"Finally reached Bitsburg. I am soooo glad we decided to go this way, rather than pass through Stalliongrad. I hear that place is just dreadful, although it's no Canterlot, this city has it's.... charms." Rarity began.

"It's all steamy here! And all sorts of funny spinny wheels and shiny things!" Pinkie was busy looking at her reflectiong in a large brass cog.

"Bitsburg doesn't have any unicorns at all, so instead of magic, they built machinery. They even have their own style they call, 'Steambuck', whatever that means. It's Equestria's capitol of development in machinery and alternative power sources." Twilight read off a brochure.

"So basically, they use fancy mathematics ta make fancy machines that do fancy things that unicorns would normally do?" Applejack said the bare minimum of explanation. She received a nod from the lavender mare.

"Well, I'm all for ingenuity, but I just don't have the patience for stuff like that. Still, gotta admire the determination at doin sumthin the world tells em they cant."

"I just hope we get to see the Hindentanic, it's supposed to be Equestria's largest and most luxurious airship." Rarity cooed at the thought of a travelling hotel, spa, and the like.

"Bah, who needs flying machines when you've got good old pegasus wings." Rainbow Dash bragged as she flapped her cyan plumes.

"There are also pegasi who have been injured in one way or another and lost their ability to fly. They built metal wings to restore flight." Twilight listed off. Fluttershy coughed softly.

"Don't worry yourshelf one bit, you'll get used to it in due time." A salty sea dog of a pony tried to reassure her, only resulting in her jumping and letting out an eep.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to shtartle you. I know I look shcary, but I wouldn't hurt a fly, unlessh that fly was a shky sherpent." The eyepatched, one winged pegasus stepped forward, the scar across his left eye visible, as well as one along his right side. He also had a mechanical leg. His mane was matted, causing Rarity to almost gag from looking at it, and his coat was covered in patches where the fur had been burnt off. He spoke with a stern voice, rolling r's and a thick accent, saying 'sh' where there only should be an 's'.

"What do you want to go there for? Shpa's closed, you know, with the shky sherpents about."

"Shame thing. Shea sherpents swim in the shea, shky sherpents swim in the shky." The grizzled stallion deadpanned.

"Right, we're heading there to capture the Griffin Pirates! They won't know what hit em!" Dash proclaimed.

"Ahehehehehe, hahaha! That's a good one, couple a girly city ponies like yershelfs, one a which who jumps when a shtranger shays ello, and another who's been trying to avoid the shteam touchin er mane like it's the plague, goin after them? Good luck, you'll need it."

"Nah, just shtories. I showed up in Wethoof with the troops about an hour after he left, to deal with a hydra problem it turns out they already had taken care of. Mayor's office was in shambles, his desk was a charred puddle, the door kicked off it's hinges. And the mayor himshelf? Shaved bare with the word 'Trash' carved inta his head. He's alive, but he's got a nasty lookin shcar. Every time he looks in a mirra, he'll know EXACTLY what he thinks of im." At which point, Rarity and Fluttershy fainted. The fact someone would do something that cruel, and to permanently scar someone's beauty, was too much for the pair.

"Turns out, the mayor wanted him to help with the hydra problem, and ended up double crosshin im. He didn't take kindly ta that, and blew a gashket."

"Lucky we didn't get on his bad side, eh Pinkie?" Dash said nervously as she gulped.

"He's got more than one shcrew loose that one. I'm not gonna make ya go home, but you want my advice? GO HOME. He's way out of your league."

"Oh, he's not so bad. He's got a great sense of humor, although he turned down a party..." Pinkie objected.

"Well then, you all sheem to know what you're doin. I wouldn't be goin to Tailton though. If I were you, I'd head to Port Redshtone." The pegasus advised.

"Because Tailton ish no longer there. Dragons burned it down. I'm headed to port to pick up some stragglers trying to eshcape the flame. You're welcome ta come with, if you have the bits for the trip."

"Aha, and that ma dear, is the queshtion." The pegasus put his metal hoof in his mouth, which had a built in whistle, and a loud, high pitched sound came from it. A gust of air blowing the steam away, and a rusty, but none the less magnificent airship floated up to the dock. It was weathered, several parts had patches over burnt spots, but none the less, it was solid. It looked like it had been through Tartarus and back several times, and had beaten the living hell out of whatever had tried to come after it while it was there.

"You've got yourself a deal." Applejack and Twilight, both impressed at the work, decided immediately.

A week passed, and more or less, the six ponies had settled in on board the ship. Rarity was constantly complaining about how 'icky' it was, but once the Captain gave her the option of swimming the rest of the way, she decided to keep her mouth shut. Fluttershy spent most of the time with her hooves over her ears, as the constant clanking of the on board machinery was quite loud. Twilight spent the majority of her time attempting to navigate and checking her charts, while Applejack spent it vomiting over the side of the ship, not being a fan of heights. Rainbow and Pinkie were however, of great use, as the fantastic flier ensured that they had smooth skies to sail on, keeping their path clear of clouds and such, while Pinkie, not surprisingly, made for a fantastic sailor. He uncanny ability to be almost anywhere on the ship instantly, her Pinkie Sense helping them narrowly avoid an approaching dragon, and her culinary skills, all were appreciated greatly by the crew of the Red October.

