//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Party Crashers // Story: Treasure Planet: The Equestrian Voyage // by GTthe4th //------------------------------// The Castle of the Two Sisters had stood in the Everfree for a little over a thousand years, ruined and abandoned. Much of the surrounding ruins that were, at one time, part of Equestria’s capital city of Everfree were now gone, buried under countless tons of dirt, sediment, and foliage. Only the castle and a few small buildings remained, a stark, cold reminder of sadder times. And yet, throughout its long decay, one occupant had refused to leave. It had no other choice but to stay and to guard the Castle for all eternity, for that was its sole purpose. Its existence was a secret Celestia had kept from everypony, as was its name. The ponies of old had called it the “Pony of Shadow”, but Celestia knew better. Contrary to popular belief, the Pony of Shadow in the Castle was unrelated to the Pony of Shadows that Twilight and her friends had defeated just prior to the Storm King’s invasion. No, this “Pony” in the castle was an Umbrum golem, a creature of darkness that bore some similarities to Sombra, but was subservient to the one who summoned it to the mortal realm. It was not a demon, nor an angel, but something...different. Alien. And it was the perfect guardian for what Celestia had hidden in the Castle. The air shimmered and rippled in front of the Castle’s great doors, and a soft light began to glow from the center of the vortex. Then, with a white flash, the alabaster Alicorn of the Sun appeared before them, her face bearing a mixture of worry and determination. Without a word, her horn lit up with a golden aura and pushed the doors open. With a tremendous creak, the doors opened and revealed the shaded, shattered great hall beyond. Celestia briefly regarded the destruction with a sad sigh, memories of her ancient battle against her sister raging through her mind. To her little ponies, the Castle was a relic of a bygone era, meant to be studied and preserved for historical significance. But for Celestia, it had been her home for centuries, and that of her sister’s. She remembered her first time walking these hallowed halls, playing and laughing alongside Luna without a care in the world. And now it was dust. She gently ran a hoof across a fallen column as she walked past it, feeling the dust being disturbed after so long. Tattered tapestries and flags covered the floor she walked over, their colors long faded. She closed her eyes and with a thought banished the memories from her mind. All but one. “Sylidus.” She had whispered it’s name, but her voice carried throughout the ruined great hall, amplifying it a hundred fold. She sounded like some ethereal ghost of some old mare’s tale, and probably looked the part as well. A cool draft whipped past her, blowing her mane to her side. She halted, waiting patiently. It had heard her summons. It was close. She didn’t have to wait long. A shadowy, shapeless form rose up from one of the fallen pillars, its bright yellow eyes glaring at her from across the hall. It bent down and glided across the ground towards her until it rose up mere inches from her face, now in the form of a large male pony shrouded in darkness. The Princess stared down its glare with unflinching, expectant eyes. “Celessssstia...” the creature snarled at last, its voice echoing throughout the great hall. “After so long...you have returned?” “Is it safe?” she asked. “What, no ‘hello’?” the shadowy golem hissed. “No ‘how are you, Sylidus’? Just bussssiness? How long has it been since we have seen each other?” Celestia shook her head. “I have no time for--” “CENTURIES!!!!” the creature roared, and the Castle shook with its rage. “Centuries of abandonment, of slavery to this cursed place! And for what?! For a trinket?! I am an Umbrum, a master of darkness and a high-ranking praetorian in the Empress’s Shadow Court! There is no honor in what I do for you, only humiliation from my kind!” Celestia waited until its ranting was finished, before calmly replying, “You could have left the Castle, explored the Everfree.” “And do what? Torment a few Timberwolves with a meal they cannot snack on? Been there, done that a billion times, finally caved and bought the bloody tee-shirt! With no money!” The golem lifted a leg, and a ghostly blue chain and shackle appeared on it. “I am bound to this cesspit, don’t you remember? I cannot leave the boundaries of the old city.” “Then tell me what I wish to know, and I will release you from your bonds,” Celestia countered. “Now, is it safe?” Sylidus groaned and took a few steps back, the chain on its leg disappearing. “Yes, mistress, your stupid thing is safe.” It held up another hoof, and a small sphere of metal covered in symbols appeared