Skies of Equestria: Lunar Lands

[Solar Flair]

The lands of Equestria
Were ruled by a single princess
For over a thousand years.

But recently
The princess of the night has returned
And with this
The power is spread thinner.

Thus those that have bided their time
Seek opportunity in lunar lands...

Rough weather was beginning to set in... but that wouldn't deter the Stream crew of Sky Rogues. They were an old clan and had been through thick and thin in the pirating business and this was nothing new. Still, it was not something to fool around with... if the potential pay off weren't so promising they'd have probably just gone home. Instead they lay nestled between a few of the less rambunctious clouds, waiting for sign of the ship from Canterlot.

Below the deck of The Thunderhead a bright grey pegasus let out a small "Whew," as he finished cleaning their simple cooking gear. It may not have been fancy, but they were able to feed their modest crew of experienced Rouges pretty easily. The simple cooking when out on an adventure made setting foot in the occasional restaurant glorious and setting course for their home in Stirrup all the more exciting. To be able to relax and enjoy their rewards along with some homemade cooking... the colt found nothing more satisfying. Except for, perhaps, when they found true adventure.

"Good work Jet," A well built icy blue pegusus stallion called out, walking by, "Now go get ready for the raid. Don't dawdle, the prize could be along at any moment."

"Okay dad!" Jet replied, saluting with a hoof rather casually before taking hold of a pot handle with his teeth and placing it in a drying rack.

"For the last time out here it's captain, boy! Forget again and you'll be scrubbing the entire Thunderhead inside and out, you hear?" the stallion shouted gruffly, shaking his head and not breaking stride. On the inside he wasn't quite as irritated by it as he looked, rather it was a mixture of that and fatherly pride and amusement. All the same, the colt had to follow his directions as a captain and thus would call him captain, like everyone else.

Jet chuckled lightly and shook his head, setting out to gear up. He stopped by supply for some rope, because hey, you never know when you might need a little rope, and then quickly made his way to the quarters he shared with a few of the other crewmen so that he could strap on his combination cutlass scabbard and cutie mark cover. He could never bring himself to bother with any sort of facial cover, however, as some did on other ships. Most ponies had similar faces. Who was to say if he was the one who boarded your ship and stole your Zap Apple Jam shipment or not? It was quite possible to have a double out there somewhere. Or a triple or quadruple.

He passed other ponies on the way back up, preparing in their own little ritualistic manners for the work ahead of them. Narrowly dodging a few of Steel Swirl's practice daggers, caught up in fighting one another while gripped in her magic, Jet swung the door to the ship's surface open and set foot into the stormy weather. Breathing deeply, he gave his wings a few flaps to loosen up as he made his way over to the helm, the air charged with excitement- and possibly a bit of electricity.

[Rarity]

[*Deleted by user*]

[Twilight Sparkle]

Silver Lining gently ushered her ship, the Altostratus, through the light and puffy clouds that had steadily been building throughout the day. The sky was still blue and bright behind them though, and they drifted lazily with the warm summer breeze.

The Altostratus had left the mooring tower at Canterlot the day before, filled with expensive wares from the city, small artifacts of social status, and an assortment of small trinkets that would fetch a good price at the markets in Gryphus. She also carried a few passengers, those who didn't mind the small cabins or didn't want to be seen in something as high-profile as a Consular vessel.

Silver didn't mind. They kept to themselves, paid their way and made no trouble. It didn't matter who they were, or what their business was - Silver certainly wasn't going to ask, at any rate. She wasn't one to pry. Admittedly, she was... curious, about a few of them. Especially today.

Occasionally, some personal requests for special deliveries came through, and usually involved nothing more than making an extra stop and being paid a little extra for the trouble. These personal requests seldom bore the Royal Seal, though. The special deliveries were seldom carried aboard and hidden by armed guards, and again, seldom was she told to stop covertly. Silver had no idea what this delivery was (she wasn't one to pry), but she couldn't help but wonder.

She reclined in her seat on the flight deck, and ponderously stared out among the clouds again. There was less blue now than there was before, and up ahead, a thunderstorm was showing the first signs of forming.

[Wolfe]

On one of the Silver Lining's covert stops, there was a package that had to be picked up. Bearing the Royal Seal and all the works. Silver viewed the loading of the box and everything seemed to be in order. Seemed to be...

One hour earlier...

"Stop right there!"

A pegasus was fleeing from a few officers chasing him. He flew, glided, and made sharp turns all around the nice and clean streets of Canterlot. Flying through alleyways, crowded streets, between ponies, and all the like. Nothing seem to catch up.

