The oceanic winds blew a gentle breeze, the gust rippling the surface water of the Equestrian Ocean. Today was perfect sailing weather, and even better submarine weather. And as we dive into the water, past the schools of fish and other aquatic life, we find a familiar wooden ship sitting on the seafloor. But despite thoughts of it being sunk, a bubble of air was covering the deck, preventing the water from getting in.
This was the Mighty Leviathan, the pride of the Equestrian navy. Captained by Royal Knight and Ocean Soul, Tidal Wave, and was run by his crew of navy ponies. But those ponies weren't the only ones on the ship today. Through invitation, Flash, Springer and the rest of their Ponyville friends were all enjoying a day on the ocean...and under it.
Arriving at the front we see Springer, Spike and the CMC, all sitting on the Leviathan's head. There, they gasped as the many different sea life swam by, especially a large sea turtle going over their heads. "Whoa...wow..."
Sweetie then looked to the side, only to see a goblin shark swim by. "Ahh!" She cried before falling back, Applebloom and Scootaloo trying to catch her. But as they did this, all three fell off the figurehead, crashing into the deck, "Oof!"
Spike and Springer crawled over to the edge, looking down to see the three moaning in a dog pile. "You okay?"
Scootaloo, who had fallen face first, let out a long moan. "I feel like a rainbow."
Springer rolled his eyes, "Flash's snark is rubbing off on her."
Applejack and Rarity walked past the three, Rarity dressed in a gem colored sailor suit and hat, chuckling as they watch their sisters try to untangle themselves. "Need a little help sugarcubes?"
"No!" Applebloom called back, "We're good."
Rarity giggled again. "Well, if you're sure." Rarity then looked up, now seeing a some shining fish swim by. "What beauty. So much inspiration."
"Never was a big fish fan," Applejack admitted as a school of salmon swam by. The next thing they knew, said school formed into an exact replica of the boat's shape. "But this, ah can get behind."
Further up the deck, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow were now seeing the school pass by, Fluttershy now having stars in her eyes, "It's all so beautiful."
"Yeah!" Pinkie almost screamed, "it's fish-tastic!"
Rainbow crossed her hooves, rolling her eyes in boredom. "It's okay, I guess." It was at that moment a long electric eel swam by, unleashing an electrical charge that illuminated the darkness of the sea. "I take it back. That's awesome."
Fluttershy nodded at this. "It's too bad Iron couldn't come. Who would have thought he'd be called to help Skybreaker the day after Tidal invited us."
Pinkie nodded rapidly, "Yeah! He seemed so happy when we got the invite! His face even turned green with excitement!"
Up on the top deck, Flash laughed at the three talking about Iron. Only he and Springer knew the truth over Iron making up the Skybreaker request so he wouldn't have to go on the boat. He even ordered the apprentice knight not to blab. Flash then turned to the other four ponies on the top deck. Tidal Wave was busy showing Twilight, who was more interested in the Leviathan's workings than the underwater beauty around them, what each of the levers next to the wheel did. Beside them were his parents, Trail Blazer with his wing wrapped around Misty Veil, and the two were watching an octopus swim by.
When Tidal had invited them onto this little trip, the group had decided to come a day early. This had allowed them to spend time with Flash and Scootaloo's parents, who had given them a behind the scenes tour of the Manehatten Museum.
It was here that Trail commented, "Never got to see sights like this during our adventures."
Misty laughed at this. "What did you expect? We didn't exactly go exploring undersea temples."
"Does Equestria even have those?" Flash asked as he sat beside them, his parents shrugging in response.
"If they did, we haven't heard about them."
"There may have been some kind of civilization that had existed on a part of Equestria that was unstable, with tectonic shifts pulling the land and cities underwater. But no records exist of any such civilization, so who really knows."
Flash took his mother's words and nodded, "Guess you've got a point."
While this happened, Twilight was still inspecting the mechanism of the ship. "This is amazing. I can't believe this little switch can make a mast fly out of the deck and unfurl it. The main structure of this must be designed precisely. Just astounding..."
Tidal chuckled at the praise his ship was being given. "Gracias Princesa Sparkle. It is the product of many brilliant ponies coming together to make it work."
Twilight nodded at this as she stared at the bubble surrounding them. "And this air seal....the spell for it must have taken some serious coding, especially since my basic analysis shows it isn't rune magic. That truly surprised me, as that would be easier in certain aspects....I'd love to see the formula."
"I'll have one of the engineers send it to you." This statement caused Twilight's eyes to go wide.
"You'd let me see it?! I would have thought it'd be trade secret!"
"It is," Tidal replied as he tapped the wheel. "But the Equestrian Navy reports to the princesses of Equestria. Now that you've ascended, you are entitled to any information that intrigues you."
Twilight's eyes went even wider. "Really?!"
Tidal nodded. "Though since you are newly ascended, you do have some limits that Princess Celestia told us about. Anything above those limits requires permission from one of the other princesses, but the air lock spell is not one of them."
Twilight was about to faint at the idea, "Oh...that's wonderful! Thank you Tidal, and thank you again for inviting us!" She looked out and saw the smiles on her friends' faces over this underwater adventure. "I'm sure this'll be a day to remember."
"No problem, your highness. I'm just glad you're all having fun and that I get to share in this moment." He placed a hoof onto the ship's wheel. "Truthfully, I invited you all here because I realized I was the only Royal Knight Flash knew who wasn't amigos with his amigos."
"You are?"
"Of course. We have only met twice, have we not? At your coronation and Sir Iron's knighting, both times in which I haven't said a single palabra outside of formal greetings. Can you honestly call somepony a friend if you know nothing about them?"
Twilight hummed for a moment, "Hmmm...yeah, you have a point. Sorry, we were busy Tidal."
"Don't apologize. I hold nothing against you and have no right to." he rubbed his chin for a second, "That's why I invited you all here, to enjoy this event together so we can all be amigos."
Twilight smiled back. "Well, we appreciate it. Thank you."
Tidal nodded again as he turned to Flash, who was laughing alongside his parents. "I respect Señor Sentry a great deal, especially after everything we went through back in Omniara. So to makes friends with the ponies closest to him truly makes me happy." Tidal then looked at a gauge on the wheel and sighed. "Time to bring this adventure to an end I'm afraid."
"Why?" Twilight asked, only for Tidal to point at the gauge, its needle showing it was close to the bottom.
Tidal took a small breath before announcing to the deck, "Attention all passengers. We will now be surfacing for a short time." This statement caused a round of moans from the civilian ponies.
"Why?" Pinkie groaned. "Its so pretty down here!"
Tidal smiled, happy they were enjoying themselves enough to complain. "Oxygen, señorita. The tanks are almost empty, so we need to refill them." The others all nodded at this, the ship soon floating up to the surface.
