//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Crew of the Marblehead // by M48 Patton //------------------------------// Wood scraped on wet sand as the Marblehead's longboat was dragged onto the beach by several hooves. Rain pattered down on the group of ponies as they unloaded the boat before shoving it back into the surf. “Alright Henry, we'll meet you here tonight.” Big Sail waved to the white, pony shaped face half submerged in the water. “I shall be waiting.” Henry somehow managed to say without bring his mouth above the surface. The wendigo turned pirate slipped under the waves and seized the rope attached to the bow of the longboat before swimming back to the waiting ship. As the boat bobbed away empty, ice floated to the surface behind the boat as Henry's skin froze the water around him. He would probably be spending a day or two in the Marblehead's freezers just to recover from the warm waters. The group of ponies turned inland and began making their way up the mountain towards Bugganville's only settlement on the other side. Storm Stalker lead the way for a while until the path widened out enough to allow Big Sail to catch up and walk alongside her. “So, are you and the captain still fighting?” Big Sail asked. “We ain' fightin' Big Sail. . .” Storm huffed. “'E's tha' cap'n, an' Ah have tae keep 'im in line sometimes.” The unicorn nodded. “Aye, but your still mad at him.” Storm Stalker sagged slightly as she walked. “Ah was. . .Bu' now, Ah'm worried.” “Is it those letters you have been receiving?” Big Sail asked. Storm shot him an angry glare, but then sighed in defeat. “Ah shoul'da known yew'd see t'rough mah lies.” Big Sail chuckled. “You never could keep a secret from me or your dad.” Noticing Storm suddenly cringe, Big Sail was able to put two and two together. “It's your father, isn't it?” The pegasus glanced around to make sure the rest of the party wasn't too close before nodding hesitantly. “Aye, 'e be gettin' a might anxious in 'is let'ers. Keeps askin' when Ah be comin' tae visit 'im. Ah'm afraid 'e be losin' patience an' may try sum'thin'.” She explained. “Well, take some time and go visit him then.” Big Sail said. “Captain will understand.” “Tha's nae tha' problem.” Storm whispered. “Ah may 'ave lied aboot the cap'n in mah letters.” Big Sail raised an eyebrow. “Lied? Just what have you been telling your father about our gallant captain?” Storm Stalker gained a slight tint of red to her cheeks. “Ah figured tha' mah fadder woul'nae approve o' mah losin' the Golden Curse tae a mere merchant cap'n.” The stallion grimaced. “I see what you mean, Captain Storm Killer was always fond of that ship. I remember he always said that when the Curse was sunk was the day piracy died.” “Aye, Ah remember tha' too.” Storm said nervously. “Tha's why Ah tol' me da' tha' Cap'n Trade Breaker was a pirate.” Big Sail scrunched up his muzzle. “Well, if Trade Breaker were to practice a bit, maybe he could-” “Ah tol' Da' tha' Trade Breaker was the most cunnin', ruthless, greatest pirate tae e'er sail the sea.” Storm blurted. “. . . Miss Stalker, just how far did you take your tales?” The unicorn asked. The pegasus averted her gaze. “Ah may 'ave said 'e singlehoofedly bested me in combat, took me tae 'is cabin an' 'ad his way with me.” Big Sail facehooved. “Trade Breaker would never do that. No, he never could do that. Beat you in combat or-” “AH KNOW THAT!” She yelled in exasperation. “Ah. . . jus' figured tha' if Da' saw Ah was on the crew o' a pirate meaner than 'e was, then 'e'd leave us alone.” “We need to tell the captain.” Big Sail said after a few moments. “If Storm Killer decides that his daughter is better off with her own ship, then you know better than anypony that he won't stop until it's done. Maybe Captain can step up the raids a bit, start living up to those stories you've been telling.” “No.” “Miss Stalker?” Big Sail asked in confusion. “We ain' tellin' the cap'n.” Storm Stalker said venomously. Big Sail was so flabbergasted by the first mate's behavior that he tripped over a rock and landed on his face. Rubbing his nose, he quickly caught up to Storm Stalker as she continued walking. “Why?” He demanded. Storm stopped, her eyes downcast. She took a deep breath and began to explain. “Cause Ah don' wan' 'im tae change.” The mare said quietly. “Big, if'n mah fadder 'ad foun' the Marble'ead a'fore Cap'n, can yew imagine wha' the oceans woul' be like tae'day?” Big Sail sighed. “Filled with the wreck of every ship that sailed against us.” “An' any merchant tha' 'appened tae come our way.” Storm added. “Bu' Cap'n, 'e's. . . stronger than mah da' in some ways. Trade Breaker's always made sure tae leave any merchant's hold half-stocked, an' nae once 'as 'e sank a ship in anger. Ah jus'. . . Ah jus' worry tha' if'n we try tae change 'im tae suit mah fadder, 'e won' be the cap'n anymore, 'e'll stop bein' so stubborn aboot 'is morals. Or worse.” “What do you mean?” “When Cap'n ordered us tae sink tha' 'Questrian ship, Ah was excited, yew know? Felt lik' ol' times, pillagin' ships an' sinkin' 'em wit' no second thoughts, bu' when Ah looked at Cap'n, 'e was ashamed o' what we were doin'. 