//------------------------------// // I've Got My Eye On You // Story: Over the Edge and Over Again // by Perpetual Motion //------------------------------// Over the Edge and Over Again: Chapter 8 I've Got My Eye On You “Can ye untie me now?” Captain Barbossa sat patiently in his chair. He’d answered all of the unicorn's questions, and most of them more truthfully than he wanted to. The least she could do was free him from the stupid, bloody chair. It had been hours, and not only had the others left to visit his assailant in hospital, but Twilight's questioning was getting beyond tolerable. “I don’t think so, Hector.” Hurriedly writing and scratching into her second notebook, Twilight ignored his pleading. Not that he blamed her; he’d asked at least two dozen times in the last ten minutes. What annoyed him was that she wasn’t losing her patience. The day was nearing it's end, and the sun was setting beyond the windows around him. The oranges and reds bled through the glass, making him all the more wistful of his predicament. This world was acceptable, but his own world was where he belonged. Tiredly looking at his guard and interrogator, he realised in all the effort to answer Twilight and gain her trust, he’d never thought to ask something himself. Feeling he was long overdue a question of his own, he cleared his throat to gain her attention. “How de ye do that?” “Do what?” Twilight asked as she stared at him, blankly looking into his eyes. “That,” he said motioning towards the notebook, “Float things. Like ye did with me pistol and that book.” “It’s magic. All unicorns can do it.” The way she spoke implied he was stupid, as if she were telling him something that he was expected to know. He rolled his eyes in response before trying again. “Aye, I can see that. But how do ye do it?” “We just can. We focus our energy into a spell, and we cast it,” Twilight replied before she widened her eyes, “Oh, do you not have magical unicorns in your world?” “We don’t have any unicorns, nor do we have any flyin’ horses.” “I keep telling you, we’re ponies, not horses, and they’re called pegasi.” Realisation hit the pirate. Pegasus. That’s what it was called. It had been years since he'd read anything on Greek mythology. “So I was the first unicorn you ever saw?” “I’ve seen pictures. The same with yer friend there,” he said, nudging his head towards Fluttershy. “You said you didn’t have unicorns.” “There be a great, many manner o’ creatures in my world, but unicorns and pegasuses are a thing of legend. A myth lost te the sands of time. Then again, so are many of the other creatures I've seen, so maybe ye do exist somewhere.” “It’s pegasi. Do you have earth ponies?” He groaned, realising he’d inadvertently caused her to start a whole new line of questioning. And he didn't get why they had to be earth ponies. Surely pony worked just fine if the other two already had names for their species. “Aye, we do. But they don’t talk.” Before Twilight could open her mouth again, he made sure to shush her with a icy glare, moving his head as far forward as he could manage. “And if ye’ll be so kind as to not ask any more questions, ye can be sure I'll more willin' te talk when you undoubtedly start asking me more tomorrow. Do I make meself clear?” He had a nerve to talk back at her, but Twilight realised he did indeed have a point. She’d got more information on him and his world than she would have gotten in a lifetime on her own, and as it stood, she had yet to keep up her end of the bargain. “I..is it okay if I ask one question?” Looking over at Fluttershy, Barbossa had all but forgotten she was even there. The most she’d done was look at Twilight's book as she wrote down what he said. Letting out a frustrated breath, he nodded and answered. “Fine. Ye can ask one.” The small dragon walked into view, seemingly wanting the same treatment. The pirate grated his teeth and rolled his eyes. Maybe he should have just kept quiet? “Aye, you too.” Clearing her throat and walking up to him, Fluttershy stopped at his feet, sitting on her haunches. “Do you like animals?” Giving the yellow pegasus a strange look, he wondered about the childlike innocence of the question before eventually coming to a suitably childlike answer. “I have a pet, if that’s what yer gettin’ at.” Readying to focus on the dragon, Fluttershy spoke up again, a small smile seeping onto her features. “What kind of animal is it? Does it have a name? Is he fluffy?” “He be a monkey named Jack,” he grumbled at her, wanting to avoid making the weak one cry again. But he thought it best to leave the immortal part out of the equation, lest Twilight pick up interest on the subject. “Thank you for answering my question.” He threw the yellow mare another curious look. He was at least glad Fluttershy was less inclined to follow her curiosity than Twilight was, but she seemed...overly friendly with him, considering he had brought her to a snivelling wreck the day before. Deciding to ignore the issue, Barbossa then turned to the dragon at his feet. “Do you have dragons where you come from? Oh no, wait, what do you have where you come from?” “That be two questions. One more than I offered, and two more than I be