Twilight was currently reading out the map to Mount Aris as the parrots walked about the ship before she heard Applejack speak. “Whadaya think, Twilight? Should we just... ask 'em to take us?”
Twilight lowered the map from her eyes and decided to answer the question, “Last time we trusted somepony he tried to sell us.”
“Maybe things could go differently.” Starlight said sheepishly but Twilight just gave her a glare, “I like that you’re willing to trust Starlight but we’re not in Equestria, so I’m not sure if we can.”
Soon they felt less shade and it turned out to be a dark green parrot in a black suit, “Hey guys, come check this out.” He said sinisterly.
“Looks like a pack of stowaways.” Another green parrot who was in an eyepatch spoke up.
“What are we s'posed to do with 'em?” The large pink parrot asked.
Suddenly a light green parrot squawked with a smirk.
“I think we tie them up.”
Applejack gasped in indignation.
“We clip their wings.”
Rainbow Dash immediately struck a battle pose.
“Nah, we scar ‘em.”
Rarity and Trixie immediately embraced each other in fear as they shriek.
“Emotionally.”
Fluttershy began weeping as Starlight hugged her protectively.
“Wait. What say the book Captain Celeano?” The dark green parrot asked.
Soon a yellow feathered parrot walked over on a peg leg and spoke lowly, “Storm King's rule book says, ‘Throw them overboard.’"
Soon the parrots began surrounding the ponies and dragon, much to their fear until the clock made a foghorn noise.
“Alright! That’s lunch!” Celeano cried out.
Soon Twilight and her friends were in the dining room of the ship and some greenish slop was poured on Twilight’s plate much to her bewilderment. She had learnt the names of the pirates due to Starlight asking them. The dark green one was named Boyle, the one in the eyepatch was Mullet, the pink one was named Lix and the one who kept squawking was named Squabble.
Twilight decided to sit next to Starlight who was also next to Trixie, if only to keep Starlight from getting into trouble, it might be paranoid of her but just earlier Starlight almost died.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! So you were about to toss us overboard and you stopped for a lunch break?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously, causing Twilight to look at her sternly, as to tell her to stop talking.
“Storm King only allows one break a day for meals, then it's back to hauling goods.” Boyle explained.
“So you’re delivery guys?” Spike asked.
“And gals.” Celeano clarifies. “These uniforms aren’t doing us any favors.”
“Then can you deliver us to Mount Aris?” Twilight asked with a hopeful smile.
“Sorry. We do what the Storm King orders or we suffer his wrath.” Celeano showed the book with the Storm King logo on it before putting it back on the table.
“Right.” Twilight sighed, “Still going overboard.”
“If it makes you feel better.” Starlight whispered to Twilight, “Three of us have wings and I can levitate with magic so we’ll likely be fine.”
Twilight smiled a bit at this reassurance, at least Starlight was trying to make her feel better.
“You weren't always delivery birds, were you? What about before the Storm King?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.
“Yeah. We used to be much more adventurous.” Celeano said dully before pulling the Storm King banner to show a skull and cross bones sign.
“Ooh! I met that guy in the desert!” Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically.
“Whoa! You used to be pirates?!” Rainbow Dash asked with a smile.
“Um, we prefer the term ‘swashbuckling treasure hunters’.” Mullet spoke from near Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
“So you're basically pirates.” Trixie spoke impolitely.
Squabble ends up squawking in confirmation.
“You birds have a choice to make. You could let some cloven-hoofed Storm King tell you how to live your lives, or…” Rainbow Dash said in determination before ripping the Storm King banner off the wall which was covering the pirate flag, “You can be awesome again.”
“Rainbow Dash, this really isn't a good time for a…” Twilight began to speak before Rainbow Dash began singing.
(Song Begins)
“I know the world can get you down.” Rainbow Dash began.
“-song.” Twilight facehoofed.
“Things don't work out quite the way that you thought
Feeling like all your best days are done
Your fears and doubts are all you've got.” Rainbow Dash sung while picking up the chin of a saddened Squabble in comfort.
