//------------------------------// // The Medallion Calls // Story: Over the Edge and Over Again // by Perpetual Motion //------------------------------// Over the Edge and Over Again: Chapter 14 The Medallion Calls The six ponies continued to follow their princess through the halls of Canterlot castle, leaving the banquet hall and the very un-ponylike pirate in their wake. It hardly seemed fair, making him wait on his own in a vast, empty room on his own. Even if he didn't seem like the kind of creature to get upset by such a thing. Then again, it probably only seemed unfair because whatever they were leaving to accomplish obviously involved him in some way; why else would Hector be denied access to it now, but possibly have the right at a later time? “Princess, what exactly is it you wanted to talk to us about?” Twilight finally spoke out, breaking the relative silence that had dominated the last few minutes of the walk. The celestial mare only smiled in response, briefly looking down at her student with a warm glow stretching over her muzzle. “I understand this is all rather unorthodox, but this is something I'm not sure I would like Captain Barbossa to know. At least, not quite yet. I don't think he has the most positive view on our society, and this may not make him any happier. If I can avoid it, I'd rather he left us with fonder memories instead of resentful ones.” “Is... there a problem with getting him home?” The others stared at Pinkie, rather surprised she of all ponies was the one to breach what could potentially turn out to be a sensitive topic. Celestia just shook her head at the mare. “On the contrary,” Celestia said with an upbeat tone, “As I said before, Luna believes she has found a way home for him. She's even completing some of the final preparations as we speak. But given the circumstances that brought us the good fortune to meet Captain Barbossa, we both thought it a suitable time inform you of certain truths surrounding his arrival.” Twilight raised her eyebrow. “Certain... truths?” she repeated as she flexed her shoulders, shifting her saddlebag around on her back until she was comfortable with it again. Not divulging anything more to the little ponies, Celestia kept herself silent, continuing down the stretching maze of corridors and halls until she came upon an old, purple set of double doors. While they had the same basic design and appearance to most other doors situated around the castle, this set also had the added charm of having some engravings carved into the door. Runes of varying styles and sizes decorated the rim, as did the odd simplistic carving of a pony depicted in what appeared to be a defensive stance. Time hadn't treated it as well as most other doors, however, as while it stood tall, it was weathered by the passing of time. Standing in front of the door beside their princess, the group waited for whatever it was they were meant to be waiting for, when the door began to slowly creak and screech itself open. Celestia still stood there, watching in concentration as the door opened further and further until it stood weak, yet proud, with both entranceways wide open. “I don't think I've even been down this end of the castle before, princess,” Twilight joked, peering through the doors in front of her. “That's because this area of the castle doesn't exist.” The others looked up to face Celestia, while Spike looked down from over the princess's shoulder and Twilight titled her head back, realising what her mentor had actually said. “What?” Spike muttered, trying not to scratch the princess as he climbed down her side and onto the floor at her hooves. “This area of the castle is locked away from the rest of the waking world. What we store here isn't necessarily meant to be seen by the general public. Blurring its location from reality seemed like the most appropriate solution at the time.” “So... it's, like, top secret?” asked Rainbow with a blooming smile, which was met by a brief chuckle from Celestia herself. “Not really, Rainbow Dash. Back when this room was chosen to store what we now keep inside, we had different beliefs about what said things actually were. If ponies were to find out in this day and age, it wouldn't be something we had to hide, but some things are better left forgotten.” Casually making her way through the doorway, Celestia sauntered to the centre of the room itself, allowing the Elements and Spike to follow behind. Twilight eagerly trotted alongside her mentor, striding past as her friends took a less zealous approach and cantered at their leisure, taking in the sites that met them. The room they entered also wasn't what they expected. Unlike the door, the room appeared new, gleaming and shining. A patterned floor made up from black and white square tiles of marble, and the walls were painted a faint shade of lilac with a decorative vines of darker purple etched and flowing across its entirety. The room was also furnished with objects. Strange in their design and appearance, with larger ones taking up space at various, yet organised points on the floor. Smaller ones also littered the room, albeit sat atop appropriately sized pedestals. Moving into the middle of the new room, Twilight let her eyes wander, as did the rest of her friends. It was strange, all the things they were staring at. While the room itself was clean and well organised, some of the objects couldn't be described as the same. Some were heavily damaged, and others looks broken and dead beyond repair. “Is this...” Rainbow uttered, twisting her head to stare at one of the larger items on display, “a museum?” She hated museums. She could feel herself growing less and less willing to stand on her own four hooves right then and there. Rainbow only came out of her lazy stupor thanks to a kick to one of her shins, courtesy of the ever friendly Rarity. “I suppose, “ the princess said, briefly laughing once again, “Our initial intention was to store these things neatly and out of the way, but it has come to like a museum, hasn't it?” As the others continued their look around the museum that wasn't quite a museum, Twilight jumped around from exhibit to exhibit, practically forcing her muzzle against some of the bigger items on display in the room, even if there was only three of them. “Princess, what's this?” Twilight said, pointing towards a large, heavily damaged metal object with charred and burned orbs decorating its surface. “I don't know, Twilight. We have very little idea what many of these things are, spare the obvious ones. And there isn't much we can do to change