//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: An Adventure Already?! (Part 5: Explosive Introductions.) 
// Story: Life isn’t done with you 
// by Kibat Grenbuku 
//------------------------------//


Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

--Acts 3:19



They ran and ran, and ran. Hour after hour, they crested over endless dunes, trudged through shallow quick-sand, choked on the dusty winds, and above all else, soiled the scorched earth with their salty sweat. Mouths dry as bones, legs aching from nonstop exertion, and wings numb for those who utilized them, the group hopelessly continued their advance. Some time ago they had finally managed to give the worms the slip, but by then the damage had been well and truly inflicted. What little water they had consumed upon waking up was never going to be enough, but by then they had believed the worms to be lost to the sandstorm. With this having not been the case, however, everypony was left barely conscious and on the brink of delirium. Even Spike, the heat-resistant dragon, was suffering from severe dehydration.

Of course, Thomas and Psalms fared no better than the others, what with Thomas having seemingly entered auto-pilot as his dead eyes reacted to nothing as his tongue hung freely with every gasp of breath. If it weren't for his hooves still being in motion, one would assume him a standing corpse. Psalms, meanwhile, internally cursed at his dark shaded coat and was almost tempted to curse the heavens as well, but instead opted to curse at the sand that filled one's vision in every direction. Never-ending, endless, infinite sand. As one Jedi Knight so elegantly put it, it was coarse and rough and irritating, and it just. Got. Everywhere! Snow would forever hold a deep hatred within his heart, but its grainy earthy cousin had easily made its way to the top of Psalms' shit list, and he didn't even know he had a shit list to begin with! That's how bad sand is... did he also mention how sand just gets everywhere?

"...There's... sand in my... everything..." Rarity panted out. The first words uttered in how many hours and they only affirmed Psalms' feelings further.

"Heh... saving... Equestria..." Pinkie began before delving into short, mad, cackles before noticing and reaching for a bleached skull of the avian distinction. "Maybe this guy knows where to go!" Delerium manifested into a strained smile as a creepy crawly crawled right across Pinkie's parched eyes, eliciting no reaction whatsoever. "What's that, friend? We're lost?" Mad cackling infected her once more before racking coughs overtook her lungs, and just like a popped balloon, her physical form visibly deflated upon her collapse into the blistering earth.

She was right, they were hopelessly lost. What with the sun never rising or setting, being chased in every direction by those damn worms, having barely any rest and energy, and their minds and bodies screaming for nothing but water, it was incredibly difficult for Psalms to remain focused on just simply continuing south or even determining which direction was south to begin with. If he didn't already know what was yet to come, he would legitimately believe the end was nigh, and it would have been all his fault.

Luckily for him, the scene was playing out just as he remembers as Spike collapses onto his knees as Rainbow Dash and Rarity passed him by. Then he picks up the rock and shows off the cactus on his toosh, and then he fully collapses onto the eroded cobble road, garnering Twilight's attention to it.

"Where there's a road, there's a..." Cresting over the dune ahead, her words are halted by a gasp as the dingey, shabby, desolate, murky beacon of hope for the little ponies known as Klugetown is presented before them. One pony after another can't help but exclaim in one way or another upon sharing Twilight's view. 

The town itself isn't much to look at from their distance, but the sight was enough to seemingly invigorate a second wind into everyone, even in Thomas as he licked his dry lips and shook away his dazed state upon joining the others, but none more so than Pinkie as she reflated back into a pristine shape as if never having suffered the ravages of the Badlands at all. "Oooh! A city! We are doing it, you guys!"

"About time something goes our way. I've had enough sun and sand for a lifetime." Sunset added with a shake of her mane, depositing a small hill of sand off to the side.

Thomas was less than impressed at the sight, downright repulsed if his face was anything to go by. "So, we made it to some polluted looking ramshackle of a city, big whoop. Now what? We go scouring every inch of it till we find this Hippo Queen? And how the F does this town even function? It's stationed right on the very edge of a plateau and is bordered not by an ocean, but by a huge misty gorge."

Thomas's latter inquiry goes unanswered. "There has to be a library or maybe a vendor selling a map somewhere in there. Once I can confirm the location of the hippo's homelands, we can depart." Twilight asserted as she and the others began their trek toward the rundown town.

"And while you are doing that, I will be on the prowl for a spa. Even a simple shower would be sublime right now." Rarity gushed at the thought of fixing her mane up.

"Sorry, Rarity. No time for that," Psalms informed, to Rarity's detriment, as they reached the gates of the town. An odd assortment of nasty and unsightly creatures from all walks of the animal kingdom traveled in every direction upon entering the entrance. The pony group stood out like a magical thumb among the crowd. They relocated off to the side as they formulated a plan. "Alright so, a map is priority one, and priority two is resources. Thomas and I will head this way and stock up on food and water, you eight focus on finding that map."

"Uh, why the split up?" Dash inquired, a sentiment shared among the others as they nodded away. "We can find all that stuff together no problem."

"I'm sure we would, but we'll cover more ground doing this, not only for our supplies, but to also keep an eye out for storm beasts. Thomas and I can take care of ourselves, it'd be safer for all of you to stick together." Psalms' eyes reflected this way and that on the various creatures around. "I don't think I need to state the obvious, but we aren't exactly in Equestria anymore. These...'people' don't exactly look like the friendly type, so be careful, alright?"

Various forms of acknowledgment were shared around, leaving Psalms satisfied for the moment. "Good. Once everyone's done, we'll meet up at the docks. See if we can get ourselves a ride. Good luck!" He called out with an added wave along with Thomas before the two headed off in one direction, the girls and Spike in the other.

A poke upon his ribs halted Psalms as Thomas caught his side. "Seriously, why are we splitting up? That was a good excuse what with the beasts and supplies, but you said we'd let the girls do their thing and follow along."

"One, those aren't excuses, we do need supplies, and storm beasts could be around. Two, we are letting the girls do their thing. Sure, Sunset wasn't with them originally but so far things have turned out just like the movie, so I don't think she'll change anything for the time being. And Three..." Psalms took a moment to reflect on the stalls around, wary to notice a certain feline's outline. Upon conclusion, he cuffed a hoof to Thomas and whispered away. "There was gonna be a song and dance."

Thomas recoiled upon his words. "...No kidding? I can practically feel the soot and ash and other nasties in the air afflicting my lungs as we speak, and someone or a group of someones wanna go yodeling away?" A snort escapes. "Stupid cartoons. Always needing their stupid songs and dances and cutesy little critters to market away with. Whatever, thanks for sparing me from that."

"Don't thank me yet, the songs ain't over after this one." A grin squirms onto Psalms' face as an exasperated sigh leaves his brother. "But that won't be for a bit, let's just focus on getting the stuff."



The two continued deeper into the town and deeper into the cesspit. Vendors all around advertised their trinkets or their prized possessions or one of the numerous bizarre creatures fastened within a cage or... other things that shall go unnamed. It was safe to say that the two humans, on multiple occasions, almost found the need to empty their stomachs with what they encountered being sold on the market. The conditions, not only of the people and items being sold, but of the very air and town itself continued to worsen the farther they traveled, and without any traces of water or edible food in sight, the duo eventually relented and opted to turn back, their pockets still empty for the moment.

"This place is disgusting and dingy in more ways than one. How the hell does anything even survive here? As I said earlier, it's not even bordered by a body of water, and history has taught me that every city in human history has been adjacent to water out of basic necessity. This place should be a ghost town."

"It may not have water, but it does have the capacity for commerce that's for sure. This would definitely be the shady place you'd sell your kidney at." Psalms blanched a little upon uttering those words. "You see how many docks they have along its exterior sides? Trade may be the only thing keeping this place alive."

"Speaking of trade," Thomas fished out Ingot's coin pouch and tossed it into the air before catching it within his magic. "What's the currency exchange rate in this town? It ain't Equestria so I doubt they take bits... hey wait, what country is this town even a part of?"

