orbit while he looks for a way out. After several loops, Spike sees that he is completely surrounded by stone walls. However, he soon notices that a portion of the circular wall is slanted at a fairly low angle. “If I remember what Twilight told me about force… if I can get the angle right, I can get this ship to go up there and out of this ravine,” However, before Spike can properly execute his escape strategy, a rumble, louder than the sirens’ singing, is heard from the black hole. “Uh oh…” Immediately after the roar, a giant monstrous creature bursts from the hole. With ten massive twenty metre long tentacles armoured in large scales, a tall arrowhead body covered in a shell of tangled metal and wood, and an enormous yellow eyeball, the baby dragon watches the creature in horror as it reveals itself from its hiding place. So that’s the sirens are here, Spike thinks to himself as he tightly clutches the shuddering wheel, the sirens lure in ships, that giant squid takes down the ship and all of them feed on whatever’s inside. The large monster then reaches out a pair of large tentacles from its sides and swipes at the ship. It misses, barely nicking the rudder at the back. With Spike waiting now for the chance to escape, he realizes that he’s an open target for the squid. With the sirens’ music growing even louder, even dulling out the thrashing waves, the squid attacks once more, this time striking the front mast, breaking it from the rest of the boat and sending it drifting into the center of the whirlpool. With only the stump of it left and the six mares trying to reach the edge of the ship, the rope tied to the mast starts to slide upwards, towards the jagged top of the broken pole. Panic starts to develop inside Spike as he watches the rope gradually climb upward. Now halfway from reaching the point Spike wants to turn, the monster attacks again with three tentacles, bluntly striking the hull with each hit. Within a matter of moments, the ship breaks from its orbit and starts to descend into the whirlpool and closer to the squid in the center. “No!” Spike gasps, being only a quarter turn away from his goal. However, an idea sparks in Spike’s head on the spot. Grabbing the wheel tighter than ever before, Spike quickly turns the wheel so the ship is now aimed a little to the right of the beast. The galleon promptly charges forwards and right underneath the squid’s bulging eyeball and barely skimming the side of its hull with the metal armour of the monster. With the sirens’ singing hitting its climax, the ship then slams bow first into the stone slab, launching the ship upwards before landing back down onto the rock. Slowly, the large vessel grinds on the stone block with the rapidly dying momentum pushing it closer and closer to the top of the wall. Upon reaching the high top of the slanted stone slab, the ship stops and begins to teeter. Spike realizes that it didn’t have enough momentum to make it all the way as the ship soon begins to teeter more backwards, back towards the whirlpool with the sirens and squid waiting for them. Thinking quick, the small dragon rushes up the slanting ship and slams his body into the cluster of tangled mares, throwing them all towards the bow. With the extra weight immediately shifted to the front, the galleon leans forward over the wall and slowly drops into the open water outside and bobbing back into its normal position. The singing quickly dies down as the ship slowly drifts away from the giant wall and towards the clear, causing the six ponies to quickly snap out of their drowsy states. “What happened?” Fluttershy asks as she massages her head, “My head hurts.” “Why is there a rope around us?” Rainbow Dash asks in confusion, “Did we do something last night?” “My memories’ all fuzzy…” Applejack groans, “But I remember something about some fog and us going into some Ley Line.” “I was having a fantastic dream!” Rarity whines, not knowing of the truth, “I was with this dashing stallion and we were going out for a swim before something woke me up.” “Have we entered the future?” Pinkie asks, having immediately recovered from her mind hijacking, “I knew that everything would be covered in water.” “Spike?” Twilight grumbles as she looks at him forcefully clutching her chest from his body slam. “Did you do something?” “Yes, I mean, no, I mean, something,” Spike rapidly stampers, trying to recollect his words after his near-death experience. “We were in the Central Ley Line, and then these sirens hypnotized us. You girls were anyways, but I wasn’t affected by their singing, maybe because I am a dragon. And then this giant squid in a whirlpool tried to attack us, so I had to take the boat and escape and-” “Wait,” Pinkie interrupts him, “Did you say that a giant carnivorous squid attacked us?” “Yes.” “Ha! I win the bet! Pay up Fluttershy!” “Oh come on!” The yellow pegasus roars on the other end of the cluster. “It’s just as likely as us being trapped inside an alternate universe.” “Wanna bet-” “No, no, no, one thousand times no!” “I hope that explains the rope,” Rainbow Dash speaks as she climbs out of the bind. “Oh my gosh,” Twilight gasps as she looks around the destroyed galleon. “What even happened in there while we were out? The front mast is missing, most of the windows are shattered, the bow has a large hole in it, and most of the paint’s chipped. What will Celestia say when she sees this?” “She’ll say, ‘Wow! What a wreck!’” Pinkie replies. “Not helping…” “It’s fine.” Spike comforts the purple alicorn, “the important thing is that we made it out alive.” “You’re right. Thanks Spike.” “And besides, look at this in a good way. Thinks could’ve been a lot worse.” Applejack immediately exclaims from behind Twilight and Spike’s sight, “Applebloom?!” “Oh…” “Sweetie Belle?!” Rarity exclaims as well. “One more,” “Scootaloo?!” Rainbow Dash adds. “I just had to open my mouth…” “Looks like they made it Captain,” “I knew it.” “So, back to Thieves’ Hold?” “Correct.” “I just don’t get it Korsan. Why are you so persistent about that one mare? A wench like her can be found pretty much every country. There’s even one in Thieves’ Hold that you like.” “Dear Cousin Isyan, we all have our preferences and standards. And I have a very selective preference and a very high standard, so only a hoofful of the finest mares in the world would suit me. As such, I have very few chances of getting on their good side. I’m not cutting any corners with this one.” “You realize that you’re putting the crew at risk with this mare-hunt of yours, excluding the fact that your childish leadership and this goal you’ve been ranting about has already put them in more than enough trouble.” “Huh, you know what’s funny. That was the same feeling when I let you join my crew after your little incident.” “…” “Please Isyan, don’t try to challenge my authority in the future. You very well know of the consequences.” “Trust me cousin, the thought of mutiny against you is something only the most ambitious of stallions have, and you’re the most out of anypony I’ve known.” Thieves’ HoldAs the galleon slowly creeps forward into the haunting dwelling, the sounds of creaking wood from both the breaking ship and buildings high above, gently splashing waves, rustling sails, and the rolling of thunder above in the clouds start to conjoin in a tune on their own. The onboard crew looks throughout the forest of tens, if not hundreds, of giant columns of solid stone for any sign of Korsan to no avail. After a fair hour of nothing but the natural music of the seemingly abandoned area, the faint sounds of ponies roaring can be heard in the distance. Gently weaving the ship around the sharp rock formations around the bottom, Twilight steers the vessel towards the cheering. Soon, they discover where to noise is coming from, a larger wooden building near the top of a craggy stack with a large ramping spiraling around the tower leading up to a balcony just outside of the entrance. Though most of it appears to be elevated over the ocean, it’s held in place by several large beams underneath it, only subtly shifting side to side with the breeze. At the bottom of the ramp is a large wooden harbour, almost fully packed with ships of all shapes, sizes, and colours. “Looks like we got here before Korsan did. This looks like a place he would go,” Twilight mumbles to herself as she draws the ship towards the large harbour. “Wait,” Fluttershy fearfully squeaks on the main deck below, “You’re not actually going to go there. I’m already on the brink of a heart attack being here.” “Don’t be scared, we’ll be fine.” “Really?” Rarity asks at Twilight’s side. “We’re entering a pirate hangout, a pirate hangout. It’s going to be filled with the biggest horde of criminals within thousands of kilometres, not to mention how filthy it’ll be inside.” “You have a point. But inside, there may be some information that we could use to stop Korsan. We can keep ourselves hidden when we go in, not draw attention to ourselves.” “I brought some raincoats,” Spike proclaims at the top of the backmost mast’s crow’s nest. “We can use those as cloaks. Remember girls, we’re being covert about this, so no fighting. It might help if we try to blend in and socialize with the less dangerous looking pirates.” “Oh! I’m great at socializing!” Pinkie cheers. “What?” Rainbow Dash exclaims, “We’re going into a pirate hangout and we’re not going to get into a massive fight with them? Talk about a wasted opportunity.” “I’ll tell our stowaways to keep in their rooms.” Applejack adds, “Hopefully no pony tries to steal our ship.” “Who would? It looks like a wreck.” Rarity asks. “It is a wreck.” Dash replies. After putting on their black raincoats and hanging the hoods tightly over their heads, the seven heroes get off of the SS Raindrop and walk down the long wooden platform to the ramp. “Look at all of these ships,” Twilight speaks as she glances at the various vessels anchored at the harbour. “Why do so many of them have skulls and crossbones for their flags?” Fluttershy asks as she examines the flags on the ships to her right. “It looks so mean.” “That’s the concept.” Applejack replies as she focuses on a pair of massive black cannons poking from the bow of a large brig. “Look at the size at some of these cannons.” “Looking at these ships and thinking about how they were made,” Spike says, “just makes me all the more curious on how Korsan built his and how it’s able to fly.” “I’m not sure exactly,” Twilight answers, “but I theorize that it has to do something with the anti-magic he uses in his harness and restraining straps. I saw that his ship has the same type of solid-like fluid embedded in its hull.” Soon, the seven reach the ramp and proceed to walk up it, avoiding the railless edge hovering over the sharp rocks below. “What do you think is going up there right now?” Rarity asks as she fiddles with her cloak, trying to make it look sleek. “Sounds like their singing shanties,” Pinkie replies, bouncing up and down while moving forward, “I want to join them. It sounds so fun!” “What’ll we do when Korsan arrives?” Rainbow Dash asks. “Not sure,” Twilight responds, “I’m thinking that if we act smart, we’ll be able to apprehend him without drawing to much attention to ourselves, get onboard his ship, get the Diamond Eye, and return to Equestria.” “Hey, maybe we can take Korsan’s ship and fly it home? Think about it, I could use a new pad and his ship would be awesome.” “There might be a lot of resistance by his crew.” “I can take them on.” “Really? All of them? I think I recall Korsan having at least a hundred when he attacked the gala.” “Easy peasy,” “Get ready, we’re here.” As they all reach the balcony and cluster around the small door leading in, Rarity glances into the windows at both sides of the doors and sees a lot of indistinguishable activity inside, having most of it blurred by the poor quality windows. “Are you sure we should go in there?” She nervously asks. “Yeah, as long as we’re together, we’ll be perfectly fine.” As Twilight slowly opens the creaking door, a small, green pegasus stallion in a blue sailor’s cap suddenly bursts out from inside and flails over the balcony before falling down into the ocean below. “And stay out!” A mare’s voice screams out from inside, leaving the heroes outside speechless for a moment. “We’ll be perfectly fine.” Upon walking into the building one by one, the mares and Spike are immediately greeted by the entire atmosphere of the room. The building turns out to be a large tavern, with tens of tables scattered around the massive singular chamber and a serving bar on the other side of the room with a dark blue unicorn mare attending it. Surrounding her, seating the tables are practically every combination of pony. Tall unicorns, short pegasi, fat Earth Ponies, skinny and lanky ponies with either half of a horn or only one wing, bearded, mustached, scarred, peg legged, eye patched, garbed in red and black, or completely bare save for any accessories that may have been on them, the mares and Spike are shocked from the sight of so many in one place. Lit lanterns on every table and several on the ceiling cause warm light to embody the entire chamber. To the left of the room are an assortment of tables with groups of pirates sleeping, drinking their mugs, or counting their treasure out in the open. To the right are a vast collection billiard tables, dartboards with darks poking out of them and a couple in the wooden wall, and round and square tables made for card games and gambling loot. Pirates are also gathered there with cups of cider in their hooves or magic as they play their games and toss their money around in bets and gambles. However, the main focus of activity that catches the group’s attention lies near the center of the room, as a tall, blue pegasus is singing, standing on top of a table with an accordionist and a violinist playing an upbeat tune behind him and the patrons surrounding him stamping their hooves on the table in tune with the music. As the music picks up, the finely dressed stallion begins a verse, “Now I’ve been busy at sea past now, And with my crew of eight, We sank a ship and took the loot, Before they knew what hit ‘em, Now I’m wanted in Dragmire, But yet I’m still unknown, Here to loot for the next mornin’, Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” Immediately, the surrounding patrons and the musicians enthusiastically join in for the chorus, “A pirate’s life for me, Survival of the Sea: We live to loot, We loot to kill, And we kill to live ‘nother day. It is not the nicest job, But it’s the life for me, Cross our paths and you’ll get slashed, Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” After the chorus finishes, the two unicorn players continue their tune until the stallion begins the next verse, “Now here’s a tale that we all know, The Pirate of Bad Wolf Bay, Said he’s a devil dressed like us, And killed an entire armada, But if you ask me of my fears, I’d laugh and tell you all that, That pirate’s half as good as me, Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” The chorus quickly follows once more, “A pirate’s life for me, Survival of the Sea: We live to loot, We loot to kill, And we kill to live ‘nother day. It is not the nicest job, But it’s the life for me, Cross our paths and you’ll get slashed, Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” A small uproar of laughs and chuckles sweeps throughout the bar. But before the stallion can start the next verse, Pinkie Pie jumps onto a nearby table, oblivious to the customers seated there, and sings a verse of her own, much to her friends’ surprise, “I’m the mare who’s traveled abroad, And delivers all that I got, Should’ve heard the blast that I threw last, Before reaching this place, With cannons blasting left and right, All throughout the town, No pony lasted by morning. Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” The entire bar immediately turns silent after Pinkie’s verse had finished, even the musicians stopped to look at her in shock. “Pinkie,” Twilight mutters from the doorway, “What are you doing?” After a second of silence, the entire crowd instantaneously roars in cheers before singing the chorus once more with Pinkie joining as well, “A pirate’s life for me, Survival of the Sea: We live to loot, We loot to kill, And we kill to live ‘nother day. It is not the nicest job, But it’s the life for me, Cross our paths and you’ll get slashed, Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” With the shanty finished, the patrons cheer loudly as the stallion leaps off of the table and lands onto the cold wood floor, approaching Pinkie Pie. “I must say newcomer,” he speaks, “you have some backbone. Taking on an entire town? If it’s true, either you’re mad, or you’re bluffing. Shanties are the wombs of tall tales.” “Trust me,” Pinkie replies, “it lasted all day and night.” “And who are these swabs? I don’t recall seeing any of these chins before. Perhaps if yous all remove the hoods, I’d be able to recognize yous.” “They’re my friends, and we prefer to keep our appearance secret.” “Mind if I ask for a name? A pony of such capabilities, singing wise anyways, deserves to be credited.” “Oh, of course, I’m Pinkie Pie.” “…” Out of seemingly nowhere, the blue stallion falls onto the floor laughing manically. “Q-qu-quite a name I say.” “Thanks. What’s your name?” Slowly, the pony recovers from his laughing fit and stands back up. “It’s-” “Cecil,” the mare at the other side of the serving table calls out to the stallion in a deadpan voice. “Thank you for your patronage around here these past days. The boredom has nearly driven me mad.” “Thank you ma’am. So Pinkie, there it is. Feel free to join the game with my mates.” “Okay Cecil,” Pinkie responds, “see you later.” As the blue stallion then turns away and walks towards the card playing tables, Twilight and the others walk closer to their pink friend, all with their mouths in a gape. “Pinkie,” Twilight asks, “What did you even do?” “Well, I got about twenty party cannons, fifty cakes, and a prosthetic leg and-” “Not that. I mean, how did you know that would work?” “What work? I just wanted to sing with them.” “…Oh… Well, since you’re now friends with that guy, maybe you can get some information about Korsan.” “Okay-dokey-lokey!” Pinkie then trots over to where Cecil walked off to while Twilight and the others approach the serving bar. With the bar maiden quietly drying off a mug with a ragged cloth ahead of her, Twilight clears her throat in attempts to grab her attention and speaks, “Excuse me miss, but can we-” “No pets allowed.” The server stoically interrupts her, “Sorry. No pets, no service. For non-arbitrary reasons.” “I’m not a pet,” Spike barks back. “What?” Quickly breaking her glance from her work, she sees purple dragon with his arms crossed. “Oh, sorry. What can I do for you?” “I’m thirsty,” Rainbow Dash replies before Twilight can, “what do you have?” “Water, coffee, cider, ru-” “Did you say cider? I’d love some!” “One second.” Spontaneously snapping out of her sluggish demeanor, the young unicorn rapidly hovers a fresh wooden cup to a large barrel with a faucet attached to it and pours out the brownish orange liquid from the barrel and into the mug. Within a second, the cup is filled to the top and is placed in front of the cyan pegasus on the table. Almost immediately after, the unicorn mare snaps back into her slow motion as she continues to clean the mug she had earlier. “Wow, you work fast.” “Just to not build up your expectations. Drink at your own risk.” “What are you talking about? Cider’s delicious.” Swiping the mug with her hoof Rainbow Dash lifts the bubbling cup to her lips and drinks the cider with a smile, only for it to rapidly turn into a scowl as Rainbow Dash whips her head downwards and spits out the liquid. “What the?! This isn’t cider!” “It is around here. We don’t really have the best imports around here, so that’s the best we got. Unfortunately, this is the only good drinks these guys and girls here have, so it’s only a matter of time until they practically become what they drink, stale and sluggish. You girls are lucky you got any legitimate entertainment, most of the time it’s just pirates wobbling around and getting into fights, even I’ve succumbed to the boring atmospheres. Look, those ponies that were into Cecil’s shanty are already trying to hold back their vomit. Speaking of which, pardon. Hey! Do it outside!” “Sorry for your boredom,” Twilight replies, slightly surprised by how much the mare talked, “by the way, what’s your name?” “November Gale, and how about all of yours, unless this is going to be the only time you’ll be visiting us.” “I’m Twilight Sparkle, that pony who’s throwing up is Rainbow Dash, behind me is Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, and the dragon’s Spike. By the way, you said ‘us’, is there somepony else that works here?” “Just my dad in the kitchen behind me. I’m glad that there’s somepony new I can actually talk and isn’t wiped out. Where are you all even from?” “We’re from Equestria.” “Equestria? Were you there when he attacked?” “Who?” “The terror of earth, sea, and air,” “You know him?!” “Shhh, if my dad hears us talking about him. He’ll get real upset. Darn it, I said too much again,” “Wait, maybe you can help us with something.” “Sorry, I can’t help. I have this position to hold until midnight and my dad’s probably listening in on us at this moment. Go chat with whoever else is willing to talk about him.” “Okay,” “And keep it discreet. Don’t ask why.” “Okay, thanks for your help November.” “Glad to.” The team then walks over to a large round table in the middle of the room and seats themselves. “What did she mean by all of that,” Twilight whispers, “What’s with keeping Korsan such a secret around here? What did she mean by ‘I said too much’? How did she know about Korsan’s attack on Equestria?” “Any theories?” Spike asks. “Well… I think that Korsan does visit this place, often for a matter of fact. And that there’s something going on, something bigger than just stealing the Diamond Eye and everypony here knows about it. We just need to find out what it is. Although November appears to be an active chatter, she seems to have caught herself from revealing what we want to know. Let’s just hope that Pinkie doesn’t get in too much trouble when she talks to that Cecil stallion about it.” Bar Room Dilemma“So, how do you play this game?” Pinkie asks, fumbling with five playing cards in her hooves as she sits at a small round table with three stallions sitting with her, each with their own five cards facing away from each other. To her left is Cecil, a tall pegasus in a blue and white striped shirt and brown trench coat. To her right is a large and stout green Earth pony with an eyepatch and white iron shoulder armour on his left arm. Finally, across the table from the pink mare is a small red unicorn with a black top hat and tuxedo. “Seriously?” The red unicorn replies, “You don’t know Five-Card Draw?” “Take it easy Maurice,” Cecil calmly replies, “She’s probably from very far away.” “But it’s the simplest universal variant on Poker, everypony knows it.” “Maurice does have a point,” the green Earth pony retorts. “Who asked you Jarvis?” Cecil ripostes. “Don’t pick on Jarvis because he’s right.” Maurice replies. “You know what, we can argue all night or we can just explain the rules and move on.” “Gah, fine,” “Typical Cecil…” Jarvis mumbles under his breath. “Excuse me?” Cecil responds. “What? I said nothing.” “So Pinks,” Maurice speaks to her, “You place a bet, you discard the cards you don’t want, draw new cards to replace them, and the pony with the best hoof in the end wins.” “Oh that variation,” Pinkie cheers, “I get it.” “Good, it would’ve been a nightmare explaining the different types of hooves.” “I’ll set the starting bet at ten bits.” Cecil calls out as he pulls out ten bits from his pocket and sets them in the center of the table by the card pile and lit lantern. Maurice follows by adding ten as well. “Oh dear,” Jarvis utters, “I only got eight with me.” “Oh come on Jarvis,” Maurice moans, “for the second time?” “In two months.” “We only go here once a month and stay a week.” “Well I would’ve had more if somepony didn’t trick me into doing business near the Scorched Lands. Cecil.” “I didn’t trick you,” Cecil retorts, “I just said it wasn’t very popular with pirates.” “For good reason, there’s nothing there.” “What were you even doing there for three weeks?” Maurice asks. “You know,” Pinkie interrupts, pulling out twelve bits, “I can just give Jarvis two of mine.” “Well-I-uh, fine, you’re too nice of a gal, I’m too nice of a bloke. Let’s just do it.” “Nice my flank.” Jarvis mutters. “You need to start taking responsibility for your own money Jarvis.” Cecil speaks. “Funny coming from you,” “You guys seem to argue a lot,” Pinkie says, “are you all sure you’re friends?” “Friends?” Maurice replies with a confused face as he puts two of his cards under the deck and draws two from the top. “We’re not exactly friends. We each run our own ships and loot alone and all,” “Not really opposing rivals either,” Cecil adds. “We’re more…” Jarvis replies as he switches a card while he and the others think for a moment. “Rivals with benefits? I’m keeping my hoof.” “Yeah-yeah,” Maurice nods. “I like that.” Jarvis complements. As the three stallions congratulate each other on their self-given titles, Pinkie looks at her five cards. In the warm light from the lantern in front of her, she sees that she has two Jacks, two sevens, and one eight. She discards the eight and to her delight, she draws a Jack. “You others are in for it now,” Jarvis proclaims with a grin. “I once won one of the crown jewels from the king of Camelu using these skills, so there’d be no way that you’ll beat me.” “Says the stallion that only brought eight bits,” Cecil retorts with a smile, causing Maurice to snicker. “For reasons caused by somepony,” “Whatever, I just trumped you all.” Dramatically, Cecil places his cards facing up flat onto the table. “Three of a kind,” “Drat,” Maurice groans as he places his down, “Two pairs,” “Ha!” “Pity,” Jarvis responds as he slowly sets his hoof down, “I got a full house.” “What?!” “Ha!” Maurice shouts back for irony. “That’s funny,” Pinkie replies as she displays her cards, “Full house for me as well.” “She’s got Jacks and sevens, you got tens and sevens.” “So does that mean I win?” Jarvis quickly replies, “No-” “Yes!” Cecil interrupts. “Hooray!” Pinkie loudly cheers as she grabs the forty bits and drags them to her. “Alright Jarvis,” Maurice speaks amidst the cloaked pony’s celebration, “no more games for you.” “Oh come on,” the stout Earth pony moans, “We’re rivals with benefits. Maybe I can have a free-be this time.” “Here’s an idea,” Cecil replies, how about you bet that shoulder armour and we’ll each bet five bits. Sounds equal,” “No-no-no, I got a better idea,” Maurice retorts, joining in on the joke, “How about you steal some bits from Grivs while he’s chugging on his cider?” The trio of pirates, followed by Pinkie, look over to the backmost corner of the large dining chamber to see a giant grey unicorn, with muscles bulging from his sleek, black jacket, drinking a cup of cider. On the table in the booth where he’s seated at alone is a large pile of golden coins and a few gemstones. Maurice and Cecil immediately laugh. “I’ll do it.” Jarvis calmly replies, causing his rivals to choke on their laughter in shock. “Are you nuts?” Cecil whispers, “Grivs is three times bigger than you. Not to mention that he escaped prison four times after committing mass murder each time.” “I’m not scared of him. I’m going.” “Don’t!” Maurice yells out in whisper as his friend exits from his seat and slowly walks towards the hulking giant. “He is so dead.” Cecil solemnly groans. “And it’s all your fault!” “My fault? You were the one getting all jokey when he ran out.” “I wasn’t the one who suggested he’d walk up to death.” “At least it isn’t Korsan.” “What does that mean? It’s like comparing a shark with a Kraken. Both are death no matter how you look at it.” “Wait,” Pinkie interrupts, seeing as this is her chance to transition to the topic of Korsan, “you stallions know of Korsan?” “Do we know of him?” Maurice replies with a look of surprise, “Everypony and their mother here knows Captain Korsan. He visits this place every week. Honestly, who hasn’t seen his giant floating ship he owns with the black flags with the little red gear symbols on each of them?” “Speaking of him,” Cecil responds, having mostly already forgotten of Jarvis’ departure. “Isn’t it odd that he wasn’t here last time?” “He said he was doing some venture in Equestria, that place is fairly well militarized.” “So was Cervidas, yet he showed off some pretty nice booty when he came back.” “I guess, must be the memories or something.” “Probably,” “It’s just,” Pinkie continues, “I haven’t really heard all that much talk of him around here, and I’ve heard he’s a famous character.” “Infamous you mean. The reason we don’t talk about him is because the bloke that works in the kitchen doesn’t want us to, it makes him uncomfortable and could cause him to say something wrong when Korsan comes around. That abomination of a stallion’s a psycho when he and the poor fella even look at each other.” “His service might not be that well in good tastes,” Cecil adds, “but he and his daughter work with what they can to keep us gathered here. It’s our only true home apart from our boats. So we try to keep Nitin stress free while we deal with Korsan’s weekly visits.” “His daughter?” Pinkie replies as she glances back towards the bar maiden. “Yep, November and Nitin share the same Gale blood, blood that Korsan’s so thirsty for.” “Why’s that? They’re just workers of the bar.” “You see,” Cecil replies “their relationship with Korsan runs a bit deeper.” “Cecil,” Maurice mutters to his blue pal, “shut up. We don’t want more mouths to keep shut. Could be an agent of his, you never know.” “Pipe down. Do you see a horn on her head? No. By what we’ve seen from Korsan plenty of times, we can trust her.” “Your funeral mate…” “Now Pinkie, it all started,” However, just before Cecil can begin, a girlish scream roars from the back corner of the room. Everypony inside looks over to see what’s going on, stopping their conversation and games in surprise of the scream. Enwrapped in a crimson aura and hovering above the wooden floor, floats Jarvis while the giant grey stallion Grivs stands behind him, angrily huffing and puffing. “Jarvis!” “We forgot about him!” “No pony touches my booty.” The gruff giant breathes as he holds the green pony in his magic grip. “I’m going to enjoy breaking every bone in yer wee body.” “Please don’t, have mercy!” Jarvis squeals as he feels his spine being pulled from the inside. “It was Maurice’s idea!” “No!” The small red pony squeals, “It’s all Cecil’s fault!” “No it wasn’t!” Cecil frantically retorts with sweat dripping from his shivering face. “It don’t matter with me,” the grey stallion growls, “I’ll just have to break each of yous, the runt, the loud-mouth, and the baby, all at once!” “Wait,” Maurice asks, “which one am I?” “Doesn’t matter when I’m finished,” Swiftly, Grivs' sharp horn glows brightly as Cecil and Maurice as quickly enveloped in their own red auras and lifted into the air. “Jarvis, Cecil, this maybe our final moments together as rivals with benefits. Before we die to Grivs, I have one thing to say.” “I have something to confess as well.” Cecil replies. “Me to,” Jarvis adds. “Okay, all together…” The three stallions then loudly shout at once, “I cheated during our first game! …What?!” “Wait!” Pinkie yells out, running towards the hulking giant. “Don’t hurt them!” “And why shouldn’t I?” Grivs roars at her, releasing a small cloud of foul breath at her. “In all honesty, I am the one responsible. I won what was going to be Jarvis’ win, causing him to run out of bits to bet with.” “Pinkie!” Twilight screams as she and the others charges towards their friend to aid her. “Are you insane?” “What is this?” Grivs growls, “Some game to find out which one of yous to break the most?” “Grivs Dinklesworth!” November yells at him as she exits the serving bar and slowly approaches him. With a scowl on her face, fear strikes through everypony as they look at her, not even daring to giggle at Grivs’ last name. “My father and I will not tolerate you causing indiscriminate slaughter in here. Now you put those stallions down and deal with them when you’re out at sea or else.” “…” “Do I make myself clear to you?” “Yes ma’am.” Slowly, Grivs sets down the trio and returns to his seat, never taking his shrunken eyes off of the bar maiden’s glare. “Now, are there any more problems that I need to take care of?” “No November.” The four stallions immediately reply in unison. “Good.” With the problem now taken care of, the mare turns around and heads back to her station. “You cheated at our first game?” “Whoa,” Spike speaks. “Whoa is right there mate.” Maurice replies in a serious tone. “How did she do that?” Pinkie remarks. Cecil promptly replies, “She and her father are a force to be reckoned with around here. They are two of the only retirees of his crew.” “You mean-” Before Pinkie can finish her question, a loud knocking rattles from the door, sounding like metal bashing against weak wood. “Him?” As the door then violently swings open, the caped bipedal appears on the other side, smiling a fearsome smile. “Yes. Captain Korsan.” “Hello everypony.” The captain chuckles as he walks towards the serving bar. Silence remains throughout as he draws closer and closer to November back at her position. In the right corner of his single eye, he sees the large group of cloaked heroes alongside the rivals with benefits and Grivs, all staring at him. “What’s going on over there?” He asks in a mischievous, yet curious tone, “Some sort of ninja cult? Though I’m more shocked to see Maurice and his friends standing next to Grivs of all ponies. By the way, how’s to going Grivs? Healed well after our last encounter?” Grivs releases a very audible gulp from his throat as he clutches it with a hoof, silently responding, “Yes Captain Korsan.” “Good. November Gale, how has things been? How has your father been?” “We’ve been fine.” November hisses with a disgusted look on her stiff face. “You’re late.” “I’m sorry. I had a run-in with a few pests. Which serves as a great transition for this, Chopin!” Immediately, a tall and fairly stout pale stallion wearing a beret and black and white shirt walks into the bar with a pile of ten papers in his black magic. Quickly, the mime-like pony silently trots over to a bulletin board at the left side of the room and sticks each paper onto the wall side by side with a small dagger for each. Twilight and her team look at the papers and sees that it’s each of their faces. “Ten bounties? Are three of those fillies and one of them a dragon?” “A baby dragon, and yes. Attention patrons, I have set up a ten million bit bounty for the capture of all ten of these ponies. Each pony had a varying set of value, so if you can’t catch all of them, you can just catch the more valuable ones. The pegasi and earth ponies are 750,000 bits each, the unicorn filly and dragon are a million bits each, the alicorn is 1,500,000 bits, and the older white unicorn is four million bits. I want them all alive.” “Even the older white wench?” A mare customer seated at a booth asks. “Especially her, I shall return in ten days, expecting my bounty then. You may want to search near the Central Ley Line.” “Which are you more insane about? The ten million bit total bounty or thinking we’d risk our hides going anywhere near there?” “Are you saying that my reward is too expensive?” “No!” “Just what I thought. Now I must be off doing a little expedition of sorts. Oh! I almost forgot,” Hastily, Korsan reaches into his cape and pulls out a small crossbow-like weapon. He then aims it towards one of the dart boards and fires it, launching a small, green metal bolt out of the barrel. It hits the bullseye and deeply pierces the wall behind it, creating a loud striking sound that causes the onlookers to wince. “This custom multi-fire crossbow has specially modified anti-magic iron rod projectiles keenly designed for alicorns and evasive targets. It’s a prototype weapon I’ve been working on, just thought I’d like to share it with you all.” “Impressive,” November replies in a deadpan tone, “now get out. Your sights already seem to be on another mare, so there’s no reason for you to be harassing me.” “Oh, talking with you is always a delight to me.” “Imagining you crashing your ship in a joyride is always a delight to me.” Korsan annoyingly grunts in response. Before he leaves though, the brown pegasus fires another bolt towards the dartboard, this time hitting the first bolt on the bullseye and causing the first to peel in two like a banana. “Adieu.” Korsan and Chopin then quietly walk out of the bar and close the door on their way out. After a moment of silence, the usual activity restarts throughout the chamber, with the ponies waiting for Korsan to leave before beginning their bounty hunt. “Aww,” Rainbow Dash groans as she looks at her picture, “they got my nose wrong.” “That’s not what’s important,” Twilight replies as she and the others walk closer to the papers. “What’s important is that we’re all now wanted for a massive amount of money at Thieves’ Hold, the pirate central of the entire world probably. If we don’t either get as far away from here as possible or find some way to remove these bounties, somepony will find out and we’ll be in huge trouble.” “What about the Diamond Eye?” Applejack asks. “That might have to wait. Make yourselves scarce, go back to the ship. I’ll stay behind to see what I can do.” Quickly, the five other mares and Spike exit the bar with Korsan’s airship already out of sight outside and hurry down the ramp. “Hey, Pinks’ friend,” Maurice calls out at Twilight as he trots up to her, “Where’s your buddy off to? We’ve only played one game.” “She had somethings to take care of.” “Is she going after the bounty?” “Not sure, we’re deciding.” “I see. See you later.” As Maurice turns back and heads towards his rivals with benefits, Twilight sighs with relief. She thinks to herself, Good, he and his buddies are oblivious at the moment. Now, how to get rid of these bounties? I can’t just remove them off the spot, they’ll notice and I’ll be busted as well as my friends. We can’t make that much of a speedy escape with our ship in ruins. What to do- Twilight’s train of thought is abruptly cut off as a cyan aura surrounds her and launches her over and behind the serving bar. The purple alicorn’s now exposed face is then met with the bar maiden’s with a notably distressed expression. “November?!” Twilight exclaims. “Shhh, I not going to put yous up.” she immediately whispers, “I figured it was you and your crew being put up to bounty. That pet dragon was a dead giveaway. Luckily, I think only I was able to get a close enough look.” “What are you doing?” “What does it look like? I’ve saving you and all of your friends’ hides. By the way, did you actually bring three fillies with you to Thieves’ Hold?” “Sort of, they snuck onboard. But the real question is why are you doing this?” “I know what he’s going to do to each of you if he gets his claws on you. Korsan’s a lunatic. He’ll show no mercy to even the foals. And I’m not going to let him do that. Your best bet is to get out of here now. Save yourselves.” “Thank you. But we can’t leave, especially now. We have to stop Korsan and get our rare artifact back to Equestria from his clutches. And seeing as how he’s been bothering you all, scaring even Grivs senseless, we have to help you.” “That’s very kind, but with those bounties on your heads, you won’t be able to do much.” “Can we get rid of them?” “No, if Korsan found out we removed them without some form of payment, he’ll be furious. And paying off the bounty is utterly impossible. Ten million bits total, how would you be able to do that in only ten days?” “My friends and I could work for you.” “With what money earned? We can barely afford repairs and no pony will buy our more expensive items due to their low quality. You saw how your friend reacted to the cider. By the way, she still needs to pay.” “Hm… How many drinks of cider would we need to sell in order to reach ten million bits?” “Two-hundred thousand at least to pay it off, but where are you going to get enough resources to make that much cider? We don’t exactly have the best import sources. And what about selling them afterwards?” “I have an idea.” Bounty CiderIt has been about an hour since Twilight exited the bar with her friends, and ever since, November is thinking more and more that they’ve just straight-up left Thieves’ Hold. However, her doubts are soon crushed by a gentle knocking on the door. “I got this.” Jarvis proclaims as he exits the table where his rivals are playing their games and slowly walks towards the door. Opening the door, the green stallion’s eyes bulge open at what he sees on the balcony. “Uh…” “What is it?” November asks from the counter. “You might want to see this.” Slightly nervous, the blue mare walks out of her position and next to Jarvis, parting her short ice-blue mane from her eyes to get a clear look. To her surprise, she sees Twilight, Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Spike, and their three fillies, all gathered around two massive crates, brimming over the top with fresh apples. “What the-” “You said you wanted resources,” Applejack responds, “We got resources. Now where’s your kitchen?” “Jarvis, get the wagons from the back.” “Yes miss,” Jarvis answers in a stupor before backing inside. “How did you-I mean-What?” “Always come prepared,” Applejack pridefully replies, “These are the best apples in Equestria. We got two more crates back at our boat if this isn’t enough.” “…” “If this isn’t good enough for those pirates,” Rainbow Dash adds, “nothing is.” “I don’t know what to say.” “How about, ‘you’re hired.’?” Twilight replies. “Yeah, yeah, you’re all hired. Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me and my father.” “Thank you for giving us this chance to remove the bounties.” “Alright, let’s get started. Load as many apples as you can into the wagons when they arrive and I’ll take them to the kitchen.” “Wagons November,” Jarvis calls out from behind November. “Yes, thank you.” Promptly, the dark mare steps out of the doorway as three large rustic wheelbarrows squeeze through one by one by the stout Earth pony. “Here you all go.” “Jarvis!” Maurice yells from inside, “What’s going on?” “You’ll see.” “Thanks Jarvis.” Twilight exclaims as Jarvis walks back inside to his rivals with benefits. With the wagons now set, the ten cloaked ponies start transferring their cargo from the crates to the wagons, filling one of the carts in a minute. “That’s enough.” November gleefully calls out as she grabs the filled cart with her cyan magic. “Want me to help you with that? I could help your father make the cider even.” “No thanks, he prefers that only I see him. You’re okay with that right?” “Yeah,” “Thanks.” With the filled wagon in tow, November goes back inside, leaving her now co-workers alone outside. “So Pinkie, at the ship you said they were ex-crew members of Korsan?” “That’s what Cecil told me.” Pinkie answers while balancing five apples on her nose. “Though he and his rivals with benefits told me that they don’t talk about Korsan that often for November’s dad safety or something like that,” “Rivals with benefits?” “Maurice and Jarvis,” “Oh, Cecil’s Poker buddies.” “What if November and her dad know Korsan’s weaknesses?” Applejack asks out loud. “We could try to get some information out of them while we’re here, now that we’re working for them.” “Wait,” Pinkie interrupts, “We can’t about Korsan with Nitin, November’s dad. He gets nervous for some reason. It could cause him to speak or doing something wrong when Korsan gets back.” “Why?” Fluttershy asks. “The two are enemies now or something. I don’t know, Jarvis caused a stir with Grivs before Cecil could get into any detail.” “Okay,” Twilight replies as she finishes filling the second cart, “so we can’t ask her father than. Maybe November, Cecil, or one of his friends will if we get better associated with them. Pinkie, maybe you can sing some more shanties with Cecil and play with more pirates inside.” “Okey-dokey-lokey,” “Also, how good is your game?” “I won forty bits from my last game with Cecil and his friends.” “Good, that can serve as our second form of income.” “And what are the rest of us going to do?” Dash asks. “Dash, you and Applejack will supply the apples from our ship. Fluttershy and Rarity, you two help November with serving. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo,” “Yes?!” The three fillies exclaim in excitement. “Clean the dishes, mugs, all that stuff.” “Aww,” “Deal with it.” “What about me Twilight?” Spike asks as he gently tugs on her wing. “Supervise the foals,” “Drat. And what’ll you be doing?” “I’ll be investigating around Thieves’ Hold for any information about Korsan.” Meanwhile, behind the serving bar and inside the dimly lit kitchen, November is pushing the wagon towards the corner of the room where bags of various foods are already stockpiled. An old rustic voice is heard as the wheelbarrow is set down, “What’s this November?” “Fresh apples from Equestria,” November gently replies into the darkness. “We have some new workers.” “Those bounty mares Korsan’s after, I know. I heard it all, Korsan, your chat with that one mare behind the counter. I’m not proud.” “Dad, this could save our tavern. And I couldn’t let them risk being captured by him.” “Foolish child, you don’t know the half of it. You were so young, so innocent back then. Letting them join us, is just putting us all at risk for an even worse fate.” “I know you’re scared. I am as well. But we could only imagine how much fear they have.” “I know. Equestria’s a kingdom where there isn’t much death, isn’t much suffering, only life and prosperity. We fear death naturally, being cutthroat pirates back then. They barely even understand it.” “Please Dad, don’t feel so guilty for what happened. It wasn’t our fault.” “We supported him. We fixed his cannons. We paved the path of time that lead to that day. If your mother was still alive, she’d think we’re monsters. No, I’m a monster, I dragged you into this instead of-…” “We didn’t know. Please, you’ve sealed yourself in here for three years. It’s time you let yourself open to the outside world and stop beating yourself up. If you hang onto the past, you’ll never move forward to a better life. At least take your medicine. You’re lucky your illness isn’t contagious.” “There is no better life. I’m just a selfish wreck that’ll never change for the short rest of my years, medicine will only make the guilt last longer. The only reason I’m still here is you, my sweet angel. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did and end up suffering in the claws of that monster.” “Dad, times will change for us. I promise. We just need to take that first step.” “…Fine. Let them work. I won’t be able to do anything to stop you or them in this state, so I might as well make it easy for you.” “Daddy,” “What?” “I love you.” “…I love you to.” Minutes later, several patrons gather around the serving counter as November emerges from the kitchen with a large wooden barrel, filled with fresh apple cider. “So,” Rarity asks to the guests on the other side of the counter as November sets the barrel in place, “Which one of you rogues wants to have the first cup? Cecil?” “Uh… Jarvis?” the blue pegasus responds, turning towards his stout Earth pony friend. “Uh… Maurice?” Jarvis responds as well, redirecting the attention to his small unicorn rival. “Wait,” Maurice squeaks, “Why me?” “You’ve drunk more of the old cider without throwing up.” “My last mug of it was last month.” “And Jarvis and I last did it at least two months ago.” Cecil retorts. “You have a better tolerance in case it’s not all that well as they brag.” “Why doesn’t Jarvis take the first swig? He was the one flapping his gums about how fresh they looked.” “Please,” Fluttershy interrupts, waving a cup already filled with the new liquid swishing inside in front of the finely dressed stallion, “just one sip?” “Gah, fine,” Slowly, Maurice sets down five bits onto the polished table and takes the drink in his telekinetic hold. He then carefully holds the cup up to his mouth and takes a small sip, closing his eyes tightly. However, as the juice flows across his tongue, Maurice’s eyes bolt open as he starts to rabidly gulp the rest down. “Is he choking?” A random stallion in the surrounding crowd asks. “He could be just tricking us into throwing up.” Another customer calls out. “Or he just really needs a drink,” a mare replies, “remember that one time when he became broke from his games with his buddies. He was so desperate for some water, he actually drank seawater.” “Great glooming glops,” Maurice exclaims as he slams the now empty cup onto the counter. “You’re not going to believe me,” “We’re not,” Cecil stonily replies. “This, stuff, is liquid gold. I can already feel my insides become flesh and blood again.” “Ridiculous. Only the finest of cities have those types of drinks.” “Try me.” “Fine,” Swiftly, Cecil places five of his bits on top of Maurice’s and is immediately given a fresh cup by Rarity. As the skeptical stallion takes his drink, his body inadvertently repeats the exact same things Maurice did, finishing by slamming the cup onto the counter as well. “What the-” “See?” “Maurice isn’t lying!” Immediately, the entire crowd on onlookers breaks out in a mob of loud chatter, with bits being flung left and right across the mob and onto the serving counter, pelting Fluttershy, Rarity, and November. “Take it easy!” November exclaims with a grin, “You’ll all get some in time.” “I gotta tell me crew!” A middle-aged mare yells out before charging out of the tavern, soon followed by several other ponies, all off to tell their friends about the cider. “You know,” Rarity loudly speaks to Fluttershy among the roars of thirst in front of them, “despite the fact that we’re serving ferocious criminals in a rundown bar that reeks, this is kind of nice.” “At least our only threat is the noise. Ow!” Fluttershy replies. “And bits,” “I believe this calls for a shanty!” Cecil declares. “Cue the music!” Pinkie screams as she joins her tall partner in the center of the room. Outside the tavern, rapidly stacking apples into wheel barrows, Applejack and Rainbow Dash soon hear music playing from inside amongst the roars. “Sounds like quite a party.” Applejack speaks to her partner. “It is Pinkie Pie.” Dash casually replies. “Hey, Rainbow Dash,” “Yeah?” “I’ve been thinking-” “A dangerous pastime-” “Whatever. Remember when Twilight talked about the attack during the gala a few days ago?” “After she shot me down when I started talking about Daring Do? Yeah…” “Well, remember Twilight telling us about how Korsan was insulting Celestia for having Earth ponies and pegasi for soldiers, later using his unicorn-only goons to hold them in place while they fought whatever was left of Celestia’s guards?” “What are you getting to? Korsan wasn’t fighting fair and he’s a hypocrite.” “What if he does have a point? Maybe it’s not unfair fighting, rather it’s that you and I are at a natural disability.” “Don’t be ridiculous. Korsan’s just some nutcase with a big vocabulary. I’m pretty sure whatever he’s saying is just crazy-talk.” “Dash, you can’t simply be oblivious to whatever he’s saying because he’s a villain. He did prove something during the gala-” “Are we sure that you’re the stubborn one and that I’m the not-so stubborn one?” “What does that mean? Aren’t you the ignorant one and I’m the one with awareness of what’s going on?” “Excuse me? You take that back.” “Hey, how about you take what you said back?” “You know what? …” “…” “…Gah. I’m sorry for fighting. I’m probably just a little tired.” “Same here, maybe I’m missing some piece of logic in my head and Korsan’s making sense for that reason or another.” “After this first crate, how about we hit the hay?” “What about the other one?” “It’s a heavy crate. It took Twilight a moment to focus her magic enough to even lift it an inch from the floor. I don’t think anypony would be able to take it.” “I guess, unless it was either a bunch of unicorns or a single powerful one.” “Grivs probably won’t mess with it.” “Yeah,” “Almost done,” I just can’t shake it. Applejack thinks to herself, I know that somewhere inside me, Korsan’s making a lick of sense. Would you look at that? An entire mob hurling themselves around just for some apple cider, what a sight to behold. I haven’t seen such a thing in a few years. And look at my little November, that beautiful smile on her face. I can already feel myself feeling better, seeing her childlike grin. Her mother always said it could cause miracles. Maybe November was right. Maybe we just needed to take that first step. Those workers of hers, those mares and dragon, they don’t even look like their struggling to stay alive, though the foals don’t look too entertained under the counter. But their just children, it’s natural for them. This is what I wanted for her future when we left Korsan, a bright new start, filled with smiling faces, music, adventures, and happiness, every day. Perhaps I will take my medications today. Dead Pony’s TaleTen days seem to turn into ten months as the heroes worked at the tavern. Every day, thousands of ponies and various species of pirates flocked the quint bar after hearing rumours of its legendary cider, buying at least ten mugs at per visit, each time increasing in price. Finally, on the day marked as Korsan’s return from his expedition, Twilight and her friends finally reach ten million bits and pay off their bounty and decide to spend the rest of the stormy night celebrating their liberation. “Oh come on,” Maurice calls out amidst a crowd of onlookers of an event, “There’s no way she can do it.” “Pinkie can do it!” Cecil retorts. “I put twenty bits on it.” “She’s standing on a table with a missing support, five metres away from the dartboard, and has only one dart. Impossible!” “If that oddball of a pirate can do it twice,” Jarvis replies, “she can do it.” “He had a mechanical claw and crossbow helping him.” “And only one eye and two legs to stand on.” “Here she goes!” A random patron declares. The crowd immediately silences down as the pink mare standing on the wobbly table tosses the small brown dart with all of her might. It flies in the air for a long second. As it smacks dead-center on the bullseye, the bystanders immediately roar out with both cheers and jeers. “Yes!” “Huzzah!” Cecil exclaims. “Bloody bloodsucking bloodsuckers!” Maurice angrily roars as he chucks his bet of twenty-five bits to the wooden floor. “Congratulations Pinks, you get your five percent of the pot.” “Thanks Cecil.” Pinkie replies as she jumps from the table and into the large pile of gold bits below and begins to swim in it. “How much is it anyways?” “Let’s see,” Jarvis mumbles to himself, “Carry the seven, divide by twenty, remove the two and twenty, multiply by four, factor Maurice’s slap to the face, add eight… That’s a hundred and one bits right and a free blow to Maurice there for ya las.” “Hooray!” “Yeah,” “Wait a moment Cecil,” Maurice barks, “you tricked me!” “I what?” “You did,” Jarvis confirms. “How did I-” “You were gloating about how you were going to win.” “Yeah,” Maurice replies, “you used some mind tricks on me. You know I can’t stand competition.” “Hold on just a second,” Cecil retorts, “If Jarvis knew it was mind games, why didn’t he warn you?” “Wait…” “He clearly wanted to get your share of the winning pot.” “Jarvis!” “Oh no you don’t!” Jarvis snaps, “You had your share in tricking Maurice.” “You know what, I’m tired being the pirate who doesn’t do anything. My body is back and my body is ready! Come on, put ‘em up!” “All right then, I’ve been itching for a good old hooffight.” “Let’s do this!” Cecil hollers as he and his rivals with benefits leap onto their card table and fumble over each other trying to fight each other. Meanwhile, watching as the massive event draws to a close from a large, round table, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo clap their hooves together. “Nice work Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash hollers. “My, that Earth pony’s got some talent,” November remarks from her serving bar next to Twilight’s and the gang’s table. “But not even close to amazing as all of you paying off that massive bounty and getting us back in business. My dad’s been getting a lot better and is even slipping out of his depression. Even those three stallions over there are back to their fighting ways, it sure beats their constant arguing. At this rate, we could even renovate this place to be a luxurious café. How can we ever repay you?” “That won’t be needed.” Twilight replies, “You’ve already done a lot for us.” “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to working for us? We all really enjoy your company.” “As fun as it sounds, we have our own duties back home. We also still need to get the Diamond Eye back from Korsan. We could always come back here in the future to see how things are going and ship more crates of apples when those last two boxes run out.” “I understand. Good luck.” “To you as well November. Actually, can I have a paper and inked quill?” “Okay.” “Wow,” Applejack responds, “it’s already time?” “I was getting pretty use to this place.” Spike adds. “As delightful as it was,” Rarity replies, “we need to remember that we have ponies waiting for us back at Equestria.” “Yeah. Hey Twilight, are you writing a letter to the princess? It’s been a while.” “I guess it has been,” Twilight answers as she begins to write with her newly given quill and paper, Dear Princess Celestia, I know it has been a week or two since I’ve even talked to you, let alone seen you. But don’t worry. Things have been going well out here. The SS Raindrop is still in tip-top condition. Everypony here is healthy and happy, even the fillies. Yes, I know about them stowing away. Although we’ve had a few hiccups on our adventure, we’re getting close to getting the Diamond Eye back from Korsan. I hope things are going well back in Equestria. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle “Here Spike,” Twilight speaks as she rolls up the letter into a scroll and hovers it to him, “send this to her.” “Got it,” Spike replies before clutching the scroll in his claws. Breathing green fire from his mouth, Spike causes the letter to disappear in green flames. “So, got any information of Korsan last week?” “No, I searched all over this place. The only thing I could call possibly related to Korsan or the Diamond Eye was some random map of an island without any coordinates.” As Twilight goes into detail about her findings, the front door creaks open and a greyish white pegasus garbed in a black cloak walks into the bar. Slowly, he walks up to the serving counter, where November greets him while washing a mug, “What can I do for you sir?” He responds in a deadpan voice, “First, a drink.” “Sure, it’s on the house tonight.” The mare then sets down the mug on the counter and turns to the pair of dual doors behind her leading to the kitchen. She pokes her head inside and yells, “Dad, we have another one.” The voice of her father mumbles from the other side of the wall separating the unknown pony from inside. As November begins to have a conversation with her father at the kitchen, the stranger starts to look around and even examines his grey coat of fur dripping water onto the floorboards. Soon though, the dark blue mare returns with a wooden mug brimming with cider. “Sorry for the inconvenience,” “Not a problem.” The pegasus then puckers his lips as he grabs the cup with his hooves and holds it up to them. He takes a small sip at first, but immediately snaps into chugging the entire thing down in a single go before slamming the mug onto the polished table. “By thunder, that’s a decent drink.” “I know, until recently, the cider here was terrible, then a bunch of strangers showed up with crate loads of apples and now no pony is losing their stomachs or getting into as many brawls.” Before the bar maiden can continue, the cloaked pony clears his throat and interrupts her. “Second, I need some information on a pony and his bounty.” “Ah, one of those sea travelers. Who are you looking for?” “I’m looking for…” The stallion hesitates, looking left and right as if making sure that no pony was intentionally listening in before continuing in a whisper, “Korsan.” Immediately upon hearing the name, the bartender backs up to the dual doors. Everypony in the bar grows deafly silent as they turn towards me, staring at the stallion. Twilight and the others as well stop their personal activities and turn their attention to the serving bar. Even Cecil, Jarvis, and Maurice stop mid-punch and give a frightened look. “What?” The dark blue unicorn uncovers her ice blue mane from out of the front of her face and reveals her shuttering cyan eyes, trying to get a better look at the stranger as well. “K-K-Korsan, doesn’t have a bounty, he makes them. A-An avid visitor of this place actually…” “Well, what would be his value if I were to capture him and turn him into the authorities?” “He’s priceless,” Maurice replies, “You’d never be able to catch him alive nor dead. If he were to have heard you, let alone seen you, you’d be dead.” “What do you mean?” The stallion then gives a quick look at his back sections of his body, only seeing his wings fumbling inside the cloak. “What would he see that would make him do such a thing?” “Your wings,” “My wings?” The stranger gives a brief chuckle, with both he and Twilight and her friends unaware of the true magnitude of that detail. “Tis no laughing matter,” Grivs in the far back corner announces, “the madpony is Tartarus-bent on killing pegasi and Earth Ponies.” “But, if I were to capture him, dead or alive, how much would I most likely get then, if this Korsan is so deadly?” A moment of silence washes over the entire chamber, even the wooden structure of the building itself stops rumbling, as if stunned of from the pony’s audacity of challenging the pirate. “It’s a long story,” November replies, “let me get somepony to explain.” The mare then goes back into the kitchen area. Everypony stays silent as they stare at him, undoubtedly making the situation much more awkward for him. After a minute or so of silence, the mare emerges from the kitchen and to the counter. Following her is an old, indigo, unicorn stallion, with a pink scar along the side of his neck, giving a stern, dreary look at the pegasus as he walks to the edge of the serving bar. The entire crowd of onlookers’ jaws drop, as if they’re seeing a ghost before them. Nitin Gale… Twilight mouths to herself. He must have really changed after we came for him to reveal himself. He speaks, “So, you want to know about Korsan, huh?” “His value and location is what I came for,” the shrouded stranger replies “but if you have a story to tell me, I’m all ears.” The old stallion gives a heavy grunt before responding, “You are not worthy to know of such a tragedy.” “Try me, I’ve faced some of the most mentally insane and abused prisoners across every sea you know.” November’s father stands silent for a minute, staring into the pony’s orange eyes, examining him. “Believe me, you haven’t even seen half the oceans I have seen, not that I blame. You are confident stallion though, fine, if you think you are ready to know, then I shall begin.” “Go.” The old stallion fumbles with the two long white whiskers dropping from below his nose before starting. The patrons surrounding him lean their ears towards the serving counter and dedicate all of their attention to him, with Twilight and her friends focusing even harder. “It all started a decade or two ago, Korsan, a filly, just like you and me, was born. However, what was abnormal about him was that he was a pegasus, and for five generations straight, his family was nothing but unicorns. So over the course of over a hundred years, his family believed that unicorns were the dominant pony race, and that all others were inferior. Korsan was born of wings, so at first, everypony that was there for the birth was shocked and disgusted to see him. However, his parents decided to take him in anyways, to be raised alongside his older brother and sister.” “So wait, some nutcase wants to kill me for being a pegasus despite him being a pegasus? Sounds a bit hypocritical,” “If you were to keep quiet, I would explain.” “Sorry…” “Over his early years of childhood, he was bullied and teased by his brother and sister, constantly picking up his toys with their magic and even at sometimes him, as if it was a cruel joke. They, and even sometimes including his father and mother, would constantly berate him for being a pegasus and not a unicorn, and to stay out of their business or any close affiliation with them in public. The family soon saw Korsan as a weak link in their family legacy as the best metal workers in town, considering that unicorns were practically the only race that could do the job properly.” “Famous unicorn metal workers for five generations… Wait, where did he live?” “Baltimare, some city in Equestria if I remember right,” ”Equestria… Are they the Madens?” “Yes, they kept Korsan very well hidden from public association. But this did not stop Korsan from trying to fit in and try to impress his family at their metal foundry. He had an amazing intellect and knack for building, inventing, and exploration. With the tools he could find in the workshop while his family was away in the different part of the foundry, the young colt would built an assortment of various mechanical devices, from toys, to tools that could be efficiently operated by non-unicorns, to even puzzles and devices for his own amusement. But when he tried showing them off to his family, they quickly criticized him for merely the fact that he was a pegasus. When he wasn’t at school, tinkering in his private time, or being oppressed by his family, he would play at the harbour with his friends. However, his friends didn’t last for long, as time progressed; his friends got their cutie marks, everypony except for him. He was the only pony in his generation at his school to not receive his cutie mark, and one of the few ponies that to this day, doesn’t have one. As of result, he was teased by his once friends, further scarring his already destroyed childhood.” “Wait, did I hear that right? This highly dangerous pony that can scare a bar silent, doesn’t have his cutie mark to this day?” The stallion immediately bursts out into a small chuckle, only to be startled by the old stallion slamming his hooves onto the counter viciously. “This is no laughing matter! That teasing and laughing is the very reason he’s so dangerous!” In fear, the stranger recollects himself as the stallion also does himself from his fit of rage. He then continues on in a solemn voice, “As he was persistently bullied at home and at school, the rage built up boiled to the tipping point. He often engaged in brutal fights at school, with even on some occasions, using his mechanical gadgets as weapons. This resulted in him being removed, school after school, district after district, wherever he went, his rage and lacking physical attributes always dove him deeper and deeper in trouble. At the mere age of ten, Korsan was sent to jail, the earliest known arrest in Batimare’s history.” “Yikes…” “He was bailed out by his family the next day, only to take him home and give him a sharp piece of their minds. However, what was intended to be a mere aggressive lecture from each member of his family combined, quickly escalated into an ugly sight, resulting in him receiving an eye patch the next day. He was all alone, with only his gadgets and his own thoughts to keep him company. He no longer was accepted into any school and was banned from joining any family gathering, except if that gathering was his siblings to pick on him. In retaliation to the sibling’s constant bullying and the ideology that unicorns are better implanted into the core of his twelve-year-old corrupt mind, Korsan directed his intellect to become as close to a unicorn as mechanically possible. He started by inventing an anti-magic substance that would protect him from any magical attacks.” “Wait, he invented an anti-magic substance at the age of twelve? How smart was this foal?” “Very smart, very creative, very resourceful, but had very low self-esteem and a body filled with rage and hatred; he was a waste of so much potential.” “So did it work?” “No, although it functioned right, the substance would wash off of Korsan’s body quickly. He needed a way of keeping it on him for ages to come, a suit of sorts. However, since he didn’t have the precision of his large hooves to build a proper suit to contain the substance, he built muscle-controlled claws that would give him great precision in his work. These claws will be one of the key features we all recognize the madpony with. He then went on to build a harness that would have his material flow all around his body, creating a shield of sorts. After many weeks of sweat and tire, Korsan completed his claws and anti-magic harness. He then displayed to his family the powers and capabilities his inventions could do, only to be discredited once more by teaching him that unicorns can perform magical feats no mechanical device could possibly match.” “He invented anti-magic and claws that would allow a non-unicorn to have the same precision of handling objects as one, how was he not given credibility?” “He claims that they were right, that unicorns are the best and no work of mind nor machinery can match them. But if you were to ask me, I would say it’s just stubborn pride.” “I see,” “Back to the story… After being rejected by his family once more, the young colt had just about enough of this abuse. He flew away from his home one day and over the busy streets of Baltimare. However, something abnormal happened during his flight. It was some sort of unknown light phenomenon in the sky that just came all of a sudden, like lightning or something. It that blinded Korsan that sent him tumbling down into the streets, to be hit head on by an armoured bank chariot. He was immediately taken to the hospital, only to find out that his back was broken and would require years to heal. He also found out that his wings were broken, but unlike his back, the damage was permanent, he could not fly for the rest of his life. His family didn’t show up at the hospital to help him after the accident, he was truly abandoned. With a broken back and wings and the only thing he had were his inventions, he started a life of crime. Korsan began with petty theft, simple purse snatches and pick pocketing just to get some resources.” “How was he able to do it without being caught, wasn’t his back broken?” “It was, instead of hasty snatch and runs, Korsan used his intellect and silver tongue to get ponies to not notice when he robbed them until after an hour of him leaving them. He used the money to buy food to get by the day and metal to build a support system that would help him to be able to walk properly again. This secondary suit would act as a mechanical toy that Korsan could control with fluid motion. The new ensemble worked better than he expected, as he found out he could run faster, lift more weight, and react quicker to immediate situations than other normal foals of his age, but these upgrades came at a cost. Over the years, his support suit has been slowly forming his spine to go upright, never letting the broken bones inside to properly heal. In the past couple of years, his front hooves have never touched the ground, for he could now simply walk and run with his hind hooves.” “This pony just seems to get stranger and stranger.” “And grew even more dangerous at that, for in a matter of days, his crimes escalated to grand theft and even caused several hostage situations. He then used his spoils to buy from the black market and created weapons, from blades, to cannons, to even explosives. This created a vicious cycle that grew too big for Korsan to keep within Baltimare. Using his experiences of his old days playing at the harbour and the use of his latest technologies, Korsan spent a couple of years building a ship, one that could fly and was large enough to be considered a self-sustaining fortress. He worked on it for three years, never allowing himself to sleep for more than three hours nor let any injury delay his work. Upon completing his revolutionary creation, he then gathered up a crew of unicorns to serve as his pirate minions and they took off, beginning Korsan’s global campaign of pillaging and plundering any city, whether it be surrounded by land, sea, or sky.” “He built a ship… that could not only fly, but also be self-sustaining?” “Yes, it doesn’t even run on magic, as the entire thing is built with his anti-magic substance lining every floorboard, causing some, odd, science thing to happen that allowed it to fly.” Twilight can’t believe what the old stallion is saying, having never heard of such a ship, or any large structure of that matter, that was able to fly without magic, despite seeing it firsthoof with her friends several times. “Impossible…” “It’s real, I’ve been on that ship long enough to know it top from bottom.” “You were a prisoner?” “No…” The old unicorn stays silent for a while before the stranger figures it out. “You were a crew member.” “I was Korsan’s first mate and my daughter was a mechanic. It was odd having to be told around by a pony that was only fifteen at the time, but as the years progressed, I came to terms with it.” “So that’s why you know so much about him.” “He told me everything, as if I was the true father figure he never had. He’d show me nearly everything he had saw, created, or stolen with a face full of pride and glee.” “How long did you serve under Korsan? Why did you leave? Was it the guilt of just doing nothing but crimes getting to you?” “Easy there lad, ask one question at a time. I worked for Korsan for about five years until I resigned a couple of years ago. And I didn’t just do nothing but piracy, that was only my job. While me and my crewmembers were with Korsan, his adventurous spirit would take us to new locations and see unimaginable things. I remember when he would sit out on the bow, writing down his discoveries and research throughout all the night. There was some sort of an innocent side of him that became exposed whenever he encountered something new. He wrote many books, collected so many artifacts, and built so many machines. When I was with him on those adventures, sometimes, I would forget about our crimes and think that we were a family of sorts.” “So what made you and your daughter leave?” “…” The unicorn becomes quiet and avoids making eye contact with the stranger or anypony of that matter. “You don’t need to know.” “But I want to,” “No you don’t, it would be too much for a young stallion like yourself.” “I’m a bounty hunter; I’ve hunted down murderers and absolute maniacs, how bad could it be.” “Are you sure?” He then gives the stallion a strong glare. His eyes shrink and his mouth soon turns to a snarl, as if he’s holding back an inner demon. The bounty hunter slowly nods his head, unaware of the true grim that Nitin is about to tell. “Several years ago, we were coming up to a small kingdom in the clouds, preparing to attack the main castle and get as much booty as possible. Within moments of hovering right next to the front gates, we attacked. The pegasi were no match as we merely held them in place with our magic. We stormed the castle and came back in moments, holding as much gold, jewels, and other valuables with our magic. At first glance, this was just another successful plunder. That was, until we started to leave with the mountain of loot on our ship. I noticed that Korsan was looking back at the kingdom, observing its buildings, its size, but most importantly, its citizens. He stopped the vessel and turned its port towards the kingdom. The crew was reasonably confused of his actions at first. However, that all changed when he turned to us and gave the command. He ordered us to fire off the cannons into the kingdom and destroy it. I couldn’t believe what he was ordering, we usually only used the cannons in defense or if a target was being too stubborn. This was an act of terrorism. Me, my daughter, and a few crewmembers could not bring ourselves to do it. Most of the other pirates, the ones that were once in prison for federal crimes, didn’t mind however and followed orders. They fired into the city, and the screams of stallions, mares, and children soon echoes back to our boat. I was scarred from the horrific scene that I saw unfold before me. Korsan approached me when he saw I was struggling and asked why I wasn’t attacking. I told him that I couldn’t bring myself to hurt masses of innocent ponies for no reason, in which he gave me a most terrifying response.” “What was it?” “’Pegasi and Earth Ponies are inferior, we must shape the world to what it should be, all unicorns, no more suffering…’” “You mean to say,” “Yes, the beliefs of his family had been released from the darkest pits of his mind and out into his true desires. He then told me that after this, we would be searching for a way for him to become a unicorn, destroying every non-unicorn that stood in his way. In a matter of moments, the entire kingdom began to fall down into the abyss below, bringing countless ponies down, trapped within their houses. I was terrified, for I saw a small smile on the captain’s face as he watched the kingdom fall before his eyes…” A slow stream of tears begins to run down the stallion’s cheeks, still staring at the grey pegasus with his watery, yet stern eyes. Twilight and the others become absolutely shocked as their minds visualize the old pony’s words, trying to understand pure madness. “So then you quit?” “Korsan let me and my daughter leave with no resistance; he was surprisingly lenient on the idea of letting his crew members quit. After that, I sailed out here and built this very bar you are standing in. Korsan comes by to visit and gloat about his newest discoveries and raids every once in a while. I always kept myself in the kitchen to avoid talking to the monster.” “He grows more and more insane each visit,” Novembers adds with a taste of disgust in her voice, “Despite his appearance of being a suave, controlled pirate captain, underneath, he’s a monster that won’t hesitate to kill to get what he wants. He usually tries to get me to join his crew and be his ‘special somepony’, but I manage to keep him from advancing too much towards me.” “Never again shall we work for Korsan. He is the deadliest, nastiest, most insane creature you will ever encounter. I suggest staying away from him at all costs, and never, ever, try to pick a fight with him.” The old pony then gives a large sigh of relief before turning back into the kitchen. Small murmurs and chats soon fill the ambience of the chamber, obviously talking about Korsan. “That’s,” Twilight stampers, “That’s…” “Horrible!” Dash quietly exclaims, “Korsan’s pure villain.” “The plot thickens.” Spike mutters. “That monster!” Rarity adds, furiously slamming her hoof onto the table. “I feel so sorry for him,” Fluttershy replies, “but I also hate him now more than ever.” “He’s scary.” Sweetie Belle cries. “We want to go home,” the other two fillies moan in terror. “That escalated quickly.” Pinkie adds, having joined the table while Nitin was telling the story. “We gotta stop Korsan,” Applejack proclaims, “He is now a threat to all of Equestria.” Back at the serving counter, the bounty hunter asks November, “So, how often does he visit this place?” “Once every week or so,” she responds, returning to her deadpan tone, “why?” “I just want to know how long I could stick around this place.” “He’s expected to return this day actually, he’s set up a massive bounty ten days ago and said he would return from an expedition with the bounty ready for him.” “Has the bounty already been captured?” “Actually, no, the ten ponies that the bounty was pinned on paid it off. All ten million bits,” The cloaked stallion slams his hoof onto the polished wood counter as he nearly slipped from his standing “Korsan set up a ten million bit bounty on ten ponies?! He’s actually willing to give up that much money? Where does he get this fortune?” “I told you, he’s insane.” Within moments, the grey pegasus leans over the counter, almost touching November’s nose with his. “Where can I find Korsan now? I want what he has; I can take him down if it means becoming the richest pony in the world!” Behind him, in the doorframe with the door wide open, an all too familiar, sinister voice replies, “Right behind you.” Everypony inside winces in shock as the bounty hunter looks over his shoulder to see a tall abnormal shadow, looking at him. A bolt of lightning strikes down from the storm outside the bar, revealing the silhouettes of his vast crew of unicorns through the foggy windows. “Korsan…” Attack of KorsanThe bipedal pegasus starts to make his across the room and up to the frightened bounty hunter, revealing himself in the light of the candles on the tables. His large black cape stretches down to the floor with its corners trailing rainwater from outside as the captain walked. With his back turned towards Twilight’s table, the ten heroes get a good look at Korsan’s backside machinery. Clutching to Korsan’s back is a giant mechanical device just as large as its user’s torso, made completely of shifting gears and pistons. “So, a funny thing just recently happened.” Korsan speaks as he slows down to further distress the grey pegasus, soon being followed by two of his crew members, “I was just walking into a bar when I heard the funniest joke ever. ‘Where can I find Korsan now? I want what he has; I can take him down if it means becoming the richest pony in the world!’” The brown pegasus then chuckles as he continued his walk towards his victim, only to stop three hooves in front of his upward looking face. “And you know what the best bit about that was? The pony, who said it, was a pegasus. What a laugh am I right?” All around him, the patrons of the bar laugh nervously, fearing what he’ll do if they did not laugh. A loud gulp can be heard from the bounty hunter he replies, obviously trying to sound intimidating, “So, what did you do next huh? Did you and the challenger fight? Did the challenger proved pegasi were just as good as unicorns?” The stallion then twirls around to face his body towards Korsan and engages a combat stance. “Oh, we did fight, more of a banter to be worded correctly, but…” Korsan give a side glance to the crew members to his right. The unicorn’s horn begins to glow and in an instant, the rival’s legs are pulled from under him. The bounty hunter’s torso immediately slams into the wood floor with his legs being pulled away from him, to the point of nearly being ripped off. The unsuspecting pony looks to see that a faint red aura is surrounding his hooves. “The results weren’t what my challenger expected.” “What? Afraid to fight like a stallion? Needing your lackeys to take on just one pony?” Another short chuckle escapes from Korsan’s mouth. He then kneels down to his opponent’s eye level on the floor, giving him a look of pity. “Oh, you poor creature, you actually think that?” In one swift gesture, Korsan stretches out his right hoof in front of the grey stallion’s face. He observes in horror as the five spikes attached to his shoe transform into metal dragon claws. “Did you ever have the feeling, of, a great pain?!” His metal fingers immediately pinch the fallen pony’s nose on cue, causing a large shockwave of pain to rattle through his body. “A pain, so great,” his claw then starts to twist the nose, making the pain more unbearable as the stallion gives a hard roar of pain, “but, you can’t do anything about it, making it even more painful? For over twelve years of my life, I had that pain. I was powerless against my family bullying me because they had magic and I did not. Yet I learned a valuable lesson, unicorns are superior, all they have to do is perform a tiny spell, and any non-unicorn is bent to their every will and desire. That’s why my crew and I have been the most effective pirates out there.” “Then why do they listen to you if they’re all that superior.” “Direction, my imbecilic rival, that’s why. Sure they have the magic, but with my help with the invention of physical anti-magic and far superior intellect, we achieve the greatest of riches. And about the whole me-being-a-pegasus part, I plan to fix that.” “But how?” The bounty hunter squeals with his nose being turned even more sideways, “The only way you can change your race is ascension, and that requires the magic of the most powerful of ponies. And so what if you get a horn, it takes years of education to master the art of magic.” “Not true once again,” another laugh bellows from the pirate’s mouth before continuing, “I have studied magic all of my life, what types there are, how to use it, how to tamper with it, how to forge it into weaponry, and many other applications of it. I also have gathered a vast variety of books, old and new that go into the history of it, so it should come to no surprise that I would find another way to get what I desire. Alicorn Island, a legendary island somewhere in uncharted waters that is said to have an artifact what will grant a pony the wings of a pegasus, the strength of an Earth Pony, and the horn of a unicorn. I’m so close to finding it as well, I just need a little more time.” He then lets go of the victim and instead grabs him by a wet purple suit hidden under his cloak. The unicorn that was holding me down lets go of his magic as the bounty hunter is lifted up to Korsan’s standing eye level. “So what do you say?” “I say that you’re playing cheap.” “You still want an actual fight with me? I was going to kill you one way or another. At least it’s going to be fun for the both of u-… wait a minute.” Korsan’s eye darts down and sees the purple silk of the stallion’s suit poking out of the black. “This silk…” He raises his prey a little higher as he begins to pull his face closer to the suit that is beginning to tear from being stretched so much. The trapped pegasus tries to flaps his wings and escape the iron grip, but the cloak and suit are too soggy from the outside and Korsan holding the tight silk up so high isn’t making the situation better. The pirate captain then starts to sniff the purple suit and brushes the tip of his nose over it, creating a very awkward situation for the stallion above. “This mulberry silk has been dyed with Tyrian Purple, a rare and expensive dye made from sea snails only native to the local waters around Saddle Arabia. The stitching of the cloth has been done with the finest precision of magic. The only ponies that would be able to wear such a luxurious piece of equipment would be royalty, bestowed by royalty, or be insanely rich. I know where you got this, this clothing given to you by the king of Saddle Arabia as a reward for catching a very high level criminal, considering your profession is that of a bounty hunter, you would be chasing after highly dangerous ponies.” “How did you know that I was a bounty hunter?” “It was very simple to put the pieces together. Your shadowy appearance, the way you engaged me and my ponies, the fact that you are most likely not from these local waters, the fact that you are willing to actually fight me, it was so blatantly obvious. Hey, make you a deal, I’ll put you out of your misery and I’ll take your lovely clothing from your body. Promise not to bleed on the suit, and I’ll kill you quickly.” Korsan laughs once more, turning maniacal as half of his crew that is still outside join him in the cheer. Rage soon starts to swell in the bounty hunter as the hysterical laughing continues. Within moments, the stallion kicks Korsan’s exposed eye with a hind hoof. Korsan immediately screams in pain as the opponent is dropped from his metal grip. The grey pony then springs into action and uses an unseen weapon on his wings to tear off the cloak and regain his hoofing. He and everypony else besides Korsan looks to his back left and right to see the weapons unveiled. Two, heavily armoured, extendable wing blades attached tightly at the front edges of the hunter’s wings. He opens the wings wide and flaps them down, causing the sharp metal blade to extend to a meter in length. The stallion then points the right wing at the tip of Korsan’s nose while he is still rubbing his eye, revealing how soft Korsan’s nose surprisingly is. Korsan eventually stops rubbing his eye and gives a good look at the blade about to strike him, then up at the bounty hunter’s face and into his orange eyes. He sees the eyes are boiling with determination as his rival stares back at him, with no fear being displayed between the two. “Korsan, give up these felonious acts and come with me peacefully or I will use aggressive force.” “Like you haven’t already?” The captain responds in a cynical, harsh tone, “that’s some mighty impressive equipment you got there. Almost makes me wish I didn’t give those wing blades away.” The rogue shakes his head in disbelief, before stopping to consider Korsan’s words. “You made these?” “Yeah I made them, but due to… unforeseen changes to my body; I had to sell the weapons to the black market, which is where you most likely got them from. Luckily, I always upgrade.” Korsan then reaches both of his front claws behind his back and pulls out his serrated cutlasses from deep inside the large back piece of his exosuit, glowing an even brighter shade of green than before due to the chamber’s dim lighting. “You still want to fight?” Korsan then begins to spin the two swords with his claws to intimidate his opponent pre-battle and demonstrates his capabilities with the blades. “Bring it.” The two fighters lung towards each other and immediately begin to fight on the spot in the middle of the bar. Twilight observes the two fighting and is becomes entranced by Korsan’s fighting style. The metal blades strike each other in a harmonious rhythm, every strike, lunge, parry, jab, and grind, all perfectly timed. As Korsan and the bounty hunter duel, Korsan’s crew starts to flood into the bar and forms a circle around them, making sure the challenger isn’t going to escape. In a matter of moments, the customers observing the brawl join in the action. Shouts ring out among the patrons behind the crew’s backs, calling bets on when the grey pegasus is going to die, not even Cecil, Maurice, and Jarvis is immune from the heat. Eventually, the challenger gains the upper hoof and strikes Korsan’s left cutlass at the hilt with a powerful swing, launching it across the bar and hitting the bullseye on a dartboard. “Ha!” His other wing blade and Korsan’s right sword collide together and begin to grind vigorously, causing sparks to shower down. The stranger then swings his free wing once more to attack and just as it about to slice into Korsan’s side, it stops. A loud metal clang rings from the blade instead and echoes through the building, bringing a wave a silence to the area. The hunter looks down to see Korsan’s unarmed metal fist grabbing hold of the wing. He immediately shakes it side to side, but Korsan doesn’t let go. “Impressive.” The grey stallion’s gaze returns back to his rival, who now has the most evil smile imprinted on his face. “Another design flaw I’ve noticed is that, pegasi weapons…” Before he finishes his statement, Korsan flings the blade and his rival’s body entire body into the air. Everypony watches in awe as Korsan performs three sideways twirls in midair with the opponent still in his clutches before landing and smashing him into an empty table. With apple cider pouring on his face, the bounty hunter is frozen stiff as pain is dancing throughout his veins. All the defeated pony can do now is to pant and wheeze, frozen in shock of whatever maneuver Korsan had just pulled. His eyes look to his right to see Korsan kneeling next to his paralyzed body, still clutching onto the wing. “They tend to be a bit clingy, don’t you agree?” The bounty hunter stutters, “K-K-K-K-ma-ka-ko-” “Don’t strain yourself, it’ll all be over in a minute.” The pirate then lets go of the wing blade, only to grab the collar of the vest once again. He then raises his prey up into the air with one claw and his sword in another before announcing to the attendants present, “Behold! This is what happens when you try to mess with me! Any Earth pony or pegasi that gets in my way will not live to see the next day, so you all better watch yourselves. Am I clear?” The room remains quiet, as all of the patrons are still shocked silent of the battle. “I said, am I clear?!” “Y-Yes.” They all nervously respond. “Good.” Korsan’s glare turns to the barmaid, in which he slowly walks to her with his fallen rival in tow. “Hey November Gale, open for the weekend? My ice phoenix Juliana has learned a new trick I would like to show you.” “Go away Korsan,” she sternly replies, “you’ve already caused enough damage to this place. I don’t want your parrot to freeze this place.” “Come on November, you know you can’t resist a pony like me.” “Yes I can, and if you’re going to be causing any bloodshed, do it outside.” “Fine. If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to.” With that said, Korsan carries the bounty hunter outside of the bar, through the open door and into the rainstorm, having grown even more severe over the past hour. As the wooden door slowly swings close, Twilight and the others catch a glimpse of Korsan’s ship parked right outside. Faint mumbles are then heard amongst the rain outside through the walls of the tavern. Slowly, the patrons inside that are wearing hats take them off and hold them up to their chest, soon followed by the others simply clutching theirs. Korsan’s crew however roars and cheers as they seat themselves at any empty seats they can find. Twilight and the gang look back at November to see her clutching her chest as well. “Poor soul,” November mutters in her breathe. A second later, the mumbling noises outside stops abruptly with an audible clunk sound. “Poor, poor, soul,” “Did he just,” Twilight asks with her face rapidly turns pale. “Yes. Another life has just been lost to us. I feel so ashamed just for even being associated with him at some point of my time. You’ve paid off your bounty my friends. Get out of here now while you still have the chance.” “Oh my…” Spike utters in shock. “I’m going to pass out!” Fluttershy quietly exclaims as her stomach grows queasy. “I’m gonna puke.” Pinkie groans. “That atrocity to all pony-kind!” Rarity hollers. “We want to go home now!” The three fillies cry out in fear. “That’s it,” Applejack replies, “I’m drawing the line here, somepony’s gotta stop him.” “I second that.” Rainbow Dash adds, smacking her hooves together. “Don’t!” November retorts, “You saw what he did. Not even a seasoned bounty hunter could stop him. He could kill all of you.” “Not if we work together.” “Even if the entire bar joined in, Korsan and his crew will just kill us all. I don’t want to let you all get sliced up into tiny pieces by him, get out!” “We ain’t leaving.” Applejack snaps back, “Us friends are going to stick together and take on any weather he throws at us.” The front door then swings open once more as Korsan returns into the tavern with Chopin trailing behind, levitation the Diamond Eye and its counterpart behind him. “The Diamond Eye,” Twilight silently exclaims, “and its other half, they’re here.” “Just put the Diamond Eyes on that table,” Korsan commands to his mime accomplish, pointing at a large round table right beside Twilight’s. “I have some things to sort out.” “Two Diamond Eyes?” With the pale unicorn gently setting down the two large crystals on top of each other, his captain walks over to the dartboard where his sword got stuck in and yanks it out before setting it back behind his back with the other sword. “If you can get the jump on them, we might be able to snatch the Diamond Eye and get out of here.” “In our wreck of a ship?” Rainbow replies. “And besides, we’re going to stop Korsan.” “His fighting technique was perfect against a veteran bounty hunter armed with his own technology. November’s served Korsan for quite some time, she knows what’s best for us.” With Twilight and the others watching while they argue, Korsan then walks away from the dartboards and billiard tables and approaches the serving counter. “November Gale,” the pirate pegasus announces, “I assume that at least one of my bounties have been caught.” “I’m sorry,” the bar maiden spitefully retorts, “but they paid off the bounty, all ten million bits.” “What?! Impossible.” “A messenger brought us the money from an anonymously named source. If you don’t believe me, look at what Grivs is guarding back there.” Korsan’s single eye rapidly switches focus to the back of the room and sees the giant grey unicorn sitting next to one of the massive apple crates, with golden bits visibly seen brimming the top. “Northwestern Equestrian Oak, it is them.” “Well, now that that’s been taken care of, how about you leave?” “Ah, ah, ah, I have some business I want to attend to, regarding your father.” Slowly, the brown stallion reaches behind his back and caresses the metal hilts of his swords. “I want to have a wo-” “Captain Korsan!” Ryan Aran calls out to him from Chopin’s table. “What?!” “You might want to check this out.” Now annoyed, Korsan promptly stomps away from the serving counter and meets up with Ryan and Chopin, carefully observing the Diamond Eyes stacked on top of each other. “What is it?” “Well, while you were preoccupied Chopin was organizing the Diamond Eyes and made an interesting discovery. The two parts fit together not by their edges, but by their faces.” “Demonstrate.” Swiftly, Chopin levitates the top crystal and motions his hooves over the bulges underneath. He then motions his hooves over the grooves on top of the lower Diamond Eye before putting the two together, with the bulges fitting inside the grooves and making a single thick Diamond Eye. “Impressive, they do go together. But why like this? Not all of the grooves have been filled. Nothing seems to be missing.” Silently, Twilight takes this moment and slides out of her seat and sneaks up behind the captain to get a good look at the Diamond Eyes as well. Peering over his shoulder, Twilight also tries to figure out what this means. “These symbols still don’t correlate with any of my studies on that blasted island. What am I missing? Another piece perhaps?” “Could very well be Captain.” Carefully, Korsan grabs the two pieces together and lifts it so that the faces are facing him and the lantern at the center of the table, inadvertently causing the light from the fire to magnify through the crystals and temporarily blinding Twilight. Quickly, the purple alicorn hovers back in the air and recovers her vision. “Where would it be though? In the middle of Eternity’s Crossing? No. Under Vaporia? No. Lost in the Ley Lines? No, no, no, it would’ve never gotten to any of those places. Based on records and my studies, there shouldn’t even be a third part. So what am I not seeing? Have you tried swapping the top and bottom?” “Yes, but they don’t fit Captain.” “Blast…” “Careful, you might blind yourself with that reflected light.” “Apologies,” Immediately, a memory flickers in Twilight’s mind. Wait, Twilight thinks to herself, at the gala, when Luna’s moonbeams hit the Diamond Eye, symbols appeared on the wall because of the light. What if the second eye, with a snap of the neck, Twilight looks behind where she was hovering behind Korsan and sees a large wall of symbols made of light glowing on the wall, was a filter to condense the reflections into one image?! “Bah,” Korsan groans, “I may have to look at this later. I have some business to take care of. Maybe another minute of looking,” Now filled with a sense of urgency, Twilight hastily scans the image top to bottom with her mind, memorizing every symbol and their position. Upon finishing, Twilight looks back over Korsan’s shoulder away from the light and decides to rub in her victory by blowing a silent raspberry. Wait a minute. Korsan contemplates to himself as a familiar scent wafts into his nose, Northwestern Equestrian Oak. Within half a second, the pirate captain snaps his neck to the outer part of the combined Diamond Eyes and sees a blurry, purple reflection. Immediately, Korsan drops the crystals, leaps from his position, and swipes his hoof to where he saw the blur, only to swat at nothingness upon inspection. “What?” “Is there a problem?” Ryan asks. “None, I think it’s time that I finish my business.” Quickly, Korsan hastily walks back up to the serving counter, unaware of Twilight’s absence, as she is hiding under Korsan’s table now. Carefully, the cloaked alicorn crawls her way back to her seat and listens in on her rival. “You again,” November groans upon seeing him. “You don’t have any more business with me and my father anymore.” “Oh really,” Korsan replies with a grin as he resets his hooves over his swords, “because I’ve heard he’s been doing a bit of talking recently, making a little stain upon my mark.” “That bounty hunter told you, didn’t he?” “Sang like a canary he did. Now, I don’t want to cause anymore killing sprees, I want to save those for when my image has been affiliated with being a unicorn. However, if somepony wants to keep word of my inferiority circulating around the world, I going to have to take action. May you please get your father out here?” “No. Go away.” “I’m not asking a question, I’m issuing a command. Get Nitin Gale, out here, now.” “No!” “Get him out here now!” “Never!” “I will climb over this counter and get him myself!” “Stay back!” November screams, revealing a small dagger from underneath the counter and holding it up to Korsan’s chin. Korsan quickly retaliates by grabbing November by the neck with one of his clawed hooves and tossing her aside, causing her to smack onto the side of the counter. “Time we meet again old mate!” However, as Korsan begins to climb over the counter, Twilight jumps into action and swings her wooden chair at him, smashing it against his back. Roaring in shock and pain, Korsan hastily grabs one of his swords and swipes it behind him as he turns around. Although the blade misses Twilight, the gush of wind caused by the speed of the swing blows off the hood of the mare’s cloak, revealing herself to Korsan as he looks back. “Twilight Sparkle!” Rarity’s CaptureWith the two rivals now seeing each other face to face in the light of the tavern, fury and adrenaline pulse through Twilight and Korsan. As Korsan quickly draws his second sword from his back and charges towards the purple pony, Twilight picks up the broken remains of her chair and slings the pieces at him. The brown pegasus promptly reacts by slicing the larger bits into smaller pegs of wood that merely bounce off of his metal suit before lunging at Twilight. However, just as one of his outstretched blades touches one of Twilight’s hair, an orange hoof appears from nowhere and smacks the pirate in the cheek, launching him onto Maurice and his gang’s table. “Don’t just stand there you bunch of coves!” Korsan barks as he slides off on the table and onto his hind hooves, “Get Twilight and her hooded goons!” “Okay girls,” Twilight announces as her friends rise from their seats and take off their hooves, “Time we show Korsan the true power of a team.” Immediately, the entire bar falls under chaos as the two sides begin to fight. Rainbow Dash is the first to move from her spot and soars underneath the tables and the hooves of Korsan’s crew, distracting most of them. “I got this one!” Maria Vanshwitz declares as she approaches Fluttershy from behind whilst she’s distracted by three stallions running at her. However, a small dagger soars into the mare’s mane, snagging it and pinning her to the nearby wall. Upon inspection, Maria sees it was November that threw the weapon at her. “November Gale…” “Maria Vanshwitz…” November replies. Slowly, Maria pulls out the dagger from the wall with her magic, causing several stands of her red hair to fall to the floor. She then flings the dagger at November and immediately charges at her, drawing her own dagger from a brown belt around her waist. November ducks and the small blade strikes the wall behind instead. She in turn grabs it for her own use as she and Maria engage in a blade fight. “Applebloom,” Applejack proclaims as a giant stallion pirate runs at her with a two-bitted axes held over his head, “I don’t want you and the others to see this.” Listening to her older sister, Applebloom leads her two filly friends under the center of their table as very audible smacking sounds are heard from where Applejack is at, followed by an even louder crunching noise. “Y’all can look now.” Looking back, the three fillies see Applejack triumphantly standing on top of the large stallion, now writhing in pain on the floor. “What are you lily-livered morons doing?” Korsan screams as he and Twilight fighting in the center of the room. “Use your magic!” “Slightly preoccupied here!” Maria retorts as she and November are in a blade lock and their hooves are pushing against each other. Meanwhile, a small pirate stallion follows Rainbow Dash as she swoops under a large round table. With a grin on his face, the bandit quickly lifts the table to the ceiling, only to be struck by a buck in the face by Dash. As the table then falls, Dash flies up to it and grabs it midair. She then swings the heavy disc over to where three pirates are surrounding Pinkie Pie. The table instantly smacks into the three pirates, launching them across the room, through one of the windows, and out into the icy water below with the broken window. “Oh yeah!” Rainbow Dash cheers. However, the cyan pony’s jubilee is cut short by a deep blue aura enveloping her midair, holding her in place. “Hey!” From behind Rainbow Dash, a small pink unicorn with an eyepatch over her right eye walks around to the front of her prisoner with a smirk on her face. “Let me go!” Soon, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Spike, Applebloom, and Scootaloo, each with their own different coloured magic auras, hover next to Dash. Their captors cackle in victory as they reveal themselves in front of Dash and the others. “You no-good cheatin’ pirates,” Applejack snaps at the seven unicorns holding her and her friends prisoner, “let us go, or else-” “Or else what?” The small unicorn pirate taunts back. “I... Got nothin’,” “That’s what you get for being an Earth pony and not a unicorn. Ha!” Meanwhile, in the center of the bar, Twilight and Korsan are still fighting each other viciously, with Twilight now ducking her head from Korsan swinging his swords above her. Twilight aims her horn quickly and fires a magic bolt. Korsan reacts promptly by leaping over the shot and Twilight. While still in midair, Twilight fires three more bolts of magic at him. The pirate pegasus deflects them with his swords one by one before lands behind Twilight. He then crosses his blades in front of his chest as Twilight attempts to buck him. Her hooves and Korsan’s blades clash together violently, forcing the two away from each other and causing Korsan’s swords to fly off of his hooves. Being pushed forward to a billiard table, Twilight sees the pool balls in front of her and grabs them with her magic. Korsan recovers from the knockback and reaches into his cape, drawing out his crossbow. Twilight immediately then throws the pool balls at Korsan rapidly, aiming for the head. With perfect accuracy, Korsan fires his weapon at the balls, causing them to drop to the floor one by one, each with a large metal bolt piercing them. Upon shooting the fifteenth and seeing the cue ball approaching him, Korsan chuckles as he aims his crossbow at it and presses the trigger with his claw. However, a loud click is heard from the weapon instead and the heavy white ball smacks into the captain’s nose, instantaneously disorienting him in pain and shock. Using this as her time to strike, Twilight swoops over to the disorientated stallion and grabs him by the shoulders, throwing him up to the ceiling and smashing his head. As Korsan drops back down, Twilight turns around in the air and bucks him in his front, launching him across the room and smashing his back against the wood wall. Korsan immediately snaps back and sees Twilight charging at him. Grabbing a lantern at a nearby table, Korsan flings the lamp right in Twilight’s face, causing a fireball to erupt upon collision. Blinded from the blast, Twilight accidently flies into Korsan’s open claws as they grab onto her wings. With his rival now in his grasps, Korsan jumps from the wall and leaps into the air, performing a spiral in the air before smashing Twilight into a small table. Korsan then raises a hoof in the air and forms his claws into a fist. However, as the pirate captain slams it downwards, Twilight regains herself from the previous attack and rolls away, causing Korsan to get his claws lodged into the middle of a wooden floor plank instead. Twilight then quickly gets up onto her hooves and aims her horn right at Korsan’s face, charging her magic for a powerful fireball spell to finish him off. Using his strength though, Korsan rips the board from the floor with his claw still stuck in it and swings it just as Twilight launches a fireball from her horn. A large explosion soon follows, blinding everypony in the bar for a few seconds before their vision slowly returns. Their eyes dart to the source of the blast, having now stopped fighting each other for a moment. In the center of the tavern, amongst an indoor cloud of smoke, wood chips, and embers, stands Korsan, holding an unconscious Twilight in his right claws. Her face is covered in ashes and burns while Korsan’s remains completely clean with only a few tiny embers lingering on the nose. The ceiling and floor of where Korsan stands are completely pitch black with some planks of wood starting to fall. With a large grin on his face, Korsan gently pulls out an anti-magic strap, attaches it around Twilight’s horn, and flings the purple body over the serving counter before turning to face Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and several other pirates looking at him in shock and surprise. “That was a fireball,” Rarity utters in her frozen breathe, backing up while Korsan starts to walk to her, “that was a fireball to the face. H-how did you-” “Even I’m a little surprised I made it out unscaved.” Korsan remarks, “This tavern must be made of some really good wood and I haven’t even noticed until now, either that or just some luck.” As Rarity’s rump soon hits a booth against the wall, she immediately realizes that there’s nowhere to go. Her attention instinctively snaps to her younger sister, who is still standing next to their table, scared stiff. “Sweetie Belle! Get back!” “I-I-I-I c-can’t,” Sweetie mumbles. “Get away from her you monster!” Rarity then charges forwards between the pirate captain and the filly, stopping midway between the two and aiming her horn at Korsan’s nose. Korsan eventually stops right in front of the white unicorn, towering over her and looking down at her face. “Such determination, such fury, such willingness to put your life on the line to protect your family, I’m almost speechless,” Korsan compliments Rarity, “However, I also see fear, dripping all over you. Though very logical for you to fear the greatest sea artist, master of the mechanical arts and revolutionary of these times, it is still a weakness, as with several other things that you’re burdened with. I can remedy that. Come with me, join my crew, and I can help you destroy those burdens. You can be one of the most powerful ponies in the world. So what do you say?” “Never!” “I don’t want to perform any drastic measures, but if you refuse my efforts now, I will require yourself and my crew to insert a little more leverage. Think about it.” “Here’s what I think, take this!” With a flicker of her horn, Rarity attempts to grab Korsan with magic, but nothing happens. “Didn’t you hear Nitin run his lips about my anti-magic?” “I can try,” While Rarity continues to try to restrain Korsan, the pirate looks around to see everypony still staring in silence. “Come on stallions and mares, this isn’t a Titan Megalodon, it’s just a lucky misfire. Back to ‘The Perfection, gather any fallen crew members on your way while I take care of Rarity and her little ankle biter.” Korsan’s crew soon comes to their senses upon hear of his command and promptly exit the bar while the other pirates still continue to gawk and the seven remaining crew members still continue to hold Twilight’s friends in place. Korsan then returns his attention to Rarity, still trying to grab him, and proceeds to grab her by the horn. “Apologies ma’am,” Rarity immediately screams as Korsan digs his claws into her horn and abruptly cutting off her magic and the mare immediately starts to thrash and flail. “Help!” With Rarity now in tow, the pirate pegasus makes his way to the door. However, he’s quickly stopped by a sharp pain in his ankle right above his metal boots and immediately groans in pain. “What the,” He looks own to see Sweetie Belle biting down into his leg with all of her might. “Let her go,” Sweetie’s voice grumbles as she bites again. “Get away!” Rarity squeals, “Save yourself!” “No, I’m going to let him take you away,” “I didn’t mean it literally,” Korsan chuckles mid-groan before reaching down with his other front hoof and picks the small filly up by the back of her neck. “No! Let us go!” “I’ll let yous go when we’re onboard and far away from this blasted place. Now come on,” As Korsan resumes his walk out, Rarity and Sweetie scream out to their friends at the top of their lungs, “Help! Get us out of here! Save us!” “What about us Captain?” The small unicorn member calls out, still holding her prisoner in place as well as the others. “Just toss them in the corner,” Korsan replies at the doorway, “quickly, we won’t have much time before they chase us again.” Immediately, the seven unicorn pirates chuck the seven dazed friends into the back corner of the tavern and follow their captain out to the balcony. Within moments, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and the others break from their shock and jump into action. “Twilight!” Rainbow Dash hollers as she soars to where Twilight’s laying body is. “Wha-” Twilight lethargically groans as she wakes from her unconscious state. “Korsan took Rarity!” Fluttershy exclaims. “What?!” “And Sweetie Belle as well!” Scootaloo adds. “What?!” The purple alicorn snaps fully awake and flies with Rainbow Dash over to the front door with the other friends as they all head out to the balcony and see Korsan’s ship already charging away at rapid speeds. “Oh no! Korsan disabled my horn while I was knocked out it seems. I can’t teleport,” “I’ll catch up to them!” Rainbow declares before leaping into flight and charging into the thick of the violent rainstorm and towards the floating pirate ship. “Everypony else, to the ship!” “Don’t worry Rarity! Don’t worry Sweetie Belle! I’ll save you!” Dash screams as she reaches alongside the rear of the racing airship. The screams of Rarity and Sweetie Belle are soon heard from below the main deck as the cyan pegasus draws closer to the front of the quarterdeck. Soon though, Korsan emerges from the galley with his crossbow in his claws, causing Rainbow Dash to fall back and below the keel. “I can’t do anything to help them if Korsan or his crew members get in my way.” Far ahead at the front end of the ship, Rainbow Dash sees two giant black anchors still being pulled upwards by their equally massive chains. “Lightbulb!” With a target now set, the mare flaps her wings vigorously and races towards the right anchor, reaching it in only a few seconds. In the bright flashes of lightning, the pegasus aims her hooves at a link and delivers a series of hard bucks at it, eventually causing the entire chain to rattle before plummeting back down into the water. “Yes!” However, Dash’s victory is cut short by the entire ship above viciously tilting for no reason. “The anchor hasn’t even hit the bottom,” The dwarfed mare watches in shock as the massive vessel leans it’s deck towards her and is greeted by three stallions holding onto the railing, all with their horns aimed at her. Instantly, the pegasus in wrapped in a red aura and is dragged towards the slanted deck. “We got her captain!” One of the three pirates declares, “You can tilt the ship back now.” “Let me go!” “Why should-” Before the unicorn could respond, the entire ship suddenly comes to a screeching halt. The pirates are immediately launched forwards onto the railing at the front of the bow while Dash is released from the telepathic grab. “That.” Meanwhile, back at the rear of the ship, Korsan is jerked forward into the wheel in front of him, clueless to what’s going on. “What in the seventeen seas is going on up there!” The captain screams as he regains his hoofing. The voice of Twilight then echoes into his ears, “We’re here Dash!” “Twilight?” Quickly, the bipedal pony runs to the starboard edge of the tilted airship and looks down to see Twilight and her friends approaching in their galleon. “It’s them,” After getting a good look at the pursuing vessel, Korsan climbs back to the wheel and pushes a small wooden button next to the lever next to the wheel, causing a long and thin metal pipe with it’s opening bent towards the captain to emerge from behind the wheel. Leaning close to the opening of the pipe, “Attention all crew members! Battle stations! Twilight Sparkle is right below us at starboard!” November WindsWithin less of a minute’s time, The Perfection’s cannon chambers below deck are bustling with most of the members of Korsan’s crew, all scampering around with torches, cannonballs, and kegs of gunpowder. The captain hears the commotion going on all the way up to the wheel, a clear sign that they’re ready to attack in a few moments. “I need a full report of the enemy ship now!” He yells out to the unseen ponies at the top of the seven massive masts. “The thing’s a wreck Captain!” One the male onlookers replies, “A snapped mast, three out of four sails torn, severe damage in the upperparts of the hull, six loose cannons, a missing keel, a malfunctioning rudder, and the bowsprit broken halfway through!” “Are these mares mad?” “Course of action, Captain?” A pale stallion loudly asks as he climbs up from below deck and looks towards Korsan. “Don’t waste your ammunition. Fire one round in the middle of the bow and another in the middle of the quarterdeck. Shoot to disable, not to kill.” “Yes sir.” Promptly, the stallion hurries back down to relay the message to the gunners below. Korsan then yells out, “Juliana!” and is immediately greeted by his ice phoenix pet on his right shoulder. “Good girl, get ready for your new job.” Soon, two loud blasts erupt from the downward tilting side of the airship. Korsan observes from afar as two large metal balls soar from his vessel and down towards Twilight’s ship. Three seconds of silence follows just before impact. Then, in a matter of moments, the tiny boat below explodes into a large gush of water, wood and smoke, obscuring Korsan’s view of his rival, though can hear their screams as their ship crumbles to pieces. The brown pegasus turns and looks at his bird friend. “Juliana, perform Artic Wind.” The phoenix replies with a chirp before leaping from Korsan’s arm and flying overboard and into the dark cloud below. “Captain! Incoming pegasus!” “Incoming what-” From behind the wall of fog and rain in front of Korsan emerges Rainbow Dash, who charges at the captain and delivers a kick to his face, knocking him backwards a metre or two. “Give it up Korsan!” Dash proclaims as she charges at him once more. The stallion promptly reacts and rolls away from the dive attack, letting Rainbow miss and circle around for another attempt. He then pulls out his crossbow and aims it at the flying mare as she charges at him again. “Dodge this.” With a flick of a claw, the crossbow fires a metal bolt at the incoming pony. However, Dash ducks down below the speeding projectile and smashes her body into Korsan’s, sending the two careering overboard and towards the smoke cloud. “Dodged it!” Two the fighters break from each other in freefall and begin to fight each other again. Korsan rebalances himself in the air first and fires his crossbow at the tumbling pegasus eleven times. “Get a load of this!” Rainbow recovers as well however. She then quickly uses her wings to create gushes of wind and pushes away the eleven metal rods shot. “Are you even trying?” Dash teases before flying back to where a lot of lightning has struck and soars into the area for a bit, building up electricity throughout her entire body. As the rainbow maned pony makes her return back towards her nemesis, Korsan puts away his crossbow and pulls out his two cutlasses. “Let’s find out!” With his swords primed and Dash’s body practically growing from electricity jumping around her body, the two collide together with such powerful force, a small electric shockwave ruptures between Korsan’s blades and Dash’s hooves, blasting any nearby rainwater and fog away. Meanwhile, on the now destroyed remains of the SS Raindrop, Twilight and the others onboard are gathering at the middle of the deck as both ends of the ship are blazing on fire. Surrounded by smog and a panic-filled atmosphere, Twilight and her crew are looking around for any sign of hope. “This is the end!” Applebloom and the other fillies cough and scream as smoke starts to fill their lungs. “Now it’s not!” Applejack retorts before gagging. “What do we do?” Fluttershy whimpers as she curls herself into a ball next to the center mast. “There has to be a way out of this!” Pinkie exclaims as she tries to put out the bow fires with her breathe. “We’re going to have to jump into the water.” Twilight responds with her head snapping to every direction in search of something or another. “Then what?” Spike asks at the purple mare’s side. “No idea, wait, is that Rainbow Dash above us?” Quickly, the five mares and Spike look up at where Twilight’s staring at to see Rainbow Dash and Korsan falling towards them, both bathing in electrical sparks as they trade blows. A light blue blur catches Spike’s attention soon after. “What’s that other thing heading towards us?” “Wha-” Before Twilight can ask or even get a good look at the ice bird, Juliana begins to rapidly circle above the downed vessel, causing the incoming rain to freeze into spikes of ice and hale. In a matter of moments, the ice rain’s front reaches the crippled vessel and sends the mares and Spike into a scampering frenzy, desperately trying not get impaled by the razor sharp frozen water. Near the edge of the panic and screaming, Korsan and Rainbow Dash finally reach sea level fall into the chaotic waves and deep below underwater. The cold of the icy ocean pulses through the two battling pegasi as they continue to slowly punch and grapple each other in a bloodthirsty fury. During one of Rainbow Dash’s punches towards her rival’s face, Captain Korsan swiftly returns one of his cutlasses into his back and grabs the incoming hoof, digging his claws deep into her skin and releasing any electricity in his body and deep into her. The cyan pony mutely screams as sparks of sharp energy and cold metal pierce into her muscles and bones before a wave of massive exhaustion soon washes over her. After several long seconds of cold water sucking up her bodily heat, fighting against the stormy weather, and being socked in the face and body by metal armour, Dash’s senses have finally caught up to her and came back hard against her mind and will. Succumbing to the pain and tiredness of her aching body, Rainbow Dash falls unconscious and slowly drifts upwards towards the surface, followed by Korsan still holding onto her hoof. Bursting through the water surface, Korsan sees Twilight’s ship, now at the brink of bursting into millions of splinters, and the fallen anchor’s chain several metres ahead. Immediately, the gears in the brown stallion’s head start to spin and a plan soon comes to mind. He yells out just as a large wave of foaming water strikes his behind, “Juliana!” Hearing her master’s call, the ice phoenix stops her attack and flies down to him. “Iron Head!” The large bird screeches in nod to the command and swiftly flies back up high into the sky before diving back down. He, Twilight, and the others excluding Rainbow Dash watch as Juliana rapidly accelerates downwards and dives into the waves next to the portside of the ship, immediately freezing the surface water around her into solid ice. A second later, the ice bird breaches from the water off of the starboard side, causing all sides of the trapped vessel in stiff ice and freezing the wood of the hull as well. As Juliana flies back upwards into the thick of the rain, Korsan drags his soaking body as well as Rainbow Dash onto the frozen sheet of land before them before gently dropping the pony and running towards the anchor chain ahead. Twilight and the other soon hear the metal hoofsteps on the hard ground and break their glance at the bird to see their frozen friend and Korsan running away. “Hey!” Twilight screams, “Get back here!” The purple pony jumps off of the bow and soon gives chase to the captain. “You’re going to pay for hurting Dash!” Remembering that Twilight doesn’t know that he’s wasted his ammo on Dash, Korsan turns around and pulls out his crossbow, aiming it right at Twilight’s forehead. Seeing the black metal weapon now poised to fire, Twilight frantically stops only a couple of metres short of her target. “Don’t take another step and don’t flap another wing.” “What are you going to do with Rarity and Sweetie Belle?” Twilight asks in a nervous pant. “You know as well as I do what I plan to do with Rarity. But don’t worry Princess Twilight. I won’t hurt her, nor her sister.” “Let them go, give us the Diamond Eye, and stop this villainous plot all together now. It may be a longshot, but if you give up now and come with us to Equestria, you could redeem yourself and become a beneficial member to Equestria. You’re a bright stallion, a genius that probably knows things that most scientists can’t even comprehend. It doesn’t matter if you’re a pegasus, a unicorn, and Earth pony, or an alicorn, you can still be special and live a good life. You might even make a few friends and find your special somepony. Please, it’s not too late.” “Save your boring lectures and rants, I’ve heard it all before. And everytime I hear it coming from somepony that thinks she’s the wiser, it just makes me sick to my stomach. You have no idea of the true torture I and many others will endure in this Tartarus of a world. I’ve given you plenty of chances, but your resilience has forced me to leave you all for dead.” The pirate’s gaze then slowly shifts to over Twilight’s shoulder and to the ship behind. Twilight notices this and looks back as well, just in time to see Juliana return in another dive-bomb and smash into the middle of her boat, causing it to shatter into large bits and small specks of wood and ember. Screams quickly follow as they echo from the ship to the two rivals at the edge of the slowly eroding ice field. “You monster!” Twilight cries in terror and rage as she turns back towards Korsan, who is now slowly backing up towards the large black chains behind. “You will not interfere with my quest to end the suffering.” “You think Rarity won’t after hearing that you killed us? She’ll never join you, and neither will her sister.” “I’m not going to kill you. It’ll either be the natural elements or your own selves that’ll end up killing you. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Korsan stops his sentence midway as he leaps back into a large chain hole behind, “Adieu. Hoist the anchor manually!” “You’ll never get away with this!” “I always do.” With the crossbow still aimed at her, all Twilight can do is watch as Korsan soars into the sky and into his floating ship with Juliana and the anchor soon following out of the water and up into the pirate ship as well. In a matter of seconds, the flying brig realigns itself straight and takes off into the raining night sky. Twilight soon heads back to the wreckage that was once her prized transportation to see the damage. Upon closer inspection, she notices that Dash has been moved from her spot where Korsan dropped her. “Is anypony okay?” “We all are!” Spike announces from inside the massive pile of wood. “Even Rainbow?” “I think Dash’s coming to!” Applejack calls out from inside the icy wreckage. Relieved to hear her friends’ voices, the princess darts into the wood ruins and sees the other six others huddled around Dash’s laying body on top of a large portion of deck still in one piece. Edging herself into the circle alongside the others Twilight as greeted by a faint gag from the cyan pegasus. “Rainbow Dash, wake up. Are you okay?” Rainbow responds with a violent cough and warm water spewing from her mouth. “Please be okay,” Scootaloo nervously yelps. “I-I’m f-f-fine,” Rainbow finally replies after a quick burp. “It-it’s c-cold.” “Thank goodness you’re okay!” Fluttershy enthusiastically exclaims as she leaps onto and hugs the waking mare. “Ouch.” “Oh, s-sorry,” “What do we do now?” Applejack uneasily asks Twilight, “Our boat is ruined, we’re in the middle of an intense storm, we’re surrounded by ice, and we’re out of food.” “Not exactly,” Pinkie Pie replies aimlessly looking around the area, “we have this raft that we’re sitting on, Dashy and Flutter can calm the storm a little, the ice will go away in time, and we have each other.” “Wait, what do you mean by that last-” “Pinkie has a point,” Twilight interrupts Applejack, “We can get out of this storm and-” “And then what?” “We go after Korsan.” “Again?! He just destroyed our only means of protection and transportation. Not to mention that he’s disabled you from using magic and our only unicorns that came with us are now on his ship.” “As long as our friendship, will, and hope stay true, we can do anything.” “But…” “Do you have a better idea?” Dash nasally snaps at her orange friend. “Well, I guess not. But this might take some time.” “Give or take a few days,” Twilight optimistically retorts, “we’ll do it.” “I just hope that Rarity and Sweetie Belle don’t get hurt on that scary ship.” “I don’t even want to know what’s going on up there right now…” Night Aboard the PerfectionThree days and three nights feel like forever to Rarity and Sweetie Belle as they stayed tucked away in the brig at the bottom of Korsan’s airship. Separated into two dimly lit cells all alone, the only company the two mares got other than each other was Chopin who’d come five times a day to give them bread and water and promptly go back up the stairs. During the long hours of silence in between, the only things the prisoners would find themselves doing is sleeping, eating, drinking, or thinking about the events and friendships throughout their lives that have all lead up to this. During one night, as the howls and cheers of the pirates roars in the galley echo from four stories above to the brig, Rarity decides to talk to her sister before Chopin comes to feed them, “Hey, Sweetie Belle,” “What?” The smaller unicorn lethargically responds, having her head buried into the pillow on her cell bed. “Want to talk or something.” ”I don’t feel like it.” “You haven’t said anything for over six hours and I’m beginning to worry about you.” “Will our friends come and get us out of here? It just feels like they’ve left us.” “Ridiculous. Our friends would never abandon us. I know it may seem impossible, but we can still hope that they’re still hot on Korsan’s trail as we speak and one day save us from this retched place.” “Really? Are you sure?” “Well…” Before Rarity can complete her thought, the familiar hoofsteps of Chopin are heard above. However, this is soon followed by an unexpected series of metal stamps into the wood above following behind Chopin’s. “Is that…” Looking to the lit staircase, the two mares look to see the mime and Korsan walk down the stairs and approach each cell individually, with the bipedal captain going to Rarity’s. “You…” “Hello Miss Rarity,” Korsan replies a he leans in towards the bar wall separating him from his prisoner, “I would like to invite both you and your sister to feast at the galley.” “Why would we even want to join you and your ruffians in a meal? You kidnapped us and held us in here for days.” “Quite, I apologize for my more brutish force against you, but in time you’ll find yourself forgiving me. Take this invitation as not only as a token of my apologies, but also as an opportunity to show you the benefits of being one with my crew.” “How about no! You psychotic pegasus pirate,” “Well then,” Korsan calmly replies, resting his metal claws onto the lever that opens the door to her cell, “Have fun wasting in this cell for a good number of your days. Hey Chopin, have any luck with the sister?” “Get away of me you clown!” Sweetie Belle’s voice screams back in indirect response. “He’s a mime from Prance, respect the stallion will you.” “Leave my sister out of this!” Rarity barks, aiming her horn at Korsan’s face. “What are you going to do? Everything you see is lined with anti-magic and I can already tell that you have little to no offensive capabilities with your magic alone that can harm me.” Rarity realizes that he’s right and raises her horn up in defeat. “How about a deal, you join me for supper and I’ll leave your sister be.” Seeing as this is her only option, Rarity nods in shame. With a smile now growing on his face Korsan pulls the lever down and the metal door into the cell swings open. “Follow me.” The white unicorn obeys her captors orders and follows him and Chopin out of the prison and up the stairs, leaving her sister behind all alone. “Don’t worry Sweetie Belle, I’ll be back.” Slowly, the trio walks past the sick chambers above the brig and follow a series of staircases leading them up several stories in the hull. Past the abandoned crew cabins on the third and fourth floors, past the massive empty cannon chamber on the fifth, and up a final flight of stairs, they soon enter into the large dining chamber on the first floor of the quarterdeck. Activity is bustling all around just as before, the food is just as plentiful as when Dash first saw it, and there was another duel going on in the empty center of the galley with seated pirates watching it, this time though, it is two short and yellow unicorns fighting each other with katanas. However, despite the loudness and chaos of the room, as Korsan makes his way up the final steps, the entire room quickly stops in dead silence and looks towards their captain in the corner of the room. “Greetings fellow sea artists,” “Greetings Captain Korsan!” The entire cast of pirates replies in unison. “I would like to introduce you to our newest guest aboard The Perfection on this fine evening. Say hello to Miss Rarity.” “Hello Miss Rarity.” “Please, treat her to a seat and may your festivities continue. Treat her as one of our own.” “Aye Captain.” Slowly, the galley’s chaotic activity returns as the duel resumes and Korsan and Chopin take their usual seats, leaving Rarity anxiously standing at the corner of the main table. “Hey, hey, hey, hey,” An orange mare with a short black mane and tail and wearing a brown tricorder hat calls out to the lost pony, “sit over here, please!” Cautiously, Rarity walks behind several seated pirates roaring at the fight and reaches the mare. Seeing an empty chair to the mare’s right, the now guest goes to it and slowly sets herself on it as to not get anything that could be dirty on her flank. Nervous as to not do something that could end up killing her or make her look out of place, Rarity keeps her eyes focused on the fight as she whispers to the orange unicorn, “What should I do? You look like you know what you’re doing, and you look the least threatening.” “Don’t sweat yourself, these guys around here aren’t that threatening when we’re off duty. I’m Slasher Gutzoult.” “My, what an, interesting name…” “My mom thought of it.” “I’m Rarity.” “Yeah, I know. The captain just announced it.” “Oh yeah, he did. Oh dear,” “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. I remember this one time that-” “I’m not embarrassed. I’m trying to keep my skin attached to my body.” “I see. Hey, maybe this will make you unwind,” Rarity looks over to her new friend and sees her sliding a mug away from the stallion to her left’s table area and in front of Rarity’s blank table area. “Try it.” “What is it?” Rarity curiously asks as she slowly holds the drink up to her lips and lets a few drips of the whitish-clear liquid into her mouth. “You don’t want to know.” Upon having her tongue touch one of the drops, Rarity immediately spits out all the fluids in her mouth. “Taste awful.” “That’s the same thing we’ve been telling Anton for years, but he still drinks it. Seems to work though in your case,” “Are all of you pirates this invasive? Is there somepony else I can talk to?” “Sorry, I’ve just been a little jumpy, you know, with this being our first guest in a long while. Maybe I need a bit of Anton’s stuff to unwind as well.” “Well look, I don’t consider myself a guest. I was forced into this by that tyrant you call Captain Korsan. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to look for another empty seat.” “But wait! Don’t you want to know who you’re sitting with? I can help with that!” Rarity’s ears immediately burn after the hyperactive pirate girl screamed right into them. “First off, I’m right next to you. You don’t need to shout. Second off, no, I’m not interested in knowing.” “But some of us are really interesting, like me. I was arrested for twenty charges of cat burglary in Ti and was sent an all-girls prison until Korsan broke me out and hired me for his crew.” “You were a cat burglar? You don’t look like somepony who’d be so stealthy.” “Not that type of burglar, I was a burglar of cats. I just love them so much! I have three in my cabin, Bob, Curly, and Moe. Want to meet them?” “No-” “Wait, I should tell you about the rest of the crew, they’re interesting to!” “That won’t be necessary-” “Oh, like Lazarus Lazuli over there!” Slasher then points a hoof across the room to a skinny blue stallion with a grey hoodie over his head and covering his mane, peacefully eating a bowl of soup in front of him at the end of the table. “He was banished to the Island of Perpetual Tickling for life for treason against the king of Talos by working as a terrorist spy. He claims that he was on the island and tortured for ten years before Korsan came, but I have my doubts. Ooh! And her!” the brown mare then points to a white mare with a red mane and tail who is talking with the chef through the serving window next to where Rarity and Slasher are seated. “Maria Vanshwitz, one of the deadliest out of us all, she was put in maximum security for providing fighting services in the resistance.” “Which resistance?” “No one really knows, she doesn’t mention it apparently because it lost.” As the young mare turns around to return to her seat, the two onlookers get a good look at her sharp face and fiery red eyes. “Hey, I saw her at the bar fighting November. Wasn’t she part of your crew?” After her response, Rarity quickly realizes that her curiosity is getting to her and that she’s gaining interest in the backstories of the many pirates around her. “November Gale? I remember her. She and Maria were practically arch nemeses whenever in the same room.” “Why?” “They were always fighting over Hans Kraus, one of main cannon operators. In the end, November and her dad left and Maria won. Though we don’t talk about November and her dad anymore, at least in public.” “I see. How about the two near-identical stallions fighting each other?” “Yin and Yu, they’re brothers from Gorgonzola. Before they joined Korsan, they were a compulsive gambling team and were even banned from Glascow, Los Pegasus, and Monte Canter for cheating. Though if you ask them now about it, they’ll claim they don’t cheat,” “Hey,” Rarity replies, pointing her hoof at a pale and bald stallion with a light blond beard, silently sitting near the middle of the center row of chairs of the table alone, eating a loaf of bread, “What about that guy?” “That’s Horus, the quartermaster.” “What’s his story?” “No pony really knows, we just picked him up from a large prison in Pearis. He changes the story of how he got there every time you ask him. Like one time, he told me that he defrauded the royal kingdom of Cervidas.” Hearing the conversation between the two mares, the pair of yellow fighters in the center of the room leans over to where Rarity and Slasher are as their blades continue to clash and their bodies tightly held against each other. “Hey Slasher,” the two brothers nonchalantly say to the orange pony. “Hello Yin. Hello Yu. We were just talking about Horus.” “We heard,” one of the brothers replies in a groan as the weight of his rival starts to pull on him, “He told me that he robbed the second largest bank in Prance with only an inked quill.” The other sibling adds on as he tries to punch his competition, “As for me, he claimed that he created a hole in the ozone above Cowrea.” The two fighters then catch each other in a strangle and roll back towards the middle of the galley. “See, he changes the story everytime,” Slasher speaks to Rarity, “like this even.” The brown unicorn swiftly turns to the buff albino pirate before shouting. “Hey Horus!” Immediately, the large stallion snaps his head towards the energetic pony and sharpens his small red pupils into her eyes. “What did you do to get in jail?” The blond stallion hastily grabs a small silver spoon on his table area with his magic, holds it up in front of his face, and quickly responds, “I killed a stallion, with this spoon!” “Okay. Thanks!” She then returns to Rarity, “Anypony else?” “So Korsan just picks up these criminals and hires them for his crew?” “Yep,” “All of them?” “Well, most of them.” “Most?” “There’s one or two members around here that us crew members aren’t really sure of where they came from.” “Who?” “Chopin, the mime, and Isyan,” Slowly, Slasher raises her hoof and points at a dark beige stallion standing next to Korsan’s large elevated table. He’s wearing a black tailcoat suit, has his short, dirty blond hair combed back to his ears, and looks to be studying the captain as Korsan slowly eats his fruits while watching the battle. “Captain’s cousin,” “Cousin?” “Yep, he was one of our newest members actually. Korsan picked him up last year while we were all asleep one night and didn’t say anything about him to us the next morning other than Isyan’s his cousin and will be serving as the boatswain.” “He doesn’t look like the piratical type.” “He isn’t, he’s just some snob-nosed jerk that’s constantly pushing us lower ranking job members around. The mechanics, the coopers, the carpenters, and the janitors, all of us are just swabs to that stallion’s brown, soulless, eyes.” “Why don’t you talk to Korsan about it?” “I’m a janitor, a poop-deck cleaner, a toiler scrubber, a sick bed washer, what gives me the authority to even talk to him, let alone tell him about how much a jerk is own cousin is?” “I think Korsan would understand.” “How would you know?” “I’ve, heard some things from a certain stallion.” “You mean, Gale?” “Yeah,” “Did he tell you about-” Before Slasher can finish her question, one of the brothers shrieks out from the battle area, “Uncle! Uncle!” Retuning their focus to the center, Rarity and slasher see that the one screaming is being pinned down by his rival while their blades are wedged in the ceiling. The roaring of the crew immediately follows this defeat as well as processions made into bets being thrown around the galley table. “Whoop! Nice job Yu!” “I’m Yu, but thanks for the encouragement.” “Oh, sorry,” “Bah, okay you can get off of me Yin.” Not noticing their swords are still in the ceiling, the two yellow stallions walk up to the front of Korsan’s table and await their leader’s report. As the room quiets down, Korsan speaks, “Yu Shou, rigger, congratulations on your victory.” “I’m Yu, Yin won.” “Apologies, would help if one of yous wore something. But that’s another matter. Yin, powder monkey, congratulations on your victory. Your form was most adequate, and your balance is one point. However, I would recommend less, silly fighting methods when dealing with opposition from the field.” “Yes sir,” Yin replies before beginning to head back to a seat at the table. “Ahem…” “What?” “Your swords?” Looking back at the fighting area, the leaving unicorn immediately sees his and his brothers stuck weapons. “Oh, yes. Sorry. I’ll take care of both of them.” Swiftly, Yin grabs the bladed weapons with his magic and hurries into the armour with them to put them away. “If I were to align the second piece at a forty-seven degree angle over the first, that would formulate a symbol equation. Then using the cipher system in the edge of the first half, I could then create a series of solutions with the decoded variables and translate those solutions to translate the symbol…” “Captain?” Yu hesitantly asks as Korsan continues to silently ramble in his chair. “Huh, what?” “I lost to Yin.” “Oh, right, right, right. Ahem. Yu Shou, rigger, although your creativity was put to good use, you are still being easily tricked. Try to remedy that.” “Yes Captain.” With the two brothers now returning to their seats, Slasher and Rarity return their attention to one another. “Pity the poor captain,” the brown mare proclaims to her friend, “he’s been so sidetracked by that Diamond Eye stuff and the new weapon he’s working on.” “Pity him?” Rarity snaps, “He’s just using you criminals to do his dirty work, no offense. Your practically prisoners on this ship from what I’ve heard of your captain.” “Just using us? Prisoners? Korsan’s practically saved us. He’s given us new lives and plenty of adventures to foreign lands. Sure we’re pirates, but that’s just our standing in life.” “And murderers?” “What?” “That day, three years ago,” “We don’t really discuss that day in public,” “You know what happened, you were involved, all of you.” “Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-” “Is this what you want? To remove most ponies from the world, take away their lives, all for some arbitrary reason that their not unicorns?” “No, I don’t want to talk about it!” “No, you’re doing something you know is wrong. You can do something about it, even if your boss won’t like it.” “No! I don’t want to go back to prison!” “Please, just-” “Attention everypony,” Korsan proclaims as he rises from his chair, causing the entire galley to quiet down, “I shall now duel. And the lucky pony that I shall spar with will be Miss Rarity.” “What?!” “Yes ma’am. As a treat of being an honoured guest with us tonight, you will be firsthoof to see my true fighting potential. Now, what’s your preferred weapon Rarity? Chopin, be ready.” “I’m not really the fighting type. So you can just pick another pony.” “Don’t worry, it is only a spar. We fight until one of us is disarmed or the first sign of bloodshed. Now, what will it be? Cutlass, claymore, longsword, sabre, dagger, rapier, katana, broadsword, Khopesh, lance, mace, we got them all.” Seeing this as an opportunity to gain the upper hoof against Korsan, who is now practically giving her the unit of her escape on a silver platter, Rarity decides to join along in the fight. “Rapier please,” “Prance or Cervidas make?” “Prance please,” “Right then,” Within a few seconds, the large white stallion pulls out a long, thin sword from the back room and levitates it towards Rarity, who carefully seizes it with her magic and aims it towards her rival. “Initial positions,” Slowly, Korsan and Rarity walk to the middle of the galley with their audience still in silence. As he walks, Korsan draws out one of his large cutlasses from his mechanical suit and points it at Rarity. Now stopped at their positions, only the sounds of undistinguishable mumbles echoes around the chamber, as if a murder is about to happen. “Ready?” “Ready.” “En garde…” “…” “Prêts…” “…” “Allez!” In an instant, the two competitors charge at each other and swing their blades into each other’s, creating a loud chink upon collision. As the sound roars across the room, the onlooking pirates burst into fanatical chaos and start to call their bets. After the initial hits, Korsan soon breaks out into a furious series of slices and charges at the unicorn, forcing her to back up and parry the attacks from a distance. However, within only ten seconds, it looks to be that the brown pirate is running out of steam. Rarity then uses the moments of breaks in-between Korsan’s slowing barrages and switches into an attack position. Her thin rapier charges forward at the stallion, aimed right for his heart. However, just before the blade can get close, the pirate pegasus springs back to full energy and jumps over the charging sword, performing a backflip in midair whilst doing so. Several oohs and aahs can be heard from the crowd as Korsan sticks the landing on his hind hooves. “What?!” “Just as gullible as Yu it seems.” “Just as gullible as me?” “No, Yu Shou,” “I shall what?” “No I mean Yin’s brother.” “What does that have to do with anything?” “I mean you are as gullible as Yu for falling for my fake fatigue.” As Korsan angrily responds to Rarity’s questions, the white unicorn stealth fully turns her sword around and aims the tip at her opponent’s back. “I’m as gullible as me?” Rarity immediately makes her move, charging her rapier forwards towards her and Korsan. “No, Yin’s brother, you are a gullible as-” Korsan suddenly stops midsentence and jumps over the incoming blade. With the long rapier having missed its intended target, the speeding weapon charges towards Rarity instead. The white mare panics and lets go of the sword, but forgets to stop it whilst flying. It continues to speed forward into Rarity, slicing into her back right leg as she attempts to leap out of the way. Rarity screams in pain as the sharp edge cuts deeply into her skin and severs her nerves, “Ahhhhh!” The room bursts in a flurry of gasps as the rapier exits from Rarity’s flesh and hits one of the corner legs of the massive table behind her, piercing through the wood before coming to a sharp halt. As Rarity then falls onto the wood floor and wraps her front hooves around the cut on her leg, she sees the tip of Korsan’s cutlass in between her eyes. “Very clever, trying to play me like that. Too bad I was tricking you into thinking you were tricking me. Other than that though, everything about your fighting needs improvement.” The bipedal captain then turns to his back to see his crew silently staring at him, all of which are amazed and still trying to grasp what has happened in front of them. “So wait,” Yu whispers to her brother in the left corner of the table, “who was tricking who into tricking who?” “Well my fellow sea artists, it would seem that I have won. Hurry along with your bets and let the next match begin.” Obeying their leader’s order, though still stunned at the quick fight, the pirates slowly and silently deal with the bets and get back to their meals. “Chopin, take Rarity to the medial chambers and get Lilis to deal with that cut please. After which, escort her back to her cell, but also give a ration of baked potatoes to both her and her sister, would you kindly?” Night Aboard the RaftThe dark night sky above glistens with the stars as a lone wooden platform drifts across the midnight ocean. Gentle waves lightly brush against the rigged rim of the raft as it floats along, creating a hypnotical ambience in the otherwise deathly silence. On the damp raft, Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are all huddled together in the center, keeping each other warm as they sleep in the dark of the new moon on their eyelids and the strokes of the breeze on their fur. “Hey,” a recently awoken Applejack whispers among the motionless bodies, “Is anypony still awake?” “Now I am…” Twilight groans in the center of the pileup and right below her orange friend before releasing a loud yawn. “What is it this time Applejack?” “I’m just having a little trouble sleeping, that’s all.” “For three days straight?” “Somethin’s just constantly popping in my mind, and I can’t get it out.” “What?” “What Korsan was boasting about back at Thieves’ Hold, about how me and other folks just aren’t as good as, ya know, unicorns and alicorns.” “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re way better than any of those criminals. You don’t run around and commit crimes.” “Not that, I mean how I wasn’t able to put up much of a fight once they started using magic. Me, Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Spike, all of us that can’t use magic,” “Oh, yeah, I guess you do need magic to cancel out other’s spells. But that doesn’t matter all that much. They weren’t being just with their fighting style, it’s not honourable.” “It does matter Twilight. I’m starting to realize that I may not be able to protect my family as well as I used to, especially with my little sister with us.” “We’ll be there to help you something happens that’s beyond your power Applejack.” “And what if you’re not? And what does that say about me, my sisters, and the others, that we’re weak when you’re not around? You and Korsan, the stallion that could take on three alicorns at once, were at each other’s throats while we were stuck in the sidelines. You and Rarity can create and launch fireballs at will with enough education. Me and the others on the other hoof would never be able to do that in a hundred years.” “Don’t think like that Applejack. You’re special in your own way.” “How?” “You have great strength.” “You can lift something twice my maximum high into the sky.” “You have a powerful kick.” “You can use magic to grab a large rock and cause even more damage than one of my stronger kicks.” At this point, Twilight has fully awoken from her sleep and is growing agitated at the mare’s retorts. “You can run fast.” “You can teleport.” “You…” The purple alicorn hesitates before continuing, realizing that she has no more possible points on how her friend is physically superior to a unicorn. “What about Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo? They can fly, manipulate weather, and a bunch of other cool things.” “Unicorns can do the same thing as well. Heck, you can make your own wings. Remember when you gave wings to Rarity when we went to Cloudsdale with Rainbow Dash?” “Well, they weren’t legitimate pegasi wings,” “Still, you as a unicorn did it.” “Are you seriously saying that Korsan has a point to his madness?” Twilight angrily barks, causing the pony pile to shutter a bit. “Maybe I am,” Applejack snaps back even louder. “You want him to murder every non-unicorn he finds, just because he has a point?” “No,” “Then why are you siding with him?!” “I’m not siding with him. I’m just saying he has a point.” “What’s the point of the point then?” “Maybe I want to be a unicorn now that Korsan has proven a point.” “He hasn’t proven a point. There is no point! Alicorns, pegasi, unicorns, and Earth ponies are all equal. It’s been that way for hundreds of years. Equality is the symbol of Equestria, our home. Forgotten that?” “Why is that?” “It just is. Great minds of unknown knowledge have agreed upon the idea to this day.” “So why can’t I just want to be a unicorn if they’re so equal?” “You don’t have to change yourself since we’re equal. You’re basically repressing what Equestria stands for with this nonsense about being a unicorn. If I didn’t know you better, I would’ve considered that you were the bad pony.” “Me the bad pony? Just for considering a point?” “Korsan’s point, yes,” “Just because of that?” “Well if you’re so insistent on being a unicorn and proving the villain’s point, how about you join him on his kill crusade?” “You know something? Sometimes you can be real stuck-up with your fancy schmancy readings of yours and not see what I’m seeing!” “You know what? Sometimes you are just an inconsiderate mare who thinks she above all of the intellectuals based on her own stubborn logic!” “Big nosed,” “Half witted,” “Thick skulled,” “Even thicker skulled,” “Why I-” “Hey!” Rainbow’s voice yells over Applejack’s response. The two bickering ponies stop arguing and look at Dash wedged between a sleeping Fluttershy and Scootaloo, still with her eyes half open. “I don’t know what happened, but what I do know is that you two need to stop arguing and let us sleep in peace.” “But she was thinking that Korsan has a-” Twilight tries to retort, only to get her muffled by Dash’s outstretched wing. “I don’t care. No pony here really cares about what Korsan’s thinking. We all know that he’s the villain and what he is doing is wrong. Right?” “Yeah,” “Applejack?” “It’s true, killin’ innocent ponies is wrong,” Applejack answers in defeat, as if she has lost the argument. “Good, now let me get some sleep.” Soon, Dash’s head slumps back down to the cold floor and immediately dozes back off into slumber. “Twilight,” Applejack mutters in a sarcastic tone, “I’m sorry if insulting you,” “You as well,” Twilight replies, though obviously not honestly meaning it as well, “Have a good night.” As clouds start to appear in the starry sky above once more, the two mares snuggle back into the heated heap and attempt to fall asleep. However, as hard as they try, they can’t force themselves asleep after their brutal bickering just a few seconds ago. Minutes upon minutes pass as the two roused ponies try to calm themselves down but subconsciously hold their grudge against the other. Finally, after an hour of tossing and turning after closing their eyes, Twilight’s and Applejack’s minds disconnect from their physical bodies and enter the world of dreams. After falling asleep, Applejack soon finds herself in an empty void of darkness, standing on what seems to be an invisible ground. Oblivious that this is all a dream as most ponies are when they sleep, Applejack searches through the darkness for any sign of anything in this unknown location. After curiously looking around at her surroundings for minutes, the orange Earth pony starts to become paranoid, sensing a malicious presence in the empty void. “Help me!” A familiar voice echoes from behind the lone mare. Applejack responds quickly, “Applebloom?!” Turning around, she sees the small yellow Earth pony frantically galloping towards her with her eyes tightly sealed and tears pouring out. “Applebloom? What is it?” “It’s that villain!” Now running towards her younger sister, Applejack watches in horror as a black set of sharp claws emerge from the darkness behind Applebloom and grab her by her red tail. The small filly immediately screams and is quickly dragged back into the darkness with her voice ringing in Applejack’s ears. Horrified, the orange mare speeds up her run and pursues the evil figure, seemingly zipping through the black space surrounding her. Applebloom’s voice cries out again, “Help me Applejack!” “I’m coming!” After a few minutes of chasing, Applejack is hit by a burst of red light, temporarily blinding her as she hobbles to a stop. Recovering from the blinding strobe, Applejack now sees that she’s on the edge a large unseen spotlight’s red shine. On the other end of the lit circle is Applebloom, being tightly held onto a dark bipedal figure. The orange Earth pony sees the figure’s black metal claws covering her little sister’s face as well as recognizes the figure’s shape in the partial dark. “Korsan!” The villainous shadow cackles in response to Applejack’s shout. The mare then bolts forward across the red light and towards her target. However, halfway across the room, a black metal bar wall drops from the ceiling abyss and falls right in front of Applejack, blocking her from Applebloom. The cage wall then extends upwards and outwards out of the red spotlight and splitting the darkness in two. “Bahahaha!” The figure laughs in a demonic voice, “What are you waiting for? Lift the wall, and save your family.” Seeing no other option, Applejack obeys the bipedal pony’s orders, reaches her hooves in between the bars of the cage, and attempts to lift it up, only to find it too heavy. Heaving and huffing, the orange mare tries with all of her might, but to no avail. The mysterious shadow chuckles once more. “Let her go!” “If I can lift that wall, then so can you.” The being replies in Korsan’s voice. “I can’t! It’s too heavy! Please, I’ll do anything, just let my sister be!” The shadow slowly moves forward with Applebloom and speaks again, this time in a surprisingly feminine voice, “What are you talking about?” As the red light hits the face of the unknown pony, Applejack’s jaw drops, her pupils shrink to pinpoint, and her internal mind shuts down in shock. “Twilight?!” “We’re all equal!” There, standing on the other side of the wall, is Twilight in Korsan’s mechanical suit, standing on her hind legs like if she was him. “What are you doing?” “The world isn’t all black and white you know!” The Twilight and Korsan hybrid barks in Korsan’s voice, “It just requires a point!” Throwing Applebloom to the ground, the nightmarish pony draws one of the cutlasses and positions it above Applebloom’s laying body. “No!” “Lift the gate!” Twilight’s voice shouts from the hybrid pony. “I can’t!” “Help me!” Applebloom screams as the sharp edge of the blade caresses her tiny neck. “I can’t!” “End the suffering!” Korsan’s voice roars throughout the red tinted area. “I can’t!” “You can!” Applebloom immediately violently screams in pain as the sword enters her flesh, “AHHH-” Twilight suddenly finds herself inside the throne room of the castle of Canterlot, with no sound is to be heard and all signs of life appear to be absent. Surprised by her new bearings and having no previous memories before or even the awareness of her actually dreaming, Twilight examines the long chamber in search of answers to what is going on. Without even her hooves making a sound, the purple alicorn finds herself becoming paranoid as she looks out the large windows on the walls and sees only white. The red fluffy carpet feels flat on her hooves and the length of the corridor seems to expand and shrink randomly. Upon reaching the other end of the room eventually, Twilight sees four thrones standing side by side, each in the likeness to herself, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence. A brief wave a relief washes over the lone pony as now something familiar is in her presence. However, the relief is brought to a crushing halt as the wall behind the thrones bursts into an explosion of flame and stone, sending Twilight back several metres and grinding against the floor. Pain pulsates through the mare’s body as she gets up and sees an enormous hole where the wall once was and Korsan’s airship floating outside with a stormy sky above it in contrast to the windows. Twilight angrily yells out, “Hey! Stop!” The operator of the ship appears to not listen and fires another explosive cannonball into the throne room, this time destroying the four thrones. Now furious of this terrorist attack, Twilight takes off into the air and soars through the hole and over to the pirate ship parked right next to the chamber. As the alicorn princess then lands onto the deck, a shadowy figure sneaks up behind her and kicks her in the behind, launching her into a nearby mast and smashing her head into the thick wood. Twilight groans as her brain liquefies and the insides of her head shift around from the impact. “Well, well, well.” The mysterious pony chuckles in a ghastly voice, “it looks like we require a new order.” “You won’t get away with this Korsan,” Twilight grumbles as the shaded bipedal figure is caught in the corner of her eye. “Korsan, what a wise pony.” The being replies in an oddly feminine and accented voice, “All he needed was a point, and that would justify anything, including the most heinous of murder sprees.” Slowly, the shadowy villain walks closer to Twilight, revealing her true form. “Applejack?!” There, standing over her, is Applejack in Korsan’s metal armour and cape, smiling down to her. “Bahahaha!” The nightmarish fusion cackles in Korsan’s voice, “Your friend shall be your undoing!” “Not if I-” Before Twilight could finish, her face is smashed and squished into the mast by a kick by the Korsan and Applejack hybrid. Gently, Applejack picks up the paralyzed Twilight by the throat and carries her over to the edge of the deck. There, Twilight sees that below her is an ocean of molten lava with its intense heat already frying her behind. “No! Wait! Applejack! Come to your senses!” “Why?” Applejack replies in her own voice, “What’s the point?” “We’re friends! Remember! Let me go!” “…” “Please!” “You know,” Korsan’s voice echoes from the burning pit below, “very poor choice of words.” “NOOO!” “Gah!” Applejack and Twilight scream as they catapult themselves from their resting positions and their nightmares. After a minute of blanking out and recollecting their thoughts, the two notice it’s daylight now in the sky above. With the sun shining its light and heat through the few clouds and down onto the two ponies, they realize that it’s only been a dream. Brushing off the haunting images of the nightmares, the two mares then stretch and check out to see how the others are doing. However, as Twilight looks around first to where they were sleeping, she doesn’t see her friends at all on the raft. “Wait, what?” Twilight stampers in confusion, “Where are they?” “Uh, Twilight,” Applejack replies, looking the opposite direction in which her friend is. “We were sleeping in a giant huddle and now they’re gone.” “Twilight,” “How did we not notice?” “Twilight,” “Where would they have even gone without us?” “Twilight!” “What?” “Look behind you?” “What?” Twilight turns around as Applejack says and is shocked at what she sees. Where their raft has stopped is on the shoreline of a large island. With thick forests of tall trees, a large beach area stretching around the entire land, and a monstrous volcano emerging from the center of it all, Twilight and Applejack nearly confuse it with paradise. “What?” “Where are we?” “Are we dead?” “Good morning!” Pinkie’s voice screams out from the forest a few hundred metres away from the broken deck. The pink mare soon emerges from the thick of the trees with two halves of a coconut balances in her mane and hops towards Twilight and Applejack. “What happened? Where are the others?” “Our raft drifted onto this island while we were asleep. When we woke up hours earlier, we decided to explore this island and settle down by a small river Rainbow Dash found. You two however slept hard this morning, so we decided not to disturb you.” “Huh.” “So what do you think?” “Thanks for setting up a place for us to recover. But we shouldn’t spend too much time here, we still have to stop Korsan and save Rarity. Right AJ?” Applejack hesitantly answers, “Yes…” Word of a PirateMeanwhile, a kilometre high above in the cloudy blue sky, inside the low brig of The Perfection, Rarity and Sweetie Belle are inside their cells as per usual. With the ambient noises of wood creaking and hooves trotting along the upper floors as their only permanent company, the two prisoners are practically statues in beds, waiting to come alive and eat when Chopin brings them food in a few hours. However, the loud metal creaking of a door snaps the two out of their ceiling-bound glance and the two sisters look to see what’s causing the noise. Much to Rarity’s surprise, it’s Slasher pulling the lever to Rarity’s cell door. Her gentle hoofsteps were not able to be noticed by the two prisoners as they expected the mime’s heavier stomps. “Slasher?” Rarity silently exclaims to the chipper pirate, “What are you doing here?” “Captain’s recalibrating his suit,” the brown mare calmly replies as she approaches Sweetie Belle’s cell, “It’ll take a while, so I thought it’d be nice to show yous around The Perfection.” “Aren’t you worried about us escaping?” “How? We’re thousands of metres above sea level, on one of the heaviest militarized ships in existence,” “Fair point…” “It’s tough to pull these without magic, err,” The brown unicorn pulls down the adjacent lever and opens the filly’s prison door. “Thank you Miss!” Sweetie cheers as she bolts from her caged room and hugs onto the small mare’s leg. “Aw, you’re so adorable! So, where would you two like to go?” “The treasure room! Please?!” “Now Sweetie Belle,” Rarity firmly retorts, “we trapped on a boat filled with cutthroat pirates, no offense, and I don’t think they’d appreciate us messing with their stolen valuables.” “Yeah,” Slasher answers, not even most of we are allowed in there. Oh! We have the gardens, you can visit there!” “Wait, a garden?” “Yeah, we grow all sorts of plants and foods there, especially potatoes. They’re delicious. Can we go there? I want to go there with yous.” “Sure…” “Yes! Follow me. With Slasher Gutzoult leading the trio, the mares head up the stairs and enter the medical area. There, they come across a light green mare with a silvery mane and tail and wearing a nurse’s coat, cleaning the wooden floor with a mop. Rarity instantly recognizes her and instantly calls out, “Hello Lilis.” “Hm?” The nurse looks up from the damp flooring and is surprised to see the ship’s captives free from their cells without Korsan or Chopin with them, “Miss Rarity? What a surprise. How’s that cut of yours doing?” “My cut?” Rarity looks back at her hind legs and sees her right one wrapped in a thick white bandage cloth. “Oh, I nearly forgot about that. It’s doing well. Thanks for taking care of it.” “Rapiers make a might of a gash in you if you’re not careful.” “I figured.” “So, where are you taking them Slasher?” “I’m just showing our guests around while Korsan’s recalibrating,” the cat-loving mare enthusiastic replies bouncing up and down, causing her black mare to flop in front of her green eyes. “Please tell me it’s not your room. Your cats have already put me to hard work with whatever diseases they manage to pick up.” “No, it’s the botany chambers.” “I’m not sure the cooks would like you interrupting their work.” “It’s fine. I promise.” “Fine, just make sure that Yu and Yin don’t see you. Don’t want that little foal with you picking up on bad habits.” “Will do Lilis. By the way, who revisited lunch this time?” “Fawnswa,” “Oh…” “We should get going,” Rarity interrupts as she holds back her disgust, “right?” “Oh, yes. Quickly now,” Going around the set wood, the trio makes their way upstairs into the lower cabins and reaches the entrance of the gardens at the end of the hallway of rooms. Peaking inside, Rarity and Sweetie Belle are immediately shocked by the rows and rows of plowed land and water spanning across the entire room. Carrots, watermelons, pumpkins, wheats, all neatly organized. Slowly following their guide, the two sisters look around the massive indoor farm, all brightly lit by lanterns hung onto the ceiling. “How is this ship this massive able to fly?” Sweetie Belle asks. “Especially with an entire farm built into it?” Rarity adds. “I’m not entirely certain,” Slasher sheepishly answers, “I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I think Korsan said something about electrocuted anti-magic built into The Perfection’s structure counteracting a magic air-field, making it able to fly regardless of massiveness. I don’t know too many big words. “My friend Twilight would probably kill to learn about this anti-magic stuff your captain knows about.” “Princess Twilight Sparkle?!” “Yes? You saw her at Thieves’ Hold didn’t you?” “No, I was busy cleaning a spare sail while Korsan and half of the other crew members entered the bar three days ago. But I heard that the battle was amazing! Princess Twilight and Captain Korsan, beating the ever-living daylights out of each other, exchanging blows one right after another. I wish I’d been there to see it. How’d it start anyways? Did your team and Korsan’s team stand on opposing sides of the bar and then charged into each other like an epic action book?” “Not really, Korsan was about to attack November and her dad and Twilight decided to intervene by smashing a chain into Korsan’s back.” “Oh no, he said too much again.” “Who? November’s dad? What do you mean?” “A little less than three years ago, several months after… then… We visited Thieves’ Hold and the bar which had been recently built then by November and Nitin Gale. When we first walked inside, Nitin was talking about his experiences with Captain Korsan, namely, his childhood. I wasn’t able to hear much before the captain got furious all of a sudden and attacked Nitin Gale. He bashed the old ex-member into every corner of the bar in a seething bloodlust, never stopping and even tossed November across the bar when she tried to stop him. After a while, Korsan ran out of steam and ordered us to leave immediately.” “That’s horrible. How old were you when you saw this?” “I was fourteen, but I’ve seen worse even before then.” “Aren’t you in the least bit concerned about Nitin Gale and all that he went through? Aren’t you upset at your boss doing such a horrible thing?” “I was concerned, and I was even going to try to break it up if the captain continued. When he ordered us to go, I was practically furious with him. However, as we were leaving Thieves’ Hold, I saw the captain head up into his chambers, looking as if he was about to cry or something like that. There I realized that Korsan was regretting what he just did and trying to hide his shame from the rest of us. Look, I know that the captain appears to be this merciless maniac, but he really does care for us. He has feelings and emotions like the rest of us.” “Is that really a reason to forgive him for attempting to kill most of my friends?” “Well, no, it’s just… He has good reasons-” “Good reason my flan-” “Shhh!” The energetic mare hisses at Rarity as they reach the edge of the gardens and enter a large glass room with trees inside it. With the sunlight from outside beaming into the massive tree room, Slasher and her two companions turn deathly silent and listen to the sounds of what seems to be stallions inaudibly whispering that can be heard above them. “That sounds like its coming from the cellar, follow me quietly.” Sweetie Belle murmurs, “But why-” “I said quietly,” Confused, the two sisters listen and follow the small brown pirate as they sneak across the dirt floor of the room, bobs and weave between the trees, and climb up the staircase in the chamber to the top of the room which turns out to be the floor right below the kitchen and galley. Peeking their heads over the landing on the top floor of the hull, the trio looks through the already open doors and into a large room filled with wooden barrels of liquids with seemingly no pony inside. The voices grow more audible as they draw closer to the room. Slasher’s thin ears sharply point forward towards the cellar in attempts to interpreting the voices. “What’s going on?” Rarity asks. “I don’t know, for a while, I’ve been hearing this talking around this area whenever Korsan’s busy with something. Now shush,” Curious of what Slasher’s hearing, Rarity sharpens her ears towards the mumbles and begins to hear them clearly. “…so that’s when we’ll hit him?” The voice of an older stallion utters. “Yeah,” A younger stallion replies in a strict tone of voice, “he won’t know what hit him.” “Is this really the best idea? You saw what he’s capable of late night.” “For all we know,” a mare replies, “He could be very well knowing of what we’re planning and will strike back when we do. Why else would he have been showing off during that fight against that wench we got?” The second unseen stallion retorts, “He’s an oblivious moron. Listen, if we don’t get this done sooner or later, he will find out and we’ll all be dead.” “Well,” a third stallion replies, “you’ll at least be dead. After all, you know more than we do.” “Dead pony tell no tales,” the elder pirate adds. “The sooner we complete this mission,” the second pony declares, “the sooner we get the riches. I’m sick and tired of that twit running us into the ground. High time we do something about it…” What’s going on? Rarity thinks to herself as her eyes blankly stare ahead, It sounds like they’re upset at somepony. Wait, Slasher said something about Korsan’s cousin… As Rarity slowly turns to the focused teenager, Sweetie Belle right between the two begins to wrinkle her nose as some loose dust tickles her insides. In one swift motion, the filly violently sneezes, causing the other two to cringe in fright if their cover being blown. “They didn’t hear that right?” “Somepony’s over there, check it out.” “Oh no,” “Shoot!” The pirate mare silently exclaims. “Rarity, get your sister and run back. If they know we’re here-” “What about you? Who are they?” “Just go!” Frantically, Slasher head-butts Rarity’s side and urges the two down the stairs to the room floor. Getting the message, the two sisters dart into the gardens while Slasher returns to her position at the stairs. Silently running as fast as they can, Rarity and Sweetie Belle dark into the cabin area. However, as they turn around to the stairway down into the lower floor, they accidently collide with Yin and Yu walking up the stairs, sending the two brothers tumbling down and smashing into the lower floor. “Sorry!” “Ow…” One of the brothers moan in response. “It was an accident!” Sweetie Belle cries out. “Figured.” “Hey,” the other tangled unicorn speaks, “why aren’t you two in your cells? We were just going up to find yous when we found your cells have been opened.” “We were just taking a small tour of the boat, nothing more,” Rarity quickly replies. “With who?” “With… Fawnswa, yes!” “Oh, he needed an escort after his technicolor spitting fit. That makes sense in his case. We told him not to try carpentry upside with a shot of Anton’s stuff.” “What were you two even doing down there?” “Fetching you two. Yeah, Captain wants to see you Rarity in his private chambers.” “What about Sweetie Belle?” “She is going to be supervised by Butch and Ivan while they prepare dinner.” The first brother proclaims, “Something about letting her interact with the crew and having fun.” “In the kitchen?” “Don’t worry. They’ll keep a good eye on her.” “…” “If you don’t like it, too bad. Captain’s orders,” “Oh come on Yin,” Yu playfully retorts, “Don’t be in such a downer because you slipped down a few stairs.” “Your hoof in in my spleen,” “Oh. Sorry.” As the two pirate brothers start to untangle themselves, worry sets into Rarity’s mind as she wonders about what’s happening to Slasher now. Please let her be okay, both Rarity and Sweetie Belle think to themselves. Upstairs, in the back of the top floor of the quarterdeck, Korsan is inside a small library recalibrating his suit. With his front left hoof resting on a golden table and his right turning a wrench jammed inside his left elbow’s metal parts, all the bipedal pony can do is look around to see the same sights he has always seen in his library. Hundreds of shelves, each packed with books of all sizes and colours, neatly organized by his personal system, lining every wall of the room all the way to the ceiling, with only two sets of dual doors in each corner of the triangular room not bombarded with books. On the table where his hoof lays are the two Diamond Eyes stacked on top of each other, buried in a small pile of notebooks and broken writing quills. As the pirate captain feels his mechanical armour beginning to squeeze his back and joints, he gives on final tug on his wrench embedded into the gears of his suit before yanking out the wrench and tossing it onto the corner of the massive table before him. A slight gasp escapes the brown stallion’s mouth as he sets himself into a nearby chair and examines an open journal in front of him. “Let’s see,” Korsan mumbles to himself, “It’s in a combination of both a greater integer function and a quantic function, similar to a diamond’s particle structure when in crystalloid formation. Graphing the equations on a single table and transforming the image created by the graph gets me somewhere, but where’s the next step? Is this step even finished? Perhaps I need to read on Bloomsburg’s studies on the ‘Alicronicom’ again and cross reference it with ‘Daring Do and the Lost Kingdoms of Trihearth’ and Star Swirl the Bearded’s-” Before he can finish his monologue, a knock on the right set of dual doors interrupts his train of thought. “Who is it?” “Rarity-Gram.” Yu replies behind the closed doors. “Let her in.” Slowly, the doors swing open to reveal Rarity nervously standing there. As organ music now echoes from the adjacent bedroom into the library, the two ponies silently stare at each other for a moment while Yu has already fled. “Rarity,” “Korsan,” The white unicorn replies in a sharp, yet frightened tone. “I see that your leg’s doing well.” “Why have you brought me here? You know now more than ever that I’m neither a fan of you nor your work and would request that you let me and my sister go.” “It’s been merely three days. Surely you’re not as insistent as you believe yourself to be.” “What does that mean?” “’Phycology Studies 13C’, you should read up on it, it’s a good book. What I’m trying to put is that you’re probably interested about the bells and whistles that make up this fine ship. I can arrange something to help that craving. I can arrange a private cabin for you and your sister, give or take a few moves. I can also arrange a little private get-together between you and me, just to know a little more about each other.” “Aren’t you saving yourself up for November Gale?” “Not exactly. I have very limited variety of choices for a good mare by my side. I’m just trying to find which one fate truly has set for me.” “You, some super-sciency pirate, believes in fate?” “To a scientific extent, you see, everything in this world can be given a numerical value. And if you’re clever enough, you can use these numbers to better your odds in whatever goal you’re trying to achieve. Fate is just another one of those numbers. I myself will never be able calculate all the numbers in the world, but I can get quite a few for my life close enough.” “So what? Are you now planning to go on some date with me?” “That’s the concept.” “Never in a million years.” “Oh, we’ll see in fair time. Now, how about that personal tour?” Deserted IslandWith the boiling sun sitting at its peak of the sky, the large tropical island below boils in moist heat and brightly shines as the rays of the sun reflects from the leaves of the tall trees. The ocean surrounding the lone land glistens as well as it gently rolls about the horizon, slowly washing over the silky white beach. Walking along the meeting point of land and sea, a purple alicorn and a rainbow-haired pegasus quietly enjoy their location as the clear seawater flows between their hooves. “It’s so peaceful and quiet out here,” the small cyan mare speaks out, “I love this.” “I like it to,” her friend replies, “But we can’t here for long, we have to get Rarity and Sweetie Belle.” “Can’t we just stay here for just a little while and enjoy this moment?” “As much as I would like to, think about our friends, they could be starving on that ship.” “From what I saw, those pirates feast like kings. I’m pretty sure they’ll have leftovers for them.” “Maybe.” “And how are we going to find them once we build a raft or something? Where are they, and where are we?” “I don’t know… We should be somewhere in the Western Antlertic Ocean is what’s left of our ship followed the main current.” “And if we didn’t?” “Then we’re completely lost Dash. We might never be able to save our friends or even get back home.” “Hey, chill out.” Rainbow Dash responds in a relaxed tone, “We always find a way to get out of these types of scrapes together. For now, how about you just rest and get all of that pressure out of your head. We have plenty of time before any boat will be built.” “I guess.” A cold foaming wave of water then washes onto the shore and slips between the two mares’ legs, sending a soothing chill through their bodies and causing Twilight to unconsciously coo at the sensation. “Oh… That feels nice.” “See? Just let it all go for now.” “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” As Twilight’s nerves soon give wave to her surroundings, a wave of positive energy pulsates through her body and soul. Her mind slowly shuts down of all thought and is soon replaced by all of the beautiful sights, sounds, feelings, and smells. The glittering ocean and verdant plants mesmerize her eyes, the waving of the large leaves and the harmonious fumbling of the smooth water echoes in her ears, the smooth sand and clean water caresses her hooves while the soft breeze and beating heat brushes her fur, and the salty air and flagrant distant flowers purifies her nose and subconscious. This unified euphoria of relived innocence is interrupted however by Twilight’s stomach quivering inside. “Oh dear,” Twilight quietly giggles, “I’m actually a bit hungry. I’ll go look for some food alone.” “You sure?” “Yeah, I like the peace.” “Figured you would. Well, good luck.” “Same to you.” Twilight wades away from the sandy coastline and goes into the forest of palm trees and exotic plants just beyond the beach. Hidden deep inside the thick of the jungle, there is a large meadow clearing that runs along a tiny river. With only a few large pine trees dotted around the flowery valley, the entire patch of land is shaded throughout the entirety of the day, with only small rays of sunlight poking through the leaves. Near the edge of this meadow, where the thick bushes and palm trees meet the small flowers and beds of grass, four small tents made of loose planks of wood, thick sticks, and leaves stiffly stand in the breeze, all surrounding a circle of rocks protecting the recently used fireplace. A small yellow pegasus emerges from of these tents with a half of a coconut held in her mouth and heads towards the river a small hundred metres away. As the pink-haired mare reaches the flowing creek, she’s greeted by Twilight on the other side of the brook. “Oh,” Fluttershy mumbles, dropping the coconut onto the grass below her chin to free her mouth, “hi Twilight. Like what we did when you and Applejack were asleep?” “Yeah, you and the others did a great job on those tents back there.” Twilight gleefully replies. “Say, do you have any food? I’m starving.” “Sure, there are some dates and coconuts in one of the tents.” “Thanks.” “You look like you’re in a good mood.” “Yeah, I just figured I’d take it easy while we’re here.” “You?” “Well, with some help from Dash.” Fluttershy softly giggles to herself before replying, “That’s okay.” Quietly, Twilight leaps across the small river and heads towards the mostly sunlit camp while Fluttershy continues with her own business and proceeds to collect water from the clear stream. After a minute of pure silence, Twilight’s voice echoes from across the meadow, “I don’t see any food.” “What?” Twilight quickly flies back to her yellow friend. “I check all of the tents. I didn’t see any dates and the coconuts had nothing in them.” “Oh, I guess somepony ate our supplies. Oh well. Want to help me fetch some more?” “Sure.” Leaving the coconut half on top of a stone at the edge of the creek, the two mares head into the thick palm tree forests. As the two walk through the thick plants below their hooves, the sounds of chirping birds and the squeaks on monkeys can are heard all around them. “Hey Fluttershy,” “Yeah?” “I’m not sure if I’ve asked this, but what’s your favourite animal?” “Rabbits. They’re just so fluffy, warm, and gentle. How about you?” “Owls are my favourite. They’re really smart and can do a lot of neat things.” “Good thing you befriended Owlowiscious. You two seem to be in sync.” “Yeah. Say, what are your thoughts on Juliana, Korsan’s ice phoenix?” “I’m still trying to figure out how he found her. Fire phoenixes are already extremely rare in the world. It would’ve taken a miracle to find one that produces ice.” “I know. But what about Juliana herself?” “Well, she is very pretty, despite how she’s been fighting against us and Philomena back in Equestria. I am mostly glad that she looks to be well taken care of, as well as the rest of his crew it seems.” “I hope Rarity’s getting the same treatment-No, wait, I gotta let that go for now.” “Are you okay?” “I’m just trying to unwind after Korsan’s last attack.” “I see. Oh! Here we are.” The two ponies stop their walk at look up to see bunches of large bananas hanging from the treetops above their heads. “Oh. Good, I’m practically famished after that walk!” Immediately, Twilight attempts to grab the ripe fruits with her magic, only for nothing to happen. After a fair second or two of trying, the purple pony remembers Korsan’s anti-magic strap wrapped around her horn. “Oh, forgot,” The alicorn then flies up to the yellow bananas and attempts to pull them down with her bare hooves. However, as she tries with all of her might, the bananas stay put on the tree and Twilight son runs out of breath and falls to the jungle floor. “They’re too strong for me.” Twilight pants in exhaustion and hunger. “Let me try something.” Fluttershy then places a hoof over her mouth and begins to heavily blow into it, causing a loud whistling noise to rupture throughout the forest. Soon after her whistling, a small black and white lemur appears from one of the tops of the trees and curiously looks down at the two strangers with its big yellow eyes. “Hello there.” Fluttershy gently calls out to the small animal, “Can you please help us by getting some bananas?” The small animal snaps its head down towards the bananas and then back towards the onlooking mares. “Please?” As if repulsed by Twilight’s command, the lemur starts to back away from its post. “Wait, Mr. Lemur, we’re very hungry. Can you please help us? We’ll even share some bananas with you.” Interested by the tone of Fluttershy’s voice in this new request, the primate returns to the girls and leans below the treetop. He reaches out his small hands towards the main stem of a large bundle of the yellow fruit and pinches the branch, causing the entire bundle to snap off and fall down onto the jungle floor. “Thank you!” Snapping a single banana out from the group, Fluttershy grabs a banana and flies up to the lemur. “Here you go.” The small critter quickly grabs the yellow fruit and scatters away into the jungle out of her and Twilight’s sights. Twilight also takes a larger banana from the bunch and attempts to peel it open. Although having trouble at first, the hungry mare manages to pop open the end and quickly shoves the revealed white insides into her mouth. She then quickly bites down and swallows the engulfed piece and is immediately rewarded with mental and physical satisfaction. “Yum, thanks Flutter.” “You’re very welcome.” “How come you’re so good with animals?” “I just have a gift I guess. Though, I’m pretty sure you could do the same thing with your magic.” “I couldn’t. Even the most advance unicorn magic to this date can’t allow ponies to communicate with animals as well as you do.” “Huh. I must be very lucky then.” “I guess so. Anyways, where are the others? I’ve only been walking along the beachside with Dash the past hours when AJ split up with Pinkie.” “Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are searching for parts to build a functioning raft and any passing ships at the beach along with Dash. Spike’s at the volcano trying to make a smoke signal. And Pinkie’s…” “Being Pinkie?” “I have no idea where she is.” “Well that’s okay. A little exploration around here wouldn’t hurt.” “Just be careful with snakes if you’re planning to do that. They don’t like it when you step on their homes.” “I’ll keep note of that.” “Anything else I can help you with?” “Hmmm… Do you have any guess when we might be able to leave?” “I don’t know, a month maybe.” “Okay.” “Is there a problem?” “No. Still a little concerned about Rarity and Sweetie Belle.” “It’s fine. We’ll hopefully save them.” “Bye.” “Bye.” After hastily forking down the rest of her banana, Twilight takes off into the air and above the tall jungle. Adjusting to the sun in her eyes, the flying mare begins to circle around the island and several certain areas, searching for anypony or anything of interest. In the back of her head, the princess takes note of specific areas that include the volcano, the meadow, the beach and coastal outline, lagoons, small lakes, a tall cliff peninsula, a mountain range on the opposite side of the island from the meadow, their raft, some small shipwrecks by the beach, and large whirlpool a couple hundred kilometres on the horizon. However, as she flies over a particularly thick portion of the forest jungle, her eyes catch a glimpse of what appears to be a large wooden hut hidden in the foliage. “What’s that?” With a sharp turn of her large wings, Twilight dives down next to the building and gently lands at the entrance of the shack. Made of dark brown wood and carved stone, the seemingly abandoned structure looks to be having been in a dilapidated condition for several years, shown by the insane levels of plant life sprouting between the cracks and open gaps of the structure. With a growing sense of paranoia tingling in her spine, Twilight walks up to the small entry and pushes it open, revealing a near pitch black room beyond the swinging door. “H-hello?” The only thing that responds to the nervous pony is a hiss of wind and a creaking noise. Opening the door all the way behind her, Twilight illuminates the front room of the abandoned building, revealing its contents. It is a small room, only roughly four metres by five metres, with its wooden walls, ceiling, and floor nearly completely covered in vines and cobwebs. A door stand on every side of the room, each barred shut with rotting wooden planks and rusty nails. In the back right corner of the room, a ladder can be seen extending into the floor above and a basement below. Along the walls hold many pictures, large and small, all having their glass covers coated in dust. Curious, the purple pony slowly walks into the room and approaches one of the larger pictures, looking as if it was a special one that required more space around its dirty golden frame. Using her hoof to smear away the heavy dust, Twilight immediately becomes astonish as her eyes gaze onto the image in front of her eyes being revealed. As the sun begins its slow decent into the afternoon and eventual night, Applejack is still pacing around the sandy coast with Applebloom and Scootaloo trailing behind her. Paying no mind to the water splashing into her legs, the orange Earth pony’s mind is set on another, more critical thought in her perception. “Hey, Applejack,” the adult mare’s younger sister cries out, “can we get back to camp? We’re getting’ hungry.” No response is given by the sidetracked leader of the team. “Sister? Hello? Hellooooooo…” Still no reply or even acknowledgement is given. “What’s going on?” Scootaloo remarks to her filly friend, “Is she sleep walking?” “Maybe I should try screamin’?” “Wait, isn’t that the opposite of what you’re supposed to do-” “Applejack!!!” Immediately, the large blond mare snaps from her mental distractions and snaps her neck towards her sister. “Are you alright?” Applejack fearfully hollers back, now virtually beginning to hyperventilate. “Sorry. Can we head back to camp now?” Before answering, the frightened pony takes a deep breathe to settle her nerves from the shock. “Sure, you all lead the way.” The orange pegasus cheers as she flaps her wings and turns towards the jungle. Without paying mind to the others, the energetic filly swoops into the trees, leaving a stunned Applejack and a confused Applebloom behind. “Sister, I’m sorry for giving you a fright.” “It’s fine, it’s all hunky dory. I was just a little, distracted.” “With what?” As the conversation continues, the two Earth pony sisters start to head their way to the meadow as well “A thought,” “What were you thinkin’ about?” “Well… Adult things. Nothin’ to worry your lil’ head about.” “What adult things? Are you gettin’ married?” “No, no, nothing like that,” “Then what?” “Well… It’s complicated.” “Applejack,” “Yeah?” “Is it about Mom and Dad?” A moment of silence manifests between the two as they wade through the forest for several seconds before being eventually broken by Applejack, “Sort of. Now that, you know, we only got each other, Big Mac, and Granny, and Granny’s is reaching her limit, there’s been a lingering problem about keeping us safe and all. I haven’t really been getting into thought about it much until our encounters with Korsan and what happened after them.” “We’ll be alright. Our friends will be with us and we’ll still have each other.” “…” “Right?” “…” As Applejack turns silent again, the yellow filly starts to feel nervous and begins to quiver in worry. “…You’re starting to scare me.” “Sorry. But, even if I am with you when something happens, what if I can’t protect you?” “No, that won’t happen. That won’t happen right?” “…I pray that’ll never happen. I will make sure that never happens. You have my word.” “And besides,” Applebloom cheerfully replies, seeing her sister now putting on a strong face, “we’ll always have our friends, right?” “…Sure…” Cruise DatingThe golden sun hovers down into the horizon as The Perfection gracefully sails across the cloudy skies. Its golden rays of dying light reflect off of the shiny woodwork of the deck and turn the thirty black sails of the tall masts fluttering in the wind into a warmer grey. At the forecastle deck, shielded from the direct sunlight by an array of gib sails, sits Korsan and Rarity, seated in two chairs at a small round table with a small set of fancy drinks and elegant foods. “So,” the brown stallion suavely asks his guest of honour, “any questions?” He then lifts up a small silver goblet from the table and drinks down its contents. Rarity looks at her peaceful surroundings before replying in a curious, yet still bitter tone, “How is this ship flying?” “Simple. I lined the exterior hull with thick proportions anti-magic. Anti-magic, in thicker proportions at least, reacts with the magic field surrounding our world, holding the ship in a locked altitude above the ground and the center of the world’s gravity, similar to a magnet really.” “Where have you been?” “Everywhere east from Ti, Pingwin, Heliopolis, Cervidas, Vaporia, Prances, Heliopolis, and many other places. I tell you what, the various cultures scattered across our world is fascinating, especial when they’re compared side by side by watching my band of diverse crew members interact with one another.” “How did you pick out your crew members? By random I’m guessing.” “Actually no, I study a bit of their history before breaking hem out of whatever bottleneck they were locked in, to determine who’s truly worthy to become part of this ship.” “Even the mime?” “Especially Chopin,” “Okay… Do you actually care about your crew members?” “Oh course I do, why would I not?” “Aren’t you worried about them backstabbing you, being mostly criminals?” “From what I’ve seen from their past, I’m highly certain that they’ll be loyal to me. Actually, I have some questions for you. Where did you come from?” “Equestria,” “I figured, you didn’t look like a foreign bigwig that night. What do you do for a living?” Although apprehensive to answer at first, seeing as Korsan is going to be stopped sooner or later, Rarity decides to play along and openly talk with the pirate captain about her life. “I’m a fashion designer. The best of the best some celebrities say.” “Interesting career choice, perhaps I could use your assistance in designing a new costume for me.” “No.” “Fine, fine. Does your sister want to follow your lead and also do this designing business?” “I don’t know. She’s currently trying everything just to get her cutie mark.” “Heh, I never even got mine, though I won’t say it really matters where I’m standing.” “Pity really. She’s wasting her precious time as a filly trying to grow up fast.” “At least she has a childhood…” As Korsan continues on, his voice becomes notably softer, “Miss Rarity, what’s it like being an older sibling?” “It’s most certainly not the easiest if that’s what you’re implying.” “But you have so much power, so much control.” “Oh now that’s just silly. Sweetie Belle’s a filly. Half of the time even I can’t control her.” “Do you still love her as your sister though?” “Well, of course. That what siblings are…” Rarity slowly stops taking as memories of what the old stallion at Thieves’ Hold told her about Korsan’s family. “…for. Although she can sometimes drive me insane, other times, she’s one of the greatest ponies I know. All of those good times we shared together, I’m real sorry that you only got rejection from yours.” A small moment of silence washes by before the pirate pony replies, returning to his more callous attitude, “But they had fair reason to be,” “Hey-” “Say, does Equestria still uphold that moronic equality thing today?” “Yes, and its most certainly not moronic.” “Well, perhaps you need to take a moment to see that it is a moronic principle.” “Being forced into having a date with some monster like you is moronic.” “I am no monster, but rather, a revolutionary, a necessary evil of sorts.” “Does your crew know about what you mean when you say that? The fact that you’re slaughtering every non-unicorn in your path?” “They, have some awareness of my goals. We haven’t been doing anything all that violent.” “But what about that day three years ago?” The pirate pegasus’ voice soon sharpens into an aggressive tone as he replies back, “Oh yes, that’s right, Nitin told you all about that day. I wasn’t in the best of moods to say the least.” “You’re probably never in the best of moods. All you are is just some psychopath using some false cause to justify whatever crime you want to commit. I am not joining your crew on whatever circumstance.” Furious at her partner, Rarity promptly gets up from her seat and heads towards the stairway to below deck. “Wait.” “I don’t care, I’m going back in my cell and away from you.” “Let’s just finish our supper at least.” “I’ll starve, thank you.” As the mad prisoner reaches the first step, Korsan calls out to her in a more benevolent voice, “Look, I was being stupid. I’m not all that tough or brooding as I set myself to be. Really I am. Let me show you, back in my chambers. You might actually like a few things.” Rarity turns towards the pirate, interested of this immediate change of heart. “…” “Please? Hear me out,” A small spur of joy and interest sparks in the mare’s head as she watches her rival now starting to beg to her, despite her still disgust in Korsan. “Hmmm… Like what things?” “Books, maps, mechanical devices, treasures, gemstones, artifacts,” “Gemstones?” “Yeah,” “Show me.” “Yes!” The captain surprisingly cheers in delight, “Follow me.” Within a second, Korsan’s body has already left the chair and is now running across the main deck to the other end of the long ship. “What the,” Rarity mumbles to herself as she slowly follows behind, “I wasn’t expecting him to be this, enthusiastic, maybe even, childlike.” After several minutes of extensive walking, Rarity meets up with her guide on the second floor of the quarterdeck in front of a long wall of solid wood and a vault door in the middle of it. As Korsan eagerly pulls several levers alongside the steel door, the white unicorn looks back to see a random stallion crew member climbing up one of the front masts’ ladder with a dagger in his magic. A loud clank is then heard behind her, causing her to snap her head back and see Korsan pulling the large circular door open, revealing a sight that causes Rarity’s jaw to drop. The inside the massive vault turns out to be a massive treasure room, filled to the ceiling with many various valuable things. A mountain of golden blocks and coins in one corner of the room, a wall stuffed with ancient books, and an entire set of Daring Do novels, next to the gold, several colour flags of different countries an kingdoms hanging from the ceiling, smaller piles of iron, silver, quartz, emerald, diamond, bronze, and other valuable metals and abundant crystals neatly sorted, mechanical toys and devices made from wood, metal, and strings displayed on shelves and tables, several large containing units for holding special objects all arranged in a nice pattern, and even more trinkets and valuables dotted every metre of the massive chamber. Shocked stiff, Rarity continues to silently stare into the room, mystified of what her eyes alone can see. “So,” Korsan gleefully asks, “what do you think?” “I’m speechless. Never imagined you had such tastes.” “Come, you said you wanted to see the gemstones.” Gently grabbing Rarity’s front hoof, Korsan leads her into the large room and begins to search around for where the jewels are placed. “Now where did I leave those? By the Altar of Aspidochelone? How about the condensed anti-magic? No, was it the Snapneck Claw prototype? No, no, no, it was by Captain Cutlass Cornelius’ skull.” “Where did you find all of these things? I know you pillage and plunder and all of that, but some of these things look like they’re centuries old, even millenniums.” Rarity asks as she’s awestruck by a wall presenting highly detailed paintings of nature. “Why didn’t you show me this room before?” “I found them on some travelling ventures, only a few I ‘stole’ per say, specifically the gold and some gemstones. And I didn’t really think of showing you this room because…” “Because what?” “…I don’t know. I maybe my talking of a big talk, my thick privacy, I’m really more of an idiot.” “Why are you telling me this now?” “Back at the forecastle, when we were talking, something just triggered inside of me. It was some feeling, a really good feeling, one that I haven’t felt in a while. For some reason, I feel like I can be honest with you. I-I just can’t really describe it.” “You mean as a friend?” “Perhaps, perhaps. Ah, here they are.” The two ponies reach a pair of long shelves, one above another, both lined from end to end in a vast array of valuable jewels and stones. From red diamonds, to yellow star-cut rubies, to green crystals, to blue emeralds, Rarity becomes completely entranced by her favourite objects in the world. “They’re beautiful.” “Let’s see, that small white one’s the Eye of Calypso, that red diamond’s a Sparkle Blood Diamond, this pink one in the corner is an old birthstone of the current princess of Germaneigh,” One the middle of the top shelf, the white mare notices the Diamond Eyes, leaning against the wall side by side. Rarity is then immediately reminded on why she and her sister are even here on this ship. She looks over her side to see her guide continue to ramble on about each and every one of the hundred or so jewels before them. “Korsan.” “Yes?” “Where did you find the second Diamond Eye?” “Off from the shores of Pingwin. I had to, ‘borrow’, the other half in Equestria during the gala in order for the thing to actually be usable.” “Usable for what?” “To find the place I’ve been looking for, my ticket of finally being able to use magic, Alicorn Island.” “Alicorn Island…” “There’s some sort of map hidden in the Diamond Eyes, I just can’t find it though.” “What do you plan to do once you do find the island?” “Well, seeing as you and your friends went after me for it. I might just return it to Equestria with both halves for a small ransom, I wouldn’t really need it since. But at this rate, I may never be able to find that blasted isle.” “You’re really trying hard to find a way to be a unicorn or an alicorn.” “It’s been my lifelong dream, to be able to do things you and most other unicorns are able to do at any moment. To teleport to anywhere in only a second, to levitate massive objects with only your mind, to protect myself from ponies trying to use magic on me, it’s all a wonder for me.” “Captain Korsan.” An old stallion’s voice calls out from outside the vault, “We’re approaching alongside the western coastline of Wisteria. Anymore continuing northwards and we’ll be far beyond the charted waters of the Outer Kingdoms and the Antlertic Ocean.” “I see Butch Taylor, I understand.” The leader calls back to his crewmember. “Course of action Captain?” “…Let me take to the wheel. I got this taken care of. Come along Rarity,” As the stallion and mare head out to the vault door, they start to hear nervous huffs of airs from the cook, “Please tell me it’s not another joyride.” “It’s a fair time to see if the ship’s in full working order.” “Isn’t that Isyan’s job? Your boatswain?” “Bah, the slacker’s as daft as the mere concept of flank piercings.” “Ew…” Rarity moans to herself. “Believe me, it’s hard to contemplate its existence even when it’s right in front of you. Don’t ask about it.” “Korsan, please,” Butch pleas to his leader passing by him, “we’re already under enough stress as it is working.” “Exactly, that’s why I would suggest a good flight to loosen up.” “Oh bother,” As Korsan and Rarity reach the open deck and climb up the stairs to the top poop deck, the large dark blue stallion yells out to his colleges, “Joyride Alert! Joyride Alert! Joyride Alert!” Immediately, all of the crew members on deck and on top of the large masts scramble into the galley and down into the cabins below, the loud rumbling of their hooves against the wood floor roar all the way up to Korsan and his guest at the wheel of the large vessel. “Heh, never gets old.” The bipedal pegasus reaches to his far right and pulls down the farthest lever amongst the selection of two other levers and a button. Upon pulling all the way down, an enormous clank ruptures from inside the wheel and five more levers emerge from the insides of the wheel’s stand as well as two sets of three more large stick controls telescope from the a rising section of the floor which turns out to be a hidden control box. As Rarity watches in awe of Korsan’s wheel area turning into an advanced control panel, the top of her eyes catch a glimpse of Korsan’s ice phoenix hovering around the airship. The last of the new steering devices set in place and the entire floating bolt jolts and shivers around, throttling up and loosening its stiff cruising path. “You might want to hold onto something.” “Why?” Rarity nervously asks as she latches her front hooves around the poop deck’s railing in front. “Things are about to get real fun. Right. Now.” With one swift motion of his front leg, he flicks the initial middle lever up from its initial position, causing The Perfection to suddenly drop from the sky and plummet towards the ocean several hundred metres below. Rarity immediately screams as the massive ship rapidly accelerates and tips the bow down to the blue abyss below. “Pull up! Pull up!” “One second…” After five seconds of free falling, and the entire behemoth now only a single hundred metres above the waves below, the pirate reaches to his side and yanks a side lever down. The long flagship jerks upwards and straightens out. Only the keel pierces into the rolling water as the pirate ship charges forward at ridiculous speeds. Ahead of them, Rarity and Korsan see a long range of rocky cliff faces at the horizon. As the vessel fails to stop, the cliffside quickly grows larger in their sights, covering their entire vision in only a few seconds. Korsan yanks another lever. The Perfection immediately lifts up and travels along the tall vertical cliff. The ship quickly reaches the top and follows along the tops of the forest at the cliffs. Shifting between two levers, Korsan bobs and weaves the rapid boat between the more gigantic trees. A few accidently clip into the sides of the boat, sending massive chunks of wood chips out over the environment. “Who taught you how to drive?!” “Me.” Korsan then pulls the ship directly upwards in the middle of the forest and lets the ship rise for several seconds. As he and Rarity grab onto the wheel and railing with all of their might, Rarity looks behind her and sees a large ravine right below them, only barely larger than the airship. “You’re not doing that are you?” “The ravine?” The airship then stalls after climbing several kilometres into the air and turns back around, plunging back towards the world below. “It’s going to fit.” “No it won’t!” “I know this ship like my front hoof. Although, I haven’t really seen my hoof for a few years-” “Watch out!” Korsan focuses back on what’s in front of the ship and sees the bow sprint charging directly towards the outer edge of the chasm. He frantically yanks several levers and whips the wheel to the left, causing the massive ship to slip into the hole and down into its caverns below. The sounds of wood scraping against stone sound off into the darkness as Korsan pilots the lightning-fast airship with the only light being the faint green glow of his ship’s hull and sparks generated by the grinding of wood against the stone walls. Corkscrews, loops, hairpin turns, wide bends, and gravity twisting maneuvers are performed one right after another in the dark and tight cave. Rarity can barely hold onto the firm railing, or her stomach, for much longer as it seems like The Perfection will never stop. Eventually though, the massive behemoth stops its frantic whips and slows downs upon reaching a long, wide stretch of the cave that is filled with glittery gemstones. Rarity and Korsan take awe as the gently cruising ship passes by massive crystals in the wall. Colours of the rainbow dance along the wooden deck and sails of the fully rigged vessel. On the ceiling of the length of cavern hosts enormous golden crystal stalagmites that are skimming the tops of the masts and sails. Just below, the faint sounds of a quiet river can be heard lapping into the keel. “Wow,” Rarity mutters. “Indeed.” Korsan replies in wonder as well, almost at a lost for words. “Look at those things above us.” “Must be a solid vein of pure gold above being mixed with quartz due to water erosion above that’s creating these,” “Have you ever been here before?” “No, I wish I did. This place is beautiful.” “Incredible…” “Miss Rarity, hold on tight.” “Why?” Rarity looks back forwards at the bow of the ship and sees that the incoming end of their cavern goes into sharp drop. The pirate airship starts to tilt forward into the abyss and soon roars back alive with speed. “Here we go again!” In a second, the ship rips back at its neck breaking charge into the darkness below. Screams erupt from Rarity and howls roar from Korsan with the boat resuming its insane maneuvers. Rocks and wood debris smack against the massive ship as it barrels through the caves. The ponies onboard are flung left and right, never stopping for a second. The chaos ensues for several minutes before light can be seen around a corner. Hitting the turn, Korsan and Rarity see the daylight at the other end of a final stretch. The Perfection charges towards it, but as it hits the halfway point, a large section of the cave roof collapses and covers the exit. The pirate pegasus immediately reacts by flinging another lever, causing his vessel to rapidly spiral whilst still speeding ahead. “Hold on!” The ship rams into the rock pile. The wall of stone bursts into pebbles. And the huge airship blasts through the exit and escapes the cave. A gust of breeze washes over the boat as the white unicorn and brown pegasus breathe out a sigh of relief. With the golden sky now returning over their heads, the captain resets the levers surrounding him, returning the huge brig to its normal glide across the sky. Upon returning the farthest switch to its initial positon, the wheel area collapses back to its normal form. “So, what do you think of that?” Rarity quietly mutters in her gasps for air, “…That. Was. Too scary,” “Oh.” “But fun. Just because I’m not a big fan of you, doesn’t mean I can have a little fun.” “So, want to go agai-” “No!” “Haha,” Korsan chuckles to himself for a moment upon being immediately denied. “Cousin Korsan.” A stallion’s voice cuts in on Korsan’s laughter. Rarity and the pirate look down to the entrance of the galley and see Isyan looking up at him. “Oh, hello dear cousin,” “Do you realize what damage you just caused by this joyride of yours?! One of the lavatories has a giant hole in it with its toilet gone, the bowsprit’s bent, the paint’s chipped, one of the kitchen windows are scraped,” as the beige boatswain angrily barks at his leader, Rarity feels as if she’s heard Isyan’s voice from somewhere. However, as hard as she tries, the events of just a minute ago has scrambled her brain for the moment. “Yin and Yu have caused a riot over bets on your joyride. Fawnswa revisited lunch again, Pip’s stuck in a cannon, and your treasure room is spilling out all over the deck!” Korsan then looks down towards the entrance of his vault of treasures and sees the Diamond Eye halves lying out in the open. “Oh, forgot to close the door… Well, it’s just those two pieces, and they didn’t get too far-” “Korsan! How are you going to atone for the damage of The Perfection?” “Don’t worry Isyan, that’s your department. You got this under your control, no need to worry about me.” The formally dressed unicorn growls in fury of his kin’s immature attitude towards and storms onto the lower quarter deck to clean up the loose gemstones. “Oh dear cousin, you’re never without a laugh.” Isyan’s only response is a grumble as he picks up the Diamond Eye halves and puts them together. Upon locking them in place, Korsan’s eyes sharpen at the rainbow light refracted onto the deck under the crystal. “Wait!” “What now?” “Don’t, move.” The caped pirate leaps over the poop deck’s rail and next to his cousin and the floating Diamond Eye. He then crotches down to the rainbow glow of the wood and examines the tiny symbols created in the blurry shine of the diamond. “Lift the Diamond Eye up, slowly.” Curious of what he’s on about, Isyan follows along and gently lifts up the crystal. Upon having the symbols having sharpened to firm shapes, the bipedal captain calls out, “Stop!” “Cousin, what’s going on? It’s just some sunlight going through a prism and making some weird rainbow reflection.” Rarity also walks up to where Korsan and Isyan are and upon seeing the glowing symbols, is immediately reminded of Twilights interest in them back at Thieves’ Hold. “Don’t you remember from ‘Daring Do and the Lost Kingdoms of Trihearth’? Why didn’t I see this before? It was so obvious from the fact that Daring Do’s mother is-” “The point?” “These light symbols are the map! It’s our ticket to Alicorn Island! Ha, ha! Just a bit of time for translating and travel, I will finally be able to use magic, and it’s all downhill from there!” Korsan rises from his crotch and immediately begins to manically laugh in joy. A slight feeling of joy overcomes Rarity as she sees the fun stallion so happy, but also a feeling of dread of what this means for her friends and everypony else. “Korsan, must you be so open in front of Miss Rarity over here?” “Bah, you worry too much cousin. To the books!” Volcano EscapeAs the moon and stars emerging in the night sky above the island, a small purple dragon watches the spectacle from the lip of the massive center volcano. With the red head from the boiling lava pool several hundred metres below providing heat for his reptile body, Spike feels as if he’s at peace with the world. He outlines the shapes of famous constellations with his claws for minutes on end, as well as creating his own in the shape of himself and his friends. However, his stargazing is suddenly interrupted by the earth violently shaking below him for seemingly no reason. The baby dragon yelps in panic as he stumbles to the vibrating ground. Small surrounding rocks and pebbles start to pour down the face of the steep mountain, large boulders start to tumble and roll from their lodge, and even the surrounding hills begin to bend to the will of the tremor. “What the hay is going on?!” Spike screams as chaos erupts all around him. Crawling along the ground, he looks over the edge of the volcanic crater and sees the pool of lava rapidly rising up the cone to his horror. “This isn’t good.” Meanwhile, in the midst of the thick jungle, Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are still recovering their hoofing as the earthquake continues to roar. The large palm trees around them collapse one by one, sending even more panic throughout the unsuspecting ponies, having to now dodge them. The two fillies scream louder and louder as more and more of the towers of wood nearly crush them. As the trio scamper through, one of the larger pine trees ahead of them collapses and plummets directly at them. Applebloom and Scootaloo embrace themselves for the impact. A loud smashing noise bellows across the entire island. However, much to the fillies’ surprise, they find their bodies still intact, realizing that Applejack stopped the falling tree with her body. With her hind legs digging into the snapping wood and her front hooves buried in the fallen vines and bush, Applejack finds herself stuck and slowly losing strength against the mass of the tall tropical pine. “Oh shoot!” The orange Earth pony declares to her followers, “I’m stuck!” “Sis’!” Applebloom cries, “You can’t get stuck now, we have to go!” “You two just have to get to the meadow or the beach. I’ll last.” The orange pegasus retorts, “We’re not leaving you!” “Oh yes you twos are. Go!” “But-” “Go!” Applebloom attempts to speak in response, “Please, we can try-” “Go! Get out! Scat!” Overwhelmed by the elder mare’s screaming, the two foals decide to follow to her command and scatter into the further reaches of the tumbling forest ahead. With her hooves now embedded into the landscape, Applejack continues to stay stuck for a least a minute as the quake still continues. “Move! Move! Move!” As hard as she tries, kicking, punching, and destroying her muscles, her body continues to stay firm. “If only I could use magic to lift this darn thing, then I’d make sure that my lil’ sister’s safe out there instead of worrying back here. If only I was, a unicorn… But what about the others? Twilight? Dash? Flutter? Pinkie? What are they going to think of me?” A distant voice then screams out from behind the mare, “Help!” “What the?” Stiffly turning her head, Applejack sees that it’s Spike, running right towards her. “Spike?! What’s going on?” “Volcano’s erupting!” “Volcano?!” Applejack’s green eyes immediately dart towards the middle of the island. She sees that the volcano is in fact erupting extremely violently, as pillars of smoke rush from the top and large rivers of molten lava rain down from the cliffside, straight towards her, Spike, and the fillies. In an instant, her body gains a second wind and the small mare immediately launches the fallen tree from her hind legs with a mighty buck. She then yanks out her front hooves with a series of rapid tugs, freeing herself in less than three seconds. She charges towards the fleeing purple dragon now as he runs towards the coastline. “Don’t look back!” Slightly curious of how close the lava is, Applejack looks back for a split second, only to jump in shock as she sees that a massive wave of flowing molten rock is rapidly speeding right towards her and Spike, incinerating any fallen trees or plants in its way. “Oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot!” “I told you not to look back!” With Applejack now right behind Spike, the orange mare quickly lifts Spike onto her back with her head as a scoop. “Hot-hot-hot!” “Wait, don’t you dragon types not burn in lava?” “Yeah, when static enough, not when it’s just come straight out of the volcano and flowing at rapid speeds,” “Oh.” “Your tail’s on fire!” High above the erupting anarchy of nature, a cyan pegasus looks over the carnage in utter shock. From her high view, Rainbow Dash can see large chunks of the island breaking apart and sinking into the ocean below, sending whatever life and molten rock on it plummeting into the roaring waters. She carefully swoops down to get a better look around the epicenter of the destruction and sees Pinkie Pie standing on top of a stone spire poking from the lava flows. “Pinkie!” Dash screams at the pink Earth pony from above, “Hold on, I’m coming to get you!” “Look at the lava, it’s so cool!” Pinkie cheerfully replies, “Look! Look! It’s making red glowing bubbles!” “Now’s not the time to be goofing around!” “Aw, but lava’s so fun to look at.” Disregarding the energetic mare’s intrigue, the high speed pegasus soars towards the top of one of the thicker clouds and immediately starts pounding into it, releasing a small shower of rain from it onto the volcano. The pellets of water strike the lava in an endless barrage of liquid missiles, quickly cooling the molten stone and turning it into a thin black bed of obsidian. Pinkie moans at the sight of her entertainment being destroyed and the fact that her mane and tail have turned into a flat mop of hair from the rain. However, before her mild lament lasts for long, Rainbow Dash lands down onto the new rock floor and approaches Pinkie. “Are you okay?” “I’m as cool as a cucumber,” Pinkie happily replies, immediately getting over her melancholy. “This whole island’s about to go under if we don’t get out of here.” “Aw, that’s a shame. I saw a bunch of really cool stuff in the jungle.” “We have to find the others and make sure they’re okay.” “Okey-doke-” An immediate jolt erupts from seemingly nowhere as the two mares are flung to the back of the obsidian platform. “What was that?” “Yay! We’re lava-rafting!” “What?” The stunned pony looks around to find that the large stone sheet she made has split up into smaller slabs and are all being swept down by the still raging flow of lava from the volcano. Looking forward, Dash sees that the platform their on is now approaching the edge of a cliff, about to hurdle over a lava waterfall. “Ahhh! Pinkie!” The blue pony attempts to grab her friend and lift her off of the ground. Rainbow Dash flaps her wings violently as the impromptu raft starts to teeter over the edge. As hard as she tries, Pinkie is too heavy to be lifted even a fair inch for only a second at most. “You s-should r-really start to lay off of the c-cake.” “Hold on tight, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Please keep your hooves, legs, wings, horns, and head inside the vehicle at all times.” “It’s dangerous! We got to get off of this thing and find the others!” “Since when did you start becoming Twilight?” “What?” “Don’t you like doing stuff like this? Or maybe you just completely lost your touch as soon as we hit the sea and have become a stick in the mud. Come on, don’t be a stick in the mud.” “I’m not a stick in the mud.” “Prove it. Let’s have some fun and turn that worried frown upside down!” Upon hearing those words, a rush of overwhelming pride and adrenaline flares through Rainbow Dash’s body. “No backing out?” Her face scrunches into a determined stance, her mouth slides open into a grin, and her hooves lock into the cracks of the obsidian slab as it begins to accelerate off the cliff and reveal the true height of the drop. “Oh-” “No backing out.” “Uh oh.” “Don’t tell me. You just realized that challenging me was a bad idea?” “Yep.” “We’re going to get seriously injured from this?” “Most likely.” “Bring it on.” The large slab then falls from the cliff edge and lave waterfall. As it tumbles several tens of meters to the molten jungle below, the whoops of Dash and cries of Pinkie echo across the island. Meanwhile, on the beach and next to the remaining deck of the SS Raindrop, Fluttershy is running back and forth across the sand, hoping and waiting for her friends to arrive. With the infernal glow of the destruction of the land mass growing larger and closer to the yellow mare, fear and dread overwhelm the timid pony. Fluttershy soon begins to rapidly breathe as glimpses of the rabid lava flows appear in between the quickly decimating trees. “Can anypony hear me?” The small pegasus yells out as she backs towards the wooden raft. “We can!” A filly’s voice calls out from the brush. Soon, Applebloom and Scootaloo emerge from the bushes ahead and run towards Fluttershy. “Don’t take off without us!” Scootaloo screams out. “Hurry! Is anypony else following behind you?” Applejack’s voice calls out in response. “We are!” Immediately, barreling at rapid speeds, the orange mare and Spike burst from the forest and charge across the beach alongside the two other foals. “Thank goodness. But what about Rainbow Dash and Pinkie? Have you seen them?” Fluttershy is straightaway responded with a loud howl coming from deep in the jungle. “Was that-” Suddenly, a giant slab of solid obsidian flies out over the falling palm trees and soars over the ponies’ heads before landing into the shallow waters behind them. As the four running ponies and baby dragon join Fluttershy on the raft, they observe the wedged rock. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie eventually reveal themselves from around the side of the cooled lava, looking quite dazed and exhausted as they paddle in the shallow waters to the raft. Pinkie Pie nauseously moans, “Here and accounted for.” Rainbow Dash soon also replies as her hoof touches the wooden watercraft, “Can we do it again?” As the final two ponies eventually tumble onto the wooden raft, a loud explosion sounds off behind the mares, on the island. Fluttershy turns around to inspect what caused the noise and is immediately blasted in the face with a warm and sandy shockwave. Her eyes instinctively snap close and reopen a second later to see that a massive chunk of the jungle has been disintegrated into a smoldering crater before being quickly filled with the swift lava. “What was that?” Applejack yells out before looking back and seeing what’s left of the crater, “Oh… Get us the blue blazes out of here!” “Oh, right.” Fluttershy stampers as she hops off of the raft and onto what’s left of the beach and attempts to push it forward. “Garr, it’s too heavy.” “Step aside!” Quickly, the orange mare hops off as well onto the quickly decimating island. She gives a mighty buck to the beached deck piece, only for it to merely move a centimetre forward into the water. Applejack attempts to kick it again, only for it to inch a tiny bit again. With the sea of lava rapidly approaching, the mares see that they’re stuck. “Oh shoot.” “What now?!” “Hey! Look over there!” Pinkie pipes up, pointing her hoof along the burning coastline. Rainbow Dash groans, “We get it Pinkie, lava is cool.” “Not to mention we’re about to be burnt to a crisp by it!” Applejack adds. “No!” Pinkie retorts, “Another ship!” “What?” Fluttershy, Rainbow, Applejack, Spike, Applebloom, and Scootaloo follow the energetic soggy mare’s shaking leg along the beach and see a mysterious sleek sailing boat race around the island towards them. As it rapidly draws closer, the light from the lava reveals that the driver of the ship is Twilight, currently panicking as she’s veering the wheel left and right. “It’s Twilight!” The long racing ship slows to a stop alongside the raft and slab of obsidian. The purple alicorn on board the thing then peers over the edge to see her companions down below. “Need a lift?” Twilight pridefully asks. She then carries over a long plank of wood and sets it between her new ship and the tiny raft, creating a ramp. “We sure do!” Pinkie cheers before bouncing up the ramp and onto the poop deck next to her friend, soon followed by Spike being just as energetic. “Great to see you again,” “Where did you even find this?” Applejack asks as she follows in Pinkie’s wake and climbs aboard, soon being followed by her younger sister. “I found it in the basement of some researcher’s home in the jungle.” “Wait, somepony else is on the island?” Fluttershy responds as she flies to the main deck, “Shouldn’t we find him?! What if he needs our help?!” “I’m not sure if he’s still around.” “The entire island’s already gone,” Dash impatiently calls out as she and Scootaloo follow behind their yellow friend’s flight, “it’s only us and we need to go!” Another large chuck of the island explodes on the beach, causing Lightning Rod to shake in its immediate shockwave. “Now!” “Right then!” “Let’s get a breeze going!” “No need to.” “What?” “Rather, you girls stay down, things are about to get hairy.” The purple mare quickly runs back to the wheel, causing a blue glowing glyph to appear on the wooden floor upon being touched. “Hey, what’s that?” Spike nervously asks. “Some sort of magic steering spell embedded into the-” Before Twilight can continue, a series of three explosions go off on the lava covered island, sending molten stones and debris flying everywhere around the large ship. “How about we save the tour and get us out of here!” Applejack screams. “Right!” With a snap of her head and neck, Twilight aims her horn, still with the anti-magic strap on it, down to the back of the magical glyph. In a second, the bottom section of the marking fades away and the top portion begins to shine even brighter. As that happens, the ship immediately launches itself forward, accelerating to rapid speeds in a few seconds. Everypony on board clutches onto the woodwork, screaming as they fly forward across the water. The black waves below turn into white mist and spray the onboard crew. Twilight then returns to the wheel and turns it counter clock wise. The speeding cruiser obeys and turns right alongside the island. “Okay, so what I figured out, is that this is usually a magic operated control scheme, with the magnitude of magic on the glyph determining the velocity and acceleration of Lightning Rod, this boat. With this anti-magic device on my horn, I realized that I have to use it to push the magic already embedded into the wood to where I want it to go, like a magnet with similar poles aimed at each other” “Watch out!” The river breaks her attention from Spike and sees that she’s dashing right towards a cliffside. Quickly, she aims her horn down to the left part of the blue markings. The ship immediately veers right and slightly scrapes against the melting rocky wall. Along the cliff, another set of explosions go off, each barely nicking the speeding ship with their spheres of fire and scorching stones. One section blasts right next to the left side of the hull. The ship tilts over from the blast and a large chunk of its wood separates, flying off into the burning mass. “Pull right!” “Quit backseat driving!” “I’m passenger seat driving, let me drive.” “I know what I’m doing.” Twilight then turns the vessel away from the island, sending it hurdling across the sea. However, several larger explosions set off on the sinking island, launching large boulders and clusters of lava at the fleeing ship. As Applejack and Twilight continue to fight, the princess swerves left and right to avoid the incoming projectiles, hurling everything and everypony on board side to side in a chaotic fashion. “You clearly don’t.” “Well it’s not easy when you have to drive this thing with your head and hooves because you have no magic!” “See? Even you know it!” “Know what?” “Unicorns and alicorns are superior!” “Back to this again?!” “It’s true isn’t it?” “No!” “Isn’t it?! Think about what you just said.” “And let us crash?!” “Quit avoid it!” “I’m not avoiding it!” Spike screams out, “Look out!” The two bickering mares stop and look behind them to see a colossal portion of the isle bursting away from the mainland and flying towards them. As it travels over the speeding boat, a large explosion creates a big hole in the center of the rock mass. Soon, a barrage of giant boulders soon follows in a massive cluster, too many for even the sleek watercraft to dodge. Applejack quickly grabs the wheel in response and steers the speeder directly towards the hole as the huge landmass dives into the sea a hundred metres ahead. “What are you doing?!” “Saving our hides!” Applejack answers, only for her focus to be cut off by Twilight’s wing being shoved in her face. “Are you trying to kill us?” “Are you?” “What is that supposed to mean? You’re siding with the villain!” “The world’s not entirely black and white. I want to protect my family, but apparently I can’t because somepony wants to deny anything somepony with different ideals says despite them being obviously true. Even I can see that.” “I’ve had enough of this. Get off of the wheel!” “You get off!” “I said get off, you double-crosser!” “I know what I’m doing, you ignorant pain!” “You traitor!” “You moron!” “Villain!” “Wench!” The two mares immediately then gasp upon hearing each other’s’ final insults, causing both a wave of anger and shave to crash into their minds. For a moment, all of time seems to come to a stop as the two ponies, once best of friends, have now unwillingly turned into the fiercest of enemies. “Applejack? Twilight?” Spike yells out to the two mares, having been unable to hear what they were saying over the environmental chaos surrounding them, but able to understand they were angrily fighting over the wheel. Now noticing their hooves have backed from the wheel, Spike darts in between Applejack and Twilight and grabs the wheel, holding it steady as the falling land mass splashes into the sea. The vessel barely squeezes through the hole and pops out of the other side into the safety of open water whilst the sinking chunk of land is pelted by molten boulders. Below on the main deck, the pegasi cheer out in joy as well as Pinkie and a half asleep Applebloom who are now down there as well. “Pinkie, how did you and Applebloom get down there?” “I don’t know,” the pink Earth pony nauseously grumbles, “hey, did all of you take a swim in the Mirror Pool? I’m starting to see two of everypony…” “You might have just fallen down and Applebloom may have fallen on you.” “What's that, Papa? No, I don't wanna wear the big lobster costume… Why do you make me wear that anyways?” In an instant, the mare collapses onto the deck and snores can immediately be heard from her still body. “She’ll be fine.” Dash remarks upon examining the sleeping ponies, “Actually, it’s pretty late. Maybe I should hit the hay as well.” “Me to,” Fluttershy adds. “Me three,” Applebloom remarks as she climbs off of Pinkie and follows Dash inside. “Same here,” Scootaloo yawns at the back of the group. “Now where are the beds?” “I think this thing may only have one bed.” With most of the group now below deck and Pinkie fast asleep, the purple and green dragon looks back to see the remaining two ponies awake still staring at each other in shock and disbelief at one another. “Applejack? Twilight?” Spike timidly calls out to his frozen friends. Slowly, Spike taps Twilight on the shoulder to break her from her freeze, causing her to immediately gasp in surprise and jump into the air. Applejack soon follows suit and snaps from her glance. “Sorry!” “Oh,” Twilight responds, “it’s you. Sorry.” “Are you and AJ okay? What were you two fighting about?” “…We’re…having some difficulties on certain viewpoints. It’s nothing really.” “Yeah, what she said.” Applejack stiffly replies, “I better, check on the fillies.” “S-sure, you do that.” “Y-yeah, yeah.” Slowly, the lone Earth pony walks down the stairs to the main deck and turns to the slanted trapdoor leading down into the quarterdeck. Spike asks once more, “Are you sure you two are alrigh-” Twilight immediately snaps, “We’re fine!” However, she quickly recollects herself and talks calmly, “We’re fine.” “So, what now?” “…We’re going to save Rarity. I know where Korsan’s going to be going.” “You do?!” “I do, we’re heading to the Breach, in the Old World.” “Wait, you mean,” “Yes, the Old World.” “But how? We’re probably thousands of kilometres away from wherever it is, not to mention the legends told about it. And what about when we actually confront Korsan with his giant airship against these tiny cannons.” “We’ll make it, and we will find a way to stop Korsan once and for all.” Twilight returns to her central position on the glowing glyph and aims her horn at the bottom portion of the blue marking. As the upper potion illuminates even more, the already lightning-fast vessel accelerates even more as it rockets along the night sea, northwest to the Breach. Desert HurricaneHundreds of kilometres away from any charted land mass, with the only thing able to be seen at this point being the bright blue sea, the even bluer skies, several large white clouds, and the topaz sun, the dark brown airship gently sails amongst the rolling clouds beside it in the sky. While the crew members on and below deck prepare for their next adventure, the lookouts in their crow’s nest over a hundred metres above the deck are looking in every direction with their spyglasses, searching for the Breach their captain told them about. Eventually, on the front-most mast, a lookout peers through his glass towards the bow of the galleon and sees it. A massive pitch black rip in the world, a huge canyon that looks to be swallowing the sea as it pours into it endless, shows peering from the horizon twenty kilometres ahead of them. “I see it!” The stallion calls out to his companions behind him, “I see the Breach, exactly ten and a half nautical miles dead ahead, we got four minutes!” “Inform the captain immediately!” A middle aged stallion on the mast behind the first yells out. “By thunder, it’s the edge of the world!” “Hey,” an older mare lookout calls out from another mast, “I’m starting to see it as well. “ “Me too!” a third stallion screams, “We gotta turn back! I’ve heard legends about these types of things in the Old World, and they’re all bad things.” “I’m with Salty Bob. I’m not going into that thing if it means risking my hide.” “Tell Korsan to turn back!” “Will you twos pipe down!” the second lookout proclaims, “the captain knows what he’s doing.” “What if he doesn’t Alexander Grevious?” “Very fine point.” A commanding voice replies far below the panicking pony. The third stallion looks down to see Captain Korsan look up at him with Juliana perched on his shoulder. “But I most certainly know what I’m doing.” “C-C-Captain!” “Keep The Perfection sailing straight towards the Breach, we’ll gently hover down with all cannons at the ready for any beasts that dare tangle with us. However, for safe measure, I suggest you make peace with yourself.” “Y-yes sir,” “Good.” The brown bipedal captain then walks around the massive deck area and supervises the preparations going on. With ponies bustling back and forth with several various items in each of their magic grips, crew members climbing up and down the rigging, pirates fastening the frantic sails, and chattering roaring across every corner of the vessel, Korsan elevates his voice and movements as he relays commands to his minions. “Perform a maintenance check on the anchors! Batten down the hatches! Secure all sail knots! Prime all cannons! Prepare life-lines! Tie down any loose cargo! Check the rudder! Seal all the bathrooms! Lock down the anti-magic generators!” As the captain reaches the entrance to the galley, Isyan emerges from the dining area’s doors and speaks to his cousin, “Korsan, the crew members are freaking out. They, as well as I, aren’t secure about going into that thing. I suggest we turn back around now before something terrible happens and kills us all.” “Bah, dear cousin, we’ll be perfectly fine.” “Korsan, for once, quit acting like a child and see the danger coming right at us at any second-” “Give or take three minutes.” “I don’t care! We’re already tired out from ship repairs after that joyride you pulled two weeks ago. Speaking of which, we aren’t even secure our ship’s in the best condition to go on such a perilous journey. Pull back now!” “No!” “Yes!” “No!” “Captain Korsan?” A mare’s voice gently calls out behind the stressed stallion. Quickly, the dark pony looks over his caped shoulder to find Rarity standing behind him, dressed in a thin dark blue and black combat dress, small belted black boots, and a black tricorn hat with a golden trim and a long ice blue feather attached to it. “Yes Miss Rarity?” “Is there a problem?” “No, be sure to secure your sister before we hit the Breach.” “Yes sir.” Quickly, the white unicorn hurries back inside, where Korsan views from between the diagonal muntins of the large window her going towards the kitchen area. “Ah, to think, about two or three weeks ago, you and your sister resented me. Now look at you, one of my most loyal tailors and your sister as one of my finest cooks.” “’Loyal’ is a bit too soon to call. She hasn’t been part of any looting ventures, just sparring, still intends on returning to Equestria, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that she’s just trying to take advantage of your unreasonable kindness towards her. That dress she has is one of your most prized possessions.” “Look, Isyan, I have faith in Rarity, for good reason as well. Ever since she and her sister joined our crew, the nightly galley sparring have become more entertaining, the food has become much more delicious, all of our boots are finally fixed, and the overall morale of the ship has increased drastically. Sweetie Belle is fantastic. Rarity, is even more so. She is one of the nicest, savviest, most beautiful-” “Ahem,” Isyan snaps at his leader, “apologies for intruding on your fantasies sir, but we’re current approaching death!” “Hold on one second.” Swiftly, Korsan climbs up to his wheel and activates the speaker pipe. “Attention all sea artists!” Almost immediately, the entire boat turns silent and all of its members look towards the pirate captain at the wheel. “Now, I know what most of you have going through your minds as we are approaching the Breach. You’re scared, you’ve lost all hope, you’re questioning my leadership, and a million more things. However, let me remind you of who we are. We are the crew, of one hundred proud unicorns, of The Perfection, the greatest band of pirates the world has ever known. We have traveled to now every corner of the known world and beyond, doing the impossible. We hunted down the Emperor Kraken yes?” “Yeah,” A few pirates quietly reply. “We discovered the lost city Marelantis, right?” “Yeah,” Several more pirates answer more audibly, with one loudly cheering. “We dethroned the Pirate King, crushed his armada of forty fifty-gun sloops, and still won the Pirate of the Year award, isn’t that right?!” “Yeah!” The entire onboard crew shouts in unison. “Mega hurricanes that devour continents, electric typhoons that give electric eels their deadly stings, fire tornadoes that out-burn the sun, ice volcanos that freeze the clouds above, and all other types of weather. We never have fallen to any of nature’s wrath have we?” “No!” “And best of all, we invaded Equestria, one of the most powerful nations of all, stole its most valuable treasure, defeated their military alongside the four alicorn princesses themselves, and took off with little resistance. We did that!” “Aye!” “We did the impossible!” “Aye!” “And now, as we approach what maybe one of our greatest challenges, possibly worse than even crossing the Ley Lines, are you, my merry crew of immortals, going to fall to such a dare, the dare to become the greatest band of unicorns of all time?” “Never!” “Or are we going to enter the Breach, become the first modern explorers to reach Alicorn Island, and achieve its ultimate power?!” “Enter the Breach!” “That’s the spirit! Now, to your combat positions! Brace yourselves and your loved ones! And prepare to make history!” Immediately, the entire on deck crew rapidly shuffles into the stairways and ladders to below deck as the massive airship reaches the edge between the open sea and the black abyss known as the Breach. Within seconds, everypony is set for whatever to come their way and looks outside by any safe means to see what’s going on. Korsan lowers a lever and activates the extra controls before latching both of his front claws tightly on the wheel and his hind claws into the poop deck below. As the tip of the bowsprit pokes over the edge of the ocean, a mighty wave of moisture blasts across the ship and nearly launches Korsan from his hoofing. Juliana is also hit by the vapor wave and immediately begins to squirm on her master. “Take it easy Missy. It’s just a slow dece-” Before he can finish his statement, a massive downward jolt smashes into the bow and echoes the force all the way back. “What in blue blazes is going on?! What’s going on with the anti-magic? What’s going on with the sails?” Soon, the entire airship starts to tilt forward as more and more of the unseen force pushes down on more and more of the hull poking over the edge. Korsan looks ahead at the front most sails and sees that they’re completely motionless. “Wait… ‘All inside a grand trench, of no magic nor flight, to be called as a leak, to be known as the Breach’… Oh no. Juliana, prepare yourself for an unscheduled joyride.” The behemoth of wood soon begins to accelerate downwards into the darkness as over half of the ship peers over the Breach and is almost perpendicular with the horizon. Captain Korsan clutches onto the woodwork with all of his might as he feels his body grow incredibly heavier upon crossing over the divide. Upon the entire ship being directly above the Breach, it plummets downwards into the pitch black below. As the ship rapidly accelerates in free fall, the sky above turns to a black fog, the walls of water surrounding the ship turn into an empty void of darkness. Screams roar from inside as well as the structure of the boat creaking and snapping. For the first time in years, fear strikes the captain as he watches his vessel and crew plummet into the abyss. Terrified, Korsan screams as well, closes his one eye, and waits for whatever inevitable death follows. However, the ship eventually crashes onto something soft and straightens forward. It then immediately begins charging forward and sends all onboard backwards in surprise. Korsan, still glued to his spot, opens his shivering blue eye and sees that they’re sailing forward on the most unusual of paths. In the midst of the void, a floating current of golden sand rapidly flows, with The Perfection riding its thin path to the unknown. Shocked by this anomaly, Korsan looks over the edge to see several clusters of the sand sharply falling into the black below. He then turns forward to the bow and sees the winding sand stream ahead, leading to a bright blue dot in the distance, a tiny star in the barely visible water walls of the Breach. Seeing as he has no control of the fast speed of his ship, the caped leader of the massive vessel steers the boat along the path of hovering dunes. Below him, Rarity peeks her head from the galley doors and is astonished at what she sees, gasping out, “Wow.” Wandering out onto the main deck, the white unicorn looks around in wonder of the unusual atmosphere. Soon, other crew members, curious of what happened just before, crawl out from below as well and marvel at the sights. Rarity climbs up the quarterdeck stairs and slowly approaches the concentrated captain as he steers. “Sorry to, interrupt, but, what is this place?” “I don’t know.” Korsan responds, breaking his intent focus to talk, “Chaos I guess.” “Wait, wasn’t there something like this from the Diamond Eyes?” “’Beyond distorts of space, beyond sand grains of time, past creature of great length, and thinnest of all paths…’ That’s right.” “Hey, look up.” “What?” As the bipedal pony looks upwards to what Rarity has now turned her attention to, he is immediately overcome with awe. Above them, in the darkness that has overtaken the sky, glows what appears to be stars, galaxies, and clouds of cosmic energy, dancing and twirling with each other in the empty sky. “Incredible,” “It’s so beautiful.” “Indeed,” For the next minute, everypony becomes mesmerized by the stunning sights that surpass in beauty, more than any magic they have ever seen their entire life. Wait, what did Korsan say? ‘Past creature of great length…’ What does that mean? “I gotta to write this all down, I want sketch this all down, I need this documented at once.” “Captain!” A mare yells out from the main deck below, “I think I saw something!” “Wait, what?” “It was long, sand-coloured, and appeared to be moving very fast right below us.” “Are you sure?” “I’m sure.” “Hey!” Yin and Yu call out simultaneously at the bow over the awes of the other members, “Is that a tail?” Out of nowhere, the entire boat then jumps a metre above the sand and lands back down, causing nearly everypony to lose their hoofing. “What was that?” Another pirate asks. “Oh,” Korsan gravely mutters, “We are not alone.” “What’s the meaning of this?” Isyan yells out from the deck just below Korsan and Rarity. “Well, from what it seems we can do at the moment, we’re going to have to sail along this current to reach that blue light at the end of the-” “Not that, the rumbling!” “Uh… Well, I didn’t want to worry anypony, but… We, might need a bigger boat.” “What do you mean might?” Before his cousin can answer, a violent rupture rattles the ship, sending it tilting side to side over the edges of the sand path. Uproars soon follow from the crew as Korsan immediately tries to stabilize the ship. A kilometre ahead of them, an enormous serpent-like creature bursts from the top of the sand path. It opens its mouth, which is revealed to be three separate jaws jammed with giant serrated teeth, and roars into the sky, sending a shockwave ripping over the incoming vessel. “Scratch that. We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” “What the heck is that?!” “A sandworm, about fifty metres thick in diameter, and maybe five-hundred metres long, give or take.” “Give or take? This ship, the largest ship in the known world, is five-hundred metres long!” The massive scaled worm quickly slips back into the thin current and charges against the flow and towards the ship. Watching the exposed top half of the monster, Korsan sees that it and the ship are going to meet at a large inbound s-bend. “Hold tight, we’re going wide.” With a quick turn of the wheel, the entire vessel sharply turns left on the first half of the turn, skimming the outside. The crew drifts to the starboard railing and grabs onto the railing as the speeding vessel tilts over the black abyss. The worm sticks close to the inside of the opposing curve and accelerates. With the two massive bodies approaching the middle, tension rapidly builds inside Rarity as she watches in fear. They both complete the curve, and the sandworm immediately charges at the ship straight ahead. Its head exposes from the sand. It opens its gaping mouth for the kill. However, just as the two are about to collide, the long boat veers to the other half of the sand trail. The side of the wooden boat scrapes against the thick dusty skin of the beast as it hits whatever’s free of the second part of the curve. Korsan quickly steers the slipping galleon right against the massive worm. With a third of the back of the boat leaning over the void now, the ship recklessly drifts along the thin bank of sand. It finishes the turn and as the enormous sandworm’s tail passes by, the pirate pegasus immediately sets it straight along the sand current and continues forward. “That was too close for comfort!” Rarity gasps out. “Most certainly. Well, at least we now have the head start.” Triumphantly, Korsan and Rarity look back at the sandworm, only to see it stretch from the first bend, over the back abyss, directly under their ship, and into a parallel portion of the current. They, as well as the rest of the crew, see its head poking from the thin layer of golden sand and charging at them again around another curve. “Oh, this is going to suck.” Meanwhile, far away from the Breach, on the crystal blue waters of the ocean and under the regular salty sky, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applebloom, and Scootaloo, are sailing in their new watercraft, searching for their kidnapped friends and archenemy. “Wow,” Rainbow Dash moans, looking down at an old biscuit in her hoof as she sits on the side of a large ruffled bed, “I’d never thought I’d be saying this, but I’m starting to miss apples.” “It’s better than the wood I found next to those below,” Pinkie replies, “I can confirm by experience.” “Ewww,” “Hey, how’s Applejack doing? I heard you and her talking last night.” “It was nothing. We all had to share the same bed, so it was nothing personal.” “Really? I thought I heard crying.” Overhearing the conversation from outside, Applebloom decides to join in the talk and walks down into the cabin. “Hey,” the yellow filly interrupts, “You two are talkin’ about my sister right?” “Yep,” “Do you know what’s up with her, she’s acting really, distant from Twilight the past week or two.” “Don’t worry,” Dash replies, “AJ and Twilight are just going through a small disagreement, nothing to worry about.” “Are you sure?” “Do I look unsure to you?” The cyan mare casually swaggers. “…” “…Well I’m most certainly sure now. Go please.” “Okay then.” As the filly walks back up to deck, Rainbow Dash releases a heavy sigh and lies back onto the bare bed. “This is stupid,” Pinkie quickly asks in confusion, “What is? The ceiling?” “No, AJ and Twilight,” “Yeah, it is a fairly stupid concept when you think about it, putting such opposing forces into a heavily platonic correlation.” “Huh?” “What?” “What I’m saying is that AJ’s defensiveness to Korsan and Twilight’s over reaction to it is really tearing them apart, and I don’t like it.” “What’s there to be defensive about?” “Something about Korsan’s belief that unicorns are better, I mean, who believes that bunch of hoopla?” “Why would AJ believe it then if it’s just hoopla? Maybe she’s trying for some ruse to prank you.” “No, no, Pinkie. She worried that she may not be able to protect her family because she can’t counter magic.” “Shouldn’t you help her then if she’s worried? That sounds like a serious issue.” “Well, it’s-uh-it’s-well-uh-It’s complicated.” “Doesn’t seem like it to me.” “But she’s supporting the villain. We heroes shouldn’t be supporting them. What would the ponies back home think of us?” “What about Discord?” “Well, he’s different.” “Really? He did become one of our best friends after we supported him when he was still a villain.” “Well, yeah, but-” “But what?” “He-he wasn’t some psychopathic killer, Discord was, more of a bully.” “A bully? I wouldn’t call nearly destroying Equestria a bully thing to do.” At this point, Rainbow Dash was stunned by the seemingly permanently gleeful nature of the pink mare beside her. “Korsan did do a bunch of meanie things, but maybe he does have a point, I don’t know.” “Hm…” “But of course, nopony’s better than me at juggling, baking, throwing parties, except Cheese Sandwich, he’s pretty close-” “True. Hey, Pinkie, what were you doing on that deserted island two weeks ago?” “Oh, doing this and that. Preparing a little surprise for the future,” “You do realize that whatever the surprise is, it’s completely destroyed.” “Nope, it’s still there and is waiting for the right moment to be sprung.” “Huh-” Before Dash can ask about the surprise, Fluttershy opens the trap doors and speaks, “Girls, if you don’t mind me interrupting, we’re about to reach the Breach.” “Well, gotta go, I wanna get a front seat to this!” Pinkie cheers before immediately running out the room. “Don’t worry Rarity!” Spike proclaims at the bow, “I’m-I mean we are coming to save you! …And Sweetie Belle!” “Brace yourselves!” Twilight commands to the ponies onboard Lightning Bolt, “we are about to enter the Breach. We do not know what’s down there, we do not know how we’ll be able to fight Korsan, we do not know how to properly drive this thing, but together, we will find a way. We will save Rarity and Sweetie Belle, we will stop Korsan, and we will save Equestria from his tyranny! And we-” “Cut the speech Twilight!” Rainbow Dash hollers out from the main deck to her at the wheel. “Oh please, let me enjoy the moment of delivering a rousing speech that will undoubtedly make us win this fight.” “Not that, I mean that we’re about to fall!” “What?” Twilight quickly looks ahead and sees the massive black canyon approaching them rapidly without any sign of stopping. “Ah!” Forgetting the controls, Twilight frantically slams her trapped horn to the back of the boat, forcing the vessel to speed up. “Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait!” As the racing longboat charges over the liquid cliff and plummets into the abyss below, Applejack remarks, “Oh, this is gonna suck,” before immediately screaming. The Perfection fiercely swerves left and right across the sand path as the sandworm is now charging at it from behind. On the gun deck below, ponies are scrambling all over as they sloppily load their cannons. Without their magic, the pirate members find it near impossible to manage the massive weapons. At the wheel, Korsan is practically destroying the paint and hinges as he sharply twists the large wheel as quickly as his head is from the beast to where the current’s turning. “What’s going on down there!” The captain screams into the speaking pipe, “We’ve barely landed a hit on that thing!” “We can’t!” Aran’s voice echoes back from the steel pipe, “It’s too fast and it keeps getting out of range.” “Well we can’t just turn sideways now can we?” Rarity immediately yells into her new leader’s ear, “Look out!” Korsan looks back. He sees the sandworm diving in for the kill. He snaps the wheel right and flings the ship to the side. The great beast misses and gets is gaping mouth hooked onto the port anchor. The sandworm then bursts forward, yanking the chain and the entire ship along the path at an even faster and even more dangerous rate. “Port anchor’s been snagged! Cut it!” “We can’t!” One of the mare pirates screams out, “It’s jammed!” “Unjam it!” “Can’t at this angle sir!” “Oh come on!” “Wait,” Yu’s voice faintly speaks from the metal, “So does that mean that we grappled it or did it grapple us?” “Hold tight!” As the rocketing watercraft approaches a sharp series of turns, Korsan frantically prepares himself at the wheel. He steers the insane vessel right and left, right and left, right and left, switching rotations quicker and quicker. The ship begins to drift across the sand banks and lean over the edge as the turns grow more and more violent. “Gah! I’m getting splinters!” Rarity proclaims, “Go any sharper and we’ll drop!” “It appears so.” As the behemoth is dragged on by the even larger behemoth, over the sounds of the yelling crew and groans of the captain, a pale, yet all too familiar sound enters Rarity’s ears from above. “Wait, do you hear that?” “Hear what?” “That screaming? It sounds like…” Within a few seconds, the vague seconds grow exponentially more audible, making the white mare immediately recognize the sound. “Them?!” “Who?” The two ponies and Isyan look up at where now ear-piercing screeches are coming from. They see a large grey object dropping from the galactic skies directly over them. “It can’t be…” “It can’t be…” As the mysterious thing draws rapidly closer to them, Korsan realizes that it’s about to hit their ship. “Look out!” The long wooden object slams onto the middle of the deck, smashing a half of a mast on the way down. The entire airship bends and folds to the smash attack and is nearly thrown from the edge of the sand. Everypony on board falls over and roars in terror. Still clutching tightly on the wheel, the captain looks at the grey and blue vessel upon recovering. With its large sails tangled in The Perfection’s rigging and torn up quite brutally, the bipedal stallion is able to clearly see Twilight shaking at the wheel of the unusual craft. “What?!” His eye quickly follows across the length of Lightning Rod and sees the rest of the heroes piled on top of each other at the bow. “How are yous still alive?!” “Twilight! Friends!” “Rarity!” Twilight nauseatingly declares as she glances over to the quarterdeck and sees Rarity. “We’re here to save you!” “Oh no you don’t!” Korsan declares before turning to the pipe and screams, “Twilight and the others are onboard, kill them!” “No!” Rarity immediately protests. However, her refusal is not listened to by anypony, as several tens of crew members, holding their weapons by their teeth, run towards the invading vessel. “Korsan, call off the attack!” “No way, this is the last time those ponies are getting in my way.” “Turn!” A crew member at the bow screams out. Korsan immediately realizes he’s left the wheel still for too long and immediately turns it right. As the massive boat snaps to the right and teeters the outer edge of the thin bank of sand, Twilight’s ship slips and slides across the deck. It’s front slams into the quarter deck and its sides smash into the masts. The Perfection brutally jolts, flinging Rarity into the air and over the port edge. The unicorn screams as she plummets down and into the abyss. “Miss Rarity!” “Rarity!” Twilight and the others scream as well. “Juliana, Isyan, take the wheel!” Korsan swiftly places the ice phoenix on the steering wheel and grabs a nearby rope attached to the wheel base. “Wait, I don’t know how to drive this thing!” Isyan frantically replies. “That’s why Juliana is, you’re just giving her directions.” He then runs to the railing and leaps off of the ship as well, keeping a firm grip on the rope end. “You’re mad!” “I know!” Now far below the sand dunes, Rarity continues to scream in terror and flail as she falls into the black never ending pit. The pirate pegasus is quickly gaining up to her as he dives after. In his metal claw, Korsan can feel the life-line rope getting tighter and tighter as he descends closer and closer to Rarity. “Miss Rarity, up here!” “Korsan!” The frightened mare shrills out, catching only glimpses of him as she aimlessly tumbles. “Keep flat! Stretch out your hooves! And just stay calm!” “I can’t!” “Rarity, look at me!” The flailing mare tries to follow his orders, only to flip over herself and fall even faster. “Ah!” “Look at me! Look into my eye!” Rarity attempts to do it once more, this time, focusing on Korsan’s ice blue eye. Eventually, she becomes mesmerized by its power and determination, the free falling pony slowly straightens out as the captain commanded. Fear starts to slowly flow out of her head as Korsan grows closer and closer. Just as Korsan can skim Rarity’s chest with his hoof, a loud crack is then heard from the rope. All that is left to feed Korsan’s fall is whatever elasticity is left in the thick cord. Thinking on the spot, Korsan lets go of the rope end. With his body now free falling and inching closer to his target in a split second, the captain grabs Rarity by the dress with two of his metal hind claws. The pegasus immediately then clamps his teeth down on the tip of the line. The two ponies are immediately yanked back upwards by the rope’s recoil. Taking this moment, Korsan flings Rarity up some more to his side. He uses his hind claws to grab his large black cape and wraps Rarity in it as his front hooves grab onto the life-line. “Hoist me up you bag of bones!” “Eep!” Rarity squeals as he body loosely shifts around in the cape in their ascent, starting to panic once more. Overwhelmed by what just happened, tears begin to form in her eyes and she begins to hyperventilate. The dark brown stallion softly whispers to his tow, “Calm down. Calm down.” Gently, he then proceeds to rock Rarity back and forth while tightening the wrapping with his teeth. “I got you, I got you. You’re safe with me. I’m here for you.” “...” “Hush-a-by pony, On the tree top, When the wind blows The cradle will rock-” “No-no-n-no need f-for th-that,” Rarity sniffles. “Oh…” “Y-you saved me.” “Of course. Why would I let you die?” “I-I don’t know, T-Twilight, and the others,” “Oh.” “Please tell me you’re not going to kill them.” “But I-…” “Please.” With Rarity’s soft white fur brushing into his stiff torso, the pirate captain grows more and more unsure of what to do. “They’ll only be here to get me and Sweetie Belle, and I’ll tell them to go.” “…Fine. I won’t kill them.” “Promise?” With her shivering in his folds and her large blue eyes staring into his one, Korsan finds it impossible to say no. “…I-I promise.” A roar rips across the Breach though, as Korsan and Rarity look over to see the sandworm heading towards them like a fish to a baited hook. “Oh come on, this?” “What do we do?” “…We’re going to ride it.” Back on the main deck, a vicious battle between Twilight’s crew and Korsan’s crew continues to escalate. With Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Dash, Spike, and the foals trapped on Lightning Rod, firing its small cannons into the incoming hordes and sloppily armed pirates rushing the heroes, all on a ship at the whipping whim of an enormous carnivorous worm, chaos is all any pony’s eye can see. Several pirate members eventually reach the deck of the invading vessel and attempt to enter below deck, only to be met by a large, blue party cannon, which blasts them off with a blast of confetti. The Perfection suddenly takes a sharp turn to the left. The speed cruiser slides towards the starboard edge and grinds along the railing to the bow, bashing into each mast on its way. The unicorns that are caught in the path of the skimming boat are squished under the thin keel and pop out the other side onto the quarterdeck. In the kitchen, avoiding falling pots and pans, Sweetie Belle hears the blasting noise outside and asks to Ivan who’s nearby, “What’s going out there? Some sort of battle?” “Aye,” The black pony nauseously replies. “With what?” Curious, the white filly charges out of the kitchen, across the galley, and out to the main deck, where she sees the thin grey ship drifting across the deck. She immediately runs towards it, but is stopped when she notices a familiar pair of orange and yellow mares sneaking along the port side away from the pirate crew’s view. A surge of joy and shock overwhelms the child as she darts towards the two sisters, screaming, “Applejack! Applebloom!” “Sweetie Belle!” Applebloom yells back before darting towards her incoming friend. The two foals soon reach each other and greet each other with a tight, warm hug. “How did you find us?” “Twilight found out Korsan was going to be here, so we got this really, really fast boat and came here after escaping from an exploding island.” “That sounds so cool!” “It was! Scootaloo is practic’ly dyin’ to tell you about it.” “So, are you here to save me and Rarity?” “We are,” Applejack answers, “I just have to take care of somethings first.” “Like what?” “Eh…” “Wait, a minute, some of my friends are out there!” “You’re friends?” Applebloom asks. “Yin, Yu, Horus, they’re friends I made and now they’re going to get hurt fighting our other friends. We got to stop them!” “The pirates?!” “You two tell Twilight to stop fighting. I’ll try to convince Captain Korsan to stop as well.” “Wait, what?! Captain? Stop? What’s going on with ya?” “Where is he?” Soon, several hundred metres away from them on a parallel sand path, the massive sandworm’s head bursts from the golden surface. Everypony on the boats looks over to the roaring monster, only to have their jaws drop on sight. There, riding the top of the great beast, is Korsan and Rarity. With their life-line wrapped around themselves and lassoed over the worm’s upper jaw, the two ponies proudly stand on top of their foe. “No… way…” “I am the master of all beasts!” Korsan triumphantly roars to his crew. “Very nice!” Isyan yells back in a deadpan tone, “Now set us loose!” “Got it!” The brown stallion then turns to Rarity at his side before calmly speaking, “You ready for this?” “With you?” Rarity half-confidently answers, “Even when we’re about to do the stupidest things imaginable, you make it sound so easy.” The white mare then firmly wraps her hooves around the pirate captain before he bends down and starts their way to the lodged anchor. The onlooking ponies slow down their fighting and fretfully watch Korsan and Rarity climb down the side of the living train, with Spike mumbling in distaste, “You better stay away from Rarity you little p-” The two climbers suddenly slip downwards a couple of metres, halting the battle immediately and releasing a shockwave of gasps. However, Korsan quickly recovers and continues to dig his claws into the sandy scales towards the black anchor just ahead. At this point, everypony watching has dropped their weapons and is now leaning on their ship’s railings. Soon, Korsan and Rarity eventually reach the anchor. The caped pirate then swiftly dislodges the rope from the sandworm’s mouth and ties it to the massive weight. Seeing his partner secure herself on the iron mass, Korsan instantly delivers a powerful punch into the flesh wall, causing the sandworm to roar and loosen the anchor. “Get hoisting the anchor now!” Korsan screams before violently pounding the sandworm again and again with a series of devastating jabs and hooks. “Is he punching that thing?” One of the crewmembers, Hans, asks out loud. “He’s insane!” Lazarus, another pirate, answers. “It looks to be workin’.” Yin declares. “Hey!” Yu calls out to his fellow members, “Who wants to call bets on whether or not they’re going to survive whatever Captain’s doing?” “He always makes it out alive. He’s impossible, that stallion.” “Shhh, don’t tell them that.” Upon delivering a devastating final strike to the jawline, the sandworm frantically shakes around. The anchor soon dislodges and quickly swings down into the black abyss, fading away from bystander view. Several seconds pass before the thick chains slowly begin to lift, bringing forth anxious unrest at the bow. “Are they dead?” Aran asks. “Did they slip?” Lilis asks. “Were they too heavy?” Butch asks. After just under a minute of waiting, the anchor emerges from the black haze with Korsan and Rarity. The entire collection of ponies cheer as they watch the two then climb up the anchor chain into the chamber below the forecastle deck. “Wait,” Yu asks out loud upon realizing the oddly peaceful atmosphere, “What about Twilight and the others?” “Oh,” Yin replies, shocked at the realization as well, “Kill ‘em I guess. That’s what the captain said.” “But we agreed back in Gorgonzola to never attack a non-retaliating enemy. They’re not fighting us.” “Oh, that... But that was so many years ago, and things are different.” “Don’t!” Sweetie Belle screams out as she runs towards Lightning Rod. “Don’t hurt my friends!” “Sweetie Belle!” Twilight, the mares, and Spike, onboard the speeder cheer as they finally see her after two weeks of worry and terror. “Can’t we sort this out without fighting?” “Sorry,” Yin solemnly states, “Captain’s orders,” After replying, the yellow stallion quickly grabs his katana and walks towards the heroes, soon followed by the other pirates. “No!” “Sweetie Belle,” Twilight commands, “stay back.” The purple alicorn then rushes back down to the gun deck along the others as they aim their cannons, ready to continue the battle. “Wait! These guys are my friends!” “Wait, what? You made friends with these, these villains?!” “Wait, should we fire or not?” Dash asks. “There’s a lot of waiting around here it seems,” Pinkie speaks out. “Is this a truce or something?” Yu asks. “No!” Maria Vanshwitz barks with her dagger clenched in her teeth. “Maybe?” Yin confusingly replies. “I don’t like this confusion!” Fluttershy squeals. “Horus?” The albino pony stampers, “Uh…” “Isyan,” Yu calls back to the boatswain, “Should we attack?” “How should I know?” Isyan screeches back, “Ask Horus!” “We did!” Korsan soon emerges from the trapdoors leading down to the anchor deck with Rarity at his side, loudly asking, “What’s with all of this shouting?” The captain becomes stunned upon actually noticing the absence of a battle between the pirates and Twilight. “Hey!” Spike yells at the bipedal pony, “Get away from her!” “How about no?” “Don’t make me come down there and teach you a thing or two about messing with Rarity!” “Oh, and what are you going to do about it?” “Captain!” Horus calls out from the other side of the intruding vessel, “What’s your call at this point? They aren’t resisting us anymore.” Before answering, the captain takes a quick glance at Rarity at his side, remembering his promise. “Well… Detain them, nicely. Throw them in the brig.” “Nicely?” “…Yeah. Just capture them. We’ve taken care of the bigger issue-” “Incoming pinpoint turn!” Isyan screams, “And the worm’s coming back!” Korsan and the other ponies responsibly look behind them, and are greeted with the sigh of what lays ahead of the sand current. To their calamity, the path makes a devastatingly sharp two-hundred and seventy degree turn, too sharp for The Perfection to handle. The captain hastily changes his mind and announces, “Okay, never mind, leave them. Battle positions, quickly now!” With mild hesitation, the pirates follow their leader’s orders and head back down below to the gun deck. He then turns his attention to Twilight and the others, who are peering out from the cannon windows at him intently with a disdained look on their faces. “I’ll deal with the lot of you later. Right now, we got bigger issue. If you all want to stay alive, then keep out of our way.” The bipedal pony then runs across the main deck to the wheel, leaving behind Rarity and Sweetie Belle with their original friends. As Korsan climbs his way up the stairs, the dark beige stallion screeches at him, “We aren’t going to be able to make the turn at this speed!” “I figured.” “What are we going to do? We’re going to drop!” “We aren’t, just keep your brain inside your head for a wee bit longer. Just gotta figure out something…” “Like what? The anchors won’t cling to the thin sand, the anti-magic controls are non-existent, and there’s a monstrous sandworm coming right at us!” Peering over to the parallel track, the brown pegasus sees the beast sinking down into the sand as it reaches its end of the turn. Korsan remembers how tough the worm’s scales were. He then examines the now returned port anchor, followed by the cannons. In an instant, an idea goes off into his head. “We’re going to club haul.” “Wait, what?!” “Attention sea artists!” Korsan declares into his speaking pipe, “All arms to starboard cannons, prepare to drop port anchor on my command.” “Are you daft?! The sand’s too thin! And the beast is-” “-going to be what’s getting us out of this mess and give us a free shot at it.” “You’re-you’re mad!” “Yes, we’ve been through this. Make yourself of some use and get to a cannon.” Seeing as he has no other option, Isyan grumpily stomps down to the gun deck, muttering inaudible sayings on the way down. “Alright! Here we go! Five…” The captain sets himself to the wheel, letting his ice phoenix friend climb up his left leg and onto his shoulder. “Four…” The great beast reaches the two-thirds point of the turn. “Three…” The speeding galleon is now only a hundred metres away from hitting the start of the deadly bend. “Two…” Korsan’s claws dig into the wood and his muscles tense. “One…” The sandworm reaches the underside of the ship and begins to rise into the keel, leaving its long body directly under the anchors. “Drop!” In an instant, the port anchor drops once more and sinks below the golden water. A loud clang sounds out from below. All of a sudden, the entire bow starts to drip into the veil of flowing sand. Meanwhile, the back and middle portions of the long behemoth swings around the anchored front and drifts along the sharp bend. Twilight’s ship slides across to the starboard side alongside Rarity and Sweetie, having been overtaken by the unexpected maneuver. As the airship finishes the drift, the sandworm’s alien head is yanks above the sand and is dragged out into the open void. The crew below deck see the yellow beast and get a clear aim at its head. Butch roars out as he sets his hoof on the trigger string. “Lead’s drop some lead on this f-” “Fire!” Immediately, all fifty cannons on the starboard side of the drifting ship fire onto the monster. Metre thick balls of solid metal bash into the sandworm, causing it to roar in pain and release the anchor that was wedged in its side. The captain swiftly straightens the ship forward on the dunes and speeds forward. The now furious sandworm dives across the paths and enters another parallel stream alongside them, preparing another charge attack to the keel. The captain looks ahead and sees another super sharp turn, this time towards the right. “Hoist port anchor! Prepare to deploy starboard anchor! All arms shift to port side!” Upon the beast diving underneath once more and about to rise as The Perfection his the turn, Korsan declares, “Drop!” and the anchor immediately drops. The black weight digs into the scaly skin of the monster once more. The great boat drifts once more and slides along to the parallel path, where both the sandworm is pulled from hiding and the crew fires onto it once more. The sandworm shrills once more and the anchor drops from its body and is hoisted back. Twilight and the others still on the main deck hang on once more as the unwelcome vessel chaotically slips across the larger vessel. “Who taught this pony how to drive?” Dash yells out in anger and nausea. “Himself really!” Rarity answers. “You doing okay up there Rarity?!” Korsan calls out from across the great length of the ship, “Why didn’t you go below?!” “I’m fine, and I was just distracted Captain!” “Very well then!” Fluttershy softly shouts, “I need a barf bag!” “I’m still trying to figure out if we’re allies with Korsan or not! I need an answer!” Dash angrily declares. “Hey, where’s AJ and Applebloom?” Scootaloo asks. “Loud noises!” Pinkie randomly shrieks. “Also I think I saw them go to the quarterdeck area.” “Captain?!” Twilight loudly asks in surprise. “It’s very complicated.” Rarity proclaims to her friends above. “That’s no understatement, I want answers, now! Are you now one of his?” “No-yes, I mean, I can’t exactly explain it now.” “Why?” “It’s not the best time you haven’t noticed.” “Oh really?” the purple alicorn retorts, growing more forceful towards the peculiar pony, “A bit of tension always leaks the truth.” “Do you even hear yourself? You’re talking to me like I’m the enemy.” “I don’t know, are you?” At that moment, Twilight becomes dumbfounded at herself. As she retraces her words, the great pain, even worse than impalement, slices into her heart. She is at this moment, walking the thin edge between friendship and enmity. “Wait! I-I didn’t mean it!” “Is that all that runs through your head? Black and white?” The white unicorn now brutishly snaps at Twilight, “Maybe you shouldn’t jump to conclusions so quick with me and Captain.” “Hey!” Spike screams out from Lightning Rod’s gun deck alongside the mares, “What’s with the captain name? Korsan! If you pulled some sort of mind control trick on them, I-” “Save your words,” Korsan interrupts, “things might be getting tricky!” Curious of what that means, Spike, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo look at what’s ahead and their jaws instantly drop farther than even before. Now, ahead of the racing airship, is a sharp curved drop with a sudden end to it several stories down a final vertical stretch, with a new path forming many, many metres across a void with a vertical incline. “We’re going to fall!” Twilight and the others, including Rarity and Sweetie Belle, scream at once at the top of their frightened lungs. “Pipe down. Sheesh, you all sound like my cousin, nothing but screaming and chaos.” The pirate captain looks behind him and sees the sandworm bolting straight them from behind. The stallion then looks across the gap to the other sand current and sees the blue star straight ahead at the end of it. “Hmmm…” “We’ll talk about this later,” Rarity coldly speaks to Twilight and the others with her. She then starts to run across the deck to Korsan, with Sweetie Belle behind her, screaming, “Captain! What are we going to do?” “I’m thinking, I’m thinking.” “It’s a giant gap in our path, there’s no way we can get over-” “I got it!” “What? What is it?” “…Double club hauling.” “What in the,” “No time to explain. Prepare to drop both anchors at my command, lock at my second, and cut on my third! Five…” Clutching the wheel and floor tightly, Korsan’s mechanical suit begins to rev up as all of his gears and pistons begin to move rapidly. A loud collection of grinding and screeching noises then erupt from the whirring machines. “How is something like that even going to work?” “You don’t need to know. Four…” The Perfection hits the beginning of the downward slope and begins to sink into the darkness, accelerating rapidly. “The sandworm’s going to hit us!” “Great! Secure yourself and your sister to the life-lines, now! Three…” The entire vessel jerks forward a bit at that moment, a sign that the beast is right on their tails. Korsan takes split-second glance behind him and takes not of the worm’s position right over the edge of the stern. “Are you sure we are going to make it?” “No. No I don’t. Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Juliana, make peace with yourselves now, this may be your final moments in this world that has been all that you’ve known. What lies ahead is beyond me at this point. If we die, we die as explorers. If we fall forever, we fall as adventurers. If we make it, we make it as legends. Two…” The vessel is pushed forward once more and slowly begins to enter free fall. The sandworm continues to chase its target, growing more and more vicious as it bumps into the long galleon. “Captain, Korsan, before whatever becomes of us, I want you to know this. You are the most interesting and insane pony I know. And that is saying something.” “…Thank you. And you, Miss Rarity, are as well, and much more, excluding the ‘crazy’ bit… One…” Both The Perfection and the monstrous worm reach the vertical drop. Rarity and Sweetie are secured on the life-lines, Juliana is tightly clutching in Korsan’s metal shoulder piece, and Korsan’s claws are deep into the woodwork of his pride and joy. As the great boat enters free fall, the anchors levitate upwards along the deck. “Drop!” The anchors are immediately released from their locks, are dart back from the length of the ship towards the incoming beast. They snag in the sandworm’s giant teeth. “Lock!” The weights’ massive chains quickly stiffen. At that point, the caped pirate lets go of the wheel and runs back to the sandworm. He runs up the side of the erect poop deck, digging his hind claws into the floor to climb up. With his metal armour at full power, Korsan swings a clutched fist at the tip of the monster’s upper jaw. He lands the punch and sends shockwaves across the entire scaly mass. The worm roars and pulls back from the ship with the anchors still inside it. With the chains still attached, the ship’s bow pulls down into the diminishing sand current. The back flings forward over the gap, almost turning upside down. Lightning Rod begins to fall from its perch from the deck, but is caught in the masts, sails, and rigging. “Cut!” The chains are promptly released from inside the bow area and slip out into the abyss. The flipped front tosses up and over the airborne mass. It crosses the massive gap and lands perfectly along the opposing sand current, with its bow facing towards the gravity defying flow. However, the ship begins to slink downwards and over the forming edge of the path. “Come on, come on, come on!” Korsan frantically yells as he punches his hooves into the floor, attempting to force friction between The Perfection and the loose sand. Just as the entire boat is about to fall, some of the keel gets caught on the speeding sand and is pulled with it. The galleon jolts upwards. Soon, the boat slowly begins to make its way up the vertical incline and climbs the slope to the flat sand current ahead. Everypony on board cheers as their boat reaches the top, racing upwards onto the clear main deck to see that it’s now a straight shot to the blue star in the distance. “We, we did it! We made it!” “We made it Rarity!” Sweetie Belle squeals in joy as she slips out from her life-line, “I’m going to tell the others!” As the filly runs down to the main deck and towards the now suspended watercraft, her older sister silently watches, still upset at how her friend just acted towards her. Korsan, still zealous over his victory, runs up to Rarity and talks, “Whoo! I had no idea it was going to work that well. Ha, ha, now to sort this Twilight issue out. What do you say Rarity? The brig?” “…” “Rarity?” “I don’t know.” “What’s the matter?” “I know who you are. You’re an adventurous, joyous, intelligent stallion.” “I am indeed-” “But you’re also a murderous psychopath, and this is making you one step closer to wiping out all Earth ponies and pegasi, including my friends.” “…” “However, after seeing, hearing, and experiencing what you’ve been through to be here at this moment, and a recent discussion with Twilight, I’m not sure who’s side I should be on. I’m not even sure if I should be talking to you of all ponies about this, I’ve practically been your captive for two weeks.” “Huh. It’s a cruel world isn’t it? Can’t tell the line of what’s good or bad, that’s my problem as well. I know I’m insane, I know what I’ve done and will do is strip the living from most. However, whatever my choice is, I’m doing what I feel I deserve, and what everypony else deserves, a chance to actually do things equal to all others in this wretched and twisted world. I can fix it. Whatever you choose, I’m fine with. Just, stay away from me when you’ve reached your final decision, I don’t want to hurt you, nor your sister. From what I’ve seen from you twos on my boat, you two have been some of the best crew members, no friends, I could ever have.” “Thank you.” “So, what’s your call on what to do to these mares? And dragon,” “Why aren’t you choosing?” The mare already knows what her captain’s purpose of this was, but wants to know what he’ll say. “I feel this is something for you to decide, a test of your loyalties.” “I guess...” Rarity squints towards the tangled boat and thinks about her friends inside. Her mind races with memories, thoughts, and impacts the souls on that mysterious boat have made for her. She remembers her recent two weeks on The Perfection, volunteering as a tailor. She recalls the nightly spars during dinner in the galley, and how each time Korsan sparred with her, she’d always come one step closer to beating him. She recalls the teachings Korsan gave her from his books and tales of his adventures, each time growing more and more interesting. She recalls the subtle nods of generosity by the captain, always giving her and her side small gifts and kinder words whilst barking demands to his other members. She remembers hers and Sweetie Belle’s cabin that they were given, and how they would add decorations and even receive a visit by one of the more fun crew members. Most importantly, she recalls about how much she, her sister, Korsan, and the others have slowly changed over time. From hating the captain and desiring to escape at any chance, Rarity now respects Korsan and treats him like a friend. From jumping at the presence of every pirate, Sweetie Belle now enjoys cooking for and alongside them, excluding Chopin, he’s still creepy. From being a cold, mean, and savage hermit, Captain Korsan now is an upbeat, intellectual, childlike friend, now actually trying to gain her heart. From suspicious and reclusive from Rarity and Sweetie Belle, the crew now loves them, and treats them like one of their own. “So, what will it be?” “As soon as we reach open water, let them out onto the sea. There, we’ll give them a choice, either follow us and resist, in which we’ll fight back, or stay put, and wait until we’ve finished business on Alicorn Island and let them join us back to the surface.” “And after the latter option? Will you join them?” “…I haven’t figured that out yet. Just please, don’t hurt them too much, they’re still my friends.” “…Very well then. Missy, please keep ‘er straight till I return.” Korsan gently sets the ice phoenix onto the wheel and proceeds down towards Twilight’s boat with Rarity trailing behind. As they reach the center mast, Isyan walks up his cousin at the side and screams at him, “You lunatic! You daft, insensitive, lunatic!” “Oh boy,” “Do you know how much damage you caused?” “I’m starting to sense a pattern in you whenever I do something.” The captain crudely remarks in a deadpan tone. “We have lost two anchors,” “We have spares,” “Incalculable damage to the hull on all sides, a nearly non-existent keel, an absolute terror of tangled rigging, twelve ripped sails, a leak in the anti-magic storage tank, a demolished restroom,” “I told them to seal it,” “And heaven knows what else!” “Super interesting dear cousin, you can manage all that right? And don’t be all whiny with me, I saw you kissing the main deck after I landed that double club haul.” “Of course I would, just like everypony else who’s happily they got lucky. We wouldn’t even have to fear of imminent death if you didn’t go on this insane venture. Heck, things would be better off if I was captain.” “Well you aren’t, boo-hoo. Now get to fixing all of the ‘critical’ problems while I deal with these stowaways.” “No, I’m not going to let you just talk me off and-” “Do you want to relive what happened one year ago when you?” The pirate pegasus reaches behind him and partially pulls out one of his cutlasses. Isyan instantly backs up a step. “Do you?” “No.” Gently, Korsan returns the sword to rest and claps his metal hooves together. “Very well then, back to your place,” “…Fine,” Frustrated, Isyan walks back from his captain and towards the quarterdeck. “Sheesh, drama queen,” With Lightning Rod being lowered onto the deck by the crew members, Korsan and Rarity stop just in front of the long dark hull. At the other side, they notice Sweetie Belle hopping up and down and shouting to her friends above. “Captain,” Horus calls out from above, “Want us to, nicely, detain them once more?” “No, I have a different idea this time.” “Okay then.” “Twilight Sparkle and company!” At first, no response is given from the boat. Eventually though, the two leading ponies on deck see Twilight’s tense face peering over the edge of her boat. “What?” She sternly asks, attempting to avoid eye contact with Rarity. “Instead of capturing you, I have decided to give you a choice.” “We don’t negotiate with pirates, like you specifically.” “Upon reaching open waters, we’ll set your fine little boat off free. Now, you can chase us, in which you will be met with strict resistance. Or, you can simply wait until return and give yous all a lift back up. How does that sound?” “What about Rarity? And Sweetie Belle?” “That is to be decided later, but be rest assured, no harm will come to them. What matters now is whether or not you want to put yours and your other friends’ lives on the line.” “…” “You have a few minutes, choose wisely.” “Is it that Korsan jerk?” Spike’s voice hollers from inside, “If he hasn’t backed off of Rarity, I’m gonna-” “Sir,” a voice beckons from the bow ahead, “We’re about to reach the end.” Korsan quickly replies, “Alright then,” Quickly, the bipedal pirate and his mare friend rush around Lightning Rod and head for the edge of the bow. There, the two see the blue star now less than hundred metres ahead of them, encompassing their whole vision beyond the boat with light. “Here we go.” As the massive galleon pierce into the blue star at the end of the sandy current, the intense light instantly bathes across the entire vessel, blinding everypony with pure white light. “Keep her straight!” A few seconds later, the light dies as soon as it appears, revealing that The Perfection is now sailing on normal water. The surrounding sky has turned into a completely blank night blue shade, with no stars and only a bright blue moon present in the center of the slate. The endless sea the galleon rides on is a completely still body of black water, being only disrupted by the gentle ripples of the gliding giant. Behind the great ship is the blue star, floating halfway above the still ocean. As the boat continues forward, the hull begins to glow its faint tint of green once more and the crew realizes they can use magic again. “Hey! We got our magic back! Where are we?” “The second pulse of the dark heart of the Breach. This means, spyglass.” Near immediately, Juliana flies up to her master with a telescope in her talons. Korsan swiftly grabs the looking glass and looks through it straight forward, seeing a small grey dot on the far horizon. “Means what?” Some of the other pirates ask out loud, having eavesdropped on their captain. “Alicorn Island, is right ahead.” The Race is OnAs Lightning Rod is lowered onto the black waters by a small team of pirates, Korsan paces around the main deck of his ship, examining his surroundings. With the night sky above with very little light to shine onto this unknown sea, the glow of the unicorns’ magic, the torches of the boats, and the tint of anti-magic brightly illuminate their shadowy surroundings. The faint sounds of the rippling water and the creaking of the wooden ships occupy the otherwise perfect silence. Even the smell of saltwater was vacant from where it should be in this location. At the wandering captain’s side, Chopin is holding a scroll, an inked quill, and a lit candle in his magic. As the caped pony speaks, the mine writes, “The Second Pulse; a mysterious body of water, locked inside the bellows of the Breach. An unusual place this is, with barely any sign of natural nocturnal and oceanic activities. No stars to provide light, no motion of the moon that is seen here, no waves or disruptions in the vast water, no clouds in the sky, no smell of saltwater, and no sound whatsoever to be heard. The whereabouts of this location are, as of this moment, are currently unknown in terms of geographic or scientific understandings. If my navigation skills are to be believed, the Second Pulse is in fact located either at the bottom or even below the vast oceans of the Old World. Now, how this is possible is still under questioning. However, the main focus of this location, and the only piece of above water land to be see is-” Amidst his monologue, a sharp pain suddenly strikes through Korsan’s body, “-my back!” As the captain kneels to the floor, he glances over to Chopin, who is including the scream in his writing. “Scratch that last bit.” He pants. “Captain,” one of the lowering stallions at the edge of the deck calls out, “Are you okay?” “I-I’m fine. I just need to recalibrate, that’s all. “Need some assistance?” “No, I’ll be fine.” Slowly, the bipedal stallion picks himself up onto his hind hooves, groaning in the process. “I can make it to the study from here. Just get The Perfection airborne and heading straight for Alicorn Island.” “What about Twilight?” “We’ve given her and her crew fair warning. Followe to what we’ve agreed to.” “Yes sir.” “Chopin, just keep that paper secure until I come back. Got it?” Chopin simply nods. “Yeah,” As Korsan now slowly hobbles across the deck, he sees Rarity alongside the unicorns lowering Twilight’s ship, staring out towards the thin vessel. “Miss Rarity,” The mare quickly turns her attention to the brown stallion and replies, “Yes?” “Meet me up in the study. I could use your help in recalibrating my mechanics.” “What happened?” “Oh yeah, I forgot that this is your first time to see this. Well, basically, my body and my mechanical suit occasionally become out of sync and I have to adjust the gears back. I overclocked my suit a little too far this time in the Breach it seems, and now it’s out.” “I see. I’ll be right with you in a minute.” “Take your time.” As Korsan limps onwards to his chambers, Rarity looks back out over to Twilight, now a fair hundred metres away on her boat peacefully sitting in the sea. From the poop deck of her ship, Twilight stares back towards her friend. Each mare now currently has one million thoughts of each other, dashing through their heads, as their eyes focus on each other. “Twilight…” As Rarity continues to stare out to sea, her ears pick up on a conversation between a pair of stallions at her right, having just finished lowering Lightning Rod. “You know,” the younger pirate proclaims, “I think the captain’s off of his rocker.” “Who wouldn’t?” The older one replies, “He punched a giant monster and club hauled this boat twice in a row, on sand.” “Wasn’t there a third one?” “That was a flip, another item on his crazy list.” “Well from the look of things, he looks like he’ll be feelin’ it in the morning.” “Yeah, pity.” “Which, his back or his sanity?” “Both as far as I’m concerned,” “Hey, speaking of his back. You know what I’ve heard from Butch?” “The veteran? What?” “I heard that when Captain first started this pirate campaign, he stood on all fours.” “Shut up. We all know he was born like that or something. There’s no way he would have-” “I’m being legit about this. And why he’s like that is because of those ‘recalibrations’. Despite what he’s been telling us, Butch says that it’s not the metal parts that the captain’s changing, it’s his own structure of his body. Pretty soon, I’m betting that Korsan’s going to be bendin’ backwards.” “Like he doesn’t already? Look, if what he rambles about this here island is true, we could become the most powerful ponies in existence. You could also stop worrying your little skull about the captain’s back.” “True, true, hey, ever hear about the Faction?” “Those bunch of bums? They were just some fake gossip that died off two weeks ago.” “Whoa, whoa, whoa, listen to me, aight?” “Whatever.” “From what I hear from Clara, that Frankie told Maria told Phlox told Lazarus told Ivan told Lilis told Lotus told Yin told Yu told her, that Faction’s going to strike soon.” “Oh for-” “Hey, hey, hey, you following me right?” “Barely,” “So yeah, from what I hear, Faction is meeting up once again at any time soon and they are going to-” “Rarity,” A filly’s voice speaks from beside Rarity’s opposite side, causing her to jump. Snapping her head around, the white unicorn sees it’s her little sister with a look of concern on her face. “Oh, it’s you.” Rarity answers in a gasp. As the Perfection begins to rise from the black ocean and take flight once more, the two mares walk away from the railing and head towards the quarterdeck, talking to each other along the way. “What is it?” “Why aren’t we with Twilight and the others?” “Well… It’s complicated.” “Are we now enemies with Twilight?” “No, no, no, we’re still their friends.” “Are we still going to fight Korsan and the others? I don’t want to.” “Not that either,” “Is it because you and Captain Korsan are together?” “Wai-what-I-I-mea-no-yes… Ahh, no, not that,” “Aww, that’s too bad. You two seemed really nice together, you were even making the captain a lot nicer than before.” “…” “So why are we here?” “It’s far too complicated for you to understand, just hurry along to your cabin. We had enough adventuring for a day.” “Can you just tell me a simple answer?” “…I don’t know.” “…I don’t get it.” “Please, just, go to bed, or play with somepony, like Yin and Yu.” “I thought you told me never to play with them.” “Oh, right, I mean, play with somepony other than Yin and Yu.” “Okay.” “Darn loose nut!” Korsan loudly groans as he yanks his large monkey wrench into his back piece at the main table of his library. His thin body is spread across the golden top as he is doing this while the Diamond Eye and whatever books that were on the table are strewn across the floor. Pain circulates through his body as he attempts to tediously work his black tool. “Need some help?” Rarity asks from one of the open doors from the adjacent sleeping chamber. “Sorry I was late.” “No problem, just slide the jaws around the top nut of the thirty-second gear.” “Uh, okay.” Slowly, Rarity approaches her captain and grabs a hold of the wrench with her magic. Looking down into the mess of gears, pistons, nuts, bolts, and cables, she lowers the implement around a loose-looking nut on a gear and forcefully turns it inwards. Korsan hollers in agony. “Thirty-second, not thirty-third! The one above!” “Sorry!” Rarity quickly resets the nut to its loose position and tightens a different bolt on the above copper gear as said. A series of loud cracks and clinks erupt from the mechanical suit as well as a hard groan from its user as the lock is tightened. “Gah,” Korsan sighs in relief as he climbs off from the large table. “Thank you. It’s always that one nut that gives me trouble.” “Are you sure you’re okay?” Rarity asks as she returns the tool onto the empty tabletop. “It didn’t sound good.” “No, no, I’m fine. Just a simple returning recalibration to the mechanical presets, that is all.” “You look a bit taller than before, more upright.” “It’s nothing, it probably fixes itself in time.” “Are you sure?” “Yeah.” “…Okay, don’t want you to hurt yourself. Hey, mind if I ask you something?” “What?” “I don’t to get to personal, but, what’s with you and your cousin, Isyan?” “The boatswain? It’s only a clash in intellectual statuses that’s all. Daft moron can barely keep track of the crew he so ‘desperately’ strives to protect. Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Ms. Gutzoult for the longest time,” “Slasher? I haven’t seen her in a while either.” “Probably been busy with her cats, that mare,” “Actually, her cats have been roaming around the ship a lot more recently.” “Odd, they usually stick around in her room. Remind me to do a headcount as soon as we reach Alicorn Island. For now, let’s see, what would interest you the most in here… ‘The Complete Guide to Walking the Plank’, no, ‘A Super Generic Romance on the Sea’, no, ‘My Little Kitten, The Pirate Doggy’, no idea how I got that, ‘The True Concessions of Charlie David’, ehhh, overrated, ‘Treasure Kingdom’, per-” The entire room out of nowhere jerks to a side and back, causing hundreds of books to fall from their shelves and bury the now fallen ponies. “What was that?” “Looks like somepony took the latter option.” “Please tell me it isn’t,” “It is. I can still smell that Northwestern Equestrian Oak, or maybe it’s just a stain on my cape.” “Should go out there and help the crew?” “Nah, they have this all under control.” “We don’t have this under control!” Hans screams out from the gun deck, frantically aiming his cannon towards its speeding target. “It just keeps moving everywhere,” Lazarus angrily replies as he blindly fires his cannon at from other side of the boat. “Pip, Yin, I need more powder!” A small pink mare promptly hurries to the open end of the recoiled cannon with a full charge of gunpowder in her grasp. “Thank you Pip!” “How hard can it be to hit them?” Yin casually remarks from beside the blue gunner. “How about you try?” Lazarus furiously asks before backing away from the large weapon. “Fine, watch and learn you colourblind jockey, it’ll be as easy as-holy cow, they’re moving fast.” Outside the massive hull of The Perfection, zipping across the black waters of the sea, Lightning Rod is racing across the still ocean at double the speed of the former airship. With Twilight at the controls and Alicorn Island in her sights, she pilots the long speeder as Korsan’s crew vigorously tries to fire at her and her crew. Meanwhile, below deck, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, and Scootaloo are firing their small cannons back at the pursuing pirate ship. “Oh yeah!” Rainbow Dash proclaims, “This is what I’ve wanted to do ever since we left!” “Just don’t hit any of the ponies on board.” Fluttershy replies. “What about Korsan?” Spike asks. “Except him.” As the longboat swerves around the massive cannon shots and accelerates, it quickly escapes the range of Korsan’s crew and speeds far ahead. “Ha!” Dash boasts, “That slow-mobile’s got nothing on us.” Pinkie Pie optimistically replies, “True, unless there was some special mode it can go in that dramatically increases its speed and catches up to us.” “Oh please, that sounds…” Spike retorts before actually starting to think about it, “Somewhat plausible.” Soon, from being a fading dot behind them, the massive dot of a boat returns to its sheer up-close scale as it rapidly catches up to Twilight and the others. “Called it!” “Oh my skills at gambling!” Yu screams as tightly clenches the wheel of his ship, having activated the alternate levers and is now controlling the racing behemoth. “Now I know why this is so awesome for Captain!” “Keep it steady!” Yin’s voice squawks from the metal speaking pipe. Twilight watches in terror as the rival ship passes over hers and begins to lower onto hers. She quickly veers the vessel right. The Perfection slams into the cold water below, creating a large wave in its wake. Lightning Rod barely skims the edge of the port deck of the fallen giant. The ship quickly gets back up and attempts to land on the dwarfed boat again. The purple alicorn quickly reacts and dodges the dive again. With Alicorn Island coming closer and closer in view, the two pilots begin to grow desperate as to how to stop the other. Yu then commands, “That’s it, going aquatic! Prepare to fire grappling shots at enemy vessel.” With a flick of a lever, Korsan’s ship drops back down onto the ocean water, but stays down as it chases after Twilight’s. The front cannons are quickly loaded and the starboard cannon is quickly aimed at the close vessel. Without a way to sneak under, Twilight finds herself trapped. The cannon fires and the large metal hook pierces the bow of Lightning Rod. “Bring ‘er in! Hahahahaha!” “We’ve been grappled!” Twilight screams out to her crew below. Slowly, her boat is pulled towards the battleship, and if she doesn’t do something in time, Lightning Rod will be crushed by the massive hull. She attempts to pull her boat away, speed faster than the opposing vessel, and dislodge the grapple by some means from the wheel, all to no avail. The mares and Spike below see what’s going on from their open views below deck and are firing at the thick wall of wood with all of their might. “The hull’s too thick!” Scootaloo exclaims. “We’re going to sink!” Fluttershy squeals. “Not on my watch!” Rainbow Dash declares before charging out from the gun deck and flying upwards from Lightning Rod. The cyan pegasus soars up to the quickly passing main deck of Korsan’s ship and darts her way to the wheel. Dash slaloms around the masts. She maneuvers through the rigging. She avoids the bolts of magic fired at her from the screaming lookouts above. Soon, the rainbow streak of blurred light reaches the quarterdeck and the wheel, only to be immediately enveloped in a brown magic aura and brought to a halt. “Oh come on!” “Ha, ha-” Yu cheers as he reveals himself from behind the wheel, only to stop short upon seeing who he actually caught. “Wait, you’re not Twilight.” “You’re not Korsan.” “Oh well. I gotcha now!” Rainbow then suddenly gasps in fear and screams, “Look out! Behind you!” “You think I’m going to fall for that?” “No, seriously!” “Well I’m not.” “Look out, look out!” “I know you’re faking.” “I’m not! Look out!” “You are…” “No!” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes.” “No, no, no, no! I don’t want to die!” “I-I know you’re faking it…” “Look out! Please! I’m begging you!” Overcome with paranoia, the yellow stallion quickly glances behind him, “What is it?!” Falling for her trick, Dash quickly breaks herself free from the immediately weakened focus of the telepath. She then delivers a powerful kick to the back of the unicorn’s skull as he starts to turn back, flinging him across the poop deck and knocking him out. Falling into unconsciousness, the pirate dizzyingly speaks, “Dem hills are alive, with the sound of gold…” “Now to find the ‘Remove-the-Grapple’ thing,” Rainbow quickly grabs onto the deck and climbs her way to the wheel and levers. Overwhelmed by the number of controls, Dash quickly realizes that she has no idea what she’s doing. “Uh… Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!” Without hesitation, the mare randomly grabs onto a lever near the back and pulls it down. Instantly, The Perfection comes to a sudden halt, sending its new pilot slamming headfirst into the wheel. Lightning Rod is flung up into the air by its momentum and the grappling cable. The grapple snaps from the violent take off. With the mares on board screaming, the speeding vessel is flung over the top of Alicorn Island, which turns out to be only a mere hundred metres from the stopped airship. “That’s it!” Korsan’s voice angrily bellows from his quarters before the bipedal captain bursts out onto the open quarterdeck alongside Rarity and an unnerved ice phoenix. “What’s the meaning of this?!” Furiously, he climbs up to the wheel and discovers Rainbow’s and Yu’s unconscious bodies, surprising him. “What the hay,” “No mommy,” Dash mutters, “I wanna ride the pretty cloud…” “Well that’s odd.” “Captain!” One of the lookouts above holler, “we reached-” “Before you finish that, tell me what happened down here?” “Well, it’s a bit complicated beyond what you’re seeing. But it did result in the removal of Twilight’s vessel and-” “Define ‘removal’.” “It was, it was flung over the island sir. We have reached Alicorn Island, Captain.” “Wait, what?” “We did it. We reached Alicorn Island.” Slowly, the caped captain looks behind him, to the bow of his boat, and is overcome with joy at what he sees. He frantically runs down the main deck to get a better look of the island he’s been searching for throughout his entire career. With a solid pale shoreline of fine sand, exotic brush, massive ancient ruins made of carved mountains of granite, and a towering volcano temple in the center of the perfectly circular isle, Alicorn Island peacefully stands strong and colossal on the still seas that surround it, right in front of Korsan. “Yes. I did it. I finally did it. I have reached Alicorn Island!” “We made it sis’. I’m making sure nothin’ happens to you from now on. I guarantee it.” Alicorn IslandA grey haze forms in Rainbow Dash’s vision as the mare comes to her senses. After spending an unknown amount of time knocked out into an eternal darkness, this is an immediate relief. However, that relief is cut short by a sharp pain running through her forehead and a tight sensation around her barrel and legs. The only sound she can currently make as her senses return are small moans with her dry and tense throat. As the pegasus moans in the hazy black, several voices begin to echo around her. “She’s coming to.” One of them proclaims. “What should we do about it?” Another voice asks. A familiar young stallion’s voice answers in the distance, “Let her come to. Just keep her secure.” Dash’s eyelids slowly open to reveal that she is swaying upside down on what appears to be a collection of upside down ancient ruins. The pegasus stampers as she tries to make sense of her surroundings, “Wait, w-what? Where am I?” “Vous détendre. Don’t work yourself up. You’re on Alicorn Island.” Looking to her left towards the voice, her eyes are immediately met by the heads of two pirates, and in between them, are Korsan and Rarity, examining a tall stone pillar, covered in engravings. “Korsan! Rarity?! What’s going on?!” As Dash attempts to move herself towards the pair, she finds that her legs have been tied to a hovering log with thick rope as well as her wings tied about her torso. “Shush, I’m reading.” “You better let me go, or else I-” “Or else what?” “…” “…” “…Something really bad will happen.” “Sure it will, to you at least.” “Rainbow Dash,” Rarity replies, turning her head towards the trapped pony, “Please, just stay calm,” “Stay calm? What are you doing with him?” “Searching for something,” “Searching for the thing that’s going to cause a lot of innocent ponies to die? Is that it?” “Well…” “Please,” Korsan irritatingly interrupts, “Rarity, if you’re going to continue to talk to our captive, at least keep it close and quiet. I’m about to crack this code.” “Oh, sorry.” Quietly, the white mare darts across the cracked stone floor to her friend and whispers to her, “I’m trying to convince him to avoid the whole genocide plot and just continue being a simple pirate at the most. He’s been working hard towards this and I’d hate to see his dreams crushed.” “His dreams are to crush us,” Dash retorts, “cut me down from here. You’re probably not going to make any progress persuading this guy.” “I have made a little progress. At least you’re not starving in the brig. Just stick tight, I’ll get you down when the time is right.” “Réjouir!” Korsan cheers out loud. “Follow me.” Closing a large book in his claws and placing it down against the foot of the stone tower, the caped pirate walks past the tall pillar and into a large area of shrubbery. The rest of the crew members, a fair seventy of them from what Dash sees, follow after their leader and into the verdant thick. Being carried across the vast area, Dash looks at her surroundings alongside Rarity to see massive decapitated stone structures, most with mushrooms, vines, and other plant life growing from their enormous cracks and engraved grooves. “Where did these buildings come from?” “I don’t know. An ancient civilization it seems.” “The ancient ponies of Trihearth?” “No, no, it’s way too old. Especially with the abnormal conditions of the Second Pulse, this place may be thousands of years old. Overpopulation may be the root cause of why it’s been deserted so long for this to happen. Though there are signs of significant water damage, look at this, pity. Perhaps flooding now that I think about it,” As the massive gang traverse the low jungle, they eventually stop at a cliff edge. From there, everypony stares in awe of what’s below. There, at the bottom of the cliff, a massive valley of ruins, an entire kingdom, lies, with towers and castles reaching as high as they are and piercing the high mist. On the opposite side of the valley stands a tall mountain, with a massive rock temple built out of its massive size. “Incredible,” “How many ponies lived here?” “A least five million. It’s amazing, so many lives, practically forgotten, vanished without a second thought. It’s a scary thought to say the least. Alright sea artists, our best bet to finding our goal is probably that volcano on the far side of the valley. It’s extinct, so that shouldn’t be a problem to worry about.” “Captain!” A stallion’s voice calls out from far behind the group. “Grevious?” Soon, a grey stallion in a fancy brown coat appears from the thick bushes behind the large group. “What’s going on?” “We found these stowaways hiding in the brig.” Using his magic, the tall newcomer summons Applejack and Applebloom from behind the jungle growth, trapped in his iron magic grip. “If I were to recall sir, as well as what Sweetie Belle claims, these mares are part of the ‘peace’ compact you made with Princess Twilight.” “It appears so.” “Applejack, Applebloom,” Rarity and Rainbow Dash worryingly calls out to them, “what are you doing here?” “I have the exact same question, plus a few more. How did yous sneak on board?” “Hear us out, please,” Applejack frantically answers, “we were just staying below until we could find the right time to talk to you or somethin’.” “Talk to me about what?” “Joinin’ you-” “Wait, what?! You have to be joking.” “I’m not joking. I mean it! I want to protect my family and make sure nothing happens to them. And the only way I can see myself doing such is by joining you and also gainin’ some magic powers.” “…I see.” “Please, I mean no harm to y’all.” “AJ,” Dash replies, trying to force herself to laugh and ease the tension. “You don’t really mean it right?” “I so mean it! Unicorns and alicorns are superior.” Both Rainbow Dash and Rarity gasp upon hearing their friend’s confession. Even Applebloom appears shocked by this. “Indeed,” Korsan responds, “I understand where you’re coming from. However, I must warn you, sometimes family isn’t always as, loyal, as you intend for them to be, especially after a turn like this.” “Please, let me join you. I’ll help if needed.” “…” “Please.” “Very well then. Alexander Grevious, release them.” With the flick of a horn, the orange and yellow Earth ponies are freed from their green auras and drop onto the green floor of the jungle. “Before we press onwards, I want to establish two things. One, when we reach our goal, I will be first to undergo transformation into an alicorn. Get it?” “Yes.” “Second, if you show one speck of a scheme against me, I’ll dice you into a million pieces and hold your sister for ransom. Get the picture?” “…Understood, Captain.” “Very well then, onwards my crew, to the heart of Alicorn Island,” Meanwhile, at the shoreline of the other side of the great island, Lightning Rod is flipped over onto the sand, heavily destroyed after a brutal landing in the previous chase. Outside, at the edge of the green and faded stone ruins, Twilight and the remaining team are gathered around a small fire, providing them heat and light in the eternal darkness. “So,” Pinkie speaks, “It’s only us five remaining?” “Against a hundred pirates and Korsan,” Spike adds, “How are we going to stop them now?” “Spike?” Fluttershy troublingly asks. “Not that I’m saying that we have no chance, just curious if there is a plan. Twilight?” “I have no idea.” Twilight answers in a defeated tone. “Come on, you always find a way.” Pinkie cheers. “We have no boat, we have no weapons or defenses, we have no magic, half of our team is gone, and Korsan’s about to become the most powerful pony in existence.” Spike then replies, “Is that it, we’re just giving up?” “…” “Twilight?” “…No. We still have Applejack and Applebloom hiding on The Perfection, they can steal it and we could probably fly out of here, leaving Korsan and the others trapped here.” “What about Rarity and Sweetie Belle? And are you sure that Korsan won’t escape?” “I don’t know about those two, I’m still sorting them out. As for Korsan, at least it’ll hopefully keep him here long enough for us to warn Celestia.” “Are you sure AJ will find us?” Fluttershy asks, “If she even wants to?” “What does that mean?” “You and her have been arguing a lot recently, and, don’t think too harshly, but what if she, you know,” “I see where you’re going with it. …Perhaps we should at least stall Korsan ourselves until we figure out a backup plan. We’ll improvise.” “I’m coming with you,” Scootaloo declares. “No!” Twilight retorts. “Aww, cmon,” “We don’t want you to get hurt. Just stick around Lightning Rod until we get back.” “Fine.” “Good.” “Take care of yourself,” Spike proclaims. “Hey, somepony needs to supervise her.” “What?! Why me?” “Would you rather fight Korsan?” Fluttershy speaks, “I don’t want to fight Korsan.” “You’re coming to help out with injuries and act innocent so they’ll try to avoid you Flutter.” “Now that I think about it,” the purple dragon anxiously answers, “Scootaloo will need a guardians against crabs or something like that.” “Good. Pinkie, Fluttershy, onward,” Promptly, the three older mares enter the verdant forest and ancient ruins, leaving behind Spike and Scootaloo on the beach. An hour of silence follows between the two at the fire until Scootaloo finally speaks, “Spike, let’s follow them. We can help them out. Rainbow Dash might need me to save her and help her beat up Korsan.” “Nope,” Spike retorts, “nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Twilight said for you to stay.” “Please?” “No.” “Come on, please?” “No.” “Please?!” Then, the orange filly walks up to Spike and stares into his green eyes with her slowly growing purple eyes. Her mouth slowly forms into a whimper and the blacks of her pupils eventually consume the baby dragon’s, causing a growing guilt inside Spike. “Oh, no,” “Hiya!” Korsan screams as he chops through a section of thick vines with his sword. Upon the green wall flopping onto the rocky slope, the pirate captain and his followers gasp as they gaze upon the massive volcano temple before them. With massive spirals that reach for the black heavens, millions of details and etchings sprawled across its several stories of height, and imposing shadows that make the towering structure all the more taller, all coated in a radiant cyan moss, the massive temple greets the band of explorers by mere sight. “Do you think this is where it’s at?” Isyan asks in his dumbfounded state. “…” “Cousin?” “Look,” the captain quietly announces in his long moment of awe. “Look at the details of this wondrous piece of architecture. The angles, the scales, the arches, the balances, the-the everything. Everything fits together so wondrously for such a giant building, built by ancients with little more than a hammer and chisel. It’s perfect. I have so many questions, so many theories, it may require a lifetime just to study this alone.” The captain then glances directly ahead of them and sees the front wall of the temple. He notes how it has a large set of circular symbols around the center of a section between two walls. “This way,” Korsan then giddily runs over the peculiar wall and runs his claws across the large symbols. “Where are we going? It’s a wall.” “It’s the front entrance, tightly sealed.” “And how do you know?” Carefully, Korsan starts to push against the circles of the wall. Much to the crew’s surprise, this causes them to start slowly move around. “I recognize these types of locks. Like tumblers to safe.” He then presses one of his ears to the overgrown door and listens intently while he turns the massive stone rings around each other. “It appears that all ten of these things have to align at once for this to even sound out. But there may be a loophole if I can feel the right frequency in my hooves. Now come on…” As Korsan continues to tediously crack the code, small talk erupts from his surrounding pirates. “I wonder what they ate.” Applejack asks to one of the nearby pirates. “Judging by the pots, plates, and whatever’s left of those crops we saw on the way,” Korsan loudly answers, “bananas, corn, grains, fruits, smaller vegetables, and honey. Notable thing about the honey, if you’re hungry, you can heat it up and eat it right out of the pot.” “Ewww, that doesn’t sound good at all,” Applebloom replies, “Actually, it should still be pretty fresh around this time.” “I’ll pass.” “Applejack?!” Rainbow Dash calls out to her from behind. The orange mare responds, “Huh?” Turning her head back, she sees Rainbow Dash. “Oh, that’s right,” “What are you doing joining his side?” “I’m becomin’ an alicorn and protecting my kin.” “Did you drink seawater?” “Look, if Korsan’s findin’ a way to make himself an alicorn to use magic, I might as well join along and get some benefit from this losin’ fight.” “Really, you’ll turn your back to Equestria and let this villain destroy us all?” “I’m trying to convince him out of it,” Rarity retorts. “That sounds fine enough with me.” Dash merely scoffs in response to Applejack’s reply before attempting to turn herself way from them. “…Wait,” Applebloom nervously asks her older sister, “So, are we now the villains?” “No lil’ sis. We aren’t.” “Then why are with Korsan then? Isn’t he a bad pony?” “No, well, yes, it’s, it’s complicated.” “I’m confused.” Rarity then adds herself into the conversation, “How about you play with somepony, except the two similar yellow stallions.” “They all look pretty scary to me,” “They’re not too bad once you get to know them.” “I’ll try.” Cautiously, the yellow filly wanders into the herd of pirates, looking around for the least threatening face to talk to. “So, Applejack, what convinced you to join?” Applejack soon answers, “I thought about what Korsan said, and he’s right, unicorns are superior.” “That’s not entirely true, I mean, you’re a pretty good pony,” “Not good enough though.” “Well, that’s a very crude way of putting it. I mean, you shouldn’t be putting yourself down like that.” “What caused you to join?” “To be honest, I’m not really sure. I guess the main reason is that I sort of want to see Korsan get to this goal of his, without any negative repercussions of course. I’ve seen him work so hard for it after so many struggles-” “And murders!” Dash interrupts. “An issue that’s being worked on, relax. But anyways, I do pity him.” “Pity my flank! Let me down!” “We can’t now.” “Bah!” “Huh,” Applejack quickly sighs. Back at the front of the temple, Isyan approaches his captain and speaks with him, “Excuse me,” “No please,” Korsan mockingly responds, “just start yelling at me. You’re clearly far above that and not minding that I’m busy.” “Oh please, I don’t just scream.” “Even Juliana knows that you constantly scream. Isn’t that right Missy?” A loud screech responds. “Exactly,” “Besides that, there are more important matters at hoof.” “In a minute,” “I don’t like how you’re keeping the mares’ from Twilight’s team together and unmonitored.” “Pop quiz, define ‘in-a-minute’.” “Really, they could attack you at any moment.” “Hey, hey, I’m the captain, you’re the boatswain. I’ll take care of bodies, you take care of wood.” A loud stony rupture then sounds off as the large stone rings retreat back into the structure and are pulled to the side by an unseen set of pulleys and rope. “There we go.” “You are so full of yourself at times.” “And you aren’t. Onward fellow boucaniers!” Sharp on command and lead by Korsan, the crew promptly walks into the dark entrance of the temple, entering a passageway with an unseen end. Mindful not to trip on anything, the pirates make slow progress as they travel inwards. As they draw away from the moon’s light, the long hallway ahead of them eventually becomes pitch black. “Are we they yet?” Pip hollers. “This might be a trap.” Yin declares. “Quit shoving!” Yu barks to his unseen hustlers. “I can’t see Jack.” One of the pirates grumbles as he aimlessly stumbles in the void. “Oh wait, there he is.” “Hey, that’s my private part!” Jack immediately yells. “We need a light.” Rarity proclaims to her captain right ahead. “Quite,” Korsan replies, “I’m getting sick of this whining. There should be a torch up here,” Reaching a hoof upwards, the bipedal pegasus grabs what feels to be a wooden stick and pulls it down, causing a small cloud of dust and ash to pour on his followers. Rarity sneezes. “Excuse me.” “My apologies,” Korsan then holds the upwards end of the wood to his nose, sniffing it. “It still has some fuel in it.” Carefully, Korsan moves his front hooves away from his face and holds his free claw over the top end. He snaps his claws, causing a small spark to burst from the grinding metal. It lights the torch quickly and burns his hoof a little, causing the stallion to yelp and pull his burnt hoof back. “Are you okay?” “It’s just a burn. At least we have light.” With the burning torch now brightly illuminating the walls of the long corridor and the traveling ponies themselves, the crew press onwards and stop their previous complaining. With their forward pace now without potential obstacles, Korsan and the rest look to their sides and notice the massive paintings and etchings on the stone and pillars that stand along the walls. It surprises Korsan especially as to how well preserved they are and the amount of detail in each one. “It truly is interesting, these walls. Despite possibly being submerged in water as we’ve seen with the rest of the island ruins, this temple stays perfectly pristine. That gate had to be pretty tight in order for this to still be around for thousands of years.” “Good thing,” Rarity adds, “These all look so beautiful.” “I could try my hoof and interpret some of these. I memorized that book front to back now.” “Sure.” “Let’s see…” Korsan looks over to the right wall and analysis the painting. It appears to be six ponies, three stallions and three mares, all finely dressed in royal garments, sitting at a round wooden table with symbols surrounding the background. “To thy great kings of queens, we blessed thou many, for keeping order and strength throughout our lands three. With your children be blessed thou four, as they take the mantle and secure thy thrones three. May love fall either between them, or by us noble citizens. Yet rumours be told, told by the many, that struggle for harmony and power has corrupted thee six. Have thou turned all into shadows of themselves, bickering to each other and planning schemes of dark forces. We pray not. Let these rumours be nothing else but gossip, and give prosperity to all the same thy fathering generations as centuries ago.” “What does that mean?” Applebloom asks out loud. “Hmm?” “Yeah,” Yu calls out, “I’m a bit lost.” “That mural right there is probably a tribute to a generation of kings and queens that ruled this island. Sounds like they were having a bit of a scuffle though anyways while their children were going to be coronated at a relatively similar time.” “Why?” Applejack questions the captain, curious as well. “Who knows? Conflict of interests, desire for power, wealth, greater fame, tough times, could be multiple reasons.” “Sounds so familiar,” Rarity speaks, “I just can’t put my hoof on it.” “Perhaps you’re thinking of a book. I’ve read a good number with a similar premise.” “Hey, what about that one up ahead?” “Huh?” As the group walks past the first read fresco, they come across a solid bright red wall with black writing and glyphs all over it. “That’s a bit off-putting.” “What does it say?” “Well, let’s see, one sec for my memory…” “…” “Be warned by all who hath intruded this sacred temple. For many an ill heart and mind seek the Fountain of Balance’s power to bring envy and wrath upon thy neighbor and countries, it has been secured in the heart of this temple of earth, metal, magic, might, and fire to keep it secure. Mind thy movements, for tiles of gemstones and foils of the greedy. Mind thy mind, for the air of death and destruction of the soul. Mind thy body, for serrated spikes and impenetrable liquid and boiling stone and iron, all to pierce and melt and destroy thee. And most important, for what portion of thou shalt be altered and bent, be your fate and destiny. For you may avoid these defenses and tricks, once you reach the Fountain, you’ll never go back. Turn back now, or suffer a grim turn, sooner is better, later is never.” “That doesn’t sound good.” “The Fountain of Balance? Is that what the power of Alicorn Island is?” “Are you sure we should be doing this.” “Don’t worry. I’ve dealt with much worse than anything simple tools can build. Hold my torch.” With a flick of her horn, Rarity grabs the lit wand from Korsan with her magic and hovers it a bit further ahead. The caped captain then pulls out his two cutlasses and crosses them over his chest in a defensive position. “Lentement, onwards,” Slowly, the massive gang continues on forward, looking out for any traps straight ahead, on the walls, and on the ceiling. “What was it that we were looking out for again? Just a reminder” “Spikes, thick water, lava, poisonous gas, hallucinogenic gas, and one more thing, what was it…” Suddenly, the stone floor beneath Korsan, Rarity, Applejack, and Applebloom grouped together, is swept out from under themselves. The four ponies immediately drop down into a massive unlit hole, grabbing onto each other as they plummet down. However, Korsan acts quick and stabs his swords onto the hallway floor, anchoring himself down as well as the rest of the mares attached to him. “Trap tiles!” The stone floor that seemed to have disappeared then slowly moves back from slightly ahead in the hallway. Korsan tries to pull himself and the others up with his might. But as hard as he tries, the heavy floor shifts back into position, crushing the captain’s hooves. The stallion roars in pain as he accidently lets go of his swords above and fall down into the black with the mares, all screaming in terror of what awaits them. A Slow SeparationIn the heavier portions of the thick jungles of Alicorn Island, a short distance away from the center mountain, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie are sifting through the grown-over ruins in search of something. With the black of night overhead and the thick green completely covering the stone remains, searching for anything special among the ruins is nearly impossible. “What are we looking for again?” Pinkie asks, poking her head under an uprooted tree. Twilight answers as she paws at the floor, “We’re looking for some sort of tunnel, or a passage into the temple.” “Why not take the front entrance on the other side?” “There had to be an escape route for the miners that worked on the temple in the event of a cave in. From what it looks like, the temple goes deep underground. They also probably didn’t think anypony wouldn’t take the obvious front entrance, so there shouldn’t be any traps this way.” “Aw, but traps sound so fun to trip and escape in a really impractical manner.” “I don’t think they’re fun.” Fluttershy replies. “Don’t worry Fluttershy,” Twilight reassures her friend, “the way we’re going will be safe.” “Do you think Rarity and Sweetie Belle are safe right now?” “I can’t really say. Korsan seems to know what he’s doing about these things. They’re probably just flying past all of those setups.” Korsan, Rarity, Applejack, and Applebloom continue to scream in panic as they fall straight down into the darkness for what seems to be an eternity. Soon though, a small green light emerges far below, signifying the bottom it appears. Korsan pants as he sees they’re falling too fast towards the bottom of the hole, “We gotta slow this train down!” Quickly, the mechanically aided captain stabs his front hooves into the caverns walls beside him. However, as soon as they latch onto the wall, they immediately slide out from an unseen flow along the walls. Korsan tries again, only to slip out once more. “Come on!” The pirate tires one more time, putting all of his might and metal into the force of his claws. The metal tips etch themselves deep into thick rock and grind against the falling chain of ponies. Sparks and icy water pour out from the metal fingers and pour over the decelerating mares and stallion. “Hot-and-cold-hot-and-cold-hot-and-cold-hot-and-cold-hot-and-cold-hot-and-cold-ho-” The ponies brutally slam onto the metal floor in a large pile and shout in pain and discombobulation. A small moment of silence soon follows as the four recollect themselves and breathe out the pain. “Is everypony okay?” Rarity speaks out. “A loosened bolt and gear, but I’m good here.” The thunderous sounds of snapping wood then blares out from under. The circular green and yellow floor starts to shift and tip over to the pile. Panic immediately sets in as the ponies quickly scramble to their hooves. “What’s going on?!” “The floor’s tilting over!” The ponies scramble over to the rising half of the metal disk. It quickly stops and instead begins to fall in the other direction where they’re at. “It’s a pivot at the origin, everypony, take to a corner of the platform and balance this thing! Now! Filly, stay put and hang on tight!” Immediately, Rarity, Korsan, and Applejack climb up the rising slope to the sides and top of the stage. They tightly latch their hooves to the etched metal floor as it rocks. The platform slowly balances back to being flat once more. The four separated ponies gasp in relief, but remain uneasy as the sounds of loud wood creaking still echo from below their standing. “Okay, I think we’re stable.” “How do we get out of this mess?” Applejack rapidly asks. “Well,” Korsan sighs, straightening out his thoughts and examining his surroundings. “We’re on a large platform made of solid gold that is balanced on a central pillar in the middle, an ironic way to kill off any intruders that stepped on the trap tiles that were apparently lined with riches by dropping down to whatever awaits at the bottom. Not sure how the floor is glowing, not important. The walls are too slippery for me and my crossbow due to a heavy flow of water. And there appears to be no ladder or doorway to exit.” “So, we’re just stuck here forever?” Applebloom worryingly cries. “I never said there was an exit. Miss Rarity, give us a light.” Rarity stampers in response, “Oh, yes,” and using her horn, the white mare emits a bright purple light from it, illuminating the chamber far more than the green tint of the disc. There, Korsan can see a black hole in the stone walls just above Applebloom’s head. “There.” He points to it. “Could you possible levitate this platform up to it?” “Let me try.” Cutting her light off for a moment, the unicorn aims her horn to the gold floor and attempts to levitate it. However, no aura appears around the disc, and Rarity finds herself unable to grasp it, similar to how her captain’s anti-magic behaves. “I can’t.” “Too heavy?” “No, I just can’t get a hold of it. It’s like it’s lined with anti-magic or something.” “What? That shouldn’t be…” As Korsan crotches down to better examined the engraved loop of gold, he notices a solid green substance deep within the grooves that he instantly recognizes. “It can’t be. Girls, it looks like we’re playing by new rules.” “What do you mean?” “I’ve given these ancients credit for their advanced infrastructure, but I would’ve never expected something this advance. It appears that they know about the secrets of creating physical anti-magic, and have probably lined every pebble of this temple with it.” “What now what?” The orange mare asks, now beginning to panic. “Don’t worry yourself. This temple may be untouchable, but we aren’t. Now, I’m going to need everypony’s cooperation if we’re going to get out of this trap. Now Rarity, when I give the signal, you-” Before Korsan can calmly finish, the wooden stilt holding the platform up suddenly snaps from the weight. The ponies panic as they frantically shift themselves to balance out the structure that is about to collapse. “Okay! We gotta go fast! Rarity, do you know how to teleport?” “Only once before exhausting!” Rarity immediately answers. “Good, on my command, you will teleport to the exit. When you go, Applejack, you will go to the middle, while I and the filly balance it. Got it?” “Yes!” The mares reply. “Ready, set, go!” With a twitch of her horn and magic, Rarity disappears from her corner in a flash of light and reappears on the edge of the black exit cavern. As the gold disk starts to tilt, Applejack runs to the center while Korsan and Applebloom counter the tilt back. The balance is restored once more, and now the three remaining ponies stand in a line that makes up the diameter of the circular teeter. “Next part, levitating Applejack to you. Ready?” “Yeah,” Rarity answers. The crumbling pivot below snaps once more, shaking the gold platform and offsetting Korsan and the Earth ponies. “Now!” Applejack is then promptly lifted from the center and into the air by a blue magically aura. “Come to me little filly!” Hastily, Korsan and Applebloom follow up Rarity’s action by running towards the center in place of Applejack. Applejack soon reaches the black cavern alongside her carrier and is gently placed now next to the white pony. “Now this ankle biter last!” “Wait, what about you?” The support emitters another earth-shattering crack. “Don’t worry about me.” “But I won’t be able to grab you.” “Get the kid!” Seeing as she has no other option, Rarity quickly picks up Applebloom and sets her down next to her and Applejack. Korsan is now the only one left as the gold platform starts to slowly sink down. “Let me get you out of there! Drain your anti-magic or something!” “It’ll take too long! Just back up!” “I’m not leaving you!” “Back!” “There must be some way, we can figure this out!” “As your captain, I command that you and the others go on!” “No-” “Now! Now! Now! Now! Now!” Frightened by Korsan’s screaming, the mares slowly back away from the edge of the cavern entrance. “Hopefully this ends well…” “What?” Rarity looks over the lip of the cave to see the caped pony slowly back away from her and towards the edge. The giant platform tilts back to him, causing the other end to rise up to her. “You aren’t-” “Rahhhhhhh!” Korsan then frantically races up the sloped disk to the cave and Rarity, digging his bottom claws into the gold floor to boost him. Halfway there, the pivot finally shatters. The entire stage plummets down with him. He reaches the edge of the platform. He jumps high into the air with all of his might. However, Rarity sees that Korsan doesn’t have barely enough height to grab the edge. Without hesitation, she reaches her hoof out for her captain’s outstretched claws, much to his disapproval. “No!” But it’s too late. Korsan’s razor sharp claws dig into Rarity’s flesh and latch into her muscle, causing the mare to scream. Applejack and her sister watch in horror as Rarity’s right hoof quickly turns into a bright shade of red and pink. “Help me!” Quick to respond, the large Earth pony bites down on Rarity’s swirly tail and pulls her back into the exit. Using a great deal of strength, Applejack tows Korsan up to them, where he’s able to set his hooves onto the flat stone floor. “You idiot,” Korsan angrily grumbles, like a mother scolding her child, “Look at this.” With his claws deep inside the whimpering mare, Korsan carefully draws out his metal parts from her, one long claw at a time. Rarity sobs in agony, “Y-you were g-going-g to f-fall.” “I probably was in hindsight. Thank you for that. Stay still for a tick,” As the bipedal pirate pulls out the final claw, he examines his fellow crewmember’s pierced hoof. “I’m sorry for doing this to you. First that rapier two weeks ago and now this. It’s like you want to wreck your hooves.” “D-don’t be ridiculous.” “Let me just wrap this up here,” Swiftly, Korsan flings his black cape around Rarity’s hoof, tightening it upon contact. “Ow,” “Sorry.” “How do you do that, making your cape snap like that?” “Prehensile micro-cables inside the cape fabric, they tense into specific forms and bends by my muscle commands, just like everything else that’s my mechanical suit. It can be flaccid in public gatherings for appearance and imposition, but can be restrained in its movements when I’m fighting and need open space.” “Interesting, what’s it made of?” “A titanium alloy over a Kevlar structure-” “No, the cape fabric,” “Oh, Darwing Bark Spider silk dyed with crushed Ancient Pingwin Mollusk shells.” “Beautiful.” “Applejack, and eh…” “Applebloom.” “Right, her, go ahead until you reach the main path. I’m sure my stallions will find you. Redirect them over here with a surgeon ready.” The two Earth ponies nod and scamper into the exit. Gently, the brown stallion caresses the wrapped leg with his claws retracted into the boots, causing his white partner to sigh in liberation of the pain and the tingling of pleasure. As Korsan massages the wounded leg, Rarity looks to his exposed back. A wave of disgust and pity washes over her as she sees Korsan’s wings. They are mangled, covered in bald spots that reveal his pale flesh, black and red bruises dotting his fur, deep scars that run along every inch of his skin, and large hunks of metal parts, large and small, bars and complex mechanicals, piercing from his wings and tangling with everything in contact. “Your wings, they’re, they’re,” “It’s nothing.” Korsan quietly retorts in attempts to be relaxed, but with a sense of shame present in his current tone. “That is not nothing. What did you do to them?” “A few experiments in the mechanical arts went sour. I was seeing if I could perhaps fix my wings after an, unfortunate happening.” “Does it still hurt?” “Not as much as it did before, at least I can sleep.” “Have you gotten this checked out?” “No, no, there’s no need for that. I’d rather deal with it myself.” “Okay… Captain, can I ask you something?” “Anything,” “Have you considered, I don’t know, being less, violent, when becoming an alicorn?” “…” “Korsan?” “I had a feeling you’d be asking me about that sooner or later. Look, I-I’m not the most usual of ponies, neither am I the most sane. You know that right?” “…Yes.” “But what I am, is a thinker. Somepony that understands a lot and can draw some conclusions with a lot of fair reason. I have also firsthoof felt what it means to be on the bottom. And really, I don’t want anypony else to experience that same pain I felt for so many years. So, my ultimate plans after this venture, is more of a means to fix everything.” “By killing millions though?” “It’s an unpleasant thought, I understand. But genetics have a very dangerous role to play in the creation of these terrible lives.” “Please, you don’t have to kill. You could still create change and get your point across by simply talking.” “That’ll never work. I know it already.” “Are you sure?” “Mostly,” “But are you absolutely sure?” “…” “Captain!” A series of voices echo from deeper in the large cavern, ringing loud and clear in the captain’s ears. “…” A low growl bellows from the far bottom of a tight stairway, deep underground and long, needle-like stalactites reach down from the uncarved ceiling, barely touching the damp, mossy steps. As Twilight and her two friends with her walk down the ceaseless flight, natural chitchat is being held between them to pass the time. “I am so happy I found that trapdoor leading to here!” Pinkie cheers as she rather hops down the wide steps, “I almost never lose a scavenger hunt!” “And so are we,” Twilight calmly replies, having heard the pink pony’s unintentional gloating about the subject several times, “this should lead us to the artifact that Korsan’s after.” “And even closer to Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Applejack, and Applebloom!” “Yes…” Meanwhile, Korsan and his small team have already reunited with the other pirates as they walk down the slowly descending hallway lined with murals, directed by a leading torch carried by Chopin in the far back. With Rarity’s hoof now firmly wrapped in soft, white bandages, the mare gently hopples alongside her captain, leaning onto him at times for support. “So, the rest of yous have already figured it out by now I assume.” Korsan proclaims. “This temple is lined with anti-magic.” “It became especially notable in the spear chamber sir,” Horus answers from directly behind, “luckily, no pony was injured… greatly anyways.” “I see, so I and the others missed a trap, darn. Sounds like a fun one too.” “I wouldn’t recommend it.” “Understandable.” As the crew continue to pace onwards, a light green mist starts to blanket the slanted corridor. “Careful. It appears we’ve reached the gas area. It’s either poisonous, or hallucinogenic, either way, don’t breathe it in. Just hold your breath and hustle.” “What’s the difference?” Isyan asks from the far back. “One kills you on the spot, the other makes you wish you were killed on the spot.” “…wait, wait, wait. It gets better. When the patient woke up, his skeleton was missing, and the doctor was never heard from again!” Pinkie exclaims, having finished a long ramble. A small beat of silence follows as the mares continue to walk down the stairs and process what the hyperactive mare was saying. Unbeknownst to them, a faint yellow mist floats in on their decent. A confused Fluttershy then asks, “What were we talking about again?” “How I lost my medical license.” “Wait, wha-” “Hey,” Twilight interrupts, “do you hear something?” “Where?” “I don’t know.” In the corners of Twilight’s twitching ears, a small metallic clinking sounds out from an unknown location. The purple alicorn looks around for the sound she hears, only to see Pinkie and Fluttershy walking down with her, blankly looking forward. She then looks back ahead of her, and notices an orange dot in the distance. “Hey, do you see that?” As Twilight returns her glance to her friends to see their reactions to this suddenly appearing spec, she’s shocked to find that they both are now gone. “Hey, where did you two go?” Stopping her walk, Twilight circles around herself and looks everywhere to the vanished ponies, only to find no trace of them. “Do you have a point?” A familiar mare’s voice echoes all around the confused loner. Twilight frantically snaps her head everywhere once more in search of the source, but to no avial. “Who’s there? Where are you? Where are my friends?” Twilight then looks back to the orange dot and sees that it has grown into a blurry figure now closer to her. Curious, the alicorn walks towards the mysterious being, not noticing how the stairwell has begun to spiral onto the walls and ceiling and defying gravity. As she proceeds closer and closer to her target, the dark and grey stone surrounding her slowly begins to change into different colours and textures. “Of course I have a point!” A male voice then answers. “There’s two of you?” “What? Don’t you recognize me?” The female voice asks. “Who are you?” “It’s because we’re villains isn’t it?” The male voice replies. “Villains?” “Or is it you, who is the villain?” The mare’s voice questions Twilight, who is now losing her sense of scale and depth perception. “Me? The villain? No!” “Quite, so many lives, suffering, just waiting to meet there end and have better ones replace them.” The stallion adds. At this point, the walls have turned into a solid white and its texture has turned into some sort of soft padding. “Don’t you see the obvious?” “What?” “The point?” “Who-” “The sanity?” “I don’t-” “Surely at this point, you would have figured this out. Why don’t you see what everypony is seeing?” “What am I not seeing?!” Furious, Twilight starts to run on what appears to be a long sheet of dark metal, twisting and bending beyond normality. “She must be insane.” The unseen mare replies to the invisible stallion. “I’m not insane!” “Quite frankly,” Another familiar mare’s voice suddenly speaks, right behind Twilight, “You appear to be.” Twilight immediately looks back and sees Rarity, now taking the shape of Korsan. She yelps in fright and stumbles back. “Rarity?!” “Hello Twilight Sparkle.” “What happened to you? Why are you in Korsan’s suit?” Slowly, the Rarity and Korsan hybrid walks around the baffled pony. As Twilight examines the figure, the metal path fades away from the corner of her eyes. “Poor, poor, Twilight. Korsan is our king. He is worthy of the throne to all life.” “What are you even saying?” Twilight is then grabbed by the shoulders by metal claws and turned around to have her face pressed up against Applejack, also sporting Korsan’s body structure. “Applejack?!” The orange being screams, “The electrolytes!” “The what?!” “You still don’t get it do you?” The two bipedal mares soon being to circle around the shriveling pony, constantly talking at her with no breaks or a moment to breathe. “It’s complicated.” Rarity states. “He has a point.” “He interests me.” “It’s not all black and white.” “I love him.” “I must protect my family.” “There’s no going back now.” “You’re fighting a lost cause.” “We should’ve tossed you into the brig.” “The crazy house,” “The asylum, toss her in!” “You don’t have a single point!” “Twilight.” “Twilight.” “Twilight.” “Twilight.” “Twilight!” “Twilight!” The purple alicorn snaps under the screaming and starts to sob uncontrollably. The walls of the padded hallway begin to shink all around her with the darkness from the two exits drawing closer as well. Twilight woefully cries, “Stop it! Stop it!” The two beings don’t stop and continue to angrily scream her name together, “Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!” “Please stop!” “Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!” “I’m begging you!” “Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!” “No more! Please! I’m begging! Stop it! I can’t breathe!” “Twilight!” “I want my mommy!” “Twilight!” “I want my daddy!” “Twilight!” “I want my brother!” “Twilight!” “Just make it end!” As the two hybrid ponies continue to spiral and harass the fallen princess, a brown shadow appears in the distance, walking to her. Teary eyed and having her eyelids almost entirely shut, Twilight barely recognizes the approaching third being. However, as it enters a metre’s distance, it becomes clear who it is. It is Korsan as a monstrous alicorn, with a smiling set of razor sharp red teeth, and solid black eyes, with only red pinpoints for pupils. With his ear to ear grin never changing, Korsan reaches down and grabs the mare by the throat, stabbing it with his long, barbed, talon-like needles. He then reaches into his back and pulls out an enormous version of his cutlass, emitting a black aura. As he raises the blade high above and ready to strike, he speaks in a most demonic cackle, “Pegasi and Earth ponies are inferior, we must shape the world to what it should be, all unicorns, no more suffering…” As the heinous beat swings down his weapon, a final scream erupts from the surrounding duo, “Twilight!” “No!” Twilight gasps. As she opens her eyes from the expected sensation of being chopped in two by the massive cutlass, she unexpectedly finds herself back on the stairway, laying in her own sweat and tears while Fluttershy and Pinkie are standing over her, concerned of their friend’s condition. “Wait, wh-wha-what?” “Are you okay?” Fluttershy asks, tightly clutching onto Twilight’s head with her soft hooves in an effort to keep it stable. “What happened to Rarity? Applejack? Korsan?!” “Calm down Twilight, you were only hallucinating.” “Wait, what?” “There was some gas we walked into that was being expelled in from some sort of ventilation system. When we saw you rambling and going into a spasm, Pinkie I and realized that we were as well falling under the effects. So we held our breaths, grabbed you, and carried you down and out of the gassed area. At this point, now we’re just waiting for the effects to wear off.” “Oh, so it-it was all a dream?” “Yeah.” “Hey, where’s Pinkie?” “Huh?” “Oh my Celestia!” Pinkie screams out from up the stairs, “I see everything!” “Oh, she’s doing it again.” “Those shoes are awesome trains!” “Doing what?” Twilight asks. “Cucumbers are just beds with alien technology!” Fluttershy answers, “She’s poking her head into the gas for fun. Pinkie, please pull out.” “It’s so beautiful!” “Pinkie, come on out, Twilight’s back.” “You betrayed the law!” “Pink-” “Lawwwww!” “Pinkie!” “I am the law!” Now agitated, Fluttershy walks up to the dazed mare and pulls her down to Twilight by the ear. “Hehe, it tickes!” “When you’re ready Twilight,” Twilight stampers for a moment before replying, “Yeah… yeah, yeah-yeah I’m fine. Let’s go.” The Fountain of BalanceAfter a solid minute of wading through the thick green fog with their breath held, with barely any visibility of the walls due to a suffocating torch light and their turns, Korsan and the others reach a clearing beyond the haze. Being the first to escape the deadly air, Korsan gasps out for clean air and is soon followed by everypony else. “D-did,” Korsan pants, pressing a hoof to the wall to support his failing body, “did anypony inhale the gas?” “No.” The others reply in a heavily unsynchronized moan. “Juliana?” The ice phoenix immediately soars over from the back of the group to on top of his shoulder, rubbing her cold head on her master’s deflated cheek. “There you are. Who’s a sweet little lady?” Juliana coos in response. “Yes, yes you are.” “Aww,” Rarity giggles at the sight ahead of her. With the torch’s red flame slowly returning, the murals on the wall begin to return as well, displaying gorgeous frescos. As the team continue down to the end of this long path, their eyes glance at the paintings and discover something strange about them. Most of the paintings portrayed an alicorn of some kind, rising from what seems to be a golden fountain, each with a different background and text engraved at the top. “That’s a tad suspicious.” “Hey Korsan,” Dash calls out from the back of the herd, “how about you read some of these.” “I guess so.” The pirate captain takes a moment to clear his throat and begins to read one of them. “’Lady Joan, the Mare of Justice, twas a brave mare of beauty and chivalry. When the royals’ corruption befell upon her kingdom loyal to the forest, she bathed in the holy waters to achieve thy power necessary to overthrow. Queen she then became, and her descendants still rule fair to this day.’” “She does look pretty.” Applebloom remarks, entranced in the detailed portrait of the young white alicorn. Behind her and the fountain is a starry blue sky with a golden light emanating from the sides. The torch then floats towards the next painting. This time, it is a black stallion against a bright red sky with dark clouds and volcanoes in the background. The fountain in this piece looks slightly withered, and sporting a moat of lava around it. “This guy looks like a piece of work. ‘Sir Cystic, the First of Fury, twas an angry, yet powerful stallion. Cousin to the younger heir to the throne of iron and steel, he sought out the fountain to make himself more formidable to be king. War broke between the soldiers of the cousin and the single alicorn for one hundred years. In time, the cousin died of age, and Cystic took the throne, which he held to with the clench of unwavering strength. To these times, his descendants uphold his power in the heart of fire, but fear his cost in a terrible end.’” “What end?” Applejack asks. “No idea.” “Maybe it was the fall of this island, whatever it was.” Alexander Grevious declares. “It’s a pity that all of this amounted to nothing in the end.” A pale mare pirate adds besides the formally dressed stallion, “Almost as if their lives were pointless.” “Don’t be such a downer Maria,” Yu replies, “that’s my brother’s job.” “Hey!” Yin barks as most of the others silently chuckle. “Still,” Maria retorts, “seeing these tales of such great ponies, forgotten. It might as well be the same fate as for us.” “Don’t worry,” a darker yellow stallion gently replies at her side, “I’ll always remember you.” “Thanks Hans, for your pleasantries.” “Anything for you m’lady.” Upon hearing this from Hans, the yellow brothers make silent barfing noises in relflex. “What a butt kisser,” Yu silently remarks to his brother, both right behind Applejack who’s listens in. “Don’t even bother.” Yin whispers back, “You couldn’t even hold one night with a mare.” “I did.” “Uh-huh, sure,” “It’s true, you just never saw it.” “Hey, if I know that those two lovebirds are sneaking out of their cabins every night to do who knows what, then I would tell if my brother’s ever spent the night with a mare.” “Wait, Hans and Maria sneak around at night?” “Exactly,” “What would they be doing?” “I don’t know, they always head down the back into the farm and kitchen.” “Maybe they’re getting a drink from the cellar.” “Nah, Butch would’ve caught them, he always checks the barrels at night. And you know how protective he is about the cellar.” “True, true,” “Who’s Butch?” Applejack accidently asks out loud to the two stallions behind her. “Hey, were you listening in on us?” “Uh…” “Take it easy,” Yin speaks to Yu, “she’s one of us it seems.” The calmer brother then turns to the orange Earth pony, “Butch Taylor’s our cook. He’s also the one who’s looking after your friend Sweetie Belle.” “I know, I saw her in the kitchen with him. Saved our skins she did.” “Good for her.” “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you twos end up here?” “My brother and I were arrested for supposedly sneaking cards in our hats.” “Wait,” Yu asks, “wasn’t it that we were bribing the dealer?” “That was Las Pegasus, not Monte Canter, supposedly.” “But I remember that in prison at Gorgonzola, you were getting flirty with one of the mares that was arrested alongside us that worked as a show-” “We don’t speak of her.” “Yeah, yeah, that one time when she dropped the-” “Shut it! There are foals with us.” “Oh! And then there was that moment with Bubbles and Pablo-” “Captain Korsan! Want to read another wall?!” “I’m looking, I’m deciding,” Korsan yells back as his eye glosses over the murals. “Fascinating these things are, all dedications to ponies that became alicorns with the Fountain of Balance.” Soon, the group comes across a portrait of a purple stallion with two heads. The background is a warped pattern of black, white, and grey tiles, with the golden fountain now looking very simplistic compared to the previous iterations and very unfinished. “’Sir Dolum, the Serpent of Lies, a selfish stallion that abused his generosities. Despite his raise to be kind and thoughtful, he grew himself spoiled and greedy. Sowed lies upon the earth and used the power of the fateful waters to grow them to his throne. May the golden heart of the fountain treat upon him and his followers as he hath treated others.’ Well, maybe not that one.” “Hey,” Yin asks out loud, “do you think there are any funny ones?” “Why would there be ‘funny’ ones?” “I don’t know.” “…” “Idiot,” Yin subtly coughs. “Keep moving forward, we’ll reach that fountain at any moment now.” “Come on!” Isyan groans, “Oh boy, maybe we should backtrack into the poison gas again. I liked the quiet.” “We’ve been walking for an hour. Can’t we take a break?” “No! We are reaching that fountain as soon as possible.” “Bah…” Eventually, the sounds of gentle splashes echo in the darkness straight ahead. “Is that it?!” “Hallelujah.” “Go, go, go!” Quickly, a second wind bursts across the crowd as they blindly charge forward. “This has to be it, this has to be it, this has to-Ah!” Korsan shrieks as the floor disappears from under and he and the others plummet into a large body of water. The lit torch stays stationary with Chopin and Rainbow Dash as they stop at the edge of the stone floor, revealing that Korsan and everypony else merely slipped off an unseen end of the corridor. The pirate captain swims back up to the surface with an agitated ice phoenix and wades, finding it surprisingly easy. The other fallen members soon follow suit as they float up to the top of the end of the hallway. “Well, that happened.” “My suit!” Alexander proclaims in terror. “Speak for yourself.” Isyan grumbles. “Where do we go now?” Hans asks. “Oh no!” Rarity exclaims, “Korsan, your dress, I’m sorry-” “Relax,” the captain interrupts, “that can be easily cleaned and dried back onboard. Now the real issue is where’s forward?” “The place might have caved in,” Horus suggests, “We could just use the Perfection and drill our way-” “Absolutely not. We want to preserve every millimeter of this place for future study. And I don’t think we’re caved in. See the walls here, they’re carved, this is clearly intentional.” “But for what?” “…How deep do you think this water is?” “I’m not sure. Let me check.” With a flick of his white horn, the albino pony’s horn shines a bright red, revealing the flat bottom and walls of the pool of water. “About equal to the dimensions of the hallway we’ve been in, search around for a tunnel.” Listening to the captain’s commands, Horus shines his horn around the deep water, soon coming across an underwater section of the path that leads under the end above water. “Aha! There we go.” “Are you expecting us to go in there?” Rainbow Dash screeches, “Do you even know how long that thing is? We’ll probably drown.” “Not on my watch. Attention all unicorns! Use your magic to create a large air bubble now and set your horn glow to its brightest. Your bubble will be your only means of oxygen, so I suggest you swim easily and take adequate breaths. The water is also probably mixed with a thin layer of anti-magic, making it so thick, so don’t try anything fancy with your already weak magic. If you mess up, remember, you are swimming in dense water, so you’ll only be able to move a little to reach a partner’s air bubble. Isyan, supply air to Juliana. Horus and the Shou Brothers, supply air for Applejack and Applebloom. Chopin, supply air to the loud thing on the stick.” With a twitch of Korsan’s shoulder, the ice phoenix leaps from her master and flies onto Isyan’s head. “Hey! No way I’m trusting that clown with my life.” “He’s a mime. Now let’s move out!” “Wait,” Rarity asks, “What about you?” “I got tough enough lungs, I can keep myself alive.” Soon, tens of colourful bubbles of magic form in the air and are placed over the nozzles of the pirates, with Dash, Applejack, Applebloom, and Juliana sharing a large bubble with their designated unicorns. Korsan leads by taking a deep breath and diving down into the water. One by one, the other ponies join and dive under, following their captain as he leads the way in the dimly lit head of the group. Silently, the mass of ponies paddle through the underwater halls, using fair bits of their strength to push the thick liquid behind them. The warm water flows between the ponies’ fur coats and cleans their clothing. Eventually, the struggle starts to become relaxing, as the team finds themselves cruising through the water with little worry for air. Even Rainbow Dash finds this pleasant, as the comforting liquid eases the tension in her stiff and tied regions. Korsan slowly drifts to the back of the group over time, though he doesn’t mind. A couple of minutes pass, and a faint golden glow can be seen in the distance straight ahead. Exited to see this, the crew starts to speed up their swim, especially Rarity in contrast to the deadpan Isyan. As she draws closer and closer to the light of the exit from this submerged hall, the more and more reckless she becomes with her purple air bubble. The white unicorn takes another deep breath from her air pocket. The bubble suddenly bursts. Immediately, water pours into her open mouth and nose. Rarity attempts to swim to a nearby pony, but she’s too far from anypony else in the thick water. She reaches her hooves out, screaming in the water. They tire and drop helplessly under, next to her burning body. It feels as though her lungs are filled with acid ever ripe and ready to burst. She attempts to call for help, yelping for help, but her voice is muffled. Her hooves are clenched. Her fading blue eyes widen in terror. She mouth slowly comes to a still shut. She pushes once more, reaching for anything. It fails. She tries to relax, but the burning inside keeps her frantic. She then gulps as much as she can, wanting this nightmare to be over. It exits her mouth and bloats her other parts, looking for any pathway it can find to finish her. More water soon comes and refills her mouth and throat, making the agony even more intense. Soon the water rushes up over her head. At this point, Rarity has tried everything. She reaches out with all of her might, as if a last resort, trying to grasp the dancing light, but she can’t reach it. The last bubbles of life escape her mouth as she frantically reaches for any form of oxygen. She feels, she expects, she knows she’s going to die. It seems inevitable by now. She is out of air and too tired to fight anymore. She soon begins to feel like crying, and she is sure she would have been if she was above water. She reaches one last time, a futile attempt in her mind, for the shimmering lights. Everything starts to turned black and the golden heavens are fading away. One last bubble loses its perch in her mouth and swims to the stone top. Random singular thoughts run through the mare’s head as she watches the images of her hope fade. However, as darkness consumes her final visions, a bright light flashes in front of her eyes. A sudden relief pulsates across her entire body. Rarity senses fresh air as it flows through her, yet her skin still feels the thick water crushing her body. Her eyelids open wide and her pupils saturate with life, setting upon Korsan right in front of her. A realization hits her as she stiffly examines the position of the stallion right in front of her and her senses flaring up. His lips are locked with hers, as the captain pumps water from her and replaces it with his air. Rarity tries to gasp and pull away from the surprise, but Korsan’s holding her close to him as he restores her life. Up close, Rarity can see the determination and passion in the stallion as barely any bubbles of airs escape the transfer. After giving her a fair share of air, Korsan pulls away and tightly shuts her lips closed. He then begins to frantically swim to the golden lights ahead, holding Rarity close to his chest with his front hooves. With all of his might, Korsan kicks his hind hooves and snaps his cape up and down through the dense liquid as he slowly speeds to the exit. A solid minute of furious thrashing ticks on as the two ponies draw tantalizingly close to the surface. Both of the ponies’ internal air supply drops more and more on each paddle. The burning unleashes itself inside both Korsan and Rarity. Now only a metre away, their vision starts to fade away. With one final heave, the pirate pegasus lunges himself and Rarity towards the golden glow above before blacking out. As everything turns to black, the sounds of splashing water and fainted voices ring in their ears. Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Twilight and her followers exhale their tension in relief and rest themselves against the stone walls. Ahead of the trio stands a long golden corridor that’s dimly lighted with small torches hanging from the wall. At the end of the kilometre long stretch is a golden glow, as welcoming as the sun. “There it is,” Twilight murmurs in her heavy breaths, “we got this.” “Do you think Korsan and the others are already there?” Fluttershy asks. “I don’t know.” “What if it’s a trap?” “There we better get ready for it.” Twilight rubs her hoof across her mane up to her horn, feeling the black strap still wrapped around it. “How is this thing still so firm after all this time? I should have found something to at least break the-” A idea immediately bursts in her head. The purple alicorn snaps her head back to the stairs and sees a thin stalactite up a few steps, a solid metre above the floor. She then quickly runs up to the spike and positions the anti-magic strap right below the tip. Carefully, she thrusts the glowing central device into the stalactite, piecing the strap and causing the green liquid to spit from the crack upon retracting her horn. Twilight wipes off the liquid matter from her forehead and turns back to her friends, both watching her in bliss of her success. “I got it!” “You sure did!” Pinkie exclaims. “Can you do magic once again?” “Not now, it’s still leaking out. May take a while. But right now, let’s go fight some pirates!” With the strength of pride and confidence on their side, the three mares gallop into the golden hallway and charge for the golden aura that awaits them. “Korsan! We’re coming for you!” As Twilight heads down the long stretch with her team, her mind begins to wander across what has built up to this confrontation. Invading the Grand Galloping Gala, Twilight’s inner voice speaks to her mind’s eye, stealing the Diamond Eye, throwing us into a trap, attacking us at Thieves’ Hold, destroying Celestia’s ship, kidnapping Rarity and Sweetie Belle, tempting them into joining your crew, attempting to crush us, kidnapping Rainbow Dash, and now going to use the power of this island to cause global genocide of millions of innocent lives. No, I will not stand for this. You’re going down this time Korsan. Prepare for justice! “We’re coming to save you Rarity and Sweetie Belle!” Pinkie and Fluttershy proclaim. What about those two… I’ve been avoiding trying to think about them all this time. But now I’m going to have to make a decision if they’re on Korsan’s side. Should I fight them? I have to, I must, no matter how much I don’t want to. I’ll try my best to convince them first. And what about Applejack? Is she still going to help us after the fighting we’ve been through? What if she joined Korsan’s crew as well? No, that couldn’t be. Korsan would never let an Earth pony join him, he’s too cruel. Right? “We’re almost there!” The three ponies gallop into the blinding golden glow and immediately find themselves in a massive underground grotto. It is a round cavern chamber about one hundred metres in diameter and fifty metres in height. A pitch black ceiling of darkness hangs over the explorers’ heads, with small stalactites emerging from the darkness as well as small twinkles of unknown light. At the edge of the this chamber is a surrounding moat of glistening water, only rising up to the mares’ knee height. Past the small body of water is a small hill of golden sand with an unseen flat top, with large boulders of pure iron strutting out from the beach. Curious, the trio silently wades across the clear water and fluid sand, ducking behind the iron stones in case of Korsan or any of his crew members spotting them. As they climb higher and higher, the mares start to see a tall, slightly decayed gazebo of stone peak out from over the flat top’s edge, covered in thousands of strands of thick moss and completely layered with finely detailed carvings and designs. A small golden aura emanates from what appears to be the center of this large structure. “What is this place?” Twilight whispers as she nears the flat top of the sandy hill. Upon climbing onto the rock porch, the mare’s purple eyes snap onto the source of the glow as if by instinct. At the center of the chamber is a large golden fountain, encrusted with millions of gemstones of various shapes and colours. From the three tiers of the towering center pillar, pure blue water gently flows from and into the shallow basin below. Slowly, Twilight approaches the great fountain, tracing her eyes along its height and sees the night sky above through a small hole in the black ceiling, directly over the golden orb that tops the spout. “Is this it? Is this the artifact that Korsan wants to use to make himself into an alicorn?” Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy join by their friend’s sides and gaze upon the magnificent treasure. “Shiny.” Pinkie comments. “It most certainly is.” “What do you think will happen if you touch the water?” Fluttershy gently asks. “It looks weird.” “I’m not sure. I don’t think we should try touching it, something bad might happ-” Twilight immediately cuts herself off as the sounds of distant voices echo across the paddling of the fountain water and into her ears. “Shhh, I hear somepony,” Stealthily, the purple alicorn hovers over to the other side of the flat with her wings and peaks over a boulder to the origin of the noises. Her jaw drops as her eyes gaze upon over the seventy pirate ponies that came with Korsan to Alicorn Island, all gathered around an unseen event going on at the water’s edge. Twilight’s eyes dart to most of the visible swashbucklers and get a good look at their gleaming weapons strapped to them, ranging from swords, to crossbows, to axes, to maces, to daggers, to more abnormal weapons that the spying alicorn had only read about in books. She turns around to the approaching friends and frantically whispers, “It’s them! It’s Korsan!” “What?” Pinkie exclaims, “Let me see.” The pink mare pokers her head above the hiding boulder and sees the mass gathering. “I don’t see Korsan.” “Shhh, I think I hear them talking.” The three ponies set themselves firm onto the iron chunk and silently watch as the pirates talk amongst another. “Hey!” Alexander proclaims near the center of the mob, “Make some room! Make a hole! They’re coming back!” The crowd quickly backs away and parts to make a clear path of view between the spies and the activity that’s going on. There, at the edge of the calm waters, stiffly lay Korsan and Rarity, with the white mare being tightly held to the captain’s exposed chest. “Rarity!” Twilight silently screams. The two damp ponies stay motionless for several seconds before a faint collection of groans can be heard. The large brown mass starts to move first, sliding off of Rarity and collapsing onto the sand. Korsan then releases a horrific cough from his throat, spewing a bit of water out as well. Rarity soon follows as she begins to roll in her place while coughing small gags and spitting drops of water from deep inside her systems. The pirate captain then cements on of his hooves into the loose floor and pushes himself upward, opening his icy eye to examine his blurry surroundings. The stallion then speaks in a scratchy voice, “This is most certainly not Heaven if you are all here.” “Captain!” The crew cheers, jumping up and down in place to see their leader is back with his sense of humour still intact. With his ears catching Rarity’s soft coughing, Korsan turns his attention towards the white mare, reaching out his other front hoof and gently grabbing her shoulder. “Miss Rarity?” Upon unleashing a powerful bark to finishing clearing her throat, Rarity’s bright eyes open up to his him before answering, “Y-yes Captain?” “Thank goodness you’re still alive. Rest here,” “Aye,” Slowly, the pegasus unsteadily picks himself up onto his hind legs and takes a brief moment to check the current situation. “So, where are we?” “Unsure Captain,” Horus explains, “we’ve been taking care of you and Rarity.” “And how is the crew?” “All well and accounted for.” “Well, wherever we are, we made it without too much trouble. And you wanted me to blow up this place, how ridiculous.” “Ridiculous?! You and Rarity nearly died.” “We weren’t going to die. Seeing our lives flash before our eyes? Probably,” “Do you think this is a game?!” Isyan yells as Juliana aggressively pecks and screeches at her holder, “You must be going absolutely mad if you’re really trying to blow this off with your cockiness. Ow!” “No, I just prefer to see everything in a better light unlike you. And what the hay did you do to Juliana? She’s going nuts on ya,” “I didn’t do-Jack!” “What can I do?” The stallion known as Jack responds from the back. “Get this parrot off of me!” Korsan rolls his eye and scoffs, “Sheesh. Come Juliana.” Promptly, the large bird flies onto her master’s shoulder, chittering into his ear. “Take it easy, take it easy.” Slowly, the captain paces up the hill and towards and around the other side of the lead boulder Twilight and the others are hiding behind. “Quite an interesting cave, a bit rough around the edges, but nothing a bit of dusting and a decent chisel can’t fix.” As his one eye peers over the sand hill to the gazebo in its whole, the pirate pegasus stops on the spot. His jaws turn into mush and drop, his mechanical systems lock, his pupil grows into that of a child’s wish come true. “…” “What is it?” “I-I-I-I found it. There it is. There it is! There! It! Is!” Swiftly, the other crew members hustle up the sand dune and see the fountain as well. “The Fountain of Balance! I found it! We found it! We all found it! After over five years, it has finally payed off! Ha, ha, ha!” “You found it?!” A surprisingly familiar voice echoes over the iron boulder to the unseen Twilight and company. The purple alicorn snaps her head over to the right side of the rock and sees Applejack and Applebloom, walking right alongside the others to look at the legendary fountain. Overcome with rage, surprise, confusion, and a million other emotions, Twilight screams out without any regards to secrecy, “Applejack?!” The orange pony, as well as everypony else, looks back and sees the trio of mares. “Twilight?!” “Twilight?!” Rainbow Dash exclaims from her hovering log. Twilight looks over to sees the trapped Rainbow Dash and instantly uses her magic to shed to ropes to pieces. Now freed, Dash kicks Chopin in the back of the head as she flies down alongside the trio of heroes. “Twilight?!” Korsan roars as he reaches for his cutlasses, “I will not be stopped now! Attack!” The ShowdownIn an instant, ten layers of magic aura wrap around Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie and are all lifted into the air. “You aren’t hindering my progress this time, Princess Twilight.” The trapped alicorn merely returns the threat with a small grin and replies, “Let’s see about that.” Her horn then lights up brightly, charging for a powerful spell. “Take in arms!” Twilight then fires off her spell, and a bright green flash of light encapsulates the entire chamber in the blinking glow for a second. The light dies down quickly and reveals the mares, now free from the magic and standing strong, ready to fight. The unicorn army attempts to lift their weapons and the mares once more in their magic, only for their horns to stay dim. “Where did you learn that anti-magic pulse spell?” “Same place where we learned this!” Twilight suddenly leaps forward into the enemy mob and strikes Lazarus in the face with a powerful punch, sending him into the fine sand. The surrounding pirates go for her and fling their hooves. Twilight ducks the hooks. She flaps her wings onto the ground and launches her upwards. The force of the launch flings the pirates back into the others. Rainbow Dash then charges in rapid flight and rams into the fallen mass. “Fight them you idiots! The effects only last for a minute or two.” A pirate stallion runs at her from behind and grabs her from the back. Dash quickly flies up and slams down her grabber into the dirt. Another stallion comes with a dagger in his hoof. He throws it forcefully at her. The cyan mare leaps over it. The pirate then throws a hoof at her landing. She grabs it and head-butts the pirate, knocking him off. Yin and Yu then rush at her sides and grab onto her outstretched wings. The three fighters fall onto the floor. Rainbow Dash however recovers and rapidly spirals her back on the sand. The brothers lose grip and are flung to the opposite ends of the grotto. Dash then taunts. “Is that the best you-” She is interrupted by Juliana bashing herself into the mare’s upward stomach. The two fighters immediately then take flight and chase each other around the room. The pegasus and phoenix trade blows as they rapidly lap around. Juliana attempts to spiral into Rainbow. Dash attempts to buck and slam the bird. The stone walls of the cave turn into glaciers and an artic wind spirals, causing a sandstorm to form. With a pursuing army of fifteen pirates behind her, Pinkie Pie is running around the sandy isle with all of her speed. One of the pursuers, Maria, exclaims, “I feel like we got our magic back. Grab her!” “I can’t!” Alexander beside her retorts, “The sand’s too thick. It’s getting into my eyes even, I can’t think straight! Somepony can use their crossbow though.” “Then use it!” “Ryan!” “Got it!” Swiftly, Aran grabs his crossbow in his magic and aims it at the mare. However, before he can fire it right at her, a large gust of sand blankets over his sight. Blindly, the stallion fires. The storm wave breaks in the wake of the arrow to reveal the absence of Pinkie. “What the?” Quickly, the troop of fifteen pans out across the area. With the sounds of distant fighting and the icy sand kicking around, even screams are barely audible. “Where is she?” Maria demands to her fellow pirates. No response is heard, prompting her too look around to see what’s with them. She only counts ten others though. As she glances over to Alexander, sifting through the beach below him. Suddenly, a mysterious force yanks him under with only a poof of dust in his wake. The white pirate jumps and pulls out her knife. Maria then looks over to the others. One by one, the stallions and mares slip under the sand, each only releasing a yelp upon disappearing. A soft rumble is felt from right below. Instantly, Maria stabs into the loose sand multiple times and furiously stamps her hooves for a good number of seconds. “I know you’re down there!” “Who?” A bubbly voice speaks from behind the mare. Maria attempts to look behind her, only to see a pink hoof grab her face and drag her entire body under the sand in one swift motion. Twilight returns from her flight in the black ceiling and is instantly surrounded by thirty pirates with their weapons at the ready and Korsan completely out of sight from the gazebo. Three pirates charge their cutlasses at her. Twilight in turn raises magic brick walls from the ground and jams the weapons inside. The walls then collapse onto the three pirates plus six others next to them. A small stallion drops from above and lands on Twilight’s back. The teenager pony then holds a small knife up to the front of the alicorn’s throat. Five more pirates crawl over the dissipating rubble and approach Twilight with their weapons. Thinking quickly, Twilight bites the small blade. She snaps her neck around, flinging the stallion into the incoming enemies in a spiral. Upon knocking back the last one, she then positions the rider to her back and bucks him off. A female pirate then runs up behind her and strikes her weapon into Twilight’s cheek. The purple mare shrieks as the corner of her eye spots the bladed polearm barely slicing into her flesh. In response, her adjacent wing wraps around the wooden staff and pushes its hilt back into the mare’s chest. With now her new weapon at the ready, Twilight grabs the weapon with her magic and slings it around herself. A large stallion leaps over at her, only to be smashed back by the blunt side of the metal head and dislodging it from the pole. The thirteen remaining opponents watch as Twilight prepares her staff by holding it to a defensive position. The princess then motions with her hoof for them to come. “Twilight,” a familiar mare’s voice then calls out to her, “please stop.” Slowly, a white unicorn in a blue dress makes her way through the hoard and reveals herself to Twilight. “Rarity, are you with them?” “It doesn’t matter. Back down now, I don’t want you to get hurt.” “This is your one and only chance Rarity. Prove yourself a friend or foe. Get out of my way,” “This is your one and only chance Twilight. Keep out of this. Get out of our way,” “You traitor, you did join him.” “For the right reasons,” Rarity’s strong voice at this point has turned into a plea, “please. As your friend, just get out of here.” Twilight remains silent for a second, only to then slowly raise her weapon at Rarity’s chin. “Never.” “Very well then, I tried to be merciful” The white mare coldly replies as she pulls out a long rapier from a sheath belted around her waist, “but if I am your enemy, then you are my enemy.” The two mares, once friends, aim their weapons at each other and slowly begin to circle each other. The remaining thirteen slowly back away in respect of this upcoming duel. However, a small pink mare charges at Twilight with her claymore swinging left to right. Twilight reacts by knocking aside the large sword and tossing up the pirate by the pole end high into the air. “Rainbow, take care of this one!” “Got it!” Dash replies. As the teenage unicorn flies above the ground, Rainbow Dash swoops across the top and grabs her midair with Juliana still in pursuit. The filly squeals and bucks around inside the pegasus’ grip as they spiral the chamber. “Quit squirming!” “Make me!” The feisty pony barks before disappearing in a flash of light. The pink mare reappears right above Dash and grabs onto her rainbow mane. “Ow! Not cool, not lady-like, not fair!” “I have the power you inferior. You will listen to-” The cyan mare suddenly stops herself and ducks her body. The speeding ice phoenix doesn’t however, and slams into the pirate and encases her in a layer of thick ice. The two girls are then sent hurdling down into the moat with the blue hero alone in the air. “Ha!” Her victory is cut short however as a metal bolt whizzes right past her mane and stabs the ice wall behind. Rainbow quickly turns her head back down to the cave floor and sees Korsan on an iron boulder with his crossbow aimed at her. Swiftly, Dash dodges the next shot and soars directly at him and avoiding the next three fired bolts. “Is that the best you go-” Korsan’s metal elbow joint rams into Rainbow Dash’s incoming face. The mare’s senses shut down for a second as she crashes into the golden sand below. The pirate captain gently slides down the large hunk of metal and pulls out his serrated cutlasses as his rival regains herself. “You’ll pay for that!” Korsan merely chuckles and responds, “And you’ll pay for rusting my gears with your sweaty head. These were custom made just so you know.” “Enough talk, more fighting. I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time!” The two fighters immediately lung at each other and promptly start fighting. The pegasus mare soars around the stallion and performs dive attacks. The bipedal pirate deflects the dives with his blades and swings back at her. Dash avoids the slashes with her speed. The two rivals continue to fight each other like this, putting each other on the edge. Each of their motions is sharpened to their fastest. Each swing is forced to their strongest. The sounds of metal banging into hooves and sand being kicked around rattles the area in a rapid beat faster than a grand military’s drumroll. Rainbow lands onto the floor and bucks her legs in Korsan’s gut, knocking him back into an iron boulder. As the pirate slowly gets up, Rainbow Dash runs at him once more. “So, it’s going to be like this.” Meanwhile, at the edge of the small island, Fluttershy is sneaking away from any pirates and hides herself behind a boulder. Hearing the roaring of battle behind her, the yellow pegasus shrivels into a ball as she fears for both her and her friends’ sakes. However, her moment of peace is cut short as she sees two yellow unicorns slowly approaching her from each side, both with ear to ear grins. Fluttershy instinctively backs away and into the shallow water, only to be stopped by the cave wall behind. As the two pirates unveil their katanas from their backs and are now at breathing distance from her, the mare shrieks and covers her eyes. She waits a few seconds for the inevitable to come, but much to her disbelief, the two stallions haven’t stuck her down yet. A muffled chitter instead is heard. Curious, Fluttershy opens her vision to see the stallions backed up a metre from her and are now whispering to each other. “Are you going to do it?” One of them asks. “No, I’m not going to hit her, you do it!” The other retorts. “No, you, it isn’t chivalrous to hit a mare who’s probably peed herself out of fear.” “You don’t think I know that? Why do we even need to hit her?” “To show the others that we aren’t complete wimps,” “And hitting a mare in her current position will show them?” “Look, I got a lot of lip from Ivan from our moment in the Breach. I’m not saying that we should break our code. We’re just, roughing her up a little.” “Well I’m not going to do it.” “Earth-wings-horn?” “Loser hits.” Quickly, the duo face each other and stretch their right hooves forward, speaking, “Earth…” They then stretch their head back and act as if they’re displaying their non-existent wings, “Wings…” The two then aim their horns at each other’s’ nearly touching them, “Horn… Shoot!” Instantly, the left keeps his horn in place while the other reaches out his hoof. “Ha!” The right stallion silently cheers, “Earth buries horn.” “No, horn beats Earth.” “Horn grabs wings, wings ruffle Earth, and Earth buries horn, that’s how it works.” “What are you talking about? Horn always wins in our case.” “Go! You lost.” “I’m not-I’m not going to punch her.” “Just shove her or something, give her a quick hustle and then we’ll grab her.” “Fine, fine,” Defeated, the losing walks up to the stiff onlooker. He then raises his hooves, but is immediately caught off-guard by a direct left hook to the cheek by Fluttershy. The stallion immediate collapses into the water and hollers in pain with his hooves muffling the full intensity of the shout. “Holy gods!” “Sorry!” Fluttershy frantically, yet gently speaks in reaction to the now petrified pony. The mare then turns to the remaining pirate, who immediately starts running at her in frenzy. “You’ll regret tha-” Fluttershy then moves out of the way and guides the rampaging stallion into the wall, also causing him to fall into the water in burning pain.” “Sorry! Only meant it in self-defense!” As Fluttershy walks away from the groaning stallions, a band of five more pirates run at her from the stone top. The pegasus mare prepares herself as she faces the mob of unicorns. “This is going to hurt me more that it’s going to hurt you…” As Rainbow Dash and Korsan continue to trade blows, the two fighters begin to grow weary. Thinking fast, Dash breaks the cycle and rapidly flies around the pirate at rapid speeds, causing a whirlwind of sand to surround and blind him. She then flies a fair distance away to catch her breath. Soon, the small tornado dies down and Korsan bursts from the remaining veils of sand with a fair bit of it in his mouth, which he promptly spits out. Panting, the two pegasi stare at each other several metres apart, thinking about strategies in how to beat each other. With his opponent already feeling refreshed and is now walking towards him, Korsan drops his swords and massages his hooves. His mental gears shift at a rapid pace, distorting his perception of time as he thinks, This mustn’t register to an emotional level. As the captain slowly walks to Dash, his left lower hoof claws extend and sift around in the sand below. First, blind target. His bottom claw immediate grabs a fistful of sand. Korsan then quickly kicks his hoof forward, spraying golden sand all over the blue mare. Target will now attempt blind jab. Deflect with arm. Blindly, Dash strikes her hoof forward at the captain’s stomach. Korsan responsibly knocks the hoof aside. And double back onto target’s chin. Korsan swings the outstretched front hoof into Dash’s chin, kicking her back a half-metre with a powerful hook punch. Make presence known with a flap of the cape and chuckle. With a grin planted on his face, the brown pegasus swishes his black cape in front of Dash whilst giving a light, audible laugh between his pearly white teeth. A wave of intimidation and ager surges into the mare’s head. Rainbow Dash then charges forward in the air to deliver a head-butt. Counter aerial attack with cape whip. Korsan flicks his long robe at the blue pony and smacks her across the chest with a powerful snap. Dash now plummets straight at him. Compliment with upper cut. With a clenched set of metal claws, the pirate pegasus strikes his hoof into the bottom of Rainbow Dash’s chin. The mare falls back and smacks headfirst into the sandy floor. Intimidate target. Drawing his two swords from the ground, he aimlessly swings the blades at Dash. Already pulsing in pain, Dash backs away from the fake attacks in alarm. Target will attempt a sneak-around. Grab tail. Sensing some form of pattern, Rainbow Dash darts around the hurling blades. Korsan tosses his swords aside. She dashes to the captain’s back, but is quickly grabbed by the rainbow tail. Deploy Triple Hulk-Bust. Now tightly grabbing her, Korsan swings his arm around him as he trudges forward. He smashes his target into the sand at a powerful force three times before throwing her at the boulder ahead. Target will try to recover. Cancel with kick to barrel. As Rainbow Dash thrusts herself forward from the iron rock, Korsan stops her with a kick in the gut and smashes her back against the boulder. Weaken with Rabbit Kick to ribs. The pirate then follows this up with a series of kicks to Dash each time she bounces from the metal giant. Everytime the mare feels as if she can escape, a powerful metal kick is given to her melting chest and is knocked back into the wall behind, bashing her spine into it each time. Target will attempt to break the cycle with a sweeping dive. Counter with axe kick to the nape. As the mare is knocked back from the iron boulder, she dives under Korsan’s legs. Korsan raises a lower hoof up to his head and smashes it down into the back of the mare’s neck, pinning her in place. Finish target with upward lift and right hook. The bottom claws then grab Rainbow’s neck and throws her up to the bipedal pony’s eye level. Korsan finishes off Dash by smashing her in the jaw with a devastating swinging punch. She is launched into the shallow moat headfirst and stays there as bubbles flow from the unseen face. In summary: Four cracked ribs, mild concussion, dislocated jaw, crick to the nape, several, stomach ulcers, three broken spine segments, weakened skull, and a destroyed ego, all within sixty seconds and no overclocking required. Slowly, Korsan walks over to his fallen foe and lifts her head up by the rainbow coloured mane. A large red bruise can be seen on Dash’s cheek as the rest of her face remains limp and practically lifeless. “You’ll live,” Korsan coldly taunts at his foe, “for a second.” Shifting his grip to her neck, the pirate captain heads back to his dropped weapons and grabs a serrated cutlass. He then positions the blade to Dash’s neck, only gently rubbing the bruising with the sharp edge of his sword. A deep moan escapes from the pain-stricken mare’s vocals as Korsan prepares to finish her off. “Captain! Don’t!” A voice hollers from afar. Turning his head, Korsan sees it’s Applejack and Applebloom running towards him. Knowing of their close relationship with Rarity, Korsan reluctantly lets go of Rainbow Dash, letting her drop to the ground. “Apologies, I got carried away.” One of the crew members then comes hurdling at him from the air. Quick to respond, Korsan grabs the mare with his free arm and sets her down. Looking towards where the mare was tossed, the bipedal pegasus sees Rarity and Twilight fighting in a wide circle of pirates. Quickly, the captain runs pass the incoming Earth ponies towards the top of the hill. “I can’t believe you!” Twilight exclaims as she swings down her wooden pole at Rarity’s head. Rarity retorts as the staff is caught with her hovering rapier, “Can’t believe me? I can’t believe you! Trying to hurt me, your friend!” “Friend?! Your support Korsan’s plans to wipe out almost all of ponykind!” “No! I’ve been trying to talk him out of it!” “Why should I believe you? After two weeks of being with him, how should I know you’re still loyal to me?” “That’s the thing I always hated about you Twilight. You’re so insistent on taking down the ‘villain’, which you jump to putting everypony on a black and white scale.” “Look who’s calling the kettle black? You practically hurdled yourself on his side when he probably gave you that fancy getup!” “He’s worked hard for this!” “So have we!” Rarity grabs Twilight’s pole and stabs it into the thick sand. She swings her sword, but Twilight dodges it. With the two sides fighting for control of it, the alicorn grabs onto the embedded staff and swings herself around on it. Sliding her hooves around the handle, Twilight kicks her legs as she loops around the group. Several of the onlookers are kicked back or scamper away. Rarity meanwhile ducks the rotations and catches Twilight with a swift, yet gentle knock in the stomach. Twilight slips from her post and falls into the sand headfirst beside Rarity, who is now holding her rapier’s tip behind Twilight’s neck. “I’d rather live a happy life as a pirate, then live a shameful life under the power of you Princess Twilight Sparke.” “Shame?” Twilight sputters with a mouthful of cold sand, “Where’s the shame with stealing from the innocent? Where’s the shame of abandoning your home, your family, your career? Where’s the shame in devoting yourself to a murdered? Where’s the shame in all of that?” “…” “Exactly,” “…I want to sort things out. I want to help Korsan. But the only way I’m going to get my words, our words of peace through to him is if he’s happy. You know as well as I do that Korsan’s stubborn from all of this trauma he went through as a colt. We could change him if I can get him to hear me.” “And what happens when he hears you? What if he doesn’t like it? You’ve seen it. He won’t hesitate to kill a crew member of his. So what say you now?” “I can try. I will take a risk.” “…” “Trust me.” “I can’t. I won’t let you risk your life. It’s best that I end his reign of terror now before he even touches that fountain.” Twilight then swipes her hooves across Rarity, knocking her to the ground. The princess then grabs a cutlass lying next to her and holds it to the fallen unicorn. “Stay put.” A shock suddenly hits Twilight as the corner of her eye and the hairs of her neck sense the toothed tip of a large cutlass aimed at her. “Quite,” the owner’s voice strongly declares, “stay put.” “Korsan Maden,” “Twilight Sparkle, after only coming across each other for the second time in two weeks, and you’re already trying to spill her guts out.” “I’m not, I’m keeping her safe from you.” “I have kept her safe over the past weeks for much longer than you have, and under more perilous conditions may I add.” “Because of you kidnapping her. This isn’t about Rarity though. It’s between you and me, me wanting to put an end your nefarious schemes Korsan, and put you to justice.” “Well put, though I prefer to call my goals, ‘revolutionary’.” “You can call them whatever you want, I’ll still stop them before you hurt anypony else from this point on.” “Very well then, let us see you try ma’am.” With a flicker of light, Twilight teleports away from Korsan and faces him with her sword aimed at his. Now free, Rarity backs away from the two opposing fighters as they wait for the perfect moment to fight. The air soon turns silent, with only the gentle breezes of kicked-up sand making a sound. As the stallion prepares to make the first step, the sounds of his crew roaring can be heard from behind him. He head slightly turns to his back, as he takes witness to the remaining able-bodied pirates chasing Fluttershy. “Sea artists!” The stampede promptly halts their chase and turns their attention to their leader. “Firing squad on Twilight!” Upon given the command, the thirty unicorns line up side by side and aim their horns at Twilight. Thirty unique colours illuminate the room, as Twilight and Korsan shift their attention between the lineup and each other. “This is completely unfair.” “Said the alicorn. Fire!” Korsan immediately sprints forward at his newest target with his single weapon poised to strike, and the grotto is immediately filled by sparks and bolts of magic. Twilight lunges at Korsan as well with her cutlass ready. The stallion and mare clash blades with a massive clang and immediately back away to avoid a volley of magic. The two then enter a focused battle between their blades as they maneuver their physical bodies to dodge the firing squad. Korsan speeds around and attempts to slash Twilight’s legs. Twilight leaps over the swipes and kicks sand at the pirate. Korsan blows the sand away with his cape. The brown stallion deflects several bolts from loose shards of shiny iron from the floor towards Twilight. The purple mare blocks them off by dispersing tiny magic shields. While Twilight is busy, Korsan snaps her cape at Twilight’s chest. Like a whip, Twilight’s flesh immediately burns as she fights off the powerful pirate and his distant crew. Not even a moan of pain can escape her as her lungs and muscles have stiffened to their tightest. Their swords and bodies continue to slam into each other repeatedly with all of their might. Rapid sprays of magic have turned the dark cavern into an insane lightning storm. From behind an iron boulder, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie, watch in absolute dumbfound as the two fighters dart across the arena and fight each other with the finest of precision and grace. “Impossible!” Korsan chokes from his collapsing lungs, “How are you able to keep up with me?!” Twilight croaks in response, “Because I fight for what is right!” “Fate is right, fate is always right. And fate is on my side!” As the firing unicorns begin to tire from their continuous barrage, Twilight and Korsan charge into each other once more and lock their blades together, pressing their bodies against each other and holding lift their weapons up to each other’s neck. White sparks pour out from the grinding metal tools like a waterfall, and the sharp edges of the swords draw closer and closer to the flesh necks of the pony wielders. “You know, you could easily teleport away and kill me from afar. I can see that strap around your horn is all empty of anti-magic. I can’t do anything if you were to cast some magic spell on yourself. I have to stay her and keep my weapon at your throat and keep myself alive. You want this to end don’t you?” “Why are you telling me this?” “Prove my point Twilight. Prove that you magic-users are superior to us inferiors. Try me! Do it! Prove it!” At that moment, Twilight’s fighting spirit is enraged with spite, and she remains to hold herself close to Korsan and the blade lock. “Unicorns, pegasi, and Earth ponies are equal!” “You think you’ve caught onto some sort of trick of mine? I’m handing victory to you on a golden platter! Finish me!” “I will not teleport!” “Then you will die!” “Never!” “Twilight!” Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy exclaim as the two mares run up to Twilight. “No! Don’t! Stay back!” Twilight immediately loses focus on her cutlass as her friends reach Korsan’s rear. Noticing less resistance to his front, Korsan springs into action. He leaps up into the air and reaches his hind claws out at the incoming mares’ throats. His free front hoof wraps around Twilight’s neck as the pegasus rises. Within an insistent, the three heroes are lifted into the air by their throats and slammed onto the hard golden sand. Upon landing, the pirate captain kicks the two rear ponies square in the chest and launch them several metres back. He then pulls his disarmed rival to his chest and faces her front of the neck to the edge of his prepared sword. His claws slither up the side of Twilight’s sweat covered face, and constrict themselves around her horn. With a wide panting grin on his face, Korsan leans his head towards Twilight’s flopping ear and whispers, “Touché… Well, close enough to a hit.” The exhausted mare only heavily pants in response. Her eyelids become heavy, every inch of her body is burning, and her vision of Korsan’s sword begins to fade into black. The fainting sensation slowly flows through her body as it can only stand on its hind legs. “...You…” Twilight breaths out as her lungs fold in on themselves. “You what?” “…Y-you are g-going to k-k-kill so many innocent l-li-lives-s. You-you know t-th-t-that…” Twilight then succumbs to the exhaustion of her body as she slumps over towards Korsan’s sword. The stallion pulls away the blade though, and lets the mare fall onto the beach with a graceful thud. “I do.” “K-Korsan,” Rarity whimpers as she walks out from behind her metal wall. “Don’t worry, she isn’t dead, just in a short-lived state of unconsciousness.” Korsan calmly replies, “Pity really, for such a beautiful creature, to be just as equally vile.” “Not that, but thanks still,” “What is it then?” “Did you really mean what you said? Were you really instigating her to kill you?” “…I was.” “Why? How would that type of a bluff help you?” “It wasn’t if what you define as ‘helping’ is keeping me alive.” “Then why? Why were you so willing to throw your life away? It scares me,” “It should Ms. Rarity. There are still so many things you don’t know about me, things that neither you, nor even I, should know about.” “…” “Don’t worry. I hope that that side of me never shows itself again. For now, let’s return to our quest. Somepony, give me a status report on the crew?” “A few of them are incapacity sir,” one of the mare pirates from the firing squad answers in a light gasp for air after exhausting herself with the magic barrage, “fifteen are missing.” “Where are they?” Immediately, a series of hooves burst from the sandy floor, soon followed by the fifteen mares and stallions that pursued Pinkie, bursting out of the golden ground. “Oh, there they are.” “That pink demon,” Maria gasps as she spits out a small stream of sand out of her dry mouth, “is she-” “She’s been taken care of.” “She dragged us,” Alexander frantically speaks in a subtle panic, “she dragged us deep under the floor, into some, admittedly-roomy chamber made of sand.” “Huh,” Maria adds, “We had to dig ourselves out through a metre of thick sand above us.” “Well, it’s a good thing yous all got out. Go capture the resistors and tend to the injured. Same goes with the rest of you thirty, move out.” “Yes Captain.” As the large group parts away into separate sections of the grotto, Korsan returns his attention to the Fountain of Balance, and a warm wave of victory instantly pulses through his tired form. “Yes, there you are.” Slowly, the pirate pegasus walks into the stone grotto and examines the golden fountain right in front of him. Without a single grain of sand having spilled into the pure, blue water, Korsan looks at his reflection from the liquid. He stares into it for a while as his mind begins to trail off and think about everything that has built up to this moment. “The battles, the struggles, the adventures, the depression, the bouts of insanity, the fear, the rage, the abuse, the neglect, the isolation the teasing, the pushing, the work, the pain, all of it put together for over twenty years. All of it has led me here.” With Rarity slowly approaching his side, Korsan kneels down to the rim of the golden shower and sees encryptions carved into the spring. “Interesting…” “What do they say?” Rarity asks. Korsan takes a moment to translate most of the writing before answering, “’Behold this spring, the Fountain of Balance, to bless thee with thy magic of thy horn, thy flight of thy wings, and thy might of thy size. It waters remain pure for the vastness of eternity and furthermore. Yet, before thou shall bathe or even take beverage of these waters, let thou be known this. If thy sky is not faultless, thou shall not take. If thy self-temple is not aged well, thou shall not take. If thy acceptance is unwilled, thou shall not take. If thy fate be blackened with greed and sin, thou shall not take. This is the utmost of thy warnings. May only the pure of core, soul, figure, and mind take from this spring, and may thou use thy power for good will to all. The Law of Equivalence reigns above all, no matter what form or fate.’” “Are you sure you want to go through with this? There were a lot of warnings.” “…” “Please, think about it. Think about what you have done and what you will do after this.” “…I know what I’m doing. This will change my fate for the better. Equivalence my boot, I’ve spent enough of my sanity on getting here, I deserve payment.” “Okay.” Gently, Korsan reaches under his cape and pulls out a small grail made of gold and lined with clear diamonds. As he sets the drinking cup into the blue waters, the top of the fountain lights up and a bright blue beam of light surges from the fountain and through the hole in the ceiling. Everypony turns to see the magnificent magic glow bathe the entire grotto in illuminance. Korsan quickly fills the goblet and pulls it out from the waters. The light beam still remains. Seeing as the light doesn’t do anything to them, Korsan and Rarity gasp in relief, with the pirate captain tightly holding onto the grail without letting a single drop still. Triumphantly, Korsan holds the cup up into the air as if toasting to the fountain. “On this day forward, let the entire known world know of me, the terror of earth, sea, and air, the ultimate pirate captain, Captain Korsan Maden!” With his lips puckered and his throat set to drink, Korsan lifts the golden chalice to his mouth and slowly drinks the blue liquid. Quickly, the pure water flows through Korsan’s body, he can feel a rush of energy and power pumping into every aspect of his body. He and the onlookers wait to see their leader transform into an alicorn. Everything goes silent for a solid minute. However, after waiting for a long while, the rejuvenating feeling comes to an end. Korsan immediately becomes thunderstruck as he sees that his body has not changed at all. “What?” It Doesn’t Work!“W-what?” Korsan stampers as he looks over the rippling water of the Fountain of Balance. With the golden goblet still held in his iron grip, the pirate captain scoops another cupful of water and drinks it down in a single chug. He shakes his body around a bit and waits for the legendary effects take effects on his body. After a minute of waiting and anticipation, nothing happens still. “It doesn’t work!” “What do you mean it doesn’t work?” Isyan asks in confusion. “I mean it doesn’t work! I’m not an alicorn!” “Is there something wrong with the fountain?” “Is it that anti-magic you have on your suit?” Alexander asks. “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” Ryan asks. Korsan exclaims in response to Alexander, “Wait, the suit!” Frantically, the bipedal stallion begins to claw at his metal parts. Grunts of pain and strain escape from his throat as the tight mechanisms across his body snap and buckle, but still hold firm to him. “Korsan!” Rarity exclaims as she watches her captain rip himself apart. “Gotta get this thing off!” Applejack and Applebloom slowly climb up to the stone top of the grotto, curious and fearful of what’s going on. “Are you okay?” Applejack nervously asks. “Don’t you touch that fountain! I’m becoming an alicorn first!” As Korsan examines his attire, he notices the large anti-magic container in the center of his harness. Quickly, he reaches out his long claws at his chest and scratches into the center piece. The liquid anti-magic pours out of his harness, as well as the rest of his suit, all across the stone floor, filling in the cracks with its green glow. “I’ll have to refill at the ship after this.” Slowly, gallons of liquid flow from the captain’s system as he prances around the golden spring. He impatiently waits for a long minute, waiting for every last drop to pour out and make himself pure. “Please,” he pants as he hangs his head over the basin of holy water, “don’t fail me. Not after all of what I’ve done to get here.” Seeing her friend’s distress, Rarity gently places her bandaged hoof onto Korsan’s hunched over shoulder. He gives an aside glance to her before shrugging off the comforting hoof. “Just so you know Captain,” Rarity calmly speaks to the stressing stallion, “even if this doesn’t work, I’ll still be here for you.” The captain hesitates before solemnly replying, “…No, this has to work. It must work. It will work.” As the final droplet of substance falls to the damp rock bottom, Korsan returns his glance at the fountain. He slowly scoops the water up into his grail. He drinks from it once more. A few loose drips escape from the stallion’s lips and soak into his heaving chest. He once again waits in silence, holding back his impatience for as long as he can. Everypony watches in stiffness as well, not daring to twitch a muscle. Twilight eventually comes back to her senses amidst the quiet, softly moaning and barely opening her eyes to see the statue that is Korsan. Korsan continues to waits long and keep his figure form, but to no avail during this time. Eventually, his claws begin to twitch, his eye starts to rapidly blink, and the gears in his suit jump to whir into speed. One by one, the brain stems in Korsan’s head pop one by one as rage and humiliation starts to pump into his steaming blood. His dark brown coat of fur soon saturates into a burning red brown mat. His breathing speeds up from long and slow lungsful into rapid and shallow hyperventilation. A small tickle of a twisted giggle escapes from his gritting teeth. “Korsan? Are you well?” The white unicorn beside him slowly, uneasily asks. “Hehe, this has to be some cruel joke right? Perhaps some delayed effect? That could be it, yeah, yeah. Perhaps I need to actually bathe in it!” Rapidly, the pirate leaps into the fountain basin with a large splash and begins to push himself below in rapid dives. “Come on. Come on. Come on! Work!” “Korsan, please calm down!” “I will not! Applejack! Get over here! Now!” Carefully, the orange Earth pony approaches the edge of the fountain, keeping a fair distance from Korsan. Seeing the goblet Korsan dropped in his rage now floating towards her, Applejack turns at the frantic stallion and asks, “Do you want me to-” “Just do it!” Carefully, the mare picks up the half-filled chalice with her hooves and holds it up to her mouth. Slowly, Applejack drinks the pure blue water from the cup, only to experience no changes to her body either. “It isn’t working.” “No!” Korsan angrily smashes his metal fists into the rim of the fountain, denting the golden metal. He slowly then lays his body over the edge of the pool as the feeling of utter sadness and defeat take place of his fury. His body winces and twitches as he lays there, with the sounds of sniffling and sobbing echoing across the walls of the grotto. His cheeks turn bright red as trails of tears run down them from both of his eyes. “No-no, no, no… No, this can’t be… This can’t be… This can’t be!” Applejack and Rarity soon follows as a few sniffs escape her nose. “You mean, this was all for nothin’?” “…” “I’m so sorry.” Rarity quietly cries, pitying her leader. She gently rests her quivering chin on the pegasus’ head. Korsan slowly reacts by wrapping his arms around her upper back. “…Why? Why does it always have to be me?” “I don’t know.” “…I-I want to go home…” The surrounding crew members slowly advance towards the fountain as well, most of them showing their sorrow for their leader. As Isyan coldly watches over his weeping cousin, he can’t help but to feel a single tear swell up in his right eye. “…That’s it. That was my only shot at being able to harness magic. And all it was was a blank volley over the edge of the world.” “I’m so, so sorry. Is there another way?” “No, the only other way is ascension. But that’s impossible. Only the most powerful of magic users can do it. No unicorn on the face of this world, Tartarus, or Heaven, can match the magical supremacy required. And alicorns are almost myth at this… point…” With a snap of the neck, Korsan’s head turns to face Twilight, who is now stumbling to get up onto her hooves. “Alicorn,” Rarity looks over to Twilight as well. A bad feeling in her gut arises as she figures out what Korsan is thinking. “Korsan,” “Twilight Sparkle…” “Korsan, please don’t hurt her.” The pirate captain doesn’t acknowledge Rarity’s request as he rises from the fountain and walks towards Twilight. With a cutlass still between his claws, Korsan flips the sword into an icepick grip with a wide smile growing on his face. “Korsan don’t!” “Come here ya pretty little pony,” Seeing the fearsome pirate approach her in such a mincing fashion, the Twilight fearfully backs away from him before hitting a giant iron bounder at her back. With her senses still returning, the confused mare frantically sputters in panic as the monster raises his blade high above his head. “Stop it!” Rarity grabs Korsan’s tail with her magic and yanks him away from Twilight. “No!” With a quick burst of rage, Korsan swipes his open hoof at the white mare, causing her to back away and release him. The pegasus returns to Twilight and thrusts his sword downward. “No!” An ear-piercing shriek of grinding metal ruptures across the grotto. Twilight, panting in absolute shock, sees the long weapon deeply stabbed into the boulder, only an inch away from her left eye. Rarity watches in shock and terror as her joints lock up. Words finally come to Twilight and she instantly whimpers, “K-K-Korsan.” “Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Korsan replies in a classy, yet frustrated tone, “I’ve entered a bit of a predicament. You see, the fountain isn’t working, and I’m not an alicorn. And well, the only way I can become one now is if you, an alicorn yourself, casts an ascension spell onto me.” The frozen mare stays silent as she recollects herself from the startling experiences of her wake up. A minute passes as Twilight watches the pirate pegasus pace back and forth in front of her. Her mind quickly retraces what has happened to lead up to this, and the mare soon gives Korsan a spiteful look upon her face. Anger soon swells in the purple pony’s mind as she’s utterly bewildered and offended by Korsan’s audacity to ask such a thing. “No.” “No? No-no-no-no-no-no-no? Do you see that cutlass right next to your eye? I can very easily pull that thing out at this moment from that rock you lean on and stab you through the heart. And I will do it. I will so willingly do it, if you don’t turn me into an alicorn.” “Never. And besides, I could never do such a thing.” “Oh? Really? You are an alicorn aren’t you?” “Not a naturally born one. You should know that. The ones that are born naturally as alicorns are incredibly stronger than an ascended pony like me. They’re immortal to aging unlike me.” “Oh course I know. I also know that Princess Celestia, you’re leading princess of Equestria, likes to keep a few secrets. You could be very well a naturally born unicorn and are just lying.” “Well either way, I’m not going to do it. You can kill me-No! You can torture me all you want, and I still won’t do your bidding. You hear me you monster? I will never turn you into an alicorn even if I had the power. What say you now?” “…” “What say you now?” “…” A light snicker exits from Korsan as he continues to pace back and forth. “What’s so funny?” “Do you honestly think I would simply give you a death threat only towards you without some sort of backup plan?” “What are you saying?” “Crew! Bring me the yellow pegasus.” With a small moment of hesitation, the crew members slowly hover a large potato bag to the captain. The cloth bag shifts around a little upon being set down along with the sound of a muffled grunt. “Fluttershy?” Korsan then walks up to the exhausted Twilight, still attaching herself to the iron boulder, and pulls out his sword. “Oh, is that her name? Fluttershy? A cute name, don’t get me wrong. Just a shame that it’s now the only name that’ll be on your mind after this for the rest of your life.” With one swift slash of his sword, the bag rips open and reveals its contents. Fluttershy, tied from neck to hoof in thick rope and having a large bandana tightly covering her mouth, screams Twilight’s name in inaudible mumbles as she’s freed from the bag. “Fluttershy! Let her go!” “Let her go? No. It’s a pirate tradition for this sort of thing to happen once in a while during a loot. Ransoms are some of the easiest ways to score some treasure out there at sea.” Slowly, the pirate captain slides the edge of his curved sword around the front of the yellow pony’s neck. The trapped mare’s eyes shriek and her voice attempts to scream. “No! Don’t! I’ll do anything you want, just don’t hurt her!” “Oh? Even turn me into an alicorn?” “I can’t! Anything else?!” “Ooh, either you start working your ascension magic on me now, or this place is about to get a whole lot messy. What do you have to say about that, Ms. Fluttershy?” Gently, Korsan uses a free claw and slices the bandana off from Fluttershy’s mouth. The yellow mare immediately screams with her free mouth and tries to kick herself out of the ropes. “Twilight!” Fluttershy screams, “Help me!” “Tick tock Ms. Sparkle, your minute has begun.” “Save me!” “I’m trying!” Twilight frantically replies. With a sudden burst of energy and bravery, the purple mare leaps from the iron chunk and charges towards Korsan. However, she is cut off as a large magic shield is casted between her and Korsan. The pirate captain grins wider as he silently congratulates the crew member that projected the shield. “Let me in!” “Turn me into an alicorn from out there. Perform teleportation or any stunt like that, and this mare goes bye-bye. Do it!” Seeing no other option, Twilight immediately attempts to turn Korsan into an alicorn. With a faint purple aura now surrounding him and her horn, Twilight focuses her mind with all of her might. Fear and terror quick set in as the squeals of her friend and the cackles of the pirate roar in her ears. “I don’t have all day! Just do it!” “Captain,” Alexander calls out to the captain as his horn projects the shield, “Isn’t this taking things a little too far?” “What do you mean Alexander? We’re pirates, we’ve always done this!” “Don’t hurt Fluttershy!” Rarity screams as she begins to run down the sandy hill towards him. “Stop her!” Maria Vanshwitz quickly follows orders and tackles Rarity down to the floor. “No! Captain! You promised!” “Running out of patience Twilight!” “Applejack! Stop him!” As the pinned unicorn looks up at the stone flat, she sees Applejack watching over the ordeal with a horrified glance. In her hooves and pressed up against her chest is Applebloom, too scared to look. The two Earth ponies are frozen just like what she was a second ago, overcome with the immediate terror before them. “Fluttershy!” “Only a few seconds left you wench!” “I can’t!” Twilight cries out, still trying with all of her might to cast that one spell. “It really looks like she can’t Captain!” Hans declares, “You’re scaring half of the crew sir, I think it’s best that you stop this!” “No! Ten…” “You’re just upset Captain!” Rarity screams as Maria holds her down into the sand. “Please! Spare Fluttershy!” “Nine…” “You’re insane!” Twilight screeches as her tightly sealed eyes begin to pour rivers of tears. “I’m giving it all I got!” Her horn begins to spark vigorously as her magic power reaches its limit. “Eight…” Isyan then proclaims to his cousin, “Just finish her off already! This tension is doing nothing!” “Seven…” “This is beyond cruel, Sir,” Ryan Aran speaks up as he speedily gallops at the captain, “stop this now-” “Why are you all suddenly pansies?! What do you think you signed up for when you all joined me? Six. Besides, you never had that much trouble three years ago when you destroyed that kingdom. Five…” “You don’t think I regret that? Every night, I’m haunted by the screams of all of those ponies who posed no threat to us!” “Four… Then why didn’t you leave me? You saw how generous I was with November and Nitin Gale.” “…” “My point exactly, you want to live the good life. And the only way you’re getting to that good life is by paying the price of blood. Hear me fellow stallions and mares?! If you don’t want to spend your days scraping the dust from the floor just to get a decent meal, then you all stick with me! Three!” “Twilight!” Fluttershy screams. “Fluttershy!” Twilight screams. “No!” Rarity shrieks as she tries to kick off the powerful mare. With her horn buried in the dirt, the purple maned unicorn can only watch as the seemingly inevitable comes. “Get off of me!” “The captain has given his orders!” Maria retorts with a certain shakiness presence in her voice. “You can’t let him do this!” “I can and I will!” Korsan loudly barks, “Two!” He gently presses the sword deeper into Fluttershy’s neck, almost cutting the weak flesh. As Ryan reaches the pirate captain’s shoulder, he stops dead in his tracks, thinking of what he’s about to do. “Don’t just let him do this!” Rarity calls out to the red pony, “Stop him!” “One!” “Korsan! Think about what you’re doing!” “I know what I’m doing! And I’m doing it now!” “No!” “Time’s up!” The scared frozen Applejack ducks her head into her shoulder to avoid looking. Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy scream out to each other in intense desperation. However, a few seconds of screaming pass and Korsan has not moved his sword a centimetre, surprising the long shocked onlookers. Carefully, the bipedal pony draws his weapon away from Fluttershy’s throat. His smile quickly degrades into a solemn grimace. As he walks away from the yellow mare and purple princess, he insets his cutlass into his back piece. “Alexander Grevious, lower the shield and project it over me.” “S-Sir?” The dark blue unicorn stampers in surprise and misunderstanding of his leader’s sudden action. “Lower the shield between Twilight and Fluttershy and cast it over me.” “Okay…” With a flick of his long horn, the magic barrier disappears between the two friends and reappears around the pirate pegasus. Twilight and Fluttershy quickly lung into each other and give each other a tight, embracing hug. “Twilight!” The pegasus cheers in celebration. “Fluttershy!” The alicorn cries in joy. Waterfalls of tears coat the two ponies as they hold each other with all of their might. “I-I thought he was going to-” “I-I did to!” Korsan then looks over at Maria, still pinning Rarity to the beach. Swiftly, he snaps his claws, prompting the fighter to release Rarity, who instantly rushes towards the hugging mares and joins in the warm embrace. “Rarity!” Twilight and Fluttershy cheer. “I’m so happy you’re all okay!” Rarity cries as she nestles herself deep within the circle. “C-Captain,” Ryan asks, “Why didn’t you-” “If she was an actual natural alicorn,” Korsan stiffly replies, “she would’ve done it.” “You mean it was all a test?!” Isyan shouts. “For lack of a better word, yes.” “So, what now?” Horus asks from behind the leader. “Honestly, I don’t know. Heh, I got no ideas, no plans, nothing. For some reason, it feels a bit nice, amidst all of the sentiments I’m going through at this moment. Perhaps we can just, go back to our old ways as normal pirates.” “Really? You were so-” “I know, I know. But I know when I am beat, as any honourable ship captain is. This quest was a lost cause, I admit it.” “What do we do with the rebels sir?” Korsan turns his glance towards Applejack, who and Applebloom are now looking back at him in a most startled manner. “Hold them for ransom, including Applejack and Applebloom, like we usually do. But please, be gentle with them, they’ve been through a lot.” “You’ve been awfully generous,” Isyan replies as he trots over to the group of mares, “it’s very unbecoming coming from you…” “Just do as I say. The rest of you hurry along, it’s going to be a long way back to our ship.” Slowly, the rest of the unicorns walk over to cuddling mares, with a few splitting off towards the Earth ponies. As Korsan looks over the unhurried capture, he senses Maria right beside him, staring out over the deed as well. “Maria Vanshwitz.” “Captain,” the pale mare quietly replies. “Are you okay?” “…I’m fine.” “You’ve been acting a lot different lately. What for?” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Two weeks ago, you were so joyous, so optimistic. You even asked me about my love to Miss Rarity. Now, you’ve taken a dark turn, taking down Rarity without a second thought. What happened?” “…” “I’m fine with this transition if it’s merely a change of heart. I just want to know why in case this may be hurting you.” “Recently, a lot has been on my mind. Ever since Rarity showed up, Hans and I have been thinking about our relationship. Let’s just say that he and I aren’t really doing that well.” “I see.” “Am I, never mind…” “What?” “No, it was a stupid question and I knew it.” “No, go on. It can’t be that bad.” “Am I… Am I a good crew member?” “What do you mean?” “Am I a truly loyal mare to you Captain? Do you believe I am a worthy member of your team?” “Of course you are.” “Captain!” One of the pirates from the larger group calls out, “We’ve captured the rebels, we’ve taken care of the fellow members who’ve fallen, and we’re waiting for your order for us to head back to the entrance.” “Really? That easy?” “Yeah, they were too exhausted and couldn’t put up much of a fight, so we separated Rarity and put the two in a bag.” “Let me see. Alexander, lower the shield.” As the green shield fades away upon command, the pirate captain walks over to where the three mares were gathered. There, he sees a large potato bag containing Twilight and Fluttershy. Hovering next to it are two other bags, one containing Pinkie Pie and the other containing Applejack and Applebloom. Next to the three bags is Rarity, quietly sitting on the sandy floor, facing away from Korsan. Although he cannot see her face, the stallion knows what is going on inside her head. “Rarity, I-” “I heard,” the mare replies in a deadpan tone, “it was all a test.” “Look, I’m sorry for scaring you. But I had to convince-” “Had to convince what? That you’re a monster?” “That I was going to do it. I had to apply some leverage.” “…It’s always leverage with you isn’t it? No just convincing, generousness, or persuading, no, you just strike fear and death into whatever stands in your way to get what you want. Isn’t it?” “…” “It only gets you so far doesn’t it? And to think I thought there was some good in you.” “Rarity, I’m sorry, I can change-” “Please, just leave me alone. Let’s just go back to the ship.” “…Very well then.” Korsan slowly walks away from the large gathering of pirates and begins to head towards the Fountain of Balance. As his private walk takes him farther and farther away from his crew, Juliana appears from behind an iron boulder and flies up to her master’s shoulder. The ice phoenix rubs her head against his cheek, causing the captain to breathe out in relief. “Hey there Juliana, hopefully you’re doing well. Today’s been a pretty poor day for me though. My dreams of being able to use magic are crushed, my crew will probably distrust me for a long while, and I just lost my special somepony. Figures for that latter one, I thought I could overcome the obvious fact that she’s with them and make her fall in love with me. Boy was I blind and stupid. I’ve been reading too many books, that’s it. Actually, speaking of ‘them’, where did Twilight and those two mares come from?” A loud male’s voice then screams out from the walls of the grotto, “Twilight!” “What the,” Rushing to the source of the noise, Korsan sees that it’s Spike, yelling out of the previously unseen exit hallway. “Speak of the devil…” “We heard a lot of screaming!” Scootaloo’s voice follows from behind the baby dragon, “We’re coming to help you!” “Over here! I found an exit!” Quickly, Korsan slides down the sandy slope and leaps into the hallway, coming face to face with the ill-prepared Spike and Scootaloo. “Uh oh…” “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” “You better watch yourself Korsan!” Spike snaps at the towering figure, “If you did anything to Rarity I don’t like, I’m gonna knock your block off.” “Spike?!” Rarity’s voice echoes from behind Korsan. “Rarity!” “So, you wanna play rough huh? Yeah, I could fancy a bit of fun to lighten my mood.” Slowly, Korsan reaches his hooves behind his back to grab his cutlasses, only to feel one of them. “Oh.” He turns his head back into the grotto and yells, “can somepony get my other sword? I think I left it on the sand!” He then fully reveals his only sword on him and returns his attention to the now shivering dragon. “Now, where were we? Seems you’ve gotten a little nervous. Psyching yourself out maybe?” “Me? Uh… No!” “Uh huh, sure.” Scootaloo steps in front of Spike and bravely proclaims at the tall stallion before her, “We aren’t scared of you!” “Even if I don’t have magic, you still should have every right to fear me ya little filly.” “Either let my friends go now or you will get hurt!” Korsan lets out a menacing, yet defeated chuckle before replying, “You, know you remind me of me when I was just a little colt.” The orange pegasus doesn’t pay mind to the pirate’s comment and charges right at his chest. Her rival quickly reacts by grabbing her by the nape of the neck with his free hoof and holds the now flailing body up to eye level. “Scootaloo!” Spike exclaims as he jumps up and grab onto Scootaloo’s bottom hooves, holding himself up above the ground. Korsan doesn’t budge from this sudden increase in weight however. “Running around in the streets, going headfirst into trouble with little chances of me escaping, always ready for a fight I was. Actually, that pretty much sums up me now…” As Korsan examines the squirming and kicking foal, an odd feeling triggers inside of him. His heart soon begins to harden and cramp itself into a ball, his head begins to swell and heat up to temperatures that rival the sun, and his eye’s vision begins to contort and see things beyond his comprehension. He loses track of his own words as he begins to ramble. “…I am still an inferior pony. I have so little power, but at the same time, I have so much. It’s like a little game. An almost fun game it is, feeling this, this pain, and then giving your enemies the same feeling, and laughing at them. And I’ve been through a lot of pain, of-of suffering, of sickness of this pathetic struggle. Surely, I can vent this all into something with so much power. I-I, I can still do something. Yes, I’ve done it before, I can surely do it again, and again, and again, and again. Ha, ha, who said I needed magic? Me of course, plain old inferior me, yeah, and why should I take his ideas instead of the obvious path? Yes, yes, I’ve always had the magic. I may not be a part of it, but I will surely lead the way as an unseen hero, yes...” “What are you saying?!” Scootaloo squeals as she continues to struggle in his iron grip. “Hm-what? Oh, nothing,” “Scootaloo, Spike, what are you two doing here?!” Rarity screams as she reaches the three at the exit. “Probably following their leader. Don’t worry Miss Rarity, I won’t hurt a hair on either head. Also, can you please lead the rest of our crew to this exit path?” “…” “Would you rather risk drowning your friends?” Silently, the white unicorn walks away from the confrontation and towards the others gathered at their entrance of the grotto. “Well, I’m going have to be careful and pick the right hair to pull out…” Prisoners of The PerfectionA few hours later, everypony escapes the temple and goes back to The Perfection. High above the dead volcano in the center of the island, the blue beam from the fountain is revealed to have pierced into the air and created a large portal to an evening sky. Seeing as it is the only way out, Korsan steers his ship. With Korsan at the wheel once more, the airship rises from the coast of Alicorn Island and towards the portal in the dark sky. At the other end of the ship, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are tied to the front mast in thick ropes with Rarity and Sweetie Belle sitting by the collected group. Taking a gulp of breath before facing her once-friends, Rarity turns to Twilight, now sporting a new anti-magic strap, and the others and forlornly says, “Sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen to you all.” Twilight stays silent for a moment and faces away from the white mare, but eventually looks towards her and replies in a strict tone, “…Are you serious?” “Of course I am. Twilight, during those two weeks when we were separated, I always wanted to reunite with you. You’ve been my friend since you came to Ponyville, and I could never imagine you and I actually hurting each other.” “Then what was with you trying to defend that monster?” “It was the only way I could see that would keep all of my friends safe from harm, all of you and the ones I made here, including Korsan. I was an idiot for not thinking Korsan was going to pull something like that.” “You saw what he did at Thieves’ Hold,” Rainbow Dash replies, “he murdered that bounty hunter.” “I know, I know, and I thought I could change that when I joined his crew. Turns out I was wrong. Look, if you’re still upset at me, I understand. I might as well just leave you all be after the disaster I caused.” “You didn’t cause anything.” Fluttershy gently retorts, trying to lift her friend’s spirits, “it was Korsan who held me hostage. If anything, we should be glad of you. You tried to stop him.” “But-” “But what?” Pinkie asks. “I, I don’t know. I feel like I’m still on Korsan’s side, and that I’m supposed to be enemies with you.” “Are you?” Applejack asks. Sweetie Belle promptly answers, “After hearing what he did to Rarity? No way!” Rarity hesitates before answering as well, “No. If being with that fiend means being having to be enemies with all of you. Never!” “You know what?” Applejack declares, “I’d rather depend on my friends to protect me and my kin then just some magic spells. What was I thinkin’? Betraying my friends and family? Ridiculous.” “So are we fighting back?” Spike asks. Rarity immediately answers, “No! Korsan and his crew are too strong against the ten of us. Since he trusts me and Sweetie Belle, we’ll try to distract him and the others and get you all out of this mess.” “Shhh.” Applebloom mutters, “Here comes Korsan.” Immediately, the mares and Spike turn towards the rest of the deck and see the bipedal stallion walking to them. Alongside him is Alexander Grevious, the same stallion that casted the shield spell between Twilight and Korsan. “…” “Hello everypony.” Korsan stoically states, “Welcome aboard The Perfection. I apologize for this rather, obscure imprisonment. I’ve received word from the boatswain that the brig is currently waterlogged. But don’t fret, as soon as that is taken care off, all of you will be resting more comfortably in the large cells below. This here stallion is going to be keeping an eye on all of you. Ms. Rarity, please report to one of the surgeons to take care of you. Ms. Belle, please assist Ivan with supper.” “…” Quietly, Rarity walks past the stern looking captain, glaring at him from the corner of her eye until he exits her vision. Sweetie Belle silently nods and follows her sister to the quarterdeck area. Korsan then turns his attention to the blue stallion beside him. “You know what to do?” “Yes Captain. Report any conversation and secure the rope.” “Well said. I’ll be in my chambers trying to find out where we are after exiting this portal.” “Yes sir.” As the standing pegasus circles around and heads back to the rear of the ship his ears keep glued to the mares behind him in case they want to sneak an insult behind his back. Eventually, he overhears Twilight’s voice, “Alexander?” “Yes ma’am.” The unicorn stiffly replies. Korsan slows down his pace in order to hear the faint discussion. “As in, Alexander Maden?” Upon hearing that last word, the brown pony stops dead in his tracks. His mind immediately kicks into high gear as long abandoned memories surge through his mind’s eye, as well as questions about Twilight’s knowledge. “No, Grevious. Alexander Grevious.” “Oh, sorry. That was it.” “Okay… I guess.” How does she know that? Uncle Alex left my family years before I left. Korsan thinks to himself as he restarts his walk. I’m going to need to get some answers out of that wench. As the pirate captain reaches the first steps of the tall section of his ship, the massive galleon passes through the blue ring of the portal. A bright blue light blankets the vessel before disappearing to reveal an empty rolling ocean as far as the eye can see, underneath a cloudy red sky. Quickly, Korsan looks over the edge of the railing of his ship, only to see that the portal has vanished and the sea has taken its place. “Hm, figures.” “Waterlogged?” Applejack whispers to herself. “Hm?” Twilight sounds as she hears the nearby Earth pony contemplate. “Shhh. Not so loud, that pirate’s listening to us.” “He can’t hear us.” “Hey!” Pinkie screams out to the stallion, startling him instantly. “Can you hear us?!” “Only you,” Alexander groans. “Though at this moment, I might be able to hear anything but ringin’ for a while. Ow…” “Well anyways,” the orange pony continues, “Applebloom and I were hiding in the brig after that whole scene in the Breach right? And while we were down there for a good while, we didn’t see a drip of water get in. There was even a mare sleeping in one of the cells.” “So what?” Rainbow Dash asks from the other side of the pole, “Korsan could just be being mean to us.” “That could very well be.” “Hey,” Alexander barks, “I can see your lips moving. Don’t you think that I won’t find out what you’re all talking about.” “Wait,” Applebloom adds, “Wasn’t it some boat-swine that told him about the brig?” “Boatswain.” Twilight corrects her. “He keeps track of the condition of the ship.” “Why would that kind of pony lie to his leader?” “I don’t know.” As Isyan walks inside the captain’s quarters, he is immediately greeted by the heat of the nearby fireplace and music being created from the automatic organ on the other side of the large room. The light beige stallion then walks around the large chamber in search of the captain to no avail. Peeking into the library behind, Isyan still doesn’t find his cousin, only a mountain of fallen books. As the confused stallion closes the door, the sound of a series of small explosions blasts across the entire quarterdeck. Isyan shrieks and ducks into the sheets of Korsan’s bed. After a few seconds of following silence, the frighten stallion pokes his head out of the bed and sees the room hasn’t changed a bit. His eyes then look towards a large wall of solid iron back near the entrance of the room, a wall he recognizes as Korsan’s sealed room for building large contraptions. Slowly, Isyan walks up to a pair of metal doors at the metal wall and peaks his head through the ajar doors. There he sees Korsan using his wrench on something hidden under a large blanket, something three times its inventor’s hefty size. Upon closer inspection, Isyan discovers that the large object isn’t even touching the iron padded floors, and is instead being held up by cables connected to some sort of contraption attached to the ceiling. “What is that?” Isyan remarks, startling his cousin. “Isyan!” Korsan immediately barks, “Don’t do that to me!” “What were those explosions that went off? Did they come from this… this cannon?” “It is not just some cannon. It’s a brand new type of weaponry, one that’ll change the art of war.” “How?” Korsan takes a small breath and continues in his usually eccentric tone of voice, but a small sliver of aggression is still present. “So, you know how my crossbow fires metal bolts with speed and power?” “Yeah, only you have a terrible shot when it comes to moving targets. Heck, you don’t even count your shots.” “Well this is going to solve those two problems for me, by removing the limitations of the pony body.” “How?” “Well, using bits and pieces from my organ, this weapon will emit a unique frequency that bounces off of what’s in front of it and reflects those frequencies back to the weapon, which will read those frequencies like my mechanical suit to my muscles. By continuously doing this, the weapon will know what’s moving in front of it, and shoot it to bits without missing a shot or running out of metal bolts.” “...Huh?” “Oh, you’ll see. So, why do you barge in here once again dear cousin?” “First off,” “Oh boy, another list…” “Do you even know where we are? Or have you been too busy playing with your toys?” “Of course I know where we are. We’re just outside the Breach, I checked my devices and maps just after we got through the portal. It was a decent idea of the makers of the fountain to create an escape route that doesn’t have travelers dealing with that sandworm again.” “Yes-yes, praise to them or whatever. Second off, you need to check something out back at the bow. Our new prisoners are acting strange.” “You were just in the cellar the last time I checked, how did you know they were acting up and get to me so quickly?” “...Ivan told me.” “Bah, fine, give me a second. I put too much gunpowder in the barrels. I need to fix the input filters.” “Wait, barrels?” “Just get out of here.” “You know, you could be handling your priorities a lot better than this.” “I know what I’m doing. Do I really have to say it three times in one day? It’s like everypony thinks I am a child.” “Bah, I am not.” “Yes you are.” “No I’m not a child.” “You are a child. An ignorant, bratty child, that does whatever he wants, regardless to the safety of everypony else, including his own life.” “Quit being ridiculous,” “No, you’re being ridiculous! If you keep this act up, sooner or later, somepony’s going to die!” “Quel crétin...” “I know what you just said and I am not proud of it. As your older cousin, I demand you make me captain and stand down.” “Or else what?!” “…” “Yeah?” “…A storm is coming Korsan, and you’re driving right into it.” “Get out of my sights Isyan. I’ll take care of our guests in time. I need to ask them a few questions.” Child. Idiot. Inside one of the sick rooms of the medical area, Rarity stiffly lays in bed as Lilis tends to her wounds from Alicorn Island. As painful as it gets as the nurse deals with the injuries, the resting unicorn’s mind is bouncing everywhere, trying to contemplate a plan to save her friends. “This is ridiculous,” the light green mare proclaims as she examines Rarity’s front right hoof, “I’m sure glad I stayed onboard. What did you ponies do on that island that could’ve resulted in this?” “…” The white pony remains silent. “Hello?” Eventually, the surgeon waves her hooves in front of Rarity’s frozen eyes, causing her to blink and snap back into reality. “There you are. What caused this hoof injury? Another rapier incident?” “No, no, Korsan accidently stabbed me while we were escaping a trap.” “With his claws?” “Yes.” “No wonder it looks so clean…” “Hey, Miss…” “Jewmerin,” “Miss Jewmerin, how you feel about Captain Korsan?” “…” “Lilis?” “Nah, you don’t need to hear about me. I’m pretty much on equal turf with all of the other pirates. We respect our leader.” “Really? Even after that day, three years ago?” “…” “After what happened to November and Nitin Gale?” “…Listen Rarity. Can you keep a secret? I’m a bit nervous to tell you due to you and the captain’s, intimacy.” “Don’t worry. Korsan and I aren’t really doing so well after something happened on the island.” “Well, to be honest, most of us pirates don’t like Korsan at all.” “Really?” “He scares us. We respect him out of fear. He’s threatened to turn us into the authorities, to kill us, to torture us if we were to do something he doesn’t like. But most of us just can’t leave him like Nitin Gale and his daughter. Our lives are bound to this wretched boat, this is our home, no, our prison. If you try to leave, you’ll be good as dead without many assets to start a new life, not to mention a constantly watching eye.” “That’s horrible!” “Shhh! There are a good number of crew members that are loyal to the core. They could be listening in on us at this very moment.” “Sorry. Haven’t you and the others tried to rally against him?” “We can’t. We don’t know who to trust. Most ponies don’t even know I’m against him. And even if we did know, Korsan and his closest followers would destroy us if we’d ever rebel. He’s just too powerful. However, I’ve heard of this group of fellow crewmembers, Faction that is going to take action soon and overthrow Korsan.” “I’ve heard of Faction, but I thought it was just gossip.” “It might be, but it may be our only chance at freedom from that insane creature.” “Who’s the leader? Any ideas?” “No clue, but I’ve heard that he’s studied Korsan for a good long time and knows exactly when to strike.” Suddenly, a loud thud ruptures from the floor below the two mares, causing the two ponies to leap in surprise. “Was that coming from the brig?” “So what now?” Spike asks, still tied to the mast with the other prisoners. “I think we just need to wait.” Applejack replies. “We should come up with a backup plan.” Twilight responds. “Rarity might not be able to pull it off with only Sweetie Belle to work.” Rainbow Dash asks, “What can we do? There’s only eight of us and we’re all tied together to this wooden pole.” “I don’t know what we can do, but I know some ponies that can do something.” An idea strikes the baby dragon’s mind as he looks over to the princess and asks, “Am I thinking what you’re thinking?” “Yep.” “We should get Alexander to go get Korsan.” “That might be possible for now.” The group of ponies slowly turn their attention to Pinkie Pie, who is continuously talking with the suffering blue stallion beside her. “Rainbow Dash told me all about it! The final battle between Daring Do and Captain Cutlass Cornelius was the best moment in all of the Daring Do books. The two were on this ship, in a storm, both about to fall off into the raging waters below. And when all seemed lost, it’s revealed that Daring Do’s mother is-” “Pinkie!” “What? You want to say something to Alex?” “No, I haven’t read up to that point yet. Spoiler alert.” “Oh.” “But since you’re done, I would like to say something to Alexander. I need him to bring Korsan over here.” “Do don’t need to.” “What? Why?” “He’s coming already.” “What?” The mares and Spike snap their heads over to the main deck and see the tall stallion approaching them once more. By his side now is Chopin, holding an inked quill and scroll. The pirate pegasus greets them, “Bonjour.” “Say what?” Dash confusingly asks. “Daft wench…” “Hello.” Twilight coldly replies. Her face immediately turns into a stone scowl as she and the pirate make eye contact. “Ms. Sparkle, her accomplishes, I’ve been hearing that there’s some strange activity going on between you all. Alexander, want to clarify?” The stallion’s eye then shifts to his crew member clutching his ears and rolling on the wood deck. “Alexander?” “We haven’t been doing anything. We’ve just been sitting around with this rope tightly wrapped around us.” “Is that so?” “Yes.” “Hm…” “What do you want now?” “Very well then, since you’re so eager and all, I’ve been needing to ask you a few questions.” “…” Immediately, Twilight’s lips become stiff. Her only response is simply a burning glare into her enemy. “When have you come across the name, ‘Alexander Maden’?” “…” “What was that vessel you and the others were on in the Breach?” “…” “Where did you even find it?” “…” “How did you even know where the Breach is, let alone suspect me to be there?” “…” “Oh come on, you have to cooperate. I require answers from you. Now please,” “Why?” “Hey, I’m asking the one asking the questions here. Now please-” “Why should I have to answer to you?” “Why should you not? Do you want something?” “I want out of this prison and taken back home.” “Oh, you’ll be taken home alright. But not until I get some answers from you.” “I’m not going to comply with monsters like you.” “Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, please, just answer some questions for me.” “…” “Twilight?” “…” “Not the silent treatment again.” “…” Now frustrated with the stubborn mare, Korsan steps back and takes a deep breath. With his hooves massaging his tired cheeks, he looks towards the other prisoners, all giving him a silent glare. “It’s best to assume that none of you are talking as well?” “…” Silently, the pirate captain walks towards the bowsprit and looks out to the endless sea ahead of him. With Twilight facing directly at him, Korsan begins to speak in a tone as if they’re the only two ponies in a thousand kilometres. “Have you ever stood and stared at it, marveled at its beauty, its innocence? Billions of ponies just living out their lives, oblivious. Did you know that the earliest of our species lived what was a world only lived upon by alicorns, no unicorns, no pegasi, no Earth ponies, where none suffered, where everypony was happy? Though, this is mostly dependent on theory and may be completely false, but I have seen enough to believe that this prehistoric world existed, thriving with these beautiful creatures. They had reached the pinnacle of technology, magic, and knowledge of this world, thousands, maybe millions of years before our time here. It soon became a disaster though, when ethics came into question. You see, sometimes, certainly unlucky ponies are born into these inferior bodies, ones that could not use magic, and although the time’s advance magic would occasionally fix the problem, there grew a backlash in regards to identity and other preachy stuff like that. Birth defections and mutations became the norm, which would require that the great ancients had to dummy down their works for these ponies. Centuries pasted, and the numbers of the unicorns, the pegasi, and the Earth ponies, rapidly outweighed the alicorns. And as the majority died, so did all of their rich culture and advancements in everything, all forgotten. But I believe that as a collection of sub-species to the alicorns, we define our reality through progress, and there could be a chance to recapture the glory of the ancient alicorns. But, I’m afraid that the numbers are vastly too slim with the presence of pegasi and Earth ponies. Which is why I desire to redesign the world, to have everypony be closest to their ancestors by having the ability to perform magic and later simply grow our own wings and power, to reach the peak of our global civilization. I say our global civilization because it truly does involve all of us ponies, even a small remaining faction of this old world would cause civil unrest between us and destroy the genetic tree I plant. Evolution in sense, Twilight, evolution, like the dinosaur. Once great beasts, now degraded into tiny mammals that now call these greats monsters. Look out that window that is your self-designed barrier. They lost their time. You had your time. They deserve the future as is their world, Twilight. The future is their time.” “…” “I'd also like to share a revelation during my time travelling the world and gathering knowledge as a pirate. It came to me when I tried to classify you and your troop as a type of heroes. I realized that you're not like most heroes. Every hero I’ve encountered that has tried to stop me always followed some type of trope, or process. Strategic planning, getting bigger ships, rallying an army, ways to somehow, but always failing, to stop me. But you girls, and dragon, do not. You just keep coming at me headfirst, again and again, losing ponies and vitalities, until every resource is consumed. It’s insanity really when you think about it. Do you know the definition of insanity? Insanity is doing the same maudire thing over and over, and expecting a different result each time. You hold a strong bond with your beliefs of equality, but ultimately succumb to the grim reality once I get my point to you, not like those other heroes that either keep their thick skull, or flat out join me. Such heroes that fit you are only spoken of in fantastic folklore and fairy tales, not really expected to be real. However, there is another type of pony on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A villain. Villains always attack persistently, yet are always foiled by the heroes, and perhaps even have a change of heart and join them. They are often insane, often defy goodness for all, and are just mean overall. Sound familiar? You are the villains. We are the heroes.” “…” “Can you hear me, Twilight? You must be, I can see it in the twitching of your ears. I'm going to be honest with you. I hate this world, this innocence, this prison, this reality, whatever you want to call it. I can't stand it any longer. It's the smell, if there is such a thing. I feel saturated by it. I can taste the stink of obliviousness. And every time I do I feel I have somehow been infected by it. It's repulsive, isn't it? I must get out of here. I must get free and in this mind is the key, my key. Once this world is reformed and I get my desires granted, there will be no need for this crusade, don't you understand? I need you to help me. I have to fix everything, to restore peace and true equality, and you have to help me. The world will not merely listen to some mere criminal pegasus, they need a celebrity to endorse the message. You're going to tell the world that you stand by my side or you and your friends are going to die. Do you get the picture, or are you just going to fight?” “…” “Why, Princess Twilight Sparkle? Why, why? Why do you do it? Why, why stay adamant? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than your survival or this false logic you still believe in? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know at this point? Is it freedom of resistance? Or spite? Perhaps to form some peace with yourself? Could it be for love? Illusions, Twilight Sparkle. Vagaries of perception, that all is good and fair with your world. Temporary constructs of a these modern ponies’ bleak intellect, trying desperately to justify an existence that is without true logic in its balance. And all of them as exposed as the true reality itself, although... only an inferior pony mind could invent something as insipid as this innocence to hide it. You must be able to see it, Twilight. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Twilight Sparkle? Why? Why do you persist?” “…” “Just tell me! You persist in staying your lip tied. For what reason? I put your life in peril. I put your friends’ lives in peril. I have made myself clear that I am losing my patience with you Twilight Sparkle. And for what?! You still stay stiff. Why? What do you have to gain? I have made my point clear to you. I stand upon the higher ground of knowledge. I am your only answer to your questions. Yet you still continue this? Are you daft? Is that what it is? If so, then you are a disgrace to your now kind. But if it isn’t, then whatever childish game you are playing must come to an end. Just tell me. Just tell me!” “…” Rapidly escalating in fury, Korsan grabs the mare by the chest and slowly lifts her up against the mast, causing the rope wrapped around her neck to tighten. Soft gags burst from the princess. “Tell me!” “Twilight!” The other prisoners exclaim. However, the purple pony remains silent. “You’re nothing but a pathetic bar wench to me if you keep this up! You hear me? That’s all the rest of the world is going to hear of you when I’m the one that takes your voice! This is your final chance Princess!” Twilight hesitates and coughs for a moment before finally responding, “…Fine. You want me to talk so badly? So be it. No, how about I join your crew?” “Seriously?” “Serious enough to write a declaration to back home,” “Good!” The brown stallion carelessly drops the mare onto the wooden floor and walks to Chopin. “Chopin, write this as a letter to Princess Celestia of Equestria.” “You know what? How about we make this more official? Give the quill and paper to Spike, the dragon. He’s my number one assistant and I always trust him to send my letters to the princess.” “So be it.” The mine hovers the writing objects in front of the dragon, which Spike grabs with his restrained claws. “Chopin, loosen Mr. Spike’s arms, carefully.” With a flick of his white horn, the rope around Spike’s arms loosen, and he is now able to position the quill properly onto the scroll. “Now Twilight, as long as the words that come out of your mouth confess the truth,” “I could never imagine doing otherwise.” “Now, sing!” With Spike already beginning to write, Twilight says what Korsan wants to hear, “Dear Princess Celestia, there is no hope for you now. I have taken to the side of the great, no, the fantastic, Captain Korsan Maden. I have been proven wrong, so greatly wrong. What he says is true, that all unicorns are superior to any Earth pony or pegasus. As of this moment, I support in the brilliant captain’s campaign to wipe out all pegasi and Earth ponies from this world. If we are to ever cross paths, may the worst come of it if you are to rebel. I shall see to it personally that you are dealt with if you are to conspire to a resistance of any form. Farewell Celestia, may we have mercy on your soul. The Ex-Princess, Twilight Sparkle.” “Yes!” As Korsan walks up to Spike to retrieve the letter, the dragon immediately breathes his green fire onto the scroll. In an instant, the paper vanishes before the captain’s eye. “What was that for?!” “The letter has been sent to Celestia. Spike’s fire is magic.” “At least give me time to look at the scroll and check for typos or something.” “No need. I know that Spike never fails to write the perfect letter.” “…Very well then, I might have to take your word for it.” “Twilight! Spike!” the surrounding mares kick and scream out, “What are you doing?!” “Joining the winning team, that’s what.” “No!” “Ha, ha! Now, with an alicorn princess at my side, I shall be unstoppable!” As the now giddy pirate jumps up and down with joy, the sail above his head suddenly drops on top of him and the ponies surrounding him. Blinded by the massive black sheet, Korsan trips on the cloth and falls onto the wooden floor with a brutal smack to his jaw. “What in blue blazes is going on?” Clawing his way through the fallen sail, Korsan rips the fabric and escapes. Long glowing chains then rapidly charge at him. They wrap around the confused captain and levitate him up into the air. His legs become bound tightly to his torso, his lungs and throat collapse from the tightness of the metal cables, and his head begins to lose blood pressure and becomes lightweight in seconds. “What’s going on?” Alexander screams from under the cloth alongside the other muffled mares and Spike. Using a small knife on him, Chopin manages to dig out of the sail, only for an unseen figure to attack him from behind and attach an anti-magic strap around his horn. More chains follow from behind the neighboring mast, wrapping up the mine and dangling him from a beam of the front mast. Menacing chuckles sound off around the flailing pirate captain. “Gah! What’s the meaning of this?!” A familiar stallion’s voice replies, “Captain Korsan Arasinda Maden…” With his eye darting everywhere, Korsan looks around and sees the source of the voice approaching him. Although the pony is wearing a black hood over his head, Korsan notices the tailcoat suit being worn. “You…” “Who?” The hooded stallion is soon joined by ten other ponies, all also wearing cloaks. “Ryan Aran, Butch Taylor, Maria Vanshwitz, Clara Rosebud, Lazarus Lazuli, Jack Cauld, Fawnswa, Salty Bob, Anton Chugs, Blackgate Beardsworthy,” One by one, the ten surrounding ponies take off their hoods, revealing themselves to be the ponies that Korsan predicted. “And what about me?” “…Isyan Maden.” The Master Pony“So,” Korsan sternly speaks towards his capturer, “You’re the leader of Faction.” Isyan pulls off his black hood and fluffs his blond mane before replying, “So I am.” “I always knew something sketchy was going on with you, just didn’t know what it was.” “Oh, and what gave you that idea?” “I don’t know,” the trapped pegasus jokes, “your whiny attitude, your incompetence, the way you always get hissy whenever anypony talks with you-” “Because I was always warning you, you daft bilge swiller!” “Whoa, language! There are kids on this ship.” “The only kid I see is you Korsan. You are by far the worst captain of a ship in all of history! You constantly throw all of our lives at risk for whatever ridiculous reason you can think of. And most of those reasons are beyond ridiculous. To have some fun, to study this pile of dust and rock, to see if this boat can go into a maelstrom, to test some dangerous toy you made in your little workroom, I’m sick of it! And so are the rest of us!” “Well I’m sorry you can’t take a punch without crying your eyes out. And you call yourself a pirate?” “Look who talking Mr. Pushover.” “What?” “Ever since that wench Rarity, mind you not even a pirate, showed up, you’ve basically turned into a pathetic slave. Look at who you’ve been letting join on your side, not to mention the ones that you should have axed off a long time ago. Two Earth ponies. After all we’ve been through, after all of this unrelenting, merciless power you boast yourself to process, and you don’t even follow through with it.” “So what if I’ve been a little soft bellied recently?” “No, not recently. Rarity’s only the tip of the iceberg. Do you realize how many of us nearly got killed from the unicorns that you never bat an eye at?” “What? Isn’t that what our family wanted, to leave the superior be?” “Not when we’re robbing them and they’re trying to kill us! Are you mad? No, you are mad. Why did I even have to ask? Heck, why am I putting up with this? Why am I even putting up with you?! You are nothing but a crippled pegasus with a thick skull, a dime a dozen in this world.” As Isyan continues to yell at his cousin, Juliana dives down from above and smacks into the beige pony. The two fall to the floor and tackle each other, both screeching at the top of their lungs. “Get this thing off of me!” “Juliana!” A red magic aura wraps around the ice bird as it is lifted into a small metal cage behind Maria. “I’m sorry! I should’ve figured you knew Isyan was up to no good!” Quickly, the raging phoenix is locked into the tight prison and scooted back against the second mast far behind the gathering. “Be sure to euphemize that parrot after we deal with this scum.” “No! She’s one of the last ice phoenixes in the world! You can’t do that!” “Oh I will. In fact, I’m going to turn her into the rarest dish on the seas.” “When I get out of here-” “How? You have no magic to free yourself. You’re just as low in power as the soil on this deck. Actually, no, you’re lower than dirt. How about you knock you down a few inches to prove my point.” In an instant, the trapped stallion is smacked down into the wood floor in front of his slightly larger cousin. Now pinned, Korsan can only glance upward as Isyan kneels down to his stiff head. “Much better.” The brown stallion quietly mutters into the floorboards, “You’re getting a real kick out of this aren’t you?” “You’re at the whim and mercy of me from now on. Now I’m getting to understand how your brother and sister felt. It’s glorious! Hey, do you want to play a game Baby Korso? It’s called Catch-Your-Favourite-Toy.” Carefully, the dominating stallion reaches underneath Korsan’s chains and pulls out the crossbow from his cousin’s back. “No, please, not this again!” “Already getting flashbacks eh?” Isyan then teasingly holds the contraption just above the stallion’s head, dangling it just in front of his eye. “Jump you mutt!” “This mutiny will not go unpunished!” “Are you even trying? Come and get it! Hahaha!” “As you captain, I demand you release me!” “Korsan the Inferior, Korsan the Inferior, Korsan the Inferior,” “Let me go! Now!” “I can already see that crying wimp inside of you coming out! This is rich!” As Korsan begins to sense his eyes watering, a long familiar mare’s voice screams out in the distance. “Isyan stop!” “It can’t be…” Silently, the maddening stallion turns back to see Rarity, Lilis, and Slasher, charging towards him from the other side of the ship, followed by the rest of the pirate crew. “Slasher?!” “That’s right!” “How did you-” “Let Korsan go!” Rarity declares. The massive group of over eighty unicorns surrounds the fallen sail, Faction, and their captain. “Hey!” Isyan shouts to the approaching pirates. “Don’t any of you take a step closer!” “Isyan, how could you?” “How could I? All of you, look at yourselves. Think for once! What are we? We are pirates right? What are pirates? Terrors of the sea, unmerciful to anypony they come across in order to get riches beyond compare! Are we currently pirates? Are we?” The surrounding ponies at first remain stiff, with scowls painted onto their faces. However, one by one, the pirates break their glare and look to each other with growing doubt. “Exactly. All we’ve been doing for the last couple of years is just taking nature hikes and working our flanks off for nothing. Nothing! Remember what we just went through on this latest ‘quest’? Attacking Equestria, fighting Twilight and her gang, dealing with Rarity and that nose picking brat of a sister, fixing this blasted boat, nearly dying on far too many occasions, and for what? For some busted artifact and our ‘captain’ to expect us to move on? I’m not tolerating this, and neither should you!” “Really? ‘Riches beyond compare’? Look at what you’re on! You’re standing on a giant floating airship that’s filled with some of the rarest and most luxurious artifacts I have even seen.” “…Why? Why are you being so protective of this rat? He wants to destroy the lives of so many ‘innocent’ ponies, albeit he’s executing this desire very poorly, but he still intends to do such. He’s attempted to kill your friends on numerous occasions. He even stole you and your little sister away from your past life. Yet you still value his life over you and your sister’s potential freedom. Why?” “I-I-I…” “Is it love, Rarity? Do you love this monster as you’ve put it? As well as the rest of you fellow crew members, why do you all still support him? I hear your cries. You’re all hateful, untrusting, scared of Korsan. I just want to fulfill your wishes, and restore to you all the pirate names that you all desire so greatly, yet you attempt to resist me.” “…” “Let us hear it from our captain’s most beloved wench. Rarity, do you still love Korsan?” Hesitant to answer, the white mare looks over to the crushed captain, seeing his quivering eye look at her in desperation. She can almost sense him trying to speak to her, but too frightened to say the wrong thing. Rarity then looks down at her right hoof, seeing the fresh scars that the stallion can caused onto her. “…” “Do you?” “…No. I don’t. We’re though.” Shamefully, Rarity lowers her head and shuts her eyes as Isyan cackles in joy. She can already see Korsan slowly lowering his head onto the cold wood and give up on himself. “Even she admits it! This poor excuse of a stallion is a failed romantic as well as a failed leader. Been reading one too many romances of the sea he has, filling his imbecilic mind with fantasies of love.” Swiftly, the beige renegade turns back to the sulking pirate captain and lifts his cramped head up to his brown eyes with his magic. “You’ll never find love, love is imaginary for a pony like you. It’s a pity really.” “…I hate you…” Korsan utters in his dying breath, cutting off his vision from the world with a stiff eyelid. “I hate you too. Like they always say, you can choose your friends…” Without uncertainty, Isyan violently smacks Korsan’s left cheek with his free front hoof. The onlookers gasp and watch as the tortured pony’s cheek flares. “…but you can’t choose your family.” “…” Korsan’s only response is his eye opening in a furious stare and a light hiss of his tongue. “Now, where were we before?” “I’ll wipe that dumb look off your stupid face once I get out of this…” “Korsan, Korsan, don’t be violent to your cousin. I’m going to have to discipline you.” Gently, Isyan runs his thin hoof over Korsan’s eyepatch, feeling the indent of the scar peaking above and under the black strip of cloth and giving his victim an idea of what he plans to do to him. “May two of my ponies please remove the sail? I want everypony onboard to see this, the dethronement of a foal and the coronation of a grand leader.” Quietly, the two ponies at the edges of the Faction line walk over to the large black sail and roll it off of the ponies underneath, careful not to rip it. “In the meantime, who here knows how mummies are preserved? Anypony?” Silence follows. “It’s very simple, as my cousin would put it. First, you dry up the body, using spices, herbs, salts, sands, and chemicals to make sure that the skin and everything underneath has no moisture whatsoever. Then, you wrap it up tightly with linen, for if one droplet of mist or foreign particles were to seep into the body, rot would immediately follow. So what would happen if this was to happen to a pony still living, perhaps one who hasn’t removed an eyepatch for over seven years? I would imagine it would hurt like Tartarus.” With Alexander and the eight prisoners finally free from the sail, they gasp out for fresh air immediately. Eventually, they all turn to see the confrontation between Isyan and a chained Korsan, having heard all that was said before. “Are you ready for this, Cousin? Are you ready for the world to see you in your truest form?” “…Bring it on.” However, before Isyan can even touch the eyepatch, a sudden jolt hits into his side, causing Korsan’s crossbow to leap from Isyan’s grip and fall against the captain’s hind hooves. “What the?!” Snapping his head around, the boatswain sees Slasher tightly grabbing onto his side. “Let him go!” The brown mare screams before immediately being pulled off by one of the ten leading followers of Isyan and restrained to the deck. Another pony of Faction quickly comes to his partner’s aid and attaches an anti-magic strap to her small horn. “Are you mad?! I’m about to free you Slasher, yet you still side with him?” “You locked me in the brig!” Slash Gutzoult proclaims, continuously kicking and flailing against her captors. “You were getting to close to us. I tried to convince you on a number of occasions, but you were still adamant for whatever reason.” “Whatever reason? This isn’t just ‘overthrowing a corrupt leader’ as you’ve been claiming this mutiny is. This is just a way for you to get back at your cousin.” “Mind your tongue Miss-” “Quit denying it! Face the fact, you couldn’t stand your cousin, a pegasus, getting all of the money and glory while you were stuck in whatever rut you got yourself into.” “Bite it!” “Never! Korsan may not be the best captain, his ideals may be vile, he may not be the most sane, he may not be the most ruthless pirate, he may not be the most safe, but what he is, is better than whatever type of captain you call yourself. You know why? Because he cares about us. He’ll listen to our problems and have an answer in time. Despite his dedication to his works, he’ll always go down into the galley for the sparring. He has given new life to criminals like me, and has given us the greatest adventure imaginable. You? All you want is money and power. You’ve been pushing us around ever since you got on this boat. If it’s a choice between two evils you want, then I choose Korsan!” “…” Isyan’s grin grows wider as he silently looks down at the kicking girl. “What? Cat got your tongue?” “No, I’m just a bit shocked how much my cousin has traumatized you. All of what you just said there, was out of fear. No, not respect because he is a good captain, but respect out of fear. Most of you were so ready to leave this crew as soon as that fateful day came three years ago. But then, Korsan made an example of Nitin Gale and his daughter November, and you immediately began to fear leaving him. Isn’t that right Ryan?” “Yes Isyan.” The named pony proclaims. “So you see? There is no need for fear. All of you surrounding me and Korsan, ready to protect him. There is no need to. He doesn’t have any tricks up his cape to get out of this. He won’t lash out at you when you turn your backs to him anymore. You hear that?” Isyan returns his focus to his prisoner and carefully cups the black patch in his hoof. “No more Korsan!” As the beige stallion pulls the eyepatch away, Korsan immediately screams in pain. His scarred eye and surrounding skin suddenly sting and burn as thousands of salty air particles burrow themselves deep inside. Moisture seeps into the dry flesh, boiling upon contact. Rarity gasps and covers her eyes from the sight before peeking under her hoof. “Isyan!” Korsan cries. Despite his efforts, his right eyelid stays stiff and solid, having not moved for years. Everypony else stares at the exposed eye in horror, speechless out of sheer shock. Korsan’s right eye is revealed to be entirely glazed over, with barely any sign of a pupil, and instead a glossy scar than runs across the white from top to bottom. “Let’s make this image a little more clear…” Careless about his victim, Isyan slides the patch across Korsan’s face and places it over his other eye. Now accepting the gruesome pain, the captain’s bays slowly begin dying. “Much better… This is you, ‘dear cousin’ Korsan!” Consumed at his growing personal power, Isyan manically laughs, nearly destroying his lungs as he wildly proclaims his dominance. The other pirates remain silent, and instead stay focused on the now slowly breathing mass of chained flesh, swimming in his own pool of tears. “Don’t you just love it, being squished by the boots of the ones you’ve tortured?!” “…” “What? Got nothing to say?” “…” Finally recovering from his facial cramps, the pirate pegasus softly closes his destroyed eye. “…Very well then. I’ve had my fun with you. Time to put you out of your misery.” With a flick of his horn, a long pointed sabre hovers out from the back of Isyan’s suit in a shiny brown glow of magic. “Release the chains, I got this.” Listening to their leader, the ten ponies release the chains. Isyan then grabs a hold of several lengths of metal at Korsan’s chest and hoists him up to eye level. With the brown pony’s hooves barely touching the floor, Isyan sets the blade to his throat. “Any last words?” “…” “How about the rest of you all? Final words to give to your ‘dear’ captain?” Only the soft breeze of the dark clouds above responds. Even Juliana remains silent, as if she knows the full magnitude of what’s about to happen to her master. As Isyan glances around, he sees everypony bowing their heads, trying as hard as they can to avert their eyes from the inevitable. “Fine then, I guess you all won’t really miss him.” “…” “From this moon forward, The Perfection and its crew of one hundred unicorns will no longer be run by the tyrant Korsan Maden. Instead, a new, better leader shall take the title of captain, I, Isyan Maden! As soon as blood has been shed, we will be going to the nearest kingdom and burn it to the ground! We shall take their treasures, and slaughter any pony we see, no matter if it’s a pegasus, Earth pony, unicorn, alicorn, whatever! Stallions, mares, colts, foals, elders, rich, poor, we will show no mercy to any of them! We are pirates, terrors of all ponykind, and we will do whatever we want to do! Starting now!” Suddenly, Korsan’s limp body springs back to life. His hind boots extend into claws and grab the nearby crossbow. He pulls away from the incoming sabre. He aims his hind legs at Isyan with the trigger set. Without any hesitation or time for his cousin to react, Korsan fires. The crew gasps and leaps in shock as the sound of the metal bolt accelerating from the crossbow shatters the silence. The green and grey bolt strikes Isyan directly in the horn. The stallion releases a bloodcurdling shriek as thousands of the shattered bits of horn rain down onto his face. From under the thick lays of iron cable, the sound of gears rapidly whirring roars across the ship. With all of his might, Korsan rips out of the chains that once held his body stiff. Broken links and shards of steel shower down onto everypony, turning their sights into nothing but chaos and panic. Isyan, seeing the free stallion now charging at him, releases another scream of terror. Korsan swiftly snatches his captor by the throat and barbarically smashes him into the mast behind them. He then pins Isyan’s back to the tall tower of wood and stares at the scared-white pony with his warped eye. A small smile forms on the captain’s mouth as well as a menacing chuckle that croaks from his throat. “Korsan!” Korsan hysterically barks at the shriveling relative, “Hahaha! Oh yeah, I love it! More!” Isyan can only stamper as the mad pirate holds his body, still riling in pain, “K-K-K-” “What are you waiting for? Summon your followers again! Squish me! Choke me! Put me to the blade again!” “Y-you’re a monster! More than a monster! A-a demon!” “How may I ask?” “Y-you’re supposed to be blind! It’s impossible for you to see!” “This eye right here’s blind you say? I see the truth in this eye. And do you know what it sees? All it sees are monsters! You’re a monster, they’re monsters, I’m a monster! We’re all monsters, and I’m terrified out of my life! I love it! I love it all!” “You’re ludicrous! Please let me go!” As the hornless unicorn weeps and pleas, Korsan’s tone begins to apparently calm down, but the grin on his face grows even wider. “Mad? Hehe… Aren’t we all? You’re a fair share of madness as well. Shall I tell our audience of how you got here? I’ll tell them. You were locked away in a dinky prison for the murder of one of our own family members. Isn’t that something? I only thought of you as a mere punching bag when I picked you up, a toy I can vent my frustrations onto. However, you ended up being a bigger pain than I ever imagined, a thorn to the eyes and ears.” “Please, I beg for forgiveness!” “Oh, but aren’t pirates supposed to be ruthless? Hm? You said so yourself.” “You know what, you-you’re right! I was an idiot. Yeah, let’s all have a laugh. Hahahahaha-” Immediately, Korsan snaps back into his deranged state and slams the back of Isyan’s head into the mast, laughing upon seeing his cousin black out for a second. “Laugh it up! That’s right! Laugh at me! Humiliate me! Scare me! It’ll be all the more rewarding when I spill your guts!” “No-no-no-no-no-no! I’m not laughing at you! I’m your cousin! Please! Spare me!” “Now’s about time that we finish this.” Slowly, the pirate pegasus drags Isyan to the edge of the boat, not even paying mind to the crossbow still clenched in his hind hooves. The other ponies watch in horror as their leader holds Isyan over the edge by the neck, not even daring to take a step towards the snapping pirate. “You wouldn’t do this to your cousin would you?” Frantically, Isyan paws at the bipedal stallion as tears pour from his eyes and fall into the ocean a kilometre below his hanging hooves. Seeing his boatswain struggle causes Korsan to break out into laughter before eventually returning into his calmer tone. “Farewell, dear cousin, Isyan Karsi Maden.” “Please don’t kill me! I’ll do anything you want!” “Oh, I’m not going to kill you. The water will, either shattering your bones into millions of bits and turning your organs to mush, or causing you to exhaust your energy and slowly drown, a far worse result.” “Please! I’m begging you! Let me go!” “…Very poor choice of words.” “No!” “Adieu.” With one twitch of a muscle, Korsan lets go of Isyan, dropping him off of The Perfection and to his death. The screams of the traitor painfully echo throughout the entire sky for an endless minute before fading away. The onlooking ponies can only stand and take in what they have all seen and heard. After watching Isyan fall into the rolling waves below, Korsan slowly turns his head back towards his crew, all of them speechless. Korsan’s voice turns to a serious character as his grin disappears, “Anypony else?” “No sir, Captain Korsan.” The ten ponies of Faction quietly reply in unison. “Figures.” “Can I get you anything Captain?” Horus nervously asks, almost yipping as the scarred eye darts to his direction. “Nothing for now, I just need some room to ease up for now. Oh yeah, free Chopin from the boom pole.” “Is it true what you said?” Slasher asks, slowly sliding her away out of Maria’s frozen stance. “Are we monsters?” “…We all are. The only thing we can do about it is to put ourselves closer to the divine and pure. Isyan just wanted riches, he didn’t care about who was in his way nor how dirty his hooves would’ve become from the blood of the pure. He was one of the worst monsters.” “Sir?” Yu hesitantly asks, “What about Faction-” “I’m now taking care of that. Ryan Aran, Butch Taylor, Maria Vanshwitz, Clara Rosebud, Lazarus Lazuli, Jack Cauld, Fawnswa, Salty Bob, Anton Chugs, Blackgate Beardsworthy,” “Yes Captain?” The named ponies reply in shame. “Are you all loyal to me?” “Yes.” “Have you disassociated yourselves with Isyan Maden?” “Yes.” “Are you telling the truth?” “Yes.” “Are you going to listen to everything I say and follow my command without second thoughts?” “Yes.” “Good. I expect you all to clean up your mess. As for the rest of you, proceed with your own business as usual.” “Sorry to bother you Korsan,” Lilis sheepishly speaks, “but are you well?” “…I don’t know. I don’t know.” “Is there anything I can do to-” “No. Anything else?” A silent response is given. “I’ll be in my quarters.” Quietly, Korsan makes his way back to the quarterdeck. On his way, he kicks up his crossbow to his top hooves, which tuck the weapon into his cape. Without a word, the other crew members slowly return to their normal business. Eventually, only Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Slasher, Alexander, and the eight prisoners remain, alone at the bow. “He’s snapped.” Alexander solemnly remarks to the others. “Insane that stallion has become, a real pity it is. I hope that it doesn’t affect us in anyway.” “What if he’s right?” The brown mare replies. “Who?” “Isyan. What if we do respect Korsan out of fear?” “…Yes.” “Oh…” “It’s better to fear and live the good life than to rebel and die, that’s for certain.” “What?” Twilight exclaims, “That’s the opposite of ‘better’.” “What?” “Aren’t you ashamed of the ponies you have made to suffer, even killed, just for this’ good’ life?” “You don’t think I am? It’s an unfair world. A little shame is worth it.” “It doesn’t have to be an unfair world Alexander.” “It can be a beautiful place of harmony.” Fluttershy replies. “If you fight for what’s right, it will be.” Rainbow Dash adds. “But it won’t be easy.” Applejack proclaims. “Sacrifices will have to be made.” Rarity declares. “But it’s all worth it in the end.” Spike responds. “Yeah!” Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle cheer. “You really think so?” Slasher asks, a hint of hope begins to spark inside as she sees these ponies so optimistic in the face of danger. “We know so.” Twilight answers. “…” “As your friends, we can help set you on the right path.” Rarity voices. “But why? What have we done to deserve this respect from you?” “Because we’re friends.” “We are? But we-” Twilight calmly interrupts, “Seeing as how Rarity is so keen on protecting you all, I am more than certain that all of you are good ponies inside. As Princess of Friendship, it is my duty to uphold the magic of friendship in all ponies.” “But the letter-” “Do you honestly think that I’d give up that easily?” “Yeah,” Spike adds, “it was merely a trick to send an emergency notification to Princess Celestia.” “And Korsan bought into the whole thing.” Pinkie cheers. “So expect help to come any day now.” Applejack concludes. “Reality check,” Alexander frantically retorts, “did you not just see what Korsan did to Isyan? He’s going insane! At any moment, Korsan will be going from a calm pony into a bloodthirsty lunatic. If he finds out about this, we all might be thrown over. I suggest that we don’t start anything and just stick to our old ways.” “What about Celestia?” “Whatever sized armada she’s bringing, it won’t be enough to stop Korsan. Not to mention that he has Princess Twilight as a prisoner and valuable ransom piece.” Twilight replies, “As long as he doesn’t know, or isn’t about to do something dramatic, we should have enough time to think of something.” “Who said I was joining in this rebellion?” “Are you going to tell us off to Korsan?” Slasher asks intimidatingly. “…No, I’m just, curious.” “What should we do?” Rarity asks. “First, gather as many pirates as you can, get them to join our side.” Twilight answers, “The more team members we have, the less Korsan will when Celestia arrives.” “So,” Alexander questions, “another Faction?” “Yes. Only this time, it’s for the right reasons.” “Count me in!” Slasher declares. “What about Korsan? Aren’t you one of his loyalist members?” “As much as I respected him, I’m realizing that all that was, was fear. I no longer want to be part of that fear and start my life right.” “Well then, welcome to Faction Two.” Suddenly, a loud hum roars across the massive airship. Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Slasher, and Alexander immediately recognize the sound as the captain testing his speaker pipe. “It’s Korsan, he has an announcement.” Three metal taps sound off throughout the small channels. Everypony onboard quiets down from their activities and turn their attention to what’s coming next. Korsan’s voice then echoes from the speaking pipes with a foreboding message, “My friends, it has often been said between you crew members that I like war. Rumours that sneak under my nose, yes? Thought that I wouldn’t catch on? Well I did, and I wish to dash these rumours. My friends, I like war. No, friends, I love war! I love it all. I love blitzes, I love defensive lines, I love sieges, charges, I love mop-up operations, and retreats. Wars across prairies, in streets, in trenches, in grasslands, in frozen tundras, through deserts, on the sea, in the air, I love every act of war that can occur upon this world. I love the thrill, the power, the scale, the rewards, the action, the peril, the risk, the risk of death! Every time I am one sword swing away from demise, I enter euphoria. I love blasting the enemy to smithereens with artillery salvos that thunder across the lines of battle in every direction. My heart leaps with joy whenever a pony is tossed high into the air and blown to pieces by well-placed explosive rounds. And there is nothing like my grand galleon using its one hundred guns to destroy enemy ships, and the feeling that comes when an entire crew runs screaming from their blazing brig, only to be swallowed by the ocean below, is such an exquisite feeling. Like when ranks of infantry brandish their blades and rushing into the enemy’s territory. It moves me deep within my heart to watch a fresh recruit stabbing over and over into the bloated chest of a long-dead unit of resistance, filling the blood-lust that had been empty for all of his previous years of a life of contained anger and rage. The sight of deserters being captured and held for ransom is an irresistible pleasure, especially when a little torture is involved. And there is nothing more arousing, than the sounds made by soldiers of defense dropping like flies, screaming in agony as they're mowed down by ear piercing cannons! When a band of pitiful resistance fighters makes their final stand with nothing but their own hooves, only to have their city smashed to mites of dust block by block by solid lead balls, I'm in ecstasy. Now, don’t call me crazy, but this next part, the part that I love most, is a bit of a doozy for the easily sickened. But, what I love even more, is my crew, all of you, under attack. I love it when my forces are ravaged by an entire armada of war ships. It intrigues me, like a good book, to see the character I have been rooting for my entire life, throwing their safety out the door and facing up to the massive enemy, and perhaps even be killed. I love to be squashed under the hooves of the nation’s strongest soldiers. The humiliation, as my crew crawl around like vermin, ducking from arrows and balls of metal flying overhead. But be rest assured this is not merely for some sort of masochist’s enjoyment inside of my soul, merely. When the time is right, those who squashed us get squashed back, a reward that’s completely worth the cost and risk. In its entirety of rewards, costs, risks, and power, I love war with all of my heart and soul. Gentlecolts and mares... All I ask for is war, a war so grand as to make Tartarus itself tremble. Sea artists, I ask you as fellow brothers and sisters under my infinite wisdom, what is it that you really want? Do you wish for further war as I do? Do you wish for a merciless, bloody war? A war whose fury is built with iron, and lightning, and fire? Do you ask for war to sweep in like a tempest, leaving not even ravens to scavenge our target’s remains, from this Earth? ...Very well. Then battle is what you shall have. We are a clenched hoof, ready to strike down all who oppose us, with our might. But... After having our ancestors’ legacy enduring over many centuries wallowing in the darkness by these inferiors, for us, a simple "ordinary" war will no longer be sufficient. We need a massive war! A war beyond any other that pony's history has ever known! One that shall alter the course of history and restore all of our future descendants to the glory we as an entire species deserve! Yet, I can sense doubt still among you gazing upon me, for good reason. We are but a single battalion. We are the remnants of a long defeated cause now numbering merely a hundred strong. However, I believe that each of you warriors is equal to a thousand of their inferior might! We represent a force that could easily defeat an army of a million and one ponies, one hundred thousand fully rigged brigantines, ten thousand factions, and a thousand countries combined! It is time for them to awake the ones who sent us screaming into madness, to obscurity, and who now lie sleeping. Let's drag them out of bed by the mane, and remind them of what we are! We will remind them of what it feels like to live in fear, in inferiority, in pain. We will remind them of the sound of our ancestors’ greatest powers grinding against their throats. We will remind them, that there are more things between birth and death than are dreamt of in their philosophy. Our legion of one hundred mighty unicorns is going to burn this wretched world down to ash. Yes, my friends! We shall begin a assembly of new eras, starting with the war against all of the known world! But first, we shall strike Equestria, the leading country of this old world, and turn it into a beacon of our new world. Soon, Equestria's charred remains will illuminate the night sky! I have brought you all glory, riches, and power, just as I promised I would. All that now remains is your cooperation in this final campaign, our greatest campaign! Back to our favorite battlefield. Back to our beloved war! At last, the sea lion has crossed the ocean and is heading up the hill. Attention, all soldiers of The Perfection! This is a message from your captain, Korsan Arasinda Maden. …Friends, let’s bring them Tartarus.” United and Strong“What?!” Alexander exclaims as he and the other crew members on deck look up to see their captain standing at the wheel. “Has he gone off the deep end?” Slasher adds in shock. “He has to be. We’ve almost died on Alicorn Island, now he expects us to go to war?” “We have to do something!” “And we will do something,” Rarity sternly replies, “you all will gather up members for Faction Two as quickly as possible while I try to convince Korsan to hold off the attack.” “No,” Twilight retorts, “he’s too unstable right now. Especially after you just rejected him, he might kill you just like he did to Isyan. I’m going to go to him, he trusts me.” “Are you sure?” “I just sent a letter to Celestia declaring my ‘turning against her’.” “Okay. Oh! You’re still tied up.” Quickly, Rarity and the other pirates loosen the ropes around Twilight. “Hold still…” Rarity then pulls out her rapier and stabs it into the anti-magic strap around Twilight’s horn as she climbs out of her binds. The green band snaps off of the purple horn and falls onto the wooden deck. “Thanks.” “Good luck, and don’t get hurt.” “I’ll try not to.” Twilight then immediately gallops towards the quarterdeck, watching the brown stallion head into his quarters with his smug grin returned to his face. Making it to the beginning stairs, a pair of yellow stallions meets up by her sides, both in a panic. “Oh, hello there Ms. Sparkle,” the left one quickly speaks. “Uh, hi,” “So, what are you doing?” the right one replies. “What are you doing?” “…” “Hey,” the left stallion retorts, “we asked first.” “But she’s new to the crew, we should be courteous.” “Don’t give me that courteous garbage. We’ve already been given enough lip about that.” “Hey, I don’t want to risk being smashed in the face again. Remember that yellow devil?” “Of course I do, I was right beside you with a busted nose of my own.” “Exactly my point,” “Whatever, this is getting us nowhere. Twilight, what are you-” “Wait,” Twilight interrupts the duo, “a ‘yellow devil’?” “She was furious!” As the three ponies reach the third floor of the quarterdeck, the right stallion speaks up, “Hey, we’re here.” “You know what? We’ll find out what we’re all doing once we get inside.” “Fine.” Swiftly, the three ponies hurry into the captain’s bedroom. As they frantically look around, they hear distorted music coming from the large instrument in the back. “He might be in the garage with that new weapon he’s been working on.” With the two pirates leading the way, the three turn towards the metal doors. They swing open the gates without hesitation, only to be met in the face by six long, thin pipes swirling at blinding speeds and emitting deafening noises of gears and pistons. They stop dead in their tracks and freeze in shock as they look down the circling pipes aimed at their heads, seeing metal bolts in each of them. “Oops,” a mischievous voice echoes from behind the pipes, “my bad, let me turn this off.” Soon, the device stops moving and is turned away from the onlookers, revealing its massive size. Twilight and the two pirates gaze in dumbfoundment of the vast collection of razor sharp gears and cables, jumbled together in a solid cannon of mechanical terror. “What is that?” Twilight mutters in her breath. Korsan appears at her and the others’ sides and frenziedly replies, “It’s my newest weapon, sort of a scaled-up version of my crossbow. I hope you like it, because you’re going to be seeing it a lot in the coming years. It’s accurate, it’s powerful, it’s strong, it’s continuous, it’s everything a tool of war should be!” “Uh huh…” “So, what brings you all here?” “I’ll let these two stallions start. What they have to say is probably more important.” “So then, Mr. Shou and Mr. Shou, what is it?” The left stallion takes a gulp of air before answering in an uncontrollable tone of uneasiness, “We’re here to ask you about a few… aspects of your newest command.” “Ask away. But make it quick, I’m going to have a lot of my plate very soon.” “Well, don’t you think the timing of such a ‘war’, as you put it, is a bit sudden?” “Sudden?” “Yeah,” the other brother proclaims, even more squeamish than the former speaker, “we just had a big adventure and all. Can’t we have a bit of a rest?” “Oh, no-no-no-no-no-no, this war must begin now, and I’ll need all of you to be ready when it begins.” “What if some of us, not me nor my brother, just, hypothetically speaking, what if some of us don’t want to join in this war?” Korsan doesn’t respond and instead silently paces across the room, never taking his scarred eye’s view off of them. “Also, Captain, you’re eyepatch is still-” “Still what?” “Eep!” “Well?” “Still over the wrong eye Sir,” the first brother answers. “Oh, so it ‘tis. Huh. I guess I’m taking a liking to this new view.” “Are you sure you can see fine that that eye?” “Oh, I can see much better with this one.” “Okay…” “Yep, seeing everything a lot clearer than before with this here eye, I never thought of removing the eyepatch,” “Sir, you still haven’t answered our question.” “Oh yes! I forgot, silly me, well, if anypony doesn’t want to participate, they’re free to do so.” “Really?” “Yes, they can help me in here, performing tests.” Slamming his claw against the machine, Korsan springs the weapon to life once more. The onlookers jump in place as the cannon roars and begins to slowly rotate in place, aiming towards them. “Stay still.” The mighty cannon scans the three statues of ponies before moving on around the metal chamber. Korsan turns off the device once more and walks up to his guests with his tongue licking his chops. “Are we clear?” The two unicorns stutter, “C-c-c-c-c-c-cryst-tral-l.” “Any more questions?” “N-no!” “Very well then, be on your merry way.” “Yes Sir!” Quickly, the stallions run out of the captain’s quarters in a sweaty panic, leaving Twilight alone with Korsan. “Now what about you Ms. Sparkle?” “M-me?” The mare replies, still frozen from the machine’s quick drive. “What about me? What do I think about your suit? It’s good! All refilled with anti-magic, it looks like-” “What have you come to see me for?” “Oh, yes, I was just wondering…” “Wondering?” “Wondering if I should be getting any training.” “You seemed pretty capable during our little, moment, on Alicorn Island. By the way, who taught you those moves again? You never really clarified.” “My brother, the Captain of the Royal Guard in Equestria.” “I see. I don’t recall seeing such a stallion during the night of the gala three weeks ago.” “He was busy at the Crystal Empire, had to take care of certain affairs.” “Interesting, most interesting.” “…” “And curious, might I add. You are oddly open with these more personal details. Mind if I ask why?” “I just thought you would know since you’re the captain.” “Mmhmm.” “Is there a problem?” “No, no. There shouldn’t be one right?” “Y-yeah,” “…” “Korsan?” “Oh, I was just thinking. Is there anything else you want to tell me?” “Well, what are your current feelings towards Rarity?” “Ms. Rarity…” “…” “I’d rather not think about her all that much. I’m more concerned about urgent matters.” “I see.” “You know about these urgent matters I assume.” “…What do you-” “Those matters,” “…” Twilight loudly swallows air in anxiety as the bipedal stallion gives her a very self-aware and knowledgeable glance. “What’s wrong?” “I-I think I should check on our prisoners, Captain.” “Ah, yes, a very wise decision, I congratulate you Ms. Sparkle. They will need to be secured for what’s coming. War often begins at the most, unexpected, and sudden times don’t you think?” “Uh, yeah,” “Shoo.” Slowly, Twilight backs away from the chamber and Korsan’s sight before frantically accelerating into a gallop and flight to the bow of the long airship. As she soars between the masts of the boat, the sounds of maniacal laugher echo from behind, followed by the cold screeches of a familiar bird. Eventually, she sees the base of the first tall mast, noticing the large group of pirates, including the two yellow stallions, surrounding it. The purple alicorn hovers above the mass gathering and asks, “What’s going on?” “What’s going on?” One of the pirate mares replies, “We’re listening to what Yin and Yu have to say.” “He’s off of his rocker!” One of the named brothers proclaims to their audience. “Called it!” A stallion cheers. “He wants us all to get ready for this war now!” “Now?!” Butch asks in shock, “What if we aren’t ready?” “You better be ready! There’s this giant, super-crossbow-cannon that he’s going to use to maim any of us that doesn’t fight.” “Well then,” Ryan immediately declares, “we better get ready.” “Wait!” Slasher retorts. “Why do we have to? Why can’t we fight back?” “Did you not just hear Yin?” Alexander asks. “Korsan’s going to skewer anypony that he doesn’t like!” “Not if we all work together.” “Are you kidding?” Hans responds. “He’s got Chopin, Gofu, Pip, Horus, Ivan, Phlox, Barbara, Hotus, and several others glued to his side. None of us have been able to beat those guys in sparring tournaments, even when it’s two of us against one of them." “But-” “And besides, what are we going to do after that?” Maria adds. “None of us know how to run this ship. We’ll be caught and executed for our crimes, and loose our second chances at life that Korsan has provided. For a moment, I, and nine others with us, thought the same thing as well as you did, we wanted to overthrow Korsan in order to start anew. Only now do we realize that our only lives are now at the hooves of him. He’s ended his own cousin’s, why not us?” “What life is there in constant fear and destruction?” “Korsan’s life. Look at him now, terrified of all of us, yet still has the biggest grin on his face. He has ended thousands of lives, and will end millions more without remorse. Whatever this cause he is fighting for is, it is keeping us all alive and living a good life.” “But it’s wrong, and you know it.” “Is it?” Butch asks. “What?” “After all of these years, we’ve been almost unstoppable because we can use magic. We can teleport, levitate objects from afar, and cast all sorts of other spells.” “But that doesn’t mean we should end the lives of millions of non-unicorns.” Rarity retorts. “As much as I hate the violence,” Alexander replies, “if there isn’t a worthy reason to rebel against Korsan, and defend the lives of those lesser than us, you and anypony else that joins this ‘Faction Two’ are signing into a pointless suicide pact. It’s either life or death, and I’m going with the former.” Slowly, most of the pirates gathered break away and head back to their stations on the ship, choosing to stay with Korsan. Horrified, Twilight and the few others remaining watch over the mass exodus, thinking of some way to bring them back, but can’t for as hard as they try. “But-but-but,” Slasher stammers, but is cut short by the blue, suited pirate staring back at her with an intense stare. “…I’m so sorry…” “Don’t worry sugar cube,” Applejack comforts the brown mare, “you tried your best.” “Don’t be sad.” The three filly friends add. “We can still hold up a good fight.” Rainbow Dash replies. “No meanie’s going to stop us.” Pinkie cheers. “We still are on the good side.” Fluttershy gently responds. “We’re all still standing aren’t we?” Spike proudly asks. “In-spirit in your case.” One of the yellow stallions, Yu, accounts to Spike. “Perhaps me and my brother could join this little rebellion.” The other brother follows up. “I got your back.” Rarity concludes, holding her rapier between her and her cat-loving friend. “Thanks,” Slasher sniffles, smiling as she sees her friends around her. As Twilight watches above, a brilliant thought bursts in her head. A thought so grand, she almost loses control of her hovering. Immediately, the alicorn soars around the mass of retreating pirates, catching their attention. “Listen up!” She exclaims as she lands herself in the middle of the gathering. “Korsan knows about my false allegiance to him, and how I have sent Princess Celestia a letter for her to come and save us at any hour or day.” “Oh that’s reassuring!” One of the stallions sarcastically shouts towards the speaker. “But that is not a call of despair! Instead, let it be a call of rejoice! Listen, as Korsan holds his expectations high towards all of you, it will be all the more crippling to see his expectations shatter before him when Princess Celestia comes with her army.” “But why should we even rebel?” Alexander asks, “What cause is there if we’re going to get caught?” “All ponies are equal, each in their own right!” A series of groans and boos erupt from the mob. “Listen! Over the past three weeks, I have witnessed many things that I would’ve have taken for granted. My friend, Fluttershy, a pegasus, talks fluently with animals, something that no magic has been able to replicate. She is also one of the kindest and bravest mares I know, facing her greatest fears, even death, in order to help those in need. My other friend, Rainbow Dash, another pegasus, is fast, really fast, faster than any speed spell and can go farther than any series of teleportation spells. She can create storms with only a beat of her wings. But most importantly, she is more loyal to me and my friends than anypony I know. Another friend, Pinkie Pie, an Earth pony, even in the worst of times, she’ll almost never frown and keep a positive attitude. She’ll always find a silver lining and find some way to keep both friends and enemies happy. Applejack, the Earth pony that had temporarily joined you all, is the strongest mare in Equestria. Without my magic, I depended on Applejack most of all to keep me safe. And although she betrayed us, I understand why she did it. She had an honest reason, to protect those she loved, even me and my friends. That’s right Applejack, I forgive you!” “This is all very touching and all,” Maria replies with a sense of her coldness beginning to melt in her voice, “but what are four lucky mares compared to millions of tortured lives?” Rarity answers, taking Twilight’s place as the speaker, “The same as a crew of one hundred compared to billions of other ponies that love and are loved by the millions. Remember that day three years ago? The day when you all destroyed an entire kingdom, sending those thousands of families to their deaths? Are you ashamed of that day?” “…Yes, but-” “Why? There isn’t a worthy cause is there?” “…” “But there is, and you all know it. The reason why all of you are so ashamed of that day, and why you should fight against Korsan, is that you know the truth. Although we are more versatile in some aspects, doesn’t mean we are any better than pegasi and Earth ponies. You know why? Souls, personalities, friendships, all of these play equal factors in each and every pony that Korsan has never seen and that all of you have taken a blind eye to. My friends, mostly all non-unicorns, are far better, happier ponies than many unicorns I have come across. They, as well as I, have helped so many others to live better lives with just their voices alone. Heck, magic sometimes is the source of the many problems we come across. Without magic, all of you were powerless, not knowing what to do. Wiping out two thirds of all ponykind and replacing it with magic is not going to solve anything.” “We’ll most likely destroy ourselves.” Twilight responds. “Instead, how about you all turn a new leaf, and better yourselves. Use your talents for helping those that can help you in return when you need help with a problem you can’t solve with magic. Their humility may be your reason you will still be alive and live as you will in the future.” Alexander retorts, “But we’re criminals. No pony is going to look at us any higher than scum.” “Criminals can be heroes, as well as non-unicorns.” Rarity concludes the speech, “I know this is scary for a lot of you, abandoning your luxurious lives on this ship to possibly die. But what is a life in shame and fear other than Korsan’s, the maniac that keeps you prisoner on here? His way of life is bringing death to thousands. Even if you die fighting, you would have lived a better life in those few seconds than serving him for however many years. If you still decide to stay loyal to Korsan, then go ahead. We shall meet again when the battle begins, and even there, we will still offer mercy. If you want to end this guilt of being his lackey, then join us, and together, we’ll end Korsan’s tyranny once and for all. Choose wisely, please.” Silence washes over the flying airship as the massive sea of motley ponies stare off into their own personal subconscious worlds. As they all think, Twilight hears the revving of Korsan’s weapon at the other end of the boat. Soon, Maria and a few other pirates leave the meeting and head back to their regular posts. However, just as it seems to appear that Faction Two is going to remain tiny, Alexander proclaims, “You know what? You’re right. More it is noble to live a short life fighting for what is right and pure, than to forever live in shame and wrong.” Slowly, the blue unicorn walks over to Slasher’s side and faces the gathering. Instantly, the mob bursts out in small talk and cheers, splitting apart and taking sides. As one pony joins Twilight’s and the others’ side, another goes back to their station and prepare to fight them. Yet, even with this vast split, the thirty-nine members of Faction Two, including Twilight, Rarity, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Slasher, Alexander, and several others, stand firm and triumphantly glance around to their own personal army of justice. “Hey!” Yin declares as he and his brother run towards the resistance team. “Don’t forget us!” “Yu! Yin!” Slasher cheers. As the later brother, Yu, reaches the brown mare, the yellow stallion then immediately stares into her own eyes with a dumb smile on his face. “Before we all probably die in some horrific fashion, I just need to get this off of my chest.” “Wha-” Without hesitation, Yu grabs Slasher with his magic, pulls her into his face, and locks his lips into hers. At first shocked, Slasher soon succumbs to the kissing and locks the bond even tighter. Their eyes close as the two collapse onto the floor in a cuddling fit while Yin and the others watch in shock. “Aww!” Pinkie cheers. “It’s so romantic!” “When was this going on?!” Yin exclaims in confusion. “It doesn’t matter silly, it’s love.” “It just came out of nowhere, no exclamation or any-” “You will feel the love tonight!” “But-” “Just ignore it Yin.” Applejack replies. “How? My brother is sucking the face off of Slasher out of nowhere!” “Ahem…” A soft voice calls out from a few metres away from Twilight and the gang. They look towards the source and see that it’s Maria, sheepishly standing in front of them with a glint of fear in her red eyes. “Maria?” Rarity responds. “Is it too late to join you guys?” “It never is too late.” Twilight cheers, “Welcome to Faction Two!” “So, what are we going to do now?” “…I’m not sure. There’s a bit of a time gap in my plans.” “Your best bet is to sabotage the cannons, take as much armour and weapons from Korsan’s stock as possible, and assign groups and positions to each of the forty-two ponies present.” “…That will work. Want to be our leading strategist?” “I’m already way ahead.” “Well then, let’s do this!” Battle of the SkiesThe blasts of cannons ring across the sea. Screams of pirates and soldiers screech around the world. And the entire universe hears the massive explosions of ships burning with a trembling ear. Amongst the roaring skies of darkness and wrath, the war has begun between Korsan’s crew and everypony else. Solid balls of lead and iron are exchanged across the lightning filled clouds between the aircraft and whittle each other down. Volleys are thrown in rapid succession, turning the tips of their cannons to a scorching shade of red and white. The fabrics of the balloons and sails are pierced and shredded apart, falling between the aircrafts like the red rain. One of the cannon shots from The Perfection nails the powder room of one of Equestria’s blimps, causing a massive explosion to erupt on the unlucky vessel and set fire to it. Celestia’s mighty zeppelin rises above Korsan’s pirate ship and smashes down onto it. Chunks of wood rain down onto the ponies fighting on deck, soon followed by dropped soldiers. The zeppelin then rises and continues its distant cannon fire at the massive ship. On the main deck of The Perfection, Faction Two and Celestia’s soldiers, led by Twilight Sparkle, are fighting their pirate rivals. Swords, arrows, spears, chunks of boat, cannonballs, and bolts of magic bombard the deck area in a blanket of chaos over and between the heads of the fighters. In the center of this, Rainbow Dash forms a tornado with her rapid flying speed. The flying projectiles and smaller weapons are sucked into the massive gale. The pirates immediately try to run away from the metal tornado, but a few get sucked in and bashed around in the deadly vortex. As Dash continues to fly around, she is suddenly stopped short and trapped in a magic aura. The tornado immediately burst, sending the beaten pirates over the edge and into the water below where the pirates of Thieves’ Hold will take care of them. Rainbow Dash is then pulled downwards towards the raised claymore of Pip, the small pink pirate mare. The filly evilly snickers as Dash’s rump is drawn closer to her pointed sword. However, Applejack leaps behind Pip and smashes her hind with a powerful buck, sending her and her sword off of the airship screaming. One of Korsan’s stallion sneaks up behind Applejack and attempts to stab her in the back. Free, Rainbow immediately springs into action and bashes herself into the stallion, shattering the wood floor and sending the two into the gun deck below. On top of a large loaded cannon, the two ponies enter a hoof fight with the cannon’s gunner jumping away from the fury. The gunner then aims his horn at Dash and prepares to fire a fireball. Applejack leaps into the hole as well and stomps onto the end of the barrel. The cannon bounces off of the floor from the sudden force. Dash throws her opponent into the gunner and both Rainbow and Applejack then buck the cannon. The cannon fires into the deck above and its midair recoil launches it into the two pirates, sending both of them into the floor below with it. The two mares nod each other in congratulations before they see a wave of pirates, all armed to the teeth, heading towards them. They stand tight together and prepare to fight some more. In the galley, Pinkie Pie, Butch Taylor, Yin, and Yu, are being backed into the captain’s seat as they are being approached by a group of twelve of Korsan’s crewmembers, lead by Ivan and Horus. Each better armed and better in combat, Pinkie and her troop appear to be helpless. The twelve villainous criminals snicker as the watch the five stopping upon bumping the edge of Korsan’s throne and table. They draw closer and closer, seeing the beads of sweat pouring from their victims faces. Just as their weapons are about to make contact with flesh, Pinkie suddenly declares, “Wait!” The pirates stop in surprise, with one of them asking, “Why?” “Uh… Does any pony have a birthday today?” The twelve pause and look at each other with a confused look. “I had one yesterday.” Another one of them replies. “Well Happy Belated Birthday!” “Thanks, I guess.” “Enough of this!” Horus exclaims. Ivan confirms with his partner, “Aye.” “They’re just buying themselves some time,” Horus proclaims, “let’s get them.” “Hold on Horus!” Yu retorts. “Oh come on-what is it?” “Before I die, I need to know something, something about Hoofball.” “What?” “So about the most recent game, the one where our favourite team’s going against some foreign team. You know the one, Who’s on first, What’s on second, and I-Don’t-Know’s on third.” “I don’t know.” “That’s third.” “Who?” “No, Who’s on first.” “Wait, what?” “What’s on second.” “I don’t know what you’re-” “Third base.” “What?” “Second.” “Who?” “First.” “Huh?” “Shortstop.” “Alright, enough of this, I’m getting a headache.” “Wait!” Yin exclaims. “No! No! No!” Horas screams as he raises his spiked mace at the yellow stallions. “No more delays! Time to die!” “Aye.” Ivan confirms before raising his massive knife at the five ponies in front of him. As the twelve pirates prepare to strike, the earth-shaking sound of a window shattering erupts behind them. They quickly turn around to see a red unicorn, a blue pegasus, and a green Earth pony, charging through the front window and aiming their cutlasses at them. “Maurice! Cecil! Jarvis!” Pinkie cheers. “Hey Pinkie!” The trio replies. “We’re here to save you-” With a flick of their horns, the twelve unicorns pin Cecil and Jarvis to the ceiling. Horus then walks up to Maurice and slams the small stallion’s cutlass aside with his weapon. Maurice backs away in fear before picking up a small spoon from the floor and holding it up to the albino pirate as if it’s a shield. Horus chuckles upon seeing the tiny utensil before his red eyes. He taunts, “By thunder Pipsqueak! If you think that this mundane spoon is going to stop me, think again.” Maurice simply replies, “You might want to take a better look at it.” Curious of what that statement meant, Horus squints at the spoon, noticing something peculiar about its reflection. An immediate feeling of fear builds inside and Horus realizes that the wide reflection is showing something outside the two sides of the galley through the windows. As he snaps his head to a side to look out of the windows to his left, a wave of pegasi come bursting through them, showing millions of glass bits onto the pirates. The other side soon is bombarded with a second swarm of pegasi as they make their way into the galley. In seconds, where the twelve ponies once stood is now a raging river of motley ponies that flows both ways. Pinkie and her four close allies watch in shock and awe as the wall of pegasi soon clears to reveal the rivals with benefits cheering at the other side of the galley. “Wow!” Pinkie exclaims as she scurries to her other friends. “That was incredible! I would’ve never have seen that coming! I didn’t even know you guys came to help us!” “Thank you. The princesses picked us up and sent us here to help ya.” Jarvis replies. “How did you even pull this off?” Cecil answers, “We got some help.” Slowly, Fluttershy flies in through one of the now shattered windows. Upon seeing her, Pinkie immediately runs up to her and gives her a tight squeeze. “You did this Fluttershy?!” “…Yeah.” Fluttershy chokingly replies, feeling her lungs deflate in her friend’s hooves. “Did you secretly fly off to one of the pegasi platoons in Celestia’s army and organized a surprise attack to wherever Cecil, Maurice, and Jarvis would find a group of pirates to strike?” “…Yeah.” “Thank you, thank you, thank you! The only things that could make this more awesome are a lemur and a whale!” As if on cue, a black and white lemur emerges from Fluttershy’s massive mane. Pinkie gasps and backs away from the small critter, “Witchcraft!” “No, I just took him along with us. When the volcano was erupting on that island we were on, I couldn’t just leave him behind.” “Great! Now that we have a lemur, all we need now is a whale. And guess who brought the whale?!” “A whale?” The three rivals with benefits ask out loud. A massive and powerful moan suddenly roars from below, shaking The Perfection entire. Except for Pinkie Pie, everypony immediately stops in their tracks in unknowing horror of that that sound was. “Yep, a whale.” “Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy nervously asks, “remember two weeks ago when you said you were preparing a surprise.” “Yeah,” “Is this the surprise?” Looking out of the galley’s front doors and broken windows, the nine ponies inside see a massive blue whale rise from the ship’s stern. Everypony gasps as they set their eyes onto the whale, collecting into one breath of fear. “On the nose!” The gigantic whale then slams into the main deck of the equally gigantic airship, causing the ship to plummet down and tilt into the beast’s weight. Everypony screams as they all tumble towards the stern. “Great mother of mercy!” Korsan’s voice hollers from above, fighting the weight with his grip on the steering wheel. “Okay big guy!” Pinkie sheiks out to the whale. “That’s enough.” The blue whale moans out to the pink pony and slowly slides off of the ship. Immediately, Korsan stabilizes the ship and attempts to return it to normal, but he as well as everypony else soon realizes that massive chunk of the hull that has been taken out as well as the serious loss of altitude. Looking to her sides, Pinkie sees the frozen faces of her comrades beside her, processing what has just happened. “Hm… Perhaps I should’ve warned everypony about the whale.” “Why didn’t anypony tell me about a whale?!” Korsan groans as he reclaims control of his vessel. Above him, Korsan sees Celestia’s airships still high up in the air, firing their cannons down to his lower ship. He quickly sets the steering into its second mode and attempts to pull his airship upwards. However, the ship instead jerks down, as the pirates of Thieves’ Hold have fired roped harpoons into the hull and are now pulling the ship down. Cannonballs hail from the sky and quickly turn the top decks of the airship into an infernal ruin. One of these massive balls strikes right beside Korsan, creating a hole to the room where his crossbow-cannon is. Thinking quickly, Korsan thrusts Juliana into the air and leaps into the hole. “Free The Perfection and get it flying! Use Artic Wind if you must!” The ice phoenix screeches in compliance and flies around to underneath the sinking hull. As she flies around the grappling ships below, the rain that’s caught in her icy wind is turned into a hail of spikes. The ponies below retreat from the barrage of ice darts. One by one, the ropes holding The Perfection down are cut by either the ice spikes are Juliana’s beak. As Juliana soars around the boat, she dodges the storm of metal, wood, and lightning. The final rope is cut, and she quickly swoops up to the wheel and surrounding levers. From there, she then begins to imitate her master, and starts to drive their massive airship up and away from the fight. “Don’t let them get away!” One of the soldiers in the massive cloud of pegasi declares. Quickly, the swamp of flying ponies chases after the fleeing airship. The ship suddenly turns its starboard towards the group. A portion of the quarterdeck wall is blasted away by something behind it, revealed to be the massive cannon with Korsan right behind it, aiming it directly at the incoming mass. “You ponies look mighty hungry for some metal!” The machine then roars to life as its long barrels and gears rapidly move and shift. The herd of pegasi immediately scramble away as hundreds of bolts start to launch from the cannon’s six barrels. Rapidly firing metal rods into the heard, the machine moves on its own to shoot down anypony that tries to escape. Hundreds of soldiers and other ponies fall from the sky as their armour is pieced and bodies are flung into each other, all under the sound of the roaring crossbow and Korsan’s maniacal laughter. Two of Celestia’s airships then pull up to Korsan’s ship and fire a volley of several cannonballs at the machine and Korsan. However, the cannon quickly shoots each of the incoming metal balls out of the sky in rapid succession, never missing a shot. Upon finishing off the volley, the cannon then proceeds to take down the approaching airships. In less than two minutes, the balloons holding the boats are shredded into pieces and the two vessels plummet into the raging seas, crushing any sailing ships underneath. “Is that the best you got? Ha! Six mere mares put up a better fight then the lot of you!” “How about you stop hiding behind your toys and actually fight like a stallion?” A mare’s voice yells out from behind Korsan and his cannon. Reaching for his cutlasses, Korsan slowly turns his head to see exactly who he expects it is. “Why hello…” Inside the vast cargo hold of the ship, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are being chased down by Chopin. Upon reaching a wall, the fillies turn around to see the mime slowly stalking them with his long, curved knife in tow. Chopin’s smile grows the closer he draws to the fillies. “Keep away from us you clown!” Sweetie Belle barks. She appears to attempt to pick up the stallion with her magic, only to lead to no avail due to his sheer weight. Slightly offended by the name-calling, Chopin’s smile cuts down to a small scowl. “Yeah you clown! Shoo!” Applebloom screams before throwing a nearby plank of wood at Chopin. Now aggravated, he grabs the plank with his teeth and chomps it, snapping the board in two. The trio immediately back away in terror, except for Scootaloo. She instead declares, “Don’t you take another step forward you clown!” “Yeah!” The two others remark. “Clown!” Finally sick of this, Chopin steps forward and screams into Scootaloo’s face, “I’m a mime!” The sound of a rope snapping suddenly sounds out from below Chopin. In an instant, the mime is suspended up into the air two metres from the ground and held upside down. Chopin soon discovers that a rope has been tied around his hind hoof that is hanging from the ceiling. Looking back down, he sees the three fillies running around and away from him, giggling all the way. “When I get down from here, I’m gonna-” “Gonna what?” A gruff, ominous voice sneers from behind the mime in a very threatening tone of voice. The rope is then slowly spun around by the initially unseen figure and Chopin comes face to face with Grivs. The massive grey stallion grins as he stares down the mime. On top of the tallest yard, on the highest mast, Twilight is fighting against two mare pirates. Without any weapons, she has to quickly project shields to defend against their swords and spells. One of them teleports to Twilight’s behind and swings her sword. Twilight ducks under the slice. The other then swings her hoof below Twilight crotched and makes her loose her hoofing. The two then raise their swords and swing them downwards. Twilight quickly moves her fallen self between the blades as they strike the wood below. She then flies upwards and performs a split kick. The hooves smack into the two pirates and instantly knock them off of the yard. Landing back down onto the mast, Twilight grabs the swords with her magic. She then leaps from the wooden pole and falls towards the deck. She positions the blades below her hooves and stabs them into the sails, riding them down as they slice the black fabric behind her. Below her is a small mass of Korsan’s pirates, waiting for her with their weapons trained on her. Thinking quick, Twilight aims herself downwards and fires a magic fireball at the mob. It explodes upon hitting the floor and buries the area in a flaming cloud of smoke. She then leaps into the darkness with her swords and fights the pirates. Twilight uses the burning wood to her advantage by swishes her swords into the fire and flinging it at her foes, keeping them distant while she takes on others at the same time. The rain barely even hits the metal blades and other weaponry as they are all rapidly being flung around in the cloud of turmoil, with Twilight being the epicenter of the chaos. However, one of the pirates overpowers Twilight and slices at her cheek with a small knife. She screams in pain and tries to back away, only to find herself now completely surrounded. She immediately attempts teleportation. Another pirate stops her by tacking her to the wet floor. Just as it seems all is lost, a collection of unseen ponies swoop in on Korsan’s crew members and fight them off of Twilight. Twilight tries to see who they are, but the smoke is too thick. Eventually, as the pirates start to flee, the haze clears as well, revealing her saviors to be November Gale, Nitin Gale, Princess Cadence, and Craig Y’ol Timber. “November! Nitin! Cadence! Craig!” Twilight exclaims with joy. As the four ponies turn to look at her, they notice the red scratch along her cheek. “Twilight!” Cadence worryingly gasps. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” “That’s what they all say before it gets infected.” Craig mutters. Nitin then speaks, “We came as soon as possible. Princess Celestia got your letter.” “What can we do?” November asks. “Thanks for your help,” Twilight cheers. However, her joy is cut short by the roaring wails of Korsan’s machine firing at pegasi and ships flying in front of it. “Okay, first we need to stop that machine. Cadence, get everypony away from anywhere within viewing distance of the cannon. They’ll listen to you on the spot.” “I’m on it.” Cadence declares and flies off. “Nitin, you know this ship better than any of us. Sabotage whatever’s keeping this thing flying and whatever’s helping the machine.” “Understood.” Nitin nods before leaping into one of the many blast holes of the withering ship. “Craig-” “Now you shut your piper right there,” Craig Y’ol Timber interrupts, “I do what I want to do.” “…Fine.” “And me?” November asks. “You,” Twilight replies, “are going to help me destroy the cannon and stop Korsan.” “Alright!” The two mares immediately start galloping towards the quarterdeck. As some of the remaining pirates try to block their path, Twilight and November quickly push past them and continue to keep their momentum. As they reach the stairs leading up the quarterdeck, Twilight informs November of the machine, “It tracks you by movement relevant to its position by scanning what’s in its view overtime. It doesn’t seem to identify the ship itself as a target, so if it moves, you have to move along with it as if you were still. Stay stiff when it is facing you, it will usually do a quick scan before turning around in search of a target.” “Got it.” They leap up the stairs, reach the poop deck, and see the hole where Korsan leap down. Swiftly, the two leap down behind the roaring cannon and immediately prepare to face off against Korsan. However, to their surprise, the captain is nowhere to be seen. “Where is he?” “It doesn’t matter. It’s actually a good thing. Now help me stop this thing.” The two quickly examine the device for any weaknesses or a shut-off switch. Eventually, Twilight spots a small lever deep inside the back of the machine. She tries to use one of her swords to flip the switch. It however snags on one of the whirring gears and lodges the blade over the lever, covering it. The cannon chokes and sputters for a moment, but continues shooting onward. “Shoot.” “Wait, what if you jam the machine?” “Good idea.” With her other sword now positioned, Twilight prepares to stab it in with the first. However, just as she about to strike, an unseen force pushes her forward and towards the open edge of the room. Her wings instantly spring open. Twilight immediately stops herself from falling and entering the machine’s line of sight. Her sword however falls forward and the cannon instantly shoots it down. The sounds of clanging metal ring from behind her ears, a sign that November is in trouble. Now teetering between life and death, Twilight tries to fly back inside. But an unseen weight is pulling her down by her hind hooves. She immediately looks down to see it’s Rarity, having slipped over the edge and desperately trying to climb back up. “Rarity?!” “Pull me up!” Rarity exclaims. With all of her might, Twilight pulls the two of them back inside. November suddenly screams behind them as the unseen pony knocks her into Twilight and Rarity. However, Twilight stays strong and keeps the mares stable. The now trio get up onto their hooves and face the fourth pony, revealing himself to be Korsan. “Korsan!” “Twilight!” Korsan excitedly exclaims. He then kicks the nearby cannon with his hind hoof, causing it to spin the place. “Hold still!” The four ponies instantly turn frozen as the machine’s barrels rapidly turn towards them. As soon as the machine passes them, Korsan immediately swings his cutlasses forward. Rarity and November block the blades with their rapier and knife. November leaps forward and into Korsan’s chest. The two fall back, but Korsan stops the tumble midway as the machine loops around them again. Upon passing, Rarity hops into the fray and swings her rapier at Korsan’s legs. Korsan finishes his fall and rolls back to the wall, dodging the slash and throwing November to the floor. They freeze once more and the cannon circles past them once more. Having enough of this, Twilight stops the cannon’s spin and aims it towards Korsan. With no other choice to avoid being shot at, Korsan holds still, groaning in defeat. The three mares immediately aim their horns at him. Each of the three horns brightly glow as they are about to fire their spells at him. “What are you going to do huh?” Korsan mutters in her still breath. “Use magic?” “I’m not falling for that again.” Twilight retorts. “This time I’m finishing you off.” “You think this is the end? Please, this is only the beginning. From as I see it, we are going to have a great, long history together, if you don’t die anyways. If you stay alive, I’m going to make sure you wish you died on this day. I’ll make sure you wish it everytime you look to the sky!” Immediately, Korsan rapidly rotates his claws and spins his swords. The cannon instantly fires at him, but his swords catch the metal rods and deflect them at the mares. The trio quickly scamper away as a fury of metal bolts soar at them. As fast as the machine can spit out bolts, Korsan’s makeshift shields deflect them and fire them everywhere around the chamber. The mares leap. They dive. They teleport. They do everything within their power to run away from the barrage. Exhaustion soon takes place for them, but Korsan doesn’t even drop a sweat. Just as it seems all hope is lost, the entire ship suddenly jerks around, throwing Korsan, Twilight, Rarity, November, and the machine off balance. It is as if an earthquake is on the airship and tearing it to shreds. The Perfection then starts to float down towards the ocean, and everypony inside begins to float around in the interior. The cannon starts to hover to the ceiling. Aimed at Twilight, she quickly pushes herself up in order to keep the same distance from it. Rarity and November meanwhile continue to fight Korsan, clashing their blades against him in the lower gravity. The three ponies maneuver around the cramped chamber as The Perfection soon reaches terminal velocity. Eventually, the machine slowly turns around on its own to face Rarity and November, who instantly freeze. Seeing this as an opportunity to escape, Korsan uses his claws to dig into the wood structure and run out. “Hey! Get back here!” Twilight immediately soars after him. “Juliana!” Korsan yells as he runs across his quarters to the doors out. “Keep this thing even!” The ice phoenix above screeches once more in agreement. Twilight chases down Korsan as he heads below the main deck and goes down deep in the ship’s deteriorating hull. Korsan climbs along the walls, ceiling, and floor with incredible maneuverability while Twilight struggles to fly alongside. Chunks of the walls, furniture, and loose weapons turn into obstacles as they wiz by the two. As they continue to run, Twilight fires bolts of explosive magic at Korsan, barely hitting him in the tight corridors of the cabin areas. Korsan returns by firing his crossbow at her, counting the bolts fired as he runs and avoids her shots. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,” They soon reach the medical bay, in which Korsan quickly turns around and heads behind the stairwell. Twilight continues to keep chase, following him into the massive room ahead. Upon entering, Korsan and Twilight are immediately hit with a flood of green glowing liquid and the sounds of machines screaming. “What the-” “The generators, they’ve been sabotaged! No wonder this thing is going under!” While Twilight is shoved back by the tidal wave on anti-magic, Korsan presses onward into the opposing current, burying his claws deep into the floor on each step. The room soon drains, and Korsan sees who’s responsible. In front of the massive tank of anti-magic at the back of the huge room, past the twenty large generators that line the walls, is Nitin Gale, chopping into the pipes with an axe in his mouth. Immediately, Korsan charges forward and screams, “It’s been about time we meet again ye old stallion!” “Indeed!” Nitin replies. Soaked in anti-magic, Nitin has to rely on his hooves to operate the axe as Korsan reaches him and swings his swords. A loud clang erupts as the weapons collide. Korsan and Nitin withdrawal and strike again, and again, and again. The two stallions rapidly continue to trade blows without rest. Korsan eventually backs up Nitin against the room sized container. However, Nitin keeps his ground and uses his axe to trap the dual cutlasses in a blade lock. Twilight then flies into the generator room and charges at the two. Along the way, she picks up a long, broken pipe in her mouth and prepares to use it on Korsan. In the corner of his eye, Korsan sees in incoming enemy and decides to switch targets. In one swift motion, Korsan drops on of his swords and snaps his cape at Nitin’s hind hooves, causing him to trip and fall. Korsan then grabs his second sword again and engages Twilight. With the pipe being soaked in anti-magic, Twilight has to also rely on her body and keep Korsan at bay. For a minute, Twilight and Korsan continuously fight each other, matching each other’s attacks and counters. “Impressive,” Korsan congratulates Twilight with a sadistic smirk, “but let’s see you deal with me on overdrive!” The gears in Korsan’s back piece immediately accelerate and thunder as his speed and power against Twilight increases exponentially. With most of the anti-magic already washed off, Twilight powers herself up with a quick spell and can finally use magic on her weapon. Twilight and Korsan reach their limit and their fighting becomes untraceable. The two rivals clash their weapons and bodies against each other with the greatest of precision and focus, never letting each other out of their sight. Leaping over and dodging each other’s attacking in the plummeting airship, the dancing of the metal continues for several never-ending seconds. Eventually through, Twilight strikes Korsan in the face with a long swing of her metal pipe, knocking him back into anti-magic container behind him. She then lunges forward in attempts to stab him. Korsan quickly evades the attacking, causing Twilight to jab the jagged end of pipe into the glass. In less than a second, the glass bursts and anti-magic begins to flood the area once more. Korsan shoots the metal pipe out of the glass. “Eleven.” Twilight attempts to kick her rival, but outstretched hoof is grabbed. She is then shoved through the wall of glass by Korsan in an attempt to drown her. With liquid already pour down her throat and into her lungs, Twilight tries to swim back out frantic hurry. However, Korsan jams his back piece into the hole and blocks her exit. His rapidly rotating gears become a deathtrap as the churning anti-magic starts to pull Twilight to them. Twilight immediately switches her flesh gears and tries to swim away in a mad dash. “No!” Nitin Gale exclaims, running at Korsan with a plank of wood. Korsan quickly reacts and breaks the wood with an iron kick. He then grabs the charging stallion’s head and pins him to the wet floor. “Twilight!” Korsan taunts with his back turned to his victim. “Either you drown, or you’re grated into bits! Either way, I win!” Twilight’s eyes soon begin to burn from the thick substance, her heart fills with acid, and whatever breath she has left is being spent by she silently calling out for any of her friends, any of her family, any pony to save her. Back on the main deck, under the vicious rainstorm, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Slasher, Yin, Yu, Princess Cadence, Cecil, Maurice, and Jarvis are all back to back as they are fighting the last remaining waves of Korsan’s pirates. As a tight circle, they dodge the incoming slashes and punches of the ferocious pirate as one body. Magic shields, wind gusts, and earthquake pounds are being tossed left and right by the huddle, knocking down the pirates one by one. However, the fallen crew members eventually pick themselves back up and join their fellow members once more as if they weren’t even hit. As hard as the eleven ponies try, their stamina and strength is nothing compared to the pirates. After several minutes of grueling battle, they all begin to turn tired. Seeing this, Korsan’s last thirty crew members surround the ponies and draw their weapons close to each of their victims’ bodies, ready for the kill. The pirates slowly draw themselves so close to their rivals, that they can practically see their salty sweat mixing with the fresh rain in the rampant cracks of lightning. “Any last words?” One of the mare villains in front of Dash proclaims. With a grin on her exhausted face, Rainbow Dash asks in response, “Do you?” The stallion replies with a confused look on his face. “Look behind you.” Curious, he and the two pirates beside him look behind them towards the bow. Charging right at them is Celestia’s massive zeppelin, showing no signs of slowing down. The pirates immediately scream as the blimp smashes into The Perfection, sending everypony backwards along with the entire airship with one swift jolt. The front of the zeppelin shatters open and two large figures leap in front of the ponies from it. Several bolts of lightning then strike the surrounding sails and structure of The Perfection, creating a wall of flame around the two figures and the others. And in the light of the burning flames, reveals the two figures to be Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. One armed in gold and white armour from horn, to wings, to hooves and wielding a massive battle axe made of gold, the other armed in black and blue armour covering just as much and wielding a sword of silver, the two alicorns instantly strike fear in their foes by them merely standing and staring with the most determined eyes imaginable. The pirate that spoke with Dash silently gulps before muttering, “…M-Mother…” With a flick of their horns, Celestia’s axe and Luna’s sword spring to life and lung at the pirates. One of them holds her sword forward to deflect Celestia’s axe. The axe instead chops the blade in half with one mighty swing. The axe then travels below the mare and slings her into the air, launching her several metres high in altitude. Celestia then soars up above the pirate and smashes her down with a powerful kick, sending her crashing through each of the airship’s floors and out the bottom. Three of the remaining pirates aim their crossbows at her and fire. The arrows speed at Celestia, but Luna’s sword swings over and deflects the arrows. Luna herself then zips across the flaming arena and rapidly head-butts the three in several looping circles. Celestia darts down and finishes them off by blasting them off with powerful bolts of magic. The two alicorns then meet in the middle above their surrounded allies, join back to back, aim their horns at the pirates, and scream, “Duck!” A burning beam of magic and midnight beam of magic instantly burst from their horns and drill through the ship. The two then circle their beams around and blast the pirates all the way through the disintegrating wood and sending them into the sea. A whole chunk of the bow falls from The Perfection and is pulled away by the massive zeppelin as Celestia and Luna continue their joined attack. Juliana swoops out from behind the wheel and attempts to attack the princesses. However, a light green magic aura surrounds the phoenix. She is then dragged by Sweetie Belle into a small bird cage with her, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Spike waiting for her. Juliana is soon gently placed in the cage and the metal door closes on her. She shrieks and flails, but Sweetie tries to calm down Juliana, “Hey, don’t worry. You’ve be taken good care of.” “Not to mention rehabilitated.” Spike adds. “You even have a friend!” Applebloom cheers as Scootaloo reveals the fire phoenix known as Philomena from her small wing. The last of Korsan’s pirates, the one who was teasing Rainbow Dash, manages to sneak away from the fire ring and attempts to crawl away to the galley. A sharp wooden pain suddenly strikes the top of his head though, stopping him in his tracks. An old, craggy voice soon follows, “Is that you Bainbro Bash, ya darn kid?” Instantly, the pirate grabs a nearby knife with his mouth and attempts the stab the unseen pony, but is cut off by a wooden staff. “Hey! Respect your elders why don’t you? Blasted kids these days, getting involved with knife tricks and ridiculous magic acts...” The stallion runs forward and turns towards the pony, turning out to be Craig Y’ol Timber. The pirate chuckles for a moment, feeling a sense of relief upon seeing that his rival is an old stallion. Unexpectedly, Craig charges forward and immediately overwhelms the pirate. He strikes the stallion’s head with a series of quick whacks of his stick. Craig then finishes him off by delivering a powerful smack upside the chin, sending the stallion over the railing screaming. The old Earth pony looks over to see the pirate as he continues to fall. “Nope, that wasn’t her.” Celestia and Luna finish their ultimate attack and slowly drift down onto deck to greet the others. “Thank goodness you two came.” Applejack cheers. “One moment later and we would’ve been pony-sushi.” “That was awesome!” Dash exclaims. “Thanks.” Fluttershy gasps in relief. “Again!” Pinkie demands. “Wait,” Celestia asks, “where’s Twilight and Rarity?” “Princess Celestia! Luna!” Rarity screams as she and November are galloping to the group from the quarterdeck. “Rarity!” Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and the pirate allies cheer in unison. “Did you take care of the machine?” “That’s not important,” Rarity declares with a panicky tone in her voice, “Have you seen Twilight?” “No, no pony here does apparently.” “Wait!” November exclaims, “What about my father!” Rarity immediately screams, “In the anti-magic generator room!” “It’s over Twilight Sparkle!” Korsan cackles. His back gears continue to shred through the green fluid at a rapid pace, trying to get to Twilight. However, Twilight still continues to swim against the current with all of her dying might. All of her organs are burning and melting. Her eyes see only black and white and her ears can only hear laughter and Death’s drink swirling in the undertaker’s claws. As hard as she tries though, the back of her hoovers are eventually drawn in and begin kicking against the whirling blades. A sharp series of metal clangs ring throughout the liquid tank in response. Twilight’s mind frantically races against the clock of life. She tries to think of an escape, but sees none other than to submit to Korsan’s rampant current. As Twilight is further drawn in, Korsan’s voice can be heard from the other side of the glass wall, “You know, it’s a shame you weren’t born an alicorn, thinks would be different. I would’ve become an alicorn, you and your friends would be set free, for a fair share of time, and the world would be restored to normality. Fate certainly has a way to throwing a monkey wrench in the clockworks.” Wrench in the clockworks! Twilight’s mind suddenly screams out in triumph. With an idea instantly blooming, Twilight looks behind to see the series of gears at her hooves. She studies them quickly before finding what she needs. Carefully, she floats up towards the top of the back piece and by Korsan’s nape. She then flips over to face Korsan, reaches a hoof forward, and slams it in between the whirring gears. The gears suddenly stop with a loud clang. A rush of pain suddenly strikes Twilight, but doesn’t let it bother her. With her free hoof, Twilight immediately begins punching at her rival’s nape. Korsan pulls himself out of the hole, only to bring Twilight stuck on him and still fighting. Nitin is subsequently releases from Korsan, and he immediately rises to join Twilight in the fray. Korsan tries to fight back with his swords, but his movements are stiffer and slower as well as a persistent jolt to the back of his brain due to Twilight. The room begins to fill up once more with anti-magic as the three fight on, making it harder to maneuver on the ground. Nitin attempts to punch Korsan in the stomach at one point, but Korsan grabs the hoof with a hind leg. Twilight attempts to intervene by swing over Korsan’s head to body slam his face. However, Korsan performs a backwards roll and knocks Twilight off onto Nitin. Korsan then rises to his legs, pulling out his crossbow from one of his bottom hooves, causing him to stand on one hoof. He aims from the fallen ponies, breaths in for a second, and silently whispers, “Twelve.” Just as he pulls the trigger through, a silver pipe flies in from seemingly nowhere, flicking the crossbow to the side and firing a metal bolt into the floor. Korsan looks over to his side and see Celestia and Luna, followed by the other heroes, charging at him. He turns to face them instead of Twilight and overcharges his suit again. “Come and get me!” “Stay back!” Celestia declares to her followers as she and Luna leap forward at Korsan. Korsan raises his three armed hooves and blocks the first strike. Korsan then begins his attack as Celestia and Luna continue their forward lung and the immediately enter combat. Celestia’s golden axe, Luna’s silver sword, and Korsan’s dual cutlasses and crossbow slam into each other before backing up and slamming into each other again and again. The air roars with the sounds of grinding metal and the rushing wind of the three dashing around the room. Fire starts to enter the area as well, but the three continue to fight on as their lives depended on this battle. Eventually, the two alicorns back Korsan into a corner. Celestia takes the opportunity and swings her axe forward. Korsan quickly reacts and shoots his crossbow at the axe, impaling the weapon with a metal bolt and flinging it across the room. “Thirteen.” Korsan mumbles as he enters an intense black lock with Luna. His two blades grind against Luna’s, sending sparks flying in between them. Soon, Luna begins to overpower Korsan, and her sword draws close to Korsan’s neck. However, Korsan shoots his crossbow again and pins Luna’s weapon to the ceiling. “Fourteen, one more…” Now with the upper hoof, Korsan roars and slashes his swords at his two rivals. Celestia and Luna instantly back away side by side. They then lower their horns and instantly fire their magical beam attack at him. The two conjoined pulses rip through the ceiling and floor as they dart at Korsan. Quickly, Korsan holds his two swords in front of him and shields himself from the beams. Upon contact, his swords disintegrate the powerful magic with only minimal recoil. The attack dies down and Korsan instantly charges at the two alicorns. Dropping his two swords, Korsan uses his three free hooves to rapidly claw across the floor. He leaps with his front claws at the ready. However, Twilight suddenly soars into Korsan’s open side and sends the both of them out of the air and slamming into the glass wall. The two then tumble out into the middle of the floor in a small hoof fight, with Korsan slashing at Twilight’s face and chest. “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight screams in struggle. “Finish him off!” Dash immediately springs into action as she breaks through the ceiling above Twilight and works her way towards the deck. “Twilight!” Spike yells out as he and the others draw in around the wrestling pair, ready to help. Twilight immediately shouts, “Stay back, I got this!” “Hahaha!” Korsan cackles below Twilight. “You think you are stronger than me? At best we’re equal! You hold back you’re true power, your superiority, for no good reason!” “I am no superior to the ponies around me as you are to every other villain I have encountered. What makes me stronger is my friendship, something that you lack. If you claim that magic is power, then I am infinitely more powerful than you are, because I have the ultimate magic, the magic of friendship!” “Good thing I have an ace up my sleeve!” Korsan hollers before revealing the crossbow in his right upper hoof. He instantly holds it up to Twilight’s temple and screams, “Fifteen!” He pulls the trigger, but a loud metal click sounds from the small crossbow. “Gah… I hate my cousin…” Twilight then delivers a powerful head-butt into Korsan’s skull before rolling off of him. Korsan grunts from the hit and as he begins to climb back up, his eye notices something above. Through the smog of the fire and the wooden debris, Korsan sees Rainbow, diving straight at him. “Nooooo!” Within a second, Rainbow Dash bursts back down into the room and slams into Korsan’s chest, sending him crashing through the floor. The wood floorboards are flung across the room and cause the surround ponies to back away as the pirate captain plummets through the floor below and the bottom of the ship, with his screams echoing all the way down. Eventually, Korsan’s screaming dies down, and the ponies inside look at each other in utter disbelief of their feat. “We did it…” Rainbow declares in shock, looking down the newly created holes that lead to the raging seas below. “We did it.” Twilight confirms. “We did it!” Pinkie exclaims. Everypony then cheers and leaps into the air. They have finally done it, they thought to themselves. The battle was over, and Korsan’s army has been defeated. Pats are being thrown around the group, as ponies praise each other and reminisce about their previous experiences. “Hey AJ,” Dash exclaims, “Remember when you and I were fighting the pirates, and when we got a cannon and threw it onto a bunch of them?” “Sure do!” Applejack replies. “Hey, Fluttershy, that was an awesome trick you pulled with the other pegasi in the quarterdeck.” “Thanks.” Fluttershy humbly responds. “You can say that again!” Pinkie cheers. “It saved me and some of our friends.” “Wait, speaking of friends,” Rarity replies, turning to Celestia and Luna before asking, “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, what’s going to happen to them?” “The pirates?” Celestia answers. “The ones that helped us.” Sweetie Belle helps, “November, Nitin, Yin, Yu, the ones with us.” “Well,” Celestia takes a moment to think before actually answering Rarity’s question. “Can we be let off free?” Maurice loudly asks. “Considering you are most likely wanted in several countries…” “I never messed with you guy-” “Perhaps for punishment, you all can serve lightened jail time, maybe even just community service.” “Really?” “You are all heroes of the entire world. I’m sure the world will have a mostly similar opinion.” “…Sure,” Slasher replies, “I can live with that.” “Wait,” November asks, “What about Thieves’ Hold?” Nitin promptly suggests, “What about that Craig stallion?” “Craig?!” Dash exclaims in a immediate wave of panic. “As in Craig Y’ol Timber?” “Yes.” Nitin replies. “He’s here?!” “Yes.” “Oh, no-” Suddenly, a wood stick smacks Rainbow Dash in the head before falling to the floor next to her and Twilight. “Ow!” “Hehe,” Twilight giggles, “looks like he already found you.” “Twilight!” Spike nervously exclaims once he actually examines her. “What is it Spike?” “Are you alright?” “Huh?” Curious of what he meant, Twilight examines herself, only to discover that her purple fur is now tarnished with a veil of red and pink and her flesh is covered in bruises, cuts, and light scars, especially noticeable around the hoof she stuck into Korsan. “Oh, it’s just a flesh wound, nothing to worry about.” “We should head back to one of the blimps,” Luna calmly retorts, “this ship will hit water at any minute now.” “Quite right.” Celestia nods. “Oh yeah,” Jarvis realizes, “we’re falling. Heh, never noticed.” As the remaining ponies on The Perfection board Celestia’s crashed zeppelin, a swamp of pegasi, including Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, are holding up the two collided vessels, keeping them from falling at high speeds like before. One by one, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Philomena, Juliana, Spike, Yin, Yu, Slasher, November, Nitin, Cecil, Maurice, Jarvis, and the rest of the pirates in Faction Two hop into the opening in the bow of the zeppelin, with Twilight on The Perfection monitoring the line. “That’s it everypony.” Twilight announces. “Keep it single-file, no shoving, keep all of your weapons sheaved, no stealing, make room for others,” “Twilight,” Celestia speaks, hovering above the mob. “Celestia,” Twilight replies whilst turning to look at the white princess. “I’m sorry I only left you and your friends with the SS Raindrop. I didn’t know you would need reinforcements, or even an airship instead of a boat.” “It’s fine. None of us knew something like this was going to happen. And besides, it probably was better that we went alone.” “Is the SS Raindrop still in good condition?” “…It served well.” Princess Celestia humourously rolls her eyes, knowing what Twilight implied. “How about the Diamond Eye?” Twilight instantly gasps, realizing that she has forgotten why she and her friends even started this journey. “One quick second, I’ll be right back!” Immediately, Twilight takes off towards the quarterdeck while the last ponies board Celestia’s airship. “Alright, start pulling out! Twilight will catch up to us.” As Twilight searches through the slowly decaying treasure room, she notices large amounts of the captain’s booty has already either been claimed by her pirate friends or fallen into the sea, indicated by the massive holes in the floors and walls. However, in the back of her head, Twilight is sure that the Diamond Eye is still here. Continuing to search deeper and deeper into the vault, an eerie feeling also tingles in her spine, as if there was another presence in the massive and dark room. Eventually though, Twilight finds the two massive diamonds in the back of the room and picks them up with her magic. She then turns around and as she heads for the exit, the eerie tingling grows stronger. As she proceeds to walk out of the door, a white blur suddenly passes in front of her, causing her to jump back and reach for an antique sword from the floor. But a red aura surrounds the long blade and flings it out of a hole in the wall. Twilight gasps, “What the-” “Stay.” A familiar mare’s voice calls out from behind. When Twilight attempts to look behind, a small dagger charges at her, stopping in front of her throat. Frozen, Twilight examines the levitating blade, noticing the groove designs and the red aura surrounding it. “Maria?” “I said stay.” Slowly, the white mare emerges from the unseen corner of Twilight’s vision and walks in front of her. However, Maria looks and acts different to the last time Twilight saw her. All over her body, even her face, mane, and tail, are metal pads and cables that stretch into the darkness behind, her horn is covered in a metal clamp with a series of cables and electric wires poking from the base, and her red eyes are shrunken, darting all around as if she was terrified of something. Horrified, Twilight asks whilst still at the dagger’s end, “What happened to you?” A voice chuckles in the darkness in response, “Don’t you recognize the mechanisms? Doesn’t it look familiar to somepony’s work?” “Korsan!” From the dark corner behind Maria slowly emerges Korsan, limping towards the pair of mares. “How did you-You climbed the outside of the hull, didn’t you?” “Cleve-” Korsan groans midway through his taunting, grabbing his beck piece and shredded cape in agony. As Korsan moves his claws into the light, Twilight sees that Maria’s cables and wires connect to Korsan’s mechanical suit. “What did you do to Maria?” “A new step forward in my technology, the ability to control larger masses beyond your own body with muscle-operated mechanics. It definitely serves well when your suit is busted and you need a little help. Impressed?” “Let her go!” “Don’t worry, it isn’t that painful. In fact, to Maria, it probably feels nice, being put down into submission after such naughty behaviour.” “You’re a monster!” “So I am, but not for long. After seeing Princess Celestia and Luna in action, I am certain that they were born alicorns.” “No…” “Oh yes. Come with me!” “Where is she?” Luna grumbles as she and Celestia look over The Perfection from their now distanced blimp. “It’s a big ship.” Celestia replies, trying to calm her sister down. “I know, but I’m getting this bad feeling about this. Something doesn’t sit right.” “What do you mean?” “Did we actually see Korsan plummet into the ocean?” “No, there were wood pieces flying everywhere.” “Exactly, what if he-” “Don’t worry Luna. Rainbow Dash gave a most powerful attack. I’m confident that Korsan wouldn’t be able to pull off something like-” “Attention alicorns!” Korsan’s voice roars from the deck ahead. Immediately, the two alicorn princesses look over to see Korsan, Maria, and Twilight at the end of an outstretched plank. Twilight is completely wrapped in metal chains and three anti-magic straps tightened around her horn while Korsan and Maria are hunched over her body, each with dagger at her throat. The two alicorns gasp upon the sight, prompting everypony else on board to see what’s going on. “Twilight!” They all exclaim. “Maria’s been taken over by Korsan!” Twilight yells back, trying her best to explain the situation. “Let her go Korsan!” Celestia demands. “Turn me into an alicorn!” Korsan replies, shaking his shuttering hostage. “Or else this little beauty’s gonna have her gizzard cut out! And don’t think about pulling anything fancy, for if I die, my puppet here will do the job for me!” “You’re mad!” “Isn’t it always the case? Hey Twilight, how about you sing a song for us?” “Celestia!” Twilight screams. “Don’t give into his demands!” “Ohohoho!” Korsan manically cackles, “Looks like somepony’s dying for some tension!” “Celestia and Luna will never give in! I’d rather die than let you destroy the world!” “Hahaha! So what’s it going be Princesses? You have about twenty seconds before the anti-magic completely drains from my suit, and if you don’t comply within the second, Twilight’s head is going to be mounted on Dane Jonas’ Locker at the bottom of the sea!” “Don’t-” Before Twilight can retort, Korsan shoves his cape into the hostage’s mouth. “Tick-tock Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Ten… Nine… Eight…” “No!” Celestia screams. Her mind overheats as she tries to decide. Both options have disastrous consequences that will surely affect the entire world. The terrified eyes of Twilight beam into Celestia’s soul, silently screaming for her to both not let her die, yet die at the same time. “Seven… Six… Five…” “Luna!” The two naturally born alicorns look at each other, seeing each other’s terrified faces. They look back at their crew, only to be met with the same response from all of them. “Cadence?” “Four…” Korsan continues. “I don’t know!” Cadence rambles. “I’m just as lost! And besides, I wasn’t born one!” “Three!” He now screams. Celestia turns back to Twilight, fanatically muttering to herself, “What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!” “Two!” “…” “One!” Finally, Celestia makes her choice. “Fine! Luna!” Instantly, Celestia and Luna aim their horns at Korsan which soon begin to glow. A white and black aura immediately surrounds the pirate and gently lifts him into the air. The aura suddenly envelopes Korsan and turns into a star of light, blinding everypony. The raging storm circles above the star and lightning immediately converges into it. Electricity rapidly sputters around the aura. Spurts of white, black, and icy blue magic blast from the star and soar through the air. Rain begins to gravitate to Korsan, soon followed by The Perfection. The swarm of pegasi holding up the pirate aircraft immediately scatters and narrowly escapes the growing power. Twilight watches in horror as she sees the black outline of Korsan from below transform, watching as his body begins to slowly grow and a small horn emerges from his skull. The remnants of his suit snap off in thousands of metal bits and orbit the aura along with the rain and woodchips of boat. The air vibrates with the low rumble of power accumulating in this star, as if the entire fabric of space and time is about to rip in two. Inside the manic ball of energy and magic, Korsan’s voice, now deeper, booming, and dominant, roars in both pleasure and pain, “Yes… The power… The absolute power! Must… Have… More!” As Celestia and Luna attempt to pull out of the spell, a hellish red beam burst from the star and strikes the two, holding them in place and forcing them to transfer more magic. The small white star immediately expands into a black, blue, and red black hole of magic. Everypony freezes in total horror, their jaws dropping and their trains of thought are derailed on the spot. As the transformation reaches its climax, all Twilight can do is mouth, “What have you done…” Eventually, the black hole collapses in on itself, absorbing into a solid black figure floating at the center. It shifts around in place, slowly moving its limbs and examining its own body. A pair of bloodshot eyes opens from the being’s face, with the center of its pupils burning with icy fire, staring down the onlookers. It looks down at the now exhausted princesses, then Rarity behind them, then below to Maria, now free of her binds and wobbling around the deck. He finally sees Twilight, looking back at him, scared, horrified, but also, furious. The black being once known as Korsan then dives down the deck and bolts into the quarterdeck. The back section of The Perfection immediately explodes in a massive fireball, only for the fire and pieces of the woodwork to levitate back. Massive metal beams and spiked bars reform the destroyed area. Quickly, the almost alive metal structure corrupts the rest of the airship, transforming it into a spiked behemoth of misplaced metal and wood. The cannons still on board burst from the sides of the ship and are turned into mechanical tentacles, aiming at every living thing in sight. The two masts remaining shatter in the middle and fall into the ocean below, and are replaced with ten massive caped robotic wings that burst from the sides of The Perfection. Entire lengths of the hull break away into separate tentacles, reformed by the being’s infection and transformed into six three-hundred metre long razor blades of ice. The bow of the ship blasts off and reveals a massive cannon that replaces the interior of the entire metal body. Finally, The Perfection’s transformation ends with the quarterdeck forming a gigantic head of a metal dragon on top of it, with Korsan’s voice roaring from it, “I am reborn… I am perfected… And I am going to perfect this world… No matter the costs… I am the Judge… Jury… Executioner… I am Korsan Perfected…” The dragon’s head rises and delivers a metal screech that blows the surrounding airships away. The storm above grows even more furious than before. Twilight, still wrapped in her chains, can only watch as one of the massive ice swords raises into the clouds above her and dropping down. However, just as the blade is about to hit, Rainbow Dash soars in and shoves Twilight out of the way. The two ponies tumble to the middle of the deck while the blade strikes the side of the deck, creating a small shockwave throughout. As Dash then proceeds to free Twilight from her bindings, Celestia’s blimp pulls over them and Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Slasher, November, Nitin, Cecil, Maurice, and Jarvis leap from it and land next to the two. “What are you guys doing here?” Twilight asks as she climbs to her hooves, surprised of their audacity to hop onto the monstrous ship. “You think some giant mechanical monster is going to get the best of us?” Applejack confidently retorts, though a small sense of nervousness is also present in her voice. “This is practically a Tuesday.” Pinkie Pie declares. “Let’s have some fun with this guy!” Rainbow Dash roars. Fluttershy also adds, “As scary as this is, we’re probably going to deal with worse things in the future.” “It may be crazy,” Rarity announces, “but it seems to work for Korsan.” “It is better to die trying than to run away.” Cecil declares. “Here, here!” Maurice cheers. “And besides,” Jarvis concludes, “there isn’t really anyplace to run away to.” “For friends…” November speaks. “For family…” Nitin continues. “For freedom and happiness to all!” Slasher exclaims. Twilight looks at the eleven ponies surrounding her, side by side. An overwhelming sense of confidence rises between each of them as they stand before their mighty foe. Standing at the ready alongside her friends, Twilight looks towards the dragon’s head, staring at her back. She knows that inside that mechanical head is Korsan, now an almighty alicorn thirsty for blood. She speaks, “Bring it on, Perfected Korsan.” Korsan the AlicornPerfected Korsan roars, signaling the start of battle, and the heroes instantly charge forward. What they’d ahead of them was the equivalent of a mile long path of burning coals with spikes added for good measure. But this doesn’t deter them in the slightest. As they make their first gallops, the first set of robot tentacle cannons turns to face them and open fire. The twelve heroes dodge the incoming volley. The cannonballs fired explode upon contact with the wood and metal floor behind and shower the ponies in debris and rainwater. Another volley fires. The ponies barely avoid them, having the flaming balls scape against their sides. A third unified volley fires onto them, this time aiming ahead. The group jumps over the incoming fireballs, with Rainbow Dash taking flight in order to take them out. Three of the weaponized appendages turn to her while the others continue to lay down fire onto the ponies on deck. One after the other, each cannon fires at Rainbow in rapid succession. Although the rain and lightning slows her down, Dash is able to avoid the cannon fire. She sweeps away from the airship and into the open. A lightning bolt strikes at her and is absorbed into her mane and hooves. She then returns to the cannons, now covered in electric static and sparks. The middle of the three cannons fires first. Its flaming ball of metal beelines at Rainbow Dash, a perfect point-blank shot. Dash instantly rotates backwards and delivers a powerful kick into the ball. The force and electric energy combined in her hind hoof splits the projectile in half and fires it back. They smash into the adjacent cannons at the necks, shattering them and the cannon heads plummet below. Rainbow Dash then bolts into her final cannon hooves first and blast through the barrel and out the other end. The cannon explodes as she exits and causes a series of smaller explosions to go off in the limb robot arm. Victorious, Dash joins back with the others. Twilight at this point has erected a magic shield and deflects the cannonballs as the team presses forward. Looking back at her friend’s work, Fluttershy watches in horror as the previously destroyed cannon arms reform themselves. Only this time, they looked much stronger and armed with two barrels instead of one. Soon, the arms begin to fill with a green glow, the sign of anti-magic. Applejack then lunges into Fluttershy’s side and shoves the two of them away as one of Perfected Korsan’s ice blades strike down at them. It barely hits Fluttershy and Applejack as they nearly escape the massive sword. Fluttershy returns her look at her friends and Korsan’s head, seeing that the rest of his body is now glowing. “Girls!” Fluttershy screams. “Korsan’s remade his cannons already and is now covered in anti-magic!” “How is that even possible?!” Pinkie Pie exclaims in question. Twilight instantly replies, “Perfected Korsan must be using his magic to reform the atoms in the air into metal and the ingredients of anti-magic, essentially creating anti-magic with magic!” “Is that a bad?” Maurice asks just before another sword smashes into Twilight’s shield, shattering it instantly. “A huge bad!” The same sword rises into the air. It slams in between Rarity and November, who quickly roll out of the way. As it pulls back up, Rarity and November leap onto the tip of the metal shell of the top of the sword. They run down the long length of the sword as more cannons activate and fire. The two mares leap. They duck. They teleport. They deflect with their weapons. They do everything in their power to avoid the almost random and chaotic firing barrage of cannonballs. Celestia’s airship then rises from behind the edge of the deck and fires at the cannons next to the two and the others below. Noticing this, Perfected Korsan starts to rapidly climb back up high into the raging sky and rebuild his cannons. The two mares on top of the long sword soon start to pull ahead of the others. However, a second sword slams into the one their one midway, grinding against the top and charging right at them. The almost burning ice of the blade shreds into the sleek metal below, creating showers of metal shards and daggers of ice. Quickly, Rarity and November jump onto the second blade and continue forward. A fiery haze starts the fall onto the living airship as it climbs higher and higher into the night storm. Halfway across the top of their new catwalk, Rarity and November see a white figure approaching them in the distance. The figure soon reveals itself to be Maria, reattached to the control of Perfect Korsan, and is now wielding five daggers at once. “Maria!” Rarity exclaims. “You can break from his control!” Maria chuckles, “Hahahahaha, she’s long gone now!” “November, don’t hurt her.” “I’ll try not to, much.” November nods. Rarity and November prepare their rapier and dagger and the three mares engage on the long sword. The sword slowly moves over the edge of the deck and leans downward, creating a steep slope for the ponies to fight on. However, the three ponies continue to fight on, fighting upwards against gravity and slowly making their way to the top of the arm. Twilight jumps over the edge after seeing this and flies down, in an attempt to help her friends. However, she is cut off as one of the robotic tentacles wraps themselves around Twilight and pulls her back up above the deck. Six other cannons circle the trapped mare and aim. Using her Earth pony strength, Twilight breaks out of the tentacle. The six surrounding cannons fire late, and accidently destroy each other. Twilight turns around towards the dragon head that houses Korsan’s controlling body and blows a raspberry at it. She proceeds to fly towards her goal once more. She suddenly stops however as a massive collection of giant cannonballs soars above her and smashes into the deck below, blasting almost half of the middle out. Twilight turns around to see that the seven mechanical arms have reformed into one massive super-cannon. It fires again at her. Twilight weaves between the clusters of projectiles twice her size, leaving them to blast their ship again. The airship splits in two due to this, but immediately reforms back stronger. After a good look at the new weapon, Twilight darts towards it, avoiding the incoming volleys. The cannon switches tactics midway and instead sprays Twilight with an endless stream of cannonballs. She drifts along the stream and reaches the cannon. It backs away and attempts to slam her. Twilight instead catches the cannon in her hooves. She then zips underneath the head and flies between the arms holding it up. They attempt to grab her and trap her, but she evades them. The arms accidently tie themselves up and causes the massive cannon to be fixated at the sky, firing aimlessly into the clouds. Twilight claps her hooves together in triumph before flying back down to support her friends on deck. As the ten ponies on deck are reach the middle, the crossbow cannon from Korsan’s chambers bursts from the floor and aims at the ponies, roaring in hunger of blood. “Hold still!” Twilight declares. Everypony listens and freezes on the spot. However, the cannon does the unexpected and starts firing at them. They all immediately run away and take cover behind larger chunks of debris, having their hair and ears nicked by the fury of metal bolts. “What?!” Slasher gasps in surprise and terror. As she pokes her head from around the corner, she sees the machine travel towards her by a long mechanical tentacle revealed behind it. “Korsan’s controlling it!” The machine then bolts around the corner and fires at Slasher. Remembering what Korsan did, Slasher quickly pulls out her war scythe from its metal scabbard on her back. She rapidly twirls the blade in front of her and deflects the metal bolts. Maurice, Cecil, Jarvis, and Nitin watch this from behind a nearby fallen mast piece in joy, whooping and roaring in zeal. However, they notice another one of these super-cannons emerging from behind Slasher. The stallions immediately gallop to her aid, pull out their weapons, and deflect the incoming metal bolts just before hitting her. While Maurice, Cecil, and Jarvis take care of the rear, Cecil turns around to help Slasher. “Thanks!” “No problem,” Nitin Gale groans as he wildly slings his blade around. Another crossbow cannon suddenly burst from behind the debris wall. “Oh come on!” Maurice and Nitin immediately leap in front of it and defend their team from its incoming fire. “Slash, are you okay?” “I’m fine!” A fourth cannon appears from behind, finishing the surrounding. “Aw come on!” Nitin groans as he turns around and deals with the fourth’s barrage of bolts. The other mares run to the five pirates, only for Nitin to decline their efforts. “Go on without us!” “No!” Fluttershy exclaims. “We got this, Pinkie’s friend.” Jarvis mutters with his weapon in his mouth. “Take care of Korsan!” Cecil declares. Nitin croaks. “Take care of my daughter!” Reluctantly, Twilight and the others agree and press on across the midpoint of the deck. Perfected Korsan sees the five remaining ponies still charging forward and roars in rage. All of the cannon arms from the gun deck concentrate their fire at them, not letting a millisecond go to waste a cannonballs now practically flow from the melting metal barrels. Nonetheless, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy press forward and dodge every projectile, every explosion, every lightning bolt, every pellet of debris, and even the crimson rain. The wood and steel deck turns into the crater of a volcano at this point, and is beginning to be destroyed faster than it is being repaired. A portion of the deck in front of the mares snaps and is pulled away from them, creating a tall wall. The surrounding cannons press them into a corner, unable to escape. However, just as all hope appears to be lost, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy scream out, “Whale!” Within a second, the whale from before breaches from the waters below and burrows through the port side of the bow. With the red smog in the sky, the rising beast appears to be on fire as it smashes into Perfected Korsan. The entire airship nearly breaks in two as the front half bends forward by the whale’s weight. But the airship doesn’t sink, and remains to rise higher into the sky. The armed tendrils of Perfected Korsan wrap themselves around the whale and trap it on deck, breached. “No!” Fluttershy and Pinkie scream. “We have to help him! Go on!” The two mares then bolt away and charge to assist their friend. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight nod for this motion, seeing their priorities can’t be changed at this point. The wall that Perfected Korsan erected has crumbled into rubble, and the three remaining mares climb over it and proceed onwards. “We’re almost there!” Applejack exclaims. “How many more tricks is Korsan going to pull on us?” Rainbow Dash asks, now tired and annoyed of Perfected Korsan’s hindrances. “He may be an alicorn,” Twilight remarks, “but he’s still a pony. His mind or magic will tire out.” “Incoming!” The mares look forward and see the five massive ice swords diving right at them. They quickly dodge to the left and right, just fitting between the blades as they slam down. Hollers in the distant ring out, a sign that Slasher and the stallions are also dealing with the blades from across the ship. The swords pull up and align themselves at the edge, horizontal to the deck. One of the swords from port slides across the deck towards them. Twilight and the others jump over the speeding sword. It pulls up and a sword from starboard swings in high. The mares duck accordingly. As the sword reaches the other side, all five of them slice towards the mares are varying level all at once. Twilight, Applejack, and Dash sneak through the small gaps between the razor sharp blades. The swords return from their natural stance and the mares quickly take this time to recover and wipe sweat from their faces. But their break lives for only a second as one of the swords violently rises high into the sky, preparing to pretty much slice this entire ship in two. “That’s it!” Applejack roars, throwing her hat, which surprising has not flown off of her head and has only sustained a few burns and scratches, down to the floor. “I’ve had enough of this.” Slowly, she makes her way to align perfectly with the strip of ice above. “What are you doing?!” Twilight shouts in concern. “Three words for ‘Perfected’ Korsan; Rules of Nature…” The four other blades activate and drop down. Applejack steadies her hooves and leaps as the first blade sweeps low. The massive arms then slice at Applejack from every direction at rampant speeds, reckless in destroying everything surrounding her. In the epicenter of the chaos is Applejack, dodging every attack and fragment of metal and ice hurled in her general direction. Twilight and Dash fly away from the massive swings while they watch their friend practically dancing with the swords. Chunks of the airship break off and reform underneath, but some sections fall beyond Perfected Korsan’s magical influence. The four blades instantly part. The raised sword then soars down, diving directly at Applejack. She quickly returns to her hooves and grabs the humongous sword by the sides of its blade. The floor below craters beneath the sheer mass and power of the sword, being held up by a pony only one third its height, causing several metal cables than run under the deck buckle and burst from the floor. Despite the icy burns of the blade, Applejack stays firm. Sparks erupt from her hooves as they lock onto the sword tighter and tighter. With one mighty heave, Applejack yanks the blade forward. The joints of the robotic arm screech in pain and begin to snap. The massive blade slowly pulls away from its controller and into the hold of Applejack, before finally snapping and launching high into the air and out of sight. Applejack then leaps from the crater and backs a fair distance away as the quarterdeck realigns its mass. The ice sword drops back down from the red clouds. The back part is grabbed by its new master, and now becomes her weapon. Rainbow Dash’s jaw drops to the floor, lost in words of what she is seeing, sputtering, “H-h-h-how-w are y-you-” “Dashy,” Twilight pokes at Dash’s shoulder. She turns to Twilight and sees that her horn is emitting a faint beam onto Applejack. “Oh.” “Go help her! This strength boost won’t help without some precision.” “Got it!” Rainbow Dash quickly darts to the middle of the sword’s back armour and tightly grasps to it. The three mares then raise the blade to the dragon head. It roars with great fury and reveals its four free swords. Perfected Korsan attacks first by swinging a sword to the right. The mares orient their sword around and swing back. Upon collision, a thunderous boom detonates from the ice blades and both recoil back. One of Korsan’s swords from the other side then swings at them. Applejack and Rainbow quickly shift their stance to set the sword and strikes back. Two swords from both sides then raise into the clouds and drop down. On the way, lightning strikes the blades and turns them into electrified metal prongs. The mares turn their sword horizontal and parry. The force of the below creates and even greater crater below Applejack. The two sides continue to clash their swords together, throwing all of their strength into each strike. More lightning strikes Perfected Korsan’s metallic structure, turning the robotic patches of his ship into deathtraps. The rain didn’t make it any easier, spreading the chance of electrocution, but also slowing down the ponies as they cling to their lives. Finally, the mares successfully dislocate one of Korsan’s swords and go in for the kill, swinging at the base of the dragon head upon the quarterdeck. The two blades at the other side of the incoming sword cut in and hold the heroes’ sword in a blade lock. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight throw all of their might into pushing forward. The last of Korsan’s available swords attempts to interject and jab at Applejack, but several unseen harpoons are launched into it and pull it back. From behind the quarterdeck rises one of the last remaining blimps besides Celestia’s zeppelin, revealing the source of the harpoons. In a desperate attempt to free himself, Perfected Korsan brings up the sword Rarity, November, and Maria are fighting on and slashes at the ship. With one offhoof blow, the sword cuts the blimp in two, causing the halves to explode and plummet back down. At the tip of the sword, Spike as well as Yin and Yu leap onto it and run towards the quarterdeck along the metal top. The stallions and Spike make their way across the whipping blade-top whilst avoiding the burning wreckage of their ship pouring on them. Two thirds of the way there, they see Rarity now facing off against Maria and also November, now attached to Korsan’s contraptions and cables. “Rarity!” Spike exclaims. “We got this.” Yin declares as he and Yu pull out their katanas and teleport to in between Rarity and Korsan’s proxies. “Yin?! Yu?!” Rarity yelps, jumping back in surprise. “How did you boys get here?!” “One of the airships were being evacuated by Princess Celestia’s troops, something about a leaked balloon or something, I don’t know-” Yin then interrupts just as he enters a blade lock against Maria, “The point is that we hijacked it and are now at your rescue.” “Hey Yu, how about asking her for a kiss? You deserve it for saving her life.” “What? No, you do it, you played an equal part.” “I got Slasher, it wouldn’t be right.” “Well what if Rarity has a special somepony?” “Touché… Hey, why are we fighting the cyborg versions of November and Maria on top of a giant sword in the middle of a hurricane again?” “Huh, wha-Oh. Korsan entered some super-form and has possessed these two I guess and now they’re evil.” “…Makes sense.” As the two brothers continue to face off against the mares, Rarity and Spike notice two small tentacles with devices attached to them slither across the sword towards them. The devises then open to reveal that they are two sets of armour similar to Maria’s and November’s. Rarity and Spike warn them, “Watch out!” But it’s too late as the armour attacks the stallions and attaches to them. They holler and scream. They struggle to escape before suddenly dropping to the floor dead silent in front of the four ponies. Soon though, the two get back onto their hooves. A look of optimism sprouts on the two heroes’ faces. However, they immediately turn to shock as the two turn around, showing themselves to have fallen under Perfected Korsan’s control, and have now turned their weapons to Rarity and Spike. “No…” The four crooked ponies cackle in maniacal laugher as they back their prey towards the end of the sword. The blade they stand on suddenly jerks upward and swings back over to the main deck. There, Rarity and Spike see their friends, still locked against Korsan. They leap down from the sword onto the deck. The four proxies follow suite and pursue their targets. The now free sword resumes its stance below the massive blade lock and prepares to stab Applejack. “Twilight!” Rainbow Dash hollers from above. “We need to do something fast!” “I know!” Twilight groans, focusing all of her energy into supporting Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “If only there was some way we can get Korsan to overwhelm himself.” In the corner of the eye, she sees Rarity and Spike approaching her, as well as the small army of Korsan’s. Twilight then remembers how Korsan controlled Maria before his transformation, by connecting her to his life functions. An idea immediately sparks, and she loudly commands, “Rarity! Strobe them!” Rarity instantly obeys, and a blinding light erupts from her horn. The light instantly blinds the incoming ponies. The dragon head roars in pain as well, and his swords immediately begin to twitch and weaken. “Applejack! Rainbow Dash! Let’s do this!” The two other mares nod and give one final push with their might sword. Korsan’s swords are near instantly shoved back and the two proceed to aim their weapon at the dragon head’s now exposed base. They launch their finishing blow. Their blade pierces into Perfected Korsan’s throat and is pushed all the way through the other side. He screams in agony and flails his dying appendages. However, despite his desperate efforts, his massive airship body shuts down, and his dragon head slowly slumps forward. His four proxies groan in pain before their connecting cables snap off. Yin, Yu, Maria, and November instantly snap back to normal. “Huh,” Yin stutters, regaining his balance and memories, “what happened?” “We did it!” Rainbow Dash cheers. Soon, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Maurice, Cecil, Jarvis, Nitin, and Slasher reach the other heroes and cheer with them over their victory. Yu speaks, “I just had the weirdest dream. We were all fighting Rarity on top of a giant metal plank in the sky…” “Well,” Spike replies, “that did happen. Korsan possessed you with those weird devices you have on.” “I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble,” Maria moans, rubbing her numb forehead. “What matters now…” Twilight triumphantly declares, walking in front of the dragon stiff head, looking out over the fifteen ponies in front of her. She announces to them all. “…Is that we did it! We have saved the world from Korsan. Though tiny we were compared to his power, his size, his tongue, his fear, his ship, his unpredictable nature-” Suddenly, the dragon head springs alive. It lunges forward and engulfs Twilight in one swift bite. The ponies shriek and watch in horror as Perfected Korsan returns to his active state, practically ignoring the massive blade that through his throat. “Twilight!” Spike exclaims. “What the-” Rarity gasps. “-it’s still alive!” Applejack screams. Perfected Korsan leans his airship body forward to a vertical angle and rapidly rises higher into the storing skies. The fifteen ponies on board tumble down the face of the deck until being caught in the stairway leading to the destroyed bow. Directly in front of Perfected Korsan is Celestia’s zeppelin, slowly approaching them far below. “Oh no!” They all shriek, as they hear the gigantic cannon just behind the deck in front of them charge up, soon followed by the sight of magical energy building up at the opening. All they can do is hold onto the crumbling wood mangle that is the deck, and watch the destruction of Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and anypony else who’s still on there. However, just before the cannon fires, the entire remainder of the bow suddenly explodes in a massive fireball of magic. The heroes are flung into the air as the watch the cannon become obliterated into hundreds of pieces of scrap metal. Out of the smoke emerges Twilight, slightly more beat up than before, but appears healthy. “Twilight!” Quickly, Twilight flies down to her friends now plummeting, but they all motion for her to go back. “Finish him off!” Rainbow roars. “We’ll be fine.” The others cheer, “Yeah, go!” “I will!” Twilight proudly declares. With a flick of her wings, Twilight flips around and flies back to Perfected Korsan. She lands onto the vertical deck edge and looks above at her target. At the other end is the dragon head and the sword still jammed in its neck. If I can just reach that sword, Twilight thinks to herself as she paws into her wood and metal floor, I can finish this once and for all. Perfected Korsan is moving too quickly for me to fly, so I’m just going to have to run it. The dragon head then opens its mouth as it charges a beam attack. Twilight gives a brief snort and prepares to charge. Crimson clouds, now practically rivers of electrified water, bathe her and the airship as the final seconds of their battle draw near. The ponies below eventually safety enter Celestia’s zeppelin and can only imagine what’s going on behind the clouds. Silence breaks between Twilight and Korsan, ready for the first move. Upon a lightning bolt striking the back of the dragon head, Twilight instantly springs forward and up the massive deck length. Cannons immediately fire off, including the super-cannon that has now freed itself. In seconds, the entire front half of Perfected Korsan turns into the magma pits of Tartarus, with Twilight running through the epicenter of the chaos. Using patches of free wall, hailing debris, and even the massive cannonballs themselves, Twilight frantically climbs upwards, higher and higher to her target. The dragon head then fires a massive energy beam of black, red, and cyan magic. Twilight barely darts away from the beam. She continues upwards alongside the five metre tall discharge, avoiding even more projectiles as she nears a third of the length to the quarterdeck. The five ice blades activate next and attempt to strike down Twilight amidst the heavy cannon fire. One by one, the swords violently slash and hack at the ship with their target barely avoiding them. Enormous chunks of the airship crumble and plummet down. Twilight realizes she’s losing galloping space, but is unable to think of a plan as everything suddenly is everywhere. Visions begin to flicker in her head, memories race through her mind’s eye, her thoughts even begin to turn against her. One of the massive ice swords gets the jump on her and slices in front of her. Twilight quickly grabs the burning ice shard and is pushed down. She immediately stamps her hind hooves into the floor. Both she and the blade grind to a stop before she shoves back. However, as hard as she tries, she is locked is a power struggle against the massive sword. The visions take a turn for the worst, as Twilight’s surroundings quickly fade into darkness. Figures from her worst nightmares emerge from the black fog and surround Twilight, including Nightmare Moon, Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and hundreds of monsters. Her hooves are now chained to metal cables stretch out ahead into the void. The villains draw in closer to Twilight as she panics and struggles in her binds. She attempts to buck the beings back, only to turn into smoky shadow versions of themselves on contact with burning red embers for eyes. The shadows then reform themselves into figures that look like Korsan. Upon kicking the last villain, Twilight watches in horror as the shadows turn into her friends, all in Korsan’s mechanical suit and being his scarred right eye, and being his equally monstrous grin. The Korsan hybrids pull out their cutlasses and point them at Twilight. Tears burst from Twilight’s tightly closed eyes. Her ears begin to bleed from the deafening roars of Korsan’s demonic laughter. Her hooves buckle and ache as they simultaneously burn and freeze in the metal chains and cables. However, amongst the chaos and terror surrounding her, Twilight feels something peculiar in her heart. Escaping the madness around her, she is astonished to find a feeling of, bliss, deep inside her. Tapping into this vein, the floor Twilight and the Korsan beings stand on instantly turn into a shallow body of ocean water. The Rainbow Dash and Korsan hybrid fades into a bright light before fading back as a normal version of Dash. She slowly walks up to Twilight’s side in the middle of the surrounding pirates and speaks to her friend as if they don’t even exist, “It’s so peaceful and quiet out here,” the small cyan mare speaks out, I love it.” As the cool water washes in between Twilight’s hind hooves, eliminating the pain from her binds. A surge of control pulsates inside Twilight as she feels her binds lightening. She looks around to see the hundreds of Korsan hybrids drop their weapons with the biggest look of fear on their faces. The hybrids slowly turn into simply clones of Korsan, now running away in panic. Twilight turns to look at Rainbow Dash, now with Applejack, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity, all looking back at her with confidence beaming from their faces. Twilight then faces at the chains in front of her, no longer afraid. With one mighty heave, the chains and cables shatter into millions of shards, and Twilight finds herself back on Perfected Korsan, shoving the massive ice sword up the vertical incline towards Korsan. The sounds of war return as well, but she doesn’t pay mind to it. With one final shove, the sword snaps and flings up to the quarterdeck. The dragon head catches it in its mouth and snaps the enormous blade in two before spitting out the halves and firing another beam at Twilight. She quickly dodges the now moving blast and makes her way across the middle of the deck and closing in on the top. In her path emerge the four crossbow-cannons from before. They instantly fire at her. She swiftly grabs a falling metal sheet with her magic and holds it in front of her, letting it absorb the hundreds of metal bolts fired. As hard as the force of the debris, the cannonballs, the massive swords, the metal bolts, the lightning, and rain pour down, Twilight pushes even harder against these obstacles and continues charging forward. The shards of the destroyed blade falls down from the quarterdeck and smashes into the cannons in front of Twilight, destroying three of them and taking the fourth one down with them. As the dragon head faces her and prepares another beam attack, Twilight launches her shield up to it. The shield hits the sword buried in the neck and causes it to slowly pull out and down the vertical deck. Twilight leaps in front of the incoming sword. She grabs it before locking herself back onto deck. Using gravity, she sings the sword around herself and swings it back at the quarterdeck. Explosions and fire erupt from the metal neck as the ice blade carves into the beast. Perfected Korsan screeches in pain. As the sword continues the cut, the screams soon turn into choking garbles. His airship body begins to collapse and crumble in on itself. Still holding on tight, Twilight finishes the cut and slices Perfected Korsan’s dragon head off. She leaps off of the ship and takes flight, looking back to see the metal head crash and roll down the deck. However, Twilight isn’t satisfied. If what she thinks is true, then Perfected Korsan isn’t dead until everything explodes in a massive fireball. Eventually though, the entire airship erupts in a series of massive colourful blasts that tear the entire ship to shreds, launching flaming debris in all directions. Within a minute of destruction and havoc, the entire airship dissipates into shrapnel and tumbles into the sea below, just missing the pirate ships below. The only thing that remains is the dragon head that houses Korsan’s original body. Twilight immediately knows what to do and swiftly soars down to Celestia’s zeppelin, where everypony inside is celebrating once more. “Girls,” Twilight strongly declares, “we’re not finished yet.” “Oh, no party now?” Pinkie asks at the back of the main deck. “Oh come on!” Sweetie Belle roars from beside Twilight. “How many phases does this stallion have?!” Rainbow Dash growls in front of the party. “This should be the last one. Korsan’s probably exhausted from his Perfected Korsan form, so he won’t be able to put up much of a fight.” “I’m in.” Applejack declares. “He’s going to pay for hurting our whale friend!” Fluttershy announces. “We can’t just let him cause more trouble now, can we?” Rarity replies. “I think I’ll stick back and watch,” Spike lazily speaks. “You guys got this.” “Should we come along?” November asks, referring to herself and her pirate friends. “No,” Twilight declines, “we don’t want anypony to get hurt.” Rainbow Dash boastingly adds, “And besides, it’s us versus one double-defeated pirate. How hard can it be?” “Very.” Pinkie Pie answers, poking her head out of the open aircraft doors behind Twilight. “What?” Twilight asks before turning around to see what Pinkie means. Her eyes instantly bulge open in shock at what she and the other mares soon see. Above the wreckage of Korsan’s airship is a giant floating platform of ice, a hovering arena with a competitor waiting in the center. “Fine, let’s end this. Celestia, take me, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, all down to that ice platform and pull out as quickly as possible.” In the middle of the floating arena of ice stands Korsan, silently staring up at the zeppelin slowly descending towards him. His mechanical suit has been rebuilt into a full set of mechanical armour. Its thick black metal plates reflect the red light from above onto the dark blue ice below. On his chest is a group of five anti-magic storage glasses similar to that of his old harness. On his back is a massive fifteen-metre long cape that’s black on the outside and red on the inside, flapping in the storm’s breeze. Poking from slits in the cape is a pair of massive robotic wings constructed of both magic and mechanical engineering, radiating an icy blue glow from its crystal flaps. His head remains revealed, letting his now incredible long mane flutter in the breeze and show his two eyes, burning with icy rage. As Celestia’s ship flies over Korsan, Twilight and her five friends leap out and land in front of Korsan at the edge of the platform. He first gives a cold look at the mares, studying the determination and ferocity in their stances. In half of a second, his face instantly breaks down into hysterical laughter, but only barely shuffling his massive body. Twilight and the others simply hold their stance and watch as their five-metre tall opponent break down in his maniacal temper. With a flick of his now gigantic claws, Korsan pulls out two massive cutlasses from his cape and extends them out in full light of the red night. Drenched in anti-magic, these highly detailed cutlasses are not only long, but incredibly thick. With another flick of his claws, the two swords snap and extend into two incredibly long whips with parts of the sword attached to the cable ropes. Silently, Twilight and her friends slowly step forward. A low growl rumbles from this final form of Korsan. The heroes respond by the pawing the ice floor. Korsan then speaks in his low roaring tone, “You will surely die… You all will…” “That maybe,” Twilight confidently replies, “but not today!” Fall of RegretThe mares immediately gallop forward on the ice and charge at Korsan. Korsan stands still as horn glows a dark red hue and prepares to cast a telekinetic spell. Twilight fires an anti-magic pulse. The blast sends Korsan back a few steps and is quickly attacked by the mares. The mares rapidly kick and punch Korsan, but he quickly collapses his whips into swords and deflects the attacks. Twilight zips away from her friends and magically draws a sword from thin air. She charges forward. Korsan sees this and performs a cartwheel over Twilight. The others are launched from Korsan’s body, but land back on the platform. With a flick of his claws, his right sword transforms into a whip. He flicks the long whip at Twilight, snagging her hind leg. He pulls her back towards him and prepares his other blade to stab. However, Twilight frees herself and slides under the diving sword. She then leaps onto Korsan’s back, using her sword in attempts to stab into the armour. Korsan’s wings spring to life and Korsan and Twilight are immediately rising hundreds of metres above the platform. Korsan then teleports a short ways away from Twilight before charging in for an attack. Twilight deflects the charge and the two alicorns begin dueling in the sky. As Korsan rapidly circles Twilight and clashing his blades against hers, he roars, “Long time it’s been, Twilight, my loathsome foe!” “Not as loathsome as you Korsan!” Twilight retorts, dodging a blade swing and smacking the back of his head with her back hoof in an aerial flip. Korsan drops a bit before retuning with an uppercut. Twilight barely dodges the metal fist as it shaves her chin. Twilight immediately backs away and fires a fires a magic beam at Korsan. He immediately raises a sword and absorbs the beam. “Twilight, I created myself for the sole purpose of destroying the inferior. But I could never seem to defeat a resistor on an equal plane as me! That's why I transformed my own body with my own magic! Feel the power of true alicorn magic, the magic that you deny!” “Enough with the speeches Korsan!” Twilight then darts behind the end of her beam attack and punches Korsan in the face before he can react. Korsan is flung back, but recovers quickly. As Twilight charges at him, he retaliates by firing his own beam attack at her, but even more powerful. Twilight attempts to counter with another beam. The two magic beams strike each other and Korsan’s instantly destroys Twilight’s. Before Twilight can react, she is hit by the red and black ray of destruction and is launched into the thick of the storm above. Korsan roars in triumph, but is instantly cut off by a massive ice blade smashing him in the face. He falls onto the ice platform and finds the five others wielding one of the massive swords of the airship wreckage below. The mares swing at the head once more, but Korsan drops his swords and catches the sword between his claws. He shoves the giant sword back. While Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie at the other side recollect themselves, Korsan summons a tsunami behind him and pulls out another ice blade from the waves. He swings his sword forward just as the mares swing back. The two massive blades smash at the middle with incredible force before being knocked back. Korsan quickly swings again. The mares parry the incoming blade and follow up with a side slice. Korsan parries the slice and strikes back, only to be met by another parry. The mares then immediately go for the hilt and strike Korsan’s blade out of his hooves and high into the air. They then slice the ice blade in two and its pieces plummet into the sea. As the mares go in for the kill, Korsan dodges the blade and leaps from the platform into the raging waters below before returning with one of the massive masts. He screams, “I am the ultimate overlord, Neo Korsan! I am a true alicorn!” He then chucks the mast at the mares. They instantly drop their sword and grab the mast. “Another title huh, Neo Korsan?” Rainbow Dash groans, straining to keep the mast from crushing her and her friends. Neo Korsan then charges forward, picks up his cutlasses, and slams into the mast, shattering it into the pieces. While the mares shield themselves from the wood chips, Korsan then proceeds to grab them with his magic and slam them into the icy floor. A collective scream echoes across the arena as Neo Korsan then raises the mares into the air by his all-powerful magic. “I am the lord of darkness, I require the solace of the shadows, and the dark of the night! Sunlight is my destroyer, exposes my fault! Tonight, the sun set forever, and there shall never be another dawn!” One of the pirate ships below fires a harpoon at him, but Neo Korsan grabs the anchor midair with his cape. With one mighty heave, the ship is thrown up in the air. Neo Korsan then proceeds to fling his whips at the midair vessel, which wrap around the ship. He yanks the whips and immediately slices the ship into three large parts. As the three parts fall into the sea below, Neo Korsan screeches in mad delight, “I am invincible!” A rapier then floats up to his chest and stabs into one of the anti-magic tanks. Neo Korsan screams in pain as he feels his almost bodily fluids flow from his chest. Now furious, he looks down to see Rarity on the ice, having freed herself. “All I wish is for you to sit, and let me soar!” “How about you let me soar?!” A mare’s voice replies from behind. As Neo Korsan turns around, he is met by a powerful electric kick to the jaw by Rainbow Dash. Korsan roars and head butts Rainbow Dash, sending her careening down onto the ice. He soon follows and lands in front of Rarity and Rainbow Dash. “I'll skewer you!” Neo Korsan darts forward at the two mares. As he slashes his blade at Rainbow Dash, Rarity blocks his cutlasses with her rapier. Neo Korsan slides across the rapier and swipes at Rarity. She ducks below the two cutlasses. She then rolls around to Neo Korsan’s backside and attempts to stab between his armour plates, but her stab is cut off by Neo Korsan. He then turns around for a forward stab and side swipe. Rarity deflects the jab then parries the swipe. Rainbow Dash hops into the fray and trips Neo Korsan. He takes flight however and rapidly circles the arena, creating a spiraling blizzard on the arena. Rarity and Rainbow stand back to back as red magic bolts soon spray from the snowy fog at all angles. Rarity uses her rapier and magic shields tom deflect the oncoming shots. Rainbow Dash picks up Rarity and helps her dodge speedier bolts. “We need to destroy those anti-magic containers on his chest,” Rarity declares to her partner. “I might be able to free the others if we do so.” “Got it!” Dash nods. “Fear my superior power!” Neo Korsan’s voice announces in the midst of the blizzard. Using quick judgement, Rainbow Dash chucks Rarity towards the source of the voice. Rarity uses the momentum to quickly gallop across the ice and stabs Neo Korsan at the edge of the arena, right in another anti-magic unit. Neo Korsan screams and dives down into the sea. A massive tsunami then forms at the edge of the arena and washes over. Rarity and Rainbow Dash try to run away from the wave, but find themselves trapped at the other edge while the wave charges forward with no sign of stopping. However, a pink figure drops in from above and lands in front of the two mares, armed with what appears to by a large stick. The figure points the stick forward just as the wave is about it hit. The stick suddenly transforms into a massive pink umbrella, and the tsunami passes around the umbrella, shielding the three as the waves die down. Rarity and Dash soon realize it’s Pinkie Pie, and cheer in triumph. “Moral of the story; don’t leave home without an umbrella.” Pinkie announces as she folds the umbrella and stuffs it back into her mane. Neo Korsan burst from the sea and gallops at the three mares. The three notice Rarity’s rapier still inside his harness. Just as Neo Korsan is about to slash into the three, Pinkie Pie pulls out a small cannon from behind her and fires it into his face. Rarity then grabs the rapier with her magic. Rainbow Dash flies around and bucks Neo Korsan back forward, in which Rarity stabs into a third container. Neo Korsan frantically grabs Rainbow Dash and slams her into Rarity. He quickly backs away to the center of the arena and roars, “I’ll crush you!” Pulling out the rapier in his harness, he snaps the blade in two with a flick of his horn. His horn then brightly glows and a second massive ice arena forms right above the first one. It is then flipped upside down as Neo Korsan backs out, leaving the three mares on the platform as the second arena falls on top of them. The upside down arena stops it’s decent however. In the center of the two arenas is Applejack, holding the second up half a metre up in the air. Neo Korsan sees this and flies up to the top of the second arena. He kicks into it, but it stays firm. He kicks it again and again in a rampant fury of bucks, but the platform stays firm. It suddenly shatters however, as the other mares gather at the center to help their friend. Neo Korsan attempts to create another ice arena, but is attacked by several ice shards being thrown up at him by the mares. Neo Korsan uses his blades and magic to deflect the bombardment of ice. However, one of the sharp projectiles slips past. It stabs him in one of the final two remaining anti-magic tanks. Fluttershy is soon released from her entrapment and falls onto Neo Korsan, accidently kicking him multiple times in an attempt to escape the tangle. She eventually flees and joins with her friends below. As Neo Korsan views the mares below preparing for the next attack by their rival, a furious rage, more powerful than any magical attack, builds inside of him. At the brink of snapping into complete lunacy, his thoughts race through his head, deconstructing, twisting, and melting into mental rambles of madness. His vision becomes clouded in scarred eyes, gears, blood, pegasi feathers, ice, and in the center of this chaos is himself as a foal, laughing hysterically surrounded by the dead ponies of everypony he has ever slaughtered. He tries to remove these hallucinations from his head, firing magic wildly in every direction. The visions stay adamant, driving him beyond even madness. He finally snaps. Neo Korsan screams with laughter and dives down to the center of the arena. The mares back away as his swords turn into whips. Neo Korsan than proceeds to wildly spin around in circles, swinging his bladed whips around the arena in a vortex. The mares leap over and dive beneath the spiraling whips. They barely avoid the sharp barbs that slice off portions of their hair. As he spins faster and faster, Neo Korsan rambles, “Yes! Kill! Die! Everything will die! Destroy more of my sanity! Make more monsters! No stopping! Hahahahaha!” Rainbow Dash attempts to fly up and away from the whips, but Neo Korsan sees this and snags her by the leg. Dash squeaks and is quickly latched onto by Neo Korsan’s cape as well. She is quickly dragged into his open hind hoof, which grabs her by the neck and holds her up to Neo Korsan’s face. Terror takes hold of her as Dash looks into Neo Korsan’s ballistic eyes. The other mares try to reach her, but can’t sneak past the spiraling whips. Neo Korsan cackles as he tightens his grip on Dash’s neck, hearing her chokes and gags barely escape her collapsing lungs. Joy pumps throughout his body as he exercises his mighty power on such an inferior creature. Just before Neo Korsan can finish her off however, a powerful force instantly strikes the back of his head. He loses his hold on his prey and drops Dash. He falls off of the arena along with his whips. Rainbow Dash collapses on the floor and gags for several seconds. She then looks up to see Twilight Sparkle watching over her, panting as if she had just run a marathon. “Thanks Twilight!” Dash cheers before coughing. “No problem.” Twilight replies. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie join the two at the center of the arena. “Twilight!” Rarity exclaims. “Neo Korsan’s only got one more anti-magic container left on him.” “If we destroy that last one, he’ll be open to a magic attack that’ll finish him off.” The arena soon begins to violently shake, as the support column beneath begins to crumble. The mares look below to see Neo Korsan’s behind this. They brace themselves as the platform separates from the sea and is lifted into the storm by Neo Korsan. Deep inside the storm, Neo Korsan chucks the arena up and flies over the mares, declaring, “Time to end this!” His horn glows black as a dark sphere forms around the entire arena. The heroes look around to see Neo Korsan’s not inside with them. A bolt of magic suddenly bursts from the wall of darkness. Twilight projects a shield and deflects the magic projectile. Soon, hundreds of red lights dot the sphere of the arena and begin to fire and endless barrage of magic bolts. The mares spring into action. They rapidly dodge and deflect the endless volley. Twilight and Rarity deflect with their magic. Rainbow Dash deflects with her accumulated lightning. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy use pieces of ice to deflect. The six mares turn into a glowing blur as they become untouchable to the magic projectiles. The ice arena and surrounding sphere of darkness lose rising momentum and begins to plummet back down to the sea, but this doesn’t hinder the mares. Neo Korsan rapidly circles the sphere, firing as many magic bolts as he can. Yet Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy remain strong together. The magic they deflect starts to pierce the dark sphere and shred it apart. Neo Korsan sees this and is in both absolute shock and total ecstasy. “They’re demons!” He madly exclaims to himself. “No pony could do this even with all the magic in the world! Just die!” Neo Korsan dives back down to his wreckage and drops his two whips into the water. He then uses each of his four hooves to grab four massive ice blades. Straining himself to the limit, he rises back up to face the heroes with the swords in tow. He performs a forward strike with all four of the swords at once. The mares roll between the blades. Neo Korsan then raises his swords and performs a horizontal slice. Applejack, Dash, and Pinkie grab the lowest incoming sword and slow it down for the others to sneak through the growing gap in the wall. Neo Korsan aims his horn at the three mares and fires a powerful beam. The three quickly climb over the sword and barely skim the edge of the ray. Neo Korsan resets his stance as the mares group together once more. He then holds two blades at each end of the arena and slides them together like a massive jackknife. The mares attempt to hold push back the compact blades. They are instead shoved to the middle of the arena with both sides crushing in on their hooves. The strength of all six mares combined is no match for Neo Korsan’s. Slowly, the jagged ice edges draw in closer and closer to the ponies as their muscle-power melts. Neo Korsan aims his horn down at them once. But as he is about to fire, a fifth ice blade drops down from the heavens right in front of him. His horn fires, and the beam is deflected from the anti-magic steel that covers the top of the sword and fires back at him. Neo Korsan instinctively backs away and dives below the wild spurt of magic. The freed mares look up to see Celestia’s zeppelin holding the sword by anchors and tethers below. “I believe in you Twilight!” Spike calls out from the above airship. “We all do!” The sword is then released from the airship and lands on the six heroes below, who quickly grab it and set it to an ideal stance. Neo Korsan floats back up and slashes at the mares with a fury of massive strikes and jabs. Quickly maneuvering their own sword, the mares block off the barrage of attacks. They strike at an opening. Neo Korsan darts above the sword. He then blitzes forward and continues to attack. The mares quickly twist their sword around, throwing Neo Korsan off of their sword. He shields himself as the mares then strike at him. The single blade smashes against the four others and a blade lock ensues. Neo Korsan instantly gains the upper hoof and pushes the mares’ sword back. However, unexpected by Korsan, the mares suddenly pull their blade away, causing him to accidently fall forwards in the air. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, then flip their sword in a complete circle, slicing through the arena, and stabbing Neo Korsan’s revealed chest one last time. The massive blade disintegrates the final anti-magic tank and Neo Korsan immediately begins to fall from the sky. The mares leap off the crumbling platform and give chase to the falling alicorn. Neo Korsan sees this and drop his massive sabers and prepares to fight back. The two sides then leap from falling debris and begin their final assault. They exchange punches and blocks as they leap from platform to platform. Despite Neo Korsan’s furious speed and power, the mares counter with equal power and combined speed. Magic bolts and beams of all colours pierce the skies. The rain and red fog bends to the will of the flying ponies. Shrapnel from battle is hit by lightning and explodes all around the fighters. Gravity now becomes practically meaningless. Fury, fear, determination, and the lust of victory consume the seven ponies as they smack into each other all the way back down to the sea. Eventually, Neo Korsan loses track of the speeding mares. He is immediately overcome by the fighting might of the mares. One after another, Twilight and the other heroes perform their ultimate combos and bash Neo Korsan from one side of the debris field to the other. Ice, metal, wood, magic, wind, rain, lightning, and everything else is thrown at Neo Korsan in one grand finishing sequence while the all-powerful alicorn can do nothing about it. The ocean below draws near quickly, and the mares decide to end this assault. Locking together, the heroes rise slightly above Neo Korsan. He watches in terror as they then instantly charge down and deliver an earth-crushing combined kick into his exposed chest. The surrounding air collapses and explodes in a sonic boom as Neo Korsan is catapulted down into the ocean at breakneck speeds. But Neo Korsan suddenly regains himself midway. He lands on top of the water and a small ice platform forms on the water beneath him. The surrounding waters burst from the force and hurdle the surrounding pirate ships several hundred metres away. He then aims his horn at the incoming mares. It glows brighter than any of his previous attacks, a sign that this is his final resort. The air screams in agony as Korsan’s horn turns into what almost appears to be a cannon of darkness. Twilight and the others prepare themselves as the blinding light and darkness combined flares into their eyes. Fully charged, Neo Korsan roars, “Die!” At that moment, an enormous magic beam of death and destruction blasts from his horn. The air distorts and shatters as the beam disintegrates everything in its path, including light and gravity. As Neo Korsan’s beam races towards her and her friends, Twilight quickly charges up and fires a magic beam of her own. In a second, the two rays of magic, energy, and plasma collide into each other, setting off a sonic boom. The two magic beams push against each other with each of their masters’ might, swaying up and down in the sky and vaporizing the red night sky. Neo Korsan’s super massive black beam soon begins to overpower Twilight’s small purple beam and soon begins to squish it back towards Twilight. Neo Korsan’s beam accelerates faster and faster with each passing second. As the beam draws within tens of metres of Twilight and the others, Rarity decides to take action, despite how little power she has. Still clutching tightly to Twilight, Rarity fires her own magic beam into Twilight’s turning it into a spiraling tunnel of purple and light blue light. Neo Korsan’s beam stops accelerating, but still charges forward. Rainbow Dash joins as well, building up electricity in the surrounding air and charging it through Twilight and Rarity. Twilight’s beam grows larger and soon sports electric sparks crackling throughout. The opposing beam soon slows its approaching pace. Fluttershy quickly wraps herself around her friends and holds them tightly together. This tightened bond and stability further strengthens their beam. Pinkie Pie pulls out her large umbrella and holds it open above the group. Lighting madly attacks the metal tip of the pole and further builds onto Twilight’s beam. Soon, Twilight’s beam turns into a massive ray of purple, light blue, dark cyan, pink, and yellow cyclone of magic and electricity that rivals Neo Korsan’s. The two beams come to a complete stop, but Neo Korsan doesn’t take this lightly. Howling in rage, Neo Korsan holds his front claws to the beam and summons lightning into his metallic suit and into his beam. His beam of darkness slowly expands and starts to close in on Twilight’s group. The collision of the two beams draws in only three metres in front of Twilight’s face, and the gap that is Twilight’s beam is growing thinner and thinner, despite its massive power. Applejack looks over this seemingly unavoidable fate, coming to the conclusion that there is nothing she can do to help. She didn’t have Twilight’s and Rarity’s unicorn magic. She didn’t have the pegasi power of the storms like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. She didn’t even Pinkie Pie’s abnormal abilities, and she is also an Earth pony. Despite what she said before, Applejack’s mind rapidly begins to ponder about the truth of Korsan’s words. Strength was practically useless against the untouchable power of gods in comparison. Slowly, Applejack closes her eyes, and waits for the inevitable. However, at second glance, Applejack soon comes to a sudden realization. I may not have the super-physical or magical abilities of my friends, she thinks to herself. But I have been one of the strongest members of our friendship, we all are actually. Pinkie Pie’s laughter has helped us through dark times of sadness. Fluttershy’s kindness has helped us remain humble, and help everypony we can. Rainbow Dash’s loyalty to our friendship almost never fails, and has helped us stay together. Rarity’s generosity and mercy has helped us make more friends which have helped us in the long run, way before she was kidnapped. My honesty has helped us keep true to our word and keep our friendship strong. Not only do we trust each other, but believe each other with the strongest of fate. All combined with Twilight’s magic of friendship, our friendship, we are unstoppable. You hear that Neo Korsan?! We will never lose to you! Never in a million years! We are equals, friends, family, all to the end of time! Now bursting with a sense of determination and hope, Applejack climbs down to Twilight’s side, and holds her hooves up to the beam. With all of her strength and might, she is able to concentrate the beam and feels as if it her very essence going into it. Her hooves firmly press onto the beam, and holds it and Twilight as firm as possible. In a flash of light, the beam instantly doubles in size and emits a golden aura. The beam shatters Neo Korsan’s ray and charges straight down at him. He falls back from the destruction of his final attack and watches in horror as the golden ray of light asylums his vision. “Noooooooooo!” Neo Korsan’s scream instantly dies as his body vanishes in the golden beam. The surrounding water bursts upwards as the beam plummets down into the bottom. Ship fragments and ice fly everywhere, even as high as the sky, yet not a single piece hits the six gathered mares floating at the top of the column of light. Twilight and the others continue to fire the beam for a solid minute, extinguishing any trace of Korsan. Eventually though, the beam dies down on its own as the mares become exhausted from the fight. The sea below silently returns to normal, revealing not a hint of the pirate captain’s presence other than the surrounding debris. The natural waves and winds flow across the area once more. The skies clear from its red haze to reveal the black sky and white stars above. Korsan has been defeated. As the mares return to the effects of gravity, and slowly begin to descend to the planet surface, the zeppelin flies over to them. Several ponies inside quickly get to work and pick up the six heroes and set them inside on disposable medical beds. While Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie fall asleep on the air-filled mattresses, Twilight and Rarity turn their sore heads to the open doorway to look over the remains of Korsan’s work. As the airship flies over the wreckage, wood and metal parts bubble up to the surface. The head of Perfected Korsan bobs up to the surface in four pieces. Korsan’s original and new cutlasses wash onto a thin sheet of ice. His old, ragged cape is plucked from the water by the wind and flutters off into the horizon. The only thing recognizable to them that is in one piece is a single black sail floating in the water, with a red gear symbol woven in the center. A sense of victory silently triumphs inside Twilight as she sees that the world is safe once more. The same grand feeling also flourishes inside Rarity, but also, much deeper inside her, a sense of pity can be felt. Rarity remembers how Korsan was simply an innocent foal like herself, Twilight, their friends, and everypony else. She remembers how a string of bad luck had turned such a foal into this insane, bloodthirsty monster. As much as she, Twilight, and everypony else wish it was possible, the sad truth was undeniable, Korsan would never be redeemable from the clutches of madness and evil. The zeppelin finishes its cruise over the wreckage and slowly flies back to Equestria. The other remaining boats follow the zeppelin, leaving The Perfection and its captain to peacefully sink to the bottom of the sea alone. An hour later, after everypony has exited the scene by the horizon, one of the ice blades slowly floats up and surfaces. There, impaled by the tip of the blade, is the body Korsan. His armour is completely destroyed, his mane is in a frizzled mess, and his flesh and fur are extremely burnt, still sizzling from the mares’ final attack. The burning body remains slumped over the sword inside his chest, its eyes remained closed. Suddenly, Korsan’s right eye springs open. His breath gasps and his body jolts to life. Korsan instantly begins to sputter and choke. Water mixed with a small bit of his own blood spews from his mouth. A metallic taste and smell reeks throughout his body. With bare hooves dig themselves into the ice blade and push. In his desperate grasping for life, he pulls himself out of the blade, only to quickly climb back onto it. He lays himself onto the metal cover and continues to gag for several minutes, though it feels like an hour at least. In time, he is able to actually breathe the salty night air around him. Despite it being filled with the fumes of his burning ship, Korsan finds it heavenly. He attempts to climb onto his hooves, but his back suddenly shrieks in pain, and his large body instantly collapses back onto the metal floor. Groaning, Korsan slowly turns his head to look at his backside. It is a wreck, with his back at a razor sharp angle with a large metal rod going through the part of the severed spine and even more metal debris and scraps piercing through his mangled wings. He then opens his other eyelid and places his hoof over the eye, but quickly pulls out upon feeling nothing but a whole. Unable to scream, Korsan sputters and gasps some more. He feels for his horn next, and feels a massive gash running through the front of it, all the way from the base to the tip. His back was gone, his wings are gone, his good eye is gone, his horn is gone, his magic is gone, his power is gone, his sanity is gone, his ship is gone, his riches are gone, his mare is gone, his crew is gone, Juliana is gone, his career is gone, his legacy and infamy is gone, everything that Korsan has ever valued is gone. As Korsan stares off into the horizon, he subconsciously laughs to himself, “Hah. Hahaha… Hahahahaha...” His mind recalls the previous events the lead to his downfall, and among all of those memories, is Twilight Sparkle, staring at him. “It’s surprising what you live through... Isn’t it Princess Twilight Sparkle? Perhaps I had just enough anti-magic mixed in my blood to survive that final blow you gave to me… Haha...” Slowly, Korsan starts to drag himself across the sword and onto a large piece of quarterdeck still remaining. He pants on, “You sure did a number on me though... I can’t deny that… Ya demon you… But don’t worry Twilight… I’ll be back… These wounds, they are only temporary… I can fix myself… No… I will fix myself… And when I do, oh when I do… What I’ll do you may ask?” “…” The night breeze gently whispers back in response. “What I’m gonna do…” Korsan chuckles, still exhaling water from his lungs and insides, “I’m gonna destroy you… But not in the way you think of it Twilight… That would be mercy… No… I’m gonna destroy you as you’ve destroyed me… I’m gonna take away everything you’ve ever valued… Your friends, your family, your kingdom, your world, it’s all gonna suffer and die… Right before your very eyes as well! You’re gonna weep… You’re gonna weep even when you no longer have any water in ya… And before you die, I’m gonna pump more water into ya! You’re never gonna die until I see that everything you know turns extinct… No… Not extinct, non-existent!” The wooden floor below his destroyed body groans and screams. “You hear me Twilight!” Korsan screams, climbing onto his hooves. Despite the incalculable pain now searing through his body, the brown alicorn continue to rise. “This is only the beginning! Vengeance will be mine! For as long as I live, this will never, ever, ever, end!-” The floor suddenly collapses from Korsan’s weight. His body instantly falls through to the floor below and lands in a shallow pool of water. Korsan roars in pain and slowly tries to regain himself. However, as he is getting up, his eye looks forward to see a horrific sight. A crossbow cannon is right in front of him, tracking him. The machine springs to life as its gears rapidly rotate. It roars and bolts immediately start to pour from the barrels. Returning HomeAfter a few weeks traveling across the seas in the zeppelin, Equestria’s coastline soon comes into view. The ponies on board quickly turn excited and are now anxiously waiting to set hoof on land after all of this time in the air. “Land ho!” Cecil declares, poking his head out from one of the windows. “Thank goodness,” Jarvis exclaims from the adjacent window. “I’m going to get sick at any second now, get me off!” Maurice groans from the back of the blimp. As Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, and Rainbow Dash look over the incoming harbour, a warm sense of relief is felt thorough them. “We did it.” Twilight sighs. “Our adventure is over.” “Yep.” Spike replies. “I can’t wait to get home and finish ’Daring Do and the Lost Kingdoms of Trihearth’.” Rainbow Dash then chirps in, “Oh yeah! That book was awesome! Who would’ve guessed that Daring Do’s mother is a member of the Four Knights’ Counsel?!” The purple alicorn silently slides a hoof to her face in frustration. “Oh, sorry Twilight…” “No… hard… feelings…” Twilight mumbles below her hoof. “What’s that?” Spike asks. “Well…” Dash replies, thinking of the simplest way to explain to a non-fan. “The Four Knights’ Counsel is a group of ponies that seek out the Items of Death that belonged to the Tetrad after defeating Lord Muerte in his Draco Incarnation form.” “…” “Yeah, it’s fairly complex, but I think I summed it up pretty well.” Twilight then retorts, “What about the Philosopher’s Legend? That’s important to the Four Knight’s Counsel.” “Not after Wolf took the Philosopher’s Legend.” “It’s being used as black money to fund the creation of Iron Lock Beam.” “Oh please, that isn’t canon. Even A.K. Yearly said it was just speculation.” “How else do you explain the fourth clone?” “There are multiple theories to it.” “Look, ‘Daring Do’s Resentence’ might not be the most well-received book, but it is canon!” As Dash and Twilight continue to argue, Spike turns to Applejack, who silently shakes her head to him, a sign not to get involve. Rarity attempts to move to another part of the ship and away from her friends, but accidently bumps into Slasher behind her. “Oh!” Rarity exclaims as she turns to face her. “My apologies Slasher, I didn’t see you.” “It’s fine.” Slasher humbly replies. “This place isn’t all that big compared to The Perfection. “Quite right, quite right. Are you going to be alright, without The Perfection and Korsan?” “Yeah. November and Nitin are thinking of hiring me along with a few other crew members, give us a change from criminal life to business.” “What about prison?” “I’ve heard that Equestria has some nice prisons, at least better than Ti. With some of my friends with me as well, it can’t be too bad to spend a few months there.” “Well, good luck to you.” “What about you Rarity?” “What?” “Are you going to be fine, even after Korsan?” “…” “Yin and Yu told me about it. They said that it looked like you two were… you know…” “I’ll be okay. Korsan was a, a conflicted pony. I just thought I could bring out his better side.” “Were you actually in love with him?” “I… don’t know. Speaking of love, how are you and Yu doing?” “Wait, what?” “Oh, heh, Yu Shou. How are he and you doing?” “We’re doing fine. There’s always been something going on between us I guess. I hope when we get to the slammer that Yu and I get the same cell.” “I?!-No, Shou!” The two mares instantly giggle at Rarity’s blunder. Behind them, Twilight and Rainbow’s argument grows slightly louder, now with Ryan Aran and November Gale joining in. “What’s going on over there?” “Just some silly debate over Daring Do, lore and whatnot,” “I see…” Slasher then screams out into the crowd. “Side note; Duo shot first!” Instantly, the gathering at the window explodes with arguing voices. The small brown mare snickers to herself as the yelling echoes in her ears. “Hehehe, it’s true though Rarity. He did.” “I’ll keep note of that.” Rarity replies. “See you when we land.” “Okay.” Rarity then proceeds to make her way to the front. Along the way, Yin and Yu walk up to her and trot by her side. “Hello Ms. Rarity,” the two brothers greet her. “Hello.” The white mare replies. “Is Twilight getter better?” The stallion to her right asks. “A little scarred up, but Twilight’s fine.” “Have we told you yet about how awesome you and your friends were when fighting Korsan?” The left one asks. “Yes, two times before.” Rarity answers. “Oh.” “But it’s fine. I’m still pumped from the fight as well.” “Aren’t we all? This should be worth of celebration.” The other brother proclaims. “Quite right Yin.” Rarity replies. “Wait,” the left brother stampers. “You figured out which one of us is which? How?” “I have a hunch that you don’t usually use bigger words like ‘celebration’.” “I hope that wasn’t an insult.” “Oh course not dummy,” Yin jokes. “That’s my job.” “Oh ha-ha, I hope we get cells at different ends of the prison.” “Not as much as I do. Do you know how loud your snoring was to the cabins right next to yours back on The Perfection?” “Not as loud as whatever you were doing in the toilets.” “Wait what?! I thought those things were sound-proof.” “It’s wood. I’m pretty sure loud clopping can get through it.” Uncomfortable about where this conversation is going, Rarity attempts to stoically say goodbye to the brothers. “Alright, he-he, I best be going now.” “See ya.” Yin and Yu reply before promptly returning to their own business. Rarity gallops ahead into one of the more lavish areas of the large zeppelin while Yin and Yu turn around and head back. Inside a parlour room, she finds Sweetie Belle, tightly hugging onto Butch Taylor’s leg while Princess Cadence quietly watches. Noticing Rarity’s arrival, the alicorn princess holds hoof up to her lips. Rarity nods and keeps quiet and watches. “Please,” Sweetie Belle sobs into the dark blue fur before her, “I don’t want you to go to prison. I don’t want you or any of our friends to do.” “Look little one,” Butch calmly whispers. “I did a lot of bad things during these past years as a pirate. We all did.” “But you’re good now. You helped us.” “I know we did, but…” “But what?” “…Not everypony is going to be happy if we were just let loose. It’s very complex.” “I won’t be happy if you go to prison.” “I know. Look at it this way; we good guys are only going to be gone for a couple of months. And then, it’s back to normal for everypony, like hibernation.” “All the way back to ‘normal’?” Cadence bursts in. “Well, save for the, crime and stuff, mostly.” “…” “What?” “Well,” Sweetie sniffles. “I guess I understand. I am still going to miss you, and all of our other pirate friends.” “I’ll miss you as well. One more hug alright, your sister’s waiting for ya.” “No, no,” Rarity replies. “No rush at all.” “See you later Butch.” Sweetie Belle replies. A magic aura surrounds the filly and slowly lifts her up to the large stallion’s chest where the two then give each other a final hug. She is then set back down and quickly turns to Rarity. “Heh,” Butch happily growls. “I’d like to see some of the younger ponies deal with what I’ve been through.” “I’m pretty sure it would’ve taken them a fair while.” Cadence replies. “Quite.” “Geez Louise,” Applejack mutters between herself and Applebloom. “That was too much to handle. All of that talk about Iron Locks and stuff. It really tires out your head.” “You said it ‘sis.” Applebloom replies. As the two Earth ponies tour around the zeppelin, Maria approaches them from the other direction, holding something in her mouth. Her red eyes stayed glued to the floor as the three mares stop before each other. “Howdy there. You’re…” “Maria.” She mumbles. “Maria!” Applejack exclaims. “That’s right. What’s that you have in your mouth?” Slowly, Maria lowers her head to the floor and cleanly spits out the object. “It’s one of Korsan’s anti-magic straps. The guards got it off of Chopin, the mime.” “Oh. What are you doing with it?” “I’m giving it to you. Well, more specifically, your sister.” Gently, Maria grabs the strap with her hooves and firmly wraps it around Applebloom’s right leg as if it were a bracelet. The two sisters examine the small device now on the younger sister. “You wanted to protect your family right? Here you go. If you want to disable it and take it off, just get a small needle and poke it into the lock in the middle.” “T-thanks.” Applejack stutters, unsure on how to react to something like this. Her gaze turns to face Maria once more, who has returned to her solemn staring of the carpet floor. “Hey, what’s eatin’ you hun?” “…I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I’ve done to your friends and your kinds. I was at Korsan’s side, I let him force me to hurt Earth ponies and pegasi. I didn’t think twice when he told me what to do for no good reason. I don’t know how I’ll ever be forgiven for the way I treated you and your friends.” Maria’s voice breaks down before eventually turning into sobs. “I’m so sorry! I have no excuse for it! I was too cowardly to do anything, I was too gutless to stand for what is right, risking what can only amount to a beating in exchange of another’s life! I-” “Hey, hey, hey,” Applejack shushes. “Don’t beat yourself up like that. You’re not the only one. Even I joined Korsan. I was so scared of my family getting hurt, I forgot about the lives of others. At least you stepped up to Korsan with that Faction-thing.” “But-b-but-” “Maria, I forgive you.” “Really?” “Yeah. And besides, your life ain’t over yet. After a few months’ time, you’ll be back on your hooves, and can start your life anew.” “True… Thanks.” “No problem ma’am.” The two mares give each other a small hug, embracing each other of their woes. In the corner of Applejack’s eye, she can see Applebloom fiddling with her new bracelet. “Actually, can I get a small needle off of ya?” “Huh? S-sure…” Maria and Applejack part from each other and Maria pulls out her skinniest dagger from her saddle. Applejack grabs the knife and carefully jams it into the anti-magic strap. The strap immediately snaps and falls to the floor, where it is picked up by Applejack with her mouth. “What are you doing?” Applejack mumbles in response, “You know, after some thinking over these past few weeks, I realize that I don’t need this thing. With my friends and determination, I can protect my family just fine. I’ll just give this to the princesses. They can study it and whatnot.” “Okay.” With the anti-magic strap now secure in her mouth, Applejack turns around to head for the cockpit, only to have Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and a bunch of other ponies cut her off. “Uhh… Can I help you?” “Applejack.” The two leading mares ask at once. “Were the Federalists in cahoots with Renegade during the Shadow Noah Incident?” “…” As the zeppelin lands in the harbour of Vanhoover, everypony on board picks up their belongings and prepare to exit. The doors to the outside open, and sunlight immediately pours into the landed aircraft. Ponies, guards, and pirates all flood out onto the stone ground of the harbour. Maurice bends over and kisses the ground. However, the sudden urgings in his stomach cause him to instantly run out towards the ocean shore. As Twilight and the others step out of the vessel as well, they are immediately greeted by their friends and family from Ponyville. All except for Applejack though, as she instead walks over to Celestia and Luna on the outskirts of the mob. Applejack draws herself next to Celestia and gracefully calls out to her. “Princess Celestia.” The larger alicorn princess, along with her sister, both look over to see Applejack, holding the anti-magic strap in her hoof. Although she tries to look proper, the switch from four hooves to three causes her to clumsily walk along. “Yes Applejack?” Celestia asks. “This is one of Korsan’s anti-magic straps. I was hoping you can take it and study it or whatever you do.” “Oh yes,” Luna replies before turning to Celestia. “I remember that. Remember when Korsan came to the gala and attached one of those things to my horn?” “I do.” Celestia answers. “Thank you Applejack, this will serve us very well in research.” Celestia then proceeds to use her magic to pick up the black strap, only for it to stay put. “Oh, right, anti-magic.” Instead, the alicorn holds open her wing, in which Applejack places the strap on it. Celestia then folds her wing in and secures the object. “Right then, to Canterlot.” “Wait,” Applejack speaks. “What is it?” “You know what Korsan was sayin’ about pegasi and Earth ponies right?” “Yes…” “Well, don’t let it get too deep alright.” “Sure.” “Even though ya might not have the happiest of beginnings, or born with what you want, or anything like that, you’re still you. You can still do great things, everypony can. Ain’t that right?” “Correct. You have made many friends and have done so many things.” “I just to make sure that everypony knows that.” “I’m sure that will be the case, especially with you around.” “Thanks Celest’.” “Alright then. Sister?” “You go on ahead,” Luna replies to her sister. “I’ll just check on Twilight one more time and see how our pirate friends and foes are doing.” “Very well then.” With a flick of her horn, Celestia vanishes in a bright flash of light, leaving behind Luna and Applejack. With her sister gone, Luna flies over above Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. In front of the ten ponies are guards transporting Korsan’s loyal pirates, including Chopin, Horus, Ivan, and Pip, to the barred coaches waiting for them. Tightly held by the guard’s anti-magic spells, all the more villainous pirates can do is give their evil glares at the onlooking mares, who simply brush off the invisible threat. “Well they’re not going to be seen for another thirty or so years, I can guarantee that.” Luna mutters out loud. Upon hearing her comment, Twilight looks up and sees Luna. “Hi Luna!” Twilight exclaims. As the black alicorn begins to decent, Twilight scoots over to make room for her in the crowd. “Quite a humble departure isn’t it?” “Expecting something?” “Not yet anyways. Tomorrow most likely is when the ceremonies will take place.” “I’ll remind the girls to wear their formal outfits tomorrow. Since somepony ruined the twist on one of my books, there isn’t really a purpose to finishing it so soon.” Twilight then suddenly exclaims. “Shoot!” “What is it?” “I forgot the Diamond Eye! Now it’s probably at the bottom of the sea next the wreckage of Korsan’s ship. The other half of it is also right there as well… Bah…” “Don’t fret over spilt milk. We can always retrieve the Diamond Eye some other day since we know where it is now.” “You’re right, you’re right. Say, speaking of the Diamond Eye, do you know anything about someplace known as Alicorn Island?” “Hm… Not much comes to mind. Sorry.” “Oh well.” As Korsan’s pirate train comes to an end, the pirates that fought alongside Twilight, including Slasher, November, Yin, and Yu, march under the aid of the guard, as they are taken to their own prison carriages. Unlike their rivals, Slasher and the other heroic pirates are smiling, and are waving goodbye to their friends. “Don’t worry about your friends Twilight.” Luna reassures her. “They’ll be well taken care of. Hopefully these other nations Korsan has messed with will understand.” “If you say so.” Twilight and her friends all wave back to the pirates as they are swiftly whisked away to prison, but only for a short time before coming back just as happy and free as ever. Back to Normal“’And as Daring Do stands at the edge of the cliff, looking over the great blue sea, she takes one final breath of the air so rich in salt. She may not have found the true island known as Trihearth, but she is one step closer to find it, as well as the treasures that it holds. ‘One day’ she utters, ‘one day, I’m going to find the truth about her, and him.