wantin' te answer.” “Fluttershy got three,” the small dragon whined, pointing like a bratty child towards the pony in question. “If dragons be any more than a legend, I’ve yet to see one. And there be many creatures; krakens, the undead; too many to be mentionin’ here,” he said, putting special emphasis on the latter part, if only just to suggest he couldn’t really be bothered talking about them. “Cool! Twilight, you hear that? They have zombies where he’s from.” “Yes Spike, I heard.” She couldn’t help but think his world sounded more and more terrible the more she heard about it; stormy seas, un-dead creatures roaming the land, pirates at every corner waiting to attack and harm. But he called it home, and despite it's many short comings, he wanted to get back. “And I promise, starting tomorrow, I’ll start looking for a way to get you home.” Floating her notebook elegantly onto a desk at the other end of the room, Twilight levitated some paper towards herself and handed it to the small dragon. “Spike, can you take a letter?” “Sure thing…” Fetching a quill, he sat on the floor and wrote as his friend spoke. “Dear Princess Celestia, I have some very exciting news; we have a visitor from another world staying in the library. His name his Captain Hector Barbossa, and he comes to our world from his own, lost, stranded and unable to get home. I know this is most difficult to believe, and it all sounds like a little foal's story, but every word I've said thus far is true. I hope to hear your response soon, as well any information or assistance you have to offer that may help our guest. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” Finishing his job of writing the letter, the dragon then threw it in the air, burning it with a bright green flame, and before his eyes, the captain saw the scroll burn to a cinder and vanish as the fire flowed through the air and out the window. “What was that?!” Something wasn’t right. “We sent a letter to the Princess asking for help. Hopefully we’ll get a repl-“ “Ye said ye wouldn’t hand me to the royal guard!” the captain's voice suddenly echoed through the room, alarm evident in his voice. “We’re not handing you over to the guard. You heard what I said, we just told her about you,” she calmly replied in a soft, soothing voice. “They amount te the same bloody thing! She’ll have me hanged!” he fiercely yelled, once again shaking around in his chair, struggling against the enchanted rope. Fluttershy and Spike looked at each other, not quite sure what was scaring him, nor how to actually calm him down. Twilight just shook her head at the other two, equally unsure of what he was talking about. “Hung from what?” Spike asked, seeing as no one else wanted to. Barbossa looked back at them with the same confused look they’d had moments before. Breathing slowly and calmly, he searched his mind, trying to work out what was going on. “Hung from the neck until death…” Still feeling somewhat confused, Barbossa sat as he saw the others' expressions change from confusion to fear. The kind of fear he’d seen in the crew when the ship went down. But it wasn’t a fear for their own well-being. It was something else entirely. “U-u-until death? They let your neck…snap?” Fluttershy said, shaking. “Why would the princess do that to you?!” Twilight shouted back at the pirate, angry he thought Celestia would do such a thing. But after a few seconds, realisation hit her and she looked up at him. “Is…is that what your world does…to pirates?” She knew pirates weren’t necessarily to be trusted, but that seemed…brutal. “I be takin’ it yours doesn’t?” While this was something Captain Barbossa could celebrate, curiosity still urged him to wonder and ask about the issue. What was the guard for if not for criminals? What did happen to the ne'er do wells when they were caught? “Of course not! That’s horrible. We wouldn’t kill anypony by…by breaking their necks!” “What does yer world do then? Let ‘em roam free? If so, that sounds plenty appealin' compared te me own situation.” “No, of course not. We don’t have pirates anymore…” Barbossa had thought as much, but the topic still interested him. What need would a world have for a guard force if there was no one to guard against? “Aye, but what of the other criminals. What’s their fate?” “They don’t get one. We don’t have executions; ours is an age of peace and prosperity, they’re not needed.” “But they used to be.” Twilight froze, focusing her eyes on the floor instead of her addresser. “Am I right, Miss Sparkle?” As much as he hated to admit it, he wouldn’t have them thinking his world was purely a hell hole full of pillagers and plunderers while theirs was an Equestrian heaven of peace and pure joy. Besides, learning how the animals dealt with punishment could somehow prove useful. “I don’t know why you want to go back to your world. It sounds awful,” she said, hoping to drop the subject. Twilight didn’t look at directly him, but Barbossa could tell she was uncomfortable. Her voice was wavering and what was said came out as raspy and dry. The other two were still silent, shuffling their feet and hooves, looking towards their purple friend. “It is, but that’ll be changin’ soon enough.” Curious