Pea was full of adrenaline and vigor as she attacked the oncoming pirates. Instead of the twelve ones on the deck, at least fifty poured out from below deck and they mobbed the four Bevy members. Every swing that met flesh and bone just made her want to go further. The Bevy mare fighting along with the griffons had killed two pirates before she met a painful end and a mouthful of steel. Pea Gravel had a Pirate pinned to the mast with a sword trough his gut when a griffon flew next to her.
"Boss!" the griffon cried, "Their captain's coming!"
Pea looked to where he pointed but had to shut her eyes. A ringing bang from a flintlock shot through the air in the direction the ex-griffon pointed. The flying lead ball turned the griffon's head into a mush of grey matter and feathers and threw his body onto the deck. Pea wiped the blood from her face she saw the captain.
He was human...almost. His eyes and nose were wide set on his muscular head, the nose between had a very large bridge to it. His stature was twice the size the other pirates on the ship. His skin was darker and had far more scars over his brawny arms. Wearing a loose pair of slacks, a wide brimmed black hat and a bandoleer with nine more pistols, he looked the part of a pirate captain. Dropping the gun he had shot he pulled out two more.
He grinned with oddly well kept teeth, "So there's a horse up risin'?" his voice was deep and sounded educated,"Looks like I have to put the animals in their place," Both pistols fired off in a cloud of smoke and a loud bang.
Pea Gravel dropped from pain, both forelegs had been shot at the ankle. She was used to broken bones but this was rather new. Pea Gravel realized this man was a more brutal type, no prisoners. She took a dead pirate's sword and ran at the captain with only her hind legs to carry her.
Pea realized that this human was almost as tall as Oza when she ran closer to him. Pea swung her sword to gut the human but the sword only got stuck. Pea was shocked and tried to fidget the blade out but the point was stuck in his gut, he didn't seem to care. With his meaty hands he grabbed Pea Gravel's neck and yanked her away from the sword. He looked down to the sword in his gut to the mare.
"Yer a cheeky liddle bitch aren't ya?" He dropped her to the deck. Pea landed heavily on the wood planks and the captain took no time to gawk. He stomped on Pea's back leg with all of his weight. Pea let out a scream of pain while the captain chortled, "You don't fuck with Captain Gumbo!"
The last Bevy griffon on the deck charged in rage at Gumbo. Gumbo pulled out another pistol and waited until she was a yard away before firing a lead ball into the griffon's shoulder. The griffon landed onto Gumbo's chest and was stupefied from the shattered bones in her body. Gumbo held her up by the arm whose shoulder had been shot. The griffon screeched painfully.
"Better keep quiet or I may want some chicken tonight," Gumbo said coldly, "Now I'm going to need to ask you, pretty bird, a question."
The griffon was clawing at his hand, "I'll never talk!"
Her defiance was cut short from a swift headbutt from Gumbo. The griffon's eyes rolled around while the pirate sighed angrily, "I'm only going to ask you once, where are the rest of you?"
Pea tried to pull herself up, "I-its just us. Only these three are with me."
Gumbo stepped on one of her fore hooves like one would stomp a beetle, "I didn't ask you, I asked the bird," He glowered at the damaged griffon, "I don't have to get the information from you, that grey one is still kicking so you're expendable."
The griffon looked desperately from Pea Gravel to Gumbo for several moments,"Well… um… there's… there's about a hundred of us… o-over there on the beach."
Pea Gravel cursed under her breath and laid back, this was a horribly awful idea. Gumbo looked over to the beach where the dinghy had landed earlier and smiled. With his free hand he pulled out another flintlock and blasted the griffon's head off her shoulders and dropped her next to Pea.
He spat down,"There, you'll have company while me and the boys go a'lookin for your little friends."
Pea pushed herself up despite her injuries. There was murder in her now mint green eyes looking up at Gumbo, "Fuck you, monkey bastard!"
Gumbo kicked her face like a football, "Watch yer mouth, if you keep that up you'll end up talking like a sailor!" He sauntered over to where the dingy boats were being lowered.