‘” Twilight sighs as she closes the book before her. She then places it on her bed and proceeds to head down into the main room of her palace. There she finds Spike seated at one of the seven thrones around the crystal table in the center of the room. In his claws is a copy of ‘Daring Do and the Serpent Hunter’. A confused face is imprinted on Spike’s face as his eyes slowly gloss across the open pages. “Sheesh, this stuff is hard to follow.” Spike mutters to himself. “What is?” Twilight asks. The baby dragon turns his head around and sees Twilight. “Oh, hi Twilight. So, are the Federalists the good guys or the bad guys?” “Uh…” “Also, what’s with this sudden focus on micro-gears?” “Well… It’s complicated.” “I figured.” Slowly, Twilight walks towards the open window of the palace and sticks her head out into the day sky. As she takes in her surroundings, a peculiar feeling tingles inside. Instead of smelling the thick salty air of the ocean, she smells the sweet zephyrs of the landlocked Ponyville. Instead of seeing just blue, white, and brown colours of the sea and ships, the entire rainbow of colour bathes the land. Instead of feeling cold water and brutal winds bash into her flesh, a soft breeze and the sun’s warmth brushes through her fur. Instead of hearing the endless waves of ocean sloshing around aimlessly, the calm rustling of the leaves enters her ears. “You know Spike, it feels like only a month ago when we were sailing the seas and fighting pirates.” “It was a month ago. We even marked the day of Korsan’s defeat on a calendar.” “Oh.” “Water Tiger? What? Maybe I should’ve have skipped those chapters in the last two books…” “That’s what you get for binging on those ridiculous comic books.” “Ridiculous? Try saying that about ‘One Buck Mare’.” Twilight simply rolls her eyes at Spike’s retort and continues to enjoy the peacefulness of the outside world. With Canterlot Castle in the distance, Twilight wonders how things are going with the princesses. As Spike continues to read on, a sudden queasiness erupts in his stomach. In a split second, the dragon drops the book and belches out a small burst of green flame. A scroll emerges from the fire and lands on the table. Twilight hears the commotion and turns around to see the scroll. While Spike recovers from the message delivery, Twilight opens the scroll and reads the letter inside out loud, “'Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, I hope you have recovered well from your injuries from Korsan. Although those deeper scratches may still be visible, they should be healed and only be scars at this point. The same goes for your friends as well. However, I do advise you and your friends to keep an eye out for any mental damage that may still linger. In regards to the castle, although the original ballroom was heavily damaged from the attack during the gala, it is nearly fixed. We’ve decided to reinforce the structure, as well as the exterior of the castle, with some of the super-steel salvaged from The Perfection (well, Perfected Korsan if we’re going by specific names). I tell you something, that metal is thicker than what it looks like. Scientists claim it is five times thicker than standard reinforced concrete. Just imagine what that type of metal can do in buildings, vehicles, armour, and the list it quite extensive. Speaking of Korsan’s technology, we’ve managed to reverse-engineer Korsan’s anti-magic substance to a degree where we can create a pseudo-anti-magic substance. It can’t really block more powerful forms of magic and spells, but it works. I can’t really get into details, but it involves a TON of cold-worked iron. In a year or two, this stuff is going to be everywhere in Equestria, helping further advances in technology, medicine, transportation, defense, just you wait. In regards to Korsan himself, it’s unclear at the moment. The salvage search teams haven’t been able to find a body. That can mean a few things. Either his body disintegrated, his body drifted out somewhere, or he might’ve swum away a little bit before dying. Luckily, there looks to be absolutely no chances that he’s still around at this point. There’s no need to worry. Your ‘pirate’ friends here are doing fine. From what I’ve heard from the guards, they’re not causing too much trouble. In his words, they’re actually helping in providing ‘tight management’ of the other inmates, with the small red unicorn being the most effective. As for the other pirates, the ones that were loyal to Korsan, the other nations around the world have confirmed of their well-secured confinement. I was almost surprised how enthusiastic some of these kingdoms were in taking these pirates. They must’ve had a high value or something, though I question the clown’s actually value, he didn’t look as bad as they said he was. One final note Twilight, keep your eyes out for any suspicious activity going on in Ponyville. I’ve heard a few reports of some ‘rogue paladin’ in the area. It’s not Korsan, but we both know how tough some of our newest… occurrences, are becoming. Maybe it’s because of Korsan’s downfall, maybe it’s not, who knows. Stay safe, feel better soon, and remember, your friends will always be there for you. Keep the magic of friendship strong, my dear student. Your loving teacher, Princess Celestia.'” “Looks like all is right with the world once more,” Spike remarks. “Well, for the most part,” Twilight replies. “What do you mean?” “There are millions of ponies in this world. By statistics, at least one of those ponies will have a similar uprising as Korsan, a similar, terrible childhood. And don’t even get me started on alternate dimensions. We’ve seen what the concept of infinite possible universes looks like. It doesn’t go pretty for a good number of cases. Give or take a while and we may have to deal with another supervillain, one that could take away something greater than thousands of lives.” “Chill out Twilight. Enjoy the peace while it lasts. If another bad guy shows up, we just stick together and take care of it like usual,” Another mare’s voice speaks up from the other side of the table. “No matter how many philosophical speeches the next guy’ll throw at us, we’re still friends to the end.” Twilight and Spike look over and see Applejack, lazily resting back in her chair. “No matter how many final forms he has,” Rainbow Dash adds, revealing herself in another crystal throne. “We can take care of it.” Pinkie Pie then pipes in from another chair, “No matter how many times we’ll be separated, we’ll always be super-duper close each other in heart!” “No matter smart he acts or how dashing he looks,” Rarity chimes in. “If his ideas are ridiculous and will go through with them at all cost, we’ll stop him.” “And don’t worry about the statistics,” Fluttershy concludes. “We’ll make steps to make sure that everypony is happy.” “To friendship!” Twilight declares. “To friendship!” The other mares including Spike cheers. The entire room fills with laughter and cheer as their declaration echoes throughout the large room. “…Now seriously, how’d you all get in here without me noticing?” Pinkie casually answers. “It’s surprising how effective boxes are in hiding ponies.” “’Chomh maith leis na aithreacha d'aois, go bhfuil mé phléadáil ar feadh aghaidh, a bheith liom. Láithreach, an log na trí thy cumhacht mhór, dall, agus ar an drochuair fear bocht a íonaithe. Tabhair dúinn inniu, ar mhaithe mhaithe bhua an chumhacht draíochta. Beannaigh an chumhacht chun bharda as an bhagairt na moille. Magical Beannaigh dom, fiú aon uair amháin a roinnt, is féidir iad a leasú fiú do foirfeachta. Beannaigh an dóchas muiníneach go bhfuil an chinniúint faire nua, nó tú chugainn a shábháil ar fud an domhain ó loch síoraí-’” “Sister?” Her sister’s voice calls out from behind Princess Celestia, whose face deep in the fading pages of an old book in front of her. Celestia immediately gasps, “Huh?” and looks behind to see Luna from the doorway connecting the hallway outside to her sleeping chambers. “Oh, didn’t see you.” “My apologies, sister. What are you reading if I might ask?” “Just an old book I found in the library.” “Do you understand what it says? If I recall, your tongue lacks whatever words your voice has interpreted. Not to mention your sloppy execution with some of the phrases.” “Not really. It doesn’t match up with any known languages.” “Perhaps it is an older form of tongue?” “Incredibly older if that’s the case, it might even be a father language of multiple modern languages.” “What has made you so interested in this book if you can’t understand it?” “…” “Was, he, able to read it?” “Yes. However, he may not be the only one. From what Twilight told me about her encounters with Korsan, she told me that he was able to read text made of similar symbols to this book. There was a reason he took the Diamond Eye in the first place, it was a piece of an ancient map that he can read.” “But, how? He would never divulge such knowledge to a pony he knew was plotting genocide.” “…” “…Right?” “His thinking’s very different compared to ours, even more so than Korsan’s.” As Celestia takes a moment to think, her eyes glance over to the glowing fireplace against the wall. The gears in her mind begin to clink together one by one. “What if…” “What if what, sister?” Luna questions. “What if he did reveal the tongue to him, or even, a close relative? What if he knew that Korsan would lose to us? But why?” “No idea.” “Was it to test us?” “Or perhaps,” Luna adds, “he was preparing us.” Meanwhile, far out at sea, back at the slowly sinking wreckage of The Perfection, there is a small fleet of four boats circling around the grounded behemoth. Each crewed by about ten ponies each, the boats scan the floating wood and metal towers and debris, searching for anything salvageable. “Hey, Ms. Parker,” one of the stallions on board one of the boats calls out to the mare next to him. The mare teasingly asks. “What is it Rob?” “It’s Mr. Goni. You know I don’t like being called that.” The stallion coldly remarks before answering. “But anyways, look at that.” The beige stallion then points a hoof at one of the larger pieces of ship floating by them. Ms. Parker examines the piece in question and notices a large mechanical object inside. “Looks like one of Korsan’s gadgets.” “Didn’t they say something about some giant-machine-cannon-things back at Vanhoover?” “This might be one of them. From here, it looks like it’s still in one piece.” “Finally, something we can get a good cut for.” Mr. Goni then yells out to the captain behind him. “Bring us in towards Echo Seven!” “Aye-aye.” The captain’s voice echoes and the ship soon drifts towards the mechanical object. As Ms. Parker flies up to the cannon, it instantly roars to life and turns to face her. “Look out!” The machine’s barrels whir rapidly. Ms. Parker ducks. Everypony below scrambles into some form of hiding position as they wait for the worst to happen. However, after a few seconds, the cannon doesn’t do anything besides spinning and making noise. The flying mare slowly hovers back up to her vantage point and examines the cannon from afar. “Huh.” She sighs. “It’s empty.” “Must’ve unloaded all of its ammo during the fight a few weeks ago.” Mr. Goni replies. “Seems so Rob.” “…” “Oi,” the captain calls out. “We better hurry up and get that thing locked down and onboard. One of the weather pegasi just signaled a really bad storm coming our way.” “How bad are we talking?” Ms. Parker asks? “Apparently requiring the A.W.E. if I remember my flare colours right.” “Alright!” Mr. Goni proclaims. “You heard the captain. Load this thing up and let’s get out of here!” Unanswered Questions“Hey.” Applejack calls out to the cheering mares around her. They all instantly turn silent and look towards her. “You know, there’s this one thing that’s been pecking at my mind recently. How come that Fountain of Balance didn’t work on Korsan?” An awkward silence fades in as the girls and Spike ponder on the question at hoof. “I don’t know…” Rarity mutters. “Wasn’t there some requirements that had to be done?” Dash asks. “Like a blood ritual?” Pinkie pipes in. “I just thought that was merely mumbo-jumbo.” Applejack replies. “Both you and Korsan weren’t able to transform...” Twilight restates the question, thinking deeply about it, studying every word in her head. “What do I and Korsan have in common that makes us unworthy?” “Unicorn magic?” Fluttershy responds. “No, that not it.” Twilight mumbles. “The fountain’s said to give magic.” “…” The gathering of ponies turns silent once more. “How about we backtrack?” Twilight eventually suggests to the group. “Perhaps we’re looking over something we encountered on our adventure?” “The island,” Rarity announces. “What about the island? Its origins, how it made the fountain, how it even got into the Breach in the first place?” “I’ve been curious about the same thing.” Twilight replies. “But after checking almost all of my books, there doesn’t seem to be any records of an island that far away, or any islands really. The Breach up to this point was nothing more than the rumoured edge of the world.” “What was with that sandworm?” Fluttershy asks. “What was with the Breach itself?” Dash adds. “Is anypony else wondering how some pony found Alicorn Island the Breach in the first place and put it on a map?” Pinkie chimes in. Twilight’s memory suddenly sparks and recollections of Alexander Maden’s writings burst from her mouth. “He’s related to Korsan!” “What?!” The other mares exclaim. “Alexander Maden, he’s the stallion that found the Breach and found a translator for the Diamond Eye! He’s Korsan’s uncle if I recall correctly.” “That’s right!” Rarity screams, recalling how Korsan translated the Diamond Eye on his ship. “What was the language called though… it’s on the tip of my tongue,” “Same here,” “It most likely came from a long dead civilization. Such a typeface that the Diamond Eyes and the fountain had on them is probably centuries old, maybe even millenniums.” “Older than Equestria?” “Perhaps, the civilization might as well be even before the three ancient pony tribes.” “Speaking of ancient ponies,” Applejack replies. “Where do you think Korsan heard about this ‘Alicorn Era’ he was blatherin’ about?” Promptly, Twilight answers Applejack’s question. “There’s been an old tale of an island inhabited by alicorns that disappeared a thousand years ago. Not many ponies today have heard of it.” “Do you think there’s some sort of connection between that island and Alicorn Island?” At that moment, the entire room erupts in frenzy. Everypony is now talking at once, speaking out loud whatever theories, ideas, conclusions, questions, retorts, and demands of silence from their minds. Some agree with each other, some have polar opposite ideas, and some can’t even hear the pony right next to her or him. The havoc continues for several minutes, getting louder and louder with each word being spoken over the other. Finally, Twilight gets fed up with the noise, and decides to take action. With the flick of her glowing horn, the entire room turns mute. The friends find each other’s mouths not producing any sound and turn their attention to a search for the source of this, quickly reaching Twilight. With the six other occupants now quiet and focused on her, Twilight removes the audio spell and speaks out. “Alright, there are a lot of questions from our journey that have been unanswered to this point.” “That’s an understatement.” Spike remarks. “And as it seems, just us standing around and bickering is not going to answer any of them.” “So, what do you suggest we do?” Dash asks. “Go out on another adventure?” “…Actually, that sounds like a great idea.” “What?” Fluttershy replies. “We just came back from one.” “Who said anything about it being over?” Rainbow Dash slyly remarks. “Yeah, I could use another break by now.” Applejack adds. “’The Quest for the Secret of the Alicorn’,” Pinkie Pie proclaims dramatically. “Quite a cute ring to it.” “Where do we even start?” Fluttershy then asks. “Just like before,” Rarity answers. “We look for the Diamond Eye. It has the language we’re looking for isn’t it?” “And look on the bright side.” Applejack continues. “It’s not like we have to go into some giant hole in the ocean and deal with a monster again or anythin’.” “But what if we do?” Fluttershy sheepishly replies. “Then we’ll be ready for it.” Twilight declares. “If we can take down something the likes of Perfected-, or even Neo Korsan, we can handle any problem.” “So what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Pinkie cheers. “May the adventure begin!” Within only a week, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy were out at sea in an airship, heading towards the wreck of The Perfection. Now followed by a small crew of guards, scientists, and scavengers, they were more prepared than ever before for the long search, and grand adventure that they believed awaited them. Upon reaching the wreckage, the ponies on board quickly got to work, examining every nook and cranny of the wood and metal of the ship, both above and below the water. Rainbow Dash and Applejack even went to the bottom of the sea to examine the sunken portions of the ship. However, after several days of endless searching, they never found either half of the Diamond Eye, tons of loot perhaps, but nothing even comparable to the knowledge that pair of diamonds hold. The books that were recoverable from Korsan’s library were each retrieved and carefully studied by Twilight, but none yielded any clues. Fluttershy and Pinkie found the whale Pinkie made friends with from the deserted island a long time ago. Rarity found Korsan’s old, broken, rusted blades deep inside what used to be Sweetie Belle’s cabin. Rarity’s cabin was right next to her sisters, and upon recollection, she realized that they were initially November Gale’s and Nitin Gale’s cabins. Spike during this time stayed in the airship and continued to read Daring Do books. Although they didn’t find the Diamond Eye on this first trip back, their hopes were still on a high note as they headed back home to Equestria. Every once in a while, be in a week or a month or two, the ponies would return back to The Perfection and search around the ship and the seafloor that surrounds it. And everytime they’d search, they either would learn something new or find a valuable artifact from Korsan’s trove, occasionally both. Some would stay in Equestria during these adventures, and once in a while go on their own adventures, but the seven friends’ spirits stayed as one in support. Occasionally, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and or Scootaloo would tag along in these journeys to The Perfection, and pick up little tokens of their travels. These would usually range from a rare coin to a large, oddly shaped piece of scrap metal. Nevertheless, the fillies were always ecstatic to head out to sea every once in a while. As the days, the weeks, and the months passed by, the chances of Twilight and her friends finding the Diamond Eye grew slimmer and slimmer. The mares and Spike understood this fact, and visited The Perfection less and less frequently, but their hopes only grew. The fantasies of finding the diamonds and answering their questions still ran rampantly in their heads, and they would keep an eye out for it every day. Be it on one of their final runs out to The Perfection, during another seemingly unrelated adventure, or even in the market on one fateful day, they knew they will find the Diamond Eye. As their pirate friends were released from prison one by one, they invited each one of them in their quest, with some agreeing, and some not. With help from Twilight, her friends, and the princesses, the pirate friends were able to move on from Korsan, and hold stable livelihoods for themselves. Cecil became a traveling bard, and gained a large following from many kingdoms, though he still enjoys the quaint bar at Thieves’ Hold. Maurice became an international mail-pony, delivering letters across the seas to kingdoms across the globe. Jarvis returned to his life of piracy, but with a large amount of competition now gone, he quickly became very successful, even becoming the new Pirate King. November Gale, Nitin Gale, Slasher Gutzoult, Yu Shou, and several other pirates returned to Thieves’ Hold, finished the tavern renovations, and opened soon after. Within a month, it had become the most popular location of interest at sea, with pirates and even regular seafaring ponies visiting in tens of thousands per day. Craig Y’ol Timber became a world-wide celebrity due to his knowledge of the underground tunnels, but he prefers to stay out of the limelight and in the mostly tranquil position of bouncer at the bar of Thieves’ Hold alongside Grivs. Yin Shou became a teacher of martial arts and swordplay, running his own dojo in the Crystal Mountains, which Yu and Slasher occasionally visit. Alexander Grevious used his wealth and became one of the most respectable and honored citizens of Canterlot, though does suffer from occasional hearing loss for an undisclosed reason. Butch Taylor joined the Equestria military, and soon graduated into a captain after his successful capture of the infamous Black Paladin, before he escaped. Juliana adjusted to her new life alongside Princess Celestia, Luna, and Philomena, with a particular fondness in Luna. Aran Ryan and Lilis Jewmerin also returned to a life of crime, but restricted it to stealing from criminals and the rich. When not committing crime, Aran worked for an iron mill while Lilis worked as a doctor. After being the last of the pirates released, Maria Vanshwitz soon vanished. No pony knows where she is or what’s she’s doing now, and not even rumours are commonly accepted by many. To this day, the Diamond Eye, and the secrets that it hold, has never been found, and there’s an unlikely chance, that it ever will be, for the rest of time. “’…As I write this letter to you, is has been seven months since our battle with Korsan, everything appears to be back to normal finally. I will never forget that adventure we had, and what came from it. We might not have found the Diamond Eye and answered the questions that we still have to this day, but we gained something much greater. My friends and I, both the Elements of Harmony and the ones we made on our journey, have grown stronger. Our friendship is greater than any pony, or villain, or monster, or race, or magic, or power, or ideology, that dare seeks to tear us apart. As many times it is put to the test, I will always remember that journey I took with my friends, and remind myself of how powerful it truly is once more. And about the language that the Diamond Eye and the Fountain of Balance, Rarity and me are still trying to recall it, we have not forgotten it. Maybe it was one too many bumps to the head back then that’s giving us trouble. Until the Diamond Eye is recovered, or some clue comes around, I will continue checking every language in existence until I find it. Even if it takes a hundred years, I will continue to persevere and answer those questions, and reclaim our ancient history. The world and its ponies deserve to know where we came from, and what is out there. And who knows, maybe a little understanding of history might take care of the next villain to come chasing after us. Happy holidays, Princess Celestia. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle’” Meanwhile…Far away from the coast of Equestria, far into the endless waves of the ocean, stand the stone towers that are collectively known as Thieves’ Hold. At the top of one of these grand stacks is an enormous tavern, one that stands three stories tall and has over half of its floors dangling above the sea below. However, the colossal building stays stiff as stone with the help of large steel beams that connect the overhanging floor deep into the mountain below. The tavern is made of a beautiful structure of stone and wood, with cement interior support, with large windows that shine the golden light of its insides out over the entirety of Thieves’ Hold. On this hour of midnight, the sky is clear, and the shine from the bar is at its greatest. Roars and cheers from the tavern echo throughout the tall rock towers and surrounding waters. Below the bar, down the winding ramp, at the edge of the harbour, a pony, dressed in a dark cloak, makes his way to the bar. As he slowly walks down the long wooden walkway, he looks to his left and right. He examines the hundreds of ships that are parked throughout the many docks connected by a web of bridges, with his lone self being a speck compared to the web he stands on. The soft winds though flow through his cloak are just as salty as ever, but for some reason, have a bitter, metallic stench upon entering his nose. He hobbles his way up the slowly rising ramp. The moist, yet firm wood below relieves the stallion from what he has been through to get here, though not enough for his hooves to feel like metal. As he climbs higher and higher, the sounds of the tavern above his head grow louder and more audible. After several long minutes of climbing, the cloaked pony reaches the massive balcony that connects to the front door of the building. Several large dining tables and even a billiards table are on the balcony, but not a pony in sight, most likely due to the recent rain. To the stallion’s right, his eye catches a glimpse of the massive pair of double doors that lead to the inside of the tavern. Slowly, he shuffles to the closer set of doors and pries them open, and is immediately enveloped in the golden glow and rambunctious voices of inside. The first thing the stallion sees upon entering is the massive golden chandelier just above his head, showering the majority of the bar in light. As his view traces the wires that hold the lights in place, he sees the indoor balconies of the second and third floors that look down to him. At least a hundred ponies can be seen from the stallion’s perspective of the balconies. A wide array of pirates, dignitaries, and regular sea faring ponies can be seen conversing with one another, playing games with one another, examining their charts and maps for the eleventh time, and eating and drinking massive rations of food and drinks. On the other side, back at the front wall, the stallion sees a gigantic stain glass window that takes up almost the entire wall, showing six ponies defeating a massive dragon that looks to be made of metal. Below the stallion is a massive red carpet that gently brushes his soggy hooves. It is almost overwhelming for the pony to take in so much atmosphere. As the slightly quickly begin to set in, so do the sounds. From every angle, the whispers and shrills of laughter, rage, happiness, and just ordinary words and sounds concur to the stallion’s ears in one grand symphony of voices. With the exception of only a few loud screams or swears, the vast majority of the voices could not be understood from this location of the tavern. However, the stallion soon hears something else coherent to his ears, one coming from the second floor above. Leaning back against the front wall, the stallion looks up over the edge of the second floor to see a large group of ponies surrounding a blue pegasus in a striped shirt and a brown trench coat and his small band of musicians. Focusing his senses on the stallion and his team, the cloaked pony hears the music erupting from the instruments, and the voices that sing. They all chant in unison, “Yo! Ho! Ho! Here we cheer again, For the sinking of the demons, And the drowning of our woes! Yo! Ho! Ho! Check your sails my friends, The wind is in our good favour, And the storms are all away!” After the final line is sung, the violinists perform their duo. The audience that sung along now begin to dance with one another along to the whimsical whirring of the strings. The cloaked observer below stretches during this time before returning his sights on time to see and hear the blue stallion in the center sing his verse and the instrumental quiets down, “Now the captain of the Deadly Storm, He was not the nicest of most, Had a quick temper and terrible lust, For blood of the wing and might, He made a crew of criminal scum, And spread his terror out to sea, Attacked all who he did not enjoy, Pray him sinking from one good storm.” In a matter of moments, the chorus begins again, and the music roars to life once more, “Yo! Ho! Ho! Here we cheer again, For the sinking of the demons, And the drowning of our woes! Yo! Ho! Ho! Check your sails my friends, The wind is in our good favour, And the storms are all away!” “All thought he would never be stopped, But then in one day of fate, He crossed paths with the wrong kingdom, Heroes they had, a matter of fact, Quickly deployed and set off to sea, The heroes soon gave a quick chase, To the very ends of the world, They didn’t care, those heroes be blessed.” “Yo! Ho! Ho! Here we cheer again, For the sinking of the demons, And the drowning of our woes! Yo! Ho! Ho! Check your sails my friends, The wind is in our good favour, And the storms are all away!” “Sirens, krakens, giants, monsters all the like, The heroes stayed true to their goal, And chased down the evil captain’s ship, No matter how the odds were stacked, The heroes fought to the bitter end, Made traitors of the captain’s own men, And as all ponies took their sides, The battle to save the world begun!” “Yo! Ho! Ho! Here we cheer again, For the sinking of the demons, And the drowning of our woes! Yo! Ho! Ho! Check your sails my friends, The wind is in our good favour, And the storms are all away!” “The battle was tough, lasted three hours, The Deadly Storm turned to a wreck, The evil captain of the dying ship, Revealed his inner demons upon his foes, But the heroes stood their solid ground, The heroes fought and gave their all, One last shot, they took him down, And the evil captain is dead!” The entire bar then screams out in rejoice of that final line of the verse. The windows rattle from the force of the sound, almost shattering them. The cloaked stallion however stays put, remaining stoic as now the entire tavern sings along, “Yo! Ho! Ho! Here we cheer again, For the sinking of the demons, And the drowning of our woes! Yo! Ho! Ho! Check your sails my friends, The wind is in our good favour, And the storms are all away!” For the final verse, the singing stallion slows down the tempo dramatically, and delivers the final lines, “And here we are, safe and sound, From the captain of the Deadly Storm, The heroes are now known as legends, For the rest of time and sea, Though some questions have stayed as questions, There is hope they will be answered, Drink up me lads, and stay safe, Quite a good pirate’s life for you…” The tavern roars in applause as the stallion and his troop back into the unseen reaches of the second floor. Soon however, the noise calms down and returns to the casual bustle that the cloaked stallion first saw. As the stallion lowers himself from the door, the reason of why he came returns to his mind. His gaze lowers down back to the first floor ahead of him and onto the large serving bar in the center of the area. Slowly, he walks over to the bar, with his sight deadest on the barmaid there, a dark blue unicorn with long, ice blue hair. As he draws closer and closer to the serving bar, unbeknownst to him, several of the patrons seated nearby begin to stare at him. They slowly begin to converse with each other about him, escalating in volume, as do most conversations in the tavern. The cloaked stallion begins to hear the gossip. Words about his stature, his movements, his unseen objects that cause his cloak to jut out at certain points, sweep through the first floor of the tavern. But they do not alter his progress. Eventually, he makes the long walk to the bar, and seats himself down. He patiently waits and watches the mare as she converses with a pair of stallions on the other side of the square bar. “…and then I said,” the stallion overhears what the larger, green stallion is saying. “Oatmeal? Are you crazy?!” “Hahaha!” The red, smaller stallion laughs. “Jarvis, that is actually pretty genius.” “Thank you.” “If only that genius were to extend to your common sense, I tell ya mate.” “What do you mean Maurice?” “Come on. Eating a bowl of dry rice and then drinking hot water?” “It gets cold in Pingwin.” “So what? I heard you throwing up all the way from the Hooviet Union.” “That’s ridiculous. What type of mail would you be delivering to those guys anyways?” “…Special kind of mail, packages.” “…” “…Anyways, heard the latest rumour about Maria?” “The one where she’s a descendant of one of the Tetred Knights?” “No. Alright, there’s a new rumour going around that she’s working for the Black Paladin.” “That’s stupid.” “But wait, this one might check out.” “You’ve got to be kidding me…” “I’m being legit with you alright. A while ago, somepony in Equestria thought they spotted Maria in a specific area, the same area where another pony claimed to have seen the stallion shortly before.” “…Really?” “Yeah.” “What would Maria, a well-trained pirate assassin, who knows when to pick a fight, try to mess with him? Isn’t that right November?” “Yeah, it really is out of Maria’s character.” The barmaid replies. “I’m telling you,” Maurice proclaims. “I’ve read the letters, this could be what Maria’s been up to.” He then snaps his head to the ceiling and yells. “Hey Cecil! Is the latest rumour probably true?!” A mumbled voice answer back, the same one belonging to the stallion that sung earlier. “No.” “What?! Craig believes me!” “He pretty much believes everything.” “Excuse me Maurice, Jarvis,” November interrupts. “There’s somepony waiting for me.” The mare then turns around and hustles towards the cloaked stallion. “Hello there sir. Welcome to the Thieves and Heroes Tavern. Sorry to keep you waiting.” The cloaked stallion stays silent for a second before replying. “…No issue.” “Oh dear. Are you okay?” November worryingly asks upon hearing his extremely gravelly and tired voice, almost sounding as if he was dying. “…I’m fine.” “Can I get you anything sir?” “First… a drink.” “Anything in particular?” “…Whatever’s cheap I guess…” “Had a bad day?” “…Yeah. Lost a bit…” “Well, how about I get you this one free?” “Sure.” Quickly, the barmaid gets to work and begins to fill a large mug with fresh cider. While she is doing this, the lone pony stares at her, tracking her every motion in great detail. November slowly begins to feel this presence behind her, but shrugs it off. She hands over the brimming cup to the cloaked stallion, who simply nudges it around with the shadowy tip of his nose. “Need some help there?” “…” “…Sir?” “…Let me ask you something… How long has it been since the fall of The Perfection?” “You mean Korsan’s defeat? Seven months.” “Huh, it’s been that long…” “I know how you feel. Feels like almost yesterday when Twilight Sparkle and her friends showed up and gave that pirate a piece of all of our minds.” “…” “…Sir? Are you okay?” A moment of silence falls between the two. The surrounding noise seems to dull as the two ponies focus on each other. Finally, the cloaked pony, the lone stranger, speaks. “…Yeah, ‘a bad day’, call it that. It isn’t the first time something like this has happened to me, having everything I’ve strived for, what I deserved, taken away from me. But, what else would you expect in the type of world we live in today? One moment, you’re at the top of it all, with your life-long dreams finally achieved, and nothing standing in the way. The next, you’re back down to the bottom of the barrel, more hurt than ever before. It’s nature really. Seasons, years, lives, wars, dynasties, economy, ideologies, they all share a cycle to them. They are born from the rubble of failure and reach their peak at some point in their life, but will inevitable crumble and become fuel for the next. No matter how many numbers you throw into the equation, no matter how long you prolong the peak, the end will always be there, waiting. As cruel as it is, it is loving as well, just like nature, neither ugly nor beautiful. I’ve spent quite a bit of time at sea it seems, thinking and reflecting on my past actions. An old… pony of interest… told me that I was being a foal, and by thunder he was right. I was reckless, a hopeless romantic, impulsive, and not at all effective by several measure. But one of the more powerful words that I’ve come to affiliate my past self is ‘merciful’. I pitied those that I’ve grew to hate far too much, and it costed me quite a few things. Luckily, after this ‘bad day’, it has been fixed, all of it. As the old me died out, a new me was built on top. A new cycle has dawned. I no longer suffer the ailments of my inferior stature. As the old war has ended, a new one, a grander one is brewing. As this dynasty draws to its closure, a new one shall step in and take the throne. As we enter the depression, it is only a matter of time for prosperity to return. The cold winter is warming up and the new year is on the horizon. Everything that exists is cycling as nature intends, and is coming full circle once more. Be rest assured, my ‘bad day’ is neither just the beginning nor just the end, but both, as the cycle goes on.” “…” “Is there a problem?” “No, no. I just wasn’t expecting it.” “Oh.” “You sound almost, familiar to somepony I know, but different.” “Who was this pony I might ask?” “Oh, no pony special, just an old… pony of interest.” “…I see.” “Do you need help with your drink sir? How about a straw?” “I’m fine. I, am, completely, perfect... …And second, I want just one thing…” As the stallion reaches his hoof towards the handle of the mug, his black cloak accidently slides down, revealing a metal bar piercing through his burnt and withered hoof. Red bulges of practically destroyed flesh cover whatever skin is revealed beneath the matted fur. November jerks back in surprise and nearly pukes at the sight. “Oh my-! We need a doctor!” She quickly calls out. As she scrambles to try and fix the terrifying hoof with her bare hooves out of instinct, she accidently tugs on the stallion’s cloak too hard. The black cloth rips away to reveal the stallion’s wings, withered and serrated with hundreds of metal objects large and small. Everypony around gasps at the horrid sight of the jagged stump of a horn that poked out on his forehead. But the stallion, now revealed, stays perfectly still and silent amongst the chaos. “…” His one remaining eye, his scarred, rough, glazed-over eye, stares into the frightened blues of November. As her mouth quivers, her hooves shuffle back, and her eyes and body tremble from the beast before her, the stallion’s mouth twists into a jagged smile, stretching ear to ear. “Im-imp-impossible! It-it-it’s you!” “…Revenge…” THE END “You’ve come back.” “I have.” “So, what are you here for?” “I’m here to train you.” Bonus: The Tale of KorsanDead pony tell no tales. One of the oldest sayings known to the high seas, as a way to remind ne'er-do-well peepers that others will kill you to keep you quiet. I’ve always known that saying, but never truly knew the true weight of its meaning. That was until, that one night… I shall never forget the night when I entered that bar and was met with a terrible fate. It was a dark winter’s night when I was sailing my ship. The winds were howling, the seas were wild, the rain was merciless, and I could barely see two kilometers ahead into the thickest fog a pony would ever see. I was heading towards Thieves’ Hold, a collection of craggy columns of rock pointing out of the water that served gathering place for some of the most dangerous pirates to trade their loot, get some rest, or stir up a fight. However, I wasn’t here for any of that, I wasn’t even a pirate. I was merely a lone bounty hunter. I never had to follow authority and still receive riches for hunting down the villains of the ocean, usually with the bounties usually set up by political bigwigs or rival pirates. Tonight was different however, I was instead searching for both a pony and a value, and Thieves’ Hold was the exact place I would be able to find such information. I’d recently received a tip from a friend that only supplied to me the name and the location I could go to find more information. The first thing I saw upon reaching the infamous area was the massive group of stacks far ahead that seemed to create a forest with its tops stretching above the dark clouds. Upon entering the hold, I saw that small wooden buildings were built into the faces of the rock formations, yet leaned most of its weight out over the sea, with the only thing keeping them from falling were beams underneath the floors of the houses. I examined each rock with a building in it; searching for a bar where I can find the information I needed. After examining countless mountains, I finally found the bar, a slightly larger house than the others with a long, winding wooden ramp circling the stack leading into a harbour full of pirate ships large and small. I anchored my ship next to some the smaller ones that were similar to mine. I then entered my room and put on my large black coat over the fancier purple suit I was wearing that night. I didn’t know it was going to rain heavily and I didn’t have time to change. With the silky suit then chafing my skin after being soaked in the rain for an hour, I collected myself and walked off of the port and onto the wooden harbour. I looked to my left and my right as I headed towards the ramp, observing the various, shapes, sizes, builds, colours, names, flags, and probable worth of each water craft in the black market. I slowly began to head up the ramp circling around the stack with the rain beating against the tip of my nose. I then reached the balcony in front of the bar, where a single door with rusted hinges waved back and forth in harmony of the calmer winds at this altitude. Before entering however, I looked in the heavily fogged window and check to see if I was well hidden in the reflection. I pulled the cloak harder over my head to obscure my orange eyes and then opened the door. The loud shriek of the handle didn’t seem to bother anypony inside as I made my way in. Warm light bathed me as I entered the tavern. I looked from side to side, seeing every type of hooligan of the seas imaginable. Tall unicorns, short pegasi, fat Earth Ponies, skinny and lanky ponies with either half of a horn or only one wing, bearded, mustached, scarred, peg legged, eye patched, garbed in red and black, or completely bare save for any accessories that may have been on them, I myself was shocked in seeing so many various types of criminals gathered in one spot. To my left were an assortment of tables with groups of pirates sleeping, drinking their cider, or counting their treasures foalishly out in the open. One of the round tables caught my eye, for it had nine ponies and what appeared to be a dragon the size of some smaller ponies next to it, all dressed in black robes similar to mine. Were they some type of ninja pirates or a cult? I had no idea and decided to abandon the thought. To my right, I saw billiard tables, dartboards with darks poking out of them and a couple in the wooden wall, round and square tables made for card games and gambling loot. Pirates were also gathered there with cups of cider in their hooves or magic as they played the games and tossed their money around. There was a group of three stallions having a fight at one of the card tables, which no pony seemed to bother with. I figured that this being a highly popular pirate holdout, a fight or three would not be so uncommon. I reminded myself with what I was doing there in the first place and made my way across the damp wooden floor to the serving bar at the other end of the main room. A young, dark blue unicorn, cleaning a mug with an old cloth, looked at me with one of her eyes while still keeping her attention set on the mug. She spoke to me in a smooth, nonchalant voice, “What can I do for you sir?” I responded in my typical deadpan voice, “First, a drink.” “Sure, it’s on the house tonight.” The mare then sets down the mug on the counter and turns to a pair of dual doors behind her, most likely leading to the kitchen. She pokers her head inside and yells, “Dad, we have another one.” An old, rustic voice mumbles from the other side of the wall separating me from whatever was inside. The mare began to have a conversation with the pony inside, so I began to tune them out and focus on my surroundings and think about what I was going to say. I’ve always heard that the drinks around here were terrible due to the absence of a decent supply and the dominance of ‘stealing’ over ‘trading’, but my throat was extremely dry and any liquid would’ve sufficed. I started to examine myself once more by looking at my grey coat dripping water onto the floorboards. The creaking of the building caught my ears, a sign that I was beginning to psych myself out. I thought that the lady better wrap up her conversation before I leave in fear of being attacked. Soon though, the dark blue mare returns with a wooden mug brimming with cider. “Sorry for the inconvenience,” “Not a problem.” I puckered my lips as I grabbed the cup with my hooves and held it up to them. I only took a small sip at first, expecting the taste to be as horrendous as they rumored out at sea, but to my surprise, it tasted great. It was as if fresh apples were actually imported from a high class kingdom right into this bar. I then began to chug the entire thing down in a single go, realizing then why the pirates seemed so much more chipper than other bars I have visited. “By thunder, that’s a decent drink.” “I know, until recently, the cider here was terrible, then a bunch of strangers showed up with crate loads of apples and now no pony is losing their stomachs or getting into as many brawls.” I then realized I made a mistake by creating chit-chat with the barmaid, so I took a moment to clear my throat before changing the subject before it carried on. “Second, I need some information on a pony and his bounty.” “Ah, one of those sea travelers. Who are you looking for?” “I’m looking for…” I scanned my left and right to make sure that no pony was intentionally listening in before continuing in a whisper, “Korsan.” Immediately upon hearing the name, the bartender backs up to the dual doors. Everypony in the bar grows deafly silent as they turn towards me, staring at me as if I was a lunatic. Even the brawlers stopped mid-punch and gave me a frightened look. “What?” The dark blue unicorn uncovers her ice blue mane from out of the front of her cyan eyes, trying to get a better look at me as well. “K-K-Korsan, doesn’t have a bounty, he makes them. A-An avid visitor of this place actually…” “Well, what would be his value if I were to capture him and turn him into the authorities?” “He’s priceless,” a patron that was in the earlier fight replies, “You’d never be able to catch him alive nor dead. If he were to have heard you, let alone seen you, you’d be dead.” “What do you mean?” I gave a quick look at my back sections of my body, only seeing my wings fumbling inside the cloak. “What would he see that would make him do such a thing?” “Your wings,” “My wings?” I gave a brief chuckle at such a silly detail for a pony to kill me for. “Tis no laughing matter,” a large, gruff pirate in the far back corner announces, “the madpony is Tartarus-bent on killing pegasi and Earth Ponies.” I was one of the strongest ponies in my training and schooling for twenty years, and I have taken down many foes that seemed impossible at the time. So at the time, I didn’t feel like this pirate was any different from the previous ones. “But, if I were to capture him, dead or alive, how much would I most likely get then, if this Korsan is so deadly?” A moment of silence washed over the entire chamber, even the wooden structure of the building itself was stunned from my audacity of challenging the pirate. “It’s a long story,” the mare at the other side of the counter replies, “let me get somepony to explain.” The mare then went back into the kitchen area, leaving me alone once more. But this time, everypony was silently staring at me, making the situation much more uncomfortable for me. After a minute or so of silence, the mare returned back to me with an old, indigo, unicorn stallion giving me a stern, dreary look. He then spoke, talking as if he was about retell of a tragic incident that happened to him, “So, you want to know about Korsan, huh?” “His value and location is what I came for, but if you have a story to tell me, I’m all ears.” The old stallion gives a heavy grunt before responding to my attempted confidence, “You are not worthy to know of such a tragedy.” “Try me, I’ve faced some of the most mentally insane and abused prisoners across every sea you know.” The stallion stood silent for a minute, staring into my eyes, examining my soul to see if I was worthy. “Believe me, you haven’t even seen half the oceans I have seen, not that I blame. You are confident stallion though, fine, if you think you are ready to know, then I shall begin.” “Go.” The old stallion fumbled with the two long white whiskers dropping from below his nose before starting, a sign that he had trouble controlling his emotions on the subject. “It all started a decade or two ago, Korsan, a filly, just like you and me, was born. However, what was abnormal about him was that he was a pegasus, and for five generations straight, his family was nothing but unicorns. So over the course of over a hundred years, his family believed that unicorns were the dominant pony race, and that all others were inferior. Korsan was born of wings, so at first, everypony that was there for the birth was shocked and disgusted to see him. However, his parents decided to take him in anyways, to be raise alongside his older brother and sister.” “So wait, some nutcase wants to kill me for being a pegasus despite him being a pegasus? Sounds a bit hypocritical,” “If you were to keep quiet, I would explain.” “Sorry…” “Over his early years of childhood, he was bullied and teased by his brother and sister, constantly picking up his toys with their magic and even at sometimes him, as if it was a cruel joke. They, and even sometimes including his father and mother, would constantly berate him for being a pegasus and not a unicorn, and to stay out of their business or any close affiliation with them in public. The family soon saw Korsan as a weak link in their family legacy as the best metal workers in town, considering that unicorns were practically the only race that could do the job properly.” “Famous unicorn metal workers for five generations… Wait, where did he live?” “Baltimare, some city in Equestria if I remember right,” ”Equestria… Are they the Madens?” “Yes, they kept Korsan very well hidden from public association. But this did not stop Korsan from trying to fit in and try to impress his family at their metal foundry. He had an amazing intellect and knack for building, inventing, and exploration. With the tools he could find in the workshop while his family was away in the different part of the foundry, the young colt would built an assortment of various mechanical devices, from toys, to tools that could be efficiently operated by non-unicorns, to even puzzles and devices for his own amusement. But when he tried showing them off to his family, they quickly criticized him for merely the fact that he was a pegasus. When he wasn’t at school, tinkering in his private time, or being oppressed by his family, he would play at the harbour with his friends. However, his friends didn’t last for long, as time progressed; his friends got their cutie marks, everypony except for him. He was the only pony in his generation at his school to not receive his cutie mark, and one of the few ponies that to this day, doesn’t have one. As of result, he was teased by his once friends, further scarring his already destroyed childhood.” “Wait, did I hear that right? This highly dangerous pony that can scare a bar silent, doesn’t have his cutie mark to this day?” I burst out into small chuckle at such a ridiculous sounding thing, only to be startled by the old stallion slamming his hooves onto the counter. “This is no laughing matter! That teasing and laughing is the very reason he’s so dangerous!” In fear, I recollected myself as the stallion also recollected himself from his fit of rage. He then continued in his calm voice, “As he was persistently bullied at home and at school, the rage built up boiled to the tipping point. He often engaged in brutal fights at school, with even on some occasions, using his mechanical gadgets as weapons. This resulted in him being removed, school after school, district after district, wherever he went, his rage and lacking physical attributes always dove him deeper and deeper in trouble. At the mere age of ten, Korsan was sent to jail, the earliest known arrest in Batimare’s history.” “Yikes…” “He was bailed out by his family the next day, only to take him home and give him a sharp piece of their minds. However, what was intended to be a mere aggressive lecture from each member of his family combined, quickly escalated into an ugly sight, resulting in him receiving an eye patch the next day. He was all alone, with only his gadgets and his own thoughts to keep him company. He no longer was accepted into any school and was banned from joining any family gathering, except if that gathering was his siblings to pick on him. In retaliation to the sibling’s constant bullying and the ideology that unicorns are better implanted into the core of his twelve-year-old corrupt mind, Korsan directed his intellect to become as close to a unicorn as mechanically possible. He started by inventing an anti-magic substance that would protect him from any magical attacks.” “Wait, he invented an anti-magic substance at the age of twelve? How smart was this foal?” “Very smart, very creative, very resourceful, but had very low self-esteem and a body filled with rage and hatred; he was a waste of so much potential.” “So did it work?” “No, although it functioned right, the substance would wash off of Korsan’s body quickly. He needed a way of keeping it on him for ages to come, a suit of sorts. However, since he didn’t have the precision of his large hooves to build a proper suit to contain the substance, he built muscle-controlled claws that would give him great precision in his work. These claws will be one of the key features we all recognize the madpony with. He then went on to build a harness that would have his material flow all around his body, creating a shield of sorts. After many weeks of sweat and tire, Korsan completed his claws and anti-magic harness. He then displayed to his family the powers and capabilities his inventions could do, only to be discredited once more by teaching him that unicorns can perform magical feats no mechanical device could possibly match.” “He invented anti-magic and claws that would allow a non-unicorn to have the same precision of handling objects as one, how was he not given credibility?” “He claims that they were right, that unicorns are the best and no work of mind nor machinery can match them. But if you were to ask me, I would say it’s just stubborn pride.” “I see,” “Back to the story… After being rejected by his family once more, the young colt had just about enough of this abuse. He flew away from his home one day and over the busy streets of Baltimare. However, something abnormal happened during his flight. It was some sort of unknown light phenomenon in the sky that just came all of a sudden, like lightning or something. It that blinded Korsan that sent him tumbling down into the streets, to be hit head on by an armoured bank chariot. He was immediately taken to the hospital, only to find out that his back was broken and would require years to heal. He also found out that his wings were broken, but unlike his back, the damage was permanent, he could not fly for the rest of his life. His family didn’t show up at the hospital to help him after the accident, he was truly abandoned. With a broken back and wings and the only thing he had were his inventions, he started a life of crime. Korsan began with petty theft, simple purse snatches and pick pocketing just to get some resources.” “How was he able to do it without being caught, wasn’t his back broken?” “It was, instead of hasty snatch and runs, Korsan used his intellect and silver tongue to get ponies to not notice when he robbed them until after an hour of him leaving them. He used the money to buy food to get by the day and metal to build a support system that would help him to be able to walk properly again. This secondary suit would act as a mechanical toy that Korsan could control with fluid motion. The new ensemble worked better than he expected, as he found out he could run faster, lift more weight, and react quicker to immediate situations than other normal foals of his age, but these upgrades came at a cost. Over the years, his support suit has been slowly forming his spine to go upright, never letting the broken bones inside to properly heal. In the past couple of years, his front hooves have never touched the ground, for he could now simply walk and run with his hind hooves.” “This pony just seems to get stranger and stranger.” “And grew even more dangerous at that, for in a matter of days, his crimes escalated to grand theft and even caused several hostage situations. He then used his spoils to buy from the black market and created weapons, from blades, to cannons, to even explosives. This created a vicious cycle that grew too big for Korsan to keep within Baltimare. Using his experiences of his old days playing at the harbour and the use of his latest technologies, Korsan spent a couple of years building a ship, one that could fly and was large enough to be considered a self-sustaining fortress. He worked on it for three years, never allowing himself to sleep for more than three hours nor let any injury delay his work. Upon completing his revolutionary creation, he then gathered up a crew of unicorns to serve as his pirate minions and they took off, beginning Korsan’s global campaign of pillaging and plundering any city, whether it be surrounded by land, sea, or sky.” “He built a ship… that could not only fly, but also be self-sustaining?” “Yes, it doesn’t even run on magic, as the entire thing is built with his anti-magic substance lining every floorboard, causing some, odd, science thing to happen that allowed it to fly.” I couldn’t believe what the old stallion was saying, I’ve never heard of such a ship, or any large structure of that matter, that was able to fly without magic. “Impossible…” “It’s real, I’ve been on that ship long enough to know it top from bottom.” “You were a prisoner?” “No…” He stayed silent for a while, I could tell by the subtle motions in his eyes that he had a very close connection with the vessel. “You were a crew member.” “I was Korsan’s first mate and my daughter was a mechanic; it was odd having to be told around by a pony that was only fifteen at the time, but as the years progressed, I came to terms with it.” “So that’s why you know so much about him.” “He told me everything, as if I was the true father figure he never had. He’d show me nearly everything he had saw, created, or stolen with a face full of pride and glee.” “How long did you serve under Korsan? Why did you leave? Was it the guilt of just doing nothing but crimes getting to you?” “Easy there lad, ask one question at a time. I worked for Korsan for about five years until I resigned a couple of years ago. And I didn’t just do nothing but piracy, that was only my job. While me and my crewmembers were with Korsan, his adventurous spirit would take us to new locations and see unimaginable things. I remember when he would sit out on the bow, writing down his discoveries and research throughout all the night. There was some sort of an innocent side of him that became exposed whenever he encountered something new. He wrote many books, collected so many artifacts, and built so many machines. When I was with him on those adventures, sometimes, I would forget about our crimes and think that we were a family of sorts.” “So what made you and your daughter leave?” “…” The unicorn became quiet and avoided making eye contact with me. “You don’t need to know.” “But I want to,” “No you don’t, it would be too much for a young stallion like yourself.” “I’m a bounty hunter; I’ve hunted down murderers and absolute maniacs, how bad could it be?” “Are you sure?” He then gave me a strong glare. His eyes shrunk and his mouth turned to a snarl, as if he was holding back an inner demon. I slowly nodded my head, unaware of the true grim that he was about to tell. “Several years ago, we were coming up to a small kingdom in the clouds, preparing to attack the main castle and get as much booty as possible. Within moments of hovering right next to the front gates, we attacked. The pegasi were no match as we merely held them in place with our magic. We stormed the castle and came back in moments, holding as much gold, jewels, and other valuables with our magic. At first glance, this was just another successful plunder. That was, until we started to leave with the mountain of loot on our ship. I noticed that Korsan was looking back at the kingdom, observing its buildings, its size, but most importantly, its citizens. He stopped the vessel and turned its port towards the kingdom. The crew was reasonably confused of his actions at first. However, that all changed when he turned to us and gave the command. He ordered us to fire off the cannons into the kingdom and destroy it. I couldn’t believe what he was ordering, we usually only used the cannons in defense or if a target was being too stubborn. This was an act of terrorism. Me, my daughter, and a few crewmembers could not bring ourselves to do it. Most of the other pirates, the ones that were once in prison for federal crimes, didn’t mind however and followed orders. They fired into the city, and the screams of stallions, mares, and children soon echoes back to our boat. I was scarred from the horrific scene that I saw unfold before me. Korsan approached me when he saw I was struggling and asked why I wasn’t attacking. I told him that I couldn’t bring myself to hurt masses of innocent ponies for no reason, in which he gave me a most terrifying response.” “What was it?” “’Pegasi and Earth Ponies are inferior, we must shape the world to what it should be, all unicorns, no more suffering…’” “You mean to say,” “Yes, the beliefs of his family had been released from the darkest pits of his mind and out into his true desires. He then told me that after this, we would be searching for a way for him to become a unicorn, destroying every non-unicorn that stood in his way. In a matter of moments, the entire kingdom began to fall down into the abyss below, bringing countless ponies down, trapped within their houses. I was terrified, for I saw a small smile on the captain’s face as he watched the kingdom fall before his eyes…” A slow stream of tears began to run down the stallion’s cheeks, still staring at me with his watery, yet stern eyes. “So then you quit?” “Korsan let me and my daughter leave with no resistance; he was surprisingly lenient on the idea of letting his crew members quit. After that, I sailed out here and built this very bar you are standing in. Korsan comes by to visit and gloat about his newest discoveries and raids every once in a while. I always kept myself in the kitchen to avoid talking to the monster.” “He grows more and more insane each visit,” the stallion’s daughter adds with a taste of disgust in her voice, “Despite his appearance of being a suave, controlled pirate captain, underneath, he’s a monster that won’t hesitate to kill to get what he wants. He usually tries to get me to join his crew and be his ‘special somepony’, but I manage to keep him from advancing too much towards me.” “Never again shall we work for Korsan. He is the deadliest, nastiest, most insane creature you will ever encounter. I suggest staying away from him at all costs, and never, ever, try to pick a fight with him.” The old pony then gave a large sigh of relief before turning back into the kitchen. Small murmurs and chats soon filled the ambience of the chamber, obviously talking about Korsan. I took a moment to examine my cup as I tried to put the pieces together of how such a monster, a brilliant monster, came to be, despite being told step-by-step on the spot. I contemplated at the counter of what to do, either follow the stallion’s advice, or face Korsan. If I were to defeat him, not only would I have some of the most revolutionary technology in the world, I would also have the greatest ship at my disposal, heck, I could retire on the thing if what I thought was true. I looked up to the barmaid, cleaning another empty mug. I asked her, “So, how often does he visit this place?” “Once every two weeks or so,” she responded, returned to her deadpan tone, “why?” “I just want to know how long I could stick around this place.” “He’s expected to return this day actually, he’s set up a massive bounty three days ago and said he would return from an expedition with the bounty ready for him.” “Has the bounty already been captured?” “Actually, no, the ten ponies that the bounty was pinned on paid it off. All ten million bits,” I slammed my hoof onto the polished wood counter to keep myself from falling. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. “Korsan set up a ten million bit bounty on ten ponies?! He’s actually willing to give up that much money? Where does he get this fortune?” “I told you, he’s insane.” The gears in my head began to spin rapidly. If Korsan really did have that much money on him and I defeated him, it would be the peak of my career. I would become the richest pony on the high seas; I could buy whatever I want. My greed soon overtook me as I dropped the lie of leaving and leaned over the counter, almost touching the mare’s nose with mine. “Where can I find Korsan now? I want what he has; I can take him down if it means becoming the richest pony in the world!” Behind me, in the doorframe with the door wide open, a voice replied, “Right behind you.” I winced my body in shock as I looked over my shoulder to see a tall abnormal shadow looking at me. A bolt of lightning struck down from the storm outside the bar, revealing the silhouettes of a large crew of ponies through the foggy windows. “Korsan…” He then started to make his way up to me, revealing himself in the light of the candles on the tables. He had a dark brown coat of fur that nearly matched the color of the wet wood on the ceiling. His mane and tail was a mess of jet black hair, haven’t been cut nor styled in years, yet it somehow grew itself to work somewhat proper and neat. He stood on his hind legs like the old stallion said, with his front hooves swinging back in forth in tune with his motion. On his left side of his face was an icy blue eye staring dead straight at me, while on the right side, he wore an eye patch that covered his other eye and a scar that peeked from the top and bottom of the black patch. His hooves each had what appeared to be a silvery, metal shoe with five spikes protruding from them over the front of his limbs. Connected to these shoes were long connections of copper gears, pistons, and other pieces of mechanical parts that stretched along the sides of his limbs and into the back. He wore a metal battle harness on his upper part of his chest with a sickly blue and green light emanating from the center circular buckle piece and through small grooves engraved in the straps wrapping around his entire torso. Around his back was a large black cape that stretched down to the floor with its corners trailing rainwater from outside and obscured any pony’s view of his wings. “So, a funny thing just recently happened. I was just walking into a bar when I heard the funniest joke ever. ‘Where can I find Korsan now? I want what he has; I can take him down if it means becoming the richest pony in the world!’” The pirate chuckled as he continued his walk towards me, only to stop three hooves in front of me. “And you know what the best bit about that was? The pony, who said it, was a pegasus. What a laugh am I right?” All around him, the patrons of the bar laughed nervously, fearing what he would do if they did not laugh. I gulped a pocket of air before replying, trying to sound intimidating, “So, what did you do next huh? Did you and the challenger fight? Did the challenger proved pegasi were just as good as unicorns?” I twirled around to face my body in the correct position and stance for combat. I had a secret weapon underneath my cloak, and was ready to spring it at any moment. “Oh, we did fight, more of a banter to be worded correctly, but…” Korsan gave a side glance to one of his crew members to his right. The unicorn crew member’s horn began to glow and in an instant, my legs were being pulled from under me. My torso slammed into the wood floor with my legs being pulled away from me, nearly ripping them off. I saw that a faint red aura was surrounding my hooves; I immediately knew it was unicorn magic. “The results weren’t what my challenger expected.” “What? Afraid to fight like a stallion? Needing your lackeys to take on just one pony?” Another short chuckle escapes from his mouth. He then kneeled down to my eye level on the floor, giving me a look of pity. “Oh, you poor creature, you actually think that?” In one swift gesture, Korsan stretched out his right hoof in front of my face. I observed in awe as the five spikes that were attached to his shoe became alive, like dragon claws. “Did you ever have the feeling, of, a great pain?!” His metal fingers immediately pinched my nose on cue, causing a large shockwave of pain to rattle through my body. “A pain, so great,” his claw then started to twist my nose, making the pain more unbearable as I gave a hard roar of pain, “but, you can’t do anything about it, making it even more painful? For over twelve years of my life, I had that pain. I was powerless against my family bullying me because they had magic and I did not. Yet I learned a valuable lesson, unicorns are superior, all they have to do is perform a tiny spell, and any non-unicorn is bent to their every will and desire. That’s why my crew and I have been the most effective pirates out there.” “Then why do they listen to you if they’re all that superior.” “Direction, my imbecilic rival, that’s why. Sure they have the magic, but with my help with the invention of physical anti-magic and far superior intellect, we achieve the greatest of riches. And about the whole me-being-a-pegasus part, I plan to fix that.” “But how?” I squealed with my nose being turned sideways, “The only way you can change your race is ascension, and that requires the magic of the most powerful of ponies. And so what if you get a horn, it takes years of education to master the art of magic.” “Not true once again,” another laugh bellowed from the pony’s mouth before continuing, “I have studied magic all of my life, what types there are, how to use it, how to tamper with it, how to forge it into weaponry, and many other applications of it. I also have gathered a vast variety of books, old and new that go into the history of it, so it should come to no surprise that I would find another way to get what I desire. Alicorn Island, a legendary island somewhere in uncharted waters that is said to have an artifact what will grant a pony the wings of a pegasus, the strength of an Earth Pony, and the horn of a unicorn. I’m so close to finding it as well, I just need a little more time.” He let go of my nose and grabbed me by the suit I had hidden under my cloak. The unicorn that was holding me down let goes of his magic as I was lifted up to eye level with Korsan staring into my soul. “So what do you say?” “I say that you’re playing cheap.” “You still want an actual fight with me? I was going to kill you one way or another. At least it’s going to be fun for the both of u-… wait a minute.” Korsan’s eye darted down and saw the purple silk of my suit poking out of the black jacket I was wearing. “This silk…” He raised me a little higher as he began to pull his face closer to the suit that was beginning to tear from being stretched so much. I tried to flap my wings and escape his grip, but my cape and suit was still too soggy and Korsan holding the tight silk up so high wasn’t making my situation better. The pirate captain then began to sniff my suit and brush the tip of his soft nose over it, creating a very awkward situation in my mind. “This mulberry silk has been dyed with Tyrian Purple, a rare and expensive dye made from sea snails only native to the local waters around Saddle Arabia. The stitching of the cloth has been done with the finest precision of magic. The only ponies that would be able to wear such a luxurious piece of equipment would be royalty, bestowed by royalty, or be insanely rich. I know where you got this, this clothing given to you by the king of Saddle Arabia as a reward for catching a very high level criminal, considering your profession is that of a bounty hunter, you would be chasing after highly dangerous ponies.” I was in absolute shock upon hearing his conclusion. I was mystified at how he was able to know not only how and where I got my suit, but also what my occupation was right on the spot. “How did you know that I was a bounty hunter?” “It was very simple to put the pieces together. Your shadowy appearance, the way you engaged me and my ponies, the fact that you are most likely not from these local waters, the fact that you are willing to actually fight me, it was so blatantly obvious. Hey, make you a deal, I’ll put you out of your misery and I’ll take your lovely clothing from your body. Promise not to bleed on the suit, and I’ll kill you quickly.” Korsan laughed once more, with this one turning maniacal and his crew of about fifty joining him in the cheer. At this point, I had grown sick of this stallion’s endless taunting and insults. I saw my opportunity and I gave a good kick to Korsan’s exposed eye with a hind hoof. He screamed in pain as I was dropped from his metal grip. I sprang into action and used my secret weapon to tear from the cloak and regain my hoofing. I looked to my back left and right to see my weapons unveiled. Two, heavily armoured, extendable wing blades attached tightly at the front edges of my wings. I opened my wings wide and flapped them down, causing the sharp metal blade to extend to a metre in length. I pointed my right wing at the tip of Korsan’s nose while he was rubbing his eye, which I then noticed how truly soft it was even against the tip of my sharp blade. He and I could feel my sharp metal tap his abnormally soft nose. He eventually stopped rubbing his eye and gave a good look at the blade about to strike him, then up at my face. My eyes were boiling with determination as I stared at him back, not letting myself show any fear. “Korsan, give up these felonious acts and come with me peacefully or I will use aggressive force.” “Like you haven’t already?” He responded in a cynical, harsh tone, “that’s some mighty impressive equipment you got there. Almost makes me wish I didn’t give those wing blades away.” I shook my head in disbelief, before thinking that what he said might be right. “You made these?” “Yeah I made them, but due to… unforeseen changes to my body; I had to sell the weapons to the black market, which is where you most likely got them from. Luckily, I always upgrade.” Korsan then reached both of his front claws behind his back to when I could not see and pulls out two, long, serrated cutlasses with light similar to that of his harness creating glowing designs in the blades. “You still want to fight?” My rival then begun to spin the two swords with his claws to try to intimidate me pre-battle and demonstrate his capabilities with the blades. “Bring it.” We lunged towards each other and began to fight. Our metal blades struck each other in a harmonious rhythm, every strike, lunge, parry, jab, and grind, perfectly timed. As Korsan and I dueled, Korsan’s crew began to flood into the bar and form a circle around us, making sure I wasn’t going to escape. I was amazed at the sheer presentation of our battle to the other patrons, as if it was a performance. Shouts rang out among the customers behind the crew’s backs, calling bets on when I was going to die. It didn’t deter me however, instead I used it as motivation to surprise everypony. Eventually, I gained the upper hoof and struck Korsan’s left cutlass at the hilt with a powerful swing, launching it across the bar and hitting the bull’s-eye on a dartboard. “Ha!” My other blade and Korsan’s right sword collided together and began to grind. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to finish him off. I swung my free wing once more to attack and just as I was about to slice into Korsan’s side, it stops. A loud metal clang ringed from the blade and echoed through the building, bringing a wave a silence to the area. I looked down to seeing Korsan’s unarmed metal fist grabbing hold of my wing. I shook side to side, but he did not let go. “Impressive.” My gaze returned back to my rival, who now had the most evil smile imprinted on his face. “Another design flaw I’ve noticed is that, pegasi weapons…” Before he finished his statement, he flung the blade and my entire body into the air. All I saw for three seconds was the floor and the ceiling chasing each other, not knowing where I was or what was happening to my body. However, the torture ended in a flash, as I found myself slammed into a smashed table on the ground, with apple cider pouring on my face. Pain was dancing throughout my veins, and I couldn’t do anything about it at this point but to pant and wheeze, frozen in shock of whatever maneuver he had pulled. I looked to my right to see Korsan kneeling next to my paralyzed body, still held onto my wing. “They tend to be a bit clingy, don’t you agree?” I tried to form words in my mouth, but all that came out was stuttering, “K-K-K-K-ma-ka-ko-” “Don’t strain yourself, it’ll all be over in a minute.” The pirate then let go of my wing, only to grab the collar of the vest I wore once again. He raised me up into the air with one claw and his sword in another before announcing to the attendants present, “Behold! This is what happens when you try to mess with me! Any Earth Pony or pegasi that gets in my way will not live to see the next day, so you all better watch yourselves. Am I clear?” The room remains quiet, as all of the patrons are still shocked silent of the battle. “I said; Am I clear?!” “Y-Yes.” They all nervously responded. “Good.” Korsan’s glare turned to the barmaid, in which he slowly walked to her with me in tow. “Hey November Gale, open for the weekend? My ice phoenix Juliana has learned a new trick I would like to show you.” “Go away Korsan,” she sternly replied, “you’ve already caused enough damage to this place. I don’t want your parrot to freeze this place.” “Come on November, you know you can’t resist a pony like me.” “Yes I can, and if you’re going to be causing any bloodshed, do it outside.” “Fine. If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to.” With that said, Korsan carried me outside of the bar, through the open door and into the rainstorm. It had grown even more violent than before, with rain and lightning obscuring my view of any of the rock stacks that surrounded the bar. What I did see however, was the most incredible thing imaginable. A galleon, hundreds of meters long, hovering above the water. The rain and lightning floodlit the groves along the hull’s woodwork illuminated a green glow of thousands of roots, interconnected and simply majestic. I was then pinned against the wooden wall just outside the door, my hooves not able to touch the ground, and the pain growing more intense with the unnatural position I was at. Korsan leaned into my face, with his eyes looking up at me from below my nose. “Any last words?” I croaked, “P-Please, K-Korsan, you don’t have to do this. I think you’re a fantastic pony!” “Tsk, don’t try any of that rump-kissing with me, you’re going to die, any second now.” “Wait, why the Earth Ponies and pegasi? Why can’t you just leave them be instead of this whole genocide plot? Think of all the ponies that died in that sky kingdom!” “To end the suffering. I don’t want some foal to be wrongfully born to a family that’ll not love him like me. I shall put an end to the loose genetics that plague generations of potential wonders into inferior beings. You may not be able to see things my way, but don’t worry, this action tonight will be one of many deeds done to create a better future.” “What you’re doing is wrong, all ponies are equal.” “Wrong, I have shown you, you are wrong.” Immediately, Korsan pressed my chest against the wall even harder and pulls his sword back, preparing to swing it. I closed my eyes, awaiting for the inevitable to come, only for a minute to pass without him swinging. I opened my right eye to see Korsan looking at the now closed door, contemplating something. “K-Korsan?” “Where did you hear of that? Where did you hear of the time I destroyed that kingdom? Where did you hear of my beliefs? Who told you?” At this point, I was only looking out for myself, so I decided to tell him to keep myself alive. “It was that indigo pony in the bar! Your first mate,” “Nitin Gale… That old pony’s been telling tales I see.” “Yeah, can you please let me go?” “So what? So you can tell others of the pathetic history I’ve had as a pegasus?” “No, you’re a genius! You’ve been able to do so many things before you were even an adult. Just that airship is enough to impress anypony, no matter what you are!” “My feats shall be seen as the work of a unicorn. And until I am seen as one, no pony, shall speak of them.” “So what are you going to do?” “You know the old saying…” “…” “A dead pony tells no tales…” In that moment, everything became dark, and that’s how it’s always been to this day. I shall never forget that event, not one night I shall not feel Korsan’s blade come In contact with the flesh of my neck. They say that a dead pony tell no tales. That is only partly true. A dead body tells no tales, but the voices of the sea speak as they please. The soul is eternal, and doesn’t exist in the physical world of existence most can hear. And sometimes, they relive their stories night after night, never to forget it… Bonus: Captain Korsan's Crew of One Hundred UnicornsHere is a list of all one hundred and two crew members of The Perfection with a little info on each member. Note: Each crewmember is well adept in combat and will take arms in either fighting on the field or firing cannons. Captain Korsan Maden "The Pirate of Metal" Gender: Male Age: Early 20s Role: Captain Primary Weapon: Custom Serrated Anti-Magic Cutlasses Birthtown: Baltimare, Equestria Juliana "Missy" Gender: Female Age: 400 Role: Pet/Animal Mascot Primary Weapon: Ice Aura Birthtown: Pingwin Found: Pingwin Horus Barbosa "The Pirate of Many Origins" Gender: Male Age: 46 Role: Quartermaster Primary Weapon: Spiked Mace Birthtown: Unknown Found: Pearis, Prance Chopin "The Mime" Gender: Male Age: Unknown Role: Personal Assistant/Entertainer Primary Weapon: Karambit Birthtown: Unknown Found: Le Manes, Prance Isyan Maden "The Blood Metal" Gender: Male Age: 26 Role: Boatswain Primary Weapon: Pointed Tip Sabre Birthtown: Baltimare, Equestria Found: Gallopfrey Maria Vanshwitz "The White Rose" Gender: Female Age: 19 Role: Mechanic Primary Weapon: Dagger Birthtown: Ottapaw, Canida Found: Spotsa, Reno Slasher Gutzoult "The Kitty Pirate" Gender: Female Age: 17 Role: Janitor Primary Weapon: War Scythe Birthtown: Stalliongrad, Equestria Found: Stalliongrad, Equestria Lilis Jewmerin "The Needled Rose" Gender: Female Age: 30 Role: Doctor/Surgeon Primary Weapon: Rapier Birthtown: Manebourne, Equestria Found: Copei Town, Taripus Rebublic Butch Taylor "The Butcher" Gender: Male Age: 76 Role: Cook Primary Weapon: Two-Bitted Axe Birthtown: Steebs, Heliopolis Found: Amarezon Ivan Voorhees "The Single Worded" Gender: Male Age: 53 Role: Cook Primary Weapon: Broad Butcher Knife Birthtown: Pawland Found: Hooviet Union Yin Shou "The Half Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 20 Role: Powder Monkey Primary Weapon: Katana Birthtown: Las Pegasus, Equestria Found: Gorgonzola Yu Shou "The Other Half" Gender: Male Age: 20 Role: Rigger Primary Weapon: Katana Birthtown: Las Pegasus, Equestria Found: Gorgonzola Lazarus Lazuli "The Creed" Gender: Male Age: 30 Role: Master Gunner Primary Weapon: Short Knives Birthtown: Talos, The Griffon Kingdoms Found: Island of Perpetual Tickling Clara Rosebud "The Golden Pirate" Gender: Female Age: 44 Role: Surgeon/Doctor Primary Weapon: Extended Naginata Birthtown: Gryphus, The Griffon Kingdoms Found: Shanghay, Ib'xian Frankie Stein "The Oddjob Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 34 Role: Carpenter Primary Weapon: Chain Kunai Birthtown: Tramplevania, Equestria Found: Alpacalacia, Tramplevania Alps Phlox Roy "The Fire Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 50 Role: Master Gunner Primary Weapon: Combustion Shurikens Birthtown: Unknown Found: Cursed Salt Plains Hans Kraus "The Torn Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 20 Role: Master Gunner Primary Weapon: Longsword Birthtown: Thatcholm, Gildedale Found: Grazezeld, Gildale Hotus Pharox "The Ancient Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 77 Role: Doctor/Sugeon Primary Weapon: Khopesh Birthtown: Unknown Found: Murder's Cove, Scorched Lands Ryan Aran "The Pirate Sniper" Gender: Male Age: 23 Role: Lookout Primary Weapon: Crossbow Birthtown: Concordia, Cervidas Found: Roe Island Gofu Kyrself "The Rat" Gender: Male Age: 33 Role: Rigger Primary Weapon: Throwing Tomahawks Birthtown: Hump, Camellu Found: Libraria Pip Kyrself "The Mouse" Gender: Female Age: 14 Role: Powder Monkey Primary Weapon: Claymore Birthtown: Hump, Camellu Found: Libraria Sir Alexander Grevious "The Proper Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 40 Role: Lookout Primary Weapon: Cutlass Birthtown: Canterlot, Equestria Found: Sableside, Equestroa Altaria Deerc "The Assassin" Gender: Male Age: 26 Role: Lookout Primary Weapon: Short Dagger Birthtown: Dust Found: Dust Orion Comet "The Bottom of the Barrel" Gender: Male Age: 17 Role: Janitor Primary Weapon: Lance Birthtown: Cloudsdale, Equestria Found: Appeloosa, Equestria Anton Chugs "The Drinking Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 35 Role: Surgeon/Doctor Primary Weapon: Serrated Blade Nunchucks Birthtown: Hoovegorod Found: Bearmingham, Ursland Jack Cauld "The Green-Bellied" Gender: Male Age: 30 Role: Carpenter Primary Weapon: Claymore Birthtown: Derpyshire, Equestria Found: Hostralia Blackgate Beardsworthy "The Dark Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 50 Role: Master Gunner Primary Weapon: Large Cutlass Birthtown: Unknown Found: Kingdom of Haven Fawnswa Garg "The Lilly-Livered Pirate" Gender: Female Age: 39 Role: Mechanic Primary Weapon: Spiked Gauntlets Birthtown: Fawntaine, Cervidas Found: Roe Island Salty Bob "The Mountie Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 30 Role: Rigger Primary Weapon: Mini Cannon Birthtown: Ottopaw, Canida Found: Ottopaw, Canida Barbara Hannah "The Choppy Pirate" Gender: Female Age: 27 Role: Carpenter Primary Weapon: Double Roped Kunis Birthtown: Spotsa, Reno Found: Rhineland, Reno N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: Bonus: TreatmentThis is a written recording of the last psychiatric analysis of patient Korsan A. Maden in the Victoria Mahkra Asylum on Foreversea Island, two days before his escape from location. Up to this point, patient has committed an unconfirmed number of crimes across Baltimare, Equestria, though the general guess is at least one thousand over the course of three years, ranging from robbery, arson, murder, and several other federal crimes. Psychiatric Interview and Analysis of Patient #113 Timestamp: 2300 hours, [REDACTED] Psychiatrist: Dr. Gale Stenographer: Dr. Parker [Begin Recording] Upon patient's request, all overseeing doctors and front security have been removed from the treatment room, leaving only Dr. Gale to examine him and Dr. Parker for both recording and required security. The patient is seated on a large red therapy bed with Dr. Gale seated next to him on a small metal stool bolted to the metal floor of the containment chamber. Dr. Gale speaks first, greeting the patient in a welcoming tone of voice, "Hello Mr. Maden." The patient responds in a charismatic tone, similar to all previous interviews between him and other doctors, "Greetings." "I will be your interviewer for the evening. I'm just going to perform a psychiatric evaluation, so this will be quick." "Oh great, another one of these..." "Excuse me?" "Bah, don't mind that. This is just the tenth one I've received this month." "Do you have a problem with it?" "These doctors, these professionals, these shrinks, they've been so desperately trying during these last months to try and dissect my brain and psyche. They just keep searching for something that isn't there, something wrong with me." "I don't quite follow. Can you please clarify?" "...You're an intern, I presume." "I used to be. This is actually my first actual interview as a psychiatric. I hope you don't mind." "No, no, that's good, very good, some hospitality for once." "What do you mean?" "These coworkers of yours are not the kindest lot. They really can't take 'no' for an answer from me. You'll be different I assume." "Who knows? But anyways, how about we start this session?" "Good luck on your first analysis." "Thank you. Should we start by asking you a few personal questions?" The patient's voice cuts into a cold and apathetic mood, "Very well then." "What are your hobbies?" "Many really. Construction, engineering, self-educating, and 'business'." "What do you educate yourself about?" "Mathematics, history, biology, mechanics, physics, nautical studies, magic, you know, the essentials." "Essentials?" "Knowledge that helps you keep up with the world and change it to what is best for it, things you know before diving headfirst into the icy sea of reality." "Do you like to read fiction?" "Of course. They give ideas and concepts you would never thought of alone, perhaps even a decent fantasy to pursue." "Why did you commit these crimes? If you were so interested in self-benefit and education, why did you not follow through?" "Knowledge can only get you so far. Like most things, everything has an invisible limitation, either it be physical, mental, magic. Upbringing just makes these limits all the more obvious, as for my case. In order to at least avoid these limits, I have to break a few rules." "Were you bullied?" "That is both an understatement and an overstatement." "What do you mean?" "It is an understatement because it was more than just bullying. My past was nothing but humiliation, torture, neglect, and pain. I became the laughing stock of any set of ponies I was clumped together with, even my own family treated me like such." Dr. Gale slightly rises from her seat and reaches her hooves towards the patient's scarred face. Against regulation, she breaks formal tone and exclaims, "That sounds horrible!" "But, this 'bullying' you speak of is also a very dramatic overstatement." "How?" "It was all justified." "What?" Dr. Parker motions to Dr. Gale to take her seat, in which she obeys and calms down before the patient answers. "You see, there is a grim truth to this world. An ultimate reality that everypony tries to refuse the existence of and live in a state of innocence." "What is this reality?" "...Perhaps I shouldn't tell you. The other doctors called me mad when I told them." "You can tell me. I won't judge you." "Oh, but you have to. It's your job isn't it? To pick and judge me in order to find some solution to whatever illness I have, well, claimed that I have at least." "Well..." "Don't feel too bad for yourself. It isn't your fault, it's this cruel false world that you live in." "I don't understand. Please clarify." "The illusion, the limit, the resistance against the grim reality. To an outside observer, anypony that lives in this resistance is almost as mad as a patient of the asylum. Your bean counters are alongside these lunatics in their own little world with their own little ambitions." "Do-do I fall into this limit?" "I wish not. You are quite a nice and young mare." Dr. Gale and the patient both giggle for a second. Dr. Parker gives a stern look at Dr. Gale, motioning her to keep on task and not fraternize with the patient. Dr. Gale breathes for a moment before continuing, "Okay... How about we move onto something else? I need some specifics. How about some word association?" "Sure. I got nothing better to do other than figure out a way out of this prison." "Progress." "A beautiful idea, but impossible in practice." "Art." "The best form of communication." "Acceptance." "My favorite stage." "Charity." "Mercy for those who suffer more than you do." "Honesty." "The world's biggest paradox." "Crime." "A poor pony's excuse of living in envy. With that said, I probably have the biggest excuse." Dr. Gale giggles again, noticeable louder than before. After given another warning from Dr. Parker, Dr. Gale calms down and continues with the session, "Free-will." "The unknowingness of what will happen in the future." "Wait, really?" "What? Is there a problem?" "No. I think the same thing as well." "You do?" "Yes." "Well then, you are quite a clever girl. Continue." "Alright. Destiny." "Knowledge of what will happen in the future. Not really as entertaining as its opposite, but much more powerful." "Truth." "Wait, what?" "Huh? Oh! Your next word is 'truth'." A low grunt escapes from the patient before he answers, "Other than the truth serum I was injected with during the last session, my only thoughts of truth is how oblivious the world is to it." "Would you like to be specific?" "You know what I mean. Don't you?" "I-I think I do." "Don't be so shy, it's only us three in this padded room." "Sorry. I just, I have a lot of things going on. This new job, my dad currently in prison, my mom, it-it's just overwhelming." "Pity." "What am I even saying? I'm going off on a tangent instead of focusing again. I'm sorry." "Don't be. Perhaps it takes a 'screwball' to help you coop with your problem." "No, no. I should stay on task. Your next word is, 'pity'." "A synonym for charity." Dr. Gale pauses for several seconds before continuing, "Fate." "Do you want to know something funny? I used to see fate is something as vile as pure evil, some predetermined eventually that you can do nothing about. The good are rewarded, the bad are punished, the richer get richer, the poorer get poorer, death is inevitable, we endlessly pursue life, it is unstoppable in how tyrannical and boring it all becomes in the end. However, one night, something happened that changed everything." "What happened?" "I came across something, or maybe somepony, very special. I came across phenomenon that I can relate to, and believe me, that has never happened before. When I laid my one good eye across this speciality, I was practically blinded! And during that blindness, I saw a new light that I have never seen before, one that was more powerful than the moons, the stars, and the sun." "What is this light?" "I have no idea. All I will probably ever know about it is its power, its colour, its beauty. In that moment of blindness, I suddenly found a new perspective of fate." "You did?" "Yes. Now I realize that all of those tortures I went through, all the battles I was pulled into or began, they were all leading up to an ultimate moment, an enlightenment when I came across this phenomenon, and it was all set up by fate." "Sounds like this 'thing' is important to you." "Oh it is. Sure I may have received a few new, scars, but the knowledge and wisdom I received in that one moment made me change all of my aspirations. Fate isn't just a cruel form of destiny, but rather a cheat sheet on life, a series of mathematical equations. It is knowledge, and you can already figure out how much I adore knowledge!" "Do you at least have a name of this phenomenon, this knowledge bringer?" "I have no idea of this special little thing is called. I'm sorry." "My-my name is November, November Gale." "What a pretty name for a pretty mare. You must have a lot of friends." "Not really. Most ponies think I'm weird." "These, 'most ponies', what are they like?" "You know, just your regular stallions and mares, Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi." "Are you sure it isn't them that are being wierd?" "What?" "From what I've seen of the world, for every normal pony, there are two morons right beside him or her, dragging the one down with them into their little theatre and forcing him or her to accept them." "That sounds so..." "Insane?" "True." "Ha. We aren't so different, you and me. Perhaps you're another 'screwball' that can put up a good act for her friends." "Maybe..." "...Do you have any friends? Close friends?" A small sniffle is heard as Dr. Gale responds, "...Not really." "Well you got one now." Dr. Gale leans over to the patient and begins to gently stroke his mane. [End Recording] Regal Invites“As the raging thunderstorm continues to rock the ship back and forth, Daring Do watches in horror as Captain Cutlass Cornelius approaches her at the end of the breaking wooden bow. With her wing sliced halfway through from their previous fight, she can’t fly away and instead faces two options. She should either jump off and drown, or face off against a superior foe. The dragon pirate chuckles as he draws closer to Daring Do, sharpening his sword-like claws against each other. With each step Cornelius takes on the weakened bow, a loud crackle can be heard. Now, with only a metre of distance between them, the heroic pegasus closes her eyes tightly and curls into a small ball to think of her options just a little more. Manically laughing, Cornelius raises his bladed claws high into the air. Bolts of lightning strike down on the claws are charge them full with electricity, to the point where the metal starts releasing small bolts of energy to the pouring raindrops that come anywhere close to them. The pirate captain swings down his arms and-” “Twilight!” “Spike! I was in the middle of the climax! You threw off my groove.” “Sorry. The tickets just arrived and I was a little too excited.” “Gah…” The mare known as Twilight groans as her eyes break away from the lines of text in the book and turn towards the purple baby dragon standing at her side, holding two golden slips of paper in between his claws. She immediately recognizes them as tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, the royal ball that she and her friends always look forward to going to. As her purple eyes travel upwards and meet Spike’s large greens, his face turns to a look of discomfort and shame. “Sorry…” Twilight sighs and takes a deep breath to calm herself down before responding. “It’s fine… I’m sorry I snapped. It’s just that I wanted to finish this before Rainbow Dash does and spoils it for me. Thanks Spike. What day is it anyways?” “The day of the Grand Galloping Gala,” “What?!” “Yeah, you-” “Why didn’t you tell me?” Frantically, Twilight leaps up from her position and hops from the bed, causing the open book to flop forwards onto the sheets. The alicorn then begins to dart around her large crystalline bedroom chamber, picking up several items scattered at every corner of the room. Her horn glows intensely with several shades of purple as items become enveloped in a purple aura and flung into the middle of the room in front of the dragon. “I tried to, but you were too intent on finishing your book and beating Dash. I tried to tell you that the ticket delivery was late, but you didn’t listen. Only after I got the tickets and practically shouted at you did you listened.” “I was thinking I would start getting ready when they arrived, I wasn’t expecting them to be this late.” “They were.” “Okay, what do I have? Spike, help! Dress?” Casually, Spike reaches into the large pile and sifts through the items, examining each one quickly and tossing out any toys or random things that accidentally got thrown in. “Check.” “Slippers?” “Check.” “Earrings?” “Check.” “Necklace?” “No-” Spike’s denial is cut short by a necklace of pearls being flung into his face and dropping into the pile. “Check.” “Bits?” “Ten, no, eleven bits,” “Tickets?” “Got them.” “’Daring Do and the Lost Kingdoms of Trihearth’?” “No, you don’t need it. You’ve had your face jammed in it for a week.” “I do! Rainbow Dash will not spoil it for me this time.” “She wo-” “She will!” “Fine, I’ll add it to the pile.” Spike turns to the bed and reaches for the book. Upon grabbing it, the feeling of moist sweat and heat surges into his claws, nearly causing him to drop it in reflex. However, instead of adding the book to the pile, Spike instead slips the book under one of the large bed pillows. For your own good Twilight… he thinks to himself. “Check.” “What else, what else, what else…” “Your crown,” “Yes! My crown?” “Check.” “That should be it right?” “Yeah,” “Good, then let’s go!” “Aren’t you forgetting something?” “You just said we-” “Not the items, you.” “What?” Confused, Twilight walks over to a large mirror hanging onto the wall to examine her reflection. She sees that she has deep, black bags beneath her eyes and that her mane is a frowzy mess, with purple hairs tangled up in each other and her pink highlights weaving through the cluster and spiking out the back. “Oh.” “And don’t forget, you have to put on these things.” “You’re right. Thanks. Go on ahead without me. The others should be at the train station. Tell them to go to Canterlot without me.” “Will do,” Meanwhile, at the train station on the outskirts of Ponyville, five mares, each dressed in beautiful, colourful clothing, are quietly standing on the boarding platform. With a train approaching in the distance, the five soon become anxious at the absence of their sixth and seventh friend. “Where is she?” A cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail amongst the group impatiently asks, “Shouldn’t Twilight have been the first pony to be here?” “Quit your fussin’ Rainbow Dash.” An orange Earth pony with blonde hair retorts, “She can always catch the next train.” “But we agreed to wait for her Applejack.” A yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail gently responds, “What if she panics when she can’t find us here?” “I know Fluttershy, but I don’t like it when my little sister and her friends are already there without us to supervise them. Who’s idea even was that again?” “It was Pinkie’s if I recall correctly.” A white unicorn with a curly purple mane and tail answers, “But it’s not all that bad as you put it. How much trouble could my sister, your sister, and Scootaloo cause-” “A lot.” “Well… maybe. Yeah, it was kind of a dumb idea.” “But they would’ve been so bored here Rarity!” A pink Earth pony exclaims, “And besides, I made them all Pinkie Promise not to cause any trouble in Canterlot.” “Guys!” Rainbow Dash yells, “We’re forgetting the issue at hoof. What are we going to do if Twilight doesn’t show up when the train gets here?” “Girls look,” Fluttershy calmly exclaims, “it’s Spike!” The four others look over to where Fluttershy’s staring and see Spike running towards them from the entrance of the train station. “Hey everypony!” Spike calls out. “What’s keeping Twilight?” Dash irritably asks. “Twilight was sidetracked by that new Daring Do book out. She’s getting ready now and it’s probably going to take a while. She said that we should go without her.” “Did she finish?” “No, she’s still getting ready.” “No, no, no, I mean did she finish ’Daring Do and the Lost Kingdoms of Trihearth’?” “No, she only got midway through the climax.” “What?! She doesn’t know that Daring Do’s mother is-” Before Rainbow Dash can finish, the powerful blow of the train horn interrupts her. “The train’s here. I’ll tell ya later.” One by one, the five ponies and Spike walk into the open train car. They each then take a seat inside, with the mares being careful in their positions as to not damage their large dresses. “Those dresses look great.” Spike remarks. “Why thank you,” Rarity stiffly responds as she continues to meticulously correct her position, “I worked on these over the past month, including that tuxedo you have.” The small dragon looks down and notices that he is wearing a black suit, much to his surprise. “Oh yeah, I nearly forgot I was wearing this all day. The thing’s so comfy.” “Wish I could say the same.” Applejack remarks, obviously scratching her behind underneath her dress. “So, do you think anything odd is going to happen?” “What do you mean?” Fluttershy asks. “You know, your first gala ended in chaos. The second one we went to last year ended with Discord bringing that Smooze thing and nearly sending your friend into an alternate universe. Wouldn’t it be a bit expected that something bad might happen this year?” “Nah, it was probably just chance. Nothing bad will happen this-” “Don’t tempt fate!” Pinkie Pie screams. “What?” “If you say that nothing bad will happen, something bad will happen! It’s a law of the universe!” “Or just nothing bad will happen.” “I bet ten bits on it.” “Fine, I bet ten as well. That’s how confident I am that we all shouldn’t worry this time.” “You’ll be so sorry.” The train horn blares three times as the locomotive begins its departure to Canterlot. Starting with a sudden jerk forwards, the train slowly begins to accelerate and head forward on the iron tracks. Spike looks out the window at the orange evening sky and sees Twilight’s enormous crystal palace in the distance amongst all of the various buildings of Ponyville. “Well Twilight,” Spike speaks to himself, “see you on the next train.” “Don’t feel do down. We’re all still going to the Grand Galloping Gala still.” Out of nowhere, a bright purple light flashes in the middle of the train car, blinding the six inside with it. A purple alicorn with a sparkly blue dress and a golden jeweled crown emerges from the light as it fades. “Twilight!” They all exclaim as their vision recovers. “Sorry,” Twilight replies, “I forgot to check the time.” “We heard from Spike.” Rainbow Dash responds, “So, you haven’t gotten to the part where it’s reveal that Daring Do’s mother is-” “Don’t say another word!” “Oh, right, spoilers…” “Speaking of which… Shoot! I left the book at home.” Spike turns to Dash and asks in a whisper, “…Is her mother dead?” “Shush!” “Oh, sorry, just curious…” “Now then, anything important happen while I was gone?” “Discord’s not coming,” Fluttershy remarks, “he says he’s going to some Bad-Anon group meeting and won’t be back by next week.” “I’m going to win a bet against Fluttershy.” Pinkie exclaims. “No you won’t.” “I’ve recently been practicing lightning manipulation.” Rainbow cheers, “It’s going to be so awesome!” “Nothing much going on with me,” Rarity adds, “boring, but I like it.” “Big Mac’s been working out.” Applejack replies, “Soon he’ll be able to buck apples out of three trees with a single buck.” “Oh! I almost forgot. This year, Cadence will be presenting a historical artifact to us and the media to gain tourist attraction to the Crystal Empire.” “What is it?” the other six ask simultaneously. “The Diamond Eye, a large diamond monument that dates back to before King Sombra’s reign on the Crystal Empire. There’s only half of it though, since it broke ages ago and the other half was never found.” “How big are we talking?” Rarity asks. “About the size of Big McIntosh if it were still in one piece,” “Wow!” “It’s going to be stolen!” Pinkie Pie cheerfully exclaims, “See Fluttershy, it’s destined to happen.” “Enough of this,” Applejack groans, “I’m already irritated enough with this dress chafing parts of me I didn’t even know I had, do not push it. That diamond is not going to be stolen tonight.” “Fine. Sorry.” “Good.” “For now…” “Excuse me?” “Nothing!” “Hey Twilight,” Spike asks, “Is there anything else special about that diamond?” Twilight promptly replies, “There is writing engraved into the diamond, but it’s in a very ancient language and that it’s only part of a full message. Scholars say that it’s some form of poem with a very important subject matter.” “Where do you think the other half is?” “No idea. King Sombra did a lot of changes to the kingdom all of those centuries ago. The other half may be underneath a hundred metres of ice and snow a hundred kilometres away from the empire, and that’s only if it didn’t make its way out to sea. If that’s the case, it might as well be on the other side of the world.” “Oh.” “But there is some hope in finding it, albeit very little.” Stowaway Cutie MarksWith the three fillies Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo caught onboard the SS Raindrop, the seven heroes immediately escort them into the galley, seating them side by side on one side of the table and seating themselves on the others. “What in Equestria are you doing here?” Rarity barks at the young trio. “Technically,” Pinkie interrupts, “we’re outside Equestria.” “I don’t care! Why aren’t you back at home with Mom and Dad Sweetie Belle?” “Well…” the small unicorn filly hesitantly replies, “It was Scootaloo’s fault! She was the one who tempted me into sneaking onboard.” “What?” The orange pegasus filly snaps back, “Don’t blame me. It was Applebloom’s fault for planning on us sneaking in inside the crates of apples.” “Don’t go accusing me of anything.” The yellow Earth pony filly growls, “Who do you think levitated us and herself into those crates to begin with? Sweetie Belle?” “Hey!” Sweetie Belle sharply replies, “It was your idea.” “All of you quit it!” Applejack angrily yells. “As I can read it, all of you played some part in stowing away. Now what I want out of all of yous is an apology. Twilight, let’s turn this baby back home to send these babies back home.” “Wait!” Scootaloo cries out, “We can help you! Don’t you want Applebloom, your little sister, to get her cutie mark?” “For what? Being a stowaway?” “…Is that an option?” “Girls,” Rainbow Dash replies in an annoyed tone, “We appreciate your want in helping us. But as I told you, it’s too dangerous. If you all were on deck when those sirens attacked us, you’d all probably be Kraken food by now.” “But that was just one small incident.” “Yeah,” Applebloom chimes in, “and besides, we were all just curious about the music and banging going on outside. You were all acting so strange, wandering around the edge of the boat, almost oblivious to everything happening around you.” “Wait,” Spike interrupts, “You weren’t affected by the singing?” “No, at least not like you others,” “If you weren’t affected, why didn’t you help me?” “We were… too scared… and the boat was a little too wobbly…” “Oh.” “Come one,” Sweetie Belle whines, “let us help. We’ll stay below deck when Korsan’s around, we’ll cook, we’ll clean inside, we’ll mop the poop deck, we’ll clean your beds, anything!” “For the last time,” Rarity furiously declares, “no! Any objections?” “Nope,” Applejack responds. “Same here,” Rainbow adds. “Sorry, but I have to agree with them.” Fluttershy mumbles, trying to avoid eye contact with the fillies. “Absolutely not.” Twilight replies. “No,” Spike utters, “Pinkie Pie?” The rest of the mares and Spike turn their attention to Pinkie Pie standing in the middle of them all, staring at the fillies ever growing pupils. The pink Earth pony bites her lip in guilt as the fillies keep increasing their pupil size and quivering their lips, attempting to persuade the older mare to give in. “Pinkie, don’t fall for it.” “I can’t…” Pinkie mumbles as her eyes grow wider and wider with theirs. “Can’t… resist… so… sad…” Soon, the trio’s eyes begin to water as well as a few fake sniffles added to their act. Finally, Pinkie snaps. “I can’t say no! You can stay with us, just please, make it sto-op!” “Oh my feathering deity,” “Seeing Pinkie sad makes me sad,” Fluttershy whimpers, “I take back by vote. You can stay.” “Well,” Sweetie Belle happily declares, “looks like we’re half and half. So, what’s it going to be? Are we just going to be sitting here?” “Gr…” Twilight grumbles as she responds, “If you’re going to be with us, we have to establish some ground rules.” “What?!” Applejack and Rarity snap at her, “We’re letting them stay?” “Rule number one, you must always be where one of us tells you to go. So no wondering around the ship,” “What?” Scootaloo cries out. “Rule number two, whenever we come across another pony of any sort, you must go inside and hide, regardless of whoever snapped and let you on deck, unless the situation says otherwise.” “No pirate fighting?” Applebloom squeals, “Drat.” “And final rule, no meddling in our business. If we didn’t ask for your help, you do not help.” “Fine,” Sweetie Belle heatedly replies. “Any other rules one of us wants to add?” Pinkie replies, “No cuts, no buts, no coconuts.” “…Okay then. Rarity? Applejack? Any problems?” The two mares give a short glance at each other before responding in sync, “None. Sounds good. Now all three of you fillies stay here,” “Good, now back to following Korsan. Where is he anyways?” Meanwhile, far away from Twilight and her gang, Korsan’s ship flies high above the water heading towards Thieves’ Hold. At the crow’s nest on top of one of the backmost masts of the ship, leaning over the edge, a red, lanky stallion is levitating a telescope in front of an eye as he looks at the rival ship. “Captain,” he loudly calls out, “you might want to hear this!” Standing on his hind legs at the large metal steering wheel on the second floor deck of the quarterdeck, Korsan hears the crew member. Quickly, he pulls up a lever right next to the wheel and runs down to the main deck and towards the bottom of the stallion’s tall mast. The stallion meanwhile quickly slides down the sides of the ladder with his hooves, reaching the waiting captain in seconds. “What is it Ryan Aran?” Korsan promptly asks. “It’s our followers’ ship. There are three more ponies we didn’t see.” “What are they like?” “Three fillies, one Earth pony, one pegasus, and one unicorn.” “Anything notable about them?” “From what I saw, the unicorn one looks to be the white mare’s sister. They’re all in the galley Captain.” “I see, I’m going to have to play by another angle if that’s the case. Have Chopin sketch the new sea dwellers after he’s finished with the main seven.” “Aye-aye, I’m onto it.” “Good.” The bipedal pirate then walks towards the doors to the galley behind him. Upon entering he sees Maria, the white mare combatant from last night, and a slightly older yellow stallion with a long, light blue and purple mane and tail sitting at the table next to each other, staring into each other’s eyes, oblivious to the captain’s arrival. “Maria Vanshwitz, Hans Kraus,” Surprise of his unseen presence, the two crew members stumble from their seats before quickly getting back up and saluting him. They immediately respond, “Yes Captain Korsan?” “Apologies for my intrusion, but I was merely curious of what my crew’s been doing.” “No woes.” Maria quickly replies, “Nothing out of the usual here in the galley nor the kitchen. Isn’t that right Ivan?” “Aye.” A gruff stallion’s voice cheerfully echoes from the kitchen next to the galley. Korsan accidently chuckles to himself as he sees the two desperately trying to keep their secret from him before responding, “No need for such secrecy, I know.” “You do?” The yellow stallion gasps. “Yes.” “I apologize for my unprofessionalism.” “There’s no need to be sorry. I can see that you two have strong affections for each other. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your duties, I respect your relationship.” “Really?” Maria exclaims with joy. “Why yes. We’re not monsters here. We treat love as it is.” “Thank you Captain.” “Your welcome Maria and Hans, I best be going now. I have to do some research in phycology.” “Is this about the mare aboard that Equestrian ship?” “Why yes, it’s been discovered that she has a sister with her as well, something I didn’t anticipate.” “I apologize for my intrusion, but I heard you and Isyan talking about her a few minutes ago. You seem to be attracted to her from what I heard from below deck. I’m not sure a mind attacking scheme will get her to like you Captain, especially with your plans with the Diamond Eye.” The pale mare lowers her head in shame and closes her eyes, awaiting some form of punishment from her leader. However, she instead feels a cold claw caress her chin as her head is being lifted back up to Korsan’s face. The pirate pegasus looks at her with a warm smile as her red pupils reveal themselves to his single icy blue eye. “Don’t feel ashamed, most ponies usually disagree with my ideals. However, I have studied well enough to know what I’m doing. Everything comes down to a basic science, including magic and emotions. If harnessed properly, the world practically kneels down to you. Do you understand?” “Yes Captain, I do understand.” “Good. Now run along you two.” “Yes Captain.” The two crew members reply before quickly marching out the door. However, before Maria reaches halfway out, a pair of metal claws are then felt stroking the back of her neck. “And for future reference, don’t eavesdrop on me when I’m talking with a crewmember privately, especially my cousin. Let’s just say that some consequences are receiving a small buff.” “Aye-aye, Captain…” The mare nervously responds as she leaves the chamber. Now alone in the galley, with only the cook in the adjacent kitchen with him, Korsan begins to slowly pace around the room, examining each of the seats as he walks. “Ivan Voorhees, I have a favor to ask you.” “Aye,” he promptly responds. “Keep an eye out for Maria Vanshwitz, Hans Kraus, and Isyan Maden. If you hear anything fishy from them, report it to me.” “Aye?” “Let’s just say that some ponies are knowing a little too much and talking a little too much. You know the saying for such an occasion.” “Aye…” “Dead pony tells no tales…” “Aye,” “Perhaps, perhaps it is true. Idiots they are if it is.” “Aye,” “Captain!” Ryan exclaims as he bursts into the room. “What?” Korsan asks. “We lost sights of their ship. Chopin was observing them for a while until he had to sketch, but when he looked back into the glass afterwards, they were gone. They seem to have gone another direction.” “Blast…” “What should we do Captain?” “Continue our course to Thieves’ Hold.” “But what about the mare?” “If they could survive the sirens and Kraken of Siren Gulch, chances are set that they’ll reach us eventually. And even if they don’t follow, I have a backup plan.” “Are you leaving this up to fate and a backup plan?” “In a scientific sense. Besides, this will give me plenty of free time to do some research.” “I guess so.” “Let’s just continue with our regular ways, forget that galleon.” “If you say so. By the way, how has progress on the Diamond Eye been?” “Dead ends so far. It turns out that it’s not two halves, but instead two separate Diamond Eyes.” “What?” “They don’t fit together to form one, their edges don’t meet properly. But don’t fret. Our ultimate objective will soon be reached. I just need time and focus.” “If you say so Captain. Oh! One last thing,” “What?” “Well, you didn’t hear this from me, but I’ve heard from Clara that Frankie told Maria told Phlox told Lazarus told Ivan told Lilis told Lotus told Yin told Yu told her that Butch has been considering retirement for a while now.” “Ivan, is this true? Did Lazarus tell you that your partner cook’s been considering it?” The cook humbly responds, “Aye.” “Hm, very well then,” “What are you going to do about it?” Aran asks, “The only other ponies who’ve retired were old Nitin Gale and his daughter. And let’s just say, to be blunt, they haven’t really enjoyed our company since.” “A notable point Aran, I congratulate you. I’ll examine Butch sometime later to come to a conclusion for the old stallion. You’re free to go.” “Okay then Captain.” As the tall pony trots out of the galley, Korsan’s eye looks back at the burly black stallion through the serving window between the galley and the kitchen. Ivan promptly speaks, “Aye…” Craig Y’ol TimberSeveral days of blind sailing have passed since Twilight and her friends have last seen Korsan’s ship. Now with a fully cloudy sky above their heads, the ten meet up at the galley to discuss their situation. “That’s it,” Rainbow Dash complains, “we lost Korsan.” “Don’t be so glum,” Applejack replies, “We’ll find Thieves’ Hold in time. Right Twilight? You know where we’re going directly to it.” “Well…” Twilight hesitantly answers, “To be honest, I only know the general area of Thieves’ Hold.” “And we are heading to that general direction right?” “Well… I don’t know.” “Are you saying we’re lost?” “Everything looks the same! We’re surrounded by ocean. Despite all of my navigational gear, the ocean will still be the ocean.” “Then why don’t we just go in one direction until we hit land?” Rarity asks. “That might not be a good idea. What if we sail into the Ley Lines again or something equally as dangerous?” Fluttershy replies, “Yeah, maybe we shouldn’t take the risk.” “We’re going to have to take some risk in order to get anywhere.” Rarity retorts. “Maybe we all just need to calm down and think about this more.” Spike suggests. “If only some old pony with a raft came along who understood this ocean like the back of his hoof and helped us.” Pinkie says. “Now that’s just ridiculous,” Rainbow retorts, “now we’ve been through a lot of weird things, but this might take the cake.” “Uh… Dashy,” Fluttershy mumbles. “What?” “I wouldn’t tempt fate.” “What fate? The chances of something like that happening are zilch.” A subtle knocking at the port side of the hull is then heard below the mares. “What’s that?” “Let’s go check it out.” Applejack proclaims, “You three fillies stay in here.” Quickly, the six older mares and Spike charge out to the main deck and look over the side where the knocking is coming from. To their surprise, they see a small wooden platform with a large chest and a small sail in the middle of it. Even more surprising, they see an old Earth pony stallion with a very desaturated green coat of fur and a very white and short mane and tail hitting their ship with a wooden staff. “Excuse me,” Rainbow Dash calls down to the stranger, “can we help you?” “Darn kids,” the old stallion shouts in a withered voice, “keep your darn noise down. I’m trying to take a nap here.” “We weren’t making all that much noise-” “That’s what they all say these days. Listening to that mess of racket they call music.” “Are you lost sir?” Twilight replies. “Do I look lost?” “Uh…” “If anything, you whippersnappers are lost. What were you kids doing messing around in the Ley Lines?” “We were following a pirate named Korsan. Have you seen him?” “He drives this massive floating pirate ship with black sails,” Dash adds, “you can’t miss it.” “That’s a boat?” The old pony mutters, “I thought it was that Discord villain stirring up trouble.” “Discord?” Fluttershy asks, “You know him?” “Everypony does, he’s bringing everything to chaos. You kids would know if your faces weren’t into all of those magazines.” “How old are you even?” Dash rudely asks, having grown tired of his indirect insults. “That’s none of your business. Rude kids…” “Sorry for my friend’s disrespect,” Applejack responds, “you are right. This generation’s going to the dogs.” “You said it. At least somepony’s wise enough around here,” “Yep,” “Applejack,” Twilight whispers to her, “What are you doing?” “I’m trying to get on his good side by using some words that Granny Smith says in her sleep. He knows those Ley Lines we were in, maybe he can help us get to Thieves’ Hold.” “Now if you’ll excuse me,” the stallion speaks, “I’m going back to sleep.” “Actually, can we use your help?” “What is it?” “We’re trying to get to a place called Thieves’ Hold and-” “Thieves’ Hold?!” “Yeah, do you know where it is?” “I do, but I’m not taking you there.” “Why?” “Thieves’ Hold, you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. You kids must be cautious out here at sea. I have a bounty put on my head at that place, ten bits!” “Just ten?” Rainbow interrupts. “Darn kid, quit interrupting me!” “We’re adults by the way.” “Not when I’m through with you.” “What does that even mean?” “Just watch and I’ll take my stick here and put it up-” “Sorry,” Applejack interjects before the stallion could get into the details of his threat, “but it’s a very urgent matter. We’re lost and we need your help sir.” “…” “Please. We won’t let anything bad happen to you when we get to Thieves’ Hold.” “…Fine. Take me up to your steering.” “Thank you mister, uh… What’s your name?” “Craig Y’ol Timber, just call me Craig.” Gently, Twilight grabs the small log raft with her telekinetic magic and hovers it over to the poop deck with her and the others following. Upon landing, Craig slowly walks off his raft with his cane in hoof and approaches the girls walking up the stairs to him. As Rainbow Dash draws within a metre of him, Craig quickly hits her on the head with the end of his cane. “Ow!” Rainbow cries out, backing away and rubbing her head after the hit, “What was that for?” “I don’t like you lot of kids. Dying your hair all sorts of whacky and not brushing, listening to that garbage yous call music, not respecting your elders,” “First off, this is my natural mane and tail. Second, maybe I would respect you if you’d quit being an old fart that smells like-” Before she can finish she is stuck again by the end of the stick. “Stop it!” “Darn kid. Now where’s the rudder?” “Right here sir,” Twilight answers, walking towards the wooden steering wheel. “That’s no rudder, that looks like some oversized toy. Where are the oars even on this thing?” “No, this controls the rudder at the back of this ship. And we don’t need oars, it’s all wind powered.” “You don’t say? That sounds like some newfangled technology.” “It’s been around for centuries.” “How do you steer it?” “Simple, you turn it left to go left and right to go right. I’ll get this thing moving and you can point us in the right direction. Come on Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash?” Looking back towards Craig positioning himself at the wheel, she sees Rainbow Dash blowing a raspberry behind him. However, Dash’s taunt is promptly interrupted by the old stallion grabbing his stick from the ground and bonking her head again. “Blasted kids…” “Come on Rainbow, don’t make it worse.” A small growling can be heard from the blue pegasus as she flies up behind the white sails and begins flapping her wings. With the three winged ponies pushing wind into the sails, the galleon starts to move forward quickly and dart across the sea. “Whoa! Slow down! We’re about to miss the turn.” “What?” Applejack asks in confusion, “Thieves’ Hold’s a fair distance away. You have plenty of time to aim this thing strait at it.” “We’re not going the long way. I may not be in my prime, but I still know a thing or two about speed. Also, can you hit that Rainblow Darn kid with my stick?” “Where are you going?” Rarity worryingly asks. “Open your eyes, we’re taking a shortcut.” “A what?” The three mares with Craig look around the sails and over the bow to see a large whirlpool ahead of them, swirling violently as waves wash over onto the deck. “You mean that spiraling vortex of death?!” “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve done this plenty of times.” “Are you sure it’s safe?” Applejack nervously questions the driver. “Sure as that Crystal Empire garbage is nothing more than a myth.” “Oh dear…” Spike groans. “What? It is.” “Adventure is out there!” Pinkie screams in excitement as the ship enters into the circling water. “Hey you flying ponies up there, yous might want to hang onto something!” “What?” Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy ask, oblivious to what’s going on. However, as the galleon starts to dive down to the black hole of the whirlpool, the three are able to see over the top of the sail and see the spiraling water in front of them. “What the-” “Please keep your hooves, legs, manes, and tails inside the boat at all times!” Frantically, the three fliers dart down to the deck and clutch onto the wooden floor as the entire ship plummets into the abyss. Inside the center of the whirlpool and below the seafloor, the large galleon plummets into a large underground cavern. Landing on a river facing towards the flow of water, the ship pounces forwards into the dark caverns with most of the mares and Spike onboard screaming in terror while the three fillies and Pinkie are instead screaming in joy. “What is this?!” Applejack cries in panic. “Super-fast rivers that flow through an underground system carved out by erosion and pressure. Very round as well. After traveling through these throughout my years at sea, I can go anywhere in the world as I please. Duck,” “Wha-” A large stone spike then appears in the darkness poking from the wall and is heading towards the orange mare. Applejack fanatically ducks as it swipes over her body and shattering the edge railing at her side. “Hm, this ship might be too big. Oh well.” As the vessel continues to speedily careen through the pitch black cave, more stalagmites and stalactites are rammed into, breaking apart the galleon bit by bit. “I regret everything!” Rainbow Dash squeals as she’s tightly hugging Fluttershy, “I regret everything I have ever done! I should’ve never tempted fate!” “Turn it down ya noisy brat, I’m trying to concentrate.” With a sudden turn of the wheel, the boat sharply turns left, grinding it’s keel against the side of the unseen cavern walls as if defying gravity. “I hope you enjoy the loopy-loops.” “The what?!” With another jerk of the steering, the ship then swings over to the other side of the tube-like cave before flipping upside down and grinding against the ceiling of the cave. Eventually however, gravity makes itself known once more as the ship completes the spiral and lands back into the raging current at the bottom. “All I see is black and my life flashing before my eyes!” “Quit your crying you pansy. Just a few more minutes,” Several more minutes pass of the ship darting around in pitch black before being suddenly slowed down by an unseen force. “Almost there, hold your breath.” With Twilight practically glued to the middle mast of the ship, she looks ahead and sees a small light beaming down from ahead, an exit. As they speedily draw closer, the purple alicorn sees that they’re fighting against the current now and that the exit is surrounded by a large waterfall. How will we able to get out? Twilight rapidly thinks to herself, if it’s a whirlpool that got us in here, then it’s going to be another at this point. “Nearly there, hopefully this thing floats like my raft.” As the tip of the bowsprit then pieces the edge of the thick waterfall, the entire front of the vessel jerks down a small bit, but still pushes forwards. Slowly, the ship’s entire front is bathed in water and starts to lift upwards instead. With more and more of the large watercraft entering the thick column of rushing water, the more it leans upwards towards the surface, smacking the ponies onboard with tons of water continuously, yet they continue to hold on with all of their might. Eventually, the entire ship becomes entirely enclosed in water and starts to slowly move upwards against the waterfall and towards the sunlit surface. The onboard crew holds their breath for as long as they can whilst still holding onto the boat in any way conceivable to them. A minute passes before the galleon bursts from the water with an enormous splash and resumes its sailing position on the surface. The mares, Craig, and Spike promptly gasp out for air and relief from their fast-paced travel through the caves, not noticing how the cloud-covered sky has grown increasingly thicker and darker. “Never again,” Dash whimpers, still tightly clutching onto Fluttershy. ”Heh,” Rarity giggles from the poop deck before coughing, “this maybe the first and last time I’ve seen you not want to go fast.” “Oh bug off, you were screaming your head off the entire time.” “And you weren’t?” “Can somepony please remove Dash off of me,” Fluttershy groans as the large weight continues to tightly hold on her side, “she’s getting heavy.” “I feel sick,” Spike moans with his face planted into the wet deck. “That was awesome!” Pinkie loudly cheers, making the old stallion beside her cringe. “Let’s do it again!” “Yeah!” The voices of the three fillies call out from below. “No, we’re not doing it again.” Twilight stridently replies, “I need to check around and see how much damage has been done. From first glances alone, Princess Celestia’s going to be furious.” “She won’t be if she’s still dating that mutant guard.” Craig Y’ol Timber responds as he slowly descends from the wheel. “What are you-” Applejack responds before realizing what the answer will most likely be, “Never mind. Craig, how come nopony’s ever known about that cave system other than you?” “Meh, most ponies actively avoid the whirlpools. And those who do, well, you know the answer.” “I under-” “They die.” “…stand…” “Big, red, dead,” “Well,” Twilight yells out, circling around the ship in the air, “A snapped mast, most of our remaining sails torn, large holes in the upperparts of the hull, two thirds of our cannons gone, a missing keel, a busted rudder, the bowsprit broken halfway through, most of the paint competently gone, nearly all of the railing broken, and I don’t even want to know how much has broken inside. Thieves’ Hold better be real close.” “Behold, Thieves’ Hold. Tartarus on Earth,” Slowly, everypony on board turns to starboard and sees Thieves’ Hold only a kilometre away from them. Covered in a thin veil of fog, it is a large collection of tall stone stacks clustered together in a vast area of water. Small wooden buildings with faint lights can be seen elevated high above the water, built into the large rock towers, connected to each other by tiny rope bridges swaying in the cold breeze. At sea level at each of the columns of stone is a small ring of sharp rocks jutting out, ready to pierce anything that gets to close, with some rings already having several small, decrepit ships trapped inside them. “There it is,” “Well, I better get going, help me get this thing into the water.” Gently, the old Earth pony grabs his staff and hops onto his raft, unscaved after all it has been through. As Twilight lifts the raft and sends it back down onto the ocean, she speaks, “Thank you Craig, we’ll never forget what you did for us.” “You’re welcome. Now how about a little push towards the whirlpool?” “Yes sir.” With a flick of her horn, Craig’s raft immediately starts to drift towards the swirling water behind the galleon. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike, Twilight, and Rarity walk towards the railless edge of the deck and wave goodbye. Rainbow Dash however flies down and hovers over the raft, rudely blowing a raspberry at Craig, only to get hit in the air by his staff being thrown at her and immediately retreat back to the safety of her ship. “Darn kid!” Soon, the old stallion’s raft sinks down into the black hole of the whirlwind, leaving the team to enter Thieves’ Hold as the night soon arrives. Lord of the HornsNow alone within a pitch black and musty room, armed with only a small lantern to light up whatever’s half a metre in front of her, Twilight finds herself adventuring into the basement area of the abandoned shack on this seemingly deserted island. As the purple alicorn blindly wanders throughout the unknown, her mind races as to contemplate what she saw from the picture she revealed. “It was a map of the known world,” Twilight mutters to herself with the handle of her light tightly wrapped around by her lips and teeth, “one that extended out towards the west and beyond the Outer Kingdoms. It even accurately depicted the fabled Old World, somewhere that has only been mentioned in legends. Barely any pony has ever even dared ventured out there, let alone charted it due to its dangerous weather and tales of horrific monsters. So how did this stallion do it? And what was with the red writing, ‘Where is it?’ scribbled all over it?” Twilight’s verbal recap is interrupted however by a sharp smacking on her forehead. The pony shrieks in pain and backs up, dropping the lamp onto the floor. Rubbing her now pulsing headache, Twilight looks at what hit her and sees it’s another lantern, hanging from some ceiling boards. She grabs a nearby stick and sticks it into her fallen lamp, lighting the end of it on fire. The disabled alicorn then holds the burning up and into this new lantern and lights it up as well. To her surprise, it has a lot of oil inside of it and the light immediately illuminates a large portion of the room. There, Twilight can see she’s in the center of a massive chamber with a massive underground dock running along one side of the room. The floor, walls, and ceiling around the fair is made of chiseled stone and covered in vines and tiny brown mushrooms. Seeing eight more unlit lamps surrounding her in the dark, Twilight quickly lights them up as well before flinging her burning stick into the artificial river. After doing so, the curious mare looks over to a large, sleek, ship sitting in the middle of the dock, anchored to a wooden post on the basement floor. It has three massive dark grey sails attached to three stubby masts that almost cover the entire top of the grey and blue painted vessel. The ship is no higher than ten metres tall and twenty metres wide, but has an odd length of just over fifty metres in length. Sporting only five cannons on each side and barely enough room for storage, a galley, and a single cabin, Twilight is intrigued by the odd water vehicle. “This thing looks like a racing boat.” Squinting her eyes towards the bow, Twilight reads the inscribed title of the ship, “Lightning Rod,” The exploring pony then looks behind her at the rest of the basement area and sees a long table aligned to the opposite wall, covered in dusty papers and books strewn all over. Interested at this new sight, Twilight walks across the blank middle of the room and her dropped lamp, which has already died out, and reaches the long wood table. Upon closer inspection, several maps and charts can be seen covering every inch of the behind wall, all coated in a layer of black ink stains and red letters and symbols. Jumping up and down, the enthusiastic pirate Korsan bolts into his bedroom with the Diamond Eyes in his claws and darts across to a large golden organ next to a giant king-sized bed. He sees that the organ’s keys are moving on their own and hears its bellowing music being played. With a mightly swing of his hind leg, the automatic organ stops and a small switch on the side next to the bed flips upwards. “I need silence!” The captain barks before hurrying into the library behind the bedroom. Shoving away all previous items on the main table onto the floor, Captain Korsan sets the halves down together at the far end of the table and grabs a lit lamp at the side of his chair. He holds it up to the ceiling with on hoof, grabs his crossbow with the other, and fires a bolt into the handle, lodging it into the wooden ceiling. The brown stallion then swipes several books from nearby bookshelves and creates four towers with them, stacking them up to two thirds from the table to the roof. Korsan immediately darts back to the Diamond Eyes and gently sets them on top of the book towers on top of each other, casting the white glowing symbols onto the golden tabletop. “Where’s the Ancient Trihearth language reference book?!” Twilight looks over the open books at the center of the table directly below one of the lit lanterns and reads what appears to be a journal entry. Day 186 of Exploration Exhibition #4 of Madenison Island Over the past weeks, I have been searching the seas for signs of the ancient island kingdoms of Trihearth across all exterior tier waters of the Old World. Although I have not found the legendary island, I have found something even better. On my travels, I have uncovered a Rosetta Stone at the bottom of a trench, one that translates the writings of the ancient citizens of Trihearth to its most recent incarnation that has been passed down by the Cystic Family, a family to have claimed roots in the elusive island multi-nation, for generations… “There it is!” Korsan calls out in joy as he grabs a red woven book near the top of a shelf. With the tip of his claw holding the top of it, the pirate flings it down and grabs it with his hind claws. He then hobbles over to his chair and tosses it up to his upper claws as he sits down. Rarity pears through the door to the library left open and watches her captor wriggle like a foal as he pries the old writings open from their years of abandonment on a shelf. “Let’s see, let’s see, where to start…” Why I bring this up is not only a matter of history, or anthropology, but of another legend that has been rumoured across land, sea, and air. Alicorn Island, one of the most well-known, but incredibly unknown locations on our world, if it even exists on our world. It is said that anypony to come in mere contact with its treasured water at the center of it will gain the angelic flight of a pegasus, the arcane magic of a unicorn, and the earthly power of an Earth Pony. However, this is purely rumour and speculation, and we don’t know the true effects of the mystic waters or its application methods. The only ponies said to know of the true details of the island were the ancients of Trihearth that were slowly forgotten as later generations of the Trihearth ponies came around and eventually wiped out completely by the fabled sinking of the island. However, with this discovery, we may be able to find the truth about the island. And perhaps, even gain from its unknown magic properties linked to it… “Finally, finally! After so many years of searching and searching, I finally have the means of which to find that island, give me what I deserve, and fix everything. I will finally make my family proud of me! I know it, they’ll be so proud once I show them my magic. They’ll forgive me, they’re glorify me, they’ll respect me, they’ll accept me. And with my ship, my crew, and my complete self, we shall do great things for the world, I know it. Mother, father, brother, sister, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandmothers, grandfathers, all of my ancestors, this is the day of Korsan Arasinda Maden’s true birth!” Perhaps even my own family can benefit from it. My nephew, pity his soul, has been born of a dire deformation. And although my kin have come to terms with it, the poor lad will never truly be accepted as one of us. And although my efforts of trying to lift the colt’s spirits are worthy, even my own son and wife have come to despise him for his ill fate. If the powers of Alicorn Island hold true however, I may be able to save my nephew, and rewrite his fate. Only time and fate will tell. -Alexander Tas Maden “Maden?!” Twilight stampers upon reading the authour’s last name. Frantic to find some more insight about this relative of Korsan, Twilight flips through the pages of the journal, only seeing several crossed out notes, equations, and absolutely destroyed pages before finally coming across another written entry. “Almost there,” Korsan cheers as he rapidly flips through the pages of the shedding book, “just have to find the right pages.” Day 911 of Exploration Exhibition #4 of Madenison Island It’s no use, despite countless attempts and workarounds for over two years, I can’t uncover the secrets of Alicorn Island. And it’s too late as well. From what I’ve heard via letter, my nephew, he, ran away a few weeks ago and never came back. I’ve consider returning, but to what? My wife and son probably won’t recognize me since I’ve been gone for so long, I’ve lost all of my assets in Equestria, and my brother, my only brother, disappeared as well just a week ago. I may not be able to live with myself after this has all happened. I may abandon this shack and live amongst nature as a mindless animal to escape this insanity I can’t bear. Whoever finds this, if you find me alive, leave me be. If you find me dead, tell no pony. Tell no pony that I even existed actually. What are you even doing here anyways? Leave! The more you gain interest in the Alicorn Island, the more you destroy your own life! LEAVE!!! -Alexander Tas Maden Listen, if you’re still reading this. If you still want to pursue the Alicorn Island. There’s nothing I can do to stop you. Instead, let me make it easier on you, perhaps give you less time to realize that you’re just wasting yourself doing this. In the event in which the original book is not here, I have made several copies of the Rosetta Stone in book format and donated them to some of the most backwoods black markets in the world. There you’ll find the translator. However, what you need to find, and what I didn’t find, is an artifact, a map, that’ll lead you to Alicorn Island. I don’t know where it would be, but knowing the ancient rituals and cultures of Trihearth, it will be difficult to find. No matter how much reverse engineering you do, no matter how hard you try to find some loophole, another clue, or just empty searching you do, you’ll never find that wretched island. May good luck fall upon you, whether you do find it, or just realize that it’s a waste of time. -I Don’t Exist “Oh my gosh…” Twilight gasps, “I’m so sorry for you sir, wherever you are.” Next to the journal is an old red book, opened up to a random set of pages. Looking at the symbols, Twilight immediately recognizes them as the symbols that come from the Diamond Eyes. “Don’t worry Alexander, you’re work’s not going in vain.” Using her memory to recall the symbols and her studies of the language of Trihearth passed down by the Cystic Family, Twilight begins to decode the map. “In the blackest of night, And the empty of gone, Stands one splendid island, Known Alicorn Island,” “Beyond distorts of space, Beyond sand grains of time, Past creature of great length, And thinnest of all paths,” “All inside a grand trench, Of no magic nor flight, To be called as a leak, To be known as the Breach,” “And inside the dark heart, And through a second pulse, Thou will find the treasure, Of Alicorn Island,” “Blessed be you many things, The wings of gentle flight, The power of the earth, The divine magic horn,” “Applied to thou as said, Taketh one single touch, By hair or meat and flesh, And do within post haste,” “Which all be given you, As the moon strikes the sun, And the sun strikes the moon, In unified balance,” “But take heed this warning, Thy Equivalence Law, Reigns above all no stock, What form or fate you hold,” “If thou passes the creed, And takes to his new form, Then fate shall then ensue, No matter of thy past,” “As all is said and done, Then thou art free to go, To pursue the riches, Known Alicorn Island.” “So it’s there.” Korsan slumps back into his chair upon finishing the translation to process what he has read, still oblivious to Rarity’s presence. “The Breach, I would’ve never figured it be there. From our current position, that would at least require two weeks. Will my crew even be willing to go there? It’s a forsaken death trap.” “The Breach?” Rarity’s voice whispers out loud. The captain leaps from his chair in surprise and quickly notices his partner peeping from the doorway. “Oh, it’s only just you.” “Sorry.” “Apologies are on my part, I should’ve been paying attention. What was your question?” “The Breach, what is that?” As the caped stallion replies, he reaches over to a shelf behind his chair and pulls out a thick, black book, “The Breach is… well… No pony really knows what it is. Some claim it’s a portal to Tartarus, others say it’s a sacred gateway to a place beyond and worse Tartarus, certain tales call it the mouth of a great beast, obscure folk lore points to it as the edge of the world. The best science can come up with is that it’s some form of chaotic rip in the fabric of reality. Either way you look at it, the Breach is a giant, bottomless canyon that spells out trouble for anypony or anything even close to it.” The educated pirate gently opens the book and holds it up to Rarity, showing a wall of text on one page and a sketch of what appears to be a large, black crack in the middle of some ocean on the other open page. The white mare loudly gulps on sight of the large abyss presented. “See, impossible for fear to not strike your heart.” “So does that mean you’re going to give up?” In instinctive response, the stallion slams the book close with his claws. “No, I’ve gone too far.” Twilight stumbles backwards from the table as the chants of the verbal map and the shrills of headaches echo in her head. “The Breach?” The purple mare mutters to herself, “So that’s where Korsan’s going to go as soon as he figures it out, if he hasn’t figured it out already.” Recalling from her first entry of the shack, an idea comes to Twilight’s head and she immediately heads towards the ladder. Returning to the front room, the excited pony returns to the map she saw and locates a large black crack in the Old World section of the map. In small text, it reads, ‘The Breach’. Twilight then bolts back down into the basement area and runs towards the docked boat. She grabs the rope around the pole and pulls it, releasing the ship, and quickly hops behind the stone wheel. Lightning Rod lightly bashes into the sides of the underground port a few times before quickly accelerating into the cave tunnels ahead by its own accord. With the sun now dipping into the sea at the horizon, and the moon now rising for the night, The Perfection’s kitchen gains a moody glow as the red light from the torches, furnaces, and other heat-operated artifacts clash against the silky white and blue radiance of the moon. At one of the several preparation tables, Sweetie Belle and Ivan Voorhees are cooking a large stew while Butch Taylor is sifting through the inventory against the inner wall with his back turned away from the windows and his fellow cook’s backside. “So now the pepper?” Sweetie Belle asks the hulking massive black stallion chopping onions next to her. “Aye.” He replies. “Wait, Burgundy or Ayleen?” “Ay-” “Oh wait, I remember, the Ayleen.” “Aye.” “This is actually a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be.” “Aye.” “Do you do this every day?” “Aye.” “Is it difficult?” “…Aye.” “But I guess it’s worth it from what I’ve heard. Yin and Yu told me about all sorts of adventures you guys have, not just pillaging, but those as well do sound fairly impressive.” “Aye.” “Also that ‘joyride’ that happened a while ago. It was like being on a massive roller coaster. It was awesome.” “Aye.” “I wish my friends were with me to experience it though.” “Aye.” “Well, tough luck,” Butch replies back in a solemn voice, “The captain isn’t all that accepting of non-unicorns hopping on his boat. Unless they’re prisoners,” “Aye.” “Wait,” Sweetie Belle asks in confusion, “Aren’t you, I don’t know, supposed to be strong followers to whatever your leader’s intentions are?” “Listen,” the large blue pirate retorts, “most of us aren’t as, determined, as Korsan is with his plans. We pretty much see this as a better lifestyle than being in a rut. But that doesn’t mean we’re barbarians or something like that. Hey, Ivan, I’m going to check on the potatoes. Got that?” “Aye.” Ivan stoically answers as he continues to cut onions. “Thanks.” The grey and white haired stallion then walks around Sweetie and Ivan and heads down the nearby stairway into the cellar below. “Aye.” The small filly looks back at Ivan and notices his stiff face. She asks, “Are you seriously not crying from this?” “Aye.” “Huh, cool.” Shortly later, whilst Sweetie is finishing her pit of stew, several distinct voices faintly echo from the cellar and catches her ear. The foal immediately recalls those exact voices from several hours ago when she, Rarity, and Slasher, were in the gardens. Curious of what they’re saying now, the filly creeps towards the large stairs and listens in. “Has anypony seen the captain recently,” a familiar mare calls out from an unseen sector of the chamber, “he seems to be a lot more chipper than recent. Could it be because of that mare, Rarity? I mean, he even showed her around his private stash.” “I know,” a second older mare replies, “even when Korsan was hitting on November, he never showed her his treasure gallery.” “Please don’t remind me of that wench.” “That’s not important to the matter we’re here for,” the voice from the second stallion from before speaks, “so, did you clean up our last attempt?” “I did,” the third stallion crankily replies, “How was I supposed to know that Korsan would be pulling another joyride at this point?” “None of us did. At least none of the other crew members are in the know of what we tried to pull off.” “May I suggest for the option of another means of dealing with our target?” Butch’s aging voice booms in response. In an instant, Sweetie Belle realizes that he’s the first stallion she heard from their previous meeting. “That may be the case. Korsan’s already discovered the secrets of the Diamond Eye. We’ll being heading out to locate Alicorn Island any second now and we may never be able to strike as soon as the captain becomes an alicorn.” “Perhaps we can use Rarity to our advantage.” The first mare suggests. “That’s ridiculous. Even with Rarity on our side, he’ll be able to notice any direct advances onto him just like anyone of the lot of us.” “Have any better ideas?” The second mare rudely asks. “A storm,” “A storm?” “Whilst everypony is busy during a heavy storm, we make our move and give that quill-pusher a taste of his own medicine, by pushing him.” “Huzzah!” Butch proclaims. “Wait,” the first stallion asks, “What about Slasher?” “That pipsqueak? Don’t worry, she won’t be stepping out of line now that she’s with us.” A quiet series of roars and cheers erupt from the unseen sectors of the cellar. Having heard quite enough, Sweetie Belle stampers up towards Ivan, but stops half way as a chilling thought comes to her head. Wait, she thinks, what if he’s in on this too? What if whoever this crewmember is deserves this? If I tell him, what’s going to happen to me? I should probably stay quiet for now. “What if I join his crew, and gain the ability to truly protect my family?” Celestial InterventionThe following week, the roaring cracks of thunder roar across the stormy skies over the vast ocean that Thieves’ Hold sits on. Like a waterfall, rivers of rain pour from the dark heavens onto the stone stacks that tower of the raging waters below. On the rock tower where a popular tavern once stood, only the wooden foundation of it now remains, hovering over the edge of the steep cliff. However, it is not abandoned, as a massive construction event is unfolding on the isle. As the rain pours down and the thunder cracks, hundreds of ponies are bustling around the platform with all sorts of building material on them. Wooden planks, logs, furniture, iron rods, lamps, stone blocks, and several miscellaneous items are being thrown around the area as the sounds of roaring pirates and heaving workers fill the air. At the balcony, currently undergoing reconstruction as well by pegasi and unicorns, a dark blue unicorn mare and an indigo unicorn stallion are observing a soaked scroll lay across a small crate. On the scroll are several schematics and blue prints of a very large building. “These look great Dad!” The young mare cheers to the older stallion. He jokingly replies, “Thank you November, though I’m not sure if our budget will handle this.” “Ten million bits?” The two then glance over to the giant crate behind them, brimming with golden coins shining in the rain. They laugh in glee upon seeing the gold as a green Earth pony with a set of three long logs on his back approaches them. “Who am I kidding? Ha, ha!” “Mr. Gale.” The large stallion calls. “Hm? Oh yes Jarvis, place those next to Cecil.” “Yes Mr. Gale.” “Please, just call me Nitin.” “Okay then.” As the two ponies return to their blueprints, the green stallion trots over towards the back of the growing foundation and heads towards a blue pegasus lifting several other logs up and fitting them through round holes in the floor. “Hey Cecil.” The hovering stripe shirted stallion looks down and sees Jarvis with the three logs on his back. “Hey Jarvis,” The pegasus replies, “put them with the others.” “Need some help?” “Sure, help me get this stubborn bugger in.” Quickly, Jarvis walks up to the tall log Cecil is holding up and pushes his hooves down against the sides of the wooden tower. The log slowly begins to lower into its tight hole. “There we go…” “Quite a lot of rain we’re getting.” “Oh please, this is nothing compared to what’s going on in the northwest.” “What’s going on there?” “There’s a massive hurricane forming in that region, rumours are spreading around that an entire ocean’s worth of water will be pourin’ there. This is merely the edge of it.” “Pity for anypony who’s sailing there.” “Speaking of sailing, where’s Maurice?” “I don’t know.” “He ditched us when Korsan left.” “He probably left knowing that we as a group would stick around to rebuild the bar.” “Perhaps.” As the massive vertical beam is set in place, a massive flash of blue light bursts from beside the two stallions. The blinding glow dies down immediately, revealing a small red unicorn in his casual back suit and top hat. “Maurice!” “What’s up you slacker?” “Guys!” The excited stallion exclaims. “I’ve just scored a big one!” “How big?” “I just looted a mailing ship headed from Equestria to Cervidas with me crew!” “You what?!” “Yeah!” “Maurice!” Cecil scolds the bouncing pony. “Do you realize that you committed one of the biggest federal crimes between two of the largest military kingdoms? We’re pirates, but even we draw the line when it comes to mail. That’s too much of a risk.” “Relax, the ship’s crew barely knew what hit them. I even got a few of the more de luxe letters.” “And tampering with the mail?!” “Hey, check out this one butt kisser’s letter to the king.” “You’re ridiculous,” Maurice takes a moment to clear his throat before reading out loud to his fellow rivals with benefits. “To Ceres, King of Cervidas, My liege, I have the honor to inform you that the power of Equestria has been exaggerated to a degree that beggars belief. This evening I had the pleasure of witnessing a band of thieves make off with Equestria's greatest treasure during their annual gala despite the presence of a company of elite soldiers and all four of the alicorn Princesses. This theft was not carried out, lest you be misinformed by others, by darkness or by subterfuge, but by sheer force of arms. Their guards were overwhelmed despite superior numbers and their Highnesses were undone by the bandits' leader, who defeated them alone and unaided. Having seized their prize, the thieves left, victorious and of their own accord, apparently having deemed it not worth their while to take neither hostages nor plunder - nor indeed seize - the city. Should my words fail to do justice to this night's events, I have included with this letter photographs which I was able to take whilst the focus of the room was on our unexpected guests. I should emphasize to your majesty that these thieves were neither creatures of darkness nor bearers of enchanted arms, but mere mortal ponies of an ordinary sort. Therefore, I implore your majesty to, with haste, gather together what soldiers you may, and set sail fo-” “Okay, okay, I’ve heard enough.” “That sounds a lot like that one raid Korsan did in Equestria.” Jarvis proclaims. “That was three weeks ago right?” “Four weeks.” Maurice corrects the blue pegasus. “I think.” “Why would a mailing ship be at least three weeks late?” “I don’t know. The ship was being a little suspicious.” “Whatever, just get rid of the letters you took before some official catches you.” “We’re in the middle of nowhere, who’s going to find us?” “Probably the same lot as that group with Pinkie,” “Oh yeah!” Jarvis exclaims. “I remember her.” “We all do. She’s the reason this place is getting upgraded, no, fixed for once.” “Hey, when do you think she’ll come back?” “No clue. Maybe Maurice will attack another mail ship and find a letter that’ll answer your question.” “It was just out there in the open!” Maurice retorts. “I wasn’t going against an armada or anything.” “You may as well be trying to pick a fight with Korsan.” Jarvis replies. “Actually,” Cecil asks, “where has he been? We’ve been here for about a month and we haven’t seen one sign of him.” “Wasn’t he busy with something involving some diamonds, an island, and being able to use magic?” “If I recall correctly, yeah…” “Do you think he found what he’s been looking for?” “Knowing him,” the red unicorn answers, “probably.” “What’s going to happen to us then?” “He’s probably going to try and kill us or something. I say we split this place when the bloke finally snaps and hide until the heat dies down.” “What about November and Nitin? Shouldn’t we stick around help out with the new bar?” “Hey, I didn’t say Korsan did find whatever he’s looking for to start his blood campaign now. I’m just saying in case it does happen.” “When do you think that’ll be?” “Probably long before I get caught for this mail job.” “Don’t tempt fate Maurice.” “Oh please, as I said, we’re in the middle of nowhere-” Suddenly, a massive object soars over the trio as well as the rest of the working ponies, casting a frightening shadow across the foundation and catching their attention. They all look up to see the object and the white glow surrounding it as it starts to lower by the balcony. “Is that Korsan?” “It can’t be,” Cecil replies, “it’s too small. It’s not even glowing green or has sails.” “A zeppelin?” Soon, other smaller blimps hover over the stone towers and surround the larger leading airship. “An armada of airships? Only large military kingdoms would have-Oh dear.” “You have messed up big time now.” “Hey, you’re all going down with me. We’re all pirates here. Also, when we get to prison, I’ll be the one who gets the soap first.” Most of the pirates stand frozen as the larger zeppelin parks itself at the edge of the overhand. Its large side door opens and a long ramp extends from the dark inside to the balcony of the bar. November and her father prepare to pull out their weapons on them as dark figures emerge from the dirigible’s cabin and step onto the ramp. “Who’s this?” Nitin sternly asks. Two of the figures walk across the ramp and reveal themselves by the light of the lightning strikes that dance across the night clouds. They are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both garbed in thick, extravagant armour that covers them from head to tail, one in gold and white, the other in black and blue. “The princesses of Equestria?!” The bar maiden gasps upon seeing the powerful alicorns before her very eyes. Maurice yells out to the two from the other side of the rock stack, “I wasn’t the one that tampered with your mail! It was Korsan!” “How did you all even-” The white alicorn interrupts her with a powerful message, “We received a letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle that detailed for us to come to this location and enlist the help of all of you.” “Who?” Cecil shouts out. “Twilight Sparkle. She says you all know her.” “…” “…What did the letter say? Oh! Pinkie Pie’s friend-” “Pinkie Pie! This came from Pinkie’s friend?!” “Uh… yes?” Luna answers, slightly confused by the abnormal connotation. “This is important! Everypony shut up and listen to these two!” “Okay then…” November humbly asks the two great mares, “What does Twilight need help with?” Celestia responds, “She says you all know Captain Korsan, correct?” “Yes ma’am.” “He’s about to begin his global campaign to wipe out all pegasi and Earth ponies. Twilight and her friends need all of our help to stop him.” “Fight against Korsan?!” “Yes.” Nitin glances back towards the frozen pirate workers before speaking, “We’re in.” “Hey!” An old, cranky voice faintly sounds off from underneath the airships at the waters below. “Will all of you keep the noise down?” “Who’s that?” “If all of you don’t shut up so I can get to sleep, this here cane’s going to have a word with all of y’all!” Another week passes on the open seas. With the sounds of a ferocious storm brewing outside roaring into the galley of The Perfection, Rarity, Maria, and Sweetie Belle quietly sneak into the armoury from the screaming galley. Although having looted this room on several occasions before, hundreds of sharp weapons and articles of armour still hang from the walls and stands. Quickly, the trios of mares get to work by sifting through the stockpile and grabbing as many good items as their magic can hold. As Rarity searches through a pile of battle undergarments, she comes across a red silk dress that appears to have been misplaced. “Huh.” Rarity remarks as she scans the dainty clothing. “This is odd.” “What is?” Maria asks from the other side of the room. “This. It looks nice, but it is out of place in an armoury.” The red maned mare turns her head around just in time to see Rarity flick the dress in the air to fluff it. “Look out!” “Wha-” As the floating garment snaps and fluffs, several large spikes suddenly extend from the near invisible seems of the slick dress. Surprised, Rarity drops the dress and backs away into the corner, never taking her eyes off of the now dangerous object. “Have you never heard of a trap dress?” “Only in story books, I never thought they were real.” “Of course they’re real. Sheesh, and Korsan thought he could train you to be a killer.” “It was only two weeks, I could be a decent fighter.” “I could so be. But this is not the time to squabble. I’ll just fix this thing and add it to my pile. This is our last run into the armoury before the attack.” Carefully, Rarity picks up the spiked garment with her magic and proceeds to flick it once more. “Not like that!” The dress snaps once more, immediately firing metal spikes in every direction. A needle flies directly at Maria, but she ducks in time and the spike strikes the wooden wall behind. Several barely miss Sweetie Belle as she scampers behind a shield in a worried panic. One of them soars into the galley and smashes a large window, creating an earsplitting shriek to ring across the entire quarterdeck. “Oops…” “You are such an idiot!” “Well sorry, I didn’t know it was going to do that!” “Ivan or somepony is going to come in here any second and catch us!” “Aye.” A large, booming voice replies from the doorway. The three mares look over to see the massive black stallion walking into the room and approaching Maria.” Maria immediately begins to panic, but calms down in order to talk to the chef in a laidback tone, “Oh, hey Ivan, sorry about the window. You forgive me right?” “Aye.” Ivan coldly replies with his usual stoic answer. “I was just showing Rarity some of our newer weapons and letting her test one or two of them.” “Aye.” “So yeah, how about you hurry along back to the kitchen and prepare some supper for us? How about letting Sweetie Belle help ya?” “…Aye.” “Look, I’ve just been a bit jumpy from the storm and the dress problem, nothing more.” “…Aye.” “Just get back to your job and quit snooping.” Maria snaps, returning into her equally cold attitude. “Aye.” Stiffly, the large unicorn backs out of the armoury and returns to the adjacent kitchen. “Sweetie Belle, follow him.” “Okay,” the frightened filly answers before galloping after Ivan. “Alright Rarity, he better make ourselves scarce. Take these weapons into the brig with the others while I return this place to normal.” “Got it.” Rarity replies. With a flick of her horn, the couple of piles of weapons are levitated into a single floating ball of metal, wood, and cloth. She then quickly walks out of the armoury with the ball in tow and heads down towards the bottom of the ship, leaving Maria all alone. “Idiot, but I do pity her. She’s been through quite a bit, like me…” As the white mare frantically removes the needles from the walls, ceiling, and floor, a cold breeze washes over the room. Maria doesn’t pay mind to this and continues to clean up, stuffing all of the metal objects into a chest in the corner of the room. With her back turned against the rest of the room, she carefully places the misplaced artifacts in a non-suspicious area of the box, already filled with kunai daggers and other throwing knives. Just as she’s about to finish the job, two cold, metal fingers run across her cheek, sending a feeling of instant terror all across her pale body. A menacing, yet icy voice then whispers to the back of her head, “Maria Vanshwitz.” Without turning around, knowing of what her fate will be when she does, Maria coldly replies to the voice, “…You.” “And your favourite fellow crew member.” “The clown?” “Mime, he gets easily offended so you know.” “I know what you want.” “Do you now?” “What else? You want to kill me, maybe torture me for a good while.” “You would want that, wouldn’t you?” “What are you talking about?” “Don’t play coy with me. You want to put yourself out of your misery. Forget this pain you currently have deep inside you.” “What misery? The only thing close to misery I have is resentment towards you.” “Good, you still have that cynical sense of humour mixed in with that sassy attitude. I'm glad. I did so want you to be at your best for what I’m about to say to you. You see, it doesn't matter if you stop me and kill me with whatever amount of magic you’ll have. I’ll be proven right. Insane you may say? You claim that I am not even a pony anymore, but more of a suicidal monster? Well then you’d be wrong Miss Vanshwitz. I've proved my point to you, thanks to your own self. I've demonstrated there's no difference between me and everypony else! All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest pony alive to lunacy and treading in the darkest shadows of existence. That's how far the world is from where we are. Just one bad day. You had a bad day once, am I right? I know I am. I can tell. You had a bad day and everything changed. It was the day you and Hans broke up after you fully joined Faction to kill me? He practically resented you ever since then, even now as we speak two weeks later. You had a bad day, and it drove you as crazy as everypony else who’s suffered such a terrible loss, thinking that love and life is pointless, only you won't admit it! You have to keep pretending that life makes sense, that there's some point to all this struggling! And now you make it all the more evident and obvious by joining this second uprising? By Tartarus, you make me want to puke. I mean, what is it with you? What made you what you are now? Some promise of Hans’ returning love? The threat of this ‘fear’ that everypony on this ship has been gossiping about? Experiences from your past somehow motivating you? Perhaps a different bad day? Something like that, I bet. Something like that. Something like that happened to me, I’m sure you know I had a bad day. I... I'm not exactly sure what it was. Not sure which day, what event, what mindset I even was in when I finally snapped. I’ve had my fair share of breakdowns, but I can never recall which was the last straw. Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another, sometimes two weeks ago, when Isyan removed my eyepatch, sometimes twenty years ago when I was only a wee colt and being rejected by my family. If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice! Ha-ha-ha! But my point is... my point is, I went crazy. When I saw what a black, awful joke the world was in this ludicrous state, I went crazy a coot! I admit it! Why can't you? I mean, you're not unintelligent. You must see the reality of the situation. Do you know how many lives I can heal from the struggling of inferiority? Plenty more than I can count! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Don’t you see it? It's all a joke! Everything everypony ever valued or struggled for, struggled for in this pathetic, downgraded planet, it's all a monstrous, demented gag! So why can't you see the funny side, or any side that makes at least some sense? Either you’re mad, or you’ve just haven’t accepted the punchline. Why aren't you laughing?" “Because I’ve heard this a million times from you, I’ve heard that pointless speech each and everytime you open your dumb mouth, and it wasn’t funny the first time. You want me to laugh after having a bad day? Fine, you’ll get one. You’ll get one from me and everypony else when your dead corpse is hanging from the highest mast of this ship. We’ve all had enough of your garbage, sooner or later, all of us are going to want to see you as dead as your cousin.” “Perhaps it’s the mares now in the brig that are causing this, this corruption? What do you say Chopin? Juliana? My thought exactly. Hans Kraus?” Maria gasps as the corner of her left eye catches a glimpse of the larger yellow stallion standing behind her. “Hans?!” “I never said you were correct about your favourite…” “Hans! You don’t need to give into Korsan!” “How adorable is this?! It’s a pity really. Hans was so desperate in wanting you too. We all heard it on Alicorn Island. But, when you joined Faction, as I said, that was his final straw, as well as yours shortly later.” “No… No! Hans! Tell me it isn’t true!” “…” “…No…” Warm tears can soon be felt flowing down the white mare’s red cheeks. Maria weeps as she feels her hope soon die in the most gruesome of ways. “Your illusion is shattered my dear, and so will everypony else’s once the first cannon is fired.” “Please, if you’re going to kill me, or torture me, just do it now.” “…I have a different idea. After finishing my newest weapon one or two weeks ago, I’ve been begging fate to find me a new use for this ‘pinpoint-control’ technology, to extend the prowess of my mechanical control to not just be limited to my muscles. Then, I found out a brilliant idea! What would’ve taken two months has now only taken a fortnight. Call it a stroke of genius regarding a new perspective I am now seeing. And this brilliant idea has your name written all over it. Hans, Chopin, take Maria to my quarters and ‘suit’ her up with my newest device. I got some business to take care of involving some very naughty mares.” In the brig, Rarity, Twilight, and all the other members of Faction Two are gathered up, circled around the large pile of weapons and armoured suits. The twenty ponies, all at once, are rummaging through the pile and putting on as much as they can. They know the final battle is within minutes away, and that this is their last stand. “Hurry up,” Twilight proclaims, “the moment for us to strike is here!” “Come on!” Rainbow Dash exclaims as she stuffs her head into a thick metal helmet. “Hurry!” “What happened to waiting for Princess Celestia?” Fluttershy asks as she grabs a small sword in her mouth. “We’ll run into her pretty soon, I saw a few scouting pegasi from her armada a few hundred kilometres ahead of us just a few hours ago. We’re going to have to get the jump on Korsan first to throw him and his crew off before they spot Celestia and try to stop her.” “We were just caught by Ivan,” Rarity speaks, “we’re running out of time.” Soon, everypony is suited up and ready to fight. In rows, side by side, the small army marches towards the stairs at the end of the brig. “Alright everypony,” Applejack loudly declares, “we’ve been gettin’ ready for this moment for two entire weeks. Now is the time that we fight for what’s right, and save the world from the evil clutches of Korsan!” “Yeah!” The others roar in triumph. “Are you all ready?!” Pinkie Pie cheers. “Yeah!” “Is anypony having second thoughts?” Fluttershy asks. “No!” “Will we make them know who we are?!” Rainbow Dash roars. “Yeah!” “Louder!” Spike screams. “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” “Are you all tired of Korsan’s tyranny?” Rarity asks. “Are you all sick of the shame he has caused to all of you? Do you wall want to turn a new leaf? Do you all want to be heroes? I say, do you want equality to all?!” “Yeah!” Twilight finishes off the motivational buildup with a final speech, “As Princess of Friendship, I am proud to declare all of you Knights of Equestria. Your bravery, even in the face of danger, your hope, even in the darkest of night, your will, stronger than the thickest metal in the world, all of you have proven yourselves. Though some, if not many of you, might die, it will not be in vain. Your names will be known across the world for thousands of years, as heroes, martyrs for the safety of billions. This is our final stand, we are the world’s last line of defense, we are what shall make history!” “Charge!” Rapidly, the sea of armoured rebels pours up into the medical hallway and head for the next set of stairs. They then head up past the two floors dedicated to crew member cabins, passing by tens of startled pirates as they make their way to the gun deck. The onlooking pirates soon realize that it is the rebellion and quickly head into their cabins to prepare to fight for their captain. Now washing across the main deck from the front bow, the twenty ponies soak in the thick veils of the night’s rain. As they then reach the largest mast in the center of the ship, the band of rebels see Korsan, walking towards them from the quarterdeck. Lightning sears the sky as the endless rain and howling gales blast against the pirate pegasus’ cape, having its long length rapidly flutter in the wind alongside his black mane and tail. His ice phoenix circles above her master. His scarred eye stares at the army. A sly grin can be seen on his face. Both of his front hooves are armed with his serrated cutlasses. “Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Applebloom, Spike, Noisy Pegasus, Shy Pegasus, Odd Earth Pony, Tiny Pegasus, Lilis Jewmerin, Yin Shou, Yu Shou, Alexander Grevious, Slasher Gutzoult, Ryan Aran, Butch Taylor, Jack Cauld, Lazarus Lazuli-” “Cut the names Korsan,” Twilight snaps, “there’s over twenty of us here and we’re all ready to take you down.” “Is that so? Well, considering the numbers… Juliana!” The blue phoenix screeches upon hearing her name. Soon, the majority of Korsan’s remaining crew emerges onto the main deck and surrounds the rebellious band. Their swords and weapons are aimed at them from all sides, trapping them practically. Ivan also shows up to surround Twilight, pushing Sweetie Bell into the congregated army. “…I have seventy-eight of the most highly skilled unicorns at my disposal. A close call, but I have the upper hoof.” “You’re going down Korsan, once and for all.” “Noble, but very misguided. Alright sea artists, let’s put an end to this before any real action can begin.” Quickly, the outnumbered gang is forced into each other and against the large mast as the tens of razor sharp weapons hover towards them. They lift their weapons up and try to deflect them, but all they can do is prolong the sheer superior strength in magic. “Finish them! In five… Four… Three… Two… One-” Just as Korsan is about to lower his hoof to command the final blow, a massive, fiery explosion erupts right in front of him. Hundreds of chunks of wood and metal soar out of the blast as the shockwave launches Korsan into the front of The Perfection’s wheel headfirst. Juliana is flung off of her captain’s shoulders in the flight, but soon regains herself and flies over to his aid. Two more explosions go off from both sides of the hull, causing the surrounding pirates soon break formation and scramble as a large volley of explosive cannonballs soon soar in from above. The brown pegasus looks over the sudden attack on his ship, feeling a wave of both terror and awe wash over him. He looks to his side across from the edge of his ship to see a massive zeppelin approaching him. The dark blimp hovers up next to him and the main door opens, revealing Celestia and Luna alongside several pirates from Thieves’ Hold. Korsan gives a quick maniacal laugh before speaking, “So, you got the letter.” “Korsan Maden!” Celestia powerfully announces from the aircraft. “You are to stop these atrocities to ponykind right now or we will use force!” “Bahahaha!” Quickly, the clawed stallion grabs the wheel behind him and smashes his pirate airship against the princesses’ zeppelin before backing away. As he runs around the top deck, Korsan sees five more blimps as well as a small fleet of pirate ships below his. His white smile grows even wider as he settles down behind the steering and yells into the extended speaking pipe. “You want force? We got it! Attention all crew members! Take to your battle positions! The war has begun!”
The Grand Galloping GalaThe following first hours of the Grand Galloping Gala at the Canterlot Castle run smoothly, with Twilight, her friends, and their plus-ones each finding their place amongst the heavily populated area. Most of the massive chambers the large castle is made of are filled to the brim with nobles with vast wealth, delegates from every corner of the world, high ranking political figures, and every celebrity of every species, shape, and size known to the common ponies, all chatting with each other and enjoying the night being served with traditional music, gourmet foods, and only the most refined drinks with hundreds of years in their production. However, the room with arguably the most activity is the ballroom. With a bright full moon and millions of stars able to be seen from its open walls, and the entire circular three-story room suspended over the cliffside city of Canterlot like a massive balcony, it is no surprise. Guests dance in the open center of the first floor as the upper two floors watch from their balconies. At the back of the uppermost floor is Twilight, standing next to a large white alicorn, a black alicorn slightly shorter than the white one, and a pink alicorn barely taller than Twilight, all princesses of their own accord. The four regal mares watch the festivities below peacefully, enjoying their view with the moonlight illuminating the ballroom. “I must say Luna,” The white princess proclaims, “your work with the moon is perfect. The light is at a perfect angle.” “Thank you sister,” The black mare replies, “It took several nights, but I managed to work it out.” “Miss Sparkle,” “Yes Princess Celestia?” Twilight responds, turning her head to her speaker in the process. “How have things been going in Ponyville?” “Nothing really eventful has happened over the past few months, just the usual really.” “I see. And how about you Cadence?” “Same here,” The pink princess answers, “Well, except for the preparations of the Diamond Eye.” “Speaking of which,” Twilight interrupts, “When are you going to show it?” “It’s all set in the next room downstairs. I’m just waiting for this last song to finish.” “Are you excited?” “Yes, it’s so beautiful. And with the moonlight at this angle, it’ll look even more beautiful when I reveal it.” “I bet it will be.” “Excuse me,” A stallion’s thick accented voice calls out from behind the four princesses. They look back to see it is a thin blue pegasus in a tuxedo. “Ah yes,” Celestia replies, “Sir Garrison Valkyrie, Ambassador of Cervidas. How may I help you?” “Pardon my intrusion, but the king and queen of Cervidas wanted to warn you of some upcoming economic troubles and possible future threats to security of your kingdom.” “Oh dear, please do.” “Over the recent five years, the crime rates have skyrocketed at Cervidas and surrounding kingdoms. This has mainly been influenced by pirate attacks.” “Pirates… even the landlocked ones?” “Especially the landlocked ones. Reports are vague, but they all seem to describe some type of large sea vessel that flies. They may sound ridiculous, but they’re our only leads and coastal cities report the same anomaly originating from ocean waters. Thus they are all classified by pirate attacks.” “My that’s-” “And must I remind you and how that affects our economic systems and inflation? Two-thousand years ago, there was only a one percent yearly inflation rate. A thousand years later, it increased a percent. Five hundred years after that, it grew another to three percent. These pirate attacks are estimated to exponentially increase that rate to unhealthy levels. And that’s just inflation. I have so much to inform you. There are also factors such as taxes, gross domestic production, employment, standard of living, debt, government payments, media coverage, income…” Oh no, Twilight thinks to herself as the words of the middle-aged ambassador ring in her ears, this is going to be a long night. I’m going to have to tolerate this if I’m going to represent Equestria as a princess. Maybe this music will end as Cadence will be able to cut him off to present the Diamond Eye. When will this music end anyways? Meanwhile outside the castle and in the middle of the royal gardens, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike are all gathered together by a fountain, each with bored looks on their faces. “This party blows.” Rainbow Dash moans. “I hate to admit it,” Pinkie Pie replies, “but you’re right. The dancing is so slow and all the ponies here just talk about politics and big words I don’t understand.” “And these dresses are itchy,” Applejack adds, scratching at her belly, “Or is it just me?” “This kind of reminds of our first Grand Galloping Gala,” Fluttershy declares, “Before we caused havoc to the gala anyways.” “I just hope that Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are having fun on their own.” “They’re in pretty dresses at a royal party, of course they’ll be excited. I guess the charm’s worn off for us it seems.” “Maybe,” Spike replies. “Why aren’t you with Twilight anyways?” Rainbow asks. “The ballroom she’s in has a section reserved for the princesses and specific guests. I don’t qualify so I decided to hang around somewhere else until I got bored.” “Ouch.” “Meh, I don’t mind, I understand.” “I’ve just noticed. Where is Rarity?” “Probably in her little euphoria with some of the guests here,” Applejack answers, “Perhaps the ‘charm’ hasn’t run out on her.” “Hey!” Pinkie Pie exclaims, “Maybe we can play ‘I Spy’.” “Sure,” Spike replies, “That’ll pass the time until something interesting happens.” “Okay, I spy with my little eye… something that is tall.” “The castle?” Rainbow Dash asks. “Correct! Your turn,” “Okay. I spy… something itchy.” “Applejack!” “Correct.” “Yay!” “Oh ha, ha.” Applejack sarcastically snaps, “You try wearin’ this hunk of sandpaper.” “Okay, my turn. I spy with my cutesy little eye… something brown.” “Brown?” Spike confusingly asks. “Yep.” “The dirt?” Applejack asks. “Nope,” “A tree?” Fluttershy asks. “Warmer…” “Warmer?” Rainbow Dash responds, “Hmmm…” Dash takes a moment to examine Pinkie’s eyes. She sees that they are looking off into the middle of the night sky in a much squinted manner. “My eyes are blue, so you’re getting colder…” “What are you even looking at? Some rock in space?” “Nope,” “We give up,” Applejack proclaims, “What is it?” “An ominous airship heading right at us,” “A what?” The mares and Spike quickly gather around Pinkie Pie as they look to where she’s looking. “I don’t see anything…” “See that dark spot in the sky, the one without any stars?” The four others squint tightly at the starry sky and eventually see the dark spot. “I see it!” Rainbow exclaims, “It’s a little brown, black, and… green?” As the mysterious dark spot grows, a very faint green glow surrounds the brown bottom half of the thing. “What is it?” “I told you, an airship.” Pinkie answers, still in her cheery tone. “There are no such things as ships that fly on air,” Applejack retorts. “Then what do you call that silly?” Drawing closer, the dark figure soon forms into shapes in the observers’ vision. “It is a ship.” Fluttershy mumbles, “A very… big and scary ship… that’s flying without magic.” “Yep,” “Hey, Dash,” Spike nervously speaks, “could you maybe fly up there and get a closer look at it?” “Well…” Rainbow Dash gulps, “I can try.” “Be careful.” “…And with that all said and done. Let’s move on to how the concepts of income have been changing.” Nooo! Twilight screams to herself internally. How do Celestia, Luna, and Cadence not go insane after this much talking? How does this music keep on going? And how has this ambassador keep talking after just one glass, a fancy thin glass! The music in the room soon starts to die down, much to Twilight’s relief. “Excuse me sir,” Cadence speaks, interrupting the ambassador’s lecture, “I have to present the Diamond Eye now. Perhaps we can continue later.” “I see,” the stallion calmly replies, “Proceed. In fact, I want to accompany you.” “Oh, that won’t be necessary-” “Please do!” Twilight accidently shouts. She quickly catches her tongue before continuing, “It would be good for the citizens of Cervidas to hear a close up report on the diamond.” “…I guess so. Follow me Garrison.” As the two ponies shuffle out the back door, Cadence looks back at the relieved Twilight and gives a sharp stare at her, one that immediately translates in Twilight’s head. You owe me, Twilight translates the stare to in her head. “Well,” Twilight proclaims, “That was quite a-uh… An interesting lesson,” “Stupid Cervidasian bigwigs,” Celestia grumbles, “Always thinking we can’t run a kingdom. If I could, I would certainly take their thick scrolls on politics this stallion reads from and shove them-” “Ease sister,” Luna calmly retorts, “it’s just a couple days a year we deal with them. And they’re all not so bad-” “Oh shut up, you want to do the same thing.” “Yeah, I would.” “Hmph, stupid lot of them.” “So, Celestia,” Twilight nervously says, “Are you exited for the presentation of the Diamond Eye?” “Huh? Oh, yes.” “Shush,” Luna barks, “it’s time.” With the final note of the dancing music fading away and the dancers retreating to their seats at the edge of the room, a finely dressed staff member walks to the center of the chamber . “Ladies and gentlecolts, ponies and griffons and yaks and all other great species of the world,” the grey stallion proclaims, “It is my honour to announce to you, her royal majesty of the Crystal Empire, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and her unveiling of the Diamond Eye.” Soon enough, a large pedestal with a large blue cloth covering the top hovers in from the unseen parts of the first floor and onto the center of the ballroom in a pink glowing aura. The aura dies down as Princess Cadence gracefully walks up to it and begins to circle it. “Welcome everypony,” she announces to the onlookers, “This artifact was found a year ago shortly after the re-foundation of the Crystal Empire, several metres beneath the ice and snow of the Crystal Mountains. This gemstone is an absolute wonder in its design, construction, disappearance, and purpose, in that it’s a complete mystery. However, one of the few things we know about it, is that it is a symbol, a symbol of the rich culture of the Crystal Empire that thrived thousands of years ago and continues to now. And now, without future ado, allow me to present,” With a flick of her horn, the blue cloth gently hovers off of the pedestal and falls to the floor, revealing the artifact on top of the while pillar. “The Diamond Eye!” “Whoa!” Twilight exclaims. Oohs and aahs erupt from the audience as they gaze upon the Diamond Eye. It is a large, clear half-circle with a jagged edge along its diameter. Mysterious symbols and patterns can be seen either engraved into the crystal or are bevels sticking out from its relatively flat surface. With the moonlight beaming into the crystal, these engravings and bulges project onto the walls of the ballroom, causing more roars of awe to wake. “Any questions about the Diamond Eye?” “How much is it worth?” A mare from the second floor calls out. “In its current condition, five-hundred million bits, but that’s merely for its physical value. In all truth, it’s priceless.” “Where’s the other half?” A stallion on the first floor asks. “We don’t know, but the search it active.” “Any idea on what those markings mean?” Another stallion on the first floor yells. “We have no idea. It is a very ancient language that’s been dead for hundreds of years.” “Do you have any current hypothesis on what its purpose was?” Luna loudly asks. “Well, we have a few theories. It could have been a monument to somepony, a decoration, or even possibly a doctrine or creed of some kind. Any more questions?” “Yes,” a mare on the first floor responds, “What’s that thing outside coming towards us?” “What?” The pink princess slowly turns around to see a rainbow coloured blur outside one of the opening, charging right at her. She ducks as the mysterious figure flies right over her and brutally crashes into the closed door ahead. Twilight speaks to herself after seeing the crash, “Was that… Rainbow Dash?” In a pair of flashes of light, Twilight teleports herself next to Cadence and approaches the figure. “Rainbow Dash?” In a matter of moments, the figure reveals herself as Rainbow Dash and frantically runs up to Twilight. “Bad! Bad! Bad!” She hollers, shivering with her pupils shrunken into pinpoints. “Rainbow! What’s going on?” “P-p-p-p-p-p-pi-pi-p-p-p-” “Spit it out!” “P-pi-p-pirates!” “Wha-” All of a sudden, a series of explosions blast along the outside walls, shaking the entire ballroom. Screams erupt momentarily as ponies scramble around the chamber in terror. Stone and rubble fall from the ceilings and walls and onto the floor as the chaos ensues. Another volley of explosions erupts against the castle, this time with several bursting inside the room. The room then fades into darkness with the only light being a faint green hue coming from outside. “What the hay is going on?” “They’re right outside!” Twilight looks back towards the outside world, only to see a wall of dark brown planks of wood with small grooves glowing the faint green glow. A line of black cylinders are seen poking out of the wall of wood, emitting thick smoke. “Cannons?” The chaos and havoc continues with seemingly no end as screams and hollers fill the air. Twilight knows there is no hope in calming them down. However, after a long while of panic, the screams of terror are cut short by a loud, sinister, group of laughs echoing from the wall of cannons. A long and wide wooden plank then drops down from the top of the glowing wall and lands one end at the edge of the ballroom with the other tied to the wall. Now frozen stiff in fear, the onlookers inside the castle watch as a line of shadowy figures walk from the wooden barrier, down the plank, and into the ballroom, clustering around the edge of the plank. “Well, well, well…” A young stallion’s voice calls from the top of the wall, “If it isn’t the Diamond Eye.” “Who are you? What’s going on? I want an explanation now! If this is an invasion, prepare to get your flank kicked!” “Don’t fret. I have no quarrels with you. I’d be happy to explain what’s going on.” “Who are you?” “Allow me to introduce myself.” A sequence of metal steps is then heard as the mysterious pony walked down the plank. Reaching the floor of the castle room, he then starts to make his way up to Twilight. The purple mare makes her horn glow and reveals the stallion in the bright light of her horn. He has a dark brown coat of fur that nearly matches the color of the wood outside. His mane and tail are a mess of jet black hair, looking as if it hasn’t been cut nor styled in years, yet it somehow looks somewhat proper and neat. He’s walking on his hind legs without any sign of strain, with his front hooves swinging back in forth in tune with his motion. On his left side of his face is an icy blue eye staring dead straight at Twilight, while on the right side, he wears an eye patch that covers his other eye and a scar that peeks from the top and bottom of the black patch. His hooves each has what appears to be a silvery, metal shoe with five spikes protruding from them over the front of his limbs. Connecting to these shoes are long connections of copper gears, pistons, and other pieces of mechanical parts that stretch along the sides of his limbs and into the back. He wears a black metal battle harness on the upper part of his chest with a sickly blue and green light originating from the center circular buckle piece and through small grooves engraved in the straps wrapping around his entire torso, similar to the lights of the wall. Around his back is a large black cape that stretches down to the floor with its corners trailing and dragging against the wood. “What the…” Twilight terrifyingly mutters as the abnormal looking pony towers over her, smiling. Stopping only a few centimetres away, the bipedal stallion spreads his front hooves apart, displaying himself triumphantly. “I am the terror of earth, sea, and air. I am the ultimate pirate captain. I am Korsan…”
The Pirate Pegasus“W-what are you?” Twilight stutters as she backs away from the two-legged pirate. “Frightening at first, I understand.” Korsan pridefully replies, “I never intended myself to assume this posture, but I guess that’s the price to pay when you experiment with mechanical arts on your own body. Personally, I’ve grown fairly attracted to it.” Celestia then flies down to the first floor alongside Twilight and Cadence. “What are you doing here?” She sternly asks him. “I have only come for the Diamond Eye. I apologize for my violent theatrics upon arriving Princess Celestia, this is a very finely constructed piece of architecture, but my ship was too big.” “Your ship? You mean that giant floating wall of wood and cannons behind you?” “Yes, ‘The Perfection’, the home of me and my crew of one-hundred, and the symbol of my ultimate goal. Five-hundred metres of blood, sweat, tears, and more blood than you can imagine,” “You must have some advance technology to have such a massive thing able to fly. Are you the one who’s been attacking nearby kingdoms, both inland and coastal?” “Correct on both terms.” “Well, whatever plans you had for stealing the Diamond Eye, perish them. You’re under arrest.” “Arrest? Me? By who? You and what army?” “This one, guards!” At the instant of the princess’ command, tens of guards burst from the doors leading into the ballroom on all floors. Fully armoured and armed with spears, crossbows, and swords, Earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn guards line up side by side and prime their weapons. “One-hundred and twelve? Are you serious?” The brown stallion begins to chuckle to himself. “What’s so funny? I only see a hundred of your lackeys.” “You do indeed, but as a ruler of a kingdom, you of all ponies should be aware of the tactical disadvantages most of your troops have, them being Earth ponies and pegasi.” “What does that mean? And besides, I don’t see a horn on your forehead.” In a second, Korsan’s grinning face snaps into a scowl. “I rest assure you, that will be an issue I will be dealing with after obtaining the diamond now.” Korsan then outstretches his right hoof forwards, prompting the shadowy figures to line up in two formations of five by ten ponies. Each one of them reveals themselves by illuminating their horns of many colors. An all unicorn army? Stallions and mares of all sizes and colours at Korsan’s sides, all grinning with excitement, take a step forward. Swords and daggers levitate in front of them and go into an offensive stance towards Celestia. “As a pegasus, I’m aware of my current limitations. Perhaps I’m required to demonstrate to you what I mean. Attack!” With a unison flick of the pirates’ horns, every guard is encased in a magical aura and levitated off of the ground. The unicorn guards respond to this by using their magic to break from their entrapment. “Looks like you only have thirty-five guards now.” Korsan’s army then immediately charges forwards towards the center of the room, followed by the free guards charging at them. “Engage shields and fire!” The army quickly follows his orders as a multicoloured shield appears in front of them and a barrage of bolts of magic are fired through the back of the shield and into the resistance. In a matter of moments, the two sides collide and disperse across the ballroom, with usually two pirates attacking a single guard in close quarters combat. Whatever ponies that weren’t fighting at close range engaged in a long range magic firefight across the chamber. Onlooking guests hide underneath tables, chairs, musical equipment, or anywhere else where the fighting isn’t taking place. At the center of the room, amidst the chaos, Korsan slowly approaches the large crystal on the pedestal, admiring its beauty. “You think it’ll be that easy?” Princess Celestia, Cadence, and Twilight emerge from behind several groups of fighters and walk up to Korsan from the other side of the small pillar. “Perhaps,” “Give it up Korsan.” Cadence proclaims, “You’re going against four alicorn princesses alone. There’s no chance of you winning.” “Where is the fourth one?” Another mare’s voice speaks into his ear, “Right behind-” However, before she can finish, Korsan quickly turns around, seeing Luna with her horn glowing brightly. Before she can react, the pirate captain charges up to her and reaches his right hoof behind his back and underneath his swishing cape. His other hoof raises to Luna’s horn as the five spikes on his shoe appear to spring to life, slide down the metal boot, and grab onto the horn as a claw. His right hoof returns into the open, holding a miniature version of his harness in between its claws. In moments, Korsan wraps the small device around Luna’s horn and backs away swiftly. “Too easy.” Princess Luna thinks nothing of this and attempts to fire a magic bolt from her horn. To her surprise, it doesn’t fire anything and the horn’s glow instead dies down. “What did you do?!” “Anti-magic, your horn is no longer able to perform magic unless a very small needle can deactivate the strap from inside with great precision. My harness is similar, in that it prevents me from being affected by magic. And I assume at this point, your fellow princesses are realizing they can’t grab me with their telepathy magic. Isn’t that right?” Korsan turns around to see the trio sweating profusely as their horns are glowing vibrantly yet with nothing happening. “I swear, release me now or there will be serious consequences.” “Like what? You’re defenseless against me.” However, to the pirate stallion’s surprise, a small flaming figure appears from the third floor and charges into his face. He yelps in pain as he feels his face pulse with immense heat from the creature in front of him.” “That!” Korsan runs back and shoos the creature away, causing it to fly up and circle around the second floor. He examines the creature for a second and realizes what it is. “A phoenix, what an interesting pet you have. I have a special pet as well that I would love for you to meet.” As the flaming bird swoops down for another attack, a blue creature flies into the ballroom from outside and smashes into the phoenix, launching it into the wall. “Good Juliana, make sure that that pest stays away from Daddy’s work.” Korsan returns his attention to the black alicorn. “I reckon you have never seen an ice phoenix.” Leisurely, the tall stallion reaches an arm behind his back and cape and pulls out a long, serrated cutlass. The trapped princess’ eyes shrink as the jagged blades, with glowing light similar to that of his harness appearing in detailed designs on the sides, draw close to her as she backs away, forgetting that she has wings out of fear. “Stay away!” “Aww, scared?” Celestia’s voice hollers from behind, “You get away from by sister!” Korsan immediately swirls around and points his sword upwards with the broadside facing him and the older sister. His sword is immediately met by a beam of concentrated white magic, which absorbs the attack with no recoil. “What is it with ponies and announcing themselves before attacking? Actually, in hindsight, it’s a fairly hypocritical statement.” “Get away!” The white alicorn then charges at Korsan with her horn aimed at his throat. The pirate quickly reacts by pulling out an anti-magic horn strap and attaching it to Celestia’s horn as he dodges the dash. Princess Celestia fails to stop after missing and accidentally tumbles over her younger sister, sending them both falling onto the cold stone floor. “Any more resistance?” Korsan impatiently snarls, having his moment with Luna interrupted. His question is answered by Cadence teleporting behind him and delivering a punch into the back of his head. Korsan growls for a moment, but quickly recovers and smashes the back of his head into the pink alicorn’s chin. With her now discombobulated, Korsan strafes aside a step and performs a sideways flip over her, pulling out another horn trap and attaching it to her. Upon landing, the bipedal fighter grabs her by the neck and tosses her into Celestia and Luna, creating a larger tangle. “And now… Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Korsan looks back at the pedestal and sees the purple mare standing in front of it, staring at him. “How do you know my name?” Twilight asks. “I do research. What? Did you expect anything less of me, thinking I was just some mindless barbaric pirate? Don’t expect your fight against me to be any different to your superiors. I suggest you back down now, I don’t want to harm you, nor did I originally intend to with your friends.” “And let you get away with the Diamond Eye and hurting my friends anyways? Not a chance.” “I see your reasons, but you must realize that whatever your next move is that I don’t like will result in you getting hurt. You’re surrounded.” Twilight takes a moment to look in her peripheral vision and realizes that he is right. All the resisting guards have been taken out and she’s now surrounded by one-hundred pirate unicorns and Korsan. “Don’t push it.” Korsan then pulls out another cutlass from his back, making him now dual wielding. “Fine, I don’t see any other option…” “Quite, now move aside.” Defeated, Twilight slowly walks to the side and let’s Korsan finally come within arm’s reach of the large crystal. The pirate captain’s face lights up as his mechanical claws grab onto the large artifact. “Finally, the other half of the Diamond Eye is mine, now I can fulfill our quest. The moment of our triumph draws nigh!” His crew roars in laughter and cheer while the onlookers continue to cower. “Wait, you have the other half?” “Yes, I found it of the coast of Pingwin.” “That’s thousands of kilometres north of here! It’s an artic wasteland practically!” “Most certainly, and it is also the birthplace of my sweet Juliana. Come here Missy!” At his command, the ice phoenix immediately returns and hovers over Korsan’s shoulder. Korsan returns one of his swords behind his back and strokes shiny gradient of glowing light and dark blue feathers with his free claws, prompting the bird to land on his shoulder. “Have you turned that fire phoenix to ashes?” A gentle coo croaks from Juliana as a response. “Daddy’s so proud.” “Korsan, I’m giving you this chance, return the Diamond Eye to its pedestal now, go away, and I might forgive you.” “You really think I’m going to do that?” “A longshot, yes, but if there’s any good in your heart you’ll see this is wrong. Maybe we can work together and solve the mysteries of the Diamond Eye now that we have both halves.” “Ha! I know what your answer will be if you figured out my intentions are with the complete Diamond Eye. Certainly I can’t trust my crew to keep it a secret. So I’m afraid that I’ll have to deny your offer. Come along my hearty crew, we feast aboard!” “Huzzah!” The pirates cheer. One by one, the crew of a hundred pirates walks back up the plank and onto the massive airship, with the last member picking up the Diamond Eye piece with his magic and taking it with him. “Take heed all of you, know your place. And I better not find anypony trying to follow me, unless you intend to join my crew, in which, if you are a unicorn, you are more than welcome.” “Hey!” A mare’s voice calls from behind the doors across from Korsan’s standing, “What’s going on in there?” “Who is this? Reveal yourself.” Slowly, the massive stone doors open and Rarity walks into the room. Immediately, she’s frightened by the hovering guards, the hiding ponies, the toppled princess pile, the destroyed state of the ballroom, and Korsan standing beside an empty pedestal all at once. “W-wha-what happened? Who are you? What are you? Did you cause this?” “Oh my…” Korsan’s eye grow as his sights sharpen onto the white mare. A warm, fuzzy feeling starts to rise from the back of his neck to the center of his skull as the pirate captain finds himself entranced by Rarity’s appearance. “I apologize for my more, abnormal appearance. It is understandable for your fright, but you grow used to it in time. I am Korsan. And who might you be?” “R-Rarity…” “I must say, you look most certainly elegant. It might not be the brightest room in the castle, but I can see that you take considerable time to maintain a well-made public image, one to catch the eyes of many-a-stallion.” “Can it Korsan.” Twilight barks from the side of the room, “She’s not interested with pirates. You got your diamond, now go. You’ve already done enough damage to this place. Rarity, stay away from him, he caused this entire mess.” “This is not your concern miss.” “No, hold on.” Rarity snaps, “What makes you think that I’d be interested in you after you caused this and present yourself in this manner all of a sudden? Are you mad?! You return that Diamond Eye and get out of this place this instant or else I’ll make sure you’ll be sore for the next week.” “Hmph. Fine, it was a longshot anyways.” The pirate replies with a smirk, seemingly having taken no offense to the rejection, “Though I can always have one more member in my crew.” Quickly, Korsan runs onto the boarding plank and heads up to the top of the wooden wall with Juliana in tow. “Adieu!” “Hey! Get back here now!” However, but Rarity can reach the wooden board, it is lifted back over the top of the boat. “You won’t get away with this!” “Unfortunately,” Twilight somberly replies, “he has. He just had the upper hoof and trumped us. Anything we do now is just going to hurt somepony” Soon, the massive wall of wood and cannon barrels springs to life as it moves forwards and accelerates rapidly. Everypony watches as they see the back of the massive pirate ship sink below their view and disappear from their sights. Twilight and Rarity run up to the room’s edge and look out the window to see the massive floating boat already in the distance soaring away with the laughter of the pirates on board echoing back to them. “So that’s it? This pirate and his crew just came in here, knocked out a third of the guard, left the other two thirds stuck in the air by magic, stole the Diamond Eye, hurt the princesses, brought panic to the Grand Galloping Gala, destroyed the castle, and I think I saw Rainbow Dash soil herself, and you’re just going to let him get away with it?” “Well, the magic will wear off once the ship flies off a large enough distance.” “Still, you’re just going to let them get away?” “No, we’re going to go after them, and stop Korsan from causing any more of these attacks.” “How?” “I… I am not sure.”
