Thinking about adding an extra chapter to the end of the story to talk about some of the ships I've mentioned... still an idea, no idea if I'll actually go through with it. Meh.
Also, I know "Fantasma" is not a masculine noun. That's what he's called in the game, and I'm sticking to it.
Anyway, comments are appreciated. Like the story, and if you really like it go recommend it to your friends. And I still own nothing, except the OCs from chapter 1, but even then I doubt I have a lot of control over them.
Chapter 8
Applejack was the first of the six to wake up. She fetched her hat from a nearby peg and walked out on deck, trying her best to stay quiet so as not to disturb her friends. Normally she would have looked for something to do to pass the time until everypony else woke up, but the crew seemed to be acting rather skittish and a blanket of fog had covered the ship.
“What’s goin’ on with everypony?” she said to herself.
“It’s the fog.” Applejack looked and saw Hacksaw coming up to her.
“What’s wrong with it? A little fog never killed anypony.”
“Not the fog itself, but what in the fog.”
“... Yer not making a lot of sense.”
“The Cursed like to hide in fog banks like these, waiting for ships to come by.”
“Guess that would make a pony nervous. Still, seems a little silly.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, your freakin’ out over a little fog; it’s not like there’s gonna be something bad behind every cloud. Really, I don’t see why y’all are so jumpy.”
“What? You don’t think there are any Cursed around here?”
“I’m not sayin’ there aren’t any, but until I actually see one of them cursed ponies how’m I supposed to know they can do all the things you say they can do?”
“If Mays is still captain, you’ll probably find out eventually.” something about that sentence rubbed Applejack the wrong way, but she decided to ignore that for now and move on to a different subject.
“So, Rarity’s been meanin’ to ask what yer real name was.”
“What?”
“Well, she didn’t think callin’ you ‘Hacksaw’ was very nice, so she was wonderin’ if there was something else she could call you. Unless yer name really is Hacksaw.”
“No it’s just a nickname.”
“Thought so.” Applejack noticed that the medic was getting uneasy. “You don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“Sorry, I’m just not that much of a talker.”
“Oh. My brother’s like that. He never really says anythin’ more than ‘eeyup’ or ‘nope’, even when I’m tryin’ to get a decent conversation started. I’ve spent enough time around him and Fluttershy that I’ve grown accustomed to it.”
“Ah.” There was a pause.
"So, anything else you wanted to talk about?” Hacksaw said.
“Nah, I just wanted to know why everypony was so jumpy.”
“It’s what’s in the fog.” Applejack looked around and saw Smith and Mays come out on deck.
“I know; Hacksaw already explained all that stuff about cursed ponies.”
“Aw,” Smith said “I wanted to explain that. I always get to explain that.”
“Don’t worry about it, Smith; if we find this Ponaeus and they haven’t ran into the Cursed yet, you can do all the explaining you like.”
“Thanks.”
“So, Applejack, did Hacksaw answer all your questions?”
“Guess so. Anythin’ you need help with?”
“You know you don’t need to help with anything; these sailors are well trained in running the ship.”
“I know; I just don’t want to be dead weight ‘round here.”
“I appreciate that, but-”
“And it’s a whole lot better than sittin’ below and listenin’ to Rarity goin’ off about... she called ‘em ‘pairings’. I swear if she wasn’t a dressmaker she’d make a fortune in fantasy writin’.”
“What kind of ‘pairings’?” Applejack bit her lip; she never meant to say anything concerning Rarity’s fantasies, but she had just lost herself.
“Uh... nothin’ any of y’all’d be interested in.” her eyes darted around for a moment. Mays and Hacksaw looked at Applejack for a moment, trying to find anything she might be hiding.
“All right then.” Mays said, breaking the silence and starting off. “Well, I better go see what our position is, and how soon we can get out of this fog. We can continue this conversation whenever you’d like.”
“Besides, I never liked all this relationship stuff.” Smith added. “Makes me feel left out.”
“Shut up, Smith.”
“Shutting up.” the earth pony and the Pegasus left. Applejack turned to Hacksaw.
“Well, I think I better go look and see if the others are awake yet.” she turned and left. Dear Celestia, please don’t put me in any more situations like that.
