"What is it?" Blood asked picking up an extra pair of binoculars and peering through them at the tiny dot in the sky.
The captain of the Eleonora shrugged. "A small airship heading along our bearing. It's fast. Considering its speed, I would say it started after us maybe three days ago. Four at the most. It looks like its empty. It's moving too fast to have a cargo."
Blood placed the binoculars down. "How long?"
"How long? I don't know what you're implying. Are you suggesting that tiny vessel actually wants to... what? Attack us?" The captain laughed. "This is one of the heaviest armed ships on the seas. Dragons wouldn't even humor the thought of coming after us. We have fourteen main cannons capable to punching through dragon armor. We have over twenty secondary cannons that could rip apart any fleet stupid enough to advance on us. Our anti-air cannons fire super-heated incendiary rounds that can melt the skin off of Celestia if need. Why would a puny vessel like that even think about venturing anywhere near... us..."
Blood just stood there looking at her with an expression that she could not place. It was not hostile, but it was not friendly either. If she had to guess, the Watu looked disgusted. As if she had said something that was supposed to be extremely embarrassing.
"If I were to guess, they're also headed to Port Griffith. After all this is the fastest shipping line that is not infested with pirates-"
"How. Long."
She gulped. The Watu actually was serious.
"At the rate they're flying? Two days. Maybe a little less."
"When will they be in range?"
"For our larger cannons?" She peered through her binoculars. Years of experience had taught her well. "A day. That is assuming we can actually hit something that small with our projectiles. They're not mean for airships that size."
"Prepare the rear cannons. When they get within range, destroy it."
Wish furrowed her brow. "Is that really necessary? These rounds cost-"
"Captain Wish Waltz, are you going to do it or should I get our liege to convey my words directly to you? I do not like taking unnecessary chances. Shall I wake up the dragon for this?"
"No. There's no need, Watu."
Blood looked at her, his eyes narrow. "I want to see that ship blown out of the sky. I don't care who is on it, I want it gone."
"It's just a-"
Blood stomped his hoof. Hard. Even as a unicorn, Wish could not help but take three steps backwards away from him. He was supremely dangerous, by far the most feared of all the Watu, and in her mind, perhaps even more dangerous than the dragon himself.
Wish bit her lip. She hated him with all her soul. "I will make sure that the proper actions are done."
"No. You will remove that vessel from the sky. Even I know that your only chance is your first shot." He leaned forwards and jabbed Wish sharply in the chest. "One. Chance."
Although Wish knew she was immune to Blood and his Watu in terms of punishment, she knew that they could give her Tartarus if she talked back to them. She may control the ship, but Blood dominated the ship. Only her will kept him from taking complete control of everything. So she would bend his words until she found a way to snake out of them. She had done it so often that Blood caught on immediately.
"You may save as many of these 'crew' as you can, but one day it will catch up to you, and I'll have the pleasure of relieving you of your post. Captain."
Everyone on that ship knew that Wish had granted freedom to a select few. They were usually given really mundane tasks, but they were also useful in other ways. Ways that she was proud to be a part of. Even through all this though, she had the hard task of maintaining her place at the helm.
"I'll make sure that she flies no more."
"See that you do. Captain." With that, Blood walked away.
Only when he was gone did Wish give the order. "Prepare to fire rear main cannons one through six."
Airships are an amazing creation.
Originally built by the earth ponies whose love and never ending curiosity took them to the very edge of land, whereby they had to create objects to venture beyond their limitations. First came small rafts to help cross dangerous, rough rivers. Then came the canoes and other small vessels. As time wore on, the size and form slowly changed and eventually the only place they could go was over the large expanses of water. The ships conquered the seas and oceans as far as they could go.
But what urged such a desire? Surely they would have been happy tilling the land they loved so much, growing the plants they needed to survive. What would make them go further and further away? What encouraged them to risk the salty waters? It was because of their cousins. The unicorns and the pegasi both fought over earth pony tribes trying to coerce them into growing food for them. So they had no choice. They ran away.
Alas, the pegasi could not live without the earth pony and their way with the land, nor could the unicorn. Out of necessity the two used force to prevent the earth pony populace from leaving. A fatal mistake.
Where once the ships of exploration were used to discover new lands on distant shores, they turned their attention back to the places they had once come from. Where once they were fitted out with instruments of adventure and exploration, they had now been fitted out for war.
The unicorns stood no chance, their mighty fortresses and bastions fell to the overwhelming might and ingenuity of the earth ponies. Even with their magical prowess, they were no match. The more powerful unicorns tried in vain to forge an alliance with the pegasi, but they would not associate themselves with the unicorns. As a result, their defeat was inevitable. The ships played a vital role in blockading trade routes, seizing vital harbors and, most importantly, maneuvering their forces along the coastal areas and rivers. The speed at which they could move a large number of troops was far more effective than the unicorns ability to teleport.
What was the use of teleporting when you were too tired to fight afterwards?
Within months the unicorns had surrendered. Unlike the pegasi, the unicorns and earth ponies created a new alliance. It was then they turned their attention to the one place where their mutual enemy was safe from them.
The skies.
The pegasi, still unwilling to admit defeat continued to try to assert their dominance by constantly harassing the forces below them. This included raiding parties and assassinations. They felt that they were safe so long as they retreated into their sky cities.
But when there's a will, there's a way.
Using magic, the unicorns inflated large balloons with special gasses that made them extremely effective and floated aggressively into the sky. At first they had sent small units up into the cities in an attempt to make a statement, but the pegasi did not heed their warnings. It was not long after that the first ships were converted and rigged to use the balloons to raise themselves up into the clouds.
They were ill prepared for what was to come. Even with their talent in weather manipulation, the skills the earth ponies learned sailing on the seas were more than enough for them to overcome whatever the pegasi could throw. Modifications were made, the airship's sails were now along the sides of a ship, or under it along the hull to avoid having to use extra long ropes to keep the balloon attached and to prevent the pegasi from cutting the lines so easily.
As the war continued, it was abundantly clear that airships were the new rulers of the skies. It was the end for the Pegasi Empire as the earth ponies and their ships decimated the floating cities, crippled their weather factories, and food stores. The pegasi surrendered to the alliance.
The name of the flag ship that had led the earth ponies to this overwhelming victory? The name of the vessel that had been the first ship to get converted from a seafarer to a behemoth in the skies? The one thing that struck fear and terror into the hearts of foes and allies alike?
The Windigo.
So effective was its design that for generations it was what most airships were modeled after. Even after centuries, the influence of that ship was still visible in the current age, its infamy still legendary.
The story of this unity would also still be told, though it has been modified to suit more peaceful times. Only those who really study Equestria's ancient history would know of the real tale behind the old Hearth's Warming Eve pageant and of the significance these events played in the unification of ponykind. The beginning of Equestria as a unified nation all was possible because of the role that ships and, more significantly, airships played.