"So, your ship can only hold an hour's worth of oxygen?" Twilight asked, getting a nod from Tidal.
"It all depends on how many ponies we have aboard. More ponies, more air being breathed. We've been working on upgrades that would allow us to stay submerged indefinitely, but its still in the early planning stages." He looked back at Twilight, seeing a 'go on' look on her face, "The plan is to install a device which would intake the water around us, then separate the hydrogen from the oxygen. The oxygen would be placed into the air tanks while the hydrogen is expelled back into the ocean."
"Fascinating…" Twilight gasped as her eyes shined like stars, "That's a marvelous idea. I'd love to help out over that."
"I'll have the plans sent over to you."
Seconds later, the ship broke the surface of the water. The air seal vanished, letting the fresh sea air blow across the deck. Rarity batted her mane at the breeze, "Glorious! Being underwater was fun, but so is feeling the fresh sea air blowing through your mane."
Rainbow laughed at this as she spread her wings, soon hovering above them. "Ahh...I don't think I've ever gone so long without flying like that. WOOHOO!"
Tidal chuckled at the sight, "Don't get too used to it. It won't take long to refill the air tanks, so we'll be back underwater soon."
Misty then flinched as the sun got in her eyes, "Geez that's bright after being underwater."
Flash looked up with a raised eyebrow, "Really? I can't tell. Guess my eyes are just used to bright lights, especially after the amount of times Twilight's almost blinded me." This made Twilight let out a low hiss, her magic then pulling Flash's ear while his parents chuckled at the two.
And as this happened, a bulb went off in Trail's head. "Speaking of bright Flash, any luck mastering that strange power you have?"
Magic left his ear as Flash shook his head with a sigh. "No. We've been trying, but whatever it is...well, it seems to only activate when it wants to. I've only been able to get it to appear on command once, but since then....nothing."
"It is a little mystifying," Twilight added as she sat down by the couple, "If only we had a little more information, then we might be able to figure out how it works. You two said you were gonna look into it as well. Find anything?"
Trail and Misty frowned as they shook their heads. "No. Nothing we've found seems to have any clue about what kind of magic it could be." They then looked at one another, seemingly having a mental conversation before nodding. Misty's horn sparked next, causing a photo to appear that she handed to Twilight. "This is the closest thing we have to clues."
Flash and Twilight look the photo over, seeing it was a black and white Polaroid of a wall with something carved onto it. It showed a crude image of a pony that looked like an alicorn, but it was wearing some kind of armor. There were streaks of magic lines surrounding it, all symbolizing light itself. Both Flash and Twilight stared in awe at the photo. "Where'd you get this?"
This caused Trail and Misty to sigh, frowning. "That's the thing. We...can't remember. We've had it since the day we left you at the orphanage."
Twilight looked up at them in pure confusion, "You don't remember taking it?"
"I know. We're as confused as you are," Trail replied with crossed hooves. "What's stranger is, we don't remember anything for a long while before it. The only thing we can remember is Flash's birth...but our memories around it are a complete haze. We don't even remember where we were when he was born."
"Strange," Twilight whispered while Flash just stared at the photo. The carving wasn't exactly Leonardo Da-gypsy, but even he could tell it was showing the same armor he wore when he powered up. "The more we try and find out about you, the more questions we end up asking."
Flash just shrugged. "Wish I knew what to tell you."
Twilight turned back to his parents. "So...you can't remember anything from before you left Flash other than his birth?"
Misty nodded. "Every time we try to remember, we just get a headache. We don't know why."
"Sorry kiddo," Trail added.
"Its cool, it's not your fault," Flash assured him before looking down at the picture again. "I just wish I was given at least one answer instead of more questions." The others all frowned at this, seeing the glum look on his face. But as they were about to speak up, Rainbow's voice caught their attention.
"Look!" They glanced up and saw what she was pointing at, their eyes now seeing a stream of smoke raising up from the ocean in the distance. Everypony then moved over to the edge of the boat, Tidal holding a pair of binoculars to his eyes.
"Is that a good or bad thing?" Spike asked.
"It's a thing. We won't know more until we go to inspect it." Tidal replied before turning to Twilight, "Your orders, ma'am?"
Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Me? You're the captain."
"But as princess, that makes you the highest ranked official here."
"I see..." Twilight rubbed her chin before asking, "What would you recommend?"
"That we go to investigate, but have the civilians remain below deck for safety."
Twilight nodded at this, "I understand. We'll do that then."
Flash turned to his sister and her friends, "You heard the stallion. You three get below deck."
The CMC all moaned, "But we wanna see!"
"Absolutely not!" Rarity told her sister. "If it's nothing dangerous, we'll bring you back up. But until we know for sure, get down below."
"Ya'll heard her sugarcube," Applejack added as she lightly pushed her sister. "Now come on."
It was here that Misty and Trail walked in front of the crusaders. "We'll keep an eye on them."
"Thanks," Flash replied as the two disappeared down below with the fillies.
Once they were gone, Tidal gripped the wheel, turning it towards the direction of the smoke. "All hands on deck! Get to your stations! Prepare for both rescue and battle! Until we know what we're dealing with, be ready for anything!" The navy ponies all nodded and got to work as Flash went to his bag and pulled out Lightbringer.
"You brought your Celestic Gear on vacation?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'd bring it anywhere Twi," Flash replied as he swung the blade in his hoof, "Just in case something like this ever happens. Can't be too careful."
"My sentiments exactly amigo," Tidal added as his magic pulled Wavefang out of thin air. He placed it onto the deck and killed the magic, everypony surprised it didn't fall over until they noticed its end was stuck in a small hole. "Time to ride the waves."
In that moment, the wind picked up and began pushing the ship ahead. It didn't take long to sail over to where the smoke was coming from. The wind was strong and the ocean calm, so the distance only took about half an hour till they could see what was causing the smoke.
And the source wasn't anything good to look at. It was a pile of ships, all ripped apart and ready to sink. It was a literal ship graveyard, some of which were still wearing flames. The ponies all gasped at this, Fluttershy close to tears at the mere sight of the devastation. "It's horrible..."
"What could have done all this?" Spike asked next.
"It doesn't look like there's anypony left to tell us." Flash commented as the others flinched at his words.
Tidal shook his head, glancing at some of his crew, "Pegasi, to the air. See if you can find any survivors and bring them aboard." The pegasi nodded and took to the sky, Flash and Rainbow following suit. At the same time, Springer hopped onto Flash's back, all three soon hovering over the wreckage.
"See anything?" Rainbow asked as she waved her hoof, trying to fight some smoke.
Flash just shook his head, "Nope. Sense anything Springer?"
The jakhowl pulsed his aura as far as he could, his paws in a praying position. "Hmm...no. Nothing yet." He opened his eyes and looked down in shame. "It feels like....nothing's here."