“But there's a light shining deep inside
Beneath those fears and doubts, so just squash 'em.” Rainbow Dash sung happily as she squashed the mug of water with her hooves.
“And let it shine for all the world to see.” Rainbow Dash soon took off the Storm King curtain to show the achievements the pirates once accomplished along with a picture of Captain Celeano.
“That it is time, yeah, time to be awesome.” Rainbow Dash ended her verse.
Soon Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Spike, Starlight, and Trixie began chorusing as they bumped on the table as a drum and soon the crewmates began joining in except for Celeano, “Ah, ah, ah-ah, awesome!
It's time to be so awesome!
Ah, ah, ah-ah, awesome!
It's time to be so awesome!”
Twilight soon left the area, with the map in her magic as she wanted to focus.
“You have no idea how hard it’s been.” Captain Celeano said sadly as she swiped the plate of gruel away.
(“It’s time to be awesome!”)
Celeano then stared at the picture of her as she sang, “This dull routine we've been forced to do.”
“Don't let them rob you of who you are.” Rainbow Dash sang happily as she handed Celeano her old captain hat.
“Be awesome, it's all up to you.” Rainbow Dash soon flew back near the dining table and pointed a hoof at Celeano in determination.
“I feel the light stirring deep inside
It's like a tale still yet to be told!” Celeano smiled as she took off her cap and replaced it with her hat.
(“It’s time to be awesome!”)
“And now it's time to break the shackles free
And start living like the brave and the bold!” Rainbow Dash and Celeano sang together as Celeano went back to her old pirate uniform as did the other crewmates.
“It's time to be awesome!
Let loose, be true, so awesome!
It's time to be awesome!
Go big, be you, so awesome!” The Mane 5, Starlight, Trixie, and Spike all sang.
“We used to soar through the clouds in the skies!” Mullet sang as he swung around the ship on a rope with Rainbow Dash.
“Elaborate schemes, we would love to devise.” Lix sang as she took the quill Twilight was using to study the map while Pinkie doodled on it.
“We rescued our treasure and stored it away!” Boyle said happily as he slid the treasure chest in front of Rarity before Celeano took out a blue gemstone.
“Saving those gemstones for a rainy day!” Celeano finished.
“We see that light filling up our skies!” Every creature except Twilight sang.
“So take the Storm King’s orders and toss ‘em.” Rainbow Dash suggested as she took the Storm King rule book and tossed it off the ship and into the open skies.
“Cause it's the time to let our colors fly!” Everyone soon sang.
“Hey, scallywags, it's time to be awesome!” Captain Celeano smirked.
(Song Ends)
Starlight looked on happily as Celeano soon started driving the steering wheel to the airship, “Come on! Let's show these little ponies how it's done!” The yellow parrot smirked.
Soon her crewmates pulled on some rope which suddenly caused the golden head of the airship to unfold and show some giant and bright rainbow colored wings on the sides of the ship.
“Wow.” Trixie said in awe which Starlight had to agree with, it was indeed a beautiful sight.
“Awesome! I knew you had it in ya! And now for the finishing touch!” Rainbow Dash said happily before soaring high into the sky, which caused Pinkie to chant “Rainboom! Rainboom! Rainboom!”
“No no no no no! No!” Twilight cried out in horror, much to Starlight’s concern.
However, at that point Rainbow Dash had already completed her Sonic Rainboom and was spinning around the ship creating rainbows around the ship.
“Twilight? Are you okay?” Starlight asked in concern, yet nervous as she had already upset her friend due to needing to have her life saved.
“I’m just worried that Tempest will be alerted as to where we are.” Twilight sighed in discomfort, “I love the Rainboom as much as anypony, it’s how me and my friends met but now…”
“Look Twilight, if she saw us I think we’d be getting attacked by now. And besides, this is probably the happiest we’ll be on this trip. We’re with creatures who we can trust and they seem to like us too.” Starlight gestured to Rainbow Dash and Celeano playfully sword fighting before Squabble started squawking fearfully as a bell rang.
