//------------------------------// // Chapter 171: Plunderin' Dat Pony Booty! // Story: A Journey Beyond Sanity // by Darkwing Dust //------------------------------// Gah! Whoa Jesus Christ! Almost collapsed then, and judging from the hard terrain beneath my shoes that was probably inadvisable. I still didn't comprehend how it was, that magic couldn't touch me, but I was still to pass through golden dimensional portals created from magic. With far more borrowed power of the upper realm than is advised. Give yourself a moment of composure, we wouldn't desire any side-effects to hinder your progress. Taking deep breaths, I took Starswirl's recommendation, he was the boss after all, and gave myself the opportunity to examine my newfound surroundings. Strong winds brushing back untamed brown hair and gently assaulting my squinted face, thankful yet again for glasses. Ah, I knew my ears weren't deceiving me. Below my position, fierce water waves crashed against hard rock, finding myself in the center of formations that resembled that of an obstacle course. Towers of stone rose up from the waters and point to the sky, some thin and many more wide. The sky a smoky orange, signalling morning or evening, either all. Looks like the kind of place Maud would love to explore. I'm guessing you brought me here because Zagreus is close by, Starswirl? There is an imbalance a short distance from your position. My teacher responded, sounding a bit strained than usual. Although we should likely be patient for a few moments as balance recovers from the excessive force of magic which was utilized to bring you here. Fair enough. In the meantime... Ignoring the tears which were prompted from the wind touching my face, I pulled out the gifted device from my black pocket to appreciate the thing yet again. A present from Starswirl upon handing Flash my lightsaber. Something far less deadly; used for bypassing locks than burning an opponent down. Custom designed in sleep metallic blue, purple and gold, emitting a strong cobalt light from the tip. Not a Keyblade, though I imagine it'd be impossible for me to use one without Discord's help. My heart likely wasn't strong enough to earn its respect. No, something more lighter and useful in this situation, 'cause I imagined Keyblades would be pretty heavy to wield, and I already lacked the upper body strength. A screwdriver. Sonic screwdriver, to be far more specific. And according to Starswirl, back in the human world I had just left, it's functioned with the 'scientific' capabilities of closing wormholes for a brief moment while my mentor completes the rest. In addition, handy for self-defense by shattering the eardrums and disorienting the senses of all opponents, by adjusting the frequencies like any tech expert would... I mean... I knew how to use computers right, if that counted. Twisting the device my fingers with an appreciative smile, I mentally inquired yet again to my working teacher. Alright Starswirl, were we dealing with a wormhole here, or something else? Hmm... All evidence points towards something else than the regular unstable magic. So another foe then, got it. I just hoped it wasn't the corrupted Twilight again- Though the winds were strong, my ears picked up on flapping wings, snapping his gaze upwards to the trip landing atop the towering rocks. Three certain individuals that incited my surprised glare. "Look what we got here!" The ringleader sneered with utter delight. "A lonely little man all by himself, with no friends to save him from getting his just desserts this time!" Great, even this clown was belittling my height. My lips curled. "You're one to comment on height, Garble. Those wings compensating for something?" Yellow eyes blinked. "What...?" Ah, cartoon innocence. "Never mind. You lack the maturity to appreciate my sense of humour." That immediately set the overgrown lizard off, his two minions Thinny and Fatty mirroring the imposing gesture with spread wings. The red dragon growled. "You ain't gettin' away this time, Stardust! Nobody's coming to save your sorry butt this time around. Any last words before me and my pals make mincemeat out of ya?" ...You know what? No. No, I refused to be intimidated from the likes of him. Some ill-mannered ruffian teenager who forgets his place and assumes that just because I was seemingly alone, it made me entirely defenseless. I didn't need Balance to take these brainless buffoons on. Let my fists do the talking. My posture lowered readily. "Even as I am now, you couldn't life a finger on me you sorry excuse for a dragon. It's now wonder your own kind banished you." Breaking the camel's back. Their roars of battle followed with his two minions clutching their ears mid-descent from the sonicfied soundwaves penetrating their senses, keeping them at bay long enough. Garble, however, charged downwards with reaching