At the edge of the grotto, Fluttershy was sneaking away from any pirates. She hid behind a boulder, not daring to peek out. Hearing the roaring of battle behind her, Fluttershy curled into a ball as she feared for both herself and her friends’ safety. Her moment of alone is cut short as she saw the pirates Yin and Yu slowly approaching her from each side of the rock. Both of the brothers had a wide grin on their face, eager to finally beat somepony in battle.
Fluttershy instinctively backed away and into the shallow water, only to be stopped by the cave wall behind. The two pirates unveiled their katanas and held them at the ready. They stopped at breathing distance from her. Fluttershy shrieked and covered her eyes. She waits a few moments for the inevitable to come. But much to her disbelief and minor disappointment, the two stallions haven’t stuck her down yet.
A muffled chitter instead was heard from the two. Curious, Fluttershy opened her vision to see the stallions had backed up a small distance from her. They were whispering to each other, oblivious of Fluttershy.
“Are you going to do it?” Yin asked.
“No, I’m not going to hit her, you do it!” Yu silently barked.
“No, you, it isn’t chivalrous for a stallion like me to hit a mare who’s probably peed herself out of fear.” Yin explained.
“You don’t think I know that? Why do we even need to beat her up?”
“To show the others that we aren’t complete wimps,”
“And hitting a mare in her current position will show them?” Yu asked, embarrassed of this whole situation.
“Look, I got a lot of lip from Ivan from our moment in the Breach. I’m not saying that we should break our code. We’re just, roughing her up a little.” Yin said, equally embarrassed.
“Well I’m not going to do it.”
“Earth-wings-horn?”
“Loser hits.”
Quickly, the duo faced each other. They stretched their right hooves forward.
“Earth…” They two said in unison.
They stretched their head back like they’re displaying their non-existent wings.
“Wings…”
The two then aimed their horns at each other’s, nearly touching them,
“Horn…”
Fluttershy’s face turned red. She couldn’t believe she got scared over these two.
“Shoot!”
Instantly, the left kept his horn in place while the other reached out his hoof.
“Ha!” Yin cheered. “Earth buries horn.”
“No, horn beats Earth.” Yu retorted.
“Horn grabs wings, wings ruffle Earth, and Earth buries horn, that’s how it works.”
“What are you talking about? Horn always wins in our case.” Yu smugly stated.
“Go! You lost.”
“I’m not-I’m not going to punch her.”
“Just shove her or something, give her a quick hustle and then we’ll grab her.” Yin replied.
“Fine, fine,” Yu moaned.
Defeated, the losing pony walked up to the onlooking mare. He raised his hooves towards her, but was immediately caught off-guard by a direct left hook to the cheek by her. Yu immediately collapsed into the water, howling in pain. His hooves barely muffled the full intensity of the shout.
“Holy gods!” Yin exclaimed.
“Sorry!” Fluttershy frantically, yet gently apologized to the now petrified pony.
She then turned to the remaining pirate, Yin. Yin immediately then charged at her in a frenzy.
“You’ll regret tha-” Yin exclaimed.
Fluttershy moved out of the way and guided the charging stallion into the wall. He fell into the water in almost as quickly as his brother.
“Sorry! I only meant it in self-defense!” Fluttershy explained to the two.
Fluttershy walked away from the groaning stallions, only to be met by a band of five more pirates. Fluttershy prepared herself as she faced the mob of unicorns.
“This is going to hurt me more that it’s going to hurt you…” She warned them.
Rainbow Dash and Korsan continued to trade blows upo the sandy duns of the grotto island. The two fighters eventually began to grow weary. If something didn’t happen, this battle of endurance will fall in Korsan’s favour.
Thinking fast, Dash broke the cycle and flew around the pirate at rapid speeds. A blinding whirlwind formed in her wake and surrounded Korsan. Dash then flew a fair distance away and took a break. With Korsan effectively trapped, Dash could catch her breath, however little it may be. The small tornado died down and Korsan burst from the veils of sand. He spat our whatever sand in his mouth and took a small breather.
Panting, the two pegasi stared at each other. They were several metres apart, but it felt like they were right in each other’s faces. The two thought about strategies in how to beat the other.
Dash was refreshed first and began walking towards him. Korsan dropped his swords and massaged his hooves as Dash walked.
Korsan’s bodily gears began to accelerate. His suit entered a toned-down version of Overdrive. The quickly turning wheels massaged his nerves, and furthermore, his mind. Korsan’s mental gears shifted at a rapid pace. His perception of time slowed to a crawl as his mind transcended.
This mustn’t register to an emotional level. He told himself.
As Korsan slowly walked to Dash, his lower left hoof-claws extended. They sifted around in the sand below, just shy of Dash’s attention.
First, blind her.
His claw grabbed a fistful of sand and kicked it into Dash. The golden sand sprayed all over Dash.
She’ll now attempt blind jab. Deflect.
Blindly, Dash threw her hoof forward at the captain’s stomach. Korsan responsibly knocked the hoof aside.
Double back onto her chin.
Korsan swung his outstretched hoof into Dash’s chin, kicking her back a half-metre with a powerful hook punch.
Make presence known with a flap of the cape and a chuckle.
With a grin planted on his face, Korsan swished his black cape in front of Dash. He gave a light, mocking laugh between his pearly white teeth. Intimidation and anger surged in the mare’s head. Dash charged forward in the air to deliver a head-butt.
Counter aerial attack with cape whip.
Korsan flicked his long cape at Rainbow Dash and smacked her across the chest with a powerful snap of the cape. Dash plummeted straight towards him.
Compliment with uppercut.
Korsan then struck his clenched claws into the bottom of Rainbow Dash’s chin. The colliding force of Dash’s fall and Korsan’s hood rattled Dash’s brain. The mare fell back and smacked headfirst into the sandy floor.