that fact either.” Rainbow moved away from what she was looking at, a primitive club of some sort with a rock tied to the end, and moved in front of Twilight, standing firmly in the princess' line of sight. “And what are these...things?” she said as she looked up at Celestia, nodding her head back towards where Twilight stood. Rather than simply answer Rainbow, Celestia cleared her throat and motioned for the other mares, as well as the little dragon, to come closer. They all complied. “It may surprise you to hear that Captain Hector Barbossa is not the first creature to arrive here from another world. What you see around you are objects we believe hail from another world, or once belonged to creatures that actually did.” Realising she had lost the Elements’ attention at the objects’ description, Celestia once again cleared her throat and tapped her hooves on the marbled floor. The ponies focused immediately on the princess, while Spike's concentration was still lost on the objects. “He is the eighth being we know of, and certainly the most amiable. As well as by far the most intelligent.” “Most amiable? Hector is one of the nicest?” “Nicest is the wrong word to use, Rarity. While eight beings have arrived here from other worlds, there may be more we don't know about, and there are even less we've had a proper conversation with. Our world just seems destined to attract a lot of unwanted visitors.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. Celestia paused for a moment, tilting her head to the side in order to let herself think. It had been so long since she had to think about any of this. It had been a good long while since any new creature had come to Equestria. At least, she thought it had. “Have any of you heard of The Moonlight's Torment?” Most of smaller ponies all shook their heads, save for Twilight, who moved forward and rapidly nodded. “I have.” “Of course you have...” Rainbow sighed. Twilight glared at her rainbow-maned friend and pouted, turning back to the princess once she was sure Rainbow had received the message. She smiled as she held her head higher than usual, eager to impress. “It's an old fairytale. A really old one. Ponies used to use it to scare naughty foals into being good.” “Do you know of the rhyme that was sung with it?” Twilight shook her head this time, lowering ears slightly at the question. “Not really. I never really looked into it, it was just something I read about when I was little.” She looked up at Celestia, who looked back before pulling her head away from the mares crowding around her. “A beast doth dwell, deep within old castle town, who glimmers and shines by the Moonlight’s power, and takes the wanton with dagger and claw, back to his nether tower. But ne'er the good, nor gracious at heart, or generous, true and kind. For the power he fears, above the sun, is the magic residing inside.” She never actually sung the rhyme, as one would sing a song. Celestia instead spoke it, talking as if she were indeed telling a naughty foal a bedtime story, lowering her head back towards Twilight at the mention of magic and its power. “Of course, the original had different lyrics, and was considerably darker, but even I can't remember it in its entirety; the Equestrian language has evolved in the last nine or so centuries. But the message is still the same.” “And the ‘Moonlight’ refers to...” Rarity began. “Nightmare Moon,” Celestia continued after a breath, “The Torment may have been around long before, but it was only after Luna's banishment that he became more of a publicly known fairy tale.” “Does it matter when he was around?” Pinkie asked. “To an extent,” Celestia said, answering Pinkie, “While he is now called The Moonlight's Torment, that is only because it is the most popular name he went by. For a short while he was called 'Mistress Moon's Grand Executioner', and for an even shorter period he had the... less deserved title of the 'Fallen Sunshine'.” “And... he wasn't as nice as Hector?” Fluttershy wavered as she spoke, visibly shaken by the mention of the more grievous names on the creature's record. Then the princess looked away from the mares, turning her attention to a curtain at the other side of the room, losing her smile and sense of ease when she did. “No, he wasn't. He was harsh and ruthless with how he approached our kind. Any kind, for that matter. And sadly, he paid a price for it.” She then moved away from the group towards the back of the room, and towards the curtain she'd had her sights set on. A second or less of concentrated magic was all it took, and the large sheet of fabric came away to reveal a statue, much like anything else that could be seen from the castle's garden outside. “He is also the main reason I wished to speak with you.” Walking towards the statue, the ponies let their eyes roam over the sordid form in front of them. It had the shape of a man, like their friend Hector, but the similarities thereafter were far and few. It stood upright and ready for battle, with one arm raised in the air, a large weapon welded to its grip; a jagged stick ended with a large spiked ball and chain. His height matched Hector's, as did the shape, spare for the head. It was was slightly larger, longer and littered with scales. Long, sharp teeth crawled their way out of its wide mouth, and a long angler fish lantern forced its way from the creature’s forehead. An eye to match its aquatic appendage sat on the right side of its face, but the other was different. It looked almost human. Unlike a good number of statues outside, it also wore clothing. The clothes also seemed a lot like something Barbossa would wear; two large thick boots, baggy trousers and a torn, raggedy shirt, with puffy sleeves and stitching below the neck. All were cast in greyed, solid stone. “He looks... uh...” was all Rainbow could manage, closing one eye as she stepped right up to the statue, looking at it from just below its uneven chin. “Kinda fishy,” Pinkie finished. “And he had the smell to match, if I recall.” “What did he do then?” Spike asked, raising his claw to point at the statue, walking towards it while he did, “I mean, he doesn't look too friendly to begin with, but what did he do to get turned to stone?” “A long list of things, if I'm being honest. But in the end, we gave him a choice, and offered him the chance to go back to wherever it was he came from.” “How did that get him turned to stone?” the dragon asked. “By the time we had him cornered on the outskirts of the city, he'd already been with us at least a decade, if we go by when the legends began. And