Longhorn laughed as the Marblehead disappeared from sight, the last he saw of the cursed iron ship was it backing away from the sandbar in an effort to run from the Equestrian Navy. The minotaur was confident that even a ship as powerful as the Marblehead stood no chance against the full might of Celestia and her fleet.
“You monster!” The white unicorn screamed. “That's innocent ponies you're turning on one another!”
Longhorn rolled his eyes. “Red, shut her up.”
A burly red earth pony promptly smashed his hoof against the Rarity's jaw. She fell to the deck, but stood back up with fire in her eyes. Longhorn ignored her, he had seen that look in plenty of creatures shortly before he destroyed them.
“So, Princess.” He said as he sauntered down onto the main deck where the prisoners were being held. “From what your blabbermouth friend tells me, you managed to escape from the Marblehead's prison.”
“Sorry.” Rainbow Dash said, her face deep shade of crimson.
Twilight said nothing but merely stood in defiance of the gigantic minotaur that loomed over her. Longhorn sighed and shook his head.
“There's something you need to know about me Princess.” He said, turning to look over the railing. “I am not like those misfits who claim to be pirates. No, I am a real pirate, one who is feared for both his cunning and cruelty.”
Turning back to Twilight, he eyed her coldly. “I am not one to be trifled with, and now let me give you an example of why.”
The sound of hooves scraping against the deck brought Twilight's attention to the sight of a very angry Silent Hooves being dragged forward. Upon seeing Longhorn, Hooves fell into a rage that nearly broke him free of the two pirates holding him. However, four more pirates quickly beat him down.
“Jus' ya wait!” Hooves spat. “Cap'n'll run right through that fleet an' come fer ya!”
Longhorn knelt down and looked Hooves in the eye. “Storm Stalker is a valiant captain, but she stands no chance of breaking through a fleet lead by Celestia herself.”
Hooves smiled through bloody teeth. “I know she couldn't. Good thing she ain't in charge.”
Longhorn cocked an eyebrow, but didn't pursue the subject. Instead he stood up and looked over at Twilight.
“I assume you have become acquainted with this pony?” He asked.
Fear spread across Twilight's face. “Don't you dare hurt him!”
Longhorn smiled, then lifted a hoof and slammed it down onto Silent Hooves foreleg. Hooves screamed in pain as the bone shattered. Twilight and her friends screamed for an entirely different reason.
Longhorn's smile only grew as he watched Silent Hooves wriggle in agony.
“Oh you think that's painful?” The minotaur asked. “What about when I do this?”
He picked Hooves up and promptly broke one of the pegasus's wings, sending Hooves into another fit of screaming.
“Stop it!” Twilight screamed, tears running down the side of her face.
“Oh this?” Longhorn sneered before reaching over and snapping Silent Hooves's other wing.
“Or this?” He dropped the screaming pegasus and slammed his hoof down onto the unbroken foreleg.
“ALRIGHT!” Twilight sobbed. “I promise I won't escape! Just stop hurting him!”
“Oh him?” Longhorn gestured to the crumpled form of a once mighty pirate.
“He's just the example.” The minotaur said while picking Hooves back up again.
Longhorn looked at Twilight and his voice became like steel. “No Princess, this is what I do to your friends should you try to cross me. As for this piece of meat, he belongs to the sharks.”
With that, Longhorn threw the limp form of Silent Hooves over the side. As Twilight's friends screamed in horror, she could only stand in shock at the sound of the gray pegasus screaming in pain and desperation before his voice was lost in the waves.
Longhorn grabbed her chin and forced her to look in his eyes.
“You try to make one move, and one of your precious friends follows him.” He whispered.
There was a bright flash from the other side of Bugganville and a golden shockwave raced over the island. It slammed into the Bloodhound and propelled it violently forward before carrying on. The sight of a giant mushroom cloud rising from the other side of the island took the breath away from every creature standing on deck.
“Well.” Longhorn said finally. “It looks as if that be the end of the Marblehead. Farewell, Storm Stalker, you were a worthy opponent.”
Had Longhorn actually been witness to the event, he would have been sorely disappointed.
Celestia used all of her might to throw the massive orb of destruction towards the fleeing ship, intent on stopping it for good. However, what actually happened was unexpected to all those watching.
The orb impacted the ship's starboard side amidships where it was split in half by the ship's deck. The top half continued onto the deck while the bottom half slid down partially into the water. Immediately after, the two halves detonated in a display of power yet to be seen in Equestria.
