Next Morning

Spike groaned as he came to, having been knocked out after his head hit the bench of the longboat. Sitting up he rubbed his head as things came back to him; first sleeping then- Spike’s eyes shot open as he remembered the attack and shot to his feet, only to fall onto his back as the pain hit.

“Owwww… Must have hit pretty hard.”

As Spike recovered he started to take in his surroundings, immediately spotting Nightlight next to him.

“Dad? Dad, you-” Spike’s voice died in his throat the second he laid his eyes on the wound on Nightlight’s head; a gash across his temple that Spike knew was a bullet wound. Then the events of last night came back to him in full: The attack, the fight, then Nightlight being shot and falling onto the longboat with Spike on his back.

Spike looked around; nothing but ocean and fog. He was lost at sea, alone with the body of his father and his friends and family taken, most likely into slavery if the attackers had been the same from the port they had stopped at from what Spike knew.

It was too much for the young Dragon(1) to bear and he sat down on the bench, curled into the fetal position and cried, accepting that he was doomed to be forever lost at sea with only the body of his father as company.

As Spike cried, underneath the water a single tentacle slowly rose from the darkness and gently stuck to the longboat’s underside, and started pulling along the water in a motion so smooth Spike never realized he was moving.

A low female voice, sounding almost like a whale call, yet as gentle as silk, spoke.

“Don’t be afraid… little one… hope is… not lost…”

Two Hours Later

Spike wasn’t sure how long he sat there, tears long run dry as his mind only pictured the horrible things that could be happening to his family and friends, he looked up and stared at Nightlight’s body, unsure what to do, when something moved at the corner of his eye.

A set of massive teeth!

Spike jumped in fright… only to pause as he realized the teeth didn’t belong to a creature, they were made out of some kind of wood! His eyes went wide; there was only one thing he knew had something like that and he turned his head.

Sure enough, it was the Dragon of the Depths!

Then Spike’s eyes locked gazes with a set of golden eyes far above, eyes that belonged to a black-coated Pegasus Stallion with a mohawk-like mane.

“SPIKE!?”

“THUNDERLANE!”

Said Pegasus took to the air and flew down as one of the Dragon’s Officers, Fire Gem, leaned over the side and saw the longboat.

“MAN OVERBOARD!”

Thunderlane landed on the longboat.

“Spike, wha-” Whatever Thunder was going to say died in his throat as he saw Nightlight’s body, followed by Spike tightly hugging him around the neck. Thunder hugged Spike back, nuzzling his head.

“Spike… I’m so sorry.”

Within a few minutes the longboat was pulled onto the Dragon’s deck as Thunderlane held Spike, the rest of the Traveler group seeing Nightlight’s body and comforting Spike. As they did this one of the crew, a male Spotted Hyena, approached Nightlight’s body with a mournful look. However he paused as he noticed something and looked closer at the wound, then he placed a paw on Nightlight’s neck.

As those around him watched, the Hyena’s ears perked in surprise and he leaned down to put an ear against Nightlight’s chest. After a moment his eyes suddenly went wide and in one swift motion he whipped out a small mirror and put it in front of Nightlight’s mouth and nose.

It fogged up!

“HE’S ALIVE!”

A team of four Healers immediately rushed forward and started doing their work, after a moment the lead one spoke up.

“He’s alive alright, and one lucky son of a gun; the bullet only grazed the skull, had it been a little bit to the left it would have gone right through the skull and into his brain.”

Thunderlane then pulled out a waterskin and carefully poured the cold water onto Nightlight’s face, the Stallion groaning and with a gasp his eyes shot open and head shot up, only to groan in pain as he held his head.

“Ow… my head is pounding, the last thing I remember was…”

His eyes shot open again but before he could say anything Spike rushed forward and wrapped his arms around his father’s neck.

“GAK! Not so hard Spike.” Nightlight choked out, still he did hug Spike back.

Nightlight then noticed and blinked as he took in the Traveler group around him and Spike, after a moment he spoke.

“Well… looks like we did find our missing friends, or rather they found us.”

Those among the Traveler group chuckled.

“Yeah, we have a few things to clear up.” Sky Slinger said.

From there the group explained what had happened to them; starting with how they unintentionally stowed away on the Dragon and the events leading up to finding the two.

Nightlight and Spike listened closely and after the story was told Razor came forward.

“Quite the story, huh General?”

“Yeah… at least now we know they were in safe hooves, or I guess hands.” Nightlight replied. “Also; I’m retired now.” He finished with a little smile to which Razor chuckled.