claws and open sharp teeth, narrowly missing me by my one step backwards. Rising, the lean red reptile snarled and made a few swipes, which I, somehow perfectly, managed to block by interlocking my fingers with his in opposition. Though that wouldn't last forever, the dragon, as I hated to admit it, had the superior strength for the moment in brute force. But I had the brains to win. Managing to free one hand, it made a fist and hurled forward, landing on hard dragon skin. "Agh...!" And that distracted Garble long enough for him to smirk gleefully, turning from the next punch wrecking his more vulnerable face, freeing my other hand from his grip and stumbling backwards from the onslaught of punches and kicks aimed directly for his weaker spots; face, wings and lower areas. And with every hit, I felt more and more empowered. Invigorated. This just felt so good even when it shouldn't. Yet even Garble managed to recover long enough to swipe with his tail, knocking one arm and prompting my wince, the same arm which held my wounded wrist. Typical. "Tch. No wonder he said not to underestimate you." The dragon sneered, making a jabbing attempt next with his fifth limb. My body swerved, grabbing the struggling scaly tail and gripping it beneath my shoulder, growling at the resistance. "Zagreus should've known better than to send some delinquent teenagers to do his job." And offered a punch, which Garble blocked. Inciting a quick stare-down, those beady yellow eye glinting as if the dragon knew something I didn't, a sly grin emerging from unclean teeth. "You've got more enemies than just Zagreus, you know." What? Above you! Starswirl's warning came just in time, forcing me to leap back and release my hold on Garble, dodging the fiery combination of his friend's breaths and prompting the two to land between him, all glaring at me with smug ill-intent. They weren't done; rearing their head back to inhale very, very deeply... My body rolled to the left, black coat barely being crisped by the edge from the combined flames of my opponents, but they persisted still, forcing me to think fact and leap off the edge of the round rock, gripping unstable stone and barely keeping a grip on, dirt digging into finger and unwashed nail, feeling a near-stabbing sensation with my toes as my boots grinded deep into firm material. Couldn't las long on this, so I didn't. I jumped. And jumped again. Assassin's Creed, don't fail me now! Ignoring the flinches of pain from my body roughly hitting the pointy walls over and over, my face and body was already sweating by the heat those three reptiles were producing in attempt to burn me asunder. Give it some more time, they'll give up in a moment. A prediction which came quickly, the fat dragon roaring and opting to charge himself at the hapless human clutching on for dear life. Timing and... Now! His head slamming into the wall sounded nothing but painful, but all sympathy was thrown out in placement for self-preservation, running over the dragon's back and jumping off the end, landing rather uncomfortably on cracked ground yet again. Garble and his mohawk friend sneered, choosing next to attack my recovering state in hopes of ending quickly. Oh how mistaken they were. My hand grabbed the purple dragon's orange hair. "I-" Kneeing his chin harshly. "[BEEP]ing-" Side-stepping Garble's extended claw and uppercutting his own stupid red face. "Hate-" With all the strength I could muster, both dragons found themselves being slammed by the other and sent skidding across the ground in true cartoon-ish fashion, rolling into a heap by the edge of the tiny arena. "Teenagers." Finished with dusting my hands off and picking up the nearby discarded screwdriver. Starswirl, please tell me this thing was waterproof. It is. You have a plan of escape? I do, at the likely cost of killing myself, but rather that than falling at their claws. I couldn't keep up this fight, already feeling the first waves of exhaustion. As if that battle earlier against Nightmare Rarity and the Mane-iac weren't daunting enough, not to mention those basic guitar lessons with Flash. In any case, I needed this thing set up to the frequency of breaking down rocky structures. ...Done. Whatever it is you intend, just be careful. Pft! You know me by now, teach! As we conversed briefly, the three idiotic lizards managed to recover and resume their stances around the small area, surrounding me with contemptible identical grins. "Not bad." Garble admitted. "Gotta be honest, Stardust, if you weren't putting up a fight, then this wouldn't be anymore fun. Such a shame I gotta finish this quick; I have a wing massage waiting for me paid by my employer." ...More on that later. "And it's a shame, Garble, you won't be getting any reward of the sort... Save for failing to capture a low human." And my screwdriver pointed to the first rock