There was a muffled shout from the front of the ship. That was where the equivalent of a crow's nest was. On sea ships it was usually located at the top of the mainmast. Airships did not have that. A mainmast would be dangerous.
Crow's nests on an airship usually were a glass bowl overlooking the sea at the very front of the vessel. Rarely was there a need to look up. There sometimes was one on top of the balloon for larger vessels, but it usually was more of a place where pegasi would hide and play cards or waste time when they had nothing else to do.
The captain didn't mind, so long as their duties were not being neglected. After all, they were the ones who cleaned the outside of his ship, fixed damages, and painted her. They deserved some perks.
The color of the ship was sky blue. So were the sails, and even the large balloon. It might have seen bland, but it served a purpose. From above the paint was a dull greenish gray. Like the ocean of land far below it.
The captain rubbed his hoof against the ship's helm, smiling to himself. Five hundred gold coins was in sight.
"Cap'n!" a shout came as Bones ran on the deck towards him. "Cap'n!"
"What is it?"
"Far Eye says that the Eleonora is... is... pointing its guns at us."
That snapped his head towards him. "What? Why?"
"No idea, cap'n. What do we do?"
"We alter course is what we do. If they're pointing their cannons our way, then we make sure we stay as far away from them as possible."
"Sure, cap'n."
With a quick jerk of his hoof, the captain changed the Lipizzan's bearing. The ship creaked to the side heading at an angle that would have put it nowhere near the Eleonora. At this distance, by the time they ran along side her they would be a day away.
There was frantic waving from the front.
"What is it now?"
"They're compensating, cap'n!" came the response.
"W-what?"
"They're compensating!" the shout came again.
"I heard you the first time! Battle stations!"
He ran over and rang the bell. At once every single member of his crew sprang into action.
"Smoke! Smoke!"
His heart skipped a beat at those words. It only meant one thing.
The crew members at the front ran towards the center of the ship almost out of instinct. They wrapped ropes around their torsos and the nearest anchor point in well rehearsed choreography. They had done this hundreds of times before, and were completely ready for what was coming.
Or were they?
"Evade!" the captain roared as he left the helm to his helmspony.
Sunny rushed forwards and gripped the wheel and turned as hard as she could towards the starboard trying to catch as much wind as possible to help pull the ship long. The sails at the sides groaned at the sudden shift as the sails underneath the main hull groan under the sudden strain.
Keeping calm during tense situations like this was something that all captains had to learn to do. He could not allow his crew to panic. He could not allow himself to panic.
A high pitched whistle drew in closer.
"Brace yourselves!"
A ball of light exploded where the ship had been moments ago. Red-hot molten bits of metal splintered across the sky. To someone far away it might have looked like a firework display, that was how pretty and beautiful it looked from a safe distance.
Up close was another story.
The Lipizzan shook violently as it desperately tried to avoid the inferno. It could not dodge the shrapnel as the balloon took a beating.
"Incoming!" another call was sounded.
The captain gritted his teeth. "Raise her up, Sunny."
"Aye, sir!"
The nose of the vessel pointed up towards the sky. Up and up she climbed. The seconds ticked away agonizingly slow as the crew waited for the inevitable blast of the next shell. The whistle got louder and louder as the projectile closed in on them.
"Boom," Bones whispered to one of the crew inches from him shivering in fear.
The pony looked up at Bones and snarled. The next instant a loud thunderous explosion erupted from underneath them.
The Lipizzan jumped upwards into the air from the pressure, the top bumping against the balloon above it before it fell back down. The sound of a few ropes snapping was heard after the ship dropped back against the lines.
It held.
"Get us above those clouds! Unicorns, use your magic!" the captain yelled.
They didn't need to be told twice. They rushed towards the sides where and used their magic to fill the sails with air. It was a last ditch attempt at getting away. You didn't want to exhaust your crew, especially if your opponent had not even begun to even hint at breaking a sweat.
"Nothing like toying with one's mortality to remind yourself that at any given moment you could die. Funny, isn't it?" Bones shouted, laughing his head off as the ship climbed into the air as quickly as it could.
The captain swallowed a mouthful of spit. "Shut your mouth, Bones!"
"Incoming!"
"Cap'n, we won't make it if we continue to climb!" Sunny shouted.
"Evade! Port side, down! Fold her sails in!" The order was obeyed as quickly as possible.
They only had less than twenty seconds to respond to this order.
The sails slipped through the lines as the entire left side of the ship became bare. Then the right side the sails were filled as the ship's nose faced downwards in a dive.
"Death Drop! Death Drop!" the captain yelled.
"Woohoo!" Bones yelled as the third high pitched squeal of the round closed in towards them.
The crew reacted immediately. This order they knew in their sleep. They had rehearsed it, used it, survived because of it. Would it save them this time?
A ball of fire erupted just above the Lipizzan and the ship started a downward plunge towards the ocean.
"Direct hit, sir!" came the shout from her ensign.
She watched with a mixture of pity and relief as the airship fell downwards towards the ocean, her balloon smoking in flames. A part of her wanted to feel good about what she did, but even as the captain of a slave ship she still had standards. There was a protocol involved and only pirates and scum broke those traditions.
Was she now no better than those she had sworn to hunt down, once upon a time? Did she become that which she sought to prevent?
"Good. Note the time, coordinates and note it down in the log. Report it to Blood. Have him verify my claims with his own if required. I will be in my quarters till this evening. Nautical, you have the con."
"Aye, sir," the red pegasus with the black mane replied.
The captain waited. He pressed a cloth hard against his mouth, his eyes aching.
"Clear!" came the call.
"Sunny, behind that cloud. Now!" the captain shouted.
With precision that could only be achieved by a well trained crew, the Lipizzan quickly moved from the smoke stack and disappeared behind the large cloud.
The Death Drop had been a tactic that he had used to get away from a more powerful enemy. Sometimes airship battles were about who had the better wind behind their sails. To avoid such conflicts, or to gain an edge, they would sometimes feign their death and then use the column of smoke to rise vertically upwards to get above the enemy ship.
After all, there was rarely a vessel that had a watch on top of their ship, especially during a battle.
The trick was simple. Destroy your own balloon, igniting the gas inside so that it produced an immense amount of smoke. Then, as the balloon plummets and the attention of those on the opposing vessel watch it fall, you use the column to rise upwards in a long balloon at the front of the boat that pulls it upwards in a vertical line as high as you can go, also producing smoke in an effect of escaping gas. You then level off and hide behind or in the nearest cloud until the enemy leaves.
"That was bad, wasn't it, cap'n?" Bones asked.
The captain looked at his crew. They were lying down panting heavily, clearly exhausted with their recent encounter.
"At least we know why everyone stays away from the Eleonora, sir," Sunny said leaning against the helm.
"What's the damage?"
"Well, the hull has taken the brunt of the damage, but no serious injuries. A couple of the ponies in the lower deck got hurt when the cannonballs jumped outside their holding pen, but nothing serious. Patches is setting them straight." Bones rubbed the back of his head. "Cap'n, we're not gonna let them go, are we?"
