“Ah, nothing beats the smell of the ocean in the morning!” Nigel exclaimed as he exited his cabin onto the aft deck, Morning Sparkle turning to look at him curiously from her position at the ship’s wheel. “Well, nothing except the smell of a freshly conquered planet,” Nigel corrected as he walked to stand next to the mare, the unicorn to her credit not flinching as the fully-armoured Captain took up position next to her. “Speaking of conquering, any change to our projected time of arrival at Port…?”
“Quayble, Captain,” Morning Sparkle answered calmly, “and no, we should sight it in a few hours as predicted.” The yellow unicorn kept her eyes looking straight ahead, while she wasn’t overly terrified of the Human unlike most of the crew Sparkle still was uneasy around the strange creature. She figured that he seemed like the sort of boss who would remain civil as long as she did what he ordered so avoiding casual conversation would mean that accidently insulting him would be less likely. The First Mate seemed to get along with him well enough, although Sea Biscuit had always been a little strange and rumours regarding the mare’s fast ascension to First Mate had been circulating around the crew.
“Very well, anything else to report?”
“Yes sir, Quick Stich requested to see you down in the sickbay as soon as you are able. She wanted to ask you a few questions.”
Nigel assumed that the ship’s sail maker, who had been installed as a makeshift doctor due to her experience with a needle, wanted to discuss his treatment of that Earth pony mare the day before. These ponies seemed to be living in a pre-industrial society from what he had gathered and the display of technology would no doubt raise many questions from multiple crew members. The fact that he had used a laser that had emerged from what all of the crew except Sea Biscuit thought was his body must had come as a shock.
“I suppose I have the time,” the Captain stated as he started to move towards amidships, crew members quickly finding something to do as he approached. Morning Sparkle waited until the Captain was out of earshot before she let out a relieved sigh. That exchange had been surprisingly normal and thankfully the Captain had not used any more incorrect naval terminolog-
“Good work cleaning the jib, carry on.”
Morning Sparkle looked over towards the Captain; the human’s back to her as he continued on his journey. A confused earth pony mare was also staring after the Captain, the mare having been scrubbing the capstan that held the ship’s anchor. Sparkle decided that telling the Captain that the jib was actually the small sail at the front of the ship would be a waste of time as well as an un-necessary risk. Letting him have his moment was a small price to pay if it kept the Captain in his current… sane mood.
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Chalmers entered the ship’s sickbay, the large wooden room covered with various shelving all filled with numerous primitive medical supplies and tools. The centre of the bay was dominated by a sturdy table; brown blood stains evidence of its purpose. Buckets of multiple sizes were stored under the sturdy operating surface, Nigel deducing that they functioned as bodily fluid containers during surgeries. To be honest he had expected the room to be in incredibly disarray but he wasn’t complaining about being proved wrong.
The Captain scanned the room, not finding any trace of this ‘Quick Stich’ that had requested his presence. Nigel walked over to the far end of room, heading towards a door which he had first thought was a part of the wall. Chalmers opted against knocking, he was the captain and this was his ship so he did as he pleased. Gently pushing the door open he pecked his head inside, spotting a slumbering form resting in a hammock to the right while a large pile of canvas was heaped in the corner surrounded by sewing supplies.
Chalmers advanced into the room carefully so as to avoid disturbing the sleeper, as he drew closer he recognized the mare that had been tied to the mast and lashed. Her back was turned to him, Nigel able to see that the scarring had faded even more. The thin white lines were barely noticeable, the wounds healing up nicely with no trace of infection. Chalmers was so caught up in admiring his own medical skills that he didn’t notice the heap of canvas shift, a caramel fore-leg extending out from the bottom as the figure stood up.
“Your stitch work is amazing Captain,” Chalmers froze as a breathless female voice sounded just out his peripheral vision. He silently cursed, in his early morning mood he had forgotten to turn on his helmet’s display. A neural command activated the system, the sensor profile matching a mare showing up to his right side. Nigel slowly rotated his head, coming face-to-visor with a pair of wide orange eyes. The unicorn had a small scar over her left nostril, three sewing needles tucked in her light-brown mane.