"Don't worry bud. Just because you can't sense them, doesn't mean there isn't somepony out here. We just have to keep looking..." Flash replied, the jakhowl nodding. And so, another few minutes passed, only for Flash to look down at the fifth broken boat. "Dang. This place is really...wait..." He blinked as he squinted his eyes, something now gleaming in the corner of his eye, "There! Springer, scan that!"
Springer flared his aura and directed it at the pile of wood below them. The wave then bounced back, making him hop in place, "They're alive, but the aura's fading fast!"
That was all Flash needed to hear, quickly flying down to lift the wood off the pony. Doing so revealed a light blue earth pony stallion with a yellow mane and tail. His body was covered in scratches and burns, obvious from what was around them. Flash then signaled for one of the navy ponies that he was returning to the ship, Springer hoisting the stallion on the Flash's back before they went back to the ship. And as they flew back, Flash heard the pony muttering something. "The fog. The...fog."
"Fog?" Flash asked nopony.
Soon, he landed back on deck, a team of medical ponies then taking the pony to the ship's medical bay. As for Flash and Springer, they went back and continued the search...but found nothing. It wasn't long till they and Rainbow eventually returned to the ship alongside the rest of the navy pegasi.
"All those boats and only one survivor. This is horrible." Twilight commented as she looked at Tidal, "What could have done this?"
Tidal's face morphed into a hard, stern expression that was only visible to Flash and Springer. "I can think of only one cause. Pirates." Hearing this made the others all gulp, others showing surprise at the notion of pirates being anywhere near Equestria.
In that moment, the medical ponies arrived on deck, the head doctor turning to Tidal, "Captain, the patient is stable and awake. You can talk to him if you wish, but please keep it brief and try not to excite him."
"Understood." Tidal glanced at Flash and his friends, "Ready amigos?"
When they arrived at the medical bay, Tidal was the first to see the pony from before. He was shaking like a leaf as he laid in bed, "The fog...the fog..."
"Fog?" Twilight asked as she walked behind Tidal.
"He was muttering that when we found him," Flash replied as he went around her. "Guess it hasn't changed."
The doctors shook their head at his comment as Tidal sat down by the bed, "Hola." The pony yelped out in surprise, his hooves curling up. Tidal raised his own hooves, trying to calm him down. "Sorry. I'm Tidal Wave, captain of this ship. Can you please...tell us your name?"
The stallion just stuttered at the sight, his lips quivering as he blinked at the captain, "P-P-Pool. S-S-Shallow Pool."
Tidal did a small smiling nod, "Nice to meet you Pool. Now, I know you don't want to talk about this but...we need you to tell us what happened to all those ships."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Pool's eyes grew wide, his breathing ragged. "The fog! S-s-so much fog!" He let out a sharp yelp, curling again as he screamed, "It's coming! IT'S COMING!"
Tidal put his hoof on his shoulder as Fluttershy and Rarity rushed over, both trying to pat him to calm him down. As they did this, Rainbow turned to Twilight, "What's happening to him?"
Twilight let out a long sigh, "P.T.S.D. Whatever happened must have been so horrible, the mere thought of it is making him relive whatever's happening."
"Pool..." Tidal pushed the earth pony down, trying to make sure he didn't try to escape, "You're alright. You're on my ship. You're safe."
"We're not safe! We won't be safe until we're back on land!" His panting increased, making the others fear he may have a heart attack. "Its over! The fog!"
Flash glanced at Twilight, "Can't you do something to help him calm down?"
"I have a spell that might work, but I don't know what effect it'll have on him in this state."
"Better than nothin," Applejack told her, Twilight nodding as her horn started to shine. The stallion was enveloped in a purple aura, his breath soon returning to a slower pace. But as she did this, the fear on his face didn't vanish.
Tidal breathed a sigh of relief, "Excelente. Now, I know you've been through a traumatic experience, but you need to tell us what happened so we can stop it from happening to anypony else. Please."
Pool shaking increased again, but his mouth started to move, "Alright...I'll tell you." He did a long gulp next, "I...I was working on a cargo ship, which was part of a convoy shipping building supplies to Applewood. Everything was going smoothly, but then...but then...it appeared."
"What appeared?"
Pool's panting returned, Twilight upping the juice in her magic to calm him. "The fog." The ponies all blinked in response as he continued, "We thought it was just a normal fog, though we did wonder why it was there since there wasn't a cloud in the sky. But...it wasn't normal. Once we were deep enough...." Twilight's horn flared, Pool's breathing trying to increase despite the alicorn's magic, "It attacked. It...was horrible! Before we knew it, all the ships were destroyed! The ship I was on was ripped apart, my friends and crewponies' lives lost before my eyes!" Tears started to pour down his face, "I thought....I was a goner myself when the ship I was on exploded."
He curled back into the bed as the others remained silent in shock and horror. A small whimper followed, "I'm sorry...that's all I know."
Tidal patted his side, "It's fine. You've been a great help. If you're up for it, I can have you sent back to land on the Mini Leviathan."
Pool turned to him, shock in his eyes. "But what about you? Don't tell me you're going after that...that fog monster."
Tidal shook his head, a strong glare on his face. "I assure you, that was no monster. I've spent my entire life on the sea and not once have I come across a creature that can create fog." He looked out the window at the clear skies. "On a day like this, there's no doubt in my mind that that fog didn't appear naturally. That only leaves one alternative...magic."
The others all gasped, Twilight asking, "You...you think it was caused by a unicorn?"
"Or multiple unicorns, either is possible." Tidal turned back to Pool, "I have only one more question. Which way did the fog originate from?"
Pool thought for a moment. "We were travelling south when it first appeared port side."
"So it came from the east," he looked back at the group. "I understand if you don't want to get involved, but as a Royal Knight, I can't let this stand. This fight could be dangerous."
Flash smirked as he punched on hoof into the other. "What, are you kidding? You think I'm gonna let you have all the fun?"
Rainbow laughed as she pumped her hooves, "Aw yeah! I'm all for kicking some pirate flank."
"Same here," Applejack starting kicking backwards like she was bucking apples.
"ME TOO!" Pinkie cheered as confetti flew out of her mane.
Rarity nodded at this, "We can't allow those ruffians to keep doing what they're doing."
Twilight crossed her hooves. "Agreed. As princess, it's my duty to protect Equestria in any way I can."
"We're in too," Springer mimicked Flash as Spike blinked at him.
"We are?" Springer shot him a frown, "I mean, of course we are."
It was here that they turned to Fluttershy, who was shaking as much as Pool was. She then took a deep breath before nodding, "I'm...in."
Tidal nodded with a big smile, "Thank you."
Rarity then tapped her hoof, "I'm glad you're happy, but before we head out into this dangerous situation, we have to make sure three little fillies are safe and sound."