about what he’d said, Twilight was about to ask when Spike coughed up a scroll. Barbossa couldn’t get over how strange and useful an ability it was, but doubted now was the time to ask about it. He doubted it was a skill he wanted to learn either. Carefully levitating the message, Twilight spent a few seconds reading and rereading it, following each word with her eyes. She eventually turned to Barbossa, moving the letter in front of his face. “To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, As marvellous as this state of affairs is, I cannot stress enough that you should be careful; we know nothing about your guest, but if anypony can handle a situation such as this, I am sure it is you and your friends. However, I would like to see this Captain Hector Barbossa for myself, to see if he or she truly is from beyond our own world. Duty calls tonight, but I will arrive at noon tomorrow to meet your guest. I would come sooner, but given the casual nature of your last letter, I assume you have the situation under control for now. Please be careful, but do not forget what you have learned and, that while he or she is unfamiliar, this creature is still a guest in your home. Princess Celestia” Finishing the scroll, Barbossa looked over at Twilight, wondering if she would actually follow her mentor’s recommendation. He was unsettled the ruler didn't know his gender, but that was the least of his problems. “Well, ye heard yer princess, Miss Sparkle. I’m a guest.” Twilight struggled with the idea; she respected her mentor, and the princess was usually right, but Celestia didn’t know what he had done. If she had known Hector had attacked her, there was no way she would ask him to be treated so politely. Surely if Celestia knew the situation, she wouldn’t object to keeping him tied up, but then again, she couldn’t expect him to stay there all night. “Hiya Twilight!” Her thought process was broken as Pinkie eagerly bounced through the front door of the library, while Applejack and Rarity cantered in slowly behind her. “Hiya Mr Pirate!” Barbossa sarcastically smiled back at the pink mare as she strolled in, showing his teeth and tilting his head forward in a faux bow. “Hey, Twi. How goes guard duty?” Applejack said as she narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the pirate with a frown on her face. Barbossa just snarled back at her, once again showing his teeth. Unsure of how to approach the subject, Twilight eagerly levitated the scroll towards her friends. The three new comers and Fluttershy looked over the letter, varying degrees of displeasure written across their faces. Rarity narrowed her eyes, looking up towards Barbossa and then to Twilight. “So you’re just going to let him go?!” “I don’t know. I mean, he hasn’t done anything since you girls left, and he answered the questions we asked him…” Rarity furrowed her brow again. She’d promised Applejack she’d give him a chance, but she didn’t think they’d be letting him go this soon. Looking over to Applejack, she motioned her head towards the pirate, but after multiple times of her not getting the hint, she whispered instead. “Ask him.” “Hmm? Oh. Oh, right. Sure” Applejack whispered back before trotting up to Barbossa, her head held down towards the floor. “Um…Mr Hector?” She glanced back a Rarity, who nodded her head and motioned her hoof forward in reply. Looking back up, the human just stared at her with a curious gaze, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. “…Aye?” “Do..do y’all eat ponies?” She really didn’t want to ask the question. Nopony did, mainly because they were scared of the answer he would give. Fluttershy and Twilight stood there motionless, the latter holding her breath. She didn’t know the answer he’d give, but she’d wished she’d asked him while the other weren’t here. His pointed teeth meant he ate meat; she just didn’t really want to know what kind. But while they were worried about what he would say, Barbossa was deciding the best way to actually respond. He didn't want to make any more mistakes, and coming across as something that would happily eat them wasn't what he deemed as the correct course of action. Of course, he wasn't naïve about the situation; they obviously knew, to some extent, that he ate meat. “No. I've ate a many manner o' creatures, but never a pony.” That was technically true; while he hadn't ate pony meat in particular, he had ate horse. But even if he had ate pony, he couldn't imagine wanting it if it was anything like horse meat. It was somewhat tough, and not something he would choose over what was more commonly consumed. “B-but y'all could if...if it w-were what ya wanted?” “Aye, but I can't imagine I'll want te do that while I'm here. Wouldn't be very cost effective, eatin' the creatures helpin' me return home.” As good as he thought his joke was, the rest apparently didn't agree. The multicoloured ponies back away from his presence. Spike did the same, scurrying from his post near the pirate to Twilight's side. “Fer the love of God. Look, I'm not goin' te eat ye. And even if I did eat horses and ponies, ye really think I'd go eatin' ye before anythin' else I could find?” Twilight let her ears perk