"Captain, our employers appear to be coming for a visit." A sailor said to his captain who was lounging at his desk.

The captain stood up, "Must be important we haven't gotten any news from them since the last moon." He walked out onto the deck and trotted over to the railings. "Ah, make yourself useful, son. Make some tea for us." The captain greeted Garren and Lacoden as they boarded with a "hello".

"Captain, you will have company within the next few days. I expect you will stop our intruders where they sail." Garren scolded.

"Aye, all this waiting had better be worth the waiting." The captain replied bitterly.

"Oh, don't worry I'm sure you'd have quite the experience." Garren replied with a smirk.

The blockade was made of 12 ship constantly sailing the same courses day and night. They sank any ships they wanted, with no repercussions. The majority of captains were brutes with their attack strategies. Pure strength. They would never work with the ships ran by more educated captains, but money kept them both cooperative.

"We saw what happened after you destroyed those griffons, Garren." The captain said. "Unbelievable it was."

Garren felt a sense of pride, "You haven't see. The best of it."

A few days later Share anchored, the blockade was no more than twenty miles away. The sky was riddled with gray clouds and the waves were more than uneasy this morning. "Get my daughter will you, Fyn?" Shadow asked.

"Of course." Fyn Cour ran off below deck and fetched Dawn and they both returned to Shadow at the bow of the ship. "Don't go on getting hurt, all right? I had enough problems dealing with you two when you walked into poison ivy." She laughed.

"Yeah, yeah." Dawn chuckled, "Dad, looks like they are sending a couple of messengers." Two Changelings were flying towards them. "What do you think Garren wants?"

"Maybe for us to surrender to him. Never going to happen. Dawn, I want you to focus just on Lacoden when the fighting begins. Understood?" Shadow scolded.

"I know, father." Dawn replied with a slight of annoyance.

Lacoden was below deck checking what she had available in her armory. "Changeling!" She shouted to a worker, "To my knowledge there should be 12 harpoons in our inventory. Is that correct?"

"I'm afraid not," the Changeling trembled, "Master Lacoden, I searched all over the ship and recounted many times earlier. We have only 11. Must have been stolen." The Changelings reached for his satchel and laid a torn red piece of cloth in front of her hooves. "I found this hooked on a nail."

Lacoden levitated the cloth and examined it, then dropped it. "Damn." Lacoden grew angry, Luckily we won't need anymore Changelings then we have." She launched the Changeling into the side of the ship crushing every bone in his body. Lacoden walked back to the brig and saw Canon sleeping, "You!" She shouted, she unlocked his cell, "Above deck now!" She ordered.

The messengers sent to Shadow had just arrived on Share, "Lord Garren has requested your presence, Master Shadow. For a conversation of some sorts. He asks you come unarmed as a formality. If you deny his invitation then war will begin as soon as we send the signal." Shadow noticed that the Changelings had flares on their sides.

"Very well. I accept." Shadow answered. The Changelings flew off and Knight Black Soul ran up behind him, "Funny, Garren would attack regardless."

"I know. You think you'll be safe over there?" She asked.

"I don't have the slightest clue." He spread his wings. "Watch yourselves." He flew quickly to the ship where Lacoden was waiting on the deck for him. Shadow felt Lacoden's strength pushing against him slightly. "My how you have grown, Lacoden."

"Why yes I have. We both stopped doing our blood sacrifices and began to accept our tragic process of aging."

"It's beautiful, Lacoden. You'll understand once you get to my age." Lacoden made a short sarcastic laugh, "It is good to see you are well." Shadow smiled. Lacoden made no reply.

"Garren is waiting in the cabin. Hurry it up." She said.

On the way to the stern of the ship Shadow noticed that Canon had his eyes on him as he walked passed him Shadow whispered, "We'll get you out of here. I promise."

Canon chuckled then replied, "About time."

Shadow pushed the door and saw that Garren was waiting at his desk. He filled two mugs with red wine, "I knew you'd come. Please come have a drink."

"I'd love to, but I did not come here to have a couple of drinks." Shadow shut the door behind him, "There are innocent lives at stake. There is no need for them to die, not even the Changelings. Or the mercenaries you have hired."

"Is that so?" Garren took a sip from his mug, "then why bring them? You and I both know we all have a roll to play in this. You see, I just want to bring you, your daughter, and that dragon of yours to Fallen Star."

"Why are we gonna reminisce? Why is our attendance there so important?" Shadow walked over to the desk and grabbed the remaining mug with his wing.

"Oh, in time you'll see."

Shadow sighed, "All things aside, you're still my friend and my teacher. That being said I'd do anything to save you from yourself, even if that means cutting you down."

"I will do the same for you." Garren took a big gulp and swallowed, "Isn't this wine like an elixir?"

"Yes, much like the ones we drank after celebrating the new year, not so long after our children were born. "

"Aye, this is in fact the same wines from my cellar. Everything else gone except for my wine." Garren laughed. "Now, on to a more important conversation. How have you and Dawn been?"

"Well, you and Lacoden seem to be doing well yourselves."

"Yes, yes we have." Garren's brows slanted, "Be a shame if you weren't around to see your grandchildren."

Shadow grew angry, "Threats?"

"More like advice. I just want us to work together, Shadow. Imagine all of Equestria bowing down to us. No others can stop us. We can wipe out the griffons once and for all. Like we once dreamed of."

