//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Battle Royale // Story: Faithful and Strong // by Golden Scribe //------------------------------// “What do we do?” Rainbow Dash asked, her eyes flicking around the ship nervously even as her body tensed for action. “It depends,” Bush said, “Did the ship see you?” Rainbow shook her head. “I was too high up. So unless they were using those telescopes you’ve got, I doubt they spotted me.” “Well, if they didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, maybe they’ll just pass by.” “Unlikely, Mr. Bush,” Hornblower said, “If it’s not on our maps, it’s probably not on the French’s maps either. No doubt the Féroce will be circling the island out of curiosity. And if they pull into the bay…we’ll have no choice but to engage, and possibly damage the city.” “So what do we do?” Rainbow repeated, wriggling with irritation. Hornblower’s eyes hardened. “Mr. Bush?” “Yes, sir?” “Beat to quarters.” Internally, Bush had known that was the only option. But the fact that Hornblower had accepted that fact without a moment’s hesitation still came as a surprise. Trying not to show it, Bush saluted and hurried off. The sooner they got the ship cleared for action, the more likely it was that they could engage the Féroce without risking damage to Equestrian soil. The men snapped into action the moment Bush roared “Beat to Quarters! The Féroce is approaching!” down the stairwell. As they rushed around stowing gear and readying the cannons, Bush returned to the deck to ask for further orders. He found Hornblower on the quarterdeck, Miss Sparkle and her friends (plus Spike the dragon) by his side. “You’d better get into town,” Bush said to them, “It’ll be safer there.” “We’re not leaving!” Rainbow said, planting her hoof on the deck for emphasis. “Equestria’s our home, and we’re the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. We’ve got a duty to face any threat to the country, no matter how out of the ordinary.” Miss Sparkle added. “Captain Hornblower’s already given us permission to stay,” Applejack concluded, tipping her hat in a way that might have been a salute, “But he said you would know where best to put us. So how ‘bout it, Lieutenant?” Bush looked at Hornblower in unconcealed amazement. Hornblower just gave the barest shrug of his shoulders, his eyes never leaving the activity on the deck. Knowing time was of the essence, Bush made some snap decisions. “Miss Sparkle, stay here on deck. I’m sure you know a few attack spells. Applejack, Spike, go down below and help the men load and fire the cannons. Rainbow Dash, take to the air; you can keep an eye on the situation for us. Fluttershy, help the men in the rigging. Rarity, stay with the Marines and help them load their weapons. Pinkie Pie, just…go where you’re needed. Am I understood?” “Aye-aye, sir!” the ponies said as one, before rushing off to take their positions. Hornblower nodded. “Is everything ready down below, Mr. Bush?” “Not quite, sir. But they should be ready by the time we spot the Féroce.” “It’ll have to do. Take us out, Mr. Bush.” “Raise the gangplank!” Bush ordered. Six men started tugging at the ropes, before a purple aura surrounded the plank of wood and lifted it into the air, allowing it to land on the deck with a crash. “Sorry!” Miss Sparkle called up, “But I thought it would be quicker this way.” “Time is of the essence,” Hornblower agreed, “Thank you for your quick thinking, Miss Sparkle. Now, helmsman, take us out of the bay, quickly and carefully as you can, if you please.” *** “I can see the ship!” Rainbow called down, “You guys should make contact in about five minutes!” “Cannons ready?” Bush demanded. “Aye, sir!” Rayner called up from the lower decks, “Just give the word.” “Marines?” “Primed and ready!” Simmonds answered from across the deck. “Steady…” Hornblower murmured mostly to himself, his spyglass trained on the horizon, “Wait until we’re in range. We have surprise on our side, let’s not ruin it now.” Bush pulled out his own glass and squinted out to sea. Initially, he saw nothing. But after a moment, he caught sight of a scrap of white. “She’s coming!” he said, and he could see all the men tensing, “Everyone remain where you are until the captain gives the word!” Inch by inch, the Féroce came into view. The men were silent enough that Bush could hear faint shouts in French as the enemy ship spotted the Lydia. Bush set down his spyglass and put a hand on his sword, waiting. He could feel his heart pounding with the old mix of excitement and nerves. It was hard to believe he’d almost forgotten the anticipation of battle. “Come about!” Hornblower shouted, causing Bush to flinch in surprise, “Come about and fire as you bear!” It was the order the crew had been