Of High Seas and Howling Winds

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash raced through a maze of empty streets, her wings beating rapidly and her blood flowing excitedly through her veins. The sound of galloping hooves trailed behind her, but they were slowly fading away. She grinned at this; they weren’t able to keep up with her. Veering hard to the right, she rounded a corner onto a road named ‘Market Street’.

She skidded to a halt and began looking for a place to hide. There was no moon out, making it harder for her to see. Stone buildings on either side of the street were awash in shadows, and the alleys between them bled darkness like ink in water. Her mind played tricks on her, making the darkness coil and writhe like snakes. She shook her head to clear it, and the shadows returned to normal. “I had too much cider,” she grumbled.

The sound of hoofsteps broke her from her stupor, and she took off into one of the nearby alleys. A couple of boxes pushed against one of the buildings allowed her a space to remain hidden but still observe the street. There she sat, trying to calm her breathing and slow her pounding heart. She’d nearly succeeded when she felt something touch her back. Rainbow Dash yelped and whipped around, expecting to face her pursuers. What she saw instead was a familiar face. “Fluttershy,” she whispered, releasing a tense breath. “Don’t scare me like that.”

Fluttershy, who backed off several feet after Rainbow Dash’s reaction, quietly replied, “Sorry.”

Rainbow Dash glanced back at the road for a moment before turning her attention back to her friend. “How’d you find me?”

“I-I didn’t. I was here first.”

“Oh.” Rainbow Dash scratched her neck. “Must not have noticed you. Still light headed, I guess.” She offered a small smile.

The two fell back into silence, listening for any sound of movement. When none were heard, Fluttershy spoke up again, “Why’d you pick a fight with them, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “They started it, acting like they owned the bar and talking smack. If I hadn’t done it then somepony else would have. Besides, how was I supposed to know they were part of Big Bronco’s crew?”

“That doesn’t mean you had to punch him...”

“He had it coming. Things are more exciting like this, anyways. Kind of like the good ol’ days,” she added with a smirk.

Fluttershy frowned sadly and lowered her gaze to the ground. Dash, seeing she’d upset her friend, mentally kicked herself. Note to self, she thought, don’t drink so much.

“Look... I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have—”

She stopped abruptly when she heard galloping from the street come to a halt. Slowly, she poked her head from behind the boxes. Three stallions stood on the street, all of them breathing heavily. One of them, an earth pony with a scar running down his cheek, had a swollen right eye. Rainbow Dash had to stifle a laugh at her handiwork.

“Darn it! Where’d she get off to?” one of the stallions asked.

“Who knows. In this light, I’m surprised we were able to follow her as long as we did.”

“We aren’t giving up, not yet. I’ll make that mare pay for what she did,” said the one with the scar.

“Calm down,” replied the second. “She’s gone. There’s nothing more we can do for now. We can tell the captain what happened, and get the rest of the crew to search tomorrow. Don’t worry, we’ll catch her.”

The third stallion cursed loudly, looking for any excuse to keep searching. When he turned to look down the alley that Rainbow Dash was hiding in, she ducked behind the crates. Her heart skipped a beat; she was certain that she’d been seen. She sat there with Fluttershy, who had her hooves clamped over her mouth, waiting for the stallion to start stampeding towards them. Instead, he grumbled something incoherent and walked off with his companions in tow.

The two waited for the sound of hoofsteps to fade away before exhaling the breaths they had been holding. “What do we do now?” Fluttershy asked. She was still whispering, despite the fact that they were no longer in immediate danger. Rainbow Dash didn’t blame her, though; voices could carry far in a city that had gone to sleep.

“For now, we high tail it back to the ship. Tomorrow, we’ll set sail.”

“What about supplies?”

Rainbow Dash scratched her chin while pondering the question. “We can send Rarity and Applejack into town. Those guys won’t be looking for them.”

Fluttershy solemnly nodded her agreement. She sighed, resting on her haunches, and turned her head to the stars. “I guess that means we won’t be getting a job here, then...”

Rainbow Dash followed her friend’s gaze, resting her head against the wall of the building behind her. The cold concrete sent shivers through her body, but it did wonders for clearing her head. “I really botched this one, huh? Not even a captain for a week and I’m already getting us into trouble. Don’t worry. I’ll get us cargo soon. I promise.”

Fluttershy turned to face Rainbow Dash, offering a small smile. “I know.”

Dash, returning the smile, stood up. “Now come on, let’s head back.”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

The sun floated high in the sky over the wide dirt road. A slight breeze traveled over the hills and sent ripples through the sea of grass that hugged the edges of its well-traveled paths. The high pitched calling of seagulls was the only thing that could be heard in an otherwise silent world.

Twilight Sparkle smiled to herself as the wind rustled her hooded cloak. It was hard to believe she was still in Equestria at all, let alone only a two days' journey from Canterlot. This little meadow was about as far away as you could get from the hustle and bustle of her home city. It smelled faintly of sunlight and seaside, and she enjoyed the quiet that engulfed her.

Then Spike interrupted it all.

“Are we there yet?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You’ve been asking that since the moment we left.”

“Well, I’m bored,” the baby dragon whined, “and riding on your back is starting to hurt my legs.”

“You could always get down and walk on your own.”

Spike scratched his chin, as if actually contemplating the idea. “No, I think I’m good.”

Twilight suppressed a frustrated groan. The truth was that her back hurt, not only from carrying her assistant, but also the heavy saddlebags hanging from her sides. She told herself, though, that he was just a baby and wouldn’t have been able to walk the entire distance anyway.

“Well, I think you’re in luck.” Twilight’s horn glowed brightly as one of her saddlebags opened and a scroll hovered out. The scroll unrolled to reveal a map of mainland Equestria with a simple dotted line leading from Canterlot to one of its coasts. “We should be able to see Baltimare once we crest this next hill.”

Spike bounced up and down on her back, suddenly full of energy. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go!”

She shook her head and put the map back in her bag, but nevertheless trotted faster up the hill. Butterflies filled her stomach and her heart picked up just a little. This is it, she thought. The real journey starts here. The pair of travelers reached the top of the hill and gasped at what they saw.

The ocean spread out before them, reflecting the light in such a way that it was both beautiful and painful to look at. A cove formed where land met water and a stone city rested on its borders. Docks, alive and buzzing with activity, ran all along the shoreline, their busy network hosting ships of all shapes and sizes were on the water. Some were heading for port while others departed.

“Wow...” Spike mumbled. He’d slid off Twilight’s back, but she hardly took notice. “It’s amazing.”

“That’s definitely a word for it.”

Spike hopped from one clawed foot to the other, a smile creeping across his face. “Hey, Twilight, can we check out some of the stores? Maybe do some sightseeing?”

“I’m sorry, Spike.” Twilight frowned and shook her head. “We don’t have time.”

It almost hurt to watch the baby dragon’s face fall. “But we just got here.”

“I know, but we need to leave as soon as possible. You read the Princess' letter; it’s going to take almost a six month's voyage to reach Haven.”

“What difference is a couple hours going to make?”

Twilight sighed. “Then how about this: when we find a ship willing to take us, then we can take a look around while they make preparations. Does that sound fair?”

A new light appeared in Spike’s eyes. “What if they’re all ready to go, though?” he quickly added.

She scratched her neck, trying to think of some way to put it that wouldn’t disappoint her assistant. “Just, um, cross your claws and hope that they aren’t.”

“Okay.” He nodded slowly and started walking down the hill.

It took the two of them about five minutes to reach the edge of town. The first thing they noticed was the two guards standing on either side of the path, each holding a flintlock rifle. It was strange for Twilight to see them anywhere outside the royal castle, but she reminded herself that smuggling was a real problem, especially in the port towns. Regardless, they were mostly there as a deterrent than anything else. Twilight offered a subtle nod to them as they approached her.

“How are you today, ma’am?” asked one of the guards.

“I’m fine. Thank you,” she responded.

“What brings you to Baltimare today?”

“I’m hoping to get passage on a ship.” She set her saddlebags on the ground so they could be inspected.

One of the guards opened her bags and began sifting through them. “Is that what all this money is for?” he asked, lifting a burlap sack in his forehooves that jingled when shaken.

“Yes.”

“Well, be careful with that. It’s not a major problem, but we still have some petty thieves around here that’d jump at the chance to take those bits from you. Other than that, everything seems to be in order.” Both guards stepped aside to let her down the path. “Have a nice day, ma’am.”

“And you too,” Twilight responded with a smile. “A quick question, though. Where can I find the dock master’s building?”

“It’s at the very end of Market Street. Right near the dock yard.”

“And where is Market Street?”

“Take a left at the first intersection, then turn right at the next,” said the guard. He chuckled. “Just follow the noise. Good luck.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She thanked the guards once more and walked into the city.

The stone buildings, most just two stories tall and rectangular in shape, were strange to her. She was much more familiar with the gilded, colorful marble structures of Canterlot. Spike must have been thinking the same thing, because he spoke for the first time since approaching the city. “It’s kind of boring here, don’t you think?”

“Ponies work with what they have, Spike.”

“I know, but it looked a lot cooler from on top of the hill, and where is everypony? You’d think the place was deserted.”

“I don’t know. Maybe nopony is up yet. Wait—” Twilight stopped in her tracks at the intersection. “I think I heard something.” She turned to look left, where she thought she could just make out the sound of ponies speaking.

“He did say to follow the noise,” said Spike.

Twilight turned left onto the new street, the sound of voices growing louder with each step. By the time they reached the next intersection, it seemed like ponies were shouting at each other. The two looked at each other questioningly. Spike shrugged his shoulders and turned right around the corner. He got one step down the street before he went slack jawed.

Twilight’s eyes widened and she stepped toward him. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Spike raised a clawed hand and pointed down the street. Twilight followed his finger and nearly gasped at what she saw.

The street was wide and sloped, with tall buildings that were of a more intricate design than the ones they’d seen before. Looking down the road, they could see the docks and, beyond that, the ocean, but what really surprised them was the horde of ponies that currently occupied the street.

Stalls were set up along the sides of the street as well as in the middle. The merchants that owned them were hailing potential customers and showing off their wares, whether it be exotic clothing, food, or accessories. Ponies looking to buy these things wrestled their way through each other to make their purchases. There wasn’t a single area available for breathing room. It was a frantic buzz of activity the likes of which neither of them had ever seen.

“I think I get why he said ‘good luck’ now,” Spike mumbled.

Twilight inhaled deeply, then released it in a sigh. She levitated Spike off the ground and put him on her back. “Sit still,” she ordered. “I don’t want to lose you in that crowd.”

Spike mumbled an agreement, not wanting to imagine being lost among the mass of ponies. With another deep breath and a nod of encouragement for herself, Twilight shoved herself into the crowd.

It was hard making their way down the street, and Twilight groaned or cursed silently whenever another pony bumped into her. Spike rocked back and forth with each shove, and generally had a hard time holding on to her. Both felt a sweat break out on their foreheads from being surrounded by so much body heat in the middle of the afternoon.

They had made it about halfway down the street when a pony in front of them that was pulling a wagon came to an abrupt stop. Hoof traffic came to a complete halt. It sent a ripple effect through the crowd until it reached Twilight. She was caught completely off guard. She bumped into the pony ahead of her and tripped over her own hooves. Spike was sent flying off her back and straight into the crowd. Twilight scrambled back into a standing position, apologizing to the disgruntled colt she ran into, and quickly began shouting her assistant’s name, desperate to be heard over the crowd.

“Spike! Spike, can you hear me?”

If he responded, she wasn’t able to hear him. Her heart raced. Twilight pushed her way in the direction that he fell, ignoring the angry comments and curses from those around her. She strained to look over the mass of ponies for the baby dragon, but couldn’t find him.

Taking a different approach, she bent down to see if she could catch a glimpse of him. Still, she found nothing. Twilight bit her lip, desperately searching left and right for any sign of her ward. She was hyperventilating now. “Spike!” she shouted again, her voice cracking. Once again, there was no response.

She forced herself to calm down, even though her mind was racing. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled. Inhale. Exhale. She began to think rationally again. Okay, she thought, screaming isn’t going to get me anywhere. Now think. What can I do instead?

I could go back to the guards. They might be able to help. No... they shouldn’t leave their post. And who knows where Spike could be by the time I get back. I need something more immediate.

Twilight decided a signal would be the best means of finding Spike. Even if he couldn’t see it, it would at least make the crowd go quiet enough for him to hear her calling. Her horn began glowing as she prepared the fireworks spell. She was just about to fire it into the air when she heard something.

“—ilight!”

Twilight cancelled the spell and began looking around again. After a while, she thought she’d been hearing things, but then she heard it again. Just barely discernable over the din of the crowd, she heard Spike calling out her name.

“Twilight!”

“Spike!” she shouted back. “I’m over here!”

There wasn’t a response. Twilight stretched as tall as she could to look over the crowd. At first she saw nothing, and wondered if the voices in the crowd were playing tricks on her mind. But then she caught sight of his dark purple scales and green spines. She was so overcome with relief that she almost didn’t question the fact that he was accompanied by two ponies.

Almost.

Spike also caught sight of her and began jumping up and down and waving his arms. He turned to face the ponies he was with, pointing in her direction. Twilight bit back her confusion and made her way towards him.

When they met each other halfway, Spike quickly scrambled up onto Twilight’s back and hugged her neck. She returned the gesture with one of her forehooves before turning her attention to the ponies that helped Spike.

They were both mares around Twilight’s age. One was a unicorn sporting a white coat with an indigo mane and tail that were both elegantly curled. Her eyes were a deep azure color, and a pair of goggles rested around the pony’s neck.

The other was an earth pony: bright orange with eyes that sparkled like emeralds. Her blonde mane was tied near the end with a red band. She wore a brown stetson atop her head, which elicited a raised eyebrow from Twilight.

“I can’t thank you enough for helping Spike. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the crowd.

The unicorn smiled. “Think nothing of it, darling. The poor dear landed right next to me. I nearly jumped out of my own skin, but I couldn’t possibly have just left him there in the middle of the crowd.”

“You oughta be more careful next time,” said the other mare. “It’s mighty easy to lose somepony in this crowd. ‘Specially one as small as this fella’.”

“I’m sorry. It’s my first time in the city and I... wasn’t really expecting this.”

“A new arrival, eh? What brings ya to Baltimare?”

“Applejack!” the unicorn exclaimed. “That’s their business, not yours.” She turned toward Twilight, smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry about her. She’s just curious—”

“I was just tryin’ to be friendly...”

“— after all, not just anypony is found traveling with a baby dragon. You must be a very important pony.” The unicorn’s smile grew as her eyes started sparkling. She took a step closer to Twilight. “Are you from Canterlot? I’d say you are, judging from your mannerism.”

“And here we go again,” the earth pony, Applejack, mumbled under her breath.

Twilight stepped back. “I’m really not comfortable sharing that informa—”

“Yes, we are,” Spike interrupted. “We came here looking for a ship to travel on.”

Whatever fantasy the unicorn was in, Spike’s words knocked her out of it. Her eyes met Applejack’s, and the two seemed to carry on a conversation in complete silence. Applejack was grinning, but the unicorn shook her head, obviously against whatever her friend had in mind. Applejack responded to this by narrowing her eyes, the determination in them burning fiercely. The other mare bit her lip, shifting her gaze between Twilight and Applejack. Eventually she sighed and nodded concedingly. Applejack, wearing a smirk, stepped forward and cleared her throat.

“Y’all say yer lookin’ for a ship to take ya somewhere? We might be able to help ya.”

A part of Twilight was elated after hearing that—not even in the city for an hour and she may have already found transportation—but something held her back. “Are you a captain?”

“Well... no. She’s still on the ship.”

“She’s hiding out there,” the unicorn added.

“Why?” asked Spike.

“She’s in a bit of a, erm, situation. It’s complicated.”

“But we can get her to meet ya. It’ll be a while, though, seein’ as me and Rarity need to buy supplies still. Tell ya what. Y’all head on over to the Bucking Buccaneer down by the docks in a couple hours and we’ll send her over as soon as we get back to the ship. Her name is Rainbow Dash. Come on, Rarity, we gotta hurry now.”

The mares smiled and waved before melting back into the crowd before Twilight could voice her objections. She tried looking for them, but it was as if they had simply vanished.

“She was pretty,” Spike said with a grin.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow at him, surprised at his words. “Who?”

“The unicorn, of course! What was her name again? Rarity?”

She rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Why not? Aren’t we going to be traveling with them?”

Twilight shot her assistant a look. “I never said that.”

“But why not?

“They were strange, Spike, and quite unprofessional. Besides, whatever business this Rainbow Dash character is mixed up in, it’s obviously bad. I want no part of it. I’m grateful to them for helping you, but we stick to the original plan.”

