//------------------------------// // A Sea Of Fear // Story: Pirates of The Equestrian // by Stratocaster //------------------------------// Chapter 8: A Sea Of Fear "Get me out of here! Get me out of here! Get me the H-E-double-carrot-sticks out of here!" Rarity tripped on her own hooves as she exited the opened submersible after regaining consciousness. "Rarity!" squealed Pinkie happily as she grabbed her in a lung crushing hug. "I'm so glad you're okay! You should've seen what we've been through! Shelly let us breathe underwater and she led us through the sea where we were almost eaten by a shark, and then we were captured by these merponies who thought we were bad, but then we became friends and then we found this island and Twilight had this map that-" "Pinkie, for the love of Celestia please let got of me!" cried out Rarity. "I can't take anymore cramped spaces!" "Oh quit complainin!" said Applejack, stepping out behind her. "I'm the one who actually has claustrophobia!" "Applejack! Where were you guys?" asked Twilight, relieved to see her lost friends again. "How did you get off that island?" "Well, it turned out the island was a humongous sea turtle that we managed to ride to some port town." Applejack explained. "It was there that we met Captain Nemo, who offered to help us stop Blackmane." "But I'm afraid things took a turn for the worse." Rarity said. "Blackmane found us and Nemo told us to escape, because we had already found the key to defeating that dastardly sea thug." "Wait a minute," spoke Fluttershy. "Where's Rainbow? Was she in that tiny submarine with you?" "That hot-headed wingnut refused to go with us." Applejack shook her head. "She stayed behind with Nemo to fight Blackmane. I swear, that pony will pick a fight with a tree." "I do hope she is alright." Rarity sighed. "If we're going to send Blackmane back to where he came from, we'll have to do it fast for her sake." "Funny you should mention that," said Twilight. "Because we already found Blackmane's hidden treasure! This is his secret island, and he'll be stopping by here anytime now. Once he does, we'll threaten to sink his beloved gold and, being greedy as he is, he'll have no choice but to give in! Although I can't say what that will mean for Rainbow and this Nemo friend of yours." "You found his treasure? Oh Twilight, that's terrific!" smiled Rarity. "We won't have to wait for Blackmane to arrive! Because we have a way to send him back to his watery grave once and for all!" Applejack then held out a softball sized, diamond cut emerald and explained. "We found a missing piece of Blackmane's treasure, which he cursed if went missin' would bring him back to life. If we return it to the rest o' his treasure, he'll completely cease to exist! That rusty ol' barnacle won't know what hit him!" "Are you serious?" gawked Twilight. "That must be some serious curse. I can't believe we finally have the key to stopping him for good!" "Well what are we waiting for?!" Pinkie then used her head to push out the treasure chest found earlier onto the beach. "Why don't ya put that sucker back in there?!" "Pinkie, you brought the treasure out here?!" questioned Twilight. "Well duh! I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to steal a pirate's treasure!" "By the goddesses!" Rarity lit up at the sight of the treasure. "Fabulous jewels and pearls and gold accessories everywhere! Somepony catch me! I'm about to faint!" "Calm down, girls," said Twilight, taking the emerald. "We're not bringing any of it with us. We're here to save the seas from chaos. And it'll all be over with this gem. Well, here it goes." With a simple flick of her hoof, Twilight tossed the green gem into the stash of gold and jewelry, then closed the chest and used her magic to hurl it into the jungle never to be found again. "Well, that was...uneventful." Rarity blinked. "Yeah, I really kind of expected this to end with some kind of epic battle or crazy chase." Pinkie added with disappointment. "Come on guys," shrugged Twilight. "Not every adventure has to end with a bang. In fact, I think it's better this way. Besides, with the curse of his treasure lifted, Blackmane won't be terrorizing the seas anytime soon!" "Yeah I guess." Applejack kicked some sand. "Still, it kinda feels like we got all riled up fer nothin. I was actually itchin' fer a fight." "I certainly wasn't." Fluttershy replied. "I'm just glad we won't have to see that scary, viscous, bloodthirsty, pirate ever-" "AAAAAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR!" Twilight's pupils shrank from the sound of the familiar cackling. "No...it can't be!" The mares looked down the beach as the last thing they wanted to see on the water loomed into view around the bend. Ending all newfound hope, the Queen Chrysalis's Revenge sailed up the coast with its monstrous captain poised on the bowsprit, laughing with a blood-curdling howl. The Revenge anchored several yards away from the baffled mares as Blackmane stalked through the shallow water and stepped onto the beach with a crazed look in his blood red eyes. "But-but-but I thought restoring the treasure would make him disappear!" stammered