Captain's Journey

by Sphinx_Herald

Chapter 13

The crew rushes outside to see what the commotion is about. Out to sea, two ships are circling each other firing volleys of cannonballs at each other. One has black sails and a pirate flag, while the other has Celestial sails and flags. Large billows of black smoke rise from the navy ship. They each unleash another round of fire upon the opposing ship. “That’s the Avenger!” Arrel shouts.

“Looks like they’re losing,” Captain says.

“We have to help them.”

“Why? They threatened you, they plan on arresting you.”

“Because I’ve already hurt them once and I have a chance to help them now. They’re my friends, I don’t want to watch them die.”

“Does anyone know who the other ship is?” Captain sighs.

“Yeah, his name is Fish Bait. He’s an ass, quite literally too. He has no mercy, kills anyone he doesn’t like, and refused to pay for his drinks last week. Trust me when I say no one well miss him,” Rose replies.

Captain looks out over the fight for a few moments longer. “Alright then, everyone to the ship. Let’s go save some pirate hunters,” he says sarcastically. The crew rushes to get Misfortune out to sea.

“Are you sure you want to? If you help them, it might give you a pretty bad reputation among the other pirates,” Rose says.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Either way, one of my crew members wants to help, not really my choice.” He climbs onto the deck of his ship as it leaves the dock. With the sails fully out, they charge toward the fight as cannon fire continues to fill the air. “Smokey and Twigs, load the cannons, we’re going to sink them.”

“Wait, can’t we just take away their captain?” Ebony asks. “Why do we have to sink them?”

“Because, they’ll probably just continue to shoot. Without anyone to lead them they’ll do what they do best, shoot and kill,” Arrel says.

“Arrel, you go over to your friends and tell them to stop shooting. If they hit Misfortune I’ll sink them as well, and tell them they’re going to pay for any damage to my ship. Also while you’re at it, catch their captain,” Captain says pointing to the pirate ship.

“Yes sir.” Arrel flies off toward Avenger.

“Cap’n, cannons are loaded!”

Captain makes a sharp starboard turn. “Half sail!” he orders. Just a few more seconds, he thinks as his ship comes along the back of their enemy’s ship. Then cannon fire comes from the pirate ship, creating a fresh wave of fire on Avenger. “Fire!” At his command the cannons let loose a devastating blow at the enemy’s rudder, stopping them mid-turn. “Bring up the sails and reload the cannons!” he shouts as he brings ‘Misfortune’ around for another strike.

He watches the crippled ship make a slow turn, trying to get him in range of their own cannons. ‘Misfortune’ effortlessly stay out of range and in moments is right behind them once again. “Cannons are loaded, Cap’n!” Twigs shouts. This won’t take too long, Captain thinks.

---

A few minutes earlier, Arrel lands in the middle of the chaotic scene onboard Avenger. Sailors run from one end of the ship to the other fixing holes, loading cannons, and putting out fire. Several sailors stop and glare at him. He hears thunderous hoofsteps against the hardwood deck. Arrel turns to Minos, shrinking back slightly at the sight of the axe-wielding minotaur. He takes a deep breath and stares Minos in the eyes. “I need to talk to Terra and Dawn, I’ve come to--”

He is tackled to the deck before he can finish. He looks up at the green mare with her forehooves pressed against his throat. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to talk to Terra, I’m here to hel--” She presses harder on his throat cutting off his words.

“What makes you think any of us want to talk to you? You’d just sell what we tell you.” A powerful hand grabs her by the back of the neck, pulling her off him. “Let me go!” she shouts at Minos.

“That’s enough! Honey, go help put out the fires, this isn’t the time to be fightin’ one another,” Terra says, walking up to Arrel. “I hear that you want to talk to me.”

Arrel coughs a couple of time as air rushes into his lungs. “You have to stop firing at that pirate ship,” he says once he has enough breath.

“Why? Our ship is already crippled, if we stop shootin’ we’ll be wiped out.”

“Because my captain has come to help, and he doesn’t want you shooting him.”

“Help? Why would a pirate help a pirate hunter?”

“Because you’re my friends.” A series of bangs fill the air a second before a barrage of cannonballs crashes into the ship.