all that time he scavenged in the nearby forests for food, and he even ravaged nearby houses for supplies. Towards the end of his freedom, that also included the ponies inside.” The little dragon lowered his pointed claw, snapping it back to his sides as he wandered back towards Twilight and away from the statue. He stood behind her and kept his distance from the creature, despite it being for intents and purposes, just a statue. “So, as I said, both Luna and I tried to reason with him; he used tools, and seemed intelligent as far as we could fathom. The only replies we got back were attacks or insults, some of which were more vulgar than I cared for. But he still understood us, to an extent, so we attempted to do what we have successfully done with Captain Barbossa; offer him safety, and a way back to where he belonged, and in exchange he would be out of our world, and no longer a threat to those who lived on it.” “And... it didn't work?” Fluttershy whimpered. “No. He refused. He maimed my leg beyond recognition, killed three of my guards, four of Luna's and outright threatened us to let him stay. And as you can see... we let him.” “Doesn't sound like he had his head on straight,” Rainbow muttered. “I don't think he did. I honestly don't believe he was completely to blame for his actions, despite how barbaric they were at times. You had to hear him speak to know something was wrong with him.” “If he was going about killing ponies,” Dash added, “that doesn't exactly strike me as something that can have an upside to it.” “Oh, I know. What he did can never be excused, and he was punished for it. However, on the final day during his struggle with us, he spoke of his reasons, even if it was only for a moment. He told us we could never make him go, now that he was free. Not back to the servitude. Not back to the pain,” she said, emphasizing the name on her lips just as he had all those years ago, “Not back to Davy Jones.” Twilight looked back and forth between the mares around her and to the statue staring her in the face, jagged maw wide open and eyes piercing into her own. All the girls, and even Spike, appeared to be thinking along the same lines. “Hector spoke of somepony called Davy Jones,” the purple unicorn muttered in confirmation. “Yeah. Barby said he was the evil overlord of the piratey underworld,” Pinkie added. “And we get back to the reason I wished to speak with all of you. It had bothered me since Twilight mentioned the name in a letter and I wanted to know if he'd mentioned anything like the Torment to any of you during your time together.” All the mares looked to each other once again, one by one shaking their heads from side to side as they shared unknowing glances back towards the princess. Even Spike joined their motions, if only after asking if zombies counted, them being the only creature he remembered Barbossa talking about. Celestia didn't frown at the lack of information. Or at least, not as much as she thought she would. She wasn't sure if she expected anything from them at all. “That is... a shame. Despite his nature and his deeds, he has sat here for over a millennia, and we still know next to nothing about him.” “Ain't ya better just on goin' an' askin' Hector yerself? Rather than askin' us for somethin' he may or may not have said?” “I'm now planning to. I just wanted all of you to see him first. If they do indeed come from the same world, I don't know how he'll take seeing something from it turned to stone, or even if Captain Barbossa will recognise the creature at all. If he does react rather unfavourably, it would be nice to have you seven here to reassure him that he isn't in any danger.” Pinkie raised her hoof in the air, waving it with glee as she sat down on her other three hooves, receiving a smile and a nod from the princess for her childish actions. “What's his real name?” Celestia perked up her ears. Out of all ponies, she never thought of Pinkie Pie as the most astute. Maybe she'd have to change her way of thinking about the Elements; they often surprised her whenever she had the pleasure of talking to them. “How did you know that wasn't his name?” “Barby said they all had boring names where he comes from. Nothing like 'Torment' or 'Pinkie' or 'Fallen Sunshine' unless they made them up themselves.” “Well, you're right. It isn't his real name. The Moonlight's Torment is what he's known by today because that is the name he made for himself. We never did discover his real name.” Getting over the fact Pinkie had interrupted her own conversation with the princess, Applejack wandered closer to Celestia, even if she didn't have all that much more to talk about. “So, it's basically goin' to be a hit or a miss? Showin' Hector the statue...” she clarified. “More or less. There is no high chance he will know the Torment personally, but even so, I think the species looks identifiable enough for him to recognise it if there is a connection.” “C-couldn't...” Fluttershy squeaked, trying to recompose herself after hearing what the creature had committed, “Couldn't you ask one of the other creatures? You said there were eight.” “If that were so easy,” Celestia stated, talking as if no such option was feasible, “While Barbossa and the Torment both somehow found their way into our world unharmed, none of the others were quite as lucky. Four fell from the sky without any way to soften the fall or fly to safety...” An echo of winces spread over Twilight and her friends, a louder set of two coming from Pinkie and Fluttershy. In hindsight, if Hector hadn't fallen into Everfree, would they have ever met him at all? Would they have even found him? Even if he'd never stated how far he'd fallen, a lack of trees and shrubbery would have at least led to something breaking or tearing. “Were they from Hector's world too?” Twilight asked. “It's hard to say. They varied so much in shape and size. But none matched your friend in body, of that much I am certain. While some may have stood on two legs, the only one who closely resembled the human shape was, and still is, the Torment.” “And the other two? Did they make it?” “No,” Celestia said, lowering her ears, “they didn't. One was found starved and terribly dehydrated in a cave not far from where Appleoosa now stands, and the other had the... grave misfortune to run amidst the castle courtyard whilst my guards were on patrol. Needless to say, it didn't run around for very long.” The others lowered their ears now, Spike silently voicing his sympathies along beside them. “The guards weren't punished; they were only doing their job. Quite