Applejack. "I thought Nemo was telling us the truth!" added Rarity with just as much confusion. "Har har har har har har!" boomed Blackmane again. "You dizzy lasses! Ya really believed in the curse I made before me death all those years ago?! I was just sendin' chills up everypony's spines I was! Ya think I would place me entire fate in the presence of one lousy chest o' gold?! I've got hundreds of chests buried on numerous secret islands across Equestria where that came from; that there treasure is practically worthless to me!" "But...but that still doesn't explain how you got here in the first place!" Twilight argued. "Don't ya get it, lassie?" seethed Blackmane. "'Tis not the treasure that keeps a pirate afloat; it's all about fear! When I was alive, I spread terror all across the seas of Equestria. And from the moment of me death, ponies everywhere revered me as a demon, and spoke with dread whenever me story was told. Then, when yer old navy friend threw me emerald overboard on that fateful night, he cast away his superstition and anxiety along within it. It was that superstition that revived me legend as it touched the sea, me final resting place, and the fear that gripped every pony back then resurfaced and gave me rejuvenation, along with me ship and crew! You see, lassie, a true pirate thrives on fear in all forms, and if a pony's happiness has any magical power, then so does a pony's fear! It was all of you who brought me back; and there'd be no gettin' rid o' me! Ar har har har har har har har har!" "That...this doesn't make sense!" Twilight said, conflicted. "But if you're still here, then what happened to Rainbow Dash and Nemo?" asked Rarity anxiously. "Oh ya shoulda seen it!" grinned Blackmane. "That rowdy little pegasus and that old coot sure put up a fight; but they were no match for a whole gang of pirates. Those two cowards hid below deck in their little floating sardine can which I then sent to the depths with a single cannon shot! It was too easy! One little cannonball was all it took to send that rust bucket sinkin' like a stone!" He began to tear up from laughter. "It looks like you're friends got a little surprise from that! They're as good as drowned! Ar har har har har!" The five of them stared with shock and dismay at the thought of their dear friend Rainbow, trapped in an iron enclosure in the crushing force of the deep sea. "Oh no, not Rainbow!" whimpered Fluttershy. Suddenly, Applejack dug her hoof into the sand with anger. "That tears it! Listen you sword flingin', scurvy-ridden boat jockey! You can chase us around every sea in Equestria for the rest of our lives! But when you sink one of mah friends, I'm gonna sink you right back! Ya hear me, Blackmane ya stinkin' limey salt sucker?! I'm gonna kick yer sorry flank into the next three hundred years!!!" She then charged towards the maniacal captain with every intention of mule kicking the green right off of his coat. "Applejack, don't!" Rarity yelled after her. But the farm pony refused to listen and was just feet away from slamming right into Blackmane. That is, until one of the pirate crew members tossed a net over the side of the ship and entrapped Applejack, being kept down with weights. She wriggled and writhed but made no success to break out of the weighted net. "Are you kiddin' me?! More cramped spaces?!" she shrieked with rage. "Ya should've learned from yer pegasus friend's mistake, farmer." Blackmane said. "Ya can't fight an undead pirate and live to tell the tale! And as fer the rest of ya, I hate to see such pretty lasses meet their end, but ya'll get what you deserve for tanglin' with the likes o' me! I hope you enjoyed me island, because ya won't be leaving with yer lives! Ow! GAH! What in blazes is going on?!" He then started writhing his head and bucking as another hurled starfish stuck itself to his face. "Hey Blackmane! I got a score to settle!" Shelly yelled at him from behind in the beach water. "Nopony keeps the Princess of Trotlantis in a cage!" "Shelly, what are you doing?!" called Twilight. "You guys find somewhere safe in the jungle!" she replied. "I'll keep Blackmane and his goons distracted. Don't worry about me; I got a whole army of crustaceans over here! I'll catch up with you later." "Bloody heck! Get this infernal sea star off me face! I'm gonna be sick! Where in blazes is me ship's medic?!" While the captain was incapacitated, Shelly then summoned a crab to scuttle out of the tide and sneak over to Applejack. The little crustacean then clipped the net open with its claws before sidestepping away, freeing the earth pony from another claustrophobic panic attack. "Thanks a bunch, Shelly!" she smiled, getting up. "Let's beat it girls. I'll have to kick his sorry flank later!" "Thank you again, Shelly," called Twilight, as she and her friends cantered off. "Please make it back okay!" After his bucking fit, Blackmane was finally free of the starfish's grasp. "ARGH! I've had enough of yer shenanigans, seahorse! I'm gonna lock you up on dry land until yer nothin' but seafood!" Shelly only glared back, and held up two more starfish like shurikens. "Bring it on, grog breath!" With their merpony