The Purple Mare
Written by The Descendant
Inspired by an image created by KNA.
Chapter 4
At once the crew of Twilight's ship used their combined magic to pull on the kedge anchor chains, and the laws of physics took effect. The ropes went taut, and the brigantine began to spin around in place, wheeling to its starboard.
As she felt the ship move Twilight launched Commander Dju into the air like a rocket, tipping him gently in the general direction of Port-au-Prance. His trajectory was such that, if he had hit the water, there was something resembling a very reasonable chance that he may very well have lived.
Somebody had to survive to tell tales of the Purple Mare, of course.
If, however, he had hit the nearby swamps, well…Gummy's relations had to eat too.
Twilight stumbled a bit, fought to stand. She took comfort in feeling Glaesdir catch her, the use of the powerful magic having taken much from her.
She nodded to him, smiled, noting his shorn antler. "Fall off soon, grow new ones come spring," he said, helping her to the deck. She soon began to climb the stairs to the helm. It made her a little giddy to feel the motion as the ship spun around her, yet she climbed quicker, not wanting to lose an opportunity to deliver the theatrical portion of the action.
The crew of the corvette yelled at the ponies, denouncing their poor handling of their ship, only a few realizing that magic should not be at play.
That realization was only reinforced when the figure of Commander Dju suddenly obtained what appeared to be escape velocity.
At once though their shouting stopped, and the wreckage of the sloop beyond was revealed, the wholesale slaughter of its crew coming into view in the late afternoon sun. The crew of the corvette went stark white as they beheld the massacre that its deck showed them in horrific detail.
They had not started to move, to take their eyes from the butchery, before the stern of the pony ship came before them. The nameplate fell from it, crashing over their deck, revealing Mah'Qua writing on its reverse…the name of a treasure ship they knew had been taken by pirates…by a pirate…
They looked up, saw the real name of the ship, and a few of the bravest began to run to their stations. Most simply stood aghast, looking upon Equestrian writing…knowing the real name of the brigantine before them, some screaming it aloud…
"Princess Celestia's Revenge! It's the Princess Celestia's Revenge!"
The bell began to ring on the corvette's deck, calling the crew to their duty. Yet some could not move, could not but help but stare at the figure that now stood above the carved representations of the Crown of the Moon, the Crown of the Sun, and the Crown of the Principle of the Elements…could not help but call out her name over and over as she smirked down at them…
"The Purple Mare! The Purple Mare, damn everything, it's The Purple Mare!"
With that the black flag came out over the halyard, Violet letting the Sovereign Cross Jack ripple on the still wind…
"Get to your posts! Go!" called the Mah'Qua captain, begging his crew to anything other than just stand around in horror.
The Mah'Qua raced for their stations, reached for swords and pikes. Yet even as they lifted their heads to deal with the brigantine it completed its wheel, and they were left staring down the already opened gun ports of the pirate ship.
The ballistae hidden there sprang to life, and death whipped across the deck of the corvette. The Mah'Qua fell in groups, some bodies flying into pieces as the shards from the ballistae wiped across the deck.
"Fire away!" called Starfall, trotting up the deck as the Equestrians grabbed for weapons, as the most powerful unicorns among the crew created shafts of light with their magic. These shafts materialized as bows, and from the deck lockers came fine arrows. These were quickly laid in quivers before the archers, and soon they sped across to the Mah'Qua craft.
The surprise had been utter, and as even those few Mah'Qua who were able to organize a defense came to their stations they soon realized that the smaller boat, the ponies, had already taken a serious immediate advantage.
Aboard his ship the Mah'Qua captain called to a group of three marines, pointed towards the fighting top. Soon the marines were climbing the rigging, their own quivers and bows across their backs.
As Twilight came down the deck, began pacing it quietly and certainly, she saw the rapid movement in the rigging of the corvette and knew that the Mah'Qua were not going to go quietly.
"Shield yourselves!" she called as the marines pulled their draw.
From overhead came a reply of arrows. The Mah'Qua marines, snipers in the tops, came into play.
Thin round shields of magic went up, the arrows bouncing off of them, the ponies dropping their fire in an attempt to defend themselves.
Yet doing so came at a cost, and in the lull a Mah'Qua ballista fired off, and now it was ponies who were thrown across the deck, crying in pain.
