//------------------------------// // CQC // Story: He's a Vampire // by Gormless Wheaton //------------------------------// "Look at them burn!" Chrysalis cackled, pointing a hoof at the burning ship as it crashed down into the city. "That's what you get, princess!" "When you said that stuff'd burn, you weren't kidding!" Hop added with a howling laugh of his own. "So much for Calaeno, boss," one of the thugs said as he poured champagne into the glasses on the table between where the two villains sat, looking out on the spectacle from the top-story porch of Hop's private apartment block. The aged green earth stallion greedily swiped his glass, splashing some of the contents on his red overcoat, and raised it forward as the ship leveled half a city block. "Shoulda taken my offer, you ignorant crow!" He laughed again. Chrysalis hummed in glee and grasped her glass with her magic. "How soon before we can search for the bodies? I'd like a trophy or two," she hissed as they clinked their glasses. "They ain't dead," Candy declared, having been leaning against the wall at the corner of the porch. The pair glared at the vampire. "My Evil Eye's got them.." He stepped forward and traced his hand out, narrowing his eyes and pointing. "There. The princess magicked them on that roof there." The villains hissed and Hop hurled his glass over the edge, before snorting. "Fetch my speaker and mobilize the boys! They're in block 14B!" He ordered, leering sideways at Chrysalis as she laughed again. "This only means we have a chance to personally punish the fools," her expression hardened, and she glared at Candy. "What of the other vampire?" Candy hummed and cast his Eye out again. "His ships sitting in the water, an-" He pursed his lips. "Your changeling just got fried." Chrysalis waved her hoof and huffed. "An expected outcome. But this is why I had you modify those silly storm machines," she cast a proud gaze at the sheet of clouds billowing from the ships along the coast. "Even if he can use a teleportation spell, he can't travel to what he can't see." Hop stamped his hooves together. "And even if he gets the ship moving towards the shore, my cannons'll sink it! Ha ha!" His expression fell and he growled at Candy. "'Course, that will raise your bill, chum." Candy hummed in response and lit a cigarette. Just then, Hop's thugs came scrambling out with his speaker device, setting it on the table and hooking its wires into place off the side of the porch. "We'll discuss that in a minute," Hob said, pointing a hoof at Candy before clearing his throat. Candy rolled his eyes and stepped back inside while the pair spoke to the city. He leaned against the interior wall and slid down to the floor. "He's out there and he's pissed," he thought to himself. "Princess Celestia wants to know if you're ever going to call again." Candy locked his hands around his knees. "As far as Adam knows, I already did." "Huh? That's not true!" Pinkie squeaked. "Did you lie to him?" "I had to. Couldn't just tell him I've been putting it off." "Why?" "Cause, I had.." Candy groaned and screwed up his face, drawing his interlocked hands down the back of his head. "Look, he's got this whole plan for some big new place for vampires. Good for him. I only went along cause-" His head drooped and he clenched his jaw, his eyes scanning the floor. "Cause?" Pinkie urged. "Cause I got nothing else going for me, and I was scared," he drew his hands down his face with a sigh. "But then I found this city, I found this job. I like it here, I like my work, and the quicker his bullshit gets completed, the quicker I'll have to leave." "You could just tell him no." "Dunno what he'd do then. Plus, he's part of the reason Hop works with me. I'm sure he'd buy up all the poison I can sling, but-" "Poison?" Candy sneered at her question, stretching his locked hands out. "Y'know, that's another thing. You can give me all this 'Be yourself, follow your dreams!' advice you want, but little girl, I make drugs. I make poison people suck up and fiend for," he took a deep breath and clicked his teeth. "I told you. I really am just a bad guy." "Well.. Starlight almost blew up the world a few times, and Princess Luna almost cast the whole planet into eternal darkness. Oh! And Rainbow Dash lied to me about pie!" Pinkie replied, earning a furrowed brow from Candy. "So we've got plenty of experience with ponies who've done bad things! It's just a matter of turning your life around. Maybe instead of poison, you could make