Spitfire and Old Silver

by The FraudulentBrit

Escape From Botany Bay

“Come on Lads! We’ve gotta get out of here!” Old Silver shouted as he and the other sailors loosened the Hawkins’s sails. Below them, Rainbow Dash was leading the Wonderbolts as they undid the mooring line and weighed the anchor. As the ship’s engines began to roar, Silver called to Angel Wings, who was behind the ship’s wheel, ordering, “Alright Miss Wings, get us out of here!” “Aye aye sir!” Angel Wings replied as she rotated the wheel, steering the Hawkins out of the harbor. As the Hawkins gained altitude, Soarin called out, “That ship is getting closer!”

Silver lept from the rigging down to the deck (a move that would have been showing off if weren’t the fact that it was clearly not a graceful landing) and began to dash towards the stairwell. “Where’s he going?” Spitfire asked Nelson. “He’s heading to the engine room, most likely to try and increase their power.” Sure enough, within thirty seconds the ship began to move significantly faster. The Raider’s ship and Botany Bay itself began to shrink as the Hawkins picked up speed. “Wow.” Perry remarked to Wyvern.

Then, from the front of the Raiders’s ship, two lights flashed from the bow, followed by two loud thunder-like crashes. Wyvern could only let out a horrified, “Oh no.” Perry could only shout, “TAKE COVER!”

The Hawkins was shaken by the mortar fire, with a few shots even managing to hit the ship’s deck and hull. Spitfire shouted, “What the heck was that?” Perry, climbing down from the rafters, replied, “Mortar fire! If we can’t out run that thing we may have to fight them off, or else we’ll be torn to pieces!” He quickly turned to Surprise and Misty Fly and ordered, “You two! I need you down on the gun deck now!” Both pegasi followed Perry down the stairs as they descended towards the gun deck.

After a few minutes Silver returned from the engine room. “What did I miss?” he asked Wyvern and Spitfire. Spitfire replied, “That ship is attacking us! Perry took Misty Fly and Surprise down to the gun deck!” Silver paused for a moment before turning around to Angel Wings and ordering, “Miss Wings! Get us next to that frigate!” “Are you mad?” Angel Wings cried out, having trouble believing what she was hearing. Silver continued, “We can’t out run them with this mortar fire. Our only option now is to fight them off!” Angel Wings pondered for a split second, before she replied, “Aye aye sir!” and began to turn the wheel, rotating the Hawkins towards the Raiders’ frigate. Spitfire turned to her brother and said, “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Silver could only reply, “So do I.”

“My disappointment cannot be measured!” Wind Rider bellowed at Cutthroat. “Now that the prisoners have escaped, we’ll have to abandon Botany Bay and relocate elsewhere!” Cutthroat may not have been the smartest pony in Equestria, but he did know that there was no way to feasibly recapture all of the escaped ponies from the Pit. This meant that some would make it to the authorities and lead them back to their base, where any of the Raiders who were still there would surely be arrested. This meant that now, for the first time in over a year, the Raiders were now on borrowed time.

“Don’t worry sir!” Cutthroat tried to reassure his master. “We’ll take care of these bums and then we’ll clear out of here.” Wind Rider simply replied, “Just do it!” With that, he departed towards his cabin on the Frigate. Once Wind Rider was out of sight and sound, Cutthroat began to angrily slam his hooves on the ship’s railing. “It ain’t that bad.” Somers’s voice rang from behind Cutthroat. The Raiders’ leader turned to see Somers, Snipe Hunt, and Bounty Jumper.

“The boss is right.” Bounty Jumper stated. “Even if we stop these guys, we’re still gonna have to bug out of here.” Cutthroat stared out beyond the ship’s bow, glaring at the Hawkins, which was now turning to face them. Were they really going to fight them? Was a stupid little trade ship going to take on a dangerous, well manned, and larger war ship?

“They want to play.” Cutthroat said to his lieutenants. Somers turned to face the Hawkins and replied, “Really? Well I guess I’ve been itching for round three.” Cutthroat then ordered, “One more thing; No prisoners. I want them all dead.” As Snipe Hunt and Bounty Jumper stretched and popped their necks and hooves, Somers pulled out his trusted knife and said, “Finally, I’ve been waiting years to finally take care of Stumpy for good.”

“Miss Dash, is Scootaloo safe?” Silver asked Rainbow Dash. “She is. She’s on the lowest deck and right in the middle of the ship.” Rainbow Dash replied. Silver sighed and continued, “Good. That should keep her as safe as possible.” Spitfire entered the cabin and reported, “We’re getting close, probably a few more minutes before we’re close enough.” As she began to leave, Silver stopped her. “Hey sis, I need to tell you something.” The tone in his voice let her know that this wasn’t the commanding tone he had used earlier.

