//------------------------------// // Chapter 69: Arr ye mateys! The Crusaders' Will! // Story: Saiyan of Equestria // by Boyzilla //------------------------------// Peaceful Intermission Chapter 69: Arr ye mateys! The Crusaders' Will! The blurry yet familiar sight of a ceiling graced the vision of a young, eight-year-old Ken Heartstrings. The hybrid child groaning in annoyance at having awoken as he tried to go back to sleep within the warm, comfortable sheets. But this fact didn't last for long and so he took off the blankets that covered him, yawning as he stretched a bit before getting on his bare feet. Ken drowsily moved toward the bathroom attached to both his and his sister's room. It had been three days since the Heartstrings family returned home. Most, if not all that time had been spent relaxing and recovering from the constant action that plagued the Four Border Tournament. The Twins may be half saiyan, but their human counterparts still get tired from such persistent fighting. The half human boy went through a daily ritual of taking a restroom break, washing his face, and brushing his teeth. It woke him up enough to stop yawning all the time. He came out of the bathroom, eyes trailing toward the top bunker and spot his sister sleeping lazily atop. A content expression made itself apparent before he left the room and started heading downward the stairs. Of course, their mother was already awake as well as Bon-Bon. "Good Morning Ken," Lyra said as she washed a large selection of dishes with telekinesis. "Morning mom," Ken replied happily as his tail wiggled rhythmically, climbing on top of a counter stool. His thoughts trailed off to another person. 'Morning daddy,' He thought towards the Seal. 'Good morning Ken. I see you left your sister asleep in the bed,' The Twins' father, Chris, pointed out. 'Yeaaaah... I thought she needed more time to sleep!' 'Oh, and I'm sure she has more time to make it the treehouse today?' 'She'll be fine, I'm sure Kira will wake up before then.' 'Just like all the other times?' Ken giggled lightly a loud, 'Hehe... Maybe you're right.' He thought in return as he twisted around and hopped off the seat. He glanced back to his mother, "I'll go wake nee-chan, we got a big day with our friends today! Not to mention Copper-san is arriving in Ponyville!" Ken exclaimed joyfully. "You don't have to tell me for you to go wake her up Ken," Lyra replied with a smile. "I know, I just wanted too!" Ken replied right back as he rushed up the stairway filled with anticipation for the day's events. Of course, heading up the stairway and into their room didn't take minutes time. Neither did it take that much to awaken his twin sister from her slumber, the girl was about to exit the dream realm soon anyhow. Though at first it seemed to take her forever in order to even leave their room in which Ken blamed on Kira being a girl and all. In the meantime, he got dressed into casual attire instead of walking around in his PJs. Shortly thereafter the two twins were downstairs. Kira yawned, before saying, "When are we meeting the rest of the Crusaders?" Ken glanced toward a clock that lie on the kitchen counter, "Um... In about half an hour or so." The half saiyan girl looked a bit shocked, "But that's barely enough time to eat breakfast!" The twin brother gave a deadpanned look toward her, "Well if someone didn't sleep so long..." "Hey! Girls need their beauty sleep!" Kira retorted. "And when did nee-chan hear that?" "Rarity-san of course, when mom and I went to her place to get clothes yesterday!" Kira exclaimed. "Sounds dumb," Ken teased. "Don't even start with that nii-san!" She exclaimed with an accusing pointing finger. "Hai, hai..." Ken had learned his lesson at the tournament about the wrath of girls. Not to mention that Kira can now access the Super Saiyan form, so that makes it even worse. Copper Will, the young ten-year-old minotaur, couldn't help but this it was a very odd convenience that his father had decided to lead his what could be called his bandwagon to Ponyville. Which, as Copper had learned in the train a few days back, was home to what could be considered the only friends he would ever have. At least in his personal opinion, friendship is an equestrian ideology after all. Of course, Ken and Kira denied that opinion quite spectacularly. How in the name of the ancestors they managed to befriend him escapes the minotaur's thoughts. Not that it matters, those two Twins were fellow fighters, now that he could respect. Regardless, they were now in Ponyville while his father, Iron Will, and his goat assistants set up the stage. Besides, what were the chances he'll come across the twins the minute they arrive- "Hey, it's Copper-san!" A high pitched female voice