A few hours later, everypony escapes the temple and goes back to The Perfection. High above the dead volcano in the center of the island, the blue beam from the fountain is revealed to have pierced into the air and created a large portal to an evening sky. Seeing as it is the only way out, Korsan steers his ship. With Korsan at the wheel once more, the airship rises from the coast of Alicorn Island and towards the portal in the dark sky.  At the other end of the ship, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are tied to the front mast in thick ropes with Rarity and Sweetie Belle sitting by the collected group.

Taking a gulp of breath before facing her once-friends, Rarity turns to Twilight, now sporting a new anti-magic strap, and the others and forlornly says, “Sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen to you all.”

Twilight stays silent for a moment and faces away from the white mare, but eventually looks towards her and replies in a strict tone, “…Are you serious?”

“Of course I am. Twilight, during those two weeks when we were separated, I always wanted to reunite with you. You’ve been my friend since you came to Ponyville, and I could never imagine you and I actually hurting each other.”

“Then what was with you trying to defend that monster?”

“It was the only way I could see that would keep all of my friends safe from harm, all of you and the ones I made here, including Korsan. I was an idiot for not thinking Korsan was going to pull something like that.”

“You saw what he did at Thieves’ Hold,” Rainbow Dash replies, “he murdered that bounty hunter.”

“I know, I know, and I thought I could change that when I joined his crew. Turns out I was wrong. Look, if you’re still upset at me, I understand. I might as well just leave you all be after the disaster I caused.”

“You didn’t cause anything.” Fluttershy gently retorts, trying to lift her friend’s spirits, “it was Korsan who held me hostage. If anything, we should be glad of you. You tried to stop him.”

“But-”

“But what?” Pinkie asks.

“I, I don’t know. I feel like I’m still on Korsan’s side, and that I’m supposed to be enemies with you.”

“Are you?” Applejack asks.

Sweetie Belle promptly answers, “After hearing what he did to Rarity? No way!”

Rarity hesitates before answering as well, “No. If being with that fiend means being having to be enemies with all of you. Never!”

“You know what?” Applejack declares, “I’d rather depend on my friends to protect me and my kin then just some magic spells. What was I thinkin’? Betraying my friends and family? Ridiculous.”

“So are we fighting back?” Spike asks.

Rarity immediately answers, “No! Korsan and his crew are too strong against the ten of us. Since he trusts me and Sweetie Belle, we’ll try to distract him and the others and get you all out of this mess.”

“Shhh.” Applebloom mutters, “Here comes Korsan.” Immediately, the mares and Spike turn towards the rest of the deck and see the bipedal stallion walking to them. Alongside him is Alexander Grevious, the same stallion that casted the shield spell between Twilight and Korsan.

“…”

“Hello everypony.” Korsan stoically states, “Welcome aboard The Perfection. I apologize for this rather, obscure imprisonment. I’ve received word from the boatswain that the brig is currently waterlogged. But don’t fret, as soon as that is taken care off, all of you will be resting more comfortably in the large cells below. This here stallion is going to be keeping an eye on all of you. Ms. Rarity, please report to one of the surgeons to take care of you. Ms. Belle, please assist Ivan with supper.”

“…” Quietly, Rarity walks past the stern looking captain, glaring at him from the corner of her eye until he exits her vision. Sweetie Belle silently nods and follows her sister to the quarterdeck area. Korsan then turns his attention to the blue stallion beside him.

“You know what to do?”

“Yes Captain. Report any conversation and secure the rope.”

“Well said. I’ll be in my chambers trying to find out where we are after exiting this portal.”

“Yes sir.” As the standing pegasus circles around and heads back to the rear of the ship his ears keep glued to the mares behind him in case they want to sneak an insult behind his back.

Eventually, he overhears Twilight’s voice, “Alexander?”

“Yes ma’am.” The unicorn stiffly replies. Korsan slows down his pace in order to hear the faint discussion.

“As in, Alexander Maden?” Upon hearing that last word, the brown pony stops dead in his tracks. His mind immediately kicks into high gear as long abandoned memories surge through his mind’s eye, as well as questions about Twilight’s knowledge.

“No, Grevious. Alexander Grevious.”

“Oh, sorry. That was it.”

