"Vinyl! Vinyl wait!"
My shouts were useless as my friend walked on. I had to dodge some crew members as I followed her. She was heading towards the bow of the ship. I saw her bump into Babs and completely ignore what she had done. Her mind was elsewhere.
She stopped at the very front of the ship, where the mortar was located. It was an odd place to rest, but it seemed like the only place Vinyl wanted to be. She kept her mask over her face and silently leaned on the railing. I did the same with the railing opposite her. For being on a crowded deck, the bow was quiet and deserted. None of the pirates even approached us by accident. It seemed this place was supposed to be private.
"Ya really want to be around me when I'm like this?" Vinyl pointed to the lenses of her mask.
"Do you think I won't?" I questioned back.
"Ya shouldn't. I may lose control to Chaos at any moment. Could be now, tomorrow, anytime..."
"And that time will come. Well, we have no idea when it will come, but like Rainbow, it could be years. Separating myself from you because you're a Survivor would be ludicrous."
"But what happens if it's soon? I could kill you."
I shook my head. "Do you think I would let you?"
She cocked her head. "Ya mean you'll kill me? Aren't you cold?"
"What? It would be the better option. I would care for your body and no revenge would be needed. Well, except Discord."
"Discord would do the same to you as he did me. No offense, but you're not even an ant compared to him."
I nodded. "You're right. It would be the same as killing myself. And he saved my life from doing that multiple times. Unless..."
"Oh no. Ya get that smirk when you get a stupid idea."
"When have I ever had a stupid idea?"
"Tavi..."
"You have no faith in me. This is not a stupid idea. Maybe we could get Celestia to take care of him. Her power must match his."
"Ya don't know that!"
I started to pace. "It's only logical. Maybe her and Luna both! The Two Sisters and all the Bearers. He couldn't stand up to that."
"And what if he does? Not to mention how we'll get them all together. He'll be pissed at us."
"Are you afraid?"
"YES! Tavi, you don't know Chaos. Facing him would be like trying to conquer the rules of life! Trying to conquer Death! Which he did! It's just not gonna happen." Her gestures became wild.
"You make a point. I guess I was getting ahead of myself. It's just...He has done so much to you. Ruined your life. He..."
"Saved me too."
"No, Hope did."
"I still would have died. Hope did only so much. Tavi, this world is not black and white. Discord is evil no doubt, but we need him. We need Chaos. Without it, we would be stagnant. Never wanting to improve. No trials to make ourselves stronger and certainly no Harmony. Harmony requires Chaos."
"As we believe. Now, about Hope... Rainbow Dash says that you have to have something to be able to use that shard. I presume it involves hope of some kind."
"Yes, it runs on hope." She answered simply.
"May I ask what kind of hope?"
"Nah. That hope's gone."
"That's not what I asked." I said patiently.
"I used my hope of both of us gettin' out of all this alive. I hoped that we would finish our jobs as Assassins and...I don't know. Maybe live the rest of our lives in peace? If what Rainbow says is true, then I'm already dead."
"Really? I would have thought you would love to die as an Assassin. I can't see you ever settling down. Not like Caramel."
"Huh, I wanted to be just like Caramel. Tell people of all these tales with a smile ya know? A husband would be optional. I don't know if I'll ever find one. Neo seems pretty uninterested in me."
"Don't delude yourself. You're never have a husband, Vinyl."
"Wow, real nice ya know that?"
"It's not 'you.' I know you. You can't stay put for too long nor perform the same task repeatedly. A family to you would be nothing more than boring. I just can't see you being a wife, let alone a mother."
"Well...I guess.....Yeah...Ya probably right. But why even think of things like that? I'm gonna turn into a beast and go on a rampage and get killed by you. My future's already planned out for me."
"Stop it Vinyl. You're sounding like me."
She smiled. "Yeah, I am."
"Land sighted!"
We both turned to see a sailor waving his arms from the high rigging. Vinyl was faster than me to look over the railing. There indeed was a island in the shape of a mountain sticking out of the sea with a fine point. There were other ships around the island as well, most being smaller than the Ragnarok. Seagulls flocked around us, but kept their distance from the two Survivors on board. A gust lifted the ship onward at a respectable pace.
"The Stormrider and the Dionysus are docked there! I swear on me mum!" The lookout exclaimed.
"Half-sale! Last thing we want to do is crash into them!" Rainbow ordered.
