• Published 5th Apr 2012
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My Little Pirates: Luffy's Adventures in Equestria - Fullmetal Pony



A One Piece MLP Crossover. Luffy finds himself sent to Equestria and must find a way back.

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Set Adrift: Navigator in the Storm

“No, you gotta kick up otherwise the ele—”

The sky flashed white and Rainbow Dash’s ears popped from the blast of thunder that echoed through the air. Rainbow Dash felt parts her fur lift up while static buzzed around her. She blinked and then bit her lip while she looked down at the peach colored mare crumpled by the foot of her house. A bit of smoke trailed up from the burnt tips of her fiery orange mane and past the fresh hole in Dash’s house. Tank cautiously lifted his head out of his shell and peered at the dark clouds rimming the new view into the house. A crackle of lightning looped through them, forcing Tank back into his shell.

Dash sighed, ran her hooves over the thunderclouds, and returned them to the fluffy and white state they had been in before she had started this morning’s "training." Drifting down to the clouds that made up the ground around her house, she reached out to the pegasus and helped her up.

“I told ya.”

Nami glared at Dash and coughed up a bit of smoke. “I knew about the charge! It’s the way these stupid hooves interact with everything that’s the problem!”

Dash pursed her lips. “I can’t tell if that’s wherever you come from talking or the zap messing with your head. Either way, just sit down, take some water, and watch how a pro does it.”

Dash guided Nami over to a small ridge of clouds and used her leg and wing not supporting Nami to craft the clouds into the rough shape of a couch. Setting Nami down, she zipped into her house and returned a second later with a glass of water. She then smirked and spread her wings.

“Now pay attention.”

Dash bent down and scooped up some clouds with her wings. Clasping them between her hooves, she jumped into the air while cradling them close to her chest. A bit of the clouds trailed off but the majority stayed in Dash’s grasp until she spread them out and folded them into the wall. There was a brief moment where the old and new clouds met and darkened, but a quick brush of Dash’s wings turned them a uniform white. When she ran out of clouds, she darted back down, scooped up some more, and repeated the process until the hole was completely filled. All in about twenty seconds.

Dash smiled at her work and then flew back over to Nami. “You catch all that?”

“I did,” Nami sighed. She bent back a hoof and kicked out a small bit of cloud from her couch. It floated in front of her and she snatched it up with another hoof. Pushing it back and forth, it slowly dissolved into mist. Darn this stupid magic! It’s even crazier than Skypeia!

Dash noticed Nami clenching her teeth and took a seat beside her. “Don’t get too strung up about it though. I mean, even ponies that did get basic pegasi training would have a hard time keeping up with me.”

“Hooray,” Nami huffed.

Dash scrunched up her face. “Hey, that’s not the attitude I’m looking for. So you got zapped. Happens to everypony. Even the Wonderbolts mess up a stunt every now and then. I mean, they look awesome even while recovering but still...”

Nami furrowed her brow at Dash.

“Anyway…” Dash blushed and scratched the back of her head. “You’re making good progress and cumularchitecture is a step up. So buck up!”

Dash delivered a playful slap to Nami’s back. She spun out of her seat when her hoof passed straight through Nami. Nami’s body wavered and then dispersed into the air. Dash’s wings unfurled and she managed to catch herself before hitting the clouds. The relief on her face turned to annoyance when Nami poked her head out of the clouds and booped her on the nose with her Clima Tact.

“Gotcha,” she said with a smirk.

Dash looked bright red. “One hundred push-ups, stat! Another one hundred if you tell anypony! And give me that darn thing!”

Dash snatched the Clima Tact away from Nami with one of its rounded ends pointed at her chest. A small yellow ball of energy popped out of it and connected with Dash’s stomach. Sparks exploded off of her and she collapsed next to Nami. She managed to raise her head with a glare that could peel off paint.

“Not a word,” she coughed.

~~~

“You’re probably one of to pe-ponies I know of that could take grass, dandelions, and wild mushrooms and make it all work,” said Nami. She then took another bite of the quiche in front of her.

“Oh don’t be silly, Nami,” Rarity chuckled. “Anypony with basic cooking skills can make this… though I suppose coming from my family it’s saying something.”

“You’ve got me there. Even my captain couldn’t burn and liquify toast.”

“But he and the rest of your friends sound quite delightful if a bit eccentric.” Rarity took a bite of her meal. “Oh, I do hope we’re able to meet them once Princess Celestia gets all your travel issues sorted it.”

A small lie was on the tip of Nami’s tongue when the distant rumble of thunder cut her off. She glanced out the window and looked up at the clear sky. Only a tiny spot, hidden between the buildings and some distance away from Ponyville was black and heavy with clouds.

“My, those thunderstorms over the Everfree are quite violent, aren’t they?” Rarity commented. “It’s a good thing we’ve got ponies like Rainbow Dash to ensure it doesn’t spill over into Ponyville. Imagine, weather running absolutely amok.”

Nami kept her eyes on the distant clouds, watching lightning light up parts of them. Cyclones, massive waves, and gales that could tear the wood off a ship flashed through her mind. In the midst of those squalls though were friends furling the sails, sailing the violent currents, and grinning through the thunder and the rain. Nami smiled.

“I think I can.”

“Oh…” Rarity bent her head down. “Sorry, I forgot that things are different where you’re from.”

Nami waved a hoof back and forth. “No worries. Anyway, how’s business going?”

“Oh quite well.” Rarity smiled but let it drop after a moment. “I mean, it is getting warmer out so it’s not practical to wear gems even if all the fashion magazine say diamonds are simply the musthave of the season, especially if you’ve got the garnets or amethysts to match.”

Nami glanced to the side. “Sorry.”

“Oh no, no, no, dear.” Rarity placed a smile on her face but the cheeriness didn’t extend to her eyes. “It’s not like you control when the gems are ready in the field. Beside, one mustn't rely solely on magazines for their fashion sense. No, one must understand what the public wants and I’m sure what the public wants is some nice muslin with a splash of color and, if necessary, I’m sure I can scrounge up some gems.”

“I’m sure you will,” said Nami. “Maybe if I finally get the hang of shaping clouds outside of their normal shapes, I can help you tomorrow.”

“Really?” Rarity’s smile widened. “Why that would be fantastic, and I’m sure Spike would love hearing more of your stories. For not living in the clouds, you’re quite good at spinning tales about ponies living up there. You’d probably give A.K. Yearling a run for a her money if you wrote it all down.”

“Yeah…”

Rarity took a sip of her tea and didn’t seem to notice the thin sheen of sweat on Nami’s brow.