“Okay… I guess.”

How does she know that? Uncle Alex left my family years before I left. Korsan thinks to himself as he restarts his walk. I’m going to need to get some answers out of that wench. As the pirate captain reaches the first steps of the tall section of his ship, the massive galleon passes through the blue ring of the portal. A bright blue light blankets the vessel before disappearing to reveal an empty rolling ocean as far as the eye can see, underneath a cloudy red sky. Quickly, Korsan looks over the edge of the railing of his ship, only to see that the portal has vanished and the sea has taken its place. “Hm, figures.”

“Waterlogged?” Applejack whispers to herself.

“Hm?” Twilight sounds as she hears the nearby Earth pony contemplate.

“Shhh. Not so loud, that pirate’s listening to us.”

“He can’t hear us.”

“Hey!” Pinkie screams out to the stallion, startling him instantly. “Can you hear us?!”

“Only you,” Alexander groans. “Though at this moment, I might be able to hear anything but ringin’ for a while. Ow…”

“Well anyways,” the orange pony continues, “Applebloom and I were hiding in the brig after that whole scene in the Breach right? And while we were down there for a good while, we didn’t see a drip of water get in. There was even a mare sleeping in one of the cells.”

“So what?” Rainbow Dash asks from the other side of the pole, “Korsan could just be being mean to us.”

“That could very well be.”

“Hey,” Alexander barks, “I can see your lips moving. Don’t you think that I won’t find out what you’re all talking about.”

“Wait,” Applebloom adds, “Wasn’t it some boat-swine that told him about the brig?”

“Boatswain.” Twilight corrects her. “He keeps track of the condition of the ship.”

“Why would that kind of pony lie to his leader?”

“I don’t know.”

As Isyan walks inside the captain’s quarters, he is immediately greeted by the heat of the nearby fireplace and music being created from the automatic organ on the other side of the large room. The light beige stallion then walks around the large chamber in search of the captain to no avail. Peeking into the library behind, Isyan still doesn’t find his cousin, only a mountain of fallen books. As the confused stallion closes the door, the sound of a series of small explosions blasts across the entire quarterdeck. Isyan shrieks and ducks into the sheets of Korsan’s bed. After a few seconds of following silence, the frighten stallion pokes his head out of the bed and sees the room hasn’t changed a bit. His eyes then look towards a large wall of solid iron back near the entrance of the room, a wall he recognizes as Korsan’s sealed room for building large contraptions. Slowly, Isyan walks up to a pair of metal doors at the metal wall and peaks his head through the ajar doors. There he sees Korsan using his wrench on something hidden under a large blanket, something three times its inventor’s hefty size. Upon closer inspection, Isyan discovers that the large object isn’t even touching the iron padded floors, and is instead being held up by cables connected to some sort of contraption attached to the ceiling.

“What is that?” Isyan remarks, startling his cousin.

“Isyan!” Korsan immediately barks, “Don’t do that to me!”

“What were those explosions that went off? Did they come from this… this cannon?”

“It is not just some cannon. It’s a brand new type of weaponry, one that’ll change the art of war.”

“How?”

Korsan takes a small breath and continues in his usually eccentric tone of voice, but a small sliver of aggression is still present. “So, you know how my crossbow fires metal bolts with speed and power?”

“Yeah, only you have a terrible shot when it comes to moving targets. Heck, you don’t even count your shots.”

“Well this is going to solve those two problems for me, by removing the limitations of the pony body.”

“How?”

“Well, using bits and pieces from my organ, this weapon will emit a unique frequency that bounces off of what’s in front of it and reflects those frequencies back to the weapon, which will read those frequencies like my mechanical suit to my muscles. By continuously doing this, the weapon will know what’s moving in front of it, and shoot it to bits without missing a shot or running out of metal bolts.”

“...Huh?”

“Oh, you’ll see. So, why do you barge in here once again dear cousin?”

“First off,”

“Oh boy, another list…”

“Do you even know where we are? Or have you been too busy playing with your toys?”

“Of course I know where we are. We’re just outside the Breach, I checked my devices and maps just after we got through the portal. It was a decent idea of the makers of the fountain to create an escape route that doesn’t have travelers dealing with that sandworm again.”