“Well, to be fair I used a laser not stitches so I can’t really take all of the credit,” he returned calmly, in truth the human was incredibly unsettled by the mare’s… obsessive stare.
“A ‘laser’ you say?” the mare commented as she sat down and rubbed her chin in thought, “if I was able to use a ‘laser’ on the main sail, hmm, no that would never work. The jib on the other hoof…” Nigel’s confounded expression was hidden behind his facial visor, the fact that the mare was debating the useability of lasers to stich up sails with herself was slightly off-putting. The eccentric sail-maker paused in her pondering as the sleeping mare in the hammock let out a wheeze and rolled over, the Earth pony re-adjusting her position before returning to a more regular breathing pattern.
Chalmers decided that it would be best if the crewmember was left to her dreams, the Captain beckoning the sail maker with a hand as he quietly left the room. The unicorn followed him, successfully interpreting his meaning as the two left the darkened room. The Captain shut the door softly, moving over towards the other side of the operating room as a further precaution.
“So can I have one?” the unicorn suddenly stated, Nigel doing a double-take as the unicorn plopped herself down on the floor.
“A laser?” he responded, the mare nodding her head rapidly, “Hell no, last thing I want you to do is set the ship on fire.” The sail maker’s face fell, a second passing before a look of remembrance filled her features. Noting the rapid mood swings, Nigel made a note to keep an eye on this one in case any further irregularities were observed. Something about the sewing expert was not quite right, who knows what kind of mental issues the mare could have?
“I almost forgot, the reason I asked you down here was because of your stitch work.” Un-expectantly the unicorn slipped into a professional tone, Nigel certain that something was wrong with the pony. “The patient’s wounds are al healed up, there is no disease or decay and the only after-effects have been extreme tiredness.”
“That will just be because of the drugs,” Chalmers replied, “it’ll ware off soon, the dose may have been a bit much for her size.” The sail maker-turned doctor accepted this explanation with a nod. “Was there anything else you wanted?” The Captain inquired; slightly miffed that he had spent precious minutes to discover something he already knew.
“Actually there was!” The unicorn exclaimed in her original upbeat manner. The mare took a deep breath as she thought about how to word her question.
“Is that your head or a helmet?”
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Nigel stormed out of the medical bay into the amidships, heading towards the aft deck where he planned to stop these ‘head or a helmet’ questions once and for all. Crew members scattered out of his way as the human headed straight to the upper deck, the Captain in an unusual haste. The human neglected using the stairs, opting to use his grappling hook to quickly ascend the height. The sight of the Captain clambering over the aft railing drew the attention of the crew, the human stopping as he turned to address the crew.
“Attention crew members and other life forms!” he began, holding his arms up like a preacher. “There is an issue of grave importance that must be settled, something so critical that it is apparently is the most pressing matter on the ship!” murmurs circled the assembled crew, fearful that something terribly wrong had happened. The first mate stumbled out of her cavern; the unicorn afforded her own quarters due to her rank. She stared up at the Captain, still drowsy from sleep as she attempted to decipher what all the yelling was about. The Captain moved his hands down to his helmet, lifting the head gear off as the murmurs grew into excited chatter.
“Behold!” the Captain shouted, “I indeed have a face! No longer shall any of you ask the question mentioned before, least you wish to become a marine biologist and get the opportunity to study sharks up close.” Finishing his tirade Nigel went to replace his helmet, looking down over his crew with Morning Sparkle the only exception. The unicorn had taken a quick look at the human’s un-covered face before returning to the wheel, for some reason the alien’s face not really seeming to be as terrifying as she imagined.
