//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 Off to sail the open seas! // Story: The Adventures of the Cutie Mark Crusaders - Fillies on a Mission! // by Wolfie 03 //------------------------------// The Crusaders waited a few days before making more travel plans; they were still being watched by relatives though since school started in a month they were given some leeway to have fun. Since they got a large sum of bits for bringing in the local gang in Applewood, the fillies decided to make a stop at Canterlot on the way to Baltimare; they still had to repay Grand Exchange for the bits they borrowed. Luckily the reward had been a thousand bits, so they still had seven hundred left to themselves after paying back their friend. “Why are we going to Baltimare again? It's awfully close to Manehatten...” Scootaloo looked at her friends with ears laid back in worry. “Because, it's someplace they wouldn't expect to find us! And it's in a different direction, throws them off the trail.” Sweetie Belle shot the pegasus a grin before looking at the plans before them for their latest adventure. "Yeah; besides, Baltimare is the city that's closest tah th' docks, where we can find ah boat tah try an' be sailors! Or some other sea-type of Cutie Marks.” Apple Bloom nodded happily to herself before reaching for their saddlebags and packing everything up before setting everything back down in the center. “Come on, we gottah ask if we can go Crusadin' fer a few days without our sistahs worryin'. It's a much longer trip tah Baltimare than the others especially if we're making a stop at Canterlot firs'.” Apple Bloom waved for others to follow her out of the Clubhouse to find the orange farm pony. The trio found Applejack just as she was about to start her morning chores; though when she saw three figures running up to her, she waited for them, having a feeling that they were about to ask something of her. “Hiya Sis'. We were jus' wonderin' if we could go Crusadin' fer ah few days. We wouldn't be able tah report in with ya, but Ah promise we'd be safe.” As Applejack looked hesitantly about it she was subjected to three pairs of pleading eyes; the older mare gave in with a sigh and rubbed the back of her head. “”What are ya Crusadin' fer? We'd need ah way tah find y'all ifin' something happens.” Applejack sternly looked at the trio who were a little less sure of their success. “We're trying to earn postal delivery Cutie Marks! So we thought we'd stay with Miss Derpy to learn some tricks of the trade; but since the postal ponies have to travel far we thought we'd need a few days to try.” Scootaloo stepped forward as they nodded along; the postal ponies were their original cover story but they weren't sure about getting more ponies involved. “Alright, but ya got tah make sure Rarity knows.” Three faces fell at the new obstacle; while Applejack may be easy to convince, Rarity knew every trick in the book and would be harder to convince. “Awwww.... Rarity never lets me have fun.” Sweetie Belle sat with a huff as the other Crusaders looked mournful on her behalf. Applejack chuckled at the dramatics and sat down as well. “Now th' ain't true, she jus' wants ya tah be safe. Ah'm sure if you go an' explain like ya did tah me she'll let ya go as well.” At this Sweetie Belle perked up with an idea that may help. “Ooh, can you come with us and help explain to her?! She doesn't listen to me, but maybe she'll listen to you!” Applejack found herself facing another triply puppy dog eyes as the Crusaders tried to look as pleading and sad as possible; they had noticed how the orange farm pony had been spending more time with the fashionista and had been the one that got the girls un-grounded after their first fight with a Timberwolf. Applejack sighed again before nodding; as she stood up to go with the Crusaders, the fillies all gave cheers and high-hoofed one another. The older mare rolled her eyes at these antics but led the way all the same. Soon the four ponies found themselves in the Boutique with a gray-white unicorn who had been preparing to go to out for the day. “I don't know...” Rarity put a hoof to her chin as the girls tried to plead with puppy eyes once more to little effect. “Come on sugarcube, th' girls' will be safe; would Ah lie 'bout somethin' like that?” Applejack added her own two bits in as Rarity smiled briefly at the orange mare before turning a stern eye to the trio of fillies. “Of course not dear; but it's not something you are doing, it's the girls who have done things like it before.” Applejack nodded slowly as she conceded the point. “That's true, but they know how much trouble they'd be in if they lie tah us.” Applejack glared as well as the Crusaders gulped nervously, they were taking large risks by traveling so much. Rarity saw how serious Applejack was and how the girls were properly worried about upsetting their sister and nodded her