actual candy? The rocks you had in your pocket at Sugarcube Corner looked pretty tasty!" Candy blinked slowly and laughed quietly. "My dad used to say something like that." "Why didn't you listen?" Candy winced and stared ahead. "Cause change requires you to feel bad about where and who you are. I don't," he rose and stretched his arms with a groan. "So stop wasting your breath." He turned and looked out at the pair of villains who appeared to be about to argue. He slipped next to them and clapped them both on the shoulder. "Cut the bullshit and wrap it up," he stepped away and leaned against the door frame, watching the fire out in the city. "Well, first of all, this is all in my head, so I'm not even breathing in here," Candy rolled his eyes, but she continued before he could retort. "And second, if you're so awful and bad and sure of that, why do you care if I keep trying?" Candy paused and narrowed his eyes, looking around as if in search of an answer. After a moment she spoke again. "The genuine bad guy answer woulda been 'cause it's annoying,' I'm pretty sure." He winced and realized his cigarette had been burning the whole time, and was now mostly ash. He finally exhaled and flicked it away, drawing the attention of the small team of thugs attending Hob who wilted at the vampire's glare. "So what if I ain't got an answer?" "So, I think you're trying hard to convince yourself. I still think you're just all sad inside and don't remember how to be happy. Celestia said vampires can't remember good things like that and try to fill the void with the things they do remember. Oh! Is that why you suck on those weird smokey paper things?" Candy's jaw dropped, and he blankly stared, to the concern of the thugs he'd been glaring at. He blinked when he saw Hop and Chrysalis rise from their seats, the former donning his red hat and having one of his thugs straighten its feather. "Let's head inside and discuss my compensation, Candy," Hop ordered as he strode past the vampire. "Most males wouldn't be so open about it," Chrysalis retorted with a humming laugh as the commodore grumbled. Candy frowned and shook his head. "Your princess friend is in hot water now cause of me, so we'll find out how nice and understanding you're feeling later," was the last thing he said to Pinkie before mentally blocking her out. He caught up with the other two as they made their way to the ground level of Hop's residence. "So, I've got a guess what you're after, but I gotta reiterate it's up to Adam, not me," Candy said to Hop who huffed in response. "Nah nah, I can wait a little longer on immortality. I'm more interested in getting my hooves on some more of that lovely fire potion you had us use out there!" "I agree, it would be perfect for my upcoming assault on Equestria," Chrysalis added before shooting an angry glare at the vampire. "And I demand an update on the artificial love you said you could produce!" Candy hummed and sighed at their demands. "It's only been two weeks, and the liquid love samples you gave me dried up," he bared his teeth at the changeling in a grimace. "You got any idea how hard it is to scrub powdered changeling vomit?" Chrysalis humphed and stuck her nose up. "Sounds like a problem for the genius alchemist to solve," she spat. "But I suppose I can arrange for another sample to be delivered for your research." She glared at him again and stamped her hoof. "After you show me what you've achieved so far," She squawked when Hop shoved her aside. "And that after you've shown me more of that liquid death!" Chrysalis shoved him back and the two pressed their foreheads together in a contest of snarls and scowls. Candy reached forward and pulled them apart. "All of that shit's in my lab. We can do both," he grumbled. "Peter says he can't get the wind or tide to move," Quilt said to Twilight whose face was screwed up as she tried to work a spell with her horn. "I think you called it, captain," she sighed, cut the spell, and turned to Calaeno. "There's some kind of powerful magic over the city controlling the weather. Since it's so specialized, I can't break the spell from this far away." "Do you think those clouds have something to do with it?" Cozy pointed a hoof towards the line of ships spilling black clouds down on the shoreline. The princess shook her head. "No, whatever the source of the spell is, it's further inland. I can feel it." Calaeno stepped forward and scanned the line with her slightly bent spyglass. "Besides, they're just storm