waiting for. Instantly, the men were rushing across the deck, tugging on ropes or getting their cannons ready. The Lydia turned slowly, the men cheered, and then the first cannon went off, the shot arcing over the water and landing squarely in the middle of the Féroce’s deck. A second shot followed, and then a third, each hitting their mark. On the Lydia’s deck, Miss Sparkle put her hooves on the railing, lowered her head, and sent a beam of purple light at the Féroce. It didn’t do any damage that Bush could see, but she seemed satisfied, because she fired several more in quick succession. Assuming she knew what she was doing, Bush left her to it and turned back to the men. “Come about and fire the port cannons!” “Any changes in the Féroce?” Hornblower called up to Rainbow. “Not that I can see!” she answered, swooping overhead and circling the masts for a moment, “They’re just running around loading cannons like you are!” “Go below and tell Rayner to aim for the lower decks!” Hornblower barked, “We need to take out their cannons as fast as possible!” Below decks, Rayner nodded at the order and urged the men to move faster. Then Spike approached Rayner and said something; Bush didn’t know what was said, but the next thing he knew, Rayner was holding Spike gingerly, peering intently through the cannon slots. As soon as the Féroce’s hull came into view, he gave his orders. “Aim the guns and get out of the way!” Before Bush could ask why the guns hadn’t been rolled out, he noticed that all the cannon ropes had been attached to a piece of wood that looked suspiciously like a harness. Seconds later, Applejack had galloped over, tossed the harness onto her back, and walked forward, her muscles straining with the effort. With a creaking groan, the cannons rolled forward as one. Bush felt his mouth drop open. Panting heavily, Applejack shucked off the harness and ran to the starboard side, no doubt assisting in reloading. Then a burst of flame caught Bush’s eye, and he glanced to port in time to see Spike send out a blast of fire that left a black mark on the opposite wall but, more importantly, set off all the port cannons simultaneously. Spike exhaled a cloud of soot, but seemed proud of himself. “Er…carry on!” Bush called, returning topside. The men were cheering when he emerged into the sunlight, and based on a quick glance at the Féroce, the broadside had done a great deal of damage. Miss Sparkle seemed to have fully embraced things, because she was firing blasts from her horn with increasing frequency. Bush swore he heard her shout “Take that!” as he passed. As he reached the quarterdeck, Pinkie ran past, balancing a bag of gunpowder on her back and a cannonball on her head. Trying not to imagine how that must feel, Bush returned to Hornblower’s side. “Orders, sir?” “Just keep hammering the enemy the way that last broadside did. That was masterful.” Bush decided to let him in on what was going on belowdecks once the battle was over. “What news, Miss Dash?” he called up as he saw a blue streak fly overhead. “Nothing new. They’re just doing the same things, only now they’re a bit more quick about it.” Incredibly, Rainbow sounded bored. “You know what, if you guys are so eager to win this, stand aside. I’ll deal with this for you.” Before Bush or Hornblower could respond, she zipped up into the air. Hornblower just shook his head and ordered the helmsman to hold course. Then, as another broadside roared out from the port guns, a blast of bright light overhead briefly reduced everything to silhouettes. Squinting upwards, Bush saw what could only be described as a horizontal rainbow spreading out and dissipating, while a second rainbow streaked with deadly purpose towards the Féroce, which was in the process of turning. At the last moment, the Féroce completed the turn, and the rainbow barely missed the rear of the ship and plunged into the water. “RAINBOW!” Miss Sparkle cried out, and overhead, Fluttershy left her post and flew rapidly towards the blue head bobbing dazedly in the water. “Give her cover, men!” Bush ordered, “Focus on the areas closest to Rainbow Dash!” Miss Sparkle let out a burst of magic that fired beams in a wide arc, and the upper cannons followed her example. Fluttershy, meanwhile, seemed to be completely ignoring the spells and cannonballs flying around her, not even flinching when one passed directly over her head. It seemed her natural timidity lost out when one of her friends was in trouble. Reaching Rainbow, she pulled her friend out of the water and helped her flap high overhead, out of the range of the guns. “Is she all right?” Bush called. Fluttershy tried to answer, but her voice was too soft. Apparently recognizing this, she floated down to the quarterdeck, one of