//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8: Pyrate Dealings 
// Story: Under Loyalty's Flag 
// by Gapeagle 
//------------------------------//

"Then she was like 'rainbows darling, rainbows.' As was like 'yeah do what ya want bitch, I don't care.' I mean, do ya think I'll ever sound like that? 'Darling, darling, dresses, rainbows!' Kinda sickening."

The crew laughed at Rainbow's imitation of the Assassin she met earlier that day. The only ones who didn't laugh were the drinking Caramel and Den Master Silverspeed, who was tied up in a corner of the hut. The Den Master's face was that of a wife who had just met the murderer of her husband. She scooted along the floor closer to them.

"Do not speak of Rarity that way! Oh, if I had my hands free, you would all be dead!" She yelled with unrestrained anger.

Rainbow took a sip from her mug. "I'll try to remember that."

"Ugh!" Silverspeed fell back on the wall; her teeth bared. "Of all animals I had to be stuck with, it had to be you!"

The crew laughed again. The Den Master gave up and sat in shameful silence. Rainbow and the crew gave another hearty cheer before pouring more rum and cider down their throats. Caramel chuckled with a broad smile before standing up. Upon his action, the crew instinctively fell silent. Their captain stood up only when he had something to say. An occasional pirate would belch or whoop to disturb the sudden silence. But once they all calmed down, Caramel cleared his throat.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, the moment ya all been waiting for: The presentation of the Deal. We got a mighty fine loot from the Assassin ship. A prisoner and well.....Something that should be quite valuable."

Caramel picked up the gold chest and placed it on the table. A collective "oooh" was uttered among the crew. The captain patted the chest with delicate care, as if it was a purring cat. Rainbow had to lean forward to see the chest past all the burly men in front of her. With a wide grin, Caramel continued.

"To those who are new, we privateers of the Ragnarok like to make our own Pyrate Deal. This deal requires a trade. We take the valuables from the ship and then trade it back to their owners for bits. Lots of bits. This time we have this Element. The Element of Loyalty. A crystal that is held by the Brotherhood as sacred and holy. Isn't that right Den Master?"

Silverspeed huffed indignantly. "Indeed. The Element of Loyalty is nothing to be played with you bastards. It has power beyond all your knowledge."

"See? Very valuable. The Assassins would do anything to get it back. Since the Brotherhood performs most of their dealings by the blade, we have little Silverspeed here as insurance. They try to kill us, we kill her. If they do the Pyrate Deal, they get both their Den Master and their little Element. They have to give us the bits though, hehe."

The crew chuckled in unison. Some chugged more drink down and others commented on their personal successes in the boarding of the ship. One crew member poked his head above the rest and flailed a hand.

"Let's see that Elemen' Cap'n!" He said.

"Yeah." The crew agreed.

"Fools..." Silverspeed uttered.

Caramel shrugged and started to open the chest. "I don't see why not."

He lifted the lid and there it was, a pulsing red crystal. Rainbow was surprised by its shape. She had expected a clean cut diamond shape but the Element was jagged and uneven. Its crimson color was intense and beautiful though. The bright red pulse of the Element brightened the crystal with each soundless thump. As Rainbow inspected it, she felt a sudden odd sensation crawl through her body.

"I see you. I know you."

"Who said that?" She asked the pirate next to her.

"I didn't hear nothing." He told her with confusion.

Caramel closed the chest and locked it. The tingling in Rainbow's bones stopped as abruptly as it started. She felt tired and delusional. Her vision was becoming blurred and she was seeing double. Her dizziness made her fall backwards off the bench she was standing on. Pirates gasped upon hearing her land on the floor. Some shrugged and continued drinking, a few snorted in drunken laughter, others inspected her with worry.

"You alright?" Neon asked.

"I guess I had too much cider..." Rainbow moaned.

"There's a way to fix that Miss Dash." A pirate guffawed. "More cider!"

This statement was received with cheers of merriment. Silverspeed started to bang the back of her head against the wooden wall mumbling "idiots" and "morons" rather loudly every time her head struck the wall. Rainbow remained on the floor, staring at the high ceiling. Cider had never done that to her before. She had been tipsy far more times than countable, but she did not feel tipsy at all. Her wits were about her, she just could not use them.  

Caramel spoke up again. "Don't everyone get drunk. The Assassins will find us soon. We can't let them waltz in here and take our products. If we all get as drunk as a drowned chimera, we'll all be dead by morning."

