The southern shores of Fog Harbor were low and marshy, a few smaller islands were connected to the main landmass by the crumbling remains of ancient bridges slowly getting swallowed up by the swamp. With the pervasive fog added to the scene, Vira reflected on just how creepy the place looked as she stood on the deck of Longfellow's boat chugging down the coast.

Her eyes kept getting drawn to the rocky hills and overgrown channels leading towards the arrow displayed on her compass, just making out the squat, square, concrete shape jutting from one of the smaller mountains of the main island. The Cantrip... They'd already gone further south than the base of the Church of Balefire, but Vira could still make it out and kept worrying over it as their next stop. She was finally being forced to face her past, tasked with finding a way in to the old Equestrian Navy facility and recovering Dima's lost memories.

She kept looking for pretty much anything else to distract herself, settling on the second highest peak of Fog Harbor and the strange island of pinkish-grey cloud that hovered above it. It was difficult to spot in the haze and gloom, but she kept making out shapes that were far too regular for a natural, wild cloud. Broken fans, funnels, conical spouts and pipes were barely visible at this distance, what was easy to make out however was the practical waterfall of pink fog pouring down from the stationary cloud island.

It was a torrent of the necromantic fog that plagued the island and nearly all who lived there. The Church of Balefire may view it as a blessing, but Vira had seen and heard enough about it to believe as the islanders did, that fog was evil... Now she knew where it came from, watching as it just kept spewing out and cascading down to a nearly hidden lake, nestled in a valley between that mountain and the slightly taller peak where the dim shadow of the Starswirl Observatory and Acadia was.

"Nasty place up yonder darlin', t'wouldn't suggest flyin' up for a peek." Longfellow trotted up and broke Vira from her thoughts, startling the green alicorn as he lit his pipe and waggled it towards the floating island.

"That is where the fog originates Longfellow? Why not go there? Perhaps there's a way to stop it?"

The old stallion chuckled and shook his head in answer, sighing wearily as he spoke. "You ain't the first pony ta' think o' that Vira. Even my Ocean went up and took a look, it can't be done though. Assumin' you even get through the swarm of zombies up there that is."

"Zombies? Feral ghouls reside there? What is that place, tell me more about it Longfellow. Help keep my mind off... t-things..."

Longfellow smiled kindly and patted Vira's slumping shoulders, his concern and caring helping still her queasy stomach. "Ayuh, worried about those church nuts o' yers, ain't ya? Well... there's not much to the place really. Was an old fog making plant back before the war, best fog in Equestria came from Fog Harbor don't ya know. We shipped it all over Equestria and beyond, from Canterlot to Trottingham. Ocean was right proud of that as a pegasus, so she read all about it. Way it's posed ta work is, the big cone doo-dads and such you can barely see up there sucked up clouds once they was done floatin' over Equestria and made it to the coast. The really big one was fer the occasional water delivery from the lake, she told me a whole mess of pegasi would tornado it on up there if ya can believe it!"

Vira laughed with Longfellow, nodding her head with memories she'd retained from Unity confirming what he thought to be a wild story. She'd seen the pegasi of the past doing just that when she'd shared the memories of thousands with her mother, dozens of different images of those prewar ponies flying faster and faster flashed in her mind as she replied with a giggle.. "Oh I can Longfellow, I certainly can. Go on, they sent fog to the rest of Equestria? How?"

"See the lake under the factory? Those ruins there? It's the old Echo Lake Weather Mill, figure on waiting for you to finish your business there actually, used to be a proper settlement 'fore the fog overtook it this year. See, they'd let the fog fall to the lake, then cut it up an' ship it out all over. Neither me or Ocean ever figured out why ponies would want fog, but those old world pegasi did a lot o' weather related nonsense. Their descendants did a helluva worse job of it though I guess, so a little fog here an' there's not so bad. Least not compared to 200 years of clouds an' rain anyway."

"When it's not tinted pink and out to kill you, fog can be very scenic. It's quiet and beautiful, even romantic..." Vira answered based on more shared memories, trailing off dreamily and patting at the tattered book hidden away in her maroon coat.

Following the gesture, Longfellow smirked at the pink blush lighting Vira's cheeks and nickered to snap her out of it, waving to the teal unicorn mare idly pushing a mop across the deck in her ruby magic not far away. "Yer still thinkin' o' that naughty book I caught you readin' under the covers till all hours, ain't ya dear? Ought'a have a lil chat with your new friend about encouraging all that mush when yer head's already stewin' in it enough as is. What was the title again?"

"F-Fog of Love... Tales of the Lusty Maid Argonia...." Vira blushed brighter and answered sheepishly, continuing over Longfellow's loud snickering defensively. "Kelpie promised to teach me things about romance and thought I would enjoy it! I-It is most instructive and helpful!"

"Vira dear, I'm glad you like it and made a friend, but don't go tryin' none of that hooey on anypony. Especially not Jar Head... fool's got enough on his mind today. Don't need you fryin' what passes for his brains by playin' hopeless romantic." Longfellow kept laughing at her as he answered, but managed to put a little bit of a stern edge to his voice as he gestured up to the wheelhouse of the little boat and the handsome stallion setting their course.

Huffing back, Vira's long, lilac streaked green mane whipped as she shook her head forcefully. "I told you Longellow, he is Kelpie's special somepony, I am rooting for her and trying to help them be together now. Though I'm unsure how to do so, he seems infatuated with me unfortunately..."

"Well can ya blame him? Don't forget, I caught ya clamberin' on top of the idjit just the other day, that kinda thing from a mare like you leaves an impression dear. Yer friend Kelpie will have to work to get through to an oblivious buck like him after that, an ya won't find it in those silly stories. An' don't you think of usin' anything you read there on that comic book weirdo yer after in Trotson neither lassie. Those kinda books ain't for real romance anyway, just a bunch of silly drivel for mares ta fantasize over. Real love ain't that way." Longfellow's chuckles tapered off as his aged brown eyes drifted up to the fog factory again, his thoughts turning wistful and a frown half hidden by his beard.

Vira bit her lip when she followed his gaze and sensed his sad thoughts, leaning her head down to the railing and speaking in a hesitant whisper. "I know Longfellow, even I don't think things actually work that way. I would be more interested in hearing about real love than enjoyable fantasies, i-if you could anyway. Perhaps it would help Kelpie as well? You are thinking of your wife.... You and Jar Head seem very similar in some ways, how did you and Ocean end up together? Can you talk about her?"

She felt the oddest sensation as soon as she mentioned Longfellow's wife. The older buck thought of the ocean instead of his lost love who shared the name, picturing the unceasing waves rolling up the beaches of his own land as he gave a gruff snort. Vira blinked in surprise as he tore his gaze away from the fog factory and raised a bushy brow at her, Longfellow had learned to throw up mental barriers... quite effectively in fact.

