Chapter 4: On board 'King's Wolf'.
Princess Renesmee turned her head away from the captain. "I do not accept your offer." She said haughtily.
He gave a disdainful sniff. "'Ave it your own way, then. But you're comin', whether ye like it or not!" He turned to see the Rainbooms being hauled before him by his men. "An' who might you be?" He asked, with a gleam in his eye. "Yer friends of 'ers?"
"Found 'em spyin', Cap'n." explained one of their captors, a swarthy sailor wearing a leather jerkin and a black headband.
"Spyin', eh? Fifty lashes each fer that, I reckon. What've yer got to say fer y'selves?" Lightning and the Mane 7 stood in stubborn silence. "Huh! We'll loosen your tongues later. An' if we don't, 'is Eminence certainly will. Tide won't wait for us, now. Take 'em aboard, men."
~With that, the princess and the girls were frogmarched to the water's edge where they were bundled onto the long boat. Lightning peered over the prow as the boat bobbed through the breakers and into open water. Through the mist, she could make out a full-masted galleon riding at anchor in the swell. In spite of their danger, she couldn't help but feel a bit of thrill at the thought of being taken aboard what must be a real pirate ship.~
Rainbow joined her to gaze at the galleon with awe. "Whoa...Look at that!" She breathed. "Can you see what she's called?"
"Not yet. It's still too misty." Lightning answered.
~They hadn't long to wait. With much creaking of oars and grunting by the sailors, the boat soon drew close enough to make out the rigging and the name of the ship quite clearly. Painted in blood-red letters on the prow was the single words King's Wolf. The figurehead beneath the bowsprit reflected the name- a ghastly wolf's head with blood dripping from its fangs. The sight of this filled Lightning and the rest with fear.~
"Yeah, that's blood, isn't it?"
~Once alongside, the sailors quickly transferred their captives to the ship and threw them into a small cabin beneath the fo'c'sle. Almost immediately the sails were unfurled, the anchor hoisted and with a creaking of timbers, King's Wolf was underway.~
"Well, here we are," said Rainbow. "Now what?"
~Everyone looked around the cabin. Apart from the table, a jug of water and some piles of straw. There was nothing else in the room. The only light came from the barred window which was set in the door. It would not be a comfortable trip, they thought.~
Rarity sat down beside the princess. "You're a princess, aren't you, darling? We overheard the pirates speaking, or at least Fluttershy did."
She nodded glumly. "Alot of good it's doing me now, isn't it?"
"Why have they kidnapped you?" Lightning asked, standing over them. "Is it for a ransom or something?"
"I suppose so," she answered. "But I can't understand how they knew who I was. Nobody followed us."
Applejack smiled encouragingly at the princess. "I'm Applejack." she said. "What's your name?"
"Renesmee." the princess replied.
~Applejack introduced everyone else, and Renesmee proceeded to tell them all that happened since she had left the palace.~
"You shouldn't really have run away, should you?" said Lightning when she was through.
"That's my business." she snapped. "I'm a princess so I can do as I please. How was I to know this was going to happen to me? And what's happened to Crow? And...and where are they taking me? They have no right!"
~A sudden stab of pain shot through Renesmee's head, which made her wince. She clutched her head and burst into tears. Rarity glanced up at the girls, and then put her arms around the princess.~
"We have to get her out of here." Sunset stated.
Twilight turned to Lightning. "Lightning, if we escape this cabin, will you be able to fly us back to the shore?"
"There's no way I can carry eight people all the way from here to the shore. And don't give me that excuse: 'Do it one at a time!', it's still going to be a long journey for me. The raccoons don't fly forever, y'know."
Sunset rubbed her neck. "There must be some other way then…"
"I hope so." Fluttershy said as she sat on the other side of Renesmee. "Don't worry, Renesmee. We'll get out of here somehow. I just know we will." There was conviction in her words than in her heart. She looked up to Lightning. "Right, Lightning?"
"Uh, ye- yeah! Of course." Lightning answered, confidently but also unsurely.
~Before anyone could say more, the cabin door crashed open and in strode Captain Sirt with his henchman, Ged. Every girl retreated into the corner, but Ged grabbed Lightning and dragged her before the captain.~
Addressing her roughly, the captain demanded. "Now then, lassie, I'll not take nonsense from yer. What were yer doin' spyin' on us? Answer me now, or Ged's liable to get a bit rough with a rope's end. What's yer business?"
~Lightning remained silent. The captain nodded to Ged who immediately twisted the girl's arm behind her back, causing her to cry out in pain. Sunset and Twilight glared and hurled themselves at the pirate.~
"Leave her alone!" Sunset cried.
"We will tell you what happened." Twilight rebuked, standing strong.
"Um...we will?" Fluttershy asked in shock.
Pinkie sprung forwards. "Yeah!"
Well, y'all are real spitfire's an' no mistake!" He grinned through his dirty teeth. "I like a wrench with a bit o' spirit. Go on, then!"
"We're here because we arrived on the beach and got lost in the mist." Twilight began.
"We ended up at The Smuggle Inn, and Fluttershy heard you had kidnapped a princess." Sunset continued.
"And WE decided to try and rescue her, because…well, just, because!" Pinkie huffed and finished.
