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// 1. Marooned 
// Story: Coves of Courage 
// by Amethyst_Dawn 
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Applejack awoke with a start, hacking violently as her lungs and throat burned. Her blurry vision could barely make out the globs of sand, saliva and seawater spilling out of her throat onto the beach underneath her. Eventually her passages were clear enough to let her inhale a deep, sharply cold gulp of desperately needed air. And immediately after, her concerns were no longer of her own wellbeing. She could remember enough what happened before she blacked out to know that Rarity was also in danger. No sooner did the unconscious thought appear than she started looking for her friend.

Fortunately she didn't need to look far, though, as the distinct shape of the unicorn was curled up a few yards away on the beach. Even though the fog still lingered around them, heavily reducing visibility, Applejack liked to think she could easily recognize one of her oldest friends.

She raced over without a second of hesitation, and started checking Rarity for signs of life. She was breathing, and a quick glance showed Applejack that Rarity had already hacked up her own blockages. With the doubtlessly unpleasant addition of stray wads of seaweed, she noted. The poor mare had probably collapsed from exhaustion after the ordeal, since she wasn't entirely adapted to the roughness of a true wilderness.

Carefully, Applejack draped her comatose companion onto her back, and trekked away from the open ocean. Where there was land, there was probably shelter. But Applejack was no hopeful foal. She could still hear the ocean waves in the distance in front of her, that meant they were either on a small island or a sandbar. She felt that she would have remembered seeing either sort of formation on their journey out, which lead her to a single, unnerving conclusion.

They weren't in Equestria anymore.

How, why, or where, she didn't know. But her exploits as both an Element Bearer and member of the Council of Friendship left her with more than enough experience to know that strange things happen in the world. She reckoned that the fog probably contained some ongoing teleportation spell, or whatnot. A 'lingering thaumaturgical anomaly' as Twilight would have said. Applejack wasn't one to prefer fancy words when simple Ponish would easily suffice, but trying to imagine how her friend would explain it kept the back of her mind busy as she wandered across the island.

Her main focus was finding anything to use as shelter, and it took her all of five minutes to notice that there was more than just sand, shrubbery and palm trees on the island. She slowed her pace enough to get a better look at a few of the more unnatural shapes. Wooden debris, crates and barrels. Lots of them were scattered around the beaches. Not so much that it clogged the natural landscape of the island, but enough so there was always at least one within eyesight through the fog. It almost felt like the island was sculpted with the advent of shipwrecks and beached  flotsams in mind, so that the debris complimented the landscape instead of polluting it.

Applejack didn't have time to ponder this, however, as a flicker of light caused her head to turn. It was a brief, dull glow of firelight just in her right peripheral, and she was sure that she'd see it again if she was patient. Sure enough, the warm glint beckoned through the fog again, and she eagerly followed. Where there was fire, there was life. Where there was life, there was company. And by now, with the cold humidity sinking in to her bones, Applejack was more than ready to either make nice or trounce whatever waited for her at the fire.

Surprisingly, neither course of action was necessary. She didn't find a bonfire or campfire like she was expecting. Instead, a pair of torches aligned perfectly to make their flames seem larger than they were, each on their own side of a large cavern that looked like it was the result of two ocean-locked boulders leaning against each other. A quick perk through the opening revealed that it was less of a cavern, and more of a very thick stone gate that lead a large stream into the ocean. Still, any shelter was better than no shelter, and the fog was almost nonexistent inside, allowing Applejack to see a ready-made campfire and a pair of stools on a small ledge inside.

Carefully, the mare walked along the narrow path. Her steps minded the wet and slippery stone, her own wet coat and hooves, and the equally wet passenger on her back. Granted, she could easily see that the worst a fall would get her was a dunk in a deep stream, but she didn't want to risk having to drag an unconscious Rarity out of the seawater.

Thankfully, Applejack made it after only one precarious slip of a hoof, and gently dropped Rarity against the smooth stone floor. Another quick trek out and back in found Applejack prodding the campfire with one of the doorway's torches, praying that the wood was dry enough to light. To both her delight and confusion, a comfortably warm flame burst to life as soon as the torch hit it. She dropped her flanks onto one of the stools, staring blankly into the fire before a choked exhale burst out of her open mouth. Her mouth spread into a mirthful smile as the huff was followed up by a trickling stream of laughter. Genuine, giddy, stomach-deep laughter as she slapped her hindleg with a hoof.

