Interlude 2
Open Sea
5 Hours after the Tower Clash
Equestrian Fleet
Juggernaut Alicorn of Freedom
Wave Surfer gazed out over the calm and clear water, thinking about what had happened. The message had been a surprise but despite him saying that Razor would have kept his word almost none of the others believed it and geared up for a fight, and got their tails handed to them, hard. Wave had heard of the "Wreck Golems" of the Outcasts, but had never seen them with his own eyes.
From the tales he had heard however, those Golems were highly feared by enemies of the Outcasts. Tales of armies swept aside like they were nothing as any damage to the Wreck Golems rapidly repaired. From what Wave knew the Outcasts didn't start using them until at least fourteen years ago, give or take, a year or so after the Rise of the Outcasts War. He'd only heard of them being deployed a few times but each was a game changer that won the Outcasts major victories, enough to make a serious impact on the balance of power in the Sea of Legends, and maybe beyond.
Wave signed as the sound of hoof steps came up to him.
"You okay Wave?"
Looking over he found himself looking at Blade Wind, the Earth Pony Mare who was Captain of the Guard. Over the time since Wave had come aboard and they had booped each other's snouts, the two had grown quite close. They weren't at the dating stage yet but the way things were going those watching from afar thought it was only a matter of time.
"Yeah, just thinking."
Blade stood next to him and looked out across the water.
"About what?"
"About what happened a few hours ago. While I'm glad no one was lost, and the worst injury was Dragon Lord Ember's wing, I can't help but feel that meeting Razor with an army was the wrong move."
"How so Wave? And be straight with me, no hiding anything."
Wave looked at her.
"Blade, Razor Tail is one of the most dangerous pirates to sail the Sea of Legends. He's survived so much from storms to Pirate Hunters and now he leads a faction that no one outside of it knows how big. The saying is that Razor has the drive, the ambition, and the resources to unite the various pirate gangs, smuggler rings, privateer fleets, Merchant armadas, and other sailors of any kind that live here under his banner. Well... who said he hasn't already?"
Blade blinked in surprise.
"Are you saying he's already done that?!" Wave shrugged.
"It's possible, I mean... it has been fifteen years since he first showed up and the ROFO War. That's plenty of time to do many things."
Blade looked away for a minute, thinking over this new information, then looked at Wave again.
"Wave, if Razor has done just that, why hasn't he made any moves? If the Outcasts are a hidden World Power they could effectively control not just the Sea of Legends but possibly others as well."
"From what I know, which isn't much I'm afraid, Razor fears that the Outcasts will be facing the entire world once they reveal themselves, so he wants to be prepared for a possible war."
"Well, the only ones that would be a threat, at least in terms of Naval power, would be Equestria and the Caribou, the latter of which is losing that power."
Wave nodded.
"Yes, but Razor isn't taking any chances. After all, with a bounty that high on his, if you want peace..."
"...Prepare for war." Blade finished, that made sense. Her father has always told her that it was better to be prepared for a possible threat, and never actually face it, then to face a possible threat and not be ready for it. After that the two said nothing as Blade put a foreleg around Wave and pulled him against her, not that he minded as he pressed his body into her as much as he could, even giving her cheek a small nuzzle, as they stared out over the sea.
At the same time
Celestia stared at the document in her magic, unsure of what to make of it. During their talk Razor had calmed that he had been the firstborn son of that Earth Pony Noble, had calmed that never find proof as when he locked the Kirin away he made absolutely sure the world never knew of the Newt. But one document had survived, the one in her magic. It was quite old, worn, and a bit moldy with most of it not really being readable, but there was enough for Celestia to see that Razor had been telling the truth. That he had been that Noble's son.
Celestia honestly wasn't sure what to think, she had long known of the things that Noble had done, both to Ponies and other Creatures, but she had never been able to get what she would have needed to end it as for one he never stayed in Canterlot for more than a day at the longest and he had been very good at covering his tracks, not to mention his wealth and connections. But clearly his luck ran out that night, when the Outcast finally caught him.
As much as Celestia didn't want to admit it, Razor had done her a favor in killing that Noble as without him the things he had set up would eventually collapse into nothingness.
