Welp, here you were again. Though this time your cage was hanging out on deck at the back of the ship, the wind was blowing through your mane as the sky became ever dense in dark clouds. And those clouds, how the hell did they stretch out into what seemed like infinite? Best not to think about it..
You just laid there in your cage, cursing yourself for failing right at the most opportune time. Now you all were headed to their location thanks to that fucking cat. If you got there first, there’d be an ambush. Last? There’d still be a fucking ambush. And no doubt Tempest was going to up the ante by probably putting you in harm’s way next time.
Grubber was your only guard, and he was pretty much healed at this point. He was just munching away on a cupcake as he enjoyed the air.you noticed a keyring on his side, clearly for your cage. But with no way to get it, it really was irrelevant. You also noticed your saddle bag was hanging on a hook just out of reach. Little bastard was probably rummaging through it for something useful.
What did you care at this point though? You lost.
“So uhh..” Grubber turned to you as he spun the cupcake on his paw “What were you and Tempest talking about back there?”
You just look at him, then turn your head. You weren’t in the mood to talk.
“Hey, come on! Whatever it was had to be super important to stop her like that. C’mon...hmm” Grubber thought, then pulled out a slice of cake from his shirt “I’ll let you have a bite. Not a big one, just a small one. So, whaddya say?”
You just slowly turn to him, with a defeated look on your face. “Why do you even care?”
“Because!...Because….” He seemed to have a hard time thinking of something. Or maybe there was something he just didn’t want to say so bluntly “Y’know. Tempest is like, all that! All that and a bag of chips. Kicked your pink laser butt! Heh” He snickered for a moment before putting the cake back in his shirt. “So whatever has her down. I wanna know. So spill it!”
You just roll on your side as the shackles on your leg jingle. An ever reminder of your failure. “Who cares…” Unless Twilight pulls out a win. Everything was fucked.
“I...sorta...kinda do? Bah, whatever. You’re just a stupid colt anyway. Stupid, dumb, and stupid! Hehehe!” He snickered at you
You just say in a deadpan voice “You said stupid twice. And dumb is the same as stupid….you retard.”
“Retard!...Retard?” Grubber looked blankly at the sky for a second “I bet it’s another one of those weird insults. I’m gonna go ask Commander Tempest what that means.” He then wiggles his claw at you “Don’t you go anywhere now.”
When Grubber turned to walk to the front of the deck, he immediately bumped into Capper. Seemed he was free to walk around of his own volition. Though his arms were shackled closely together. “Hey there small fry, cool cat walking through.”
“What? You’re not cool...and what are you doing back here anyway?!” Grubber asked, annoyed that he was bumped into. You could already tell. Whatever he had under his shirt was ruined.
“Relax, it’s not like I can go anywhere else, right?” Capper smirked as he shook his shackles “Locked tight”
“Yeah, and it’s gonna stay that way too.” Grubber said with a grumble before muttering “...my cake” He began to walk off. He didn’t care at this point. He knew you weren’t going anywhere and neither was Capper. And he had a word to figure out.
Capper then turned to you with a oddly friendly grin. “So, you must be Fluttershy’s “adorable” nephew. You gotta be with the way she lost her cool. Allow me to introduce my-”
THAT CAT!
You stood up in a rage and barked at him, shaking your cage as your fury made everything quake around you. “YOU! DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE SAY HER NAME! I SAW WHAT HAPPENED. YOU TRIED TO SELL HER! AND THEN YOU SELL HER OUT!? YOU’RE A MONSTER!”
Capper fell silent for a moment before raising a single finger on his paw as he cleared his throat nervously. He couldn’t believe you were Fluttershy’s nephew, not with that attitude. “Alright, I admit the first part was true. I understand why you’re all sorts of tense. But you gotta listen to me. Everything is ok now, it’s going to be just fine.”
“Capper, right?” You stare at him with an intense, furious as the sun kind of stare. “Whatever you’re gonna get out of this. I swear to you, it’s going to be going in one end and out the other. Trust me...you’re gonna wish you only had one life.”