Goodbye and FarewellThe next morning, Twilight and Spike are back at their home and are now packing their bags for their upcoming quest. “So Twilight,” Spike asks Twilight as he’s putting a large collection of colourful gems in a suitcase, “What’s the plan again?” “After Korsan and his crew raided the gala,” Twilight replies, “Rarity and I watched their airship fly off in a specific direction. I looked at several maps after the raid and discovered he’s most likely heading northeast out to sea. There’s a location that’s directly in Korsan’s path called Thieves’ Hold, an infamous gathering place for criminals. Princess Celestia gave me permission for me, you, and our friends to take a ship to there and hopefully reach it before he does and cut him off, taking the Diamond Eye back and apprehending him.” “Sounds great,” “I knew you’d say that.” “But, once you catch up to him, what are you going to do? I heard that one third of the guards were hospitalized after the raid and the other two thirds were unable to fight right from the start. How are you even going to be able to take care of Korsan, let alone the ship? What do you know about him?” “Well, from what the guards, the princesses, and I experienced, Korsan is highly adept to mechanical arts, close-range combat, leadership, navigation, animal taming, and anti-magic, despite him being a pegasus.” “Wait, how does that work? Isn’t anti-magic an advance spell?” “Yes, but this stallion did something new. The straps he used to disable the other princesses’ magic power contained an unknown substance that nullifies magic. This substance is also probably used in his harness, his swords, and his ship. But that’s not the weirdest part. He stands, walks, and fights on his hind hooves and wears these weird claw-shoes on his front hooves, like you.” “Wouldn’t that be hard for him, being a pony and all?” “No, in fact, he’s even more agile than most normal pegasi. That’s what’s so uncanny about him. I think it has to do something with his mechanical exosuit based on what he said.” “He sounds tough, any weaknesses?” “Uh…” “Please tell me you know some weakness to him before you attempt to fight him.” “…He… He has a distaste for Earth ponies and pegasi for some odd reason and wears an eyepatch.” “Those are not weakness! What are we going to do then?” “We’ll… improvise.” “With what?” “Spike, why are you being so hypercritical about this?” “I just don’t want you or anypony getting hurt when we’re going after this stallion, that’s all.” “I guess you have a point. I guess I can do some research while we’re out at sea.” “That sounds good. By the way, you said something about him being a pegasus, yet he has a distaste towards them. Is that right?” “Yeah, he immediately acted kind of aggressive when Celestia brought it up. He then explained that he was going to use the Diamond Eye to fix that or something, not sure how though.” “Twilight, are you sure you want to do this only hours after his attack? This is starting to sound like this Korsan character has something big going on, something that we might not be ready for.” “I am sure. Cadence worked hard for the presentation for the Diamond Eye and it’s one of the only historical artifacts of the Crystal Kingdom lasting beyond King Sombra’s reign. And besides, if we don’t go now, Korsan might go somewhere else and we’ll lose him, possibly forever.” “Alright…” “Are you fully packed Spike? This will be a long trip.” “Almost,” “Hurry up please, we’re expected at Vanhoover in a few hours.” Meanwhile, at Rarity’s boutique, the white unicorn is also packing several suitcases. However, a smaller unicorn mare is following her around. “Sweetie Belle,” Rarity calmly exclaims at the filly, “for the fifth time, no. You cannot join us.” “No fair!” Sweetie Belle screams, “Applejack’s probably letting her little sister join, and Scootaloo’s going to want to tag along with us.” “Applejack’s half as firm as I am, and even she wouldn’t let Applebloom join us for such a dangerous trip. We’re spending at least a month one open waters with pirates and storms around every corner. Not to mention that that Korsan creep we’re after has the hots for me.” “Then why are you tagging along if it’s so dangerous?” “The only reason I’m joining my friends is because somepony needs to keep the integrity of the ship we’re going on up. Mom and Dad will look after you while I’m gone. And besides, Applebloom and Scootaloo will still be around to keep you company.” “But we Cutie Mark Crusaders must join you guys, think of all the possibilities for cutie marks we could get out there.” “The only things you and your friends will get on your flanks out there are splinters, bruises, seawater, tons of dust and dirt, or all at once.” “Please!” “For the final time… No!” “Do you really need all of those large suitcases?” “What?” Rarity takes a moment to look behind her and see a three metre tall pyramid of large purple suitcases, teetering back and forth from its height. “Oh… Well yes, yes I do.” “Really?” “…Maybe one or two too many,” In the meantime, on the distant outskirts of Ponyville at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack is rummaging through the central barn with a yellow Earth pony filly watching. “Applejack,” the small mare speaks, “can I-” “No Applebloom.” Applejack quickly responds. “But why?!” “First off, it’s dangerous. Second off, you’ll mostly be alone while we run the boat on our journey. Rarity’s twice as strict as I am, so there’s no chance Sweetie Belle will come along. “What about Scootaloo?” “She’ll also be alone on the ship since I said no for your permission. Third off, somepony’s gotta take care of my work at the farm while I’m gone. Big Mac has enough work on his plate already and he gets easily seasick, so he can’t take my place.” “Darn it…” “Don’t be so sad about it, you’ll be fine. Let’s see, what else do I need? I got a compass, some books, plenty of drinking water and plenty of food, clothing…” “Doesn’t this fancy ship you’ve been talkin’ ‘bout have all of those things?” “It doesn’t hurt to pack extra. Oh I know!” “It better not be-” “Apples! Lots and lots of apples, crates of them,” “…that.” “Don’t be such a neighsayer. I can bake up all sorts of goodies on my trip with a healthy surplus of apples.” “Can I help you bake-” “No.” Meanwhile, high above in the clouds, Rainbow Dash has already packed her things in four large saddlebags and is now flying with them resting at her sides. Behind her follows an orange pegasus filly. “…As fun as it would be Scootaloo,” Dash says, “I don’t think this mission would be that much fun for you.” “Oh come on,” the small mare confidently retorts, “my wings just developed and now I can fly. I could be of great help in recovering the Diamond Eye and beating that pirate for stealing it.” “I enjoy your enthusiasm, but I’m afraid it’s too dangerous as well.” “Danger’s my middle name.” “No, I mean really dangerous. I saw what Korsan and his crew did. They didn’t hesitate when they levitated the guards into the air, with only the unicorns breaking free. I can barely imagine the damage they would cause if you crossed into their territory.” “Whoa, this must be super serious if that’s coming from you. You’d usually laugh at something that seemed threatening.” “Quite, so you know you can’t join me on this.” “I guess so.” “I’m happy you understand. I’ll be back in hopefully a month or two.” “Okay. Bye Dashy!” “Bye Scoots.” Hm, the cyan pegasus thinks to herself as she sees her filly friend turn around and fly away, she seems to be taking this awfully well. She didn’t even bring up the CMC or wanting cutie marks… Meh, just might be me. Down below from where Rainbow Dash is flying, on the rolling grassy hills just outside of Ponyville, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are walking side by side pulling wagons of stuffed suitcases on them. “I knew it!” Pinkie cheers, hopping up and down as she moves forward. “You tempted fate, and now you must pay up.” “Are you still going on about the bet?” Fluttershy groans, “You’re right, whoo-hoo, but there’s a bigger issue at hoof.” “You’re not backing out of it are you?” “No. We just have to deal with this Korsan stallion and then we can take care of the bet.” “How about this, how about we make a new bet.” “Oh no…” “I bet that we’ll come across a giant carnivorous squid on our travels at sea.” “Pinkie, that’ll never happen.” “It’s an adventure at sea, of course it’s going to happen.” “No it won’t.” “Fine, then the bet is on.” “Wha-” “If I win, then you have to pay me twenty bits, if you win, you don’t have to pay anything.” “Hmmm… Fine, it’s not going to happen anyways.” I pray that nothing like that happens. I’d have a heart attack or something if some squid attacked us! “Are you excited?” “Excited for what?” “Excited that we’re going on a grand adventure out to sea against a pirate crew of course silly,” “Oh, well, it will be a pleasant cruise if that’s what you mean.” “I’m so excited! Just imagine the things we’ll be doing out there. Riding our ship throughout the storms, fighting pirates, getting in pirate bar fights, swing across boats onto the pirate ship, telling pirate tales, telling ghost tales, telling ghost pirate tales, getting pirate loot, getting kidnapped by pirates, being turned into pirate loot, and so much more!” “Most of those things you listed, if not all of them, are not going to happen.” “Wanna be-” “No.” A few hours later, at the ocean docks of the coastal city of Vanhoover, Twilight, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy meet up with their luggage in tow at the entrance. “So,” Twilight proclaims, “is everypony here?” “Yep,” Rainbow confirms. “Anypony forget something before we go?” Applejack asks the group, oblivious to the fact that her cargo of four massive crates of apples dwarfs the others’ luggage. “Well,” Fluttershy answers, “I wonder if I left enough food open for my animal friends…” “No,” Pinkie sharply replies, “you gave them quite enough. I could see the pile from outside.” “It seems we’re all set then.” Rarity says. “Now the only question remaining is,” Spike adds, turning his attention to the vast array of large and small ships scattered throughout the harbour. “Where’s our boat?” “That’s a very good question,” a familiar older mare’s voice announces behind him. The seven look back and see Celestia standing with them. “Princess Celestia!” They all exclaim in surprise. “Hello my little ponies.” “What are you doing here?” Twilight asks, “Aren’t you supposed to be in Canterlot right now after the robbery?” “Don’t worry, Luna’s taking care of the delegates. I just came here to wish you all good luck.” “I see.” “Your ship is over there.” The white alicorn raises a hoof towards the far right of the docks. The others look to where she’s pointing and sees their ship. It is a massive galleon with a solid red and gold painted exterior. Three tall masts on the ship pierce the sky, each with two wide, white sails sporting the symbol of Equestria, a shield with the sun and the moon together. Ten small steel cannons poke out of each side of the vessel. At the stern of the boat, hosts a large quarter deck with windows revealing the large galley and captain’s quarters. “The SS Raindrop, a fifty metre long, one-hundred fifty metric ton luxury behemoth of oak and steel, made to sail anywhere. Armed with twenty quick-fire cannons and a hundred metric ton anchor, this ship will take on any challenge and escape with only a few scratches. Although it may not be as powerful as Korsan’s airship, this will certainly strike fear in any small ship that wants to pick a fight with you. I’ve already taken care of food and water resources on board in the cargo bay, they should last you at most three months.” “Oh my… Celestia, are you sure you want to give us this massive ship?” “I’m certain. I well comprehend your understandings of ship operation and maintenance. Now, are all of you ready?” “Yes we are.” With a flick of the large alicorn’s horn, the eight ponies and cargo disappear from the wooden docks in a flash of light and reappear on the main deck of the large galleon. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome. Good luck all of you, come back safely.” “We will.” The white princess’ wings then unfold and Celestia takes off into the clear sky. With the vast blue sea ahead of them, Twilight returns her attention to her friends. “Alright, let’s take off.” “Aye-aye captain,” Pinkie promptly responds before saluting in her own random way. “Alright, first, we hoist the anchor.” Twilight’s horn glows as she focuses her attention to the unseen anchor over the edge of the bow. A loud rattling is heard as the ship begins to shift back and forth upon being freed from its restraint. “Done.” “The sails appear to be already opened.” Spike announces. “Right then, and finally…” The purple mare then swiftly runs up to the top of the stern and finds the wheel standing at the center of the deck. Grabbing it with her magic, she gently sets the steering wheel stiff and centered. “How about a little wind Dash?” “Gotcha!” Rainbow hollers. In a single bound, the pegasus launches herself into the air and hovers behind a sail at the center mass. Rapidly beating her wings, Rainbow Dash soon causes a large gust of wind to pump into the sail, jerking the entire galleon forwards. “That’s enough.” With the ship now pulling out of the harbor, Twilight gently turns the wheel clockwise, turning the ship as well. “Let’s see, it was seventy-eight degrees clockwise from the east…” As the ship almost becomes parallel with the coast, Twilight straightens the wheel, stopping the turning. “There, now we should be heading straight for Thieves’ Hold.” “Now what do we do?” Rarity loudly asks. “Just kick back and relax. We have a good tailwind now.” “Yay!” Pinkie exclaims, “Vacation Time!” “Good,” Applejack adds, “now I can start taking care of my stuff.” “Are all of those massive crates apples?” Rainbow questions the orange Earth pony. “They sure are.” “You realize that Celestia already stockpiled some food for us?” “Yeah, but you can never be too prepared. You don’t see me whining about Rarity’s stack.” “Rarity is ‘excessive for personal reasons’, Twilight is ‘too prepared’, you’re entering psycho territory.” “It doesn’t hurt,” Fluttershy retorts. “Whatever, I’m going to take care of my things and find a room.” “We should all at this point really.” Spike declares. “May the adventure begin!” Twilight proudly shouts. With the wind brushing over her shoulders and the waves rushing past the sides of her ship, high hopes fill the young mare’s head.
The Adventure BeginsAfter several days and nights of sailing, with the only land last seen was the coast of Vanhoover a week ago, the seven ponies still continue their journey aboard their ship to catch Korsan. This night, with a half-moon in the sky and several stars twinkling in the sky, the group is in the galley, eating apple pie quietly, each spread out across a large table. More apples, Rainbow Dash thinks to herself as she pauses from her meal, at this point I might well be eating those hard biscuits in storage for a better tasting meal. “Hey Twilight,” Fluttershy asks to Twilight at the other end of the long dining table, “how much longer until we reach Thieves’ Hold?” “Halfway, another week probably,” Twilight answers with a mouthful of pie. “Don’t worry Fluttershy,” Applejack proclaims, “I’ve still got plenty of apples.” “Why does it have to be so far away?” Rainbow impatiently barks out, feeling her stomach growing queasy from the apples. “The Antlertic Ocean is huge,” Spike replies, “it would be a great place to disappear from the world.” “You know what’s strange?” Rarity asks out loud, “Throughout our entire time at sea, we haven’t seen a single pirate ship or any ship for that matter ever since we left the harbour. What’s up with that?” Twilight gulps down her mouthful of pie and answers, “You heard what the princess said about this ship. If any small pirate ships were to see us in the distance, they’d probably get away and not pick a fight. Though, you do have a point about there not being any friendly ships that we’ve seen. I guess rumors of powerful storms and sea monsters drive most ponies away from this area, making Thieves’ Hold a much more ideal place for Korsan to go.” “Speaking of rumors,” Pinkie speaks, “How about we tell some ghost stories while we’re all here together?” “In the middle of the night?” Fluttershy protests, “I’d rather not.” “Of come on Flutter, it’ll be fun. I’ll start. Once upon a time, there was a trading ship that was set to sail to the kingdom of Ti, but was sent off course by a large hurricane. The sailors on board didn’t know and continued to sail forwards, and eventually fell over the edge of the world. Legend says that if you’re lucky, when approaching Ti oversea, you’ll see a ghost ship sailing towards it before it sinks underneath the waves and disappear.” “That’s ridiculous.” Twilight retorts, “The world’s round, not flat. And there is no such thing as ghost ships or ghosts in general.” “My turn,” Rainbow Dash calls out, “this one will make you all unable to sleep tonight. Once, there was a stallion. His name was Pablo. Pablo was not a very good pony. He liked to… have-” “Inappropriate story Dash!” “What? It’s just us seven.” “Who even told you that story?” “Who told you?” “…” “Seeing as you know how it ends.” “…Well…” “How does it end?” Applejack asks out of growing curiosity. “Not well. Who’s next?” A small snicker is heard coming from the cyan mare as silence draws over the candle lit room. “I guess me…” “Good. Make sure it’s an acceptable story.” “Okay… Here is the legend of the Dark and Crimson Mare. There once was a young mare that lived alone in a house at the edge of a cliff that stood over the ocean. One day, during a very windy night, the cliff edge collapsed and fell into the ocean, taking the house and the sleeping mare, dressed in her sleeping gown, down with it. The mare drowned in her sleep in only a few minutes. Now, when you go to the missing cliffside at night at a new moon, you might be able to see the ghost of the mare hovering where she slept, with her fur coloured red, her gown completely black, and her eyes wide open, staring at you.” “Ooh! That is scary!” Pinkie exclaims. “Too scary,” Fluttershy squeaks. “How about you Fluttershy?” “Me? No, I’ve had enough scary stories for tonight.” “Oh come one,” Rainbow Dash replies, hovering over to the yellow mare and giving her a noogie on the top of her head. “Just tell us a story and then you can go, please.” “Well, okay I guess. Once upon a time, some fillies went into a haunted house. A ghost showed up and spooked them. But then the fillies remembered that ghosts were real, and discovered that the ghost was just a stallion with a blanket over his head. The end,” “It’s Pablo!” “Quit it Rainbow Dash!” Twilight barks as Rainbow starts laughing uncontrollably in the air, eventually falling onto the floor in her laughing fit. ”Sorry Fluttershy for that little instance, it was a… enjoyable story.” “Thanks.” Fluttershy cheers, “I’ll be going to bed now. Good night.” “Okay. Good night.” Slowly, the yellow mare exits from her chair and makes her way to the door leading downstairs. “So, who’s next?” “I guess I will,” Rarity declares as the sound of a door closing erupts behind. “There once was a pair of young unicorn brothers. The only family they had was their mother and each other due to their father leaving years ago. One day though, the mother died from disease, leaving the two heartbroken. Desperate to have her back, the two attempted a forbidden magic. However, instead of it bringing her back, what they brothers created was a monster, at the unseen cost of the older brother losing two legs and the younger losing his body, having his soul sealed inside a nearby empty suit of armour. It is said that they now roam a distant and unknown land, seeking a way to return to their original bodies at whatever the cost.” “Ooh, deep.” “Thank you, I heard it from the ambassador of Saddle Arabia during the gala.” “Cool. You want to have a go at it Spike?” “Wait!” Fluttershy’s voice calls from underneath, “Do you hear that?” “Hear what?” After a second of silence, Fluttershy suddenly bursts from the door with a frightened look on her face. “That laughing, coming from outside” “I don’t hear any, just us and the candles.” “Must be because I was in the dark and below the main deck,” “Could be, we should investigate.” “Wait, what if it’s the Dark and Crimson Mare? Or the ghost trading ship? Or Pablo?” “There are no such things as ghosts, nor Pablo. You can stay in here.” “Okay… Just be careful.” “Everypony else, follow.” Quietly, the five other ponies and Spike scramble up to the main deck and start to hear the faint laughing as well. They wonder around the dark, searching for a source either onboard or on the ocean. “I hear it,” Spike whispers, “but I don’t see anything.” “Sounds like a whole lot of laughers to,” Applejack softly replies, “Has anypony checked under the boat?” “That’s stupid,” Rainbow Dash retorts, “who’d be laughing underwater?” As Rainbow and Applejack soon engage in a silent argument, Spike turns his attention to the port edge of the deck, seeing Pinkie Pie looking up into the sky with her pupils shrunken, with a green tint reflecting in her eyes and her mouth at a gape. “Pinkie?” Spike nervously asks, “Do you see something?” “What if,” the pink Earth pony cryptically responds, “the laughing’s coming from right above us?” “That’s ridiculous, no pegasi would be flying this far out to sea. And the pirate ship we’re after is way ahead of us.” “Then what’s that?” “What?” Spike turns his head up and is shocked at what he sees. “Oh…” Spike and Pinkie see that Korsan’s airship is hovering right above the SS Raindrop, and is the source of the mysterious laughing noise. “Twilight! Rainbow Dash! Applejack! Rarity! It’s Korsan’s ship, it’s right above us!” “What?” The four mares exclaim as they look up and see the green glowing underbelly of the pirate ship as well. “How is that possible?” Twilight asks out loud, “Korsan had a head start.” “Who cares?’ Rarity joyously replies, “We can just take care of that creep and his crew now and head back with the Diamond Eye.” “I guess, but I haven’t really figured out how yet. We can’t teleport on board with the ship blocking any good teleporting location in view. We can’t fight it directly with the size and artillery it has. What can we do?” “I got it.” Dash pridefully cheers, “You, Fluttershy, and I can just sneak on board, grab the diamond, and sneak back down. Simple.” “It’s a heavy diamond, probably guarded. Are you sure we can do this?” “Yeah,” “I’ll go get Fluttershy, you go ahead and scout things out. Good luck.” “On it,” Swiftly the blue pegasus flies upwards to the bottom of the airship, hearing the laughing grow louder and louder. As Rainbow Dash makes her way up the side of the hull to the quarterdeck, a bright golden glow is seen emanating from the windows where the joyous hollers are coming from. Curious, Dash peaks her head up from the bottom and is immediately surprised at what she sees. A massive galley, five times bigger than theirs, lit up by hundreds of candles inside. The large room holds a gigantic a U-shape table, lined with one hundred chairs, with most of them being seated upon by unicorns of all shapes and sizes. Stallions and mares, young and old, tall and tiny, shaved and bearded, bare and fully dressed, bald and lengthy manes and tails, fat and skinny, bearing every colour of the rainbow and more, each had their own unique combination, with only a few being similar to one another. All seated are jubilantly laughing and cheering as golden bits, jewels, clothing, and large plates of food of every variety are being passed all around in the air by their magic. At the center of the room is a large serving table, with large black pots holding tons and tons of plants, breads, fruits, vegetables, drinks, and more delectable, making the spying onlooker drool beyond control. However, the main focus of activity lies beyond the serving table, with a young, pale mare with a long red mane and tail with a small dagger in her control fighting against an old, dark blue stallion with a small grey braid wielding a large two-bitted axe. The seated pirates watching the fight cheer each time the two fighters’ weapons clash, growing louder and louder and throwing around more and more items as bets. Yet the thing that grabs Dash’s attention the most is at the far end of the room, opposite of the dining and serving table. There, sitting upon a large chair on an elevated platform, with his own large table with food and treasures sitting on it, is none other than Korsan, quietly watching the fight with a smile on his face. It’s him… Rainbow thinks to herself as she continues to spy inside the lively galley. Soon the fight ends by the mare tripping over the stallion with her magic and disarming him in the process. Immediately, the galley roars in both excitement and short-lived anger as massive amounts of stuff is sent soaring across the dining table to the watchers that won the bet, soon obscuring their faces with the amount of stuff they won. As the old stallion rises back to his hooves, the young mare outstretches a hoof, prompting him to calmly shake it with his own. The two combatants then quickly head into a room to the right of Korsan’s behind with their weapons in tow. That might be the armoury where they keep the weapons. Wait a minute Dashy, remember, find the Diamond Eye and get out. Don’t get distracted. Suddenly, her train of thought is interrupted by her vision turning completely light blue and a blast of cold hitting her face. Rainbow Dash backs away in shock and sees with her recovering vision that it is Korsan’s ice phoenix attacking her. It loudly shrieks at her before charging in for another strike. Rainbow quickly reacts and flies back down to her ship. Stupid parrot! I’m not going to get back that diamond with that thing making a noise. Inside the galley, with the post-fight chaos still roaring through the atmosphere, the fighters return from the armoury and walk onto Korsan’s platform and walk to the other end of the captain’s table. The two then bow their heads to him, prompting the onlookers to quiet down, knowing that their captain will now be talking. With silence now the only thing being heard, Korsan tranquilly speaks, “You both did well. Miss Maria Vanshwitz, mechanic, your use of surprise and overwhelming your opponent are quite adept. However your technique and stamina are still lackluster. Please try to exercise that.” “Yes captain.” The young mare responds in a pant before walking to the dining table and taking an empty seat. “And Butch Taylor, cook, your strength and intimidation are well used. Yet your vigilance and speed need attention. I know you’re growing old, but please don’t let your age get the best of you.” “I understand captain.” The old stallion responds before also heading to a seat. “Crew of ‘The Perfection’, it has been a fine night with you all. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to get to my chambers early to further study the Diamond Eye. Good night.” However, as Korsan starts to exit his chair, the ice phoenix soars into the room from an open door, screeching as it flies to him. “Juliana, what’s wrong?” As Juliana reaches her master’s outstretched hoof, a small feather from Rainbow Dash is spit out of her beak and into Korsan’s claws. “A feather?” Holding the small feather close to his eye, Korsan examines it thoroughly before lowering it to his nose and sniffing it. “Northwester Equestrian Oak and refined steel,” Quickly, the pirate captain jumps from his seat and runs to the door with Juliana leading him. “Follow me!” “Yes captain!” The pirates at the table sharply respond as they follow behind him and his pet as they reach the port edge of the main deck. With Korsan and his crew watching, the ice phoenix flies overboard and towards Rainbow Dash still heading down to Twilight’s ship below. “It’s that blue wench from Equestria!” A middle-aged stallion crew member calls out. “What?! Why didn’t the lookouts see her?” “They might have fallen asleep from that last joyride you did.” “Get me a spyglass!” Almost immediately, a small telescope is levitated in front of Korsan. He swiftly grabs it from the air and holds it up to his eye, looking through it and getting a better look at the ship below. “It’s Princess Twilight, from Equestria. She’s with five others and a baby dragon. They’re probably here for the Diamond Eye. They’re following us with a galleon, fifty metres long, twenty small cannons, six sails, thirty centimetre thick hull, must be royal class.” “Easy pickings, let’s just sink them already.” An older mare calls out from beside her captain. “No.” Korsan retorts as his sights set on Rarity looking up at his ship. “What?” “There’s a mare on that ship down there, a unicorn. She could serve very well in our crew.” “So? We can just drop down, snatch her up, and then sink ‘em.” “I’m afraid it’s not as easy as your initiation as yours Barbara Shores. We have to be more welcoming to this one, but it will be worth it. And I don’t want to distract myself from our goal by having to do repairs. We’ll instead run down their defenses, give them and her some distress without getting our hooves dirty.” “How so?” The old stallion that fought in the galley asks. “We’ll take them through Siren Gulch.” “Are you sure captain? Very few travelers have ever made it through alive.” “We’ve seen it in action plenty of times. It is possible for a ship of this sort. And for the crew, that’s the funny thing about these ‘hero’ types, they always do manage to ride out that slim chance.” “You mean that there’s such thing as fate?” “In a scientific sense. Prepare yourselves sea artists! I’m going to need one of you to keep an eye on that ship and sketch me their faces. As for the rest of you, we’re changing course to Siren Gulch,” “What is going on up there?” Twilight asks out loud as the massive airship above turns. “They’re changing their course. I would’ve thought for certain they were heading for Thieves’ Hold.” “Rainbow Dash was caught by that weird blue bird up there. What if they’re trying to throw us off course?” “Maybe,” “Get away from me!” Rainbow screams at Juliana as the phoenix turns back towards Korsan’s ship. Dash then flies back down to the deck of the galleon alongside her friends. “Sorry guys, I couldn’t find the Diamond Eye. That stupid bird probably ratted us out.” “That’s fine,” Fluttershy comforts her, “Did you at least learn anything about the pirates.” “Their galley is on the lowest portion of the quarterdeck and the armoury is right next to it. And they have mountains of food in there.” “That’s quite a lot of food.” “Are you kidding?! It’s practically heaven on a boat!” “Oh no,” Twilight interrupts Rainbow, “This isn’t good.” “What isn’t good?” Rarity asks. “After doing some calculations, I just discovered where they’re going now.” “Where?” “They’re heading towards the tip of the Central Ley Line. It might be to throw us off, but it’s just as likely that going to Thieves’ Hold is throwing us off.” “What’s so bad about some Ley Line?” Spike replies, “It doesn’t sound that bad.” “Do you even know what the Ley Lines are?” “No.” “Anypony else?” No response is given by the others as they blankly star at her in confusion. “The Ley Lines are large uncharitable sections of land that surround the known world. Usually seen with extreme weather and abnormal phenomenon, they’ve been regarded as impossible to go through. And for the few explorers that go into the Ley Lines, it is said that no two ponies experience the same thing, if they even come back.” “Eep!” Fluttershy squeaks, “We should go to Thieves’ Hold.” “I’m with Fluttershy.” Rarity adds, “Wherever Korsan’s going is definitely not there. He’s just trying to throw us off.” “Wait,” Applejack replies, “If Korsan sees us still going to Thieves’ Hold, then wouldn’t he know not to go there?” “You’re right.” Twilight responds, “If we’re ever going to take him, we’re going to have to play along. Who knows, the Ley Lines may give us an upper hoof for when we confront him.” “Wait,” Rainbow asks, “If he already knows we’re here, then why isn’t he attacking us? He’s got a giant flying ship with giant cannons.” “I don’t know myself. Something doesn’t seem right. But if we’re going to get any answers, we might as well follow him.”
Siren GulchIt has been several hours after Twilight and her team have changed course and have been following Korsan’s lead. Now, after seeing nothing strange since their departure, a thick fog suddenly rolls in and covers their galleon while Korsan’s airship flies over. “What the hay?” Applejack exclaims as the grey sheet of fog obscures her viewing of the ship above. “Where’d this fog come from?” “Is this Korsan’s doing?” Rarity yells out, lost in the haze. “No,” Twilight answers at the wheel on top of the poop deck, “We’ve just entered the Central Ley Line. Brace yourselves girls, we don’t know what’s ahead.” Rainbow Dash then flies up to Twilight from behind the ship and lands with a hard thud. “What is this?” Dash asks in annoyance, “I can barely see two metres ahead of me and whatever I do, I can’t change it.” “Relax Dash, this fog probably can’t be affected by pegasi like normal weather.” “Then how are we supposed to follow Korsan?” “Pinkie Pie was out on the bow before this fog rolled in. I’m going to need you to slow down our ship while Pinkie directs me with her visibility point.” “We’ll lose Korsan at that rate.” “His ship usually flies straight from what we’ve seen, we’ll still reach whatever destination he’s going even if he’s far ahead. More importantly, we don’t know what’s ahead and it could be very dangerous if we hit it hard before we can react.” “I guess so. I’m going to deal with the sails now.” “Good. Pinkie Pie!” “Yes?” A chipper voice echoes in response. “I’m going to need you to tell me whether to turn left or right and by what angle!” “Okey-dokey-lokey!” “Applejack, Rarity, I’m going to need you two to each take a side of the ship, see if anything’s coming at us.” “Got it!” The two mares reply. “Fluttershy, help Dash slow us down.” “Okay.” Fluttershy replies from underneath Twilight’s hooves, inside the captain’s quarters. “Spike,” “Yes Twilight?” The baby dragon responds, standing right next to Twilight, much to her surprise. “Oh, you’re here. Listen, if anything happens to me, I’ll need you to take the wheel. Got it?” “Yep,” “Good.” “Sharp rocks ahead!” Pinkie screams, “Turn an itty-bitty-smithy bit right.” “Okay, fifteen degrees clockwise…” Carefully, Twilight uses her magic to turn to wheel a very small bit, causing the entire ship to shift right. “More sharp rocks! Turn an itsy-bitsy-smoothie left.” “Thirty degrees counterclockwise…” “Whoa!” Rarity exclaims from starboard, “Turn right!” “No!” Applejack retorts, “Turn left!” “There’s a giant rock wall on my side.” “There’s also one on this side.” “Turn a kissy right.” Pinkie yells. “Thirty nine degrees clockwise…” Twilight mutters to herself as she turns the wheel. “Hey, Twilight,” Spike speaks. “What? Can’t you see we’re getting into a tight ravine?” “Do you hear that?” “Hear what?” “I don’t know, it’s very soft and faint… …Singing?” “What?” “Listen.” Soon, Twilight starts to faded sounds coming from all around her. As she focuses her hearing onto it more, making it more and more clear, the sounds eventually turn into very calm hums and singing. “I do hear it, sounds beautiful.” Meanwhile, at the bow, Pinkie Pie is also hearing the singing. Slowly, she feels her senses dulling out, despite her efforts. “So pretty,” she mumbles to herself, becoming more and more entranced in the music. With the fog starting to lift a little, a shadowy figure, surrounded in a light blue aura, can be seen ahead in Pinkie’s vision. As the ship slowly draws closer, the figure reveals itself to be a large, pink stallion standing on a rock poking from the water. “What are you doing out here?” Pinkie asks drowsily, “You big, strong, stallion you…” The mysterious stallion then motions a hoof for Pinkie to come towards him. The pink Earth pony obeys the gesture and leans herself over the front of the bow, puckering her lips and closing her eyes as her instincts hijack her mind. However, a large slam erupts throughout the ship as it crashes into the large rock and pushes it under, launching Pinkie back from the edge. “What in the world?!” Applejack exclaims, having losing her hoofing in the short-lived crash. “Pinkie, did something happen up there?” No response is given. “Pinkie? Are you okay? Rarity, how about you?” “So dreamy…” Rarity’s voice echoes from across the deck at the port side. “Rarity, quit your daydreaming. Pinkie’s not responding and this darn singing’s making me sleepy.” “…” “Rarity?” Applejack starts to turn her head in attempts to look at Rarity, but stops midway upon seeing a figure with a light blue aura in the distance, hanging onto the tall stone cliff edge. “Who’s that?” Drawing close, the ship reveals that shadowy figure is a buff, orange stallion, standing on a rock platform low enough for the crashing waves to splash just a little onto it. Almost immediately, Applejack’s mind melts and her senses are knocked out upon seeing the stallion. “Oh, hi there, you seem to be quite a fine looking stallion, especially around these parts.” Gently, the new stallion motions a hoof for her to come to him. “If you say so…” However, before Applejack can walk off the side of the boat to the mysterious stranger, the ship smashes against her side of the ravine and grinds against it for a few seconds before pulling out, causing some large rocks to smack into the orange mare and cause her to trip back. “Applejack? Rarity? Pinkie?” Spike nervously hollers at the edge of the poop deck, looking into the thick fog ahead for his friends. “Rainbow Dash? Fluttershy? Does anypony hear me?! Twilight!” Upon turning to Twilight, Spike is shocked to her nearly asleep on the wheel. “Twilight! Something’s wrong with the others! Wake up!” “Just put the bacon in the pancakes,” Twilight coos. “What? What’s bacon? Snap out of it, this ship’s going to sink at this rate.” The galleon then slams into the other wall of the ravine, sending the two flying a short distance to the left. “Twilight!” “I can’t, you’re my cousin’s uncle’s great grandfather’s brother’s nephew twice removed…” “What’s gotten into you and the others?” Slowly, still deep in her daze, Twilight gets up and slowly walks into the thick of the fog towards the bow. “Hey!” A sudden drop then hits as the ship falls down from a small unseen waterfall. Spike recovers from the fall quickly and runs towards Twilight, following her to the other mares gathering around at the port side of the bow. “Stop!” Spike looks over to where the others are drowsily staring at while their walking to see that over the side of the ship are a group of half-pony, half-fish creatures swimming alongside this rising waves. “Sirens! I should’ve known.” With the fog lifting even more, Spike soon discovers that he and his friends are now circling around in a large whirlpool with a large dark hole in the center. “Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, any one of you! They’re fake, sirens. They’re trying to kill us. Snap out of it!” “Give me a big hug…” Pinkie sleepily cheers as she prepares herself to jump into what she sees as a handsome stallion pool party. Spike quickly reacts by grabbing a large rope by the front mast and wrapping it around the six clustered together, tying one end of the rope with the middle of it. With a mighty tug at the other end, Spike pulls the hypnotized mares away from the edge, tying his end to the mast to secure them. “Okay, now I gotta steer this thing.” Frantically, Spike makes his way back to the wheel and grabs it tightly with his claws. Turning the wheel with matriculation, he turns the ship so that it circles around the outer edge of the whirlpool and keeps it in that orbit while he looks for a way out. After several loops, Spike sees that he is completely surrounded by stone walls. However, he soon notices that a portion of the circular wall is slanted at a fairly low angle. “If I remember what Twilight told me about force… if I can get the angle right, I can get this ship to go up there and out of this ravine,” However, before Spike can properly execute his escape strategy, a rumble, louder than the sirens’ singing, is heard from the black hole. “Uh oh…” Immediately after the roar, a giant monstrous creature bursts from the hole. With ten massive twenty metre long tentacles armoured in large scales, a tall arrowhead body covered in a shell of tangled metal and wood, and an enormous yellow eyeball, the baby dragon watches the creature in horror as it reveals itself from its hiding place. So that’s the sirens are here, Spike thinks to himself as he tightly clutches the shuddering wheel, the sirens lure in ships, that giant squid takes down the ship and all of them feed on whatever’s inside. The large monster then reaches out a pair of large tentacles from its sides and swipes at the ship. It misses, barely nicking the rudder at the back. With Spike waiting now for the chance to escape, he realizes that he’s an open target for the squid. With the sirens’ music growing even louder, even dulling out the thrashing waves, the squid attacks once more, this time striking the front mast, breaking it from the rest of the boat and sending it drifting into the center of the whirlpool. With only the stump of it left and the six mares trying to reach the edge of the ship, the rope tied to the mast starts to slide upwards, towards the jagged top of the broken pole. Panic starts to develop inside Spike as he watches the rope gradually climb upward. Now halfway from reaching the point Spike wants to turn, the monster attacks again with three tentacles, bluntly striking the hull with each hit. Within a matter of moments, the ship breaks from its orbit and starts to descend into the whirlpool and closer to the squid in the center. “No!” Spike gasps, being only a quarter turn away from his goal. However, an idea sparks in Spike’s head on the spot. Grabbing the wheel tighter than ever before, Spike quickly turns the wheel so the ship is now aimed a little to the right of the beast. The galleon promptly charges forwards and right underneath the squid’s bulging eyeball and barely skimming the side of its hull with the metal armour of the monster. With the sirens’ singing hitting its climax, the ship then slams bow first into the stone slab, launching the ship upwards before landing back down onto the rock. Slowly, the large vessel grinds on the stone block with the rapidly dying momentum pushing it closer and closer to the top of the wall. Upon reaching the high top of the slanted stone slab, the ship stops and begins to teeter. Spike realizes that it didn’t have enough momentum to make it all the way as the ship soon begins to teeter more backwards, back towards the whirlpool with the sirens and squid waiting for them. Thinking quick, the small dragon rushes up the slanting ship and slams his body into the cluster of tangled mares, throwing them all towards the bow. With the extra weight immediately shifted to the front, the galleon leans forward over the wall and slowly drops into the open water outside and bobbing back into its normal position. The singing quickly dies down as the ship slowly drifts away from the giant wall and towards the clear, causing the six ponies to quickly snap out of their drowsy states. “What happened?” Fluttershy asks as she massages her head, “My head hurts.” “Why is there a rope around us?” Rainbow Dash asks in confusion, “Did we do something last night?” “My memories’ all fuzzy…” Applejack groans, “But I remember something about some fog and us going into some Ley Line.” “I was having a fantastic dream!” Rarity whines, not knowing of the truth, “I was with this dashing stallion and we were going out for a swim before something woke me up.” “Have we entered the future?” Pinkie asks, having immediately recovered from her mind hijacking, “I knew that everything would be covered in water.” “Spike?” Twilight grumbles as she looks at him forcefully clutching her chest from his body slam. “Did you do something?” “Yes, I mean, no, I mean, something,” Spike rapidly stampers, trying to recollect his words after his near-death experience. “We were in the Central Ley Line, and then these sirens hypnotized us. You girls were anyways, but I wasn’t affected by their singing, maybe because I am a dragon. And then this giant squid in a whirlpool tried to attack us, so I had to take the boat and escape and-” “Wait,” Pinkie interrupts him, “Did you say that a giant carnivorous squid attacked us?” “Yes.” “Ha! I win the bet! Pay up Fluttershy!” “Oh come on!” The yellow pegasus roars on the other end of the cluster. “It’s just as likely as us being trapped inside an alternate universe.” “Wanna bet-” “No, no, no, one thousand times no!” “I hope that explains the rope,” Rainbow Dash speaks as she climbs out of the bind. “Oh my gosh,” Twilight gasps as she looks around the destroyed galleon. “What even happened in there while we were out? The front mast is missing, most of the windows are shattered, the bow has a large hole in it, and most of the paint’s chipped. What will Celestia say when she sees this?” “She’ll say, ‘Wow! What a wreck!’” Pinkie replies. “Not helping…” “It’s fine.” Spike comforts the purple alicorn, “the important thing is that we made it out alive.” “You’re right. Thanks Spike.” “And besides, look at this in a good way. Thinks could’ve been a lot worse.” Applejack immediately exclaims from behind Twilight and Spike’s sight, “Applebloom?!” “Oh…” “Sweetie Belle?!” Rarity exclaims as well. “One more,” “Scootaloo?!” Rainbow Dash adds. “I just had to open my mouth…” “Looks like they made it Captain,” “I knew it.” “So, back to Thieves’ Hold?” “Correct.” “I just don’t get it Korsan. Why are you so persistent about that one mare? A wench like her can be found pretty much every country. There’s even one in Thieves’ Hold that you like.” “Dear Cousin Isyan, we all have our preferences and standards. And I have a very selective preference and a very high standard, so only a hoofful of the finest mares in the world would suit me. As such, I have very few chances of getting on their good side. I’m not cutting any corners with this one.” “You realize that you’re putting the crew at risk with this mare-hunt of yours, excluding the fact that your childish leadership and this goal you’ve been ranting about has already put them in more than enough trouble.” “Huh, you know what’s funny. That was the same feeling when I let you join my crew after your little incident.” “…” “Please Isyan, don’t try to challenge my authority in the future. You very well know of the consequences.” “Trust me cousin, the thought of mutiny against you is something only the most ambitious of stallions have, and you’re the most out of anypony I’ve known.”
Thieves’ HoldAs the galleon slowly creeps forward into the haunting dwelling, the sounds of creaking wood from both the breaking ship and buildings high above, gently splashing waves, rustling sails, and the rolling of thunder above in the clouds start to conjoin in a tune on their own. The onboard crew looks throughout the forest of tens, if not hundreds, of giant columns of solid stone for any sign of Korsan to no avail. After a fair hour of nothing but the natural music of the seemingly abandoned area, the faint sounds of ponies roaring can be heard in the distance. Gently weaving the ship around the sharp rock formations around the bottom, Twilight steers the vessel towards the cheering. Soon, they discover where to noise is coming from, a larger wooden building near the top of a craggy stack with a large ramping spiraling around the tower leading up to a balcony just outside of the entrance. Though most of it appears to be elevated over the ocean, it’s held in place by several large beams underneath it, only subtly shifting side to side with the breeze. At the bottom of the ramp is a large wooden harbour, almost fully packed with ships of all shapes, sizes, and colours. “Looks like we got here before Korsan did. This looks like a place he would go,” Twilight mumbles to herself as she draws the ship towards the large harbour. “Wait,” Fluttershy fearfully squeaks on the main deck below, “You’re not actually going to go there. I’m already on the brink of a heart attack being here.” “Don’t be scared, we’ll be fine.” “Really?” Rarity asks at Twilight’s side. “We’re entering a pirate hangout, a pirate hangout. It’s going to be filled with the biggest horde of criminals within thousands of kilometres, not to mention how filthy it’ll be inside.” “You have a point. But inside, there may be some information that we could use to stop Korsan. We can keep ourselves hidden when we go in, not draw attention to ourselves.” “I brought some raincoats,” Spike proclaims at the top of the backmost mast’s crow’s nest. “We can use those as cloaks. Remember girls, we’re being covert about this, so no fighting. It might help if we try to blend in and socialize with the less dangerous looking pirates.” “Oh! I’m great at socializing!” Pinkie cheers. “What?” Rainbow Dash exclaims, “We’re going into a pirate hangout and we’re not going to get into a massive fight with them? Talk about a wasted opportunity.” “I’ll tell our stowaways to keep in their rooms.” Applejack adds, “Hopefully no pony tries to steal our ship.” “Who would? It looks like a wreck.” Rarity asks. “It is a wreck.” Dash replies. After putting on their black raincoats and hanging the hoods tightly over their heads, the seven heroes get off of the SS Raindrop and walk down the long wooden platform to the ramp. “Look at all of these ships,” Twilight speaks as she glances at the various vessels anchored at the harbour. “Why do so many of them have skulls and crossbones for their flags?” Fluttershy asks as she examines the flags on the ships to her right. “It looks so mean.” “That’s the concept.” Applejack replies as she focuses on a pair of massive black cannons poking from the bow of a large brig. “Look at the size at some of these cannons.” “Looking at these ships and thinking about how they were made,” Spike says, “just makes me all the more curious on how Korsan built his and how it’s able to fly.” “I’m not sure exactly,” Twilight answers, “but I theorize that it has to do something with the anti-magic he uses in his harness and restraining straps. I saw that his ship has the same type of solid-like fluid embedded in its hull.” Soon, the seven reach the ramp and proceed to walk up it, avoiding the railless edge hovering over the sharp rocks below. “What do you think is going up there right now?” Rarity asks as she fiddles with her cloak, trying to make it look sleek. “Sounds like their singing shanties,” Pinkie replies, bouncing up and down while moving forward, “I want to join them. It sounds so fun!” “What’ll we do when Korsan arrives?” Rainbow Dash asks. “Not sure,” Twilight responds, “I’m thinking that if we act smart, we’ll be able to apprehend him without drawing to much attention to ourselves, get onboard his ship, get the Diamond Eye, and return to Equestria.” “Hey, maybe we can take Korsan’s ship and fly it home? Think about it, I could use a new pad and his ship would be awesome.” “There might be a lot of resistance by his crew.” “I can take them on.” “Really? All of them? I think I recall Korsan having at least a hundred when he attacked the gala.” “Easy peasy,” “Get ready, we’re here.” As they all reach the balcony and cluster around the small door leading in, Rarity glances into the windows at both sides of the doors and sees a lot of indistinguishable activity inside, having most of it blurred by the poor quality windows. “Are you sure we should go in there?” She nervously asks. “Yeah, as long as we’re together, we’ll be perfectly fine.” As Twilight slowly opens the creaking door, a small, green pegasus stallion in a blue sailor’s cap suddenly bursts out from inside and flails over the balcony before falling down into the ocean below. “And stay out!” A mare’s voice screams out from inside, leaving the heroes outside speechless for a moment. “We’ll be perfectly fine.” Upon walking into the building one by one, the mares and Spike are immediately greeted by the entire atmosphere of the room. The building turns out to be a large tavern, with tens of tables scattered around the massive singular chamber and a serving bar on the other side of the room with a dark blue unicorn mare attending it. Surrounding her, seating the tables are practically every combination of pony. Tall unicorns, short pegasi, fat Earth Ponies, skinny and lanky ponies with either half of a horn or only one wing, bearded, mustached, scarred, peg legged, eye patched, garbed in red and black, or completely bare save for any accessories that may have been on them, the mares and Spike are shocked from the sight of so many in one place. Lit lanterns on every table and several on the ceiling cause warm light to embody the entire chamber. To the left of the room are an assortment of tables with groups of pirates sleeping, drinking their mugs, or counting their treasure out in the open. To the right are a vast collection billiard tables, dartboards with darks poking out of them and a couple in the wooden wall, and round and square tables made for card games and gambling loot. Pirates are also gathered there with cups of cider in their hooves or magic as they play their games and toss their money around in bets and gambles. However, the main focus of activity that catches the group’s attention lies near the center of the room, as a tall, blue pegasus is singing, standing on top of a table with an accordionist and a violinist playing an upbeat tune behind him and the patrons surrounding him stamping their hooves on the table in tune with the music. As the music picks up, the finely dressed stallion begins a verse, “Now I’ve been busy at sea past now, And with my crew of eight, We sank a ship and took the loot, Before they knew what hit ‘em, Now I’m wanted in Dragmire, But yet I’m still unknown, Here to loot for the next mornin’, Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” Immediately, the surrounding patrons and the musicians enthusiastically join in for the chorus, “A pirate’s life for me, Survival of the Sea: We live to loot, We loot to kill, And we kill to live ‘nother day. It is not the nicest job, But it’s the life for me, Cross our paths and you’ll get slashed, Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” After the chorus finishes, the two unicorn players continue their tune until the stallion begins the next verse, “Now here’s a tale that we all know, The Pirate of Bad Wolf Bay, Said he’s a devil dressed like us, And killed an entire armada, But if you ask me of my fears, I’d laugh and tell you all that, That pirate’s half as good as me, Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” The chorus quickly follows once more, “A pirate’s life for me, Survival of the Sea: We live to loot, We loot to kill, And we kill to live ‘nother day. It is not the nicest job, But it’s the life for me, Cross our paths and you’ll get slashed, Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” A small uproar of laughs and chuckles sweeps throughout the bar. But before the stallion can start the next verse, Pinkie Pie jumps onto a nearby table, oblivious to the customers seated there, and sings a verse of her own, much to her friends’ surprise, “I’m the mare who’s traveled abroad, And delivers all that I got, Should’ve heard the blast that I threw last, Before reaching this place, With cannons blasting left and right, All throughout the town, No pony lasted by morning. Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” The entire bar immediately turns silent after Pinkie’s verse had finished, even the musicians stopped to look at her in shock. “Pinkie,” Twilight mutters from the doorway, “What are you doing?” After a second of silence, the entire crowd instantaneously roars in cheers before singing the chorus once more with Pinkie joining as well, “A pirate’s life for me, Survival of the Sea: We live to loot, We loot to kill, And we kill to live ‘nother day. It is not the nicest job, But it’s the life for me, Cross our paths and you’ll get slashed, Oh, a pirate’s life for me!” With the shanty finished, the patrons cheer loudly as the stallion leaps off of the table and lands onto the cold wood floor, approaching Pinkie Pie. “I must say newcomer,” he speaks, “you have some backbone. Taking on an entire town? If it’s true, either you’re mad, or you’re bluffing. Shanties are the wombs of tall tales.” “Trust me,” Pinkie replies, “it lasted all day and night.” “And who are these swabs? I don’t recall seeing any of these chins before. Perhaps if yous all remove the hoods, I’d be able to recognize yous.” “They’re my friends, and we prefer to keep our appearance secret.” “Mind if I ask for a name? A pony of such capabilities, singing wise anyways, deserves to be credited.” “Oh, of course, I’m Pinkie Pie.” “…” Out of seemingly nowhere, the blue stallion falls onto the floor laughing manically. “Q-qu-quite a name I say.” “Thanks. What’s your name?” Slowly, the pony recovers from his laughing fit and stands back up. “It’s-” “Cecil,” the mare at the other side of the serving table calls out to the stallion in a deadpan voice. “Thank you for your patronage around here these past days. The boredom has nearly driven me mad.” “Thank you ma’am. So Pinkie, there it is. Feel free to join the game with my mates.” “Okay Cecil,” Pinkie responds, “see you later.” As the blue stallion then turns away and walks towards the card playing tables, Twilight and the others walk closer to their pink friend, all with their mouths in a gape. “Pinkie,” Twilight asks, “What did you even do?” “Well, I got about twenty party cannons, fifty cakes, and a prosthetic leg and-” “Not that. I mean, how did you know that would work?” “What work? I just wanted to sing with them.” “…Oh… Well, since you’re now friends with that guy, maybe you can get some information about Korsan.” “Okay-dokey-lokey!” Pinkie then trots over to where Cecil walked off to while Twilight and the others approach the serving bar. With the bar maiden quietly drying off a mug with a ragged cloth ahead of her, Twilight clears her throat in attempts to grab her attention and speaks, “Excuse me miss, but can we-” “No pets allowed.” The server stoically interrupts her, “Sorry. No pets, no service. For non-arbitrary reasons.” “I’m not a pet,” Spike barks back. “What?” Quickly breaking her glance from her work, she sees purple dragon with his arms crossed. “Oh, sorry. What can I do for you?” “I’m thirsty,” Rainbow Dash replies before Twilight can, “what do you have?” “Water, coffee, cider, ru-” “Did you say cider? I’d love some!” “One second.” Spontaneously snapping out of her sluggish demeanor, the young unicorn rapidly hovers a fresh wooden cup to a large barrel with a faucet attached to it and pours out the brownish orange liquid from the barrel and into the mug. Within a second, the cup is filled to the top and is placed in front of the cyan pegasus on the table. Almost immediately after, the unicorn mare snaps back into her slow motion as she continues to clean the mug she had earlier. “Wow, you work fast.” “Just to not build up your expectations. Drink at your own risk.” “What are you talking about? Cider’s delicious.” Swiping the mug with her hoof Rainbow Dash lifts the bubbling cup to her lips and drinks the cider with a smile, only for it to rapidly turn into a scowl as Rainbow Dash whips her head downwards and spits out the liquid. “What the?! This isn’t cider!” “It is around here. We don’t really have the best imports around here, so that’s the best we got. Unfortunately, this is the only good drinks these guys and girls here have, so it’s only a matter of time until they practically become what they drink, stale and sluggish. You girls are lucky you got any legitimate entertainment, most of the time it’s just pirates wobbling around and getting into fights, even I’ve succumbed to the boring atmospheres. Look, those ponies that were into Cecil’s shanty are already trying to hold back their vomit. Speaking of which, pardon. Hey! Do it outside!” “Sorry for your boredom,” Twilight replies, slightly surprised by how much the mare talked, “by the way, what’s your name?” “November Gale, and how about all of yours, unless this is going to be the only time you’ll be visiting us.” “I’m Twilight Sparkle, that pony who’s throwing up is Rainbow Dash, behind me is Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, and the dragon’s Spike. By the way, you said ‘us’, is there somepony else that works here?” “Just my dad in the kitchen behind me. I’m glad that there’s somepony new I can actually talk and isn’t wiped out. Where are you all even from?” “We’re from Equestria.” “Equestria? Were you there when he attacked?” “Who?” “The terror of earth, sea, and air,” “You know him?!” “Shhh, if my dad hears us talking about him. He’ll get real upset. Darn it, I said too much again,” “Wait, maybe you can help us with something.” “Sorry, I can’t help. I have this position to hold until midnight and my dad’s probably listening in on us at this moment. Go chat with whoever else is willing to talk about him.” “Okay,” “And keep it discreet. Don’t ask why.” “Okay, thanks for your help November.” “Glad to.” The team then walks over to a large round table in the middle of the room and seats themselves. “What did she mean by all of that,” Twilight whispers, “What’s with keeping Korsan such a secret around here? What did she mean by ‘I said too much’? How did she know about Korsan’s attack on Equestria?” “Any theories?” Spike asks. “Well… I think that Korsan does visit this place, often for a matter of fact. And that there’s something going on, something bigger than just stealing the Diamond Eye and everypony here knows about it. We just need to find out what it is. Although November appears to be an active chatter, she seems to have caught herself from revealing what we want to know. Let’s just hope that Pinkie doesn’t get in too much trouble when she talks to that Cecil stallion about it.”
Bar Room Dilemma“So, how do you play this game?” Pinkie asks, fumbling with five playing cards in her hooves as she sits at a small round table with three stallions sitting with her, each with their own five cards facing away from each other. To her left is Cecil, a tall pegasus in a blue and white striped shirt and brown trench coat. To her right is a large and stout green Earth pony with an eyepatch and white iron shoulder armour on his left arm. Finally, across the table from the pink mare is a small red unicorn with a black top hat and tuxedo. “Seriously?” The red unicorn replies, “You don’t know Five-Card Draw?” “Take it easy Maurice,” Cecil calmly replies, “She’s probably from very far away.” “But it’s the simplest universal variant on Poker, everypony knows it.” “Maurice does have a point,” the green Earth pony retorts. “Who asked you Jarvis?” Cecil ripostes. “Don’t pick on Jarvis because he’s right.” Maurice replies. “You know what, we can argue all night or we can just explain the rules and move on.” “Gah, fine,” “Typical Cecil…” Jarvis mumbles under his breath. “Excuse me?” Cecil responds. “What? I said nothing.” “So Pinks,” Maurice speaks to her, “You place a bet, you discard the cards you don’t want, draw new cards to replace them, and the pony with the best hoof in the end wins.” “Oh that variation,” Pinkie cheers, “I get it.” “Good, it would’ve been a nightmare explaining the different types of hooves.” “I’ll set the starting bet at ten bits.” Cecil calls out as he pulls out ten bits from his pocket and sets them in the center of the table by the card pile and lit lantern. Maurice follows by adding ten as well. “Oh dear,” Jarvis utters, “I only got eight with me.” “Oh come on Jarvis,” Maurice moans, “for the second time?” “In two months.” “We only go here once a month and stay a week.” “Well I would’ve had more if somepony didn’t trick me into doing business near the Scorched Lands. Cecil.” “I didn’t trick you,” Cecil retorts, “I just said it wasn’t very popular with pirates.” “For good reason, there’s nothing there.” “What were you even doing there for three weeks?” Maurice asks. “You know,” Pinkie interrupts, pulling out twelve bits, “I can just give Jarvis two of mine.” “Well-I-uh, fine, you’re too nice of a gal, I’m too nice of a bloke. Let’s just do it.” “Nice my flank.” Jarvis mutters. “You need to start taking responsibility for your own money Jarvis.” Cecil speaks. “Funny coming from you,” “You guys seem to argue a lot,” Pinkie says, “are you all sure you’re friends?” “Friends?” Maurice replies with a confused face as he puts two of his cards under the deck and draws two from the top. “We’re not exactly friends. We each run our own ships and loot alone and all,” “Not really opposing rivals either,” Cecil adds. “We’re more…” Jarvis replies as he switches a card while he and the others think for a moment. “Rivals with benefits? I’m keeping my hoof.” “Yeah-yeah,” Maurice nods. “I like that.” Jarvis complements. As the three stallions congratulate each other on their self-given titles, Pinkie looks at her five cards. In the warm light from the lantern in front of her, she sees that she has two Jacks, two sevens, and one eight. She discards the eight and to her delight, she draws a Jack. “You others are in for it now,” Jarvis proclaims with a grin. “I once won one of the crown jewels from the king of Camelu using these skills, so there’d be no way that you’ll beat me.” “Says the stallion that only brought eight bits,” Cecil retorts with a smile, causing Maurice to snicker. “For reasons caused by somepony,” “Whatever, I just trumped you all.” Dramatically, Cecil places his cards facing up flat onto the table. “Three of a kind,” “Drat,” Maurice groans as he places his down, “Two pairs,” “Ha!” “Pity,” Jarvis responds as he slowly sets his hoof down, “I got a full house.” “What?!” “Ha!” Maurice shouts back for irony. “That’s funny,” Pinkie replies as she displays her cards, “Full house for me as well.” “She’s got Jacks and sevens, you got tens and sevens.” “So does that mean I win?” Jarvis quickly replies, “No-” “Yes!” Cecil interrupts. “Hooray!” Pinkie loudly cheers as she grabs the forty bits and drags them to her. “Alright Jarvis,” Maurice speaks amidst the cloaked pony’s celebration, “no more games for you.” “Oh come on,” the stout Earth pony moans, “We’re rivals with benefits. Maybe I can have a free-be this time.” “Here’s an idea,” Cecil replies, how about you bet that shoulder armour and we’ll each bet five bits. Sounds equal,” “No-no-no, I got a better idea,” Maurice retorts, joining in on the joke, “How about you steal some bits from Grivs while he’s chugging on his cider?” The trio of pirates, followed by Pinkie, look over to the backmost corner of the large dining chamber to see a giant grey unicorn, with muscles bulging from his sleek, black jacket, drinking a cup of cider. On the table in the booth where he’s seated at alone is a large pile of golden coins and a few gemstones. Maurice and Cecil immediately laugh. “I’ll do it.” Jarvis calmly replies, causing his rivals to choke on their laughter in shock. “Are you nuts?” Cecil whispers, “Grivs is three times bigger than you. Not to mention that he escaped prison four times after committing mass murder each time.” “I’m not scared of him. I’m going.” “Don’t!” Maurice yells out in whisper as his friend exits from his seat and slowly walks towards the hulking giant. “He is so dead.” Cecil solemnly groans. “And it’s all your fault!” “My fault? You were the one getting all jokey when he ran out.” “I wasn’t the one who suggested he’d walk up to death.” “At least it isn’t Korsan.” “What does that mean? It’s like comparing a shark with a Kraken. Both are death no matter how you look at it.” “Wait,” Pinkie interrupts, seeing as this is her chance to transition to the topic of Korsan, “you stallions know of Korsan?” “Do we know of him?” Maurice replies with a look of surprise, “Everypony and their mother here knows Captain Korsan. He visits this place every week. Honestly, who hasn’t seen his giant floating ship he owns with the black flags with the little red gear symbols on each of them?” “Speaking of him,” Cecil responds, having mostly already forgotten of Jarvis’ departure. “Isn’t it odd that he wasn’t here last time?” “He said he was doing some venture in Equestria, that place is fairly well militarized.” “So was Cervidas, yet he showed off some pretty nice booty when he came back.” “I guess, must be the memories or something.” “Probably,” “It’s just,” Pinkie continues, “I haven’t really heard all that much talk of him around here, and I’ve heard he’s a famous character.” “Infamous you mean. The reason we don’t talk about him is because the bloke that works in the kitchen doesn’t want us to, it makes him uncomfortable and could cause him to say something wrong when Korsan comes around. That abomination of a stallion’s a psycho when he and the poor fella even look at each other.” “His service might not be that well in good tastes,” Cecil adds, “but he and his daughter work with what they can to keep us gathered here. It’s our only true home apart from our boats. So we try to keep Nitin stress free while we deal with Korsan’s weekly visits.” “His daughter?” Pinkie replies as she glances back towards the bar maiden. “Yep, November and Nitin share the same Gale blood, blood that Korsan’s so thirsty for.” “Why’s that? They’re just workers of the bar.” “You see,” Cecil replies “their relationship with Korsan runs a bit deeper.” “Cecil,” Maurice mutters to his blue pal, “shut up. We don’t want more mouths to keep shut. Could be an agent of his, you never know.” “Pipe down. Do you see a horn on her head? No. By what we’ve seen from Korsan plenty of times, we can trust her.” “Your funeral mate…” “Now Pinkie, it all started,” However, just before Cecil can begin, a girlish scream roars from the back corner of the room. Everypony inside looks over to see what’s going on, stopping their conversation and games in surprise of the scream. Enwrapped in a crimson aura and hovering above the wooden floor, floats Jarvis while the giant grey stallion Grivs stands behind him, angrily huffing and puffing. “Jarvis!” “We forgot about him!” “No pony touches my booty.” The gruff giant breathes as he holds the green pony in his magic grip. “I’m going to enjoy breaking every bone in yer wee body.” “Please don’t, have mercy!” Jarvis squeals as he feels his spine being pulled from the inside. “It was Maurice’s idea!” “No!” The small red pony squeals, “It’s all Cecil’s fault!” “No it wasn’t!” Cecil frantically retorts with sweat dripping from his shivering face. “It don’t matter with me,” the grey stallion growls, “I’ll just have to break each of yous, the runt, the loud-mouth, and the baby, all at once!” “Wait,” Maurice asks, “which one am I?” “Doesn’t matter when I’m finished,” Swiftly, Grivs' sharp horn glows brightly as Cecil and Maurice as quickly enveloped in their own red auras and lifted into the air. “Jarvis, Cecil, this maybe our final moments together as rivals with benefits. Before we die to Grivs, I have one thing to say.” “I have something to confess as well.” Cecil replies. “Me to,” Jarvis adds. “Okay, all together…” The three stallions then loudly shout at once, “I cheated during our first game! …What?!” “Wait!” Pinkie yells out, running towards the hulking giant. “Don’t hurt them!” “And why shouldn’t I?” Grivs roars at her, releasing a small cloud of foul breath at her. “In all honesty, I am the one responsible. I won what was going to be Jarvis’ win, causing him to run out of bits to bet with.” “Pinkie!” Twilight screams as she and the others charges towards their friend to aid her. “Are you insane?” “What is this?” Grivs growls, “Some game to find out which one of yous to break the most?” “Grivs Dinklesworth!” November yells at him as she exits the serving bar and slowly approaches him. With a scowl on her face, fear strikes through everypony as they look at her, not even daring to giggle at Grivs’ last name. “My father and I will not tolerate you causing indiscriminate slaughter in here. Now you put those stallions down and deal with them when you’re out at sea or else.” “…” “Do I make myself clear to you?” “Yes ma’am.” Slowly, Grivs sets down the trio and returns to his seat, never taking his shrunken eyes off of the bar maiden’s glare. “Now, are there any more problems that I need to take care of?” “No November.” The four stallions immediately reply in unison. “Good.” With the problem now taken care of, the mare turns around and heads back to her station. “You cheated at our first game?” “Whoa,” Spike speaks. “Whoa is right there mate.” Maurice replies in a serious tone. “How did she do that?” Pinkie remarks. Cecil promptly replies, “She and her father are a force to be reckoned with around here. They are two of the only retirees of his crew.” “You mean-” Before Pinkie can finish her question, a loud knocking rattles from the door, sounding like metal bashing against weak wood. “Him?” As the door then violently swings open, the caped bipedal appears on the other side, smiling a fearsome smile. “Yes. Captain Korsan.” “Hello everypony.” The captain chuckles as he walks towards the serving bar. Silence remains throughout as he draws closer and closer to November back at her position. In the right corner of his single eye, he sees the large group of cloaked heroes alongside the rivals with benefits and Grivs, all staring at him. “What’s going on over there?” He asks in a mischievous, yet curious tone, “Some sort of ninja cult? Though I’m more shocked to see Maurice and his friends standing next to Grivs of all ponies. By the way, how’s to going Grivs? Healed well after our last encounter?” Grivs releases a very audible gulp from his throat as he clutches it with a hoof, silently responding, “Yes Captain Korsan.” “Good. November Gale, how has things been? How has your father been?” “We’ve been fine.” November hisses with a disgusted look on her stiff face. “You’re late.” “I’m sorry. I had a run-in with a few pests. Which serves as a great transition for this, Chopin!” Immediately, a tall and fairly stout pale stallion wearing a beret and black and white shirt walks into the bar with a pile of ten papers in his black magic. Quickly, the mime-like pony silently trots over to a bulletin board at the left side of the room and sticks each paper onto the wall side by side with a small dagger for each. Twilight and her team look at the papers and sees that it’s each of their faces. “Ten bounties? Are three of those fillies and one of them a dragon?” “A baby dragon, and yes. Attention patrons, I have set up a ten million bit bounty for the capture of all ten of these ponies. Each pony had a varying set of value, so if you can’t catch all of them, you can just catch the more valuable ones. The pegasi and earth ponies are 750,000 bits each, the unicorn filly and dragon are a million bits each, the alicorn is 1,500,000 bits, and the older white unicorn is four million bits. I want them all alive.” “Even the older white wench?” A mare customer seated at a booth asks. “Especially her, I shall return in ten days, expecting my bounty then. You may want to search near the Central Ley Line.” “Which are you more insane about? The ten million bit total bounty or thinking we’d risk our hides going anywhere near there?” “Are you saying that my reward is too expensive?” “No!” “Just what I thought. Now I must be off doing a little expedition of sorts. Oh! I almost forgot,” Hastily, Korsan reaches into his cape and pulls out a small crossbow-like weapon. He then aims it towards one of the dart boards and fires it, launching a small, green metal bolt out of the barrel. It hits the bullseye and deeply pierces the wall behind it, creating a loud striking sound that causes the onlookers to wince. “This custom multi-fire crossbow has specially modified anti-magic iron rod projectiles keenly designed for alicorns and evasive targets. It’s a prototype weapon I’ve been working on, just thought I’d like to share it with you all.” “Impressive,” November replies in a deadpan tone, “now get out. Your sights already seem to be on another mare, so there’s no reason for you to be harassing me.” “Oh, talking with you is always a delight to me.” “Imagining you crashing your ship in a joyride is always a delight to me.” Korsan annoyingly grunts in response. Before he leaves though, the brown pegasus fires another bolt towards the dartboard, this time hitting the first bolt on the bullseye and causing the first to peel in two like a banana. “Adieu.” Korsan and Chopin then quietly walk out of the bar and close the door on their way out. After a moment of silence, the usual activity restarts throughout the chamber, with the ponies waiting for Korsan to leave before beginning their bounty hunt. “Aww,” Rainbow Dash groans as she looks at her picture, “they got my nose wrong.” “That’s not what’s important,” Twilight replies as she and the others walk closer to the papers. “What’s important is that we’re all now wanted for a massive amount of money at Thieves’ Hold, the pirate central of the entire world probably. If we don’t either get as far away from here as possible or find some way to remove these bounties, somepony will find out and we’ll be in huge trouble.” “What about the Diamond Eye?” Applejack asks. “That might have to wait. Make yourselves scarce, go back to the ship. I’ll stay behind to see what I can do.” Quickly, the five other mares and Spike exit the bar with Korsan’s airship already out of sight outside and hurry down the ramp. “Hey, Pinks’ friend,” Maurice calls out at Twilight as he trots up to her, “Where’s your buddy off to? We’ve only played one game.” “She had somethings to take care of.” “Is she going after the bounty?” “Not sure, we’re deciding.” “I see. See you later.” As Maurice turns back and heads towards his rivals with benefits, Twilight sighs with relief. She thinks to herself, Good, he and his buddies are oblivious at the moment. Now, how to get rid of these bounties? I can’t just remove them off the spot, they’ll notice and I’ll be busted as well as my friends. We can’t make that much of a speedy escape with our ship in ruins. What to do- Twilight’s train of thought is abruptly cut off as a cyan aura surrounds her and launches her over and behind the serving bar. The purple alicorn’s now exposed face is then met with the bar maiden’s with a notably distressed expression. “November?!” Twilight exclaims. “Shhh, I not going to put yous up.” she immediately whispers, “I figured it was you and your crew being put up to bounty. That pet dragon was a dead giveaway. Luckily, I think only I was able to get a close enough look.” “What are you doing?” “What does it look like? I’ve saving you and all of your friends’ hides. By the way, did you actually bring three fillies with you to Thieves’ Hold?” “Sort of, they snuck onboard. But the real question is why are you doing this?” “I know what he’s going to do to each of you if he gets his claws on you. Korsan’s a lunatic. He’ll show no mercy to even the foals. And I’m not going to let him do that. Your best bet is to get out of here now. Save yourselves.” “Thank you. But we can’t leave, especially now. We have to stop Korsan and get our rare artifact back to Equestria from his clutches. And seeing as how he’s been bothering you all, scaring even Grivs senseless, we have to help you.” “That’s very kind, but with those bounties on your heads, you won’t be able to do much.” “Can we get rid of them?” “No, if Korsan found out we removed them without some form of payment, he’ll be furious. And paying off the bounty is utterly impossible. Ten million bits total, how would you be able to do that in only ten days?” “My friends and I could work for you.” “With what money earned? We can barely afford repairs and no pony will buy our more expensive items due to their low quality. You saw how your friend reacted to the cider. By the way, she still needs to pay.” “Hm… How many drinks of cider would we need to sell in order to reach ten million bits?” “Two-hundred thousand at least to pay it off, but where are you going to get enough resources to make that much cider? We don’t exactly have the best import sources. And what about selling them afterwards?” “I have an idea.”
Bounty CiderIt has been about an hour since Twilight exited the bar with her friends, and ever since, November is thinking more and more that they’ve just straight-up left Thieves’ Hold. However, her doubts are soon crushed by a gentle knocking on the door. “I got this.” Jarvis proclaims as he exits the table where his rivals are playing their games and slowly walks towards the door. Opening the door, the green stallion’s eyes bulge open at what he sees on the balcony. “Uh…” “What is it?” November asks from the counter. “You might want to see this.” Slightly nervous, the blue mare walks out of her position and next to Jarvis, parting her short ice-blue mane from her eyes to get a clear look. To her surprise, she sees Twilight, Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Spike, and their three fillies, all gathered around two massive crates, brimming over the top with fresh apples. “What the-” “You said you wanted resources,” Applejack responds, “We got resources. Now where’s your kitchen?” “Jarvis, get the wagons from the back.” “Yes miss,” Jarvis answers in a stupor before backing inside. “How did you-I mean-What?” “Always come prepared,” Applejack pridefully replies, “These are the best apples in Equestria. We got two more crates back at our boat if this isn’t enough.” “…” “If this isn’t good enough for those pirates,” Rainbow Dash adds, “nothing is.” “I don’t know what to say.” “How about, ‘you’re hired.’?” Twilight replies. “Yeah, yeah, you’re all hired. Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me and my father.” “Thank you for giving us this chance to remove the bounties.” “Alright, let’s get started. Load as many apples as you can into the wagons when they arrive and I’ll take them to the kitchen.” “Wagons November,” Jarvis calls out from behind November. “Yes, thank you.” Promptly, the dark mare steps out of the doorway as three large rustic wheelbarrows squeeze through one by one by the stout Earth pony. “Here you all go.” “Jarvis!” Maurice yells from inside, “What’s going on?” “You’ll see.” “Thanks Jarvis.” Twilight exclaims as Jarvis walks back inside to his rivals with benefits. With the wagons now set, the ten cloaked ponies start transferring their cargo from the crates to the wagons, filling one of the carts in a minute. “That’s enough.” November gleefully calls out as she grabs the filled cart with her cyan magic. “Want me to help you with that? I could help your father make the cider even.” “No thanks, he prefers that only I see him. You’re okay with that right?” “Yeah,” “Thanks.” With the filled wagon in tow, November goes back inside, leaving her now co-workers alone outside. “So Pinkie, at the ship you said they were ex-crew members of Korsan?” “That’s what Cecil told me.” Pinkie answers while balancing five apples on her nose. “Though he and his rivals with benefits told me that they don’t talk about Korsan that often for November’s dad safety or something like that,” “Rivals with benefits?” “Maurice and Jarvis,” “Oh, Cecil’s Poker buddies.” “What if November and her dad know Korsan’s weaknesses?” Applejack asks out loud. “We could try to get some information out of them while we’re here, now that we’re working for them.” “Wait,” Pinkie interrupts, “We can’t about Korsan with Nitin, November’s dad. He gets nervous for some reason. It could cause him to speak or doing something wrong when Korsan gets back.” “Why?” Fluttershy asks. “The two are enemies now or something. I don’t know, Jarvis caused a stir with Grivs before Cecil could get into any detail.” “Okay,” Twilight replies as she finishes filling the second cart, “so we can’t ask her father than. Maybe November, Cecil, or one of his friends will if we get better associated with them. Pinkie, maybe you can sing some more shanties with Cecil and play with more pirates inside.” “Okey-dokey-lokey,” “Also, how good is your game?” “I won forty bits from my last game with Cecil and his friends.” “Good, that can serve as our second form of income.” “And what are the rest of us going to do?” Dash asks. “Dash, you and Applejack will supply the apples from our ship. Fluttershy and Rarity, you two help November with serving. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo,” “Yes?!” The three fillies exclaim in excitement. “Clean the dishes, mugs, all that stuff.” “Aww,” “Deal with it.” “What about me Twilight?” Spike asks as he gently tugs on her wing. “Supervise the foals,” “Drat. And what’ll you be doing?” “I’ll be investigating around Thieves’ Hold for any information about Korsan.” Meanwhile, behind the serving bar and inside the dimly lit kitchen, November is pushing the wagon towards the corner of the room where bags of various foods are already stockpiled. An old rustic voice is heard as the wheelbarrow is set down, “What’s this November?” “Fresh apples from Equestria,” November gently replies into the darkness. “We have some new workers.” “Those bounty mares Korsan’s after, I know. I heard it all, Korsan, your chat with that one mare behind the counter. I’m not proud.” “Dad, this could save our tavern. And I couldn’t let them risk being captured by him.” “Foolish child, you don’t know the half of it. You were so young, so innocent back then. Letting them join us, is just putting us all at risk for an even worse fate.” “I know you’re scared. I am as well. But we could only imagine how much fear they have.” “I know. Equestria’s a kingdom where there isn’t much death, isn’t much suffering, only life and prosperity. We fear death naturally, being cutthroat pirates back then. They barely even understand it.” “Please Dad, don’t feel so guilty for what happened. It wasn’t our fault.” “We supported him. We fixed his cannons. We paved the path of time that lead to that day. If your mother was still alive, she’d think we’re monsters. No, I’m a monster, I dragged you into this instead of-…” “We didn’t know. Please, you’ve sealed yourself in here for three years. It’s time you let yourself open to the outside world and stop beating yourself up. If you hang onto the past, you’ll never move forward to a better life. At least take your medicine. You’re lucky your illness isn’t contagious.” “There is no better life. I’m just a selfish wreck that’ll never change for the short rest of my years, medicine will only make the guilt last longer. The only reason I’m still here is you, my sweet angel. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did and end up suffering in the claws of that monster.” “Dad, times will change for us. I promise. We just need to take that first step.” “…Fine. Let them work. I won’t be able to do anything to stop you or them in this state, so I might as well make it easy for you.” “Daddy,” “What?” “I love you.” “…I love you to.” Minutes later, several patrons gather around the serving counter as November emerges from the kitchen with a large wooden barrel, filled with fresh apple cider. “So,” Rarity asks to the guests on the other side of the counter as November sets the barrel in place, “Which one of you rogues wants to have the first cup? Cecil?” “Uh… Jarvis?” the blue pegasus responds, turning towards his stout Earth pony friend. “Uh… Maurice?” Jarvis responds as well, redirecting the attention to his small unicorn rival. “Wait,” Maurice squeaks, “Why me?” “You’ve drunk more of the old cider without throwing up.” “My last mug of it was last month.” “And Jarvis and I last did it at least two months ago.” Cecil retorts. “You have a better tolerance in case it’s not all that well as they brag.” “Why doesn’t Jarvis take the first swig? He was the one flapping his gums about how fresh they looked.” “Please,” Fluttershy interrupts, waving a cup already filled with the new liquid swishing inside in front of the finely dressed stallion, “just one sip?” “Gah, fine,” Slowly, Maurice sets down five bits onto the polished table and takes the drink in his telekinetic hold. He then carefully holds the cup up to his mouth and takes a small sip, closing his eyes tightly. However, as the juice flows across his tongue, Maurice’s eyes bolt open as he starts to rabidly gulp the rest down. “Is he choking?” A random stallion in the surrounding crowd asks. “He could be just tricking us into throwing up.” Another customer calls out. “Or he just really needs a drink,” a mare replies, “remember that one time when he became broke from his games with his buddies. He was so desperate for some water, he actually drank seawater.” “Great glooming glops,” Maurice exclaims as he slams the now empty cup onto the counter. “You’re not going to believe me,” “We’re not,” Cecil stonily replies. “This, stuff, is liquid gold. I can already feel my insides become flesh and blood again.” “Ridiculous. Only the finest of cities have those types of drinks.” “Try me.” “Fine,” Swiftly, Cecil places five of his bits on top of Maurice’s and is immediately given a fresh cup by Rarity. As the skeptical stallion takes his drink, his body inadvertently repeats the exact same things Maurice did, finishing by slamming the cup onto the counter as well. “What the-” “See?” “Maurice isn’t lying!” Immediately, the entire crowd on onlookers breaks out in a mob of loud chatter, with bits being flung left and right across the mob and onto the serving counter, pelting Fluttershy, Rarity, and November. “Take it easy!” November exclaims with a grin, “You’ll all get some in time.” “I gotta tell me crew!” A middle-aged mare yells out before charging out of the tavern, soon followed by several other ponies, all off to tell their friends about the cider. “You know,” Rarity loudly speaks to Fluttershy among the roars of thirst in front of them, “despite the fact that we’re serving ferocious criminals in a rundown bar that reeks, this is kind of nice.” “At least our only threat is the noise. Ow!” Fluttershy replies. “And bits,” “I believe this calls for a shanty!” Cecil declares. “Cue the music!” Pinkie screams as she joins her tall partner in the center of the room. Outside the tavern, rapidly stacking apples into wheel barrows, Applejack and Rainbow Dash soon hear music playing from inside amongst the roars. “Sounds like quite a party.” Applejack speaks to her partner. “It is Pinkie Pie.” Dash casually replies. “Hey, Rainbow Dash,” “Yeah?” “I’ve been thinking-” “A dangerous pastime-” “Whatever. Remember when Twilight talked about the attack during the gala a few days ago?” “After she shot me down when I started talking about Daring Do? Yeah…” “Well, remember Twilight telling us about how Korsan was insulting Celestia for having Earth ponies and pegasi for soldiers, later using his unicorn-only goons to hold them in place while they fought whatever was left of Celestia’s guards?” “What are you getting to? Korsan wasn’t fighting fair and he’s a hypocrite.” “What if he does have a point? Maybe it’s not unfair fighting, rather it’s that you and I are at a natural disability.” “Don’t be ridiculous. Korsan’s just some nutcase with a big vocabulary. I’m pretty sure whatever he’s saying is just crazy-talk.” “Dash, you can’t simply be oblivious to whatever he’s saying because he’s a villain. He did prove something during the gala-” “Are we sure that you’re the stubborn one and that I’m the not-so stubborn one?” “What does that mean? Aren’t you the ignorant one and I’m the one with awareness of what’s going on?” “Excuse me? You take that back.” “Hey, how about you take what you said back?” “You know what? …” “…” “…Gah. I’m sorry for fighting. I’m probably just a little tired.” “Same here, maybe I’m missing some piece of logic in my head and Korsan’s making sense for that reason or another.” “After this first crate, how about we hit the hay?” “What about the other one?” “It’s a heavy crate. It took Twilight a moment to focus her magic enough to even lift it an inch from the floor. I don’t think anypony would be able to take it.” “I guess, unless it was either a bunch of unicorns or a single powerful one.” “Grivs probably won’t mess with it.” “Yeah,” “Almost done,” I just can’t shake it. Applejack thinks to herself, I know that somewhere inside me, Korsan’s making a lick of sense. Would you look at that? An entire mob hurling themselves around just for some apple cider, what a sight to behold. I haven’t seen such a thing in a few years. And look at my little November, that beautiful smile on her face. I can already feel myself feeling better, seeing her childlike grin. Her mother always said it could cause miracles. Maybe November was right. Maybe we just needed to take that first step. Those workers of hers, those mares and dragon, they don’t even look like their struggling to stay alive, though the foals don’t look too entertained under the counter. But their just children, it’s natural for them. This is what I wanted for her future when we left Korsan, a bright new start, filled with smiling faces, music, adventures, and happiness, every day. Perhaps I will take my medications today.
Dead Pony’s TaleTen days seem to turn into ten months as the heroes worked at the tavern. Every day, thousands of ponies and various species of pirates flocked the quint bar after hearing rumours of its legendary cider, buying at least ten mugs at per visit, each time increasing in price. Finally, on the day marked as Korsan’s return from his expedition, Twilight and her friends finally reach ten million bits and pay off their bounty and decide to spend the rest of the stormy night celebrating their liberation. “Oh come on,” Maurice calls out amidst a crowd of onlookers of an event, “There’s no way she can do it.” “Pinkie can do it!” Cecil retorts. “I put twenty bits on it.” “She’s standing on a table with a missing support, five metres away from the dartboard, and has only one dart. Impossible!” “If that oddball of a pirate can do it twice,” Jarvis replies, “she can do it.” “He had a mechanical claw and crossbow helping him.” “And only one eye and two legs to stand on.” “Here she goes!” A random patron declares. The crowd immediately silences down as the pink mare standing on the wobbly table tosses the small brown dart with all of her might. It flies in the air for a long second. As it smacks dead-center on the bullseye, the bystanders immediately roar out with both cheers and jeers. “Yes!” “Huzzah!” Cecil exclaims. “Bloody bloodsucking bloodsuckers!” Maurice angrily roars as he chucks his bet of twenty-five bits to the wooden floor. “Congratulations Pinks, you get your five percent of the pot.” “Thanks Cecil.” Pinkie replies as she jumps from the table and into the large pile of gold bits below and begins to swim in it. “How much is it anyways?” “Let’s see,” Jarvis mumbles to himself, “Carry the seven, divide by twenty, remove the two and twenty, multiply by four, factor Maurice’s slap to the face, add eight… That’s a hundred and one bits right and a free blow to Maurice there for ya las.” “Hooray!” “Yeah,” “Wait a moment Cecil,” Maurice barks, “you tricked me!” “I what?” “You did,” Jarvis confirms. “How did I-” “You were gloating about how you were going to win.” “Yeah,” Maurice replies, “you used some mind tricks on me. You know I can’t stand competition.” “Hold on just a second,” Cecil retorts, “If Jarvis knew it was mind games, why didn’t he warn you?” “Wait…” “He clearly wanted to get your share of the winning pot.” “Jarvis!” “Oh no you don’t!” Jarvis snaps, “You had your share in tricking Maurice.” “You know what, I’m tired being the pirate who doesn’t do anything. My body is back and my body is ready! Come on, put ‘em up!” “All right then, I’ve been itching for a good old hooffight.” “Let’s do this!” Cecil hollers as he and his rivals with benefits leap onto their card table and fumble over each other trying to fight each other. Meanwhile, watching as the massive event draws to a close from a large, round table, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo clap their hooves together. “Nice work Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash hollers. “My, that Earth pony’s got some talent,” November remarks from her serving bar next to Twilight’s and the gang’s table. “But not even close to amazing as all of you paying off that massive bounty and getting us back in business. My dad’s been getting a lot better and is even slipping out of his depression. Even those three stallions over there are back to their fighting ways, it sure beats their constant arguing. At this rate, we could even renovate this place to be a luxurious café. How can we ever repay you?” “That won’t be needed.” Twilight replies, “You’ve already done a lot for us.” “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to working for us? We all really enjoy your company.” “As fun as it sounds, we have our own duties back home. We also still need to get the Diamond Eye back from Korsan. We could always come back here in the future to see how things are going and ship more crates of apples when those last two boxes run out.” “I understand. Good luck.” “To you as well November. Actually, can I have a paper and inked quill?” “Okay.” “Wow,” Applejack responds, “it’s already time?” “I was getting pretty use to this place.” Spike adds. “As delightful as it was,” Rarity replies, “we need to remember that we have ponies waiting for us back at Equestria.” “Yeah. Hey Twilight, are you writing a letter to the princess? It’s been a while.” “I guess it has been,” Twilight answers as she begins to write with her newly given quill and paper, Dear Princess Celestia, I know it has been a week or two since I’ve even talked to you, let alone seen you. But don’t worry. Things have been going well out here. The SS Raindrop is still in tip-top condition. Everypony here is healthy and happy, even the fillies. Yes, I know about them stowing away. Although we’ve had a few hiccups on our adventure, we’re getting close to getting the Diamond Eye back from Korsan. I hope things are going well back in Equestria. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle “Here Spike,” Twilight speaks as she rolls up the letter into a scroll and hovers it to him, “send this to her.” “Got it,” Spike replies before clutching the scroll in his claws. Breathing green fire from his mouth, Spike causes the letter to disappear in green flames. “So, got any information of Korsan last week?” “No, I searched all over this place. The only thing I could call possibly related to Korsan or the Diamond Eye was some random map of an island without any coordinates.” As Twilight goes into detail about her findings, the front door creaks open and a greyish white pegasus garbed in a black cloak walks into the bar. Slowly, he walks up to the serving counter, where November greets him while washing a mug, “What can I do for you sir?” He responds in a deadpan voice, “First, a drink.” “Sure, it’s on the house tonight.” The mare then sets down the mug on the counter and turns to the pair of dual doors behind her leading to the kitchen. She pokes her head inside and yells, “Dad, we have another one.” The voice of her father mumbles from the other side of the wall separating the unknown pony from inside. As November begins to have a conversation with her father at the kitchen, the stranger starts to look around and even examines his grey coat of fur dripping water onto the floorboards. Soon though, the dark blue mare returns with a wooden mug brimming with cider. “Sorry for the inconvenience,” “Not a problem.” The pegasus then puckers his lips as he grabs the cup with his hooves and holds it up to them. He takes a small sip at first, but immediately snaps into chugging the entire thing down in a single go before slamming the mug onto the polished table. “By thunder, that’s a decent drink.” “I know, until recently, the cider here was terrible, then a bunch of strangers showed up with crate loads of apples and now no pony is losing their stomachs or getting into as many brawls.” Before the bar maiden can continue, the cloaked pony clears his throat and interrupts her. “Second, I need some information on a pony and his bounty.” “Ah, one of those sea travelers. Who are you looking for?” “I’m looking for…” The stallion hesitates, looking left and right as if making sure that no pony was intentionally listening in before continuing in a whisper, “Korsan.” Immediately upon hearing the name, the bartender backs up to the dual doors. Everypony in the bar grows deafly silent as they turn towards me, staring at the stallion. Twilight and the others as well stop their personal activities and turn their attention to the serving bar. Even Cecil, Jarvis, and Maurice stop mid-punch and give a frightened look. “What?” The dark blue unicorn uncovers her ice blue mane from out of the front of her face and reveals her shuttering cyan eyes, trying to get a better look at the stranger as well. “K-K-Korsan, doesn’t have a bounty, he makes them. A-An avid visitor of this place actually…” “Well, what would be his value if I were to capture him and turn him into the authorities?” “He’s priceless,” Maurice replies, “You’d never be able to catch him alive nor dead. If he were to have heard you, let alone seen you, you’d be dead.” “What do you mean?” The stallion then gives a quick look at his back sections of his body, only seeing his wings fumbling inside the cloak. “What would he see that would make him do such a thing?” “Your wings,” “My wings?” The stranger gives a brief chuckle, with both he and Twilight and her friends unaware of the true magnitude of that detail. “Tis no laughing matter,” Grivs in the far back corner announces, “the madpony is Tartarus-bent on killing pegasi and Earth Ponies.” “But, if I were to capture him, dead or alive, how much would I most likely get then, if this Korsan is so deadly?” A moment of silence washes over the entire chamber, even the wooden structure of the building itself stops rumbling, as if stunned of from the pony’s audacity of challenging the pirate. “It’s a long story,” November replies, “let me get somepony to explain.” The mare then goes back into the kitchen area. Everypony stays silent as they stare at him, undoubtedly making the situation much more awkward for him. After a minute or so of silence, the mare emerges from the kitchen and to the counter. Following her is an old, indigo, unicorn stallion, with a pink scar along the side of his neck, giving a stern, dreary look at the pegasus as he walks to the edge of the serving bar. The entire crowd of onlookers’ jaws drop, as if they’re seeing a ghost before them. Nitin Gale… Twilight mouths to herself. He must have really changed after we came for him to reveal himself. He speaks, “So, you want to know about Korsan, huh?” “His value and location is what I came for,” the shrouded stranger replies “but if you have a story to tell me, I’m all ears.” The old stallion gives a heavy grunt before responding, “You are not worthy to know of such a tragedy.” “Try me, I’ve faced some of the most mentally insane and abused prisoners across every sea you know.” November’s father stands silent for a minute, staring into the pony’s orange eyes, examining him. “Believe me, you haven’t even seen half the oceans I have seen, not that I blame. You are confident stallion though, fine, if you think you are ready to know, then I shall begin.” “Go.” The old stallion fumbles with the two long white whiskers dropping from below his nose before starting. The patrons surrounding him lean their ears towards the serving counter and dedicate all of their attention to him, with Twilight and her friends focusing even harder. “It all started a decade or two ago, Korsan, a filly, just like you and me, was born. However, what was abnormal about him was that he was a pegasus, and for five generations straight, his family was nothing but unicorns. So over the course of over a hundred years, his family believed that unicorns were the dominant pony race, and that all others were inferior. Korsan was born of wings, so at first, everypony that was there for the birth was shocked and disgusted to see him. However, his parents decided to take him in anyways, to be raised alongside his older brother and sister.” “So wait, some nutcase wants to kill me for being a pegasus despite him being a pegasus? Sounds a bit hypocritical,” “If you were to keep quiet, I would explain.” “Sorry…” “Over his early years of childhood, he was bullied and teased by his brother and sister, constantly picking up his toys with their magic and even at sometimes him, as if it was a cruel joke. They, and even sometimes including his father and mother, would constantly berate him for being a pegasus and not a unicorn, and to stay out of their business or any close affiliation with them in public. The family soon saw Korsan as a weak link in their family legacy as the best metal workers in town, considering that unicorns were practically the only race that could do the job properly.” “Famous unicorn metal workers for five generations… Wait, where did he live?” “Baltimare, some city in Equestria if I remember right,” ”Equestria… Are they the Madens?” “Yes, they kept Korsan very well hidden from public association. But this did not stop Korsan from trying to fit in and try to impress his family at their metal foundry. He had an amazing intellect and knack for building, inventing, and exploration. With the tools he could find in the workshop while his family was away in the different part of the foundry, the young colt would built an assortment of various mechanical devices, from toys, to tools that could be efficiently operated by non-unicorns, to even puzzles and devices for his own amusement. But when he tried showing them off to his family, they quickly criticized him for merely the fact that he was a pegasus. When he wasn’t at school, tinkering in his private time, or being oppressed by his family, he would play at the harbour with his friends. However, his friends didn’t last for long, as time progressed; his friends got their cutie marks, everypony except for him. He was the only pony in his generation at his school to not receive his cutie mark, and one of the few ponies that to this day, doesn’t have one. As of result, he was teased by his once friends, further scarring his already destroyed childhood.” “Wait, did I hear that right? This highly dangerous pony that can scare a bar silent, doesn’t have his cutie mark to this day?” The stallion immediately bursts out into a small chuckle, only to be startled by the old stallion slamming his hooves onto the counter viciously. “This is no laughing matter! That teasing and laughing is the very reason he’s so dangerous!” In fear, the stranger recollects himself as the stallion also does himself from his fit of rage. He then continues on in a solemn voice, “As he was persistently bullied at home and at school, the rage built up boiled to the tipping point. He often engaged in brutal fights at school, with even on some occasions, using his mechanical gadgets as weapons. This resulted in him being removed, school after school, district after district, wherever he went, his rage and lacking physical attributes always dove him deeper and deeper in trouble. At the mere age of ten, Korsan was sent to jail, the earliest known arrest in Batimare’s history.” “Yikes…” “He was bailed out by his family the next day, only to take him home and give him a sharp piece of their minds. However, what was intended to be a mere aggressive lecture from each member of his family combined, quickly escalated into an ugly sight, resulting in him receiving an eye patch the next day. He was all alone, with only his gadgets and his own thoughts to keep him company. He no longer was accepted into any school and was banned from joining any family gathering, except if that gathering was his siblings to pick on him. In retaliation to the sibling’s constant bullying and the ideology that unicorns are better implanted into the core of his twelve-year-old corrupt mind, Korsan directed his intellect to become as close to a unicorn as mechanically possible. He started by inventing an anti-magic substance that would protect him from any magical attacks.” “Wait, he invented an anti-magic substance at the age of twelve? How smart was this foal?” “Very smart, very creative, very resourceful, but had very low self-esteem and a body filled with rage and hatred; he was a waste of so much potential.” “So did it work?” “No, although it functioned right, the substance would wash off of Korsan’s body quickly. He needed a way of keeping it on him for ages to come, a suit of sorts. However, since he didn’t have the precision of his large hooves to build a proper suit to contain the substance, he built muscle-controlled claws that would give him great precision in his work. These claws will be one of the key features we all recognize the madpony with. He then went on to build a harness that would have his material flow all around his body, creating a shield of sorts. After many weeks of sweat and tire, Korsan completed his claws and anti-magic harness. He then displayed to his family the powers and capabilities his inventions could do, only to be discredited once more by teaching him that unicorns can perform magical feats no mechanical device could possibly match.” “He invented anti-magic and claws that would allow a non-unicorn to have the same precision of handling objects as one, how was he not given credibility?” “He claims that they were right, that unicorns are the best and no work of mind nor machinery can match them. But if you were to ask me, I would say it’s just stubborn pride.” “I see,” “Back to the story… After being rejected by his family once more, the young colt had just about enough of this abuse. He flew away from his home one day and over the busy streets of Baltimare. However, something abnormal happened during his flight. It was some sort of unknown light phenomenon in the sky that just came all of a sudden, like lightning or something. It that blinded Korsan that sent him tumbling down into the streets, to be hit head on by an armoured bank chariot. He was immediately taken to the hospital, only to find out that his back was broken and would require years to heal. He also found out that his wings were broken, but unlike his back, the damage was permanent, he could not fly for the rest of his life. His family didn’t show up at the hospital to help him after the accident, he was truly abandoned. With a broken back and wings and the only thing he had were his inventions, he started a life of crime. Korsan began with petty theft, simple purse snatches and pick pocketing just to get some resources.” “How was he able to do it without being caught, wasn’t his back broken?” “It was, instead of hasty snatch and runs, Korsan used his intellect and silver tongue to get ponies to not notice when he robbed them until after an hour of him leaving them. He used the money to buy food to get by the day and metal to build a support system that would help him to be able to walk properly again. This secondary suit would act as a mechanical toy that Korsan could control with fluid motion. The new ensemble worked better than he expected, as he found out he could run faster, lift more weight, and react quicker to immediate situations than other normal foals of his age, but these upgrades came at a cost. Over the years, his support suit has been slowly forming his spine to go upright, never letting the broken bones inside to properly heal. In the past couple of years, his front hooves have never touched the ground, for he could now simply walk and run with his hind hooves.” “This pony just seems to get stranger and stranger.” “And grew even more dangerous at that, for in a matter of days, his crimes escalated to grand theft and even caused several hostage situations. He then used his spoils to buy from the black market and created weapons, from blades, to cannons, to even explosives. This created a vicious cycle that grew too big for Korsan to keep within Baltimare. Using his experiences of his old days playing at the harbour and the use of his latest technologies, Korsan spent a couple of years building a ship, one that could fly and was large enough to be considered a self-sustaining fortress. He worked on it for three years, never allowing himself to sleep for more than three hours nor let any injury delay his work. Upon completing his revolutionary creation, he then gathered up a crew of unicorns to serve as his pirate minions and they took off, beginning Korsan’s global campaign of pillaging and plundering any city, whether it be surrounded by land, sea, or sky.” “He built a ship… that could not only fly, but also be self-sustaining?” “Yes, it doesn’t even run on magic, as the entire thing is built with his anti-magic substance lining every floorboard, causing some, odd, science thing to happen that allowed it to fly.” Twilight can’t believe what the old stallion is saying, having never heard of such a ship, or any large structure of that matter, that was able to fly without magic, despite seeing it firsthoof with her friends several times. “Impossible…” “It’s real, I’ve been on that ship long enough to know it top from bottom.” “You were a prisoner?” “No…” The old unicorn stays silent for a while before the stranger figures it out. “You were a crew member.” “I was Korsan’s first mate and my daughter was a mechanic. It was odd having to be told around by a pony that was only fifteen at the time, but as the years progressed, I came to terms with it.” “So that’s why you know so much about him.” “He told me everything, as if I was the true father figure he never had. He’d show me nearly everything he had saw, created, or stolen with a face full of pride and glee.” “How long did you serve under Korsan? Why did you leave? Was it the guilt of just doing nothing but crimes getting to you?” “Easy there lad, ask one question at a time. I worked for Korsan for about five years until I resigned a couple of years ago. And I didn’t just do nothing but piracy, that was only my job. While me and my crewmembers were with Korsan, his adventurous spirit would take us to new locations and see unimaginable things. I remember when he would sit out on the bow, writing down his discoveries and research throughout all the night. There was some sort of an innocent side of him that became exposed whenever he encountered something new. He wrote many books, collected so many artifacts, and built so many machines. When I was with him on those adventures, sometimes, I would forget about our crimes and think that we were a family of sorts.” “So what made you and your daughter leave?” “…” The unicorn becomes quiet and avoids making eye contact with the stranger or anypony of that matter. “You don’t need to know.” “But I want to,” “No you don’t, it would be too much for a young stallion like yourself.” “I’m a bounty hunter; I’ve hunted down murderers and absolute maniacs, how bad could it be.” “Are you sure?” He then gives the stallion a strong glare. His eyes shrink and his mouth soon turns to a snarl, as if he’s holding back an inner demon. The bounty hunter slowly nods his head, unaware of the true grim that Nitin is about to tell. “Several years ago, we were coming up to a small kingdom in the clouds, preparing to attack the main castle and get as much booty as possible. Within moments of hovering right next to the front gates, we attacked. The pegasi were no match as we merely held them in place with our magic. We stormed the castle and came back in moments, holding as much gold, jewels, and other valuables with our magic. At first glance, this was just another successful plunder. That was, until we started to leave with the mountain of loot on our ship. I noticed that Korsan was looking back at the kingdom, observing its buildings, its size, but most importantly, its citizens. He stopped the vessel and turned its port towards the kingdom. The crew was reasonably confused of his actions at first. However, that all changed when he turned to us and gave the command. He ordered us to fire off the cannons into the kingdom and destroy it. I couldn’t believe what he was ordering, we usually only used the cannons in defense or if a target was being too stubborn. This was an act of terrorism. Me, my daughter, and a few crewmembers could not bring ourselves to do it. Most of the other pirates, the ones that were once in prison for federal crimes, didn’t mind however and followed orders. They fired into the city, and the screams of stallions, mares, and children soon echoes back to our boat. I was scarred from the horrific scene that I saw unfold before me. Korsan approached me when he saw I was struggling and asked why I wasn’t attacking. I told him that I couldn’t bring myself to hurt masses of innocent ponies for no reason, in which he gave me a most terrifying response.” “What was it?” “’Pegasi and Earth Ponies are inferior, we must shape the world to what it should be, all unicorns, no more suffering…’” “You mean to say,” “Yes, the beliefs of his family had been released from the darkest pits of his mind and out into his true desires. He then told me that after this, we would be searching for a way for him to become a unicorn, destroying every non-unicorn that stood in his way. In a matter of moments, the entire kingdom began to fall down into the abyss below, bringing countless ponies down, trapped within their houses. I was terrified, for I saw a small smile on the captain’s face as he watched the kingdom fall before his eyes…” A slow stream of tears begins to run down the stallion’s cheeks, still staring at the grey pegasus with his watery, yet stern eyes. Twilight and the others become absolutely shocked as their minds visualize the old pony’s words, trying to understand pure madness. “So then you quit?” “Korsan let me and my daughter leave with no resistance; he was surprisingly lenient on the idea of letting his crew members quit. After that, I sailed out here and built this very bar you are standing in. Korsan comes by to visit and gloat about his newest discoveries and raids every once in a while. I always kept myself in the kitchen to avoid talking to the monster.” “He grows more and more insane each visit,” Novembers adds with a taste of disgust in her voice, “Despite his appearance of being a suave, controlled pirate captain, underneath, he’s a monster that won’t hesitate to kill to get what he wants. He usually tries to get me to join his crew and be his ‘special somepony’, but I manage to keep him from advancing too much towards me.” “Never again shall we work for Korsan. He is the deadliest, nastiest, most insane creature you will ever encounter. I suggest staying away from him at all costs, and never, ever, try to pick a fight with him.” The old pony then gives a large sigh of relief before turning back into the kitchen. Small murmurs and chats soon fill the ambience of the chamber, obviously talking about Korsan. “That’s,” Twilight stampers, “That’s…” “Horrible!” Dash quietly exclaims, “Korsan’s pure villain.” “The plot thickens.” Spike mutters. “That monster!” Rarity adds, furiously slamming her hoof onto the table. “I feel so sorry for him,” Fluttershy replies, “but I also hate him now more than ever.” “He’s scary.” Sweetie Belle cries. “We want to go home,” the other two fillies moan in terror. “That escalated quickly.” Pinkie adds, having joined the table while Nitin was telling the story. “We gotta stop Korsan,” Applejack proclaims, “He is now a threat to all of Equestria.” Back at the serving counter, the bounty hunter asks November, “So, how often does he visit this place?” “Once every week or so,” she responds, returning to her deadpan tone, “why?” “I just want to know how long I could stick around this place.” “He’s expected to return this day actually, he’s set up a massive bounty ten days ago and said he would return from an expedition with the bounty ready for him.” “Has the bounty already been captured?” “Actually, no, the ten ponies that the bounty was pinned on paid it off. All ten million bits,” The cloaked stallion slams his hoof onto the polished wood counter as he nearly slipped from his standing “Korsan set up a ten million bit bounty on ten ponies?! He’s actually willing to give up that much money? Where does he get this fortune?” “I told you, he’s insane.” Within moments, the grey pegasus leans over the counter, almost touching November’s nose with his. “Where can I find Korsan now? I want what he has; I can take him down if it means becoming the richest pony in the world!” Behind him, in the doorframe with the door wide open, an all too familiar, sinister voice replies, “Right behind you.” Everypony inside winces in shock as the bounty hunter looks over his shoulder to see a tall abnormal shadow, looking at him. A bolt of lightning strikes down from the storm outside the bar, revealing the silhouettes of his vast crew of unicorns through the foggy windows. “Korsan…”
Attack of KorsanThe bipedal pegasus starts to make his across the room and up to the frightened bounty hunter, revealing himself in the light of the candles on the tables. His large black cape stretches down to the floor with its corners trailing rainwater from outside as the captain walked. With his back turned towards Twilight’s table, the ten heroes get a good look at Korsan’s backside machinery. Clutching to Korsan’s back is a giant mechanical device just as large as its user’s torso, made completely of shifting gears and pistons. “So, a funny thing just recently happened.” Korsan speaks as he slows down to further distress the grey pegasus, soon being followed by two of his crew members, “I was just walking into a bar when I heard the funniest joke ever. ‘Where can I find Korsan now? I want what he has; I can take him down if it means becoming the richest pony in the world!’” The brown pegasus then chuckles as he continued his walk towards his victim, only to stop three hooves in front of his upward looking face. “And you know what the best bit about that was? The pony, who said it, was a pegasus. What a laugh am I right?” All around him, the patrons of the bar laugh nervously, fearing what he’ll do if they did not laugh. A loud gulp can be heard from the bounty hunter he replies, obviously trying to sound intimidating, “So, what did you do next huh? Did you and the challenger fight? Did the challenger proved pegasi were just as good as unicorns?” The stallion then twirls around to face his body towards Korsan and engages a combat stance. “Oh, we did fight, more of a banter to be worded correctly, but…” Korsan give a side glance to the crew members to his right. The unicorn’s horn begins to glow and in an instant, the rival’s legs are pulled from under him. The bounty hunter’s torso immediately slams into the wood floor with his legs being pulled away from him, to the point of nearly being ripped off. The unsuspecting pony looks to see that a faint red aura is surrounding his hooves. “The results weren’t what my challenger expected.” “What? Afraid to fight like a stallion? Needing your lackeys to take on just one pony?” Another short chuckle escapes from Korsan’s mouth. He then kneels down to his opponent’s eye level on the floor, giving him a look of pity. “Oh, you poor creature, you actually think that?” In one swift gesture, Korsan stretches out his right hoof in front of the grey stallion’s face. He observes in horror as the five spikes attached to his shoe transform into metal dragon claws. “Did you ever have the feeling, of, a great pain?!” His metal fingers immediately pinch the fallen pony’s nose on cue, causing a large shockwave of pain to rattle through his body. “A pain, so great,” his claw then starts to twist the nose, making the pain more unbearable as the stallion gives a hard roar of pain, “but, you can’t do anything about it, making it even more painful? For over twelve years of my life, I had that pain. I was powerless against my family bullying me because they had magic and I did not. Yet I learned a valuable lesson, unicorns are superior, all they have to do is perform a tiny spell, and any non-unicorn is bent to their every will and desire. That’s why my crew and I have been the most effective pirates out there.” “Then why do they listen to you if they’re all that superior.” “Direction, my imbecilic rival, that’s why. Sure they have the magic, but with my help with the invention of physical anti-magic and far superior intellect, we achieve the greatest of riches. And about the whole me-being-a-pegasus part, I plan to fix that.” “But how?” The bounty hunter squeals with his nose being turned even more sideways, “The only way you can change your race is ascension, and that requires the magic of the most powerful of ponies. And so what if you get a horn, it takes years of education to master the art of magic.” “Not true once again,” another laugh bellows from the pirate’s mouth before continuing, “I have studied magic all of my life, what types there are, how to use it, how to tamper with it, how to forge it into weaponry, and many other applications of it. I also have gathered a vast variety of books, old and new that go into the history of it, so it should come to no surprise that I would find another way to get what I desire. Alicorn Island, a legendary island somewhere in uncharted waters that is said to have an artifact what will grant a pony the wings of a pegasus, the strength of an Earth Pony, and the horn of a unicorn. I’m so close to finding it as well, I just need a little more time.” He then lets go of the victim and instead grabs him by a wet purple suit hidden under his cloak. The unicorn that was holding me down lets go of his magic as the bounty hunter is lifted up to Korsan’s standing eye level. “So what do you say?” “I say that you’re playing cheap.” “You still want an actual fight with me? I was going to kill you one way or another. At least it’s going to be fun for the both of u-… wait a minute.” Korsan’s eye darts down and sees the purple silk of the stallion’s suit poking out of the black. “This silk…” He raises his prey a little higher as he begins to pull his face closer to the suit that is beginning to tear from being stretched so much. The trapped pegasus tries to flaps his wings and escape the iron grip, but the cloak and suit are too soggy from the outside and Korsan holding the tight silk up so high isn’t making the situation better. The pirate captain then starts to sniff the purple suit and brushes the tip of his nose over it, creating a very awkward situation for the stallion above. “This mulberry silk has been dyed with Tyrian Purple, a rare and expensive dye made from sea snails only native to the local waters around Saddle Arabia. The stitching of the cloth has been done with the finest precision of magic. The only ponies that would be able to wear such a luxurious piece of equipment would be royalty, bestowed by royalty, or be insanely rich. I know where you got this, this clothing given to you by the king of Saddle Arabia as a reward for catching a very high level criminal, considering your profession is that of a bounty hunter, you would be chasing after highly dangerous ponies.” “How did you know that I was a bounty hunter?” “It was very simple to put the pieces together. Your shadowy appearance, the way you engaged me and my ponies, the fact that you are most likely not from these local waters, the fact that you are willing to actually fight me, it was so blatantly obvious. Hey, make you a deal, I’ll put you out of your misery and I’ll take your lovely clothing from your body. Promise not to bleed on the suit, and I’ll kill you quickly.” Korsan laughs once more, turning maniacal as half of his crew that is still outside join him in the cheer. Rage soon starts to swell in the bounty hunter as the hysterical laughing continues. Within moments, the stallion kicks Korsan’s exposed eye with a hind hoof. Korsan immediately screams in pain as the opponent is dropped from his metal grip. The grey pony then springs into action and uses an unseen weapon on his wings to tear off the cloak and regain his hoofing. He and everypony else besides Korsan looks to his back left and right to see the weapons unveiled. Two, heavily armoured, extendable wing blades attached tightly at the front edges of the hunter’s wings. He opens the wings wide and flaps them down, causing the sharp metal blade to extend to a meter in length. The stallion then points the right wing at the tip of Korsan’s nose while he is still rubbing his eye, revealing how soft Korsan’s nose surprisingly is. Korsan eventually stops rubbing his eye and gives a good look at the blade about to strike him, then up at the bounty hunter’s face and into his orange eyes. He sees the eyes are boiling with determination as his rival stares back at him, with no fear being displayed between the two. “Korsan, give up these felonious acts and come with me peacefully or I will use aggressive force.” “Like you haven’t already?” The captain responds in a cynical, harsh tone, “that’s some mighty impressive equipment you got there. Almost makes me wish I didn’t give those wing blades away.” The rogue shakes his head in disbelief, before stopping to consider Korsan’s words. “You made these?” “Yeah I made them, but due to… unforeseen changes to my body; I had to sell the weapons to the black market, which is where you most likely got them from. Luckily, I always upgrade.” Korsan then reaches both of his front claws behind his back and pulls out his serrated cutlasses from deep inside the large back piece of his exosuit, glowing an even brighter shade of green than before due to the chamber’s dim lighting. “You still want to fight?” Korsan then begins to spin the two swords with his claws to intimidate his opponent pre-battle and demonstrates his capabilities with the blades. “Bring it.” The two fighters lung towards each other and immediately begin to fight on the spot in the middle of the bar. Twilight observes the two fighting and is becomes entranced by Korsan’s fighting style. The metal blades strike each other in a harmonious rhythm, every strike, lunge, parry, jab, and grind, all perfectly timed. As Korsan and the bounty hunter duel, Korsan’s crew starts to flood into the bar and forms a circle around them, making sure the challenger isn’t going to escape. In a matter of moments, the customers observing the brawl join in the action. Shouts ring out among the patrons behind the crew’s backs, calling bets on when the grey pegasus is going to die, not even Cecil, Maurice, and Jarvis is immune from the heat. Eventually, the challenger gains the upper hoof and strikes Korsan’s left cutlass at the hilt with a powerful swing, launching it across the bar and hitting the bullseye on a dartboard. “Ha!” His other wing blade and Korsan’s right sword collide together and begin to grind vigorously, causing sparks to shower down. The stranger then swings his free wing once more to attack and just as it about to slice into Korsan’s side, it stops. A loud metal clang rings from the blade instead and echoes through the building, bringing a wave a silence to the area. The hunter looks down to see Korsan’s unarmed metal fist grabbing hold of the wing. He immediately shakes it side to side, but Korsan doesn’t let go. “Impressive.” The grey stallion’s gaze returns back to his rival, who now has the most evil smile imprinted on his face. “Another design flaw I’ve noticed is that, pegasi weapons…” Before he finishes his statement, Korsan flings the blade and his rival’s body entire body into the air. Everypony watches in awe as Korsan performs three sideways twirls in midair with the opponent still in his clutches before landing and smashing him into an empty table. With apple cider pouring on his face, the bounty hunter is frozen stiff as pain is dancing throughout his veins. All the defeated pony can do now is to pant and wheeze, frozen in shock of whatever maneuver Korsan had just pulled. His eyes look to his right to see Korsan kneeling next to his paralyzed body, still clutching onto the wing. “They tend to be a bit clingy, don’t you agree?” The bounty hunter stutters, “K-K-K-K-ma-ka-ko-” “Don’t strain yourself, it’ll all be over in a minute.” The pirate then lets go of the wing blade, only to grab the collar of the vest once again. He then raises his prey up into the air with one claw and his sword in another before announcing to the attendants present, “Behold! This is what happens when you try to mess with me! Any Earth pony or pegasi that gets in my way will not live to see the next day, so you all better watch yourselves. Am I clear?” The room remains quiet, as all of the patrons are still shocked silent of the battle. “I said, am I clear?!” “Y-Yes.” They all nervously respond. “Good.” Korsan’s glare turns to the barmaid, in which he slowly walks to her with his fallen rival in tow. “Hey November Gale, open for the weekend? My ice phoenix Juliana has learned a new trick I would like to show you.” “Go away Korsan,” she sternly replies, “you’ve already caused enough damage to this place. I don’t want your parrot to freeze this place.” “Come on November, you know you can’t resist a pony like me.” “Yes I can, and if you’re going to be causing any bloodshed, do it outside.” “Fine. If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to.” With that said, Korsan carries the bounty hunter outside of the bar, through the open door and into the rainstorm, having grown even more severe over the past hour. As the wooden door slowly swings close, Twilight and the others catch a glimpse of Korsan’s ship parked right outside. Faint mumbles are then heard amongst the rain outside through the walls of the tavern. Slowly, the patrons inside that are wearing hats take them off and hold them up to their chest, soon followed by the others simply clutching theirs. Korsan’s crew however roars and cheers as they seat themselves at any empty seats they can find. Twilight and the gang look back at November to see her clutching her chest as well. “Poor soul,” November mutters in her breathe. A second later, the mumbling noises outside stops abruptly with an audible clunk sound. “Poor, poor, soul,” “Did he just,” Twilight asks with her face rapidly turns pale. “Yes. Another life has just been lost to us. I feel so ashamed just for even being associated with him at some point of my time. You’ve paid off your bounty my friends. Get out of here now while you still have the chance.” “Oh my…” Spike utters in shock. “I’m going to pass out!” Fluttershy quietly exclaims as her stomach grows queasy. “I’m gonna puke.” Pinkie groans. “That atrocity to all pony-kind!” Rarity hollers. “We want to go home now!” The three fillies cry out in fear. “That’s it,” Applejack replies, “I’m drawing the line here, somepony’s gotta stop him.” “I second that.” Rainbow Dash adds, smacking her hooves together. “Don’t!” November retorts, “You saw what he did. Not even a seasoned bounty hunter could stop him. He could kill all of you.” “Not if we work together.” “Even if the entire bar joined in, Korsan and his crew will just kill us all. I don’t want to let you all get sliced up into tiny pieces by him, get out!” “We ain’t leaving.” Applejack snaps back, “Us friends are going to stick together and take on any weather he throws at us.” The front door then swings open once more as Korsan returns into the tavern with Chopin trailing behind, levitation the Diamond Eye and its counterpart behind him. “The Diamond Eye,” Twilight silently exclaims, “and its other half, they’re here.” “Just put the Diamond Eyes on that table,” Korsan commands to his mime accomplish, pointing at a large round table right beside Twilight’s. “I have some things to sort out.” “Two Diamond Eyes?” With the pale unicorn gently setting down the two large crystals on top of each other, his captain walks over to the dartboard where his sword got stuck in and yanks it out before setting it back behind his back with the other sword. “If you can get the jump on them, we might be able to snatch the Diamond Eye and get out of here.” “In our wreck of a ship?” Rainbow replies. “And besides, we’re going to stop Korsan.” “His fighting technique was perfect against a veteran bounty hunter armed with his own technology. November’s served Korsan for quite some time, she knows what’s best for us.” With Twilight and the others watching while they argue, Korsan then walks away from the dartboards and billiard tables and approaches the serving counter. “November Gale,” the pirate pegasus announces, “I assume that at least one of my bounties have been caught.” “I’m sorry,” the bar maiden spitefully retorts, “but they paid off the bounty, all ten million bits.” “What?! Impossible.” “A messenger brought us the money from an anonymously named source. If you don’t believe me, look at what Grivs is guarding back there.” Korsan’s single eye rapidly switches focus to the back of the room and sees the giant grey unicorn sitting next to one of the massive apple crates, with golden bits visibly seen brimming the top. “Northwestern Equestrian Oak, it is them.” “Well, now that that’s been taken care of, how about you leave?” “Ah, ah, ah, I have some business I want to attend to, regarding your father.” Slowly, the brown stallion reaches behind his back and caresses the metal hilts of his swords. “I want to have a wo-” “Captain Korsan!” Ryan Aran calls out to him from Chopin’s table. “What?!” “You might want to check this out.” Now annoyed, Korsan promptly stomps away from the serving counter and meets up with Ryan and Chopin, carefully observing the Diamond Eyes stacked on top of each other. “What is it?” “Well, while you were preoccupied Chopin was organizing the Diamond Eyes and made an interesting discovery. The two parts fit together not by their edges, but by their faces.” “Demonstrate.” Swiftly, Chopin levitates the top crystal and motions his hooves over the bulges underneath. He then motions his hooves over the grooves on top of the lower Diamond Eye before putting the two together, with the bulges fitting inside the grooves and making a single thick Diamond Eye. “Impressive, they do go together. But why like this? Not all of the grooves have been filled. Nothing seems to be missing.” Silently, Twilight takes this moment and slides out of her seat and sneaks up behind the captain to get a good look at the Diamond Eyes as well. Peering over his shoulder, Twilight also tries to figure out what this means. “These symbols still don’t correlate with any of my studies on that blasted island. What am I missing? Another piece perhaps?” “Could very well be Captain.” Carefully, Korsan grabs the two pieces together and lifts it so that the faces are facing him and the lantern at the center of the table, inadvertently causing the light from the fire to magnify through the crystals and temporarily blinding Twilight. Quickly, the purple alicorn hovers back in the air and recovers her vision. “Where would it be though? In the middle of Eternity’s Crossing? No. Under Vaporia? No. Lost in the Ley Lines? No, no, no, it would’ve never gotten to any of those places. Based on records and my studies, there shouldn’t even be a third part. So what am I not seeing? Have you tried swapping the top and bottom?” “Yes, but they don’t fit Captain.” “Blast…” “Careful, you might blind yourself with that reflected light.” “Apologies,” Immediately, a memory flickers in Twilight’s mind. Wait, Twilight thinks to herself, at the gala, when Luna’s moonbeams hit the Diamond Eye, symbols appeared on the wall because of the light. What if the second eye, with a snap of the neck, Twilight looks behind where she was hovering behind Korsan and sees a large wall of symbols made of light glowing on the wall, was a filter to condense the reflections into one image?! “Bah,” Korsan groans, “I may have to look at this later. I have some business to take care of. Maybe another minute of looking,” Now filled with a sense of urgency, Twilight hastily scans the image top to bottom with her mind, memorizing every symbol and their position. Upon finishing, Twilight looks back over Korsan’s shoulder away from the light and decides to rub in her victory by blowing a silent raspberry. Wait a minute. Korsan contemplates to himself as a familiar scent wafts into his nose, Northwestern Equestrian Oak. Within half a second, the pirate captain snaps his neck to the outer part of the combined Diamond Eyes and sees a blurry, purple reflection. Immediately, Korsan drops the crystals, leaps from his position, and swipes his hoof to where he saw the blur, only to swat at nothingness upon inspection. “What?” “Is there a problem?” Ryan asks. “None, I think it’s time that I finish my business.” Quickly, Korsan hastily walks back up to the serving counter, unaware of Twilight’s absence, as she is hiding under Korsan’s table now. Carefully, the cloaked alicorn crawls her way back to her seat and listens in on her rival. “You again,” November groans upon seeing him. “You don’t have any more business with me and my father anymore.” “Oh really,” Korsan replies with a grin as he resets his hooves over his swords, “because I’ve heard he’s been doing a bit of talking recently, making a little stain upon my mark.” “That bounty hunter told you, didn’t he?” “Sang like a canary he did. Now, I don’t want to cause anymore killing sprees, I want to save those for when my image has been affiliated with being a unicorn. However, if somepony wants to keep word of my inferiority circulating around the world, I going to have to take action. May you please get your father out here?” “No. Go away.” “I’m not asking a question, I’m issuing a command. Get Nitin Gale, out here, now.” “No!” “Get him out here now!” “Never!” “I will climb over this counter and get him myself!” “Stay back!” November screams, revealing a small dagger from underneath the counter and holding it up to Korsan’s chin. Korsan quickly retaliates by grabbing November by the neck with one of his clawed hooves and tossing her aside, causing her to smack onto the side of the counter. “Time we meet again old mate!” However, as Korsan begins to climb over the counter, Twilight jumps into action and swings her wooden chair at him, smashing it against his back. Roaring in shock and pain, Korsan hastily grabs one of his swords and swipes it behind him as he turns around. Although the blade misses Twilight, the gush of wind caused by the speed of the swing blows off the hood of the mare’s cloak, revealing herself to Korsan as he looks back. “Twilight Sparkle!”
Rarity’s CaptureWith the two rivals now seeing each other face to face in the light of the tavern, fury and adrenaline pulse through Twilight and Korsan. As Korsan quickly draws his second sword from his back and charges towards the purple pony, Twilight picks up the broken remains of her chair and slings the pieces at him. The brown pegasus promptly reacts by slicing the larger bits into smaller pegs of wood that merely bounce off of his metal suit before lunging at Twilight. However, just as one of his outstretched blades touches one of Twilight’s hair, an orange hoof appears from nowhere and smacks the pirate in the cheek, launching him onto Maurice and his gang’s table. “Don’t just stand there you bunch of coves!” Korsan barks as he slides off on the table and onto his hind hooves, “Get Twilight and her hooded goons!” “Okay girls,” Twilight announces as her friends rise from their seats and take off their hooves, “Time we show Korsan the true power of a team.” Immediately, the entire bar falls under chaos as the two sides begin to fight. Rainbow Dash is the first to move from her spot and soars underneath the tables and the hooves of Korsan’s crew, distracting most of them. “I got this one!” Maria Vanshwitz declares as she approaches Fluttershy from behind whilst she’s distracted by three stallions running at her. However, a small dagger soars into the mare’s mane, snagging it and pinning her to the nearby wall. Upon inspection, Maria sees it was November that threw the weapon at her. “November Gale…” “Maria Vanshwitz…” November replies. Slowly, Maria pulls out the dagger from the wall with her magic, causing several stands of her red hair to fall to the floor. She then flings the dagger at November and immediately charges at her, drawing her own dagger from a brown belt around her waist. November ducks and the small blade strikes the wall behind instead. She in turn grabs it for her own use as she and Maria engage in a blade fight. “Applebloom,” Applejack proclaims as a giant stallion pirate runs at her with a two-bitted axes held over his head, “I don’t want you and the others to see this.” Listening to her older sister, Applebloom leads her two filly friends under the center of their table as very audible smacking sounds are heard from where Applejack is at, followed by an even louder crunching noise. “Y’all can look now.” Looking back, the three fillies see Applejack triumphantly standing on top of the large stallion, now writhing in pain on the floor. “What are you lily-livered morons doing?” Korsan screams as he and Twilight fighting in the center of the room. “Use your magic!” “Slightly preoccupied here!” Maria retorts as she and November are in a blade lock and their hooves are pushing against each other. Meanwhile, a small pirate stallion follows Rainbow Dash as she swoops under a large round table. With a grin on his face, the bandit quickly lifts the table to the ceiling, only to be struck by a buck in the face by Dash. As the table then falls, Dash flies up to it and grabs it midair. She then swings the heavy disc over to where three pirates are surrounding Pinkie Pie. The table instantly smacks into the three pirates, launching them across the room, through one of the windows, and out into the icy water below with the broken window. “Oh yeah!” Rainbow Dash cheers. However, the cyan pony’s jubilee is cut short by a deep blue aura enveloping her midair, holding her in place. “Hey!” From behind Rainbow Dash, a small pink unicorn with an eyepatch over her right eye walks around to the front of her prisoner with a smirk on her face. “Let me go!” Soon, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Spike, Applebloom, and Scootaloo, each with their own different coloured magic auras, hover next to Dash. Their captors cackle in victory as they reveal themselves in front of Dash and the others. “You no-good cheatin’ pirates,” Applejack snaps at the seven unicorns holding her and her friends prisoner, “let us go, or else-” “Or else what?” The small unicorn pirate taunts back. “I... Got nothin’,” “That’s what you get for being an Earth pony and not a unicorn. Ha!” Meanwhile, in the center of the bar, Twilight and Korsan are still fighting each other viciously, with Twilight now ducking her head from Korsan swinging his swords above her. Twilight aims her horn quickly and fires a magic bolt. Korsan reacts promptly by leaping over the shot and Twilight. While still in midair, Twilight fires three more bolts of magic at him. The pirate pegasus deflects them with his swords one by one before lands behind Twilight. He then crosses his blades in front of his chest as Twilight attempts to buck him. Her hooves and Korsan’s blades clash together violently, forcing the two away from each other and causing Korsan’s swords to fly off of his hooves. Being pushed forward to a billiard table, Twilight sees the pool balls in front of her and grabs them with her magic. Korsan recovers from the knockback and reaches into his cape, drawing out his crossbow. Twilight immediately then throws the pool balls at Korsan rapidly, aiming for the head. With perfect accuracy, Korsan fires his weapon at the balls, causing them to drop to the floor one by one, each with a large metal bolt piercing them. Upon shooting the fifteenth and seeing the cue ball approaching him, Korsan chuckles as he aims his crossbow at it and presses the trigger with his claw. However, a loud click is heard from the weapon instead and the heavy white ball smacks into the captain’s nose, instantaneously disorienting him in pain and shock. Using this as her time to strike, Twilight swoops over to the disorientated stallion and grabs him by the shoulders, throwing him up to the ceiling and smashing his head. As Korsan drops back down, Twilight turns around in the air and bucks him in his front, launching him across the room and smashing his back against the wood wall. Korsan immediately snaps back and sees Twilight charging at him. Grabbing a lantern at a nearby table, Korsan flings the lamp right in Twilight’s face, causing a fireball to erupt upon collision. Blinded from the blast, Twilight accidently flies into Korsan’s open claws as they grab onto her wings. With his rival now in his grasps, Korsan jumps from the wall and leaps into the air, performing a spiral in the air before smashing Twilight into a small table. Korsan then raises a hoof in the air and forms his claws into a fist. However, as the pirate captain slams it downwards, Twilight regains herself from the previous attack and rolls away, causing Korsan to get his claws lodged into the middle of a wooden floor plank instead. Twilight then quickly gets up onto her hooves and aims her horn right at Korsan’s face, charging her magic for a powerful fireball spell to finish him off. Using his strength though, Korsan rips the board from the floor with his claw still stuck in it and swings it just as Twilight launches a fireball from her horn. A large explosion soon follows, blinding everypony in the bar for a few seconds before their vision slowly returns. Their eyes dart to the source of the blast, having now stopped fighting each other for a moment. In the center of the tavern, amongst an indoor cloud of smoke, wood chips, and embers, stands Korsan, holding an unconscious Twilight in his right claws. Her face is covered in ashes and burns while Korsan’s remains completely clean with only a few tiny embers lingering on the nose. The ceiling and floor of where Korsan stands are completely pitch black with some planks of wood starting to fall. With a large grin on his face, Korsan gently pulls out an anti-magic strap, attaches it around Twilight’s horn, and flings the purple body over the serving counter before turning to face Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and several other pirates looking at him in shock and surprise. “That was a fireball,” Rarity utters in her frozen breathe, backing up while Korsan starts to walk to her, “that was a fireball to the face. H-how did you-” “Even I’m a little surprised I made it out unscaved.” Korsan remarks, “This tavern must be made of some really good wood and I haven’t even noticed until now, either that or just some luck.” As Rarity’s rump soon hits a booth against the wall, she immediately realizes that there’s nowhere to go. Her attention instinctively snaps to her younger sister, who is still standing next to their table, scared stiff. “Sweetie Belle! Get back!” “I-I-I-I c-can’t,” Sweetie mumbles. “Get away from her you monster!” Rarity then charges forwards between the pirate captain and the filly, stopping midway between the two and aiming her horn at Korsan’s nose. Korsan eventually stops right in front of the white unicorn, towering over her and looking down at her face. “Such determination, such fury, such willingness to put your life on the line to protect your family, I’m almost speechless,” Korsan compliments Rarity, “However, I also see fear, dripping all over you. Though very logical for you to fear the greatest sea artist, master of the mechanical arts and revolutionary of these times, it is still a weakness, as with several other things that you’re burdened with. I can remedy that. Come with me, join my crew, and I can help you destroy those burdens. You can be one of the most powerful ponies in the world. So what do you say?” “Never!” “I don’t want to perform any drastic measures, but if you refuse my efforts now, I will require yourself and my crew to insert a little more leverage. Think about it.” “Here’s what I think, take this!” With a flicker of her horn, Rarity attempts to grab Korsan with magic, but nothing happens. “Didn’t you hear Nitin run his lips about my anti-magic?” “I can try,” While Rarity continues to try to restrain Korsan, the pirate looks around to see everypony still staring in silence. “Come on stallions and mares, this isn’t a Titan Megalodon, it’s just a lucky misfire. Back to ‘The Perfection, gather any fallen crew members on your way while I take care of Rarity and her little ankle biter.” Korsan’s crew soon comes to their senses upon hear of his command and promptly exit the bar while the other pirates still continue to gawk and the seven remaining crew members still continue to hold Twilight’s friends in place. Korsan then returns his attention to Rarity, still trying to grab him, and proceeds to grab her by the horn. “Apologies ma’am,” Rarity immediately screams as Korsan digs his claws into her horn and abruptly cutting off her magic and the mare immediately starts to thrash and flail. “Help!” With Rarity now in tow, the pirate pegasus makes his way to the door. However, he’s quickly stopped by a sharp pain in his ankle right above his metal boots and immediately groans in pain. “What the,” He looks own to see Sweetie Belle biting down into his leg with all of her might. “Let her go,” Sweetie’s voice grumbles as she bites again. “Get away!” Rarity squeals, “Save yourself!” “No, I’m going to let him take you away,” “I didn’t mean it literally,” Korsan chuckles mid-groan before reaching down with his other front hoof and picks the small filly up by the back of her neck. “No! Let us go!” “I’ll let yous go when we’re onboard and far away from this blasted place. Now come on,” As Korsan resumes his walk out, Rarity and Sweetie scream out to their friends at the top of their lungs, “Help! Get us out of here! Save us!” “What about us Captain?” The small unicorn member calls out, still holding her prisoner in place as well as the others. “Just toss them in the corner,” Korsan replies at the doorway, “quickly, we won’t have much time before they chase us again.” Immediately, the seven unicorn pirates chuck the seven dazed friends into the back corner of the tavern and follow their captain out to the balcony. Within moments, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and the others break from their shock and jump into action. “Twilight!” Rainbow Dash hollers as she soars to where Twilight’s laying body is. “Wha-” Twilight lethargically groans as she wakes from her unconscious state. “Korsan took Rarity!” Fluttershy exclaims. “What?!” “And Sweetie Belle as well!” Scootaloo adds. “What?!” The purple alicorn snaps fully awake and flies with Rainbow Dash over to the front door with the other friends as they all head out to the balcony and see Korsan’s ship already charging away at rapid speeds. “Oh no! Korsan disabled my horn while I was knocked out it seems. I can’t teleport,” “I’ll catch up to them!” Rainbow declares before leaping into flight and charging into the thick of the violent rainstorm and towards the floating pirate ship. “Everypony else, to the ship!” “Don’t worry Rarity! Don’t worry Sweetie Belle! I’ll save you!” Dash screams as she reaches alongside the rear of the racing airship. The screams of Rarity and Sweetie Belle are soon heard from below the main deck as the cyan pegasus draws closer to the front of the quarterdeck. Soon though, Korsan emerges from the galley with his crossbow in his claws, causing Rainbow Dash to fall back and below the keel. “I can’t do anything to help them if Korsan or his crew members get in my way.” Far ahead at the front end of the ship, Rainbow Dash sees two giant black anchors still being pulled upwards by their equally massive chains. “Lightbulb!” With a target now set, the mare flaps her wings vigorously and races towards the right anchor, reaching it in only a few seconds. In the bright flashes of lightning, the pegasus aims her hooves at a link and delivers a series of hard bucks at it, eventually causing the entire chain to rattle before plummeting back down into the water. “Yes!” However, Dash’s victory is cut short by the entire ship above viciously tilting for no reason. “The anchor hasn’t even hit the bottom,” The dwarfed mare watches in shock as the massive vessel leans it’s deck towards her and is greeted by three stallions holding onto the railing, all with their horns aimed at her. Instantly, the pegasus in wrapped in a red aura and is dragged towards the slanted deck. “We got her captain!” One of the three pirates declares, “You can tilt the ship back now.” “Let me go!” “Why should-” Before the unicorn could respond, the entire ship suddenly comes to a screeching halt. The pirates are immediately launched forwards onto the railing at the front of the bow while Dash is released from the telepathic grab. “That.” Meanwhile, back at the rear of the ship, Korsan is jerked forward into the wheel in front of him, clueless to what’s going on. “What in the seventeen seas is going on up there!” The captain screams as he regains his hoofing. The voice of Twilight then echoes into his ears, “We’re here Dash!” “Twilight?” Quickly, the bipedal pony runs to the starboard edge of the tilted airship and looks down to see Twilight and her friends approaching in their galleon. “It’s them,” After getting a good look at the pursuing vessel, Korsan climbs back to the wheel and pushes a small wooden button next to the lever next to the wheel, causing a long and thin metal pipe with it’s opening bent towards the captain to emerge from behind the wheel. Leaning close to the opening of the pipe, “Attention all crew members! Battle stations! Twilight Sparkle is right below us at starboard!”
November WindsWithin less of a minute’s time, The Perfection’s cannon chambers below deck are bustling with most of the members of Korsan’s crew, all scampering around with torches, cannonballs, and kegs of gunpowder. The captain hears the commotion going on all the way up to the wheel, a clear sign that they’re ready to attack in a few moments. “I need a full report of the enemy ship now!” He yells out to the unseen ponies at the top of the seven massive masts. “The thing’s a wreck Captain!” One the male onlookers replies, “A snapped mast, three out of four sails torn, severe damage in the upperparts of the hull, six loose cannons, a missing keel, a malfunctioning rudder, and the bowsprit broken halfway through!” “Are these mares mad?” “Course of action, Captain?” A pale stallion loudly asks as he climbs up from below deck and looks towards Korsan. “Don’t waste your ammunition. Fire one round in the middle of the bow and another in the middle of the quarterdeck. Shoot to disable, not to kill.” “Yes sir.” Promptly, the stallion hurries back down to relay the message to the gunners below. Korsan then yells out, “Juliana!” and is immediately greeted by his ice phoenix pet on his right shoulder. “Good girl, get ready for your new job.” Soon, two loud blasts erupt from the downward tilting side of the airship. Korsan observes from afar as two large metal balls soar from his vessel and down towards Twilight’s ship. Three seconds of silence follows just before impact. Then, in a matter of moments, the tiny boat below explodes into a large gush of water, wood and smoke, obscuring Korsan’s view of his rival, though can hear their screams as their ship crumbles to pieces. The brown pegasus turns and looks at his bird friend. “Juliana, perform Artic Wind.” The phoenix replies with a chirp before leaping from Korsan’s arm and flying overboard and into the dark cloud below. “Captain! Incoming pegasus!” “Incoming what-” From behind the wall of fog and rain in front of Korsan emerges Rainbow Dash, who charges at the captain and delivers a kick to his face, knocking him backwards a metre or two. “Give it up Korsan!” Dash proclaims as she charges at him once more. The stallion promptly reacts and rolls away from the dive attack, letting Rainbow miss and circle around for another attempt. He then pulls out his crossbow and aims it at the flying mare as she charges at him again. “Dodge this.” With a flick of a claw, the crossbow fires a metal bolt at the incoming pony. However, Dash ducks down below the speeding projectile and smashes her body into Korsan’s, sending the two careering overboard and towards the smoke cloud. “Dodged it!” Two the fighters break from each other in freefall and begin to fight each other again. Korsan rebalances himself in the air first and fires his crossbow at the tumbling pegasus eleven times. “Get a load of this!” Rainbow recovers as well however. She then quickly uses her wings to create gushes of wind and pushes away the eleven metal rods shot. “Are you even trying?” Dash teases before flying back to where a lot of lightning has struck and soars into the area for a bit, building up electricity throughout her entire body. As the rainbow maned pony makes her return back towards her nemesis, Korsan puts away his crossbow and pulls out his two cutlasses. “Let’s find out!” With his swords primed and Dash’s body practically growing from electricity jumping around her body, the two collide together with such powerful force, a small electric shockwave ruptures between Korsan’s blades and Dash’s hooves, blasting any nearby rainwater and fog away. Meanwhile, on the now destroyed remains of the SS Raindrop, Twilight and the others onboard are gathering at the middle of the deck as both ends of the ship are blazing on fire. Surrounded by smog and a panic-filled atmosphere, Twilight and her crew are looking around for any sign of hope. “This is the end!” Applebloom and the other fillies cough and scream as smoke starts to fill their lungs. “Now it’s not!” Applejack retorts before gagging. “What do we do?” Fluttershy whimpers as she curls herself into a ball next to the center mast. “There has to be a way out of this!” Pinkie exclaims as she tries to put out the bow fires with her breathe. “We’re going to have to jump into the water.” Twilight responds with her head snapping to every direction in search of something or another. “Then what?” Spike asks at the purple mare’s side. “No idea, wait, is that Rainbow Dash above us?” Quickly, the five mares and Spike look up at where Twilight’s staring at to see Rainbow Dash and Korsan falling towards them, both bathing in electrical sparks as they trade blows. A light blue blur catches Spike’s attention soon after. “What’s that other thing heading towards us?” “Wha-” Before Twilight can ask or even get a good look at the ice bird, Juliana begins to rapidly circle above the downed vessel, causing the incoming rain to freeze into spikes of ice and hale. In a matter of moments, the ice rain’s front reaches the crippled vessel and sends the mares and Spike into a scampering frenzy, desperately trying not get impaled by the razor sharp frozen water. Near the edge of the panic and screaming, Korsan and Rainbow Dash finally reach sea level fall into the chaotic waves and deep below underwater. The cold of the icy ocean pulses through the two battling pegasi as they continue to slowly punch and grapple each other in a bloodthirsty fury. During one of Rainbow Dash’s punches towards her rival’s face, Captain Korsan swiftly returns one of his cutlasses into his back and grabs the incoming hoof, digging his claws deep into her skin and releasing any electricity in his body and deep into her. The cyan pony mutely screams as sparks of sharp energy and cold metal pierce into her muscles and bones before a wave of massive exhaustion soon washes over her. After several long seconds of cold water sucking up her bodily heat, fighting against the stormy weather, and being socked in the face and body by metal armour, Dash’s senses have finally caught up to her and came back hard against her mind and will. Succumbing to the pain and tiredness of her aching body, Rainbow Dash falls unconscious and slowly drifts upwards towards the surface, followed by Korsan still holding onto her hoof. Bursting through the water surface, Korsan sees Twilight’s ship, now at the brink of bursting into millions of splinters, and the fallen anchor’s chain several metres ahead. Immediately, the gears in the brown stallion’s head start to spin and a plan soon comes to mind. He yells out just as a large wave of foaming water strikes his behind, “Juliana!” Hearing her master’s call, the ice phoenix stops her attack and flies down to him. “Iron Head!” The large bird screeches in nod to the command and swiftly flies back up high into the sky before diving back down. He, Twilight, and the others excluding Rainbow Dash watch as Juliana rapidly accelerates downwards and dives into the waves next to the portside of the ship, immediately freezing the surface water around her into solid ice. A second later, the ice bird breaches from the water off of the starboard side, causing all sides of the trapped vessel in stiff ice and freezing the wood of the hull as well. As Juliana flies back upwards into the thick of the rain, Korsan drags his soaking body as well as Rainbow Dash onto the frozen sheet of land before them before gently dropping the pony and running towards the anchor chain ahead. Twilight and the other soon hear the metal hoofsteps on the hard ground and break their glance at the bird to see their frozen friend and Korsan running away. “Hey!” Twilight screams, “Get back here!” The purple pony jumps off of the bow and soon gives chase to the captain. “You’re going to pay for hurting Dash!” Remembering that Twilight doesn’t know that he’s wasted his ammo on Dash, Korsan turns around and pulls out his crossbow, aiming it right at Twilight’s forehead. Seeing the black metal weapon now poised to fire, Twilight frantically stops only a couple of metres short of her target. “Don’t take another step and don’t flap another wing.” “What are you going to do with Rarity and Sweetie Belle?” Twilight asks in a nervous pant. “You know as well as I do what I plan to do with Rarity. But don’t worry Princess Twilight. I won’t hurt her, nor her sister.” “Let them go, give us the Diamond Eye, and stop this villainous plot all together now. It may be a longshot, but if you give up now and come with us to Equestria, you could redeem yourself and become a beneficial member to Equestria. You’re a bright stallion, a genius that probably knows things that most scientists can’t even comprehend. It doesn’t matter if you’re a pegasus, a unicorn, and Earth pony, or an alicorn, you can still be special and live a good life. You might even make a few friends and find your special somepony. Please, it’s not too late.” “Save your boring lectures and rants, I’ve heard it all before. And everytime I hear it coming from somepony that thinks she’s the wiser, it just makes me sick to my stomach. You have no idea of the true torture I and many others will endure in this Tartarus of a world. I’ve given you plenty of chances, but your resilience has forced me to leave you all for dead.” The pirate’s gaze then slowly shifts to over Twilight’s shoulder and to the ship behind. Twilight notices this and looks back as well, just in time to see Juliana return in another dive-bomb and smash into the middle of her boat, causing it to shatter into large bits and small specks of wood and ember. Screams quickly follow as they echo from the ship to the two rivals at the edge of the slowly eroding ice field. “You monster!” Twilight cries in terror and rage as she turns back towards Korsan, who is now slowly backing up towards the large black chains behind. “You will not interfere with my quest to end the suffering.” “You think Rarity won’t after hearing that you killed us? She’ll never join you, and neither will her sister.” “I’m not going to kill you. It’ll either be the natural elements or your own selves that’ll end up killing you. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Korsan stops his sentence midway as he leaps back into a large chain hole behind, “Adieu. Hoist the anchor manually!” “You’ll never get away with this!” “I always do.” With the crossbow still aimed at her, all Twilight can do is watch as Korsan soars into the sky and into his floating ship with Juliana and the anchor soon following out of the water and up into the pirate ship as well. In a matter of seconds, the flying brig realigns itself straight and takes off into the raining night sky. Twilight soon heads back to the wreckage that was once her prized transportation to see the damage. Upon closer inspection, she notices that Dash has been moved from her spot where Korsan dropped her. “Is anypony okay?” “We all are!” Spike announces from inside the massive pile of wood. “Even Rainbow?” “I think Dash’s coming to!” Applejack calls out from inside the icy wreckage. Relieved to hear her friends’ voices, the princess darts into the wood ruins and sees the other six others huddled around Dash’s laying body on top of a large portion of deck still in one piece. Edging herself into the circle alongside the others Twilight as greeted by a faint gag from the cyan pegasus. “Rainbow Dash, wake up. Are you okay?” Rainbow responds with a violent cough and warm water spewing from her mouth. “Please be okay,” Scootaloo nervously yelps. “I-I’m f-f-fine,” Rainbow finally replies after a quick burp. “It-it’s c-cold.” “Thank goodness you’re okay!” Fluttershy enthusiastically exclaims as she leaps onto and hugs the waking mare. “Ouch.” “Oh, s-sorry,” “What do we do now?” Applejack uneasily asks Twilight, “Our boat is ruined, we’re in the middle of an intense storm, we’re surrounded by ice, and we’re out of food.” “Not exactly,” Pinkie Pie replies aimlessly looking around the area, “we have this raft that we’re sitting on, Dashy and Flutter can calm the storm a little, the ice will go away in time, and we have each other.” “Wait, what do you mean by that last-” “Pinkie has a point,” Twilight interrupts Applejack, “We can get out of this storm and-” “And then what?” “We go after Korsan.” “Again?! He just destroyed our only means of protection and transportation. Not to mention that he’s disabled you from using magic and our only unicorns that came with us are now on his ship.” “As long as our friendship, will, and hope stay true, we can do anything.” “But…” “Do you have a better idea?” Dash nasally snaps at her orange friend. “Well, I guess not. But this might take some time.” “Give or take a few days,” Twilight optimistically retorts, “we’ll do it.” “I just hope that Rarity and Sweetie Belle don’t get hurt on that scary ship.” “I don’t even want to know what’s going on up there right now…”
Night Aboard the PerfectionThree days and three nights feel like forever to Rarity and Sweetie Belle as they stayed tucked away in the brig at the bottom of Korsan’s airship. Separated into two dimly lit cells all alone, the only company the two mares got other than each other was Chopin who’d come five times a day to give them bread and water and promptly go back up the stairs. During the long hours of silence in between, the only things the prisoners would find themselves doing is sleeping, eating, drinking, or thinking about the events and friendships throughout their lives that have all lead up to this. During one night, as the howls and cheers of the pirates roars in the galley echo from four stories above to the brig, Rarity decides to talk to her sister before Chopin comes to feed them, “Hey, Sweetie Belle,” “What?” The smaller unicorn lethargically responds, having her head buried into the pillow on her cell bed. “Want to talk or something.” ”I don’t feel like it.” “You haven’t said anything for over six hours and I’m beginning to worry about you.” “Will our friends come and get us out of here? It just feels like they’ve left us.” “Ridiculous. Our friends would never abandon us. I know it may seem impossible, but we can still hope that they’re still hot on Korsan’s trail as we speak and one day save us from this retched place.” “Really? Are you sure?” “Well…” Before Rarity can complete her thought, the familiar hoofsteps of Chopin are heard above. However, this is soon followed by an unexpected series of metal stamps into the wood above following behind Chopin’s. “Is that…” Looking to the lit staircase, the two mares look to see the mime and Korsan walk down the stairs and approach each cell individually, with the bipedal captain going to Rarity’s. “You…” “Hello Miss Rarity,” Korsan replies a he leans in towards the bar wall separating him from his prisoner, “I would like to invite both you and your sister to feast at the galley.” “Why would we even want to join you and your ruffians in a meal? You kidnapped us and held us in here for days.” “Quite, I apologize for my more brutish force against you, but in time you’ll find yourself forgiving me. Take this invitation as not only as a token of my apologies, but also as an opportunity to show you the benefits of being one with my crew.” “How about no! You psychotic pegasus pirate,” “Well then,” Korsan calmly replies, resting his metal claws onto the lever that opens the door to her cell, “Have fun wasting in this cell for a good number of your days. Hey Chopin, have any luck with the sister?” “Get away of me you clown!” Sweetie Belle’s voice screams back in indirect response. “He’s a mime from Prance, respect the stallion will you.” “Leave my sister out of this!” Rarity barks, aiming her horn at Korsan’s face. “What are you going to do? Everything you see is lined with anti-magic and I can already tell that you have little to no offensive capabilities with your magic alone that can harm me.” Rarity realizes that he’s right and raises her horn up in defeat. “How about a deal, you join me for supper and I’ll leave your sister be.” Seeing as this is her only option, Rarity nods in shame. With a smile now growing on his face Korsan pulls the lever down and the metal door into the cell swings open. “Follow me.” The white unicorn obeys her captors orders and follows him and Chopin out of the prison and up the stairs, leaving her sister behind all alone. “Don’t worry Sweetie Belle, I’ll be back.” Slowly, the trio walks past the sick chambers above the brig and follow a series of staircases leading them up several stories in the hull. Past the abandoned crew cabins on the third and fourth floors, past the massive empty cannon chamber on the fifth, and up a final flight of stairs, they soon enter into the large dining chamber on the first floor of the quarterdeck. Activity is bustling all around just as before, the food is just as plentiful as when Dash first saw it, and there was another duel going on in the empty center of the galley with seated pirates watching it, this time though, it is two short and yellow unicorns fighting each other with katanas. However, despite the loudness and chaos of the room, as Korsan makes his way up the final steps, the entire room quickly stops in dead silence and looks towards their captain in the corner of the room. “Greetings fellow sea artists,” “Greetings Captain Korsan!” The entire cast of pirates replies in unison. “I would like to introduce you to our newest guest aboard The Perfection on this fine evening. Say hello to Miss Rarity.” “Hello Miss Rarity.” “Please, treat her to a seat and may your festivities continue. Treat her as one of our own.” “Aye Captain.” Slowly, the galley’s chaotic activity returns as the duel resumes and Korsan and Chopin take their usual seats, leaving Rarity anxiously standing at the corner of the main table. “Hey, hey, hey, hey,” An orange mare with a short black mane and tail and wearing a brown tricorder hat calls out to the lost pony, “sit over here, please!” Cautiously, Rarity walks behind several seated pirates roaring at the fight and reaches the mare. Seeing an empty chair to the mare’s right, the now guest goes to it and slowly sets herself on it as to not get anything that could be dirty on her flank. Nervous as to not do something that could end up killing her or make her look out of place, Rarity keeps her eyes focused on the fight as she whispers to the orange unicorn, “What should I do? You look like you know what you’re doing, and you look the least threatening.” “Don’t sweat yourself, these guys around here aren’t that threatening when we’re off duty. I’m Slasher Gutzoult.” “My, what an, interesting name…” “My mom thought of it.” “I’m Rarity.” “Yeah, I know. The captain just announced it.” “Oh yeah, he did. Oh dear,” “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. I remember this one time that-” “I’m not embarrassed. I’m trying to keep my skin attached to my body.” “I see. Hey, maybe this will make you unwind,” Rarity looks over to her new friend and sees her sliding a mug away from the stallion to her left’s table area and in front of Rarity’s blank table area. “Try it.” “What is it?” Rarity curiously asks as she slowly holds the drink up to her lips and lets a few drips of the whitish-clear liquid into her mouth. “You don’t want to know.” Upon having her tongue touch one of the drops, Rarity immediately spits out all the fluids in her mouth. “Taste awful.” “That’s the same thing we’ve been telling Anton for years, but he still drinks it. Seems to work though in your case,” “Are all of you pirates this invasive? Is there somepony else I can talk to?” “Sorry, I’ve just been a little jumpy, you know, with this being our first guest in a long while. Maybe I need a bit of Anton’s stuff to unwind as well.” “Well look, I don’t consider myself a guest. I was forced into this by that tyrant you call Captain Korsan. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to look for another empty seat.” “But wait! Don’t you want to know who you’re sitting with? I can help with that!” Rarity’s ears immediately burn after the hyperactive pirate girl screamed right into them. “First off, I’m right next to you. You don’t need to shout. Second off, no, I’m not interested in knowing.” “But some of us are really interesting, like me. I was arrested for twenty charges of cat burglary in Ti and was sent an all-girls prison until Korsan broke me out and hired me for his crew.” “You were a cat burglar? You don’t look like somepony who’d be so stealthy.” “Not that type of burglar, I was a burglar of cats. I just love them so much! I have three in my cabin, Bob, Curly, and Moe. Want to meet them?” “No-” “Wait, I should tell you about the rest of the crew, they’re interesting to!” “That won’t be necessary-” “Oh, like Lazarus Lazuli over there!” Slasher then points a hoof across the room to a skinny blue stallion with a grey hoodie over his head and covering his mane, peacefully eating a bowl of soup in front of him at the end of the table. “He was banished to the Island of Perpetual Tickling for life for treason against the king of Talos by working as a terrorist spy. He claims that he was on the island and tortured for ten years before Korsan came, but I have my doubts. Ooh! And her!” the brown mare then points to a white mare with a red mane and tail who is talking with the chef through the serving window next to where Rarity and Slasher are seated. “Maria Vanshwitz, one of the deadliest out of us all, she was put in maximum security for providing fighting services in the resistance.” “Which resistance?” “No one really knows, she doesn’t mention it apparently because it lost.” As the young mare turns around to return to her seat, the two onlookers get a good look at her sharp face and fiery red eyes. “Hey, I saw her at the bar fighting November. Wasn’t she part of your crew?” After her response, Rarity quickly realizes that her curiosity is getting to her and that she’s gaining interest in the backstories of the many pirates around her. “November Gale? I remember her. She and Maria were practically arch nemeses whenever in the same room.” “Why?” “They were always fighting over Hans Kraus, one of main cannon operators. In the end, November and her dad left and Maria won. Though we don’t talk about November and her dad anymore, at least in public.” “I see. How about the two near-identical stallions fighting each other?” “Yin and Yu, they’re brothers from Gorgonzola. Before they joined Korsan, they were a compulsive gambling team and were even banned from Glascow, Los Pegasus, and Monte Canter for cheating. Though if you ask them now about it, they’ll claim they don’t cheat,” “Hey,” Rarity replies, pointing her hoof at a pale and bald stallion with a light blond beard, silently sitting near the middle of the center row of chairs of the table alone, eating a loaf of bread, “What about that guy?” “That’s Horus, the quartermaster.” “What’s his story?” “No pony really knows, we just picked him up from a large prison in Pearis. He changes the story of how he got there every time you ask him. Like one time, he told me that he defrauded the royal kingdom of Cervidas.” Hearing the conversation between the two mares, the pair of yellow fighters in the center of the room leans over to where Rarity and Slasher are as their blades continue to clash and their bodies tightly held against each other. “Hey Slasher,” the two brothers nonchalantly say to the orange pony. “Hello Yin. Hello Yu. We were just talking about Horus.” “We heard,” one of the brothers replies in a groan as the weight of his rival starts to pull on him, “He told me that he robbed the second largest bank in Prance with only an inked quill.” The other sibling adds on as he tries to punch his competition, “As for me, he claimed that he created a hole in the ozone above Cowrea.” The two fighters then catch each other in a strangle and roll back towards the middle of the galley. “See, he changes the story everytime,” Slasher speaks to Rarity, “like this even.” The brown unicorn swiftly turns to the buff albino pirate before shouting. “Hey Horus!” Immediately, the large stallion snaps his head towards the energetic pony and sharpens his small red pupils into her eyes. “What did you do to get in jail?” The blond stallion hastily grabs a small silver spoon on his table area with his magic, holds it up in front of his face, and quickly responds, “I killed a stallion, with this spoon!” “Okay. Thanks!” She then returns to Rarity, “Anypony else?” “So Korsan just picks up these criminals and hires them for his crew?” “Yep,” “All of them?” “Well, most of them.” “Most?” “There’s one or two members around here that us crew members aren’t really sure of where they came from.” “Who?” “Chopin, the mime, and Isyan,” Slowly, Slasher raises her hoof and points at a dark beige stallion standing next to Korsan’s large elevated table. He’s wearing a black tailcoat suit, has his short, dirty blond hair combed back to his ears, and looks to be studying the captain as Korsan slowly eats his fruits while watching the battle. “Captain’s cousin,” “Cousin?” “Yep, he was one of our newest members actually. Korsan picked him up last year while we were all asleep one night and didn’t say anything about him to us the next morning other than Isyan’s his cousin and will be serving as the boatswain.” “He doesn’t look like the piratical type.” “He isn’t, he’s just some snob-nosed jerk that’s constantly pushing us lower ranking job members around. The mechanics, the coopers, the carpenters, and the janitors, all of us are just swabs to that stallion’s brown, soulless, eyes.” “Why don’t you talk to Korsan about it?” “I’m a janitor, a poop-deck cleaner, a toiler scrubber, a sick bed washer, what gives me the authority to even talk to him, let alone tell him about how much a jerk is own cousin is?” “I think Korsan would understand.” “How would you know?” “I’ve, heard some things from a certain stallion.” “You mean, Gale?” “Yeah,” “Did he tell you about-” Before Slasher can finish her question, one of the brothers shrieks out from the battle area, “Uncle! Uncle!” Retuning their focus to the center, Rarity and slasher see that the one screaming is being pinned down by his rival while their blades are wedged in the ceiling. The roaring of the crew immediately follows this defeat as well as processions made into bets being thrown around the galley table. “Whoop! Nice job Yu!” “I’m Yu, but thanks for the encouragement.” “Oh, sorry,” “Bah, okay you can get off of me Yin.” Not noticing their swords are still in the ceiling, the two yellow stallions walk up to the front of Korsan’s table and await their leader’s report. As the room quiets down, Korsan speaks, “Yu Shou, rigger, congratulations on your victory.” “I’m Yu, Yin won.” “Apologies, would help if one of yous wore something. But that’s another matter. Yin, powder monkey, congratulations on your victory. Your form was most adequate, and your balance is one point. However, I would recommend less, silly fighting methods when dealing with opposition from the field.” “Yes sir,” Yin replies before beginning to head back to a seat at the table. “Ahem…” “What?” “Your swords?” Looking back at the fighting area, the leaving unicorn immediately sees his and his brothers stuck weapons. “Oh, yes. Sorry. I’ll take care of both of them.” Swiftly, Yin grabs the bladed weapons with his magic and hurries into the armour with them to put them away. “If I were to align the second piece at a forty-seven degree angle over the first, that would formulate a symbol equation. Then using the cipher system in the edge of the first half, I could then create a series of solutions with the decoded variables and translate those solutions to translate the symbol…” “Captain?” Yu hesitantly asks as Korsan continues to silently ramble in his chair. “Huh, what?” “I lost to Yin.” “Oh, right, right, right. Ahem. Yu Shou, rigger, although your creativity was put to good use, you are still being easily tricked. Try to remedy that.” “Yes Captain.” With the two brothers now returning to their seats, Slasher and Rarity return their attention to one another. “Pity the poor captain,” the brown mare proclaims to her friend, “he’s been so sidetracked by that Diamond Eye stuff and the new weapon he’s working on.” “Pity him?” Rarity snaps, “He’s just using you criminals to do his dirty work, no offense. Your practically prisoners on this ship from what I’ve heard of your captain.” “Just using us? Prisoners? Korsan’s practically saved us. He’s given us new lives and plenty of adventures to foreign lands. Sure we’re pirates, but that’s just our standing in life.” “And murderers?” “What?” “That day, three years ago,” “We don’t really discuss that day in public,” “You know what happened, you were involved, all of you.” “Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-” “Is this what you want? To remove most ponies from the world, take away their lives, all for some arbitrary reason that their not unicorns?” “No, I don’t want to talk about it!” “No, you’re doing something you know is wrong. You can do something about it, even if your boss won’t like it.” “No! I don’t want to go back to prison!” “Please, just-” “Attention everypony,” Korsan proclaims as he rises from his chair, causing the entire galley to quiet down, “I shall now duel. And the lucky pony that I shall spar with will be Miss Rarity.” “What?!” “Yes ma’am. As a treat of being an honoured guest with us tonight, you will be firsthoof to see my true fighting potential. Now, what’s your preferred weapon Rarity? Chopin, be ready.” “I’m not really the fighting type. So you can just pick another pony.” “Don’t worry, it is only a spar. We fight until one of us is disarmed or the first sign of bloodshed. Now, what will it be? Cutlass, claymore, longsword, sabre, dagger, rapier, katana, broadsword, Khopesh, lance, mace, we got them all.” Seeing this as an opportunity to gain the upper hoof against Korsan, who is now practically giving her the unit of her escape on a silver platter, Rarity decides to join along in the fight. “Rapier please,” “Prance or Cervidas make?” “Prance please,” “Right then,” Within a few seconds, the large white stallion pulls out a long, thin sword from the back room and levitates it towards Rarity, who carefully seizes it with her magic and aims it towards her rival. “Initial positions,” Slowly, Korsan and Rarity walk to the middle of the galley with their audience still in silence. As he walks, Korsan draws out one of his large cutlasses from his mechanical suit and points it at Rarity. Now stopped at their positions, only the sounds of undistinguishable mumbles echoes around the chamber, as if a murder is about to happen. “Ready?” “Ready.” “En garde…” “…” “Prêts…” “…” “Allez!” In an instant, the two competitors charge at each other and swing their blades into each other’s, creating a loud chink upon collision. As the sound roars across the room, the onlooking pirates burst into fanatical chaos and start to call their bets. After the initial hits, Korsan soon breaks out into a furious series of slices and charges at the unicorn, forcing her to back up and parry the attacks from a distance. However, within only ten seconds, it looks to be that the brown pirate is running out of steam. Rarity then uses the moments of breaks in-between Korsan’s slowing barrages and switches into an attack position. Her thin rapier charges forward at the stallion, aimed right for his heart. However, just before the blade can get close, the pirate pegasus springs back to full energy and jumps over the charging sword, performing a backflip in midair whilst doing so. Several oohs and aahs can be heard from the crowd as Korsan sticks the landing on his hind hooves. “What?!” “Just as gullible as Yu it seems.” “Just as gullible as me?” “No, Yu Shou,” “I shall what?” “No I mean Yin’s brother.” “What does that have to do with anything?” “I mean you are as gullible as Yu for falling for my fake fatigue.” As Korsan angrily responds to Rarity’s questions, the white unicorn stealth fully turns her sword around and aims the tip at her opponent’s back. “I’m as gullible as me?” Rarity immediately makes her move, charging her rapier forwards towards her and Korsan. “No, Yin’s brother, you are a gullible as-” Korsan suddenly stops midsentence and jumps over the incoming blade. With the long rapier having missed its intended target, the speeding weapon charges towards Rarity instead. The white mare panics and lets go of the sword, but forgets to stop it whilst flying. It continues to speed forward into Rarity, slicing into her back right leg as she attempts to leap out of the way. Rarity screams in pain as the sharp edge cuts deeply into her skin and severs her nerves, “Ahhhhh!” The room bursts in a flurry of gasps as the rapier exits from Rarity’s flesh and hits one of the corner legs of the massive table behind her, piercing through the wood before coming to a sharp halt. As Rarity then falls onto the wood floor and wraps her front hooves around the cut on her leg, she sees the tip of Korsan’s cutlass in between her eyes. “Very clever, trying to play me like that. Too bad I was tricking you into thinking you were tricking me. Other than that though, everything about your fighting needs improvement.” The bipedal captain then turns to his back to see his crew silently staring at him, all of which are amazed and still trying to grasp what has happened in front of them. “So wait,” Yu whispers to her brother in the left corner of the table, “who was tricking who into tricking who?” “Well my fellow sea artists, it would seem that I have won. Hurry along with your bets and let the next match begin.” Obeying their leader’s order, though still stunned at the quick fight, the pirates slowly and silently deal with the bets and get back to their meals. “Chopin, take Rarity to the medial chambers and get Lilis to deal with that cut please. After which, escort her back to her cell, but also give a ration of baked potatoes to both her and her sister, would you kindly?”
Night Aboard the RaftThe dark night sky above glistens with the stars as a lone wooden platform drifts across the midnight ocean. Gentle waves lightly brush against the rigged rim of the raft as it floats along, creating a hypnotical ambience in the otherwise deathly silence. On the damp raft, Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are all huddled together in the center, keeping each other warm as they sleep in the dark of the new moon on their eyelids and the strokes of the breeze on their fur. “Hey,” a recently awoken Applejack whispers among the motionless bodies, “Is anypony still awake?” “Now I am…” Twilight groans in the center of the pileup and right below her orange friend before releasing a loud yawn. “What is it this time Applejack?” “I’m just having a little trouble sleeping, that’s all.” “For three days straight?” “Somethin’s just constantly popping in my mind, and I can’t get it out.” “What?” “What Korsan was boasting about back at Thieves’ Hold, about how me and other folks just aren’t as good as, ya know, unicorns and alicorns.” “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re way better than any of those criminals. You don’t run around and commit crimes.” “Not that, I mean how I wasn’t able to put up much of a fight once they started using magic. Me, Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Spike, all of us that can’t use magic,” “Oh, yeah, I guess you do need magic to cancel out other’s spells. But that doesn’t matter all that much. They weren’t being just with their fighting style, it’s not honourable.” “It does matter Twilight. I’m starting to realize that I may not be able to protect my family as well as I used to, especially with my little sister with us.” “We’ll be there to help you something happens that’s beyond your power Applejack.” “And what if you’re not? And what does that say about me, my sisters, and the others, that we’re weak when you’re not around? You and Korsan, the stallion that could take on three alicorns at once, were at each other’s throats while we were stuck in the sidelines. You and Rarity can create and launch fireballs at will with enough education. Me and the others on the other hoof would never be able to do that in a hundred years.” “Don’t think like that Applejack. You’re special in your own way.” “How?” “You have great strength.” “You can lift something twice my maximum high into the sky.” “You have a powerful kick.” “You can use magic to grab a large rock and cause even more damage than one of my stronger kicks.” At this point, Twilight has fully awoken from her sleep and is growing agitated at the mare’s retorts. “You can run fast.” “You can teleport.” “You…” The purple alicorn hesitates before continuing, realizing that she has no more possible points on how her friend is physically superior to a unicorn. “What about Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo? They can fly, manipulate weather, and a bunch of other cool things.” “Unicorns can do the same thing as well. Heck, you can make your own wings. Remember when you gave wings to Rarity when we went to Cloudsdale with Rainbow Dash?” “Well, they weren’t legitimate pegasi wings,” “Still, you as a unicorn did it.” “Are you seriously saying that Korsan has a point to his madness?” Twilight angrily barks, causing the pony pile to shutter a bit. “Maybe I am,” Applejack snaps back even louder. “You want him to murder every non-unicorn he finds, just because he has a point?” “No,” “Then why are you siding with him?!” “I’m not siding with him. I’m just saying he has a point.” “What’s the point of the point then?” “Maybe I want to be a unicorn now that Korsan has proven a point.” “He hasn’t proven a point. There is no point! Alicorns, pegasi, unicorns, and Earth ponies are all equal. It’s been that way for hundreds of years. Equality is the symbol of Equestria, our home. Forgotten that?” “Why is that?” “It just is. Great minds of unknown knowledge have agreed upon the idea to this day.” “So why can’t I just want to be a unicorn if they’re so equal?” “You don’t have to change yourself since we’re equal. You’re basically repressing what Equestria stands for with this nonsense about being a unicorn. If I didn’t know you better, I would’ve considered that you were the bad pony.” “Me the bad pony? Just for considering a point?” “Korsan’s point, yes,” “Just because of that?” “Well if you’re so insistent on being a unicorn and proving the villain’s point, how about you join him on his kill crusade?” “You know something? Sometimes you can be real stuck-up with your fancy schmancy readings of yours and not see what I’m seeing!” “You know what? Sometimes you are just an inconsiderate mare who thinks she above all of the intellectuals based on her own stubborn logic!” “Big nosed,” “Half witted,” “Thick skulled,” “Even thicker skulled,” “Why I-” “Hey!” Rainbow’s voice yells over Applejack’s response. The two bickering ponies stop arguing and look at Dash wedged between a sleeping Fluttershy and Scootaloo, still with her eyes half open. “I don’t know what happened, but what I do know is that you two need to stop arguing and let us sleep in peace.” “But she was thinking that Korsan has a-” Twilight tries to retort, only to get her muffled by Dash’s outstretched wing. “I don’t care. No pony here really cares about what Korsan’s thinking. We all know that he’s the villain and what he is doing is wrong. Right?” “Yeah,” “Applejack?” “It’s true, killin’ innocent ponies is wrong,” Applejack answers in defeat, as if she has lost the argument. “Good, now let me get some sleep.” Soon, Dash’s head slumps back down to the cold floor and immediately dozes back off into slumber. “Twilight,” Applejack mutters in a sarcastic tone, “I’m sorry if insulting you,” “You as well,” Twilight replies, though obviously not honestly meaning it as well, “Have a good night.” As clouds start to appear in the starry sky above once more, the two mares snuggle back into the heated heap and attempt to fall asleep. However, as hard as they try, they can’t force themselves asleep after their brutal bickering just a few seconds ago. Minutes upon minutes pass as the two roused ponies try to calm themselves down but subconsciously hold their grudge against the other. Finally, after an hour of tossing and turning after closing their eyes, Twilight’s and Applejack’s minds disconnect from their physical bodies and enter the world of dreams. After falling asleep, Applejack soon finds herself in an empty void of darkness, standing on what seems to be an invisible ground. Oblivious that this is all a dream as most ponies are when they sleep, Applejack searches through the darkness for any sign of anything in this unknown location. After curiously looking around at her surroundings for minutes, the orange Earth pony starts to become paranoid, sensing a malicious presence in the empty void. “Help me!” A familiar voice echoes from behind the lone mare. Applejack responds quickly, “Applebloom?!” Turning around, she sees the small yellow Earth pony frantically galloping towards her with her eyes tightly sealed and tears pouring out. “Applebloom? What is it?” “It’s that villain!” Now running towards her younger sister, Applejack watches in horror as a black set of sharp claws emerge from the darkness behind Applebloom and grab her by her red tail. The small filly immediately screams and is quickly dragged back into the darkness with her voice ringing in Applejack’s ears. Horrified, the orange mare speeds up her run and pursues the evil figure, seemingly zipping through the black space surrounding her. Applebloom’s voice cries out again, “Help me Applejack!” “I’m coming!” After a few minutes of chasing, Applejack is hit by a burst of red light, temporarily blinding her as she hobbles to a stop. Recovering from the blinding strobe, Applejack now sees that she’s on the edge a large unseen spotlight’s red shine. On the other end of the lit circle is Applebloom, being tightly held onto a dark bipedal figure. The orange Earth pony sees the figure’s black metal claws covering her little sister’s face as well as recognizes the figure’s shape in the partial dark. “Korsan!” The villainous shadow cackles in response to Applejack’s shout. The mare then bolts forward across the red light and towards her target. However, halfway across the room, a black metal bar wall drops from the ceiling abyss and falls right in front of Applejack, blocking her from Applebloom. The cage wall then extends upwards and outwards out of the red spotlight and splitting the darkness in two. “Bahahaha!” The figure laughs in a demonic voice, “What are you waiting for? Lift the wall, and save your family.” Seeing no other option, Applejack obeys the bipedal pony’s orders, reaches her hooves in between the bars of the cage, and attempts to lift it up, only to find it too heavy. Heaving and huffing, the orange mare tries with all of her might, but to no avail. The mysterious shadow chuckles once more. “Let her go!” “If I can lift that wall, then so can you.” The being replies in Korsan’s voice. “I can’t! It’s too heavy! Please, I’ll do anything, just let my sister be!” The shadow slowly moves forward with Applebloom and speaks again, this time in a surprisingly feminine voice, “What are you talking about?” As the red light hits the face of the unknown pony, Applejack’s jaw drops, her pupils shrink to pinpoint, and her internal mind shuts down in shock. “Twilight?!” “We’re all equal!” There, standing on the other side of the wall, is Twilight in Korsan’s mechanical suit, standing on her hind legs like if she was him. “What are you doing?” “The world isn’t all black and white you know!” The Twilight and Korsan hybrid barks in Korsan’s voice, “It just requires a point!” Throwing Applebloom to the ground, the nightmarish pony draws one of the cutlasses and positions it above Applebloom’s laying body. “No!” “Lift the gate!” Twilight’s voice shouts from the hybrid pony. “I can’t!” “Help me!” Applebloom screams as the sharp edge of the blade caresses her tiny neck. “I can’t!” “End the suffering!” Korsan’s voice roars throughout the red tinted area. “I can’t!” “You can!” Applebloom immediately violently screams in pain as the sword enters her flesh, “AHHH-” Twilight suddenly finds herself inside the throne room of the castle of Canterlot, with no sound is to be heard and all signs of life appear to be absent. Surprised by her new bearings and having no previous memories before or even the awareness of her actually dreaming, Twilight examines the long chamber in search of answers to what is going on. Without even her hooves making a sound, the purple alicorn finds herself becoming paranoid as she looks out the large windows on the walls and sees only white. The red fluffy carpet feels flat on her hooves and the length of the corridor seems to expand and shrink randomly. Upon reaching the other end of the room eventually, Twilight sees four thrones standing side by side, each in the likeness to herself, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence. A brief wave a relief washes over the lone pony as now something familiar is in her presence. However, the relief is brought to a crushing halt as the wall behind the thrones bursts into an explosion of flame and stone, sending Twilight back several metres and grinding against the floor. Pain pulsates through the mare’s body as she gets up and sees an enormous hole where the wall once was and Korsan’s airship floating outside with a stormy sky above it in contrast to the windows. Twilight angrily yells out, “Hey! Stop!” The operator of the ship appears to not listen and fires another explosive cannonball into the throne room, this time destroying the four thrones. Now furious of this terrorist attack, Twilight takes off into the air and soars through the hole and over to the pirate ship parked right next to the chamber. As the alicorn princess then lands onto the deck, a shadowy figure sneaks up behind her and kicks her in the behind, launching her into a nearby mast and smashing her head into the thick wood. Twilight groans as her brain liquefies and the insides of her head shift around from the impact. “Well, well, well.” The mysterious pony chuckles in a ghastly voice, “it looks like we require a new order.” “You won’t get away with this Korsan,” Twilight grumbles as the shaded bipedal figure is caught in the corner of her eye. “Korsan, what a wise pony.” The being replies in an oddly feminine and accented voice, “All he needed was a point, and that would justify anything, including the most heinous of murder sprees.” Slowly, the shadowy villain walks closer to Twilight, revealing her true form. “Applejack?!” There, standing over her, is Applejack in Korsan’s metal armour and cape, smiling down to her. “Bahahaha!” The nightmarish fusion cackles in Korsan’s voice, “Your friend shall be your undoing!” “Not if I-” Before Twilight could finish, her face is smashed and squished into the mast by a kick by the Korsan and Applejack hybrid. Gently, Applejack picks up the paralyzed Twilight by the throat and carries her over to the edge of the deck. There, Twilight sees that below her is an ocean of molten lava with its intense heat already frying her behind. “No! Wait! Applejack! Come to your senses!” “Why?” Applejack replies in her own voice, “What’s the point?” “We’re friends! Remember! Let me go!” “…” “Please!” “You know,” Korsan’s voice echoes from the burning pit below, “very poor choice of words.” “NOOO!” “Gah!” Applejack and Twilight scream as they catapult themselves from their resting positions and their nightmares. After a minute of blanking out and recollecting their thoughts, the two notice it’s daylight now in the sky above. With the sun shining its light and heat through the few clouds and down onto the two ponies, they realize that it’s only been a dream. Brushing off the haunting images of the nightmares, the two mares then stretch and check out to see how the others are doing. However, as Twilight looks around first to where they were sleeping, she doesn’t see her friends at all on the raft. “Wait, what?” Twilight stampers in confusion, “Where are they?” “Uh, Twilight,” Applejack replies, looking the opposite direction in which her friend is. “We were sleeping in a giant huddle and now they’re gone.” “Twilight,” “How did we not notice?” “Twilight,” “Where would they have even gone without us?” “Twilight!” “What?” “Look behind you?” “What?” Twilight turns around as Applejack says and is shocked at what she sees. Where their raft has stopped is on the shoreline of a large island. With thick forests of tall trees, a large beach area stretching around the entire land, and a monstrous volcano emerging from the center of it all, Twilight and Applejack nearly confuse it with paradise. “What?” “Where are we?” “Are we dead?” “Good morning!” Pinkie’s voice screams out from the forest a few hundred metres away from the broken deck. The pink mare soon emerges from the thick of the trees with two halves of a coconut balances in her mane and hops towards Twilight and Applejack. “What happened? Where are the others?” “Our raft drifted onto this island while we were asleep. When we woke up hours earlier, we decided to explore this island and settle down by a small river Rainbow Dash found. You two however slept hard this morning, so we decided not to disturb you.” “Huh.” “So what do you think?” “Thanks for setting up a place for us to recover. But we shouldn’t spend too much time here, we still have to stop Korsan and save Rarity. Right AJ?” Applejack hesitantly answers, “Yes…”
Word of a PirateMeanwhile, a kilometre high above in the cloudy blue sky, inside the low brig of The Perfection, Rarity and Sweetie Belle are inside their cells as per usual. With the ambient noises of wood creaking and hooves trotting along the upper floors as their only permanent company, the two prisoners are practically statues in beds, waiting to come alive and eat when Chopin brings them food in a few hours. However, the loud metal creaking of a door snaps the two out of their ceiling-bound glance and the two sisters look to see what’s causing the noise. Much to Rarity’s surprise, it’s Slasher pulling the lever to Rarity’s cell door. Her gentle hoofsteps were not able to be noticed by the two prisoners as they expected the mime’s heavier stomps. “Slasher?” Rarity silently exclaims to the chipper pirate, “What are you doing here?” “Captain’s recalibrating his suit,” the brown mare calmly replies as she approaches Sweetie Belle’s cell, “It’ll take a while, so I thought it’d be nice to show yous around The Perfection.” “Aren’t you worried about us escaping?” “How? We’re thousands of metres above sea level, on one of the heaviest militarized ships in existence,” “Fair point…” “It’s tough to pull these without magic, err,” The brown unicorn pulls down the adjacent lever and opens the filly’s prison door. “Thank you Miss!” Sweetie cheers as she bolts from her caged room and hugs onto the small mare’s leg. “Aw, you’re so adorable! So, where would you two like to go?” “The treasure room! Please?!” “Now Sweetie Belle,” Rarity firmly retorts, “we trapped on a boat filled with cutthroat pirates, no offense, and I don’t think they’d appreciate us messing with their stolen valuables.” “Yeah,” Slasher answers, not even most of we are allowed in there. Oh! We have the gardens, you can visit there!” “Wait, a garden?” “Yeah, we grow all sorts of plants and foods there, especially potatoes. They’re delicious. Can we go there? I want to go there with yous.” “Sure…” “Yes! Follow me. With Slasher Gutzoult leading the trio, the mares head up the stairs and enter the medical area. There, they come across a light green mare with a silvery mane and tail and wearing a nurse’s coat, cleaning the wooden floor with a mop. Rarity instantly recognizes her and instantly calls out, “Hello Lilis.” “Hm?” The nurse looks up from the damp flooring and is surprised to see the ship’s captives free from their cells without Korsan or Chopin with them, “Miss Rarity? What a surprise. How’s that cut of yours doing?” “My cut?” Rarity looks back at her hind legs and sees her right one wrapped in a thick white bandage cloth. “Oh, I nearly forgot about that. It’s doing well. Thanks for taking care of it.” “Rapiers make a might of a gash in you if you’re not careful.” “I figured.” “So, where are you taking them Slasher?” “I’m just showing our guests around while Korsan’s recalibrating,” the cat-loving mare enthusiastic replies bouncing up and down, causing her black mare to flop in front of her green eyes. “Please tell me it’s not your room. Your cats have already put me to hard work with whatever diseases they manage to pick up.” “No, it’s the botany chambers.” “I’m not sure the cooks would like you interrupting their work.” “It’s fine. I promise.” “Fine, just make sure that Yu and Yin don’t see you. Don’t want that little foal with you picking up on bad habits.” “Will do Lilis. By the way, who revisited lunch this time?” “Fawnswa,” “Oh…” “We should get going,” Rarity interrupts as she holds back her disgust, “right?” “Oh, yes. Quickly now,” Going around the set wood, the trio makes their way upstairs into the lower cabins and reaches the entrance of the gardens at the end of the hallway of rooms. Peaking inside, Rarity and Sweetie Belle are immediately shocked by the rows and rows of plowed land and water spanning across the entire room. Carrots, watermelons, pumpkins, wheats, all neatly organized. Slowly following their guide, the two sisters look around the massive indoor farm, all brightly lit by lanterns hung onto the ceiling. “How is this ship this massive able to fly?” Sweetie Belle asks. “Especially with an entire farm built into it?” Rarity adds. “I’m not entirely certain,” Slasher sheepishly answers, “I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I think Korsan said something about electrocuted anti-magic built into The Perfection’s structure counteracting a magic air-field, making it able to fly regardless of massiveness. I don’t know too many big words. “My friend Twilight would probably kill to learn about this anti-magic stuff your captain knows about.” “Princess Twilight Sparkle?!” “Yes? You saw her at Thieves’ Hold didn’t you?” “No, I was busy cleaning a spare sail while Korsan and half of the other crew members entered the bar three days ago. But I heard that the battle was amazing! Princess Twilight and Captain Korsan, beating the ever-living daylights out of each other, exchanging blows one right after another. I wish I’d been there to see it. How’d it start anyways? Did your team and Korsan’s team stand on opposing sides of the bar and then charged into each other like an epic action book?” “Not really, Korsan was about to attack November and her dad and Twilight decided to intervene by smashing a chain into Korsan’s back.” “Oh no, he said too much again.” “Who? November’s dad? What do you mean?” “A little less than three years ago, several months after… then… We visited Thieves’ Hold and the bar which had been recently built then by November and Nitin Gale. When we first walked inside, Nitin was talking about his experiences with Captain Korsan, namely, his childhood. I wasn’t able to hear much before the captain got furious all of a sudden and attacked Nitin Gale. He bashed the old ex-member into every corner of the bar in a seething bloodlust, never stopping and even tossed November across the bar when she tried to stop him. After a while, Korsan ran out of steam and ordered us to leave immediately.” “That’s horrible. How old were you when you saw this?” “I was fourteen, but I’ve seen worse even before then.” “Aren’t you in the least bit concerned about Nitin Gale and all that he went through? Aren’t you upset at your boss doing such a horrible thing?” “I was concerned, and I was even going to try to break it up if the captain continued. When he ordered us to go, I was practically furious with him. However, as we were leaving Thieves’ Hold, I saw the captain head up into his chambers, looking as if he was about to cry or something like that. There I realized that Korsan was regretting what he just did and trying to hide his shame from the rest of us. Look, I know that the captain appears to be this merciless maniac, but he really does care for us. He has feelings and emotions like the rest of us.” “Is that really a reason to forgive him for attempting to kill most of my friends?” “Well, no, it’s just… He has good reasons-” “Good reason my flan-” “Shhh!” The energetic mare hisses at Rarity as they reach the edge of the gardens and enter a large glass room with trees inside it. With the sunlight from outside beaming into the massive tree room, Slasher and her two companions turn deathly silent and listen to the sounds of what seems to be stallions inaudibly whispering that can be heard above them. “That sounds like its coming from the cellar, follow me quietly.” Sweetie Belle murmurs, “But why-” “I said quietly,” Confused, the two sisters listen and follow the small brown pirate as they sneak across the dirt floor of the room, bobs and weave between the trees, and climb up the staircase in the chamber to the top of the room which turns out to be the floor right below the kitchen and galley. Peeking their heads over the landing on the top floor of the hull, the trio looks through the already open doors and into a large room filled with wooden barrels of liquids with seemingly no pony inside. The voices grow more audible as they draw closer to the room. Slasher’s thin ears sharply point forward towards the cellar in attempts to interpreting the voices. “What’s going on?” Rarity asks. “I don’t know, for a while, I’ve been hearing this talking around this area whenever Korsan’s busy with something. Now shush,” Curious of what Slasher’s hearing, Rarity sharpens her ears towards the mumbles and begins to hear them clearly. “…so that’s when we’ll hit him?” The voice of an older stallion utters. “Yeah,” A younger stallion replies in a strict tone of voice, “he won’t know what hit him.” “Is this really the best idea? You saw what he’s capable of late night.” “For all we know,” a mare replies, “He could be very well knowing of what we’re planning and will strike back when we do. Why else would he have been showing off during that fight against that wench we got?” The second unseen stallion retorts, “He’s an oblivious moron. Listen, if we don’t get this done sooner or later, he will find out and we’ll all be dead.” “Well,” a third stallion replies, “you’ll at least be dead. After all, you know more than we do.” “Dead pony tell no tales,” the elder pirate adds. “The sooner we complete this mission,” the second pony declares, “the sooner we get the riches. I’m sick and tired of that twit running us into the ground. High time we do something about it…” What’s going on? Rarity thinks to herself as her eyes blankly stare ahead, It sounds like they’re upset at somepony. Wait, Slasher said something about Korsan’s cousin… As Rarity slowly turns to the focused teenager, Sweetie Belle right between the two begins to wrinkle her nose as some loose dust tickles her insides. In one swift motion, the filly violently sneezes, causing the other two to cringe in fright if their cover being blown. “They didn’t hear that right?” “Somepony’s over there, check it out.” “Oh no,” “Shoot!” The pirate mare silently exclaims. “Rarity, get your sister and run back. If they know we’re here-” “What about you? Who are they?” “Just go!” Frantically, Slasher head-butts Rarity’s side and urges the two down the stairs to the room floor. Getting the message, the two sisters dart into the gardens while Slasher returns to her position at the stairs. Silently running as fast as they can, Rarity and Sweetie Belle dark into the cabin area. However, as they turn around to the stairway down into the lower floor, they accidently collide with Yin and Yu walking up the stairs, sending the two brothers tumbling down and smashing into the lower floor. “Sorry!” “Ow…” One of the brothers moan in response. “It was an accident!” Sweetie Belle cries out. “Figured.” “Hey,” the other tangled unicorn speaks, “why aren’t you two in your cells? We were just going up to find yous when we found your cells have been opened.” “We were just taking a small tour of the boat, nothing more,” Rarity quickly replies. “With who?” “With… Fawnswa, yes!” “Oh, he needed an escort after his technicolor spitting fit. That makes sense in his case. We told him not to try carpentry upside with a shot of Anton’s stuff.” “What were you two even doing down there?” “Fetching you two. Yeah, Captain wants to see you Rarity in his private chambers.” “What about Sweetie Belle?” “She is going to be supervised by Butch and Ivan while they prepare dinner.” The first brother proclaims, “Something about letting her interact with the crew and having fun.” “In the kitchen?” “Don’t worry. They’ll keep a good eye on her.” “…” “If you don’t like it, too bad. Captain’s orders,” “Oh come on Yin,” Yu playfully retorts, “Don’t be in such a downer because you slipped down a few stairs.” “Your hoof in in my spleen,” “Oh. Sorry.” As the two pirate brothers start to untangle themselves, worry sets into Rarity’s mind as she wonders about what’s happening to Slasher now. Please let her be okay, both Rarity and Sweetie Belle think to themselves. Upstairs, in the back of the top floor of the quarterdeck, Korsan is inside a small library recalibrating his suit. With his front left hoof resting on a golden table and his right turning a wrench jammed inside his left elbow’s metal parts, all the bipedal pony can do is look around to see the same sights he has always seen in his library. Hundreds of shelves, each packed with books of all sizes and colours, neatly organized by his personal system, lining every wall of the room all the way to the ceiling, with only two sets of dual doors in each corner of the triangular room not bombarded with books. On the table where his hoof lays are the two Diamond Eyes stacked on top of each other, buried in a small pile of notebooks and broken writing quills. As the pirate captain feels his mechanical armour beginning to squeeze his back and joints, he gives on final tug on his wrench embedded into the gears of his suit before yanking out the wrench and tossing it onto the corner of the massive table before him. A slight gasp escapes the brown stallion’s mouth as he sets himself into a nearby chair and examines an open journal in front of him. “Let’s see,” Korsan mumbles to himself, “It’s in a combination of both a greater integer function and a quantic function, similar to a diamond’s particle structure when in crystalloid formation. Graphing the equations on a single table and transforming the image created by the graph gets me somewhere, but where’s the next step? Is this step even finished? Perhaps I need to read on Bloomsburg’s studies on the ‘Alicronicom’ again and cross reference it with ‘Daring Do and the Lost Kingdoms of Trihearth’ and Star Swirl the Bearded’s-” Before he can finish his monologue, a knock on the right set of dual doors interrupts his train of thought. “Who is it?” “Rarity-Gram.” Yu replies behind the closed doors. “Let her in.” Slowly, the doors swing open to reveal Rarity nervously standing there. As organ music now echoes from the adjacent bedroom into the library, the two ponies silently stare at each other for a moment while Yu has already fled. “Rarity,” “Korsan,” The white unicorn replies in a sharp, yet frightened tone. “I see that your leg’s doing well.” “Why have you brought me here? You know now more than ever that I’m neither a fan of you nor your work and would request that you let me and my sister go.” “It’s been merely three days. Surely you’re not as insistent as you believe yourself to be.” “What does that mean?” “’Phycology Studies 13C’, you should read up on it, it’s a good book. What I’m trying to put is that you’re probably interested about the bells and whistles that make up this fine ship. I can arrange something to help that craving. I can arrange a private cabin for you and your sister, give or take a few moves. I can also arrange a little private get-together between you and me, just to know a little more about each other.” “Aren’t you saving yourself up for November Gale?” “Not exactly. I have very limited variety of choices for a good mare by my side. I’m just trying to find which one fate truly has set for me.” “You, some super-sciency pirate, believes in fate?” “To a scientific extent, you see, everything in this world can be given a numerical value. And if you’re clever enough, you can use these numbers to better your odds in whatever goal you’re trying to achieve. Fate is just another one of those numbers. I myself will never be able calculate all the numbers in the world, but I can get quite a few for my life close enough.” “So what? Are you now planning to go on some date with me?” “That’s the concept.” “Never in a million years.” “Oh, we’ll see in fair time. Now, how about that personal tour?”
