//------------------------------// // Plan B // Story: Rainbow Dash Around the World // by MagicS //------------------------------// The sound of several sets of hooves running over a wooden deck was like music to Godfrey’s ear. Frantic, fast-paced, panicked, it reminded him of dozens of raids and attacks he had led on merchant ships, trading vessels, and even royal liners. The yells that mixed together with the frenzied movements of ponies who realized just who it was that had attacked them as they prepared for battle. They ran for spears, they ran to alert their superior officers, they ran to ready the cannons, they ran for their lives. This time though, it was his own crew running over the deck of The Scourge towards his luxurious cabin. Sea Shanty didn’t knock this time either. Instead he opened up the door while panting, several other ponies behind him, and immediately began to speak. “Captain! We’ve found where they’re hiding!” “Gehahahaha!” Godfrey laughed in amusement and looked past his first mate at the other ponies who had come in with him. Briney and a few others, who mostly looked beat up and exhausted. Godfrey grinned and raised an eyebrow at them. “Did some ponies have a little fun on their search mission?” “Briney here got it into his dumb head to disobey orders and get in a fight. Now they know that we know where they are, they might be on the move already!” Sea Shanty said as he glared at Briney. “I just wanted to-” Briney started. “Shut up,” Godfrey interrupted. “I couldn’t care less. Just tell me where they are, there’s no way for them to actually escape from us. Even if they had a head start we’ll still be able to see them and catch up. After all, they can only be going west or south and there’s nothing for them to hide behind out there. They were probably planning on waiting until dark so they could slip away, but the storm and getting found out by you forces their hoof. We’ll get out of here right before the storm arrives too by the sound of it.” “If we’re going to be leaving now to attack their ship then what about our crewmates that are still out searching the other islands?” Sea Shanty asked. Godfrey shrugged, chuckling slightly. “They’re pretty unlucky, aren’t they? We can always get replacements. For ponies and boats.” “R-Right… I’ll inform the rest of the crew onboard that we’re going to be pulling up anchor and heading out immediately,” Sea Shanty nodded. “You do that,” Godfrey waved his talon dismissively and leveled Briney with a hard stare. “Now, Briney, where’s that little ship of theirs?” “It’s tucked away in an inlet on the southern shore of this island! I can lead you right to it, Boss!” Briney eagerly responded. “Uh huh… and the others who went with you. Can they lead me to Breakwater’s ship too?” Godfrey asked. Briney blinked and looked at the other confused and beaten up ponies behind him. “Uh… well… yeah. They were all there, they know how to get back and all I suppose.” “Thanks for letting me know, Briney.” Briney walked backwards along the plank in abject terror, a cannonball chained to one of his legs. “B-But, Captain! I only—I just wanted-” A single backhanded talon across the face sent him off the wooden plank, the cannonball falling right after him. He didn’t even have time to scream before he hit the water and the metal cannonball hit right after, dragging him down into the deep with a splash. Godfrey watched while standing on the plank, looking down at the bubbling water… until the bubbles disappeared entirely. With a smile he turned around and faced his watching crew. “Gentlecolts of The Scourge. I would sincerely like you to take the lesson you’ve just learned from your recently departed friend Briney to heart. I can tolerate stupidity sometimes. I can even tolerate disobeying orders if you think it’s for the best. But what I can’t tolerate is incompetence. So please remember, if you’re thinking about doing something stupid, at least make sure to do a good job of it. Otherwise there’s no place for you on my crew. Understood?” A chorus of fearful “Yes Captain!”s rang out across the deck of The Scourge, eliciting another amused laugh from Godfrey. “Alright! Then let’s get back on the hunt!” He walked back onto deck and his eyes wandered over to the group that had gone with Briney. “Hmmm...” He scratched his beak and pointed at the one wearing an eyepatch. “You—you’re the new chief of the gun deck, got it?” The pony’s eye lit up and he happily saluted. “Yes, Captain!” “Heh, enough about that. For now you’re the navigator.” “Hey, Gilbert? Can I ask you a question?” “Of course, Rainbow Dash! It’s no bother at all. What’s on your mind?” “Why is your brother such a jerk?” “Oh… if only I knew.” “Excuse me? Can you two clowns try and take this a little more seriously? We’re about to set sail!” Daylight Gleam said, stomping her hoof on the deck in annoyance. “Sorry,” Rainbow said and got up from where she was lying down. She glanced at the sky to the east—the darkness from the approaching storm now visible. “Just getting a moment of rest since things might get a little… testy soon.” “I was gathering my thoughts as well. The idea of seeing my brother again so soon gives me shivers,” Gilbert shuddered for emphasis. “Me as well,” Senax said. “Well if we’re lucky we won’t be seeing him,” Daylight said, looking to Rainbow Dash. “That is if everything goes as planned.” “Are you confident in yourself? That’s the key thing here,” Rainbow asked her. Daylight frowned and looked up at her own horn, pushing a little magic into it to get that familiar powdery blue glow. “Seventy-five percent.” She then grinned at Rainbow Dash. “That’s an improvement actually, since I’m usually not optimistic about anything going well.” “Glad I’ve been able to make you a more positive pony with my presence,” Rainbow