Author's Notes:

Bit of a shorter chapter, but this arc would've been too long if I had added it to the last one. So I split it into two parts.

DISCLAIMER: It is highly recommended you turn the volume up to eleven and wear headphones for this. (You'll thank me when the music starts)

Also, both Gai and Navi lose their sht. (have fun with that)

Gai knelt before the fallen mare, unicorn, light green coat and blond mane and tail, one of the fighters that hadn't either managed to break off in time, or had been gunned down trying to escape. One of her comrades had taken her weapons, ammo, and dog tags, the broken chain lying against her chest, her eyes staring at the sky with an unseeing, glassy stare.

The pirate sighed, pulling her eyelids down over her eyes so that it looked like the unnamed mare was sleeping, "rest now, sister, and run free with your ancestors," he said quietly, folding her hands over her stomach and slamming the flat of his palm into the ground, forcing it to lower under her, forming a rectangular grave. With a twist of his arm, the ground closed up over her, hiding the corpse from the world.

"Don't worry ma'am, I'm going to get those bastards back for this," Gai said, standing up and slipping his goggles over his eyes, switching them to thermal mode, "you just sit tight."

Gai swept his gaze around the forest, marking the positions of every Zangyack soldier he found before pulling the goggles off and withdrawing the Gokai Cellular and the purple key from earlier.

"Navi, time to roll out the red carpet," he said into the Cellular.

"Aye Sir!" Squawked Navi as the Galleon uncloaked behind the seven Zangyack Dreadnaughts, unloading on their engines with the port side cannons, the beam turrets keeping the smaller fighters and dropships at bay, "eat this, you Zangyack bastards!" Navi chirped as a Dreadnaught's engines erupted in a fiery explosion, the ship beginning to list heavily to the starboard side, nearly hitting the Dreadnaught next to it.

Gai chuckled at his navigator's antics before inserting the purple key into the Cellular and crossed his arms over his chest, "Gokai Change!"

DEEEEEEEEEEEKAZERO!!!!

When the light faded, Gai was standing in a deep purple suit with silver lines tracing all over the body. Silver gauntlets covered his hands and forearms. A pair of purple spaulders sat on his shoulders, bat wings extending out of them. A matching purple chest plate and twin air tanks sat on the back, a scarlet gem radiating heat in between them. A large number zero was emblazoned on his chest and stomach, outlined in black and silver lines. A violet helmet sat on his head, a bronze police badge resting on it's crown, the sides designed like upswept bat wings. Superheated steam hissed from numerous hidden vents across the suit.

Gai felt an unfamiliar weight at his side. Reaching down, he unhooked what looked like a comically large, yet futuristic-looking revolver and a deck box. Opening the revolver's chamber revealed several flat slots. Suddenly, his visor was filled with text:

"Dear Gai,
I hope that this message and new weapon comes in a good time, also I hope that you don't mind hearing my voice again. It took me around a week to get this all together.
I've been wearing your training bracer the whole time and I can feel myself becoming stronger, not to mention that my flight training is going well. I've just got to make everything that I've learned actually come out in the moment instead of using my own style. I'm doing my best to walk forward so that one day I might even meet you on the battlefield and we'll stand side by side as fellow rangers. This new drive has really made things feel different, though I won't bug you with the details. I've gone ahead and scanned Chompy, and made his data into a Cyber Card. Somepony said that it would be a better name than 'Data Card' and I agree. Hopefully you'll get use out of the Cyber Card Buster (or C.C.Buster, still a prototype) and Cerberus, as both really aren't being used by me because of my duties. (And that it's a tad too lethal for patrol work...)"

Regards,

Sora (Sky Gear)

The rest of the page was filled with instructions on how to properly use the C.C. Buster, which Gai skimmed through before opening the deck box and pulling out the new Cyber Cerberus card, "damn Sora, your timing is impeccable," Gai said, grinning inside his helmet, reattaching the deck box and inserting the Cerberus card into the C.C. Buster before returning gun to his belt, "guess I can't be slacking off now, not when my student is working so hard." Several explosions from the sky battle shook the forest, as if telling the human to get on with it.

