Luna's eyes fluttered for a moment before they finally opened, and with a groan she got back on her hooves, clutching her throbbing head. The sun was bright, and she heard birds chirping around her; she felt the tickle of long grass brushing up against her legs, smelled the thick, sweet scent of indigo spring roses in the air, and a gentle wind blew her long, spectral mane about. Luna recognized this field. She had seen it before, long ago, when she was younger, less weary. In the distance she saw a figure; he was tall, somewhat slant, but she couldn't see his face due to the fact that his back was facing her. Though, she did recognize his noblestallion's attire; it was the regalia of somepony she once loved.

Luna inspected her attire, and to her surprise, she was wearing a white bridal dress with exquisite lace. Luna then approached the figure, and she found that as she drew closer, the grass became brown, the air became damp and ghastly, and the sun darkened, the bright Blood Moon taking its place. Luna's pace quickened as she saw the figure begin to walk away from her, and she tripped and staggered about as thorny brambles began to lash out of the dying grass, wrapping around her legs to try and slow her down.

"Lothwick! Lothwick!" Luna called out to the faraway prince as a bramble vine latched onto her neck, pulling her down into a maw of sharp thorns and roses. "Please, don't go! Don't leave me!"

"I'm sorry..." She heard his voice reply to her in the distance, muffled and empty.

*

"Princess Luna...? Princess Luna? Princess Luna?" A faint voice snapped her out of her nightmare, and she sprung upwards out of her bed in shock. She then clutched her chest and neck, checking for scrapes or injuries; there were none. "Princess Luna... I came to wake you. You seem to have had a terrible nightmare." It was Vice Admiral Rummy who roused her from her slumber, dressed in his casual attire and long coat. "Are you alright...?"

Luna took a few moments to breathe deeply. "I'm-... I'm fine, thank you."

"Here, take this..." Rummy handed Luna the glass of water sitting on the bureau.

Luna took a few gulps of the lime water, cringing slightly at the faint bitterness of the tart citrus fruit. Regardless, she found relief in the refreshing beverage, and the coolness of the ice cold water soothed her nerves as the liquid slid down her throat. She took another few deep breaths before speaking once again. "Again, I thank you, Vice Admiral."

"It's nothing, your majesty, I'm just doing my job. During our journey I am to provide you with whatever you need," Rummy shook his head, insisting that he deserved no thanks for his simple deed. He didn't inquire about her dream, as he felt asking her would be too intrusive; he was already in her room after all. "I just came down here to inform you that we have crossed the changeling blockade; we should be landing in two days tops. I was going to wake you a few hours ago to give us cover for our crossing, but it appears the changelings have pulled back their blockade."

"Pulled back the blockade? Why?" Luna said, dumbfounded by the sudden retreat of the changelings.

"I'm not sure, but Admiral Pisces has got his signature intense mug on. I think he knows what's going on..." Rummy replied as he fastened his bowler hat and opened Luna's bedroom door. "When you're ready, come out to the deck. I think some fresh sea air will be good to clear your head, your majesty!"

"I'll see you outside then," Luna said as she leaped from her sheets, watching as Rummy closed the door.

With a sigh, she removed her nightgown, replacing it with her military frock coat and the midnight blue shoulder cape that signified her rank as Night Princess. She looked in her mirror as she placed her crown on top of her head unsteadily. Luna still felt quite anxious in her outfit; it didn't feel wrong or uncomfortable, it just pained her to remember the armor she once wore, the persona that had haunted her for years. She pressed her hand up against the mirror as she saw a silhouette of the dreaded doppelganger around her reflection, and she turned away as she heard terrible, horrid laughter echo within the confines of her mind.

"Why can't you just leave me be?" Luna scowled as she took the blanket off of her bed and draped it over her mirror, scoffing at it.

****

The main deck of The Red Koi was bustling with activity. Most either swept the deck or fiddled with the deck cannons, but some leaned up against masts or sat on barrels, rambling on about rumors and old wise tales. Pisces stood on the bow deck like always, peering out into the sea to bask in its majesty. The Leaping Koi sat on a round table behind their admiral playing cards, and Luna walked past them to talk to Pisces, who appeared to be caught up in his own thoughts.

