//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Royal Convoy (Part 1) // Story: Under Loyalty's Flag // by Gapeagle //------------------------------// "I told you this was a great place, didn't I lass?" "Yeah...But it could use more cider." "Cider? Is that all you drink? Ya need to try new things. Rum is much better." Rainbow peered down at her mug. It was empty. So empty. She had refilled it three times now, her mind becoming more wobbly with every sip. However, she was not drunk yet. Her body was too tired to party after the long, tedious, strenuous, agonizing, and boring day of repairing the Ragnarok with the profit they made off of the Assassins. Her back ached, her arms felt numb, her legs creaked with movement, and her shoulders itched with severe sunburn. Well, I'm still better than Berry and her sunburn, she thought. No, she did not feel like partying at all. Caramel glanced over at her with worry. He brought his crew to the Black Dragon Inn in hopes to cheer them up after all the work. But the crew soon found out he was using it as an excuse to meet up with his sweetheart, Sea Swirl. The woman was fine and lovely like he said, but she seemed to consider his moves on her to be only effects of the drink. Most of the time she would simply nod at him and do nothing more. This annoyed the captain greatly, but he tried to remain positive. Then she stopped serving him and her younger sister, Sassaflash, took her spot. The girl was all smiles but Caramel had enough. He stopped asking for drinks and simply sat with his crew. "What's with ya kid? This is time to enjoy yourself. We'll be headin' to the Labyrinth Isles in the morning. "What?" She poked her head up. "Oh, yeah. Wait, why are we heading to the Isles? This place is nice." "Miss Dash, it's suicide for us to stay in one spot. Both the Templar and Assassins hate our guts. Places where they both reside like here are dangerous. It's best to keep moving and let them keep chasing. We got a base in the Isles. My pap founded the place. It's like a sanctuary for rogue privateers like us. Besides that, the Isles are a fun place. Equestrians, Gryphons, Republicans, hell even Zebricans are always tryin' to make their own colonies there. Land is rich with gold, sugar, and the like. That also means business for us. Nothing as good as lootin' a Royal Sisters' Convoy." "But they aren't Assassins or Templar." Rainbow remarked. "But they hurt people. They take that gold and riches from the poor who mine it. Why should the Empresses get well earned money in their treasures when they don't work a bit for it? We can put that gold to better use than they." "Uhh alright?" Rainbow was not convinced. "Ya gettin' soft or somthin'?" He eyed her. "Ya don't seem like yourself." "Just tired. And kinda bored." He guffawed. "Aye! Being bored ain't a great thing. We'll get action in the next couple of days. Convoys are usually guarded by a squad of schooners or even brigantines." "Ugh, we can't on that many..." Rainbow moaned. "I have, many times. The Ragnarok is far tougher than most Equestrian ships. Gryphons know how to build stuff. She'll be fine as long as the crew do their jobs." "And you too." Rainbow reminded him. "I'm part of the crew, Miss Dash. I'm part of the crew." He stood up slowly and stretched out his legs. He then popped his ragged knuckles by simply shaking his hands. Rainbow watched him depart in both sadness and annoyance. With him leaving it meant that their drinking was done for the night. She tried to rise, but her head began to swirl as she did so. The other pirates laughed at her with words like "light-weight" and the such. "Shut it!" She yelled at them. She took a last sip of her cider, only to realize one again it was in fact empty. With her cheeks reddening, she threw the mug across the room, smacking a half-drunk patron on the head. Rainbow did not even notice what she had just done and waddled awkwardly through the bar. A string of curses alarmed her of the now angry patron. "Bloody bitch! Hitting me with this shite! I'mma beat her sorry little ass!" It was not the "bitch," not the "beat" or even the "ass" that made her turn around. No, it was the word "little." Rainbow glared back at the sluggard with a fire in her eyes. The man went unfocused in her eyes as she took a heavy step to him. "What ya say to meh?" She called to him. The patron stood up with his head sagging to one side. He took a sip of his rum before slamming it down and missing the table, letting