And so, for a short period, I was a terror.
The stallion, who’s name I learned was Shifty Business, explained to me the procedure. He would sail out to me once per week, with a shipping manifest of that week’s boats. He would point out the pirate’s ships, and at what tide they would depart. He would also mark the boats with fish blood, to make certain I was sinking the correct one.
The first week was not difficult. I approached the boats, silently, and determined that they were, in fact, the marked ships. This was not difficult, as they were typically the only vessels upon the tide at that time.
Then I crushed them. Sending a length of my body sweeping into it, or crashing down on top of it, did no more harm to me than crushing an egg might to a pony. The wicked pirates died, the ships were vanquished, and the Pale Sea was that much closer to being free of the slanderous scourge.
At the beginning of the second week, Shifty Business approached, and looked fit to burst. “What is this?! I have been hearing that you’ve been destroying the ships?! And all of the cargo?!”
I eyed him warily. “And!?” My voice echoed across the water, rattling the windows of the boats and the bones of those upon them. “These pirates are a scourge. I will destroy them efficiently and without hesitation.”
Shifty, much more deferential now, responded. “But of course my lord! I...” He bit his lip for a moment. “I merely meant to convey, perhaps, to keep the ships intact? The goods onboard belong to the good ponies who have been robbed! The ships themselves, as well! It is all well and good to punish those at fault, but good ponies need this cargo to survive, and use your sea for good!”
I thought on his words for a moment. “Very well.”
He sighed, smiling in relief. “Thank you, my lord.”
“This cargo... it would be foolish to not make it waterproof for your journeys, correct? I could submerge these ships for an hour or so, then return them to the surface.” I thought it a sensible plan.
“Erm, well, no, my lord. Much of the cargo is sealed below decks, protected from the spray of the ocean, but not from the pressure of being submerged. Perhaps you could...” He gestured upwards. “Upend the ships? The passengers would fall, but the cargo would remain unharmed.”
I nodded. “Very well. You shall have your ships. I will set them adrift once they are liberated, you must recapture them yourselves.”
Shifty’s smile could not have gotten any wider. “Wonderful! Thank you, my lord. Shall we go over this week’s schedule?”
For months, I followed the direction of Shifty Business, upending ships and shaking them loose. Dozens of ponies would fall from each ship, plummeting to the water below to swim for their lives. I let them swim. They would not reach land.
Occasionally, some of the ponies would survive. A few ponies soared into the air, high into the sky, like birds. Only surprising me once, I quickly dealt with these interlopers with a lashing of my tail. None more escaped.
Still others would utilize colored light, coming from a horn on their foreheads, to save themselves. They used various methods, from crafting boats of the light, to merely blinking out of existence. All but the latter I could easily deal with. No amount of skill or speed could allow me to do away with the disappearing pirates, a fact which bothered me immensely.
Shifty himself grew more and more self-assured, daring more and more to speak to me with authority. A quick show of dominance typically quelled his attitude, but less and less so, every time we met.
Once, he came to me, sailing upon one of the finer ships I had reclaimed from the pirates. After asking after it, he claimed that the owners were wealthy merchants, who had already purchased another vessel. They had allowed him to keep the one that had been reclaimed.
Like a fool, I believed all of his lies. It was only by sheer chance that I saw the error of my ways.
The S.S. Marauder. A noble ship, primarily used for transporting passengers, as well as the occasional load of valuable goods. I was scheduled to see it to its doom on a Tuesday, that is, the day following the time of the week when Shifty Business and I discussed the schedule, which I was told was a Monday.
I waited until the Marauder was in deep water, too far from shore for survivors to make for land. I then took the vessel within my maw, and held it high, upside-down, and shook, watching the ponies tumble into the waves.
I recognized one.
Steady Breath. The old stallion, the fisherman, who had been kind to me, and answered my questions, albeit with fear. He was upon this vessel? This, this pirate’s ship? I could not believe it.
In fact, I did not. I replaced the ship in the ocean, afloat. I then swam away from the vessel, then back, rolling my body through the water expertly. I rose a great wave from the surface, rolling the drowning ponies into its bulk, to crash upon the deck of the ship, and be deposited safely there. I repeated this process several times, until every pony within my sight had been replaced in the Marauder.