Psalms could only shrug his shoulders following with a muffled 'idunno'. "Storm King's Empire? Who knows, who cares. Anyway, they have things called storm bucks for money here." Finally, the two spotted a vendor potentially selling water, if the sign is anything to go by. "So first, let's just see what one bit can get us with."

The two pushed past many creatures before settling at the 'water' vendor. The creature manning the kiosk could only be described as a mix of octopus, shark, and sea lion. make with that, what you will.

Before the vendor could open its mouth, Thomas was quick to cuff a hoof to Psalms ear. "I don't trust this vendor at all. That could be salt water or piss for all we know. We should look elsewhere."

Psalms shared a pained look, "I ain't exactly thrilled to sample the merchandise either, but we've been to the deepest reaches and back and this is the first vendor selling anything that could remotely be water." Psalms reflected upon the containers of possible water, but it was impossible to examine the contents through the metal lids. "I'll take one for the team. You go find some food, give me time to process this down."

Thomas flashed his brother a facade of sadness. "Your sacrifice shall not be in vain." He turned and left within a flash, not sparing another second around. He could hear his brother yell 'Remember me!' as he descended a flight of stairs and was back on another road flanked by more vendors. Thomas had to admit, some of the many items on display were interesting in one way or another, but they didn't have the time or the coin to waste. Still, maybe one day he could come back and snag that T-Rex-looking tooth away. Now, where oh where are the food vendors? Hmm.

Without warning, the air filled with the sound of music, and a voice rang out that drowned all the noise, "-cunning, that can help you take the leap!"

"Huh?" *CRASH* The sudden shift in the atmosphere left Thomas confused but it was soon replaced with a heart attack as a large metal mine cart crashed right before his path. Had he not hesitated at that very moment, he would've been minced meat. Thomas stood frozen in place for a minute as he stared down at his would-be inanimate assassin before he found his footing and eventually his breath. "Holy shit!" he simply exclaimed. He had no idea what had transpired at that very moment but he wasn't gonna stick around to find out.

Turning into a dark alley adjacent to his original position, the sound of music and singing once again bore down on him. "-o protect you wherever you go!"

Proceeding forward, a familiar yellow and pink figure gradually came into view along with some tall fellow that Thomas couldn't make out. "Fluttershy? Who the hell is- aaahhh!" Screams filled his lungs as a swarm of dark bats filled the air ahead, darting straight for him. Their speed was greater than his reaction as they crashed into his frame and face a moment later, eliciting more shouts and screams as the gnarly fanged winged rats filled every inch of his vision. He tried to run, tried to swat them away, tried to duck, but the damn things just kept hurling themselves upon him, smacking his face silly. Eventually the last of the damn things flew by and Thomas was left ruffled and dirty with scratch marks and a bite or two. Oh shit, does rabies exist in this world? ...Fuck it, doesn't matter, magic can fix anything...yeah...

Preoccupied with dusting himself off, Thomas slowly makes his way toward the light ahead at the end of the alley but stops himself a moment before emerging as it was only then that Thomas noted the eye-catching red carpet that was unfurled upon the dirt road. 

"~'Cause I'm the friend, that you need-~" 

Not a second later, the sound of music and singing hit his auditory senses like a truck as from one side of the alley opening to the other, a lengthy anthropomorphic tanned dapper cat in front of him passed by in a hop-shuffle dance, followed directly by all of his pony partners as they sashayed along to the lyrics. 

"-~When you're lost and don't know what to do, I'm your pal, your amigo, lookin' out for friends like you!~" As the talking cat's figure passed by and disappeared off to the right side, the exuberant atmosphere muted significantly, all but confirming the magical song and dance was tailored specifically to him. One by one, the Element Bearers passed by his little alley entrance, too enamored with their choreography to notice his presence, save three. 

While Thomas was shooting all who passed a completely scrunched-up baffled look, hanging jaw and all due to the seemingly rejuvenated figures of all present before him as if never endearing the hardships over the last day, Spike offered only a small wave before jumping along to the music. Sunset meanwhile had an amused smirk stitched onto her face and could only shrug away at Thomas's questioning look while her head, hips, and hooves tapped away to the beat. Bringing up the rear, Twilight reluctantly followed along; her head was held low and she had a dreary face bordering on gloom and doom. She could only heave a sigh and offered a shake of her head as her tired eyes reflected onto Thomas as she continued to follow the others.

Peaking from the side, Thomas could see the carpet stretching all the way to some windmill-looking building further down the road; the song and dance had yet to let up. "Uh-uh, nope," Thomas did a one-eighty, "not singing, not dancing, I'm out."



Ten minutes later, Thomas's bags bulged with food and water as he and Psalms exited the market and made their way to the floating docks off the city's side, with Psalms clutching at his sides all the while with green cheeks. A wet burb escaped him every now and then along the walk.

Another burp escaped and Thomas couldn't help the flinch that followed. "Jeez man. I warned you to move on from that 'water' vendor."

"S'not that," Psalms huffed out, "...tried one of 'em... ooaaf... purple gloob glob thingies... just a little bite..." Psalms' cheeks puffed up and a look of panic settled within his eyes. Spotting an open barrel nearby, he settles his hooves on the rim and his cheeks bulged once more. "...Wouldn't recommeeuuuuaarrghh!" And his stomach finally decided to vacate his innards.

"That's what you get for eating dank dingy food from a decrepit town like this." Thomas opened his saddle bag and began fishing for water. With both brothers preoccupied, neither took immediate note of a descending shadow until it was directly on top of them. "Honestly Psalms, I thought you'd be smarter-" Then Thomas finally noticed, "-then... that... ah hell."

With the last of his mistake out of his system, Psalms lethargically lifted his head and took instant notice of the airship parked directly in front of the two, one with distinct blue jagged marks.

"More beasts? These damn things just don't let u- whoah!" Thomas was interrupted as he, within Psalms' magical grasp, and his brother dove behind a stack of crates, concealing them just as their foes departed from the ship. There were two unique-looking storm beasts, both flanking the sides of a short, fat, little hedgehog-looking thingy munching down on a caramel apple and a... a pony?

"Tempest." Psalms whispered out, earning a questioning look from his brother. "Tempest, the unicorn that staged the attack in Canterlot. The one who's in charge of the army and has been tracking us since the train station. The main antagonist."

"You never mentioned any ponies on the enemy side."

"My bad, now shh." Psalms hushed him up before electing to creep ever closer as Tempest observed her surroundings while the others continued disembarking.

She finished her glances around and the group proceeded to enter the market sector. Thomas and Psalms silently crawled to the entrance and peeked over the wall just as she began issuing orders. "Get the ship back into the air. Establish overwatch within a fifty-meter radius centered on me and I want it ready for a snatch-and-grab operation on my command." She stopped for a brief moment and reflected her gaze upon her personal guard, "Start searching. I want every stall overturned, every barrel cracked open, every corner scoured. Lock down all entry and exits and ground all flights. Now."

Having received new orders via Grubber's grunts and roars, the beast was quick to fish out a scrying potion and began relaying them to four other beasts visible within the blue magical screen. A second later the potion dissipated and, without hesitation, the beast spun on its heel and gripped the lower base of the nearest trader stall, and heaved it away in an impressive show of strength, eliciting startled shouts and curses from the diverse natives before it. It scanned this way and that for any traces of ponies, and upon coming up empty-handed repeated its savage search deeper into the commercial district, trailing after Tempest and her escort.

With a deep rumbling groan emanating from behind the brothers, they were witness to Tempest's flagship departing its docking station and beginning a lazy spiral into the air above, smoke belching from its rear as it took to its overwatch station. As it fully pulled out from the docking area, the vacant space left behind allowed the visage of three other Storm Skiffs who slowly docked into Klugetown's empty bays. There they immediately began offloading scores of beasts that rushed into the dingy town, ransacking all the while.

