Semper Pie

by deathtap

Mission 2, Part 4: All Aboard

"Anything new to report?" Blood asked as yet another Watu entered the bridge. More and more of them had started taking the places of the regular crew as most of them had been relieved of their posts mostly due to the fact that they abandoned them. Not that they could escape anywhere. He would deal with them when the time came.

"No, sir- captain. Nothing from the scouts. Three of our patrols have yet to return. Shall we send out search parties for them?"

Blood stood up and walked to the front of the bridge and stared at the deck far below through the window. The ponies below on the main deck going about their selected duties. The sails were fully unfurled, but there was a distinct lack of wind filling them all. Perhaps if he adjusted their course slightly, they would travel faster.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Blood was growing ever more annoyed of the fact that Wish had predicted this would happen. He had never had to think much about what Wish had to do in order to get the ship up and running the way it was, and he hated the prospect of having to order the crew around. They were not like his Watu. They obeyed insomuch as their limited abilities allowed them to. The Watu could do it all, but they were too bloodthirsty. They lacked the kind of discipline it would require to run a ship like this.

The spots were still scanning the skies but the unicorns that were powering them were exhausted, many of them passing out where they stood. As a result the lights were growing dimmer and dimmer. Soon he would have to commit teams of Watu unicorns to take over.

But why should something like that matter? After all, he was in charge of the greatest ship on the seas. So what if a few dozen unicorns would be too tired to be useful. Worrying about anything was pointless. All he needed to to was sit back and relax. Only a fool would try and attack this ship, but his instincts kept telling him not to let his guard down.

He heard some movement coming from behind him. Turning around he saw three crew members peering out towards the darkness in the same general direction. One of them seemed to have seen something and was trying to get the others to verify what he had spotted.

"What going on?"

"Sir, we think that there's something heading our way from port-bow, sir."

"Bow?"

"Y-yes, sir. From the front, sir."

Blood narrowed his eyes. "The front?"

He brought his binoculars to his eyes and searched as well. Was it a mere false alarm? Was there really something there?

"Port side towards the bow! Coming in fast! I repeat, coming in fast!" one of the crew shouted pointing in the direction he had seen whatever it was.

"I see it!" another replied and he put his binoculars down. "Black sails. Black hull. They must've painted her, sir!"

"How could you have missed that?" Blood growled.

"We were looking for a blue ship in the sky... sir," one of the crew cut back, the honorific hastily added at the end.

Blood looked at the stallion with cold, vindictive eyes. "I will deal with you later. Find that ship! Now! I want it lit up for the gunners to shoot down!"

The order was shouted down the comm-tubes and the spots converged in the same vicinity. Nothing.

"Tell those fools to search over the water! Not in the skies!" Blood could barely refrain from drawing his blade. Such incompetence was unforgivable.

The lights lowered themselves and scanned the area above the water. Like a shadow from the night, one of the lights grazed over the ship before going back and marking the ship. More lights focused on their targets, and the ponies looked in a mixture of shock and awe when they made out its name.

"It can't be. That ship was destroyed," a voice whispered as she stepped to the window and peered at it. None had noticed her come in during the commotion.

"What are you talking about?" Blood demanded, he never really asked a questions.

"Nothing. Just looks like a ship I've seen before."

"Don't waste my time! Rotate the cannons! Focus fire on that ship!" Blood shouted.

The airship seemed to be gaining speed. They were at a steady angle using both the wind and gravity to pull her forwards. They were closing in very quickly. Blood watched as the cannons on the foredeck and rear turned towards the designated sides slowly. Without the unicorns to power the machinery to move the heavy cannons, they had to resort to brute strength. It was not fast enough.

But he had exhausted the unicorns.

A squad of Watu pegasi headed out to greet the ship, confident in their ability to stop them. But unlike before when the ship was ambushed in the clouds, the crew of the black ship were ready. In an instant a stream of bolts sprang out as two wallarmbrusts craved into the pegasi when they drew near. Not a single one managed to get away.

