Ponies of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Pink Pastry

by To Be Somebody


Desperate

Chapter 3
Desperate

As noon approached and the sun loomed high overhead, a rainbow-maned mare rode favorable winds inward toward the docks of Port Cheval. She held her head high as she stood atop the mast, peering toward her destination. The damp sea air washed over her, momentarily stripping her of her sense of reality as she basked in its cool embrace. Sure, sailing didn't beat flying, but it was a very close second.

Her fleeting seconds of ecstasy were ended as she felt her elevation slowly lowering. It took a moment for her to recall that her small boat was, in fact, sinking. With a flap of her wings she lowered herself to the already-flooded deck. To her dismay the small hole that had formed only an hour ago had now grown to uncontrollable proportions. Worse yet was that she had tossed the bucket overboard with nearly everything else in a desperate attempt to postpone her boat's inevitable journey to the depths.

"Come on, Rainbow Dash, think next time," she chided herself, "It's okay, you can do this." With no tools at her disposal and the docks another fifty yards away, she resorted to her own physical prowess. She tossed her saddlebag over her back and took off into the air, positioning herself behind the mast. With a deep breath she braced herself against the wet wood and began flapping her wings with all of her might, putting all of her momentum into the boat. A groan escaped her mouth as she shifted her weight, bearing down with every bit of force she could muster. It was hard to judge how much it was helping, but she was sure she had already made a huge difference. In fact, she was sure that she would arrive at the docks in a matter of seconds.

A quick look beyond the sail revealed that she had slowed to a near stop. The docks were a mere twenty yards away but the deck of her boat was now fully submerged underwater.

"No! No, no, no! Come on, baby, just a little further!" With nothing else to resort to, she grabbed some of the many ropes attached to the sails and made a desperate attempt to pull the boat to shore herself. She managed to drag it another yard before the weight of the water yanked the ropes from her hooves and doomed the vessel to a watery grave. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched the last trace of her favorite boat disappear beneath the waves.

Exhausted and defeated Rainbow Dash wearily flew the final few yards to the end of the docks. She collapsed the instant her hooves touched dry land, panting heavily and cursing her luck.

"It was right there!" She shouted to nobody in particular, "Right there!" She slammed her left forehoof into the dock. In her angered rant she hadn't noticed the young colt dangling his legs over the water with a fishing pole in his hooves. He had remained silent though it was clear he had witnessed the whole thing. "Of all the rotten luck, why in Celestia's name would it have to sink right, stinking—" Her sentence was cut short when she stood and the colt came into view. The two of them stared at one another for an uncomfortably long few seconds, neither one saying a word.

"Hi." Rainbow Dash finally broke the silence. "So um…" She fished around in her saddlebag and emerged with a single bit in her teeth. With a flick of her neck she tossed it beside the colt. "You didn't see anything."

The colt looked down at the bit and then back up to Rainbow Dash. He made a "zip-the-lip" motion with his hoof and turned back to the ocean. Satisfied with his response, Rainbow Dash stormed down the dock and into Port Cheval, uttering curses under her breath.

The town was larger than it had seemed when she sailed in, which was good news for her. While she hadn't planned on losing her beloved boat there were still plenty of other sea-worthy vessels making port at the time. Better yet was the fact that the town seemed to be somewhat deserted, with only a few ponies actually out and about. Maybe her boat sinking wasn't such a bad thing after all, not when they were practically begging to have one of theirs stolen.

She trotted along the coastline, perusing the selection in front of her. She couldn't steal just any ship, after all. It would be hard to find something as cool as her boat, but a few personal touches could turn one of these larger ships into a sailing hunk of awesome.

"Too old…too brown…not enough cannons…" She muttered to herself as she checked each ship off of her mental list. Her eyes continued to scan the waters until they landed on a sleek, newly completed ship anchored just off the shore-line. It was larger than her boat but not by much, and she could see it had been crafted with state-of-the-art aerodynamics for maximum speed potential.

"Now that's a ship. Let's take her for a spin." Avoiding any possible onlookers she slipped into the darkness underneath the pier, already plotting her daring escape on her very fancy new ship.


Meanwhile, high above the docks, Fluttershy sat amongst the higher-end citizens of Port Cheval in anticipation of Rarity's promotion ceremony. Though she was very excited for this momentous occasion, she still felt rather uncomfortable in the foreign dress her mother had gifted her. She had been told by many ponies how beautiful she looked, and she was very flattered, but the idea of having her wings tied down was definitely going to take some getting used to. She lifted a hoof and traced the string around her neck, daydreaming about the party horn that lay hidden underneath her dress. What would it sound like? What would—

"Fluttershy, please," her mother whispered to her as the musicians began playing, "Stop fidgeting. The ceremony is about to begin."