on it. “It hasn’t left my sight since you charged me with keeping it secret and safe.” Celestia’s horn lit up once more, and the metal sphere floated up into the air in front of her. “Thank you, Sylidus. You have done Equestria a great service today.” With a flash, the sphere disappeared again into hammerspace, and she turned around towards the door. “Mistress, do not forget me,” Sylidus reminded her. “I didn’t forget you,” Celestia called back, having already reached the door. “A promise is a promise. You are free to leave this Castle.” Sylidus’s eyes widened, and without a moment’s hesitation it reformed back into a shapeless blob of shadow and flew up towards a crack in the Castle’s ceiling, finally leaving its prison with a maniacal, ecstatic laugh. Freedom! It was free! Free! FRE--! A golden beam of light rammed into it from underneath, and Sylidus screeched as it felt its form being incinerated from the inside out. As the last of its body disappeared it glared down at Celestia, its eyes filled with hatred, before it dissipated into nothingness, its soul having been banished to much darker realms. Celestia’s horn powered down, and she regarded the sky with a look of contempt. “Oh Sylidus, my poor, dear ‘friend’. I never promised you your life to be one of true freedom,” she growled. “I have never forgotten you, or what you did as a member of the Shadow Court. It took me centuries to find you again after my battle with Nightmare Moon, but when I did, I had it all planned. And then that Flint showed up and ruined everything. I needed your services once more, but now that they are no longer required, our contract is void. The suffering you will feel in Tartarus is but a fraction of what you inflicted upon my sister as you poisoned her with your darkness, your lies, and your nightmares. She was in agony, and she couldn’t stop it from tearing her apart. And now...so shall it be for you. Farewell, and good riddance, leech.” Without another word, she disappeared from the Everfree in a flash of light. Her destination: Ponyville. Spanner stared in silent awe at the space that once held the alabaster horse. He had heard the entire conversation from his camp on the other side of the castle, thankfully far enough away and hidden from the intruders, and had come over to investigate. He had heard it, but did not understand the significance. All he could do was drop his musket and blink stupidly as the horse vanished in a flash of light. And then he fainted. Two humans, one Zirrelian, one Dragon, and seven ponies stood in front of Ponyville, staring at the empty streets. A newspaper blew past their ankles, and only the sounds of birds chirping could be heard. Wagons and carts lay abandoned by their owners, and everypony had pulled their welcome mats into their houses. A few ponies had even boarded up their windows and doors. And then boarded up the boards. And then locked them. Twilight gave a nervous laugh and looked up at Jim. “They normally aren’t this bad...” she explained sheepishly. Then she coughed and whispered out the side of her mouth to Rarity. ”I thought we fixed this with Zecora years ago?” Rarity shrugged. “I thought so too, darling.” “Weeeeell, looks like the party’s cancelled,” Hendricks declared, turning around towards the forest. “Back to camp!” Tucker snaked a tentacle around Hendricks’s neck and yanked him back without even looking at him. “Bad Hendricks. Stay.” “I hate you.” “I heard you the first fifty-seven times.” “Fifty-eight, actually,” Spike corrected. Tucker rolled his eyes. “Pinkie?” Starlight called. “Where are you?” “C’mon, Pinkie!” Rainbow jumped in, flying into the air. “You can do better than this!” “Well, no point in staying here--” Tempest began. “Exactly!” Hendricks exclaimed. “--Soooo, we might as well head to the town square, maybe we’ll find somepony there?” she finished. “I give up...” “Finally!” Tucker cried, throwing up his four tentacle arms to the sky in praise. “Thank you!” “Ah agree with Tempest,” Applejack said. “These ponies are actin’ mighty strange, an’ Ah want to know why.” “Well, you ladies lead the way, then,” said Jim, motioning towards Ponyville with a hand. “Right! Rainbow, Fluttershy, you girls head to the town hall to see if you can find Mayor Mare. Starlight, head back to the castle and prepare it for housing guests. The rest of you, let’s give our new friends the ten-bit tour,” Twilight ordered. The ponies (and Dragon) all nodded and went to their tasks. The now smaller group of ponies led Jim’s team down the main road into town, occasionally pointing out various buildings of interest. There was Davenport’s Quill and Sofas shop (which sold exactly what it said on the sign), the Ponyville spa, and the Ponyville Hayseed Diner (which Twilight assured Jim would have plenty of other food not involving