Pony Piece: Yonko Journey

by Theblondeknight

3) Desperate Battle! Red Hair and the White Hunter!!

"Vice Admiral Smoker!!"

Twilight slammed her hoof into the deck of the Star, narrowing her eyes as the Marine who had just announced his intentions to do battle drew his weapon. Spike retreated a ways back, finding Fluttershy attending to the ponies that had been injured and bound, Applejack among them. Twilight beat her wings and hovered into the air as the atmosphere shifted on the Marine ship.

"Go get 'em, Smokey!"

"Avenge the Captain-Chan!"

"You guys," Smoker barked, turning his head to the gaggle of soldiers on the enemy deck, "get back here. I told you didn't I? I'll handle this."

The marines, who had become passive onlookers since Tashigi's involvement, quickly retreated to their ship while Smoker began to dissolve into the fog that remained over the seas. Proud and sure laughs bellowed from the grinning marines, while the ponies began to treat patches of fog as though it were deadly poison, and many backed away from the sides of the vessel.

"Twilight!" Rainbow called from the crowd of ponies, "We'll back you up!"

Before the Princess could respond a plume of smoke rose above Rainbow's head and a black fist emerged, raining down upon her head like a cannonball, knocking her out in one hit. Twilight retaliated with a blast that tore a hole right through the smoke plume, but it reformed as soon as the magic had passed, and drifted steadily towards the next pony.

Twilight charged her horn to try again, but a cry of panic from the other side of the ship caused her to turn her head, where a foot had bashed into the side of a guard's head and knocked him out cold as well. The other hand and leg revealed themselves soon enough, and a four pronged attack that Twilight could not stop despite the amount of spells she flung wildly at the enclosing mist ensued. Orbs to entrap the smoke were broken through, any kind of container had proven futile. Spells to isolate the natural fog from the pesky form Smoker was using were equally unsuccessful; above all, a widespread panic had ensued on the ponies' side, as more were knocked down, until Twilight gave the order to clear the deck, and the conscious ponies left the bodies of their kind alone and retreated below. The bodies laying across the deck looked eerily like corpses, and Twilight thought the entire area had gotten colder since emerging.

But without a wide spread target, the limbs began to hover together and the rest of Smoker's form appeared from within a cloud of fog. He was still glaring at Twilight, who bought herself an extra minute or two by engaging the marine in conversation.

"It's not enough to face me openly from the start? You have to attack my friends and subordinates?"

"That's funny," Smoker retorted with a wry smile, "you did the same, didn't you?"

"I only just got up to see what in the world was happening!" Twilight defended.

"Tashigi was right, you're not flying World Government colors, and I'm sure you're not marines. Way out here in the wastes of the New World, the only other kinds of ships that sail are pirate ships."

"We're not pirates! We're on an official mission of our government to-"

"Cut the crap," Smoker interrupted stepping forward as Twilight hovered in place, "any government not affiliated with the World Government and the Celestial Dragons is the enemy. I thought you might be Awakened Zoan types myself, some Revolutionary project gone wrong or something, but perhaps you're just relics from that long dead nation after all."

"Huh? I-I'm not sure what you're accusing us of, we're not really from these waters, but I think this all got out of hand. A simple explanation should do; we're not pirates, we aren't looking for any harm to come to your World Government, we only want to proceed with our mission and-"

"No. Even if what you say is true, you took it upon yourself to attack my crew and my subordinate. This is the only way it can go now. Besides, I'm sure no matter what the case is HQ will be interested in taking a look at you."

"I was only acting in defense of my friends!" Twilight pleaded, going higher into the air (but still doing her best to avoid the steadily rising fog) as Smoker drew very close to her, "And if they have done you wrong, please accept this sincere apology on their behalf!"

Smoker answered by dissolving his legs and riding the mist like a levitating device, swinging the metal pole with a branching segment he used to fight fiercely at Twilight, who formed a magic shield that was nearly shattered in half after contact was made. Twilight reformed it as the officer swung again, and they began a repeating segment of flying above and around the ship, Twilight reforming the shield and backing away every time Smoker broke it and pursuing her relentlessly. This couldn't go on forever, though, and Twilight was especially worried about working herself too far so soon after fatigue had beaten her just days ago. If that were to happen this time, it would not end well by any means.

Smoker continued bashing against the shield every time it was reforged, but he soon added an element to his attack, turning his left arm to smoke and pushing it behind Twilight so as to grab her by the neck. The lavender pony had not been expecting this mix-up and despite attempts to get away, found herself firmly in his iron grip as the shield was broken for the last time, and Smoker went in for a devastating blow to the gut. Twilight found her focus in the nick of time, and teleported out of his gloved hand as the jitte struck nothing but air. Twilight flashed back into existence just above the deck of the Star, mustering magic into her horn once more. They were really going to fight, no sense trying to reverse it now.

She cast a gravity spell on all the mist, and it quickly fell back to the top of the water, dragging Smoker with it until he retook his normal form and dove onto the wooden deck, where his weapon was caught by the same spell that had been used to throw Tashigi off Twilight's ship. To the alicorn's immense surprise, she found that the marine's weapon was far more immovable, and while Smoker gripped it tightly with both hands at first, he was soon able to keep it from flying away with only one. He outstretched the other and pulled it back, and with a nasty expression and great disdain for Twilight' magic, sent his fist rocketing at Twilight with his logia ability.