"Partner up!" she called, trotting the deck, "One shields, the other fires! Double up! Keep up your fire!"
A few well-placed arrows connected with the deck where Twilight had just spun to address her ponies, and she danced her hooves a bit in recognition of how close it had truly been.
Someone though had witnessed her close call, and as green eyes lit in rage the small figure leapt to the Mah'Qua ship and began climbing the rigging.
At once the ponies replied again, and the fire resumed. Soon the whistling sound of arrows fought with the moans of the wounded of both ships for dominance over the ears of the crews.
There however came a troubling sound, challenging both of these in the minds of the Equestrians.
"Uh oh," called Starfall.
Twilight turned to see his shield begin to splinter, deform, and finally crack. There was a disturbing sound, a "shasshhhisss" that sparked in time with the fading disk…and at once Starfall's magic failed utterly, having been totally spent.
The first officer looked to his captain, began to say something…and at once there was a sound like tearing paper, and he collapsed to the deck, screaming in pain.
The Mah'Qua archers, the marine snipers in the topmasts of the corvette, had always been disdainful of the sailors, had always thought them boastful and unprofessional.
The actions of this day had proved it. Yet, there would be another chance, they thought. They'd simply kill as many of these ponies as they could, possibly even the infamous mare herself, and then jump ship and swim to shore.
It wasn't that far, only a few of miles, and in the late day light they could easily pass undetected. Then, being as they were the only survivors, the story of their heroism would be the only one that mattered…
Even as they fought on, congratulating each other on each hit, a small figure filled with wrath was making its way up to their roost.
One of the Mah'Qua marines looked down into a set of illuminated green eyes and the small body of a creature he's only ever read about in fairy stories. He tugged on his compatriots and pointed to the rigging below them, and all of their feline eyes went wide in horror.
"Go to the Well," said Spike, taking a deep breath.
Twilight looked up from helping Starfall just in time to see a cascade of green flame burst across the rigging of the corvette, just in time to see the screaming forms of three Mah'Qua marines fall from it and burst into ash.
She watched as Spike made his way cautiously back to the ship, swinging from a rope ungracefully, uncertainly. He looked a little pathetic, in truth, dangling there above the fight, yet in her mind he was at that moment as dashing as any of the heroes of the endless supply of adventure books that had once filled her library.
The battle began to wear down, the cries became less pronounced, and upon the corvette only those who stood in small groups around the ballistas remained. Some had even abandoned their posts, fleeing as the flames Spike had started began to spread among the sails.
At once Twilight heard more of the unhappy "shasshhhisss" sounds, the sounds of failing unicorn magic, and saw members of her crew begin to shelter along the railings, begin unsheathing spurs for an assault.
Across the way only two ballistae remained operating. Twilight looked up as one began to fire, the crew pulling at its release. At once she raised a shield of her own, yet it too began to make the horrible sound. Spinning to the side she managed to dodge as the shards of metal, each one as sharp as a scalpel, crashed through her shield.
"Agghhh!" she cried as one streaked along her flank, opening up a cut that tore across her body all the way to her mark.
"No, no!" called a voice overhead, a familiar one. She though concentrated the faltering remains of her magic on the reloading ballista, and her magic scythed across it, snapping its cords and sending the crew to the deck.
With that Twilight Sparkle fell to the deck, exhausted, her body heaving to regain what it had sacrificed. She listened as a few more arrows flew out across the deck, heard the sounds of the dying Mah'Qua…and another, a click, click, click.
She opened her eye to see the last ballista on the corvette preparing to fire, the wounded gun crew slowly going through the paces…
…saw how it was aimed directly at her face, the few dozen yards between her and it seemingly inches in her perception.
She tried to stand, tried to move, even to just fall over on her side. Yet, yet she could do none of these…she was spent, he body drained, the magic having taken the entirety of her will and strength to use.
"Help," she said, quietly at first, then louder, "Help!"
The ballista whirled to life. Something flew through the air, and Twilight's vision went dark.
There was a deep thwacking sound, like carrots being cut or an ax hitting wood. Twilight held her breath, but there was no deep rush of water, no sound of voices echoing up through the Well to her…no calls of her parents, her teacher, welcoming her.
Twilight opened her eye, tried to breath, and realized that something was on her face. Something was holding her head down.
