“There’s something about watching the campfire slowly crackle into inexistence, it’s strive to survive slowly dwindling. Like the meaningless struggle of an old, sick man....”
Chapter 14
“Hello, how you are?”
Scootaloo paused at the strange voice behind her, seemingly directed towards her. She turned to a stallion about her height, which was saying something considering she was pretty damn short. Though at second glance, he was a bit taller. Her brain chugged a bit longer at the strange dark-orange pony’s odd phrasing of the question, the meaning obvious but ultimately misworded. “Uh?”
“Scoots!” Scootaloo eagerly turned to the more familiar voice whom she had known for so long. She had to stop herself from smiling as she faced him.
“Hi, Pips,” she said casually as she remembered just what she was doing before that orange unicorn popped out of nowhere. She took the polish rag back in her mouth (it tasted awful but such the life of a non-unicorn) and ran it across the handlebars of her newly acquired scooter. It was a dark grey scooter with an aluminum handle and bar. Very expensive looking.
“I’m sorry about mister social here,” he apologized as he pushed a very confused Drake behind him. “He’s uh... different.
“Hadn’t noticed,” she spat sarcastically. Drake beamed an ungodly smile.
“Thank you!” he relished at the ‘compliment’.
Scootaloo finished just in time to allow herself to glance stupidly at Drake. She then looked back at Pipsqueak with an annoyed tell.
“Yeah,” he answered at the implied question. “Anyways, his name is Drake Blaze, and he’ll be accompanying us to-”
“Blah blah blahddly blah,” Scootaloo finished for Pipsqueak “Listen, you give me this speech every time we get someone new. It’s really unnecessary, you goof.”
Pipsqueak’s face became hot with shame. “N-no it’s not, you’re first mate! It’s your job to know everyone.” her crossed his forelegs with frustrated confidence. “Besides, this is that recruit that Luna told me about. He’s got talent.”
“Well, let me tell you right now, I’m not doing a good job at that whole knowing people thing.” She turned back to the unicorn who was content with just observing as they spoke. It took him a moment to realize that the attention was on him; he visibly jumped. “What’s small, dainty, and unintimidating got for us here?”
Drake was taken aback by the insult, who naively unexpecting such rowdy behavior from Scootaloo. Pipsqueak just chuckled nervously.
“Uhh, it might be best not to say things like that. He’s really... uh... destructive.” Pipsqueak turned to Drake, who really just didn’t know how to provide any input.
“Uh huh. Right. Well, if we’re done here, I got some business to attend to.” She took a very odd looking metallic strap off her back and set it on a table next to the scooter. Different tools laid about, some in mid use. Drake couldn’t make heads or tails what Scootaloo could be trying to do, despite his technical skills. He didn’t have to ask, since Pipsqueak did it for him at that moment.
“What exactly are you doing?”
Scootaloo didn’t bother turning back as she explained. “I’m trying to make it so I don’t have fumble around with a damn strap whenever I want to use my scooter. Sometimes it would get caught in the wheels and I’d almost fall over.”
Pipsqueak knew that by ‘almost’, she meant ‘completely and catastrophically’.
“I’m fitting this strap so I could just snap my scooter into it and take it out as well, without the fasten being too easy to release. Otherwise it’d just fall off my back randomly.”
“Yes, yes,” Pipsqueak hummed with a half hearted hoof at his chin. “Or, or, you could just carry it around like a normal person,” he droned as-a-matter-of-fact-ly.
Scootaloo sighed, knowing that he was joking but being too annoyed to care. “You and I both know why I can’t do that.”
“Know what?” Drake asked suddenly, his sharp accent extremely out of place.
“She usually doesn’t use a sword, she uses that scooter as a weapon,” Pipsqueak explained with a little smile on his face. He had to keep himself from laughing after seeing Drake’s confused and shocked expression.
“You... ride them to death?” Drake asked quizzically. This caused Pipsqueak to lose all self control and start rolling on the floor, laughing.
“Ugh, come on, don’t say it like that!” Scootaloo yelled, and involuntary blush forming. Drake just looked at Pipsqueak even more confused.
“What? What’d I say?”
Pipsqueak breathed in relief after he took his laughter under control. “No, no. In all seriousness, she’s pretty good with her scooter. A bit of an understatement, really. Anything I say can’t possibly do her technique justice.”
