Early morning at the Storm household was surprisingly loud, considering that the thief and resident chatterbox had already gone out. Of course, rather than the constant stream of sarcasm and babbling he provided, the loudness that morning came in one singular moment.
That moment was Iron Will falling out of bed.
A loud thud echoed throughout the house, shaking the few remaining window panes and causing any item of furniture that was not nailed down to shake around like it had just gone through a very small earthquake. This also had the effect of alerting Summer, who had managed to wake up and get herself ready for the day, that her remaining companion was awake and would at any moment fall down the stairs and into the kitchen.
Moments later there was a series of thuds similar to the earlier one, followed by some quite colourful cursing before a rather bruised Iron Will stumbled into the kitchen. His eyes were bleary and he looked so dead that, should a zombie apocalypse suddenly happen, he could quite easily pass as one of their number. Luckily, Summer knew exactly how to handle someone who was in such a state, thanks to her excessive guard training and having to deal with new recruits every morning.
She levitated a glass of water over to him and emptied it onto his face.
The now bruised and soggy minotaur stared at her blankly for a second before blinking a couple of times.
“Thanks,” he said, shaking his head to dry it slightly, “I needed that.”
“No problem.” Summer replied sweetly before levitating two plates full of crackers over to the table.
“Where’s Ace? Still in bed?” Iron asked as he took a seat.
“I think he’s already gone out, probably gone to see the town.”
“That poor town.” Iron murmured, getting a light giggle out of Summer.
They ate their unsubstantial breakfast whilst making light conversation, Iron asking about Summer’s childhood being raised by a legend like Swift whilst Summer questioned him about some of the adventures he’d had during his monster hunting days. She seemed particularly enthralled by his recounting of one time when he had been asked to drive a rock troll away from a border town.
“I wish I’d had you along for that particular outing,” He said, surprising Summer, “Not much can get through a rock troll’s skin and your magic is some of the strongest I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness. You would have had that troll running for the hills before he could even say ‘duh?’”
Summer bowed her head at this, feeling her cheeks heating up from the complement. “Oh, I’m sure you didn’t need me along. You’re more than capable of driving off one dumb rock troll.”
“One troll maybe,” Iron laughed, “my main problem was when the rest of his family showed up. I had to get assistance from the ponies I was supposed to be protecting in the end, though that was after a lot of frustration and bruises.”
“That must have been a blow to your pride.” Summer observed.
“Aye, it was a long time ago and I think I’ve learnt a lot since then. Mainly, don't try to headbutt rock trolls. We minotaurs may be renowned for our hard heads but when it comes to thickheadedness, trolls have us beat every day of the week.”
“You didn’t think that you should probably attack it from a distance?”
“Well yeah, that seems obvious now, but at the time I was young and rather reckless. Oh, and I’d just gotten myself a shiny new battle axe and didn’t want it to go to waste.” Iron explained, earning a flat look from Summer. “What? It was a really shiny battle axe.”
“Boys and their toys.” She said with a small shake of her head, before levitating their plates over to the sink.
Iron couldn’t help but notice how that caused her mane to move and shake, each individual strand reflecting the light and making it appear almost as though she had a halo. So mesmerized was he that he didn’t notice Summer sending her own sneaky glance over at him through a mirror on the wall, admiring the strong muscles in his biceps. They both hurriedly looked away, fearing that the other might notice at any moment.
“Hey Summer,” Iron spoke up, his voice lacking its usual confidence, “I was wondering if you might want to...maybe...”
“Yes?” She prompted eagerly.
“Erm...maybe you and I should go and...”
“Yes?” She said again, leaning forward slightly.
“Maybe...go and see your father again today?” Iron finished, looking away and silently cursing himself under his breath for his sudden cowardice.
Summer also looked away, though for her it was to hide the disappointment in her eyes. She quickly mustered herself though and turned back with a bright, if a bit fake, smile. “That sounds like a great idea. Don’t want the old stallion to be getting lonely now do we? He seemed quite interested in you as well you know?”
“Really? I’m not sure why. He’s the one whose lead the really interesting life...”
The two continued to chat as they set out to the hospital, their awkward conversation veering violently away from anything related to the two of them. They both had a lot on their minds, so it was small wonder that they didn’t consider what their reckless friend had managed to get himself into.
I awoke to find myself chained to a chair. That in itself was a jarring enough realisation that it made me want to close my eyes and go back into what must have been unconsciousness. However, through my slightly blurry vision, I noticed the colourful forms of some ponies standing before me. Considering they were the most likely the culprits of my current incarceration, I wasn’t too reassured by the presence of this planet’s pastel coloured inhabitants.