yelled. Copper Will's head turned sharply toward the direction of the greeting, lo and behold there were Ken and Kira. "Hey Kira," He greeted first, "Hey Ken." The minotaur finished. Ken waved, "When you get here Copper?" The half saiyan boy questioned. "Just now... Literally..." He replied while standing in front of the two twins, subtly noting how he was an inch or two taller than them. "Great, you came just in time too!" Ken exclaimed happily, before pointing toward a certain direction. "We're going to meet up with our other friends, all sort of adventures await us!" Copper didn't feel like actually going and- Ken grasped his arm and practically dragged him against his will anyway, "Onward, let's go Copper-san, nee-chan!" Kira bowed respectively to Iron Will who had just noticed his son being dragged away, "I hope you don't mind Copper playing with us, thank you!" Before running to catch up to Copper and Ken, leaving a blinking confused minotaur behind whom then sighed and continued his work. "Ken! Keeeeeeeeen! Ken! I can walk!" Copper Will exclaimed the hybrid's name as he struggled against the overwhelming strength of the younger child. "Yeah well, you'll get lost super duper easily!" Ken replied as he spotted the Crusader Tree House. "I'm not blind either, there is this concept called following!" The ten-year-old minotaur retorted. "Silly Copper-san," Kira said as her expression gave away an amused smile. "Almost there!" Ken stated he continued to drag Copper the rest of the way and up the ramp toward the front door. "Should've we knock-" Copper began to say before Ken just opened the door without any courtesy. "Hey, girls!" Ken shouted with glee, "We got a new friend, and we were thinking that he could perhaps help the Cutie Mark Crusaders today!" The half saiyan boy finished as he, forcing Copper as well, entered the clubhouse. Kira came through the doorway soon after, a cheerful face and tail wagging left and right like a puppy dog. "Um..." Copper Will was dumbstruck, what was he suppose to do, he got's three fillies staring at him. All younger than he was, possibly around the two twins' ages. It was so bizarre to see ponies, at least, Ken and Kira were unique enough to move past his preconceptions of friendship, but this tested his limits. Applebloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo stared at the orange furred minotaur with sizable curious eyes. When suddenly... "I'm Scootaloo!" The young purple haired pegasus exclaimed. "I'm Applebloom!" The farm red haired earth pony filly yelled. "And I'm Sweetie Bell!" The white tinted unicorn filly said. "And we're..." All three began to say. Copper arched an eyebrow as he noticed Ken and Kira were covering their ears. "THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" "By the ancestor!" Copper Will clutched his ear as they rang for a brief moment before recovering a few seconds later. "Ow... Why did you three scream so loud?" The three fillies smiled sheepishly as Copper Will returned fully to his senses. Applebloom then began to speak out loud for the rest of her Crusaders. "Anyway, we're the found'in members of the Crusaders, and then Ken and Kira are members!" "We have six in total, another of us is in Manehatten, speaking of which!" Sweetie Bell stated looking to Applebloom. "Did you get any mail from Babs Seed?" "Oh!" The farmer filly gasped in remembrance, "Yeah sure did, brought it with me too!" Kira giggled in excitement as her saiyan tail waved about lazily, "Oh, what's it say! What's it say?!" The half saiyan girl questioned. "Think it's in my bag," Applebloom said before Scootaloo turned and went straight forward it. "I got it!" The pegasus filly proclaimed as she rummaged through the bag before pulling out the envelope and holding it into the air. A peculiar tune sounded in Ken's seal-scape, 'Na na na naaaaa,' Chris sang a bit, of course, it was lost over the boy's head. 'You're referencing something again aren't you?' Ken asked his father in his thoughts. 'Just a game my own parents brought me in my childhood.' 'You know daddy, you never talked about when you were a kid all too much.' 