> Guns of Pegasus > by Twisted Gears > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Tome 1 - Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "...Hey! HEY! Wake up already!" "Hnnn... Wh... Wha...?" "Wake the buck up! Your crew and captain left you behind!" Shouted out the Bartender, an old Stallion with a beard as long as his age. He shook the shoulders of a younger stallion with a pair of navigator goggles on his head. His coat was rust-Orange, under a brown leather jacket. His mane was windswept and held a certain sjade of brown, but with a dominance of Red. His tail was exceptionally short, and he was drunk. Drunk like if there was no tomorrow. "Oh.. Oh, OH, SH-" He halfways cursed as he tried to get up, but he ended falling from the stool, smashing the hardwood ground with his back. Unable to move on his own, he just limited himself to look at the ceiling, the bartender looking at him from the other side of the counter with pure amusement. "Oh, and they said that you would pay the drinks. One-Thousand bits, kiddo." "WHAT?!" The younger stallion exclaimed, temporally recovering control of himself at the shock of a debt he was never going to be able to pay. "How the hay you want me to pay a -friggin'- Thousand Bits!" "I dunno, that's up to you, kiddo." Replied the barkeep, grinning from ear to eat. "But you have to pay up. Or else..." He patted under the bar, where a Blunderbuss was waiting. The younger stallion started to rub his mane in pure worry, sweat running down his brow. He didn't knew how to make that much money in such a short time, and without being part of a crew everything was going to be even more complicated. "Aw, sh-" Before he could end the curse, a dark-gray hoof stepped next to his stool. "You do not need to scam the poor kid, Whiskey. They paid their drinks already when they left him behind." Said a cold voice, coming from the upper end of the hoof. "Fine, fine..." Said the Bartender, taking his hoof away from under the bar. "If you excuse me, um... I'll better go..." When the Bartender -Propperly named Whiskey- left the bar, the same dark-gray hoof rose up to the level of the younger earth pony's eyes. "Come on, get up. You still have a sea of clouds to sail." Said the voice. The younger one took the hoof, and with a quick movement, he was on two legs already. He looked up to his saviour. Dark-Green Mane, dark-gray coat and one eye like a leaf and the other one under a black Eyepatch, the Stallion had a real imposing prescence. With some traces of a long life across the left side of his face. He was wearing a black trenchcoat, with a grey belt on its chest that led to a Holdster... Probably to the one of a Flintlock. "T-Thanks... What's your name, sir?" Asked the young stallion, staring at the other's eyepatch. "Captain Dragunovv, of the Northern Fjords." He simply replied, without taking his eye from the young one. "What is yours, may I ask?" "Mine... Mine's Tin Compass... Sir?" He said, emulating an old Navy salute, still under the effects of alcohol in his body. Tin somewhat managed to locate his hoof just above his brow, resisting the urge to return all the moonshine he drank through the night. The Captain left out a slight smile, still observing Tin. "I see. Well then, Tin. Make sure to do not get scammed again in a Tavern." He eyed Whiskey, that was cleaning a mug in the other end. He shrugged a bit, before combing his beard once he was done with the mug. "Some ponies prey on the pockets of the drunk." "Ah-hee... Thanks for... Well... Saving my wallet." Tin thanked, rubbing the back of his head, that was starting to feel the effects of a hangover already. "Well then, I must go now. My ship calls me. Good luck finding a new Crew." Said the Captain, tapping his shoulder, turning and leaving the Tavern the very next second. Tin stood there, processing everything that just happened. He looked down to the Hardwood floor, where the wooden Stool was. He placed it back on its four legs, and left the Tavern through the classic Western-like door, made out of the same Hardwood, as it swung back and fro just behind his tail. Cathedral, the floating neutral Commercial Capital. Former Canterlot after the mountain cracked by its half, almost destroying the city completely. Only Celestia, the Empress of the Sun somewhat made it long enough to save the collapsing city, with the cost of her life. The ponies that survived the cataclism adapted, turning the former Castle-City into the hearth of the Sun Cult, following the Regime of the Alicorns. Love and Tolerance, under the promise of paying Taxes and sharing whatever edible food one owns with the rest of the populance, while the rest of the world crumbled into new civilizations and reigns.. The streets of the main Boulevard were wide, and made out of a well-mantained Cobblestone. Not even the pass of the centuries eroded it. The Docks were at the south, heading towards the right of what's left of the mountain. Hardwood bridges connect a set of smaller floating islands, where the Farms and the Lighthouse were located at. Tin went straight to the Recruitment center. A small wooden hut at the side of the Docks, marked with a sign with the image of a contract printed on it. Even the iliterate majority of Ponies knew that they could go there to sign up for a Crew. Tin trotted to the Stallion that was attending the Hut. He was a tall grey Unicorn, with a blue mane. He was wearing glasses with a telemetric augment, to look at smaller documents without forcing his sight too kuch. He looked down towards Tin once he approached. "Hm... I think that I remember you." He said, as a few crystals moved in front of the glasses, making his purple eyes look even bigger. "Y-Yeah... I signed in two months ago." Replied Tin, looking at the gi-normous eye. "Tin Compass, if you don't remember the name." "Ah, yes. Tin, Tin..." He muttered as he shifted on the papers behind him, levitating them with his magic until he found one with a drawing of Tin's cutiemark on the upper-left side. A compass. "Yes... You signed for Captain Spyglass' Crew... Did they kick you out?" He asked, looking back at Tin. "Well... Kindoff... They dumped me here, and I have nowhere else to go." Said Tin, looking down to the border between the Hardwood Docks, and the Cobblestone walkway in shame. "I see. I'll put you back to the Queue for a Captain, then..." He said, taking out a pencil, and rewriting some details in Tin's file. "How long will it take for you to find a captain for me?" Asked Tin, observing him rewrite the file, distracted by