//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Sugar, Tea, and Rum // Story: Treasure Planet: The Equestrian Voyage // by GTthe4th //------------------------------// “There you go, Tempest darling, fresh from the pot,” Rarity said with a smile as she poured a cup of tea for their guest. “Enjoy!” Tempest looked down at the teacup in silence. Her horn sparked as she tried to activate her magic, and gradually, a shaky, somewhat unstable blue aura surrounded the cup and brought it slowly to her lips. The light, fruity taste of the tea brought a small smile to her face as she set the cup aside. “Thank you, Rarity.” “You’ve gotten stronger with your magic, I see,” Twilight remarked from her seat at the table. “Yeah...” Tempest replied, glancing her way. “It’s not the easiest thing, but the breathing and concentration techniques you showed me before I left for the Storm King’s old kingdom helped me a lot.” Twilight smiled and sipped at her tea. “I’m always happy to help a friend.” The doors to the castle’s dining room opened, and Pinkie and Starlight entered the room, each bearing a tray of cupcakes and cookies, respectively. Spike, sitting next to Twilight, felt his stomach rumble at the sight of Starlight bearing gem-encrusted cookies on her back. “Who ordered the double chocolate fudge cupcake supremes with extra sprinkles and cream cheese icing?!” Pinkie exclaimed with a large grin and a small, careful bounce in her step. “Mine!” Rainbow Dash cried from her seat, jumping up and charging towards the air with reckless abandon, only for Applejack to clamp her mouth onto her tail and yank her back. “Girl, you got the patience of a puppy with a treat on its nose,” Applejack scolded her. “Let Pinks get here first.” “Oh sure,” Starlight snarked with a hint of a mischievous smile on her face as she set the tray of cookies on the table with her magic. “You mares all jump at the chance to get Pinkie’s cupcakes, but when my cookies are out of the oven it’s all business as usual.” “I think your cookies are good, Starlight,” Fluttershy spoke up quietly, picking out an oatmeal cookie and taking a bite. “And so do I!” Spike proclaimed, grabbing two of the gem cookies with his claws and tossing one up into the air and into his mouth. “Succulent, as usual.” Starlight chuckled and patted him on the head. “I’m just teasing, Spike. And you know I’d never make you anything you didn’t like.” She looked up, noticing Tempest for the first time. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t know we had a guest coming over.” Tempest shook her head. “Please, don’t trouble yourself. My name’s--” Pinkie jumped up next to Starlight and pulled her close to Tempest, wrapping a foreleg over each of the mares’ shoulders. “Oh yeah, this is your first time meeting! Starlight, meet Tempest Shadow. Tempest, meet Starlight Glimmer. Both of you were baddies turned goodies, and I just know you’ll both make great friends!” “Uh, right Pinkie, that’s what we were getting to...” Starlight grunted. “But yeah, she’s right. It’s nice to meet you, Tempest. I’ve heard a lot about you from Twilight and the girls.” Tempest’s head lowered. “What have you heard?” Starlight came over and placed a hoof on Tempest’s shoulder, smiling warmly. “That you’re a good friend and a very courageous pony who risked her own life to save Equestria from a monster.” “Did they also mention that I was the pony who brought said monster here in the first place?” Tempest fired back. Starlight hummed. “They might’ve mentioned that at some point. I’m not sure, I didn’t pay attention to those parts, only the parts that made you the pony you are today.” She paused, choosing her words carefully while the others watched in silence. “Honestly, even I did care about what you did, I would have no right to judge. Do you know what I almost did? I nearly wiped out the present when I changed the timeline in an attempt at revenge on Twilight and her friends. Millions could’ve died because of my actions....” She lowered her head in remembrance. “By all rights, I should be locked up in Canterlot’s lowest, darkest dungeons with the key thrown into a volcano. But instead, Twilight forgave me, and gave me a chance at redemption. She gave you the same chance, and you took it gladly, and that’s all that matters to me.” Tempest looked up and gazed into Starlight’s eyes, seeing no lies