Smoker's fist blasted through several walls of magic, but did not find its mark as Twilight leaped out of the way, not yet ready to release her grip on his weapon. Smoker's hand shot back to him and he put it back with the other one, redoubling his efforts to tear away the jitte from Twilight's magical grasp, which he finally managed; he wasted no time in chasing down the Princess and closing the distance between them. Twilight shot a trifecta of shots, the first Smoker dodged by lunging left, the second by ducking right, and the third he swatted away after turning his weapon black. The spell flew into the water and burned out as if it had never existed.

There was time for one more spell, or room to evade and make back the space the Marine had shortened. Twilight opted for a freezing spell, that coated Smoker's weapon and right arm, but did nothing to slow him down. Throwing out his other hand to grab her by the throat, Smoker once again found himself barely missing his mark. As Twilight shot high into the air, he broke the ice around his arm and weapon, and it dissolved instantly.

Twilight thought the soldier would dissolve his legs and chase after her as he had before, but it turned out being quite the opposite. He slung the jitte behind his back and shot his arms into the air, creating a vortex of smoke around Twilight, choking her out and banging her around all at once. Around she spun for what felt like minutes, clutching desperately to the little air in her lungs that remained, and trying weakly to avoid being knocked out as he slammed her into the deck. As the smoke cleared away from her face and she breathed in deeply, she entered into a newfound panic, as the smoke pulled her right into the awaiting marine's arms.

With his right hand he reapplied serious pressure to her throat, throwing her right back into the same breathless trap, and with his left he clutched her foreleg and slammed her into the deck right beneath him. She struggled to look elsewhere, teleport anywhere away from Smoker, but he held her down and forced her gaze into his expression of fed up rage.

"Enough."

"puh-plea...." Twilight began to lose her sense of vision as Smoker's silent fury became more and more palpable.

"Let. Her. Go!" Rainbow barged in from out of nowhere, bolting right through the Marine's misty form. Smoker did not divert his eyes from Twilight until she had faded totally into unconsciousness, then darted the black orbs to the pegasus recovering on the deck.

"Don't interfere."

Rainbow's heart was beating like it never had before. Nothing from that fateful race as a filly to battling foes like Discord and Nightmare Moon gave her the chills like this strange warrior. At least those others could be touched, fought with on even terms, but without Twilight's magic, it seemed they had no hope of so much as pinching Smoker.

But wait. There was always the Elements, wasn't there? Of course, with the others scattered about and Twilight unconscious...chances were slim. The calling birds overheard circled among the clouds, the only safe spectators in this battle. The marines on the enemy ship jeered at Rainbow, as Smoker stood up, Twilight firmly in his captivity. Sweat dripped from the blue pegasi's brow as the Vice Admiral made his demands.

"Surrender your ship and your resources to us. Come along quietly. There's no need to be reckless."

"Never......we'd never surrender to you."

"Fine."

The jitte was drawn again, and Smoker raised it with one hand, the other still carrying Twilight by her neck. Rainbow hesitated, and knew at once she only had one chance. No elements, no magic, and no use in kicking and fighting. There was only one other option, and if it didn't work, then Celestia save them all.

They charged at each, Smoker running at a swift but cautious pace, Rainbow sprinting like she was in the Equestrian Games, putting them at a more or less equal pace. Smoker lunged downwards and to the right, giving Rainbow enough time to leap upwards to the left, and evade a strike that surely would have opened up her skull and knocked her out for a day or so. She didn't waste the good fortune, and rocketed out of his range in a flash of multi-colored light, leaving him to contend with the newly inspired Applejack and Rarity.

While Rarity took hold of Twilight telekinetically, Applejack lassoed Smoker's jitte and they divided his attention nicely. If their strength had been up to par, they might have stood a chance.

With a jerk of his arm, Smoker pulled Applejack off the deck and right into his striking range, butting her in the chest with the hilt of his weapon, and loosing it from the lasso at the same time. With AJ down for a moment, he shifted attention to Rarity, who was now exerting effort almost beyond her limit in tearing Twilight away, but the marine's grip was stronger than her will.

"You're troublesome little mysteries, I'll give you that," Smoker noted, throwing his jitte in a plume of smoke, and forcing Rarity to release Twilight and immediately repel the weapon, once again laced in a pitch black coating. To her surprise, she managed the feat, but it was all according to Smoker's plan, and he dissolved the rest of his body to fly towards her, becoming solid again and kicking her in the gut. She was launched into the air much like Applejack, but was struck over the head with the jitte, though thankfully, not nearly as hard as she could have been. Was he showing them some kind of mercy? Had their tireless efforts actually given them a slight edge?

No time to think. Pinkie bounded up and down as she charged at him from near the ship's wheel, bearing her party cannon and ultimate unpredictability. She hopped up and down, lunging ever closer towards him as he took aim to dispatch her with a well timed swing. Just before she landed on the jitte, the cannon boomed to life, and she shot over the weapon's arc, swinging the metal contraption like a mallet.

