Under Loyalty's Flag

by Gapeagle

Chapter 6: Baltimare

"Land sighted! It's Baltimare!"

The Ragnarok crew gave a cheer and some threw their hats in the air. Seagulls and pelicans flew around the tall masts of the brig. Rainbow steered the ship towards the docks. They passed a massive fort on a peninsula. The fort was armed with many cannons and mortars. On the top of the fort was a statue of Empress Luna in a elegant dress. Her right arm was holding a flag poll that waved an Imperial flag. The statue was very large and well-made. It was all perfected by the late afternoon sun. Rainbow gazed at it. Caramel stood beside her and pointed at it.

"That be Fort Moonlight. It's the second largest fort in the Empire. Second to Fort Fillydelphia. This fort guards the entrance to Horseshoe Bay which is right around this edge of land."

Rainbow turned the ship around the peninsula. Once the rocks and palm trees were out of the way, she could see the city in its entire splendor. From the Bay, she could already tell that Baltimare was a much livelier place than Manehatten. The city had a white beach all along the Bay. The buildings varied in architectural design. Many buildings were different colors, like blue, green, red, or orange. Most buildings were a baked tan, as they were made of clay. Though she could see many brick buildings. Tall spires rose formed the Baltimare skyline. Some buildings had black or blue domes on their roofs. Smoke rose from several places. Rainbow assumed they were from factories or some sort of facility. The best and most brilliant part was the water. The water was clear green. It was not like the brown waters of Manehatten, these invited one to swim in them.

"How do you like it so far, Miss Dash?" Caramel asked.

"It looks great. Uhh....Where do I put her?"

"Doesn't matter. How about over there? There's an empty pier."

Rainbow stood on the tips of her toes to see what Caramel was pointing at. She then adjusted their course. They were still going at full sail.

"Lay off the wind lads! Prepare to dock!" Caramel shouted.

The sailors pulled the ropes and the sails retracted to their yards. Rainbow stuck her tongue out and eased the Ragnarok passed the other ships in the port. One such ship was larger than even the galleons in the bay. It was black with dark blue sails. The sails had a bright crescent moon on them. Luna's Moon. The massive ship was anchored in the middle of the Bay. Rainbow could tell that it was much too large to dock. It also was prepared for war with at least 5 decks of cannons. And more cannons on each deck than a galleon. The sight was impressive but also extremely intimidating.

"What is that?" Rainbow asked.

"Ah, that is the ELS Artemis. She's one of two Equestrian conqueror ships. They serve as the Two Sisters' personal flagships. So I assume that Empress Luna is in Baltimare right now."

"ELS?"

Caramel huffed. "Empress Luna's Ship. I know, kinda vain right? But, they have been ruling for several centuries now, I guess they can have this much."

"Dock's comin' close sir!" A pirate shouted in fright.

"We're gonna crash!"

Rainbow returned her attention to her current task. She saw the pier right in front of them and steered to the side. She barely missed the wooden pier and brought the Ragnarok to its side. The ship stopped as the sailors roped her safely to the dock. They were finally on land after six days of seafaring.

"Haha, that was too close. If you had hurt my ship..." Caramel didn't finish the sentence as Rainbow ran from the quarter deck. She was excited to see such a city. She heard her captain again when she was about to jump on the pier.

"Miss Dash!" Caramel yelled at her. "Ya can't leave yet. We need to unload the cargo and get settled."

"Cargo? You mean the Element?" She asked.

Caramel raised a finger to his lips. "Shush! We keep that quiet ya hear? No, we need to unload the other cargo so that we'll look like normal traders."

"Oh..."

The sailors began to walk back and forth from below deck. Some sailors came out with barrels of rum and cider. Two sailors set up a gangway to the pier. Rainbow did not really know what to do. She had never been in this situation before and the curiosity of the city was burning at her.

"What should we do with the prisoner?" A pirate asked.

"Keep her in there for now. We need her in a secure place from the Brotherhood." Caramel answered.

"Sir, Royal Guard here to talk with ya!" Another sailor shouted.

Caramel sighed and walked onto the pier. Three Royal Guards were standing waiting for him. The Royal Guard in the middle had a different type of armor. His armor was reversed in colors from the primary gold and secondary blue. His crest was not a blue feathers but instead a spiked fin. Rainbow assumed this showed his rank. Caramel stopped in front of them and placed his hands on his hips. The white from his robes reflected the sun into Rainbow's eyes. The blue Royal Guard spoke to the captain.