the constant movement of the crystals of the glasses. "Well... We don't have many Captains here, at Cathedral. It might take around a week, because there's plenty of Ponies in front of you in the list." Replied the unicorn, after he was done rewriting some details. "Oh, come on! Is there a way to speed up the process?" Asked Tin, observing the list of Captains, right behind the Stallion. It was alarmingly short. "No. This process takes a long while, unless somepony passes in front and hires you like th-" He got cut mid-sentence, as a blood-Red Pegasus Mare showed up, basically crashing on Tin's back, in the perfect bombardment angle. The stallion fell to the floor, with a loud 'THUMPH'. "Ah- AH! S-Sorry!" She said, stepping off from Tin's back, Him being in a deep pain, mixed with the hangover. The Mare combed her snow-White mane away from her ruby-like eyes, and moved a hoof to help Tin up. "Are you 'aight?" Tin catched the Mare's red hoof, and got up, feeling the pain on his back. Again. "N-No... I think I broke a spine or somethin'..." "Aw, come on! Tis' nothing!" Said the Mare, as she slammed her hoof on his back. The pain returned to Tin's back, for the thirth time in a row. "By the way, I kinda noticed that yer' in need of a Crew. And my Capn's in the need of a new crewmember..." She said, observing Tin, from tip to hoof. "I-I... I guess that I'll jump in..." Said Tin, rubbing his back, his eyes half-lidded due to the excruciating pain. "Ooh, nice!" Said the Mare, cracking a big smile. "My name's Bloodwing! What's yours?" Asked Bloodwing, tapping her chest, where a grey jacket leaving space for her wings to maneouver was on, and extending her hoof for a hoofshake. "Tin Compass." He said, taking her hoof, and completing the hoofshake. She had a stronger pull than him. "Nice to meet ya'! What's your speciality, so I can tell it to my cap'n?" Asked Bloodwing, tilting her head. "Ah... Engineering, and cartography. I also do some Astronomy." Said Tin, remembering the details like an automaton. "Ooh... We do need more engineers in our ship, that's for sure. I do the Gunnery in our crew, so I guess that you'll make sure that I can shoot nice and steady, hmm?" Said Bloodwing, with a certain tone of mockery (And flirt) in her voice and acts, fluttering her eyes and brushing her shoulder upon his chest. "I-I guess..." Said Tin, rubbing his mane, understanding a sliver of the double meaning, a light red emerging on his light brown coat. "Tssk! Can you sign him in our crew, since we're at this?" Said Bloodwing next, turning towards the Stallion in the recruitment hut, that limited himself to observe the strange situation with a face of pure unamusement. "E-Eh... Sure." He affirmed, erasing what he wrote earlier. "What's the Captain's name?" He asked, moving to the files behind him. "Baron Von-Owl, of the Southern Fjorlands!" She said, with an extra tone of proudness. "Uh-huh. Let me check... Baron, Baron..." He mumbled, checking among the files. At last, he took out a file, with the drawing of an owl's eye on the upper-left side. "Ah, yes... Baron Von-Owl... Of the... Southern... Fjorlanders... Here he is." Mumbled the Stallion, taking the paper, and filling in the details, as any other bureaucrat would do, filing it back among other papers. "...Are we done here?" Asked Bloodwing, in a hurry to bring Tin to her crew. "Yes, yes... You both can go now. I'll fill in everything else." Replied the Stallion, as another set of crystals moved to his glasses, this time reducing the zoom he had. "Allrighty then! Come on, Tin!" Said Bloodwing, grabbing Tin's hoof, and pulling him along the Docks. Everypony outside that conversation that saw them made the assumption they were a couple in love, running among the docks like if nothing. And Tin noticed this, by the looks and smirks other sailors were giving them. "I-I can walk, you know!" He said, among the blabbery caused by the Alcohol-poisoning. "I doubt that you can even stand..." She released his hoof. "But, can you fly?" Said Bloodwing, stopping a few steps away. "F-Fly?" Asked Tin, looking at Bloodwing's eyes, surprised and confused. She unfolded her wings, and with one single movement, she was in the air, and in another quick movement, she swooped down to Tin, picking him up. With Tin on her hooves, she left out a giggle, and a smile. "Well well, seems that you can fly!" "Hey! Put me down!" Shouted Tin, suddently realizing that he only liked to fly on Airships. Bloodwing took Tin to a nearby Airship. A Galleon, to be more prescise. The Galleon was also known as The sideways Tank, due to the heavy cannons at both sides of the large airship and the upgraded shielding -At the cost of speed. It had to be lifted by three balloons, thanks to the heavy weight of both, the metallic hull and the guns themselves. It was slow, but strong. A direct hit from the heavy Flak cannnons this Galleon in particular had installed would pierce a ten centimeter hull, and cause horrible damages due to the splinters of the hole, and the shrapnel of the bullet itself. A weapon that inflicted pure terror in the skies. Perhaps not as much as a Yeshan Hwacha, but it was a formidable foe. Bloodwing flew close to the embarcation platform. "For the Blizzard's sake, Tin! You're heavy!" She said, mocking him. "I'm not the one that decided to lift somepony else from safe ground!" Replied Tin, getting into a tighter hug on Bloodwing's hooves, mostly to prevent a freefall from the Docks. Nopony that fell down from the ledges of the islands ever returned. "Hey, wait untill the third date for physical contact!" She jested even more, until she landed in front of the Galleon. She looked down and under her belly, where Tin was still holding himself, a few milimeters from the hardwood floor. "...You can get off me anytime, Tin." Tin opened his eyes, noticing that he was on safe lands again and soon released his grip from Bloodwing, landing on the wooden floor with his back, for the third time today. Then, a voice raised from the direction of the Galleon. "Bloodwing! Who is this pony?!" Said an old Stallion's voice. Bloodwing looked up. "Ah, Baron! I mean, Cap'n! I got a new Crewmember for you, sir!" Said Bloodwing, making the same Navy salute Tin made back in the Tavern, her hoof going to the side of her head as she stood upright for a second. "I see." Replied the voice. Tin looked to that direction, and managed to observe an old Stallion, with a black coat and grey mane, under a blue cocked hat, a white trenchcoat, and aviator goggles under the hat. "Well well