The trip down the ladder was much faster than the one up. All she had to do was slide down the side handles of the ladder at the cost of some friction burns. Silver burst into the engine storage bay and grabbed her three, shortened muskets. After slinging them onto her back and making sure each had a shot loaded already, she started back to the door before stopping at the armor wrack. She dropped the muskets and threw on a chainmail shirt as several loud explosions through the ship to the left.

She didn't have time for much else, she tossed neglected a helmet and re-holstered her rifles on her back and started the journey back up the stairs to the deck. The ship listed with another series of explosions nearly throwing Silver to the floor. The sound of shouting and rifles going off filled the air. Silver burst onto the deck to see around forty five changelings in red armor fighting the troops on deck with axes.

Silver looked to her left and saw the changeling ship now line abreast with them as the cannons let out a powerful blast in their direction. She could see dozens more changelings buzzing around the ship where Pegasi attacked with Lightning Lances and Thunder Storm Rifles. Silver drew one of her muskets and lined up with a changeling that was about to decimate a young soldier. She squeezed the trigger and the creatures head exploded in a shower of green blood. The earth pony stammered to his hoofs and grabbed his lance to keep fighting.

Looking across the ship, Ephialtes performed the most dazzling display of martial arts that no creature could possibly mimic. He moved like he was born to fight; like it was hard wired into his being. The same went for Thunder Clap. Every shot he took was a direct hit. He never missed a shot while other doing similar shots missed all together. Silver couldn't let this distract her, she reloaded the rifle as fast as she could, around thirty seconds. Thank Faust she stared using blasting caps instead of powder in a pan to set off the powder in the chamber.

She cocked the hammer back and searched for a target that wouldn't yield collateral damage. She heard a screech behind her that would turn anypony's blood cold. But Silver wasn't anypony. She dropped to the ground and simultaneously rolled over to see a changeling trying to dive on her. The Changeling landed right on the barrel as she pointed it up and stopped on its armor. She pulled the trigger and a muffled bang caused the insect pony to hop up a few inches and start bleeding on her.

She threw the changeling off and used the stock of her musket to bash its brains in. Just as she forced the small stock of her musket out of the changeling's head, something slammed into the ship around the middle. She was thrown to the ground and onto the changeling she just killed. She got up fast and saw Nexus getting up dazed with his wings spread and his helmet missing. From where he landed on the left side of the ship, a line of broken boards went to the right. Silver followed the broken boards and caught a glimpse of Chrysalis in dark red armor fly in at full speed. Nexus got up to all four and took the full brunt of the hit as she carried him back to their ship in a twisting struggle.

She wasn't kidnapping him, she was trying to kill him. Silver watched as Nexus slammed her into the hull of her own ship. The two disappeared inside. White Knight suddenly landed at the helm out of breath and covered from head to tail in spatters of green blood.

"White Knight!" Silver called to him as she ran up the stairs.

"What?"

"How much can you carry when you're flying?"

"I don't know, why?"

"I need to get onto that ship."

"Say no more."

White flew up and put his hoofs under her forelegs. He lifted her off the deck and started towards the changeling ship as she started reloading. Before they can even reach the ship, Nexus and Chrysalis burst through the top deck of the ship as Nexus kicks her into the bridge. Nexus then wheeled around and started fighting off changelings that were just coming at him. He stabbed into them with his blades fast and efficient. He moved as smoothly as Ephialtes, if not smoother. Silver took aim and fired a single shot at the group. The bullet passed through one head, another's chest and embedded itself in a thirds left hind leg. Nexus shoved them all back and looked to assess what just cause the damage.

After seeing Silver, he took a bolt of green magic to his back. His armor shattered and he was thrown across the deck to the bow. Silver was just over the deck when Knight dropped her. She threw her unloaded rifle to the side but still on the ship and drew another. She fired a shot at the closest changeling and the bullet killed two for one. The shots and clanging metal behind her was getting louder as more changelings were added to the mix.

Not having time to reload or even change weapons, Silver started using her current rifle like a club. Swinging in wide arcs, using the metal barrel as the head to hit them with. Nexus was lying unconscious on the deck twitching in pain. Silver threw her rifle and watched as it knocked over several changelings. This gave her time to draw her other musket and fire its shot quickly into another line of changelings.

