Chapter 6
The First Time is Always the Hardest
The next day did not start out well, nearly all the crew members were less than enthusiastic about having three fillies on board the ship. If they didn’t like their five guests before then they sure as hell didn’t like them now. The three fillies mostly stuck by their adult friends and stayed out of the pirates’ way. The group of newcomers looked over their weapons and sighed. The grey stallion walked down below deck and saw the group of mares.
“Hey, get your weapons.”
“Why? Are we under attack?” Dash asked.
“No, time for some training.” He said in a flat tone. “Since you guys are on my ship you need to learn how to fight.” He said as the group followed him up to the deck. “Bring out the ring!” He ordered. Several crew members grinned and started setting up several barrels and crowded around the area in a circular formation. The five mares made their way through the crowd and saw the grey stallion with his swords tucked by his sides.
“Time to teach you how to use your weapons.” He said as he pulled out one of his blades.
“What’s to understand about swish, swish stab? It’s a sword not an air balloon.” The cyan mare stated as she rolled her eyes.
“Cocky huh?” He said with a smirk. “Okay then, come at me.” Dash pulled both f her daggers out and swung randomly at the stallion. Razor gave one swipe with one of his swords and knocked both daggers out of the mare’s hooves. The mares gulped at the display. “You were saying?”
“Never mind.” Dash said as she flattened her ears.
“Smart mare. Now pay attention.” He said with a smirk. “Think of your weapon as an extension of yourself. It’s a part of you.” He gave a swift swipe of his blade that cut through the air. “You must be like water.”
“Huh?” Applejack asked.
“Empty your mind. Be formless or shapeless. Like water.” He said as he sheathed his weapon. “You put water in a cup it becomes a the cup, put water in a tea pot it becomes the tea pot.” The mares all listened to him. “Water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.”
“I don’t get it.” Dash said. Razor face hoofed.
“Breeze, Ace show them.” He said as the two combatants entered the ring. Ace pulled out a massive club while Breeze had nothing but her bare hooves. “Start!” The griffin swung the bat and time seemed to slow as Breeze dodged it within an inch of space between her and the large wooden club.
The group gulped as the mare spun on her back hoof and tripped the griffin with her tail. The mare then followed up with a punch to the griffin’s gut before he hit the ground. The large beast crumpled and gave a harsh cough. The five mares all looked in amazement.
“Holy Luna.” Dash said. “That was awesome!”
“Comes with the job.” Breeze said as she cracked her neck. “Now it’s your turn.” She said with a grin. Dash gulped and entered the small ring. The cyan Pegasus looked at her friends who gave her a nervous smile. The two heard a ding sound and leapt at each other. Breeze dodged the mare’s hoof and sucker punched her in the gut. Dash coughed and fell to the floor.
Breeze rolled her eyes and turned away only to feel the Pegasus’ tail coil around her leg and trip her. Dash then jumped on top of her and put her in a headlock. Some of the crew blinked in surprise.
“Gotcha!” Dash yelled.
“Not quite.” Breeze said with a grin. Her horn flared and the mare’s body turned to water and splashed onto the deck.
“What the hey?” Dash yelled in shock. A hoof made of water then struck her from the deck. Dash recoiled and fell on her back. The Unicorn mare’s body then returned to it’s normal state. “H-how did you do that?”
“Magic.” Breeze said with a grin.
“Hey that’s cheating!” The crew all laughed at the words. “What’s so funny?”
“We’re pirates. We don’t play by anypony’s rules but our own.” Razor said with a grin.
“Captain!” Razor looked up towards the crows nest to see Ace pointing with a claw. The crew got to the right side of the ship and looked to see another pirate ship heading towards them.
“What do they want?” The farmer was cut off as they saw a few puffs of smoke escape the other ship.
“Down!” Every crew member instantly hugged the deck. Razor rushed over to Dash and tackled her as they heard a few cannon balls hit the water around the ship. Water splashed on the deck and the ship rocked.
“So that’s how it is then?” Razor said as he got up. The stallion helped the mare to her hooves and cracked his neck. “Get to the cannons. Get ready to fight!” The crew gave a nod and quickly scurried to their positions. Razor turned towards Dash and the other four mares. “You all get below deck and barricade yourselves in my quarters.”
“Got it!” AJ said with a nod. The five girls quickly grabbed the fillies and dragon before running down below deck. The mares heard hooves trampling across the wooden deck. The group heard several cannon blasts and covered their ears. The fillies hugged their older sisters and buried their heads in their siblings’ chests. Dash calmly patted the orange filly’s head and gulped.