"Agreed," Flash and Applejack both nodded before Flash asked, "Can we borrow your little boat?"
"Very well," Tidal replied with a nod. "That is one of the reasons it exists."
A few minutes later...
The ponies watched as Pool, the CMC and Flash's parents sailed off in the Mini Leviathan, the fillies once again pouting about being forced out of the action. Despite this, safely out of the way, which led to Tidal turning the ship eastward in hope of hunting fog pirates. Thanks to this, Flash and Springer flew up to the crow's nest with binoculars, while the others kept watch from the deck.
"Anything?" Twilight asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"Nothing yet." Spike replied while continuing to gaze through the binoculars.
"Everything's too far away to tell," Pinkie added before Twilight spun her binoculars around. "Oh. Still don't see anything."
"Maybe we're heading in the wrong direction," Rarity suggested as she wiped the lens of her binoculars. "Just because these ruffians appeared from the east, doesn't mean they retreated that way. They might have been heading west when they happened upon the ships."
Applejack turned to the others, "She's got a point."
"So we've gone the wrong way."
"No," they all looked up at Tidal, "They didn't head west. We arrived at the shipwrecks from the west, so we would have seen a ship or massive cloud of fog passing if they went west."
Twilight hummed at this, "That is true...but they may have headed north or south after attacking."
But before a reply could be made, Spike let out a yelp, "Over there!" They turned to the dragon and saw him staring off at the horizon. All putting their binoculars on, they saw a small but now noticeable cloud of fog in the distance.
"Ya'll think that's it?" Applejack asked next.
"Only one way to find out," Twilight replied before looking to Tidal. The Royal Knight nodded as he steered the ship into the mist. And as they sailed closer and closer, they gasped as the saw just how large the cloud of fog was. The ship was entirely dwarfed by it, causing Fluttershy, Spike and several crew ponies to shiver in fear.
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Spike added.
"I'm sure it isn't," Fluttershy whimpered.
Flash and Springer landed on the deck, the defender turning to the jakhowl, "Sense anything bud?"
Springer pulsed his aura into the fog, everypony waiting several moments for him to reply. "Sorry, but I can't sense anything."
"Please say that means its empty," Spike and Fluttershy prayed.
"The place is just to big too scan entirely. I can't sense anything, but it doesn't mean there isn't anything in it."
Tidal nodded as he looked back at the fog. "Then we'll have to find out for ourselves." With that, the ship moved into the fog, the blinding mist covering everypony. Several of them began grouping up at this while others looked around anxiously.
"There's something strange about this fog," Twilight commented as she rubbed her chin.
"You mean how creepy it is?" Spike asked, only for the alicorn to shake her head.
"No. I mean the air feels...charged. I think Tidal was right. This fog is unnatural."
Flash continued to stare into the graying cloud. "Meaning there's somepony in here making it."
"Steady," Tidal told the anxious ponies. "Hold your nerves everypo-" He stopped when he spotted something coming out of the fog, his reflexes kicking in next. With instinct born through years of experience, the Ocean Soul spun the wheel to move the ship just in time to miss it. "Que diablos."
With the danger gone, the ponies moved to the side and saw a large jagged rock that was sticking out the water. They had just dodged this, only to feel the ship tumble as a smaller rock scrape one side of the ship. The ponies on board began to shiver, Twilight taking action and using her magic to put up a shield around the ship. Doing so was enough to protect the vessel, but it wasn't enough.
"This is nuts!" Rainbow yelled.
"It's suicide!" Rarity corrected her. "The sensible thing would be to turn around and head back out!"
"How?" Applejack asked.
Flash nodded in agreement, "I don't think ships do three point turns. Especially in a space this dangerous."
"Our only hope is to keep going," Twilight added.
"And hope we don't sink," Fluttershy finished.
"Don't worry," they all turned to Pinkie and saw she was covered in several inflatable floaties. "I'm prepared for just such an emergency."
The ponies all opened their mouths, ready to ask about the sight, only for a new voice above them to call out. "Land ho!" They looked up at the crow's nest, then ahead as they saw new shape leave the fog's masking. It was an island, small at being only a few miles in diameter, with cliffs and beaches surrounding the edges while the rest was covered in forest.
"What's that place?"
"I don't know," Tidal replied with blinking eyes. "Its not marked on any map I've seen." Then before he could say anything else, his looked up before his eyes went wide. Flying towards the ship was a giant boulder, which bounced off Twilight's force field and shattered. Seconds later, another boulder appeared in the air, causing Tidal to spin the wheel to dodge the next rock. "We're in trouble here!"
The others ponies ducked low against the deck. "Are we under attack?!"
"No Pinkie," Rainbow replied in a dripping, low tone, "rocks falling from the sky is just really common around here."
"Oh...okay." Pinkie then stood up, only for Applejack to pull her back down by the tail.
And as another boulder broke against Twilight's bubble, Flash turned to her. "Please tell me your shield can hold out."
Twilight looked up at the shield as more rocks hit it. "Not if it keeps sustaining damage like this. Everything has a limit."
"So what do we do?" Rarity asked next.
"Keep sailing," Tidal stated as he kept spinning the wheel. "They're likely using catapults, so if we get close enough to the island, we'll be out of the range of fire."
Springer grabbed a pair of binoculars and glanced over the side of the deck, spotting a bunch of ponies on the cliffs. "I see them."
Flash glanced at the direction he was looking, then up at a crack that appeared it Twilight's shield. "Enough of this." He unsheathed Lightbringer and shot into the air.
"Flash! What are you doing?!" Twilight yelled, only to get no reply. Instead, the pegasi flew through the crack, dodging a boulder along the way. There, he spun like a top, his body slipping past the flinging rubble as he got to the cliffs.
"Flash Cutter Barrage!" He swung his blade like mad, unleashing a flurry of light blades that collided with the catapults, explosions soon following this.
"He got them!" Springer cheered as he watched the ponies run for it through his binoculars.
"Excelente! Smooth sailings ahead." And true to his word, the rest of the journey to the island was without incident. The Leviathan hit the shore, just as Flash arrived at the beach carrying somepony.
"Let me go, ya filthy scalawag!" yelled the pirate. It was a gray earth pony, wearing a white shirt, stripped bandana and eye-patch.
"With pleasure," Flash joked before dropping the pony headfirst into the sand. As he pulled himself free, he suddenly found himself staring down at the pointed end of a spear held by Tidal's crew. "After taking out the catapults, the ponies firing tried to escape. I managed to catch this one before he could disappear into the forest."
"Good job Flash," Tidal replied as he stared down at the pirate. His eyes became cold and joyless as he gripped the pony's neck, the sight making the mares all feel uneasy. "Now, you will tell us the name of your captain."