As they approached the Volcanic Wastes, the ship had to lower altitude to avoid the ash clouds, and the six saw a sight that disheartened them greatly. The remains of Tailton. Or, the fact that there wasn't any. Rarity had actually been there once. The spa was fabulous, but that fact that she had been pick pocketed ruined the chances of her ever returning. All that remained of the hot spring was a pile of ash and a boiling pool of water, which had a sickening shade of red to it.

"That, is mount Killahoof, the worlds largest known active volcano. It's right at the center of the wastes, and can be seen from anywhere. It drools lava conshtantly. At least it doesn't shpit it out, it just lets it flow. Most of the dragons are up thar. If we're lucky, they won't shpot us as we make our deshcent to port. Now, lassies, are you sure you want to be goin through with this? I'm picking up some shtragglers, and then I'm out of here. How do ya plan on getting home?"

"Fair enough, but be warned, neither dragons nor pirates are to be trifled with."

The six stepped off of the airship and on the the scorched earth that is the volcanic wastes, a place Twilight, Dash, and Rarity had hoped never to see again. Fluttershy had a constant fit of soft coughing due to the less than pure air, while Applejack had to pull Pinkie away to stop her from touching a slow moving lava flow because she thought the light it gave off in strange patterns was 'pretty'.

After an hour, the Red October was loaded and took off, intent on leaving the danger zone as soon as possible and returning to it's port of call. As it lifted into the sky, Pinkie's tail twitched, and the six felt their hearts stop in terror. Just as it sat below the black ash clouds, a green dragon sank below it, slicing it's claws along the steel balloon frame, cutting it loose and sending the under carriage crashing into the Ring Sea, before flying off again. It sank the airship for no reason other than to delight in it's destruction. Hoping against hope that Shawn Trottery and his crew would be alright, but knowing there was nothing they could do to help them, they all gulped as they headed in to one of the only remaining buildings that hadn't been destroyed, a truly massive concrete dome made of four triangles on hinges. It looked as though it could open up. It was so large, if they didn't know better, they would have mistaken it for a part of the mountain.

"Well, I guess it's time to start looking for clues, see if anyone has seen them, if anyone is even left. This looks like a good place to start."

As they entered the dome, a sudden draft of clean, and more importantly, cool, air washed over them, a welcome change from the hot dry filth they had been breathing for the past three hours.

"Oi! Close tha door lassies! Ya'r lettin all tha cold air oot." Someone called in a distinctly Scottish voice. Twilight pulled the door closed behind her and the lights flickered on.

"Well, six ponies, what do ya think yer dooin here? Didn'tcha know everyone is makin fer port ta escape this blasted land? You best be dooin the same." They couldn't see where the voice was coming from.

"Oh, right, ya can't very well see me with the lights off." With that, the lights flicked on, revealing an absolutely MASSIVE vessel. It was a ship, not quite the size of the Hindentanic in Bitsburg, but then again, this wasn't a flying hotel. This was a warship.

"Holy sweet mother a Celestia." Applejack had to take off her hat to see the whole thing, or else the brim would have gotten in the way. Still looking for the voice, they noticed a rather cheery looking minotaur on top of it. Twilight's brain looked like it was going to fizzle out.

The Scottish minotaur, wearing kilt and all, hopped down to the floor of the work shop.

"Name's Steelhorn, pleasure to make yer acquaintance, especially to a bunch a lovely lasses such as yerselves." He gave a bow.

"My, such a gentlecolt." Rarity was surprised to see a supposed monster acting with such a pleasant demeanor.

"It's true. I'm the worlds most handsome and polite. But enough about meh, what about yoo?"

"Ahm Applejack, pleasure to make yer acquaintance." She began to give her usual hoof shake, which he surprisingly met. At the end, AJ felt like it was HER leg that was going to fall off.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie and you're super duper nice and *gasp* we should totally throw you a party! Because I like meeting new friends and everypony likes parties!"

"Nice to meet you all. Wait, one, two, three, four, five.... weren't there six of ya?" He counted on his fingers. Dash stepped aside to reveal Fluttershy hiding behind her legs.

"Aww, well, if you ain't the cutest lil pony I've every seen. What's yoor name little one?" He bent low to become less frightening.

"Um, sorry, I couldn't quite catch that, I'm a wee bit deaf from workin with machines all me life, think yoo could speak up a bit?"

"She's Fluttershy and, she's as you might be able to guess, a little shy around new faces." Twilight intervened.

"Ah, think nothin of it. I know I've got a scary face, but don't worry one bit, I don't bite at all."

After the introductions were complete, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but gawk at the massive vessel behind him and whistle.