"Not today, mate..."

As he continues fleeing, more officers fly in and try to capture the escapist. They only try surround him, but none can seem to catch up to him.  Even with the officers' plan, he knows how to outsmart them. He flies into a cargo building and notices a brown, wooden box marked for transport by the Altostratus within an hour. It has the royal symbol and all the works on it. Just what he needed. He opens the box up, and hides the object in the cargo building.

"Looks bloody valuable, but it's garbage to me..."

He returns to the box and Macgyver's it closed. Officers searched all around the area, but could not find him. An hour later, the box is loaded and off he goes. He smirks as the box is lifted and dropped into the Altostratus.

"And that's how Torpedo gets away..."

*One day later*

"Goodness. I'm bloody hungry. When's this ship stopping?" He thinks for a moment and then sighs. "... Looks like I have to hijack a ship now do I... I don't like it, but it's the only option..."

[Solar Flair]

"Just in time Jet. Our target should be arriving soon." The captain said as his son approached, glancing to the colt for only a moment before turning back to the stormy view, his long blue-green mane swept back by the moderate winds.

"Princess Celestia might be able to fool most ponies..."  A large, dark blue, pegasus standing alongside Jet's father remarked. "But anyone with experience would have that itch that said something was up, seeing two such ships near one another. A dinky merchant vessel just happening to be near an impressive ship from another land, just happening to be all the way out here, heh."

"True, Main, but not even the experienced could say what without the proper intel," the captain remarked, continuing to scan the sky diligently. "It's a good defensive gambit to leave others guessing."

"It always pays to pay the right ponies, eh Captain Glacial?"  A hardened, but thin looking, seaweed colored pegasus nearby remarked, chuckling lightly.

"A few bits for the right hooves on a regular basis keeps the gambling to a minimum and the profits high." Glacial said, a smirk on his face.

Jet rolled his eyes and smiled slightly as the older ponies patted themselves on the back for, essentially, being good at what they do. He decided to take a peek through the telescope mounted near the wheel to occupy himself, and perhaps see the ships coming before his father or the lookout.

Unsurprisingly however, the high vantage point from up in the crow's nest allowed Slip to be the first to call out that ships were approaching, and as Jet turned his gaze back to Glacial he saw that most of the crew had gathered around.

"Alright, here's the plan. The ship that we're targeting is fairly small, so we're not going to be sending everyone over there. A few of our better raiders should do the job fine. Do it quick and do it quiet. Slip, Jet, Steel Swirl, and Narrow you're up. I expect between the three of you you should easily be able to get Steel Swirl over there without having a line layed. After you've been aboard a few minutes Mid and Main will get a few lines set up so we can quickly haul over the loot." Glacial recited in a tone that conveyed his experience and certainty, as well as how routine this all was for him. "Myself, Gulf, Scabbard, and Rapid will be keeping an eye out for any unexpected activity and will be prepared to defend the ship. You can't over prepare in weather like this, and with with a package from one princess to another involved no less."

There were some awkward shifts from everyone on that note, even the cool headed captain himself. All was fair when it came to larger merchant ships and armed vessels outside of other Sky Rogues, but this would be stealing from benign Equestrian royalty. Ponies not to be trifled with...

[Twilight Sparkle]

The great anvil shape of the thunderstorm loomed over the diminutive form of the Altostratus as she sailed past its walls, her decks trembling in the peals of thunder that came from within. This was why Silver flew - the sound, the sight of the roiling wall of white, the smell of ozone mixed with rain - all reasons why she would never live on the ground. There was certainly nothing like this down there.

Her mind wandered off again, as it was often known to do, and eventually came back to thoughts of the special delivery in the hold. She'd seen the box, of course. Solid mahogany, the Sun-and-Crescent of Equestrian royalty precisely engraved on every face, and expertly gilded in silver and gold. She could only wonder what was inside.

Her orders too, had been written in fine calligraphic lettering, on the finest parchment, and had even arrived in a puff of magical smoke, right in front of her face. The finest puff of magical smoke, no doubt.  Canterlot Treasury clearly had a fair few bits to their name, if they were willing to go to this much trouble for just an ordinary small-time merchant.

The Altostratus began to shake slightly, jarring Silver out of her thoughts. She really should pay attention when flying close to thunderstorms - just to make sure you don't accidentally fly into them. Oops.

She adjusted course, feeling slightly embarrassed and hoping nopony noticed her little mistake.

Wait. Now she was slightly more alert, a new train of thought formed. Namely: Why was Canterlot willing to go to this much trouble for a small-time merchant? Why, if you want to deliver something secretly, do you make it look large and valuable? Why do you attach all the bells and whistles to something that's not supposed to be seen?

