Rainbow Dash gave an adrenaline charged whoop as the Feather slipped between the final two ships and into open air.
Twilight Sparkle leaned against the bulwark, legs shaking slightly. “Is that it then?”
“Yeah. They won’t fire their cannons over their own city, and they aren’t going to outrun us.”
“Captain, we’re pulling ahead. Three hundred yards and opening. Also, our friends from the prison need to be pulled up.”
Dash turned, grin widening. “They’re still there? After all that?”
“Wait,” Twilight interrupted. “Did you do all that thinking they wouldn’t be able to hold on?”
“I didn’t think they’d be crazy enough to jump on in the first place. Come on, I want to meet these ponies.” Dash left the helm to one of her crew and led them below. Flim and Flam were working the windlass that normally dropped and raised the anchor.
“Just another moment,” Flim said, checking their progress.
“Who are these ponies, anyway?” Flam asked, straining against the crank.
“That’s actually a good question,” Rainbow Dash said, looking back at Braeburn.
“One you should have asked an hour ago,” Shining Armor muttered.
“Just more ponies the princess wants helping us,” Braeburn answered, glancing down. Twilight frowned, but it didn’t look like anypony else had noticed the tell. She would have said something, but at that moment the Flim Flam brothers released the crank and moved toward the opening in the hull.
“Thank you ever so much, Darling,” A familiar voice said as Flim helped a white, soaked unicorn through the hole and into the ship. She looked up to offer a charming smile to her saviours and froze.
The moment stretched on in silence.
“Twilight!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced through the hole and over Flam’s head. “And Applejack! I didn’t think we’d see each other again for a really long time, which made me so sad because we had so much fun together but then we went to jail and Rarity was being all gloomy and I knew it was because she missed you and it was so boring in there but I made a few new friends and I got a tattoo but then there were these ropes and—”
“Pinkie!” Rarity snapped. Pinkie froze mid-bounce.
Shining blinked. “How did you—”
“Captain Dash,” Rarity said. “I must say I’m surprised.”
“Yeah, that makes two of us,” Rainbow answered, throwing an angry look back at Braeburn. “Them?”
Braeburn’s worked his face into the best smile he could manage despite his nerves. “Well, uh, I was just following the Princess’s orders.” Rarity’s ears perked up as she glanced in his direction.
“Uhuh,” Dash said. “Well, I think—”
“Unhand the Great and Powerful Trixie, peons!” Flim and Flam jumped back from the third pony they’d helped board the ship. The powder blue mare looked odd without her usual cape and hat, and not the least bit pleased to be soaked, with her mane in complete disarray.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie demands you take her to the captain’s quarters, to warm herself before the fire. And any gentlepony would have offered her hot food already. What kind of substandard service do you think you can—”
“Trixie!” Rarity snapped.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie,” she corrected.
“Whatever it is, stop talking before you get us all thrown—”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is only requesting what any proper host—”
“And then she pulled out two giant bags of oatmeal, and I said—”
“We aren’t guests and they aren’t our hosts, and if you could be quiet for just a few moments, we could figure out why they—”
“EVERYPONY SHUT UP!” Dash shouted, drawing the attention of the bickering pirates. “Flim, Flam, take the blue one up to the quarters and give her whatever she was complaining about. Anything to get her to stop talking.”
The brothers gave a quick salute and guided Trixie up to the deck.
“Somepony,” Dash said, voice steady but eyes narrowed dangerously, “explain.”
“Well, it’s just like I said,” Braeburn said, “Princess Celestia told my cousin about several ponies she needed all together, including his sister. And then this witch told us that two of them would be locked up, and if we want to save Equestria... well...” he faltered as she looked down at him.
“Thanks to these ponies, I don’t have my ship anymore,” Dash said. “I lost everything I’ve worked years for. And now we’re supposed to ask them for help?”
“You can hardly blame us for what those shadow ponies did,” Rarity interrupted.
“If you’d never kidnapped Twilight—”
“Nopony forced you to come chasing after us,” Rarity countered.
“That’s enough,” Shining said, drawing attention to himself. “We can’t change what’s already done. We should lock the pirates up while we plan our next move. I think we should make our way back to Canterlot. Hopefully the princess is fine.”
Rarity looked at him curiously. “The princess? Why wouldn’t she be?”
“That’s none of your business,” Dash snapped.
“Actually,” Twilight said, “If Braeburn is right, it kind of is.”
“Maybe we should explain it to them,” Braeburn said. “Just so everypony is on the same page.”
“Ohh, a recap!” Pinkie said, “That’s a good idea, since we’ve been gone so long.”
“A...what now?” Applejack asked.