"You like? I built her myself. Only took my twenty five years. She sure is a master piece. I was almost afraid I wouldn't finish it, but luckily I got everything I needed to finish it just in the nick of time. It's actually set to launch tomorroo. I'm gettin out of here before the volcano goes off." The outer skin shimmered with every colour of the rainbow, almost like a fish in clear water with the sun shining down on it.

"Why, it's beautiful! Such craftsmanship! Such flare! Such an intricate design! It's simply fabulous! What is it?" Rarity asked.

"But it doesn't have a balloon! It's all, flat and stuff instead of poofy." Pinkie reasoned.

"That's because with the design, the balloon is inside the ship. It has a solid outer skin, with the inflatable bag on the inside. The deck lifts up into the shell to make it seamless, with port holes and screens so you can still look out, as well as specially designed weapons system. That is actually a last minute addition, which I haven't installed yet. Just got the design set up for it, I'll need to stop off at Equestria for a bit to pick up the supplies for it, and then I can replace the cannons. A genius came along and suggested it to me, then told me he'd rent it! He paid quite a lot, just to borrow it, considering he's going to be putting it to the test. I never would have thought to use it like that, so, I gave him a big discount."

"Wow, that's amazing! I suppose you won't say, because you know..." Twilight trailed off.

"Trade secret, yeah. This is goin to revolutionize the way airships are built I tell you that."

"Right, now to the business at hoof. Before we get distracted any further, the reason we came here in the first place. We're looking for the Griffin Pirates... have you seen them?"

"Well, I have seen em. In fact, they'll be coming here sometime tomorrow to help with the take off. If you're waiting for them, yoo could just stay here for the night." He offered.

"Oh no, we couldn't, I mean, not that we don't appreciate the offer but....." Rarity began.

"Oh filly folly, I know it's hotter than a desert out there, and twice as dangerous. Besides, you'd hate to leave and miss them when they arrive."

A plank was lowered, allowing the ponies to walk up it and on to the undercarriage. It wasn't opulent, but was by no means a dump. It was designed for functionality. After all were on board, the carriage began to slide up into it, the lights flickering on as it did so. They saw a number of cat like creatures loading things, moving them around, preparing for the take off the next day. They assumed them to be the ships crew.

"And here we are. Lower decks are residence. You'll be able to look out and see the sky through the armored port holes. Upper decks are machinery, engines, defenses and the lot, as well as the bridge. Off limit to ya. Don't need civilians runnin around up there, besides, there's nothin to see, it's quite boring. You can go anywhere below the landing deck, and nowhere above it. There's a main hall and mess hall in case you feel the need for some room. Most of the time, we'll be flying her opened up, so you'll be able to get some fresh air, and we'll be doin that over the ring sea, but if things get dicy, you'll go below deck and we'll close it. This completes the shell and makes it nigh impenetrable. We're also keepin it locked up while in the wastes, don't wanna go breathin an ash cloud. Yer feathered friend will have plenty of time with open skies once we're over the ocean." The ship owner looked to see Rainbow Dash getting antsy.

"Just settle in and calm yerself. Even locked up, there's plenty of room to fly around, you don't need to stay rooted."

"Oh thank Celestia." Dash immediately flew up and did a couple loops, being careful not to collide with any of the workers.

"So, who are they?" Twilight asked, obviously wondering about the unknown species.

"Natives of the jungle. The one who's leasing the Possibility has his own crew and everything. Saves me on trying to find one, can't operate everything myself. Good thing I didn't tell him that or I'd have to give him another discount."

Rarity seemed most displeased that the minotaur was being that greedy, she'd never dream of doing something like that and ripping someone off. Despite his charm, he had the avarice of a dragon.

"Well, head below decks and find some rooms for yourselves. Get a good night's rest, we're setting out in the morning."

"Are you sure this is okay? I mean, you're renting the ship out to somepony else, but letting us ride for a fare?" Applejack asked.

"Hey, it's still my ship, I can do what I want with it. As long as we go where he says, save for making a stop at an Equestrian port, which we both agreed upon, he's in no position to complain."

The mane six found six rooms, three on either side of a hall, and settled into them, unpacking their things, and writing their names on an erasable board on the door. They noticed several other names next to their rooms.

"Nadene and Maria sharing a room, Etch and Growl in another..... Those don't sound like pony names..... probably some of the crew. Really packing them in like sardines that Steelhorn is." Rarity muttered to herself. She didn't bother going to the end of the hall, only interested in her immediate neighbours. If she had, she would have noticed the names, Trixie and Gilda across from each other, with Griffin at the hall's end.

Oh no! They're all in the same hall! I can see this ending very badly, or hilariously if you look at it from the other perspective. Also, Hindentanic- Hinderburg and Titanic, a massive luxury cruise airship that's doomed to failure. Probably won't see it again, just a little throw in of a web comic I saw. Poor Sean Connery's pony, he's in the ocean.

Griffin the Griffin

by BlackWing

Other Side The Third (33)