'Really? Well, maybe later. Enjoy the time with your friends. Both you and your sister.' "-And that's all there is written." Scootaloo finished. "Huh?" Ken said, haven't heard anything of the letter. "So pirates huh?" Kira said with a thoughtful expression, "Sounds cool." "Of course, it is, pirates! I bet we can get our Cutie Marks as pirates!" Applebloom exclaimed. "We can give it a shot," Sweetie Bell concurred. Ken grinned, pirates? Sounds amazing, they would rule the seas of Equestria! Discovering treasure and raiding other pirates for sweet loot! Battling upon the decks and firing cannonballs at the other ships! "Let's do it!" Ken yelled in excitement, his tail showing it by joyfully wiggling. Copper Will opened his mouth to object at such a childish and unrealistic goal, but he was silenced just as fast as both Twins and the Cutie Mark Crusader fillies literally ran out the club with him being towed by their excited attitudes... Also known as they charged forward and their collective group mass carried him against his will. A large ship sailed harshly against the raging waters that make up the grand terrifying Equestrian seas, the waves crash against its hardened wood hull, but the ship coursed through with zealous momentum in what could be defying whatever laws that governed the open ocean and ship travel. Upon this colossal construct, in the middle rising up to form a mast, in the open air floating just above the scout's nest. A lone flag with the symbol of the Cutie Mark Crusaders waved proudly against the wind. Within the scout's nest, a long orange furred pegasus pointed forward, "Enemy pirates ahead, Captain!" Meanwhile, down on the deck, an earth pony, and a unicorn nodded and called towards the back of the ship where the steering wheel resides. "Captain, scout reports enemy pirates!" Third Mate, Sweetie Bell, stated. "Arr, they do! We should take'em, Captain!" Cannon Control, Applebloom finished. On the wheel on the ship, a young boy wearing stereotypical pirate clothing topped with a sweet looking hat grinned. "They shall rule the dared day they crossed, Captain Ken Heartstrings! Applebloom, Copper, man those cannons!" "This is stupid-" Copper Will began to say before being slapped right back into the play by the first mate. "Stop your belly begging and get to those cannons!" Kira, first-mate, exclaimed. "Here they come, port side!" Sweetie Bell shouted as a rival pirate ship came to parallel the mighty Crusader's own. The rival sea-worthy vessel having a large number of malicious dumb looking pirate ponies, each carrying cutlass swords and crude shafted axes. "Fire!" Ken shouted, raising his Slicing Pole into the air. A large number of cannons went off from the Crusader's pirate ship, blowing apart large chunks of the scally wags that challenged them. Kira grasped hold of a rope and cut the part it was tied too. The result made her swing from her own ship to the enemy's which she landed and began to disperse of the pirates that tried to stop her. A punch, a kick, nothing was going to stop her from looting the pirate treasure! "Give her support, Crusaders!" Ken said as he aimed his Slicing Pole once again at the enemy ship. His three fellow pony pirates and Copper firing the cannons which seemed to almost curve over and smash the top of the enemy deck, yet strangely only damaging and beating p the pirates and not destroying the ship's topside. Kira kicked down a door, went into it, then came right out with a huge chest glittering with gold in her arms. "I've got the treasure, give me a plank to cross!" Kira said as she carried the heavy loot across the deck where pirates were being shot back by cannon balls, tumbling over the side and into the sea. Ken placed a plank to cross which Kira gladly did, before kicking it down into the water. "Disengage!" Copper Will shouted, having now gotten into the play as he took the wheel and brought the ship away from the enemy. "Send them a going away present, Crusaders!" A giant cannon ball appeared out of nowhere on top the deck, Scootaloo shoving an equally sized cannon ball into it before igniting and letting it fly across the ocean and into the pirate vessel, which promptly exploded into a display of fire. Ken, Kira, Copper, and the CMC all then gathered around the chest shining brightly with solid gold. And then it all ended. The image returns to normal as a single small raft carrying the five pretending pirates floated in the shallow waters of Ponyville park's river, the rival ship? A destroyed fallen log that had been splintered into smaller pieces. "Aw, we didn't get our Cutie Marks in piracy!" Scootaloo voiced his complaint. Ken scratched his cheek, "Darn... Well, it was fun anyway!" "I can't believe I actually played along..." Copper said, mystified at how these two twins could get him to play such childish games... And enjoy it! He was ten years old! He's mature! Not a kid! Yet these two eight-year-olds convinced him otherwise. A motherly voice called out from the entrance of the park, "Ken, Kira! Time for lunch!" The two twins' jumped out of the small play raft, Ken turned to Copper and the CMC, "We can play later, gotta eat!" Kira smiled happily with her tail wiggling about, "See you soon!" With that, they rushed off towards Lyra, their mother, to go eat. Copper stood there, before a smile graced his face, "I guess this is what friends do, huh?"