~~~

“So the pegasus functions as the primary energy source and catalyst for the phenomena but once a sufficient reaction is built up, the weather acts of its own accord?” Nami asked while she scribbled down notes and peered at the the text in front of her.

Twilight’s grin widened. “Yes, right on the mark. The reverse is also true: a pegasus can stop any phenomena by directly interacting with it and interrupting its cycle. Of course, in both cases, the pegasus needs to be careful in the handling of all that energy otherwise it won’t flow properly.”

“Or take the easiest path to escape,” Nami muttered thinking back to her morning training.

“Correct once again.” Twilight lit up her horn and floated a piece of chalk in front of her face. “Unicorn magic operates on the same principles, but without a physical byproduct for the energy to go into, which usually leads to an improperly cast spell simply failing and the energy dispersing, though a large enough spell can lead to a backlash.”

Nami nodded and jotted down some more notes while Twilight put the chalk back. “And what about Earth Ponies?”

“Their magic manifests in their endurance and strength. It also allows them a much greater connection with the land than what pegasi and unicorns have. In cases of high enough magic, they can even manifest abilities similar to spells that can aid in planting or other geological phenomena. It’s a lot more passive magic, but still vital to Equestria.”

“Hmmm…” Nami tapped her pen against the paper. “So if you placed all three on a spectrum, Earth ponies would be the most physical while Unicorns are the most adept at directly handling potential energy, an pegasi are somewhere in between.”

“That’s the prevailing Theory of Magical Dissemination Among the Three Races for you.” Twilight shut the textbook on the stand she had set up by Nami’s desk and pulled out a stack of papers bound by a glossy cover. “I’m hoping to add addendums to it though in regards to draconic magic as well as unique manifestations that blur the lines, like Fluttershy’s connection to animals, or Rarity’s connection to gems.”

“And whatever Pinkie does?”

Twilight paled. “Not Pinkie. Trust me, some things are best left alone.”

“You’re sure you don’t wanna run a few more tests?” Pinkie pressed her head close to Twilight’s. “I like wearing the silly science hat.”

Twilight yelped and jumped into the air. She found herself clutching the chandelier and looking down at Pinkie and Nami. Nami shut her book and sighed.

Pinkie looked up at Twilight and giggled. “Wow, that’s a new record, even better than Nightmare Night!”

“And here I was enjoying the afternoon,” said Nami.

A pink hoof wrapped across her back and Pinkie pulled up close to her. “Aw, come on, Nami, you think I don’t notice that I remind you of a certain somepony?”

“I never…”

“Ah-ah-ah, you don’t need to say it, I can just tell!” Pinkie’s grin widened. “Is it one of your crazy work friends?Ooh, do they like sweets? How about parties? Wha—”

A claw gripped Pinkie’s muzzle shut. Spike looked up at her and tapped his foot. “Don’t get me wrong, I wanna hear all about Nami’s friends too, but some of us enjoy Twilight Time or, as I like to call it, Spike’s Afternoon Nap Time.”

Spike pulled back his claw and Pinkie blushed. “Oh, sorry.”

Twilight floated down from the chandelier covered in the glow of her own magic and let the aura fade once her hooves touched the ground. “It’s fine, did you want something Pinkie?”

“Oh right.” Pinkie turned to Nami. “So Applejack’s getting really excited for Apple Bloom’s birthday, but you know how things are on the farm, and even I can’t do too much without asking for pay. Apple Bloom’s gotten some good friends now and Applejack is hoping maybe this birthday will be a really big one for it, maybe even getting her cutie mark big… and seeing something really super extra amazing spectacular could do that.”

“So a performance then?” asked Nami.

Pinkie got on her knees held up her forelegs. “Please? Please with extra icing, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and a cherry? I normally don’t ask like this but since I lost my coin purse…”

“I swear that drinking competition was a disaster for everypony,” Twilight muttered.

“I’ll do it,” Nami answered.

Pinkie sprung on her. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“He-help!” Nami coughed.

~~~

Taking a deep breath, Nami shut the tome in front of her. She took a glance at her notebook and rechecked the trigonometric formulas and rough sketches before she closed it, noting that the pages were already dwindling down. Moving out of her seat, she tucked the tome under a wing and then placed it back onto the shelf.

“Done for the day?”

She turned to see Twilight emerging from the basement. “Yeah. I think I’m making good progress on my cartological research. I may even be able to get back to my friends sooner than I expect…”

Getting a ship and supplies will be another issue but the less I have to deal with that princess, the better.

“Great.” Twilight got closer and stared up at the shelves. “You know, it is nice to have another dedicated scholar in town.”

Nami blushed. “Twilight, you’re too kind. I’m just a good navigator, you’re the real scholar here.”

“I only wish I knew cartography like you though.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Or oceanography. It’s not a subject most ponies deal with.”

Nami felt her heart quicken. “Well, my hometown does fish a lot.”

“I really need to ask Princess Celestia more about this when she has the time.” Twilight rubbed her chin. “You’re sure you can’t tell me a bit more about life back where you come from?”

“The, uh, princess was very clear about the, um, diplomatic policies about discussing my hometown. Just a little bit about my job and friends and that’s it,” said Nami. “Well, it’s getting late and I should get going!”

Nami launched into the air and bolted out the door. Twilight blinked while papers swirled around her. Spike poked his head out of the bedroom and glanced down at the slight mess the bottom floor had turned into.

“I think Dash is rubbing off on her.”

“Not if her study habits are anything to go by.” Twilight lit up the papers around her and compiled them back into orderly stacks. She then pulled some books out of the shelves and reordered them as well. Her pace slowed when her brow furrowed and after she set the rather hefty copy of Hipporodotus’s works back in place, she glanced over at the door. “But I don’t recall Dash saying she’d gotten that fast.”

~~~

“Guh, not good,” Nami complained to herself while she climbed upwards through the sky. “I’m getting sloppy.”

The distant rumble of thunder cut through the air. Nami glanced in its direction and felt something icy press against the back of her mind. A massive amount of thick clouds as black as soot covered the entirety of the Everfree and stretched past the horizon. Lightning whizzed through the dark clouds, highlighting the way they curved around each other like a massive spiral. Just imagining the force of the wind contained in that storm sent a bit of a chill down Nami’s spine.