“Yes-yes, praise to them or whatever. Second off, you need to check something out back at the bow. Our new prisoners are acting strange.”

“You were just in the cellar the last time I checked, how did you know they were acting up and get to me so quickly?”

“...Ivan told me.”

“Bah, fine, give me a second. I put too much gunpowder in the barrels. I need to fix the input filters.”

“Wait, barrels?”

“Just get out of here.”

“You know, you could be handling your priorities a lot better than this.”

“I know what I’m doing. Do I really have to say it three times in one day? It’s like everypony thinks I am a child.”

“Bah, I am not.”

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not a child.”

“You are a child. An ignorant, bratty child, that does whatever he wants, regardless to the safety of everypony else, including his own life.”

“Quit being ridiculous,”

“No, you’re being ridiculous! If you keep this act up, sooner or later, somepony’s going to die!”

“Quel crétin...”

“I know what you just said and I am not proud of it. As your older cousin, I demand you make me captain and stand down.”

“Or else what?!”

“…”

“Yeah?”

“…A storm is coming Korsan, and you’re driving right into it.”

“Get out of my sights Isyan. I’ll take care of our guests in time. I need to ask them a few questions.”

Child.

Idiot.

Inside one of the sick rooms of the medical area, Rarity stiffly lays in bed as Lilis tends to her wounds from Alicorn Island. As painful as it gets as the nurse deals with the injuries, the resting unicorn’s mind is bouncing everywhere, trying to contemplate a plan to save her friends.

“This is ridiculous,” the light green mare proclaims as she examines Rarity’s front right hoof, “I’m sure glad I stayed onboard. What did you ponies do on that island that could’ve resulted in this?”

“…” The white pony remains silent.

“Hello?” Eventually, the surgeon waves her hooves in front of Rarity’s frozen eyes, causing her to blink and snap back into reality. “There you are. What caused this hoof injury? Another rapier incident?”

“No, no, Korsan accidently stabbed me while we were escaping a trap.”

“With his claws?”

“Yes.”

“No wonder it looks so clean…”

“Hey, Miss…”

“Jewmerin,”

“Miss Jewmerin, how you feel about Captain Korsan?”

“…”

“Lilis?”

“Nah, you don’t need to hear about me. I’m pretty much on equal turf with all of the other pirates. We respect our leader.”

“Really? Even after that day, three years ago?”

“…”

“After what happened to November and Nitin Gale?”

“…Listen Rarity. Can you keep a secret? I’m a bit nervous to tell you due to you and the captain’s, intimacy.”

“Don’t worry. Korsan and I aren’t really doing so well after something happened on the island.”

“Well, to be honest, most of us pirates don’t like Korsan at all.”

“Really?”

“He scares us. We respect him out of fear. He’s threatened to turn us into the authorities, to kill us, to torture us if we were to do something he doesn’t like. But most of us just can’t leave him like Nitin Gale and his daughter. Our lives are bound to this wretched boat, this is our home, no, our prison. If you try to leave, you’ll be good as dead without many assets to start a new life, not to mention a constantly watching eye.”

“That’s horrible!”

“Shhh! There are a good number of crew members that are loyal to the core. They could be listening in on us at this very moment.”

“Sorry. Haven’t you and the others tried to rally against him?”

“We can’t. We don’t know who to trust. Most ponies don’t even know I’m against him. And even if we did know, Korsan and his closest followers would destroy us if we’d ever rebel. He’s just too powerful. However, I’ve heard of this group of fellow crewmembers, Faction that is going to take action soon and overthrow Korsan.”

“I’ve heard of Faction, but I thought it was just gossip.”

“It might be, but it may be our only chance at freedom from that insane creature.”

“Who’s the leader? Any ideas?”

“No clue, but I’ve heard that he’s studied Korsan for a good long time and knows exactly when to strike.” Suddenly, a loud thud ruptures from the floor below the two mares, causing the two ponies to leap in surprise.

“Was that coming from the brig?”

“So what now?” Spike asks, still tied to the mast with the other prisoners.

“I think we just need to wait.” Applejack replies.

“We should come up with a backup plan.” Twilight responds. “Rarity might not be able to pull it off with only Sweetie Belle to work.”