a number of beasts did have the habit of wandering through Canterlot back in those days. And both incidents happened during eras when we were not as adept at healing magic. We tried our best, but neither of them lasted longer than a few days after we found them.” “So... Hector is the first to go home?” Fluttershy asked with a smile. “Yes, he is, and we are very pleased about that fact. The others may have fallen victim to circumstance and terrible luck, the Torment included, but Hector Barbossa will go home, and live out his life as he was meant to.” “But still know about us?” Fluttershy added. “Of course. He'll receive the best of both worlds,” Celestia said, pausing, “Quite literally, it seems.” A nervous laugh spread over the group, dying away as quickly as it had arrived. They were happy for Hector, that he would get to go home, and live in his own world like he wanted. It was just that the prior talk of the statued creature and unlucky fates did not wash away as quickly as the positive thoughts came in. “There is more I wish to discuss with you, but right now, I would like to speak to the esteemed captain himself. After I've had my talk with him, and possibly brought him here, we can finally continue in our efforts in getting him back home.” The ponies and Spike all nodded along with their princess, plodding out of the room as Celestia kindly ushered them forward. Most of the ponies were all too happy to leave. It not only meant that they would see their friend again, and help him get home, it also meant they'd be leaving the statue and its gruesome gaze behind. Twilight was the last to leave, trotting behind Celestia as she strained her neck to catch simple glances at the smaller objects sat atop the alabaster podiums. A quick reminder of their next task stopped her curiosity getting the better of her, however. The objects were all well and good, but they would be here forever. Hector wouldn't. Plus, he was her friend. She couldn't forget that part. A very angry, mysterious, meat-eating and alien friend, but a friend nonetheless. The unicorn followed her friends outside into the hall, waiting for Celestia before all seven of them wandered back through the hallway that didn't exist and into the more recognisable parts of the castle. Namely, the areas Twilight knew were actually real. Twilight couldn't tell when they left the non-existent parts of the castle, but she guessed that was sort of the point. If a new hallway suddenly appeared without merging with anything else, it would look rather suspicious. Celestia probably used some other spells to blur its location on top of that as well. The silence of the walk ended when Pinkie asked, “Do you think he'll miss us?” as she hopped along next to her friends. Rarity tutted under her breath, trying to cover it up upon the realisation that it had come out ruder than she honestly meant it to. “I doubt it. He hardly seems like the kind to reminisce, especially when he doesn't seem too taken with us.” “But he might though. I'm going to miss having a pirate to talk to.” Rarity wished to point out the pink mare hadn't spent all that much time with Barbossa in the first place, but she chose to leave the conversation as it was. She was honestly surprised Pinkie hadn't run the pirate off his feet, given how she usually acted when a new face appeared in town. The group turned the final corner, nearing the door Barbossa was waiting behind when something else greeted them instead. A guard was laying on the floor, blood streaking down his side as a large wound cut into his thigh, stretching up to his flank from just above his knee. “What happened here?!” Celestia ran ahead of the others, stopping to lean down when she reached the guard’s side. He attempted to lift his head in her direction, only to give up part way through the act and lean against the floor instead. “The pirate thing you left us with got out...” the guard admitted between deep breaths, “He was screaming and shouting behind the door. We opened it to check inside, then he kicked my face into the wall, stabbed me and... ran away. I think.” “Hector did this?” Twilight's question fell on deaf ears as the mares just looked back and forth between each other, all of whom hushed up when Celestia spoke to the guard again. Spike still sat on her back, wondering what to do with himself as he squirmed at the sight of the stallion's injury. “Where are the others I put on patrol in the hallway? Why didn't you call for help?!” The questions seemed more like demands rather than kind queries, but neither the guard, nor anyone else present could really argue against her. It wasn't often that Celestia grew angry, and Twilight had only seen a couple of times. It was always too controlled, too calm to be actual anger. It was as if Celestia didn't bother showing any expression to let you know she was angry. You just did. “You think we didn't call for help?” he attempted a half hearted laugh, cringing when he looked back to whom he was actually talking to, “Nopony came when we did. Maelstrom and Cobblestone went after him, but I haven't seen them for about five minutes...” The princess turned away from the injured pony, moving her head slowly from side to side as she examined the hallway; there weren't many choices he had when it came to running away, seeing as Barbossa only had left and right to pick from. “Which way?” “I don't know,” he moaned, once again berating himself for forgetting who was asking, “I honestly don't know. I wasn't even seeing straight. They said they'd get... him, and get me some help, then left.” There was only two ways he could have gone. Both choices eventually led to more corridors, as well as a large number of possible rooms and potential hiding places. The hallway opposite to the one the seven mares had come from, however, also eventually led to Luna's “Room of Experimenting,” the place she'd moved the portal. “We need to find him,” Celestia stated, “Quickly.” None of the ponies present disagreed with her. “I wonder what's wrong with him?” Pinkie asked her friends. “Regardless, he needs to be caught. If he wishes to make himself a threat, he shall have to be treated like one. And I need to check on Luna and the portal. If he's gone there, then we may not have to hunt him down after all. The rest of you please try and find him; he can't have gotten that far.” Everypony nodded, and with a shine of her horn, Celestia carefully lowered Spike onto the floor, letting him fall from her aura the final inch. He hit the carpet with a small thud. “You stay with the guard. Captain Barbossa