in them. Starlight smiled again and finished, “The past is the past. We shouldn’t try to change it, only ourselves. A brighter future awaits us if we choose to fight for it, and that’s exactly what you’re trying to do. A few weeks after the invasion, you took it upon yourself to venture out alone into the unknown and give others the same chance that you were given, no matter who they were or what they did. That tells me all I need to know about your character.” Tempest gave a weak smile back. “You’re good at this, you know.” “Why do you think I asked her to become the School of Friendship’s guidance counsellor?” Twilight spoke up, bringing both mares’ attention towards her. Twilight giggled and raised her teacup in a small toast. “Have I ever told you how proud I am of you, Starlight?” Starlight blushed and shuffled on her hooves. “Once or twice...” “Try eighty-three and counting,” Spike chimed in with a laugh, pulling out a scroll from the satchel at his side and making a tick on it. “You count them?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously. “Dude, I live with Miss Perfection over here,” Spike replied, pointing at Twilight with a thumb. “I count everything.” Twilight narrowed her eyes playfully at him. “Including my mistakes, hmm?” “Especially your mistakes!” The entire table let out a round of laughter, and Tempest found herself joining in. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t help it. These ponies were simply too much. Despite all the struggles life threw at them, they all kept going and remained as positive as the day they were born. Being with them made Tempest feel things she hadn’t truly felt in a long time --- love, joy, and peace. She never wanted it to end. As the laughter subsided, Rainbow Dash finished off her cupcake and asked, “So Tempest, how have your adventures been going? Made any new friends, seen new places?” Tempest smirked. “You could say that, I suppose. Although the new friends part...debatable.” “Oh?” Rarity said, raising an eyebrow. “I smell a story. Do tell.” “Not much to say, really,” Tempest said, finishing off her tea. “A few days after I left for the Storm King’s old territories, I found myself in Klugetown. Not much has changed there, but I did meet up with that Abyssinian friend of yours.” “Capper?” Fluttershy asked. “How has he been?” “He’s doing well for himself, managed to get out debt with the reward Princess Celestia gave to him, and he’s made himself a small business in helping out less fortunate people in Klugetown by creating a mail service,” Tempest replied. “Unfortunately, that’s about the only good thing that came out of Klugetown. Most of that place is still as rotten to the core as it always has been, and the less said about it, the better.” “Too true,” Twilight agreed, shuddering as she remembered the market stall in Klugetown selling Unicorn horns. Just where had that creature gotten so many, and whatever happened to the ponies he had taken them from? “So anyway, I left Klugetown in a hurry after getting supplies, thankfully without being noticed, and headed south from there,” Tempest continued, eager to move on. “I avoided the Hippogriff colonies, since I didn’t know how they’d react to their former oppressor arriving out of nowhere, and instead hitched a ride on a merchant airship heading towards the Storm King’s lands.” She grimaced at the memory. “But when I got there...things didn’t go so well.” The other ponies in the room sent worried glances at each other before turning back to Tempest. “What happened?” Pinkie asked quietly. “Let’s just say that not everycreature is as open to the idea of friendship as ponies and hippogriffs are,” Tempest answered. “When I got to the first village, everycreature recognized me immediately, despite my attempt at a disguise. Apparently word of my actions in Canterlot had reached them before I did, and they reacted appropriately. They...” She froze, her gaze becoming distant. “I...I shouldn’t say what they did. Let’s just say I left as quickly as I could and headed for the next village after that, hoping that the reception would be better. And it was, to an extent.” Starlight put a hoof on Tempest’s shoulder in comfort and sympathy as Tempest continued, “I met up with Grubber there. You know, the little hedgehog guy who used to follow me around? Well, he had made his own way back, and