He did at least give a short verbal answer, but his thoughts were guarded as he spoke in a tired sigh and gestured out to the marshes they were approaching. "Ocean had a lot of suitors, still no idea why she picked me all those years ago lass, so no help there. Told her how I felt at a festival on the docks though. We was both young and when I saw her all gussied up with a bunch of slobberin' fools surrounding her, I knew I wanted to make her mine forever."

While she understood Longfellow's desire for privacy and was impressed he'd learned so quickly how to stymie a psychic, Vira didn't like how evasive Longfellow was being. He did share an image in his head as he pulled away from the railing and pointed to the aft of his boat, towards the pair of smaller vessels tailing them from Fog Harbor. It was of the teal pegasus he still loved so much it hurt, tinging the memory of a young Ocean Breeze wearing a dark blue dress that shimmered under the twinkling lights of some kind of party on the docks of Fog Harbor so many years ago. Her pink mane was swept up and her blue eyes sparkled, while a pretty pink blush lit her cheeks and a smile quirked her muzzle.

It was a memory so intense and powerful with the feeling of true love Vira sought out, she completely forgot about anything else however, trotting along behind him as he climbed up to the wheelhouse and directed Jar Head towards the marshes. "Now then, enough rootin' around in my noggin' for mush Vira, we gots work ta do and an audience a waitin'. Ahoy Jar, pull her in here an' make anchor, let's get this over with!"

"Aye aye captain!" Jar Head gave a salute and answered with his voice cracking nervously, dutifully turning the ship towards the overgrown marshes.

Kelpie put aside swabbing the decks to scamper all over the boat without being asked, making it ready with an expert hoof that impressed the overwhelmed Vira just trying to stay out of the way. Just watching the unicorn mare go with her own anxious thoughts weighing her down, Vira was startled by Nick's slow Trotson drawl speaking up beside her, checking over his revolver and jerking his muzzle up towards Longfellow barking orders. "Keep an eye on him dollface..."

"Longfellow? Why Nick? He knows more about all of this than the rest of us combined and seems quite happy, I'm more worried for Jar Head engaging in this silly tradition." Vira tilted her head as the synth detective loaded his silver revolver and flicked the cylinder shut.

Nick shrugged and lit a cigarette in response, blowing out a plume of smoke with a sigh as he looked up to his curious mare friday. "Just a hunch Vira. Sometimes kids have to watch out for their parents too."

Leaving on that cryptic note, Nick trotted off with grim and gritty thoughts from several lifetimes worth of detective work running through his mind, heading for the waiting rowboat Longfellow was already making ready. Vira was confused by the surface thoughts and emotions she picked up from both the older stallions, but had promised herself she wouldn't pry into ponies' thoughts uninvited and learning more would require just that, frustrating the psychic mare and sorely tempting her.

Instead she shrugged it off however, getting swept up in the busy activity and excitement, her own thoughts as exhilarated and nervous as Kelpie and Jar Head rushing to join her and board the small boat together. Whatever this jig thing was, Vira was about to find out.

"The freak shouldn't be allowed Berry, you know it well as I do!" Vira scowled at the red faced Barnacle Bill shouting to the leader of Fog Harbor, giving a loud 'Hmmf!' at the insult from the midst of the crowd milling around on the marshy island they'd landed on.

Before they'd even begun, the sour faced stallion had started making a nuisance of himself, his thoughts filled with any trick he could pull to ruin Jar Head's chances. Since the residents of Fog Harbor had seen what the alicorn was capable of when she'd first arrived, she was viewed as a major threat and the purple buck led off with trying to disqualify Vira from helping in any way.

Unfortunately, the so far neutral and fair minded Cap'n Berry gave his complaint consideration, humming in thought and giving Vira's hopeful look a raised eyebrow before turning on Longfellow glaring in her defense. "Hmm... He has a point old timer. Outsiders are allowed to dance their own jig to prove themselves, but never heard of one acting as crew for a local. Plus she's... well..."

"She's what!? Mind yer manners Berry..." Longfellow growled menacingly to cut her off, snorting as she held her hooves up.

"Easy Longfellow, I just mean your Vira here is... umm.... a unique case? I mean, she is an alicorn... that could be viewed as an unfair advantage, right? No offense Miss, but we never had an alicorn around before. If you pull out those fancy shield spells and such, it kinda defeats the whole purpose of testing Jar Head like this." The pale blue mare spoke up to Vira in an apologetic tone, truly stuck in a difficult position with both Longfellow and Barnacle Bill snorting and stamping on either side of her.

Biting her lip and rifling through her surface thoughts, Vira had to admit she was being fair and may have a point, though she didn't like it. This whole test of theirs seemed silly and dangerous enough to Vira, her worries had only been calmed by thinking she'd be right there to help her new friends if things went poorly. Being told she wasn't allowed to help because she was too great and powerful hurt.

"Don't worry dollface, I'll fill in for you, eh? I assume there's no problem with an outsider synth lending a hoof, is there mac?" Nick patted her slumping shoulders and stepped forward, blowing a combative plume of smoke at Barnacle Bill just as he inhaled to object, silencing him with a coughing fit.

"Aye, the fancy robot's an earth pony, ya can't be pissy about him too Bill! Buck needs a crew an' one little mare ain't gonna cut it, let him help!" Longfellow stamped his hooves in agreement, vouching for Vira's employer volunteering to help.

Giving a contemplative look and pretending to consider it in the face of Barnacle Bill sputtering, Vira could sense Cap'n Berry's mind was already made up well before she finally spoke. "Well... This one does look just like Dima up on the mountain, and he's a local. I take it you two are related, so that sort of makes you one too. Plus we know synths like him don't have any major advantages over normal ponies, so I don't see a problem Bill, you can't just stop your whining. The detective can help, but the alicorn can't, that's fair. Now let's get down to it already, this many ponies taking half the day off to deal with this during an emergency is already bad enough, we're not wasting even more time arguing."

Barnacle Bill huffed and glared at everyone involved, but the murmurs of agreement from the other witnesses from town hushed him before he started. Vira still didn't like the devious and angry thoughts she could feel boiling in his fat head, but the rush of activity that followed distracted her from keeping an eye on him. She was much more concerned about her friends, shifting on her hooves nervously as she watched Jar Head and Kelpie returning to their rowboat and pulling on sets of dark rubber boots that went most of the way up their legs.

"You are sure about this? I could demand I be allowed to help as well, maybe if I promise not to use magic, or tie my wings behind my back! If nothing else, it wouldn't take much to be very... convincing..." Vira whined as her friends checked over their weapons, lowering to a conspiratorial whisper and narrowing her eyes at Cap'n Berry and the other townies. "Just a little mental push is all..."