consent. “Alright, but be careful! And try not to get too dirty!” As the girls cheered and ran outside they paid little attention to their older sisters as Rarity called to Applejack before she could leave with the girls. “Applejack, would you be a dear and come help me pull carts of gems back to town?” Upon seeing Applejack's inquisitive brow the gray-white unicorn went on to explain. “Lately the Diamond Dogs have been giving me two extremely heavy carts of gems and it's just been the hardest thing to pull it all the way back to town on my own.” Applejack shook her head at the thought of the prissy unicorn dealing with the very dogs that she had issues with before and gave the unicorn a slight frown. “Why are ya dealin' with them dogs Rarity? Ah thought they caused you nothin' but trouble?” Rarity waved a dismissive hoof as she laughed lightly. “Nonsense! Why, they are the most well behaved a lady could ask for. So will you help?” Applejack shook her head as she smirked. “Shucks, Ah was goin' tah help even if it's tah protect ya from them dogs in case they had any funny ideas. Lead th' way, sugarcube.” Applejack bowed her head slightly as she swept a hoof towards the door, allowing the unicorn to go ahead of her. “Thank you darling!” Rarity smiled at the farm pony before leading the way to the nearby range of mountains for her supply of gems that would help her business prosper. The girls raced through town, wanting to tie up loose ends before going on their trip. “Scootaloo, how ya gonnah get Miss Derpy tah go along with us leavin' town?” Apple Bloom glanced at the orange pegasus who led the trio to Derpy's house on the outskirts of town. “You know Applejack wasn't going to let us unless there was somepony she could check with about us. All we have to do is make it vague enough that Ms. Derpy won't question it or know where we are exactly. I'll take care of it, don't you worry.” Scootaloo waved away their worries as they came to the small one floor cottage on the edge of town. The cottage had a thatched roof like all the other buildings in town with brown-red walls and a clear front yard; its mailbox was slightly bent from being a means of brake and there was a smooth walkway leading to the front door. While the trio couldn't see it from the front, there were three bedrooms as well as the living room, kitchen and bathroom; making it just slightly too large for a single pony but still retaining its cozy charm. As the trio lined up in front of the door, Scootaloo knocked a few times with a confident smile on her face; it was Sunday and there was no postal service unless it was an emergency, so the blue-gray pegasus was bound to be home. Fortunately the orange pegasus' theory was right and soon the trio was face to face with the older pegasus who smiled at seeing them. “Hello girls; I'm glad to see everything is going ok for you, Scootaloo. How can I help you three?” Derpy looked from one to another as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked to the confident pegasus filly. “Hello Ms. Derpy, we were wondering if it was ok to go Crusading in the forest in your backyard. We promise to be safe!” Derpy looked from one filly to the other as they tried to appear innocent; the pegasus frowned slightly, causing her eyes to drift in different directions. The girls knew it was rude to say anything about this and waited for the older mare's response instead, almost able to sense that she had questions for them. “Do your families know about this newest Crusade?” The girls remained as still as possible while they allowed the orange filly to speak for them. “Yeah, they know; but we're trying to earn our secret agent Cutie Marks too, so nopony can know where we are. Can you promise not to tell?” At this the girls used their puppy eyes for the fourth time that day as they looked at the older mare. Derpy always had a weakness for foals and the Crusaders were no exception, even if not telling family members where they were exactly didn't sound very good at all. It helped that while she did have a good size forest in her backyard, Derpy knew it rather well from her own foal-hood and was confident in her ability to find them if the need arose. “Alright, I promise I won't say where you are or give away secretive information.” As Derpy gave in and relaxed, her eyes went mostly back to normal and she gave the now ecstatic Crusaders a smile and polite farewell as they abruptly turned around and went back into town to reach the other side where the orchard waited for them. “I don't know if we should be doing all this lying. It's one thing to sneak off... But Applejack was right; we would get into a lot of trouble if they found that we lied to them...” Sweetie Belle trailed off as the three friends walked back to Sweet Apple Acres for their supplies. “Ah dunno; while Ah don't like lyin' to mah family, they wouldn't let us do anythin'. Do ya not want tah