Twilight pushed her way through the street with a new determination. Ten grueling minutes later, they emerged on the docks. While it was still crowded here, it wasn’t as confined as the street. The salty breeze offered sweet relief, and Twilight removed her hood to fully embrace it. Spike, meanwhile, was taking in the sights.

The docks were alive with activity. Sailor ponies pulling carts stacked with cargo made their way to the stone warehouses or city merchants. The ships anchored there, once seemingly small from a distance, loomed over the travelers. Their masts pierced the sky like large wooden spears. It was hard to believe that they would soon be traveling on one of these giants.

Twilight shifted her gaze to the right and saw a stone, one-story building with a wooden anchor hanging above the door. “That must be the dockmaster’s building,” she said, trotting over to it. Her horn glowed as she twisted the door handle and pushed the heavy, wooden frame open.

She wasn’t entirely sure what to expect upon walking inside, but one thing was for sure: it was dull. The small room was the same boring grey as the exterior. It was sparsely furnished, with only a ratty couch pushed against the far wall and a desk next to a door that must have led into the dockmaster’s office. A lime green earth pony sat behind the desk, gazing intently into a hoof-held mirror and occasionally fixing her curly yellow mane. The pony didn’t take notice of Twilight, even when she trotted up to the desk. Twilight cleared her throat, causing the mare to gasp in surprise and nearly drop her mirror. Spike chuckled.

“Slow day?” Twilight asked.

The receptionist set down her mirror and flashed a small grin. “Something like that. All the sailors are peddling their cargo to merchants or congregating at the bars. We only have paperwork for the rest of the day. Would you like to speak with the dockmaster?”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“He can see you immediately. Just head through this door.”

“Thank you.”

Twilight opened the door to the office and stepped inside with Spike right behind her. The office was much more welcoming than the reception area, albeit smaller. Several pictures of ships and their crews adorned the walls. Shelves and bookcases stacked to the brim with scrolls and record books stood on either side of the room. An old unicorn sat at an oak desk facing the door, levitating several papers in front of him. Behind him, a window spanned across the entire back wall that offered a sweeping panorama of the docks. His eyes locked onto Twilight when she entered the room, and he let the papers fall to the desk.

“Good afternoon,” he said with a smile.

“Good afternoon,” she repeated. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sparkle. How can I help you today?”

“I’m looking for passage on a ship.”

“Ah, I see. I assume that you have the coin to pay for this?”

“Yes.”

“Splendid. Now, may I ask where you are going?” The dockmaster levitated several papers to the desk, scanning them for any ships accepting passengers.

“I’m going past Eternity’s Crossing.”

The dockmaster’s jaw dropped along with his papers. He blinked twice, then scratched one of his ears. “Forgive me,” he said. “My hearing must be getting worse these days. It sounded like you said you wanted to go to Eternity’s Crossing.”

“You heard correctly,” Twilight stated.

The stallion’s eyes widened. He coughed, then collected the papers he had dropped and put them back in their places. When he turned to face Twilight once more, his eyes were grim. “I’m not sure what would possess you to go to that forsaken place, but I strongly advise against it. It’s far too dangerous. There are strange storms out there, and monstrous creatures that could snap a galleon in half.”

Spike poked Twilight’s leg. “Is that true, Twilight?”

“It’s perfectly fine,” she reassured him. “Those are just tall tales told to scare sailors. There’s no actual accounts of those things.”

“That’s because nopony has survived to talk about it,” the old stallion grumbled.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Twilight sighed. “Look, I’m not going out there for a vacation. I’m Princess Celestia’s personal student. I’ve been given a task to go out there and assist in an expedition that has discovered a new island.”

“Then she should have commissioned a ship for you.”

Twilight’s gaze fell to the floor. “Well... It’s complicated.”

The dockmaster sighed. “I’m sorry, Ms. Sparkle, but I can’t help you.”

“Why not?” she exclaimed.

“There isn’t a captain out there that would risk their crew in those waters.”

Twilight groaned. She needed a new approach. Focusing her magic, she levitated her sack of bits from her bag and dropped it on the table. “Two-thousand bits. That’s how much I’m willing to pay.”

The stallion stared at the bag for several seconds before returning his attention to Twilight. “While that is quite a generous sum, I’m afraid my hooves are still tied. The simple fact is that there are no ships traveling out that far, and nopony is willing to risk their lives for it. You can always try your luck in another port.”

“The closest one is a week’s journey away. I don’t have time for that.”

The dockmaster shrugged. Twilight, gritting her teeth, put the sack of bits back into her satchel. “Come on, Spike,” she said. “We’re leaving.”

Spike scrambled onto Twilight’s back as she flung open the wooden door and then slammed it shut behind her. “Where are we going?”

“To the docks. Maybe we can convince some of the sailors to see reason.”

Twilight was met with disappointment. For several hours she scoured the docks, looking for a boat offering passage. When she told the sailors where she was going, however, they all gave her the same answer as the dockmaster. Most were visibly shaken whenever she spoke the words ‘Eternity’s Crossing’, but others were bold enough to laugh in her face and call her crazy. Even when she mentioned how much she was offering in bits, she was eventually politely declined or waved away.

It was late in the afternoon when Twilight finally gave up. Finding an area that was relatively unoccupied, she rested on her back against the wall of a stone storage building. For the next several minutes she stared aimlessly at the sea. Spike was next to her, watching her carefully. He could tell she was racking her brains for a solution to her problem, but was coming up short. He wrung his claws nervously, like he always did when Twilight didn’t have the answers. “Twilight? Are you okay?” he asked.

“Hm? Oh. Yeah, I’m fine. Just wondering what to do next.” She chuckled humorlessly. “This is going to be harder than I thought.”

Spike shifted his feet, unsure of what to say. “Say, Spike,” Twilight continued, “why do you think the Princess sent us on this journey?”

“It’s a test, right? That’s what she said.”

“Right. A test. It’s starting to seem like she was just trying to get rid of me. After all, what use is a student who can’t learn properly anymore...”

Spike stomped a clawed foot on the ground. “Don’t say that! There’s no way she would ever do something like that. Everyone hits a wall at some point, Twilight. All you have to do is keep practicing. Don’t give up yet. We still have one thing we haven’t tried.”

“You mean those ponies from earlier? Spike, I told you, I don’t—”

“I know you think they’re shady, but they helped me, remember? They wouldn’t have done that if they weren’t nice ponies. I’m sure there’s a good reason for all the secrecy.” He tugged at her hoof impatiently. “Now get up, or we won’t make it to the meeting.”

Twilight smiled wistfully at her assistant. She’d never admit it, but she greatly appreciated his optimism, especially recently. He had a very special way of pushing aside her doubts and getting her back on her hooves. “Okay,” she said, standing up. “You win. We’ll go meet this Captain Rainbow Dash. But this is my decision, Spike, and I reserve the right to walk away if I feel I can’t trust her.”

“Okay,” Spike replied, glad she’d regained some of her determination, and climbed onto her back. “Where did they say to meet her again?

“The Bucking Buccaneer. They said it was close to the docks. I’m sure we’ll find it if we search for a bit.”

It didn’t take long for them to locate it. The Bucking Buccaneer, as it turns out, was one of the most visited bars in town, and many sailors had begun making their way there as the day wore on. It was also one of the only remaining buildings built from wood in a city of stone. Twilight and Spike stared at the large, carved sign hanging over the door. On it was the name of the establishment, etched in stylized letters.

“I guess this is the place,” Twilight mumbled. Exhaling deeply, she pushed open the wooden double doors and walked inside.

Never before had she felt so immediately out of her element.

The room she stepped into was large, the majority of it filled with tables of all sizes. Wooden pillars extended from the floor to the ceiling, covered in photographs with no particular pattern. There was a stone hearth against the far right wall, probably for when the sea breezes at night became too cold. The bar itself was directly across the room from the door. A large selection of drinks were on display on the shelves behind it. A bartender walked out from a door that seemed to lead to a kitchen, carrying a plate of food for one of the sailors at the bar.

A cacophony of noises assaulted Twilight’s ears upon entering. A group of musicians played in one of the corners, but it was impossible to judge their merit because they could hardly be heard over the patrons shouting amongst each other. Everypony in the room, whether they sat at tables or the bar, held a wooden mug in their hooves, no doubt filled with hard cider.

One particularly intoxicated customer stumbled his way over to the door, only to trip over his own hooves. He collapsed next to Twilight, who yelped in surprise. The pony lay there for several seconds before grumbling incoherent curses and pushing himself off the floor. She followed him with her eyes until he left, then faced the ruckus in front of her once again.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said, her voice cracking.

“What? But we just got here,” said her assistant.

“Spike, we don’t even know what the pony we’re meeting looks like. It might be smarter if we just—”

“Isn’t that her over there?”

Spike pointed to one of the smaller tables in the far corner of the bar. Sure enough, a rainbow-maned pegasus sat there, leaning back in her chair with one hind leg crossed over the other. She wore a black sailor’s vest and was fiddling with a matching tricorne hat resting on the table. Her cerise eyes scanned the bar almost nervously.

“She’s certainly as colorful as her name implies.” Twilight sighed, pulling the hood of her cloak over her head. “All right. Let’s get this over with.”

She began the trying task of making her way across the crowded room. It wasn’t nearly as stifling as when she passed through Market Street, but a feeling of claustrophobia still creeped in.

The pegasus locked eyes with her when she approached. “Excuse me,” she said, “but are you Captain Rainbow Dash?”

“The one and only,” Rainbow Dash replied with more than a little gusto. She straightened in her seat and placed the hat on her head. “You’re the pony looking to board a ship?”

“Yes. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Well, Twilight Sparkle, take a seat. I’ll go get us some drinks.”

Twilight was going to tell her not to bother, but Rainbow Dash was making her way to the bar before she could blink. Groaning, Twilight pulled back a chair and sat down, with Spike jumping up onto the table next to her. Rainbow Dash reappeared moments later carrying two mugs in her hooves. She set one in front of Twilight, then took her place across the table. Twilight glanced at the frothy liquid inside its container and frowned. Rainbow Dash noted her apprehension.

“It isn’t hard cider,” she explained, taking a sip from her own mug. “Business should be discussed with a clear head.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Twilight brought the mug to her lips and took a long drink from it. The sweet liquid was cool and refreshed her as it passed into her stomach. “It’s delicious.”

“Really?” Spike asked. “Could I try some?”

Twilight answered by passing him the mug. He snatched it off the table and chugged it. Rainbow Dash chuckled. “This is the little guy that Rarity and Applejack helped out?”

“I’m Spike,” he said after setting the mug back down.

“That’s a pretty radical name you got there, Spike.”

His embarrassment was obvious in the way he smiled. “Thanks.”

“Captain Dash,” interrupted Twilight, looking to change the subject, “why are we meeting here? Why the cloak and dagger routine?”

Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her neck. “It’s a long story. And one we don’t have time for. What about you? What’s your story?”

“Why do you care?”

“I’d like to know who I’m taking aboard my ship. There’d be trouble for me if you’re a fugitive or something.”

“I’m not a criminal.”

“A criminal would say that.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at Rainbow Dash. It felt wrong to justify her reasons for traveling, but she couldn’t blame the captain for being careful. “I’m Princess Celestia’s personal student.” She levitated a letter from her saddlebags and placed it on the table, trying not to laugh at Rainbow Dash’s surprised expression. “This is a letter I received from her, asking me to join up with an expedition that left from Canterlot about a year ago. The expedition is being led by Daring Do and was started with the goal of discovering faraway islands. Word was received back from them a week ago that stated they were not only successful, but may have discovered the remnants of an ancient civilization. I’m being sent there as a liaison between the Princess and the expedition, and to assist in any way I can in learning more about the ruins they found on the island.”

Rainbow Dash looked from Twilight, to the letter, and back. “Well... that’s impressive. But can I ask why the Princess didn’t just commission a boat for you to travel on?”

“That’s between me and her.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Fair enough. Where is this expedition at now?”

“On the island they discovered. They decided to name it Haven.” Twilight inhaled deeply. The moment of truth. “It’s past Eternity’s Crossing.”

Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped. She placed her mug on the table slowly, as if in a trance, and began scrutinizing Twilight. Twilight could feel herself being judged. It was several minutes before the pegasus spoke again.

“You want to go to the sea that every sailor in their right mind would avoid at all costs?”

“Yes.”

“The sea that nopony has ever returned from?”

“Obviously that’s not the case, considering the message we received from the expedition.”

Rainbow Dash held Twilight’s gaze. A wide grin broke out on her face. “That’s awesome.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to be surprised. She looked to Spike for help, but he seemed as confused as she did. “Excuse me?”

“It’s like you’re going on an adventure. Count me in.”

“Erm... okay then...”

“About how much I’m getting paid, though. The journey is going to take a while.”

“Six months to be exact.”

“Exactly. Not to mention the dangers. Even if we don’t put stock in the stories about the waters past Eternity’s Crossing, we still have to go through the border regions. I’m sure you know that area is filled with pirates and raiders.”

Twilight nodded. “I’m willing to pay you two thousand bits.”

“Sweet mother of... how did you get that much money?”

“This is a government sponsored voyage, Captain Dash. I’ve been given ample funding for any expenses I need to make.”

Rainbow Dash smirked, a fire ignited in her eyes. “I gotta say, meeting with you is turning out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. But just to make sure you aren’t pulling my leg, could I see the money?”

“Of course.”

Twilight opened her saddlebag, replacing the letter and removing the sack of bits. She set it on the table, and the coins inside jingled as they hit each other. Rainbow Dash stared at it. “I’ve got to be dreaming,” she said. She made a move to open the sack and inspect its contents, but stopped short. Her eyes found something across the room and the smile disappeared from her face. “And now it’s a nightmare.”

Twilight and Spike looked at each other questioningly. “What do you mean?” asked the baby dragon.

She didn’t respond directly, instead nodding in the direction of the door. She angled her hat in a way that would hide her face while Spike and Twilight turned to see what she was talking about.

A new group of ponies had entered the bar. There were four of them, the leader of whom was a large stallion with a scar on his cheek and a nasty-looking black eye. Unlike the other ponies visiting the bar, they didn’t look like they were there for the drinks.

Twilight faced Rainbow Dash again. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Put the bits back in your bag,” she said, not offering any elaboration, “and get ready.”

“Get ready for what?”

Without warning, Rainbow Dash whipped her mug into the crowd of patrons. The wooden-container-turned-deadly-projectile clocked a stallion in the back of his head, burying his face into his bowl of food. The entire room went silent. Very slowly, he stood up. “All right,” he said with slurred words, “who threw that at me?”

Rainbow Dash leapt from her chair and pointed a hoof accusingly at another stallion. “It was him!” she shouted. “I saw it!”

Before that stallion could object, the first one charged at him, bowling over several ponies in his rage. Other ponies began joining in, and soon the entire room was enveloped in violence. Chairs were flung. Curses were shouted. The band in the corner had to fend off a mob of sailors with their instruments. A call rang out from somewhere within the chaos: two words describing what the situation had quickly degenerated to.

“Bar fight!”

While Spike leapt onto her back in fear, Twilight turned her attention to the four ponies that had just entered the bar. They’d taken notice of them when Rainbow Dash had started the fight, and were now trying to force their way through the brawl towards them. Then Twilight was suddenly staring into Rainbow Dash’s eyes, their faces only inches apart. With a smirk, Rainbow Dash whispered a single word to her.

“Run.”

Before Twilight could say anything, Rainbow Dash made a beeline for the bar and dove over it. The bartender was nowhere to be found, probably frightened off by the fight. As quickly as she could, Twilight stuffed the sack of bits into her saddlebag and followed Rainbow Dash. She tried to climb over the bar, which was higher than she’d anticipated, when somepony grabbed her hind leg.

Twilight whipped around to see who it was. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was the scarred stallion. He smiled wickedly, revealing several gold teeth. “Gotcha,” he said menacingly. “You’re with that rainbow pony, aren’t you?”

Her mind shut down. Any spells she may have learned over years of study flew from her mind. Her base instinct’s overruled rational thought, and Twilight did something she never thought she’d do.

She reared her free hind leg and kicked him in the face.

The stallion reeled back, clutching his good eye. Twilight, taking her chance, scrambled over the bar. She caught sight of Rainbow Dash near the door leading to the kitchen and ran over to her. With Rainbow Dash in lead, the trio rushed through the kitchen, ignoring the shouts they got from the chefs.

Rainbow Dash threw open the back door and stepped out into an alleyway. She paused for a moment, getting her bearings, then pointed left. “This way.”