Yet the late afternoon sun and few fluffy clouds that hung over Ponyville stood right beside it. Although the barometric pressure and temperature had shifted slightly due to the storm according to the instruments Nami had “borrowed” from Twilight, the weather still remained as sunny as the schedule Dash kept said it would. Nami still couldn’t decide if the weather here was more or less chaotic than the Grand Line.

After a few more minutes of flying and watching the storm churn over the Everfree, Nami crested over a rather bulbous cloud and came upon Dash and Fluttershy standing in front of Dash’s house.

Fluttershy looked up at Nami and then back to Dash. “Oh, I should probably get going. Thank you again for the help with the animals today. Just remember what we talked about, okay?”

Dash glanced over at Nami while she landed. Something in her eyes made a few hairs stand up on Nami’s neck. “Yeah. If you need anymore help finding them shelter, I’ll be right over.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy bowed her head and took to the air. “Be safe.”

Dash gave her a wave and a smile. “You, too.”

Fluttershy waved as she flew off and stole a brief look at Nami. Nami waved back and then turned to Dash.

“Everything going okay with Fluttershy?” she asked.

“Yeah, she’s just been a bit busy lately setting up extra shelter space for animals since all that activity over the Everfree has driven a lot of them out of their homes. Not that it’s much better up here. I mean, we can totally handle anything, but just to be safe, Tank’s gonna be enjoying a little reunion with his friends back at Fluttershy’s too.”

Nami followed Dash when she turned and entered her house. “Back where I’m from, we’d consider that pretty big accomplishment. Just from the looks of it, even Canterlot would be in trouble if that storm blew into it.”

“Well, luckily, Canterlot’s got the Princesses and Ponyville’s got me!” Dash flashed Nami a smile but then sighed when she fell onto the empty couch. “Even I can’t be there for everything though and we’re getting calls from all around about the weather messing things up. Apparently, Applejack and her family even have a few Zap Apple Trees going off early.”

“And I’m sure you’ll scoop up every bit of jam they make from them,” Nami chuckled.

“I would, but unless they’re prepared right, those things are a hundred times worse than any shock some clouds or your crazy sticks can give. I wish that was all that was wrong though.” Dash pulled a hoof behind her back and then produced a few gems. Nami’s pupils shrank. “I think the storm must’ve uprooted some hidden gem field and launched them all the way up into the clouds. Bet you’ve never seen weather like that before.”

Nami kept her eyes to the floor. “No… the wind and pressure needed to send gems those size up this high is monstrous.”

“Yeah, monstrous.” Dash snorted and blew up a tuft of her mane. “It did give me inspiration for our training tomorrow. I was planning to just teach you about reinforcement and stability measures, but since my house is already taking some damage, we’re gonna need to do a full sweep of the cloud.”

Nami gulped. “We are?”

“Yep.” Dash stood back and closed the distance between herself and Nami. She raised and hoof and pressed it into Nami’s chest. “This is gonna be you’re first serious assignment, so I’m gonna need to you give it your all. My house and your room are on the line. So, can I trust you to be ready and to give it your all tomorrow?”

“Of… of course,” said Nami.

Dash brought her face a little closer to Nami’s. “And you’ll be honest with me if you see anything and it looks like you can’t handle it?”

“Y-yeah, wouldn’t want to get zapped like this morning.”

“And if there’s anything you’re worried about, you can tell me. I know you’re new to flying and weather crafting, but I know you’re also a hard working pony with some great friends, so you can tell me if there’s something bothering you… about training I mean.”

Nami slowly swung her head back and forth, nearly skimming Dash’s nose. “Nope, all good here… but thank you Rainbow Dash, I’m glad you think of me like that.”

“Yeah.” Dash pulled her head back and marched over to the kitchen. “Sure.”

For a moment, Nami was alone in the living room. She glanced at the gems glistening in the glow of sunset and sighed.

Okay, at least it was only a few the gems… She looked over at Dash setting up the table. I’ll just move things after she goes to sleep.

~~~

Rain cascaded down the outside of the window while Nami’s reflection stared back at the inside of her room. Nami had nearly choked on her pasta when Dash had brought it up over dinner: a late night sprinkling to balance out the temperature and pressure fluctuations the Everfree was causing. Nami kicked herself for not having skipped town earlier, but that would have meant less gems and bits to make the trip to the coast and getting it boat. It would have also meant less time at Twilight’s making the best guesses she could as to her rough location. The option of flight had been her failsafe, but Dash’s gushing about the multiple exploits of the Wonderbolts and their dual nature as performers and elite agents of the crown quashed that idea. The rain was just the cherry on top.

Nami clenched her jaw. Dash was onto her and Twilight probably wasn’t far behind either. She had underestimated ponies and gotten greedy. But if Dash knew about the trove currently resting below her hooves, there was no doubt in Nami’s mind that Celestia would be summoned. She was still skeptical of the whole “controlling the sun” bit, but she didn’t doubt the power Celestia had over the island.

Taking a breath, Nami fell back and collapsed on her bed. If Dash was telling the truth about the rain, it would probably let up around three. In that case, there would be at most an hour to wake up, move as much of the loot as possible, and then get back to bed and wait for Dash to come in and get her up for breakfast. Nami reached out and tinkered with her alarm to set it back an extra hour and a half and then closed her eyes. She’d have to look the part of at least having gotten some sleep.

~~~

The sharp crack of glass shattering followed by water pelting her coat thrust Nami out of her sleep. She snapped her head back and forth, taking in the broken window and the wind and rain now pouring into the room. Something whizzed by her face and smacked through the wall on the opposite side of the room. Nami lept back when another object careened into the room and slammed into the spot on the bed where she’d been. She looked down and saw that a golf ball sized hunk of hail had torn a deep hole into the bed.

“Nami!” Nami spun around to see Dash at her door with her eyes bulging out of her head. Dash darted over to her and grabbed her by a leg. “C’mon, we need to get to ground level stat!”

“Wait a second!” Nami wrenched her leg away from Dash. “What’s going on?”

Dash spun around and grabbed her again. “No time to talk! Somepony slipped up and the Everfree Storm is getting out of control.”

“Hasn’t it been that way?”

“Yes, but… gah!” Dash pulled Nami over to a cabinet and pulled out a two sets of hardhats and goggles, four pairs of boots, and two sets of tube-like pieces of some sort of thick yet flexible material with vein-like extensions trailing down them. “Just get this all on. You’re about to get one Tartarus of a lesson.”

While Dash raced to put on her own gear, Nami darted back to her room in the blink of an eye and grabbed her Clima Tact as well. She quickly suited up and made her way over to the door behind Dash. Taking a deep breath, Dash put a hoof on the door.

