> Upon a Falling Feather
>  by ezra09
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Shiver My Timbers, Shiver My Soul
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Come young foals, don’t be afraid. Sit around my fire and watch the sunlight fade. Would you like Zecora to tell a story? Perhaps one of adventure, gold, and glory. It takes place in a world much like ours, a sister of Equestria, but with a new balance of powers.

Great ships, made of wood and magic, ponies with stories most tragic. It starts with our heroine high above the ground, destiny within her grasp and trouble bound. It begins with a chase and one yearning to belong, and as these stories should, it begins with a song. Closer my children, listen together, hear of six friends upon a Falling Feather.

*****

Shiver my timbers, shiver my soul,
Pony with a heart as black as coal.

Rarity stood on the main deck of the Falling Feather, wind caressing her mane as they sailed through the open sky. It felt wrong to be underdressed for such an important occasion, but sometimes propriety must give way to practicality. She wore a simple vest and belt. Her mane was tied back with a bandana and a cutlass rested in its sheath.

She sailed her ship across the wide sky blue,
A bloodthirsty captain and her cut throat crew.
It’s as dark a tale as ever was told,
Of a lust for power and a love of gold.

The large ship crested the clouds ahead of them. It was a cargo ship sailing from Canterlot to Baltimare. Aboard it was the one unicorn who could turn everything around.

Shiver my timbers, shiver my sides,
Hungers strong as the winds and tides.

Those stallions drowned their sins in rum,
Discord himself would have to call ‘em scum!
Every pony on board would have killed his mate 
For a bag of bits or a piece of eight!

The Falling Feather was one of the fastest ships in Equestrian air, though it lacked the arms of a larger ship. The cannons protruding from the side of the Golden Alicorn gleamed dangerously in the sunlight, and Rarity remembered again just how outmatched they were, especially with the Feather sailed by a skeleton crew. She tensed, ready to give the order to attack.

Shiver my timbers, Shiver my bones, 
Secrets sleep with Old Derpy Jones.

With the main sails set and the anchors weighed,
There’s no turning back from any course that’s laid.
And when greed and felony sail the sea,
you can bet your hooves there’ll be treachery.

“Pinkie Pie,” Rarity snapped. “For the love of Celestia, stop singing.”

“Righty-o, Captain my captain,” Pinkie Pie said, snapping a hoof up in a quick salute. She wore similar attire, though also had a pair of flintlock pistols hanging low on her left. “So, are we ready to go, or did’ja want more time to brood?”

Captain Rarity sniffed, turning her nose up. “A lady doesn’t brood. I was simply thinking.” She turned back to the front. The ship ahead of them had spotted the Falling Feather. Semaphore flags caught her eye as the Golden Alicorn tried to make contact.

“Is our unicorn ready?”

“Yup!” Pinkie giggled.

“Fire a warning shot.”

*****

“And then from Baltimare, we make our way into the neighboring Crystal Empire,” Twilight Sparkle concluded happily, straightening her simple dress with a quick flick of magic.

Applejack’s head jerked, as though she’d been on the verge of falling asleep. With a yawn, she said, “Yeah. Ah know.”

Twilight frowned. “Then why did you ask what we were doing?”

“Ah meant, what are we doing out here by ourselves?”

She turned a quick circle in the center of their room. True, they were alone for the moment, but they were hardly by themselves. “We aren’t alone. There’s got to be dozens of crew members. I mean—” Twilight was cut off by an orange hoof pressing her mouth closed.

“Why are we being sent without any guards?”

Comprehension dawned in Twilight’s eyes and she brushed the hoof away. “Why didn’t you just ask that? Between the griffon military movements in the south, and the exercises in the west, there weren’t resources to spare. It’s just a small diplomatic mission. The princess doesn’t expect any trouble. At least not more than we can handle on our own.”

Something like thunder cracked in the distance. Moments later, the ship’s bell rang five times in rapid succession. Five seconds later, it repeated, and again five seconds after that.

“What in tarnation?”

“Three, four, five,” Twilight counted. “Applejack, that’s the signal to beat to quarters. There’s some kind of emergency! Come on. Let’s see if we can lend a hoof.” Twilight turned to run, but a sudden tug on her tail pulled her back onto her haunches.

“No ya don’t. We were given very specific instructions for this.”

“But if there’s some kind of emergency, shouldn’t we at least try to help?” Twilight asked, but faltered under her friend’s glare.

“Sugarcube, Ah was told ta keep you safe, so that’s exactly what Ah’m gonna do. Now let’s git outta here.” Twilight reluctantly agreed and they left the room.

Unlike a normal ship, skyships had no risk of sinking as long as their magical core was undamaged. Since they couldn’t flood, the center of the ship was often the safest area. At least it was best protected against cannonballs, shrapnel, or natural elements. A storeroom on the lowest level held just enough room for the two ponies.

*****

“Oh look, they’re slowing down! Are they surrendering? I thought you said this wouldn’t be easy.”

“No, Pinkie, they aren’t going to surrender,” Rarity said. “They’re coming about for a broadside. They mean to blast us out of the sky.”

“Oooh. Well, it’s a good thing we have you as captain, ‘cause I totally thought they were going to stop and surrender. Then we could have taken them prisoner and thrown them parties! But you knew what they were going to do. You’re always so prepared. What did you do? Did you coat the ship in rubber? Are the cannon balls gonna bounce off? I wish I could see the looks on their faces when that happens.”

“Actually no. If we take a broadside at this range, the only thing that’ll bounce is us when we hit the earth.”

“Oh.” A small crinkle appeared on Pinkie's forehead. “You do have a plan, right?”

“But of course, darling,” Rarity said. Smiling, she raised a hoof and called out, “Drop altitude. Trixie, now!”

*****

The small ship had remained in range as the Golden Alicorn came about. The captain frowned at it. Its crew was clearly insane, first attacking a more heavily armed ship, and then not using their speed to stay out of harm’s way.

The captain opened his mouth, ready to give the order to fire. Before he could, the Falling Feather disappeared.

The captain stared, cigar falling from his slack jaw.

*****

“That’s enough,” Rarity said. “Tell Trixie to dispel the illusion.” She watched the image of the Falling Feather sail for a moment longer, and then flicker out of being. A long count of three later, the Golden Alicorn’s cannons boomed. The projectiles sailed uselessly through the open air.

With a victorious smile, she looked up at the hull of the massive ship floating directly above them. Skyships were a newer inventions. Too many captains had earned their experience at sea and saw the battlefield in two dimensions.

*****

“Those were our cannons, Ah think,” Applejack said, ear pressed to the door. A long minute passed. “They aren’t firing again. The enemy must have ran. That or they sank ‘em right then and there. Ah think somepony’s coming!”

The door swung open before Applejack could remove her weight. She gasped and fell forward.

Twilight didn’t look up right away, still fuming in her corner. After a moment of silence though, she glanced at the empty doorway. “Applejack?”

A pink blur dived into the room, bouncing off a wall and rushing Twilight without losing momentum. Her horn glowed in a panicked attempt to defend herself, but the pink something was just too fast. It hit her at the center of her mass and drove her into a wall. Her head impacted against the bulkhead, and stars flashed over her vision. Everything started to slide into darkness. The last thing she noticed was a giggle followed by off-key singing.

Shiver my timbers, shiver my sails,
Dead mares tell no tales.
> Throw Away the Key, Rottin' in the Hole
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight woke to the sound of singing. Her head hurt too much to pay attention, but the song seemed to be about drinking and bad eggs. It seemed a bit silly for her tastes. She turned away from the noise to get more sleep.

“Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!”

“Pirates?” Twilight shouted, eyes shooting open as the previous day came rushing back. She whipped her head around, throwing her hooves out and losing her balance. She grabbed at the cot, but only managed to drag the blanket to the floor with her.

“Oh, you’re awake!” a painfully cheerful voice said with a giggle. “I was worried that you were hurt, but I didn’t think I hit you that hard. Sorry about that by the way. I don’t usually hit ponies. I prefer saying hi or throwing them a party. But the captain told me I couldn’t throw you a party. Well, actually she said I couldn’t throw you a party there. Whether I get to later is still up in the air.”

Twilight blinked in confusion. She was in a small cell with nothing more than a cot. On the other side of the bars was a bright pink earth pony wearing a brown vest. A black bandanna did little to control her wiry tangle of pink mane.

“So, I’m supposed to make you comfy until the cap’n can come see you. Anything I can do for you?”

“Let me out?” Twilight asked without much hope.

“Oh, right. I guess it’s not much fun being locked up like that.” The pink pony bounced over to the cell door before pausing. “Wait, the captain told me not to open these cells.” She narrowed her eyes and pointed an accusatory hoof at Twilight. “You’re a tricky one, Tricky McTrickypants. But you have to get up pretty early in the day to pull one over on ol’ Pinkie Pie.”

Twilight sighed. It was worth a try, at least. “Where’s Applejack.”

“Next cell over, sugarcube,” her friend said her from somewhere to her left.

“Okay, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said. “Why don’t you start by telling me why you attacked our ship and kidnapped us.”

“Hmm, Captain Rarity didn’t say anything about what I could tell you, so okay. We attacked your ship so we could kidnap you. Actually, you probably meant why did we attack your ship to kidnap you, not why did we attack your ship and why did we kidnap you. Anyway, we kidnapped you because you’re the princess’s personal student, and we can ransom you off for gold and power. At least, I think you’re the princess’s personal student. You didn’t introduce yourself. You’re Twilight Sparkle, right?”

“No,” Twilight said with her best poker face. “I’m... that is definitely not my name. My name is, uh, Daze. Rainy Daze.”

Pinkie’s face fell to a thoughtful frown. “But, if you’re not Twilight... uh-oh. Hehe, um, I’ll be right back, Miss Daze.”

“Pinkie,” a new voice said, tight with frustration, “what are you doing?”

Pinkie Pie turned. “Oh, hi, Captain Rarity. I was just talking to Miss Sparkle here, and it turns out she’s not actually the princess’s student, or even named Twilight. She’s actually...” Pinkie trailed of, glancing down uncomfortably. “You don’t look very happy, Captain.”

“Pinkie, she’s lying.”

“But why would she—”

“Pinkie! Just trust me on this one. Go guard something else.”

“What do you want me to gu—”

“Anything!”

With a salute, the pink pony bounced away and a white unicorn took her place. Twilight stared, unsure of what to say. She hadn’t known what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t this.

The pirate captain was beautiful. She wore a dress of shimmering blue, short enough to keep from inconveniencing her. The sheath of a dagger was barely visible on her left hind-leg. Her deep purple mane and tail were well cared for, falling nearly to the floor. She dipped her head in a curtsy. “Welcome aboard the Falling Feather, Twilight Sparkle. I deeply apologize for the circumstances that led to this meeting.”

“You mean the assault, or the kidnapping?”

Rarity smiled sheepishly. “Both, of course. It is not our intention to harm you in any way. If all goes well, you’ll be on your way in a matter of days. And so long as you’re aboard my ship, you’ll be treated with respect.”

“You know who I am, don’t you? The student of Princess Celestia herself.” Twilight’s cheeks flushed slightly, as they did anytime she made this point, but this was no time for modesty. “What’s to stop me from tearing this ship to pieces?”

Rarity gestured to her own head. Twilight reached up with a hoof and gingerly felt her horn. A thick ring of metal held firmly about midway up her horn.

“A necessary, if distasteful precaution. I wish you no pain on this journey, so please don’t attempt to cast any spells. I’m sure you’re hungry. I’ll send somepony up with food.” With another curtsy, Captain Rarity left.

“Ah reckon we’re in a bad spot,” Applejack said from her cell.

Twilight nodded in agreement before realizing Applejack couldn’t see her. “It could be worse. We could have been taken prisoner by some bloodthirsty psychopath.”

“Ah don’t know. A bloodthirsty psychopath might not be all there upstairs. Might forget things, like that inhibitor ring. Ah think smart and in control are scarier.”

Twilight frowned. “Do you think she meant what she said? About not wanting to hurt us?”

“Yeah,” Applejack said. “But Ah also think she won’t hesitate if she has too. Don’t do anything to upset them for now. If we’re gonna escape, we have to do it on the first try. And escaping from our cells won’t do us any good if we’re a thousand feet up.”

Twilight settled back down on the cot to wait.

*****

“Princess Celestia!”

The princess looked up to watch a tall white stallion stride through her study’s doorway. He was a unicorn with a blue mane, fully dressed in armor. “Shining Armor,” she said as way of greeting.

“I just heard about the attack on the Golden Alicorn. Is it true?”

The princess nodded sadly. “It appears they were after your sister. She’s been kidnapped.”

Shining Armor ground a hoof to the floor. “She shouldn’t have been allowed to travel alone. What are we going to do?”

“Doubtless they’ll send a letter asking for a ransom,” Celestia said. After a moment of thought, she looked up. “Shining Armor, there is a place near the air docks called the Griffon’s Nest. Have you heard of it?”

“Of course. It’s where all of Canterlot’s lowlifes get together to crawl into a bottle.”

“I want you to go there. Tonight.”

“Me? Why, your majesty?”

“If we pay this ransom, it will make us appear weak to any others who may turn to piracy. I can’t allow that.”

“But, Princess—”

“However, I have no intention of leaving Twilight in the hooves of these pirates. Shining Armor, you’re going to the Griffon’s Nest to hire a ship, and you will deal with this personally.”

“I... yes, your majesty.”

Celestia smiled confidently. “As it turns out, I know just the mare for the job.”

*****

The blue pegasus leaned back, face blank. In her hooves were a pair of twos, a four, a seven, and a queen.

She brushed a lock of rainbow hair from her eyes before pushing a large pile of bits to the center of the table. “Your move, gentlecolts.”

> Fightin' in the Tavern, Brawlin' in the Inn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And there, not half a mile away, was the Flying Dutchmare.” The rainbow maned pegasus paused her story to gulp the last of her drink.

“You’re full of it, Dash,” a blue-maned pegasus said, tossing his cards face down on the table.

“Nopony who’s seen the Flying Dutchmare has lived to tell about it,” a large Minotaur said slowly, contemplating his own cards.

“It’s the truth. Just ask Fluttershy here.”

The pony in question answered with a feeble “eep” and ducked behind her pink mane. “It’s uh, it’s true. The ship was completely empty, but still so scary looking. I, uh, I fold.”

“Ugh, again? That’s seventeen rounds in a row,” Dash complained.

“Well,” the blue stallion said, stretching his wings, “as much fun as it is losing my bits and hearing your wild tales, I have duty. Spitfire will kill me if I miss it again.” With a nod to the others, he made his way to the exit, almost bumping into a white unicorn on the way out.

“So, anything interesting happen while we were away?”

The minotaur shook his head. “The griffon conflicts have started to die down, and guards have been coming back to Canterlot. Actually means less work for Iron Will.”

“Oh, have you been terribly busy?” Fluttershy asked.

“The crime rates have gone up, but the pay is good. When somepony tries to run, Iron Will won’t be outdone!”

Dash rolled her eyes. “But if the guards are coming back from the borders...” she trailed off with a groan. “Sounds like bounty hunting’s gonna get more competitive soon.”

Iron Will nodded in agreement as he dealt the next round. He hesitated for a moment before gesturing toward the bar. Dash turned to see a tall white unicorn talking to the barkeep.

“Hey, isn’t that whatsis name? The Royal Guard Captain?”

“Yeah. Looks like he’s looking for somepony.”

They weren’t the only patrons to notice the guard’s presence. The usually happy chatter of the Griffon’s Nest had died, leaving the angry buzz of harsh whispers.

“I’d hate to be whoever he’s looking for.” As though reading her mind, the unicorn turned his head and met Dash’s gaze. His eyes flicked up toward her mane for half a second. “Ah ponyfeathers.”

“Excuse me, are you Rainbow Dash? Captain of the Rainbow Wake?” the stallion asked, drawing closer.

“Nope, Captain Dash is upstairs.”

His gaze flicked to her mane again as he raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“Alright, alright. What’s the fastest way to get you out of my mane?”

“My name is Shining Armor. I came to ask for your help concerning a problem.”

Dash picked up her cards and suppressed a wince. “That’s a new one. Thought you royal guard types hated bounty hunters. Don’t like that justice serves the highest bidder. Unless you’re looking for free muscle, then you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

A heavy pouch dropped onto the table, spilling half a dozen gold bits. Dash blinked, trading glances with Iron Will. “Well, maybe we should move someplace more private and discuss this. I have a room at the Manestreet Inn.”

“Actually, this is a matter of some urgency,” Shining said. “I’d prefer not to go trotting all over Canterlot.”

“Okay, but we should still leave before—”

“‘Ey you!”

“Too late,” Dash mumbled.

Shining turned, curious. An old stallion stood behind him, wobbling uneasily on his hooves.

“Yeah, you! You guards aren’ welcome ‘ere.”

“That’s alright. We were just leaving,” Dash said, scooping her bits into her saddlebags with a wing and pulling Fluttershy to her side. “Weren’t we, Mister Armor?”

Shining Armor blinked, taking in the atmosphere. The tavern had fallen completely silent since his arrival and many of the ponies were glaring at him. He shifted automatically, balancing his weight to fend off an attacker. The tension in the room jumped.

It was the worst thing he could have done. Rather than backing down or leaving, he’d thrown down a challenge to the entire room, completely on reflex. Dash had to wonder how such an idiot made captain.

No sense waiting for some drunk lowlife to get the first shot in, she thought. The drunk pony marched up to get in Shining Armor’s face. Everpony waited, barely breathing, eyes on the impending confrontation. The slightest, subtlest move could have set them all off.

So Dash broke a chair over the drunk stallion’s back.

Shining Armor flinched as his would be assailant went down in a burst of splinters and noise. “C’mon,” Dash shouted, running past him toward the stairs. He turned, following half a hoofstep behind as the drunk patrons let out a shout and dissolved into chaos.

Somepony hit Shining Armor in the side, winding their thin fore-legs around his neck. He planted his hoofs and ducked, throwing them forward, and then charged to catch up with Dash and her friends.

“Upstairs,” she shouted, pushing a panicked Fluttershy ahead of her. She glanced back, thanking Celestia that most of the ponies were too drunk to care who they were fighting.

She had barely thought the words when her first victim picked himself up from under the mangled chair. “Up ‘ere, you louts!”

“Okay everypony, I have a plan,” she said as they climbed.

“Not to complain,” the minotaur called from the rear of the group, “but your plans rarely work out so well for Iron Will.”

Some of the brawlers had organized themselves into a small group to charge the stairs. Shining Armor watched them climb uneasily, wondering how the hay it had all started.

