//------------------------------// // A Good Captain Always... // Story: Spitfire and Old Silver // by The FraudulentBrit //------------------------------// Spitfire and Old Silver Part 18; A Good Captain Always… “I was born ready.” Spitfire said as she stretched her hooves. She and Silver were ready to move into the frigate’s cabin, and to stop Wind Rider once and for all. That was, until they heard a confused grunt from behind them. “Wait, what the bleeding heck?” the two siblings turned around to see Nelson and Perry trying to cross back over to the Hawkins, only for something to be stopping them. “What’s going on?” Silver asked the others as Wyvern attempted to cross over, only to seem as if he were running straight into a wall. Surprise tried, only to be met with the same result. “Ok, what is going on?” Soarin asked out loud. A loud screech overcame the group, the kind of screech from an intercom. “An old failsafe I had installed when I had this bird built.” Wind Rider’s voice gloated from the intercom. “Wind Rider, why don’t you come out here and fight like a stallion?” Spitfire angrily asked out loud. “Up there!” Silver said as he pointed to a pair of speakers on the ship’s main mast. Wind Rider’s voice continued, “You really should consider getting that row-boat a few upgrades. Something like a selective shield, the kind of shield that works like a one way door. “I tell you some unicorns will do anything if you pay them enough bits.” “We get it you dolt, you ‘ave a lot of money.” Silver remarked to their unseen captor. “So why don’ne you let the others leave? Your beef is with me and Spitfire here.” Wind Rider’s voice replied, “Because all of you have been really big thorns in my side. But you are partially right. Right now the biggest thorns sticking out of me are you two. My cabin door is open. I’m waiting for you. And if anyone else comes in, I overload the ship’s engines and take us all to Tartarus.” “You wouldn’t dare!” Nelson shouted. “I would, and I can.” Wind Rider replied. “Besides, my old pupil says I’ve stooped pretty low. Might as well live up to ponies’ expectations.” Silver just leaned towards Spitfire and whispered, “I think he’s just a sore loser.” Rainbow Dash asked, “So, what do we do now?” Silver simply shrugged and answered, “What we were going to do anyway.” He and Spitfire made their way towards Wind Rider’s cabin, steeled for what was going to happen. Wind Rider’s Cabin If Wind Rider was setting up a trap, he certainly knew how to play the part. There weren’t any other ponies other than him, Silver, and Spitfire occupying the cabin. He was just sitting behind a desk, a bottle of brandy in his wing. “Hello there kids.” Wind Rider sarcastically greeted his “guests.” “Save it!” Spitfire angrily demanded. “Let us leave now!” Wind Rider took three glasses and began to pour brandy into each one. “Can I interest you in a drink?” He asked. Silver simply replied, “I don’t drink anything this strong.” Spitfire then added, “And I’ve never had the stomach for this crap.” Wind Rider seemed to take a little offense at this last statement. “Oh my. This “crap” is the finest brandy that you’ll find anywhere.” He then took a deep breath before he continued, “You know, I’ve been thinking, what exactly have I been doing?” Both Spitfire and Silver gave each other confused looks. Wind Rider continued, “You see, if I left right now, I would have nothing to my name, all my money and assets would be seized, and I would probably end up alone in some cave somewhere, waiting for a slow end.” He then downed his glass of brandy and continued, “On the hoof, if I surrender to you, I’ll likely spend the rest of my life in prison, or Nightmareville, or heck even Tartarus.” He finished this last statement with a resigned laugh. “And why are tellin’ us this?” Silver demanded. “After what you and your cronies did you should be lucky I don’t beat the livin’ piss out of you!” Wind Rider sighed and pulled out a small device from his desk’s drawer. Then, with the same resigned tone in his voice, Wind Rider stated, “That’s why I am going to kill everyone.” This horrifying remark confused and then terrified the two siblings. “You’re joking right?” Spitfire asked her former mentor. Wind Rider paused for a moment before he gave his guests a look that made it clear he was deadly serious and asked, “Does it look I’m joking?” As the realization that Wind Rider wasn’t joking started to settle in, Wind Rider continued, “I have the