“This is gonna be the weather they tell you to run from in flight school.” Dash sharpened her eyes. “Flight school never said anything about protecting Ponyville though. On the count of three, I’m gonna open this door. Grab my hoof and for the love of Equestria don’t let go. Ready?”

The whole house creaked and groaned around Nami. In another room, glass shattered. She checked to make sure the pieces of the Clima Tact were secure around her waist and then clasped Dash’s leg. “Let’s go.”

~~~

An uprooted tree hurtled through the air like a piece of garbage. Its roots and branches smacked against rooftops and walls, tearing away tiles, smashing windows, and scraping the paint off the walls. Its destructive tumble came to a stop when it smacked into a shimmering shield that surrounded Town Hall. The shield pulsed with magic while the tree pressed against it before the combined pressure from the wind and the shield snapped the tree’s trunk in two. The broken pieces disappeared into the howling winds and torrential downpour tearing through Ponyville.

Inside Town Hall, sweat dripped from Twilight’s face. She looked to her left and saw that Rarity was breathing harder and the other unicorns in town with their horns alight were showing similar signs of fatigue. Her gaze drifted over to Applejack and Big Mac hammering down planks over the windows before her horn burned again. She shut her eyes as did many of the other unicorns and they focused their attention on the shield.

Behind the perimeter the unicorns had set up near the wall, fillies, colts, and at least one of their parents huddled closer together. From the windows that weren’t fully boarded up yet, they could see the storm raging outside of the shield, sending bits of homes and the forest through the air and to who knows where. Every now and then they caught a glimpse of color streak through the sheets of rain and thunderclouds. When lightning flashed, the tiny silhouettes of pegasi dotted the sky.

Outside, the wind tore at Nami from all directions. She could feel the gales ripping at her wings, but the guards Dash had given her helped keep the wind from pulling her feathers off or worse. Her vision was framed in water droplets that swayed back and forth along with the wind. They also pelted her body like she was being assaulted by miniature slings.

She held on tight to the grey pegasus Dash had left her with. She was a bit slower than the other pegasi, but with a flap of her wings she was able to shift through the maelstrom of currents and guide Nami over to the edge of the clouds. She scrunched up her offset eyes and let loose a kick that sent sparks flying and dispersed a bit of the clouds into a mass of water that vanished into the storm.

Nami swung her Tact at the clouds, unleashing a flurry of red and blue balls. Parts of the clouds quivered before they unleashed several bolts of lightning and then collapsed on themselves.

“You’re really good, Ms. Nami,” Derpy lisped. One of her wings flapped up and vanished into a cloud. Electricity coursed through Derpy’s body and Nami gave thanks again to the rubber insulating her hooves. Derpy’s eyes focused for a brief moment before she coughed and her eyes returned to their normal skewed positions. “Oops.”

Nami shook her head and looked around. Other pegasi buzzed around them, all of them linking legs with at least one other pony. The most lithe and aerodynamic of them pumped their wings and flew against the howling winds, funneling off their force into slightly weaker gales. The bigger pegasi brought their rubber coated hooves down on pieces of the thunderclouds with all their might. Lighting roared out of the clouds when struck a second before the damaged piece exploded into a mass of water that crashed to the ground.

Dash was smashing clouds left and right while also tearing through the whirlwinds. Yet all around her, ponies were getting zapped and smacked with debris. Dash herself was showing a few welts and cuts along her body and a bit of her coat and mane had been singed. She gritted her teeth and rocketed toward another cloud and plowed her hooves into it. The area right in front of her face crackled and turned bright.

A wall of yellow static shot up in front of her. The lightning bolt exploded over the cloud and washed over the yellow construct before splitting into several smaller bolts. She turned to her left and Nami flashed her a smile.

“Close call.”

“I’ll say.” Dash turned her head down and spotted Derpy waving up at them from a good distance away. She then looked back at Nami. “When did you get so fast?”

“I, uh, used the currents.”

Dash narrowed her eyes but then shook her head. Her face dropped taking in the scene around them. Less and less pegasi were in the air and those that were were showing off bruises and burnt fur while they limped through the sky. All while the storm continued to tear through everything around them. Dash’s could feeling the pit in her stomach dragging her to the ground.

“This isn’t working,” she said in a tone void of her usual bravado.

“We don’t have enough power to turn back the outer rainbands.” Nami’s eyes widened. “If we could push into the eye…”

“You just said we don’t have enough power for even the outer rainbands!” Dash yelled over the wind. “There’s no way we can pierce the eye wall!”

“We can!” Nami clasped Dash on the shoulder. “The snow cloud buster formation plus that move you’re always bragging about.”

“What!?” Dash yelped. “Have you lost it? That formation only works after days of wrapping up the rest of winter and you want me to add a Rainboom to that?! That… that’s…”

“What I know the best flier in Ponyville can do.” Nami held her Tact up to Dash’s face. “You’re the only pony that can lead the formation with enough force to break through. As for conditions, I’m predicting a localized cold front perfect for pulling this off.”

The fire in Nami’s eyes ignited Dash’s as well. A grin returned to Dash’s face and she gripped Nami’s hoof tight. “I gotta shape up. You’re giving me a run for my bits as Ponyville’s craziest pegasus!”

The pair flapped their wings and bolted over to the closests group of pegasi. Doubt crossed their faces hearing the plan from Nami, but when Dash backed her up, they nodded and flew off to relay the message. This continued until every able flyer had gathered together. Dash surveyed them and then raised a hoof high into the roaring winds.

“Alright, everypony! Time to show this storm what we’re made of!” Dash spun around and planted her hooves in front of her. “Form rank!”

“Time for a little magic then.” Nami zipped up over the group and shot off blue spheres all around them. A chill filled the air and the rain came down in thicker sheets until it suddenly shifted into tiny icicles that drifted onto everypony’s goggles. “Winter Tempo!”

“Charge!” Dash shouted and then dove straight ahead.

The other pegasi raced after Dash in a cyclone of wings. The clouds were still thick and crackled with lightning, but the drop in temperature in the immediate area had forced them to stiffen, locking in their icy water. With their combined might, the pegasi tore through them.

Nami breathed deeply while Twilight and Dash’s lessons played through the back of her head. Use wings to sense the air and gauge the pressure. Feel the currents trailing around your hooves. Taste the moisture blanketing the sky. Nami concentrated and shot out volley after volley of cool balls. She sensed the air charging up to the left and sent out a wave of static. Lightning flashed and bounced off her shield while the ponies behind in continued to race forward.

Every couple of seconds, her attention shifted to the front and she shot a burst of cool and heat balls toward Dash. The pressure tugging at Dash’s wings faded just enough for her to flap them a little harder while the cone of air forming in front of her remained steady and continued growing. Everypony behind her pushed with all the strength and watched as the clouds scattered around them.

The cone in front of Dash then ground into a mass of clouds so dark and massive it appeared like a void. Lighting lashed out from the point of impact and crashed down on the pegasi behind Dash while the pressure in front of her diverted the bolts away from her. Nami now matched her cool balls with thunderballs, but ponies were still getting shocked and dropping to the ground. Yet the ones still flying continued to keep the formation even when their wings were clipped by bolts or when the rain fell upon them again, no longer in sheets but like a full waterfall.

“Come on!” Dash shouted.

“We got this,” a pegasus huffed while he fought against the gale pushing him and everypony else back.

“Just a little more,” said a mare.

Dash glanced back and felt the pit return in her stomach. Even with Nami’s plan, even with everypony’s help, even with all her power, the wall still wouldn’t budge. The cone in front of Dash shrank. I… I can’t do this. I ca—

“We can do this!” Nami yelled, having appeared at Dash’s side and pushing forward with all her strength while sending out more and more balls. “My forecast is never wrong and I know you never give up!”

Dash dug deep and pushed her wings even harder. Nami raised a hoof up even while the storm tried to pull it back and clasped the top end of her Tact. With one great tug, she brought the two upper pieces of the Tact together and disconnected them from the bottom piece. The pressure dropped immensely around her and Dash, pushing back the Wall. The air trailing off Dash glistened and gained a glow to it. Nami bent back her leg and then threw the combined pieces of her Tact forward.

“Cyclone…” she shouted.

“Rainboom…” Dash yelled.

Streaks of color raced around everypony swirling behind Dash. A mighty rumble of thunder roared out of the Wall and tendrils of lighting whipped out of it, but they couldn’t pierce through the rainbow of air and light surrounding everypony. The shimmering tip in front of Dash shot forward.

“Breaker!” everypony screamed at the top their lungs.

The formation exploded in a burst of light and pressure and drilled straight into the center of the clouds in a blaze of color. The clouds were sent flying in all directions before they vanished into the air. For a brief moment, the entire sky was filled with every hue a pony could possibly imagine and then the stunning display expanded out into a ring the raced out to the horizon leaving only a clear blue sky in its wake.