well, what is the name of the Rookie?" Tin tried to regain control of his mouth, and speaking while laying on the ground, while having a hangover wasn't easy at all. "T-Tin Compass... Sir..." "...Welcome aboard the Changeling Charger, Tin!" He said, gesturing to the blue-painted Galleon behind him. ...This is going to be interesting. > Tome 2 - Bucket > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "...So, Cartography, Engineering, and Astronomy. Anything else you can do for our ship, Tin?" Asked Baron Von-Owl, looking down at Tin, that was still laying on the ground, facing the sky. "I-Er... I have some contacts here and there too." He said, trying to hide the fact that he never touched the Helm by himself, or shooted an actual weapon in his whole life. Owl looked up towards Bloodwing. "Well then, seems so. May I ask, from where do you actually come from?" He asked, his sight returning to Tin. "...From the industrial city of Fallow, Sir." He said, remembering the -once upon a time Vanhoover's- skyscrappers, that were turned into factories and homes after the chaotic disaster, simply known as The Rupture. "Ahh.. To the Dry West. The Mares in that zone are pretty to eye, yes..." He said, his eyes escaping reality, as he lost tracks of his actions, and started to drool on the thoughts of nice, roundy plots. "...Captain! Wake up! You're drooling... Again!" Said Bloodwing, bringing Owl back to reality. "Ah!" He cleared the liquids from his mouth, and then looked back to Tin. "Well then, I guess that I should introduce you to the rest of the crew!" Tin nodded as he got up from the ground. Owl signalled him to board the ship, as Bloodwing walked past him, heading inside. During that moment, Tin got the opportunity to see Bloodwing's flank, where a set of gears connected by wires were printed on. This made him think. If she's a gunner, why does she have gears as a Cutiemark? He looked at his own flank, where a compass was printed, as a permanent memory for him, when he had to find a way to escape the first attack on Fallow, from the wrath of Yeshan pirates. He limited himself to clear his mind, and board the Galleon. And it wasn't nice to stare at a future Crewmate's butt. "...Mares and Gentle...Colt, we have a new member on our crew! Everypony, raise your hooves for Tin Compass!" Said Von-Owl, after Tin boarded. He saw a Mare in the ship, and a Colt. The Colt was a little earth Pony, with a green coat and a darker green for his mane. He wore nothing but aviator goggles on. "Welcome to Tartarus!" He said, with a wicked smile on his face. "...Thanks?" Replied Tin, raising an eyebrow. He thought that underaged Ponies couldn't ride Airships, but the last time he checked a Law book, was around ten years ago. Then again, each region had its own set of laws and customs. What was legal in one may not be in another, such as Slavery being legal in the Fjorlands but a banned practice in the Mercantile guild. Then the mare waved to Tin next. She was unusually tall, orange-ish Coat, a mane red as an apple, and eyes with the shine of the sun. She wore a brown leather jacket, with a corset under it... For some reason. "Welcome to the Char--!" She attempted to say, right when she was interrupted by another mare, that suddently popped out from behind her. The second mare was a Pegasus, blue coat and magenta Mane. Her left eye was covered under a bandage that hid about half her head too. It looked recent, whatever that happened to her, and her other eye was yellow. She wore nothing aside from the bandage. "Ah, we have a newbie? Welcome aboard, then!" The Orange-Ish Mare looked up, to her recent interruption. "Hey, Cloud! I told you to not interrupt mewhen I speak!" The Pegasus -named Cloud- landed next to her. "What'dya say, Pepper? You'll have to excuse my lack of audition, I was shot at just yesterday!" "You wouldn't gotten yourself shot if-" She got interrupted again, as a third mare bursted out from the Engines room, with a Wrench on her mouth. She was wearing large goggles covering her eyes -Wich were yellow-, that matched her white coat, and brown mane. She had metallic boots on her hooves, probably to protect them from the heat the Engines emmited when working. She spitted the Wrench towards Cloud, hitting her right on the back of her head with a 'DINK!'. "Last time you both discuss today, damnit! I'm tired of your constant blabbery!" She shouted, before turning over to Tin, finally noticing his existance. "Ah, hello! Welcome aboard... Whoever you are! My name's Rusty, to serve!" She added, making a slight bow, her mane dropping a considerable ammount of iron slag onto the wooden deck. Tin looked to Owl, the one that was laughting his flank off at the situation. He clearly enjoyed watching three Mares almost kill eachother more than what he should. Tin then looked back to them. "....Thanks, miss... Rusty." He said next, eyeing Cloud, the one that was rubbing the back of her head due to the recent impact, and glared towards Rusty. Meanwhile, Bloodwing used the oportunity to lift Tin again. "Well, you know everypony already! Lemme put you straight where we'll need you!" "H-Hey! Put me down!" He said, before stopping his little struggle to get himself free. It was pretty much pointless, since Bloodwing was pretty fast in the matter of raising Ponies from the ground. Soon, he was dumped on the Helm. There was a table right behind it, with a crystal display showing the map of the area; that being the giant rock Cathedral was built on, and the surrounding territories; Virna, at the north-East, former Hollow Shades, current commercial and political rival to Cathedral, the Black Channel at the East, a patch of empty sky that used to be the Everfree Forest. The former Manehattan and Fillydelphia were past the Channel, and were the current domains of the secretive Order of Chaladon. The Albys region was at the South, former Appleloosa, and the Fjorlands and the Firnfields at the North, former Crystal Empire, and the Crystal Mountains, respectively. The map only reached the former Equestria, now divided in those little city-States. It was unkown what happened to the Gryphons, the Zebras, Yaks or the Saddle Arabians as every communications with them broke, just as the earth did. Bloodwing proceeded to drop Tin on safe floor, as he looked around, noticing the map. Bloodwing landed at his side, and gestured to the table. "Well, here's the map. The Baron knows how to use it, but he ends getting troubles with plotting courses and all that. I think that there's when you enter." She adds, as