formation, putting on my own sinister grin. "Pfft! What are ya gonna do, throw that thing at me?" I smirked. Hakuna Matata. "That's the problem with teenagers like you, Garble; there's no appreciation for creativity." The screwdriver hummed. "Oh yeah, poor you to get hit on by a human, than cowardly stallions who can't see true beauty if it slapped them across the face." She raised a brow at my dry statement, "At least they'd be more well-mannered than you can ocassionally not be." "'More well-mannered?' Their patience might run out if their Princess expressed more interest in her books than her special somepony." "I don't- You..." I smirked at her expression, "Me." Twilight regarded me with an irritated look for a brief moment, before smiling rather slyly, "At least they're not getting wet right now." "Wha- Agh!" Now that was a cheap move. Without a split-second of hesitation, Twilight ended the witty argument with a shove, dropping me into the rainbow-patterned lake to my right. And, once again, I found myself covered in soaking water, this time made entirely from rainbow. The water wasn't deep, thank Christ, so I was fortunate to see the grinning mare observing me with that glint in her purple eyes. That was a side of Twilight I seem to continuously pull out. And speaking of pulling... "How romantic of you," I stated sarcastically, sitting up and edging closer towards the mare, who simply smiled. "More than I can say for- Whoa!" Revenge! My two hoofs swiftly reached and pulled at Twilight's front limbs, forcing her to join me in the rather warm lake beside, a splash of multiple colours as the result. The yelping mare immediately sat upwards, glaring at me for acting out my retribution, "That, was a dirty trick." "All's fair in love and war." I retorted simply, grinning smugly. And Twilight matched that grin, suddenly, "In that case." Now, I honestly wasn't expecting a splash war between her while we were here. But, as always, this alicorn takes me by surprise. And I was loving every second of it. And from Twilight's playful taunts and laughter, she was too. Balance and magic playfull battled as water was thrown left and right towards the opposing foe. Not even the waterfall above could supply enough with the amount we're splashing over onto the grass and pathways. Some were even mini tidal waves, and the last impact of rainbow water clashing against each other resulted to a large spew, landing everywhere. And as the chaos died down, but Twilight and I were grinning at each other crazily, and we laughed to our heart's content. After which, we just peacefully sat in the warm liquid, just regarding each other fondly. Yep, nothing more perfect. What did I do to deserve this deity? "And I declare myself the winner," I announced playfully. Twilight raised a humoured brow, "Indeed?" "Well... We're even now, my dear Princess," I smirked, and the alicorn looked away again, both shyly and as though in thought. Of course, she's always thinking; never stopping. And that's another thing I loved about her, "You should let out that childish side of yours more often." "As should you," Twilight retorted, smiling blissfully, "Seeing you getting excited during that adventure in Spike's comic was kinda cute." I didn't miss the teasing in her tone, inciting my mock-glare, "You said you wouldn't make fun of me for that!" And another round of chuckles was exchanged- "Think we found ourselves a prize, Cap'n?" "Hmm... Let's properly wake our friend up first and find out what we're dealing with, shall we?" Ah-! "Sontarans perverting the course of human history!" I gasped out-loud, water splashing into my face courtesy of a bucket forcing me to sit up and take deep breaths, reacting naturally to any kind of liquid coming into contact with skin. What- Where- When-? Wait... Garble. Rocks. Cracks. Mini-Earthquake. And last I could remember, the collapsing structures thanks to the screwdriver sent the dragons packing, whilst I leaped off the edge onto a floating rock and held on for dear support, half my body clutching whilst tidal waves and harsh waters carried me God knows where- My screwdriver! Thankfully it was next to me, and I hastily picked the weapon up... Then noting I was sitting on hard wooden floorboards. Okay... So I was pulled out from the water, I'm guessing. Thank God too, means I wouldn't have to worry about dying stranded in the middle of the ocean- "Gah!" The four figures backed up on my startled sound, half looking sheepish and the others curious. Green-feathered bodies with the exception of one pink, some with notable accessories alongside wearing bare clothes usually fit for... ...No way...! "I... I was rescued by-!" A noise of something hard hitting wood directed my startled attention to whomever did it - Was that a crystal peg leg? - and my jaw almost dropped completely to the soaking floorboards at the sight