Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 3: Unicorn

by Jeweled Pen

Chapter 17: Trap

Rarity stared, her mouth open and eyes wide. Her mother's laughter sent chills down her back and made her legs shake. Watching the elder mare hold Spike in her magic made her feel cold all over. How could she have found him?

Nightmare Moon finally took notice of them and her laughter trailed off as her cold eyes looked them over. “Daughters! Such a wondrous surprise. I never would have guessed you, of all ponies, had just the thing I was looking for.”

Rarity tried to talk back, but her mouth was so dry she couldn't make the syllables. Neither could Spike, judging by the way he just stared, dangling in the ruler's magic.

Nightmare Moon just smiled and turned her attention back to the dragon, her magic tightening on him. He let out a sharp cry of pain, which spurred the princess forward.

“Mother, please! He's just a...” A baby? No, that would never work on her mother. “He's my pet!”

The ruler cocked an eye and something drifted up from Spike. One of his scales, causing a small trickle of blood to slide down his side. “He's your pet? You keep a dragon as your pet?”

Rarity gulped and slowly nodded. Lying to her mother was terrifying, but the thought of Spike dying was even worse. “Y-yes. He was the pet of the Avatar's. When I killed her, I took him as one of my trophies. I mean, what better trophy than the last dragon in existence?”

Nightmare Moon let out a soft chuckle, though the princess didn't see what was so funny. The elder pony tossed the dragon to her, which she caught in her magic. She longed to run to him and comfort the poor dear, but she knew such a display would end his life. Instead she only gave him enough attention to ensure he was right side up, before staring back to her mother.

The silence between them was cold enough to freeze fire, unsaid threats and warnings hanging in the air like swords waiting to be plucked and wielded. The mare finally let out another burst of laughter. Rather than cold and merciless, this laughter was gentle and almost... happy. It chilled Rarity even more. “Very well. I can think of no better prize of conquest than the very last of the dragons.” She stepped forward, walking between them. “But do not allow him free range of the castle. He is permitted to live only so long as you keep him under control.”

“O-of course mother,” the elder princess said, bowing her head. Both princesses stuck their heads out the door to watch the ruler of the nation walk away. Once she was out of sight, they closed the door and backed inside. Even Sweetie was shaking. Rarity pulled Spike close, wrapping her hooves around him. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you? Oh I'm so, so sorry Spikey.”

“Just, just one scale,” Spike said with a nervous chuckle. “I wasn't scared, don't worry. I could have taken her.” His shaking claws betrayed his fear. Little tears had formed in his eyes, but Rarity pulled him into her chest and held him tightly so they'd be lost in her fur.

“Then you're braver than I am,” Rarity said softly. “I don't think I've ever been more terrified.” Sweetie stared at them, her eyes narrowing slightly. The elder pony could practically see the gears turning in the mare's head. She motioned the younger mare closer, allowing her to join in the hug.

------

“An' that's everything,” Applejack said with a shake of her head.

“Pirates? Really? That's... convenient,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “So we just go and get them to take us to their headquarters and boom, we're home free.”

“Assuming the pirates here will even help us,” Twilight said with a sigh. “They helped us during the Water Nation invasion of Everfree Forest because of Celestia's help. This time it'll just be me.”

“Yeah, but they already hate the Water Nation. How hard could it be?”

“There's a difference between hating them and helping their enemies take them down,” the alicorn muttered. “Who knows what they'll say?”

“We won't know until we try,” Pinkie said with a giggle. “Once we get to know each other and are all friends, they'll help us no problem.”

Applejack cleared her throat. “Ah hate tah be the bearer of bad news, but we don't even know if these ponies are connected with the main group, if they'll still be around here or even if they'll help us. For all we know, they'll tell us to get lost the moment we come within half a mile of them.”

“Hey, they're pirates,” Rainbow said a shrug. “We'll kick their butts if they can't help us. Either way, we can't just leave a group like that running about and attacking ponies.”

It took Twilight a moment to realize the sudden change. No pony put up the smallest objection to helping the ponies, even if they were from the Water Nation. If anything, they seemed more upset at the thought of not helping them. Then again, she supposed the ones in trouble weren't actually threats. It took her a moment to regather herself. “Okay, so what's the plan?”

Rainbow glanced to Fluttershy. “Well, if Fluttershy feels able, the two of us can split up and try to find these pirates from the air. While we're gone, Applejack can continue your training--” Twilight let out a groan. “--then we can meet up here once we find them or after a few hours.”

