Standing a good few miles away from socialization, Dolphin Dream watched the bunch of ponies with envy. They looked like they were having so much fun, playing beach ball with each other while the rest chat as they ate the food they had prepared. Dolphin Dream sighed turning away. How blissful she would be if she had friends…
“Come on DD remember your place,” She muttered shaking away that thought as she began walking away from them. She could never fit in this town, all thanks to her cutie mark. Ever since she was a filly, she was always teased for her cutie mark, blank flanks were actually happy that they did not have such cutie mark. Even the older ponies could not help but give her cutie mark a strange look. What was wrong with having two dolphins circling each other as her cutie mark? It can’t look that bad…
“Or maybe it is,” Dolphin Dream sighed, her ears flattening to block the sound of laughter from the ponies behind her. No pony would ever want her. She continued to walk along the sea shore, ignoring the noises made by other ponies.
Suddenly a gunshot was heard. Dolphin Dream spun in shock to see a body lying on the ground as a few ponies began to flee while the other ponies wearing some head scarf were gunning them down as they ran. Normally she would run herself but she noticed a pirate levitating a gun towards her.
What are they going to do to her? Kill her? Kidnap her for ransom? Her family isn’t rich and she doubt that they would even think about spending a bit on her. Dolphin Dream mentally slap herself for her slow thinking, she should have just run. Now she was on the floor with the stallion shouting at her to put her hooves behind her back whom was soon hushed by another which had a stab wound as the flapping of wings got closer.
Soon, two light blue coat mares landed a few hoof from her. They looked like twins, one with a small pink bow tied to the back of her straight mane with the fringe swept to the side, while the other one’s hair is spiky. Looking at the bodies on the floor, the one with the bow face hoofed while the other mare shook her head. They trotted towards the stallion and her direction.
“I clearly remembering saying to capture the ponies.” The one with one wearing the bow said to the stallion with the wounded shoulder while the spiky mane one stared at her. “Yes that’s right, capture the ponies. Not kill the ponies.” She continued, watching the sand fall off her front hoof. “I am very particular about my orders. Capture. Kill. Capture. Kill. Do those words sound the same?” She growled.
“It got out of control,” the stallion whimpered.
“Oh I am sorry what did you say?” The mare asked leaning her ear closer.
“It got out of control,” He repeated.
“So things got out of control,” The mare swiftly drew out a dragger from her belt and stabs it into his chest, bringing him down to the sand. “One simple job and you can’t even do that!” She continued to stab the poor stallion till he stopped twitching. “Great now how are we going to report this to Sparkler?” She asked, pulling out the dagger with blood splattering onto her face.
“At least they did not completely screw it up.” The spiky mane one answered monotonously as she began tying Dolphin Dream up
“Not like she would make a difference.”
“Yeah, can you please let me go?” Dolphin Dream begged.
“Stay quiet,” the spiky one said, lifting her up effortlessly before taking her into the skies while the rest went back to their sail boats.
Dolphin Dream had never been so high up in the air before and she always wanted to feel how it was like to be flying to enjoy the view below her. But she was not sure to whether she should be happy to get such a nice view of the sea and beach from above or scared for her life as she is getting flown to somewhere that might be her death bed.
Soon a ship came in view with a black pirate flag. This must be their ship where her fate would be decided there. However she has her doubts, since she heard the mare said that they were supposed to capture other ponies meant that she should have a high chance that they would not just kill her immediately.
“You know, if Captain Sparkler does not need her I call dibs for punching bag when she ends up in the cell.” She heard a voice ahead of her said. Suddenly the scene of one stallion getting stab repeatedly by the other mare came rushing into her head. That was only the stallion that was serving under her. Who knows what that mare may be capable of? Fearing the fate ahead of her, she began struggling for her life.
“Dam it Flitter shut your muzzle, now I am going to lose my grip on her.” Swiftly the other Pegasus flew over trying to grab hold of her. But Dolphin Dream kicked her right in the jaw when she got close.
“That’s it!” Flitter grabbed hold of her legs as they continued to fly over the ship before dropping her right onto the deck. Dolphin Dream let out a cry in pain as the Pegasus lands before her.