"Tell those fools to pull back and let the upper cannons handle it!" Blood ordered.

At once he saw the secondary cannons appear on the main deck. Fifty trapdoors popped open as the anti-airship guns readied themselves to fire on the ship approaching them. But there were two things the engineers had not though of at the time of construction. One was the height. These cannons could not fire below a planar angle; they could not shoot down. They were designed to take out targets high above them. The second was that they were located substantially back from the edge of the deck, so they could not fire easily at a target over the side. How could any predict that there was a blind spot. How could they have known an airship would get that close to them from that angle?

Had the enemy known?

"Sir, our cannons cannot reach them! What do we do?"

Blood narrowed his eyes. "Get the wallarmbrusts to hammer that thing full of bolts!"

"Pointless. No amount of bolts or quarrels would put a dent in that vessel."

Closing his eyes to control his patience, Blood looked at Wish from the corner of his eye. "Then what do you suggest?"

"Load the deck cannons with flak shot. Have them detonate over the edge of the ship. Pull back the Watu so we don't lose them. It's the only option we have."

"Do it."

Wish looked at her crew one at a time. There weren't many left on the bridge, most had either abandoned their post or dead. "Are you giving me back control of my ship?"

"No. Just do as you're told, and I'll let you walk out of here alive."

Wish looked away. "You-"

"Don't even get started with me," the red unicorn snarled walking right up to her face.

She instinctively backed off.

"Do as you're told, or I'll mount you head on a pike as an example to what happens when I am disobeyed."

He said it so calmly, so quietly, that from a distance or to someone who didn't speak the language, they would have thought they were having a casual conversation. The problem was that when Blood used that voice, it meant that he was beyond serious. If she dared say anything, it wouldn't matter if she was more qualified to be captain of the ship.

"Sir, they're turning!" the ensign exclaimed.

The two of them turned to see the ship move so that she was turning sharply so that the bow of both ships faced the same direction. The smaller vessel then swung an extra few feet due to the momentum, the angle of her guns had shifted upwards until they were pointing directly towards where she stood. The entire side of the ship was facing her at an angle.

"Get down!" she screamed.

The concussive blast of seven cannons echoed in the night followed by a very brief moment of silence.

Everything seemed to stand still, just for a second, before the entire side of the bridge was engulfed in an inferno.

---

"Nobody messes with me and gets away with it!" the captain muttered as he watched the ship grow ever closer with each passing moment. It was like a small foal walking up to a fully grown ursa major. "Load port side cannons!"

"Got it, cap'n! Oh, and cap'n," Bones said as he stopped in his tracks.

"What?"

"Welcome back. I think I can speak for us all when I say we missed this."

The captain smirked and shook his head dryly. "Only you, Bones. Only you."

Bones just shook his shoulders as he giggled, going below into to the gun deck to relay the orders. The captain couldn't shout them in case the enemy heard. Even the bell had been removed and kept hidden away in case it made a noise.

"Okay, Guard, this is what's going to happen. We're going to cut over the Eleonora's middle. We'll fire shots into the bridge and upper. She'll lose control and her eyes and with the wind blowing northeast the smoke will provide some cover for you."

"You are discounting the anti-air cannons on her deck."

"What?"

"He's right, captain. The Eleonora has fifty anti-air guns on her main deck. She uses it to keep fleets of airships away."

"F-fifty?"

"Yes, sir. I think that's right, sir." High Rise replied. She was a younger crew that got caught up with him and his bunch when she found herself unexpectedly freed during a particular raid many years ago. He had attacked the merchant vessel to steal their cargo, but they happened to have several slaves as well. It was one of his raids, but unlike the rest of the captives that he freed, she demanded to stay on. Rise has been a valuable member of the crew ever since.

"Thanks, Rise. You're always full of good news."

"Thank you, captain," Rise replied, whether or not she had heard the sarcasm in her captain's words was another question.

"What should we do then? If we can't cut across her, then maybe we should turn back and buy some more time."