hay). Eventually the group reached the town square, where a large fountain with the statue of an unnamed pony lay. From here multiple other streets led this way and that through the town, leading to other buildings of some importance. Rarity wanted to show Jim and his teammates her Boutique, claiming that she could fix their uniforms in mere minutes, while Applejack wanted to show them the farm and Twilight wanted to show them the town’s new library. This, of course, led to a three-way argument between the mares that Jim decided was none of his business to disrupt. Ultimately, however, the group took a fourth option: Morph’s sense of smell. The little shapeshifter had sniffed the air and had gotten a whiff of something sweet and potentially tasty, causing him to instantly fly away from the others down one of the streets, much to Jim’s dismay. As the group chased after the pink blob, Twilight realized just what it was that had gotten Morph so excited. A large gingerbread house soon appeared in front of them, one of its windows creaked open slightly, where Morph was attempting to squeeze through with Jim pulling him back. “You know,” Tucker huffed and he bent down to catch his breath. “That little guy can be pretty fast when it comes to his appetite.” He looked up and observed the house. “And speaking of food...” “Welcome to Sugarcube Corner,” Twilight explained. “This is where Ponyville gets its baked goods, and most of its candy as well.” “Yeeeeeah, that means we keep Morph out of there at all costs,” Jim said, yanking Morph back and stuffing him into his pocket. “The last thing we need is him going on a sugar rush.” Rarity reared up on her hind legs and peered through one of the windows. “Odd. I half expected Pinkie to be here.” “Nah, too cliche for her,” said Applejack. “You bethca, AJ!” Pinkie exclaimed. Everyone jumped out of their skins and screamed, with Hendricks and Tucker pointing their plasma pistols at the pink part pony that had inexplicably appeared next to them, and Tempest charging up her broken horn with a spell that, had she launched it, would’ve probably vaporized the poor Earth pony on the spot. Pinkie didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, and her smile only grew. “Wow, you guys have some quick reflexes! We should do a cowpony showdown one day, like in the Clint Westwood movies!” “Pinkie!” Twilight hissed. “Where have you been?” “Oh, around,” Pinkie answered mysteriously (or tried to). “Speaking of which, you all should really come to--” “Mah barn?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. Pinkie coughed. “Ahem, noooo...” she quickly whipped out a walkie-talkie and whispered something into it, before stuffing it back into her mane with a laugh. “Noooo, ha ha ha! I was going to say--” “The castle?” Tempest guessed. “Will you stop that?!” Pinkie cried, standing on her hind legs and swinging her front hooves in the air. “You’re giving away our position!” “Just tell us, Pinkie, we promise we won’t say anything else,” Twilight said, glaring at Tempest and Applejack. “Nope, moment’s gone, AJ and Fizzy ruined it,” Pinkie muttered, walking away. Spike looked at the others and shrugged, and then began to jog after her. “We might as well follow her, now that we’ve found her.” “Quite right,” Rarity concurred, trotting after him with a smile. “Besides, my boutique awaits!” The group, still slightly frazzled by Pinkie’s sudden reappearance, followed the pink party pony back to the center of town. Throughout it all, the ponies remained quiet, although Jim could swear he saw a few shapes moving in the shadows of the alleyways. Whenever he turned to look, however, the shapes vanished from sight. Eventually they stopped in front of the fountain statue once more, but something seemed different about it now. The water had stopped flowing, and there was a conspicuous lack of sound. Even the birds had stopped chirping. Twilight noticed it too, and paused mid-step to tilt her head to the side in confusion. “That’s odd...” Hendricks, despite himself reached for his plasma pistol once more, only to be stopped by Tucker, who shook his head and pointed to Pinkie, who had plopped her rump into the ground and was staring at statue in silence. “Pinkie dear, what is it?” Rarity asked, stepping forward. “That’s far enough, Rarity,” Pinkie said, her voice calm. “I’m afraid the tour will have to be cut short.” “Oh...” Rarity blinked. “Oh?” “Boss,” Tucker whispered nodding his head towards one of the alleys. “We’re being watched.” “Yes,” Pinkie continued, standing up once more and turning to face the group, her grin wide and...unnerving. “After all, our new friends can’t leave until they get what’s coming to them.” She then put a hoof to her mouth and whistled. “Light ‘em up, boys!” Eight ponies suddenly appeared on rooftops