Spitfire and Old Silver

by The FraudulentBrit

Thick Hide and Bounty Jumper

Ever since Botany Bay was founded, the locals used the city forum as a place to gather and discuss problems, decide policy, or just conduct business. Of course, this was before the Raiders took over. Once they established themselves as the only tangible authority in the area, the Raiders made it transparently clear that they were the only ones allowed to use the forum.

Cutthroat was resting in a chair as he began to shave his beard. From behind him, he heard someone amateurishly strumming the strings of a guitar. He turned around to see Somers had pulled out the guitar he stole during the attack on the Wonderbolt’s base, a smug look on his face. Cutthroat refocused his attention to the small mirror in front of him, using his magic to continue shaving and trimming his beard.

It didn’t even take thirty seconds for Somers’s apparent lack of skills to become too much to bear. “You call that music?!” Cutthroat bellowed in annoyance as he rose from his chair. He then added, “I’ve heard better noise come out of dried chicken guts.” He then quickly snatched the guitar and handed it towards one of the other Raiders and said, “Here. Play something a stallion can dance to.” The Raider than began to strum the melody of “Buffalo gals.” Another Raider then called out “Dance Cutthroat.”

Cutthroat began to make a few simple little prances as the song began to fill the air, the rest of the present Raiders began to clap to the song. As another Raider began to dance to the tune, Cutthroat began singing, “As I was walking down the street, down the street, down the street. A pretty little foal I chance to meet, she was fair to say, BOYS!” The rest of the Raiders joined in. “Buffalo gals won’t you come out tonight, come out tonight, come out tonight. Buffalo gals won’t you come out tonight and dance by the light of the moon.” It almost looked like a party if the guests weren’t the most despicable group of ponies Equestria had known in a long time.

From down the street, a certain pink Pegasus was observing the Raiders enjoying themselves. Or rather, they were enjoying themselves with something that wasn’t only stolen, but stolen from a friend of hers that had most likely been beaten brutally moments before. And to see that they were acting like it was just another day made Angel Wings’s blood boil. She began to stomp towards the group, doing her best to avoid any of the locals but shoving any Raider she got close to out of her way.

As she approached the center of the group, Angel Wings noticed that more and more of the Raiders were starting to stare at her. Then, she found herself locking eyes with Somers, and was so furious upon seeing him that she didn’t even notice that she was starting to growl. The only thing that snapped her out of it was Silver’s voice calling out, “Angel Wings, get back here right now!” From behind her she saw Silver, Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and the other sailors running towards her.

But before she could turn around, several Raiders placed themselves in between her and the others. Starting to panic, Angel Wings turned around, only to be face to face with Cutthroat, who was staring the younger Pegasus down. Angel Wings immediately steeled herself, straightened her posture, pointed to the guitar, and firmly said, “That belongs to a friend of mine. And I want it back.” A cheeky grin grew on Cutthroat’s face as he said, “Ya do, do ya?” Angel Wings began to sweat but firmly nodded yes.

Silver fought his way through the distracted Raiders and made his way to Angel Wings. “There you are bonnie lass. Come on, we’re going.” He said as he tried to drag Angel Wings away. Cutthroat then asked, “Alright then, Who’s your best fighter?” “I beg your pardon?” Silver asked. “Yeah. I think we’re gonna have a little fun.” Cutthroat said before he asked his men, “Boys, who’s up for a fight?” the crowd of Raiders let out an enthusiastic cheer.

Cutthroat then asked, “So, who is your strongest pony?” Spitfire called out, “Stumpy’s the toughest!” “Is that right?” Cutthroat asked. As he began to circle Silver, he said, “He’s a baby.” Somers added, “He’s the runt of the litter.” The Raiders began to laugh. Silver shot back, “I was able to take you on you gobshite.” Cutthroat then said, “Alright boys. Make the ring.”

Several Raiders began to form a circle, and cut Silver off from the rest of the group. Angel Wings noticed that, for the first time since they’d met, Silver seemed to be nervous. He gulped and began to stretch his wings. Cutthroat then called out, “Thick Hide!”

A massive gray earth pony with a black mane, tail, and beard emerged from behind the Raiders. He wore a blue shirt, a blue kepi, white suspenders, light blue trousers, and an orange bandana tied around his neck. The stallion had a stoic expression on his face as he made his way towards Silver. Snipe Hunt was right behind him, and he shouted, “Three cheers for Thick Hide! The king of the ring! Hip Hip!” “Hooray!” The rest of the Raiders cheered out.

Sharp Shot emerged from behind Silver, clearly worried, and said, “Be careful with him! I’ve seen grown stallions wish they were dead after they fought this guy!”