On top the cannon’s blazed and large metal balls cut through the air.
“Ace I need you in the air!” Razor barked. The griffin soared in the air and went into the crow’s nest. “Scotty, break out the mortar.”
“Which one sir?”
“The big one.” The stallion looked at him in shock.
“But sir, after what happened last time?”
“Did I stutter?” He barked. The green Unicorn rolled his eyes and his horn flared. A large metal mortar then appeared on deck. The crew gulped. “Ace what do we got?”
“Twenty-six degrees East. Ten degrees South.”
“Alright then.” He said as he crawled inside the mortar. Rainbow Dash poked her head out and saw the stallion inside the large mortar. The cyan mare walked out and looked at the stallion.
“Why don’t we just blast them to splinters?”
“Because my idea is better.” He said as he cracked his neck. “Breeze, light this bitch!” The Unicorn mare shook her head and aimed the cannon at the ship. As the mare lit the fuse dash ducked as a cannon ball went over her head. “Geronimo!” He yelled as the mortar roared to life. Dash’s jaw dropped as she saw a dark grey dot fly towards the ship.
The crew stopped working and sat back. Dash stood next to the Unicorn mare and cocked her head in confusion.
“Why did you guys stop working?” She asked.
“We’d miss the show.”
“What show?” Dash looked towards the ship and saw several blue slash marks. The center mast fell and the group heard several gun shots. The mare gasped as she saw two giant slash marks come up from the ship and hit the clouds. A large blue X was imprinted in the clouds.
“Thats our cue.” Breeze said as she teleported behind the wheel. “Get back to your posts.” The ponies then scampered back to their positions and the ship stared to move towards the damaged ship. The Gale pulled along side the ship and Razor kept his gun on the other crew as they boarded his ship.
“Gents, welcome to my ship.” He said as the crew drew their swords and looked at the guests. “Now here comes the tough part. Which one of you sea dogs is the captain?” The crew then pointed to a Diamond Dog.
“Th-that would be me.” The dog said with a whine.
“Okay then. Why did you fire on my ship?”
“We thought that you’d fire first.”
“Well, we didn’t. You must have been after something.”
“Treasure. We rob ships for gold and silver.” He said with a gulp. Razor rolled his eyes and pulled out one of his swords and pointed it at the dog. “Please don’t kill me.”
“I’m not gonna kill you. I’m gonna give you a chance to win some of my gold.” The dog looked at him in shock. Razor waved his hoof and Scotty brought out a small treasure chest. The stallion then opened the chest and some gold and jewels spilled on the deck. “All ya gotta do is beat me in a duel.” The dog’s eyes boggled at the treasure.
“Thats all?”
“Simple rules. If ya win then I’ll give you the chest.” He said as he closed the lid with the tip of his sword. “If I win then I take half of whatever you got in your ship. Play by the rules and you and your crew go off. Break them and well.” He said as he looked at his crew who grinned as they pulled out their blades. “Deal?” He asked as he stuck out his hoof. The dog grinned and shook it.
“Deal.”
“Okay boys lets get a ring set up.” The crew then scurried around and made the circle the crew had used earlier. Razor removed his coat and hat. The dog grinned as he saw his bandaged wings. Razor withdrew his two swords and cracked his neck. The cyan mare gulped as she saw a collection of scars across his chest.
The dog removed his own blade and grinned. The opposing captain stood on his hind legs, that gave him the height advantage. The dog towered over the stallion by easily two feet. One of the crew members raised a pistol and shot it into the air signaling the start of the fight.
The dog swung his blade and the stallion quickly side stepped it and parried the blade with one sword. He quickly delivered a kick to the dog’s gut. The beast snarled and attacked at random. The stallion easily parried the blade with one sword, one blow after another. The Pegasus yawned as the dog grew more frustrated.
“Die!” The dog barked. The opposing captain put all his strength into one swing. Razor crossed his swords and caught the blade in the scissor like block. The stallion smirked and focused the strength into his arms. Dash saw his muscles flex. Like a coiled spring the stallion’s blades shot forwards. The dog’s sword was sent flying and stuck into the wooden deck behind the dog.
The dog froze and the color drained from his face. The stallion sheathed his weapons and sighed.
“Well, sorry pal, but I win.” The stallion said as his crew cheered. “Okay gents and ladies, go forth and pillage.” Half the crew got off the boat and boarded the enemy’s ship. As Razor turned around and started to walk away the dog grunted and pulled out a knife from his belt. The dog lunged at the grey stallion.
