The Tempest tales

It had been another 20 days since they left, time had passed quite slowly as there was not much to do on an airship like the Skyshark, plus if the work was split between all five chores took place in one morning.
Fizzlepop spent her free time reading or talking, sometimes taking advantage of the moments when they were standing in the sea to take a dip, Bash had taught her how to swim fast in the water and how to hunt fish, she had a lot of fun playing pranks to Tread and Flynn: the two were not lovers of water.
For the first time Tread had shown his room, when she saw it she was struck by all the books he had, most of it talked about science subjects like anatomy or physiology, mathematics and biology, and many others.
Fizzlepop told him about the royal library and the Chamber of Wisdom, suffice it to say that he had made her promise to take him there someday if she ever returned to Iponia.
Bash had gladly opened up to her and told her the story of every injury he had; she would never have expected that a giant rabbit had taken the leg of the massive shark.
Flynn had taught her how to chart routes, maneuver the airship, manage maritime trade, and even showed her some hidden smuggling routes.

Fizzlepop was on the main deck leaning against the starboard railing, she was deep in her thoughts of traveling and what to do after disembarking at Ashtethos.
A few days earlier they had flown over the first island in a long time, which meant that in less than a week they would arrive at their destination and after which she would have to part by the rest of the crew, she would go on her way while they would continue their journey around the world.
This made her feel sad and a little lonely even though she was still in the company of all four.

"Hey Fizzle, how's it going?" Flynn had stood beside her leaning forward and with his elbows resting on the railing, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
"I am fine and you?" the answer was devoid of interest or substance since it was only a prerogative of good manners. The cat sensed that the pony was not simply admiring the sky, but she was afflicted by something that made her feel bad in her soul.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked her gently enough to seem interested and indifferent enough not to be an interrogation.
Fizzlepop watched the clouds pass for a few seconds and then turned to the cat for the first time since they had started talking.
"I was thinking about what will happen when this journey is over, we should separate and that makes me feel ... sad ..." Fizzlepop looked down slightly "I know we've only known each other for a month, but to me it's like we've been together for years, I ended up getting attached to you and now I'm afraid to leave, I'm afraid to leave my friends for the second time, and maybe ... a family. " she said the last word in a low voice, maybe she didn't have the right to consider herself part of this family. After all she couldn't compare the month she had spent with the decades in which they knew each other.

Flynn felt empathy for the pony, deeply respected her concerns as he too had grown fond of her, truly appreciated her company, her way of thinking, her charisma, and ultimately her feminine charm as well. This last thing he would never reveal to anyone since it was an intimate fantasy buried deep in his heart.
He looked into her eyes and smiled with his lips "I know how you feel ... I haven't always been a captain." Flynn began to tell his story.
"The previous owner of this airship was called Fling: he was my older brother, my best friend and mentor." the cat made a slight grimace of melancholy.
"I was traveling with his crew, we were merchants who traveled the world to trade spices because it was a profitable job and we liked it a lot." Flynn paused and looked back at the infinite sky.
“But one day we were attacked by pirates, we didn't back down and fought to defend what was ours. However, we were in the minority and half of our crew was killed or wounded. Since we were desperate, my brother decided to invoke the law of the Command and openly challenged the enemy captain in a one-on-one fight to the death. "
Fizzlepop was amazed by this last statement, she had read in a book of the existence of a pirate code, however she was convinced that it was just a fictional story and that the pirates did not care at all about rules and honor.
In the book it was written that the law of the Command allowed any person to challenge the captain in a duel that ended with the death of one of the two. The winner could take possession of all the assets of the loser and these also included the title of captain and consequently the command of the crew.

"Before starting to fight my brother putted his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes, he said these exact words: The journey of your life will never end, along the way you will face joys and sorrows, you will meet many people and many of them you will say goodbye for the last time . But remember this: never turn back because you have to live the present and look to the future."
“Fling fought bravely and skillfully, but even if we knew how to use a sword we were still merchants, unlike the pirates who lived by pillaging and killing.
Inevitably my brother was overwhelmed and was killed stabbed in the chest by the opponent's blade.
For me it all happened so quickly ... one moment I was talking to my brother and the next moment I find him lying down in front of me immersed in a pool of his blood with his eyes lifeless. "
For the first time, Fizzlepop saw strong feelings welling up from the calm captain of the Skyshark: his fists were clenched and his jaw slightly trembling, his eyes shining and his head down.
"Full of pain and anger I did the only thing that came to my mind, I drew my sword and went to the helm killing everyone who got in the way, I crashed the airship on to the enemy one causing the destruction of the inner tubes . Immediately we began to fall and the last thing I saw was the approaching earth. "
Flynn stopped talking leaving Fizzlepop in suspense, the pony was tempted to encourage him to continue but resisted the urge.