..................
The day passed by. The fog lifted and no ships were spotted, and the only thing they found were a few large sandbars that could have qualified as islands. So Mays decided to do the most sensible thing he could think of to kill time: cannon drills.
Previous experience and his own impulses had taught Mays to always carry more powder and shot than he ever needed. Not only did it keep the cannoneers accurate, it made for a nice show for those not used to being around artillery pieces.
It would have gone fine... had Rarity not decided to take a short nap in the sun when they were starting.
Mays brushed some soot off his face one the port broadside was finished firing. The target, a thrown together pile of barrels and crates, was nothing more than small wood chips, and the cannoneers were busy loading the starboard broadside.
“Well, how was it, captain?” Richard said.
“A little slower than usual, especially on the reload.”
“Can’t help it; kinda hard to load cannons without hands. The boys’ll get it before we run into Ol’ Sammy.”
“I’m sure they will. Continue with the drills and set up another target.”
“Aye captain.” Mays watched the Master Chief go and went up on deck. He expected Nolan to come out and start complaining about not being able to lead the training exercises.
Nolan he could handle; angry fashion pony, on the other hand...
“I swear, has anypony heard of courtesy?” Mays stepped back a little to get some space between himself and Rarity. Asides from an incredibly messed up mane and some soot on her face she seemed fine, but his consideration of “fine” could mean something entirely different for her.
“Sorry?”
“You could have at least warned me before firing off all those cannons. It took me four hours just to get all the sea salt out of my mane, and now it’s going to take four more hours just to get it straight again.”
“I-”
“And it’s not just my mane; what if somepony was carrying something dangerous like a pair of scissors or a candle when you fired those things? You might end up putting somepony’s eye out or setting the ship on fire or something.”
“... You do have a point. I apologize for not warning you earlier.” Rarity was about to either continue her tirade or accept Mays’ apology when Rainbow Dash flew down from the rigging.
“That was awesome! First it was quiet, then it was all like ‘Thwoom’, and then that thing exploded and... You have to do that again!”
“Well, at least somepony is making light of this situation.” Rarity said.
“Hey, you just got your mane messed up; no need to get snippy.”
“Rainbow Dash, some ponies do have standards.”
“That’s what you always say. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of the ocean.”
“That is no excuse for not trying to maintain a sense of normality around here.” Mays backed away from Rarity and Rainbow Dash, who were in the middle of a full blown argument.
“Hey captain, I was wondering if- Whoa, what happened here?” Smith landed next to Mays, watching as the two mares argued.
“Something involving hair.”
“Really? And I thought the other day was bad.”
“Eh, I wouldn’t know; I wasn’t there. Take over the gunnery drills and try to break those two up before they destroy something.”
“Where are you going?”
“Back to my quarters. I need to rest for a bit.”
“But you can’t do that!” Pinkie Pie said, popping up in front of Mays.
“Please Pinkie, I don’t need to be reminded of stuff I don’t even know I’m supposed to be doing.”
“But you’re the captain! What if some big important stuff happens while you’re asleep?”
“I never said I was going to fall asleep, and if I do then just come and wake me up.” Mays walked passed Pinkie Pie and went below deck.
“Aw, he’s no fun at all.” Pinkie said before bouncing off. The ship shook again as the cannoneers fired off the starboard broadside, but Mays did not really care at the moment. Something was gnawing at the back of his mind, but he could not figure out what.
Some sleep should help, he thought.
................
Sleep did not help. At any rate, it only made the situation worse.
Mays was dreaming again. This time he was in a gray field with rolling hills. He had had a dream like this before, and readied himself for what was about to come.
“So,” a voice said from the shadows “You are still trying to find a justification for your actions.”
“Get out of my dreams.” Mays shot back. The voice laughed.
“Since when did this dream become yours? Is that another thing you are laying claim to?”
“Leave me alone.”
“Oh, the Great Conqueror doesn’t like attention now? How sad.” the shadow drifted in front of Mays. “That’s what you called yourself, right? Algiers, wasn't it? The governor still wants your head on a pike for that.”