Owl goes upstairs, towards the Helm, leaving the three Mares discussing -If not already hitting eachother- behind. "Well then, Tin. You'll be up here with me pretty often. You also have the Balloon heater right... There." He adds, gesturing towards a bottle-shaped metal piece, attached to a pipe that led to the Baloons over their heads. The piece had a balloon printed in black, contrasting with the white-stained metal plates that were the part made to be the balloon's source of power, aside from the highly-combustible Gas that was commonly being used to fill the Baloons. It was a common but dangerous practice to achieve lighter-than-air buoyancy. Tin nods. "Got it. And... Uh, one little question." He added next, rubbing his mane. "Spit it up." Replied Von-Owl. "I've got ears, and I plan of making a good use of 'em." "Where's-Uh... The Bathroom?" He asked next, smiling a little. The drinks from the night prior were already attempting to, well. Flow out. "...Heh. There's no fancy 'Bathroom' on this ship, mate. However, there's something that assembles one. Follow me, then." He added, gesturing Tin to follow him, while he walked downstairs. Bloodwing gave Tin a 'good luck' look. Tin followed Von-Owl he walked down and towards the Engine room. Owl opened the door, and gestured inside. "At the left, you'll see a Bucket. That's it." He simply stated, looking to Tin, the one that returned a concerned look. "You're saying that we...?" He asked next, looking into the Door. Owl simply nodded. "Yup. Once you're done, dump it off-deck, from the hole behind. Make sure it doesn't hit the proppeler though, or else you'll have to clean a real mess." He added next, with all the seriousness he could gather, wich wasn't much. Tin just stared at him, wondering if it was a joke or not. "For... Real?" He asked next, raising an eyebrow. "This isn't a rookie prank, right?" Owl nodded again. "For real. This ship was built with the battle in mind, not mundane commodities. Like Bathrooms, tea-Storages, Showers..." He added, thinking of what the Changeling Charger lacked of. "Plumbing in general." "Does this ship at least has... I dunno, somewhere to sleep, or do we have to sleep in the main deck?" Tin asked, crossing his hindlegs and holding a bit. He really didn't wanted to do his needs on a bucket. "Well, we usually lock up the lower deck, and lay down a few bedsheets. 'Less you're insane, like Cloud, that sleeps between the Balloons. Because you aren't, right?" He asked, looking at Tin with a bit of concern now. "I-No! I'm not insane! ...I think. B-But well... Uhm... I'll use the... 'Bathroom' for now... Don't mind me." He added next, looking into the room, and towards the Bucket. It was oddly clean, and even shining, waiting for Tin to use it the way a Bucket shouldn't be used. "...'Aight then. I'll let your privacy be. Lock the door if you're planning to use it for... 'Other' things. Te-hee." Added Owl, before closing the door behind him, not giving Tin enough time to reply, and walking off towards the three Mares that were now fighting eachother, and not verbally exactly. However, he didn't made the effort of stopping them, as he just sat at a safe distance, and enjoyed the show alongside the colt whose name was never told. They shared oppinions on who they would bet if a more serious fight broke out. Rusty was the one catching the most attention, as she was the smart one to use a Wrench as a 'tool', and not precisely to fix. ...This feels just like home. > Tome 3 - Fog > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ...Aaah. This feels good. Thought a certain stallion, after completing the obligatory fisiological needs, and of course, carefully getting rid of whatever was left about them. Though he was also impressed that the bucket he used was still unusually clean after being... Well. Thus, placing the bucket back in place and after cleaning himself, Tin happily trotted off, unlocked the door, and... Bam. His nose met a Wrench. Letting out a loud squeak of pure pain, Tin's head recoiled by the impact, his body soon following, falling on his back once more. His hooves, quickly moved to cover his snout that was now stained with a tone of red coming from the area that met the hard Steel of the Wrench. His hindlegs started waggling out to 'flee' from the pain, but of course, it's impossible to escape from this kind of pain. "O-Oh! Sorry, Tin!" Said a certain Mare, wriggling out of the cartoonish cloud of conflict that broke between the three Mares. The voice came from Cloud, the one who seemed to have nicked the Wrench from Rusty, and of course, accidentally smacked an innocent Pony with it. Collateral damages, as one would usually say. "Are you okay? Need some ice? Bandages? A kiss to the snout to be A-OK?" Cloud muttered, taking a careful step at the side of the waggling Tin. After a few extra seconds of struggle, Tin slowly opened his deep Amber eyes, and rose his right hoof, stained with the red of his own blood. His pupil dilatated, as he moved the hoof back to his snout. "Hurts..." He simply muttered, closing both his eyes. That is, untill the loud stomp of a hoof he well-knew interrupted his childish attitude. "You'd better get up from the ground, boy. We don't have a slot for a wimp in the Charger. Now get your flank up, and get to your position! We are setting course to the Mercantile guild. We happen to have a lovely payload of Wool... And guess what the merchants need?" Owl cheekidly said next, rubbing his hooves together in pure greed. Cloud proceeded to step aside, and then nudged Tin on the leg. "C'mon, I'll patch you up. If I covered my own eye without losing it completely, then I can patch that pretty little nose of yours!" She said, offering a little reassuring smile. Meanwhile, the other two Mares had stopped figthing since Tin squeaked in pain, and now held an interesting posture, where Rusty's hoof was about to meet Pepper's snout, the one whose left Hindleg was about to hit Rusty, in a very... Private area. Even if she had no such parts. Thus, Tin slowly nodded, and sniffed. This wasn't the first time he's smelled his own blood. He's gotten into Bar brawls before (But never left victorous), though this time, the scent of his own blood without Alcohol in the air was... Strange. Very strange. Thus, after getting up -And stumbling to not faceplant, Tin followed Cloud upstairs towards the Helm, and to the Map. Cloud pulled out a little Bandage, and as Tin sat down, his snout was covered with it in record-time. "Good as new!" Cloud so happily stated, proudly