before me. "That's right matey!" White fur in golden upper armour and dark brown lower dress, gold earring, dark pink eyes carrying a hint of playfulness, firm beak, and a cutlass dangling notably from her hip. "You've been saved by this Captain and her crew!" "You're..." I swallowed, disbelief overtaking my disoriented senses. Perhaps floating about in the middle of the sea made me hallucinate. "You're...!" "Pirates? If you mean swashbuckling treasure hunters, then indeed sir!" I barely heard the muttered, "Or at least, former treasure hunters..." ...I was going to say 'anthros,' but that equally applies! Where the Hell was I? Did the sea take me to a different show?! Have I stumbled into some kind of Cebeebies cartoon where kids are educated about pirate lore by literal pirate parrots? From the corner of my eye, I then noticed the dark clouds on the side of ship, being... Questionably closer than they should. ...Hang on. Standing up, I ignored the startled crewmates and hurried over, wanting to get a good angle over where precisely I was and what was even happening. I gripped the edge the looked over with a frown- Oh. My. Twilight. Sky pirates...! That's... Well, Rainbow would put it best... Stepping back slightly, my mind was too busy processing the fact that: A. Sky pirates existed in Equestria. B. Anthros existed in Equestria. C. Anthropomorphic parrots were a thing in Equestria- Technically none of those are the case, Jack. We currently walk outside of the native land of Equestria to the unknown. Beyond its borders, and there are so many more we have never bore witness towards. Alright, I'm shocked that anthros existed in this world then. Anything else I should know before these guys potentially threw me overboard? Their obvious Captain walked forward, throwing a friendly smile and sly glint in her knowing eyes. "Impressive, ain't it? We found yer adrift in the ocean below, and decided to bring ya aboard. Didn't strike me as some kind of rare sea creature. Suffice to say, you owe us one pal." ...Y'know her vocabulary is rather... Tamed for a pirate. I was both surprised and a little disappointed, but even so, I couldn't help myself here, rather thrilled by all this around me. "Y'arg, that be I do." The parrot a few feet towering me blinked at my adoption of a pirate's tone. "And to whom do I owe my thanks to?" A smile of approval. "I am Captain Calaeno. Welcome aboard my crew." ...How many words was that in Scrabble? "Hmm..." Folded human-like arms and hands, the tall female parrot proceeded to examine me as though I were some unique treasure. Which, I suppose in her case, was something to consider. "Your attire barely resembles that of a pirate. What manner of creature might ye be?" That's better! I smirked in satisfaction at her obvious slip-up of pirate talk, the Captain wincing to herself as though it was some kind of taboo. I mirrored her gesture. "One beyond the likes you've never seen, Captain." It's funny, Assassin's Creed IV gave me some kind of fondness for pirates in general. "And not one to be taken advantage and sold away as an object." With a little more force added into that last sentence. Perking a brow, Calaeno then glanced downwards as something caught her eye. "What about that?" What? "Perhaps ya can repay us for savin' yer by handin' over that jewelry wrapped around your little ring." Oh Hell no! "Don't even think about it." With my screwdriver pointed dangerously at the face of one pirate that attempted to advance and examine my prized jewel. In retaliation, three swords and one spoon summoned from her crew's waists and aimed pointedly my way, the Captain, meanwhile, hardly seeming fazed by the spectacle and being in harm's way should things get ugly. Instead, the lady parrot smirked. "I like the cut of your jib, but surely ya wouldn't risk a fight over some ring?" "This ring." With my hand holding it clenching tighter for emphasis, my voice growling a little at any potential threat aimed towards it. "Has more meaning to me than you could ever comprehend, Captain. You and your parrots would have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers..." Silence. The lead bird tilting her head thoughtfully, while the rest of her crew pointed their weapons - And spoon - in my direction and keeping me surrounded and cornered to the ship. I wasn't kidding, I wouldn't give this ring up for the world. It's the only thing I had left to remind myself of how exactly that mare meant so much to me... Suddenly, the bird then threw head back and laughed, rather heartily, not the typical pirate laugh you'd hear, startling all of us. Then, she looked over her shoulder and ordered sternly. "Stand down men." Immediately they obeyed, sheathing their swords and spoon, and Celaeno turned back to me with a nod. "We're not looking for trouble either, stranger. Truth is, we're delayed enough