Razor’s ear twitched and spun around with a pistol pointed at the dog’s face. The dog froze in place. The stallion coked an eyebrow as the dog coughed up blood and fell forwards on the deck. The stallion’s eyes shrank as he saw a jagged rainbow dagger stuck in the dog’s back. The grey Pegasus looked up and saw the familiar cyan mare with the other dagger in her hoof and tears in her eyes.
The mare dropped the knife and started to shake. Dash slumped to the ground and looked at her hooves before running bellow deck. The stallion removed the dagger and wiped the blood off on the dead dog’s jacket. The dog’s crew gulped as the stallion put his coat back on and walked over to the sword that was stuck in the deck. He pulled it out and looked at the blade. The stallion waited for the rest of the crew to return to the ship with some crates.
“Which one of you is quarter master?” He asked as he looked at the tied up group of pirates. A dark blue earth pony stallion hesitantly raised his hoof. Razor motioned for him to come towards him. The pony looked only a few years younger than Razor. “What’s your name son?”
“It’s C-Clam Crusher sir.” He said with a gulp. Razor then pointed the handle towards the stallion.
“I think this belongs to you. Captain.” The blue stallion’s eyes shrank and looked at the sword handle. He hesitantly gripped the handle and sheathed it. “You’re in charge now ya here?”
“Y-yes sir.” He said as he saluted him. Razor nodded and pulled out a small pouch of gold coins. He took the stallion’s hoof and dropped the bag in it. “What are you-”
“It ain’t much, but its enough to get that mast fixed and replace some of the supplies we took.”
“But sir-”
“Refuse this offer and I’ll chop your head off.” The blue stallion gulped and watched as his crew piled back on their ship. “Go forth and live like a free stallion.”
“Thank you sir.” He said with a nod.
“Good now get going.” The grey stallion’s ship then started to move away from the damaged ship. Razor walked over to Breeze and sighed. “Where’d Dash go?”
“Bellow deck.” The stallion sighed. “Go talk to her, I got things up here.” The stallion gave her a nod and went down below deck. As he walked towards his quarters he saw the four other mares and three fillies outside the door.
“Rainbow? You okay sugar cube?” The farmer asked as she pressed her ear up against the door.
“Just leave me alone!” She yelled. Fluttershy trotted up to grey stallion with tears in her eyes.
“What happened? She came running down a few minutes ago and locked herself inside.”
“After I beat the other pirate captain, he tried to stab me and Dash stopped him by throwing her dagger into his back.” The mares all gasped. “He died instantly.” The mares all gulped. “I’m gonna go in and talk to her.”
“Ah’m going to.” Applejack said.
“No, you’re not. I know how she feels believe me.” He said with a sigh. The mares all frowned. “Look I know you want to be there for her, but can you honestly know how she’s feeling? She just ended somepony’s life.” The mares all gulped. “Take it from a pirate, the first time is never easy.”
The mares looked at one another and let out a sigh. They stepped aside and let the stallion pass. He nodded and entered the room. “Dash? You in here?” The stallion heard no response. His ear twitched as he heard some sniffling coming from the desk. Razor walked over to it and saw the cyan daredevil curled up underneath the desk crying.
The stallion let out a sigh and crawled inside and sat next to the mare. “Look Dash, I know that you and I aren’t exactly friends,” He said with a sigh. “but I know what you’re going through.”
“Yeah right!” She said with a sniffle. “You’re a pirate. You’re use to stealing, killing and all that stuff.” The stallion frowned.
“Hey I may be a pirate, but I’m not bloodthirsty and I always look for an alternative to killing.” He said as he looked at the mare. “I know that its never easy and you feel like the lowest piece of trash in Equestria.”
“Gee, thanks.” She groaned.
“What I’m saying is that life moves on. You protected me and I’m grateful for that.” The stallion put a hoof around the mare. The Pegasus mare rested her head against his chest and cried.
“I’m a monster!” She cried as she burried her face in his fur. The stallion sighed and gently ran his hoof through her mane in an effort to calm her down.
“Look you’re an element of harmony, you’ve beaten Nightmare Moon, Discord and saved an entire empire.” He said trying to comfort the distraught mare. “You only did what you had to do and you’re taking responsibility for it. It shows character.” Dash sniffled and looked at the stallion with tears in her eyes.
“R-really?”
“Yeah and I’m sorry you had to do that. If I could change things then I would.” He said as he rested his head against hers. “I was only fourteen when I first killed somepony.” The mare gasped.
“W-why did you kill them?”