“What is it?” Spitfire asked. As she came closer to her brother, Silver turned to Rainbow Dash and said, “You to ma’am.” Once Spitfire was next to Rainbow Dash, Silver began, “There is a good chance not all of us are going to get out here alive.” “What are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked. Silver, in a moment of exhaustion, took off his prized hat and said, “We may not all be alive when this is done. I think the Raiders mean to kill us.”

All throughout the last week and beforehand, Spitfire and Rainbow Dash had been dealing the possibility of serious bodily harm and death. And all throughout, Silver and the other sailors had faced it with determination and a sense of pride. However, to see him now, seemingly accepting the possibility of what was going to happen, was now incredibly disheartening. “So…” Spitfire began before her brother continued, “No matter what happens, you get Scootaloo out of here. Am I clear?” Both mares silently nodded. Silver then placed his hat back upon his head and straightened it. Then, with the look of determination and vigor returning to his face, he continued, “Now then, let’s take care of these wankers!”

“Alright Wonderbolts! This time, we take the fight to the Raiders!” Nelson called out as the ship inched closer to the Raiders’ frigate. Soarin and Fleet Foot were starting to panic as Wyvern and Nelson began to prepare themselves for what was about to happen. Of course, that was until Silver, Spitfire, and Rainbow Dash returned from the Captain’s cabin. “Sir.” Nelson reported to his acting captain. “We’re almost in cannon range, and the Raiders are holding their fire.” Silver walked over to the Hawkins’s railing and observed their target. Sure enough, the Raiders’ frigate wasn’t firing either the broadside guns or the mortars. In fact, the ship was keeping a distance.

“They’re baiting us.” Silver remarked as a smirk started to grow on his face. “Silver?” Spitfire asked her brother. Silver continued, “The Raiders want us to get close and then unleash a barrage from their broadsides. Well we won’t be taken that easily.” He then turned to Rainbow Dash and ordered, “Miss Dash, head down to the gun deck, tell Perry to fire at will, and then go check on Scootaloo.” Rainbow Dash nodded as she replied, “Aye aye sir.” Spitfire then asked, “What do you need me to do?” Silver answered, “Get ready to crack some skulls.”

A minute later, and the Hawkins’s portside cannons unleashed their fury on the Raiders’ frigate. Spitfire couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy as she noticed a few small explosions on the enemy ship’s hull. “Woo hoo!” Soarin cried out at the sight. “Don’t celebrate just yet boy.” Silver remarked. “We’ve only just knocked a dent in them.” Spitfire asked, “So how long until we can fire those cannons again?” “About two minutes, if Perry was able to drill your friends while we were stuck in the pit.”

A few flashes, followed by a few thunderous bangs, erupted from the Raiders’ ship. Silver immediately shouted, “INCOMING!” As everyone prepared themselves for the incoming assault, the Hawkins was rocked by the enemy cannon fire. The Wonderbolts were momentarily dazed and confused by the thunderous sound of the cannonballs banging against their ship’s hull, splintering some of the outer wood.

Spitfire managed to get out of her stupor and ran up to the railing. She was duly surprised to see that though there were a few dents in the hull, it was mostly intact. “Get away from there you dolt!” Silver cried out as he ran up to Spitfire and pulled her away. “The hull! It’s not broken like the other ship!” Silver sighed as he explained, “This old girl is made of sandwiched wood. It basically means the hull is almost as tough as iron.” Silver then grabbed his sister and sternly belittled, “But don’t do that again. You’re no use to anyone dead.” Spitfire nodded nervously as her brother let her go.

The Hawkins’s cannons rang out from below everyone once again, and continued to blow more holes in the rival frigate’s hull. From below the group, Spitfire and Silver heard Misty Fly cry out in pain. “We better go check.” Silver said as he turned to descend the stairwell towards the gun deck. Spitfire turned to Wyvern and asked, “You good up here?” Wyvern nodded yes and Spitfire left to follow her brother.

“Oh, Silver, thank goodness.” Perry said as he let out a sigh of relief. Silver asked, “What happened?” Perry answered, “Misty Fly misplaced her hoof and the cannons ran it over.” Silver faced Misty Fly, who was writhing on the deck as she held her front left hoof, which was now starting to bleed. “Bloody ‘ell. She must have had near 900 pounds on her hoof! There’s no way she can continue like this.” Spitfire entered and asked, “What’s happened?” Perry hurriedly answered, “Misty Fly had one of the cannons run over her hoof.” He then turned to Silver and quipped, “I told you we should have bought those new breech-loaders.” Silver ignored the complaint and turned to Spitfire and said, “I gotta get something for your friend’s hoof! Help Perry with the cannons!”