'E coul'nae bear tae be so cruel tae those ponies, an' 'e made us sit there until their mates showed up.” She hung her head. “Ah jus' know if'n we try tae tell 'im tha' 'e needs tae start leavin' bodies behind, 'e won' stan' fer it. Cap'n woul' sooner scuttle the Marble'ead than see innocents get 'urt.” Big Sail thought about this for a little bit. “Well, what if we sunk the Marblehead?” He suggested. “Start over, nopony has to know who we are and we can sail away with brand new lives.” “On wha' ship?” Storm Stalker huffed. “Marble'ead's the on'y thang tha' does'nae sink un'ner Trade Breaker's hooves.” “Maybe we can enchant something?” Storm Stalker rolled her eyes. “Yew saw tha' ship today! We both know tha' the 'Questrian Navy enchant's their warships tae take on any magics, an' Trade Breaker broke righ' t'rough et.” “The ship was already torn up from the storm.” Big Sail countered. “Don' gimme tha'!” The pegasus replied. “We was jumpin' all o'er tha' deck lik' toads onnae hot griddle, an' nae once did Ah see a board crack! Cap'n sets won hoof daown an' the mas' near crushed 'im! Face et, we lose the Marble'ead an' Cap'n loses 'is ship fer good! Ah won' do tha' tae 'im! Ah won' take away the one good thang tae evah' come 'is way!” Storm shut her mouth and for a few moments, the area was silent. The rest of the group had moved on, allowing the two ponies privacy in their conversation. “So.” Big Sail finally said. “What are you going to do?” Storm Stalker looked to the sky as if searching for something before looking at her friend. “Ah'm goin' tae tell Da' 'ow Ah feel aboot Trade Breaker.” She answered. “Ah won' tell 'im everythin', bu' Ah'm goin' tae tell 'im tha' Ah'm 'appy an' fer 'im tae stay put.” Big Sail nodded. “Well then, I suppose we should get to the post office so you can write that letter.” “Aye, Ah suppose we shoul'.” Back aboard the Marblehead, the crew were content to batten down the hatches and wait as Ghost Island's ever-present gale raged against the hull. The storm made no difference to the ship as she bobbed at anchor, and although the winds were quite powerful, the waves were not given enough time to properly form and represented no threat to the ship. Trade Breaker made his way down towards the galley, hoping that Culinary had soup prepared for lunch. More often than not, the food aboard the Marblehead was some sort of fish soup. Due to her rather unique appearance and the fact that practically every nation that bordered the sea was trying to capture the steel behemoth, it had become necessary for the Marblehead's crew to perform a few raids every now and then to gather supplies. Unfortunately, most sea-going vessels did not carry such perishable items as food, and those that did were concentrated around the coast lines of major nations. Even though the Marblehead was more than a match for anything on the seas at this point, Trade Breaker didn't want to get near any navies if he could help it. That went double for the Equestrian Navy, and triple if Celestia was on the hunt. The score as far as battles with the white alicorn was still zero to two in favor of the Marblehead, but Trade Breaker wasn't keen on matching wits with a pony that had over a thousand years of experience to her advantage. Seeing as how it was getting harder and harder to get food supplies without ending up sinking some poor captain's ship every time, Trade Breaker had elected to pursue a more economical tactic. By stealing simple goods and anything that was somewhat valuable, they could barter the stolen items for food in Bugganville. There was still some of Longhorn's treasure left in the hold, but the crew had agreed that it was better left there in case of emergencies. That was what the ashore group was doing right now, going into the port town to find a few fishing vessels and farmers who weren't to concerned with the origins of the items offered to them. Trade Breaker grimaced as he thought about the ashore group and who was leading them. Storm Stalker had been acting a bit strangely as of late, but Trade Breaker could barely explain his own actions. Storm had every right to her private life, so why was he being so intrusive? He shook his head as his jumbled thoughts began causing chaos in his brain. For some reason when Storm had lashed out at him at the wedding, Trade Breaker had felt indignant at her behavior and he had overreacted. At the time, he had just told himself that he was just worried about the safety of the crew and that Storm was being unreasonable, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that something else had caused him to react the way he did. Could it possibly be that he was in lo- “NO!” Trade Breaker yelled as he slammed his head into the nearest bulkhead. “No! No! No! NO!” Rubbing a thoroughly bruised forehead, Trade Breaker stumbled down the passageway as he tried to ignore what his brain was now painfully telling him. Unfortunately, his thoughts were so