Relief was washing over her like a beam of sunlight piercing the fog. They were going to make it through the night, and now she knew it for certain. She almost forgot to hope that whatever or whoever lived in here wouldn't mind company.


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It was four hours after Applejack's discovery when Rarity stirred, and another ten minutes until her eyes drifted open. She had been laid on a makeshift bed of fronds while she slept. Her mane and coat felt mildly sticky, as if they'd been left out to dry with a thin coating of dirt after a very ineffective bath. Her throat burned something awful, and she feared she hadn't drank anything all day.

"Here," her waking mind was snapped away from its meandering thoughts at the sound of Applejack's voice, her eyes focusing enough to see her friend holding out a mug of steaming liquid with a hoof. "Drink this, you'll be needin' it."

Rarity graciously accepted the offered beverage in her own hooves, and sat up so she could greedily drink it down. A few very unladylike slurps sounded out, but she found herself regarding that as uncharacteristically low on her list of priorities. The fluid tasted absolutely awful, but she doubted Applejack would give it to her if there were better options. She hazily looked around her surroundings, taking in everything she could before gathering her thoughts and meeting the gentle expression of her friend.

"This isn't quite the vacation I was promised, darling." She laughed hoarsely, prompting a sheepish chuckle from Applejack. "Still, the accomodations are more than acceptable."

"Ah'm sorry, Rare," Applejack scrubbed the back of her neck with a hoof, her tone spawning a frown on the unicorn's face. "Ah roped ya into a fishin' trip, and now we're out here and--"

"Honestly, Applejack!" Rarity snapped, cutting the farmer off and causing her to wince. "I know I can be a little dramatic at times, but even I wouldn't think to blame you for this! You've very obviously-" she patted her hoof on her bedding as emphasis "-gone above and beyond while I was out, that's leagues more than enough apology for any sort of… unforseen disaster!"

She turned a frustrated glare out to the ocean, which was still blanketed by the haze. "If anything, I should be apologizing for being a burden. Clearly you've been quite busy while I caught up on my beauty sleep."

It was Applejack's turn to level an indignant glare. She opened her mouth to speak her mind, but a raised hoof from Rarity silenced her. "I know, darling. I'm being too hard on myself, but so are you. And if you're allowed to wallow in self-pity, then so am I."

With her piece said, Rarity shakily rose to her hooves. Her legs wobbled slightly as they remembered the sensation of proper blood flow. It was only a few seconds before she felt confident enough to stretch, and she grunted as several loud pops sounded from along her spine, causing Applejack to chuckle.

Rarity gave the farmer a look of feigned indignity as she straightened up, but the tense air had been broken. In spite of her efforts, she couldn't hide the graceful smile that spread across her features as she turned, and trotted towards the water. A brief, hesitant utterance from Applejack told her that she wasn't going to enjoy what came next, but it was something she needed to see.

Sure enough, as she peered over the edge of the smooth stone outcrop into the water a few feet below, she saw her own reflection. Her delicately cared for mane was in shambles. Her matted locks were clinging heavily to her head and neck, mired with seaweed and sand, and a quick adjustment showed her tail in a similar state. It was horrid, criminal, and an abomination against everything she stood for. Her pupils shrank as she drank in the overwhelming amount of tangles and nets she'd need to comb out, and a rush of unbridled anguish ran through her.

Applejack flinched heavily as Rarity belted out a shrill scream that bounced off the cavern walls and rippled the water running through it. If the creature that set up this camp was still on this island, there was no way they didn't know they had guests now. There was a distant sound of a rattling hiss, and something bursting out of the sand. Claws scraped against damp stones, and tore their way through dense foliage towards them. All this Applejack could hear just under Rarity's retching sobs, and the stoic drive for survival slowly enveloped her again. She kept her eyes on the thinning fog, and stepped up.

"Rarity…" her firm tone was cautious, just below a shout. Rarity threw a good up dramatically and opened her mouth to protest, but the look in Applejack's eyes shut it down. Then, she noticed the clattering sound steadily approaching them from the inner island, soon followed by the sloshing of something running through water. Rarity bolted upright, and stared out into the fog in a panic.

Soon enough, they saw the figure approaching. The thing shuffled on two legs like a minotaur, but lacked any of the bulk. It was thin and broken, ragged fabrics that could have been clothes at one point dropping in tatters around it. It resembled a timberwolf, but only in that it looked like a pile of sticks held together by a magical willpower. As it drew closer they could make out deep sockets where eyes would have been, and a time-stained white coloration.