tapping her chest. "Do give me a call if you lose a limb!" She teased next, before ruffling Tin's mane, and taking flight to her post under the Ship, near the Guns. And, before Tin could say 'Thanks', Von-Owl just happened to step into the Helm, sparing a look to Tin. "Well, since you are our Carthographer, you are in charge of telling me, the cap'n, where to go. So! Plot the safest, quickest and most exciting course to the Mercantiles!" He said, waving to the unnamed Colt to lift the Anchor. With a nod, the little one ran to the edge of the ship, and pressed a button. That's it, job done. Tin, on the other hoof, located himself near the Map, and after running his eyes over the map, he imagined three different routes they could take. One, was a suicide. The other would leave them without food... And the last one, would take quite a long time. "Well... I can suggest three routes, sir. We can go straight south and face the Sky Pirates... Or we can circle above the Channel, and take a month to reach the Vastness... Or we can evade the Pirates via the the edge of Albys, with no promise of having a safe haven to restock our food. Captain?" Tin asked, his sight raising to Baron. The one, who stared dumbfoundly at Tin. "Uh- We'll take the route straight! We have a Galleon, a few Pirates ain't taking my ship down! Har har!" He so proudly stated, wriggling his eyebrows, as his hoof met the Steering wheel, and with a rather violent turn, and a few hits to the speed regulator, the Changeling Charger was taking flight off-port. "Off we go! FORTH TO ADVENTURE!" Owl so happily shouted out, as everypony ran to their posts. Everypony but Tin. Mostly because Tin was already on his post. The Colt on the main deck rose onto his hindlegs, holding a pair of yellow flags between his forehooves, the ones he used to make signals to the port authorities. After a few seconds, a floodlight from the edge of the piers shone towards them, and flashed on and off a few times, as an A-OK to leave Cathedral. Thus, with the loud roar of all three heavy Engines sounding in unisone, the Galleon's Balloons receiving a good load of hot, highly-combustible gas, and the Steering Wheel making worringly cracking noises as it was spinned sideways, the Charger was off to adventure. To complete the great quest, of delivering Wool for profit. Hurray! Three days. "It has been three days since we last saw... Anything, Captain. Are you sure that you took the correct route?" Tin asked, after having checked the Map and the onboard compass. Trice. There wasn't anything he could use to pinpoint their location. All the clouds were exactly the same, and said clouds also blocked any sight from the Stars. At least they knew they were going south. The Sun barely shone across the dense Fog that had formed the night prior. "Of course tis' the route, Tin! Why else would I navigate through it! I have an Eagle eye, you kno-" Von-Owl was about to harshly reply, untill the voice of the Colt ringed through his ears. "TREE AHEAD! TUUURN!" Shouted the squeaky voice of the little one, as he bounced from the fore deck, to the Engine room. Blinking at this sudden realization, Von-Owl couldn't do much but to spin the Wheel the most his hooves let him, and attempt to hit the 'Shut down engines' command within his reach. But none of these things were enough to stop a huge ship, mid-air, as altough the Engines stopped, Aerodynamics and physics simply made the ship gently slide to a side, and have its entire left port harshly meet the sturdy Oak. Oak? In the middle of nowhere? Ooooh. After the impact, wich gladly didn't killed anypony, Tin proceeded to bounce towards the impacted area, as his eyes stared at the Tree they just mutilated. "Sir, I... Do believe we're in a forest-" "Of course we are in one, cap'n obvious!" Snapped out the pretty irritiated Owl. He didn't liked ramming his ship! It damaged the paintjob! "...And that means we are above land." Continued Tin, walking back to the Map, as Rusty rushed out of the Engine room, and stared down at the large splinters of Wood on Metal. She grumbled loudly, and turned around, and said certain obscenities at Owl, questioning his capabilities to keep the Ship intact before walking over to check up on the shielding generator. "And if we are above Land, it means we can find out where we are! All islands are marked one way or another, afteral." Tin added, matter-of-factly. If Owl had fingers, he'd have flipped one to Rusty in return, but he had none. So, a simple tongue-stick would do. But Tin had a point there. "Oh. Hey, maybe you're right! For once. I mean! Yes, good idea! BLOODWING!" The Cap'n shouted at the top of his lungs, and in a matter of three and a half seconds, Bloodwing was already hovering above the Captain. "Yessire?" The oddly calm Mare said, offering him a little, childish salute. "I need ye' at ground-level. Bring Tin with ya, we must know where we just... Made another splinter on my ship. Tata!" Commanded Owl, gesturing to Tin. After a nod, and a grin, Bloodwing quickly swooped down for Tin -The one who panicked and tried to escape-, and picked him up. She was getting pretty skilled at that. "D-Don't drop me! Who knows how high we are above ground!" Tin squealed, now clinging to Bloodwing like if it was the last few moments of his life. With a grin, she flew off-board, and slowly approached the... Ground. If there was, as she only had the tall, tall Tree to guide her while going down. "Reeee-Laaax! I'm not going to drop you, silly thing! I wouldn't ever drop something as cute as yoooou~!" She teased, gently chuckling. That's what happens after three days straight without being able to do much, while having to sleep uncomfortably close to somepony else. Thus, after Tin went oddly silent, and having his cheeks fluster three tones redder due to what he's been seeing, but was unable to touch, she just chuckled again. After a few seconds of careful flight, Tin's hindlegs met grass. "Okay, we are at ground level, Bloodwing. Mind... Releasing me? I believe that we already have enough... Contact at night." He said, looking up, his nose suddenly meeting one of her white, slightly curly hairs. He couldn't hold but to subtedly sniff. It smelled like... Cinnamon. Oddly enough, considering where they slept, and all the Rust they had to face. "Awww, I was having fun tossin' ya around!" Bloodwing jested, her lips turning onto a little grin, as she spread both her forehooves, releasing Tin from her evil grapple. Soon she landed besides him, and spared a look towards him, and the dense