The pirates left the ship virtually empty while Pea lay beaten and furious. One crew hand sat on the railing of the deck, assuming Pea was dead.The pirate ship sailed closer to the shore and what was left of the pirate crew hopped onto dingy boats to row to the shore. Pea lay unable to move, was this how her comrades die? To some dirty pirate crew...no she'd never let that happen. She pushed herself up again and limped over to the railing. The pirate turned around with a surprised look.
"Do ya never die?" he cried, "You're the mostest stubborn ting I've ever seen!"
Pea Gravel tried to push him off with her forehead but in her state a child could push harder. The pirate held her back with a hand and laughed. Pea growled but there was really nothing she could do.
Suddenly there were gunshots coming from the beach, and pony screams. Some of the mercenaries ran to meet the pirates but the gunshots pierced the ponies' armor, leather and iron. Pea looked over to see the pirates advancing on the beach and the Bevy running for cover in the palm forest. On the far right, near the cliff, stood Rochi over a mound of sand. He shouted at the pirates who walked over with malicious grins. A few ponies watched as the pirates circled Rochi.
Rochi called out to them, "Looks like it's just you an' me friends!"
Gumbo took off his hat to reveal a green bandanna, "Gotta hand it to ya horse, you've always been trouble but this is ludicrous!"
Rochi made a smug grin, "I'll make a bet with you, Captin'."
Gumbo and the pirates laughed and the few Bevy ponies gulped nervously. Gumbo put his hat back onto his head, "Name you're stakes, little horse."
"If I can take a shot to the chest from one of your guns, I get all your gold, "Rochi's voice echoed on the beach,"And your bandanna!"
Gumbo folded his arms with a cynical look, "Alright, what does ol' captain Gumbo get if he wins?"
Rochi bit his lip,"I'll lead you to where the Bevy is hiding, the ponies that attacked you."
Gumbo smiled, "Even when you're trying to be free you're still a loyal slave, that's why I love you ponies," He pulled out his last flintlock, "You've got yourself a deal, Mr. Rochi."
Rochi tensed up and pulled his chin to the air. Gumbo clicked the gun's hammer lock and squinted. There was a flash and a shattering bang that echoed across the air. Everyone held their breath to see the results. Rochi was still standing, shivering but standing. A gaping crater of flesh showed on his chest, a mocking look in his eyes.
"Looks like your loot and bandanna are mine," Rochi coughed. Gumbo was dumbfounded, he had been shooting little equine shaped things all afternoon and now it didn't seem to work.
"Whas 'e always like that?' one pirate asked.
"Maybe he's a'cursed, a sea devil possessed him!" said another.
Gombo threw his gun on the sand, "This is a load of bullshit! There ain't no way in heaven or hell that didn't kill you!"
Rochi's limbs shivered but held firm, "My bandanna and my gold. Now."
Gumbo took off his hat and began untying the bandanna. He slid it off sadly and held it out, the sun now showing on his ratty auburn hair, "Good bye, Sharlene..." he whispered to the green fabric. With a teary eye he tossed it over to Rochi, "There! You have my lucky Shar-...bandanna. Now I'll go get your fuggin gold," He huffed.
"Oh, and bring back the mercenaries who went on your boat too!" Rochi called after them.
When the pirates turned and began rowing back a part of the sand mound Rochi stood on shifted, a a pair of orange talons around Rochi's hooves and a muzzle stuck out from the sand, "Are pirates gone? Can Oza come out now?" Oza asked.
Rochi coughed, "No not yet, keep using that healing magic...we don't want me dying before they come back."
The pirates rowed back to their boat and climbed aboard. Pea was panting from the pain and tropical heat, she lay on the deck limply. The pirate crew were talking among themselves until Gumbo climbed aboard. They all stood crestfallen, not about their dead crew members but how their captain lost an unfair bet.
"Sorry about your bandanna, Captin',"One pirate said.
"We can just leave, right. We don't need to haul back our loot over der, do we?" asked another.
