Pursuit
*CRACK*
Thunder boomed and cracked loudly as the ship rolled up and down the massive waves. Dark clouds blocked out the sun from above as a torrential downpour of the sharp stinging rain poured down from above. The captain seemed to be in all places at once, barking orders while navigating the ship through the waves and wind. I watched as he approached my father and I as we hung to the railing of the ship.
"We're approaching Fillydelphia. Keep a close eye out for that bloody ship."He immediately walked away, and continued his barrage of orders. My father continued to stare out into the waves that rocked the ship. As I stared with him, I noticed the end of a wake not to far ahead. The rest of the wake disappeared over a massive wave to the left of us.
"SHIP SIGHTED!"I suddenly heard from above. "MAN-O-WAR!"Everypony's eyes looked upwards at the stallion in the crows nest, who pointed towards the northwest. We all looked towards the left as a wave passed to the left of us. As it passed, the tops of of three masts came into view. As the ocean lowered, the entire ship could be seen. The massive ship had three decks of guns and swivels.
"WEAPONS READY!"The captain shouted. Below us on the gundeck, the portholes were pulled up, and cannons were loaded and pushed forward.
"Captain!"I shouted, gaining the captain's attention. "I need Chrysalis alive!"
"Aye. Load chain shot! Prepare to board!"The cannons were pulled back in momentarily, and pushed back out ready to fire a barrage of chains toward the ship.
"CAPTAIN! SHE'S MAKING READY TO FIRE!"The spotter in the crows nest yelled.
"DOWN!"The captain yelled. In the distance, I heard many pops and cracks from the cannons being fired. The next, I heard the sound of splashes. I looked up, and realized a wave had moved in between us, and stopped the cannons from doing any damage. "MAKE READY TO FIRE!"The captain took ahold of the wheel as the ship moved closer, turning slightly to the right. The cannons now pointed directly at the ship.
The captain raised his hoof high in the air, as another wave passed. The second it cleared, he threw his hoof down. "FIRE!"He yelled. The whole ship trembled as the cannons blasted their cargo up into the air. In the distance, I heard the ship fire at us.
"DOWN!"I yelled instinctively. My father and I ducked as high pitched whistles sped past us along with the sound of splintering wood. I looked back to see the chain shots had done their job, destroying much of their masts.
"Fire a few smoke shots!"The captain yelled. Three cannons were fired, and a line of smoke was drawn from the cannons to Chrysalis' ship. "Move in! Prepare to Board!"The captain yelled. Chrysalis' ship was engulfed in smoke as we swung to the left toward the man-o-war.
As we neared, the crew took boarding hooks and small anchors, and tossed them across into the smoke. They then begun pulling after they felt the hooks had landed on the Man-O-War securely, pulling the ship closer. The Wonderbolt's sails were raised as we entered the smoke.
The entire ship heaved as we collided with the Man-O-War. Our crew shouted as they jumped on to the side of the massive ship, and begun the short climb up the side of the hull. I followed, as well as my father as we made our way to the top deck.
As I got on my hooves, I realized I could hardly see through the thick smoke. Through the haze, I saw a bright green flash illuminate the smoke. The next, I saw my father's head appear through the smoke. I looked back in pure confusion. I was sure my father was following me. My father reached the top deck, and climbed on his hooves.
I looked back in realization, and immediately stabbed the impostor. The second my blade penetrated the false body, another green flash illuminated the air as the body changed back to a changeling. "They're changelings!"I said to my father.
"Stay together, do not loose sight of each other."My father stood beside me as he drew his tomahawk, and slowly crept through the smoke with me. Suddenly, the buzz of an insect's wings could be heard. The smoke suddenly cleared as the wind and rain of the storm pushed the thick cover away. Changelings surrounded us as the crew charged in with their cutlasses high.
A changeling jumped toward me, hissing loudly and aggressively. My hidden blade unsheathed as I let the doomed changeling fly into the blade. I pushed him off of my blade with ease, as I took stance beside my father. "ATTACK!"I yelled as the crew and changelings suddenly collided together.
My father and I ran into the brawl with no mercy, and begun cutting down changelings as though they were paper. As I came back to back with my father once more, I spoke loudly through the storm and the fighting.
"WE'VE GOT TO GET BELOW DECKS!"I yelled. My father nodded as the ship suddenly trembled, and the stern blew apart, opening an entrance to the decks below. "NOW'S OUR CHANCE!"I ran toward the hole that had been ripped in the deck, and jumped in.
Below decks, cannon balls were rolling about on the wooden floor. A few cannons lied on their side from the blast that ripped through the deck. It seemed this gundeck was completely empty, not a soul in sight. "Stay quiet, and follow me."I whispered. My father nodded, and followed me as we crept through the gundeck, eventually reaching a hatch that led to the second gundeck. I opened it up, and was met by a rush of changelings, and the buzz of a beehive.