Fog surrounding them. "It's a bit cold and humid here. Where do you think we are?" She asked now, sliding her right hoof to toy with a nearby rock. A rock, that just happend to splur out Wings, and flew away, to much surprise of the mare. Damn rock-Bugs and their disguise. "Rockbugs... Dense Fog, Oak... I believe we are located... At least, two-Hundred Aerial miles West from Troydon. Wich means we're.. possibly just a day or two away from our-" And as he was about to raise his hoof to gesture an imaginary map in the air, his mouth met a hoof. Bloodwing's hoof. "Shhhh! Do you hear that?" She asked, her tactician vein tingling. Her ears perked at the fog surrounding them, the Mare faling silent, as Tin was forced onto silence too. Slowly, Bloodwing released his mouth and soon rubbed that hoof onto his jacket. "It sounded like... A Flare gun going off." She whispered next, violently nudging Tin. "We must return the Charger! Now!" But just before she could take hold of Tin once again, the Charger was enveloped with the light of two Beacons. Little orbs that stop mid-air, and burst into a glorious green light that dyes metallic materials through magic to be seen across fog or dense clouds. Like the one currently enveloping the Charger. The question of 'who would use these?', quickly crossed through Tin's mind... Untill the realization struck him. The very next second, the roaring of engines could be heard. Two triplets of engines to be more exact. Two Airships, coming from front and back of the Galleon. Only a very trained Engineer could tell what kind of Airship has that specific kind of Engines that made that kind of sound. And Tin knew them. He's been onboard the only Airship that used such kind... And he was now scared. Scared of what would happen to the Galleon. The Ship in question, was usually mentioned as the Frontline Assaulter, due to its capability of resisting a lot of damage up front... And deal trice the ammount upon its enemies. The Pyramidion, a Ship, designed solely for the purpose of breaking havoc in the frontlines, charging head-first in large numbers. Literally. It had a ramming head mouted on the front, designed to pierce, both armor and balloons with deadly strenght, and some even installed explosives on it for an extra punch. But that wasn't what had Tin worried. It was the fact that two Pyramidions were against one sole Galleon, the one that was stuck on a tree. That meant an easy feast for the pirates. One Pyramidion, in the hooves of a good Captain, could wipe up to three Ships by itself. Two, with coordination and against a sole ship could end very badly. A coordination, that was apparent, just by the sight of the Beacons telling where the Charger was. "B-Bloodwing! Pyramidions!" Tin suddenly exclaimed, looking up onto the fog, only to see the shadow of a triangle-shaped airship beam into sight. And from that shadow, the sound of a gatling gun gently starting was heard... Followed by the chain gunshots of rapid Greased rounds. Bullets specifically designed and bathed in oil to make shooting and reloading drastically faster, at the cost of them being less accurate (And have a slight risk of settin themselves ablaze). a constant barrage of bullets fell onto the Charger's shielding, the combined effort of the two guns making short work of the armor. The Charger soon started to pump more gas onto the Balloons -It was too close to the surface to propperly fight. Having to leave two of its crewmembers on the ground was already bad -But worse was not being able to fight back. The Galleon slowly turned -Its heavy Flak cannons starting to take aim against the other airships. Even Bloodwing could tell that this wasn't going to end well. With a squeal of worry, Bloodwing attempted to take flight -Only to be stopped by Tin. "No, don't!" He shouted, as both his hooves took hold of her tail, "You'll get hurt!" "B-But we have to help! Our Captain! Our ship!" She said, looking down to Tin, resisting the need to kick his snout, and to take flight and board the flying Galleon... But it was already too late. Within a matter of seconds, the Galleon's magnetic armor broke, letting out a loud 'Zap', thus letting the Pyramidions know when to switch to their second weapon. The gentle, yet notice-able sound of Mortar shells, being clicked out from the barrel of a gun was heard -Followed by the whizzing of its drop. As Bloodwing's sight rose, barely being able to see due to the fog, the loud blast of a Mortar shell hitting the Hull of the Charger rang through the air, alongside the sight of the ship lighting up in fire. Incediary Mortar rounds. Only Pirates with the sole desire of destruction used such. And what kind of Pirates only wish destruction, rather than pillage? The Sky Pirates of Graybeard "The great" of corse. They are known not for seeking treasure and loot, but for their darefull, highly-coordinated attacks just to bring down larger targets. Why they do such, is unknown for the world. But one thing is sure. That the Charger was burning. Shell after shell, the explosions and fire quickly spread across the entire deck. And soon... The Charger fell. The Fire made it to the Balloons, main them explode and release the highly inflammable gas inside, forming a massive blast of glorious fire and death; the metal around the balloon falling down like a rock. Thankfully, it had moved away from Tin and Bloodwing, as the several tonnes of Steel, Scraps... And Wool, slammed hard onto the grassy land, with yet another explosion due to the several Flak rounds stored within the guns, and the supply room. Horrorized by such a sight across the fog, Bloodwing stopped flapping her wings and fell down onto the grass, just how the Charger did. Her eyes, watering quickly upon the loss of her job, her friends, and possibly even her home, the Mare quickly bursted into tears of sadness, pain... And frustration. Finally releasing Bloodwing's tail, Tin backed off a bit, and stumbled back, horrorized by such a sight. He knew that the Pyramidions were strong ships. But this... Was too extreme. Even for him. He had no words for what just happened, as he simply sat there, even letting the Rockbug land on his muzzle. This... Was a very big loss. > Tome 4 - Scraps > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "...How could've we felt in this ambush so easily! GRAAH!" Muttered a certain blood-red Mare, resisting- Oh, no. Not resisting, subduing to the desire to hit an innocent nearby tree with her hoof, anger and frustration running through her veins, her heart beating with the