"A dream conjured up from anger."

"You have grown soft for those griffons."

"I have. And it is not my weakness, but my strength that helped me do that."

"Ha! Let's see if your strength can match those of that excuse of an army those griffons sent here."

"We saved the griffons you let go. According to them you are the most powerful being they have seen." Shadow paused, "You will fall.....I think our little talk to over." Shadow stormed out of the door slamming it behind him.

"I agree." Garren said to himself.

Shadow gave Canon a nod as he trotted away and a "farewell" to Lacoden. When he returned to Share he immediately ordered the ship to prepare themselves. Then a light shot into the sky, the light light coming from Garren's ship. Storm was looking through a scope and he shouted, "Something's happening?"

"What is it?" Knight Soul asked.

"Shit," Storm took his eye away, wiped it, then returned it to the end of the scope, "Lacoden is on top of the mast!"

What Storm saw clearly Shadow and the others only saw a blur of. Lacoden had Canon next to her and he looked like a statue. No emotion was seen on his face from what Storm saw. He also saw that they were talking. Then suddenly Lacoden pushed the wingless Pegasus off the mast and mid fall the Pegasus stopped; he hung as if there was a noose tied around his neck. Storm dropped to his knees and couldn't speak a word.

Garren's shipped had its side facing Share. A flicker of light came from it.

"They can't hit us with cannons that far. Can they?" Lancer asked nervously.

"That wasn't a cannon...," A chill ran though Shadow's spine,"Dawn, put a shield up now!!" He shouted.

Not hesitating to question her father Dawn conjured up a shield around their ship as fast as she could. The other captains did the same. Waves were splitting and they got closer and closer moving at a high speed, then in an instant the shield around Share was engulfed in a golden flame and the force of the explosion knocked everypony off their hooves. The center mast made a nasty crack and it toppled over them landing on the stern of the ship. The shield was down.

Shadow used the railing to hoist himself up and he saw that Abyss was steaming toward the blockade with Aquarius and Reef accompanying her. He saw his friend Longbeard boarded Share and ran toward Shadow. Longbeard castes a spell that cleared Shadow's vision and the shaking in his head, but not the dreadful ringing in his ears.

Weakly Shadow uttered, "What..," he coughed, "what happened?" Shadow winced as he popped his ears.

"Your friends have made a weapon I've never seen before." Longbeard looked around the wreckage,"You got dead sailors, my friend." He sighed,"I'll do what I can to help all of you." Longbeard trotted around clearing the minds of the disoriented.

"Dawn." Shadow looked up and saw that Dawn wasn't anywhere on the deck. "Dawn!" He saw her lying under fallen mast. "No." He ran as fast as he could to her. When he stood over her he tried lifting the mast up but his limbs felt like they were out of their sockets because of the explosions. Seng, Aero, and Lancer all joined him in lifting the mast. They got it up a few inches off her legs.

"Come on, quick!" Aero exclaimed. Lancer quickly dropped the mast and pull her away. They all jumped back as the mast fell on the deck.

"Seng, get Fyn! Now!" Shadow shouted.

"I can't. She's hurt bad." Seng said.

"All right, well I'll do what I can with her. Go help the others. Thanks for your help, you three." Shadow lifted Dawn gently. "Are you hurt? Dawn?"

"Yeah..." She replied, her eyes flowed with tears. She sat up, "My legs are fine, dad. Just sore." She had small cut just below her neck, just above her chest. "I can't believe she did that. Lacoden."

"Was that her?" Shadow stood up and pulled his daughter to her hooves.

"She made that. When I shielded us from it. I felt her energy in the explosion."

Shadow sighed, "Good work. You saved us all, you know?"

"Yeah," the adrenaline running through her was depleting and she began to feel her cuts. "I'd do it again if I have to."

"You won't. Look." Shadow pointed out to the blockade and saw the three ships sinking the others. The sounds of canon fire echoed throughout. "Garren must've retreated. We are going to fall into his trap once we get to Fallen Star."

"I know." Dawn turned around and saw her crew still down, "I'm gonna help." Dawn ran toward the nearest sailor and mended their wounds if they had any, which she was sure they did. The hybrid Changelings were also helping, clearing debris and throwing it into the ocean.

Shadow regrouped with Knight Soul, Storm, and Longbeard after all the wounded have been healed and the ship was clear of splinters. "My children have drove the couple of ships of the blockade away." Longbeard said. "They didn't take lightly to their preemptive strike."

"17 dead and we haven't even gotten to Fallen Star, Shadow." Soul exclaimed. She obtained a bruise on her cheek.

"A team of unicorns, including Dawn, are repairing the mast."

"Klaus and his crew found, I suppose, one of your own. He was hanging on a noose made by magic. And another filly who claims to have a sister in your army, Shadow."

"That filly's name is Retina. I met her a while ago. Her sister is Dust. I'm guessing Lacoden got tired of her." Shadow said.

"I need to get some air." Soul walked out of the captains cabin.

"Storm, I'm sorry the last member of your squad was killed. I broke my promise to bring him back." Shadow exclaimed.

"Lacoden, you don't have to do this." Canon was looking out toward Shadow's fleet, "You have the power to end this. Garren can't fight the three of you alone."

"No I don't have to do this. I want to."

A tear ran down Canon's face, "I ......forgive you." Canon felt the air run against his face. Then suddenly, everything became black.