"G'day captain! I am Lieutenant Lazarus of the Night Watch. State your business to be on this dock."

"We're here to drop rum and cider off for the Black Dragon Inn."

"How long do you think you shall be here?" Lazarus asked in his professional manner.

"Don't know. Mistress Swirl likes to send us on little errands through town. We may be here a few days or a few weeks."

"You better clear that up with her." The Night Watch ordered. "Or I shall have to confiscate your ship if you outlast your stay."

Caramel snarled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." The lieutenant swiftly turned and walked away with the Royal Guards flanking either side of him.

"Damn cocksucker." Caramel muttered as he returned to his ship. "Change of plan lads, we gotta make good time. Get going. Neon, Miss Dash, find us a hideout. We can't leave our stuff here."

Rainbow walked across the gangway and she saw that Neon Lights. Neon was bandaged all along his stomach and chest from the boarding. He could still move rather well for being injured. She followed him closely to the captain. He looked back at her and smiled before facing Caramel.

"What shall we look for cap'n?" He asked Caramel.

"A nice cozy compound along the shore or something like that. Somewhere not too crowded."

Neon nodded. "Gotcha. What if we don't find a vacancy?"

"Then make one." Caramel answered and walked away.

Neon and Rainbow ran off the pier and onto land. The sea breeze blew through their hair and the sand reached their toes. The townspeople walked about and chatted. The men and women here wore much brighter clothing than in dull Manehatten. They were also more exposing due to the warmth of the area. The women wore more scantily clothing than Rainbow had ever seen before. Neon grinned at this. Rainbow tapped him on his shoulder.

"Any ideas where to start?"

Neon rubbed his chin. "Let's go this way. There are some fields over on the south side of town."

They entered the streets and made their way south. The city surrounded them with sights, sounds, and smells. Drunks walked about holding their mugs and bottles. Women giggled as they gossiped on the street corners. Seagulls laughed out at the people and squawked for food. Royal Guards talked as they patrolled the streets. Most of them were in Night Watch uniforms. Rainbow assumed this was due to the Empress being in the city.

"They should be here any day, Applejack. That is, if they truly intercepted Silverspeed."

Rainbow and Neon stopped and looked down a street. There were two female Assassins, one much taller than the other. The taller had blonde hair and green eyes. Her dark gray and orange robes were more of armored steel than silk. A large ax was slung over here back. The woman who spoke to her had much finer white robes. The silk robes were designed with Canterlot floral patterns and light blue jewels lined on her belt. A Crystal Republican rapier with a golden hand-guard rested on her hip. Rainbow could only see a purple curl of hair from the white hood. Her figure was more delicate than the blonde. She spoke with a haughty accent.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, darling. We will get Loyalty back; bet on it." The white Assassin finished.

"They already know." Neon whispered. "We better hurry."

Neon tugged on Rainbow's shirt and they continued through the city. The young woman was alarmed by the appearance of the Assassins. Already? They must have had more influence in the city than she had thought. They passed a large building with spires in every corner. In front of the building was a spacious plaza full of merchant stalls. Most of the stalls smelled of fish.

"This is the City Square. The Governor likes to come out here and declare the new regulations and stuff. Politics. I never got them."

"Governor?"

"Governor Mare. She's a Templar, well, we think she is. Kinda acts like one. She ain't too bad though. Except when she bans certain drinks. Usually ends in riots."

"Well....That's something." It was the only thing Rainbow found to say.

They passed the city square in little time. The city was not as large as Manehatten, but it was less crowded and the homes seemed to be built soundly. However, as they headed to the south side, the streets and homes became more and more poverty-stricken. It was almost an instant change. Vagrants lined the streets with their pipes and rags. The sandy streets turned into dried mud and clay. The houses were unkempt and some were even roofless.

"Sad ain't it?" Neon asked. "You see, this is where Caramel started his nation. He was born in Ponyville, but this was where his father lived. They call this the "Gutter." It's like this due to the Assassin and Templar war. The Assassins use gangs and other thugs to do their more trivial work and to control territory. The Templar use corrupt officials to dominate the people. It's always been the worse down in the Gutter. Caramel's father told this to him and gave him his ship. Sun's Pearl. Ever since, Caramel's been well, Caramel."

"Can't we help them?" Rainbow asked and gestured at the woeful people before her.