surrounding the group, each one pointing a large, somewhat antiquated cannon at Jim and his team. Before Jim could even wonder how the ponies had managed to sneak eight heavy cannons on top of thatched roofs, and before Twilight could protest the situation, the cannons’ fuses were lit, and with the sound of rumbling thunder... ...confetti and air was blasted into Jim’s face, four cupcakes flew into Tucker’s four arms, Hendricks was smacked face-first with a banana cream pie, and two long banners flew across one end of the town square to the other, one bearing the words “Welcome to Ponyville!” in colorful lettering, and the other having the names of the three Legacy crewmen. “SURPRISE!!!!” a thousand voices bellowed, followed by Pinkie’s bubbly, joyful laughter as the Ponyville townsfolk quickly exited their homes to greet their new guests with warm smiles, each of them holding trays of cupcakes, pies, donuts, salads, punch bowls, and various games and party hats on their backs or heads. Jim blinked furiously at the display, his jaw dropping. Tucker’s jaw had already hit the floor, as had his tentacles (though he managed to keep the cupcakes from getting dirty). Hendricks simply sighed and wiped his face off, although he did manage a chuckle. Pinkie bounced up to the three of them and, with big puppy-dog eyes, asked, “Sooooo, what did ya think, huh?! I know it was a bit haphazard, but I wanted to try a little something new for a change. How’d I do?” “Very...surprising,” Twilight said at last, having gotten over the shock of seeing Equestria’s first real aliens seemingly being threatened with death from one of her closest friends. “That’s one word for it,” Applejack muttered. Rarity simply fell backwards into a faint, with Spike rushing to catch her (not that he minded). Tempest, meanwhile, had the flattest look on her face that Twilight or her friends had ever seen. She was neither surprised nor startled, just confused. “What.” “Did ya like it, Fizzy?” Pinkie asked. Tempest didn’t answer, instead smacking her forehead with a hoof. “I thought we were going to have a simple party among friends, not a full-scale celebration in town.” Pinkie tilted her head to the side. “But this is a simple party among friends. I made friends with the whole town! Why wouldn’t I invite them all?” “...You know what, I’m not even gonna argue with that,” Tempest admitted, letting her hoof drop. “I’m just going to accept it and move on. Aliens, talks about other worlds, Twilight somehow knowing about humans despite only meeting them today, and now giant parties organized in seconds. This is a new record for weirdness for me.” Applejack smirked. “Welcome to Ponyville, Tempest. ‘Weird’ is a Tuesday for us.” Seemingly satisified, Pinkie bounced over to Jim and waved in front of his face. “Helloooooo, Equus to Jimmy boy! Wake up, silly!” Jim finally shook himself out of his stupor, and let out a small whimper of disbelief. “How did you...?” he whispered, then he yelled, “That’s not possible! How did you get all these people organized in the five minutes between the forest and here?! Where’d you get the cannons? And the banners? Is nobody going to question any of this?” “Stop!” Twilight cried, waving her forelegs frantically in his direction. “That way lies madness.” “But...she...!” Jim sputtered, only to have one of Twilight’s hooves placed over his mouth, with her shaking her head rapidly. “That...” Tucker finally stammered. “Was the best...thing...ever!” “Of course you’d say that,” Hendricks snarked, smearing cream off of his face. “Why the pie, Miss, uh, Pie?” “Oh, call me Pinkie, please,” Pinkie replied from behind (which scared the daylights out of him), pulling out a cloth from her mane and handing it to him. “And I had heard that you didn’t exactly like seeing surprises, so I figured that if you didn’t see anything, you’d only be surprised by the pie covering your eyes! And...the whole shout of ‘SURPRISE!!!!’ by everypony. And me shouting ‘SURPI--’” “I get it! I think,” Hendricks exclaimed. “I appreciate the thought, although the logic makes no sense--” “Madness!” Twilight repeated. “--so, thanks, but no thanks.” Pinkie’s ears drooped. “So, you’re leaving?” “Yes,” Hendricks answered, wiping the remaining cream from the pie off his face. “The boss and the idiot can stay, but I should go.” “You won’t stay for a little bit?” Pinkie pleaded. “Nope.” “Not even for some punch?” “...Is it spiked?” Pinkie put a hoof under her chin and smirked. “Weeeell...not the public stuff.” She winked. Hendricks sighed. “...Alright, one hour.” “Yaaaaay!!” Pinkie squealed, jumping (and somehow hovering) in the air, her legs and tail splayed out. “This is the best day EVER!” Now it was definitely official: this was the worst day ever. The ship had come out of nowhere. One moment Graven was