Rainbow Dash asks, “What can we do? There’s only eight of us and we’re all tied together to this wooden pole.”

“I don’t know what we can do, but I know some ponies that can do something.”

An idea strikes the baby dragon’s mind as he looks over to the princess and asks, “Am I thinking what you’re thinking?”

“Yep.”

“We should get Alexander to go get Korsan.”

“That might be possible for now.”

The group of ponies slowly turn their attention to Pinkie Pie, who is continuously talking with the suffering blue stallion beside her. “Rainbow Dash told me all about it! The final battle between Daring Do and Captain Cutlass Cornelius was the best moment in all of the Daring Do books. The two were on this ship, in a storm, both about to fall off into the raging waters below. And when all seemed lost, it’s revealed that Daring Do’s mother is-”

“Pinkie!”

“What? You want to say something to Alex?”

“No, I haven’t read up to that point yet. Spoiler alert.”

“Oh.”

“But since you’re done, I would like to say something to Alexander. I need him to bring Korsan over here.”

“Do don’t need to.”

“What? Why?”

“He’s coming already.”

“What?” The mares and Spike snap their heads over to the main deck and see the tall stallion approaching them once more. By his side

now is Chopin, holding an inked quill and scroll.

The pirate pegasus greets them, “Bonjour.”

“Say what?” Dash confusingly asks.

“Daft wench…”

“Hello.” Twilight coldly replies. Her face immediately turns into a stone scowl as she and the pirate make eye contact.

“Ms. Sparkle, her accomplishes, I’ve been hearing that there’s some strange activity going on between you all. Alexander, want to clarify?” The stallion’s eye then shifts to his crew member clutching his ears and rolling on the wood deck. “Alexander?”

“We haven’t been doing anything. We’ve just been sitting around with this rope tightly wrapped around us.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Hm…”

“What do you want now?”

“Very well then, since you’re so eager and all, I’ve been needing to ask you a few questions.”

“…” Immediately, Twilight’s lips become stiff. Her only response is simply a burning glare into her enemy.

“When have you come across the name, ‘Alexander Maden’?”

“…”

“What was that vessel you and the others were on in the Breach?”

“…”

“Where did you even find it?”

“…”

“How did you even know where the Breach is, let alone suspect me to be there?”

“…”

“Oh come on, you have to cooperate. I require answers from you. Now please,”

“Why?”

“Hey, I’m asking the one asking the questions here. Now please-”

“Why should I have to answer to you?”

“Why should you not? Do you want something?”

“I want out of this prison and taken back home.”

“Oh, you’ll be taken home alright. But not until I get some answers from you.”

“I’m not going to comply with monsters like you.”

“Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, please, just answer some questions for me.”

“…”

“Twilight?”

“…”

“Not the silent treatment again.”

“…” Now frustrated with the stubborn mare, Korsan steps back and takes a deep breath. With his hooves massaging his tired cheeks, he looks towards the other prisoners, all giving him a silent glare.

“It’s best to assume that none of you are talking as well?”

“…” Silently, the pirate captain walks towards the bowsprit and looks out to the endless sea ahead of him. With Twilight facing directly at him, Korsan begins to speak in a tone as if they’re the only two ponies in a thousand kilometres.

“Have you ever stood and stared at it, marveled at its beauty, its innocence? Billions of ponies just living out their lives, oblivious. Did you know that the earliest of our species lived what was a world only lived upon by alicorns, no unicorns, no pegasi, no Earth ponies, where none suffered, where everypony was happy? Though, this is mostly dependent on theory and may be completely false, but I have seen enough to believe that this prehistoric world existed, thriving with these beautiful creatures. They had reached the pinnacle of technology, magic, and knowledge of this world, thousands, maybe millions of years before our time here. It soon became a disaster though, when ethics came into question. You see, sometimes, certainly unlucky ponies are born into these inferior bodies, ones that could not use magic, and although the time’s advance magic would occasionally fix the problem, there grew a backlash in regards to identity and other preachy stuff like that. Birth defections and mutations became the norm, which would require that the great ancients had to dummy down their works for these ponies. Centuries pasted, and the numbers of the unicorns, the pegasi, and the Earth ponies, rapidly outweighed the alicorns. And as the majority died, so did all of their rich culture and advancements in everything, all forgotten. But I believe that as a collection of sub-species to the alicorns, we define our reality through progress, and there could be a chance to recapture the glory of the ancient alicorns. But, I’m afraid that the numbers are vastly too slim with the presence of pegasi and Earth ponies. Which is why I desire to redesign the world, to have everypony be closest to their ancestors by having the ability to perform magic and later simply grow our own wings and power, to reach the peak of our global civilization. I say our global civilization because it truly does involve all of us ponies, even a small remaining faction of this old world would cause civil unrest between us and destroy the genetic tree I plant. Evolution in sense, Twilight, evolution, like the dinosaur. Once great beasts, now degraded into tiny mammals that now call these greats monsters. Look out that window that is your self-designed barrier. They lost their time. You had your time. They deserve the future as is their world, Twilight. The future is their time.”