Changelings sprung from the hatch, and from the portholes. "Ambush!"I yelled. My father looked at me, and suddenly pushed me down toward the hatch. I lost my hoofing, not expecting the shove, as I fell over. I expected to hit the floor, but instead, I landed on a group of changelings. I looked up, and realized he pushed me through the hatch. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"I yelled.
"GO! I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!"My father yelled as he pushed away the attacking changelings.
"DAMMIT, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A HERO! LET'S GO!"I ordered. My father looked at me as the changelings continued pouncing, and he continued defending. He gave one last look, before slamming the hatch closed. "Dammit dad..."I said, as I heard the hatch being locked. I shook my head, and got on my hooves. On the other side of this gundeck, Chrysalis stood with five rather large changelings standing around her. They growled and snarled like wild dogs defending their territory.
"Give up, before I put an end to all of them."I spoke so Chrysalis could hear me clearly.
"And I offer you the same."She replied. "Or you, and the elements of harmony will suffer."
"If you do not lay down your arms, then I'll have to take them from you."I threatened. Chrysalis only stared at me as she slowly waved a hoof toward me.
"Kill her."She spoke. The five guarding changelings, who looked more like trolls than an insect, took a step toward me. Two of them held large hatchets almost as big as I.
"So be it."I stepped forward, and unsheathed a broadsword that had rested in my holster. I gave the blade a small kiss, before pointing it towards the five changelings and their queen. "COME ON!"I stepped forward, and swung.
The changeling expected me to go for his head or torso, and moved his massive axe to cover his chest. I swung the blade down past his chest, and struck his foot. The changeling immediately cried with pain, as it dropped the hatchet, and held what was left of his foot. With his defense now gone, I swung again, and drove the sword through his thick fleshy neck. His arms went limp as his body fell to the ground. Chrysalis snarled at me. "I said kill her!"She whined.
The second troll took his axe, and swung it over his head. It came down from directly above me. I jumped to the side, allowing the axe to impale the wooden floor. I swung my sword, cutting the handle from the heavy hatchet blade, which separated with ease. I jumped as the changeling looked at the splintered handle in confusion, and landed on the back of his neck. I took my hidden blade, and punched his neck, letting the blade stab him multiple times. It groaned in pain, before falling to the floor, landing with a thud.
I heard a third changeling grumble behind me, as it picked up the dropped axe from his fallen comrade. I noticed a fourth one on the other side of me. I looked at the one wielding the axe, and stuck my tongue out, taunting him to come closer. He did exactly what I hoped, and took a step closer to me, as well as the fourth changeling behind me. In anger, it swung the axe over its head. I rolled out of the way as it neared, and immediately heard a changeling give a bloody cry in pain. I looked back, and saw the axe had sliced through the fourth changeling's entire knee. It feel helplessly, and I took the chance to end his suffering. I jumped on him, and drove my broadsword through his neck. I turned to the other one who picked up the axe again, and threw the sword. It flew straight and true, penetrating his chest. He fell forwards, crushing the broadsword under its massive bodyweight, making it impossible to retrieve.
The fifth and final changeling stepped forward. These guards were obviously not the smartest of the hive. As it stepped toward me, I took out a poison dart, and threw it into its eyes as I walked past it casually. It held its face in pain as I approached Chrysalis. She looked at me with envious eyes, and slowly clapped.
"Well done...it seems you've defeated the stupidity that dwells within those trolls of changelings. Now...let's finish this...you and I."She spoke slyly.
"That is the only thing I'll agree on with you."I replied, as I stood with empty hooves. Chrysalis unsheathed a sword of her own, and pointed it toward me. She swung towards me with control and skill. My hidden blade unsheathed, and blocked the incoming attack. I grabbed her hoof that held the sword, and pulled it toward me, throwing her past me. She landed with a thud.
"Omf..."I jumped toward her for the kill. As I neared her, my blade unsheathed, and she rolled out of the way, and climbed back on her hooves. My hidden blade penetrated the wood deeply. I attempted to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge, though the wood it was engraved in was loose, and could splinter. Chrysalis took her sword, and took her time to prepare to kill me while I was occupied. "Now...to end this."I shook my hoof furiously, trying to get the blade free.
Chrysalis swung around, and my hoof came free just in time. The sound of splintering wood came with it. I took my now freed hoof, and put it between myself and her sword. The sword she swung hit the wood that covered the blade, shattering it, and cutting the blade right out of the device. I watched as the blade fell slowly, landing on the wooden floor with a metallic ring.
"Haahahaa..."Chrysalis laughed wickedly. "You have nothing left...I win."Chrysalis pointed her sword towards me, preparing to end it.
"I have something you'll never have...not even in your own dreams."I spoke, as I watched her point the tip of the sword to my neck. "That one thing takes patience, commitment, and a good heart...you have none of those..."I sat on the wood helpless as blood dripped from my nose. "That one thing...is skill."Upon hearing those words, Chrysalis' eyes widened. As she swung for the kill, I swung my leg around, taking out her hooves from under her.