Silver dashed out of the room, leaving Spitfire with Perry, Surprise, and a now incapacitated Misty Fly. “What do you need…” Spitfire began before Perry interrupted her. “Surprise and I will take care of the guns. You just keep feeding us ammo, got it?” Spitfire nervously nodded. Perry then motioned towards a pair of crates as he turned around to Surprise and ordered, “Ok kid, from the top like we practiced.”

“BRACE YOURSELVES!” Flint’s voice bellowed from above them. Sure enough, the ship was once again rocked around, knocking Spitfire off her hooves. “Come on ma’am! We need more ammo!” Surprise shouted as she struggled to maintain her balance. Spitfire was able to regain her balance and grabbed several cannon balls from one of the crates. “Ok, now place one them down the cannon’s barrel.” Perry ordered. Spitfire made her way to the front of the cannon and lodged one of the cannon balls down the barrel. Perry continued, “Good, now load the others down the other barrels.” Spitfire nodded and proceeded to load the other cannons.

Once all the guns were loaded, Perry said, “Ok girls, here goes another one.” He then lit his horn and used his magic to simultaneously fire all of the cannons at once. Spitfire had to cover her ears due to just how loud the cannons actually were. Surprise peaked out the port and said, “Hey, I think we hit something big.” Spitfire and Perry checked and, sure enough, there was now a noticeable fire near the frigate’s stern. “I think we hit an ammo magazine!” Perry remarked with glee.

Spitfire took a moment to take in the progress as Perry continued, “Ok Surprise, time to get back to work.” Surprise rotated herself and picked up a staff that had been resting in a bucket of odd liquid. She took the soaked end, which was similar to a sponge, and began to shove the sponged side down the first cannon. As she took it out and proceeded to the next gun, Perry placed a small cloth bag down the freshly cleaned cannon. “Ok Miss Spitfire, I’ll set up a primer if you load the cannon balls.” Perry ordered. Spitfire immediately complied and gathered more cannon balls.

Then, the Raiders’ frigate unleashed another salvo. Unlike the other barrages, each enemy cannonball managed to crash right into the Hawkins’s own cannons. “Oh no.” Perry quipped as his prized cannons were pushed back by the force of the previous salvo. The cannons were devastated by this last barrage; there was no way they could feasibly be used again. “We are so screwed.” Perry glumly said to himself, unaware Surprise and Spitfire heard his utter this resignation of defeat.

Silver returned with a first aid kit only to bear witness the sight of the ruined cannons. “Oh bugger.” Silver glumly stated as Perry sighed in relief and quipped, “Oh thank Celestia I’m not the only one thinking it.” Silver continued, “Ok, Everyone follow me.” Perry used his magic and placed Misty Fly on his back as he, Spitfire, and Surprise departed the gun deck.

Silver and Perry managed to lay Misty Fly on one of the two beds in the infirmary. Just as they began to catch their breath, Spitfire heard what she considered the absolute worst sound she had heard in the last week.

She heard Scootaloo coughing, and from what she heard, she was hacking up a lung. Rainbow Dash and Flint barged into the infirmary, Scootaloo being cradled in the former’s hooves. “What happened?” Silver asked as he struggled to wrap Misty Fly’s damaged hoof in a bandage as Perry prepared a splint. “It’s her cough!” Rainbow Dash replied as Scootaloo coughed up a surprising amount of blood. “She hasn’t stopped since the last barrage!” Flint then asked, “What are we gonna do?”

A massive jolt shook the entire ship, knocking everyone off their hooves. “Wait, how come we didn’t hear any cannon fire?” Spitfire asked as she and the others realized that there hadn’t been any salvos before this crashing. Silver realized what was happening as he heard hoof steps from above him, way too many to just be the other Wonderbolts and the rest of the crew. As Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, and Surprise looked to him for what to do next, he could only answer his sister with, “Because they didn’t use their cannons.”

It was just as Silver had feared. The Raiders had rammed their frigate right into the Hawkins and they were now pouring on to their ship. “So what now?” Spitfire asked her brother. He didn’t register her question because he was focused on something he never thought he’d see again.

Somers was standing on the deck of the Hawkins. The pony who had caused so much pain and suffering not only to him, but all over Equestria, was now back at the place where he committed his greatest sin. Silver was so consumed by anger that before he realized it he found himself charging forward towards his hated enemy.