“He was trying to kill Breeze. He came at her with a knife and I intervened.” He said with a sigh.
“Do you ever get use to it? Killing I mean?”
“No, something like that stays with you. I try to make up for it by doing what I think is right. Wishful thinking right?” He said with a small chuckle. Dash looked down at her hooves and started to shake again. “Dash there are things in this world that you don’t want to do, but you’re forced to for the greater good.” He said as he stood up. “Just thought you should know that.” He said as he started to walk away.
“Thanks Razor.” She said as she stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. “For a pirate, you’re not such a bad guy.” She said with a smile.
“For a civilian, you’re not such a bad pirate.” The two shared a small chuckle. “But seriously, if you need to talk then just ask me or some of the crew. They’ve been there and have gone through what you are going through now.” He said with a smile. The grey captain then handed the daggers back to the mare. The two Pegasi trotted over the door and opened it to find the four mares waiting for her.
“You okay Dashie?” Pinkie asked.
“Yeah guys, I’m fine.” Dash said with a smile.
“Are you sure darling?”
“Yeah, I’m okay now.” She said as she smiled at the stallion who tipped his hat to the mare.
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Twilight’s stomach grumbled and she clutched her tummy in pain. After a failed escape attempt, Sun had reduced her meals to one a day. She was so hungry she was contemplating gnawing at the bark of the ship. The mare heard hoof steps and gulped wondering what the crazy captain of the ship had in store for her this time.
Two guards stood outside her cell armed with swords. A Unicorn stallion with a light blue coat and red mane stood in front of them. The stallion only looked to be a year older than Twilight.
“What do you want whelp?” One of the guards barked.
“Shift rotation. Go grab some grub.” One of the guards rubbed his chin and smiled wickedly at Twilight.
“Should we bring our food down here and eat it in front of her?” Twilight’s eyes shrank at the sheer torture of the thought of the stew smell that had been cooking all day.
“Nah, she’d probably whine for some and I hate whiners.” The other stallion shrugged and followed his comrade up towards the mess hall. The blue Unicorn’s ears focused as they climbed the steps. Once he made sure they were gone he looked at Twilight. Her mane was unkempt and her fur was mangled in knots.
“Psst.” Te lavender mare continued to face the wall. “Hey Sparkle.” He whispered.
“What do you want?” Twilight’s eyes grew wide. In the stallion’s hooves was an apple. To anypony else it just looked like an ordinary apple, but to the starving Unicorn it was the best thing she’d seen since she was kidnapped. “W-where did you get that?”
“Saved it over from lunch. Now hurry up and eat it before those idiots come back.” Twilight scrambled to her hooves and was about to take it from him but stopped. Her eyes narrowed and she scowled at the stallion. “What are you waiting for?”
“How dumb do you think I am?”
“Huh?”
“I’m not eating that thing. I know what you’re planning.”
“Tell me, cause I sure as hell don’t.” He said as he checked his corners.
“I eat that apple that you drugged and then you have your way with me.” She said as she gritted her teeth. The stallion blinked twice and face hoofed.
“Look you paranoid nut job. I’m on your side here,” He said as he frowned with his emerald green eyes. “if somepony catches me like this then Sun will decapitate me before I can say ouch. Don’t think he won’t.” Twilight gulped and rubbed her neck. “You have two choices, either eat the apple, the entire apple so there’s no trace of it or sit there and wait till your next meal which is probably five hours away.” Twilight ‘s eyes shrank and she weighed her options.
The mare sighed and took the apple from the stallion. She immediately dove into the small fruit. It was the first thing she had tasted in almost twenty-four hours. The stallion turned away and checked his corners.
“Th-thank you.” Twilight said as she finished swallowing a mouthful of the red fruit.
“Don’t mention it.” He said in a serious tone. “I mean it. If anypony finds out about this then were both gonna get it.”
“W-why help me?”
“I have my reasons.” He said with a shrug. “Mostly because I don’t like Sun and his methods.”
“So why are you a part of his crew?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Well, considering that you’re the only pirate with some decency-”
“I’m not a pirate.” He said in a flat tone. “I’m just a blacksmith.” He said as Twilight looked at his Cutie Mark. It was a red hot anvil being struck by a hammer. “Like I said I have my own reasons for helping you.” He said with a grunt. “You’re no good to me dead anyway.” He said before turning around and keeping his mouth shut.
The lavender mare sighed and ate the apple. She then ate the core which was a little bit harder to swallow. Twilight slumped to the ground and looked at the stallion. The mare rested her head on her hooves and sighed as she fell asleep.