Yet, as it was not magical, it did not hit him, but passed through him as he knew it would. It landed on the deck with a loud cracking noise and he twirled his weapon around again, throwing her across the deck and into Applejack, who had only just begun to stand up again. With no other opposition in the area, Smoker looked down at the terrified dragon, who was shaking but dared not remove his eyes from the mighty marine.

"What are you gonna do?" Smoker asked calmly, raising Twilight's still unconscious form as he spoke, luring the dragon's eyes to his friend like bait.

"I......I...." Spike stuttered, suddenly turning his face away.

"None of this had to happen, but sometimes the unfortunate path is the one you're pushed down."

Spike did not give answer, but did look back into the Marine's face, which took an oddly sympathetic form.

"You shouldn't be here any more than your friends. Less so. These waters are not for kids. This is no game. Come with me, and we can end this fight without wasting anymore time."

"What...what h-happens to my-my-my friends?" Spike managed to ask.

"....That's not for me to say. But whatever my superiors do, it will be far less cruel than letting you continue in this sea. None of you are remotely ready for it."

"I...I don't..."

The birds still circling overhead suddenly became very interesting to Spike, and Smoker's eyes narrowed, then shot open after an instant realization.

"No," Spike retorted confidently as he hit the deck, "I'll stick with my friends!"

Rainbow Dash shot like a cannon ball through the clouds, dispersing them like a rock throwing through a glass window, and honed in on Smoker, who steadied himself as white light began to form all around the pegasus. Then, most unexpectedly, Smoker was blown from the deck in an explosion of rainbow energy, his scattered misty form billowing out over the water, as though he was nothing more than real mist. Twilight dropped to the deck of her ship, as did the jitte.

The marines, at first in shock at the explosion, soon turned to panicking as they realized their hull had been punctured from the blast, and their main mast had received a nasty crack right through the middle. Whether she had planned it so extensively or not, Rainbow had changed the tide of the battle, a complete 180 degree reversal.

"D-Damn! The hull's been breached!"

"Save the mast! Don't let it fall!"

"Smokey!?"

"Don't let them get away!"

"Help us over here!!"

Smoker slowly began to accumulate solid form, but a surge of energy from the pony crew and quick steering on Fluttershy's part allowed the Crepuscular Star to pull away from the Vice Admiral's vessel, which was very slowly sinking into the deep waters. Normally this would've been a problem, but given the trials G-5 had pulled themselves through, Smoker knew that the pursuit would continue soon enough. Their hull was already being patched up hastily from the inside. The mast could be replaced next time they made port, when they would have those strange ponies filling the cells. Nothing was adding up, but a good chase was something he knew he wouldn't fail.

They would be seeing each other again soon. No question about it. They would meet again.

---

And so it continued for the next several days. The marine ship had been repaired and thrown into the chase less than an hour after their great escape, and the ponies had not expected that. When the war vessel did come back into sight, a newfound panic was sowed among the crew, and the recently recovered Twilight extended herself in squelching this panic quickly. Luckily her friends had not wavered once. How could she ever had doubted their loyalty? With their help, the pony crew was convinced that the marines were a problem that was still capable of being dealt with. How was the harder question, but they need not concern themselves over it. That was her responsibility.

One boost in morale was that the marine called Smoker had been deprived of his weapon, and the steel baton was now in Twilight's possession. She didn't doubt that if they fought again he would strive to get it back, but she had a few ideas of how to keep it out of his hands. For one, she'd jinx it to explode when it was picked up without Equestrian magic. That was the first item on the list. But the weapon could wait. They had learned several other fascinating things and had to come to conclusions about them soon.

Firstly, it was apparent that they could not pass themselves off as marines or a party from the World Government. In Twilight's mind, it would have been an immense help to be recognized as a foreign diplomatic team, given small authorities and protection from the rulers of these seas. Yet, all such chances were presumably lost, now that an entire ship serving this World Government considered them enemies, and was likely spreading the word to other ships in the area. Maybe the leaders of this government had already gotten wind of a new ship in their territory. Maybe certain wheels were already in motion...

That brought up issue number two: If they weren't going to be able to call themselves agents of the World Government, and they took Smoker's words to be truth, then they must be pirates. Whatever sort of mental evolutions that needed to occur, if any, were unknown. But the truly bothersome thing about it was that pirates, by definition, were antagonist to each other. Exceptions were sure to occur, allegiances were made very often by rivals in many forms of life. Unfortunately, that simple fact just about doubled (at least) the number of enemies in these waters; and while Twilight was more than willing to bend her standards of character, would she break them? To save a crewman's life? To save a friend? How much of a challenge lie ahead of them? How could they possibly retain their morals and succeed in a world so vicious?

Finally, and most importantly, they would need to deduce ways of successfully defending themselves here. Two knockouts in back to back times of desperation was doing nothing to ensure Twilight that her power was sufficient. If a Vice Admiral was strong enough to dispatch her by himself, how much trouble would an Admiral bring? Who knew where Smoker was in the chain of power? Twilight almost hoped that he was closer to the top than the bottom, because the odds were already overwhelming enough. Then again, her magic was minimally effective, and from what her friends had informed her off, magic was the only thing that worked. How could they stop a foe that over half of them couldn't so much as touch?