Terra glares at the attacker, surprise flashing through his eyes as he watches them being assaulted from behind. He looks back at Arrel and lets out a sigh. “Don’t fire! We can’t risk hitting our new… allies.”

“Thank you, I need to see Dawn now.”

“You sure? She hasn’t been the same since you hurt her,” Terra says bluntly.

Arrel winces at the memory, “I never met to hurt her, can I just see her?”

“She’s still pretty shaken up about it. She might not want to see you.”

“Please, I have to try and make things right.”

“In the middle of a battle, perfect timin’,” Terra says sarcastically. “She’s performin' recon. You know if you hurt her again Honey and Minos will kill you,” he says pointing a hoof at the enemy ship.

“I know they will, thanks.” He flaps his wings and shoots off to the pirates, only to be jerked back by something holding his tail. He looks back at Terra with a hoof planted firmly on his tail.

“You have to tell us everything later.”

He somehow knew that was coming. “Alright, I’ll tell you all later, but first we have to catch him,” he says, pointing his hoof at the pirates locked in combat with Misfortune. Terra lifts his hoof and Arrel takes off toward the battle.

He finds Dawn circling around the ship. “Dawn!” She stops and looks at him. She quickly looks away and flies back a bit. I don’t blame her for being afraid of me. “Dawn, wait I just want to talk with you”

“Why?” she asks weakly.

“Because I hate myself for hurting you.”

“Then why did you?”

“I-I didn’t mean to, I… I’m so, so sorry.”

“Why did you do fight? We could’ve helped you!” she shouts.

“Because… I couldn’t let myself get caught.”

“So you decided to try and kill me?!” Tears slowly stream down her face now.

“I-I… never wanted to hurt you, I--” Dawn delivers a lightning quick punch to the side of his face.

“You didn't just hurt me! I looked up to you, everyone did! You betrayed me and them, you hurt everyone not just me! All you had to do was talk to us. So, why did you run?”

Before she could react he catches her in a hug, but she accepts it and buries her face into his coat. “I’m sorry. I was stupid and afraid, but I promise I will tell you everything when we get back. I’ll tell you why I ran, why I needed the money, everything. I’ll even let you punch me some more if it helps.” He gets a little giggle from Dawn, she looks up and gives him another quick punch to the shoulder. He lets go as he rubs his shoulder.

“Now, I believe you guys are after someone, how about we go get him so we can have that chat?” She looks up at him with her tear filled eyes and gives a little nod. “I bet you can’t beat me to the ship.”

Her tears immediately burn away, replace by a determined blaze in her eyes. He gives her smile and in the blink of an eye, she’s gone. The hay? he looks down at the ship, finding a red and white blur racing along it’s side. She’s gotten faster, a lot faster. He tucks his wings in and goes into a dive. Spreading his wings, he skims the deck of the ship, going straight for the captain. He easily dodges the few attempts at killing him. He grabs the captain by the shoulder and brings him into the air. The captain goes for his sword, but his other arm is grabbed by Dawn. They drop the mule in front of Terra a minute later.

Arrel continues on toward Misfortune. “Captain, let’s go. I’ve left her there long enough,” he calls as he lands.

“Arrel! W-what are you doing, you said you’d answer our question,” Dawn says hovering just behind him.

He lets out a sigh turning to face her. “I said I will when I come back. I’m not going back yet, I still have something to do. I promise, I will come back.”

She hangs her head. “Alright, I’ll trust you, but if you don’t come back I’ll never forgive you.”

“I’m surprised you forgive me already.”

“I don’t you still need to tell us your story, then I'll forgive you.”

“Better than want I deserve. Don’t worry, I’ll come back with answers.” He watches her fly to her ship.

“Where to?” Starry asks

“A mansion just outside Manezanillo.”

---

“I told you they have an army,” Arrel says. Him, Captain, and Ebony are crouched in a bush, looking out at the yard of the debt collectors. Several thugs stand guard at different places around the property. The property is sitting right on the coast, giving a stunning view of the ocean. A path runs down the middle of the property from the small dock. The building itself is about three stories tall, and as long as Misfortune. Two stone lions flank either side of the door, along side the several guards. A large hedge maze occupies the back of the house.