Somers only had a few seconds to react before he was tackled down to the deck by his rival. “You little bastard!” Silver angrily grunted as he made eye contact with Somers. “How dare you set hoof back on my ship!” Somers was able to use his knife and slashed a light cut across Silver’s chest. As Silver winced in pain, Somers kicked him off of him and angrily replied, “I’ll do whatever I want. You got a problem with that?” Silver simply popped his neck and, his determination reaching its highest point in years, and stated, “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”

Elsewhere on the deck, Soarin had his back to one of the masts, trying to avoid Bounty Jumper and Snipe Hunt. “So Snipe Hunt, you want this one?” Bounty Jumper asked with wicked glee. “Nah, I’ll let you take this wuss.” Snipe Hunt answered as he backed away from the nervous Wonderbolt, only to bump into another pony. “Hey, watch it!” He angrily shouted, only to receive a massive blow to the head from a mechanical hoof. “Huh?” Bounty Jumper asked as he received a back-winged slap to the face.

“You boys are a disgrace to the EUP and Equestria as a whole.” Nelson spat out to the two Raiders. However, Soarin noticed another Raider charging towards the distracted Nelson and was able to fling himself towards the cerulean cladded thug, head butting the Raider. “Thanks lad.” Nelson thanked the male Wonderbolt. Soarin replied, “No problem.” Nelson then noticed something behind Soarin and shouted, “Look out!” He then charged past Soarin and, to the latter’s surprise, tackled another Raider. Soarin was about to remark about his luck, but was distracted by a barely missed slug from Bounty Jumper.

Near the wheel, Angel Wings and Blood Diamond were trying to keep the Raiders away from the wheel. As Blood Diamond managed to knock a Raider Pegasus out, he turned to Angel Wings and quipped, “Hope you find this a better time than the last time we were together.” “Shut up!” Angel Wings shouted as she grabbed one of the Raiders and head-butted him. As she continued to push the Raiders back, Angel Wings noticed Silver fighting with Somers. She tried to make her way to him, but Blood Diamond stopped her. “If you want to help him, then we have to take care of these guys!”

Angel Wings didn’t listen to Blood Diamond. She took to the air and soared towards Silver, crashing into Somers. “GET YOUR FILTHY HOOVES OFF OF HIM!” she screamed as Somers was knocked across the deck. “What are you doin’?” Silver asked the Pegasus mare. She simply replied, “I couldn’t let him hurt you again.” She then noticed Somers starting to reach for his knife, and dashed over to the knife, scooped the blade up and gave it to the sailor.

Silver now found himself holding the very blade that had taken Captain Black Watch’s life. The blade that threatened Scootaloo. The blade that permanently destroyed his wings. Somers gave the duo a panicked look, afraid that Silver would turn the knife on him.

He was surprised when Silver slammed the blade against the railing, shattering it. He then threw the handle over the edge of the ship, to be lost for, as Silver was hoping, all time.

Somers tried to charge forward towards the duo, but Silver was able to predict his charge and slugged the Raider in the face, knocking him out cold. Silver now stood over Somers, struggling to contain enough of his anger. “Silver?” Angel Wings asked her friend. Silver took a deep breath and said, “Keep this bastard under lock and key. And get him out of my sights before I change my mind.” Angel Wings knew that Silver was telling her to remove Somers before he gave in to his temptation and picked up the villainous Pegasus and managed to sneak him down to the brig.

“They have Somers!” Wind Rider shouted as he observed the sight from the wheel of his frigate. He knew if a pony like Somers could be beaten then the situation was devolving quickly. He turned to Cutthroat and barked, “Do something about this!” Cutthroat pulled a telescope out from his jacket and began to inspect the situation. Not only was Somers captured, but both Bounty Jumper and Snipe Hunt were cornered and taking severe beatings from the Wonderbolts and sailors.

Cutthroat needed a way to turn this farce of a boarding around. Luckily, he found the perfect opportunity.

Silver was amazed at the sight before him. The Raiders were being pushed back. Not only was Somers now incapacitated, but two of the Raiders’ other leaders, Snipe Hunt and Bounty Jumper, were now incapacitated. And now as he overlooked his ship, Raiders were either being defeated or fleeing in every direction.

“Oh little cyborg!” A gruff voice called from the Raiders’ frigate. Silver knew that voice could only belong to one pony. “Cutthroat.” Silver growled to himself as he turned to face the frigate. Just as he expected, Cutthroat was now walking from the frigate over to the Hawkins. He strutted with such confidence and power that the fighting slowed down completely. Nelson tried to charge the Raider, only to be lifted by Cutthroat’s magic and tossed across the ship.

