With a crash, hundreds of gallons of water poured onto the deck of the small schooner, sending the small ship lurching ever closer to its doom. Desperately, the sailponies aboard her tried all that was in their power to save their stricken ship.
“ALL HOOVES! STAND BY TO RAISE THE MAINSAIL!” Captain Wave Tumble yelled above the roaring seas.
Swift Winds staggered up to him, so drenched by the pouring rain and unrelenting waves that she couldn't even fly.
“Captain!” She yelled. “We'll capsize if we do that.”
“We'll be run up on the breakers if we don't!” Wave Tumble yelled back. “If I can set a tack into the wind, I'll take her out into open waters and we'll ride the storm out there!”
“Aye Captain!” Swift Wind said before setting about her task.
The twin masted schooner was smashed by another wave, sending it closer to destruction on a rock lined shore. The crew undid the fasteners holding the sail in place and hauled on the ropes to send the sheet skyward. Lightning cracked down near the ship, blinding Wave Tumble for a moment.
He blinked away his blindness and watched in satisfaction as the sail pulled tight in the wind. The schooner was nearly blown over by the gale force winds battering against the sail, but the force of the wind also propelled the ship forwards and allowed Wave Tumble to turn away from the shore and make some progress out to open sea.
Wave Tumble laughed in defiance of the storm as his ship pushed up over the crest of a wave and into the trough below. Again and again, the schooner smashed through wave after wave, each time a little farther from the shore.
Wood creaked and ropes stretched, but the gallant freighter continued onwards against the storm, fighting every wave that crashed over her with the grace of a skilled wrestler pinning their opponent down.
“WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT LADS!” Wave Tumble yelled exuberantly.
It was in the middle of the crew's tired cheer that disaster struck. At the very top of a wave, there was a blinding flash and then the mainmast split into as lighting seared it from top to bottom. With a splintering crack, the sail dragged the broken mast overboard, very nearly taking Swift Wind with it.
Instantly, the ship heeled crazily to port as the wrecked sail acted as a sea anchor, dragging the ship sideways into the waves.
“CUT THOSE ROPES OR WE'RE DOOMED!” Wave Tumble screamed as he fought to keep the tiller from spinning out of his hooves.
Swift Winds and another one of the crew leaped into action, grabbing a pair of axes and hacking viciously away at the ropes that threatened to pull them under. With one last chop, the ropes parted and the schooner shot back upright just in time for a rogue wave to nearly capsize the injured ship yet again.
Wave Tumble threw the tiller over and righted the ship, but the action cost them valuable distance between the ship and the looming shoreline. He looked back at the deadly rocks, then at his crew staring at him expectantly.
“Swift Winds!” He called to his first mate.
She hurried to his side, blowing sea water from her muzzle.
“Orders sir?” She asked.
Wave Tumble looked at her, then at the approaching shore, then at his dying ship.
“Have the crew brace themselves for impact.” He ordered. “I'll keep her steady as long as I can, but we'll end up on those rocks long before we can clear the point.”
Swift Winds looked around, focusing on the rocks, then set about directing the crew on where they should go. Wave Tumble fought with the tiller again as another wave crashed into the ship, screaming in anger as he did so.
The crew were all counting on him to keep them safe, and he failed them. The way the waves were driving the schooner towards the rocks all but guaranteed that the ship would break her back when she hit. It would be a miracle if a single soul survived the wreck. Not even the pegasi had a chance in the driving rain, their wings drenched beyond use.
Another bolt of lighting struck the waves near them, blinding Wave Tumble momentarily. He struggled to hold the wheel steady when he noticed something odd. The light from the bolt had not vanished, but instead seemed to pierce the heavens in an unsteady beam.
With the grace of a giant waking from its slumber, a mammoth of a ship crested the wave that threatened to smash the tiny schooner. The massive ship's bow hung in the air for a moment before its weight brought it crashing down not fifteen feet from the side of the schooner.
Wave Tumble squinted his eyes as the beam of light stabbed through the darkness and illuminated his crippled ship as bright as day. With a blaring 'HNNNNK!' the ship shot past the schooner at an impossible speed, sending a wave up over the deck as it did.
The ship slid past them and turned away from the shoreline once its stern was clear of the schooner's bow. The light vanished for a moment as it was hidden by the ship, but quickly reappeared and once again focused on the stricken schooner.
With a thump, a dark blue pegasus landed on the bow of Wave Tumble's ship, drenched to the bone, but somehow able to make the flight between the ships. The pegasus did something that Wave Tumble couldn't see, but the pegasus was gone again into the night before he could figure it out. Moments later, he felt the entire ship jerk forward and suddenly his small schooner was going faster than it ever had before.