“That wasn’t my fault.”
“Sure it wasn’t; one cannot commit such acts and say it’s not their fault. I must say, even I was impressed by that showing.”
“‘Impressed’? That would be a bad week for you.”
“What can I say? Even though my own acts surpass yours, I always find it amusing when you and others like you receive that little push.”
“And all the times I’ve fought you you never realized we can still push back?”
“You and I have only come face to face once, and though you fought well I shattered you like the sea destroys a wall.”
“Get to the point. Why are you here?"
“Why else would I be here?”
“No, I will not join you unless you personally rip my soul from my dying body.”
“That may very well be arranged. But I am also here to give you a warning.”
“Like I would listen to your warnings.” the shadow began to take a more solid shape, and two glowing red eyes fixed Mays with a stare.
“There are forces at work here way beyond the comprehension of a mortal such as yourself. You are being manipulated and used by almost everyone you have encountered. Go and find Sammy; kill him and fulfill your desires. Anything you do is futile when compared to the forces that are amassing.”
“Like you could really scare me off with those threats? I have sank dozens of ships that swore allegiance to you, and if you so much as lay a foot in this world I will tear you apart with my bare hooves if I must.” but the voice was off on another tangent.
“The purple one likes you; she denies it but I know her feelings. Shame if she were to die under your watch... She reminds you of that other one, right? The one from Algiers?”
“I said,” Mays drew his sword “Get out of my dreams!” Mays slashed at the voice, hoping to strike one of the eyes. He missed, and the shadow sank back into the surrounding field.
“Such anger,” the voice said again. “I look forward to meeting your friend soon.”
..................
There was a knock at the door. Mays lifted his hat from his head and looked at the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Twilight. Smith sent me down here to see if you were okay.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Mays got out of his hammock and walked over to the door. Twilight used her magic to open it and let Mays out. “What time is it?”
“The sun just set. Why do you ask?”
“No reason... by the way, what do ponies believe about ghosts?”
“Ghosts? That’s just superstitious mumbo-jumbo.”
“You don’t believe in ghosts?”
“They’re not scientifically possible. Even with magic it’s impossible to conjure somepony’s soul. Why are you asking me? Is this some sort of weird sailor superstition, or are you just trying to scare me?”
“No, I’m not trying to scare anypony. Just... bad experiences, that’s all. Just do one thing for me.”
“What’s that?”
“If any of your friends have bad dreams involving red eyes, tell me or one of the others immediately.”
“Okay.”
...................
It was late at night, and Pinkie Pie had nothing to do. Her friends had all gone to bed, and only a few ponies she did not know were out on deck. Not that she mind; she loved meeting new ponies, and these ponies had seemed friendly enough. She found a small knot of sailors near one of the masts and ran up to them.
“Hi!”
“Um, hello, miss...”
“Oh, I’m Pinkie Pie! I thought everypony already knew who I was. Are you ponies telling stories? I always wanted to hear more pirate stories.”
“We don’t really have any-”
“I know of one.” one of the older sailors said “Ain’t a story for the light hearted, though.”
“Ooh, this should be good.” Pinkie sat down next to one of the other sailors. The older pony took a drink and began.
“Must’ve been twenty years ago. We were sailing out of Barbados with a load of rum when we got becalmed. Three days in, and no wind; just the sun beating down on us. We started running low on water and the captain considered just turning around and rowing back to Barbados. He should’ve made that decision earlier.
“It was night, and the moon was directly above us. Couldn’t see a single star, and of course there was no wind. We were so low on water that some wanted to drink the cargo, but rum’s worth more than a few minutes of quenched thirst. The captain was picking strong men to row us back to Barbados when a kid on watch spotted a ship.
“ ‘Course we wondered how a ship could find us. I managed to swipe a spyglass off the first mate and got a good look at our guests. The ship was in a bad way; torn sails, hull looking like it’d been hit by a third rate, and one mast was snapped clean in half. Made no sense; no ship like that could even sail properly. Then I realized it was moving towards us. Not drifting, actually moving.