“I said I was sorry about that. Accidents happen, right?” Dash said, reaching the top of the stairs.

“You bucked Iron Will into a chasing manticore. That doesn’t seem like an accident,” Iron Will said, right behind her.

“Okay, but at least this time they don’t have stingers.”

“Maybe. Iron... wait, what?”

Dash planted her forehooves and bucked, catching the minotaur in the belly. She couldn’t do more than lift him, but as his hoof came down it missed the step and he flailed backwards before falling. The ponies on the steps below him screamed as they saw several hundred pounds of Iron Will bearing down on them.

Shining Armor stared in shock before turning to Dash.

“He’ll be fine. Tough skin. Now let’s get out of here before they pick themselves up again.”

> Grab Another Bottle, Drink Away the Sin
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Another drink!” Rainbow Dash cheered, waving for the barmare.

“Oh, uh, don’t you think that’s enough?” Fluttershy asked. “We have to leave really early, don’t we?”

“It’s fine. Grab a mug yourself.”

“I really shouldn’t. Mister Armor is already asleep, and we cast off in a few hours. Let’s go to our rooms.”

“Nonshense,” Dash said, slurring the word through a large gulp. “The daring Captain Dash has never run away in her life! Not from the angry manticores, the hungry group of neanderthal griffons, and certainly not from a bottle of rum.”

“I wasn’t really saying anything about running a—”

“Y’see, Fluttershy, there are two kinds of ponies in this world. There are quitters, and there are, uh, not quitters. A real sky captain never quits anything. Where would I be right now if I quit anytime things got tough, or a storm threatened to blow us out of the sky?”

“Well, we wouldn’t have had to replace the crow’s nest. Oh, but we needed a new one anyway.”

“So sit yer flank down and grab a mug.” Dash held her own drink aloft. “To new business, and all the bits this Sparkles is gonna pay us.”

“It’s Shining,” Fluttershy mumbled, raising a second mug half heartedly.

*****

Alcohol is a vile thing, Rarity thought, swirling her glass slowly.

Whether it was rum or wine, enough could turn the most charming prince into a complete scoundrel. Ponies would go through life in a haze, worried only about their next drink. Even ponies that only drank on special occasions could count on a headache the next morning.

Rarity took a small sip. It was weak and flat, obviously left with too much oxygen for too long. Unfortunately, it was all she could afford now.

With any luck, that would change soon. Once the princess paid their ransom, Rarity could use the money to begin building her family’s fortune again. So long as nopony knew who was responsible for Twilight Sparkle’s kidnapping, she would be back among the upper class.

Of course, Pinkie had told Twilight their names, and that could cause problems down the line. Rarity shook her head and took another sip. Their names weren’t one of a kind. As long as she never came face to face with the student again, nopony would know.

But if somepony did find out, or if they were caught before getting the ransom money, her family name would be tarnished irreparably, and they would likely hang for piracy.

Rarity drained the glass and poured herself another.

*****

Iron Will sat bent over a table much too small for him. The only tables in the Griffon’s Nest that could accommodate his size had been smashed during the brawl. He stared at his mug, uncharacteristically silent.

“Ma-a-a-aaaah,” one of his goat crew members said knowingly.

He nodded in agreement. “It was a lot of money. And I feel like that was just for show.”

“Maaaa-a-ah.”

“There isn’t any other work at the moment.”

“Maaaa-a-aaaa ah.”

“You’re right. It serves her right for bucking me. That’s twice now. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to follow them then.” Iron Will stood up, pointing at the goat decisively. “Prepare the Juggernaut! Iron Will sails at dawn!”

“Ma-ah!”

*****

Three of the bar's walls were full of windows and candle holders, leaving only the back corners dark. "I don't think we should be here," the cowpony said, leaning on the fourth wall.  

“Why not?" the monochrome pegasus asked, eyeing him from beneath the brim of her hat.

"Well, nopony knows us yet." He glanced around the bar. “I hear the crowd gets pretty tough in these parts.”

“You worry too much, Braeburn. Lighten up a little.”

Braeburn sighed, flagging down a passing barmare for two drinks. “Why are we even here, Miss Do? You told me this expedition was of the utmost importance. Time is of the essence, as soon as possible, any of that ringin’ a bell?

“First, what did I tell you about calling me miss?”

“Sorry, Daring.”

“Better,” Daring Do said, leaning back in her chair. “And it is. Our expedition starts here.”

“In a bar?” Braeburn asked, eyebrow raised.

“Where else would information gather and rum flow freely?”

“And is the rum really that important?”

“To open any chest, you need to find the right key,” Daring said, miming a locking motion over her lips. “We’ll hear the local gossip tonight, and set out tomorrow.”

“And what if it’s all really just a fairytale?”

Daring Do shrugged. “Shouldn’t matter to you. You get paid either way.” She looked out the window across the room, eyes shining. “But I’ve got a good feeling about this one. We’ll find her.” She raised her mug to his. “Braeburn. You and I are gonna save Equestria.”

> They Chased the Pirates as Days Slipped By
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The launch of the Rainbow Wake went without a hitch, much to Shining Armor’s surprise. Dash had half-crawled aboard just before sunrise, dunked her head in a water barrel a dozen times, and proceeded to shout almost coherent orders until everything was ready.

Shining suspected things wouldn’t have gone nearly as well without the soft spoken Fluttershy following, giving more specific and less abrasive instructions. Then again, the crew seemed to know what they were doing without any direction.

“The Golden Alicorn was two days out, and the pirates have had another three days since then. Will we be able to close?” he asked as the crew completed their last minute preparations.

Captain Dash turned to him with an arrogant smile. “There isn’t a thing in the sky that can match the Rainbow Wake in speed, except for me of course.”

Shining rolled his eyes. Even pegasi couldn’t match the fastest of the air navy fleet. No sense in starting an argument this early into their flight, though. “Of course.”

“We’ll find your unicorn lass,” Rainbow said. “I like races. I’m not gonna start losing them now.”

Seeing a skyship take off was generally considered one of the most breathtaking sights in Equestria. When the first of the great ships took wing more than a decade ago, the air-ports were loaded with sightseers. Vendors sold food and drinks, children played in the streets, and everpony worked together to turn the events into improvised block parties.

From the ground, the sight of the hull looming above was overwhelming. The crisp white sails would billow with wind, and as the magic hummed louder, the strain could be felt for half a mile. The onlooker’s mind would want to reject the sight at first. Something that large just didn’t belong in the air.

From aboard, one could see the earth slide gently away, growing larger, grander over miles and miles, slowly beginning to curve away in the distance. For earth ponies and unicorns, the first take off could be scary, even disorienting.

After an hour, the Rainbow Wake evened out just above a cloudbank. White fluff stretched out for miles in every direction.

“We’re in luck,” Dash said, appearing behind Shining. “We’re riding a tailwind. It’ll push these clouds with us for a while, and let us replenish some water for the first few days. Should help us close some distance if we don’t have to dive for it.”

Shining nodded quietly, deep in thought, front hooves resting on the bulwark. “I can keep us on the right course with a location spell, but what happens when we find them? How do we get aboard without giving them a chance to hurt Twilight?”

Dash circled around him, leaning backwards against the low railing. “I thought you were the military expert? Didn’t they teach you stuff like that?”

“I know strategy for ground, air, and sea, along with hoof-to-hoof combat and offensive magic,” Shining said, “but every bit of training I have says this isn’t possible. No matter how we approach, they’ll see us coming from miles off.”

Dash rolled her eyes, raised a hoof, and smacked him on the back of the head. He jerked forward and turned to glare at her, but didn’t make a sound.

“First rule of my ship, stop thinking like a royal guard. You’ll get us all killed.”
Shining arched an eyebrow, but remained quiet.

“As much as you hate them, at least try to think like a pirate every once in awhile. Otherwise they’ll chew you up.”

“You mean ignore the rules of proper engagement, and take any path that gives you an advantage?” he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Exactly,” Dash said, drawing out the word. “You’re right, closing in on the enemy for a fair fight would be a death sentence for the mare. You gotta catch them when they’re not ready for a fight.”

“I don’t think a time like that exists. These are pirates, bloodthirsty outlaws. They’re always ready to fight.”

Dash shrugged. “Even outlaws need to eat.”

Shining turned that thought over. “You want to catch them in port?”

“Yep,” Dash said.

“Where they can use the threat of civilian casualties and collateral damage to get away,” he replied dryly. “Unless you’re okay with bystanders getting hurt, in which case we have no reason to do business together.”

Rainbow raised a hoof in a placating gesture. “Don’t get your shield in a bunch, Shimmers. We’re not going to give them a chance to start a fight. We’re going to do something underhoofed without letting them know that we’re enemies.”

“Oh?”

Dash grinned and pushed away from the bulwark. “We’re going to moor.”

*****

The little colt glanced over his shoulder before tossing half a loaf of bread into the corner of the store room. It vanished behind a pile of barrels, and something shifted in the shadows.

“Thanks, Pipsqueak,” a young voice said from the shadows.

“No problem,” the colt said in a slight accent. “I’ve got to go now. Captain Dash wanted me to mop the deck.”

“You mean swab?”

“Yeah, that too.”

As Pipsqueak turned back to the door, the baby dragon sat down with his dinner. He mumbled to himself, imagining the horizon on the other side of the hull, “Don’t worry Twilight. We’re coming.”

*****

“Tic-tac-toe, three in a row!”

“Gosh darnit! That’s thirty nine games in a row!”

Twilight rolled her eyes at the sound coming from outside her cell and turned back to her book. The past two weeks aboard the Falling Feather had been just as Captain Rarity had promised. They were fed well, treated respectfully, and Pinkie Pie had brought her any book from Rarity’s personal collection she wanted. If it weren’t for the fact that they were prisoners, Twilight would have been enjoying herself.

“Best out of seventy nine?” Pinkie asked.

“Nah, that’s enough punishment for one day, Ah think.”

“Okie-dokie! Anything else you need before I go?”

“Ya’ll could let us out,” Applejack said. It had become a daily joke between them, though Twilight suspected it was only a matter of time before the pink pirate agreed. Pinkie wasn’t stupid, just easily distracted.

“Sorry, you know I can’t,” Pinkie Pie answered. “Especially tonight. Captain Rarity took my keys.”

“Why’d she do that?” Twilight asked, setting her book aside.

“She doesn’t want you two sneakypants getting out when we dock,” Pinkie answered. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Twilight blinked as her hoofsteps faded away. “Applejack, did she just say—”

“Eeyup.”

“Tonight?”

“Sure looks that way.” An orange hoof appeared at the edge of her cell, just outside the bars. She reached out, touching it with her own. “Get some sleep, sugarcube. We’re gonna need it.”

The Falling Feather pulled into port just before dinner. Under Rarity’s orders, the crew had bought supplies in record time, and they were ready to leave before sunset.

Twilight and Applejack used those few hours just as productively.

“Hurry sugarcube. Ah think somepony may have heard that last one,” Applejack said in a strained whisper.

“I’ve almost got it,” Twilight said, tongue touching the corner of her mouth as she made a quick mental calculation and adjusted her bed frame. There wasn’t much to work with, but she hadn’t been hoof picked by the princess for her magic. It was her mind that set her apart, and with two weeks, she was sure she’d found a weakness in the cell’s design. Using the rolled mattress of her small cot as a fulcrum and the metal frame as a lever, she’d worked the door’s hinges for the better part of three hours. All she needed was the perfect angle, the proper amount of force, and...

“I got it!” she cried as the hinges pulled out of place.

“Shhh!” Applejack chided.

Twilight pushed her way through the door. “Now I just need to find the keys to your cell and we can get out of here.”

“There ain't time for that,” Applejack said. “You need to git before they take off.”

Twilight hesitated for a half second before shaking her head. “No way! I’m not leaving you.”

“Twilight, there’s no time for arguing. Get out of here.”

“No!”

Applejack’s next words were drowned out by a deafening crash. “What in tarnation?”

*****

Rarity was the first to recover from the impact, shaking her head as the ringing in her ears faded. “What was that?”

The pirates looked at the source of the noise. In the darkening evening, it looked like a solid black line stretching up into the sky. One of the crew members edged closer, looking down at the new hole in the deck. “Uh, Captain? I think somepony just dropped anchor.” He turned his head skyward. “With extreme prejudice.”

> The Cunning Dash and Her First Mate 'Shy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And once again, you show your unrivaled tact and subtlety,” Shining Armor said, looking over the bulwark toward the barely visible port far below. “Does this plan have a part two, or did you just want an excuse to hit something with a giant anchor?”

“Watch and learn, Shimmer,” Dash said before turning, bringing a hoof to her mouth and whistling. “Fluttershy!”

“It’s Shining,” Shining Armor mumbled for the fifth or sixth time that day as the yellow pegasus fluttered over.

“Uh, did you need something, Captain?” she asked, head ducked partially behind her mane.

“You’re up.”

“Oh, don’t you think there’s somepony better suited for this? Maybe Pipsqueak? Or Mister Armor? Or anypony?” Her voice cracked on the last word and she ducked beneath her forehooves.

Dash gave her a flat look. “Neither of them can fly. Besides, do you really think the cabin colt would be a better choice for this job than my trusted first mate?”

“Um, yes?”

“Then maybe I should make Pipsqueak my first mate and have you swab the decks?”

“That sounds perfect. Thanksforunderstandinggottagobye!” Fluttershy said in a rush before turning tail to flee.

“Oh no you don’t!” Rainbow said, pouncing. After a brief scuffle, she managed to secure the first mate. She lifted Fluttershy in her hooves and dropped her unceremoniously overboard.

Shining Armor watched the entire scene with a raised eyebrow. “You’re all nuts.”

“Hehe, just trust me. Let’s go, we have our own job to do.”

*****

The pirates stood dumbly for a few seconds before Rarity could compose herself. “Miss Swan, check the severity of the damage. Mister Turner, see if anypony below is injured. The rest of you, get ready to get this ship underway!”

The crew went to work, White Swan and two others examining the structural damage done by the anchor as Page Turner went belowdecks. The rest started loading the supplies.

“Pinkie,” Rarity called. A few seconds later, the pink pony bounced up beside her.

“Here!”

“Send somepony to get a look at the ship that hit us, and then go check on Miss Sparkle, would you? Make sure she isn’t escaping in all this noise.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” Pinkie said before bouncing happily away.

Rarity turned to continue overseeing their preparations to get underway, but came face to face with a pale yellow pegasus. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry!” the pegasus said softly, touching down in front of her and folding her wings. “We were taking off, and something must have slipped, and our anchor just fell. Oh, I hope nopony was hurt.”

Rarity flinched, keeping most of the surprise from her face. “Uh, I take it this anchor belongs to you?”

“Yes. Well, not me, to Captain Dash. We’re so sorry. We didn’t mean to hurt anypony or damage your ship. Please don’t hate us.”

Rarity took a second to study the pegasus. Slightly thinner and taller than usual, graceful in stillness, with bright blue eyes and soft pink hair, the part of her that had grown up playing with dolls and dresses noted. Her more practical side took note of the knife low on her belt, either new or very seldom used. It was obvious at a glance that she was no threat. The poor dear was practically shaking.

“Nopony seems to have been injured, so no harm done. I’m Rarity, captain of this ship.”

“I’m Fluttershy.”

Rarity nodded in greeting, thinking the name fit her. “If you could tell your captain to weigh anchor, my ponies will clear the hole and we’ll have the whole thing fixed in a moment.”

“We can’t,” Fluttershy said, a bit more loudly than she’d intended. Hiding behind her mane again, she said, “I mean, the windlass is broken. They’re still trying to figure out how to bring it up.”

“Is that so?” Rarity asked pursing her lips.

Fluttershy gave her an apologetic smile.

*****

Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor walked aboard the Falling Feather, heads bent, manes muted in a coat of dust and covered by their hats, unnoticed in the rush of activity. The apparent leader, a white unicorn, was in conversation with Fluttershy.

“This is, without a doubt, the worst plan I’ve ever heard of,” Shining said under his breath.

“They’ll be expecting guns and cannons when the royal navy catches them. Nopony would expect the enemy to just walk in.”

“So, instead of outsmarting the enemy, we’re outstupiding them?”

They strolled down the stairs to the second deck as though they owned the place, and not a single pony questioned them. “The Falling Feather was stolen a few weeks ago,” Rainbow explained. “Even run by a skeleton crew, they’re not going to notice two outsiders in this much activity. Now let’s find the cells and get the hay out of here.”

*****

“Whatever’s going on up there, it sounds like it’s taken care of. Ya’ll need to go before somepony comes to check on us,” Applejack said. “There’s no point if you just get caught again.”

Twilight looked at her friend, tears forming. “As soon as I get this ring off my horn, I’ll find a ship and come for you. I’ll tear this ship out of the sky board by board.”

“Ah know you will. Now go. Ya don’t have much time.”

With one last determined smile, Twilight turned and ran.

Applejack leaned back with a sigh of relief. No telling what that Captain Rarity would do when she found Twilight gone, but that wasn’t important. As long as Twilight managed to get to safety, Applejack could take whatever the prissy little pirate did.

Not a minute later, the familiar sound of Pinkie’s bouncing echoed down the hall, drawing closer. The door opened, and she bounced in. “Hi, Applejack!”

“Howdy, Pinkie.”

The pink pony bounced along past her cell to Twilight’s. “Hi, Twili—” Pinkie cut off with a loud gasp, staggering back mid bounce. Applejack’s ears flopped back as she frowned.

“How did you—”

“Applejack! Twilight’s gone!”

“Ya don’t say?”

“I do say! Oh this is bad, Captain Rarity’s gonna kill me. Where’d she go?”

“Uh, she melted,” Applejack lied, saying the first thing to come to mind. She mentally bucked herself a second later.

Pinkie turned to her, eyes wide with fear. “Melted? Ponies can melt?”

Ya’ve gotta be kidding, Applejack thought. “Oh yeah,” she said, nodding wisely. “All the time. They just drop into a puddle and bubble down through the floor.”

“Oh gosh, I didn’t know. But, what happened to the cell door?”

“Oh, right, that. Uh, after she melted, she exploded.”

“Exploded?” Pinkie asked, dropping to her haunches and reeling back in horror.

“Yeah exploded. Twice even.”

“Oh, what do I do?”

“Ah dunno. Maybe Captain Rarity will know what’s going on.”

“Of course! Rarity always knows what to do.” Pinkie jumped up and dashed through the door, ducking her head back in a moment later. “Thanks, Applejack.”