“And if that... thing, finds us again?” the alicorn asked softly.

“Run. We'll find you later.” Rainbow ground a hoof into the ground. “Fluttershy and I will group up and come find you. Just keep heading east, towards the capital.”

Twilight nodded, glancing towards the water. Well, they hadn't seen the creature in a while. Maybe it had lost them?

------

Rarity gently rubbed the little dragon's back, washing around the area where the scale had been plucked. It was red and tender, the little bit of skin underneath angrily throbbing as she washed it. “How do you feel?”

“F-fine,” the dragon hissed, though she noted the way he cringed every time the rag wiped against the exposed flesh. She pulled out a bottle of disinfectant and poured it onto the rag, before wiping it onto the wound. The dragon let out another angry hiss of pain, flames spouting out from between his lips. Once she finished wiping it down, she put a thick pad over it and taped it on.

“There, all better?” Rarity asked with a soft smile.

“F-fine...” the dragon sniffled.

“Good...” The unicorn scooped him up into her hooves and hugged him close. “I am so happy you're okay. I can't tell you how scared I was when I saw mother holding you. I thought she was going to... going to...”

“She was terrifying...” Spike said softly, shivering slightly in her grasp. “She looked... so happy when she saw me. It was... chilling.”

“I know...” Rarity gently gave him a kiss on the forehead. “I thought she'd put up a much bigger fight for you.” Dread gripped her stomach, though she quickly suppressed it. Instead, she let a small grin formed on her lips. “Maybe she cares about me more than I thought.” She tried to let hope grow inside her. “Perhaps she's starting to fight Discord's control. Truly becoming the mother she once was.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “I wouldn't count on it. Those eyes weren't... nice. They were so... cold and... heartless.”

“She let you go though,” Rarity objected, slowly letting the dragon go. “That has to mean something.”

“Only because she thought I was your pet and...” He glared up at her. “You don't think I'm a pet, do you?”

“Of course not, Spikey. You're like a little brother to me. I only said that because mother would have likely slaughtered you if she thought I cared about you.” She paused for a moment. “Maybe she's not... softening after all.” The hope turned sour in her stomach.

Spike looked up with sad eyes. “A little brother?”

She gently put him on her bed and rubbed him between the ears. “Yes. A little brother. My adorable, slightly scaled brother.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I'll have to be careful not to leave you alone anymore, though.”

“Why?”

“Mother knows you're here. She might just be letting me keep you because, well... she might intend to kill you later. Sending assassins after you when you're alone. If I keep you with me, she won't have an opportunity.” She sighed and stared down at him. “But... I'll have to keep you around, like a pet. That means no running off, okay?”

He hmphed, but slowly nodded. “Fine, I guess. But you know I'm not a pet, right?”

She chuckled and reached out to pat his head. “Of course not. Now...” She scooped him up in her magic and gently placed him on her bed. “Get some sleep. I've got a lot of work to do.”

He nodded, though he just laid there and she could tell he wasn't sleeping, he tended to snore when he did. She ignored his stares and walked back to her desk, pulling out the papers and pretending to work. She honestly wanted to scream and shout, but she knew better than to do that.

Her mother now knew and she had no idea what she could do about it. Spike was safe for now, but her mother wasn't one to just let it go. If she really didn't care about the little dragon, that likely meant there was something far, far worse on the horizon. Something she had no idea how to deal with. She couldn't imagine what could possibly make her mother okay with keeping a dragon in the palace, which made it all the more frightening.

Even worse, this 'element' had apparently truly chosen her. Regardless of who was better trained, more worthy, just a better pony, it decided she would bear it no matter what she wanted. There was nothing she could do about it, either. It wasn't fair. She didn't want it, she didn't need it and, most importantly, she didn't deserve it. Like everything else in her life, it didn't care what SHE wanted. Sometimes she felt like a pet of the universe, being led about on a chain regardless of where she wished to go.

Probably the worst thing of all was she wanted to throw herself down on her bed and sob like a baby, get all her pain and grief out in a few easy seconds of release. Unfortunately, with Spike there she couldn't do it without upsetting him. It would probably scare him, possibly terrify him. So she suppressed it, forcing the pain, hurt and fear down into her stomach.

Besides, there was nothing she could do about it. Even if the avatar wasn't dead, she would be once her fath-- that thing found her. There was no doubt about that. If she was destined to become one of their friends and allies, she'd already failed them.