A frown settled on Psalms' face. Those ships are bad news. With that much surveillance across the city, there's no way the girls will escape without being seen. We have to take them out of the picture. Psalms' eyes fixated upon a small group of beasts that were making way for a familiar cargo ship stationed on the next pier. Crap. "Thomas, we need to stop that group now before they secure that ship. It's our only ticket out of here."

"Yeah? How exactly?" Thomas pointed his hoof toward the sizable group of beasts that were still being offloaded. "Case you didn't notice, there's a whole damn army right there!"

Eyeing one ship after another, the beginning of a plan formed within his mind. "Ok, listen, I know you're still tired from the whole desert ordeal, but I need you to lead all those beasts away into the city, buy me time to take out all the ships." Psalms lifted a hoof just as Thomas began to object, "I'm not asking you to run all across town for an hour, just lose them and return here as soon as possible, I should have the ships dealt with by then. Leave your saddlebags here, we'll fetch 'em upon departure."

Thomas wanted to object, wanted to say he had done enough running and fighting for a whole week, but he didn't have the luxury of choice, not when others were depending upon him. This didn't stop him from resenting his mission. "Dammit, Psalms-" Thomas cursed as he shrugged off and promptly shoved his saddlebags into Psalms' arms, "-when is this shit gonna be over with? Haven't had a true moment of rest in over twenty-four hours."

"Afraid I can't say just yet. Good luck."

Thomas waived him off before getting a small stretch in before cantering toward the group of beasts. He paused by one of the many entrances leading deeper into the city before he flicked off the hood of his camo coat and bucked the side of the wall hard enough to elicit a sharp crack, grabbing the attention of all around, beasts included. "Hey! Looking for me, ya wampa wannabes? Come on then, catch the pretty pony!" He didn't waste a moment before booking it away, successfully drawing the army of storm beasts away from the skiffs. Psalms' turn now.

Stowing Thomas's saddlebags near Celaeno's ship, Psalms quickly fished through them, brushing aside food and water rations until his prize surfaced before him. With a yank, the grenade pouch was freed from the bag's depths and was secured around his neck.

*CERCHUNK*

The sound of snapping metal brought Psalm's head glancing toward its origin point among the skiffs. Before him, the metal chains that anchored the ships to their dock snapped apart as the remaining skeleton crew worked away with the bolt cutters. The farthest ship away had already freed itself as it began to slowly depart the pier.

"No, no, no!" Psalms exclaimed as he charged in between the two still-docked ships, plucked out several petri-nades, and began targeting all the remaining chains yet cut. His aim wasn't nearly as on target as he hoped but the results were acceptable as both ships remained fastened despite the urgent struggles of their crew as they broke bolt cutter after bolt cutter on the magic obsidian. Psalms dashed after the third ship but it would clear away before he could even attempt to board, thus requiring desperate measures.

"Ok, Psalms, you got this, it's just levitation, you've done it dozens of times back in the barn, plenty of practice, just up, up, and away." He steadied his breath and recalled the words of Ingot when first summoning his magic. He felt the blood flowing in his veins, felt the mana circulating all across his body, through his spine, up into his horn. He let it collect, let it settle, build up. "Just, up, up, and away." Opening his eyes, he fixed his gaze upon the deck of the escaping ship, summoned his magic, and had it fastened around all four of his legs. "Up, up, and away." With a quick surge, he projected his magic forward and immediately regretted his decision. "Up, up, and aaaahhhhh!!!"

Psalms failed to take gravity into account in his little levitation trick and upon thrusting himself off the pier, found the world inverted before him with the ground above and sky below. Projecting his magic as thrust upon his levitated legs, the alicorn was happy to find he had enough juice to actually 'fly' through the air with success, relatively speaking. It was a sight to behold honestly; with the grace of a fly, Psalms erratically soared through the air, performing numerous twists and turns and loopty loops all the while maintaining an inverted ramrod posture while screaming the whole way through.

Through sheer luck or divine intervention, Psalms had successfully directed himself upon the ship's main deck, sliding on his back as he landed. Disorientation was his world as his eyes spun within his sockets, forcing him to lie for half a minute before overcoming the effects. Slowly standing up, Psalms shook away the last of his dizziness just as a claw came hurtling right for his face, causing him to shout and leap away just before being snatched.

Having successfully evaded the attack, Psalms was presented with four beasts before him, far too many for his liking as fear and adrenaline coursed through his veins. Scrambling in a retreat, he hoofed up the stairs that lead towards the quarterdeck, whereupon he could see one beast manning the helm above, fixated on navigating than the pony. Turning around, his horn was quick to grab whatever liftable object it could and barraged his pursuers, throwing chairs, barrels, and crates down the flight of stairs, with little success as the beasts weathered the assault and continued the hunt. They were closing in fast and Psalms was running out of options until he took notice of a large crate to his left. It was far too heavy to lift and too big to come crashing down the stairs, but if he guessed correctly...

He used his magic to jam the crate in between the rails and fished out one of the last remaining grenades in the pouch. It found purchase upon the crate and petrified it and the immediate surroundings, creating a makeshift obsidian barricade blocking entry that way. 

Before he could fully appreciate his work, a claw found its way into his hair and yanked with the strength of an ox, earning a shriek of pain as the former human was twirled in the air by his mane before being ejected across the quarterdeck. Upon slamming against the guardrail, Psalms found himself struggling to regain his breath as the beast from the helm trudged upon him. To his left was another set of stairs of which the four other beasts prior were quickly ascending towards him.

Refocusing on the beast before him, Its tight claws found their painful grip upon his shoulders, hefting him in the air as he struggled within its grasp. A raspy noise filled the air, the sound of laughter Psalms figured, coming from his direct foe. With both limbs pinned to his side, the alicorn summoned his magic and pointed his horn at the creature's eye before firing away. The blast wasn't powerful, but it was enough to earn a sharp squeal and forced the beast to release him as it furiously rubbed away. After a second, its red watery eyes fixed its glare upon him and a snarl escaped its throat as it readied itself to pounce upon Psalms' prone form, but it was too late. Fishing out one last grenade, he thrust it directly into the creature's face and only a small squeak was uttered as the beast petrified fully.

The series of events was quick as a flash as the four beasts prior had yet to fully climb the quarterdeck, something Psalms was quick to capitalize on. Turning to the petrified beast's side, he applied all his available mana upon the creature and tipped it towards the stairs and the beasts below. "Timber!" Psalms exclaimed as the poor creatures scrambled to evade their stony brother, but they were too clustered to escape. With a mighty crash, all foes were left splayed across the main deck, a perfect strike in bowling terms. Wiping a drop of sweat away, Psalms made way for the helm. 

Finally reaching his intended target, Psalms struggled for a bit to acclimatize himself to the skiff's steering, but the wheel was easy enough to figure out. Adjusting course back towards the docks, it came as a surprise to still see the chains uncut from the two other ships, leaving the alicorn pleased they hadn't managed an escape yet. Within his peripheral, the most peculiar thing was taking place as giant wooden windmill blades were wreaking havoc across the city a little distance away. Time wasn't on his side.

Foregoing all precautions, Psalms aligned himself on a crash course with the two ships and pushed for full throttle ahead. His plan worked better than expected as the bow of his ship cleaved right through the skiff's envelopes like butter, utterly obliterating the first one and gouging the second. Something must've caught his ship however as he entered a steep incline forcing a trajectory into the side of the cliff. 

His job finished, Psalms climbed up to the poop deck and once again refocused his internal mana around his legs and neck this time around and ejected off, making way for the cargo ship. His flight this time around was far better, but the added strain of keeping himself right side up left him breathless upon landing on the ship's rear deck.

"Holy shit, Psalms what the hell was that!?" His brother incredulously exclaimed from below. "You rammed all three ships down!?"

"Good... good to see you made it." Psalms took a second to gulp more air down.

"Wasn't easy giving them the slip I tell ya what." Thomas took a second to scan the area, "How am I supposed to get up there?"

Before Psalms could respond, a familiar voice echoed from afar, "Hurry!" which was soon followed by the figures of the rest of their merry band, with Dash taking the lead.