"Have to. We can't come all this way to return empty hoofed."
Bones smiled and pulled out his dagger. "I could, y'know, ask the camel to give us the gold politely. If you'd like."
The captain dusted his coat off. "Think you've got a chance?"
"Not in the slightest! He'd probably kill me before I could even step a foot inside the room!" the pony shouted, laughing hysterically at those words.
The captain just shook his head. At least he was being honest.
"What's the damage? And how long is it going to take?"
"There's not much damage to the hull, captain. Perhaps a few hours and we should have it repaired. Not so sure about the sails, though. It will take some time to check how much spare cloth we got," a white and black spotted pegasus replied. "We've got no spare balloon after this one though. We can't repeat this trick."
"I don't think we could repeat it even if we had a second balloon," The captain muttered back. He furrowed his brow and turned to look at his cabin door. The camel had not once stepped outside during the entire ordeal, but he heard heavy hoofsteps coming from within.
He wasn't dead. If he wanted his bits, he'd have to continue.
"Patch the hull and then rest up. We'll resume pursuit as soon as the sun sets."
"Aye, sir!" they all shouted in response.
Finishing dinner, Wish placed the tray outside her room. A timid feline bowed her head low and took it away. There were so many different types of creatures on this ship, almost all of them almost invisible to the Watu. That made them useful to her, as most of them gave her information vital in ensuring that she remained the captain of this vessel.
While Blood ruled with fear, she ruled with kindness and fairness. Values instilled in her by her parents, whome she had not seen for decades now. How she wished she could visit them in Equestria. See them one more time.
That would never be the case. They would have probably disowned her after the shame she had brought to her family and to her beloved country. She would repent her crime by ensuring that the slaves that crossed the waters lived. Without her, who knows how many may have died at the brutal hooves of the Watu.
"Captain on bridge!" Nautical shouted and saluted.
She looked at the pony who moved his eyes to the captain's chair where Blood sat down on it with a hard expression on his face. "That is not your seat."
"For now."
Wish wanted to grind her teeth, but she would not give him the pleasure. "What is it now, Blood? We shot down the airship and the skies have been clear all evening."
"Ah, but are you sure that they are really clear?"
"Come again?" Wish was in no mood to play games with this psychopath. He might have been cruel, heartless and bloodthirsty, but he was not stupid. It was dangerous to assume that he was.
"I said, are you sure that the skies are empty?"
"We saw the ship go down. I confirmed it with my own eyes-"
"Did you send pegasi to make sure?"
Wish furrowed her brow. "Of course not! Are you mad? That's over fifty miles! There's no pegasus that could make that distance and back fast enough to-"
Blood smirked coldly. "You cuddle them too much. Your crew, I mean. You should have sent out one of the Watu pegasi to confirm the ship actually went down, then signal to us that it had done so."
"A waste of time."
"Was it?" Blood turned the chair around. "This is Comet. Comet used to be in the Royal Guard. He killed thirteen fellow Guards in a drunken rage and fled Equestria. He likes to kill, don't you Comet?"
Comet grinned. "Killed a diamond dog yesterday."
"Why?"
The pegasus shrugged. "Felt like. Why not."
Wish had heard that one of the slaves in the lower levels had been killed slowly. This was the kind of thing she had tried to protect the slaves from. Even they had the right to live if they did not have the right for freedom. Perhaps death would have been better than the alternative.
Comet grinned and bowed out of mock respect. "My apologies. I meant to say that I flew to the wreck of the ship that followed us. There was no debris apart from the balloon."
"So? That could mean the ship sunk," Wish argued and walked over to her chair. "Or are you implying that I missed."
"I'm not implying anything," Blood replied cockily and looked up at Wish. "I'm telling you that you've been had by the oldest trick in the book."
Wish stuck her jaw out. "You're tell me that that ship performed a smoking balloon decoy maneuver?"
"So you have heard of it! Great. Then I don't have to explain it to you now, do I?"
Their eyes locked. Her knees felt weak. Matching will power against the Blood was exhausting. Could he be right? Could the ship she had hit with a round that large actually pull off that move? She could have sworn that it was a direct it. She had watched through the binoculars right up until the last moment.
"No, you don't need to explain it to me."
"Good. Now it's night. It will be harder for us to see the airship."
She hated him. She hated him so much, but if there was one thing Blood was good at it was making sure that everything in or on the ship was protected. That was his job. To protect the cargo from attackers. Slaves were big money, but the cargo was unpredictable, dangerous. It needed someone like Blood to maintain order.
"Then we should do something about that, shouldn't we?" Wish narrowed her eyes. "Since you are so worried about one small airship getting the best of my ability to command this ship, would you like to take over?"
Everyone on the bridge froze. Except Comet, who slowly unsheathed his weapon.
"Are you offering me the bridge so easily, captain? I may never give the post back to you." Blood smirked.
Wish smiled. "I'm sure that you won't."
Blood narrowed his eyes. He obviously suspected a trick of some sort.
"You are trying to see why I would give away my position so easily. Because I have been captain for a long time, I know. I know that a fellow captain would not take kindly getting attacked for no reason. I know for a fact that you've turned a potential nuisance into a deadly enemy. You don't deal with ships, Blood. I do. I know the seas better than the back of my hoof. You want to be in charge for what comes? So be it. It will be... amusing watching you handle this."
Blood hard eyes never changed, but at least his smirk disappeared. Of course, Wish was bluffing. She wanted to put the fear of Celestia into him. A long shot, but she was tired of matching wits with this pony. Obviously she was wrong. There was no one within a hundred miles of the Eleonora that would dare attack her. The ship was the safest place to be.
"Fine. When the time comes, let's see how you react to the situation."
The strange thing was that Wish felt relieved. It was like a great weight had been taken from her shoulders. All those years of loyal service to a dragon who was trading other sentient beings for his own personal gain would be gone, and she would probably have to find a new line of work.
"So you admit that you didn't do your job properly. Well then, I guess it's time for you to retire."
Blood turned around and ran his hands along the armrest of the captains chair. The rest of the crew watched in horror as their captain stood to one side without so much as a comment. Was she really going to stand aside and let him be in charge of her ship?
"Send out search parties of pegasi to patrol the skies one kilometer around the Eleonora. Any ships that are sighted within that radius are to be reported. Is that understood?" Blood asked his only fellow Watu.
"Absolutely, sir. Right away, sir." Comet got up and walked towards the exit.
All eyes were on him as he gave a cocky, arrogant look at each of the bridge crew. To an outsider it would have looked rather immature and silly, but this was neither. He was taunting them. It was no secret that Wish's crew and the Watu were on very bad terms. And she had just made things worse.
The second day after their close call, the Lipizzan limped across the skies. They had to rig the ship as best they could with the second balloon, but the rigging sat funny on top of it so the ship sat at a slightly raised angle at the front. The undersails and the headsail were full of holes hampering the most important thing. Speed.