“I am going to enjoy killing you.” Flitter drew the dagger out from belt as slowly make her advance on the retreating unicorn.
“No you won’t,” A gruff voice came from behind Dolphin Dream.
“Who is going is going to stop me?” Flitter challenged as a griffon stepped into view.
“Captain’s orders,” He answered. Flitter huffed, turning her attention back to her prisoner before dragging her away, down to a dark room that was dimly lit with candles. Which she proceeded to discard her into a cell where a red coat Pegasus was laid on the floor with her for hooves tied to the iron bars.
After being moved to the side, Dolphin Dream was now facing the direction of the bound Pegasus. She felt something heavy cuffed her hind leg preventing her from moving before Flitter stepped into view, making her way to the prisoner.
“Hey rise and shine Hot Rod,” Flitter chirped, kicking the Pegasus in the stomach. “Come on you got a new friend,” She said, biting the pony’s ear and pulling her head up. The Pegasus offered little resistance just screamed in pained. Noticing the bruises on her body, she must have been badly beaten up till submission. Dolphin Dream thought as she helplessly lay there, watching Flitter as her attacks got more and more violent while she continued to ramble on about her day.
“And they shot almost all of them; can you believe it Hot Rod?” Flitter fumed, punching her victim once more in the gut causing her to grunt once more in pain before moving away, panting and sweaty. Dolphin Dream eyes widen as Flitter turned towards her. Her heart beat quickened. She does not want to get beaten up as well, she don’t think she could even withstand a single blow to the chest.
Luckily for Dolphin Dream, Flitter was stopped by a stallion reminding her that she was not allowed to continue in her current state. Flitter tried to argue at first but once the guard mentioned that Captain, she immediately stopped and head up stairs leaving Dolphin Dream and Hot Rod with the guard.
“Are you okay?” Dolphin Dream asked concerned with the other mare’s injuries. The mare huffed, looking scowling back at her with one good eye.
“What does it look like to you?” She grumbled.
“I am sorry,” Dolphin Dream whimpered, “I was just concerned about your injuries.” That was another reason why you just can’t make friends, Dolphin Dream thought bitterly. Completely guilty of asking such a ridiculous question.
“Hey it’s alright; I have been through worst, going to take more than that to bring me down.” The mare laughed. However it just made Dolphin Dream feel worse about herself as the conversation died down. They continued to lay there in silence with the only noise being the boat rocking up and down and the guard snoring. Dolphin Dream yawned; she should just get some sleep while there is still time for it.
“Hey do you see those keys that the guard is holding?” Hot Rod suddenly spoke up. Dolphin Dream looked over to the guard. “Can you take them from him?”
“I will try,” Dolphin Dream focused on the keys as her magic wrapped around it. Carefully levitating the keys up into the air, slowly but surely she manages to get the key over to her.
“Now get these cuffs off- ouch!”
“Sorry,” Dolphin Dream said, moving the key away from her face and tried again. Click. She was amazed to see Hot Rod getting up without any difficulty despite the injuries she has sustained.
“Time to repay the favor,” Hot Rod said, as Dolphin Dream felt the cuffs around her legs loosened. Now all she needs is to get that rope cut loose from her hoof and she would be free.
“Hey where are you going?” Dolphin Dream asked while she watched the Pegasus trots out of the room. She turned and winked at her before galloping off upstairs, completely abandoning her. However Dolphin Dream continued to remain hopeful, she would come back for her now that they are friends.
Minutes had passed but still no sign of Hot Rod. Dolphin Dream sighed. Hot Rod had probably saw her cutie mark and decided that she was weird, which made Hot Rod to ditch her, looks like she would have to save herself. Think Dolphin Dream think. She was in a pirate ship’s prison cell with a pirate that has fallen asleep. He must have a knife or a sword on him somewhere.
Dolphin Dream felt her cheeks burn up as she patted the stallion down with her aura as she began feeling out for something sharp on him. Oh Celestia she feels weird, she swore very thought of doing it made her uncomfortable. She had never done something so embarrassed in her life, but desperate time’s calls for desperate measure. There got it.