strenght of a Flak round hitting an unprotected hull, splinters and chips of wood flying in all directions. Watching her commit murder against an innocent tree, Tin could only observe with sadness the frustration that ran free through Bloodwing's body, and the subsequent sobs that came afterwards. He felt the need to embrace her and provide comfort, but something told him that it would only make matters worse. So he spoke, from a safe distance. "Y-You know, they could still be alive. If we turn around and act quick enough-" "Damn them, you're right!" Bloodwing shouted at the top of her lungs, tears of angst rolling down her cheeks, bloodshot eyes staring directly at Tin's very own soul. "Come on, we're still in time to rescue them!" She added, inmediatly running back towards the crash site, ignoring the possibility of the Pirates still being around, or the lingering danger of a wildfire spreading from the wreck. Or that her hoof was now injured, after leaving a hole on a tree. "W-Wait!" Tin pleaded, running behind Bloodwing and the trail of raw anger and desperation that she left behind, "What about the pirates? What if they're waiting for us there?" "To Tartarus with them all! I'll personally send 'em there if I ever cross paths with one!" She shouted back, her pace accelerating with the aid of her wings, until they reached the crash site. A Galleon, one of the mightiest kind of ships ever built on the Skylands, reduced to nothing but a burning piile of scraps, scattered through a small clearing on the thick rainforest. Fog made it hard to see, the dense vegetation only made matters worse, if the spreading fire wasn't enough. The hull of the ship was unrecognizable, the whole lower deck spread through the clearing in numerous chunks of varied sizes and states. One of the broadside Flak cannons was relatively intact, lodged ontop of a tree while the upper deck was sideways and smashed onto a large tree. The balloon, on the other hoof, had completely combusted into a set of massive fireballs, bits and pieces of the thick fabric that once kept the highly flammable gas in check, were now falling from the sky in flames, setting the low shrubs on fire and heating up the area beyond desireable conditions. Not an area where anypony wants to be -But this didn't stop the angered Bloodwing from jumping facefirst into the closest patch of debris, in the hopes of finding anypony from the crew, much to Tin's change of heart on the subject of recovery. Oddly enough, there were no Pirates in the vicinity. Not even the whirring of engines out in the distance. Nothing but the sounds of flames engulfing everything, and the pleading moans of a mare... Wait. That sounded like Cloud's voice! Without wasting a second, Tin and Bloodwing rushed over to the voice, and saw Cloud's blue hoof peeking out from under a pile of metal chunks that once used to be a heavy Flak cannon and the lower deck. They both used their bare hooves to pry through the cannons and chunks of steel and brass, until they finally digged Cloud out, who was in a worse shape than before. Her bandages were now soaked in blood, and she had more wounds all over her body. "B-Buck..." She moaned out in pure pain, barely able to move. "Hold on, we've got you!" Tin reassured, helping her ontop of his back to carry her to a safer spot, away from the potential flames. Cloud coughed a few times -Spitting up blood, before gesturing to the north. "I-I saw Pepper fall somewhere there. S-Somepony help her out!" She pleaded, before groaning in pain. Blinking, Bloodwing ran straight towards where Cloud gestured, as Tin carried her away to a safe distance away from the Balloon, huddled under the mostly intact midsection of the Galleon. Laying her on a flat sheet of steel, Tin examined her up and down. She had several deep cuts, too many to treat with what he had on him, and was losing blood at an alarming pace, so much that his bac was soaked on her crimson fluid. And she knew that. Before Tin could even start ripping his jacked off for pieces of cloth, Cloud rose her hoof and poked his chest. "N-No, my time is over. Save them for the rest. B-But... Get closer..." Cloud requested, her single yellow eye pleading at him. Blinking, Tin got a bit closer, just as Cloud's hooves, both of them, rose and clinged onto his neck. Her head rose too, her lips quickly meeting his, his eyes opening wide in surprise as he received an iron-y taste of a deathbed kiss. To this, Cloud whispered, "I'm sorry." Once she released him, her body felt back onto the plate, lifeless as the ship behind them, succumbing to her wounds. They were too many for her to handle. Tin could only watch in confussion and horror as a member of the crew he was part of perished in front of him. Tears started to roll off from his eyes, and he started to rub off the blood from Cloud off from his lips and onto his jacket, sobbing a bit. Pepper's voice emerged from the other side of the temporary shelter. "Cloud? Cloud you whore, you better- O-Oh." She said, as her orange body peeked besides the wreck, noticing a tearfull Tin and a lifeless Cloud. Closing her amber eyes and rubbing her red mane, she shook her head. "Buck, first Rusty's gone and now Cloud too..." "Wait, Rusty's...?" Tin asked, holding in more tears, to wich Pepper nodded. "Yeah, found her squished in what's left of the engine room. No clue where the cap'n or lil' Pear went to, tho." Pepper added, with an unusually cold tone. Just then, Bloodwing flew over them. "Who's... Who's Pear?" Tin asked, but Bloodwing cut him off. "Didn't found anypony else. Uh... Why isn't Cloud moving?" She asked, landing next to them. "She... Didn't made it." Tin explained, looking away, to wich Pepper nodded, laying a hoof above her own little cuts and bruises. Bloodwing looked at Cloud's lifeless body, before walking to her and raising a hoof to close her eye. "Rest well, you beautifull bitch. We'll... We'll miss you." "We'll give her a propper burial when this place isn't burning down. There's nothing we can do." Pepper said, looking back at the flaming remains of the Balloon. "What we can do is gather up whatever we can and huddle up somewhere away from those pirates. Last thing we need is gettin' shot at again. Or worse." Bloodwing nodded, looking towards Tin. "Let's just... Yes. Let's just go. I think we can... Salvage something from the lower decks before the fire spreads too far." She suggested, as the others nodded. Hope was at an all-time low, but survival came in first. With a last thought for Cloud and Rusty, Tin, Bloodwing