Spotting a loose roll of rope, Psalms fastened a secure end on the deck before chucking the rest overboard. "Here!" he exclaimed, garnering Rainbow's attention.

Catching the other end of the rope within her maw, Rainbow extended its max length and pinned the rope beneath the hooves of the others and used their weight to fashion a makeshift tightrope, allowing the others a route to board.

Thomas took a glance at his saddlebags, "No way that's gonna support my weight and load; Psalms, a little help here!"

Summoning all his remaining magic, Psalms gritted his teeth in pain as he strained to lift Thomas up and through the air. "Argh... Thomas... use your magic and help, dammit!"

Some pressure was relieved as the brothers used their combined magical might to propel Thomas before the group and release him with a pop and a small thump, earning a groan a second later.

Psalms flopped onto the deck's floor, gasping for breath as all strength drained away. We did it...we did it... all safe and sound aboard the ship, just like in the movie... Psalms reflected his eyes this way and that for a brief moment. Well...almost all safe and sound... they should be on board right about...now.

True to his depiction, Twilight came flapping into view from the mist and dumped her pink cargo onto the deck with a grunt before plopping herself down as well. "Best. Escape. Plan. Evaaa!!!" Yelled the living cargo.

"...What!?" Twilight exclaimed before she and Pinkie both became wrangled up by Applejack's lasso, bringing both into the group's midst within the cramped cargo space. Before anyone could mutter a word, Spike shushed all as two shadowy figures entered into view.

"Did you hear somethin'?" a gruff voice asked its shaded partner. Instead of a proper reply, only strange garbled squawks sounded off. "Eh," the same gruff voice continued, "probably just the rats. If we find 'em, we'll eat 'em." With that said the two figures retreated away leaving the group space to breathe.

"Rats?" Rarity Squeaked out, a grimace plastered across her face.

A huff escaped Thomas as a frown etched its way on. "Oh, great, now we're stowaways on a ship with a hostile crew." Another huff escaped him as he settled himself onto the floor, unlatched his saddlebags, and shoved them into the center with a kick. "Help yourselves." He settled onto his side and pulled his hood over his eyes as he rested. "Can we ever catch a break?"

The others were quick to tear into the supplies and refreshen themselves, uttering thanks to the two brothers.

"So," Psalms started, "Did we miss anything?"

"Oh, it was just simply dreadful darling, simply dreadful! Nothing but dirt and muck and icky stuff we shall not speak of! And the people fared no better... even the best amongst them." Rarity finished, a scornful yet equally remorseful look adorning her features.

"Yeah, I wouldn't expect to find any class or grace in a town like that," Thomas commented from the floor.

"Well, we did." Rarity answered back, "Or at least I thought we did. I thought we found a true diamond in the rough...."

"Thought we found the needle in the biggest haystack," Applejack stated, "Darn near thought we struck gold."

"Fools gold more like," Pinkie added with a bit of deflation for emphasis.

"What truly matters," Twilight interjected, "is that we finally know our true destination. Celestia wasn't talking about hippos." Twilight splayed the map for all to see. "She was talking about the hippogriffs. They live on Mount Aris."

"Great!" Psalms clapped his hooves together, "So, where is that?"

"The map says it's about southeast of Klugetown, but it doesn't say how far. And with us being stuck on this ship, who knows where it's going." Twilight adjusted her sights to the forepart of the ship. "If I could just get my hooves on a compass, and the ship's manifest, I should be able to calculate our rough location and plot a course to follow."

"Maybe later, right now we have the opportunity to eat, drink and rest, if for just a moment. You above everyone else should take it, Twilight."

"But...but the manifest..." Twilight protested.

"Isn't going anywhere, Twilight," Sunset assured as she settled along a crate, food and water in tow. "An hour's break is all we ask for you. Besides, there isn't a lot of room to sneak by on this ship what with those birds shuffling all around, we'd just get ourselves caught sooner. Better have it done when we have some amount of strength in us."

"But... I... the..." Her objections faded away. "...Fine, yes, you're right. We all need rest... but as soon as the hour is up, we have to get back to it immediately."

"Gonna take a rain check on this one, Twilight. Running all over town with an army of monkeys on your back while you're starving and dehydrated really takes a lot outta one." Thomas settled himself further into a dark corner. "I'm sure you guys can take on a couple of birds without me."

"You should take one too, Psalms, we can handle ourselves." Sunset offered, "After what you did, you deserve it."

Psalms could only offer a quirked brow, "What do you mean?"

"Don't think we didn't see what you did back at the docks, dude. How could anypony miss that awesome ram you pulled on those two ships!? Sliced right through those gasbags and turned all three into confetti!" Rainbow Dash emphasized his actions with mock explosions of styrofoam peanuts in the air from a nearby open crate. "So cool!"

"Rainbow Dashes's exaggerations aside, what you and Thomas accomplished warrants extra recovery time, and we are all too happy to oblige, darling." Rarity applied a hoof to Psalms' shoulder, "Go and rest, you have earned it."

Psalms could only offer a warm smile. "Thanks. We appreciate it."

"Anytime, Sugarcube. Now, 'nough talk, less we ruffle up some feathers."



"How did this happen!? Who did this!?" Tempest demanded as she bared witness to the wreckages of the three skiffs that were ferrying her garrison forces during the desert hunt. She turned her glare to the gaggle of beasts that opted to shuffle on their legs and fiddle their thumbs, a few even whistled away, all avoided her eyes. "...Well!?" she directed her question to Grubber who spang to action emitting grunts and roars and receiving them in turn.

"Apparently, there were two ponies, two unicorns. One gave our forces the run through the city and the other boarded one of our ships and..." Grubber gazed below, "...well you know the rest."

Two unicorns, giving her newly arrived troops the slip immediately upon landing and destroyed her ships. It was impossible, both unicorns, former unicorn in the princess's case, had been accounted for back at the cat's residence. All of her group had been, save one. The red and golden-haired one. She had no matches in the network, no results for the elements of harmony, no records, nothing. Forever an enigma, if Tempest didn't know where to recollect in her memories. One glimpse at her cutie-mark and Tempest had it all figured out. She was Sunset, the one 'Fire Quill' contacted. The one from the mirror, her mark perfectly matched that of the journal.

The princess had successfully regrouped with the guerilla force, bolstering her group's size and strength, as if they weren't enough trouble already. Tempest figured they had already met by now, what with the lack of resistance activity in their subjugated lands. "These unicorns, describe them."

Another series of roars and grunts followed. "Ok, so the one that was leading our troops on a goose chase has dark red fur, black hair or mane or whatever, and was wearing a camo coat and hoodie. The other... let me double check." Yet another series of roars and grunts and Grubber turned to Tempest... before hesitating and turning back. More grunts and roars and a couple of growls and Grubber finally turned back with a small frown. "Ok, so, mistranslation for the latter pony. Wasn't a unicorn, was an alicorn. Black coat, red and yellow mane, colorful fiery wings, definitely not our princess."

The other alicorns. Tempest had already written them off as misidentified reports. With there being no accounts of such individuals across all of Equestria's record halls, Canterlot included, the notion of two unknown alicorns coincidentally appearing and aiding the princess on the eve of the invasion was preposterous to Tempest. She may have written them off too soon it would seem. "Are you sure?" She growled out.

"Don't just take my words alone, feast your eyes on these." With a grunt, one of the beasts surged forth and presented two objects of interest before the Commander. A lock of red and yellow mane ripped from the beast's offender back on the ship. It wasn't much, could've easily come from Sunset as the two hair colors and textures were nearly identical. The other object, however, casted nearly all doubt away as a vibrant, fiery pegasus feather adorning colors just like the mane lay flat against the beast's palm. Such vibrant colors would stand out amidst any normal pegasus as all wings across pony kind wore monotone colors alone, save this single unique feather. There are no ponies in Klugetown, her storm beasts made sure of that; no hippogriffs, nor griffons, and it certainly wasn't from any other walking feathery creature.