"Excuse me, Admiral Pisces...?" Luna said to the old daydreaming dragon as he stared out into the distance. "The Vice Admiral has informed me that the changeling armada has pulled back."

"Yes..." Admiral Pisces replied after a moment of silence. "I believe Constantine is testing Alptraum by letting us pass..."

"I see. So then he is trying to make sure he is an ally worth supporting?" Luna proposed. "I suppose he must've funded the overthrow as well in that case."

"That would make the most sense, yes," The admiral nodded as he crossed his arms, still looking out into the ocean. "If Alptraum manages to defeat us, that would prove to Constantine that he is worth his time. And thus, he would gain an ally. If that is how it is, we must do all we can to strike down Alptraum now."

"I agree... and with the help of Captain Draven's crew, I believe such a task can be accomplished. Especially since Princess Twilight and Spike are with him." Luna added, confident in her own plan. However, she noticed that the admiral seemed to scowl at the mention of the thunder dragon's name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Is something the matter, admiral?"

"I'm not too fond of privateers..." The admiral grunted as he turned to face Luna. "No matter how you look at them, they're still just pirates on a contract, your majesty."

"I don't think you should paint all pirates with the same brush, admiral. If Celestia trusts them, we should as well," Luna tried to convince the admiral, but he appeared unmoved by her statement.

"In my experience... it is foolish to put one's faith in a pirate, no matter who they are," Pisces grumbled bluntly as he walked away, descending down into the main deck to inspect the crew.

Luna shook her head, furious with herself for angering Pisces, and she sat down at a vacant chair on the round table next to Daisy, a disgruntled look on her face. "I should apologize to him..."

"Don't, it's best to just let him simmer down. It's not your fault. He just gets a little grumpy when you mention anything about pirates to him, your majesty," Daisy assured Luna, insisting that she remained seated as she put her hand out to stop her from leaving.

" I suppose that is understandable, being that he is in the navy after all," Luna thought it out as Dross dealt the deck in his hand, giving her four cards.

"It goes a little deeper than that..." Dross chimed in as he placed five spoons on the round table. "He has a history with pirates– when he was a lot younger. Although, I think you should ask him about it. It's not my place to explain, your majesty."

"I see," Luna said as she picked up her cards and looked down at the silverware on the table. "Tell me, what is this game we are playing?"

"It's called 'Spoons'. You basically have to try and make a four of a kind hand, and then grab a spoon as quickly as you can. If you don't get a spoon, you get a letter of the word 'SPOONS'– you get all of em' and you're out. The deck will go around the table to each pony, and that pony feeds the pony next to them cards until somepony eventually gets a four of a kind. Sound simple, your majesty?" Rummy explained as Dross prepared himself.

"I believe I understand, yes..." Luna said uneasily; she wasn't much of a big card player herself.

"Alright then, let's go!" Cyro grinned as Dross began to pass cards to Rummy hastily.

The cards passed from pony to pony until they met with Luna, who was a little gobsmacked by the sheer speed of her opponents. Granted, it made sense for them to be so swift with cards, seeing as how they were stuck on a ship most of the time with nothing else to do. Luna assembled a hand of two fours, a five, and an ace, and it remained that way for the longest time. She focused intently on the cards, analyzing each new card as it passed. However, Luna became too caught up in passing the cards that she completely missed the "grab a spoon" part of Rummy's instructions. Within six rounds, Luna was out, much to her disappointment. Part of her was relieved, however, as she was quite afraid of Daisy's massive mitts slamming down on her hand and crushing it.

"Oh, blast!" Luna grumbled as she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms in a huffy fashion, watching the rest of the game with a stiff upper lip.

"It's alright, princess... it's just your first game," Rummy chuckled at the sight of Luna's disappointed, adolescent expression.

"Yes, I'm aware..." Luna moped as a questioned popped into her mind. "Since I have time to spare, and you all seem to be far better at multitasking than myself, do you mind if I inquire about your Brands? I have seen them quite often in my time, but nopony has ever fully explained them to me..."

"You don't know much about Brands, your majesty? Huh, guess even a princess as old as yourself has some questions..." Rummy smiled as he recalled what he knew about Brands.