They emerged from the alley onto a street near the docks. Rainbow Dash took to the air, saying, “Follow me.”

A crowd had gathered outside the entrance to the bar. Twilight hoped that would slow down the ones chasing after them, but was hardly surprised when they emerged from the throng of ponies. They caught sight of the trio at the end of the road and began galloping after them.

“Aw, give us a break!” Spike exclaimed.

Rainbow Dash took off down the street. Twilight struggled to keep up with her while being encumbered by both Spike and her bags. Her legs began to burn fiercely, but she didn’t dare slow down.

“Why are they chasing us?” she shouted between breaths.

“Is now really the best time to be asking that?” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

“You could have told me beforehand.”

“Just shut up and run!”

They arrived at the docks with their pursuers hot on their hooves. They raced down the boardwalk, with Twilight dodging anypony that got in their path.

“We’re coming up on my ship soon,” Rainbow Dash called out. “That’s it right there!”

She pointed to the very last ship on the docks. When she did, Twilight nearly stopped dead in her tracks. It was a small caravel, lateen sails and all, that was dwarfed by the galleons and barques in the shipyard.

“That’s your ship!?” Twilight cried.

“No backing out now. Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash shouted. A yellow, pink-maned pegasus poked her head over the deck of the ship. “Lower the sails and raise the anchor. We’re leaving. Now!”

The pegasus disappeared, and moments later the sails dropped from their masts. The ship began inching forward. Twilight and Rainbow Dash veered to the right, rushing down the dock until they were running next to it. The ponies chasing them, realizing it was a lost cause, slowed down. But now the trio faced another problem: they had to board a moving ship.

Rainbow Dash flew up and over the railing with relative ease. Twilight, though, was having difficulty keeping up with a boat that was gaining speed every second. She galloped as hard as she could, but the lowest part of the ship, the deck, was slipping away from her.

“Jump, Twilight!” Spike shouted.

She did, but not high enough to clear the railing. Her body slammed into it, and only quick thinking allowed her to prevent herself from tumbling back onto the dock. She clutched the railing as hard as she could. “Climb over, Spike,” she said through grit teeth.

“I’m not going to leave you.”

“You’d be doing me a lot more good than you are now!”

“But—”

“Get. Off. My. Back.”

Spike complied, scrambling over the railing and onto the ship. Twilight tried pulling herself over, but her saddlebags still weighed her down. Just as she thought she was going to slip and fall, a pair of hooves grabbed onto her and pulled her onto the deck.

Twilight collapsed there, exhausted. Her breath came in sharp gasps, and she closed her eyes tightly. When her heart rate returned to normal and it didn't feel like her lungs were on fire, she reopened them. She saw that Rainbow Dash was looking down at her, grinning madly.

“Welcome aboard.”

Chapter 2

"I— what—” Twilight stammered, staring up at Capt. Dash. A hundred things to say came to mind, but none of them could convey the feelings of frustration bubbling up inside her. Not that she had a chance to voice them anyway, as Rainbow Dash pulled her onto her hooves, still smiling from ear to ear.

“That was awesome!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “Talk about a great getaway. I have to admit, you’ve got some guts. Kicking that guy the way you did? Priceless. He didn’t know what hit him.”

“Awesome isn’t the word I’d use for it,” Twilight deadpanned, “dangerous, maybe, or stupid.”

Rainbow Dash sat down at the mast and put her hooves behind her head, relaxing with a smirk. “Aw, lighten up a little. You gotta look on the bright side.”

“Bright side!?” Twilight shouted, her voice rising a decibel. “What bright side? I was just chased across town—for reasons I still have yet to hear, I might add—while putting my safety in the hooves of a reckless pony I don’t even know, let alone trust. Where is the bright side in that?”

A tense silence fell over them. They held each others stares for what seemed like hours. Spike moved his gaze between the two, shifting nervously on his feet. He was the one that finally spoke. “Well, we got away from them. And we have a ride to Haven. That’s two things, right?”

Rainbow Dash nodded at him. “He’s got the right idea.”

“Don’t encourage her, Spike,” said Twilight. “Look, all I want is an explanation. But if I think this is going to come back to bite you in the flank, then I will ask you to turn around and drop me off at port.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Fine, you win,” she said. “I was at a bar last night with my first mate, Fluttershy—just to have a little fun, you know. It was fine for a while, but then those guys show up and started harassing the other customers. Eventually, I had enough, so I hit one of them.” Twilight nodded slowly; that explained the stallion’s black eye. “Of course,” Rainbow Dash continued, “it turned out they’re a part of Big Bronco’s crew. They’re known for being— violent towards ponies that cross them. Rumors say they might be smugglers, but there’s no proof of it. Don’t worry,” she quickly added when she saw the terrified look on Twilight’s face, “I don’t think they’ll follow us out to sea. And even if they did, they couldn’t catch us. My ship may be small, but she’s fast too.”

“You’re sure about that?” Twilight tried her best to hide the worry in her voice; after all, she’d hit that stallion too. She tried not to think about what would happen if she ran into them again.

“One-hundred percent. Well, maybe ninety. There’s no telling who you can run into out at sea.”

At least she’s honest, Twilight thought.

“So... are we staying, Twilight?” Spike asked.

She looked at her assistant, who stared at her with hopeful eyes. She sighed. “Yes, we’re staying. It isn’t like anypony else is lining up to take us, anyway.”

“Awesome,” Rainbow Dash said, the slightest of smiles returning to her face. “I’ll let the rest of the crew know. Follow me.”

She trotted up a small flight of stairs leading towards the ship’s stern, Twilight and Spike following close behind. When they reached the top of the steps, they noticed just how far away they’d gotten from port. Already the ship was leaving the cove that housed the city of Baltimare. Rainbow Dash was right; the ship was fast.

Despite the day’s events weighing on her mind, Twilight smiled. It had been a lot of trouble, but she’d managed to secure passage, and the journey had begun. Her spirits picked up at the thought. Those she hired were less than professional, for sure, but they seemed kind enough.

Twilight turned to take her first real look at the ship. It was small, even for a caravel, with only two lateen sails instead of three. The main mast was in the center of the deck and had a small rope ladder leading up to the crow’s nest. Lanyards attached the triangular sails to the bulwarks of the boat, while rope rigging stretched up to the mastheads. None of it looked like it was in need of repair, which Twilight found reassuring. However, she questioned why the deck seemed deserted; there wasn’t a single crew member in sight.

She returned her attention to Rainbow Dash, who had made her way over to the helm. Operating the large, wooden wheel was the yellow pegasus Twilight had seen before. Her long, pink mane covered half of her face, and her teal eyes were glued to the sea in front of them until Rainbow Dash walked over.

“Fluttershy,” she said as Twilight trotted towards them, “this is Twilight Sparkle and Spike. Twilight Sparkle and Spike, Fluttershy. As I mentioned before, she is my first mate.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” said Twilight.

“Hi,” Spike said at the same time.

Fluttershy looked both of them over, especially Spike. “H-hello,”she said, and then turned towards Rainbow Dash. “So, um... where are we taking them?”

“To an island called Haven on the Forgotten Sea,” responded Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy froze, her eyes going wide as she stared disbelievingly at them. She looked absolutely mortified, almost like she had a heart attack right then and there. If it weren’t for the fact that she was still as stone, Twilight might have thought that was the case.

“Is she gonna be okay?” Spike asked.

Rainbow Dash yawned deeply and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah. Just let it sink in.”

Fluttershy started trembling and edged away, stealing glances back at port. Twilight wondered for a moment if the frightened pegasus was really thinking of trying to making a break for the shoreline. It was obvious she didn’t want to sail into such ominous waters.. She bit her lip and swallowed. “D-D-Dash? Are we really, um...going to the Forgotten Sea?”

“That’s right.”

“Y-you know how dangerous it will be, right?”

“Quit worrying so much, Flutters,” said Rainbow Dash, lightly smacking Fluttershy’s back, “we’ll be just fine. Besides, you haven’t heard how much they’re paying us. Come on, let’s tell the rest of the crew.”

Fluttershy was still shaking but nodded slowly, and the two trotted over to a small bell that was hanging from a wooden post near the edge of the stern, Twilight and Spike following shortly after. When they approached, Rainbow Dash began ringing the bell, yelling, “All hooves on deck!”

Twilight then turned her attention to the ponies that had gathered on the deck below them, and her mouth dropped at their numbers, or lack thereof. There were only three ponies there, two of whom she had already met before: Applejack and Rarity. The third was a pink earth pony, with a curly mane and tail that seemed to poof out in every direction. A black sailors belt was wrapped around her midsection. She was staring up at them, bouncing excitedly from hoof to hoof.

“Is this really everypony?” Twilight whispered to Fluttershy.

“Yes.”

“Why is your crew so small?” She tried hard to conceal the aggravation in her voice, but some slipped out.

“I’m sorry,” squeaked Fluttershy, “b-but we don’t need anypony else. The ship is small, so...”

“Alright, crew!” shouted Rainbow Dash, interrupting them. “Good news—we’ve got a job. This here is Twilight Sparkle, personal student to Princess Celestia, and this her companion Spike. They’ve been sent by the Princess to join an expedition that discovered ruins on an island in the Forgotten Sea. We’re the ones that are gonna take them there. The journey is going to take six months—”

“Hold on a moment,” Rarity interjected. “Did you just say the Forgotten Sea? As in the one past Eternity’s Crossing?”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at her crew member. “Is there a problem?” she asked, almost as a dare.

“Of course there is!” Rarity snapped back, stomping a hoof down. “Haven’t you heard what happens to ponies that try to sail on that sea?”

“I haven’t,” said Applejack. Everypony turned to stare at her, dumbfounded. Even Twilight, who was far removed from the superstitions, couldn’t help but wonder what rock this pony had been living under all her life. “What?” Applejack asked defensively. “I grew up on a farm, remember? We didn’t have time for all yer sailor stories.”

“It’s a sea of nightmares,” Rarity explained. “I’ve heard that it’s blanketed by a fog so thick that you won’t even be able to see your crewmates around you. You lose all sense of direction and sail endlessly, until all your food is gone and you starve to death. That’s if the storms don’t sink your ship first.”

“Don’t forget the monsters,” said the pink earth pony. She’d begun bouncing up and down excitedly and seemed to be smiling, though about what Twilight couldn’t guess. “You should never forget the monsters.”

“Sounds like a bunch of hooey to me,” mumbled Applejack.

That’s because it is, Twilight thought.

“Regardless of what’s true and what isn’t,” Rainbow Dash shouted, “the fact of the matter is that we’re being paid two-thousand bits for this service. That means a four-hundred bit cut for each of us.”

The crew looked stunned. Even Rarity, who was so against the idea at first, backed down. Applejack was the first to recover. “Well, shoot,” she said with a smirk, “count me in. I’d knock on the gates of Tartarus for that kinda cash.”

“Good,” Rainbow Dash continued. “That’s what I like to hear. So lets get moving. Fluttershy, you take the helm again and set a course for the east. The rest of you, return to your posts.”

“Aye, Captain,” shouted all the crew members before rushing off to their stations.

“As for you two,” said Rainbow Dash, turning to face Twilight and Spike, “there’s a cabin for passengers below deck. Just head down those stairs and make a left.” She indicated towards a square hatch on the deck that led to the underbelly of the ship. “There’s a desk if you need it, and a chest to store your things. I’ll be up here if you need me.”

With that, she trotted towards Fluttershy at the helm. Twilight looked at Spike, who had been following Rarity with his eyes ever since he’d seen her. “So,” said Twilight, “want to go check out our room?”

“What?” asked Spike, his attention snapping back to her. “Oh. Yeah, sure.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and walked down the stairs to the lower deck. Spike followed, and together the two headed below deck. They found themselves in a wide room, most likely the hold, that was almost empty. A few barrels were strewn against the walls here and there, but nothing else.

“Is it supposed to be this spacious?” Spike asked.

“I’m not sure. They must not have any cargo, or something...” mumbled Twilight. She stole a glance to her left and saw the cabin Rainbow Dash had mentioned. Its doorway was covered by a long, thin piece of cloth hanging from a rope. “That must be our room.”

Pushing aside the cloth, they headed in. It was smaller than Twilight would have liked, but she hadn’t been expecting much. Pushed into the far left corner was a desk, just as Rainbow Dash had said. A porthole was above it, offering a small view of the sea. The bed, a simple frame filled with hay and covered by sheets, was on the other side of the room against the right wall, and a chest rested on the floor next to the headboard.

Twilight trotted over to the chest, opening it with a spell. She began pulling things from her saddlebags, starting with the bag of bits. She placed it inside, followed by several books. The fiction novels were separated from the study books. Finally, she undid the clasp of her cloak, folded it as neatly as she could, and set it inside. She ran a hoof over it before closing the lid.

Levitating the final items out of her saddlebags—a bottled ink jar, a quill, and several leafs of loose paper—Twilight went over to the desk and placed them on its surface. “Spike,” she said, “could you write a letter to the Princess?” Several seconds passed without a response. Twilight frowned. “Spike?”

She turned around, only to see that the baby dragon was nowhere to be found. The room was too cramped for him to be hiding anywhere, so she poked her head out from behind the cloth. He wasn’t in the hold either. Twilight sighed. He must’ve snuck off to explore the ship. “Spike!” she called out. “Where’d you go?”

No response came. “Lost him twice in a single day...” Twilight grumbled to herself as she walked to the center of the hold. There was a couple other rooms he could be in, so she decided to check them out. One of them was empty, just like the hold, but then she stumbled across what looked like the crew’s quarters. Several rope hammocks hung from the ceiling, and four more chests were pushed against the walls. A quick inspection revealed that Spike wasn’t there. When Twilight turned to leave, though, she found herself staring straight into the light blue eyes of the pink earth pony from earlier, who was wearing the widest grin she’d ever seen.

“Hiya!” said the pony.

Twilight cried out in surprise and stumbled backwards, landing hard on her flank. The other mare began laughing hysterically. She quieted a little when she saw Twilight narrow her eyes, but a slight giggle remained. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but the look on your face was hilarious.”

“Was there something you needed?” asked Twilight irritably, picking herself up off the floor and rubbing her hurting backside.

If the other mare noticed, though, she didn’t show it. “Not really. Just thought I’d pop down and say hi. You’ve already met everypony else so I thought I’d introduce myself. I’m Pinkie Pie.”

Before Twilight even had a chance to react, Pinkie grappled her into a bear hug. Twilight could feel the air being squeezed from her lungs. “It’s nice to meet you,” she wheezed, “but could you please let me go?”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” replied Pinkie, setting Twilight back down. “Your name is Twilight Sparkle, right? Do you mind if I just call you Twi?”

“No, please don’t,” Twilight said. She was still trying to gather her breath. “I’d prefer if you call me Ms. Sparkle.”

“Okey dokey lokey, Ms. Sparkle. Hey, didn’t you have some big lizard with you before?”

“You mean Spike. And he’s a baby dragon.”

The smile, which Twilight was beginning to think was permanently affixed to her face, disappeared. It was replaced by a look of total awe. “Wow. That’s so cool! The Princess’ student and you have a baby dragon? You must be a really talented pony.”

“Not really,” Twilight said forlornly, pushing past Pinkie and stepping back into the hold, “I still have a lot of things to learn.”

“But you’re probably really good at magic. If you’re the Princess’ student, I mean.”

Twilight’s gaze fell to the floor. “I-I’m not, really...” You’re wrong, she wanted to say. She put on her best fake smile and turned to Pinkie. “Say, Pinkie Pie?” she asked.

“Yes?”

“Would you mind doing me a favor? I need Spike’s help with something, but he wandered off somewhere on the ship. I was just looking for him. If you happen to see him, could you let me know? You don’t have to search, just keep an eye out.”

“Absolutely!”

Before Twilight could thank her, Pinkie rushed up to the deck, leaving behind the slight scent of sugar and baked sweets. Twilight would’ve questioned why a sailor smelled like that, but she was too busy fighting off the exhaustion she was suddenly feeling. That one’s going to be tiresome to deal with, she thought. Talked to her for all of five minutes and now I want to take a nap.

Having searched the stern end of the hold, Twilight made her way towards the bow. She passed a couple rooms, one of which looked like a saloon area, before stopping to stare at one in particular. Unlike the other rooms branching off from the hold, this one was separated by a door. A small, metal plaque was nailed onto the door, with words reading “Captain’s Quarters” written on it.

Twilight frowned. Aren’t the captain’s quarters usually above deck? Then another thought dawned on her. Did Spike sneak in there? She wouldn’t put it past his curiosity. Just as she was about to open the door, though, a loud bang came from further ahead, followed by a shout.

“Darn it all!”

