Chapter VI: Hellfire
“Oi!” Indigo called as the longboat bumped up against the Crimson Heart. A rope ladder came over the railing for Indigo to seize and hoist herself up. Twilight followed behind her, book held tightly under her arm. Her heart still sat heavy in her chest over the potential destruction she had caused. Of a library no less! Arson, theft, aiding pirates! Even if Shining found her now, would he be able to give her amnesty from the law?
I did it all against my will! Twilight argued. They made me do it out of fear of death! Surely that would hold up in the courts. It had to!
She reached the deck finding only a handful of crew members working. At Indigo and Twilight’s appearance, a few of them took to tying the longboat up while others weighed anchor. Twilight stood awkwardly in the middle of the deck. Did she go back to her cabin and wait there, or go knock on Sunset Shimmer’s door?
Sugarcoat walked past her and glared. “I know that fire was an accident. Next time you make a distraction, do something that won’t get us all killed.”
Never before did Twilight have an urge to hit someone with a book. Sugarcoat’s comment made Twilight’s choice clear though. She was done dealing with pirates for tonight. All she wanted was her hammock and blanket. Her stomach made a small growl. I wouldn’t say no to food though.
The cabin door opened and Sunset strolled out. She paused for a moment, hood turned toward Hollow Shoals, then continued over to Indigo. “Please, Indigo,” she began in a monotone voice, “remind me what my instructions to you were.”
Twilight heard everyone on deck take a sharp inhale. Indigo kept her back straight, trying to look as strong as possible, but her eyes kept flickering away from Sunset. “Go to the library, get the book, and get out.”
“And?” Sunset growled.
“Do it without being seen?”
“Very good. So tell me, Indigo, why do I hear the city bell ringing if you managed to follow my instructions?”
Indigo began to sweat. “The guards never actually caught us. You see, we got to the library and we sort of ran into Rarity and some of her crewmates.” Indigo held her hands up as Sunset growled again. “But we got the book! Twilight just started a fire to create a distraction! None of the navy even saw us!”
Sunset rounded on Twilight, who held her book up like a shield. When nothing happened, Twilight peeked around it to see Sunset had turned back to Indigo, a red claw aimed at her neck. Indigo gave up trying to look brave and now stood paralyzed, eyes wide and shoulders shaking.
“Whether or not they saw you is irrelevant now,” Sunset whispered. “The alarm has been raised, and if they saw Rarity, there are still going to be ships patrolling the waters soon.” Her claw began to glow, casting a red shadow on Indigo’s neck. “Tell me, Indigo, do you enjoy breathing?”
Indigo whimpered.
“Answer the question!”
“Y-yes, Captain!”
Sunset pressed her claw forward, a twitch away from marking Indigo. “Pity,” Sunset said, a sadistic edge to her voice.
Twilight ran up to Indigo’s side and held her book up again. “Stop! It’s not her fault! I’m the one who started the fire! You don’t have to kill her!”
The ship fell dead silent, as if everyone, Twilight included, had forgotten how to breathe. What had come over her? Why was she trying to protect this random girl who acted only as one of her jailers? Whatever the reason, Twilight knew it would be the last action she took in this world.
Sunset lowered her claw from Indigo and instead pointed it at Twilight, pushing the book out of the way. “Are you trying to tell me how to run my ship, Sparkle?” she asked, so low, Twilight could barely hear her.
Twilight couldn’t stop herself from trembling uncontrollably, like her body had been submerged in ice water. “N-no, I j-just think killing your o-own crew is… a poor idea,” she said in the mousiest voice possible. She tried to raise her book again, but Sunset held a firm hand against it.
“A poor idea,” Sunset repeated.
“Captain!” the kid pirate from earlier shouted from the crow's nest. The tension broke and everyone took a momentary breath of relief, including Twilight. “There’s two ships… I mean, argh, two ships off the starboard… I think.”
If Sunset didn’t have her claws so close to Twilight’s throat, Twilight might have laughed. Sunset turned away and looked off the ship. She hissed and snapped her fingers. “Indigo, take the helm. The rest of you, evasive maneuvers and prepare the cannons in case they catch up.”