Oh... oh no. She'd been sent down a trade route frequently patrolled by pirates, with something that was potentially valuable. True, pirates rarely attacked ships as small as the Altostratus, but if they knew what she was carrying? If they'd seen a big expensive-looking box being loaded onto an unarmed vessel, they'd certainly go for it. Pirates were like magpies in that respect.

And worse, Silver was certain that this package was meant to be seen.

Somepony was playing a game.

[Wolfe]

Torpedo carefully opened up the elegant box. He peeked around the cargo hold, looking at boxes upon boxes of various objects. Maybe one of em had food. He sneaked around the dimly lit hold reading the brown boxes one by one.

Pillows, Nails, Supplies... Bloody ell. Nothing here, but the pits.

He takes cover behind a few boxes, peeking for any guards, if there are any on this small merchant ship. He navigates his way around the cargo and eventually finds a door labeled "Passenger Bay." He takes a seat quickly observing if any food will be given out.

Hopefully I don't have to hijack this ship. I just need some food and a ticket outta here...

[Solar Flair]

'Alright. Here we go. Time to shine.' Jet thought, stealthily alighting upon the deck of The Altostratus behind some barrels. The ship's size made this whole procedure a lot more delicate than some would realize... there were less ponies to avoid being seen by, this was true, but there were also less places to hide... shorter areas for guards to patrol. Timing was as important as location. Luckily Jet knew how to handle this sort of thing... and he was the least experienced of this raid. Behind that crate. Wait for that guard and then a quick and quiet slipping through the door. Things of that manner.

He rendezvoused with Steel Swirl outside the cargo hold, in the central area of the ship's workings, as planned. It was almost too easy, but, then, Jet had always been taught not to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Slip and Narrow?" He questioned quietly.

Steel gave a small nod. "Should be on deck, subduing guard resistance as discussed."

"Then we just have to check the hold for our prize and anything worth snagging and get out without being seen. Lines to The Thunderhead should be connected and guards shouldn't be able to look anywhere when bound and gagged." Jet said, the pair doing a look about to make sure all was clear before they entered the cargo hold.

"That looks like it should be it!" Steel Swirl said with hushed excitement. Trotting over and pulling the lid off with her magic. Suddenly, she frowned.

"What's the matter?" Jet asked, glancing about uneasily, suddenly paranoid.

"That came off way too easy!" She replied with slight panic, dropping the lid casually to the side and seizing the box by it's sides only to look in and find it entirely empty. "There's nothing in here Jet! Something is wrong!"

Jet gritted his teeth and furrowed his brow, dashing over to have a look. "You're right. Not a thing. No false bottom either." He confirmed, searching the fancy box carefully. "Let's get the hell out of here then! This reeks of a trap... we've got to find the others and leave! No time for looting anything... unfortunately..."

The unicorn mare nodded, worry plastered upon her pale yellow face. "I hope nothing's happened to those two..." she uttered.

Jet had a feeling that her lack of wings was likely weighing heavily on her mind at that moment. She was one of the few brought into the crew rather than born into it... and she was almost as young as he was. The reality of actually winding up in such a situation so high in the air probably hadn't occurred to her yet.

"If something has I promise you I'll fly you out of here myself. But we have to have faith in them and try to get out of here all together." Jet said, opening the door they had entered through and making sure the coast was clear. "Let's go." He said with a determined nod, his positive and firm attitude seeming to rub off on his companion judging from the look on her face.

When they arrived, however, what they saw on the deck was far from their expectations. There was no rambunctious battle in progress between this vessel and their own. There were no incapacitated guards stowed away in quiet corners while their comrades waited. What they saw before them was an utter defeat. A betrayal.

Narrow.

Narrow standing alongside a few typical pegasus guards and a large deep red earth pony in bright bronze armor whom looked rather cruelly satisfied. Slip lay off to the side, bound and helpless as a guard watched over her.

"Well, well. It looks like the final guests have arrived." the earth pony announced, chuckling darkly. "Surrender now and hand over the stone and your sentences will be lighter, young ones."

"Who are you!? What's going on here!?" Jet said, holding his ground as steel swirl focused her amber eyes on the guards.

"I don't answer to pirates. Lay down your arms and surrender." demanded the red pony once more.

"Do as you're told, Jet." Narrow said through an arrogant sneer. "Or things will only get worse."

"You... you bastard! You sold us out, didn't you!?" Steel Swirl shouted, losing her composure and stomping the deck with her front hooves, her eyes darting to the thin, sinewy, seaweed colored pegasus for a moment before setting back upon the guards.