“No problem,” Applejack said, watching the pink blur disappear around the corner. “Heh, and they say Ah can’t lie.”

*****

“Rarity!”

Rarity winced as a high pitched wail cut through the noise of the busy deck.

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said, watching a hyperactive pink pony close the gap faster than even Dash might have managed.

“Rarity, it’s awful! Twilight melted and exploded twice!”

Everypony stood in silence for a long moment trying to make sense of the pink pony’s exclamation. Luckily, Rarity was saved a brush with madness as another pegasus touched down next to her.

“Captain, I looked at the other ship like you ordered. It’s a small clipper called the Rainbow Wake.”

“The Rainbow Wake? Isn’t that...” Rarity trailed off, looking around at Fluttershy. The poor pegasus was still trembling, a forced smile plastered on her face. “I see. Seize her.”

> Shiver My Timbers, Shiver My Sword
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iron Will stood on the deck of the Juggernaut. The massive ship was ready to sail from Canterlot as soon as he gave the word. All they needed was a destination.

The moon had risen high above the mountain city before anything happened. Two dark shapes streaked through the sky, circling his ship a half dozen times in as many seconds before diving right at him. Iron Will didn’t flinch as the dark shapes flared their winds and pulled up, tugging at his horns as the passed.

The two griffons set down behind him.

He turned to study them. The closer was a sleek male with heavy, mechanical wings protruding from a scarred back. The further was an angry female. “Iron Will,” she said in greeting.

“Gilda.” Iron Will tossed her a small bag of bits. She swiped it out of the air with a quick motion and weighed it in her talons before tucking it into a bag beneath her wing. 

“There’s nothing from the Rainbow Wake yet, but one of my gals delivered an unmarked letter to the Princess. She didn’t get much time with it, but it seems to be from your pirate friends. They want to meet a small ship just north of Las Pegasus.”

Iron Will nodded, smiling. “That’s exactly what Iron Will needed.” He turned his head and shouted, “Prepare to launch!”

“What exactly is this about?” Gilda asked.

“Pirates kidnapped somepony with lots of clout. The Princess’s personal student or something. There’s a big reward for saving her.”

“Oh really? Just how big a reward are we talking?” Gilda asked, head perking up.

Iron Will snorted. “Don’t think about it. You don’t even have your own ship.”

“Eh, I guess you’re right, but it’s still interesting. I wasn’t gonna mention this, but maybe we can work out a deal.”

“No way, Iron Will doesn’t... wait, mention what?”

Gilda turned to her partner. “Go pack my stuff, and grab the letter from Appleoosa.”

*****

Twilight held her breath as the pink pony raced past her hiding spot. She’d probably found the empty cell and was on her way to tell the captain. Twilight only had another three minutes or so before the entire crew was looking for her. She took a breath, ready to come out of her hiding spot when another set of hoofsteps came from down the hall.

“What do you think that was about?” a mare asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s probably not good.”

Twilight’s heart jumped at the sound of a stallion’s voice, and she came out from behind the barrel without thinking. “Shining Armor?”

The two ponies stopped, blinking in unison. “Twily?”

Without hesitation Twilight flung herself at the white unicorn, wrapping her hooves around him in a tight hug. “You came for me!”

“Of course,” Shining said, hugging her back.

“Uh,” the rainbow-maned mare said, “not to break up the touching reunion, but we still need to get away.”

“Right,” Shining said, pulling away. “Come on.”

“Wait, we need to go back,” Twilight said, nodding back toward the cells.

“Not happening,” the mare said, pushing Twilight forward. “They’re bringing the longboat around any second now to pick us up, and more than one pass would look suspicious.”

“But it’ll only take a few seconds,” Twilight said, turning to run.

“We don’t have a few seconds,” she said, snorting in frustration. “Shining, grab her.”

“Huh?”

“Do it! I’m not getting caught just so she can grab her teddy bear. You can apologize after we’ve saved her life.”

Shining Armor frowned, but his horn glowed with reddish energy and Twilight’s feet swept out from under her. She let out a surprised gasp as she was hoisted into the air and pulled back toward her brother. “Sorry, Twilight, we don’t have time to argue.”

Twilight’s heart jumped as she realized he was serious. She struggled against the light enveloping her, a desperate plea caught in her throat. If they would just listen, they could save Applejack too. She drew in a breath, reaching for her magic and imagining the structure of a spell that would release her.

A shock of pain raced through her brain as her horn burned white hot. Her eyes crossed as the feedback from the inhibitor ring shattered her thoughts, and everything went dark.

*****

Dash winced as Twilight jerked once and went limp. Pale smoke trailed from the ring around her horn. “I guess she forgot she was wearing the inhibitor.”

Shining Armor sputtered incoherently. “She’ll be fine,” Dash promised, “but only if we get her away from here. Now let’s move before—”

“Hey! Hold it right there!”

Rainbow Dash smacked her hoof to her forehead without turning. “Get to a porthole on the starboard side and keep a light going. The boat will pick you up and take you to the Wake.”

“What about you?”

Dash fluttered her wings. “I’ll catch up.”

Shining Armor nodded, glancing once at the pair of pirates closing in before turning to run, Twilight floating beside him.

“Hey, stop!” one of the pirates, a unicorn stallion, shouted. He tried to chase, but Rainbow put herself between them and the fleeing Shining, wings spread aggressively. The other, an earth pony mare, tried to duck around, but met with a hoof to the face.

“You want to reach them, you’ll have to deal with me first,” Dash said. The pirates backed away, squaring their shoulders to her. “Oh, there is one other thing.” She reached back slowly, a confident smile on her face. She found the thick band of metal belted to her side, sized perfectly to fit around her hoof. She drew the sword and lunged forward with a shout.

The pony pirates flinched as the steel arced over their heads, making a complete circle before coming to rest at Dash’s side. Glancing quickly at each other, they turned and fled down the passageway.

“Oh, that was neat!” a bubbly voice said behind her. 

“Gah!” She flinched, swinging the sword wildly as she turned. Nopony was behind her, and for a moment she thought she was alone.

“I know unicorns who use swords,” the voice said from her left this time, “but hardly any pegasuseses or earth ponies.” Dash turned to see a bright pink earth pony smiling at her. “I did meet one who tried learning once, but had trouble spinning it on his hoof and chopped off his own tail. He looked so silly, because his mane was really long.” She held out a hoof in greeting. “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie.”

“Uh, hi, Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash. Well, it was nice meeting you, but I have to go now.”

Pinkie Pie didn’t seem to be listening. Her hoof was tapping the floor as she thought deeply. “I know I’ve heard that name before. Rainbow Dash. Raaaainbow. Oh!” She looked up sharply. “Rarity mentioned you a few seconds ago. You’re the captain of the Rainbow Wake, right?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Great! That means I get to throw you a party.”

“A party?” Rainbow asked, head tilted in confusion.

“Yep. The captain said I could throw one for any prisoners we capture.” Pinkie punctuated the sentence with a flourish of her sword.

“Wait, when did you get that?”

“Oh, this is gonna be so fun!”

> With Her Best Friend Gone, Her Anger Soared
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ring of steel echoed down the hall as the swords met again. Rainbow dashed to the side, whipping the cutlass through the air at Pinkie’s exposed flank. It whistled by uselessly as the pink pony skipped back effortlessly and returned a volley of blows that drove Dash back toward a wall. 

Dash ducked behind her own sword, muscles tensed, waiting for an opening. Finally, after a particularly wild swing, Pinkie drew back too far, and Dash pounced.

She came down on an empty wooden floor. Pinkie giggled behind her. It seemed that no matter what Rainbow tried, Pinkie was always a step ahead and two to the left. She’d bounced off walls to counter attack, used her surroundings to block and interfere with Dash, and had even hit her with a pie pulled from Celestia knows where.

Dash’s muscles ached and her hoof was sore from swinging the sword, but Pinkie didn’t seem so much as winded.

“Can’t you just put the sword down and come quietly?” Pinkie asked, pouting. “It’ll be fun, I promise. I throw the best parties.”

“No way. I don’t surrender.”

“Awww,” Pinkie whined, bringer her sword up.

Rainbow Dash frowned, glancing behind her. “Uh, of course, the great Captain Dash never runs from a fight, but she never leaves her crew behind either. So, as much as I hate to, I have to go now.” With a quick nod, Dash turned and ran.

“Hey, wait!” Pinkie shouted, galloping after her. “I have to capture you! That’s not even the way out.”

Dash was known for her speed in the air, but she wasn’t too bad on the ground either. Even so, the pink pony was able to keep right on her tail as she ducked and dodged between corridors. Finally, just as her already aching legs began to scream, she saw the outer hull, and a porthole. Night had fallen, and the black circle barely stood out against the dark brown wood. 

Dash reached beneath her wing, drawing the sword as she hopped awkwardly on three legs, and flung it at the porthole. The glass shattered, falling with the sword in a glittering rain. A second later, Dash dove headfirst through the hole, wings flaring out.

“Hey, no fair!” Pinkie said, sticking her head through the window to pout at Dash. “Now I’ll only get to throw one party!”

“Hehe, sorry. Like I said, my crew needs me, but next time we meet, we’ll definitely finish this. The brave and loyal captain Dash doesn’t run from anything.” With a nod, she turned and shot up into the darkening night.

*****

The Falling Feather glided slowly, as though the ship itself had fallen to a sluggish depression. The crew worked soberly, checking lines and making repairs. Even Pinkie Pie was abnormally quiet as she took stock of her limited party supplies.

In a single move, Rarity had lost her last chance at restoring her family’s name. It was only a matter of time before the crew removed her as captain or cut their losses and disbanded. Her best option was to set down in the next town, release Applejack, and leave the ship with Pinkie.

Rarity tipped the cheap wine bottle and a few drops fell to the bottom of her glass. With a glower, she set the empty bottle down and rested her head on the wooden table.

*****

“We have to go back!”

“Not happening,” Rainbow said.

“We can’t,” Shining said at the same moment.

“But we just left Applejack there.”

“Find your own ship and rescue her,” Dash said. “I did my job, and I am not going to put my ponies in any more danger. Unless of course,” she said, glancing at Shining Armor, “there’s something extra in it for us?”

Twilight turned to Shining, hopeful. He fidgeted under the stares. “Twily, I promise we’ll come back for her, but not until you’re safe. If we tried to go now, while they’re still wary, they might threaten to hurt her.”

Twilight’s ears flopped as she turned away, grinding a hoof angrily against the deck.

“Alright, that’s settled,” Dash said. “Let’s get this thing moving. Fluttershy!”

Nopony responded. They waited another few moments before Rainbow frowned and glanced quickly over the deck. “Fluttershy?”

*****

“Captain Rarity!” Pinkie shouted as she bounced into Rarity’s quarters.

Rarity barely lifted her head to look at the first mate.

“The Rainbow Wake set sail!”

“Oh?” she asked in a bored voice.

“Yeah! Those liars! I bet their anchor wasn’t even broken.”

Rarity closed her eyes, taking a breath to keep from snapping at Pinkie. “If that’s all, then you’re excused.”

“Okie dokie,” Pinkie said with a salute. “Oh wait, there was more. They’re not flying to Canterlot. They’re flying right at us.”

Rarity’s eyes snapped open. “What?”

“Yeah. And they’re faster than us. Like, wooooosh, zoom!”

“I can understand a rescue attempt for Sparkle, but it didn’t seem Applejack was very...” Rarity trailed off. The Rainbow Wake was a well known crew of bounty hunters, and they’d obviously been hired to rescue Twilight. If they were pursuing the Feather to rescue one of their own, a disagreement between Captain Dash and her contractor was likely. If they weren’t taking Twilight to safety immediately... 

“Full ahead! Keep them from making contact for as long as possible. Have the navigator plot a course for Las Pegasus. If we play this right, we may still have a chance.” 

*****

“Dash, this isn’t the way to go about it.”

“Shut up, Shimmers. As long as you’re on my ship, you’re going to do what I say.” Dash stood at the helm, eyes focused on the Falling Feather. In the darkness, it would be easy to lose them, and she couldn’t be sure Shining Armor would help with a tracking spell. “Ah ponyfeathers, they’ve seen us. They’re making a run for it. Fluttersh... you, Twilight!”

“Huh? Uh, yes, Captain?” Twilight stammered, backing slightly away from the angry pegasus.

“Go down to the core dock. Tell the brothers to give the ship all we’ve got, then find something to hold onto.”

“Yes ma’am,” Twilight said, pushing past her brother.

Below-decks was a maze of claustrophobic halls and identical doors, but she finally followed the steady magical hum to the ship's core.

The core itself was a confusing mass of pipes and chambers, taking up a room the entire width of the ship. The pipes disappeared into every wall as well as the ceiling and floor. At the center of the room was a massive metal engine, rattling and steaming, with a pale purple glow coming from some of the crevices.

Two tall beige ponies manned the core, looming over a panel full of gauges and levers. Twilight cleared her throat and one of them looked over. He had a full mustache to match his red and white mane. The other had the same colored mane, but no mustache, and they both had matching hats.

“Well, look what we have here,” the mustachioed pony said.

“The famous Twilight Sparkle, if the description is anything to go by.”

“Yes,” Twilight said with a nod.

“He’s Flim,” the pony with the mustache said.

“And he’s Flam,” the other said.

“And we run this glorious bit of magical machinery,” they said together.

“Now, how can we help you, sister?” Flim asked.

“Rainbow wants you to, how did she put it, give it everything the ship’s got.”

“Giving chase, are we?” Flim asked, turning back to the gauges.

“Or are we getting away now that our mission is complete?” Flam asked, putting a hoof on one of the levers.

“Chasing. It sounds like somepony named Fluttershy was captured by the pirates.”

The Flim Flam brothers sputtered and whipped their heads around. “Fluttershy?”

“The first mate?”

“Well what are we waiting for?” they asked together.

“Ready, Flim?” Flam asked.

“Ready, Flam,” Flim said.

Together they flipped a series of levers, and the machinery all around began to groan.

“Captain Dash seemed pretty upset,” Twilight said, winding a leg around a solid looking pipe.

“I’d imagine so. They go way back,” Flim said. “Longer than anypony else has aboard has known them.”

“I think the only one’s who’ve been together longer have been my brother and I,” Flam agreed. He looked around at Twilight. “You’ll want to hold on with both hooves,” he said, pushing one last lever.

*****

Dear Princess Celestia,

My name is Daring Do; I’m an archaeologist working out of the Baltimare University. You might remember me from the Summer Sun Celebration two years ago, when you had to drag your student away before she’d stop asking about my work.

Lately I’ve come across a few pieces possibly related to one of our oldest pony tales: the story of the Flying Dutchmare. There have been a few odds and ends, most of them fake. A piece of supposedly haunted rope, a tricorn worn by the undead pirates aboard. It all seemed quite silly, except for this last piece. It’s an old map, easily outdating skyships, but detailing some of the paths we take. Following this map, I found an ancient cairn in an abandoned mining town just south of Appleoosa, where I’m staying now. 

Under the rough stones was a single coin. It looks like a piece of eight, but with markings I’ve never seen. On the reverse is a star surrounded by five smaller stars. I remember this being your student’s cutie mark, and I can’t help but think they’re related.

If you would permit it, I’d like to come to Canterlot and show you everything I’ve found personally. I await your response in Appleoosa.

Daring Do.

Iron will rolled the scroll and gave it back to Gilda. “That’s it? That’s why you wanted to join Iron Will?”

Gilda tucked the letter into the bag beneath her wing. “Think about it. Word gets around fast. Everypony and their uncle probably knows about this mare’s abduction by now.”

“So?”

“So, if this Daring Do hears about it, and really thinks this student is related to her work, she’ll be hanging around nearby. Maybe not in the middle of things, but she’s not going to pass up any chance to help it’ll put her on the princess’s good side.”

“Iron Will still doesn’t see your point,” he said flatly.

“The Flying Dutchmare is the most famous ship to ever sail the sky. According to legend, it’s pillaged ships from the southern griffon kingdoms, across Equestria, and as far East as Saddle Arabia. If it’s real, who knows how much treasure it has stocked up in these ancient karrins or whatever they’re called?”

“So you want to come because this mare might be around, and you might be able to steal a map that might lead you to treasure?”

Gilda shrugged. “Worst case scenario, we get the bounty for saving the student. It’s worth a shot. How much longer till we reach Las Pegasus?”

*****

The Great and Powerful Trixie stepped back to admire her work.

She had been sent ahead with a small group two weeks ago to prepare, while the rest of the crew took a more roundabout way. Rarity wanted to keep moving, giving the letters time to reach the princess without sitting in one spot.

“With these great and powerful spells, our victory is assured!”

“Eeyup,” came a slow drawl behind her.

“These illusions of fog and fire will confuse any ships the princess sends to shoot us down.”

“Eeyup.”

“These gusts of winds will throw off their aim if they try to double cross us, and this, my greatest and most powerful spell, will let us slip into the night and disappear without a trace.”

“Eeyup.”

Trixie turned toward the red stallion. “Don’t you have anything more to say about the Great and Powerful Trixie?”

“Nnope.”
> When the shadows Roll in, Dark as Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that brings the first part of our story to a close, from here on out the danger grows. Our heroes and villains all move ahead, each a single thread weaving a pattern for our tale, a single stitch in this vast sail.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, best friends since days gone by. The simple kindness of her shy friend has won her loyalty to the very end. Will Twilight Sparkle keep her word, or by approaching dangers be deterred? Rarity’s plans are falling apart, but as long as there’s hope, she will have heart.

Iron Will and Daring Do, Gilda and Braeburn too, all have a part to play. The chase went on, day and night, night and day. Captain Rarity agreed to parley, to negotiate a trade. As messages passed between them, she never strayed. Their destination was in sight and the game was won, or so she thought, in truth, it was far from done.

Far away, the darkness stirred. Something strange and sinister occurred. It began as a whisper and grew to a roar, and upon the wind, its anger soared. The shadows clawed at lock and chain. They twisted and writhed and roared again. With a final heave, the shadows tore, and smaller pieces began to soar. A laugh echoed through the empty night, the shadow’s freedom was in sight.

Now listen to Zecora and listen well, for the next part of our story she will tell. The adventure has just begun, as they approach a mad god and an ancient one. Upon a lone mountain, just North of a city, our group will form. To learn of the danger, can our heroes reach the eye of the storm?

*****

Pipsqueak checked over his shoulder before pushing past the storeroom door. “Morning, Spike!”

A purple and green head peeked out from behind the stacked crates. “Hey, pipsqueak.”

“I brought breakfast,” the colt said, pulling a hunk of bread from his bag. “It’s uh, just bread again. I couldn’t get anything else.”