Everyone took off in a flurry of activity and rushed around Twilight. She jerked her head this way and that to see what they were all up to. Her body started to regain feeling and she backed up until she hit the cabin door. Logic dictated she retreated to her room. Morbid curiosity told her to stay put and see what happened.
A boom sounded through the night, and a flume of water erupted off the side of the ship. Another boom came from behind them, and another splash disrupted the previously calm waters.
“Looks like they’re skipping the negotiations!” Lemon Zest shouted, loading a cannon with a lead ball.
“Load every cannon on the port side!” Sunset said, marching up the stairs to stand behind Indigo. “Bring us around into firing range.”
“Aye, Captain.”
The ship leaned as Indigo spun it around. Twilight gripped the doorknob to keep herself steady but still didn’t retreat inside. The naval ships came into view, cannons at the ready. Twilight could see silhouettes scurrying about on the deck. Both ships were smaller and had less guns than the Crimson Heart, but they were sleeker and cut faster across the sea.
The wind pushed back against the sails, buffering them against the mast as the Crimson Heart turned away. They came to a crawl as they lined up with the other ship while the second continued to circle behind.
Sunset threw her arm out. “Fire when ready!”
Twilight covered her ears, using her book as a muffler as dozens of cannons boomed like thunder, leaving clouds of smoke behind. Through the haze, Twilight could see the naval vessel beginning to splinter, it’s starboard side filled with holes. Screams and shouts mixed in with the continuous cannon fire as the navy retaliated, letting off a barrage of their own. The Crimson Heart trembled, and the sound of fracturing wood snuck between Twilight’s fingers and the book’s pages.
“Damage to the port side, Captain,” someone shouted.
“I can see that, nimrod!” she shouted back. “Send them to the depths before they make it worse!”
“Enemy ship sneaking up on our starboard!” Sunny Flare shouted, gesturing with a telescope. “I think they’re trying to board!”
To Twilight’s right, the second ship closed in, using the last of the momentum the wind had given them. The Crimson Heart had come to a standstill, the wind completely against them. Cannon fire erupted, and one blasted through the second sail on the mainmast. Twilight pressed herself against the door, considering that perhaps now was the time to retreat.
A fountain of water exploded dangerously close to the ship, spraying her with seawater. She slipped inside the door, pausing to keep her balance as the ship rocked again. Below deck, she found the hallway in a state of chaos. Pirates ran back and forth, loading the cannons positioned at the portholes in each room. Debris cluttered the floor, and wisps of smoke curled out of the blast holes left behind by enemy fire.
Twilight lingered on the stairs, watching everyone scurry like busy ants. A splintering crack from somewhere beneath her gave her reason to continue onto her room, now occupied by two pirates manning a cannon. They flashed her a look of disdain and waved her away with nary a word.
She backed out into the hall wondering if the hull would be safe since her room had been commandeered. The stairs leading to the lower decks sat at the other end of the hall, across the cargo hatch and through the erupting chaos.
The wall exploded a few yards in front of Twilight, and she found herself on the floor, heart sputtering, and splinters and nails raining down around her. She threw her book in front of her face, and while it proved a viable shield there, shrapnel tore into her bare legs. Her ears pounded from the calamitous noise while the rest of her body had gone numb with shock.
Maybe there is no safe haven. She rolled over and pushed herself onto her feet, leaning on the wall while she regained her balance. Looking down, she saw trickles of blood running down her legs and staining the top of her socks. It stung more than anything, telling Twilight she had only received numerous shallow cuts. Looking around, it appeared none of the other pirates either noticed or cared she had almost been killed.
Twilight paled. She had almost been killed. If she had started walking any sooner, that ball of lead could have taken her apart! Her chest tightened, forcing her to take in air with tiny gasps. I almost died! I could still die! They’re still shooting at us! Where did she go? What did she do?
Another cannonball tore through the ship, further from Twilight this time. However, it didn’t exit the ship alone. It slammed into the back of one of the crew members, smashing him through the other wall and dragging him into the dark abyss with a horrified scream.
Twilight dropped her book, moving her hands to her mouth as she stared at the spot the pirate had stood. The crew took notice as well, grimacing and giving a moderate berth to where he had been hit, now sprinkled with blood. There was no mourning. The pirates resumed their attack as if he had never been there.