“Yeah but expect to keep hearing it.” Razor’s face then turned serious. “But enough of the chit-chat. What happened to you two?”

Nightlight and Spike told the story of what happened, only for Razor to stop them when they got to the port.

“Hold on; did you say navy blue, red and white uniforms?”

At Nightlight’s nod Razor snarled.

“That, General Nightlight, is the standard uniform of the Northern Trade Union, or NTU for short. They claim to be a trading company, but they’re nothing more than two-bit slavers. Now I don’t blame you for not knowing; the NTU tends to keep to the Sea of Legends and therefore a low profile though based on what I know, Celestia is aware of them.”

Razor sighed.

“And unfortunately; your group was one of their targets.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked.

“Well Spike: Twilight and her friends are Equestria’s national heroes, being the former element bearers and all. That alone means they’re worth quite a lot on the NTU’s slave markets, that worth is only raised by a few factors; like their natural beauty. But it’s Twilight who’s in serious danger.”

“And why would that be?” Nightlight asked as he stood up, his face serious.

“Well Nightlight, that would be because of Star Wing and Flurry Heart.”

That answer confused the hay out of out just Nightlight and Spike, but the Traveler group as well.

“How would Princess Luna’s daughter and my Granddaughter have anything to do with this?” Nightlight asked.

“What are two things they have in common?” Razor asked.

The question surprised the group, but it only took a second before something clicked.

“They’re both Alicorns…” Angel Wings said.

“Exactly,” Razor replied. “And what is Twilight Sparkle?”

“She was a Unicorn, but now she’s…” Spike stopped mid-sentence as the realization hit him and the rest of his group.

“The NTU was after an Alicorn?” Night asked, not liking that line of thought.

“They were.” Razor replied. “But besides being Alicorns; there’s one thing that makes Star and Flurry different from Twilight.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, it was Spike who put it together first.

“Star and Flurry are natural-born Alicorns!”

“Right on the mark Spike: Born Star and Flurry were born Alicorns, and both came from Alicorn Parents! More specifically; Alicorn mothers. See where this is going?” Razor asked.

The realization hit the Traveler group like a massive hammer striking an anvil.

“No…” Night breathed, horror filling his eyes.

“I’m sorry General, but that’s exactly what will happen if she’s not rescued soon, and I’m sorry to say the others will have a similar fate.” Razor replied grimly. “As I said; your small group is worth a huge amount on the Slave Market the NTU runs.”

Spike ran up to Razor, grabbing his coat collar in fear.

“We need to go after them! Before it’s too late.”

Razor gently laid a hand on Spike’s head. “And we will.” He replied.

Razor lifted his head and called out; “Pine Rudder!”

The group of pirates parted to allow a tall and well built Earth Pony Stallion to walk out. He had a pine green coat with a rich brown mane and tail, both of which were quite long, and yellow eyes, one of which was a mechanical prosthetic(2). His mark was hidden by a uniform that looked like an NTU Officer’s only recolored in the Outcasts’ colors of Red, Silver, and Black. This Pony gave Razor a sharp salute.

“SIR!”

“Pine Rudder;” Razor said. “As the highest-ranked and most experienced former NTU Officer among us, what would be the NTU’s plan for Spike and Nightlight’s group?”

“Twilight will be isolated from the others and loaded onto a Bulk Merchant to be taken back to the NTU’s main base outside of the Sea of Legends as soon as possible but they will wait for a bit first, to make sure it’s clear. Her friends will be separated into two groups: Applejack and Rainbow Dash will be taken to Port Royal, likely to await their fate as breeding and pleasure slaves. Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy will be put on another fleet bound for NTU territory at another time for the same fate. In the meantime they will be kept on a Bulk Merchant that will keep moving to avoid being attacked. As for Velvet and the two guards; they will be in the same fleet as Twilight, only kept on a separate ship.” Pine replied swifty.

“Thank you Pine.” Razor replied.

“Razor.” Said Kirin turned to Atlas, who looked worried.

“That’s three targets to hit,” Atlas noted. “Yes, the NTU has nothing that can even hope to stand against the Dragon, but we’re only one ship. We’d never reach them all in time.”

“We can’t, but…” Razor lifted his halberd. “I know someone who can reach Twilight’s friends while we go after Applejack and Rainbow. Once we have them back together, then we will go after Twilight, her mother, and the Guards.”

WIth that, Razor thrust his halberd into the air as the runes covering it glowed green and he then pointed at a turnstile on a lower aft castle deck. Before the eyes of those around him several bolts of green lightning launched from the tip of the halberd and struck the turnstile, which arched with green electricity for a second, then it began to turn on its own.