Truly she was Starlight's descendant. Only she could have so perfectly ruined everything, regardless of what she wanted.

------

“Nothing,” Rainbow muttered when she landed back with her friends. She'd flown out and searched towards the north, cutting a wide area across the land and searching as much ground as she could find. She hadn't found so much as a feather, let alone a bunch of pirates.

“How could they be hiding?” Twilight muttered. “Those air ships of theirs are hardly subtle.”

“There's a lotta ground tah cover,” Applejack muttered. “Even if the ships fired fireworks into the sky everywhere they went, the chances of us findin' them are pretty low. There's jus' too many places they could be.”

The alicorn sighed and shook her head. “Well that's useless then. What are we going to do?”

“We can't jus' wait here all week until they come back. We gotta git goin' an' try tah find a location for everypony tah gather. Can't just loun--”

“I don't believe it,” Rainbow said, staring up at the sky, her mouth hanging open. The others turned and stared, their own mouths hanging open.

Fluttershy was flying towards them, pulling a cloud. On the cloud was a griffon. A full sized griffon. Unmoving.

“There's just no way,” Rainbow mumbled, shaking her head. “That's... how did she...”

“I knew she could do it!” Pinkie squealed.

“Fluttershy took down a griffon? But she's so... and they're so...” Twilight looked to her friends, her mouth falling open. “How? That doesn't... how could she... how?”

Angel hopped up and down on the ground, clapping his paws and nodding approvingly. Fluttershy brought the cloud down, pushing it in front of them. Their mouths fell even more open at the sight of the griffon. Her eyes were black and her beak had a crack in it.

“Fluttershy,” Applejack said softly. “How did yah... ah mean. Yah took this griffon on all by your lonesome? How did yah manage that?”

“What? No no!” the mare shrieked, shaking her head and waving her hooves frantically. “I-I did no such thing!”

“Then how did this happen?” Rainbow asked, motioning to its face. “It looks like, well, as if I got a hold of it.”

“I ummm... she was being a big meany and not listening to me. So... I gave her the stare. She ummmm... slammed into the cliff side and I had to catch her. But... she said she was one of the pirates so I knew I had to bring her back here. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for her to get hurt.”

“No, no,” Twilight said with a smile. “You did the right thing. Thanks. Now, how do we wake her-- Rainbow!”

The rainbow-maned pegasus didn't hesitate, shoving the cloud straight into the river. The griffon woke up with a yelp, wildly flapping her wings and quickly clawing her way out from the water as the cloud dissolved around her. “Who, what, where am-- you!” She growled, looking up past Rainbow and straight at Fluttershy. “What did you do to me? I was flying fine and then you used some... some magic and... and you... what did you do?”

“That's not important,” Rainbow snapped, stomping a hoof down. “You're a member of those pirates, aren't you? Well, you're going to show us where they're hiding.”

The griffon stood up, the water trailing off her body. She glowered at the ponies, eyes narrowed into small slits. “Oh yeah? Just try and make me, you Water Nation duck.”

Rainbow growled low in her throat. “We're not from the Water Nation. We're rebels trying to--”

“Of course you are. And I'm a golden feathered pheonix.” The griffon reached to her side and pulled a long blade from its sheath. “Go ahead, try me. I'll take all of you on at--” She let out a yelp as the blade was enveloped in flame, making her toss it to the ground and blow on her singed claws.

“We're not from the Water Nation,” Twilight said, spreading her wings and stepping forward. “My name is Twilight Sparkle and I am the avatar. Please take us to your pirate ship, we must talk with your captain.”

The griffon stared at her for a moment, beak falling open. “There's... no way. You can't be the avatar. You're dead! We all heard about it. There--”

“The rumors of my falling have been greatly exaggerated.” Twilight flapped her wings, sending a burst of air brushing against the griffon's feathers. She then formed a small flame at the tip of her horn, before finally stomping a hoof down and making a spike of earth shoot up besides her. “Do you require any more proof? We really don't have much time to waste. I'd like to get ready as quickly as possible.”

The griffon kept staring, beak hanging open. After many moments, she finally closed her beak and shook her head. “N-no. I... I believe you. Wow. The actual avatar. Heh. I heard about what you...” She paused and a grin formed across her beak. “So, you need to find my ship? I tell you what. I'll take you and your friends, no questions asked.”

“Really?” Twilight asked, a grin forming on her lips. “Thank you!”

“Oh, don't worry about it.” The griffon turned her back to them and started walking, her beak forming a cruel smile. “I think you're just the kind of pony we've been looking for.”