Longfellow snorted gruff laughter at the anxious filly, pulling a pair of rusty buckets from the boat that Vira wrinkled her nose at as he shot her down. "Oh I'm sure you could get yer way if you really wanted darlin', but best we do this all above board. You can just stick with me and we'll watch the show together, if it gets bad, we'll all step in so don't you worry so much. You ready there youngsters?"

Nodding nervously, Jar Head and Kelpie each took a bucket full of the foul concoction of blood, fish heads and hopper guts. Kelpie at least got to float hers up in her red telekinetic hold, while Jar Head was forced to carry it just under his muzzle mumbling back. "A-Aye Longfellow, and thanks a lot Detective, I really appreciate the help. Umm... y-you sure you wanna do this too Kelpie, it's dangerous and..."

The flat look Kelpie turned on him was withering, cutting off his stammering before she even stuck her nose up and huffed back. "I'm not letting you do this alone stupid, so don't even start. Don't forget, I just fought my way out of a whole fortress full of crazy Trappers, dancing a dumb jig with you is foal's play compared to that, right Vira?"

Vira smiled to the wink Kelpie gave her, amazed again over the way the tough little unicorn could push all her own fears and worries aside for others. If she wasn't a psychic, she'd have no idea Kelpie's stomach was in knots by the brave face she put on. The least she could do is go along with it and trust her friends, nodding back with a forced cheeriness to her voice. "R-Right! Kelpie is very brave and tough Jar Head, so you should just be grateful for the help."

"Oh I know she is Miss Vira, harder than any old salt on the docks Kelpie is, and lots prettier than those old bucks too. Thanks again, all of you. O-Ok, let's do this thing." Jar Head's absent reply brought out a blush on Kelpie's cheeks she tried to hide, cantering behind Nick when he turned and started wading out into the marsh.

Not liking it but left with little choice, Vira sat beside Longfellow lighting his pipe and the other harbor ponies there to watch, following their progress out into the scummy waters and towards a low, rather squishy looking spit of land some ways out into the marsh. When they arrived, Nick clambered his way up first, complaining about his gaskets as he shook himself dry, while Kelpie and Jar Head stayed in the muck and made a slow circuit of the little island, shaking their buckets of chum into the water before joining the synth detective.

With the bait laid out, Jar spoke to the two ponies constituting his 'crew' for this strange test, directing them to either side of the island before climbing atop a huge stump of one of the sickly willows dotting the marsh. Vira's mouth fell open in stunned surprise when Jar Head took a deep breath, then started literally dancing a jig on his perch, his rubber booted hooves tapping away and matching the cadence of the song he started belting out at the top of his lungs;

Vira laid her ears back at the croaking melody, raising a curious eyebrow to Longfellow cackling laughter at the young buck who obviously wasn't much of a singer or dancer. "What in the..."

"Sea shanty Vira, gots ta make noise and lure 'em in. What, you think we was just bein' figurative when we said dance a jig?" Longfellow answered her unspoken question with a chuckle up to her gaping between him and the show, waving a hoof out to the marshes and the low noise of screeches and roars she could just make out over Jar Head's singing.

"Well, it seems like a very poor choice of songs to me..."

Cap'n Berry laughed at Vira's sullen pout, shrugging as she set out a very old looking hourglass timer and sidled her way a little closer, bridging the distance between the harbor ponies near their rowboats and Vira and Longfellow beside theirs. "It's better when somepony else is singing it, but I see what you mean. Most sea shanties aren't exactly optimistic though Miss Vira, a life on the sea isn't an easy thing, a pony has to be tough as nails and have the respect of his crew to be a captain. That's what this whole thing is all about. I'm sure Jar is up to the test though, don't you worry. We're all here if not, so try to relax. That's the other part of this kind of life, we all have to look out for each other. Harbor ponies trust each other with their lives out on the sea, anypony not part of that life just doesn't understand. Why we can be a little standoffish to outsiders."

"A little...?" Vira snorted back, frowning at the gaggle of Fog Harbor residents sharing a good chuckle between themselves over her dubious response.

Still giggling, Berry shrugged to the tall alicorn and smiled. "Give them a few years and you'd be one of us Miss Vira. They already like you quite a bit to let you come along though. You've done a lot for us since you've arrived, so they're actually warming up to you a lot. Plus they're still talking about you dancing and singing your own jig in the Last Plank the other night... Shame I missed that, I hear you were...."

"LALALALA! I don't know what you're talking about!" Vira held her hooves to her ears and clenched her eyes being reminded of her drunken romp, trying to shut out the flashes of memory she got from a few bar patrons laughing over the images of her prancing around like a fool.

The way some of the stallions were nudging and winking each other with much more lurid thoughts concerning the naked green alicorn swaying her flanks and singing on top of the tables didn't help either. Longfellow snickering into his hoof was just salt in the wound, his merriment earning him a nip to the neck from a very embarrassed filly looking for safe harbor and only finding more teasing.

Vira was actually grateful for the distraction when she spotted the first of the local mutated wildlife crawling out of the marshes, pointing them out and speaking over all the laughter. "Oh look, terrible monsters out to hurt my friends, how wonderful! Let's just stop talking and watch!"

Everypony still laughed at Vira's embarrassed yelp, but their friendly ribbing tapered off as they followed her wing pointing out the first hostiles her pip-buck had identified for her with red dashes winking on at the bottom of her vision. What looked like several round rocks moving through the water rose up with chittering screeches, a number of shelled Miretanks the first to respond to the dinner bell Jar Head and the others had rung.

Vira shivered at the shelled horrors approaching the marshy island, she'd seen Miretanks before back in Trotson and never cared for the mutated tortoises. They weren't much of a threat to a divine child of the goddess since she could simply fly away, but they were notoriously difficult to kill too. Nick demonstrated his own experience dealing with the shelled horrors right off though, his .45 revolver booming at the first to hit the shore and nailing the tiny beaked head that represented the only weak point.

From his perch atop the rotting stump, Jar Head called out where to go to meet the Miretanks as they arrived before hopping down to join the fray. The three of them galloped around madly, playing defense to keep their opponents from climbing up on relatively dry land with them, Jar's harpoon gun and Kelpie's double barreled shotgun joining the sound of Nick's revolver in both eliminating the threat and drawing in more.