"I do not go out very often," Luna joked, chuckling lightly.

"Alright, let's see..." Rummy thought for a moment, constructing his explanation. "As you already know, Brands affect the body of the Brand-user so that they become more in tune with the infinite possibilities of The Arcane Realm, the place where all magic comes from. The Brands are a way for nonmagic-born races to artificially gain power." Rummy and the others grabbed a spoon; all except Cyro. "There are four different types of Brands. The first group is called Cellularum Brands. Those Brands alter the living tissue of the Brand-user, but cannot alter the living tissue of others. Dross' Chimera Brand is a Cellularum type. Then there's the Tractatori Brands, which are Brands that allow the user to manipulate and a certain type of substance or energy. Stronger Tractatori Brands can grant the user the ability to generate a substance, but most only grant the user the manipulation ability. Although, a Tractatori Brand does not affect the user's body the same way the fourth type does. My Gunpowder Brand is a Tractatori Brand."

"The Brands with the most destructive capabilities are the Alteratio Brands. These Brands allow the user control over certain aspects of the environment around em'. Daisy's Brand, the Scale Brand, that's an Alteratio Brand." Dross pet Pearl as he joined in on the conversation; Rummy dealt a hand to everypony. "The fourth type of Brands are the Tradendi Brands, which cause a pony's body to embody a certain inorganic substance or natural force. Those with Tradendi Brands are a pain to kill since physical attacks rarely do anything to em'– sometimes pass right through em'. Usually, the best way to deal with em' is to counter with raw magical attacks from a unicorn or a dragon or attacks from other equally powerful Brands. Some Brands are rarer than others, and some are much more powerful than others. "

"How very interesting," Luna nodded as she digested all of the information she had been given.

"Well, there's quite a few sub-types as well within each type, but they're pretty complex. If we went into detail with those, we'd be talking all day long..." Rummy added as he grabbed a spoon frantically.

"These Brands are quite perplexing," Luna scratched her chin as she thought back to her experiences in the Blacklands. "I've seen them so many times in my past travels, and yet, I don't even know where they come from."

"Some say they existed long before you and your sister came into the picture, your majesty," Dross chimed in as he received his hand. "Maybe they were always kickin' around."

Suddenly, a horn sounded, and The Leaping Koi rose from their seats instantly, scanning the sea for the incoming threat. Luna arose from her seat once the fleet admiral ascended back up the stairs to the bow deck. "Fleet Admiral Pisces, what approaches?"

"That, your majesty," The fleet admiral answered Luna as he pointed far ahead to the southwest; a group of three ships were approaching their speeding vessel, and fast. "Those aren't Changeling Empire ships, and they aren't ours..."

"Then whose are they?" Luna asked as she descended the stairs down to the main deck with the fleet admiral.

"Goldblood Pirates, that's who," Admiral Pisces grunted as he could make out the familiar jolly roger of a gold-toothed skull and crossbones. With a scowl, he grabbed the trident off his back to prepare for a tussle, and he began shouting to his troops. "Marines! To arms! Gunners! Load the cannons and let Rummy do the rest! You know the drill! Move!"

"I beg your pardon?" Luna was unfamiliar with the name.

"The Goldblood Pirates are the navy of Dorio, The Pirate Kingdom of the Southeast Islands ruled by Goldblood Gaines, The Pirate King– better known as Five-Brand Gaines," Dross chimed in, then broke off as he tended to the sails and the ropes around the main mast.

"Somepony get the cannonballs ready for Daisy!" Pisces ordered his crew.

"They're here, Admiral Pisces!" A deck hand shouted back to his as he rolled a rack of cannonballs onto the main deck.

"Good. Daisy, you know what to do," Pisces nodded to his giantess.

"Aye, aye, Admiral!" Daisy hummed with a nod as she skipped to the other side of the main deck where her cannonballs were.

"Cyro, protect the ship! Jhettei, tend to any wounded with your healing arts!" Pisces commanded them. "Dross, use the cannonballs as well!"

"Right!" The two answered as they took their position on the main deck.