I rose my head to the deck of the boat, peering down upon it with my great eye. The ponies were struggling to their hooves, coughing. Injured, but otherwise whole. No deaths.
Several of them screamed as I brought my face to them. I saw many scramble for weapons, but their cold and damp state rendered them incapable warriors.
“Silence!” I boomed. All commotion on board ceased, as every eyes was trained upon me. “I wish to speak to the Fisherman, Steady Breath.”
“Here.” A shaky, strained breath called out. I saw Steady raising slowly, coughing into his fetlocks with a sickening hack. “I am here, Serpent. Speak what you will.” He spat his words from his mouth.
“Why do you serve a pirate vessel? I thought you to be a fisherman only.” It only then began to dawn on me that I had been betrayed, that I had made a most terrible mistake.
He laughed. His voice hacked and his body shook, but he laughed anyway. The kind old stallion, mocking me with a noble act of defiance. “A pirate ship? You think this a wretched pirate ship? You are a lord, Serpent, but you are a fool. I would wager that you have never destroyed a pirate vessel in your entire life.”
I hesitated. What trickery was this? I paused a moment before telling the stallion of my agreement with Shifty Business.
Steady only laughed again. “Well, now I’m certain. Age doesn’t make for wisdom, of that I now know. How old are you?”
At the time, 608.
“That is none of your concern. Now tell me, how have I been played for a fool?”
“Why...” He paused, coughing again. Water splashed onto the deck from his lungs. “Why would pirates, who by their nature need to be stealthy and unpredictable, have a schedule?”
I did not know these things of pirates. Come to think of it, I had little knowledge of pirates at all, other than that they were thieves and murderers. I had assumed that Shifty stole the schedule from a pirate lord somewhere, each week.
“But the best part, Serpent,” Steady smiled, and looked up at me, sadly. His voice no longer bore the scathing bite it had before. “The best part, is that what better tool for a pirate to have, than a giant Sea Serpent, who murders innocent ponies, and saves their ships for the pirates to take at their whim?”
My great eyes widened.
My body began to shake with rage.
And in my fury, I let out a great roar, that slammed into the boat before me and caused the ponies to clutch their ears. The waves shook, the ocean trembled, and my rage could not be contained.
I immediately dove beneath the waves, to seek out and destroy Shifty Business, wherever he may be. At any cost.
As I had mentioned before, this occurred on a Tuesday. I met with Shifty on Mondays.
I could not locate his vessel that day, or the day after, or the day after. There were many vessels upon the see, but only a close examination could determine which belonged to this traitorous fiend. I was sorely tempted to destroy all vessels I could see, but the face of Steady Breath filled my mind, pity and anguish written upon his brow, and I could not.
For a week, I did nothing but search. A week, I did not destroy the ships I had been told to, and for a week, Shifty Business was allowed to suspect my sudden enlightenment.
Would he confront me? Would he truly be so arrogant as to believe more of his lies cold save him?
As I would discover, I was once again the fool. Shifty Business was always prepared.
Finally, Monday once again came, and I went to the spot in the sea where we would meet. I saw his vessel glide through the water, winds billowing, towards me. I longed for nothing more than to destroy his ship as soon as it was within my reach, but I controlled myself. I wanted him to know how his destruction was brought about.
And of course, I was going to make a show of it. I swam in great circles around his vessel, coiling myself and not holding back. Great waves began to rise along my back, and the ship began to dip, slightly, as I caused a shallow vortex. As it spun wildly, I could hear the startled yells of the sailors onboard.
I stopped swimming in circles, and rose myself out of the water. I rose the coils of my body as high as I could, bringing my head many hundreds of hooves into the air. I descended upon the deck with a furious expression upon my face, hundreds of gallons of water splashing off of my muzzle and onto the deck below.
“SHIFTY BUSINESS.” My voice roars across the sails, rattling the walls and deafening the ponies onboard. “SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME, COWARD. SPEAK YOUR LAST WORDS BEFORE I KILL YOU.”