That was Firefly. Another mare, a pegasus, that got caught up with him a very long time ago. She was one of those unfortunate enough to actually think that he would run away with her should she follow him, but he was married to the ship and the crew was his family. In the end, she chose to stay aboard because after the time she hung around it ended up being all that she knew. She was so stubborn. Then again, he had learned that most females were.

Why was that?

"If you get me on the ship, I'll free the slaves. They will create havoc internally. During that time, I'll take control of the ship," came the response in a cold voice.

"You will? Well, isn't that great!" the captain replied sardonically. "Listen, a few Watu pegasi exhausted from flying this far away from their ship may not have been a problem for a Guard like you, but don't think that they're all that weak. They are the most feared fighting force outside of Equestria for a reason. I don't want to burst your bubble, but don't think you can take on an entire army by yourself."

The Guard looked at the captain for a moment. "Get me to the ship. What you do after that is your decision."

"You really think that-" He stopped himself when the Guard's eyes narrowed themselves. "Slaves are useless at fighting. How do you think they got caught in the first place? It's because they couldn't fight! Most are in there because they are too weak to fight for their own freedom. How will they help you?"

"They don't need to fight."

The captain was confused. Why would they not need to fight? Wasn't that the purpose of freeing them?

"A-a-also, there's the dragon." The captain watched the expression of the Guard carefully. He did not give away any emotion whatsoever. "H-he's in charge of this whole operation. It's his ship, his gold, his merchandise and he is also the leader of the Watu Wakali. Not to mention the Watu's commander."

"I see."

"It would be best to avoid him at any cost. For us and yourself. He usually slumbers throughout the entire voyage, and it is said that nothing can wake him up until he reaches the other shore. If he does take part in this then we're going to need to somehow bring him up to the main deck and hit him with everything we've got."

"Even your cannons on this ship are insufficient. It would be better if I were to take him out myself."

The captain almost fell on his face when he heard those words. "T-take him out yourself? No one pony can take on a dragon. Even with my ship to help it will be a hard fight! With you it will be suicide!"

Those cold steel-like eyes remained fixed unafraid on the Eleonora. "Then fighting me would be better."

"Wait? What?" the captain asked, but the Guard was walking away and towards the bow of the ship. "What do you mean?"

"I think he thinks that should the dragon fight him, it would be suicide for the dragon. Not him." Firefly said quietly.

"Is he really that stupid?"

Firefly looked at the receding figure of the Guard. "I hope not. I really, really hope not."

---

"Keep it going!" the captain shouted as he kept the wheel steady.

The ship lurched forwards heading straight on, the sails full as the unicorns cast the last of their wind spells to push the airship along. It was standard practice on an airship where they main aspect was speed and maneuverability. They needed to gain as much momentum as possible for their next attack to work.

The gun crew was lethal. Years of aerial combat had taught them how to use their position in the air to their advantage, or how to navigate their ship to minimize damage. It was going to be close, the captain knew. They had not yet been spotted, but it wouldn't take them long. The lights would eventually find them. With the amount of eyes the Eleonora had, it would have been impossible for them not to. They needed as much time as they could get.

If only it were raining, but out here there was not controlled weather. Out here nature was ruthless. These clouds could never be tamed.

Not that the captain was worried. He had done this plenty of times before. Just not with a ship this big, and not one where an army of elite killers served on.

"Cannon one ready!" came the shout.

"Cannon four ready!"

The silence between the calls was deafening.

"Cannon seven ready!"

"Cannon six... ready!"

"Hurry your flanks up! This isn't a game."

He was cut off as the lights streamed over them. They had been spotted, but like with all things, they were still looking up. They had seconds to spare now.

"Come on, unicorns! Give us more wind! Get use closer!" the captain said quietly, encouraging them with his will. They were far beyond exhausted, he could see it in their faces, yet he knew they were giving it their all. But was it enough?

The lights fell on them. The captain held a hoof in front of his face to block of the blinding lights. He braced himself for impact, expecting a volley of heavy cannons to rip them apart. He held his breath thinking that it would be his last.