up. His argument was somewhat...understandable. They'd met other meat eating animals, and even though they could eat ponies, they didn’t actually do it. Griffins were well known for being omnivores, yet it was all but unheard of for one to actually eat a pony. And even then, there were some other animals that they chose not to eat anyway. “So...if we released you...you wouldn't try and eat us?” Twilight asked, sheepishly looking down from where she stood. “Ye have me word.” He began moving around in the chair, shifting against the ropes. His wrists were pained, and his back was aching under the long hours tied to his prison; getting out was a blessing in any form. “You have to Pinkie Pie promise.” Twilight said. “What now?” Barbossa asked, looking towards the pink pony in question. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Pinkie Pie responded as she hopped up from her position on the floor, animatedly explaining her promise as she danced and skipped around in front of the pirate. Finishing with her explanation, Barbossa just stared at her, not quite sure if she was being serious or not. “Aye, I shan’t be sayin’ that.” “Why not?” Pinkie whined, seemingly more upset at him not saying her promise than the actual act of not promising. “Because it sounds stupid.” “You will say it, or you’ll be tied to this chair until the princess arrives tomorrow.” Twilight stood her ground, stamping her hoof with a heavy thud onto the wooden floor. Barbossa just snarled back at her. “Fine…” Staring at the rest of the assorted ponies, they looked back at him with the same look Twilight had. The immature saying must be accepted here. Sadly. “Cross me ‘eart and ‘ope te die, stick a...a cupcake in me eye…” He felt ridiculous. He didn't even know what a cupcake was. Pinkie smiled at him, as did Twilight. The others didn’t, but Spike seemed to get a mild laugh out of hearing him say something so humiliating. Twilight simply nodded, but instead of freeing him, she walked over to the pile of his possessions. From the assortment of objects, she levitated two pouches, as well as his sword and pistol into the air. She then marched over to Spike, the troupe of piratey objects effortlessly dancing around in the air behind her. “Go and get the book Spike.” Understanding the order, the small dragon bounded up the small ladder at the pirate’s side, and after seconds of rummaging came back down, holding an average sized, sky blue book. It had patterns going around the spine, as well as a purple jewel on the front. Spike opened it up and placed it on the floor at the unicorn’s hooves. The others, much like the pirate, had attempted to get a better look at what was going on. Somewhat worried at what was about to happen, Barbossa spoke up. “What are ye doin?...” “This is a spell I designed. With this book, and properly enchanted items, I can store things within the pages. It keeps the items safe, and, more importantly, out of your way.” “So…you turn them into pictures?” Fluttershy asked, somewhat confused. “More or less, but the objects still stay the same. If it were possible to enter the book yourself, you could use the sword and…still load and shoot the pistol.” Barbossa sat there, somewhat impressed, with a look of intrigue on his face. “And can ye enter the book?” “No. Or at least, if you can, I don’t know how to do it.” As a silence came over the room, everyone marvelled at the book as it began to glow a deep, dark purple. It began to float in the air, and as the pirate’s artefacts danced around it, the pages from the book flew out in to the library. Dozens of them flew around the room, ducking and diving over and around the ponies and the pirate as the all sat there. After watching the papers soar and glide throughout the library, the sheets began encircling the floating items in a whirlwind of white and purple. As the maelstrom of papers tightened and reduced in size, they cleared to show the items had gone, and soon after all the papers had become static pages once again the book fell lifelessly to the floor. Sitting on her haunches, and trying catch her breath, Twilight floated the tome back into the air and opened it to the only filled pages within the book. Inside were four images; a sword, a pistol and two small pouches, all etched with ink into the book. After rather proudly showing her friends, Twilight presented the book to Hector. “And they’ll stay in there until you are ready to go home. No one can touch them, and you’ll get them in the same condition in which you left them.” “How de ye know they still work?” Twilight had expected him to be angry, but chose not to tempt fate by asking. Using a quill, she drew three simple lines. Casting yet another spell on the book, the sword began to move, and in a quick, effortless set of motions, it cut through each of the lines, leaving six smaller ones in their place. “Would have been more impressive te see ye fire the pistol,” he said, looking down at her whilst smiling. Frowning at him, the pirate suddenly felt the ropes around his wrists loosen, and the chair budge beneath his weight. Pushing his wrists apart, he smiled as the rope effortlessly fell from around him and onto the floor. Shakily standing