Darkness fades from my vision as I blearily open my eyes, only to quickly shut them as I find a bright light shinning onto my face.
“wa- what happened? I was just...” memory of recent events that lead to me to be in my current state race through my mind, accompanied by a slight pain on the back of my head.
“P-Pirates! What should I do? What should I do? Do I wait for master to save me? Or should I escape? But what then? If I’m still on an airship, how will I get down the ground? What if we`re over the ocean right now? Oh Celestia help me!” I cry out, not caring if anyone hears me. My heart rate increases as I start to find it hard to breathe.
I stay still, curled up into the smallest ball I can, hoping to all hope that I’m not discovered. Hours seem to pass, days even. Then, out of nowhere, a hoof gently rests onto my shoulder and rubs in a calming motion.
“hey, kid. Calm down. You’re alright. Nothing is going to hurt you. I promise.” A soothing female voice says.
“what about master? he doesn’t like me talking to other ponies. He said that at most, I should be seen not heard!” I whimper out. I expect some sort of scolding, but when I don’t get one I open my eyes and realise they had been closed the entire time.
With a quick glance round, I find myself in small wooden room with a couple of storage boxes to the side and an open door which lets light into the room. The mare next to me has a navy blue coat and a pure white mane. She has a pair of leathery wings on her sides marking her as a bat pony. She has a cutie mark of cannon decorating her flank.
“You do not have to worry about him anymore. No one will ever again, not when word gets out about his demise.” She says in a very serious voice. I then notice her cat like pupils and yellow eyes, seemingly glowing when the light reflects off of them.
“my name is loose cannon, what’s yours?” she asks, extending a hoof towards me.
“Long Shot, ma`am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I reply, calmer than I was expecting. I reach my hoof out and shake hers.
The sound of a throat being cleared comes from the back of the room, causing me to turn, fear churning in my gut as a large Pegasus comes into view. He is shrouded in the shadows in the room which makes details nearly impossible to make out. I can just make out a small smile on his muzzle as he looks at us, though his focus seems to be on me and me alone.
“Captain! It isn’t what it looks like! I, I was er, I was...” loose cannon stumbles across her words, trying desperately trying to come up with an excuse.
“Calm down, Cannon. You were trying, successfully, to calm down Long Shot and stop a possible panic attack. And how many times have I told you that you don’t need an excuse to help or talk to someone?” His voice is soft with a joyful undertone to it.
“Clearly not enough Sir. Is there something you need me to do?” loose cannon asks.
“I want you to be on the lookout for any nearby ships. You know what to do if you do.” The Captain said. Getting a nod in response, he turns to me as she leaves. “Now, Long Shot. Do you know why you were taken along on your, mastersairship?” as he says this, he seems to look into my soul, sending shivers down my spine.
“we were supposed to trade goods with a noble house. I can’t remember who though...” I say, scrunching my face up in thought.
“You were going to be sold to them as labour to pay off a debt.” He says. All the cheer gone from his voice. Replaced with a serious yet sympathetic tone.
“that explains why I wasn’t allowed to see the paper work... but” I’m cut off by the sound of loose cannon shouting orders to the crew.
She enters the room, a serious look on her face and says “Sir, a small merchant vessel is approaching fast. They appear to be preparing to board us.”
“stay here and hide Long Shot. It is about to get very loud. I will come and get you when it is safe.” As he starts to walk away, I start to feel as though I need to help them. Like it is the only way to thank them properly for stopping me from being sold like some sort of product.
“W- Wait! I, I want to help. Please?” I call out before they reach the door.
The Captain turns towards me, eyebrows raised in a manner that says “if you’re sure. I am not going to stop you.”
Climbing too my hooves, I trot out after them and see a large wooden deck being suspended in the air by huge cables attached to 2 enormous oval balloons. All across the deck pegasi, unicorns, griffins and minotaur hide behind railings, boxes and occasionally, each other. All of them wielding a weapon of some sort. The minotaur are mainly carrying large axes and hammers while griffins and unicorns have either a long barrelled gun of some sort, or a pair if pistols. Te pegasi have some sort of blades attached to their wings and swords in their mouths.
In the distance, I see a small circular vessel with a single balloon and 3 propellers at its back. Black smoke pours out of a steam engine near its centre. 10 or so creatures are moving around erratically, but are too far away to identify their race.
Suddenly, a loud *crack!* noise comes from the ships direction and a griffon collapses to the floor, blood soaking the floor as the now lifeless corpses gun, a long barrelled rifle hits the floor at my feet.
Tacking the gun into my hooves, I use my magic to lift the gun to eye level and take aim at the offending vessel.
As soon as I picked up the rifle, instinct seems to take over.
Lifting the rifle up and pointing it at the assaulting airship, I can now make out thirty or so ponies. The crew consist mostly of pegasi but one or two unicorns are also on its deck, holding large rifles with patterns carved along the barrels.
I line the barrel of the rifle up with one of the unicorn`s body.
A sudden flash and a sound similar to a loud crack, the unicorn collapses, blood pouring from a hole in his chest in torrents.
Gasping, I drop the gun. “D, did I do that? No! I can`t of. It, it has to have been some pony else...” I say in panic.
“Ha! Nice shot kid!” one of the crew members laughs, no, cheers.
Why did he congratulate me on killing? For taking the life of an innocent pony, for committing one of the worst crimes you can do...
What would master do if he found out I killed a pony...
“Long shot!” I hear some pony yell at me.
Something grabs my shoulder with a painful grip and forcefully pulls me sideways.