It never came.

"Someone get on the wallarmbrusts! Keep those Watu off this ship!" the captain ordered as soon as he realized that they had reached a blind spot. Now it was time to keep the warriors away.

At once some of the crew got behind the huge crossbows and prepared themselves.

"Cannons two and three! Are you ready?"

"R-ready, sir!" a voice shouted from below. "All cannons are armed."

"Aye, sir. Are we boarding?" Hickory asked looking at the Eleonora looming over them. She gulped and gritted her teeth.

The captain looked at the the crew. "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it, okay?"

"Aye, sir!"

They were close. Really close. You could see the large planks now. You could see the unicorns and earth pony Watu on the edge of the railings with their crossbows. They were waiting for them, and there, above and behind the railing, was the bridge of the Eleonora. It was time.

"Heave it to starboard, you mangy curs!" he roared as he turned the wheel.

The ship swerved to the right, at their pace and momentum it swung upwards using the balloon as a fulcrum. As it did, the entire port side of the ship shifted its angle, pointing up at the bridge. He had done this a thousand times before in air combat when his canons needed to be aimed at an enemy above him. He may not have done this recently, but he could read his ship like a book. He felt the ship rise and waited for the appropriate moment.

"Fire!"

Seven cannons echoed in the night and the bridge of the Eleonora was shredded in seconds. The cannon balls tore through her bridge at an upward strike taking the entire port side including the roof clean off. The bridge beyond the angle remained intact, but they had managed to deliver a substantial blow to the ship's brain.

---

Captain Wish blinked open her eyes. Where was she? This place looked unfamiliar. Why was it so hot? When did someone light a fire? Why was everything so dark? Was that smoke? Outside the fireplace? She looked around trying to get her bearings when a familiar face ran up to her and started asking her some questions. She could not make out the words, her ears were still ringing.

Ringing from what?

"... they're moving away from us on the port-side, sir! We need orders!"

Wish turned her head to look through the gaping hole, every moment leading up to the second the bridge got hit replayed itself in her mind. She tried to stand, failed and hit the ground hard. She looked under her and noticed the large pool of blood. Her head felt wet.

No time to contemplate.

"All cannons get a bearing on target," she gasped between her teeth.

"Impossible, sir. The communication tubes have been destroyed. We need to head to the flag bridge, sir! There's nothing here."

The flag bridge was the bridge used for commanding a fleet. The Eleonora was once a ship of war, bought out by the dragon for the purpose of shipping slaves. It was a warship first. Always was, always would be. The ship would not go down from this. She could take a lot more punishment.

"Then what are we waiting for? All bridge crew report to the flag bridge! Now!"

"A-are you back in charge, c-captain?"

She looked up. Blood was nowhere to be seen. "As of now I am resuming command of the ship. Understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Captain Wish was helped up and was guided along towards the stairs. The crew around her loaded small hoof-held crossbows and flanked her on all sides. They would need to guard her not only against any potential threats from the attackers, but also from Watu that may or may not have orders to kill Wish on sight.

In the back of her mind, Wish wondered if reassuming command of the Eleonora was the smart thing to do. She could have left it alone, but Blood was too incompetent to take charge of a complex situation such as this. Blood was good at one thing, and one thing alone. Combat. He was not a leader; he was a killer pure and simple.

Downwards they went. Two ensigns taking point as she headed below the main deck. Deck one was the gun deck, the flag bridge two decks below that. The going was slow. Around each turn the officers paused to check to make sure that there were no threats.

She felt the ship shake and heard the blast of several cannons firing at the same time. Did they just end the conflict? Did they just stop whoever it was that attacked them?

Suddenly a loud slamming noise echoed across the ship followed by a very familiar and dangerous voice as it was projected across the entire vessel. "This is Captain Blood. Somewhere on this ship is a rat by the name of Wish. You should know her as the ex-captain of this vessel. Whosoever brings me her body, dead or alive, gets a bonus of fifty Equestrian bits. Those who are supporting her will want to rethink their life-changing option, because I can assure you that you won't live very long if you're caught with her."