“Now then, any more questions?” A mass of hooves were raised in response to the Captain’s query. The human paused before pointing towards an Earth pony sailor at the back. “The orange Earth stallion at the back with the yellow bandana, ask away.” The chosen stallion cleared his throat nervously as he looked at the Captain.
“Please, please don’t be offended Captain but is that black stuff your skin or is it also like your helmet?” The stallion bowed his head as he finished his question, evidently most of the crew was still terrified by the human.
“The ‘black stuff’ is an armoured suit,” Chalmers answered, making sure that he calmed down a little before answering in the hopes to lessen the fear of the crew. While fear was a useful command tool Nigel’s opinion was that these ponies seemed to respond better to praise, their respect most likely would be gained easily through such methods. If their social instincts worked like normal equines then they would gravitate around the stronger members of the herd for protection, Nigel currently being the strongest thing on the ship. If he could gain their loyalty then his plans in this land would be bolstered greatly, plus gaining an army of pony minions would be hilarious.
“So are you hairless all over?” a mare interjected, multiple sailors flinching at the possibly volatile subject.
“Pretty much, the hairs in most places are too fine to really be noticeable. I don’t really think that detail is going to be very relevant however.” The crew relaxed at the response, the fact that the Captain was proving to be very tolerant of their questions eased some of the tension regarding the alien. Another hoof was raised, a beige one belonging to an Earth mare who Nigel recalled was the ship’s cook, the pony having assumed the position after she had been rescued from the slave hold stating that she had nothing to go back to so she may as well join the crew.
“What do you eat? I know you like cheese but surely you eat other things?”
“I am an omnivore,” Nigel replied, most of the crew adopting confused looks while the more educated, mainly the unicorn members looked at the captain with worry. “I can eat most vegetables and fruits as well as cooked meat,” this the crew understood, nervous murmurs flaring up at the mention of the human’s need for flesh. While Griffons ate meat as well most ponies had an ingrained fear of predators, a trait that was difficult to supress. The cook raised her hoof again, the young mare shaking with apprehension.
“Do… do you eat p-ponies, sir?” she asked, the rest of the ponies ceasing their chatter at the question awaiting a response. Nigel was not really surprised at the question, they were herbivores after all.
“If you’re worried that I’ll start eating you don’t be. You’re sapient, meaning that if I eat you then I break a few laws. Personally I don’t like food that talks so you won’t have to worry about me demanding the flesh of children or whatever you expected me to do.” His reply did the trick, the crew successfully comforted. “Right, last question for now.” A sea-green hoof emerged into the air, the crew parting to reveal Sea Biscuit with her fore-leg raised. Nigel chuckled at the curiosity of the unicorn, pointing at her as a signal to proceed.
“How many humans are there out in space?” she asked, many of the crew surprised at the question. Chalmers wasn’t sure how to answer, informing the primitive equines about the whole ‘we rule multiple universes’ thing would be a bad idea. There was also the fact that there were other humans in existence, making an exact number impossible to tell. He decided to answer truthfully; hopefully it would be enough for them.
“I honestly don’t know,” was the response, “there’s enough for me to lose count so that’s all I can say, sorry for not being able to give you a precise answer.” Sea Biscuit didn’t seem very upset with his vague answer, the rest of the crew glancing between him and her. Nigel was slightly puzzled, he knew that the First Mate was viewed as strange from overheard chatter but he wondered why the crew seemed to act like they thought something was up. Was it possible related to his sudden decision to promote her? That might have to be something to find out later on.
“Oh, that’s okay,” the mare responded sheepishly, “I guess it was a fairly silly expecting you to be able to tell me the exact amount.” The crew looked towards Chalmers, the Captain not sure what they wanted.
“Well that was the last question, everybody back to work, we have a port to reach and then it’s drinks on me!” A cheer rose up from the crew, the offer of free drinks proving to be a great motivator as the ponies all rushed to their stations as the ship sailed on. Nigel leaned forward on the rail, looking out over the ship from his spot on the aft deck as his crew scurried about. Already they had started to trust him a bit more, give it a few weeks and he’d have an army of loyal pony minions to aid him in his conquering of this planet. Everything a good vacation should have.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Easy now, dent my ship and I’ll kill you!”