At once it released its grip, and as Twilight blinked Spike stood before her. Twilight quickly turned her head to see Violet leading ponies across to the corvette, see the last of the Mah'Qua fall…yet her attention was entirely someplace else. She looked back down to the little dragon.
"You've got, got to be more careful, Twili…Captain," he said, looking to her with a tired smile, "You've only got the one eye left…you need, need to be, more…careful…"
"Spike," she said, standing, looking to him, "Did, did they miss…the shards, the ballista shot…or, or…"
The little dragon smiled to her, put his clawed hand on her leg, wobbled.
"Spike, turn around, turn around, that's an order…"
"Hey, hey," he said, waving his hands through the air, his expression the one of confidence that he had always affected when speaking of his positive traits, "Remember, tough…tough scales…tough…"
At once there was an audible pit-pat-pit-pat sound, one that grew in rapidity. To her horror Twilight could see a pool of blood forming beneath him, see it growing with each drop that was becoming a stream…
"Tough scales…tough…I…oh, oh no…"
At once she gathered him to her, forcing her body to move using a part of her resolve that even the possibility of her own death could not have mustered.
Spike leaned into her, fell into her, grasped onto her neck as she looked across his back. At once she brushed out many of the shards, the tough scales indeed having stopped most of the pencil length splinters. Some came out easy, defying the barbs, some took more work…two were in deep, very deep…
…far, far, far too deep…
Spike began to shudder, drop to his knees. She scooped him up, the trickle of his blood flowing over her forelegs as she began to yell.
"Comfort! Comfort!" called Twilight, as the stream continued to flow, "Coommmfffooorttt!"
At once the nurse was with them, bandages already trailing out behind her. The healer gave a concerned gasp, then tried to lift Spike from Twilight. The dragon refused to release his grasp, wrapping his arms tighter around her, almost choking her, pained at the thought of leaving the embrace.
Comfort looked to Twilight, and the mare nodded. As Comfort used the medical tools at her disposal Spike wiped his head along Twilight's neck, shoulders, withers, giving small cries as the nurse dug at his flesh.
Twilight ran her head across the top of his, ran her hooves across his side.
There was a stretching sound and with two whimpers from the dragon the barbed shards of metal went clanging to the deck. There was an illumination of magic, and soft healing energy wafted over them.
"Spike," asked Comfort, "Spike, I need you to try to cough, can you cough on this handkerchief?"
The face of the dragon turned to her, still not releasing Twilight, and gave a little cough. "Deeper, please," said the nurse. Spike blushed, then gave a rolling cough, hacking a bit. The nurse lifted the cloth, rolled it over and over, a look of relief spreading over her face.
"It…they must have just missed the lungs…just barely missed them. I, I've closed the bigger ones, the deeper ones, but if you could…could hold these on there until the smaller ones stop…I, I have to conserve my magic."
"Of course," said Twilight, as the nurse moved to her flank, "Don't mind mine…see to the rest of the crew."
"You are the last, Ma'am," said Comfort, working Twilight's wound. Only then did Twilight remember seeing the nurse on the deck during the fight, see her already tending to the wounded as the arrows flew.
"You're a credit to this ship, Comfort," said Twilight.
"Thank you Ma'am!"
Golden Spell came to Twilight as Comfort went back to check on her patients. The old stallion laid a sword on the deck. It was of obvious Mah'Qua construction.
"He," began Golden Spell, "the one who was most likely their captain, asked to surrender it to you…I told him you was' hurt, so…so he asked me to bring it to you…before he died."
Twilight nodded, rested her head on Spike's as she looked the sword over. It was obviously older, the officer perhaps having had a long career on the sea, having seen many things, having fought many battles.
And here she was a young mare not five years out of university. Odd world.
"Take it back over, please, and lay it with his body, it should be with him when we burn it," she said. Golden Spell saluted.
As Spike clung to her Twilight watched as Violet lead the crew in scouring the corvette for anything they could use. As they looted it passengers were brought up, a young mother Mah'Qua not much older than Twilight with a kitten in her arms, and two twin girls who were so excited that they jumped around in apparent delight at the thought of being on a pirate ship, apparently oblivious to the scenes of horror around them and the blood beneath their feet.
There was also a cabin boy, perhaps no more than nine years old, his knees knocking as he was brought before the Purple Mare.
