The Free Skies

Shining Armor stood on the bridge of The Solar Wind, lost in thought as last night’s events played out again and again. He mentally kicked himself with each detail he dismissed, each action he could have done differently. He was exhausted, but knew that he wouldn’t get any rest until that night.

Dozens of pirates and collaborators were captured in the span of a couple hours, ten guards killed, and his own sister missing, having been taken hostage on that single ship that escaped. His ears twitched as he heard the door to the bridge open, hoofsteps that were heavier than a normal pony’s making him straighten a bit more. He heard a sigh before a familiar, motherly voice said, “Full report.”

Shining turned and gave her a salute, pausing for a moment to notice that unlike usual, the Grand Admiral’s medals weren’t in their places on her navy blue suit jacket. Taking another moment to compose his thoughts he said, “At 2243 hours, a radio black out started and was assumed to be just a malfunction of equipment. A technician was sent to rectify the situation, but as of 0021 hours the radio black out had not been resolved. 0022 hours is when I encountered Twilight Sparkle, head bosun, racing through the halls of The Peach’s Pie and ran after her. We stopped on the bottom walkway around 0024 hours and saw a ship the size of a cruiser clamped to the keel of The Peach’s Pie. I observed Twilight running towards the ship and I caught sight of a pegasus at the far end of the walkway doing the same. Seconds later the cruiser shot once in our direction, causing both Twilight and I to raise our own shields. Once the smoke cleared I saw that the walkway between where I was and Twilight had been ripped off the ship by the shot.”

Shining took a breath and continued, “I called out to Twilight but she seemingly didn’t hear me. Then the cruiser let go of The Peach’s Pie, catching itself and slowly moving away at heading 53, following the secondary walkway under The Peach’s Pie. I...couldn’t do anything as I watched Twilight pick up a grappling hook and chase after the cruiser. She expertly used the hook and managed to barely scrape the railing of the escaping ship. In the instant that Twilight was starting to fall, a unicorn caught her hooves and pulled her onto the cruiser.”

“Was there any indication that this escaped ship was with the others?” Celestia inquired.

“No, in fact it was the ship escaping that called attention to the others. At 0030 hours I met up with a patrol of three thestrals and ordered them to the nearest radio towers. By 0034 hours all three brought the towers back online and sent out calls for reinforcements. 0040 hours, the various security checkpoints were reporting strange ships being seen on the cameras and two reports were from The Vault. The gold side was successfully locked down with all seventeen blast doors being closed. Several of the Magicite vaults were compromised, but due to the alert from the unaffiliated ship no Magicite was lost and all thieves were captured.”

“Aside from the ones who took Twilight.”

Shining hesitates and continues, “Yes, ma’am. From what the techs were able to figure out, the perimeter sensors between Blue Blood’s and Filthy Rich’s ships were set so the sensors weren’t connected, but they kept sending out a normal signal. No other perimeter sensors were tampered with and from how old the code was, this has been in place for at least ten years. That was enough for us to seize and search their ships which uncovered ledgers and letters between them and known pirates that weren’t captured last night.”

Celestia sat in her chair for a few moments as she thought before saying in a cold tone, “Send out notice of their crimes along with the news that any and all deals they have are null and void. Their assets will be used to pay the fleet back what they stole and their execution will be set for a week from now. Make sure the head gunner knows to have all of The Solar Wind’s guns fully operational by then even if they have to requisition parts from other ships in the flotilla.”

Shining stared in shock at Celestia. Sure, executions weren’t new - they had one last week for a pirate that had killed a family of merchants in their cargo freighter - but to use The Solar Wind itself hadn’t been done for hundreds of years! The last one to get the same treatment was a pirate who named himself The Storm King, and he had been the captain of a dreadnought.

“A-a-are you sure that’s an appropriate-” Shining’s words suddenly died in his throat as Celestia’s gaze turned to him, the look in her eye promising demotions if he said more. “Y-yes, ma’am. I’ll let them know and set things up so I can be gone.”

Celestia’s gaze softened and she nodded. “Exactly my thoughts as well. Make sure you bring these foalnappers back alive. Oh, and don’t go taking that yacht of yours. Take The Indomitable Will.”

Shining shakes his head at that. “I can’t recommend doing that. Taking a dreadnought away from the flotilla would be inviting pirates to start probing attacks. Why don’t we have Blue Blood’s ship refitted and renamed? It’ll be a rush order, but I’m sure it will be ready within two days.” Shining would pause for a moment to let Celestia speak, but then he got an idea and risked speaking over her. “The nearest settlement that isn’t in a pact with us to share laws is four days away by even the fastest of cruisers. With a flight of fighters and scouts escorting Blue Blood’s fleet helicarrier we will find them before they get there.”

The alicorn hums in thought for a moment before nodding. “Very well, see to the refit and call for volunteers.”

Twilight groaned as she rolled over, the light from a nearby window making her head pound more.

“Good, you aren’t dead,” a somewhat familiar voice said, making her head hurt even more.

Barely opening an eye, Twilight caught sight of a cyan mare with a rainbow mane and tail glaring at her from a chair near a window with closed blinds. Confusion slowed her thoughts more as Twilight tried to place where she’d heard this mare’s voice before. “Wh-where am I...?”

The rainbow-maned mare snorted and muttered something Twilight couldn’t quite hear before saying, “Why would an egghead warehouse employee like you try to swing onto a moving airship? Don’t try to pass yourself off as a guard, I’ve already looked through your things and you don’t even have white coat dye!”

Twilight closed her eyes and pushed herself up to sit, a hoof moving to her head. “Why do I feel like I drank several barrels of whiskey? Wait... who’re you?” Twilight looks back at the other mare, noticing that the room they were in was bare aside from the bed, the chair, and a dresser with a mirror attached to the top of it.

The cyan mare rolled her eyes and stood up, heading for the door and revealing a cutie mark of a cloud with a multi-colored lightning bolt, a singe mark almost obscuring it. “Great, doesn’t even realize what’s happening....”

At that moment Twilight remembered where she saw the mare. “Wait, I remember that mark, you were one of the thieves! .... Why am I in the same room as you?”

The cyan mare stopped at the door and gave Twilight a glare. “Of course.... You jumped onto my ship, and the one thing you remember about me is hitting my flank.”

Twilight frowned as her memories came back. “Well excuse me, the last thing I remember is your ship shooting at me.”

“Ugh... then listen up! You were chasing me, and then when my ship was taking off and leaving, you decided to jump onto my ship. I don’t know why, but what I do know is that you’re getting off at the Everfree Agri-flotilla, so until then stay out of trouble and out of me and my crew’s way!” At that the rainbow-maned mare would open the door and leave, slamming the door shut behind her.

“What?” Twilight confusedly said to the already closed door.

She thought to herself, why let me go within Equestrian territory? Aren’t pirates supposed to maroon their prisoners on a Storm Creature? And why the Everfree, isn’t that just one big zoo?

Shaking her head she stood up. “Won’t get answers just sitting here.” Walking over to the door, she tried the handle and found that it wasn’t locked. “Wait, what? Why leave the door unlocked? Does this mean I’m not a prisoner, or are they just this new at being pirates?”