"Will we catch them, cap'n?" Bones asked.
The captain looked up at the telltales on the sides to read the wind. "Not before they make it into Imperial waters. Once they cross, it'll make our job a lot harder."
"Without fixing the sails we won't catch them in time," Sunny shouted as she was hoisted onto the deck from below. Being an earth pony, she did not have the luxury of flight. Being an earth pony, she did not trust the pegasus ability to properly repair things. Well, she didn't trust anyone to actually be able to repair things because she was an earth pony, not that she had anything against pegasi. That's why she was such a great navigator. She really loved the ship. Sunny sighed and looked down at the deck as if it were a physically injured living creature. "If only we had extra cloth."
There was a sound coming from within the captain's private quarters, and the door opened. Every single one of them stopped and looked at the entrance expecting to see the camel step out. Instead all a large ball of cloth was unceremoniously dumped onto the deck before the door shut tight once again.
"Well, that was unexpected," Bones stated and picked up the pile. He pulled it apart and smiled.
Sunny snatched it from him. "We can use this to repair almost all the sails! Take down the undersails first. Repair them, then we'll concentrate on the mainsails along the sides after that. Move! Time is of the essence!"
They all looked at the captain.
"You heard her!" he shouted. "Get your flanks moving!"
Wish stood at the bridge and looked on. She watched as the sun set in the distance. How she loved the sea and the beauty therein. The world was so vast and huge, did it really care about a simple pony like her and her problems? Did the world really care about the plight of those on the ship?
Of course not. There was no one that could help them. There was no one that could save her.
"Sir, report from the first pegasi patrol. There is no sign of any ship within a kilometer radius. There was a ship south, south-west of our position at five kilometers heading parallel to us." The report was being made by a unicorn. His Watu uniform still did not have the shoulder plates making him a really low ranked warrior.
"And?" Blood asked.
"The sails were gray," the unicorn replied. "It was most probably a griffin airship, sir. We sent two scouts to take a closer look."
"Good, good. Nothing else of note?"
"No, sir. There were some that suspect that we were being followed. We've left Watu on strategic placements behind to keep an eye out just in case."
"Good work. See, Wish, that is how you conduct a search," Blood stated.
"It is a also a good way in wasting your energy and resources. If they have managed to slip through your watchful eye, then what?" she asked, more to keep herself distracted.
"We use the main cannons to take her down, of course."
Of course they would. That was simple.
"Let's turn on the lights, shall we?" Blood asked.
The crew looked at one another. "But, sir. If we do that, we'd be giving away our position! We're not within protected waters yet and-"
A dagger flew through the air and embedded itself inches away from the stallion's hoof. He stumbled backwards into another crew member, sending both tumbling to the ground. Wish made a face, furious at Blood for taking advantage of his position so quickly. One did not assert their dominance in such a fashion.
The Eleonora was too visible even without lights, which should only be used in a worst case scenario, especially at night.
"Yes, sir. Lights, sir." In seconds the flood lights were switched on and the skies were lit up by the powerful bulbs. The poor unicorns that were powering them confused.
"Find them! Now!" Blood yelled.
"Find who?" a crew member whispered.
Wish reacted just in time to catch Blood's hoof with a second dagger clutched within it. "He's new."
"You are too weak with them! They need to be disciplined!"
"Not like this. They are not warriors nor slaves. You cannot just kill them just because you think they won't do!"
"Watch me." He stood up and his magic picked surrounded his spear. Suddenly the base of it clocked Wish across the jaw sending her cartwheeling to the side. By the time she managed to focus her eyes on Blood, the dagger had hit its mark, the young ensign on the ground.
The knife pierced him straight through where his heart was. He would be dead in a few seconds.
"Now, I want the watch to be flogged if they fail to spot the ship."
"What if there isn't a ship after us?" Wish shouted, furious that he would kill one of her crew so casually. "What then?"
"Then... nothing. Better safe then sorry."
"You're a fool, Blood. The time will come when your cruelty will be put to an end. I just hope that when that time happens, that I'll be able to see your face as your life slips out of your hooves. You deserve to rot in Tartarus, you miserable excuse for a pony."
"I would watch your tongue, captain. After all, you resigned your post."
Wish sneered. "You've doomed this ship. If I don't remain here, there won't be a ship let alone a post. You're the reason why this ship will be in any sort of danger. You don't know what captains are like out here, Blood. They do not take kindly to being shot out of the sky without provocation. Trust me. I know."
"Cap'n, why are we going after that ship? Is it really just for the bits?" Bones asked as he watched the sails making sure that the stitching held.
"Yes."
"Are you sure? It doesn't have anything to do with a certain mare, right?"
The captain held his breath for a moment. "No."
"Are you sure? Because, you know, I know the real reason why you wanted to go straight, cap'n. Every single pony in this crew knows too, cap'n. Were the bits just the push you really needed to do what you really wanna do?" Bones smirked and leaned against the railing. "So, we go towards the Griffin Empire, where ponies like us are hunted down and sliced into tiny pieces, just so you can collect five hundred bits. Right?"
"Right."
"Of course that's the reason. Why else would we want to go near that vessel? I mean, it's strange, right? They don't sell slaves on the ship, so it's not because he's gonna buy any pony, dog or whatever else she's got in her holds." Bones gestured with his head towards the captain's quarters where the camel was. "It's silly to think that he's going there to actually save a slave, right? That's just ridiculous. Unless she's a princess or something."
Bones may have sounded like he was a complete idiot, but there was a method to his madness. He did have a point. Why were they taking the crazy camel to the ship? There was no need for them to sneak up on the ship. Of course, that all changed the moment they were fired upon without any warning. You had to at least give a courtesy 'move away or we'll kill you with our super-cannons now' type of warning.
Was being in charge of a slave ship so bad that normal decorum was thrown out the window? All's fair in love and war, but there was some etiquette to follow. A tradition that ponies have been obeying for centuries. Even the griffins had the courtesy to follow it as well.
"You best just keep that mouth shut, Bones. We're here to make money, nothing more."
"Oh, I know, cap'n. The question is: do you?"
With that Bones walked down the stairs towards the front of the boat to let him simmer in his thoughts. Again, he had hit the nail on the head. How could he read him so easily when so many others found it so difficult.
He turned his head slightly to look behind him at Sunny who was looking up at the balloon and the flapping telltails along the underside. They were waving strongly, of course, as he could feel the breeze in his mane.
"You can say it. I know you want to."
"Not my place, captain," Sunny replied. "You and I both know that Bones may be a floozy with his mind, but his reasoning is always on the mark. You can't run away from your past forever."
He turned away. "Just keep on our bearing. Fire on my ship without warning, eh? I'll show you how to dance the dance. Eleonora or no, none get the better of me."