"Hmph. The most sensible thing you've said all day captain." The Assassin remarked.

The order ruined the reveling of the crew. Most put their drinks down and refused to touch them again. Some gulped down the remaining rum in their mugs before being satisfied. A few, like Berry, neglected their captain's wishes entirely and drank more. Rainbow was in no position to drink as she could hardly get up off the floor. 

Neon got up from the bench and leaned over her. "Ya sure you're fine, Miss Dash? You look as pale as a windigo..."

"What are ya standing there for? Help me up!"

Neon easily pulled Rainbow off the floor. The young pirate almost lost her balance and fell again, but recovered it at the last second. Odd, she thought, she always had great balance. She ran along clotheslines in Manehatten, why was it so difficult to stand on a wooden floor? She tried to take a step, but the dizziness prevented her from doing so. By now, everyone at the table was watching her. Berry looked the most concerned among them. Silverspeed gave her an understanding nod. Rainbow noticed this and was about to say something.

Caramel interrupted her thoughts. "Do ya need rest, Miss Dash? There's a bed upstairs."

"What? Yeah, that'd be great..." Rainbow said absently, her eyes still on the Den Master.

With Neon bending down to put Rainbow's arm over his shoulders, he appeared much like a hunchback due to their problematic height difference, but he dealt with it for the her sake. Caramel took a step back as the two passed him and went slowly up the stairs. 

"To Hell with it..." Neon muttered.

The pirate picked up Rainbow and the process of transporting her quickened. Rainbow never liked being cradled, even if it was necessary. She grumbled at the thought of being carried around like a kid. 

"I'll get you later, bub." The young pirate growled.

"For what?" 

Rainbow waved a hand. "Reasons."

Once they reached the top of the stairs, they turned down the hallway and into a bedroom on the left. The room was small and cozy. The Templars had kept every room in immaculate condition. However, the pirates' presence had already ruined the cleanliness and order. Drawers were open. Rugs were flipped over. The bed in particular had its sheets and blankets sprawled in about in an uneven manner. 

"Here ya go, lass." Neon said as he gently placed her on the bed.

Rainbow remained silent as he left her in the dark room. The sounds of downstairs could be heard clearly. Caramel was telling one of stories. One that Rainbow had heard before. The rugged captain always told the same stories. 

"Him and his damn sea turtles..." Rainbow said to herself.

Her wits were coming back to her. She was no longer seeing double and the dizziness had left. She sat up in the bed. To her surprise, her head did not spin with the movement. 

"Guess I'm doing better than I thought."

Suddenly, a black figure landed on the balcony in front of the bedroom's window. Due to the darkness of night, Rainbow could only see the figure's outline. The figure carved a clean circle in the glass with some sort of blade. It then popped the cut of glass out to make a hole. Rainbow slowly got off the bed and crouched behind it. The intruder had no idea of her presence. The figure reached through the small hole and unlocked the window before carefully opening it. Like a phantom, the figure crawled through the window and into the room. Rainbow extended her wrist blade and waited.

The intruder took forever to get from the window to the open door. Rainbow was becoming inpatient with the figure's technique of remaining silent. When the figure finally passed the bed, Rainbow pounced on it with her blade ready.

The figure gasped and caught Rainbow's wrist before the blade reached its target. Rainbow could now see the intruder's face in the darkness. It was Rarity. The Assassin seemed to have recognized Rainbow as her face was shocked. 

"You're a pirate?" She whispered.

"Yeah and a good one too."

Rainbow threw her other hidden blade at her. Rarity reacted by kicking Rainbow into the wall. The strength astounded Rainbow and left her aching in the wall. The Assassin cursed and ran back out the window.

"You're not gettin' away that easily!" 

Rainbow recovered and chased after her. She jumped out of the window and onto the small balcony. Her eyes caught Rarity's foot being lifted onto the roof. The pirate wasted no time in climbing the small height to reach the top of the hut. Once on top, she saw Rarity standing in front of her, a small rod in her hands. 

"Got nowhere to go, I see. C'mon, show me what  ya can do, Canterlotian." Rainbow taunted.

Rarity rolled her eyes. "One: I actually was raised in Ponyville. Two: this."

She placed the rod to her mouth and blew. A sharp pain was felt in Rainbow's neck. She felt around the pain and took out a small dart. The pirate grimaced at the dart. Her eyes began to blur and her limbs started to give way. She knew what was going on.

