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"Hey, Twilight?" I knocked upon her door, bearing a tray of food.

I waited for a good ten seconds for a response, continuing in the silence."You've been hiding out or sneaking around ever since... Things were said. I brought you some food."

I listened as Twilight walked over, unlatching the door. She left it open and returned to her seat, picking a book up. For lack of a better place on the swaying ship I placed the tray on the floor.

"I've been putting this off but we nee-"

"You won't hear any more complaints from Sentry, we settled things."

"Oh, alright then. Glad I don't have to confront yet another Alicorn about their actions. But you know what you were trying to do was terrib-"

"I take it Celestia didn't like you questioning her?" Twilight quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah," I begrudgingly allowed her to change the subject, we would talk about it when she was ready. "I've been doing a little too much of it for her liking. This oath thing was a big deal to her and if Luna hadn't sided with me I don't know what would have happened. What's done is done, but I have a bad feeling that I just made a nearly immortal enemy."

"She'll cool off."

"You didn't see how close we came to blows... Anyways, if everything is cleared up with Sentry I guess I should finally get to reading one of those books you brought on Gryphon culture."

"I didn't bring any books on the gryphons."

"What? But you brought a whole crate filled with books!"

"Just some light reading."

"Oh gods I'm screwed... I told her I couldn't be a diplomat, what if I insult them somehow?"

"So you stand against your own imminent doom with a straight face but as soon as it comes to politics you crumble? You make for one strange pony." Twilight stifled a laugh while levitating a book over to me.

"Not funny." I snatched the book and looked at the cover. "Thank goodness, it's a historical text. My flank is saved... Even though I don't usually read non-fiction."

"For your information I am reading some very intriguing historical texts Celestia gave me. Who knows, you might even write an autobiography some day."

"Riiiight, and who's ever going to read that?" I skeptically replied.

...

~

A loud pounding was heard at the door, Flash Sentry's voice bleeding through. "Princess, Prince we have a situation."

"What is it?" Twilight sounded alarmed as I opened the door for him.

"We have a ship on intercept, bearing the black flag."

"Wait wait wait... Pirates? Really?" I spoke in disbelief.

"Yes, headed right for us."

I peeked out the porthole, getting a perfect view of the ship in the distance. "Fucking hell." I bolted from the room, sprinting to the upper deck, where every pony was quickly assembling.

"Our ship is unarmed and we don't have the numbers to rebuff them if they manage to board." The captain spoke to the assembled guards, specifically looking at me as if to put full blame of the pirate's arrival on my back.

"What about the Gryphon mainland? We have to be close." One of the guards spoke.

"We are still an hour away and the wind has gone dead, their vessel will surely catch us."

"We are wasting what little time we have," I began unloading my thoughts on the manner. "Twilight, your brother is good with shielding magics, did Shining teach you any basics?"

"Not much, but I think I can manage something."

"Captain, full sail."

"There is no wind, it won't d-"

"Kira, give us all you got."

"Now we're talking."

"Everypony else prepare for damage control..."

I heard a single boom echo out over the water, the noise barely registering until a single cannonball splashed down a few yards away from the hull as a warning shot.

"Kira, go!"

Our ship lurched forward, gliding along the water at a renewed pace. I could hear the cannons of the pirate vessel over the humid ocean waters as they sent out a volley. Our ship was traveling faster than expected and their aim was untrue, most of the shots splashing behind us. I could see Twilight give a wince as her magic stopped a luckily aimed cannonball dead in its tracks.

"You don't have to stop them, just slow them down or divert the momentum." I spoke to Twilight before joining Kira.

"They are turning to pursue!" Somepony shouted out amidst the noise as I forced wind into the creaking sails.

"Ha, we'll get out of this one easy. No chance they can keep up." Kira boasted as our ship glided ahead during the unwieldy turning process of the other vessel.

"First of all, why the hell are there pirates out here in the first place? Don't the Gryphons patrol the waters this close to the coast?