The Marblehead acted as if it have been hit by a massive punch to the deck, her bow pitching upwards as her stern fell into a massive hole in the water caused by the bottom half of the orb. The sea, having been pushed away by the gigantic explosion, rushed back into fill the void and closed around the stern of the ship.
The four screws found their bite again as the ocean reclaimed them, sending the bow of the ship rocketing upwards before gravity took hold of the Marblehead once again and sent the ship crashing down into the sea with a groan.
Then it was over, the Marblehead continued on her unstoppable course, oblivious to the towering column of magical smoke that shot into the sky before blooming out into a beautiful mushroom.
To say that those who were present for the awesome show of power and its subsequent snubbing by the Marblehead were stunned, is a gross understatement.
Trade Breaker pulled himself off of his head and shakily stood up. The sound of cursing attracted his attention to the wheel. Storm Stalker was currently swearing up a storm and struggling to free her head from in between two of the wheel's spokes.
He walked over and held her head to get her to calm down. She looked at him with her big brown eyes, and he looked back.
“I am so sorry.” Breaker said.
Before Storm could react, he whirled around and bucked her expertly on the head, sending her flying free of the wheel. She fell on her rump and held her hooves to the growing bruise.
“Yew coulda' warned me!” The angry mare spat.
Breaker shrugged. “Didn't want ye to be ready for it.”
The phone rang, and Breaker picked it up while Storm angrily took control of the wheel again.
“This is Breaker.” The captain said.
“Captain, this is Dead Fire!” The dragon's voice filtered through. “What in the name of the dragon lord hit us?”
“An angry white alicorn.” Trade Breaker explained. “How be the engines?”
“A few new leaks, but they're still turning.” Dead Fire answered.
“Keep me infermed.” Breaker said before hanging up.
Storm looked over at him before looking back out at the ocean.
“Ah hope she doesnae try that again. Marblehead's startin' tae groan enough as it is.” She said.
Trade Breaker looked out the windows and viewed the scene. Most of the Equestrian fleet had pulled back, but a few of the quick moving cutters had taken the opportunity to flank the Marblehead's starboard side and were making quite an effort to catch the ship, futile as it was.
And then there was Celestia herself, approaching the Marblehead over the tops of the nearby cutters. She did not look happy.
The phone rang again and Breaker picked it up.
“Dead Fire, that ye again?” He asked.
“No Sir! This is Drip!” The changeling said frantically. “Where's Sun Flowers?”
“She's with Zabramn in the cannon mount. What be wrong?”
“Water Rose is hurt!” Drip explained. “When the ship pitched, she hit her head! She's unconscious!”
Breaker nearly dropped the phone, but managed to keep a hold of it.
“Don't move her, I'll send Sun Flowers to ye.” He said before hanging up.
Storm saw the devastated look on Trade Breaker's face and instantly knew there was trouble.
“Cap'n?” She asked.
“Turn us around.” He ordered grimly.
“Sir?”
“Turn this ship around now!” Trade Breaker yelled before lowering his voice to barely audible. “I think it be time that we give Celestia a little somethin' to worry about.”
The white alicorn was currently gliding towards the iron ship, taking a roundabout path that took her over the tops of three of her cutters that had managed to close the gap. She was extremely stunned and frustrated with herself and that Tartarus spawned ship.
Not only had her attack drained a good amount of her power, but it had also done no visible damage to the pirate ship. However, she still had enough magic in her to perform a similar attack should the opportunity arise, and more importantly Admiral Iron Keel had launched the pegasus crewmembers to try and board the enemy ship.
Although most were still taking off from the decks of the fleet far behind, there would soon be over a hundred loyal sailponies ready to assist Celestia in an assault.
It was right about when she passed the final cutter on her way to the iron ship that the unexpected occurred. With a blaring of an un-equestrian horn, the iron ship heeled sharply to one side as it turned away from its parallel course to the island.
At first Celestia was confused as such a maneuver would allow the Navy cutters below her to catch up with the pirate ship, until she saw the ship's true course. With a knife like bow, the iron ship accelerated through the water directly towards the first cutter, its horn blaring a warning.
As the captain of the cutter put his ship into a hard turn to avoid the collision, the iron ship also changed course, ensuring that the two ships would meet in a violent encounter. Celestia wasted no time and dove to the deck of the cutter, charging her horn. A golden aura surrounded the ship, capable of stopping even the most powerful of attacks Celestia herself could have have launched.