“Thanks.” Spike took the bread from him and bit off half of it. “Better than going hungry,” he said through a full mouth, “or going out to find food myself and getting caught.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“So, any news about the pirates? When will we catch up to them?”

Pipsqueak blinked, face falling. “Oh, right. The pirates. Uh, Spike, please don’t be mad at me. I kind of forgot to mention something.”

*****

“This is taking too long,” Dash said, teeth clenched as she watched the Falling Feather ahead of them.

“It’s weird,” Shining said. “They have to know we’d never give up Twilight. Their best bet is to take what we offer and run.”

“You’d never give up Twilight,” Rainbow corrected under her breath. Shining’s ears dropped flat, but he otherwise ignored her. She went on, louder, “We need to make a move soon. If they’re stalling our negotiations, it probably means they have something planned. Maybe reinforcements in Baltimare.”

Hoofsteps approached from behind and Twilight joined them at the bow of the ship. “It’s no use,” she said. “Flim and Flam tried everything they could think of, but we don’t have the tools aboard to remove it without the key.”

Shining nodded. “Well, there’s no way we’ll be able to bargain with the pirates for it along with the first mate. I guess we’ll just have to wait until we get back to Canterlot.”

“Have there been any more messages?”

Dash shook her head. “We’ll give it one more day. If we haven’t come to an agreement by midnight, we’ll take the risk and sneak aboard.”

“Why tonight?” Twilight asked.

“They’re stalling,” Shining said. “We thought they were running to Las Pegasus, but their course is off. They’ll pass it about ten miles North, in just a few minutes. We figure they’ve got reinforcements in Baltimare, and they’ll try to take us by force.”

Twilight nodded in understanding. She started to ask if any more progress had been made on freeing Applejack, but was interrupted by a familiar shout. “Twiiiiilight!” She whipped her head around just in time to see a purple blur launch itself at her, catching her around the neck in a hug.

“Spike? What are you doing here?”

The baby dragon dropped back to the ground, glancing away as his eyes watered. “When I heard you’d been kidnapped, I wanted to help rescue you, but the princess refused to let me go. So I, uh, I kinda snuck aboard.”

Rainbow butted into the conversation, bumping Twilight out of the way with a flank to get into Spike’s face. “So you’re a stowaway?”

“No!” Spike said defensively. “Well, maybe a little.”

“Do you know what we do with stowaways around here?” she asked, leaning forward and glaring menacingly. Spike gulped and shook his head. After holding the glare for another second, Dash leaned back and shrugged. “Neither do I, actually. That’s usually Fluttershy’s job. Go swab the deck or something, make yourself useful, I guess.”

“Spike,” Twilight said as she shoved Rainbow Dash away, “I’m touched that you wanted to help, but you shouldn’t be here. It’s much too dangerous.”

“Not that there’s any choice right now,” Shining Armor said. “Dash isn’t stopping the ship for anything.”

Spike looked around at him hopefully. “Then, I get to stay?”

Shining nodded, prompting a wide grin from Spike.

“Uh, hey,” Rainbow said from a few feet forward, looking ahead of the ship. “The Feather’s making a move.”

Shining turned. “Haven’t they figured out they can’t outrun us yet?”

“Yeah,” Dash answered. “They’re not running. She’s coming about.”

“Captain Dash!” A quick set of hoofsteps beat across the deck as Flim came into view. Flam trailed several steps behind him. “We’ve just received a letter from the princess.”

“The pirates sent their ransom note.”

“They chose a meeting place for the exchange.”

“Yeah, we figured that out already,” Dash said. She hesitated, glancing ahead at the Falling Feather as it completed its turn. “It’s not Baltimare, is it?”

“No, Captain,” Flim said.

“It’s right here,” they said together.

“Ah ponyfeathers!” Dash cursed, sweeping her gaze all across the horizon. “Their reinforcements are probably already moving to flank us.”

“We don’t have much time before they’ll be in sight,” Shining said. “Fall back for now.”

“The hay with that,” Dash said. “Flim, Flam, full ahead, close the gap now. We’re pulling Iron Will’s old trick, so I want to see the whites of their eyes before you even think about slowing.”

“Aye, Captain!”

“This is crazy,” Shining said. “We need to pull back”

“I’m not going anywhere. You, Twilight, do you know how to use a weapon?”

“Uh, not really,” she answered. 

“Then round up my crew. Tell them to create a boarding party. Ten ponies need to stand watch at the lower hatch to make sure we aren’t invaded from below.”

“Yes ma’am!” Twilight said, but hesitated. “From below?”

Dash took over the helm with a cocky grin. “They’re gonna have a pretty good view of our underside while we drive them into that mountain.”

*****

“Well, that’s a bust,” Braeburn said, fidgeting idly with his cider mug.

“It hasn’t been a total loss,” Daring said, approaching the table with a drink of her own. She dodged around a tan stallion and sat down. “The local history of this area is quite fascinating.”

“Maybe, but it ain’t helping us find Miss Sparkle or any more of those coins.”

Daring shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. Isn’t it odd that so many ponies have seen the Flying Dutchmare lately?”

“Well, we have been asking around a lot of bars. How many of ‘em you want to bet were drunk when they saw this ghost ship?”

“There have always been ponies claiming to see it,” Daring said, “but not this many. I think it’s connected to Twilight Sparkle’s abduction. Something’s happening, or about to.”

Braeburn sighed, but his eyes were focused across the room. “Ya’ve got one thing right, something’s about to happen. Two stallions and a mare headin’ straight for us. All pegasi.”

“Something odd about them?” Daring asked, dropping into a whisper.

“Other than all three of ‘em being black as tar with matching vests and are glaring at us?”

The three ponies came to a halt directly behind Daring. After a casual sip at her drink, she turned to ask, “Anything I can do for you?”

Their coats were as dark Braeburn had said, and they all had midnight blue vests. Their manes were each a shade of dark blue as well. “Yes, there is,” the mare said. "You can give us the coin.”

Braeburn stiffened, but Daring shrugged, keeping her face neutral. “Sorry, I don’t have any spare change.”

“We know you have it,” the mare said, leaning closer. “The gold calls to us.”

“Uh-huh?” Daring said, raising an eyebrow. “Who did you say you are again?”

“I am Nightshade. These are Charger and Storm Front. We are the Shadowbolts. Now give us the piece of eight, or we will take it by force.”

“Yeah, can’t we talk about this first?” Daring asked. “How about I buy you a drink?” With a swipe of her hoof, she splashed her drink into Nightshade’s eyes, forcing the shadowbolt to flinch back. Storm Front made to grab her, but she smashed the glass into his snout before vaulting over the table. “Come on!”

“Who are these ponies?” Braeburn asked, charging after her.

“The hay if I know.” The two of them barreled through the tavern doors and ducked down the alley beside it.

Halfway down the alley, the shadows around them seized, shaking and twitching before rushing into a single mass ahead of them. They slid to a stop, watching in horror as the shadows pulsed and writhed. Finally, the dark mass took shape and solidified into Nightshade.

“You can’t run from us,” she said without preamble, striding forward. “Not as long as you carry one of the pieces. Give it up now, and that will be the end of it. Fight us, and we’ll bring you to our master.”

“Daring,” Braeburn said. “Whatever these things are, they’re not ponies. I don’t think we have a choice.”

“Run,” Daring whispered. “Back the way we came.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“No, I have a plan. Go!” Daring shouted the last word, jumping in place. Without hesitation, Braeburn took off, shooting down the alley and disappearing around the corner.

Nightshade tilted her head. “You aren’t going to run too?”

“Nope,” Daring said, standing in the same place she’d started. “I figure if you really can follow the coin, he’ll be fine. He doesn’t have it.”

“Then you intend to sacrifice yourself for him? A pointless gesture. Just give us the coin and be on your way.”

Daring grinned. “I never said anything about sacrificing myself. You can have the coin if you can catch me.” With a sudden leap, Daring surged into the air. She cleared the roof of the tavern with a single pump of her wings and continued climbing. The shadowbolt screamed, taking off after her.
> Upon Swift Wings Our Heroes Fight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daring Do rolled into a dive, body shaking with adrenaline as the ground rushed closer. She flared her wings, pulling up and climbing. Her teeth rattled with the sudden change and her ears popped. Tilting her wings, she rolled sideways and shot off in a new direction. Sweat poured into her eyes and her wings began to burn.

The Shadowbolt stayed with her through every move. Nightshade was fast, agile, and didn’t even seem to be tiring. Daring Do flipped, reversing direction and diving under Nightshade, but the Shadowbolt copied the move instantly, closing the gap even more. 

With a hiss, a dark form struck Daring from the left. She tumbled through the air as Charger bore down on her. Or maybe it was Storm Front. Daring decided it didn’t really matter at the moment, and started thinking of a way to keep them from splattering her on the hard ground.

She twisted, managing to roll them over and kick off. She’d only gained a few feet before the other male Shadowbolt hit her from the other side. She rolled with the blow and kicked, sending him crashing into his partner.

She straightened again before immediately rolling sideways. Just as expected, the third Shadowbolt fell through the space she would have been in. Daring used the precious moments Nightshade would need to recover to climb higher, angling away from the group. She might have slipped away, if it hadn’t been for a fourth Shadowbolt slamming into her from above. They fell together, flailing through the air as they tried to separate and straighten out. Daring managed to orient herself and pull up, reducing her speed before hitting the ground. The impact jarred her. Her head whipped forward and her hooves went numb, but she was alive.

The Shadowbolt wasn’t able to take the landing well. He smashed into the ground back first, bouncing as his entire body whiplashed violently. He smashed into a wall ten yards away and slumped into an unmoving heap.

Daring watched in fear, thinking for a moment the pony was dead. The fear turned into astonishment when the pile shivered and started melting into the shadows. Within seconds, it had disappeared entirely.

She was shaken from her shock when Nightshade hit her from behind. She tried to fight the Shadowbolt off, but didn’t have the room to maneuver or the leverage to move her. In moments, she was pinned.

“Search her,” Nightshade said. “Take the coin.”

Charger came forward, reaching between them and patting down the pockets of Daring’s vest. She struggled, trying to get one of her hooves free, but Nightshade was too strong. 

A sudden crack rang across the empty road, and the Shadowbolts looked up in surprise. Storm Front slid to the ground a few feet away eyes sliding closed. Behind him was Braeburn. The cowpony held a thick metal pipe in one of his hooves, leaning it back across his shoulder.

Charger, acting in accordance to his name, leapt forward, wings blurring as he closed the gap in a single second. Braeburn had been ready for the charge, and simply pulled his hoof down while shrugging his shoulder. The pipe swept down in an arc and caught the Shadowbolt at the end of his rush. Charger stumbled, wings going slack as his hooves crossed and he rolled past Braeburn before coming to a stop.

“Now,” Braeburn said, “why don’t ya just let Miss Do up? I’d rather not hit a lady.”

Nightshade glared at him before glancing between her fallen comrades. “We will be back with more. Give us the coin now and that will be the end of it.”

“Jus’ get out of here.”

With one last glare at him, Nightshade began to fade away, melting into the shadows around her. The two unconscious Shadowbolts did the same, and within seconds Daring and Braeburn were alone.

Daring stood, shakily stretching her wings to be sure nothing was hurt. “I thought I told you to run.”

“And I thought you were gonna be running with me,” Braeburn countered.

Daring smiled. “Thanks for coming back.” Braeburn answered with a smile and a tip of his hat. “But what did I tell you about calling me Miss?”

Braeburn chuckled, but before he could answer another voice called out to them. “Excuse me?” They looked across the street to see a tan earth pony waving to them. He trotted over and nodded. “Hello. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation back at the tavern.”

Daring nodded, recognizing the stallion. “What about it.”

“Well, I think I might be of service to the two of you.”

Daring glanced at Braeburn, eyebrow raised skeptically. “Okay? Who are you?”

“I’d rather not say just yet.” He pointed to the hourglass cutie mark on his flank. “Call me Time Turner for now.”

*****

The Rainbow Wake climbed higher as it charged the Falling Feather. The wind shook the ship and the core roared, sending vibrations through every nook and cranny of the ship. After only a few seconds, the Feather began to climb too.

“She’s lighter than us,” Dash called, working the controls, “but we’ve got more power. It’ll be close.”

The ships climbed, staying level with each other. Dash had to pull the helm hard, turning the Wake just enough to avoid colliding with the Feather. The two ships passed so close to each other that Twilight could have reached out and touched the hull of the Feather. After a moment, the ships separated and began  circling about, still climbing.

Twilight shivered as the air became just a bit thinner. “Why aren’t they firing?”

“They know we’re more heavily armed,” Shining said. “But we have allies aboard their ship, so we don’t want to risk shooting them down. If they start shooting, we’ll have no choice but to return fire.”

Dash grunted in agreement as she pushed the large wheel even further. The Wake creaked and popped as it spiraled upward.

“Captain!” Twilight called, hooves up on the bulwark. “There’s another ship approaching.”

“Ponyfeathers! It’s their reinforcements. We have to end this now.”

The Wake and Feather charged each other again, and again the Feather turned at the last moment. Dash pulled hard on the wheel, turning the Wake in the same direction. Their bows collided at a glancing angle, sending a bone jarring crash between the two ships and swinging their back ends around.

Dash managed to keep her hold on the wheel and spun it wildly the other way, trying to force the Feather into a dive. The other ship gave a few feet before it’s own core growled with effort and it began pushing back.

“This Rarity isn’t half bad,” Rainbow grunted, putting all of her weight on the wheel. “How far off are the reinforcements?”

“A mile or so, and closing fast.”

Rainbow glanced up to see for herself and blinked. The approaching ship was massive, almost as large as the Feather and Wake combined. It was like a brick, floating along without any care of the laws of physics, probably too stupid to understand any of the rules it was breaking just by existing. The front end was squared off with a heavy metal grid. Two metal spears, like giant bull horns protruded from the grid.

“That’s the Juggernaut,” Dash said through her confusion. She shook her head quickly and shouted back to her crew, “It’s Iron Will!”

“The Minotaur you bucked into the angry mob?” Shining asked.

“The one and only,” Dash answered, grin spreading across her face. “How close is he now?”

“About half a mile,” Shining answered. “We need to get out of here before it’s too late.”

“Just give it another fifty seconds.”

“Are you crazy? He’ll be on top of us by then!”

Rainbow didn’t answer. She held their course steady. Her front legs began to shake as the Feather and Wake pushed against each other. The next minute seemed to take hours, but finally she fell back, spinning the wheel in the opposite direction and diving beneath the Feather.

The Falling Feather began to spin as its stern began to drift out of control. It struggled for a long second as the captain fought for control. In the confusion, and being understaffed, they didn’t see the Juggernaut until it was too late. The massive ship hit the Feather near the back, spinning it the opposite direction.

“He’s helping us?” Shining said, staring up as the impossibly large ships grinded together.

“Iron Will isn’t going to let some friendly rivalry keep him from a cut of your princess's treasure,” Dash said with a laugh.

The Feather fought for control as the Juggernaut knocked it back. After a moment, its core buzzed and it slipped out from behind the giant metal horns. It rushed along side the Juggernaut, ready to make a run, but Rainbow Dash was ready. She’d gained the altitude she needed to get ontop of the Feather and start forcing it down. 

They sank down below the peak of the mountain. Dash managed to match the Feather’s movements well enough to keep it from climbing. Finally, in a rather impressive move on the Feather’s part, it swung out from under them. Twilight caught a glimpse of the ship’s crew all leaning over one side of the ship, and noticed the Feather was actually leaning into the turn.

Before the Feather could slip away, the Juggernaut flew in from the side. The ship’s horns caught the Feather full on and drove the smaller ship into the mountainside. With an earsplitting wail it ground to a halt.

The Wake sank the last few feet to come hovering above them, and Dash leapt up to the front. She smiled arrogantly down at them. Twilight recognized Captain Rarity on the Falling Feather’s deck, glaring up at the rainbow maned pegasus.

“Well,” Dash shouted down before tilting her head toward the Juggernaut. Iron Will stood on the deck, arms crossed. “It looks like you’re caught between a rock and a hard case.”
> When the Game is Won and the Die is Cast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seven ponies made their way from the Rainbow Wake to the Falling Feather. Rainbow Dash chose to lead the boarding party herself. Shining Armor insisted on going along to be sure everything went smoothly and they could quickly begin the flight back to Canterlot. Twilight Sparkle insisted on going to be sure Applejack was released as well, and Spike refused to leave her side. Neither of them would be dissuaded. 

Pipsqueak the cabin colt had been assigned to watch her, an action Twilight found greatly irritating, which was probably why Captain Dash had done it. Finally Flim and Flam had come along to operate the smaller transport, and to fly the Falling Feather if it was necessary for them to commandeer it.

Iron Will, Gilda, and another griffon Dash had never seen before, met them aboard the Feather.

“Nice work out there,” Dash said the moment her hooves hit the deck.

“It’s like I said. When somepony tries to run, Iron Will won’t be outdone,” the minotaur answered, striking a pose.

“And if it isn’t Gilda. Long time no see.” Gilda nodded in response.

“The white unicorn over there is the Captain,” Iron Will said. Together, the ten of them made their way across the deck. Pirates surrounded them on every side. Most glared angrily, though some only looked dejected.

Pinkie Pie stepped forward before they could reach the captain, face set and sword drawn.

“You aren’t really going to challenge us?” Dash asked in disbelief. 

Pinkie blinked. “Challenge you? Don’t be silly.” She spun the sword around, offering it to Dash. “You dropped this last time you were here.”

Dash arched an eyebrow but reached out to take the sword. “Uh, thanks.”

Pinkie nodded. “Hiya, Twilight! Glad to see you didn’t explode!”

“Uh, hi Pinkie. Thanks, I guess?”

“Captain Rarity’s waiting for you.” With a sweep of her leg, Pinkie moved aside and the group closed the last few yards.

“Captain Rainbow Dash, I presume?” Rarity asked with a curtsy. “Twilight Sparkle.” She glanced at Shining Armor and offered a charming smile. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Shining Armor. Royal guard and brother of the mare you kidnapped.”

“Oh, a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Rarity said, smile falling.

“We want Fluttershy released,” Dash said.

“And Applejack,” Twilight added.

“I had guessed as much. My crew are bringing them up as we speak.”

“How about the key to that inhibitor ring,” Flim piped up from the back.

“The poor girl hasn’t been able to use her magic in weeks,” Flam added.

“Not to mention the things we could learn from it once we got it off,” Flim said.

“Maybe you could even tell us where you found one?” Flam said.