Deserted IslandWith the boiling sun sitting at its peak of the sky, the large tropical island below boils in moist heat and brightly shines as the rays of the sun reflects from the leaves of the tall trees. The ocean surrounding the lone land glistens as well as it gently rolls about the horizon, slowly washing over the silky white beach. Walking along the meeting point of land and sea, a purple alicorn and a rainbow-haired pegasus quietly enjoy their location as the clear seawater flows between their hooves. “It’s so peaceful and quiet out here,” the small cyan mare speaks out, “I love this.” “I like it to,” her friend replies, “But we can’t here for long, we have to get Rarity and Sweetie Belle.” “Can’t we just stay here for just a little while and enjoy this moment?” “As much as I would like to, think about our friends, they could be starving on that ship.” “From what I saw, those pirates feast like kings. I’m pretty sure they’ll have leftovers for them.” “Maybe.” “And how are we going to find them once we build a raft or something? Where are they, and where are we?” “I don’t know… We should be somewhere in the Western Antlertic Ocean is what’s left of our ship followed the main current.” “And if we didn’t?” “Then we’re completely lost Dash. We might never be able to save our friends or even get back home.” “Hey, chill out.” Rainbow Dash responds in a relaxed tone, “We always find a way to get out of these types of scrapes together. For now, how about you just rest and get all of that pressure out of your head. We have plenty of time before any boat will be built.” “I guess.” A cold foaming wave of water then washes onto the shore and slips between the two mares’ legs, sending a soothing chill through their bodies and causing Twilight to unconsciously coo at the sensation. “Oh… That feels nice.” “See? Just let it all go for now.” “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” As Twilight’s nerves soon give wave to her surroundings, a wave of positive energy pulsates through her body and soul. Her mind slowly shuts down of all thought and is soon replaced by all of the beautiful sights, sounds, feelings, and smells. The glittering ocean and verdant plants mesmerize her eyes, the waving of the large leaves and the harmonious fumbling of the smooth water echoes in her ears, the smooth sand and clean water caresses her hooves while the soft breeze and beating heat brushes her fur, and the salty air and flagrant distant flowers purifies her nose and subconscious. This unified euphoria of relived innocence is interrupted however by Twilight’s stomach quivering inside. “Oh dear,” Twilight quietly giggles, “I’m actually a bit hungry. I’ll go look for some food alone.” “You sure?” “Yeah, I like the peace.” “Figured you would. Well, good luck.” “Same to you.” Twilight wades away from the sandy coastline and goes into the forest of palm trees and exotic plants just beyond the beach. Hidden deep inside the thick of the jungle, there is a large meadow clearing that runs along a tiny river. With only a few large pine trees dotted around the flowery valley, the entire patch of land is shaded throughout the entirety of the day, with only small rays of sunlight poking through the leaves. Near the edge of this meadow, where the thick bushes and palm trees meet the small flowers and beds of grass, four small tents made of loose planks of wood, thick sticks, and leaves stiffly stand in the breeze, all surrounding a circle of rocks protecting the recently used fireplace. A small yellow pegasus emerges from of these tents with a half of a coconut held in her mouth and heads towards the river a small hundred metres away. As the pink-haired mare reaches the flowing creek, she’s greeted by Twilight on the other side of the brook. “Oh,” Fluttershy mumbles, dropping the coconut onto the grass below her chin to free her mouth, “hi Twilight. Like what we did when you and Applejack were asleep?” “Yeah, you and the others did a great job on those tents back there.” Twilight gleefully replies. “Say, do you have any food? I’m starving.” “Sure, there are some dates and coconuts in one of the tents.” “Thanks.” “You look like you’re in a good mood.” “Yeah, I just figured I’d take it easy while we’re here.” “You?” “Well, with some help from Dash.” Fluttershy softly giggles to herself before replying, “That’s okay.” Quietly, Twilight leaps across the small river and heads towards the mostly sunlit camp while Fluttershy continues with her own business and proceeds to collect water from the clear stream. After a minute of pure silence, Twilight’s voice echoes from across the meadow, “I don’t see any food.” “What?” Twilight quickly flies back to her yellow friend. “I check all of the tents. I didn’t see any dates and the coconuts had nothing in them.” “Oh, I guess somepony ate our supplies. Oh well. Want to help me fetch some more?” “Sure.” Leaving the coconut half on top of a stone at the edge of the creek, the two mares head into the thick palm tree forests. As the two walk through the thick plants below their hooves, the sounds of chirping birds and the squeaks on monkeys can are heard all around them. “Hey Fluttershy,” “Yeah?” “I’m not sure if I’ve asked this, but what’s your favourite animal?” “Rabbits. They’re just so fluffy, warm, and gentle. How about you?” “Owls are my favourite. They’re really smart and can do a lot of neat things.” “Good thing you befriended Owlowiscious. You two seem to be in sync.” “Yeah. Say, what are your thoughts on Juliana, Korsan’s ice phoenix?” “I’m still trying to figure out how he found her. Fire phoenixes are already extremely rare in the world. It would’ve taken a miracle to find one that produces ice.” “I know. But what about Juliana herself?” “Well, she is very pretty, despite how she’s been fighting against us and Philomena back in Equestria. I am mostly glad that she looks to be well taken care of, as well as the rest of his crew it seems.” “I hope Rarity’s getting the same treatment-No, wait, I gotta let that go for now.” “Are you okay?” “I’m just trying to unwind after Korsan’s last attack.” “I see. Oh! Here we are.” The two ponies stop their walk at look up to see bunches of large bananas hanging from the treetops above their heads. “Oh. Good, I’m practically famished after that walk!” Immediately, Twilight attempts to grab the ripe fruits with her magic, only for nothing to happen. After a fair second or two of trying, the purple pony remembers Korsan’s anti-magic strap wrapped around her horn. “Oh, forgot,” The alicorn then flies up to the yellow bananas and attempts to pull them down with her bare hooves. However, as she tries with all of her might, the bananas stay put on the tree and Twilight son runs out of breath and falls to the jungle floor. “They’re too strong for me.” Twilight pants in exhaustion and hunger. “Let me try something.” Fluttershy then places a hoof over her mouth and begins to heavily blow into it, causing a loud whistling noise to rupture throughout the forest. Soon after her whistling, a small black and white lemur appears from one of the tops of the trees and curiously looks down at the two strangers with its big yellow eyes. “Hello there.” Fluttershy gently calls out to the small animal, “Can you please help us by getting some bananas?” The small animal snaps its head down towards the bananas and then back towards the onlooking mares. “Please?” As if repulsed by Twilight’s command, the lemur starts to back away from its post. “Wait, Mr. Lemur, we’re very hungry. Can you please help us? We’ll even share some bananas with you.” Interested by the tone of Fluttershy’s voice in this new request, the primate returns to the girls and leans below the treetop. He reaches out his small hands towards the main stem of a large bundle of the yellow fruit and pinches the branch, causing the entire bundle to snap off and fall down onto the jungle floor. “Thank you!” Snapping a single banana out from the group, Fluttershy grabs a banana and flies up to the lemur. “Here you go.” The small critter quickly grabs the yellow fruit and scatters away into the jungle out of her and Twilight’s sights. Twilight also takes a larger banana from the bunch and attempts to peel it open. Although having trouble at first, the hungry mare manages to pop open the end and quickly shoves the revealed white insides into her mouth. She then quickly bites down and swallows the engulfed piece and is immediately rewarded with mental and physical satisfaction. “Yum, thanks Flutter.” “You’re very welcome.” “How come you’re so good with animals?” “I just have a gift I guess. Though, I’m pretty sure you could do the same thing with your magic.” “I couldn’t. Even the most advance unicorn magic to this date can’t allow ponies to communicate with animals as well as you do.” “Huh. I must be very lucky then.” “I guess so. Anyways, where are the others? I’ve only been walking along the beachside with Dash the past hours when AJ split up with Pinkie.” “Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are searching for parts to build a functioning raft and any passing ships at the beach along with Dash. Spike’s at the volcano trying to make a smoke signal. And Pinkie’s…” “Being Pinkie?” “I have no idea where she is.” “Well that’s okay. A little exploration around here wouldn’t hurt.” “Just be careful with snakes if you’re planning to do that. They don’t like it when you step on their homes.” “I’ll keep note of that.” “Anything else I can help you with?” “Hmmm… Do you have any guess when we might be able to leave?” “I don’t know, a month maybe.” “Okay.” “Is there a problem?” “No. Still a little concerned about Rarity and Sweetie Belle.” “It’s fine. We’ll hopefully save them.” “Bye.” “Bye.” After hastily forking down the rest of her banana, Twilight takes off into the air and above the tall jungle. Adjusting to the sun in her eyes, the flying mare begins to circle around the island and several certain areas, searching for anypony or anything of interest. In the back of her head, the princess takes note of specific areas that include the volcano, the meadow, the beach and coastal outline, lagoons, small lakes, a tall cliff peninsula, a mountain range on the opposite side of the island from the meadow, their raft, some small shipwrecks by the beach, and large whirlpool a couple hundred kilometres on the horizon. However, as she flies over a particularly thick portion of the forest jungle, her eyes catch a glimpse of what appears to be a large wooden hut hidden in the foliage. “What’s that?” With a sharp turn of her large wings, Twilight dives down next to the building and gently lands at the entrance of the shack. Made of dark brown wood and carved stone, the seemingly abandoned structure looks to be having been in a dilapidated condition for several years, shown by the insane levels of plant life sprouting between the cracks and open gaps of the structure. With a growing sense of paranoia tingling in her spine, Twilight walks up to the small entry and pushes it open, revealing a near pitch black room beyond the swinging door. “H-hello?” The only thing that responds to the nervous pony is a hiss of wind and a creaking noise. Opening the door all the way behind her, Twilight illuminates the front room of the abandoned building, revealing its contents. It is a small room, only roughly four metres by five metres, with its wooden walls, ceiling, and floor nearly completely covered in vines and cobwebs. A door stand on every side of the room, each barred shut with rotting wooden planks and rusty nails. In the back right corner of the room, a ladder can be seen extending into the floor above and a basement below. Along the walls hold many pictures, large and small, all having their glass covers coated in dust. Curious, the purple pony slowly walks into the room and approaches one of the larger pictures, looking as if it was a special one that required more space around its dirty golden frame. Using her hoof to smear away the heavy dust, Twilight immediately becomes astonish as her eyes gaze onto the image in front of her eyes being revealed. As the sun begins its slow decent into the afternoon and eventual night, Applejack is still pacing around the sandy coast with Applebloom and Scootaloo trailing behind her. Paying no mind to the water splashing into her legs, the orange Earth pony’s mind is set on another, more critical thought in her perception. “Hey, Applejack,” the adult mare’s younger sister cries out, “can we get back to camp? We’re getting’ hungry.” No response is given by the sidetracked leader of the team. “Sister? Hello? Hellooooooo…” Still no reply or even acknowledgement is given. “What’s going on?” Scootaloo remarks to her filly friend, “Is she sleep walking?” “Maybe I should try screamin’?” “Wait, isn’t that the opposite of what you’re supposed to do-” “Applejack!!!” Immediately, the large blond mare snaps from her mental distractions and snaps her neck towards her sister. “Are you alright?” Applejack fearfully hollers back, now virtually beginning to hyperventilate. “Sorry. Can we head back to camp now?” Before answering, the frightened pony takes a deep breathe to settle her nerves from the shock. “Sure, you all lead the way.” The orange pegasus cheers as she flaps her wings and turns towards the jungle. Without paying mind to the others, the energetic filly swoops into the trees, leaving a stunned Applejack and a confused Applebloom behind. “Sister, I’m sorry for giving you a fright.” “It’s fine, it’s all hunky dory. I was just a little, distracted.” “With what?” As the conversation continues, the two Earth pony sisters start to head their way to the meadow as well “A thought,” “What were you thinkin’ about?” “Well… Adult things. Nothin’ to worry your lil’ head about.” “What adult things? Are you gettin’ married?” “No, no, nothing like that,” “Then what?” “Well… It’s complicated.” “Applejack,” “Yeah?” “Is it about Mom and Dad?” A moment of silence manifests between the two as they wade through the forest for several seconds before being eventually broken by Applejack, “Sort of. Now that, you know, we only got each other, Big Mac, and Granny, and Granny’s is reaching her limit, there’s been a lingering problem about keeping us safe and all. I haven’t really been getting into thought about it much until our encounters with Korsan and what happened after them.” “We’ll be alright. Our friends will be with us and we’ll still have each other.” “…” “Right?” “…” As Applejack turns silent again, the yellow filly starts to feel nervous and begins to quiver in worry. “…You’re starting to scare me.” “Sorry. But, even if I am with you when something happens, what if I can’t protect you?” “No, that won’t happen. That won’t happen right?” “…I pray that’ll never happen. I will make sure that never happens. You have my word.” “And besides,” Applebloom cheerfully replies, seeing her sister now putting on a strong face, “we’ll always have our friends, right?” “…Sure…”
Cruise DatingThe golden sun hovers down into the horizon as The Perfection gracefully sails across the cloudy skies. Its golden rays of dying light reflect off of the shiny woodwork of the deck and turn the thirty black sails of the tall masts fluttering in the wind into a warmer grey. At the forecastle deck, shielded from the direct sunlight by an array of gib sails, sits Korsan and Rarity, seated in two chairs at a small round table with a small set of fancy drinks and elegant foods. “So,” the brown stallion suavely asks his guest of honour, “any questions?” He then lifts up a small silver goblet from the table and drinks down its contents. Rarity looks at her peaceful surroundings before replying in a curious, yet still bitter tone, “How is this ship flying?” “Simple. I lined the exterior hull with thick proportions anti-magic. Anti-magic, in thicker proportions at least, reacts with the magic field surrounding our world, holding the ship in a locked altitude above the ground and the center of the world’s gravity, similar to a magnet really.” “Where have you been?” “Everywhere east from Ti, Pingwin, Heliopolis, Cervidas, Vaporia, Prances, Heliopolis, and many other places. I tell you what, the various cultures scattered across our world is fascinating, especial when they’re compared side by side by watching my band of diverse crew members interact with one another.” “How did you pick out your crew members? By random I’m guessing.” “Actually no, I study a bit of their history before breaking hem out of whatever bottleneck they were locked in, to determine who’s truly worthy to become part of this ship.” “Even the mime?” “Especially Chopin,” “Okay… Do you actually care about your crew members?” “Oh course I do, why would I not?” “Aren’t you worried about them backstabbing you, being mostly criminals?” “From what I’ve seen from their past, I’m highly certain that they’ll be loyal to me. Actually, I have some questions for you. Where did you come from?” “Equestria,” “I figured, you didn’t look like a foreign bigwig that night. What do you do for a living?” Although apprehensive to answer at first, seeing as Korsan is going to be stopped sooner or later, Rarity decides to play along and openly talk with the pirate captain about her life. “I’m a fashion designer. The best of the best some celebrities say.” “Interesting career choice, perhaps I could use your assistance in designing a new costume for me.” “No.” “Fine, fine. Does your sister want to follow your lead and also do this designing business?” “I don’t know. She’s currently trying everything just to get her cutie mark.” “Heh, I never even got mine, though I won’t say it really matters where I’m standing.” “Pity really. She’s wasting her precious time as a filly trying to grow up fast.” “At least she has a childhood…” As Korsan continues on, his voice becomes notably softer, “Miss Rarity, what’s it like being an older sibling?” “It’s most certainly not the easiest if that’s what you’re implying.” “But you have so much power, so much control.” “Oh now that’s just silly. Sweetie Belle’s a filly. Half of the time even I can’t control her.” “Do you still love her as your sister though?” “Well, of course. That what siblings are…” Rarity slowly stops taking as memories of what the old stallion at Thieves’ Hold told her about Korsan’s family. “…for. Although she can sometimes drive me insane, other times, she’s one of the greatest ponies I know. All of those good times we shared together, I’m real sorry that you only got rejection from yours.” A small moment of silence washes by before the pirate pony replies, returning to his more callous attitude, “But they had fair reason to be,” “Hey-” “Say, does Equestria still uphold that moronic equality thing today?” “Yes, and its most certainly not moronic.” “Well, perhaps you need to take a moment to see that it is a moronic principle.” “Being forced into having a date with some monster like you is moronic.” “I am no monster, but rather, a revolutionary, a necessary evil of sorts.” “Does your crew know about what you mean when you say that? The fact that you’re slaughtering every non-unicorn in your path?” “They, have some awareness of my goals. We haven’t been doing anything all that violent.” “But what about that day three years ago?” The pirate pegasus’ voice soon sharpens into an aggressive tone as he replies back, “Oh yes, that’s right, Nitin told you all about that day. I wasn’t in the best of moods to say the least.” “You’re probably never in the best of moods. All you are is just some psychopath using some false cause to justify whatever crime you want to commit. I am not joining your crew on whatever circumstance.” Furious at her partner, Rarity promptly gets up from her seat and heads towards the stairway to below deck. “Wait.” “I don’t care, I’m going back in my cell and away from you.” “Let’s just finish our supper at least.” “I’ll starve, thank you.” As the mad prisoner reaches the first step, Korsan calls out to her in a more benevolent voice, “Look, I was being stupid. I’m not all that tough or brooding as I set myself to be. Really I am. Let me show you, back in my chambers. You might actually like a few things.” Rarity turns towards the pirate, interested of this immediate change of heart. “…” “Please? Hear me out,” A small spur of joy and interest sparks in the mare’s head as she watches her rival now starting to beg to her, despite her still disgust in Korsan. “Hmmm… Like what things?” “Books, maps, mechanical devices, treasures, gemstones, artifacts,” “Gemstones?” “Yeah,” “Show me.” “Yes!” The captain surprisingly cheers in delight, “Follow me.” Within a second, Korsan’s body has already left the chair and is now running across the main deck to the other end of the long ship. “What the,” Rarity mumbles to herself as she slowly follows behind, “I wasn’t expecting him to be this, enthusiastic, maybe even, childlike.” After several minutes of extensive walking, Rarity meets up with her guide on the second floor of the quarterdeck in front of a long wall of solid wood and a vault door in the middle of it. As Korsan eagerly pulls several levers alongside the steel door, the white unicorn looks back to see a random stallion crew member climbing up one of the front masts’ ladder with a dagger in his magic. A loud clank is then heard behind her, causing her to snap her head back and see Korsan pulling the large circular door open, revealing a sight that causes Rarity’s jaw to drop. The inside the massive vault turns out to be a massive treasure room, filled to the ceiling with many various valuable things. A mountain of golden blocks and coins in one corner of the room, a wall stuffed with ancient books, and an entire set of Daring Do novels, next to the gold, several colour flags of different countries an kingdoms hanging from the ceiling, smaller piles of iron, silver, quartz, emerald, diamond, bronze, and other valuable metals and abundant crystals neatly sorted, mechanical toys and devices made from wood, metal, and strings displayed on shelves and tables, several large containing units for holding special objects all arranged in a nice pattern, and even more trinkets and valuables dotted every metre of the massive chamber. Shocked stiff, Rarity continues to silently stare into the room, mystified of what her eyes alone can see. “So,” Korsan gleefully asks, “what do you think?” “I’m speechless. Never imagined you had such tastes.” “Come, you said you wanted to see the gemstones.” Gently grabbing Rarity’s front hoof, Korsan leads her into the large room and begins to search around for where the jewels are placed. “Now where did I leave those? By the Altar of Aspidochelone? How about the condensed anti-magic? No, was it the Snapneck Claw prototype? No, no, no, it was by Captain Cutlass Cornelius’ skull.” “Where did you find all of these things? I know you pillage and plunder and all of that, but some of these things look like they’re centuries old, even millenniums.” Rarity asks as she’s awestruck by a wall presenting highly detailed paintings of nature. “Why didn’t you show me this room before?” “I found them on some travelling ventures, only a few I ‘stole’ per say, specifically the gold and some gemstones. And I didn’t really think of showing you this room because…” “Because what?” “…I don’t know. I maybe my talking of a big talk, my thick privacy, I’m really more of an idiot.” “Why are you telling me this now?” “Back at the forecastle, when we were talking, something just triggered inside of me. It was some feeling, a really good feeling, one that I haven’t felt in a while. For some reason, I feel like I can be honest with you. I-I just can’t really describe it.” “You mean as a friend?” “Perhaps, perhaps. Ah, here they are.” The two ponies reach a pair of long shelves, one above another, both lined from end to end in a vast array of valuable jewels and stones. From red diamonds, to yellow star-cut rubies, to green crystals, to blue emeralds, Rarity becomes completely entranced by her favourite objects in the world. “They’re beautiful.” “Let’s see, that small white one’s the Eye of Calypso, that red diamond’s a Sparkle Blood Diamond, this pink one in the corner is an old birthstone of the current princess of Germaneigh,” One the middle of the top shelf, the white mare notices the Diamond Eyes, leaning against the wall side by side. Rarity is then immediately reminded on why she and her sister are even here on this ship. She looks over her side to see her guide continue to ramble on about each and every one of the hundred or so jewels before them. “Korsan.” “Yes?” “Where did you find the second Diamond Eye?” “Off from the shores of Pingwin. I had to, ‘borrow’, the other half in Equestria during the gala in order for the thing to actually be usable.” “Usable for what?” “To find the place I’ve been looking for, my ticket of finally being able to use magic, Alicorn Island.” “Alicorn Island…” “There’s some sort of map hidden in the Diamond Eyes, I just can’t find it though.” “What do you plan to do once you do find the island?” “Well, seeing as you and your friends went after me for it. I might just return it to Equestria with both halves for a small ransom, I wouldn’t really need it since. But at this rate, I may never be able to find that blasted isle.” “You’re really trying hard to find a way to be a unicorn or an alicorn.” “It’s been my lifelong dream, to be able to do things you and most other unicorns are able to do at any moment. To teleport to anywhere in only a second, to levitate massive objects with only your mind, to protect myself from ponies trying to use magic on me, it’s all a wonder for me.” “Captain Korsan.” An old stallion’s voice calls out from outside the vault, “We’re approaching alongside the western coastline of Wisteria. Anymore continuing northwards and we’ll be far beyond the charted waters of the Outer Kingdoms and the Antlertic Ocean.” “I see Butch Taylor, I understand.” The leader calls back to his crewmember. “Course of action Captain?” “…Let me take to the wheel. I got this taken care of. Come along Rarity,” As the stallion and mare head out to the vault door, they start to hear nervous huffs of airs from the cook, “Please tell me it’s not another joyride.” “It’s a fair time to see if the ship’s in full working order.” “Isn’t that Isyan’s job? Your boatswain?” “Bah, the slacker’s as daft as the mere concept of flank piercings.” “Ew…” Rarity moans to herself. “Believe me, it’s hard to contemplate its existence even when it’s right in front of you. Don’t ask about it.” “Korsan, please,” Butch pleas to his leader passing by him, “we’re already under enough stress as it is working.” “Exactly, that’s why I would suggest a good flight to loosen up.” “Oh bother,” As Korsan and Rarity reach the open deck and climb up the stairs to the top poop deck, the large dark blue stallion yells out to his colleges, “Joyride Alert! Joyride Alert! Joyride Alert!” Immediately, all of the crew members on deck and on top of the large masts scramble into the galley and down into the cabins below, the loud rumbling of their hooves against the wood floor roar all the way up to Korsan and his guest at the wheel of the large vessel. “Heh, never gets old.” The bipedal pegasus reaches to his far right and pulls down the farthest lever amongst the selection of two other levers and a button. Upon pulling all the way down, an enormous clank ruptures from inside the wheel and five more levers emerge from the insides of the wheel’s stand as well as two sets of three more large stick controls telescope from the a rising section of the floor which turns out to be a hidden control box. As Rarity watches in awe of Korsan’s wheel area turning into an advanced control panel, the top of her eyes catch a glimpse of Korsan’s ice phoenix hovering around the airship. The last of the new steering devices set in place and the entire floating bolt jolts and shivers around, throttling up and loosening its stiff cruising path. “You might want to hold onto something.” “Why?” Rarity nervously asks as she latches her front hooves around the poop deck’s railing in front. “Things are about to get real fun. Right. Now.” With one swift motion of his front leg, he flicks the initial middle lever up from its initial position, causing The Perfection to suddenly drop from the sky and plummet towards the ocean several hundred metres below. Rarity immediately screams as the massive ship rapidly accelerates and tips the bow down to the blue abyss below. “Pull up! Pull up!” “One second…” After five seconds of free falling, and the entire behemoth now only a single hundred metres above the waves below, the pirate reaches to his side and yanks a side lever down. The long flagship jerks upwards and straightens out. Only the keel pierces into the rolling water as the pirate ship charges forward at ridiculous speeds. Ahead of them, Rarity and Korsan see a long range of rocky cliff faces at the horizon. As the vessel fails to stop, the cliffside quickly grows larger in their sights, covering their entire vision in only a few seconds. Korsan yanks another lever. The Perfection immediately lifts up and travels along the tall vertical cliff. The ship quickly reaches the top and follows along the tops of the forest at the cliffs. Shifting between two levers, Korsan bobs and weaves the rapid boat between the more gigantic trees. A few accidently clip into the sides of the boat, sending massive chunks of wood chips out over the environment. “Who taught you how to drive?!” “Me.” Korsan then pulls the ship directly upwards in the middle of the forest and lets the ship rise for several seconds. As he and Rarity grab onto the wheel and railing with all of their might, Rarity looks behind her and sees a large ravine right below them, only barely larger than the airship. “You’re not doing that are you?” “The ravine?” The airship then stalls after climbing several kilometres into the air and turns back around, plunging back towards the world below. “It’s going to fit.” “No it won’t!” “I know this ship like my front hoof. Although, I haven’t really seen my hoof for a few years-” “Watch out!” Korsan focuses back on what’s in front of the ship and sees the bow sprint charging directly towards the outer edge of the chasm. He frantically yanks several levers and whips the wheel to the left, causing the massive ship to slip into the hole and down into its caverns below. The sounds of wood scraping against stone sound off into the darkness as Korsan pilots the lightning-fast airship with the only light being the faint green glow of his ship’s hull and sparks generated by the grinding of wood against the stone walls. Corkscrews, loops, hairpin turns, wide bends, and gravity twisting maneuvers are performed one right after another in the dark and tight cave. Rarity can barely hold onto the firm railing, or her stomach, for much longer as it seems like The Perfection will never stop. Eventually though, the massive behemoth stops its frantic whips and slows downs upon reaching a long, wide stretch of the cave that is filled with glittery gemstones. Rarity and Korsan take awe as the gently cruising ship passes by massive crystals in the wall. Colours of the rainbow dance along the wooden deck and sails of the fully rigged vessel. On the ceiling of the length of cavern hosts enormous golden crystal stalagmites that are skimming the tops of the masts and sails. Just below, the faint sounds of a quiet river can be heard lapping into the keel. “Wow,” Rarity mutters. “Indeed.” Korsan replies in wonder as well, almost at a lost for words. “Look at those things above us.” “Must be a solid vein of pure gold above being mixed with quartz due to water erosion above that’s creating these,” “Have you ever been here before?” “No, I wish I did. This place is beautiful.” “Incredible…” “Miss Rarity, hold on tight.” “Why?” Rarity looks back forwards at the bow of the ship and sees that the incoming end of their cavern goes into sharp drop. The pirate airship starts to tilt forward into the abyss and soon roars back alive with speed. “Here we go again!” In a second, the ship rips back at its neck breaking charge into the darkness below. Screams erupt from Rarity and howls roar from Korsan with the boat resuming its insane maneuvers. Rocks and wood debris smack against the massive ship as it barrels through the caves. The ponies onboard are flung left and right, never stopping for a second. The chaos ensues for several minutes before light can be seen around a corner. Hitting the turn, Korsan and Rarity see the daylight at the other end of a final stretch. The Perfection charges towards it, but as it hits the halfway point, a large section of the cave roof collapses and covers the exit. The pirate pegasus immediately reacts by flinging another lever, causing his vessel to rapidly spiral whilst still speeding ahead. “Hold on!” The ship rams into the rock pile. The wall of stone bursts into pebbles. And the huge airship blasts through the exit and escapes the cave. A gust of breeze washes over the boat as the white unicorn and brown pegasus breathe out a sigh of relief. With the golden sky now returning over their heads, the captain resets the levers surrounding him, returning the huge brig to its normal glide across the sky. Upon returning the farthest switch to its initial positon, the wheel area collapses back to its normal form. “So, what do you think of that?” Rarity quietly mutters in her gasps for air, “…That. Was. Too scary,” “Oh.” “But fun. Just because I’m not a big fan of you, doesn’t mean I can have a little fun.” “So, want to go agai-” “No!” “Haha,” Korsan chuckles to himself for a moment upon being immediately denied. “Cousin Korsan.” A stallion’s voice cuts in on Korsan’s laughter. Rarity and the pirate look down to the entrance of the galley and see Isyan looking up at him. “Oh, hello dear cousin,” “Do you realize what damage you just caused by this joyride of yours?! One of the lavatories has a giant hole in it with its toilet gone, the bowsprit’s bent, the paint’s chipped, one of the kitchen windows are scraped,” as the beige boatswain angrily barks at his leader, Rarity feels as if she’s heard Isyan’s voice from somewhere. However, as hard as she tries, the events of just a minute ago has scrambled her brain for the moment. “Yin and Yu have caused a riot over bets on your joyride. Fawnswa revisited lunch again, Pip’s stuck in a cannon, and your treasure room is spilling out all over the deck!” Korsan then looks down towards the entrance of his vault of treasures and sees the Diamond Eye halves lying out in the open. “Oh, forgot to close the door… Well, it’s just those two pieces, and they didn’t get too far-” “Korsan! How are you going to atone for the damage of The Perfection?” “Don’t worry Isyan, that’s your department. You got this under your control, no need to worry about me.” The formally dressed unicorn growls in fury of his kin’s immature attitude towards and storms onto the lower quarter deck to clean up the loose gemstones. “Oh dear cousin, you’re never without a laugh.” Isyan’s only response is a grumble as he picks up the Diamond Eye halves and puts them together. Upon locking them in place, Korsan’s eyes sharpen at the rainbow light refracted onto the deck under the crystal. “Wait!” “What now?” “Don’t, move.” The caped pirate leaps over the poop deck’s rail and next to his cousin and the floating Diamond Eye. He then crotches down to the rainbow glow of the wood and examines the tiny symbols created in the blurry shine of the diamond. “Lift the Diamond Eye up, slowly.” Curious of what he’s on about, Isyan follows along and gently lifts up the crystal. Upon having the symbols having sharpened to firm shapes, the bipedal captain calls out, “Stop!” “Cousin, what’s going on? It’s just some sunlight going through a prism and making some weird rainbow reflection.” Rarity also walks up to where Korsan and Isyan are and upon seeing the glowing symbols, is immediately reminded of Twilights interest in them back at Thieves’ Hold. “Don’t you remember from ‘Daring Do and the Lost Kingdoms of Trihearth’? Why didn’t I see this before? It was so obvious from the fact that Daring Do’s mother is-” “The point?” “These light symbols are the map! It’s our ticket to Alicorn Island! Ha, ha! Just a bit of time for translating and travel, I will finally be able to use magic, and it’s all downhill from there!” Korsan rises from his crotch and immediately begins to manically laugh in joy. A slight feeling of joy overcomes Rarity as she sees the fun stallion so happy, but also a feeling of dread of what this means for her friends and everypony else. “Korsan, must you be so open in front of Miss Rarity over here?” “Bah, you worry too much cousin. To the books!”
Volcano EscapeAs the moon and stars emerging in the night sky above the island, a small purple dragon watches the spectacle from the lip of the massive center volcano. With the red head from the boiling lava pool several hundred metres below providing heat for his reptile body, Spike feels as if he’s at peace with the world. He outlines the shapes of famous constellations with his claws for minutes on end, as well as creating his own in the shape of himself and his friends. However, his stargazing is suddenly interrupted by the earth violently shaking below him for seemingly no reason. The baby dragon yelps in panic as he stumbles to the vibrating ground. Small surrounding rocks and pebbles start to pour down the face of the steep mountain, large boulders start to tumble and roll from their lodge, and even the surrounding hills begin to bend to the will of the tremor. “What the hay is going on?!” Spike screams as chaos erupts all around him. Crawling along the ground, he looks over the edge of the volcanic crater and sees the pool of lava rapidly rising up the cone to his horror. “This isn’t good.” Meanwhile, in the midst of the thick jungle, Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are still recovering their hoofing as the earthquake continues to roar. The large palm trees around them collapse one by one, sending even more panic throughout the unsuspecting ponies, having to now dodge them. The two fillies scream louder and louder as more and more of the towers of wood nearly crush them. As the trio scamper through, one of the larger pine trees ahead of them collapses and plummets directly at them. Applebloom and Scootaloo embrace themselves for the impact. A loud smashing noise bellows across the entire island. However, much to the fillies’ surprise, they find their bodies still intact, realizing that Applejack stopped the falling tree with her body. With her hind legs digging into the snapping wood and her front hooves buried in the fallen vines and bush, Applejack finds herself stuck and slowly losing strength against the mass of the tall tropical pine. “Oh shoot!” The orange Earth pony declares to her followers, “I’m stuck!” “Sis’!” Applebloom cries, “You can’t get stuck now, we have to go!” “You two just have to get to the meadow or the beach. I’ll last.” The orange pegasus retorts, “We’re not leaving you!” “Oh yes you twos are. Go!” “But-” “Go!” Applebloom attempts to speak in response, “Please, we can try-” “Go! Get out! Scat!” Overwhelmed by the elder mare’s screaming, the two foals decide to follow to her command and scatter into the further reaches of the tumbling forest ahead. With her hooves now embedded into the landscape, Applejack continues to stay stuck for a least a minute as the quake still continues. “Move! Move! Move!” As hard as she tries, kicking, punching, and destroying her muscles, her body continues to stay firm. “If only I could use magic to lift this darn thing, then I’d make sure that my lil’ sister’s safe out there instead of worrying back here. If only I was, a unicorn… But what about the others? Twilight? Dash? Flutter? Pinkie? What are they going to think of me?” A distant voice then screams out from behind the mare, “Help!” “What the?” Stiffly turning her head, Applejack sees that it’s Spike, running right towards her. “Spike?! What’s going on?” “Volcano’s erupting!” “Volcano?!” Applejack’s green eyes immediately dart towards the middle of the island. She sees that the volcano is in fact erupting extremely violently, as pillars of smoke rush from the top and large rivers of molten lava rain down from the cliffside, straight towards her, Spike, and the fillies. In an instant, her body gains a second wind and the small mare immediately launches the fallen tree from her hind legs with a mighty buck. She then yanks out her front hooves with a series of rapid tugs, freeing herself in less than three seconds. She charges towards the fleeing purple dragon now as he runs towards the coastline. “Don’t look back!” Slightly curious of how close the lava is, Applejack looks back for a split second, only to jump in shock as she sees that a massive wave of flowing molten rock is rapidly speeding right towards her and Spike, incinerating any fallen trees or plants in its way. “Oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot!” “I told you not to look back!” With Applejack now right behind Spike, the orange mare quickly lifts Spike onto her back with her head as a scoop. “Hot-hot-hot!” “Wait, don’t you dragon types not burn in lava?” “Yeah, when static enough, not when it’s just come straight out of the volcano and flowing at rapid speeds,” “Oh.” “Your tail’s on fire!” High above the erupting anarchy of nature, a cyan pegasus looks over the carnage in utter shock. From her high view, Rainbow Dash can see large chunks of the island breaking apart and sinking into the ocean below, sending whatever life and molten rock on it plummeting into the roaring waters. She carefully swoops down to get a better look around the epicenter of the destruction and sees Pinkie Pie standing on top of a stone spire poking from the lava flows. “Pinkie!” Dash screams at the pink Earth pony from above, “Hold on, I’m coming to get you!” “Look at the lava, it’s so cool!” Pinkie cheerfully replies, “Look! Look! It’s making red glowing bubbles!” “Now’s not the time to be goofing around!” “Aw, but lava’s so fun to look at.” Disregarding the energetic mare’s intrigue, the high speed pegasus soars towards the top of one of the thicker clouds and immediately starts pounding into it, releasing a small shower of rain from it onto the volcano. The pellets of water strike the lava in an endless barrage of liquid missiles, quickly cooling the molten stone and turning it into a thin black bed of obsidian. Pinkie moans at the sight of her entertainment being destroyed and the fact that her mane and tail have turned into a flat mop of hair from the rain. However, before her mild lament lasts for long, Rainbow Dash lands down onto the new rock floor and approaches Pinkie. “Are you okay?” “I’m as cool as a cucumber,” Pinkie happily replies, immediately getting over her melancholy. “This whole island’s about to go under if we don’t get out of here.” “Aw, that’s a shame. I saw a bunch of really cool stuff in the jungle.” “We have to find the others and make sure they’re okay.” “Okey-doke-” An immediate jolt erupts from seemingly nowhere as the two mares are flung to the back of the obsidian platform. “What was that?” “Yay! We’re lava-rafting!” “What?” The stunned pony looks around to find that the large stone sheet she made has split up into smaller slabs and are all being swept down by the still raging flow of lava from the volcano. Looking forward, Dash sees that the platform their on is now approaching the edge of a cliff, about to hurdle over a lava waterfall. “Ahhh! Pinkie!” The blue pony attempts to grab her friend and lift her off of the ground. Rainbow Dash flaps her wings violently as the impromptu raft starts to teeter over the edge. As hard as she tries, Pinkie is too heavy to be lifted even a fair inch for only a second at most. “You s-should r-really start to lay off of the c-cake.” “Hold on tight, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Please keep your hooves, legs, wings, horns, and head inside the vehicle at all times.” “It’s dangerous! We got to get off of this thing and find the others!” “Since when did you start becoming Twilight?” “What?” “Don’t you like doing stuff like this? Or maybe you just completely lost your touch as soon as we hit the sea and have become a stick in the mud. Come on, don’t be a stick in the mud.” “I’m not a stick in the mud.” “Prove it. Let’s have some fun and turn that worried frown upside down!” Upon hearing those words, a rush of overwhelming pride and adrenaline flares through Rainbow Dash’s body. “No backing out?” Her face scrunches into a determined stance, her mouth slides open into a grin, and her hooves lock into the cracks of the obsidian slab as it begins to accelerate off the cliff and reveal the true height of the drop. “Oh-” “No backing out.” “Uh oh.” “Don’t tell me. You just realized that challenging me was a bad idea?” “Yep.” “We’re going to get seriously injured from this?” “Most likely.” “Bring it on.” The large slab then falls from the cliff edge and lave waterfall. As it tumbles several tens of meters to the molten jungle below, the whoops of Dash and cries of Pinkie echo across the island. Meanwhile, on the beach and next to the remaining deck of the SS Raindrop, Fluttershy is running back and forth across the sand, hoping and waiting for her friends to arrive. With the infernal glow of the destruction of the land mass growing larger and closer to the yellow mare, fear and dread overwhelm the timid pony. Fluttershy soon begins to rapidly breathe as glimpses of the rabid lava flows appear in between the quickly decimating trees. “Can anypony hear me?” The small pegasus yells out as she backs towards the wooden raft. “We can!” A filly’s voice calls out from the brush. Soon, Applebloom and Scootaloo emerge from the bushes ahead and run towards Fluttershy. “Don’t take off without us!” Scootaloo screams out. “Hurry! Is anypony else following behind you?” Applejack’s voice calls out in response. “We are!” Immediately, barreling at rapid speeds, the orange mare and Spike burst from the forest and charge across the beach alongside the two other foals. “Thank goodness. But what about Rainbow Dash and Pinkie? Have you seen them?” Fluttershy is straightaway responded with a loud howl coming from deep in the jungle. “Was that-” Suddenly, a giant slab of solid obsidian flies out over the falling palm trees and soars over the ponies’ heads before landing into the shallow waters behind them. As the four running ponies and baby dragon join Fluttershy on the raft, they observe the wedged rock. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie eventually reveal themselves from around the side of the cooled lava, looking quite dazed and exhausted as they paddle in the shallow waters to the raft. Pinkie Pie nauseously moans, “Here and accounted for.” Rainbow Dash soon also replies as her hoof touches the wooden watercraft, “Can we do it again?” As the final two ponies eventually tumble onto the wooden raft, a loud explosion sounds off behind the mares, on the island. Fluttershy turns around to inspect what caused the noise and is immediately blasted in the face with a warm and sandy shockwave. Her eyes instinctively snap close and reopen a second later to see that a massive chunk of the jungle has been disintegrated into a smoldering crater before being quickly filled with the swift lava. “What was that?” Applejack yells out before looking back and seeing what’s left of the crater, “Oh… Get us the blue blazes out of here!” “Oh, right.” Fluttershy stampers as she hops off of the raft and onto what’s left of the beach and attempts to push it forward. “Garr, it’s too heavy.” “Step aside!” Quickly, the orange mare hops off as well onto the quickly decimating island. She gives a mighty buck to the beached deck piece, only for it to merely move a centimetre forward into the water. Applejack attempts to kick it again, only for it to inch a tiny bit again. With the sea of lava rapidly approaching, the mares see that they’re stuck. “Oh shoot.” “What now?!” “Hey! Look over there!” Pinkie pipes up, pointing her hoof along the burning coastline. Rainbow Dash groans, “We get it Pinkie, lava is cool.” “Not to mention we’re about to be burnt to a crisp by it!” Applejack adds. “No!” Pinkie retorts, “Another ship!” “What?” Fluttershy, Rainbow, Applejack, Spike, Applebloom, and Scootaloo follow the energetic soggy mare’s shaking leg along the beach and see a mysterious sleek sailing boat race around the island towards them. As it rapidly draws closer, the light from the lava reveals that the driver of the ship is Twilight, currently panicking as she’s veering the wheel left and right. “It’s Twilight!” The long racing ship slows to a stop alongside the raft and slab of obsidian. The purple alicorn on board the thing then peers over the edge to see her companions down below. “Need a lift?” Twilight pridefully asks. She then carries over a long plank of wood and sets it between her new ship and the tiny raft, creating a ramp. “We sure do!” Pinkie cheers before bouncing up the ramp and onto the poop deck next to her friend, soon followed by Spike being just as energetic. “Great to see you again,” “Where did you even find this?” Applejack asks as she follows in Pinkie’s wake and climbs aboard, soon being followed by her younger sister. “I found it in the basement of some researcher’s home in the jungle.” “Wait, somepony else is on the island?” Fluttershy responds as she flies to the main deck, “Shouldn’t we find him?! What if he needs our help?!” “I’m not sure if he’s still around.” “The entire island’s already gone,” Dash impatiently calls out as she and Scootaloo follow behind their yellow friend’s flight, “it’s only us and we need to go!” Another large chuck of the island explodes on the beach, causing Lightning Rod to shake in its immediate shockwave. “Now!” “Right then!” “Let’s get a breeze going!” “No need to.” “What?” “Rather, you girls stay down, things are about to get hairy.” The purple mare quickly runs back to the wheel, causing a blue glowing glyph to appear on the wooden floor upon being touched. “Hey, what’s that?” Spike nervously asks. “Some sort of magic steering spell embedded into the-” Before Twilight can continue, a series of three explosions go off on the lava covered island, sending molten stones and debris flying everywhere around the large ship. “How about we save the tour and get us out of here!” Applejack screams. “Right!” With a snap of her head and neck, Twilight aims her horn, still with the anti-magic strap on it, down to the back of the magical glyph. In a second, the bottom section of the marking fades away and the top portion begins to shine even brighter. As that happens, the ship immediately launches itself forward, accelerating to rapid speeds in a few seconds. Everypony on board clutches onto the woodwork, screaming as they fly forward across the water. The black waves below turn into white mist and spray the onboard crew. Twilight then returns to the wheel and turns it counter clock wise. The speeding cruiser obeys and turns right alongside the island. “Okay, so what I figured out, is that this is usually a magic operated control scheme, with the magnitude of magic on the glyph determining the velocity and acceleration of Lightning Rod, this boat. With this anti-magic device on my horn, I realized that I have to use it to push the magic already embedded into the wood to where I want it to go, like a magnet with similar poles aimed at each other” “Watch out!” The river breaks her attention from Spike and sees that she’s dashing right towards a cliffside. Quickly, she aims her horn down to the left part of the blue markings. The ship immediately veers right and slightly scrapes against the melting rocky wall. Along the cliff, another set of explosions go off, each barely nicking the speeding ship with their spheres of fire and scorching stones. One section blasts right next to the left side of the hull. The ship tilts over from the blast and a large chunk of its wood separates, flying off into the burning mass. “Pull right!” “Quit backseat driving!” “I’m passenger seat driving, let me drive.” “I know what I’m doing.” Twilight then turns the vessel away from the island, sending it hurdling across the sea. However, several larger explosions set off on the sinking island, launching large boulders and clusters of lava at the fleeing ship. As Applejack and Twilight continue to fight, the princess swerves left and right to avoid the incoming projectiles, hurling everything and everypony on board side to side in a chaotic fashion. “You clearly don’t.” “Well it’s not easy when you have to drive this thing with your head and hooves because you have no magic!” “See? Even you know it!” “Know what?” “Unicorns and alicorns are superior!” “Back to this again?!” “It’s true isn’t it?” “No!” “Isn’t it?! Think about what you just said.” “And let us crash?!” “Quit avoid it!” “I’m not avoiding it!” Spike screams out, “Look out!” The two bickering mares stop and look behind them to see a colossal portion of the isle bursting away from the mainland and flying towards them. As it travels over the speeding boat, a large explosion creates a big hole in the center of the rock mass. Soon, a barrage of giant boulders soon follows in a massive cluster, too many for even the sleek watercraft to dodge. Applejack quickly grabs the wheel in response and steers the speeder directly towards the hole as the huge landmass dives into the sea a hundred metres ahead. “What are you doing?!” “Saving our hides!” Applejack answers, only for her focus to be cut off by Twilight’s wing being shoved in her face. “Are you trying to kill us?” “Are you?” “What is that supposed to mean? You’re siding with the villain!” “The world’s not entirely black and white. I want to protect my family, but apparently I can’t because somepony wants to deny anything somepony with different ideals says despite them being obviously true. Even I can see that.” “I’ve had enough of this. Get off of the wheel!” “You get off!” “I said get off, you double-crosser!” “I know what I’m doing, you ignorant pain!” “You traitor!” “You moron!” “Villain!” “Wench!” The two mares immediately then gasp upon hearing each other’s’ final insults, causing both a wave of anger and shave to crash into their minds. For a moment, all of time seems to come to a stop as the two ponies, once best of friends, have now unwillingly turned into the fiercest of enemies. “Applejack? Twilight?” Spike yells out to the two mares, having been unable to hear what they were saying over the environmental chaos surrounding them, but able to understand they were angrily fighting over the wheel. Now noticing their hooves have backed from the wheel, Spike darts in between Applejack and Twilight and grabs the wheel, holding it steady as the falling land mass splashes into the sea. The vessel barely squeezes through the hole and pops out of the other side into the safety of open water whilst the sinking chunk of land is pelted by molten boulders. Below on the main deck, the pegasi cheer out in joy as well as Pinkie and a half asleep Applebloom who are now down there as well. “Pinkie, how did you and Applebloom get down there?” “I don’t know,” the pink Earth pony nauseously grumbles, “hey, did all of you take a swim in the Mirror Pool? I’m starting to see two of everypony…” “You might have just fallen down and Applebloom may have fallen on you.” “What's that, Papa? No, I don't wanna wear the big lobster costume… Why do you make me wear that anyways?” In an instant, the mare collapses onto the deck and snores can immediately be heard from her still body. “She’ll be fine.” Dash remarks upon examining the sleeping ponies, “Actually, it’s pretty late. Maybe I should hit the hay as well.” “Me to,” Fluttershy adds. “Me three,” Applebloom remarks as she climbs off of Pinkie and follows Dash inside. “Same here,” Scootaloo yawns at the back of the group. “Now where are the beds?” “I think this thing may only have one bed.” With most of the group now below deck and Pinkie fast asleep, the purple and green dragon looks back to see the remaining two ponies awake still staring at each other in shock and disbelief at one another. “Applejack? Twilight?” Spike timidly calls out to his frozen friends. Slowly, Spike taps Twilight on the shoulder to break her from her freeze, causing her to immediately gasp in surprise and jump into the air. Applejack soon follows suit and snaps from her glance. “Sorry!” “Oh,” Twilight responds, “it’s you. Sorry.” “Are you and AJ okay? What were you two fighting about?” “…We’re…having some difficulties on certain viewpoints. It’s nothing really.” “Yeah, what she said.” Applejack stiffly replies, “I better, check on the fillies.” “S-sure, you do that.” “Y-yeah, yeah.” Slowly, the lone Earth pony walks down the stairs to the main deck and turns to the slanted trapdoor leading down into the quarterdeck. Spike asks once more, “Are you sure you two are alrigh-” Twilight immediately snaps, “We’re fine!” However, she quickly recollects herself and talks calmly, “We’re fine.” “So, what now?” “…We’re going to save Rarity. I know where Korsan’s going to be going.” “You do?!” “I do, we’re heading to the Breach, in the Old World.” “Wait, you mean,” “Yes, the Old World.” “But how? We’re probably thousands of kilometres away from wherever it is, not to mention the legends told about it. And what about when we actually confront Korsan with his giant airship against these tiny cannons.” “We’ll make it, and we will find a way to stop Korsan once and for all.” Twilight returns to her central position on the glowing glyph and aims her horn at the bottom portion of the blue marking. As the upper potion illuminates even more, the already lightning-fast vessel accelerates even more as it rockets along the night sea, northwest to the Breach.
Desert HurricaneHundreds of kilometres away from any charted land mass, with the only thing able to be seen at this point being the bright blue sea, the even bluer skies, several large white clouds, and the topaz sun, the dark brown airship gently sails amongst the rolling clouds beside it in the sky. While the crew members on and below deck prepare for their next adventure, the lookouts in their crow’s nest over a hundred metres above the deck are looking in every direction with their spyglasses, searching for the Breach their captain told them about. Eventually, on the front-most mast, a lookout peers through his glass towards the bow of the galleon and sees it. A massive pitch black rip in the world, a huge canyon that looks to be swallowing the sea as it pours into it endless, shows peering from the horizon twenty kilometres ahead of them. “I see it!” The stallion calls out to his companions behind him, “I see the Breach, exactly ten and a half nautical miles dead ahead, we got four minutes!” “Inform the captain immediately!” A middle aged stallion on the mast behind the first yells out. “By thunder, it’s the edge of the world!” “Hey,” an older mare lookout calls out from another mast, “I’m starting to see it as well. “ “Me too!” a third stallion screams, “We gotta turn back! I’ve heard legends about these types of things in the Old World, and they’re all bad things.” “I’m with Salty Bob. I’m not going into that thing if it means risking my hide.” “Tell Korsan to turn back!” “Will you twos pipe down!” the second lookout proclaims, “the captain knows what he’s doing.” “What if he doesn’t Alexander Grevious?” “Very fine point.” A commanding voice replies far below the panicking pony. The third stallion looks down to see Captain Korsan look up at him with Juliana perched on his shoulder. “But I most certainly know what I’m doing.” “C-C-Captain!” “Keep The Perfection sailing straight towards the Breach, we’ll gently hover down with all cannons at the ready for any beasts that dare tangle with us. However, for safe measure, I suggest you make peace with yourself.” “Y-yes sir,” “Good.” The brown bipedal captain then walks around the massive deck area and supervises the preparations going on. With ponies bustling back and forth with several various items in each of their magic grips, crew members climbing up and down the rigging, pirates fastening the frantic sails, and chattering roaring across every corner of the vessel, Korsan elevates his voice and movements as he relays commands to his minions. “Perform a maintenance check on the anchors! Batten down the hatches! Secure all sail knots! Prime all cannons! Prepare life-lines! Tie down any loose cargo! Check the rudder! Seal all the bathrooms! Lock down the anti-magic generators!” As the captain reaches the entrance to the galley, Isyan emerges from the dining area’s doors and speaks to his cousin, “Korsan, the crew members are freaking out. They, as well as I, aren’t secure about going into that thing. I suggest we turn back around now before something terrible happens and kills us all.” “Bah, dear cousin, we’ll be perfectly fine.” “Korsan, for once, quit acting like a child and see the danger coming right at us at any second-” “Give or take three minutes.” “I don’t care! We’re already tired out from ship repairs after that joyride you pulled two weeks ago. Speaking of which, we aren’t even secure our ship’s in the best condition to go on such a perilous journey. Pull back now!” “No!” “Yes!” “No!” “Captain Korsan?” A mare’s voice gently calls out behind the stressed stallion. Quickly, the dark pony looks over his caped shoulder to find Rarity standing behind him, dressed in a thin dark blue and black combat dress, small belted black boots, and a black tricorn hat with a golden trim and a long ice blue feather attached to it. “Yes Miss Rarity?” “Is there a problem?” “No, be sure to secure your sister before we hit the Breach.” “Yes sir.” Quickly, the white unicorn hurries back inside, where Korsan views from between the diagonal muntins of the large window her going towards the kitchen area. “Ah, to think, about two or three weeks ago, you and your sister resented me. Now look at you, one of my most loyal tailors and your sister as one of my finest cooks.” “’Loyal’ is a bit too soon to call. She hasn’t been part of any looting ventures, just sparring, still intends on returning to Equestria, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that she’s just trying to take advantage of your unreasonable kindness towards her. That dress she has is one of your most prized possessions.” “Look, Isyan, I have faith in Rarity, for good reason as well. Ever since she and her sister joined our crew, the nightly galley sparring have become more entertaining, the food has become much more delicious, all of our boots are finally fixed, and the overall morale of the ship has increased drastically. Sweetie Belle is fantastic. Rarity, is even more so. She is one of the nicest, savviest, most beautiful-” “Ahem,” Isyan snaps at his leader, “apologies for intruding on your fantasies sir, but we’re current approaching death!” “Hold on one second.” Swiftly, Korsan climbs up to his wheel and activates the speaker pipe. “Attention all sea artists!” Almost immediately, the entire boat turns silent and all of its members look towards the pirate captain at the wheel. “Now, I know what most of you have going through your minds as we are approaching the Breach. You’re scared, you’ve lost all hope, you’re questioning my leadership, and a million more things. However, let me remind you of who we are. We are the crew, of one hundred proud unicorns, of The Perfection, the greatest band of pirates the world has ever known. We have traveled to now every corner of the known world and beyond, doing the impossible. We hunted down the Emperor Kraken yes?” “Yeah,” A few pirates quietly reply. “We discovered the lost city Marelantis, right?” “Yeah,” Several more pirates answer more audibly, with one loudly cheering. “We dethroned the Pirate King, crushed his armada of forty fifty-gun sloops, and still won the Pirate of the Year award, isn’t that right?!” “Yeah!” The entire onboard crew shouts in unison. “Mega hurricanes that devour continents, electric typhoons that give electric eels their deadly stings, fire tornadoes that out-burn the sun, ice volcanos that freeze the clouds above, and all other types of weather. We never have fallen to any of nature’s wrath have we?” “No!” “And best of all, we invaded Equestria, one of the most powerful nations of all, stole its most valuable treasure, defeated their military alongside the four alicorn princesses themselves, and took off with little resistance. We did that!” “Aye!” “We did the impossible!” “Aye!” “And now, as we approach what maybe one of our greatest challenges, possibly worse than even crossing the Ley Lines, are you, my merry crew of immortals, going to fall to such a dare, the dare to become the greatest band of unicorns of all time?” “Never!” “Or are we going to enter the Breach, become the first modern explorers to reach Alicorn Island, and achieve its ultimate power?!” “Enter the Breach!” “That’s the spirit! Now, to your combat positions! Brace yourselves and your loved ones! And prepare to make history!” Immediately, the entire on deck crew rapidly shuffles into the stairways and ladders to below deck as the massive airship reaches the edge between the open sea and the black abyss known as the Breach. Within seconds, everypony is set for whatever to come their way and looks outside by any safe means to see what’s going on. Korsan lowers a lever and activates the extra controls before latching both of his front claws tightly on the wheel and his hind claws into the poop deck below. As the tip of the bowsprit pokes over the edge of the ocean, a mighty wave of moisture blasts across the ship and nearly launches Korsan from his hoofing. Juliana is also hit by the vapor wave and immediately begins to squirm on her master. “Take it easy Missy. It’s just a slow dece-” Before he can finish his statement, a massive downward jolt smashes into the bow and echoes the force all the way back. “What in blue blazes is going on?! What’s going on with the anti-magic? What’s going on with the sails?” Soon, the entire airship starts to tilt forward as more and more of the unseen force pushes down on more and more of the hull poking over the edge. Korsan looks ahead at the front most sails and sees that they’re completely motionless. “Wait… ‘All inside a grand trench, of no magic nor flight, to be called as a leak, to be known as the Breach’… Oh no. Juliana, prepare yourself for an unscheduled joyride.” The behemoth of wood soon begins to accelerate downwards into the darkness as over half of the ship peers over the Breach and is almost perpendicular with the horizon. Captain Korsan clutches onto the woodwork with all of his might as he feels his body grow incredibly heavier upon crossing over the divide. Upon the entire ship being directly above the Breach, it plummets downwards into the pitch black below. As the ship rapidly accelerates in free fall, the sky above turns to a black fog, the walls of water surrounding the ship turn into an empty void of darkness. Screams roar from inside as well as the structure of the boat creaking and snapping. For the first time in years, fear strikes the captain as he watches his vessel and crew plummet into the abyss. Terrified, Korsan screams as well, closes his one eye, and waits for whatever inevitable death follows. However, the ship eventually crashes onto something soft and straightens forward. It then immediately begins charging forward and sends all onboard backwards in surprise. Korsan, still glued to his spot, opens his shivering blue eye and sees that they’re sailing forward on the most unusual of paths. In the midst of the void, a floating current of golden sand rapidly flows, with The Perfection riding its thin path to the unknown. Shocked by this anomaly, Korsan looks over the edge to see several clusters of the sand sharply falling into the black below. He then turns forward to the bow and sees the winding sand stream ahead, leading to a bright blue dot in the distance, a tiny star in the barely visible water walls of the Breach. Seeing as he has no control of the fast speed of his ship, the caped leader of the massive vessel steers the boat along the path of hovering dunes. Below him, Rarity peeks her head from the galley doors and is astonished at what she sees, gasping out, “Wow.” Wandering out onto the main deck, the white unicorn looks around in wonder of the unusual atmosphere. Soon, other crew members, curious of what happened just before, crawl out from below as well and marvel at the sights. Rarity climbs up the quarterdeck stairs and slowly approaches the concentrated captain as he steers. “Sorry to, interrupt, but, what is this place?” “I don’t know.” Korsan responds, breaking his intent focus to talk, “Chaos I guess.” “Wait, wasn’t there something like this from the Diamond Eyes?” “’Beyond distorts of space, beyond sand grains of time, past creature of great length, and thinnest of all paths…’ That’s right.” “Hey, look up.” “What?” As the bipedal pony looks upwards to what Rarity has now turned her attention to, he is immediately overcome with awe. Above them, in the darkness that has overtaken the sky, glows what appears to be stars, galaxies, and clouds of cosmic energy, dancing and twirling with each other in the empty sky. “Incredible,” “It’s so beautiful.” “Indeed,” For the next minute, everypony becomes mesmerized by the stunning sights that surpass in beauty, more than any magic they have ever seen their entire life. Wait, what did Korsan say? ‘Past creature of great length…’ What does that mean? “I gotta to write this all down, I want sketch this all down, I need this documented at once.” “Captain!” A mare yells out from the main deck below, “I think I saw something!” “Wait, what?” “It was long, sand-coloured, and appeared to be moving very fast right below us.” “Are you sure?” “I’m sure.” “Hey!” Yin and Yu call out simultaneously at the bow over the awes of the other members, “Is that a tail?” Out of nowhere, the entire boat then jumps a metre above the sand and lands back down, causing nearly everypony to lose their hoofing. “What was that?” Another pirate asks. “Oh,” Korsan gravely mutters, “We are not alone.” “What’s the meaning of this?” Isyan yells out from the deck just below Korsan and Rarity. “Well, from what it seems we can do at the moment, we’re going to have to sail along this current to reach that blue light at the end of the-” “Not that, the rumbling!” “Uh… Well, I didn’t want to worry anypony, but… We, might need a bigger boat.” “What do you mean might?” Before his cousin can answer, a violent rupture rattles the ship, sending it tilting side to side over the edges of the sand path. Uproars soon follow from the crew as Korsan immediately tries to stabilize the ship. A kilometre ahead of them, an enormous serpent-like creature bursts from the top of the sand path. It opens its mouth, which is revealed to be three separate jaws jammed with giant serrated teeth, and roars into the sky, sending a shockwave ripping over the incoming vessel. “Scratch that. We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” “What the heck is that?!” “A sandworm, about fifty metres thick in diameter, and maybe five-hundred metres long, give or take.” “Give or take? This ship, the largest ship in the known world, is five-hundred metres long!” The massive scaled worm quickly slips back into the thin current and charges against the flow and towards the ship. Watching the exposed top half of the monster, Korsan sees that it and the ship are going to meet at a large inbound s-bend. “Hold tight, we’re going wide.” With a quick turn of the wheel, the entire vessel sharply turns left on the first half of the turn, skimming the outside. The crew drifts to the starboard railing and grabs onto the railing as the speeding vessel tilts over the black abyss. The worm sticks close to the inside of the opposing curve and accelerates. With the two massive bodies approaching the middle, tension rapidly builds inside Rarity as she watches in fear. They both complete the curve, and the sandworm immediately charges at the ship straight ahead. Its head exposes from the sand. It opens its gaping mouth for the kill. However, just as the two are about to collide, the long boat veers to the other half of the sand trail. The side of the wooden boat scrapes against the thick dusty skin of the beast as it hits whatever’s free of the second part of the curve. Korsan quickly steers the slipping galleon right against the massive worm. With a third of the back of the boat leaning over the void now, the ship recklessly drifts along the thin bank of sand. It finishes the turn and as the enormous sandworm’s tail passes by, the pirate pegasus immediately sets it straight along the sand current and continues forward. “That was too close for comfort!” Rarity gasps out. “Most certainly. Well, at least we now have the head start.” Triumphantly, Korsan and Rarity look back at the sandworm, only to see it stretch from the first bend, over the back abyss, directly under their ship, and into a parallel portion of the current. They, as well as the rest of the crew, see its head poking from the thin layer of golden sand and charging at them again around another curve. “Oh, this is going to suck.” Meanwhile, far away from the Breach, on the crystal blue waters of the ocean and under the regular salty sky, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applebloom, and Scootaloo, are sailing in their new watercraft, searching for their kidnapped friends and archenemy. “Wow,” Rainbow Dash moans, looking down at an old biscuit in her hoof as she sits on the side of a large ruffled bed, “I’d never thought I’d be saying this, but I’m starting to miss apples.” “It’s better than the wood I found next to those below,” Pinkie replies, “I can confirm by experience.” “Ewww,” “Hey, how’s Applejack doing? I heard you and her talking last night.” “It was nothing. We all had to share the same bed, so it was nothing personal.” “Really? I thought I heard crying.” Overhearing the conversation from outside, Applebloom decides to join in the talk and walks down into the cabin. “Hey,” the yellow filly interrupts, “You two are talkin’ about my sister right?” “Yep,” “Do you know what’s up with her, she’s acting really, distant from Twilight the past week or two.” “Don’t worry,” Dash replies, “AJ and Twilight are just going through a small disagreement, nothing to worry about.” “Are you sure?” “Do I look unsure to you?” The cyan mare casually swaggers. “…” “…Well I’m most certainly sure now. Go please.” “Okay then.” As the filly walks back up to deck, Rainbow Dash releases a heavy sigh and lies back onto the bare bed. “This is stupid,” Pinkie quickly asks in confusion, “What is? The ceiling?” “No, AJ and Twilight,” “Yeah, it is a fairly stupid concept when you think about it, putting such opposing forces into a heavily platonic correlation.” “Huh?” “What?” “What I’m saying is that AJ’s defensiveness to Korsan and Twilight’s over reaction to it is really tearing them apart, and I don’t like it.” “What’s there to be defensive about?” “Something about Korsan’s belief that unicorns are better, I mean, who believes that bunch of hoopla?” “Why would AJ believe it then if it’s just hoopla? Maybe she’s trying for some ruse to prank you.” “No, no, Pinkie. She worried that she may not be able to protect her family because she can’t counter magic.” “Shouldn’t you help her then if she’s worried? That sounds like a serious issue.” “Well, it’s-uh-it’s-well-uh-It’s complicated.” “Doesn’t seem like it to me.” “But she’s supporting the villain. We heroes shouldn’t be supporting them. What would the ponies back home think of us?” “What about Discord?” “Well, he’s different.” “Really? He did become one of our best friends after we supported him when he was still a villain.” “Well, yeah, but-” “But what?” “He-he wasn’t some psychopathic killer, Discord was, more of a bully.” “A bully? I wouldn’t call nearly destroying Equestria a bully thing to do.” At this point, Rainbow Dash was stunned by the seemingly permanently gleeful nature of the pink mare beside her. “Korsan did do a bunch of meanie things, but maybe he does have a point, I don’t know.” “Hm…” “But of course, nopony’s better than me at juggling, baking, throwing parties, except Cheese Sandwich, he’s pretty close-” “True. Hey, Pinkie, what were you doing on that deserted island two weeks ago?” “Oh, doing this and that. Preparing a little surprise for the future,” “You do realize that whatever the surprise is, it’s completely destroyed.” “Nope, it’s still there and is waiting for the right moment to be sprung.” “Huh-” Before Dash can ask about the surprise, Fluttershy opens the trap doors and speaks, “Girls, if you don’t mind me interrupting, we’re about to reach the Breach.” “Well, gotta go, I wanna get a front seat to this!” Pinkie cheers before immediately running out the room. “Don’t worry Rarity!” Spike proclaims at the bow, “I’m-I mean we are coming to save you! …And Sweetie Belle!” “Brace yourselves!” Twilight commands to the ponies onboard Lightning Bolt, “we are about to enter the Breach. We do not know what’s down there, we do not know how we’ll be able to fight Korsan, we do not know how to properly drive this thing, but together, we will find a way. We will save Rarity and Sweetie Belle, we will stop Korsan, and we will save Equestria from his tyranny! And we-” “Cut the speech Twilight!” Rainbow Dash hollers out from the main deck to her at the wheel. “Oh please, let me enjoy the moment of delivering a rousing speech that will undoubtedly make us win this fight.” “Not that, I mean that we’re about to fall!” “What?” Twilight quickly looks ahead and sees the massive black canyon approaching them rapidly without any sign of stopping. “Ah!” Forgetting the controls, Twilight frantically slams her trapped horn to the back of the boat, forcing the vessel to speed up. “Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait!” As the racing longboat charges over the liquid cliff and plummets into the abyss below, Applejack remarks, “Oh, this is gonna suck,” before immediately screaming. The Perfection fiercely swerves left and right across the sand path as the sandworm is now charging at it from behind. On the gun deck below, ponies are scrambling all over as they sloppily load their cannons. Without their magic, the pirate members find it near impossible to manage the massive weapons. At the wheel, Korsan is practically destroying the paint and hinges as he sharply twists the large wheel as quickly as his head is from the beast to where the current’s turning. “What’s going on down there!” The captain screams into the speaking pipe, “We’ve barely landed a hit on that thing!” “We can’t!” Aran’s voice echoes back from the steel pipe, “It’s too fast and it keeps getting out of range.” “Well we can’t just turn sideways now can we?” Rarity immediately yells into her new leader’s ear, “Look out!” Korsan looks back. He sees the sandworm diving in for the kill. He snaps the wheel right and flings the ship to the side. The great beast misses and gets is gaping mouth hooked onto the port anchor. The sandworm then bursts forward, yanking the chain and the entire ship along the path at an even faster and even more dangerous rate. “Port anchor’s been snagged! Cut it!” “We can’t!” One of the mare pirates screams out, “It’s jammed!” “Unjam it!” “Can’t at this angle sir!” “Oh come on!” “Wait,” Yu’s voice faintly speaks from the metal, “So does that mean that we grappled it or did it grapple us?” “Hold tight!” As the rocketing watercraft approaches a sharp series of turns, Korsan frantically prepares himself at the wheel. He steers the insane vessel right and left, right and left, right and left, switching rotations quicker and quicker. The ship begins to drift across the sand banks and lean over the edge as the turns grow more and more violent. “Gah! I’m getting splinters!” Rarity proclaims, “Go any sharper and we’ll drop!” “It appears so.” As the behemoth is dragged on by the even larger behemoth, over the sounds of the yelling crew and groans of the captain, a pale, yet all too familiar sound enters Rarity’s ears from above. “Wait, do you hear that?” “Hear what?” “That screaming? It sounds like…” Within a few seconds, the vague seconds grow exponentially more audible, making the white mare immediately recognize the sound. “Them?!” “Who?” The two ponies and Isyan look up at where now ear-piercing screeches are coming from. They see a large grey object dropping from the galactic skies directly over them. “It can’t be…” “It can’t be…” As the mysterious thing draws rapidly closer to them, Korsan realizes that it’s about to hit their ship. “Look out!” The long wooden object slams onto the middle of the deck, smashing a half of a mast on the way down. The entire airship bends and folds to the smash attack and is nearly thrown from the edge of the sand. Everypony on board falls over and roars in terror. Still clutching tightly on the wheel, the captain looks at the grey and blue vessel upon recovering. With its large sails tangled in The Perfection’s rigging and torn up quite brutally, the bipedal stallion is able to clearly see Twilight shaking at the wheel of the unusual craft. “What?!” His eye quickly follows across the length of Lightning Rod and sees the rest of the heroes piled on top of each other at the bow. “How are yous still alive?!” “Twilight! Friends!” “Rarity!” Twilight nauseatingly declares as she glances over to the quarterdeck and sees Rarity. “We’re here to save you!” “Oh no you don’t!” Korsan declares before turning to the pipe and screams, “Twilight and the others are onboard, kill them!” “No!” Rarity immediately protests. However, her refusal is not listened to by anypony, as several tens of crew members, holding their weapons by their teeth, run towards the invading vessel. “Korsan, call off the attack!” “No way, this is the last time those ponies are getting in my way.” “Turn!” A crew member at the bow screams out. Korsan immediately realizes he’s left the wheel still for too long and immediately turns it right. As the massive boat snaps to the right and teeters the outer edge of the thin bank of sand, Twilight’s ship slips and slides across the deck. It’s front slams into the quarter deck and its sides smash into the masts. The Perfection brutally jolts, flinging Rarity into the air and over the port edge. The unicorn screams as she plummets down and into the abyss. “Miss Rarity!” “Rarity!” Twilight and the others scream as well. “Juliana, Isyan, take the wheel!” Korsan swiftly places the ice phoenix on the steering wheel and grabs a nearby rope attached to the wheel base. “Wait, I don’t know how to drive this thing!” Isyan frantically replies. “That’s why Juliana is, you’re just giving her directions.” He then runs to the railing and leaps off of the ship as well, keeping a firm grip on the rope end. “You’re mad!” “I know!” Now far below the sand dunes, Rarity continues to scream in terror and flail as she falls into the black never ending pit. The pirate pegasus is quickly gaining up to her as he dives after. In his metal claw, Korsan can feel the life-line rope getting tighter and tighter as he descends closer and closer to Rarity. “Miss Rarity, up here!” “Korsan!” The frightened mare shrills out, catching only glimpses of him as she aimlessly tumbles. “Keep flat! Stretch out your hooves! And just stay calm!” “I can’t!” “Rarity, look at me!” The flailing mare tries to follow his orders, only to flip over herself and fall even faster. “Ah!” “Look at me! Look into my eye!” Rarity attempts to do it once more, this time, focusing on Korsan’s ice blue eye. Eventually, she becomes mesmerized by its power and determination, the free falling pony slowly straightens out as the captain commanded. Fear starts to slowly flow out of her head as Korsan grows closer and closer. Just as Korsan can skim Rarity’s chest with his hoof, a loud crack is then heard from the rope. All that is left to feed Korsan’s fall is whatever elasticity is left in the thick cord. Thinking on the spot, Korsan lets go of the rope end. With his body now free falling and inching closer to his target in a split second, the captain grabs Rarity by the dress with two of his metal hind claws. The pegasus immediately then clamps his teeth down on the tip of the line. The two ponies are immediately yanked back upwards by the rope’s recoil. Taking this moment, Korsan flings Rarity up some more to his side. He uses his hind claws to grab his large black cape and wraps Rarity in it as his front hooves grab onto the life-line. “Hoist me up you bag of bones!” “Eep!” Rarity squeals as he body loosely shifts around in the cape in their ascent, starting to panic once more. Overwhelmed by what just happened, tears begin to form in her eyes and she begins to hyperventilate. The dark brown stallion softly whispers to his tow, “Calm down. Calm down.” Gently, he then proceeds to rock Rarity back and forth while tightening the wrapping with his teeth. “I got you, I got you. You’re safe with me. I’m here for you.” “...” “Hush-a-by pony, On the tree top, When the wind blows The cradle will rock-” “No-no-n-no need f-for th-that,” Rarity sniffles. “Oh…” “Y-you saved me.” “Of course. Why would I let you die?” “I-I don’t know, T-Twilight, and the others,” “Oh.” “Please tell me you’re not going to kill them.” “But I-…” “Please.” With Rarity’s soft white fur brushing into his stiff torso, the pirate captain grows more and more unsure of what to do. “They’ll only be here to get me and Sweetie Belle, and I’ll tell them to go.” “…Fine. I won’t kill them.” “Promise?” With her shivering in his folds and her large blue eyes staring into his one, Korsan finds it impossible to say no. “…I-I promise.” A roar rips across the Breach though, as Korsan and Rarity look over to see the sandworm heading towards them like a fish to a baited hook. “Oh come on, this?” “What do we do?” “…We’re going to ride it.” Back on the main deck, a vicious battle between Twilight’s crew and Korsan’s crew continues to escalate. With Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Dash, Spike, and the foals trapped on Lightning Rod, firing its small cannons into the incoming hordes and sloppily armed pirates rushing the heroes, all on a ship at the whipping whim of an enormous carnivorous worm, chaos is all any pony’s eye can see. Several pirate members eventually reach the deck of the invading vessel and attempt to enter below deck, only to be met by a large, blue party cannon, which blasts them off with a blast of confetti. The Perfection suddenly takes a sharp turn to the left. The speed cruiser slides towards the starboard edge and grinds along the railing to the bow, bashing into each mast on its way. The unicorns that are caught in the path of the skimming boat are squished under the thin keel and pop out the other side onto the quarterdeck. In the kitchen, avoiding falling pots and pans, Sweetie Belle hears the blasting noise outside and asks to Ivan who’s nearby, “What’s going out there? Some sort of battle?” “Aye,” The black pony nauseously replies. “With what?” Curious, the white filly charges out of the kitchen, across the galley, and out to the main deck, where she sees the thin grey ship drifting across the deck. She immediately runs towards it, but is stopped when she notices a familiar pair of orange and yellow mares sneaking along the port side away from the pirate crew’s view. A surge of joy and shock overwhelms the child as she darts towards the two sisters, screaming, “Applejack! Applebloom!” “Sweetie Belle!” Applebloom yells back before darting towards her incoming friend. The two foals soon reach each other and greet each other with a tight, warm hug. “How did you find us?” “Twilight found out Korsan was going to be here, so we got this really, really fast boat and came here after escaping from an exploding island.” “That sounds so cool!” “It was! Scootaloo is practic’ly dyin’ to tell you about it.” “So, are you here to save me and Rarity?” “We are,” Applejack answers, “I just have to take care of somethings first.” “Like what?” “Eh…” “Wait, a minute, some of my friends are out there!” “You’re friends?” Applebloom asks. “Yin, Yu, Horus, they’re friends I made and now they’re going to get hurt fighting our other friends. We got to stop them!” “The pirates?!” “You two tell Twilight to stop fighting. I’ll try to convince Captain Korsan to stop as well.” “Wait, what?! Captain? Stop? What’s going on with ya?” “Where is he?” Soon, several hundred metres away from them on a parallel sand path, the massive sandworm’s head bursts from the golden surface. Everypony on the boats looks over to the roaring monster, only to have their jaws drop on sight. There, riding the top of the great beast, is Korsan and Rarity. With their life-line wrapped around themselves and lassoed over the worm’s upper jaw, the two ponies proudly stand on top of their foe. “No… way…” “I am the master of all beasts!” Korsan triumphantly roars to his crew. “Very nice!” Isyan yells back in a deadpan tone, “Now set us loose!” “Got it!” The brown stallion then turns to Rarity at his side before calmly speaking, “You ready for this?” “With you?” Rarity half-confidently answers, “Even when we’re about to do the stupidest things imaginable, you make it sound so easy.” The white mare then firmly wraps her hooves around the pirate captain before he bends down and starts their way to the lodged anchor. The onlooking ponies slow down their fighting and fretfully watch Korsan and Rarity climb down the side of the living train, with Spike mumbling in distaste, “You better stay away from Rarity you little p-” The two climbers suddenly slip downwards a couple of metres, halting the battle immediately and releasing a shockwave of gasps. However, Korsan quickly recovers and continues to dig his claws into the sandy scales towards the black anchor just ahead. At this point, everypony watching has dropped their weapons and is now leaning on their ship’s railings. Soon, Korsan and Rarity eventually reach the anchor. The caped pirate then swiftly dislodges the rope from the sandworm’s mouth and ties it to the massive weight. Seeing his partner secure herself on the iron mass, Korsan instantly delivers a powerful punch into the flesh wall, causing the sandworm to roar and loosen the anchor. “Get hoisting the anchor now!” Korsan screams before violently pounding the sandworm again and again with a series of devastating jabs and hooks. “Is he punching that thing?” One of the crewmembers, Hans, asks out loud. “He’s insane!” Lazarus, another pirate, answers. “It looks to be workin’.” Yin declares. “Hey!” Yu calls out to his fellow members, “Who wants to call bets on whether or not they’re going to survive whatever Captain’s doing?” “He always makes it out alive. He’s impossible, that stallion.” “Shhh, don’t tell them that.” Upon delivering a devastating final strike to the jawline, the sandworm frantically shakes around. The anchor soon dislodges and quickly swings down into the black abyss, fading away from bystander view. Several seconds pass before the thick chains slowly begin to lift, bringing forth anxious unrest at the bow. “Are they dead?” Aran asks. “Did they slip?” Lilis asks. “Were they too heavy?” Butch asks. After just under a minute of waiting, the anchor emerges from the black haze with Korsan and Rarity. The entire collection of ponies cheer as they watch the two then climb up the anchor chain into the chamber below the forecastle deck. “Wait,” Yu asks out loud upon realizing the oddly peaceful atmosphere, “What about Twilight and the others?” “Oh,” Yin replies, shocked at the realization as well, “Kill ‘em I guess. That’s what the captain said.” “But we agreed back in Gorgonzola to never attack a non-retaliating enemy. They’re not fighting us.” “Oh, that... But that was so many years ago, and things are different.” “Don’t!” Sweetie Belle screams out as she runs towards Lightning Rod. “Don’t hurt my friends!” “Sweetie Belle!” Twilight, the mares, and Spike, onboard the speeder cheer as they finally see her after two weeks of worry and terror. “Can’t we sort this out without fighting?” “Sorry,” Yin solemnly states, “Captain’s orders,” After replying, the yellow stallion quickly grabs his katana and walks towards the heroes, soon followed by the other pirates. “No!” “Sweetie Belle,” Twilight commands, “stay back.” The purple alicorn then rushes back down to the gun deck along the others as they aim their cannons, ready to continue the battle. “Wait! These guys are my friends!” “Wait, what? You made friends with these, these villains?!” “Wait, should we fire or not?” Dash asks. “There’s a lot of waiting around here it seems,” Pinkie speaks out. “Is this a truce or something?” Yu asks. “No!” Maria Vanshwitz barks with her dagger clenched in her teeth. “Maybe?” Yin confusingly replies. “I don’t like this confusion!” Fluttershy squeals. “Horus?” The albino pony stampers, “Uh…” “Isyan,” Yu calls back to the boatswain, “Should we attack?” “How should I know?” Isyan screeches back, “Ask Horus!” “We did!” Korsan soon emerges from the trapdoors leading down to the anchor deck with Rarity at his side, loudly asking, “What’s with all of this shouting?” The captain becomes stunned upon actually noticing the absence of a battle between the pirates and Twilight. “Hey!” Spike yells at the bipedal pony, “Get away from her!” “How about no?” “Don’t make me come down there and teach you a thing or two about messing with Rarity!” “Oh, and what are you going to do about it?” “Captain!” Horus calls out from the other side of the intruding vessel, “What’s your call at this point? They aren’t resisting us anymore.” Before answering, the captain takes a quick glance at Rarity at his side, remembering his promise. “Well… Detain them, nicely. Throw them in the brig.” “Nicely?” “…Yeah. Just capture them. We’ve taken care of the bigger issue-” “Incoming pinpoint turn!” Isyan screams, “And the worm’s coming back!” Korsan and the other ponies responsibly look behind them, and are greeted with the sigh of what lays ahead of the sand current. To their calamity, the path makes a devastatingly sharp two-hundred and seventy degree turn, too sharp for The Perfection to handle. The captain hastily changes his mind and announces, “Okay, never mind, leave them. Battle positions, quickly now!” With mild hesitation, the pirates follow their leader’s orders and head back down below to the gun deck. He then turns his attention to Twilight and the others, who are peering out from the cannon windows at him intently with a disdained look on their faces. “I’ll deal with the lot of you later. Right now, we got bigger issue. If you all want to stay alive, then keep out of our way.” The bipedal pony then runs across the main deck to the wheel, leaving behind Rarity and Sweetie Belle with their original friends. As Korsan climbs his way up the stairs, the dark beige stallion screeches at him, “We aren’t going to be able to make the turn at this speed!” “I figured.” “What are we going to do? We’re going to drop!” “We aren’t, just keep your brain inside your head for a wee bit longer. Just gotta figure out something…” “Like what? The anchors won’t cling to the thin sand, the anti-magic controls are non-existent, and there’s a monstrous sandworm coming right at us!” Peering over to the parallel track, the brown pegasus sees the beast sinking down into the sand as it reaches its end of the turn. Korsan remembers how tough the worm’s scales were. He then examines the now returned port anchor, followed by the cannons. In an instant, an idea goes off into his head. “We’re going to club haul.” “Wait, what?!” “Attention sea artists!” Korsan declares into his speaking pipe, “All arms to starboard cannons, prepare to drop port anchor on my command.” “Are you daft?! The sand’s too thin! And the beast is-” “-going to be what’s getting us out of this mess and give us a free shot at it.” “You’re-you’re mad!” “Yes, we’ve been through this. Make yourself of some use and get to a cannon.” Seeing as he has no other option, Isyan grumpily stomps down to the gun deck, muttering inaudible sayings on the way down. “Alright! Here we go! Five…” The captain sets himself to the wheel, letting his ice phoenix friend climb up his left leg and onto his shoulder. “Four…” The great beast reaches the two-thirds point of the turn. “Three…” The speeding galleon is now only a hundred metres away from hitting the start of the deadly bend. “Two…” Korsan’s claws dig into the wood and his muscles tense. “One…” The sandworm reaches the underside of the ship and begins to rise into the keel, leaving its long body directly under the anchors. “Drop!” In an instant, the port anchor drops once more and sinks below the golden water. A loud clang sounds out from below. All of a sudden, the entire bow starts to drip into the veil of flowing sand. Meanwhile, the back and middle portions of the long behemoth swings around the anchored front and drifts along the sharp bend. Twilight’s ship slides across to the starboard side alongside Rarity and Sweetie, having been overtaken by the unexpected maneuver. As the airship finishes the drift, the sandworm’s alien head is yanks above the sand and is dragged out into the open void. The crew below deck see the yellow beast and get a clear aim at its head. Butch roars out as he sets his hoof on the trigger string. “Lead’s drop some lead on this f-” “Fire!” Immediately, all fifty cannons on the starboard side of the drifting ship fire onto the monster. Metre thick balls of solid metal bash into the sandworm, causing it to roar in pain and release the anchor that was wedged in its side. The captain swiftly straightens the ship forward on the dunes and speeds forward. The now furious sandworm dives across the paths and enters another parallel stream alongside them, preparing another charge attack to the keel. The captain looks ahead and sees another super sharp turn, this time towards the right. “Hoist port anchor! Prepare to deploy starboard anchor! All arms shift to port side!” Upon the beast diving underneath once more and about to rise as The Perfection his the turn, Korsan declares, “Drop!” and the anchor immediately drops. The black weight digs into the scaly skin of the monster once more. The great boat drifts once more and slides along to the parallel path, where both the sandworm is pulled from hiding and the crew fires onto it once more. The sandworm shrills once more and the anchor drops from its body and is hoisted back. Twilight and the others still on the main deck hang on once more as the unwelcome vessel chaotically slips across the larger vessel. “Who taught this pony how to drive?” Dash yells out in anger and nausea. “Himself really!” Rarity answers. “You doing okay up there Rarity?!” Korsan calls out from across the great length of the ship, “Why didn’t you go below?!” “I’m fine, and I was just distracted Captain!” “Very well then!” Fluttershy softly shouts, “I need a barf bag!” “I’m still trying to figure out if we’re allies with Korsan or not! I need an answer!” Dash angrily declares. “Hey, where’s AJ and Applebloom?” Scootaloo asks. “Loud noises!” Pinkie randomly shrieks. “Also I think I saw them go to the quarterdeck area.” “Captain?!” Twilight loudly asks in surprise. “It’s very complicated.” Rarity proclaims to her friends above. “That’s no understatement, I want answers, now! Are you now one of his?” “No-yes, I mean, I can’t exactly explain it now.” “Why?” “It’s not the best time you haven’t noticed.” “Oh really?” the purple alicorn retorts, growing more forceful towards the peculiar pony, “A bit of tension always leaks the truth.” “Do you even hear yourself? You’re talking to me like I’m the enemy.” “I don’t know, are you?” At that moment, Twilight becomes dumbfounded at herself. As she retraces her words, the great pain, even worse than impalement, slices into her heart. She is at this moment, walking the thin edge between friendship and enmity. “Wait! I-I didn’t mean it!” “Is that all that runs through your head? Black and white?” The white unicorn now brutishly snaps at Twilight, “Maybe you shouldn’t jump to conclusions so quick with me and Captain.” “Hey!” Spike screams out from Lightning Rod’s gun deck alongside the mares, “What’s with the captain name? Korsan! If you pulled some sort of mind control trick on them, I-” “Save your words,” Korsan interrupts, “things might be getting tricky!” Curious of what that means, Spike, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo look at what’s ahead and their jaws instantly drop farther than even before. Now, ahead of the racing airship, is a sharp curved drop with a sudden end to it several stories down a final vertical stretch, with a new path forming many, many metres across a void with a vertical incline. “We’re going to fall!” Twilight and the others, including Rarity and Sweetie Belle, scream at once at the top of their frightened lungs. “Pipe down. Sheesh, you all sound like my cousin, nothing but screaming and chaos.” The pirate captain looks behind him and sees the sandworm bolting straight them from behind. The stallion then looks across the gap to the other sand current and sees the blue star straight ahead at the end of it. “Hmmm…” “We’ll talk about this later,” Rarity coldly speaks to Twilight and the others with her. She then starts to run across the deck to Korsan, with Sweetie Belle behind her, screaming, “Captain! What are we going to do?” “I’m thinking, I’m thinking.” “It’s a giant gap in our path, there’s no way we can get over-” “I got it!” “What? What is it?” “…Double club hauling.” “What in the,” “No time to explain. Prepare to drop both anchors at my command, lock at my second, and cut on my third! Five…” Clutching the wheel and floor tightly, Korsan’s mechanical suit begins to rev up as all of his gears and pistons begin to move rapidly. A loud collection of grinding and screeching noises then erupt from the whirring machines. “How is something like that even going to work?” “You don’t need to know. Four…” The Perfection hits the beginning of the downward slope and begins to sink into the darkness, accelerating rapidly. “The sandworm’s going to hit us!” “Great! Secure yourself and your sister to the life-lines, now! Three…” The entire vessel jerks forward a bit at that moment, a sign that the beast is right on their tails. Korsan takes split-second glance behind him and takes not of the worm’s position right over the edge of the stern. “Are you sure we are going to make it?” “No. No I don’t. Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Juliana, make peace with yourselves now, this may be your final moments in this world that has been all that you’ve known. What lies ahead is beyond me at this point. If we die, we die as explorers. If we fall forever, we fall as adventurers. If we make it, we make it as legends. Two…” The vessel is pushed forward once more and slowly begins to enter free fall. The sandworm continues to chase its target, growing more and more vicious as it bumps into the long galleon. “Captain, Korsan, before whatever becomes of us, I want you to know this. You are the most interesting and insane pony I know. And that is saying something.” “…Thank you. And you, Miss Rarity, are as well, and much more, excluding the ‘crazy’ bit… One…” Both The Perfection and the monstrous worm reach the vertical drop. Rarity and Sweetie are secured on the life-lines, Juliana is tightly clutching in Korsan’s metal shoulder piece, and Korsan’s claws are deep into the woodwork of his pride and joy. As the great boat enters free fall, the anchors levitate upwards along the deck. “Drop!” The anchors are immediately released from their locks, are dart back from the length of the ship towards the incoming beast. They snag in the sandworm’s giant teeth. “Lock!” The weights’ massive chains quickly stiffen. At that point, the caped pirate lets go of the wheel and runs back to the sandworm. He runs up the side of the erect poop deck, digging his hind claws into the floor to climb up. With his metal armour at full power, Korsan swings a clutched fist at the tip of the monster’s upper jaw. He lands the punch and sends shockwaves across the entire scaly mass. The worm roars and pulls back from the ship with the anchors still inside it. With the chains still attached, the ship’s bow pulls down into the diminishing sand current. The back flings forward over the gap, almost turning upside down. Lightning Rod begins to fall from its perch from the deck, but is caught in the masts, sails, and rigging. “Cut!” The chains are promptly released from inside the bow area and slip out into the abyss. The flipped front tosses up and over the airborne mass. It crosses the massive gap and lands perfectly along the opposing sand current, with its bow facing towards the gravity defying flow. However, the ship begins to slink downwards and over the forming edge of the path. “Come on, come on, come on!” Korsan frantically yells as he punches his hooves into the floor, attempting to force friction between The Perfection and the loose sand. Just as the entire boat is about to fall, some of the keel gets caught on the speeding sand and is pulled with it. The galleon jolts upwards. Soon, the boat slowly begins to make its way up the vertical incline and climbs the slope to the flat sand current ahead. Everypony on board cheers as their boat reaches the top, racing upwards onto the clear main deck to see that it’s now a straight shot to the blue star in the distance. “We, we did it! We made it!” “We made it Rarity!” Sweetie Belle squeals in joy as she slips out from her life-line, “I’m going to tell the others!” As the filly runs down to the main deck and towards the now suspended watercraft, her older sister silently watches, still upset at how her friend just acted towards her. Korsan, still zealous over his victory, runs up to Rarity and talks, “Whoo! I had no idea it was going to work that well. Ha, ha, now to sort this Twilight issue out. What do you say Rarity? The brig?” “…” “Rarity?” “I don’t know.” “What’s the matter?” “I know who you are. You’re an adventurous, joyous, intelligent stallion.” “I am indeed-” “But you’re also a murderous psychopath, and this is making you one step closer to wiping out all Earth ponies and pegasi, including my friends.” “…” “However, after seeing, hearing, and experiencing what you’ve been through to be here at this moment, and a recent discussion with Twilight, I’m not sure who’s side I should be on. I’m not even sure if I should be talking to you of all ponies about this, I’ve practically been your captive for two weeks.” “Huh. It’s a cruel world isn’t it? Can’t tell the line of what’s good or bad, that’s my problem as well. I know I’m insane, I know what I’ve done and will do is strip the living from most. However, whatever my choice is, I’m doing what I feel I deserve, and what everypony else deserves, a chance to actually do things equal to all others in this wretched and twisted world. I can fix it. Whatever you choose, I’m fine with. Just, stay away from me when you’ve reached your final decision, I don’t want to hurt you, nor your sister. From what I’ve seen from you twos on my boat, you two have been some of the best crew members, no friends, I could ever have.” “Thank you.” “So, what’s your call on what to do to these mares? And dragon,” “Why aren’t you choosing?” The mare already knows what her captain’s purpose of this was, but wants to know what he’ll say. “I feel this is something for you to decide, a test of your loyalties.” “I guess...” Rarity squints towards the tangled boat and thinks about her friends inside. Her mind races with memories, thoughts, and impacts the souls on that mysterious boat have made for her. She remembers her recent two weeks on The Perfection, volunteering as a tailor. She recalls the nightly spars during dinner in the galley, and how each time Korsan sparred with her, she’d always come one step closer to beating him. She recalls the teachings Korsan gave her from his books and tales of his adventures, each time growing more and more interesting. She recalls the subtle nods of generosity by the captain, always giving her and her side small gifts and kinder words whilst barking demands to his other members. She remembers hers and Sweetie Belle’s cabin that they were given, and how they would add decorations and even receive a visit by one of the more fun crew members. Most importantly, she recalls about how much she, her sister, Korsan, and the others have slowly changed over time. From hating the captain and desiring to escape at any chance, Rarity now respects Korsan and treats him like a friend. From jumping at the presence of every pirate, Sweetie Belle now enjoys cooking for and alongside them, excluding Chopin, he’s still creepy. From being a cold, mean, and savage hermit, Captain Korsan now is an upbeat, intellectual, childlike friend, now actually trying to gain her heart. From suspicious and reclusive from Rarity and Sweetie Belle, the crew now loves them, and treats them like one of their own. “So, what will it be?” “As soon as we reach open water, let them out onto the sea. There, we’ll give them a choice, either follow us and resist, in which we’ll fight back, or stay put, and wait until we’ve finished business on Alicorn Island and let them join us back to the surface.” “And after the latter option? Will you join them?” “…I haven’t figured that out yet. Just please, don’t hurt them too much, they’re still my friends.” “…Very well then. Missy, please keep ‘er straight till I return.” Korsan gently sets the ice phoenix onto the wheel and proceeds down towards Twilight’s boat with Rarity trailing behind. As they reach the center mast, Isyan walks up his cousin at the side and screams at him, “You lunatic! You daft, insensitive, lunatic!” “Oh boy,” “Do you know how much damage you caused?” “I’m starting to sense a pattern in you whenever I do something.” The captain crudely remarks in a deadpan tone. “We have lost two anchors,” “We have spares,” “Incalculable damage to the hull on all sides, a nearly non-existent keel, an absolute terror of tangled rigging, twelve ripped sails, a leak in the anti-magic storage tank, a demolished restroom,” “I told them to seal it,” “And heaven knows what else!” “Super interesting dear cousin, you can manage all that right? And don’t be all whiny with me, I saw you kissing the main deck after I landed that double club haul.” “Of course I would, just like everypony else who’s happily they got lucky. We wouldn’t even have to fear of imminent death if you didn’t go on this insane venture. Heck, things would be better off if I was captain.” “Well you aren’t, boo-hoo. Now get to fixing all of the ‘critical’ problems while I deal with these stowaways.” “No, I’m not going to let you just talk me off and-” “Do you want to relive what happened one year ago when you?” The pirate pegasus reaches behind him and partially pulls out one of his cutlasses. Isyan instantly backs up a step. “Do you?” “No.” Gently, Korsan returns the sword to rest and claps his metal hooves together. “Very well then, back to your place,” “…Fine,” Frustrated, Isyan walks back from his captain and towards the quarterdeck. “Sheesh, drama queen,” With Lightning Rod being lowered onto the deck by the crew members, Korsan and Rarity stop just in front of the long dark hull. At the other side, they notice Sweetie Belle hopping up and down and shouting to her friends above. “Captain,” Horus calls out from above, “Want us to, nicely, detain them once more?” “No, I have a different idea this time.” “Okay then.” “Twilight Sparkle and company!” At first, no response is given from the boat. Eventually though, the two leading ponies on deck see Twilight’s tense face peering over the edge of her boat. “What?” She sternly asks, attempting to avoid eye contact with Rarity. “Instead of capturing you, I have decided to give you a choice.” “We don’t negotiate with pirates, like you specifically.” “Upon reaching open waters, we’ll set your fine little boat off free. Now, you can chase us, in which you will be met with strict resistance. Or, you can simply wait until return and give yous all a lift back up. How does that sound?” “What about Rarity? And Sweetie Belle?” “That is to be decided later, but be rest assured, no harm will come to them. What matters now is whether or not you want to put yours and your other friends’ lives on the line.” “…” “You have a few minutes, choose wisely.” “Is it that Korsan jerk?” Spike’s voice hollers from inside, “If he hasn’t backed off of Rarity, I’m gonna-” “Sir,” a voice beckons from the bow ahead, “We’re about to reach the end.” Korsan quickly replies, “Alright then,” Quickly, the bipedal pirate and his mare friend rush around Lightning Rod and head for the edge of the bow. There, the two see the blue star now less than hundred metres ahead of them, encompassing their whole vision beyond the boat with light. “Here we go.” As the massive galleon pierce into the blue star at the end of the sandy current, the intense light instantly bathes across the entire vessel, blinding everypony with pure white light. “Keep her straight!” A few seconds later, the light dies as soon as it appears, revealing that The Perfection is now sailing on normal water. The surrounding sky has turned into a completely blank night blue shade, with no stars and only a bright blue moon present in the center of the slate. The endless sea the galleon rides on is a completely still body of black water, being only disrupted by the gentle ripples of the gliding giant. Behind the great ship is the blue star, floating halfway above the still ocean. As the boat continues forward, the hull begins to glow its faint tint of green once more and the crew realizes they can use magic again. “Hey! We got our magic back! Where are we?” “The second pulse of the dark heart of the Breach. This means, spyglass.” Near immediately, Juliana flies up to her master with a telescope in her talons. Korsan swiftly grabs the looking glass and looks through it straight forward, seeing a small grey dot on the far horizon. “Means what?” Some of the other pirates ask out loud, having eavesdropped on their captain. “Alicorn Island, is right ahead.”
The Race is OnAs Lightning Rod is lowered onto the black waters by a small team of pirates, Korsan paces around the main deck of his ship, examining his surroundings. With the night sky above with very little light to shine onto this unknown sea, the glow of the unicorns’ magic, the torches of the boats, and the tint of anti-magic brightly illuminate their shadowy surroundings. The faint sounds of the rippling water and the creaking of the wooden ships occupy the otherwise perfect silence. Even the smell of saltwater was vacant from where it should be in this location. At the wandering captain’s side, Chopin is holding a scroll, an inked quill, and a lit candle in his magic. As the caped pony speaks, the mine writes, “The Second Pulse; a mysterious body of water, locked inside the bellows of the Breach. An unusual place this is, with barely any sign of natural nocturnal and oceanic activities. No stars to provide light, no motion of the moon that is seen here, no waves or disruptions in the vast water, no clouds in the sky, no smell of saltwater, and no sound whatsoever to be heard. The whereabouts of this location are, as of this moment, are currently unknown in terms of geographic or scientific understandings. If my navigation skills are to be believed, the Second Pulse is in fact located either at the bottom or even below the vast oceans of the Old World. Now, how this is possible is still under questioning. However, the main focus of this location, and the only piece of above water land to be see is-” Amidst his monologue, a sharp pain suddenly strikes through Korsan’s body, “-my back!” As the captain kneels to the floor, he glances over to Chopin, who is including the scream in his writing. “Scratch that last bit.” He pants. “Captain,” one of the lowering stallions at the edge of the deck calls out, “Are you okay?” “I-I’m fine. I just need to recalibrate, that’s all. “Need some assistance?” “No, I’ll be fine.” Slowly, the bipedal stallion picks himself up onto his hind hooves, groaning in the process. “I can make it to the study from here. Just get The Perfection airborne and heading straight for Alicorn Island.” “What about Twilight?” “We’ve given her and her crew fair warning. Followe to what we’ve agreed to.” “Yes sir.” “Chopin, just keep that paper secure until I come back. Got it?” Chopin simply nods. “Yeah,” As Korsan now slowly hobbles across the deck, he sees Rarity alongside the unicorns lowering Twilight’s ship, staring out towards the thin vessel. “Miss Rarity,” The mare quickly turns her attention to the brown stallion and replies, “Yes?” “Meet me up in the study. I could use your help in recalibrating my mechanics.” “What happened?” “Oh yeah, I forgot that this is your first time to see this. Well, basically, my body and my mechanical suit occasionally become out of sync and I have to adjust the gears back. I overclocked my suit a little too far this time in the Breach it seems, and now it’s out.” “I see. I’ll be right with you in a minute.” “Take your time.” As Korsan limps onwards to his chambers, Rarity looks back out over to Twilight, now a fair hundred metres away on her boat peacefully sitting in the sea. From the poop deck of her ship, Twilight stares back towards her friend. Each mare now currently has one million thoughts of each other, dashing through their heads, as their eyes focus on each other. “Twilight…” As Rarity continues to stare out to sea, her ears pick up on a conversation between a pair of stallions at her right, having just finished lowering Lightning Rod. “You know,” the younger pirate proclaims, “I think the captain’s off of his rocker.” “Who wouldn’t?” The older one replies, “He punched a giant monster and club hauled this boat twice in a row, on sand.” “Wasn’t there a third one?” “That was a flip, another item on his crazy list.” “Well from the look of things, he looks like he’ll be feelin’ it in the morning.” “Yeah, pity.” “Which, his back or his sanity?” “Both as far as I’m concerned,” “Hey, speaking of his back. You know what I’ve heard from Butch?” “The veteran? What?” “I heard that when Captain first started this pirate campaign, he stood on all fours.” “Shut up. We all know he was born like that or something. There’s no way he would have-” “I’m being legit about this. And why he’s like that is because of those ‘recalibrations’. Despite what he’s been telling us, Butch says that it’s not the metal parts that the captain’s changing, it’s his own structure of his body. Pretty soon, I’m betting that Korsan’s going to be bendin’ backwards.” “Like he doesn’t already? Look, if what he rambles about this here island is true, we could become the most powerful ponies in existence. You could also stop worrying your little skull about the captain’s back.” “True, true, hey, ever hear about the Faction?” “Those bunch of bums? They were just some fake gossip that died off two weeks ago.” “Whoa, whoa, whoa, listen to me, aight?” “Whatever.” “From what I hear from Clara, that Frankie told Maria told Phlox told Lazarus told Ivan told Lilis told Lotus told Yin told Yu told her, that Faction’s going to strike soon.” “Oh for-” “Hey, hey, hey, you following me right?” “Barely,” “So yeah, from what I hear, Faction is meeting up once again at any time soon and they are going to-” “Rarity,” A filly’s voice speaks from beside Rarity’s opposite side, causing her to jump. Snapping her head around, the white unicorn sees it’s her little sister with a look of concern on her face. “Oh, it’s you.” Rarity answers in a gasp. As the Perfection begins to rise from the black ocean and take flight once more, the two mares walk away from the railing and head towards the quarterdeck, talking to each other along the way. “What is it?” “Why aren’t we with Twilight and the others?” “Well… It’s complicated.” “Are we now enemies with Twilight?” “No, no, no, we’re still their friends.” “Are we still going to fight Korsan and the others? I don’t want to.” “Not that either,” “Is it because you and Captain Korsan are together?” “Wai-what-I-I-mea-no-yes… Ahh, no, not that,” “Aww, that’s too bad. You two seemed really nice together, you were even making the captain a lot nicer than before.” “…” “So why are we here?” “It’s far too complicated for you to understand, just hurry along to your cabin. We had enough adventuring for a day.” “Can you just tell me a simple answer?” “…I don’t know.” “…I don’t get it.” “Please, just, go to bed, or play with somepony, like Yin and Yu.” “I thought you told me never to play with them.” “Oh, right, I mean, play with somepony other than Yin and Yu.” “Okay.” “Darn loose nut!” Korsan loudly groans as he yanks his large monkey wrench into his back piece at the main table of his library. His thin body is spread across the golden top as he is doing this while the Diamond Eye and whatever books that were on the table are strewn across the floor. Pain circulates through his body as he attempts to tediously work his black tool. “Need some help?” Rarity asks from one of the open doors from the adjacent sleeping chamber. “Sorry I was late.” “No problem, just slide the jaws around the top nut of the thirty-second gear.” “Uh, okay.” Slowly, Rarity approaches her captain and grabs a hold of the wrench with her magic. Looking down into the mess of gears, pistons, nuts, bolts, and cables, she lowers the implement around a loose-looking nut on a gear and forcefully turns it inwards. Korsan hollers in agony. “Thirty-second, not thirty-third! The one above!” “Sorry!” Rarity quickly resets the nut to its loose position and tightens a different bolt on the above copper gear as said. A series of loud cracks and clinks erupt from the mechanical suit as well as a hard groan from its user as the lock is tightened. “Gah,” Korsan sighs in relief as he climbs off from the large table. “Thank you. It’s always that one nut that gives me trouble.” “Are you sure you’re okay?” Rarity asks as she returns the tool onto the empty tabletop. “It didn’t sound good.” “No, no, I’m fine. Just a simple returning recalibration to the mechanical presets, that is all.” “You look a bit taller than before, more upright.” “It’s nothing, it probably fixes itself in time.” “Are you sure?” “Yeah.” “…Okay, don’t want you to hurt yourself. Hey, mind if I ask you something?” “What?” “I don’t to get to personal, but, what’s with you and your cousin, Isyan?” “The boatswain? It’s only a clash in intellectual statuses that’s all. Daft moron can barely keep track of the crew he so ‘desperately’ strives to protect. Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Ms. Gutzoult for the longest time,” “Slasher? I haven’t seen her in a while either.” “Probably been busy with her cats, that mare,” “Actually, her cats have been roaming around the ship a lot more recently.” “Odd, they usually stick around in her room. Remind me to do a headcount as soon as we reach Alicorn Island. For now, let’s see, what would interest you the most in here… ‘The Complete Guide to Walking the Plank’, no, ‘A Super Generic Romance on the Sea’, no, ‘My Little Kitten, The Pirate Doggy’, no idea how I got that, ‘The True Concessions of Charlie David’, ehhh, overrated, ‘Treasure Kingdom’, per-” The entire room out of nowhere jerks to a side and back, causing hundreds of books to fall from their shelves and bury the now fallen ponies. “What was that?” “Looks like somepony took the latter option.” “Please tell me it isn’t,” “It is. I can still smell that Northwestern Equestrian Oak, or maybe it’s just a stain on my cape.” “Should go out there and help the crew?” “Nah, they have this all under control.” “We don’t have this under control!” Hans screams out from the gun deck, frantically aiming his cannon towards its speeding target. “It just keeps moving everywhere,” Lazarus angrily replies as he blindly fires his cannon at from other side of the boat. “Pip, Yin, I need more powder!” A small pink mare promptly hurries to the open end of the recoiled cannon with a full charge of gunpowder in her grasp. “Thank you Pip!” “How hard can it be to hit them?” Yin casually remarks from beside the blue gunner. “How about you try?” Lazarus furiously asks before backing away from the large weapon. “Fine, watch and learn you colourblind jockey, it’ll be as easy as-holy cow, they’re moving fast.” Outside the massive hull of The Perfection, zipping across the black waters of the sea, Lightning Rod is racing across the still ocean at double the speed of the former airship. With Twilight at the controls and Alicorn Island in her sights, she pilots the long speeder as Korsan’s crew vigorously tries to fire at her and her crew. Meanwhile, below deck, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, and Scootaloo are firing their small cannons back at the pursuing pirate ship. “Oh yeah!” Rainbow Dash proclaims, “This is what I’ve wanted to do ever since we left!” “Just don’t hit any of the ponies on board.” Fluttershy replies. “What about Korsan?” Spike asks. “Except him.” As the longboat swerves around the massive cannon shots and accelerates, it quickly escapes the range of Korsan’s crew and speeds far ahead. “Ha!” Dash boasts, “That slow-mobile’s got nothing on us.” Pinkie Pie optimistically replies, “True, unless there was some special mode it can go in that dramatically increases its speed and catches up to us.” “Oh please, that sounds…” Spike retorts before actually starting to think about it, “Somewhat plausible.” Soon, from being a fading dot behind them, the massive dot of a boat returns to its sheer up-close scale as it rapidly catches up to Twilight and the others. “Called it!” “Oh my skills at gambling!” Yu screams as tightly clenches the wheel of his ship, having activated the alternate levers and is now controlling the racing behemoth. “Now I know why this is so awesome for Captain!” “Keep it steady!” Yin’s voice squawks from the metal speaking pipe. Twilight watches in terror as the rival ship passes over hers and begins to lower onto hers. She quickly veers the vessel right. The Perfection slams into the cold water below, creating a large wave in its wake. Lightning Rod barely skims the edge of the port deck of the fallen giant. The ship quickly gets back up and attempts to land on the dwarfed boat again. The purple alicorn quickly reacts and dodges the dive again. With Alicorn Island coming closer and closer in view, the two pilots begin to grow desperate as to how to stop the other. Yu then commands, “That’s it, going aquatic! Prepare to fire grappling shots at enemy vessel.” With a flick of a lever, Korsan’s ship drops back down onto the ocean water, but stays down as it chases after Twilight’s. The front cannons are quickly loaded and the starboard cannon is quickly aimed at the close vessel. Without a way to sneak under, Twilight finds herself trapped. The cannon fires and the large metal hook pierces the bow of Lightning Rod. “Bring ‘er in! Hahahahaha!” “We’ve been grappled!” Twilight screams out to her crew below. Slowly, her boat is pulled towards the battleship, and if she doesn’t do something in time, Lightning Rod will be crushed by the massive hull. She attempts to pull her boat away, speed faster than the opposing vessel, and dislodge the grapple by some means from the wheel, all to no avail. The mares and Spike below see what’s going on from their open views below deck and are firing at the thick wall of wood with all of their might. “The hull’s too thick!” Scootaloo exclaims. “We’re going to sink!” Fluttershy squeals. “Not on my watch!” Rainbow Dash declares before charging out from the gun deck and flying upwards from Lightning Rod. The cyan pegasus soars up to the quickly passing main deck of Korsan’s ship and darts her way to the wheel. Dash slaloms around the masts. She maneuvers through the rigging. She avoids the bolts of magic fired at her from the screaming lookouts above. Soon, the rainbow streak of blurred light reaches the quarterdeck and the wheel, only to be immediately enveloped in a brown magic aura and brought to a halt. “Oh come on!” “Ha, ha-” Yu cheers as he reveals himself from behind the wheel, only to stop short upon seeing who he actually caught. “Wait, you’re not Twilight.” “You’re not Korsan.” “Oh well. I gotcha now!” Rainbow then suddenly gasps in fear and screams, “Look out! Behind you!” “You think I’m going to fall for that?” “No, seriously!” “Well I’m not.” “Look out, look out!” “I know you’re faking.” “I’m not! Look out!” “You are…” “No!” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes.” “No, no, no, no! I don’t want to die!” “I-I know you’re faking it…” “Look out! Please! I’m begging you!” Overcome with paranoia, the yellow stallion quickly glances behind him, “What is it?!” Falling for her trick, Dash quickly breaks herself free from the immediately weakened focus of the telepath. She then delivers a powerful kick to the back of the unicorn’s skull as he starts to turn back, flinging him across the poop deck and knocking him out. Falling into unconsciousness, the pirate dizzyingly speaks, “Dem hills are alive, with the sound of gold…” “Now to find the ‘Remove-the-Grapple’ thing,” Rainbow quickly grabs onto the deck and climbs her way to the wheel and levers. Overwhelmed by the number of controls, Dash quickly realizes that she has no idea what she’s doing. “Uh… Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!” Without hesitation, the mare randomly grabs onto a lever near the back and pulls it down. Instantly, The Perfection comes to a sudden halt, sending its new pilot slamming headfirst into the wheel. Lightning Rod is flung up into the air by its momentum and the grappling cable. The grapple snaps from the violent take off. With the mares on board screaming, the speeding vessel is flung over the top of Alicorn Island, which turns out to be only a mere hundred metres from the stopped airship. “That’s it!” Korsan’s voice angrily bellows from his quarters before the bipedal captain bursts out onto the open quarterdeck alongside Rarity and an unnerved ice phoenix. “What’s the meaning of this?!” Furiously, he climbs up to the wheel and discovers Rainbow’s and Yu’s unconscious bodies, surprising him. “What the hay,” “No mommy,” Dash mutters, “I wanna ride the pretty cloud…” “Well that’s odd.” “Captain!” One of the lookouts above holler, “we reached-” “Before you finish that, tell me what happened down here?” “Well, it’s a bit complicated beyond what you’re seeing. But it did result in the removal of Twilight’s vessel and-” “Define ‘removal’.” “It was, it was flung over the island sir. We have reached Alicorn Island, Captain.” “Wait, what?” “We did it. We reached Alicorn Island.” Slowly, the caped captain looks behind him, to the bow of his boat, and is overcome with joy at what he sees. He frantically runs down the main deck to get a better look of the island he’s been searching for throughout his entire career. With a solid pale shoreline of fine sand, exotic brush, massive ancient ruins made of carved mountains of granite, and a towering volcano temple in the center of the perfectly circular isle, Alicorn Island peacefully stands strong and colossal on the still seas that surround it, right in front of Korsan. “Yes. I did it. I finally did it. I have reached Alicorn Island!” “We made it sis’. I’m making sure nothin’ happens to you from now on. I guarantee it.”
Alicorn IslandA grey haze forms in Rainbow Dash’s vision as the mare comes to her senses. After spending an unknown amount of time knocked out into an eternal darkness, this is an immediate relief. However, that relief is cut short by a sharp pain running through her forehead and a tight sensation around her barrel and legs. The only sound she can currently make as her senses return are small moans with her dry and tense throat. As the pegasus moans in the hazy black, several voices begin to echo around her. “She’s coming to.” One of them proclaims. “What should we do about it?” Another voice asks. A familiar young stallion’s voice answers in the distance, “Let her come to. Just keep her secure.” Dash’s eyelids slowly open to reveal that she is swaying upside down on what appears to be a collection of upside down ancient ruins. The pegasus stampers as she tries to make sense of her surroundings, “Wait, w-what? Where am I?” “Vous détendre. Don’t work yourself up. You’re on Alicorn Island.” Looking to her left towards the voice, her eyes are immediately met by the heads of two pirates, and in between them, are Korsan and Rarity, examining a tall stone pillar, covered in engravings. “Korsan! Rarity?! What’s going on?!” As Dash attempts to move herself towards the pair, she finds that her legs have been tied to a hovering log with thick rope as well as her wings tied about her torso. “Shush, I’m reading.” “You better let me go, or else I-” “Or else what?” “…” “…” “…Something really bad will happen.” “Sure it will, to you at least.” “Rainbow Dash,” Rarity replies, turning her head towards the trapped pony, “Please, just stay calm,” “Stay calm? What are you doing with him?” “Searching for something,” “Searching for the thing that’s going to cause a lot of innocent ponies to die? Is that it?” “Well…” “Please,” Korsan irritatingly interrupts, “Rarity, if you’re going to continue to talk to our captive, at least keep it close and quiet. I’m about to crack this code.” “Oh, sorry.” Quietly, the white mare darts across the cracked stone floor to her friend and whispers to her, “I’m trying to convince him to avoid the whole genocide plot and just continue being a simple pirate at the most. He’s been working hard towards this and I’d hate to see his dreams crushed.” “His dreams are to crush us,” Dash retorts, “cut me down from here. You’re probably not going to make any progress persuading this guy.” “I have made a little progress. At least you’re not starving in the brig. Just stick tight, I’ll get you down when the time is right.” “Réjouir!” Korsan cheers out loud. “Follow me.” Closing a large book in his claws and placing it down against the foot of the stone tower, the caped pirate walks past the tall pillar and into a large area of shrubbery. The rest of the crew members, a fair seventy of them from what Dash sees, follow after their leader and into the verdant thick. Being carried across the vast area, Dash looks at her surroundings alongside Rarity to see massive decapitated stone structures, most with mushrooms, vines, and other plant life growing from their enormous cracks and engraved grooves. “Where did these buildings come from?” “I don’t know. An ancient civilization it seems.” “The ancient ponies of Trihearth?” “No, no, it’s way too old. Especially with the abnormal conditions of the Second Pulse, this place may be thousands of years old. Overpopulation may be the root cause of why it’s been deserted so long for this to happen. Though there are signs of significant water damage, look at this, pity. Perhaps flooding now that I think about it,” As the massive gang traverse the low jungle, they eventually stop at a cliff edge. From there, everypony stares in awe of what’s below. There, at the bottom of the cliff, a massive valley of ruins, an entire kingdom, lies, with towers and castles reaching as high as they are and piercing the high mist. On the opposite side of the valley stands a tall mountain, with a massive rock temple built out of its massive size. “Incredible,” “How many ponies lived here?” “A least five million. It’s amazing, so many lives, practically forgotten, vanished without a second thought. It’s a scary thought to say the least. Alright sea artists, our best bet to finding our goal is probably that volcano on the far side of the valley. It’s extinct, so that shouldn’t be a problem to worry about.” “Captain!” A stallion’s voice calls out from far behind the group. “Grevious?” Soon, a grey stallion in a fancy brown coat appears from the thick bushes behind the large group. “What’s going on?” “We found these stowaways hiding in the brig.” Using his magic, the tall newcomer summons Applejack and Applebloom from behind the jungle growth, trapped in his iron magic grip. “If I were to recall sir, as well as what Sweetie Belle claims, these mares are part of the ‘peace’ compact you made with Princess Twilight.” “It appears so.” “Applejack, Applebloom,” Rarity and Rainbow Dash worryingly calls out to them, “what are you doing here?” “I have the exact same question, plus a few more. How did yous sneak on board?” “Hear us out, please,” Applejack frantically answers, “we were just staying below until we could find the right time to talk to you or somethin’.” “Talk to me about what?” “Joinin’ you-” “Wait, what?! You have to be joking.” “I’m not joking. I mean it! I want to protect my family and make sure nothing happens to them. And the only way I can see myself doing such is by joining you and also gainin’ some magic powers.” “…I see.” “Please, I mean no harm to y’all.” “AJ,” Dash replies, trying to force herself to laugh and ease the tension. “You don’t really mean it right?” “I so mean it! Unicorns and alicorns are superior.” Both Rainbow Dash and Rarity gasp upon hearing their friend’s confession. Even Applebloom appears shocked by this. “Indeed,” Korsan responds, “I understand where you’re coming from. However, I must warn you, sometimes family isn’t always as, loyal, as you intend for them to be, especially after a turn like this.” “Please, let me join you. I’ll help if needed.” “…” “Please.” “Very well then. Alexander Grevious, release them.” With the flick of a horn, the orange and yellow Earth ponies are freed from their green auras and drop onto the green floor of the jungle. “Before we press onwards, I want to establish two things. One, when we reach our goal, I will be first to undergo transformation into an alicorn. Get it?” “Yes.” “Second, if you show one speck of a scheme against me, I’ll dice you into a million pieces and hold your sister for ransom. Get the picture?” “…Understood, Captain.” “Very well then, onwards my crew, to the heart of Alicorn Island,” Meanwhile, at the shoreline of the other side of the great island, Lightning Rod is flipped over onto the sand, heavily destroyed after a brutal landing in the previous chase. Outside, at the edge of the green and faded stone ruins, Twilight and the remaining team are gathered around a small fire, providing them heat and light in the eternal darkness. “So,” Pinkie speaks, “It’s only us five remaining?” “Against a hundred pirates and Korsan,” Spike adds, “How are we going to stop them now?” “Spike?” Fluttershy troublingly asks. “Not that I’m saying that we have no chance, just curious if there is a plan. Twilight?” “I have no idea.” Twilight answers in a defeated tone. “Come on, you always find a way.” Pinkie cheers. “We have no boat, we have no weapons or defenses, we have no magic, half of our team is gone, and Korsan’s about to become the most powerful pony in existence.” Spike then replies, “Is that it, we’re just giving up?” “…” “Twilight?” “…No. We still have Applejack and Applebloom hiding on The Perfection, they can steal it and we could probably fly out of here, leaving Korsan and the others trapped here.” “What about Rarity and Sweetie Belle? And are you sure that Korsan won’t escape?” “I don’t know about those two, I’m still sorting them out. As for Korsan, at least it’ll hopefully keep him here long enough for us to warn Celestia.” “Are you sure AJ will find us?” Fluttershy asks, “If she even wants to?” “What does that mean?” “You and her have been arguing a lot recently, and, don’t think too harshly, but what if she, you know,” “I see where you’re going with it. …Perhaps we should at least stall Korsan ourselves until we figure out a backup plan. We’ll improvise.” “I’m coming with you,” Scootaloo declares. “No!” Twilight retorts. “Aww, cmon,” “We don’t want you to get hurt. Just stick around Lightning Rod until we get back.” “Fine.” “Good.” “Take care of yourself,” Spike proclaims. “Hey, somepony needs to supervise her.” “What?! Why me?” “Would you rather fight Korsan?” Fluttershy speaks, “I don’t want to fight Korsan.” “You’re coming to help out with injuries and act innocent so they’ll try to avoid you Flutter.” “Now that I think about it,” the purple dragon anxiously answers, “Scootaloo will need a guardians against crabs or something like that.” “Good. Pinkie, Fluttershy, onward,” Promptly, the three older mares enter the verdant forest and ancient ruins, leaving behind Spike and Scootaloo on the beach. An hour of silence follows between the two at the fire until Scootaloo finally speaks, “Spike, let’s follow them. We can help them out. Rainbow Dash might need me to save her and help her beat up Korsan.” “Nope,” Spike retorts, “nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Twilight said for you to stay.” “Please?” “No.” “Come on, please?” “No.” “Please?!” Then, the orange filly walks up to Spike and stares into his green eyes with her slowly growing purple eyes. Her mouth slowly forms into a whimper and the blacks of her pupils eventually consume the baby dragon’s, causing a growing guilt inside Spike. “Oh, no,” “Hiya!” Korsan screams as he chops through a section of thick vines with his sword. Upon the green wall flopping onto the rocky slope, the pirate captain and his followers gasp as they gaze upon the massive volcano temple before them. With massive spirals that reach for the black heavens, millions of details and etchings sprawled across its several stories of height, and imposing shadows that make the towering structure all the more taller, all coated in a radiant cyan moss, the massive temple greets the band of explorers by mere sight. “Do you think this is where it’s at?” Isyan asks in his dumbfounded state. “…” “Cousin?” “Look,” the captain quietly announces in his long moment of awe. “Look at the details of this wondrous piece of architecture. The angles, the scales, the arches, the balances, the-the everything. Everything fits together so wondrously for such a giant building, built by ancients with little more than a hammer and chisel. It’s perfect. I have so many questions, so many theories, it may require a lifetime just to study this alone.” The captain then glances directly ahead of them and sees the front wall of the temple. He notes how it has a large set of circular symbols around the center of a section between two walls. “This way,” Korsan then giddily runs over the peculiar wall and runs his claws across the large symbols. “Where are we going? It’s a wall.” “It’s the front entrance, tightly sealed.” “And how do you know?” Carefully, Korsan starts to push against the circles of the wall. Much to the crew’s surprise, this causes them to start slowly move around. “I recognize these types of locks. Like tumblers to safe.” He then presses one of his ears to the overgrown door and listens intently while he turns the massive stone rings around each other. “It appears that all ten of these things have to align at once for this to even sound out. But there may be a loophole if I can feel the right frequency in my hooves. Now come on…” As Korsan continues to tediously crack the code, small talk erupts from his surrounding pirates. “I wonder what they ate.” Applejack asks to one of the nearby pirates. “Judging by the pots, plates, and whatever’s left of those crops we saw on the way,” Korsan loudly answers, “bananas, corn, grains, fruits, smaller vegetables, and honey. Notable thing about the honey, if you’re hungry, you can heat it up and eat it right out of the pot.” “Ewww, that doesn’t sound good at all,” Applebloom replies, “Actually, it should still be pretty fresh around this time.” “I’ll pass.” “Applejack?!” Rainbow Dash calls out to her from behind. The orange mare responds, “Huh?” Turning her head back, she sees Rainbow Dash. “Oh, that’s right,” “What are you doing joining his side?” “I’m becomin’ an alicorn and protecting my kin.” “Did you drink seawater?” “Look, if Korsan’s findin’ a way to make himself an alicorn to use magic, I might as well join along and get some benefit from this losin’ fight.” “Really, you’ll turn your back to Equestria and let this villain destroy us all?” “I’m trying to convince him out of it,” Rarity retorts. “That sounds fine enough with me.” Dash merely scoffs in response to Applejack’s reply before attempting to turn herself way from them. “…Wait,” Applebloom nervously asks her older sister, “So, are we now the villains?” “No lil’ sis. We aren’t.” “Then why are with Korsan then? Isn’t he a bad pony?” “No, well, yes, it’s, it’s complicated.” “I’m confused.” Rarity then adds herself into the conversation, “How about you play with somepony, except the two similar yellow stallions.” “They all look pretty scary to me,” “They’re not too bad once you get to know them.” “I’ll try.” Cautiously, the yellow filly wanders into the herd of pirates, looking around for the least threatening face to talk to. “So, Applejack, what convinced you to join?” Applejack soon answers, “I thought about what Korsan said, and he’s right, unicorns are superior.” “That’s not entirely true, I mean, you’re a pretty good pony,” “Not good enough though.” “Well, that’s a very crude way of putting it. I mean, you shouldn’t be putting yourself down like that.” “What caused you to join?” “To be honest, I’m not really sure. I guess the main reason is that I sort of want to see Korsan get to this goal of his, without any negative repercussions of course. I’ve seen him work so hard for it after so many struggles-” “And murders!” Dash interrupts. “An issue that’s being worked on, relax. But anyways, I do pity him.” “Pity my flank! Let me down!” “We can’t now.” “Bah!” “Huh,” Applejack quickly sighs. Back at the front of the temple, Isyan approaches his captain and speaks with him, “Excuse me,” “No please,” Korsan mockingly responds, “just start yelling at me. You’re clearly far above that and not minding that I’m busy.” “Oh please, I don’t just scream.” “Even Juliana knows that you constantly scream. Isn’t that right Missy?” A loud screech responds. “Exactly,” “Besides that, there are more important matters at hoof.” “In a minute,” “I don’t like how you’re keeping the mares’ from Twilight’s team together and unmonitored.” “Pop quiz, define ‘in-a-minute’.” “Really, they could attack you at any moment.” “Hey, hey, I’m the captain, you’re the boatswain. I’ll take care of bodies, you take care of wood.” A loud stony rupture then sounds off as the large stone rings retreat back into the structure and are pulled to the side by an unseen set of pulleys and rope. “There we go.” “You are so full of yourself at times.” “And you aren’t. Onward fellow boucaniers!” Sharp on command and lead by Korsan, the crew promptly walks into the dark entrance of the temple, entering a passageway with an unseen end. Mindful not to trip on anything, the pirates make slow progress as they travel inwards. As they draw away from the moon’s light, the long hallway ahead of them eventually becomes pitch black. “Are we they yet?” Pip hollers. “This might be a trap.” Yin declares. “Quit shoving!” Yu barks to his unseen hustlers. “I can’t see Jack.” One of the pirates grumbles as he aimlessly stumbles in the void. “Oh wait, there he is.” “Hey, that’s my private part!” Jack immediately yells. “We need a light.” Rarity proclaims to her captain right ahead. “Quite,” Korsan replies, “I’m getting sick of this whining. There should be a torch up here,” Reaching a hoof upwards, the bipedal pegasus grabs what feels to be a wooden stick and pulls it down, causing a small cloud of dust and ash to pour on his followers. Rarity sneezes. “Excuse me.” “My apologies,” Korsan then holds the upwards end of the wood to his nose, sniffing it. “It still has some fuel in it.” Carefully, Korsan moves his front hooves away from his face and holds his free claw over the top end. He snaps his claws, causing a small spark to burst from the grinding metal. It lights the torch quickly and burns his hoof a little, causing the stallion to yelp and pull his burnt hoof back. “Are you okay?” “It’s just a burn. At least we have light.” With the burning torch now brightly illuminating the walls of the long corridor and the traveling ponies themselves, the crew press onwards and stop their previous complaining. With their forward pace now without potential obstacles, Korsan and the rest look to their sides and notice the massive paintings and etchings on the stone and pillars that stand along the walls. It surprises Korsan especially as to how well preserved they are and the amount of detail in each one. “It truly is interesting, these walls. Despite possibly being submerged in water as we’ve seen with the rest of the island ruins, this temple stays perfectly pristine. That gate had to be pretty tight in order for this to still be around for thousands of years.” “Good thing,” Rarity adds, “These all look so beautiful.” “I could try my hoof and interpret some of these. I memorized that book front to back now.” “Sure.” “Let’s see…” Korsan looks over to the right wall and analysis the painting. It appears to be six ponies, three stallions and three mares, all finely dressed in royal garments, sitting at a round wooden table with symbols surrounding the background. “To thy great kings of queens, we blessed thou many, for keeping order and strength throughout our lands three. With your children be blessed thou four, as they take the mantle and secure thy thrones three. May love fall either between them, or by us noble citizens. Yet rumours be told, told by the many, that struggle for harmony and power has corrupted thee six. Have thou turned all into shadows of themselves, bickering to each other and planning schemes of dark forces. We pray not. Let these rumours be nothing else but gossip, and give prosperity to all the same thy fathering generations as centuries ago.” “What does that mean?” Applebloom asks out loud. “Hmm?” “Yeah,” Yu calls out, “I’m a bit lost.” “That mural right there is probably a tribute to a generation of kings and queens that ruled this island. Sounds like they were having a bit of a scuffle though anyways while their children were going to be coronated at a relatively similar time.” “Why?” Applejack questions the captain, curious as well. “Who knows? Conflict of interests, desire for power, wealth, greater fame, tough times, could be multiple reasons.” “Sounds so familiar,” Rarity speaks, “I just can’t put my hoof on it.” “Perhaps you’re thinking of a book. I’ve read a good number with a similar premise.” “Hey, what about that one up ahead?” “Huh?” As the group walks past the first read fresco, they come across a solid bright red wall with black writing and glyphs all over it. “That’s a bit off-putting.” “What does it say?” “Well, let’s see, one sec for my memory…” “…” “Be warned by all who hath intruded this sacred temple. For many an ill heart and mind seek the Fountain of Balance’s power to bring envy and wrath upon thy neighbor and countries, it has been secured in the heart of this temple of earth, metal, magic, might, and fire to keep it secure. Mind thy movements, for tiles of gemstones and foils of the greedy. Mind thy mind, for the air of death and destruction of the soul. Mind thy body, for serrated spikes and impenetrable liquid and boiling stone and iron, all to pierce and melt and destroy thee. And most important, for what portion of thou shalt be altered and bent, be your fate and destiny. For you may avoid these defenses and tricks, once you reach the Fountain, you’ll never go back. Turn back now, or suffer a grim turn, sooner is better, later is never.” “That doesn’t sound good.” “The Fountain of Balance? Is that what the power of Alicorn Island is?” “Are you sure we should be doing this.” “Don’t worry. I’ve dealt with much worse than anything simple tools can build. Hold my torch.” With a flick of her horn, Rarity grabs the lit wand from Korsan with her magic and hovers it a bit further ahead. The caped captain then pulls out his two cutlasses and crosses them over his chest in a defensive position. “Lentement, onwards,” Slowly, the massive gang continues on forward, looking out for any traps straight ahead, on the walls, and on the ceiling. “What was it that we were looking out for again? Just a reminder” “Spikes, thick water, lava, poisonous gas, hallucinogenic gas, and one more thing, what was it…” Suddenly, the stone floor beneath Korsan, Rarity, Applejack, and Applebloom grouped together, is swept out from under themselves. The four ponies immediately drop down into a massive unlit hole, grabbing onto each other as they plummet down. However, Korsan acts quick and stabs his swords onto the hallway floor, anchoring himself down as well as the rest of the mares attached to him. “Trap tiles!” The stone floor that seemed to have disappeared then slowly moves back from slightly ahead in the hallway. Korsan tries to pull himself and the others up with his might. But as hard as he tries, the heavy floor shifts back into position, crushing the captain’s hooves. The stallion roars in pain as he accidently lets go of his swords above and fall down into the black with the mares, all screaming in terror of what awaits them.
A Slow SeparationIn the heavier portions of the thick jungles of Alicorn Island, a short distance away from the center mountain, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie are sifting through the grown-over ruins in search of something. With the black of night overhead and the thick green completely covering the stone remains, searching for anything special among the ruins is nearly impossible. “What are we looking for again?” Pinkie asks, poking her head under an uprooted tree. Twilight answers as she paws at the floor, “We’re looking for some sort of tunnel, or a passage into the temple.” “Why not take the front entrance on the other side?” “There had to be an escape route for the miners that worked on the temple in the event of a cave in. From what it looks like, the temple goes deep underground. They also probably didn’t think anypony wouldn’t take the obvious front entrance, so there shouldn’t be any traps this way.” “Aw, but traps sound so fun to trip and escape in a really impractical manner.” “I don’t think they’re fun.” Fluttershy replies. “Don’t worry Fluttershy,” Twilight reassures her friend, “the way we’re going will be safe.” “Do you think Rarity and Sweetie Belle are safe right now?” “I can’t really say. Korsan seems to know what he’s doing about these things. They’re probably just flying past all of those setups.” Korsan, Rarity, Applejack, and Applebloom continue to scream in panic as they fall straight down into the darkness for what seems to be an eternity. Soon though, a small green light emerges far below, signifying the bottom it appears. Korsan pants as he sees they’re falling too fast towards the bottom of the hole, “We gotta slow this train down!” Quickly, the mechanically aided captain stabs his front hooves into the caverns walls beside him. However, as soon as they latch onto the wall, they immediately slide out from an unseen flow along the walls. Korsan tries again, only to slip out once more. “Come on!” The pirate tires one more time, putting all of his might and metal into the force of his claws. The metal tips etch themselves deep into thick rock and grind against the falling chain of ponies. Sparks and icy water pour out from the metal fingers and pour over the decelerating mares and stallion. “Hot-and-cold-hot-and-cold-hot-and-cold-hot-and-cold-hot-and-cold-hot-and-cold-ho-” The ponies brutally slam onto the metal floor in a large pile and shout in pain and discombobulation. A small moment of silence soon follows as the four recollect themselves and breathe out the pain. “Is everypony okay?” Rarity speaks out. “A loosened bolt and gear, but I’m good here.” The thunderous sounds of snapping wood then blares out from under. The circular green and yellow floor starts to shift and tip over to the pile. Panic immediately sets in as the ponies quickly scramble to their hooves. “What’s going on?!” “The floor’s tilting over!” The ponies scramble over to the rising half of the metal disk. It quickly stops and instead begins to fall in the other direction where they’re at. “It’s a pivot at the origin, everypony, take to a corner of the platform and balance this thing! Now! Filly, stay put and hang on tight!” Immediately, Rarity, Korsan, and Applejack climb up the rising slope to the sides and top of the stage. They tightly latch their hooves to the etched metal floor as it rocks. The platform slowly balances back to being flat once more. The four separated ponies gasp in relief, but remain uneasy as the sounds of loud wood creaking still echo from below their standing. “Okay, I think we’re stable.” “How do we get out of this mess?” Applejack rapidly asks. “Well,” Korsan sighs, straightening out his thoughts and examining his surroundings. “We’re on a large platform made of solid gold that is balanced on a central pillar in the middle, an ironic way to kill off any intruders that stepped on the trap tiles that were apparently lined with riches by dropping down to whatever awaits at the bottom. Not sure how the floor is glowing, not important. The walls are too slippery for me and my crossbow due to a heavy flow of water. And there appears to be no ladder or doorway to exit.” “So, we’re just stuck here forever?” Applebloom worryingly cries. “I never said there was an exit. Miss Rarity, give us a light.” Rarity stampers in response, “Oh, yes,” and using her horn, the white mare emits a bright purple light from it, illuminating the chamber far more than the green tint of the disc. There, Korsan can see a black hole in the stone walls just above Applebloom’s head. “There.” He points to it. “Could you possible levitate this platform up to it?” “Let me try.” Cutting her light off for a moment, the unicorn aims her horn to the gold floor and attempts to levitate it. However, no aura appears around the disc, and Rarity finds herself unable to grasp it, similar to how her captain’s anti-magic behaves. “I can’t.” “Too heavy?” “No, I just can’t get a hold of it. It’s like it’s lined with anti-magic or something.” “What? That shouldn’t be…” As Korsan crotches down to better examined the engraved loop of gold, he notices a solid green substance deep within the grooves that he instantly recognizes. “It can’t be. Girls, it looks like we’re playing by new rules.” “What do you mean?” “I’ve given these ancients credit for their advanced infrastructure, but I would’ve never expected something this advance. It appears that they know about the secrets of creating physical anti-magic, and have probably lined every pebble of this temple with it.” “What now what?” The orange mare asks, now beginning to panic. “Don’t worry yourself. This temple may be untouchable, but we aren’t. Now, I’m going to need everypony’s cooperation if we’re going to get out of this trap. Now Rarity, when I give the signal, you-” Before Korsan can calmly finish, the wooden stilt holding the platform up suddenly snaps from the weight. The ponies panic as they frantically shift themselves to balance out the structure that is about to collapse. “Okay! We gotta go fast! Rarity, do you know how to teleport?” “Only once before exhausting!” Rarity immediately answers. “Good, on my command, you will teleport to the exit. When you go, Applejack, you will go to the middle, while I and the filly balance it. Got it?” “Yes!” The mares reply. “Ready, set, go!” With a twitch of her horn and magic, Rarity disappears from her corner in a flash of light and reappears on the edge of the black exit cavern. As the gold disk starts to tilt, Applejack runs to the center while Korsan and Applebloom counter the tilt back. The balance is restored once more, and now the three remaining ponies stand in a line that makes up the diameter of the circular teeter. “Next part, levitating Applejack to you. Ready?” “Yeah,” Rarity answers. The crumbling pivot below snaps once more, shaking the gold platform and offsetting Korsan and the Earth ponies. “Now!” Applejack is then promptly lifted from the center and into the air by a blue magically aura. “Come to me little filly!” Hastily, Korsan and Applebloom follow up Rarity’s action by running towards the center in place of Applejack. Applejack soon reaches the black cavern alongside her carrier and is gently placed now next to the white pony. “Now this ankle biter last!” “Wait, what about you?” The support emitters another earth-shattering crack. “Don’t worry about me.” “But I won’t be able to grab you.” “Get the kid!” Seeing as she has no other option, Rarity quickly picks up Applebloom and sets her down next to her and Applejack. Korsan is now the only one left as the gold platform starts to slowly sink down. “Let me get you out of there! Drain your anti-magic or something!” “It’ll take too long! Just back up!” “I’m not leaving you!” “Back!” “There must be some way, we can figure this out!” “As your captain, I command that you and the others go on!” “No-” “Now! Now! Now! Now! Now!” Frightened by Korsan’s screaming, the mares slowly back away from the edge of the cavern entrance. “Hopefully this ends well…” “What?” Rarity looks over the lip of the cave to see the caped pony slowly back away from her and towards the edge. The giant platform tilts back to him, causing the other end to rise up to her. “You aren’t-” “Rahhhhhhh!” Korsan then frantically races up the sloped disk to the cave and Rarity, digging his bottom claws into the gold floor to boost him. Halfway there, the pivot finally shatters. The entire stage plummets down with him. He reaches the edge of the platform. He jumps high into the air with all of his might. However, Rarity sees that Korsan doesn’t have barely enough height to grab the edge. Without hesitation, she reaches her hoof out for her captain’s outstretched claws, much to his disapproval. “No!” But it’s too late. Korsan’s razor sharp claws dig into Rarity’s flesh and latch into her muscle, causing the mare to scream. Applejack and her sister watch in horror as Rarity’s right hoof quickly turns into a bright shade of red and pink. “Help me!” Quick to respond, the large Earth pony bites down on Rarity’s swirly tail and pulls her back into the exit. Using a great deal of strength, Applejack tows Korsan up to them, where he’s able to set his hooves onto the flat stone floor. “You idiot,” Korsan angrily grumbles, like a mother scolding her child, “Look at this.” With his claws deep inside the whimpering mare, Korsan carefully draws out his metal parts from her, one long claw at a time. Rarity sobs in agony, “Y-you were g-going-g to f-fall.” “I probably was in hindsight. Thank you for that. Stay still for a tick,” As the bipedal pirate pulls out the final claw, he examines his fellow crewmember’s pierced hoof. “I’m sorry for doing this to you. First that rapier two weeks ago and now this. It’s like you want to wreck your hooves.” “D-don’t be ridiculous.” “Let me just wrap this up here,” Swiftly, Korsan flings his black cape around Rarity’s hoof, tightening it upon contact. “Ow,” “Sorry.” “How do you do that, making your cape snap like that?” “Prehensile micro-cables inside the cape fabric, they tense into specific forms and bends by my muscle commands, just like everything else that’s my mechanical suit. It can be flaccid in public gatherings for appearance and imposition, but can be restrained in its movements when I’m fighting and need open space.” “Interesting, what’s it made of?” “A titanium alloy over a Kevlar structure-” “No, the cape fabric,” “Oh, Darwing Bark Spider silk dyed with crushed Ancient Pingwin Mollusk shells.” “Beautiful.” “Applejack, and eh…” “Applebloom.” “Right, her, go ahead until you reach the main path. I’m sure my stallions will find you. Redirect them over here with a surgeon ready.” The two Earth ponies nod and scamper into the exit. Gently, the brown stallion caresses the wrapped leg with his claws retracted into the boots, causing his white partner to sigh in liberation of the pain and the tingling of pleasure. As Korsan massages the wounded leg, Rarity looks to his exposed back. A wave of disgust and pity washes over her as she sees Korsan’s wings. They are mangled, covered in bald spots that reveal his pale flesh, black and red bruises dotting his fur, deep scars that run along every inch of his skin, and large hunks of metal parts, large and small, bars and complex mechanicals, piercing from his wings and tangling with everything in contact. “Your wings, they’re, they’re,” “It’s nothing.” Korsan quietly retorts in attempts to be relaxed, but with a sense of shame present in his current tone. “That is not nothing. What did you do to them?” “A few experiments in the mechanical arts went sour. I was seeing if I could perhaps fix my wings after an, unfortunate happening.” “Does it still hurt?” “Not as much as it did before, at least I can sleep.” “Have you gotten this checked out?” “No, no, there’s no need for that. I’d rather deal with it myself.” “Okay… Captain, can I ask you something?” “Anything,” “Have you considered, I don’t know, being less, violent, when becoming an alicorn?” “…” “Korsan?” “I had a feeling you’d be asking me about that sooner or later. Look, I-I’m not the most usual of ponies, neither am I the most sane. You know that right?” “…Yes.” “But what I am, is a thinker. Somepony that understands a lot and can draw some conclusions with a lot of fair reason. I have also firsthoof felt what it means to be on the bottom. And really, I don’t want anypony else to experience that same pain I felt for so many years. So, my ultimate plans after this venture, is more of a means to fix everything.” “By killing millions though?” “It’s an unpleasant thought, I understand. But genetics have a very dangerous role to play in the creation of these terrible lives.” “Please, you don’t have to kill. You could still create change and get your point across by simply talking.” “That’ll never work. I know it already.” “Are you sure?” “Mostly,” “But are you absolutely sure?” “…” “Captain!” A series of voices echo from deeper in the large cavern, ringing loud and clear in the captain’s ears. “…” A low growl bellows from the far bottom of a tight stairway, deep underground and long, needle-like stalactites reach down from the uncarved ceiling, barely touching the damp, mossy steps. As Twilight and her two friends with her walk down the ceaseless flight, natural chitchat is being held between them to pass the time. “I am so happy I found that trapdoor leading to here!” Pinkie cheers as she rather hops down the wide steps, “I almost never lose a scavenger hunt!” “And so are we,” Twilight calmly replies, having heard the pink pony’s unintentional gloating about the subject several times, “this should lead us to the artifact that Korsan’s after.” “And even closer to Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Applejack, and Applebloom!” “Yes…” Meanwhile, Korsan and his small team have already reunited with the other pirates as they walk down the slowly descending hallway lined with murals, directed by a leading torch carried by Chopin in the far back. With Rarity’s hoof now firmly wrapped in soft, white bandages, the mare gently hopples alongside her captain, leaning onto him at times for support. “So, the rest of yous have already figured it out by now I assume.” Korsan proclaims. “This temple is lined with anti-magic.” “It became especially notable in the spear chamber sir,” Horus answers from directly behind, “luckily, no pony was injured… greatly anyways.” “I see, so I and the others missed a trap, darn. Sounds like a fun one too.” “I wouldn’t recommend it.” “Understandable.” As the crew continue to pace onwards, a light green mist starts to blanket the slanted corridor. “Careful. It appears we’ve reached the gas area. It’s either poisonous, or hallucinogenic, either way, don’t breathe it in. Just hold your breath and hustle.” “What’s the difference?” Isyan asks from the far back. “One kills you on the spot, the other makes you wish you were killed on the spot.” “…wait, wait, wait. It gets better. When the patient woke up, his skeleton was missing, and the doctor was never heard from again!” Pinkie exclaims, having finished a long ramble. A small beat of silence follows as the mares continue to walk down the stairs and process what the hyperactive mare was saying. Unbeknownst to them, a faint yellow mist floats in on their decent. A confused Fluttershy then asks, “What were we talking about again?” “How I lost my medical license.” “Wait, wha-” “Hey,” Twilight interrupts, “do you hear something?” “Where?” “I don’t know.” In the corners of Twilight’s twitching ears, a small metallic clinking sounds out from an unknown location. The purple alicorn looks around for the sound she hears, only to see Pinkie and Fluttershy walking down with her, blankly looking forward. She then looks back ahead of her, and notices an orange dot in the distance. “Hey, do you see that?” As Twilight returns her glance to her friends to see their reactions to this suddenly appearing spec, she’s shocked to find that they both are now gone. “Hey, where did you two go?” Stopping her walk, Twilight circles around herself and looks everywhere to the vanished ponies, only to find no trace of them. “Do you have a point?” A familiar mare’s voice echoes all around the confused loner. Twilight frantically snaps her head everywhere once more in search of the source, but to no avial. “Who’s there? Where are you? Where are my friends?” Twilight then looks back to the orange dot and sees that it has grown into a blurry figure now closer to her. Curious, the alicorn walks towards the mysterious being, not noticing how the stairwell has begun to spiral onto the walls and ceiling and defying gravity. As she proceeds closer and closer to her target, the dark and grey stone surrounding her slowly begins to change into different colours and textures. “Of course I have a point!” A male voice then answers. “There’s two of you?” “What? Don’t you recognize me?” The female voice asks. “Who are you?” “It’s because we’re villains isn’t it?” The male voice replies. “Villains?” “Or is it you, who is the villain?” The mare’s voice questions Twilight, who is now losing her sense of scale and depth perception. “Me? The villain? No!” “Quite, so many lives, suffering, just waiting to meet there end and have better ones replace them.” The stallion adds. At this point, the walls have turned into a solid white and its texture has turned into some sort of soft padding. “Don’t you see the obvious?” “What?” “The point?” “Who-” “The sanity?” “I don’t-” “Surely at this point, you would have figured this out. Why don’t you see what everypony is seeing?” “What am I not seeing?!” Furious, Twilight starts to run on what appears to be a long sheet of dark metal, twisting and bending beyond normality. “She must be insane.” The unseen mare replies to the invisible stallion. “I’m not insane!” “Quite frankly,” Another familiar mare’s voice suddenly speaks, right behind Twilight, “You appear to be.” Twilight immediately looks back and sees Rarity, now taking the shape of Korsan. She yelps in fright and stumbles back. “Rarity?!” “Hello Twilight Sparkle.” “What happened to you? Why are you in Korsan’s suit?” Slowly, the Rarity and Korsan hybrid walks around the baffled pony. As Twilight examines the figure, the metal path fades away from the corner of her eyes. “Poor, poor, Twilight. Korsan is our king. He is worthy of the throne to all life.” “What are you even saying?” Twilight is then grabbed by the shoulders by metal claws and turned around to have her face pressed up against Applejack, also sporting Korsan’s body structure. “Applejack?!” The orange being screams, “The electrolytes!” “The what?!” “You still don’t get it do you?” The two bipedal mares soon being to circle around the shriveling pony, constantly talking at her with no breaks or a moment to breathe. “It’s complicated.” Rarity states. “He has a point.” “He interests me.” “It’s not all black and white.” “I love him.” “I must protect my family.” “There’s no going back now.” “You’re fighting a lost cause.” “We should’ve tossed you into the brig.” “The crazy house,” “The asylum, toss her in!” “You don’t have a single point!” “Twilight.” “Twilight.” “Twilight.” “Twilight.” “Twilight!” “Twilight!” The purple alicorn snaps under the screaming and starts to sob uncontrollably. The walls of the padded hallway begin to shink all around her with the darkness from the two exits drawing closer as well. Twilight woefully cries, “Stop it! Stop it!” The two beings don’t stop and continue to angrily scream her name together, “Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!” “Please stop!” “Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!” “I’m begging you!” “Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!” “No more! Please! I’m begging! Stop it! I can’t breathe!” “Twilight!” “I want my mommy!” “Twilight!” “I want my daddy!” “Twilight!” “I want my brother!” “Twilight!” “Just make it end!” As the two hybrid ponies continue to spiral and harass the fallen princess, a brown shadow appears in the distance, walking to her. Teary eyed and having her eyelids almost entirely shut, Twilight barely recognizes the approaching third being. However, as it enters a metre’s distance, it becomes clear who it is. It is Korsan as a monstrous alicorn, with a smiling set of razor sharp red teeth, and solid black eyes, with only red pinpoints for pupils. With his ear to ear grin never changing, Korsan reaches down and grabs the mare by the throat, stabbing it with his long, barbed, talon-like needles. He then reaches into his back and pulls out an enormous version of his cutlass, emitting a black aura. As he raises the blade high above and ready to strike, he speaks in a most demonic cackle, “Pegasi and Earth ponies are inferior, we must shape the world to what it should be, all unicorns, no more suffering…” As the heinous beat swings down his weapon, a final scream erupts from the surrounding duo, “Twilight!” “No!” Twilight gasps. As she opens her eyes from the expected sensation of being chopped in two by the massive cutlass, she unexpectedly finds herself back on the stairway, laying in her own sweat and tears while Fluttershy and Pinkie are standing over her, concerned of their friend’s condition. “Wait, wh-wha-what?” “Are you okay?” Fluttershy asks, tightly clutching onto Twilight’s head with her soft hooves in an effort to keep it stable. “What happened to Rarity? Applejack? Korsan?!” “Calm down Twilight, you were only hallucinating.” “Wait, what?” “There was some gas we walked into that was being expelled in from some sort of ventilation system. When we saw you rambling and going into a spasm, Pinkie I and realized that we were as well falling under the effects. So we held our breaths, grabbed you, and carried you down and out of the gassed area. At this point, now we’re just waiting for the effects to wear off.” “Oh, so it-it was all a dream?” “Yeah.” “Hey, where’s Pinkie?” “Huh?” “Oh my Celestia!” Pinkie screams out from up the stairs, “I see everything!” “Oh, she’s doing it again.” “Those shoes are awesome trains!” “Doing what?” Twilight asks. “Cucumbers are just beds with alien technology!” Fluttershy answers, “She’s poking her head into the gas for fun. Pinkie, please pull out.” “It’s so beautiful!” “Pinkie, come on out, Twilight’s back.” “You betrayed the law!” “Pink-” “Lawwwww!” “Pinkie!” “I am the law!” Now agitated, Fluttershy walks up to the dazed mare and pulls her down to Twilight by the ear. “Hehe, it tickes!” “When you’re ready Twilight,” Twilight stampers for a moment before replying, “Yeah… yeah, yeah-yeah I’m fine. Let’s go.”
The Fountain of BalanceAfter a solid minute of wading through the thick green fog with their breath held, with barely any visibility of the walls due to a suffocating torch light and their turns, Korsan and the others reach a clearing beyond the haze. Being the first to escape the deadly air, Korsan gasps out for clean air and is soon followed by everypony else. “D-did,” Korsan pants, pressing a hoof to the wall to support his failing body, “did anypony inhale the gas?” “No.” The others reply in a heavily unsynchronized moan. “Juliana?” The ice phoenix immediately soars over from the back of the group to on top of his shoulder, rubbing her cold head on her master’s deflated cheek. “There you are. Who’s a sweet little lady?” Juliana coos in response. “Yes, yes you are.” “Aww,” Rarity giggles at the sight ahead of her. With the torch’s red flame slowly returning, the murals on the wall begin to return as well, displaying gorgeous frescos. As the team continue down to the end of this long path, their eyes glance at the paintings and discover something strange about them. Most of the paintings portrayed an alicorn of some kind, rising from what seems to be a golden fountain, each with a different background and text engraved at the top. “That’s a tad suspicious.” “Hey Korsan,” Dash calls out from the back of the herd, “how about you read some of these.” “I guess so.” The pirate captain takes a moment to clear his throat and begins to read one of them. “’Lady Joan, the Mare of Justice, twas a brave mare of beauty and chivalry. When the royals’ corruption befell upon her kingdom loyal to the forest, she bathed in the holy waters to achieve thy power necessary to overthrow. Queen she then became, and her descendants still rule fair to this day.’” “She does look pretty.” Applebloom remarks, entranced in the detailed portrait of the young white alicorn. Behind her and the fountain is a starry blue sky with a golden light emanating from the sides. The torch then floats towards the next painting. This time, it is a black stallion against a bright red sky with dark clouds and volcanoes in the background. The fountain in this piece looks slightly withered, and sporting a moat of lava around it. “This guy looks like a piece of work. ‘Sir Cystic, the First of Fury, twas an angry, yet powerful stallion. Cousin to the younger heir to the throne of iron and steel, he sought out the fountain to make himself more formidable to be king. War broke between the soldiers of the cousin and the single alicorn for one hundred years. In time, the cousin died of age, and Cystic took the throne, which he held to with the clench of unwavering strength. To these times, his descendants uphold his power in the heart of fire, but fear his cost in a terrible end.’” “What end?” Applejack asks. “No idea.” “Maybe it was the fall of this island, whatever it was.” Alexander Grevious declares. “It’s a pity that all of this amounted to nothing in the end.” A pale mare pirate adds besides the formally dressed stallion, “Almost as if their lives were pointless.” “Don’t be such a downer Maria,” Yu replies, “that’s my brother’s job.” “Hey!” Yin barks as most of the others silently chuckle. “Still,” Maria retorts, “seeing these tales of such great ponies, forgotten. It might as well be the same fate as for us.” “Don’t worry,” a darker yellow stallion gently replies at her side, “I’ll always remember you.” “Thanks Hans, for your pleasantries.” “Anything for you m’lady.” Upon hearing this from Hans, the yellow brothers make silent barfing noises in relflex. “What a butt kisser,” Yu silently remarks to his brother, both right behind Applejack who’s listens in. “Don’t even bother.” Yin whispers back, “You couldn’t even hold one night with a mare.” “I did.” “Uh-huh, sure,” “It’s true, you just never saw it.” “Hey, if I know that those two lovebirds are sneaking out of their cabins every night to do who knows what, then I would tell if my brother’s ever spent the night with a mare.” “Wait, Hans and Maria sneak around at night?” “Exactly,” “What would they be doing?” “I don’t know, they always head down the back into the farm and kitchen.” “Maybe they’re getting a drink from the cellar.” “Nah, Butch would’ve caught them, he always checks the barrels at night. And you know how protective he is about the cellar.” “True, true,” “Who’s Butch?” Applejack accidently asks out loud to the two stallions behind her. “Hey, were you listening in on us?” “Uh…” “Take it easy,” Yin speaks to Yu, “she’s one of us it seems.” The calmer brother then turns to the orange Earth pony, “Butch Taylor’s our cook. He’s also the one who’s looking after your friend Sweetie Belle.” “I know, I saw her in the kitchen with him. Saved our skins she did.” “Good for her.” “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you twos end up here?” “My brother and I were arrested for supposedly sneaking cards in our hats.” “Wait,” Yu asks, “wasn’t it that we were bribing the dealer?” “That was Las Pegasus, not Monte Canter, supposedly.” “But I remember that in prison at Gorgonzola, you were getting flirty with one of the mares that was arrested alongside us that worked as a show-” “We don’t speak of her.” “Yeah, yeah, that one time when she dropped the-” “Shut it! There are foals with us.” “Oh! And then there was that moment with Bubbles and Pablo-” “Captain Korsan! Want to read another wall?!” “I’m looking, I’m deciding,” Korsan yells back as his eye glosses over the murals. “Fascinating these things are, all dedications to ponies that became alicorns with the Fountain of Balance.” Soon, the group comes across a portrait of a purple stallion with two heads. The background is a warped pattern of black, white, and grey tiles, with the golden fountain now looking very simplistic compared to the previous iterations and very unfinished. “’Sir Dolum, the Serpent of Lies, a selfish stallion that abused his generosities. Despite his raise to be kind and thoughtful, he grew himself spoiled and greedy. Sowed lies upon the earth and used the power of the fateful waters to grow them to his throne. May the golden heart of the fountain treat upon him and his followers as he hath treated others.’ Well, maybe not that one.” “Hey,” Yin asks out loud, “do you think there are any funny ones?” “Why would there be ‘funny’ ones?” “I don’t know.” “…” “Idiot,” Yin subtly coughs. “Keep moving forward, we’ll reach that fountain at any moment now.” “Come on!” Isyan groans, “Oh boy, maybe we should backtrack into the poison gas again. I liked the quiet.” “We’ve been walking for an hour. Can’t we take a break?” “No! We are reaching that fountain as soon as possible.” “Bah…” Eventually, the sounds of gentle splashes echo in the darkness straight ahead. “Is that it?!” “Hallelujah.” “Go, go, go!” Quickly, a second wind bursts across the crowd as they blindly charge forward. “This has to be it, this has to be it, this has to-Ah!” Korsan shrieks as the floor disappears from under and he and the others plummet into a large body of water. The lit torch stays stationary with Chopin and Rainbow Dash as they stop at the edge of the stone floor, revealing that Korsan and everypony else merely slipped off an unseen end of the corridor. The pirate captain swims back up to the surface with an agitated ice phoenix and wades, finding it surprisingly easy. The other fallen members soon follow suit as they float up to the top of the end of the hallway. “Well, that happened.” “My suit!” Alexander proclaims in terror. “Speak for yourself.” Isyan grumbles. “Where do we go now?” Hans asks. “Oh no!” Rarity exclaims, “Korsan, your dress, I’m sorry-” “Relax,” the captain interrupts, “that can be easily cleaned and dried back onboard. Now the real issue is where’s forward?” “The place might have caved in,” Horus suggests, “We could just use the Perfection and drill our way-” “Absolutely not. We want to preserve every millimeter of this place for future study. And I don’t think we’re caved in. See the walls here, they’re carved, this is clearly intentional.” “But for what?” “…How deep do you think this water is?” “I’m not sure. Let me check.” With a flick of his white horn, the albino pony’s horn shines a bright red, revealing the flat bottom and walls of the pool of water. “About equal to the dimensions of the hallway we’ve been in, search around for a tunnel.” Listening to the captain’s commands, Horus shines his horn around the deep water, soon coming across an underwater section of the path that leads under the end above water. “Aha! There we go.” “Are you expecting us to go in there?” Rainbow Dash screeches, “Do you even know how long that thing is? We’ll probably drown.” “Not on my watch. Attention all unicorns! Use your magic to create a large air bubble now and set your horn glow to its brightest. Your bubble will be your only means of oxygen, so I suggest you swim easily and take adequate breaths. The water is also probably mixed with a thin layer of anti-magic, making it so thick, so don’t try anything fancy with your already weak magic. If you mess up, remember, you are swimming in dense water, so you’ll only be able to move a little to reach a partner’s air bubble. Isyan, supply air to Juliana. Horus and the Shou Brothers, supply air for Applejack and Applebloom. Chopin, supply air to the loud thing on the stick.” With a twitch of Korsan’s shoulder, the ice phoenix leaps from her master and flies onto Isyan’s head. “Hey! No way I’m trusting that clown with my life.” “He’s a mime. Now let’s move out!” “Wait,” Rarity asks, “What about you?” “I got tough enough lungs, I can keep myself alive.” Soon, tens of colourful bubbles of magic form in the air and are placed over the nozzles of the pirates, with Dash, Applejack, Applebloom, and Juliana sharing a large bubble with their designated unicorns. Korsan leads by taking a deep breath and diving down into the water. One by one, the other ponies join and dive under, following their captain as he leads the way in the dimly lit head of the group. Silently, the mass of ponies paddle through the underwater halls, using fair bits of their strength to push the thick liquid behind them. The warm water flows between the ponies’ fur coats and cleans their clothing. Eventually, the struggle starts to become relaxing, as the team finds themselves cruising through the water with little worry for air. Even Rainbow Dash finds this pleasant, as the comforting liquid eases the tension in her stiff and tied regions. Korsan slowly drifts to the back of the group over time, though he doesn’t mind. A couple of minutes pass, and a faint golden glow can be seen in the distance straight ahead. Exited to see this, the crew starts to speed up their swim, especially Rarity in contrast to the deadpan Isyan. As she draws closer and closer to the light of the exit from this submerged hall, the more and more reckless she becomes with her purple air bubble. The white unicorn takes another deep breath from her air pocket. The bubble suddenly bursts. Immediately, water pours into her open mouth and nose. Rarity attempts to swim to a nearby pony, but she’s too far from anypony else in the thick water. She reaches her hooves out, screaming in the water. They tire and drop helplessly under, next to her burning body. It feels as though her lungs are filled with acid ever ripe and ready to burst. She attempts to call for help, yelping for help, but her voice is muffled. Her hooves are clenched. Her fading blue eyes widen in terror. She mouth slowly comes to a still shut. She pushes once more, reaching for anything. It fails. She tries to relax, but the burning inside keeps her frantic. She then gulps as much as she can, wanting this nightmare to be over. It exits her mouth and bloats her other parts, looking for any pathway it can find to finish her. More water soon comes and refills her mouth and throat, making the agony even more intense. Soon the water rushes up over her head. At this point, Rarity has tried everything. She reaches out with all of her might, as if a last resort, trying to grasp the dancing light, but she can’t reach it. The last bubbles of life escape her mouth as she frantically reaches for any form of oxygen. She feels, she expects, she knows she’s going to die. It seems inevitable by now. She is out of air and too tired to fight anymore. She soon begins to feel like crying, and she is sure she would have been if she was above water. She reaches one last time, a futile attempt in her mind, for the shimmering lights. Everything starts to turned black and the golden heavens are fading away. One last bubble loses its perch in her mouth and swims to the stone top. Random singular thoughts run through the mare’s head as she watches the images of her hope fade. However, as darkness consumes her final visions, a bright light flashes in front of her eyes. A sudden relief pulsates across her entire body. Rarity senses fresh air as it flows through her, yet her skin still feels the thick water crushing her body. Her eyelids open wide and her pupils saturate with life, setting upon Korsan right in front of her. A realization hits her as she stiffly examines the position of the stallion right in front of her and her senses flaring up. His lips are locked with hers, as the captain pumps water from her and replaces it with his air. Rarity tries to gasp and pull away from the surprise, but Korsan’s holding her close to him as he restores her life. Up close, Rarity can see the determination and passion in the stallion as barely any bubbles of airs escape the transfer. After giving her a fair share of air, Korsan pulls away and tightly shuts her lips closed. He then begins to frantically swim to the golden lights ahead, holding Rarity close to his chest with his front hooves. With all of his might, Korsan kicks his hind hooves and snaps his cape up and down through the dense liquid as he slowly speeds to the exit. A solid minute of furious thrashing ticks on as the two ponies draw tantalizingly close to the surface. Both of the ponies’ internal air supply drops more and more on each paddle. The burning unleashes itself inside both Korsan and Rarity. Now only a metre away, their vision starts to fade away. With one final heave, the pirate pegasus lunges himself and Rarity towards the golden glow above before blacking out. As everything turns to black, the sounds of splashing water and fainted voices ring in their ears. Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Twilight and her followers exhale their tension in relief and rest themselves against the stone walls. Ahead of the trio stands a long golden corridor that’s dimly lighted with small torches hanging from the wall. At the end of the kilometre long stretch is a golden glow, as welcoming as the sun. “There it is,” Twilight murmurs in her heavy breaths, “we got this.” “Do you think Korsan and the others are already there?” Fluttershy asks. “I don’t know.” “What if it’s a trap?” “There we better get ready for it.” Twilight rubs her hoof across her mane up to her horn, feeling the black strap still wrapped around it. “How is this thing still so firm after all this time? I should have found something to at least break the-” A idea immediately bursts in her head. The purple alicorn snaps her head back to the stairs and sees a thin stalactite up a few steps, a solid metre above the floor. She then quickly runs up to the spike and positions the anti-magic strap right below the tip. Carefully, she thrusts the glowing central device into the stalactite, piecing the strap and causing the green liquid to spit from the crack upon retracting her horn. Twilight wipes off the liquid matter from her forehead and turns back to her friends, both watching her in bliss of her success. “I got it!” “You sure did!” Pinkie exclaims. “Can you do magic once again?” “Not now, it’s still leaking out. May take a while. But right now, let’s go fight some pirates!” With the strength of pride and confidence on their side, the three mares gallop into the golden hallway and charge for the golden aura that awaits them. “Korsan! We’re coming for you!” As Twilight heads down the long stretch with her team, her mind begins to wander across what has built up to this confrontation. Invading the Grand Galloping Gala, Twilight’s inner voice speaks to her mind’s eye, stealing the Diamond Eye, throwing us into a trap, attacking us at Thieves’ Hold, destroying Celestia’s ship, kidnapping Rarity and Sweetie Belle, tempting them into joining your crew, attempting to crush us, kidnapping Rainbow Dash, and now going to use the power of this island to cause global genocide of millions of innocent lives. No, I will not stand for this. You’re going down this time Korsan. Prepare for justice! “We’re coming to save you Rarity and Sweetie Belle!” Pinkie and Fluttershy proclaim. What about those two… I’ve been avoiding trying to think about them all this time. But now I’m going to have to make a decision if they’re on Korsan’s side. Should I fight them? I have to, I must, no matter how much I don’t want to. I’ll try my best to convince them first. And what about Applejack? Is she still going to help us after the fighting we’ve been through? What if she joined Korsan’s crew as well? No, that couldn’t be. Korsan would never let an Earth pony join him, he’s too cruel. Right? “We’re almost there!” The three ponies gallop into the blinding golden glow and immediately find themselves in a massive underground grotto. It is a round cavern chamber about one hundred metres in diameter and fifty metres in height. A pitch black ceiling of darkness hangs over the explorers’ heads, with small stalactites emerging from the darkness as well as small twinkles of unknown light. At the edge of the this chamber is a surrounding moat of glistening water, only rising up to the mares’ knee height. Past the small body of water is a small hill of golden sand with an unseen flat top, with large boulders of pure iron strutting out from the beach. Curious, the trio silently wades across the clear water and fluid sand, ducking behind the iron stones in case of Korsan or any of his crew members spotting them. As they climb higher and higher, the mares start to see a tall, slightly decayed gazebo of stone peak out from over the flat top’s edge, covered in thousands of strands of thick moss and completely layered with finely detailed carvings and designs. A small golden aura emanates from what appears to be the center of this large structure. “What is this place?” Twilight whispers as she nears the flat top of the sandy hill. Upon climbing onto the rock porch, the mare’s purple eyes snap onto the source of the glow as if by instinct. At the center of the chamber is a large golden fountain, encrusted with millions of gemstones of various shapes and colours. From the three tiers of the towering center pillar, pure blue water gently flows from and into the shallow basin below. Slowly, Twilight approaches the great fountain, tracing her eyes along its height and sees the night sky above through a small hole in the black ceiling, directly over the golden orb that tops the spout. “Is this it? Is this the artifact that Korsan wants to use to make himself into an alicorn?” Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy join by their friend’s sides and gaze upon the magnificent treasure. “Shiny.” Pinkie comments. “It most certainly is.” “What do you think will happen if you touch the water?” Fluttershy gently asks. “It looks weird.” “I’m not sure. I don’t think we should try touching it, something bad might happ-” Twilight immediately cuts herself off as the sounds of distant voices echo across the paddling of the fountain water and into her ears. “Shhh, I hear somepony,” Stealthily, the purple alicorn hovers over to the other side of the flat with her wings and peaks over a boulder to the origin of the noises. Her jaw drops as her eyes gaze upon over the seventy pirate ponies that came with Korsan to Alicorn Island, all gathered around an unseen event going on at the water’s edge. Twilight’s eyes dart to most of the visible swashbucklers and get a good look at their gleaming weapons strapped to them, ranging from swords, to crossbows, to axes, to maces, to daggers, to more abnormal weapons that the spying alicorn had only read about in books. She turns around to the approaching friends and frantically whispers, “It’s them! It’s Korsan!” “What?” Pinkie exclaims, “Let me see.” The pink mare pokers her head above the hiding boulder and sees the mass gathering. “I don’t see Korsan.” “Shhh, I think I hear them talking.” The three ponies set themselves firm onto the iron chunk and silently watch as the pirates talk amongst another. “Hey!” Alexander proclaims near the center of the mob, “Make some room! Make a hole! They’re coming back!” The crowd quickly backs away and parts to make a clear path of view between the spies and the activity that’s going on. There, at the edge of the calm waters, stiffly lay Korsan and Rarity, with the white mare being tightly held to the captain’s exposed chest. “Rarity!” Twilight silently screams. The two damp ponies stay motionless for several seconds before a faint collection of groans can be heard. The large brown mass starts to move first, sliding off of Rarity and collapsing onto the sand. Korsan then releases a horrific cough from his throat, spewing a bit of water out as well. Rarity soon follows as she begins to roll in her place while coughing small gags and spitting drops of water from deep inside her systems. The pirate captain then cements on of his hooves into the loose floor and pushes himself upward, opening his icy eye to examine his blurry surroundings. The stallion then speaks in a scratchy voice, “This is most certainly not Heaven if you are all here.” “Captain!” The crew cheers, jumping up and down in place to see their leader is back with his sense of humour still intact. With his ears catching Rarity’s soft coughing, Korsan turns his attention towards the white mare, reaching out his other front hoof and gently grabbing her shoulder. “Miss Rarity?” Upon unleashing a powerful bark to finishing clearing her throat, Rarity’s bright eyes open up to his him before answering, “Y-yes Captain?” “Thank goodness you’re still alive. Rest here,” “Aye,” Slowly, the pegasus unsteadily picks himself up onto his hind legs and takes a brief moment to check the current situation. “So, where are we?” “Unsure Captain,” Horus explains, “we’ve been taking care of you and Rarity.” “And how is the crew?” “All well and accounted for.” “Well, wherever we are, we made it without too much trouble. And you wanted me to blow up this place, how ridiculous.” “Ridiculous?! You and Rarity nearly died.” “We weren’t going to die. Seeing our lives flash before our eyes? Probably,” “Do you think this is a game?!” Isyan yells as Juliana aggressively pecks and screeches at her holder, “You must be going absolutely mad if you’re really trying to blow this off with your cockiness. Ow!” “No, I just prefer to see everything in a better light unlike you. And what the hay did you do to Juliana? She’s going nuts on ya,” “I didn’t do-Jack!” “What can I do?” The stallion known as Jack responds from the back. “Get this parrot off of me!” Korsan rolls his eye and scoffs, “Sheesh. Come Juliana.” Promptly, the large bird flies onto her master’s shoulder, chittering into his ear. “Take it easy, take it easy.” Slowly, the captain paces up the hill and towards and around the other side of the lead boulder Twilight and the others are hiding behind. “Quite an interesting cave, a bit rough around the edges, but nothing a bit of dusting and a decent chisel can’t fix.” As his one eye peers over the sand hill to the gazebo in its whole, the pirate pegasus stops on the spot. His jaws turn into mush and drop, his mechanical systems lock, his pupil grows into that of a child’s wish come true. “…” “What is it?” “I-I-I-I found it. There it is. There it is! There! It! Is!” Swiftly, the other crew members hustle up the sand dune and see the fountain as well. “The Fountain of Balance! I found it! We found it! We all found it! After over five years, it has finally payed off! Ha, ha, ha!” “You found it?!” A surprisingly familiar voice echoes over the iron boulder to the unseen Twilight and company. The purple alicorn snaps her head over to the right side of the rock and sees Applejack and Applebloom, walking right alongside the others to look at the legendary fountain. Overcome with rage, surprise, confusion, and a million other emotions, Twilight screams out without any regards to secrecy, “Applejack?!” The orange pony, as well as everypony else, looks back and sees the trio of mares. “Twilight?!” “Twilight?!” Rainbow Dash exclaims from her hovering log. Twilight looks over to sees the trapped Rainbow Dash and instantly uses her magic to shed to ropes to pieces. Now freed, Dash kicks Chopin in the back of the head as she flies down alongside the trio of heroes. “Twilight?!” Korsan roars as he reaches for his cutlasses, “I will not be stopped now! Attack!”
The ShowdownIn an instant, ten layers of magic aura wrap around Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie and are all lifted into the air. “You aren’t hindering my progress this time, Princess Twilight.” The trapped alicorn merely returns the threat with a small grin and replies, “Let’s see about that.” Her horn then lights up brightly, charging for a powerful spell. “Take in arms!” Twilight then fires off her spell, and a bright green flash of light encapsulates the entire chamber in the blinking glow for a second. The light dies down quickly and reveals the mares, now free from the magic and standing strong, ready to fight. The unicorn army attempts to lift their weapons and the mares once more in their magic, only for their horns to stay dim. “Where did you learn that anti-magic pulse spell?” “Same place where we learned this!” Twilight suddenly leaps forward into the enemy mob and strikes Lazarus in the face with a powerful punch, sending him into the fine sand. The surrounding pirates go for her and fling their hooves. Twilight ducks the hooks. She flaps her wings onto the ground and launches her upwards. The force of the launch flings the pirates back into the others. Rainbow Dash then charges in rapid flight and rams into the fallen mass. “Fight them you idiots! The effects only last for a minute or two.” A pirate stallion runs at her from behind and grabs her from the back. Dash quickly flies up and slams down her grabber into the dirt. Another stallion comes with a dagger in his hoof. He throws it forcefully at her. The cyan mare leaps over it. The pirate then throws a hoof at her landing. She grabs it and head-butts the pirate, knocking him off. Yin and Yu then rush at her sides and grab onto her outstretched wings. The three fighters fall onto the floor. Rainbow Dash however recovers and rapidly spirals her back on the sand. The brothers lose grip and are flung to the opposite ends of the grotto. Dash then taunts. “Is that the best you-” She is interrupted by Juliana bashing herself into the mare’s upward stomach. The two fighters immediately then take flight and chase each other around the room. The pegasus and phoenix trade blows as they rapidly lap around. Juliana attempts to spiral into Rainbow. Dash attempts to buck and slam the bird. The stone walls of the cave turn into glaciers and an artic wind spirals, causing a sandstorm to form. With a pursuing army of fifteen pirates behind her, Pinkie Pie is running around the sandy isle with all of her speed. One of the pursuers, Maria, exclaims, “I feel like we got our magic back. Grab her!” “I can’t!” Alexander beside her retorts, “The sand’s too thick. It’s getting into my eyes even, I can’t think straight! Somepony can use their crossbow though.” “Then use it!” “Ryan!” “Got it!” Swiftly, Aran grabs his crossbow in his magic and aims it at the mare. However, before he can fire it right at her, a large gust of sand blankets over his sight. Blindly, the stallion fires. The storm wave breaks in the wake of the arrow to reveal the absence of Pinkie. “What the?” Quickly, the troop of fifteen pans out across the area. With the sounds of distant fighting and the icy sand kicking around, even screams are barely audible. “Where is she?” Maria demands to her fellow pirates. No response is heard, prompting her too look around to see what’s with them. She only counts ten others though. As she glances over to Alexander, sifting through the beach below him. Suddenly, a mysterious force yanks him under with only a poof of dust in his wake. The white pirate jumps and pulls out her knife. Maria then looks over to the others. One by one, the stallions and mares slip under the sand, each only releasing a yelp upon disappearing. A soft rumble is felt from right below. Instantly, Maria stabs into the loose sand multiple times and furiously stamps her hooves for a good number of seconds. “I know you’re down there!” “Who?” A bubbly voice speaks from behind the mare. Maria attempts to look behind her, only to see a pink hoof grab her face and drag her entire body under the sand in one swift motion. Twilight returns from her flight in the black ceiling and is instantly surrounded by thirty pirates with their weapons at the ready and Korsan completely out of sight from the gazebo. Three pirates charge their cutlasses at her. Twilight in turn raises magic brick walls from the ground and jams the weapons inside. The walls then collapse onto the three pirates plus six others next to them. A small stallion drops from above and lands on Twilight’s back. The teenager pony then holds a small knife up to the front of the alicorn’s throat. Five more pirates crawl over the dissipating rubble and approach Twilight with their weapons. Thinking quickly, Twilight bites the small blade. She snaps her neck around, flinging the stallion into the incoming enemies in a spiral. Upon knocking back the last one, she then positions the rider to her back and bucks him off. A female pirate then runs up behind her and strikes her weapon into Twilight’s cheek. The purple mare shrieks as the corner of her eye spots the bladed polearm barely slicing into her flesh. In response, her adjacent wing wraps around the wooden staff and pushes its hilt back into the mare’s chest. With now her new weapon at the ready, Twilight grabs the weapon with her magic and slings it around herself. A large stallion leaps over at her, only to be smashed back by the blunt side of the metal head and dislodging it from the pole. The thirteen remaining opponents watch as Twilight prepares her staff by holding it to a defensive position. The princess then motions with her hoof for them to come. “Twilight,” a familiar mare’s voice then calls out to her, “please stop.” Slowly, a white unicorn in a blue dress makes her way through the hoard and reveals herself to Twilight. “Rarity, are you with them?” “It doesn’t matter. Back down now, I don’t want you to get hurt.” “This is your one and only chance Rarity. Prove yourself a friend or foe. Get out of my way,” “This is your one and only chance Twilight. Keep out of this. Get out of our way,” “You traitor, you did join him.” “For the right reasons,” Rarity’s strong voice at this point has turned into a plea, “please. As your friend, just get out of here.” Twilight remains silent for a second, only to then slowly raise her weapon at Rarity’s chin. “Never.” “Very well then, I tried to be merciful” The white mare coldly replies as she pulls out a long rapier from a sheath belted around her waist, “but if I am your enemy, then you are my enemy.” The two mares, once friends, aim their weapons at each other and slowly begin to circle each other. The remaining thirteen slowly back away in respect of this upcoming duel. However, a small pink mare charges at Twilight with her claymore swinging left to right. Twilight reacts by knocking aside the large sword and tossing up the pirate by the pole end high into the air. “Rainbow, take care of this one!” “Got it!” Dash replies. As the teenage unicorn flies above the ground, Rainbow Dash swoops across the top and grabs her midair with Juliana still in pursuit. The filly squeals and bucks around inside the pegasus’ grip as they spiral the chamber. “Quit squirming!” “Make me!” The feisty pony barks before disappearing in a flash of light. The pink mare reappears right above Dash and grabs onto her rainbow mane. “Ow! Not cool, not lady-like, not fair!” “I have the power you inferior. You will listen to-” The cyan mare suddenly stops herself and ducks her body. The speeding ice phoenix doesn’t however, and slams into the pirate and encases her in a layer of thick ice. The two girls are then sent hurdling down into the moat with the blue hero alone in the air. “Ha!” Her victory is cut short however as a metal bolt whizzes right past her mane and stabs the ice wall behind. Rainbow quickly turns her head back down to the cave floor and sees Korsan on an iron boulder with his crossbow aimed at her. Swiftly, Dash dodges the next shot and soars directly at him and avoiding the next three fired bolts. “Is that the best you go-” Korsan’s metal elbow joint rams into Rainbow Dash’s incoming face. The mare’s senses shut down for a second as she crashes into the golden sand below. The pirate captain gently slides down the large hunk of metal and pulls out his serrated cutlasses as his rival regains herself. “You’ll pay for that!” Korsan merely chuckles and responds, “And you’ll pay for rusting my gears with your sweaty head. These were custom made just so you know.” “Enough talk, more fighting. I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time!” The two fighters immediately lung at each other and promptly start fighting. The pegasus mare soars around the stallion and performs dive attacks. The bipedal pirate deflects the dives with his blades and swings back at her. Dash avoids the slashes with her speed. The two rivals continue to fight each other like this, putting each other on the edge. Each of their motions is sharpened to their fastest. Each swing is forced to their strongest. The sounds of metal banging into hooves and sand being kicked around rattles the area in a rapid beat faster than a grand military’s drumroll. Rainbow lands onto the floor and bucks her legs in Korsan’s gut, knocking him back into an iron boulder. As the pirate slowly gets up, Rainbow Dash runs at him once more. “So, it’s going to be like this.” Meanwhile, at the edge of the small island, Fluttershy is sneaking away from any pirates and hides herself behind a boulder. Hearing the roaring of battle behind her, the yellow pegasus shrivels into a ball as she fears for both her and her friends’ sakes. However, her moment of peace is cut short as she sees two yellow unicorns slowly approaching her from each side, both with ear to ear grins. Fluttershy instinctively backs away and into the shallow water, only to be stopped by the cave wall behind. As the two pirates unveil their katanas from their backs and are now at breathing distance from her, the mare shrieks and covers her eyes. She waits a few seconds for the inevitable to come, but much to her disbelief, the two stallions haven’t stuck her down yet. A muffled chitter instead is heard. Curious, Fluttershy opens her vision to see the stallions backed up a metre from her and are now whispering to each other. “Are you going to do it?” One of them asks. “No, I’m not going to hit her, you do it!” The other retorts. “No, you, it isn’t chivalrous to hit a mare who’s probably peed herself out of fear.” “You don’t think I know that? Why do we even need to hit her?” “To show the others that we aren’t complete wimps,” “And hitting a mare in her current position will show them?” “Look, I got a lot of lip from Ivan from our moment in the Breach. I’m not saying that we should break our code. We’re just, roughing her up a little.” “Well I’m not going to do it.” “Earth-wings-horn?” “Loser hits.” Quickly, the duo face each other and stretch their right hooves forward, speaking, “Earth…” They then stretch their head back and act as if they’re displaying their non-existent wings, “Wings…” The two then aim their horns at each other’s’ nearly touching them, “Horn… Shoot!” Instantly, the left keeps his horn in place while the other reaches out his hoof. “Ha!” The right stallion silently cheers, “Earth buries horn.” “No, horn beats Earth.” “Horn grabs wings, wings ruffle Earth, and Earth buries horn, that’s how it works.” “What are you talking about? Horn always wins in our case.” “Go! You lost.” “I’m not-I’m not going to punch her.” “Just shove her or something, give her a quick hustle and then we’ll grab her.” “Fine, fine,” Defeated, the losing walks up to the stiff onlooker. He then raises his hooves, but is immediately caught off-guard by a direct left hook to the cheek by Fluttershy. The stallion immediate collapses into the water and hollers in pain with his hooves muffling the full intensity of the shout. “Holy gods!” “Sorry!” Fluttershy frantically, yet gently speaks in reaction to the now petrified pony. The mare then turns to the remaining pirate, who immediately starts running at her in frenzy. “You’ll regret tha-” Fluttershy then moves out of the way and guides the rampaging stallion into the wall, also causing him to fall into the water in burning pain.” “Sorry! Only meant it in self-defense!” As Fluttershy walks away from the groaning stallions, a band of five more pirates run at her from the stone top. The pegasus mare prepares herself as she faces the mob of unicorns. “This is going to hurt me more that it’s going to hurt you…” As Rainbow Dash and Korsan continue to trade blows, the two fighters begin to grow weary. Thinking fast, Dash breaks the cycle and rapidly flies around the pirate at rapid speeds, causing a whirlwind of sand to surround and blind him. She then flies a fair distance away to catch her breath. Soon, the small tornado dies down and Korsan bursts from the remaining veils of sand with a fair bit of it in his mouth, which he promptly spits out. Panting, the two pegasi stare at each other several metres apart, thinking about strategies in how to beat each other. With his opponent already feeling refreshed and is now walking towards him, Korsan drops his swords and massages his hooves. His mental gears shift at a rapid pace, distorting his perception of time as he thinks, This mustn’t register to an emotional level. As the captain slowly walks to Dash, his left lower hoof claws extend and sift around in the sand below. First, blind target. His bottom claw immediate grabs a fistful of sand. Korsan then quickly kicks his hoof forward, spraying golden sand all over the blue mare. Target will now attempt blind jab. Deflect with arm. Blindly, Dash strikes her hoof forward at the captain’s stomach. Korsan responsibly knocks the hoof aside. And double back onto target’s chin. Korsan swings the outstretched front hoof into Dash’s chin, kicking her back a half-metre with a powerful hook punch. Make presence known with a flap of the cape and chuckle. With a grin planted on his face, the brown pegasus swishes his black cape in front of Dash whilst giving a light, audible laugh between his pearly white teeth. A wave of intimidation and ager surges into the mare’s head. Rainbow Dash then charges forward in the air to deliver a head-butt. Counter aerial attack with cape whip. Korsan flicks his long robe at the blue pony and smacks her across the chest with a powerful snap. Dash now plummets straight at him. Compliment with upper cut. With a clenched set of metal claws, the pirate pegasus strikes his hoof into the bottom of Rainbow Dash’s chin. The mare falls back and smacks headfirst into the sandy floor. Intimidate target. Drawing his two swords from the ground, he aimlessly swings the blades at Dash. Already pulsing in pain, Dash backs away from the fake attacks in alarm. Target will attempt a sneak-around. Grab tail. Sensing some form of pattern, Rainbow Dash darts around the hurling blades. Korsan tosses his swords aside. She dashes to the captain’s back, but is quickly grabbed by the rainbow tail. Deploy Triple Hulk-Bust. Now tightly grabbing her, Korsan swings his arm around him as he trudges forward. He smashes his target into the sand at a powerful force three times before throwing her at the boulder ahead. Target will try to recover. Cancel with kick to barrel. As Rainbow Dash thrusts herself forward from the iron rock, Korsan stops her with a kick in the gut and smashes her back against the boulder. Weaken with Rabbit Kick to ribs. The pirate then follows this up with a series of kicks to Dash each time she bounces from the metal giant. Everytime the mare feels as if she can escape, a powerful metal kick is given to her melting chest and is knocked back into the wall behind, bashing her spine into it each time. Target will attempt to break the cycle with a sweeping dive. Counter with axe kick to the nape. As the mare is knocked back from the iron boulder, she dives under Korsan’s legs. Korsan raises a lower hoof up to his head and smashes it down into the back of the mare’s neck, pinning her in place. Finish target with upward lift and right hook. The bottom claws then grab Rainbow’s neck and throws her up to the bipedal pony’s eye level. Korsan finishes off Dash by smashing her in the jaw with a devastating swinging punch. She is launched into the shallow moat headfirst and stays there as bubbles flow from the unseen face. In summary: Four cracked ribs, mild concussion, dislocated jaw, crick to the nape, several, stomach ulcers, three broken spine segments, weakened skull, and a destroyed ego, all within sixty seconds and no overclocking required. Slowly, Korsan walks over to his fallen foe and lifts her head up by the rainbow coloured mane. A large red bruise can be seen on Dash’s cheek as the rest of her face remains limp and practically lifeless. “You’ll live,” Korsan coldly taunts at his foe, “for a second.” Shifting his grip to her neck, the pirate captain heads back to his dropped weapons and grabs a serrated cutlass. He then positions the blade to Dash’s neck, only gently rubbing the bruising with the sharp edge of his sword. A deep moan escapes from the pain-stricken mare’s vocals as Korsan prepares to finish her off. “Captain! Don’t!” A voice hollers from afar. Turning his head, Korsan sees it’s Applejack and Applebloom running towards him. Knowing of their close relationship with Rarity, Korsan reluctantly lets go of Rainbow Dash, letting her drop to the ground. “Apologies, I got carried away.” One of the crew members then comes hurdling at him from the air. Quick to respond, Korsan grabs the mare with his free arm and sets her down. Looking towards where the mare was tossed, the bipedal pegasus sees Rarity and Twilight fighting in a wide circle of pirates. Quickly, the captain runs pass the incoming Earth ponies towards the top of the hill. “I can’t believe you!” Twilight exclaims as she swings down her wooden pole at Rarity’s head. Rarity retorts as the staff is caught with her hovering rapier, “Can’t believe me? I can’t believe you! Trying to hurt me, your friend!” “Friend?! Your support Korsan’s plans to wipe out almost all of ponykind!” “No! I’ve been trying to talk him out of it!” “Why should I believe you? After two weeks of being with him, how should I know you’re still loyal to me?” “That’s the thing I always hated about you Twilight. You’re so insistent on taking down the ‘villain’, which you jump to putting everypony on a black and white scale.” “Look who’s calling the kettle black? You practically hurdled yourself on his side when he probably gave you that fancy getup!” “He’s worked hard for this!” “So have we!” Rarity grabs Twilight’s pole and stabs it into the thick sand. She swings her sword, but Twilight dodges it. With the two sides fighting for control of it, the alicorn grabs onto the embedded staff and swings herself around on it. Sliding her hooves around the handle, Twilight kicks her legs as she loops around the group. Several of the onlookers are kicked back or scamper away. Rarity meanwhile ducks the rotations and catches Twilight with a swift, yet gentle knock in the stomach. Twilight slips from her post and falls into the sand headfirst beside Rarity, who is now holding her rapier’s tip behind Twilight’s neck. “I’d rather live a happy life as a pirate, then live a shameful life under the power of you Princess Twilight Sparke.” “Shame?” Twilight sputters with a mouthful of cold sand, “Where’s the shame with stealing from the innocent? Where’s the shame of abandoning your home, your family, your career? Where’s the shame in devoting yourself to a murdered? Where’s the shame in all of that?” “…” “Exactly,” “…I want to sort things out. I want to help Korsan. But the only way I’m going to get my words, our words of peace through to him is if he’s happy. You know as well as I do that Korsan’s stubborn from all of this trauma he went through as a colt. We could change him if I can get him to hear me.” “And what happens when he hears you? What if he doesn’t like it? You’ve seen it. He won’t hesitate to kill a crew member of his. So what say you now?” “I can try. I will take a risk.” “…” “Trust me.” “I can’t. I won’t let you risk your life. It’s best that I end his reign of terror now before he even touches that fountain.” Twilight then swipes her hooves across Rarity, knocking her to the ground. The princess then grabs a cutlass lying next to her and holds it to the fallen unicorn. “Stay put.” A shock suddenly hits Twilight as the corner of her eye and the hairs of her neck sense the toothed tip of a large cutlass aimed at her. “Quite,” the owner’s voice strongly declares, “stay put.” “Korsan Maden,” “Twilight Sparkle, after only coming across each other for the second time in two weeks, and you’re already trying to spill her guts out.” “I’m not, I’m keeping her safe from you.” “I have kept her safe over the past weeks for much longer than you have, and under more perilous conditions may I add.” “Because of you kidnapping her. This isn’t about Rarity though. It’s between you and me, me wanting to put an end your nefarious schemes Korsan, and put you to justice.” “Well put, though I prefer to call my goals, ‘revolutionary’.” “You can call them whatever you want, I’ll still stop them before you hurt anypony else from this point on.” “Very well then, let us see you try ma’am.” With a flicker of light, Twilight teleports away from Korsan and faces him with her sword aimed at his. Now free, Rarity backs away from the two opposing fighters as they wait for the perfect moment to fight. The air soon turns silent, with only the gentle breezes of kicked-up sand making a sound. As the stallion prepares to make the first step, the sounds of his crew roaring can be heard from behind him. He head slightly turns to his back, as he takes witness to the remaining able-bodied pirates chasing Fluttershy. “Sea artists!” The stampede promptly halts their chase and turns their attention to their leader. “Firing squad on Twilight!” Upon given the command, the thirty unicorns line up side by side and aim their horns at Twilight. Thirty unique colours illuminate the room, as Twilight and Korsan shift their attention between the lineup and each other. “This is completely unfair.” “Said the alicorn. Fire!” Korsan immediately sprints forward at his newest target with his single weapon poised to strike, and the grotto is immediately filled by sparks and bolts of magic. Twilight lunges at Korsan as well with her cutlass ready. The stallion and mare clash blades with a massive clang and immediately back away to avoid a volley of magic. The two then enter a focused battle between their blades as they maneuver their physical bodies to dodge the firing squad. Korsan speeds around and attempts to slash Twilight’s legs. Twilight leaps over the swipes and kicks sand at the pirate. Korsan blows the sand away with his cape. The brown stallion deflects several bolts from loose shards of shiny iron from the floor towards Twilight. The purple mare blocks them off by dispersing tiny magic shields. While Twilight is busy, Korsan snaps her cape at Twilight’s chest. Like a whip, Twilight’s flesh immediately burns as she fights off the powerful pirate and his distant crew. Not even a moan of pain can escape her as her lungs and muscles have stiffened to their tightest. Their swords and bodies continue to slam into each other repeatedly with all of their might. Rapid sprays of magic have turned the dark cavern into an insane lightning storm. From behind an iron boulder, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie, watch in absolute dumbfound as the two fighters dart across the arena and fight each other with the finest of precision and grace. “Impossible!” Korsan chokes from his collapsing lungs, “How are you able to keep up with me?!” Twilight croaks in response, “Because I fight for what is right!” “Fate is right, fate is always right. And fate is on my side!” As the firing unicorns begin to tire from their continuous barrage, Twilight and Korsan charge into each other once more and lock their blades together, pressing their bodies against each other and holding lift their weapons up to each other’s neck. White sparks pour out from the grinding metal tools like a waterfall, and the sharp edges of the swords draw closer and closer to the flesh necks of the pony wielders. “You know, you could easily teleport away and kill me from afar. I can see that strap around your horn is all empty of anti-magic. I can’t do anything if you were to cast some magic spell on yourself. I have to stay her and keep my weapon at your throat and keep myself alive. You want this to end don’t you?” “Why are you telling me this?” “Prove my point Twilight. Prove that you magic-users are superior to us inferiors. Try me! Do it! Prove it!” At that moment, Twilight’s fighting spirit is enraged with spite, and she remains to hold herself close to Korsan and the blade lock. “Unicorns, pegasi, and Earth ponies are equal!” “You think you’ve caught onto some sort of trick of mine? I’m handing victory to you on a golden platter! Finish me!” “I will not teleport!” “Then you will die!” “Never!” “Twilight!” Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy exclaim as the two mares run up to Twilight. “No! Don’t! Stay back!” Twilight immediately loses focus on her cutlass as her friends reach Korsan’s rear. Noticing less resistance to his front, Korsan springs into action. He leaps up into the air and reaches his hind claws out at the incoming mares’ throats. His free front hoof wraps around Twilight’s neck as the pegasus rises. Within an insistent, the three heroes are lifted into the air by their throats and slammed onto the hard golden sand. Upon landing, the pirate captain kicks the two rear ponies square in the chest and launch them several metres back. He then pulls his disarmed rival to his chest and faces her front of the neck to the edge of his prepared sword. His claws slither up the side of Twilight’s sweat covered face, and constrict themselves around her horn. With a wide panting grin on his face, Korsan leans his head towards Twilight’s flopping ear and whispers, “Touché… Well, close enough to a hit.” The exhausted mare only heavily pants in response. Her eyelids become heavy, every inch of her body is burning, and her vision of Korsan’s sword begins to fade into black. The fainting sensation slowly flows through her body as it can only stand on its hind legs. “...You…” Twilight breaths out as her lungs fold in on themselves. “You what?” “…Y-you are g-going to k-k-kill so many innocent l-li-lives-s. You-you know t-th-t-that…” Twilight then succumbs to the exhaustion of her body as she slumps over towards Korsan’s sword. The stallion pulls away the blade though, and lets the mare fall onto the beach with a graceful thud. “I do.” “K-Korsan,” Rarity whimpers as she walks out from behind her metal wall. “Don’t worry, she isn’t dead, just in a short-lived state of unconsciousness.” Korsan calmly replies, “Pity really, for such a beautiful creature, to be just as equally vile.” “Not that, but thanks still,” “What is it then?” “Did you really mean what you said? Were you really instigating her to kill you?” “…I was.” “Why? How would that type of a bluff help you?” “It wasn’t if what you define as ‘helping’ is keeping me alive.” “Then why? Why were you so willing to throw your life away? It scares me,” “It should Ms. Rarity. There are still so many things you don’t know about me, things that neither you, nor even I, should know about.” “…” “Don’t worry. I hope that that side of me never shows itself again. For now, let’s return to our quest. Somepony, give me a status report on the crew?” “A few of them are incapacity sir,” one of the mare pirates from the firing squad answers in a light gasp for air after exhausting herself with the magic barrage, “fifteen are missing.” “Where are they?” Immediately, a series of hooves burst from the sandy floor, soon followed by the fifteen mares and stallions that pursued Pinkie, bursting out of the golden ground. “Oh, there they are.” “That pink demon,” Maria gasps as she spits out a small stream of sand out of her dry mouth, “is she-” “She’s been taken care of.” “She dragged us,” Alexander frantically speaks in a subtle panic, “she dragged us deep under the floor, into some, admittedly-roomy chamber made of sand.” “Huh,” Maria adds, “We had to dig ourselves out through a metre of thick sand above us.” “Well, it’s a good thing yous all got out. Go capture the resistors and tend to the injured. Same goes with the rest of you thirty, move out.” “Yes Captain.” As the large group parts away into separate sections of the grotto, Korsan returns his attention to the Fountain of Balance, and a warm wave of victory instantly pulses through his tired form. “Yes, there you are.” Slowly, the pirate pegasus walks into the stone grotto and examines the golden fountain right in front of him. Without a single grain of sand having spilled into the pure, blue water, Korsan looks at his reflection from the liquid. He stares into it for a while as his mind begins to trail off and think about everything that has built up to this moment. “The battles, the struggles, the adventures, the depression, the bouts of insanity, the fear, the rage, the abuse, the neglect, the isolation the teasing, the pushing, the work, the pain, all of it put together for over twenty years. All of it has led me here.” With Rarity slowly approaching his side, Korsan kneels down to the rim of the golden shower and sees encryptions carved into the spring. “Interesting…” “What do they say?” Rarity asks. Korsan takes a moment to translate most of the writing before answering, “’Behold this spring, the Fountain of Balance, to bless thee with thy magic of thy horn, thy flight of thy wings, and thy might of thy size. It waters remain pure for the vastness of eternity and furthermore. Yet, before thou shall bathe or even take beverage of these waters, let thou be known this. If thy sky is not faultless, thou shall not take. If thy self-temple is not aged well, thou shall not take. If thy acceptance is unwilled, thou shall not take. If thy fate be blackened with greed and sin, thou shall not take. This is the utmost of thy warnings. May only the pure of core, soul, figure, and mind take from this spring, and may thou use thy power for good will to all. The Law of Equivalence reigns above all, no matter what form or fate.’” “Are you sure you want to go through with this? There were a lot of warnings.” “…” “Please, think about it. Think about what you have done and what you will do after this.” “…I know what I’m doing. This will change my fate for the better. Equivalence my boot, I’ve spent enough of my sanity on getting here, I deserve payment.” “Okay.” Gently, Korsan reaches under his cape and pulls out a small grail made of gold and lined with clear diamonds. As he sets the drinking cup into the blue waters, the top of the fountain lights up and a bright blue beam of light surges from the fountain and through the hole in the ceiling. Everypony turns to see the magnificent magic glow bathe the entire grotto in illuminance. Korsan quickly fills the goblet and pulls it out from the waters. The light beam still remains. Seeing as the light doesn’t do anything to them, Korsan and Rarity gasp in relief, with the pirate captain tightly holding onto the grail without letting a single drop still. Triumphantly, Korsan holds the cup up into the air as if toasting to the fountain. “On this day forward, let the entire known world know of me, the terror of earth, sea, and air, the ultimate pirate captain, Captain Korsan Maden!” With his lips puckered and his throat set to drink, Korsan lifts the golden chalice to his mouth and slowly drinks the blue liquid. Quickly, the pure water flows through Korsan’s body, he can feel a rush of energy and power pumping into every aspect of his body. He and the onlookers wait to see their leader transform into an alicorn. Everything goes silent for a solid minute. However, after waiting for a long while, the rejuvenating feeling comes to an end. Korsan immediately becomes thunderstruck as he sees that his body has not changed at all. “What?”