The crew sprang into action. Like monkeys they climbed up the ropes and pulled the sails up. Zecora repeated the orders in her usual rhyming ways. It looked like complete disorder to one like myself. However, I knew that they were completing their respected tasks with superior skill.
We were still heading for the dock at a steady pace. The wind was taking us straight to it. As we approached the island, I could see thatched huts and crumbling stone works. Most of the huts were on tall stilts to sit above the battering waves. A large torn black flag fluttered above the huts. I could not tell what was on it from such a distance. Only that it had red and white on it.
"Pull 'em all up!" Rainbow shouted. "We'll coast."
The sails were tied up all the way. Our momentum carried us the rest of the way. The Ragnarok groaned as she turned into the dock. The symbol on the flag was clear now. It was a white skull with one eye as the Templar cross and the other as the Assassin insignia. The skull itself was on a white pike.
"Bring her in boys!"
The pirates threw out ropes to the pier next to us. There were people on the pier who caught the ropes and pulled. Most of the people on the pier were burly men who wrestled the ship in close. One of the leaner men had a tall light blue mohawk. He also possessed a cocky grin and confident golden eyes.
"Bout time ya gals got here!" He laughed.
"We had some delays. So shut ya sucker!" Rainbow yelled back.
Vinyl and I left the bow and walked over to the side. The crew calmed down and greeted those who awaited us on the pier. A gangway was laid across the gap so that we could easily reach them. Several crew members ran across and greeted their friends with hugs or handshakes. Laughter was not in short supply.
Rainbow left the wheel and walked down the steps to us. She slid her hood off with a quick hand. Her vibrant hair seemed even more of a mess than usual. She absently patted it down. Her action was an improvement on her hair, but it was ruined again by the mohawk boy's ruffling of it with his fist.
"Hey Rainbow! Ya miss me?" He laughed.
"Quit it!" Rainbow snarled.
"Naw, ya like it! I know ya do! I'm the big brother ya never had!" He continued messing with her.
"I'm older than ya bub! Now let go of me."
Rainbow freed herself from the boy. The boy laughed more until he turned to Vinyl and I. He froze with a confused expression on his face. He then regained control of himself and licked his hand. He then ran the hand through his hair as if to adjust it, but it changed nothing. His toothy grin changed to a seductive smirk.
"Damn, Rainbow. Ya know how to recruit!"
"They aren't recruits, dumbass." Rainbow muttered.
"Then they're here to stay? Even better! Hey ladies, ya see that ship over there?" He pointed to a docked ship. "She's the Stormrider. And like her captain, she can ride anything."
I could not say for Vinyl, but I blushed with the unsubtle offer from this young man. Rainbow gave a long and heavy sigh before gesturing at him.
"Guys, this is Captain Thunderlane. You'll get used to him."
"That's right ladies! I'm Thunderlane of Cloudsdale!" He gave an exaggerated bow. "So where ya two from?"
"Canterlot." I did not want to answer.
Thunderlane gasped. "Canterlot! Where are my manners then? I can't disrespect such beauty from high society."
He took my hand and kissed it. I felt a growl rise in my throat but I suppressed it. When he moved on to Vinyl, I took my now infected hand and rubbed it thoroughly against Vinyl's sleeve to cleanse it somehow. Vinyl retracted her hand from him before he could kiss it. Thunderlane took the hint and backed off.
His grin returned. "Well, it's nice of you two to join us here. I could, you know, show ya around this place."
"NO!" Rainbow screeched.
"Alrighty then! I'll be off, but around. See ya." He scampered off like something was chasing him.
Rainbow watched him leave before turning to us. "Yeah, that's Thunderlane. C'mon, I'll show ya a much better captain."
"This is your 'better captain?" I asked.
"Hey! She's been at my side more than anyone else. It's better than how it looks."
"I think she's been next to the bottle longer than with you." Vinyl commented
"Yeah...That's actually true."
A loud snore came from the sleeping captain sprawled on a table before us. I could not see her face, as it was hidden behind bushy purple hair that was greying in some areas. Her large hand clutched an empty bottle of rum.
"Berry. Ya there?" Rainbow poked the captain in the shoulder.
The captain stirred only a little. Another snore erupted from under the hair. Her hand dragged the bottle across the table to her chest and she then cuddled it like dog. Vinyl stifled a laugh. Rainbow cursed under her breath.
"Berry! Berry! Get ya arse up!" Rainbow screamed at the hair.