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight followed the noise to its source: a room at the very end of the hold. Poking her head in, she saw that it was the galley. Applejack was in the middle of the kitchen, sitting back on her haunches while rubbing one of her forehooves slowly. The remains of what seemed to be an apple pie were spilled on the wood floor.

“Are you okay?” asked Twilight, stepping into the room.

Applejack snapped her eyes to Twilight, obviously surprised by her presence. They softened immediately after and she chuckled lightly. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just burned myself a little is all. But what about you, subarcube? Yer lookin a little under the weather. Gettin’ seasick?”

“No,” Twilight said. “I just met Pinkie Pie.”

Applejack smiled knowingly, nodding her head. “She’s a talker, that one. Sometimes I wonder if it’s sugar running through her veins instead of blood. She’ll grow on ya, though. That smile can be contagious.” She stood up, taking care not to put too much pressure on her injured hoof. “Ever since she joined the crew two months back, she’s always wearin that goofy grin o’ hers.”

“Wait, what did you say? She’s only been on the crew for two months?”

“Yep. Why? Is that a problem?”

“Well... no. I just hope she has enough experience for this trip.”

Applejack blinked at her, the confusion obvious on her face. “Sugarcube... we’re all inexperienced. This is our ship’s maiden voyage.”

Twilight’s legs almost buckled under her. If it weren’t for the fact that she’d gone stock still, they probably would have. “Of course it is,” she said with no emotion. “This is just perfect.”

“Hey, now. Everypony’s gotta start somewhere. Pinkie’s a good navigator—”

“She’s the navigator?!” wailed Twilight.

“—and the Captain and Fluttershy have been living most of their lives on the seas. Don’t fret so much. We’ll get you to where you’re going.” Applejack began cleaning up the mess on the floor. “Speakin’ of which, where exactly are you headed?”

“The island is called Haven” Twilight said with a sigh. She made a mental note to discuss these new details with Capt. Dash later. “It’s the first island ever discovered on the Forgotten Sea.”

“And they discovered ruins on this here island? You goin’ there to help out or somethin’?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” asked Applejack.

Twilight blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Well it’s gonna be a pretty dangerous trip. I’m just wonderin’ why the Princess would send her personal student knowing that. There’s gotta be a reason.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at Applejack. She’s pretty sharp. “That’s my business.”

Applejack stared at her, no doubt detecting the small edge in her words. “Fair enough. I’m sorry if I offended ya or somethin’. Just tryin’ to figure out the reasonin’ behind yer trip.”

Holding the remains of the apple pie in one hoof, she trotted over to a porthole in the wall. She made like she was going to throw it out the small, circular window, but just then the ship crested a large wave. Applejack lost her balance, causing her to slip and faceplant right into the pie. Any remaining tension in the room dissolved. Twilight snickered quietly, and even Applejack laughed a little.

“Well, this is mighty embarrassin’,” she said, wiping the food off of her face.

“You don’t seem like the sailing type, if you don’t mind my saying,” Twilight said with a small smile touching her lips.

“Yer absolutely right,” replied Applejack, picking up the ruined pie and tossing it out the porthole. “As ya probably heard, I grew up on a farm. The sea is about as far away from that as ya can get.”

“What made you decide to join a crew, then?”

“Well, I could tell ya,” Applejack turned back to face Twilight with a smirk, “but ya see, that’s my business.”

“Touché,” replied Twilight.

“Bless you.”

Twilight shook her head. “Hey, has Spike been back here?” she asked, changing the subject. “I need his help but he disappeared on me.”

“I haven’t seen ‘im...”

“Hey, Ms. Sparkle!” Pinkie’s voice echoed through the hold. “I found him! He’s talking with Rarity on the deck!”

“... but it looks like she has,” Applejack continued.

Twilight nodded. “Thank you!” she shouted back.

“No problem!” Pinkie was suddenly right next to her, grinning. Twilight jumped in surprise. “Hello again. Hey Applejack. When is dinner going to be ready? I’m starving right now.”

“It’ll be awhile yet, sugarcube. I just botched the first meal. Looks like we’re havin’ sandwiches or somethin’.”

Twilight watched the two ponies talk before remembering Spike. She turned and made her way through the hold and up the stairs. When she emerged from the hatch, her mane started flowing in the breeze. She hadn’t noticed how windy being on a boat was until now.

Her eyes scanned the deck for Spike, eventually finding him near the prow. Sure enough, he was talking with Rarity. She trotted over to them. When Spike saw her, his face fell, obviously thinking he was in trouble. As Twilight approached he started to say, “I’m sorry, Twilight, but I just—”

She silenced him by placing a hoof over his mouth. “I’m not mad at you,” she explained. “Just let me know when you go exploring next time.” She looked to Rarity. “I’m sorry if he’s been bugging you.”

“Oh, nonsense,” replied Rarity, shaking her head dismissively. “He’s been very good company. As a matter of fact, he was just telling me what life in Canterlot is like. Is it true that you live in the castle?”

Spike winced when Twilight shot him a look. “Yes,” she answered. “We do.”

“So you get to see the Princess quite often, then?”

Twilight shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. At least, more so than other ponies. I spend a lot of my time in the library though.”

Rarity smiled, her eyes sparkling. “That sounds glamorous. I’ve always wanted to live in Canterlot. It would be absolute paradise. The buildings, the townsfolk, the parties... it seems so high-class.”

“I... guess it is,” mumbled Twilight. “If you like it so much, why don’t you just move there? Why work on a ship instead?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at Twilight. “You should know. It takes a small fortune to buy a house in Canterlot. And all the money I earned from my previous occupation always went to a... third party. Right now, I don’t have a penny to my name. I’m lucky that the Captain decided to hire me. I’m being paid quite generously for my role on the crew.”

“And what role would that be?” Twilight asked, now curious.

For the slightest of seconds, Rarity frowned sadly. It disappeared so quickly, though, that Twilight disregarded it as her eyes playing tricks on her. “Let’s just say that I’m to act as a... deterrent.” The confusion on Twilight’s face must have been obvious, as Rarity continued, “Don’t worry about it too much, darling. If we’re really lucky, you won’t have to see me do my job during the journey.”

“Speaking of which, you don’t really seem too keen on the whole thing.”

“Would you be? I’ve traveled a lot in my life, but nowhere is as mysterious as the Forgotten Sea. The stories you hear about that place are enough to chill the blood.”

Twilight scoffed. “Too bad they’re all made up.”

“And what proof do you have of that?” Rarity asked, more inquisitive than angry. “Have you been there before?”

“No, but I can say the same thing to you. Can you prove all those stories are true?”

“Look,” said Rarity, “we can argue our points all day long and still be nowhere. The truth of the matter is that we’re going there regardless of what I think. And while I do have my reservations, I do believe that the Captain will get us to our destination safely. Let’s just leave it at that, shall we?”

“Agreed. Now, can I borrow this one for a minute?” Twilight asked, indicating to Spike. “I need his help with something.

“Of course, darling.” Rarity turned her head to look at Spike with a smile. “It was lovely talking with you, Spike.”

A grin nearly as big as Pinkie’s broke out on his face. “The same to you,” he said.

“Come on, Romeo,” Twilight whispered to him, nudging him towards the hatch.

It took a moment for her words to register while he was in his trance, but Spike eventually looked at her and nodded. When they were out of earshot from Rarity, he said, “Did you hear that? I’m lovely to talk to.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but a small smile still creeped onto her face. “Sure you are.”

“Hey, it’s true! She really liked my stories about Canterlot.”

“Okay, but could you not talk about our personal lives so much?” she asked as she began walking down the stairs.

Spike stopped at the top of them, scratching his head in confusion. “Why can’t I?”

“Spike, we aren’t here to make friends with these ponies. Our relationship with them should remain strictly professional.”

“Why?” he asked, rushing down the steps to catch up with her. Together, they entered their cabin.

“Just... because,” said Twilight. “Now, we need to send a letter to the Princess regarding our progress.”

“Alright,” Spike mumbled.

As he climbed up into the chair at the desk, Twilight cleared her throat. “Dear Princess Celestia,” she began.

It is with great happiness that I write to inform you that Spike and I have officially begun our journey to Haven. It wasn’t as easy as I had hoped. Most ships refused to take us on board after learning our destination. However, we managed to secure passage on a small caravel that is captained by one Rainbow Dash. I’m grateful for her help, but there are several things that make me question whether deciding to hire her was the right choice...

Firstly, there is the matter of her professionalism. When we met with her, she was being searched for by members of another crew with whom she had picked a fight. They found her when we were making our dealings, and consequently we had to make a quick getaway on her ship. She’s already proven to be reckless, and doesn’t seem to think her actions through.

Second, this is the very first voyage for her and the crew. I can’t tell you how well they are able to sail it as of now, but I fear that they may not be experienced enough for this long of a journey.

Regardless, I’ve already agreed to pay them, so I’m stuck whether I like it or not. I’ll be sure to write you a letter if anything significant occurs.

Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle

Spike rolled up the letter just as he finished. With a deep breath, he released a gout of green flame from his mouth. The scroll burned up in the fire, its ashes flying out the porthole. Twilight watched it go, then turned and walked towards the bed. Pulling the sheets back, she laid down on her side. Not very comfortable, she thought with a sigh. Though I probably shouldn't expect more.

“What’re you doing, Twilight?” Spike asked.

“Going to sleep,” she answered. “I’m exhausted.”

“Oh. Well, in that case, can I... umm...”

Twilight smiled to herself. “Yes, you can go look around some more. Just try not to get in anypony’s way. And Spike,” she added as he began walking out, “if they ask about dinner, just tell them I’m not hungry.”

“Okay,” he replied, and stepped out of the cabin.

Twilight welcomed the silence left in his wake. All day she had been frantically running around and dealing with other ponies. Her legs were sore from exertion and her mind felt equally taxed. But now, just lying there, listening to the waves lap rhythmically against the hull, she allowed herself to relax. She closed her eyes, and sleep soon overcame her.

Author's Note

Sorry this update took so long, guys. I was hit by post-semester procrastination. Hopefully my future updates won't take so long.

Here is a list of areas/parts of a ship that may help you if you're confused

Also, an important message. Check it out on my newest blog post.

Chapter 3

Twilight sat at the desk in her cabin, scrutinizing the spell book that lay across the surface. Her head felt like it was swimming, pushing its way through a haze as she tried to stay focused. With each blink she had to fight off the exhaustion that threatened to keep her eyes closed. Every now and then she found her consciousness in a sudden free fall, only to snap back to attention moments before her head hit the desk. She was running on pure willpower—had been for a while.

Twilight forced herself to read the words on the page, despite having done so countless times before. She had no clue what she was looking for in the words she’d etched into her mind long ago. Perhaps a detail missed, a tidbit of information that passed under her scanning eyes; anything that she could latch onto. She held out hope that if she stared hard enough, a sense of understanding might come over her.

So far, it was only giving her a massive headache.

With a sigh, Twilight snapped the book shut. She pushed herself out of the chair and trotted to the center of the room. Releasing a deep breath, she closed her eyes. “Stay calm,” she thought aloud. “You can do this.”

Slowly, Twilight opened her eyes. Magic gathered in her horn, bathing the room in a scarlet light. She started with a small amount at first, then gradually increased the output. Sparks of stray magic bounced from her horn, and she tried harder to contain the spell. The extra exertion caused a sharp pain in her head, and she winced. The brief break in concentration made the magic in her horn fizzle out like a dying candle. “No!” Twilight exclaimed, gritting her teeth. She tried the spell again, but added more force into it. Her legs trembled and the pain in her head returned, but she ignored it. Putting more power into the spell, the light from her horn became almost blinding. Just as she thought she got a handle on it, though, the magic dissipated with a loud pop, and a stack of blank papers on the desk suddenly burst into flame.

“Gah!” Twilight screamed. She scrambled to throw the burning papers out the porthole. They caught the wind and blew away, their ashes falling lightly to the surface of the ocean. Cursing herself, Twilight checked to see if she’d caused any more damage. Save for a slight burn mark on the desk, everything seemed fine.

“Teleportation spell attempt number forty-nine,” she mumbled to herself, slumping back into the chair, “another failure.” Saying the words aloud hurt, much more than she’d expected. A dull noise rung in Twilight’s ears. She realized almost absently that she was grinding her teeth. The spellbook rested in front of her, taunting her with knowledge that she couldn’t master, and she wanted nothing more than to throw it out the window along with the papers.

Instead, she picked up something on the desk next to the book and looked it over. It was a letter from the Princess, which had come in response to hers soon after leaving Baltimare. That had been nearly a week ago. It certainly didn’t feel that long to Twilight. She’d spent most of her time cooped up in the cabin, reading books or practicing spells. The only contact she had with the crew was when Applejack brought her food, or when Pinkie stopped by to talk—Twilight usually drowned her out though, only offering the occasional nod or “Mhmm”.

The edges of the letter were well-worn, despite the short time Twilight had it in her possession. Like most other letters she received from the Princess, this one brought comfort to her. Sitting there, bathed in the evening sun pouring in from the porthole, she found herself reading it once again.

To my faithful student, it read,

I am gladdened that you were able to find a somepony willing to take you to Haven so quickly. Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting to hear good news from you so soon.

As for this Rainbow Dash you're hiring, I would advise you to keep your initial judgements of her in check. Recklessness can often be confused with courage, and it certainly takes much of that to brave the unknown. Ponies can be like complicated books: they are never what they seem on the surface and take time to understand. Perhaps your opinion of Rainbow Dash would change if you got to know her better. The same applies to the rest of her crew. There’s no reason why you can’t befriend them, Twilight. You will be spending quite a long time with them, after all.

No matter what you decide to do, I look forward to future updates on your journey. Stay safe. I know you’ll make me proud.

Yours truly,

Princess Celestia

Twilight placed the letter back on the desk. Running a hoof through her mane, she shifted her gaze to the spellbook. The Princess’ advice did not fall on deaf ears, but there were more important things to her than making friends. Besides, Spike was being friendly enough for both of them. Every day since arriving on the ship, Twilight hadn’t seen spine or scale of her assistant until he stumbled back into the cabin at night and collapsed into his makeshift bed next to hers. She told him not to bug the crew so much, but he insisted they were okay with him hanging around while they worked. The truth was that she would prefer if he stuck around to help with her spell practice, but she couldn’t force him to.

With a sigh, Twilight levitated the spellbook and placed it back in the chest where there was an empty space . She wanted to keep practicing, but exhaustion was taking its toll on her. She contemplated sending a letter to the Princess asking for help. That would require Spike, however, and she didn’t even have the energy to search for him. She played with the idea of sleep and found it enticing, despite having not eaten dinner. Just as she was making her way to the bed, there was a knock on the wall outside her cabin.

“Ms. Sparkle?” came Applejack’s muffled voice. “I got yer food here. Can I come in?”

“Sure,” Twilight replied with a sigh.

The curtain was pulled aside and Applejack walked in, balancing a chipped plate on one hoof. “Here ya are,” she said, setting the plate on the desk. “One sandwich, complete with diced celery, carrots and lettuce.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at the food. “We’ve had sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the past two days.”

Applejack shrugged. “This ain’t a luxury hotel, sugarcube. It’s either this or nothin’. Besides, it’s my cookin’. There ain’t a pony out there that can get sick of that,” she added with a chuckle.

Twilight gave an absent nod of agreement. Trotting over to the desk, she sank into the chair once more and levitated the food towards her mouth. Applejack stood off to the side, kicking the floor with a hoof as Twilight took her first bite.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Applejack said. “What exactly is it yer doin’ in here all day? We never see you ‘round the ship or anything.”

“It’s none of your business,” Twilight replied.

Applejack recoiled and Twilight instantly regretted what she said. “A might touchy on the subject, I see,” grumbled Applejack.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said, rubbing her temples. “I didn’t sleep last night. I guess I’m a little strung out. I was just about to go to sleep when you came.”

Applejack looked Twilight over, taking in the messy mane and bloodshot eyes. She still didn’t seem happy when she spoke, but her voice had softened some. “Yeah, alright. I suppose it’s a good thing I caught you then.”

“Why’s that?”

“The Captain wanted me to let you know that we’ll be docking at Seaddle in a couple hours. We won’t be headin’ into town til tomorrow, though.”

“What?!” shouted Twilight. She leapt to her hooves and stormed over to Applejack, her face inches from the chef’s. “When did this happen?”

“That’s been the plan fer a couple days now. And I’d appreciate if ya got outta my face.”

Twilight ignored her. “Where is Captain Dash now?”

“In the saloon with the others. But—”

Twilight was gone before Applejack could finish. She galloped through the hold, barely containing the anger rising in her. What in Tartarus is she doing? she thought. Why is she making us stop?

