When they'd returned to the ship, Nexus was already bossing ponies around to get everything going at full steam. While Fixette and Autumn preferred to sleep topside, Silver had gotten use to being down in the heat of the engine room. She'd taken an unused hammock from topside and strung it up in the far corner of the engine room nearest to the stairs that lead to the deck.

It'd been two months since they'd left Equestria. Silver was usually busy; she had to learn how run the engines just like everypony else down there. But everyone had been skeptical about her ability to even work with it let alone her co-workers. That is until she welded a hole in the boiler without any help, Fixette reassembled an electrical circuit board that got fried in one of the instruments and Autumn Spark had given new life to the mechanical arms that pushed out the cannons on the same level as the engine.

No pony gave them shit for being mares after that. Silver took pride in putting down any stallion that thought she couldn't do what she was. Even when she hired Fixette and Autumn, every man that came to her thought she was her own secretary. She technically was, but that wasn't the point. The point was that she was better than those that thought less of her. Orion and Nexus were the rare exception to the rule. They saw her as an equal; though Nexus wouldn't have ever admitted it out loud. He was that full of pride to say it but not enough to not show it. he didn't treat her special or anything, but he did thank her for what she did a lot more than the others down in the engine room.

Speaking of others, the kid, Thunder Clap, he was a little strange. He'd come down once every few hours to see if she needed anything. It was annoying but adorable. He was far too young, but she wasn't planning on really marrying anypony. She couldn't tell if Orion had an eye for her, but she had something of a crush on him. It wasn't much of anything, but it was an attraction. He was nice, caring, respectful and not that bad looking. Silver shook her head at the thoughts of Orion and started topside to get some fresh air.

The salty air of the ocean hit her face as she breached the top deck under the massive balloon that held them in the air. She watched Thunder instruct ponies on how to use his rifle with live ammo. The red unicorn, Ephialtes, held empty cans of whatever they had eaten that day around twenty yards out off the port side as targets with his magic. The wind made hitting the target nearly impossible, but everypony managed to hit the cans at least once. Despite how annoying he was to her, he was a brilliant guy. He'd made a rifle that she'd never thought of until somepony asked for her to do it.

Unlike everybody here, besides Nexus, Ephialtes was the hardest of the crew to read. He didn't show a lot of emotions but is was surprisingly generous when he needed to be. Silver walked by as the troops, all of which were pegasi, fired another barrage at the cans and continued towards the bow. The sound didn't bother her a bit. She was use to the sound of her muskets; seeing as she was the one that had to test fire all of them.

These were surprisingly loud. He must have amped up the powder count in the shells he was using. Why hadn't she thought of self-containing ammunition sooner? It was an amazing idea that made life easier. She reached the bow and let the East Ocean air flow through her mane. The E.F.S. Lifeline flew so low, it almost toughed the waves. The hull was made for landing on both land and sea so touching down on the water wasn't much of an issue. The propellers would be pulled up from their low profile as to be above the water line but not slice the balloon that carried it.

Everything was quite on the water. The Ocean wasn't very rough and never made a noise. That is until Nexus' voice bellowed out as loud as Luna's legendary Canterlot Voice.

"Cut speed! Gain altitude now! Everyone not working on that, get to battle positions!" He shouted.

Ponies scattered across the ship as Nexus' orders went into full effect. Silver found Orion as he ran to the ladder amidships that lead to the top of the balloon. Silver stopped him before he started the climb.

"What's going on?" she shouted over the deepening drone of the engines.

"I'm feeling a large amount of changeling energy nearby and a scout on the balloon found an unknown ship coming directly at us from a higher altitude." Orion said quickly before climbing the ladder.

Silver watched Nexus spread his shining metal wings and past the bottom of the balloon out of sight. She didn't waste any time following Orion up the ladder. The climb was excruciating. By the time she made it to the top, her legs were burning with a need to just go limp and sleep. The summer sun beat down on the purple balloon. the color of the cloth holding the sacks of air that everypony called balloons was much lighter up here as it looked down there. It must have been from the sun beating down on it 24/7.

Where the ladder stopped, an eight foot square, wooden platform sat supported to the main mast underneath. Nexus, Orion and a dark red pegasus stood and scanned the sky.

"You see what I'm seeing?" Nexus asked Orion.

"Unfortunately, Sir, I do." Orion replied looking in the same direction as Nexus.

After Silver regained her footing, she followed their gaze and was astonished at what she saw. Starting to sink down to their level, a few hundred yards away, was a massive, rotting, black air ship. Two large balloons held to the ship by ropes and tattered cloth. From a distance, the whole ships would look fine, but as close as they were, Silver could see the holes of the rotting full. That boat was not sea worthy. The four engines on that boat spun slowly behind the helm as it came closer.

"Attention, unidentified vessel." Nexus shouted in his "Canterlot Voice". "You are in the airspace of an Equestrian Military ship on official Royal, Diplomatic, Business. Change your course or be boarded. This is your first and last warning. Turn to your starboard if you understand."

"Understand this!" a familiar, distorted mare's voice called back in the similar kind of shout. "You are not to pass any further or be shot down by the order of King Sombra."

"Changelings, that's refreshing." Nexus groaned to himself. "Nice to see you haven't lost your charm Chrysalis."

"Captain Nexus. I thought I tasted a familiar tone of hatred. In that case, you will die here!"

"I'm going to sink you, then I'm going to break your husband."

"We shall see."

From their ship, hundreds of small dots detached from every spot on the hull as possible and started towards them quickly.

"Ninety degrees to starboard! Prepare the cannons!" Nexus shouted down the ladder. "Silver, get down there and borrow some armor. You bring your muskets?"

"Yeah?"

"You're going to need them." Orion said before he started down the ladder.

"Level up with them!" Nexus shouted again. "Prepare to open fire and defend this ship no matter what!"

Author's Notes:

Who needs a pep-talk when the motivation to not die will sacrifice?