Gumbo put his hat to his chest, "No lads, a bets a bet. We're pirates with dignity an' self respect," he said proudly. His crew members nodded with their old clothes and rotted teeth. Gumbo scowled at Pea Gravel, "I suppose she's the one little horse was after. Gather up the loot and toss her with it, we leave when the gold dose."
The pirates and their slaves went below deck to gather up the chests and crates of gold. Gumbo sat on the deck smoking a pipe with a furiously defeated look. Pea blinked tiredly, "Rochi...he beat you too huh?"
Gumbo puffed out smoke as he watched his gold being loaded away,"Mark my words, horse. That pony ain't nothing but trouble. He's been trying to kill me for weeks now."
The loot had been loaded up on two dingy boats. They were dangerously low in the water and Gumbo bid one last farewell to his gold. He walked over to Pea and tossed her into the ocean next to the boats. With three damaged legs, she almost drowned treading water to get inside the little boats. She hauled herself painfully into one and panted, looking up she saw the pirates looking down at her.
Gumbo blew a bone whistle and the pirates and their slaves scrambled to get the ship moving. Gumbo glared down as the sails unfurled, "This ain't over, I'll get you little shits back one way or another!"
Pea looked at the boats. Several chests burdened the two boats that were tied together. She bit an oar and paddled her way to the shore. It drained her but she knew safety was at the end of the ordeal. Once in the shallow water ten Bevy members rushed out to meet her. They drug the two heavy boats onto the sand quickly, seeing Pea's condition. Two gently lifted Pea Gravel out of the boat while the rest unloaded the crated gleefully. The bigger stallion put his leader on his back and the three ponies walked through the palms back up to the cliff top.
Pea Gravel was carried back to their camp where the rest of the Bevy waited. They called for Oza who ran to meet them.
Oza was taken back, "This is new record Pea Gravel, two fractured bones and busted joint. How that happen?"
Pea groaned, "Get me some booze and a floor mat, I've had a long afternoon."
Oza picked up the grey mare and held her under his striped arm. He nodded to the mercenary that carried her, "Thanks Rocky, Oza will take it from here," He glanced at the tents where the rest of the Bevy crowded around something, "Why don't you meet Rochi, he's a clever pony."
Pea groaned, "He's here? Does anyone remember the fact he tried to kill me?"
Oza shrugged, "Yes, he did get Breakneck Bevy lots of money though. Did Pea Gravel see it?"
The two mercenaries that helped Pea Gravel back to camp grinned devilishly, "We've gotta go back and help the other guys to carry the gold here boss, be right back!" and they ran the way came.
Oza strutted back into the bulk of the camp to put Pea Gravel in her tent. Under Oza's arm, Pea Gravel saw Rochi talking with the Bevy members. He was wearing Gumbo's green bandanna like a trophy. They were all amazed at whatever he was saying but Pea was to hurt and tired to listen. Some of the mercenaries looked back at her with worried looks at whether she would kick the bucket or not. Finally Oza reached Pea Gravel's tent and he slipped inside.
Setting Pea Gravel down on a barrel to sit on, handing her a piece of leather to bite down on he set off to work. She bit hard as he tried as quickly as he could pinch out the lead balls embedded in her forearms. Once he pulled them out he tossed them over his shoulder he went to his satchel belt. Opening one of the pockets he pulled out a bottle that fit into his hands nicely (about the size of a small wine bottle) and had a yellow label with a suave red caricature of a devil.
He set the boiling water pot on the ground and held a bottle of rum up to Pea Gravel's lips, "Oza prescribes some new pain killer. Drink."
Pea chugged it greedily since it tasted like rum. After a third burned down her throat she made a hoarse cough and pulled away. She nodded, "Damn, Othla," she slurred, "Tlhat's some stlrong ssstuff. Why didn you give me some of dat earlier?"
"So Oza knows how hurt Pea is. Oza can't heal her without knowing that," He re-corked the bottle and chuckled, "Doctors call this kind 'Devil Brew'. Now let Oza clean up those wounds."