Capper looked really scared now. He looked left and right nervously as he clenched his furry asscheeks. Never had he heard these kinds of words before, not even from the lowliest of the Storm King’s men. “Ahrm...um. Well, uhhh..” He was at a loss of words. He relaxed himself, sighed, and walked next to your cage as he pocketed his hands. He looked down in shame when he came to terms as to why you were angry. “I don’t blame you for losing your cool like that. I deserve it. At this point? There’s no saving a rogue such as myself.”
You just groan. You didn’t want to hear none of his shit.
“I mean. I was caught, red handed. What I had planned to do was pretty scummy. But you know…” Capper looks at his sleeves “After meeting them, I realized that I lost my way. That this smooth soul became a jagged piece of rock somewhere down the way. I could blame the Storm King for that, but it just ain’t true.”
“What’s your point?” You say in a defeated voice. You don’t even look at him.
“I don’t really know. One minute I was a criminal. And then...well, let me ask you something. You ever get that nice fuzzy feeling? You know what I mean? The kind you get when some ponies with their heads on straight show you how low you’ve been? I can tell you, it’s one heck of an experience once you’ve tasted friendship for the first time in a long time.” He looks to you with a soft smile, hoping you’d give him the time of day.
You just found that odd. He fucking sold them out. What friendship was he talking about? “...What are you even talking about?”
Capper shrugs “Nothing much, I guess. Just talking to myself. But if you were, by chance, listening. Well, I just want to let you know that I’m sorry about your aunt and your friends. I mean, they fixed me up. made me look snazzy….and I just did...that. And if there was anything I could do for you. Well, I’m willing to do it. Anything, anything at all. You just name it”
Was he high? What was with his shift in character? Why did he even care? Fuck, he was probably messing with you. What a goddamn prick. “Well...for a start...You could just throw yourself off the ship. That might cheer me up.”
Capper winces “Er, I was thinking more along the lines of getting you out of here” He gives you a nervous smirk. Yeah, you were by far the darkest guy he ever met.
You finally give him your full attention as you raise a doubtful eyebrow at him. “Come again? You must be crazy if you think I’d fall for that now. You’re gonna get rewarded for turning in my friends and family, yet your willing to risk your neck for me? For a smooth talking cat, you aren’t very smart.”
Capper starts to feel more confidence as he lets out a mischievous chuckle “Hey kid, you might be right about that last part. I mean, I just remembered your friends are ACTUALLY going to a nice little place called Mount Aris while we’re heading to nasty ole Black Skull Island. I wonder how I made that mistake.”
Wut? “What do you mean you just remembered? Are you saying we’re going the wrong way and...wait” Was...was it true?
Capper smirked as he felt you finally started to catch on “That’s right. I gave our nasty little host a little direction in misdirection, if you know what I mean. Your friends are on their way to get some help from some hippogriffs while I...well.” Capper already knew he’d probably not survive once they all arrived at the island and Tempest and her goons realized they were duped. “Let’s just skip that…”
Was he really? You had to know what made him suddenly not an asshole. “Why? If you were going to sell them, then why suddenly protect them?”
Capper lifts his arm, to show you how well kept his coat looked. To show you all the fixed tears and patches. “Easy. I lead them to my place and instead of being all nasty about it like everyone else in town, they just treated me like I was, well, one of them. I mean, look at my coat. It’s all nice and new looking…” Capper sighs “That Rarity, she just fixed it all up without asking for a single thing. Didn’t even know who I was. She just….fixed it. Didn’t think there was anyone else like that anymore.”
...Holy fuck. Then that meant Twilight and the others had reformed him on their very first meeting. That had to be a record for them at this fucking point. That’s impressive. “And risking your life for theirs just because of that is worth it to you?”
Capper shrugged with a smirk “I mean, it’s just one of nine, right?” He lets out a confident yet somehow ominous chuckle “It probably won’t go that bad. So uh, we cool?”
You couldn’t tell if he was genuine. But, his clothes did seem fixed up and he did seem rather sincere. God, you hoped you weren’t being suckered into some scheme of his own. “I guess...I mean, it doesn’t matter anyway. We’re both kinda screwed.”