he had formed his own little circle of buddies. They...tolerated me, since Grubber was the closest thing I had to a friend in the Storm King’s army, but no other creature in that village would even listen to me or my message of friendship. Grubber, bless his heart, did his best to help me out, but they treated him worse than me. In the end, I was thrown out of that village as well.” “Oh, Tempest...” Rarity whispered, putting a hoof to her mouth in sorrow. “I’m so sorry.” “Don’t be, none of this was your fault,” Tempest replied, before stumbling back as something nearly tackled her from the front. She looked down and saw Pinkie’s forelegs wrapped around her in a tight hug, with Pinkie sobbing gently into her shoulder. Tempest blinked and gave Pinkie an awkward pat on the back. “Er, thanks, Pinkie. You can let go now.” “Never!” Pinkie whisper-shouted. “Not until the story is over.” Tempest sighed. “Well, long story short then, the pattern continued until about a week ago, when I decided that I wasn’t doing anycreature any favors down there, so it was time to head back to Equestria. Nocreature was willing to help me leave, until by pure luck I stumbled upon a merry band of former sky pirates led by one Captain Celaeno. They had heard about me, and said that they were willing to take me as far as the Hippogriff kingdom. Said that helping out a friend of Twilight’s was helping out a friend of theirs.” “Hey, I remember them,” Rainbow Dash spoke up, waving a hoof. “Those guys were cool!” Tempest nodded. “Yeah, they were. They knew who I was, but they didn’t really care. Like you, they had forgiven me, and were willing to give me another chance. It was like a breath of fresh air. Anyway, they dropped me off at the new train station at Hippogriffia, and then left for parts unknown. From there, I boarded a train to Ponyville, and the rest you know.” Twilight hovered over to Tempest and gave her a warm smile. “Well, you’re among friends now, Tempest. Nopony will treat you badly here, you have our word.” “Darn tootin’,” said Applejack, swinging a hoof in front of her. “If anypony treats ya wrong, just let me know an’ Ah’ll let ‘em have it!” “Hear, hear!” Rarity agreed. “She’s not the only one!” Rainbow Dash declared, punching forward with her forehooves and doing a flip in the air. “Yeah!” Pinkie cried, letting Tempest go. Fluttershy only nodded silently in her agreement, but Tempest could see a determined fire in her eyes that wasn’t normally present in the shy mare. “Don’t forget us!” Spike added, pointing at himself and Starlight. “You’ve got a dragon and a powerful mage backing you too. You’re basically set for life!” Tempest chuckled and bowed her head. “Thanks guys.” “How long do you plan on staying?” Twilight asked. “Honestly, I’m not sure,” Tempest admitted. “I was hoping I could stay here for a few months to rest and recuperate, maybe get a job in town somewhere and earn my keep.” “Nonsense!” said Twilight, wrapping a wing around the maroon Unicorn. “There’s no rent here, stay as long as you like!” “Even so,” Tempest emphasized. “I don’t want to just sit around. I want to do something while I’m here.” “Well, we could always use an extra hoof at Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack offered. “Or, if you’d like, the animals at my sanctuary would love to have a new friend to help care for them,” Fluttershy added. “I suppose I could try out both of them and see which one I prefer,” Tempest said with a shrug. “And besides, if it doesn’t work out, there’s got to be other jobs around.” “Exactly!” Starlight said, trotting over. “There’s even a job board by the town hall if all else fails. There’s always something going on in Ponyville.” A yelp from Pinkie interrupted the conversation, and everypony turned to look at her. Pinkie’s tail twitched, then her right foreleg flopped like a limp noddle, then her mane puffed out into an afro (oddly enough with a squeak sound accompanying it), and finally both of her eyes blinked one after the other in slow motion. “Whoa, speaking of something going on!” she said. “That was a doozy!” Tempest gave her a flat look. “What.” “Pinkie Sense. Don’t question it, that way leads to madness,” Twilight quickly explained. “What was that one, Pinkie? I don’t think I’ve ever seen the bit with the mane.” “Yeah, that was new for me too,” Pinkie admitted, shaking her mane