The pirate growled back at the Royal Knight. "Ye'll get nothing from me!" He then spat in Tidal's face, the spit slowly going down the unicorn's nose. "Ha!"
But Tidal didn't reply. Instead, his cold stare continued as his horn started to glow, causing a blue sphere of magic to appear around the pony's head. The pirate blinked at this, only to gasp as he suddenly found he wasn't getting any oxygen.
The others gasped at this action. "Tidal!" Twilight almost screamed as she watched the pirate try to break the bubble. "What are you doing?!"
Tidal didn't answer, his horn no longer glowing as the bubble disappeared. The pirate then took a huge gulp of air, gasping and panting as Tidal tightened his grip on the pony's collar, "That was ten seconds without air. You wanna go twenty?"
"Alright, alright!" The pirate cried, "Ah'll talk! We all work for a pirate named Dreadbeard, Foggy Dreadbeard! His magic lets the captain make magic clouds of fog!"
"Which you use to attack ships..." Twilight surmised.
"It's a dog eat dog world lassie! Ye gotta find someway to make a living!"
"You're disgusting," Rarity told him.
Tidal tightened his grip again, "Where can I find this...Dreadbeard?"
"Through the forest in the middle of the island! There's a clearing with an abandoned castle where we made our hideout! If he's not there, he might be on his ship...it's docked in a cove on the other side of the island." The pirate then shook his head, "Don't go after him...you'll be given no quarter."
Tidal nodded before turning to his crew. "Take him to the brig, and make sure there's room for all his pirate buddies. Then take the ship to this cove and make sure their ship doesn't escape."
"Yes captain!" The navy ponies saluted before dragging the pirate back to the Leviathan.
While they did this, Twilight hopped in front of Tidal, a look of anger on her face, "Tidal...what was that?!"
"What?"
"You, cutting off that pony's oxygen! That could be considered straight up torture! What were you thinking?!"
Tidal just shook his head. "I did what I had to do to get information. Trust me, he wasn't talking any other way." He started to walk past her as he continued, "I've learned how to deal with these lowlifes over the years. They only understand one thing, force. And force is what we must use to stop these scum, entender?" With that, he disappeared into the forest.
"What's with him?" Rainbow asked.
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "He's starting to act like Iron did when he went after Longhorn."
"Makes sense," Flash replied as he and Springer began to follow Tidal. "Especially after what happened to him."
The mares all looked confused by this, Twilight running up beside him. "What happened to him?" Flash let out a long sigh, knowing he would have to tell a story next.
In the middle of the island, a clearing in the forest revealed an old castle. It wasn't as big as the ones in Equestria, but it more than enough to be considered as a pirate fortress. And within the castle's main hall, there were piles and piles of gold, some of it stolen while other exchanged from stolen goods.
In the center of the room was the largest pile of gold, and atop it sat a large throne. There, a black unicorn with a gray mane, tail and beard sat while wearing a red coat with gold trim and buttons. His right hoof had been replaced with a golden hook, while his horn was glowing a gray colored aura.
This was the pirate Dreadbeard, who was not in a particularly good mood. Despite a successful attack on a fleet of ships, the bounty they had gotten was nothing more then movie props. Not something he could sell for a high price. All he could do now was break down the bigger props and use them in repairs to his ship. What a waste of time.
His moping was then interrupted by the hall doors being thrown open, many of his crewponies rushing inside. "CAPTAIN!" They all screamed.
Dreadbeard growled. "What?! Can't ye see I want some alone time?!"
"But captain! A ship appeared from out of the fog! Its landed on the island!"
Dreadbeard went wide eyed at this, "What?!"
"A ship! Its a big one, not like the cargo ships we usually see. It appeared out of the fog and-"
"Why didn't you sink them?!" he interrupted, slamming his hoof into the throne.
"We tried. It had a magical barrier around it, and before we could break through it..." the pirate did a large gulp, "A pegasus came ashore and...took out the catapults."
"WHAT?!" Dreadbeard screamed, "Are you telling me that one pegasus….got rid of all of our catapults?!"
"He had a weird weapon captain! Somehow, he was able to use magic with it...."
Dreadbeard slumped down in his seat at these words, a large groan following, "Royal Knights..."
"There's...also more."
"WHAT?! What else is wrong?!"
"That pegasus...he caught Shipwrecker."
"Ugh...not that scallywag. That means those rats will know where we are..." He rubbed his face in frustration, "Get the rest of the crew in the castle ready to defend. And send a message to the lubbers at the boat. A battle has begun."
"YES CAPTAIN!" They all replied before rushing out, Dreadbeard tapping the throne with his hook.
"Come and get me Royal Knight. I'll be waiting for you."
"Wow..." Rainbow gasped as the ten of them trekked through the forest, "I can't believe he went through something like that."
Twilight looked to Tidal, who was leading the group. "It would explain his hatred of pirates...but to go to such extremes against them."
"You saw what they did," Flash added as he patted her side with his wing. "Tidal's just trying to make sure something like that doesn't happen again."
But before anypony could say anything else, Tidal came to a stop, holding up a hoof to tell them to come to a halt. "We're here." They then stood beside him and peered through the bushes, spotting the castle that the pirate had told them about. That sight alone was bad, but they also spotted a bunch of pirates, all armed to the teeth and on high alert.
"Looks like they we're expectin us," Applejack commented.
Rarity nodded at this. "After our little display on the beach, what would you expect?"
"So what now?" Spike asked next.
Fluttershy shook her head, "Not sure. That's a lot of pirates."
"Eh, its nothing we can't handle," Springer assured her, only for Tidal to flash his hoof.
"Sostenlo. Let's be smart. They have home field advantage, meaning it'd be silly to just wage a frontal assault on them."
"I agree," Twilight replied. "What we need to do is find a way to put them on an even playing field."
"How?"
Tidal turned to Flash, "You'll need to lure them away."
Flash raised an eyebrow. "Me?"
"Yeah, why him?" Rainbow added as she pointed to herself. "I'm the fastest."
"Yes...but they've seen Flash already," Twilight replied with a knowing nod. "If somepony else goes, the pirates will still be expecting Flash, and won't send their majority."
Flash crossed his hooves at this, smirking, "I get ya. Alright...but where do I lead them?"
The others all looked at each other, only for a bulb to shine in Twilight's brain. "I got it. Here's what we're gonna do..."
Dreadbeard was standing atop the outer wall of the castle, his pirates now all ready for anything. The ones on the ground had swords, spears and other hoofheld weapons, while the wall ponies had crossbows and other ranged weapons ready. He then turned to a pony with a telescope, "Any sign of 'em?"
"No captain. There doesn't appear to be any-wait!" Dreadbeard stared at where the pirate was looking, both now seeing a new sight. From out of the bushes, Flash and a Battle Form Springer ran out, a shining Lightbringer in hoof while Springer created a Bone Breaker. The two were speeding across the clearing, the pirates on the ground ready to fight. "That's the land lubber who destroyed the catapults!"