“I’m just gonna assume that means we’re doomed. Which, I’d say is true if it wasn’t for the fact I may have overheard that walking pincushion say something about some horn you got. Said he got hurt from you going off like some super wizard or something. Now, how true is all that?” Capper asked as he noticed your horn adorned on your neck. “It wouldn’t be that weird thing around your neck, right? I think it is. That necklace is something only a royal type would wear.”
“Yeah, that’s it” You struggled some in your shackles to try to reach it, but it was to no avail “If my aunt mentioned anything about who I am, you’d know my dad is Discord. This horn is basically something he gave me to help me protect myself...and stuff” Mentioning the mischief you could get into didn’t seem relevant for the conversation. “If I could just put it on, I’d be able to get out of this place.
“Cool, cool.” Capper nodded as he eyed the horn intently “I know this may sound a little mushy and all. But after seeing your Aunt’s heart break back in Klugetown...I kinda wanna do her the solid of making sure her nephew gets back home safe. Which, I really hope, can be done with that horn of yours.”
It could...or if you could get the map out of your hanging saddle bag and throw it in some water. But you couldn’t really do either. And with no water around, telling him to get the map was pointless. “I mean...yeah. And….” You sigh, just let him have some relief. He was probably hurting after being reformed so quick only to have to be doomed. “..Thanks for the thought, Capper. You aren’t really a bad guy. Sorry...for the mean things I said.”
“Hey, no problem. No problem at all. All under the bridge. But darn, you don’t sound as nearly as hopeful and heroic as Fluttershy said you were. Real shame” He mentioned in an offhanded like way.
“Uhhh…” You glare at him, so now he was gonna insult you? “Is there a reason you’re being a jerk all of a sudden?”
Capper shrugged “No reason. I mean, I went through all the trouble to take this from the little pudgeroll” He raised his shackled hands from his pockets, revealing Grubber’s guard keyring. “And it already sounded like you were giving up.”
NO….FUCKING...WAY! HOLY FUCK! “You stole his keys?!”
Capper brought his finger to his mouth to shush you “Shhh, not so loud. Jailbreaks don’t really work well when you make noise like that.” He then began sifting through the keyring, which had a surprising amount of keys within itself, looking for the key to the cage lock and your leg shackles. “When I get you out, you get out of here, ok? Don’t worry about me. I got it pretty much handled.”
No he didn’t. “No, we’re getting out together. This horn? It isn’t some escape horn or anything like that. This horn is a horn full of chaos. I can pretty much do anything with it. Including getting us both out of here.”
Capper lost a little of his focus as he kept trying key after key. He was touched, he didn’t realize the horn could save both you and him and yet part of him felt he didn’t deserve to be rescued “Really? So, you’re really cool with me and all?”
“Yeah, I mean, if you stuck your neck out for my friends and my aunt, then I’m gonna help you out, I am the hero colt after all. And after we both get out of here, we’ll go pick up my friends and figure out a way to crush that Storm King guy. Oh yeah, if we play our cards right, it really won’t end well for him.” After this shit? You wouldn’t mind smashing that discount James Woods into dust.
Capper was struggling to find the right key, but he did let out a small chuckle at those words “You’re the first ANYBODY I ever heard say they could crush the Storm King that easily. Well, if it really IS that powerful then you better be ready to use it once I bust you out because our gracious host is probably going to lose it once she sees us. She doesn’t seem too keen on her prisoners treating her ride like a pleasure cruise.”
You snicker as you feel hope and eventual power come to you once more. “Oh that won’t be a problem. I mean, once you get the right key it’s all smooth sailing from here.”
“Well I only got three more keys on this thing to try. Why does he have so many keys anyway? This ship doesn’t look like it’s got that many doors.” Capper wondered as he tried the next key.
“I bet every cage here has its own lock, heck, I bet my shackles have their own lock too. Not really time effective if you ask me. Speaking of time...oh man, is that it?” You noticed Capper go for the last key on the key ring.
“Yup, seems so.” Capper gives you a mischievous little grin as he holds the key towards the lock “Ready to party?”
“Like it’s Donkey Kong!” You stand at the ready. Oh man, this was gonna be great!
“Donkey Kong?” Capper was a little stupefied there, he looked at you with a greatly confused look.