More than once, Vira's wings shot up and covered her eyes as she squeaked and half strangled Longfellow watching stoicly beside her. Nick was practically a pro when it came to shooting since his training with the Trotson P.D. centuries ago and had his repair talisman to fall back on, more than once taking risks and relying on it to fix the damage a lot easier than what could be done for his living companions. Jar Head was less a fighter than a fisherpony, but there was enough crossover considering how many mutant monsters came up with any catch so he was in his element too at least. Vira was most worried for poor Kelpie, finding it harder and harder to remain as an observer as she watched her friend fire and rapidly reload her shotgun, sensing the brave little unicorn's fear and inexperience when it came to combat.

Kelpie was out there to support her special somepony though, her love for the big dope Jar lending her courage when her own was lacking. Vira focused most of her mental energy on her and savored the sensation, wondering if she'd feel the same if the male needed her, or if he might go through so much for her someday. She'd heard the phrase 'the things we do for love' before, but hadn't fully understood it until she saw and felt her friend Kelpie putting her life on the line.

Being so tightly focused on Kelpie also meant she couldn't help it when she saw a dangerous looking radigator lunge out of the water behind her, her mental shout of (Kelpie! Look out!!) coming just ahead of the thing's fang filled maw snapping on the air where she'd been.

(Thanks Bitch! Hey, this is like having another pair of eyes out here!) Kelpie thought back at her as she rolled across the soggy ground, snapping her shotgun up on the fly by relying on the images Vira broadcast to her and blowing the brains out of the beast.

Feeling the flush of pride swelling in Kelpie's breast when Jar Head shouted, "Way to go Kelpie!" over her victory, Vira felt a sneaky, guilty grin spread across her muzzle and stopped hiding behind her feathers to watch closely, answering psychically. (It is, isn't it... I may not be allowed to help you directly, but no one said anything about indirectly... The harbor ponies are shouting their own encouragements and commentary too, so it's not even really cheating! Ah! There are several of those slimy fog hopper things approaching from the south, see?)

Kelpie considered it as she yelled out a warning to the others, Jar's grateful shout in reply deciding her as he charged off to deal with the new threat. (I don't think it's cheating either, but maybe don't do any of that telepathic 'helping' to Jar directly huh? I don't want him getting too full of himself, but he's trying really hard and might not see it that way.)

(Oh... oh of course! It wouldn't do to draw any more of his admiration either. The two of us working together to make you look good however... He will have to pay attention!)

(Let's focus on surviving and making sure he passes this stupid test Bitch, don't worry about all that lovey-dovey crap for five freaking minutes!) Kelpie's gruff answer as she rolled away from a disgusting ball of bile one of the hopping frog things spit at her made Vira realize she was grinning and squeeing over her brilliant idea too much to keep up with actually helping.

(Right, sorry! There is a... oh my, much larger frog thing trying to circle around behind you, see?)

Sharing the image of the yellow-green blob with too many red eyes peeking up from the water, Vira helped Kelpie in turning away from the numerous smaller Fog Hoppers Nick and Jar were dealing with on the other side of the island in time to meet it. Whatever it was, it was smarter and much larger than the regular fog hoppers, displacing a huge wave when it lunged from the water breathing a noxious green fog Kelpie pranced away from as she fired both barrels and blew it back to the water.

(Mutfrogen! Thanks Vira, those things are nasty and there's usually one at the head of a pack of hoppers!) Kelpie was almost enjoying herself when she shouted back, reloading and firing at the bleeding lump in the water again for good measure.

Feeling much less useless now that she could actually help her friends, Vira focused on keeping Kelpie informed and one step ahead of the horde of swamp creatures swarming the island. The ongoing battle had a few close calls that made her gulp, but between Jar Head's shouted orders as 'captain' and Vira's coordination, things started going very smoothly, elicting wild whoops and cheers from the audience of observers.

All except a few holdouts anyway, the most sour faced of which was starting to sweat as the sands in the hourglass timer started running out. Vira and everypony else were so focused on the jig reaching a fever pitch, nopony noticed when Barnacle Bill slipped off, muttering to himself and fishing a cloudy glass jar full of viscous greenish liquid from his saddlebags.

By the time he returned, puffing out of breath and stained by sludgy swamp water, things were winding down and the time limit had nearly been reached, prompting Longfellow to chuckle and nudge Vira and Cap'n Berry proudly. "Welp, looks like that's just about all she wrote, eh? Told ya the young buck could handle it lassie!"

Eyeing the last dregs of sand in her timer swirling away closely, Cap'n Berry nodded her agreement to the cackling old stallion and spoke up for the crowd watching Jar, Kelpie and Nick fending off the thinnest wave yet. "I think so too old timer. What say you folks? Can we all agree this was a fair and well danced jig that young Jar Head has and his crew have sailed through?"

Barnacle Bill had to shout to be heard over the resounding 'Aye's and stamping hooves of the crowd of harbor ponies, spoiling Jar Head's moment of triumph with his sputtering whines. "W-Wait a minute! It's not over yet dammit! Just you wait till time's up! We all know a rogue wave can come up any old time, even on calm seas!"

"Give it up Bill, ya sloppy old asshole! The buck did good and she's my boat to give a proper captain. You lose! At least do so with a little grace!" Longfellow snorted back, shoving at the overweight stallion and drawing Vira's divided attention to the scuffle.

Now that she was paying attention to what was going on around her and not on keeping Kelpie informed, Vira narrowed her green eyes on the shifty looking Bill. Waves of oily guilt and deviousness were pouring off him, his panic over losing Longfellow's boat a bright flare in his mind that cast dark shadows of desperate acts.

"What have you done..."

"What!? N-Nothin'! I ain't done a thing, I'm just sayin' it ain't over till the fat mare sings is all! K-Keep your pet mutie on a leash Longfellow!" Barnacle Bill stammered back nervously, instantly getting an enraged reaction from Longfellow as he backed away from Vira guiltily and tried to play to the crowd. "S-She's a big freak and a liar, just tryin' to help her buckfriend out there win with her fancy mutie tricks I bet! I ain't done a thing so..."

Before he could continue insulting Vira or get a buck to the face from Longfellow stomping after him, an earsplitting roar sounded out from the marshes and drew everyone's attention back to the forests and bogs. The Eyes Forward Sparkle system of Vira's pip-buck barely had time to identify the new threat and let her give a shrill shout of "Watch out!" before the thing loped out of the water and charged right for the island Vira's friends were still on.

It was fast... scary fast... Whatever the thing was, it swam through the water and lunged at Jar Head just starting to turn in the blink of an eye. If it weren't for Vira's warning and psychic images, it would have taken the handsome young buck out just that quickly. As it was, Kelpie was forewarned just enough to leap and tackle her special somepony out of the way, pushing Jar Head aside and giving a shrill scream as the flash of claws ripped through the back of her tattered dress.

