A Pirate's Life for Me
Over the Edge and Over Again: Chapter 11
A Pirate's Life For Me
“Are you sure it's safe? I mean, he tried to eat Sweetie Belle.”
“I'm telling you the same thing I told your mother, Scootaloo; he didn't try and eat anypony. He's been staying at my house for two whole days now, and he hasn't once tried to eat me. He wants to apologise for what he did too.”
Taking the third member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to her library, Twilight smiled as she saw the other two already outside, waiting, along with their sisters.
Scootaloo had come alone. Not having any siblings or a father around made it difficult for her mother to get away from obligations. But in Rufflefeather's defence, she did seem to care an awful lot for her only daughter. In any case, Twilight had assured her that nothing would befall the little orange filly.
“Are you guys ready?”
Twilight had made sure prior to bringing them that the foals still wanted to go through with the ordeal. She'd also made sure to have Applejack and Rarity present, as well as Spike and herself, should anything go wrong. She doubted anything important or dangerous would happen, but it was better to reassure the Crusaders.
“Are y'all sure ya took away his sword?”
“Yes, we are. He can't get it where I've put it,” Twilight insisted with a smile, “and he isn't going to hurt you either. I can promise you that much.”
Looking up at the adults and nodding their heads, the three fillies waited, standing back as Twilight opened the front door. Slowly peering inside, they looked around, nervously shifting their heads from side to side until they saw the beast of Everfree at the back of the library, sat hunched over a book with his elbows resting against his knees.
He was reading a large, red book, barely looking up as everypony wandered inside. Nudging Applebloom forward with a friendly hoof, Applejack gently moved her sister towards the captain, having somewhat higher hopes in him since he'd decided to try the jam.
“Um...uh, hello?” the little yellow pony squeaked, still staying close to her sister.
Snapping his neck up from the book, Barbossa slammed it shut with one hand and tossed it to the side, leaving it amongst several others he had stored in a small pile next to where he sat. He got to his feet, and stood on the spot with his hands buried within in his pockets.
“Hello,” he said, scrunching his eyes and tilting his head back.
“Um...” Applebloom uttered before looking back at her sister for support, “Hello. What's...your name?”
“Captain Hector Barbossa.”
It was getting tiresome introducing himself to so every new creature that he happened to meet, which at this point amounted to a whole town. He was likely more well known in this world than he was in his own. But he always made sure to add captain. He liked being properly titled.
“And what about the lot of ye? What're yer names?”
Trying once again to sound child friendly, this time under better circumstances, he smiled at the children and waved towards them. They retreated, almost as if forced back by the power of his hand alone. Stepping in, Twilight introduced them herself.
“This is Applebloom, and this is Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle,” she said smiling, ushering to each of the foals in turn.
While he had slowly gotten used to the ridiculous names the ponies always seemed to have, the orange one's still sounded rather bizarre.
“Right...” the pirate said, clapping his hands together, “What shall we be doin' then?”
Twilight happily clopped forward, levitating an unrolled parchment towards the pirate from a wooden table.
“Well, I looked in to the Hay Day of Pony Piracy, and found some things you could do with the foals that we think they might enjoy.”
“The Hay Day...of Pony Piracy?” the captain asked back, dubious as to whether she was actually being serious.
Twilight narrowed her eyes at Barbossa; he had a way of pulling their conversations off-topic. Then again, these moments were when she learned the most about him.
“It's a time in history when we still had pirates. Oh, what do you call your time in history?”
“The fourteenth day of August, 1742. Last time I was there.”
“No name?” Twilight questioned, curiously blinking her eyes.
He scratched his beard.
“The Modern Age, though I prefer the Golden Age of Piracy. Leaves a lot less te the imagination.”
Twilight let a small grin form on her face as she hurriedly scratched away at another piece of paper with a quill. It was almost like his world copied hers. Everything more or less had an equivalent where he came from; it was as if his world was based on her own. It was remarkable; so many similarities, yet so many differences. Perhaps even ponies had equivalents too.
Mentally locking the thoughts away for another time, Twilight smiled back up at the pirate before floating the sheet of paper into one of his hands. He grasped it within his fingers and swayed his eyes back and forth across its contents.
“All o' this?”
“No, just anything that works; I don't really know what you've done with your life, so I just suggested anything that sounded interesting.”