It was very convincing evidence for Tempest, But she held a 'seeing is believing' policy. She would just have to meet this feather's owner in pony to truly determine the legitimacy of this rampant alicorn rumor. And to do so, she needed to know where they are. "Bring the feline before me, we do not have time to waste."



"Whatdaya think, Twilight?" Applejack inquired as she and Rainbow Dash inspected the area before them. It bustled with the activity of the crew as they organized their cargo across all decks. From their position, reaching the manifest meant certain detection from the captain as she had yet to meander away from the helm or the captain's quarters. "Should we just... ask 'em to take us?"

Upon hearing her words, Twilighted reflected away from the map and fixed them a worried look, "Last time we trusted somepony, he tried to sell us!"

"...Well, yes... but it worked the time before, didn't it? With Psalms and Thomas? We trusted them, didn't we?" Fluttershy meekly interjected.

"That's because they're a unique case! They're alicorns for crying out loud. We can't trust these parrots, just look at them! They're wearing Storm King uniforms!"

"Well, they are ferrying merchandise cargo; kinda figured it was a mandatory uniforms situation at play in their job regulations," Sunset added off to the side. "Believe me, I know their pain all too well."

"Why don't we just put it to a vote? That way everypony can participate! I'll go get the sleepy-heads!"

"Pinkie! No! Wrong way!" But Twilight was too late as the pink pony uttered an 'oof' upon impacting on a feathery talon. She slowly lifted her head to look above and visibly gulped before backpedaling back into her group.

"Hey, guys!" Squawked the gruff bird as he hefted the crate the ponies used for cover away. "Come check this out!" 



*FWOOOOOOO*

"All right! That's lunch!"

The shout startled Psalms awake from his slumber, leaving him to blink away the crust in his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings, finding nothing but crates, merchandise, and Thomas curled up like a cat in the corner, he appeared unbothered by the noise that just occurred, lucky guy. Psalms knew taking the extra hour nap would only make him feel worse, but boy was that the best nap he had ever had. Now, though? He felt more tired than before, but he knew he couldn't go back to sleep, lest they both risk missing the coming boarding from Tempest. Still had to wait out the song and dance routine, but at least that would be entertaining to see in person. Thomas was for sure gonna owe him one for letting him sleep through it, though. Trotting over to the nearest rail, Psalms leaned on it and his hoof as he observed the storm clouds below.

...Thomas... now there was a thought he hadn't really explored much yet. Granted, the whole invasion ordeal got in the way of everything, but still, for being his adopted brother, he knew practically zero of the former human. Yeah, sure they had a talk on the train and got introductions out of the way, but the biggest question still hung in the air since he first laid eyes on him; why was he here? Recollecting all his moments from the afterlife, he could find no mention of Thomas. It is absolutely not a coincidence the two landed next to each at the same time with both being former humans now turned alicorns...could he possibly be... 

Dammit, he should've asked Sophia when he had the chance back on the train, could've shed a lot of light on his crimson companion. Considering the circumstances it took to encounter her both times, arranging yet another meeting with her wasn't exactly a viable option for the moment. Maybe he could pray? Ask her or God for answers? "...Nah, I'm sure he's got his hands full at the moment...oh, who am I kidding, this is God we're talking about."

His statement does beg the question though, If God is truly all-powerful... then why is there even a Holy War to begin with? Can't he just... snap his figurative fingers and boom, Satan and his minions turn to ash? That would be very convenient, wouldn't it? Diving deeper into these disturbing thoughts, if God is truly all-powerful, then why not rid all evil across all worlds? What's stopping him? Does he choose not to? Why does evil exist within this world? Was there a pony Adam and Eve and they did their own version of biting of the forbidden fruit?

...How the hell did I get from thinking about Thomas to questioning God's extent of power and the first ponies? Psalms heaved a sigh. These questions and others just as similar had always plagued him during his time growing in both body and spirit. There have been many answers from many people and just as many lacked the insight to provide one. Even Pastor Ian couldn't give a concrete answer, something that had left the boy rattled for many years after. If someone so heavily rooted in the Christian faith as Ian couldn't give an explicit answer... then maybe these weren't questions worth asking. Maybe they weren't meant to be asked, or maybe humans couldn't handle the answer.

Whatever the case, Psalms wouldn't consider asking another human these questions ever again given the chance. Not only because he was sure to get direct answers from the Big Guy himself one day, but because some of the answers from some of his 'fellow Christians' were more than unsatisfactory on multiple occasions. A frown etched itself across Psalms' face as he recollected bad memories from a life before. Crazy fanatics and their crazy-ass way of thinking, putting nothing but dirt on Christianities's name. I've always considered myself a devout Christian, but you won't catch me stooping to those crazies levels. Using the Lord's name as a cover for all manners of blasphemous and heathenous actions and agendas...

Psalms relaxed his muscles and blew away the breath he had been holding in. None of that matters anymore, those are human problems for his human brethren to worry about. He was here, in Equestria where he assumed nobody even knew that God existed. Psalms knew what his objective was on this planet, but he idly wondered if perhaps God or Sophia wanted him to begin spreading the word of the Gospel, to start slowly converting the natives...

Psalms rigorously shook that thought away. No, he knew his duty, he remembered Sophia's words 'go forth and maintain the peace, immerse yourself in its magic, ensure that Harmony reigns, and live the life that you dreamed of.' Not everyone is receptive to the Lord's words, and these ponies have done well for themselves so far, best not to do anything that could ruin it, at least for now. Perhaps in the far future, but before anything, Psalms would need to learn the history of the alicorns. Perhaps there he will find the beginning traces of God's presence within this world.

Pslams' post-nap musings were interrupted as a shockwave rocked the floorboards and cargo which startled Thomas into a dazed frenzy. "Huh!? Wuzzah!? Weez under attack!?" He scrambled off the floor as his adrenaline infused addled mind left scanning all directions for danger.

Psalms saddled over and placed a calming hoof on his brother's shoulder. "No, but we're about to be. Get your things and meet me outside." Psalms turned to exit the poop deck's rear cargo hold and join the others below the helm, with Thomas joining his side a moment later as they both were witness to Rainbow Dash circling the airship while weaving trails of literal rainbows in her wake.

"Wow," Thomas voiced out to himself, "...Am I still dreaming?"

A small smile found itself perched on Psalms' face upon hearing his brother's words. Rainbow's 'little' stunt, despite being terribly foolish, did brighten up all the others so he couldn't give her too much flak. Brightened everyone but one panicking princess. 

"Twilight?" Psalms called out, "You alright?"

Rainbow finished her maneuvers and landed on the deck below. She was soon joined by several others as they offered praise and sport while their energy was high, leaving the two alicorns alone.

"No! I'm not alright! Why did Rainbow do that!? What was she thinking!? She'll lead her straight here!"

"Looks to me like she was caught up in the heat of the moment." The soft clangs of two swords echoed from the deck below. "But, I agree, not the smartest move, but then again, she isn't well known for her smarts, now is she?" Psalms lightly joked, hoping to give some slight solace in Twilight.

Her frazzled mind, however, did not take kindly to his jest. "Now isn't the time for jokes! We need to formulate an escape plan! Dash's rainboom has no doubt already alerted-"

The *Ding* *Ding* *Ding* followed by the alarmed squawking of the ship's 'special' crewmate interrupted Twilight and drew all eyes to the starboard side as Tempest's flagship came burling in their direction at max speed.

"Storm guards!" Captain Celaeno stated, "Looks like they found you!"

"-Tempest!" Twilight finally managed to finish her sentence.

Celaeno was quick to command as she issued orders to her crew while all of the ponies and Spike were ushered into the ship's bowels. Upon the hatch closing, the captain's commands became muffled and the startled breaths of those around filled the air. Rainbow Dash could only cringe as the consequences of her actions slowly became realized. "...Ya think she saw my sonic rainboom?" A sheepish smile followed.

"Are you kidding me!?" Twilight righteously inquired.

Any further dialog was hindered as all were thrown harshly against the ship's port side as a harpoon found purchase deeper within their compartment.