Levitating a dagger out from his pockets, she sawed the ropes off. Now that she could walk again, she would just have to come up with an escape- Boom!
What the heck was that? Quickly getting back up, Dolphin Dream saw that the guard was rushing towards her and without thinking; she sent the dagger straight into neck as he fell over just before her.
“Hey what are you doing? Hurry and follow me!” Dolphin Dream heard just after Hot Rod smashed the door opened. Dolphin Dream obeyed without question, dashing up the stairs. Bang! A strangled yelp escaped Dolphin Dream’s throat as a bullet hole appeared right in front of her hooves.
“Come on!” Hot Rod yelled, pulling her to cover as bullets flew through the air. Being pulled by the hoof, Dolphin Dream followed Hot Rod through a stair case down to another room. Unlike the cell she was locked in. The room was a lot smaller, with weapons ranging from daggers to guns placed on the wall.
“Arm yourself; we are fighting our way to the escape boats” Hot Rod said, grabbing a couple of knives and slipping it under her wings. Dolphin Dream had never held a weapon in her life. Well except of that wooden sword she used to play with when she was a filly. But she had never taken a real one, much less fight using it. Hot Rod seemed to have noticed that.
“Here take this,” Hot Rod suggested holding out a sword. Hesitantly, Dolphin Dream took the sharp sword. “Use it to cut us an opening, I will hold them off.” Hot Rod said, sending a dagger into a stallion’s chest with a flick of her wing. However with Dolphin Dream’s given strength, the best the sword could do was make a barely noticeable dent with every hit.
“It won’t budge!” Dolphin Dream cried.
“Then try something else!” Hot Rod shouted above the sounds of gun fire.
Scanning the room, DD noticed a barrel with a tittle “Explosives”
“Find cover!” DD shouted, levitating the barrel to the wall. Hot Rod flew to her, flipping the table and swiping up a musket and pulled the trigger. Dolphin Dream tackled her onto the ground as flames burst above them. They bolted to the exit.
“You aren’t leaving that easily,” Suddenly Dolphin Dream found herself staring at the ceiling with a sore chest. She lifted her head. There was Flitter and Hot Rod. Hot Rod had a knife in hoof, slashing wildly but Flitter is a swift and agile mare. Side stepping Hot Rod’s jab, Flitter set a hook up her stomach. Satisfaction shone in her eyes as she watched Hot Rod stumbling back with a hoof pressing her injury.
Catching her breath, Hot Rod lunged, daggers thrust forward. However she came to a screeching halt, finding her weapon missing its target, just before the edge. She turned to receive a round house kick to the head by Flitter, rendering her vision to black out.
Dolphin Dream dove in right after the unconscious mare into the sea. Swimming closer to Hot Rod, Dolphin Dream slid her onto her back. She tried to push both of them to the surface, but Hot Rod was too heavy for her carry and she could feel the currents pulling her down.
She swam back towards the shore, hopping she could cover just enough ground for the currents to push her back to the coast. Her lungs were burning and her vision blurring out, but she was starting to see the water getting shallower. Just a little more…
Her eyes drifted off to the floating plank with burn marks next to her. Grabbing it, she pulled her head above the surface gasping. Oh crap hot Rod! Wrapping her in her magic, Dolphin Dream hauled her onto the plank. Hot Rod let out a splutter and coughed but still remained unconscious. Dolphin Dream sighed in relief. Using the plank, she pushed both of them back onto shore just in time for a group of guards to catch them on the scene.
“You are going to be gone for a long time murder.” The guard said, cuffing her hoof to his own. Dolphin Dream was about to protest till she laid eyes back on the stallion that Flitter brutally stabbed to death. Oh god, Dolphin Dream held a hoof to her mouth, choking herself to not vomit.
“Nothing to say, just what I thought,” The guard tugged her along. Dolphin Dream followed with no resistance; she was too tired to struggle against her bonds. But the hanging of her head may have given the guards the wrong impressions that she actually killed that bunch of ponies seeing how the pulling became harder.
“What about this one she is still breathing.”
“Is she armed?”
“Yes sir,”
“Then bring her with us, she is probably the accomplice.”