Nigel was shouting down at the dockworkers pulling in the large ship, Chalmers’s crew having tossed them ropes to secure to the dock. The workers had at first been reluctant to accept an obviously stolen griffon naval ship captained by a strange, loud biped with a smaller vessel towed behind it. Their apprehension had changed however once Nigel threw down some bags of gold, the coins hurrying along the procedure nicely.
The ship groaned as it came to a halt, ropes secured around the dock and the anchor was dropped for good measure. Nigel looked over the side, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered to view the arrival of the large vessel. They were clothed in medieval attire, most of the Earth ponies wearing plain scrapes of clothing while the few unicorns wore more ornate dress, flashes of gold jewellery shining in the sunlight.
The crew and the freed slaves all surged onto the deck, the pirates unable to wait to hit a tavern while the slaves just wanted to be back on dry land. Nigel eyed a particularly large drinking establishment, a sign proclaiming it to be the ‘Saucy Mare’. Figuring that the tavern was both large enough for his entire crew and had a good view of the dock so as to keep an eye on the ship Chalmers decided to visit it.
Gangplanks were lowered, the entire crew disembarking from the ship with the Captain in the lead. Nigel halted as he reached the docks, his crew heading straight to the tavern. After the crew descended the former slaves, those who had chosen to not join the crew that is, thanked Nigel for saving them, the Captain waving them off and wishing them luck. That over, he headed to the tavern to join his crew.
As he approached the front doors he could already hear the sounds of lively conversation, Nigel able to pick out several crew members who he knew. Pushing the doors open he strolled in, the air thick with the smell of alcohol and fried food. The inside of the tavern was huge compared to the surrounding buildings, enough room for at least three-hundred ponies under its roof. The majority of noise died out as the patrons noticed the human’s entrance, only a few members of Chalmers’s crew continuing to talk.
After a few moments of basking in the nervous stares Chalmers began to walk towards the bar, Earth ponies dressed in peasant clothing quickly making a path for the biped. The bartender, a blue Earth pony didn’t seem too concerned about Nigel’s presence, continuing to clean a glass as the human took a seat at the bar.
“Glass of the strongest stuff you’ve got,” Chalmers asked, the bartender raising an eyebrow at the creature’s request. Nigel sighed, withdrawing a sack filled with gold coins from a suit compartment and placing it on the table. “That’s for theirs as well,” he mentioned as he gestured back towards where his crew was sitting. The Bartender hefted the money bag and appraised its worth, evidently enough as he gave Nigel a nod before placing the money under the counter, returning instead with a large glass and a bottle labelled ‘Griffonian ale, triple-brewed.’
As the bartender poured the bottle Nigel took some time to gaze out of the large windows facing the docks, viewing the assorted ships docked in the harbour. Movement near a fat trader ship caught his eyes, Nigel using his helmet’s zoom to focus on the activity on the docks in front of it.
A richly clothed pearl-white unicorn was overseeing the unloading of a large metal cage, the magical pony barking orders to the six Earth pony dockworkers unloading it from the ship. The cage housed a multitude of small black insect equines that had solid-blue eyes and jagged horns, Nigel instantly wanting one. They just looked so cute and evil at the same time; he had to have one as his mascot for his future Empire. Making a decision to acquire one, he reset his vision to normal levels in time to receive his drink from the bartender.
“One Griffon ale, strongest we’ve got,” the Stallion said as he went back to polishing a glass, “you ever tried it before?”
“Nope, just need something after the last few days,” Nigel replied as he removed his helmet, the stallion behind the counter to his credit not saying a word. Chalmers wondered why the barkeep had decided to converse with the most intimidating creature in the entire building, a quick glance around answering that question. Every other bar stool was empty, the patrons having vacated to seats away from him.