Celestia set the document down, deep in though. She had made the mistake of underestimating the Western Kirin Pirate Lord, and had payed for it. Thankfully there were no lost of live though plenty were injured with Ember's being the worst with a broken and dislocated wing. Those Wreck Golems had been a huge shock, while it was true that Golems were not a new thing, ones that big were once thought impossible.
Razor had just proven that it was in fact possible.
She let out a sign as she rubbed her snout, it was clear to her that Razor Tail was a greater threat than she first thought, Celestia had believed that he was just like any ordinary pirate but the use of such magic and the skill during the tower fight had all but shattered that belief. Razor was clearly skilled in Kirin Rune Magic, and likely still had many tricks up those gauntlets of his. Plus, she had yet to see his ship. Wave had said that it was massive, but he had very little knowledge on that front. Still, it was only one ship, the Equestrian Fleet was two-hundred and fifty strong plus the powerful Juggernaut. No ordinary Pirate ship could hope to stand against that power.
Celestia knew however that they would need to engage him more cautiously next time, and she doubted he'd be alone.
Later
Once everycreature had gathered in the Captain's Cabin again, they asked Wave what he knew of the Kirin pirate Lord.
"Well not much besides what I've already told you... Archduke Razor Tail is said to one of the most powerful Pirate Lords to sail the Sea of Legends, since he first appeared founded the Outcasts he's been slowly yet steady building up the faction. As far as I know Razor has a full approval rating and his creatures are as loyal to him as one could get, thanks to freeing them from the likes of the Caribou and Northern Trade Union."
"But... why doesn't he have Bounty and Pirate Hunters after him all the time?" Celestia asked, "He has the largest bounty I've ever seen."
"There are a few reasons for that: One; Razor has killed every single one that has tried to get that bounty, after which he sends out boxes holding the heads of those hunters back to their employers with the words "Some bounties aren't worth taking.". He's done it enough times that most hunters flat out refuse to take it. Two; His creatures, if Razor is killed than the one who did it will spend the rest of their days being hunted by Razor's Outcasts, who will not stop until they have avenged him. And three; His Head Officers, if Razor was killed they would have to be too, and trust me that would not be easy. Each one is a Pirate Lord in their own right and have tricks of their own."
There was a long pause as the gathered Creatures went over what Wave had said, not really sure on what to say. Finally Celestia sighed.
"Thank you for the information Wave, we have a number of things to go over but we don't need you here for that. You may leave now."
Wave nodded and stood up, Blade escorting him to the door where he stopped. Wave turned to Celesita.
"Princess, Do you really want to bring Razor down? I know and understand your motives, but he isn't like those you faced in the past. He's not a giggling psychopath like Discord was, a snarling, rage-fueled force of mindless hatred like Sombra, willing to gloat over his victories like Chrysalis, nor a megalomaniac like Nightmare Moon was. He's smart, calm, and patient. He's always thinking, always making plans and has plenty under his hat. He's adaptable, and as I said before, nothing like those you have faced. Sombra was a thug who relied on brute force, Chrysalis was a showoff who threw away her best advantages just so she could strut and preen. Discord was clever, but he was so busy being clever he outsmarted himself. Unlike Chrysalis Razor's Outcasts are very loyal, well trained and disciplined, and do not fear death, what they fear is things going back to the ways before the Outcasts rose up, that they'll end up back in chains. To quote an Outcast saying: "My death marks the beginning of a life in fairer lands." They firmly believe it is better to die standing then live in chains.
His Outcasts are loyal to him because he cares about them, he makes sure they lay on their beds with a full stomach. Razor is a father to his Outcasts, they're his Clan. A good number of them are even former members of the NTU, the Outcats' main enemy.
Others say they're draft, the Outcasts laugh and agree with a smile. Razor could have easily killed you and your sister on Tower Island, and yet he didn't. Because he doesn't want to, but even he has his limits. If you push him too far, he will get serious."
With that Wave left the room, his words hanging in the air.
Unknown Area
It was a cloudy but otherwise calm day as Razor flew through the air, his massive wings flapping once in a while to keep him airborne as he soared over the rocky waters as the waves crash against the spires below, he was here on a mission, and to visit an old friend. It wasn't long before a small island came into view, a descent-sized port was located on the north side but Razor's goal was the tall, purple and gold Library/Observatory-like building that sat atop a cluster of rock spires overlooking the island.