as is. We can reach some kind of agreement without resorting to violence." A pirate who doesn't want to fight? Whatever, I wasn't in the mood either, so for now I wasn't complaining, nodding back and slowly lowering my guard. But keeping the screwdriver in my grip for safety reasons. "That we can, Cap'n." Arg, I'd be parleying with a bird. A giant, talking bird in pirate getup. "Continue on-course!" She barked to her crew consisting of... Literally four parrots apart from the Captain. Was everyone else below deck? I couldn't see anyone on the crow's nest. Celaeno then motioned for me to follow. "Tell ya what, we'll drop ye off at the next nearest port after we pick up some cargo. In exchange, you can indulge a pira... A parrot's curiosity." Okay... Sounded unnerving but alright. And why did she refrain from calling herself a pirate just then? More that can be answered after I find some damn towels. Aside, from which, there was only one appropriate thing to say about my current circumstance then. Ya best start believin' in sky pirates now, Mr. Wright. You're with one! So, allow me to understand this correctly... But outside of Equestria, the rest of the world is populated by anthros? A good portion, yes. There are many wonders and vast species out there from the borders of our land barely any Equestrian witnesses. Damn it, this only raises more questions than answers. There were never any hints of anthros living in the MLP universe, and this just breaks so many rules. Or were we going by the Disney universe logic that some animals are pets, and others of the same species can walk on two legs and act like humans anywhere else? Diamond Dogs. Yeah... Kinda don't count. They still ACT like dogs... For the most part. The last noisy placement of a heavy box directed my attention towards the crew, the Captain dusting off her hands and nodding with satisfaction. "That's the last one." Turning to the other crew consisting, yes really, four members beneath her. "Prepare to set sail, our next destination shouldn't be hard to reach before nightfall." What kind of pirate crew only consists of five people? This wasn't One Piece. No wonder they're so unenthusiastic. However, the green parrots attempted to, at least, show more pirate manner than the current indifference of their leader. "Aye Captain!" "Raisin' the sails!" "Steerin' the wheel!" "We'll be there in a jiffy, Cap'n!" Celaeno smiled slightly at the enthusiasm of her crew, which only prompted my curiosity further, moreso when the smile dropped to seeming stone cold indifference yet again. I don't know about anyone else, but I imagine that expression we're seeing right then was a facade. But if that's the case, why hide her own enthusiasm? Why ignore the joys and attitude only a pirate could possess? The others seemed perfectly fine acting like real pirates, but the Captain? She acts like it's forbidden or something. Unless she takes the role really seriously... But I got the sensation there was more to it than that. Setting my sandwich down, I opted to jump off the crate I sat upon and followed after the white parrot, joining her at the upper deck with one crew member manned the wheel. "Captain." Caleano acknowledged me with a glance over her shoulder. "Why are you so reluctant to act like a proper pirate?" Credit to her, the anthropomorphic bird didn't even attempt to deny the accusation. Instead, Caleano huffed and adorned a forlorn expression, switching her gaze out to the cloud we sailed across once the ship started ascending. Good thing I didn't get motion sickness, all those times around Rainbow have paid off. With one hand on hip, the Captain of the ship explained in a subdued fashion, "Despite how my crew like to behave, we were pirates in past tense. I'm afraid that's no longer the case..." "What happened?" I inquired gently, taking a few steps closer to offer some comfort if necessary. Caleano sighed, lowering her gaze to the floorboards with a saddened expression. "The Storm King." The who? She glanced over to the pair of black... Uniforms hanging on clothes dryers nearby. "When I turned down his offer as his right hand, we were threatened to abandon our swashbuckling ways in favour of delivering cargo for his forces. As you can see, we're still growing accustomed to letting go of what we once were..." Storm King... Storm King... Nope, never heard of him. Er Starswirl, details? An opponent Princess Twilight and your friends shall oppose in the near future. I would refrain from taking any action against this certain foe and leave it to them. Zagreus, right now, is our top priority. Right... Still. "Threatened you how?" Caleano shrugged. "Defy the Storm King, and suffer his wrath." "...That's it?" A nod. "...Typical." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "A cliche villainous threat. You're abandoning everything that means to be a pirate just because of one threat some random tyrant made?" Caleano snapped her head to me, frowning in disapproval. "Like there are any better ideas." "There are." I immediately countered, gesturing to her attire. "Look at you. Look at your crew. You're pirates for God's sake. You don't take orders from Kings. The whole point is to rebel, pillage and plunder at your leisure! Search for buried treasure and sail far across the seas - Or in your case, skies - for as far as the eye can see! You can't call yourselves reputable pirates if you bow down to authority so easily; that goes against the whole point!" That said, I turned around and hurried down to the main deck, my boots slamming on the ground directing many of the bird's attention. Good, because I needed them to hear all this. "You're not slaves! You're not delivery birds! You're PIRATES!" My fist pounded on the chest for emphasis. "To become such in the first place means you have a rebellious fire in your heart! Who is this Storm King to say what you can and cannot do? Who says you can't enjoy the free winds and adventurous spirits when he's not looking?" To further emphasize my passionate point, I then proceeded to climb atop the fixed crate and called out over the ship. "Are you all slaves to a King?!" "Nay!" The rest of the crew responded aside from the Captain, who just stood on the steps and was regarding me in wonder. Good, maybe it'll sink in. "Should you be told what you can do by anyone but your Captain?!" "Nay!" "Are we servants, or are we pirates?!" "Pirates!" Followed with the sounds of unsheathing metal and weapons pointed in the air. My grin only widened, raising my own fist high. "And you're not letting some overrated tyrant tell you how to live your lives, are you?! Let's prove him and your Captain wrong!" "Aye!" And what better way to do it than in musical accompaniment? I jumped off the box and widened my arms, putting on my own pirate tone yet again and commencing with returning the spirit to a ship that has tried so hard to forget it. The crew joined in a split-second. And while we were all jig dancing like real swashbucklers, I danced over to the stunned lead parrot and emphasized with joy. A map brought and unrolled atop a crate, all of us looking over it with barely-contained glee. And a feminine voice pitched in, with all the jovial nature only a pirate could bring. Caleano leaped atop the upper deck over the railing, finally seeing it for herself. Yes! YES! I grinned upwards at the equally smiling parrot before continuing onwards with the song, pointing out with a loud exclaim over the side of one ship. I spun around the log holding the main sails, and pointed with unrestrained glee. My love for pirate lore in general was getting the better of me, but who cares? My first and, perhaps, last time of ever partaking in a pirate crew. And Caleano did her part yet again, both our backs dancing against one another with all the free spirit only a pirate crew may have. And on the main deck, the parrot crew danced and interlocked arms to their heart's content. I was loving every minutes of this! When was the last time I had such fun? Before leaving Ponyville, of course! Guitar lessons with Flash doesn't count, certainly! I motioned to the rest of the crew with a pirate's grin. "You're all pirates, ya gob[BEEP]s." Exclamations of agreement, and my grin of triumph was transformed to surprise by a hand grabbing the scruff of my neck and dragging right next to the main wheel, courtesy of their lively Captain. Setting me beside her, Captain Caleano called out to the rest of her crew with newfound pirate resolve. "Alright ya scallywags! Let's prove how no one tells our crew what we can and cannot do!" It was like she was an entirely different character. A startling experience, but also a welcoming one. "Full speed to the nearest outpost of the Storm King! We are gonna get ourselves some extra rewards for puttin' up with that tyrant's orders!" "Aye aye Captain!" They all saluted with ecstatic postures, hurrying around the ship with far more zeal than earlier. Also, parrot rainbows wings for full sails. Nice. "Ye be havin' our thanks stranger." Caleano smirked my way. "Perhaps ye should be rewarded with somethin' only a true pirate may possess. I've got just the thing." "An eyepatch?" She chuckled. "Better than that lad. How about yer own pirate name? Any suggestions?" A pirate name! Oh God, I wasn't ready for this! It felt like such a privilege. Well... It's easy to use a name added with 'beard,' but I wasn't the Captain of the crew so that couldn't work regardless. What name would fit... A hohoho! "Y'arg, I have just the name in mind, Cap'n." My grin matched hers humouredly. "I be Jack Starrow, scourge of the seven skies!" "A pleasure to meet ye, Jack Starrow." And befriending a pirate was, perhaps, the most surreal experience of that