When she reached the saloon, Twilight saw Rainbow Dash sitting at one of the tables with Rarity and Fluttershy. Spike was there as well, and it was only his presence that stopped her from bursting into the room and shouting outright. Sucking in a long breath, Twilight tried to calm down. Her hoofsteps echoed off the walls as she entered the room and the group turned to look at her.

“Yo,” said Rainbow Dash with a smirk. “Finally decided to join us for dinn—”

“No,” Twilight interrupted so quickly that the group’s eyes widened. “I’m here to talk.”

Rainbow Dash pushed herself out of her seat, eyeing Twilight carefully. “About what?”

“I heard from Applejack that we’re going to be stopping at an island.”

“You heard right. Is there a problem with that?”

“Of course it’s a problem!” Twilight yelled.

Fluttershy flinched at the outburst. Rarity placed a caring hoof on her back and looked to Twilight. “There’s no need to shout, darling,” she said. “Whatever is going on, I’m certain we can discuss things like professionals.”

“This is between me and the Captain!” Twilight snapped at Rarity, her irritation only increasing. She turned her glare back to Rainbow Dash. “I paid you to take us directly to Haven, and I expect you to do so.”

“So you’re demanding that we keep on sailing?”

“Yes.”

“Right. I see. Well, let’s get one thing straight here, Ms. Sparkle,” Rainbow Dash said menacingly. “I’m the captain of this ship, not you. I decide how we get to Haven.” She began walking towards Twilight, her voice growing louder with each step. “You are just a passenger. You don’t have the authority to order me around, and you especially don’t have the right to talk to my crew the way you just did!” Their faces were now inches apart; somewhere in the back of Twilight’s mind she registered that she’d backed into a corner of the room. “Let me ask you something: at any point, did you wonder why we might be stopping?” Twilight shifted her eyes to the ground, but remained silent. “Answer the question,” growled Rainbow Dash.

“No,” Twilight croaked out. “No, I didn’t.”

“Then let me bring you up to speed. We need food. If you’d bothered to talk with us every now and then, you would know that we’re running low on supplies. More important than that, though, is weapons. As it stands now, we are dangerously underprepared for this voyage. We’ll be fine until reaching the border regions, but after that everything changes. Pirates or griffon raiders will tear us apart if we don’t get the ship outfitted. And let’s not forget that we’ll need a map of the Equestrian Islands if we’re going to navigate the seas properly.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Look, it’s obvious you don’t like me. It’s even more obvious that you don’t think much of me as a captain.”

“I never said—” started Twilight.

“Save it. If you had any respect for me professionally, we wouldn’t be having this argument. Just because your teacher is the Princess or you happen to be good at magic doesn’t make you better than me.” Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof to the door. “Now, I would suggest that you go cool your head.”

Twilight stood in stunned silence, feeling like she’d been punched in the gut. The threat of tears stung at her eyes but she forced them back. Countless apologies came to mind, only to get stuck in her throat. Grasping for any form of help, she shot a pleading look at Spike. The baby dragon held her gaze for just a moment before shaking his head and turning to help Rarity comfort Fluttershy. This sent Twilight’s heart plummeting into the pit of her stomach. With as much dignity as she could muster, she trotted out of the room, feeling Rainbow Dash’s intense stare on her back the entire time.

She was only two steps out of the room when she began galloping back to her cabin, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Collapsing onto the bed, she buried her face in the pillow and cursed loudly. Not at Spike, or even Rainbow Dash, but at herself. Deep down, she realized she shouldn’t be as upset as she was. But a lack of sleep coupled with an increasing certainty of her magical ineptitude was weighing heavily on her. The argument with Rainbow Dash had only been the last of a series of pushes towards a metaphorical edge. She struggled to calm herself down, fearing that just one more nudge would send her tumbling into a complete emotional down spiral. The rational part of her brain told her sleep would get bring her back to a stable state-of-mind.

Of course, she was so worked up that it was nearly impossible. Minutes passed like hours as she stared silently at the wall. Self-doubt plagued her, despite how hard she tried to bury it in the darkest recesses of her mind. She distracted herself by listening to the hoofsteps of somepony on the deck above her—probably Pinkie. More hoofsteps came from in the hold, getting closer every second. They probably finished eating dinner, Twilight thought. Most of the group soon passed by her cabin and headed up the stairs to the deck, but she heard the rustling of the sheet as someone entered the room.

“Twilight?” Spike asked quietly. Her back was facing him. “Are you still awake?”

Twilight remained silent. She wanted to respond, but the words eluded her. No apology she had could make up for the way she’d acted; not now, at least. She heard the baby dragon sigh and walk over to the bed, then pulled the covers up to her neck. After a moment’s hesitation, he patted her side. “Night, Twilight,” he said.

Just like that, Twilight felt a little better. She smiled faintly to herself, glad once more for Spike’s companionship. The sound of him crawling into his own bed—which was just a small pile of hay—reached her ears, and soon he was snoring loudly. Twilight wondered how it was possible for him to fall asleep so quickly. A quiet chuckle escaped her lips.

She lay awake for a while longer, listening to the sounds of the ocean and Spike’s snoring. Exhaustion hit her hard after she managed to calm down, dragging her into a deep sleep. She didn’t fight it; Her body needed the rest.

Twilight felt like she had only just closed her eyes when the sound of a bell being rung jarred her back into consciousness. She stirred under the covers, groaning with annoyance. She tried falling back asleep, but Spike started shaking her. “Come on, Twilight,” he grumbled, rubbing his eyes with the other claw. “It’s time to get up.”

“Okay, okay.” She threw the blanket off and got up. Stretching her limbs and yawning, she could hear the muffled shouts of somepony on deck. “I feel like I barely got any sleep.”

“Yeah, well that’s what happens when you stay up as long as you did. Speaking of which, I wouldn’t recommend doing that again. You get a little, erm, crazy.”

The events of the previous day flooded Twilight’s mind. “I’m sorry about that, Spike.” Shaking her head, she sat on her haunches and stared at the floor. “I didn’t mean to act like that.”

“Aw, I’m used to it by now.” Spike waved a claw dismissively. “Besides, I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

“You’re right,” agreed Twilight. The bell rang from the deck again. The two stared at each other a moment before the smallest of smiles broke out on Twilight’s face and she nodded in the direction of the stairs. “Come on. Let’s go see what’s up.”

Together they exited the cabin and climbed through the hatch. Emerging onto the deck, Twilight had to shield her eyes from the brilliant morning sun. When her vision adjusted, her jaw went completely slack at what she saw.

They were in a port that looked similar to that of Baltimare’s, but while Baltimare’s harbor had been on the edge of the city, this one one was in its very heart. Bleach-white stone buildings surrounded them in a circle, carved from the limestone like a ramp leading up from the water. The area had probably once been just sheer cliff, but generations of ponies had cut a sprawling city from the rock face. The ship was docked at a stone walkway extending from the shore. Twilight rushed to the edge of the ship and leaned over. Gazing out across the water behind them, she saw a giant stone arch connecting two tall lighthouses together over a wide channel and, beyond that, the ocean stretching into the horizon. A wide grin broke out on Twilight’s face and she had to hold back bouts of giddy laughter. It was all so picturesque, like somepony had taken a beautiful painting and brought it to life in the most vivid of ways.

Suddenly the bell sounded again, snapping her from reverie, and she turned to face the noise. She saw Rainbow Dash standing near the edge of the ship’s stern, ringing the bell with vigor.

“Up and at ‘em, everypony!” shouted Capt. Dash. “We’ve got work to do!”

The other members of the crew began to emerge one by one from the hatch, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. They stood at attention as Rainbow Dash took to the air and gently descended down to the deck.

“Alright, girls, Here’s the plan.” She began to pace back and forth in front of them. “We need to resupply and get this ship outfitted. Fluttershy—you, Applejack and Pinkie will go buy the food. Me and Rarity will worry about getting our hooves on some weapons. Meet back here when you’ve got everything. I don’t expect us to be here very long.”

If the way she spoke hadn’t been an obvious dig at Twilight, then the glance Rainbow Dash shot her made things perfectly clear. Twilight hung her head, poking solemnly at a nick in the deck floor. “Any questions?” Rainbow Dash continued. No one said a word. “Good. Applejack, fetch the gangplank.”

Applejack gave a salute. “Aye, Cap’n.”

“I’ll help,” said Pinkie, bouncing off to follow Applejack below deck.

“Stay here for a minute, Spike,” said Twilight, taking the opportunity to approach Rainbow Dash. “Excuse me, Captain.” Her voice cracked, causing her to cringe inwardly.

Rainbow Dash’s face was a mask of stone, but her eyes betrayed a quiet anger. “Yeah?”

“I was, um, wondering if I could join you. Into town, I mean.”

The mask slipped from Rainbow Dash’s face for just a moment, replaced with a look of bemusement. “What for?”

“Well, I was hoping to find a bookstore. Maybe I could look for a cartographer too. Like you said, we’re going to need a map...”

“Suit yourself,” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug, and turned to walk away.

“Wait!” Twilight exclaimed, taking a step after her. “There’s something else.”

Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side, eyes narrowed. “What?”

“I wanted to apologize for the way I acted last night. I wasn’t thinking straight. And while I do think that you should’ve told me your plans earlier, that didn’t give me the right to shout at you and your crew. So... I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?”

Rainbow Dash stood in silent contemplation, gauging Twilight’s words. With a small groan and a shake of her head, Rainbow Dash’s features softened. She rubbed one foreleg with the other. “Whatever. Just... don’t let it happen again, okay?”

“Okay.”

Awkward silence fell over them as they both searched for the next thing to say. Twilight shifted her weight uncomfortably, while Rainbow Dash busied herself with stretching her stiff limbs. “So, uh...” Rainbow Dash mumbled after cracking one leg with a loud pop, “should we, like, hug or something?”

Twilight grimaced. “Let’s not.”

“Yeah, good plan. Anyway, if you’re gonna be heading into town with us, you may wanna grab some cash.”

Twilight nodded. “I’ll only be a minute. Spike!” she called out. The baby dragon looked over in her direction after hearing his name, and she inclined her head towards the hatch. “Follow me.”

“What’s going on, Twilight?” he asked as they headed back down into the hold.

“We’re going into town with the others,” she answered, stepping into the cabin. She threw open the chest with magic and levitated her cloak out. After putting it on and clasping it at the neck, she placed her saddlebags around her midsection.

Spike watched her with an air of slight disbelief. “You’re not joking, right?”

Twilight flashed him an exasperated look. “Would I be doing all this if I was?” Her horn glowed with magic once again as a small pouch of bits—part of her personal funds—floated out of the chest and into one of her saddlebags.

A wide grin appeared on Spike’s face, his eyes alight with glee. “This is gonna be awesome,” he said, hopping excitedly from foot to foot.

“Yes, yes. Just try to contain yourself,” Twilight said as she brushed past him.

In truth, she was nearly as excited as Spike. Her heart raced at the prospect of seeing Seaddle up close, something that she never would’ve expected to happen when first leaving Canterlot. All she’d been able to focus on was practicing her magic. But now, on the verge of exploring a city so beautiful, those thoughts were wiped away, at least for the moment.

The deck was clear when Twilight and Spike returned. Looking around, Twilight noticed the gangplank had been set up on the portside of the ship. She trotted over to it, Spike following close behind, and saw that the crew was waiting for her on the dock. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were wearing saddlebags of their own, and seemed to be discussing the details of their supply run. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were also talking to each other, while Applejack was staring in awe at the city around her. Carefully, Twilight stepped onto the thin piece of wood and headed down.

“Sorry for making you wait,” she said upon reaching the group.

Rainbow Dash glanced at her. “You’re fine. Now that everypony’s here, let’s head out.”

She started down the dock at a brisk pace. The rest of the group quickly followed after her, careful to avoid other ponies on the narrow walkway. When they reached the edge of the city, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie turned right, walking parallel to the water. “Try not to get into trouble,” Applejack called out, waving slightly.

“No promises!” Rainbow Dash shouted back.

Fluttershy’s eyes went wide, and she whispered quietly, “P-please don’t—”

“Don’t fret, Fluttershy,” said Rarity. “I’ll make sure nothing happens.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “And even if something does, she’ll be able to take care of it.”

The way Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie suddenly relaxed made Twilight raise an eyebrow. As they started walking down the docks, she, Rarity, Spike and Rainbow Dash made their way up a flight of stairs leading to the city’s higher levels. “What was all that about?” she asked.

“Whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity responded.

“How exactly will you ‘take care of it’ if we got into trouble?”

“You shouldn’t worry yourself with that, dear.”

“You’re avoiding the question...”

“Oh, for the love of... ” Rainbow Dash cut in. “Look, if something happens, she’ll just—”

Rarity shot daggers at Rainbow Dash with her eyes. Rainbow Dash swallowed hard.

“—diffuse the situation with her elegance and charm.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really? That’s it?”

Rarity cleared her throat and smiled pleasantly. “Yes, that’s it. I can be quite diplomatic, if I say so myself.”

Why was that so hard to tell me? Twilight thought. She pondered it for a minute, but eventually let it go. Instead, she focused on taking in the sights. The stairwell seemed to stretch up towards the sky, and bleached stone buildings extended on either side of her. Every now and then, the stairs would plateau on what seemed to be a major street. On these roads, Twilight caught glimpses of shops and restaurants with smiling patrons. Unlike Baltimare, the roads weren’t crowded with ponies, and things seemed generally quieter. Looking up, she could see a large bell tower she hadn’t noticed before at the top of the city.

“—arkle.”

Twilight stopped in her tracks. She blinked twice in confusion and looked around, noticing she’d lost the others. Panic started to set in, but a second later she heard someone call her name again.

“Ms. Sparkle.”

She turned around to see that Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Spike were several steps below her. They had stopped and turned onto one of the main roads. Her cheeks flushed as she realized that she had been in a daze. She made her way back to them. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“ A little distracted, are we?” asked Rarity as they began walking down the street.

“Yeah, I guess so. Being in a whole new city is a lot to take in.” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “I never left the palace in Canterlot much.”

“There’s a shocker,” grumbled Rainbow Dash.

Rarity slapped Rainbow Dash on her leg, making her cry out in surprise. “Don’t be rude. I’m sure she was doing things vital to her position as the Princess’ student.”

“Exactly,” Twilight said, puffing her chest out with pride. “Besides, I think anypony would be mesmerized by this place the first time they came here.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I guess I’m just used to it by now.”

“You’ve been here before, Captain?” Spike asked.

“Hm?” Rainbow Dash glanced at him for a second before returning her attention to the road. “Oh, definitely. This was my home for a while. In fact, I’m pretty sure I ditched on paying my bill at that restaurant once.” She nodded in the direction of a building that had large windows built in the front, allowing a clear view of the pleasant interior.

Twilight’s jaw dropped, aghast. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I didn’t have the money, duh,” Rainbow Dash scoffed.

“So what? You’re a thief as well as a ship captain?”

“That all depends.”

“On what?”

“The situation.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at Rainbow Dash. “Is there anything else you’re hiding that you’d like to share?”

“Not really,” Rainbow Dash said. “We should be getting close to the store now... Ah, here we go.”

Twilight wanted to press the matter, but she doubted she’d get anything from the captain anyway. Instead, she looked at the simple brick building they stopped in front of. Above the wooden door was a sign that said “Buckshot’s Bullets”. There were no windows on the front of the building. With a little too much force, Rainbow Dash opened the door. A small bell chimed when it swung open and the group stepped inside.

The strong odor of gunpowder immediately entered Twilight’s nose, overpowering the smell of the sea. A counter extended from one end of the room to another. Behind it, an arsenal of guns were mounted on stands.

Twilight’s stomach twisted into an uneasy knot when she saw the weapons. Unlike her brother, who’d proven to be a crack shot even at a young age, she never felt right around guns. The thought that a pony’s life could be ended with just the pull of a trigger unsettled her. Spike must have felt the same way, because he stayed close to her, gripping her cloak, rather than exploring the room. Rainbow Dash and Rarity, on the other hoof, looked totally at ease.

Rainbow Dash sauntered up to the counter, tipping her tricorne hat at the pony behind it. The pony, a pegasus with a brown coat and a scar across his left eye, nodded in return and grumbled a “Hello.”

“I’m looking to buy some guns,” she said.

“Ya don’t say,” the pony replied in a gruff, listless voice.

Rainbow Dash glowered at the stallion, but all she got in response was a sigh as he stood up from his wooden chair.

“What’re ya lookin’ for?” he asked.

“I just told you.”

“Okay, but what kind of gun?”

“Does it matter?”