engines set up to this detonator here. When I press this button they go off, taking us and that little fishing skiff of us with you.” Silver asked, “In that case, I think I will take that drink.” “Wait, what?” Spitfire asked in shock. She tried to move towards her brother, but he stopped her while very quickly giving her a wink. Silver took the glass Wind Rider set aside for him. “You do mind waiting for a moment while I pour myself another glass?” Wind Rider then placed the detonator back in the drawer and began to pour himself another glass of brandy. As he finished, he raised his glass, “Here’s to what was, and what could have been.” Both stallions then toasted their glasses and downed their drinks. For that brief moment, Spitfire was confused and worried what would happen next. Then, Silver took his glass and chucked it towards Wind Rider. The ex-Wonderbolt didn’t have time to react, and thus screamed in pain as the glass shattered in his face. “What the heck?” Spitfire asked, or rather nearly shouted. Silver took no time to hesitate, immediately darting to the desk, pulling out the device, and smashing it on the floor under his hoof. “So much for your grand suicide plan.” Silver quipped as Wind Rider struggled to get back to his hooves, pulling the larger pieces of glass from his face. “You idiot!” Wind Rider shouted as he charged towards Silver. To both stallion’s surprise, Spitfire stepped in between them. She was quick enough to intercept the incoming strike, but not quick enough to react any further. As such, Spitfire found herself on the receiving end of a blow from her former mentor. “Sis!” Silver cried out as Spitfire crashed to the floor. “Pathetic.” Wind Rider remarked as he rolled his eyes. “You should have been able to take that and still be standing.” As Spitfire managed to rise to her hooves with her brother’s help, she shot back, “I could say the same of you.” Then, Wind Rider started smirking. “It doesn’t matter. That remote was just a prop.” “A prop?” Spitfire asked, confused. “Yeah.” Wind Rider replied. “The engines are, you could say, on a timer. The only problem is they could go off any second.” A horrible gut feeling began to settle in Silver and Spitfire’s stomachs. Wind Rider was buying time, and he was going to take them with him. Silver immediately ordered, “Keep an eye on him! I’ll get the engines!” The Frigate’s Top Deck The sight of Silver dashing out of the cabin and heading down the stairs into the belly of the beast confused the crew. “Where the bleedin’ ‘eck is he off to?” Wyvern asked out loud. Then Spitfire emerged from the cabin, dragging a battered Wind Rider with glass shards in his face. “Wind Rider here set the engines to overload!” Everyone else immediately asked, “What?!” Perry immediately followed up with, “A ship this size will easily take the Hawkins with it!” As those words left his mouth, he and Nelson immediately followed Silver down to the engine room. Now, with the exception of Wyvern, it was just the Wonderbolts with their former leader, the stallion who was once their greatest champion, and who was now their greatest villain and biggest failure. “So…” Wind Rider began to speak. “No hard feelings, right? After all, nothing personal.” Rainbow Dash angrily answered, “You went after Scootaloo, my SISTER, and Flint just to get back at me and Spitfire! I’d say that is very personal!” Wind Rider then shot back with, “Oh yeah, well what did you do to Spitfire after every time SHE screwed something up?” Both Rainbow Dash and Soarin were going to answer, but then they realized something; after every time Spitfire screwed something up or did anything bad, she got away with it. Wind Rider confidently replied with, “Got you guys there, didn’t I?” “Oh, shut up!” Spitfire shouted as she slammed her hoof into the back of Wind Rider’s head. Spitfire now found herself on the receiving end of several glares from her friends. “What?” she asked. “He wants to kill all of us! It’s not like he’s going to be cooperative.” The others didn’t say anything to combat this. Instead, Soarin and Rainbow Dash walked over to the now unconscious Wind Rider, picked him up, and carried him over to join the also unconscious Cutthroat. Spitfire, on the other hoof, was starting to feel that, perhaps, there was one thing that Wind Rider really was right about after all. And she didn’t like the implications of it. The Frigate’s Engine Room “Whoever built this ship clearly had no understanding of either form