Captain had set anchor a little way down the coast, to avoid attention. Then they had set out on hoof through the jungle that surrounds the building. “Doesn’t make much of a difference,” Captain says.

“Why are we skulking around anyways? Let’s just go in there and get her out,” Arrel says.

“Because they know you, they might kill her if you go barging in there,” Ebony says. “We need a plan.”

They sit in silence, trying to think of a plan. “Arrel, go back to the ship,” Captain says after several minutes.

“What, why?!”

“Because I have a plan, and you have nothing to do for a while. We need information and I know how to get it.”

“But--”

“Go back, we’ll get your sister out of there soon enough.” Arrel opens his mouth to argue, but closes it and flies off to the ship. Captain turns to Ebony once he’s gone. “You need to go in there. You’re the only one who can go in there without rising alarm.”

“Won’t the others wonder how I got in without being killed?”

“In that case you either tell them the truth, or continue lying to them.”

“I’ll tell them soon, but not yet. I’m still not sure how they’ll react.”

“I’m not forcing you… I am forcing you to go in there, however,” he says point to the building.

She sighs as she is engulfed in a burst of green flames. Once the flames are gone a light brown mare with a white mane stands where she was. “I saw one of them that looked like this, let’s just hope I don’t run into her.”

---

Captain leans against a mast of his ship with his eyes closed as he listens to the sounds of the sea. The sound of waves lapping against the side of his ship, the cry of some tropical bird or another, it calms him better than anything else. However, the moment is destroyed when Arrel gives a loud annoyed groan.

“We should just go in. I don’t want my sister to be in that place for a second longer.”

“We can’t, Ebony hasn’t come back yet. Go below deck and try to find something to calm down. We’re going to save her soon.”

Arrel lets out a frustrated sigh then goes down the hatch into the lower section of the ship. He looks around hoping to find Smokey, whom had been checking for leaks after the fight. He see a green glow coming from Starry’s quarters, perplexed he decides to go investigate. Walking over to the open doorway he finds navigator levitating a burning piece of parchment in a dark blue aura. The flames burn an eerie green. Her gaze shifts from the parchment to him. A comforting smile spreads over her faces as she lets the paper fall as the final bits turn to ash and fly out the open porthole. “Hello, how’re you holding up?” she asks.

“I’m alright.”

“Don’t try lying to me, please. It insults my intellect.”

“I’m… I’m just frustrated. I want to go help my sister, but I’m stuck here until the first-mate comes back.”

“I understand how you feel, I truly do, but if anyone can get her out of there alive, it’s Captain. I’m not going to lie, I had my doubts about this crew at first, but we’ve seen what he can do. He was willing to fight an entire crew to help a stranger, I’m sure he’d go against an army to help one of his crew.”

“Thanks… What were you doing, with that green fire?”

“Oh, that… I was just burning a letter not much more,” she replies with a dismissive wave of the hoof. “I’ve been wondering, what’s her name?”

“What?”

“What is your sister’s name, I would like to know the name of the pony we’re saving.”

Arrel gives a bit of a chuckle, “Her names is Clear Sky. I call her Sky though,”

“I can’t wait to meet her.” They hear something landing on the deck above. “I think that’s Ebony,” she says. Arrel runs onto the deck, to see Ebony talking to Captain. They both turn to look at him, a grin crosses Captain face.

“Let’s go save your sister,” Captain says. “Ebony says that she’s in the building, and we should be able to get in from the maze in the back. She isn’t able to tell us exactly where.”

“It still won’t be easy to get in. There are a few thugs guarding the back door. You’ll need a good distraction.”

“Smokey! We need you to make a distraction, I don’t care what you do just make sure everyone sees it.”

Author's Note:

Well buck, I have done literally no writing this past week. Wether is be because of writers block or just simple distraction, I haven't been able to write more than a paragraph. On a side note, I got Civ V a week ago. Great game, great fun, though I only have the base game. Now that I think about it, I haven't written since I got Civ V wonder if it has anything to do with my decrease in productivity. I'll go think about while I play some Civ. Until next time,
-Sphinx