------

Rarity stared across the table at her mother, watching for any sign of hostility. Spike was at her hooves, resting and trying his best not to look as anxious as they both felt. Her sister was besides her, eating the same cabbage and pea soup that she was eating, dunking haybuns in it to soak up the liquid. Nightmare Moon was at the head of the table, surrounded on all sides by unicorns brandishing tomes and struggling desperately to talk over each other and be the one to get the ruler's attention. Something about the books seemed familiar, but her true focus was on her mother.

Nightmare Moon seemed to ignore her and her sister, making the occasional comment to the unicorns. They talked of spell matrixes, original magic lines, sacrifices, extermination and magical charges. Half the words they used were so far beyond what she was used to, that they gave her a headache. Even her sister seemed to be tuning them out. She wished she could do the same, but she had no idea when a word would be important. Unfortunately, she heard plenty of words, even ones she knew. But there were so many other words mixed in that she couldn't grasp them and all they did was make her head throb.

“Perhaps setting up a stabilization array and shunting any excess power through non-bending unicorns would allow the more important ponies, our benders, more control and relief in case there are any fluctuations.”

Rarity took a feeble bite of her haybun and tried to decipher that last sentence. It made sense, tampering with Discord couldn't be an easy task. After all, magics like this had... never been used before. Unfortunately, her knowledge on magic didn't go much further than bending, locating gems and telekinesis. She knew about as much about magical arrays as a bunny would airships.

“How many ponies will be lost from the spell?” the ruler asked, her eyes narrowed slightly.

“If all our measurements are correct, there should be no fatalities. However, if there array shatters and the backlash can't be correctly divided amongst the ponies casting the spell, the weakest ponies could be lost. The energies required for such a monolithic spell will be beyond anything most ponies will be used to. The chances of there being some feedback issues or faltering in everypony's steps are quite high.”

Rarity opened her mouth to object. She didn't understand how such a spell could work, but they couldn't just throw away the lives of their ponies so needlessly. She paused for a moment, slowly closing her lips as shame flooded down her stomach. Last time she'd objected, her mother had banished her. She couldn't bring herself to risk it again.

“If there are feedback problems, will the spell still succeed?” Nightmare asked, slowly moving a grape around on her plate.

“Oh, yes. Once the spell is initiated, it will be near impossible to stop. It'll only need to happen once, so even with plenty of casualties your goals will succeed. I doubt even the avatar, were she still alive, could stop it.”

Rarity's stomach recoiled and she had to take a few seconds to catch her breath. She then pushed out from the table. “I... I'm not feeling well. May I be excused?”

The ruler looked up and cocked an eye. She then waved a hoof. “Very well, if you're feeling ill take as much time as required to recover. If you feel unable to finish your work, find a pony to tend to it.” Her tone was dismissive and she didn't wait for the princess to respond before getting back to her unicorns.

“O-of course mother,” Rarity said, before slowly walking from the hall, holding Spike in her magic. Once the door closed behind her, she closed her eyes and took deep, calming breaths. She was home. She should have been the happiest she'd ever been. Not long ago, she had been happy. She reached a hoof up to touch her neck. All before that element had appeared.

“You got rid of the necklace I made you,” a voice accused from behind her. She turned to stare at her sister, standing by the now propped open door.

“What?”

“The necklace Spike and I made you,” Sweetie said softly. “You've lost it. I noticed how you've been touching your neck a lot.”

“What? No. I've just put it away for safe keeping,” Rarity said quickly. She glanced back to Spike, though to her surprise he was asleep.

“Did... you not like it?” the younger princess asked, voice filled with hurt. “Was it not shiny enough? Not precious enough? Did you want something with more jewels? More expensive? I could--”

“No,” Rarity sad quickly, before turning and walking to her sister. A hoof wrapped around the mare's back and pulled her in close, letting the door shut. “It is my most precious possession and I put it away for safe keeping. I can't bear the thought of something damaging it, since it was a gift from my favorite little sister and my favorite little dragon. Don't every think I don't value that necklace.”

Sweetie stared up for a few moments, before a smile spread across her lips. “Do you promise?”

“Of course.”

“Okay...” The younger princess glanced down at Spike. “You... don't care more about him, than you do about me, do you?”

“Of course not,” Rarity said quickly. “You're my precious little sister. Nothing could ever be more valuable to me.”

Sweetie smiled and nodded. “Okay. Ummmm... are you still not feeling well?”