isn't likely to come back here.” Spike stood up to argue, sitting back down when he met not just Celestia's glare, but Twilight's as well. Resigning himself to his not-quite-as-exciting-as-looking-for-the-pirate fate, with the injured pony, the little dragon sighed. He sat down with another small thud and crossed his arms with scowl on his face, something the guard appeared offended about. “Should we split up? The castle is pretty big.” The small group paused to look at Applejack. Twilight stopped to think before reluctantly nodding, looking up to the rest of her friends. Celestia had already galloped off down the hall in front of them, leaving everypony to their own devices. “I suppose,” Twilight admitted “But only into groups of three, anything smaller would just be idiotic if he's... angry at us.” Despite how often such tactics never seemed to work in fiction, it would help them cover a lot more ground than they could all at once. Going in groups smaller than three was also a stupid idea if he had a weapon on him. She didn't know what he had, but whatever it was seemed capable of doing quite a bit of damage. All the mares nodded to one another, mixing into two fair groups and wandering down the hallway of their choice. Rainbow and Rarity joined Applejack to follow the hallway Celestia had sped towards, whilst Twilight took the rest of the girls back down the series of hallways they'd came. Twilight knew the pirate couldn't have gone exactly the way they'd came, but there was a junction of sorts in the hallway, a three way choice that gave them one hallway they hadn't actually walked through. If he was anywhere in their direction, he would be that way. That is if he hadn't reached any stairs or wandered near the main entrance. “I don't know what's wrong with him,” Twilight muttered to Fluttershy and Pinkie, “I thought he was getting more comfortable around us.” Their search took them through any rooms they could find, which lead the three mares to check any space Barbossa was capable of fitting inside. They always checked one room at a time and splitting up inside it, but that tactic soon grew tiresome. Twenty minutes after their search had began and there wasn't even any clues for them to follow. “Why is he doing this?!” What's he trying to do?!” Pinkie turned around to face Twilight as they all wandered out of yet another bedroom. She cantered backwards with a smile as she answered the unicorn's question. “Maybe he just got really, really bored. I know I would in a big empty room all by my lonesome self.” “Yes, he got really bored,” Twilight mockingly agreed, “He got so bored, he decided to escape from the dining hall, attack a guard whose job it was to stop anypony getting inside the room, and then led the other guards off to goodness knows where.” Regretting her less than kind outburst as soon as it had finished, Twilight hastily apologised to her friend, hoping she got in there before Pinkie began feeling guilty for even talking in the first place. The three mares stormed into yet another room as they continued their search through the hallways. They repeated their tried and tested process, occasionally yelling Hector's name out loud in the hopes it would somehow tempt him out into the open. As they all sighed at yet another fruitless search, the three mares wandered into the next room they could find, which happened to be a bedroom of some sort. It was decorated with fine furniture, like most of the other rooms, and had a rather large bed against the leftmost wall. Pinkie ran for the bed first, looking under it and announcing, “Not under this bed either!” as she pulled herself over the mattress, clearing it in one leap. The loud slam of the bedroom door caught the mare off-guard. Rather than stick the landing, she fell face first onto the marble floor, briefly shaking her head as she got to her hooves. Twilight turned to face Fluttershy, catching sight of her in front of the door itself. “Hello, Miss Sparkle.” She wasn't there alone. Barbossa was there too, Fluttershy clutched just under the jaw by his left arm as he held a knife within the hand of the other, forcing it against the mare’s neck as a small whimper escaped her lips. “I must say, it's rather nice te be seein' the three o' ye again,” he said, showing off his carnivorous front teeth with a large, sadistic grin. The two other mares just stared at Barbossa, and then to the sight of their friend in front of him, hanging from the alien’s arms. Twilight didn't look away, as much as she told herself she wanted to, if only to keep an eye on Fluttershy. “H-help...” Barbossa shook his arm around, causing another muffled squeak to escape Fluttershy's mouth as her body moved around the point where she was hung. Twilight didn't move, mouth hung slightly ajar as Pinkie moved her forehooves onto the bed, readying the leap over. “I shan't be doin' that if I were ye, Pinkie Pie,” he rasped, gently drawing shapes with his knife into Fluttershy's yellow coat, “Lest ye want te see what yer friends innards look like, ye'll be stayin' right where ye are.” She didn't hesitate taking her hooves away from the bed, slowly lowering herself down and taking another step back, just in case. The bearded man turned to Twilight next, still squeezing his prisoner tight. “And there be no reason te try magicin' meself with yer powers. Ye take yer time castin' incantations, and can ye truly be sure yer horn’s quicker than me wrist?” As if to strengthen his logic, Barbossa pushed the blade against the pegasus’s throat as the smallest trickle of darkened red appeared against her soft yellow coat. He continued to show off his teeth, this timewith a knowing grin as held the knife in place. She was sure. No, Twilight was more than sure her magic was faster. She had some of the most powerful magic in Equestria, and she'd been praised for it. She was practically known specifically for her magical capabilities. But looking at Fluttershy, and the knife at her throat, she just... didn't feel like she was. She wasn't prepared for this. All the times went through her head when she'd missed a spell. All the times when she was just ever so slightly off about how much power she could use, or how much was actually needed. All the times her spells had went catastrophically wrong. She couldn't outright freeze him in place either; his arm was still around part of her jaw. She just didn't want to risk it if the risk was even there. Not when her friend was the prize at stake. “W-what are you doing?” Twilight managed to stammer, “Why are you doing this?” “Ye have me weapons, and