“You never used one before, have ya?” the stallion asked, almost accusingly.

“I’m really itching to right now.”.

“Very funny. Get outta here, kid. I don’t got time to deal with you and your prissy friends,” he said with a wave of his hoof, despite the fact that they were the only ones in the shop.

“Then make time.” Rainbow Dash took a threatening step toward the counter, but Rarity stopped her with a hoof. Their eyes met, and Rarity shook her head. Rainbow Dash sighed and faced the stallion once more. “Look, we’re paying customers. The least you could do is recommend something.”

The stallion tapped his hoof on the floor for a moment, an irritated look on his face. “Fine,” he said finally, and turned his back to them. He rummaged along the wall of flintlock rifles, then took one off its stand and set it on the table.

“This here’s a Brown Bessie Mark II. A good gun for beginners; standard issue for new Marine recruits cause the lock is easier to pull back. I’ll give it to you for two hundred bits apiece.”

Rainbow Dash stared at the gun for a moment and reached for her saddlebags, but Rarity stopped her.

“Wait,” she said, walking up to the counter. “You shouldn’t lie to us, sir.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” the stallion demanded.

“You are correct in saying that the Brown Bessie requires less effort to pull back the lock,” Rarity explained, “but that’s only because, being one of the first rifles created, it is made with weaker metal. The frizzen will bend after only a little use, rendering the gun useless. That’s only if the recoil doesn’t dislocate your leg first. It isn’t a gun for beginners, it isn’t standard issue for any Marine, and it certainly isn’t worth two hundred bits.” She smiled, but her gaze was icy. “I’d appreciate it if you took us seriously.”

The stallion’s face burned red with embarrassment and anger. He swiped the gun off the table and replaced it quickly with another, cursing the entire time. “There. The Marechester Mark IV. Low recoil and high stopping power. Made with iron and strong wood. That good enough for ya?”

Rarity nodded. “Indeed it is.”

Rainbow Dash smirked at Rarity, and began discussing prices with the stallion. Meanwhile, Twilight trotted up to Rarity, questions ready to fly off her tongue. Spike got them out first.

“Where the heck did you learn all that?” he asked.

Rarity smiled softly. “My father is... an enthusiast.”

“That still doesn’t answer the question...” Twilight said.

Rarity merely shrugged.

Twilight blinked. “Rarity... you are like a mystery wrapped in an enigma.”

“And that’s how I’d like things to stay, if you don’t mind.”

Twilight sighed. “Well then, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find a bookstore. Sir?” The stallion looked at her. “Could you please tell me where the nearest bookstore is?”

With a groan, the stallion pointed to the right. “Go back to the stairs and up another level. It should be on the right from there.”

“Thank you.”

“Whatever.”

Ushering Spike to follow, Twilight walked out the door. Just as it was closing, she heard Rainbow Dash say “Now, what do you have in the way of cannons?”

She and Spike made their way back to the stairs. “That was intense...” Spike mumbled after a while.

“That’s putting it lightly. I thought both of them were about to start swinging,” replied Twilight.

“I wonder if the whole trip is gonna be like this.”

“By Celestia, I hope not.”

“It is kind of exciting, though.”

“Excitement is distracting, Spike. We need to focus on getting to Haven, not getting in trouble.” They were at the stairs now, and started walking up. “The sooner we get there the better. Being around this crew is making me nervous.”

“Why?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Where do I start? Trouble seems to follow the Captain around, and she doesn’t even care. We don’t know the first thing about Rarity, considering she always dodges questions. Fluttershy gets scared far too easily. Applejack seems like the only sensible one on the ship, but she doesn’t really know anything about sailing. And Pinkie...” She shook her head. “Just being near Pinkie gives me a headache.”

“Hey! Pinkie is really fun to be around!” Spike objected.

“Let me know when that is, because right now she’s just obnoxious.”

Spike’s face fell. “Do you really not like them that much?”

Twilight felt her heart soften. “It’s not that... there’s just too much uncertainty with them. Like what Rainbow Dash said earlier about not paying her bill. That’s theft, Spike! What would drive her to do that?”

He shrugged half-heartedly. “Maybe she had to.”

“Nopony has to do anything they don’t want to,” Twilight stated. “Look, I’m not asking you to stay away from them; it’s obvious that you like them. I’m just saying that I’ll be keeping my distance. This looks like the place,” she added when they reached a building that simply had a carving of a book hanging from a pole above the door.

She was about to open the door when she caught the movement of somepony suddenly ducking into a nearby alley. She thought she recognized the iris color of their coat, but couldn’t place it. Narrowing her eyes, she wondered what somepony could be doing down there. It’s probably nothing, she thought, and opened the door.

Twilight and Spike stepped inside. Like the gun store, a bell chimed when they entered. The smell of old paper filled her nostrils, expelling any lingering scent of gunpowder. Instantly she felt at home, images of the Canterlot Archives filling her mind. Shelves lined the treated wood walls, and bookcase after bookcase filled the main body of the room. Each section was labeled, and Twilight made her way to the fiction section first.

For the next hour or so, she browsed the bookstore, flipping through anything that caught her interest. There was even a section containing maps, much to her luck, and Twilight picked up the largest one they had of the Equestrian Islands. Spike spent his time sitting on the floor, sometimes drifting to sleep before catching himself. He was relieved when Twilight finally made her way to the counter.

The unicorn sitting behind it was a stallion around her age. This surprised her; she was expecting someone older. He had a mahogany colored coat and a shaggy, dark-brown mane. He was silently reading a book when she approached, and smiled when she cleared her throat to get his attention.

“I thought I heard somepony come in. Did you find everything you needed?” he asked.

“Yes,” Twilight answered pleasantly, setting the books and map on the counter.

The unicorn checked everything. “Your total is twenty five bits.”

As Twilight levitated the bits from her saddlebag, something behind the counter caught her eye. Sitting on a shelf, encased in a locked glass box, was a leather bound book. It had no title.

“What’s that?” she asked.

The stallion looked at the box, then back to her. “That caught your eye, did it? It’s the oldest book here, actually. Been in the family for a long time, or so I’m told. Can’t seem to sell the damn thing.” He chuckled.

“Why’s it locked up?”

“Somepony tried stealing it a while ago. Probably thought it was worth something. Heck, maybe it is. I wouldn’t know.”

“Why not?” asked Spike.

“Can’t read it. It’s written in ancient Equish. It would probably be smarter to sell it to a museum or something, but we just keep it around for some reason.”

“Could I see it?” Twilight asked.

“Sure, but I’m telling you it’s impossible to read.” He unlocked the box and set the book on the table. “Go right ahead.”

Twilight flipped open the cover and began looking it over. Her eyes went wide and her heart rate skyrocketed. “It’s an ancient spell book.”

“Wait, you can actually read that?”

“Yes. Well, some of it. I’m not completely fluent. But from what I can tell, this book could contain magic that has been lost for centuries,” she exclaimed.

“You’re serious?”

“One hundred percent.”

The unicorn stared at her. “Who are you?”

Spike started to answer, but Twilight silenced him with a hoof. She laughed nervously. “Just a pony that likes to study. How much do you want for this?”

The unicorn looked at the book for a moment, then at Twilight. “I’ll give it to you for free.”

“I couldn’t accept that.”

“And I couldn’t charge you for something that makes you this excited. It’s not like the shop was depending on selling that book. Tell you what, when you bring back magic from a time lost to us or whatever, just let everypony know you found the book here. It’ll bring business.”

Hesitantly, Twilight placed the twenty five bits on the counter. “Thank you,” she said, putting the books and map in her saddlebags. Bidding goodbye to the shopkeeper, she and Spike walked back onto the street, the bell chiming behind them. Eerily, the street was empty except for them.

“What do we do now?” Spike asked.

“Head back to the ship, I guess,” Twilight answered, and began trotting in the direction of the stairs. “I wonder if the others are ba—”

She was cut off when somepony clamped a hoof over her mouth and began dragging her into an alley. Before Spike could register what had happened, another pony dove at him and scooped him up in a single hoof.

They struggled with their attackers, Twilight kicking at them and Spike trying to pry himself from their grip, but to no avail. They were brought deep into the alley, away from anypony that might help them.

Twilight and Spike were thrown violently against the wall. Something cold and thin pressed against their necks. “Don’t make a sound,” came a voice. “Or we’ll cut out your throats.”

Twilight swallowed hard, looking up the long, curved blade of a scimitar to meet the gaze of a pony with two swollen eyes and a scar on his cheek. There were two other ponies in the alley, a pegasus and a unicorn, both of whom she recognized from the bar in Baltimare. Her heart nearly stopped.

“Well, well, well,” the scarred earth pony said. “Today must be my lucky day.” He grinned, revealing his golden teeth. “Who’d have thought I’d run into you here? Doy you like what you did to my eye?”

“H-how’d you find us?” Twilight squeaked. “Did you follow us?”

“Hardly. We lost you the second you set sail. I wanted to chase you down, but the Captain said it wasn’t worth it over a simple squabble, so we left and headed here. Arrived just this morning. I was just about to let it go when I see you walking through the streets to that bookstore. You took quite a while in there, by the way. Nearly fell asleep waiting. Now, I got a question I want answered, and don’t lie to me. Where’s your rainbow pony friend?”

“I-I don’t know. In the city somewhere? And I’m not her friend. I’m just buying passage on her ship, I swear.”

“I’m not sure I believe you.”

“It’s true,” Spike said. “She’s Princess Celestia’s personal student. We’re on our way to an island in the Forgotten sea.”

The earth pony howled with laughter. “Now I know you’re lyin’. That’s the most ridiculous story I’ve ever heard.”

“Hey, Blitz,” the unicorn said, “we can’t stay here much longer. Somepony’s gonna see.”

“I know that, moron.” He glanced at something deeper in the alley. “Come on, help me stuff them in the crates. We can use them as leverage to get the rainbow pony later.”

The unicorn looked nervous. “But the weapons are in—”

“Do I look like I care? Would you rather drag them through the streets?!”

“L-look, I’m telling you that she won’t come. We barely even know each other,” Twilight tried explaining, her mind racing.

“Save it,” the scarred stallion said, removing the scimitar from her throat and making a move to grab her.

A moment had presented itself to Twilight. And she took it.

A flash of light emitted from her horn, blinding the stallions and causing them to stumble back. Twilight galloped as fast as she could down the street, hoping Spike was following. The scratching of his clawed feet on cement assured her that he was.

Just as they were about to make it to the street, though, one of the ponies tackled Twilight to the ground. Spike stopped for a moment in shock. “Run!” Twilight shouted at him. “Get help!”

He hesitated for a moment, then took off out of sight. “Go catch him!” the scarred earth pony roared. The pegasus took off after Spike.

Twilight began screaming as loud as she could when she was dragged back into the alley. “Help!” she cried. “Somepony help!”

Something hard hit the back of her head and the world went black before her face hit the ground.

Spike ran as fast as his small legs could take him. He could hear the galloping of somepony chasing him, but he didn’t dare turn around. Fear numbed his mind. He had no idea where he was or where he was going. His only thought was to get help. It seemed like he had been running for hours, but still nopony was in sight.

That’s when he started to lose himself. He blinked once and he was running down the staircase. Again, and he was in the middle of a street, rushing past ponies. How long ago had he left behind Twilight in the alley? A minute? Ten? An hour? Time was unwinding for him. Was he even being chased anymore?

He blinked and found himself standing at the docks, gasping for breath, the small caravel floating in the water before him. Clenching his claws, he ran down the boardwalk and up the gangplank.

Another blink and he was surrounded by the crew, sitting on a barrel on the deck. Worry showed in their eyes. Their voices all blended into one, asking him if he was okay and where Twilight was. He felt himself start to slip again, but shook his head vigorously, grounding himself in the moment and bringing the world to a focus. He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was raw. He started coughing uncontrollably.

“Fluttershy, go get some water,” he heard Capt. Dash say. Soon a wooden mug was handed to him and he drank the cool liquid, coughed, then drank more. When it was all gone, he gave it back to Fluttershy.

“It’s Twilight,” he choked out, his voice hoarse from screaming. “She’s been kidnapped.”

Author's Note

Two months later...

First off, sorry if Author's Notes bugs you guys, but I feel like some explanation is due. Not a lot, but still.

These past two months have been full of emotional highs and lows for me. A lot of good things have happened, but several bad things have as well (namely my girlfriend leaving for the Coast Guard). I was also one of 25 writers that had a chance to become part of the writing staff of "Legends of Equestria", but sadly I did not make the cut.

I know I said this last time, but I swear updates won't take as long next time. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

P.S I fixed Applejack's speech. You're welcome.

Chapter 4

The crew stared at Spike in wide-eyed silence for several moments. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, a torrent of questions poured from their mouths. It was nearly impossible to discern who was asking what, but Spike could have sworn he heard Pinkie shout, “She was what?!”

Spike clamped his claws over his ears. “Stop!” His throat was still raw, and he winced when he had to yell. “I’ll explain everything!” The crew quieted almost instantly. “Thank you,” he said, lowering his claws. “We were heading back to the ship from the bookstore, but they caught us by surprise and dragged us into an alley. They had swords.” He rubbed his neck where he’d felt the blade earlier. “Twilight distracted them for a second and we ran for it, but… she didn’t make it.”

Dash took a step toward the baby dragon. “Do you know who attacked you?” she asked.

Spike nodded. “It was the ponies that chased us in Baltimare.”

Rainbow Dash stared at him for several seconds, unblinking. Then, without warning, she kicked the mast as hard as she could. “That just bucking figures!” she yelled. “I knew this was going to come back and bite me in the flank!” Her crew members glanced at each other nervously as she continued to kick the mast, over and over.

“You don’t suppose they could have followed us here, do you?” Rarity asked.

Spike shook his head. “They said they found us by coincidence.”

“I wonder what they’re doing here, anyway…” Pinkie said.

“Who cares what they’re doing here.” Rainbow Dash shouted in response. She’d begun pacing in a circle on the deck.

“I’m just curious about how they were thinkin’ of gettin you guys across town,” said Applejack. “Wouldn’t be much of a kindappin’ if everypony sees em’ haulin’ ya through the streets.”

“They had these crates,” Spike explained. “They were gonna move us in those.”

Rainbow Dash suddenly stopped pacing and raced over to Spike, gripping his face between her hooves. Their noses were inches apart. “Crates? You said they had crates?”

“Yesh,” he replied.

“Did you see what was in them?”

“No. But shomepony shaid shomething about weaponsh. They sheemed really nervoush about it.”

Rainbow Dash held his gaze for a while. Spike could see the gears of her mind going into overdrive behind her eyes. She released her grip on his face, and returned to her pacing.

Spike rubbed his sore cheeks. “You’re going to help, right? You’re going to find Twilight?”

All Rainbow Dash responded with were low mumbles to herself. “Course we are, partner,” Applejack answered for her. She placed a caring hoof on the top of Spike’s head. “We’re gonna go fetch the Marines right now and—”

“No!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “No Marines.”

Applejack cocked an eyebrow. “Cap’n. Can I have a word with you?”

“Not now, I’m—”

Applejack cleared her throat. She was raising an eyebrow when Rainbow Dash looked over at her. Rainbow Dash sighed and jerked her head towards the stern. The two made their way up the small flight of stairs. When they were out of earshot, Applejack turned on Rainbow Dash.

“Are ya outta yer mind?!” she asked in a barely controlled whisper.

“If I had a bit every time somepony asked me that…”

“This ain’t the time for jokes, Cap’n. Our passenger is out in the city somewhere being held captive by a bunch of violent ponies. So tell me, why aren’t we going to the Marines with this?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“No.”

“Didn’t you listen to Spike? They had crates of weapons. I know you’ve heard the rumors about them being smugglers. Connect the dots.”

“That seems like more of a reason to involve the authorities.”

“Except that they won’t find her.”

“How do you mean?”

“If the Marines haven’t found any evidence of them being smugglers so far, what makes you think they will now? Chances are, they’re keeping Ms. Sparkle where they keep all the contraband that they bring through the city. That means someplace hidden, someplace only the crew members know about. The Marines will never find it.” Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest, eyes sparkling. “But we can.”

“By doing what, exactly?”

“We can find a crew member, bring them here and… convince them to tell us where Ms. Sparkle is.”

“Ya mean beat it out of em’.”

“You said it, not me.”

Applejack shook her head. “That’s so many kinds of wrong. And against the law.”

Rainbow Dash clapped a hoof on Applejack’s back. A small smirk played across the captain’s face. “Welcome to life on the high seas. So are you with me?”

Applejack sighed. “Don’t got much of a choice. Yer the Cap’n. I follow yer orders.”

“I’d like to hear it anyway.”