clouds. Probably, Hop had a few storm generators lying around and modified them to spill down instead of outwards." "Why would he do that?" Sunbeam asked with a tilt of her head. Calaeno hummed and stowed her spyglass. "Some kind of sightblock, maybe?" She finally suggested. Just then Hasty bolted forward from the guards posted at the roof access. "There's movement down below! At least a dozen bodies, most of them armed," he reported. "There's also movement in the clouds!" A pirate added, pointing his cutlass skyward. "Orders, princess?" one of the guards called out. Twilight furrowed her brow, scanning the city and the ruined block of buildings. "Even if he weren't working with Adam and Chrysalis, we can't ignore a creature so callous as to do this to his own city," she turned to the rest of the group with steely eyes. She stamped her hoof on the roof a few times. "Let's find a way inside. We won't have to worry about getting attacked by any flying creatures." "Right!" The roof access was a spiraling walkway that gradually bent down towards the street on the outside of the building before cutting inwards through the center of each floor. The interior level just below the roof had six doors along its length, evenly spaced from each other and numbered sequentially. Though either end of the hall was open to the city, Twilight threw a shield spell up, sealing the passage. "Alright. Calaeno, I think the first thing we should do is find and capture Commodore Hop. We might be able to force him to call off his thugs, but if nothing else he can lead us to whatever is keeping the weather like this." "What about Peter?" Quilt asked with a severe look. "What she said," Capper said, tugging at his coat. "There's still a live vampire running around this town, y'know." Cozy and Sunbeam stepped forward. "And there's a pair of professional vampire killers right here, y'know!" Cozy declared with a smile. "I didn't see any ships we could use to get to Peter if he's out in the bay," Calaeno said with her arms crossed, pacing the hall. She looked at Twilight. "Unless you or Sunbeam could fly out to him and fly or magic him back, I don't think we can help him right now." "And I'd be surprised if Chrysalis wasn't counting on us trying exactly that," Twilight looked to the whole group. "I'm not sure how they knew were were coming, but it's pretty obvious they're very well prepared. We shouldn't-" She blinked and leaned to look around Calaeno at one of the doors which was slightly ajar. A younger pony was peering back at her with a look of concern. The rest of the team turned to see what she was staring at and flinched when the unexpected guest motioned for them to follow before disappearing inside. The team shared a look before Twilight lit up her horn and slowly led the rest after the local pony, followed closely by Blueblood and Calaeno, both of whom had swords drawn and aimed forward. The three passed the threshold and found a cozy, if sparsely decorated, one-room apartment and the pony sitting all alone, waiting for them all to enter with that same sad look of concern. "Please hurry," she whispered. The trio cast a suspicious glare around the room and then made way for the rest of the team. Once they were all inside and the door was shut, Twilight let her shield spell outside disappear. But she kept her horn lit. "Who are you?" She demanded. Capper slipped back to the door and pressed an ear to it. "Dusty Shelves, princess," she whispered with a slight bow. "I moved here from Manehattan with my sister. We didn't know how bad things were here with Hop and his pirates." Calaeno looked around the room and at the pair of beds against the wall on either side of the window. "How do we-" "Hush!" Capper cut off Twilight with a raised paw. The entire team looked at the door as the muffled noise of many hooves and paws trampled up the hall. "How do we know you're not a changeling?" Twilight asked quietly once the noise had passed. Dusty shook her head. "You don't. But if I wasn't on your side, I could just yell and they'd come running back, I'm pretty sure." The team blanched and shared a look before Twilight furrowed her brow. "So what do you want, exactly?" Dusty averted and narrowed her eyes. "The last few times Chrysalis caused trouble, you or one of your friends stopped her. I was hoping you could do that again?" She gave a sheepish smile and a shrug. "Things were bad enough with Hop before she joined him." "What do you mean?" Blueblood asked, sheathing his sword. Dusty