“I see you have quite the ship, you don’t look like a Griffon though so one has to wonder how a creature such as yourself managed to acquire it.” The Barkeep idly chatted, Nigel not really minding the insinuation.
“Was quite simple really,” the human responded as he took a gulp of alcohol, “all I had to do was ‘convince’ the previous owners that I was better suited to own it and it worked like a charm.” The stallion, Hard Barley, raised an eyebrow and smirked at the creature’s creative choice of words. He already knew that the group of ponies that had entered previously were pirates and they weren’t too quiet about their new ‘human captain.’ Barley had never heard of a ‘human’ before and considering that he was now talking to an unknown being that was in possession of a Griffon naval ship he put two and two together and came to the conclusion that this creature was a Pirate Captain.
“You don’t have to be coy, this port is pirate friendly after all,” Barley commented as the human took another drink. The biped looked at him with curiosity, the creature fiddling with the strange faceless helmet it held.
“Really, I thought that this was an Equestrian port?” the Captain asked, the bartender shaking his head at the inquiry.
“Nope, Quayble is run by Penny Pincher, one of the most corrupt unicorns in the entire land. Anything can be bought here if you have the right amount; pirates usually have lots of loot to spend so she fully supports your way of life, as long as she profits from it of course.”
“Each to their own,” Nigel placed his empty glass on the bar, re-attaching his helmet as he stood up. “Thanks for the drink; at least this planet has decent booze.” This caught Barley’s attention, he wasn’t the most educated but he was aware that some unicorns believed that there were other worlds out in the heavens. Was this creature from such a world? It was entirely likely when he looked at the evidence, the strange being’s form, its strange body which he assumed was armour like its helmet and the lack of worldly knowledge that pirates tended to possess. The biped nodded at him, Barley returning the gesture as he observed the human walk over to the tables his crew were occupying and converse with a yellow unicorn, the human then exiting the tavern.
Nigel checked his suit’s storage to ensure he had an ample amount of gold as he left the drinking establishment, having already informed Morning Sparkle that he was going to investigate the town. The reason he hadn’t spoken to his First Mate was because he was unable to spot the mare in the bar at all. He had no time to find her however; he had a mascot to acquire.
“Nigel!” speak of the Devil, Chalmers turned back around to view the tavern to see the aqua unicorn exit through the doors as she called out. The Captain waited for the mare, the pair receiving strange looks from the surrounding populace who seemed to avoid coming within ten metres of the human. “Do you mind if I come with you? I haven’t been to Quayble before,” Sea Biscuit asked, Nigel giving the mare a shrug.
“Sure, I don’t see why not,” he answered as he headed towards that transport he saw earlier. “By the way, where were you earlier, I didn’t see you in the bar.”
“I was sitting at another table,” Sea Biscuit replied as she trotted alongside her captain, “I don’t really get along with most of the crew and drinking isn’t really something I enjoy.” Nigel was intrigued by the mare’s opinion that the crew didn’t like her, he knew that some of the other unicorns were doubtful about his decision to promote the often awkward mare but so far he thought she had been doing a good job.
“I’m sure they just need to get used to you being higher up then they are, give it a little time,” Nigel suggested, the mare halting causing him to pause his walking. “What’s wrong?” Chalmers questioned, the mare once again with a green tint on her face as she rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.
“Ah, well you see about that,” Sea Biscuit replied, the mare looking around finding no one else in earshot, “the majority of the crew believe you made me First Mate because they think that we are…” Nigel was puzzled at what the mare was getting at, before his eye’s widened in revelation. Did the crew seriously believe that he promoted Sea Biscuit purely because they though he was ‘plundering the booty’ in his free time? He had barely been on the planet for two days and already he was once again involved in a scandal. He could still remember the political backlash that had occurred when that video of him and those two Armonian Princess was somehow leaked to the press. Fucking opportunistic journalists, you’d think a militaristic space empire would have gotten rid of such bottom feeders but no, people still want ‘unbiased’ news.