While the dragon swabbed and cleaned the wounds while Pea sat, now with numbed body and mind. She yawned while Oza held his hand over the gunshot wounds. A thin layer of skin regrew and the bone fragments gravitated back into shape. They were still broken and needed time to mend, but this was far better than having them pulled out and the bone just healing awkwardly. Oza set his sights on Pea's hind leg. It was bent gruesomely at the knee.
Oza took a deep breath, "Hold still Pea."
Pea turned her head lazily to him,"Whazzat?" but her knee was already popped back into socket. She laughed oafishly, "I like dis ssstuff. I didn't feel a thing."
Oza quickly put some wrappings around her knee and went up to her face, "Say Ahhh," the dragon said. Pea said 'Ahh' and opened her mouth about half way. The side of her mouth that Gumbo kicked looked dislocated. Oza shook his head and popped Pea's jaw back into place. Pea blinked lazily and Oza smiled, "Wow, this potion is great."
Pea rolled her jaw, "Yeah, can I have sum more?" she smiled with a bit of dribble out of the corner of her mouth.
Oza flicked her nose, "Absolutely not. It would stop Pea's heart and fry her brain."
Pea began spitting, "Ick! You gave me poison!"
Oza pulled her face forward,"If Pea has too much of anything it's poison," He blew a small lick of blue fire on his thumb. It caught and looked like a match. He held his thumb near Pea's face,"Keep eyes open, Oza is checking for concussion," Pea's eyes dilated correctly and Oza sighed with relief, "Alright, Pea Gravel is clear. She can walk on legs but Oza suggests only if she needs to. Lay down so Pea Gravel's body heals itself."
Pea slid off the barrel and limped over to her floor mat, "Thanks Oza. See you tomorrow."
Oza waved and closed the tent flaps, "Goodnight, Boss Pea Gravel."
Pea slept until it was later in the evening. She lay on her back just staring into space, the 'Devil Brew's' effects only just wearing off. The sound of hoof steps came around the tent and stopped at the door, "Can I come in?" Rochi's voice asked.
Pea grimaced, "Sure, I may bash your head in though."
Rochi walked through the tent flaps with his neck heavy with gold necklaces, "Is that any way to talk to your financial backer?"
Pea sighed, "What are you talking about, it's your gold not ours." She gawked at the shiny gold dropped next to her.
"It's mine to give," Rochi said,"If you'll let me join you."
"What?" Pea snorted, "Join me? You were trying to kill me earlier today!"
Rochi rose an eyebrow, "And who was shooting arrows in my direction?"
Pea turned up her nose, "Fair point. Alright… Rochi, what experience do you have?"
"Pardon?" Rochi asked cynically, "I didn't know I had to be interviewed to join rouge mercenaries."
"It's a tradition in the Breakneck Bevy… starting today," Pea smirked, "You should've asked earlier."
Rochi laughed, "Alright, alright. My Experiences?" He sat on the ground near Pea Gravel's bed mat, "I had been an astrologer's apprentice/slave since I was a foal. The city I was from had many humans and I'm not very used to my own kind, tragic huh?"
Pea eyed the gold in front of her, "Mmhmm, right. Tragic, very tragic."
Rochi rolled his eyes and continued, "As pirates always do, they steal things. I was one of those. It was on Gumbo's ship I realized my dream."
Pea looked up from the gold, "Dream?"
Rochi nodded,"I wanted...no knew I was to make myself a king. I had seen so much pain and injustice, I knew I could sort it out if I had the power."
Pea eyed him, "So where do my mercenaries and I fit in?"
"Knowing Gumbo, you should've been dead your first step on that ship," Rochi said,"You're something else Pea Gravel, with you next to me nothing can stop us."
Pea blushed slightly, "My, my. I do believe you're trying to seduce me!"
Rochi made a goofy grin, "So is it a deal? May I join your crew?"
Pea extended her hoof and Rochi shook it. Pea tried to keep a serious face but only smiled,"We'll see, green horn. We'll see."
Pea Gravel had her back to Rainbow Dash and Daring Do as they slept next to a campfire they had made. Pea looked down at her metal hand,"We'll see, green horn...we'll see..."