Intimidate target.
Korsan drew his cutlasses from the ground. He aimlessly swung the blades at Dash, intentionally barely missing. Already pulsing in pain, Dash backed away from the fake attacks in alarm.
She’ll now attempt a sneak-around. Grab tail.
Dash sensed a battle in Korsan’s movements. Thinking quickly, she darted around the hurling blades. Before she could far, Korsan tossed his swords aside. Dash dashed to Korsan’s back, but was grabbed by the rainbow tail.
Deploy Triple Hulk-Bust.
His grip on her tail tightened. Korsan swung his arm around him, smashing his pray into the sand three times, each hit more powerful that before. He then threw her at the boulder ahead, creating a loud crack upon collision.
She will try to recover. Cancel with kick to barrel.
Rainbow Dash thrusted herself forward from the iron rock, but Korsan stopped her with a kick in the gut. He smashed her back against the boulder and pinned her there.
Weaken with Rabbit Kick to ribs.
Korsan followed up his previous attack with a series of kicks to Dash. Each time she bounced from the metal, another kick was delivered to get chest. Everytime the mare felt as if she could escape, a powerful metal strike was given to her melting heart and was knocked back. She could feel her spine liquefy each time it impacted the boulder.
She will attempt to break the cycle with a sweeping dive. Counter with axe kick to the nape.
As Dash bounced back from the iron boulder, she dove under Korsan’s legs. Korsan raised a lower hoof into the air and slammed it down into the back of the mare’s neck, pinning her in place. A pain-struck squeal barely escaped her crushed throat.
And finally, finish her with upward lift and right hook.
The bottom claws grabbed Rainbow’s neck and threw her up. Her floating body stopped at his eye level. Korsan finished off Dash by smashing her in the jaw with a devastating swinging punch. Her body was launched into the shallow moat headfirst. Her body remained there, bubbles flowed from the unseen face.
In summary: Four cracked ribs, a mild concussion, a dislocated jaw, a crick to the nape, several stomach ulcers, three broken spine segments, a weakened skull, and a destroyed ego, all within sixty seconds and no full-Overdrive required. Korsan mentally concluded.
Slowly, Korsan walked over to his fallen foe. He lifted her head up by the rainbow coloured mane. A large red bruise could be seen on Dash’s cheek while the rest of her face remained limp and practically lifeless.
“You’ll live,” Korsan coldly taunted at his foe. “For a second, that is,”
He changed his grip to grab her neck and carried her nearby to his dropped weapons. He grab a serrated cutlass and positions the blade to Dash’s neck. The sharp edge gently rubbed the bruising skin. A deep moan escaped from Dash’s fractured vocals as Korsan prepared to finish her off.
“Captain Korsan! Don’t!” A voice hollered from afar.
Korsan turned and saw it was Applejack and Applebloom running towards him. Knowing their close relationship with Rarity, Korsan reluctantly released Rainbow Dash, letting her drop to the ground.
“Apologies, I got carried away.” Korsan explained.
Out of nowhere, a pirate plummeted him from the air. Korsan quickly grabbed the mare pirate with his free arm and set her down.
“What the hay happened to you?” Korsan asked her.
The two pirates looked towards where the mare was tossed and Rarity and Twilight. They were fighting in a wide circle of approaching pirates on the top of the hill. Korsan ran pass Applejack and Applebloom and towards the top of the hill.
“I can’t believe you!” Twilight exclaimed as she swung down her wooden pole at Rarity’s head.
Rarity caught the staff in hovering rapier.
She then replied, “Can’t believe me? I can’t believe you! Trying to hurt me, your friend!”
“Friend?! Your support Korsan’s plans to wipe out almost all of ponykind!” Twilight retorted.
“No! I’ve been trying to talk him out of it!”
“Why should I believe you? After weeks of being with him, how should I know you’re still loyal to us?”
“That’s the thing I always hated about you, Twilight. You’re so insistent on taking down the ‘villain’, you jump to putting everypony on a black and white scale.”
“Look who’s calling the kettle black? You practically hurdled yourself on his side when he probably gave you that fancy getup!”
“He’s worked hard for this!”
“So have we!”
Rarity grabbed Twilight’s pole and stabbed it into the thick sand. She then swung her sword, but Twilight dodged it. Twilight jumped to and grabbed onto the embedded staff and swung herself around on it. Twilight kicked her legs as she spun. Several of the pirates were kicked back or backed away from the flailing mare. Rarity ducked below spins and caught Twilight with a swift, yet gentle punch in the stomach.
Twilight slipped from her pole and fell into the sand headfirst beside Rarity. Rarity raised the rapier’s tip behind Twilight’s neck.
“I’d rather live a happy life as a pirate than live a shameful life with you, Twilight.”
“Shame?” Twilight sputtered with a mouthful of cold sand. “Where’s the shame with stealing from the innocent? Where’s the shame of abandoning your home, your family, your career? Where’s the shame in devoting yourself to a murdered? Where’s the shame in all of that?”
“…” Rarity didn’t respond at first.
“Exactly,”
“…I want to sort things out. I want to help Korsan. But the only way I’m going to get my words, our words of peace, through to him is when he wants to hear. You know as well as I do that Korsan’s stubborn from all of this trauma he went through as a colt. We could change him if I can get him to hear me.”
“And what happens when he hears you? What if he doesn’t like it? You’ve seen it. He won’t hesitate to kill a crew member of his. So what say you now?” Twilight asked.
“I can try. I will take a risk.” Rarity replied.
“…”
“Trust me.”
“…I can’t. I won’t let you risk your life. It’s best that I end his reign of terror now before he even touches that fountain.”