I be wantin' 'em back.” Twilight blinked, dizzily looking to the saddle bag on her back as she turned back to focus her eyes on the human. “I told you we would give them back! I wasn't going to go back on what I promised!” “Aye, well, the tides have changed, and so 'ave me goals and ideals. So it were on that notion that I decided a change o' plan were urgently needed te match those goals.” He once again motioned the knife closer to Fluttershy as he shifted his wrist to move the blade, never actually digging deeper. Only ever scratching the surface. “But we were going to send you home! We told you,” Twilight found herself begging, “Luna was preparing it for you!” Twilight didn't want any of this. Out of all the things he was, Hector didn't feel like a monster. He certainly wasn't the kindest of beings, granted, but never a monster. Even after his previous attacks, it just didn't seem right. She never thought he'd ever go this far. “And what then? Livin' me last mortal days in pain and poverty? Why would any man be daft enough te do that when he can live here?! A world suffocatin' under the jewels contained inside it! A world where the dangers of nature and the cold are kept in order! A world where one man and his hand is more than a threat te anythin' without magic adornin’ it's head. Tell me, Miss Sparkle, why would I leave?” “To see your crew! And rescue your friend, Jack! He's the whole reason you ended up here, isn't it? You still need to save him!” “Jack?” Barbossa began breathing harder, clutching the knife as his chortle rose from its meagre depths to a bellowing cackle, ending up in full blown laughter as the two free mares stared back at him, Fluttershy quaking under his strength. “Why would I help that bastard? He shot me. He bloody killed me!” he said, suddenly calming himself with a smile, “And now he's dead.” The man continued to laugh, and for one of the few times since meeting him, Twilight thought he looked happy. Genuinely happy. And it was horrible. “I may have wanted te save him once, but that time has passed. Me failed labour te restore his heart has led me here, and te the pompous bitch who knocked me unconscious, and te the land of naïve, infantile creatures content wi' doubtin' me own honours and mockin' the dangers I've survived!” He thrashed his foot around, slamming it against the door behind him, causing more than just the mare in his grasp to quiver on the spot. “It was through Jack's need for life I ended up here. And he can rot in his Hell while I live breathin' the splendour of the world I've uncovered. That's my pay for what he caused me; a world fit te plunder, and a world unready te fight back against it, as he lives through a never-endin' nightmare until the trumpets sound and Jones himself falls from power.” He once again stood his ground, keeping the knife against Fluttershy's neck. She was crying, bubbling away to herself with her eyes shut tight and her hind legs attempted to make what little contact they could with the floor. “Now!” he bellowed, grabbing back the ponies' attention, “Me effects, Miss Sparkle. If ye'd be so kind?” Choosing Fluttershy over any chance she rightly had to taking Hector down, Twilight nodded and let the bag fall from her back. She felt safer using her hooves to unpack the book from the bag, rather than taking the risk of levitating it out. The something hit her. “I have to use magic to get t-them out for you.” Furrowing his brow, he looked down at Twilight and then to the book, slowly nodding towards her once, “Do as ye please, but any attempt te go against me wishes won't end in yer favour. Of that much I can assure ye.” Shakily nodding, Twilight began casting her spell to remove his belongings. She was so sure she could separate the two beings without him harming Fluttershy. She'd done far more powerful spells many times before, on creatures much larger too. But she wasn't perfect and even she got things wrong. She just didn't want this to be the one time when that mistake proved to be fatal. Taking her time, Twilight cast her spell slower than she usually would have, even if Barbossa could never tell the difference. She watched as the occupied pages floated from the book and, one by one, they spun in swift succession over the floor until only the physical objects were left in their wake. “Kick 'em over.” Doing as she was told, Twilight pushed his items and watched as they slid across the floor to the pirate's feet. Switching the knife into his other hand, Barbossa held the blade against Fluttershy's cheek as he returned the sword to its rightful place at his side. He did the same for his pistol and charges, hiding them deep within his coat. “Now release Fluttershy!” Smiling to himself, Barbossa ignored the request and pulled his sword back from his side. He slid it against Fluttershy's throat as he stored the smaller blade away, using the free hand to once again take hold of his hostage. “Now why would I be doin' that?” he innocently answered back. The two free mares stared back, Pinkie smacking her forehooves against the floor from her position behind the bed. Twilight leaned forward, pushing herself to stop when she began moving towards Barbossa. “Because you said you would if we gave your things back!” “Ah, ye see, I never said I would, so I hadn't the realisation that it were part of the negotiations. I assumed ye were goin' te let me keep her. Ye really should have made yersel' clearer about what it is ye were wantin'.” Moving himself backwards, he opened the door with his elbow and foot, using the former to push the handle down and the latter to pull it open “But don't worry. She's me safe passage from the castle, so there'd be nothin' to be gained from killin' her...” He pulled Fluttershy out the door, still smiling to himself as Twilight and Pinkie continued to stand there, unable to do anything. They didn't want to be reckless; Fluttershy was important, and one wrong move wouldn't do anything but trouble her. Even if it meant just... letting her go. “...Yet.” The pirate laughed to himself, letting the door shut with a slight slam as he dragged his captive along through the hallways of Canterlot castle. His arm still held her tight, now grasping around her neck itself as the tips of her hooves struggled to gather grip on the floor and a sword poked at her stomach. She could breathe. The significant lack of the floor beneath her left her completely within Hector's hold, something her neck wasn't comfortable with, but she could breathe. The blade scratched at her belly every few steps he took, ushering whimpers and