"You will tell them what you saw here," she said to the little cat, his uniform revealing just the tiniest splatter of blood.
She looked to him from where she still lay with Spike, holding the bandages on the dragon, "You will tell them that I will burn, and destroy, and take all that I can from your people, that they will have no peace from me, that the waters will always have a slick of blood upon them…until they leave, until Equestria is free. I swear that. You will tell them that, do you understand?"
The cabin boy shook his head, saluted timidly. As the Mah'Qua survivors were put into rowboats the two twin girls waved as though they had simply had a wonderful adventure.
Twilight sat there, watching the sun begin to dip as her crew came and gave small reports. Fifteen injured, four critically, none dead.
"That's how we win, A.J.," she thought aloud, "That's how we win…four of their ships to one of ours…that's how we win. But, but your way is awesome too."
She smiled at the setting sun, pretended that Celestia was yawning, Luna awakening, her teacher heading to bed.
All was silent, and around her the ponies began to light the deck lights, and some joked with Glaesdir about the loss of one of his antlers.
The warm breeze of the sea wafted around them, and the sweet smell of sea air drew away the smell of blood and gore…and Twilight dared breathe easy.
"Please don't make me leave."
Twilight looked down. Spike's head was still buried into her, the wetness of the tears he had been fighting having long since soaked her coat.
"Please don't make me go," he said, his voice muffled by her body, "Please don't make me go…you're, you're the only family I've ever had, and…and you do, do need me, right?"
The little dragon rolled his head around a bit, moved it so that he was now speaking past her, to the side, not wanting to look up into her eye.
"I…I won't fight, I'll…I'll be a good boy…if you say I have to, but please, please don't make me go…I love you Twi, I'm afraid for you, out here…please don't make me go, please don't make me leave…"
Twilight rubbed her head against him a bit more, looked for the words. Soon though a sound reached them, a pathetic voice, one just only beginning to understand what had happened to it.
"Applejack?" the voice cried from the cabin, from behind the thick door, "Applejack!? Apple…"
Sobs.
"Apppllleeejaccckkk!?"
They both listened to the pathetic sound, listened until it broke down into tears that the door muffled.
"You'll help me take care of her, right?" said Twilight, looking down to Spike. The dragon lifted his head, turned to the cabin door to face the heartwrenching sounds…heard his friend calling out in futility, beginning to sob.
"Of course, Twi, of course I will…" he said, wiping away his tears, smiling to her. Twilight saw something laying nearby, and lifted it to him.
"I'll fix it as soon as I have the magic for it, I promise, Spike," she said, smiling to him. He embraced her once more, holding the inlay carefully so that it did not spill out.
"Captain?" asked a limping Starfall, "Orders?"
"Turn us to the east, we're going. There's not a Mah'Qua naval ship within two weeks sailing time and I want every merchant, slave, and treasure ship we can catch…sink these piles," she said, motioning to the drifting remains of the sloop and the corvette.
Together she and Spike stood, watched as the late day sun revealed the two ships beginning to erupt into flame. Now, she knew, there was no Mah'Qua presence in the delta. Now, she knew, they'd have to bring in ships from other patrols, weaken those approaches or risk letting smugglers and blockade-runners simply take over…
…and all the while they'd be wondering where she was, listening to rumors, their fear growing, the resistance gaining strength.
As the Princess Celestia's Revenge wheeled into its new course Twilight saw something she'd not seen in a great long while.
"Spike!" she called, "Look at that sky!"
Spike lifted his eyes. "Oh wow!" he called, "Red at night…sailor's delight!"
They looked to the red sky, and after a moment they went together to go comfort Applebloom. As they did they shared the hope that perhaps tomorrow could, perhaps, finally be a glorious dawn for Equestria.
The vision began to shudder, shake.
As her tears fell down into her Pool of Ends she sniffled a little, let what she had just seen wash over her. Her tears mixed with the enchanted waters, and the vision fell away…a reality that never truly existed falling away, a ghost of a possibility fleeing off into the ripples.
Celestia lifted her noble head, and as the attendant brought her the towel she first wiped the tears from her eyes. Stepping out the attendant wiped the water from the sovereign's hooves before she slid them once more into the boots.
"Is it bad news, My Princess?" asked the Minister of War nervously, "Have the Mah'Qua broken through?"
