//------------------------------//
// Chapter Eight 
// Story: Traitors, Adventures, and Pirates 
// by Poppy green 
//------------------------------//

“Captain!” Came the yell from the deck at around noon on the second day.  

The captains turned his attention to down to the main deck. He was standing next standing next to Poppy when one of the crewponies came galloping from below deck. He was panicking as he came up to the captain screaming that the ship was sinking. The captain noticeably paled at the news. The captain turned to Poppy “You have the con Mrs. Poppy.” He said before following the crewpony below deck.  

A few minutes after the captain had left Poppy began to notice the ship starting to develop a lean to the portside.  

“Captain.” Poppy shouted from her position. She was not sure he would be able to hear her from below deck. After a minute it was not the captain that appeared but the doctor. “Mrs. Poppy.” He said. “The captain wants you to keep a starboard heading. He says that we are taking on water through a tear in the hull.”  

“Doctor, are we sinking?” Poppy asked as she began to feel panicked. 

“No, I don’t think so the captain has a plan to use the ships water resistant bandages to help plug the holes.” 

It was at this moment another shout was heard. “Ship off the starboard bow.” Came the cry from the crow's nest. The call could be heard throughout the ship and it was not long before the captain came galloping from back from below deck. The captain came up to the quarter deck where Poppy was already looking through her own spyglass. Following her gaze with his spy glass the captain looked on as a large sail became visible over the horizon.  

“Doctor head below deck and try to patch those holes. Mrs. Poppy make our course 20 degrees to starboard.” The captain ordered.  

Should we signal them captain asked the crewpony from the crow's nest. 

“No do nothing to attract their attention.” He called back up to the look out. 

The two ships closed the distance quickly. As they closed to within a mile Poppy was able to start making out the other ship in more details including the ships flag. The flag that came into view had red field with a hammer and sickle in gold. 

“Captain!” came the call from the look out. “It’s a Stalliongrad ship.” 

“What should we do captain?” Poppy asked.  


The captain's orders were fast as he shouted out orders to the crew. “Crewpony Cabin Boy head to the weapons deck and open the port holes. Mrs. Poppy, please go with him. I want all the starboard cannons pushed out.” 

Poppy relinquished the wheel to the captain before following Cabin Boy below deck. At this point the ship was listing heavily to the portside, but the tilt seemed to have slowed. While heading below deck Poppy and Cabin Boy ran into the doctor who was on his way up to see the captain, but he instead stopped to help the two move the cannons into place. When the last cannon had been pushed out its port hole the three made their way back to the main deck. 

Poppy once again took her place at the wheel. The Stalliongrad ship was now at near pointblank range and Poppy could now see that it had over one hundred guns on its three weapon decks.  Poppy knew that the Communists and the Empire were not enemies she still knew that if they noticed the damage to the Crystal Palace, they could use the chance to board them. This would be a diplomatic row that would be a black eye to the Empire. 

The captain had Poppy keep their damaged port side opposite the Communists. The ships slowly circled each other. The communist were the first to make contact with an officer grabbing a blow horn and yelling across the open space between the two ships. “Ahoy their Empire ship we are the Stalliongrad ship Siberia you appear to be listing do you need assistance?” He asked in fluid Equestrian. 

Captain Compass did not use a blow horn to amplify his voice instead lighting up his horn before he began to talk. “We are the Crystal Empire flag ship Crystal Palace. Thank you for your offer of assistance Siberia but we are fine and do not need assistance. Please keep your distance and do not attempt to board us.” There was a moment of silence between the two ships. Poppy waited for the other ships' answer, but none came instead the communists altered coarse and broke off from their circling. Poppy let out a breath as the Crystal Palace left the Siberia's gun range. They were all very lucky as things could have gone much worse. The rest of the voyage to Dear Hollow was mostly uneventful and before long the lookout called out that land had been spotted.