the mug fall onto the floor. "I called ye a bitch." He said. "Ya called me somethin' else." Rainbow growled. "Ya called me little." "So?" "I don't like being called that." The patron laughed. "Oh yeah? Well how'a bout "small," "tiny," and maybe "puny?" Huh? Ya like that?" "I'm not.....I'm not small..." "Ya don't even reach me waist!" "I'm not tiny..." "Haha!" "I'm not...I'm not PUNY!" Rainbow jumped on the nearest table and then pounced at the insulting man. The man was taken completely by surprise as the short pirate tackled him to the ground. The Ragnarok's crew shrugged as they had expected the reaction from Rainbow. Several of them already had bruises or cuts from calling her a synonym of the word "small." "Take it back you bastard!" Rainbow yelled as she punched the man into the hard wooden floor. "Never! Ya little piece of sh..." "Ah!" The excitement aroused the other patrons in the bar. Sea Swirl sighed in mild frustration as her bar turned into a fight club. Sassaflash shouted in enthusiasm while the patrons started throwing empty bottles about. "Every bloody time that man comes here..." Sea Swirl moaned. Rainbow was thrown off of the man and across a table, ruining two patrons' game of checkers. The young pirate recovered and flipped herself up acrobatically. She however, did not stick the landing as her body could not keep its balance. She found herself on the floor alongside several knocked patrons. "Are ya fightin' in there?" Caramel shouted from outside. "No!" Rainbow replied. "I'm just teaching this guy a lesson." "Well make it quick, lass." Rainbow huffed and got up. It was an all out brawl now while the innkeeper and her sister simply watched with rather contradicting emotions. Sea Swirl rested her head on her hand while absently spinning an empty glass around. Her sister encouraged the men by cheering them on like they were her special form of entertainment. "Get 'em! Get 'em! Woohoo!" She cheered. The patron who insulted Rainbow was throwing a Ragnarok member through a window. With a scream, Rainbow charged at him and drop kicked him right in the back, making him fall over a stool. It was an outstanding riposte on her part, but the man grumbled and stood up again, seemingly taller than ever. "Oh, you...I'mma kill you!" He growled. Rainbow instantly felt some of the liquid courage wear off. The brawler, with his thin whiskers, unkempt hair, and burly arms seemed like the most menacing thing in the world at the moment. He reached back his massive fist and swung it at her. With a yelp, she ducked underneath it and watched as the fist literally ripped through the table behind her. "Why ya..." Suddenly, Caramel came screaming through the inn, rushing straight for the sluggard. In one fluid motion, he grabbed the man and threw him out the window. Rainbow was taken aback about the speed of the captain. The other rowdy patrons turned and ganged up on him. Without any assistance, he faced them. He slammed one into a table face first, another he roundhouse kicked straight to the floor, and the last two fled from the inn after he snarled at them. The crew cheered their captain. He was not smiling at all and so the cheering soon died out. His strong jaw was set in an irritated expression. Caramel walked over to Rainbow and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ya took too long, lass." He told her rather harshly. "And worse, ya broke her stuff!" He then slowly walked over to Sea Swirl, who was still twirling the glass. With a subtle nod of the head, he took out a pouch of bits and placed it in front of her. She raised a brow at this action. "Sorry for the trouble." Caramel apologized. "Uh...No hard feelings?" She took the bits without looking at him. "Guess not. Running an inn like this is expensive." "Of course." He reached and took another bag out and gave it to her. "That's better. Now ya can see yourselves out." Caramel sighed and gestured for the crew to leave. The captain led the group out. Rainbow was one of the last to leave. As she was following the others, she heard Sea Swirl speak to her sister. "I know you like that man, but he ain't worth it. No pirates are worth it. I never wanna see you with that man, alright?" Sassaflash hesitated. "Uh...alright?" "Good, now get some sleep." Rainbow did not glance back and exited the inn. None spoke and thus one could clearly hear the angry grumbling of their captain. His mutterings included words like "embarrassed" and "useless brawling" and many, many