Shaking his head clear, Psalms spotted the offending object that had been buried into the hull and opted to inspect it closer. The hook was securely fastened within the wood and Psalms had no doubt his magic wouldn't make a dent in the metal. It took not even half a minute for Tempest's ship to secure itself off the starboard side, and soon several thunks reverberated overhead. Instead of muffled sounds, the voices that followed were relatively clear what with there being a gaping hole right next to him.

"Where is the Pony Princess?" Tempest went straight to the point, no doubt tired of this game of cat and mouse.

"Princess?" Celaeno questioned. Psalms was ninety-nine percent sure she was just playing the fool for their sake, but he truly did wonder if she actually knew Twilight was a princess or not. He didn't expect a swashbuckling treasure hunter to be privy about pony royalty so he safely assumed not, but then again, she was a pirate, so maybe. "Prin-cess, Prin-cess..." Celaeno continued, "...Nope. All we're hauling is Storm King merchandise."

"Psalms, what're we doing? Why are we hiding down here? We can easily take these guys out." Thomas inquired as he positioned himself by his brother's side. Said brother proceeded to hush him before returning to the interrogation above.

"You do realize that if you were to shelter fugitives, the Storm King would be quite... explosive." The soft crackling of magic barely filtered into the interior before ceasing a second later.

With a lull in the interrogation having overtaken above, Psalms spared a brief glance at Twilight where the formulation of an escape plan had quickly taken root in her noggin. Psalms then redirected his gaze above, no doubt standing directly underneath the cargo ship's crew. They'll be fine. Sure their ship gets destroyed and they become stranded, but fine nonetheless. I know the future, I know what's to come... so why does it feel so wrong to simply leave them to their fate? Psalms turned his head towards the harpoon and the ship that it originated from. ...What guarantee do I have that everything will turn out fine? I've interjected myself and changed so much and yet so little has been affected. Maybe all of my interference had slowly culminated into here and now and thus the fates of the cat and the crew are worse off than before... maybe I'm just overthinking and worrying about nothing...

"Psalms, Thomas, quickly, I need your help to-"

"Make a makeshift hot air balloon using a crate, rope, and that fabric, I know, but we can't help you, there isn't enough time. You need to go now. Assemble it on the way down, I know you can do it." Taking a second to search their confined space, Psalms magicked up the map Twilight had been using to plot a course and hoofed it over to Twilight. "Don't want to be forgetting this now." Spotting the still-hanging fabric, Psalms yanked it down and thrust it into the arm of Dash.

"What are you doing?" She inquired as all the others gathered around her, coincidentally standing directly on the exterior hatch.

"Buying you time." Psalms simply said before magicking a grip on the lever and pulled, eliciting multiple startled cries as all free fell down below, all save one.

"You aren't getting rid of me that easily." Sunset sounded off as she appeared to their left. "I saw that look in your eye, you got a plan and the will to strike. I'm getting sick of constantly running, and you've already had your little action moment before, it's time I get mine. Besides, you could use the help."

Psalms fixed her a smile. "Glad to have you onboard."

"Woah, woah, woah, are we just gonna ignore how you casually sent all those girls and Spike plummeting to their deaths? What the hell was that!?" Thomas asked with an ever increasingly perplexed face.

"Don't worry, they're perfectly fine. Now, we can take this ship and its crew on, but I'm going to need your guy's help. Tempest is not one to be underestimated, so me and Sunset will focus on her, hopefully with our combined magical might, we can go toe to toe. Thomas, you work best dealing with the beasts. With the added help of the pirate crew, I think we stand a good chance." Several thuds reverberated across the ship's bowels. "Sounds like the last of her troops have boarded. Sunset, think you can magic us onto her ship?"

Sunset cracked her neck eliciting several satisfying crunches. "Just us three? No problem."

"Hold on now just a moment, I didn't agree to do this with you. There's no way you're getting me up there and fighting a bunch of yetis while balancing off the side of the ship." Thomas protested.

Psalms quirked a brow. "Weren't you just complaining about us hiding instead of fighting? What's the problem now?"

"The problem is there's only three of us left. With all ten of us, we'd be wiping the floor with them within a minute, but now you want me to put my trust into two cripples, a cyclops, an old hag, and a literal bird-brain, all the while balancing a thousand feet in the air?" Thomas stomped his hoof. "Absolutely not. I've had it up to here with all these near-death encounters, what with the train ride and the whole desert and that damn town, enough is enough!"

"...Well, I suppose the choice is yours but uh, I don't think you have a lot of options at the moment." Psalms motioned to the open hatch just yonder.

Thomas took a moment to reflect upon the hatch, then directed his gaze to his side, lifted his coat, and examined his wings. A heavy hiss escaped him a moment later. "Fucking dammit... I have got to get these wings working. Alright, fine, you win, but don't think I'll just forget what you did, Psalms. I could've been with Twilight and the others, but you forced me into this position. Everything better turn out just peachy."



"Search the ship! Every nook and cranny. Nothing goes unturned." Tempest shifted her gaze to the pirates, eyes narrowing into slits. "Bring the cat here. I have an example to make and I don't do repeats." The order issued, beasts began tearing the ship apart while one of them hopped back on the skiff to retrieve the prisoner below. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, lying to a commander of the King's Regiment, aiding rebels,-" Tempest took a cursory glance at the pirate's attire, "-and least of all, dereliction of duty. You know, I've been having a bad few days, It'll be nice to release some... pent-up steam."

If Tempest had anything more to say, she would've been interrupted as the beast sent for Capper found itself splayed out amongst numerous broken Storm King merchandise and crates. Low groans were emitted by the creature and it tried to sit up off its back but the strain was too much and it was forced down for good.

Broken horn flared, Tempest turned to the offenders, finding all three perched upon her bow. One camo crimson unicorn to the right, newly identified Sunset Shimmer to the left, and centered right in the middle...

Tempest was at a loss for words as the alicorn stood before her. Red and yellow mane, fiery phoenix-coated wings, black coat, blue eyes, and undeniably a stallion. A stallion.... a stallion... huh, now she's seen everything. "You." Tempest declared with a heavy snort. "Fire Quill, is it? You and your royal girlfriend have been nothing but a thorn in my side. From Canterlot to Klugetown, you just don't know when to give it up, do you?"

"Can't say anyone has ever called me stubborn before, but coming from you, it's a real honor."

Tempest ignored his remark. "No matter. I only need one more alicorn for the staff to work, since you're so keen to offer yourself up, I'll make your capture quick." Her horn was quick to flare up and she blasted away at the trio but her mark was denied as a shield formed around them which dissipated a moment later. Without any words, The crimson unicorn launched himself off the bow and oriented himself against Tempest's personal guard. Sensing the newfound opportunity, the pirates raised their swords, gave a mighty 'HAR!' and dashed off for their own targets as the beasts ravaging their ship condescend back onto the main deck.

Tempest didn't relent as she fired away. Blast after blast impacting the duo's shield. The strain was great, but with their combined magical might, they were able to weather her barrage.

With growing frustration, Tempest ceased her magical assault and teleported herself between the two, a surprise move that left both open to her quick strikes. Fast as a snake, Tempest delivered a sweeping maneuver that left Psalms tripping on his hooves. Before he could hit the ground, she delivered a two-prong kick that knocked the wind out of him once more as he was catapulted through an open hole leading into the deepest depths of her flagship. Before she could give chase, a bolt of magic impacted her shoulder, hindering her for a brief moment. Turning her glare to the offender, Sunset prepped another mana strike, but before she could successfully discharge it, a purple sphere was assembled directly upon the tip of Sunset's horn.

The resulting blast sent Sunset flying across the deck, where her form lay still. She was only spared a glance as Tempest surged forward to her true target.