At that, Sunny smirked. "Aye, aye, captain. Not even a ship with twelve large cannons that can fire at a range of twenty five miles can stop us. Not to mention the platoon of ex-military mercenaries that could take the lot of us out pretty quickly, and the dragon."
"Must you always ruin the moment, Sunny?"
"Keeping it real, captain. That's all."
"More like killing the buzz..." the captain muttered.
"Our best bet is to sneak up on her. Our ship's small so we can probably get pretty close before they spot us."
The captain thought about it, but before he spoke the door behind them opened. The camel did not step out, but they could see his silhouette hidden inside the darkness. "Head for the Eleonora's starboard side. The element of surprise is gone. They probably suspect that the one who killed the Watu in port is on this ship."
The captain shook his head. "Well, no one here has killed twenty Watu warriors..."
There was a long uncomfortable silence. A silence that did not leave much to be said.
"Y-you?"
"I had not taken into consideration that they would open fire based on assumptions. I had always thought that the ex-captain of the Border Guard would have more... restraint."
His blood boiled at those words. "She probably had no choice!" he snapped before he could stop himself.
Again there was a long period of silence, but this time the crew listened as well.
"I see there is history between the two of you. I will not comment apart from the fact that I will alter the deal. Get me close to the Eleonora, and I will make my own way."
"Yeah? What are you going to do? Jump? You can't fly. And there's no need. I'm going to teach them a lesson. You're welcome to jump or whatever yourself, but I am going to go to the captain of the Eleonora and I'm going to tell her exactly what I think of her!"
"About time!" Bones shouted from where he stood.
"Shut it, Bones!" he retorted.
That just brought laughter from the blue pony.
"Sir, we're here because of you. We'll follow you no matter where you go."
No matter how many times he had heard those words, he could not get used to it. He was so lucky. Each one of them a precious member of his crew. "Thank you, all of you, but this is not your problem anymore. When we get close, we'll launch a skiff and you guys can make your way to wherever you want to-"
"I'll stay, captain. To the end."
"Same here!"
"Ditto."
"I was getting tired of being honest, myself. If you know what I mean," another pony joked.
The door to the captain's chambers slowly closed. "A good crew you've got there."
With that, the door closed, the bolt inside sliding into place.
Wish washed her face in the sink.
The death of any creature always struck a nerve within her. She had seen it hundred of times before, but each time was like the first. She felt sick, disturbed, and angry. If she had not been so weak that pony would still be alive. The brutality of Blood was exaggerated. How did a pony like him get to be like that?
Flashes of her life as a Border Guard captain went through her mind. She remembered when she became captain, how excited she felt. She was young, but had a lot of experience in dealing with rogues along the borders under her captain, who had recently been promoted to admiral. The feeling of taking command of a patrol ship to ensure the safety of her kingdom's borders filled her with a sense of pride and dignity.
She washed her face again, rubbing her hooves into her eyes as she remembered ordering the guns to open fire on a ship she thought was a pirate vessel under the guise of a merchant ship. It was a tragic mistake and innocent beings of all races on that ship were killed. Banishment was a fair punishment for her crime.
After that she wondered the outer cities for a while looking for work. She had chanced upon a merchant ship and began working as an officer there. Over time she rose up to take control of the ship itself, but then the ship and her crew were bought out by the dragon. It was hard for any to find work, so she agreed to stay on. Over the years the business grew until they were the largest slaver group on the continent.
All run by a single dragon who had no respect for the concept of freedom.
Years had seen the small ship grow into the behemoth that existed right now. The Eleonora Nevus, the largest slaver ship ever to have been built, and perhaps the largest ship ever. Full stop.
Wish returned to the bridge. Blood was standing off to one side peering down at the deck. She had run off because of that. Two of the spotlights were trained on a poor crew member who had inadvertently insulted Blood for being unable to do his job, which was probably a correct assessment.
"There's no need to flog him, Blood," Wish has stated after he gave the order.
"An example needs to be made of him. I'd watch what you say too, or you could be next."
Wish turned away. "I doubt that very much. What have you got watching the skies if you're wasting two spots on the deck of the ship?"
"This won't take long. I've only asked for twenty lashes. I thought I'd go easy on them, because after all, not all of them know that I'm now in charge of this ship. Right?" Blood smirked at that. He raised his hoof and nodded.
The sound of the first lash as the whip sliced open the skin on the pony's back was strong enough to penetrate the glass. As the pony screamed in agony, Blood smiled.
It was all Wish could do to remain composed.
"So, what? We're just going to go there and drop this camel off?" Sunny asked.
"That's pretty much it," the captain replied.
"Captain, I think you forget exactly what she is capable of. The Eleonora's got anti-air cannons for medium range burst along her main deck, which most probably fire splayed shot and flak."
"I know, Sunny."
"Oh. Okay. I was just wondering considering for the amount of bits he's giving us, is it really worth our lives. After all, if we're dead, there's gonna be none of us to collect. Right?"
The captain sighed. "As long as I stand on this helm, this ship will never go down."
"I'm amazed you can always say that. I believe you. We all do. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't." Sunny looked up. "If we keep our current rate up, we ought to see the Eleonora in the distance by this evening. If we can see them, they can see us. We've got to plan something."
"Oh, don't worry, I've got a plan," the captain said with a smirk.
"That's why we trust you," Sunny replied. "So, what's the plan."
"Simple, actually. We overtake her and cut across. How long would it take to turn a ship that size?"
"About half an hour. Maybe longer."
The captain nodded. "Keep the Eleonora to our port side at all times. Once we get far enough in front, let me know."
"Sir, there's been reports of several ships within a three kilometer radius. Most of them are merchant ships and have redirected their course to move away from the range of our cannons." This was another Watu who was reporting to Blood. A young pegasi. She had no right to be there. She should have been in school learning. What unfortunate circumstances had made her be a part of the Watu. "There is also a ship on our port side that looks like the one that was shot down, but they're more than ten kilometers away on the port side."
"Wait. What did you say? It looks like?" Blood eyes lit up. "That's them. That has to be them. Can we hit those targets from where are our?"
Wish nodded. "Of course."
"Then prepare the cannons-"
"But a ship that size is a little small. At that distance, we're at a distinct disadvantage. Plus the wind is behind them. It'll be hard to compensate for the lead," Wish continued, giving him the reality of the situation. "And a ship that size at that distance has a distinct advantage. They can probably see us and have more than enough time to compensate. Airships are far more versatile in the air. We can't just lead them along a single axis. They could go up, down, left right, and any directions in between or in additional to. Not that I'm saying don't try, but don't be surprised if our gunners won't hit their mark."
Blood narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying that your gunners are not able to hit a ship like that from this far?"
"I'm saying that it's going to be extremely difficult. Even for me."
"Well, there's no use sitting here and doing nothing. Aim all six cannons to all potential escape paths. Synchronize the shots for the same time and fire. This time they will not escape me." Blood grinned and looked at Wish who stood by with an impassive expression. That annoyed Blood. It was clear by the way his eyes suddenly grew hard. "You think they can avoid us? Why are you hesitating? Are you afraid?"