“Hell, I’m the best.” She turned back towards the two stallions. “My name’s Scootaloo for a reason!” She put a pride hoof on her chest as she gloated. She couldn’t believe how long it took her to find out the correlation between her name and talent as she remembered her idiotic childhood. She remembered the red scooter that took it’s place on her flank and she relished in the old memories of her friends.
Recalling the room she was in, her demeanor instantly changed and she scowled at them both. “Now leave, it’s too ‘foreigner’ in here.” She shooed them off with one hoof as she turned her attention back at the workdesk. Drake had an air of indignation about him when Pipsqueak lightly punched him in the shoulder.
“Don’t worry, she says that racist crap all the time; she doesn’t mean it.” He ushered himself and Drake out of the room.
“Pips,” Scootaloo yelled without looking away. Drake continued to walk out the door as the captain doubled back. She sounded oddly... serious.
“Yeah?”
“That yellow pegasus...” she said slowly, a hoof still on the strap. She had stopped working.
“What? The one that kicked your ass?” He had hoped a joke would cut the tension that seemed to be forming. Disturbingly, she ignored it, and even admitted to it.
“Yeah... she seemed... familiar.”
“I-,” he attempted to answer, just as something struck him. He... found that he agreed with it. “Well... now that you mention it...”
“You too?” she asked, turning around, determination laden her face. It was a look she did not wear often. “Ponyville?” she added.
Pipsqueak nodded slowly. “Maybe... it’s the only thing that’d make sense... I can’t remember, though.”
“Well...” Scootaloo went back to her work, her puzzlement completely disappearing from her body. “It’s probably nothing anyway.”
Pipsqueak could not forget that easily. He simply gazed out the window, his consciousness officially having left the room. “Yeah, probably nothing. Probably.”
Pipsqueak clicked his tongue a couple of times and fished another piece of salmon from the pickled jar in his bag. He put his hoof up to Vynn, who was perched on a now fabric covered leg as to not injure the owner. He was tired of people asking why his leg was bleeding. Vynn greedily pecked the salmon from his hoof and finished by nuzzling his neck. Pipsqueak itched under his feathers as a return gesture. It really put a smile on his face. “You’re gross for liking this stuff, y’know that? Jeez, these were alive before.”
“Yo, Pips, check it out!” Pipsqueak turned just in time to see the small orange pegasus flashily rip a scooter from her back, unfold it, and slamming it on the ground, finishing by striking a pose. After letting everyone admire her poise for a bit, she quickly flung it on her back with a snapping noise, and it stuck. “Easy peasy.”
“Wow, nice!” Pipsqueak complemented. He put on a smug face and added, “It’d be more impressive if it wasn’t a friggin’ scooter.” Scootaloo gracefully rebutted with a presentation of her tongue.”Wow,” he retorted. “Elegant.”
Drake oogled at the unique build of the walls and floor. He had never been on a military ship, and it seemed to have been built with the Equestrian princesses in mind. There was simple ornate designs running along the bottom corners of the ship in different shades of white and blue. Gold trimmings were common on edges, and some emblems of the sun and moon were painted in various places. Despite these designs, the ship was mostly practical, never sacrificing efficiency for looks, which impressed the Assian unicorn.
Drake was too busy admiring the environment to notice a peculiar brown earth walking straight towards him. He must’ve not been paying attention either, since the two collided rather clumsily. With a large thump, they collapsed to the ground. “Ohh, oh, sorry, sorry,” Drake apologized first. He nimbly climbed to his hooves and offered one to the stallion.
The Doctor rubbed his head and prepared to apologize as well, while reaching for the unicorn’s hoof. As soon as he saw Drake’s face, he froze dead center.
“I should really watch where am I going!” Drake continued nervously, trying to stop himself from laughing too loudly. “I was too busy-”
“Who are you?” The Doctor interrupted with an odd gaze on his face. Suddenly, Drake choked on the tension. It had felt like he had been accused of something, somehow.
“Uhh, me? A-am I... Drake, Drake Blaze. I’m new here,” Drake tried to answer casually. It wasn’t easy with the way The Doctor was staring at him. He desperately tried to avert the gaze.