tears from the mare in his company. She didn't know if she was bleeding, but if she was, she took little comfort in knowing it wasn't anything more than a cut. “Quiet yer snivellin'! Yer in the safest position ye could hope te find yersel'!” he said in an overly jovial voice. Still moving their way through the corridor, not quite sure where she was being taken, Fluttershy allowed herself to smile at the unmistakable sound of hooves beating against the stone floor and carpet coating the hallway. It was slow and casual, but there. Definitely there. Breathing slowly as Barbossa stood his ground, keeping his stance on the floor, Fluttershy watched his eyes narrow at the sight of her friends: Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow. She watched as her orange friend smiled at the sight of the pirate, shifting her gaze to the pegasus and stopping where she stood, lowering her head and leaning forward barely half a second later. “Fluttershy!” Rainbow ran forward, jumping into a hover as Barbossa rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue against his teeth. He merely waved the sword against the pegasus in his hold, slicing away a few choice strands of her coat as he watched her take notice. “Ye sure that's wise? Even if ye do fly in te me, what are the chances ye push the blade further down yersel'? Could ye live wi' that on yer conscience?” “I knew it! I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!” she retorted, hovering in the same spot before eventually landing herself on the ground, taking up the same stance and Applejack. “Oh, me heart bleeds, Rainbow. Pity ye and the white harlot didn't take action sooner then! Ye might have averted this cruel state of affairs.” “Her name is Rarity!” “Aye, I'll keep that in mind. An' I'll engrave it on her tombstone, te be sure.” “Oh, I do like your style!” All action stopped in the hallway, save for the alien shuffling his arm at the whimpers and snivels that escaped from his prisoner. The free ponies looked to the air in every direction, looking for the voice that seemed to come from all of them at once. Barbossa looked to the air for the source as well, albeit keeping a straighter and more composed face than the ponies had. The creature to match the voice appeared in a flash of light, slowly fading into reality to the sound of a brass band and trumpets, playing notes lower and deep the more solid Discord became. The light eventually faded, and in its place the draconequus floated, holding a cardboard cut-out of himself, an image that had its arms held out in joy and stretching at the feeling of freedom. “Isn't he marvellous?!” he exclaimed, folding the drawn caricature of himself into nothing, “He's so snarky and violent. It may be a tad excessive, but still.” The captain moved back against the wall, looking up to Discord and then to the ponies attempting to corner him further down the hallway. Fluttershy dared to look up to her captor, thinking it never once looked like Hector thought the god an ally. It seemed like he was just tolerating his presence. The ponies not bound by the pirate stood there, wavering on their hooves about what to do, unwilling to claim which threat was more dangerous than the other. “Oh, but here's the best part!” Discord closed his eyes, lifting his arms high into the air as he pompously clapped his paw and claw together, summoning the moon as the sun lowered itself out of sight. The lights switched their duties and just as quickly as the change had come about, the moon began working its magic on the world below. Clung tight below his arm, Fluttershy squealed and flailed her hooves for freedom as Barbossa began to change. She watched as his flesh rotted away, turning blue and grey to the sound of crumbling skin and the spoiling of his organs. His skin thinned, revealing the cracking bones and tendons beneath. His clothes followed in the body's example, tearing and fraying with the passage of years that seemed to happen in the space of seconds and melting away as the moonlight crawled over the threads and fabrics he was wearing. The yellow mare in his possession dared to open her eyes once they had closed, seeing only the remains of his hand, barren and dead as it held the blade to her stomach. “He turns into an undead pirate; two for the price of one! Three if you count him being an alien. Which I do, of course. He's like the gift that keeps on giving.” “Discord!” a unicorn’s voice wailed through the hallway. Barbossa pushed his body further back against the wall, clinging to it as Fluttershy watched Twilight and Pinkie appear from the hallway she'd been dragged. Twilight's bag had been abandoned, and both mares galloped faster and faster through the halls and past the moonlight glistening through each window. Applejack and her group began trotting their way forward, moving at a slow pace and ready to move faster at a moment’s notice. Hector saw them first, responding with a shake of his head as he poked at Fluttershy with his sword. Never drawing more blood, nor causing serious pain, but causing enough discomfort to their friend to get his message across. “What have you done?!” Twilight screamed, feeling the fire burn in her eyes as she saw Discord, just floating there above Fluttershy without a care in the world. “Not much, I'm afraid. Then again, it is still early days,” he replied, leaning his paw against the wall as he checked the non-existent nails of his talon. The beings gathered around him in the hallway, most of whom held fury in their eyes as they switched their views from him to where the pirate stood, holding their kindest friend at rapier point. Twilight spoke up first, talking when her friends were either too angry to do so, or seemingly too scared to do anything against Hector's threats. “We turned you to stone.” “So I saw. A rather horrible business if you ask me. It can get so frightfully boring inside those statues after a while. And they give you such a crick in the neck too.” “You weren't in there for very long, “ Rainbow answered back. Scratching at his neck, and twisting it around in circles, Discord looked back down to Rainbow. He gave a little smile and a nod, his head rotating along with his spinal cord. If he even had one. “I know. Lovely, isn't it? It feels rather nice to be on the receiving end of some good luck for a change.” “And what was this luck?” Twilight calmly asked, with only an edge of ire cracking at her voice with the hope not to give Discord the satisfaction he desired. “You know, I wasn't quite sure myself until a little while ago. It was quite the