go?” Apple Bloom looked at the unicorn who seemed shock at the suggestion. “What? No, I want to go! I'm just not sure about lying to our families.” Sweetie Belle tried to show how much she wanted to go by picking up her pace, leading the others to the Clubhouse at a run. “Hey, Scootaloo, why would Ms. Derpy have a forest in her backyard?” Apple Bloom looked at the pegasus briefly as they ran through the town. “Hmm? Oh. Well, since she lives on the edge of town like she does, she has the forest really close to her house. She owns part of the forest, I guess from her family? And when I had my various hideouts, one of them was in that forest; that's how I met her and worked out a deal for a way to earn bits and place to stay and all.” Scootaloo shrugged as well as one could while running. The trio were silent the rest of the trip to the Clubhouse, not wanting to chance getting into trouble by arguing about their cover story on the way. Once they arrived, they picked up the prepared saddlebags and threw on their capes before heading out again; they wanted to present a unified front on their longer trip and the best way was to take their Crusading capes. Since they weren't sure how much renting a boat would cost, they brought their bits along as well as the amount to pay back Grand Exchange; they were going to make a stop at Canterlot on the way there and they had already sent a letter explaining that earlier in the week so their friends would be expecting them. Considering how long it was going to take to reach the port city, the trio had booked a private compartment for themselves so they wouldn't be bothered during the ride. It was still early in the day, only 8am, so there weren't that many ponies taking the train at the time; and All Aboard had seen the fillies take the train so often that it no longer gave him pause, though when they asked to try and be conductors he made sure to say no firmly. Once again they used the extra time to work on their Martial Arts techniques and made a list of sea-themed Cutie Marks they could try for, trying to fill the empty long hours of their trip. Within two hours they arrived at Canterlot City, and the trio hopped off the train in excitement of seeing their friends even if it was briefly; the train was making a ten minute stop and so the Crusaders had arranged to meet the two Canterlot fillies at the station. As they got off the train, they searched the platform frantically, they didn't want to miss the chance to repay a friend nor miss their time to leave. A pink unicorn waved to the trio of fillies as they ran over with smiles of joy at seeing a friendly face. “Sweet Success! Are we glad tah see ya, but where's Grand Exchange? We were supposed tah meet her here tah give her her bits back...” Apple Bloom scanned the crowd as the three girls stood next to their pink with two-tone pink maned friend. “Well, about that.... Grand Exchange said that she doesn't want the bits back; and if you can't meet her, then you can't give them back.” Sweet Success scuffed a hoof along the platform as she sheepishly looked to the Crusaders who stared back in shock. “But, but... We have more bits! We can afford to pay her back! What if you took the bits and gave it to her for us?” Sweetie Belle pleaded to Sweet Success who backed away slightly while having a hoof in denial. “Nope. They're not my bits, I can't take them. We know that it's harder for you three to get bits than it is for us, we don't mind helping out.” Sweet Success shook her head before pointing to the train that was just starting to blow the warning whistle. “Besides, you can't stay longer to argue with me. How about this? Once you guys get your Cutie Marks, then you can pay Grand Exchange back? That way, you know what your talent is so you can possibly get a job and earn more. Sound good?” The pink unicorn smiled as she watched the Crusaders frown but nod thoughtfully at the suggestion. “Alright, but you guys can't try and pull that kind of try when we do come to payback the bits. We'll see you later Sweet Success.” Scootaloo pointed a hoof to show they meant it before waving goodbye to the pink filly. “Yeah, we'll see y'all later then.” “Yeah, and once we do have our Cutie Marks we will pay it back! Bye!” As one the trio returned onto the train and watched from the window as Grand Exchange stepped out just in time to wave goodbye to the fillies as the train started on its journey once more. “HEY!” The girls started to shout at their other Canterlot friend when the train started to pick up speed, only allowing them time to wave goodbye as the two nobles just smiled and waved back. “Well, at least she came out tah say goodbye.” Apple Bloom shrugged as they sat on one of the four bunks, pleased that they were able to see their other friend while upset that they couldn't speak with her nor repay her that day. “That was one heck of a trick they pulled. Think