~~~

Nami opened her eyes to find herself resting on top of some grass. She got up, shook her head, and saw that everypony was scattered around her in a similar state. She yelped when a blue hoof slapped her across the back and Dash pulled her into a hug.

“That. Was. Awesome!” Dash squealed.

“I can’t believe it worked!” Nami said, taking a chance to glance and marvel at the sunny sky.

“Wait…” Dash pulled back and stared at Nami with wide eyes. “What?!”

“Well, it all sounded right in my head, but it’s not like I’ve ever done anything like that before.” Nami winked at Dash. “It all worked out though, right?”

Dash shook her head and chuckled. “And you make it sound like you’re the normal one with your friends.”

Nami grinned. “What do you think that says about my friends?”

“That I definitely need to meet them if they’re as awesome as you.” Dash gave her a pat on the back and then took to the air once again. Everypony looked up at her. “Everypony, listen up! We just pulled off a stunt that would make even the Wonderbolts blush, but we’ve still got some work to do. If you can still fly, we need to check for anypony that got scattered while we were in the storm, and we need to get everypony back at Town Hall to help too. There’s probably a lot of damage in town, so be careful!”

“Right!” everypony responded.

~~~

Tears welled up in Pinkie’s eyes staring at the crumpled massive cupcake in front of her. The three birthday candles that had poked out of its vibrant magenta frosting lay scattered around it, with one wedged into the wall of some unfortunate pony’s shop.

Mrs. Cake laid a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Oh dearie, it’s not the worst that could happen. Afterall, we were thinking about adding that expansion for the twins.”

“I know,” Pinkie sighed. She looked down at the ruined top of Sugarcube Corner again and her lips quivered. Tears shot out of her eyes. “Why couldn’t it have actually been made out of a real cupcake though!? Everything I know is a lie!”

Mrs. Cake sighed and went back to work picking up the debris. All around town, ponies were scooping up tiles, glass, branches, and everything else the storm had thrown at Ponyville. The paint had been wiped off a number of houses, and parts of the roofs and walls of some buildings were missing, but there were only a few shops and homes that had been fully devastated by the storm. Everypony felt a small sense of relief even if a few eyes twitched taking in the damage, particularly a certain fashionista that had failed to properly secure the dyes she used for clothing.

A lot of the pegasi wished some ruined wallpaper was their only concern. Cloud homes were easy to reform, but the items held inside weren’t so easy to retrieve if lost. Dash’s heart sank seeing the entire top of her house shaved clean off and the base torn apart at places but still standing.

“Knew I should rechecked the texturing,” Dash grumbled.

“Guess I’ve got my next few lesson plans cut out for me,” said Nami.

“Yeah, I guess you d—”

Dash shut her mouth and zipped over to one of the tears as the base of her home. Nami’s pupils shrank when she saw something glint from nearby Dash. With a gulp, she came down near Dash, but made sure to stay out of her hooves’ reach.

Dash pulled something out of the cloud but kept her back towards Nami. “I don’t even wanna think what could’ve happened today without your plan.”

“It was mostly you and the other pegasi,” Nami said in a low voice.

“No.” Dash tightened her grip on whatever was in her hooves. “We may have the skill, but we don’t have the experience dealing with weather like that. Nami, what you did helped a lot a ponies, especially me. So…”

Dash turned around faced Nami. In her hooves were two pouches, one with a trio of diamonds and the other with a trio of balloons sewn into it. Behind her were more pouches embedded into the clouds. Gems glistened all around them and a few scientific instruments could be seen as well. Nami inched back one of her legs.

“You’re gonna work back double what you took from everypony, plus lessons are gonna be a lot harder now that I know you’ve been keeping your real speed a secret from me.”

Nami blinked. “What?”

“I mean, we’ll probably need to talk to Twilight about it,” said Dash. “Make sure you don’t get thrown into jail or something, but I think we can arrange things so we get everypony back their stuff without you actually being charged with anything.”

“It seems my student’s cleverness has rubbed off on you, Rainbow Dash.”

Dash and Nami both went white. They turned around and were met with Celestia floating up by the edge of Dash’s home.

“P-princess!” Dash yelped and shoved the money pouches behind her back. “I can explain!”

“I don’t think that’s your responsibility.” Celestia looked at Nami. The sun might as well have been crashing down on her. “We need to talk.”

“Wait!” Dash cried out. “I know Nami messed up royally but sh—”

A flash of golden aura forced Dash to shut her eyes. When she opened them again, she was alone on her cloud. She sunk to her haunches and sat in silence for a moment before she clenched her teeth and took off for Ponyville.