"I'm on it, Admiral!" Dross said as he grabbed a cannonball, his right arm morphing into a gigantic crab claw. "Chimera: Giant Pistol Shrimp!"

"Princess Luna," Pisces turned to face her. "Stay with me on the bow deck and try not to interfere in this battle. It is my duty to protect you, and I don't want the Goldbloods to know you are on this vessel. It's bad enough that I'm here."

"Very well, Fleet Admiral," Luna followed him to the frontal deck, and she stood behind the giant dragon, awaiting his next order.

"Turn to the south! Rummy, Daisy! You're going to unleash hell!" The fleet admiral said with his husky, booming voice as the ship began to turn to the left. "Fire on my command!"

Rummy dropped down into a combative stance and loaded up his right hand, keeping it close to his hip until he received the order to fire. "I'm ready!"

Daisy grabbed two cannonballs off of the rack, juggling them like pebbles. "Ready!"

As the pirate ships drew closer, Pisces raised his hand, then pointed at the oncoming foes. "Fire!"

"Scale: Euclid Shower!" Daisy began to throw volleys of cannonballs at incredible speeds, shattering the masts of the pirate ships and smashing through their hulls.

"Chimera..." Dross placed a cannonball in the pincers of his crab forearms, and then he launched it out of the appendage with a loud 'snap'. The shot burst into flames from the intense friction as it hurdled at the ship in the middle, and it set its tough sails ablaze as it blew through them with casual ease. "Giant Pistol Shrimp Cannon!"

"Gunpowder: Boyang Barrage!" Rummy shouted as he thrust his fist forward, causing all of the cannons on the ship to fire at once, hammering the ship on the left.

"Dragon Berserker's Frozen Javelins!" Cyro fired spears of ice from his palms into the sky that dropped down on the ship in the center, piercing its main deck and damaging its central mast.

Luna was impressed by the quick work the crew was making of their foes, who were still at a considerable distance. They had severely damaged the center ship, and it began to sink. The ship on the left had its main sail collapse after one of Daisy's cannonballs broke it in half like a toothpick. And the ship on the left, which had sustained the least amount of damage, was beginning to take on water from all the holes blown into its hull by Rummy's barrage of cannon fire.

"Cease fire!" Admiral Pisces ordered them as he raised his left hand, stirring the sea. "I shall finish them off myself!"

"By himself...?" Luna muttered as The Red Koi began to sway and rock about from the sudden crashing of waves. A mass of water then began to rise above the three scouting ships, casting a shadow down upon them. It was a tidal wave, hundreds of meters in height. And Pisces summoned it with casual ease with a wave of his hand. "By the stars!"

"Dragon Conqueror's Tidal Maw!" Pisces bellowed as he dropped his hand, letting the towering wave fall down on the poor scouting convoy, burying them within a watery grave. As the ocean settled, the crew cheered joyously for their beloved fleet admiral, who, with a grunt, descended the steps back down to the main deck.

Luna knew that the fleet admiral was powerful, she could tell simply based on the overwhelming power that radiated from his spirit. However, she didn't expect to see such unstoppable magnitude of this caliber; she was positively speechless after seeing him fight casually, and she shuddered to think how terrifying he would be in a serious fight. Not even she could generate such an attack in such a short amount of time. Luna could see how he earned the title of 'The Sea God'.

"Are you confident we can protect you, your majesty?" Rummy laughed as he stood beside Luna, who was watching as debris from the ships began to float to the surface with her mouth wide open.

"That was... astounding," Luna answered his slowly as she looked down at the fleet admiral, who nonchalantly sat down on a stool by the main mast, lighting his corn cob pipe as if nothing had happened.

"That's out Gramps for ya!" Daisy giggled as she twirled around Luna.

"You're in good hands, your majesty, trust us!" Cyro smirked as he gave her a wink and a thumbs up.

"I think I'll trust my sister's judgment a little more now..." Luna let out a sigh as the ship returned to its normal speed and trajectory with a single thrust from the fleet admiral's palm.

Author's Notes:

I thought I'd just give you a taste of what Fleet Admiral Pisces and his powerful crew can do! Don't worry, though, there'll be challenges ahead for them yet! As always, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!