//------------------------------// // No Turning Back // Story: The Olden World // by Czar_Yoshi //------------------------------// Valey slipped through a doorless entry several levels deep inside the ship, leading the way as Shinespark, Grenada and Grapejuice followed. They hadn't met much resistance from pirates, and those they had found were heading in the same direction. Whenever needed, Valey had snuck Shinespark and Grenada to hide them and Grapejuice had pretended to be doing her normal job, so they had a good idea of where the fight was currently happening. "What is our plan aside from charging in?" Grenada whispered, pulling up by Valey's side. "Every pirate on this boat must be where we are going..." "Slipping around behind," Valey muttered, ignoring several side passages and pressing on. "Gonna let Gazelle and Meltdown mash these bozos head-on. We're going to see if there's any other way to go that doesn't involve getting past a fat army of batponies." Shinespark frowned. "You know that army will just move to block us whichever way we try to lead the soldiers out, right?" "Eh, something like that." Valey paused to check a door that looked like a break room, wrinkling her nose at the smell of spilled something wafting from within. "So then we'll punch our way out, rather than punching our way in and then punching our way out. Skip half the work. And bananas, I've done way too much work today. I wanna nap. Nyaaah..." Fortunately, navigating the ship didn't take long. Valey's experience with enclosed complexes was the Defense Force base and the Flame District, both of which had been made by digging additional rooms onto an existing structure with no thought for coherency or quick travel. This ship had been planned since before construction began, so several long hallways running the length of the vessel and linked by wells of staircases made it an easy bet that moving toward one's destination and actually getting closer were one and the same. The sounds of combat echoed louder in Valey's ears, coming from the floor directly below them. Good thing they hadn't taken one more staircase. She kept her senses trained on danger, taking point and... freeze! Crack! Valey's wings shot out to stop her companions instants before the floor exploded beneath her, an icy spear piercing through it and embedding its tip in the roof. The debris rained against her face as she raised a hoof to block her eyes, and in a second, it was clear, a gaping hole below her where the wood had been blown away. She glanced down. Three pirates glanced up. Their glance was an instant too long. A flash of ice, and they were all impaled together on the same icicle. Then they were gone, and Valey found herself instead staring down a very winded, unhappy Puddles. "Cute Valey!" Puddles raised her spirits momentarily with a cheer, waving from the floor below. "Hiya! You're b-back..." "Yep." Valey lowered herself enough to take a peek down the hallway Puddles had been traversing, then decided to stay hovering. "Sure am. Kinda here on business stuff. Thrilled beyond words to see you. You better not ask for a hug." "Heehee..." Puddles giggled weakly, then pushed Melia into view. "I got you a present, cute Valey! You left before we could reach her! Are you proud of Puddles?" "Uhhh..." Valey blinked. "Yeah, I kind of saw that up in the control room. Good for you, and all that. How did you know she was here?" Puddles grinned, then wiggled her nose pointedly at Valey. "Wouldn't you like to know?" "That's why she asked," Shinespark said from above, stepping to the edge of the wreckage and shouldering Gerardo's blade. "It doesn't matter if you're going to be obstinate, though. Whose side are you on right now? Fighting against the batpony pirates?" Puddles winced and held her stomach. "Sort of... Fighting is making Puddles hurt right now. Help Puddles?" Valey gave Shinespark a nonplussed look, and Shinespark sighed. "The second windigo heart? That Howe and Neon Nova stole? She ate it." "Youuuu need to work on that," Valey remarked, raising a warning eyebrow at Puddles. "Stop trying to make yourself sick! Seriously!" She huffed. "Whatever, though. Which way are we going? I'm here to help Sparky not have to leave any Varsidelian dudes behind, because it means a lot to her and stuff. We still doing that? Also, someone take care of the singer!" Puddles moaned and rolled onto her back, holding herself, and Valey couldn't decide if she really was in that much pain or was just making a big show of it to be dramatic and get attention. Shinespark, meanwhile, jumped down into the lower corridor, using her horn to help Grenada down. "Don't come down here!" Melia sharply advised. "We're looking for the way out, not to go back in!" "Oh yeah?" Valey ignored Puddles, glancing to her instead. "What's the situation?" Melia sighed. "The ones who can fight are trying to clear and hold a path so they can move the ones who can't abovedecks to the merchant vessel. But not only are they getting pushed back, they got hit from the rear, and the path they thought was safe is gone, so the main fighters are immobile and cut off. It isn't good." Shinespark winced. "Okay, no, that's really not good... I should have stuck with your group instead of the grapple team! Those would have been easy enough without me..." She looked up, blue eyes sparkling with hardness. "Come on. Let's get down there and back them up." "Ooog..." Puddles burped, resting uncomfortably on the ground. "Does Puddles have to? We were running..." "...Shinespark?" Valey raised an eyebrow, forgoing her usual nickname. "These two kinda look like they need an evac, and you're the only way they're gonna fly. Me and Grapejuice are actually the only ones with wings. What are we doing?" Shinespark's magic trembled around the hilt of Gerardo's sword. "I-I..." "Evacs are for wimps." Grapejuice scratched the back of her neck with a wing. "I..." Grenada looked shamefacedly at the ground. "I would like to live and not risk my life, if permissible, though I did say I would follow you down here..." Valey nodded. "That's a vote for run, a vote for fight, and an undecided. Or a fight and two undecideds? If we leave, I'm pretty sure we can get out here, ditching the Varsidelians to whatever Gazelle and Meltdown can pull together. You two?" She raised an eyebrow at Melia and Puddles. "What does it look like?" Melia looked away. Puddles just wheezed. "Okay, that's unhelpful..." Valey groaned, glancing back at Shinespark. "Sparky, you're the one who can fly everyone out of here, so it's your call. I'll just go with the flow. Don't really wanna stay behind here and fight these guys solo if everyone else is running." Shinespark looked in pain at Grenada, then nodded at Valey. "We stay here and try to save the Varsidelians. I'll use this." She drew the sword. "All of us were fine with this when we agreed not to leave earlier. Marching formation! Valey, you take point. I'll be immediately behind you with both offense and defense, so fall behind me when you sense a problem. In the middle is Puddles; Grenada, do your best to help her or carry her. Puddles, do your best to be artillery for us. Rear guard is Grapejuice and Melia. Watch our backs. Speak up if something's coming. Puddles, watch them too. When we encounter enemies, remember that we'll probably need to get rid of all of them to make it out alive." "Sure. Whatever." "I... will try my best." "Heee... Puddles gets to be an artillery..." Valey raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, those two were fine, but what about Puddles and... Guh. Look." She turned to Melia. "Do you wanna risk your hot pop-star butt here with us? Because I could carry you out myself and let Sparky take the lead, and then fly my way back once I dump you somewhere safe, or something." Shinespark looked suddenly fearful. "If I'm going up against the entire ship and you're not here..." "Yeah. I'm awesome, I know." Valey gave her armored shoulder a too-reassuring pat and leaned in so their cheeks were close. "Well, whatever." She gave Melia a look. "I got captured here already," Melia sighed. "And it was my own fault. Take me where you will, and don't run for my sake." "Snazzy." Valey hopped back into formation. "In that case? Bad bozos, right about that way. Let's go kick some tail."