“…”

“I'd also like to share a revelation during my time travelling the world and gathering knowledge as a pirate. It came to me when I tried to classify you and your troop as a type of heroes. I realized that you're not like most heroes. Every hero I’ve encountered that has tried to stop me always followed some type of trope, or process. Strategic planning, getting bigger ships, rallying an army, ways to somehow, but always failing, to stop me. But you girls, and dragon, do not. You just keep coming at me headfirst, again and again, losing ponies and vitalities, until every resource is consumed. It’s insanity really when you think about it. Do you know the definition of insanity? Insanity is doing the same maudire thing over and over, and expecting a different result each time. You hold a strong bond with your beliefs of equality, but ultimately succumb to the grim reality once I get my point to you, not like those other heroes that either keep their thick skull, or flat out join me. Such heroes that fit you are only spoken of in fantastic folklore and fairy tales, not really expected to be real. However, there is another type of pony on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A villain. Villains always attack persistently, yet are always foiled by the heroes, and perhaps even have a change of heart and join them. They are often insane, often defy goodness for all, and are just mean overall. Sound familiar? You are the villains. We are the heroes.”

“…”

“Can you hear me, Twilight? You must be, I can see it in the twitching of your ears. I'm going to be honest with you. I hate this world, this innocence, this prison, this reality, whatever you want to call it. I can't stand it any longer. It's the smell, if there is such a thing. I feel saturated by it. I can taste the stink of obliviousness. And every time I do I feel I have somehow been infected by it. It's repulsive, isn't it? I must get out of here. I must get free and in this mind is the key, my key. Once this world is reformed and I get my desires granted, there will be no need for this crusade, don't you understand? I need you to help me. I have to fix everything, to restore peace and true equality, and you have to help me. The world will not merely listen to some mere criminal pegasus, they need a celebrity to endorse the message. You're going to tell the world that you stand by my side or you and your friends are going to die. Do you get the picture, or are you just going to fight?”

“…”

“Why, Princess Twilight Sparkle? Why, why? Why do you do it? Why, why stay adamant? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than your survival or this false logic you still believe in? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know at this point? Is it freedom of resistance? Or spite? Perhaps to form some peace with yourself? Could it be for love? Illusions, Twilight Sparkle. Vagaries of perception, that all is good and fair with your world. Temporary constructs of a these modern ponies’ bleak intellect, trying desperately to justify an existence that is without true logic in its balance. And all of them as exposed as the true reality itself, although... only an inferior pony mind could invent something as insipid as this innocence to hide it. You must be able to see it, Twilight. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Twilight Sparkle? Why? Why do you persist?”

“…”

“Just tell me! You persist in staying your lip tied. For what reason?  I put your life in peril. I put your friends’ lives in peril. I have made myself clear that I am losing my patience with you Twilight Sparkle. And for what?! You still stay stiff. Why? What do you have to gain? I have made my point clear to you. I stand upon the higher ground of knowledge. I am your only answer to your questions. Yet you still continue this? Are you daft? Is that what it is? If so, then you are a disgrace to your now kind. But if it isn’t, then whatever childish game you are playing must come to an end. Just tell me. Just tell me!”

“…” Rapidly escalating in fury, Korsan grabs the mare by the chest and slowly lifts her up against the mast, causing the rope wrapped around her neck to tighten. Soft gags burst from the princess.

“Tell me!”