"I suppose I did." He remarked simply, shrugging lightly and indifferently. "What are you going to do about it, filly?"

[Soarin']

“Sleeping on the job again? I’d suspected as much from you.”

A slightly disgruntled looking green Pegasus opened a lazy eye which briefly scanned the room in an extremely nonchalant manner. He was met and challenged by fierce, piercing blue eyes which were glaring down upon him. Captain Ironhoof of the Canterlot guard stood proud and tall, adorned by shimmering golden armour. The plate mail stood in stark contrast to the dank surroundings of Canterlot’s dank prison.

“S-sorry captain,” the green Pegasus replied, finding his hooves in a clatter of metal, his mind still in a state of partial dormancy. Rainn made a couple of attempts to blink the sleep out of his eyes while the Captain shot a brutal glare at him. The unicorn Captain was dismayed at the sheer lack of discipline shown by this individual.

“Remind me, colt – why are you here?”

“It was the only job going at the time of application, SIR!”

Captain Ironhoof winced a little at the response, eyes involuntarily twitching. Today’s youth just seemed to have no grasp of anything. It was almost insulting. The rabble Celestia seemed to send his way was inadequate. Ironhoof snorted, his breath condensing in the cold air.

“You know what I mean,” he yelled, “Or perhaps you’re still asleep?” Ironhoof taunted before clipping Rainn around the head. “That’ll teach you to wear your helmet instead of using it as a pillow. What are your duties?”

“I must endeavour to protect and serve the Canterlot Royal Family to the best of my abilities through whatever means they should request,” the Pegasus began to recite in a monotone. “While guarding the gaol I must ensure that no prisoner escapes or breaks out.”

Captain Ironhoof smirked. Perhaps there was hope for Canterlot’s youth after all. His armour clanked as he paced the gray, tiled floor of the prison. The prison was Canterlot Castle’s least modern building. It boasted elaborate needle-like pillars which stretched upwards, as though aiming to touch the sky and ancient carved archways with varnished wooden doors – some of which didn’t sit properly on their cast-iron hinges any more.

“Anyway, colt, you need to stay alert. The plans, if going smoothly, should be executed shortly. We'll capture those pirates! They may or may not be on their way down here today. Try not to fall asleep and don’t show any signs of weakness to them,” the grey Captain barked ferociously. “That includes weeping about your pathetic excuse for a life. Just keep your eyes peeled for any signs, okay?”

Oh, the plot to get the pirates was today. Guess I forgot about that...

The young Pegasus could only salute in response. Speaking out of turn was highly frowned upon and would almost certainly wind him up in more trouble than he was already in. The good thing about ‘may or may not’ was that there honestly was a good chance nothing would happen. Many superior guards just used it as a polite way of saying ‘something will happen’.

Ironhoof marched out of the room promptly. Disgusted by him, Rainn rolled his eyes and grumbled slightly before flopping to the floor in a heap. The Pegasus found Captain Ironhoof extremely patronising. He rested his head upon his metal helmet and closed his eyes, waiting for the day to end.

[Twilight Sparkle]

Silver Lining was not a happy pony. For all she knew, she was flying right into a trap, and what was there to do about it? Fly back to Canterlot? Jettison the big fancy box? There was nothing that would work satisfactorily. Flying back to Canterlot meant lost profits and so on, and jettisoning the box wouldn't stop the seemingly-inevitable attack from the sky. There must be something she could do, aside from pacing around her little flight deck. She'd long since stopped noticing the loud peals of thunder from the storm.

"Silver-?"

The filly nearly jumped out of her coat. She hadn't even noticed her 'tamed' maintenance colt enter the room.

"I- um, yes, Rumble?" Silver said, regaining her composure.

"We ah, we got a problem," he began, "actually, we got a lotta problems."

"... Is it about our 'special delivery'?" That box was all she'd been thinking about for the last few hours.

"Ehh, sorta... but it's the least of our worries right now. We got a stowaway aboard, an' there's a fight goin' on on deck."

"There's what!?" Silver's mind was now whirling so fast she was starting to feel dizzy.

"Yup, ya did hear me right. I know as well as you do who's aboard this ship, an' when a stranger shows up in the passenger bay with no rhyme, right, nor reason t'be there, he's gotta be a stowaway." Rumble was showing clear concern through his deep Appleloosan accent, and for a pony like Rumble to be worried, something had to be very wrong indeed.