took a deep breath and nodded. "She's got some kind of deal with Hop and that strange creature he's friends with. I'm not sure what she's getting out of it, but she's been using her changelings to spy on everypony for them," she took a shuddering breath and blinked away tears. "They've been replacing ponies over the last two weeks, and anypony who says bad things about the commodore gets taken away by the police." Calaeno grimaced and groaned. "Don't tell me.." She quietly muttered, looking at the second bed again. Dusty clenched her eyes. "I didn't even know," her voice wavered and she whimpered. "I saw her run outside and.. she.. whoever that was dropped that fire and.." Twilight stepped to her side and wrapped a wing around her. "We'll help you find her after we've stopped those monsters." Dusty whimpered again and returned the hug. "Thank you," she whispered. Just then Quilt stamped forward. "Whoa whoa whoa!" She waved a hoof at the pair, causing Dusty to wilt. "No offense if that story's true, but you're buying it just like that?" She cast an incredulous glare at Twilight, who nodded. "Like she said if she could have just called those thugs back. But that said," she looked at Dusty. "What's your opinion on King Thorax?" Dusty tilted her head. "The new King of the Changelings?" She frowned and shrugged. "I dunno, he's probably nicer than Chrysalis." Twilight smiled and nodded at Quilt. "She's real." "Of course, that little creep's got a whole house block to himself," Calaeno grumbled as she added Hop's residence to the makeshift map Dusty was helping the team build. The mare nodded at the captain's outrage. "Once the Storm King chased off all his rivals, Hop got a lot more bold," she explained, staring at the map sadly. "We actually used to live in that building and ran our shop out of it. He still lets us rent the space, but he charges so much that we barely break even." Her ears pressed against her skull. "I think that's why it was so easy for them to swap Empty with a changeling," she added after a moment. Capper hummed and looked over the key she'd turned over. "Well look at it like this, little lady," he smiled down at the sad pony. "Now you get to make 'em regret it all." Dusty smiled back at him when the door suddenly opened. "Hey, Dusty! Sorry for running out like that, but I forgot-" The pony posing as Empty Shelves finally looked up, stopping dead in her tracks just past the door. She looked over the room and slowly took a single step back. The door closed shut behind her via magic, and a silencing spell filled the room. "Help! Help! They're here! They've got my sister!" She screamed, banging on the magic over the door before being grabbed by the pony guards and hauled to the center of the room. "Dusty! Hel-" "Stow it. She saw you transform," Calaeno said darkly, leaning in with her cutlass. "She also saw you burn my ship." Empty stared in terror for a moment before sneering and transforming into her true changeling shape. "What good do you think that's gonna do ya?" The changeling asked with a grin. "Or did you think I came back in as a coincidence?" Calaeno and Twilight shared a look as Dusty averted her eyes. "What do you mean by that?" Twilight demanded, earning a chortle from the changeling. "I told those idiots you were hiding in one of the apartments, but they wanted to do a quick sweep and move on. That's what happens when your leader has to bribe his soldiers to keep them in line," the changeling hissed and smirked. "They're waiting for my all-clear. Then, they'll really be swarming this building." "Of course," Capper groaned and cast a hopeful grin at Twilight. "What're the chances you can magic us away?" She turned towards the window and then to Dusty. "We can't leave you here alone. Who knows what they'll-" Dusty stepped past her and glared at the changeling. "Where is Empty," she asked. The changeling tilted her head. "Who?" Dusty took a step closer. "My sister." The changeling hummed and rubbed its chin. "Not ringing any bells." Dusty moved to step closer but Blueblood held her back with a hoof. "Don't waste your breath, young lady. This lowly outcast is just stalling so we get caught," he said, casting a critical stare at the changeling who smiled in response. "My assumption would be they were preparing for some punchline to the tune of 'you'll be seeing her soon' once her thuggish friends burst through the door." The changeling's grin grew wider as Dusty looked Blueblood up and down with her ears pressed