Hello once again. It's time for another chapter, this time with Bullet Dancer, everybody's favourite mentally deranged chief gunner. Here we go!

Officer Deats couldn't believe his luck. "Of all the people to get stuck with, it has to be the insane one, doesn't it?" He complained to his comrades, out of earshot of the Pegasus in question. The group nodded in agreement, looking over slightly at her. She was stood on the edge of the airship, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

The A.S. Albatross was an amazing feat of engineering on the part of the cloak troops. Over 150 tons of metal, cloth and cargo, held up by huge balloons. It was designed to carry Lady Rarity around in comfort and style, high above the battlefields that were fought below. The entire ship was heavily decorated, with elegant chandeliers and statues of marble decorating the hallways and rooms. Of course, such a notable airship required protecting, and it was a great honour to be chosen to protect the ship. The future rulers of Equestria were aboard, and any attack would have to be diverted.

For now, though, it simply floated gently through the sky, carried on by the swift, rhythmic beat of its huge propellers. The sun was bright, and left the crew feeling sleepy and content. All but one. One Pegasus who knew, that if she let her guard down, the entire ship would be defenceless. Bullet dancer was many things, a good singer, an amazing wing-gunner, a crazy psychopath, but she was not a slacker.

"Come on Dancer. Nopony is going to attack us at this height. Come on, and join our game." A passing crewmember said. The game he was referring to was a classic Equestrian card game. Each player had 5 cards, and he would have to either trade or keep one card per turn, until he got 5 cards in order in the same suit. Players would gamble when they played, and it was not uncommon for talented players to end up far richer than they'd started. Another strange side to the game was that your opponents could decide what you bet.

Another thing Bullet Dancer was not. She was not an idiot. She knew practically everybody on the ship, knew their strengths and talents, and she knew that at least two of the players were talented at the game.

She also knew that all three of them were after her, simply because she was a female. The only female to ever reach her rank naturally.

It was very rare that a female would enlist in the cloak troops. Cutie marks regarding speed, endurance and strength were much more common in stallions that in mares, and as such, she was the only female trooper on the ship. Law dictated that none of the troops could have an intimate relationship with a passenger, so she was constantly hounded for her 'gift'.

"Join us, lass. We'll go easy on you." One of the other players said with a wink. She ignored him, and tried her hardest to resist the urge to fire her Gatling-guns at them, turning their smug faces into little more than mangled corpses, which she'd then…

'No' she scolded herself. She'd almost forgotten her pinkie promise, and although the pink pony would no longer pop out of everywhere to stop someone doing so, she was determined not to break it.

She'd pinkie promised to take her medication.

She didn't like her medication. It felt strange going down her throat, but the effects were incredible. She didn't feel different, obviously, but the changes were immensely noticeable. She was able to think clearly, make rational decisions, able to focus. That'd always been the trouble. Focussing was hard, when everything around you was interesting.

Like that balloon 'no!' she scolded herself again. She needed to stay focussed, needed to keep an eye out for any signs of attackers. She didn't know what she'd do if she saw any, but she knew she'd do something. Until then, it was a waiting game.

The day passed on, the sun slowly making its way through the sky, reminding everybody of the false truths of the alicorn princesses. Still, Bullet watched, and waited, unwilling to give up her task for any pleasantries. Her bladder was full to bursting, and her head pounded from the blazing heat of the sun, but still she watched. People moved around her, thanes, aristocrats, the rich and the famous.

Almost everybody, except Rarity herself, would be out on deck at some point. Her Sister, Sweetie Belle, now a popular songstress, loved to sing from the front of the ship, although there were rumours afloat that singing wasn't the only reason she stood on deck. Many believed she was infatuated with one of the workers, or a soldier, and it was why she shunned all potential suitors.

But it was still a surprise to everyone around, when she decided to speak to Bullet Dancer.