It was a dead thing. The hideous reanimated bones of some creature Equestria never knew before. It gargled and hissed as it fumbled in their direction despite lacking any vocal chords or organs at all. It reached out with both arms the closer it got, both its speed and its chattering making its intentions all too clear.

Both ponies leaped into action before there was time to think. As soon as the intruder stepped a clawed foot onto their stony outcrop, Rarity seized its other leg and tripped it. It fell face-first against the stone in a heap with a crash of bone against rock, more than a few of its ribs snapping at the impact. It lifted its head to screech at Rarity, only for the skull to be shattered like glass by a strong kick from Applejack. Dust and bone fragments scattered everywhere, and the rest of the abomination fell limp. Applejack gave another kick, sending the dead creature into the water.

"Well, that's just lovely!" Rarity growled, kicking away a tooth with a petrified shudder. "Marooned on an island with no spa or bath in sight, trapped in the fog, and now we have to worry about dead things crawling at us! Could this get any more interesting?"

"On the bright side," Applejack offered, jovially gesturing to the mouth of the cave. "If there's more of 'em, they only got one way in, and we got two ways out!" She paused for a moment, and allowed her face to fall into a frown as her cheeks went green. Realization of what they'd just done flared in her mind. Rarity gave her a pleading look that said her mind was processing the same reality. Her voice was thin and trembling as she took a hesitant step forward.

"That thing… it was attacking, right? We… we were defending ourselves… right?"

Applejack nodded slowly, and looked towards the place she'd kicked the body. The rush of adrenaline faded away slowly, and left her feeling cold in a way their fire couldn't help. Eventually she spoke, a firmly gentle assurance.

"We did the right thing," her eyes softened as she turned back to Rarity, "doesn't mean we gotta feel good about it."


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It was nearing midnight when Rarity saw the lights out in the ocean. The fog had thinned enough for her to see the stars without craning her neck out of the cave, and the Sea itself was calm enough to barely made a sound. Only the wind was daring enough to make a sound as it whistled through the cave and danced across her face.

She had long since convinced Applejack that her 'beauty sleep' would let her stay awake enough to keep watch through the night. It didn't take nearly as much persuasion as she was used to with the stubborn worker, and that only proved to be an example of how truly knackered the poor pony was. Now, while her dear friend slept as soundly as possible on their makeshift bed, Rarity had her eyes locked on a set of pink lights on the horizon.

They were above the water, though by how much she couldn't say. The vague idea of monsters who used colored lights as lures haunted the back of her mind, though the way the lights flickered and twinkled reminded her too much of lanterns to seriously entertain the notion. What's more, they were steadily drawing closer. They at first appeared as nothing more than a glimmer through the mist that could be dismissed as a trick of the eyes. Then, as the minutes dragged on, they became a steady glow. If she squinted, Rarity would swear she could see a distinctly shaped patch of darkness linking the lights together, though the fog still wouldn't let her see anything more.

With a heavy sigh, she turned back into the cave and sat by the fire. Applejack had scrounged up a few supplies from the barrels around the island while she was still awake, and though roasted mangoes wasn't an ideal supper, Rarity was far past complaining about the smaller inconveniences of their situation. She floated one of the dried fruits up to her mouth, and took a firm bite. It crunched and snapped in her mouth, spraying the hot juices that still remained against her tongue like a spitting viper. She winced, but didn't react any further as she chewed the sweet fruit.

Her eyes drifted down to Applejack's sleeping form, and she swallowed. Applejack had been so excited after she bought the new boat. She had insisted on taking Rarity out with her, and seemed almost desperate to have a cruise go well after their last attempt years ago. Pity and empathy gripped at Rarity's heart as she remembered the eagerness in her friend's eyes as she showed off the new yacht, explaining intricate details about the model and technology that Rarity wished she'd retained. It was like watching a child who'd gotten their cutie mark all over again, the way Applejack leapt from place to place, pointing here and there. Now, they had shipwrecked again. Only this time the water wasn't shallow enough to wade back home. They were lost at sea, with no way home.

Suddenly, the melodic wails of a distant string instrument caught her ear, and pulled her from her thoughts. It was an upbeat, cheerful tune that echoed out from the ocean and bounced through the cave. She realized that the sound had snuck up on her while she was lost in her thoughts, and it wasn't alone. There were voices! Clear, joyous voices singing to the music, as if there was a small band performing on the waves. There were ponies on these waters! Rarity leapt up with a joyful shout and raced to the ocean-side mouth of the cavern. Ponies, griffins, she'd even be grateful for a pack of diamond dogs! She leaped out of the opening and onto the beach below, mouth open wide to call out for her saviours… only to freeze in her tracks the moment the source of the music made itself known.