standing on the main deck and checking some of the rigging, and the next, someone screamed as a large plasma ball slammed into the side of the hull, opening up a large hole and sending two unfortunate, scorched crew members tumbling out into the Etherium. “Battle stations, you morons!” she roared, drawing a plasma pistol and firing at the small ship attacking them. “Move, move!” Amelia flew out of her state room, fury written all over her face. “Commander, report!” “Unknown vessel, captain,” Graven called back. “No markings, black hull and sails, at least six guns.” “Evasive action, Mister BEN!” Amelia shouted to her navigator. “And someone please explain to me how we could have possibly missed an entire bloody ship sneaking up behind us?!” “Ask Sinoo, it was his turn in the crow’s nest!” BEN answered, before squealing and ducking as a plasma blast flew overhead. Amelia glared up at the short Optoc crewman in the crow’s nest. “Mister Sinoo!!!” “Couldn’t see ‘im until he vas on top of us, captain!” Sinoo yelled down from the mainmast. What bloody use is an Optoc who’s blind in all six eyes? Amelia though, running up to the quarterdeck to regain some form of command over her panicked crew. “Get to your guns, everyone! I want that ship gone!” “Aye cap’n!” the crew answered, jumping to their stations. One burly Aviar crew member with red plumage broke into the armory and began tossing plasma muskets to her fellow crewmates, while two humans, a Densadron, and a Tuskrus all manned Legacy’s four point-defense cannons and began returning fire. Meanwhile, Doctor Doppler poked his head out of the captain’s state room, his eyes filled with worry. “Amelia, is that what I think it is?” “Delbert, get back inside!” Amelia bellowed. “We can handle this!” “Oh sure, stay inside where I can’t see where I’m being fired at!” Delbert retorted, stepping outside and straightening his vest with a huff. “Besides, I’m a member of this crew and your husband, and as such, I deserve a chance to--” A wayward plasma bolt from one of the crewmen on the main deck flew past his ear and scorched the wall next to his head, causing him to hit the deck and scream. “GAH! Then again, what do you need me here for? You obviously have this handled. Stay safe, honey!” He quickly ran back inside the state room and slammed the door shut, locking and bolting it. Amelia, despite herself, fought to hold back a chuckle. “It’s coming back around!” someone screamed, just before a smaller blast of plasma blew a large crack into the main deck, causing the mainmast to buckle. Sinoo shrieked and leapt out of the crow’s nest, shimmying down the rigging as fast as his little legs and arms could carry him. “Captain!” BEN cried, his chest’s computer out and his left hand flying over its keypad. “If my calculations are correct, if that mast goes, we’d lose over forty percent of our ship’s power supply. We’ll be slower to move and to evade.” Amelia’s eyes widened and her pupils shrank. “Riggers, ropers, secure that mast!” She leaned over the quarterdeck’s railing and yelled down at Graven, “Launch our remaining longboats and see if you can board them. They should be more maneuverable with Mister BEN’s adjustments.” “It’s too late, captain!” the Mantavor commander retorted, pointing with a claw. “Look!” Amelia followed Graven’s gaze and watched in horror as a large plasma ball impacted one of the Legacy’s cannons, killing its gunner and sending flaming debris flying into the air. But the damage didn’t end there. The plasma continued to burn into the hull, and it weakened the main deck, causing the main mast’s supports to crack and bend. The riggers and ropers struggled to hold the mast up, but the ropes began to snap, and with each snap, the mast fell further. Soon the power lines and conduits on the mast shut down, denying the Legacy its much-needed solar power. The Legacy was now dead in the Etherium, and all Amelia could hear was her crew screaming from pain, and the hull of her weakened ship cracking and creaking under her feet. As if sensing the Legacy’s imminent demise, the smaller ship flew off, heading towards the planet’s surface even as the last three guns on the Legacy fired plasma balls after it. “Mister BEN...” Amelia spoke, her voice grave. “Send a distress call to any ship in the area. We’re abandoning ship.” BEN’s jaw dropped. “But...captain!” “DO IT, you bucket of bolts, or so help me--!” “Aye captain!” Graven crawled up to the quarterdeck railing and glared at her captain. “Captain, the Legacy may be weakened, but there’s no reason to abandon it. We can still repair it.” “I know that, commander, but we cannot do it while it’s burning underfoot. We need to attempt to dock somewhere on the surface so that we can survey the damages and fix it properly. I want you to take everyone who isn’t