or function.” Perry quipped as he and Nelson entered the engine room. “Can it Perry!” Silver shouted as he struggled to fix the situation. “Lad, what’s going on?” Nelson asked. Silver sighed and replied, “The engine’s temperature keeps rising. If we can’t figure a way to cool it down then we’re going to…” Silver stopped himself from explicitly saying the obvious. Nelson immediately stepped forward and began to work several levers and knobs. Luckily, the temperature began to lower, and the roaring engine began to die down. The Frigate’s Top Deck. Who knew that anticipation could be so palpable? Rainbow Dash and Spitfire were waiting on the deck, hoping that Silver and the others would be able to fix the ship’s engines. “So, what now?” Spitfire asked Rainbow Dash. “Huh?” Rainbow Dash replied. “I mean, what happens when this is all over?” Rainbow Dash then began, “Well, for starters, once everything is done, I bet the others will want to have a word with you about…” She then made a hoof motion to both ships and continued with, “…All this.” Spitfire sighed and replied, “I know.” “Hey guys. What’s up?” Soarin asked as he walked up to the two mares. Spitfire remarked, “Rainbow Dash and I were just talking about what happens next.” Soarin then added, “Well obviously the Raiders are going to prison, possibly even Tartarus.” “What about Somers? Considering what he did to Black Watch, prison might be too lenient?” “Black Watch? Who was that guy again?” Soarin asked. Spitfire answered, “He was the captain before Flint. Apparently Silver saw him as a grandfather kind of figure.” She then steeled herself before continuing, “Somers murdered him.” “What?!” Soarin and Rainbow Dash cried out in shock. “Yeah.” Spitfire continued. “Somers apparently led a mutiny, and slit his throat.” Both Rainbow Dash and Soarin were stunned speechless. “It’s true.” Wyvern added. The suddenness of his voice speaking up sent Soarin panicking again (and provided Spitfire and Rainbow Dash a brief moment of levity.” The old sailor continued, “Somers murdered him. I was there.” Spitfire then asked, “So, what will happen to him?” Wyvern paused for a moment before he continued, “If we get out of here, and if Silver can keep himself calm enough, trial, and if he’s found guilty, the gallows.” “You mean, he’d hang?” Rainbow Dash asked, having difficulty grasping the severity of his fate. Sure, it wasn’t like any of them were willing to let Somers or any of the Raiders run free, but the very thought that turning him over to the authorities would be a death sentence still didn’t sit well with her. Wyvern then made his way to Rainbow Dash and placed a hoof on her shoulder and explained, “Not every challenge has an easy or comfortable outcome. At a time like this, all you can do is make the right choice and stick to it.” Then, they heard a very odd sound. It sounded like a low horn, almost a tuba. “What’s that?” Spitfire asked. From the distance, a new ship appeared. However, this ship wasn’t a wooden sail vessel like the Hawkins or the frigate, but instead it was a large metal ship. “An ironclad!” Wyvern remarked as this metal ship made its way to the two docked wooden vessels. “Hello there!” an oddly familiar voice called out as a red unicorn emerged from the ironclad. “Blood Diamond?” Rainbow Dash asked as she made her way to the frigate’s railing. As the ironclad made its way towards the two trapped ships, Rainbow Dash called out, “Don’t get too close. The ship has a selective shield. If you get too close you may not be able to escape!” Blood Diamond nodded his head and then shouted down the hatch, “They’ve a selective shield set up! Keep a distance!” Spitfire then asked, “Wait, wasn’t he with us when we left Botany Bay?” Wyvern simply shrugged and answered, “He and his men must have jumped ship as we left.” “Everything all right?” Gin Tonic asked from the Hawkins. He, Sharp Shot, and Angel Wings started to make their way across, but Spitfire immediately stopped them. “Wait! Wind Rider has a selective shield set up! We can’t get out!” She then tried to escape, only to slam into the invisible shield keeping them hostage. “Oh crikey.” Sharp Shot glumly remarked as realized the situation. Angel Wings then asked, “So, how do we get everyone out?” Wyvern answered, “We have to cool the engines down, or else none of us are going anywhere.” Spitfire then had an idea. She then turned to Blood Diamond and asked, “Hey, I have an idea!” “What is it?” the unicorn asked. Spitfire