“My my, look who's finally decided to join us.” The middle blur said in a voice that was way too gentle. “I’ve been waiting eagerly for you.”
I shook my head slightly to try to clear it before attempting an articulate and witty response. “Gluh?” I asserted. “Flargle blah!”
Fucking nailed it!
My response drew some rather confused glances from the pony in front of me, who was slowly coming into focus. The image of three ponies slowly faded and melded together, until I was just looking at one.
“Aw damn, did we give him brain damage or something?” The mare said, “Although, come to think of it, he might have already had a couple of screws loose. Not the wisest decision to go following pirates into warehouses now was it? You think a little enchantment like the one on your coat can get past me? I’ve got more ponies trying to kill me than I can even count. Eventually, you develop a sixth sense for this kind of stuff.”
I moved my mouth around and flapped my tongue, trying to discover the source of my inarticulation. “Nahl? Nath? Nah? No...no, I suppose it wasn’t.” I said, managing to regain my vocal abilities.
Thank god for that. For a moment there I thought the world would be deprived of my combination of sharp wit and a voice that is like melted chocolate being poured into your ears, which would be a terrible tragedy.
I’ll just keep telling myself that.
I got my first good look at the mare then, considering she was no longer wearing her cloak. Other than her scarred face, she could probably pass as any regular pony on the street. Well, she would be able to so long as no one looked at her flank of tried to see her cutie mark. Rather than the mark a trade or a hobby that most ponies carried with them, this mare’s flank was a much more shocking sight. Where her cutie mark should be there was instead a horrid mess of scar tissue and barely healed cuts, criss-crossing each other like a macabre game of tic-tac-toe. The mark underneath was indiscernible. Whatever it had once been, it was now just a splash of colour that had been chopped up by slices and scars.
“Oh good you’re talking again.” The mare said before walking over to a nearby table and grabbing a weird looking metal bracelet from it. She dropped it onto the floor before carefully placing one of her forehooves inside, causing it to snap securely onto her limb with a click. I watched, confused, as she strutted over to me and raised the bracelet before my face. My confusion turned to horror as a blade leapt out of the bracelet, seeming to grow from the metal, before stopping just short of my eye. “Let’s see if we can have you screaming by the end of this.” She said, the sweetness in her voice violently at odds with the amount of sadistic joy in her eyes.
“Wait! If this is an interrogation then shouldn’t you be asking some questions before you start hurting me?” I asked, desperate to buy more time. I had managed to locate the lock on the chains and, whilst it didn’t seem that difficult to get past, the fact that my arms were restrained and I had no tools was a bit of a hindrance.
The mare had cocked her head, seemingly confused at my question. “Why would I want to interrogate you? I already know who you’re working with, that minotaur and the pretty little unicorn. Oh, they are going to be fun when they get here! Maybe I could have you all facing each other, so that you can see what the other is suffering through!” She practically purred at sick fantasies she was creating. “Besides,” she went on, “questions would just ruin the atmosphere of a pure, honest torturing session. I want your mouth entirely reserved for screaming.”
“Er...that’s nice, I guess. Not many mares are into the more kinky stuff. It’s good to see someone who is so...expressive with what they want.” I quipped, my eyes managing to find my belongings over on another table. “But what about that Gang Plank fellow? Surely he would want a piece of the action here.”
For a moment I thought I’d actually gotten through to the mare. She pulled back, stunned, before suddenly breaking into laughter. Her laugh, strangely enough, was as gentle and beautiful as her voice. I wish her personality was a bit more like that. “Gang Plank!? Ha! The name Gang Plank is just that; a name. He’s an invention, a fabrication that I needed to use when dealing with some of the more idiot pirate captains under my command.” She paused in thought, tapping the blade against my chest as she sat in my lap. “I mean, imagine if somepony like Thick Skull knew that he was actually being ruled over by a pink mare called Vibrant Melody. I’d have rebellions springing up all over the place. No, the image of the notorious Captain Gang Plank will have to stay in place, for now at least. Now then, back to the fun.” She began to raise the blade towards my face again.
“Don’t you want to know who I am?! What I am! What I can do?” I shouted. I was almost through this damn lock, just another minute and I’d be free.
“Oh hush now dear, you’re spoiling the moment. I think I’ll start with the eyes. Ponies, and presumably whatever you are, really treasure their eyes. In my experience, the loss of their eyesight is the thing they morn the most.” She let out another purr. “Well, they morn it for a while...until I start getting creative.”