While DD felt frustrated that she had been thrown into a cell with Hot Rod, at least the hay bed here beats the spiky wooden floorings back on the ship. But the cell was obviously not well kept. The smell of alcohol and odor were overwhelming with stained walls.
“Was that all you got? Your kick was like a filly striking with the softest pillow across my face.” Hot Rod mocked, shakily getting to her hooves. Oh good she is awake.
“Where are we?” Hot Rod asked, examining her surroundings.
“Well we are in-“
“I was being rhetorical,”
“Oh… sorry, I didn’t know that.” Dolphin Dream mumbled hanging her head in shame.
“We need to get a ship,” Hot Rod muttered, peering out of the cell. Dolphin Dream followed her gaze. True enough, there was a ship. Judging by the cannons by its side and the black flag, it must be a pirate ship. That means there must be pirates being held prisoner here.
“First we would need to cause some attention.” Hot Rod said, rubbing her hooves together.
“How?”
“Lay on your belly,” Hot Rod ordered, a mischievous grin formed on her lips making the other mare nervous. Nevertheless she complied.
“Now stretch your hooves out for me,” Hot Rod said, positioning herself on top of Dolphin Dream, her head facing the lower half of Dolphin Dream’s body, which she promptly sat on earning a yelp from beneath her.
“Okay all we need to do is to scream and the guards will be onto us in no time.”
“Wait how does screaming going to-Ahh!” Dolphin Dream screamed in pain as she felt her hind hooves being pulled in ways that shouldn’t be stretch like that. She was so busy focusing on the excruciating pain forced upon her, she didn’t even notice the guard’s entrance till the hooves holding her was let up.
As the guard tackled Hot Rod off Dolphin Dream, Dolphin Dream channeled all the pain onto the baton hanging on the guard’s uniform and wasted it with a firm blow to the chest. Sending the guard slumped over the wall. Hot Rod was also finished with her end, flipping the guard over and a swift knock out with a punch to the face.
“Let’s get ourselves some mates to sail that ship,” Hot Rod grabbed the key, strolling out of the cell. There were abrupt cheers from the other cells and some ponies demanding them to free them. Ultimately majority of their cries were disregarded with Hot Rod only freeing those that she finds useful for her cause.
“The guards would be arriving any time soon; we need to find a way out.” Hot Rod asked above the sounds of hooves galloping to their direction.
“You got to free my Lyra!”
“How about breaking the tiles under us?” Another mare suggested, pointing to the wooden tiles separating them and the gushing waters that could be heard beneath them. They pounded and scratched at the tiles but it still held.
“I have an idea,” Dolphin Dream said, jamming the baton she took from the guard between the cracks of the tiles. Gritting her teeth as she attempts to pries it up. Hot Rod joined in; pressing her hoof down on the aura wrapped baton she leaned over it. Just the guards barged in. The plank popped open and the mares jumped. Well some of them did the rest like that cream colored mare that was rather reluctant was shoved in by Hot Rod.
Bullets pierced the waters with shouts of the guard captain demanding the gunners to take better aim.
Swimming up to the side of the pirate boat, Dolphin Dream yanked the ladder stationed at the side of the boat and the crew climbed the ladders. There was no time to waste, ponies scrambled around the ship, lowering sails and tripping on junk lying around on the deck. Dolphin Dream chopped off the ropes tied to the ship with an axe she found lying around.
The winds were in their favor and it wasn’t long before the ship had gained a good distance away from the dock.
“We have to turn around to save Lyra!” The blue pigment and rose pink streak mane mare exclaimed at the rest of the celebrating members. She must really care about that pony and she looks like she would risk swimming back to save her friend.
“Hey Hot Rod I think our friend there may have some pony precious to her.” Dolphin Dream said, pointing at the prison.
“Ai captain, crew turn this ship around!” Hot Rod shouted. Wait captain? Since when did she was she a- “Prepare the cannons!”
“Wait don’t-“
“Fire!”
The cannon balls whizzed through the air with such velocity, it ripped off the supporting legs of the building. Making it come crashing into the sea. Hot Rod stared their caused destruction wide eyed, Dolphin Dream’s jaw dropped, the mare fainted.