Twilight confided bits and pieces of this to her friends, but the time to make decisions and work out a game plan was fast approaching. By the third night after the confrontation, the marine ship had gotten within cannon range four times. The engine repairs had become more and more complicated, and a faulty part that was barely functioning before the accident had been broken. They would remain off until they could find a new one, or more than likely, make their own replacement. Wind power had been favorable to them thus far, but that couldn't last forever.

Now, as the marine ship was once again ebbing forward a little faster than the Star, a new factor entered the equation. It wasn't easily spotted from so far away, but a third ship had begun tailing Smoker's envoy. The question was where its intentions laid. Was it another Marine ship? Back up to finish them off quickly? Or could it be a band of pirates, coming in to attack a Navy vessel while it was vulnerable? Twilight shuddered to think of what would happen if it ended up being a pirate ship coming to nab the Star. One pursuer was enough.

"Twilight?" Rarity called with slight reluctance, a hesitant look on her face as she beckoned the Princess to the wheel. Applejack was keeping her eyes fixed ahead, but listening closely as the conversation started.

"What's going on?" The lavender pony inquired, having a good idea of what was coming; their maps of the sea bordering Equestria was sketchy at best, but they had nothing to guide them out here. A map was being made as they sailed, but it was minimalistic, basic. They couldn't possibly know what was ahead, and therefore, if it was better to keep going forward, or face the known dangers behind them.

"Well, a number of things, actually. But first and foremost, we need to make a stop soon."

"The engines are deteriorating bad enough as is, but the longer we push the ship without correcting what's gone wrong the less dependable they'll be," Applejack added.

"Are you suggesting we should turn back and fight? And what about that mystery third ship?"

"No, no, that's not at all what we're suggesting," Rarity corrected, "but Rainbow's fliers have done some scouting ahead. There's a large rock formation that would be well suited to docking at. Cavernous, roomy enough to be easily hidden but provide adequate space to stretch the legs, disassemble the engines, and so forth."

"Only problem is, of all the possible places to get ambushed, it's one of the worst. But we figured that if you flew over and hid it with your magic, we could pull in undetected, so long as we weren't visible at the time," Applejack finished.

"And how would that be taken care of?" Twilight wondered, hiding some optimism behind a serious and objective face.

"Leave that to me!" Spike piped up from behind the trio.

"You!?" Twilight echoed, losing her well hidden optimism in favor of obvious doubt.

"Hey, I may be young, but I am a dragon. I'm sure what I've got cooked up will keep them going in circles long enough for us to race over to the cove."

"I don't know...if I just spent a little bit thinking it over, I'm sure I could come up with something better-"

"Well, unfortunately, that formation ain't too far away. If we're gonna do it, it has to be now."

Applejack's ultimatum aside, Twilight's sense of dread was growing. How long could they evade the marines, realistically? Maybe Spike was ready to prove himself. He had managed to sneak aboard without Twilight's immediate notice. He looked determined enough....

"Twilight..." Rarity stopped, and the sounds of the crew became oddly loud. The grunting, the intense breathing, the worried dread that hung in the air. She couldn't do everything by herself. She'd known it for a long time and re-learned it time and again. This is what makes a Princess. This is what a leader does. This is the life ahead of her. Her decision is the next step, and only she can make it. A crew mate buckled under the strain of moving a large crate, and his pained expression became the subject of tunnel vision in Twilight's eyes. For them. For them families and friends back home. She had to think of what was at stake. What depended on her decision making.

"Go."

With that, Twilight ran into a leap, which smoothly evolved into an upwards soar, and she was flying off to the cavernous formation which would be their safe haven, or if she was wrong, their watery tomb.

---

"Vice Admiral! Vice Admiral Smoker!!"

The commanding officer of the ship was gazing towards the fleeing vessel, carrying those peculiar ponies further into the dangers of the New World. Catching up to them had been tough, but he had a good feeling about the next few hours. Stronger winds were pushing them along faster than the ponies. No one had ever eluded him for long, Straw Hat aside. And his day was coming too. Smoker felt it in the air every time he pondered like this. The day would come when all criminals would face justice. He could only hope and pray that he was the tool used to bring them to their knees.

"Smoker-san!!!"

"What is it?" He barked, taking his eyes from the blue seascape and onto the nervous marine behind him.

"It-It's.....b-b-behind us!!" The flustered soldier sputtered.

"What? What're you getting miffed over-"

The expression on his face changed quickly. The cigars in his mouth began to slip out, but he closed his jaws tightly, almost snapping them in half.

"Break off pursuit!"

The marine seemed too stunned to follow orders, so Smoker dashed forward and used his logia ability to travel up near the crow's nest, both to get a better view and inform everyone of the change in plans.

"Break off the pursuit! Tactical retreat due West! NOW!!"

"Break off? So it's true!? That ship behind us belongs to...to-???"

"NOW!!!" Smoker repeated, gliding downwards and taking the wheel in his own hands.

"Are we going to fight!?"

"What's he thinking?!?"

"Let's follow his lead!"

"Everyone, make preparations! They're coming!" Tashigi commanded, sprinting to Smoker's side.

"Smoker-san," She asked in a much quieter tone, "are you sure about this? Can we really..."

"Of course," He almost shouted, "this is not the time for doubt. Follow your convictions and fight with all your strength!"