day, signifying the bonds with one hand shaking the other tightly, man to parrot. Aye, what a pleasurable experience this be... Leaning over the edge of the starboard, the soft winds caressing my hair and face. A while back, the sensation was freezing when my clothes were still wet. Thankfully I was allowed to change in the crew quarters, and they were kind enough to dry my wet black coat for me and anything else that got caught in the ocean water. Although, I emptied out anything in my pockets before giving the coat to them. Pirates were still pirates, after all. For now, the ride was a smooth sail through clear clouds, leading to God knows where. Certainly a fresh change of pace from all the walking and chasing I had to do to keep up with Zagreus. A giant Timberwolf, Mane-iac, Nightmare Rarity, Garble and his cronies. All in arguably the same day. Of course a break was needed. I absolutely had to be in best condition to take on Zagreus without all these irritable obstacles blocking my path. Now, this voyage might be a distraction in itself, but nothing would be done telling these guys to hurry up and drop me off at the nearest port. Besides, I always had Starswirl to let me know if urgency was suddenly required. A hand clasped my shoulder, would've made me jump had I not heard the approaching sound of a crystal peg leg hitting solid floorboards. "Always a pleasure to witness." Caleano commented, joining me at looking over the clouds. "I can't thank ye enough for bringing our spirit back to us, matey. We owe ya a debt for this one." "Aye, think of me repayin' my own debt for your all savin' me from the ruthless seas." I replied rather playfully, taking far more amusement in talking this way than I should be. The Captain didn't seem to mind, grinning widely and slapping my back shoulder - Ow - with approval. "We'd make a fine pirate out of yer yet, Starrow." Followed with a glint in her sly dark pink eyes. "How'd ya fancy joinin' our crew a while longer? I could do with a first hand." I chuckled at the half-serious statement, glancing down to the ring on my finger, still glimmering that precious beauty that reminded of someone more valuable to me than anyone else. "A temptin' offer, Captain, but one I must decline. I have... Other things waiting for me back home." "Arg, there be a mistress in your life then." Was it me, or did Caleano sound somewhat disappointed? Nothing on her face screamed that, though. She smirked coyly. "No wonder that ring is so precious to ya; I see it in your tiny eyes. She's your treasure." ...I looked down to the jewel, and smiled. "Yes, yes she is..." The parrot anthro nodded, once again clasping my shoulder and guiding me to face the deck, practically shoving me along with her. "Well, she be a very lucky mistress to have someone so passionate and full of spirit." Ha! Arg she be more frustrated and exasperated as to what that spirit could bring at times. "Where is she, then?" "In the land of Equestria." Caleano paused at that, something haunted passing over her face before quickly composing herself. The Hell was that? A placating grin. "I see. Pray tell, Starrow, why ye be so far from home to begin with?" "A very long story, Captain." I grinned sheepishly. She shrugged callously. "Well, we won't be arriving to our next stop for a while yet, laddie. And we're always eager to hear stories about far-off... Hmm... What is that?" I followed her pointing to the upper sky- What the-?! "Nightshade!" The small owl descended from the heavens with a happy call of "Hoo!" Landing right into my palms with a somewhat drained features. No kidding, it must've been so exhausting tracking me down like this, ever since before leaving the human world I had Nightshade deliver a letter through the portal at Canterlot High back to Twilight before my departure back to some random spot in Equestria. ...What? I never mentioned having Nightshade send Twilight and friends a message until now? Where else did you think the owl was this whole time? And it looks like that was a success, judging by the scroll of paper attached on his right claw, carefully removing it and placing the message in my pocket. From Twilight, I hoped, as a response, and something to read in my own spare time. Caleano blinked at the gesture, but smirked knowingly afterwards. "Clever little guy, to track ye down all the way out here." Nightshade puffed out his furry chest at that, prompting the Captain's chuckle. "A letter from the very same mistress, I'm guessin'?" "The one and only ever will be." I nodded in affirmation, prompting the parrot to mirror the nod and motion for me to follow, one crew member pulling up a few smaller crates to form some circle at the center of the deck. Hmm? Six crates each, with Nightshade now resting on my shoulder yet again. I was glad to have him back, admittedly. Felt rather empty without his comforting