Second of all, why the fucking fuck does your world still even have piracy?

Third, if there are fucking pirates why didn't anyone tell me? I might just have argued against bringing a boat with no god damned cannons!"

"The answer to most of that is simple, your kind doesn't leave the boundaries of Equestria much." An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind me. "As for the lack of patrols, a portion of our fleet should be on the way.

I wheeled around, leaving Kira to power the sails alone. A grey gryphon descended into view, he wore a soaked and torn naval uniform.

"Who are you?"

"Private Xane, fresh from the wreck of the Archrest. He briefly announced, giving a quick clawed salute. "Some other survivors sent for help."

"Did the pirates chasing us do it?"

"No, that's a new ship. You're sailing right into a trap." He gave a light stumble, showing how bad his condition actually was. "I hope you don't mind if I faint now sir..." She nearly slurred as he collapsed from her wounds and exhaustion.

"Someone, look after him!" I shouted over the noise, not caring who did the task. "Twilight, do you know a spell for enhanced vision?" I asked her.

"No, but I did being a telescope for stargazing, that is how normal ponies do it." Her horn flared up and she lifted a small tube from her bag.

"Oh, that works too..." I took it and scanned the horizon, looking towards where we were headed. I'm the distance I could see three ships, one partially engulfed by flames and riding dangerously low in the water. "That must be the Archrest, but that means..." I moved the scope to check the flag on one of the other vessels, getting a full view of a white equine skull on the black banner.

"We need to change course!" I shouted to the captain.

He turned the massive wheel, straining against the ship for a moment. Everything went silent as Kira stopped putting wind in the sails.

"We're caught in a riptide, it's no use."

"But if there's a riptide..." I pointed Twilight's telescope at the waters ahead, seeing the dark shape of a jagged and rocky reef just below the surface, some of the wet shards poked from the surface, hinting at the dangers beneath. The coastline was nearly in reach but these shallows were hazardous. "Damn it, we've sailed into a reef."

I turned to the captain and was about to warn him as our ship shuddered. We slid across one of the first hidden obstacles, the hull groaning as the ship lurched past.

"Any plan, now? The captain looked to me, hoping for some insight.

"We have to abandon ship, I think I have enough magic to send everypony through the mirror if Discord helps. We are outgunned and outnumbered, and we don't know if the Gryphons will show up in time."

"Then we should start now, normally mirrors on board are considered bad luck, but for once I'm glad we furnished Twilight with one. All hooves, abandon ship!" The Captain called out, staying at the wheel to keep the ship steady and avoid as many obstacles as he could. "I'll be down in a minute," he reassured us as everypony began to swarm below decks, following my charge through the halls.

I launched a bolt of magic, "Discord!" I shouted as an image began to take form.

"You should really tone down the shouting you're starting to sound like Celestia... So what i-"

"No time, work your magic!"

"I have to warn you, she is st-"

"Just do it!"

"Sheesh, more than one pony is in a mood..." Discord placed his clawed hand on the mirror and snapped once, nodding his head.

"Twilight, go get help I'll send the injured Gryphon in after you."

Twilight leapt through the strange portal just as all hell broke loose, a cannon ball blasting its way through the hull. The ship shuddered out as countless others struck the hull, the fragile mirror forming a spider web of cracks as it was struck by debris.

Twilight, now on the other side with Discord looked back just as the image fell away into a thousand tinkling shards, the mirror on Ike's side unusable.

I stood there for a silent ten seconds as the chaos around me died away, the sound of our main mast splintering away reverberated through the hull. "Damn it!" I punched the wall and sank to the floor in defeat. A crippled ship, only seven ponies on board to protect the rest of the non-combat crew. Everyone was going to die, and it would be my fault.

"What are we going to do?" Kira questioned.

"I don't know, I've failed you. That's how it goes, in the end I'll always fail..."

"You stubborn ass... Get up before I kick you. You haven't failed anypony, we couldn't have known this was coming."