"Yes Sir!" She confirmed, raising her sword in an instant and rushing back out to coordinate crew efforts. The day had certainly taken an interesting turn.

---

"Are you sure about this, Spike?" Fluttershy asked, concern heavy in her voice.

"I am...I've got to be! Twilight is counting on me!"

"It does seem, er, risky. To say the least," Rarity interjected, but for once, Spike ignored what she said. It was time to become a man. Where better to grow stronger than ever than in this strange place of great dangers and many adventures?

"I have to. We've made a plan. I can't just not follow it."

"He's right," Rainbow chimed in from behind them all, flying with a barrel in her grasp, like Fluttershy, while Rarity held a smaller box.

Spike though she added "and I'm pretty impressed" under her breath, but he couldn't be sure. He was too focused on the ship behind them. He'd only have one shot. He had been practicing lately, but hadn't attempting this particular feat since before he stowed away. The butterflies in his stomach were shouting at him, but her had to. He was telling them how important it was he go through with it, now he had to live up to those words.

He moved forward, but a lump in his throat made him hesitate. Now wasn't the time! It was the time to be strong, not a coward! He swallowed hard and breathed deeply in and out.

"Here I go...alright Rainbow, let it down!" Spike shakily told the pegasus, who obeyed at once. The barrel flew into the water with a splash and began floating away like a corpse.

"Good, now Rarity, get ready to open the box. Our timing can't be anything short of almost perfect."

That was consoling at least. He didn't have to be perfect like Twilight. He just had to be close. That was doable. Definitely. He could do this. He was going to do this!

"Ready...three....two........one-"

"Wait! Look!" Rarity interrupted, "they're turning around! They've stopped chasing us!"

"What!?" Spike exclaimed, opening his eyes from their moment in the dark before the plan took off; now that it didn't, he wasn't sure whether he was mad or relieved, but decided that it was somewhere between the two as the marine vessel became smaller in the distance.

"You're right! Oh thank heavens!" Fluttershy breathed, a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

"But...why did...my plan..." Spike mumbled.

"Well, maybe it'll come in handy some other time?" Rarity consoled, leading them all back to report the good news, just as Twilight's flying figure began to take shape overhead.

Soon, the Star was gliding smoothly into the cove by Twilight's directions, and Smoker's ship was still hidden behind the horizon. The invisible rock walls they soon found encircling them where none had before brought a chorus of cheers on the deck, and everypony's mood improved as the first of the guards jumped down onto the glorious, hard rock floor. Several paths branched out deeper into the island, but they wouldn't be much bigger than a typical dining room. Most of the space was found where the ship was docked, tied down and anchored in a patch of water no wider than a river, just barely fitting her. On each side was a small field of solid rock. It was as advertised: quiet, cozy, and exactly what they needed.

Twilight soon found herself flying down onto the ground and breathing in literal joy. It felt like so long since she'd been this proud. They had banded together and accomplished a lot today. The first real moral victory since emerging from the terrible storm days ago.

"This was a great find, Rainbow," Twilight commended, walking towards one of the small halls and cavern rooms with her closest friends.

"I reckon we ought to use this chance to go over everything," Applejack spoke up before the blue pegasus could accept the honor, "might as well examine all we've got while we're safe here."

"I agree, it wouldn't do to leave this sanctuary and find out that something else on the ship has gone wrong. Take as much time as you need to do it right, AJ." Twilight replied.

The ex-farm pony nodded while Rarity began to speak, but was very quickly interrupted by several shrieks. Guards that were already investigating the smaller caverns had come across inhabitants. The guards who had met the strange men backed slowly away, but remained poised to attack. This time, though, Twilight would not allow a fight to start that she could avoid.

"I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess from Equestria, here with my crew on a mission from our government! We aren't looking for trouble! Just a place to stop for a while!"

The warrior on the right was plump, large and goofy looking, but at the same time, twice as menacing as Smoker ever came across, even as this hulking man chewed on a large chicken leg. The one on the left held his arms in front of him, and a monkey sat atop his back, holding a small dagger up. In the center stood a tall man with flaming, crimson hair. His smile was the most unnerving of all, but held no obvious ill will. It was not until a moment of tense silence ensued that Twilight noticed the man in the center only had one arm.

"Oh? Princess did you say?" The crimson haired man asked, "Just who I was searching for."

The men seemed to exude even more confidence, while the ponies went even more deathly quiet. Twilight was running over her options and making a response on the fly, but the man spoke up again, his smile never having faded.

"I'm Shanks, the captain of the Red Hair Pirates."

"Red Hair pirates...?" Rainbow parroted under her breath.

'Pirates...' Twilight thought, 'that means that anything goes...' Her euphoria upon escaping the marines was quickly fading into an even worse dread.

"What can we do for you?" Twilight asked, too much hesitation in her voice for her own comfort.

"Join my crew."

"E-Excuse me?" Twilight asked, waiting for the joke's punchline.

"Join my crew. Become my nakama, and sail the oceans with me."

"A little...sudden, wouldn't you say?" Rarity asked, both scaring and gladdening Twilight.

"Well, if you don't want to join..." Shanks trailed off, looking a little bemused.

"We certainly don't mean to offend, and we aren't looking to-" Twilight was caught off by a wave of Shanks' hand.