Rainbow’s arms draped across her back for support. “She’s ok, but a bit stunned. I don’t think she can help you anymore.” “Take her to my cabin and let her rest there,” Hornblower said, pointing the way, “Are you comfortable with taking her place?” “I…I think so.” “Good. See if Miss Sparkle has a voice augmenting spell that can help you. That way, you can stay high up enough that you won’t have to risk endangering yourself.” Fluttershy nodded and guided Rainbow (whose eyes appeared to be spinning in their sockets as she muttered about miscalculating) down the stairs. Hornblower pulled out his spyglass and peered at the Féroce. “They’re not going to back down,” he said, “They’re clearly worried, but I don’t think they’ll be willing to stop until both ships have been shot to pieces.” Bush winced as a crashing sound indicated that one of the Féroce’s shots had found its mark. “They’re not doing as well as they were last time, though,” he pointed out, “Maybe the glimpses of the ponies, Miss Sparkle’s magic, and the…attack rainbow has disoriented them somewhat. If we kept them off balance enough, it might be enough to turn the tide in our favor.” Hornblower lowered his spyglass and looked at Bush intently for a second. “Mr. Bush,” he said slowly, “You’re a genius.” “Sir?” But Hornblower was fully absorbed in his idea now. “Helmsman, bring the ship close enough to board. You have the deck, Mr. Bush.” With that, he left the quarterdeck. Perplexed, but more than willing to trust his captain, Bush looked over the deck again. The Féroce had gotten a few good shots, with ugly holes in the deck and at least one set of ratlines in tatters, but the men were still in the fighting spirit, ignoring the damage or actively vaulting over it in order to complete their objectives. The Marines were still in place, cracking off their shots at regular intervals. Next to them, Rarity was levitating and loading ten rifles at once, so focused on her task that her ears didn’t even twitch as the guns went off next to her. Miss Sparkle had joined the Marines at this point, firing off her blasts during the loading periods in order to keep up the barrage. Rainbow was safely in the captain’s quarters, Fluttershy would be reemerging at any moment, and based on the regular broadsides, Applejack and Spike were still doing their part. So that left… “Mr. Bush!” Hornblower was back on the deck, “Go below and tell Rayner to ready the…party cannon. Don’t load it with shot, just wheel it out.” “What?” “You heard me, Mr. Bush. Tell him to fire it as soon as we come up alongside the Féroce.” Not one to disobey orders, Bush retreated down below and relayed the message. Rayner seemed just as baffled, but instructed the men to tug the cannon into place, as it was the one cannon that hadn’t been attached to Applejack’s harness. Applejack seemed happy for the break; even in the dim light, her coat was visibly shining with sweat. Moving over to Spike, she bent down and let him hop up on her back, positioning him right next to the fuse. There was a minute’s pause as the French ship slid into view, now level with Bush’s eyeline, and then… “Fire!” Bush ordered, and Spike lit the fuse. Once again, brightly colored paper shot out, spraying the Féroce and draping it in long paper streamers. At the same time, Bush heard a voice overhead shout “Wheee!” and in that moment, he knew exactly what Hornblower had done. Returning to the quarterdeck, he gave the captain a sidelong glance. “And what exactly were your orders for Miss Pie once she hit the Féroce’s deck?” “Orders?” Hornblower said, and Bush swore that the captain’s smile was a vindictive one, “I sent her over as an envoy of peace. All she has to do is talk to everyone.” The Lydia had pulled away from the Féroce to prevent boarders, but was still close enough that Bush could see a pink blur zipping from person to person. The Féroce, which had been in the process of turning about once more, suddenly halted. Unable to shoot at the Lydia from their current angle, the cannonfire ceased as well. The Marines lowered their weapons, and all the men watched the Féroce intently. Bush wasn’t sure, but a lot of them seemed to be holding their breath. “Sir!” Crewman North called down from the crow’s nest, “I think…I think they’re lowering their colors!” Bush squinted upwards. Yes, the French flag did appear to be sinking downwards. It disappeared entirely, and a moment later, North called down again, excitement and amazement in his voice. “It’s a white flag! They’re surrendering, Captain!” The men erupted in cheers. Hornblower nodded his head and turned to Bush once more. “Start making assessments of the damages, Mr. Bush. I’ll be boarding the Féroce to accept the captain’s surrender…and to reclaim our diplomat.”