“Well that is completely wrong,” Nigel responded as he shook his head, “I hadn’t even considered… that. If the rumours continue I’ll have to do something about them, however I’m sure that they’ll die out by themselves.” Sea Biscuit didn’t look convinced, Nigel thinking for a second that the mare actually looked a little disappointed but that would be crazy. It was probably just the alcohol playing with his head. Nigel decided to continue walking, Sea Biscuit following as Chalmers headed towards a gathered crowd where the top of a metal cage could be seen.
The mass of ponies parted quickly as the human approached, Nigel now close to the revealed cage that was placed on the dusty ground, the ten creatures he had seen before chittering away nervously as they glanced at the surrounding onlookers. Chalmers failed to notice Sea Biscuit’s shocked reaction to the contents of the cage.
“Mares and Stallions!”
The voice of a stallion rang out, the ornately garbled unicorn trader from before leaping up onto a simple platform next to the cage. The unicorn flicked it’s golden mane as it pointed towards the cage with a hoof.
“Feast your eyes on these exotic creatures from the far west! After a long travel to the Zebra lands I have returned with many goods; however these are by far the rarest!” The unicorn trotted right up to the cage, the small creatures within backing away and chittering in fear as the trader moved his purple robed body closer to them. “They will make the finest addition to any household’s collection; the best part is that they are still young so training should not be a problem!”
Nigel was just about to ask a price for one, after all one of the creatures would make a fine pet. He was still upset over the death of Mister Tinkers, his Eight-legged Minosopian cat. That day he learnt that un-secured landmines and inquisitive felines do not mix. He was beaten to the punch however, a chubby red-robed unicorn mare pushing her way through the crowd to the left.
“I’ll take all ten, they’ll make great decorations!” the mare offered as she raised a cyan hoof, the crowd erupting into excited murmurs as the trader let out a wide grin.
“I can always rely on you, Lady Penny Pincher! Congratulations on the sale!” The crowd of ponies dispersed, leaving Nigel standing with the stunned Sea Biscuit to watch as the Mayor of Quayble gestured to four Earth ponies dressed like thugs as she hoofed a bag of gold to the eager trader, the Stallion greedily counting the contents. Nigel looked down to his right as he felt hooves tugging at his arm, meeting the worried face of Sea Biscuit.
“You can’t let her take them Nigel!” the mare pleaded, catching the attention of the six ponies near the cage.
“Why not?” the snobby voice of the mayor interupted, the unicorn moving over towards the pair as she shot Nigel a disdainful look, “I have purchased these creatures so they are now mine, I highly doubt that your repulsive companion here will even attempt to do what you ask.”As the Mayor said this the four lackeys accompanying her stepped forward with sneers, Nigel not intimidated in the slightest. Never the less it would probably be for the best if he avoided confrontation with the leader of this town at the current moment.
“While she is incredibly rude, she does have a point Sea Biscuit,” Nigel stated to his First Mate, “unfortunately she has indeed purchased them fairly and even though I did want one sometimes you just have to cut your losses.” Surprisingly Sea Biscuit shook her head, the mare stamping a hoof on the ground as she glared at the trader.
“It’s not right, you can’t just sell children as ‘decorations’, it’s just wrong!”
“You’re acting like they’re intelligent,” the trader cut in, prodding one of the black equines with a horn, “the Zebra chieftain I procured them from assured me that they were just mindless creatures he found wandering into the tribal camp. Not that I normally trust non-ponies but look at these creatures, how can you tell that they’re intelligent?” The trader asked Sea Biscuit as he stepped towards her.
The First Mate looked at Nigel with doubt but when she looked back to the cage she seemed to gain resolve, glaring at the trader and mayor as Sea Biscuit stepped forward and took a breath.