It didn't take long for him to reach a balcony and with a great flap of his wings he landed hind legs first. Once he had fully landed Razor folded his wings and entered the building, walking through the corridors until he reached the top dome. The room was circular in shape with a diameter of fifty feet, most of the walls were lined with full bookshelves with only a few sections holding something else. The room had a height of six stories with a set of spiral stairs leading up to a platform on the sixth story under the Observatory's telescope. On the main floor of the room was a desk, a center table with two chairs, and numerous other small tables with pictures and other odds and ends one would find in a place like this. There was also a large wall-mounted fish tank hold rare fish and a large fireplace where a fire currently burned.
Razor paused after entering and closing the door behind him, looking at the fifteen-by ten foot framed panting on the wall to the left of the door, sighing heavily. It was a panting of him, Silver Tail, Iron Horn, and Blood Flag.
"Those were the days, huh old friend."
Turning to the right Razor saw who he had come to visit, siting on a yoga mat was a Unicorn Stallion as tall as Luna when standing with an Emerald green coat, a neatly combed red mane and tail, and a crimson left eye and orange right eye. The most eye catching thing was the metal horn brace on his head, over his own horn. His Cutie Mark was two crossed red wands. This Stallion was Iron Horn, a Pirate Lord/Wizard and an old friend of Razor.
At the moment he was bent at an unusual angle.
"Hello Iron Horn, what are you doing?" Razor asked, eyeing the Unicorn with raised eyebrows.
"Hello Razor Tail, I'm doing some yoga. Care to join?"
"No thanks Iron, I'm actually for both businesses and personal."
"Oh right, that spell you asked me to look at. Just give me... a... second."
Iron did a few final stretches and stood up, walking over to a room divider and stepping behind it, pulling the various items of clothing that were hanging over it down.
"Umm... Iron? You know that Ponies don't normally wear clothing, so why are you using a room divider?"
Iron's head poked out from behind.
"I find that watching another get dressed is more of a married couple sort of thing."
"Okay, fair point."
Once he was done Iron Horn stepped out wearing a purple, gold-trimmed hat with the brim angled up to a right and a cluster of ten gold Phoenix feathers, a black and gold scarf, a Black skill shirt, a Purple and gold coat, a red baldric with gold buckle, purple gloves, red sash under a black belt with a gem buckle, purple, gold-trimmed pants, and black boots. His weapon was a telescopic staff tipped with a large amethyst gem.
Iron lead Razor over to the desk which was covered in several magic tomes, books, and scrolls, he picked up one of the latter.
"Right here Razor, it took me a bit of time to find it but it has what you need."
"Thanks Iron," Razor took the scroll, opening it and reading for a few moments before nodding and putting it in his chest-like saddle bags. Iron continuing as he did.
"If I'm being honest Razor, I was surprised at the request."
"I would be too, this spell isn't a common one but it will allow me to swell the ranks on a battlefield, as least for a short time."
Iron nodded and led Razor over to the table in the center of the room, both siting down on opposite ends.
"Would you like some wine Razor?" Iron asked, gesturing to the bottle. Razor picked it up and read the label, smiling as he did so.
"Vintage Champagne, nice pick." Razor set the bottle down and grabbed a glass.
"Yep, just looted it from a Prench Treasure fleet." Iron said with a proud smile. The two poured their drinks and sat in silence for a short bit, drinking. Razor in honestly wasn't much of a wine drinker, preferring rum though his wife Atlas loved wine, especially the nicely aged fine stuff. After a few minutes Iron was the first to break the silence.
"So what have you been up to Razor? How are the wife and kid?"
"Atlas is doing well, and Silver turned eleven not too long ago. As for what I've been up to..."
He told Iron of the various things that had happened lately, from the cruise ship to the new crew members to the Tower battle and everything in between. Iron let out a whistle when Razor was finished.
"Wow you've been busy Razor, Celestia herself is after you? That has to be a new record."
"Seems that way, I did try to parlay with her but sadly that only works when the other is willing to listen."
"Ain't that the truth."
The two chatted for a bit but Razor soon had to take wing to return to his ship, though not before Iron gave him a hug and a bottle of wine for Atlas as a gift and asking Razor to "give Silver a good tickle from his Uncle." Razor agreed he would and left as Iron went to his books.
Not really much going on here, other then the Equestrians recovering and Iron Horn's first appearance.
