//------------------------------// // New Tricks and Old Friends // Story: My Little Pirates: Set Adrift - Sanji in Equestria // by River Road //------------------------------// Phut. „Ow!“ Rainbow Dash trotted through the door of the city’s sports hall where Twilight had set up magical tennis ball launchers to help with the training of Observation Haki. One of the machines was aimed at the unicorn and followed her movements. Twilight was wearing a blindfold over her eyes and blindly dodging the tennis balls that were flying at her – most of them, at least. “Hey Twilight. You’re getting better,” Rainbow Dash said. They had been learning how to use and control their Haki for the last week and had already made a lot of progress. Princess Luna said that ponies seemed to naturally have a much better grasp of Haki. “It’s definitely an interesting experience,” the unicorn replied without turning her head. I wondered what Pinkie is doing here, though. I thought she wanted to learn about fighting from Sanji, like you and Applejack.” “Hi, Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow Dash looked over to the pink pony who was excitedly waving at her with one hoof. She was wearing a blindfold just like Twilight and three of the ball launchers were aimed at her in a futile effort to make at least one of the projectiles connect. Pinkie didn’t seem to pay them much attention, happily dodging the incoming tennis balls with a hop, skip, jump and the occasional cartwheel. Rainbow Dash turned back to Twilight to answer her. “Fluttershy and me gave Sanji a special training lesson about weather magic… Well, I guess Fluttershy taught most of the lesson, but I helped!” Actually, Rainbow Dash had probably learned almost as much as Sanji. “Applejack is probably training her Armament Haki with Rarity.” Rainbow Dash raised a foreleg to look at it, coating it with the metallic sheen of her Armament Haki for a short moment. Twilight noticed the short spike of Haki. “I’m impressed Rainbow Dash. You really made a lot of progress with your training. I never thought you were the studious type.” She chuckled. “Uhm, yeah… You know me, always up for a challenge.” Rainbow Dash was glad that Twilight couldn’t see her face through the blindfold. Images of her friends’ silhouettes disappearing in a sea of fire flashed through her mind. “A-anyway, I’ll stop distracting you,” she said. “Gonna look what Pinkie is up to.” Maybe Pinkie’s randomness would help take her mind off other… things. “Hi, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie greeted her happily, turning around to her, even though she couldn’t actually see her friend through the blindfold. Rainbow Dash was sure that at least one of the three machines would manage to hit her now, but the pink pony skipped around the projectiles with ease. Rainbow Dash would probably have problems dodging all three launchers even without the blindfold. “I know I already said ´Hi´, but that was when you were actually talking to Twilight and not to me, so I thought I’d say ´Hi´ again, because now you came over here to talk to me.” Rainbow Dash made sure to stay out of the ball launchers’ range and chuckled at her friend. Pinkie Pie loved to say whatever was going through her head, no matter how trivial it seemed. “Hey Pinkie, how is the training.” “Oh, it’s super fun!” Pinkie Pie was making her way around the flying green balls towards the pegasus, the machines slowly swiveling around to follow her movement. “It’s like you’re dancing to a really fast and random and funny music, and if you do it right the balls all dance around you. Rainbow Dash eyed the three ball launchers that were slowly turning in her direction. “Uhm, Pinkie? Maybe you shouldn’t come so close–” She looked back at Pinkie Pie to find that her friend was not there anymore. “…But I bet it would be even more fun if we trained together!” Rainbow Dash turned towards the voice to find Pinkie Pie standing right next to her. She felt something on her leg and looked down to see that her right foreleg was tied to Pinkie’s left foreleg with a piece of cloth and a very complicated-looking knot. “How did you–?” was all that Rainbow Dash managed to get out before the first ball hit her. Twilight Sparkle used her magic to turn off her ball launcher and pulled the blindfold off of her head. She had trained for over two hours, as far as she could tell, and she had enough bruises to last her the rest of the day. She proceeded to trot over to the other three machines, turning them off as well, before checking on Pinkie Pie to see how she had taken the workout. When she turned around, her jaw dropped. She had assumed that Rainbow Dash had just left after talking to her and Pinkie. She hadn’t bothered to confirm that, of course, instead focusing on the ball launcher so as not to get hit too often. What she had definitely not expected was seeing her friend sprawled out on the ground completely exhausted and gasping for air, with one of her hooves tied to one of Pinkie Pie’s hooves. “Rainbow Dash, what happened?” Twilight cantered over to the pegasus who was still lying on his back, all four legs spread out. Rainbow Dash gasped for breath one last time and raised a shaking hoof to point at the pink earth pony who was still innocently staring down at her with a smile. “Pinkie Pie happened… That mare is completely insane!” Pinkie Pie stifled a giggle – with the hoof that had been tied to Rainbow Dash’s hoof just a moment earlier – and poked her friend with the other hoof. “Come on, Dashie! You just don’t want to admit that you had fun.