Rarity nodded. “I... think I'm going to go lay down for a while. I feel a little weak.”

“Okay...” Sweetie looked up at the mare, before leaning up to give a little nuzzle. “I'll see you later then. We... really need to find a way we can spend more time together. Why do we both have to be so busy all the time?”

The elder princess nuzzled back with a nod. “Mother has lots for us to do. Don't worry, we'll be able to see each other later,” she whispered, before turning and trotting away. Her stomach shook with each step as the words her mother said rang through her head. It wasn't bad enough that Nightmare Moon had to kill their enemies, she had to kill their own ponies in her quest to control Discord's power? Why couldn't she just leave it be? She couldn't imagine anything good ever coming from such a dark and wicked source.

------

The sun had nearly completed its descent when the Twilight and her friends came within sight of the ship. Their guide, who they now knew as Goldenbeak, had brought them straight there. It was nowhere near as impressive as they'd expected, its balloon patched up heavily and covered in thick layers of a sticky goo. The ship itself was cracked and broken in over a dozen places, with large chunks of wood nailed and bound on it, to keep it in semi-flying shape. Still, it flew the pirate's flag and that was all they'd need.

“Well, I suppose it'll still work,” Rainbow mumbled. “How long do you want us to wait, Goldbeak?”

The griffon shrugged. “Oh, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes for the captain to prepare for your arrival. I'll signal you when he's ready.” She smiled and spread her wings out, taking to the sky and soaring to the ship.

“You know, everything is really going our way, for once,” Rainbow muttered. “What do you wanna bet we run into a fleet of Water Nation ships on the way?”

Everypony turned and glared at her, making her chuckle nervously. “H-hey, it was just a joke. I doubt that'll really happen. Heh heh. Everyone just relax.”

“Don't you go temptin' fate,” Applejack mumbled, before looking back up into the sky. The griffon was flapping her wings while dangling off the side of the ship. “Ah think that's the signal. Yah all ready?”

“As ready as we'll ever be,” Rainbow muttered. “I'll take Applejack, do you two think you can bring Pinkie?”

The two other winged ponies nodded their heads and grabbed Pinkie. Together, the five ponies took to the sky, flying through the air and making it to the ship. Despite Fluttershy and Twilight working together, Rainbow beat them to the ship and dropped the earth bender down on the deck. She took a quick look around.

The ship was manned by pegasi and griffons only, moving about the deck and eying them closely. Each one had a sword on their hips, though the pegasi blades were practically daggers compared to the ones the griffons carried. Hooves and talons rested closely to hilts as they moved about and the way they watched the two made Rainbow nervous. Judging by the way Applejack was tensing up, she figured she wasn't alone. Quite a few were waiting in the rafters above and she imagined there were even more hiding below decks.

A few moments later the rest of their party landed on the deck and Twilight called out. “Greeting! I am Twilight, the avatar. A pleasure to meet you. I take it Goldenbeak has explained our situation to you?”

“Indeed she has,” a pegasus with a brown coat said as he stepped forward. “I must say, it was quite fortunate of you to find us here.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. We weren't sure how we'd find where all you pirates were hiding. We're very fortunate to have found you. So you'll take us to where the others are?”

The stallion shook his head. “Oh, no. We won't be doing that. NOW!” He stomped his hoof down and the pegasi above moved quickly, dropping a net down onto the five. “Mwa ha ha ha! You fools, do you have any idea what you're worth? The Water Nation would give enough bits and treasure for all of us to retire with our own personal islands! Why would we... would we...” He trailed off as the net was gripped in Twilight's magic, lifted up and off the ponies, and tossed over the side of the boat. “Oh. Right. Alicorn.”

“Yes,” Twilight said with an annoyed growl as fire formed on the tip of her horn. She stomped her hoof down. “I want you to think long and hard about who we are and decide quickly. The chances of the Water Nation honoring any agreement they make with you is slim to none. Do you really feel like risking your lives trying to take us down, with such a meager chance of reward?”

The stallion stared at them for a moment, before smirking. “You're valuable. The Water Nation wouldn't be dumb enough to risk losing you once we have you prisoner. Get 'em boys! Kill the others if you have to, but we need the avatar alive!”

The pegasi and griffons drew their blades and charged down. The group scattered, forcing the fliers to move with them.