back into place. “At first I thought something was gonna fall, then it changed to something that shouldn’t be able to normally fly was gonna fly, then it changed again to...I don’t even know what! And the slow blink means that whatever it is, it’s heading this way!” “That’s...oddly specific,” Tempest noted with some concern. “Don’t question it,” everypony but Pinkie repeated. “Should we go check it out?” Rainbow Dash asked. “We don’t even know what it is or where it’s coming from, though,” Twilight replied, stepping away from Tempest. “Then why are you trotting to the door?” Spike pointed out smugly. Twilight looked down and realized that she was actually moving towards the door. She blushed, then stuttered, “Well, I...uh...” “Oh come on, darling,” Rarity said with a wink. “Admit it, you want to go searching for whatever it is Pinkie sensed as well.” Twilight sighed and nodded. “You know me too well.” “Then it’s settled!” Rainbow Dash cried, flying out the door at blinding speeds. “I’ll see you all outside, byeeeeee!” As the others began leaving, Tempest got out of her seat and called out, “Can I come with?” Twilight paused and looked at her. “You sure?” Tempest rolled her eyes. “What’s the worst that could happen, way out here?” Spike let out a groan and sacked his face with a claw. “You did not just say that...” Twilight put a hoof under her chin and hummed. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Come on, we can let you know what’s been happening since you left.” Tempest smirked and joined Twilight and Spike in leaving the castle. “Good, I’ve been wondering about this school I keep hearing about...” “I can’t believe he chose us for this assignment.” “I know, right? I’m so happy to be useful!” “I meant that sarcastically, idiot...” Several gassy honks and snorts erupted off to the side of the longboat, and the other two occupants stared at the source in silent disgust and outward annoyance. “Nobody asked you, Spanner,” muttered the first person, a broad-shouldered, bald human with a cybernetic eye. Spanner, the Legacy’s Flatulan gunner, honked back in derision and made a rather rude gesture with two of his back tentacles as he worked on the longboat’s engine. “Well, I for one am glad to be part of this team, Hendricks,” said the final occupant, a moustached Zirrelian rigger by the name of Tucker. He placed one of his long tentacle arms on his chest and raised his head proudly. “It’s my honor to work alongside Ensign Hawkins. The man is a true gem, and a hero to boot!” “Could you be any more smitten?” Hendricks muttered as he finished loading the longboat with supplies for the mission. Tucker gasped and his eyes widened. “You dare?!” “Yes.” A farting sound came from Spanner, sounding like a low chuckle. “I am not ‘smitten’!” Tucker huffed, placing his tentacles on his hips. “I’m worshipping my idol, there is a difference.” Hendricks rolled his eyes, just as the object of their discussion came down the stairs to the longboat bay. He quickly dropped his sack of purp fruits and saluted. “Officer on deck!” The other two immediately followed suit. Jim winced, still not used to the whole protocol thing. “Guys, relax, it’s me. You don’t have to do that.” Spanner let out a gassy whine, and Jim’s eyes watered slightly as he made a half-genuine, half-squeamish smile. “No need for apologies either, Span, we’re all friends here.” “I am not friends with either of these butt-kissing morons...” Hendricks muttered, sitting down in the longboat. Ignoring Hendricks completely, Tucker shook Jim’s hand and put on his best smile, stars glimmering in his eyes. “Mr. Hawkins, can I just say what a privilege and a pleasure it is to be going on this historic venture with such a tremendous hero of legend such as yourself?” “I rest my case,” Hendricks called out. “I...wouldn’t call myself a ‘hero’, all I did was find a map that led to a planet,” Jim replied. “AND stopped a gang of bloodthirsty pirates from getting access to only one of the most dangerous portals known to the universe!” Tucker exclaimed, his grin becoming wider. Spanner huffed and crossed two of his arm tentacles over his chest, letting out a long flatulant honk in Tucker’s general direction. “Whiiiiich included your idiot cousin Snuff, I know Spanner,” Tucker amended without missing a beat. “Look, my point is that I’m just a normal guy, there’s no need