"Geez, fine," He murmured before smashing his fist into his palm, "I'm so fired up, no one's gonna lay a freaking finger on me today!"

Gai rolled his shoulders, eliciting several pops and cracks before starting his roll call, "echoing light and darkness, judgement has come! SPD's Hell Bat! DekaZero!" A burst of steam erupted from the vents in his suit as the lights on the side of his helmet flashed twice, a police siren blaring with each flash, "let's make this showy!"

With an explosive burst of steam from the vents on his legs, Gai shot off into the forest. The lack of friction allowing him to reach near supersonic speeds. With a flick of his wrists, a pair of claws shot out of each gauntlet, which he used to stabilize his flight path as he sped towards the first platoon of Gormin. Gai's grin turned completely savage.

With another burst of steam, Gai wheeled himself around on his axis until he was hurtling feet-first towards the platoon's Sugormin commander. A resounding *crack* echoed in the forest clearing as Gai's feet impacted the Sugormin's chest armor, the the high-speed dropkick causing the metal to crumple like tinfoil from the force of the impact, and sent the pair flying back into the lines of Gormin behind it.

The Gormin soldiers scrambled to get out of the way in time, only a few made it out, the remaining troops ending up sandwiched and crumpled against a tree under their commander.

"Not done yet!" Gai cried, as more and more of the superheated steam poured out of the vents all over his body, the rising temperature causing the crumpled Gormin's armor to melt onto their commander until they were all permanently clumped together. Gai braced himself against the ground using his hands and grabbed the twisted ball of half-melted robot parts with his legs, using a combination of steam jets and physical strength to haul the ball over his body.

Standing up, he kicked the ball of melted bots, sending them hurtling towards the remainder of the platoon, crushing them all like bowling pins made of paper.

"Geez, talk about legwork," he muttered, sweeping his visor over his surroundings and locating the next marked platoon of Gormin. Launching himself into the air with a burst of steam, Gai launched himself into the forest canopy, jetting from tree to tree, quickly closing on the next group of Gormin. With a roaring battlecry, Gai fell upon the group like a demon, claws first, tearing the Sugormin's head from his shoulders with ease before springing off the still-standing body and slashing through several Gormin at once in a whirlwind of blades, spinning to a stop on one knee as the severed Gormin body parts collapsed onto the ground moments later.

"I think," Gai said, retracting his claws and unhooking the C.C. Buster from his belt, "I'll give this a try!"

He spun around, clicking the Buster into full auto mode, mowing down a small group of Gormin before they all began to rush him. Gai chuckled a bit, catching a Gormin's cudgel by the haft with his free hand and using it to swing the unfortunate minion around like a wrecking ball, catching several of his comrades in their helmets before twisting it's arm behind it's back and placing the barrel of the Buster against the back of it's cylindrical head.

"Kakugowokimeru" Gai said in a sadistic tone, pulling the trigger and letting the lifeless robotic corpse crash to the ground, "now then..." Gai sighed, turning to face the remainder of the platoon, "who's next?"

The Gormin looked at one another, before they all charged with their cudgels raised high.

"Heh."

Gai rushed forward, slamming his elbow into the first Gormin, crumpling the chest plate and sending it flying. The C.C. Buster whipped around, smashing butt-first into the side of a second Gormin's head, denting it heavily and causing a cylindrical object to pop out of the top of the gun, a keyhole facing the handle. Gai kicked a third Gormin into it's comrades while he fished out the DekaZero key and inserted it into the keyhole.

"Hissatsu!" He shouted as the barrel of the buster began to glow with a golden light, Gai grinned under his helmet as he aimed it at the survivors of the platoon, "Cyber Burst: Cerberus!" He cried, pulling the trigger and unleashing a golden hellhound which charged the Gormin platoon, howling the whole time before exploding and hurling Gormin parts hundreds of feet into the air.