"A King!? What the hell is that thing doin' comin' out!?" Longfellow's worried gulp did nothing to soothe Vira's terror on seeing the blood rapidly staining her friend as Nick and Jar fired at it wildly, driving the monster back to circle their island while they tried to tend Kelpie's wounds at the same time.

It was hard to recognize as a Miretank, but clearly related to them. What Longfellow thought of as Miretank King lacked the bulky shell the other types Vira had seen had weighing them down. Instead it skittered on its six muscular, scaly limbs, the flash of shell segments molded to its back the closest similarity it had to the tortoise like beasts. It was as quick on the land or water, leaping up to the trees to avoid the gunfire chasing it and opening its beaked maw to screech visible waves of destructive sound back at her friends.

Vira spread her wings and barely spared the nearly forgotten hourglass a second glance, gritting her teeth to focus on the danger at hoof first and the coward before her second. "There is no more sand, I assume I'm free to help my friends now!? Rather, I am GOING to do so, whether you like it or not!"

At that she rocketed into the air, making a beeline directly for Kelpie being tended by Nick doing his best to cover her and take the attacks the King kept launching. Parts of his plastic hide had been shredded, showing the gleaming metal bones and wires beneath, but Nick focused on protecting the gasping mare while Jar Head was galloping off and trying to draw its attention away.

Vira's emerald shield bloomed to life around Nick, Kelpie and herself, giving Nick leave to leap back to his hooves and reload his revolver as Vira frantically checked over Kelpie. On looking over the gouges in Kelpie's back, Vira despeartely wished she knew healing magic, settling for pulling out the bare healing supplies her employer had suggested she carry on her for emergencies.

Vira shoved a purple healing potion in her muzzle and forced Kelpie to drink, unwinding magical bandages in her telekinesis and speaking rapidly. "Shhh, it will be alright Kelpie, I'm here! Just... just don't move! Drink! Just like all those Zip! sodas you gave me, drink it all down!"

Between the roars of the King and her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, Vira barely heard a crackling knock at her shield. She looked up with tears standing in her eyes to find Cap'n Berry pounding against the glowing green barrier with a hung over looking Dr. Teddy in tow, the full crowd of harbor ponies charging into the fray behind her as she shouted to be heard over the chaos. "Let me in! We can help!!"

A gap opened in Vira's shield and the pale blue mare and light yellow stallion charged in with no hesitation, the Fog Harbor physician pushing the big alicorn aside to light his horn in a bright glow of healing magic that started knitting Kelpie's poor back together again. Vira tapped her hooves and hovered over the older stallion with the leader of the harbor harranguing him to sober up and work faster, "W-Will she be alright? Can you help her?"

"Fine if I have anything to say about it, both of you quit freaking pestering me and let me work! We need to bring that monster down though, Miretank King claws are poisonous, but I can make an antivenom with its corpse!" The doctor answered through gritted teeth, pouring magic into the weakly stirring Kelpie.

Vira's eyes blazed when she looked up and sought out the screeching monster, finding her dome of a shield had been surrounded by the harbor pony observers guarding them. Faced with the superior numbers or defenders though, the Miretank King was retreating from the hail of gunfire, filling Vira with a surge of panic.

(Nick! Longfellow! Jar! We must not allow it to escape! Kelpie is hurt and needs antivenom from it!!) Vira's mental shout to her friends was enough to rock everypony in range on their hooves at the sheer mental force of the command, instantly directing the three stallions she wanted as her shield faded and she shot into the air to give chase.

The King was making for the wooded edge of the marsh, aiming to disappear into the sickly looking willow fronds and muck, even as the harbor pony defenders' fire slackened as they rubbed their foreheads and looked around in confusion for the source of the scream right into their brains. Whatever had drawn it out wasn't enough for it to remain when faced with so many armed ponies, but Vira wasn't going to allow it to escape now, leaving a green contrail behind her streaking flight as she cut it off and drove it back with a brilliant emerald beam from her horn.

Skimming low to the water to corral the thing back, Vira briefly considered using her new M.E.W. weapon before thinking better of it. It may be a rare occurance, but she couldn't afford to vaporize the beast when she needed the body. While she was figuring out what to do beyond penning the thing in, the loud crack of Longfellow's rifle gave her more time and breathing room at least. One of the King's four hindlegs was blown off in a spray of blood that made it falter a bare instant in its rapid skittering, followed by the rapid barks of Nick's .45 hammering the thing's armored chest slowing it down more when the synth dashed out of the marsh to force it to turn.

That gave Vira enough time to climb into the air, her powerful wings earning her altitude rapidly. Once she had enough she did a graceful spin and dove back down, for once glad she was... not fat, but substantial... All her mass was transfered to energy as she fell like a stone, adding her own wing power to gravity's pull and making a whistling noise like a bomb lining up on the screeching monster.

It was aiming to plow right through Nick rather than turn back towards the firing squad of harbor ponies, too focused on the battered synth to recognize the growing shadow in front of it as a threat until it had already crossed under it. Vira landed with all four hooves slamming into the shelled back of the King, creating a shockwave in the shallow water that exploded upward in a foul smelling fountain, driving the squirming monster down into the muck by several feet.

The soft mud of the marsh absorbed all the strength the King threw at it trying to escape like quicksand, effectively keeping it in place. It was unable to retaliate with anything other than one set of foreclaws and its snapping beak Vira dodged away from, every other limb thrashing up a muddy froth in the water as it tried to pull itself free. It was still fast enough to give Vira a nasty set of slashes down her side with its curved claws, but the alicorn was fairly confident in her species' resistance to poison, swinging a foreleg back without fear and smashing the thing right in the jaw with a hoof that dazed it.

Unfortunately she forgot the damn thing had a ranged attack... Vira was sent flying by a wall of noise when the thing roared like a cannon, the booming rings of the sonic attack throwing her back to splashdown into a copse of cat tail reeds that obscured her loopy vision.

Vira's heart sped up as soon as she lost sight of the thing, with good reason as she heard it roar and slither away from where it had been stuck as she flopped in the mud. No sooner did she have her hooves under her and managed to stand to her full height that put the reeds below her, the Miretank King pounced at her head popping up.

She was embarrassed by the shrill scream that came out of her muzzle, but fighting one of these monsters down in the muck where it had the advantage was terrifying. Hell, Miretank Kings were terrifying period! Its slobbering beak was open wide and its razor sharp foreclaws were extended to rip her throat out. Despite being a great and powerful child of the goddess, Vira was afraid and faltered.