"No," she said, walking up to him as he bowed, the Royal Guard falling in on her as they went through the palace.
"No, they are in point of fact already beaten. Beaten quite badly in fact. Blue Army Group has prevailed, my sister has lead them well. I should have told you that earlier…my apologies…"
"I was only worried because My Majesty appeared so worried," said the unicorn as Celestia slowed herself, letting him catch up to her longer strides, "May I ask then what it is that is making My Sovereign well with tears?"
Celestia blushed, self-conscious at letting him see her so emotional.
"I…I allow myself to see visions, from time to time, of what would happen if we failed…if Equestria should ever be broken, defeated. This one was particularly…nautical, one should say, in its effect."
The Minister of War blanched, missed a step. He looked to the marbled floor, then asked, "That sounds rather horrible…why would you subject yourself to such horrors, My Princess?"
"To remind myself…"
The Minister of War waited, trotted alongside his Sovereign.
"I remind myself of the quality of those I love and trust, the love they have for one another, and how they are always striving for one another. I beg that I may never squander that gift they have given me, or betray the trust they have placed in me."
"I remind myself of what Equestria is, dear minister, what my parents meant for it, what I have set it to be…what my sister and I are always, eternally, working towards. I beg that we should reach that, one day, that happy world."
"And, finally, I remind myself of what would happen…happen if I am weak."
The Minister of War looked up to her, saw his ageless and seemingly divine sovereign still fighting the tears. He went on wordlessly, the hoofbeats of the assembly around him echoing through the palace.
As they came out onto the terrace overlooking the courtyard there was a rumbling shock, and a blue filament of light condensed upon itself, and then exploded out into the form of another beautiful and grace-filled alicorn.
"Sister!" called Luna, bounding towards Celestia, "A victory! Have you seen it, had you watched in the pool?"
"Yes, yes I have!" called back Celestia, lowering her head so that she could answer the hug of her sister, "You were a great comfort to them, our ponies, you were their strength, as you were in ages past…you're becoming yourself again, my beloved sister."
"Come!" called Luna to her sister, to the bowing Royal Guard and Minister of War, "I bring you a guest!"
Together the Sister Sovereigns of Equestria moved to the edge of the terrace, the assembly falling in behind them.
"May I present to you the Grand Mahghak of the Mah'Qua, here to discuss what the final form of the unconditional surrender of his entire nation will take…" said Luna, in a particularly bubbly way.
Below her Celestia saw the entire assemblage of the Mah'Qua nobility supplicate itself, bow before the sisters, the umbrella bearer trying to shield the deflated figure of the Grand Mahghak while trying to bow to them.
Before the entreating nobles lay a stack of flags, the rusty brown and white flags of the Mah'Qua laid out in defeat, their invasion shattered before it had even cleared the mountains. Above Celestia snapped of the Sun and Moon Pendant, flying over a Canterlot unbowed, unburnt, and Equestria awakening to a day where there was still a living dream of peace.
She closed her eyes, let her consciousness fly out over her dominion. In Ponyville she found her designate and her summoner, Twilight and Spike, just beginning their day. The little dragon making them breakfast as the pony read to him all that they were to do that day.
Celestia was very, very happy for them.
Her mind flashed across her sovereign lands to Sweet Apple Acres, and there she saw an Apple family already wide-awake. Big Macintosh, Applejack, and Granny Smith were seeing Applebloom off to school, kissing her and hugging her before she headed down the road, humming happily as she went.
Celestia was very, very happy for them.
Celestia opened her eyes, felt them settle on the prostrate form of the Grand Mahghak below. She remembered what her dominion would have looked like if he had triumphed, and the vision of that failed Equestria snapped at her with powerless teeth.
In the seemingly immortal and apparently divine alicorn the playful side, her defense against such unpleasantness, rose up as she looked at him from above.
"Aaarrgghhh! That scurvy dog!" she said in a rumbling voice, "We'll make the bilge rat walk the plank!"
"Sister?" asked Luna, her eyes going slightly wide.
"Heh, nothing, I'll explain in time," laughed Celestia, "Come, sister, let us see to trying to extend the Equestrian Experiment to another race. I am grateful for it. Did you chance to see my sunset? It was red, the sky…sailors would say that means a good day is to come…"
End.