“Uhhh..It’s a thing. I’ll explain it later” Ugh, gotta keep that human vocabulary to yourself at times like these. It was a waste of breath.
Capper slips the key into the cage’s keyhole “Well later is now because-MRWEEOOR” Suddenly, Capper let out a cat like screech as powerful booming burst ripples through the clouds and into the ship. In his surprise, he accidentally pulls his hand, and the key, backwards. His grip also wasn’t too tight as the key flew up into the air…..and off the ship. “.....uh oh…”
That burst, it was powerful enough to cause the ship to rock for a moment. What the hell was OH SHIT NO!
You look backwards only to see a spiraling beam of rainbow light behind the ship. no...NO….RAINBOW DASH, YOU FUCKING DIPSHIT! YOU WERE SO DAMN CLOSE!
“RAINBOW DASH! I SWEAR TO GOD! I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD, I’M GONNA MAKE THAT “IWTCIRD” MEME A REALITY, BUT WITH A GODDAMN CACTUS! YOU HEAR ME?! YOU’LL BE PULLING NEEDLES FROM PLACES THAT YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW EXISTS!” Holy crap, you were mad. Why, in the ever fucking hell, would ANYONE on the goddamn run make themselves so apparent
“Errr, A-Anon?” Capper nervously calls your name.
And in your anger, you turn and reply with red hot fury “WHAT IS IT?! CAN’T YOU SEE I’M...I’m…...oh shit..”
Tempest and her cronies were standing right there.
“Well…” Tempest looks to Grubber with a wicked smile “Did you catch that?”
“What all went down? As in, his friends are going down? Oh yeah, I heard it. And I’m all down for that” Grubber said, with a cruel little sharp toothed smile of his own before looking to Tempest with a dumb look “What was with the cactus thing though?”
“Doesn’t matter….not anymore. Have the ship head towards where that rainbow came from. Full speed and make sure we’re ready to board them as-” Suddenly, Tempest is cut off by the smooth talk of Capper.
He slid right to the side of them, and pointed at the dissipating rainbow in the distance “Don’t mean to cut in on this convo, but you can’t seriously think that’s them. I mean, a pony making a rainbow? That’s all kinds of ridiculous. Isn’t that right, Anon?” Capper looks to you with a very nervous grin.
...Could this even work? You were nervous, but you do your best to at least sound calm. Your voice was a little shaky, but it was convincing...right? “I mean. Maybe? Logically speaking however, my friends have NO reason to bring attention to themselves. I mean, what? They know their being chased. Why make it worse by putting a huge rainbow target on their heads…Right?”
“Right…” Tempest agrees in a plain way.
God, you couldn’t tell if she was being serious. You and Capper felt a small half moment of relief until Tempest gave a gentle yet eerie smile
“So if we don’t find anything at all we’ll just continue on our way. In fact, since you seem so sure…” Tempest’s eyes shift to Capper “You can come with us when we board the ship just so you can have a look for yourself.”
“Hey! I mean, that sounds like a good idea but someone’s gotta stay with the kid. Plus, I’m a one ship kind of-ngh!” Two storm creatures grab him by the arms, their fierce grip cutting his speech short.
“I insist...take him to the front of the ship and get us turned around.” Tempest commands as she starts to walk towards you. She had noticed something that was very telling, a single bead of sweat coming down off your forehead. She knew she was right.
Grubber starts to wave his arms at the creatures, following them up deck as he barked orders at them “You heard Commander Tempest, get this thing turned around!”
Before Capper disappeared to the front of the ship, he looked back at you with a pained expression. He really did want to be of use. To be a friend...and it just got taken from him.
You were alone with Tempest now. She just looked towards the vanishing rainbow with a stoic expression. “Well, this is it it seems.”
Ugh...what was she on about now? You were beginning to think that maybe she really couldn’t be changed. Or maybe you only thought that because you were at a disadvantage again. “What? You mean you winning? Yeah, I doubt that.”
“Oh, I’m going to win. I gave you your chance and you chose to be stubborn. Now? I’m just going to take the princess and….well.” Tempest turned to you with a sinister grin “Foals like fireworks, right?”