“I’d heard stories about a ship in those parts by the name of Revenant. They said the captain’d sold his soul to the devil or something like that. Not much for demons myself, so I couldn’t tell you if it was true or not, but back then I thought it might be true.
“So, the Revenant is coming right at us. We weren’t prepared for pirates, so we only had a few ten pounders; popguns compared to what we were facing. Still, captain was ready to go down fighting if he had to. I was young and stupid, so I guess I was ready to die as well.
“We fired, for what it was worth. Didn’t do anything; our shots just bounced off them like rain. I thought I heard laughter, but that got drowned by their first volley.
“‘Volley’ doesn’t describe it; one broadside tore us to shreds. The captain took a twenty pound cannon ball to the chest; smeared him all over the deck. The first mate didn’t last long either. The entire side of the boat was blown away, and we started to sink. Another broadside, and I remember slipping on one man’s blood after he got decapitated.
“Then they boarded... They just swarmed over the side, like ants. Most of them were little more than living corpses: some were missing eyes, some were missing ears, and quite a few were just skeletons with bits of rotting flesh still hanging on. Anyone that did try to fight, they killed... slowly; they’d start with the skin, then they’d just keep slicing and peeling ‘till all they had left was a pile of flesh and some bones.
“ ‘Bout twenty of us were captured; the rest died or threw themselves to the sharks rather than be captured. Didn’t expect a bunch of monsters to take prisoners, then I found my answer: Him.” there was a general shudder amongst some of the more experienced sailors. Pinkie was a little creeped out as well, but did not know who “He” was. The older sailor kept going.
“He was tall, about six foot. All his clothes were worn and bloodstained, and his cutlass was brown from the dried entrails of his enemies. His skin was as grey as ash and his beard as black as iron. His nose was bent like a hawk’s beak and his eyes... no man or beast on earth had eyes like his; glowing red, and as bottomless as Hell itself. I’d heard a couple of names bein’ tossed around when we snuck into Havana the month before, but the one I’d heard most was ‘The Phantom’; I was lookin’ right into the face of El Fantasma himself.
“El Fantasma comes aboard, and his crew gets all quiet. He comes over to us and looks into each sailor’s eye, tryin’ to figure out their weaknesses or somethin’. I’d always been told that if’n you ever run into demons, try focusin’ on God to drive ’em off; I was so scared right then that I couldn’t think of anything. Once he was done, he steps back and starts talking. I’d expected he’d tell his men to slit our throats or somethin’, but he was basically preachin’ to us.
“ ‘You have withheld from the true master of the seas,’ he said, with a voice that sounded like waves on rocks ‘And all shall suffer. But I am not without mercy. Join me, and you will be absolved of your transgressions.’ Somethin’ about the way he talked made me squirm; he was already creepy, but him using all those fancy words just seemed... off.
“So, four men step forward. Two were cabin boys who didn’t really understand what was going on, one was some older man, and another was an ex-pirate that somehow got on the crew. Well, El Fantasma’s crew corrals ‘em into a little knot, and then he raises his hand and says somethin’. Then all four of ‘em start screaming and writhing like a dying snake, and El Fantasma’s eyes start glowing brighter as their screams get louder. Thought I saw something like smoke flowin’ into El Fantasma’s palm, but I was too far away to really get a good look.
“When he dropped his hand, the four men weren’t recognizable anymore; they looked just like the other creatures El Fantasma commanded, rotting flesh and missing eyes and all. He laughed a little at that, then turned back to us. He had his men pick out ten of us and marched them over to the railing.
“ ‘Souls have been gathered, now blood must be paid.’ he said. He nodded to one of his men and they all pulled knives. Most pirates would just cut a man’s throat and throw him overboard, but not El Fantasma. They stabbed ‘em just above the collar, and pulled down. I don’t know how their blades could split bone, but I could hear every single one snap as the knives cut through. They gutted those men alive and watched their entrails spill out before dumping them overboard. I heard splashing and I guess it was the sharks.
“He turned to the last of us and said ‘Bring out your cargo’. Not an easy job, hauling all that rum out on deck with only six men. If he was anyone else, I’ve just said he wanted the rum, but after slaughtering most of the crew I don’t think he was interested in drink. A bunch of his crew passed us hatchets and led us over to the railing. Deck was slick with the blood of those that just been gutted.