"O-oh, I'm so sorry." Fluttershy retreated beneath her mane, unaware that she had been making such a commotion. "It's…it's just that, I really don't—"

"Look, there she is!" A nearby pony called out, drowning out Fluttershy's words.

"She looks amazing!" Another onlooker commented. More and more of the audience chimed in and began to produce a dull roar of compliments and flattery as Rarity made her way through the row of soldiers.

Fluttershy conceded against the deafening sounds of the crowd, accepting her uncomfortable fate for the time being. How long could one ceremony be, anyway?


Rainbow Dash slowed when she noticed two guards posted by the pier. They were tall, thin stallions with long and pointy horns. Though they looked nearly identical the moustache on the left pony made it easy to discern them.

"Shoot…well, I guess two guards isn't too much trouble for a gorgeous ship like that," Rainbow commented to herself. "Just gotta think of a way…hmm…" She scratched her chin, deep in thought. She looked to the ship and then back to the guards. "Well, it's worth a shot, anyway."

She began to trot nonchalantly down the pier. As she approached the guards they simply stared at her, seemingly confused by her bold decision.

"Afternoon, men. Good to see you hard at work. As you were." She mustered the most official voice she could and avoided eye contact. Impersonating a soldier was nothing new to her, she only hoped that it actually worked this time.

"And just where do you think you're going?" One of the guards asked.

Rainbow Dash froze in place, ready to run. "To…inspect the ships, of course." She turned around slowly to gauge their reactions. The two of them looked at her, seemingly puzzled. The clean-shaven one leaned over to whisper something to his mustached partner. Rainbow was nearly ready to take off into the air and make her escape until they both stood and nodded toward her.

"So, miss, I take it this means you're in the market for a new ship?"

Rainbow swallowed hard. Had she really been that easy to figure out? Maybe these two were a lot smarter than they looked. "You could say that…"

"I see," the other guard replied, "and so that means one of these ships has caught your eye."

Rainbow paused before answering. Why hadn't they tried to arrest her yet? Were they waiting for reinforcements? Was it some kind of setup? "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Oh-ho, playing hard to get? Well, don't worry, I'm sure we can come to an agreement, can't we?" The guard asked sweetly.

Hard to get? An agreement? This was too good to be true: Rainbow had stumbled upon a nearly-empty town with one of the coolest ships she'd ever seen, and now she finds corrupt guards willing to make a deal to look the other way. Rainbow Dash, luck's back on your side, she thought to herself.

"Sure thing, pals," she answered with a grin, "what did you guys have in mind?"

The two guards beamed at her response. "Wonderful!" They said in unison. They jumped to Rainbow Dash's side and rushed her to the end of the pier against her will. They stopped in front of a fairly large, rusted ship.

"This one here we call the 'Breath-Taking Brigantine!' An unparalleled—"

"—And utterly unique vessel fit for a stunning pegasus such as yourself!"

"Um…" Was all Rainbow Dash could utter before being whisked away to the next ship. It was much larger than the last but in even worse disrepair.

"Obviously a twin-mast ship is nowhere near your standards, we just wanted to get you warmed up for—"

"—'The Get-Up-And-Galleon! A true gem of the sea, worthy of only the best and boldest captains!"

"This thing? It's a piece of – wait a minute," Rainbow Dash shook her head, clearing her thoughts, "you mean you're not guards?"

"Well of course we are. He's Flim!" The mustached pony answered.

"He's Flam!" The clean-shaven pony chimed in. "Port Cheval salesponies!"

"'Salesponies?'" Rainbow asked.

"Nonpareil!" They answered in unison.

"Oh man, I hate the French," Rainbow Dash buried her face in her hooves. This was worse than ten guards. At this point she didn't care which ship she took as long as it took her very far away from these two.

"Don't look so down, friend! There are plenty of other ships ripe and ready for the picking!"

Rainbow glanced back at the ship that had caught her eye. "What about that one?" She gestured.

"Oh, you mean the Aero Nautical?" Rainbow Dash stifled a squee. Even the name was super cool. "Sorry, property of the new commodore. But don't worry, if you'll just follow us…"

Rainbow watched in anguish as her prized ship grew smaller and smaller as the brothers dragged her away. Guards and salesponies. It was going to be hard to work her way out of this one.


Fluttershy found herself eating her earlier words. The ceremony drug on for what seemed like an unnecessary amount of time, though it didn't help that she never did get used to the straps on her wings.

Worse yet was the fact that she wasn't yet allowed to leave. As the governor's only daughter she had to keep a good face with the town, and leaving an event like this one early could only say negative things about her mother. At least she would get to see Rarity again; that always put a smile on her face.

She did her best to hide her discomfort as she mingled with the townsfolk, shaking hooves and exchanging shy smiles with complete strangers. Normally she would have been bothered by the attention and sudden immersion into large crowds, but she couldn't get her mind off of the odd restraints holding her back. Even though she never did like flying, it felt as though she had lost a limb whenever she tried to flap her wings.