The Doctor stared, trying to see something he knew was there. The name Drake already rung a bell, but that’s not what made him uneasy. There was something... there. Something he could not explain.
The Doctor, lost in thought, kept the gaze as he accepted Drake’s hoof and pulled himself up. “There’s something about you... something I can’t quite put my finger on...”
“Finger?” Drake confusedly asked.
“What are you doing here?” The Doctor asked, this time more down-to-earth.
“O-oh, I... Am I helping this crew with the capture of some pirates,” he enthusiastically cheered, before realizing his tone and cowering a bit. “I mean... I’m basically a mercenary... Not that I do that kind of thing normally!”
The Doctor tapped his hoof to his chin a few times, scrutinizing every aspect of the unicorn. Satisfied after a few uncomfortable moments, his attitude suddenly shifted, and he shook the Unicorn’s hoof. “Absolutely, then. Welcome to the ship my boy!” He beamed and thrusted his foreleg to his shoulder. He then walked away without another word, leaving Drake completely flummoxed.
When he was out of earshot, The Doctor resumed his suspicious glare and stared at the ground. “That boy is dangerous... I’m sure of it.”
...
...
...
...Hmmph... Vex stared at the ceiling for a bit, her mind fogged and her eyes heavy. She turned her head to the left and once to the right trying to muster the strength to move any more than that. The first part of her body to agree with her was her arms, so she covered her eyes with them, inhaling sharply. Something felt strange about her bed, but she could not point out why. There was this undeniable musty comfort emanating from the cot, the hints of a much needed respite post-experienced. Deciding that sitting like a lump in her bed wasn’t the most productive thing to do with her day, and the fact her mouth was as dry as an eastern desert, she finally stretched all her limbs (giving extra attention to her wings) and prepared to climb out of her bed. She felt awesome today, despite wanting to stay in bed for some reason, so she shot out in confidence and outstretched her legs to catch the floor. Well she tried to, only to have them her wrists and shins hit something hard and causing herself to crash dumbly to the floor... if it not for it being the floor the thing her appendages had hit.
“The fuck?” she exclaimed groggily trying to gather her bearings and face the assumedly crooked bunk bed she had fallen out of. Disappointedly, she saw the beds in perfect condition, albeit with some messy sheets and misplaced pillows on the bottom bunk. The top bunk remained completely intact.
That was when the gears began to turn in the griffin’s head. She must have slept in the bottom bunk last night. But why would she? She obviously liked the top bunk better, being naturally inclined to heights, and she always slept there. What made last night so special?
Oh. Oh god. Vex reached for her forehead to assure herself it was still screwed on to her body. She had realized that last night... her and Pinkie slept together. A billion thoughts and a couple of memories rushed through her head at once, but for some reason the one that screamed the loudest was “ESCAPE!”
Vex did a 180° and made a beeline to the door. She swung it open-
“HI VEX!”
THWACK! Vex instinctively sent her fist upward and it made contact with a pink muzzle. She noticed only afterwards that it was Pinkie Pie, and after an almost comedic wave of blood flew from the poor mare’s nose. Pinkie held her nose afterwards and groaned.
“Owwwwwwww...”
Vex retracted her talons and covered her own beak in shock. “Oh, shit, sorry, crap!” Vex awkwardly reached for Pinkie’s shoulders and led her into the room. She started fishing for something to stop the bleeding and settled for a large plain-looking sock that she could not recall owning. She put it up to Pinkie’s nose while the mare held it in place. “Fuck, I didn’t mean to do that, shit.”
“It’s okay, Vex. I should know better than to open doors to where I live.” Although the phrasing sounded like she was being sarcastic, her tone was sincere, oddly enough. After a moment or two of silence, Pinkie gave Vex a pair of bedroom eyes. “This kinda reminds me of last night.”
“WHAT?” Vex jumped back, dropping the bloody sock. “H-HOW?!” Vex frantically checked their positions to assure nothing perverse was happening. Pinkie caught the sock and held it up to her nose herself.
“Woah, Vex, calm down, this was nothing like last night.” Somewhere, someone lost a bet saying that Pinkie would never tell anybody to calm down. “Do you even remember last night?”
“NO. Yes... sorta.” Vex rubbed the back of her head nervously, her being shaken. Vex was slowly getting all her memories back from last night, the next always steamier than the last. Pinkie was utterly baffled for once in her life.