replied, “Can that tin can push these ships apart?” Blood Diamond paused for a moment before he replied, “Might just work!” He then departed down the hatch of the ironclad. Soon enough, the ironclad rotated itself and approached the Hawkins from the same angle the frigate had rammed it and began to apply pressure. Spitfire then called out to Angel Wings, “Once you’re free, get to the guard’s checkpoint.” Angel Wings nodded and turned to the others still on the Hawkins, commanding, “Ok every pony, let’s get this bird ready to move!” the other ponies were momentarily stunned by the normally meek mare’s sudden tone shift. Luckily, Sharp Shot commanded, “You heard the lady, let’s move!” The Frigate’s Engine Room Down in the Engine room, things hadn’t changed much. “Something’s wrong.” Nelson said as he found himself sweating profusely due to the engine’s intense heat. “Really? I could’ne tell!” Silver sarcastically quipped, starting to lose his temper as the situation fell apart around them. Nelson continued, “Wind Rider certainly wasn’t joking when you said he had a death wish. I don’t think the engines can take much more!” Silver felt his heart sink. If they couldn’t stop the engines from cooling down, they would explode, killing all of them. Silver knew what he had to do. He turned to Nelson and Perry and ordered, “Keep the engines cool for as long as you can, but if it’s clear you can’t, get to the top deck. I don’t want you two die without seeing the sky one last time.” Both Nelson and Perry simply nodded as Silver departed for the top deck, knowing what had to be done. The Frigate’s Top Deck Once Silver made his way to the top deck, he immediately stormed over to Wind Rider. The disgraced stallion was, luckily for him, starting to wake up. “Egh. Stupid kids.” Wind Rider complained to himself as he heard the sound of angry hoof steps towards him. Before he could react though, he found himself being lifted by two very powerful hooves and slammed into the mast. “Sheesh, what’s your problem?” He complained before he realized Silver was staring him down, his eyes betraying his barely contained fury. “The selective shield, how do we turn it off?!” Silver shouted. Wind Rider wasn’t phased by this and calmly replied, “Kid, if you think I’ll tell you have to be really stupid.” Silver then pressed Wind Rider even harder as he continued, “Tell me right now or so help me I’ll…” “What’s going on?” Spitfire asked as she and Rainbow Dash approached the two stallions. Silver explained, “We can’t keep the engines down forever. We have to get off this ship now, but we need to lower the shield keeping us stuck!” At that moment, the group noticed that Cutthroat was now starting to stir. It was then that Silver had another idea. Letting Wind Rider fall to the deck, he walked up to the now conscious leader of the Raiders and asked, “Sleep well?” Cutthroat was about to strike the sailor, but quickly noticed the group staring him down and simply asked, “What do ya want boy?” Silver then, with a cheeky grin on his face, asked, “You did know your boss has a death wish, right?” “What are you talking about?” Cutthroat asked, both confused and annoyed. Spitfire then added, “Wind Rider here set the engines to blow, as well as a selective shield, so none of us can leave!” for a second, Cutthroat didn’t say anything for a few seconds before he turned to his boss and asked, “Is it true?” Wind Rider simply shrugged and answered “Meh.” Cutthroat then began to stomp towards the former Wonderbolt and bellowed, “You two timing backstabber!” To every pony’s surprise, Spitfire stepped in between the two and asked, “Look, you’re a unicorn and you’ve dealt with this kind of thing before. So how about we make a deal? You take down this selective shield, and maybe we can knock a decade or two off your prison sentence?” “Spitfire are you daft?” Rainbow Dash asked in anger and confusion. Spitfire replied with, “Silver said that right now, it’s now or never.” Rainbow Dash waited for a moment until she sighed and walked up to Cutthroat. “Do it!” Rainbow Dash ordered the Raider. “Do it or so help me I’ll…” Cutthroat cut her off by strutting around him and stretching his bulky body. “Here goes nothing.” He said to himself as his horn began to glow. “You wouldn’t dare!” Wind Rider bellowed in anger and shock. As the criminal continued to prepare his horn, he quipped, “Sorry sir, but you just got outbid.” He then unleashed his magic, and a light brown glow