"Don't worry, captain, we're with you all the way. That maniac will get us all killed."

"W-what was the name of that ship that attacked us?" Wish asked as they turned around yet another corner. She was trying to take her mind off the pain she was feeling across her brain.

"The Lipizzan, sir. That's the name," the officer replied.

That made Wish stop in her tracks. "Come again?"

"The Lipizzan, sir."

Years at sea had taught her one thing: never be surprised at what you might find out here. A long dead foe from her distant past coming to haunt her once again? How was it that he was still alive? Did she not hunt him down and kill him? Did she not leave him dying in a smouldering airship the last time they had met? Did she not finally have her revenge after years of hunting him?

So, how was it that he was still alive?

"No, it can't be," Wish whispered to herself.

"What, captain? I missed that."

"Nothing. Just... let's get to the flag bridge first."

Onwards they continued, Wish felt her consciousness slowly fading out. She hoped that she could hold out long enough to issue a coherent order to her crew, but she could not think straight with the constant pain numbing her mind.

"I need a doctor."

The entourage stopped.

"I need a doctor. Now."

"Sir, the infirmary is lower down. The Watu might be down there. We need to secure you first before we can-"

Wish looked up. She was in no mind to fight. "If I don't see a doctor, then it won't matter, ensign. Who is the next in command here?"

"I am, sir." The voice sounded familiar. What was his name again? She had forgotten.

"Then until I am capable of performing my duties, you're in charge of this ship. Don't let that psycho destroy this ship. There are too many aboard. Thousands will die if he gets his way. Do you understand?"

There was a long pause.

"Of course, sir. I won't let you down."

"Good. You head to the bridge. Take who you need. Two volunteers are needed to take me down to the lower deck, the rest of you are to assist the acting captain until I return."

"Sir, yes, sir."

None of them moved.

"This isn't a suggestion. Go. Now."

"I'll stay, sir."

"As will I, sir."

The two voices moved and she felt the weight under her arms shift as the two volunteers took over.

"We'll be waiting for you, captain."

She looked up and opened one eye and saw them saluting her. She couldn't help but smile as they turned and headed down the corridor and around the corner.

"Names. What are you names?" she asked as she felt the two ponies under her move.

"Amber, sir." She looked at the white earth pony on her left. She had deep golden eyes.

"Chase," the stallion on her right replied. He was a unicorn.

"Let's go."

On the walked. The sounds of the battle upstairs were loud, but with the distraction, they were making good time. Perhaps they could actually make it all the way to the infirmary without being spotted. She did not dare to hope, but the feeling kept creeping up on her.

"We're almost there, sir," Chase whispered.

"Stop!" a voice shouted from behind. "Stop right there!"

"Go. I'll hold them off," Chase whispered.

"No."

"Amber, please listen to me. You have to get the captain to the doctor. She has to live. There's nopony else on this ship that can save us."

"Nopony?" Wish thought. "It can't be. Y-you're both Equestrians?"

Neither responded.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked.

Amber pulled Wish along. "We're going to help you, sir."

"You shouldn't be here. This is no place for an Equestrian."

"I said stop!" the voice shouted from behind.

"Go!" Chase called and the sound of a pony in pain echoed through the corridor.

Wish wanted to turn and see what had happened, but she knew that she was in no condition to do so. She needed to move. The faster she moved, the greater the chance Chase had in surviving. He could meld into the crew and get away.

"Please stay alive," Amber said quietly.

---

Zecora jumped in her sleep. She looked around and noticed quite a lot of excitement from all the slaves. Deck five was alive with the sounds of howling, yelling, barking and hollering. A couple of other Watu Wakali were trying to silence the noise makers with force, but the two posted in front of their cell did not budge.

"W-w-w-what was that?" Lucky asked nervously.

A crackle echoed above them followed by a loud, repetitious squeal. That was an alarm.