Gai rested the Buster on his shoulder and surveyed the carnage, "I wonder how things are going for Navi?" He murmured before rolling his shoulders, "alright... where's the next group?"

Navi growled in annoyance as she readjusted the cannons to compensate for the enemy Dreadnaught's movements, the sound of metal scraping against metal echoed from within her chassis as steam puffed out from under the crest on top of her head, all the while trying to ignore the very annoying stallion behind her.

"I demand an explanation! What is this place and why are we in the middle of a Zangyack fleet!?" Pot shouted, pacing around the main cabin while waving his hands around wildly, Rainbow Dash and Kettle face palming heavily at the stallion's antics.

"Pot, calm down," Kettle said, grabbing his brother's shoulder, "we still need to wait for the rest of the Resistance on board before we leave, and Gai is still holding off the Zangyack ground forces!"

"Buck 'Gai'!" Pot shouted, shrugging off Kettle's hand and resumed his pacing, "that stinking ape probably got gunned down in five seconds!"

Rainbow Dash bristled, her hands balling into fists.

"And buck this damned bird telling me that we can't leave and save anypony we can!" Pot continued, pointing a finger at Navi.

The Galleon lurched as one of the Dreadnaughts managed to get a shot in, the impact causing the mechanical parrot to snap.

"Kettle, take the controls," Navi said quietly.

Kettle knew better than to argue.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!" Navi screeched, seeming to cross the room in the blink of an eye, right up into Pot's muzzle, "FIRST, YOU RUSH THROUGH THE PORTAL LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT, THEN YOU COME UP TO THE BRIDGE LIKE YOU OWN THE PLACE!?"

"Get out of my face this instant-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Navi interrupted, stunning the stallion into silence, "I am the oldest member of this crew, and if my Captain says to hold the line against a Zangyack fleet, I will hold the fucking line. And no self-entitled dickless coward is going to stop me from doing my job!" Navi landed on his nose, staring deep into Pot's eyes, "now you're going to sit down on that couch, and you're going to keep your worthless cockhole shut until Gai gets back. Or else I'll gut you like a fish and keelhaul you, got it?"

"Y-yes ma'am," Pot stammered, practically running to the couch to get away from the small scarlet demon flying towards the command console.

"Move," she said simply to Kettle, who complied immediately.

"Remind me never to piss her off," Rainbow Dash whispered to Kettle.

"Probably for the best," he whispered back, his face stoic, but his knees shaking.

"Here I come you Zangyack trash!" Navi screeched as all the Gokai Galleon's armaments renewed their assault on the Zangyack fleet.

Princess Flurry Heart paced around Gai's cabin, an angry look on her face.

"Princess, pacing won't get you anywhere, just sit down," a worried Pipsqueak begged.

"I will not!" She snapped, her brow furrowing, "I am a princess of Equestria, I should be out there helping Miss Navi or Miss Rainbow Dash! Not stuck in Mister Gai's cabin, waiting for the battle being fought for my citizens to end!"

"It can't be helped, we're locked in here. Not to mention, neither of us can hold our own very well if Zangyack did board us," Pipsqueak reasoned, forcing the stubborn alicorn to take a seat in Gai's desk chair, "trust me when I say that we'd just be in the way."

"Why aren't you angry?" Flurry Heart asked, "if anyone should be angered by our current position, it's you! You are the one who wanted to join Mister Gai's crew the most!"

"Don't get me wrong," Pipsqueak said, plopping down on Gai's bed, "I really do want to join his crew, if only so I can fight those Zangyack bastards on equal terms," his fist clenched, "there was a point where I would've gone after them without Gai's help, but Cruger made me realize how stupid that would be."

He looked to her, "don't get me wrong though, I haven't given up, I've just gotten more determined to force Gai to let me join."