"I don't know. We do what we can out at sea, but, we don't fight on land. Caramel's hoping to build a fleet with all the wealth he gathers. It's a long-term plan."

"Does he want us to be captains?"

"Aye, all of us. He tries to train everyone to be a captain so that they'll get their own ship and sail with him. But, that was years ago, I think he's forgotten about Baltimare's problems and his plans."

The two passed by a couple of shady fellows. They did not look Assassin, but their style of dress suggested they were wealthier than those around them. Their colors were mainly red. Rainbow noticed that they were armed with some sort of metal and wooden stick. She had never seen anything like it before. Neon stopped her and pointed at them.

"Templars. We're close, so let's follow these goons."

As soon as he finished his sentence, the Templars started to walk away. Neon gestured to Rainbow to take the roofs. Rainbow acknowledged and climbed. The Templars were chatting as they walked at a quick pace. Rainbow silently jumped from roof to roof while Neon stalked from the homeless crowds.

"Did ya hear? The Governor is upset with all the violence lately. Says the Royal Guard ain't doin' their jobs. I think mercenaries are gonna be the new guards here in no time."

"C'mon Maxwell, ya paranoid. City's doing fine. Yeah we got rogues here, but what city don't? It'll blow by like tempest. One moment it's here, the next it's gone."

Rainbow silently jumped across a gap in the buildings. A curious cat ran off scared from her intrusion. She peered down the street. The Templars were heading to the edge of the city. Probably to a plantation of some kind Rainbow concluded. All she could really see was a wooden watchtower. She climbed up to a taller roof.

One soldier sighed. "Can you believe it? We get a job here in the hot and muck while Hunter gets to go to Dodge Junction. Pfft."

"C'mon Max, do ya really think that Dodge Junction is any better? At least we got nice water here. Don't get me started on the girls."

"You always prattle about women, Conner! Women only get ya into trouble. That's why the Assassins have so many of 'em!"

"Well....You do make a point..." Maxwell trailed off.

Rainbow paused. She did see plenty of gals on the Assassin ship. Those two Neon and her spotted were both women. Maybe there was something up with that. After the pause, she shrugged. The roof she was on ended. There was no house nearby for her to jump on. She instead climbed down the wall. The Baltimare homes were more smooth and slippery than the Manehatten abodes even when wet. Manehatten buildings always had boards or windows jutting out to make easy foot or hand holds. She didn't have too much trouble and landed noiselessly in the sand. She knew how to be silent from her younger days of pilfering bread or snacks from people in Cloudsdale.

Neon ran to a small hut and hid behind it. The Templars stopped suddenly. Rainbow turned away and acted unsuspicious as possible. The soldiers saw her and raised their brows. One took a step forward but was held back by his companion.

"Max, she's got rainbow hair. I don't think we should mess with her. Probably a loony one." He said.

The two turned and continued their trek. They were almost to the plantation. Rainbow turned to follow but the sound of Neon grunting made her stop. She looked at him with confusion. He gestured for her to come over. She did so slowly.

"Rainbow, this is the Miser's Fields. The ones I talked about were just east of here. These fields weren't occupied last time I was here. Something's made the Templars take it over."

She glanced around the hut to see the fields. "What do we do? Cap'n said to take them if need be."

"I know, but there could be dozens of soldiers there. The Templar always got new lines of devices up their sleeves too. Our swords jus' ain't gonna cut it."

"Then what do we do? Go back to the ship?" Rainbow asked again with impatience.

"Naw. Caramel won't like that. Hey, remember those two Assassins? Maybe we can lure them here to fight them for us?"

"No, cause then we're need to deal with them too. They looked tough. Well, only one. The other looked like some Canterlot damsel." Rainbow said as she recalled the women.

"Only one thing to do. Take them out one by one. We gotta infiltrate it." He paused and looked at Rainbow. "You'll need a hood. The whole city can see hair like that."

---

"Alright already! The sun's almost down and I'm sure Caramel's gettin' impatient. Let's go already!" Rainbow loudly whispered.

"Ya know, the impatient ones are the ones caught!" Neon whispered back in the same manner.

"We gotta make a plan." He continued. "You see those bushes over there? Ya sneak that why. I'll go this way. Stay close though. If we raise the alarm, just run. You're one of the fastest girls I've ever met. It won't be hard for ya to get away."

"What happens if they come close? I don't I can pull them down with my bare hands. I'm too sma...Not big enough for that."

Neon grunted and pointed at her wrists. Rainbow looked down to see the Assassin wrist blades. "Oh..."