He watched in awe as the massive ship effortlessly climbed a wave, towing his little ship up after it as if it weighed nothing. The sight of the stern of the ship rising into the air as the bow fell out of sight took his breath away. Four massive screws spun in the air before they bit water and sent the massive ship down into the trough of the wave below.
The little schooner shot over the top of the wave and chased after the massive ship, practically submerging itself as it hit the bottom. There was no time to take a breath as the bow of the schooner was yanked upwards to the massive ship that had already climbed the next wave.
Again and again the process was repeated, the gallant schooner groaning and creaking for every wave it tackled. The massive ship was relentless, battering through the sea like a ram through paper. The shoreline vanished behind the two, becoming nothing more than a bad memory, and soon so was the storm.
It was nothing more than a distant glow at first, a few random spots of light, but it grew into nothing but clear sky and Celestia's shining sun. As first rays of light touched the deck of the schooner, a cheer went up from the ragged crew as they whooped and hollered in joy.
Wave Tumble cheered as well from his position at the tiller, bathing in the golden glow. Turning to the giant ship he looked her over; it was massive to say the least, with two structures rising up off her deck. A multitude of masts and funnels towered in above them, with a thin wisp of smoke curling up from the four funnels.
The captain felt his blood freeze as he noticed the flag that flew from one of the mast as it unfurled lazily in the breeze. The black flag with the skull of a pony and the word Marblehead underneath it stared back at him, mocking his former joy.
As the large ship stopped, the schooner helpless drifted forwards, its crew slowly quieting down from their victory over the storm as they sat with their mouths open while staring up at the ship.
A familiar laugh rang out, and suddenly at least two dozen hulking ponies lined the rail, looking down at the schooner.
“Look wha' we caugh' er'selves, mateys!” The harsh voice mocked. “Seems a bit small, shall'we t'row 'er back?”
The pirates laughed and jeered at the unfortunate crew as they stood fearfully at the far side of the schooner, all of them but one.
“NOT YOU BARNACLE SUCKING THIEVES AGAIN!” Swift Winds yelled.
The silence was deafening to Wave Tumble. Finally it was broken.
“Ya pu' da' righ' seasone'ning oen'dem an' barnacles can taeste pre'ey goo'.” A voice from the pirate ship called out.
“Aye, he's got a point.” Another pirate agreed.
“What's fer dinner? I'm getting' hungry.” Yet another yelled.
“Ye can 'ave dinner after we've finished robbin' these good folks!” The harsh voice yelled angrily.
Wave Tumble was quickly by Swift Wind's side and he steered her away from the pirate ship.
“Will you keep your big mouth closed?” He hissed.
“Captain!” She whispered desperately. “Listen to those pirates! They're making us look like fools!”
“They aren't the ones doing that!” Wave Tumble shot back, pushing her into the crew's small huddle. “Now let me handle this!”
He turned back to the pirate ship and raised his voice. “I thank you for saving my ship from the storm. You may take what you what you want on the same condition as before, that you leave my crew unharmed.”
There was a brief moment of silence.
“I like him.” The harsh voice said. “Crew, do as he says!”
With industrial efficiency, a dozen of the pirates jumped to the schooner's deck and uncovered the cargo hold. Like the first time, their crane took less than twenty minutes to offload a good amount of cargo from the schooner's hold, and like the first time, they stopped when ordered to.
“That will be all, and fer yer cooperation in this terrible ordeal, I be given ye some recompense fer all the trouble.” The harsh voice called out.
A box sailed out over the schooner and slammed into the deck, cracking several boards and causing the ship to rock from the action. Before Wave Tumble even knew what was happening, the large ship's horn blasted out its sour note and the ship sped away leaving the small schooner bobbing in its wake.
Wave Tumble stared after it, then cautiously approached the box. It was simple thing, no ornaments or inscriptions, and the top was held on by a simple clasp.
“Captain, it could be a trap!” Swift Winds warned.
“What kind of pirates would make an elaborate bomb when they can just run us over?” Wave Tumble asked in annoyance.
Swift Winds shrugged. “What kind of pirates eat barnacles?”
Wave Tumble ignored her and slowly opened the lid of the box.
“By Celestia's mane.” He breathed quietly as he gawked at more gold than he'd ever seen in his entire life.
Swift Winds joined him and looked into the box. She was less than silent about the contents of the box.
“CELESTIA'S FAT FLANK! THAT'S A LOT OF BITS!”
Wave Tumble ignored the crew as they promptly dug into the box, counting each bit that they pulled out. He stared at the receding ship, its profile sinking into the distance.
“May the seas be calm, wherever you sail.” He said to the dot on the horizon.
The End