Pinkie headed off to the right, two griffons diving at her and brandishing their swords. The first sliced down, though the mare suddenly pulled back, avoiding the blade as her hoof reached into her hair. A moment later a glint of metal caught the griffon's attention, before it was blasted away in an explosion of confetti. The second griffon swiped at her head. She spun in close, gripping the griffon's arm with one hoof while her other reached out to wrap around the flier's back, pulling the confused griffon into a sudden dance. She spun him once, before sending him hurtling into his dazed and confused comrade.

Fluttershy looked up as a pegasus flew down at her, blade ready. She shrieked and covered her head, causing the pegasus to freeze in mid air for a moment, before very, very, very, very lightly reaching down to poke her with his sword. All of a sudden there was a white blur as the last thing the poor pony remembered seeing was a little doom bunny.

Two griffon's and a pegasus flew down at Twilight, though a sudden burst of fire singed their feathers and sent them hurtling back, yelping with pain and flying behind the mast. Which left them easy targets for Rainbow, who flew through the air like a bolt of lightning, slamming into anything that dared to argue against her dominance of the sky.

Applejack quickly backed away as two of the pegasi pursued her, brandishing swords in their mouths and swiping at her as she went. She nimbly ducked and weaved between them, but was unable to launch a counter attack. That was until she bumped into something, forcing her to stop. The two pegasi backed off for a moment, confident in their sudden victory as she glanced back at the large crates. There were easily three times her size, filled with who knew what. She grinned for a moment before bucking the first one, sending it flying and toppling the second onto her back. Her attackers stared in confusion... until it landed on her back and with a powerful heave, she sent it toppling forward onto them, smashing the two pegasi into the ground and spilling the contents, vegetables, across the deck.

The captain stared at the mess in front of him, his mouth hanging open as his crew was soundly trumped. He growled and stomped his hooves. “Everypony! Get them!” The doors from below deck opened, revealing more pegasi and griffons. A second later a crate slammed into the door, blocking it and trapping the pirates below decks.

“Errrrr...” the captain said, staring down for a moment. “This... didn't go how I expected...” he mumbled. “G-get up you pathetic parrots! We have an avatar to capture!”

“Get her yourself, you bilging wind bag!” one of the scorched griffons yelled.

The captain yelped as the five turned their eyes on him. “So then,” Twilight said before taking a step forward. “Will you take us to the other pirates?”

“If... if you want my help you'll... you'll have to earn it through rite of combat!” the pegasus said quickly. “One on one!”

Twilight cocked an eye. “Very well.” Fire began to gather on the tip of her horn.

The pirate let out a yelp and took a step back. “Wait, wait wait wait! The rite of combat is very, very specific! No benders allowed and only pegasi or griffons!” He said, before looking between Fluttershy and Rainbow. A grin formed on his lips quickly, before he pointed towards the yellow mare. “She'd have to be the one to face me.”

“What? NO!” Rainbow growled, stepping forward and stomping a hoof down. “Not a chance. If you wanna fight somepony, I'll take you down!”

“Nope, has to be her. Those are my conditions if you want my help. Otherwise you can find them yourself,” the stallion said as he took a step back, eying them warily.

Rainbow growled and narrowed her eyes. “Let's just wreck the airship an--”

“I'll do it,” Fluttershy said softly, lifting her head up.

“WHAT?!” her friends said in unison, staring at her.

“I... I'll do it,” she repeated. “I... I said I wouldn't-- eep!” She flailed a bit as Rainbow grabbed and dragged her off.

“Fluttershy, don't. I know you want to help and prove yourself, but this is silly. He's got an actual sword, you'll get hurt. You're not trained like me and Applejack, or even Pinkie.”

“I... I'm trained.”

“You're trained in healing. Not in fighting. Just leave this to us. We can--” She was cut off by a hoof pressed to her mouth.

“Rainbow... no. I... I have to do this. I... I can't spend my whole life hiding behind everypony else.” Fluttershy pulled her hoof back. “Please... don't stop me. Just this once... let me do what I can to help.”

“But--”

“Please.”

“... Fine. But if things look like they're getting bad, I'm coming in to cream that guy. You got it?”

“I know...” Fluttershy gave her a hug. “Thank you.” She then pulled back and trotted towards the captain. “Okay. I'll fight you.”

“Wait, really? I mean, of course! If you win I'll take you straight to our hide out. However, when you lose you must leave my ship for good, do I make myself clear? No more... trashing anything.” He looked between the five, a little sweat forming on his brow.

“Fine,” Fluttershy said, before digging her hooves firmly into the ground. “W-when do we start?”