they're going to keep at it if we tried to give back the bits before we earn our Cutie Marks? We don't even know how long that will take!” Scootaloo thumped a hoof on the bed as she frowned; being one upped didn't sit right with her. “Well, by the time we get our Cutie Marks, we should have had a chance to earn lots more; we can give back it easily. She means well, and hopefully it won't take that long. We just have to keep Crusading, that's all!” Sweetie Belle tried to be positive to counter the orange pegasus' sulking, Apple Bloom nodding along. “Yeah, we can always try an' tah play a joke back on her if ya want. We'll hav' tah think of a good one too...” Apple Bloom rubbed her chin as she started to think of different pranks they could try and pull on their Canterlot friends. “Yeeaaahhh, that could work. So what can we do?” Scootaloo raised an inquisitive brow to the young farm filly who smirked back before the two started to come up with prank ideas with some input from the young unicorn, who was happy that their pegasus friend was no longer sulking. The trip would take half a day, meaning that the girls would have to find a place to stay for the night since it would be too late to try and Crusade safely. They planned to check on when boats left at what times the next day so they could get up in time to either go with a boat that has a crew already and learn or get their own to rent for the day; depending on costs and how big of a task it was would dictate what the girls would end up doing for their sea Cutie Marks. They spent their trip in high spirits; making prank plans, practicing their Martial Arts, making lists of ideas and figuring out financially what they could do in the city. They even took a nap at one point, all the excitement and rush catching up with them; the trio had been up since early that morning planning out their latest Adventure and their cover story for relatives. Just as they were beginning to doubt themselves about the long trip, the train pulled in with a sharp whistle, drawing everypony's attention at having arrived. The girls all perked up from their place on the bottom bunk where they had sat down in despair not even moments ago and jumped up to grab their saddlebags from the corner of the compartment where they had thrown them. Once they had their capes on over their bags, the girls followed the crowd out of the train and onto the platform that was on the edge of the city farthest from the sea. The trio followed their noses through the mid-sized buildings and wide spaces to find the docks and ocean. The fillies from Ponyville had never seen the ocean before and could only stare in wonder at the continuous blue that seemed to blend into the sky which was darkening by this time, slowly outlining where the sea ended with the backdrop of dark-navy sky. Lamp posts were slowly coming to life as the girls stood on the wooden walkway that allowed ponies to reach the beach; dotted along the sands were life-guard stations where ponies watched the swimmers to ensure their safety during daylight hours. Behind the stunned trio, the three and four storied buildings began to light up for the night as hotels tried to tempt ponies into a comfy place to rest with signs proclaiming their prices and special offers. The thing that drew the girl's attention away from the slapping of waves onto the sand before them was a chilly wind that blew their capes out and caused them to shiver. They looked away from the view before them to share huge smiles at having come out this far and turned to face the city that was behind them, taking in the night life of a much larger place than their hometown. “Well, we should find a place to sleep for the night. Any ideas you guys?” Scootaloo half-glanced to the others who looked back in thought; the pegasus could stand being just about anywhere, but knew that her two friends weren't as used to ruffing it like she was. “We could always try to find a hotel to stay in just for tonight...” Sweetie Belle began to think out loud when she realized a problem they may have with this idea. “Yeah, but what hotel would let a couple of fillies stay without an older pony with them?” Scootaloo pointed out the problem that Sweetie Belle had started to realize as she waved with a hoof to the buildings in front of them. “What if we said we had an older pony tha' would be comin' later an' that we was tah get the room fer 'em?” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at one another before turning back to Apple Bloom and nodding their consent to her idea; it wasn't like they were getting any better ones anyways. The girls stood up from where they had sat in thought and made their way to the nearest hotels that faced the ocean; where they found an unfortunate truth, any hotel that was right next to the beach cost ten times as much as any one block away. It was as they exited the third hotel that they saw a sign for a smaller one across the street exclaiming its cheaper price with a sign over the doorway. It was much easier for the girls to book a room than they thought; the staff pony didn't seem to care all that much that they were foals and gave them the same kind of attention as all the other clients, bored indifference. In an attempt to save on bits, the girls ordered a double sized bed to be shared; they had shared a bed in other sleepovers and it wasn't going to be any different this time, it was just in a different city, so they thought nothing of it. The room they had was of decent size; it had the double bed in the center, some dressers along the side with a T.V. screen on top of it, a large window on the wall with the door and a small bathroom that had a shower stall in it along with other basic hygiene needs. The girls found a basic phone in their room and ordered in for the night from a local pizza place, the Italian Stallion. As they ate, they pondered about how Ponyville can be rather old-fashion and not have that many electronic features available; though this trend was slowly eroding away, especially considering how foals now had an arcade to play at during non-school hours. While they considered themselves too wired to sleep that night, the Crusaders knew they would have to get some kind of rest in order to get up in the morning to search for a ship to work on. They had come to an agreement on the fact that they would learn a lot more by getting work on a ship with an experienced crew already and hoped that there would be such a ship hiring. Bright and early the next morning found the trio of fillies on the docks of Baltimare; having eaten a breakfast of leftover pizza from the night before and taking all of their possessions with them in case something comes up. They found the docks as both a hive of bustle and yet quiet; the fishing boats were just setting sail while passenger boats waited on the ponies who wanted tours of the harbor and local area. As the trio walked along the pier, looking for just the right kind of boat to try and work on, they weren't watching the path before them and bumped into a filly who was like-wise distracted. “Ah'm sorry-” “Sorry!-” “We're sorry-” "Ah, sorry, sorry-” As one the four fillies paused in their apologies as they found themselves faced with a friend. “Eripio?!” The trio cried as one while the green unicorn exclaimed in surprise as well. “Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? What are you guys doing here?” Eripio adjusted her glasses that had been knocked lightly in the bump as the four fillies stared at one another in surprise. "Us? What about you?” Scootaloo pointed with a hoof as Sweetie Belle was just about to start explaining. After giving the pegasus a slight frown for having cut her off, Sweetie Belle continued with what she had been about to say. “We're trying for any sea-themed Cutie Marks we can, what are you doing around here?” Eripio frowned slightly in confusion, she had thought the Crusaders may have come for a different reason. “Well, actually I'm here because there seems to be some sort of trouble going on around these waters.” Three brows rose at this, unsure of what troubles could lie in wait on the high seas. “Seems that a group of pirates have been pillaging local ponies; I thought that you had heard of it and came to help.” Eripio looked at the Crusaders curiously who started to thoughtfully frown at the news of pirates. “How'd ya know 'bout pirates in the area?” Apple Bloom asked as the trio tilted their heads in unison, confusion flashing across their faces. “It's a Clan magic that the unicorns of my family can use; it helps us find trouble locations and send the right kind of help. It's a type of divination magic, something that only a blood relation of the Rescue Clan can use; I've been trying to find my own Cutie Mark and since I can use that spell, I thought it might be something that I'm do to so I've been going around to different trouble locations to try and help.” Eripio scanned the horizon as she explained to the girls who looked gleeful at the fact that their friend was also Crusading for her Cutie Mark, in her own way. “You should join the Cutie Mark Crusaders! We go on lots of adventures!” Scootaloo hovered in the air for a moment as the others chimed in as well. “Yeah, maybe you need to try other things to get your Cutie Mark!” “An' ya never know, ya might find tha' your talent is somethin' completely different.” The three Crusaders gave the green unicorn large grins that she returned due to amusement of their excitement. “Thanks for the offer girls, but I'm going to try my way for a little longer. You said you were trying to earn sea-themed Cutie Marks? How about trying some of those boats, they have slightly nicer crews and are a little bigger; it's more than likely they could use some extra help with something or other.” Eripio