to treat me an different,” said Jim. At this, Jim’s left pants pocket bulged and Morph popped out, swirling in the air and shapeshifting into a miniature Jim Hawkins. “I’m just a normal guuuuuuy!” he echoed in a high-pitched, sing-song voice. Jim quickly snatched Morph out of the air and stuffed him back into his pocket, his face flushed. Tucker gasped again and had one of his eye stalks peer into Jim’s pocket with a rather unmanly squeal of delight. “Oooohohoho, is that the little tyke I see in there?!” Jim sighed, sitting down in the longboat next to Hendricks. “Yes...” Hendricks chuckled and checked his plasma pistol. “You know the captain doesn’t approve of you taking the little guy with you on missions. He tends to get into trouble.” “We’re not having this conversation again,” Jim replied. “I’m taking Morph with me, and that’s final.” Spanner and Hendricks looked at each other, and Spanner nodded slowly. “Fine, can’t say I didn’t warn ya when the captain finds out. Again,” Hendricks relented. “Future Jim’s problem,” Jim said, nodding to Spanner. “We’re good to go, Span, take us down gently.” Spanner let out three short honks followed by a salute and a snort that made his mouth tentacles blow upwards. He then slapped an arm on the longboat’s control stick and disengaged the boat’s magnetic lock, causing it to float out of the hangar bay. The longboat’s solar sail then unfolded and caught the light coming off the planet’s sun, sending the longboat shooting forward towards the planet. The trip down to the planet had been short and relatively uneventful. The four Legacy crewmen talked about the mission and what they would do when they touched down at the chosen landing zone, but for most of the trip Jim sat in silence, watching as the ground beneath them slowly got closer. The planet was gorgeous, no doubts about that. The skies were clear, with no sign of pollution anywhere, and the landscape as picturesque as he had imagined it to be. Tall mountains stretched across the horizon, and dark forests covered the surrounding valleys. At one point he swore he saw a small, somewhat rustic village sitting at the very edge of one of the forests, but he couldn’t quite be sure at this distance. In any case, there was much to explore and little time to do it, so the team’s best course of action would be to locate some shelter and then set up camp before they started off. As Jim scanned the land below them, he pointed at some ruins in the middle of one of the forests, located just south of one of the tallest mountains he had ever seen. “Look, that looks like a good spot. Protection, a roof over our heads, even some defensible spots in case we’re attacked.” Hendricks nodded, gripping his plasma musket on his lap. “Sounds good to me, boss.” “Spanner, set us down nice and slow,” Jim instructed. “Tucker, prepare the mooring lines.” Tucker and Spanner both saluted and went about their tasks. Eventually, the longboat hovered a meter above the ground, so Jim grabbed a musket and hopped off, feeling the soft sponginess of the grass under his boot for the first time and taking in a deep breath as he scanned the surrounding treeline. The forest looked dark and somewhat menacing from above, but down here, it was much more so. It reminded him of Treasure Planet in a way in the creepiness factor. He could barely even see ten feet past the treeline, it was so thick with underbrush and vines. Hendricks jumped down next to him, holding a musket in his hands as well. “How quaint,” he muttered. “Truly a welcoming sight for newcomers.” “Let’s just set up camp in the ruins and get this over with,” Jim replied, warily turning away from the forest and slinging his musket over his shoulder as he reached for a bag of supplies. “Hendricks, watch our backs. Spanner, Tucker, with me.” Hendricks nodded and stepped away from the group, squinting with his cybernetic eye, causing it to zoom in on the trees. Already he could see a few small creatures scurrying about and looking curiously at the ship of newcomers. Hardly worth mentioning, but that could change at any moment. He gripped his musket a little tighter and waited. The eight ponies and dragon stared at entrance to the Everfree Forest, some nervously and others with impatience. Fluttershy looked at Pinkie and asked, “A-are you s-sure we need to go in...there?” Pinkie scratched at her