The earth pony stallion typed hurriedly on the console, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead as he worked. In front of the console was a large, sealed cylindrical chamber with six multicolored gems floating inside. Five of which were orbiting a pink starburst which was glowing slightly. The stallion's attention was fixed solely on the gem shaped like a red lightning bolt, however, as the brightly glowing gem was the only one to resist his efforts.

"Why won't you submit...?" He muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow before returning his shaky hands to the keyboard, typing in more commands. A small emitter aligned itself with the scarlet gem, causing a beam of blue light to blaze forth, striking the gem. "Come on, come on..." he muttered, his attention focused solely on the screen.

His focus was interrupted by the sound of the powered doors opening behind him, causing him to flinch and turn around just as the beam vanished with a sound similar to shattering glass. "W-welcome back, Lord Basco..." He stammered, cowering next to the console.

The figure stepped into the light, revealing a human with shoulder-length curly hair and a cocky smirk on his face. He was dressed in an olive tunic with a red shawl around his shoulders and maroon pants with shin-high black boots. A gaudy tricorn hat sat on his head as he regarded the cowering scientist. "Yo, Hakaze. What's the progress on your task?" He asked, his expression unchanged.

The stallion trembled, his fear clearly evident on his face. "F-four out of the six have been subjugated, Lord Basco. Loyalty still resists, and as long as it does we cannot subjugate Magic."

"Four, huh?" Basco muttered, crossing his arms and chewing on his cheek. His silence only heightened the fear growing in the scientist as he tried to make himself as small as possible. "That tree's fruit sure are stubborn, aren't they, Hakaze?" Basco mused as he walked closer to the console, leaning over it and reading the error message on the terminal. "Especially when one of the Bearers still lives."

A small flicker of hope began to bloom within the stallion, one that was quickly stamped out as soon as Basco turned his attention back to him. The human -no, the monster was still giving him an easy smile, but his eyes made it seem like the vilest demon in Tartarus was looking right at him.

"Hurry and finish this up, you're on a deadline. Gai may have gotten stronger, but we can't just give him the lead, now can we?"

Gai sneezed, causing his head to jerk up and bonk against the roof of the maintenance hatch he was currently in. "Gah! Dammit!" He grumbled, rubbing the spot on his forehead. "I gotta remember to dust these sometime, that or someone's talking about me."

"Are you ok in there, Captain?" Pipsqueak said from outside the hatch, setting down the toolbox he was carrying.

"I'm fine, Pip. Just hit my head when I wasn't expecting it. Can you hand me that wrench?" He pointed to the tool he needed. Pipsqueak passed the requested tool to him. A cranking sound filled the air as Gai finished with what he was doing before wriggling out carefully and dusting himself off. "There, engine maintenance checklist is done!"

"That took longer than I expected, didn't think you'd be so thorough," Pip said, placing the toolbox back in a nearby locker. Gai chuckled, "A Captain may go down with his ship, but that doesn't mean that said ship should go down easily. The Galleon isn't just our home, it's another tool in our arsenal. It's our job to know her from stem to stern and make sure she's running properly."

"Is that why you have Flurry and Rainbow Dash cleaning the deck and hull?" Pip asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Precisely," Gai replied, stretching out and going over his own mental checklist of what else needed doing on the ship.

"But Captain, we're still in the air," Pip interjected.

"Your point?"

"We're flying." He deadpanned.

"Yes, because we're on an airship." Gai said, crossing his arms.

"And you have them cleaning the hull in midair because...?" Pip asked, his voice trailing off in expectation.

Gai blinked, "Because they're the ones with wings, why?"

Pipsqueak just facepalmed, sighing in aggravation. "That's not the point, Captain, and you know it." Gai laughed at this and clapped Pip on the back, causing the young earth pony to buckle slightly. "I know, but we can't set the Galleon down without exposing her to every Zangyack ship in the area. Powering off the engines means shutting down the stealth tech that keeps us relatively safe."

"Is that why you only set us down at the Animarium?"

Gai nodded, "The Animarium is hidden by its own natural magic, no one finds it unless they were meant to. Don't ask me how it works, it's just how the Priestess explained it to me when I first landed there."

Pipsqueak cocked his eyebrow, "Priestess?"

Gai nodded and fingered the lapel of his coat, "She's the one who made this coat for me, and the one who helped convince Sensei to teach me magic in the first place."

Pip opened his mouth to ask another question when the sound of Gai's ringtone filled the engine room. "Is it another Displaced?" Pip asked, watching as Gai pulled out the cellular and read the message, his smile fading. "No, Carrot Top wants to talk again. Tell Kettle he's in charge until I get back. No engaging Zangyack until then, got it?"

Pipsqueak saluted, "Aye sir!"

Gai chuckled, "You don't have to be so formal, kid. A simple 'got it' would've worked too."