presence, another reminder to someone whom I desperately missed. "So." Caleano gestured to the empty spot beside her, while the rest of the crew all took seats themselves and gathering in an excited group of friends. Alright, I'll humour them, taking my reserved seat and leaning forward with the others. "Tell us your tale, Starrow, how it came to be that one creature lingered so far from home." ...Ah [BEEP] it. No harm in telling some pirates this story, right? They could be trusted enough at this point. And even if they did decide to pay Ponyville a visit themselves, Twilight and the rest could handle them if needs be. "Very well." I rubbed my hands together, smiling. Because retelling everything about my friends, also, was great help to bringing me comfort. "Tis a tale of a man who walked the stars, falling to another land. He met six equines, and slowly became coaxed from bitterness and self-loathing, to compassion and loving. And fell in love, he did, with the mare's greatest leader; a unicorn so fierce, passionate, wise and beautiful beyond all known things. It's not quite the love tale you'd ever heard of, but memories I wouldn't give up for the most golden of treasures..." This feel like the worst idea ever conjured up. And from someone like me, that'd be quite saying a lot. Y'arg, rest assured you'd land safe and unharmed, lad. I snorted, drawing some of their attention. "It's nothing." I quickly said, directing the attention back towards this rather insane plan. "Again, I'm not certain this will work, Captain, with all due respect." "You did say ye wanted to get back and stop that monster quickly, did ya?" "Well yeah but-" "And he'd be busy currently causin' mishap all over yer land, aye?" "Aye but-" "And ye wanna protect what's most important to ye, savvie?" "Alright I get it." I snapped, though not unkindly, rolling my eyes in exasperation. "I'm just saying, there has to be better options than this." "Nonsense!" Caleano responded with confidence, her crew readying the cannon. "One surefire shot in the right direction will bring ya back to ye land in no time! We already have one mad creature runnin' around and callin' the shots, but this Zagreus bloke sounds like someone who needs to be stopped as soon as. So hop aboard, Starrow, your ride to Equestria awaits!" ...I wasn't gonna win this argument, was I? Aye, best do as she suggests, lad. The sooner we reach Equestria, the sooner we're closer to findin' and puttin' a stop to our foe for good. I won't like, I'm actually glad you're getting into the spirit of things, teacher. But even so, every part of my mind and chest were screaming against the potential to be literally shot out of a cannon and landing God knows where. I still wasn't in my pony form, lest we forget, so there was no guarantee to my survival. Even though everyone seemed confident about it. Including Nightshade, the owl safely tucked into my duffle bag. Hopefully he won't be too comfortable in there, I might actually need him should things go awry. Their unwavering expressions caused my grimace, slowly walking over to their position before Caleano quickly raised a hand. "Hold on one sec." And snapped her fingers to the side, one parrot hurrying over with a weapon presented... To me. "From the sound of things, you'll need all the protection ya can get. Take it, as a token of our new friendship, and for everything you've done to regain our spirits." ...Well... Slowly, I picked up the clean thin sword and begun admiring the handiwork. Clearly never have been used, must've been in storage. It's no lightsaber, but it'll certain do in making enemies think twice. Although, might be a little dangerous to carry around at all times. Starswirl, could you-? Of course. Simply throw up the weapon. I obliged, the cutlass disappearing as soon as it left my palm. Alright, that's that. I nodded with a smile to the stunned crew. "Let's just say I placed it in storage, for future use. Thanks again, Captain." Recovering with a blink, Caleano chuckled. "Yer full of surprises, ain't ya Starrow?" Well. "And should we ever come across those six friends of yours in some future, then don't worry, we'll treat them as members of the crew too." That... Was actually reassuring. I nodded again with a gratified smile, but finding myself hesitant to, again, consider climbing into the thing. Caleano noticed, for she rolled her eyes with a humoured smile and snapped her fingers yet again, and I found myself being helplessly dragged by a few parrots and practically shoved feet-first inside the musty old weapon, the unpleasant scent of gunpowder filling my nostrils. And the Captain called out whilst I felt the cannon shift upwards, seeing only the green clouds around my viewpoint. "Best of luck to yer, Jack Starrow!" Huh... So this must be how Pinkie- FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELS-!