“Well, Ms. Rarity, Ms. Pinkie Pie,” Braeburn said. “There’s a reason we rescued ya’ll. This ancient evil queen named Nightmare Moon is working on getting free from a prison Princess Celestia built for her a thousand years ago, sending her shadow ponies out to do her dirty work and all that. Princess Celestia knew it was happening, and asked my cousin to join your crew. Then this zebra showed me your cutie marks, and he recognized them, so we broke you out.”
“I see,” Rarity said thoughtfully. She frowned. “Actually, no, I don’t think I do.”
“Isn’t it obvious,” Pinkie Said. “This big Queen Meanie is gonna break out and fly her ship all over, causing eternal night, but princess Celestia saw it coming and set it up so that we can save the day with our magical friendship powers!”
“Err, something like that,” Braeburn admitted. “There’s these coins that have y'all's cutie marks on them, and they’re supposed to help us beat Nightmare Moon, but the zebra told us we need y'all's help too.”
“But first we need to find them, which means talking to somepony at the center of the Amaranthine Tempest.”
“The Tempest? As in, the eternal storm? The one that’s claimed the lives of hundreds of sailors?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Mhm. Well, you can take me back to prison now. At least the gallows will be quick.”
“Seconded,” Rainbow Dash said.
“No,” Twilight said, “not until we know whether or not the princess is safe.”
Rainbow Dash grumbled, but nodded toward a pair of crew members. “Take them to the cells. Everypony else, set a course for Canterlot.”
*****
“What do you mean, Canterlot is gone?” Twilight asked.
“Just what I said,” Time Turner said, pacing across the Feather’s captain’s quarters. The Falling Feather had crossed paths with the Flying Dutchmare just West of Baltimare, after passing the Equestrian Crystal border. “There was no city, no mountain, just a giant shadow, like the kind the moon would leave during an eclipse.”
“A penumbra?”
“Yes, exactly. Whatever the princess was expecting happened. I’d trust her enough to say the rest of it’s true too.”
“Great, so what? Find the coins, beat the evil queen?” Rainbow Dash said. “I’m sure glad somepony asked us if we wanted to save the world first. Oh, wait, they didn’t.”
“She said she was being watched,” Applejack reminded her.
“But she found a way to tip off the apple delivery stallion?”
“The point being,” Time Turner said loudly, trying to get the conversation back on track, “if we’re going to rescue the princess, save the world,” he glanced at Rainbow Dash, “and get paid for services rendered, we need to get through that storm. I’m sure you’ve all heard about it, but no words can convey the power of the tempest. It’s immense, unstoppable, ageless.”
“Actually, it’s twelve hundred and fifty three years old,” Twilight said. She blushed as he shot her a look. “Er, but two out of three isn’t bad.”
“How can a storm go on that long anyhow?” Applejack asked.
“Well, it’s not a natural storm,” Twilight said. “Common legends say it was created by the princess to keep ponies from sailing off the edge of the planet, but the planet of course has no edge. She never would say where it came from but—”
“I am talking,” Time Turner said, raising his voice. “The point being, we need to find a way through it. Since Princess Celestia can’t tell us, I’m going to visit the witch again, see if she can’t help us.”
“Yeah, forget that,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Excuse me?”
“Her advice already flopped once. I say we just go for it.”
“Uh, go for it?”
“Yeah, you know, just fly right through,” Dash said, bringing her forehoof down in a chopping motion to demonstrate.
“Fly right through? You mean the tempest?”
“Yeah. I’ve sailed through a little wind and rain before.”
Time Turner shook his head. “Not like this you haven’t. No, we need to find a way around it. Take your ship up to Seaddle, we’ll meet you there in a few days.”
The captains and their crew left the room and began to prepare for the journeys. Left alone in the captain quarters, Twilight stared out the window, breathing slow measured breaths.
“Um, excuse me?” somepony said behind her, barely loud enough to be heard. She turned to see Rainbow Dash’s first mate.
“Oh, hello. Uh, Fluttershy, right?”
Fluttershy nodded. “I- I didn’t mean to bother you or anything, it’s just a few times during the meeting, you looked troubled, and I wanted to know if you were alright.”
“Oh, yes, I’m...” Twilight almost said fine, but the lie caught in her throat and her face fell. “Well, it’s just, Princess Celestia is really important to me.”
Fluttershy nodded understandingly. “I’m sure she’ll be just fine. I mean, she managed to get us all together, she must know what she was doing. You’ll be back together in no time.”
“You really think so?” Twilight asked.
“Absolutely,” Fluttershy said, giving Twilight her brightest, most sincere smile. Twilight smiled in return despite her gloomy mood.
*****
“The Flying Dutchmare is five hundred yards and opening, Captain Dash. Shall we make a course for Seaddle?”
“No, I’m thinking something a little further West. Set a course for the Amaranthine Tempest.”