and Pepper set off to try and find anything usefull among the wrecklage. Food, tools. Weapons. Anything that could help them survive in this harsh enviroment, after losing what was a family and a home for them... > Tome 5 - Shovel > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Well, this is what I found. Not much, but... At least it's not on fire." Commented the blood-red pegasus as she dumped half a boxfull of assorted tools onto a patch of tall humid grass. From wrenches to mallets, passing by a shovel and a fire extinguisher that, sadly, was empty. Tin sighed, his hoof extending to take hold of the shovel, his eyes trailing back to the far away blazing remnants of what once was their ship. "I'll... Start digging a grave for Cloud then." He commented with a slight pout. Getting up, he was stopped by the hoof of Pepper laying upon his shoulder. "Ah'll do it. With these bandages on me, ah' can't do much but dig or lift thins'. Ye both can do plenty, n' there's a camp to make, tis' a better idea to leave the diggin' to me." Pepper suggested, gesturing to the bandages on her head, face, and as of recently, chest. Tin nodded, holding the shovel towards her. "Alright. Be careful with the oil spills, Pep." He said, as she took hold of the shovel. "Don't make it too deep." Pepper took the shovel in her shaky hooves, and gave one determined nod. She held it between her teeth, and limped off towards Cloud's body, by the edge of the debris field. Tin watched her carefully, making sure that she didn't fall. Bloodwing was already working on something of a camp, with a bedsheet-sized piece of waxed canvas that once used to be part of one of the three baloons of the Galleon. She extended it over the remains of the barrel of a heavy Flak cannon, and rose it to make a tent. "We'll have to sleep on grass tonight." She commented; "But we'll have something over our heads at least." Tin meanwhile, was working on making a fire pit. Digging onto the soil with a sharp slag of steel, he placed said chunk of the ship down to act as the base of a fire that shouldn't spread all over the camp. He started placing rocks around it, and some rods to make something similar to a grill to head food on, once a fire was lit. "Do you think they'll find us here? The pirates, that is." He asked towards the tent, as Bloodwing pulled it upright with her forehooves. "I hope," The pegasus said with a side of venom on her voice, "I'll bring tartaus on them." Tin shivered, not by the cold or the chilling sensation of the humid fog. He started placing dry-ish twigs and leaves on the metal plate. "I-I personally hope not. I don't want to deal with who-knows how many pirates." Bloodwing huffed, "I'll bring'em all down with me if I have to. Their whole ship and the next if they have a single Lochnagar shot with them." She spat to the side, placing rocks on the edges of the tent for extra stability. "Blood, please." Tin pleaded, staring at her in her crimson eyes. "Reserve your wrath for when we leave this region. Focus on surviving." He stated, flicking a match lit and placing it on the pile of leaves. Slowly, a fire was made in the safe confines of the little pit. Bloodwing sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hoof. "Sorry, sorry. It's just- It's not fair!" She exclaimed, raising her arms in frustration. "We would've won if we were on our stations. We wouldn't be stuck down here, and you know that." With a grunt, she slid into the tent, and laid down facing away from the stallion. Tin couldn't do anything but stare at the fire in total silence, watching the flames flicker the same way that the ones that were consuming the remains of their ship. Time passed, hours slipped between the hooves like sand, until Pepper finally came back, shovel on her mouth. "Egh ghone." Pepper muttered, spitting the shovel aside. "She's buried now, sorry it took so long. Uh." She gazed at the rest of the camp -One tent, one fire pit, and a crate with all the suppliees and tools they could gather cozily sitting beween a trio of trees. Homey, if there wasn't such a chilling humidity looming over the region. "Just one tent? I thought we had enough for three." Tin shrugged, his sight raising to meet Pepper's. "We didn't had energy to do more. I'll sleep out here, you two can keep the tent." He said, gesturing towards a patch of dirt. "We can make another one tomorrow while I figure a way to contact somepony to rescue us." Pepper sat in front of the fire, opposite of Tin. She looked towards the tent, catching a glimpse of Bloodwing's tail swaying back and fro in bottled frustration. "...Ah, I see. Yeah, it'll be better if ye sleep out here. There's no convincin' the stubborn mare when she gets like that." She chuckled, though was forced to hold onto her hoof to stop a stinging pain. "Ow, ow ow..." Tin pursed his lips, but nodded in agreement. "Does she get like that often?" "Nah, only when a member of our family dies." Pepper told, leaning back onto a tree to rest her forehooves. "Three months ago, Hard Nail, our previous navigator, fell offboard when we got rammed by a Sky Whale. Fell into the Sea of Clouds, never to be seen again. Bloody here closed up like that for weeks. Dunno how long she'll grump out this time around, since... Y'know, everythin's gone." "Ah... I see." The stallion pouted a bit more, his sight going between the twigs that acted as a campfire, and Pepper. "We're not going to last long out here like this. Do you think it'll be a good idea to call for help?" "An' get found by the pirates that shot us down? Hah! Fuck no." Pepper stated, grunting a little as she shifted her position, sitting a bit more comfortably upon the tree. "We lay low a couple'o days, or however long our supplies last. Then... Ah' dunno, we go to the edge'o this rock and shoot flares out. Or just jump down n'call it a day." She added, with a somber chuckle. The unicorn gave her a look of concern. "We'll do the holdout and flares, but no jumping off the edge." He stated, at which Pepper rolled her eyes, her dark humor whizzing over Tin's head. "I just... I'm sorry. I should've done my job better." "Pf. Don't beat yer head over it, Tin. Sure ye fucked up and got us n'this, but in the end, it's Owl's responsability as the cap'n." Pepper assured, in her unique way. "We'll make it out. If not, well. We'll make for a nice story in somepony's book one day. Maybe." Tin stared at Pepper with a deadpan, before he slumped down on the grass, and gave up for the day. Or night. It was hard to tell with the dense fog above their heads.