"Nnngh..." Shinespark lay on her back beneath a cabinet of wires in the engine room, trying to perform necessary adjustments with her teeth.
"That doesn't look so comfy," Sirena remarked, standing and looking down at her with curious eyes. "You sure that's the easiest way of doing things?"
Shinespark looked up. "My horn's at its limit after all that fighting and flying. Can't use it now or all I'll get is some sparks and pops." She sparked her horn uselessly for emphasis. "But this has to get done, so the hard way it is. Unless one of you two is secretly an engineering savant and is confident you can do it for me?"
Sirena looked at Melia and shrugged. Melia frowned. "I have helped backstage before, and sometimes spent time in Chauncey's labs, but I wouldn't say I'm a professional with it."
"Well, then..." Shinespark reached in, pulled something, and there was a snap within the machine. The lights flickered. "Alright. That's undone. Now we re-attach the intercom, since I'd love to hear what's happening on the bridge right now... There's my lead. Wait, why did I wire it like this? Umm... I might need tape. One second-"
The entire ship lurched, a furious, terrible, squealing grind coming from outside the prow across the room from Shinespark's head. "Ow!" The motion jolted her, slamming her into the open cabinet in a shower of sparks as the floor rose below, shuddering to a stop at a tilted angle. She crawled out and to her hooves. "What the...?"
Melia and Sirena shifted close together. "Uhhhhh..." Sirena's eyes shifted back and forth. "Did we just hit something?"
"What is there to hit!?" Shinespark spat, flinging herself upright. "You two, get further back towards the cabins! I'm getting up on deck, right now!"
Shinespark kicked through the door to the deck, her horn spent and exhausted but the rest of her still somewhat in fighting shape. She jumped slightly as Starlight appeared beside her, nearly tripping over the filly, but Starlight just gave her a look and sat down to guard the door with her horn trailing wisps of teal energy. Okay, then. Shinespark needed to get to the bridge.
She nearly ran into Gerardo on her way in, the griffon bolting out to find her. "Miss Shinespark!" he yelped, skidding and stumbling to a stop on the uneven deck. "We appear to have hit an iceberg!"
Shinespark's eyes widened incredulously. "An iceberg!? How did you not see an iceberg coming? It's a clear night! And why is...? Right. Puddles."
"Bananas," Valey groaned, hauling herself up and out of the door to the ship's rear staircase. "What now? I was looking for leftovers or something for the singers and..." She looked up. "Uh-oh."
All four of them lifted their heads. From in front of the ship, arcing through the sky, a pillar of ice boosted a chartreuse mare, shattering mid-flight and dumping Puddles toward the deck. She hit it and limply rolled, coming to a stop at Valey's hooves with a weak groan.
"Gerardo?" Shinespark frowned toward the bridge. "What's the damage to my ship, and what's the fastest we can get out of here? I've changed my mind again."
"Buh?" Valey strolled closer. "Look, my cutie mark is kind of not happy right now, but we knew that about going back! Now what happened and why aren't we-"
Another shadow flew through the sky, and Meltdown landed on the deck with a crunch of timbers, dripping melting ice and seawater.
"Hey!" Shinespark snarled and took a stance, horn sparking again. "As the official envoy of Ironridge you designated me as, don't break this ship! This is legally my territory, and if I see one fireball..."
Meltdown's fans spun as she steamed, and she looked wearily at everyone assembled. She was encircled, Valey and Puddles on one side and Starlight, Shinespark and Gerardo on the other.
"Uggh... Meltdown?" A new voice chimed in, and Gazelle hauled himself over the railing, having climbed up the ship's side with his claws. "Could you slow down, just a little? This just might not be worth it..."
Maple appeared in the stairway behind Shinespark and Starlight, Howe and Neon Nova on her tail. At almost the same time, Golbez limped into view on the other side, then swiftly caught Meltdown's eye and turned back. Maple went immediately to Starlight's side.
"...No. This is getting out of hoof, Gazelle." Meltdown's fans spun up. "You're injured and I'm low on resources, and too much has happened tonight. Everyone here: some of you are allies. Some of you are enemies. And while I respect that, we don't have the peace or ability to separate who is who right here. I need all of you to surrender and come to Grandbell in custody, where the situation will be treated fairly and everyone will be given what they deserve. If you don't, I'll have to make a judgement here and now. I'm sorry."