If it weren't for a bellowing brown blur tackling the horrific thing from the air, she may have died then and there. As it was she watched in shock as Jar Head launched himself at the King with no more than his hooked fishing spear. The earth pony was a master with the simple tool though, the hook had found purchase in the king's neck and Jar performed a deft move with the long pole in his teeth as soon as it did, sliding off the other side of its shelled back liked greased lightning and using the king's momentum against it. She still wasn't quite sure how he did it, but Jar wound up on his hooves, while the king wound up spinning through the air rapidly, its head smashing into a moss covered stone poking up from the peat with a loud and painful sounding 'crack!'.

As soon as it was clear of Jar Head and Vira, six rapid cannon blasts from Nick's gleaming revolver hammered away at it and kept it down and dazed. The speed and accuracy of the shots had to be assisted by the pip-buck on the synth detective's foreleg, as each of its limbs were nailed when it lay sprawled in the marsh for a bare instant.

The king was finally stunned by something, holding still just long enough for Longfellow galloping up to draw a bead with his lever action rifle. Vira could feel the tightening of focus coming from the old stallion as he blew a breath out slowly, just as he'd taught her to shoot, then there was a deafening blast from his long gun and the king's brains were splattered across the rock it had smashed against.

In the silence that followed, Vira focused on her breathing and slowing her pounding heart, not liking how her long legs were shaking and trying to dispell the fear off with a tremulous whinny. "T-Thank you... All of you, that was... m-most frightening."

"I should goddess damned say so you daffy filly! What'd I tell you about runnin' off tanglin' with island beasties you got no business messin' with Vira!?" Longfellow holstered his rifle in the leather bandolier Vira had given him with a frustrated snort, then stamped his hooves with a squelch and turned his ire on the harbor ponies watching from the little island Kelpie waited on. "Oy! You useless bastards, it's safe now! C'mere and drag this carcass over for the lassie, double time!"

Giving a shaky sigh as he reloaded his revolver, Nick shrugged wearily and joined his assistant as the gaggle of wide eyed harbor ponies followed Longfellow's gruff commands. "Take it easy on her mac, just worried about her friend. Not that I totally disagree with the old timer dollface, but good job there, really leapt in to save her."

"Are you alright Miss Vira!? That thing came so close! You could'a been kilt! I didn't think I was gonna make it!" Jar Head joined them in following behind the throng of ponies carrying the dead king to the waiting Dr. Teddy shouting at them, covered in muck and jabbering a mile a minute as his amber eyes roved over her frantically. Only once he was sure Vira wasn't really injured did a fresh wave of panic hit him, feeling like a wave of ice to the psychic alicorn as he turned and galloped off toward the doctor and shouted. "Shit! Kelpie!? You alright!?"

Vira sighed with a soft smile watching him, at once glad for his concern and worried it equaled what he felt for the brave unicorn mare who'd saved him. At least that was something though, if he'd fretted over her more than Kelpie, Vira believed she may just pull her mane out in frustration. She was tired and sore, shaking as the adrenaline wore off and ready for this ridiculous jig nonsense to be over, but reminded there was one more thing to take care of as she approached the crowd and spotted the guilty stallion hovering at the edges.

Speeding her slow trot up to a stomping gait directly for him, Vira's long horn lit up and Barnacle Bill was surrounded by the emerald glow of her telekinesis, yanked off his hooves to come floating right up to her dragonish scowl. "You... What did you do..."

"H-HEY! Lemme go! I didn't do nothin'! Somepony make this big mutie freak lemme go!" Bill only made things worse by lying, sorely tempting Vira to forget everything she'd learned about being a good pony as the crowd turned from Kelpie being treated to one of their own being threatened.

"Er... hey sweetheart, may not wanna go pissin' off the locals right now. How about you put the palooka down?" Nick laid a gentle hoof on Vira's shoulder and spoke soothingly, but did nothing to calm the fury she felt as she wheeled on him and the crowd in turn.

"This was all HIS FAULT! He did it! I can feel the guilt oozing off him! I could MAKE him tell you if I wanted!" Vira's eyes glowed brightly as she snarled back, her teeth growing sharp as she turned back to a very nervous looking Bill and purred menacingly. "I want him to say it though... I want him to ADMIT IT! I am not above pulling enough out of what passes for his mind to prove my point however!"

"I may be an outsider, but I know this was far more dangerous than a traditional jig is meant to be, isn't it!? Thanks to Longfellow I also know a Miretank King doesn't usually come out for a few buckets of chum, isn't that right? They have the lower monsters hunt for them... a King would have to be lured specifically... wouldn't it?"

There was a murmur through the crowd at that, all eyes shifting between Bill floating helplessly in Vira's magic and Longfellow blinking up to her before answering slowly. "Ayuh... that's about the long and short of it. Need somethin' like queen pheromones to draw one of them critters out. Wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Bill?"

A note of panic crept into Bill's shouted reply, his legs scrambling uselessly on thin air. "N-No! Young buck's just unlucky is all! Stumbled in his territory when he was in a bad mood or somethin'! Now somepony make this bitch let me go!"

Longfellow's rifle was back out and cocked before the crowd could blink, a low growl coming from his throat as he hissed back. "Bill... we known each other a long time, but I swear to Celestia, you insult my filly like that one. more. time..."

"Longfellow! That's enough, both of you! I admit this whole thing is suspicious, but it's the alicorn's word against Bill's. Kelpie's going to be alright, let's just all calm down. We're not devolving to murder out here over nothing solid!" Cap'n Berry tried valiantly to grab the reins on the situation, holding her hooves up for peace and stilling the rising mutters back and forth from the crowd of onlookers.

"Ahem..." Nick's soft interruption drew every eye to the synth trotting back up from the marsh with a younger fisherpony buck in tow, letting him pose dramatically and light a cigarette for effect before continuing on the exhale. "Thing about that there doll, you do have a detective along for this shindig, so I may as well earn my salt, hmm? Thought I'd take a little trot around to look for clues when my mare friday went bananas and lookie what me and my helpful guide found... You drop this mac?"

Vira felt Bill's panic sink to outright dread when Nick held up a cloudy glass jar for the crowd. Even as furious as she still was, her predatory expression softened and she gave her boss a genuine smile. The old detective was clever... had he come back with a clue he'd found with no witnesses, the slimy buck wriggling in her grip would say it was planted. Nick knew every trick in the book though, a fat, stupid fisherpony like Barnacle Bill was miles out of his league with Nick Hearts n' Hooves on the case.

"Now, I'm no expert like you folks, but this jar sure stinks to high heaven to me. I'm betting its the kind of thing creepy crawlies like that tough customer love though. Me an' my new friend Sinker here didn't even have to look very far, did we son?" Nick turned things over to the younger stallion he'd brought along with him, raising a plastic eyebrow and waving the buck on when he gulped as the crowd turned on him.

"Y-Yes sir Mr. detective! He's tellin' the truth, just tossed out in the reeds over yonder everypony! Where that scary thing came from even!" The lime green colt's voice cracked with excitement as he nodded, holding up the jar Nick held out for him and waving it around.