Two seconds later Thick Hide slugged Silver in the chest. The shock and the pain forced Silver to the ground, where Thick Hide began to pummel the sailor. “Don’t you dare!” Angel Wings bellowed with righteous fury as she lept onto Thick Hide and tried to punch the thug, only to find herself thrown onto the ground. Somers called out, “Wow, need a mare to protect you. You’re gettin’ weak Stumpy.” Silver growled as he rose to his hooves, and charged Thick Hide, not only punching but even slashing with his fingers, which could easily have been mistaken for claws.

Rainbow Dash and Soarin tried to get to the ring, but were stopped by Snipe Hunt and an unfamiliar Raider, some blue unicorn with a gray beard and mane wearing the standard blue coat but with a red forage cap. Rainbow Dash angrily demanded, “Get out of our way!” Snipe Hunt defiantly replied, “Or what?” As he said this, he and the other Raider began to reach for clubs that were attached to their belts. Soarin tried to continue forward, but Rainbow spread a wing out, stopping him. She gave him a look that made it clear that, at least this time, the direct approach would not be the best choice.

In the ring, things hadn’t improved. No matter how many blows or swipes Silver managed to land, Thick Hide took it like he was being caught by a light breeze. To make it worse, Angel Wings was starting to show several bruises as well as a black eye. Cutthroat stepped up to Thick Hide and gleefully said, “Maybe next time we’ll pit you against Flash Magnus and the rest of the Royal Guard. That might just give you a fair fight.” Thick Hide let out a gleeful laugh, a brief distraction that gave Silver the perfect opportunity to land an uppercut. Thick Hide was surprised by the blow, and even more surprised when he found himself spitting out a tooth.

Thick Hide went into a wild frenzy and began to pummel Silver, forcing him back onto the ground. As one hoof slammed Silver, another was prepared, so that Silver received a continuous ombardment. “NO!” Angel Wings bellowed as she flung herself on top of Thick Hide and tried to pull him back. Unfortunately, Somers intervened and started to assault her as well. For Spitfire, this was the last straw. She flew above the Raiders and landed behind the distracted Somers and smacked him down to the ground. As he rose, he pulled out a very familiar hunting knife. Once Spitfire noticed the knife, she began to glare furiously at him and defiantly said, “You won’t be hurting any pony else with that.” “And who are you to stop me?” Somers answered in a mocking tone.

Sharp Shot made his way over to Cutthroat and began to stretch his hooves. Then, Cutthroat said something that no pony expected. “Alright boys, that’s enough.” Thick Hide stopped beating Silver and looked at his boss with confusion as the rest of the Raiders began to express confusion. “What’s goin’ on Cutthroat?” Snipe Hunt asked. Cutthroat then said, “We’ve had our fun for the day. We wanna leave somethin’…..” he then made an overly dramatic pose. “….For tomorrow now, don’t we?”

As the rest of the Raiders began to depart, Cutthroat starred Sharp Shot in the face, his previously playful smile now replaced by a menacing glare as he said, “Next time it’ll be me and you law boy.” Sharp Shot defiantly replied, “I’ll be waiting.” Cutthroat and Thick Hide then turned and walked away, though not before Thick Hide faced Silver, who was bloodied, beaten, and struggling to get up as a bruised Angel Wings tried to help him, and said, “Enjoy the sights kids, while ya still can.”

As Spitfire watched the Raiders pass her, the blue unicorn with the red hat bumped rudely into her. She would have given him a piece of her mind, but she noticed a piece of paper that he had apparently slipped in between her leg and body. She then opened the note and silently read it.

Meet me at the commons house at 10:00 P.M. Bring the Ransom, we can discuss terms quietly. Come alone or no deal.

Bounty Jumper.

“Spitfire! Angel Wings Needs your Help!” Rainbow Dash called out, snapping Spitfire out of her train of thought. She then placed the note in her pocket as she helped carry her brother somewhere where they could treat him.

“Guys, I’m so sorry.” Angel Wings said as she held her head in shame. Rainbow Dash angrily asked, “What in the name of Celestia were you thinking?” “I guess I thought I could try and get Vapor Trail’s guitar back.” Soarin then tried to reassure everyone, “Don’t worry, I’m sure there’ll be another time.” “There won’t be another time!” Sharp Shot said angrily as he entered the cabin with Nelson and Wyvern behind him.