quickly enveloped the frigate before fizzling away. “Did it work?” Silver asked, having trouble believing what he had just witnessed. Soarin then replied, “Only one way to find out.” He then took to the air and began to fly towards the Hawkins. To everyone’s surprise (or rather Wind Rider’s horror), he managed to land on the trade ship’s deck without any trouble at all. Silver immediately turned to head to the stairwell and started to head down. As Rainbow Dash and Spitfire approached Wind Rider and Cutthroat, they heard Silver’s voice shout, “The shield is down! Get your arses up here and back to the Hawkins NOW!” Spitfire then noticed Wyvern and said to Rainbow Dash, “When you get Cutthroat over, help Wyvern!” Rainbow Dash simply nodded and lifted the Raider up (much to his ire and her amusement). Spitfire then began to push her former mentor towards the other ship. She glanced over to the Ironclad, which still hadn’t managed to push the Hawkins out of the frigate’s clutches yet. “You really think you’re the hero this time?” Spitfire ignored him and continued to make her way towards the Hawkins. Wind Rider continued with, “Well, I suppose I’ll just have to give you the chance.” Wind Rider then began to stare at something. Spitfire noticed this and turned to face whatever it was, only to be met with the sight of Silver helping Nelson and Perry emerge and make their way over towards the Hawkins. It was during this momentary distraction that she felt a massive blow to the back of her head. “Spitfire!” Silver shouted as Wind Rider charged towards him. Nelson and Perry tried to get in the way, but were bashed and smack respectively. Wind Rider then grabbed Silver and picked him up with his hooves as his wings levitated him above the ship. “Silver!” Spitfire shouted, horrified at what she witnessed. She didn’t waste any time, immediately taking to the air after him. Nelson called out, “I’ve got your back!” He then took to the air, following Spitfire. Behind him, Soarin and Rainbow Dash also took to the skies and joined the posse. Wind Rider made it a surprisingly far distance before he realized something; Silver was heavy. He may have had the relatively light body of a Pegasus, but he was clearly very well built from years behind the mast. Maybe Rainbow Dash was right about him gaining weight. “Do you really think you’re gonna get away with this you wanker?!” Silver asked his captor. Wind Rider groaned with annoyance and answered, “Well, you know what they say, if you don’t succeed, try try again.” Silver struggled to get out of the grip Wind Rider had him in. Clearly, his slightly chubby exterior was a façade for a still competent and dangerous flier. It seemed that both ponies had underestimated the other. “Wind Rider!” Spitfire shouted from below the duo. Wind Rider sighed, “Of course.” She, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Nelson had arrived from below Wind Rider and were now positioning themselves around him, cutting off any escape route. “There’s nowhere to run Wind Rider!” Soarin angrily barked. “I still have a few cards up my sleeve kid.” Wind Rider gloated as he wrapped his arm around Silver’s throat and began to squeeze. “Take another step and I snap this boil’s neck!” “You wouldn’t dare!” Nelson angrily spat out as he inched closer, only for Wind Rider to apply more pressure to Silver’s neck, the latter was now starting to visibly gasp for air. Spitfire couldn’t take it. “Wait!” she cried out. “I’m the one you’re angry with. If you have to do this, do it to me.” Wind Rider, as well as everyone else, was shocked by this declaration. “Well…” the former Wonderbolt pondered for a few seconds before… “Ok.” Wind Rider answered jokingly as he let go of Silver, who started to plumit to the ground below. As Spitfire was stunned by the what she just witnessed, Nelson dove down to rescue Silver as Wind Rider darted off, maniaccly laughing as he shouted, “Catch me if you can!” Rainbow Dash and Soarin were surprised to react, but Spitfire had gotten over her shock and immediately began to persue her former mentor. It was now apparent that Wind Rider, despite his pudgier exterior, he was still clearly the speed demon that had once set the record for the Mustang Marathon. ‘He still has it.’ Spitfire thought to herself as she followed him throughout the dark skies. Wind Rider looked back to see that she was still on his tail, and called out, “You always looked up to me!” “Not anymore!” Spitfire shouted as she continued to close the distance between her and Wind Rider. “You’re nothing to me!” Wind Rider then made a sharp turn to his left, leaving Spitfire sputtering out of control to get back on his trail. “If that’s the case, why are you following me?” this quip enraged Spitfire as she shot towards Wind Rider, who began to lead her away. Wind Rider then began to head towards a large cluster of storm clouds. Any normal Pegasus would never even think about flying in a thunder storm. Of course, neither Wind Rider nor Spitfire were normal pegasi. Wind Rider disappeared into the storm, leaving Spitfire alone for a brief moment. She knew he was baiting her, and was trying to get her angry and riled up so he could do whatever he was planning to do to her. On the other hoof, she knew everything that had happened was his fault. He had hired the Raiders, he had ordered the attack on the base, he had allowed Scootaloo to get Tuberculosis, and he had done all of it for the sake of petty vengeance. She knew what she had to do. Taking a deep breath, Spitfire steeled herself and darted straight into the maelstrom. “Wind Rider!” Spitfire shouted as she nearly fumbled throughout the maelstrom, struggling to avoid stray lightning bolts. “Show yourself you overgrown bully!” The thunder began to die down, leaving only the silent flashes of lightning. Spitfire started to wonder if Wind Rider may have only used the storm to cover his escape. “Oh KID!” Wind Rider shouted from behind her. Spitfire rotated herself 180 degrees to see a horrifying sight. From a flash of lightning and a horrifyingly loud crash of thunder, Wind Rider emerged and shot towards his former protégé. Before she could react, Spitfire was tackled down to one of the larger clouds as she took blow after blow from his hooves. “I’ve been waiting a while for this kid!” He snarled. Spitfire managed to buck him off of her, but Wind Rider was able to quickly re-orientate himself and charged towards Spitfire again. “You took everything from me!” Wind Rider snarled as he continued to attack Spitfire. Spitfire was able to use her wings to intercept his hooves as she shot back, “That stunt was your fault! You did this to yourself!” Wind Rider then slammed his head into her and replied, “Maybe, but now I can finally have my revenge!” He then managed to free his hooves and started to press them against Spitfire’s neck. Spitfire found it difficult to breathe, and soon started to feel her whole world start to go black. That was until she heard a familiar celtic voice call out from above, “Get your hooves off of my sister you bastard!” Both Spitfire and Wind Rider looked up to see Nelson releasing Silver, who was now dropping down towards the two others as if he were a bomb. He then landed squarely on his hooves and took a defensive stance, giving Spitfire enough time to kick Wind Rider off of her. “Well well well. What do we have here?” Wind Rider gloated as he got back up to his hooves, “If it isn’t every-ponies’ favorite sailor.” Silver then replied, “If it isn’t someone stuck in the past.” “What are you getting at?” Wind Rider indignantly asked Silver. Silver then explained, “Because everything you’ve done is to capture some sliver of past glory.” Wind Rider then replied, “Well, with a past like mine who wouldn’t want to relive it?” Silver sighed and continued, “You can’t keep living in the past. Some day you’re goin’ to have to accept what’s happened and move on.” The pain in his voice made Spitfire realize something; he had been through that before, and she had a good idea as to what he was referring to. It hadn’t made it through Wind Rider’s head. “You really think some sappy speech is going to stop me?” Silver sighed and simply replied, “Well, it was worth a shot.” He then charged forward towards Wind Rider, fury emanating from his very being. Wind was so distracted preparing himself to hold off Silver that he failed to notice Spitfire had flanked him and was managed to land a good hit on Wind Rider’s face. Wind Rider simply shook this off and took off into the clouds, letting out a maniacal laugh. Wind Rider’s laugh continued to echo throughout the maelstrom. Once again, Spitfire and Silver found themselves back to back as they anticipated Wind Rider’s next move. “So…” Spitfire began. “What are you doing here?” Silver confidently answered, “There’s no way you can take him down on your own.” He then shot Spitfire a cocky smirk as he continued, “Besides, could’ne let you have all