"When I woke up I saw that we had crashed, the airships had suffered serious damage and the members of both crews had died except me." the cat took a deep breath, then resumed speaking in his usual calm tone.
"I was tempted to sink into despair, the only thing I wanted to do was take a barrel of rum and get drunk to death." in his words she could feel the sense of loss and pain.
"However, the words my brother said to me came back to my mind and after thinking and rethinking I realized that it made no sense to wallow in despair of what we have lost because we risk forgetting what we have and not seeing what we might have." Flynn felt relief in his heart and smiled faintly on his lips.
"I decided to rebuild the Skyshark with the pieces of the pirate airship and after having restored it to its splendor I met Bash, then Boomer, Tread and finally you. And I couldn't be happier. " he finished saying as he turned to look the mare in his eyes.

"I ... I'm so sorry for your brother, I really wanted to know him." Fizzlepop said sorry.
"You don't have to feel sorry for those who are no longer there, the only thing we can do is remember them and always move forward." Flynn reassured her.
"Thanks Flynn, it's always nice to talk to you." Fizzlepop now felt more confident and less hesitant about what she would do from now on.
"Maybe it will be the cat charm." Flynn joked as he stepped back and took off his hat to make an exaggerated bow.

"I think it's time to go for lunch, Tread said he had baked fish with potatoes and I can't wait to eat it." Flynn said as she licked his whiskers.
Fizzlepop mentally laughed at how much he liked fish, just like a real cat.
At lunch all five ate with good taste, savoring the delicacies cooked by the hawk.

"Fizzle, what are you going to do after we get to Ashtethos?" Bash asked and then took a large piece of potato in his mouth.
"I think I will visit Saddle Arabia for a while, from what I have heard and from what you have told me it is a very beautiful country, I would like to see arabs, I know they are very similar to ponies but have a thinner and taller build to withstand hot temperatures. After that I will move to the Northeast until I reach the western border of Equestria, I would love to know the princess who moves the sun and the moon. Then I think I will continue my journey to discover the world. " Fizzlepop explained.
"It seems like a great plan" Boomer spoke "honestly the last time we were in this continent was over two years ago, when we arrived in Iponia we decided to stay there for a while, we liked that country, the trade is very advanced, the territory is huge and the anthropomorphs coexist peacefully with the ponies unlike here. "
"Boomer is right" the captain took the floor "In Iponia we managed to make a lot of money but it was time to go home, even if it is not one of the most beautiful places in the world." he said the last sentence in a more subdued tone.

“What about you? What are you going to do?" Fizzlepop asked.
The gazes of the others fell on the captain who was stroking his mustache with one hand.
"I think we will stay there for a few years and then we will move to the Far East." Flynn declared.
"The Far East ..." Fizzlepop put a hoof on her chin to think "Very little is known about what is in that area, the only certain thing is that there is an empire but it is very isolationist and does nobody gets in or out. " she was trying to remember what she had read in the books.
"I know, but a friend of mine is willing to let us in secretly." explained the captain.
"For sure we'll get into trouble like the time we faced an army of indigenous people." Boomer said jokingly.
At these words Flynn rolled his eyes while Bash and Fizzlepop laughed slightly.
For a few more minutes they were all silent until the captain cleared his throat and got to his feet.

"My friends, in a few hours we will reach the port of Ashtethos, we have embarked on a long journey and finally we have reached our destination." the cat looked into the eyes of all the crew members, saw that they did not seem to be excited but were slightly saddened, smiled and spoke again "However, we must not be discouraged, we lived an unforgettable journey together with our new friend and sister, we sailed the skies and seas, we defeated a big bastard and his henchmen, we had fun and we shared the memories of our adventures."
The faces of all five rejoiced and seeing this the cat grabbed the mug in front of him and held it up. "So I'd like to make a toast." immediately all the others grabbed their mugs and raised them imitating the captain's gesture.
"To Fizzle!" Flynn said aloud.
"To Fizzle!" they all repeated in unison and banged their mugs spilling a few drops of rum on the table.
The five drank everything in one sip and then approached the glasses on the table in a noisy way.

For another hour they continued to eat and talk to each other. Boomer was about to start getting drunk but Flynn stopped him by taking the bottle of rum from his hands.
Tread sporting the usual apathetic and serious facade, however, Fizzlepop had learned to know him and knew that in reality he was sorry for her departure because the two had spent a lot of time talking about science for hours and hours without even noticing the setting of the sun.
Flynn and Bash had advised her of places to visit as they were among the most experienced in traveling around the globe.