“That’s enough from you two,” Dash cut in. She looked up expectantly. “The key?”

Rarity nodded. “I don’t see that I have a choice. Mister Turner, has Trixie returned to the ship?”

A nearby stallion nodded. “Yes ma’am, their boat came in just before we engaged the Wake.”

“Good. She knows where I hid the key. Please escort her to my quarters.”

“Aye, Ma’am.”

“Now, Captain Dash, may I ask what is going to happen to my crew and I?”

“That’s up to Shining here. We have the numbers to take you all, if he’s willing to cough up the gold.”

Shining shook his head. “Princess Celestia sent me to rescue Twilight, I’m not about to risk her in some stupid fight. If you come with us, the rest of your crew will at least have a few days head start. What happens to you will be up to the princess.”

“I’d hang.” Rarity said simply, holding Shining’s gaze. “That is what happens to pirates, isn’t it?”

Twilight looked away, happy she wasn’t the recipient of the look. Captain Rarity had been polite, kind even. If it hadn’t been for the kidnapping, Twilight could see herself becoming friends with the pirate, and there she was, calmly discussing the details of her own impending death. 

Shining managed to hold the captain’s stare, face expressionless as he nodded.

“Well, my life for the crew’s seems fair,” Rarity said, pursing her lips in a thoughtful expression. “Might I propose an alternative?”

Shining sighed, but nodded. “If you want.”

“First, I would go free. So would the rest of my crew. Our ship would be released, and we would take our leave.” Shining frowned and arched an eyebrow. Rarity continued, unfazed by his reaction. “In addition, we would take Miss Sparkle back into our care. You would get Applejack and Fluttershy. You would fly in the opposite direction of us and deliver a message to the Princess, informing her of a new exchange location and an even larger ransom.

“The princess’s flagship, the Corona Blaze, will be loaded with this gold and anchored above the exchange location, empty of all crew members. Once we have taken our money, we will go on to live our lives, and none of your guards will search for us.”

A long silence followed Rarity’s speech as everypony stared at her. Captain Dash was the first to break it. “Bahaha! Oh Celestia, that was awesome.” She looked at Shining Armor. “Are you sure the princess is going to want to hang her? I’m starting to like this mare.”

Rarity gave a polite smile. Shining’s eyes narrowed. Twilight couldn’t help but feel like something was off. She’d heard of humor at the gallows, but something in Rarity’s confident pose and commanding voice made her think it wasn’t a joke.

“I think we’re going to pass on that offer, as tempting as it may be,” Shining said.

Rarity nodded in understanding. “Of course. Never let it be said that I’m not generous, but if you truly don’t want to take that offer, I’m afraid we have no choice.” Shining’s ears flattened as he shifted into a ready stance. Twilight edged away. Rainbow was still chuckling to herself, though Iron Will and Gilda both seemed ready for a fight.

“If you try anything,” Shining warned, “the crews of both the Wake and the Juggernaut will board. You don’t stand a chance.”

“Trixie?” Rarity said, looking past the group. Twilight turned her head. A powder blue unicorn had moved into position behind them. “If you would?”

Trixie’s horn glowed with a faint aura. She smiled, tilting her head. “Aye, Captain.”

The world exploded into a torrent of color and sound.

*****

“This way, this way,” Time Turner said, ushering the two ponies along. “We don’t have much time before your friends come back.”

“What do you know about them?” Daring asked. 

“Well,” Time Turner said, with a shrug.

Daring stopped. “Tell us all of it, not just what you think we need to know. Anything else and we’re walking.”

“Now now,” Time Turner said, “let’s not be too hasty. I’ll tell you what I can, but some of it will have to wait until we get to the ship. And we have to keep moving while we talk. We don’t want to be out after dark. Not now that they’re around.”

Daring looked to Braeburn. He nodded and they started walking again. “Now what can ya tell us about them? Just who are they, anyhow?”

“They’re the Shadowbolts,” Time Turner said.

“Yeah, we kinda got that part,” Daring said.

“And this is going to take an inordinate amount of time if you insist on butting in after every sentence.”

Daring’s face soured, but she nodded for him to continue.

“Right. The Shadowbolts. Don’t actually know how they came about. They might be magical constructs, or regular ponies twisted by dark magic. They’re all pegasi. As you no doubt noticed, they can’t be easily killed, as they’re semi-incorporeal.”

“Semi what now?” Braeburn asked.

“They’re made of shadows, or at least part of them is. They can move as a dark cloud, though thankfully only for a few yards. They have some kind of origin point they can return to if they’ve been injured. Other than that, they’re a lot like normal ponies. Fast, smart, dangerous ponies.”

“That mare said she would be able to follow me,” Daring prompted. “Is that another one of their supernatural powers.”

“Right, that. Well, let’s be honest with each other, she said she could follow the coin, right?”

Daring nodded grudgingly.

“Could I see the coin?” Time Turner asked. 

Daring reached into her vest and pulled the large coin out. Time Turner reached for it, but she pulled it closer. “You can look at it.”

“Fair enough,” he said, leaning forward. One side had the marking of a normal piece of eight, minted just North of the dragon’s homelands. On the other side was a large star surrounded by five smaller stars. “Magic.”

“Come again?”

“Magic. That’s the coin you have. There are seven of them. Magic, Love, Laughter, Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, and Generosity. The seven facets of friendship, if you will.”

“And why do the Shadowbolts want them?”

“That one is going to have to wait.”

“And why is that?” Braeburn demanded.

“Because we’re here,” Time Turner said, sweeping his leg toward a large empty space. Daring looked around, realizing for the first time that they’d arrived at the city limits.

“This isn’t the air docks,” Braeburn said, eyes narrowed as he began searching for some kind of trap.

“Patience, my four legged friend,” Time Turner said, gesturing again. Between one moment and the next, there was a ship settled between the furthest buildings and the nearest trees. It hadn’t just appeared, it was more like the ship had always been there, and they were only just noticing it.

Braeburn blinked in surprise and turned to Daring. “Am I imagining things, or did you see that too?”

Daring didn’t answer. Her jaw hung loosely as she stared up at the ship. Looking closer, Braeburn would have sworn she was shivering.

“Come on now, time’s a wastin’,” Time Turner said, leading them along the gangplank and onto the main deck.

“Is that them?” A voice called from above. Braeburn turned his head up to see a figure aloft in the ratlines.

“Yes, Captain!” Time Turner shouted back up.

The figure dropped from the lines, plummeting twenty feet before snapping it’s wings open and landing in front of them. It was a gray mare, a pegasus. She wore all black, and had a sword at her flank. Her blonde mane was windswept and she wore a wide smile. The oddest part about her were her eyes. They pointed away from each other, and Braeburn immediately had trouble focusing on just one.

“Welcome aboard the Flying Dutchmare.”
> Some Ponies Will Cheat Until They Breathe Their Last 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The four ponies sat together in the captain’s quarters of the Flying Dutchmare. Time Turner had introduced the grey pegasus as the Dread Pirate Derpy. She appeared to be the captain, but Turner continued to do most of the talking. “Tell me, Miss Do—”

“Daring,” she said.

“Tell me, Daring,” Time Turner said, “what do you know of the Midnight Moon?”

“The ship?” Time Turner nodded and Daring shrugged in response. “Not much.”

“It’s an old pony tale,” Braeburn said. “It’s not real.”

“Nah,” Time Turner said, rolling his eyes. “It’s a myth, just like Big Hoof or the Flying Dutchmare.”

Braeburn’s ears flattened as he frowned, “What? You’re tellin’ us the stories are true?”

“Of course they are. Let me tell you, he may be a bit smelly, but Big Hoof is one hay of a cook.”

“The Midnight Moon was the flagship of Queen Nightmare Moon,” Daring said, drawing their attention back to herself. “Nopony but the princess really knows how much is fact and how much is fiction. Stories say Nightmare Moon was an evil pony who wanted to rule Equestria. She met Celestia’s forces on land, sea, and sky with an army of darkness. After years of fighting, Celestia finally prevailed and locked her away, imprisoning her permanently aboard her own ship.”

Time Turner nodded approvingly. “It was long before the invention of the skyship, of course. The aerial battles were fought by pegasi. Whichever side controlled the air could support the ground troops more efficiently. You saw a small party of Nightmare Moon’s dark army today.”

“You mean the Shadowbolts?” Daring asked.

“Yep. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. If the queen gets free, she’ll have all kinds of beasts and ponies to call upon.”

“But how’s she supposed ta get free?” Braeburn asked. “The story says she was locked away forever.”

“That’s the funny thing about forever, it’s a very very long time,” Time Turner said. “All kinds of things can happen. Things seem to stay the same over the course of days or weeks or months, but they’re always changing. Even if it takes ten thousand years for the change to be noticeable.”

“So what’s changing that will let Nightmare Moon get free?” Daring Do asked.

“When Princess Celestia defeated the queen, she needed a prison capable of holding her. Obviously, stone and iron wouldn’t cut it. With one of the most complicated spells ever conceived, the princess turned the night sky itself into Nightmare Moon’s prison, trapping her power in the darkest corners between the stars. Her physical body was bound to the Midnight Moon, which was then sent to the bottom of the ocean.”

Time Turner pointed to a star chart on the far wall. “Every prison needs a door. There has to be a channel between Nightmare Moon’s trapped power and her physical body, otherwise she would just build up her strength over time. To be possible, there would need to be a static connection between the stars and the earth.”

“The Northern Cross!” Daring said, eyes widening.

“Exactly,” Time Turner said. “Five stars spinning through space at the exact same rate as our planet, always in the same spot in the night sky. Well, almost exactly the same. After thousands of years, the relative position of the cross has changed. It’s like shifting a prison cell over without moving the prisoner, eventually they’ll be sitting out in the open.”

“Now wait just a second,” Braeburn said. “The princess put the Northern Cross up there so that sailors would always be able to navigate. Are ya saying that’s just an excuse, that the real reason for the cross is to hold in some ancient evil?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. The Midnight Moon is sealed away directly under the Northern Cross, in the arctic waters, hundreds of miles North of the Crystal Empire. The prison has been shifting ever since its creation, and it’s finally moved enough for Nightmare Moon to begin exerting control on the outside world. With the Shadowbolts, she hopes to break open the prison entirely. Derpy?”

The captain nodded, reaching into her black vest and drawing a small cloth sack. She handed it to Daring. Daring opened it and pulled out a large coin. “Another piece of eight?” She turned it over, expecting the star symbol, but instead found a bolt of lightning coming from a cloud.

“We don’t know which one it is,” Time Turner said. “Our research gave us the seven facets, but the only symbol we could find was the one for magic.”

“What do these coins have to do with Nightmare Moon’s return?”

“We’re still not sure how the coins factor into it all, but she wants them. Obviously, what she wants and what’s best for the rest of us are two very different things. We think there’s somepony who can help us, though.”

“Who,” Daring asked.

“An old witch, living in the Everfree.”

“You mean a unicorn?”

“No. I don’t think she’s even a pony. They say she has visions of the future, and always knows something, for the right price.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Daring said. “Let’s go!”

Time Turner nodded and looked to the Captain. Derpy pushed away from the table. “Avast, me hearties, weigh anchor!”

“Uh, Derpy? The crew can’t hear you in here.”

“Oh, right.”

*****

Twilight sank to the floor, dazed by the sudden torrent of noise and light. Sparkles and smoke spun around them in a furious whirlwind as screeches and wails made thought close to impossible.

She closed her eyes, muting the flashes of light, and took a long breath. Nothing was actually touching her. Nothing had burnt her or struck her. The rapid movement of the lights hadn’t even kicked up any wind.

With luck, the crews aboard the Wake and Juggernaut would storm the ship and win the fight through sheer numbers. It was probably too much to expect the pirates to be hindered by the imaginary storm, otherwise the entire thing would be a pointless gesture.

The best thing to do, Twilight concluded, is to wait it out.

The Falling Feather lurched to the side and began drifting. The deck below Twilights hooves rumbled, and the wind began to pick up again. The light  and sound faded, and Twilight looked back up.

They’d been disoriented and blinded for a minute, two at the most. In that time, the Feather had worked free of the Juggernaut’s grip and was making a run for it. The Wake was right behind them, but too far to launch a boarding party. The pirate’s had moved to surround their small group.

Twilight stretched her head to get a look at the Juggernaut, still hovering near the cliffside. The massive ship’s sails were in shreds. Half the masts had been cracked or knocked over completely, and long gouges had been torn into the hull. With a pathetic shudder, the ship began to sink into a slow spin, bouncing once off the mountain on its way down.

“My ship!” Iron Will choked out.

“Impressive,” Rarity said with a confident smile. “Trixie, you never mentioned being able to do something like that before.”

Trixie stared at the Juggernaut with a mix of awe and horror. “I didn’t, I mean, of course The Great and Powerful Trixie could tear a ship out of the sky with her magnificent power. There is a small problem though.” Trixie glanced back at the captain. “Trixie didn’t do that.”

Rarity frowned, moving closer to the rear of the ship to watch the Juggernaut’s decent. With another shudder and a high pitched wail, the Juggernaut plummeted. It slammed into the mountainside and began to slide. The long gouges in its side exploded into splinters as dozens of bolts of ink shadow tore through the hull and took to the sky.

“What the hay are those?” Spike asked under his breath.

“I don’t know,” Dash said. A moment later her eyes widened. “They’re going after the Wake!” Her wings flared up and she began to gallop forward only to be tackled by a pair of heavy earth ponies.

The dark streaks angled toward the Rainbow Wake, tearing through its sails in a lightning fast pass. They doubled back ramming into the deck with a series of solid thuds. They writhed and twisted, taking on a familiar shape.

“Are those ponies?” Rarity asked softly.

“We have to stop them!” Rainbow shouted, struggling against the ponies holding them down. “You have to let us go, otherwise this ship will be next.”

Rarity looked at her, eyes darkening with worry. After a moment, she nodded. “Let her up.”

Rainbow rocketed up from the deck of the Feather, closing the distance between the two ships in seconds. Her voice drifted back as she began shouting orders to the confused crewmembers.

“You are a captain of Celestia’s Guard, aren’t you?” Rarity asked. Shining nodded and she continued, “Take the minotaur captain and his griffons. Pinkie will prepare a party to assist the Wake, and you will be leading them.”

Shining raised arched an eyebrow. “Why should I trust anypony in your crew?”

“Because I would much rather fight the enemy on the Wake and leave my own ship undamaged. For the moment at least, we have a common goal. You’re sister would certainly be safer if the fighting was done elsewhere.”

Shining narrowed his eyes, but nodded. “Twilight, get below decks and stay there until this is all over.”

Rarity turned to her crew. “Pinkie, round up a party for the guard. No, not that kind of party. The rest of you, prepare to assist the Wake.”

The crowd scattered into a flurry of motion. Twilight didn’t even have time to protest being left behind before her brother was being whisked away by the energetic Pinkie. Iron Will and the griffons hurried after him.

“Captain Rarity?” Flim asked.

“What do you want us to do now?” Flam continued.

“I have a very important job for the five of you,” Rarity said. “You’re going to go below decks and make sure I don’t hang for piracy when this is all over. Seize them.”

*****

Rainbow Dash dived after the weird pegasus, shouting over her shoulder, “Keep them off the sails, and for the love of Celestia don’t let them reach the core.”

The dark pegasus slowed, reaching a hoof toward the hull of the Wake.

“Get away from my ship!”

The pegasus flinched, looking up just as Dash collided with him. She bore down on him, rolling him through the air before delivering a well aimed kick at his head. She flailed off balance when her kick met with nothing but open air. The pony had melted into a cloud of dark smoke. The smoke swirled past her and formed into the pony again.

He began pushing her further down, beating at her head and shoulders with flailing hooves. She managed to catch one of his legs and rolled back, turning them about once again. The dark pegasus bucked and caught her in the gut with both hind legs. She let out a small “oof” and drifted sideways as he caught himself and began to rise again. She recovered a few moments later and gave chase.

They’d fallen almost half the distance to the ground. The sounds of the battle were too far away to be heard. Dash narrowed her eyes. The only thing in the sky was this enemy pegasus. Nothing else was important. Her wings burned as she pushed herself faster. Heat built up as she strained against the air and gravity. A steady rumble began as a familiar cone of pressure formed ahead of her. Still, she pushed herself faster.

The Sonic Rainboom was Rainbow Dash’s favorite claim to fame. When she got moving fast enough, a sonic boom and rainbow would happen all at once. It wasn’t practical for offensive use. It took too long to get going, and charging headfirst into the enemy wasn’t the brightest move. She’d never used one in an actual fight.

She’d especially never Sonic Rainboomed somepony at point blank range before.

Ponies can explode. Who knew? She thought, leaving a trail of wispy black smoke. 
> Shiver My Timbers, Shiver My Rhyme
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The damage to the Rainbow Wake was severe, but not irreparable. The crew had kept the dark pegasi from reaching the core, so it still had power. The sails had taken the most damage, and without them they could only move forward at a crawl. Several injured ponies were being cared for by the ship’s doctor, Redheart. 

“Our best bet is to commandeer the Feather,” Rainbow said to Shining after receiving the damage report. “Iron Will’s crew is making its way to Las Pegasus on foot. With the Feather, we can tow the Wake before nightfall. Take the captain, send the rest of the crew on their way.”

“Whatever gets us back to Canterlot the fastest,” Shining agreed.

“Gilda!” Dash shouted as she turned to ready a smaller vessel. “You’re in charge. If Shining sends up a signal, it means the pirates are trying something. Be ready to board if that happens.”

“Aye,” Gilda called back.

Dash gestured with a hoof, inviting Shining to climb aboard the vessel, and they made their way back to the Falling Feather. 

***** 

Twilight Sparkle was back in her cell. Well, not her cell, exactly. That one was still missing its door, but her new cell was almost identical. The only difference was the iron band wrapped around one of the hinges to keep it together.

“And then once my brother was out of the way, Captain Rarity had us all taken prisoner.”

“Ya shouldn’t have come back to this ship,” Applejack said.

“I told you I’d come back for you,” Twilight said. “I, uh, just didn’t think it’d be like this.”

“I just can’t believe we’ve been taken prisoner,” Flim said somewhere to Twilight’s right.

“It’s an outrage,” his brother said.

“A scandal!” 

“Do those two ever stop?” Spike asked from the cot behind Twilight.

“No,” an unfamiliar voice, almost too soft to be heard, said from a few cells over. “They really don’t.”

“Just how many cells do they have on this ship?” Spike muttered under his breath.

“Is that the first mate?” Flim asked.