Next chapter will be a land battle, see you all then. 
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10972493
I can see Razor in that case as sort of a second father figure to Kodo, and the cute image of Silver being cuddled in between Snowy and Celine.
10973757
Yes. Much better description. Thank you.
Shiva would send her ship right towards them. As her ship approached, she'd howl out. "Heave to and prepare for parlay!"
If they did as she said, the ships should be able to steer astern of each other, and Shiva would try to talk to Razor like civilized adults.
Of course, if Razor and his group decided to try and ram her, Shiva would steer her ship just enough that they still passed by each other, and Star, Luke and Kodo, along with a sortie of dogs and thestrals (since Star's part thestral and has the authority of her mother) would lunge onto the Dragon, ready for battle.
Shiva's still a wolf at heart; she knows the instinctual urge to chase something that runs from her. So, she's not going to let that instinct get activated for Razor and his crew. And if Razor and his crew try to make her run, she and her wolves will snap right back and pretty much tell them, "You run."
10973767
You're welcome, and once I do finalize the Dragon's design it's gonna be in its own chapter on the side story "Lore of the Sea of Legends".
Now Razor would take the parlay, but sadly we wouldn't have a story then.
I do wonder how it would go done with Luke and Steel, as I can see those two clashing.
Also something I should mention; Razor long ago gave the Dragon's crew (and by extension other Outcasts) items that leave them immune to any form of mind-effecting magic and the like (unless it comes for allies) so the Pack-Link wouldn't work directly against them, though that doesn't mean it can be used against them by empowering allies.
10973775
Don't be so sure; Razor could still have some sort of treasure he's going after, and Shiva would be happy to join forces with him against either the Caribou or whatever was standing in his way, provided he was willing to give her something in exchange. And there would be the interactions between the characters of course, like Star Wing trying to get in on Gold Fire and Shadow Fire's tendency to finish each other's sentences.
I'm afraid of sounding biased, so I'm not going to say who would win the match straight out. I'll just say that Luke would have Shiva's pack link empowering him (which, as you mentioned, isn't something the magical items would be able to defend against), and he'd additionally try to psyche Steel out by eating his weapons; sort of like how in Samurai Jack, Jack took on that blue guardian guy, and while Jack was fighting with a pair of shields, the guardian caught one of his blows, ripped one of the shields out of Jack's hand and ate it.
Also, if Steel shot at Luke with one of his cannons or guns, Luke would catch the bullet in his mouth and break it with a massive bite. And the whole time, Luke would be grinning like a loon, encouraging Steel to come at him.
10973792
Okay, that was funny with Star there.
And noted on the Pack-Link, I'll keep that in mind. Also, Luke's quite the scary guy when he want's to be huh.
10973800
I actually released another thread on Friendship is Awesome with the characters he's based on; he was inspired by Grunt from Mass Effect and Lucario from Pokemon, among others.
But yeah, Luke's definitely not someone you want to mess with.
Hello again, Silver,
So, we've reached the last chapter for a bit. It was nice to see Iron Horn; for a rival, he seems quite friendly with Razor. Which isn't a bad thing; I always liked it when rivals can still be courteous and kind with each other. It's like King Priam in the Troy movie said:
Speaking of which, I noticed a few more typos and some points where the story could be improved:
Wave sighed.
This sentence is a little weird to read out loud. Try going with ' and now he leads the strongest faction in the Sea of Legends.'
had 'claimed.'
a claim that never had proof, as when he locked the kirin away, the noble made absolutely sure the world never knew of the whelp.
This was more punctuation; I figured a semi-colon would help the sentence flow smoother.
'wasn't sure what to think; she'
Again, punctuation, and cut out some of the words.
'to end it: he never stayed in Canterlot'
loss of life
she let out a sigh
since he first founded
Creatures kinda sounds a little disrespectful. Maybe 'his crew' or 'his followers.' Even 'his army' if Wave's feeling dramatic.
Celestia.
Hope these help. I really hope that Celestia realizes that Razor isn't the enemy she should be focusing on soon; all the pieces are there, slowly lining up for her to discover. Unfortunately, with the Caribou and the NTU remaining in the background, there's no real mutual enemy for them to fight. That was how Shiva liked to form alliances; she found a way that both sides benefited; either by trading, or by combining their forces to defeat a mutual enemy. Though, with the NTU likely making moves towards Twilight and her friends, a way for Razor and Celestia to find a common enemy might be closer than they think.