"What? I'm up, cap'n!" Berry jumped up from the table.
Berry stood on the table with the bottle still in her hand. The woman was not as old as her hair would suggest. Now, she did not appear young at all, but I could tell it was deceptive. She was younger than she looked. The bottle had obviously done her a good number.
"Heya Caramel! Need help with the rigging?" Berry lazily smiled at Rainbow.
"Berry, it's me!" Rainbow pointed at herself.
"Oh, hi Rainbow! Caramel woke me up for some reason. Did ya know where he went?" She almost lost her balance.
"Berry, I woke ya up. Caramel's not here."
Berry leaned forward. "Then where is he?"
Rainbow faltered. "He's dead."
"Oh yeah..." Berry gazed off absently.
"C'mon. Ya better get down here."
Rainbow took the hand of the woman and helped her off the table. The short captain forcefully took the empty bottle out of the other's hand and tossed it into the sand. Berry grunted in disapproval but did nothing else but that. She then yawned loudly before gazing sleepily at us.
"Why hi. I don't think we've met before. I'm Berry Punch." She stretched a hand for me to shake.
"Octavia Melody." I said and shook it.
Rainbow patted Berry on the shoulder. "Berry's been with me since well, even before I met Caramel. We were two homeless vagrants in Manehatten back then. Right?"
"Yup." Berry nodded. "She would go out and make bits and I.....I drank." She said proudly.
"And now we're both captains. Lots has changed since then."
"Yup."
Rainbow took a step in front of Berry. "I think it's time I show ya two around. There ain't much, but it's home away from home."
Rainbow gestured for us to follow. The place was much smaller once we arrived there. There were about 50 huts and a dozen shops and bars. The taverns were by far the most social of places. Men, women, even children talked amongst themselves with a tankard in one hand and bread or cards in the other. There were no horses, streets, or even a town square. Not to mention the lack of a town hall. It was a simple island village for the pirates of the Labyrinth Isles.
The Isles could be easily seen from up top the large hill in the center of the island. Rainbow showed us this place directly, as it was the reason the village was called Sepulchre. The hill was a graveyard that was larger than the village itself. Apparently, Caramel's father made the graves for his fallen crew, if he could get their bodies there. If he could not, he would make them a tombstone anyway. Caramel followed the tradition and now Rainbow followed it.
"It's how we remember all those who have sailed on the Ragnarok." Rainbow explained.
It was shocking how many tombstones there were. There was no order to the stones either. They were all haphazardly placed everywhere. No sense of direction and no organization. Dropping all the bodies from the sky and burying them where they land would have been more orderly. However, the stones themselves were gorgeous. Each one had its own shape and design, as if to share the same personality as the one who laid under it. One stone in particular caught my gaze. It was by far the largest stone there.
I walked over to it, treading carefully to not disturb the dead. The stone was in the shape of a pyramid. The top of the stone had an old paintbrush pointing straight to the heavens. Each side bore a chiseled name and description. I read it, knowing full well who it was.
"Caramel: The Greatest Captain of the Ragnarok. Mentor, Leader, Artist, Visionary, and Friend. Loved by all and Hated by none. Body never recovered. Died in storm." I read it aloud with guilt in my throat.
"Yup. Caramel was something else. Best man I ever met in my life. And that's saying something." Rainbow said fondly. "A man, heck, a person like him jus' doesn't leave ya."
I glanced over to Vinyl to make sure she remained quiet. I did not know if she knew of Caramel's warning or not. Apparently she did as she gestured that her lips were sealed.
"And this stupid Element," Rainbow continued. "It tried to get me to kill him. Can ya believe that? The Element of Loyalty wantin' me to betray him. Stab him in the back! I won that fight against it. I came so close to doin' it too. My Loyalty outdid the Element's. I couldn't live with myself if I did it. If I killed him. Then what does he do? Goes after treasure and gets himself killed. Died as a greedy bastard. And now I'm stuck being a Bearer and in this damn Brotherhood. Sometimes I wish it was, you know, back to how it was."
The Bearer turned and walked away from us and down the steep hill. "There are some bunks on the edge of town ya can rest in if you don't wanna go back on the ship." Were her parting words.
I waited until she was at the bottom. "Vinyl, do you think it's right to keep Caramel a secret?"
"Yeah. I mean, he told us to, right? If we tell Rainbow, we won't get her back for the mission."
"This mission is pointless. We're just being Discord's personal minions. Why should we obey him?"