“Ops.” Hot Rod glanced around nervously, feeling the stares on her. She needed a distraction. “I mean, she would be fine. We set sail to pirate bay!”
“Freedom!” the crew agreed.
DD carried the mare down to the cabin, gently laying her down on the hammock. She went back up to see everypony working on different jobs. Feeling out of place, she went around asking if any of them need assistance. Most of them rejected her or told that they had nothing required of her at the moment. With each rejection, just like her moral her ears drooped lower and lower till they were completely flat out. She saw Hot Rod at the top of the deck rubbing the back of her head with a piece of paper laid out before her. Maybe she could help with that.
“Hot Rod do you need any help?” Dolphin Dream asked, looking over her shoulder.
“Yeah, maps don’t really agree with me.” Hot Rod chuckled, stepping aside for her to get a better view. It was quite a big map that she had to step onto the paper to find their location. Luckily it was water proof, her hooves were still wet.
“We are here,” Dolphin Dream said, pointing at the south end of the map. “What does pirate bay look like?”
“It’s the island with the shape of a X.”
“I got it,” Dolphin Dream said, jabbing the location with the other hoof. The distance between the two wasn’t that far, Dolphin Dream deducted according to her knowledge that it would take them about a whole day to reach their destination. Levitating a compass over, she placed it at their position. “We just have to change our direction to North East which is about 60 degrees to our left.”
“Got it,” Hot Rod flew over to the wheel and turned it. “Thanks, you can go take a rest now. I got this from here.”
Dolphin Dram nodded. She headed down, taking the hammock next to the nearest exit. She stared blankly at the celling. She pondered whether her family would worry for her going missing. She had always come back home before eight. Friends were out of the question considering she did not have any at her town. At least today she had made a friend. However she couldn’t be sure, considering that Hot Rod started to address her as captain…
Dolphin Dream came to a startling wake from a crash above her. Could those pirates she came across be back to kill them?
Rolling off her hammock, she sneaked up stairs. Instead of a group of pirate as she would expect, she saw a lone earth pony attempting to climb onto a row boat.
“Hey, sorry for the intrusion but may I ask what are you doing?” Dolphin Dram asked softly trying her best not to startle the mare. Of course it didn’t work. DD almost got a stab to the heart if it wasn’t for the mare recognizing her at the last moment.
“Don’t do that, I could have just ripped your heart out.” The mare hissed, getting off her and sheathed her dagger. Dolphin Dream was coming up with a proper apology when the mare just waved it off.
“My name is Dolphin Dream, but you could just call me DD for short.” She tried. The mare stared at her and sighed taking a sit down the stairs.
“Name’s Bon Bon,” she answered with her back facing Dolphin Dream. Well that was a start. Dolphin Dream took a glance at the boat then back to her.
“You were going back for your friend weren’t you?” Dolphin Dream asked, taking a sit next to Bon Bon. Bon Bon stared at her with her eye lid lowering.
“Yes,” She started out slowly. “And if anyone tries to get in my way, I will blow their brains out with my rifle.” She smirked, folding her arms in satisfaction. Dolphin Dream nodded. Well hopefully nothing bad happens to her.
“Are you trying to curse me?” Bon Bon demanded.
“What no!” DD quickly defended. Darn it, she talked out her thoughts again.
“I was just saying that you-“
“Save it!” Bon Bon growled, getting up and away from Dolphin Dream
Dolphin Dream sighed, staring out at the jet black waves. . Where did she go wrong? Was there something she said that might have offended her? Dolphin Dream had no clue and she thought that Bon Bon would be well on her way except for the clopping of hooves coming down the steps. Her ears perked up as she watched Bon Bon trotting back down.
“Don’t get the wrong idea; the row boat had a hole in it. But I will be going away once I found a suitable ship.” Dolphin Dream’s heart sank.
“We are reaching pirate bay!” Hot Rod exclaimed as she flew up the deck. Dolphin Dream lifted her head. True enough, she could see faint lights of torches in a distance. She hopes that Bon Bon would cool down once they reach the island so she could give an apology and maybe Bon Bon might reconsider staying with them.