Psalms hacked out a few coughs as he regained his breath and it took a moment for him to discern his surroundings. He found himself splayed out on a metal grated floor, where a dark red mist lingered below. Very little light illuminated his vicinity, which left him to fumble for a bit as his eyes ever slowly readjusted. Up above a single heavy cage swayed in the air, ready to snatch him up within its confines, Psalms was quick to move out of its operatable range.

*Clank* *Clank* The sound of impacting hooves sounded off from his six, and sure enough Tempest came into view as he turned to face her.

"Like what I've done with the place?" Tempest began as she leisurely began to pace around Psalms, "I think the mist might be a tad much, what do you think?"

Psalms steadied his breath as he regarded her with calm eyes. "I don't know, I'm not one to fuss over interior decorations."

"Well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to familiarize yourself with it when we make way for Canterlot. Luckily for you, a good host always has a room ready for her guests. Even prepared a nice, cozy bed, just for you." She inclined her head above. "Care to take a closer look?" She finished as her horn flared with rippling wild mana.

"That's alright, I've rested enough already." Psalms horn flared as well.

"Please," Tempest began as a snarl replaced her faux smile, "I insist!" A bolt of magic arced through the air, coiling to strike Psalms down but with a quick leap to the side, the bolt detonated upon the metal flooring which creaked and groaned in protest.

Sliding to her left flank, Psalms jumped back onto his hooves and summoned his magic to fasten around his legs, and projected forward with all his mana, once more using his levitation to attempt a body slam into Tempest.

She refocused her sights on him and unleashed a sweeping arc of magic that sliced through the air at breakneck speeds in his direction.

Psalms ceased his magic, curled his legs under himself, and slid under the magical arc, barely singing his air as it flowed overhead before levitating himself once more, still within his tucked-in form, and surged to meet Tempest's side. He successfully connected and the blow threw Tempest against the wall to his right. Her armor dampened the blow significantly and his shoulder was for sure gonna sport a nasty bruise in the morning, but with her out of the way for the briefest moment, Psalms turned towards the stairway and desperately began a hasty retreat. 

He did not have the magical prowess of Sunset or Twilight to engage in a prolonged magical duel, nor did he have the raw strength like Thomas to physically subdue her. He knew Tempest was a foe not to be trifled with and he had hoped with the added support of Sunset, the two could keep her preoccupied and weather her attacks until all other beasts were dealt with and all could converge and overwhelm her at once. Yet, it took not even a minute for her to send him flying down here and presumably render Sunset out of action before fixating solely on his capture. He needed to resurface if he wanted to stand any chance against her. Taking into consideration Tempest's proficiency at CQC meant the confined space he shared with her was only to her benefit.

Ascending the flight of stairs, Psalms reached for the hatch's handle but a hard tug at his tail pulled him away at the last moment. Yanked forcefully down the stairs, Psalms was subject to having his head impact each stairstep along the way, cracking his jaw all the while. Another tug and he was thrown off the side of the stairs, impacted the ground with the grace of a piano, and subsequentially lost all breath once more.

Tempest ceased her magic and trotted up to Psalms until he was directly beneath her. She applied a heavy hoof onto his sternum and pinned him before her. "Now, where do you think you're going?"

Psalms gasped for breath as she pressed her hoof further. "...Oh... you know...thought I could use some....fresh air." Psalms hissed as she pressed even further. He opened his eyes and oriented his face to meet hers. "You're making a mistake, Tempest... the Storm King won't uphold his end of the deal... he won't fix your horn-" Tempest's eyes grew wide, "-he's just using you. I know you know this, you have to."

Tempest's face continued to remain shocked. "...How... how do you know about-"

"I'm an alicorn, let's just say I know many things I shouldn't, but I don't need to be an omniscient being to know that you are nothing but his pawn." Psalms pointed to the dark metal cage above. "Is this who you really are, Fizzlepop?" Tempest's breath hitched as she took a step back. "A conquerer? An invader?" Psalms clambered back onto his feet, "...A traitor?"

A bolt of magic struck him back down and Tempest was quick to bear her snarling face against his. "You don't know what I've been through! You know nothing about me! You don't know what it's like to have your very own friends, your very own family, turn their backs on you! To be an outsider to your very own home!"

Psalms took a moment to wipe away a drip of blood from his mouth. "...No, maybe I don't, but I do know what it's like to be ostracized by those around you." Tempest snarled once more but Psalms continued before she could interrupt. "I wasn't always an alicorn you know, and I wasn't as lucky to have a family in the beginning as you did, nor did I even have friends. I was born into the world utterly alone, Tempest. A sickly little child barely living in an orphanage. I spent many years there, and in all that time nobody wanted me, nobody, not until the very end." A bitter laugh escaped his lungs. "Not even the universe tolerated my existence because just as soon as I came to accept my place in the world, I came down with a terminal disease."

A conflicting mask adorned Tempest's features and she backed away from Psalms as he struggled to clamber back onto his feet. "But, no matter how much shit the world threw at me, I never lost hope and faith, not in myself or others. Sure, they've waivered from time to time, but they have never been broken. I know there's good in you, Tempest, It's not too late to stop and fight back against the Storm King. It's not too late to turn things around."

"...I can't... the damage is already done... most of Equestria and its citizens are under our subjugation... I'm beyond the point of redemption."

A small smile found its way onto Psalms features. "You severely underestimate the lengths these ponies will take to befriend just about anyone. Believe me, they'll forgive you in a heartbeat."

"But can they help me?" Tempest bit back with a glare, inching her way toward Psalms with each case she listed off. "I've read the reports, I've seen firsthoof just how truly powerful you alicorns are. Your sun princess couldn't stop one starving little bug queen from incapacitating her to a wall. She couldn't or wouldn't stop Discord's rise without the element bearers, only to then have him be released on good behavior which almost led to the complete loss of all magic from that raging centaur! Couldn't break free from some measly magical plants, didn't even bother helping with the Pony of Shadows, sent her own niece to fight off an ancient foe instead of herself?" 

Tempest's encroachment pressed Psalms against the wall. "Luna can't control her emotions or darker side, Cadence needed the help of a baby dragon to save the day, and you can't even protect yourself from a broken unicorn! ...How can I have hope that you mighty magical beings will be able to mend my horn when you can't even save yourselves!?" Her horn flared once more, "...The Storm King promised to restore my horn... and with the power of four alicorns, he very well could."

"...But do you honestly believe he will?"

The desperate look that morphed on her face for a single second was all the answer he needed. It was quickly replaced with a hard glare as her horn flared for a strike, but the insistent rattling of the cage's chain above drew the attention of both as a dark figure slid down and disembarked with a jump straight into Tempest's side. The force of the figure's weight drove Tempest against the wall with a harsh impact that echoed throughout the chamber.

"You alright?" The voice of Thomas was a flood of relief for Psalms. He offered a simple nod. "Get topside, I'll buy you time." Tempest had recovered by then and her horn sparked with enraged magic but Thomas was quick to lock her within his grip and the two began a rough tussle as Psalms booked for the exit.

Closing the hatch behind him, Psalms was surprised to find fire had broken out within the ship's bowels. Smoke choked the path ahead, forcing Psalms to take an alternate route. It wasn't long before hacking coughs from another individual entered his ears as he came across a series of empty cages, save for one. There Capper was, one paw cupped to his mouth and the other fiddling with his cage's lock with one of his claws. His teary eyes soon noticed Psalms within his peripheral. "*Cough*, *Cough*, *Cough*... Not too keen to lose one of my lives here, friend. Care to lend a helping hoof?"

"Promise you won't try to sell my friends again?"

The look of shame that flashed across the cat's face was reassuring. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Capper finished with the added motions.

A quick zap from Psalms horn and the lock shattered. "You know Pinkie's Promise already?"

Capper kicked the cage open and stretched his limbs upon exiting. "That mare's running on a twenty-four seven sugar-rush. Darn near told me her whole life's story in one breath."