"Afraid? No. I'm never afraid, not when I stand on the bridge. You've already committed us to battle, so because of you we have to play our part. They will be expecting us to fire on them."
"Sir, the cannons are ready." One of the crew was standing by the communication tubes. "On your word."
"Fire."
Wish barely stopped herself from smacking her own face with her hoof. Blood might have been good at offensive able to figure out how to best react to a situation, but he had not idea to properly synchronize shots. You can't just tell your ensign to shout fire through the tubes. It doesn't work that way.
"Splayed shots!" a voice shouted.
"Splayed?" the captain asked, but the ship had started to move automatically as Sunny took her up towards the clouds.
The fireballs of magic exploded all around them, but none were threatening at all. They decorated the sky in a massive show. Most exploded way too early or too late, the distance was hard to pinpoint for a ship their size. The Lipizzan continued to climb up into the sky.
"Why would they fire splayed shots?"
"Dunno, captain, but I ain't complaining."
"Second volley! Again, splayed!" the watch called.
This time Sunny pointed the bow downwards and away. The rounds exploded all around them, but again not were close enough to cause any real concern.
"It's not her."
"What?"
"It's not her," the captain repeated. "She would never allow us to get by untouched. That would explain the sudden attack from before! It isn't her."
"You almost sound relieved," Sunny said making it a point to keep a straight face.
The captain looked at her from over his shoulder. "O-of course I am. That means we don't have to work as hard to keep ourselves out of danger. Whoever is commanding the guns on the Eleonora doesn't know how to give orders properly. That means that either-"
He cut himself off.
"I'm sure she's fine, sir."
"W-why would I care whether she's fine or not?" The captain walked over to the middle of the ship and leaned his head out to look at the Eleonora in the distance. She had stopped firing at them now, perhaps realizing that they were only wasting their shells. Even a ship the size of the Eleonora could not take a large load of ammunition if they had to carry as many slaves as they did.
He narrowed his eyes in thought. If she wasn't in charge of the ship, then maybe he could try something different.
"Keep heading along this bearing. I want to put as much distance between the two of us as possible."
Sunny smiled. Whenever the captain made this face, she knew that things were going to get pretty interesting pretty quick.
"Look at them hightail is out of there!" one of the Watu shouted, hooting at the receding figure of the ship through his binoculars.
"Take a squad of pegasi, chase that ship down. I want the captain's head by tomorrow morning, you got that?" Blood ordered looking directly at Wish as he said those words. "I want to give it to the ex-captain as a present. A souvenir of her last trip."
Wish stared back impassively. "I think you underestimate how hard it is to maintain order out here. A small ship like that might be no match for the Eleonora, but there are others out there that can take her on head to head without trouble. I would suggest you learn how to command a ship this size and you do it quick if you are really going to take over my duties."
The red unicorn laughed. "How high and mighty of you. In all my years of service, and I have been doing this far longer than you, never once has any ship dared attack this vessel."
"There's always a first time for everything. I just hope for your sake that you're prepared to face the consequences of your actions." Wish turned to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"I am going to inform our lord of my... retirement. It seems that you have everything here under control. You better train your Watu to run a ship, because I know for a fact that most of the crew here will walk out with me."
That seemed to silence the Watu.
"Is there anything else?" Wish asked. She fought hard not to grin.
"No."
"Very well." With that, she turned and walked out of the bridge. As she did she heard shouting from behind her as the entire crew followed her. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Captain, I mean, miss... er..."
Wish just smiled. "You can call me Miss, if you like. I am no longer the captain."
"Miss, we don't want to serve on this ship without you, so we're going to resign after this trip as well. We'll follow you wherever you may go, miss."
She smiled. No matter how long you were out at sea, and no matter who it was that signed on, the ability to command so much respect from others still managed to surprise her. These were good ponies, most put into a situation where they had little to no choice of where to go. To them, the Eleonora was their home and she had become more than just their captain and leader.
"Are you sure? You all still have a job here. You don't have to come with me."
"A few might stay, miss, but I can't see myself serving in any crew but yours. You've spoiled us, miss."
That brought a few nods of agreements from the others. "Okay. Then I'll go talk to the dragon and let him know. It wouldn't be good if you all left your posts at the same time. The ship still needs a crew."
"Aye," the all replied, saluting.
She watched as they returned to the bridge walking past a very, very annoyed looking unicorn standing in the middle of the hall. He glared at Wish.
"You are doing this to maintain your position."
"If you are accusing me of that, then why would I willfully give it to you in the first place?"
Blood turned sideways. "Obviously to alleviate the blame of letting the ship go."
"You're saying that I gave up being the highest ranked officer on a ship because I missed? I had no idea that missing a small, unknown vessel in the middle of the open waters was such a crime!" Wish wanted to laugh, but she knew that even Blood's patience had a limit. She could live with him hating her. She couldn't if he went into his blind rage. She could not deny that he could kill her without breaking a sweat. Maybe without even having to blink. "There is etiquette on the water that all those who sail above or on her follow. You breached that. No captain would let such a crime against a long standing tradition to go unpunished, and even now as I stand here looking at you, I want to help them because of what you did."
"You willfully admit that?"
"Of course. That is why I haven't helped you at all since you took command. I felt that anything I would have said would have served to undermine your authority and render you unable to do your duties as the new captain. Word of advise?"
Blood narrowed his eyes but did not say anything to stop her.
"Get ready. I don't know who commands that ship, but a Death Drop cannot be performed but any regular crew. It may be a standard method of evasion on paper, but a crew that can pull it off as flawlessly as they did isn't one to trifle with. So you better be ready, because you've got no idea how merciless it can be out here."
And for once, Wish got what she wanted against the Watu leader.
The last word.
And it felt really good. It was all she could do to stop herself from skipping away.
"Are you sure about this, captain?" Sunny asked again.
"Stop asking me that."
"I've got to keep asking that. It's what I do." She looked at the deck as the crew had started painting the ship with black paint. "That and make sure that we don't get hit by cannon fire."
The captain watched as his pegasi team flew down to collect more paint. They had finished painting the outside of the ship when they had got out of sight of the Eleonora and once again took refuge behind another cloud. The captain was contemplating what he should do.
On the one hoof, he was being paid to catch the slaver ship.
On the other hoof, a small vessel like that stood no chance against the ship on a head on confrontation.
The thing was, the camel was paying him to get him to the Eleonora, nothing more. How he got there was never part of his negotiations.
"Clever camel," the captain muttered. He had been so ready to accept his offer that he did not realize the weight of the request. The fact that he had distracted him by knowing his previous profession did not help either. "When are we going to be ready?"
"We're ready now, sir," Bones shouted back. "The outside is painted. We'll finish the deck on the go."
He turned to Sunny. "The wind?"