Pipsqueak blushed a bit and loosened his stance. "Er, right, Captain." He mumbled, smiling sheepishly. Gai rolled his eyes and snapped open a portal to Canterlot. "Try not to blow anything up while I'm gone, ok?" He called over his shoulder as he stepped into the portal.

"Aye Sir!"

Gai chuckled and shook his head, closing the portal behind him.

Dash tugged at the rope harness around her waist, making sure it was tight before carefully climbing over the railing and over the side of the Galleon, bracing herself as the gusting winds that had been tempered by the ship's artificial atmosphere began hitting her full force.

"Miss Rainbow Dash! Are you alright?" A concerned Flurry Heart called down from the deck where Black Kettle was helping her into her own harness, all the while cursing Gai's name for making the Princess do such a menial task.

"I'm fine, Flurry. Just be careful when you climb overboard, the wind's pretty strong out here!" Dash called back, shouting as the gusting winds tried to steal her words away. Flurry nodded her understanding before stepping over the railing and down the side of the hull with Kettle's help.

Dash closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she inhaled the wild, untamed winds of Equus. Ones she'd missed dearly in her decade-long imprisonment. Without thinking, she began to unfurl her wings slowly, allowing the winds to tease her primaries, only to retract them quickly and hold onto her climbing rope for dear life as they rocked her violently.

"It's really windy out here, isn't it!?" Flurry shouted, a large smile on her face as she leaned back as far as the harness would allow and letting the winds mess up her mane.

Dash nodded and pressed Flurry back against the hull of the Galleon, keeping her wings pressed tightly against her back. "Careful Princess, the winds out here can be deadly, and you don't know how to fly yet."

Flurry nodded, her eyes still shined with excitement. "I've never been this high up before, Sunburst never let me show my wings so I grew up as a unicorn. But then again, I wasn't allowed to use magic either..." She looked sad for a moment before shaking her head and looking back at Dash with that same, eager expression from before. "Are you going to teach me to fly? Auntie Twilight once told me you were the best flier in Equestria! You have to teach me, pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaaase?" She begged, giving Rainbow Dash a full dose of puppy dog eyes.

Dash sighed and forced a smile, mussing her mane more. "Sure Flurry, but not now. Right now, we have a job to do. You work toward the stern, I'll move toward the prow, ok?"

Flurry smiled and nodded, unhooking her hull scrubber from its place on her belt and activating it, scrubbing the layer of filth from the hull, leaving it spotless in moments. Dash watched her for a moment before turning back to her own task of cleaning the hull. A frown growing on her face.

The Rogue's Gallery tavern and brothel stood empty, as was usual for the middle of the day. All except for the proprietress waiting patiently by the bar with two glasses of whiskey next to her. Carrot Top sighed and took another sip from one of the glasses, tapping a finger on the table impatiently. Suddenly, a portal tore itself open next to the bar and Gai stepped through, sitting on a bar stool in one smooth motion.

"You're late." The mare grumbled, taking another sip before sliding Gai his glass.

"I got hung up with repairs." He replied, eyeing the glass before picking it up. "A free drink? Or did someone else pay for it?"

"The client paid for two. I took the other one because of the headache I had to go to in order to get him to spill his guts. He still insisted on meeting with you."

Gai cocked his eyebrow, setting the glass down. "This guy has beef with me?"

Carrot Top nodded, "It's the boss of the thugs you bounced from my bar the other day. He has the kind of info you're looking for, but he's got a condition before he'll tell you anything."

Gai leaned back and took a sip of the drink. Top shelf, whoever this was had gone out of their way just for a sit-down with him. "Any idea what this 'condition' is?" The mare shook her head. "None, he won't tell me anything other than he wants the Silver Scourge to do something for him. Sorry about that, hun."

Gai shook his head and took another sip. "Never mind that, this doesn't surprise me at all. Where can I find him?"

"He's waiting in the back room." Carrot Top replied, emptying her glass and setting it in the sink for washing. "I'd be careful around this one, he seems like more trouble than he's worth." This caught Gai's attention. "What's wrong with him?"

"Not sure. He's just... unusual, I guess. Not who I was expecting at all. You'll see when you meet him." Carrot replied, lifting a section of the bar for Gai to enter.

Gai picked up his drink before following her with a neutral expression on his face, stepping past her and towards the door behind the bar. He paused with his hand on the knob, looking over his shoulder at Carrot Top. "I'm not about to be gunned down in a hail of bullets, am I? The bounty does say dead or alive."

Carrot Top huffed, looking mildly offended at his remark. "Excuse you, but I'm a professional. If I promised a sit-down you're getting a sit-down! Besides," She leaned closer to Gai, her eyelids drooping as she adopted a husky tone. "If I was trying to take that bounty of yours, you wouldn't have survived that drink you're holding right now."