Flurry Heart's brow furrowed, "I... I wish I could do something, anything for them..." she murmured.

"You will, princess. When this is all over, you will."

The Zangyack flagship lurched as another salvo from the scarlet pirate vessel currently harassing their fleet.

"Damn them, where did they come from!?" The Sugormin officer growled as he was knocked off balance by the impact.

<Sir! Ships three and five have sustained critical damage, their engines are going to explode!> One panicked Gormin cried.

"To hell with them! We can't afford to pick them up under this bombardment!"

<Sir! Our ground troops are being ripped apart! We keep losing platoons, one after the other!>

"What!?" The Sugormin roared, storming over and shoving the Gormin away from his terminal, "How is that possible!? These locals are weaklings!"

<Unknown sir! The Sugormin video feeds only show a flash of silver before cutting out entirely!>

"A flash of silver and a scarlet Galleon..." The Sugormin officer muttered, "so the Silver Scourge has appeared to help the locals eh? You!" He shouted to a confused-looking Gormin, "open a communication to the Planetary Overseer, tell him we've found his prey."

The ship lurched again, "and tell him to send backup!"

The Gormin saluted before carrying out his assigned task.

Gai dropped down from the forest canopy, rending a Gormin open from the helmet to the waist, bits of wire and circuitry spilling out of the robot's chassis. Gai scraped his gauntlet claws together before rushing forward, allowing a bed of steam to carry him into battle, his claws rending Gormin after Gormin until he sheathed both sets into the belly of the Sugormin commander and tore him in two, bits of circuitry and white, artificial blood spilling onto the forest floor.

Gai looked down at the bloodstained claws on his gauntlets, the pale liquid dripping off or trailing down onto his hands, "funny, the Sugormin didn't bleed on the show..." He flicked the rest of the blood off his gauntlets and opened his comms to the Galleon, "Navi, how's the evacuation progressing?"

"All the supplies have been loaded! There are just a few ponies unaccounted for, but they should be through soon enough!"

"Good, their ground troops have been dealt with, I wasn't expecting them to send such a large group to the Everfree."

Suddenly, a great, rumbling roar echoed through the forest, followed by an aura of intense bloodlust. Gai clocked up to see three new Zangyack ships entering the combat zone: two regular Dreadnaughts flanking a Super Dreadnaught with a skull and crossbones logo emblazoned on it.

"Navi?" Gai said more urgently, "are those ponies through? Because you know who just showed up."

"They just stepped on board."

"Get clear, now. We can't afford a battle with him a the moment, not with the civilians on board," Gai growled, glaring daggers at the Free Joker, "I'll be on board in a second."

"Aye Sir!"

"So, he's finally decided to come to Ponyville, took him long enough, I was wondering when I'd have an excuse to come down here," the human said casually, standing with his arms crossed on the bridge of his ship, eying the scarlet Galleon he once called home.

"Sir, our ships are all in critical condition, should we move to assist with evacuations?" A Sugormin asked.

"No, we won't catch up to them if we're bogged down salvaging soldiers that were expendable to begin with. Just consider them the price of the Silver Scourge's capture and ready the cannons."

"Aye sir!" The Sugormin saluted, relaying his orders to the Gormin around the bridge.

Suddenly, a large, vertical cannon unfolded from the deck of the Gokai Galleon, firing rapidly, the shots raining down on the surrounding Zangyack Dreadnaughts. The resulting explosions obscured any view of the scarlet ship.

When the smoke cleared, the Galleon was gone, vanished without a trace.

"S-sir! They've disappeared!" The Sugormin officer cried.

"I can see that," the human replied, unsheathing his saber and cleaving the Sugormin's head off it's shoulders in one smooth motion, a spray of pale artificial blood splattering the floor and part of the human's shawl and tunic.

"Ugh," the human groaned, sheathing his saber and examining the bloodstain, "you are really lucky this stuff washes out!" He said, booting the Sugormin's head across the bridge, knocking an unfortunate Gormin upside it's head, leaving a dent.