One of their own confirming that much was bad enough, but the murmurs from the crowd rose in volume and a few angry shouts stood out;

"Saw Bill with a jar like that earlier!"

"Didn't he wander off to take a piss right before..."

"You think he really..."

Longfellow summed up the growing anger in the crowd by stomping his way closer and scowling up to the floating purple stallion. "Oh you bastard Bill... keeping my boat meant so much you'd throw lives away? Vira, do yer telehoozit and melt his brain..."

"Gladly..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoaaaaa.... easy there sweetheart, no brain melting today." Nick interrupted just as Vira's glowing eyes narrowed and her horn brightened, preventing the alicorn and the old stallion from taking things too far.

He wiped a bead of imaginary sweat from his plastic brow and gave a crooked grin to Cap'n Berry sputtering as she caught up, 'W-Wait, brain melting!? She can... I agree with the detective, we take care of justice in the harbor ourselves Miss Vira, as you well know Longfellow! Really! Telling her to... you're still an incorrigible old coot! Put Bill down and let us handle this!"

Vira neighed and snorted breath through her nostrils in rejection, but felt the serious insistence behind Nick's easy going smile and reluctantly obeyed her employer, the field of her telekinesis surrounding the squirming Barnacle Bill popping like a soap bubble and dumping him uncermoniously to the muck. She still glared down at the vile buck along with Longfellow, watching him scramble backwards on his haunches as soon as he was free until running into the legs of the stone faced crowd surrounding him.

"I-I didn't... this is all... You're gonna believe that monster mare an' not..." Bill jabbered as he slowly stood, pleading to the harbor ponies who looked distinctly uninterested in his lies.

They even gave a murmur of approval when he was suddenly shut up by one of their own, a white tufted brown foreleg shot out and socked him in the jaw, dumping him back to the ground as the furious attacker snorted and kept advancing. Jar Head had left Kelpie's side and heard enough to be nearly consumed by a red rage that made Vira flinch, tromping after Bill skittering away only to again be blocked by the crowd encircling him.

"Kelpie got hurt because of you!" WHAM! Jar shouted and socked him again, continuing to alternate furious shouts with hard hoof strikes to the tubby stallion. "You could have gotten her killed!" WHAM! "You could have gotten Miss Vira killed!" WHAM! "Any of us! Just so long as you got what you wanted!" WHAM! "What kind of a captain would you be, willing to sacrifice anypony like that!" WHAM!

Bill's face was bloody and bruised but still Jar kept going, ignoring Cap'n Berry shouting for him to stop and the hooves of the harbor ponies trying to hold him back. It wasn't until a soft, weak voice called out that he ceased his unrelenting assault, turning to Kelpie being helped forward by Dr. Teddy. "Jar... stop, that's enough. You'll kill him..."

"He deserves it! He..." Jar shouted back, but had stopped and slumped at Kelpie shaking her head softly.

Taking advantage of the lull, Cap'n Berry tried again to exert some kind of control over the situation as the leader of Fog Harbor, directing a trio of stallions to pick Bill back up and get between him and Jar Head as she spoke with authority. "He broke the laws of the island, so he will be punished accordingly. Not by you and not by the outsiders though, by the code. We're not a bunch of fog crazed trappers Jar Head, young Kelpie knows that. We're civilized ponies. Barnacle Bill, based on the evidence at hoof, you'll be taken back to the docks and pilloried for a week. I seriously doubt anypony will want to take somepony like you on with their crew from now on. What say you folks, is that fair justice for this scurvy dog?"

With a resounding chorus of 'Aye!' the matter seemed to be settled, the harbor ponies bowed to Cap'n Berry's authority and hustled the still sputtering Bill away to the waiting boats. Vira could still feel a bright torch of anger coming from Jar Head, matching what she felt herself, but it slowly cooled as the stallion trotted over to check on Kelpie. A weary nuzzle from the teal unicorn calmed him down as Berry walked up and laid a hoof on his shoulder, holding out a battered captain's hat as she turned to play to the crowd and salvage this shitshow of a day.

Cap'n Berry waited for Jar to take the offered hat at Kelpie's proud nudge, then held his foreleg high with hers and shouted to the crowd in a voice full of forced cheer. "Ahem! Well then, unpleasantness aside, we had a right proper and well danced jig, didn't we folks!? As such, it's my pleasure to declare young Jar Head here the newest Captain of the Harbor, taking the helm of the Ocean Pearl! Let's all get to work cleaning up this haul Captain Jar Head and his brave crew brought in, eh folks!? Not often we get a taste of Miretank King either, so we'll be able to throw one hell of a celebration feast when you all get back tonight!"

She was good at playing to the crowd, Vira had to give her that. The psychic alicorn could feel the shift in the harbor ponies' dark mood, lifting instantly along with Jar's upheld hoof as they gave a cheer and got to work. They expertly started dressing the carcasses of all the beasts that had crawled out of the woodwork during the jig, thoughts of a feast and party to come brightening their spirits.

Once they were all busily working and starting to sing shanties to work by, Berry released Jar Head and lowered her voice, speaking to Longfellow and the rest of Vira's friends now standing in a huddle together. "I take it you folks are still going off on your little pleasure cruise, but don't keep these ponies waiting on you too long. They want to celebrate and we could use something positive to get past all of... all of Bill's bullshit. He will be punished, but I can't let anypony dwell on the negative too much with things as they are. I know you're all mad, but let us handle it."

"Hmmph... Should'a just let my Vira or the young buck handle it, save everypony a lot of time. Whatever though Cap'n, if the filly what got hurt wants it your way, that's fine by me. We'll take as long as we need to do our errands though! Not rushin' on yer schedule just to throw some silly party!" Longfellow snorted back, then turned on his heel and stomped off to the waiting rowboat, gruffly grumbling as he went. "Well come on you lot, time's wastin' and we gots an injured crewmate!"

"He's right dollface, c'mon, let's get you checked out too huh? Leave the crook to the islanders and let's get goin' Vira." Nick nudged his assistant, breaking her scowl from following Barnacle Bill being led away with a guilty start.

She didn't like it... but she reluctantly followed Nick towards Longfellow and Jar Head already gingerly loading Kelpie onto their rowboat, willing to put it behind her in favor of trotting up and checking on her friend.

It took the rest of the morning to reach their destination after leaving the marshes, unable to plot a direct course to the empty icon on Vira's map reading; Echo Lake Weather Mill due to the jagged coastline, crumbling bridges blocking their way and shallow swamps. Longfellow took over at the helm to get them there, knowing all the channels and currents to get where they wanted to go like the back of his hoof, even after his long absence from the sea.