up, the chair toppled to the floor behind him, and after finally getting to his feet, he cracked his neck and shoulders. The ponies cringed, the crunch and crack of his bones echoing around the room as he twisted his body. Finishing his stretching, he saw that all except Twilight had frozen in place. Not that he had to wonder why; he stood a good few feet above the ponies, and even more so over the tiny dragon. Quickly grabbing the book floating in the air, causing Twilight to flinch in the process, he moved his fingers over his formerly real items. They really were pictures. Not even the indents of a pen could be felt on the page. “We’ll make a bed of sorts for you in the basement. You can have the rest of your things back, as well as the apples you bought from Applejack. If you as much as think about causing trouble, I’ll put you straight back in the chair.” “Are ye sure ye could manage that, Miss Sparkle?” he sarcastically laughed as he walked towards his things. “I’ve levitated an ursa minor. You’re like a mouse in comparison.” Catching the warning in her voice rather than the reference, he decided to stop begging for trouble, and instead chose to put on his jacket and return his hat to its rightful place. “Why are you putting your jacket and hat back on?” “Te replace me effects back into their rightful pockets, seein’ as I don’t have no magic te help me.” he said, giving her a quick, cynical smile before turning back around. Watching him pick up his things, replacing each item back into the pocket she assumed it came from, Twilight walked back to her friends, who had all decided to move to anywhere the pirate wasn't. “Spike, could you please get the old mattress in the basement and put it on the floor. There should be some sheets down there as well.” Setting off to the basement, Spike gave Twilight a mocking salute and started whistling, making his way towards the area under his home. “Y’all are givin’ ‘im his own bed?” “It’s an old mattress; the springs are loose and it’s a bit dusty. I never use it, so I don’t see why he can’t.” Applejack looked towards the pirate before whispering, “What about…y’know…food…” “He still has some of the apples he got from the farm. I think he’ll be fine for tonight. We can sort out the food problem when it comes up tomorrow.” “Do you want us to stay the night, Twilight?” Rarity asked, evidently more worried than Applejack. “If you feel you have to, but I’m sure me and Spike will be fine. Hector knows where he stands.” “Aye, and it be a good few feet taller then you, Miss Sparkle!” Twilight narrowed her eyes, turning around as she heard Pinkie giggling to herself. “What? I thought it was pretty funny.” Shaking her head at the party pony, Twilight ignored her and continued talking. “Anyway, you can come back tomorrow. I kind of want you all there when the princess arrives. Do you think Rainbow will come?” While Twilight spoke eagerly, Rarity took her time before responding. “I’m not sure. I doubt she’d say no to you Twilight, but I can’t promise she’ll be happy about seeing Hector again.” “Well, tell her I'd be grateful if she did come.” The others didn’t want to leave Twilight and Spike on their own, but if she said she’d be fine, then in the end they had to trust her. Saying their goodbyes, Rarity walked up to Hector, lightly kicking his heel to get his attention. Barbossa simply looked down at her, fiddling with a broken pocket watch before hiding it within his coat. “You lay one…thing on Twilight or Spike, and we’ll make sure you regret it.” Her ears were on edge, and he could see the anger in her eyes. But while she was certainly putting on the pressure, her back-up was decidedly less intimidating; Applejack and Fluttershy attempted a less than fierce glare, while Pinkie merely stuck out her tongue and scrunched up her eyes. “Of course; it be in me best interests not to. But get under me skin once too often, and ye may see me not take the same liberty wi' ye, Miss Rarity.” Glowering back at him, she turned to her friends before huffing and walking out of the door. Barbossa knew he was treading on thin ice, but he couldn’t resist attempting a jab at them every now and then, especially the white one. In the end, he saw no problem with some mild banter; if he could do it with his enemies, he could do it with the horses. He just had to be careful. Finished with restoring his pockets to their former state, he turned around to face his new purple landlord. The dragon soon returned from his venture downstairs, and after smiling at him, Twilight presented Spike with...a dark red jewels. Noticing the pirate, her smiled wavered, eventually being replaced by a frown. However, Barbossa was more fascinated with the baby dragon that had, in a small manner of bites, chewed his way through and swallowed the jewel he had been given. “He eats jewels?” “Gemstones. And what else is he going to eat?” The captain assumed it would be small animals, but apparently his knowledge of dragons was lacking. Besides, if their friend ate meat, he doubted they would have made such a big deal about him doing the same. “Anyway, your bed's down here.” Guiding him towards the door Spike had ventured through, Twilight opened it