As the blade started to approach my right eye, with me squirming back as far as possible to escape it, there was a sudden clattering sound from outside the door, followed by a large, scarred pegasus bursting in. “Ma’am! I bring news!”
“What?!” She screamed back. “Why are you interrupting me during one of my sessions?!”
“M-my apologies ma’am.” He said, bowing deeply before her. “But we’ve found him. After he was taken from Thick Skull’s ship he was checked into Manehatten General Hospital. We have a team getting ready now.”
The mare hopped off my lap, her blade returning smoothly into the bracelet. “Well done. I shall go and oversee it personally.” She turned to face me, her attempt to give me a sweet little smile was ruined by the horrible scar that twisted her face. “Then, once I have Swift Storm, I only need to hunt down the rest of your little group and we can have a nice little reunion. With knives! And a lot of blood!” She turned back to the bowing stallion, who shook slightly under her gaze. “Watch him. He better be exactly as he is now when I get back or you’ll be chained up next to him, got that?”
Whirling round suddenly, she stomped across the room and stopped just in front of me, the look of sadistic, almost childlike joy that she had worn this entire time suddenly twisting into a look of irrational hatred and rage. “It’s the end for you, Wild Card.” She said, her voice changed losing its usual sweetness. The voice that came from her was still definitely feminine, but was darker and filled with malevolence. “You’re all out of luck.” She spat.
Vibrant Melody suddenly blinked, her face losing the look of incomprehensible rage that had temporarily filled it. She looked around, confused, before looking up at me and whipping her head round to stare at her guard. Seeing that we were both looking at her, her confusion evaporated to return to her usual far too cheery attitude. “Ta ta for now.” She said, raising one hoof and blowing me a small kiss. “I promise, you’ll get me all to yourself at some point, but for now you’re going to have to learn to share with your friends.”
Giving me one last cheery smile, she skipped merrily over to the table and threw her cloak on before leaving the room. The guard and I both stared after her, still slightly confused by her sudden change in personality.
Where the hell did that come from? And how did she know about the whole ‘Wild Card’ thing?
One thing was obvious, I wouldn’t be getting any answers whilst still chained to a chair. As my nimble fingers, assisted by the nail on my left pinkie finger that I had allowed to grow long enough that it could be used as a rudimentary lockpick, took apart the lock, I decided to chat a bit with the guard.
“So...how are you?” I asked with a nervous smile. “How’s work going for you?”
The guard responded with a stoic glare.
“That’s good, that’s good.” I continued. “I’ve been meaning to ask about the whole work thing. What makes a pony want to work for someone like her? I mean, between you and me, I think she might be a few cards short of a deck, if you know what I mean.”
Judging from how his stoic glare was now tinted with a slight hint of confusion, I don’t think he did know.
This guy has a really expressive glare as well.
“You know,” I said, attempting to explain it to him, “She’s a few sandwiches short of a picnic? She’s lost all her marbles? She needs a checkup from the neck-up? She’s converting to Scientology?”
I don’t think he was getting it, time to try something more blunt. “Here, move a little closer, I’ll try to explain it better.” To my surprise he actually complied, moving a bit closer and perking his ears up. “A bit closer.” He obliged, his confusion powering his curiosity. “Just a bit closer.” He craned his neck forwards to hear what I had to say.
Of course, that was the moment that I let the chains holding my arms in place drop to the floor, grabbing the chair I had just been restrained to and swinging it round right into his jaw. The stallion’s head shot up, his eyes rolling around, dazed. He barely managed to get them to focus on me before I brought the remains of the chair down onto the top of his head, knocking him unconscious.
“She’s mad.” I said, looking down at him. “I was trying to say that she’s mad.” I walked over to my gear, swiftly putting the belt around my waist and strapping the knife on. I checked its blade and groaned when I realised that it still had blood all over it, which had gunked up the sheath. Walking over to the unconscious stallion, I began to wipe the blade as best I could on his fur. “I hope you don’t take it too hard that I beat you, I’m sure you’re a brilliant guard most of the time. It’s just that you were no match for me in a game of rock paper scissors chair-to-the-face.” I paused in thought for a second. “To be fair though, not many people are.”
Leaving the guard to his sweet dreams of unconsciousness, I grabbed my coat and threw it on before leaving the room. After making sure that my knife and all my bags were secure, I began to sprint through the warehouse, bursting out the side door before continuing to bound down the street with maddened haste.
Hospital. Got to get to the hospital.