"I saw him less than twenty minutes ago, an' I remember y'all havin' a go at me fer stickin' mah hoof into things before checkin' t'make sure I had the right end of the stick on plenty o' occasions," Rumble continued, "so I went an' checked the hold, see where he coulda come from an' such. Then I see this big fancy box o' ours has the lid missin' and there's a door open t' the deck, an' ta da! Ponies havin' a shoutin' contest, 'bout five or six of 'em, but maybe as many as ten, total."

"Did... did you see what sort of ponies they were? Were they pirates, or- ?" Silver was desperately trying to figure out what was going on.

"Hay, I didn't exactly stick around, in case I found out."

This wasn't fair! She was being played with by higher powers, and was not enjoying it one bit. And with this stowaway on board, she'd never be allowed across the border. All of this was a waste of a trip, because somepony decided it would be fun to meddle with things!

 A particularly loud thunderclap split the air - and it gave Silver an idea. She had had enough of this game, and was simply not going to play anymore.

Rumble had picked up on some change in his pilot's demeanour, as he seemed prompted to speak.

"Silver? You okay?"

"Rumble, did you close the door?" Silver was thinking quickly now.

"Huh? What door?"

"The one between the cargo hold and the deck. Did you close it?"

"Nah, should be still open. Why, you ain't gonna give me an ear-bashing for letting a draught in, are ya?" he chuckled nervously.

"Oh, no no, nothing like that! I've just got an idea, is all - and I need you to go and do something quickly for me."

"... yeah?" Now Rumble was confused, and truth be told, a little bit worried.

"Run down to the maintenance areas, and bar all the doors to the hold so they can't be opened from the inside. Make sure they can't be opened, by anything. Nail them shut, if you have to. But leave the door to the deck open."

"Uhh, okay. If you insist..."

"Trust me on this, okay? It's one of my better ideas. Go on, as fast as you can!" Silver said with a smile, and Rumble went swiftly about his business feeling distinctly uneasy.

It took him less than three minutes to nail both doors shut, and by the end, he doubted they'd ever be able to open them again. He burst back onto the flight deck with new-found pride.

"Done! Now what?"

"Buckle up. We're going through that." Silver pointed through the window glass, at the wall of roiling thundercloud. Rumble's eyes practically shot out of his head.

"What the hay sorta mushrooms have you been eatin'!?"

"Well, it'll get the ponies off our deck, and since they've boarded our ship without our permission, that gives us legal cause to arrest them. They can either fly off and risk the storm, or take shelter in our hold. Now buckle up!"

"Oh! We set a trap? Why didn't ya tell me! I love traps!" He began strapping himself into the jump seat, as Silver tied herself to the control column.

"Your traps usually involve too many rotating blades or jets of flame for my liking. You ready?"

"Uh, I guess?"

"Wonderful." With that, Silver span the ship's wheel, and the Altostratus violently lurched, plunging into the thunderstorm.

[Soarin']

“Rainn? Are you in here?”

There was a slight murmur before the large, green Pegasus stirred. Rainn hauled his head off of his helmet, still dormant with sleep. The golden guard’s helmet had left a red impression on the underside of his chin where he’d been resting for the past couple of hours. A quick glance out of the window revealed a cloud-covered sky, foreboding a terrible storm. There was a notable lack of jealous pirate eyes glaring at him from behind heatless iron bars.

“Y’know if you get caught asleep again, you’re going to be in trouble,” a voice said sternly, though their voice was not at all raised. “You’ve got a reputation as it is and you know yourself that Captain Ironhoof would have you disciplined if he caught you. It’s a good thing you know how to be punctual – sometimes.”

A typical white-coated, blue-eyed Pegasus guard stood with gallant poise in front of the lazy green pony. He glared at the seemingly unmovable armoured mass, which was sprawled out and trying to ascertain its consciousness. Rainn always seemed to be tired and frankly, he had lost sympathy for the Pegasus. It was his own fault he never slept at the right times. Rainn groaned before rising from the floor in a highly laboured fashion, replacing his helmet over his brown mane.

“He’s already caught me today,” Rainn grumbled, his voice somnolent.

“You’re atrocious. You know that, right?”

“So you keep reminding me, Sentinel,” the forest-green pony chuckled, flashing his white teeth in a brief and characteristic cheeky grin.

They walked onwards across the magnificent floor of Canterlot Castle laughing like a pair of school-aged fillies about stories of other ponies – specifically those they knew of. Word spread around the royal guards more quickly than the news in the Canterlot Times could be reeled off and undoubtedly, the fact that Rainn had been caught asleep again would be common knowledge to every guard before nightfall. After all, the guards had few pleasures. Gossip was one of the few ways that could discreetly entertain the seemingly stern bunch, other than getting drunk when off-duty. When the unsuspecting pony’s back was turned, the guards would be chattering away.