"All Watu are to report to the upper decks. We are under attack. This is not a drill."

Just then the ship shook violently.

"All Watu are to report to the upper decks. This is not a drill."

The words made the two guards posted outside their cell look at each other.

"It said all of us. But Blood's orders are to stay here. What do?"

"We go. We must."

They checked their spears and weapons before galloping away. There was another excited murmur as all the Watu departed for the nearest exit.

Every single slave wondered what was going on above them.

Just seconds ago she had all started coming to terms with her predicament. She wondered if it was better to live as a slave or to take her own life. With hope renewed, she rushed to the gates and began to shake them as hard as she could. It was pointless, but it felt great. It felt good to do something. Anything.

The seconds ticked by. Moments dragged on. Nothing. Not a sound, apart from the diamond dogs and other slaves.

Then the entire vessel shook as cannons were fired. These ones from the Eleonora. Zecora instinctively let go of the bars thinking that somehow they were related. The thought only lasted for a moment, but the mere thought was addictive enough for her to try again.

"Someone is attacking this ship?" Iron asked. He stood up and looked around. "Someone is attacking the ship!"

"Wow, did you just wake up?" Providence asked, giggling slightly to herself.

"H-h-how can you laugh in this situation?"

"Relax, Lucky. Calm down. Nothing's gonna happen to us all the way down here. We're on deck five, right? Whatever is happening has got to be on the top levels. Maybe an ursa escaped or something. Just relax."

Lucky failed to do so.

"You're probably right, Providence. An escaped beast would probably be the correct assumption. After all, who would be foolish enough to try such a thing?" Lang asked standing up with his neck bent. "Who would be foolish enough to attack the Eleonora?"

Iron shook his head. "I don't know. They would have to be incredibly brave, or incredibly foolish. They would have to be strong fighters."

Somewhere in the back of her mind she did not want to believe it, but she knew deep down inside that there was only one answer. And for the first time since she arrived here, Zecora actually smiled.

---

"Here they come!" one of the crew shouted.

The captain saw more Watu pegasi jump over the side of the ship and dive towards them. The lights from the spots had revealed them clear as day. It was really helpful, he made a mental note to thank the moron who ordered that later.

"Keep those pegasi off!"

"How many of them are there?" a voice asked as he rushed to the side with his crossbow.

Bones grinned. "Not enough!" He burst out into fits of laughter once again as he took control of a wallarmbrust.

The captain raised the nose of his ship so that the Lipizzan was now rising upwards at a shallow angle. "Reload!"

"Reloaded, sir! Cannons one through seven are good to go!" Gravel Grove shouted from his gun deck. The dark grey earth pony with white spots along the underside of his body shouted.

"Ready to fire!" the captain shouted.

He looked behind him as Firefly and some of the other crew were taking down the Watu pegasi following them. A couple of his own were met with well aimed bolts as other Watu from the Eleonora's deck were firing at them as well. Without the canons to help them, they had to resort to bolts and quarrels. The balloon was taking a lot of punishment from the wallarmbrusts, but he hoped against all odds that it would hold. The unicorns stopped what they could with their magic, but it wasn't enough.

"Wait for it!" the captain demanded as the ship still climbed higher and higher. He gritted his teeth as he saw five more of his crew go down. "Wait for it!"

"They're ripping us apart!" a voice shouted.

"Wait for it..."

Then he leveled it out right alongside their main deck. Seventeen cannons were facing them.

"Fire!" the captain shouted.

Both sides fired at almost the same moment. The Lipizzan shot across the main deck, the cannonballs moving across the surface as it tore seven scars across hitting three of the cannons dead on causing a terrific explosion. The canons from the Eleonora were not aimed at the Lipizzan herself, but at the balloon that carried her. They shells tore through the balloon causing a bright flash of light that engulfed the black sky. The magical gas inside exploded once it was met with the fire from the shells.

The captain was counting on that. The blinding flash of light was what he needed to get the Watu to stop firing with their wallarmbrusts. He needed that break to spare what remained of his crew.