and made her way down the stairs. “Spike cleared aside most of my things, but I expect you not to touch anything.” The pirate took wind of the fact that it was more a command than a suggestion. But once he was down there, he wasn’t completely sure he wanted to touch anything in the first place. Among the many small relics and tree roots strewn about the floor and walls, there were also…things. They were made of sleek, shining metal, and they were making loud, rattling noises. One had lighting rods cascading from the top, creating their own crackles and sparks rather than absorbing ones from the sky. They were so bright. There were more things down there too; some held liquids, while others vanished into the walls around him, connecting to the other boxes with coloured strings and rope. Moving away out of pure instinct, the captain pushed his back up against the wall of the stairwell. They were so loud. Louder than any mining engine. Louder than anything metal he wanted to be close to. How hadn''t he heard it upstairs? “What’s wrong?” He didn’t respond, instead choosing to reach for his sword that wasn’t actually there any more. Trying to pinpoint what he was looking at, she blinked at her machines, wondering what one had him so scared. Moving down the steps, it was only when she reached the bottom she noted the captain had slowed to a stop. “What are they?” He asked, pointing at the metal casing, beakers, pipes and wires, staring at them from over his nose and cracking the bones of his knuckles. “It’s just my analysis machine. I can turn it off if you want.” She’d left it on for an experiment involving tree sap, but reasoned Barbossa would offer much more in terms of knowledge. He didn’t reply, instead just choosing to stare at the device. The rest weren’t switched on, but the analysis machine did take up a large amount of space against the wall. Regretting she’d lose parts of the data gathered, she walked towards the generator and, casting her horn towards it, turned off the machine. It slowed from the hectic spinning to a soothing whir, before finally ceasing activity all together. Looking back towards Hector, she saw he still hadn’t moved much from his previous position on the stairs, keeping his stance against the wall. “Here’s your bed.” Kicking the mattress lying in the middle of the floor, she motioned with her hooves for the human to come downstairs. There was an old, brown sheet covering it, with an equally old quilt to go along with it. It was deep, dark blue, with ruffles at the side and yellow stars decorating the front, or at least what was left of them. Moving down the steps, Barbossa still refused to take his eyes of the machine. He couldn’t do anything to it, seeing as he had no access to magic and it had a spell on it, so there wasn't any reason he couldn't be around it. But it still confused her how wary of it he was. Moving out of the way of the bed she’d set up, she was surprised when he walked straight past it, instead heading for the machine. Walking right up to it, he hesitantly brushed his finger across the metal, before doing the same with his other hand and giving it a knock with his knuckles. “What does it do?” “A lot of things.” “How does it work?” “It’s kind of like a magical science.” Taking one last look before moving for the bed, he stared at the beakers filled with tree sap, and the wires leading from the machine to the different parts around it, before tapping one of the beakers. “It be like no magic I’ve ever seen.” He turned to the bed, sitting down on it before scratching his knee. “Any science for that matter either.” “Well, I’m not talking about it tonight. You can ask tomorrow if you really have to. But as long as you don’t touch anything, the machine won’t do anything either.” It was a relief, actually. If he was wary of her machines, then he’d be less likely to touch them. She could have just let him sleep in the library, but there was always the danger of him escaping. Putting a spell on the windows was doable, but it was easier just doing it to one door and a few possessions. “Aye, fine. Ye done now, or are ye gonna keep pesterin’ me?” Taking of his boots, hat and coat, he lay down on top of the quilt, yawning and scratching his scalp with his hand. “It wouldn’t hurt to be nicer, you know.” “I’d rather not take the chance.” Clicking her teeth at the large house guest, she turned around and walked up the stairs towards the library. Looking back down, making sure anything of particular importance was out of the room, she offered him one last chance to be cordial. “Good night.” Hearing nothing in reply, she sighed before walking towards the door, but heard a voice just before closing it. “Aye. Night,” he replied, irritated and angry, but Twilight surmised it was the best she was going to receive. Climbing to her own bed, she wriggled under the covers and rested her head on the pillow. Spike was already asleep, or a least he appeared to be. His breathing was calm and slow, and deciding he had the right idea, Twilight followed his lead. Author's Note: Barbossa is back, huzzah! And thanks to Pata-K and DannyJ for proofreading this chapter. And a nice long chapter to make up for the last one.