preoccupied with his feelings that he failed to notice the dogs on the hatch in front of him come undone and the door swung open. Drip was filled to the brim with love and nothing could bring him down today. Quickly unfastening the door, he flung it open. Or rather, he attempted to fling it open. Somebody's head got in the way. Clang! Trade Breaker was thrown onto his back by the impact, but the pegasus had no trouble jumping to his hooves again. “Blast it! Watch where yer goin' ye blind fool!” The captain yelled in anger as he held a hoof to his throbbing head. “Sorry Captain, are you alright?” Drip asked, moving to see if Trade Breaker was injured. “I'm fine ye bug-eyed blaggard!” He yelled at Drip, but his unsteady steps caused the changeling to move to his side. “I said I'm fine!” “Captain, your head looks like it's been bucked by Miss Stalker.” Drip said as he steadied his captain. “So what if it does?” Trade Breaker tried to take a few steps forward, but the doorway seemed intent on moving to one side each time he tried to go through it. Drip forcefully sat Trade Breaker down and looked at his head. “Looks like you've got a pretty decent bruise starting to form, I'm surprised it didn't give you a concussion.” The changeling observed. “Let's go see Miss Flowers.” “I don't want to see Miss Flowers.” The pegasus said stubbornly. “I want to go eat some food.” “Well, that's too bad because Culinary's still making lunch.” Drip coerced. “Now while he's doing that, we're going to go get your head looked at.” “Bah.” Was all Trade Breaker had to say. Sun Flowers finished putting the last bit of salve on Trade Breaker's forehead before putting a bandage around his head. “Leave that on.” She ordered. “According to Zabramn, this stuff should reduce the swelling within a few hours, but until then you don't touch that bandage.” “Yes ma'am.” Trade Breaker said sullenly. He tried to get up but Sun Flowers pushed him back down. “Where do you think you're going?” She demanded. “The galley. I be hungry.” “Oh no you don't.” The mare said. “You're staying in bed. I'll go get you your food.” “Ye blasted old maid!” Trade Breaker called after her as she left. “I ain' lyin' around no bed while there's work to be done!” Sun Flowers ignored him and fixed Drip with a glare. “You stay here and make sure he stays in bed, I'll bring him some soup.” “Yes ma'am!” Drip saluted. Sun Flowers kissed him as she stepped out the door and Drip closed it behind her. Turning to the cot Trade Breaker was lying on, the changeling was not surprised to see the pegasus start to make an effort to leave. “Captain, you heard the Missus, stay in bed.” Drip ordered. Trade Breaker fixed Drip with an annoyed glare, one that didn't faze Drip in the slightest. The captain sighed as he fell back onto the bed when he saw the changeling wasn't taking no for an answer. “Married life seems to have ruined ye, Drip.” He remarked. “A'fore ye would've helped get me out o' here the moment Miss Flowers wasn't lookin'.” Drip chuckled as he stepped up to the bed and sat down. “It's hard to go behind a mare's back when you share the bed with her.” Trade Breaker heaved a sigh, staring up at the ceiling. Drip scooted a little closer and cleared his throat. “So, how's your head?” He asked. “The achin' seems to have disappeared for the moment.” Trade Breaker said without even looking at him. “Good, good, and um, how's your heart?” The captain snorted in frustration. “It be fine. Thank ye fer askin'.” Drip frowned. “You and I both know that's not true.” “Blast it Drip!” Trade Breaker said loudly. “I don't need to talk to ye about me private life!” “And I wouldn't be talking to you about your private life if it didn't affect the whole ship.” Drip responded, a small, smug grin on his muzzle. Trade Breaker sighed in defeat. “Alright, maybe I was a bit harsh with Miss Storm, but-” “I wasn't talking about Miss Stalker.” Drip interrupted. “WELL THEN WHAT DO YE WANT?” The pegasus exploded. “I want to make sure you're not making the biggest mistake of your life.” Drip said earnestly. “Storm Stalker loves you, Tartarus, she even flat out said it! Why are you always pushing her away? Do you not love her back?” “No.” Trade Breaker said sullenly. “I don't need to be an emotivore to know that's a lie.” The changeling frowned. “REAPER'S TEETH! What is it ye want from me? Want me to shout it from the mast? Alright! I LOVE HER!” Trade Breaker yelled, not caring that the ship was not exactly soundproof. “Then why are you so afraid of letting her into your life?” Drip asked. “Because I don't fit in it.” Trade Breaker answered. “She's a mare that legends tell of, she can fight dragons, sail through the worst o' storms, take on a fleet wit' nothin' but her cunning and still be the victor. Tell me Drip, where do I come in in all of this?” The changeling hummed thoughtfully before answering. “When she's about twenty-seven and she meets a brave and noble captain named Trade Breaker who sweeps her off her hooves with his amazing ship.” “Aye, his amazing ship.” The captain growled. “Good