the fun, now could I?” Spitfire could only answer this with a simple, “Thanks.” They didn’t have long to celebrate. Wind Rider dove down from above them and attempted to strike Silver, but was back-winged slapped by Spitfire. Wind Rider was able to correct his orientation, but didn’t have time to counter Silver jumping onto the older stallion and began to unleash his fury on the former Wonderbolt. “I won’t lose to the likes of you!” Wind Rider shouted, hatred seeping from his muzzle. Silver simply replied, “You’ve already lost, just as you’ve shown us who you really are.” This statement pushed Wind Rider past any level of restraint he still had. He managed overpower Silver and was now on top of him. “I know who I am! I am the greatest Wonderbolt who ever was!” Wind Rider angrily replied. Spitfire immediately countered this. “No you aren’t. And if what I’ve seen is true, you never were. You stand against everything the Wonderbolts do.” Wind Rider then angrily spat back, “Oh look who’s talking. After everything you’ve done, not to mention how you learned everything from me, you’re the one who should know otherwise.” Spitfire hesitated for a moment before she replied, “You are right. I’ve been a horrible leader of the Wonderbolts, and have been a terrible example of what a Wonderbolt should be. But you know what, there are two ponies who embody everything the Wonderbolts should be. One is Rainbow Dash, and you’re assaulting the other one!” “This little blue collar boil?” Wind Rider asked, having trouble to comprehend the fact that Spitfire felt Silver was more of a Wonderbolt than him. “Yes.” Spitfire replied defiantly. “Silver clearly cares for the well being of his crew, he doesn’t go behind anyone’s back, and was willing to travel all the way down here to rescue Flint and Scootaloo. He may not have wings but he is everything any Wonderbolt, or pony for that matter, should aspire to be!” Silver could swear that he saw Spitfire’s eye start to sparkle, as well as a small tear drip from her eye. “That really sweet and sentimental.” Wind Rider groaned as he continued to hold Silver down. “There’s just one problem.” “What?” Spitfire asked, unaware of the wickedly gleeful expression growing on his face. “This.” Wind Rider answered as he used all of his strength to push Silver down through the cloud. “NO!” Spitfire shouted as she dive bombed after him. Forgetting about Wind Rider, Spitfire continued to pick up speed as she struggled to close the distance between the two of them. “Come on, come on, come on!!!” Spitfire cried to herself as she inched close to her brother, well aware that they both were getting dangerously closer to the ground. After a few more painstaking moments, she managed to wrap her hooves around Silver. However, Silver could only shout, “LOOK OUT!” Spitfire realized the desert sands were getting increasingly closer. Spitfire managed to quickly change course, she now found herself shooting towards the heavens, or more accurately, back into the maelstrom. Spitfire quickly realized that, in an odd sense of déjà vu, she was out of control. She needed somewhere to land, and quickly, or she would crash, and take Silver with her. This meant that it was incredibly tempting when she noticed the lights of a ship glowing in the distance. Realizing it was their only chance, Spitfire started to soar towards the lights, hoping that she was aiming for the right ship. Of course, it was her perfect luck that it was at that moment that the storm increased its deluge. The rain started to sting her fur as she found her strength sapping away. However, Spitfire knew she had to make it, and forced herself to make fly at the perfect pace; too fast would slam them into the ship, while if she wasn’t fast enough then she wouldn’t make it. As her strength started to finally give out, she felt a sense of relief to find she landed on a hard wooden surface. That relief ended when she heard Wind Rider’s voice menacingly ask, “What are you two doing on my ship?” Spitfire then realized something; the Hawkins and the ironclad were gone. At least something wasn’t falling apart. Then, a loud thunderous bang unleashed a terrifying red cloud from under the deck. Wind Rider then let out a horrifying maniacal laugh. “This is it! My revenge!” another explosion rocked the group as it destroyed the stern of the ship. Spitfire tried to move towards the railing, but Wind Rider intercepted her, holding her down with so much pressure that she started