"Let's go. Quietly."

Neon silently moved to the edge of the fields. Rainbow followed. The fields were high with tall sugarcane and other plants as well. Since the day was almost done, no one was working the fields, leaving only the night guards on watch. Rainbow could count at least seven soldiers, one being a bird's eye on the shoddily built watch tower. The two moved up again to the bushes Neon mentioned.

"Alright, here's where we separate." Neon reminded her.

Rainbow nodded and went left while Neon went right. So far they had not been spotted. Rainbow hid in a bush to avoid detection. The bush was thick and rather spiky, giving the young pirate sharp pains in her exposed arms.

"Of course it would be bloody uncomfortable..." She mumbled.

She spied Neon moving up. There were no guards near her so she followed his example. she pulled the hood she bought from a vagrant over her head. With the sun below the horizon, all she had to do was avoid light. She lowered herself to all fours and crawled from the bush to a pile of discarded wood. As she sat behind the pile, she heard a loud cough come from the other side. There was a Templar right across from the pile. Her heart sunk upon this realization. She turned to look for Neon, but he was out of sight.

"Think..." She quietly muttered.

She picked up a small stone in her hand. She silently prayed and then threw it off in the distance. The stone tumbled and cracked upon its landing. The Templar stirred a little.

"Eh, dumb rabbits." He said lazily.

Rainbow huffed in frustration. She chanced being seen and slowly rose to look over the pile. Once her eyes could see over, the dark form of a soldier was clearly in front of her. He had his back to her, leaning on the odd stick that the others were carrying. His head was rolling around on his neck. It was like his neck was not strong enough to hold it up. The young pirate squinted at him. She could just walk over to him, but another soldier may see her. She had to make him move his sleepy hide.

"Psst!" She hissed loudly.

"Huh?" The soldier stood erect and look around.

Rainbow fell back behind the pile. "Psst!" She repeated.

"What kinda hellish creature is that?"

The Templar started to walk toward the pile. Rainbow felt his footsteps in the ground. Because of her size, the Templar could not see her from the other side. If Neon was hiding behind the pile, he would have been rather easy to spot.

"I know I heard something..."

The Templar rounded the pile. His eyes widened upon seeing her figure. Rainbow sprung from her low position onto him. She wrapped her legs around his torso and jammed the wrist blade into his screaming mouth. The soldier leaned forward with one last effort and the two fell to the ground. Rainbow escaped from under the bleeding man and shoved his corpse to the side.

"Guh...That was nastier than I thought. Next time I aim for the throat. Not his mouth!"

"Intruder! Intruder! Gah!"

Rainbow jumped up. She saw a Templar running across the field. Suddenly, a hatchet flew through the air and into his back. He fell into the sugarcane plants. Neon sprouted out of a bush and dusted his hands off. Rainbow could see his grin in the dark.

"Well, that's the last of 'em." He laughed.

"What? You said there were dozens!" Rainbow exclaimed.

He shrugged. "Miscount. Only was 14. No problem though."

"No problem? You know how long it took me to kill one? A single one!?"

"Aye. A bloody important one too. If ya didn't keep him distracted, he would have seen me too early. Remember Miss Dash, these guys ain't Assassins. They always got the numbers, but lack the skills. 14 Templar ain't no harder than cuttin' a head off a chicken. Heh, they run around in the same manner too!"

Rainbow frowned at him. He shrugged a second time and began to pick up the soldiers' weapons and gear. He didn't move the bodies at all. The young pirate could see his bandages in the dim light from the torches and lanterns. He did this while recovering from wounds. Her eye twitched.

"He's awesome..."

"What?" He looked at her.

"Nothing!" She said quickly.

He pointed at her with the arm of a soldier. "Go and tell Caramel we've got a place. Make it snappy alright? If he gets angry at us for being late, just remind him of the reason. You got that?"

She nodded. Neon returned to whatever he was doing. The sky still retained the pinkness of evening, but barely. She took a nearby torch to light her way. She was fast and speed counted here. Not only for Caramel's impatience, but she did not want to leave Neon alone. They had plenty of enemies in the city. She sighed and sprinted toward the docks. The blood from the soldier felt cold on her shirt. She made a mental note to get a new one.

~

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay. It's been awhile.

This story is still going, don't worry!

If ya are keeping up with Harmony's Creed, expect callbacks!

-Cheers for That!

Comments

[predatornc]

yay update!