Starlight and Twilight looked in fear as they saw it was a Storm King airship.
“Storm Guards! Looks like they found you.” Celeano informed the group.
“Tempest!” Starlight and Twilight spoke in unison.
“Secure the rigging! Lock down the cargo! Everyone, prepare to be boarded!” Celeano ordered, and soon Starlight and Twilight found themselves being led by Boyle down the cargo hold and soon it was closed.
“You think she saw my Sonic Rainboom?” Rainbow Dash asked with a sheepish smile which earned her a slap from Trixie.
“Ow!” Rainbow Dash groaned in pain.
“Trixie!” Starlight lectured angrily.
“Trixie is sorry, but honestly somepony had to do it before Sparkle lit a fuse.” Trixie admitted as she pointed to the annoyed Twilight who soon took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Soon a grappling hook attached itself towards the ship, causing Starlight, Twilight, Trixie, and the group to all be pushed to the wall on the right.
After getting up and groaning, she saw Twilight looking at the ceiling in fear, “We have to get off this ship before they tell Tempest we're here!” Twilight whispered loudly to Rainbow Dash.
“We helped them get their mojo back! They're not gonna give us up.” Rainbow Dash smirked confidently as she whispered in the same amount of volume.
“Even so, we should probably get off so Celeano and her crew don’t get hurt.” Starlight whispered to Rainbow Dash before noticing Trixie huddled into a ball and hyperventilating, “I’m gonna go calm down Trixie.”
Twilight was currently looking around the ship and what she saw did not please her.
Spike was trying to calm down a hyperventilating Rarity, and Starlight was also trying to calm down Trixie who was huddled into her own ball.
Fluttershy was also cowering behind a crate and Applejack put her hat under her eyes and sighed, seemingly in acceptance.
Pinkie Pie was also trying to jump into a crate and then tripped inside it.
Twilight groaned, her friends were not being helpful on this quest, things did not look good for the group.
Twilight soon looked around the area to see a giant tarp, a bunch of rope and a big crate to fit eight ponies and a small dragon.
“I’ve got this.” Twilight smirked confidently before Twilight levitated the tarp to Starlight who looked confused, “Hold this.”
“What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously but Twilight didn’t answer and instead used her magic to pull the lever nearby which dropped the group into the sky with a scream.
As the group continued screaming, Twilight soon used her wings to slow her descent which allowed her to concentrate and use her magic to levitate the whole group into the crate and soon used her magic to tie the rope onto the crate and the tarp like a makeshift hot air balloon, and finally grabbed Spike, faced him on the makeshift balloon and squeezed him to force enough fire to allow the tarp to inflate and finally they were floating in midair.
“Phew! Quick thinking there Twilight.” Applejack complimented.
“Yahoo! Ha ha!” Twilight celebrated triumphantly.
“Next stop Mount Aris!” Rainbow Dash began pushing the hot air balloon towards Mount Aris.
“We’re home free!” Twilight cheered much to the delight of all her friends.
Starlight smiled happily as Twilight looked on from the distance, beaming with pride, though she did feel concern about her too. Twilight’s normally much more level headed and calm but Starlight noticed Twilight seemed a lot more tense, and was starting to act more cynical.
“Twilight? Are you okay?” Starlight asked beaming alicorn as Twilight smiled out in the distance.
“Why wouldn’t I be? Things are finally looking up.” Twilight smiled at her friend.
“Well… you just seemed to be a lot more… moody than usual and I wanna make sure you’re okay.” Starlight admitted sheepishly.
Twilight looked with a raised eyebrow at Starlight before sighing, “I’m fine Starlight. I just want our home saved.”
“And we will save it. Trust me.” Starlight reassured her, “We just need to have faith.”
Twilight sighed but rolled her eyes with a smile, “Yeah. Thanks Starlight.”
Starlight smiled warmly, maybe things really were looking up.