"P-Please, don't hurt me!" A stallion said, backing towards a wall, "I-I don't know anything!"

"Don't lie to me!" Another replied, approaching the first, "Otherwise, you'll face the same thing your crew went through."

The first stallion looked around the deck of the airship and saw his crew beaten and bruised. Some were so badly hurt, it almost appeared that they wouldn't walk properly again. There were other ponies aboard his ship, but they weren't familiar to him. All of which looked intimidating and fierce. Even the mares of the group appeared dangerous.

"I'll ask again and I'll even spell it out for you." The stallion standing over the first sneered, "Where. Is. The. Crate?"

"I-I don't know what crate you're talking about." The victim (who was obviously the captain) whimpered, keeping low to the ground, "W-We've hauled so many recently and to many different places. I-I can look through our records for the crate number. It might help."

The brutish stallion towered over the ship's captain and grinned.

"See, that wasn't so hard." He sneered, raising an eyebrow and allowing the captain to stand, "I hope, for your sake, we can find it and leave without causing anymore...complications."

Quickly, the captain raced to his cabin and retrieved a thick book. He opened it and looked back at the group of menacing ponies.

"Um, w-what's the number?" The captain asked, flipping pages to the most recent entries.

"Zero, one, five, three, three." Another stallion replied, approaching the captain, "I saw it."

The captain flipped and scanned pages, until finally, he found the entry he was looking for. However, the crate's cargo, listed next to the number, confused the captain.

"Why do you want a crate of fabric?" The captain asked, looking at the book.

"That's none of your business!" The brute warned, grabbing the captain, "Where is it?!"

"Now, now, Hammer." A voice said in a casual, but smooth tone, "Is that any way to treat a captain aboard his own ship? He is being gracious enough to share this information with us, so he should at least know why. Would you agree?"

"Yes, sir. Apologies, Captain."

The captain turned around to see who the mystery voice belonged to. And he instantly regretted looking.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The blood red unicorn with a black mane and tail said, "I am Sharp Edge, Master of Blades, infamous crime lord, and leader of the Blood Crime Syndicate. As for why we want the crate, let's say that's something else entirely. You see, a few days ago, some valuables of mine were stolen from me and the thief was spotted boarding your ship and hiding in that crate. That is why we're here, Captain."

"I-I see." The captain gulped, sweat running down his face, "W-well the crate you want was delivered to Canterlot, where it should've been taken to Ponyville. That was almost six days ago."

Sharp Edge rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I would assume it was for the Carousel Boutique, correct?" He asked looking the nervous stallion in the eye.

"I...er....I wouldn't know, sir." The captain replied, feeling the cold stare, "My crew and I just haul it to where we're told it has to be. The address was on the crate itself. All I have in my logbook is numbers, what is in the containers, and which cities to deliver to."

"I see. Well, in that case, we no longer require your services."

With that Sharp Edge turned and motioned for his gang to leave the ship. They obeyed his silent command and quickly made their way off the ship and onto the landing dock. However, Sharp Edge remained aboard for another moment longer.

"I know you think I'm a monster because of my reputation, Captain." The stallion said, his back turned to the captain, "But, rest assured, I'm nothing of the sort. In fact, I'm just a stallion who will do what he must to insure success. Much like yourself, I imagine. So, I'll give you a choice. Work for me or we go our separate ways and you stay quiet about this little encounter. You have the right to choose freely and I won't hold you against your choice either. After all, I did just say that your services weren't required."

The captain looked at the blood red unicorn then at his battered crew. But, since he was a pony with standards, the choice was almost perfectly clear to him. He just hoped he had the courage to say it.

"W-well, sir," the captain stammered, trying to regain his nerves, "as respectful as your offer is, I think it would be best if we just went our own ways. Besides, I don't think you'd want an old air captain and his rusty airship weighing you down. It could be expensive in the long run."

"I see. Well, I'll just leave you all to the rest of your lives then. My apologies again for my crew's behaviour."

"No need. All is forgiven."

With that, Sharp Edge made his way of the airship and onto his own. Once aboard his ship, the gangplank retracted and the lines holding the two ships together were released. Sharp Edge himself walked along the deck of his ship and watched the other ship pull away.

"Sir, I still don't fully understand why you want that old treasure map back." Hammer said, standing beside his leader, "I mean, you're one of the richest ponies in the world. Why would you want some pirate treasure that is worth less than what you have?"

"Hammer, my loyal friend," Sharp Edge chuckled, shaking his head slightly, "there are a few reasons. But, there's more to that treasure than silver and gold."

The ships drifted further apart as they talked. But, after a moment, Sharp Edge looked to one side and nodded at a mare standing next to a cannon.

"Fire!" She called, bucking the cannon.

BOOM!!!

BLAM!!!

BANG!!!

Cannons flashed as they shot towards the second airship. Fire covered the deck, the sound of ponies crying out filled the air, and the side was peppered with large holes. Soon, the ship began to sink as the balloon holding it suffered from rips caused by flying debris. Shortly after, it disappeared below the clouds and towards the ground.

"Should've taken my offer, Captain." Sharp Edge said quietly, before turning to Hammer, "Get us to the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville, find that colt, and get my map back."

"Right away, sir." Hammer replied as Sharp Edge walked by him and retreated to his cabin.

Author's Note

Hey, everyone.

Well, here he is, the villain of the story. It was interesting when I first that of him. In reality, I was planning on having him as a messed up ex-convict or something like that. But, then I thought of Negan from The Walking Dead and decided to kinda model Sharp Edge off of that with some differences. In my opinion, it looks like it works. But, it might be different for you.

Anyway, I hope you're still enjoying the story. Keep a look out for the next chapter.