The list was a little sparse, but Twilight had suggested things she would liked to have known about pirates as a child; adventures on the seas, hearing how they lived, what his crew was like, and even any legends he had heard. The list would likely benefit her more than the Crusaders, but they still liked to hear stories. And if Hector was anything like the pirates from her world, he would have at least one thing going for him that they thought was interesting.
“And yer sure this'll give me redemption fer scarin' em?” he asked, “They don't seem too pleased te be here in the first place.”
“But once you tell them stories and stuff, I'm sure they'll come around.”
“Ye say that when ye and yer own friends have yet to be brought 'round yerselves; it's a none too compellin' argument, Miss Sparkle.”
“All I'm saying is give it a try,” she sighed, “I know it's been hard. It has been for all of us, but you have to start your reconciliation somewhere.”
That was precisely his thinking on the matter, but that didn't stop him having a lack of experience with children. He could handle them well enough, feed them, give them something to do, but that was about it.
“I suppose.”
He wasn't going to get anywhere acting all high and mighty either; he may as well be nice and get the event over with. They were just children, and small ones at that. If all he had to do was make them happy, then he may as well make a good attempt at it. He couldn't see himself being thrown in prison should he fail to make them smile either, so if worst came to worst, he'd try and reconcile with someone else instead.
It also meant he had some leeway in how he dealt with them.
Rubbing the back of his head under his hat, he turned to face the three fillies, all of which flinched a little when he did. Feeling somewhat unsure of how to begin his approach, he chose the first thing written on Twilight's list. It wasn't too hard a task, seeing as it wasn't really a task at all.
“How about a story fer the little ones?”
He wasn't adverse to telling stories; he had enough to his name, some of which could be considered legendary. But telling them to an audience that was actually judging him was none to comforting. That didn't mean he couldn't give it his all.
“What kind of story?” Scootaloo wearily asked.
“Stories of the high seas, little orange pony. Tales of monsters roamin' the waters uncharted, and men losin' their lives beneath the power o' those monsters.”
Whilst Twilight and Applebloom stood there with smiles creeping onto their faces, Scootaloo and Rarity scoffed and clicked their teeth.
“I just bet you were one of the monsters,” Scootaloo said sitting on the floor, resting her head against a free hoof.
“No,” he said, letting a dark smile scratch its way on to his face as he loomed closer to the ponies, “I were the one that died.”
The foals slowly nudged themselves back at his words, but they didn't look actively scared. Barbossa knew how to make a story exciting, or at least he liked to think he did. And telling a story to the ponies about the man in front of them seemed far better than telling one of the others he happened to know. It'd seem more interesting, more impressive, and if all worked out, they'd find him as 'cool' as the little colt in town found him.
Crookedly smiling, he clicked his knuckles and shoulders before pulling a small wooden stool from his side. He'd seen teachers sitting on chairs when teaching children, and as all present were well below his height, it seemed like an appropriate way to tell his story. So he sat down, moving himself around until he was comfortable in the undersized chair.
“The tale begins, little ponies, with a stone chest. A stone chest left on an island of the dead, which couldn't be found, 'cept by those who had a way of knowin' where it was; Isla de Muerta.”
Looking around to judge interest, apart from the unimpressed glances of Rarity and Scootaloo, he had the attention of every being present. The farmer with the nice hat and the dragon had even joined the foals on the floor in front of him.
“And within' the stone chest, on the island that couldn't be found, were eight hundred and eighty two identical gold pieces, delivered to the blackened hands of Cortés himself. Blood money paid te stem the slaughter he reaped upon the land with his armies.”
“Who's Cortés?”
The pirate looked down at Sweetie Belle, who, despite asking the question, still shook under his glare. He'd almost forgot the beings listening had no knowledge of basic history. His basic history, anyway.
“The feared ruler of Spain.”
“Spain?”
Sighing at Applebloom's question, he shook his right hand towards Twilight before pointing towards the children. It had also escaped him they didn't know where he was from. Allowing her a few moments to catch on, the purple unicorn finally nodded at him. She'd have a better chance convincing them than he would.
“I know this is hard to believe, but Hector's from another world. He fell into Everfree from the sky the day you met him for the first time. Which he is very sorry for, right?” she asked as she glared at him.
“Aye, of course,” he cockily answered, bowing to those in front of him.
“And he's stuck here until the princess can find him a way home. She asked him to be nice and apologise to anypony he hurt, and he chose to start with you three.”