"You cheeky prick." Were her last words before falling in her forced slumber.





"I am telling you, Applejack, I made the robes for her."

"Well, she knows how to return a favor, that's for sure."

Rainbow grunted and sat up. Rarity was standing in front of her with a tall and built man. The man was in red and dark brown armor. It was in the style of an Assassin, but also not. The man looked more like one of the Templar soldiers than an Assassin. The young pirate could not see the man's face because of the hood. Upon hearing her grunts, the man turned around.

"Well, it looks like this varmin' just came back to the livin'. How ar' ya feelin' sugarcube?"

"You're....A woman?!" Rainbow screamed.

The tall and burly woman sighed. "Yeah...Name's Applejack. I'm sure a drunk like you has 'eard of me."

"Well, yeah! You're one of the Apple family in Ponyville. You have the best cider. I just...didn't think ya was an Assassin."

Rarity chuckled. "My my, Applejack, you sure can predict them. I guess these are your more regular costumers?"

"Naw. I'm sure more decent folk buy my family's cider. People like her just steal it from them."

"Hey!"

Applejack walked over to Rainbow and picked her up with one finger. Saying she did so effortlessly was probably a true statement. The thick Assassin then gripped Rainbow's robes and brought the pirate to her face.

"Ya wanna prove me wrong? You pirates are liars, cheaters, and low down criminals. You have no say here. Got that?"

Rainbow meekly nodded. Applejack released and Rainbow fell to the ground, which was a significantly ways down. Applejack then walked away into another room. Now that she was not being threatened by a giant woman, Rainbow looked about the room. The only word to describe it was "empty." There was no furniture, no paint on the walls, not even a single aspect that made the room stand out. The only light in the room came from the torch in a corner. It was, however, enough to light up the room entirely. Rainbow could clearly see Rarity and the motionless Assassins that leaned on the walls.

"So...Where are we?"

"A Den." Rarity answered.

"What are ya? Dogs?" Rainbow laughed.

"We like to think so. We have Dens. Wolves have dens. We are similar in many ways, the wolves and Assassins, we hunt in packs, help each other when needed, and none stay behind. It is only fitting to name our hideouts after them."

The young pirate stood up. Some Assassins lifted their heads and watched her. Unlike the Assassins on Silverspeed's ship, all these Assassins wore a dark gold with black hoods. Rainbow was uncomfortable under their emotionless gaze. She took a step closer to Rarity as if she was the beacon of safety.

"Why are they colored like that?" Rainbow broke the horrid silence.

"They belong to this Den and wish to be able to identify themselves through color. Nothing more than that."

Rainbow acknowledged this with an awkward nod. The staring Assassins did not even blink as they watched her. Rainbow took another step towards Rarity and all the Assassins drew their blades and pointed them at her. Some of the swords almost poked Rainbow with how close they were to her.

Rainbow raised her hands. "Bit touchy..."

"They should be." Rarity said. "After we lost one of our own not even a month ago, the Brotherhood has been protective of its leaders."

"You mean when ya lost the Bearer of Loyalty, right?"

Rarity face hardened. "Has your captain told you this?"

Rainbow nodded."Yeah, cap'n knows all ya'lls secrets. The Elements, the Bearers, all of it."

The young Assassin pointed at Rainbow. "Watch her. I shall speak with the Bea...Applejack."

Rarity exited the room. The Assassins took her spot and surrounded Rainbow completely. The pirate began to form a plan of escape in her mind. She would need her wrist blades to do so. When she thought that, she saw that her hidden blades were missing.

"You guys took my blades!" She complained

"Of course we did." An Assassin said. "Not for our protection, I have you know. The idea of a pirate like you wielding the blades of our Brothers is...appalling. You had to kill an Assassin to get them. Who did you kill?"

"Uhhh....Some chump in white?" Rainbow shrugged.

"Did you really think she'll know?" An Assassin asked the first.

The first faltered. "I....Not really...no. It's just worth a shot mate."

Rainbow tapped one of the swords pointed at her. "Can ya guys like...give me some space?"

An Assassin put away his sword. "She's no threat. A girl her size can't even peel a banana without help."

"What did you say?" Rainbow asked with bared teeth.

The Assassin chuckled. "You heard me. You're tiny. How old are you? 13?"