Thanks for sharing. Feel free to send any drafts you have of the next chapters to me; I'd love to be able to help you get rid of those pesky typos and let the story reach it's full potential.
Until then,
10998518
I'm working on the next chapter though it might still be some time.
I won't go as far to call them enemies but I get what you're saying.
To give a little backstory Razor and Iron Horn actually knew each other from the start of the former's pirate career and even worked on the same ship when they were younger, becoming close friends. While they are technically rivals they're very close and consider each other brothers along with Blood Flag and Silver Tail, the latter's death effecting them all in some way.
A fair bit to be fixed and improved here huh.
I won't spoil anything, but I will say there is a point where they will need to work together to survive, though that part will most likely be in the third arc.
Thanks
, would need to learn how to use Google Docs but we could do what we're doing with Survival of the Wolves and have you set up the Doc and I write the story in there. Would that work?
Something I also what to ask; I would like your actual comments to wait until the chapter is posted, like your thoughts and what you liked and so forth, pointing out typos and improves can be done through PMs. Would that be alright?
10998669
Would work great for me.
That'd be great.
I can save typos and improves in the PM, and then keep stuff like how Shiva and co. would react to stuff for the comments. It's been a lot of fun seeing how Shiva and the others would take to the different adventures Razor and Dragonfly do, so being able to focus on that instead of on suggestions would be awesome.
10998675
Excellent.
Indeed it will.
Speaking of which, I forgot to do these earlier;
Your thoughts on Wave's interaction with Blade Wind?
Shiva and co.'s reaction to Wave saying that it's entirely possible that Razor has already united the various types of sailors in the SOL? along with their reactions to Wave explaining why no bounty or pirate hunter goes after Razor, and his little speech at the end there?
And finally your thoughts on Razor's interaction with Iron Horn? I know it was a short appearance but I'm curious.
10998807
I thought they were kinda sweet together. You mentioned that they were right in the middle of 'mutual attraction' and 'dating,' and I feel it was played very well. Blade listens to Wave, and the little nuzzle they did at the end was rather heartwarming.
Shiva would be smiling in approval, while Luke would be in awe.
"That man is the most badass pirate I've ever seen," Luke would note.
Pretty similar reactions from Celine and Kodo; Kodo would be impressed at how he's kept all the sailors and pirates together, while Celine would be proud that she knows him.
Star would joke, "Maybe we should call him Prince Archduke Razor Tail. Or even King Razor Tail."
And finally, Luco would just huff. "Doesn't sound like he's living up to the 'criminal' part of being a pirate."
Blaze would then nudge him. "Oh, hush," she'd pretty much say. "Just because he's not spreading chaos everywhere doesn't mean it isn't impressive."
"To all of you, maybe," Luco would pout.
Shiva would pretty much answer Wave with a variation on his final line: if you want peace, prepare for war. In her case, offer one hand... but arm the other.
Shiva would say the first part with trepidation, while Luke would say the last part with determination.
Celine would say 'offer one hand,' with worry, while Kodo would say, 'arm the other' with a glower.
Blaze would say, 'offer one hand,' with thoughtfulness, while Luco would say, 'but arm the other,' with glee.
And Star would comment, "Peace, War." she'd shake her head. "He's more than ready for both. Which means we need to be too." She'd then glance around. "But let's hope for peace. Peace is nice."
Like I mentioned, they have a very friendly relationship that almost made me forget that they were rivals. I also liked their little exchange about the dividers:
That part made me laugh, because it did kind of make sense; even if ponies don't wear clothes that often, there's still more to clothes than just covering oneself. Clothes can often display an image; how often do we see someone with a leather biker jacket and think they're tough? Or see someone in a military uniform and think that they're important? Clothes can often make the persona, so seeing someone assume their persona means they know what's underneath, adding a level of trust to those who know the person under what they display to the world.
But, I'm getting off topic. Overall, I liked their interaction. Though when you mentioned Atlas' fondness for wine, I wondered if they could have an interaction like this:
Just my thoughts. Still great overall, and I liked it.
10998839
Glad to have given you a laugh with there.
You know, I like that idea.
I love the world you’ve created in this story!
11159077
Thanks, and it's still being made so more is to come.