“You won’t be going after them for something as trivial as a guitar.” Sharp Shot said as he approached Angel Wings, who found herself backing away from the furious stallion. “There are only so many of us. We need every one we can get. You’re wasting time and energy that we don’t have!” Angel Wings couldn’t hold back the tears that were now forming in her eyes. Nelson then stepped forward and said, “Sir, I don’t think chastising her any further will do any more good.” He then turned to Angel Wings and sternly said, “You are not leaving this ship until we get Scootaloo and Cap’n Flint, am I clear?” Angel Wings simply nodded and said, “Y-y-yes s-s-s-sir.” Nelson then placed a hoof on her shoulder and said, “I also think there’s some pony who would like to speak with you.” Angel Wings figured out what he was silently implying and immediately dashed to the medical ward. Perry nudged Wyvern and said, “Yup. I think she likes him.” “Really?” Wyvern playfully asked. “Was it the kiss that gave it away?”

“Alright guys, knock it off.” Rainbow Dash commanded. Perry replied with a lighthearted yet obedient “Aye aye ma’am.” Sharp Shot then began to explain, “What you just witnessed is an old Raider tactic. They lure you away somewhere where they can ambush you and rob you. So far no one has ever been able to effectively stand up to them, at least until today.”

Spitfire asked, “So how do we get into their camp?” “I don’t know.” Sharp Shot replied. “What about the ransom?” Nelson asked. Sharp Shot let out a resigned laugh and said, “That’s another thing. The ransom was an excuse to get you down here. You try going their base and they’ll take you hostage and demand another ransom.” “They do this before?” Rainbow Dash asked. “At least twenty times I could tell. Most likely more.”

Spitfire continued to listen to everyone else discuss what was going on. He had hidden the letter she received from the Raider, Bounty Jumper if she remembered correctly. True she felt that she couldn’t trust them, but deep down, she felt that it was at least inspecting.

Even if she felt the others wouldn’t support her somewhat crazy idea.

Silver felt that he had two things on his mind. On one hoof he was hurting all over his body. Clearly that Thick Hide fellow certainly lived up to his reputation. The only consultation on this front was that unlike during a certain previous fight, his wings were still attached this time.

The other hoof was that he now found a familiar pink Pegasus entering the room. “Oi. I didn’t know I was gettin’ visitors.” Silver said with a playful sigh. Angel Wings immediately began apologizing, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to get you into that fight.” “Well, I couldn’t let those buggers do anything to you now could I? Especially after that surprise yesterday morning.” Angel Wings blushed and began to look away in embarrassment. “Yeah, sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.”

Silver then managed to sit up on the bed he had been placed on and said, “I think we both know, don’t we?” Angel Wings sighed and began to explain. “You see, all my life I’ve always been looking for somewhere to belong. I never really got along with my parents, and I wasn’t exactly the kind of pony anyone really wanted to be around. Every pony either ignored me or treated me like I was some kind of freak.” “What do you mean by that?” Silver asked, having a bit of trouble understanding what he was hearing. Angel Wings continued, “You were able to figure out that I was older than the rest of the recruits, and I said I was a late bloomer. Well, by late I meant that I couldn’t fly until most ponies my age were already graduating flight school.”

“Oh my.” Silver replied in shock. Angel Wings continued, “At one point I wanted to join the Wonderbolts, because I always heard that they looked after each other. So I practiced as hard as I could, worked as much as possible so I could eventually join the academy. But now, like even before you and your friends arrived…” “You started wondering if it was what you really wanted?” Silver finished. Angel Wings nodded, “I mean I still enjoying flying, but after that week in the academy I realized everything I thought about the Wonderbolts was just a façade. Rainbow Dash told us about the nickname tradition, and to be honest, I wasn’t exactly well liked on the team. Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger are pretty nice but the others….”

Angel Wings suddenly found herself starting to choke up. Silver was now speechless. “But then I met you guys and I saw how you treat each other like family and…” Silver raised his hoof to Angel Wings’s mouth and interrupted her. “True, we are a pretty close knit crew, but even we quarrel with each other every now and then.” Angel sighed. Silver then complimented, “Though I will have to admit you’ve adapted to sailing rather quickly.” “It’s pretty fun. Tiring but fun.” Angel Wings then said, “If it’s alright with you, once we save Scootaloo I might want to join you guys on another voyage, if that’s alright with you.”

Silver was certainly surprised to hear this. “Well, I’d….” He stammered for a few moments. “I mean, what about being a Wonderbolt?” Angel Wings replied, “To be honest, I don’t know if I’ll ever make it.” Silver then said, “If it’s your dream to be a Wonderbolt, then I want you to keep going for it, but if the day comes that you decide that it isn’t, I think Cap’n Flint wouldn’t mind you joining us.” Angel Wings then asked, “Why do you keep doubting yourself? You’ve shown that you’re an amazing leader.”