“I know they’re intelligent because I am one!” With this confession a green flash surrounded the mare, magical flames flickering out to reveal a larger version of the caged creatures. Sea Biscuit’s mane was gone and her tail was now black with a grey tint, her eyes replaced with solid blue orbs and a sharp ebony horn was now on her forehead. The six remaining ponies all reacted with alarm, the four thugs leaping out in front of the Mayor in the face of the sudden transformation.
“The plot thickens,” was all Nigel said as he observed the form of his First Mate, his quip an attempt at hiding the fact that he was just as surprised as the Mayor and trader were.
“Get it, whatever it is!” the panicked Mayor screeched to her cronies, the four thugs hesitating before they advanced on Sea Biscuit. Deciding to intervene before things got out of hand Nigel stepped beside his First Mate, Sea Biscuit appearing surprised that he was supporting her.
“I wouldn’t recommend that,” he suggested as he took a stance beside Sea Biscuit, halting the thugs in their tracks. One of them pulled a short knife from a hidden belt in his clothing and waved it at the biped as a warning. Chalmers scoffed at the display. “You call that a knife?” Nigel mocked, an energy-wreathed blade that rivalled the length of the stallion extending out from his left arm. All of the ponies stared at the long sizzling weapon in terror. “This, this is a knife,” Nigel informed them with a strange accent, the stallion wisely dropping his pitiful weapon in the face of such a deadly-looking implement.
“What is the meaning of this?” The Mayor demanded, the mare glaring at Nigel as the trader swept up his gold and galloped away, leaving the cage behind. Nigel simply walked over to the creatures inside the cage, all ten staring at the large monster as they shook with fright. Chalmers patted the prison with a hand as he faced the Mayor.
“The meaning is simple; I’m taking all ten of these creatures here as well as your town. From now on I’m in charge around here,” Nigel stated in a confident tone, the Mayor’s mouth dropping in shock.
“But… but-“
“Be thankful that I’m even letting you live after your previous insults, I was tempted to gut you then and there,” the Mayor and here escorts paled at this. “This port is hereby re-named to ‘Eviltopia’, me and my crew are in charge and if anyone has a problem with it then they can answer to me.” This threat was emphasised by Nigel raising his right arm, a tripled-barrelled object arranged in a triangle shape rising out from his armour as he pointed it towards the ground in front of the Mayor. The barrels spun and glowed red as a hail of crimson energy-bolts spat out of the barrels to churn up the ground before the five ponies in a hail of light and noise.
All five shrieked at the sight of the destructive fire-power as they turned and fled, all of the onlookers who had been watching the prior confrontation also screaming and sheltering in any available buildings. Chalmers surveyed his handy work with a grin; rapid-fire laser weaponry sure was quite the negotiating tool.
Sea Biscuit was rooted to the spot, gobsmacked at the scene she had just witnessed. The Captain had just threatened the Mayor and taken over the entire town in the space of a few minutes, all because she had wanted him to save the nymphs about to be sold. From the looks of things Sea doubted that he even knew what a changeling was, why he was so quick to defend her she couldn’t figure out. She gulped as Nigel turned his attention to her, Sea falling onto her rump as the biped looked down at her, the three barrels of his strange flashy weapon still spinning. She doubted that he would be very pleased with her deception.
“Well, that’s sorted,” Chalmers said to her as he glanced to the cage, the nymphs having closed their eyes and flattened their ears during the brief show of violence. “How about we have a little chat and you explain why you felt the need to hide what you are, Sea Biscuit?” The addressed mare swallowed a lump in her throat; while the Captain’s tone wasn’t threatening she had learnt that he was incredibly unpredictable.
‘I’ll probably have to buy him a lot of cheese to make up for this,’ she thought as she prepared to answer his question, ever mindful of the dangerous weaponry the human was toting and implications of what might happen if she answers wrong.
“Well,” she started meekly, “I guess I should start by telling you that my name isn’t really Sea Biscuit…”