pointed further down the dock where more mid-sized ships were tied, ones that were waiting for passengers to come abroad for tours. “That sounds like a good idea, thanks! And remember, the offer still stands! See you later Eripio!” Sweetie Belle led the way as the trio waved goodbye to their friend who returned to searching the docks and horizon for signs of trouble. The girls tried boat after boat, and upon reaching the fourth passenger boat were finally able to be hired as cabin-ponies. The ship, called 'The Classy Mare', had an older crew who were rather fond of foals and respected the fillies desire to learn how to work on a ship. The first two hours were spent learning the proper nautical terms for things as well as tips and tricks as the crew waited for their passengers of the day. The Classy Mare was to take a tour of the bay as well as some of the more famous landmarks nearby; such as various collections of rocks as well as other natural features that have amazed ponies for generations. Once the passengers for the day arrived, which were a couple of large mid-class families, the ship set sail out of the harbor and onto the open seas. The Crusaders earned their sea-legs the hard way, having never been on a ship before and spent a half hour leaning over the railing seasick before adjusting to the new environment. Since they had all equally been sick, it was agreed to never be spoken about again. Much like their other attempts at earning Cutie Marks, the Crusaders made a mess out of the work given to them. They couldn't tie any knots without tying each other up at the same time, any time they tried to move supplies it typically got away from them and the trio were seen to be chasing barrels and objects across the deck, climbing into the rigging usually led to them either be tangled up or dangling off the edge and they couldn't try to navigate the ship without getting into a fight with one another about the directions. As much as the passengers were annoyed by the three fillies' actions, the crew thought it was cute and tried to offer tips and help to the girls. They had signed on for an all-day workload and though they spent the first few hours on the sea getting into trouble, they slowly got the hang of it. The crew found that they had to be taught slowly with repetition and practice, as well as lots of encouragements so the girls didn't feel like complete losers and give up on whatever task they worked at. Just as the girls seemed to have gotten better and may actually be able to do normal crew-type things, everything went downhill. Pirates appeared out of nowhere and boarded their ship with demands of hoofing over all valuables and supplies; the Crusaders would have tried to stop these robbers, even if they were outnumbered three to one, but the crew made sure that the foals were all safe and out of harm's way by keeping them well away from the pirates. It wasn't much protection considering how the pirates made sure to search every room for any hidden valuables; making it easier for the Crusaders to get a good look at them as well as over hear some of the pirates' conversations. Once the pirates took all they could and retreated as fast as they appeared, The Classy Mare returned to the harbor to report the theft. The three fillies were among the first ones off and it was to their surprise to find Eripio and a team of coast guards waiting for the ship. “Whatcha doin' here Eripio? We was just goin' tah go lookin' fer ya.” Apple Bloom led the way over to the purple maned filly who seemed only slightly surprised that the Crusaders were involved with the incident. “I was trying to predict when the trouble would happen and it told me to come to this dock; I told the coast guard, but they didn't listen to my warning early enough to sail out and help. Is everyone alright?” Eripio checked over the fillies as well as the other passengers for any injuries, pleased to note that no one was hurt. “Nah, we're fine; they gave in to the pirates' every demand and no one was hurt. We would have tried to stop them, but they kept all the foals back 'for safety'. Pfhh, like we were safe; the pirates searched every room for any extra valuables, including the one where the crew made all the foals wait in.” Scootaloo glared out at the sea, thinking of when the pirates would likely strike next. “Yeah, we totally heard and saw them! They wore the same symbol as the Red Dragons from Applewood, but they sure didn't fight or act like those colts... Though they were all colts and stallions...” Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin as she stated these facts, wondering if they had any connection with the gang from the other city. Eripio watched closely, also connecting the dots while being amazed at the luck the girls have with finding trouble and gathering clues. “An' them pirates are probably gonnah rob somepony else today; the families that were on th' boat today weren't very rich or nothing and the cargo The Classy Mare had wasn't all that much either. They was sayin' somethin' 'bout tha' when they was searchin' the ship fer mor' loot. We gottah stop them!” Apple Bloom looked to the other Crusaders who nodded back sharply before all four fillies began to run along the pier. “Good theories, we'll get the coast guard and let them know; they'll have to listen to me this time! Come on girls, this way!” Eripio took off running down the pier that headed further inland, happy to have found others who want to stop the villains as much as she does. “I'll bet they go for one of these bigger cruise ships, they have a lot more cargo and their passengers tend to be richer ponies; what do you think girls? Girls?” Eripio looked behind her and found that she was NOT leading the Crusaders as she had thought; she spent a few minutes trying to find them in the growing afternoon crowd without luck. “... Why do I get the feeling that they are going to be in the thick of trouble again?” Eripio asked herself rhetorically as she continued on her way to the coast guard; without knowing where the fillies had gone she had to do the next best thing, tell the proper authorities of their theories concerning the pirates and hope they would do something before it was too late. “So, do you think these bigger fancier boats will most likely be robbed next, Eripio? Eripio?” Sweetie Belle looked back to find that the green unicorn was nowhere to be seen. “What the-? Where did she go, she was right behind us!” Scootaloo circled in place before looking to her two friends who could only shrug in return. “Ah guess she went tah tell somepony else 'bout these pirates comin' back. We'll do things our way an' she can do it her way, an' we'll see who gets the job done faster.” Apple Bloom suggested as she looked for the nearest boat that would be setting sail shortly. “Sounds good to me, we'll see who is faster, the Cutie Mark Crusaders or some old coast guard ponies.” Scootaloo joined in the search as the trio spun in place trying to find the ship that was about to leave the dock. “Yeah! Ohh look! That big one there, it's about to leave! Come on!” Sweetie Belle led the way as the trio ran up to a much larger cruise ship named The RLS Legacy that was just finishing loading its precious cargo of wines, arts and gems for the nobles who were traveling by boat to Manehatten; they had heard about pirates and most of the trains heading to the northern city were booked, leaving them no choice but to go by sea. They had heard that the pirates had already struck that day and hoped it would be another before they came back for more prey. The Crusaders snuck aboard and hid in one of the half-filled crates of cargo; the crew of the Legacy knew they had to be extra careful to satisfy their passengers of the day and did a thorough search of the cargo bay, checking for stowaways or any other issues. Since most of the nobles insisted on privacy, the crew didn't search in the boxes and crates, making it the perfect hiding place for the fillies. Their plan was a simple one: they would wait for the boat to be hijacked and when the pirates came into the hold to take the valuables, they would pop out and fight them off and capture who they could; the captured pirates may even lead them to their hideout where they can get the others at the same time. It was foolproof. That was until somepony set more crates on top of the one the Crusaders were hiding in. In an effort to stay near one another to better work as a team they had chosen to hide in the same large crate that was half-full of high-end clothing; but the box that was placed on top was full of gems and was heavier which meant that the fillies wouldn't be able to surprise the pirates like they originally planned. They discovered this fact when, after two hours of sailing, the ship was boarded by the pirates; the girls could tell when the floors above them were filled with screams and shouts of 'take him/her, not me!'. They waited for the sound of hoof-steps into the cargo hold and then pushed together on the top of their crate only to find it immovable. The trio listened in fear as the pirates described what each box held and found that they were blocked by a heavier box of gems; they face-hoofed as one while the pirates began to load up all the cargo onto their own ship. Within thirty minutes of the attack the pirates had everything they could grab and beat a hasty retreat; the girls could only sit and listen to the pirates around them praise themselves for a job well done and describing their latest job as 'one of the best that will for sure get them out of their current location and onto better things'. The Crusaders shared a concerned look before their faces set into one of resolve; they weren't going to let the pirates get away, ever! The only question was: how would they stop them?