"Always with us, captain. Are you sure this is what you want to do? There is no turning back once we get started. We go all the way, or we stop right now."
"Go. All the way." The captain turned towards the horizon. Over the lip of it was the Eleonora. "Nobody, pony or dragon fires on me without provocation and gets to boast about it."
"How'd I know you'd say that?" Sunny muttered, but across her face was a wide grin. How she missed this. How she missed the danger involved with what they did.
How she missed the hunt.
"All hooves on deck! Now I know you've all been with me these past few years putting up with my nonsense, but what I am going to do, I cannot ask you to do this for mere bits alone." The crew paused to look up at their captain. Some still had paint on their hooves and they picked up cloth to wipe it off as the listened. "I'm not going to lie. There is a very likely possibility that we're not going to survive through this. So why am I going, you ask?"
"Not really. We all know why," came a dry response from somewhere amongst the crew that made the others laugh.
"Well, I'm gonna tell you anyway. I'm fed up. I'm fed up of what I've become. Because of that I am going to go right into that ship and do something that I should have done all those years ago!"
The crew looked at one another and smiled.
"It's about time, captain," one said and cricked his neck. "I've been waiting to hear those words. Took you long enough."
Others in the crew laughed along.
"Y-you do understand that I'm asking you to come with me to what could be the last trip you'll ever make."
"Every trip we go with you, you say the same thing! We can't always believe you if you keep telling us that it'll be our last if you keep bringing us back."
The crew laughed amongst each other. Bones walked up to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Face it, cap'n. You're stuck with us. No matter what happens, we're in this together. From now on till the moment we go to those greener pastures in the sky, we're with you all the way. Right you guys?"
"Aye!" came the shout.
"What did I do to deserve ponies like you?"
"You treated us like family is what. You're a good pony, captain. Just... you have to make do with what you were given, and believe me when I say you've been given rather little in the way of the world. The way I see it, I owe you this life because I know for a fact that if it weren't for you, I'd probably end up pretty badly. Maybe a Watu."
"You?" Bones joked and jabbed her in the rib. "Nah, you'd be more of a night pony."
"Then at least you'd be giving me a lot of business then, right Bones?"
The blue stallion laughed.
"Don't think so. He's got a thing for bovines!" came a shout.
The entire crew roared in laughter.
"Don't worry, Sunny. I'd be your customer."
"Me too!"
"I'd be your best customer!" came another shout.
"You do realize that your lives are in my hooves, right? Are you trying to made me mad?"
That shut them up real quick.
"Since there's no pony here willing to take me up on my offer to abandon ship, I guess this is it. From here on out, I'm going to be your captain through and through. From here on out, we're in it together."
"Aye, sir!"
"Full sails. Steady as she goes. Let's see what this new captain is really made of."
Hours had slipped by, and now the Lipizzan slowly made its way across the clouds. They were sailing right on the rim where the balloon skimmed the clouds above, but the main ship was below. Every so often a lump would stretch downwards enveloping the entire ship for a moment.
Every so often the moon herself would reflect across the freshly painted sails giving it a glossy, mirror-like finish; the Mare on the Moon clearly visible.
Not a soul had spoken since the last few orders. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but the tension on the deck was thick enough to cut with a knife. The unicorns were using the wind spells in short bursts to help the Lipizzan skip across to the next cloud. They wore hoods over their heads to hide the tell-tale glow of their horns.
The pegasi were flying a little bit away from the ship keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Some of the crew had claimed to have spotted clusters of Watu pegasi smoking and drinking on clouds in the distance. They might have been fierce fighters, but they lacked discipline. In the end, their loyalties were only as strong as the bits they pocketed after each job, and the further they got away from their bosses the less they felt the need to work.
Onwards they floated on, ever careful not to alert anything or anyone nearby. A few times they had spotted a ship off in the distance, a fellow airship usually going in a direction away from the Eleonora. Due to this, it was easy for the captain to direct his navigator towards where she would most like be.
Then a beacon of light pierced the clouds in the night sky. It sliced through the darkness pinpointing the source quite obviously. There she was, in all her immensity. The dreaded ship in question.
The captain waved a hoof signalling Sunny to start descending.
A beam of light streamed across where they were going over the boat. Every single one of them held their breath as the light hit them directly.
Then it moved on.
A collective sigh of relief came from them all.
Again the captain gestured for the ship to lower them closer to the water. What he did not want was for the airship to touch the surface, but stay just below the height of the upper railing. In the darkness of night and the sea he hoped that they would not be spotted by the lights as they concentrated on the skies above them instead.
It was a gamble, but it seemed to be paying off. They were drawing closer.
They had managed to get ahead of the Eleonora, so they were moving in a line that would intersect the ship right in the middle. Even Sunny could not help but feel amazed at the captain's foresight -- or dumb luck. Whatever the case, it put them in the most perfect position possible.
Again a hole in the clouds enveloped the sea in light. Every single member of the crew winced as the moon's glow washed over them. This time they felt naked, unlike before when they were above the clouds. They all held their breaths as the ship continued forwards without any heed. If they had moved their sails it might have sent unwanted attention towards them. If they had been spotted and fired upon, it would have been fatal. They did not have the advantage of fleeing downwards, which was vital to gain speed and slip away.
They kept on going. The waves of the ship a few meters below seemed to try and reach up towards the hull, threatening to wash the fresh coat of pain away. They did not have the luxury of sailing on the water, as the Lipizzan was not designed to traverse the water.
Bones' shoulder was shaking under his black cloak. Next to him several unicorns adjusted the speed of the ship by using decreasing or increasing the power of their magic. Only forward. They could only go forward. There was no turning back. They had crossed that point when they all decided not to take the captain's order to abandon him when he had offered.
The camel from inside the cabin had not been seen nor heard since they had started. Whatever he was doing was beyond his concern at this point. This time it was personal. The five hundred bits from him were now an added bonus. He would get the camel to the ship as promised, and then some.
A large cloud appeared overhead swallowing them all in a shadow.
Some of the crew closed their eyes in relief. Most ignored it. Those that had been with the captain before his 'retirement' were used to his ways. Cutting it close like this was what he always did. After all, that was the risk involved in what he did.
The captain pointed to starboard, signalling Sunny to move to starboard. The Eleonora drew ever closer. She was still quite a distance away, but their watch would be able to make them out at this range with their binoculars. If they turned, they would have been spotted without a doubt, even with the shadow hiding them. Their only hope was to keep at an angle to make themselves as small as possible.
"I don't like this," Sunny whispered. "I really don't like this. This is as close to that ship as I want to ever be."
The captain turned around to see a figure behind her.
"Get down!" he charged forwards his sword unsheathed and in one fluid motion it struck the pegasi in the heart. It fell down dead, the uniform unmistakable.
Suddenly there were more shouts and the bell started ringing.
"Watu!" came a shout that was cut short followed by the sound of arrows singing through the air.