They stared at each other for several moments before Applejack finally nodded. “Yeah. I’m with ya.”

“Good,” Rainbow Dash said, her smirk expanding into a grin. Without wasting a second, she took to the air and flew down to the deck, with Applejack following down the stairs. Rainbow Dash floated over to Spike. “Don’t worry, we’re gonna find her. You just stay here and get some rest.”

Spike nodded. “Thank you.”

Rainbow Dash smiled in response, then turned to face her crew. “Alright, girls, let’s go get our pain-in-the-flank passenger back.

Twilight felt like she was clawing her way out of a pool of tar when she began to wake up; every time she nearly pulled herself out, a moments break in concentration caused her to be dragged right back under. She had no idea how long she remained like that—trapped in the ethereal realm between consciousness and unconsciousness—but it seemed like an eternity.

In those brief moments of lucidity, the sensation of being moved registered in her brain. Sunlight poured in through a crack above her, warming a small line down her cheek. She was curled up in some sort of box and felt something dig painfully into her side. A rushing noise filled her ears, but behind it was the sound of Seaddle’s street life and, at one point, the ringing of the bell tower.

It was nearly impossible to recall where she was or what she was doing in such a cramped space. Images flickered on the fringes of her mind: the interior of a bookstore, her and Spike walking down an empty street, a dark alleyway, and a flash of metal that sent chills running down her spine. Twilight focused on the images, tried to piece them together.

Whatever she was being carried in suddenly crashed to the ground. She hit her head on the wood plank above her, and the shock of it jolted her awake. A groan bubbled up in her chest but came out muffled. For the first time, Twilight noticed that she had been gagged with a short length of rope, her jaw stuck painfully open as the rough material rubbed against her cheek. The walls of the box seemed now to be much closer than before. She forced back the creeping feeling of claustrophobia.

Somepony shouted from nearby. “Hey! Watch what you’re doin’ with that crate. We still got rifles in there, you know.”

“I didn’t see you lugging it around town,” another pony yelled back. “And keep it down. You want the whole neighborhood to hear you?”

“Both of you shut up,” said a third pony gruffly. “Let’s just get her inside.”

Twilight recognized the voices. Hearing them twisted her stomach into a knot of dread. It all came flooding back to her now—the alleyway, her kidnapping—and panic started to set in. Where is Spike? Did he get away?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a heavy door being swung open. One of the ponies began pushing the crate across the ground. Twilight tried to push the top open, but found her legs tied together. She struggled against the bonds, squirming in the tight space. Hay rustled beneath her as she pulled helplessly at the rope.

“Sounds like she’s awake.”

The rough gravel became smooth cement. “Close the door behind you,” one of the ponies said. The sunlight and sounds from the street faded away as the door slammed shut. More voices could be heard from somewhere in the building. Whoever was pushing the crate stopped.

“I’ll go find the captain,” they said, and trotted off.

Twilight’s mind raced. She needed a way out, and fast. There was only one thing she could think of. It wasn’t dependable, but it was her only choice. Magic began gathering in her horn, causing it to emit a bright light. She concentrated hard on the teleportation spell, praying that it would work. “Hey!” one of the ponies shouted. “She’s tryin’ somethin funny!”

Twilight panicked, and the magic fizzled out just as the top of the crate was ripped open. The scarred earth pony, Blitz, glared down at her. “What was that, huh? What’d you just do?”

The unicorn from the alley, also appearing over her, rolled his eyes. “Like she can answer, ya bucking moron. Besides, whatever it was, it didn’t work.”

Blitz’s mouth twitched. “Whatever.” He pulled out a dagger and reached down into the crate. Twilight tried to wriggle out of his reach, but it was in vain. She cried out when he grabbed her, doing her best to push him away, but he held tight. “Stop moving,” he growled. She didn’t listen. “I said stop!” Blitz roared. Twilight froze in fright for just a second, and in that moment the ropes binding her legs were cut away. Meanwhile, the unicorn undid the knot on the gag with his magic.

Twilight stared questioningly at the stallions. “What?” Blitz asked, his eyes narrowing. “Would you rather I drag you across the floor? Because I’d be glad to.”

“What are you going to do with me?” It took all of Twilight’s will not to sound like a terrified little filly.

“That’s up to the Captain. Now get out.”

Twilight scrambled out of the crate and got her first good look at the building interior. It wasn’t very spacious, and had little in the way of decoration. More crates and some bales of hay were stacked against the stone walls while others were spread out randomly across the filthy floor. Moldy wooden rafters held up the thatch roof. It was stained in spots where rain may have seeped through. The air was damp and smelled of sweat and dust. The sound of water in the bay was not far off. She gasped at the rifles that lay amongst the hay in the crate she was carried in.

Ponies, probably other members of the crew, were spread out in the warehouse. They talked leisurely amongst themselves, though some of them eyed Twilight with confusion and suspicion. She barely noticed; her gaze kept flicking to the exit in the corner of her eye.

Blitz must have seen this, as he took a threatening step towards her. “Don’t even think about it.” He gripped the dagger in his hoof. “You take one step towards that door and this gets buried into your neck. Got it?”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but a howl of rage from somewhere within the warehouse cut her off. “He did what!?” The sheer anger in the voice froze Twilight’s blood. Even Blitz and the unicorn jumped when they heard the shout. All conversations in the room ceased, and everypony cast their eyes where the voice had come from.

A stallion earth pony bigger than anypony Twilight had ever seen emerged from behind a stack of crates. He had a tawny colored coat and a short, light brown mane. An eyepatch covered his left eye, barely hiding the scar that ran across it. His good eye, a deep mossy color, was ablaze with anger. A pegasus trailed behind him. Twilight recognized him as one of her attackers. He was carrying her saddlebags on his back.

The earth pony stalked towards them, his gaze affixed not on Twilight, but on Blitz. He was upon them in a matter of seconds. “Captain Bronco, I—” Blitz started.

The other earth pony slugged him in the face.

Blitz collapsed to the floor, clutching his cheek in pain. Twilight, as well as several of the crew members, gasped in surprise. Bronco breathed heavily through his teeth. When he spoke again, spittle flew from his mouth. “What in Tartarus were you thinking?!” His voice carried throughout the warehouse, bouncing off the stone walls.

Blitz picked himself up off the ground. The place where he’d been hit was already turning a light purple, but to his credit he didn’t so much as whimper. “You know what I was thinking, Captain. Aren’t you the one who always talks about getting back at ponies who mess with us?”

“Only when they interfere with our work. And then we do it subtly, without bringing any attention to ourselves. But you,” Bronco continued, his face getting redder by the second, “you kidnapped somepony off the street in broad daylight! Over what? A stupid bar brawl! I told you to let it go! This isn’t even the pony that started the whole thing!”

Blitz shifted nervously on his hooves. “Well, technically she did hit me…”

“I don’t care what she did!” the captain shouted. “I care about the mess you just handed me on a bucking silver platter! Kidnapping is bad enough, but why in Celestia’s name would you bring her here, of all places? What are we supposed to do with her now?!”

“Whaddaya mean?”

“She’s seen too much, you idiot! She can connect us to the weapon smuggling!”

Twilight, who was trying to look as small as possible, swallowed hard. He was right. And if she could attest that they were smuggling weapons, then there was no way she was getting out of there. As if by instinct, she began inching towards the door. Her heart sanl when she saw that the crew—trying to get a good look at the in-fighting—had formed a close circle around them. Meanwhile, Blitz’s eyes had widened. “I’m sorry, Captain. I wasn’t—”

“Thinking. I know,” the captain interrupted. “You seem to have some trouble with that.” He looked to Twilight, who flinched at his gaze, and back to Blitz. “Who is she?”

“I don’t know,” Blitz mumbled. “She said she was a passenger on that rainbow pony’s ship.”

“That’s not a good enough answer.” Bronco stared at his subordinate for several seconds, waiting for an elaboration. When none came, he called out, “Star Bright!”

“Yessir?” the unicorn from the alley squeaked, jumping when he heard his name called.

“Who is she?”

“I-I… We really don’t know, sir,” he answered. He panicked when Bronco switched his glare to him. “B-but the baby dragon with her said that she was Celestia’s student.”

“That’s a load of crap,” Blitz interjected. “He also said they were going to the Forgotten Sea. It’s all a lie.”

“Actually,” the pegasus carrying Twilight’s saddlebags spoke up, a frown on his face, “it might not be.” He was sitting on the ground, with the contents of the bags strewn about him. He held a letter in his hoof..

“Hey!” Twilight exclaimed, stomping a hoof on the ground. “Don’t touch that!”

The pegasus ignored her. “This is addressed to ‘My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle’ from Princess Celestia. And it’s asking her to go to some island past Eternity’s Crossing.”

Horror entered Blitz’s features as Captain Bronco turned to face him once more. “All a lie, huh? Do you realize what you’ve done now? This pony could get an entire battalion of Marines on our flanks with a flick of a hoof.” He waited for Blitz to say something, but there was only silence from the pony coming to grips on how badly he’d screwed up. “And what’s this I hear about a baby dragon?” Blitz flinched upon hearing those words. “Where is he?” No response. “I asked where he was.” More silence.. “Well?” Bronco took a threatening step towards Blitz. “Where. Is. He.”

“He got away,” Star Bright blurted out.

Bronco turned on Star Bright, eye narrowed. “Mind repeating that? I didn’t quite catch it.”

Star Bright gulped. “I-I said that the baby dragon got away.”

Bronco inhaled deeply, then exhaled through his nose. He nodded slowly. “You let him get away...” The sudden calm in his voice unnerved Twilight more than when he was shouting. He faced Blitz. “Get out.”

“W-What?” Blitz asked.

“You heard me. Get out of my sight while I figure out how to fix this mess. Go to a bar. Get wasted. Just stay away from here until we’re ready to leave tomorrow.” Blitz took a step back, as if he’d been struck again. He looked into the eyes of the crewmates surrounding him, but there was no compassion in them. Only anger and pity. Sucking in a breath, he turned on his hooves and walked through the crowd. Twilight heard the door open. “Know that you’re walking a very fine line, Blitz,” Bronco called out. “This is just a warning. Screw up one more time, and I’ll kill you myself. Understand?”

“... yes, Captain,” Blitz said before closing the door behind him.

“As for you two,” Bronco continued, looking at Star Bright and the pegasus, “I expect you won’t be following him around for quite a while.”

“No, sir,” they both said.

“Good.”

“What are we going to do now, Captain?” one of the ponies from the crew asked.

Bronco faced Twilight. His nose wrinkled, as if she smelled bad. “Tie her up and take her to the basement. We’ll figure out what to do with her.”

Before Twilight could protest, two ponies pounced on her from behind and grappled her to the floor. She screamed as loud as she could, despite knowing it would do no good. Soon, her legs were bound together once again. A foul-tasting rag was stuffed into her mouth to silence her. They dragged her across the floor towards the back of the warehouse. She fought the entire way.

When they reached the far right corner, they stopped. One pony shoved a stack of crates out of the way, revealing a wide trap door. They pulled it open and brought Twilight down a flight of rickety wooden steps. The only light source was a lantern that one pony carried with them. Upon reaching the bottom, Twilight was carried over to a far wall and thrown there. Before she could even think Ouch, the ponies went back up the stairs. The trap door swung shut, and Twilight was immersed in total darkness.

She fought the urge to cry, instead focusing on getting into a sitting position with her back to the wall. After several attempts, resulting in her falling hard on her side, she managed to right herself. The smell of mold was stronger here, and it combined with the scent of gunpowder to create a stench that made her sick.

Her mind played tricks with the darkness, making it seem like a living, almost malleable, thing. Twilight’s most basic instincts made her shudder, and she cast an illumination spell hoping it would dispel some of her fear. It didn’t. Light burst forth from the tip of her horn, but it only made he shadowy objects at the fringes of the light twist into shapes reminiscent of creatures from nightmares long forgotten. Biting her lip, Twilight focused on a single point on the floor.

Time lost meaning for her. Seconds ticked by at an agonizing pace. All she could think of was what was in store for her next, and every logical answer she came up with filled her with dread. She slumped against the wall, her head hanging. What would Spike do once she was gone? Would Captain Dash and her crew bring him back to Canterlot to deliver the news to Celestia?

At the thought of Rainbow Dash, Twilight grit her teeth and tensed. This is all her fault! she screamed internally. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her. It felt good to be angry, to blame somepony for her situation.

But the anger soon faded, making way for rational thought. Who am I kidding? There was no way she could’ve known this would happen. She can’t be blamed for bad luck.

Twilight was so consumed with her thoughts that she didn’t know the trap door had opened until she heard the creak of the old wood stairs. She looked up at the wide staircase and saw Captain Bronco there, carrying a lantern and her saddlebags, followed by another pony—a pegasus carrying a flintlock rifle. Bronco walked to the center of the room, hanging the lantern from a rope and tossing her bags into a corner, while the pegasus leaned against the wall to Twilight's right, the gun cradled against his shoulder.

The new light allowed Twilight to get a good look at the basement. It was bigger than she first thought. Crates lined most of the wall space. Some of them were open, and she caught glimpses of rifle stocks. More rifles lay heaped in piles. Several cannons were in there as well. Twilight’s gut twisted into the same knot it had when she was in the gun store.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Bronco said, walking over to her. Slowly, he removed the rag from her mouth. “That is your name, right?” Twilight didn’t say a word. Bronco’s lips twitched, but he continued. “Doesn’t matter anyway. What matters is that you pose a problem for me. If you were in my situation, what would you do?”

“Let me go,” Twilight replied.

“Haha. Very clever. We both know I can’t take that chance.”

“So what are you going to do, then? Kill me?”

“It’s tempting, but I think I have a cleaner solution. And a more profitable one.” Bronco sat on his haunches in front of Twilight, a wicked grin on his face. “Ever heard of stories about griffon raiders in the northeast part of the sea?” Twilight shook her head, fearful of where this was going. “Nasty stuff, that is. Some of it true, some of it not. One thing they have a habit of doing is keeping ponies as slaves, ‘specially on the big ships. Give them drugs to keep them complacent. And you know what I think? They’d pay a pretty hefty pile of bits for Celestia’s personal student.”

Twilight’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. She tried to keep her voice calm. “You think you can get away with that?”

“Who’s gonna stop me? The Marines? They won’t find you down here, or in our ship. And if that rainbow pony and her crew come looking for you? Well… a few more bits could never hurt.” He laughed coldly. “You know what the funniest thing is? None of this would’ve happened to you if you just chose your friends better.”

“We aren’t friends,” Twilight mumbled.

“For their sake, I hope you aren’t. I take no pleasure in this kind of business.” He cracked a small smile. “Well, maybe a little. But I don’t want to send a whole group of ponies to the griffons. That’s a fate I wouldn’t wish even on my worst enemies.”

With that, Bronco stood up and walked over to the pegasus. "Keep an eye on her. If she tries anything, if her horn makes so much as a spark, shoot her," he whispered just loudly enough for Twilight to hear. The pegasus nodded in response. The stairs creaked as Bronco left. “Oh, and don’t bother calling for help," he said to Twilight. "The only ponies that can hear you are my crew, and you’d only be getting on their nerves. That’s something I’d highly suggest against.”

The trap door slammed shut, and Twilight was left with nothing but despair. She ignored the watchful eye of the pegasus, instead slumping further down the wall and holding back the tears that threatened in her eyes.

Chapter 5

In the late afternoon, ponies flooded the streets of Seaddle. Dockworkers headed home from a long day’s work to the warm embrace of their families, and shop owners calculated their earnings, locking their places of business for the evening. A cacophony of shouts and curses filled the air as everypony fought to reach their destination.

Rainbow Dash found herself staring at this chaos from a bench on one of Seaddle’s main streets. She continuously rubbed her chin or fiddled with her hat—eyes darting between passerby—while next to her, Rarity mumbled complaints about the sea breeze messing up her mane. Rainbow Dash tuned her out. Looking up, she saw that the sun was hanging just above the buildings. Already the sky was beginning to change colors. Her eye twitched. “This is getting us nowhere,” she said finally.

“It was your plan, Captain,” Rarity replied.

Rainbow Dash groaned. “And what a brilliant one that turned out to be. We’ve searched every corner and back alley of this city, and we still didn’t find a single member of Bronco’s crew. What else can we do?”

“We could start kicking down doors. Eventually we’d find the ponies we’re looking for,” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash straightened in her seat, a crooked grin appearing on her face that matched the sinister glint in her eyes.

“I was jesting. You’d be arrested long before we found them,” Rarity continued. The smile fell from Dash’s face, and she slumped back in her seat. “Perhaps Applejack is right. Going to the authorities may be our only choice.”