Dreadbeard let out a laugh. "HA! The scallywag's suicidal! Fire!" A volley of arrows followed this, all raining down on the defender. He just looked up, unleashing a Flash Force that vaporized them all while Springer summoned his aura shield. Dreadbeard's eyes twitched at the sight, his hoof pointing at the approaching knight and yelling, "Reload and fire again!"
As they reloaded, Flash and Springer reached the first wave of pirates on the ground. They all raised their weapons as the two neared, several charging as well. The two forces then met, Flash and Springer breaking through their opponents' weapons with ease. But as he knocked back the first group, a barrage of arrows sunk themselves in front of him. "Whoa!" Flash yelped as he dodged another projectile, only to slash another pirate's sword in half.
"There's a lot of 'em!" Springer added as he shot off two Aura Blasts. "Should we retreat?!"
"Yeah...let's go!" Flash replied as Springer used Aura Force into the ground. The blast shot up a cloud of dust, shielding both from eyes. And as it did this, Flash bolted out of the dust and into the forest, the other pirates shocked at his speed.
"After them! I want them brought back alive so I can cut them myself!" Soon, almost all of his crew were running into the forest, Dreadbeard and a hoofful of pirates remaining behind to guard the treasure.
In the forest, Flash and Springer were still airborne as they flew through the wooden land. The sounds of many hooves rang out behind the duo, making them smile. "Looks like our plan worked. Now let's hope Tidal can pull the rest off."
"I know he can," Flash replied as he slipped under a bunch of branches. "Come on, let's hit the beach and knock these out!"
"Yeah!"
And as they disappeared into the foliage, the pirates followed suit. Once the last pirate was out of sight, Tidal's head popped up out of a bush. "Good luck amigos." He then turned to the castle, a low glare now showing on his face, "And now...it's my turn."
As for Flash and Springer, they leapt out the forest, sliding along some sandy ground to a stop. The pirates soon caught up, the small army all breaking through the trees and smiling as they saw the two alone. "What's the matter?" One of the pirates asked, "Did your ship leave without you?"
Flash just gestured a 'come on' stance with his hoof. "No, it's off dealing with your ship. It'll be here to pick us up after we've finished kicking your flanks." This statement caused a roar of laughter to escape the pirates.
"Are you kidding? You honestly think you can take us all down? Did you forget you were just running for your life not one minute ago?"
"Yeah, about that....I did say we would do it, didn't I?" The pirates blinked at his words, only for a bright flash of orange to appear on either side of the two. When it died down, Twilight, Spike and the rest of the mane seven were standing besides Flash and Springer. "And that is the lesson known as 'luring pirate morons for dummies'."
The group then got into a battle stance, the pirates yelling curses as they gripped their weapons. "We'll tear yer hides to nothing! You hear me?!"
"Somepony's a bit too angry." Flash remarked as he pointed his sword at them, "Now, count up your sins."
"That's it! Time to keelhaul 'em boys! CHARGE!"
And so, both group rushed at each other, the two hitting head-on. First was Flash, whose blade zipping in to break their swords and spears. As he did this, Twilight removed the rest with her magic, beams of magic knocking each back with ease. But as they did this, the pirates decided to just use their hooves. It was here that Applejack and Rainbow came in, their speed and strength easily fighting the criminals back.
As these two groups continued to clash, Rarity directed the others. She was firing several beams of crystal magic, all on the hooves of the pirates, sticking them to the ground. Pinkie was firing pie from her party cannon, all to be used on pirates trying to make a run for it. Any that did get away was dealt by Springer, who was still destroying the weapons like Flash. As for Spike and Fluttershy, the drake was riding on her back, spraying fire on every pirate he could.
"Come on girls!" Flash called out as he de-speared a pirate. "The more of these guys we take out, the easier it'll be for Tidal to take down their captain!"
Dreadbeard was slumped over in his throne, a low grumble escaping his breath. A piece of gold fell off his hoof as his other tapped his throne. "What's taking those seadogs so long?!"
But as he did this, a loud banging sound rang out. The captain walked to the door next, his eyes now seeing Tidal wielding Wavefang against the remaining pirates. Despite their number, they were proving little difficulty for the Royal Knight. As one pirated tried to slash him with a cutlass, Tidal blocked it with his trident before pushing him back. "Tidal Whip!" Water shot out the end as he swung it through the air, the stream knocking the pirate away. He then spun around to see three pirates aiming crossbows at him. "Tidal Bullet!" Pointing his trident at them, three water projectiles blasted the pirates, instantly knocking them out.
The knight cricked his neck, "Pirates...all the same." He turned back to the corridor, now seeing the final pirates charging at the Ocean Soul. His hoof leaned down, pointing the Celestic Gear at them. "Tidal Force!" A high powered stream of water shot out of the three prongs, smashing into the group all the way into the wall behind them.
With all his enemies defeated, Tidal turned to the throne room's door, his hoof quickly knocking it aside. There, he saw Dreadbeard, standing in front of his throne with sword drawn. "Captain Dreadbeard, I assume?"
The pirate let out a low, long growl. "I am. And who might ye be?"
"Tidal Wave, captain of the Mighty Leviathan and Royal Knight known as the Ocean Soul." He pointed Wavefang at him, "and I'm taking you into custody. Entender?"
Dreadbeard let out a laugh at this. "Oh you are, are you? And how do you intend to catch me, when you won't be able to find me." With that, the glow from his horn flared, a fog consuming his body before spreading to the rest of the room.
Despite this, Tidal didn't backpedal. He stood tall as his visual prowess with nullified, his ears now perking up to try and replace them. "Too scared to face me head on? You pirates are all the same, cobardes!"
"Oh, is that hatred I hear in your voice?" Tidal spun around and fired a trio of water projectiles, only to hit a pile of gold. "Now...what did I ever do to you?"
"Not you," Tidal grumbled as he spun around, spinning Wavefang in his hoof. "Your whole despicable pirate kind. You attack families with no remorse, sinking ships like they're nothing."
"I see....did that include your family?"
Tidal's ears twitched, his mind telling him he could get his position if he kept talking...which meant he would have to answer the question. "It did. Your kind attacked my family's ship when I was a colt, killing my father. I only survived because he threw me overboard in a barrel." Tidal's ears twitched again, a small hoof tap appearing behind him. A long breath followed this as he continued, "I had to watch as the place I was born on sank....but that's when I vowed to hunt every single one of you monstruos down."
"Well, you won't be taking this monstruo in." The next thing Tidal knew, he heard a whooshing sound behind him. He then spun around, unleashing a Tidal Whip into the fog. But as a bunch of gold went flying, no a single drop of water touching another pony.