The Traveler group watched in awe as the top of the turnstile popped and rose into the air until it reached a certain height, then it slammed down with a heavy thump that seemed to send shock waves through the Dragon, and faintly they could hear what sounded like a gong ringing in a deep tone.

“What was that?” Sky Slinger asked after a moment.

Razor smiled. “Calling an old friend.”

Deep below, somewhere in the Abyss

The ringing sound reached far and wide, but only one creature heard it. At first there was only the inky blackness of the abyss, but it was pierced by light blue lights as three massive eyes the size of Ponyville’s Town Hall seen from above slowly opened, the light from these eyes revealing the many rock pillars covered in shipwrecks, some quite ancient, surrounding the creature as it moved. The creature, some kind of Leviathan, rose in a cloud of dust and it swam forwards, a pair of arms ending in massive four-fingered hands tipped with giant claws grabbing rocks to help pull it along as two sets of gigantic wings unfurled and the several long tentacles trailing behind it combined together into a single tail.

Quick as a riptide, the Leviathan shot forward once clear of the rock pillars, vanishing into the darkness and on a mission.

It had heard the call, and it listened.

“And in the meantime…” Razor was saying as he finished writing a letter and, to the surprise of the Traveler group, blew a small beam of fire at the note which burned into smoke which then flew off. Spike recognized it however.

“Wait; that was a fire message! I do that all the time for Twilight.”

“A useful ability.” Razor noted. “Good for sending messages to where they are needed quickly.”

“Speaking of which;” Thunderlane said as he came up to Spike. “Why not use that ability to tell Celestia what happened to Twilight’s group? Or for that matter explain what’s going on with us?”

Spike rubbed that back of his head.

“For some reason; my messenger fire ability is not working. I don’t understand why; it worked when I sent the first message, but it hasn’t since. I found out when I tried to send a letter to Princess Celestia telling her of the attack last night before you found me, but it turned to ashes in my claws.”

“I think I can answer that.” Fire Gem said as he approached. “The Sea of Legends plays by its own rules, and breaks them without care, and as a result certain magic abilities, like your messager fire, Spike, will not function beyond a lucky chance. No one knows the finer details however, so we can’t say for certain. As for why Razor was able to use his; one thing the inhabitants of the SOL have noticed is that “outside” complex abilities suffer far more of this effect than those that live in the Sea of Legends. It’s believed that’s because the inhabitants’ magic has adapted to the effect, but I can’t confirm that.”

Nightlight hummed. “Which means we’re going to have to do things ourselves and the hard way.”

“That’s how we live in the Sea of Legends.” Razor said. “And I’m guessing that once you recover, you’re going to teach the NTU a lesson.”

“Darn straight! They will pay for taking my wife and daughter from me!” Nightlight replied, a back hoof stomping into the deck.

“From one father to another; I’d be doing the same thing.”

Nightlight and Spike blinked. “Wait…” The former said. “Father?”

“You have a Foal?” Spike asked.

Razor gestured with his hand to Silver, who gave a wave.

“Meet my and Atlas’ son: Silver Moth.”

After introductions plans were made; the note Razor had sent was to a crew that would be tasked with stopping the first escort fleet for Twilight’s Bulk Merchant, which would buy the Outcasts more time, not much, but enough to deal with getting the rest back before going after her.

Getting Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy would be left to Razor’s old friend, who Razor assured the Traveler group would succeed and bring them back safely. Applejack and Rainbow on the other hand would be more challenging.

Port Royal was one of the largest and most well defended Northern Trade Union Port still remaining in the Sea of Legends, in part because of its more remote location and its defense fleet which was huge: twenty Juggernauts with forty Ships of the Line alone made most stay clear, and this wasn’t counting the massive fleet of other ships. The Outcasts had wanted to raid and sack Port Royal since they’d become the lead faction in the Sea of Legends, but a number of factors had kept that from happening. Among these was the massive Slave Warehouse which was set close to the armory, which means that if the NTU there knew it was the Outcasts they would not hesitate to kill the slaves in the building, plus the port was filled with some of the most loyal NTU soldiers there and these were not the incompetent ones most were used to; the ones in Port Royal were the cream of the crop who knew how to fight and were well motivated.

However; Razor had long been planning this sort of raid and had a few tricks to use.

Tapping the map with a claw Razor looked up at his company; the rest of his Head Officers, but joining them was Nightlight and Spike.