It Doesn’t Work!“W-what?” Korsan stampers as he looks over the rippling water of the Fountain of Balance. With the golden goblet still held in his iron grip, the pirate captain scoops another cupful of water and drinks it down in a single chug. He shakes his body around a bit and waits for the legendary effects take effects on his body. After a minute of waiting and anticipation, nothing happens still. “It doesn’t work!” “What do you mean it doesn’t work?” Isyan asks in confusion. “I mean it doesn’t work! I’m not an alicorn!” “Is there something wrong with the fountain?” “Is it that anti-magic you have on your suit?” Alexander asks. “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” Ryan asks. Korsan exclaims in response to Alexander, “Wait, the suit!” Frantically, the bipedal stallion begins to claw at his metal parts. Grunts of pain and strain escape from his throat as the tight mechanisms across his body snap and buckle, but still hold firm to him. “Korsan!” Rarity exclaims as she watches her captain rip himself apart. “Gotta get this thing off!” Applejack and Applebloom slowly climb up to the stone top of the grotto, curious and fearful of what’s going on. “Are you okay?” Applejack nervously asks. “Don’t you touch that fountain! I’m becoming an alicorn first!” As Korsan examines his attire, he notices the large anti-magic container in the center of his harness. Quickly, he reaches out his long claws at his chest and scratches into the center piece. The liquid anti-magic pours out of his harness, as well as the rest of his suit, all across the stone floor, filling in the cracks with its green glow. “I’ll have to refill at the ship after this.” Slowly, gallons of liquid flow from the captain’s system as he prances around the golden spring. He impatiently waits for a long minute, waiting for every last drop to pour out and make himself pure. “Please,” he pants as he hangs his head over the basin of holy water, “don’t fail me. Not after all of what I’ve done to get here.” Seeing her friend’s distress, Rarity gently places her bandaged hoof onto Korsan’s hunched over shoulder. He gives an aside glance to her before shrugging off the comforting hoof. “Just so you know Captain,” Rarity calmly speaks to the stressing stallion, “even if this doesn’t work, I’ll still be here for you.” The captain hesitates before solemnly replying, “…No, this has to work. It must work. It will work.” As the final droplet of substance falls to the damp rock bottom, Korsan returns his glance at the fountain. He slowly scoops the water up into his grail. He drinks from it once more. A few loose drips escape from the stallion’s lips and soak into his heaving chest. He once again waits in silence, holding back his impatience for as long as he can. Everypony watches in stiffness as well, not daring to twitch a muscle. Twilight eventually comes back to her senses amidst the quiet, softly moaning and barely opening her eyes to see the statue that is Korsan. Korsan continues to waits long and keep his figure form, but to no avail during this time. Eventually, his claws begin to twitch, his eye starts to rapidly blink, and the gears in his suit jump to whir into speed. One by one, the brain stems in Korsan’s head pop one by one as rage and humiliation starts to pump into his steaming blood. His dark brown coat of fur soon saturates into a burning red brown mat. His breathing speeds up from long and slow lungsful into rapid and shallow hyperventilation. A small tickle of a twisted giggle escapes from his gritting teeth. “Korsan? Are you well?” The white unicorn beside him slowly, uneasily asks. “Hehe, this has to be some cruel joke right? Perhaps some delayed effect? That could be it, yeah, yeah. Perhaps I need to actually bathe in it!” Rapidly, the pirate leaps into the fountain basin with a large splash and begins to push himself below in rapid dives. “Come on. Come on. Come on! Work!” “Korsan, please calm down!” “I will not! Applejack! Get over here! Now!” Carefully, the orange Earth pony approaches the edge of the fountain, keeping a fair distance from Korsan. Seeing the goblet Korsan dropped in his rage now floating towards her, Applejack turns at the frantic stallion and asks, “Do you want me to-” “Just do it!” Carefully, the mare picks up the half-filled chalice with her hooves and holds it up to her mouth. Slowly, Applejack drinks the pure blue water from the cup, only to experience no changes to her body either. “It isn’t working.” “No!” Korsan angrily smashes his metal fists into the rim of the fountain, denting the golden metal. He slowly then lays his body over the edge of the pool as the feeling of utter sadness and defeat take place of his fury. His body winces and twitches as he lays there, with the sounds of sniffling and sobbing echoing across the walls of the grotto. His cheeks turn bright red as trails of tears run down them from both of his eyes. “No-no, no, no… No, this can’t be… This can’t be… This can’t be!” Applejack and Rarity soon follows as a few sniffs escape her nose. “You mean, this was all for nothin’?” “…” “I’m so sorry.” Rarity quietly cries, pitying her leader. She gently rests her quivering chin on the pegasus’ head. Korsan slowly reacts by wrapping his arms around her upper back. “…Why? Why does it always have to be me?” “I don’t know.” “…I-I want to go home…” The surrounding crew members slowly advance towards the fountain as well, most of them showing their sorrow for their leader. As Isyan coldly watches over his weeping cousin, he can’t help but to feel a single tear swell up in his right eye. “…That’s it. That was my only shot at being able to harness magic. And all it was was a blank volley over the edge of the world.” “I’m so, so sorry. Is there another way?” “No, the only other way is ascension. But that’s impossible. Only the most powerful of magic users can do it. No unicorn on the face of this world, Tartarus, or Heaven, can match the magical supremacy required. And alicorns are almost myth at this… point…” With a snap of the neck, Korsan’s head turns to face Twilight, who is now stumbling to get up onto her hooves. “Alicorn,” Rarity looks over to Twilight as well. A bad feeling in her gut arises as she figures out what Korsan is thinking. “Korsan,” “Twilight Sparkle…” “Korsan, please don’t hurt her.” The pirate captain doesn’t acknowledge Rarity’s request as he rises from the fountain and walks towards Twilight. With a cutlass still between his claws, Korsan flips the sword into an icepick grip with a wide smile growing on his face. “Korsan don’t!” “Come here ya pretty little pony,” Seeing the fearsome pirate approach her in such a mincing fashion, the Twilight fearfully backs away from him before hitting a giant iron bounder at her back. With her senses still returning, the confused mare frantically sputters in panic as the monster raises his blade high above his head. “Stop it!” Rarity grabs Korsan’s tail with her magic and yanks him away from Twilight. “No!” With a quick burst of rage, Korsan swipes his open hoof at the white mare, causing her to back away and release him. The pegasus returns to Twilight and thrusts his sword downward. “No!” An ear-piercing shriek of grinding metal ruptures across the grotto. Twilight, panting in absolute shock, sees the long weapon deeply stabbed into the boulder, only an inch away from her left eye. Rarity watches in shock and terror as her joints lock up. Words finally come to Twilight and she instantly whimpers, “K-K-Korsan.” “Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Korsan replies in a classy, yet frustrated tone, “I’ve entered a bit of a predicament. You see, the fountain isn’t working, and I’m not an alicorn. And well, the only way I can become one now is if you, an alicorn yourself, casts an ascension spell onto me.” The frozen mare stays silent as she recollects herself from the startling experiences of her wake up. A minute passes as Twilight watches the pirate pegasus pace back and forth in front of her. Her mind quickly retraces what has happened to lead up to this, and the mare soon gives Korsan a spiteful look upon her face. Anger soon swells in the purple pony’s mind as she’s utterly bewildered and offended by Korsan’s audacity to ask such a thing. “No.” “No? No-no-no-no-no-no-no? Do you see that cutlass right next to your eye? I can very easily pull that thing out at this moment from that rock you lean on and stab you through the heart. And I will do it. I will so willingly do it, if you don’t turn me into an alicorn.” “Never. And besides, I could never do such a thing.” “Oh? Really? You are an alicorn aren’t you?” “Not a naturally born one. You should know that. The ones that are born naturally as alicorns are incredibly stronger than an ascended pony like me. They’re immortal to aging unlike me.” “Oh course I know. I also know that Princess Celestia, you’re leading princess of Equestria, likes to keep a few secrets. You could be very well a naturally born unicorn and are just lying.” “Well either way, I’m not going to do it. You can kill me-No! You can torture me all you want, and I still won’t do your bidding. You hear me you monster? I will never turn you into an alicorn even if I had the power. What say you now?” “…” “What say you now?” “…” A light snicker exits from Korsan as he continues to pace back and forth. “What’s so funny?” “Do you honestly think I would simply give you a death threat only towards you without some sort of backup plan?” “What are you saying?” “Crew! Bring me the yellow pegasus.” With a small moment of hesitation, the crew members slowly hover a large potato bag to the captain. The cloth bag shifts around a little upon being set down along with the sound of a muffled grunt. “Fluttershy?” Korsan then walks up to the exhausted Twilight, still attaching herself to the iron boulder, and pulls out his sword. “Oh, is that her name? Fluttershy? A cute name, don’t get me wrong. Just a shame that it’s now the only name that’ll be on your mind after this for the rest of your life.” With one swift slash of his sword, the bag rips open and reveals its contents. Fluttershy, tied from neck to hoof in thick rope and having a large bandana tightly covering her mouth, screams Twilight’s name in inaudible mumbles as she’s freed from the bag. “Fluttershy! Let her go!” “Let her go? No. It’s a pirate tradition for this sort of thing to happen once in a while during a loot. Ransoms are some of the easiest ways to score some treasure out there at sea.” Slowly, the pirate captain slides the edge of his curved sword around the front of the yellow pony’s neck. The trapped mare’s eyes shriek and her voice attempts to scream. “No! Don’t! I’ll do anything you want, just don’t hurt her!” “Oh? Even turn me into an alicorn?” “I can’t! Anything else?!” “Ooh, either you start working your ascension magic on me now, or this place is about to get a whole lot messy. What do you have to say about that, Ms. Fluttershy?” Gently, Korsan uses a free claw and slices the bandana off from Fluttershy’s mouth. The yellow mare immediately screams with her free mouth and tries to kick herself out of the ropes. “Twilight!” Fluttershy screams, “Help me!” “Tick tock Ms. Sparkle, your minute has begun.” “Save me!” “I’m trying!” Twilight frantically replies. With a sudden burst of energy and bravery, the purple mare leaps from the iron chunk and charges towards Korsan. However, she is cut off as a large magic shield is casted between her and Korsan. The pirate captain grins wider as he silently congratulates the crew member that projected the shield. “Let me in!” “Turn me into an alicorn from out there. Perform teleportation or any stunt like that, and this mare goes bye-bye. Do it!” Seeing no other option, Twilight immediately attempts to turn Korsan into an alicorn. With a faint purple aura now surrounding him and her horn, Twilight focuses her mind with all of her might. Fear and terror quick set in as the squeals of her friend and the cackles of the pirate roar in her ears. “I don’t have all day! Just do it!” “Captain,” Alexander calls out to the captain as his horn projects the shield, “Isn’t this taking things a little too far?” “What do you mean Alexander? We’re pirates, we’ve always done this!” “Don’t hurt Fluttershy!” Rarity screams as she begins to run down the sandy hill towards him. “Stop her!” Maria Vanshwitz quickly follows orders and tackles Rarity down to the floor. “No! Captain! You promised!” “Running out of patience Twilight!” “Applejack! Stop him!” As the pinned unicorn looks up at the stone flat, she sees Applejack watching over the ordeal with a horrified glance. In her hooves and pressed up against her chest is Applebloom, too scared to look. The two Earth ponies are frozen just like what she was a second ago, overcome with the immediate terror before them. “Fluttershy!” “Only a few seconds left you wench!” “I can’t!” Twilight cries out, still trying with all of her might to cast that one spell. “It really looks like she can’t Captain!” Hans declares, “You’re scaring half of the crew sir, I think it’s best that you stop this!” “No! Ten…” “You’re just upset Captain!” Rarity screams as Maria holds her down into the sand. “Please! Spare Fluttershy!” “Nine…” “You’re insane!” Twilight screeches as her tightly sealed eyes begin to pour rivers of tears. “I’m giving it all I got!” Her horn begins to spark vigorously as her magic power reaches its limit. “Eight…” Isyan then proclaims to his cousin, “Just finish her off already! This tension is doing nothing!” “Seven…” “This is beyond cruel, Sir,” Ryan Aran speaks up as he speedily gallops at the captain, “stop this now-” “Why are you all suddenly pansies?! What do you think you signed up for when you all joined me? Six. Besides, you never had that much trouble three years ago when you destroyed that kingdom. Five…” “You don’t think I regret that? Every night, I’m haunted by the screams of all of those ponies who posed no threat to us!” “Four… Then why didn’t you leave me? You saw how generous I was with November and Nitin Gale.” “…” “My point exactly, you want to live the good life. And the only way you’re getting to that good life is by paying the price of blood. Hear me fellow stallions and mares?! If you don’t want to spend your days scraping the dust from the floor just to get a decent meal, then you all stick with me! Three!” “Twilight!” Fluttershy screams. “Fluttershy!” Twilight screams. “No!” Rarity shrieks as she tries to kick off the powerful mare. With her horn buried in the dirt, the purple maned unicorn can only watch as the seemingly inevitable comes. “Get off of me!” “The captain has given his orders!” Maria retorts with a certain shakiness presence in her voice. “You can’t let him do this!” “I can and I will!” Korsan loudly barks, “Two!” He gently presses the sword deeper into Fluttershy’s neck, almost cutting the weak flesh. As Ryan reaches the pirate captain’s shoulder, he stops dead in his tracks, thinking of what he’s about to do. “Don’t just let him do this!” Rarity calls out to the red pony, “Stop him!” “One!” “Korsan! Think about what you’re doing!” “I know what I’m doing! And I’m doing it now!” “No!” “Time’s up!” The scared frozen Applejack ducks her head into her shoulder to avoid looking. Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy scream out to each other in intense desperation. However, a few seconds of screaming pass and Korsan has not moved his sword a centimetre, surprising the long shocked onlookers. Carefully, the bipedal pony draws his weapon away from Fluttershy’s throat. His smile quickly degrades into a solemn grimace. As he walks away from the yellow mare and purple princess, he insets his cutlass into his back piece. “Alexander Grevious, lower the shield and project it over me.” “S-Sir?” The dark blue unicorn stampers in surprise and misunderstanding of his leader’s sudden action. “Lower the shield between Twilight and Fluttershy and cast it over me.” “Okay…” With a flick of his long horn, the magic barrier disappears between the two friends and reappears around the pirate pegasus. Twilight and Fluttershy quickly lung into each other and give each other a tight, embracing hug. “Twilight!” The pegasus cheers in celebration. “Fluttershy!” The alicorn cries in joy. Waterfalls of tears coat the two ponies as they hold each other with all of their might. “I-I thought he was going to-” “I-I did to!” Korsan then looks over at Maria, still pinning Rarity to the beach. Swiftly, he snaps his claws, prompting the fighter to release Rarity, who instantly rushes towards the hugging mares and joins in the warm embrace. “Rarity!” Twilight and Fluttershy cheer. “I’m so happy you’re all okay!” Rarity cries as she nestles herself deep within the circle. “C-Captain,” Ryan asks, “Why didn’t you-” “If she was an actual natural alicorn,” Korsan stiffly replies, “she would’ve done it.” “You mean it was all a test?!” Isyan shouts. “For lack of a better word, yes.” “So, what now?” Horus asks from behind the leader. “Honestly, I don’t know. Heh, I got no ideas, no plans, nothing. For some reason, it feels a bit nice, amidst all of the sentiments I’m going through at this moment. Perhaps we can just, go back to our old ways as normal pirates.” “Really? You were so-” “I know, I know. But I know when I am beat, as any honourable ship captain is. This quest was a lost cause, I admit it.” “What do we do with the rebels sir?” Korsan turns his glance towards Applejack, who and Applebloom are now looking back at him in a most startled manner. “Hold them for ransom, including Applejack and Applebloom, like we usually do. But please, be gentle with them, they’ve been through a lot.” “You’ve been awfully generous,” Isyan replies as he trots over to the group of mares, “it’s very unbecoming coming from you…” “Just do as I say. The rest of you hurry along, it’s going to be a long way back to our ship.” Slowly, the rest of the unicorns walk over to cuddling mares, with a few splitting off towards the Earth ponies. As Korsan looks over the unhurried capture, he senses Maria right beside him, staring out over the deed as well. “Maria Vanshwitz.” “Captain,” the pale mare quietly replies. “Are you okay?” “…I’m fine.” “You’ve been acting a lot different lately. What for?” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Two weeks ago, you were so joyous, so optimistic. You even asked me about my love to Miss Rarity. Now, you’ve taken a dark turn, taking down Rarity without a second thought. What happened?” “…” “I’m fine with this transition if it’s merely a change of heart. I just want to know why in case this may be hurting you.” “Recently, a lot has been on my mind. Ever since Rarity showed up, Hans and I have been thinking about our relationship. Let’s just say that he and I aren’t really doing that well.” “I see.” “Am I, never mind…” “What?” “No, it was a stupid question and I knew it.” “No, go on. It can’t be that bad.” “Am I… Am I a good crew member?” “What do you mean?” “Am I a truly loyal mare to you Captain? Do you believe I am a worthy member of your team?” “Of course you are.” “Captain!” One of the pirates from the larger group calls out, “We’ve captured the rebels, we’ve taken care of the fellow members who’ve fallen, and we’re waiting for your order for us to head back to the entrance.” “Really? That easy?” “Yeah, they were too exhausted and couldn’t put up much of a fight, so we separated Rarity and put the two in a bag.” “Let me see. Alexander, lower the shield.” As the green shield fades away upon command, the pirate captain walks over to where the three mares were gathered. There, he sees a large potato bag containing Twilight and Fluttershy. Hovering next to it are two other bags, one containing Pinkie Pie and the other containing Applejack and Applebloom. Next to the three bags is Rarity, quietly sitting on the sandy floor, facing away from Korsan. Although he cannot see her face, the stallion knows what is going on inside her head. “Rarity, I-” “I heard,” the mare replies in a deadpan tone, “it was all a test.” “Look, I’m sorry for scaring you. But I had to convince-” “Had to convince what? That you’re a monster?” “That I was going to do it. I had to apply some leverage.” “…It’s always leverage with you isn’t it? No just convincing, generousness, or persuading, no, you just strike fear and death into whatever stands in your way to get what you want. Isn’t it?” “…” “It only gets you so far doesn’t it? And to think I thought there was some good in you.” “Rarity, I’m sorry, I can change-” “Please, just leave me alone. Let’s just go back to the ship.” “…Very well then.” Korsan slowly walks away from the large gathering of pirates and begins to head towards the Fountain of Balance. As his private walk takes him farther and farther away from his crew, Juliana appears from behind an iron boulder and flies up to her master’s shoulder. The ice phoenix rubs her head against his cheek, causing the captain to breathe out in relief. “Hey there Juliana, hopefully you’re doing well. Today’s been a pretty poor day for me though. My dreams of being able to use magic are crushed, my crew will probably distrust me for a long while, and I just lost my special somepony. Figures for that latter one, I thought I could overcome the obvious fact that she’s with them and make her fall in love with me. Boy was I blind and stupid. I’ve been reading too many books, that’s it. Actually, speaking of ‘them’, where did Twilight and those two mares come from?” A loud male’s voice then screams out from the walls of the grotto, “Twilight!” “What the,” Rushing to the source of the noise, Korsan sees that it’s Spike, yelling out of the previously unseen exit hallway. “Speak of the devil…” “We heard a lot of screaming!” Scootaloo’s voice follows from behind the baby dragon, “We’re coming to help you!” “Over here! I found an exit!” Quickly, Korsan slides down the sandy slope and leaps into the hallway, coming face to face with the ill-prepared Spike and Scootaloo. “Uh oh…” “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” “You better watch yourself Korsan!” Spike snaps at the towering figure, “If you did anything to Rarity I don’t like, I’m gonna knock your block off.” “Spike?!” Rarity’s voice echoes from behind Korsan. “Rarity!” “So, you wanna play rough huh? Yeah, I could fancy a bit of fun to lighten my mood.” Slowly, Korsan reaches his hooves behind his back to grab his cutlasses, only to feel one of them. “Oh.” He turns his head back into the grotto and yells, “can somepony get my other sword? I think I left it on the sand!” He then fully reveals his only sword on him and returns his attention to the now shivering dragon. “Now, where were we? Seems you’ve gotten a little nervous. Psyching yourself out maybe?” “Me? Uh… No!” “Uh huh, sure.” Scootaloo steps in front of Spike and bravely proclaims at the tall stallion before her, “We aren’t scared of you!” “Even if I don’t have magic, you still should have every right to fear me ya little filly.” “Either let my friends go now or you will get hurt!” Korsan lets out a menacing, yet defeated chuckle before replying, “You, know you remind me of me when I was just a little colt.” The orange pegasus doesn’t pay mind to the pirate’s comment and charges right at his chest. Her rival quickly reacts by grabbing her by the nape of the neck with his free hoof and holds the now flailing body up to eye level. “Scootaloo!” Spike exclaims as he jumps up and grab onto Scootaloo’s bottom hooves, holding himself up above the ground. Korsan doesn’t budge from this sudden increase in weight however. “Running around in the streets, going headfirst into trouble with little chances of me escaping, always ready for a fight I was. Actually, that pretty much sums up me now…” As Korsan examines the squirming and kicking foal, an odd feeling triggers inside of him. His heart soon begins to harden and cramp itself into a ball, his head begins to swell and heat up to temperatures that rival the sun, and his eye’s vision begins to contort and see things beyond his comprehension. He loses track of his own words as he begins to ramble. “…I am still an inferior pony. I have so little power, but at the same time, I have so much. It’s like a little game. An almost fun game it is, feeling this, this pain, and then giving your enemies the same feeling, and laughing at them. And I’ve been through a lot of pain, of-of suffering, of sickness of this pathetic struggle. Surely, I can vent this all into something with so much power. I-I, I can still do something. Yes, I’ve done it before, I can surely do it again, and again, and again, and again. Ha, ha, who said I needed magic? Me of course, plain old inferior me, yeah, and why should I take his ideas instead of the obvious path? Yes, yes, I’ve always had the magic. I may not be a part of it, but I will surely lead the way as an unseen hero, yes...” “What are you saying?!” Scootaloo squeals as she continues to struggle in his iron grip. “Hm-what? Oh, nothing,” “Scootaloo, Spike, what are you two doing here?!” Rarity screams as she reaches the three at the exit. “Probably following their leader. Don’t worry Miss Rarity, I won’t hurt a hair on either head. Also, can you please lead the rest of our crew to this exit path?” “…” “Would you rather risk drowning your friends?” Silently, the white unicorn walks away from the confrontation and towards the others gathered at their entrance of the grotto. “Well, I’m going have to be careful and pick the right hair to pull out…”
Prisoners of The PerfectionA few hours later, everypony escapes the temple and goes back to The Perfection. High above the dead volcano in the center of the island, the blue beam from the fountain is revealed to have pierced into the air and created a large portal to an evening sky. Seeing as it is the only way out, Korsan steers his ship. With Korsan at the wheel once more, the airship rises from the coast of Alicorn Island and towards the portal in the dark sky. At the other end of the ship, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are tied to the front mast in thick ropes with Rarity and Sweetie Belle sitting by the collected group. Taking a gulp of breath before facing her once-friends, Rarity turns to Twilight, now sporting a new anti-magic strap, and the others and forlornly says, “Sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen to you all.” Twilight stays silent for a moment and faces away from the white mare, but eventually looks towards her and replies in a strict tone, “…Are you serious?” “Of course I am. Twilight, during those two weeks when we were separated, I always wanted to reunite with you. You’ve been my friend since you came to Ponyville, and I could never imagine you and I actually hurting each other.” “Then what was with you trying to defend that monster?” “It was the only way I could see that would keep all of my friends safe from harm, all of you and the ones I made here, including Korsan. I was an idiot for not thinking Korsan was going to pull something like that.” “You saw what he did at Thieves’ Hold,” Rainbow Dash replies, “he murdered that bounty hunter.” “I know, I know, and I thought I could change that when I joined his crew. Turns out I was wrong. Look, if you’re still upset at me, I understand. I might as well just leave you all be after the disaster I caused.” “You didn’t cause anything.” Fluttershy gently retorts, trying to lift her friend’s spirits, “it was Korsan who held me hostage. If anything, we should be glad of you. You tried to stop him.” “But-” “But what?” Pinkie asks. “I, I don’t know. I feel like I’m still on Korsan’s side, and that I’m supposed to be enemies with you.” “Are you?” Applejack asks. Sweetie Belle promptly answers, “After hearing what he did to Rarity? No way!” Rarity hesitates before answering as well, “No. If being with that fiend means being having to be enemies with all of you. Never!” “You know what?” Applejack declares, “I’d rather depend on my friends to protect me and my kin then just some magic spells. What was I thinkin’? Betraying my friends and family? Ridiculous.” “So are we fighting back?” Spike asks. Rarity immediately answers, “No! Korsan and his crew are too strong against the ten of us. Since he trusts me and Sweetie Belle, we’ll try to distract him and the others and get you all out of this mess.” “Shhh.” Applebloom mutters, “Here comes Korsan.” Immediately, the mares and Spike turn towards the rest of the deck and see the bipedal stallion walking to them. Alongside him is Alexander Grevious, the same stallion that casted the shield spell between Twilight and Korsan. “…” “Hello everypony.” Korsan stoically states, “Welcome aboard The Perfection. I apologize for this rather, obscure imprisonment. I’ve received word from the boatswain that the brig is currently waterlogged. But don’t fret, as soon as that is taken care off, all of you will be resting more comfortably in the large cells below. This here stallion is going to be keeping an eye on all of you. Ms. Rarity, please report to one of the surgeons to take care of you. Ms. Belle, please assist Ivan with supper.” “…” Quietly, Rarity walks past the stern looking captain, glaring at him from the corner of her eye until he exits her vision. Sweetie Belle silently nods and follows her sister to the quarterdeck area. Korsan then turns his attention to the blue stallion beside him. “You know what to do?” “Yes Captain. Report any conversation and secure the rope.” “Well said. I’ll be in my chambers trying to find out where we are after exiting this portal.” “Yes sir.” As the standing pegasus circles around and heads back to the rear of the ship his ears keep glued to the mares behind him in case they want to sneak an insult behind his back. Eventually, he overhears Twilight’s voice, “Alexander?” “Yes ma’am.” The unicorn stiffly replies. Korsan slows down his pace in order to hear the faint discussion. “As in, Alexander Maden?” Upon hearing that last word, the brown pony stops dead in his tracks. His mind immediately kicks into high gear as long abandoned memories surge through his mind’s eye, as well as questions about Twilight’s knowledge. “No, Grevious. Alexander Grevious.” “Oh, sorry. That was it.” “Okay… I guess.” How does she know that? Uncle Alex left my family years before I left. Korsan thinks to himself as he restarts his walk. I’m going to need to get some answers out of that wench. As the pirate captain reaches the first steps of the tall section of his ship, the massive galleon passes through the blue ring of the portal. A bright blue light blankets the vessel before disappearing to reveal an empty rolling ocean as far as the eye can see, underneath a cloudy red sky. Quickly, Korsan looks over the edge of the railing of his ship, only to see that the portal has vanished and the sea has taken its place. “Hm, figures.” “Waterlogged?” Applejack whispers to herself. “Hm?” Twilight sounds as she hears the nearby Earth pony contemplate. “Shhh. Not so loud, that pirate’s listening to us.” “He can’t hear us.” “Hey!” Pinkie screams out to the stallion, startling him instantly. “Can you hear us?!” “Only you,” Alexander groans. “Though at this moment, I might be able to hear anything but ringin’ for a while. Ow…” “Well anyways,” the orange pony continues, “Applebloom and I were hiding in the brig after that whole scene in the Breach right? And while we were down there for a good while, we didn’t see a drip of water get in. There was even a mare sleeping in one of the cells.” “So what?” Rainbow Dash asks from the other side of the pole, “Korsan could just be being mean to us.” “That could very well be.” “Hey,” Alexander barks, “I can see your lips moving. Don’t you think that I won’t find out what you’re all talking about.” “Wait,” Applebloom adds, “Wasn’t it some boat-swine that told him about the brig?” “Boatswain.” Twilight corrects her. “He keeps track of the condition of the ship.” “Why would that kind of pony lie to his leader?” “I don’t know.” As Isyan walks inside the captain’s quarters, he is immediately greeted by the heat of the nearby fireplace and music being created from the automatic organ on the other side of the large room. The light beige stallion then walks around the large chamber in search of the captain to no avail. Peeking into the library behind, Isyan still doesn’t find his cousin, only a mountain of fallen books. As the confused stallion closes the door, the sound of a series of small explosions blasts across the entire quarterdeck. Isyan shrieks and ducks into the sheets of Korsan’s bed. After a few seconds of following silence, the frighten stallion pokes his head out of the bed and sees the room hasn’t changed a bit. His eyes then look towards a large wall of solid iron back near the entrance of the room, a wall he recognizes as Korsan’s sealed room for building large contraptions. Slowly, Isyan walks up to a pair of metal doors at the metal wall and peaks his head through the ajar doors. There he sees Korsan using his wrench on something hidden under a large blanket, something three times its inventor’s hefty size. Upon closer inspection, Isyan discovers that the large object isn’t even touching the iron padded floors, and is instead being held up by cables connected to some sort of contraption attached to the ceiling. “What is that?” Isyan remarks, startling his cousin. “Isyan!” Korsan immediately barks, “Don’t do that to me!” “What were those explosions that went off? Did they come from this… this cannon?” “It is not just some cannon. It’s a brand new type of weaponry, one that’ll change the art of war.” “How?” Korsan takes a small breath and continues in his usually eccentric tone of voice, but a small sliver of aggression is still present. “So, you know how my crossbow fires metal bolts with speed and power?” “Yeah, only you have a terrible shot when it comes to moving targets. Heck, you don’t even count your shots.” “Well this is going to solve those two problems for me, by removing the limitations of the pony body.” “How?” “Well, using bits and pieces from my organ, this weapon will emit a unique frequency that bounces off of what’s in front of it and reflects those frequencies back to the weapon, which will read those frequencies like my mechanical suit to my muscles. By continuously doing this, the weapon will know what’s moving in front of it, and shoot it to bits without missing a shot or running out of metal bolts.” “...Huh?” “Oh, you’ll see. So, why do you barge in here once again dear cousin?” “First off,” “Oh boy, another list…” “Do you even know where we are? Or have you been too busy playing with your toys?” “Of course I know where we are. We’re just outside the Breach, I checked my devices and maps just after we got through the portal. It was a decent idea of the makers of the fountain to create an escape route that doesn’t have travelers dealing with that sandworm again.” “Yes-yes, praise to them or whatever. Second off, you need to check something out back at the bow. Our new prisoners are acting strange.” “You were just in the cellar the last time I checked, how did you know they were acting up and get to me so quickly?” “...Ivan told me.” “Bah, fine, give me a second. I put too much gunpowder in the barrels. I need to fix the input filters.” “Wait, barrels?” “Just get out of here.” “You know, you could be handling your priorities a lot better than this.” “I know what I’m doing. Do I really have to say it three times in one day? It’s like everypony thinks I am a child.” “Bah, I am not.” “Yes you are.” “No I’m not a child.” “You are a child. An ignorant, bratty child, that does whatever he wants, regardless to the safety of everypony else, including his own life.” “Quit being ridiculous,” “No, you’re being ridiculous! If you keep this act up, sooner or later, somepony’s going to die!” “Quel crétin...” “I know what you just said and I am not proud of it. As your older cousin, I demand you make me captain and stand down.” “Or else what?!” “…” “Yeah?” “…A storm is coming Korsan, and you’re driving right into it.” “Get out of my sights Isyan. I’ll take care of our guests in time. I need to ask them a few questions.” Child. Idiot. Inside one of the sick rooms of the medical area, Rarity stiffly lays in bed as Lilis tends to her wounds from Alicorn Island. As painful as it gets as the nurse deals with the injuries, the resting unicorn’s mind is bouncing everywhere, trying to contemplate a plan to save her friends. “This is ridiculous,” the light green mare proclaims as she examines Rarity’s front right hoof, “I’m sure glad I stayed onboard. What did you ponies do on that island that could’ve resulted in this?” “…” The white pony remains silent. “Hello?” Eventually, the surgeon waves her hooves in front of Rarity’s frozen eyes, causing her to blink and snap back into reality. “There you are. What caused this hoof injury? Another rapier incident?” “No, no, Korsan accidently stabbed me while we were escaping a trap.” “With his claws?” “Yes.” “No wonder it looks so clean…” “Hey, Miss…” “Jewmerin,” “Miss Jewmerin, how you feel about Captain Korsan?” “…” “Lilis?” “Nah, you don’t need to hear about me. I’m pretty much on equal turf with all of the other pirates. We respect our leader.” “Really? Even after that day, three years ago?” “…” “After what happened to November and Nitin Gale?” “…Listen Rarity. Can you keep a secret? I’m a bit nervous to tell you due to you and the captain’s, intimacy.” “Don’t worry. Korsan and I aren’t really doing so well after something happened on the island.” “Well, to be honest, most of us pirates don’t like Korsan at all.” “Really?” “He scares us. We respect him out of fear. He’s threatened to turn us into the authorities, to kill us, to torture us if we were to do something he doesn’t like. But most of us just can’t leave him like Nitin Gale and his daughter. Our lives are bound to this wretched boat, this is our home, no, our prison. If you try to leave, you’ll be good as dead without many assets to start a new life, not to mention a constantly watching eye.” “That’s horrible!” “Shhh! There are a good number of crew members that are loyal to the core. They could be listening in on us at this very moment.” “Sorry. Haven’t you and the others tried to rally against him?” “We can’t. We don’t know who to trust. Most ponies don’t even know I’m against him. And even if we did know, Korsan and his closest followers would destroy us if we’d ever rebel. He’s just too powerful. However, I’ve heard of this group of fellow crewmembers, Faction that is going to take action soon and overthrow Korsan.” “I’ve heard of Faction, but I thought it was just gossip.” “It might be, but it may be our only chance at freedom from that insane creature.” “Who’s the leader? Any ideas?” “No clue, but I’ve heard that he’s studied Korsan for a good long time and knows exactly when to strike.” Suddenly, a loud thud ruptures from the floor below the two mares, causing the two ponies to leap in surprise. “Was that coming from the brig?” “So what now?” Spike asks, still tied to the mast with the other prisoners. “I think we just need to wait.” Applejack replies. “We should come up with a backup plan.” Twilight responds. “Rarity might not be able to pull it off with only Sweetie Belle to work.” Rainbow Dash asks, “What can we do? There’s only eight of us and we’re all tied together to this wooden pole.” “I don’t know what we can do, but I know some ponies that can do something.” An idea strikes the baby dragon’s mind as he looks over to the princess and asks, “Am I thinking what you’re thinking?” “Yep.” “We should get Alexander to go get Korsan.” “That might be possible for now.” The group of ponies slowly turn their attention to Pinkie Pie, who is continuously talking with the suffering blue stallion beside her. “Rainbow Dash told me all about it! The final battle between Daring Do and Captain Cutlass Cornelius was the best moment in all of the Daring Do books. The two were on this ship, in a storm, both about to fall off into the raging waters below. And when all seemed lost, it’s revealed that Daring Do’s mother is-” “Pinkie!” “What? You want to say something to Alex?” “No, I haven’t read up to that point yet. Spoiler alert.” “Oh.” “But since you’re done, I would like to say something to Alexander. I need him to bring Korsan over here.” “Do don’t need to.” “What? Why?” “He’s coming already.” “What?” The mares and Spike snap their heads over to the main deck and see the tall stallion approaching them once more. By his side now is Chopin, holding an inked quill and scroll. The pirate pegasus greets them, “Bonjour.” “Say what?” Dash confusingly asks. “Daft wench…” “Hello.” Twilight coldly replies. Her face immediately turns into a stone scowl as she and the pirate make eye contact. “Ms. Sparkle, her accomplishes, I’ve been hearing that there’s some strange activity going on between you all. Alexander, want to clarify?” The stallion’s eye then shifts to his crew member clutching his ears and rolling on the wood deck. “Alexander?” “We haven’t been doing anything. We’ve just been sitting around with this rope tightly wrapped around us.” “Is that so?” “Yes.” “Hm…” “What do you want now?” “Very well then, since you’re so eager and all, I’ve been needing to ask you a few questions.” “…” Immediately, Twilight’s lips become stiff. Her only response is simply a burning glare into her enemy. “When have you come across the name, ‘Alexander Maden’?” “…” “What was that vessel you and the others were on in the Breach?” “…” “Where did you even find it?” “…” “How did you even know where the Breach is, let alone suspect me to be there?” “…” “Oh come on, you have to cooperate. I require answers from you. Now please,” “Why?” “Hey, I’m asking the one asking the questions here. Now please-” “Why should I have to answer to you?” “Why should you not? Do you want something?” “I want out of this prison and taken back home.” “Oh, you’ll be taken home alright. But not until I get some answers from you.” “I’m not going to comply with monsters like you.” “Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, please, just answer some questions for me.” “…” “Twilight?” “…” “Not the silent treatment again.” “…” Now frustrated with the stubborn mare, Korsan steps back and takes a deep breath. With his hooves massaging his tired cheeks, he looks towards the other prisoners, all giving him a silent glare. “It’s best to assume that none of you are talking as well?” “…” Silently, the pirate captain walks towards the bowsprit and looks out to the endless sea ahead of him. With Twilight facing directly at him, Korsan begins to speak in a tone as if they’re the only two ponies in a thousand kilometres. “Have you ever stood and stared at it, marveled at its beauty, its innocence? Billions of ponies just living out their lives, oblivious. Did you know that the earliest of our species lived what was a world only lived upon by alicorns, no unicorns, no pegasi, no Earth ponies, where none suffered, where everypony was happy? Though, this is mostly dependent on theory and may be completely false, but I have seen enough to believe that this prehistoric world existed, thriving with these beautiful creatures. They had reached the pinnacle of technology, magic, and knowledge of this world, thousands, maybe millions of years before our time here. It soon became a disaster though, when ethics came into question. You see, sometimes, certainly unlucky ponies are born into these inferior bodies, ones that could not use magic, and although the time’s advance magic would occasionally fix the problem, there grew a backlash in regards to identity and other preachy stuff like that. Birth defections and mutations became the norm, which would require that the great ancients had to dummy down their works for these ponies. Centuries pasted, and the numbers of the unicorns, the pegasi, and the Earth ponies, rapidly outweighed the alicorns. And as the majority died, so did all of their rich culture and advancements in everything, all forgotten. But I believe that as a collection of sub-species to the alicorns, we define our reality through progress, and there could be a chance to recapture the glory of the ancient alicorns. But, I’m afraid that the numbers are vastly too slim with the presence of pegasi and Earth ponies. Which is why I desire to redesign the world, to have everypony be closest to their ancestors by having the ability to perform magic and later simply grow our own wings and power, to reach the peak of our global civilization. I say our global civilization because it truly does involve all of us ponies, even a small remaining faction of this old world would cause civil unrest between us and destroy the genetic tree I plant. Evolution in sense, Twilight, evolution, like the dinosaur. Once great beasts, now degraded into tiny mammals that now call these greats monsters. Look out that window that is your self-designed barrier. They lost their time. You had your time. They deserve the future as is their world, Twilight. The future is their time.” “…” “I'd also like to share a revelation during my time travelling the world and gathering knowledge as a pirate. It came to me when I tried to classify you and your troop as a type of heroes. I realized that you're not like most heroes. Every hero I’ve encountered that has tried to stop me always followed some type of trope, or process. Strategic planning, getting bigger ships, rallying an army, ways to somehow, but always failing, to stop me. But you girls, and dragon, do not. You just keep coming at me headfirst, again and again, losing ponies and vitalities, until every resource is consumed. It’s insanity really when you think about it. Do you know the definition of insanity? Insanity is doing the same maudire thing over and over, and expecting a different result each time. You hold a strong bond with your beliefs of equality, but ultimately succumb to the grim reality once I get my point to you, not like those other heroes that either keep their thick skull, or flat out join me. Such heroes that fit you are only spoken of in fantastic folklore and fairy tales, not really expected to be real. However, there is another type of pony on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A villain. Villains always attack persistently, yet are always foiled by the heroes, and perhaps even have a change of heart and join them. They are often insane, often defy goodness for all, and are just mean overall. Sound familiar? You are the villains. We are the heroes.” “…” “Can you hear me, Twilight? You must be, I can see it in the twitching of your ears. I'm going to be honest with you. I hate this world, this innocence, this prison, this reality, whatever you want to call it. I can't stand it any longer. It's the smell, if there is such a thing. I feel saturated by it. I can taste the stink of obliviousness. And every time I do I feel I have somehow been infected by it. It's repulsive, isn't it? I must get out of here. I must get free and in this mind is the key, my key. Once this world is reformed and I get my desires granted, there will be no need for this crusade, don't you understand? I need you to help me. I have to fix everything, to restore peace and true equality, and you have to help me. The world will not merely listen to some mere criminal pegasus, they need a celebrity to endorse the message. You're going to tell the world that you stand by my side or you and your friends are going to die. Do you get the picture, or are you just going to fight?” “…” “Why, Princess Twilight Sparkle? Why, why? Why do you do it? Why, why stay adamant? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than your survival or this false logic you still believe in? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know at this point? Is it freedom of resistance? Or spite? Perhaps to form some peace with yourself? Could it be for love? Illusions, Twilight Sparkle. Vagaries of perception, that all is good and fair with your world. Temporary constructs of a these modern ponies’ bleak intellect, trying desperately to justify an existence that is without true logic in its balance. And all of them as exposed as the true reality itself, although... only an inferior pony mind could invent something as insipid as this innocence to hide it. You must be able to see it, Twilight. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Twilight Sparkle? Why? Why do you persist?” “…” “Just tell me! You persist in staying your lip tied. For what reason? I put your life in peril. I put your friends’ lives in peril. I have made myself clear that I am losing my patience with you Twilight Sparkle. And for what?! You still stay stiff. Why? What do you have to gain? I have made my point clear to you. I stand upon the higher ground of knowledge. I am your only answer to your questions. Yet you still continue this? Are you daft? Is that what it is? If so, then you are a disgrace to your now kind. But if it isn’t, then whatever childish game you are playing must come to an end. Just tell me. Just tell me!” “…” Rapidly escalating in fury, Korsan grabs the mare by the chest and slowly lifts her up against the mast, causing the rope wrapped around her neck to tighten. Soft gags burst from the princess. “Tell me!” “Twilight!” The other prisoners exclaim. However, the purple pony remains silent. “You’re nothing but a pathetic bar wench to me if you keep this up! You hear me? That’s all the rest of the world is going to hear of you when I’m the one that takes your voice! This is your final chance Princess!” Twilight hesitates and coughs for a moment before finally responding, “…Fine. You want me to talk so badly? So be it. No, how about I join your crew?” “Seriously?” “Serious enough to write a declaration to back home,” “Good!” The brown stallion carelessly drops the mare onto the wooden floor and walks to Chopin. “Chopin, write this as a letter to Princess Celestia of Equestria.” “You know what? How about we make this more official? Give the quill and paper to Spike, the dragon. He’s my number one assistant and I always trust him to send my letters to the princess.” “So be it.” The mine hovers the writing objects in front of the dragon, which Spike grabs with his restrained claws. “Chopin, loosen Mr. Spike’s arms, carefully.” With a flick of his white horn, the rope around Spike’s arms loosen, and he is now able to position the quill properly onto the scroll. “Now Twilight, as long as the words that come out of your mouth confess the truth,” “I could never imagine doing otherwise.” “Now, sing!” With Spike already beginning to write, Twilight says what Korsan wants to hear, “Dear Princess Celestia, there is no hope for you now. I have taken to the side of the great, no, the fantastic, Captain Korsan Maden. I have been proven wrong, so greatly wrong. What he says is true, that all unicorns are superior to any Earth pony or pegasus. As of this moment, I support in the brilliant captain’s campaign to wipe out all pegasi and Earth ponies from this world. If we are to ever cross paths, may the worst come of it if you are to rebel. I shall see to it personally that you are dealt with if you are to conspire to a resistance of any form. Farewell Celestia, may we have mercy on your soul. The Ex-Princess, Twilight Sparkle.” “Yes!” As Korsan walks up to Spike to retrieve the letter, the dragon immediately breathes his green fire onto the scroll. In an instant, the paper vanishes before the captain’s eye. “What was that for?!” “The letter has been sent to Celestia. Spike’s fire is magic.” “At least give me time to look at the scroll and check for typos or something.” “No need. I know that Spike never fails to write the perfect letter.” “…Very well then, I might have to take your word for it.” “Twilight! Spike!” the surrounding mares kick and scream out, “What are you doing?!” “Joining the winning team, that’s what.” “No!” “Ha, ha! Now, with an alicorn princess at my side, I shall be unstoppable!” As the now giddy pirate jumps up and down with joy, the sail above his head suddenly drops on top of him and the ponies surrounding him. Blinded by the massive black sheet, Korsan trips on the cloth and falls onto the wooden floor with a brutal smack to his jaw. “What in blue blazes is going on?” Clawing his way through the fallen sail, Korsan rips the fabric and escapes. Long glowing chains then rapidly charge at him. They wrap around the confused captain and levitate him up into the air. His legs become bound tightly to his torso, his lungs and throat collapse from the tightness of the metal cables, and his head begins to lose blood pressure and becomes lightweight in seconds. “What’s going on?” Alexander screams from under the cloth alongside the other muffled mares and Spike. Using a small knife on him, Chopin manages to dig out of the sail, only for an unseen figure to attack him from behind and attach an anti-magic strap around his horn. More chains follow from behind the neighboring mast, wrapping up the mine and dangling him from a beam of the front mast. Menacing chuckles sound off around the flailing pirate captain. “Gah! What’s the meaning of this?!” A familiar stallion’s voice replies, “Captain Korsan Arasinda Maden…” With his eye darting everywhere, Korsan looks around and sees the source of the voice approaching him. Although the pony is wearing a black hood over his head, Korsan notices the tailcoat suit being worn. “You…” “Who?” The hooded stallion is soon joined by ten other ponies, all also wearing cloaks. “Ryan Aran, Butch Taylor, Maria Vanshwitz, Clara Rosebud, Lazarus Lazuli, Jack Cauld, Fawnswa, Salty Bob, Anton Chugs, Blackgate Beardsworthy,” One by one, the ten surrounding ponies take off their hoods, revealing themselves to be the ponies that Korsan predicted. “And what about me?” “…Isyan Maden.”
The Master Pony“So,” Korsan sternly speaks towards his capturer, “You’re the leader of Faction.” Isyan pulls off his black hood and fluffs his blond mane before replying, “So I am.” “I always knew something sketchy was going on with you, just didn’t know what it was.” “Oh, and what gave you that idea?” “I don’t know,” the trapped pegasus jokes, “your whiny attitude, your incompetence, the way you always get hissy whenever anypony talks with you-” “Because I was always warning you, you daft bilge swiller!” “Whoa, language! There are kids on this ship.” “The only kid I see is you Korsan. You are by far the worst captain of a ship in all of history! You constantly throw all of our lives at risk for whatever ridiculous reason you can think of. And most of those reasons are beyond ridiculous. To have some fun, to study this pile of dust and rock, to see if this boat can go into a maelstrom, to test some dangerous toy you made in your little workroom, I’m sick of it! And so are the rest of us!” “Well I’m sorry you can’t take a punch without crying your eyes out. And you call yourself a pirate?” “Look who talking Mr. Pushover.” “What?” “Ever since that wench Rarity, mind you not even a pirate, showed up, you’ve basically turned into a pathetic slave. Look at who you’ve been letting join on your side, not to mention the ones that you should have axed off a long time ago. Two Earth ponies. After all we’ve been through, after all of this unrelenting, merciless power you boast yourself to process, and you don’t even follow through with it.” “So what if I’ve been a little soft bellied recently?” “No, not recently. Rarity’s only the tip of the iceberg. Do you realize how many of us nearly got killed from the unicorns that you never bat an eye at?” “What? Isn’t that what our family wanted, to leave the superior be?” “Not when we’re robbing them and they’re trying to kill us! Are you mad? No, you are mad. Why did I even have to ask? Heck, why am I putting up with this? Why am I even putting up with you?! You are nothing but a crippled pegasus with a thick skull, a dime a dozen in this world.” As Isyan continues to yell at his cousin, Juliana dives down from above and smacks into the beige pony. The two fall to the floor and tackle each other, both screeching at the top of their lungs. “Get this thing off of me!” “Juliana!” A red magic aura wraps around the ice bird as it is lifted into a small metal cage behind Maria. “I’m sorry! I should’ve figured you knew Isyan was up to no good!” Quickly, the raging phoenix is locked into the tight prison and scooted back against the second mast far behind the gathering. “Be sure to euphemize that parrot after we deal with this scum.” “No! She’s one of the last ice phoenixes in the world! You can’t do that!” “Oh I will. In fact, I’m going to turn her into the rarest dish on the seas.” “When I get out of here-” “How? You have no magic to free yourself. You’re just as low in power as the soil on this deck. Actually, no, you’re lower than dirt. How about you knock you down a few inches to prove my point.” In an instant, the trapped stallion is smacked down into the wood floor in front of his slightly larger cousin. Now pinned, Korsan can only glance upward as Isyan kneels down to his stiff head. “Much better.” The brown stallion quietly mutters into the floorboards, “You’re getting a real kick out of this aren’t you?” “You’re at the whim and mercy of me from now on. Now I’m getting to understand how your brother and sister felt. It’s glorious! Hey, do you want to play a game Baby Korso? It’s called Catch-Your-Favourite-Toy.” Carefully, the dominating stallion reaches underneath Korsan’s chains and pulls out the crossbow from his cousin’s back. “No, please, not this again!” “Already getting flashbacks eh?” Isyan then teasingly holds the contraption just above the stallion’s head, dangling it just in front of his eye. “Jump you mutt!” “This mutiny will not go unpunished!” “Are you even trying? Come and get it! Hahaha!” “As you captain, I demand you release me!” “Korsan the Inferior, Korsan the Inferior, Korsan the Inferior,” “Let me go! Now!” “I can already see that crying wimp inside of you coming out! This is rich!” As Korsan begins to sense his eyes watering, a long familiar mare’s voice screams out in the distance. “Isyan stop!” “It can’t be…” Silently, the maddening stallion turns back to see Rarity, Lilis, and Slasher, charging towards him from the other side of the ship, followed by the rest of the pirate crew. “Slasher?!” “That’s right!” “How did you-” “Let Korsan go!” Rarity declares. The massive group of over eighty unicorns surrounds the fallen sail, Faction, and their captain. “Hey!” Isyan shouts to the approaching pirates. “Don’t any of you take a step closer!” “Isyan, how could you?” “How could I? All of you, look at yourselves. Think for once! What are we? We are pirates right? What are pirates? Terrors of the sea, unmerciful to anypony they come across in order to get riches beyond compare! Are we currently pirates? Are we?” The surrounding ponies at first remain stiff, with scowls painted onto their faces. However, one by one, the pirates break their glare and look to each other with growing doubt. “Exactly. All we’ve been doing for the last couple of years is just taking nature hikes and working our flanks off for nothing. Nothing! Remember what we just went through on this latest ‘quest’? Attacking Equestria, fighting Twilight and her gang, dealing with Rarity and that nose picking brat of a sister, fixing this blasted boat, nearly dying on far too many occasions, and for what? For some busted artifact and our ‘captain’ to expect us to move on? I’m not tolerating this, and neither should you!” “Really? ‘Riches beyond compare’? Look at what you’re on! You’re standing on a giant floating airship that’s filled with some of the rarest and most luxurious artifacts I have even seen.” “…Why? Why are you being so protective of this rat? He wants to destroy the lives of so many ‘innocent’ ponies, albeit he’s executing this desire very poorly, but he still intends to do such. He’s attempted to kill your friends on numerous occasions. He even stole you and your little sister away from your past life. Yet you still value his life over you and your sister’s potential freedom. Why?” “I-I-I…” “Is it love, Rarity? Do you love this monster as you’ve put it? As well as the rest of you fellow crew members, why do you all still support him? I hear your cries. You’re all hateful, untrusting, scared of Korsan. I just want to fulfill your wishes, and restore to you all the pirate names that you all desire so greatly, yet you attempt to resist me.” “…” “Let us hear it from our captain’s most beloved wench. Rarity, do you still love Korsan?” Hesitant to answer, the white mare looks over to the crushed captain, seeing his quivering eye look at her in desperation. She can almost sense him trying to speak to her, but too frightened to say the wrong thing. Rarity then looks down at her right hoof, seeing the fresh scars that the stallion can caused onto her. “…” “Do you?” “…No. I don’t. We’re though.” Shamefully, Rarity lowers her head and shuts her eyes as Isyan cackles in joy. She can already see Korsan slowly lowering his head onto the cold wood and give up on himself. “Even she admits it! This poor excuse of a stallion is a failed romantic as well as a failed leader. Been reading one too many romances of the sea he has, filling his imbecilic mind with fantasies of love.” Swiftly, the beige renegade turns back to the sulking pirate captain and lifts his cramped head up to his brown eyes with his magic. “You’ll never find love, love is imaginary for a pony like you. It’s a pity really.” “…I hate you…” Korsan utters in his dying breath, cutting off his vision from the world with a stiff eyelid. “I hate you too. Like they always say, you can choose your friends…” Without uncertainty, Isyan violently smacks Korsan’s left cheek with his free front hoof. The onlookers gasp and watch as the tortured pony’s cheek flares. “…but you can’t choose your family.” “…” Korsan’s only response is his eye opening in a furious stare and a light hiss of his tongue. “Now, where were we before?” “I’ll wipe that dumb look off your stupid face once I get out of this…” “Korsan, Korsan, don’t be violent to your cousin. I’m going to have to discipline you.” Gently, Isyan runs his thin hoof over Korsan’s eyepatch, feeling the indent of the scar peaking above and under the black strip of cloth and giving his victim an idea of what he plans to do to him. “May two of my ponies please remove the sail? I want everypony onboard to see this, the dethronement of a foal and the coronation of a grand leader.” Quietly, the two ponies at the edges of the Faction line walk over to the large black sail and roll it off of the ponies underneath, careful not to rip it. “In the meantime, who here knows how mummies are preserved? Anypony?” Silence follows. “It’s very simple, as my cousin would put it. First, you dry up the body, using spices, herbs, salts, sands, and chemicals to make sure that the skin and everything underneath has no moisture whatsoever. Then, you wrap it up tightly with linen, for if one droplet of mist or foreign particles were to seep into the body, rot would immediately follow. So what would happen if this was to happen to a pony still living, perhaps one who hasn’t removed an eyepatch for over seven years? I would imagine it would hurt like Tartarus.” With Alexander and the eight prisoners finally free from the sail, they gasp out for fresh air immediately. Eventually, they all turn to see the confrontation between Isyan and a chained Korsan, having heard all that was said before. “Are you ready for this, Cousin? Are you ready for the world to see you in your truest form?” “…Bring it on.” However, before Isyan can even touch the eyepatch, a sudden jolt hits into his side, causing Korsan’s crossbow to leap from Isyan’s grip and fall against the captain’s hind hooves. “What the?!” Snapping his head around, the boatswain sees Slasher tightly grabbing onto his side. “Let him go!” The brown mare screams before immediately being pulled off by one of the ten leading followers of Isyan and restrained to the deck. Another pony of Faction quickly comes to his partner’s aid and attaches an anti-magic strap to her small horn. “Are you mad?! I’m about to free you Slasher, yet you still side with him?” “You locked me in the brig!” Slash Gutzoult proclaims, continuously kicking and flailing against her captors. “You were getting to close to us. I tried to convince you on a number of occasions, but you were still adamant for whatever reason.” “Whatever reason? This isn’t just ‘overthrowing a corrupt leader’ as you’ve been claiming this mutiny is. This is just a way for you to get back at your cousin.” “Mind your tongue Miss-” “Quit denying it! Face the fact, you couldn’t stand your cousin, a pegasus, getting all of the money and glory while you were stuck in whatever rut you got yourself into.” “Bite it!” “Never! Korsan may not be the best captain, his ideals may be vile, he may not be the most sane, he may not be the most ruthless pirate, he may not be the most safe, but what he is, is better than whatever type of captain you call yourself. You know why? Because he cares about us. He’ll listen to our problems and have an answer in time. Despite his dedication to his works, he’ll always go down into the galley for the sparring. He has given new life to criminals like me, and has given us the greatest adventure imaginable. You? All you want is money and power. You’ve been pushing us around ever since you got on this boat. If it’s a choice between two evils you want, then I choose Korsan!” “…” Isyan’s grin grows wider as he silently looks down at the kicking girl. “What? Cat got your tongue?” “No, I’m just a bit shocked how much my cousin has traumatized you. All of what you just said there, was out of fear. No, not respect because he is a good captain, but respect out of fear. Most of you were so ready to leave this crew as soon as that fateful day came three years ago. But then, Korsan made an example of Nitin Gale and his daughter November, and you immediately began to fear leaving him. Isn’t that right Ryan?” “Yes Isyan.” The named pony proclaims. “So you see? There is no need for fear. All of you surrounding me and Korsan, ready to protect him. There is no need to. He doesn’t have any tricks up his cape to get out of this. He won’t lash out at you when you turn your backs to him anymore. You hear that?” Isyan returns his focus to his prisoner and carefully cups the black patch in his hoof. “No more Korsan!” As the beige stallion pulls the eyepatch away, Korsan immediately screams in pain. His scarred eye and surrounding skin suddenly sting and burn as thousands of salty air particles burrow themselves deep inside. Moisture seeps into the dry flesh, boiling upon contact. Rarity gasps and covers her eyes from the sight before peeking under her hoof. “Isyan!” Korsan cries. Despite his efforts, his right eyelid stays stiff and solid, having not moved for years. Everypony else stares at the exposed eye in horror, speechless out of sheer shock. Korsan’s right eye is revealed to be entirely glazed over, with barely any sign of a pupil, and instead a glossy scar than runs across the white from top to bottom. “Let’s make this image a little more clear…” Careless about his victim, Isyan slides the patch across Korsan’s face and places it over his other eye. Now accepting the gruesome pain, the captain’s bays slowly begin dying. “Much better… This is you, ‘dear cousin’ Korsan!” Consumed at his growing personal power, Isyan manically laughs, nearly destroying his lungs as he wildly proclaims his dominance. The other pirates remain silent, and instead stay focused on the now slowly breathing mass of chained flesh, swimming in his own pool of tears. “Don’t you just love it, being squished by the boots of the ones you’ve tortured?!” “…” “What? Got nothing to say?” “…” Finally recovering from his facial cramps, the pirate pegasus softly closes his destroyed eye. “…Very well then. I’ve had my fun with you. Time to put you out of your misery.” With a flick of his horn, a long pointed sabre hovers out from the back of Isyan’s suit in a shiny brown glow of magic. “Release the chains, I got this.” Listening to their leader, the ten ponies release the chains. Isyan then grabs a hold of several lengths of metal at Korsan’s chest and hoists him up to eye level. With the brown pony’s hooves barely touching the floor, Isyan sets the blade to his throat. “Any last words?” “…” “How about the rest of you all? Final words to give to your ‘dear’ captain?” Only the soft breeze of the dark clouds above responds. Even Juliana remains silent, as if she knows the full magnitude of what’s about to happen to her master. As Isyan glances around, he sees everypony bowing their heads, trying as hard as they can to avert their eyes from the inevitable. “Fine then, I guess you all won’t really miss him.” “…” “From this moon forward, The Perfection and its crew of one hundred unicorns will no longer be run by the tyrant Korsan Maden. Instead, a new, better leader shall take the title of captain, I, Isyan Maden! As soon as blood has been shed, we will be going to the nearest kingdom and burn it to the ground! We shall take their treasures, and slaughter any pony we see, no matter if it’s a pegasus, Earth pony, unicorn, alicorn, whatever! Stallions, mares, colts, foals, elders, rich, poor, we will show no mercy to any of them! We are pirates, terrors of all ponykind, and we will do whatever we want to do! Starting now!” Suddenly, Korsan’s limp body springs back to life. His hind boots extend into claws and grab the nearby crossbow. He pulls away from the incoming sabre. He aims his hind legs at Isyan with the trigger set. Without any hesitation or time for his cousin to react, Korsan fires. The crew gasps and leaps in shock as the sound of the metal bolt accelerating from the crossbow shatters the silence. The green and grey bolt strikes Isyan directly in the horn. The stallion releases a bloodcurdling shriek as thousands of the shattered bits of horn rain down onto his face. From under the thick lays of iron cable, the sound of gears rapidly whirring roars across the ship. With all of his might, Korsan rips out of the chains that once held his body stiff. Broken links and shards of steel shower down onto everypony, turning their sights into nothing but chaos and panic. Isyan, seeing the free stallion now charging at him, releases another scream of terror. Korsan swiftly snatches his captor by the throat and barbarically smashes him into the mast behind them. He then pins Isyan’s back to the tall tower of wood and stares at the scared-white pony with his warped eye. A small smile forms on the captain’s mouth as well as a menacing chuckle that croaks from his throat. “Korsan!” Korsan hysterically barks at the shriveling relative, “Hahaha! Oh yeah, I love it! More!” Isyan can only stamper as the mad pirate holds his body, still riling in pain, “K-K-K-” “What are you waiting for? Summon your followers again! Squish me! Choke me! Put me to the blade again!” “Y-you’re a monster! More than a monster! A-a demon!” “How may I ask?” “Y-you’re supposed to be blind! It’s impossible for you to see!” “This eye right here’s blind you say? I see the truth in this eye. And do you know what it sees? All it sees are monsters! You’re a monster, they’re monsters, I’m a monster! We’re all monsters, and I’m terrified out of my life! I love it! I love it all!” “You’re ludicrous! Please let me go!” As the hornless unicorn weeps and pleas, Korsan’s tone begins to apparently calm down, but the grin on his face grows even wider. “Mad? Hehe… Aren’t we all? You’re a fair share of madness as well. Shall I tell our audience of how you got here? I’ll tell them. You were locked away in a dinky prison for the murder of one of our own family members. Isn’t that something? I only thought of you as a mere punching bag when I picked you up, a toy I can vent my frustrations onto. However, you ended up being a bigger pain than I ever imagined, a thorn to the eyes and ears.” “Please, I beg for forgiveness!” “Oh, but aren’t pirates supposed to be ruthless? Hm? You said so yourself.” “You know what, you-you’re right! I was an idiot. Yeah, let’s all have a laugh. Hahahahaha-” Immediately, Korsan snaps back into his deranged state and slams the back of Isyan’s head into the mast, laughing upon seeing his cousin black out for a second. “Laugh it up! That’s right! Laugh at me! Humiliate me! Scare me! It’ll be all the more rewarding when I spill your guts!” “No-no-no-no-no-no! I’m not laughing at you! I’m your cousin! Please! Spare me!” “Now’s about time that we finish this.” Slowly, the pirate pegasus drags Isyan to the edge of the boat, not even paying mind to the crossbow still clenched in his hind hooves. The other ponies watch in horror as their leader holds Isyan over the edge by the neck, not even daring to take a step towards the snapping pirate. “You wouldn’t do this to your cousin would you?” Frantically, Isyan paws at the bipedal stallion as tears pour from his eyes and fall into the ocean a kilometre below his hanging hooves. Seeing his boatswain struggle causes Korsan to break out into laughter before eventually returning into his calmer tone. “Farewell, dear cousin, Isyan Karsi Maden.” “Please don’t kill me! I’ll do anything you want!” “Oh, I’m not going to kill you. The water will, either shattering your bones into millions of bits and turning your organs to mush, or causing you to exhaust your energy and slowly drown, a far worse result.” “Please! I’m begging you! Let me go!” “…Very poor choice of words.” “No!” “Adieu.” With one twitch of a muscle, Korsan lets go of Isyan, dropping him off of The Perfection and to his death. The screams of the traitor painfully echo throughout the entire sky for an endless minute before fading away. The onlooking ponies can only stand and take in what they have all seen and heard. After watching Isyan fall into the rolling waves below, Korsan slowly turns his head back towards his crew, all of them speechless. Korsan’s voice turns to a serious character as his grin disappears, “Anypony else?” “No sir, Captain Korsan.” The ten ponies of Faction quietly reply in unison. “Figures.” “Can I get you anything Captain?” Horus nervously asks, almost yipping as the scarred eye darts to his direction. “Nothing for now, I just need some room to ease up for now. Oh yeah, free Chopin from the boom pole.” “Is it true what you said?” Slasher asks, slowly sliding her away out of Maria’s frozen stance. “Are we monsters?” “…We all are. The only thing we can do about it is to put ourselves closer to the divine and pure. Isyan just wanted riches, he didn’t care about who was in his way nor how dirty his hooves would’ve become from the blood of the pure. He was one of the worst monsters.” “Sir?” Yu hesitantly asks, “What about Faction-” “I’m now taking care of that. Ryan Aran, Butch Taylor, Maria Vanshwitz, Clara Rosebud, Lazarus Lazuli, Jack Cauld, Fawnswa, Salty Bob, Anton Chugs, Blackgate Beardsworthy,” “Yes Captain?” The named ponies reply in shame. “Are you all loyal to me?” “Yes.” “Have you disassociated yourselves with Isyan Maden?” “Yes.” “Are you telling the truth?” “Yes.” “Are you going to listen to everything I say and follow my command without second thoughts?” “Yes.” “Good. I expect you all to clean up your mess. As for the rest of you, proceed with your own business as usual.” “Sorry to bother you Korsan,” Lilis sheepishly speaks, “but are you well?” “…I don’t know. I don’t know.” “Is there anything I can do to-” “No. Anything else?” A silent response is given. “I’ll be in my quarters.” Quietly, Korsan makes his way back to the quarterdeck. On his way, he kicks up his crossbow to his top hooves, which tuck the weapon into his cape. Without a word, the other crew members slowly return to their normal business. Eventually, only Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Slasher, Alexander, and the eight prisoners remain, alone at the bow. “He’s snapped.” Alexander solemnly remarks to the others. “Insane that stallion has become, a real pity it is. I hope that it doesn’t affect us in anyway.” “What if he’s right?” The brown mare replies. “Who?” “Isyan. What if we do respect Korsan out of fear?” “…Yes.” “Oh…” “It’s better to fear and live the good life than to rebel and die, that’s for certain.” “What?” Twilight exclaims, “That’s the opposite of ‘better’.” “What?” “Aren’t you ashamed of the ponies you have made to suffer, even killed, just for this’ good’ life?” “You don’t think I am? It’s an unfair world. A little shame is worth it.” “It doesn’t have to be an unfair world Alexander.” “It can be a beautiful place of harmony.” Fluttershy replies. “If you fight for what’s right, it will be.” Rainbow Dash adds. “But it won’t be easy.” Applejack proclaims. “Sacrifices will have to be made.” Rarity declares. “But it’s all worth it in the end.” Spike responds. “Yeah!” Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle cheer. “You really think so?” Slasher asks, a hint of hope begins to spark inside as she sees these ponies so optimistic in the face of danger. “We know so.” Twilight answers. “…” “As your friends, we can help set you on the right path.” Rarity voices. “But why? What have we done to deserve this respect from you?” “Because we’re friends.” “We are? But we-” Twilight calmly interrupts, “Seeing as how Rarity is so keen on protecting you all, I am more than certain that all of you are good ponies inside. As Princess of Friendship, it is my duty to uphold the magic of friendship in all ponies.” “But the letter-” “Do you honestly think that I’d give up that easily?” “Yeah,” Spike adds, “it was merely a trick to send an emergency notification to Princess Celestia.” “And Korsan bought into the whole thing.” Pinkie cheers. “So expect help to come any day now.” Applejack concludes. “Reality check,” Alexander frantically retorts, “did you not just see what Korsan did to Isyan? He’s going insane! At any moment, Korsan will be going from a calm pony into a bloodthirsty lunatic. If he finds out about this, we all might be thrown over. I suggest that we don’t start anything and just stick to our old ways.” “What about Celestia?” “Whatever sized armada she’s bringing, it won’t be enough to stop Korsan. Not to mention that he has Princess Twilight as a prisoner and valuable ransom piece.” Twilight replies, “As long as he doesn’t know, or isn’t about to do something dramatic, we should have enough time to think of something.” “Who said I was joining in this rebellion?” “Are you going to tell us off to Korsan?” Slasher asks intimidatingly. “…No, I’m just, curious.” “What should we do?” Rarity asks. “First, gather as many pirates as you can, get them to join our side.” Twilight answers, “The more team members we have, the less Korsan will when Celestia arrives.” “So,” Alexander questions, “another Faction?” “Yes. Only this time, it’s for the right reasons.” “Count me in!” Slasher declares. “What about Korsan? Aren’t you one of his loyalist members?” “As much as I respected him, I’m realizing that all that was, was fear. I no longer want to be part of that fear and start my life right.” “Well then, welcome to Faction Two.” Suddenly, a loud hum roars across the massive airship. Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Slasher, and Alexander immediately recognize the sound as the captain testing his speaker pipe. “It’s Korsan, he has an announcement.” Three metal taps sound off throughout the small channels. Everypony onboard quiets down from their activities and turn their attention to what’s coming next. Korsan’s voice then echoes from the speaking pipes with a foreboding message, “My friends, it has often been said between you crew members that I like war. Rumours that sneak under my nose, yes? Thought that I wouldn’t catch on? Well I did, and I wish to dash these rumours. My friends, I like war. No, friends, I love war! I love it all. I love blitzes, I love defensive lines, I love sieges, charges, I love mop-up operations, and retreats. Wars across prairies, in streets, in trenches, in grasslands, in frozen tundras, through deserts, on the sea, in the air, I love every act of war that can occur upon this world. I love the thrill, the power, the scale, the rewards, the action, the peril, the risk, the risk of death! Every time I am one sword swing away from demise, I enter euphoria. I love blasting the enemy to smithereens with artillery salvos that thunder across the lines of battle in every direction. My heart leaps with joy whenever a pony is tossed high into the air and blown to pieces by well-placed explosive rounds. And there is nothing like my grand galleon using its one hundred guns to destroy enemy ships, and the feeling that comes when an entire crew runs screaming from their blazing brig, only to be swallowed by the ocean below, is such an exquisite feeling. Like when ranks of infantry brandish their blades and rushing into the enemy’s territory. It moves me deep within my heart to watch a fresh recruit stabbing over and over into the bloated chest of a long-dead unit of resistance, filling the blood-lust that had been empty for all of his previous years of a life of contained anger and rage. The sight of deserters being captured and held for ransom is an irresistible pleasure, especially when a little torture is involved. And there is nothing more arousing, than the sounds made by soldiers of defense dropping like flies, screaming in agony as they're mowed down by ear piercing cannons! When a band of pitiful resistance fighters makes their final stand with nothing but their own hooves, only to have their city smashed to mites of dust block by block by solid lead balls, I'm in ecstasy. Now, don’t call me crazy, but this next part, the part that I love most, is a bit of a doozy for the easily sickened. But, what I love even more, is my crew, all of you, under attack. I love it when my forces are ravaged by an entire armada of war ships. It intrigues me, like a good book, to see the character I have been rooting for my entire life, throwing their safety out the door and facing up to the massive enemy, and perhaps even be killed. I love to be squashed under the hooves of the nation’s strongest soldiers. The humiliation, as my crew crawl around like vermin, ducking from arrows and balls of metal flying overhead. But be rest assured this is not merely for some sort of masochist’s enjoyment inside of my soul, merely. When the time is right, those who squashed us get squashed back, a reward that’s completely worth the cost and risk. In its entirety of rewards, costs, risks, and power, I love war with all of my heart and soul. Gentlecolts and mares... All I ask for is war, a war so grand as to make Tartarus itself tremble. Sea artists, I ask you as fellow brothers and sisters under my infinite wisdom, what is it that you really want? Do you wish for further war as I do? Do you wish for a merciless, bloody war? A war whose fury is built with iron, and lightning, and fire? Do you ask for war to sweep in like a tempest, leaving not even ravens to scavenge our target’s remains, from this Earth? ...Very well. Then battle is what you shall have. We are a clenched hoof, ready to strike down all who oppose us, with our might. But... After having our ancestors’ legacy enduring over many centuries wallowing in the darkness by these inferiors, for us, a simple "ordinary" war will no longer be sufficient. We need a massive war! A war beyond any other that pony's history has ever known! One that shall alter the course of history and restore all of our future descendants to the glory we as an entire species deserve! Yet, I can sense doubt still among you gazing upon me, for good reason. We are but a single battalion. We are the remnants of a long defeated cause now numbering merely a hundred strong. However, I believe that each of you warriors is equal to a thousand of their inferior might! We represent a force that could easily defeat an army of a million and one ponies, one hundred thousand fully rigged brigantines, ten thousand factions, and a thousand countries combined! It is time for them to awake the ones who sent us screaming into madness, to obscurity, and who now lie sleeping. Let's drag them out of bed by the mane, and remind them of what we are! We will remind them of what it feels like to live in fear, in inferiority, in pain. We will remind them of the sound of our ancestors’ greatest powers grinding against their throats. We will remind them, that there are more things between birth and death than are dreamt of in their philosophy. Our legion of one hundred mighty unicorns is going to burn this wretched world down to ash. Yes, my friends! We shall begin a assembly of new eras, starting with the war against all of the known world! But first, we shall strike Equestria, the leading country of this old world, and turn it into a beacon of our new world. Soon, Equestria's charred remains will illuminate the night sky! I have brought you all glory, riches, and power, just as I promised I would. All that now remains is your cooperation in this final campaign, our greatest campaign! Back to our favorite battlefield. Back to our beloved war! At last, the sea lion has crossed the ocean and is heading up the hill. Attention, all soldiers of The Perfection! This is a message from your captain, Korsan Arasinda Maden. …Friends, let’s bring them Tartarus.”
United and Strong“What?!” Alexander exclaims as he and the other crew members on deck look up to see their captain standing at the wheel. “Has he gone off the deep end?” Slasher adds in shock. “He has to be. We’ve almost died on Alicorn Island, now he expects us to go to war?” “We have to do something!” “And we will do something,” Rarity sternly replies, “you all will gather up members for Faction Two as quickly as possible while I try to convince Korsan to hold off the attack.” “No,” Twilight retorts, “he’s too unstable right now. Especially after you just rejected him, he might kill you just like he did to Isyan. I’m going to go to him, he trusts me.” “Are you sure?” “I just sent a letter to Celestia declaring my ‘turning against her’.” “Okay. Oh! You’re still tied up.” Quickly, Rarity and the other pirates loosen the ropes around Twilight. “Hold still…” Rarity then pulls out her rapier and stabs it into the anti-magic strap around Twilight’s horn as she climbs out of her binds. The green band snaps off of the purple horn and falls onto the wooden deck. “Thanks.” “Good luck, and don’t get hurt.” “I’ll try not to.” Twilight then immediately gallops towards the quarterdeck, watching the brown stallion head into his quarters with his smug grin returned to his face. Making it to the beginning stairs, a pair of yellow stallions meets up by her sides, both in a panic. “Oh, hello there Ms. Sparkle,” the left one quickly speaks. “Uh, hi,” “So, what are you doing?” the right one replies. “What are you doing?” “…” “Hey,” the left stallion retorts, “we asked first.” “But she’s new to the crew, we should be courteous.” “Don’t give me that courteous garbage. We’ve already been given enough lip about that.” “Hey, I don’t want to risk being smashed in the face again. Remember that yellow devil?” “Of course I do, I was right beside you with a busted nose of my own.” “Exactly my point,” “Whatever, this is getting us nowhere. Twilight, what are you-” “Wait,” Twilight interrupts the duo, “a ‘yellow devil’?” “She was furious!” As the three ponies reach the third floor of the quarterdeck, the right stallion speaks up, “Hey, we’re here.” “You know what? We’ll find out what we’re all doing once we get inside.” “Fine.” Swiftly, the three ponies hurry into the captain’s bedroom. As they frantically look around, they hear distorted music coming from the large instrument in the back. “He might be in the garage with that new weapon he’s been working on.” With the two pirates leading the way, the three turn towards the metal doors. They swing open the gates without hesitation, only to be met in the face by six long, thin pipes swirling at blinding speeds and emitting deafening noises of gears and pistons. They stop dead in their tracks and freeze in shock as they look down the circling pipes aimed at their heads, seeing metal bolts in each of them. “Oops,” a mischievous voice echoes from behind the pipes, “my bad, let me turn this off.” Soon, the device stops moving and is turned away from the onlookers, revealing its massive size. Twilight and the two pirates gaze in dumbfoundment of the vast collection of razor sharp gears and cables, jumbled together in a solid cannon of mechanical terror. “What is that?” Twilight mutters in her breath. Korsan appears at her and the others’ sides and frenziedly replies, “It’s my newest weapon, sort of a scaled-up version of my crossbow. I hope you like it, because you’re going to be seeing it a lot in the coming years. It’s accurate, it’s powerful, it’s strong, it’s continuous, it’s everything a tool of war should be!” “Uh huh…” “So, what brings you all here?” “I’ll let these two stallions start. What they have to say is probably more important.” “So then, Mr. Shou and Mr. Shou, what is it?” The left stallion takes a gulp of air before answering in an uncontrollable tone of uneasiness, “We’re here to ask you about a few… aspects of your newest command.” “Ask away. But make it quick, I’m going to have a lot of my plate very soon.” “Well, don’t you think the timing of such a ‘war’, as you put it, is a bit sudden?” “Sudden?” “Yeah,” the other brother proclaims, even more squeamish than the former speaker, “we just had a big adventure and all. Can’t we have a bit of a rest?” “Oh, no-no-no-no-no-no, this war must begin now, and I’ll need all of you to be ready when it begins.” “What if some of us, not me nor my brother, just, hypothetically speaking, what if some of us don’t want to join in this war?” Korsan doesn’t respond and instead silently paces across the room, never taking his scarred eye’s view off of them. “Also, Captain, you’re eyepatch is still-” “Still what?” “Eep!” “Well?” “Still over the wrong eye Sir,” the first brother answers. “Oh, so it ‘tis. Huh. I guess I’m taking a liking to this new view.” “Are you sure you can see fine that that eye?” “Oh, I can see much better with this one.” “Okay…” “Yep, seeing everything a lot clearer than before with this here eye, I never thought of removing the eyepatch,” “Sir, you still haven’t answered our question.” “Oh yes! I forgot, silly me, well, if anypony doesn’t want to participate, they’re free to do so.” “Really?” “Yes, they can help me in here, performing tests.” Slamming his claw against the machine, Korsan springs the weapon to life once more. The onlookers jump in place as the cannon roars and begins to slowly rotate in place, aiming towards them. “Stay still.” The mighty cannon scans the three statues of ponies before moving on around the metal chamber. Korsan turns off the device once more and walks up to his guests with his tongue licking his chops. “Are we clear?” The two unicorns stutter, “C-c-c-c-c-c-cryst-tral-l.” “Any more questions?” “N-no!” “Very well then, be on your merry way.” “Yes Sir!” Quickly, the stallions run out of the captain’s quarters in a sweaty panic, leaving Twilight alone with Korsan. “Now what about you Ms. Sparkle?” “M-me?” The mare replies, still frozen from the machine’s quick drive. “What about me? What do I think about your suit? It’s good! All refilled with anti-magic, it looks like-” “What have you come to see me for?” “Oh, yes, I was just wondering…” “Wondering?” “Wondering if I should be getting any training.” “You seemed pretty capable during our little, moment, on Alicorn Island. By the way, who taught you those moves again? You never really clarified.” “My brother, the Captain of the Royal Guard in Equestria.” “I see. I don’t recall seeing such a stallion during the night of the gala three weeks ago.” “He was busy at the Crystal Empire, had to take care of certain affairs.” “Interesting, most interesting.” “…” “And curious, might I add. You are oddly open with these more personal details. Mind if I ask why?” “I just thought you would know since you’re the captain.” “Mmhmm.” “Is there a problem?” “No, no. There shouldn’t be one right?” “Y-yeah,” “…” “Korsan?” “Oh, I was just thinking. Is there anything else you want to tell me?” “Well, what are your current feelings towards Rarity?” “Ms. Rarity…” “…” “I’d rather not think about her all that much. I’m more concerned about urgent matters.” “I see.” “You know about these urgent matters I assume.” “…What do you-” “Those matters,” “…” Twilight loudly swallows air in anxiety as the bipedal stallion gives her a very self-aware and knowledgeable glance. “What’s wrong?” “I-I think I should check on our prisoners, Captain.” “Ah, yes, a very wise decision, I congratulate you Ms. Sparkle. They will need to be secured for what’s coming. War often begins at the most, unexpected, and sudden times don’t you think?” “Uh, yeah,” “Shoo.” Slowly, Twilight backs away from the chamber and Korsan’s sight before frantically accelerating into a gallop and flight to the bow of the long airship. As she soars between the masts of the boat, the sounds of maniacal laugher echo from behind, followed by the cold screeches of a familiar bird. Eventually, she sees the base of the first tall mast, noticing the large group of pirates, including the two yellow stallions, surrounding it. The purple alicorn hovers above the mass gathering and asks, “What’s going on?” “What’s going on?” One of the pirate mares replies, “We’re listening to what Yin and Yu have to say.” “He’s off of his rocker!” One of the named brothers proclaims to their audience. “Called it!” A stallion cheers. “He wants us all to get ready for this war now!” “Now?!” Butch asks in shock, “What if we aren’t ready?” “You better be ready! There’s this giant, super-crossbow-cannon that he’s going to use to maim any of us that doesn’t fight.” “Well then,” Ryan immediately declares, “we better get ready.” “Wait!” Slasher retorts. “Why do we have to? Why can’t we fight back?” “Did you not just hear Yin?” Alexander asks. “Korsan’s going to skewer anypony that he doesn’t like!” “Not if we all work together.” “Are you kidding?” Hans responds. “He’s got Chopin, Gofu, Pip, Horus, Ivan, Phlox, Barbara, Hotus, and several others glued to his side. None of us have been able to beat those guys in sparring tournaments, even when it’s two of us against one of them." “But-” “And besides, what are we going to do after that?” Maria adds. “None of us know how to run this ship. We’ll be caught and executed for our crimes, and loose our second chances at life that Korsan has provided. For a moment, I, and nine others with us, thought the same thing as well as you did, we wanted to overthrow Korsan in order to start anew. Only now do we realize that our only lives are now at the hooves of him. He’s ended his own cousin’s, why not us?” “What life is there in constant fear and destruction?” “Korsan’s life. Look at him now, terrified of all of us, yet still has the biggest grin on his face. He has ended thousands of lives, and will end millions more without remorse. Whatever this cause he is fighting for is, it is keeping us all alive and living a good life.” “But it’s wrong, and you know it.” “Is it?” Butch asks. “What?” “After all of these years, we’ve been almost unstoppable because we can use magic. We can teleport, levitate objects from afar, and cast all sorts of other spells.” “But that doesn’t mean we should end the lives of millions of non-unicorns.” Rarity retorts. “As much as I hate the violence,” Alexander replies, “if there isn’t a worthy reason to rebel against Korsan, and defend the lives of those lesser than us, you and anypony else that joins this ‘Faction Two’ are signing into a pointless suicide pact. It’s either life or death, and I’m going with the former.” Slowly, most of the pirates gathered break away and head back to their stations on the ship, choosing to stay with Korsan. Horrified, Twilight and the few others remaining watch over the mass exodus, thinking of some way to bring them back, but can’t for as hard as they try. “But-but-but,” Slasher stammers, but is cut short by the blue, suited pirate staring back at her with an intense stare. “…I’m so sorry…” “Don’t worry sugar cube,” Applejack comforts the brown mare, “you tried your best.” “Don’t be sad.” The three filly friends add. “We can still hold up a good fight.” Rainbow Dash replies. “No meanie’s going to stop us.” Pinkie cheers. “We still are on the good side.” Fluttershy gently responds. “We’re all still standing aren’t we?” Spike proudly asks. “In-spirit in your case.” One of the yellow stallions, Yu, accounts to Spike. “Perhaps me and my brother could join this little rebellion.” The other brother follows up. “I got your back.” Rarity concludes, holding her rapier between her and her cat-loving friend. “Thanks,” Slasher sniffles, smiling as she sees her friends around her. As Twilight watches above, a brilliant thought bursts in her head. A thought so grand, she almost loses control of her hovering. Immediately, the alicorn soars around the mass of retreating pirates, catching their attention. “Listen up!” She exclaims as she lands herself in the middle of the gathering. “Korsan knows about my false allegiance to him, and how I have sent Princess Celestia a letter for her to come and save us at any hour or day.” “Oh that’s reassuring!” One of the stallions sarcastically shouts towards the speaker. “But that is not a call of despair! Instead, let it be a call of rejoice! Listen, as Korsan holds his expectations high towards all of you, it will be all the more crippling to see his expectations shatter before him when Princess Celestia comes with her army.” “But why should we even rebel?” Alexander asks, “What cause is there if we’re going to get caught?” “All ponies are equal, each in their own right!” A series of groans and boos erupt from the mob. “Listen! Over the past three weeks, I have witnessed many things that I would’ve have taken for granted. My friend, Fluttershy, a pegasus, talks fluently with animals, something that no magic has been able to replicate. She is also one of the kindest and bravest mares I know, facing her greatest fears, even death, in order to help those in need. My other friend, Rainbow Dash, another pegasus, is fast, really fast, faster than any speed spell and can go farther than any series of teleportation spells. She can create storms with only a beat of her wings. But most importantly, she is more loyal to me and my friends than anypony I know. Another friend, Pinkie Pie, an Earth pony, even in the worst of times, she’ll almost never frown and keep a positive attitude. She’ll always find a silver lining and find some way to keep both friends and enemies happy. Applejack, the Earth pony that had temporarily joined you all, is the strongest mare in Equestria. Without my magic, I depended on Applejack most of all to keep me safe. And although she betrayed us, I understand why she did it. She had an honest reason, to protect those she loved, even me and my friends. That’s right Applejack, I forgive you!” “This is all very touching and all,” Maria replies with a sense of her coldness beginning to melt in her voice, “but what are four lucky mares compared to millions of tortured lives?” Rarity answers, taking Twilight’s place as the speaker, “The same as a crew of one hundred compared to billions of other ponies that love and are loved by the millions. Remember that day three years ago? The day when you all destroyed an entire kingdom, sending those thousands of families to their deaths? Are you ashamed of that day?” “…Yes, but-” “Why? There isn’t a worthy cause is there?” “…” “But there is, and you all know it. The reason why all of you are so ashamed of that day, and why you should fight against Korsan, is that you know the truth. Although we are more versatile in some aspects, doesn’t mean we are any better than pegasi and Earth ponies. You know why? Souls, personalities, friendships, all of these play equal factors in each and every pony that Korsan has never seen and that all of you have taken a blind eye to. My friends, mostly all non-unicorns, are far better, happier ponies than many unicorns I have come across. They, as well as I, have helped so many others to live better lives with just their voices alone. Heck, magic sometimes is the source of the many problems we come across. Without magic, all of you were powerless, not knowing what to do. Wiping out two thirds of all ponykind and replacing it with magic is not going to solve anything.” “We’ll most likely destroy ourselves.” Twilight responds. “Instead, how about you all turn a new leaf, and better yourselves. Use your talents for helping those that can help you in return when you need help with a problem you can’t solve with magic. Their humility may be your reason you will still be alive and live as you will in the future.” Alexander retorts, “But we’re criminals. No pony is going to look at us any higher than scum.” “Criminals can be heroes, as well as non-unicorns.” Rarity concludes the speech, “I know this is scary for a lot of you, abandoning your luxurious lives on this ship to possibly die. But what is a life in shame and fear other than Korsan’s, the maniac that keeps you prisoner on here? His way of life is bringing death to thousands. Even if you die fighting, you would have lived a better life in those few seconds than serving him for however many years. If you still decide to stay loyal to Korsan, then go ahead. We shall meet again when the battle begins, and even there, we will still offer mercy. If you want to end this guilt of being his lackey, then join us, and together, we’ll end Korsan’s tyranny once and for all. Choose wisely, please.” Silence washes over the flying airship as the massive sea of motley ponies stare off into their own personal subconscious worlds. As they all think, Twilight hears the revving of Korsan’s weapon at the other end of the boat. Soon, Maria and a few other pirates leave the meeting and head back to their regular posts. However, just as it seems to appear that Faction Two is going to remain tiny, Alexander proclaims, “You know what? You’re right. More it is noble to live a short life fighting for what is right and pure, than to forever live in shame and wrong.” Slowly, the blue unicorn walks over to Slasher’s side and faces the gathering. Instantly, the mob bursts out in small talk and cheers, splitting apart and taking sides. As one pony joins Twilight’s and the others’ side, another goes back to their station and prepare to fight them. Yet, even with this vast split, the thirty-nine members of Faction Two, including Twilight, Rarity, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Slasher, Alexander, and several others, stand firm and triumphantly glance around to their own personal army of justice. “Hey!” Yin declares as he and his brother run towards the resistance team. “Don’t forget us!” “Yu! Yin!” Slasher cheers. As the later brother, Yu, reaches the brown mare, the yellow stallion then immediately stares into her own eyes with a dumb smile on his face. “Before we all probably die in some horrific fashion, I just need to get this off of my chest.” “Wha-” Without hesitation, Yu grabs Slasher with his magic, pulls her into his face, and locks his lips into hers. At first shocked, Slasher soon succumbs to the kissing and locks the bond even tighter. Their eyes close as the two collapse onto the floor in a cuddling fit while Yin and the others watch in shock. “Aww!” Pinkie cheers. “It’s so romantic!” “When was this going on?!” Yin exclaims in confusion. “It doesn’t matter silly, it’s love.” “It just came out of nowhere, no exclamation or any-” “You will feel the love tonight!” “But-” “Just ignore it Yin.” Applejack replies. “How? My brother is sucking the face off of Slasher out of nowhere!” “Ahem…” A soft voice calls out from a few metres away from Twilight and the gang. They look towards the source and see that it’s Maria, sheepishly standing in front of them with a glint of fear in her red eyes. “Maria?” Rarity responds. “Is it too late to join you guys?” “It never is too late.” Twilight cheers, “Welcome to Faction Two!” “So, what are we going to do now?” “…I’m not sure. There’s a bit of a time gap in my plans.” “Your best bet is to sabotage the cannons, take as much armour and weapons from Korsan’s stock as possible, and assign groups and positions to each of the forty-two ponies present.” “…That will work. Want to be our leading strategist?” “I’m already way ahead.” “Well then, let’s do this!”
Battle of the SkiesThe blasts of cannons ring across the sea. Screams of pirates and soldiers screech around the world. And the entire universe hears the massive explosions of ships burning with a trembling ear. Amongst the roaring skies of darkness and wrath, the war has begun between Korsan’s crew and everypony else. Solid balls of lead and iron are exchanged across the lightning filled clouds between the aircraft and whittle each other down. Volleys are thrown in rapid succession, turning the tips of their cannons to a scorching shade of red and white. The fabrics of the balloons and sails are pierced and shredded apart, falling between the aircrafts like the red rain. One of the cannon shots from The Perfection nails the powder room of one of Equestria’s blimps, causing a massive explosion to erupt on the unlucky vessel and set fire to it. Celestia’s mighty zeppelin rises above Korsan’s pirate ship and smashes down onto it. Chunks of wood rain down onto the ponies fighting on deck, soon followed by dropped soldiers. The zeppelin then rises and continues its distant cannon fire at the massive ship. On the main deck of The Perfection, Faction Two and Celestia’s soldiers, led by Twilight Sparkle, are fighting their pirate rivals. Swords, arrows, spears, chunks of boat, cannonballs, and bolts of magic bombard the deck area in a blanket of chaos over and between the heads of the fighters. In the center of this, Rainbow Dash forms a tornado with her rapid flying speed. The flying projectiles and smaller weapons are sucked into the massive gale. The pirates immediately try to run away from the metal tornado, but a few get sucked in and bashed around in the deadly vortex. As Dash continues to fly around, she is suddenly stopped short and trapped in a magic aura. The tornado immediately burst, sending the beaten pirates over the edge and into the water below where the pirates of Thieves’ Hold will take care of them. Rainbow Dash is then pulled downwards towards the raised claymore of Pip, the small pink pirate mare. The filly evilly snickers as Dash’s rump is drawn closer to her pointed sword. However, Applejack leaps behind Pip and smashes her hind with a powerful buck, sending her and her sword off of the airship screaming. One of Korsan’s stallion sneaks up behind Applejack and attempts to stab her in the back. Free, Rainbow immediately springs into action and bashes herself into the stallion, shattering the wood floor and sending the two into the gun deck below. On top of a large loaded cannon, the two ponies enter a hoof fight with the cannon’s gunner jumping away from the fury. The gunner then aims his horn at Dash and prepares to fire a fireball. Applejack leaps into the hole as well and stomps onto the end of the barrel. The cannon bounces off of the floor from the sudden force. Dash throws her opponent into the gunner and both Rainbow and Applejack then buck the cannon. The cannon fires into the deck above and its midair recoil launches it into the two pirates, sending both of them into the floor below with it. The two mares nod each other in congratulations before they see a wave of pirates, all armed to the teeth, heading towards them. They stand tight together and prepare to fight some more. In the galley, Pinkie Pie, Butch Taylor, Yin, and Yu, are being backed into the captain’s seat as they are being approached by a group of twelve of Korsan’s crewmembers, lead by Ivan and Horus. Each better armed and better in combat, Pinkie and her troop appear to be helpless. The twelve villainous criminals snicker as the watch the five stopping upon bumping the edge of Korsan’s throne and table. They draw closer and closer, seeing the beads of sweat pouring from their victims faces. Just as their weapons are about to make contact with flesh, Pinkie suddenly declares, “Wait!” The pirates stop in surprise, with one of them asking, “Why?” “Uh… Does any pony have a birthday today?” The twelve pause and look at each other with a confused look. “I had one yesterday.” Another one of them replies. “Well Happy Belated Birthday!” “Thanks, I guess.” “Enough of this!” Horus exclaims. Ivan confirms with his partner, “Aye.” “They’re just buying themselves some time,” Horus proclaims, “let’s get them.” “Hold on Horus!” Yu retorts. “Oh come on-what is it?” “Before I die, I need to know something, something about Hoofball.” “What?” “So about the most recent game, the one where our favourite team’s going against some foreign team. You know the one, Who’s on first, What’s on second, and I-Don’t-Know’s on third.” “I don’t know.” “That’s third.” “Who?” “No, Who’s on first.” “Wait, what?” “What’s on second.” “I don’t know what you’re-” “Third base.” “What?” “Second.” “Who?” “First.” “Huh?” “Shortstop.” “Alright, enough of this, I’m getting a headache.” “Wait!” Yin exclaims. “No! No! No!” Horas screams as he raises his spiked mace at the yellow stallions. “No more delays! Time to die!” “Aye.” Ivan confirms before raising his massive knife at the five ponies in front of him. As the twelve pirates prepare to strike, the earth-shaking sound of a window shattering erupts behind them. They quickly turn around to see a red unicorn, a blue pegasus, and a green Earth pony, charging through the front window and aiming their cutlasses at them. “Maurice! Cecil! Jarvis!” Pinkie cheers. “Hey Pinkie!” The trio replies. “We’re here to save you-” With a flick of their horns, the twelve unicorns pin Cecil and Jarvis to the ceiling. Horus then walks up to Maurice and slams the small stallion’s cutlass aside with his weapon. Maurice backs away in fear before picking up a small spoon from the floor and holding it up to the albino pirate as if it’s a shield. Horus chuckles upon seeing the tiny utensil before his red eyes. He taunts, “By thunder Pipsqueak! If you think that this mundane spoon is going to stop me, think again.” Maurice simply replies, “You might want to take a better look at it.” Curious of what that statement meant, Horus squints at the spoon, noticing something peculiar about its reflection. An immediate feeling of fear builds inside and Horus realizes that the wide reflection is showing something outside the two sides of the galley through the windows. As he snaps his head to a side to look out of the windows to his left, a wave of pegasi come bursting through them, showing millions of glass bits onto the pirates. The other side soon is bombarded with a second swarm of pegasi as they make their way into the galley. In seconds, where the twelve ponies once stood is now a raging river of motley ponies that flows both ways. Pinkie and her four close allies watch in shock and awe as the wall of pegasi soon clears to reveal the rivals with benefits cheering at the other side of the galley. “Wow!” Pinkie exclaims as she scurries to her other friends. “That was incredible! I would’ve never have seen that coming! I didn’t even know you guys came to help us!” “Thank you. The princesses picked us up and sent us here to help ya.” Jarvis replies. “How did you even pull this off?” Cecil answers, “We got some help.” Slowly, Fluttershy flies in through one of the now shattered windows. Upon seeing her, Pinkie immediately runs up to her and gives her a tight squeeze. “You did this Fluttershy?!” “…Yeah.” Fluttershy chokingly replies, feeling her lungs deflate in her friend’s hooves. “Did you secretly fly off to one of the pegasi platoons in Celestia’s army and organized a surprise attack to wherever Cecil, Maurice, and Jarvis would find a group of pirates to strike?” “…Yeah.” “Thank you, thank you, thank you! The only things that could make this more awesome are a lemur and a whale!” As if on cue, a black and white lemur emerges from Fluttershy’s massive mane. Pinkie gasps and backs away from the small critter, “Witchcraft!” “No, I just took him along with us. When the volcano was erupting on that island we were on, I couldn’t just leave him behind.” “Great! Now that we have a lemur, all we need now is a whale. And guess who brought the whale?!” “A whale?” The three rivals with benefits ask out loud. A massive and powerful moan suddenly roars from below, shaking The Perfection entire. Except for Pinkie Pie, everypony immediately stops in their tracks in unknowing horror of that that sound was. “Yep, a whale.” “Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy nervously asks, “remember two weeks ago when you said you were preparing a surprise.” “Yeah,” “Is this the surprise?” Looking out of the galley’s front doors and broken windows, the nine ponies inside see a massive blue whale rise from the ship’s stern. Everypony gasps as they set their eyes onto the whale, collecting into one breath of fear. “On the nose!” The gigantic whale then slams into the main deck of the equally gigantic airship, causing the ship to plummet down and tilt into the beast’s weight. Everypony screams as they all tumble towards the stern. “Great mother of mercy!” Korsan’s voice hollers from above, fighting the weight with his grip on the steering wheel. “Okay big guy!” Pinkie sheiks out to the whale. “That’s enough.” The blue whale moans out to the pink pony and slowly slides off of the ship. Immediately, Korsan stabilizes the ship and attempts to return it to normal, but he as well as everypony else soon realizes that massive chunk of the hull that has been taken out as well as the serious loss of altitude. Looking to her sides, Pinkie sees the frozen faces of her comrades beside her, processing what has just happened. “Hm… Perhaps I should’ve warned everypony about the whale.” “Why didn’t anypony tell me about a whale?!” Korsan groans as he reclaims control of his vessel. Above him, Korsan sees Celestia’s airships still high up in the air, firing their cannons down to his lower ship. He quickly sets the steering into its second mode and attempts to pull his airship upwards. However, the ship instead jerks down, as the pirates of Thieves’ Hold have fired roped harpoons into the hull and are now pulling the ship down. Cannonballs hail from the sky and quickly turn the top decks of the airship into an infernal ruin. One of these massive balls strikes right beside Korsan, creating a hole to the room where his crossbow-cannon is. Thinking quickly, Korsan thrusts Juliana into the air and leaps into the hole. “Free The Perfection and get it flying! Use Artic Wind if you must!” The ice phoenix screeches in compliance and flies around to underneath the sinking hull. As she flies around the grappling ships below, the rain that’s caught in her icy wind is turned into a hail of spikes. The ponies below retreat from the barrage of ice darts. One by one, the ropes holding The Perfection down are cut by either the ice spikes are Juliana’s beak. As Juliana soars around the boat, she dodges the storm of metal, wood, and lightning. The final rope is cut, and she quickly swoops up to the wheel and surrounding levers. From there, she then begins to imitate her master, and starts to drive their massive airship up and away from the fight. “Don’t let them get away!” One of the soldiers in the massive cloud of pegasi declares. Quickly, the swamp of flying ponies chases after the fleeing airship. The ship suddenly turns its starboard towards the group. A portion of the quarterdeck wall is blasted away by something behind it, revealed to be the massive cannon with Korsan right behind it, aiming it directly at the incoming mass. “You ponies look mighty hungry for some metal!” The machine then roars to life as its long barrels and gears rapidly move and shift. The herd of pegasi immediately scramble away as hundreds of bolts start to launch from the cannon’s six barrels. Rapidly firing metal rods into the heard, the machine moves on its own to shoot down anypony that tries to escape. Hundreds of soldiers and other ponies fall from the sky as their armour is pieced and bodies are flung into each other, all under the sound of the roaring crossbow and Korsan’s maniacal laughter. Two of Celestia’s airships then pull up to Korsan’s ship and fire a volley of several cannonballs at the machine and Korsan. However, the cannon quickly shoots each of the incoming metal balls out of the sky in rapid succession, never missing a shot. Upon finishing off the volley, the cannon then proceeds to take down the approaching airships. In less than two minutes, the balloons holding the boats are shredded into pieces and the two vessels plummet into the raging seas, crushing any sailing ships underneath. “Is that the best you got? Ha! Six mere mares put up a better fight then the lot of you!” “How about you stop hiding behind your toys and actually fight like a stallion?” A mare’s voice yells out from behind Korsan and his cannon. Reaching for his cutlasses, Korsan slowly turns his head to see exactly who he expects it is. “Why hello…” Inside the vast cargo hold of the ship, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are being chased down by Chopin. Upon reaching a wall, the fillies turn around to see the mime slowly stalking them with his long, curved knife in tow. Chopin’s smile grows the closer he draws to the fillies. “Keep away from us you clown!” Sweetie Belle barks. She appears to attempt to pick up the stallion with her magic, only to lead to no avail due to his sheer weight. Slightly offended by the name-calling, Chopin’s smile cuts down to a small scowl. “Yeah you clown! Shoo!” Applebloom screams before throwing a nearby plank of wood at Chopin. Now aggravated, he grabs the plank with his teeth and chomps it, snapping the board in two. The trio immediately back away in terror, except for Scootaloo. She instead declares, “Don’t you take another step forward you clown!” “Yeah!” The two others remark. “Clown!” Finally sick of this, Chopin steps forward and screams into Scootaloo’s face, “I’m a mime!” The sound of a rope snapping suddenly sounds out from below Chopin. In an instant, the mime is suspended up into the air two metres from the ground and held upside down. Chopin soon discovers that a rope has been tied around his hind hoof that is hanging from the ceiling. Looking back down, he sees the three fillies running around and away from him, giggling all the way. “When I get down from here, I’m gonna-” “Gonna what?” A gruff, ominous voice sneers from behind the mime in a very threatening tone of voice. The rope is then slowly spun around by the initially unseen figure and Chopin comes face to face with Grivs. The massive grey stallion grins as he stares down the mime. On top of the tallest yard, on the highest mast, Twilight is fighting against two mare pirates. Without any weapons, she has to quickly project shields to defend against their swords and spells. One of them teleports to Twilight’s behind and swings her sword. Twilight ducks under the slice. The other then swings her hoof below Twilight crotched and makes her loose her hoofing. The two then raise their swords and swing them downwards. Twilight quickly moves her fallen self between the blades as they strike the wood below. She then flies upwards and performs a split kick. The hooves smack into the two pirates and instantly knock them off of the yard. Landing back down onto the mast, Twilight grabs the swords with her magic. She then leaps from the wooden pole and falls towards the deck. She positions the blades below her hooves and stabs them into the sails, riding them down as they slice the black fabric behind her. Below her is a small mass of Korsan’s pirates, waiting for her with their weapons trained on her. Thinking quick, Twilight aims herself downwards and fires a magic fireball at the mob. It explodes upon hitting the floor and buries the area in a flaming cloud of smoke. She then leaps into the darkness with her swords and fights the pirates. Twilight uses the burning wood to her advantage by swishes her swords into the fire and flinging it at her foes, keeping them distant while she takes on others at the same time. The rain barely even hits the metal blades and other weaponry as they are all rapidly being flung around in the cloud of turmoil, with Twilight being the epicenter of the chaos. However, one of the pirates overpowers Twilight and slices at her cheek with a small knife. She screams in pain and tries to back away, only to find herself now completely surrounded. She immediately attempts teleportation. Another pirate stops her by tacking her to the wet floor. Just as it seems all is lost, a collection of unseen ponies swoop in on Korsan’s crew members and fight them off of Twilight. Twilight tries to see who they are, but the smoke is too thick. Eventually, as the pirates start to flee, the haze clears as well, revealing her saviors to be November Gale, Nitin Gale, Princess Cadence, and Craig Y’ol Timber. “November! Nitin! Cadence! Craig!” Twilight exclaims with joy. As the four ponies turn to look at her, they notice the red scratch along her cheek. “Twilight!” Cadence worryingly gasps. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” “That’s what they all say before it gets infected.” Craig mutters. Nitin then speaks, “We came as soon as possible. Princess Celestia got your letter.” “What can we do?” November asks. “Thanks for your help,” Twilight cheers. However, her joy is cut short by the roaring wails of Korsan’s machine firing at pegasi and ships flying in front of it. “Okay, first we need to stop that machine. Cadence, get everypony away from anywhere within viewing distance of the cannon. They’ll listen to you on the spot.” “I’m on it.” Cadence declares and flies off. “Nitin, you know this ship better than any of us. Sabotage whatever’s keeping this thing flying and whatever’s helping the machine.” “Understood.” Nitin nods before leaping into one of the many blast holes of the withering ship. “Craig-” “Now you shut your piper right there,” Craig Y’ol Timber interrupts, “I do what I want to do.” “…Fine.” “And me?” November asks. “You,” Twilight replies, “are going to help me destroy the cannon and stop Korsan.” “Alright!” The two mares immediately start galloping towards the quarterdeck. As some of the remaining pirates try to block their path, Twilight and November quickly push past them and continue to keep their momentum. As they reach the stairs leading up the quarterdeck, Twilight informs November of the machine, “It tracks you by movement relevant to its position by scanning what’s in its view overtime. It doesn’t seem to identify the ship itself as a target, so if it moves, you have to move along with it as if you were still. Stay stiff when it is facing you, it will usually do a quick scan before turning around in search of a target.” “Got it.” They leap up the stairs, reach the poop deck, and see the hole where Korsan leap down. Swiftly, the two leap down behind the roaring cannon and immediately prepare to face off against Korsan. However, to their surprise, the captain is nowhere to be seen. “Where is he?” “It doesn’t matter. It’s actually a good thing. Now help me stop this thing.” The two quickly examine the device for any weaknesses or a shut-off switch. Eventually, Twilight spots a small lever deep inside the back of the machine. She tries to use one of her swords to flip the switch. It however snags on one of the whirring gears and lodges the blade over the lever, covering it. The cannon chokes and sputters for a moment, but continues shooting onward. “Shoot.” “Wait, what if you jam the machine?” “Good idea.” With her other sword now positioned, Twilight prepares to stab it in with the first. However, just as she about to strike, an unseen force pushes her forward and towards the open edge of the room. Her wings instantly spring open. Twilight immediately stops herself from falling and entering the machine’s line of sight. Her sword however falls forward and the cannon instantly shoots it down. The sounds of clanging metal ring from behind her ears, a sign that November is in trouble. Now teetering between life and death, Twilight tries to fly back inside. But an unseen weight is pulling her down by her hind hooves. She immediately looks down to see it’s Rarity, having slipped over the edge and desperately trying to climb back up. “Rarity?!” “Pull me up!” Rarity exclaims. With all of her might, Twilight pulls the two of them back inside. November suddenly screams behind them as the unseen pony knocks her into Twilight and Rarity. However, Twilight stays strong and keeps the mares stable. The now trio get up onto their hooves and face the fourth pony, revealing himself to be Korsan. “Korsan!” “Twilight!” Korsan excitedly exclaims. He then kicks the nearby cannon with his hind hoof, causing it to spin the place. “Hold still!” The four ponies instantly turn frozen as the machine’s barrels rapidly turn towards them. As soon as the machine passes them, Korsan immediately swings his cutlasses forward. Rarity and November block the blades with their rapier and knife. November leaps forward and into Korsan’s chest. The two fall back, but Korsan stops the tumble midway as the machine loops around them again. Upon passing, Rarity hops into the fray and swings her rapier at Korsan’s legs. Korsan finishes his fall and rolls back to the wall, dodging the slash and throwing November to the floor. They freeze once more and the cannon circles past them once more. Having enough of this, Twilight stops the cannon’s spin and aims it towards Korsan. With no other choice to avoid being shot at, Korsan holds still, groaning in defeat. The three mares immediately aim their horns at him. Each of the three horns brightly glow as they are about to fire their spells at him. “What are you going to do huh?” Korsan mutters in her still breath. “Use magic?” “I’m not falling for that again.” Twilight retorts. “This time I’m finishing you off.” “You think this is the end? Please, this is only the beginning. From as I see it, we are going to have a great, long history together, if you don’t die anyways. If you stay alive, I’m going to make sure you wish you died on this day. I’ll make sure you wish it everytime you look to the sky!” Immediately, Korsan rapidly rotates his claws and spins his swords. The cannon instantly fires at him, but his swords catch the metal rods and deflect them at the mares. The trio quickly scamper away as a fury of metal bolts soar at them. As fast as the machine can spit out bolts, Korsan’s makeshift shields deflect them and fire them everywhere around the chamber. The mares leap. They dive. They teleport. They do everything within their power to run away from the barrage. Exhaustion soon takes place for them, but Korsan doesn’t even drop a sweat. Just as it seems all hope is lost, the entire ship suddenly jerks around, throwing Korsan, Twilight, Rarity, November, and the machine off balance. It is as if an earthquake is on the airship and tearing it to shreds. The Perfection then starts to float down towards the ocean, and everypony inside begins to float around in the interior. The cannon starts to hover to the ceiling. Aimed at Twilight, she quickly pushes herself up in order to keep the same distance from it. Rarity and November meanwhile continue to fight Korsan, clashing their blades against him in the lower gravity. The three ponies maneuver around the cramped chamber as The Perfection soon reaches terminal velocity. Eventually, the machine slowly turns around on its own to face Rarity and November, who instantly freeze. Seeing this as an opportunity to escape, Korsan uses his claws to dig into the wood structure and run out. “Hey! Get back here!” Twilight immediately soars after him. “Juliana!” Korsan yells as he runs across his quarters to the doors out. “Keep this thing even!” The ice phoenix above screeches once more in agreement. Twilight chases down Korsan as he heads below the main deck and goes down deep in the ship’s deteriorating hull. Korsan climbs along the walls, ceiling, and floor with incredible maneuverability while Twilight struggles to fly alongside. Chunks of the walls, furniture, and loose weapons turn into obstacles as they wiz by the two. As they continue to run, Twilight fires bolts of explosive magic at Korsan, barely hitting him in the tight corridors of the cabin areas. Korsan returns by firing his crossbow at her, counting the bolts fired as he runs and avoids her shots. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,” They soon reach the medical bay, in which Korsan quickly turns around and heads behind the stairwell. Twilight continues to keep chase, following him into the massive room ahead. Upon entering, Korsan and Twilight are immediately hit with a flood of green glowing liquid and the sounds of machines screaming. “What the-” “The generators, they’ve been sabotaged! No wonder this thing is going under!” While Twilight is shoved back by the tidal wave on anti-magic, Korsan presses onward into the opposing current, burying his claws deep into the floor on each step. The room soon drains, and Korsan sees who’s responsible. In front of the massive tank of anti-magic at the back of the huge room, past the twenty large generators that line the walls, is Nitin Gale, chopping into the pipes with an axe in his mouth. Immediately, Korsan charges forward and screams, “It’s been about time we meet again ye old stallion!” “Indeed!” Nitin replies. Soaked in anti-magic, Nitin has to rely on his hooves to operate the axe as Korsan reaches him and swings his swords. A loud clang erupts as the weapons collide. Korsan and Nitin withdrawal and strike again, and again, and again. The two stallions rapidly continue to trade blows without rest. Korsan eventually backs up Nitin against the room sized container. However, Nitin keeps his ground and uses his axe to trap the dual cutlasses in a blade lock. Twilight then flies into the generator room and charges at the two. Along the way, she picks up a long, broken pipe in her mouth and prepares to use it on Korsan. In the corner of his eye, Korsan sees in incoming enemy and decides to switch targets. In one swift motion, Korsan drops on of his swords and snaps his cape at Nitin’s hind hooves, causing him to trip and fall. Korsan then grabs his second sword again and engages Twilight. With the pipe being soaked in anti-magic, Twilight has to also rely on her body and keep Korsan at bay. For a minute, Twilight and Korsan continuously fight each other, matching each other’s attacks and counters. “Impressive,” Korsan congratulates Twilight with a sadistic smirk, “but let’s see you deal with me on overdrive!” The gears in Korsan’s back piece immediately accelerate and thunder as his speed and power against Twilight increases exponentially. With most of the anti-magic already washed off, Twilight powers herself up with a quick spell and can finally use magic on her weapon. Twilight and Korsan reach their limit and their fighting becomes untraceable. The two rivals clash their weapons and bodies against each other with the greatest of precision and focus, never letting each other out of their sight. Leaping over and dodging each other’s attacking in the plummeting airship, the dancing of the metal continues for several never-ending seconds. Eventually through, Twilight strikes Korsan in the face with a long swing of her metal pipe, knocking him back into anti-magic container behind him. She then lunges forward in attempts to stab him. Korsan quickly evades the attacking, causing Twilight to jab the jagged end of pipe into the glass. In less than a second, the glass bursts and anti-magic begins to flood the area once more. Korsan shoots the metal pipe out of the glass. “Eleven.” Twilight attempts to kick her rival, but outstretched hoof is grabbed. She is then shoved through the wall of glass by Korsan in an attempt to drown her. With liquid already pour down her throat and into her lungs, Twilight tries to swim back out frantic hurry. However, Korsan jams his back piece into the hole and blocks her exit. His rapidly rotating gears become a deathtrap as the churning anti-magic starts to pull Twilight to them. Twilight immediately switches her flesh gears and tries to swim away in a mad dash. “No!” Nitin Gale exclaims, running at Korsan with a plank of wood. Korsan quickly reacts and breaks the wood with an iron kick. He then grabs the charging stallion’s head and pins him to the wet floor. “Twilight!” Korsan taunts with his back turned to his victim. “Either you drown, or you’re grated into bits! Either way, I win!” Twilight’s eyes soon begin to burn from the thick substance, her heart fills with acid, and whatever breath she has left is being spent by she silently calling out for any of her friends, any of her family, any pony to save her. Back on the main deck, under the vicious rainstorm, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Slasher, Yin, Yu, Princess Cadence, Cecil, Maurice, and Jarvis are all back to back as they are fighting the last remaining waves of Korsan’s pirates. As a tight circle, they dodge the incoming slashes and punches of the ferocious pirate as one body. Magic shields, wind gusts, and earthquake pounds are being tossed left and right by the huddle, knocking down the pirates one by one. However, the fallen crew members eventually pick themselves back up and join their fellow members once more as if they weren’t even hit. As hard as the eleven ponies try, their stamina and strength is nothing compared to the pirates. After several minutes of grueling battle, they all begin to turn tired. Seeing this, Korsan’s last thirty crew members surround the ponies and draw their weapons close to each of their victims’ bodies, ready for the kill. The pirates slowly draw themselves so close to their rivals, that they can practically see their salty sweat mixing with the fresh rain in the rampant cracks of lightning. “Any last words?” One of the mare villains in front of Dash proclaims. With a grin on her exhausted face, Rainbow Dash asks in response, “Do you?” The stallion replies with a confused look on his face. “Look behind you.” Curious, he and the two pirates beside him look behind them towards the bow. Charging right at them is Celestia’s massive zeppelin, showing no signs of slowing down. The pirates immediately scream as the blimp smashes into The Perfection, sending everypony backwards along with the entire airship with one swift jolt. The front of the zeppelin shatters open and two large figures leap in front of the ponies from it. Several bolts of lightning then strike the surrounding sails and structure of The Perfection, creating a wall of flame around the two figures and the others. And in the light of the burning flames, reveals the two figures to be Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. One armed in gold and white armour from horn, to wings, to hooves and wielding a massive battle axe made of gold, the other armed in black and blue armour covering just as much and wielding a sword of silver, the two alicorns instantly strike fear in their foes by them merely standing and staring with the most determined eyes imaginable. The pirate that spoke with Dash silently gulps before muttering, “…M-Mother…” With a flick of their horns, Celestia’s axe and Luna’s sword spring to life and lung at the pirates. One of them holds her sword forward to deflect Celestia’s axe. The axe instead chops the blade in half with one mighty swing. The axe then travels below the mare and slings her into the air, launching her several metres high in altitude. Celestia then soars up above the pirate and smashes her down with a powerful kick, sending her crashing through each of the airship’s floors and out the bottom. Three of the remaining pirates aim their crossbows at her and fire. The arrows speed at Celestia, but Luna’s sword swings over and deflects the arrows. Luna herself then zips across the flaming arena and rapidly head-butts the three in several looping circles. Celestia darts down and finishes them off by blasting them off with powerful bolts of magic. The two alicorns then meet in the middle above their surrounded allies, join back to back, aim their horns at the pirates, and scream, “Duck!” A burning beam of magic and midnight beam of magic instantly burst from their horns and drill through the ship. The two then circle their beams around and blast the pirates all the way through the disintegrating wood and sending them into the sea. A whole chunk of the bow falls from The Perfection and is pulled away by the massive zeppelin as Celestia and Luna continue their joined attack. Juliana swoops out from behind the wheel and attempts to attack the princesses. However, a light green magic aura surrounds the phoenix. She is then dragged by Sweetie Belle into a small bird cage with her, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Spike waiting for her. Juliana is soon gently placed in the cage and the metal door closes on her. She shrieks and flails, but Sweetie tries to calm down Juliana, “Hey, don’t worry. You’ve be taken good care of.” “Not to mention rehabilitated.” Spike adds. “You even have a friend!” Applebloom cheers as Scootaloo reveals the fire phoenix known as Philomena from her small wing. The last of Korsan’s pirates, the one who was teasing Rainbow Dash, manages to sneak away from the fire ring and attempts to crawl away to the galley. A sharp wooden pain suddenly strikes the top of his head though, stopping him in his tracks. An old, craggy voice soon follows, “Is that you Bainbro Bash, ya darn kid?” Instantly, the pirate grabs a nearby knife with his mouth and attempts the stab the unseen pony, but is cut off by a wooden staff. “Hey! Respect your elders why don’t you? Blasted kids these days, getting involved with knife tricks and ridiculous magic acts...” The stallion runs forward and turns towards the pony, turning out to be Craig Y’ol Timber. The pirate chuckles for a moment, feeling a sense of relief upon seeing that his rival is an old stallion. Unexpectedly, Craig charges forward and immediately overwhelms the pirate. He strikes the stallion’s head with a series of quick whacks of his stick. Craig then finishes him off by delivering a powerful smack upside the chin, sending the stallion over the railing screaming. The old Earth pony looks over to see the pirate as he continues to fall. “Nope, that wasn’t her.” Celestia and Luna finish their ultimate attack and slowly drift down onto deck to greet the others. “Thank goodness you two came.” Applejack cheers. “One moment later and we would’ve been pony-sushi.” “That was awesome!” Dash exclaims. “Thanks.” Fluttershy gasps in relief. “Again!” Pinkie demands. “Wait,” Celestia asks, “where’s Twilight and Rarity?” “Princess Celestia! Luna!” Rarity screams as she and November are galloping to the group from the quarterdeck. “Rarity!” Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and the pirate allies cheer in unison. “Did you take care of the machine?” “That’s not important,” Rarity declares with a panicky tone in her voice, “Have you seen Twilight?” “No, no pony here does apparently.” “Wait!” November exclaims, “What about my father!” Rarity immediately screams, “In the anti-magic generator room!” “It’s over Twilight Sparkle!” Korsan cackles. His back gears continue to shred through the green fluid at a rapid pace, trying to get to Twilight. However, Twilight still continues to swim against the current with all of her dying might. All of her organs are burning and melting. Her eyes see only black and white and her ears can only hear laughter and Death’s drink swirling in the undertaker’s claws. As hard as she tries though, the back of her hoovers are eventually drawn in and begin kicking against the whirling blades. A sharp series of metal clangs ring throughout the liquid tank in response. Twilight’s mind frantically races against the clock of life. She tries to think of an escape, but sees none other than to submit to Korsan’s rampant current. As Twilight is further drawn in, Korsan’s voice can be heard from the other side of the glass wall, “You know, it’s a shame you weren’t born an alicorn, thinks would be different. I would’ve become an alicorn, you and your friends would be set free, for a fair share of time, and the world would be restored to normality. Fate certainly has a way to throwing a monkey wrench in the clockworks.” Wrench in the clockworks! Twilight’s mind suddenly screams out in triumph. With an idea instantly blooming, Twilight looks behind to see the series of gears at her hooves. She studies them quickly before finding what she needs. Carefully, she floats up towards the top of the back piece and by Korsan’s nape. She then flips over to face Korsan, reaches a hoof forward, and slams it in between the whirring gears. The gears suddenly stop with a loud clang. A rush of pain suddenly strikes Twilight, but doesn’t let it bother her. With her free hoof, Twilight immediately begins punching at her rival’s nape. Korsan pulls himself out of the hole, only to bring Twilight stuck on him and still fighting. Nitin is subsequently releases from Korsan, and he immediately rises to join Twilight in the fray. Korsan tries to fight back with his swords, but his movements are stiffer and slower as well as a persistent jolt to the back of his brain due to Twilight. The room begins to fill up once more with anti-magic as the three fight on, making it harder to maneuver on the ground. Nitin attempts to punch Korsan in the stomach at one point, but Korsan grabs the hoof with a hind leg. Twilight attempts to intervene by swing over Korsan’s head to body slam his face. However, Korsan performs a backwards roll and knocks Twilight off onto Nitin. Korsan then rises to his legs, pulling out his crossbow from one of his bottom hooves, causing him to stand on one hoof. He aims from the fallen ponies, breaths in for a second, and silently whispers, “Twelve.” Just as he pulls the trigger through, a silver pipe flies in from seemingly nowhere, flicking the crossbow to the side and firing a metal bolt into the floor. Korsan looks over to his side and see Celestia and Luna, followed by the other heroes, charging at him. He turns to face them instead of Twilight and overcharges his suit again. “Come and get me!” “Stay back!” Celestia declares to her followers as she and Luna leap forward at Korsan. Korsan raises his three armed hooves and blocks the first strike. Korsan then begins his attack as Celestia and Luna continue their forward lung and the immediately enter combat. Celestia’s golden axe, Luna’s silver sword, and Korsan’s dual cutlasses and crossbow slam into each other before backing up and slamming into each other again and again. The air roars with the sounds of grinding metal and the rushing wind of the three dashing around the room. Fire starts to enter the area as well, but the three continue to fight on as their lives depended on this battle. Eventually, the two alicorns back Korsan into a corner. Celestia takes the opportunity and swings her axe forward. Korsan quickly reacts and shoots his crossbow at the axe, impaling the weapon with a metal bolt and flinging it across the room. “Thirteen.” Korsan mumbles as he enters an intense black lock with Luna. His two blades grind against Luna’s, sending sparks flying in between them. Soon, Luna begins to overpower Korsan, and her sword draws close to Korsan’s neck. However, Korsan shoots his crossbow again and pins Luna’s weapon to the ceiling. “Fourteen, one more…” Now with the upper hoof, Korsan roars and slashes his swords at his two rivals. Celestia and Luna instantly back away side by side. They then lower their horns and instantly fire their magical beam attack at him. The two conjoined pulses rip through the ceiling and floor as they dart at Korsan. Quickly, Korsan holds his two swords in front of him and shields himself from the beams. Upon contact, his swords disintegrate the powerful magic with only minimal recoil. The attack dies down and Korsan instantly charges at the two alicorns. Dropping his two swords, Korsan uses his three free hooves to rapidly claw across the floor. He leaps with his front claws at the ready. However, Twilight suddenly soars into Korsan’s open side and sends the both of them out of the air and slamming into the glass wall. The two then tumble out into the middle of the floor in a small hoof fight, with Korsan slashing at Twilight’s face and chest. “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight screams in struggle. “Finish him off!” Dash immediately springs into action as she breaks through the ceiling above Twilight and works her way towards the deck. “Twilight!” Spike yells out as he and the others draw in around the wrestling pair, ready to help. Twilight immediately shouts, “Stay back, I got this!” “Hahaha!” Korsan cackles below Twilight. “You think you are stronger than me? At best we’re equal! You hold back you’re true power, your superiority, for no good reason!” “I am no superior to the ponies around me as you are to every other villain I have encountered. What makes me stronger is my friendship, something that you lack. If you claim that magic is power, then I am infinitely more powerful than you are, because I have the ultimate magic, the magic of friendship!” “Good thing I have an ace up my sleeve!” Korsan hollers before revealing the crossbow in his right upper hoof. He instantly holds it up to Twilight’s temple and screams, “Fifteen!” He pulls the trigger, but a loud metal click sounds from the small crossbow. “Gah… I hate my cousin…” Twilight then delivers a powerful head-butt into Korsan’s skull before rolling off of him. Korsan grunts from the hit and as he begins to climb back up, his eye notices something above. Through the smog of the fire and the wooden debris, Korsan sees Rainbow, diving straight at him. “Nooooo!” Within a second, Rainbow Dash bursts back down into the room and slams into Korsan’s chest, sending him crashing through the floor. The wood floorboards are flung across the room and cause the surround ponies to back away as the pirate captain plummets through the floor below and the bottom of the ship, with his screams echoing all the way down. Eventually, Korsan’s screaming dies down, and the ponies inside look at each other in utter disbelief of their feat. “We did it…” Rainbow declares in shock, looking down the newly created holes that lead to the raging seas below. “We did it.” Twilight confirms. “We did it!” Pinkie exclaims. Everypony then cheers and leaps into the air. They have finally done it, they thought to themselves. The battle was over, and Korsan’s army has been defeated. Pats are being thrown around the group, as ponies praise each other and reminisce about their previous experiences. “Hey AJ,” Dash exclaims, “Remember when you and I were fighting the pirates, and when we got a cannon and threw it onto a bunch of them?” “Sure do!” Applejack replies. “Hey, Fluttershy, that was an awesome trick you pulled with the other pegasi in the quarterdeck.” “Thanks.” Fluttershy humbly responds. “You can say that again!” Pinkie cheers. “It saved me and some of our friends.” “Wait, speaking of friends,” Rarity replies, turning to Celestia and Luna before asking, “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, what’s going to happen to them?” “The pirates?” Celestia answers. “The ones that helped us.” Sweetie Belle helps, “November, Nitin, Yin, Yu, the ones with us.” “Well,” Celestia takes a moment to think before actually answering Rarity’s question. “Can we be let off free?” Maurice loudly asks. “Considering you are most likely wanted in several countries…” “I never messed with you guy-” “Perhaps for punishment, you all can serve lightened jail time, maybe even just community service.” “Really?” “You are all heroes of the entire world. I’m sure the world will have a mostly similar opinion.” “…Sure,” Slasher replies, “I can live with that.” “Wait,” November asks, “What about Thieves’ Hold?” Nitin promptly suggests, “What about that Craig stallion?” “Craig?!” Dash exclaims in a immediate wave of panic. “As in Craig Y’ol Timber?” “Yes.” Nitin replies. “He’s here?!” “Yes.” “Oh, no-” Suddenly, a wood stick smacks Rainbow Dash in the head before falling to the floor next to her and Twilight. “Ow!” “Hehe,” Twilight giggles, “looks like he already found you.” “Twilight!” Spike nervously exclaims once he actually examines her. “What is it Spike?” “Are you alright?” “Huh?” Curious of what he meant, Twilight examines herself, only to discover that her purple fur is now tarnished with a veil of red and pink and her flesh is covered in bruises, cuts, and light scars, especially noticeable around the hoof she stuck into Korsan. “Oh, it’s just a flesh wound, nothing to worry about.” “We should head back to one of the blimps,” Luna calmly retorts, “this ship will hit water at any minute now.” “Quite right.” Celestia nods. “Oh yeah,” Jarvis realizes, “we’re falling. Heh, never noticed.” As the remaining ponies on The Perfection board Celestia’s crashed zeppelin, a swamp of pegasi, including Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, are holding up the two collided vessels, keeping them from falling at high speeds like before. One by one, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Philomena, Juliana, Spike, Yin, Yu, Slasher, November, Nitin, Cecil, Maurice, Jarvis, and the rest of the pirates in Faction Two hop into the opening in the bow of the zeppelin, with Twilight on The Perfection monitoring the line. “That’s it everypony.” Twilight announces. “Keep it single-file, no shoving, keep all of your weapons sheaved, no stealing, make room for others,” “Twilight,” Celestia speaks, hovering above the mob. “Celestia,” Twilight replies whilst turning to look at the white princess. “I’m sorry I only left you and your friends with the SS Raindrop. I didn’t know you would need reinforcements, or even an airship instead of a boat.” “It’s fine. None of us knew something like this was going to happen. And besides, it probably was better that we went alone.” “Is the SS Raindrop still in good condition?” “…It served well.” Princess Celestia humourously rolls her eyes, knowing what Twilight implied. “How about the Diamond Eye?” Twilight instantly gasps, realizing that she has forgotten why she and her friends even started this journey. “One quick second, I’ll be right back!” Immediately, Twilight takes off towards the quarterdeck while the last ponies board Celestia’s airship. “Alright, start pulling out! Twilight will catch up to us.” As Twilight searches through the slowly decaying treasure room, she notices large amounts of the captain’s booty has already either been claimed by her pirate friends or fallen into the sea, indicated by the massive holes in the floors and walls. However, in the back of her head, Twilight is sure that the Diamond Eye is still here. Continuing to search deeper and deeper into the vault, an eerie feeling also tingles in her spine, as if there was another presence in the massive and dark room. Eventually though, Twilight finds the two massive diamonds in the back of the room and picks them up with her magic. She then turns around and as she heads for the exit, the eerie tingling grows stronger. As she proceeds to walk out of the door, a white blur suddenly passes in front of her, causing her to jump back and reach for an antique sword from the floor. But a red aura surrounds the long blade and flings it out of a hole in the wall. Twilight gasps, “What the-” “Stay.” A familiar mare’s voice calls out from behind. When Twilight attempts to look behind, a small dagger charges at her, stopping in front of her throat. Frozen, Twilight examines the levitating blade, noticing the groove designs and the red aura surrounding it. “Maria?” “I said stay.” Slowly, the white mare emerges from the unseen corner of Twilight’s vision and walks in front of her. However, Maria looks and acts different to the last time Twilight saw her. All over her body, even her face, mane, and tail, are metal pads and cables that stretch into the darkness behind, her horn is covered in a metal clamp with a series of cables and electric wires poking from the base, and her red eyes are shrunken, darting all around as if she was terrified of something. Horrified, Twilight asks whilst still at the dagger’s end, “What happened to you?” A voice chuckles in the darkness in response, “Don’t you recognize the mechanisms? Doesn’t it look familiar to somepony’s work?” “Korsan!” From the dark corner behind Maria slowly emerges Korsan, limping towards the pair of mares. “How did you-You climbed the outside of the hull, didn’t you?” “Cleve-” Korsan groans midway through his taunting, grabbing his beck piece and shredded cape in agony. As Korsan moves his claws into the light, Twilight sees that Maria’s cables and wires connect to Korsan’s mechanical suit. “What did you do to Maria?” “A new step forward in my technology, the ability to control larger masses beyond your own body with muscle-operated mechanics. It definitely serves well when your suit is busted and you need a little help. Impressed?” “Let her go!” “Don’t worry, it isn’t that painful. In fact, to Maria, it probably feels nice, being put down into submission after such naughty behaviour.” “You’re a monster!” “So I am, but not for long. After seeing Princess Celestia and Luna in action, I am certain that they were born alicorns.” “No…” “Oh yes. Come with me!” “Where is she?” Luna grumbles as she and Celestia look over The Perfection from their now distanced blimp. “It’s a big ship.” Celestia replies, trying to calm her sister down. “I know, but I’m getting this bad feeling about this. Something doesn’t sit right.” “What do you mean?” “Did we actually see Korsan plummet into the ocean?” “No, there were wood pieces flying everywhere.” “Exactly, what if he-” “Don’t worry Luna. Rainbow Dash gave a most powerful attack. I’m confident that Korsan wouldn’t be able to pull off something like-” “Attention alicorns!” Korsan’s voice roars from the deck ahead. Immediately, the two alicorn princesses look over to see Korsan, Maria, and Twilight at the end of an outstretched plank. Twilight is completely wrapped in metal chains and three anti-magic straps tightened around her horn while Korsan and Maria are hunched over her body, each with dagger at her throat. The two alicorns gasp upon the sight, prompting everypony else on board to see what’s going on. “Twilight!” They all exclaim. “Maria’s been taken over by Korsan!” Twilight yells back, trying her best to explain the situation. “Let her go Korsan!” Celestia demands. “Turn me into an alicorn!” Korsan replies, shaking his shuttering hostage. “Or else this little beauty’s gonna have her gizzard cut out! And don’t think about pulling anything fancy, for if I die, my puppet here will do the job for me!” “You’re mad!” “Isn’t it always the case? Hey Twilight, how about you sing a song for us?” “Celestia!” Twilight screams. “Don’t give into his demands!” “Ohohoho!” Korsan manically cackles, “Looks like somepony’s dying for some tension!” “Celestia and Luna will never give in! I’d rather die than let you destroy the world!” “Hahaha! So what’s it going be Princesses? You have about twenty seconds before the anti-magic completely drains from my suit, and if you don’t comply within the second, Twilight’s head is going to be mounted on Dane Jonas’ Locker at the bottom of the sea!” “Don’t-” Before Twilight can retort, Korsan shoves his cape into the hostage’s mouth. “Tick-tock Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Ten… Nine… Eight…” “No!” Celestia screams. Her mind overheats as she tries to decide. Both options have disastrous consequences that will surely affect the entire world. The terrified eyes of Twilight beam into Celestia’s soul, silently screaming for her to both not let her die, yet die at the same time. “Seven… Six… Five…” “Luna!” The two naturally born alicorns look at each other, seeing each other’s terrified faces. They look back at their crew, only to be met with the same response from all of them. “Cadence?” “Four…” Korsan continues. “I don’t know!” Cadence rambles. “I’m just as lost! And besides, I wasn’t born one!” “Three!” He now screams. Celestia turns back to Twilight, fanatically muttering to herself, “What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!” “Two!” “…” “One!” Finally, Celestia makes her choice. “Fine! Luna!” Instantly, Celestia and Luna aim their horns at Korsan which soon begin to glow. A white and black aura immediately surrounds the pirate and gently lifts him into the air. The aura suddenly envelopes Korsan and turns into a star of light, blinding everypony. The raging storm circles above the star and lightning immediately converges into it. Electricity rapidly sputters around the aura. Spurts of white, black, and icy blue magic blast from the star and soar through the air. Rain begins to gravitate to Korsan, soon followed by The Perfection. The swarm of pegasi holding up the pirate aircraft immediately scatters and narrowly escapes the growing power. Twilight watches in horror as she sees the black outline of Korsan from below transform, watching as his body begins to slowly grow and a small horn emerges from his skull. The remnants of his suit snap off in thousands of metal bits and orbit the aura along with the rain and woodchips of boat. The air vibrates with the low rumble of power accumulating in this star, as if the entire fabric of space and time is about to rip in two. Inside the manic ball of energy and magic, Korsan’s voice, now deeper, booming, and dominant, roars in both pleasure and pain, “Yes… The power… The absolute power! Must… Have… More!” As Celestia and Luna attempt to pull out of the spell, a hellish red beam burst from the star and strikes the two, holding them in place and forcing them to transfer more magic. The small white star immediately expands into a black, blue, and red black hole of magic. Everypony freezes in total horror, their jaws dropping and their trains of thought are derailed on the spot. As the transformation reaches its climax, all Twilight can do is mouth, “What have you done…” Eventually, the black hole collapses in on itself, absorbing into a solid black figure floating at the center. It shifts around in place, slowly moving its limbs and examining its own body. A pair of bloodshot eyes opens from the being’s face, with the center of its pupils burning with icy fire, staring down the onlookers. It looks down at the now exhausted princesses, then Rarity behind them, then below to Maria, now free of her binds and wobbling around the deck. He finally sees Twilight, looking back at him, scared, horrified, but also, furious. The black being once known as Korsan then dives down the deck and bolts into the quarterdeck. The back section of The Perfection immediately explodes in a massive fireball, only for the fire and pieces of the woodwork to levitate back. Massive metal beams and spiked bars reform the destroyed area. Quickly, the almost alive metal structure corrupts the rest of the airship, transforming it into a spiked behemoth of misplaced metal and wood. The cannons still on board burst from the sides of the ship and are turned into mechanical tentacles, aiming at every living thing in sight. The two masts remaining shatter in the middle and fall into the ocean below, and are replaced with ten massive caped robotic wings that burst from the sides of The Perfection. Entire lengths of the hull break away into separate tentacles, reformed by the being’s infection and transformed into six three-hundred metre long razor blades of ice. The bow of the ship blasts off and reveals a massive cannon that replaces the interior of the entire metal body. Finally, The Perfection’s transformation ends with the quarterdeck forming a gigantic head of a metal dragon on top of it, with Korsan’s voice roaring from it, “I am reborn… I am perfected… And I am going to perfect this world… No matter the costs… I am the Judge… Jury… Executioner… I am Korsan Perfected…” The dragon’s head rises and delivers a metal screech that blows the surrounding airships away. The storm above grows even more furious than before. Twilight, still wrapped in her chains, can only watch as one of the massive ice swords raises into the clouds above her and dropping down. However, just as the blade is about to hit, Rainbow Dash soars in and shoves Twilight out of the way. The two ponies tumble to the middle of the deck while the blade strikes the side of the deck, creating a small shockwave throughout. As Dash then proceeds to free Twilight from her bindings, Celestia’s blimp pulls over them and Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Slasher, November, Nitin, Cecil, Maurice, and Jarvis leap from it and land next to the two. “What are you guys doing here?” Twilight asks as she climbs to her hooves, surprised of their audacity to hop onto the monstrous ship. “You think some giant mechanical monster is going to get the best of us?” Applejack confidently retorts, though a small sense of nervousness is also present in her voice. “This is practically a Tuesday.” Pinkie Pie declares. “Let’s have some fun with this guy!” Rainbow Dash roars. Fluttershy also adds, “As scary as this is, we’re probably going to deal with worse things in the future.” “It may be crazy,” Rarity announces, “but it seems to work for Korsan.” “It is better to die trying than to run away.” Cecil declares. “Here, here!” Maurice cheers. “And besides,” Jarvis concludes, “there isn’t really anyplace to run away to.” “For friends…” November speaks. “For family…” Nitin continues. “For freedom and happiness to all!” Slasher exclaims. Twilight looks at the eleven ponies surrounding her, side by side. An overwhelming sense of confidence rises between each of them as they stand before their mighty foe. Standing at the ready alongside her friends, Twilight looks towards the dragon’s head, staring at her back. She knows that inside that mechanical head is Korsan, now an almighty alicorn thirsty for blood. She speaks, “Bring it on, Perfected Korsan.”
Korsan the AlicornPerfected Korsan roars, signaling the start of battle, and the heroes instantly charge forward. What they’d ahead of them was the equivalent of a mile long path of burning coals with spikes added for good measure. But this doesn’t deter them in the slightest. As they make their first gallops, the first set of robot tentacle cannons turns to face them and open fire. The twelve heroes dodge the incoming volley. The cannonballs fired explode upon contact with the wood and metal floor behind and shower the ponies in debris and rainwater. Another volley fires. The ponies barely avoid them, having the flaming balls scape against their sides. A third unified volley fires onto them, this time aiming ahead. The group jumps over the incoming fireballs, with Rainbow Dash taking flight in order to take them out. Three of the weaponized appendages turn to her while the others continue to lay down fire onto the ponies on deck. One after the other, each cannon fires at Rainbow in rapid succession. Although the rain and lightning slows her down, Dash is able to avoid the cannon fire. She sweeps away from the airship and into the open. A lightning bolt strikes at her and is absorbed into her mane and hooves. She then returns to the cannons, now covered in electric static and sparks. The middle of the three cannons fires first. Its flaming ball of metal beelines at Rainbow Dash, a perfect point-blank shot. Dash instantly rotates backwards and delivers a powerful kick into the ball. The force and electric energy combined in her hind hoof splits the projectile in half and fires it back. They smash into the adjacent cannons at the necks, shattering them and the cannon heads plummet below. Rainbow Dash then bolts into her final cannon hooves first and blast through the barrel and out the other end. The cannon explodes as she exits and causes a series of smaller explosions to go off in the limb robot arm. Victorious, Dash joins back with the others. Twilight at this point has erected a magic shield and deflects the cannonballs as the team presses forward. Looking back at her friend’s work, Fluttershy watches in horror as the previously destroyed cannon arms reform themselves. Only this time, they looked much stronger and armed with two barrels instead of one. Soon, the arms begin to fill with a green glow, the sign of anti-magic. Applejack then lunges into Fluttershy’s side and shoves the two of them away as one of Perfected Korsan’s ice blades strike down at them. It barely hits Fluttershy and Applejack as they nearly escape the massive sword. Fluttershy returns her look at her friends and Korsan’s head, seeing that the rest of his body is now glowing. “Girls!” Fluttershy screams. “Korsan’s remade his cannons already and is now covered in anti-magic!” “How is that even possible?!” Pinkie Pie exclaims in question. Twilight instantly replies, “Perfected Korsan must be using his magic to reform the atoms in the air into metal and the ingredients of anti-magic, essentially creating anti-magic with magic!” “Is that a bad?” Maurice asks just before another sword smashes into Twilight’s shield, shattering it instantly. “A huge bad!” The same sword rises into the air. It slams in between Rarity and November, who quickly roll out of the way. As it pulls back up, Rarity and November leap onto the tip of the metal shell of the top of the sword. They run down the long length of the sword as more cannons activate and fire. The two mares leap. They duck. They teleport. They deflect with their weapons. They do everything in their power to avoid the almost random and chaotic firing barrage of cannonballs. Celestia’s airship then rises from behind the edge of the deck and fires at the cannons next to the two and the others below. Noticing this, Perfected Korsan starts to rapidly climb back up high into the raging sky and rebuild his cannons. The two mares on top of the long sword soon start to pull ahead of the others. However, a second sword slams into the one their one midway, grinding against the top and charging right at them. The almost burning ice of the blade shreds into the sleek metal below, creating showers of metal shards and daggers of ice. Quickly, Rarity and November jump onto the second blade and continue forward. A fiery haze starts the fall onto the living airship as it climbs higher and higher into the night storm. Halfway across the top of their new catwalk, Rarity and November see a white figure approaching them in the distance. The figure soon reveals itself to be Maria, reattached to the control of Perfect Korsan, and is now wielding five daggers at once. “Maria!” Rarity exclaims. “You can break from his control!” Maria chuckles, “Hahahahaha, she’s long gone now!” “November, don’t hurt her.” “I’ll try not to, much.” November nods. Rarity and November prepare their rapier and dagger and the three mares engage on the long sword. The sword slowly moves over the edge of the deck and leans downward, creating a steep slope for the ponies to fight on. However, the three ponies continue to fight on, fighting upwards against gravity and slowly making their way to the top of the arm. Twilight jumps over the edge after seeing this and flies down, in an attempt to help her friends. However, she is cut off as one of the robotic tentacles wraps themselves around Twilight and pulls her back up above the deck. Six other cannons circle the trapped mare and aim. Using her Earth pony strength, Twilight breaks out of the tentacle. The six surrounding cannons fire late, and accidently destroy each other. Twilight turns around towards the dragon head that houses Korsan’s controlling body and blows a raspberry at it. She proceeds to fly towards her goal once more. She suddenly stops however as a massive collection of giant cannonballs soars above her and smashes into the deck below, blasting almost half of the middle out. Twilight turns around to see that the seven mechanical arms have reformed into one massive super-cannon. It fires again at her. Twilight weaves between the clusters of projectiles twice her size, leaving them to blast their ship again. The airship splits in two due to this, but immediately reforms back stronger. After a good look at the new weapon, Twilight darts towards it, avoiding the incoming volleys. The cannon switches tactics midway and instead sprays Twilight with an endless stream of cannonballs. She drifts along the stream and reaches the cannon. It backs away and attempts to slam her. Twilight instead catches the cannon in her hooves. She then zips underneath the head and flies between the arms holding it up. They attempt to grab her and trap her, but she evades them. The arms accidently tie themselves up and causes the massive cannon to be fixated at the sky, firing aimlessly into the clouds. Twilight claps her hooves together in triumph before flying back down to support her friends on deck. As the ten ponies on deck are reach the middle, the crossbow cannon from Korsan’s chambers bursts from the floor and aims at the ponies, roaring in hunger of blood. “Hold still!” Twilight declares. Everypony listens and freezes on the spot. However, the cannon does the unexpected and starts firing at them. They all immediately run away and take cover behind larger chunks of debris, having their hair and ears nicked by the fury of metal bolts. “What?!” Slasher gasps in surprise and terror. As she pokes her head from around the corner, she sees the machine travel towards her by a long mechanical tentacle revealed behind it. “Korsan’s controlling it!” The machine then bolts around the corner and fires at Slasher. Remembering what Korsan did, Slasher quickly pulls out her war scythe from its metal scabbard on her back. She rapidly twirls the blade in front of her and deflects the metal bolts. Maurice, Cecil, Jarvis, and Nitin watch this from behind a nearby fallen mast piece in joy, whooping and roaring in zeal. However, they notice another one of these super-cannons emerging from behind Slasher. The stallions immediately gallop to her aid, pull out their weapons, and deflect the incoming metal bolts just before hitting her. While Maurice, Cecil, and Jarvis take care of the rear, Cecil turns around to help Slasher. “Thanks!” “No problem,” Nitin Gale groans as he wildly slings his blade around. Another crossbow cannon suddenly burst from behind the debris wall. “Oh come on!” Maurice and Nitin immediately leap in front of it and defend their team from its incoming fire. “Slash, are you okay?” “I’m fine!” A fourth cannon appears from behind, finishing the surrounding. “Aw come on!” Nitin groans as he turns around and deals with the fourth’s barrage of bolts. The other mares run to the five pirates, only for Nitin to decline their efforts. “Go on without us!” “No!” Fluttershy exclaims. “We got this, Pinkie’s friend.” Jarvis mutters with his weapon in his mouth. “Take care of Korsan!” Cecil declares. Nitin croaks. “Take care of my daughter!” Reluctantly, Twilight and the others agree and press on across the midpoint of the deck. Perfected Korsan sees the five remaining ponies still charging forward and roars in rage. All of the cannon arms from the gun deck concentrate their fire at them, not letting a millisecond go to waste a cannonballs now practically flow from the melting metal barrels. Nonetheless, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy press forward and dodge every projectile, every explosion, every lightning bolt, every pellet of debris, and even the crimson rain. The wood and steel deck turns into the crater of a volcano at this point, and is beginning to be destroyed faster than it is being repaired. A portion of the deck in front of the mares snaps and is pulled away from them, creating a tall wall. The surrounding cannons press them into a corner, unable to escape. However, just as all hope appears to be lost, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy scream out, “Whale!” Within a second, the whale from before breaches from the waters below and burrows through the port side of the bow. With the red smog in the sky, the rising beast appears to be on fire as it smashes into Perfected Korsan. The entire airship nearly breaks in two as the front half bends forward by the whale’s weight. But the airship doesn’t sink, and remains to rise higher into the sky. The armed tendrils of Perfected Korsan wrap themselves around the whale and trap it on deck, breached. “No!” Fluttershy and Pinkie scream. “We have to help him! Go on!” The two mares then bolt away and charge to assist their friend. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight nod for this motion, seeing their priorities can’t be changed at this point. The wall that Perfected Korsan erected has crumbled into rubble, and the three remaining mares climb over it and proceed onwards. “We’re almost there!” Applejack exclaims. “How many more tricks is Korsan going to pull on us?” Rainbow Dash asks, now tired and annoyed of Perfected Korsan’s hindrances. “He may be an alicorn,” Twilight remarks, “but he’s still a pony. His mind or magic will tire out.” “Incoming!” The mares look forward and see the five massive ice swords diving right at them. They quickly dodge to the left and right, just fitting between the blades as they slam down. Hollers in the distant ring out, a sign that Slasher and the stallions are also dealing with the blades from across the ship. The swords pull up and align themselves at the edge, horizontal to the deck. One of the swords from port slides across the deck towards them. Twilight and the others jump over the speeding sword. It pulls up and a sword from starboard swings in high. The mares duck accordingly. As the sword reaches the other side, all five of them slice towards the mares are varying level all at once. Twilight, Applejack, and Dash sneak through the small gaps between the razor sharp blades. The swords return from their natural stance and the mares quickly take this time to recover and wipe sweat from their faces. But their break lives for only a second as one of the swords violently rises high into the sky, preparing to pretty much slice this entire ship in two. “That’s it!” Applejack roars, throwing her hat, which surprising has not flown off of her head and has only sustained a few burns and scratches, down to the floor. “I’ve had enough of this.” Slowly, she makes her way to align perfectly with the strip of ice above. “What are you doing?!” Twilight shouts in concern. “Three words for ‘Perfected’ Korsan; Rules of Nature…” The four other blades activate and drop down. Applejack steadies her hooves and leaps as the first blade sweeps low. The massive arms then slice at Applejack from every direction at rampant speeds, reckless in destroying everything surrounding her. In the epicenter of the chaos is Applejack, dodging every attack and fragment of metal and ice hurled in her general direction. Twilight and Dash fly away from the massive swings while they watch their friend practically dancing with the swords. Chunks of the airship break off and reform underneath, but some sections fall beyond Perfected Korsan’s magical influence. The four blades instantly part. The raised sword then soars down, diving directly at Applejack. She quickly returns to her hooves and grabs the humongous sword by the sides of its blade. The floor below craters beneath the sheer mass and power of the sword, being held up by a pony only one third its height, causing several metal cables than run under the deck buckle and burst from the floor. Despite the icy burns of the blade, Applejack stays firm. Sparks erupt from her hooves as they lock onto the sword tighter and tighter. With one mighty heave, Applejack yanks the blade forward. The joints of the robotic arm screech in pain and begin to snap. The massive blade slowly pulls away from its controller and into the hold of Applejack, before finally snapping and launching high into the air and out of sight. Applejack then leaps from the crater and backs a fair distance away as the quarterdeck realigns its mass. The ice sword drops back down from the red clouds. The back part is grabbed by its new master, and now becomes her weapon. Rainbow Dash’s jaw drops to the floor, lost in words of what she is seeing, sputtering, “H-h-h-how-w are y-you-” “Dashy,” Twilight pokes at Dash’s shoulder. She turns to Twilight and sees that her horn is emitting a faint beam onto Applejack. “Oh.” “Go help her! This strength boost won’t help without some precision.” “Got it!” Rainbow Dash quickly darts to the middle of the sword’s back armour and tightly grasps to it. The three mares then raise the blade to the dragon head. It roars with great fury and reveals its four free swords. Perfected Korsan attacks first by swinging a sword to the right. The mares orient their sword around and swing back. Upon collision, a thunderous boom detonates from the ice blades and both recoil back. One of Korsan’s swords from the other side then swings at them. Applejack and Rainbow quickly shift their stance to set the sword and strikes back. Two swords from both sides then raise into the clouds and drop down. On the way, lightning strikes the blades and turns them into electrified metal prongs. The mares turn their sword horizontal and parry. The force of the below creates and even greater crater below Applejack. The two sides continue to clash their swords together, throwing all of their strength into each strike. More lightning strikes Perfected Korsan’s metallic structure, turning the robotic patches of his ship into deathtraps. The rain didn’t make it any easier, spreading the chance of electrocution, but also slowing down the ponies as they cling to their lives. Finally, the mares successfully dislocate one of Korsan’s swords and go in for the kill, swinging at the base of the dragon head upon the quarterdeck. The two blades at the other side of the incoming sword cut in and hold the heroes’ sword in a blade lock. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight throw all of their might into pushing forward. The last of Korsan’s available swords attempts to interject and jab at Applejack, but several unseen harpoons are launched into it and pull it back. From behind the quarterdeck rises one of the last remaining blimps besides Celestia’s zeppelin, revealing the source of the harpoons. In a desperate attempt to free himself, Perfected Korsan brings up the sword Rarity, November, and Maria are fighting on and slashes at the ship. With one offhoof blow, the sword cuts the blimp in two, causing the halves to explode and plummet back down. At the tip of the sword, Spike as well as Yin and Yu leap onto it and run towards the quarterdeck along the metal top. The stallions and Spike make their way across the whipping blade-top whilst avoiding the burning wreckage of their ship pouring on them. Two thirds of the way there, they see Rarity now facing off against Maria and also November, now attached to Korsan’s contraptions and cables. “Rarity!” Spike exclaims. “We got this.” Yin declares as he and Yu pull out their katanas and teleport to in between Rarity and Korsan’s proxies. “Yin?! Yu?!” Rarity yelps, jumping back in surprise. “How did you boys get here?!” “One of the airships were being evacuated by Princess Celestia’s troops, something about a leaked balloon or something, I don’t know-” Yin then interrupts just as he enters a blade lock against Maria, “The point is that we hijacked it and are now at your rescue.” “Hey Yu, how about asking her for a kiss? You deserve it for saving her life.” “What? No, you do it, you played an equal part.” “I got Slasher, it wouldn’t be right.” “Well what if Rarity has a special somepony?” “Touché… Hey, why are we fighting the cyborg versions of November and Maria on top of a giant sword in the middle of a hurricane again?” “Huh, wha-Oh. Korsan entered some super-form and has possessed these two I guess and now they’re evil.” “…Makes sense.” As the two brothers continue to face off against the mares, Rarity and Spike notice two small tentacles with devices attached to them slither across the sword towards them. The devises then open to reveal that they are two sets of armour similar to Maria’s and November’s. Rarity and Spike warn them, “Watch out!” But it’s too late as the armour attacks the stallions and attaches to them. They holler and scream. They struggle to escape before suddenly dropping to the floor dead silent in front of the four ponies. Soon though, the two get back onto their hooves. A look of optimism sprouts on the two heroes’ faces. However, they immediately turn to shock as the two turn around, showing themselves to have fallen under Perfected Korsan’s control, and have now turned their weapons to Rarity and Spike. “No…” The four crooked ponies cackle in maniacal laugher as they back their prey towards the end of the sword. The blade they stand on suddenly jerks upward and swings back over to the main deck. There, Rarity and Spike see their friends, still locked against Korsan. They leap down from the sword onto the deck. The four proxies follow suite and pursue their targets. The now free sword resumes its stance below the massive blade lock and prepares to stab Applejack. “Twilight!” Rainbow Dash hollers from above. “We need to do something fast!” “I know!” Twilight groans, focusing all of her energy into supporting Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “If only there was some way we can get Korsan to overwhelm himself.” In the corner of the eye, she sees Rarity and Spike approaching her, as well as the small army of Korsan’s. Twilight then remembers how Korsan controlled Maria before his transformation, by connecting her to his life functions. An idea immediately sparks, and she loudly commands, “Rarity! Strobe them!” Rarity instantly obeys, and a blinding light erupts from her horn. The light instantly blinds the incoming ponies. The dragon head roars in pain as well, and his swords immediately begin to twitch and weaken. “Applejack! Rainbow Dash! Let’s do this!” The two other mares nod and give one final push with their might sword. Korsan’s swords are near instantly shoved back and the two proceed to aim their weapon at the dragon head’s now exposed base. They launch their finishing blow. Their blade pierces into Perfected Korsan’s throat and is pushed all the way through the other side. He screams in agony and flails his dying appendages. However, despite his desperate efforts, his massive airship body shuts down, and his dragon head slowly slumps forward. His four proxies groan in pain before their connecting cables snap off. Yin, Yu, Maria, and November instantly snap back to normal. “Huh,” Yin stutters, regaining his balance and memories, “what happened?” “We did it!” Rainbow Dash cheers. Soon, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Maurice, Cecil, Jarvis, Nitin, and Slasher reach the other heroes and cheer with them over their victory. Yu speaks, “I just had the weirdest dream. We were all fighting Rarity on top of a giant metal plank in the sky…” “Well,” Spike replies, “that did happen. Korsan possessed you with those weird devices you have on.” “I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble,” Maria moans, rubbing her numb forehead. “What matters now…” Twilight triumphantly declares, walking in front of the dragon stiff head, looking out over the fifteen ponies in front of her. She announces to them all. “…Is that we did it! We have saved the world from Korsan. Though tiny we were compared to his power, his size, his tongue, his fear, his ship, his unpredictable nature-” Suddenly, the dragon head springs alive. It lunges forward and engulfs Twilight in one swift bite. The ponies shriek and watch in horror as Perfected Korsan returns to his active state, practically ignoring the massive blade that through his throat. “Twilight!” Spike exclaims. “What the-” Rarity gasps. “-it’s still alive!” Applejack screams. Perfected Korsan leans his airship body forward to a vertical angle and rapidly rises higher into the storing skies. The fifteen ponies on board tumble down the face of the deck until being caught in the stairway leading to the destroyed bow. Directly in front of Perfected Korsan is Celestia’s zeppelin, slowly approaching them far below. “Oh no!” They all shriek, as they hear the gigantic cannon just behind the deck in front of them charge up, soon followed by the sight of magical energy building up at the opening. All they can do is hold onto the crumbling wood mangle that is the deck, and watch the destruction of Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and anypony else who’s still on there. However, just before the cannon fires, the entire remainder of the bow suddenly explodes in a massive fireball of magic. The heroes are flung into the air as the watch the cannon become obliterated into hundreds of pieces of scrap metal. Out of the smoke emerges Twilight, slightly more beat up than before, but appears healthy. “Twilight!” Quickly, Twilight flies down to her friends now plummeting, but they all motion for her to go back. “Finish him off!” Rainbow roars. “We’ll be fine.” The others cheer, “Yeah, go!” “I will!” Twilight proudly declares. With a flick of her wings, Twilight flips around and flies back to Perfected Korsan. She lands onto the vertical deck edge and looks above at her target. At the other end is the dragon head and the sword still jammed in its neck. If I can just reach that sword, Twilight thinks to herself as she paws into her wood and metal floor, I can finish this once and for all. Perfected Korsan is moving too quickly for me to fly, so I’m just going to have to run it. The dragon head then opens its mouth as it charges a beam attack. Twilight gives a brief snort and prepares to charge. Crimson clouds, now practically rivers of electrified water, bathe her and the airship as the final seconds of their battle draw near. The ponies below eventually safety enter Celestia’s zeppelin and can only imagine what’s going on behind the clouds. Silence breaks between Twilight and Korsan, ready for the first move. Upon a lightning bolt striking the back of the dragon head, Twilight instantly springs forward and up the massive deck length. Cannons immediately fire off, including the super-cannon that has now freed itself. In seconds, the entire front half of Perfected Korsan turns into the magma pits of Tartarus, with Twilight running through the epicenter of the chaos. Using patches of free wall, hailing debris, and even the massive cannonballs themselves, Twilight frantically climbs upwards, higher and higher to her target. The dragon head then fires a massive energy beam of black, red, and cyan magic. Twilight barely darts away from the beam. She continues upwards alongside the five metre tall discharge, avoiding even more projectiles as she nears a third of the length to the quarterdeck. The five ice blades activate next and attempt to strike down Twilight amidst the heavy cannon fire. One by one, the swords violently slash and hack at the ship with their target barely avoiding them. Enormous chunks of the airship crumble and plummet down. Twilight realizes she’s losing galloping space, but is unable to think of a plan as everything suddenly is everywhere. Visions begin to flicker in her head, memories race through her mind’s eye, her thoughts even begin to turn against her. One of the massive ice swords gets the jump on her and slices in front of her. Twilight quickly grabs the burning ice shard and is pushed down. She immediately stamps her hind hooves into the floor. Both she and the blade grind to a stop before she shoves back. However, as hard as she tries, she is locked is a power struggle against the massive sword. The visions take a turn for the worst, as Twilight’s surroundings quickly fade into darkness. Figures from her worst nightmares emerge from the black fog and surround Twilight, including Nightmare Moon, Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and hundreds of monsters. Her hooves are now chained to metal cables stretch out ahead into the void. The villains draw in closer to Twilight as she panics and struggles in her binds. She attempts to buck the beings back, only to turn into smoky shadow versions of themselves on contact with burning red embers for eyes. The shadows then reform themselves into figures that look like Korsan. Upon kicking the last villain, Twilight watches in horror as the shadows turn into her friends, all in Korsan’s mechanical suit and being his scarred right eye, and being his equally monstrous grin. The Korsan hybrids pull out their cutlasses and point them at Twilight. Tears burst from Twilight’s tightly closed eyes. Her ears begin to bleed from the deafening roars of Korsan’s demonic laughter. Her hooves buckle and ache as they simultaneously burn and freeze in the metal chains and cables. However, amongst the chaos and terror surrounding her, Twilight feels something peculiar in her heart. Escaping the madness around her, she is astonished to find a feeling of, bliss, deep inside her. Tapping into this vein, the floor Twilight and the Korsan beings stand on instantly turn into a shallow body of ocean water. The Rainbow Dash and Korsan hybrid fades into a bright light before fading back as a normal version of Dash. She slowly walks up to Twilight’s side in the middle of the surrounding pirates and speaks to her friend as if they don’t even exist, “It’s so peaceful and quiet out here,” the small cyan mare speaks out, I love it.” As the cool water washes in between Twilight’s hind hooves, eliminating the pain from her binds. A surge of control pulsates inside Twilight as she feels her binds lightening. She looks around to see the hundreds of Korsan hybrids drop their weapons with the biggest look of fear on their faces. The hybrids slowly turn into simply clones of Korsan, now running away in panic. Twilight turns to look at Rainbow Dash, now with Applejack, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity, all looking back at her with confidence beaming from their faces. Twilight then faces at the chains in front of her, no longer afraid. With one mighty heave, the chains and cables shatter into millions of shards, and Twilight finds herself back on Perfected Korsan, shoving the massive ice sword up the vertical incline towards Korsan. The sounds of war return as well, but she doesn’t pay mind to it. With one final shove, the sword snaps and flings up to the quarterdeck. The dragon head catches it in its mouth and snaps the enormous blade in two before spitting out the halves and firing another beam at Twilight. She quickly dodges the now moving blast and makes her way across the middle of the deck and closing in on the top. In her path emerge the four crossbow-cannons from before. They instantly fire at her. She swiftly grabs a falling metal sheet with her magic and holds it in front of her, letting it absorb the hundreds of metal bolts fired. As hard as the force of the debris, the cannonballs, the massive swords, the metal bolts, the lightning, and rain pour down, Twilight pushes even harder against these obstacles and continues charging forward. The shards of the destroyed blade falls down from the quarterdeck and smashes into the cannons in front of Twilight, destroying three of them and taking the fourth one down with them. As the dragon head faces her and prepares another beam attack, Twilight launches her shield up to it. The shield hits the sword buried in the neck and causes it to slowly pull out and down the vertical deck. Twilight leaps in front of the incoming sword. She grabs it before locking herself back onto deck. Using gravity, she sings the sword around herself and swings it back at the quarterdeck. Explosions and fire erupt from the metal neck as the ice blade carves into the beast. Perfected Korsan screeches in pain. As the sword continues the cut, the screams soon turn into choking garbles. His airship body begins to collapse and crumble in on itself. Still holding on tight, Twilight finishes the cut and slices Perfected Korsan’s dragon head off. She leaps off of the ship and takes flight, looking back to see the metal head crash and roll down the deck. However, Twilight isn’t satisfied. If what she thinks is true, then Perfected Korsan isn’t dead until everything explodes in a massive fireball. Eventually though, the entire airship erupts in a series of massive colourful blasts that tear the entire ship to shreds, launching flaming debris in all directions. Within a minute of destruction and havoc, the entire airship dissipates into shrapnel and tumbles into the sea below, just missing the pirate ships below. The only thing that remains is the dragon head that houses Korsan’s original body. Twilight immediately knows what to do and swiftly soars down to Celestia’s zeppelin, where everypony inside is celebrating once more. “Girls,” Twilight strongly declares, “we’re not finished yet.” “Oh, no party now?” Pinkie asks at the back of the main deck. “Oh come on!” Sweetie Belle roars from beside Twilight. “How many phases does this stallion have?!” Rainbow Dash growls in front of the party. “This should be the last one. Korsan’s probably exhausted from his Perfected Korsan form, so he won’t be able to put up much of a fight.” “I’m in.” Applejack declares. “He’s going to pay for hurting our whale friend!” Fluttershy announces. “We can’t just let him cause more trouble now, can we?” Rarity replies. “I think I’ll stick back and watch,” Spike lazily speaks. “You guys got this.” “Should we come along?” November asks, referring to herself and her pirate friends. “No,” Twilight declines, “we don’t want anypony to get hurt.” Rainbow Dash boastingly adds, “And besides, it’s us versus one double-defeated pirate. How hard can it be?” “Very.” Pinkie Pie answers, poking her head out of the open aircraft doors behind Twilight. “What?” Twilight asks before turning around to see what Pinkie means. Her eyes instantly bulge open in shock at what she and the other mares soon see. Above the wreckage of Korsan’s airship is a giant floating platform of ice, a hovering arena with a competitor waiting in the center. “Fine, let’s end this. Celestia, take me, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, all down to that ice platform and pull out as quickly as possible.” In the middle of the floating arena of ice stands Korsan, silently staring up at the zeppelin slowly descending towards him. His mechanical suit has been rebuilt into a full set of mechanical armour. Its thick black metal plates reflect the red light from above onto the dark blue ice below. On his chest is a group of five anti-magic storage glasses similar to that of his old harness. On his back is a massive fifteen-metre long cape that’s black on the outside and red on the inside, flapping in the storm’s breeze. Poking from slits in the cape is a pair of massive robotic wings constructed of both magic and mechanical engineering, radiating an icy blue glow from its crystal flaps. His head remains revealed, letting his now incredible long mane flutter in the breeze and show his two eyes, burning with icy rage. As Celestia’s ship flies over Korsan, Twilight and her five friends leap out and land in front of Korsan at the edge of the platform. He first gives a cold look at the mares, studying the determination and ferocity in their stances. In half of a second, his face instantly breaks down into hysterical laughter, but only barely shuffling his massive body. Twilight and the others simply hold their stance and watch as their five-metre tall opponent break down in his maniacal temper. With a flick of his now gigantic claws, Korsan pulls out two massive cutlasses from his cape and extends them out in full light of the red night. Drenched in anti-magic, these highly detailed cutlasses are not only long, but incredibly thick. With another flick of his claws, the two swords snap and extend into two incredibly long whips with parts of the sword attached to the cable ropes. Silently, Twilight and her friends slowly step forward. A low growl rumbles from this final form of Korsan. The heroes respond by the pawing the ice floor. Korsan then speaks in his low roaring tone, “You will surely die… You all will…” “That maybe,” Twilight confidently replies, “but not today!”