needed onto the longboats and escape to the planet. The rest of us will remain to move the ship into position.” Graven’s arms hung limp at her sides, and she sighed. “Very well captain, but this is under protest.” “I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t,” Amelia replied, turning to her state room and knocking on the door. “Delbert, it’s over now. Sort of. Please open the door and come out.” The door creaked open and Delbert poked his head out. His eyes widened when he saw the carnage in front of him. “Amelia...the Legacy!” “I know, Delbert,” Amelia replied softly. “I want you to get your journals and charts, if they survived. You’ll be getting your chance to see the surface after all.” Delbert’s ears flattened. “I should feel happy about that, but I’m not.” He sighed. “Stay safe, my dear. Don’t keep me waiting down there.” Amelia leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “I won’t. BEN and I will keep this creaking tub afloat until we make it down to the planet. Commander Graven will keep you and the rest of the crew safe until then.” Delbert nodded and embraced his wife, before heading to the lower decks. Meanwhile, the smaller ship, too far away to retaliate against, entered the planet’s atmosphere. Princess Luna’s mouth dropped open as she alone watched the battle replay on the Canterlot Observatory’s scrying table. She watched as the black ship fled towards Equus, and as the larger galleon burned, its main mast falling to the deck with a crash and crushing two more of its cannons. Its crew had put up a valiant fight, but the black ship had been too quick and too surgical in its strikes. But none of this was what worried Luna. The affairs of the aliens was none of her business. What mattered was that both ships were now on a direct course towards Equestria. More specifically, Canterlot. “CAPTAIN BRIGHT STAR!” Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice, which echoed throughout all of Canterlot and shook the entire castle. That ought to get that Pegasus’s attention. Moments later, a black, blue-maned Pegasus Royal Guard with a white splotch of fur around his left eye flew through one of the Observatory’s windows and landed in front of Luna, kneeling before her. “What is your command, Princess?” “Mobilize the Royal Guard, all divisions, and tell the mages in the Wizard’s Quarter to charge up the city’s shield,” Luna ordered. “Go!” “At once, Princess!” the Captain of Canterlot’s Royal Guard saluted and flew towards the window once more, stopping and turning around to glance at Luna one last time. “If I may ask, what are we looking out for?” Luna gazed at the black ship in the scrying table, her eyes narrowing as she watched, no, sensed it getting closer. “Hopefully something we only have to fight once and never again.” Not at all confident or satisfied with the answer he was given, but not willing to press even further, Bright Star nodded and flew out the window, bellowing commands to the Royal Guards below him. As Luna watched him leave, she whispered a silent prayer to Faust that none of her little ponies would be hurt today. Worlds away, in a solar galleon bearing the name Billy Bones and the black flag of piracy, a distress signal was picked up on the ship’s navigational computer. A large, mechanical hand tapped a few keys on the keypad to check the source of the signal, and the hand’s owner grinned when he saw the ship’s name: RLS Legacy. “So...that’s where ya are, lad. What trouble are ya in now?” Without another word, he shouted an order to his crew. They had a new heading, and their captain had a feeling it was going to be mutually beneficial for all parties involved. In a nebula, much closer to Equus, a small boat bearing no allegiance to anyone or anything lay floating in the Etherium, its sole, hungry Mantavor occupant snoring lightly. A beeping noise startled him awake, and he snorted in derision as he glanced at his navigational computer. He gasped at what he saw...and then he snarled, now fully awake. He swung off his hammock and slammed both his red claws against the computer’s sides, glaring at the name on the screen: RLS Legacy. He spat at the name, and his orange eyes narrowed in rage. He smacked one of his long, spidery legs against the engine, causing it to sputter and puff out a cloud of smoke, before it roared to life and the boat’s solar sail gathered the energy it needed. With one claw he held the ship’s steering stick and yanked it forward, sending it flying towards the Legacy’s last known coordinates. With the other claw, he grasped a plasma musket and loaded it. Scroop’s mouth morphed into a mixture of a scowl and a smirk as he imagined the pain he would inflict on Jim Hawkins. That miserable cabin boy was going to pay for spacing him. And this time Scroop would finish the job.