“Fluttershy!” Flam said.

“Oh, um, hi. I, uh, didn’t want to interrupt while everyone else was talking.”

The door squeaked open and one of the earth ponies that had detained them entered. Twilight leaned her head against the bars to get a good view. “What happened? Did we win? Is everypony safe?”

“Eeyup,” he answered slowly.

“Hold on a second,” Applejack said from Twilights right as her hooves clopped against the deck. “Big MacIntosh, is that you?”

A moment passed as the large red stallion glanced around, a confused frown forming. “Uh... nnope?”

“Big Mac,” Applejack said calmly. “You aren’t from the bounty hunter’s ship, are you?”

“Nnope. Applejack, Ah had no idea you were in here. Ah only got back on the ship today.”

“Big Mac, go get the keys, and let all of us out. Now.”

“Ah, uh...” Big Mac nervously licked his lips. “Ah can’t do that.”

Applejack blinked. “What?”

“Ah was told not to let anypo—”

“Ah don’t give a flyin’ feather what that prissy little pirate told you! You grab the keys and let us out right now, or so help me, I’ll buck ya into next week!”

“Sorry, Applejack, no can do. It’s not Miss Rarity I’m worried about, neither. I’ll explain everything soon as Ah can, but until then, ya’ll are jus’ gonna have to wait.”

Applejack stared in shock as he turned to leave. “Big MacIntosh! You get yer flank back here! BIG MAC!”

*****

Shining stood on the deck of the Falling Feather. His every muscle was tensed as he glared at the pirate captain.

“I believe we’ve reached an impasse,” Rarity concluded. “Without more time to prepare, our unicorn won’t be of much help, and half our crew is still aboard the feather, so we can’t just cut our losses and run again. On the other hoof, you can’t take Twilight Sparkle back by force. Having her back in our custody gives us quite a bit of leverage.”

“But not enough,” Dash said. “You’re not in a good enough position to start making demands.”

“Yes, that’s why I called it an impasse. A stalemate,” Rarity said. “I believe in this case, negotiations are in order. Each side gives in, makes demands, and we all walk away feeling cheated.”

Shining sighed. “I want to see the crew members first, to make sure they’re alright. After that we’ll talk about the ransom. And we need to keep moving before more of those pegasi show up. Tow the Wake behind you.”

“Very well,” Rarity agreed. “Pinkie Pie, see to it. Start a course for Windy Gorge, to the Northeast.” Together they made their way below decks, through the twisting passageways and into the brig. Six small cells lined the room, three on either side. To their left were Twilight and Spike, Applejack, and an empty cell with the door missing. On their left were the Flim Flam brothers, Fluttershy, and Pipsqueak.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight said when they entered. “What happened? The only thing we’ve been told is that everypony is okay.”

“Yeah,” Shining said. “Once the confusion faded, we were able to drive them back. They must have counting on bringing down at least two ships in the initial attack.”

“Any clue why they attacked us in the first place?”

Shining shook his head.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” Dash said quietly as the siblings talked. “Sorry I haven’t gotten you out of here yet.”

“Oh, don’t be sorry, Captain,” Fluttershy said quickly. “It’s not bad here. The pirate captain has been very nice.”

Dash shook her head, “That’s not the point. It’s my fault you’re in here. What kind of captain lets her first mate get captured? And it’s been days. I should have rescued you sooner.” Dash put a hoof on the metal bars, and Fluttershy touched it with her own.

“I know you’re doing your best. The great Captain Dash doesn’t leave anypony behind, right?”

Dash smiled slightly. “Right.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “As you can see, they are all in perfect health, and will remain that way so long as we all get along. Right now, our biggest concern is getting to safety, and negotiating the exchange.”

“She’s still hoping for the ransom?” Applejack asked. “This mare jus’ don’t quit.”

“Never,” Rarity agreed. “Now, finding safety before any more of those pegasi attack will probably be our biggest challenge. We can’t just pull into any port. A quick message and we’d be surrounded by royal guards.”

“Doesn’t sound like a problem to me,” Dash muttered.

“We have to find a neutral port or easily defended location, and there’s no telling how much time we have.”

“What about the Crystal Empire?” Twilight asked. Everypony turned their gazes to her. She smiled nervously under the sudden attention. “It’s not part of Equestria, so it’ll be neutral to both our parties. The city closest to the border is Emerald Hollow. It’s a trading city, with a skyport and plenty of places to buy supplies. You should be able to get materials to fix any damage from the fight.”

“Ain’t that—”

“The city I was telling you about?” Twilight cut Applejack off. “Yeah. I’ve always wanted to see it, I just never figured I’d have the chance.”

Rarity pursed her lips. “It’s true that the Crystal Empire is a sovereign nation, but relations between them and Equestria are peaceful. How do we know they will remain neutral?”

Twilight shrugged. “Even if they don’t, you should have a few days before they can coordinate with Princess Celestia, assuming Shining can even get a letter to her.”

Rarity thought about it for another moment before nodding. “I suppose that’s the best we can hope for. To the Crystal Empire then.”

***** 

The witch lived in a small swampy area called Froggy Bottom Bogg. The Flying Dutchmare flew the group as close as possible and lowered them down in a small clearing.

Daring Do let the rope swing away as the crew pulled it back up. The ground in the clearing was mostly dry, but she could see patches of slick mud in every direction beyond the line of trees. Mosquitoes buzzed in angry clouds, joined by a choir of bullfrogs and screaming birds.

“Pleasant place, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Gives me the creeps,” Braeburn answered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“Everypony stay close,” Time Turner said. “There’s all kinds of monsters in here. Giant multi-headed hydras, timberwolves, maybe even ursas. Even if we avoid those, mud pits and quicksand can kill you just as easily.”

“And don’t forget the P-O-U-Ses,” Derpy added.

“Parasprites of unusual size? I don’t think they exist.”

Everypony paused, turning to each other expectantly. A moment passed and nothing happened. With a shrug, Time Turner started ahead, and the small group turned to make their way through the swamp.

Traveling through the wilderness wasn’t new to Daring, but she still prefered not to. The mud sucked at her hooves, making each step a work-out. Her tail whipped back and forth, smacking away mosquitoes that tried to find a perch in her coat. The steady hissing and screeching, the crying and caterwauling of unseen predators stood her mane on end and grated on her nerves.

Braeburn seemed to be in even worse shape. He was used to hard work on the farm, but simply walking through a swamp was a different workout altogether. The poor stallion was probably using muscles he didn’t even know he had.

Finally, after over an hour of hiking, they arrived at a small hut. Surrounding the hut were ugly masks almost as tall as a pony. A rhythmic chanting came from inside. Time Turner led them around to the front of the hut and raised his hoof to knock. Before he could, the chanting stopped and a voice floated through the beaded curtain over the front door.

“Come in, come in my pony friends. The time we have will soon end. Don’t sit and dawdle there, with you hoof hanging in the air.”

Time Turner lowered his hoof and pushed his way through the curtain. Daring and the others followed.

The room was simple enough, dominated by a large black cauldron. Masks decorated the walls, and bottles littered the shelves. In the back was a simple cot. Standing at the pot, back turned to them, was a zebra.

Daring Do only recognized her as one from books she’d read. She’d never seen a real one before. The mare was striped white and black, and wore an assortment of gold loops.

“Uh, hello. My name is—”

“Yes, yes, Time Turner. I know you. Your friends are Derpy, Braeburn, and Daring Do. I know of what you come to speak, and I have seen the answers you desperately seek. But Zecora doesn’t work for free, for each question there is a fee.”

“Oh. Well, Miss Zecora, we didn’t bring money with us. It didn’t seem practical to carry heavy coins through the swamp,” Time Turner said.

“I have no need for such a pretty thing. There is no use for it out here, among all that bite and sting. Daring Do, your work takes you far and wide. What I seek from you is a guide.”

“A guide?” Daring asked.

“It has been long since I’ve seen my home, not since the fleeting spirit of youth called me to roam. I ask that you guide a letter to the East, so that my family might know I’m well at least. Who better for such a task, than somepony with colleagues that they might ask, to see this message on it’s way, and be sure it will not stray.

“That’s it? You want me to get a letter to your family?” Daring asked. Zecora nodded. “Okay.” Zecora reached for a scroll sitting on one of the shelves and gave it to her. She tucked it carefully into her saddlebags.

“To find the mare who’s cutie mark is on the coin you hold, travel north to the arctic cold. In the Crystal Kingdom, the main road you will follow, until you reach a city called Emerald Hollow.”

Zecora turned to Captain Derpy. “You are on the right path to find who you chase, keep on this course, steady your pace. Zecora can show you where to find him and how, to stand before him just three days from now.”

Derpy’s face hardened and she nodded. “What’s the price?”

“A memory for the info and the deal is done, nothing much, just a small one.”

“A memory?” Derpy asked, focusing an eye on Zecora as the other stared intently at a particularly ugly mask.

“Something near to your heart, a keepsake, one might say. That is my price, if you are willing to pay.”

Derpy reached a hoof to her chest, touching above the heart. Daring shook her head, realizing she wasn’t touch her heart exactly. Her hoof was too far left, directly over one of her vest’s pockets. After a moment, Derpy frowned, eyes, narrowing angrily. She shook her head.

Zecora smiled approvingly. “I did not think you would agree, and happier to be proven right I couldn’t be. You must never let your final goal, twist your mind and steal your soul.” Zecora turned to Braeburn as Derpy stepped back, a small smile replacing the frown.

“Braeburn, you first joined this quest because for your family you wish the best. Times are hard and the pay was good, have I correctly understood?” Braeburn nodded and Zecora continued, “Now you would ask, what can you do, to keep your home safe as this storm begins to brew?”

“Yeah,” Braeburn said. “If Nightmare Moon is real, I don’t want anypony back home ta be hurt by her return.”

“For every month of the coming year, I ask a dozen apples be delivered here.”

“Is that all? Sure thing.”

“Go with Daring to find her mare, for six others will be waiting there.”

“Others?” Daring asked.

“One for each coin you must find, and not one may be left behind.” Zecora turned and took two quick steps to one of the shelves. She knocked a few bottles aside and turned back, a piece of paper in her mouth. She stepped back and set it in front of Braeburn. On the paper were two sketches. A trio of diamonds and a trio of balloons. 

“These two mares will be the hardest found, for when you arrive they’ll be tightly bound. Break them free on the night of stormy weather, and together you’ll flee upon a Falling Feather.”

“On a feather? What the hay does that mean?”

Braeburn’s question was ignored as Zecora turned finally to Time Turner. “As surely as I rhyme, I know your payment will come in due time. You of course want to know how to stop the evil queen.”

“Ha!” Time Turner said, smiling. “You missed one. I was going to ask why she wants the coins.”

“The question is your’s to ask, but be careful the question you give is the one that you mean.”

Time Turner’s smile faded as he thought about it. After a moment, his ears drooped and he sighed. “How do we beat Nightmare Moon?”

“To stop the queen and avoid this fate, you must seek out the pieces of eight.”

“We kind of figured that much out already, funny enough,” Time Turner said, rolling his eyes.

“The pieces are hidden each beneath an invisible tower, a rift in space created by great power. Only when moved will their magic flow free, singing across the sky as a beacon for all to see.”

“So the shadowbolts can’t find them unless somepony moves them?” Time Turner asked.

“Are you daft? That’s what I said. Open your ears and use your head.”

“Right, right, sorry,” he said.

“To find the pieces, you must ask the one who hid them. The problem first lies in getting to him. Even if you do, he may be hard to please, but if you wish to try, you will find him in the Western seas.”

“Western... wait, you don’t mean around the Amaranthine Tempest, do you?”

“Not around, I am afraid. You must go deeper to seek his aid. To the eye of the storm you must fight, or else get used to the idea of eternal night.”

“That’s not possible. Nopony can get through the Tempest,” Time Turner said, eyes darkening. “You’re crazy for even suggesting it.”

“Do not give up hope. It can be done. But first you must ask the mare who gives us the sun. She raised the tempest long ago. She just may tell you which way to go.” Zecora nodded and turned away from them. “The hour grows late and you have much to do. I myself must finish this brew. Go with care, and no delays. I wish you luck in the coming days.”

The ponies filed out of the hut, a little surprised at the sudden dismissal. Derpy was the last one out, turning back at the door and giving a lopsided smile. “Thank you.”
> True Love Will Weather the Passing Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emerald Hollow was a bustling city just North of the Equestrian border. The streets and buildings sparkled in the light of the setting sun, as though the city had been carved from the gemstone it was named for. Even the ponies had an unusual luster to their coats. Shining stood back and let the sailors work, bringing in the Feather to dock.

The Rainbow Wake had been left just South of the city. After the damage from the fight, it lacked the control needed to reliably dock. It would probably be a few more days before they could begin the trip back to Canterlot.

Now that they were at the neutral city, and presumably safe from the strange shadow ponies, their next move would be negotiating the release of Twilight and the crew. Shining ground his teeth together in frustration. Even outnumbering the pirates three to one, they just couldn’t risk Twilight’s life in an attack. In the end, it looked like Captain Rarity might just get what she wanted.

The attack came suddenly. The crystal ponies were on top of him before he could even react. Dozens appeared over the edges of the Falling Feather moments after they’d come to a halt. He frantically reached for his magic, but a sudden impact to his horn disrupted the spell, and a hoof came to rest on it: a silent indication that he wouldn’t be casting any spells.

Everypony on the main deck was quickly and silently disabled, ending the fight before it could break out. Dozens of crystal ponies disappeared into the ship, presumably to root out the remainder of the crew.

Shining’s heart raced with a jolt, and he pushed at the hooves restraining him. If their assailants weren’t careful, the pirates might panic and kill Twilight.

“Sit still,” one of the ponies grunted, shifting more of his weight onto Shining.

“Let us go,” Shining growled, struggling harder. “What’s going on?”

“We said sit still,” the other pony holding him said, kicking him in the head. He jerked back, vision flashing.

“That’s enough.” Shining glanced up dizzily to see a group of identical blue stallions. After a moment, his eyes focused and the group turned into a single pony. The stallion studied him for a moment before talking, “Are you Shining Armor?”

Shining managed to arch an eyebrow. “Who’s asking?”

“Let him up,” the stallion said, and the crystal ponies holding Shining backed away.

“Sorry for the rough greeting,” the stallion said. “My name is Sapphire Shield, Captain of the Crystal Guard.”

Shining wasted no time in pushing himself to his hooves and starting to the stairs.

“That’s unnecessary,” Sapphire called to him. “Your sister is safe.”

Shining turned back in confusion.

“In fact, she’s the one who planned this.”

*****

It wasn’t fair. Rarity leaned her head back, resting it against the cold stone wall of the prison cell and looked through the window at the rising moon. It just wasn’t fair. Everything had been going perfectly. Victory had been within her grasp.

How was she supposed to know that dragon fire had magical properties? They weren’t the most common creatures in Equestria, and when one did show up, they were more like fearsome beasts that could down a ship alone. How could she have possibly known that dragons could send letters?

She couldn’t have, of course. That’s why she was locked away. It was over. They’d been caught. They would be sent back to Canterlot and stand trial for piracy.

Tears began to well up in her eyes at the thought. It wouldn’t be a long trial.

She was going to hang.

*****

“And it is my great pleasure to welcome Twilight Sparkle.” The ponies in the banquet hall clopped their hooves against the tables as Twilight rose to give a little wave. “It may be a few weeks later than we’d been expecting you,” Lord Agate continued, “but we’re glad to finally welcome you to Emerald Hollow.” He looked past Twilight to Shining Armor, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. “And your friends as well.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, “for this wonderful welcome, and for helping us when we really needed it.”

“The pirates may have committed their crimes in Equestria,” Agate said, “but the moment they crossed our borders with a diplomat held against her will, they became pirates to the Crystal Empire. Let us not dwell on such things, though. There is something else.” He looked across the room, and one of the ponies at the door nodded. “We have a visitor, all the way from the capitol to welcome you.”

Twilight almost choked. “Wait, you don’t mean the Crystal King? Here?”

Agate chuckled, “No, nothing that grand. Everypony, please rise.” Everypony hastily stood as the double doors opened.

“Presenting your royal princess, Mi Amore Cadenza.”

A pink alicorn stepped into the room, moving with a graceful walk that seemed more like gliding. She was smaller than Celestia, and less regal looking, Twilight thought. She heard a chuckle and glanced sideways. Dash was nudging Shining Armor, who didn’t seem to notice. His gaze was locked on the princess, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks.

The princess made her way to the head of the table. “Thank you, Lord Agate.” Cadenza turned to the smaller tables and gave a quick thanks to the citizens of Emerald Hollow for welcoming her to their city, and finally they all sat down as dinner was served.

*****

“So, have you and Derpy been together for long?” Braeburn asked, forelegs propped against the bulwark as he watched the ground slip by far below.

“A few years,” Time Turner answered.

“What’s her story?”

“What do you mean?”

Braeburn shrugged. “Out of all of us, she’s the only one who didn’t ask about Nightmare Moon or the pieces of eight. What’s she want out of all of this?”

“Well, I don’t really know all the details, and you probably won’t believe what I do know.” Turner said.

“After the past few days, I don’t think there’s anything I won’t believe anymore.”

Time Turner looked skeptical, but shrugged. “As far as I can tell, she became the captain of the Dutchmare more or less by accident.”

“Accident?”

“It’ll make more sense once you’ve gotten to know her. Sort of. Anyway, she doesn’t talk that much about what she’s after, but the best I can figure...” Turner trailed off, looking out over the horizon.

“Yeah?”

“She’s out for revenge.”

“Revenge? On who? For what?”

Time Turner looked down at the deck, refusing to meet Braeburn’s eyes. “A stallion who took her muffin.”

“...”

“...”

“Like...”

“Yeah.”

“A muffin?”

Time Turner nodded.

“But if you’ve been with her for several years...”

“Mares are good at holding grudges.”

“Over a muffin?”

“She really, really, loved that muffin.”
> A Well Deserved Rest for Our Heroes, Sore
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Braeburn and Daring Do had hit a brick wall. They’d been dropped off in Emerald Hollow by Derpy and Time Turner two days earlier to meet the seven ponies they were supposed to find. The problem was they had no idea where to find them. All they had to go by was a picture of two cutie marks, so they’d spent all day showing them around the city.

After several fruitless hours, they made their way back to the inn for dinner and sleep so that they could continue their search the next day. Braeburn flopped forward onto the soft bed, eyes dropping closed. He was almost asleep when he realized there was something underneath him. He pushed himself up and reached under his chest until he found the sheet of paper.