"If you refuse, I'll have to lay down a challenge; you and me, one on one," Shanks announced, drawing the sword from his side.

"Hey, wait a minute, we said we aren't interested in-wha!?" The guard who stepped forward to make a disagreement was shot in the side of his helmet, the plump man on Shanks' right side, who was still smiling, though Shanks and the other man now bore serious faces, being responsible. The guard slumped over, blooding coming from the side of his head, but not from a fatal wound.

"Do you accept?" Shanks asked.

"Don't attack them! I-I'll do it! But leave them out of it!" Twilight demanded.

"Twilight, no!" Applejack hurried forward.

"You can't, not alone!" Rarity agreed.

But the protests were cut short.

"Listen.." Twilight spoke not to her friends, but to Shanks, "I'll accept your challenge. But not quite alone. I'm never alone, because my friends are always right there with me. If you want to challenge me, then you'll be fighting all of us."

There was no question involved. It was an outright statement. Shanks smiled briefly again, and gave his answer, "Fine. The six of you against me, to decide the fate of your crew."

"Wait! I want to fight! Let me in too!" Spike pleaded.

"You?" Shanks asked with intrigue before Twilight could let her assistant down (gently), "you're quite young to be here. Count yourself lucky I'm not waging war, little one."

"No, it isn't war. If we win, you let us go without another word," Twilight declared.

"And if you lose, you join me," Shanks finished.

With the terms set, the combatants moved forward. Minimal protest on the pony side was soon swept away as Shanks' men stepped away to give their captain room. It was just one thing after another. What rotten luck, Twilight thought, to find the perfect place to slow things down, and to come across it second.

Shanks awaited with his sword drawn, his eyes looking only at Twilight. The Princess and her friends gathered up and whispered quietly to one another, the crimson haired captain waiting patiently. When the ponies had come up with an acceptable plan, they put a little space between themselves. Rainbow was the first to dart forward, rocketing across the cavern to take a swing at the pirate captain. He dodged cleanly and without moving anything except his head and shoulder.

Rainbow circled as Pinkie and Applejack advanced, each bearing their weapon of choice. Pinkie swung the kitchen mallet high, and Shanks raised his blade, tossing the mallet almost to the ship. Pinkie hopped back as Applejack's lasso flew to take the sword, but Shanks bent low and spun away, and the rope retreated to its master. Shanks had the opportunity, but did not advance at all, he only stood up straight again and waited for the next attack to come his way.

Rarity rewarded his patience by teleporting behind him with Fluttershy and Pinkie, who ganged up to deliver a three pronged attack. Their efforts fell short when Shanks absorbed the physical blows from the earth pony and pegasus, and swatted away Rarity's magic blast, reminding Twilight of how Smoker had done the same thing. She wondered if the weapon turning black had anything to do with it, but then, Shanks' did not, and Rarity's magic was a few level below hers.

She stepped up as Rainbow came back for a return blow, but once again the flying ace missed her mark, and Shanks ducked the kick without looking at her. Twilight's spell, a magnetic one which would pull in his sword, shot into the air above the battle, opening a portal. Shanks' arm was raised, but the blade was firmly in his grasp and he didn't seem to be struggling at all to keep it in his possession. He stood, waiting quietly and seriously as though he were watching a fierce duel rather being in one. The ponies hesitated for a bit too long this time, however, when Shanks spoke up and an immediate, grave tension boiled up from within the cavern.

"I see that you have some good friends, Princess. I don't doubt that they'll always have your back, until they drop."

An invisible force of great power was coursing through the cavern. The rocks let ancient dust fall, the water was rustled into small waves. A great desperation came over Twilight, and the fearful anticipation of his attack overtook them all. It seemed apparent now that Smoker was a challenging opponent for them; Shanks was an unstoppable titan that they had no hope of defeating. Twilight tried to do something, to do anything. Teleporting, magical blast, order an all out assault, nothing she thought of came to happen. She looked over to all her friends, as much terror on their faces as was on her own. And then it hit them.

Twilight felt like in the span of one second she had been dropped from a five story building. Everything ached deeply, and her vision and hearing became distorted. Her mind became clouded and she lost all track of what she had been thinking. She retained just enough of her mind to take in what Shanks was saying now.

"So what happens when they do drop?"

Twilight gazed over to her friends, and they were all on the ground, motionless, foaming at the mouth, eyes shut or glazed over as though they'd suffered concussions. Not just them. Everypony in her crew, everypony on the ship. They were all lifeless. Whether it was this blurred image that forced her to regain her bearings or something else entirely she wasn't sure, but that wasn't important now. She wouldn't go down that easily, overwhelming odds or not.

She suddenly knew what to do. With a flash of lavender light, she summoned Smoker's weapon to her, and also telekinetically gripped a couple of swords from the ship. Shanks seemed impressed, or perhaps a better word was approving, and let her attack.

"I will defend them!" Twilight answered, defiance going ahead of the swords, which slashed and diced through the air at a surprisingly quick pace.