"Get another Sugormin up here, I need someone to deal with you worthless bucket heads," the human ordered, slumping into his chair, "I wonder if Ika-chan has these problems with his crew..."

Gai stormed through the portal in the Galleon's living quarters, his eyes immediately locking onto Pot.

"YOU!!!" He roared, seeming to cross the room in a single step, grabbing the struggling stallion by the neck and slamming him bodily into the pillar in the center of the room, "give me one reason, one. Fucking. Reason why I shouldn't skin you alive right now!"

"W-what do you mean?" Asked the already shaken stallion, staring wide-eyed at the bipedal hurricane keeping him pinned to the pillar.

"Ever since showing up in this world, I've seen some things that a man should never see. I've seen good people turn into monsters twice, and even then, asking a child to commit suicide just to eliminate one enemy? That is still one of the most fucked up things I've ever seen."

"What did you expect us to do!?" Pot suddenly screamed, glaring in defiance at Gai, "Zangyack isn't an enemy we can defeat by ourselves anymore! We have to sacrifice and struggle for every inch without the sentai! And now they've been turned against us, so tell me: what can we do!"

Gai's brow furrowed as he pulled Pot closer, "your reasons don't matter to me, what you ordered Scootaloo to do still disgusts me," he growled, snapping his fingers and opening a portal behind the stallion before shoving him in and snapping it shut.

"Where did you put him?" Asked Kettle.

"I tossed him in the brig, should've thrown him back into the Everfree." Gai grumbled, turning on his heel and heading out onto the deck.

"Oh geez," Navi mumbled.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"He's not just mad, he's furious. Just give him some space to cool off and he'll be fine."

Dash mulled it over, chewing on her lip before following Gai out onto the deck.

"What are you doing!?" Navi cried, flying up into Dash's face.

"Letting him stew over this alone is probably the worst thing we can do right now," Dash said, pushing Navi aside, "and I have a few questions as his First Mate."

With that, Dash exited the main cabin and onto the deck, pausing to allow the wind to blow through her mane and wings, allowing the nostalgia to take her away to before Zangyack showed up on their planet, "one day..." she mumbled, furling her wings against her back and began her search for Gai.

She didn't have to search far, she quickly found the human sitting cross-legged at the bow of the ship, right behind the sword-shaped prow. He was staring out on the horizon, a deep scowl on his face.

"What do you want, Dash?" He said flatly, not even looking over his shoulder.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"You tend to come out here to tend to those wings of yours, that and you're the only one on board with the stones to get close when I'm like this," he deadpanned before sighing, "sorry, I'm just really pissed right now."

"You aren't the only one."

"Yeah, I get that," Gai said, rubbing the back of his head, "I just... I never did handle my anger well, that didn't change when I ended up here."

"It wasn't just with the order Pot gave to Scootaloo is it? That ship, the one with the skull blowing a trumpet... that had something to do with it, right?"

Gai chuckled hollowly, "how the hell did you guess?"

"You ordered Navi to escape as soon as it showed up, sounded like you knew who owned it," Dash replied, crossing her arms across her chest, "if that doesn't scream history, I don't know what does."

Gai chuckled again, a bit more lively this time, "you're pretty sharp. Yeah, there is history there, none of it good. If he's shown up here again, it can only mean the fight with Zangyack is going to escalate from here."

Dash sighed, "alright then, what's our next move, Captain?"

Gai looked back out towards the horizon, "we need to stash the Resistance in a place where Zangyack won't be able to find them, and where they won't have to fight that way again, there were too many casualties this time."

"Where do we find a place like that?" Dash asked.

"I have a place in mind, but it's not a guarantee yet. Tell Navi to chart a course for 'Sensei's Home', she'll know what to do. I just need some time to think," Gai said, pulling out his silver hip flask, "think and maybe forget."

Dash saluted before turning back to the Galleon's living quarters.