Captain Sirt roared with laughter. "So that's it, is it? Well, yer silly brats, ye've got y'selves into a lot of trouble, 'avent yer? 'Cos ye're gonna 'ave to come along with the princess now. Is Eminence will sort out what to do with yer. But I don't fancy your chances much." He motioned to Ged. "Come on. We'll leave 'em to stew. Teach 'em to meddle in thin's that be none of their business."
~With that he went out. Ged let Lightning go and followed him, locked the door behind them, leaving the girls to their own devices.~
"Ow…" Lightning softly began to rub her arm. Fluttershy checked on her.
"Is it really true what you said?" asked Princess Renesmee.
"Well, yes, it is really." Sunset answered.
Princess Renesmee gave them a watery smile. She spoke in a more friendly way now. "Well, thank you for trying. I'm only sorry I got you into all this. Who knows what will happen now?"
"Well, we Can easily break out. It's just that there are so many pirates, I don't think we could take them all out."
~Both Lightning and Rainbow peek through the tiny barred window on the door to see over 30 pirates laughing, drinking and working.~
"Yeah, neither you nor me can handle that disaster…"
Everyone heaved a sigh. For a while they sat in brooding silence, and heard the waves roll by. "Hm...say…" cried Applejack suddenly. "What city did ya say you came from?
"Asteral." replied the princess.
"B-b-but, isn't that Dalton's city?" Rarity stuttered in shock.
"You know Dalton?" asked Renesmee, her eyes widening.
"Well...yes!" chroused the girls.
"We met him once...in the Great Forest of Caisar." Lightning explained.
She sat in silence for a moment, then said quietly. "Dalton...is my older brother."
"Of course!" exclaimed Rarity. "And your mother and father are Queen Teris and King Aron. Now it makes sense!"
~Astounded by the news, everyone started gabbling at once. It took the girls the best part of an hour to recount their previous adventure. The hardest part was explaining how they had come from another realm and have supernatural powers, and they were far from convinced that the princess fully believed them. They found it hard to understand that Renesmee appeared to see very little of Dalton, and that she didn't seem to have a very high opinion of him. Fluttershy, in particular, found this disconcerting. Even so, this newfound connection greatly cheered them up. When Ged came in with food and drink during the early evening, he found his captives in a surprisingly relaxed mood. That night, as they slept on the piles of straw, Lightning stayed awake and pondered.~
"It's always about the gold." she began. "Always. Every single criminal wants gold. It's such a cliche. Or something...similar to gold."
~As she shut her eyes, she had a vision. In her vision, she found herself in a dark cavern piled high with treasures. She walked towards a door that opened to its own accord, and there hung a resplendent gem that entranced her with it's silvery-blue beauty. Then, to her surprise, a green claw grasped the gem, snuffing out it's light. She wrestled to prevent it happening, but was instantly surrounded by a pack of slavering wolves. She could feel the hot breath of the wild creatures. Her heart was pounding fit to burst. Suddenly, one wolf leapt onto her and flew open its fangs at her. Her vision ended and she opened her eyes.~
"Whoa...what was that? That seemed so real? Was that a dream? Or a theory in my mind?"
~It wasn't long before the others woke up and she told them about her vision. They puzzled over the meaning of the theory, until Rainbow smacked her fist into the palm of her hand.~
"I got it!" she cried to Renesmee. "They're after your jewels. That's what it is."
"No," said Lightning softly. "I think it's just the one jewel. Have you got something special, Renesmee?"
~The princess hesitated. Then she drew out the Sodal Marble from where it's hidden, beneath the neckline of her dress. The others gazed in wonder at the jewel. Hardly any light reflected off its many facets. Instead, the light came from within: a vivid blue star shining with radiant splendour from deep inside the crystal clear marble. This star appeared to be suspended in space, as though shimmering in a universe all of its own.~
"Do you think it's this?"
"Awe-struck." Lightning said. "I'm sure that's what it..."
~Just at that moment, there was a sound outside and the door began to open.~
"Quick, sugarcube! Put it away!" urged Applejack.
Ged walked in. "On yer feet," he commanded, motioning to the Rainbooms. Renesmee made to rise with them, but he pushed her roughly down. "No, not you!" he snarled. "Only these girls! Come on! Outside! There's work for the likes of you."
~Reluctantly, they left the cabin. When they took a step outside, a load of brushes, buckets and mops were waiting for them. A sailor pointed down at them for the girls.~
"Scrub." He ordered.
Rarity let out a scoff. "There is absolutely no way, I'm touching that filthy thing!"
~A cutlass swung beside her throat. Rarity's eyes immediately widened in fear and with a flinch, she quickly grabbed the nearest brush and began to work. The others were not too far behind. For the rest of the morning, the girls were busy scrubbing decks and coiling ropes, and they didn't see the princess again. A cry of 'land ho!' from the crow's nest told them their journey was soon to end. Drawing rapidly into view was a small island not far from the mainland. Before long, sailors were scrambling up the rigging and reefing in the sails to the commands of the captain and his bosun. The girls watched as the vessel drew alongside an empty stone quay and made fast. The gangplank dropped with a clatter, and a few moments later, a sailor dragged Princess Renesmee from her cabin to join the others.~
"Come on," snarled Ged. "Off yer get." He pushed all nine down the plank and onto the quay side, Captain Sirt followed.
~Just then, a door opened in a small stone keep at the end of the quay, and before the girls' frightened eyes emerged a grotesque green goblin. Behind him followed a pack of slavering grey wolves. Lightning felt aghast. Her theory seemed about to come true.~