"You're right, I haven't failed any pony... But I failed my sister; I wasn't good enough to save her. And now I'm still not good enough to save you."

A hoof flew to my side, Kira making true on her threats. "Shut your damn mouth and do something then! You can't save anything wallowing on the floor!"

Flash sentry walked over and held out a hoof. "No matter if your reasons were due to past guilt or not you have already saved Equestria once, and as you have fought for our sake so shall we fight for yours." I took his hoof, pulling myself up. "Your orders?" Sentry asked.

I shook my head, running a hoof through my mane. "First the gryphon... Somepony make sure she is tended to."

"That won't matter if we can't fight them off."

I frantically searched my mind, trying to come up with some sort of plan. "Come on... Think Ike."

"The pirates will be upon us any minute."

"No, they have to sail through the reef to get us, if they don't want to end up stuck they are going to have to take it slow."

"Why would they even bother, they could just sink us?"

"Unarmed, large vessel... We look like a cargo ship, and they stopped firing after one successful volley. What's a pirate want? Money."

"Not to be harsh, but we still need a plan. Can we just abandon ship and let them have it?"

"No, the currents here would drown any earth or unicorn ponies... There has to be another way. Money... money is the key. I'll let them sate their greed by surrendering myself as a bargaining chip. I'll let them know Equestria will pay a ransom for me as long as they let everyone else go."

"Ike, there has to be a better way!" Sentry objected to my planning.

"No, this is the only plan I have with the smallest possible casualties."

"You ass, you're an Alicorn! You should be flying away already, it's the duty of the guard to prote-"

"No, not this time Kira. As a friend... I ask you to allow me this. Let me save as many lives as I can, I wouldn't want to live forever as a monster willing to leave his friends to die."

~~

I flew my way from the deck of our ship, heading towards the slowly approaching pirate ship.

"I demand an audience with your captain!" I shouted in the royal voice, the noise echoing off the water.

"Bloody hell, he's an Alicorn." The captain looked through his telescope at the rapidly approaching Ike. His crew was a strange mix of mostly earth ponies, but there were a few unicorns and pegasi, even a few gryphons.

"No, e' can't be an Alicorn, I hears Equestria only as' females." Another pirate mumbled.

"Clear the deck!" The captain shouted and a semicircle appeared for Ike to land in.

I alighted on the dirty wooden boards, the foul smell of filth and disease wafted to my nose. "Captain, have you heard of the power an Alicorn can wield? Stronger than any magic known to a unicorn..." As I spoke I allowed magic to bleed out of me, lighting the signature silver and blue flames around my form.

"Ayed' be ready to put an end to the myth that yer' kind be immortals..." The captain spat, and grabbed a sword from one of his men.

"Ah, ah, ah. You haven't even given me a chance for negotiations... A captain should be more astute when money is on the line."

"What money do ye speak?"

"My vessel is not a trade ship as you seemed to believe, it was a diplomatic vessel. You won't find much other than supplies for the journey. But, I can promise you a grand ransom if you allow the crew safe passage to land."

"What say ye' to us taking the money now!" The captain approached one step and the circle lightly constricted.

"We don't have any money now, the ransom is for me. I will allow you to take me prisoner on the condition that every single member of my crew lives."

~

"Kira, we can't just let him do this!" Sentry hissed as he saw Ike land on the enemy ship...

"It's too late for second guessing now, but do you remember the story of Ike and the hydra?"

"Yes, it hasn't been that long since the event."

"He dove into that fight, knowing it would be his last. He was so willing to sacrifice himself, even if it was just a distraction to allow the people of Ponyville time to flee, but those who cared for him came back to help."

"But by the time help arrives it could be too late."

"Come with me." Kira spoke to him. "I have my own plan."

Author's Note:

As always, thanks for reading!

Quick little plot moving chapter, I can personally say next chapter will be a lot more 'fun'... if you know what I mean.