"Because...You know...He's the Lord of Chaos? Vinyl suggested.
"And we're Assassins, Vinyl! We should not give in to Chaos! It's what we are fighting against. Chaos and blind obedience has no place for Assassins."
"Tell that to your precious Bearers."
Vinyl and I turned to see Discord slithering across the numerous tombstones. His massive goat head grinned at us with rows of crooked teeth. The mismatched yellow eyes bobbed around without control. His paw, claw, hoof, and talon searched for suitable landings and grips on the stones. A sly chuckle emitted from his misshapen throat.
"What's the matter Octavia? Having issues? Internal affairs? Thinking in general?"
"How long have you been here?" I asked in clear disdain.
"Is that how you greet a friend? I just came back from a terribly long visit with the Queen." He chuckled. "She's doing fine before you ask. Her tea is simply to die for."
"I am not in the mood."
"Are you ever?" He sat up and rested his haunches on a single tombstone. "Octavia, my dear, why do you have such hostility towards me? I saved your friend from imminent death and now give her reason to live."
"You've done nothing but ruin her!"
"On the contrary, I have done nothing but aid her. A girl like her needs some advantages over others. Such Chaos is a gift. A harsh gift, but a gift nonetheless. The side affects are completely not my fault."
"You control the power! It is your fault!"
"If you say so, miss 'I'm always on the right side.'" Discord jeered. "I hope you realize the irony in what I just said. You Assassins, although I applaud the effort, are so disillusioned with your Creed and Harmony. You don't even know Harmony. You wield it like a child wields a wooden sword. It's quite effective against the imaginary dragons, but fails miserably in a real fight. You think that Harmony will win because you are good. Because you are not evil like poor ol' Discord. Let me tell you. Chaos is neutral in the realm of morals. It is not good, nor evil. Harmony, however, sounds good, quite painfully delightful to masses, but in reality, it is no better than Absolute Order. It is corruptible, immoral, forcing others to be like-minded. The only difference is that they are not physically oppressed, just mentally. You force them to be loyal, always happy, have no choice in lying, no choice in being alone and without friends, never rich due to constant Generosity, and treating those who treat you unfairly with sickening Kindness. If they don't do that, they break Harmony. And what would the Assassins do? Well kill them of course! It's the best option."
Vinyl and I remained silent. Discord was making sense. It was not right and I really could not get my head around his sudden change. Upon seeing our silence, Discord sighed.
"Alright! All I'm trying to say is don't trust the Bearers of Harmony. Some of them got plans that...well, you wouldn't like. I've always liked you, Octavia. You could see what I'm talking about. All the secrets to be revealed. The reasons behind them. The true powers that humans toy with. Mark my words. There are traitors amongst the Brotherhood. And it's one of the Bearers. Maybe one, maybe two, maybe all six of them. I won't tell you who. That would spoil the fun. Toodles!"
He snapped his talons and in a flash was gone. The flash blinded me temporarily. Vinyl glanced over at me.
"Do you know who it is?" She asked me.
"Not Rainbow, it would be too obvious for Discord's game." I answered.
"I think he thinks you already know who it is."
"Of course. I sort of defied the Bearers on multiple occasions. I brought up questions where I should of remained silent."
"Well, I think it's Fluttershy." Vinyl said.
I raised a brow. "Really? I doubt that."
"We can't be too sure." She shrugged.
"No we can't. This all could be a trick though."
"Naw, I would have known. He's serious on this."
"Then we shall be too."
"Well, I guess I'll get some early shut eye. Wanna come with? You know, sleep on it?"
"Yes, that would be nice."
"Good to see you again, Octavia. Did you miss me?"
I was dreaming again. The same flying ship was soaring through the clouds, straight to the moon. No water appeared, no skeletons marched about. I was laying on the cold deck and propped up on my elbows. The "captain" before me had all her flesh on her skin, and all her waving dark blue hair. A black crown on her head, a long estoc sword in her hand, and a deep glare on her countenance.
"Empress Luna? What are you doing here?" I gasped.
Her expression did not change in the slightest. "I was here before, do not worry. You threw me off the ship and into the abyss. I was trying to be nice that time. But, now that you see me in my true glory, I shall take a more direct approach."
"Direct? I don't even know why you are here, or how?" I questioned.
She lifted the sword, its black blade gleamed in the bright moonlight. "This is your interrogation, Octavia Melody of Canterlot. I am your interrogator. That must be clear."
~