back. "Prince Blueblood?" Her eyes widened and her brow furrowed in disbelief as the prince turned and bowed. "In the flesh and service of the Prince of Woollachia, my dear," he rose with a smile and a curt nod. "Now, let's waste no more time. Princess Twilight? Have you any trick to keep this outcast from pursuing us?" Twilight nodded and stepped to the changeling. "Sure do! Have a nice nap," she lit up her horn and prepared her spell. The changeling hissed a laugh. "The queen is waiting princess~" Hasty peeked out from the hallway of the building Twilight had teleported the group to. Down below, near the wreckage of the ship, the band of thugs had grown in number but were held up by a debate about where to search next instigated by the changelings among them. A trio of their number had only just slipped into Dusty's housing block, likely to search for the changeling they'd knocked out. "We need to move again," he reported upon withdrawing from the walkway railing. "They're probably going to discover the changeling here shortly." Twilight nodded and returned her attention to the map, tapping it with her hoof. "So we're here in block 14b, which is on the same row as Hop's home," she traced her hoof up the crudely drawn street to where Dusty said the commodore lived. The city was arranged by the mayor in sequential blocks that went up in number as you moved east and went up in letter the closer you got to the coast. While this had been used by Hop and his associates to better corral the populace, it also made it easier for Dusty to mark where ponies or other creatures lived who hated the commodore and would probably be helpful. Unfortunately, one such mark was 13C, the block just south of Dusty's where Calaeno's ship crashed. "Wouldn't surprise me if he planned that too," Calaeno muttered, before adding a mark to the map. "I remember there was a bar somewhere in this spot, I think. Next to the airship's port. Donis ran it, do you know him?" Dusty hummed as she looked at the mark. "6A.. Oh, you mean Mr. Pigeon?" Calaeno rolled her eyes. "That's him. Is he still kicking?" Calaeno said evenly. Seeing Dusty nod, she continued. "He and I are friends, and if he's still alive that probably means Hop hasn't discovered his off-the-books smuggling tunnels yet." "Or he's on Hop's payroll now, too," Quilt added with a frown. Calaeno grimaced and was about to retort when Capper held up a paw. "Hush!" The team gave their attention as he crept to the edge of the hallway and listened. He looked back with a severe look. "They're coming." "Scruff," Quilt hissed. The sound of many hooves and feet tramping up the walkway was now audible and growing closer. Twilight looked out and focused on the same level of the house block across the road. Her spell rang out as she moved the group. "What was that?!" A yell rang out. "That was magic! They were just here!" "I saw lights up that way! Across the street!" "I think we've got two more of those before they're right on top of us, princess," Capper said, peeking around the corner. Twilight grimaced and looked at the map. "Are we still in-" A door swung open and a pony came running out. "They're up here! Hurry!" The mare yelled over the railing before Capper could stop her. Twilight threw up a shield, sealing the hallway up, but two more doors flew open at either end of the hall. Out of one came sprinting a pair of ponies with knives in their teeth and a diamond dog with a club out of the other. "Payday!" Shouted one of the ponies as he rushed straight for Quilt before he and his partner were caught in Twilight's magic and hurled into her shield hard enough to crack it. The pair fell to the ground, shivering and wheezing. The diamond dog screeched to a halt, looked at the angry alicorn, and smiled before slowly returning to his home and closing the door. "Holy scruff," Quilt muttered and looked at Twilight. "Thanks." Twilight hummed and looked up and down the hall. "So what's the plan? We just going to sit here and let them wail on your shield?" Capper asked. Twilight rushed to the door the pair of ponies had come out of, and upon seeing it was empty, ran inside. "This way!" She called and the team obeyed. She threw the door shut and placed a shield over it and the window. "We have more space in here for everypony." Sunbeam stamped her hoof. "Right! Meanwhile, they'll have to file in one or two at a time!" "Giving us time to plan our next move," Twilight added sitting down with the map. "Dusty, do you know if I moved