“Twilight!” The other prisoners exclaim. However, the purple pony remains silent.

“You’re nothing but a pathetic bar wench to me if you keep this up! You hear me? That’s all the rest of the world is going to hear of you when I’m the one that takes your voice! This is your final chance Princess!”

Twilight hesitates and coughs for a moment before finally responding, “…Fine. You want me to talk so badly? So be it. No, how about I join your crew?”

“Seriously?”

“Serious enough to write a declaration to back home,”

“Good!” The brown stallion carelessly drops the mare onto the wooden floor and walks to Chopin. “Chopin, write this as a letter to Princess Celestia of Equestria.”

“You know what? How about we make this more official? Give the quill and paper to Spike, the dragon. He’s my number one assistant and I always trust him to send my letters to the princess.”

“So be it.” The mine hovers the writing objects in front of the dragon, which Spike grabs with his restrained claws. “Chopin, loosen Mr. Spike’s arms, carefully.” With a flick of his white horn, the rope around Spike’s arms loosen, and he is now able to position the quill properly onto the scroll. “Now Twilight, as long as the words that come out of your mouth confess the truth,”

“I could never imagine doing otherwise.”

“Now, sing!”

With Spike already beginning to write, Twilight says what Korsan wants to hear, “Dear Princess Celestia, there is no hope for you now. I have taken to the side of the great, no, the fantastic, Captain Korsan Maden. I have been proven wrong, so greatly wrong. What he says is true, that all unicorns are superior to any Earth pony or pegasus. As of this moment, I support in the brilliant captain’s campaign to wipe out all pegasi and Earth ponies from this world. If we are to ever cross paths, may the worst come of it if you are to rebel. I shall see to it personally that you are dealt with if you are to conspire to a resistance of any form. Farewell Celestia, may we have mercy on your soul. The Ex-Princess, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Yes!” As Korsan walks up to Spike to retrieve the letter, the dragon immediately breathes his green fire onto the scroll. In an instant, the paper vanishes before the captain’s eye. “What was that for?!”

“The letter has been sent to Celestia. Spike’s fire is magic.”

“At least give me time to look at the scroll and check for typos or something.”

“No need. I know that Spike never fails to write the perfect letter.”

“…Very well then, I might have to take your word for it.”

“Twilight! Spike!” the surrounding mares kick and scream out, “What are you doing?!”

“Joining the winning team, that’s what.”

“No!”

“Ha, ha! Now, with an alicorn princess at my side, I shall be unstoppable!” As the now giddy pirate jumps up and down with joy, the sail above his head suddenly drops on top of him and the ponies surrounding him. Blinded by the massive black sheet, Korsan trips on the cloth and falls onto the wooden floor with a brutal smack to his jaw. “What in blue blazes is going on?” Clawing his way through the fallen sail, Korsan rips the fabric and escapes. Long glowing chains then rapidly charge at him. They wrap around the confused captain and levitate him up into the air. His legs become bound tightly to his torso, his lungs and throat collapse from the tightness of the metal cables, and his head begins to lose blood pressure and becomes lightweight in seconds.

“What’s going on?” Alexander screams from under the cloth alongside the other muffled mares and Spike. Using a small knife on him, Chopin manages to dig out of the sail, only for an unseen figure to attack him from behind and attach an anti-magic strap around his horn. More chains follow from behind the neighboring mast, wrapping up the mine and dangling him from a beam of the front mast. Menacing chuckles sound off around the flailing pirate captain.

“Gah! What’s the meaning of this?!”

A familiar stallion’s voice replies, “Captain Korsan Arasinda Maden…” With his eye darting everywhere, Korsan looks around and sees the source of the voice approaching him. Although the pony is wearing a black hood over his head, Korsan notices the tailcoat suit being worn.

“You…”

“Who?” The hooded stallion is soon joined by ten other ponies, all also wearing cloaks.

“Ryan Aran, Butch Taylor, Maria Vanshwitz, Clara Rosebud, Lazarus Lazuli, Jack Cauld, Fawnswa, Salty Bob, Anton Chugs, Blackgate Beardsworthy,” One by one, the ten surrounding ponies take off their hoods, revealing themselves to be the ponies that Korsan predicted.

“And what about me?”

“…Isyan Maden.”