grinned. “And hopefully you can keep all of us as “still living” ponies too,” Breakwater said as he slid down the mast. “Sail’s good. Storm’s right on time. Time to pull up the anchor and get out of here. Or get blown up by Godfrey. Whichever.” “I promise that won’t happen,” Rainbow said. “Everything else is stored and taken care of, we really need to move now and get out to the open ocean,” Senax said. Breakwater shook his head. “This is an awful risk… but I guess we don’t have a better choice right now. Rainbow? Gilbert? Help me pull up the anchor.” “And I’ll get ready—I’m going to need to concentrate a lot, my head still hurts,” Daylight said as she moved to sit down in the middle of the ship, right by the mast. “I’ll make sure to get you any water or food you need,” Senax said. “It shouldn’t be as bad as the other spell, but thank you.” “So let’s move and finally show one up on Godfrey!” Rainbow Dash shouted and went to join Gilbert and Breakwater to bring up the anchor. Thunder from the storm roared overhead at the same time the heavy anchor landed back on the deck. Above them, dark clouds and flashes of lightning were now far more readily visible than ever, the sounds of wild biting winds and downpours of rain accompanied them as well. They were cutting it close, intentionally so. Breakwater made his way to the helm now and turned the ship to face their way back out of this pool that had been their haven. Rainbow Dash and Gilbert then joined together to blow some wind into the sail so they could push their way against the current and get back to the open ocean. The Heart of Azure slowly lurched forward and passed through the smooth cliffs around the water passage. Senax bit her lip in worry as they went, while Daylight concentrated and Breakwater frowned, only thinking about what he had to do as the Captain of the ship. Lead everyone to safety. “This is so risky… it’s not going to work if we’re too slow and Godfrey can see us before-” Senax started. “Relax, Senax. We’ve got this,” Rainbow grinned down at her. “Just trust me.” “You’ve certainly helped us out a couple of times already...” “I trust in Rainbow Dash,” Gilbert smiled. “That is not entirely reassuring.” “Look, could you all just pay attention to your own business right now?” Breakwater said. “We’ve still got some space to make and I don’t want to accidentally bump us into some rock or reef out there.” “I also recommend quiet,” Daylight said, her eyes shut tightly. The Heart of Azure made its way slowly back out the way it had come in just yesterday, going past rocks, past the walls of the broken beach, and out to the initial inlet where they could see the deep blue ocean from in the distance. The fact that there wasn’t a huge galleon with black sails sitting out there waiting for them was already a good sign. Still with Rainbow Dash and Gilbert blowing wind into its sail, the Heart of Azure now moved out to the coast, into the bight and the shallow waters that surrounded the Three Spears. Rainbow Dash stared into the wide open ocean, no place to run or hide out there if things didn’t go well. But she could now more plainly see the storm for the east bearing down on them, and that would be all the cover they needed. She had to assume The Scourge was close to reaching them though—she wasn’t going to be stupid and hope that Godfrey was slow on the uptake. There was absolutely no time to waste. She looked off the starboard side of the ship to the western side of this southernmost island. The plan hinged on Godfrey coming from the same direction they initially did—she was gambling that he would. It was the closest to where they had been hidden, and the storm was coming from the east, he had to come from the west. With open water reached there was no longer a need for Rainbow and Gilbert’s flapping. The current now would carry them out and then they’d be on their way. So the two of them nodded to each other and dropped down to the deck. Rainbow Dash moved over to Daylight as soon as they made it out of the reaches of the bight and tapped her on the shoulder. “Okay, you’re up.” Daylight took a deep breath and nodded, opening up her eyes and standing up. “I would’ve like another full day of rest.” “How’s your head?” Rainbow asked as she looked at the scar, the stitches still in. “Hurts a bit. It’s fine.” “Good luck, Daylight. Don’t push yourself again,” Senax said. “We wouldn’t want you knocked out again, you shouldn’t have to use so much power this time,” Gilbert said. “I’ll do what needs to be done,” Daylight said and took another few calming breaths. “Just give me a moment.” She walked over to the starboard side of the boat and concentrated, staring intently at a certain spot around the island. The others watched as her horn lit up with its powder blue aura and Daylight began to strain. A frown settled across her face and sweat already coalesced on her forehead. Rainbow had to imagine that if it wasn’t for her injury or the massive and complex camouflage spell she had done yesterday that she wouldn’t be having so much trouble right now. Yet she was still doing her best for them right now, cause they needed her. The powder blue magic glowed brightly and Daylight Gleam grunted while her legs shook. She sucked in another deep breath as the glow from her horn reached its apex before it finally dimmed and disappeared. Daylight exhaled and closed her eyes, her entire body relaxing. “There. It’s done. Don’t expect anything more than raw magic blasts at best from me for the next day or two,” the unicorn said as she practically slumped against Senax. “All good,” Rainbow Dash grinned and lightly bumped her elbow against Daylight. “If this goes like it should then there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Let’s go and get back on the open ocean!” “I’m the Captain, Rainbow