"You monstruo…"
Back on the beach, Flash and the rest of his friends continued fighting against Dreadbeard's crew. "Flash Cutter!" The energy blade Flash unleashed soared past several pirates, tearing each blade of their swords to shreds. "Flash Grinder!" A wheel of light spun into them next, bouncing from one pirate to another with ease.
Once the last pirate was flattened, the wheel reverted back to Flash. The apprentice knight smiled as he looked back, only to reflexively see an arrow coming for him. "Whoa!" He swung his sword to deflect it, only for it to hit his crossguard and twang his hoof. He hissed as he lost grip on his blade, the sword hitting the sand as he had to leap back to dodge another arrow.
"Flash!" Twilight yelped as she blasted another pirate back.
"Oh no!" Fluttershy gasped from above.
"Fluttershy! Look out!" Spike yelled as he pointed at two incoming arrows. The drake then blasted a fireball at one, only for the other to clip the mare's wing. Two scream followed as they fell to the earth, landing next to Flash as dodged another sword swipe. And as this happened, another pirate raised a blade over the pegasi.
"Fluttershy!" Flash exclaimed as he saw the sword swing down, his brain clicking at the very moment. "AAAAHHHH!!!!" And with that outburst, his body exploded into a tornado of light, the armor appearing on his form as the pirates all gasped. The pirate trying to stab Flash suddenly found his sword melt the second it touched the light, and before he could pull back, he was kicked away. A tornado of light followed this as it morphed around Flash before turning into a bubble. He then vanished and reappeared in front of the pirate over Fluttershy, a punch happening a second later.
"Bluagh!" yelped the pirate as he was sent flying, the rest of the pirates glaring at the sight as their crew member was knocked out. They then turned their weapons on Flash, the archers firing their crossbows instantly. But the volley of arrows meant nothing, as the arrows vaporized the second they touched the light. Flash in turn, looked at his friends and saw pirates close to them, causing him to disappear, multiplying and appearing to warp in front of his friends.
The pirates there soon found themselves flying back with burn marks, courtesy of the Flash's hooves. They all screamed out from the pain of the punches, kicks, and burns, landing on the sand with tremendous force. As for the currently unharmed pirates, they simply stared at their fallen shipmates before glancing at Flash, the light around him returning to the tornado form as he slowly stepped closer.
"What's the deal with this guy?" One asked.
"That's no guy," another replied. "It's a monster."
Flash smiled at their fear, his neck cricking as they slowly shuffled back as he got closer. "What, don't tell me you're afraid of one pony?" The pirates all started quivering, which made Flash even more happy. It was time to make these criminals pay for what they'd done. "RAAAAHHHH!" He shot like a bullet at the pirates, his form shining like a arrow.
That is...till something inside him snapped. It was like a fuse blowing in his brain, the strength he'd been feeling suddenly vanishing while his body went numb. Before he knew what was happening, the whole world went dark as he slumped into the sand.
"FLASH!" His friends all cried as they watched him suddenly crash, the light and armor disappearing. They quickly ran over to him, Twilight turning him over to see he was unconscious.
"Oh no..." Twilight whispered, only for her ears to perk up as she heard laughter behind them.
Their previously vanished courage had quickly returned as one pirate pointed at the group, "Well, this certainly got a lot easier." The mares all frowned at this, Twilight standing at the front of the group.
"If you think I'm going to let you hurt my friends," her horn sparked while her wings flared. "You've got another thing coming."
The sight of the wings and horn finally clicked for one of the pirates. "Hey wait....she's an alicorn!"
"So?" Another asked.
"Only princesses are alicorns." This statement made the lot of them go wide-eyed, only for smirks to slowly appear.
"Imagine how much ransomin' her will get us."
"And ah'm sure the other fillies will fetch a pretty bit on the slave market."
This statement made all but Twilight gasp, the alicorn's eyes twitching in anger. The sight of Flash unconscious and the threat made against her friends caused something inside her to snap, a large pulse of magic going through her. Before they knew it, a wave of magic hit the unsuspecting pirates, causing all of them to glow purple.
"Hey!" One of them yelled, "Ah can't move!"
"Me neither." The whole crew said something similar as they tried to move, but were completely paralyzed...that is, till their bodies started to float up into the air. Screams of fear followed this as one yelped, "Hey, wait a minute! Just let us go, alright! We can make deal!"
"Oh, I'll let you go alright," Twilight replied as she levitated the pirates over the water.
"Stop!"
"Ah can't swim!"
"Don't do this!"
The purple aura around them then faded, causing them to move while gravity took over. They all cried out as they fell into the water, soon surfacing as Twilight moved to the edge of the water. Her horn sparked as she unleashed an electric spell into the ocean, lightning spreading through the water. The others watched with wide-eyes as the pirates were all electrocuted, this going on for roughly a minute until the charge finally faded. Now, all the pirates simply floated in the water, alive but unconscious while the ones on land turned to the alicorn who fired the spell.
"Wow Twilight...." Rainbow gasped with a dropped jaw, "That was...brutal."
Twilight let out a long sigh, "Nopony, threatens my friends." With that, she turned back to Flash and looked him over. As she did, he let out a soft moan. "Flash, are you alright?"
Flash's eyes blinked open as he came around, moaning again while sitting up. "What happened?"
"Ya'll fainted partner," Applejack replied.
Rarity nodded. "We were worried something bad might have happened to you."
"Sorry to make you worry," Flash groaned while standing up, though his legs felt like jelly. Twilight and Springer then moved over to support him. "But why did I blank out?"
Twilight shook her head. "Not sure. It seems that power of yours isn't as flawless as we thought."
Flash nodded, only for his brain to click. "Tidal! He's still in there." He shook off the two, trying to run to the forest...only to wobble and fall onto his flank.
Twilight walked up to him, patting his side. "You stay here. We'll go help Tidal." With that, she, Springer, Rainbow and Applejack entered the forest while the rest worked to bring the pirates to shore, Rarity now encasing them in crystal.
Back in the castle, Tidal was still trapped within the blinding fog. "Raahh!" He swung his weapon around, hitting nothing. "Raahhh!" He did again, getting the same result. "Grrr!" And one more time he was met with nothing but foggy air. That and the pirate's laughter.
"Ye know, they say trying the same thing over and over is the first sign of madness. But that's not unexpected, a've sent many a pony out of their mind in this fog." The humming sound alerted Tidal, the unicorn leaping away as a sword came out of nowhere and cut his cheek.
He hissed as he put his hoof to the new wound as Dreadbeard's laugh filled the air. "Marco," the pirate called out, "polo. Marco..." Another humming drew Tidal's attention, making him spin around, "POLO!"
CLANG!