thing I had the Marblehead, not the Sea Treader when I met her.” “Er, let me rephrase that last part.” Drip said nervously. “Aye, I can see it now, me lyin' on the deck as the legendary Storm Stalker plunders me ship out from under me.” Trade Breaker ignored him. “She'd be the pirate queen o' the seas now if'n I hadn't ran her down like the clod that I am.” Drip took a moment to consider his captain's words. “Is that what's bothering you? The fact that she's not out somewhere on the Golden Curse sinking some poor merchant ship and killing innocents?” The pegasus squirmed uncomfortably. “Well when ye put it that way, it makes it sound like I was doing the right thing.” “That's because you did!” Drip exclaimed. “Captain, she's happy! She's content, she's having the time of her life right now! And so am I! . . I want to tell you something, I was an infiltrator for Queen Chrysalis, a good one too. I can't tell you how many times I came so close to having my cover blown, how often I had to wrestle down a pony and fill them with venom just to stay hidden, and I won't lie, it was exciting and a small part of me misses that thrill of danger. But you know, none of that compares to what I feel for Sun Flowers, and I can tell you right now without a doubt in my mind that no matter how exciting or daring Storm Stalker's pirating days were, she would rather have you than all the treasure and adventures in the world.” Trade Breaker wanted to admit Drip was right. He wanted to jump up and hug the changeling and tell him that as soon as his first mate got back aboard he was going to marry her on the spot, but one thought dashed all his dreams. “An' what about when I lose the Marblehead?” He asked. “Ye know I can't keep her ferever, an' when I lose the Marblehead, I'll never be able to set sail again. I couldn't do that to Miss Storm, she be a child o' the sea an' I couldn't tie her down.” Drip sighed and hung his head. “That's a problem you're going to have to figure out, but if you want my advice, ask Miss Stalker what she thinks.” He stood up and walked to the door. “Drip.” Trade Breaker called after him. “Thanks, ye may be a terrible pirate, but at least yer a good friend.” “You're welcome Captain.” The changeling closed the door with a smile. Bugganville was large enough to not really be considered a town, but still small enough that it wasn't a city. Still, it was a decent sized port and many a ship could be seen entering and exiting the harbor on their way to some far off land. The local populace made most of their income from fishing and farming tobacco, corn, and sugar. In the middle of the town was an old fortress meant to protect the inhabitants during a pirate raid but the structure had fallen into disuse as the town grew large enough to warrant a standing militia. That meant that it was fairly easy for a group of suspicious looking creatures to slip inside and take up residence inside the large lookout tower in the middle of the fort. Looking through his spyglass, the former pirate legend Storm Killer scanned the crowd in front of the post office for any sign of his daughter. Although he was trying to concentrate, his companions were less than helpful due to their constant bickering. “Come on Storm!” One of them called, their already razor sharp claws being sharpened even more. “We've been here for three days! How much longer do we have to wait?” “Mail ship leaves in two days, she'll be here before then.” The pegasus answered. “Are you sssssure that ssssshe will come?” Another asked. “Aye.” Storm Killer said, no room for argument left in his tone. Godfrey stepped up holding a tray. “Tea, sir?” “Go'way yew featherbrained gob! Yew're distractin me!” Storm Killer snapped. One of his companions raised her hoof. “Godfrey, if you please.” The griffon let the cup go as it floated away. “Thank you, I find that this tea is divine.” “HUSH!” Storm Killer said loudly. Instantly, the occupants of the room, save Godfrey, were crowded at the window, each with a spyglass of their own. “Did ya see 'er?” One of them asked. “Aye!” Came the reply. “She be wearin' a grea' big floppy hat tae hide 'erself, bu' Ah know mah lit'el Storm Stalker anywheres!” “There she goes into the post office, just like you said!” “HIDE!” The group practically fell over each other to get away from the window. “Do you think she saw us?” One of them asked. “No way, nopony could see that far.” Another answered. “This is Storm Stalker we are talking about.” Said another as they pushed their way out from underneath the pile of bodies. “If anybody could see us, she would have.” “Hol' yewr teeth!” Storm Killer whispered. “She be comin' owt now.” “She seems a little bit upset.” Remarked one of the group that had joined Storm Killer back at the window. “Aye, tha's cuz she ain' received a let'er from 'er dear ol' da.” The pegasus smiled. “So what now?” The claw sharpening pirate asked as they began sharpening them again. Storm Killer's grin nearly split his face “Now, we follow 'er back tae the gran' ol' ship tha' be known as the Marble'ead.”