The Lipizzan started to fall. Without the balloon it could not sustain.

"Latch onto her! Latch onto her now! Shoot the spikes!" the captain roared.

From below the gun deck, long poles of solid steel were fired out, ripping into the Eleonora's side. The pointed spikes penetrated through the hull letting the Lipizzan hang there.

"Fold the port side sails! Pull use close! Now!"

The crew did as they were told. Those that still could not see made themselves as small as possible so that they didn't get in the way. As the crew folded the sails on the port back, the captain pulled a lever reeling the spikes back in. The movement shoved the Lipizzan right against the Eleonora's hull.

They had latched onto the ship.

"Ready the cannons!"

"No."

The captain turned around to look at the speaker. It was the Guard. Where had he been? He had not noticed that he was missing until that moment.

"What do you mean no? How are we going to board her if we can't cut through her hull?"

"You and your crew would not survive close quarters combat against the Watu. You're better off defending the ship from out here."

"They'll come down on us in droves!" the captain argued.

The Guard looked at the captain for a moment. "Do as you wish, but be warned, if you harm the one I am looking for, there will be no place you can go where I won't find you."

"How are you going to get into the ship then?"

The stallion looked up. "Climb."

"Climb? You'll be a sitting duck! You'll..."

The stallion shot a bolt into the air, with a rope tied to it. It traveled upwards and hit the railing's edge dead on.

How in Celestia's name could he shoot like that?

"I'm sorry for the crew you have lost." Despite his words, the pony's voice gave away no emotion.

"You should be!" the captain shouted at the stallion. "Because of you I lost many good crew! Because of you I-"

"It was because of you, captain. I never forced you to take on this job. As promised, the second half of your gold." The Guard placed it in his hoof. "If you listen to me and remain here, you might still live long enough to actually spend it."

The captain opened his mouth to say something, but the pony took out a dagger and cut a rope. As he did, he zipped straight up into the night sky, over the edge of the Eleonora's deck, and out of sight.

"Who in Equestria's name are you?" The captain whispered at where he had last seen the pony.

He never did get his name.

"Captain, we can't stay like this! We're too exposed!" Firefly shouted.

"Get below and batten down the cannons and get ready. We're going to flip her."

"What?" Firefly asked, but the captain had already moved.

As they made their way into the gun deck, the cannons had already been tied down and the cannon balls were safely stacked away in their storage areas.

"Release the aft and center spikes on my mark."

"Aye, sir!"

"Then get ready to fire them on my mark again!"

"Aye, sir!"

The order was given and the ship swung downwards along the front spike.

"Latch it! Now!"

The crew did as they were ordered and now the entire ship was upside down with the hull facing upwards.

"Now what?"

"Now we wait, and hope that the Guard keeps his word, otherwise we're going to be really rich corpses real soon."

Comments

[Freyr]

holy crap that is awesome! Keep it up. I want to see Semper's adventure to the ship! you suck you know... So many cliff hangers....

[Witchery]

Semper is like the perfect blend of John 117 and Sousuke Sagara.

[KillerShadow 15]

My heart is pounding. Keep this up and I might have a heart attack. Great job though!

[Emperor]

Semper made one hell of a badass boast about fighting the dragon.

Hmm, I wonder if that Ursa minor that was enslaved and hustled into a cell will come into play or not. Semper's good, but I don't know if he's 'able to fight a massive dragon' good.

"This is Captain Blood. Somewhere on this ship is a rat by the name of Wish. You shoulder know her as the ex-captain of this vessel. Who so ever brings me her body, dead of alive, gets a bonus of fifty Equestrian bits. Those who are supporting her will want to rethink their life changing option, because I can assure you that you won't live very long if you're caught with her."

"Don't worry, captain, we're with you all the way. That maniac will get us all killed."

The first paragraph feels out of place. Is Blood talking over an intercom or something? There's no hint of it, he just randomly speaks out of nowhere without being in the physical vicinity.