us out of your block? We never defined how close you were to the edge." "That one!" The muffled voice of the mare who blew their cover yelled. The door rattled and then shook. Dusty's ears shot back at the sight, but she was dragged to Twilight's side. The pirates flipped over what little furniture there was and barricaded the door before forming up behind the spear-wielding royal guards. Behind them, Calaeno, Blueblood, and Hasty stood ready. Quilt and Capper huddled behind Cozy and Sunbeam, the former of whom had drawn her magic knife. There was a crack at the window and a shout of pain as Twilight's shield repelled someone who'd tried to dive in, nearly drawing Dusty's attention away from the map as she and Twilight added more definition. "Alright! We're in 12C now!" Twilight rose to her hooves and lit up her horn. "We just need to clear a path, and then everypony follow me!" She stepped forward as the door shook from the head of an axe piercing it. "Right!" The team replied. "Let 'em wear themselves out a minute," Calaeno added, to which Twilight nodded. The windows cracked again, but no progress was made. The axe was reburied in the door and joined by a pair of hooks that started pulling at the wood. "Nowhere to hide!" A low voice roared through the steadily growing gaps. The team tightened their formation, and the guards took a half step forward. Quilt looked up at Capper. "Do you think you could carry me?" She asked earning a flinch from him. "I mean.. Yeah? Why?" She nodded in response, ringing her bell with a hoof, and started weaving an illusion just before the guards. The team could see through it just fine, but it distorted and ruined the view looking in. Capper smiled and picked up the ewe. "Hey, good thinking!" The door rattled one final time as the hooks and axe ripped it from its frame. A horde of creatures, diamond dogs, ponies, and the odd Abyssinian stood poised to rush inside. Twilight strained and caused her shield to explode outwards, destroying the barricade and crushing a cluster of thugs through the opposite door. They were quickly replaced, but the new assailants found themselves wedged against each other as they tried to rush through all at once, giving the guards a chance to stab with their spears. The door was clear again as the second cluster fell injured. A third pushed in and managed to avoid getting stuck, but swung their axes and clubs at Quilt's illusion, hitting only air and allowing the guards to draw their spears back and stab again. All but one fell to the ground, but this last dog was sent tumbling as a trio of unicorns burst forward and knocked his legs out from under him. This tripped up the unicorns long enough for the pirates to sweep forward and rake their swords down upon them. A larger-than-average Abyssinian shot in suddenly and weaved a scimitar through the air, still missing the pirate's thanks to Quilt's illusion, but he managed to dive through it and the front line. He swept his sword out and was parried by Calaeno, but before anyone could capitalize, he bent forward at the hips and slipped under her legs. Rising up, he dragged his sword up her back, only to be tackled by Sunbeam and sent crashing to the side of the room. Cozy sprinted to join her as the Abyssinian rolled from under her and to his feet. Calaeno collapsed, gritting her teeth and clutching her back with a talon. "Squawking son of a-" "Captain!" One of the pirates yelled. A crossbow bolt sailed through the door and was narrowly halted by Twilight's hasty shield which exploded outwards again, clearing the door once more. Still more creatures could be heard crowding outside, and suddenly a heavy pair of footsteps boomed out in the hall. The sight of Calaeno's injury, as well as Cozy's fight with the Abyssinian, added to Quilt's stress and she clenched her teeth hard to keep focused on the illusion. She didn't even have a chance to process whatever Peter had just said, despite how urgent he sounded. No further creatures rushed through the door, but Twilight had to reform her shield as bolts and thrown objects were now being delivered from just outside the door. "Little alicorn witch!" Called one of the dogs in the line at the door, before he looked to his side in shock and stumbled away. A massive hand gripped the doorframe, and a fully armored storm beast slowly drew himself inside. Twilight blasted her shield outwards, but it collided with his armor and fizzled away. The monster finally stood inside and brought forward his