Gai winced. "I was joking Carrot, jeez."

"Oh, I know. That doesn't mean I can't roll with it, hun."

Gai rolled his eyes and opened the door, stepping through and into the dimly lit storeroom. The room itself was rather plain, a dimly lit affair with kegs lining the sides of the walls and shelves stocked with bottles upon bottles of liquor. The only source of light came from a single naked lightbulb hanging from above a plan, round wooden table in the center of the room. Sitting on the opposite side of the table facing the door was a young unicorn about Flurry's age with a light brown coat and a fiery red mane looking at Gai with eyes as black as midnight. He was dressed in a black suit with a red shirt, a pendant with a shard of blackened crystal adorned his neck. Standing next to him was an older unicorn mare with a white coat and pink mane with white streaks running through it. She was dressed in a gray suit with a noticeable holster under her left arm, the butt of a gun was plainly visible.

The younger pony smiled and gestured to the other chair across from him. "Ah, Mr. Ikari. My name is Crimson Prince. Please, have a seat." Gai eyed him up and down, cocking an eyebrow. "You're a kid. What's a colt barely out of foalhood doing in a meeting between criminals?"

The mare glared at him. "Monsieur, you forget yoursel-" She began, only to be silenced by a raised hand from her younger counterpart. "Laurier, that's enough. He's right, I am a rather unusual sight here."

Laurier glowered at the pirate as he took his seat across from Prince. Gai glanced at her before shrugging and taking another sip from his drink. "You seem to have done your homework, Little Prince. So, what did you want with me?" Gai said, turning his attention back to the colt sitting across from him. The colt in question steepled his fingers and looked into Gai's eyes with his own dark pools.

"Tell me, Mr. Ikari."

"Just call me Gai, thanks. 'Mr. Ikari' doesn't sound right." Gai said offhandedly.

"Gai then. How much do you hate Zangyack?" Prince asked, genuine interest coloring his voice, less so for his eyes. Gai cocked an eyebrow at him. "Why bother with that question? Seems kind of pointless to me."

Crimson Prince shook his head. "While that might be true for you Gai, your motivations interest me somewhat. Nothing like you exists in this world, yet you protect ponies and hunt Zangyack with the fervor of a trained hound. So tell me, what did they do to get you to hate them so much?"

Gai chewed on the inside of his cheek, his gaze locked on Prince's. Finally, he grinned and raised his now empty glass. "Keep these coming, and I might be tempted to tell you."

Laurier inhaled sharply, glaring daggers at Gai while Crimson Prince just laughed. "Well, I won't bother you with that. It's hardly important anyway."

Gai leaned forward, propping his head up on one hand. "So? What are you here to bother me with then? I highly doubt this is a social visit."

"Vous arrogant petit porc!" Laurier growled, reaching for her gun. She had it halfway out of its holster before she noticed the barrel of another gun aimed directly at her head. "You may want to keep your attack poodle on a shorter leash, Prince. She might get hurt otherwise." Gai said, all semblance of humor gone from his voice.

Crimson Prince frowned. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, holding out his hand to Laurier. "Your weapon, Laurier."

"Y-young Master, I-"

"Your weapon." He interrupted, his anger fully apparent in his voice. Laurier opened and closed her mouth several times before slowly pulling her pepperbox revolver out of its holster and placing it in Crimson Prince's waiting hand. "Leave us." He said, waving his hand dismissively. Laurier's ears splayed back in shame as she turned and stiffly left the room, shooting Gai with a death glare on her way out.

"My sincerest apologies, Gai," Prince said, steepling his fingers again. "She's always been like this, something my mother enjoyed in her, but it's far less acceptable to me."

"It's fine," Gai replied, waving him off and setting his own weapon on the table. "If I worried about everyone after my life, I'd already be gray."

"Regardless, she will be disciplined for this." He said, massaging his temples before regaining his composure. "Now then, to the reason, I asked to meet you because I happen to have some information on Zangyack's movements."

Gai's gaze immediately locked onto Prince's the slight smirk on the young colt's face fading as soon as it had popped up. "And let me guess, there's a catch. Right?" Gai grumbled, tracing his finger around the edge of his empty glass.

Crimson Prince gave Gai a smile that wouldn't look out of place on a colt his age. "But of course! Such costly information doesn't come free, you know. Especially for someone so infamous as the Silver Scourge himself." Gai rolled his eyes before leaning back in his chair. "Alright, I'll bite. What's your price? Mind you, I might still decide torturing you for info is the better option, but I might as well humor you while you're dangling the carrot in front of me."

The colt grinned before speaking again. "Among my holdings, I own an establishment that allows beings of various races to... let out some steam in a manner they find most satisfying."

"So it's a fight club."