curses. Rainbow felt like a child that disappointed her father. That was certainly not a feeling she had expected to feel when she joined the Ragnarok, but she was feeling it now. And it was not pleasant. "I need to kill something..." "Did you sleep poorly or did the sun rise too early?" "I need to kill something..." "That's not what I asked, my captain. It would be better if you did not speak like a mumbling dragon." "I need to kill something." "Then shall we set a course, or will you repeat yourself until you're hoarse?" "Fine..." The Ragnarok flew gently over a wave as they sailed southward. The long morning had been quiet among the crew. There were no shanties to sing as Caramel had directly told them to "shut the hell up." It was clear he was still upset about the previous night. Only Zecora could speak to him and she seemed just as aggravated, but only with him. However, he was now listening to her and setting a course. "The Labyrinth Isles and down a ways from here." He told the crew. "And we never enter the Isles with nothing. So we're gonna take a Royal Convoy that should be due south by southeast. We find it, take the gold, and sink the ship. And we'll sink anything else that guards it." Instead of the usual "hooray" that would emit from the crew at such times, they merely nodded at their captain and went back to their usual occupations. Rainbow spat over the side and finished cleaning the cannons. They did some practice with the cannons to knock off the rust before engaging a convoy. Rainbow was still proud that she knocked a coconut off a lone palm tree with one of her shots. Though most told her it was plain luck. Caramel made a rather tight turn with the ship, sending them towards the rising sun. The Equestrian shore could be seen in the far distance, only the tallest hills were visible over the horizon. Rainbow leaned on the railing, thinking softly to herself. The green water reflected her fair face. Her thoughts wandered on what she would be doing at that very moment if she never entered that bar with Berry. "Probably still doing the same thing: dance, get bits, spend it all by the morning." She sighed. That decision had already paid off so much for both her and Berry. It was as if fate guided her to Caramel that night. She had learned so much about Equestria and beyond. The Elements of Harmony, the Assassins, Templar, and the benefits of pirating.....er, privateering. Most importantly, she had reacquired a good company. Berry was a great friend, but having only one was not much for Rainbow, especially after she used to be around plenty of friends in her journey across the Equestria's major cities. The Ragnarok sailed on with her smooth demeanor. She was certainly a fine vessel, despite Caramel's unpredictable steering. The Gryphonian ship was firm below her feet. The crew treated her well, like an old fair lady. She was their home and life and thus she deserved their care and affection. It was a symbiotic relationship Rainbow had to learn on her own. She had relied on people in the past, but most turned their backs on her. This hip could not do such a thing. The crew knew this as well. It was a loyalty to a non-living vessel, but quite a beneficial loyalty. Caramel let go of the wheel, taking out his small telescope. There were several masts on the horizon, being but silhouettes against the bright orange sun. Zecora took hold of the wheel, still giving the rowdy captain a skeptical look. Caramel stared through the glass for several seconds before putting it down from his scowling face. "That's them....but there's someone else as well." He muttered. "Like who?" "I cannot tell yet. Was the ELS Artemis docked when we left?" "Yes, my captain, she was docked on the main." "Then that's the ECS Solaire." He huffed. "What bloody luck is that? We cannot take them like with that monster around them!" "Then what's ya plan?" Neon asked. "We have to find a window of opportunity." He told him. "The morning fog is still about over there. We have to take this Convoy silently..." Rainbow gulped and she watched the masts of the Equestrian ships. She could count seven masts, one much larger and taller than the rest. Caramel took the wheel again and he steered them forward at a good speed. Some of the crew looked apprehension about the captain's moves. Zecora, however, looked not a bit worried. Rainbow made one last glance at those intimidating masts before looking for work on her own ship. "This is gonna be rough..." ~