Muffled explosions from the rear rocked the ship and the two around. "C'mon, that promise is a start, but you still need to grovel on the floor and beg for their forgiveness after what you tried to pull." With Capper in tow, the two rushed for the exterior hatch, passing by more out-of-control fires along the way. Breaching through the hatch, The two are presented with the last Storm beast falling at the hands of Captain Celaeno as she and the beast tangoed with their spear and sword respectively. She parried the beast's strikes expertly and once it tried to lash out with a ranged attack, she finished playing around committed to a one-two strike and slice that tore the spear into three halves. The spear rumbled uncontrollably with chaotic energy and the beast narrowly defied injury as it chucked the spear bits away which exploded a second later. It turned back to the Captain in which she delivered an elbow to its face, toppling the beast down for good. The battle won, she sheaved her sword and let out a triumphant cry which was followed by the others. Lying around, the unconscious bodies of multiple beasts littered the deck.

Another explosion rang out and the Captain was quick to issue an 'abandon ship' order as she and her crew collected the beasts, and a surrendered Grubber, onto her deck. Capper let out a startled yowl and pounced away to safety as another explosion racked Tempest's ship.

"Psalms! Over here!" Sunset called out as she exited Tempest's quarters with multiple scrolls and books within her magical hold. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to help, her bubble shield cause me to burn my horn out, lost control of my mana until a few moments ago, but I managed to snag all of these, might be useful inf-"

Sunset was interrupted as the hatch leading into the bowel blasted open, propelling Thomas's form across the deck's floor. His coat was torn and smoke lingered from the shot that had successfully landed on him. He lay still for a moment, but soon enough a groan was heard as he slowly settled back on his feet. Sunset was quick to throw her load onto the cargo ship before she and Psalms were by Thomas's side and all swiveled their head as the creaking stairs announced Tempest's emergence.

Bruises adorned her face and legs and scratch marks covered every side of her armor, but other than that, she looked no worse for wear. She did not hesitate to unleash her inner rage onto the trio who shielded themselves with their combined magic as they retreated towards the ship's bow. Celaeno and her crew drew swords once more and rushed to assist, but with a quick flick of her magic, Tempest sent all hurdling to the far end of the cargo ship. Capper attempted to help by throwing what he could at her, but she simply ignored him and continued to pummel at the ponies' shield.

Strike after strike, Tempest was unrelenting. She did not bother with words or quips or threats, she wanted Psalms and she was desperate to throw everything to get him. Blast after Blast after blast, and just as the shield began to waiver, Tempest paused for the briefest of moments, but only to allow her horn to build up with her strongest magical strike yet. The air visibly rippled with heat as Tempest's horn pulsed with overcharged power. The trio scoured all angles with panicked eyes, trying in vain to spot anything that could be their last-minute salvation, but nothing came forth, nor was there time as Tempest leveled her horn, primed her magic, and fired awa-

*CRA-BOOM!*

Without warning, the deck splintered into rupturing flames and smoke as it imploded from its inner bowels, sending shrapnel and ponies flying. Psalms found himself slamming against yet another guardrail and was grateful he didn't have the momentum or force to be pitched overboard. Dazed didn't even begin to describe his state of mind as he struggled to shake his head clear of the vertigo plaguing him. After a brief inspection of himself, he was surprised to find little damage.

The same couldn't be said for Thomas as he arose from a cluster of broken crates. He sported a hoof to his head upon fully emerging as a dribble of blood leaked from the wound at the base of his skull. He stumbled for a bit but soon enough found his footing as he and Psalms surveyed the surrounding damage. Once the notion of proximate flames registered within his mind, Thomas's eyes grew wild with fear and he began a hasty retreat towards Sunset.

Said mare managed to land on the very edge of the ship's bow; with her feet curled under her, she hissed and winced with every breath, but looked to be in one piece.

Turning back to the ship's rear, Psalms finally laid eyes on Tempest as she surged back onto her hooves, nursing her forelimb as she braced against a nearby crate. Another explosion rocked the ship resulting in the destruction of the engines as they belched smoldering fire from their exhaust openings, resulting in the skiff pitching forward to a sharp degree as it began to lose altitude. Before Psalms could shout an alarm, a crate struck Tempest's side, sending her flying over the guardrail and down below to the misty sea.

The screech of grinding metal filled the air as the skiff gouged the side of the cargo ship. With its harpoon still in place, Tempest's flagship threatened to bring both ships down to Davy Jone's locker. Scrambling to regroup with the other two, all three ponies laid eyes on the metal chain hooking the two ships. "We need to-"

"For Celestia's sake, we have eyes too, Psalms!" Sunset snapped as her horn blared and her magic wrapped around the chain. "Shut up and start pulling!"

With a glance being shared between the brothers, their magic soon joined in the desperate tugging. The grapple remained firmly fixed within Celaeno's hull, refusing to budge an inch no matter how much they struggled. Sunset and Psalms soon started blasting holes around the opening, hoping to tear off enough wood and metal that kept the hook secure. As they slowly worked away at the hull, Tempest's ship continued to pitch forward, dragging the pirate's ship into a growing incline leading to crates and barrels and scores of merchandise rolling off the ship's side while the crew struggled to secure themselves along the deck.

Finally, with a heavy pop, the harpoon grapple relented with a massive jerk that lead to the ponies tumbling onto the floor. With the tether severed, Celaeno was quick to slowly readjust her ship's elevation and restore its leveled state. The crew and Capper were in a frenzy to lower all ladder rungs along the starboard, but only the one at the skiff's rear was of viable reach.

A desperate sprint to the poop deck was made as each pony scrambled over broken debris, belching fires, and each other. Just as Sunset breached the top of the stairwell, one final hurdle by fate was launched their way in the form of several barrels that were previously secured but became loose amidst all the chaos and rolled directly their way, leaving no time to react. Sunset was flattened by the first few while Psalms launched himself to the side and out of the way while the rest came barreling directly into Thomas.

Psalms could only stare in horror as his brother topple down the stairs once the barrels impacted. "Thomas!"

Within his peripheral, the ladder rung was quickly losing length as the ships continued to drift further apart. Without a second thought, Psalms caught the last of the rung before it escaped and jammed it within Sunset's hooves. Before she could even comprehend his actions, she was forcefully yanked off the ship's side. Her retreating figure soon came into view and Psalms was able to confirm her safety as she hanged for dear life.

"Thomas! Psalms!" Her cries echoed from above.

With Sunset safe, he focused all his attention to saving Thomas. Turns out he didn't need to go too far as he was able to spot his brother fastened in between the helms guardrail and a secured crate. Psalms allowed himself to slide down until he impacted the ship's steering wheel, earning Thomas's attention.

"We're going to die!" Thomas screamed out, "We're going to die, and it's all your fucking fault! Fuck, why me, why!?"

Thomas may have been panicking out of his mind, but that didn't mean his words were any less true. They most certainly were going to die and it was his fault. Everything would've turned out just fine for everyone... so why did he have to go and risk it all?

...Because he just couldn't sit and leave the birds and cat to their fate, even if there was no danger of death. He was ready and willing to follow Twilight's escape plan, but the moment he decided to turn his back... he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He felt it when he left those ponies to fend for themselves back when they first reached the train station when their adventure started, and he felt it again when he let those prisoners get loaded up once they returned to the trainyard. The chill tore at his heart, telling him that he had made a mistake... maybe it was emotions getting the better of him, or maybe it was a sign from the Lord, he didn't know, but he swore from then on that he'd make sure that chill would never run through him again if he could help it.

That's why he decided to help the pirates, to risk it all for something nonsensical, because it was his duty. He has a divine mission to maintain and by God, he was going to uphold it come rain or shine. Involving Thomas however was his mistake. His brother's life wasn't his to throw away or manipulate... and yet he had done exactly that, and now the both of them were likely doomed to an early grave... and it would all be his fault…

Psalms was torn away from his thoughts as the last of the storm clouds cleared and the visage of Mount Aris was presented before him. Seeing the mountain within close proximity, hope surged within his soul, and with a successful test of the wheel and the rudder controls, it blossomed fully into faith. Faith that they'll pull through yet again. "Thomas! If you can hear me, brace for impact!"