Ch. 7: Time To Be Awesome

On the ship, the team was doing their best to sneak under the gaze of the birds, but obviously, Rainbow was disgusted by something one of them did.

"Whaddaya think, Twilight?" asked Applejack. "Should we just... ask 'em to take us?"

"I wouldn't chance it," said Sonic. "Last time we trusted someone this far out, he tried to sell us to square a debt." Just then, a crate from above them was moved, exposing them. They all gasped in fear.

"Hey guys!" said the bird who revealed them. He was green and his right hand was gone and in its place, was a brass-plated stump. "Come check this out!"

"Looks like a pack of stowaways," said another. He seemed like a macaw of some sorts with an eyepatch over his right eye.

"What are we s'posed to do with 'em?" asked a third. She was rather fat and had pink feathers. The last one, an obviously mentally handicapped bird with a metal beak, stuck his head in and squawked.

"I think we tie 'em up!" said the first, making Applejack gasp.

"Nah! We clip their wings!" said the third, making Rainbow growl.

"Nah. We scar 'em…" said the second, making Rarity yelp. "Emotionally…" That last comment made Fluttershy cry a bit.

"I can handle anything you got," said Sonic, moving for his swords. "How 'bout something different?"

"Wai-wai-wai-wait!" said the second, turning. "What say the book, Captain Celaeno?" Then up walked a fifth bird with a metal boot on her left claw and a peg leg for her right. She had white feathers mostly, but then large green feathers falling from her head under a black bandana. In her hands was a large book with the Storm King's sigil on it, which she then opened.

"Storm King's rulebook says, 'Throw them overboard'," she said.

"Huh?" the ponies asked.

"Yeah, that's okay, let's go with the scars," said Sonic, a bit scared. He had looked over the side when no one was looking and saw they were right over the ocean, and he had told the others he didn't know how to swim. The second bird pulled down on a loop of rope and a long plank stuck out from the ship. The parrots moved in to grab the team as Sonic started to draw one sword. Then out of nowhere, a clock struck noon and a whistle blared.

"All right! That's lunch!" called the captain and before any of the others could think, they were sitting at a table with bowls of disgusting birdseed slop in front of them.

"What?" asked Twilight. The crew just kept right on eating. Rainbow Dash and Sonic looked around the table, obviously stupefied.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa," said Rainbow. "So you were about to toss us overboard, and you stopped for a lunch break?" Twilight looked over at her with a sour look on her face.

"What?" asked Sonic. "Cmon Twilight, doesn't this seem weird?"

"Storm King only allows one break a day for meals, then it's back to haulin' goods," said Boyle, the handless bird.

"So you're delivery guys?" asked Spike.

"And gals," said Celaeno, tugging on her shirt collar. "These uniforms aren't exactly doing us any favors."

"Then can you 'deliver' us to Mt. Aris?" asked Twilight hopefully, levitating up a map.

"Sorry," said Celaeno. "We do what the Storm King orders or we suffer his wrath." Then she dropped the Storm King's rule book on the table.

"Right," said Twilight bitterly. "Still going overboard."

"Eh, it's nothing personal," said Lix Spittle, the ship's cook. "Pudding?"

"There's pudding?" asked Rarity. Then a dish slid in front of her and was instantly filled with the same birdseed slop as usual. "Aw."

"Waltzed right into that one, Rarity," said Sonic, pulling a chili dog out of his quills and eating it.

"You weren't always delivery birds, were you?" asked Rainbow.

"Yeah," said Sonic. "I mean, what about before you sailed for the Storm King?"

"Yeah, we used to be much more adventurous," said Celaeno. Then she moved a poster of the Storm King and revealed a bird's skull and crossbones on a black cloth.

"Ooh! I met that guy in the desert!" said Pinkie.

"Whoa… You used to be pirates?!" asked Rainbow amazed.

"Um, we prefer the term 'swashbuckling treasure hunters'," said Mullet, the first mate.

"So, pirates," Sonic simplified. The bird beside Spike, known as Squabble, squawked.

"You birds have a choice to make," said Rainbow, smacking her hooves down on the table. "You could let some cloven-hooved Storm King tell you how to live your lives, or…" Then she swooped up and ripped the poster in front of the flag down. "You could be awesome again!"

"Rainbow Dash, this really isn't a good time for a- !" Twilight didn't get to complete that thought as Rainbow had already landed and begun singing.

Musical Number – Time To Be Awesome

Rainbow: I know the world can get you down

"-song." Twilight completed, face-hoofing.