The barracks were an impressive edifice, towering over the smaller, surrounding buildings which seemed to bow down in its imposing presence. Flags bearing the royal seal flapped fiercely in the strong winds, adorning the tips of the turreted towers with their noble presence.

Sentinel, who was shortly followed by Rainn, passed through an arch which marked the entrance to the barracks. The grey bricks it was constructed from were ranked, interlocked in wall-forming units which were as sturdy and emotionless as every guard should aspire towards being. He knocked on the heavy door which stood metres tall, decorated with pewter hinges which seemed to extend across and caress the door with its curved projections. A pony-sized door within the great doors opened, creating a portal from the windy outdoors to warmth.

“I’m starving,” the green guard muttered as he smelled the spicy air. “Dinner never seems to be early enough.”

The white guard, now practically indistinguishable from about forty other ponies in the room, chuckled lightly. “You’re just impatient,” he smiled. “And you take far too much pleasure in food.”

Rainn rolled his sea-green eyes in response. He picked up a plate in his jaws before having it loaded with food by unicorn cooks. Even though he’d hated his job after about a week, it certainly did have some perks. The included meals and beds were definitely some he could name. Gently, they lowered a diet of roast potatoes and other assorted vegetables onto the large wooden plate before finally adding a dessert on the side. With their focus on serving the foods, the chefs didn’t notice a green hoof swipe a second dessert.

“Pig.”

Six sets of mahogany tables and benches lined the hall from end to end, their darkness adding a cosy presence to the hall, which was already glowing golden with torchlight. The benches were stuffed full of ponies and the clang of armour and thud of wooden dishes was loud. Though a challenge, they found seats adjacent to one another.

“Guess The Altostratus didn’t pass close enough by today for them to execute their plans, did they?” Rainn said through greedy mouthfuls of potatoes. He’d removed his helmet already.

“Even you noticed the lack of pirates?” the white guard crooned, not having yet started his meal. Sentinel removed his helmet before taking a small bite at his assorted vegetables.

“Of course; I’m not stupid.”

“You do a good job of convincing everyone otherwise,” Sentinel sniggered, much to Rainn’s displeasure. “If Captain Ironhoof hasn’t got a stick to beat you around the head with, I’d suggest asking him about it.”

“All of the guards know his title carries no weight behind it. In truth, he’s only a rank or two above us. Featherfighter spread that one around the barracks as soon as he heard. That said, it’s only made Ironhoof’s control issues much worse,” he blurted out angrily at the mention of ‘Captain’ Ironhoof.

Sentinel cleared his throat, preventing the green pony from rambling about everything he detested about Ironhoof. “Either way, I think the prevailing winds may have set The Altostratus back by a day or two. They’re travelling in that direction, aren’t they?”

“Maybe they got captured by the pirates stowed on board? Either way, I’ll probably see the pirates behind bars if they get caught. Being discovered sleeping again probably means I’ll be spending the next fortnight guarding the prison. I might stay awake if I were allowed any fun, you know,” he said, polishing off the last few morsels of his second dessert.

“It’s a miracle you can still fit into that armour,” Sentinel sighed, eyeing Rainn’s cleared plates, wondering how he managed to stay slim. “I heard that if you got caught taking too many extra desserts, they’d put you on a strict diet and exercise regime.”

“Who’d you hear that one from?” quizzed the green Pegasus.

Sentinel nodded backwards to two of the most muscled, burly unicorns Rainn had ever seen. His jaw dropped slightly.

“And if you’re wondering whether they’re the trainers, they’re not. One of them was caught taking extra desserts one time – the first time they’d done it, too. The other just got too fat to fit into their armour any more. Victims of the system, I guess.”

“Good thing I won’t get caught then,” Rainn said, casually tossing his wavy mane.

[Solar Flair]

"How about this!?" Steel Swirl shouted angrily, letting a well placed knife fly at Narrow's neck. The stallion was no stranger to a knife however and made a simple dodge airily, stomping his hoof down after the matter onto the small weapon mid flight. He was familiar enough with the unicorn to know that otherwise the knife would be making some maneuvers post 'throw'.

Simultaneously in a haze of chaotic seconds, using the magically gripped throw as a sign, Jet made his move, the guard ponies distracted. He made a mad dash for Slip, drawing his cutlass with the speed only one so familiar with handling it could mid sprint. The guard wasn't so distracted as to drop his guard entirely, but the struggle was brief and, thankfully, ended with a blow to the guard... hoof to head, knocking the pegasus unconscious and leaving Jet's kill count at zero.