She was quickly starting to get overrun by changelings. Her swings were getting less and less effective. The creatures would keep their distance until there was an opening that she would quickly try to close. A changeling suddenly caught her off guard and tackled her to the ground. She turned around in time to see the changeling open its mouth and prepare to bite down on her neck.

Before it could bring its head down, a red bolt of magic slammed into the insect pony's head and splattered the brain matter onto its comrades. More around her were slashed in the neck by lances. She quickly got to her hoofs and found Orion, Hestaria and White Knight fighting off the changelings. Even Nexus had managed to get up and fight Chrysalis. Silver drew her last rifle and took aim at Chrysalis. Just as she squeezed the trigger, a changeling slammed into her and sent the bullet into the floor boards. Silver landed a solid punch to the changeling's jaw and followed up with her using her musket as a club.

Swing after angry swing, a pile of changelings remain around them. The rest lie limp on the Lifeline or float away in the ocean far below. Nexus was thrown back by Chrysalis and into the small group they'd made. Orion didn’t let her get a chance to do anything, he lunged at her in angry rage only to be grabbed and held with a cavalry sword to his throat.

"Ah, yes. I remember you. You're the one that took of my little ones." She said as he struggled.

Nexus stepped forward. "Let him go. This is between you and me."

"If you come any closer, I will end his life before you can even make a single move. You are to return to your ship and leave."

Sliver started reloading while Knight and Hestaria stood in their two legged combat stance.

"Either you let him go or you'll be the one to suffer." Nexus said glancing over his shoulder to Silver reloading.

"Ha! You incompetent fouls! Your ammunition is far too inaccurate to harm me at this range. It would more likely hit Little Cutler."

Orion's eyes locked with Silver's as she tossed her ram rod asside. She knew Chrysalis was right. Her musket was too inaccurate to hit anything as small as her head from this distance. But Orion nodded to her and she took aim.

"Last chance." Silver said with what courage she could muster.

"Take your be-" Chrysalis was interrupted by the shot of Silver's musket.

The lead ball flew through the air faster than anyone could dodge. But the charge in the chamber wasn't quite as powerful as Silver would have hoped. The ball dropped down lower than Chrysalis' head and landed at Orion's shoulder level. The bullet passed through his unprotected left foreleg and into Chrysalis' neck. The lead ball stopped at her spine as she dropped him and started gagging in pain. Orion didn't take time to recover, he swept her legs out from underneath the changeling queen.

He reached down and grabbed a fallen changeling's ax and drove it down on her throat. The ax went through her neck and embedded itself in the wood underneath. She let out an earth shattering screech as she fell limp with her eyes wide open. Silver rushed to Orion's side and helped him put pressure on his shoulder.

"I am so sorry! There mustn't have been enough powder."

“It’s fine. Ah! Watch where you’re putting that knee!” he shouted in pain and some anger.

"Sorry." Silver said putting more pressure on his shoulder. "Does somepony have something to counter lead poisoning?"

"Lead what now!?"

"Calm down Orion." Nexus said getting over to him. "We have everything we need on the ship. Speaking of, Sergeant."

"Sir?" White Knight answered.

"Get some explosives and drop this ship to the ocean before I get a rash. Lieutenant."

"Sir?" Hestaria answered this time.

"Get Warrant Officers Cutler back to the ship and have the medic standing by. I'll get Silver back to the ship." Nexus commanded putting his hoofs under Silver's body and spreading his wings.

Silver was reluctant, but when Hestaria put Orion over her back and followed them off the ship, she felt some relief. She flew down to the water and rinsed out the wound as best she could with just her hoofs before returning to the ship. Silver followed them down to medical bay and found around a dozen other ponies on the tables being treated as fast as possible; two of which had sheets over their bodies. After her venture into the changelings hive, she wasn't effected by death as much as she use to be. After she made sure they wouldn't have to amputate anything from Orion, she spotted Thunder Clap across the way with bandages around his neck and left foreleg.