Silver sighed and replied, “Because I’m afraid.” “Afraid of what?” Angel Wings asked. Silver answered, “Afraid of becoming a tyrant or a poor leader. I’ve heard stories of what happens to the crews of bad leaders, and to be honest the last few days have shown me what they look like.” As Silver said this last sentence, he turned to face a small mirror. Angel Wings noticed that, for what seemed like a sliver of a split-second, she saw Spitfire’s reflection in the mirror. “I don’t know if I can trust myself to not end up like Somers or that Wind Rider bugger Spitfire looks up to.”

“I don’t look up to him anymore.” Spitfire said defiantly from the doorway. Silver and Angel Wings turned to see her enter. Silver asked, “What brings you down here?” “Just wanted to see how your mare-friend was treating you.” Spitfire said with a cheeky smile. “I… He’s not….” Angel Wings began stammering in embarrassment. “Then what was that kiss we all saw yesterday morning?” Now both Angel Wings and Silver were blushing profusely. Spitfire then asked, “I need to ask Super Marine here a question. Mind if we have a few minutes?” Angel Wings nodded and began to depart the room, though not before she quickly gave Silver a peck on the forehead.

“Aren’t you lucky?” Spitfire gave a playful nudge to her brother. “Possibly. Besides, she is kind of cute.” Silver replied before quickly realizing what exactly he had just said. “I mean, she’s loyal, friendly, she was willing to come out here simply because of principal and she…” Silver finally realized that his sister was baiting him. “Fine. I do kind of like her.”

Spitfire then pulled out the note she had received and said, “Well if you don’t mind me distracting you I found something.” She then pushed the note she received to her brother. “One of the Raiders passed it to me. I think this Bounty Jumper guy is the spy you mentioned.” Silver replied, “I don’t think so. When we found out about him, we were informed the spy wouldn’t try to do something this reckless. I think they’re baiting you.” “But what if he’s trying to help us?”

Silver then sighed and said, “I’m not risking it. Considering what happened last time you trusted them….” “Hey, I know better now! Besides, I’m not gonna actually bring the ransom. I’ll just show up to see if he’s serious.” Spitfire defended. Silver wasn’t going to budge. “Right now I’m responsible for you, Rainbow Dash, and the others. The fact that Scootaloo and Cap’n Flint are also in my hooves doesn’t make me want to take any risks.”

Spitfire sighed. “Alright, fine. You win.” Spitfire then left her brother to rest. She was thankful he hadn’t noticed her crossing the tips of her wings.

Botany Bay was even creepier in the dead of night than it was in the day. So much that Spitfire now found herself starting to regret sneaking off the Hawkins. But she felt that it was worth at least investigating the lead she had found, even if her brother wasn’t as thrilled about it. Maybe he was jealous because she was the one that Bounty Jumper wanted to speak with, or the fact that he was momentarily incapacitated was affecting him, but Spitfire had a gut feeling she was making the right choice.

The commons house was a marble building not far from the forum, a place she hadn’t been keen on passing. “Well, you’re here now.” Spitfire said to herself, trying to calm her nerves. Though she couldn’t see anyone, she still felt that some pony was watching her.

“Right on time.” An unfamiliar voice called out from behind Spitfire. She turned around to see a somewhat familiar blue unicorn. He had a gray beard and mane, a blue coat, and a red cap similar to the ones the other Raiders wore. “And you don’t have the ransom.” “I wanted to be certain.” Spitfire said in response. She noticed he was alone and continued, “And looks like I wasn’t the only one who was doubtful.” “Touché.” The Raider replied. He walked up to Spitfire and extended his hoof. “I’m Bounty Jumper.” “Spitfire.” She replied as she shook his hoof.

“I know who you are.” Bounty Jumper replied. “The whole gang knows. Turns out our boss has a soft spot for you.” “I doubt it.” Spitfire replied. “After what he did to me and Crash, I find that hard to believe.” Bounty Jumper let out a simple laugh and said, “Well he’d want to apologize, but he said he wants to do it in person.”

“So what now?” Spitfire asked. “We both don’t have what the other wants, and how can I trust that you’re really one of the good guys?” Bounty Jumper turned around and began to leave, but stopped and said, “You’re just gonna have to. Come back in two days, same time and place, WITH the ransom.” With that, Bounty Jumper disappeared into the shadows.

Spitfire now felt that things were starting to get incredibly out of hoof. And they had already been complicated enough. Her relationship with her brother, the Raiders, the Wonderbolts, she was so focused on her own thoughts that it was impossible to notice that Wyvern was approaching her from behind.