"Mmmeh... What's going on?" Jamjars waddled up behind Starlight, rubbing her eyes.
Shinespark's ears twitched, and her brow furrowed, completely ignoring the filly. Everyone getting what they deserved... Grenada was on board. She wasn't sure how she felt about Puddles, but she knew her stance there. "No," she decreed, taking a captain's stance. "No one is fighting, but no one is bowing down, either. We can talk..." Her eyes flashed over to the frigate, floating nearby. "Or you could put common sense and basic decency first and we could work together to deal with the problem we should have been dealing with this whole time! We have an idea on how to stop that bloodbath, but it's not going to work if you attack us!"
"No," Meltdown replied. "The parties at stake are both foreign national armies. It's not our place to get involved, there."
"Oh, really." Shinespark's eyes hardened. "Because you came there in the first place, didn't you? What else were you trying to do if not that?"
"Oh, Meltyyyyy..." Gazelle hummed nervously, drawing a claw across his clenched teeth. "Perhaps a little more playing nice?" He coughed and grinned. "We were out for sport. She's my chaperone, you see. I clearly need one."
Shinespark blinked. He was telling her not to say something...
"Excuse me!" Jamjars interrupted, walking forward with a huge smile on her face, wig mane bouncing and completely covering her horn and ears. "Are you really Meltdown? And Prince Gazelle?" She swooned joyfully, not breaking her stride. "Aaaah! I can't believe I'm meeting you in a place like this! Before you arrest everyone, I need need need to get your autograph!"
Meltdown blinked in surprise as the filly walked closer, her brain taking an entire second to reconcile the situation... Half a second too late. The sound of Jamjars' horn glowing tinkled, and she flung her wig in Meltdown's face. "Sign this, I love it!"
Gerardo gasped. Shinespark and Valey made to bolt toward her, and Gazelle guffawed, slapping the ground uproariously and laughing as hard as he could. "I love this filly! Where did you get her? Hey, filly, can we be besties?"
Meltdown held still for a second... two... and then collapsed in a metal heap on the deck.
Everyone froze, blinking. Jamjars stood over her catch for a moment longer, surveying it, blew on her wig to cool it off... and then pulsed her horn again, withdrawing a black sword that had been concealed inside. "Hah," she proclaimed, turning to Maple and walking back over. "See? I told you you should let me borrow this."
"What... What the...?" Gazelle trembled, pointing a paw. "Meltdown!" He rushed to the fallen mare's side, wincing against a depleting wave of heat.
Valey trotted around them, giving Jamjars a wide-eyed look. "You did not just stab someone that high up."
"What?" Jamjars shrugged. "She was going to arrest you or burn down the ship. You should be thanking me."
"What happened to her!?" Gazelle screeched, snarling.
"Woah! Woah, hold up!" Valey waved her hooves disarmingly. "It's like a paralysis magic. Wears off in a few days. No wound, see? Super simple way of bloodlessly ending a fight. And I did not advise that!"
"No wound..." Gazelle patted Meltdown's face, her eyes wide with fear and shaking. "Speak to me?"
Meltdown didn't answer. Valey walked up behind, making eye contact, and nodded. "Had that happen to some friends before. Eyes is about the only thing you can do. Look up for yes, down for no, left for I don't know, and right for I need a hug. That's what we did then, at least."
Gazelle gave her a look, then back to Meltdown. "Are you cold?"
Meltdown looked up.
"Are you otherwise in pain?"
Meltdown looked down, still clearly terrified.
"Well," Gazelle growled, standing up and shaking himself off. "As the high prince of the Griffon Empire, and under threat of a tantrum you do not want to see, I demand you dress my wounds, get her out of that armor and sail us to Stormhoof Castle immediately. Do it right, and she'll see to it that any accounts of piracy for anyone on this boat are mere unfounded myths in the eyes of the law. Ask Wallace Whitewing if you think that's an offer that frequently gets made. How does that sound for a deal?"
He looked squarely at Meltdown as he spoke, her eyes still trembling. She looked up instantly.
"And there's your answer!" Gazelle beamed painfully, his side still leaking drops of blood on the deck. "We're now your passengers. Worth it?"
Maple swallowed. "I-I'll go get our healing potions..."