"I'm 20, you idiot!"

"What happened? Did your mom not teach you how to grow? Or are you a dwarf? Heh, where's your beard?"

One moment, the mocking Assassin had a grin on his face, the next, he was missing at least three teeth. The frightful explosion of rage from the insulted pirate shocked every Assassin in the room. The little abomination pounced on the Assassin and continued pummeling his face to a bloody pulp. An Assassin grabbed her and threw her off. In her rage-induced fit for violence, she flipped herself upon landing and raised her small, but deadly, fists.

"I'll take ya all on! Let's see how short I am when you are all on the floor lookin' up at me!"

"We can't kill her; otherwise they'll kill the Den Master." An Assassin moaned.

Like an acrobat, she jumped at the closest enemy. He grabbed her flying leg and spun her into the ground. With her free leg, she repeatedly kicked his crotch. He released her with a high-pitched squeal of pain. She back flipped away from the group and charged again.

She slid and swung her legs under an Assassin, tripping him. Another Assassin came after her. She spun around to kick him in his knee. The whole room became a mess of flying bodies and loud grunts. Amidst the dark gold robes, a blurry light blue and rainbow figure danced about. Due to the pirate's hair, she appeared like a streak of colors in the dim light. 

"I've had better drunk bar fights than this!" Rainbow mocked.

She kicked an Assassin into the wall. None of the Assassins were down for the count as they backed away from her. She grinned in triumph. This triumph was short lived as a hand grabbed her neck from behind and slammed her into the wall.

The Assassin held her up against the wooden wall. Her hood was down, so Rainbow could see her attacker's face. The female Assassin was older than the others. She had long dirty blonde hair and angry green eyes. Her robes were a even darker shade of gold than her fellow Assassins. The firm hand that held Rainbow in place was gloved with brown leather, but her other hand was not.

"You dare harm my Brothers?" The Assassin said with a low hiss.

"Naw, we were just practicing." Rainbow tried to be funny.

"You think you're funny huh?" The Assassin growled. "Let's see you laugh to this!"

The angry Assassin started to beat Rainbow's face back and forth. The other Assassins stood by why the pirate was brutally pummeled. Rainbow felt her cheeks cracking under the beating. She was losing sight and feeling in her face. A tooth flew out of her mouth and blood replaced it. The Assassin held her there and she could not do anything about it.

"June! What are you doing?!" Rainbow could faintly hear Rarity's voice through the ringing in her ear.

"Teaching this scum a lesson."

"Stop! Just stop!"

"Rarity, stop being pathetic. You're too young to see when a beating's necessary." June spat.

Rarity stood frozen by the appalling scene. June held her fist in the air and stared at the young Assassin. She then cursed under her breath and released Rainbow, who slid to the floor, half-conscience of what was happening.

"Heal her. Now." Rarity said with more confidence.

"You can't be serious." June complained. "I will only heal those who deserve it."

"Please."

"Fine. You owe me after this."

June squatted over Rainbow. She then took off her glove, revealing horrid and jagged scars on her hand. June carefully placed her scared hand on Rainbow's face. The young pirate began to fill a sudden tingling throughout her body. It was a similar sensation to the dizziness she had felt earlier that night. Then the pain came. She screamed in agony as her bones moved about to their original positions. The missing tooth grew out of her gum almost instantly. When the healing was completed, June removed her hand, which was bloodied by the now open wounds on her hands.

"What? How...How did you do that?" Rainbow felt her smooth and healed face.

"I'm what you call a Bearer." June answered. "The Bearer of Kindness to be exact."

"Kindness?" Rainbow spat. "Kindness?! What did being Kind have to do with that?"

"Shut up!" June yelled back. "You should be grateful that I healed you at all." She lifted her injured hand. "I have to pay the price for healing your wounds by receiving my own."

"June..." Rarity placed a delicate hand on the Bearer.

"Don't give me that." June shrugged off the hand. "You are naive in this war, Rarity. The Bearer you replace was not as soft as you. You'll learn that people like the pirates and Templars do not deserve our sympathy. The buccaneers only create Chaos and the Templars rule with fear. Pay Kindness with Kindness. Pay destruction with destruction. Never mix those two."

The Bearer of Kindness stomped out of the room with the other Assassin tailing her. Rarity watched them leave before sitting down next to Rainbow who was still numb by the magical healing. 