Vira spent her time alternating between checking on Kelpie below decks and stewing sullenly above. She wasn't sure about allowing the injured unicorn to come along with them, despite the fog harbor doctor's assurances all she needed was some rest. Quite frankly, she didn't trust that drunk Dr. Teddy and had nearly stomped him through the deck when he had the gall to ask to be paid. One look at Vira's green eyes turning dragonish and glowing again was enough for him to reconsider who he sent the bill to at least, nervously leaving the Pearl after getting Kelpie settled and leaving the medicine and antivenom for her care. He proclaimed that since it was an islander event he was dragged off to attend by Cap'n Berry, the city of Fog Harbor could hoof the bill.

Eventually Nick came ambling up to the prow where she had her chin resting on her hooves at the railing, sidling up to his frustrated assistant and lighting a cigarette to watch the scenery drift by with her. "Doin' alright there dollface? Look like you still got your nickers in a twist over that big dumbell. Wanna gab about it?"

In answer, Vira stuck her lip out in a pout and huffed, her long tail flicking on the deck at Nick's hooves. He didn't seem to mind her silence however, chuckling under his breath and focusing on his smoke instead of the ceaseless up and down of the blasted boat making his stomach do the mambo. Nick wasn't one to brag, but he knew dames well enough after having more than a century to puzzle them out, all he had to do was wait.

He was rewarded by Vira breaking the long silence with a snort, rolling a lidded emerald eye back to him and pouting. "I wanted to make that fat pony pay, so did Longfellow and Jar, why did you and Kelpie disagree?"

"You mean why can't you just kill a palooka that hurt your friend? It's complicated sweetheart." Nick sighed back, on uncertain moral ground with his new mare friday and forced to have the talk about this part of the business already.

"You aren't sure, are you? I hear you thinking Nick... Why would it be alright if that Bill pony was actively trying to hurt us, but not after he already had, after he could have killed any of us! I don't understand the difference!"

Nick reached into his rumpled trenchcoat and pulled out his tarnished golden badge in reply, turning it in his hooves and speaking softly. "All I can teach you is the gumshoe's code doll, it ain't much, but it's what I've relied on all these years. If killing some joker is the only way to protect yourself or save lives, that's justifiable. If it's after the fact or just cause you're steamed at em, that's nothin' but cold blooded murder and revenge, no different than them. When I started with the Trotson P.D. all ponies got up to could be solved with a stern lecture, when things started getting worse because of the war... we got taught that code. It didn't always hold up as things got bad, but it was something to hold on to."

Vira lifted her head and blinked down at the somber synth, feeling the years of experience flowing off him and slightly in awe. She saw him as a fresh faced recruit colt in a blue uniform, saw him directing traffic when the first auto carriages showed up, saw him age with the world as the first guns and drugs appeared and were discussed by grim faced police ponies in bullpens. Nick had seen it all, had been around long enough to watch the world he knew turn to a dark and gritty place, yet his belief in what that badge represented had truly carried him through it all, even after the end of that world it had kept him going somehow.

More than anything though, she could sense Nick was somepony she could really talk to. Even if he wasn't one of her sisters and couldn't join in Unity with her, he guessed enough of what she was thinking to be worried and make himself available, something she decided to take advantage of with a hesitant gulp. "I've met many ponies like that awful Bill, Nick. I've sensed terrible things in them, for awhile I thought that was all there was to normal ponies, that's why I was...."

"A regular femme fatale, eh? But you've changed doll, I've seen that much myself. You worried about a relapse or something?" Nick finished for her, cuffing her shoulder in a supportive gesture that helped her keep going.

"A little... I've been trying to be a good pony like I was asked to, I'd gotten encouraged by my success. I even got my cutie mark on realizing I'd been wrong and that there was something to love about all of ponykind, but all it took was one rotten apple to... I've made friends with you and the others, but he could have hurt one of you and that made me so furious! Before, when I didn't care at all, I wouldn't have been so scared and angry over such a thing. Does loving others make you weak Nick? Would it be better not to?"

There was a long pause and Vira got a very clear image of the mare she'd seen in Nick's memories before, the golden maned beauty by the Trotson riverside before the war. The mare Nick loved with all his heart once upon a time. To her surprise, the synth loosed a single tear as he stared out at the waves. It was thick and oily, looking very odd coming from his yellow on black eyes with a sniffle, but he actually cried for just an instant, though it was quickly wiped away and he turned a serious stare up to her, shaking his head firmly.

"No Vira. Love makes us all stronger. I ain't gonna lie, it can hurt and... and bad ponies can use it against us sometimes, I know all about that... but still, it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all. Even that hate you felt over the palooka, that was just love turned all topsy turvy. You have to care to feel that strong about anything and you care about your friends. That's a good thing, maybe the best thing there is. Don't go doubting yourself doll, not when you've come so far."

"Don't miss a good thing because you're scared of getting hurt, look at me or your old pal Longfellow if you wanna see where that can lead you. You helped both of us take a look at ourselves, I think that's what that stamp on your caboose means dollface. It's all so new to you, you remind us what love is when it's new and fresh, what it can be. Hell, I'd be willing to bet that's your virtue Vira, love. You're a regular Princess Cadence sweetheart." Nick finished his heartfelt speech by blowing one of his heart shaped smoke rings out into the fog, waggling his brows and grinning as he held a hoof to one nostril and blew an arrow out to pierce it to Vira's sniffling laughter.

Nick knew the trash compactor hug was coming before she squeed and lunged at him, but his old metal bones could take it and his mare friday earned it. He found himself nuzzling and stroking her back in return as he felt some of the tension run out of her, glad he'd found her and she'd found him. This was exactly why he had a weakness for dames in the lurch, it was always so gorgeous when they turned it all around.

"Ahoy! Quit that snugglin' on my boat dammit! Vira! If yer done with yer poutin', help your little friend make the ship ready, we're almost there!" Longfellow's gruff shout from the bridge startled the two detectives from the embrace, laughing together at him hopping up and down in a mock fit. He'd been concerned over Vira's mood too, but hadn't known what to say, Vira could sense how relieved he was to see her 'back to her sappy self'.

"Y-Yes Longfellow..." She giggled back, then amended herself when he snorted and fumed. "I mean, aye aye captain... Thank you Nick, let's do as he says. We do have a case to get back to, right boss?"

"Aye-aye dollface, back into the fray once more dear assistant."

New Perk Added-----------------

The Stare-----
---It might be falling back on old habits, but it's over your friends now and when you get mad all those puny ponies better watch out! Being an daunting example of the Goddess' perfection, you are now able to make special speech checks and intimidate through eye contact when you have to put a pony in their place.