mane with a hoof. “Hmmm...honestly, I’ve got no clue, but my Pinkie Sense hasn’t failed me so far!” “Flutters, you’ve been in the Everfree like a bazillion times,” Rainbow reminded her. “Sometimes even alone. And you’ve got us with you now, why are you so scared?” “I mean, it is the Everfree, darling,” Rarity said. “Just because we are older and wiser now doesn’t mean we should take it lightly.” “Well, ‘wiser’ is a bit of an overstatement for some of us...” Applejack muttered under her breath. Thankfully nopony heard her. “Oh, come on guys, where’s your sense of adventure?” Rainbow cried, flapping higher into the air. “I, um...don’t have one?” Fluttershy answered. Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder and nuzzled her. “It’s okay Fluttershy. Just stick together, and we’ll be fine.” Tempest shrugged. “I could just blast whatever creature comes at us, no biggie.” “I wouldn’t,” Starlight warned. “Last time somepony did that, Fluttershy got mad. Don’t make her mad.” Tempest stared at Starlight, then at the quivering Pegasus, then back at Starlight. She raised a hoof and pointed it at Fluttershy. “This Fluttershy?” “Yeah.” “Right here?” “Yep.” “What did she--?” “She grew a single fang and bit down on somepony’s hoof, before apologizing eighteen times and then going off to suck on an apple,” said Pinkie, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Probably because of that whole vampire fruit bat episode a few seasons back. She’s still in remission.” Tempest blinked and raised an eyebrow. “...Huh. Wait, what do you mean, ‘seasons’?” “I’m going to say autumn,” Pinkie replied with a wink. “Enough talking!” Rainbow whined. “All we’ve been doing for the past few hours is talking! We’ve got an adventure on our hooves and we’re still just standing around and talking!” “I mean, that’s kinda half of our thing,” said Spike. “That, and solving friendship problems.” “She is right, though,” said Twilight. “We should get going. Pinkie’s sense hasn’t led us astray before, and if there’s something in the Everfree that might cause trouble, we better find it now before it does.” With that, she stepped forward and entered the forest, her horn lighting up to push away the darkness. Rarity shrugged. “Tally ho.” “Now we’re talkin’!” Rainbow exclaimed happily, flying after her. “We were talking before,” Starlight pointed out as the rest of the group entered the forest. “Can it, Starlight, let me have this!” An hour had passed since the landing, and the team had finished setting up camp within the ruins. Four tents and a small fire pit had been made inside one of the ruined buildings, and Hendricks had retreated inside to provide cover while Spanner cooked up some rations for use in the field. Tucker and Jim were going over a geographical map of the area, graciously given to them by BEN, who had drawn it up from scans of the planet earlier. Jim pointed to the outer edge of the forest. “Right, so if our flyby was anything to go by, there should be a village of some sort around here.” “Should we pay them a visit?” Tucker asked. Jim shook his head. “Not just yet. The captain doesn’t want us making contact until we can be sure they’re friendly. So, with that in mind, you, Hendricks, and I will make our way to the edge of the forest and observe from there. There’s some hills just east of the town next to a river, we can use those as cover.” “Sounds like a plan,” Hendricks said from the ruin’s doorway. A few honks came from Spanner, and Jim nodded his way. “Spanner, you’ll be staying here to mind the camp and the boat.” Spanner grabbed a plasma musket and saluted, and one of the tentacles on his back let out a quick, flatulent puff that almost sounded like a “yes sir”. Jim picked up a pistol and charged it, before holstering it at his side. “Alright, let’s move. Morph?” Morph flew out of a bowl of soup he had been drinking from, blinking innocently at his master. Jim held out a finger. “Come on, we’re heading out.” Morph let out a squeal and flew forward, nuzzling Jim’s finger with a purr. As four of them headed into the forest, Jim kept his right hand on his sidearm, a cautious expression dawning his face. Most of the forest had gone dead quiet and still, which was almost universally never a good sign. Still, they trudged forward. They had a mission to accomplish, after all. Besides, they also had guns. What could