//------------------------------// // Sabotage instead of just hiding! // Story: My Little Pony: The Movie Deleted Scenes // by EnergeticRider //------------------------------// “Storm guards! They must be looking for you!” cried Captain Celaeno. “Secure the rigging! Lock down the cargo! Everyone, prepare to be boarded!” “If Tempest is with them the fight would be hard,” said Twilight Sparkle, trying to make out who was on the deck of the airship, that approached them. “Tempest Shadow?! Storm King’s second in command?” there was a slight tremble in Celaeno’s voice. “We don’t have a chance against that monster!” babbled Lix Spitter. “He could easily destroy the whole airship in one moment!” “Yeah,” added Mullet. “I’ve heard that this dragon decimated the best squadron of hippogriffs by himself. “Actually, Tempest Shadow is a unicorn pony,” Twilight corrected pirates. “WHAT?!” that was a cry of every pirate, who heard her. “But she is pretty powerful, I grant you that.” “Whatever she is, Mullet is right – for all the time Tempest served Storm King, no one ever escaped her.” said captain Celaeno darkly. “You are part of our crew now and we won’t abandon you. But we can’t hope to win against Storm King’s elite.” Storm guard airship hooted the second time. It was almost in the harpooning range. “Do we really need to fight?” asked Fluttershy. “Yes!” exclaimed Twilight. “I mean, no. I mean we can just hide. It’s a chance.” “Are you sure about that?” asked Celaeno. “I think...” Then was the third hoot from Storm guard ship and next moment a cannon fired. The grappling hook pierced a side of the pirates’ ship and the deck jerked when pursuers began to pull the chain. “There is no time!” cried Twilight and opened the hatch with telekinesis. All ponies and Spike descended to the cargo hold. There was still some distance between the airships, but at that moment three shadows flew across the gap and landed on Celaeno’s deck. Two storm creatures and a pony between them. When Celaeno looked at Tempest Shadow her feathers moved. The broken horn sparked and captain practically felt it’s powerful aura. Also Tempest’s eyes. When Celaeno saw this unicorn’s glare she believed every single rumor about her to be true. Yes, that mare definitely was someone who should be reckoned with. “Ahem! Sorry,” began Celaeno. “Who are you?” “I’m Tempest Shadow. You probably heard of me. Since you work for the Storm King.” “Yes. Yes. We transport his merchandise. And we had actually gone off course. so now are trying to make up lost time.” “And that’s why you didn’t stop?” “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Celaeno tried her most apologetic tone. “Did we trespass some restricted area? We didn’t know. Can we just pretend that nothing like this happened?” “Of cause,” said Tempest in her best-assuring tone. “After we inspect your cargo hold.” “What?” Celaeno tried to express surprise, but she instinctively grasped the hilt of her saber. Storm Guard airship, at last, came along to the port side. A gangway landed on the deck and two more storm creatures came aboard Celaeno’s ship. One of them dragged a cat. Abyssinian to be precise. Capper – Celaeno knew him, though she would prefer not to. He was one of the Klugetown most capable swindlers and once his scheme nearly left her without her ship. “We pursuing six, I mean seven fugitives.” Tempest’s voice returned Celaeno from her unpleasant memories to even more unpleasant present. “Six ponies and a little dragon.” She looked Celaeno straight in the eye. “Have you seen them?” Celaeno gulped. “Or maybe you happen to see some unusual lights about half an hour ago? It was really bright and came from the direction, you’re coming from.” “Yes. Yes. There was something like a rainbow. I was wondering what it was. But I haven’t seen any pony today.” Celaeno took a breath. “Except you, I mean.” “You do realize that if you were to shelter fugitives, the Storm King would be quite... explosive.” Meanwhile, in the cargo hold, six ponies and a dragon were desperately searching for a place to hide. But no place looked safe enough. “Why haven’t you thought that Tempest will search the ship anyway?” asked Applejack while trying to open one of the boxes. “I thought, but I hoped that we find something here. You know, that I’m not that good at improvisation.” “I know, what should we do!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash and looked into the hole that grappling hook made. “What? Wait! It’s too dangerous.” But Rainbow already flew through the hole. Twilight grunted, but there was nothing she could do. “Ok. Everypony, let’s go.” and Twilight flew next. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Spike one by one carefully stepped onto the chain and walked towards Storm Guard ship covered by the gangway. “Please, could you let me out of it!” that was Capper. “It wasn’t my fault that those ponies tricked me. They really told me that they were going to Black Skull Island.” “Well, there is only one way to be sure, they won’t do that again.” “I...” began Celaeno, holding hilt of her saber again. “I hope, you won’t object the orders of your superior.” Tempest’s cold tone was enough to make everyone understand – that was the last warning. “Oh, this is inteeense!” only now Celaeno noticed a small creature standing beside two goons that brought Capper. Suddenly the deck jolted. Then it started to tilt more and more. Everyone looked at Storm Guard ship, as it was going up. “What?!” cried Tempest. She couldn’t see what was happening below the deck of her ship, but she knew that it was six ponies responsible. And she was entirely correct. Ponies traversed the chain without problems but were spotted by guards. There was no way Mane Six could go back and they were forced to fight. They used tight space of the airship as an advantage – storm creatures were too bulky to catch them. Twilight tried her magic, but the result was even more disastrous than in the Canterlot. Magical ricochet damaged ship’s controls and it started to lift up. “Quickly, move this ship up too!” as experienced air-sailor Celaeno was the first to grasp the situation. “Before they turn us over.” But the deck was already half vertical. Tempest jumped to reach her ship, but Celaeno blocked her way. “No, you don’t.” cried the parrot captain, unsheathing her blade. “I knew it! You betrayed Storm King’s trust!” maliciously scolded Tempest. “Ha! Like there was trust to betray! He just made us serve him!” Celaeno tried several slashes, but it was too hard not to miss as they both were sliding on inclined deck. “But now I’ll show you what pirates are capable of!” “Not much, without a ship.” grinned Tempest and concentrated all her magic, making broken horn spark with charges. Next moment she unleashed the literal lightning storm. It destroyed several crates, that hadn’t fallen from the ship already, broke a mast into half and made several holes in the deck. And despite the impression that all the lightnings were striking chaotically, Tempest was perfectly aware what she wanted to hit. One of the lightning burned the ship’s engine and another one was supposed to burn Celaeno herself. Good thing for Celaeno, her saber was magic resistant. She was able to block the charge, but the current was so strong that it ripped the blade from her hand. “Ok, captain. Time to go down with your ship!” now Celaeno was defenseless and Tempest jumped right through her. Next moment the unicorn was already standing on the side of Celaeno’s airship, while parrot captain and her crew were just hanging on the rigging. For a second Tempest thought to finish them right now. But suddenly the grappling hook that was holding two ships together slid from all the stir. Celaeno's ship started to tilt back into normal position and Tempest's vessel was quickly ascending. Now there was simply no time for pirates. Tempest couldn’t allow ponies escape. She jumped and grabbed chain with her teeth. Damn! If her horn was whole she could just TK herself up. But now she had to climb using her hooves and mouth. However, Tempest had used to overcome such difficulties long ago. “Oh, no.” that was Spike. He was hiding in one of the portholes and was the first to see who’s coming on board. “Guys!” he cried. “Tempest is coming here!” Guys were actually quite successful in avoiding capture, partially thanks to all the rocking that made storm creatures dizzy. But Tempest could easily turn the tide. “What do we do now?” asked Applejack, who just made attempt to buck one of the creatures, but with little effect. “Ok. I have a plan!” exclaimed Twilight. “Are you sure?” said Rainbow Dash. “Yes, this time it will work. Trust me. I thought it through. Just come to me everyone.” while saying this Twilight grabbed an empty crate, rope, and a Storm King’s banner and magically moved them to her. “Ok, we all here,” commented Spike, as it took only a couple of seconds for everyone to stand near Twilight. “What no-o-o-ow…” he finished his question already falling. “Sorry, but those ponies escaped,” answered Grubber. “They pulled this crazy trick with falling into the loading hatch. And making a balloon. I saw that with my own eyes.” “And why you didn’t stop them?” Tempest’s voice was so cold and calm that Grubber knew, with the wrong answer he will follow the ponies. Only without a balloon. “I was doing my best. I ran to our ship as soon as all this thing has started! I mean, I knew at once that it was all depending on me! And with my command we almost captured them.” he saw clearly that Tempest is not impressed. “Look, what I’ve snatched before they went down!” Grubber showed her a map. “Mount Aris. Now I see.” “Too bad that our controls were damaged before I got to the ship. If they weren’t we could just catch them even before they would reach this mount.” “Than what are you waiting?! Fix it!!!”