“Then what’s wrong? Did you not... enjoy yourself?” Pinkie asked, frowning, more at Vex’s expense than her self’s.
“YES. No... well,” Vex exhaled heavily, drooping her arms low and then raising her talons to rub her temples. She had enjoyed herself last night, very much so, and not without complete consent as well. But that wasn’t the problem. “Pinkie, what happened last night... I just...” Vex suddenly exploded, causing Pinkie to jump and impulsively raised hooves in front of her muzzle in defense. “Shit, Pinkie, you just so god damned infuriating!”
Pinkie was actually taken aback, not expecting the sudden insult. Vex continued. “I mean, you’re so fucking stupid and ignorant, it’s like you don’t give a shit!” Vex only then listened to what was coming out of her mouth and decided that this wasn’t actually conveying what she was trying to say. “But... you’re so damned cheerful all the time... and... you make people laugh. You made me feel like maybe... maybe I shouldn’t such a fucking downer all the time.”
Pinkie was just flabbergasted, unsure of what to say, her only rational thoughts involving her throbbing nose. Vex frustratingly held her head in her talons and squeezed. “Shit! What happened last night was... it was a mistake.. we need to break this off Pinkie... I don’t... like you.”
Pinkie cocked her head in one last act of confusion. Vex would’ve shot herself if she had her pistols. “I don’t mean to sound like a cheap romance novel, but I don’t like you that way, and I never will.” Vex sighed and turned away, ready for the waterworks. But she was surprised to hear giggling. Fuck, did I break Pinkie Pie?
“Ooooooooohhhhhhhh, I see what this is about.” Pinkie laughed some more which just continued to aggravate Vex. “Vex, you’re not the first person I’ve had sex with and you certainly won’t be the last.” Vex’s jaw dropped as she turned to face Pinkie once again. “Vex, I thought we both kinda did what we did just for fun. Not because of any feelings.”
There was a foreign feeling silence in the room, one that couldn’t have been more thick. At least for Vex. “O-oh. Then... I was just chewing on my damn foot for the past couple of minutes, huh?”
Pinkie giggled some more, switching to a cleaner spot on the sock. Another silence fell through, this time more comfortable to wade. “You know, I have to thank you Vex, for what you did.”
Vex reared her head in a bemused manner. “Why? You’re the one with all the... experience.”
“That’s not what I meant, Vex,” Pinkie laughed in a strangely heavy tone. “I meant... well a lot of thing were going through my head last night, what with Dashie and all...” She sighed and rested her foreleg on the back of her neck. “I guess all I needed was a little affection, after everything... not that you were bad, of course.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
After another long, tension-free silence, Vex felt compelled to ask something. “So this is going to become a regular thing now, right?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Pinkie quickly answered.
“Well you two are pretty late,” Patch stated with a smug smirk as he leaned on the wheel of the ship.
“NOWE’RENOT, we’renotlate, are we Pinks HAHA?” Vex... very oddly answered. The captain kind of flinched unintentionally, mostly because of his experiences with Vex and her lack of behaving in such a way. Pinkie somehow completely ignored it.
“I didn’t know we had a schedule, Captain.”
“No, I kid, it’s fine,” he reassured, waving his hooves. “‘Sides, can’t see owt, er, anything under all this fog.” Patch worriedly glanced at Vex, who seemed kinda on edge. “Are you okay, Vex?”
“Huh?” Vex blankly looked at Patch like a scared critter.
“She’s fine, she just didn’t get that much sleep last night,” Pinkie answered for her, slyly eyeing the griffin. “And she had a bit of exercise this morning.” Vex looked away, blush on her face.
Patch somehow bought it and chuckled, “Oh, well don’t push yourself too hard, Vex.”
“No promises,” Pinkie interjected again, two for two on the innuendos.
“Captain,” A voice came from the side, slightly obscured from the fog. “There shouldn’t be this much fog, this is a relatively small body of water. And it’s warm out.”
“Calm down dear Fu’Shy, you worry too much,” Patch said cooly, leaning even more casually on the wheel. “This is one of the few times we can all just take it easy, fog’s too thick to navigate.”
“That’s exactly what’s so fucking worrying. I can’t relax when we’re wanted by the entire damned legion. Especially that brown-eyed motherfucker, he’s smart.”