The sword met Wavefang, stopping inches from Tidal's face before pulling back and disappearing into the fog. Tidal gripped his weapon with a low growl, knowing the pirate was right in terms of winning this fight in this condition. It was Dreadbeard's domain...and not Tidal's. "That's it!" he whispered as he took a deep breath, focusing all his energy into his Celestic Gear.
Dreadbeard saw this and smirked, believing Tidal had given up. "This...ends...NOW!" He magically thrusted the sword towards Tidal, seconds before the Royal Knight cried out.
"TIDAL SURGE!" He slammed the end of the trident into the ground, unleashing a wave of water that spread out in every direction.
Dreadbeard's eyes went wide as he saw the incoming wave, barely able to brace himself as the water pushed him back into the wall. But it didn't stop there, as the Tidal Surge continued to fill the room with water. Eventually, the entire place was flooded, the gold, throne and Dreadbeard now floating. The pirate's lungs felt like they were on fire as he tried to hold his breath, looking for anyplace still filled with oxygen. And as he frantically swam up, he suddenly felt himself break through the water and fall to the ground. Breathing in the precious air, he looked up to see Tidal standing a few feet away.
The Royal Knight had created a small air pocket, just big enough for the two to stand...or fight. "And ye called me a coward."
Tidal just chuckled. "I'm just levelling the playing field. I won't drown you if you don't make any fog. Let's fight like real warriors, eh capitana?" Dreadbeard growled as he tried to fill the air pocket with cloud, only to find his portion to be suddenly underwater.
It only lasted a few seconds before Tidal pulled back, the pirate once again gasping for air. "Fine, ya' lily livered swine." He magically pulled his sword out of the water and pointed it at Tidal, "We'll fight yer way." He roared as he charged, swinging vertically as Tidal's Wavefang blocked it.
The two weapons clashed, both blocking as they started to block each other. A minute passed as they found themselves perfectly even, neither striking the other's body. Then when Tidal swung down at Dreadbeard, the pirate blocked with his sword before pushing it up. With the weapon out of the way, Dreadbeard raised his hooked hoof and tried to gouge Tidal's eye out. But the Royal Knight leaned back, dodging the hook as he disengaged his Celestic Gear from the sword and pointed it down before magically pulling it to them. The trident hit the hook and cut through it, shocking the pirate enough for Tidal to elbow him in the gut.
As Dreadbeard staggered back, Tidal grabbed his weapon and started spinning it, slashing the pirate in the chest. Dreadbeard cried out again as he found himself being slashed again and again, only for Tidal to thrust the other end into Dreadbeard's gut.
"AAARRRGGHHH!" The pirated yelled as he fell on his back.
As he did, Tidal took his weapon in his magic and held it up. The water filling the room began to spiral around the tips, forming a sphere on the middle prong. Dreadbeard then stared at the giant water sphere, his form trembling, "No..."
"It's over Dreadbeard." Tidal pulled the orb behind him before swinging it, "Tidal...FORCE!" The sphere exploded into a high powered stream of water, which shot at Dreadbeard like a tsunami.
"NOOOOO!" Dreadbeard was sent flying, the force of the water so intense that his entire body felt like it was being stabbed by billions of microscopic needles. And when Tidal finally killed the water, he saw at where Dreadbeard had landed. The pirate was now slumped over on his throne, his clothes a wreck and his body covered in scratches. He was still conscious, but it was clear he was done.
The doors of the room then ripped open, Tidal looking back to see Twilight and the others had arrived. "Tidal! Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine princess." Tidal replied before gripping Dreadbeard's collar, "Dreadbeard, you're under arrest. Entender?"
Dreadbeard moaned before letting out a reply, "Entender."
Several hours later...
Scootaloo hissed as she paced in the Mighty Leviathan's warehouse. Ever since returning with her friends and parents, she couldn't help but worry. "AUGH! What is taking so long?!"
Misty walked up and patted her mane, "Scootaloo...you need to relax."
"How can I relax?!" Scootaloo barked back, "For all we know, Flash and the others might be stuck in some pirate dungeon! Aren't you worried?!"
"Of course," Trail told her as she directed the filly to sit down. "But worrying about it will do nothing. As long as we have no information, it's just as likely they're okay." The other members of the CMC nodded in agreement despite being just as worried about their siblings as Scootaloo was.
Scootaloo let out a long sigh. "Fine...but I just wish I could have some sign that they're okay! It doesn't even have to be a big one, just something to tell me they're fine. Right...now!"
As soon as she said that, the pool behind her exploded as the Mighty Leviathan burst up out. The water then fell down, drenching the orange filly. The others all laughed at this as Applebloom asked, "That a good enough sign for yah?"
Scootaloo, who was trying to blow her wet mane away from her eyes, growled. "It'll do." They looked up as the air seal disappeared, their friends appearing over the side of the ship.
"Hey! You all okay?"
"We should be asking you that," Misty told them ask they stepped down the gangplank. "Did it go alright?"
"Did you find the pirates?" Sweetie added.
"Did you kick their flanks?" Applebloom finished.
"Ya'll know it," Applejack replied as she rubbed her sister's head.
"Those ruffians didn't know what hit them," Rarity added as the families all came together for a hug, Tidal smiled down at them.
"So...what happens now?" Scootaloo asked her brother, with Tidal answering instead.
"Me and my crew will take all these pirates to Grand Stable, then we'll head back to that island and see to returning the stolen goods they had."
Twilight nodded at this. "I already sent Celestia a notice about what happened. She'll be wanting a report when you get back."
Tidal did a salute. "I'll have it written out and ready for her eyes by the time I'm back in Equestria. Promesa."
"Thanks Tidal. Hope to be seeing you soon."
Tidal nodded before disappearing around the edge of the ship. The others vacated the hanger before it could flood, heading out to the busy Manehatten streets. It'd been a day full of adventure and excitement, no doubt one none of them would likely forget. And as the group walked through the city's roads, Trail spotted a frown on Flash's face. "What's up son?"
Flash let out a long sigh. "It's just that...I transformed again."
"You did?"
"Yeah...but I also blacked out. I don't get what happened. Everything was going well, then I suddenly....collapsed. I don't know what caused it or anything." his frown increased as he added, "And...that kinda scares me, you know. I don't know what it is, and it failed on me."
Twilight then patted his back with her wing. "I don't know, but we'll find out together. I promise."
Flash's face started to turn back into a smile, his hoof slinging over her shoulders as he hugged her back. "Thanks Twi."
"No problem." Twilight replied as a tint of red appeared on her face, her hoof slowly hugging him back. "I'm always there...to help that is."
"I know. Thanks." Flash added as he pulled away, his smile now on full force as Twilight looked away.
Everypony smirked at the sight before turning their attention back on the city. They'd be returning home tomorrow, so they might as well enjoy themselves for the rest of the day.