Dash. It’s my ship, remember?” Breakwater said from the helm. “That being said… we really couldn’t be leaving a moment sooner.” All of them looked to the east to see that the black clouds of the storm had already reached the edges of the Three Spears. Lightning crackled in the clouds and Rainbow Dash saw how violent the waters directly underneath them were. But it wasn’t something they needed to worry about anymore. Rainbow Dash could already see that they were getting away from it, in just a few minutes of sailing from the Three Spears they’d be completely out of its path. So as long as their escape from Godfrey went well, their escape from the storm was assured as well. “E-Everyone! Behind us!” Gilbert suddenly shouted, pointing past the aft of the boat. Breakwater turned his head, Rainbow Dash flew up, and Senax and Daylight looked over the side of the ship. The Scourge was rounding the southern island, hugging close to the rocky edge and beaches. It was coming right at them and soon would have them dead in the sights of its forward-facing cannons. But that didn’t frighten Rainbow Dash at all. In fact she only grinned—because it was sailing right where she wanted it to. Godfrey stood at the bow of his ship with his temporary navigator/gun deck officer by his side. They had just rounded the island and were close to emerging into the ocean south of it. Somewhat surprising to Godfrey, his prey hadn’t stayed still and waited for dark or the storm to try and leave. They were already plainly out there on the open ocean, easy for him and his crew to see. “I suppose they didn’t want to get trapped, but now you’re just doomed for a different reason,” Godfrey grinned as he saw them. He chuckled and turned to his new officer. “Guess I don’t need you up here anymore. So get down below and get the long guns ready. We’ll blow them right out of the water.” “Uh, yes sir!” The eyepatch pony saluted. His one eye then glanced off the bow down at the water below, and a confused look settled on his face. Godfrey noticed it and raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s the matter with you? Get down to the gun deck.” “It’s just… when we came out earlier in the longboat with Briney I could’ve sworn we had to paddle around a big sand bar right around here,” he said. Godfrey’s golden eyes blinked and he looked down at the water right in front of his ship. To his sharp eyes the air shimmered and wavered ever so slightly in an unnatural way. His talons clenched and dug in deeply to the railing, swiftly he turned his head around with a distressed look on his face and shouted to his helmspony. “TURN, TURN! STARBOARD, STARBOARD!” The helmspony was startled—caught off guard—but he quickly obeyed the order from his Captain and swung the ship’s wheel to the right. But The Scourge was a large ship and it took time for the vessel to make any big changes. It had only just started leaning to starboard when the bow stem crashed into something. The entire huge galleon lurched and many of the ponies onboard were thrown to the deck, some falling from the masts and others close by the railings even being tossed overboard. Belowdecks was similarly nothing but chaos as every pirate and cabin pony working had no idea what had just happened. Boxes, crates, barrels, cannons and cannonballs not properly secured, they all went sprawling everywhere. With a heavy creak The Scourge came to a stop, tilted at an angle, stuck on something below its wide body. Godfrey clenched his beak tightly shut in anger and looked over the bow, seeing a large sandbar right below them that The Scourge had been tricked into running aground on. He looked south to see the Heart of Azure still sailing almost directly ahead, but then another look to the tilted position of his ship told him that the long guns weren’t going to be able to fire at them. The angle just wasn’t right. And each passing second his prey was getting farther and farther away… Thunder blasted overhead and Godfrey looked up to see the large storm had practically made it completely to the Three Spears. For a moment all he did was look up at the dark clouds. “Heh… hehehe… hahahaha!” Godfrey started laughing loudly, much to the confusion and fear of his crew. A great smile spread across his beak and he looked back down to stare at the ship sailing off into the distance. He brought his talons together and started to slowly clap. “Well done… well done. But it’s not over yet.” “It worked! It seriously worked! They didn’t see the sandbar at all until they hit it!” Rainbow Dash cheered as she hovered above the Heart of Azure, her eyes squinting as she watched what happened to The Scourge. “The ship’s all tilted and messed up, by the time they get it right I bet the storm will be right over them!” “A simple mirage to hide a sandbar… my brother must be furious,” Gilbert smirked. “Forget him! We’re in the clear now, good job, Daylight!” Rainbow said to the unicorn, dropping down to join everyone else on the back of the boat. “I’m just glad it actually worked...” Daylight shook her head. “I think… I think I’m going to get something to eat. I need to calm my nerves,” Senax said. “Does anyone else want to eat?” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Oh yeah, I could go for some food. We can make it a celebration. That good with you too, Captain?” Breakwater snorted but a grin was on his face anyways. “Yeah that sounds pretty good to be honest. We’ve got a lot to celebrate.” To the north now, Rainbow Dash took one last look, dark clouds full of thunder and lightning were now covering more than half of the Three Spears. Violent winds and waves were already turning the waters into a death trap for any ship caught unmoored in them. And The Scourge and Godfrey were stuck and unable to follow. Definitely something to celebrate.