"You're a Bearer?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes. I am the Bearer of Generosity. I was....chosen by my Element less than a year ago."

"Caramel says they take your heart out. Is that true?"

Rarity sighed and said nothing. Her hands started to unbutton and take off her intricate robes, revealing her upper chest. In the middle of her chest was a jagged purple Element, pulsing like a heart. The Element was too large for the space it occupied and came out of her ribs at an angle. Rainbow took a peek at it before Rarity closed up her robes again.

"Was it painful?" Rainbow asked meekly.

"Indeed." 

Rainbow leaned back on the wall in silence. She felt a pang of pity for Rarity. From how she talked about it, it seemed that Rarity did not have a choice in being a Bearer of not. She glanced at the Bearer who was looking at her shoes absently. The young pirate rubbed her chin and thought how she could liven up the depressing mood of the dim room.

"Uhh..." She began. "Do...Do you have a power like that jerk? Do you all have powers?"

Rarity chuckled. "Yes, darl...I mean Rainbow. The Elements grant us powers at their price. I cannot heal like June can, as it is not Generosity's way. My power is more...involved."

She stretched out her hand, her palm facing the ceiling. Slowly but surely, a rose formed in her hand. It had the color of dark blue as it was forming. When it was completely finished, there was a rose stem and flower in her hand rich with its natural color. Rarity smiled and brought the flower to her nose to sniff. Rainbow, however, frowned in disappointment.

"You can summon flowers? That's so lame."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "It was merely a demonstration, dear. I can create other objects too. I can do this because of my Element. Generosity is all about helping another, about giving up yourself. I can summon things to help me and others; I cannot create things that will only aid myself, such as money. That's what Generosity is: aiding another for their sake and not yours. Many times we only help others to feel good, a sense of satisfaction. That's not..."

"Alright, I get it! Ya'll a bunch of pussies that preach Harmony. I get it!" Rainbow threw her arms up in exasperation.

"I beg your pardon!"

"Ya ain't gettin' it."

A sudden slam startled both of them. Applejack had entered the room and slammed on the wall to get their attention. The tall woman glared at them with her dark green eyes that seemed to glow in the dim lighting. 

"I jus' wanted to tell ya two that it's time. The pirates are ready for the Deal."

"Marvelous." Rarity grinned. "Now I can do this to you."

She stood up and forced Rainbow to do the same. The Bearer of Generosity created a pair of irons and clamped them on Rainbow's wrists behind her back. The pirate squirmed.

"What gives?" 

Rarity grabbed her arm and forced her toward the door. "Would you like me to make smaller ones? I'm not sure if I can."

"Oh...you..."





Rainbow Dash was led blindfolded through what she could only guess was the streets of Baltimare. She did not even have time to look out of the Den's windows before Rarity conjured a white napkin to go over her eyes. The napkin was made out of some fine material as it was rather soft. The irons, on the other hand, were tight and heavy. She wished that she had not made Rarity indignant before she created the irons.

"Applejack, can we go a different way? The road turns into mud here." Rainbow heard Rarity say next to her.

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me." Applejack moaned. "Ya want me to carry you?"

"If we are indeed going this way...yes. My apologizes, but I simply cannot wear my boots through this. They are Canterlotian leather."

"Ya should of thought that before we left Ponyville."

"I've never been to Baltimare! How could I know that they neglected their streets?"

"Why don't you conjure ugly boots for walking?" Rainbow asked the blackness.

"It would be a waste of good cow..."

"Whaa...?"

"Shut up, pirate!" June yelled from behind.

"She's with us too?" Rainbow moaned.

"Of course she is, darling." Rarity said from a different location. "She is a Bearer and a representative of the Brotherhood."

"Ya sure you want her to "represent" you?" Rainbow cocked her head. She tried to face the direction that Rarity's voice came from.

"Quiet! We're 'ere." Applejack said quietly.

The blindfold was removed from Rainbow's head. They were at the pirate's hut. Caramel, Zecora, and Neon were standing in front of them. Zecora held the Element's chest and Neon held the still-tied Silverspeed. Other members of the crew stood behind their captain. Rainbow could spy a worried Berry among the pirates.

Rainbow glanced to the Assassin around her. Rarity was sitting on Applejack's shoulder, obviously not wanting to ruin her special boots in the mud. June stood next to Rainbow with a hand on the pirate's arm. She did not look at Rainbow, but remained focused on Caramel. An escort of about six Assassins were behind the leaders.