The message was scrawled messily, as though the pony who left it didn’t write much.

I’ve heard you’re looking for two mares. I know where they are and can help you. I have a message from the princess. Meet me tonight under the south side bridge just past town square.

“Hey, Daring,” Braeburn said. “Look at this.”

*****

“And then I stared those griffons down, planted my hooves in front of me like this, narrowed my eyes, and said ‘make my day’,” Dash said, taking an agressive pose. The crystal ponies laughed and gasp as she continued. “Of course, none of them spoke english, but they could tell see my meaning in my eyes. We all stood like that for a long time, nopony wanting to set the other side off. Finally, the leader backed down and I was able to get past.”

Iron Will grumbled under his breath at the back of the room.

“Is that not what happened?” Twilight asked, hearing him and turning.

“Not exactly,” the minotaur said in his slow cadence. “She did say that to the griffons. But instead of backing down, they decided to feed her to a hungry manticore. An angry, mean, hungry manticore with a freakishly large stinger.” Iron Will shuddered at the memory.

“Well, why doesn’t she tell the story like it happened. Escaping from a hungry manticore sounds exciting.”

“It’s because we agreed to never speak of it again.”

Outside, two ponies stood on the balcony, enjoying the gentle breeze. “So, you said you’re the captain of the Equestrian Guard?”

“Yeah. Uh, I mean, yes, your highness.” Shining smiled embarrassedly. “Sorry, spending a few weeks aloft with these bounty hunters and pirates can make a pony forget his manners.

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza giggled. “Please, just call me Cadance. What was it like, chasing pirates and diving in for a daring resue?”

“Honestly? It was more tiring than anything. My work’s usually more interesting, exciting even, but this time my sister was in danger.”

“I see. Well, have you been on any other adventures? Something more exciting than tiring.”

“Hmm,” Shining mused. “Well, there was this one time.” He laughed as the memory came back to him. “My friend Sterling Silver and I had just been accepted into the Royal Guard.”

*****

Braeburn and Daring reached the south bridge just before midnight. A figure stood in the shadows, taller and broader than either of them. It looked up as they approached.

“Uh, hey there. Are you the one who left this for us?” Braeburn asked, holding up the short note. The figure nodded. “You said you had a message for us? From the princess?”

“Eeyup.”
> A Piece is Lost Before the War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Cuz, is that you?” Braeburn tried to get a better look into the deep shadows. The large pony moved closer, a dark coat keeping him out of view.

“Eeyup. We can’t talk here. Ah have a room nearby.” Big MacIntosh left the shadows, head kept low, and started making his way up the street.

“You know him?” Daring asked Braeburn.

“Yeah, he’s my cousin on my mother’s side, but I have no clue what he’s doing here.”

“Can we trust him?”

“Of course,” Braeburn said. “Come on.” They followed Big Mac down the road and to a nearby pub where he was renting a room for the night. When the door was closed, he tossed the coat aside and visibly relaxed. 

“Alright, cuz, what’s going on? Why the note and all the hiding.”

“Well, uh, ya see,” Big MacIntosh glanced away and shifted his weight uncomfortably. “Ah may be a wanted stallion around here.”

Braeburn blinked. “A... wanted stallion? Like, a criminal?”

“Eeyup.”

“But, you’re an apple farmer. How did you end up a criminal in some neighboring kingdom?”

“Well, Ah was aboard this pirate ship and—”

“Ya what now?” Braeburn asked in shock. 

Big Mac held a hoof up in a placating gesture. “Now, hold on just an apple pickin’ minute. There was a good reason for it.”

“What reason could you have for joining a pirate crew?”

“Well, the princess asked me to, for starters.”

“Wait,” Daring Do said. “Princess Celestia? She asked you to turn pirate?”

“Eeyup.”

“But why?” Braeburn asked.

“‘Cause she knew Miss Sparkle was going to be ponynapped, and she wanted me to be there and make sure she stayed safe. Ah didn’t know why she picked me to go at first, but Applejack got ponynapped too.” Big Mac glanced down at the floor. “That was a mighty awkward reunion.”

“Anyway, when we landed, the Crystal Ponies arrested all the pirates. Ah managed to escape through the lower hatch, but not without bucking one of them upside the head. That’s why Ah’m being careful not to be seen, and why Ah had you meet me somewhere else, in case somepony found the note.”

“Wait, wait,” Daring said. “Did you say the princess knew her student was going to be ponynapped, and she didn’t do anything to stop it?”

Big MacIntosh nodded. “That brings me back to the message from the princess. Your letter to her got intercepted, but not a whole lot gets by her. She knows you were trying to contact her about some coin, and that ya should know even more by now.”

“Yeah,” Braeburn said. “We met some other ponies who’re also looking for them. They told us about Nightmare Moon.”

Big Mac nodded. “You’ll need to tell me what you know later on. The princess only told me enough to deliver the message. Ya’ll need to get all the coins together with the ponies they represent.”

“We already know that,” Daring said. “And you still didn’t explain why she let her student get ponynapped if she knew about it.”

“She didn’t really know about it so much as plan it herself,” Big Mac said.

Daring and Braeburn stared at him blankly.

“She’s the one who gave the pirates the idea, ya see. Secretly, of course, Miss Rarity probably thinks she came up with it on her own.”

“But why?” Daring half-cried in frustration.

“Oh, sorry. Two of the pirates are the ponies yall need for the coins. So are two of the bounty hunters she hired. She did it to get everypony in one place, far away from Canterlot.”

“But she’s the princess. Why didn’t she just sound out her guards to round everypony up?”

“She said she was being watched. It was another reason why she asked me to send the message, nopony would suspect an apple farmer to carry secret messages. It looked like a normal delivery to the castle.”

“The shadowbolts were watching the princess?” Braeburn asked.

Bid Mac shook his head. “Some ponies the shadowbolts convinced to side with Nightmare Moon. The princess isn’t sure who she can trust. If she does anything, it might force their hooves. That’s why she had to rely on other ponies to get Miss Sparkle to safety.”

“So, the princess knows Nightmare Moon is almost free, but can’t do anything because she’s being watched, so she came up with some crazy plan to get everypony together without having to lift a hoof for herself,” Daring summarized. “And then she sent you along because nopony would suspect you, and because we need to know which ponies can help us.”

“Eeyup.”

“But I don’t get it, cuz,” Braeburn said. “What could Nightmare’s allies possibly do to the princess?”

“They have a spell ready to use on her,” Big MacIntosh said. “The only reason they haven’t yet is because it’ll be stronger during an eclipse. If she lets them know that she knows about it by getting these ponies together or evacuating Canterlot, they’ll cast it early.”

“Evacuating Canterlot?” Daring asked with a worried frown.

“It’s a big spell,” Big Mac clarified.

“Is anypony going to be hurt?”

“Ah don’t think so,” he answered. “The way she described it, Canterlot was gonna just disappear while the spell is working, and the spell would last longer if it was cast during an eclipse.”

“Keeping Celestia and Twilight Sparkle from interfering,” Daring concluded. “But the princess managed to get Twilight to safety, so we can still stop Nightmare Moon.” She smiled. “Starting tomorrow, we’ll be back on track. First, the mares, and then the coins.”

“You’re right,” Braeburn said. “We’ll just... wait, when’s the eclipse?”

“I’m not sure,” Daring said. Her eyes went wide a moment later. “Derpy and Time Turner.”

“Who and what now?” Big Mac asked.

“The friends who told us about Nightmare moon. They went back to ask the princess how to get through the Amaranthine Tempest,” Daring explained. “They should be arriving in Canterlot tonight. I need a calendar.” She began rifling through the nearby drawers before rushing out of the room.

“They have one of the coins with them,” Braeburn said. “If they get caught when Canterlot disappears, we’ll lose it. With our luck, the eclipse will be tomorrow.”

*****

“Derpy, are you sure these charts are right?” Time Turner asked.

“Yes,” she answered, doing her best to give him an angry look. “Just as sure as I was an hour ago.”

“I’m just saying, we’ve been sailing in circles all night, and this map says we should be right on top of Canterlot.”

“Maybe we’ll be able to find it now that the sun is coming up,” Derpy suggested.

“Hopefully. We don’t have time to waste.” Time Turner set the chart aside and moved out toward the edge of the deck. The sunlight traveled swiftly across the ground below as the sun rose above the horizon. A patch of shadows caught his eye. An odd curved protrusion into what should have been bathed in morning light. Time Turner looked up, thinking maybe some clouds were casting a shadow, but the sky was clear.

“That’s odd. Derpy, take us up higher?”

“Huh? Why?”

“I want to get a better look at something.” Derpy nodded and moved inside. After a minute or two, the ship began climbing.

“That’s very, very odd,” Time Turner said once they’d doubled their altitude and the sun had come fully above the horizon.

“What are you looking at?” Derpy asked, joining him near the edge of the deck and glancing overboard. She glanced up in confusion and then at the sun. She pursed her lips and looked back down. “I don’t get it.”

“Me either,” Time Turner said. Far below was a humongous shadow darkening the ground. It was an almost perfect circle. “It almost looks like the penumbra from the eclipse a few days ago.”

“There wasn’t an eclipse,” Derpy said, frowning.

“Oh, not where we were,” Time Turner said. “The sun and moon weren’t at the right angle for us to see it. But anypony as far North as Las Pegasus would have seen at least a partial eclipse, and this area would have seen almost a total one. But why would the shadow stick around?”

“I dunno,” Derpy said. “But don’t we have other things to worry about?”

“Right, of course. Well, let’s get to it then, we have a princess to talk to and a world to save. Now, do you have any other maps?”
> One Step Behind the Enemy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How long are we going to be stuck here?” Pinkie asked. “It’s so dark and gloomy. It feels like we’ve been waiting weeks.”

“It’s only been a few days,” Rarity said. “I don’t imagine we’ll be here too long, unfortunately.”

Pinkie fell back onto her cot and crossed her front legs, pouting. “This pirate thing has gotten boring. I thought we were supposed to be buckling some swashes or swashing some buckles.”

“If you have any ideas on getting us out of here, feel free to share.”

“Oh, oh, oh, I know this one. We take the spicy foods they give us and use them to dissolve the bars on the the window over a dozen years.” Pinkie hopped up and gave the bars a quick tap to punctuate her plan.

“That’s... actually better than I was expecting.” Pinkie nodded at the almost-compliment and Rarity continued, “Unfortunately, we don’t have a dozen years.”

“Will you both be quiet? The great and Powerful Trixie is trying to sleep.”

Rarity cast Trixie a glare before leaning back in her own bed. She’d been over every inch of the cell. There was nothing that could be used to break them free.

Pinkie frowned. “We are going to get out of here, right, Captain?”

“Eeyup.”

Pinkie giggled and sat up. “I didn’t know you could do a Big Mac impression. Oh, oh, do me, do me!”

“That wasn’t me, darling,” Rarity said, looking up in confusion. A stout stallion had come to stop in front of their window. “Big MacIntosh! How are you out there?”

“Slipped away before we landed,” he said. “Mighty sorry about that, Miss Rarity, but Ah don’t have time ta explain. Ah’ve been watching this window all night, and if the guards keep their schedule, Ah only have a minute or so.”

“Of course, what’s the plan?” Rarity asked, a new determination kindling in her eyes.

“We’re gonna bust ya’ll outta here tonight. There’s a storm comin’, so nopony will hear or see anything. Ah have friends in the city, they’re gonna help us escape on the Feather.”

“How are we going to get everypony out?” Rarity asked. Big MacIntosh averted her gaze and she frowned. “I’m not leaving my crew behind.”

“They won’t be hurt,” Big MacIntosh promised. “They’re being taken to Canterlot, and the princess has agreed to let them go free.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Rarity asked. “I didn’t question your motives when you first joined us, but after getting to know you, I think you of all ponies would be the last to turn pirate. What are you up to?”

Big Mac looked over his shoulder and started backing away. “Ah’m sorry, miss. The last thing Ah want is to keep secrets, but the guards will be making their rounds soon. Just be ready.” With a final nod he turned and galloped away.

*****

The Shadowbolts streaked through the sky, diving through a window and setting down on the spotless crystal floor. Their forms blurred and swirled together, and when they solidified, they’d become a single pony. He had a pure white coat and striped blue mane and tail.

He looked down at his new form with a satisfied smile before starting down the hall. His destination was close and he knocked quickly on the door.

“Just a moment.” After some quick rustles and half a dozen hoofsteps, the door opened. Princess Cadence smiled at him, looking beautiful in a light pink dress. She wore a traditional headdress entwined with crystals. “Shining, so you decided to accept after all? If you could wait just a second, you’re a little early.”

“Accept?” he asked.

“My invitation to dinner,” Cadence said, arching an eyebrow.

“Oh, right. Actually, there’s been a change of plans.” He stepped forward, pushing the door open wider as his horn began to glow with a dark light.

*****

“I think you should go,” Twilight said. “Come on, how many chances do you get to accompany royalty to a fancy dinner?”

“Ah, I just don’t know,” Shining Armor said. “She’s a princess and I’m just a soldier.”

“You aren’t just a soldier!” Twilight said. “You’re Captain of the Royal Guard! She’d be lucky to marry you.”

“Hey, nopony said anything like that,” Shining said, blushing crimson over his white coat. “It’s just dinner.”

“Well, if it’s ‘just dinner’ then what’s the problem?” Twilight asked with a victorious smile. Shining tried to come up with an answer, but eventually just sighed and nodded in defeat.

“Hold up everypony.” They looked up to see Applejack standing at the door. Behind her were two ponies Twilight had never seen before, though she could guess from his hat and vest that the earth pony was a relative of hers. “Gather ‘round, ya’ll.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked as they went to join her. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Iron Will abandoned a card game to join the conversation as well.

“Well, Ah just ran into my cousin outside. Still can’t believe it,” Applejack said, glancing at the stallion. “Apparently he’s been trying to find us, and he’s got news from Canterlot. Uh, you tell ‘em, Braeburn.”

Braeburn nodded awkwardly and stepped forward. He went over a quick summary of the legend of Nightmare Moon, as well as what he’d learned over the past few days.

“And you believe that?” Twilight asked, more nervous than skeptical. “You really think they’re going to go after the princess.”

“We think they already have,” the mare, who Braeburn had called Daring, answered. “We couldn’t see it from here, but Canterlot would have had a total eclipse a few days ago.”

Applejack fidgeted her front hoof. “Ah don’t know about all this crazy Nightmare Moon business, but I trust mah family. I think we should check to be safe.”

“Agreed,” Twilight said. “Spike?”

“On it,” Spike said, crossing the room to one of the tables. He came back a few seconds later with a piece of paper and a quil.

“Dear Princess Celestia, I want to thank you again for sending my message ahead to the Crystal Empire. Our hosts have been exceptionally gracious, and I feel our diplomatic mission will go exceptionally well when we make it to the Crystal City. How are things going in Canterlot? Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Aren’t you going to ask about the Nightmare Moon story?”

Twilight shook her head. “If somepony is really watching the princess, we don’t want to tip them off that we know. Just send that, we’ll make sure everypony’s okay at least.”

With a nod, Spike took a deep breath and engulfed the letter in fire. It burned instantly, turning into a silver swirl of green smoke. The smoke hovered above his head before converging into a solid roll of paper again.

“Huh?” he said. “It’s never done that before.” He tried again with the same results.

Twilight turned away from the group and began pacing, glancing back every few seconds. “Okay. We don’t know for sure why we can’t send her a letter, but let’s just say for a second you’re right. What did the princess want us to do next?”

“I don’t think she said,” Braeburn answered. “All she did was get you out of Canterlot. But the fortuneteller we saw told me that we needed to leave this city on the night of stormy weather.”

“There’s supposed to be a storm tonight, ain’t there?” Applejack asked. Twilight nodded. 

“Twily,” Shining said. “You’re not really planning on going with them, are you?”

Twilight nodded. “I know it sounds unbelievable, but Spike can’t reach the princess, and that’s never happened before. It would explain those weird shadow ponies who attacked us, too.” She pointed a hoof at him. “And before you try to stop me, remember it’s your duty to protect Canterlot. The only way you can do that and keep me safe is to take me with you.“

Shining paused, trying to find some way around her logic. Finally he let out a defeated sigh.

“Well, you all have fun with that,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Iron Will hopes you don’t run into too much trouble,” Iron Will agreed.

“You’re just going to run off?” Shining asked.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Dash answered. “My crew’s been through enough. What kind of captain would I be if I put them through some crazy world saving scheme too?”

“We need a crew.”

“Get the Crystal Ponies to help you. I don’t even have a ship anymore. It’s still being repaired. That’s going on the bill, by the way.”

“You realize if the Princess really is gone, there’s no one to pay you for rescuing me, right?”

The bounty hunters glanced at each other for a long moment. 

“Uh...” Iron Will said.

“Ponyfeathers.”

*****

Lord Agate ground his hoof against the floor, teeth clenched in anger. “After everything we’ve done for them...”

“I know, my lord,” Sapphire agreed. “I can hardly believe he of all stallions would stoop so low.”

“Is the princess hurt?”

“No. He underestimated her magic and ended up wounded and fleeing.”

“Good, a dog like that deserves injury to his body and pride. Find him, now, and all of his friends. I want all of the Equestrians hanged at sunrise.”
> Into the Storm Our Heroes Flee
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The front door of the room burst open, wooden frame cracking from the impact. Crystal Guardponies poured in, led by Captain Sapphire Shield.

“What is the meaning of this?” Shining Armor demanded, coming to his hooves.

Sapphire Shield scowled. “By order of Lord Agate of Emerald Hollow, you are all under arrest.”

“On what charges?”

“Attacking Princess Cadence.”

“The princess was attacked?” Shining’s anger vanished, leaving only genuine concern. “Wait, you think I did it?”

“She personally named you as her attacker.”

“That’s not possible. I’ve been here all night.”

“Uh, Shimmers, not to butt in,” Rainbow Dash said, moving between him and the guards, “but I don’t think they’re going to take your word over the word of their sovereign.” She turned toward Sapphire Shield. “Of course, if he’s the one who attacked the princess, the rest of us are free to go, right?”

“You are all under arrest,” Sapphire Shield repeated.

“Of course,” Rainbow Dash said, ears going flat. “Well, I think you’re forgetting three very important things. One, this room has a balcony. Two, half of us have wings. Three, we have a minotaur. Iron Will!” Dash had barely finished talking when several heavy pieces of furniture from the back of the room flipped over her head and toward the guards. The ranks of the crystal ponies broke as they flinched back from a long wooden table, and three of the guards found themselves buried under a bed.