For Twilight, the world slowed to a crawl as the scene replayed in her mind. Someone had died! Blasted away by a ball of lead and fire right in front of her! Sure, she didn’t know him, but… She leaned her back against the door and placed a hand over her erratic heart. That could have been her moments before. She had come close to sharing his fate. What kind of world had she entered, where people could die right in front of her and everyone else hardly batted an eye?
Twilight reached her shaking and clammy hands down to retrieve her book. This was nothing like her stories, where dying characters got a monologue and a send off before they perished. Death was instantaneous and cruel. I need to get above deck. It would be no safer, but at least Twilight could see the chaos unfurling rather than be taken by surprise.
As she turned her head, she saw through one of the cannon-made holes, and her eye caught something moving into the sky and over the enemy ship. It flew in front of the moon, and Twilight saw its silhouette to be humanoid. Whatever it was, it had the rest of the crew enraptured as well, for they all stopped reloading the cannons to watch.
It raised its featureless arms over its head, palms to the sky. A ball of fire formed, growing ever larger with each second. The enemy cannons stopped, replaced by gunfire as the soldiers tried to shoot it down.
“Ignorant fools!” the figure shouted, its voice duel-toned. “You dare cross Sunset Shimmer? You dare to duel with my Crimson Heart? Feel the flames of damnation!” She moved her arms back, then flung them forward, sending the fireball hurtling straight into the center of the ship. It went off like a bomb, sending smaller fireballs scattering over everything else. Within a minute, flames engulfed the entire surface of the ship, sending plumes of smoke spiraling into the sky.
Twilight turned and threw herself up the stairs, moving as fast as she could to the deck. All the while, Sunset’s demonic laugh pounded against her eardrums. Twilight burst outside, finding everyone frozen in awe and fear as the ship off the starboard side burned on the water, devoured by the hungry flames Sunset had cast. On the other side, the second naval ship slowly sank beneath the waves, mast broken and bow destroyed by cannon fire.
The Crimson Heart basked in the orange light of the burning ship. A few brave souls returned to the cannons to finish the job of sinking it. Twilight watched some of the more fortunate soldiers jump into the ocean to escape the cascading flames. Everything and everyone else went up in smoke.
The tension on the ship tightened again, and Twilight tore her attention away in time to see Sunset descend upon the deck. Her cloak discarded, Twilight beheld her entire demonic form. Like her face, the rest of her skin was an angry sunburnt red. A flame patterned frock with a black center adorned her, cutting off just above her knees, and with no back, allowing her to freely spread her wings. They were black with red insides, and decorated with several holes. Waves of heat shimmered off her pointed black boots.
Everyone stepped back as far as they could, shaking and cowering as she looked over them. Twilight lifted a shivering arm, fighting the fear paralyzing her. She found the doorknob and gave it a twist. The door creaked as it opened, breaking the abrasive silence. Sunset turned her head to Twilight, the sclera of her eyes no longer white, but a black void empty of all human emotion. They locked Twilight down, freezing every muscle in her body. All she could do was wait for Sunset to burn her alive.
Sunset blinked. Then blinked again. She held her head and blinked a third time, the blackness of her eyes replaced once more with white. She glanced around the deck with… was that shame Twilight saw? Sunset scooped up her cloak and threw it over herself, bringing the hood up to cover her face.
“Someone check the damage to the lower deck and report back to me,” she said, her voice low and raspy.
Several of them, including Sour, scrambled below deck, while the rest got busy with cleaning up leftover debris. Twilight looked again to her left, seeing the tattered ship riddled with holes, then to the right, to the boat glowing on the black water, smoke and singed wood assaulting her nostrils. She looked down at her book, vibrating in her grasp. No, those were her fingers trembling.
A shadow covered her world, and when she looked up Sunset stood before her. Twilight recoiled back into the cabin hall with a gasp, the first full breath of air she had taken since almost being hit. Sunset paid her little mind, stepping around her and the stairs to reach the door to her room. “Get to work, Miss Sparkle,” she said, all emotion gone from her voice. The door slammed behind her.