nice end to my day actually. I saw two guards arguing about a creamed cake earlier, so you can only imagine how nice it was to have a small side of freedom on top of that.” The ponies all stood still, watching over Barbossa as Discord was almost forgotten in their worry. The god of chaos was one thing, but looking at their friend and the small cuts of red that were etched into her coat, they couldn't bring themselves to worry about something other than their friend’s safety. Rarity moved forward by single step, flaring her horn as it began to glow only for her efforts to be shut down moments later as Twilight screamed, “Stop, he'll hurt her!” at the top of her lungs across the hall. “Best be listenin' te what yer friend has te say; there be more than just an inklin' o' logic te her claim.” Rarity obliged and moved back, further than she had stood before with her head held low. She wasn't ready to cast magic. She was just trying to make sure she wasn't doing anything else wrong. “Oh, give him a bit more space than that,” Discord said with a snap of his talons, “You don't want to see Fluttershy getting sliced in two, do you?” Each of the free ponies slowly started to rise into the air, losing grip on the ground as each of them floated towards the ceiling. Pinkie flailed her hooves in attempt to swim, only to end up there with everypony else, somehow landing with her hooves touching the ceiling itself. “Now, isn't that better? You can't possibly get close to him by accident. If anything, I helped you with your problem.” “You're the one that caused all this in the first place!” Twilight yelled from up above. “If you want to try and get all technical with me, he was the one to cause all of this,” Discord returned with a smile, pointing towards Barbossa, “If it wasn't for your new friend, I very much doubt we would even be talking right now.” Twilight focused her eyes, cranking her neck up so she could look down to the floor from her position on the the ceiling. She stared directly at the skeletal Barbossa, who stood there with Fluttershy still in his grasp. “How... how did you free Discord?!” she asked. Of course the connection had occurred to her. What were the chances that Hector would start acting more violent at the same Discord reappeared? Even if he wasn't under some sort of spell, both creatures and their actions couldn't have been a coincidence. Could it? Barbossa only answered back with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, still holding his blade to Fluttershy's stomach. “Ye look at me and ask as if I have any idea of who that mismatched arse actually is,” he deadpanned, “He can do as he bloody well likes as long as me own obligations ain't subsided in the process.” “Oh, that's hardly fair, Twilight Sparkle,” Discord chided, ignoring the insult, “You can't just go around blaming the undead alien pirate for everything...” Shifting in the air and standing on the same upside down plane as the ponies, Discord tapped his hoof on the floor. He smiled with glee as the ceiling began to move, acting as a fantastical conveyor belt for the ponies stood on it. “I mean, if you did, you wouldn't be giving credit where it was due.” The draconequus sighed as Rainbow just hovered into the air, avoided the moving surface entirely. He primed his paw for clicking when Barbossa spoke out instead. “Walk Rainbow!” he bellowed, nodding towards Fluttershy. The cyan mare gritted her teeth, staring daggers at both beings before doing as she was told. She let herself fall to the ceiling, following her own personally warped sense of gravity as she galloped along the ceiling with her friends. Discord clapped as hands with glee, smiling like a child. “What do you mean others wouldn't be getting their dues?!” Twilight asked between breaths, still trying to keep up with the surface that moved just that little bit faster than she could keep up with, “You said it was Hector!” “If you must know, it was more to do with his magic than anything else.” “M-magic?” “Oh yes; I've never seen anything quite like it. I couldn't even make it do what I wanted, which is pretty new for me, I'll tell you. After all, there isn't much that can't be swayed by yours truly. Makes you wonder how powerful the creatures in his world actually are.” But Hector couldn't use magic, Twilight found herself thinking. He'd never mentioned it, nor had he made in any effort to show that he could. And he’d even asked questions about the most basic of spells. Why would he suddenly have powers that they didn't know about? Unless... “His coin...” “But I'm guessing you would rather find out who helped the pirate set me free. They're quite the little scoundrel too, you know. If it wasn't for her, I'm not sure Hector Barbossa would have even come close to setting me free.” The others watched as Twilight grew silent, slowing down in her gallop as she began to stare down at the moving floor beneath her. Something that didn't go unnoticed by the creatures around her. “Or maybe you already know who it is?” Discord asked, swimming in the air as he leaned closer to Twilight, “I'm just kidding. I can tell by your sombre look you already know who it is. Care to share the answer with your friends?” Twilight didn't answer. She didn't even look up at Discord. Her pace slowed, going from a gallop to a mild canter as the moving floor pulled her back, bit by bit. “No, it's okay; you take your time, my dear,” he said, sounding genuinely kind, “It will only make the surprise all the more exciting when they hear it. I, on the other paw, must be on my way. I've got a couple of lovely princess awaiting my return.” He landed on the floor with a tap of his hoof, materialising a sparkling blue suit into existence, complete with top hat and cane. A quick scratch at his nose allowed his fingers to pull a thin black moustache into existence to complete the ensemble. He wandered over to Barbossa, lowering a paw into the man's shoulder and receiving a less than kind glare from the human in return. Fluttershy still hung under Barbossa's grasp, struggling to keep calm, but still finding the time to wonder how a creature with rotted bones and muscle could even hold her up at all. “So I bid you adieu, my good little ponies. I would stay, but as always, I have some things that need seen to.” A tap of the cane against the floor summoned something else. A plume of confetti accompanied with pieces of cake and cream exploded into the castle, flinging itself to every inch of the floor and wall as Discord vanished beneath the messy illusion. With Fluttershy and Hector alongside him.