"Nice try filly, but not good enough." Narrow said, shaking his head and turning his attention briefly to Jet, throwing Steel Swirl's knife at him. The attack wasn't entirely unexpected, but the lurching of the ship was as it changed directions. His cutlass was still at the ready however and the pirate managed to clumsily deflect the blow, though he was disarmed in the process.

The large red pony wasn't about to let these antics get in the way of his duty and he unleashed an angry shout, running at Jet, whose focus was on releasing Slip. The white pegasus ponies began trying to close in on Steel Swirl, but found they were kept busy dodging her knives.

Jet wasn't so lucky, taking a heavy slam in the side from the much larger earth pony, being knocked to the deck and left breathless. He had managed to halfway accomplish his goal however and Slip was a pro, deftly tripping the big stallion just as a smirk formed on his muzzle and continuing the work Jet had begun.

"We're getting awfully close to that storm." Narrow remarked with a casualness unbefitting of the situation, though with a measure of caution. "I think I'll go have a word with the captain..."

He strolled past the chaos near the door, eyeing it without too much worry, and made his way inside.

"Lazy fool!" The red pony shouted, righting himself and turning to a nearly free Slip Stream with a snarl, attempting to stomp on her in retribution for making him look like a fool. But she rolled as best she could, narrowly avoiding his hooves, irritating him further. "Hold. Still!" he demanded, finally managing to stamp on her chest forcefully, causing her to cry out in great pain.

"You need to learn to keep your eyes open red!" Jet said, mostly recovered, rearmed, and taking a shot at the brute's shoulder from behind. The blow landed solidly and forcefully, managing to cleave through the armor and ensuring Slip was not the only one to scream.

All the while the ship slipped into the storm, the dark, violent, clouds starting to become more boisterous and worrying...

"Now, captain, what's with this change of course...?" Narrow inquired with a practiced ease as he silently strode up behind Silver...

[Twilight Sparkle]

The cloud closed steadily around the Altostratus, and the effects of the storm were beginning to show. Rain began to pelt the windows and the first signs of turbulence started to shake the tiny merchant ship.

The silhouette of a pony slipped in, masked by the gloom and the noise. Rumble, the maintenance pegasus, noticed the new arrival on the flight deck. Silver was far too pre-occupied with thoughts of flying back to Canterlot, but at any rate it didn't matter if she noticed or not.

She was tied to the controls; Rumble was strapped in to the jump seat. Neither of them were capable of doing anything about it.

"Silver...!?" Rumble didn't finish his sentence.

"Yes?"

"Now, captain, what's with this change of course...?"

Silver span round immediately when she heard the second voice, and just briefly caught a glimpse of a pony standing in the doorway - and unmistakably an intruder, almost certainly from the fight on the deck. How had he not blundered into the trap in the cargo hold!? Rumble said he'd nailed all the doors shut!

'He must've gotten in before Rumble was finished...' she realised in a short moment of unusually calm clarity. That brief glimpse of pirate pony was all she was going to get for now, though. The ship was plunged into darkness by the storm, and hail began battering the windows.

Then everything went to hell.

Silver was thrown against the deck as the ship hit a wall of wind shear. The straps that held her to the controls began to dig into her waist and wrapped around her foreleg, rendering her incapable of keeping the ship under control. Rumble was shouting something, but it fell on deaf ears.

The ship was out of control, the storm was much larger than it had been half an hour ago, and all Silver could think was that this had been a really, really stupid idea.

The Altostratus bucked and rocked in the air currents, making her partially glad she was tangled up with the controls, and not being flayed by the straps she'd used to tie herself. Rumble had stopped shouting a while ago, and was presumably clinging on for dear life. She had no idea where her intruder was.

One of the windows smashed, and a hailstone the size of an apple rolled across the floor in front of her. Oh, Celestia no! This wasn't happening! This wasn't happening! Silver shut her eyes as tightly as she could, and clung desperately to the ship's wheel.

For a good while, chaos reigned aboard the Altostratus, and everypony got thoroughly drenched. Eventually, the turbulence began to dissipate, and the interior gloom began to lift. Silver opened her eyes.

She couldn't see much. She was still entangled in her straps, half-dangling upside down from the ship's wheel, in about the most uncomfortable position she had ever been in. There was one intact pane of glass left in the windows, the others were all lying in millions of bits on the deck amongst melting hailstones. Some of the glass had inevitably found its way into her flesh, and the tell tale signs of injury were beginning to stain parts of her fur a deep crimson. It stung. Holy Celestia on a stick did it sting.