"I think it's time we all got ready for landing." Flynn said after getting up again.
"You're right, I'll go get my things." Fizzlepop said as she stood up too, then turned to Tread.
“Can I leave you my books? Now that I have read them, I no longer need them and they are a hindrance to me. "
The hawk was carrying the dishes in his arms.
"Of course, just leave them on the desk in your room and then I'll go get them." he answered her and then disappeared into the kitchen to go and clean the dishes.

Fizzlepop returned to her room and closed the door behind him, stood for a moment to observe the surrounding environment.
It seemed surreal to her that she had lived in that room for over a month and that now she had to leave it, she had grown fond of this room more than the one she had in the royal palace, even though it was much smaller and devoid of decorations and furniture.
She had spent hours sitting at her desk writing the pages of her diary which was more like a story written in the first person.
She went to the wardrobe and took her backpack and cloak and put them on the bed, then opened the bedside table and looked at what to get.
Se put all the books on the desk except for the diary that she put in the bottom of the right pocket of the backpack.
She also took all the objects she had with her like the map and the box with the gems inside. When she grabbed the royal brooch she stood looking at it.
She thought about her family, it had already been a month since she had started this journey. Who knows if they missed her, maybe they were looking for her desperately.
"They don't care, they just have to be with those parasites." she thought with a hint of anger.
She took everything that was left and divided it between the two pockets of the backpack to balance the weight.
She put on her cloak and backpack, before leaving she took one last look around the room.

"FIZZLE COME HERE!" she didn't have time to say the last goodbyes which was interrupted by Flynn's sudden worried voice.
Fizzlepop closed the door and ran to the main deck, immediately went right to climb the stairs and stood next to the captain who was at the helm, his eyes wide open and a face of pure shock.
"What happens?!" she asked in alarm.
The cat pointed in the direction of the bow, Fizzlepop looked in that direction and what she saw made her shiver.
In front of them was the city of Ashtethos, however it did not seem to be the rich and thriving city that was expected: many houses were destroyed, from a distance she could see columns of black smoke rising up into the sky obscuring the city below, the air it stank of burning and there were no signs of life in the streets, many of the ships docked were destroyed and the royal palace that stood on the top of a hill had been razed to the ground.
"Is this how Ashtethos should be?" she asked incredulously.
The cat continued to look ahead, he was stunned by the destruction.
"Not at all, something really bad must have happened and it certainly can't have been a natural cause." he answered her.
Fizzlepop agreed with the cat, there were no signs of a tsunami or a tornado, it could have been an earthquake but it would not justify the numerous fires and the complete absence of people.

"Captain! Airships in sight from the stern! " Tread yelled as he flew around the Skyshark.
Flynn and Fizzlepop ran to the rear of the aft castle and what they saw made their blood run cold: three airships almost three times the size of the Skyshark were approaching menacingly and at great speed, behind them they left a grayish cloud and they were painted in black.
The design was completely different from the usual airships, the stern tower was fused with the inner tube and there were no ropes or other masts, on the front there were long beaks that certainly could have cut a small airship in two .
"Friends or enemies?" Fizzlepop asked worriedly.
Flynn took the monocle strapped to his belt and held it up to his eye. "I don't know, they don't look like pirates but there is a coat of arms on the tip of the inner tube that I can't recognize, besides those are clearly warships."
At that moment Bash and Boomer also appeared from below deck.
"Captain, what's going on?" asked the wolf hastily.
"I don't know, but it's best to leave immediately." the cat moved quickly and went to the helm and then yelled at the others "Get ready to do evasive maneuvers!"
Immediately everyone took their positions and Flynn pushed the accelerator to full throttle.
The airship shot forward and accelerated to maximum speed.
Flynn was proud of how fast his beloved Skyshark could go, however when he looked back again he was frightened.
The three airships were fast enough to have almost reached them in no time.
"They are catching up!" Tread yelled as it was hard to hear the words with the wind whipping and the deafening noise of the propellers spinning at full power.
"How is it possible?! Those ships will weigh at least one hundred tons each. " Boomer exclaimed.