~~~

Nami found herself at one end of a long hallway, Stained glass lined the walls and the light seeping through them colored the hall in a vast array of colors. Celestia stood beside her and glared down at her. She stuck out one of her legs.

“Let’s walk, shall we?”

Nami gulped and nodded.

“Quite a day,” Celestia said while they walked. “It’s been some time since I’ve had to open the emergency relief fund, but I’m glad the amount I’ll be sending to Ponyville will only be small. I really should get to updating the coverage to include magical beasts though.”

Nami remained silent and kept her head bowed.

“From what Twilight says though, it was quite an impressive feat all the pegasi pulled off. I never would have thought a human creation would be so vital to protecting my subjects. A shame it came in the hands of such a greedy human.”

The words stung like a slap across Nami’s face.

Celestia shook her head. “This is quite a mess. At the least, I’m putting your departure on indefinite hold. If it were up to me alone, I’d slap you with every violation I could find in the book, but I’ll have to consider your contributions in saving Ponyville as well. Combined with this, I think the extension and a movement to Canterlot so I can keep a closer eye on you will do for now.”

Celestia’s horn flashed and a newspaper floated over to Nami. She gasped taking in the solemn picture of a man with a straw hat placed over his chest. She read over the headline story and then reread it just to be sure. She placed a hoof over her mouth.

“Luffy,” she muttered, feeling her eyes grow wet.

“I’m sure you must want to comfort your captain in his time of need,” said Celestia. “But you broke my kingdom’s rules, and for that you will b—”

Nami wiped her eyes and then looked straight at Celestia. “I understand, and I’ll accept this punishment. I promise, I’ll work as hard as I can to make back every bit I took and more.”

Celestia blinked and then frowned. “While I admire you admittance, to so easily abandon your captain is equally disappointing.”

“I haven’t,” Nami replied. “It’s just my plans have changed, so now I’ve got the time to fix the mess I made in Ponyville.”

Celestia stared at Nami for a moment before she pulled the newspaper up in front of her face. She looked over the article and the picture and then teleported the paper away. “He sent you all a message, didn’t he?”

“Yep.” Nami raised a leg up and flexed it front of her face. “No matter what, I have to stay here a little longer, so I’m going to use that time to get stronger. Whatever other punishment you come up with, I can take it. If Luffy can still get up after everything he’s gone through, then who am I to complain about punishment for theft?” A smile crossed Nami’s face. “That being said, there is a certain time I’ll need to get back to him and my crew. He’s so reckless. He’ll get killed if I don’t watch out for him. He’s a stupid pain in the neck.”

“Such enduring words for your captain,” said Celestia.

Nami’s smiled widened. “That’s why I have to help him.”

“That’s all well and good bu—” A swirl of smoke and green embers flew into the hall, cutting Celestia off. It circled around her horn and coalesced into a scroll. Celestia peered and squinted at the words on the parchment. Nami stayed quiet while she read before Celestia floated the letter over to her. “I think you’ll do just fine under Rainbow Dash’s wing.”

Letters were scrawled in crude shapes across the parchment and there were grammatical and spelling errors in abundance but after a few read throughs Nami managed to decipher the message:

Dear Princess Celestia,

Please, please, please don’t banish Nami to the moon! Yeah, she messed up big time and I should’ve been able to stop her, but I guess I got too caught up in having a student of my own and having fun teaching her about flying and weather and everything else that’s awesome about being a pegasus. I’d been thinking something was up for a while with the way she sometimes acted and maybe I should’ve told you when I found the gem yesterday. If I’d done that though, Nami wouldn’t have been able to help save Ponyville. If she was really that bad of a pony, it wouldn’t have been that hard to run away during the storm, but she stuck through it like the friend I know she is. So please, if you’re going to punish her, at least let her stay in Ponyville. I’ll even take up part of her punishment. I deserve it for not stopping her sooner.

-Rainbow Dash

PS

I’m sorry Princess, I have no idea what Rainbow Dash was talking about but it sounds like Nami has gotten into a bit of trouble. She’s an odd mare for sure, but I’ve enjoyed her company as well and she has my thanks for her part in dealing with the storm. Anyway, Dash wrote this letter in such a hurry that it’s barely anything but scribbles so I’ve enchanted to make it at least a little more legible.

Your Faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”


A wide smile framed Nami’s face and her eyes glistened by the time she was finished reading. Celestia drew a little closer to her.

“It doesn’t take much to spoil trust,” she said. “And you’ve certainly put yourself on the spot with most of Ponyville.”

Nami folded her ears.