Fireworks? WAIT! “You’re going to blow up their ship?!”
“They're not needed. And besides, they chose to run, making them criminals in the eyes of the Storm King. As for you, I just want you to enjoy the show. I want you to see how hopeless this all was for you. Maybe then you’ll understand what it’s like to lose everything you cherish.” She looks away at you and looks towards what seemed to be a pirate ship. It wouldn’t be long now.
This fucking BITCH! “HOW CAN YOU DO THIS?! I SWEAR TEMPEST! IF YOU DO THIS! I’LL END YOU! YOU HEAR ME?! I’LL PUT YOU INTO THE GROUND!”
Tempest was, in truth, baiting you. She turned to you with a serious glare. “Then restore my horn and I’ll call it all off. I know that horn of yours can do it. And if you won’t do it, then give it to me and I’ll do it myself!”
You gave her a death glare of your own. You were tired of her shit. Trust her with the horn? So she can do what? Blow EVERYONE up?! “...No. I can’t believe there's a pony who’s worse than Chrysalis. You’re heartless...and I will kill you, revive you, and kill you again. And I’m sure my dad will do even worse to you... No one will miss you either, no one will miss a monster like you.” An edgy threat. In fact, this had to be the edgiest thing you ever said to anyone. But she was outright threatening to kill everyone. Threatening to kill Fluttershy. Even if she didn’t outright say those words, that was her intention.
Finally, Tempest loses her cool and raises herself up as she grabs onto your cage and looks at you with unbridled fury and hurt. “What do you know about heartless?! I WENT TO GET MY FRIENDS’ BALL AND LOST EVERYTHING! WHY?! WHY?! TELL ME! YOU WERE GIFTED WITH A HORN WITH UNLIMITED POWER WHILE LOSING MINE MADE ALL MY FRIENDS AFRAID OF ME! They…” And there it was, tears going down her eyes as she tried to regain her composure “They came to hate me, they stayed away from me. You don’t understand what it’s like to lose everything....” The ship began to come to the side of the pirate ship. Easily matching it’s speed as a spear shot out from the side of the airship, piercing the pirate ship and bringing it closer for easy docking. With that, Tempest could hear the storm creatures and Grubber make their approach towards her. She takes a breath and steadies herself as she looks at you one last time with a stoic glare. “But you will...soon enough”
And with that, the storm creatures, Grubber, and Tempest herself jumped off the back off the ship with great finesse, And landed on the pirate ship. One of the creatures seemed to have had Capper in tow.
...It was over.
You looked at the back of the cage. You could see Tempest interrogating some weird anthro bird pirates. A tall one, a fat pinkish female one, a crazy zany eyed one, a buff one and….well, if you weren’t pissed off...you might have taken a better gaze at the hot slender one who seemed to perhaps be their captain.
No, you were stomping your hooves and cursing yourself. You fucked up big time. This Tempest, she was essentially Starlight 2.0, for sure! AND YOU SOMEHOW FAILED?! Now everyone was going to die. “Why?! WHY CAN’T I DO ANYTHING RIGHT?! I HAD IT! I FUCKING HAD IT! EVERYONE IS DEAD BECAUSE OF ME! OH MY GOD! ...oh my god...Fluttershy.” You started to tear up, your anger turning into uncontrollable sorrow “Fluttershy...I’m so sorry. If only I went to Canterlot sooner...I...Maybe... NO..NO, IT’S MY FAULT! WHY DID I OVERSLEEP! I’M SO STUPID!” You started to smash your head at the front of the cage “WHY! JUST! LET! ME! DIE! OF! A! CONCUSSION! YOU! STUPID! WO-AAHHH!” With your last hit, the cage door opens.
You fall on your face and fall on your back with a whimpering moan. “U-ughhh...Why my head?..It’s always...wait” Your ears perked up as you raised your head with wide eyes. You look up, you could see the cage hanging above you. “That cat...he did it. HE FUCKING DID IT! CAPPER YOU AMAZING BASTARD! DON’T WORRY! I’M COM-GYAHHHH!” You fall forward on your face as you try to make a dash. You still had the shackles on your legs limiting your movement. “O-ok...gimme a minute...I’ll be there soon…”