Shanks matched the swordplay with ease, and soon snapped one in two pieces with a speedy slash of his own. Twilight let it drop and brought the jitte into play, raising it above the sword and attacking from the front and air above the pirate. Once more, Shanks showed no difficulty in matching Twilight's attacks with impressive defense, and with a smile, he broke the other sword. The jitte fared no better, and was thrown behind Twilight with a loud thud. Before she knew it, Shanks was right in front of her, and his sword clashed with a hastily made shield, which cracked at once under his power.

"Come now. Is this all a Princess is worthy of? Make me work for the win!"

Twilight gnashed her teeth together and crossed her eyes as she struggled to keep the shield alive while the sword bared down upon it. Every second brought another crack, every words that came from the pirate's mouth was another blow to its integrity. Shanks stood in place for a moment, giving Twilight a shot to counter his attack, but she could not, and he pressed forward. One step at a time, he bore closer to her, and every time he advanced, another of her shields would fall.

She fluttered her wings and dashed back several steps, and he moved accordingly, matching her speed cleanly. But when he brought down his sword on this shield, it did not crack. This was no shield, but a trap.

Shanks had to smile at the cunning the struggling Princess illustrated in her moment of despair. When his sword touched the magic wall she had erected, it multiplied and surrounded him instantaneously, like a disease feeding off of his attack, it continued to expand and further entrap him in a cage of magic energy. By the time it was eight or so layers thick, Twilight's form was completely blurred behind the lavender glow.

But this wasn't nearly enough. Shanks eyed the cage and evaluated its merit, appreciating the move, but with another slash he broke it as though it were made of glass. As the shattered magic dissolved, Twilight reappeared, the jitte back in her possession, as was a round shield. The stolen weapon clanged loudly against Shanks sword, but he did not toss it away again. This time she would feel a different attack.

Twilight broke off almost at once, but knew that hesitating always lead to something worse in this fight. She tried again, pulling off a decent fake-out before bringing the weapon down from another angle, but Shanks caught it, and once more, when the metals collided, it felt as though Twilight was just rammed in the chest by a yak. They repeated the pattern twice more, and Twilight was having trouble puking. Shanks dashed forward and knocked the jitte from her telekinetic grasp, then put his blade up to her throat before she could blink.

"You're not fit for these waters," Shanks admitted, disappointment dripping from his voice, "perhaps I should just end your mission now...it would be the humane thing to do, to stop the insanity before the monsters come for you."

This time, Twilight knew what was responsible for her third wind: the threat of destruction. It COULD NOT end now. Even if he was beyond her, they would find a way. They did with the sea beasts, they did with Smoker. They would not fall today!

Twilight, still grasping the shield with her magic grip, flung it in the air and sent a spell chasing after it. Shanks dared to look up, and as the magic bolt hit the inside of the domed shield, fragment blasts erupted like fire from a spark. Magic rained down, and when those fragments hit, they erupted into surprisingly powerful blasts, and Shanks jumped back to avoid one that landed right on Twilight's head. To her credit, she absorbed the magic back into her horn like it was second nature, while Shanks had to take the blast head on. It wasn't an effective damaging attack, but a suitable escape method and an impressive distraction. There was more to her after all.

Twilight took to the air at once, zooming far out of the range of Shanks' sword, but not his power. He slashed away at nothing, but red energy in the form of crescents surged from his sword and chased after Twilight. Were she as athletic as Rainbow, or at least as agile, she could have evaded more than just two before the destructive force dragged her down into a crash landing. She skidded across the rock floor on her chest, and rolled into a nasty stone that cut her cheek wide open, swelling it at once.

Desperate time called for desperate measures. Life and death circumstances meant the sacrifice of many things. The warm blood trickling down her face became much more clear as she began to channel the hidden power she'd known existed since she was but Celestia's student, only magnified and becoming a secret struggle since her ascension. She raised her face, the cut resembling a crying third eye on her face, as her true eyes gained a deranged look and she let go into the darker sides of her herself. For the first time, Shanks was showing true worry.

Twilight's horn was consumed in the purple mist enclosed in a green lining. It was often called Alicorn magic, but its true form was a bit more complex than that. Dark magic, chaos magic, Alicorn magic, all different names for the same power in different forms, all unique, but the same in basest form. She didn't know all the details herself, but what was sure was that it was extremely volatile, easiest to be harnessed by Alicorns and creatures of chaotic origin (the draconequus), and very bountiful in her.

She had done her best to keep it under wraps, wanting to use it many times before, but knowing that this magic was the first step down a dark path. Better alive and hollow than dead with all her friends, though. At least that was certain. Still, it was never so easy to use as it was now. It had never taken to her like this. Never had she felt herself fall so far in such a short time. The black lightning associated with deep interaction had sparked already, and her eyes had long been lost in the tidal waves of purple distortion. She was levitating without consciously doing so, and her cut was flowing worse than before.

Shanks was now standing still, his black cloak and flaming hair waving with the air distorting power emanating from Twilight. All hints of mocking were long abandoned. His face was cemented in grave evaluation of her new form. His men were taking shelter in the farthest reaches of the cavern, and her friends and been moved from where they were knocked out cold. Twilight felt as though she was watching a bad memory from Zecora's potion again.

Before Twilight's wide eyes, the dark magic converged into a large orb of purple mist, which took the form of a long saber, the blade crackling with black lightning. She looked livid, blood thirsty. The air was becoming foul. Twilight had never known herself, never known any villain, to exude such evil. And most puzzling of all, Shanks put his sword away.