“But having friends who forgive and trust you even when you do something wrong is more valuable than all the bits and gems in Equestria.” Celestia glanced up at a mural depicting a white alicorn and a night blue alicorn circling around each other. “Therefore, by royal decree I sentence you to community service until at least twice the debt you stole is made back to your victims. After that, you are still bound to be an upstanding citizen of Equestria until the day of your leaving this fair land.”

~~~

“I don’t like it,” Dash grumbled. She pressed a hoof into the cloud in front of her and then retracted it. “It just doesn’t feel right.”

Nami pouted her lips and waved her Tact at the cloud. “It’s a cloud. Does it matter how we made it? Or would you rather wait for the delivery like everypony else?”

“Or you could just turn around.”

Dash’s heart skipped a beat when she spun towards where the voice had come from and found Spitfire standing on the edge of her home with a massive cube of clouds floating behind her. Nami stared at her and raised an eyebrow. Spitfire flashed them a cool grin and made her way over to them.

“Your work saving Ponyville is gonna be one for the books.” She elbowed Dash in the side. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had an applicant be as crazy as to actually plow straight into a storm wall. You’ve got a lot of guts, kid.”

Dash’s entire face had gone hot pink from blushing. “T-thank you, M-ma’am.”

“Not that you’re the only one that’s been making a name for themselves lately.” Spitfire turned to Nami and lowered her shades. “Even though nopony bothered to send your actual name up to HQ.”

“Nami.” Nami stuck out a hoof and Spitfire clasped onto it. “Nice to meet you.”

“And good to meet an innovative young pegasus like yourself.” Spitfire’s gaze drifted over to the Tact. “A lot of ponies have the misconception that the Wonderbolts are all about shows and handling the emergencies nopony else can handle. That’s a big part of our job, but as the fastest and toughest pegasi around, we’re always testing the limits of flight and weather manipulation. So on top of everything else, we value ponies that can think outside the box and trust me, using some sort of stick to craft the weather is so far from the box, you’ll need to ship it.”

Dash and Nami stared at her for a moment.

“That was the part where you at least chuckled,” Spitfire sighed.

“Ahahahaha!” Dash forced out.

Spitfire shook her head and then looked back at Nami. “Anyway, from what I’ve heard you’re good friends with Rainbow Dash already, so if you get in on the applications process, you could even be in the same class. This is strictly between the three of us, but we’ve got cadet selection coming up soon and we look very favorably on town savers.”

“Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!” Dash said in the lowest voice she could muster while containing her excitement.

Nami brought a hoof to her chin. “Sorry, I don’t know how much you know about me, but I’m still learning a lot about pegasi in Equestria, how long does this process take?”

“If you really keep at it and show us you’ve got what it takes, you can be a full member within a little over a year,” Spitfire answered. “Provided you pass through the application and cadet process.”

“And you say that besides flight and official duties, you work with weather a lot too?”

Spitfire smiled. “Yep, some of Cloudsdale’s most vital operations had their start with the Wonderbolts.”

Nami thought back to a time when she was crying into the dirt. Her treasure had been taken, her family was marching to their deaths, and blood spilled from the gash where she’d tried with all her might to cut out the tattoo that had stained her skin.

Luffy… help.

She could still feel the straw hat atop her head while she looked straight at Spitfire. “I have someone I need to meet in two years time, so I can’t stay after that. Is that okay?”

Spitfire tapped her chin, glanced at the Tact, and then looked back at Nami. “You’d better be ready to work your flank off then. Everypony that’s joined the Wonderbolts has left their mark on Equestria’s history. Prove you can too.”

Spitfire spread her wings and with one flap of her wings, she was already zipping off to the horizon. Dash’s smile exploded into an uncontained grin and she clasped Nami by the shoulders and shook her in excitement.

“Oh. My. Gosh!” Dash exclaimed. “We’ve got Spitfire’s personal recommendation! I’ve never heard of anypony getting that!”

“Sounds like we’ve got a lot of work to do then,” Nami mused.

Dash pulled back, coughed into her hoof, and straightened up. A fire danced in her eyes. “You’ve got that right. If what Spitfire said is true, we’ve got until the end of summer to get you up to shape for the Academy and to get me even better than before. We’re gonna have to eat and breath training until then.”

Nami smirked. “You don’t already?”

Dash grinned back at her and extended out a hoof. “Let’s prove to Spitfire that we’re not just gonna make the Wonderbolts. We’re gonna be the best Wonderbolts ever!”

Nami shot out a hoof and locked legs with Dash. “Deal!”

◆◆◆

3D2Y

The gunshot still echoed through the bar. Everyone had been trading glances at the imposing man in the straw hat ever since he had lumbered in with his half of his crew. No one had dared to stare too long at him until he had unloaded a bullet into some unfortunate pirate. When the man sneered and leaned back to talk with his crew, everyone quickly turned their heads away and tried to ignore the fresh puddle of blood on the floor.

“You there, woman!” the man called out and pointed a grimy finger towards the bar. “Don’t just drink with that twig! Come over here!”

The woman in the green striped bikini and jeans at the bar closed her eyes, sighed, and placed a hand over the clenched fist of her partner at the bar. She could feel the static radiating off the other woman’s fist and saw a few strands of her prismatic hair standing up. It even looked like the rainbow thunderbolt emblazoned on the woman’s sports shorts was glowing.

“No thanks,” said Nami. “We’re waiting for someone.”

Everyone else in the bar turned white and those close by backed away. The barkeep hurriedly bent close to the two women with sweat dripping down his face. “Hey, listen to me, that’s Straw Hat Luffy!”

“Right,” huffed the rainbow haired woman.

Nami glanced at the table the man and his cronies were seated at. One of her hands slipped underneath and bar and clasped a blue rod. Rainbow Dash forced her grin to remain small while she watched a tiny black ball form out from the rod.

“You’re not good enough to drink with,” Nami said with a bored expression on her face. “Understand? Straw… what was your name again?”

The bartender threw himself over the bar and scurried over to a corner of the room. Everyone else either fled the bar or moved as far away from the two women as possible. A vein throbbed on the man’s head and he stood up and cocked if gun.

“I said I’m Straw Hat Luffy!” he roared.

Before he could level his weapon at Nami, she found another gun inches from her face. The squat woman holding it sneered, forcing her lips to stretch across her football shaped head. She cackled when she shoved a second gun into Dash’s face as well.

“You’ve got two choices. Accept Captain Luffy’s invitation… or die,” she hissed. She didn’t seem to notice when the air buzzed around them, causing her hair to frizz up. “By the way, I have a bounty on my head too. I’m the cat burglar. I’m Na—”

The woman exploded in a burst of electricity. A bit of smoke escaped from her mouth and she collapsed onto the floor. Lightning crackled from Dash’s hand before she set it back against her side. The woman’s other crew members all turned red in the face and then charged at Nami and Dash.

“Special Attack: Green Star!” rang a voice that perked up Nami’s ears. “Devil!”

Vines appeared out of nowhere and latched onto the “Straw Hats.” While the bar devolved into chaos and people ran right and left to escape either the vines or the pirates’ wrath once they freed themselves, a man in a wide brimmed hat that failed to cover his elongated nose took a seat next to Nami and Dash.

“Looks like you’ve made friends with another weathermaker,” the man mused. He grinned and tipped his hat up, revealing a mostly familiar face, although the goatee was new and his curly hair now reached past his neck. “Mind if we share a drink?”

“Usopp!” Nami flew out of her seat and hugged Usopp tight, burying his head in her chest. “Look at you! You’ve grown a lot these past years!”

“You’ve grown too…” Usopp said, his voice muffled a bit by Nami’s breasts.

Nami then pulled back and looked over the vines consuming the bar. “Did you do that?”

“Yeah!” Usopp leaned back and propped himself up with an elbow on the bar. “It’s my new weapon, the Pop Green. Sorry to say, but I’m not part of the weakling trio with you and Chopper anymore.”

“Hey!” Dash left her seat and got right in Usopp’s face. “I’d like to see you make the Wonderbolts in record time!”

Usopp raised an eyebrow. “The Wonder-what?”

Nami took note of the black bubbles filling the air and clasped Usopp and Dash’s arms. “C’mon, let’s talk someplace else.”

“Already?” Dash scanned over the bar and matched her pace with Nami while Usopp trailed behind him and out onto the street. “That’s a new record!”

“What are you two ta—”

The shade under the yakuiman mangroves right by the bar turned bright with the flash of lightning while the rest of the grove turned dark from the shadows cast by the trees. Thunder rent the air asunder while bolts zapped over Usopp’s head.

Dash grinned. “Yep, definitely a new record.”

Nami turned her head to Usopp while keeping a brisk pace. “So I have this new technology…”

Usopp eyed Dash. “And a new crew member?”

“As awesome as that would be, I’ve got my own crew.” Dash jabbed a thumb towards her chest. “We may not be after the One Piece per say, but you’d better consider the Harmony Pirates your new rivals!”

Usopp turned to Nami. “Is she serious?”

“Let her have this,” said Nami. “Dash and her friends are doing more of an exploratory mission, but doing it while raising the black flag was the only way to get her to come along.”

Dash crossed her arms. “And Pinkie and I are the only reason we’re gonna do anything fun. Maybe Rarity might have gotten into treasure hunting, but Twilight would never do half the stuff we have planned otherwise.”

“Sounds like you’ve got quite the crew too,” said Usopp.

“Hay yeah!” Dash exclaimed. “Just you wait, before you know it we’ll be making just as many headlines as you did!”

“Geez, you’re almost as bad as Luffy,” Usopp sighed. “So what’s your deal anyway? That power of yours almost looked like a Devil Fruit.”

Dash’s smile widened. “Oh, that’s right, Nami said you’re the one that likes to fib and make up stories. Well, let’s see if you can beat this…”