In a few seconds the three airships had reached about ten meters from them, there was one on both sides and the third remained behind them.
"ATTENTION NOT IDENTIFIED AIRCRAFT , STOP IMMEDIATELY BY ORDER OF THE KING!" a strange voice boomed from the aft airship.
The five observed the crews of the other airships, they were made up of strange creatures belonging to a race never seen before.
Their structure was similar of a gorilla, they had larger front legs than the hind ones and most were standing on two legs, in their hands they held a shield and a spear.
Their fur was gray but it was hardly noticeable as they wore armor over a black vest that adhered to the body. Their face looked like a mask and they had thick white hair that started from the chest and covered their shoulders and back.
"I WILL NOT REPEAT IT ANOTHER TIME, STOP OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE." the voice made itself heard again.
Fizzlepop saw that another creature had appeared on the prow of the airship behind them, holding a kind of megaphone beside him.
It was a short creature that could reach no more than half of Fizzlepop's thigh, it was slightly fat and remotely similar to the other larger anthropomorphs, the face did not look like a mask as the features of the mouth and nose could be recognized.

"What are we doing?!" Tread yelled at the captain.
Flynn was trying to come up with a plan but it was the first time he had faced three enemy vessels at once, he didn't know what to come up with.
"I do not know! Anyone have an idea? " he asked the others.
The airships on either side were now beside them with their guns aimed at the hull.
"NOW WE WILL SHOOT" the low creature began to speak "THREE ... TWO ...."
At that moment, Fizzlepop came up with a plan but as there was no time to explain she went to Flynn and moving him abruptly, she grabbed the lever to adjust the altitude and pulled it upwards.
Immediately the ship tilted and climbed.
"ONE!"
The short creature did not have time to realize what had happened and without thinking he ordered to shoot.
Since the Skyshark had promptly pulled out of the cannon's trajectory, the two airships on either side inevitably ended up hitting each other.
The hulls of the airships exploded in a riot of pierced wooden planks and splinters flying around hitting anyone in the vicinity.

While the Skyshark had moved away a little, the five looked at each other in amazement for a second and then Boomer let out a cry of happiness.
"Fuck you! I thought we were going to die! You're a Fizzle Myth! " howled the wolf as he leapt for joy.
"Ouch." Flynn had managed to get up even though he was staggering slightly.
"Oh Flynn, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Fizzlepop said as she stood beside him for support
"Don't worry Fizzle, it was a matter of circumstances." the cat straightened up and then looked at her proudly "Plus you had a brilliant idea and you saved us and my beloved Skyshark." he told her as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Attention, they are back!" Tread yelled.
Three more airships were coming, one behind and two in front.
"They don't give up." Bash growled.
"And neither do we." Flynn replied with newfound determination.
The cat returned to the helm and pushed the accelerator to maximum again.
The Skyshark moved at great speed in the direction of the airships in front of them.
"What are you doing? Do you want to go crash into them ?! " Boomer asked with wide eyes.
Flynn didn't answer and continued to keep his hands steady on the rudder pegs.
The airships ahead of them kept approaching fast, and the one behind same.
"We will crash!" Fizzlepop said as she steadied herself to the railing of the aft castle.

Their fate now seemed decided but at the last second the two enemy airships turned abruptly in opposite directions leaving the way clear to the Skyshark.
"Ahah!" Flynn exulted "I knew they didn't have the courage to come on us!"
"Damn you filthy cat!" Boomer yelled him while his tail was between his legs.
Fizzlepop and Bash laughed at the wolf's reaction but the moment of happiness lasted very little as the airship behind them had come a long way and the other two had turned to chase them.
"BOOMM"
The enemy vessel fired with the bow guns going to hit the side of the Skyshark.
"They're shooting at us!" Bash said.
Flynn turned the rudder left and right to try to dodge the blows.
“BOOMM” another shot went off which destroyed one of the lifeboats.
“BOOMM” this time the hull was punctured in the lower part.
"Bastards, they're destroying my airship!" the captain swore as he tried at all costs to preserve the Skyshark.

"BOOMM" another shot went off which unfortunately hit the starboard propeller which exploded halving the speed of the Skyshark.
In no time at all the enemy airship had flanked them from the right, the whole crew had lined up on the port side.
"They want to approach us!" Bash warned as he pulled his large machete out of its holster.
"Try to hold them back if they can get on board." Flynn ordered, the cat knew what to do in similar situations.
When the enemy crew finished preparing they all jumped at the same time to board the Skyshark, however Flynn predicted it would happen and before they got their feet off the ground he swung the rudder sharply to the left.
Most of the large creatures fell into the gap between the two airships but still six of them had managed to land aboard the Skyshark.
Bash immediately charged, knocking one overboard, then went off to fight two others. The shark was not afraid to face two enemies at the same time as he had trained for similar situations.
Boomer and Tread faced an enemy each, it was much more difficult for them to fight as they had to face enemies larger than themselves and equipped with shields and armor.
Tread held two long curved daggers while Boomer held a rapier in his right hand.