“Alright kid. It’s just you and me.” Cutthroat quipped as he strutted up to Silver. “Get off my ship!” Silver demanded to the thug standing before him. “Alright, alright. I will. That is…” Cutthroat began as he began to use his magic on Silver. Before he could continue, the rest of the crew and the Wonderbolts ran up to the duo and took defensive stances. Wyvern growled, “let our captain go!” Spitfire was next, “It’s over you bully.” As Cutthroat let go of Silver (who immediately crashed to the deck), he remarked, “That’s kind of rich coming from you, isn’t it?”

Spitfire was taken aback by this remark for a moment, but she regained her composure very quickly. “If you asked me that question a week ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. And maybe you are right, but you know what?” The deck was silent for a moment before she continued, “I want to show I can be better than I used to be.”

“Now that is touching.” Cutthroat said as he pondered for a moment. “Only one problem.” “And that is?” Wyvern asked.

Cutthroat immediately charged forward, bashed Wyvern in the head, bucked Nelson in the face, and enveloped Silver in his magic, trapping him in a light brown aura. “Let him go!” Spitfire shouted to the large brigand. “Only if you do what I say!” Cutthroat replied. “Don’t trust him!” Silver called out as he was moved by Cutthroat’s magic closer to the Raiders’ frigate. Spitfire panicked and, desperate to rescue her brother, flew right into him, accidentally knocking both of them onto the Raiders’ frigate.

Silver weakly asked, “Sis, what happened?” Before Spitfire could reply, another voice answered, “She did what she always does.” Both siblings turned to face the ship’s stern to see Wind Rider descending from the wheel. He turned to face Cutthroat and complimented his minion. “Nice work Cutthroat. Good to know at least you still give me results.” He then shouted out, “Ok boys, let’s get out of here!” One of the other Raiders nervously replied, “Sorry sir, but we’re stuck to the other ship.” Wind Rider shook his head and sighed as Silver quipped, “What’s a matter, a little trade ship too much for your big and mighty frigate?”

Wind Rider then smacked Silver with his hoof. “Don’t you know who you’re talking to?” He patronizingly insulted Silver. Spitfire the added, “He’s certainly a better pony than you!” Wind Rider let out a cocky laugh and asked, “Do you really think that? This blue collar boil is nothing but a loser!” This irked Spitfire, who shot back with, “Both you and Silver had problems with me. But only you stooped so low as to associate with these criminals. Silver found his true calling while you’ve been wasting your life living like a crime boss.” To her horror, Spitfire found herself on the receiving end of a blow from Wind Rider’s hoof. “And to think, I thought I saw something in you kid.” Wind Rider spat out. Spitfire simply replied, “I could say the same of you.”

As Wind Rider shook his hoof, trying to shake off the numbness from striking his former protégé, and ordered, “And now I need to let my hoof heal. Cutthroat, deal with these idiots.” He then began to depart for the door leading to his cabin, but turned to face Spitfire and sarcastically remarked, “Nothing personal kid.”

Cutthroat lifted Silver with his magic and growled, “You’ve been causing us a lot of trouble.” Silver, for his part, managed to reply, “I do aim please.” This earned him a slam straight into the deck. Spitfire tried to charge the large stallion, but was bucked in the face by his large back hooves. Cutthroat then pulled out a small but sharp knife from his coat and began to pull Silver closer. “I wonder how you’ll be able to sail without eyes.” Now Silver was visibly shaking, struggling to hold the knife away from his face.

He was pleasantly surprised to see his sister grab a thick mop and proceed to club Cutthroat in the head. “GET! YOUR! HOOVES! OFF! MY! BROTHER!” Spitfire shouted every time the mop landed on Cutthroat’s head. After a few more blows, Cutthroat was out cold, and Spitfire dropped the mop in exhaustion. “Thanks sis.” Silver said as he managed to get himself up to his hooves.

“Silver!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she, Nelson, Perry, Wyvern, Soarin, Fleet Foot, and Surprise made their way across to the Raiders’ frigate. “My goodness. You beat him!” Nelson said with astonishment as he noticed the now unconscious Cutthroat lying before him. Perry, on the other hand, simply said, “Eh… Wow.” Silver immediately commanded, “Throw this wanker in the brig.” He turned to Spitfire and said, “And now, I think it’s time we went after the big fish.”

Spitfire stretched her legs and wings and replied, “I was born ready.”