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I’d admit that if I could still move my anything. Someday you’ll learn that not everypony runs on smiles and sugar like you do, Pinkie.” She let out a few groans as she moved into a sitting position to face Twilight. “You should totally try this, though, Twilight. It’s a lot easier to concentrate on those attacks if somepony like Pinkie already pulls you in the right direction. I’m telling you, those last ten minutes I haven’t been hit one time.” “I told you, it’s just like dancing,” Pinkie said happily. “Excuse me?” One of the castle guards stood in the doorway and watched them with a raised eyebrow. “Princess Celestia asks that you meet her at the castle.” The guard led them through the castle and to a small hall that they had not been in yet. Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Sanji were already waiting. Princess Luna was present as well and observing one of the room’s walls. As soon as the guard had left the very part of the wall that Luna had been staring at lit up with a white magic aura and swung open to reveal a rectangular entrance to another small room. “Please, come in.” Celestia had appeared in the doorway of the new room and motioned for them to enter. “Nopony except me has ever entered this room,” the Princess explained while the other ponies took in the details of the small office. A small magic orb at the ceiling did its best to imitate the sunlight and a wooden desk stood at the other side of the room. A few papers sat on the desk, as well as a pot of ink and three quills. What was most interesting, however, was a curious-looking snail that sat on one side of the desk, and seemed to be asleep. The Princess walked over to the snail. “This is a Den Den Mushi,” she explained. “It is used by the Marines, pirates and other people to communicate. An hour ago I got a call from the world government, for the first time in years. They called to ask for the assistance I assured them of thirteen years ago. A war is coming and they want my help in defending their headquarters against a powerful pirate whom they expect to attack soon.” “And did they tell you the name of that pirate?” Luna asked in a suspiciously calm voice. “He is called Whitebeard. I don’t know much about–“ “No!” Luna interrupted. “Not against him. Sister, this pirate is one of the four ´pirate Yonko´ and possibly the most powerful pirate alive since the pirate king was executed. I cannot let you go if it means you will have to face him and his men.” Celestia sighed and replied in a calming voice. “What I have called you here for is to tell you that I will leave Canterlot in your hands while I am away. I expected your concerns, but I’ve already made my decision. I may not be as powerful as you are, but know how to defend myself and will pick my fights carefully if it comes to that. Most importantly, I have been promised that all my debts will be considered paid once the execution of this ´Fire-fist Ace´ has been carried out.” Luna wanted to argue, but another pony was faster than her. “Hold on! Princess, did you say that Fire-fist Ace is supposed to be executed?” Everypony looked at the blue pegasus that had unexpectedly spoken up. “Indeed, Mister Sanji. I take it you have already heard stories about that pirate. From what I was told he is one of the most dangerous criminals in the world. “That’s not good…” Sanji muttered to himself. He looked around the small room at all the ponies present as he announced, “That man is the brother of my captain, Straw Hat Luffy. And if Luffy knows about this, he is already on his way to try and rescue him.” “You say that this Fire-fist is the brother of your captain?” Celestia was the first to speak up after Sanji’s announcement. “Ohh. He’s the fire guy you met on that desert island, right?” Pinkie looked around at the confused stares of her friends. “I told you he would have a lot of stories to tell and I wanted to hear them. I don’t think he told me even half of them yet.” “Whatever your captain’s relationship to this man is,” Celestia said. “Right now he is waiting for his execution on the deepest level of the underwater prison Impel Down, one of the pillars of the Marine. No one has ever been able to escape. No one would be so foolish to enter that place on purpose.