"AH!"She yelped as she landed on her back. I caught the sword before it could land, and held it toward Chrysalis. I wasted no time in doing what I intended to do. I plunged the sword down through her chest. She immediately coughed up blood, as the color in her eyes begun to fade.
"The Templars loose."I spoke to the dying insect on the floor. She held her chest tightly, and looked up at me in anger.
"You're wrong...the Templars...will always rise. No matter how many times you defeat them, the next generation will come to fight."
"The same goes for the Assassin's. Just look what happened with me...it only took a year for me to develop from a filly, to a fighter. The Assassin's will always be here no matter what...we are the guardians."I spoke.
"We're not even fighting for the same reasons...used to be we'd fight for that stupid apple."Chrysalis spoke. "Nopony knows where the hell it went...but even the Templars were glad it was gone...all it did was corrupt the individual who held it into enslaving their own brothers and sisters. Even I cannot hold such a power."Chrysalis spoke humbly.
"Then why did you fight...why did you put so much effort in for nothing?"
"Revenge...the Elements of Harmony nearly killed me...but I survived sadly...it would have been better off for my entire colony to die...but I was left with hundreds of changelings to feed...to care for...but...now it seems you've fixed that for me."
"Revenge is never the answer...Forgiveness would have given you much more than you could ever dream of."I spoke.
"Then why don't you forgive the one Templar that remains..."She spoke of Flam.
"You can only forgive the forgivable. He murdered my mother and my sister...and nearly my father!"I exclaimed in anger. "ALL BY YOUR COMMAND!"
"Your father was the only thing in our way...but we were wrong...you survived...as did your father...and we paid the price for letting you live."Chrysalis coughed up a decent amount of blood. The color in her eyes now faded completely. Her head dropped to the floor. I closed her eyes gently.
"May the afterlife serve you well...Rest In Peace."
Play "Homestead" AC3 soundtrack here
*CRACK*
A sudden loud crack of thunder brought me back to reality. Suddenly, the ceiling above me collapsed. I ran to the side, and jumped for the porthole where a cannon lied on its side. As the floor collapsed, I flew through the opening, and landed in the water. I quickly swam to the Wonderbolt, and climbed up the side of the hull as it begun to sail away.
"C'mon."The captain pulled me up as I looked around for my father.
"Where's my father?"I asked frantically. The captain only gave me a look of realization, and looked back at the ship. I looked at the ship too, which was engulfed in flames. "What the hell happened?"I asked.
"Lightning struck."The captain spoke.
"We have to go back. My father's still on that ship!"I stared at the burning ship, and realized there was movement on the top deck. The captain immediately gave me a spyglass, which I quickly looked through. I could see my father running through the fire toward the bow of the ship.
"Please...please hurry."I said under my breath. My heart pounded as my stomach churned. I watched as he jumped off the side of the ship...
*BOOM*
Time seem to slow down...I dropped the spyglass, letting it shatter on the deck. The explosion from the gunpowder engulfed the ship, and begun to spread out. I watched as my father jumped in the air as it happened. The fire came closer and closer...until I could see the orange flames and smoke engulf my father before he could hit the water. My heart seemed to literally tear in half, as it sunk down to the darkest pit within me.
"NO!"I shouted. Time seemed to resume back to normal as I watched the explosion trail my father. I jumped into the water without hesitation, and swam towards the burning ship, which now slowly disappeared beneath the waves.
"What are you doing!"I heard the captain shout. I ignored him, and continued to swim toward the wreckage. I saw a white piece of clothing slowly drifting away from the fire. I swam toward it in hope. It seemed like a lifetime for me to finally reach it.
I grabbed the piece of clothing...only to find that nopony was wearing it. "No...no not now."I spoke aloud. "DAD!"I cried. I gasped for air, and dived underwater. I couldn't see anything underwater...the storm made impossible for light to reach the water.
I resurfaced, completely filled with anger and sadness. I could only stare at the piece of clothing that floated gently in the water...the same hood that my father was just wearing. I took it, and held it tightly in my hooves as I felt its soaked fabric. I could still smell the scent of my father on it...but it was quickly being washed off through the water.
A rope suddenly dropped from above, as the Wonderbolt slowly drifted nearby. I held the rope, and let the crew pull me in. The captain pulled me aboard as I held the hood in my hooves. As I lied on the deck, staring into the white fabric, I noticed many of the crew members gently removing any hats and bandannas they had on.
"Father..."Tears swelled up in my eyes I cried into the fabric. The waves of the storm had calmed, as the storm begun to pass. As I sat in pain, holding what was left of my father...I felt a warmth come over me. I looked up, and saw a break in the clouds. Sunlight cracked through the clouds, and lit up the entire ship as we begun to sail.
I stared as I accepted my father's fate. He was gone...for good this time.