“Fu’Shy, relax. Even if they did get enough pegasi to form fog, which is a fucking lot, by the way, it’s okay to lay back a bit before the ambush. I mean, there’s no way to stop us walking into it now anyway.”
Pinkie nasally interrupted with a chuckle. “Yeah, bitch, get that stick out yo asshole.”
After everyone laughed a bit, Fluttershy rubbed her temples and sighed. “Shut up, Pinks.”
Suddenly, the sky exploded, and the air around them melted. “Oh, FUCK!” No one was sure who yelled since everyone was too distracted by the blaze that had erupted on the right side of the deck.
“I fucking told you so!” Fluttershy immediately took off with some other pegasi to get water onto the fire. Vex exploded with rage as usual.
“What the HELL did they just hit us with?” She reached for her chest but disappointingly grasped her feathers. “Goddammit! I gotta get my fucking guns! Patch, you got this?”
“Aye, just hurry!”
Something hit the ship again and it sent Pinkie PIe flying.
“WAUUUAUAGHHHGHGG!” screamed Pinkie as she sailed across the ship. She landed face first into the railing on the other side.
“Holy shit!” Vex exclaimed, paused by the display.
“The fuck is that woman made out of?” Patch asked no one in particular. They went their separate ways, deciding to no longer acknowledge the pink mare’s antics.
The ship was hit again, this time with something very large. It shook it enough to actually make the most savvy of sea legs tumble. Gathering his bearings, Patch raced to the source. He saw the front of another large ship, one that seemed very familiar. “Aww, shit! It’s that damned kid! How the hell did he find us so quickly?”
“Captain!” Patch looked to the right and saw Pipsqueak rear his ugly head. He growled.
“Fuck you, kid!”
“I’d really rather not captain!” The sounds of fighting began to overshadow their voices. “Surrender is always an option, sir!”
“Maybe for you, kid!”
Pipsqueak’s face contorted to solemn frustration. He knew it was going to end like this, but he always had hoped to avoid it. “Fine then, Patch. Have it your way.” Pipsqueak rose his shiny new machete and cut the air in front of him. “NOW!”
At once, nearly half of Pipsqueak’s ship leapt simultaneously, most of them landing flawlessly on Patch’s vessel. Patch cursed under his breath. Fluttershy flew up to him. “Captain, I’m going to the other ship and see if I can get the captain!”
Gritting his teeth, he glanced at the other ship. The crew was very sparse on it, most of them having jumped. He nodded hesitantly. “Alright, but take a few pegasi with you.”
“Aye-aye, Captain.” She reared herself and took off, leaving Patch alone. He dashed through the fight that had now broken out, weaving himself through the dueling ponies. He kept his eyes on the ground, scanning every piece of exposed oak. He finally found what he sought.
“Miss Pie!” Pinkie Pie, who comically was face-first on the ground, showed that she was largely uninjured as she casually rose her head.
“Sup?” she asked, unconcerned. As endearing as it was, it frustrated Patch to no end.
“Go below deck and fetch Spike and Miss Rarity. Step on it!”
Pinkie saluted and smiled. “Yessir!”
“Fuckin-” Patch began to curse, but was interrupted by a large mass of pony.
“GGGRRRRAGGHH!” the stallion screamed as he took Patch down. Patch felt his lungs crush and the air rush out as they tumbled. Groaning, he bucked the stallion off, making sure to hit him in the stomach. Judging from the grunt he emitted, he had gotten the same treatment as the captain. He landed a few feet away.
“Ugh,” the stallion grunted. “You hit hard...”
Patch immediately recognized the stallion as the captain of the other ship. He had not expected him to accompany his crew. Patch laughed breathlessly as he tried to regather his bearings. “That’s what happens when you jump into me like an eager school girl.” He nearly missed his hoofing as his knees struggled to support him without oxygen.
“Patch,” Pipsqueak began, with unwanted informality. “We don’t have to do this... If you surrender, we can avert all this violence.”
“Just so I can be executed? Just so my crew don’t get the amnesty they deserve. No.” Patch avoided Pipsqueak’s gaze. “What’s your name, boy?”
Pipsqueak hesitated to answer. He gave Patch a strange look, one of uncertain trust. “Pipsqueak,” he finally answered. “Why?”