Rainbow Dash shot her a look. “And on what grounds would we get them to start searching? It’s too early for Ms. Sparkle to be considered missing. Besides, what would we do if they recognized you?”

Rarity softly bit her lip and nodded. “Yes, that would be troublesome.”

“Exactly why I’m against it. I need you on the crew, not rotting in some Marine dungeon.”

Rarity gave a low laugh. “You may not have a choice.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Rainbow Dash said, shaking her head. “I won’t let it.”

It looked like Rarity was about to argue, but the sudden ringing of the bell tower cut her off. It tolled three times, marking the beginning of a new hour—the sixth that had passed since their search began. The sound echoed throughout the city and drowned out the din of the crowd, if only for a moment. When it finally passed, Rainbow Dash got off the bench.

“It’s time,” Dash said, fixing her hat. “We need to meet Applejack and Pinkie at Ironside’s.”

Rarity nodded and stepped off the bench. “Hopefully they had better luck.”

Together, they trotted down the crowded street towards the stairs as a cold breeze blew in from the ocean, sending shivers down their spines. A heavy silence fell over the two that lingered the rest of the trip. Rainbow Dash tried not to worry too much about Twilight, instead doing her best to focus on the warm mug of cider waiting for her at Ironside’s Bar. It was only a small recompense, but it was enough to keep the situation from digging at her, at least in a small way. When they came up to the building with a sign advertising it as Ironside’s Bar, a sigh escaped Rainbow Dash. Applejack and Pinkie were waited just outside the door, and Rainbow Dash waved at them as she and Rarity stepped forward.

“Hey y’all,” Applejack said when they were in earshot. “How’d the search go?”

“Badly.” Rainbow Dash exhaled sharply. “What about you?”

“We didn’t find anything. And we looked everywhere,” Pinkie answered, dragging out the last word. “I tried climbing a building to get a better look, but Applejack stopped me. Spoilsport.”

“We got enough enough trouble on our hooves without ya fallin’ through the roof of somepony’s house,” said Applejack, groaning. “So, what’re we gonna do now?”

Rainbow Dash fell silent. Her gaze trailed to the horizon, where the sky was painted a deep orange. She could see the docks from where she stood. Even her little caravel was visible, bobbing slowly up and down in rhythm with the waves. Fluttershy was down there, probably worrying about them. They’d been gone for hours and hadn’t sent word back.

A salty sea breeze blew over the town, beckoning Rainbow Dash to the open ocean. Most of Ms. Sparkle’s coin was still on the ship. How easy would it be to just take it and leave, forgetting everything that happened here?

“I don’t know,” she said. “But we’ll think of something. Besides, I need a pint or two,” she added, brushing past her crew and entering the building.

The rest followed right after, stepping into the smoky bar. The place wasn’t as crowded as she thought it’d be; a few tables were occupied by rugged stallions and mares, whispering amongst themselves. A steel-grey pegasus mare was absently cleaning a wooden mug with a rag behind the bar. Only one stallion sat in a stool, lost in his cider. When Rainbow Dash saw him, a wicked smile broke out on her face, and she couldn’t contain her laughter.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What is it, Cap’n?”

“Nothing,” Rainbow Dash said between breaths. “It’s just that we spend all day looking for one of Bronco’s guys, and he’s in the only bar we didn’t check. It’s so stupid, it’s funny.” She pointed a hoof to the bar, and the others turned to look. “And it’s the stallion I kicked the crap out of in Baltimare. This is too rich.” She took a single step towards the bar, but Rarity moved in front of her.

“Wait, Captain,” she said. “What is your plan here?”

“I’m gonna drag him back to the ship, of course.”

“We have to be more careful than that. Let’s observe the situation for a moment before acting. Pinkie, would you be a dear and get us some drinks?”

“Oki doki loki!” Pinkie bounced her way over to the bar while Rarity led Rainbow Dash and Applejack to a table in the back corner. Pinkie returned moments later with the gray pegasus in tow, who was balancing a tray of four frothing cider mugs on her head. She sat down across from Rainbow Dash as the pegasus placed the cider on the table. They all nodded their thanks as she turned and trotted back to the bar.

Rainbow Dash was the first to snatch up her mug. She downed a good portion of the cider in one gulp, then set the mug back down, a small smile spreading on her lips. The rest just slowly sipped their drinks. “So,” Rainbow Dash said finally, “how’s this gonna go down?”

“Beats me,” Applejack mumbled.

“Oh, we could lure him back with cake,” Pinkie spoke up. “Everypony loves cake.”

The other three stared at Pinkie, each with eyebrows raised. Rainbow Dash shot Applejack a glance, who offered a small shrug. Rarity cleared her throat. “Right, ummm… that was an, erm, interesting idea, darling. I don’t see it working out, though.”

“Darn.” Pinkie’s face fell. “You don’t have any ideas, Captain?”

“Knock him out and carry him back,” Rainbow Dash said.

“We must gather information first, Captain,” Rarity interjected. “Just keep quiet.”

Rainbow Dash grumbled into her mug, slowly looking Blitz up and down. “Hey,” she said, “you notice the bruise on his cheek?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes. What about it?”

“It’s new. When I got in a fight with him, I gave him a black eye. Ms. Sparkle gave him the other one when we left port. But that bruise… neither of us did that.”

“Hmm… interesting,” Rarity mused. ‘How do you suppose he got it?”

“Who cares?” Applejack asked. “We aren’t gonna learn anythin’ just sittin’ here.”

“Patience, Applejack. Let’s wait and see what happens.”

“Hey, barkeep!” Blitz suddenly shouted in slurred words. “Gimme another round.”

The grey pegasus glowered at him. “I think you’ve had enough cider, buddy.”

“I’ll tell you when I’ve had enough, ye wench. I’ve had enough when I run outta bits.” He lifted a small burlap sack and shook it. “And I still got plenty of those.”

The mare looked like she was ready to stick a knife in him, but must have decided his coin was worth the insults. She filled another mug of cider and placed it on the bar in front of him.

Rainbow Dash smiled. “I have all the information I need.” She drained the rest of her mug and slammed it down on the table.

“Hey! Wait… Captain? What are you thinking? Captain?!” Rarity called out.

Rainbow Dash ignored her and slumped in the seat next to Blitz. “Hey there, big guy.”

Blitz looked to her with distant and half-open eyes. “Who’re you?” he asked, dragging each syllable out.

“You don’t remember me? I’m offended,” replied Rainbow Dash with a smirk.

“I can’t be bothered to remember every mare that approaches me in a bar.”

“Really? The list can’t be that long.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Besides, what we had was special. I, for one, had a really great time kicking your flank back in Baltimare.”

“What?” Blitz twisted his head to get a better look at her. His mouth hung slack for a moment but quickly snapped shut as he started to get up. “You’re—”

“Now he remembers! Give the stallion a medal.” Rainbow Dash cut him off, shoving him back down into the seat. She rested her hat on the table. Behind it, the bartender eyed them suspiciously. “No need to be so hasty. Sit down. Have some more cider.” The smirk left her face, replaced by a tight line. She narrowed her eyes at Blitz. “I have some questions for you.”

Blitz glared at her. “Oh? About what?”

“Don’t play dumb. You kidnapped my passenger. Why?”

He scoffed. “I got nuthin to say to you.”

Rainbow Dash leaned in closer. “I’d think twice before playing it hard. You’re outnumbered here.” She indicated to her crew, who were staring at them like a trio of gargoyles. “Now answer the question.”

Blitz glared at her for a moment. “Ye think I’m just gonna admit to it? Whaddaya take me for? An idiot? For all I know, you got a squad of city guards outside just waitin’ to pounce on me.”

“No authorities,” Rainbow Dash said with a shake of her head. “This stays between us.”

“Like I can trust you.”

“You can’t,” came a voice from behind them. Both turned to see that Rarity had made her way over to the bar. She took the stool on the other side of Blitz. “But she’s telling the truth. We haven’t contacted the Marines yet.”

Blitz flitted his eyes from her to Rainbow Dash, shifting in his seat. “Ye gangin’ up on me now or somethin’?”

“No, dear. I’m merely here to offer my thoughts on the subject. Correct me if I get something wrong.” She smiled coldly. “We already heard from Spike—he’s the baby dragon that got away—that this wasn’t planned. You ran into them by coincidence. But it wasn’t her you had a grudge against. Even you know that when she hit you, it was out of self-defense. No, the one you wanted was Captain Dash.” Blitz squirmed ever so slightly. “But you had no idea where she was, nor any way to find her. You had one opportunity, so you took it.”

“Literally,” Rainbow Dash mumbled.

“That is why you kidnapped Ms. Sparkle, right?” Rarity asked. “To get to Captain Dash?”

Blitz stared straight ahead, fidgeting with his mug. “I don’t know what yer talkin’ about.”

Rarity ignored him, continuing her relentless interrogation. “But things didn’t go according to plan, did they? Spike got away and was able to inform us of what transpired. That’s not all, though… This wasn’t authorized by your captain, was it? If he had, we would’ve heard word from him by now. When he found out what you did, he was livid, wasn’t he?” Her smile grew as Blitz rubbed the bruise on his cheek. “Especially if he found out who Ms. Sparkle was.”

“You were kicked out of the crew, weren’t you?” Rainbow Dash added.

“I wasn’t kicked out!” Blitz shouted. “I was—” He stopped short, gathering himself. “I wasn’t kicked out,” he repeated.

“Doesn’t look that way to me. You’re here, by yourself, drowning your sorrows in cider. Care to explain that?” Blitz remained silent. “Didn’t think so. Now that we have that out of the way, how about telling us where you took her.”

Blitz shook his head violently. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” asked Rarity. “You still feel loyal to your captain? Look how he treats you. You don’t owe him your allegiance.”

“Ye don’t know what he’ll do to me if I tell ye.”

Rainbow Dash gripped the back of his head and forced him to look her in the eyes. “And you don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t. Trust me, you don’t want to find out.”

Blitz laughed. “Ye think I’m actually scared of ye? Captain Bronco is ruthless. Compared to him, yer just—”

Rainbow Dash didn’t let him finish. With a quick jerk of her leg, she slammed his head down on the bar. He slumped over, unconscious. The whole room went quiet and stared at them. “Very subtle, Captain,” Rarity deadpanned.

“This is me being subtle.” Rainbow Dash snatched the burlap sack from the bar and tossed it to the grey pegasus. “Sorry about my friend here. He passes out after having a little too much cider. The next round is on him,” she said loud enough for everypony in the bar to hear. After a moment of silence, all the patrons raised their mugs and gave a cheer. Rainbow Dash returned her attention to the bartender. “You can keep the change.” The mare shifted her gaze to the sack of bits, then back to Rainbow Dash. She gave a small nod, and Dash smirked. “Come on, Rarity,” she said, placing her hat back on her head. “Help me with him.”

They each placed one of Blitz’s forelegs around their neck and dragged him to the door, where Applejack and Pinkie were waiting. Together, the crew exited the bar to another chorus of cheers. Outside, the streets were still packed with ponies. Some gave them a curious look when they first stepped out, but a pleasant smile from Rarity seemed to assuage their doubts.

Applejack, meanwhile, nervously shifted her weight. “How’re we s’pposed to get him back to the ship like this?” she asked. “And how do we know somepony in there won’t run straight to the Marines?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “One thing you outta know about sailors, Applejack, is that they will ignore a lot if someone buys them a round or two. Still, I don’t want to explain this to any squads that might be patrolling. You and Pinkie walk ahead of us and keep a lookout. Stop if you see any Marines. And try to keep to the side streets.” Both gave a nod of agreement and trotted ahead.

The way back to the ship was slow going. Several times they had to stop and wait for a squad of Marines to pass out of sight before continuing. Surprisingly, Blitz never stirred. Rainbow Dash counted herself lucky for that. By the time the docks were in sight, the sun was hanging just over the horizon.

They took the walkway down to their ship, hoping that none of Blitz’s crewmates saw them. “Ahoy there!” Rainbow Dash called out. “Lower the gangplank!”

There was the scuttling of feet on the ship deck, and soon the wooden plank was set in place on the dock. The four ponies made their way up, dragging their captive behind them. Spike was waiting at the top, eyes wide. “What took you guys so long?” he asked when they stepped onto the deck.

“It took some time to find one of Bronco’s crew members,” Rarity said. “We apologize for worrying you.”

Spike’s eyes went to Blitz, looking the unconscious stallion over. “Did he tell you where Twilight is?”

“Not yet,” Rainbow Dash answered. “But we’re working on that now. Rarity, Pinkie, take him down to my quarters and tie him to the chair. Make sure the ropes are tight.” The two gave a salute and began dragging Blitz into the hold. Rainbow Dash turned her attention to Fluttershy, who was standing off to the side, and walked over. “Hey, Fluttershy. How have you and Spike been holding up?”

Fluttershy’s eyes sank to the deck. “H-he’s been worried the whole time. I tried to keep him calm, like you said, but... I don’t think I helped much.”

“I’m sure you did fine. He’s scared.” Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “You did all that you could.”

“Captain,” Rarity said from behind them, “he’s ready for you.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, and returned her gaze to Fluttershy. “You and Pinkie keep a lookout up here. I’ll be done soon. And… I’m sorry,” she added in a near whisper.

Fluttershy shook her head. “You’re doing what you have to do. I understand.”

Rainbow Dash smiled softly. “Thanks.” With a sigh, she turned to face Rarity. “Let’s get this over with.”

Together, they trotted down into the hold. Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow when she saw Applejack and Spike waiting for them. “Y’all are really thinkin’ of goin’ through with this?” asked Applejack.

“We don’t have a choice,” Rainbow Dash replied. “The authorities wouldn’t take us seriously. We have no actual proof that Ms. Sparkle was kidnapped.”

“Ya mean besides the stallion tied up in yer office, who admitted to kidnappin’ her?”

“He could just deny it later. Besides, how would we explain how we got that information, or how he wound up here?”

Applejack snorted. “Exactly why I was against this plan in the first place.”

“Right now, it would just be Spike’s word against Bronco’s. The Marines can’t help us if that’s all we have. Maybe we could try to convince them that she’s Princess Celestia’s student, but do you really think they’ll believe us?” said Rainbow Dash.

“Wait a second,” Spike interjected. “You said we don’t have any proof?”

Rarity blinked. “That’s right.”

“What if I sent a letter to Princess Celestia? Would that help?”

Rainbow Dash and Rarity shot a glance at each other. “Well… technically,” Rainbow Dash said. “If we brought them that, they could seize Bronco’s ship for a few days while they investigate.”

“But there’s no guarantee they’ll actually find her, though,” added Rarity. “There is a system to the Marines. And if Bronco finds out he’s under investigation, he could relocate Ms. Sparkle to a new hiding place. Or kill her, if he hasn’t already.”

“Whoa, wait!” Spike exclaimed, eyes going wide. “What do you mean, if he hasn’t already?”

“Bronco will see her as a liability,” Rarity responded. “He didn’t want this trouble. Killing her would be the quickest and easiest way to handle things.”

“Y’all really think he could get away with that?” Applejack asked.

“Not all Marines are interested in seeing the law carried out, Applejack,” Rarity said. “I would bet any number of bits that Bronco has some of them in his pocket. It would explain why he hasn’t gotten caught yet. Even if he didn’t, they can only investigate for so long before he could claim they were infringing upon his rights.” She sighed deeply. “As much as I hate to admit it, we can’t rely on the Marines. Especially when we head further east, where they don’t have much of a presence. Reputation is an important asset on the high seas. If you are seen as weak, you’ll be torn apart. Best establish that we are not to be trifled with as soon as possible.”

“Y’all talk about reputation, but who’s gonna work with a captain that tortures other ponies? We wouldn’t get any work from honest folk.” Applejack shook her head. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is a bad idea.”

“Enough, both of you,” said Rainbow Dash. “This is my decision, not yours.”

“Then what’ll it be, Cap’n?” Applejack asked

Rainbow Dash bit her lip, shifting her gaze between Rarity and Applejack. After a moment of silence, she exhaled deeply and shut her eyes. “We do this on our own. The longer this takes, the longer Ms. Sparkle rots in whatever hole they have her in. Rarity, give me one of those swords.”

She nodded to a nearby stack of crates and barrels, one of which contained several cutlasses and a pair of rifles. One of the cutlasses shimmered with a light blue aura, and floated over to Rainbow Dash, who took in her her hoof. With downcast eyes, she flew over to the door leading into her office and opened the door.

“If y’all do this, ya aren’t any better than Bronco and his crew,” Applejack called out.

Rainbow Dash gave Applejack one last look before setting her jaw. “I never said I was,” she responded, and shut the door behind her.