"Exactly, but that's not all. It's where I recruit my enforcers from. The strongest of the fighters are offered a place among my associates should I need any heavy lifting done."

"You're boring me here kid. Get to the point already."

Prince's smile did not waver. "As I understand it, my top enforcer along with some of his friends visited this tavern during closing hours and caused trouble with the proprietress, during which time you stepped in and, quite publicly I might add, proceeded to instruct him on the errors of his ways before stealing his and his associates' bit bags."

"So what, are you after compensation for their lost bits? Pretty sure Carrot already used them to pay for damages."

The colt waved his hand dismissively. "If this were about money, I'd have had this place razed for not paying up. No, what this is about, is reputation. You see, this enforcer of mine was my best for very good reason: he could inspire fear without needing to resort to violence. Not that he wasn't good at it, mind you."

Gai looked at the colt curiously. "So what do you want me to do about it? Your guy lost one fight against Zangyack's most wanted and now he's moping about it? Tell him to grow a pair and be done with it. I don't see how his bruised pride has anything to do with me."

"To the contrary, he's done the opposite. He's become obsessed with beating you of all things. So much so that he's been neglecting his duties, so much so that it's been a tad vexing."

"I still don't see how that's my problem."

"I was getting to that." Prince said, "What I want you to do, Mr. Ikari. Is to fight him in the upcoming tournament I'll be holding in my establishment. You have my word that the knowledge of your presence won't be leaked to anypony while you're there. Do we have a deal?"

Gai's eyes narrowed. "Beat a guy I've taken out before? There's a catch to this, info like what you're offering isn't that cheap."

Prince smiled and clapped his hands slowly, a smug smile on his face. "As expected of you, Mr. Ikari. Of course, there are other conditions to you fighting for your prize." Gai stared deep into the black void in the colt's eyes. He saw nothing but plans, schemes, and the desire for chaos. They were the eyes of a criminal. "Exactly how old did you say you were again?"

Prince smiled that same, innocent smile that never reached his eyes. "I'm fourteen of course! I'll be fifteen very soon."

Gai chuckled and shook his head. "You've still got a while to go, little Prince. But I can respect that moxie of yours. So, what were your other conditions?"

"You are to lose the fight against my champion, who just so happens to be the same enforcer with an ax to grind with you," Prince replied, his smile never wavering.

Gai grinned. "So that's what this is about. You want to pump up his reputation more by publically showing that he can beat the Silver Scourge in single combat, right?"

"You got it in one, Mr. Ikari. Having Cerberus on your leash is quite the deterrent for any would-be troublemakers."

"You should know, I won't be going down easy. Got to make his victory look good, right?"

Prince's grin threatened to split his face in half. "But of course, can't make it too easy on him after all the training he's done. Do we have a deal?"

Gai remained silent for a moment before standing and extending his hand. "We have a deal. Just so long as I get my info afterwards, little Prince."

Crimson Prince stood and raised his hand, reaching for Gai's. "Just so long as you throw the final ma-" he was interrupted when Gai suddenly grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him onto the table before pressing the barrel of his gun to the colt mob boss' temple. "Let me get one thing straight with you, kid. If you even think about double-crossing me, or if your info's not up to snuff, I'll tear you a new one so fast you won't even get to say 'oops'. Understood?" He hissed.

The young criminal nodded slowly, his eyes wide as sweat dripped from his forehead. "Good. Leave the where and when with Carrot Top." Gai let go of the colt's wrist and holstered his gun before walking out of the room.

The last card landed on the table with a soft slap of finality, sealing the last piece of the Tarot reading in place. The mare leaned back in her wooden chair and brought a cup of tea to her lips, examining the cards that would divine her fortune.

On the table face up were the Wheel of Fortune, the Emperor, and the Ace of Wands. She smiled and sipped from the cup. "Mmm, it seems that this 'Silver Scourge' will be quite interesting." She turned her gaze to one of the other two cards on the table: The Tower and The World. "...Very interesting~" She said, setting down the empty teacup and smiling to herself before sweeping up the cards and dropping a pair of bits onto the table.

"Thank you for the hospitality gentlecolts." The mare said flippantly to the numerous unconscious stallions on the floor of the wrecked tea shop. "But it's time I got going." She got up, placing her witch's hat on her head. "Maybe next time you'll study your target before trying to cash in on her bounty." And with that, she skipped out of the shop, whistling merrily.

Author's Notes:

And with this, we begin the next story arc of the Silver Scourge's tale. Special thanks to PonyJosiah13 for letting me use his two OC characters Crimson Prince and Laurier du Montagne.

What could Basco be planning with the Elements of Harmony? Does this mean the tentacle vines will come back? Will Gai absolutely destroy all the thugs in the tourney again? And who is our mysterious tarot user? Find out next time, on DBZ The tale of the Silver Scourge!