“Now,” the captain yelled, before drawing his sword in his mouth and charging. She yelped and turned, running away down the deck.

“Ahhhhhh!” she shrieked. Her friends face hoofed.

The captain merely laughed as he chased her around the ship, taking to the air and diving at her. She dove away to the side, making the stallion hit nothing but air. However, his pursuit's soon left her trapped against the corner of the ship, her back to the edge. He moved the blade to his wing and laughed. “Go, let us take our fight to the air!”

“I... ummm... b-but we're really high up,” Fluttershy said nervously. She glanced over the edge and whimpered, her wings locking at her side.

He stared. His eyes slowly widened... before he fell over, laughing. “You're afraid of heights?” he called out, laughing so hard he couldn't get up. His crew soon joined him.

“Okay, that's it,” Rainbow said with a growl, flying forward but getting caught by the tail. “Hey, let me go!” She was yanked back to the ground and her tail was released.

“No. Yah told Fluttershy yah'd let 'er handle this, an' that's just what we're gonna do,” Applejack said firmly. She then glanced back out towards them and called out. “Come on, Fluttershy! You can do it! Show that sorry excuse for an over sized canary what for!”

“Yeah!” Twilight yelled next, lifting a hoof up. “You can do it! You've fought far worse things than him! You stared down the Great Dragon, you can take down a smart mouthed pirate!”

Pinkie giggled and hopped up and down. “You can do it! Remember what Boneless said earlier!” Her friends stared at her. “What? He said never give up.”

“Squeak!” Angel said, pounding a foot on the deck.

Rainbow sighed, but slowly stood back up. “Come on, Fluttershy! You've been with us since we started this quest! You're stronger, faster and braver than you know! He's just some jerk stealing food from the old and wounded!”

The stallion chuckled and shook his head. “What could this pathetic excuse for a-- eep!” He froze up as suddenly Fluttershy was mere inches from his face. Her eyes staring intently into his.

“That's right! You've been doing nothing but, but going around and being a big mean bother! Stealing from ponies who barely have enough to tend to themselves, stealing from their neighbors, hurting all those poor, defenseless ponies and taking whatever you please. You... you've been nothing but a bad pony!”

“I... I... Hah!” the stallion yelled, stabbing at her with his sword. She stepped to the side and smacked his wing as it went by, making him drop the blade with a yelp. She hefted it up with her wing and kept glaring at him. He made a little whimper.

“You're just a big MEANIE!” She snapped. Then spanked him on the side with the flat of the sword. He yelped and jumped up.

“OW! Hey, you can't--” She spanked him again, making him jump back. “Stop that!”

“No! You've been been a naughty, no good, bad pony!” she snapped and glared, before chasing after him, brandishing the sword. He yowled and ran, though not fast enough as she continued to spank him with the flat of the blade. He finally tried hiding behind one of the griffons.

“I give! You win! I'll take you, just keep that mad pegasus away from me!”

“You'll take us? What else?” Fluttershy asked, raising the sword threateningly.

“I-I won't steal from ponies any more!”

“Good,” Fluttershy said with a hmph. The air filled with the sound of laughing ponies as the crew broke down. “What's so funny?” the pegasus snapped, turning her gaze on them. The laughter died almost instantly as the crew let out nervous gulps. “That's what I thought. Now, let's get going.” She tossed the sword on the ground.

“Aye aye,” one of the ponies said. After a few moments the captain came out from hiding, his eyes narrowed.

“Well, you won fair and... you won. I suppose I have no choice but to keep my side of the deal,” the captain mumbled before trotting out. “I'm captain Thunderlane. Welcome to my ship. Don't light anything on fire...” he grumbled before picking up his sword and storming off, his head hanging.

Fluttershy watched him, guilt forming in her heart. “Ummmm... mister Thunderlane. You really were doing a good job, honest,” she said softly. “You really had me on the ropes there.”

“Yeah yeah...”

“No, really,” she said before flying over and patting his back. Rainbow reached out to stop her, but Applejack smacked the speedster's hoof away. “You really almost won. You're a really good fighter and I really thought you were going to have me for a bit there...”

“... Really?” he asked, perking up.

“Oh, of course. Everypony thinks so. Right?” She glanced to the crew, giving them another glare. They quickly started nodding.

“Oh, yeah cap'n! We really thought yah had her.”

“Totally. You had her on the ropes and everything. Could have been anypony's fight.”