Fall of RegretThe mares immediately gallop forward on the ice and charge at Korsan. Korsan stands still as horn glows a dark red hue and prepares to cast a telekinetic spell. Twilight fires an anti-magic pulse. The blast sends Korsan back a few steps and is quickly attacked by the mares. The mares rapidly kick and punch Korsan, but he quickly collapses his whips into swords and deflects the attacks. Twilight zips away from her friends and magically draws a sword from thin air. She charges forward. Korsan sees this and performs a cartwheel over Twilight. The others are launched from Korsan’s body, but land back on the platform. With a flick of his claws, his right sword transforms into a whip. He flicks the long whip at Twilight, snagging her hind leg. He pulls her back towards him and prepares his other blade to stab. However, Twilight frees herself and slides under the diving sword. She then leaps onto Korsan’s back, using her sword in attempts to stab into the armour. Korsan’s wings spring to life and Korsan and Twilight are immediately rising hundreds of metres above the platform. Korsan then teleports a short ways away from Twilight before charging in for an attack. Twilight deflects the charge and the two alicorns begin dueling in the sky. As Korsan rapidly circles Twilight and clashing his blades against hers, he roars, “Long time it’s been, Twilight, my loathsome foe!” “Not as loathsome as you Korsan!” Twilight retorts, dodging a blade swing and smacking the back of his head with her back hoof in an aerial flip. Korsan drops a bit before retuning with an uppercut. Twilight barely dodges the metal fist as it shaves her chin. Twilight immediately backs away and fires a fires a magic beam at Korsan. He immediately raises a sword and absorbs the beam. “Twilight, I created myself for the sole purpose of destroying the inferior. But I could never seem to defeat a resistor on an equal plane as me! That's why I transformed my own body with my own magic! Feel the power of true alicorn magic, the magic that you deny!” “Enough with the speeches Korsan!” Twilight then darts behind the end of her beam attack and punches Korsan in the face before he can react. Korsan is flung back, but recovers quickly. As Twilight charges at him, he retaliates by firing his own beam attack at her, but even more powerful. Twilight attempts to counter with another beam. The two magic beams strike each other and Korsan’s instantly destroys Twilight’s. Before Twilight can react, she is hit by the red and black ray of destruction and is launched into the thick of the storm above. Korsan roars in triumph, but is instantly cut off by a massive ice blade smashing him in the face. He falls onto the ice platform and finds the five others wielding one of the massive swords of the airship wreckage below. The mares swing at the head once more, but Korsan drops his swords and catches the sword between his claws. He shoves the giant sword back. While Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie at the other side recollect themselves, Korsan summons a tsunami behind him and pulls out another ice blade from the waves. He swings his sword forward just as the mares swing back. The two massive blades smash at the middle with incredible force before being knocked back. Korsan quickly swings again. The mares parry the incoming blade and follow up with a side slice. Korsan parries the slice and strikes back, only to be met by another parry. The mares then immediately go for the hilt and strike Korsan’s blade out of his hooves and high into the air. They then slice the ice blade in two and its pieces plummet into the sea. As the mares go in for the kill, Korsan dodges the blade and leaps from the platform into the raging waters below before returning with one of the massive masts. He screams, “I am the ultimate overlord, Neo Korsan! I am a true alicorn!” He then chucks the mast at the mares. They instantly drop their sword and grab the mast. “Another title huh, Neo Korsan?” Rainbow Dash groans, straining to keep the mast from crushing her and her friends. Neo Korsan then charges forward, picks up his cutlasses, and slams into the mast, shattering it into the pieces. While the mares shield themselves from the wood chips, Korsan then proceeds to grab them with his magic and slam them into the icy floor. A collective scream echoes across the arena as Neo Korsan then raises the mares into the air by his all-powerful magic. “I am the lord of darkness, I require the solace of the shadows, and the dark of the night! Sunlight is my destroyer, exposes my fault! Tonight, the sun set forever, and there shall never be another dawn!” One of the pirate ships below fires a harpoon at him, but Neo Korsan grabs the anchor midair with his cape. With one mighty heave, the ship is thrown up in the air. Neo Korsan then proceeds to fling his whips at the midair vessel, which wrap around the ship. He yanks the whips and immediately slices the ship into three large parts. As the three parts fall into the sea below, Neo Korsan screeches in mad delight, “I am invincible!” A rapier then floats up to his chest and stabs into one of the anti-magic tanks. Neo Korsan screams in pain as he feels his almost bodily fluids flow from his chest. Now furious, he looks down to see Rarity on the ice, having freed herself. “All I wish is for you to sit, and let me soar!” “How about you let me soar?!” A mare’s voice replies from behind. As Neo Korsan turns around, he is met by a powerful electric kick to the jaw by Rainbow Dash. Korsan roars and head butts Rainbow Dash, sending her careening down onto the ice. He soon follows and lands in front of Rarity and Rainbow Dash. “I'll skewer you!” Neo Korsan darts forward at the two mares. As he slashes his blade at Rainbow Dash, Rarity blocks his cutlasses with her rapier. Neo Korsan slides across the rapier and swipes at Rarity. She ducks below the two cutlasses. She then rolls around to Neo Korsan’s backside and attempts to stab between his armour plates, but her stab is cut off by Neo Korsan. He then turns around for a forward stab and side swipe. Rarity deflects the jab then parries the swipe. Rainbow Dash hops into the fray and trips Neo Korsan. He takes flight however and rapidly circles the arena, creating a spiraling blizzard on the arena. Rarity and Rainbow stand back to back as red magic bolts soon spray from the snowy fog at all angles. Rarity uses her rapier and magic shields tom deflect the oncoming shots. Rainbow Dash picks up Rarity and helps her dodge speedier bolts. “We need to destroy those anti-magic containers on his chest,” Rarity declares to her partner. “I might be able to free the others if we do so.” “Got it!” Dash nods. “Fear my superior power!” Neo Korsan’s voice announces in the midst of the blizzard. Using quick judgement, Rainbow Dash chucks Rarity towards the source of the voice. Rarity uses the momentum to quickly gallop across the ice and stabs Neo Korsan at the edge of the arena, right in another anti-magic unit. Neo Korsan screams and dives down into the sea. A massive tsunami then forms at the edge of the arena and washes over. Rarity and Rainbow Dash try to run away from the wave, but find themselves trapped at the other edge while the wave charges forward with no sign of stopping. However, a pink figure drops in from above and lands in front of the two mares, armed with what appears to by a large stick. The figure points the stick forward just as the wave is about it hit. The stick suddenly transforms into a massive pink umbrella, and the tsunami passes around the umbrella, shielding the three as the waves die down. Rarity and Dash soon realize it’s Pinkie Pie, and cheer in triumph. “Moral of the story; don’t leave home without an umbrella.” Pinkie announces as she folds the umbrella and stuffs it back into her mane. Neo Korsan burst from the sea and gallops at the three mares. The three notice Rarity’s rapier still inside his harness. Just as Neo Korsan is about to slash into the three, Pinkie Pie pulls out a small cannon from behind her and fires it into his face. Rarity then grabs the rapier with her magic. Rainbow Dash flies around and bucks Neo Korsan back forward, in which Rarity stabs into a third container. Neo Korsan frantically grabs Rainbow Dash and slams her into Rarity. He quickly backs away to the center of the arena and roars, “I’ll crush you!” Pulling out the rapier in his harness, he snaps the blade in two with a flick of his horn. His horn then brightly glows and a second massive ice arena forms right above the first one. It is then flipped upside down as Neo Korsan backs out, leaving the three mares on the platform as the second arena falls on top of them. The upside down arena stops it’s decent however. In the center of the two arenas is Applejack, holding the second up half a metre up in the air. Neo Korsan sees this and flies up to the top of the second arena. He kicks into it, but it stays firm. He kicks it again and again in a rampant fury of bucks, but the platform stays firm. It suddenly shatters however, as the other mares gather at the center to help their friend. Neo Korsan attempts to create another ice arena, but is attacked by several ice shards being thrown up at him by the mares. Neo Korsan uses his blades and magic to deflect the bombardment of ice. However, one of the sharp projectiles slips past. It stabs him in one of the final two remaining anti-magic tanks. Fluttershy is soon released from her entrapment and falls onto Neo Korsan, accidently kicking him multiple times in an attempt to escape the tangle. She eventually flees and joins with her friends below. As Neo Korsan views the mares below preparing for the next attack by their rival, a furious rage, more powerful than any magical attack, builds inside of him. At the brink of snapping into complete lunacy, his thoughts race through his head, deconstructing, twisting, and melting into mental rambles of madness. His vision becomes clouded in scarred eyes, gears, blood, pegasi feathers, ice, and in the center of this chaos is himself as a foal, laughing hysterically surrounded by the dead ponies of everypony he has ever slaughtered. He tries to remove these hallucinations from his head, firing magic wildly in every direction. The visions stay adamant, driving him beyond even madness. He finally snaps. Neo Korsan screams with laughter and dives down to the center of the arena. The mares back away as his swords turn into whips. Neo Korsan than proceeds to wildly spin around in circles, swinging his bladed whips around the arena in a vortex. The mares leap over and dive beneath the spiraling whips. They barely avoid the sharp barbs that slice off portions of their hair. As he spins faster and faster, Neo Korsan rambles, “Yes! Kill! Die! Everything will die! Destroy more of my sanity! Make more monsters! No stopping! Hahahahaha!” Rainbow Dash attempts to fly up and away from the whips, but Neo Korsan sees this and snags her by the leg. Dash squeaks and is quickly latched onto by Neo Korsan’s cape as well. She is quickly dragged into his open hind hoof, which grabs her by the neck and holds her up to Neo Korsan’s face. Terror takes hold of her as Dash looks into Neo Korsan’s ballistic eyes. The other mares try to reach her, but can’t sneak past the spiraling whips. Neo Korsan cackles as he tightens his grip on Dash’s neck, hearing her chokes and gags barely escape her collapsing lungs. Joy pumps throughout his body as he exercises his mighty power on such an inferior creature. Just before Neo Korsan can finish her off however, a powerful force instantly strikes the back of his head. He loses his hold on his prey and drops Dash. He falls off of the arena along with his whips. Rainbow Dash collapses on the floor and gags for several seconds. She then looks up to see Twilight Sparkle watching over her, panting as if she had just run a marathon. “Thanks Twilight!” Dash cheers before coughing. “No problem.” Twilight replies. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie join the two at the center of the arena. “Twilight!” Rarity exclaims. “Neo Korsan’s only got one more anti-magic container left on him.” “If we destroy that last one, he’ll be open to a magic attack that’ll finish him off.” The arena soon begins to violently shake, as the support column beneath begins to crumble. The mares look below to see Neo Korsan’s behind this. They brace themselves as the platform separates from the sea and is lifted into the storm by Neo Korsan. Deep inside the storm, Neo Korsan chucks the arena up and flies over the mares, declaring, “Time to end this!” His horn glows black as a dark sphere forms around the entire arena. The heroes look around to see Neo Korsan’s not inside with them. A bolt of magic suddenly bursts from the wall of darkness. Twilight projects a shield and deflects the magic projectile. Soon, hundreds of red lights dot the sphere of the arena and begin to fire and endless barrage of magic bolts. The mares spring into action. They rapidly dodge and deflect the endless volley. Twilight and Rarity deflect with their magic. Rainbow Dash deflects with her accumulated lightning. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy use pieces of ice to deflect. The six mares turn into a glowing blur as they become untouchable to the magic projectiles. The ice arena and surrounding sphere of darkness lose rising momentum and begins to plummet back down to the sea, but this doesn’t hinder the mares. Neo Korsan rapidly circles the sphere, firing as many magic bolts as he can. Yet Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy remain strong together. The magic they deflect starts to pierce the dark sphere and shred it apart. Neo Korsan sees this and is in both absolute shock and total ecstasy. “They’re demons!” He madly exclaims to himself. “No pony could do this even with all the magic in the world! Just die!” Neo Korsan dives back down to his wreckage and drops his two whips into the water. He then uses each of his four hooves to grab four massive ice blades. Straining himself to the limit, he rises back up to face the heroes with the swords in tow. He performs a forward strike with all four of the swords at once. The mares roll between the blades. Neo Korsan then raises his swords and performs a horizontal slice. Applejack, Dash, and Pinkie grab the lowest incoming sword and slow it down for the others to sneak through the growing gap in the wall. Neo Korsan aims his horn at the three mares and fires a powerful beam. The three quickly climb over the sword and barely skim the edge of the ray. Neo Korsan resets his stance as the mares group together once more. He then holds two blades at each end of the arena and slides them together like a massive jackknife. The mares attempt to hold push back the compact blades. They are instead shoved to the middle of the arena with both sides crushing in on their hooves. The strength of all six mares combined is no match for Neo Korsan’s. Slowly, the jagged ice edges draw in closer and closer to the ponies as their muscle-power melts. Neo Korsan aims his horn down at them once. But as he is about to fire, a fifth ice blade drops down from the heavens right in front of him. His horn fires, and the beam is deflected from the anti-magic steel that covers the top of the sword and fires back at him. Neo Korsan instinctively backs away and dives below the wild spurt of magic. The freed mares look up to see Celestia’s zeppelin holding the sword by anchors and tethers below. “I believe in you Twilight!” Spike calls out from the above airship. “We all do!” The sword is then released from the airship and lands on the six heroes below, who quickly grab it and set it to an ideal stance. Neo Korsan floats back up and slashes at the mares with a fury of massive strikes and jabs. Quickly maneuvering their own sword, the mares block off the barrage of attacks. They strike at an opening. Neo Korsan darts above the sword. He then blitzes forward and continues to attack. The mares quickly twist their sword around, throwing Neo Korsan off of their sword. He shields himself as the mares then strike at him. The single blade smashes against the four others and a blade lock ensues. Neo Korsan instantly gains the upper hoof and pushes the mares’ sword back. However, unexpected by Korsan, the mares suddenly pull their blade away, causing him to accidently fall forwards in the air. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, then flip their sword in a complete circle, slicing through the arena, and stabbing Neo Korsan’s revealed chest one last time. The massive blade disintegrates the final anti-magic tank and Neo Korsan immediately begins to fall from the sky. The mares leap off the crumbling platform and give chase to the falling alicorn. Neo Korsan sees this and drop his massive sabers and prepares to fight back. The two sides then leap from falling debris and begin their final assault. They exchange punches and blocks as they leap from platform to platform. Despite Neo Korsan’s furious speed and power, the mares counter with equal power and combined speed. Magic bolts and beams of all colours pierce the skies. The rain and red fog bends to the will of the flying ponies. Shrapnel from battle is hit by lightning and explodes all around the fighters. Gravity now becomes practically meaningless. Fury, fear, determination, and the lust of victory consume the seven ponies as they smack into each other all the way back down to the sea. Eventually, Neo Korsan loses track of the speeding mares. He is immediately overcome by the fighting might of the mares. One after another, Twilight and the other heroes perform their ultimate combos and bash Neo Korsan from one side of the debris field to the other. Ice, metal, wood, magic, wind, rain, lightning, and everything else is thrown at Neo Korsan in one grand finishing sequence while the all-powerful alicorn can do nothing about it. The ocean below draws near quickly, and the mares decide to end this assault. Locking together, the heroes rise slightly above Neo Korsan. He watches in terror as they then instantly charge down and deliver an earth-crushing combined kick into his exposed chest. The surrounding air collapses and explodes in a sonic boom as Neo Korsan is catapulted down into the ocean at breakneck speeds. But Neo Korsan suddenly regains himself midway. He lands on top of the water and a small ice platform forms on the water beneath him. The surrounding waters burst from the force and hurdle the surrounding pirate ships several hundred metres away. He then aims his horn at the incoming mares. It glows brighter than any of his previous attacks, a sign that this is his final resort. The air screams in agony as Korsan’s horn turns into what almost appears to be a cannon of darkness. Twilight and the others prepare themselves as the blinding light and darkness combined flares into their eyes. Fully charged, Neo Korsan roars, “Die!” At that moment, an enormous magic beam of death and destruction blasts from his horn. The air distorts and shatters as the beam disintegrates everything in its path, including light and gravity. As Neo Korsan’s beam races towards her and her friends, Twilight quickly charges up and fires a magic beam of her own. In a second, the two rays of magic, energy, and plasma collide into each other, setting off a sonic boom. The two magic beams push against each other with each of their masters’ might, swaying up and down in the sky and vaporizing the red night sky. Neo Korsan’s super massive black beam soon begins to overpower Twilight’s small purple beam and soon begins to squish it back towards Twilight. Neo Korsan’s beam accelerates faster and faster with each passing second. As the beam draws within tens of metres of Twilight and the others, Rarity decides to take action, despite how little power she has. Still clutching tightly to Twilight, Rarity fires her own magic beam into Twilight’s turning it into a spiraling tunnel of purple and light blue light. Neo Korsan’s beam stops accelerating, but still charges forward. Rainbow Dash joins as well, building up electricity in the surrounding air and charging it through Twilight and Rarity. Twilight’s beam grows larger and soon sports electric sparks crackling throughout. The opposing beam soon slows its approaching pace. Fluttershy quickly wraps herself around her friends and holds them tightly together. This tightened bond and stability further strengthens their beam. Pinkie Pie pulls out her large umbrella and holds it open above the group. Lighting madly attacks the metal tip of the pole and further builds onto Twilight’s beam. Soon, Twilight’s beam turns into a massive ray of purple, light blue, dark cyan, pink, and yellow cyclone of magic and electricity that rivals Neo Korsan’s. The two beams come to a complete stop, but Neo Korsan doesn’t take this lightly. Howling in rage, Neo Korsan holds his front claws to the beam and summons lightning into his metallic suit and into his beam. His beam of darkness slowly expands and starts to close in on Twilight’s group. The collision of the two beams draws in only three metres in front of Twilight’s face, and the gap that is Twilight’s beam is growing thinner and thinner, despite its massive power. Applejack looks over this seemingly unavoidable fate, coming to the conclusion that there is nothing she can do to help. She didn’t have Twilight’s and Rarity’s unicorn magic. She didn’t have the pegasi power of the storms like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. She didn’t even Pinkie Pie’s abnormal abilities, and she is also an Earth pony. Despite what she said before, Applejack’s mind rapidly begins to ponder about the truth of Korsan’s words. Strength was practically useless against the untouchable power of gods in comparison. Slowly, Applejack closes her eyes, and waits for the inevitable. However, at second glance, Applejack soon comes to a sudden realization. I may not have the super-physical or magical abilities of my friends, she thinks to herself. But I have been one of the strongest members of our friendship, we all are actually. Pinkie Pie’s laughter has helped us through dark times of sadness. Fluttershy’s kindness has helped us remain humble, and help everypony we can. Rainbow Dash’s loyalty to our friendship almost never fails, and has helped us stay together. Rarity’s generosity and mercy has helped us make more friends which have helped us in the long run, way before she was kidnapped. My honesty has helped us keep true to our word and keep our friendship strong. Not only do we trust each other, but believe each other with the strongest of fate. All combined with Twilight’s magic of friendship, our friendship, we are unstoppable. You hear that Neo Korsan?! We will never lose to you! Never in a million years! We are equals, friends, family, all to the end of time! Now bursting with a sense of determination and hope, Applejack climbs down to Twilight’s side, and holds her hooves up to the beam. With all of her strength and might, she is able to concentrate the beam and feels as if it her very essence going into it. Her hooves firmly press onto the beam, and holds it and Twilight as firm as possible. In a flash of light, the beam instantly doubles in size and emits a golden aura. The beam shatters Neo Korsan’s ray and charges straight down at him. He falls back from the destruction of his final attack and watches in horror as the golden ray of light asylums his vision. “Noooooooooo!” Neo Korsan’s scream instantly dies as his body vanishes in the golden beam. The surrounding water bursts upwards as the beam plummets down into the bottom. Ship fragments and ice fly everywhere, even as high as the sky, yet not a single piece hits the six gathered mares floating at the top of the column of light. Twilight and the others continue to fire the beam for a solid minute, extinguishing any trace of Korsan. Eventually though, the beam dies down on its own as the mares become exhausted from the fight. The sea below silently returns to normal, revealing not a hint of the pirate captain’s presence other than the surrounding debris. The natural waves and winds flow across the area once more. The skies clear from its red haze to reveal the black sky and white stars above. Korsan has been defeated. As the mares return to the effects of gravity, and slowly begin to descend to the planet surface, the zeppelin flies over to them. Several ponies inside quickly get to work and pick up the six heroes and set them inside on disposable medical beds. While Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie fall asleep on the air-filled mattresses, Twilight and Rarity turn their sore heads to the open doorway to look over the remains of Korsan’s work. As the airship flies over the wreckage, wood and metal parts bubble up to the surface. The head of Perfected Korsan bobs up to the surface in four pieces. Korsan’s original and new cutlasses wash onto a thin sheet of ice. His old, ragged cape is plucked from the water by the wind and flutters off into the horizon. The only thing recognizable to them that is in one piece is a single black sail floating in the water, with a red gear symbol woven in the center. A sense of victory silently triumphs inside Twilight as she sees that the world is safe once more. The same grand feeling also flourishes inside Rarity, but also, much deeper inside her, a sense of pity can be felt. Rarity remembers how Korsan was simply an innocent foal like herself, Twilight, their friends, and everypony else. She remembers how a string of bad luck had turned such a foal into this insane, bloodthirsty monster. As much as she, Twilight, and everypony else wish it was possible, the sad truth was undeniable, Korsan would never be redeemable from the clutches of madness and evil. The zeppelin finishes its cruise over the wreckage and slowly flies back to Equestria. The other remaining boats follow the zeppelin, leaving The Perfection and its captain to peacefully sink to the bottom of the sea alone. An hour later, after everypony has exited the scene by the horizon, one of the ice blades slowly floats up and surfaces. There, impaled by the tip of the blade, is the body Korsan. His armour is completely destroyed, his mane is in a frizzled mess, and his flesh and fur are extremely burnt, still sizzling from the mares’ final attack. The burning body remains slumped over the sword inside his chest, its eyes remained closed. Suddenly, Korsan’s right eye springs open. His breath gasps and his body jolts to life. Korsan instantly begins to sputter and choke. Water mixed with a small bit of his own blood spews from his mouth. A metallic taste and smell reeks throughout his body. With bare hooves dig themselves into the ice blade and push. In his desperate grasping for life, he pulls himself out of the blade, only to quickly climb back onto it. He lays himself onto the metal cover and continues to gag for several minutes, though it feels like an hour at least. In time, he is able to actually breathe the salty night air around him. Despite it being filled with the fumes of his burning ship, Korsan finds it heavenly. He attempts to climb onto his hooves, but his back suddenly shrieks in pain, and his large body instantly collapses back onto the metal floor. Groaning, Korsan slowly turns his head to look at his backside. It is a wreck, with his back at a razor sharp angle with a large metal rod going through the part of the severed spine and even more metal debris and scraps piercing through his mangled wings. He then opens his other eyelid and places his hoof over the eye, but quickly pulls out upon feeling nothing but a whole. Unable to scream, Korsan sputters and gasps some more. He feels for his horn next, and feels a massive gash running through the front of it, all the way from the base to the tip. His back was gone, his wings are gone, his good eye is gone, his horn is gone, his magic is gone, his power is gone, his sanity is gone, his ship is gone, his riches are gone, his mare is gone, his crew is gone, Juliana is gone, his career is gone, his legacy and infamy is gone, everything that Korsan has ever valued is gone. As Korsan stares off into the horizon, he subconsciously laughs to himself, “Hah. Hahaha… Hahahahaha...” His mind recalls the previous events the lead to his downfall, and among all of those memories, is Twilight Sparkle, staring at him. “It’s surprising what you live through... Isn’t it Princess Twilight Sparkle? Perhaps I had just enough anti-magic mixed in my blood to survive that final blow you gave to me… Haha...” Slowly, Korsan starts to drag himself across the sword and onto a large piece of quarterdeck still remaining. He pants on, “You sure did a number on me though... I can’t deny that… Ya demon you… But don’t worry Twilight… I’ll be back… These wounds, they are only temporary… I can fix myself… No… I will fix myself… And when I do, oh when I do… What I’ll do you may ask?” “…” The night breeze gently whispers back in response. “What I’m gonna do…” Korsan chuckles, still exhaling water from his lungs and insides, “I’m gonna destroy you… But not in the way you think of it Twilight… That would be mercy… No… I’m gonna destroy you as you’ve destroyed me… I’m gonna take away everything you’ve ever valued… Your friends, your family, your kingdom, your world, it’s all gonna suffer and die… Right before your very eyes as well! You’re gonna weep… You’re gonna weep even when you no longer have any water in ya… And before you die, I’m gonna pump more water into ya! You’re never gonna die until I see that everything you know turns extinct… No… Not extinct, non-existent!” The wooden floor below his destroyed body groans and screams. “You hear me Twilight!” Korsan screams, climbing onto his hooves. Despite the incalculable pain now searing through his body, the brown alicorn continue to rise. “This is only the beginning! Vengeance will be mine! For as long as I live, this will never, ever, ever, end!-” The floor suddenly collapses from Korsan’s weight. His body instantly falls through to the floor below and lands in a shallow pool of water. Korsan roars in pain and slowly tries to regain himself. However, as he is getting up, his eye looks forward to see a horrific sight. A crossbow cannon is right in front of him, tracking him. The machine springs to life as its gears rapidly rotate. It roars and bolts immediately start to pour from the barrels.
Returning HomeAfter a few weeks traveling across the seas in the zeppelin, Equestria’s coastline soon comes into view. The ponies on board quickly turn excited and are now anxiously waiting to set hoof on land after all of this time in the air. “Land ho!” Cecil declares, poking his head out from one of the windows. “Thank goodness,” Jarvis exclaims from the adjacent window. “I’m going to get sick at any second now, get me off!” Maurice groans from the back of the blimp. As Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, and Rainbow Dash look over the incoming harbour, a warm sense of relief is felt thorough them. “We did it.” Twilight sighs. “Our adventure is over.” “Yep.” Spike replies. “I can’t wait to get home and finish ’Daring Do and the Lost Kingdoms of Trihearth’.” Rainbow Dash then chirps in, “Oh yeah! That book was awesome! Who would’ve guessed that Daring Do’s mother is a member of the Four Knights’ Counsel?!” The purple alicorn silently slides a hoof to her face in frustration. “Oh, sorry Twilight…” “No… hard… feelings…” Twilight mumbles below her hoof. “What’s that?” Spike asks. “Well…” Dash replies, thinking of the simplest way to explain to a non-fan. “The Four Knights’ Counsel is a group of ponies that seek out the Items of Death that belonged to the Tetrad after defeating Lord Muerte in his Draco Incarnation form.” “…” “Yeah, it’s fairly complex, but I think I summed it up pretty well.” Twilight then retorts, “What about the Philosopher’s Legend? That’s important to the Four Knight’s Counsel.” “Not after Wolf took the Philosopher’s Legend.” “It’s being used as black money to fund the creation of Iron Lock Beam.” “Oh please, that isn’t canon. Even A.K. Yearly said it was just speculation.” “How else do you explain the fourth clone?” “There are multiple theories to it.” “Look, ‘Daring Do’s Resentence’ might not be the most well-received book, but it is canon!” As Dash and Twilight continue to argue, Spike turns to Applejack, who silently shakes her head to him, a sign not to get involve. Rarity attempts to move to another part of the ship and away from her friends, but accidently bumps into Slasher behind her. “Oh!” Rarity exclaims as she turns to face her. “My apologies Slasher, I didn’t see you.” “It’s fine.” Slasher humbly replies. “This place isn’t all that big compared to The Perfection. “Quite right, quite right. Are you going to be alright, without The Perfection and Korsan?” “Yeah. November and Nitin are thinking of hiring me along with a few other crew members, give us a change from criminal life to business.” “What about prison?” “I’ve heard that Equestria has some nice prisons, at least better than Ti. With some of my friends with me as well, it can’t be too bad to spend a few months there.” “Well, good luck to you.” “What about you Rarity?” “What?” “Are you going to be fine, even after Korsan?” “…” “Yin and Yu told me about it. They said that it looked like you two were… you know…” “I’ll be okay. Korsan was a, a conflicted pony. I just thought I could bring out his better side.” “Were you actually in love with him?” “I… don’t know. Speaking of love, how are you and Yu doing?” “Wait, what?” “Oh, heh, Yu Shou. How are he and you doing?” “We’re doing fine. There’s always been something going on between us I guess. I hope when we get to the slammer that Yu and I get the same cell.” “I?!-No, Shou!” The two mares instantly giggle at Rarity’s blunder. Behind them, Twilight and Rainbow’s argument grows slightly louder, now with Ryan Aran and November Gale joining in. “What’s going on over there?” “Just some silly debate over Daring Do, lore and whatnot,” “I see…” Slasher then screams out into the crowd. “Side note; Duo shot first!” Instantly, the gathering at the window explodes with arguing voices. The small brown mare snickers to herself as the yelling echoes in her ears. “Hehehe, it’s true though Rarity. He did.” “I’ll keep note of that.” Rarity replies. “See you when we land.” “Okay.” Rarity then proceeds to make her way to the front. Along the way, Yin and Yu walk up to her and trot by her side. “Hello Ms. Rarity,” the two brothers greet her. “Hello.” The white mare replies. “Is Twilight getter better?” The stallion to her right asks. “A little scarred up, but Twilight’s fine.” “Have we told you yet about how awesome you and your friends were when fighting Korsan?” The left one asks. “Yes, two times before.” Rarity answers. “Oh.” “But it’s fine. I’m still pumped from the fight as well.” “Aren’t we all? This should be worth of celebration.” The other brother proclaims. “Quite right Yin.” Rarity replies. “Wait,” the left brother stampers. “You figured out which one of us is which? How?” “I have a hunch that you don’t usually use bigger words like ‘celebration’.” “I hope that wasn’t an insult.” “Oh course not dummy,” Yin jokes. “That’s my job.” “Oh ha-ha, I hope we get cells at different ends of the prison.” “Not as much as I do. Do you know how loud your snoring was to the cabins right next to yours back on The Perfection?” “Not as loud as whatever you were doing in the toilets.” “Wait what?! I thought those things were sound-proof.” “It’s wood. I’m pretty sure loud clopping can get through it.” Uncomfortable about where this conversation is going, Rarity attempts to stoically say goodbye to the brothers. “Alright, he-he, I best be going now.” “See ya.” Yin and Yu reply before promptly returning to their own business. Rarity gallops ahead into one of the more lavish areas of the large zeppelin while Yin and Yu turn around and head back. Inside a parlour room, she finds Sweetie Belle, tightly hugging onto Butch Taylor’s leg while Princess Cadence quietly watches. Noticing Rarity’s arrival, the alicorn princess holds hoof up to her lips. Rarity nods and keeps quiet and watches. “Please,” Sweetie Belle sobs into the dark blue fur before her, “I don’t want you to go to prison. I don’t want you or any of our friends to do.” “Look little one,” Butch calmly whispers. “I did a lot of bad things during these past years as a pirate. We all did.” “But you’re good now. You helped us.” “I know we did, but…” “But what?” “…Not everypony is going to be happy if we were just let loose. It’s very complex.” “I won’t be happy if you go to prison.” “I know. Look at it this way; we good guys are only going to be gone for a couple of months. And then, it’s back to normal for everypony, like hibernation.” “All the way back to ‘normal’?” Cadence bursts in. “Well, save for the, crime and stuff, mostly.” “…” “What?” “Well,” Sweetie sniffles. “I guess I understand. I am still going to miss you, and all of our other pirate friends.” “I’ll miss you as well. One more hug alright, your sister’s waiting for ya.” “No, no,” Rarity replies. “No rush at all.” “See you later Butch.” Sweetie Belle replies. A magic aura surrounds the filly and slowly lifts her up to the large stallion’s chest where the two then give each other a final hug. She is then set back down and quickly turns to Rarity. “Heh,” Butch happily growls. “I’d like to see some of the younger ponies deal with what I’ve been through.” “I’m pretty sure it would’ve taken them a fair while.” Cadence replies. “Quite.” “Geez Louise,” Applejack mutters between herself and Applebloom. “That was too much to handle. All of that talk about Iron Locks and stuff. It really tires out your head.” “You said it ‘sis.” Applebloom replies. As the two Earth ponies tour around the zeppelin, Maria approaches them from the other direction, holding something in her mouth. Her red eyes stayed glued to the floor as the three mares stop before each other. “Howdy there. You’re…” “Maria.” She mumbles. “Maria!” Applejack exclaims. “That’s right. What’s that you have in your mouth?” Slowly, Maria lowers her head to the floor and cleanly spits out the object. “It’s one of Korsan’s anti-magic straps. The guards got it off of Chopin, the mime.” “Oh. What are you doing with it?” “I’m giving it to you. Well, more specifically, your sister.” Gently, Maria grabs the strap with her hooves and firmly wraps it around Applebloom’s right leg as if it were a bracelet. The two sisters examine the small device now on the younger sister. “You wanted to protect your family right? Here you go. If you want to disable it and take it off, just get a small needle and poke it into the lock in the middle.” “T-thanks.” Applejack stutters, unsure on how to react to something like this. Her gaze turns to face Maria once more, who has returned to her solemn staring of the carpet floor. “Hey, what’s eatin’ you hun?” “…I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I’ve done to your friends and your kinds. I was at Korsan’s side, I let him force me to hurt Earth ponies and pegasi. I didn’t think twice when he told me what to do for no good reason. I don’t know how I’ll ever be forgiven for the way I treated you and your friends.” Maria’s voice breaks down before eventually turning into sobs. “I’m so sorry! I have no excuse for it! I was too cowardly to do anything, I was too gutless to stand for what is right, risking what can only amount to a beating in exchange of another’s life! I-” “Hey, hey, hey,” Applejack shushes. “Don’t beat yourself up like that. You’re not the only one. Even I joined Korsan. I was so scared of my family getting hurt, I forgot about the lives of others. At least you stepped up to Korsan with that Faction-thing.” “But-b-but-” “Maria, I forgive you.” “Really?” “Yeah. And besides, your life ain’t over yet. After a few months’ time, you’ll be back on your hooves, and can start your life anew.” “True… Thanks.” “No problem ma’am.” The two mares give each other a small hug, embracing each other of their woes. In the corner of Applejack’s eye, she can see Applebloom fiddling with her new bracelet. “Actually, can I get a small needle off of ya?” “Huh? S-sure…” Maria and Applejack part from each other and Maria pulls out her skinniest dagger from her saddle. Applejack grabs the knife and carefully jams it into the anti-magic strap. The strap immediately snaps and falls to the floor, where it is picked up by Applejack with her mouth. “What are you doing?” Applejack mumbles in response, “You know, after some thinking over these past few weeks, I realize that I don’t need this thing. With my friends and determination, I can protect my family just fine. I’ll just give this to the princesses. They can study it and whatnot.” “Okay.” With the anti-magic strap now secure in her mouth, Applejack turns around to head for the cockpit, only to have Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and a bunch of other ponies cut her off. “Uhh… Can I help you?” “Applejack.” The two leading mares ask at once. “Were the Federalists in cahoots with Renegade during the Shadow Noah Incident?” “…” As the zeppelin lands in the harbour of Vanhoover, everypony on board picks up their belongings and prepare to exit. The doors to the outside open, and sunlight immediately pours into the landed aircraft. Ponies, guards, and pirates all flood out onto the stone ground of the harbour. Maurice bends over and kisses the ground. However, the sudden urgings in his stomach cause him to instantly run out towards the ocean shore. As Twilight and the others step out of the vessel as well, they are immediately greeted by their friends and family from Ponyville. All except for Applejack though, as she instead walks over to Celestia and Luna on the outskirts of the mob. Applejack draws herself next to Celestia and gracefully calls out to her. “Princess Celestia.” The larger alicorn princess, along with her sister, both look over to see Applejack, holding the anti-magic strap in her hoof. Although she tries to look proper, the switch from four hooves to three causes her to clumsily walk along. “Yes Applejack?” Celestia asks. “This is one of Korsan’s anti-magic straps. I was hoping you can take it and study it or whatever you do.” “Oh yes,” Luna replies before turning to Celestia. “I remember that. Remember when Korsan came to the gala and attached one of those things to my horn?” “I do.” Celestia answers. “Thank you Applejack, this will serve us very well in research.” Celestia then proceeds to use her magic to pick up the black strap, only for it to stay put. “Oh, right, anti-magic.” Instead, the alicorn holds open her wing, in which Applejack places the strap on it. Celestia then folds her wing in and secures the object. “Right then, to Canterlot.” “Wait,” Applejack speaks. “What is it?” “You know what Korsan was sayin’ about pegasi and Earth ponies right?” “Yes…” “Well, don’t let it get too deep alright.” “Sure.” “Even though ya might not have the happiest of beginnings, or born with what you want, or anything like that, you’re still you. You can still do great things, everypony can. Ain’t that right?” “Correct. You have made many friends and have done so many things.” “I just to make sure that everypony knows that.” “I’m sure that will be the case, especially with you around.” “Thanks Celest’.” “Alright then. Sister?” “You go on ahead,” Luna replies to her sister. “I’ll just check on Twilight one more time and see how our pirate friends and foes are doing.” “Very well then.” With a flick of her horn, Celestia vanishes in a bright flash of light, leaving behind Luna and Applejack. With her sister gone, Luna flies over above Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. In front of the ten ponies are guards transporting Korsan’s loyal pirates, including Chopin, Horus, Ivan, and Pip, to the barred coaches waiting for them. Tightly held by the guard’s anti-magic spells, all the more villainous pirates can do is give their evil glares at the onlooking mares, who simply brush off the invisible threat. “Well they’re not going to be seen for another thirty or so years, I can guarantee that.” Luna mutters out loud. Upon hearing her comment, Twilight looks up and sees Luna. “Hi Luna!” Twilight exclaims. As the black alicorn begins to decent, Twilight scoots over to make room for her in the crowd. “Quite a humble departure isn’t it?” “Expecting something?” “Not yet anyways. Tomorrow most likely is when the ceremonies will take place.” “I’ll remind the girls to wear their formal outfits tomorrow. Since somepony ruined the twist on one of my books, there isn’t really a purpose to finishing it so soon.” Twilight then suddenly exclaims. “Shoot!” “What is it?” “I forgot the Diamond Eye! Now it’s probably at the bottom of the sea next the wreckage of Korsan’s ship. The other half of it is also right there as well… Bah…” “Don’t fret over spilt milk. We can always retrieve the Diamond Eye some other day since we know where it is now.” “You’re right, you’re right. Say, speaking of the Diamond Eye, do you know anything about someplace known as Alicorn Island?” “Hm… Not much comes to mind. Sorry.” “Oh well.” As Korsan’s pirate train comes to an end, the pirates that fought alongside Twilight, including Slasher, November, Yin, and Yu, march under the aid of the guard, as they are taken to their own prison carriages. Unlike their rivals, Slasher and the other heroic pirates are smiling, and are waving goodbye to their friends. “Don’t worry about your friends Twilight.” Luna reassures her. “They’ll be well taken care of. Hopefully these other nations Korsan has messed with will understand.” “If you say so.” Twilight and her friends all wave back to the pirates as they are swiftly whisked away to prison, but only for a short time before coming back just as happy and free as ever.
Back to Normal“’And as Daring Do stands at the edge of the cliff, looking over the great blue sea, she takes one final breath of the air so rich in salt. She may not have found the true island known as Trihearth, but she is one step closer to find it, as well as the treasures that it holds. ‘One day’ she utters, ‘one day, I’m going to find the truth about her, and him.‘” Twilight sighs as she closes the book before her. She then places it on her bed and proceeds to head down into the main room of her palace. There she finds Spike seated at one of the seven thrones around the crystal table in the center of the room. In his claws is a copy of ‘Daring Do and the Serpent Hunter’. A confused face is imprinted on Spike’s face as his eyes slowly gloss across the open pages. “Sheesh, this stuff is hard to follow.” Spike mutters to himself. “What is?” Twilight asks. The baby dragon turns his head around and sees Twilight. “Oh, hi Twilight. So, are the Federalists the good guys or the bad guys?” “Uh…” “Also, what’s with this sudden focus on micro-gears?” “Well… It’s complicated.” “I figured.” Slowly, Twilight walks towards the open window of the palace and sticks her head out into the day sky. As she takes in her surroundings, a peculiar feeling tingles inside. Instead of smelling the thick salty air of the ocean, she smells the sweet zephyrs of the landlocked Ponyville. Instead of seeing just blue, white, and brown colours of the sea and ships, the entire rainbow of colour bathes the land. Instead of feeling cold water and brutal winds bash into her flesh, a soft breeze and the sun’s warmth brushes through her fur. Instead of hearing the endless waves of ocean sloshing around aimlessly, the calm rustling of the leaves enters her ears. “You know Spike, it feels like only a month ago when we were sailing the seas and fighting pirates.” “It was a month ago. We even marked the day of Korsan’s defeat on a calendar.” “Oh.” “Water Tiger? What? Maybe I should’ve have skipped those chapters in the last two books…” “That’s what you get for binging on those ridiculous comic books.” “Ridiculous? Try saying that about ‘One Buck Mare’.” Twilight simply rolls her eyes at Spike’s retort and continues to enjoy the peacefulness of the outside world. With Canterlot Castle in the distance, Twilight wonders how things are going with the princesses. As Spike continues to read on, a sudden queasiness erupts in his stomach. In a split second, the dragon drops the book and belches out a small burst of green flame. A scroll emerges from the fire and lands on the table. Twilight hears the commotion and turns around to see the scroll. While Spike recovers from the message delivery, Twilight opens the scroll and reads the letter inside out loud, “'Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, I hope you have recovered well from your injuries from Korsan. Although those deeper scratches may still be visible, they should be healed and only be scars at this point. The same goes for your friends as well. However, I do advise you and your friends to keep an eye out for any mental damage that may still linger. In regards to the castle, although the original ballroom was heavily damaged from the attack during the gala, it is nearly fixed. We’ve decided to reinforce the structure, as well as the exterior of the castle, with some of the super-steel salvaged from The Perfection (well, Perfected Korsan if we’re going by specific names). I tell you something, that metal is thicker than what it looks like. Scientists claim it is five times thicker than standard reinforced concrete. Just imagine what that type of metal can do in buildings, vehicles, armour, and the list it quite extensive. Speaking of Korsan’s technology, we’ve managed to reverse-engineer Korsan’s anti-magic substance to a degree where we can create a pseudo-anti-magic substance. It can’t really block more powerful forms of magic and spells, but it works. I can’t really get into details, but it involves a TON of cold-worked iron. In a year or two, this stuff is going to be everywhere in Equestria, helping further advances in technology, medicine, transportation, defense, just you wait. In regards to Korsan himself, it’s unclear at the moment. The salvage search teams haven’t been able to find a body. That can mean a few things. Either his body disintegrated, his body drifted out somewhere, or he might’ve swum away a little bit before dying. Luckily, there looks to be absolutely no chances that he’s still around at this point. There’s no need to worry. Your ‘pirate’ friends here are doing fine. From what I’ve heard from the guards, they’re not causing too much trouble. In his words, they’re actually helping in providing ‘tight management’ of the other inmates, with the small red unicorn being the most effective. As for the other pirates, the ones that were loyal to Korsan, the other nations around the world have confirmed of their well-secured confinement. I was almost surprised how enthusiastic some of these kingdoms were in taking these pirates. They must’ve had a high value or something, though I question the clown’s actually value, he didn’t look as bad as they said he was. One final note Twilight, keep your eyes out for any suspicious activity going on in Ponyville. I’ve heard a few reports of some ‘rogue paladin’ in the area. It’s not Korsan, but we both know how tough some of our newest… occurrences, are becoming. Maybe it’s because of Korsan’s downfall, maybe it’s not, who knows. Stay safe, feel better soon, and remember, your friends will always be there for you. Keep the magic of friendship strong, my dear student. Your loving teacher, Princess Celestia.'” “Looks like all is right with the world once more,” Spike remarks. “Well, for the most part,” Twilight replies. “What do you mean?” “There are millions of ponies in this world. By statistics, at least one of those ponies will have a similar uprising as Korsan, a similar, terrible childhood. And don’t even get me started on alternate dimensions. We’ve seen what the concept of infinite possible universes looks like. It doesn’t go pretty for a good number of cases. Give or take a while and we may have to deal with another supervillain, one that could take away something greater than thousands of lives.” “Chill out Twilight. Enjoy the peace while it lasts. If another bad guy shows up, we just stick together and take care of it like usual,” Another mare’s voice speaks up from the other side of the table. “No matter how many philosophical speeches the next guy’ll throw at us, we’re still friends to the end.” Twilight and Spike look over and see Applejack, lazily resting back in her chair. “No matter how many final forms he has,” Rainbow Dash adds, revealing herself in another crystal throne. “We can take care of it.” Pinkie Pie then pipes in from another chair, “No matter how many times we’ll be separated, we’ll always be super-duper close each other in heart!” “No matter smart he acts or how dashing he looks,” Rarity chimes in. “If his ideas are ridiculous and will go through with them at all cost, we’ll stop him.” “And don’t worry about the statistics,” Fluttershy concludes. “We’ll make steps to make sure that everypony is happy.” “To friendship!” Twilight declares. “To friendship!” The other mares including Spike cheers. The entire room fills with laughter and cheer as their declaration echoes throughout the large room. “…Now seriously, how’d you all get in here without me noticing?” Pinkie casually answers. “It’s surprising how effective boxes are in hiding ponies.” “’Chomh maith leis na aithreacha d'aois, go bhfuil mé phléadáil ar feadh aghaidh, a bheith liom. Láithreach, an log na trí thy cumhacht mhór, dall, agus ar an drochuair fear bocht a íonaithe. Tabhair dúinn inniu, ar mhaithe mhaithe bhua an chumhacht draíochta. Beannaigh an chumhacht chun bharda as an bhagairt na moille. Magical Beannaigh dom, fiú aon uair amháin a roinnt, is féidir iad a leasú fiú do foirfeachta. Beannaigh an dóchas muiníneach go bhfuil an chinniúint faire nua, nó tú chugainn a shábháil ar fud an domhain ó loch síoraí-’” “Sister?” Her sister’s voice calls out from behind Princess Celestia, whose face deep in the fading pages of an old book in front of her. Celestia immediately gasps, “Huh?” and looks behind to see Luna from the doorway connecting the hallway outside to her sleeping chambers. “Oh, didn’t see you.” “My apologies, sister. What are you reading if I might ask?” “Just an old book I found in the library.” “Do you understand what it says? If I recall, your tongue lacks whatever words your voice has interpreted. Not to mention your sloppy execution with some of the phrases.” “Not really. It doesn’t match up with any known languages.” “Perhaps it is an older form of tongue?” “Incredibly older if that’s the case, it might even be a father language of multiple modern languages.” “What has made you so interested in this book if you can’t understand it?” “…” “Was, he, able to read it?” “Yes. However, he may not be the only one. From what Twilight told me about her encounters with Korsan, she told me that he was able to read text made of similar symbols to this book. There was a reason he took the Diamond Eye in the first place, it was a piece of an ancient map that he can read.” “But, how? He would never divulge such knowledge to a pony he knew was plotting genocide.” “…” “…Right?” “His thinking’s very different compared to ours, even more so than Korsan’s.” As Celestia takes a moment to think, her eyes glance over to the glowing fireplace against the wall. The gears in her mind begin to clink together one by one. “What if…” “What if what, sister?” Luna questions. “What if he did reveal the tongue to him, or even, a close relative? What if he knew that Korsan would lose to us? But why?” “No idea.” “Was it to test us?” “Or perhaps,” Luna adds, “he was preparing us.” Meanwhile, far out at sea, back at the slowly sinking wreckage of The Perfection, there is a small fleet of four boats circling around the grounded behemoth. Each crewed by about ten ponies each, the boats scan the floating wood and metal towers and debris, searching for anything salvageable. “Hey, Ms. Parker,” one of the stallions on board one of the boats calls out to the mare next to him. The mare teasingly asks. “What is it Rob?” “It’s Mr. Goni. You know I don’t like being called that.” The stallion coldly remarks before answering. “But anyways, look at that.” The beige stallion then points a hoof at one of the larger pieces of ship floating by them. Ms. Parker examines the piece in question and notices a large mechanical object inside. “Looks like one of Korsan’s gadgets.” “Didn’t they say something about some giant-machine-cannon-things back at Vanhoover?” “This might be one of them. From here, it looks like it’s still in one piece.” “Finally, something we can get a good cut for.” Mr. Goni then yells out to the captain behind him. “Bring us in towards Echo Seven!” “Aye-aye.” The captain’s voice echoes and the ship soon drifts towards the mechanical object. As Ms. Parker flies up to the cannon, it instantly roars to life and turns to face her. “Look out!” The machine’s barrels whir rapidly. Ms. Parker ducks. Everypony below scrambles into some form of hiding position as they wait for the worst to happen. However, after a few seconds, the cannon doesn’t do anything besides spinning and making noise. The flying mare slowly hovers back up to her vantage point and examines the cannon from afar. “Huh.” She sighs. “It’s empty.” “Must’ve unloaded all of its ammo during the fight a few weeks ago.” Mr. Goni replies. “Seems so Rob.” “…” “Oi,” the captain calls out. “We better hurry up and get that thing locked down and onboard. One of the weather pegasi just signaled a really bad storm coming our way.” “How bad are we talking?” Ms. Parker asks? “Apparently requiring the A.W.E. if I remember my flare colours right.” “Alright!” Mr. Goni proclaims. “You heard the captain. Load this thing up and let’s get out of here!”
Unanswered Questions“Hey.” Applejack calls out to the cheering mares around her. They all instantly turn silent and look towards her. “You know, there’s this one thing that’s been pecking at my mind recently. How come that Fountain of Balance didn’t work on Korsan?” An awkward silence fades in as the girls and Spike ponder on the question at hoof. “I don’t know…” Rarity mutters. “Wasn’t there some requirements that had to be done?” Dash asks. “Like a blood ritual?” Pinkie pipes in. “I just thought that was merely mumbo-jumbo.” Applejack replies. “Both you and Korsan weren’t able to transform...” Twilight restates the question, thinking deeply about it, studying every word in her head. “What do I and Korsan have in common that makes us unworthy?” “Unicorn magic?” Fluttershy responds. “No, that not it.” Twilight mumbles. “The fountain’s said to give magic.” “…” The gathering of ponies turns silent once more. “How about we backtrack?” Twilight eventually suggests to the group. “Perhaps we’re looking over something we encountered on our adventure?” “The island,” Rarity announces. “What about the island? Its origins, how it made the fountain, how it even got into the Breach in the first place?” “I’ve been curious about the same thing.” Twilight replies. “But after checking almost all of my books, there doesn’t seem to be any records of an island that far away, or any islands really. The Breach up to this point was nothing more than the rumoured edge of the world.” “What was with that sandworm?” Fluttershy asks. “What was with the Breach itself?” Dash adds. “Is anypony else wondering how some pony found Alicorn Island the Breach in the first place and put it on a map?” Pinkie chimes in. Twilight’s memory suddenly sparks and recollections of Alexander Maden’s writings burst from her mouth. “He’s related to Korsan!” “What?!” The other mares exclaim. “Alexander Maden, he’s the stallion that found the Breach and found a translator for the Diamond Eye! He’s Korsan’s uncle if I recall correctly.” “That’s right!” Rarity screams, recalling how Korsan translated the Diamond Eye on his ship. “What was the language called though… it’s on the tip of my tongue,” “Same here,” “It most likely came from a long dead civilization. Such a typeface that the Diamond Eyes and the fountain had on them is probably centuries old, maybe even millenniums.” “Older than Equestria?” “Perhaps, the civilization might as well be even before the three ancient pony tribes.” “Speaking of ancient ponies,” Applejack replies. “Where do you think Korsan heard about this ‘Alicorn Era’ he was blatherin’ about?” Promptly, Twilight answers Applejack’s question. “There’s been an old tale of an island inhabited by alicorns that disappeared a thousand years ago. Not many ponies today have heard of it.” “Do you think there’s some sort of connection between that island and Alicorn Island?” At that moment, the entire room erupts in frenzy. Everypony is now talking at once, speaking out loud whatever theories, ideas, conclusions, questions, retorts, and demands of silence from their minds. Some agree with each other, some have polar opposite ideas, and some can’t even hear the pony right next to her or him. The havoc continues for several minutes, getting louder and louder with each word being spoken over the other. Finally, Twilight gets fed up with the noise, and decides to take action. With the flick of her glowing horn, the entire room turns mute. The friends find each other’s mouths not producing any sound and turn their attention to a search for the source of this, quickly reaching Twilight. With the six other occupants now quiet and focused on her, Twilight removes the audio spell and speaks out. “Alright, there are a lot of questions from our journey that have been unanswered to this point.” “That’s an understatement.” Spike remarks. “And as it seems, just us standing around and bickering is not going to answer any of them.” “So, what do you suggest we do?” Dash asks. “Go out on another adventure?” “…Actually, that sounds like a great idea.” “What?” Fluttershy replies. “We just came back from one.” “Who said anything about it being over?” Rainbow Dash slyly remarks. “Yeah, I could use another break by now.” Applejack adds. “’The Quest for the Secret of the Alicorn’,” Pinkie Pie proclaims dramatically. “Quite a cute ring to it.” “Where do we even start?” Fluttershy then asks. “Just like before,” Rarity answers. “We look for the Diamond Eye. It has the language we’re looking for isn’t it?” “And look on the bright side.” Applejack continues. “It’s not like we have to go into some giant hole in the ocean and deal with a monster again or anythin’.” “But what if we do?” Fluttershy sheepishly replies. “Then we’ll be ready for it.” Twilight declares. “If we can take down something the likes of Perfected-, or even Neo Korsan, we can handle any problem.” “So what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Pinkie cheers. “May the adventure begin!” Within only a week, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy were out at sea in an airship, heading towards the wreck of The Perfection. Now followed by a small crew of guards, scientists, and scavengers, they were more prepared than ever before for the long search, and grand adventure that they believed awaited them. Upon reaching the wreckage, the ponies on board quickly got to work, examining every nook and cranny of the wood and metal of the ship, both above and below the water. Rainbow Dash and Applejack even went to the bottom of the sea to examine the sunken portions of the ship. However, after several days of endless searching, they never found either half of the Diamond Eye, tons of loot perhaps, but nothing even comparable to the knowledge that pair of diamonds hold. The books that were recoverable from Korsan’s library were each retrieved and carefully studied by Twilight, but none yielded any clues. Fluttershy and Pinkie found the whale Pinkie made friends with from the deserted island a long time ago. Rarity found Korsan’s old, broken, rusted blades deep inside what used to be Sweetie Belle’s cabin. Rarity’s cabin was right next to her sisters, and upon recollection, she realized that they were initially November Gale’s and Nitin Gale’s cabins. Spike during this time stayed in the airship and continued to read Daring Do books. Although they didn’t find the Diamond Eye on this first trip back, their hopes were still on a high note as they headed back home to Equestria. Every once in a while, be in a week or a month or two, the ponies would return back to The Perfection and search around the ship and the seafloor that surrounds it. And everytime they’d search, they either would learn something new or find a valuable artifact from Korsan’s trove, occasionally both. Some would stay in Equestria during these adventures, and once in a while go on their own adventures, but the seven friends’ spirits stayed as one in support. Occasionally, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and or Scootaloo would tag along in these journeys to The Perfection, and pick up little tokens of their travels. These would usually range from a rare coin to a large, oddly shaped piece of scrap metal. Nevertheless, the fillies were always ecstatic to head out to sea every once in a while. As the days, the weeks, and the months passed by, the chances of Twilight and her friends finding the Diamond Eye grew slimmer and slimmer. The mares and Spike understood this fact, and visited The Perfection less and less frequently, but their hopes only grew. The fantasies of finding the diamonds and answering their questions still ran rampantly in their heads, and they would keep an eye out for it every day. Be it on one of their final runs out to The Perfection, during another seemingly unrelated adventure, or even in the market on one fateful day, they knew they will find the Diamond Eye. As their pirate friends were released from prison one by one, they invited each one of them in their quest, with some agreeing, and some not. With help from Twilight, her friends, and the princesses, the pirate friends were able to move on from Korsan, and hold stable livelihoods for themselves. Cecil became a traveling bard, and gained a large following from many kingdoms, though he still enjoys the quaint bar at Thieves’ Hold. Maurice became an international mail-pony, delivering letters across the seas to kingdoms across the globe. Jarvis returned to his life of piracy, but with a large amount of competition now gone, he quickly became very successful, even becoming the new Pirate King. November Gale, Nitin Gale, Slasher Gutzoult, Yu Shou, and several other pirates returned to Thieves’ Hold, finished the tavern renovations, and opened soon after. Within a month, it had become the most popular location of interest at sea, with pirates and even regular seafaring ponies visiting in tens of thousands per day. Craig Y’ol Timber became a world-wide celebrity due to his knowledge of the underground tunnels, but he prefers to stay out of the limelight and in the mostly tranquil position of bouncer at the bar of Thieves’ Hold alongside Grivs. Yin Shou became a teacher of martial arts and swordplay, running his own dojo in the Crystal Mountains, which Yu and Slasher occasionally visit. Alexander Grevious used his wealth and became one of the most respectable and honored citizens of Canterlot, though does suffer from occasional hearing loss for an undisclosed reason. Butch Taylor joined the Equestria military, and soon graduated into a captain after his successful capture of the infamous Black Paladin, before he escaped. Juliana adjusted to her new life alongside Princess Celestia, Luna, and Philomena, with a particular fondness in Luna. Aran Ryan and Lilis Jewmerin also returned to a life of crime, but restricted it to stealing from criminals and the rich. When not committing crime, Aran worked for an iron mill while Lilis worked as a doctor. After being the last of the pirates released, Maria Vanshwitz soon vanished. No pony knows where she is or what’s she’s doing now, and not even rumours are commonly accepted by many. To this day, the Diamond Eye, and the secrets that it hold, has never been found, and there’s an unlikely chance, that it ever will be, for the rest of time. “’…As I write this letter to you, is has been seven months since our battle with Korsan, everything appears to be back to normal finally. I will never forget that adventure we had, and what came from it. We might not have found the Diamond Eye and answered the questions that we still have to this day, but we gained something much greater. My friends and I, both the Elements of Harmony and the ones we made on our journey, have grown stronger. Our friendship is greater than any pony, or villain, or monster, or race, or magic, or power, or ideology, that dare seeks to tear us apart. As many times it is put to the test, I will always remember that journey I took with my friends, and remind myself of how powerful it truly is once more. And about the language that the Diamond Eye and the Fountain of Balance, Rarity and me are still trying to recall it, we have not forgotten it. Maybe it was one too many bumps to the head back then that’s giving us trouble. Until the Diamond Eye is recovered, or some clue comes around, I will continue checking every language in existence until I find it. Even if it takes a hundred years, I will continue to persevere and answer those questions, and reclaim our ancient history. The world and its ponies deserve to know where we came from, and what is out there. And who knows, maybe a little understanding of history might take care of the next villain to come chasing after us. Happy holidays, Princess Celestia. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle’”
Meanwhile…Far away from the coast of Equestria, far into the endless waves of the ocean, stand the stone towers that are collectively known as Thieves’ Hold. At the top of one of these grand stacks is an enormous tavern, one that stands three stories tall and has over half of its floors dangling above the sea below. However, the colossal building stays stiff as stone with the help of large steel beams that connect the overhanging floor deep into the mountain below. The tavern is made of a beautiful structure of stone and wood, with cement interior support, with large windows that shine the golden light of its insides out over the entirety of Thieves’ Hold. On this hour of midnight, the sky is clear, and the shine from the bar is at its greatest. Roars and cheers from the tavern echo throughout the tall rock towers and surrounding waters. Below the bar, down the winding ramp, at the edge of the harbour, a pony, dressed in a dark cloak, makes his way to the bar. As he slowly walks down the long wooden walkway, he looks to his left and right. He examines the hundreds of ships that are parked throughout the many docks connected by a web of bridges, with his lone self being a speck compared to the web he stands on. The soft winds though flow through his cloak are just as salty as ever, but for some reason, have a bitter, metallic stench upon entering his nose. He hobbles his way up the slowly rising ramp. The moist, yet firm wood below relieves the stallion from what he has been through to get here, though not enough for his hooves to feel like metal. As he climbs higher and higher, the sounds of the tavern above his head grow louder and more audible. After several long minutes of climbing, the cloaked pony reaches the massive balcony that connects to the front door of the building. Several large dining tables and even a billiards table are on the balcony, but not a pony in sight, most likely due to the recent rain. To the stallion’s right, his eye catches a glimpse of the massive pair of double doors that lead to the inside of the tavern. Slowly, he shuffles to the closer set of doors and pries them open, and is immediately enveloped in the golden glow and rambunctious voices of inside. The first thing the stallion sees upon entering is the massive golden chandelier just above his head, showering the majority of the bar in light. As his view traces the wires that hold the lights in place, he sees the indoor balconies of the second and third floors that look down to him. At least a hundred ponies can be seen from the stallion’s perspective of the balconies. A wide array of pirates, dignitaries, and regular sea faring ponies can be seen conversing with one another, playing games with one another, examining their charts and maps for the eleventh time, and eating and drinking massive rations of food and drinks. On the other side, back at the front wall, the stallion sees a gigantic stain glass window that takes up almost the entire wall, showing six ponies defeating a massive dragon that looks to be made of metal. Below the stallion is a massive red carpet that gently brushes his soggy hooves. It is almost overwhelming for the pony to take in so much atmosphere. As the slightly quickly begin to set in, so do the sounds. From every angle, the whispers and shrills of laughter, rage, happiness, and just ordinary words and sounds concur to the stallion’s ears in one grand symphony of voices. With the exception of only a few loud screams or swears, the vast majority of the voices could not be understood from this location of the tavern. However, the stallion soon hears something else coherent to his ears, one coming from the second floor above. Leaning back against the front wall, the stallion looks up over the edge of the second floor to see a large group of ponies surrounding a blue pegasus in a striped shirt and a brown trench coat and his small band of musicians. Focusing his senses on the stallion and his team, the cloaked pony hears the music erupting from the instruments, and the voices that sing. They all chant in unison, “Yo! Ho! Ho! Here we cheer again, For the sinking of the demons, And the drowning of our woes! Yo! Ho! Ho! Check your sails my friends, The wind is in our good favour, And the storms are all away!” After the final line is sung, the violinists perform their duo. The audience that sung along now begin to dance with one another along to the whimsical whirring of the strings. The cloaked observer below stretches during this time before returning his sights on time to see and hear the blue stallion in the center sing his verse and the instrumental quiets down, “Now the captain of the Deadly Storm, He was not the nicest of most, Had a quick temper and terrible lust, For blood of the wing and might, He made a crew of criminal scum, And spread his terror out to sea, Attacked all who he did not enjoy, Pray him sinking from one good storm.” In a matter of moments, the chorus begins again, and the music roars to life once more, “Yo! Ho! Ho! Here we cheer again, For the sinking of the demons, And the drowning of our woes! Yo! Ho! Ho! Check your sails my friends, The wind is in our good favour, And the storms are all away!” “All thought he would never be stopped, But then in one day of fate, He crossed paths with the wrong kingdom, Heroes they had, a matter of fact, Quickly deployed and set off to sea, The heroes soon gave a quick chase, To the very ends of the world, They didn’t care, those heroes be blessed.” “Yo! Ho! Ho! Here we cheer again, For the sinking of the demons, And the drowning of our woes! Yo! Ho! Ho! Check your sails my friends, The wind is in our good favour, And the storms are all away!” “Sirens, krakens, giants, monsters all the like, The heroes stayed true to their goal, And chased down the evil captain’s ship, No matter how the odds were stacked, The heroes fought to the bitter end, Made traitors of the captain’s own men, And as all ponies took their sides, The battle to save the world begun!” “Yo! Ho! Ho! Here we cheer again, For the sinking of the demons, And the drowning of our woes! Yo! Ho! Ho! Check your sails my friends, The wind is in our good favour, And the storms are all away!” “The battle was tough, lasted three hours, The Deadly Storm turned to a wreck, The evil captain of the dying ship, Revealed his inner demons upon his foes, But the heroes stood their solid ground, The heroes fought and gave their all, One last shot, they took him down, And the evil captain is dead!” The entire bar then screams out in rejoice of that final line of the verse. The windows rattle from the force of the sound, almost shattering them. The cloaked stallion however stays put, remaining stoic as now the entire tavern sings along, “Yo! Ho! Ho! Here we cheer again, For the sinking of the demons, And the drowning of our woes! Yo! Ho! Ho! Check your sails my friends, The wind is in our good favour, And the storms are all away!” For the final verse, the singing stallion slows down the tempo dramatically, and delivers the final lines, “And here we are, safe and sound, From the captain of the Deadly Storm, The heroes are now known as legends, For the rest of time and sea, Though some questions have stayed as questions, There is hope they will be answered, Drink up me lads, and stay safe, Quite a good pirate’s life for you…” The tavern roars in applause as the stallion and his troop back into the unseen reaches of the second floor. Soon however, the noise calms down and returns to the casual bustle that the cloaked stallion first saw. As the stallion lowers himself from the door, the reason of why he came returns to his mind. His gaze lowers down back to the first floor ahead of him and onto the large serving bar in the center of the area. Slowly, he walks over to the bar, with his sight deadest on the barmaid there, a dark blue unicorn with long, ice blue hair. As he draws closer and closer to the serving bar, unbeknownst to him, several of the patrons seated nearby begin to stare at him. They slowly begin to converse with each other about him, escalating in volume, as do most conversations in the tavern. The cloaked stallion begins to hear the gossip. Words about his stature, his movements, his unseen objects that cause his cloak to jut out at certain points, sweep through the first floor of the tavern. But they do not alter his progress. Eventually, he makes the long walk to the bar, and seats himself down. He patiently waits and watches the mare as she converses with a pair of stallions on the other side of the square bar. “…and then I said,” the stallion overhears what the larger, green stallion is saying. “Oatmeal? Are you crazy?!” “Hahaha!” The red, smaller stallion laughs. “Jarvis, that is actually pretty genius.” “Thank you.” “If only that genius were to extend to your common sense, I tell ya mate.” “What do you mean Maurice?” “Come on. Eating a bowl of dry rice and then drinking hot water?” “It gets cold in Pingwin.” “So what? I heard you throwing up all the way from the Hooviet Union.” “That’s ridiculous. What type of mail would you be delivering to those guys anyways?” “…Special kind of mail, packages.” “…” “…Anyways, heard the latest rumour about Maria?” “The one where she’s a descendant of one of the Tetred Knights?” “No. Alright, there’s a new rumour going around that she’s working for the Black Paladin.” “That’s stupid.” “But wait, this one might check out.” “You’ve got to be kidding me…” “I’m being legit with you alright. A while ago, somepony in Equestria thought they spotted Maria in a specific area, the same area where another pony claimed to have seen the stallion shortly before.” “…Really?” “Yeah.” “What would Maria, a well-trained pirate assassin, who knows when to pick a fight, try to mess with him? Isn’t that right November?” “Yeah, it really is out of Maria’s character.” The barmaid replies. “I’m telling you,” Maurice proclaims. “I’ve read the letters, this could be what Maria’s been up to.” He then snaps his head to the ceiling and yells. “Hey Cecil! Is the latest rumour probably true?!” A mumbled voice answer back, the same one belonging to the stallion that sung earlier. “No.” “What?! Craig believes me!” “He pretty much believes everything.” “Excuse me Maurice, Jarvis,” November interrupts. “There’s somepony waiting for me.” The mare then turns around and hustles towards the cloaked stallion. “Hello there sir. Welcome to the Thieves and Heroes Tavern. Sorry to keep you waiting.” The cloaked stallion stays silent for a second before replying. “…No issue.” “Oh dear. Are you okay?” November worryingly asks upon hearing his extremely gravelly and tired voice, almost sounding as if he was dying. “…I’m fine.” “Can I get you anything sir?” “First… a drink.” “Anything in particular?” “…Whatever’s cheap I guess…” “Had a bad day?” “…Yeah. Lost a bit…” “Well, how about I get you this one free?” “Sure.” Quickly, the barmaid gets to work and begins to fill a large mug with fresh cider. While she is doing this, the lone pony stares at her, tracking her every motion in great detail. November slowly begins to feel this presence behind her, but shrugs it off. She hands over the brimming cup to the cloaked stallion, who simply nudges it around with the shadowy tip of his nose. “Need some help there?” “…” “…Sir?” “…Let me ask you something… How long has it been since the fall of The Perfection?” “You mean Korsan’s defeat? Seven months.” “Huh, it’s been that long…” “I know how you feel. Feels like almost yesterday when Twilight Sparkle and her friends showed up and gave that pirate a piece of all of our minds.” “…” “…Sir? Are you okay?” A moment of silence falls between the two. The surrounding noise seems to dull as the two ponies focus on each other. Finally, the cloaked pony, the lone stranger, speaks. “…Yeah, ‘a bad day’, call it that. It isn’t the first time something like this has happened to me, having everything I’ve strived for, what I deserved, taken away from me. But, what else would you expect in the type of world we live in today? One moment, you’re at the top of it all, with your life-long dreams finally achieved, and nothing standing in the way. The next, you’re back down to the bottom of the barrel, more hurt than ever before. It’s nature really. Seasons, years, lives, wars, dynasties, economy, ideologies, they all share a cycle to them. They are born from the rubble of failure and reach their peak at some point in their life, but will inevitable crumble and become fuel for the next. No matter how many numbers you throw into the equation, no matter how long you prolong the peak, the end will always be there, waiting. As cruel as it is, it is loving as well, just like nature, neither ugly nor beautiful. I’ve spent quite a bit of time at sea it seems, thinking and reflecting on my past actions. An old… pony of interest… told me that I was being a foal, and by thunder he was right. I was reckless, a hopeless romantic, impulsive, and not at all effective by several measure. But one of the more powerful words that I’ve come to affiliate my past self is ‘merciful’. I pitied those that I’ve grew to hate far too much, and it costed me quite a few things. Luckily, after this ‘bad day’, it has been fixed, all of it. As the old me died out, a new me was built on top. A new cycle has dawned. I no longer suffer the ailments of my inferior stature. As the old war has ended, a new one, a grander one is brewing. As this dynasty draws to its closure, a new one shall step in and take the throne. As we enter the depression, it is only a matter of time for prosperity to return. The cold winter is warming up and the new year is on the horizon. Everything that exists is cycling as nature intends, and is coming full circle once more. Be rest assured, my ‘bad day’ is neither just the beginning nor just the end, but both, as the cycle goes on.” “…” “Is there a problem?” “No, no. I just wasn’t expecting it.” “Oh.” “You sound almost, familiar to somepony I know, but different.” “Who was this pony I might ask?” “Oh, no pony special, just an old… pony of interest.” “…I see.” “Do you need help with your drink sir? How about a straw?” “I’m fine. I, am, completely, perfect... …And second, I want just one thing…” As the stallion reaches his hoof towards the handle of the mug, his black cloak accidently slides down, revealing a metal bar piercing through his burnt and withered hoof. Red bulges of practically destroyed flesh cover whatever skin is revealed beneath the matted fur. November jerks back in surprise and nearly pukes at the sight. “Oh my-! We need a doctor!” She quickly calls out. As she scrambles to try and fix the terrifying hoof with her bare hooves out of instinct, she accidently tugs on the stallion’s cloak too hard. The black cloth rips away to reveal the stallion’s wings, withered and serrated with hundreds of metal objects large and small. Everypony around gasps at the horrid sight of the jagged stump of a horn that poked out on his forehead. But the stallion, now revealed, stays perfectly still and silent amongst the chaos. “…” His one remaining eye, his scarred, rough, glazed-over eye, stares into the frightened blues of November. As her mouth quivers, her hooves shuffle back, and her eyes and body tremble from the beast before her, the stallion’s mouth twists into a jagged smile, stretching ear to ear. “Im-imp-impossible! It-it-it’s you!” “…Revenge…” THE END “You’ve come back.” “I have.” “So, what are you here for?” “I’m here to train you.”
Bonus: The Tale of KorsanDead pony tell no tales. One of the oldest sayings known to the high seas, as a way to remind ne'er-do-well peepers that others will kill you to keep you quiet. I’ve always known that saying, but never truly knew the true weight of its meaning. That was until, that one night… I shall never forget the night when I entered that bar and was met with a terrible fate. It was a dark winter’s night when I was sailing my ship. The winds were howling, the seas were wild, the rain was merciless, and I could barely see two kilometers ahead into the thickest fog a pony would ever see. I was heading towards Thieves’ Hold, a collection of craggy columns of rock pointing out of the water that served gathering place for some of the most dangerous pirates to trade their loot, get some rest, or stir up a fight. However, I wasn’t here for any of that, I wasn’t even a pirate. I was merely a lone bounty hunter. I never had to follow authority and still receive riches for hunting down the villains of the ocean, usually with the bounties usually set up by political bigwigs or rival pirates. Tonight was different however, I was instead searching for both a pony and a value, and Thieves’ Hold was the exact place I would be able to find such information. I’d recently received a tip from a friend that only supplied to me the name and the location I could go to find more information. The first thing I saw upon reaching the infamous area was the massive group of stacks far ahead that seemed to create a forest with its tops stretching above the dark clouds. Upon entering the hold, I saw that small wooden buildings were built into the faces of the rock formations, yet leaned most of its weight out over the sea, with the only thing keeping them from falling were beams underneath the floors of the houses. I examined each rock with a building in it; searching for a bar where I can find the information I needed. After examining countless mountains, I finally found the bar, a slightly larger house than the others with a long, winding wooden ramp circling the stack leading into a harbour full of pirate ships large and small. I anchored my ship next to some the smaller ones that were similar to mine. I then entered my room and put on my large black coat over the fancier purple suit I was wearing that night. I didn’t know it was going to rain heavily and I didn’t have time to change. With the silky suit then chafing my skin after being soaked in the rain for an hour, I collected myself and walked off of the port and onto the wooden harbour. I looked to my left and my right as I headed towards the ramp, observing the various, shapes, sizes, builds, colours, names, flags, and probable worth of each water craft in the black market. I slowly began to head up the ramp circling around the stack with the rain beating against the tip of my nose. I then reached the balcony in front of the bar, where a single door with rusted hinges waved back and forth in harmony of the calmer winds at this altitude. Before entering however, I looked in the heavily fogged window and check to see if I was well hidden in the reflection. I pulled the cloak harder over my head to obscure my orange eyes and then opened the door. The loud shriek of the handle didn’t seem to bother anypony inside as I made my way in. Warm light bathed me as I entered the tavern. I looked from side to side, seeing every type of hooligan of the seas imaginable. Tall unicorns, short pegasi, fat Earth Ponies, skinny and lanky ponies with either half of a horn or only one wing, bearded, mustached, scarred, peg legged, eye patched, garbed in red and black, or completely bare save for any accessories that may have been on them, I myself was shocked in seeing so many various types of criminals gathered in one spot. To my left were an assortment of tables with groups of pirates sleeping, drinking their cider, or counting their treasures foalishly out in the open. One of the round tables caught my eye, for it had nine ponies and what appeared to be a dragon the size of some smaller ponies next to it, all dressed in black robes similar to mine. Were they some type of ninja pirates or a cult? I had no idea and decided to abandon the thought. To my right, I saw billiard tables, dartboards with darks poking out of them and a couple in the wooden wall, round and square tables made for card games and gambling loot. Pirates were also gathered there with cups of cider in their hooves or magic as they played the games and tossed their money around. There was a group of three stallions having a fight at one of the card tables, which no pony seemed to bother with. I figured that this being a highly popular pirate holdout, a fight or three would not be so uncommon. I reminded myself with what I was doing there in the first place and made my way across the damp wooden floor to the serving bar at the other end of the main room. A young, dark blue unicorn, cleaning a mug with an old cloth, looked at me with one of her eyes while still keeping her attention set on the mug. She spoke to me in a smooth, nonchalant voice, “What can I do for you sir?” I responded in my typical deadpan voice, “First, a drink.” “Sure, it’s on the house tonight.” The mare then sets down the mug on the counter and turns to a pair of dual doors behind her, most likely leading to the kitchen. She pokers her head inside and yells, “Dad, we have another one.” An old, rustic voice mumbles from the other side of the wall separating me from whatever was inside. The mare began to have a conversation with the pony inside, so I began to tune them out and focus on my surroundings and think about what I was going to say. I’ve always heard that the drinks around here were terrible due to the absence of a decent supply and the dominance of ‘stealing’ over ‘trading’, but my throat was extremely dry and any liquid would’ve sufficed. I started to examine myself once more by looking at my grey coat dripping water onto the floorboards. The creaking of the building caught my ears, a sign that I was beginning to psych myself out. I thought that the lady better wrap up her conversation before I leave in fear of being attacked. Soon though, the dark blue mare returns with a wooden mug brimming with cider. “Sorry for the inconvenience,” “Not a problem.” I puckered my lips as I grabbed the cup with my hooves and held it up to them. I only took a small sip at first, expecting the taste to be as horrendous as they rumored out at sea, but to my surprise, it tasted great. It was as if fresh apples were actually imported from a high class kingdom right into this bar. I then began to chug the entire thing down in a single go, realizing then why the pirates seemed so much more chipper than other bars I have visited. “By thunder, that’s a decent drink.” “I know, until recently, the cider here was terrible, then a bunch of strangers showed up with crate loads of apples and now no pony is losing their stomachs or getting into as many brawls.” I then realized I made a mistake by creating chit-chat with the barmaid, so I took a moment to clear my throat before changing the subject before it carried on. “Second, I need some information on a pony and his bounty.” “Ah, one of those sea travelers. Who are you looking for?” “I’m looking for…” I scanned my left and right to make sure that no pony was intentionally listening in before continuing in a whisper, “Korsan.” Immediately upon hearing the name, the bartender backs up to the dual doors. Everypony in the bar grows deafly silent as they turn towards me, staring at me as if I was a lunatic. Even the brawlers stopped mid-punch and gave me a frightened look. “What?” The dark blue unicorn uncovers her ice blue mane from out of the front of her cyan eyes, trying to get a better look at me as well. “K-K-Korsan, doesn’t have a bounty, he makes them. A-An avid visitor of this place actually…” “Well, what would be his value if I were to capture him and turn him into the authorities?” “He’s priceless,” a patron that was in the earlier fight replies, “You’d never be able to catch him alive nor dead. If he were to have heard you, let alone seen you, you’d be dead.” “What do you mean?” I gave a quick look at my back sections of my body, only seeing my wings fumbling inside the cloak. “What would he see that would make him do such a thing?” “Your wings,” “My wings?” I gave a brief chuckle at such a silly detail for a pony to kill me for. “Tis no laughing matter,” a large, gruff pirate in the far back corner announces, “the madpony is Tartarus-bent on killing pegasi and Earth Ponies.” I was one of the strongest ponies in my training and schooling for twenty years, and I have taken down many foes that seemed impossible at the time. So at the time, I didn’t feel like this pirate was any different from the previous ones. “But, if I were to capture him, dead or alive, how much would I most likely get then, if this Korsan is so deadly?” A moment of silence washed over the entire chamber, even the wooden structure of the building itself was stunned from my audacity of challenging the pirate. “It’s a long story,” the mare at the other side of the counter replies, “let me get somepony to explain.” The mare then went back into the kitchen area, leaving me alone once more. But this time, everypony was silently staring at me, making the situation much more uncomfortable for me. After a minute or so of silence, the mare returned back to me with an old, indigo, unicorn stallion giving me a stern, dreary look. He then spoke, talking as if he was about retell of a tragic incident that happened to him, “So, you want to know about Korsan, huh?” “His value and location is what I came for, but if you have a story to tell me, I’m all ears.” The old stallion gives a heavy grunt before responding to my attempted confidence, “You are not worthy to know of such a tragedy.” “Try me, I’ve faced some of the most mentally insane and abused prisoners across every sea you know.” The stallion stood silent for a minute, staring into my eyes, examining my soul to see if I was worthy. “Believe me, you haven’t even seen half the oceans I have seen, not that I blame. You are confident stallion though, fine, if you think you are ready to know, then I shall begin.” “Go.” The old stallion fumbled with the two long white whiskers dropping from below his nose before starting, a sign that he had trouble controlling his emotions on the subject. “It all started a decade or two ago, Korsan, a filly, just like you and me, was born. However, what was abnormal about him was that he was a pegasus, and for five generations straight, his family was nothing but unicorns. So over the course of over a hundred years, his family believed that unicorns were the dominant pony race, and that all others were inferior. Korsan was born of wings, so at first, everypony that was there for the birth was shocked and disgusted to see him. However, his parents decided to take him in anyways, to be raise alongside his older brother and sister.” “So wait, some nutcase wants to kill me for being a pegasus despite him being a pegasus? Sounds a bit hypocritical,” “If you were to keep quiet, I would explain.” “Sorry…” “Over his early years of childhood, he was bullied and teased by his brother and sister, constantly picking up his toys with their magic and even at sometimes him, as if it was a cruel joke. They, and even sometimes including his father and mother, would constantly berate him for being a pegasus and not a unicorn, and to stay out of their business or any close affiliation with them in public. The family soon saw Korsan as a weak link in their family legacy as the best metal workers in town, considering that unicorns were practically the only race that could do the job properly.” “Famous unicorn metal workers for five generations… Wait, where did he live?” “Baltimare, some city in Equestria if I remember right,” ”Equestria… Are they the Madens?” “Yes, they kept Korsan very well hidden from public association. But this did not stop Korsan from trying to fit in and try to impress his family at their metal foundry. He had an amazing intellect and knack for building, inventing, and exploration. With the tools he could find in the workshop while his family was away in the different part of the foundry, the young colt would built an assortment of various mechanical devices, from toys, to tools that could be efficiently operated by non-unicorns, to even puzzles and devices for his own amusement. But when he tried showing them off to his family, they quickly criticized him for merely the fact that he was a pegasus. When he wasn’t at school, tinkering in his private time, or being oppressed by his family, he would play at the harbour with his friends. However, his friends didn’t last for long, as time progressed; his friends got their cutie marks, everypony except for him. He was the only pony in his generation at his school to not receive his cutie mark, and one of the few ponies that to this day, doesn’t have one. As of result, he was teased by his once friends, further scarring his already destroyed childhood.” “Wait, did I hear that right? This highly dangerous pony that can scare a bar silent, doesn’t have his cutie mark to this day?” I burst out into small chuckle at such a ridiculous sounding thing, only to be startled by the old stallion slamming his hooves onto the counter. “This is no laughing matter! That teasing and laughing is the very reason he’s so dangerous!” In fear, I recollected myself as the stallion also recollected himself from his fit of rage. He then continued in his calm voice, “As he was persistently bullied at home and at school, the rage built up boiled to the tipping point. He often engaged in brutal fights at school, with even on some occasions, using his mechanical gadgets as weapons. This resulted in him being removed, school after school, district after district, wherever he went, his rage and lacking physical attributes always dove him deeper and deeper in trouble. At the mere age of ten, Korsan was sent to jail, the earliest known arrest in Batimare’s history.” “Yikes…” “He was bailed out by his family the next day, only to take him home and give him a sharp piece of their minds. However, what was intended to be a mere aggressive lecture from each member of his family combined, quickly escalated into an ugly sight, resulting in him receiving an eye patch the next day. He was all alone, with only his gadgets and his own thoughts to keep him company. He no longer was accepted into any school and was banned from joining any family gathering, except if that gathering was his siblings to pick on him. In retaliation to the sibling’s constant bullying and the ideology that unicorns are better implanted into the core of his twelve-year-old corrupt mind, Korsan directed his intellect to become as close to a unicorn as mechanically possible. He started by inventing an anti-magic substance that would protect him from any magical attacks.” “Wait, he invented an anti-magic substance at the age of twelve? How smart was this foal?” “Very smart, very creative, very resourceful, but had very low self-esteem and a body filled with rage and hatred; he was a waste of so much potential.” “So did it work?” “No, although it functioned right, the substance would wash off of Korsan’s body quickly. He needed a way of keeping it on him for ages to come, a suit of sorts. However, since he didn’t have the precision of his large hooves to build a proper suit to contain the substance, he built muscle-controlled claws that would give him great precision in his work. These claws will be one of the key features we all recognize the madpony with. He then went on to build a harness that would have his material flow all around his body, creating a shield of sorts. After many weeks of sweat and tire, Korsan completed his claws and anti-magic harness. He then displayed to his family the powers and capabilities his inventions could do, only to be discredited once more by teaching him that unicorns can perform magical feats no mechanical device could possibly match.” “He invented anti-magic and claws that would allow a non-unicorn to have the same precision of handling objects as one, how was he not given credibility?” “He claims that they were right, that unicorns are the best and no work of mind nor machinery can match them. But if you were to ask me, I would say it’s just stubborn pride.” “I see,” “Back to the story… After being rejected by his family once more, the young colt had just about enough of this abuse. He flew away from his home one day and over the busy streets of Baltimare. However, something abnormal happened during his flight. It was some sort of unknown light phenomenon in the sky that just came all of a sudden, like lightning or something. It that blinded Korsan that sent him tumbling down into the streets, to be hit head on by an armoured bank chariot. He was immediately taken to the hospital, only to find out that his back was broken and would require years to heal. He also found out that his wings were broken, but unlike his back, the damage was permanent, he could not fly for the rest of his life. His family didn’t show up at the hospital to help him after the accident, he was truly abandoned. With a broken back and wings and the only thing he had were his inventions, he started a life of crime. Korsan began with petty theft, simple purse snatches and pick pocketing just to get some resources.” “How was he able to do it without being caught, wasn’t his back broken?” “It was, instead of hasty snatch and runs, Korsan used his intellect and silver tongue to get ponies to not notice when he robbed them until after an hour of him leaving them. He used the money to buy food to get by the day and metal to build a support system that would help him to be able to walk properly again. This secondary suit would act as a mechanical toy that Korsan could control with fluid motion. The new ensemble worked better than he expected, as he found out he could run faster, lift more weight, and react quicker to immediate situations than other normal foals of his age, but these upgrades came at a cost. Over the years, his support suit has been slowly forming his spine to go upright, never letting the broken bones inside to properly heal. In the past couple of years, his front hooves have never touched the ground, for he could now simply walk and run with his hind hooves.” “This pony just seems to get stranger and stranger.” “And grew even more dangerous at that, for in a matter of days, his crimes escalated to grand theft and even caused several hostage situations. He then used his spoils to buy from the black market and created weapons, from blades, to cannons, to even explosives. This created a vicious cycle that grew too big for Korsan to keep within Baltimare. Using his experiences of his old days playing at the harbour and the use of his latest technologies, Korsan spent a couple of years building a ship, one that could fly and was large enough to be considered a self-sustaining fortress. He worked on it for three years, never allowing himself to sleep for more than three hours nor let any injury delay his work. Upon completing his revolutionary creation, he then gathered up a crew of unicorns to serve as his pirate minions and they took off, beginning Korsan’s global campaign of pillaging and plundering any city, whether it be surrounded by land, sea, or sky.” “He built a ship… that could not only fly, but also be self-sustaining?” “Yes, it doesn’t even run on magic, as the entire thing is built with his anti-magic substance lining every floorboard, causing some, odd, science thing to happen that allowed it to fly.” I couldn’t believe what the old stallion was saying, I’ve never heard of such a ship, or any large structure of that matter, that was able to fly without magic. “Impossible…” “It’s real, I’ve been on that ship long enough to know it top from bottom.” “You were a prisoner?” “No…” He stayed silent for a while, I could tell by the subtle motions in his eyes that he had a very close connection with the vessel. “You were a crew member.” “I was Korsan’s first mate and my daughter was a mechanic; it was odd having to be told around by a pony that was only fifteen at the time, but as the years progressed, I came to terms with it.” “So that’s why you know so much about him.” “He told me everything, as if I was the true father figure he never had. He’d show me nearly everything he had saw, created, or stolen with a face full of pride and glee.” “How long did you serve under Korsan? Why did you leave? Was it the guilt of just doing nothing but crimes getting to you?” “Easy there lad, ask one question at a time. I worked for Korsan for about five years until I resigned a couple of years ago. And I didn’t just do nothing but piracy, that was only my job. While me and my crewmembers were with Korsan, his adventurous spirit would take us to new locations and see unimaginable things. I remember when he would sit out on the bow, writing down his discoveries and research throughout all the night. There was some sort of an innocent side of him that became exposed whenever he encountered something new. He wrote many books, collected so many artifacts, and built so many machines. When I was with him on those adventures, sometimes, I would forget about our crimes and think that we were a family of sorts.” “So what made you and your daughter leave?” “…” The unicorn became quiet and avoided making eye contact with me. “You don’t need to know.” “But I want to,” “No you don’t, it would be too much for a young stallion like yourself.” “I’m a bounty hunter; I’ve hunted down murderers and absolute maniacs, how bad could it be?” “Are you sure?” He then gave me a strong glare. His eyes shrunk and his mouth turned to a snarl, as if he was holding back an inner demon. I slowly nodded my head, unaware of the true grim that he was about to tell. “Several years ago, we were coming up to a small kingdom in the clouds, preparing to attack the main castle and get as much booty as possible. Within moments of hovering right next to the front gates, we attacked. The pegasi were no match as we merely held them in place with our magic. We stormed the castle and came back in moments, holding as much gold, jewels, and other valuables with our magic. At first glance, this was just another successful plunder. That was, until we started to leave with the mountain of loot on our ship. I noticed that Korsan was looking back at the kingdom, observing its buildings, its size, but most importantly, its citizens. He stopped the vessel and turned its port towards the kingdom. The crew was reasonably confused of his actions at first. However, that all changed when he turned to us and gave the command. He ordered us to fire off the cannons into the kingdom and destroy it. I couldn’t believe what he was ordering, we usually only used the cannons in defense or if a target was being too stubborn. This was an act of terrorism. Me, my daughter, and a few crewmembers could not bring ourselves to do it. Most of the other pirates, the ones that were once in prison for federal crimes, didn’t mind however and followed orders. They fired into the city, and the screams of stallions, mares, and children soon echoes back to our boat. I was scarred from the horrific scene that I saw unfold before me. Korsan approached me when he saw I was struggling and asked why I wasn’t attacking. I told him that I couldn’t bring myself to hurt masses of innocent ponies for no reason, in which he gave me a most terrifying response.” “What was it?” “’Pegasi and Earth Ponies are inferior, we must shape the world to what it should be, all unicorns, no more suffering…’” “You mean to say,” “Yes, the beliefs of his family had been released from the darkest pits of his mind and out into his true desires. He then told me that after this, we would be searching for a way for him to become a unicorn, destroying every non-unicorn that stood in his way. In a matter of moments, the entire kingdom began to fall down into the abyss below, bringing countless ponies down, trapped within their houses. I was terrified, for I saw a small smile on the captain’s face as he watched the kingdom fall before his eyes…” A slow stream of tears began to run down the stallion’s cheeks, still staring at me with his watery, yet stern eyes. “So then you quit?” “Korsan let me and my daughter leave with no resistance; he was surprisingly lenient on the idea of letting his crew members quit. After that, I sailed out here and built this very bar you are standing in. Korsan comes by to visit and gloat about his newest discoveries and raids every once in a while. I always kept myself in the kitchen to avoid talking to the monster.” “He grows more and more insane each visit,” the stallion’s daughter adds with a taste of disgust in her voice, “Despite his appearance of being a suave, controlled pirate captain, underneath, he’s a monster that won’t hesitate to kill to get what he wants. He usually tries to get me to join his crew and be his ‘special somepony’, but I manage to keep him from advancing too much towards me.” “Never again shall we work for Korsan. He is the deadliest, nastiest, most insane creature you will ever encounter. I suggest staying away from him at all costs, and never, ever, try to pick a fight with him.” The old pony then gave a large sigh of relief before turning back into the kitchen. Small murmurs and chats soon filled the ambience of the chamber, obviously talking about Korsan. I took a moment to examine my cup as I tried to put the pieces together of how such a monster, a brilliant monster, came to be, despite being told step-by-step on the spot. I contemplated at the counter of what to do, either follow the stallion’s advice, or face Korsan. If I were to defeat him, not only would I have some of the most revolutionary technology in the world, I would also have the greatest ship at my disposal, heck, I could retire on the thing if what I thought was true. I looked up to the barmaid, cleaning another empty mug. I asked her, “So, how often does he visit this place?” “Once every two weeks or so,” she responded, returned to her deadpan tone, “why?” “I just want to know how long I could stick around this place.” “He’s expected to return this day actually, he’s set up a massive bounty three days ago and said he would return from an expedition with the bounty ready for him.” “Has the bounty already been captured?” “Actually, no, the ten ponies that the bounty was pinned on paid it off. All ten million bits,” I slammed my hoof onto the polished wood counter to keep myself from falling. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. “Korsan set up a ten million bit bounty on ten ponies?! He’s actually willing to give up that much money? Where does he get this fortune?” “I told you, he’s insane.” The gears in my head began to spin rapidly. If Korsan really did have that much money on him and I defeated him, it would be the peak of my career. I would become the richest pony on the high seas; I could buy whatever I want. My greed soon overtook me as I dropped the lie of leaving and leaned over the counter, almost touching the mare’s nose with mine. “Where can I find Korsan now? I want what he has; I can take him down if it means becoming the richest pony in the world!” Behind me, in the doorframe with the door wide open, a voice replied, “Right behind you.” I winced my body in shock as I looked over my shoulder to see a tall abnormal shadow looking at me. A bolt of lightning struck down from the storm outside the bar, revealing the silhouettes of a large crew of ponies through the foggy windows. “Korsan…” He then started to make his way up to me, revealing himself in the light of the candles on the tables. He had a dark brown coat of fur that nearly matched the color of the wet wood on the ceiling. His mane and tail was a mess of jet black hair, haven’t been cut nor styled in years, yet it somehow grew itself to work somewhat proper and neat. He stood on his hind legs like the old stallion said, with his front hooves swinging back in forth in tune with his motion. On his left side of his face was an icy blue eye staring dead straight at me, while on the right side, he wore an eye patch that covered his other eye and a scar that peeked from the top and bottom of the black patch. His hooves each had what appeared to be a silvery, metal shoe with five spikes protruding from them over the front of his limbs. Connected to these shoes were long connections of copper gears, pistons, and other pieces of mechanical parts that stretched along the sides of his limbs and into the back. He wore a metal battle harness on his upper part of his chest with a sickly blue and green light emanating from the center circular buckle piece and through small grooves engraved in the straps wrapping around his entire torso. Around his back was a large black cape that stretched down to the floor with its corners trailing rainwater from outside and obscured any pony’s view of his wings. “So, a funny thing just recently happened. I was just walking into a bar when I heard the funniest joke ever. ‘Where can I find Korsan now? I want what he has; I can take him down if it means becoming the richest pony in the world!’” The pirate chuckled as he continued his walk towards me, only to stop three hooves in front of me. “And you know what the best bit about that was? The pony, who said it, was a pegasus. What a laugh am I right?” All around him, the patrons of the bar laughed nervously, fearing what he would do if they did not laugh. I gulped a pocket of air before replying, trying to sound intimidating, “So, what did you do next huh? Did you and the challenger fight? Did the challenger proved pegasi were just as good as unicorns?” I twirled around to face my body in the correct position and stance for combat. I had a secret weapon underneath my cloak, and was ready to spring it at any moment. “Oh, we did fight, more of a banter to be worded correctly, but…” Korsan gave a side glance to one of his crew members to his right. The unicorn crew member’s horn began to glow and in an instant, my legs were being pulled from under me. My torso slammed into the wood floor with my legs being pulled away from me, nearly ripping them off. I saw that a faint red aura was surrounding my hooves; I immediately knew it was unicorn magic. “The results weren’t what my challenger expected.” “What? Afraid to fight like a stallion? Needing your lackeys to take on just one pony?” Another short chuckle escapes from his mouth. He then kneeled down to my eye level on the floor, giving me a look of pity. “Oh, you poor creature, you actually think that?” In one swift gesture, Korsan stretched out his right hoof in front of my face. I observed in awe as the five spikes that were attached to his shoe became alive, like dragon claws. “Did you ever have the feeling, of, a great pain?!” His metal fingers immediately pinched my nose on cue, causing a large shockwave of pain to rattle through my body. “A pain, so great,” his claw then started to twist my nose, making the pain more unbearable as I gave a hard roar of pain, “but, you can’t do anything about it, making it even more painful? For over twelve years of my life, I had that pain. I was powerless against my family bullying me because they had magic and I did not. Yet I learned a valuable lesson, unicorns are superior, all they have to do is perform a tiny spell, and any non-unicorn is bent to their every will and desire. That’s why my crew and I have been the most effective pirates out there.” “Then why do they listen to you if they’re all that superior.” “Direction, my imbecilic rival, that’s why. Sure they have the magic, but with my help with the invention of physical anti-magic and far superior intellect, we achieve the greatest of riches. And about the whole me-being-a-pegasus part, I plan to fix that.” “But how?” I squealed with my nose being turned sideways, “The only way you can change your race is ascension, and that requires the magic of the most powerful of ponies. And so what if you get a horn, it takes years of education to master the art of magic.” “Not true once again,” another laugh bellowed from the pony’s mouth before continuing, “I have studied magic all of my life, what types there are, how to use it, how to tamper with it, how to forge it into weaponry, and many other applications of it. I also have gathered a vast variety of books, old and new that go into the history of it, so it should come to no surprise that I would find another way to get what I desire. Alicorn Island, a legendary island somewhere in uncharted waters that is said to have an artifact what will grant a pony the wings of a pegasus, the strength of an Earth Pony, and the horn of a unicorn. I’m so close to finding it as well, I just need a little more time.” He let go of my nose and grabbed me by the suit I had hidden under my cloak. The unicorn that was holding me down let goes of his magic as I was lifted up to eye level with Korsan staring into my soul. “So what do you say?” “I say that you’re playing cheap.” “You still want an actual fight with me? I was going to kill you one way or another. At least it’s going to be fun for the both of u-… wait a minute.” Korsan’s eye darted down and saw the purple silk of my suit poking out of the black jacket I was wearing. “This silk…” He raised me a little higher as he began to pull his face closer to the suit that was beginning to tear from being stretched so much. I tried to flap my wings and escape his grip, but my cape and suit was still too soggy and Korsan holding the tight silk up so high wasn’t making my situation better. The pirate captain then began to sniff my suit and brush the tip of his soft nose over it, creating a very awkward situation in my mind. “This mulberry silk has been dyed with Tyrian Purple, a rare and expensive dye made from sea snails only native to the local waters around Saddle Arabia. The stitching of the cloth has been done with the finest precision of magic. The only ponies that would be able to wear such a luxurious piece of equipment would be royalty, bestowed by royalty, or be insanely rich. I know where you got this, this clothing given to you by the king of Saddle Arabia as a reward for catching a very high level criminal, considering your profession is that of a bounty hunter, you would be chasing after highly dangerous ponies.” I was in absolute shock upon hearing his conclusion. I was mystified at how he was able to know not only how and where I got my suit, but also what my occupation was right on the spot. “How did you know that I was a bounty hunter?” “It was very simple to put the pieces together. Your shadowy appearance, the way you engaged me and my ponies, the fact that you are most likely not from these local waters, the fact that you are willing to actually fight me, it was so blatantly obvious. Hey, make you a deal, I’ll put you out of your misery and I’ll take your lovely clothing from your body. Promise not to bleed on the suit, and I’ll kill you quickly.” Korsan laughed once more, with this one turning maniacal and his crew of about fifty joining him in the cheer. At this point, I had grown sick of this stallion’s endless taunting and insults. I saw my opportunity and I gave a good kick to Korsan’s exposed eye with a hind hoof. He screamed in pain as I was dropped from his metal grip. I sprang into action and used my secret weapon to tear from the cloak and regain my hoofing. I looked to my back left and right to see my weapons unveiled. Two, heavily armoured, extendable wing blades attached tightly at the front edges of my wings. I opened my wings wide and flapped them down, causing the sharp metal blade to extend to a metre in length. I pointed my right wing at the tip of Korsan’s nose while he was rubbing his eye, which I then noticed how truly soft it was even against the tip of my sharp blade. He and I could feel my sharp metal tap his abnormally soft nose. He eventually stopped rubbing his eye and gave a good look at the blade about to strike him, then up at my face. My eyes were boiling with determination as I stared at him back, not letting myself show any fear. “Korsan, give up these felonious acts and come with me peacefully or I will use aggressive force.” “Like you haven’t already?” He responded in a cynical, harsh tone, “that’s some mighty impressive equipment you got there. Almost makes me wish I didn’t give those wing blades away.” I shook my head in disbelief, before thinking that what he said might be right. “You made these?” “Yeah I made them, but due to… unforeseen changes to my body; I had to sell the weapons to the black market, which is where you most likely got them from. Luckily, I always upgrade.” Korsan then reached both of his front claws behind his back to when I could not see and pulls out two, long, serrated cutlasses with light similar to that of his harness creating glowing designs in the blades. “You still want to fight?” My rival then begun to spin the two swords with his claws to try to intimidate me pre-battle and demonstrate his capabilities with the blades. “Bring it.” We lunged towards each other and began to fight. Our metal blades struck each other in a harmonious rhythm, every strike, lunge, parry, jab, and grind, perfectly timed. As Korsan and I dueled, Korsan’s crew began to flood into the bar and form a circle around us, making sure I wasn’t going to escape. I was amazed at the sheer presentation of our battle to the other patrons, as if it was a performance. Shouts rang out among the customers behind the crew’s backs, calling bets on when I was going to die. It didn’t deter me however, instead I used it as motivation to surprise everypony. Eventually, I gained the upper hoof and struck Korsan’s left cutlass at the hilt with a powerful swing, launching it across the bar and hitting the bull’s-eye on a dartboard. “Ha!” My other blade and Korsan’s right sword collided together and began to grind. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to finish him off. I swung my free wing once more to attack and just as I was about to slice into Korsan’s side, it stops. A loud metal clang ringed from the blade and echoed through the building, bringing a wave a silence to the area. I looked down to seeing Korsan’s unarmed metal fist grabbing hold of my wing. I shook side to side, but he did not let go. “Impressive.” My gaze returned back to my rival, who now had the most evil smile imprinted on his face. “Another design flaw I’ve noticed is that, pegasi weapons…” Before he finished his statement, he flung the blade and my entire body into the air. All I saw for three seconds was the floor and the ceiling chasing each other, not knowing where I was or what was happening to my body. However, the torture ended in a flash, as I found myself slammed into a smashed table on the ground, with apple cider pouring on my face. Pain was dancing throughout my veins, and I couldn’t do anything about it at this point but to pant and wheeze, frozen in shock of whatever maneuver he had pulled. I looked to my right to see Korsan kneeling next to my paralyzed body, still held onto my wing. “They tend to be a bit clingy, don’t you agree?” I tried to form words in my mouth, but all that came out was stuttering, “K-K-K-K-ma-ka-ko-” “Don’t strain yourself, it’ll all be over in a minute.” The pirate then let go of my wing, only to grab the collar of the vest I wore once again. He raised me up into the air with one claw and his sword in another before announcing to the attendants present, “Behold! This is what happens when you try to mess with me! Any Earth Pony or pegasi that gets in my way will not live to see the next day, so you all better watch yourselves. Am I clear?” The room remains quiet, as all of the patrons are still shocked silent of the battle. “I said; Am I clear?!” “Y-Yes.” They all nervously responded. “Good.” Korsan’s glare turned to the barmaid, in which he slowly walked to her with me in tow. “Hey November Gale, open for the weekend? My ice phoenix Juliana has learned a new trick I would like to show you.” “Go away Korsan,” she sternly replied, “you’ve already caused enough damage to this place. I don’t want your parrot to freeze this place.” “Come on November, you know you can’t resist a pony like me.” “Yes I can, and if you’re going to be causing any bloodshed, do it outside.” “Fine. If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to.” With that said, Korsan carried me outside of the bar, through the open door and into the rainstorm. It had grown even more violent than before, with rain and lightning obscuring my view of any of the rock stacks that surrounded the bar. What I did see however, was the most incredible thing imaginable. A galleon, hundreds of meters long, hovering above the water. The rain and lightning floodlit the groves along the hull’s woodwork illuminated a green glow of thousands of roots, interconnected and simply majestic. I was then pinned against the wooden wall just outside the door, my hooves not able to touch the ground, and the pain growing more intense with the unnatural position I was at. Korsan leaned into my face, with his eyes looking up at me from below my nose. “Any last words?” I croaked, “P-Please, K-Korsan, you don’t have to do this. I think you’re a fantastic pony!” “Tsk, don’t try any of that rump-kissing with me, you’re going to die, any second now.” “Wait, why the Earth Ponies and pegasi? Why can’t you just leave them be instead of this whole genocide plot? Think of all the ponies that died in that sky kingdom!” “To end the suffering. I don’t want some foal to be wrongfully born to a family that’ll not love him like me. I shall put an end to the loose genetics that plague generations of potential wonders into inferior beings. You may not be able to see things my way, but don’t worry, this action tonight will be one of many deeds done to create a better future.” “What you’re doing is wrong, all ponies are equal.” “Wrong, I have shown you, you are wrong.” Immediately, Korsan pressed my chest against the wall even harder and pulls his sword back, preparing to swing it. I closed my eyes, awaiting for the inevitable to come, only for a minute to pass without him swinging. I opened my right eye to see Korsan looking at the now closed door, contemplating something. “K-Korsan?” “Where did you hear of that? Where did you hear of the time I destroyed that kingdom? Where did you hear of my beliefs? Who told you?” At this point, I was only looking out for myself, so I decided to tell him to keep myself alive. “It was that indigo pony in the bar! Your first mate,” “Nitin Gale… That old pony’s been telling tales I see.” “Yeah, can you please let me go?” “So what? So you can tell others of the pathetic history I’ve had as a pegasus?” “No, you’re a genius! You’ve been able to do so many things before you were even an adult. Just that airship is enough to impress anypony, no matter what you are!” “My feats shall be seen as the work of a unicorn. And until I am seen as one, no pony, shall speak of them.” “So what are you going to do?” “You know the old saying…” “…” “A dead pony tells no tales…” In that moment, everything became dark, and that’s how it’s always been to this day. I shall never forget that event, not one night I shall not feel Korsan’s blade come In contact with the flesh of my neck. They say that a dead pony tell no tales. That is only partly true. A dead body tells no tales, but the voices of the sea speak as they please. The soul is eternal, and doesn’t exist in the physical world of existence most can hear. And sometimes, they relive their stories night after night, never to forget it…
Bonus: Captain Korsan's Crew of One Hundred UnicornsHere is a list of all one hundred and two crew members of The Perfection with a little info on each member. Note: Each crewmember is well adept in combat and will take arms in either fighting on the field or firing cannons. Captain Korsan Maden "The Pirate of Metal" Gender: Male Age: Early 20s Role: Captain Primary Weapon: Custom Serrated Anti-Magic Cutlasses Birthtown: Baltimare, Equestria Juliana "Missy" Gender: Female Age: 400 Role: Pet/Animal Mascot Primary Weapon: Ice Aura Birthtown: Pingwin Found: Pingwin Horus Barbosa "The Pirate of Many Origins" Gender: Male Age: 46 Role: Quartermaster Primary Weapon: Spiked Mace Birthtown: Unknown Found: Pearis, Prance Chopin "The Mime" Gender: Male Age: Unknown Role: Personal Assistant/Entertainer Primary Weapon: Karambit Birthtown: Unknown Found: Le Manes, Prance Isyan Maden "The Blood Metal" Gender: Male Age: 26 Role: Boatswain Primary Weapon: Pointed Tip Sabre Birthtown: Baltimare, Equestria Found: Gallopfrey Maria Vanshwitz "The White Rose" Gender: Female Age: 19 Role: Mechanic Primary Weapon: Dagger Birthtown: Ottapaw, Canida Found: Spotsa, Reno Slasher Gutzoult "The Kitty Pirate" Gender: Female Age: 17 Role: Janitor Primary Weapon: War Scythe Birthtown: Stalliongrad, Equestria Found: Stalliongrad, Equestria Lilis Jewmerin "The Needled Rose" Gender: Female Age: 30 Role: Doctor/Surgeon Primary Weapon: Rapier Birthtown: Manebourne, Equestria Found: Copei Town, Taripus Rebublic Butch Taylor "The Butcher" Gender: Male Age: 76 Role: Cook Primary Weapon: Two-Bitted Axe Birthtown: Steebs, Heliopolis Found: Amarezon Ivan Voorhees "The Single Worded" Gender: Male Age: 53 Role: Cook Primary Weapon: Broad Butcher Knife Birthtown: Pawland Found: Hooviet Union Yin Shou "The Half Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 20 Role: Powder Monkey Primary Weapon: Katana Birthtown: Las Pegasus, Equestria Found: Gorgonzola Yu Shou "The Other Half" Gender: Male Age: 20 Role: Rigger Primary Weapon: Katana Birthtown: Las Pegasus, Equestria Found: Gorgonzola Lazarus Lazuli "The Creed" Gender: Male Age: 30 Role: Master Gunner Primary Weapon: Short Knives Birthtown: Talos, The Griffon Kingdoms Found: Island of Perpetual Tickling Clara Rosebud "The Golden Pirate" Gender: Female Age: 44 Role: Surgeon/Doctor Primary Weapon: Extended Naginata Birthtown: Gryphus, The Griffon Kingdoms Found: Shanghay, Ib'xian Frankie Stein "The Oddjob Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 34 Role: Carpenter Primary Weapon: Chain Kunai Birthtown: Tramplevania, Equestria Found: Alpacalacia, Tramplevania Alps Phlox Roy "The Fire Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 50 Role: Master Gunner Primary Weapon: Combustion Shurikens Birthtown: Unknown Found: Cursed Salt Plains Hans Kraus "The Torn Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 20 Role: Master Gunner Primary Weapon: Longsword Birthtown: Thatcholm, Gildedale Found: Grazezeld, Gildale Hotus Pharox "The Ancient Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 77 Role: Doctor/Sugeon Primary Weapon: Khopesh Birthtown: Unknown Found: Murder's Cove, Scorched Lands Ryan Aran "The Pirate Sniper" Gender: Male Age: 23 Role: Lookout Primary Weapon: Crossbow Birthtown: Concordia, Cervidas Found: Roe Island Gofu Kyrself "The Rat" Gender: Male Age: 33 Role: Rigger Primary Weapon: Throwing Tomahawks Birthtown: Hump, Camellu Found: Libraria Pip Kyrself "The Mouse" Gender: Female Age: 14 Role: Powder Monkey Primary Weapon: Claymore Birthtown: Hump, Camellu Found: Libraria Sir Alexander Grevious "The Proper Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 40 Role: Lookout Primary Weapon: Cutlass Birthtown: Canterlot, Equestria Found: Sableside, Equestroa Altaria Deerc "The Assassin" Gender: Male Age: 26 Role: Lookout Primary Weapon: Short Dagger Birthtown: Dust Found: Dust Orion Comet "The Bottom of the Barrel" Gender: Male Age: 17 Role: Janitor Primary Weapon: Lance Birthtown: Cloudsdale, Equestria Found: Appeloosa, Equestria Anton Chugs "The Drinking Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 35 Role: Surgeon/Doctor Primary Weapon: Serrated Blade Nunchucks Birthtown: Hoovegorod Found: Bearmingham, Ursland Jack Cauld "The Green-Bellied" Gender: Male Age: 30 Role: Carpenter Primary Weapon: Claymore Birthtown: Derpyshire, Equestria Found: Hostralia Blackgate Beardsworthy "The Dark Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 50 Role: Master Gunner Primary Weapon: Large Cutlass Birthtown: Unknown Found: Kingdom of Haven Fawnswa Garg "The Lilly-Livered Pirate" Gender: Female Age: 39 Role: Mechanic Primary Weapon: Spiked Gauntlets Birthtown: Fawntaine, Cervidas Found: Roe Island Salty Bob "The Mountie Pirate" Gender: Male Age: 30 Role: Rigger Primary Weapon: Mini Cannon Birthtown: Ottopaw, Canida Found: Ottopaw, Canida Barbara Hannah "The Choppy Pirate" Gender: Female Age: 27 Role: Carpenter Primary Weapon: Double Roped Kunis Birthtown: Spotsa, Reno Found: Rhineland, Reno N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found: N/A "" Gender: Age: Role: Primary Weapon: Birthtown: Found:
Bonus: TreatmentThis is a written recording of the last psychiatric analysis of patient Korsan A. Maden in the Victoria Mahkra Asylum on Foreversea Island, two days before his escape from location. Up to this point, patient has committed an unconfirmed number of crimes across Baltimare, Equestria, though the general guess is at least one thousand over the course of three years, ranging from robbery, arson, murder, and several other federal crimes. Psychiatric Interview and Analysis of Patient #113 Timestamp: 2300 hours, [REDACTED] Psychiatrist: Dr. Gale Stenographer: Dr. Parker [Begin Recording] Upon patient's request, all overseeing doctors and front security have been removed from the treatment room, leaving only Dr. Gale to examine him and Dr. Parker for both recording and required security. The patient is seated on a large red therapy bed with Dr. Gale seated next to him on a small metal stool bolted to the metal floor of the containment chamber. Dr. Gale speaks first, greeting the patient in a welcoming tone of voice, "Hello Mr. Maden." The patient responds in a charismatic tone, similar to all previous interviews between him and other doctors, "Greetings." "I will be your interviewer for the evening. I'm just going to perform a psychiatric evaluation, so this will be quick." "Oh great, another one of these..." "Excuse me?" "Bah, don't mind that. This is just the tenth one I've received this month." "Do you have a problem with it?" "These doctors, these professionals, these shrinks, they've been so desperately trying during these last months to try and dissect my brain and psyche. They just keep searching for something that isn't there, something wrong with me." "I don't quite follow. Can you please clarify?" "...You're an intern, I presume." "I used to be. This is actually my first actual interview as a psychiatric. I hope you don't mind." "No, no, that's good, very good, some hospitality for once." "What do you mean?" "These coworkers of yours are not the kindest lot. They really can't take 'no' for an answer from me. You'll be different I assume." "Who knows? But anyways, how about we start this session?" "Good luck on your first analysis." "Thank you. Should we start by asking you a few personal questions?" The patient's voice cuts into a cold and apathetic mood, "Very well then." "What are your hobbies?" "Many really. Construction, engineering, self-educating, and 'business'." "What do you educate yourself about?" "Mathematics, history, biology, mechanics, physics, nautical studies, magic, you know, the essentials." "Essentials?" "Knowledge that helps you keep up with the world and change it to what is best for it, things you know before diving headfirst into the icy sea of reality." "Do you like to read fiction?" "Of course. They give ideas and concepts you would never thought of alone, perhaps even a decent fantasy to pursue." "Why did you commit these crimes? If you were so interested in self-benefit and education, why did you not follow through?" "Knowledge can only get you so far. Like most things, everything has an invisible limitation, either it be physical, mental, magic. Upbringing just makes these limits all the more obvious, as for my case. In order to at least avoid these limits, I have to break a few rules." "Were you bullied?" "That is both an understatement and an overstatement." "What do you mean?" "It is an understatement because it was more than just bullying. My past was nothing but humiliation, torture, neglect, and pain. I became the laughing stock of any set of ponies I was clumped together with, even my own family treated me like such." Dr. Gale slightly rises from her seat and reaches her hooves towards the patient's scarred face. Against regulation, she breaks formal tone and exclaims, "That sounds horrible!" "But, this 'bullying' you speak of is also a very dramatic overstatement." "How?" "It was all justified." "What?" Dr. Parker motions to Dr. Gale to take her seat, in which she obeys and calms down before the patient answers. "You see, there is a grim truth to this world. An ultimate reality that everypony tries to refuse the existence of and live in a state of innocence." "What is this reality?" "...Perhaps I shouldn't tell you. The other doctors called me mad when I told them." "You can tell me. I won't judge you." "Oh, but you have to. It's your job isn't it? To pick and judge me in order to find some solution to whatever illness I have, well, claimed that I have at least." "Well..." "Don't feel too bad for yourself. It isn't your fault, it's this cruel false world that you live in." "I don't understand. Please clarify." "The illusion, the limit, the resistance against the grim reality. To an outside observer, anypony that lives in this resistance is almost as mad as a patient of the asylum. Your bean counters are alongside these lunatics in their own little world with their own little ambitions." "Do-do I fall into this limit?" "I wish not. You are quite a nice and young mare." Dr. Gale and the patient both giggle for a second. Dr. Parker gives a stern look at Dr. Gale, motioning her to keep on task and not fraternize with the patient. Dr. Gale breathes for a moment before continuing, "Okay... How about we move onto something else? I need some specifics. How about some word association?" "Sure. I got nothing better to do other than figure out a way out of this prison." "Progress." "A beautiful idea, but impossible in practice." "Art." "The best form of communication." "Acceptance." "My favorite stage." "Charity." "Mercy for those who suffer more than you do." "Honesty." "The world's biggest paradox." "Crime." "A poor pony's excuse of living in envy. With that said, I probably have the biggest excuse." Dr. Gale giggles again, noticeable louder than before. After given another warning from Dr. Parker, Dr. Gale calms down and continues with the session, "Free-will." "The unknowingness of what will happen in the future." "Wait, really?" "What? Is there a problem?" "No. I think the same thing as well." "You do?" "Yes." "Well then, you are quite a clever girl. Continue." "Alright. Destiny." "Knowledge of what will happen in the future. Not really as entertaining as its opposite, but much more powerful." "Truth." "Wait, what?" "Huh? Oh! Your next word is 'truth'." A low grunt escapes from the patient before he answers, "Other than the truth serum I was injected with during the last session, my only thoughts of truth is how oblivious the world is to it." "Would you like to be specific?" "You know what I mean. Don't you?" "I-I think I do." "Don't be so shy, it's only us three in this padded room." "Sorry. I just, I have a lot of things going on. This new job, my dad currently in prison, my mom, it-it's just overwhelming." "Pity." "What am I even saying? I'm going off on a tangent instead of focusing again. I'm sorry." "Don't be. Perhaps it takes a 'screwball' to help you coop with your problem." "No, no. I should stay on task. Your next word is, 'pity'." "A synonym for charity." Dr. Gale pauses for several seconds before continuing, "Fate." "Do you want to know something funny? I used to see fate is something as vile as pure evil, some predetermined eventually that you can do nothing about. The good are rewarded, the bad are punished, the richer get richer, the poorer get poorer, death is inevitable, we endlessly pursue life, it is unstoppable in how tyrannical and boring it all becomes in the end. However, one night, something happened that changed everything." "What happened?" "I came across something, or maybe somepony, very special. I came across phenomenon that I can relate to, and believe me, that has never happened before. When I laid my one good eye across this speciality, I was practically blinded! And during that blindness, I saw a new light that I have never seen before, one that was more powerful than the moons, the stars, and the sun." "What is this light?" "I have no idea. All I will probably ever know about it is its power, its colour, its beauty. In that moment of blindness, I suddenly found a new perspective of fate." "You did?" "Yes. Now I realize that all of those tortures I went through, all the battles I was pulled into or began, they were all leading up to an ultimate moment, an enlightenment when I came across this phenomenon, and it was all set up by fate." "Sounds like this 'thing' is important to you." "Oh it is. Sure I may have received a few new, scars, but the knowledge and wisdom I received in that one moment made me change all of my aspirations. Fate isn't just a cruel form of destiny, but rather a cheat sheet on life, a series of mathematical equations. It is knowledge, and you can already figure out how much I adore knowledge!" "Do you at least have a name of this phenomenon, this knowledge bringer?" "I have no idea of this special little thing is called. I'm sorry." "My-my name is November, November Gale." "What a pretty name for a pretty mare. You must have a lot of friends." "Not really. Most ponies think I'm weird." "These, 'most ponies', what are they like?" "You know, just your regular stallions and mares, Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi." "Are you sure it isn't them that are being wierd?" "What?" "From what I've seen of the world, for every normal pony, there are two morons right beside him or her, dragging the one down with them into their little theatre and forcing him or her to accept them." "That sounds so..." "Insane?" "True." "Ha. We aren't so different, you and me. Perhaps you're another 'screwball' that can put up a good act for her friends." "Maybe..." "...Do you have any friends? Close friends?" A small sniffle is heard as Dr. Gale responds, "...Not really." "Well you got one now." Dr. Gale leans over to the patient and begins to gently stroke his mane. [End Recording]
Regal Invites“As the raging thunderstorm continues to rock the ship back and forth, Daring Do watches in horror as Captain Cutlass Cornelius approaches her at the end of the breaking wooden bow. With her wing sliced halfway through from their previous fight, she can’t fly away and instead faces two options. She should either jump off and drown, or face off against a superior foe. The dragon pirate chuckles as he draws closer to Daring Do, sharpening his sword-like claws against each other. With each step Cornelius takes on the weakened bow, a loud crackle can be heard. Now, with only a metre of distance between them, the heroic pegasus closes her eyes tightly and curls into a small ball to think of her options just a little more. Manically laughing, Cornelius raises his bladed claws high into the air. Bolts of lightning strike down on the claws are charge them full with electricity, to the point where the metal starts releasing small bolts of energy to the pouring raindrops that come anywhere close to them. The pirate captain swings down his arms and-” “Twilight!” “Spike! I was in the middle of the climax! You threw off my groove.” “Sorry. The tickets just arrived and I was a little too excited.” “Gah…” The mare known as Twilight groans as her eyes break away from the lines of text in the book and turn towards the purple baby dragon standing at her side, holding two golden slips of paper in between his claws. She immediately recognizes them as tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, the royal ball that she and her friends always look forward to going to. As her purple eyes travel upwards and meet Spike’s large greens, his face turns to a look of discomfort and shame. “Sorry…” Twilight sighs and takes a deep breath to calm herself down before responding. “It’s fine… I’m sorry I snapped. It’s just that I wanted to finish this before Rainbow Dash does and spoils it for me. Thanks Spike. What day is it anyways?” “The day of the Grand Galloping Gala,” “What?!” “Yeah, you-” “Why didn’t you tell me?” Frantically, Twilight leaps up from her position and hops from the bed, causing the open book to flop forwards onto the sheets. The alicorn then begins to dart around her large crystalline bedroom chamber, picking up several items scattered at every corner of the room. Her horn glows intensely with several shades of purple as items become enveloped in a purple aura and flung into the middle of the room in front of the dragon. “I tried to, but you were too intent on finishing your book and beating Dash. I tried to tell you that the ticket delivery was late, but you didn’t listen. Only after I got the tickets and practically shouted at you did you listened.” “I was thinking I would start getting ready when they arrived, I wasn’t expecting them to be this late.” “They were.” “Okay, what do I have? Spike, help! Dress?” Casually, Spike reaches into the large pile and sifts through the items, examining each one quickly and tossing out any toys or random things that accidentally got thrown in. “Check.” “Slippers?” “Check.” “Earrings?” “Check.” “Necklace?” “No-” Spike’s denial is cut short by a necklace of pearls being flung into his face and dropping into the pile. “Check.” “Bits?” “Ten, no, eleven bits,” “Tickets?” “Got them.” “’Daring Do and the Lost Kingdoms of Trihearth’?” “No, you don’t need it. You’ve had your face jammed in it for a week.” “I do! Rainbow Dash will not spoil it for me this time.” “She wo-” “She will!” “Fine, I’ll add it to the pile.” Spike turns to the bed and reaches for the book. Upon grabbing it, the feeling of moist sweat and heat surges into his claws, nearly causing him to drop it in reflex. However, instead of adding the book to the pile, Spike instead slips the book under one of the large bed pillows. For your own good Twilight… he thinks to himself. “Check.” “What else, what else, what else…” “Your crown,” “Yes! My crown?” “Check.” “That should be it right?” “Yeah,” “Good, then let’s go!” “Aren’t you forgetting something?” “You just said we-” “Not the items, you.” “What?” Confused, Twilight walks over to a large mirror hanging onto the wall to examine her reflection. She sees that she has deep, black bags beneath her eyes and that her mane is a frowzy mess, with purple hairs tangled up in each other and her pink highlights weaving through the cluster and spiking out the back. “Oh.” “And don’t forget, you have to put on these things.” “You’re right. Thanks. Go on ahead without me. The others should be at the train station. Tell them to go to Canterlot without me.” “Will do,” Meanwhile, at the train station on the outskirts of Ponyville, five mares, each dressed in beautiful, colourful clothing, are quietly standing on the boarding platform. With a train approaching in the distance, the five soon become anxious at the absence of their sixth and seventh friend. “Where is she?” A cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail amongst the group impatiently asks, “Shouldn’t Twilight have been the first pony to be here?” “Quit your fussin’ Rainbow Dash.” An orange Earth pony with blonde hair retorts, “She can always catch the next train.” “But we agreed to wait for her Applejack.” A yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail gently responds, “What if she panics when she can’t find us here?” “I know Fluttershy, but I don’t like it when my little sister and her friends are already there without us to supervise them. Who’s idea even was that again?” “It was Pinkie’s if I recall correctly.” A white unicorn with a curly purple mane and tail answers, “But it’s not all that bad as you put it. How much trouble could my sister, your sister, and Scootaloo cause-” “A lot.” “Well… maybe. Yeah, it was kind of a dumb idea.” “But they would’ve been so bored here Rarity!” A pink Earth pony exclaims, “And besides, I made them all Pinkie Promise not to cause any trouble in Canterlot.” “Guys!” Rainbow Dash yells, “We’re forgetting the issue at hoof. What are we going to do if Twilight doesn’t show up when the train gets here?” “Girls look,” Fluttershy calmly exclaims, “it’s Spike!” The four others look over to where Fluttershy’s staring and see Spike running towards them from the entrance of the train station. “Hey everypony!” Spike calls out. “What’s keeping Twilight?” Dash irritably asks. “Twilight was sidetracked by that new Daring Do book out. She’s getting ready now and it’s probably going to take a while. She said that we should go without her.” “Did she finish?” “No, she’s still getting ready.” “No, no, no, I mean did she finish ’Daring Do and the Lost Kingdoms of Trihearth’?” “No, she only got midway through the climax.” “What?! She doesn’t know that Daring Do’s mother is-” Before Rainbow Dash can finish, the powerful blow of the train horn interrupts her. “The train’s here. I’ll tell ya later.” One by one, the five ponies and Spike walk into the open train car. They each then take a seat inside, with the mares being careful in their positions as to not damage their large dresses. “Those dresses look great.” Spike remarks. “Why thank you,” Rarity stiffly responds as she continues to meticulously correct her position, “I worked on these over the past month, including that tuxedo you have.” The small dragon looks down and notices that he is wearing a black suit, much to his surprise. “Oh yeah, I nearly forgot I was wearing this all day. The thing’s so comfy.” “Wish I could say the same.” Applejack remarks, obviously scratching her behind underneath her dress. “So, do you think anything odd is going to happen?” “What do you mean?” Fluttershy asks. “You know, your first gala ended in chaos. The second one we went to last year ended with Discord bringing that Smooze thing and nearly sending your friend into an alternate universe. Wouldn’t it be a bit expected that something bad might happen this year?” “Nah, it was probably just chance. Nothing bad will happen this-” “Don’t tempt fate!” Pinkie Pie screams. “What?” “If you say that nothing bad will happen, something bad will happen! It’s a law of the universe!” “Or just nothing bad will happen.” “I bet ten bits on it.” “Fine, I bet ten as well. That’s how confident I am that we all shouldn’t worry this time.” “You’ll be so sorry.” The train horn blares three times as the locomotive begins its departure to Canterlot. Starting with a sudden jerk forwards, the train slowly begins to accelerate and head forward on the iron tracks. Spike looks out the window at the orange evening sky and sees Twilight’s enormous crystal palace in the distance amongst all of the various buildings of Ponyville. “Well Twilight,” Spike speaks to himself, “see you on the next train.” “Don’t feel do down. We’re all still going to the Grand Galloping Gala still.” Out of nowhere, a bright purple light flashes in the middle of the train car, blinding the six inside with it. A purple alicorn with a sparkly blue dress and a golden jeweled crown emerges from the light as it fades. “Twilight!” They all exclaim as their vision recovers. “Sorry,” Twilight replies, “I forgot to check the time.” “We heard from Spike.” Rainbow Dash responds, “So, you haven’t gotten to the part where it’s reveal that Daring Do’s mother is-” “Don’t say another word!” “Oh, right, spoilers…” “Speaking of which… Shoot! I left the book at home.” Spike turns to Dash and asks in a whisper, “…Is her mother dead?” “Shush!” “Oh, sorry, just curious…” “Now then, anything important happen while I was gone?” “Discord’s not coming,” Fluttershy remarks, “he says he’s going to some Bad-Anon group meeting and won’t be back by next week.” “I’m going to win a bet against Fluttershy.” Pinkie exclaims. “No you won’t.” “I’ve recently been practicing lightning manipulation.” Rainbow cheers, “It’s going to be so awesome!” “Nothing much going on with me,” Rarity adds, “boring, but I like it.” “Big Mac’s been working out.” Applejack replies, “Soon he’ll be able to buck apples out of three trees with a single buck.” “Oh! I almost forgot. This year, Cadence will be presenting a historical artifact to us and the media to gain tourist attraction to the Crystal Empire.” “What is it?” the other six ask simultaneously. “The Diamond Eye, a large diamond monument that dates back to before King Sombra’s reign on the Crystal Empire. There’s only half of it though, since it broke ages ago and the other half was never found.” “How big are we talking?” Rarity asks. “About the size of Big McIntosh if it were still in one piece,” “Wow!” “It’s going to be stolen!” Pinkie Pie cheerfully exclaims, “See Fluttershy, it’s destined to happen.” “Enough of this,” Applejack groans, “I’m already irritated enough with this dress chafing parts of me I didn’t even know I had, do not push it. That diamond is not going to be stolen tonight.” “Fine. Sorry.” “Good.” “For now…” “Excuse me?” “Nothing!” “Hey Twilight,” Spike asks, “Is there anything else special about that diamond?” Twilight promptly replies, “There is writing engraved into the diamond, but it’s in a very ancient language and that it’s only part of a full message. Scholars say that it’s some form of poem with a very important subject matter.” “Where do you think the other half is?” “No idea. King Sombra did a lot of changes to the kingdom all of those centuries ago. The other half may be underneath a hundred metres of ice and snow a hundred kilometres away from the empire, and that’s only if it didn’t make its way out to sea. If that’s the case, it might as well be on the other side of the world.” “Oh.” “But there is some hope in finding it, albeit very little.”
Stowaway Cutie MarksWith the three fillies Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo caught onboard the SS Raindrop, the seven heroes immediately escort them into the galley, seating them side by side on one side of the table and seating themselves on the others. “What in Equestria are you doing here?” Rarity barks at the young trio. “Technically,” Pinkie interrupts, “we’re outside Equestria.” “I don’t care! Why aren’t you back at home with Mom and Dad Sweetie Belle?” “Well…” the small unicorn filly hesitantly replies, “It was Scootaloo’s fault! She was the one who tempted me into sneaking onboard.” “What?” The orange pegasus filly snaps back, “Don’t blame me. It was Applebloom’s fault for planning on us sneaking in inside the crates of apples.” “Don’t go accusing me of anything.” The yellow Earth pony filly growls, “Who do you think levitated us and herself into those crates to begin with? Sweetie Belle?” “Hey!” Sweetie Belle sharply replies, “It was your idea.” “All of you quit it!” Applejack angrily yells. “As I can read it, all of you played some part in stowing away. Now what I want out of all of yous is an apology. Twilight, let’s turn this baby back home to send these babies back home.” “Wait!” Scootaloo cries out, “We can help you! Don’t you want Applebloom, your little sister, to get her cutie mark?” “For what? Being a stowaway?” “…Is that an option?” “Girls,” Rainbow Dash replies in an annoyed tone, “We appreciate your want in helping us. But as I told you, it’s too dangerous. If you all were on deck when those sirens attacked us, you’d all probably be Kraken food by now.” “But that was just one small incident.” “Yeah,” Applebloom chimes in, “and besides, we were all just curious about the music and banging going on outside. You were all acting so strange, wandering around the edge of the boat, almost oblivious to everything happening around you.” “Wait,” Spike interrupts, “You weren’t affected by the singing?” “No, at least not like you others,” “If you weren’t affected, why didn’t you help me?” “We were… too scared… and the boat was a little too wobbly…” “Oh.” “Come one,” Sweetie Belle whines, “let us help. We’ll stay below deck when Korsan’s around, we’ll cook, we’ll clean inside, we’ll mop the poop deck, we’ll clean your beds, anything!” “For the last time,” Rarity furiously declares, “no! Any objections?” “Nope,” Applejack responds. “Same here,” Rainbow adds. “Sorry, but I have to agree with them.” Fluttershy mumbles, trying to avoid eye contact with the fillies. “Absolutely not.” Twilight replies. “No,” Spike utters, “Pinkie Pie?” The rest of the mares and Spike turn their attention to Pinkie Pie standing in the middle of them all, staring at the fillies ever growing pupils. The pink Earth pony bites her lip in guilt as the fillies keep increasing their pupil size and quivering their lips, attempting to persuade the older mare to give in. “Pinkie, don’t fall for it.” “I can’t…” Pinkie mumbles as her eyes grow wider and wider with theirs. “Can’t… resist… so… sad…” Soon, the trio’s eyes begin to water as well as a few fake sniffles added to their act. Finally, Pinkie snaps. “I can’t say no! You can stay with us, just please, make it sto-op!” “Oh my feathering deity,” “Seeing Pinkie sad makes me sad,” Fluttershy whimpers, “I take back by vote. You can stay.” “Well,” Sweetie Belle happily declares, “looks like we’re half and half. So, what’s it going to be? Are we just going to be sitting here?” “Gr…” Twilight grumbles as she responds, “If you’re going to be with us, we have to establish some ground rules.” “What?!” Applejack and Rarity snap at her, “We’re letting them stay?” “Rule number one, you must always be where one of us tells you to go. So no wondering around the ship,” “What?” Scootaloo cries out. “Rule number two, whenever we come across another pony of any sort, you must go inside and hide, regardless of whoever snapped and let you on deck, unless the situation says otherwise.” “No pirate fighting?” Applebloom squeals, “Drat.” “And final rule, no meddling in our business. If we didn’t ask for your help, you do not help.” “Fine,” Sweetie Belle heatedly replies. “Any other rules one of us wants to add?” Pinkie replies, “No cuts, no buts, no coconuts.” “…Okay then. Rarity? Applejack? Any problems?” The two mares give a short glance at each other before responding in sync, “None. Sounds good. Now all three of you fillies stay here,” “Good, now back to following Korsan. Where is he anyways?” Meanwhile, far away from Twilight and her gang, Korsan’s ship flies high above the water heading towards Thieves’ Hold. At the crow’s nest on top of one of the backmost masts of the ship, leaning over the edge, a red, lanky stallion is levitating a telescope in front of an eye as he looks at the rival ship. “Captain,” he loudly calls out, “you might want to hear this!” Standing on his hind legs at the large metal steering wheel on the second floor deck of the quarterdeck, Korsan hears the crew member. Quickly, he pulls up a lever right next to the wheel and runs down to the main deck and towards the bottom of the stallion’s tall mast. The stallion meanwhile quickly slides down the sides of the ladder with his hooves, reaching the waiting captain in seconds. “What is it Ryan Aran?” Korsan promptly asks. “It’s our followers’ ship. There are three more ponies we didn’t see.” “What are they like?” “Three fillies, one Earth pony, one pegasus, and one unicorn.” “Anything notable about them?” “From what I saw, the unicorn one looks to be the white mare’s sister. They’re all in the galley Captain.” “I see, I’m going to have to play by another angle if that’s the case. Have Chopin sketch the new sea dwellers after he’s finished with the main seven.” “Aye-aye, I’m onto it.” “Good.” The bipedal pirate then walks towards the doors to the galley behind him. Upon entering he sees Maria, the white mare combatant from last night, and a slightly older yellow stallion with a long, light blue and purple mane and tail sitting at the table next to each other, staring into each other’s eyes, oblivious to the captain’s arrival. “Maria Vanshwitz, Hans Kraus,” Surprise of his unseen presence, the two crew members stumble from their seats before quickly getting back up and saluting him. They immediately respond, “Yes Captain Korsan?” “Apologies for my intrusion, but I was merely curious of what my crew’s been doing.” “No woes.” Maria quickly replies, “Nothing out of the usual here in the galley nor the kitchen. Isn’t that right Ivan?” “Aye.” A gruff stallion’s voice cheerfully echoes from the kitchen next to the galley. Korsan accidently chuckles to himself as he sees the two desperately trying to keep their secret from him before responding, “No need for such secrecy, I know.” “You do?” The yellow stallion gasps. “Yes.” “I apologize for my unprofessionalism.” “There’s no need to be sorry. I can see that you two have strong affections for each other. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your duties, I respect your relationship.” “Really?” Maria exclaims with joy. “Why yes. We’re not monsters here. We treat love as it is.” “Thank you Captain.” “Your welcome Maria and Hans, I best be going now. I have to do some research in phycology.” “Is this about the mare aboard that Equestrian ship?” “Why yes, it’s been discovered that she has a sister with her as well, something I didn’t anticipate.” “I apologize for my intrusion, but I heard you and Isyan talking about her a few minutes ago. You seem to be attracted to her from what I heard from below deck. I’m not sure a mind attacking scheme will get her to like you Captain, especially with your plans with the Diamond Eye.” The pale mare lowers her head in shame and closes her eyes, awaiting some form of punishment from her leader. However, she instead feels a cold claw caress her chin as her head is being lifted back up to Korsan’s face. The pirate pegasus looks at her with a warm smile as her red pupils reveal themselves to his single icy blue eye. “Don’t feel ashamed, most ponies usually disagree with my ideals. However, I have studied well enough to know what I’m doing. Everything comes down to a basic science, including magic and emotions. If harnessed properly, the world practically kneels down to you. Do you understand?” “Yes Captain, I do understand.” “Good. Now run along you two.” “Yes Captain.” The two crew members reply before quickly marching out the door. However, before Maria reaches halfway out, a pair of metal claws are then felt stroking the back of her neck. “And for future reference, don’t eavesdrop on me when I’m talking with a crewmember privately, especially my cousin. Let’s just say that some consequences are receiving a small buff.” “Aye-aye, Captain…” The mare nervously responds as she leaves the chamber. Now alone in the galley, with only the cook in the adjacent kitchen with him, Korsan begins to slowly pace around the room, examining each of the seats as he walks. “Ivan Voorhees, I have a favor to ask you.” “Aye,” he promptly responds. “Keep an eye out for Maria Vanshwitz, Hans Kraus, and Isyan Maden. If you hear anything fishy from them, report it to me.” “Aye?” “Let’s just say that some ponies are knowing a little too much and talking a little too much. You know the saying for such an occasion.” “Aye…” “Dead pony tells no tales…” “Aye,” “Perhaps, perhaps it is true. Idiots they are if it is.” “Aye,” “Captain!” Ryan exclaims as he bursts into the room. “What?” Korsan asks. “We lost sights of their ship. Chopin was observing them for a while until he had to sketch, but when he looked back into the glass afterwards, they were gone. They seem to have gone another direction.” “Blast…” “What should we do Captain?” “Continue our course to Thieves’ Hold.” “But what about the mare?” “If they could survive the sirens and Kraken of Siren Gulch, chances are set that they’ll reach us eventually. And even if they don’t follow, I have a backup plan.” “Are you leaving this up to fate and a backup plan?” “In a scientific sense. Besides, this will give me plenty of free time to do some research.” “I guess so.” “Let’s just continue with our regular ways, forget that galleon.” “If you say so. By the way, how has progress on the Diamond Eye been?” “Dead ends so far. It turns out that it’s not two halves, but instead two separate Diamond Eyes.” “What?” “They don’t fit together to form one, their edges don’t meet properly. But don’t fret. Our ultimate objective will soon be reached. I just need time and focus.” “If you say so Captain. Oh! One last thing,” “What?” “Well, you didn’t hear this from me, but I’ve heard from Clara that Frankie told Maria told Phlox told Lazarus told Ivan told Lilis told Lotus told Yin told Yu told her that Butch has been considering retirement for a while now.” “Ivan, is this true? Did Lazarus tell you that your partner cook’s been considering it?” The cook humbly responds, “Aye.” “Hm, very well then,” “What are you going to do about it?” Aran asks, “The only other ponies who’ve retired were old Nitin Gale and his daughter. And let’s just say, to be blunt, they haven’t really enjoyed our company since.” “A notable point Aran, I congratulate you. I’ll examine Butch sometime later to come to a conclusion for the old stallion. You’re free to go.” “Okay then Captain.” As the tall pony trots out of the galley, Korsan’s eye looks back at the burly black stallion through the serving window between the galley and the kitchen. Ivan promptly speaks, “Aye…”
Craig Y’ol TimberSeveral days of blind sailing have passed since Twilight and her friends have last seen Korsan’s ship. Now with a fully cloudy sky above their heads, the ten meet up at the galley to discuss their situation. “That’s it,” Rainbow Dash complains, “we lost Korsan.” “Don’t be so glum,” Applejack replies, “We’ll find Thieves’ Hold in time. Right Twilight? You know where we’re going directly to it.” “Well…” Twilight hesitantly answers, “To be honest, I only know the general area of Thieves’ Hold.” “And we are heading to that general direction right?” “Well… I don’t know.” “Are you saying we’re lost?” “Everything looks the same! We’re surrounded by ocean. Despite all of my navigational gear, the ocean will still be the ocean.” “Then why don’t we just go in one direction until we hit land?” Rarity asks. “That might not be a good idea. What if we sail into the Ley Lines again or something equally as dangerous?” Fluttershy replies, “Yeah, maybe we shouldn’t take the risk.” “We’re going to have to take some risk in order to get anywhere.” Rarity retorts. “Maybe we all just need to calm down and think about this more.” Spike suggests. “If only some old pony with a raft came along who understood this ocean like the back of his hoof and helped us.” Pinkie says. “Now that’s just ridiculous,” Rainbow retorts, “now we’ve been through a lot of weird things, but this might take the cake.” “Uh… Dashy,” Fluttershy mumbles. “What?” “I wouldn’t tempt fate.” “What fate? The chances of something like that happening are zilch.” A subtle knocking at the port side of the hull is then heard below the mares. “What’s that?” “Let’s go check it out.” Applejack proclaims, “You three fillies stay in here.” Quickly, the six older mares and Spike charge out to the main deck and look over the side where the knocking is coming from. To their surprise, they see a small wooden platform with a large chest and a small sail in the middle of it. Even more surprising, they see an old Earth pony stallion with a very desaturated green coat of fur and a very white and short mane and tail hitting their ship with a wooden staff. “Excuse me,” Rainbow Dash calls down to the stranger, “can we help you?” “Darn kids,” the old stallion shouts in a withered voice, “keep your darn noise down. I’m trying to take a nap here.” “We weren’t making all that much noise-” “That’s what they all say these days. Listening to that mess of racket they call music.” “Are you lost sir?” Twilight replies. “Do I look lost?” “Uh…” “If anything, you whippersnappers are lost. What were you kids doing messing around in the Ley Lines?” “We were following a pirate named Korsan. Have you seen him?” “He drives this massive floating pirate ship with black sails,” Dash adds, “you can’t miss it.” “That’s a boat?” The old pony mutters, “I thought it was that Discord villain stirring up trouble.” “Discord?” Fluttershy asks, “You know him?” “Everypony does, he’s bringing everything to chaos. You kids would know if your faces weren’t into all of those magazines.” “How old are you even?” Dash rudely asks, having grown tired of his indirect insults. “That’s none of your business. Rude kids…” “Sorry for my friend’s disrespect,” Applejack responds, “you are right. This generation’s going to the dogs.” “You said it. At least somepony’s wise enough around here,” “Yep,” “Applejack,” Twilight whispers to her, “What are you doing?” “I’m trying to get on his good side by using some words that Granny Smith says in her sleep. He knows those Ley Lines we were in, maybe he can help us get to Thieves’ Hold.” “Now if you’ll excuse me,” the stallion speaks, “I’m going back to sleep.” “Actually, can we use your help?” “What is it?” “We’re trying to get to a place called Thieves’ Hold and-” “Thieves’ Hold?!” “Yeah, do you know where it is?” “I do, but I’m not taking you there.” “Why?” “Thieves’ Hold, you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. You kids must be cautious out here at sea. I have a bounty put on my head at that place, ten bits!” “Just ten?” Rainbow interrupts. “Darn kid, quit interrupting me!” “We’re adults by the way.” “Not when I’m through with you.” “What does that even mean?” “Just watch and I’ll take my stick here and put it up-” “Sorry,” Applejack interjects before the stallion could get into the details of his threat, “but it’s a very urgent matter. We’re lost and we need your help sir.” “…” “Please. We won’t let anything bad happen to you when we get to Thieves’ Hold.” “…Fine. Take me up to your steering.” “Thank you mister, uh… What’s your name?” “Craig Y’ol Timber, just call me Craig.” Gently, Twilight grabs the small log raft with her telekinetic magic and hovers it over to the poop deck with her and the others following. Upon landing, Craig slowly walks off his raft with his cane in hoof and approaches the girls walking up the stairs to him. As Rainbow Dash draws within a metre of him, Craig quickly hits her on the head with the end of his cane. “Ow!” Rainbow cries out, backing away and rubbing her head after the hit, “What was that for?” “I don’t like you lot of kids. Dying your hair all sorts of whacky and not brushing, listening to that garbage yous call music, not respecting your elders,” “First off, this is my natural mane and tail. Second, maybe I would respect you if you’d quit being an old fart that smells like-” Before she can finish she is stuck again by the end of the stick. “Stop it!” “Darn kid. Now where’s the rudder?” “Right here sir,” Twilight answers, walking towards the wooden steering wheel. “That’s no rudder, that looks like some oversized toy. Where are the oars even on this thing?” “No, this controls the rudder at the back of this ship. And we don’t need oars, it’s all wind powered.” “You don’t say? That sounds like some newfangled technology.” “It’s been around for centuries.” “How do you steer it?” “Simple, you turn it left to go left and right to go right. I’ll get this thing moving and you can point us in the right direction. Come on Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash?” Looking back towards Craig positioning himself at the wheel, she sees Rainbow Dash blowing a raspberry behind him. However, Dash’s taunt is promptly interrupted by the old stallion grabbing his stick from the ground and bonking her head again. “Blasted kids…” “Come on Rainbow, don’t make it worse.” A small growling can be heard from the blue pegasus as she flies up behind the white sails and begins flapping her wings. With the three winged ponies pushing wind into the sails, the galleon starts to move forward quickly and dart across the sea. “Whoa! Slow down! We’re about to miss the turn.” “What?” Applejack asks in confusion, “Thieves’ Hold’s a fair distance away. You have plenty of time to aim this thing strait at it.” “We’re not going the long way. I may not be in my prime, but I still know a thing or two about speed. Also, can you hit that Rainblow Darn kid with my stick?” “Where are you going?” Rarity worryingly asks. “Open your eyes, we’re taking a shortcut.” “A what?” The three mares with Craig look around the sails and over the bow to see a large whirlpool ahead of them, swirling violently as waves wash over onto the deck. “You mean that spiraling vortex of death?!” “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve done this plenty of times.” “Are you sure it’s safe?” Applejack nervously questions the driver. “Sure as that Crystal Empire garbage is nothing more than a myth.” “Oh dear…” Spike groans. “What? It is.” “Adventure is out there!” Pinkie screams in excitement as the ship enters into the circling water. “Hey you flying ponies up there, yous might want to hang onto something!” “What?” Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy ask, oblivious to what’s going on. However, as the galleon starts to dive down to the black hole of the whirlpool, the three are able to see over the top of the sail and see the spiraling water in front of them. “What the-” “Please keep your hooves, legs, manes, and tails inside the boat at all times!” Frantically, the three fliers dart down to the deck and clutch onto the wooden floor as the entire ship plummets into the abyss. Inside the center of the whirlpool and below the seafloor, the large galleon plummets into a large underground cavern. Landing on a river facing towards the flow of water, the ship pounces forwards into the dark caverns with most of the mares and Spike onboard screaming in terror while the three fillies and Pinkie are instead screaming in joy. “What is this?!” Applejack cries in panic. “Super-fast rivers that flow through an underground system carved out by erosion and pressure. Very round as well. After traveling through these throughout my years at sea, I can go anywhere in the world as I please. Duck,” “Wha-” A large stone spike then appears in the darkness poking from the wall and is heading towards the orange mare. Applejack fanatically ducks as it swipes over her body and shattering the edge railing at her side. “Hm, this ship might be too big. Oh well.” As the vessel continues to speedily careen through the pitch black cave, more stalagmites and stalactites are rammed into, breaking apart the galleon bit by bit. “I regret everything!” Rainbow Dash squeals as she’s tightly hugging Fluttershy, “I regret everything I have ever done! I should’ve never tempted fate!” “Turn it down ya noisy brat, I’m trying to concentrate.” With a sudden turn of the wheel, the boat sharply turns left, grinding it’s keel against the side of the unseen cavern walls as if defying gravity. “I hope you enjoy the loopy-loops.” “The what?!” With another jerk of the steering, the ship then swings over to the other side of the tube-like cave before flipping upside down and grinding against the ceiling of the cave. Eventually however, gravity makes itself known once more as the ship completes the spiral and lands back into the raging current at the bottom. “All I see is black and my life flashing before my eyes!” “Quit your crying you pansy. Just a few more minutes,” Several more minutes pass of the ship darting around in pitch black before being suddenly slowed down by an unseen force. “Almost there, hold your breath.” With Twilight practically glued to the middle mast of the ship, she looks ahead and sees a small light beaming down from ahead, an exit. As they speedily draw closer, the purple alicorn sees that they’re fighting against the current now and that the exit is surrounded by a large waterfall. How will we able to get out? Twilight rapidly thinks to herself, if it’s a whirlpool that got us in here, then it’s going to be another at this point. “Nearly there, hopefully this thing floats like my raft.” As the tip of the bowsprit then pieces the edge of the thick waterfall, the entire front of the vessel jerks down a small bit, but still pushes forwards. Slowly, the ship’s entire front is bathed in water and starts to lift upwards instead. With more and more of the large watercraft entering the thick column of rushing water, the more it leans upwards towards the surface, smacking the ponies onboard with tons of water continuously, yet they continue to hold on with all of their might. Eventually, the entire ship becomes entirely enclosed in water and starts to slowly move upwards against the waterfall and towards the sunlit surface. The onboard crew holds their breath for as long as they can whilst still holding onto the boat in any way conceivable to them. A minute passes before the galleon bursts from the water with an enormous splash and resumes its sailing position on the surface. The mares, Craig, and Spike promptly gasp out for air and relief from their fast-paced travel through the caves, not noticing how the cloud-covered sky has grown increasingly thicker and darker. “Never again,” Dash whimpers, still tightly clutching onto Fluttershy. ”Heh,” Rarity giggles from the poop deck before coughing, “this maybe the first and last time I’ve seen you not want to go fast.” “Oh bug off, you were screaming your head off the entire time.” “And you weren’t?” “Can somepony please remove Dash off of me,” Fluttershy groans as the large weight continues to tightly hold on her side, “she’s getting heavy.” “I feel sick,” Spike moans with his face planted into the wet deck. “That was awesome!” Pinkie loudly cheers, making the old stallion beside her cringe. “Let’s do it again!” “Yeah!” The voices of the three fillies call out from below. “No, we’re not doing it again.” Twilight stridently replies, “I need to check around and see how much damage has been done. From first glances alone, Princess Celestia’s going to be furious.” “She won’t be if she’s still dating that mutant guard.” Craig Y’ol Timber responds as he slowly descends from the wheel. “What are you-” Applejack responds before realizing what the answer will most likely be, “Never mind. Craig, how come nopony’s ever known about that cave system other than you?” “Meh, most ponies actively avoid the whirlpools. And those who do, well, you know the answer.” “I under-” “They die.” “…stand…” “Big, red, dead,” “Well,” Twilight yells out, circling around the ship in the air, “A snapped mast, most of our remaining sails torn, large holes in the upperparts of the hull, two thirds of our cannons gone, a missing keel, a busted rudder, the bowsprit broken halfway through, most of the paint competently gone, nearly all of the railing broken, and I don’t even want to know how much has broken inside. Thieves’ Hold better be real close.” “Behold, Thieves’ Hold. Tartarus on Earth,” Slowly, everypony on board turns to starboard and sees Thieves’ Hold only a kilometre away from them. Covered in a thin veil of fog, it is a large collection of tall stone stacks clustered together in a vast area of water. Small wooden buildings with faint lights can be seen elevated high above the water, built into the large rock towers, connected to each other by tiny rope bridges swaying in the cold breeze. At sea level at each of the columns of stone is a small ring of sharp rocks jutting out, ready to pierce anything that gets to close, with some rings already having several small, decrepit ships trapped inside them. “There it is,” “Well, I better get going, help me get this thing into the water.” Gently, the old Earth pony grabs his staff and hops onto his raft, unscaved after all it has been through. As Twilight lifts the raft and sends it back down onto the ocean, she speaks, “Thank you Craig, we’ll never forget what you did for us.” “You’re welcome. Now how about a little push towards the whirlpool?” “Yes sir.” With a flick of her horn, Craig’s raft immediately starts to drift towards the swirling water behind the galleon. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike, Twilight, and Rarity walk towards the railless edge of the deck and wave goodbye. Rainbow Dash however flies down and hovers over the raft, rudely blowing a raspberry at Craig, only to get hit in the air by his staff being thrown at her and immediately retreat back to the safety of her ship. “Darn kid!” Soon, the old stallion’s raft sinks down into the black hole of the whirlwind, leaving the team to enter Thieves’ Hold as the night soon arrives.
Lord of the HornsNow alone within a pitch black and musty room, armed with only a small lantern to light up whatever’s half a metre in front of her, Twilight finds herself adventuring into the basement area of the abandoned shack on this seemingly deserted island. As the purple alicorn blindly wanders throughout the unknown, her mind races as to contemplate what she saw from the picture she revealed. “It was a map of the known world,” Twilight mutters to herself with the handle of her light tightly wrapped around by her lips and teeth, “one that extended out towards the west and beyond the Outer Kingdoms. It even accurately depicted the fabled Old World, somewhere that has only been mentioned in legends. Barely any pony has ever even dared ventured out there, let alone charted it due to its dangerous weather and tales of horrific monsters. So how did this stallion do it? And what was with the red writing, ‘Where is it?’ scribbled all over it?” Twilight’s verbal recap is interrupted however by a sharp smacking on her forehead. The pony shrieks in pain and backs up, dropping the lamp onto the floor. Rubbing her now pulsing headache, Twilight looks at what hit her and sees it’s another lantern, hanging from some ceiling boards. She grabs a nearby stick and sticks it into her fallen lamp, lighting the end of it on fire. The disabled alicorn then holds the burning up and into this new lantern and lights it up as well. To her surprise, it has a lot of oil inside of it and the light immediately illuminates a large portion of the room. There, Twilight can see she’s in the center of a massive chamber with a massive underground dock running along one side of the room. The floor, walls, and ceiling around the fair is made of chiseled stone and covered in vines and tiny brown mushrooms. Seeing eight more unlit lamps surrounding her in the dark, Twilight quickly lights them up as well before flinging her burning stick into the artificial river. After doing so, the curious mare looks over to a large, sleek, ship sitting in the middle of the dock, anchored to a wooden post on the basement floor. It has three massive dark grey sails attached to three stubby masts that almost cover the entire top of the grey and blue painted vessel. The ship is no higher than ten metres tall and twenty metres wide, but has an odd length of just over fifty metres in length. Sporting only five cannons on each side and barely enough room for storage, a galley, and a single cabin, Twilight is intrigued by the odd water vehicle. “This thing looks like a racing boat.” Squinting her eyes towards the bow, Twilight reads the inscribed title of the ship, “Lightning Rod,” The exploring pony then looks behind her at the rest of the basement area and sees a long table aligned to the opposite wall, covered in dusty papers and books strewn all over. Interested at this new sight, Twilight walks across the blank middle of the room and her dropped lamp, which has already died out, and reaches the long wood table. Upon closer inspection, several maps and charts can be seen covering every inch of the behind wall, all coated in a layer of black ink stains and red letters and symbols. Jumping up and down, the enthusiastic pirate Korsan bolts into his bedroom with the Diamond Eyes in his claws and darts across to a large golden organ next to a giant king-sized bed. He sees that the organ’s keys are moving on their own and hears its bellowing music being played. With a mightly swing of his hind leg, the automatic organ stops and a small switch on the side next to the bed flips upwards. “I need silence!” The captain barks before hurrying into the library behind the bedroom. Shoving away all previous items on the main table onto the floor, Captain Korsan sets the halves down together at the far end of the table and grabs a lit lamp at the side of his chair. He holds it up to the ceiling with on hoof, grabs his crossbow with the other, and fires a bolt into the handle, lodging it into the wooden ceiling. The brown stallion then swipes several books from nearby bookshelves and creates four towers with them, stacking them up to two thirds from the table to the roof. Korsan immediately darts back to the Diamond Eyes and gently sets them on top of the book towers on top of each other, casting the white glowing symbols onto the golden tabletop. “Where’s the Ancient Trihearth language reference book?!” Twilight looks over the open books at the center of the table directly below one of the lit lanterns and reads what appears to be a journal entry. Day 186 of Exploration Exhibition #4 of Madenison Island Over the past weeks, I have been searching the seas for signs of the ancient island kingdoms of Trihearth across all exterior tier waters of the Old World. Although I have not found the legendary island, I have found something even better. On my travels, I have uncovered a Rosetta Stone at the bottom of a trench, one that translates the writings of the ancient citizens of Trihearth to its most recent incarnation that has been passed down by the Cystic Family, a family to have claimed roots in the elusive island multi-nation, for generations… “There it is!” Korsan calls out in joy as he grabs a red woven book near the top of a shelf. With the tip of his claw holding the top of it, the pirate flings it down and grabs it with his hind claws. He then hobbles over to his chair and tosses it up to his upper claws as he sits down. Rarity pears through the door to the library left open and watches her captor wriggle like a foal as he pries the old writings open from their years of abandonment on a shelf. “Let’s see, let’s see, where to start…” Why I bring this up is not only a matter of history, or anthropology, but of another legend that has been rumoured across land, sea, and air. Alicorn Island, one of the most well-known, but incredibly unknown locations on our world, if it even exists on our world. It is said that anypony to come in mere contact with its treasured water at the center of it will gain the angelic flight of a pegasus, the arcane magic of a unicorn, and the earthly power of an Earth Pony. However, this is purely rumour and speculation, and we don’t know the true effects of the mystic waters or its application methods. The only ponies said to know of the true details of the island were the ancients of Trihearth that were slowly forgotten as later generations of the Trihearth ponies came around and eventually wiped out completely by the fabled sinking of the island. However, with this discovery, we may be able to find the truth about the island. And perhaps, even gain from its unknown magic properties linked to it… “Finally, finally! After so many years of searching and searching, I finally have the means of which to find that island, give me what I deserve, and fix everything. I will finally make my family proud of me! I know it, they’ll be so proud once I show them my magic. They’ll forgive me, they’re glorify me, they’ll respect me, they’ll accept me. And with my ship, my crew, and my complete self, we shall do great things for the world, I know it. Mother, father, brother, sister, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandmothers, grandfathers, all of my ancestors, this is the day of Korsan Arasinda Maden’s true birth!” Perhaps even my own family can benefit from it. My nephew, pity his soul, has been born of a dire deformation. And although my kin have come to terms with it, the poor lad will never truly be accepted as one of us. And although my efforts of trying to lift the colt’s spirits are worthy, even my own son and wife have come to despise him for his ill fate. If the powers of Alicorn Island hold true however, I may be able to save my nephew, and rewrite his fate. Only time and fate will tell. -Alexander Tas Maden “Maden?!” Twilight stampers upon reading the authour’s last name. Frantic to find some more insight about this relative of Korsan, Twilight flips through the pages of the journal, only seeing several crossed out notes, equations, and absolutely destroyed pages before finally coming across another written entry. “Almost there,” Korsan cheers as he rapidly flips through the pages of the shedding book, “just have to find the right pages.” Day 911 of Exploration Exhibition #4 of Madenison Island It’s no use, despite countless attempts and workarounds for over two years, I can’t uncover the secrets of Alicorn Island. And it’s too late as well. From what I’ve heard via letter, my nephew, he, ran away a few weeks ago and never came back. I’ve consider returning, but to what? My wife and son probably won’t recognize me since I’ve been gone for so long, I’ve lost all of my assets in Equestria, and my brother, my only brother, disappeared as well just a week ago. I may not be able to live with myself after this has all happened. I may abandon this shack and live amongst nature as a mindless animal to escape this insanity I can’t bear. Whoever finds this, if you find me alive, leave me be. If you find me dead, tell no pony. Tell no pony that I even existed actually. What are you even doing here anyways? Leave! The more you gain interest in the Alicorn Island, the more you destroy your own life! LEAVE!!! -Alexander Tas Maden Listen, if you’re still reading this. If you still want to pursue the Alicorn Island. There’s nothing I can do to stop you. Instead, let me make it easier on you, perhaps give you less time to realize that you’re just wasting yourself doing this. In the event in which the original book is not here, I have made several copies of the Rosetta Stone in book format and donated them to some of the most backwoods black markets in the world. There you’ll find the translator. However, what you need to find, and what I didn’t find, is an artifact, a map, that’ll lead you to Alicorn Island. I don’t know where it would be, but knowing the ancient rituals and cultures of Trihearth, it will be difficult to find. No matter how much reverse engineering you do, no matter how hard you try to find some loophole, another clue, or just empty searching you do, you’ll never find that wretched island. May good luck fall upon you, whether you do find it, or just realize that it’s a waste of time. -I Don’t Exist “Oh my gosh…” Twilight gasps, “I’m so sorry for you sir, wherever you are.” Next to the journal is an old red book, opened up to a random set of pages. Looking at the symbols, Twilight immediately recognizes them as the symbols that come from the Diamond Eyes. “Don’t worry Alexander, you’re work’s not going in vain.” Using her memory to recall the symbols and her studies of the language of Trihearth passed down by the Cystic Family, Twilight begins to decode the map. “In the blackest of night, And the empty of gone, Stands one splendid island, Known Alicorn Island,” “Beyond distorts of space, Beyond sand grains of time, Past creature of great length, And thinnest of all paths,” “All inside a grand trench, Of no magic nor flight, To be called as a leak, To be known as the Breach,” “And inside the dark heart, And through a second pulse, Thou will find the treasure, Of Alicorn Island,” “Blessed be you many things, The wings of gentle flight, The power of the earth, The divine magic horn,” “Applied to thou as said, Taketh one single touch, By hair or meat and flesh, And do within post haste,” “Which all be given you, As the moon strikes the sun, And the sun strikes the moon, In unified balance,” “But take heed this warning, Thy Equivalence Law, Reigns above all no stock, What form or fate you hold,” “If thou passes the creed, And takes to his new form, Then fate shall then ensue, No matter of thy past,” “As all is said and done, Then thou art free to go, To pursue the riches, Known Alicorn Island.” “So it’s there.” Korsan slumps back into his chair upon finishing the translation to process what he has read, still oblivious to Rarity’s presence. “The Breach, I would’ve never figured it be there. From our current position, that would at least require two weeks. Will my crew even be willing to go there? It’s a forsaken death trap.” “The Breach?” Rarity’s voice whispers out loud. The captain leaps from his chair in surprise and quickly notices his partner peeping from the doorway. “Oh, it’s only just you.” “Sorry.” “Apologies are on my part, I should’ve been paying attention. What was your question?” “The Breach, what is that?” As the caped stallion replies, he reaches over to a shelf behind his chair and pulls out a thick, black book, “The Breach is… well… No pony really knows what it is. Some claim it’s a portal to Tartarus, others say it’s a sacred gateway to a place beyond and worse Tartarus, certain tales call it the mouth of a great beast, obscure folk lore points to it as the edge of the world. The best science can come up with is that it’s some form of chaotic rip in the fabric of reality. Either way you look at it, the Breach is a giant, bottomless canyon that spells out trouble for anypony or anything even close to it.” The educated pirate gently opens the book and holds it up to Rarity, showing a wall of text on one page and a sketch of what appears to be a large, black crack in the middle of some ocean on the other open page. The white mare loudly gulps on sight of the large abyss presented. “See, impossible for fear to not strike your heart.” “So does that mean you’re going to give up?” In instinctive response, the stallion slams the book close with his claws. “No, I’ve gone too far.” Twilight stumbles backwards from the table as the chants of the verbal map and the shrills of headaches echo in her head. “The Breach?” The purple mare mutters to herself, “So that’s where Korsan’s going to go as soon as he figures it out, if he hasn’t figured it out already.” Recalling from her first entry of the shack, an idea comes to Twilight’s head and she immediately heads towards the ladder. Returning to the front room, the excited pony returns to the map she saw and locates a large black crack in the Old World section of the map. In small text, it reads, ‘The Breach’. Twilight then bolts back down into the basement area and runs towards the docked boat. She grabs the rope around the pole and pulls it, releasing the ship, and quickly hops behind the stone wheel. Lightning Rod lightly bashes into the sides of the underground port a few times before quickly accelerating into the cave tunnels ahead by its own accord. With the sun now dipping into the sea at the horizon, and the moon now rising for the night, The Perfection’s kitchen gains a moody glow as the red light from the torches, furnaces, and other heat-operated artifacts clash against the silky white and blue radiance of the moon. At one of the several preparation tables, Sweetie Belle and Ivan Voorhees are cooking a large stew while Butch Taylor is sifting through the inventory against the inner wall with his back turned away from the windows and his fellow cook’s backside. “So now the pepper?” Sweetie Belle asks the hulking massive black stallion chopping onions next to her. “Aye.” He replies. “Wait, Burgundy or Ayleen?” “Ay-” “Oh wait, I remember, the Ayleen.” “Aye.” “This is actually a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be.” “Aye.” “Do you do this every day?” “Aye.” “Is it difficult?” “…Aye.” “But I guess it’s worth it from what I’ve heard. Yin and Yu told me about all sorts of adventures you guys have, not just pillaging, but those as well do sound fairly impressive.” “Aye.” “Also that ‘joyride’ that happened a while ago. It was like being on a massive roller coaster. It was awesome.” “Aye.” “I wish my friends were with me to experience it though.” “Aye.” “Well, tough luck,” Butch replies back in a solemn voice, “The captain isn’t all that accepting of non-unicorns hopping on his boat. Unless they’re prisoners,” “Aye.” “Wait,” Sweetie Belle asks in confusion, “Aren’t you, I don’t know, supposed to be strong followers to whatever your leader’s intentions are?” “Listen,” the large blue pirate retorts, “most of us aren’t as, determined, as Korsan is with his plans. We pretty much see this as a better lifestyle than being in a rut. But that doesn’t mean we’re barbarians or something like that. Hey, Ivan, I’m going to check on the potatoes. Got that?” “Aye.” Ivan stoically answers as he continues to cut onions. “Thanks.” The grey and white haired stallion then walks around Sweetie and Ivan and heads down the nearby stairway into the cellar below. “Aye.” The small filly looks back at Ivan and notices his stiff face. She asks, “Are you seriously not crying from this?” “Aye.” “Huh, cool.” Shortly later, whilst Sweetie is finishing her pit of stew, several distinct voices faintly echo from the cellar and catches her ear. The foal immediately recalls those exact voices from several hours ago when she, Rarity, and Slasher, were in the gardens. Curious of what they’re saying now, the filly creeps towards the large stairs and listens in. “Has anypony seen the captain recently,” a familiar mare calls out from an unseen sector of the chamber, “he seems to be a lot more chipper than recent. Could it be because of that mare, Rarity? I mean, he even showed her around his private stash.” “I know,” a second older mare replies, “even when Korsan was hitting on November, he never showed her his treasure gallery.” “Please don’t remind me of that wench.” “That’s not important to the matter we’re here for,” the voice from the second stallion from before speaks, “so, did you clean up our last attempt?” “I did,” the third stallion crankily replies, “How was I supposed to know that Korsan would be pulling another joyride at this point?” “None of us did. At least none of the other crew members are in the know of what we tried to pull off.” “May I suggest for the option of another means of dealing with our target?” Butch’s aging voice booms in response. In an instant, Sweetie Belle realizes that he’s the first stallion she heard from their previous meeting. “That may be the case. Korsan’s already discovered the secrets of the Diamond Eye. We’ll being heading out to locate Alicorn Island any second now and we may never be able to strike as soon as the captain becomes an alicorn.” “Perhaps we can use Rarity to our advantage.” The first mare suggests. “That’s ridiculous. Even with Rarity on our side, he’ll be able to notice any direct advances onto him just like anyone of the lot of us.” “Have any better ideas?” The second mare rudely asks. “A storm,” “A storm?” “Whilst everypony is busy during a heavy storm, we make our move and give that quill-pusher a taste of his own medicine, by pushing him.” “Huzzah!” Butch proclaims. “Wait,” the first stallion asks, “What about Slasher?” “That pipsqueak? Don’t worry, she won’t be stepping out of line now that she’s with us.” A quiet series of roars and cheers erupt from the unseen sectors of the cellar. Having heard quite enough, Sweetie Belle stampers up towards Ivan, but stops half way as a chilling thought comes to her head. Wait, she thinks, what if he’s in on this too? What if whoever this crewmember is deserves this? If I tell him, what’s going to happen to me? I should probably stay quiet for now. “What if I join his crew, and gain the ability to truly protect my family?”
Celestial InterventionThe following week, the roaring cracks of thunder roar across the stormy skies over the vast ocean that Thieves’ Hold sits on. Like a waterfall, rivers of rain pour from the dark heavens onto the stone stacks that tower of the raging waters below. On the rock tower where a popular tavern once stood, only the wooden foundation of it now remains, hovering over the edge of the steep cliff. However, it is not abandoned, as a massive construction event is unfolding on the isle. As the rain pours down and the thunder cracks, hundreds of ponies are bustling around the platform with all sorts of building material on them. Wooden planks, logs, furniture, iron rods, lamps, stone blocks, and several miscellaneous items are being thrown around the area as the sounds of roaring pirates and heaving workers fill the air. At the balcony, currently undergoing reconstruction as well by pegasi and unicorns, a dark blue unicorn mare and an indigo unicorn stallion are observing a soaked scroll lay across a small crate. On the scroll are several schematics and blue prints of a very large building. “These look great Dad!” The young mare cheers to the older stallion. He jokingly replies, “Thank you November, though I’m not sure if our budget will handle this.” “Ten million bits?” The two then glance over to the giant crate behind them, brimming with golden coins shining in the rain. They laugh in glee upon seeing the gold as a green Earth pony with a set of three long logs on his back approaches them. “Who am I kidding? Ha, ha!” “Mr. Gale.” The large stallion calls. “Hm? Oh yes Jarvis, place those next to Cecil.” “Yes Mr. Gale.” “Please, just call me Nitin.” “Okay then.” As the two ponies return to their blueprints, the green stallion trots over towards the back of the growing foundation and heads towards a blue pegasus lifting several other logs up and fitting them through round holes in the floor. “Hey Cecil.” The hovering stripe shirted stallion looks down and sees Jarvis with the three logs on his back. “Hey Jarvis,” The pegasus replies, “put them with the others.” “Need some help?” “Sure, help me get this stubborn bugger in.” Quickly, Jarvis walks up to the tall log Cecil is holding up and pushes his hooves down against the sides of the wooden tower. The log slowly begins to lower into its tight hole. “There we go…” “Quite a lot of rain we’re getting.” “Oh please, this is nothing compared to what’s going on in the northwest.” “What’s going on there?” “There’s a massive hurricane forming in that region, rumours are spreading around that an entire ocean’s worth of water will be pourin’ there. This is merely the edge of it.” “Pity for anypony who’s sailing there.” “Speaking of sailing, where’s Maurice?” “I don’t know.” “He ditched us when Korsan left.” “He probably left knowing that we as a group would stick around to rebuild the bar.” “Perhaps.” As the massive vertical beam is set in place, a massive flash of blue light bursts from beside the two stallions. The blinding glow dies down immediately, revealing a small red unicorn in his casual back suit and top hat. “Maurice!” “What’s up you slacker?” “Guys!” The excited stallion exclaims. “I’ve just scored a big one!” “How big?” “I just looted a mailing ship headed from Equestria to Cervidas with me crew!” “You what?!” “Yeah!” “Maurice!” Cecil scolds the bouncing pony. “Do you realize that you committed one of the biggest federal crimes between two of the largest military kingdoms? We’re pirates, but even we draw the line when it comes to mail. That’s too much of a risk.” “Relax, the ship’s crew barely knew what hit them. I even got a few of the more de luxe letters.” “And tampering with the mail?!” “Hey, check out this one butt kisser’s letter to the king.” “You’re ridiculous,” Maurice takes a moment to clear his throat before reading out loud to his fellow rivals with benefits. “To Ceres, King of Cervidas, My liege, I have the honor to inform you that the power of Equestria has been exaggerated to a degree that beggars belief. This evening I had the pleasure of witnessing a band of thieves make off with Equestria's greatest treasure during their annual gala despite the presence of a company of elite soldiers and all four of the alicorn Princesses. This theft was not carried out, lest you be misinformed by others, by darkness or by subterfuge, but by sheer force of arms. Their guards were overwhelmed despite superior numbers and their Highnesses were undone by the bandits' leader, who defeated them alone and unaided. Having seized their prize, the thieves left, victorious and of their own accord, apparently having deemed it not worth their while to take neither hostages nor plunder - nor indeed seize - the city. Should my words fail to do justice to this night's events, I have included with this letter photographs which I was able to take whilst the focus of the room was on our unexpected guests. I should emphasize to your majesty that these thieves were neither creatures of darkness nor bearers of enchanted arms, but mere mortal ponies of an ordinary sort. Therefore, I implore your majesty to, with haste, gather together what soldiers you may, and set sail fo-” “Okay, okay, I’ve heard enough.” “That sounds a lot like that one raid Korsan did in Equestria.” Jarvis proclaims. “That was three weeks ago right?” “Four weeks.” Maurice corrects the blue pegasus. “I think.” “Why would a mailing ship be at least three weeks late?” “I don’t know. The ship was being a little suspicious.” “Whatever, just get rid of the letters you took before some official catches you.” “We’re in the middle of nowhere, who’s going to find us?” “Probably the same lot as that group with Pinkie,” “Oh yeah!” Jarvis exclaims. “I remember her.” “We all do. She’s the reason this place is getting upgraded, no, fixed for once.” “Hey, when do you think she’ll come back?” “No clue. Maybe Maurice will attack another mail ship and find a letter that’ll answer your question.” “It was just out there in the open!” Maurice retorts. “I wasn’t going against an armada or anything.” “You may as well be trying to pick a fight with Korsan.” Jarvis replies. “Actually,” Cecil asks, “where has he been? We’ve been here for about a month and we haven’t seen one sign of him.” “Wasn’t he busy with something involving some diamonds, an island, and being able to use magic?” “If I recall correctly, yeah…” “Do you think he found what he’s been looking for?” “Knowing him,” the red unicorn answers, “probably.” “What’s going to happen to us then?” “He’s probably going to try and kill us or something. I say we split this place when the bloke finally snaps and hide until the heat dies down.” “What about November and Nitin? Shouldn’t we stick around help out with the new bar?” “Hey, I didn’t say Korsan did find whatever he’s looking for to start his blood campaign now. I’m just saying in case it does happen.” “When do you think that’ll be?” “Probably long before I get caught for this mail job.” “Don’t tempt fate Maurice.” “Oh please, as I said, we’re in the middle of nowhere-” Suddenly, a massive object soars over the trio as well as the rest of the working ponies, casting a frightening shadow across the foundation and catching their attention. They all look up to see the object and the white glow surrounding it as it starts to lower by the balcony. “Is that Korsan?” “It can’t be,” Cecil replies, “it’s too small. It’s not even glowing green or has sails.” “A zeppelin?” Soon, other smaller blimps hover over the stone towers and surround the larger leading airship. “An armada of airships? Only large military kingdoms would have-Oh dear.” “You have messed up big time now.” “Hey, you’re all going down with me. We’re all pirates here. Also, when we get to prison, I’ll be the one who gets the soap first.” Most of the pirates stand frozen as the larger zeppelin parks itself at the edge of the overhand. Its large side door opens and a long ramp extends from the dark inside to the balcony of the bar. November and her father prepare to pull out their weapons on them as dark figures emerge from the dirigible’s cabin and step onto the ramp. “Who’s this?” Nitin sternly asks. Two of the figures walk across the ramp and reveal themselves by the light of the lightning strikes that dance across the night clouds. They are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both garbed in thick, extravagant armour that covers them from head to tail, one in gold and white, the other in black and blue. “The princesses of Equestria?!” The bar maiden gasps upon seeing the powerful alicorns before her very eyes. Maurice yells out to the two from the other side of the rock stack, “I wasn’t the one that tampered with your mail! It was Korsan!” “How did you all even-” The white alicorn interrupts her with a powerful message, “We received a letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle that detailed for us to come to this location and enlist the help of all of you.” “Who?” Cecil shouts out. “Twilight Sparkle. She says you all know her.” “…” “…What did the letter say? Oh! Pinkie Pie’s friend-” “Pinkie Pie! This came from Pinkie’s friend?!” “Uh… yes?” Luna answers, slightly confused by the abnormal connotation. “This is important! Everypony shut up and listen to these two!” “Okay then…” November humbly asks the two great mares, “What does Twilight need help with?” Celestia responds, “She says you all know Captain Korsan, correct?” “Yes ma’am.” “He’s about to begin his global campaign to wipe out all pegasi and Earth ponies. Twilight and her friends need all of our help to stop him.” “Fight against Korsan?!” “Yes.” Nitin glances back towards the frozen pirate workers before speaking, “We’re in.” “Hey!” An old, cranky voice faintly sounds off from underneath the airships at the waters below. “Will all of you keep the noise down?” “Who’s that?” “If all of you don’t shut up so I can get to sleep, this here cane’s going to have a word with all of y’all!” Another week passes on the open seas. With the sounds of a ferocious storm brewing outside roaring into the galley of The Perfection, Rarity, Maria, and Sweetie Belle quietly sneak into the armoury from the screaming galley. Although having looted this room on several occasions before, hundreds of sharp weapons and articles of armour still hang from the walls and stands. Quickly, the trios of mares get to work by sifting through the stockpile and grabbing as many good items as their magic can hold. As Rarity searches through a pile of battle undergarments, she comes across a red silk dress that appears to have been misplaced. “Huh.” Rarity remarks as she scans the dainty clothing. “This is odd.” “What is?” Maria asks from the other side of the room. “This. It looks nice, but it is out of place in an armoury.” The red maned mare turns her head around just in time to see Rarity flick the dress in the air to fluff it. “Look out!” “Wha-” As the floating garment snaps and fluffs, several large spikes suddenly extend from the near invisible seems of the slick dress. Surprised, Rarity drops the dress and backs away into the corner, never taking her eyes off of the now dangerous object. “Have you never heard of a trap dress?” “Only in story books, I never thought they were real.” “Of course they’re real. Sheesh, and Korsan thought he could train you to be a killer.” “It was only two weeks, I could be a decent fighter.” “I could so be. But this is not the time to squabble. I’ll just fix this thing and add it to my pile. This is our last run into the armoury before the attack.” Carefully, Rarity picks up the spiked garment with her magic and proceeds to flick it once more. “Not like that!” The dress snaps once more, immediately firing metal spikes in every direction. A needle flies directly at Maria, but she ducks in time and the spike strikes the wooden wall behind. Several barely miss Sweetie Belle as she scampers behind a shield in a worried panic. One of them soars into the galley and smashes a large window, creating an earsplitting shriek to ring across the entire quarterdeck. “Oops…” “You are such an idiot!” “Well sorry, I didn’t know it was going to do that!” “Ivan or somepony is going to come in here any second and catch us!” “Aye.” A large, booming voice replies from the doorway. The three mares look over to see the massive black stallion walking into the room and approaching Maria.” Maria immediately begins to panic, but calms down in order to talk to the chef in a laidback tone, “Oh, hey Ivan, sorry about the window. You forgive me right?” “Aye.” Ivan coldly replies with his usual stoic answer. “I was just showing Rarity some of our newer weapons and letting her test one or two of them.” “Aye.” “So yeah, how about you hurry along back to the kitchen and prepare some supper for us? How about letting Sweetie Belle help ya?” “…Aye.” “Look, I’ve just been a bit jumpy from the storm and the dress problem, nothing more.” “…Aye.” “Just get back to your job and quit snooping.” Maria snaps, returning into her equally cold attitude. “Aye.” Stiffly, the large unicorn backs out of the armoury and returns to the adjacent kitchen. “Sweetie Belle, follow him.” “Okay,” the frightened filly answers before galloping after Ivan. “Alright Rarity, he better make ourselves scarce. Take these weapons into the brig with the others while I return this place to normal.” “Got it.” Rarity replies. With a flick of her horn, the couple of piles of weapons are levitated into a single floating ball of metal, wood, and cloth. She then quickly walks out of the armoury with the ball in tow and heads down towards the bottom of the ship, leaving Maria all alone. “Idiot, but I do pity her. She’s been through quite a bit, like me…” As the white mare frantically removes the needles from the walls, ceiling, and floor, a cold breeze washes over the room. Maria doesn’t pay mind to this and continues to clean up, stuffing all of the metal objects into a chest in the corner of the room. With her back turned against the rest of the room, she carefully places the misplaced artifacts in a non-suspicious area of the box, already filled with kunai daggers and other throwing knives. Just as she’s about to finish the job, two cold, metal fingers run across her cheek, sending a feeling of instant terror all across her pale body. A menacing, yet icy voice then whispers to the back of her head, “Maria Vanshwitz.” Without turning around, knowing of what her fate will be when she does, Maria coldly replies to the voice, “…You.” “And your favourite fellow crew member.” “The clown?” “Mime, he gets easily offended so you know.” “I know what you want.” “Do you now?” “What else? You want to kill me, maybe torture me for a good while.” “You would want that, wouldn’t you?” “What are you talking about?” “Don’t play coy with me. You want to put yourself out of your misery. Forget this pain you currently have deep inside you.” “What misery? The only thing close to misery I have is resentment towards you.” “Good, you still have that cynical sense of humour mixed in with that sassy attitude. I'm glad. I did so want you to be at your best for what I’m about to say to you. You see, it doesn't matter if you stop me and kill me with whatever amount of magic you’ll have. I’ll be proven right. Insane you may say? You claim that I am not even a pony anymore, but more of a suicidal monster? Well then you’d be wrong Miss Vanshwitz. I've proved my point to you, thanks to your own self. I've demonstrated there's no difference between me and everypony else! All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest pony alive to lunacy and treading in the darkest shadows of existence. That's how far the world is from where we are. Just one bad day. You had a bad day once, am I right? I know I am. I can tell. You had a bad day and everything changed. It was the day you and Hans broke up after you fully joined Faction to kill me? He practically resented you ever since then, even now as we speak two weeks later. You had a bad day, and it drove you as crazy as everypony else who’s suffered such a terrible loss, thinking that love and life is pointless, only you won't admit it! You have to keep pretending that life makes sense, that there's some point to all this struggling! And now you make it all the more evident and obvious by joining this second uprising? By Tartarus, you make me want to puke. I mean, what is it with you? What made you what you are now? Some promise of Hans’ returning love? The threat of this ‘fear’ that everypony on this ship has been gossiping about? Experiences from your past somehow motivating you? Perhaps a different bad day? Something like that, I bet. Something like that. Something like that happened to me, I’m sure you know I had a bad day. I... I'm not exactly sure what it was. Not sure which day, what event, what mindset I even was in when I finally snapped. I’ve had my fair share of breakdowns, but I can never recall which was the last straw. Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another, sometimes two weeks ago, when Isyan removed my eyepatch, sometimes twenty years ago when I was only a wee colt and being rejected by my family. If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice! Ha-ha-ha! But my point is... my point is, I went crazy. When I saw what a black, awful joke the world was in this ludicrous state, I went crazy a coot! I admit it! Why can't you? I mean, you're not unintelligent. You must see the reality of the situation. Do you know how many lives I can heal from the struggling of inferiority? Plenty more than I can count! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Don’t you see it? It's all a joke! Everything everypony ever valued or struggled for, struggled for in this pathetic, downgraded planet, it's all a monstrous, demented gag! So why can't you see the funny side, or any side that makes at least some sense? Either you’re mad, or you’ve just haven’t accepted the punchline. Why aren't you laughing?" “Because I’ve heard this a million times from you, I’ve heard that pointless speech each and everytime you open your dumb mouth, and it wasn’t funny the first time. You want me to laugh after having a bad day? Fine, you’ll get one. You’ll get one from me and everypony else when your dead corpse is hanging from the highest mast of this ship. We’ve all had enough of your garbage, sooner or later, all of us are going to want to see you as dead as your cousin.” “Perhaps it’s the mares now in the brig that are causing this, this corruption? What do you say Chopin? Juliana? My thought exactly. Hans Kraus?” Maria gasps as the corner of her left eye catches a glimpse of the larger yellow stallion standing behind her. “Hans?!” “I never said you were correct about your favourite…” “Hans! You don’t need to give into Korsan!” “How adorable is this?! It’s a pity really. Hans was so desperate in wanting you too. We all heard it on Alicorn Island. But, when you joined Faction, as I said, that was his final straw, as well as yours shortly later.” “No… No! Hans! Tell me it isn’t true!” “…” “…No…” Warm tears can soon be felt flowing down the white mare’s red cheeks. Maria weeps as she feels her hope soon die in the most gruesome of ways. “Your illusion is shattered my dear, and so will everypony else’s once the first cannon is fired.” “Please, if you’re going to kill me, or torture me, just do it now.” “…I have a different idea. After finishing my newest weapon one or two weeks ago, I’ve been begging fate to find me a new use for this ‘pinpoint-control’ technology, to extend the prowess of my mechanical control to not just be limited to my muscles. Then, I found out a brilliant idea! What would’ve taken two months has now only taken a fortnight. Call it a stroke of genius regarding a new perspective I am now seeing. And this brilliant idea has your name written all over it. Hans, Chopin, take Maria to my quarters and ‘suit’ her up with my newest device. I got some business to take care of involving some very naughty mares.” In the brig, Rarity, Twilight, and all the other members of Faction Two are gathered up, circled around the large pile of weapons and armoured suits. The twenty ponies, all at once, are rummaging through the pile and putting on as much as they can. They know the final battle is within minutes away, and that this is their last stand. “Hurry up,” Twilight proclaims, “the moment for us to strike is here!” “Come on!” Rainbow Dash exclaims as she stuffs her head into a thick metal helmet. “Hurry!” “What happened to waiting for Princess Celestia?” Fluttershy asks as she grabs a small sword in her mouth. “We’ll run into her pretty soon, I saw a few scouting pegasi from her armada a few hundred kilometres ahead of us just a few hours ago. We’re going to have to get the jump on Korsan first to throw him and his crew off before they spot Celestia and try to stop her.” “We were just caught by Ivan,” Rarity speaks, “we’re running out of time.” Soon, everypony is suited up and ready to fight. In rows, side by side, the small army marches towards the stairs at the end of the brig. “Alright everypony,” Applejack loudly declares, “we’ve been gettin’ ready for this moment for two entire weeks. Now is the time that we fight for what’s right, and save the world from the evil clutches of Korsan!” “Yeah!” The others roar in triumph. “Are you all ready?!” Pinkie Pie cheers. “Yeah!” “Is anypony having second thoughts?” Fluttershy asks. “No!” “Will we make them know who we are?!” Rainbow Dash roars. “Yeah!” “Louder!” Spike screams. “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” “Are you all tired of Korsan’s tyranny?” Rarity asks. “Are you all sick of the shame he has caused to all of you? Do you wall want to turn a new leaf? Do you all want to be heroes? I say, do you want equality to all?!” “Yeah!” Twilight finishes off the motivational buildup with a final speech, “As Princess of Friendship, I am proud to declare all of you Knights of Equestria. Your bravery, even in the face of danger, your hope, even in the darkest of night, your will, stronger than the thickest metal in the world, all of you have proven yourselves. Though some, if not many of you, might die, it will not be in vain. Your names will be known across the world for thousands of years, as heroes, martyrs for the safety of billions. This is our final stand, we are the world’s last line of defense, we are what shall make history!” “Charge!” Rapidly, the sea of armoured rebels pours up into the medical hallway and head for the next set of stairs. They then head up past the two floors dedicated to crew member cabins, passing by tens of startled pirates as they make their way to the gun deck. The onlooking pirates soon realize that it is the rebellion and quickly head into their cabins to prepare to fight for their captain. Now washing across the main deck from the front bow, the twenty ponies soak in the thick veils of the night’s rain. As they then reach the largest mast in the center of the ship, the band of rebels see Korsan, walking towards them from the quarterdeck. Lightning sears the sky as the endless rain and howling gales blast against the pirate pegasus’ cape, having its long length rapidly flutter in the wind alongside his black mane and tail. His ice phoenix circles above her master. His scarred eye stares at the army. A sly grin can be seen on his face. Both of his front hooves are armed with his serrated cutlasses. “Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Applebloom, Spike, Noisy Pegasus, Shy Pegasus, Odd Earth Pony, Tiny Pegasus, Lilis Jewmerin, Yin Shou, Yu Shou, Alexander Grevious, Slasher Gutzoult, Ryan Aran, Butch Taylor, Jack Cauld, Lazarus Lazuli-” “Cut the names Korsan,” Twilight snaps, “there’s over twenty of us here and we’re all ready to take you down.” “Is that so? Well, considering the numbers… Juliana!” The blue phoenix screeches upon hearing her name. Soon, the majority of Korsan’s remaining crew emerges onto the main deck and surrounds the rebellious band. Their swords and weapons are aimed at them from all sides, trapping them practically. Ivan also shows up to surround Twilight, pushing Sweetie Bell into the congregated army. “…I have seventy-eight of the most highly skilled unicorns at my disposal. A close call, but I have the upper hoof.” “You’re going down Korsan, once and for all.” “Noble, but very misguided. Alright sea artists, let’s put an end to this before any real action can begin.” Quickly, the outnumbered gang is forced into each other and against the large mast as the tens of razor sharp weapons hover towards them. They lift their weapons up and try to deflect them, but all they can do is prolong the sheer superior strength in magic. “Finish them! In five… Four… Three… Two… One-” Just as Korsan is about to lower his hoof to command the final blow, a massive, fiery explosion erupts right in front of him. Hundreds of chunks of wood and metal soar out of the blast as the shockwave launches Korsan into the front of The Perfection’s wheel headfirst. Juliana is flung off of her captain’s shoulders in the flight, but soon regains herself and flies over to his aid. Two more explosions go off from both sides of the hull, causing the surrounding pirates soon break formation and scramble as a large volley of explosive cannonballs soon soar in from above. The brown pegasus looks over the sudden attack on his ship, feeling a wave of both terror and awe wash over him. He looks to his side across from the edge of his ship to see a massive zeppelin approaching him. The dark blimp hovers up next to him and the main door opens, revealing Celestia and Luna alongside several pirates from Thieves’ Hold. Korsan gives a quick maniacal laugh before speaking, “So, you got the letter.” “Korsan Maden!” Celestia powerfully announces from the aircraft. “You are to stop these atrocities to ponykind right now or we will use force!” “Bahahaha!” Quickly, the clawed stallion grabs the wheel behind him and smashes his pirate airship against the princesses’ zeppelin before backing away. As he runs around the top deck, Korsan sees five more blimps as well as a small fleet of pirate ships below his. His white smile grows even wider as he settles down behind the steering and yells into the extended speaking pipe. “You want force? We got it! Attention all crew members! Take to your battle positions! The war has begun!”