~~~

The Sabaody Archipelago rang with the sounds of battle. Massive beatles stomped over Marines, crossdressers assaulted them with their martial arts, ghost had turned hardened soldiers into sniveling heaps, and even the Pirate Empress and the Dark King had blocked all the Marine’s attempts to stop the Straw Hats escape.

In retrospect, the fourth platoon had gotten off easy. Some soldiers threw their soaked muskets to the ground while others kicked the mortars, shaking loose a few drops of water which were instantly replaced by the downpour that surrounded them.

“Dammit, men!” their sergeant roared. He brandished his sword and swiped it through the rain. “I don’t care how we do it but we’re taking the Straw Hats’ ship! We can still charge them!”

The marines all grabbed their weapons and lifted them up, but before they could let out a battle cry, the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started. They all looked up through the mangroves at the strange solitary cloud that had destroyed any chance of using firepower. It was curling into its center like it was turning into a cyclone. As it did, its black color gave way to stripes of red, orange and yellow. A swirling cone of air emerged out of the cloud angled straight down at the Marines. Lightning arced around it while green, blue, indigo, and violet joined the other colors trailing off the stunning phenomenon, forming a full rainbow spiral.

Out at sea, the Thousand Sunny had taken advantage of Hancock’s intervention and was slipping away from the Marines and below the waves. Everyone on board took one last look at the island when a burst of color exploded out of it and raced across the sky. Luffy and Chopper’s eyes glistened like stars taking in the dazzling event.

“So cool!” Luffy managed to say while spilling tears of pure joy from his face. “Who’s friend was that?”

Nami put her hands on her hips and sighed. “She’s always so showy.”

“‘She?’” Sanji’s eye lit up and he leaned over to Nami. “Oh Nami, you just have to tell me what sort of paradise you were in and what sort of fine mademoiselles you trained with!”

Zoro crossed his arms and tilted his head back to look down on Sanji. “Didn’t you embarrass yourself enough nearly missing all of us because you were helping those women?”

The air around Sanji grew hotter and his hair spiked up. He rushed over to Zoro and grabbed him by his robe. “Excuse me, Mr. ‘Let me just cut up a ship because I can’t follow directions!’ I happen to pride myself as a gentlemen and would gladly help those lovely ladies again if I didn’t have to keep you crappy ass from starving!”

Zoro edged for one of his swords. “That a fact, curly brow? Cause I don’t quite feel safe with some idiot that’s gonna bleed to death every time he lays eyes on a woman."

Sanji’s leg shot up and Zoro unsheathed his sword but a set of arms sprouted up and held Zoro and Sanji in place while Nami shoved herself between the two of them and pushed them back.

“Seems some things never change,” she sighed.

Robin smiled at the trio from the upper deck and dispelled the arms she’d summoned. “I think it’s cute.”

Sanji’s eye morphed into a heart and throbbed. A bit of blood trickled down his nose. “Robin, you’re too kind! You almost give those sweet girls from the island a run for their money.”

“Tch.” Zoro sheathed his sword and slumped his down against the Sunny’s railing. “Wake me when we’re at Fishman Island. Dealing with that idiot for the first time in two years has made me sleepy.”

Sanji huffed and pulled his hands over his suit, straightening it out. He smiled seeing that Nami was still standing next to him. “Is something the matter, Nami sweet?”

“It’s just those girls, did they happen to tell you their names?” Nami asked.

“Oh they did!” Sanji gave a small twirl. “Fluttershy and Rarity! Such sweet and suitable names for such stunning beauties! I admit, seeing real women for the first time after that black hell I suffered through threw off a bit of my charm, but they barely seemed to notice.” Sanji took a breath, placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head to Nami. “Not to say they could ever fully match you or Robin though.”

Nami tried to contain a chuckle but it escaped her lips. “By your standards, I think not.”

“Why?” Sanji raised his eyebrow but then his eye widened. “Oh, were they friends of yours too? Nami it seems you were in an even greater paradise than even Luffy was!”

Someone tapped Nami on the shoulder and she turned to see Usopp cracking up and forced to hold a hand over his face. He managed to bring his head close and snickered, “Should… should we tell him?”

Nami shook her head. “I don’t think his heart could take it right now.”

To the New World!

Author's Note:

And that's it for Set Adrift! It's been really fun writing condensed versions of what it would be like if the other Straw Hats wound up in Equestria and seeing everyone's comments and reactions (plus TV Tropes). Now it's time to return to Luffy and bring this chapter of Luffy and Equestria's adventures to a close.

Thanks again for reading so far!

What was your favorite moment in Set Adrift?

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