Don't panic, Fluttershy, she thought. Easier thought than done. Too much longer and she would certainly—

"Fluttershy, dear, over here!" Fluttershy turned toward the familiar voice to see Rarity calling to her from atop the tower. "Come, let's have a chat!"

Fluttershy nodded vigorously, glad at not only having found a friendly face but at having found a distraction to keep her mind off of her wings, even if only for a few moments.

"That dress is absolutely stunning," Rarity commented as Fluttershy approached, "wherever did you get it?"

"O-oh, this?" Fluttershy grimaced. Her blissful ignorance was short-lived. "My mother gave it to me, it's from—"

"Manechester, yes. You look truly beautiful and most lady-like."

Fluttershy blushed at the compliment. It was one thing to hear it from nameless ponies, but a compliment from Rarity was a true testament to beauty. "Thank you, Commodore, but I do have to say—"

"Oh, please, darling," Rarity interrupted once again, "we are far beyond formalities. In fact, I find it hard to believe my eyes when I see you standing here after so many years."

As Rarity spoke Fluttershy's mind wandered back to her wings. There was an insatiable itch growing as she continued to fuss and fidget, attempting to find any form of comfort in her torturous outfit. "Uh-huh," she replied absent-mindedly.

"You truly have grown into quite the beautiful mare," Rarity continued, "not that I had any doubts, of course. And, being the governor's daughter, you're becoming the talk of the town." Rarity looked away toward the town behind them, her words growing heavier as she considered each one of them before speaking. "I find myself lucky to be able to call myself one of your close friends."

Fluttershy was now nearly ignoring her. Whether or not she liked to fly, she had quickly realized how utterly useless she felt without the ability at her command. She twisted and turned, now completely indifferent about what happened to her dress, as long as she freed her wings.

"Rarity," she sighed softly, "I think I—"

"I-I know," Rarity replied hastily, "I apologize if I seem to be a bit frank, but it's the truth."

Fluttershy could feel herself regaining control as she continued to twist and turn, though she failed to see the edge of the tower as she grew closer and closer. She gathered all her strength for one final kick, sending herself reeling backwards and over the edge of the tower. Unable to fly, Fluttershy could only scream as she felt gravity pull her to the sea below.

"Fluttershy?!" Rarity rushed to the edge and watched as Fluttershy collided with the water. Without hesitation she magically lifted her many accessories and dropped them to the ground, preparing to jump in after her.

A pegasus sailor grabbed her tail and yanked her back from the edge. "My apologies ma'am, but it's far too dangerous!"

"Well then you go down there," Rarity demanded, "We must save her!"

"Nopony can navigate those cliffs, the drafts are simply too strong where the warm land air meets the sea!"

"Then all of you, with me! To the docks!" The soldiers quickly formed ranks and followed as Rarity raced out of the fort.


Do these two ever shut up?! Rainbow Dash could feel her willpower draining with every passing second. These two were definitely good at what they did: If they didn't sell through showmanship, they battered their customers into desperation. Heck, she had actually considered purchasing the "Daring Dinghy" when they said it was a replica of Daring Do's own boat.

"Ah yes, you'll love this one—"

"—We guarantee it!" If only Rainbow had a bit for every time they said that.

A loud splash caught everypony's attention. The three of them rushed to the end of the dock as ripples spread across the waters beneath the fort. Up above they could see ponies standing near the edge, crying out after whoever had fallen.

"We've got to save her!" Flim cried.

"Agreed! Ready br—"

"No!" Rainbow commanded. "You two, stay here!" She wasn't going to let this chance slip away. "I'll go in after her, just hold this." She slipped her saddlebags off and dropped them at the brothers' feet. "And don't even think about taking anything."

"Please," Flam replied with a scoff, "we're salesponies, not swindlers!"

I'm not sure which one I'd prefer, Rainbow thought. Her wings flared out and she leapt into the air, soaring high before plunging straight into the water.

Beneath the waves Fluttershy floated slowly to the bottom of the bay, knocked out cold by the impact of the water. As she fell the string around her neck loosened slightly, allowing the party horn to slip out of her dress. It floated upwards against the water's weight, unwilling to accept a watery grave just yet.

With no witnesses present, the paper coil unfurled, letting loose a horrendous screech and sealing the fate of the entire town.


Howdy everypony! So no gamerscore rewards this time, although everybody had some very good guesses! I won't give too big a spoiler, but one of you actually guessed the roles correctly for the other pirates fic I have planned! Also, to anybody worried about Pinkie being Barbossa, never fear! Don't forget that I'm only interchanging important roles, not copying character styles! Pinkie will be the terror of the seas in ways only Pinkie could manage! So, can you guess who Mr. Brown's stand-in will be? A shiny shilling to all who guess correctly!