“So that’s the plan my friends. Thoughts?”

“It’s a bold plan…” Nightlight said. “But if it means getting my wife and daughter as well as Twilight’s friends back, then I’m in.”

“You're ready to fight?” Atlas asked.

“Not at the moment, but I will be soon. Should be by the time we get there.” Nightlight replied. “And I may be retired, but I’ve made sure to keep my skills sharp. They came in real handy during the Wedding Battle, and I want to show those NTU SOBs why you don’t mess with my family.”

“We are going to need reinforcements though.” Zenith pointed out. “We don’t have the numbers with the Dragon alone to take out the port.”

“I took care of that.” Atlas said. “I sent my own letter to some of our fleets, they will be joining us soon.”

“We also have a week, more when the first Escort Fleet is destroyed, to gather our forces.” Apollo said.

“It’s time I give Power Gears a visit as well.” He mentioned some new toys for us and I’ve been meaning to take a look.” Razor said, he turned to Atlas.

“Since we’re hitting Port Royal at last, did you alert them?”

“I did.” Altas replied, grinning. “It’s been a long time, but Snow Falcon was quite happy to lend her support.”

“Snow Falcon?” Nightlight asked.

“One of the Outcasts’ top Officers, and one that hates the NTU as much as Snowy here hates the Caribou.” Fire Gem replied. “She’s a hard mare to command, but she is one of our best.”

“And she’s a mare one would be wise not to mess with.” Apollo said. “She’s from Germaney and is a war veteran of the Great War(3), so she’s seen things and knows what she’s doing. She was once part of the Leader’s, at the time, Inner Circle, but left for reasons she refuses to disclose. Only that she was… Ironically betrayed.”

“Ironically betrayed??” How does that work?” Nightlight asked, head tilted.

“She actually was part of a plot to kill the Leader at the time in hopes to end that war, but someone in that group, who didn’t know she was part of it and was an enemy of hers. Being a Mare ranked that high in a Stallion-dominated society like that makes you many enemies, made false reports that were unknowingly true and she was forced to flee or face death for treason.” Razor explained.

Nightlight nodded, wanting to ask more but figured he’d meet this Mare soon enough.

From there the bunch of them continued to discuss the plan; Nightlight putting his time in the Equestrian Military to good use as he pointed things out and made suggestions, which the Head Officers and Razor considered. By the time night fell on that day they had ironed out the flaws, it would require the right timing and everyone knew that no plan survives first contact, but Razor had a few tricks of his own; the NTU in Port Royal might be the best the faction had to offer…

But even they could still feel fear, especially with the toys Snow Falcon was bringing to the table.

Deep in the Sea of Legends

The Barren Zone

The Barren Zone was a desolate region of barren desert and rocky islands, arid plains split into archipelagos and searing sea thanks to the highly active volcanic vents below the surface that stretched for many nautical miles. Very few would come here, for to venture into the Barren Zone was to take one’s life into their own hands, for safe travel is impossible, even to those accompanied by a large and heavily armored fleet as the place held many threats; from the very region itself with the boiling seas and terrifying storms that raged for days on end, to massive boars the size of a wagon with tusk as long as their bodies that has a temper most foul and would attack and gore anything in their path without pause on land while viscous Sea Dragons waited below in the sea, long adapted to the heat and ready to pull a ship under and feast as the unlucky crew was boiled alive. Even without the inhospitable nature of its inhabitants, the Barren Zone was a harsh and unforgiving landscape.

But there was one faction that made their home here, and not only survived but thrived as they feasted on boar and dragon meat and plundered the region’s resources.

The War Pirates

Named for the fact that they seek out a good fight as much as they do loot, the War Pirates were made up of giant Ponies of all races and tribes, with the average height being six feet tall, and covered in dark green coats (dyed or natural, it didn’t matter) which covered think muscles able to easily break a thick tree trunk with only their hooves. The War Pirates were feared throughout the Sea of Legends, their fleets of ramshackle, yet incredibly formidable, metal paddlewheel ships sending any Slaver, Pirate Hunter, or the like with any sense of self-preservation fleeing for their lives.

The most feared of these War Pirates however was their leader; Captain Blood Fang, a giant among giants, for he stood over eleven feet tall and was easily able to shrug off damage that by rights should have taken him down. Said Captain was currently laying down on a giant-sized bean bag (no chair could hope to hold him) happily slurping down a very thick boar stew mixed with Imperator’s Grave’s infamous Black Pearl Rum from a mug that would have been a small barrel to a normal Pony, clearly enjoying the stew when a trail of smoke came in through the open window and formed into a letter on Blood Fang’s desk.