mace, which wafted through the illusion and dispelled it. "Scruff," Quilt whimpered as the toll of her spell finally overwhelmed her. "You said it," Capper whimpered as the monster slowly lumbered towards the front line. The Abyssinian snapped his sword out at Sunbeam, but feinted and drew it towards Cozy who narrowly parried it with her knife. The moment the two blades met there was a squeal and the scimitar snapped out of the Abyssinian's hand to his shock, giving Cozy a chance to slice her knife at him. He narrowly avoided having his leg cut but was tackled to the ground by Sunbeam, who jumped and brought her iron shoes down into his ribs, earning a hacking wheeze from him before he rolled into a heap. The front line stabbed at the armored beast, but his armor turned aside their spears, forcing the entire formation to retreat. He brought his mace up to his side and moved to sweep it across the group when Blueblood leaped forward with his sword and stabbed at the monster's wrist when it came crashing down. The added weight of his own swing and the thinner armor allowed the prince's blade to slide cleanly through, and a thin spray of light-blue blood erupted from either end. While the attack carried through, the prince wrenched his sword causing it to go wide and opening the wound further. The beast wailed and clutched its bleeding arm as Blueblood slipped his sword back out. The beast dropped its mace and fell to one knee before the prince stabbed it through the visor. It slowly gurgled and collapsed backward. "They took down Bruno!" Someone cried from the line outside as they leveled their crossbows again. Blueblood flicked his sword and leveled it at the door. "Nice going, prince!" One of the guards yelled as they formed up again. Twilight threw her shield spell back at the door itself, but it shimmered and quivered as the bolts plinked against it. "His armor's still interfering with my magic!" She cried. Capper grimaced, but then his ear twitched. "I ain't heard no one at the window in a hot minute, princess!" Twilight looked back, wincing as a hammer banged against her shield, sending cracks across it. Sure enough, once she pulled open the curtains, whoever had been trying to break in had abandoned them. She winced again. "I won't be able to teleport us all out with him right there!" She looked back and saw the pirates moving to barricade the door with the hulking storm beast. Despite her injury, Calaeno was among them. "So grab who you can and get outta here!" The captain yelled and gestured to herself and her crew. "They're probably all focused on this spot, and we can hold the fort here." "But!" "Captain's orders!" "Shouldn't disobey an officer, princess," Blueblood added stepping closer to the door. Capper grimaced and set Quilt down next to Twilight. "This little lady could use a breather," he stepped away and awkwardly picked up the abandoned scimitar. The shield shimmered and nearly faltered. Twilight clenched her teeth. "You two go with the princess!" Hasty ordered Sunbeam and Cozy, the former of whom gasped. "You can't order me! I outrank you!" "Peter might disagree!" He retorted. The pair held a glare before Sunbeam winced and nodded. The pair slowly shuffled next to Twilight. The princess looked at Dusty who had a terrified look in her eyes. "Civies get out!" Hasty yelled at her before rushing to the front line, causing her ears to shoot back. She relented and joined Twilight's side. The shield shimmered again and a pair of bolts managed to slip through without hitting anyone, but causing everyone to duck. Twilight clenched her eyes shut before setting a steely glare out the window at the next building and casting her spell. "God damn it all," I snarled, still pacing the deck of the unmoving ship. My Evil Eye trace Twilight as they arrived on the roof of the next building and immediately began galloping down. The only good news was all the thugs in the area were focusing on where they had just been, but who knew how long that would last? I turned towards my mesmerized crew who were busy hurling buckets of water off the side of the ship. "Any luck?" I huffed. One of the ponies stopped and shook her head at me. "Still no paddles or anything that could work as one. And we're still taking on water." I gritted my teeth and hissed, casting my Evil Eye out again to try and find the real Candy to at least give Quilt an idea of where to go. But despite knowing what he looked like and having his name, I again saw nothing and no one.