I was sorely tempted to knock the smug stallion into the water as soon as he rose from the hold, but I held my fury. He waltzed onto the deck, looking far too pleased with himself.
“My lord!” He cried. “You did not sink the ships! May I ask why? Have you decided you like pirates sullying the good name of your grand sea?”
“Do not play games with me, mammal,” I growled. “I am here to destroy you for your deceit. Speak, or I shall be done with you now.”
He shrugged. “Very well. Allow me to ask you a question, Lord Serpent.” He traipsed around the deck, nodding to several of his crewmates. “Why are you the Lord of this ocean? What makes you, a creature of flesh and blood, the warden of such a force of nature?”
“I am not the warden of this sea, pony, she is of me. I am the Lord of the Pale Sea as a devoted servant, not as a cruel master.” I sneered. “Something you cannot hope to understand. Devotion to a cause greater than your own pride.”
He nodded. “My pride may be my weakness, yes. But it is also yours. Whether pride of the sea or pride of yourself, it matters not.” He glared up at me, a daunting task for one so insignificant.
“It has caused you to lower your guard. NOW!”
All of the crew with Shifty Business began to glow, from atop their heads. They were all themselves the horned ponies I had seen earlier, and the light was... bright.
The glowing aura began to cloud my vision. With a start, I realized that the bizarre power of the ponies was encasing me, shimmering over me from head to tail. It was weak at first, faint, but as the ponies continued it grew stronger, until it was shining as brightly as the stars themselves.
Angrily, I attempted to lash out, to cease Shifty’s malicious power. But the strange shimmer of the ponies’ horns sapped my strength, leaving me weary.
I rose more out of the water, until I was no longer submerged at all.
I felt distorted. Numbed, and deafened.
Past that moment, there is a fog.
Noise.
Noise, as great as a storm, but ugly, cacophonous and crude. My body felt... coiled up, but not so. It was a short distance from my head to my tail, and I could feel a hard, damp surface, pressed against one side of my body.
With a start, I realized I was no longer submerged. My eyes flung open and I desperately tried to move, to gain bearings on my surroundings.
Everything was all wrong.
My body was wrong, primarily. As opposed to the long, coiling body I knew and mastered, with spines adorning every crevasse, I was short, stumpy, and dry. Long portions of my body stuck out from me, I had limbs. The back half of my body was stout, like a barrel, and I was covered in hair. Every inch of my body, coated in a short, grey-colored fuzz. Replacing the long, graceful spines along my back was a dark blue mane, clumped and flaccid, sprawled about my face and covering my eyes.
As I attempted to move, I merely managed to flail about the deck, landing again on my side as I attempted to move my uncoordinated and unpracticed body.
For that’s what it was. The deck of Shifty Business’ ship.
I was a pony.
The noise that had filled my ears (my ears now long, sticking from my head) since the moment I had awoken returned, with renewed vigor. A hoarse voice called out from the crowd (for that is what it was, a crowd of ponies) to say “Ey, lookee here lads, the fish is awake!”
With some effort, I turned my head towards the sky. I saw dozens of ponies, all the ones upon the ship, above me. The towered over me like sentinels, their faces twisted in cruel mockery.
The sky was so bright. I had trouble thinking straight.
“Somepony go get th’ captain.” A younger pirate galloped down the deck, towards a door there. The sound of his hooves upon the deck echoed in my head. “An’ nopony touch it! The captain gave special orders.”
The crowd of ponies grumbled, but none protested. I attempted to focus my eyes, get a handle on where I was. Thoughts labored through my mind, steadily increasing in pace as my wits returned about me.
I am a pony.
I narrowed my eyes, once again trying to move myself. My new limbs spasmed in every direction, unsure of how to properly function. Thoughts were piecing themselves together in my mind, as every instant made me more and more lucid.
I am a... pony.
What is a pony. Small things, stomping around on ships. Some nice, some not so nice. I was one now? Was that why I couldn’t move?
I... have been turned into a pony.
Ponies, ponies... Steady Breath. Shifty Business. Pirates. Sailors. All kinds of-
The reality of the situation hit me like a sack of bricks. My eyes widened as a terrible cry tore from my lips, echoing across the deck. Rage, unlike anything I have ever felt, poured from my mind and into every inch of my new, dysfunctional form.