“I just like to know the names of those who stand a chance.” Patch frowned. “Pipsqueak, huh? Doesn’t that bother you?”
“Does it matter?” Pipsqueak answered with confidence. “It’s my name. My actions define me, not what anyone calls me.”
Patch chuckled, legitimately impressed by the kid’s answer. “Is that so? Well then, Captain Pipsqueak, looks like we got a fight ahead of us.”
“If there’s no other way,” he admitted, pulling out his sword. At sight of it, Patch cocked his head.
“Where’d you get that machete?”
“Someone.” Pipsqueak didn’t bother with the details. “Why?”
Patch smiled and pulled out his own sword. “It’s just a strange weapon to use, at least, for someone with position. That doesn’t hinder its effectiveness.” Patch crouched, ready for any advancement his opposition might have had. “It’s also foreign.”
“Well it seemed easy to use, and the craftsmanship was superior to the legion’s sabers,” Pipsqueak explained, half discovering it for himself right then. It bothered him a little that even Patch knew what the sword was when he didn’t even know himself at first.
“Indeed... well then... TRY TO KEEP UP!” Patch dashed forward suddenly and delivered the first blow. Pipsqueak wasn’t expecting the speed at which Patch advanced, since his large build hinted that he had a lack of agility. PIpsqueak quickly saw this was not the case. His large build also predictably revealed huge force behind his swings, as he nearly knocked Pipsqueaks machete out of his mouth before he even had a chance to retaliate. Patch had already prepped for another swing as Pipsqueak tried to recover. He only had enough time to duck below and dodge his next swing. Pipsqueak felt the air from Patch’s scimitar slap him in the face. It even shaved off some his mane. Pipsqueak was in the perfect position to headbutt him in the chest, and did so with impunity. It caused Patch to gasp for air and drop his sword, but he reactively wrapped his hooves around Pipsqueak’s neck and squeezed as hard as he could. Pipsqueak also gasped for air and dropped his machete just as the Pirate captain. Patch’s awkward position prevented him from effectively strangling Pipsqueak, so he began to lift Pipsqueak by his muzzle. Pipsqueak had underestimated his strength of the pirate, as he was able to slowly lift him off his hooves and slam him down beside them.
Patch reared his hoof dramatically and prepared to clock him in the nose.
Dammit this is gonna hurt. Patch already started to swing his hoof when something stopped him. A large feathery mass came from nowhere and obscured his vision.
“Agh, THE FUCK!” He felt scars and peck wounds appear all over his face as he tried to back away and swat at what he assumed to be a bird of some kind. Pipsqueak quickly thanked his falcon for the intervention and reached for his machete. Quickly taking advantage of the occupied Patch, he charged toward his adversary with blade mid swing. He might have ended it there, but he suddenly blacked out for a moment and woke up a moment later, his ears ringing and his right cheek sore. He was collapsed off Patch’s right side, who was trying to recuperate after his little adventure with Vynn. Stood next to him was that foul-mouthed griffin, rubbing her wrists, sporting the most subtle of smirks Pipsqueak had ever seen.
“Thanks, Vex.” Patch said, exhaling.
She must’ve hit him damn hard for Pipsqueak to not even remember it happening. Pipsqueak struggled to retain his balance after his assisted fall, shaking his head to hopefully get rid of that ringing in his ears. “You’re not gonna get the jump on me this time, asshole!”
“Isn’t this how we met last time- Vex, was it?” Pipsqueak laughed, already winded. “What makes you think you’ll win this time?”
“Six pistols, bitch. Each one loaded with ball o’ lead with your name on it. I aim to kill this time.”
Pipsqueak tried to mask his fear. She wasn’t even trying to kill him last time? It sure felt like she did. She punched him in the left cheek last time and he could still feel pain each time he touched it. Even then, it was obvious they were both better fighters than he was, the only way he won last time was improvising. Unless something convenient happened right now, he won’t stand a chance.
Out of nowhere, a pair of orange forearms wrapped around Vex’s neck, and before she could even curse, the strange pony performed a flawless suplex and rammed the griffin’s head straight into the deck.