a little forest throw at them that a little concentrated plasma couldn’t handle? An hour later, Jim found his answer. “I’m beginning to think that going through the forest on foot wasn’t the best plan!” Hendricks yelled as he fired several plasma bullets behind them at the oncoming wolves. “What the hell even are these things?” Jim fired two shots over his shoulder as he ran. “How am I supposed to know? Tucker, any guesses?” Tucker blasted a wolf in the head, only to sigh in annoyance as the head seemed to magically repair itself with the surrounding branches and sticks lying around. “Some kind of wood wolf, I think.” “That’s stupid!” Hendricks cried. “Tell them that!” Jim, Hendricks, and Tucker all jumped behind a pile of rocks and let loose a new barrage of plasma bullets at the wolves, sending splintered wood limbs and hide pieces flying through the underbrush. It bought them only a few seconds to reload as the wolves rebuilt themselves, bigger and tougher than before. “Tucker, if this is the last time I see you, I just want you to know--” Hendricks began. “Don’t talk like that!” Tucker hissed. “--that I hated you the most.” Hendricks finished as he slammed a fresh plasma pack into his musket chamber. “...Well, now that’s just impolite.” “FOCUS!” Jim screamed. As the three of them prepared to make their last stand, however, the rebuilt wolves seemed to hesitate, glancing at each other nervously before backing away and swiftly running deeper into the forest. The three Legacy crewmen stared at their retreating forms in curiosity and confusion, before glancing at each other and shrugging. “Didn’t expect that,” Hendricks said at last. The ground rumbled beneath their feet, and the three of them looked down at the ground in worry. Suddenly, on the other side of their patch of boulders, the ground erupted in a shower of rocks an dirt and a large worm-like creature burst out, opening its mouth and revealing several rows of large, sharp teeth. It roared at them, blowing their hair back. It then backed away slightly and stared at them, as if expecting an answer to its challenge. Tucker leaned slightly towards Hendricks and whispered, “Did ya expect this?” “Shut up...” All three crewmen raised their weapons and fired at the same time, only to have the color drain from their faces when the plasma bullets bounced off the worm’s hide. The worm’s eyes narrowed dangerously and it hissed, preparing to lunge at them. “Run!” Jim yelled, scrambling to get up and get away. What followed could only be described as a mad dash through the forest as the worm slithered after them, snapping at their heels every so often. Their weapons were useless, they were too far away from their camp to get in the longboat, and they all doubted that climbing the trees would do any good. At this point, Hendricks was considering religion if it meant he would be saved from a gruesome death, Tucker was considering his resignation if he survived, and Jim was considering his relatively short life and his decisions therein. The chase was short, but decisive. As the worm reared its head for a final lunge, the three men screamed. Pinkie sneezed, then flopped to the ground like a boned fish, and her eyes spun in circles. “Another one!” Applejack’s eyes widened. She had seen that Pinkie Sense combo before, a long time ago. Just before her parents disappeared. “Ah know that one...” “Somepony’s in trouble!” Pinkie cried, galloping into the forest. “This way!” “Does anypony hear screaming?” Spike asked as he ran after the group. “Yeah, now that you say it, I hear it too,” Starlight agreed, charging a spell on her horn. Tempest frowned and charged her horn, sending sparks flying off of its stump. She might not be able to do magic as proficiently as she used to, but she was still able to fight. “Let’s not keep them waiting, then.” “Scatter!” Jim yelled, just as the worm’s head surged towards them. The three crewmen dove out of the way, causing the worm to smack its head into the ground. Startled, it shook off its sudden dizziness and roared defiantly at them. It then buried itself underground and burrowed through the earth at alarming speeds, beginning the chase once more. As Jim ran for his life, he scanned the area around him. There was nothing that he could see that seemed it would make a difference against the worm, but as he looked closer on his right, he did see something that gave him an idea. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled at the other two. “Guys, there’s a cliff on my right!” “So?!” Hendricks yelled back. “Soooo, we can use that! Lure it this way!” Jim explained, running towards the cliff. Hendricks sighed and ran after him, followed by Tucker. The three of them reached the cliff in moments. The difference between the cliff and the forest was almost like night and day. No longer were they shrouded in darkness, and instead the summer sun shone gently on them, and illuminated the massive valley before them. It was covered in rivers and rolling grasslands, and seemed almost idyllic. A complete contradiction to whatever it was that was chasing them. “What’s the plan now?” Tucker said, catching his breath. Jim paused and looked down the side of the cliff, seeing a single tree sticking out of its side. He smirked. “Just follow my lead,” he said, and jumped off the cliff towards it. “Boss!” Tucker screamed, reaching after him. “I said follow!” Jim shouted up at him from his seat on the tree. “This is your plan?!” Hendricks asked. Jim grinned up at him. “The worm tracks either from scents or from vibrations, from what I’ve seen. So, we jump off the cliff. It follows us, but it can’t grab the tree.” “That’s stupid!” Hendricks retorted, just as a large mound of dirt and stone appeared behind him. “I’m already committed, and you’ve got nothing to lose!” Jim fired back. Tucker dove off the cliff without hesitation and latched onto the tree with his tentacles, taking care not to lose his grip on his musket. Hendricks let out an annoyed breath and jumped after him, landing squarely in the center of the trunk with a pained grunt. He’d definitely be feeling this later. “Just for the record...” he began as he got himself into a more sustainable position. “You’re insane.” “Had to be if I was going to escape Treasure Planet,” Jim snickered. A moment later, the cliff side shook, and suddenly a large hole appeared just to the side of them, and the worm tumbled out, roaring in confusion and defiance as it fell. Jim laughed after it, feeling vindicated. “Can’t fly, eh sucker?” His mirth was short-lived as two hidden, scaly wings unfolded themselves on either side of the worm. A few massive flaps later, it hovered next to the three crewmen, and almost seemed smug. Hendricks and Tucker glared at Jim, and Jim chuckled nervously. “This may not have been my brightest idea...” “That’s this entire day in a nutshell,” Hendricks deadpanned, now thoroughly resigned to his fate. He was going to die next to his idiot superior and his idiot...acquaintance. Just as he imagined he would go when he first got shanghaied into this mess. Just before the worm could make the three of them its latest meal, a large purple bolt of energy struck its side, causing it to screech in pain and surprise. The trapped crewmen and the worm looked back at the cliff, only to see eight multicolored equines and one small lizard standing there, looking upset. Some of them had horns, some had wings, some had neither. One of them, the purple one, had both, and was slightly taller than the others. “Back!” the purple one yelled. “Get back!” “Or come get some!” added the blue, rainbow-maned pony, punching two hooves together. One of the ponies’ horns sparked with blue electricity to prove a point. “Come on Bartholomew, you know better,” one of the flying ponies chided, flying up to the worm and glaring at it. “It’s not nice to scare people.” The worm shook its head and roared at her. The pony barely even flinched, and simply narrowed her eyes at it. “Bartholomew...” she warned. “I know you’re hungry, but there’s plenty of other things you can eat. Come by my cottage later, I’ll give you something.” The worm seemed to resist the pony’s words, but as the pony continued to intensify her stare, it eventually gave in, hanging its head and flying away. The pony gave a small smile and flew back to her friends, who were currently observing the Legacy’s crewmen from the cliff’s edge. Silence permeated through the air as both parties stared at one another. Nobody said a word. Finally, Jim spoke his first words to a new alien race: “They’re talking horses. I need a drink...” The pink pony giggled. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a cliff-hanger! Or three!” Everybody groaned.