Fizzlepop also finds herself having a fight against one of the creatures, given her posture it was difficult to fight an enemy so she decided to immediately end the fight using a ranged attack.
The pony jumped back and charged the horn as she lowered her head slightly to take aim. In a few moments she reached the necessary power and hurled it against the tall creature.
The enemy raised his shield and parried the blow, however even if he managed to avoid a direct hit he certainly could not avoid the effect of the mechanical energy transfer. In fact, the creature was thrown backwards by the energy discharge on the shield and crashed with force against the main mast that held the hull and the air chamber together. The enemy fell limp to the ground.

Fizzlepop was about to go to help Boomer who seemed to be the one most in difficulty but as soon as she moved the other two airships appeared, the crews were already lined up ready for boarding.
"Fizzle, we can't resist any longer, hit the air chamber of the airship on the left." Flynn yelled at her as he released the helm and pulled his sword out of its sheath.
Fizzlepop didn't let him say it twice and pointed the horn towards the target, charged all the energy she could and then sent a powerful blast of magic into the middle of the huge balloon.
Immediately the enemy airship exploded and rushed downwards at great speed taking all the crew with it.
Fizzlepop was shocked by what had happened, she had not expected such an explosion, in theory it should have simply pierced the inner tube but apparently it was not filled with helium but rather with hydrogen, which allowed to lift greater loads but it was highly explosive and flammable.

"Fizzle, we need help!" Flynn yelled as he battled a couple of enemies.
Fizzlepop looked in the captain's direction and saw that about twenty creatures had been able to board the Skyshark from the other ship that was still attached to the starboard side.
The pony charged the horn and managed to hit four other enemies, however when she tried to charge another shot she felt the headache was too intense and she couldn't even take aim without collapsing to the ground.
Since she couldn't take advantage of a ranged attack she decided to switch to a more direct approach.
She spotted three creatures coming in her direction, Fizzlepop ran to the one in the center holding her head down like a bull and swooping in on the enemy.
Using all the momentum and her body mass she managed to lift the large creature and threw it over the parapet causing him to fall below.
When she turned around, she saw that another one had been added to the other two creatures and now they had surrounded her.

For a moment she panicked but then she remembered her ace in the hole.
She took a deep breath and then spat a wave of flames on the enemies.
The three unfortunates had not expected such a thing and were inevitably overwhelmed by the dragon breath. Their coats caught fire and they started running around and rolling on the ground in hopes of extinguish the flames but within seconds they were burned alive while emitting some sort of screams and grunts.
About a dozen of the other creatures broke off the fight they were having against Boomer, Tread and Flynn and ran after Fizzlepop, apparently they understood that the pony and the shark were the biggest threat.
Fizzlepop managed to spit more flames at a couple standing in front of her but within moments she was overwhelmed by the other creatures that threw themselves on her.
Fizzlepop ended up being held on the ground lying on her side, two of them were holding her paws, another one was pinning her to the ground leaning on her torso while another was holding her mouth shut with his hands .
The pony tried to free herself in every way but she could not make any movement, she had been defeated.

Inevitably within minutes everyone else was overwhelmed and landed like Fizzlepop.
After the battle was over, both airships were stopped and left hanging over the destroyed city of Ashtethos. Meanwhile, the airship that first attempted to board them had also arrived. Piloting it was the remaining crew who had not attempted to jump onto the Skyshark.
The five were brought to their knees side by side with their hands tied behind their backs, the weapons and Fizzlepop's backpack had been confiscated
An exception had been made for the pony: she had been lying on the ground with her paws tied, she also had a rope between her teeth that passed around her mouth preventing her from speaking or throwing flames.
Fizzlepop felt humiliated in that position, she had tried to bite the rope or put herself in a more dignified position but she couldn't, the best she could do was stand on her side and keep her neck up.
"Are you okay, Fizzle?" Flynn asked worriedly.
Fizzlepop nodded.
"You have fought well my friends." the captain complimented the others to try to reassure them.
"Especially Fizzle, she did the hard work and roasted them well." Boomer played down and the others laughed.

"Vrooommm" the enemy airships started their engines and moved in front of the Skyshark, a couple of creatures tied thick ropes to the Skyshark's foremast.
The ropes tightened and they moved forward; they were towing tthe Skyshark somewhere.
"Where are they taking us?" Boomer asked.
"To the south, but I don't know why since there is nothing in that direction." Flynn replied.
The wolf sighed.
"I don't know about you, but i think we got into a big trouble this time."