“Just bad luck, is all. Next time for sure.”

Thunderlane smiled and perked up. “Yeah. You're right! I totally could have had her.” He stomped a hoof down. “Next time for sure! Now, pull up the anchor! We're heading out! Back to Deathrattle beach!”

The crew let out a cheer and, within a few moments, the ship took off.

------

Rarity laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. How could she stop any of this? Her mother could kill hundreds, possibly thousands. Soon the entire world would be in her control, assuming the spell worked. How could any of this do the world any good? Why was she so helpless to stop it? She wanted to, she longed to have the courage to run into her mother's room, slap her across the face and yell 'don't be an idiot! You can't control Discord!' She knew she'd never have the courage though. Just the idea of standing up to her mother made her skin crawl. And she knew, if she actually tried it, she'd likely lose her skin. Instead she just laid on her bed and stroked her neck.

“You've chosen the wrong pony...”

“I don't think so,” Spike said, making her jump.

“Spike? I thought you were sleeping...”

“I was. Why do you think it's... chosen the wrong pony?”

“I just... I mean. I don't deserve it. You... know what I've done. Who I've killed. What I'm a part of. Just look at who my mother is. How could somepony connected to all that, possibly be one of the good ponies?” She reached out and stroked his back. “I... I'm obviously one of the bad guys.”

“I don't think you are...” He smiled at her. “I think you're just confused and waiting to join the avatar. Look at all the good things you've done.”

“Killed the avatar.”

“Probably failed at it.”

“Can't stop my mother.”

“That's Twilight's job. Besides, you've saved the avatar before, too.”

“Only so I could capture her myself! I only--” She was cut off by a sudden pounding on the door. “Who is it?” she yelled.

“Sister, it's me!” Sweetie answered.

Rarity sighed and shook her head, before opening the door. “Yes?”

Sweetie trotted over happily, pushing the little dragon aside as he let out a yelp. “Big sister! I have great news!”

Rarity stared, glancing over at the fallen Spike for a moment. “What... news?”

“I'm going to teach you poison bending!”

“W-what? But--”

“it's brilliant, isn't it? We haven't had enough time to spend together, now we have the perfect excuse!”

“But... I could already use poison bending,” Rarity said softly.

Sweetie nodded before winking. “Oh, I know. But I can help you develop it. Mother would have no reason to object to us training together if we were developing that, now would she?”

Rarity shook her head. “I... I guess not.”

“Good! We'll start tomorrow!” The younger princess then gave her sister a hug, before happily trotting off, her head held high.

Spike looked up, cocking an eye. “What's wrong? Why'd you turn so pale?”

The princess took a deep breath. “I... haven't tried poison bending since I received... you. I... don't even know if I can any more. If I can't... Sweetie's going to get very suspicious.”

“Oh...”

Rarity watched the now empty door, only looking away to help Spike back onto the bed. If Sweetie did find out, what would she do? Would that side of her try to.... corrupt her again?

Comments

[eric-emanwu]

Well, that's a bullet dodged rarity. Lucky check. Though I can already see the vultures circling as we get closer and closer to the summer sun celebration. AKA what was going to be nightmare moon's greatest triumph turned the great reversal of love AKA the point of truth.

Anyhow, things certainly were starting to accelerate for her. Team Avatar on the other hand hit something between a hiccup and an epiphany. So, let's take a look at...trap.

The chapter in question deals with traps of multiple kinds. The Avatar's team is a literal trap, Though considering they're being taken to other pirates, who wants to bet they'll run into gilda again, find the rest of the armada, and are now set for the great battle. Or something like that. And Shy the comically awesome with her guardian angel keeping things steady. And one of RD's bullies? Oh my.

More importantly though, they've looked to the socioeconomic now, rather than the nationalistic. They now will fight for the water nation just as much as they do for all the other nations. So, their journey nears terminal velocity.

However, it's in rarity's journey that I see how your practice in combining ponies and avatars are the best. In this case, it looks like Rarity's just had her "meeting where her mind was finally changed" with her mom discussing aspell that will bring about death. However, in a more surprising twist, I really feel like there's a bit of that bloodbending episode with sweetie taking rarity to learn that forbidden art. Now rarity will be able to do both: bend the poison of hate and control with the blood of power. This ought to be good. Oh, and it also looks like pinkie's putting her party dancing to good use already.

And spike is going to be the final step: finally seeing the compassion she possesses, he's finally ready to prep her to step up, be strong, and finally join team avatar harmony.