The launch of the Rainbow Wake went without a hitch, much to Shining Armor’s surprise. Dash had half-crawled aboard just before sunrise, dunked her head in a water barrel a dozen times, and proceeded to shout almost coherent orders until everything was ready.
Shining suspected things wouldn’t have gone nearly as well without the soft spoken Fluttershy following, giving more specific and less abrasive instructions. Then again, the crew seemed to know what they were doing without any direction.
“The Golden Alicorn was two days out, and the pirates have had another three days since then. Will we be able to close?” he asked as the crew completed their last minute preparations.
Captain Dash turned to him with an arrogant smile. “There isn’t a thing in the sky that can match the Rainbow Wake in speed, except for me of course.”
Shining rolled his eyes. Even pegasi couldn’t match the fastest of the air navy fleet. No sense in starting an argument this early into their flight, though. “Of course.”
“We’ll find your unicorn lass,” Rainbow said. “I like races. I’m not gonna start losing them now.”
Seeing a skyship take off was generally considered one of the most breathtaking sights in Equestria. When the first of the great ships took wing more than a decade ago, the air-ports were loaded with sightseers. Vendors sold food and drinks, children played in the streets, and everpony worked together to turn the events into improvised block parties.
From the ground, the sight of the hull looming above was overwhelming. The crisp white sails would billow with wind, and as the magic hummed louder, the strain could be felt for half a mile. The onlooker’s mind would want to reject the sight at first. Something that large just didn’t belong in the air.
From aboard, one could see the earth slide gently away, growing larger, grander over miles and miles, slowly beginning to curve away in the distance. For earth ponies and unicorns, the first take off could be scary, even disorienting.
After an hour, the Rainbow Wake evened out just above a cloudbank. White fluff stretched out for miles in every direction.
“We’re in luck,” Dash said, appearing behind Shining. “We’re riding a tailwind. It’ll push these clouds with us for a while, and let us replenish some water for the first few days. Should help us close some distance if we don’t have to dive for it.”
Shining nodded quietly, deep in thought, front hooves resting on the bulwark. “I can keep us on the right course with a location spell, but what happens when we find them? How do we get aboard without giving them a chance to hurt Twilight?”
Dash circled around him, leaning backwards against the low railing. “I thought you were the military expert? Didn’t they teach you stuff like that?”
“I know strategy for ground, air, and sea, along with hoof-to-hoof combat and offensive magic,” Shining said, “but every bit of training I have says this isn’t possible. No matter how we approach, they’ll see us coming from miles off.”
Dash rolled her eyes, raised a hoof, and smacked him on the back of the head. He jerked forward and turned to glare at her, but didn’t make a sound.
“First rule of my ship, stop thinking like a royal guard. You’ll get us all killed.”
Shining arched an eyebrow, but remained quiet.
“As much as you hate them, at least try to think like a pirate every once in awhile. Otherwise they’ll chew you up.”
“You mean ignore the rules of proper engagement, and take any path that gives you an advantage?” he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Exactly,” Dash said, drawing out the word. “You’re right, closing in on the enemy for a fair fight would be a death sentence for the mare. You gotta catch them when they’re not ready for a fight.”
“I don’t think a time like that exists. These are pirates, bloodthirsty outlaws. They’re always ready to fight.”
Dash shrugged. “Even outlaws need to eat.”
Shining turned that thought over. “You want to catch them in port?”
“Yep,” Dash said.
“Where they can use the threat of civilian casualties and collateral damage to get away,” he replied dryly. “Unless you’re okay with bystanders getting hurt, in which case we have no reason to do business together.”
Rainbow raised a hoof in a placating gesture. “Don’t get your shield in a bunch, Shimmers. We’re not going to give them a chance to start a fight. We’re going to do something underhoofed without letting them know that we’re enemies.”
“Oh?”
Dash grinned and pushed away from the bulwark. “We’re going to moor.”
*****
The little colt glanced over his shoulder before tossing half a loaf of bread into the corner of the store room. It vanished behind a pile of barrels, and something shifted in the shadows.
“Thanks, Pipsqueak,” a young voice said from the shadows.
“No problem,” the colt said in a slight accent. “I’ve got to go now. Captain Dash wanted me to mop the deck.”
“You mean swab?”
“Yeah, that too.”
As Pipsqueak turned back to the door, the baby dragon sat down with his dinner. He mumbled to himself, imagining the horizon on the other side of the hull, “Don’t worry Twilight. We’re coming.”
*****
“Tic-tac-toe, three in a row!”
“Gosh darnit! That’s thirty nine games in a row!”
Twilight rolled her eyes at the sound coming from outside her cell and turned back to her book. The past two weeks aboard the Falling Feather had been just as Captain Rarity had promised. They were fed well, treated respectfully, and Pinkie Pie had brought her any book from Rarity’s personal collection she wanted. If it weren’t for the fact that they were prisoners, Twilight would have been enjoying herself.
“Best out of seventy nine?” Pinkie asked.
“Nah, that’s enough punishment for one day, Ah think.”
“Okie-dokie! Anything else you need before I go?”
“Ya’ll could let us out,” Applejack said. It had become a daily joke between them, though Twilight suspected it was only a matter of time before the pink pirate agreed. Pinkie wasn’t stupid, just easily distracted.
“Sorry, you know I can’t,” Pinkie Pie answered. “Especially tonight. Captain Rarity took my keys.”
“Why’d she do that?” Twilight asked, setting her book aside.
“She doesn’t want you two sneakypants getting out when we dock,” Pinkie answered. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Twilight blinked as her hoofsteps faded away. “Applejack, did she just say—”
“Eeyup.”
“Tonight?”
“Sure looks that way.” An orange hoof appeared at the edge of her cell, just outside the bars. She reached out, touching it with her own. “Get some sleep, sugarcube. We’re gonna need it.”
The Falling Feather pulled into port just before dinner. Under Rarity’s orders, the crew had bought supplies in record time, and they were ready to leave before sunset.
Twilight and Applejack used those few hours just as productively.
“Hurry sugarcube. Ah think somepony may have heard that last one,” Applejack said in a strained whisper.
“I’ve almost got it,” Twilight said, tongue touching the corner of her mouth as she made a quick mental calculation and adjusted her bed frame. There wasn’t much to work with, but she hadn’t been hoof picked by the princess for her magic. It was her mind that set her apart, and with two weeks, she was sure she’d found a weakness in the cell’s design. Using the rolled mattress of her small cot as a fulcrum and the metal frame as a lever, she’d worked the door’s hinges for the better part of three hours. All she needed was the perfect angle, the proper amount of force, and...
“I got it!” she cried as the hinges pulled out of place.
“Shhh!” Applejack chided.
Twilight pushed her way through the door. “Now I just need to find the keys to your cell and we can get out of here.”
“There ain't time for that,” Applejack said. “You need to git before they take off.”
Twilight hesitated for a half second before shaking her head. “No way! I’m not leaving you.”
“Twilight, there’s no time for arguing. Get out of here.”
“No!”
Applejack’s next words were drowned out by a deafening crash. “What in tarnation?”
*****
Rarity was the first to recover from the impact, shaking her head as the ringing in her ears faded. “What was that?”
The pirates looked at the source of the noise. In the darkening evening, it looked like a solid black line stretching up into the sky. One of the crew members edged closer, looking down at the new hole in the deck. “Uh, Captain? I think somepony just dropped anchor.” He turned his head skyward. “With extreme prejudice.”