"Repel boarders!" the captain roared. No longer concerned with being stealthy, the unicorns used their magic and fought back as hard as they could. He jumped down onto the main deck and barreled into two Watu that had managed to pin one of his crew down. The earth pony nodded in thanks and picked up a weapon in his mouth and charged.
More Watu appeared out of the darkness bedecked from head to hoof in full combat armor. They formed a line in midair and swept up onto the ship. Some were greeted by the Lipizzan's own pegasi who fought air to air as hard as they could.
A loud snap sounded from the front and the captain lobbed his blade at the Watu. He or she dodged it and glared at the captain, only to have Bones skewer him or her from behind and shove him off the deck. He started laughing instantly and charged another.
"They're cutting the lines! Don't let them free the balloon!" came the shout.
The captain turned to see the source of the voice, only to see the pony take several arrows. Far Eye looked at the captain and forced a smile on his face. He nodded once before attacking a Watu with a length of rope. He quickly slipped it around the enemy's neck before tightening it. He shouted as he pulled the Watu with him and pulled himself overboard.
The captain took a step forwards, but he knew it was futile. There was nothing he could do.
Arrows streamed across the deck as Watu on the outside were firing at them on the deck. Some of his own pegasi were trying to take them down, but they were outnumbered. He turned and looked at what was left of his crew and saw the bodies of those that did not make it lying still on deck.
"Get behind cover!"
He turned and watched in horror as another volley closed in towards him. He gritted his teeth and braced for the pain shutting his eyes tight, but it never came. He opened his eyes to see a flash of bright orange and yellow darted in front of him. Time seemed to slow down as the bright colors of the pony's coat appeared from behind the black cloak she was wearing.
"No." He whispered.
She spun around slowly and leaned against the captain as she slid down his front and to the floor.
"No." He whispered again.
She took one last breath. "Good bye, my captain, my best friend, my old flame."
She reached up and he dropped his weapon and gripped her hoof. "No."
She smiled, closed her eyes, then she moved no more.
"Sunny! No!"
Bones appeared from behind his captain and fired a crossbow while picking up a shield and rolled to a stop as the next volley was fired. The shield stopped a good chuck of the bolts, but a few pierced through and into his hoof. He grimaced in pain, but there was no laughter or humor in the his demeanor. His eyes watched as his captain picked up the mare's head and hugged it tightly.
Sunny had always been there for them. Through thick and thin, she was their anchor. The heart of the crew. They all loved her as a mother. At one point she had been their captain's lover and even after they had grown apart, she did not leave him. There was not a member of that crew that could control the rage they felt.
"Arm the cannons!" the captain shouted.
He knew it was stupid. He knew it was suicide. He knew that it would probably be the last thing he'd ever do, but he didn't care about any of that anymore. All he wanted was blood. Their blood.
The captain reached for a loaded crossbow when his eyes looked up to see the door to his cabin open, a pony he had never seen before standing on the deck behind the helm where Sunny had been just moments before. In his hoof he held a huge crossbow.
Before he could blink, the first bolt claimed its first victim. As he pointed his crossbow to the line of pegasi hovering just off the boat, two more crumpled and fell. Bones grabbed the nearest crossbow and followed suit. Soon several more of the Watu were sent crashing down into the cold embrace of the ocean below.
This made the Watu charge as they realized that in a firing match, the ponies on the ship had the advantage of stable footing; their hooves firmly placed on the ground granted them an edge when it came to accuracy. Now it was once again a hoof to hoof battle.
The captain made his way towards the deck. He was going to make the Watu regret sneaking up on him like they did. He was going to carve them up and make and example of them. He was going to kill them all for killing Sunny.
If the stallion standing there didn't do it first.
A blade was drawn in one hoof and in the other he held a spear. He moved with a fluid grace that seemed rehearsed as he tore through four Watu warriors in quick succession. The tip of the spear seemed to find the neck of three of the furthest ones as the fourth's head was cut almost clean through.
Then he reached for the helm and turned the ship to the right sharply as the Watu charging from that side miscalculated, the sudden change unexpected. They found themselves smacking against the railing, or tripping over the ledge giving the captain and his crew time to lay waste to their offensive. As the Watu regained their balance, the ship curved back towards the left almost tripping them up, the crew -- used to the sudden motion of the ship -- compensated without a thought.
The stallion moved to the main deck where the fighting was fiercest. The way he managed to move was almost impossible. If he had not been keeping his eyes on the pony, he could have sworn he was teleporting to each Watu in a straight line. He moved so easily and quickly. A blade across the throat of one made its way in a shallow arc to be met into the side of another, where the spear would 'appear' over his shoulder and through the chest of another Watu. Then, using his strength, he swung the body to stop a group of three warriors as he pulled his blade out from the second and cut into the seventh and eighth as they instinctively tried to attack his exposed side. They were caught completely unaware of the prowess of this newcomer.
The crew dispatched the three ponies whom were shoved aside with the spear as he progressed onwards to the front of the ship where a few Watu still remained. He pulled the spear back and caught it near the bladed tip before dropping it towards the deck. As a line of three Watu charged, the stallion pulled the spear forwards skewering one through the chest in a well aimed thrust. Then, he kicked the end with such force that it pushed through the corpse and into the Watu behind pinning both to an opened hatch door.
The sword sang as it cut through the air and blocked a downward swing of another Watu warrior's blade. A small dagger glittered in the light of the moon's glow as she peered through the clouds once more. The tiny blade spun in the air as it hit a Watu in his left eye causing her to scream in agony before a sword ended her misery in a clean curve across the back of her neck. The dagger was then removed before the pony fell to the deck and once more took flight embedding itself in another Watu's throat. The Watu pegasus behind him stopped in his tracks, but that proved to be his undoing as the sword was this time thrown hitting his forehead dead center, splitting his helm in half -- and his skull as well.
The other Watu stopped and turned their attention to the now unarmed stallion and made towards him. He just walked on as if he had not a care in the word as the remaining Watu charged.
They never saw Bones and the rest of the crew come at them from the side.
Then, at the very front of the airship, the last Watu turned and jumped off into the night heading straight towards the Eleonora.
"No! Don't let him get away! He'll raise the alarm!" the captain shouted picking up the nearest crossbow and firing it after the fleeing Watu.
The crew followed suit and did their best to bring the Watu down, but it was too difficult. The way he wove back and forth plus the sudden lack of lighting as the moon slipped once more behind the clouds made it a near impossible shot.
He was going to get away.
Or so they thought.
The Watu stopped in mid-flight, turned upwards for a moment, then plummeted backwards with his wings spread out into the sea.
The crew all turned to the pony who lowered a crossbow slowly. How had he hit the Watu from that distance?
"Who or what in Celestia's name are you?" the captain asked as they all stood dumbstruck by what they had witnessed.
The pony looked him dead in the eye. "A Border Guard."
In the background, only the sound of Bones' laughter could be heard over the stunned silence.