“Vex!” Patch screamed as he watched in horror. The strange pony stepped away, and ran to Pipsqueak. He didn’t speak, only nodding in the Captain’s direction, and facing the pirates once more. Vex had began to sit up, holding the split skin that now held its place on her skull.
“Gahhh... Fuck...” she said, phasing in and out of consciousness.
“Sorry about that, pretty griffin lady!” Drake yelled, holding a meek hoof up. Vex was taken aback at the out of place compliment and was strangely offended.
“You son of a...” She tried to protest but found herself in too much pain.
“Are you ready to give in, Patch?” Pipsqueak asked again, this time backed by Drake.
“Fuck off,” Patch spat, still kneeling by Vex. Pipsqueak frowned and turned to his friend.
“Blaze?” he asked.
“Yeah?” Drake beamed with enthusiasm
“Convince him.”
Drake’s face of enthusiasm fell when he understood what Pipsqueak meant. He turned absently at the two nearly hopeless pirates. They obviously wouldn’t go quietly. Drake only took one step before the unexpected happened.
A purple mass rammed into the ship, shaking the entire thing, knocking everyone off balance. Drake could have sworn some pink blip flew over his head. An ungodly roar sounded from this purple creature, one that chilled Pipsqueak’s sailors to the bones. As Drake stood, he couldn’t bring himself to believe his ears. The sound of disbelief ringing from Pipsqueak was staggering.
“You’ve got to be shitting me! They have a fucking DRAGON?!”
Drake picked himself up and now couldn’t believe his eyes. He was quickly running out of senses he could trust. Lo and behold, directly in front of him, there stood a very menacing, very surreal dragon. His position looked as if he was stalking prey, and he had one claw held out to swipe with. He bore large, ferocious teeth with fangs that looked like it could tear apart iron. He cautiously turned to Patch and quipped. “I see you’re in need of some assistance.”
“Yeah? No shit.” Patch shot back, letting loose a small grin.
Spike stared daggers at the orange pony, who was surprisingly not that shaken at seeing a dragon. In fact, he seemed more fascinated by it.
“WOAH!” Drake oozed, making everyone to stare at him in disbelief. “A DRAGON! Hahaha! AWESOME.” He giddily jumped and trotted in place with newfound energy. ”Amazing, amazing! I mean, I’ve always wanted to meet a dragon, or at least know about them, but there’s no books, there’s nothing, and I’ve always, always, I mean, and now I get to fight one!” Drake’s babbling really shook the entire dock’s view of Drake. He seemed so dangerous at first, but now? “Ooh ooh! What’s your name, huh?”
Spike jumped at the question, unprepared to be asked something so casually by the pony he was to face against. “Uhh... Spike.”
“Ooh, hoo! You have to to tell me everything! How were you born? When were you born? What do you eat? Where do you eat? What-”
“Blaze!”
Drake, his grin still taking up half his face, cocked his head innocently at Pipsqueak. “Yes?”
“He’s going to kill us,” Pipsqueak deadpanned, pointing at Spike.
“Oh, hehe, ‘course.” Drake smiled sheepishly, and slammed his hoof down in an attempt to act rationally again. “Mr. Spike, I’m Drake Blaze. I wish we could’ve met in more friendly circumstances...” He eyed the two pirates, the ship’s flag, and the assorted duels waging around them. “But you’re defending Pirates. I can’t condone that.”
“Hmph,” Spike grunted, lowering his head. There was something about this strange unicorn, something about his attitude, his confidence, that sent spike off. He wasn’t cocky, but he had this unshakable conviction the set him apart from all the others. He wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating him. “I don’t care for your approval.”
Drake’s mood deteriorated into a cold stare. He was silent for few moments. “So be it. Pipsqueak? Back up.”
Pipsqueak did so without a word.
Slowly, heat formed Drake as the floor below him began to burn. Fire erupted in small areas in his vicinity, but nothing was charred or destroyed. The fire seemed to be contained, controlled. It erupted suddenly engulfing a small circle in flames in which Drake was the center. Spike backed up in confusion, and the two pirates on the ground left their mouths agape.
“That was certainly unexpected,” Spike admitted, eyes wide. He returned to his battle stance shortly after.
Drake looked damned serious, which was certainly a change from his shaky start. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, it almost seemed like he was breathing in the fire. “Right then... this’ll be an interesting conflict...” He reared himself, and ran.