//------------------------------// // Shiver My Timbers, Shiver My Soul // Story: Upon a Falling Feather // by ezra09 //------------------------------// Come young foals, don’t be afraid. Sit around my fire and watch the sunlight fade. Would you like Zecora to tell a story? Perhaps one of adventure, gold, and glory. It takes place in a world much like ours, a sister of Equestria, but with a new balance of powers. Great ships, made of wood and magic, ponies with stories most tragic. It starts with our heroine high above the ground, destiny within her grasp and trouble bound. It begins with a chase and one yearning to belong, and as these stories should, it begins with a song. Closer my children, listen together, hear of six friends upon a Falling Feather. ***** Shiver my timbers, shiver my soul, Pony with a heart as black as coal. Rarity stood on the main deck of the Falling Feather, wind caressing her mane as they sailed through the open sky. It felt wrong to be underdressed for such an important occasion, but sometimes propriety must give way to practicality. She wore a simple vest and belt. Her mane was tied back with a bandana and a cutlass rested in its sheath. She sailed her ship across the wide sky blue, A bloodthirsty captain and her cut throat crew. It’s as dark a tale as ever was told, Of a lust for power and a love of gold. The large ship crested the clouds ahead of them. It was a cargo ship sailing from Canterlot to Baltimare. Aboard it was the one unicorn who could turn everything around. Shiver my timbers, shiver my sides, Hungers strong as the winds and tides. Those stallions drowned their sins in rum, Discord himself would have to call ‘em scum! Every pony on board would have killed his mate For a bag of bits or a piece of eight! The Falling Feather was one of the fastest ships in Equestrian air, though it lacked the arms of a larger ship. The cannons protruding from the side of the Golden Alicorn gleamed dangerously in the sunlight, and Rarity remembered again just how outmatched they were, especially with the Feather sailed by a skeleton crew. She tensed, ready to give the order to attack. Shiver my timbers, Shiver my bones, Secrets sleep with Old Derpy Jones. With the main sails set and the anchors weighed, There’s no turning back from any course that’s laid. And when greed and felony sail the sea, you can bet your hooves there’ll be treachery. “Pinkie Pie,” Rarity snapped. “For the love of Celestia, stop singing.” “Righty-o, Captain my captain,” Pinkie Pie said, snapping a hoof up in a quick salute. She wore similar attire, though also had a pair of flintlock pistols hanging low on her left. “So, are we ready to go, or did’ja want more time to brood?” Captain Rarity sniffed, turning her nose up. “A lady doesn’t brood. I was simply thinking.” She turned back to the front. The ship ahead of them had spotted the Falling Feather. Semaphore flags caught her eye as the Golden Alicorn tried to make contact. “Is our unicorn ready?” “Yup!” Pinkie giggled. “Fire a warning shot.” ***** “And then from Baltimare, we make our way into the neighboring Crystal Empire,” Twilight Sparkle concluded happily, straightening her simple dress with a quick flick of magic. Applejack’s head jerked, as though she’d been on the verge of falling asleep. With a yawn, she said, “Yeah. Ah know.” Twilight frowned. “Then why did you ask what we were doing?” “Ah meant, what are we doing out here by ourselves?” She turned a quick circle in the center of their room. True, they were alone for the moment, but they were hardly by themselves. “We aren’t alone. There’s got to be dozens of crew members. I mean—” Twilight was cut off by an orange hoof pressing her mouth closed. “Why are we being sent without any guards?” Comprehension dawned in Twilight’s eyes and she brushed the hoof away. “Why didn’t you just ask that? Between the griffon military movements in the south, and the exercises in the west, there weren’t resources to spare. It’s just a small diplomatic mission. The princess doesn’t expect any trouble. At least not more than we can handle on our own.” Something like thunder cracked in the distance. Moments later, the ship’s bell rang five times in rapid succession. Five seconds later, it repeated, and again five seconds after that. “What in tarnation?” “Three, four, five,” Twilight counted. “Applejack, that’s the signal to beat to quarters. There’s some kind of emergency! Come on. Let’s see if we can lend a hoof.” Twilight turned to run, but a sudden tug on her tail pulled her back onto her haunches. “No ya don’t. We were given very specific instructions for this.” “But if there’s some kind of emergency, shouldn’t we at least try to help?” Twilight asked, but faltered under her friend’s glare. “Sugarcube, Ah was told ta keep you safe, so that’s exactly what Ah’m gonna do. Now let’s git outta here.” Twilight reluctantly agreed and they left the room. Unlike a normal ship, skyships had no risk of sinking as long as their magical core was undamaged. Since they couldn’t flood, the center of the ship was often the safest area. At least it was best protected against cannonballs, shrapnel, or natural elements. A storeroom on the lowest level held just enough room for the two ponies. ***** “Oh look, they’re slowing down! Are they surrendering? I thought you said this wouldn’t be easy.” “No, Pinkie, they aren’t going to surrender,” Rarity said. “They’re coming about for a broadside. They mean to blast us out of the sky.” “Oooh. Well, it’s a good thing we have you as captain, ‘cause I totally thought they were going to stop and surrender. Then we could have taken them prisoner and thrown them parties! But you knew what they were going to do. You’re always so prepared. What did you do? Did you coat the ship in rubber? Are the cannon balls gonna bounce off? I wish I could see the looks on their faces when that happens.” “Actually no. If we take a broadside at this range, the only thing that’ll bounce is us when we hit the earth.” “Oh.” A small crinkle appeared on Pinkie's forehead. “You do have a plan, right?” “But of course, darling,” Rarity said. Smiling, she raised a hoof and called out, “Drop altitude. Trixie, now!” ***** The small ship had remained in range as the Golden Alicorn came about. The captain frowned at it. Its crew was clearly insane, first attacking a more heavily armed ship, and then not using their speed to stay out of harm’s way. The captain opened his mouth, ready to give the order to fire. Before he could, the Falling Feather disappeared. The captain stared, cigar falling from his slack jaw. ***** “That’s enough,” Rarity said. “Tell Trixie to dispel the illusion.” She watched the image of the Falling Feather sail for a moment longer, and then flicker out of being. A long count of three later, the Golden Alicorn’s cannons boomed. The projectiles sailed uselessly through the open air. With a victorious smile, she looked up at the hull of the massive ship floating directly above them. Skyships were a newer inventions. Too many captains had earned their experience at sea and saw the battlefield in two dimensions. ***** “Those were our cannons, Ah think,” Applejack said, ear pressed to the door. A long minute passed. “They aren’t firing again. The enemy must have ran. That or they sank ‘em right then and there. Ah think somepony’s coming!” The door swung open before Applejack could remove her weight. She gasped and fell forward. Twilight didn’t look up right away, still fuming in her corner. After a moment of silence though, she glanced at the empty doorway. “Applejack?” A pink blur dived into the room, bouncing off a wall and rushing Twilight without losing momentum. Her horn glowed in a panicked attempt to defend herself, but the pink something was just too fast. It hit her at the center of her mass and drove her into a wall. Her head impacted against the bulkhead, and stars flashed over her vision. Everything started to slide into darkness. The last thing she noticed was a giggle followed by off-key singing. Shiver my timbers, shiver my sails, Dead mares tell no tales.