“We looked at him, tryin’ to figure out what he was up to. Those red eyes just glared back at us and he said ‘Finish the job and return what is rightfully the seas’. We stalled, and one of the crew took an axe and split a barrel open, pourin’ it all into the sea. We cared more about our lives than the cargo, so we followed. What got me then was that he was laughing again; not a good hearty laugh, just this low chuckle. Didn’t disturb me when he killed those first four, but sure as hell disturbed me then.
“Then they tossed us in a dingy with only a jug of water and burned the ship. I thought they’d kill us, but no, the Revenant just sailed off. We had to row back to Barbados, but no one believed we’d got attacked by El Fantasma.
“Thought it was the end of that, but every night, for five years after, I saw that ship, and his eyes, comin’ toward me. Kept tellin’ me things, like join him or kill my crewmates; it got so bad I even considered hangin’ myself to get him to stop. Probably what he wanted anyway.” There was silence. Pinkie was unsure of what to make of the story; she was no stranger to being scared, and the story was a little scary, but the sheer level of cruelty made her queasy. She just could not understand how anypony, or in this case anyone, could do all those things for fun. She left the group and went below deck.
Pinkie was done with stories for the night.
...............
Like most dreams Pinkie had, this one started with the pink pony doing what she did best: partying. She and all her friends were laughing, playing games, dancing, and eating huge amounts of candy and cake. They were all smiling, and for Pinkie that was the greatest thing in the world.
Then things went wrong; her friends faded and Pinkie found herself in a very familiar hedge maze, with very familiar laughing balloons and a very familiar draconequus staring at her.
“Aw, what’s the matter Pinkie?” Discord asked “I thought you liked a good laugh.”
“I know what you’re up to,” Pinkie said “and I won’t let you do it; you’re just a mean-meanie head who thinks it’s funny to make ponies not like each other. I’m not gonna listen to you any more.”
“I’m crushed, Pinkie.” Discord said, appearing right next to her “You know it’s terrible to ignore somepony like that.”
“My Friends Don’t Laugh At Me!” Pinkie shouted. “Even if you say they do, they don’t; I know they’re nicer than that. So just leave me alone, Discord!”
“Oh Pinkie,” Discord said, landing in front of her. “If only ‘Discord’ were actually here.” The maze began to shift and change; the dirt and hedges were replaced with the decks of a ship, and the balloons were replaced with tattered sails and flames. Pinkie looked around, trying to make sense of what was going on around her when she saw her friends lying in a pile, their faces and bodies crisscrossed with ragged wounds that gushed blood over the deck. Pinkie tried to look away but came face to face with the perpetrator of this nightmare.
It was a grey unicorn dressed in a worn, bloodstained coat. His mane was hidden behind a black tricorne and his beard draped over his coat. He stared back at Pinkie, glaring at her with glowing red eyes.
“Join me, Pinkie.” El Fantasma said, taking a step closer.
“N-no.” Pinkie backed up, trying to keep as much distance between her and the pirate.
“You know well that this will be the fate your friends will suffer should you oppose me. Join me now, and end this.”
“No, I-I won’t let you hurt my friends. Go away! I don’t want to join you.” El Fantasma stopped moving towards Pinkie. He looked at her for a moment, and deep inside Pinkie pleaded that he left her alone.
“Then die.” El Fantasma’s horn and eyes lit up with magic. Pinkie tried to run, but an aura of energy had enveloped her. She thrashed about, trying to break free, but she could not break through the barrier. She tried to think of other things, tried to change the dream, but every time she did, El Fantasma applied more magical energy
She heard voices, the voices of Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, all of them calling to her, begging for her to stop, to let go. Visions of all five of them, blooded and in pain, danced across Pinkie’s eyes, and somehow she could not force herself to look away. Soon they were joined by the Cakes, her family, everypony she had ever met, all of them calling out for her to stop. Every single move she made only caused the others to cry out louder, a shrieking crescendo that hammered away at her skull.