“Back here, all of you!” Dash ordered. “Shining, give us some protection.” Shining’s horn flared as a wall of purple light formed between them and the Crystal Guard.”

“What are you doing?” Shining demanded as they reached the back of the room and filed out into the balcony.

“Escaping,” Dash said. “Trust me, it’s easier to clear your name if you aren’t sitting in prison.

“Assuming you’re innocent in the first place,” Iron will added.

Dash chuckled. “Remember Manehatten? Anyway, anyone who can’t fly, team up with a pegasus.”

Dash hopped up and grabbed Shining without any further debate. “Hey, crystal ponies! This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost—”

“Just go!” Iron Will shouted, flipping them over the balcony railing. He jumped over after them, catching the other side and beginning his own climb down. Braeburn yelped in surprise as Daring grabbed him and made her way over the railing. 

“Get Twilight,” Applejack said before picking Spike up by the spine on his neck, flipping him onto her back, and jumping onto the railing. With earth pony strength and agility, she hopped from balcony to ledge, quickly climbing down from tower.

Shining’s magical shield wavered and failed. The crystal guard rushed forward, but were too slow.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy squeaked, grabbing Twilight and pulling her over the rail. Twilight managed to keep from screaming as they plummeted. Fluttershy struggled to slow their fall, but the ground rushed toward them too quickly. In the last moments, another pair of hooves grabbed Twilight, and they slowed to a safer speed.

“Alright, we need to find a place to hide,” Dash said. “And we need to find my crew. They’re at the Aqua Marie Inn.”

“We know where that is,” Braeburn said. “We’ve been staying there a couple days.

“We should go back,” Shining said. “This is obviously a mistake. Running away is just going to make us look guilty.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can get out of it if you just explain, right. That wasn’t me that attacked you, your highness. It was my evil twin.” Rainbow paused. “You don’t actually have an evil twin, do you?”

Shining shook his head and she continued. “It sounds like you were set up. Going back now is just going to land you in prison. Now lets get out of here before the guards catch up. We’re just lucky there don’t seem to be any crystal pegasi or unicorns.”

Rainbow Dash started off into the grounds, away from the tower. The rest wordlessly followed her lead.

*****

The rain started shortly after midnight. Pinkie Pie and Trixie moved away from the window with their blankets, trying to stay dry, but Rarity remained vigilant, waiting for some signal. It wasn’t much longer before Big MacIntosh returned. At his side was a smaller tan stallion. Big Mac introduced him as Braeburn, and he even tipped his hat like a proper gentlepony.

“There was some trouble up at the castle,” Big Mac said once the introductions were out of the way. “Braeburn went up to meet everypony, but then they got chased off by the guards and almost got themselves arrested.”

“And perhaps now you’ll tell me who these friends are?” Rarity asked.

“Nnope.”

“Very well, I will trust you know what you’re doing. Is there a new plan?”

“Eeyup.”

“You see, Miss Rarity,” Braeburn said, “there was this witch that predicted this would happen. Kind of.”

“Uhuh,” Rarity said, skepticism growing every second.

“It’s a long story, but she predicted you and your friends would be locked up like this, and that we’d have to escape the city on a Falling Feather. It wasn’t until I met up with Big MacIntosh here that I knew what that meant.”

“So you plan on breaking us out and stealing my ship,” Rarity said. “I still fail to see how that will actually get us out of our cell.”

“Guards are comin’,” Big MacIntosh said.

“Oh, right,” Braeburn said, looking over his shoulder. “The plan is the same as before, we just needed to tell you that it’ll take us more time to set up.” The turned away.

“Wait, Big Mac never told us the plan?”

“Oh. Just tie the ropes to the bars. Tight as you can.” The two stallions disappeared into the storm.

“Wait? What ropes? Why can’t anypony just give me a straight answer?” Rarity shouted uselessly.

“Maybe they’re trying to build tension,” Pinkie suggested.

“Oh don’t start that again.”

*****

The two guards turned and began making their way aft. The deck of the captured pirate ship was silent. The other pair could barely be seen through the rain, making their own rounds.

One of the guards paused to stretch, closing his eyes as he leaned backwards. Something whistled past him. There was a heavy impact, and when he opened his eyes, he was alone. “Granite? Granite, where’d you go?”

Something shifted to his left. A flash of light hit him, and he found himself spinning through the air and over the side of the ship. He hit the ground below and blacked out.

At the same time, there was a silent scuffle a hundred feet away and two more ponies were thrown overboard. Shining Armor winced at the thuds coming from beneath them.

“Let’s get moving before they get up and sound an alarm,” Dash whispered. “Fluttershy, signal the crew.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Dash, are you sure this is a good idea? It would have been a lot easier to just sneak out of the city.”

Dash held up a hoof to silence him. “I told you already, I’m not leaving this city without a ship.”

“And I’m sure you’re not planning on coming back to steal the Wake as soon as she’s repaired?”

“That’s beside the point. Anyway, those new ponies, uh what were their names?”

“Daring Do and Braeburn.”

“Yeah, them. They agree that we need a ship for whatever crazy plans you guys have next.” Lightning flashed high above, and thunder rolled in a few seconds later. “Besides, nopony will be crazy enough to follow us through that.”

“For good reason,” Shining said, eyeing the worsening storm wearily.

“Captain,” Fluttershy said, coming to land beside them, unsteady in the wind and rain. “Everypony is taking the places. Flim and Flam are ready to fire up the engines, and Iron Will has his team ready to cast off.”

“Good, then do it,” Dash ordered. “Let’s get out of this city.”

“Actually, Captain Dash?” They turned to see Braeburn.

“You’re back. We were afraid you weren’t going to make it.”

Braeburn nodded. “There’s actually one more thing we need, and we need to fly over the city to do it.”

“Fly over the city? Are you crazy?” Shining asked. “The second we take off, they’re going to figure out what’s happening.”

“Why do we need to fly over?” Dash asked.

Braeburn shifted nervously. Daring had insisted that he and Big MacIntosh keep quiet about the need to rescue the pirates, given their history with each other. Finally, he decided to go with the truth, but leave their names out of it. He winced once the explanation was out of his mouth, sure that he’d failed.

*****

“Dash, you can’t be serious,” Shining said.

“You can’t seriously think I would pass a chance like this up!”

“You know nothing about these ponies! We’re just going to free a couple of criminals on a whim?”

“You didn’t seem to mind when it was your flank on the line, Captain Fugitive,” Dash said, waving her hoof to give the order to take off.

“But I’m actually innocent.”

“Shining, this may be a different ship, but it’s still my crew, and I’m still the captain. This is happening.”

“But why?”

“Because I’ve always wanted to try this.”

*****

Rarity waited as the storm raged on outside her window and the early morning hours slipped by. She was cold and hungry, but refused to move away and risk missing anything that might happen. Pinke had wrapped a blanket around her shoulder, but it had only lasted a few minutes before being soaked in cold rainwater.

Finally, just as she was beginning to feel that Big MacIntosh and his mysterious friends had failed, there was a faint thump outside the window. She leaned closer to investigate. A thin, dark shape hung in front of her, stretching out of view above her. A moment later another rope joined the first, the end hitting the mud with a soft thud.

“Oh,” she said softly. Her magic hadn’t been strong enough to break through the prison walls, but she could certainly raise the heavy rope up to the window and tie it into a sturdy knot. A third rope fell as she was working on the second knot, and before long there were six evenly spaced ropes tied to the prison bars. Once the knots were tied, she used as much of her magic as she could to strengthen them. The ropes were thick and strong, and unlikely to snap. The only real danger was that they would slip.

The ropes pulled taught and shifted, angling away from the prison wall. The bars began to creak as the strain increased.

“Is that really going to work?” Pinkie asked.

“I don’t know,” Rarity answered. “The rope is certainly strong enough, but the bars are sturdy themselves.” The entire wall creaked and whined. Small cracks appeared around the base of the bars. “At this rate, it seems likely the wall will...” Rarity’s eyes went wide and she grabbed her cellmates, dragging them across the room. With a sudden screeching noise the stone wall fell outward, tearing itself to pieces as the window came out in a single solid mass.

“Come on,” Rarity ordered as the rain cleared the stone dust. The three ponies charged through the opening and grabbed onto the ropes trailing the dark shape above. The airship began to climb, pulling them away from the ground with frightening speed.

An explosion tore through the sky above them. A shudder went through the ropes and Rarity almost slipped. Another shock wave rippled through the ship. Lightning flashed above them, illuminating half a dozen dark shapes surrounding their own ship.

The Feather’s cannons roared, spitting fire and metal into the sky as it climbed.

“What are they thinking?” Rarity called above the fierce winds that tore at her and her companions. “There’s no way they’ll be able to escape. Not unless...” she gasped and began pulling herself higher. “Climb!”

Pinkie Pie and Trixie obeyed, struggling to ascend the wet rope. They’d made it halfway up when the ship began to fall. Rarity had a feeling of weightlessness in the pit of her stomach for half a second, and then gravity caught up. Rarity’s scream, a mixture of fear and adrenaline, was lost in the roaring wind. The Feather fell for only a few seconds before its engines screamed with life again. The magical pressure as it tried to catch itself was a tangible feeling at the base of Rarity’s horn.

The Feather tilted forward as it fell, converting the momentum into forward movement. It leveled off only a few hundred feet above the roofs of Emerald Hollow and shot out from under its pursuers into the storm, three terrified ponies clinging for their lives below.
> Shiver My Timbers, Shiver My Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash gave an adrenaline charged whoop as the Feather slipped between the final two ships and into open air.

Twilight Sparkle leaned against the bulwark, legs shaking slightly. “Is that it then?”

“Yeah. They won’t fire their cannons over their own city, and they aren’t going to outrun us.”

“Captain, we’re pulling ahead. Three hundred yards and opening. Also, our friends from the prison need to be pulled up.”

Dash turned, grin widening. “They’re still there? After all that?”

“Wait,” Twilight interrupted. “Did you do all that thinking they wouldn’t be able to hold on?”

“I didn’t think they’d be crazy enough to jump on in the first place. Come on, I want to meet these ponies.” Dash left the helm to one of her crew and led them below. Flim and Flam were working the windlass that normally dropped and raised the anchor.

“Just another moment,” Flim said, checking their progress.

“Who are these ponies, anyway?” Flam asked, straining against the crank. 

“That’s actually a good question,” Rainbow Dash said, looking back at Braeburn.

“One you should have asked an hour ago,” Shining Armor muttered.

“Just more ponies the princess wants helping us,” Braeburn answered, glancing down. Twilight frowned, but it didn’t look like anypony else had noticed the tell. She would have said something, but at that moment the Flim Flam brothers released the crank and moved toward the opening in the hull.

“Thank you ever so much, Darling,” A familiar voice said as Flim helped a white, soaked unicorn through the hole and into the ship. She looked up to offer a charming smile to her saviours and froze.

The moment stretched on in silence.

“Twilight!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced through the hole and over Flam’s head. “And Applejack! I didn’t think we’d see each other again for a really long time, which made me so sad because we had so much fun together but then we went to jail and Rarity was being all gloomy and I knew it was because she missed you and it was so boring in there but I made a few new friends and I got a tattoo but then there were these ropes and—”

“Pinkie!” Rarity snapped. Pinkie froze mid-bounce.

Shining blinked. “How did you—”

“Captain Dash,” Rarity said. “I must say I’m surprised.”

“Yeah, that makes two of us,” Rainbow answered, throwing an angry look back at Braeburn. “Them?”

Braeburn’s worked his face into the best smile he could manage despite his nerves. “Well, uh, I was just following the Princess’s orders.” Rarity’s ears perked up as she glanced in his direction.

“Uhuh,” Dash said. “Well, I think—”

“Unhand the Great and Powerful Trixie, peons!” Flim and Flam jumped back from the third pony they’d helped board the ship. The powder blue mare looked odd without her usual cape and hat, and not the least bit pleased to be soaked, with her mane in complete disarray.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie demands you take her to the captain’s quarters, to warm herself before the fire. And any gentlepony would have offered her hot food already. What kind of substandard service do you think you can—”

“Trixie!” Rarity snapped.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie,” she corrected.

“Whatever it is, stop talking before you get us all thrown—”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is only requesting what any proper host—”

“And then she pulled out two giant bags of oatmeal, and I said—”

“We aren’t guests and they aren’t our hosts, and if you could be quiet for just a few moments, we could figure out why they—”

“EVERYPONY SHUT UP!” Dash shouted, drawing the attention of the bickering pirates. “Flim, Flam, take the blue one up to the quarters and give her whatever she was complaining about. Anything to get her to stop talking.”

The brothers gave a quick salute and guided Trixie up to the deck.

“Somepony,” Dash said, voice steady but eyes narrowed dangerously, “explain.”

“Well, it’s just like I said,” Braeburn said, “Princess Celestia told my cousin about several ponies she needed all together, including his sister. And then this witch told us that two of them would be locked up, and if we want to save Equestria... well...” he faltered as she looked down at him.

“Thanks to these ponies, I don’t have my ship anymore,” Dash said. “I lost everything I’ve worked years for. And now we’re supposed to ask them for help?”

“You can hardly blame us for what those shadow ponies did,” Rarity interrupted.

“If you’d never kidnapped Twilight—”

“Nopony forced you to come chasing after us,” Rarity countered.

“That’s enough,” Shining said, drawing attention to himself. “We can’t change what’s already done. We should lock the pirates up while we plan our next move. I think we should make our way back to Canterlot. Hopefully the princess is fine.”

Rarity looked at him curiously. “The princess? Why wouldn’t she be?”

“That’s none of your business,” Dash snapped.

“Actually,” Twilight said, “If Braeburn is right, it kind of is.”

“Maybe we should explain it to them,” Braeburn said. “Just so everypony is on the same page.”

“Ohh, a recap!” Pinkie said, “That’s a good idea, since we’ve been gone so long.”

“A...what now?” Applejack asked.

“Well, Ms. Rarity, Ms. Pinkie Pie,” Braeburn said. “There’s a reason we rescued ya’ll. This ancient evil queen named Nightmare Moon is working on getting free from a prison Princess Celestia built for her a thousand years ago, sending her shadow ponies out to do her dirty work and all that. Princess Celestia knew it was happening, and asked my cousin to join your crew. Then this zebra showed me your cutie marks, and he recognized them, so we broke you out.”

“I see,” Rarity said thoughtfully. She frowned. “Actually, no, I don’t think I do.”

“Isn’t it obvious,” Pinkie Said. “This big Queen Meanie is gonna break out and fly her ship all over, causing eternal night, but princess Celestia saw it coming and set it up so that we can save the day with our magical friendship powers!”

“Err, something like that,” Braeburn admitted. “There’s these coins that have y'all's cutie marks on them, and they’re supposed to help us beat Nightmare Moon, but the zebra told us we need y'all's help too.”

“But first we need to find them, which means talking to somepony at the center of the Amaranthine Tempest.”

“The Tempest? As in, the eternal storm? The one that’s claimed the lives of hundreds of sailors?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Mhm. Well, you can take me back to prison now. At least the gallows will be quick.”

“Seconded,” Rainbow Dash said.

“No,” Twilight said, “not until we know whether or not the princess is safe.”

Rainbow Dash grumbled, but nodded toward a pair of crew members. “Take them to the cells. Everypony else, set a course for Canterlot.”

*****

“What do you mean, Canterlot is gone?” Twilight asked.

“Just what I said,” Time Turner said, pacing across the Feather’s captain’s quarters. The Falling Feather had crossed paths with the Flying Dutchmare just West of Baltimare, after passing the Equestrian Crystal border. “There was no city, no mountain, just a giant shadow, like the kind the moon would leave during an eclipse.”

“A penumbra?”

“Yes, exactly. Whatever the princess was expecting happened. I’d trust her enough to say the rest of it’s true too.”

“Great, so what? Find the coins, beat the evil queen?” Rainbow Dash said. “I’m sure glad somepony asked us if we wanted to save the world first. Oh, wait, they didn’t.”

“She said she was being watched,” Applejack reminded her. 

“But she found a way to tip off the apple delivery stallion?”

“The point being,” Time Turner said loudly, trying to get the conversation back on track, “if we’re going to rescue the princess, save the world,” he glanced at Rainbow Dash, “and get paid for services rendered, we need to get through that storm. I’m sure you’ve all heard about it, but no words can convey the power of the tempest. It’s immense, unstoppable, ageless.”

“Actually, it’s twelve hundred and fifty three years old,” Twilight said. She blushed as he shot her a look. “Er, but two out of three isn’t bad.”

“How can a storm go on that long anyhow?” Applejack asked. 

“Well, it’s not a natural storm,” Twilight said. “Common legends say it was created by the princess to keep ponies from sailing off the edge of the planet, but the planet of course has no edge. She never would say where it came from but—”

“I am talking,” Time Turner said, raising his voice. “The point being, we need to find a way through it. Since Princess Celestia can’t tell us, I’m going to visit the witch again, see if she can’t help us.”

“Yeah, forget that,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Excuse me?”

“Her advice already flopped once. I say we just go for it.”

“Uh, go for it?”

“Yeah, you know, just fly right through,” Dash said, bringing her forehoof down in a chopping motion to demonstrate.

“Fly right through? You mean the tempest?”

“Yeah. I’ve sailed through a little wind and rain before.”

Time Turner shook his head. “Not like this you haven’t. No, we need to find a way around it. Take your ship up to Seaddle, we’ll meet you there in a few days.”

The captains and their crew left the room and began to prepare for the journeys. Left alone in the captain quarters, Twilight stared out the window, breathing slow measured breaths.

“Um, excuse me?” somepony said behind her, barely loud enough to be heard. She turned to see Rainbow Dash’s first mate.

“Oh, hello. Uh, Fluttershy, right?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I- I didn’t mean to bother you or anything, it’s just a few times during the meeting, you looked troubled, and I wanted to know if you were alright.”

“Oh, yes, I’m...” Twilight almost said fine, but the lie caught in her throat and her face fell. “Well, it’s just, Princess Celestia is really important to me.”

Fluttershy nodded understandingly. “I’m sure she’ll be just fine. I mean, she managed to get us all together, she must know what she was doing. You’ll be back together in no time.”

“You really think so?” Twilight asked.

“Absolutely,” Fluttershy said, giving Twilight her brightest, most sincere smile. Twilight smiled in return despite her gloomy mood.

*****

“The Flying Dutchmare is five hundred yards and opening, Captain Dash. Shall we make a course for Seaddle?”

“No, I’m thinking something a little further West. Set a course for the Amaranthine Tempest.”