Many of the ponies stepped back as my call rang out. It was little consolation to know my voice still carried such weight.
A shadow fell over me, as another pony walked forward, daring to step within my reach (a feat none others were willing to risk). “Why, hello, my lord.”
Still unable to move, words found purchase at my lips. “You.” My voice was ragged, and shallow. I had little energy.
Shifty Business smirked. “Yes, that’s right.” He grinned, looking down at me with a malicious glint. “Look at you. Lord of the Pale Sea, a quivering mess upon my ship. I suppose I should feel honored, in a way.”
I tried to respond but could not. I lay, silent but for the ragged gasps of my breath. He continued, unabated. “I suppose you have figured out, Serpent, that I am not the honest stallion I claim to be, oh no!”
He was positively strutting at this point, eager to drive his point home. “I am a pirate, you see. I suppose I was the king of pirates, even, for I had the Lord of the Sea under my command. Any vessel I deemed a desirable target, I could merely set him upon, like a hound to a fox.” He chuckled. “And all it took were a few pretty words.”
He bent down close to me. “And now, I suppose my dear Serpent, I am no longer the king of pirates, for I no longer have a mighty serpent with which to sink my ships.” He shook his head. “Oh no, but what I do have is far better. For I have beaten the Lord of the Sea, and hence, take your title.”
He landed a swift kick to my stomach. I doubled over, crouching in a manner I was unused to. No more could I coil myself, I was limited to an oblique form of bending. The pain sent stars in front of my eyes, and bile to my throat. The sailors laughed, but I could not bring myself to oppose them. The pain was too much.
“Now I am Lord of the Pale Sea!” Shifty smiled, raising a hoof to the sky as he looked out upon the waves. “You’ve done your job, I suppose.” He nodded to the other ponies, who chuckled. “After the show you’ve made, there are no more who dare to defy me. That shipping vessel was to be the last ship. Oh, sure,” He grimaced. “It’s been a chore keeping those ponies silent. But very much worth it.”
He lowered himself close to me once again, and I was coherent enough to look him in the eye, my rage burning within me. “Worth it,” he continued, “to see you fall from such a high place, and for me to take my rightful pl-“
I bit his snout, biting as hard as I could. In this odd pony body, I could taste the blood seeping from his skin as I dug my teeth into his flesh. He cried out in pain, jumping backwards with alarm. I refused to let go, and was pulled along with him, dragging him to the ground.
I wasn’t coordinated enough to put up a decent fight, but I made sure he felt it. I felt hooves, pressing into my sides, pulling me off of him. I pulled off bits of skin into my mouth as they pulled, dragging me off of Shifty Business forcefully.
The ponies held me in a semi-upright position, caught by the limbs closest to my head (arms) and the others (legs) dangling uselessly. My head, overly-large and bulky, hung by my tiny neck over the mass of my body. I craned my neck, looking upwards.
For the first time, I could perceive myself on the deck of the ship, atop the waves, not gliding beneath and above them. I looked out upon the shining surface, still beautiful, as it graced the backdrop of my sight. Shifty Business was in the foreground, braced against the rail, a hoof pressed to his bloody snout. He glared at me angrily.
Shifty stormed up to me, seizing my jaw with one hoof, pressing my forehead against his. “Now you listen to me. You are only alive because you may be of use in the future. However, it is entirely improbable. It is much much much more likely that you will ROT in a tiny little jail cell for the rest of your natural life, however long or short that might be.”
I looked him in the eye. With all my willpower, I forced words to my unfamiliar lips. “And when I am liberated I will kill you, filth.”
Shifty snarled, tossing my head away with the flick of his wrist. “Raise the sails!” He called. “Make for the Bedlam Docks!”
All of the ponies scurried to their positions, save for the two who held me. I gave every effort to attempting to remain conscious, but pain and fatigue plagued me. As the white sheets climbed the masts, my vision faded to black.
And when next I would awaken, I would hear singing. But my first encounter with Apple shall have its own entry.