to feel her hooves feel slightly numb. Spitfire couldn’t even recognize the stallion holding her down. Wind Rider’s uniform was now scratched and tattered, his eyes had shrunken to terrifying dot pupils, and he had an absolutely terrifying grin on his face. “Not this time!” He scratched out of his now coarse throat. “I made you, and now I’m gonna break you!” Spitfire was so terrified that she didn’t notice Silver wrap his hooves around Wind Rider’s head and, with a horrifying battle cry, pull his head until she heard a pop/cracking sound. “Spitfire!” Silver cried out as he pushed the former Wonderbolt out of the way as he wrapped his sister in a brief embrace. It was at this moment that another explosion went off near the duo, separating them from the bow of the ship. “What do we do?” Spitfire asked, starting to panic as it seemed Tartarus itself was engulfing them. Silver simply took his hat and placed it on Spitfire’s head before he defeatedly said, “I love you sis.” Before Spitfire could react, he rotated himself and bucked her off the ship. Spitfire was so surprised by what she was witnessing that she couldn’t react until she found herself landing on a large cloud not too far from the frigate. “No!” Spitfire said to herself as she mustered enough adrenaline to take to the air. Then she witnessed the frigate explode, consumed in a red and black inferno as metal and wood was shot towards her like a broken bag of mulch. Spitfire had to take cover behind another cloud to keep herself safe from the shrapnel. Once the shrapnel was gone, Spitfire immediately made her way back to where she landed. However, all she could see was the burning fragments of the frigate sinking under the clouds towards the desert sands below. And it was at this moment she realized two things; she was wearing Silver’s hat, and she was alone. “No.” Spitfire said to herself, unwilling to accept what had happened. “No, no, no!” she continued, unable to accept what she had witnessed. “SILVER!!!” “Spitfire!” Rainbow Dash shouted from behind her. Spitfire turned to see Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Angel Wings and the other Wonderbolts fly down to her as the other sailors came down in a small rowboat with a few propellers keeping it airborne. “Where’s Silver?” Angel Wings asked as she noticed the hat that now sat upon Spitfire’s head. The moment she heard her brother’s name, Spitfire broke down. She began to cry harder than she ever had in her life. “What’s going on?” Nelson asked as he and Perry made their way out of the rowboat. It was only now that they realized that Spitfire was wearing Silver’s hat. Nelson walked up to her, took the hat, and gave Spitfire a knowing look. She could only, and barely, croak out, “He’s gone.” Angel Wings now found herself starting to breakdown herself. Nelson, Perry, and Wyvern simply held their heads low as Wyvern let out a single tear. Rainbow Dash started to feel her eyes water as Soarin wrapped his hooves around her. Everyone was so consumed by grief that they failed to notice a burned, scratched, and worn out yellow Pegasus with a red mane and black coat climb onto the cloud, discard the rigging and scrap of sail that he had used to escape, and quietly walk up to the group. “I hope you all saw that, ‘cause I’m not doin’ that again.” Silver playfully quipped as he began to let out a wheezy cough. “SILVER!” everyone cheered as they realized he was alive. Angel Wings wrapped him in a massive hug as she placed her head under his. Wyvern remarked, “My goodness son, we thought you were dead!” Perry added, “Yeah, there’s no way you could have survived!” Silver shrugged and answered, “The Rigging fell apart, it was pretty easy to use a makeshift sail to escape.” Rainbow Dash and Soarin both simultaneously added, “That was totally AWESOME!” It was then that Spitfire made her way to Silver. She almost didn’t want to believe it. Almost, though. Spitfire ran towards her brother and wrapped him (as well as Angel Wings) in an almost bone crushing hug. “You’re choking us.” Silver managed to squeak out as she realized her own strength and released the two pegasi. Spitfire then realized she had his hat and presented it to him. “You dropped this.” She meekly said. Silver accepted the hat as he said, “Thanks. Didn’t know if I’d make it, so I figured if I didn’t, you could have something to remember me.” Spitfire simply wrapped Silver in another, yet softer embrace, as she tearfully said, “I love you to bro.”