Twilight stood rooted to the spot, book clutched against her chest again. Slowly but surely, her feeling returned, and she gained the strength to put one foot in front of the other and move downstairs. The pirates had departed, leaving Twilight alone with a still smoking cannon. She clambered onto her hammock and rested her head against her pillow, never believing she would be so happy to be in these quarters again.
She took a breath. Then another. And another. Each one came quicker and became successively harder to get down until Twilight gave in and cried, hiccuping each time she took a break for air.
All those people. Dead. Lost to the bottom of the sea. Just like her mother. Was it the fact that they were dead, or that they were killed with such little remorse? Did it matter? Either way, Twilight felt sick and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and wake up back home with Shining doting on her and telling her she was forbidden from leaving Pony Bay.
Because if this was what the world was like, Twilight wanted no part of it.
******
Rarity lowered her spyglass and sighed, holding a brief moment of silence for the lives lost. She watched the Crimson Heart turn and catch the wind, its sails billowing out as it crossed the water once more. A cloud rolled in front of the moon, and the night swallowed the ship whole.
Applejack stepped up next to her and let out a low whistle. “Glad that didn’t happen to us last time we ran into them.” She took her hat off and held it to her chest. “Neptune rest those poor fellas.”
“Every legend and whisper I’ve heard appears to be true,” Rarity said, tucking her spyglass away. “Captain Sunset is not one to be trifled with. Make her mad enough and, well… you can see the results.”
“She must really want that wish. What do you think it’s for?”
Rarity ran a hand along the polished railing, keeping the other on her tricorn as the wind tried to blow it away. “I have two guesses. Either she wants to look human again, or something along the lines of world domination.”
Applejack made a half shrug. “If it’s the first one, would it be so bad if she got it?”
“Perhaps, perhaps not.” Rarity turned to her first mate. “But I’d feel better if the wish was in our hands, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course. Ah’m just contemplatin’ is all. Our wish will do a lot more good for a lot more people.” She looked out to the sinking wreckage. “Problem is, how do we get the map back without ending up in Davy Jones?”
Rarity walked out to the middle of the main deck and paced in short strides. Depending on how damaged the Crimson Heart was, Sunset would stop in Haven for repairs and supplies. Potentially, they could try to take the map there, but a scuffle would probably ensue, and the last thing Rarity wanted was for more pirates to join in on this treasure hunt.
She shook her head. “We play the waiting game. Follow from afar, see where she goes. A treasure like this has to have guideposts or a key to obtain, so she’s not going to head there straight away. We wait for an opening, then take back the map and the girl.”
Applejack nodded. “Aye aye, Captain.”
Rarity pulled a pocket watch from her coat and checked the time. “Do you mind taking first watch?” It was barely nine, yet Rarity could feel exhaustion tugging at her eyes.
Applejack waved her to the door. “Of course. You go get some shut eye. Ah’ve got everything under control out here.”
With a nod and a smile, Rarity retreated into the ship. None of the braisers had been lit, leaving Rarity to take careful measure of where she stepped. Before she retired to her quarters, she took a detour down below deck.
Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she navigated her way to the cargo hold. There, she found her prizes. Leaning against one of the crates of cannonballs was Apple Bloom, and resting her head on her shoulder was Rarity’s younger sister Sweetie Belle. Her pink hair curled in front of her face, rising and falling with every breath.
The duo was fast asleep, a blanket wrapped around them. Sprawled out on top of the crate with a book on her stomach was Pinkie, lightly snoring with every inhale.
The scene took Rarity back in time. She remembered her and Applejack sitting in the orchard while Big Mac read them stories. Before Sweetie and Apple Bloom had been born. Before their little town had been raided and burned. Before she and Applejack had lost everything, with nary recompense from any higher power.
Before Rarity decided they become ‘noble pirates’ to help anyone in need of good fortune.
Her nostalgia waned and she turned to leave, heart warm and curiosity sated. She was pleasantly surprised the daring duo hadn’t tried to sneak above deck earlier. Pirates they may be, Rarity wanted to spare the youths the darker aspects of their trade for as long as she could. Of course they knew but it didn’t mean they had to see it.