Everything was soaking wet, which was thankfully washing some of the broken glass from her injuries. The Altostratus too was at least the right way up, even if it was flying in circles. She couldn't see the back of the room.

"Owww... dangit, Silver..."

Rumble! At least he was okay enough to mumble.

And Silver vowed never, ever, to do anything like that, ever again. Ever.

[Wolfe]

Torpedo kept calm at the back of the passenger bay, keeping stealthy to avoid suspicion and notice from others. He glanced from side to side making sure no one tried to get close to him or even try any pick-pocketing.  He didn't want anyone trying to take what little he had. Especially his standard issue revolver. He opened a pocket on his vest and peeked at the silver revolver, polished and cleaned to a T. He took a quick glance at the front of the passenger bay to see that a guard was looking at his way. Torpedo kept a inconspicuous look and closed the vest pocket. The guard seemed to go away after a while. He wasn't sure where, but at least it wasn't toward Torpedo himself.

A while later, he heard a few ponies talking about entering a storm.

Bloody hell, he thought. Why is this damned captain piloting us into a storm? Hmmm... pirate activity? Doesn't make sense... A bit later, the whole ship shook, throwing passengers and bags everywhere. He caught one earth pony that lost his balance and deflected another bag. He flew up to avoid some more collisions. Okay. That's enough waiting for now. Time to hijack this ship. He flew down to the door in the front of the passenger bay. After a bit of walking he found a sign pointing to the direction of the flight deck, but a crew member was walking toward him. Torpedo turned around and went past a corner.

"Stop! Why are you here? This is a restricted zo--"

A revolver was pulled out toward the crew member as he turned the corner

Why am I here? None of your business. Start walking to the flight deck.

The shaken pony turned around and started walking to the deck with Torpedo flying right behind him aiming the gun at his back. They reached the flight deck door with haste by the member. He slowly opened the door and then was kicked inside by Torpedo. He laid a hoof on the pony and aimed the revolver toward the head.

Alright fillies and colts. This is a hijack. It seems like with the bloody crap flying you're doing that you're amateurs. Now I want this damned ship docked somewhere decent with little police activity. Is that clear? He gave a sharp look to Silver, who seemed to be the captain. Coming from a ship of his own before, he could tell from her rank that she was leading this crew on a delivery, but it wasn't as strict as his previous crew. They probably didn't have arms to go against him, so he felt confident he has this crew under his hoof, such as the crew member shivering in fear currently under his.

[Applejack]

Artis was very bored of being excluded in this roleplay. She poked her small head out of a crack in the stone wall.

She was a rather small little white dragon, not any longer than two inches tall. She had been living in this strange building for awhile now. It was old, which is what made her take shelter within its walls - there were plenty of crevices within the stone structure for a tiny little dragon to slip through. But it was cold - so cold - and Artis was so very tired of being chilled to the bone. She longed for the fires that the big ponies sat around, but was far too terrified of the creatures to come into sight. In her previous experiences with the ponies she had found herself trapped unhappily in a sock, held captive by a large brute of a pony that used her as sideshow fodder and jabbed at her with pointy sticks. Fortunately, karma never seemed to miss a beat; soon after, her big and ugly captor seemed to find himself captive himself, by bigger and even uglier captors. Artis didn't really understand why, though. She never really made a point to listen to the elaborately pointless affairs of ponies. Too much talk of being angry at each other, and not enough about eating and napping.

She sniffed the stale air of the cafeteria. Nothing good to eat there, just nasty green stuffs. With a huff, she turned around to retreat back into her crack, when - did her nose deceive her? - she smelled food! Looking up, she saw a delicious, fat, juicy beetle, flying high near the ceiling in the center of the room (which just so happened to be filled to the brim with ponies). Her mind told her to avoid any potential confrontation with the brutish ponies, but her tiny, rumbling stomach overpowered it. She unfurled her little wings and took flight, straight for her target.

The beetle, realizing that it was being chased, zipped and zigzagged in an effort to shake off its little predator. But Artis wouldn't give up hope: with one confident swoop, she lunged for her prize. She felt the beat of its wings under her belly, the cool hardness of its shell in her claws. She was so excited for her victory, that she failed to notice her little left wing had stopped flapping - nothing you can't expect from a simple, little dragon with a simple, little mind. Poor little Artis was now falling, clutching her companion beetle with a strong little death grip. And with a splat, the hungry, terrified little dragon landed in a piece of pie in front of a green pony.