Then she noticed that her attacker had begun to laugh. It was just as the other ponies had described it: low, menacing, almost unnatural. The laughter began to mix in with the chorus of pain, and Pinkie’s head began to throb with the constant bombardment of sound. Pinkie tried escaping once more, but her hooves had become fused to the deck, rendering her unable to move.
All she could do was scream.
..............
Rainbow Dash and Twilight were the first to wake to Pinkie screaming. The pink earth pony was flailing around in her hammock, crying out for help.
“Rainbow Dash, I need you to restrain her.” Twilight shouted over Pinkie’s screaming.
“What are you going to do?”
“I have a spell that should calm her down, but I can’t cast it if she’s thrashing like that.”
“Got it.” Rainbow Dash ran over to Pinkie and tried her best to restrain her, but this only made the pink pony thrash harder. Rainbow Dash tried wrapping her forelegs around Pinkie’s torso, but the pink pony clubbed the Pegasus across the face, sending her flying.
“No! Get Away! Don’t Touch Me!” Pinkie shouted, thrashing some more.
“I’m going to get my face caved in if I try that again. Hey, Applejack!”
“Wha- What’s goin’ on?” The farm pony said.
“Something’s wrong with Pinkie! I need your help restraining her.” Applejack nodded and grabbed a coil of rope hanging on a nearby peg. She quickly formed a lasso and tossed it around Pinkie’s legs, stopping most of the thrashing.
“No! Let Go! I don’t want to hurt my friends!” Pinkie cried.
“Twilight, we’ve got her secured.”
“Good. Stand back girls.” Twilight’s horn began to glow with magic. She leaned in, trying to get close enough to Pinkie’s forehead to cast the spell.
“No! Stop! Go Away! I won’t let you-” Twilight’s horn made contact and she cast the spell. There was resistance from something at first, but Twilight applied more magic and managed to break through. Pinkie’s eyes shot open and she gasped, throwing herself onto the nearest pony she could see, who just happened to be Rainbow Dash.
“Whoa... I haven’t seen her this scared since she had that nightmare a few weeks ago.” Rainbow Dash stroked Pinkie’s mane, which had deflated and taken on a much darker tone, in an effort to calm her down. Pinkie stopped hyperventilating but continued to stare blankly at the wall.
“Eyes... eyes... eyes...” she said, barely responding to Rainbow Dash’s attempts to calm her down.
“Pinkie, are you alright?”
“Eyes... it hurt... they’re all hurt... eyes...”
“Pinkie, what happened?” Twilight asked.
“Eyes... all hurt... need help... eyes...”
“Why’s she talkin’ about eyes?” Applejack said.
“Applejack, I need you to go and wake the captain; he knows what might have happened.”
“Right.” The orange pony ran out, passing Fluttershy and Rarity.
“Goodness, what happened to Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked.
“She had a nightmare, worse than that one she had a few weeks ago.” Twilight said. Pinkie was still muttering things about eyes, and she had started crying. Rainbow Dash stopped stroking Pinkie for a moment in order to wipe up a few tears.
“Good Gracious, is she alright?” Rarity trotted over to Pinkie and examined her. “What kind of dream would put her into this state?”
“I don’t know.” Fluttershy joined Rarity and Rainbow Dash in trying to calm Pinkie down.
“Shh... It’s okay.” the yellow Pegasus said “Don’t worry, Pinke; your friends are all here. It was just a bad dream, and it’s gone. You can relax now; you’re safe. It’s okay... It’s okay...” Pinkie’s color began to slowly return and her mane and tail started to poof out again.
“F-Fluttershy?”
“I’m here, Pinkie; you don’t have to be scared anymore.”
“Fluttershy... it was awful... he wanted me to do so many mean things... to you, Dashie, everyone.” Pinkie began to sob and buried her face into Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. It was about then that Applejack returned with Captain Mays.
“What happened?” the captain asked.
“Pinkie had a nightmare, something involving eyes.”
“It was terrible.” Pinkie said through her sobs. “He wanted me to kill you all. I-I don’t want to hurt anypony.”
“Who?” Mays turned Pinkie to face him. “Who was in your dreams?”
“That mean pirate they told me about, El Fantasma.”