Licking the excess stew from his lips Blood Fang’s one eye (the other covered by a metal plate in place of an eye patch) regarded it with intrigue.

“Well now…” Blood Fang said, his voice deep and thunderous. “What news has Razor sent me?”

Picking up the letter Blood Fang held it carefully as he read it, learning what Razor had been up to this past Month (Getting a chuckle out of Razor having Celestia after him) when he reached the main reason why his old friend had sent the letter.

“So… that’s why the NTU is a bit more active on our borders. Well Razor, you want me to take down that escort fleet. The War Pirates will be more than happy to stomp them flat.”

Getting up Blood Fang stretched and after finishing his mug of stew he walked out of his office to start making preparations.

“Been awhile since we had a good fight, let’s see what new bits we’ll get as well.”

2 Hours Later

After two hours, everything was ready and Blood Fang’s fleet began to move, the ships cutting through the bubbling water with ease as their heavy paddlewheels slapped the surface like a hammer pounding hot metal on an anvil. Most of the ships were metal-built paddlewheel versions of the various ship types in the Sea of Legends, but among these were two new types;

The first was a ship bigger than a Juggernaut but not quite the size of a Caribou Titan, though it was fairly close, and armed with a large turret on the forward hull fitted with four 18 inch cannons. Joining it was an odd-looking ship that had a flat forward section that three small airships were docked at. These two ships were the War Pirates’ Paddlewheel Battleship and Airship Carrier respectively, unique to the faction and powerhouse in their own right.(4)

Around these ships were various other types commonly found in the Sea of Legends, only paddlewheel versions with a ramshackle metal-plated appearance and formidable-looking cannons among other weapons.

In the middle of this fleet however was a true monster; Blood Fang’s Flagship, The Beast, was easily the size of a Bulk Merchant, with no trace of its humble origins as a Juggernaut remained. Gigantic, heavily armored, and armed to the teeth, just like its captain and crew while atop the center mast a flag of a Thestral skull with a battleaxe clutched in its teeth and dripping fangs flapped in the wind proudly while its bow had a large structure that resembled the lower jaw of a Sea Dragon.

Up on the Quarter Deck, Blood Fang stood proudly, looking forward to the fight that was coming.

Though he wasn’t the only one.

At an undisclosed location

As the sun set, bathing the world in the moon and stars of Luna’s blessed night, a dark figure stood like a gargoyle, observing the stars.

A feathered figure strode up next to the first, and offered a letter. Its contents were reflected in the pupils of a pair of electric green eyes. Sparkling white teeth shined with a grin like the crescent moon.

“So… the NTU is up to their old tricks again, eh?” she mused.

“And this… ‘Archduke Razor Tail’ has asked for your assistance against them?” the second figure said. “Are you sure it’s wise to answer the summons of pirates?”

The first figure chuckled darkly. “Archduke Razor Tail is no ordinary pirate.” She turned, her eyes sparkling with the light of either a genius or a madwoman. “Tell the others to prepare. We’re going to the Sea of Legends.” Silhouetted against the moon, her grin became almost psychotic. “I’m looking forward to making the NTU suffer alongside some old friends.”

1: This is taking place before Spike got his wings.

2: Sort of like Silver’s mechanical eye from Treasure Planet.

3: In this story's context; The Great war was essentially their version of World War 1 and 2 combined that lasted for 30 years, 9 months, and 21 days. Snow Falcon was born some time around the beginning but no one alive knows the exact date.

4: Sorry for the short description, but I’m not sure how to do so with these. What I can say however is that these two are inspired by the Orc battleship and Aircraft Carrier from Ubisot’s Battleship game, so that might help you visualize them and the other War Pirate Ships.

Author's Note

So the Outcasts now know of the capture of Twilight's Group, and they're more than willing to help, but first they must prepare; so Razor and Atlas have send out a few calls. Looks like the Outcasts have at least one Leviathan as an ally too.

Also; Nightlight is alive, and ready to kick tail to get his family back. The question is; how much must he kick?

While it looked like Nightlight had been killed in the last chapter, both Regis Stella and JNKing did not buy his so-called death at all, and they were right; while Nightlight was wounded, the bullet only knocked him out.

I get the feeling Twilight and Velvet are going to be over the moon upon seeing him alive, since the last thing the former saw of her father was him getting shot and falling overboard.

Next time the Outcasts begin readying themselves for the attack on Port Royal, and they're bring a few special toys with them.

See you all next chapter.