Steel sheathed, Shanks spoke, not as an enemy, but as though they had known each other for a long time.

"Enough. This is unbecoming of a Princess."

Twilight heard a voice return comment, but it surely couldn't have been hers...

"You make yourself helpless? This is unbecoming of a warrior!

"You have proven yourself. I understand now...cease this foolhardy attack."

The sword was growing larger, and purple mist was engulfing Twilight like stench on a rotten fruit. She spoke again, more confident than before, "No more running. No more hoping against hope. I shape our destiny from here on!"

"If you continue, I won't promise your safety."

The chaos blade slashed at the air, breaking the rock near it and crackling like forsaken thunder through the stormy cavern. Shanks moved his hand towards the hilt of his blade, but did not draw it. He waited, waited for the small chance that reason would ring through the enticement of power.

"You stand against my destiny. Perish!"

The chaos sword lunged forward like an arrow, nearly bursting with power. It broke the sound barrier, hissing like a whip and birthing a strong gale. Shanks eyed it as it tore through the distance between them, and narrowed his eyes as it came suddenly to a halt. Mere inches from his face, it began to groan and struggle against an unseen force, and then shattered like all of Twilight's efforts had before.

Before she comprehend what had occurred, she felt her power drain from her, siphoned in the blink of an eye. Next thing she knew, Shanks was standing behind her, looking back at her with one eye, and he said only one more thing.

"You're worthy all right, but not ready."

As his unknown power had before, it crashed into Twilight and almost put her down instantly. She fell to her knees, all remnants of the dark magic sealed away in her soul again. Shanks may have been smiling now, it was extremely hard to tell, and by a three count, she was on her face, knocked just as unconscious as her friends had been minutes before.

---

Twilight was roused by the sounds of crying. Shrieking. Familiar voices contorted beyond their normal states. She followed them as best she could, but she had yet to open her eyes and felt like Discord had used her body as a pin in a galactic game of bowling. But there it was again, the unsettling notion that her friends were in danger, that peril was lurking behind her closed eyes, and that she was not prepared to stop it. It hurt like very few things had in her life before coming to this strange ocean, but she welcomed the blinding light of fire through her pupils, and bolted up though soreness and inward pain.

Several more ponies cried out, and the shrieking got louder still, but it was not as Twilight had assumed. She glanced all three hundred and sixty degrees around her, and found that she was now in a sea-side beach party. The cavern was nowhere to be found in the distant sea, but beached like a massive beast not far from the surprising festivities was a pirate ship that was noticeably larger and bulkier than Twilight's ship; the Star, she noticed through the pounding in her head, was nowhere to be seen.

"Twilight! You're up!"

The lavender Princess turned towards the lush trees in the distance behind her and found Fluttershy flying down to meet her. Rainbow Dash was noticeable in the distance as well, laughing and drinking from a mug that dwarfed her hooves. Fluttershy, at least, looked as though she'd much rather be in Twilight's company than associating with...pirates!

Twilight fluttered up beside her friend, looking frightened, but the yellow pegasus quickly calmed her.

"It's all OK. It was a misunderstanding. Shanks is actually a fun and-"

"Don't say it," Twilight warned, head spinning worse than ever, "don't say it....not yet. I don't understand any of it. I was fighting for my life...for our lives just a second ago. I was fighting him."

"And you're here now because he wanted it that way," Said an unfamiliar voice from below the ponies, which continued when neither of them knew what to do except to gently float down to the ground, "He should explain everything. He's right over there."

The pirate pointed towards the center of the party, where Shanks was swinging his own mug around, singing a hearty chorus with other pirates, and at this point, unexpectedly, Pinkie Pie.

"I...I don't even know if I can make it over there without dropping again," Twilight admitted as she sunk to her knees, feeling a wave of exhaustion and further head ache.

"From what he told me, he didn't pull punches," the pirate said.

"Nope," Twilight confirmed, rubbing her temple slowly.

"Heh! Just be glad he didn't go overboard. I'll tell him you've awoken."

Author's Note:

Wow, this came out way later than I wanted it to....like WAY LATER. Aw, shucks, I'll just chalk that one up as unpreventable distractions, ha ha.

Well, this story doesn't have the steam I'd like it to, but I guess my words have to do the talking....I mean, my writing has to speak to your........whatever. I'll let my work impress you instead of promoting it too much. Bottom line is that I have not given up this story, and I intend to bring it to completion, because I let too many of my works fall into incompleted states.

Please review and/or like the story if you enjoy, it keeps me on track

-TBK

Comments

[LordChumley21]

It's strange this hasn't had much attention, because crossovers are usually quite popular on this site, and the quality of writing here is way above average. Well, I'm enjoying at least.

[Theblondeknight]

7058371 Glad to hear it! I find the lack of attention somewhat frustrating, I think my last crossover story really took off fast, so it may have spoiled my expectations, lol. Oh well, can't be helped sometimes. It's nice to put out content even a few people enjoy though. Thanks for commenting.

[Daxen123]

Damn that was awesome

[Theblondeknight]

7059608 Good to hear, more is on the way

[Chris Russell]

you no Smoker's a real dick