Rainbow: Things don't work out quite the way that you thought
Feelin' like all your best days are done
Your fears and doubts are all you've got

"Eh, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," said Sonic as he started beating on his dish and the table with his spoon and hand.

Rainbow: But there's a light
Shining deep inside
Beneath those fears and doubts, so just squash 'em

Then she stomped on a flagon, splashing water onto Twilight, before moving the Storm King's sigil to reveal a plethora of the crew's past treasure-hunting adventures.

And let it Shiiiine
For all the world to see
That it is time
Yeah, Time To Be Awesome

At this time, the others were joining in with Sonic in beating the table and dishes for a rhythm. All but Twilight who had left to try and understand the map better.

Gang: Ah, ah-ah, ah, awesome!
It's time to be so awesome!
Ah, ah-ah, ah, awesome!
It's time to be so awesome! (continues in background)

Celaeno: You've no idea how hard it's been
This dull routine we've been forced to do

Then Sonic slid up with a Stetson-style pirate hat, handed it to her and slid back down the table next to Rainbow, where they both pointed at her. Celaeno just smirked, threw off her bandana and put the hat on.

Sonic: Don't let them rob you of who you are

Both: Be awesome, it's all up to you

Celaeno: I feel the light
Stirring deep inside
It's like a tale still yet to be told
(Background: It's Time To Be Awesome)

Sonic, Rainbow, and Celaeno: And now it's time
To break the shackles free
And start livin' like the brave and the bold!

Sonic busted open another chest and revealed it to be full of the pirates' gear. Boyle and the others laughed as they reequipped themselves and the singing continued. Soon the crew burst back out onto the deck, fully equipped and the rest of the team shot out after them dressed as pirates themselves. Then Mullet swooped through on a rope from the mast and grabbed Rainbow. Lix was helping Twilight with the map, and Boyle busted open another chest, revealing it to be full of gold and jewels, a handful of which Celaeno grabbed and held close. Then she jumped out onto the bowsprit and Sonic and Rainbow followed her.

All: It's Time To Be Awesome!
Let loose, be true, so awesome!
It's Time To Be Awesome!
Go big, be you, so awesome!

Mullet: We used to soar through the clouds in the skies!

Lix: Elaborate schemes we would love to devise!

Boyle: We rescued our treasure and stored it away!

Celaeno: Saving those gemstones for a rainy day!

All: We see that light
Filling up our skies

Sonic grabbed the Storm King's rulebook on it and threw it off the ship.

Sonic: So take the Storm King's orders and toss 'em

All: Cause it's the time to let our colors fly!

Celaeno: Hey scallywags, it's Time To Be Awesome!

Sonic: "Dance Break!"

Spike started banging on the crates in rhythm as the others took dance poses across the ship.

All: Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

"Cmon!" yelled Celaeno as she took the helm. "Let's show these little ponies how it's done!" The crew hauled on a group of cables and the front of the balloon opened up to reveal a bright festoon of feather-like sails, which the team stared at in awe.

"Awesome!" said Rainbow. "I knew you had it in ya! And now for the finishing touch!" Then she flew up.

"Oh, I gotta get in on this!" said Sonic as he ran up the main cable to the balloon and jumped after Rainbow.

"Rainboom! Rainboom! Rainboom!" chanted Pinkie. Twilight caught on to what was about to happen and was instantly terrified.

"No, no, no, no, no! No!" she said, but it was too late as Rainbow and Sonic had already begun their descent, with Rainbow gaining more and more speed.

"Sonic Wind!" yelled Sonic, blasting a blue energy arc out of his hand in front of Rainbow, just before she broke the sound barrier and created a huge sparkling ring of colors and a rainbow-colored trail that Sonic started grinding on.

"AW YEAH!" Rainbow yelled and the two started laughing as they circled the ship, surrounding it in color.

"Wow!" said Celaeno in awe. Twilight groaned in angst as she face-hoofed again. Several leagues away, Grubber and Tempest had unfortunately seen the Rainboom and the huge amount of color.

"Looka that rainbow! Looka that rainbow!" yelled Grubber pointing at it. "Whoa, that's so cool!"

"Yeah. Of them to alert us," said Tempest, turning to Capper. "Funny though. They don't seem to be heading to Black Skull Island."

"Like 'ha-ha' funny or… heh, heh…" said Capper, his voice gradually falling. Tempest just knocked Grubber off the helm and knocked the ship's throttle to the floor, sending the ship after them.