“By the god’s boy! Learn to get to cover before you get killed! That shot you pulled off bought all their attention to you!” a gruff voice says from above me.
Looking up, I see that a large grey Minotaur is standing next to me, a large axe in one hand and a club of some sort in the other. A thick, black mane covers his forehead messily while large ebony horns grow out the sides of his head and point forward as if to spear any oncoming enemy.
He gives me a small smile before shouting “Captain! I`ve got the kid! He seems shaken, so I’ll take him bellow deck!” as he says this, he once again grabs me by the shoulder and throws me into an open hatch and into darkness.
I just sit here, slumped against a wooden wall that I can’t see. I sit here, listening to the shouts and gunfire, as I try desperately to give myself an excuse for killing that unicorn.
“If I didn’t shoot him, he would have shot some pony else, maybe even me!” I mumble to myself “it was self defence!”
Suddenly the gunfire stops, but is replaced by the roar of soldiers as the ship shakes violently. Gunshots and the sound of metal clashing on metal replaces it quickly muffled yells of both pain and triumph barely audible over the fighting.
After an unknown amount of time, it starts to quieten down. Slowly but surely, all noise seems to dissipate, leaving only the creaky groan of the ship.
Soon, even this is interrupted as a very familiar voice booms out from nearby. “Ah, hello good captain. Do you know why I’m here?” it has an accent that I just can’t place, but definitely a males voice, and definitely a voice I recognized as well as despise.
“Well, Captain. As you probably already know, I am General Iron Claw of the 5th battalion. As for what I’m doing here, well I’m after a slave. The slave you very recently stole in fact.” I have to make sure me hearing isn’t fooling me. Slowly and silently, I push upwards on a wooden hatch I hadn’t notice close. Before I can open the hatch, a crack of thunder signals the start of a heavy downpour.
My heart beating in my ears, I crack the hatch open and see the entire crew surrounded by ponies in silver armour. The Captain, Lose cannon and a few others are in a separate group. Every crew member has at least 2 guns pointed at them. Standing in front of the Captain, is the good General, his back turned towards me as he questioned the crew one by one.
The sight of the General brings back the memory of when I last saw my family, when he murdered them...
[Flashback, 17 years previously]
“We gave you everything you asked for! What else can we give you?” a sand coloured stallion Pegasus, my father, was saying to a griffin in silver armour, a scar stretching from behind the plain silver helmet to the base of his beak.
“You said that you would leave us with enough to survive! And now here you are demanding more and threatening to bring the griffin army to our door if we don’t give you what you want!” a deep, almost black unicorn mare, my mother, continues for her husband.
“We need slaves. Young slaves. I’m sorry, but we have to take your son from you.” The griffin says
“NO! The only way you will get our son is over our dead bodies! And even then-“my father is cut off by the griffin.
“Then I’m sorry.” The griffin stabs 2 swords into my parents and pushes them sideways, providing a path to me.
[End of flashback]
Seeing this griffin again brings a feeling to my heart that I haven’t felt for e very long time. Hate. Pure and unmatched hate for his very being.
“If you don’t tell me where the slave boy is, I will have to take drastic measures.” He warns.
“You won’t get Long Shot! For as long as he is part of the crew, you won’t lay a claw on him!” the Captain responds aggressively.
“Ah, just like his parents, trying desperately to defend him. But unlike his parents, death isn’t the punishment. You have one more chance. Tell me where he is, or you will face the rest of your lives as slaves to the griffin empire!”
Time seems to slow down as I burst out of the hatch and gallop up to Iron Claw. All I see is red as I growl out from right behind him “I’m right here, you Bastard!” I then pick him up I’m my magic and slam him into all the other soldiers on the deck. Without releasing from my magical grip, I smash him repeatedly into the deck. On the 7th strike, he laughs, sending blood splattering below himself. “You still don’t know your real name, do you? I have no idea what fool of a pony named you that, probably that pathetic noble I sold you to. You know, you have your mother’s coat, and your father’s mane. Your eyes though...” he is interrupted by a coughing fit, spraying yet more of the deck red with his blood. “Your eyes are like that of a dragon! You want to know your true name before I die? Here take this.” He holds out a small piece of paper to me.
Taking the paper from his open claw, I bring it in front of me and find it is folded. “As much as I hate you for what you have done to me, you have helped me in your last moments. So I shall let you die a warrior’s death.” I lay him onto the ground gently and pass a sword to him from one of the still downed soldiers.
Taking another for myself, I get into a sparring stance.
“You gained more than I thought you would be a slave to nobility, like how to give an old griffin an honourable death...” Iron claw responds with a sigh.
We clash blades, trading blows and blocking each other’s attacks in an elegant dance of blades, like how old friends would spar together.
“How many? How many other families have you torn apart?” I ask, tears in my eyes.
“Too many, far too many. Yours was the only time I had to kill though. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but it’s out there. And, I’m glad it is you who will put me to rest. If anyone, it’s you who deserves to put the monster in front of you down for good,”
“I forgive you.” He looks at me shocked, lowering his defence, leaving himself wide open. I slide my sword into his chest. “I forgive you because I don’t see a monster in front of me. I see an old griffin asking for forgiveness for crimes that he did a century ago. I see a griffin seeking closure.” I tell him, as he collapses. As his eyes cloud over, he finally dies with a small smile on his beak.
Ignoring the stares of everything on the ship, I pick up Iron Claws corpse and pull the sword out. Placing him on the other vessel, I clasp his claws around the swords handle and place it on his chest.
I walk back to the hatch and get in. Closing it behind me.