It was a ship. A massive, triple-masted wooden ship that towered over the beach as it crawled along beside it. Two lanterns stood upright on either side of the bow, and a third rose above the highest point of the stern; each glowing a gentle, pink light. The lights illuminated enough for Rarity to see motion on deck, but the shapes that moved to and fro hardly resembled any creature she knew. She almost mistook them for Ornithians due to a similar fashion sense to the air-faring crew she encountered after the Storm King's attack, but even in the dim light from the lanterns she could tell they were featherless.

Her heart stopped when three of the creatures emerged from behind their vessel on a large rowboat. One of them stood himself on the bow, and was holding up a lantern in his paw that illuminated himself and his fellows all too clearly. These creatures were flat-faced, near-hairless things that balanced effortlessly on two legs. They were easily as tall as a minotaur, but stood on flat feet similar in shape to a duck's that they covered with what looked like leather boots. Their lookout wore a thick, well-groomed brown mustache that stuck out from his pale face, and his uncovered mane was a combed towards the back of his head in a slick cap. The style of his apparel and the gleaming cutlass sheathed boldly at his him informed Rarity if everything else she needed to know. These creatures were not only without a doubt the same sort as the dry bones that attacked her earlier, and their occupation was frighteningly clear.

Rarity was pulled violently out of her shock by a shout from the lookout, and she felt her blood run cold as she realized he was pointing directly at her. Before she could think, she found herself running with a frightened scream back to the cavern. She needed to warn Applejack, and fast. Far behind her she heard the splashing of one of the creatures leaping into the water, and the grinding of wood against sand as the rowboat beached. She sprang up towards the ledge in a jump that surprised herself, and fell in a tumbling heap against the stone floor.

There she found Applejack staring back at her with a look of fright and confusion. She'd clearly been woken with a start at Rarity's scream, and was trying to sort out what was happening as her brain tried to shoo away the muddled thoughts of a sleeping mind. She pressed a hoof against her temple, shook the weariness out of her ears, and blinked at the panicked seamstress.

"What the hay's goin' on?!" Applejack managed a shout while she rose to her hooves. Immediately afterwards, she wished she hadn't asked. As if as an answer, she saw the lantern-weilding creature leap up onto the stone platform behind Rarity with a graceful ease, and hold up the lamp to stare with beady eyes between the pair of ponies.

"Pirates!" Rarity was in a fit, her heart thundering against her chest as she dove towards Applejack. She couldn't decide if she should cower behind her more capable friend or stand between the sleepier mare and the danger, settling on facing the buccaneer shoulder-to-shoulder. Seeing the ocean-side passage blocked by the pirate, the ponies turned to flee inland. Their dash ended the same second it began once they found that route blocked by the other two; a darker-skinned rotund beast flanked by a more muscle-built example of their species, each held their swords at the ready.

The friends gave out a frightened yelp, and backed towards the stone wall. Rarity was shaking heavily enough that her limp mane flicked around like a nest of snakes, and Applejack quickly stepped protectively in front of her. The farmer's eyes were glaring daggers at the trio that closed around them, while the designer's eyes were wide with panic.

The pirates came to a stop once the mares were backed against the wall, as if waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. Like a pack of wolves encircling their prey. Suddenly, the lantern-bearer held his arm out cautiously, holding his paw open in a display that almost looked like it was meant to placate the ponies. In his other paw, he made a motion towards his companions with three of his digits. His fellows quickly stepped back, and put their swords away.

"Easy now," The lantern-bearer's hoarse voice came out just above a whisper while he crouched, and his movements were slow and deliberate. "We ain't gonna hurt'cha, ponies. We're sorry for scarin' ya."

Applejack eyed him warily as he set the lantern down, and held up both paws in the same gesture. She didn't trust this creature as far as she could likely buck him, but he wasn't attacking and his crew only watched on with passive interest. It looked like he was making sure she saw everything he did. Eventually, he'd say himself on his haunches, and reached a paw out towards the ponies. The offered shake was accompanied with a kind smile, and his eyes showed no hostility. Slowly, she reached out, and shook his paw with her hoof.

"I'm Nine-Pace Nathan, First Mate of the Damned Hydra." He stated politely, standing to his full height as he released Applejack's hoof. "Welcome, little ponies, to the Sea of Thieves!"