Caramel laughed, breaking the silence. "I know ya got more Assassins than that. They are all around us. I see some in the trees, on the hut's roof and in the bushes over there. Call them off and we'll start."

June growled. "To me!"

From exactly where Caramel said they were, Assassins swarmed out of their hiding places and to the Bearer's side. Rainbow counted over 20 Assassins before they all went behind her. She was glad Caramel knew what he was doing.

"Thanks a bunch." The captain smiled. "Now, I see you got my lass. Do you really think that's gonna make a difference in the Deal?"

The crew began to laugh, except Berry who chewed on her teeth. Rainbow's heart fell upon this. She did not matter? That...That can't be right.

"It will make a difference." Applejack said sternly. Rainbow could not take her seriously with Rarity still sitting on her armored shoulder. "This pirate for Den Master Silverspeed."

"We aren't dealing with Silverspeed lass. This about your precious Element, Loyalty."

A chorus of curses sprung from the Assassins. Most were condemning the pirates of desecrating the Element. Applejack turned and waved a hand to silence them. This action almost knocked Rarity from her perch. Some pirates laughed at the scene.

"If you do not trade Silverspeed, we will kill this girl." June extended her wrist blade in front of Rainbow.

"You think that matters to me? To lose a sod of a crew member?" Caramel laughed. "Besides, we could kill your Den Master if you don't give us what we want."

Neon pulled out a dagger and held it to Silverspeed's neck. The Den Master rolled her eyes in obvious frustration.

"Just get on with it, Bearers!" She shouted across the no man's land. "I'm tired of being with these pirates!"

"Rogue privateers." Caramel corrected. "We demand 15,000 bits for Element and your Den Master."

"What about me?!" Rainbow panicked.

"What about you?" Caramel asked back.

Rainbow's jaw dropped. This was her captain? She fought alongside this man! How, how could he be so....inconsiderate? She started to feel like fainting.

"Ha, ya think you can fool me?" Applejack chuckled. "We have only 10,000 bits with us. Ya can have that and the 'Miss Dash' for giving up the Element and Silverspeed. That's our only offer."

"I suggest accepting it, captain." Rarity giggled. "Otherwise this could become absolutely dreadful."

Caramel huffed. "Fine, it's a deal."

The crew began to whisper among themselves at this. Berry sighed in relief so loudly that Rainbow could hear her. Neon sliced the robes and gave the Den Master a shove towards the Assassins. June did nothing with Rainbow's irons and shoved her into the muddy ground.

"June! I made those!" Rarity complained at the sight of Rainbow's muddied robes.

Applejack, with Rarity still on her shoulder, walked over to Caramel with large bag of money in one hand. Caramel took the Element from Zecora and met Applejack in the middle of the no man's land. They both shook hands.

"Of course you can see me through like anyone. Just like Silverspeed said you would." Caramel complimented the armored Assassin.

"It's wha' I do captain. Here."

They handed each other their respected dealings. Caramel took the bag of bits with one hand and his arm fell to the ground due to its weight. He tried to pick it up with both hands but couldn't. Applejack chuckled and took the chest like it was nothing more than a small pillow. 

"I hope we don't meet again." Applejack said before turning away.

Rainbow watched Rarity depart on Applejack's shoulder. "Hey! Aren't ya gonna help me with these?" She shook her wrists.

"Oh those? Sorry, I can't make them disappear." She smiled.

"Then make a key!" Rainbow yelled.

"I forgot to make a keyhole for them. You are on your own dear." She smile widened.

"That...snobby Canterlotian bit.."

"Rainbow!" Caramel leaned over her.

The young pirate snarled. "Yeah, what ya want cap'n? Gonna tell me how useless I am to you? Huh? That my life is worthless?"

Caramel grabbed her and lifted her off the ground. His eyes were filled with an anger Rainbow had never seen from him before. He lifted his fist up like he was about to punch her, but then brought it back down. Before Rainbow knew it, Caramel was hugging her tightly.

"Never, never say that again, Miss Dash. I would never give you up for money. Not you or any of my crew. The best part of this deal was knowing that you are safe. Never think less of me again."

Rainbow faltered. "I...I'm sorry captain. I...I didn't mean to..."

He hushed her. "Shush, I know you didn't. Now let's go those irons off you and finally put an end to this long night."


~