“ She raised an eyebrow as Pinkie Pie suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. Sanji eyed the giggling pony as well. “I think you underestimate Luffy. If he knows about the execution he won’t think twice to go to that place.” “Even if he wanted to,” Celestia replied, “there is no way he could reach the prison, much less enter. It is simply impossible to him.” “Yeah!” Pinkie was still lying on the floor from her giggling fit. Now she raised her head again. “Unless he ended up on the island of another warlord where he could make some friends and have adventures and fight two giant snakes and in the end protect the Warlord’s secret which made her fall in love with him and in the end she would smuggle him inside the prison so he could free his brother,” she rambled at her highest Pinkie Rambling Speed. She ended with a blink and showed her widest innocent grin to the other ponies. “How do y’all even come up with those stories of yours?” Applejack asked. “Wait.” Luna turned to her sister. “Might I use the Den Den Mushi to check something?” Her horn lit up and a piece paper appeared in front of her in a small flash of light. She proceeded to pick up the receiver of the Den Den Mushi and dial a number. The snail woke up and made a quiet “Purupurupuru” sound. “Hello?” The snail’s face seemed wrinkled and old all of a sudden as it spoke up in the voice of an older female. Luna brought her head a little closer. “Elder Nyon? Is that you?” “Who is there-nyo?” “It’s me, Luna!” The Princess was happy to recognize the voice. “We met only for a short while thirteen years ago, so I won’t blame you if you don’t remember me…” “The pony princess Luna? Of course I remember you-nyo. You escaped from Mariejois together with Hancock and her sisters, didn’t you? It has been a while.” “Yes; yes! That’s why I’m calling; I need to talk to Hancock!” “I’m sorry Luna, but Hancock just set sail a few hours ago-nyo. She should be back in a few days, if it can wait that long.” “No, it really can’t,” Luna mumbled. Then her ears perked up again. “She just left, you say? This might sound strange, but you have to tell me, please! Did someone besides the Kuja enter Amazon Lily in the last week?” “Someone else?” The snails voice sounded slightly nervous now. “You know no man has ever been allowed to set foot on this island, and barely any woman that wasn’t a Kuja did. Who would visit our island at a time like this?” Luna turned around to look at the other ponies for help. She sighed and decided to just come right out. “Straw Hat Luffy,” she said flatly, then repeated. “We think that the pirate Straw Hat Luffy might have come to your island and that he somehow convinced the Warlord Hancock to help him infiltrate the Impel Down.” “Why would you think–“ The snail paused and turned its voice down to a whisper. “How did you find out about that?” “It was barely more than a lucky guess, as you would call it,” Luna said. “If that is really what happened, though, we have to make preparations on our own. I’m sorry to cut this short, please give Sonia and Marigold my regards.” Before the snail could respond she placed the receiver back in its spot. The snail’s face changed back to its original appearance and it blinked a few times before going back to sleep. “It is true then,” Luna announced to the rest of the ponies. “If he is with Hancock then this Luffy might actually be able to enter the prison unseen –” She walked up to Sanji. “– not that he will be able to leave it again. What are you going to do now, pirate chef Sanji?” Sanji closed his eyes and sighed, then opened his eyes again to look at the Princess. “He’s my captain. I’m going to try to follow him.” He turned to the other alicorn and bowed his head slightly. “Princess Celestia, if you see a way to get me inside that prison unseen, I would ask for your help.” Celestia was taken aback by the request. “You cannot seriously even consider going after him.” Luna on the other hoof just chuckled. “I haven’t seen this kind of stubborn determination in years. I would have expected no less from you,” she announced. “Your captain really has loyal nakama.” She turned to address her sister. “Please, Tia. If anyone can stop this war yet it will be them, I am convinced of that. I am sure together we can find a way to help him.” She looked over the other ponies once more. “Twilight, I would like you and your friends to help Mister Sanji prepare. We will meet you back here in one hour.” “How did you know that?” While the other ponies had gone ahead to help Sanji prepare for the trip, Twilight had stayed behind to question to Pinkie Pie about her ´hunch´. “I didn’t, and I don’t,” Pinkie replied, as chipper as always. “I just keep talking, but stop thinking about what I’m going to say. That way whatever I’m going to say surprises even me, and I love surprises. I learned that trick from Madame Pinkie.” She leaned in closer to Twilight and whispered conspiratorially, “Don’t tell anypony, but Madame Pinkie is actually me in disguise. I keep it a secret to avoid my fans.” “Your… fans?” Twilight asked, confused. “Pinkie, you’re not making any sense!” “Well, duh!” Pinkie happily poked her friend’s head a few times. “You’re thinking too much. If you think about the things I say when I wasn’t thinking, you’re overthinking them!” “Ugh…” Twilight just sighed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Pinkie.” Pinkie grinned. “Exactly!”