Rarity returned to her cabin. A large dining table and several chairs filled the center space. While Rarity slept and changed here, her room was for her whole crew to enjoy dinner in. The rest of the cabin was taken up by a large armoire where all her clothes sat neatly tucked away, and a modest bed with purple sheets. Made of silk.
A captain gets to have some perks.
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Well done on the action and on Twilight's innocent perspective on death and violence. Sunset is definitely showing why you don't trifle with her and it's gonna take quite the bit of work for her and Twilight to come to an understanding. Looking forward to seeing how all that develops.
She has a point, even if she's being a bitch about it.
Oh dear.
Jeez...
She has a point. I mean, Galvatron in G1 shot his troops all the time, it's a miracle that he still had followers.
Might be smart.
And probably not a Wilhelm Scream.
Translation:
This isn't a swashbuckling adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow. This is darker.
More pirate action! And Sunset being all "evil" and powerful and... oh so good!
The race for treasure is just beginning!
It does feel like a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Very well written. Definitely loving Twilight's point of view, but specially here; her feelings are so spot on.
Thanks for the chapter.
This has absolutely won a spot on my top favorite stories, and can't wait for more. 
Lesson learned: If you're going to shoot at a demon pirate, don't miss.
Twilight's in for a rough time. Pirates don't play nice, and not every death gets its own chapter. Reality is crashing in, and she is anything but ready for it. Still, at least she's keeping Sunset from making mistakes straight off of the Evil Overlord List.
And I find myself curious about what Rarity's wish would be, and whether it'd really have the benefits she thinks it will.
If you changed the name of Rarity's ship then shouldn't you go back to the previous chapter and change it there too?
Argh! Avast! Shiver me timbers and stow the rum! That there demon is a Capitan
And here I thought I'd have to Cross the Shimmering Sea myself just to read the next chapter...
7999407 Correction, the lesson of the day is don't shoot at demon pirates
And I worry about the Good Fortune's crew ... "noble" pirates get hung just as quickly as the regular ones ...
7999702 I did.
Yeah... probably should've led with that,
I don't know if this comparison has been made before, but I just realized that this is similar to Beauty and the Beast. No idea if that's what you're going for, but it's what I see anyway.
So glad to see this updated. I for one am honestly enjoying this quite a bit more than The Spectacular Seven, probably because this is something completely new. Hope to see it updated more often.
Plenty of ships sailing here, but I'm waiting for the ship to sail.
It's okay, Twilight. We all have that reaction to our first murder.
8007614
All the ships setting sail on the Shipping Sea I see
Yet I wait to see that sail of that ship so dear to me
Set it forth that ship with full sail upon this Shipping Sea
- Poet Knight
7999063
You stole all the references!!
Now I have to make new ones!
Wilhelm scream is BEST scream.
I look forward to reading this and possibly even Audio Narrating a few of your stories...
If you don't mind that is
(consider it whatever you want, a favor, kindness, etc.)
7999063
There are TWO ways to make this MLP
By syllables or directly.
Make Bea Maria (I probably spelled that wrong) into "Oh Celestia" or "Oh Luna" for the syllables (Bea Marie has two syllables, Oh Celestia has five).
Make 'god' into Celestia or Luna (Celestia has 4 syllables, Luna has one, god has 1.)
And make a 'righteous man' into 'a righteous mare' (no syllable problems there).
Make 'this gypsy girl'' into 'this unicorn' or 'this pony'/ 'this mare' (unicorn has two syllables so that might work out the best).
Turn 'raven hair' into the appropriate hair color (purple)?
turn 'the witch' into 'this pony'
Turn Esmerelda into Twilight.
Turn devil into... actually I've got nothing for that.
MLP versions.
Cant wait for more
No...no...NOOOOO!! There's no more chapters!! WHY?! T______________________T
Well, this story is fantastic. I love seeing these characters in wildly different situations, and a pirate fantasy is a brilliant one at that. The story is also as well written as your other work, each word is just a joy to read.
Thank you again for writing awesome things!
8018313
This is accurate because if you think about it, the only reason they were found was because of the commotion at the library. Well done Twilight! Your first hundreds of indirect murders are there for show!
Wait, did Sunset steal the map from Rarity in the first place?