friend occupying the ruthless captain, the Mane Six minus one fled through the jungle, hoping that they were not tailed by any hunting pirates. They strew away from the river and any other spots where it looked like the pirates had made settlement, in order to cover their tracks. Eventually, they came upon a hidden cave covered by overgrowth and agreed to take shelter inside. "Come on, we have to go in deeper so they won't find us!" said Twilight. "But Twilight, are you sure Shelly will be alright?" asked Fluttershy. "She's got the whole dang ocean to swim around!" implored Applejack. "I'm sure she'll be fine. Now let's just get to safety!" "Hmph, you seem quite worried for somepony who was charging full throttle at Blackmane." Rarity scoffed. "Don't push me, sailor bait!" After hearing the raspy shouting of pirates in the distance, the five moved deeper into the cave, until the light from the entrance could no longer be seen. Soon enough, they found themselves in a dank watery cavern, illuminated only by the glow of an underground pool. They huddled around by the silent water, recuperating from the horrible incident. "I just can't believe it." Twilight spoke, saddened. "Blackmane caught up with Rainbow and now she's gone. It's just terrible." "Now come on," protested Applejack. "There's no way a pony like Rainbow Dash could've been taken down that easily. She would've found a way to escape n' find us, right?" "Then...why hasn't she?" Fluttershy teared up. "Oh the poor dear." Rarity added with remorse. "Why did she have to stay with Captain Nemo? I could've stopped her!" "It just ain't right!" grumbled Applejack. "We can't just let Blackmane get away with takin' our friend!" "But what can we do?" whimpered Fluttershy. "I don't think there's anything we can do." Twilight sighed. "Blackmane's curse was a bust, my magic is useless against him, and there's no way of getting help from outside this island. Let's face it, we're outmatched by a bunch of pirates...We've failed..." They hung their heads in hopeless remorse. With Rainbow out of the picture, it seemed that defeating Blackmane was something that even the Elements of Harmony could not achieve...That is, except not to Pinkie Pie. "Alright ya lily-livered land lubbers!" The four others looked up to see Pinkie poised in a dominating stance on top of a rocky crag. Somehow, she had managed to change into pirate garb, including a head rag, a striped sailor's shirt, black rubber boots and an eye patch. She waved a cutlass around in emphasis. "Now I've just about had enough of this swabbie talk!" she spoke in a very Blackmane-like tone. "Yer givin' up that easily just because one of our shipmates has keeled over!" "Pinkie, I don't think this is any time for pretending!" glared Twilight. "Watch that kinda talk, scalawag!" scolded Pinkie. "This ain't no pretendin' time! This is the real deal! No more of this runnin' around and hidin' business! That's for landlubbers! We're gonna take a stand and sink this sea pig to the briny depths!" "And how exactly do you expect us to do that?" retorted Rarity. "Ya silly sea sods! Why just take a gander over there!" Pinkie pointed her sword over towards the far side of the luminescent pool. The rest of them looked curiously at a large shrouded shape sat partly in the cool water. With a glow from Twilight's horn, it was revealed to be a wrecked sailing ship, which bore the mark of Blackmane on a flag. The withered old vessel was a sleek two masted schooner, with around twenty something cannon. Its rotted hull had sprung a major leak in the port side, and the sails were torn and tattered, hanging loosely from their lines. It seemed like a sorry excuse for a working vessel; but somehow, the ponies saw hope in the abandoned wreck. "My gosh!" gasped Twilight. "This must be the E.S. Baltimare!" "You know about this ship?" asked Rarity. "I've read about it. It was Blackmane's first ship! He abandoned it once he captured a larger one which became the Queen Chrysalis's Revenge." "How the heck did he get it inside this darn cave?!" wondered Applejack. Twilight pondered as she panned around and studied the features of the underground cavern. "There must be some sort of secret canal that leads to the sea from here. Blackmane probably used it to hide his ship from anypony looking for him here." "Don't you get it, guys?!" smiled Pinkie, speaking normally. "We actually have a ship now! And we can use it put Blackmane in his place! If we're going to defeat pirates, we're gonna have to think like pirates!" Twilight finally managed to smile along with her. "Pinkie is right! We shouldn't be running from Blackmane anymore. He thrives on fear and we're practically feeding it to him. Well we're not afraid of him! We're going to beat him at his own game! And all we have to do is restore that ship! Are you guys with me?" "Absolutely!" said Rarity. "I am desperately sick of that scoundrel!" "Um...okay." Fluttershy added. "We'll do it for Rainbow Dash!" "Yeehaw! Let's raise this boat!" cheered Applejack. "Then get ready to set sail, maties!" rallied Pinkie. "Today Blackmane will rue the day he messed with...the Pirates of Harmony! Yargh!"