It was a wasted effort as the iron ship's bow sliced through the shield as if it was not even there, slamming into the cutter's port bow. The wooden ship was thrown backwards as the deck parted before the iron ship pushed the stricken cutter down into the depths.
Celestia was thrown by the force of the collision from the deck before she had a chance to spread her wings and fell into the water. Something very large sliced through ocean only inches from her head before she finally managed to break the surface.
All around her were sailponies desperately trying to stay afloat as the stern half of their ship rolled onto its side and sat there. Celestia lifted herself from the ocean with her magic before drying herself off. Collecting those who were still in the water in her magic, she pulled them from the sea and placed them on the deck of the nearest Equestrian ship.
Fortunately, from the way that the iron ship had rammed the cutter, there had been no casualties save for those injured by the impact, but that was only a small consolation to Celestia as the instigator of the collision was currently steaming away without even having been slowed down.
Taking back to the air, she was satisfied to see that no more of her ponies were swimming in the dangerous waters. Turning to the hundred or so pegasi that had just arrived over the ships, she cast a spell to invoke the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“Form up for an attack!” She ordered. “We take that ship no matter what the cost and free the Elements of Harmony!”
There was a yell from affirmation from every pony in the air as they follow Celestia towards the dreaded ship that had so easily bested a fleet.
Trade Breaker watched as a gigantic swarm of airborne sailponies converged on the Marblehead, all led by a very, very, VERY angry alicorn. Pulling the phone off of its hook and calling the engine room, he felt his voice crack slightly as he relayed the news.
“Dead Fire! Tell Poisoned Beaker we're about to be boarded!” He yelled.
“Aye Captain!” The dragon said before Breaker hung up.
Grabbing the wheel from Storm Stalker, he looked at her in desperation.
“Ye have one shot. Please don't kill her.”
Storm smiled as she loaded her crossbow.
“Cap'n, Ah never miss. Yew can count on that.”
Celestia dove towards the deck and slammed down onto the metal ship. Unfortunately for her, the magical barrier meant to take the shock of the impact failed to do its job. She stumbled as her legs felt like they might break, but stood back up before anypony noticed.
“Come on!” She whispered. “Just what else is this ship immune to?”
The sound of a hundred sets of hooves landing on the deck confirmed the arrival of the rest of the pegasi. The sailponies instantly began to try and do something to the ship, anything really. Several tried open the hatches and doorways in an effort to get below decks, but unknown to them, a network of vines had overgrown the wheeled mechanisms that locked the hatches.
Others tried to fit themselves down into the tubes that protruded from the deck, but found the vents to be too small to fit in. Some tried to venture near the giant smokestacks that belched thick black smoke, but they simply fell to the deck coughing.
However, Celestia noticed one effect that their presence was having; the iron ship was slowing down. As the ship slowly checked its careening speed, there was another difference that Celestia began to note. The smoke was no longer rising.
Instead, the thick black clouds fell to the deck, causing the ponies on deck to begin to cough and hack as the foul substance found its way into their lungs. Celestia lit her horn and formed a shield over herself and those closest to her. Other pegasi saw this and took shelter in the shield or simply spread their wings and flew off to escape the black clouds.
A sudden thought occurred to her, and Celestia looked up at the funnels that belched the foul black smoke. With a simple adjustment, she formed a shield over each of the four smokestacks, and trapped the smoke inside.
“Genius your majesty!” One of the sailponies exclaimed. “Without a proper vent, the fires below will suffocate!”
Celestia smiled. She'd finally found the ship's weakness.
There was a metallic squeak and Celestia noticed a pegasus mare with a blue coat and black mane step out and fire a crossbow at her. She reached out with her magic to seize the bolt in midair only for a sudden realization to strike her as the bolt passed through the magic.
“Oh son of a-” She began.
The bolt passed through her shield and pierced her flank right above her cutie mark. Her magic faltered and failed as she side stepped unsteadily, noticing her vision beginning to blur. Slowly, feeling in her legs began to disappear and she staggered to the deck with heavy eyelids. As the warm metal came up to her chin, she noticed that she could no longer see anything.
“Get the princess to safety!” A panicked voice yelled.
Celestia tried to get up and tell whoever it was issuing commands to ignore her and continue the mission. She tried to tell them to rip the ship apart and find Twilight. She tried to open her mouth to say anything at all to that effect.
However, as Celestia felt herself being picked up by several sets of hooves, she knew that she had failed her student once again.
"I really hate that ship." She thought.