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked to their sisters, none too sure if they were right to believe Twilight. Scootaloo just sat there, still none too excited to be where she was, and seemingly not bothered by what she had just been told.
“He should be sorry after what he did to Sweetie,” Scootaloo said.
“And if ye'll let me finish me story, I'll be on me way te gettin' there!”
Scowling at the small pony for, what he hoped, would be the last time, he continued with his story. He surmised there would be the odd the question about what he said, as it was, sadly, natural. But if he kept the story as simple as possible, then hopefully none would actually arise.
“But his greed were insatiable, neverendin'. And the heathen gods of our land, angered by his lust for gold, placed upon the treasure a terrible curse; any mortal who took but a single piece from the stone chest, would be punished. For eternity.”
Nonchalantly waving his hand in the air, he closed his eyes and leaned an elbow against his knee, bending down towards the ponies below him.
“But I didn't believe in childish ghost stories, and neither did the rest o' me crew. So we sought them out. We found the island that couldn't be found, and we found the gold. And we took it all!” he exclaimed, angrily gasping out with his free hand.
Applebloom and Spike flinched back, nudging back forward with smiles spreading across their faces.
“Every last one; all eight hundred and eighty two pieces. And squander 'em away we did, spendin' 'em on food, drink, and the most pleasurable of company.”
He paused, seeing Twilight jerking her head from side to side with her eyes wide and her mouth tightly shut. Realising what she was getting at, he looked towards the children, all three of which seemed nary the wiser about the explicit comment he had made. Applejack and Rarity did seem aware, glaring at him with their brows furrowed. Spike seemed to notice too, though he scrunched his eyes and shook his head.
At least Barbossa knew they still had sex in this world, though he wouldn't have been surprised to find out that they didn't. Nothing else seemed to comply to his sense of reality.
“Compelled by greed we were, and before we realised, the curse we had so carelessly cast aside had already took it's terrible toll; food turned te ash in our mouths, and the drink did never satisfy. And we could not feel the wind against our faces, nor the touch of another's skin against our own.”
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a pouch holding something he'd kept that no other man could. Opening it, he pulled out a single golden coin. One side was engraved with the image of a smiling skull, jagged patterns surrounding it on all side, while the other had an ancient, archaic symbol, one which Barbossa still didn't know the meaning off.
Flipping it into the air with his thumb, he caught it and tossed it into the crowd of ponies at his feet. The children and older sisters dodged it, treating it like a disease as it twirled and spun on the floor. Once the doubloon had ceased it's movements, landing with the skull face up, Twilight peered over from where where she sat, gingerly moving her hooves towards it.
“Can I touch it?”
“D' ye dare?” Barbossa answered, still smiling to himself.
Twilight pulled her hoof back slightly before quickly reaching in and snatching it from the floor. She scrunched up her eyes before quickly touching Applejack in the stomach. Opening her eyes and before doing so again, she stared at the coin before dejectedly looking back up to Barbossa.
“It doesn't work.”
“We were cursed men, Miss Sparkle. And te remove the curse, each coin had te be returned te it's rightful place in the chest, all eight hundred and eighty two of 'em, with the blood of each man repaid, in earnest, te account for the sin o' stealin' the gold in the first place.”
He sat there holding his hand in front of his face, slowly spinning it around from his wrist. He simply stared at it, a frown and tired expression unconsciously present on his face.
“We were immortal men, and with the immortality came the great cost. We'd starve to death, but never die, we'd be parched of thirst and unable to quench it, and we were unable to feel even the spray of the sea against our skin.”
“You were...immortal? Wouldn't everypony have liked you for that?” she said, before realising her faux pa, “I mean...everyhuman?”
The question came once again from Twilight, who still had the coin resting on her hoof. Looking at the gold, she flipped around between her forehooves and passed it to the little fillies on the floor, all three of which didn't bother touching it. Spike chose to take it in both his claws instead, holding it between four of his fingers as he stared at the skull on the front.
“Adore us?”
Barbossa bitterly laughed, getting to his feet before walking towards the purple mare.
“Why would they adore us? We were men, sure, and we could walk amongst the livin', but in the moonlight, we were revealed for what we truly were. Our skin would rot away, and our bones became bare for the world te see. We became legends; ghost stories of our own. Our ship was feared, and our presence even more so, and the feelings we lacked became our only idea of heaven.”
Twilight readied to rebut his response, but he continued regardless. She really wanted to ask him about his immortality.
“We searched for each o' the coins. Every last one, but by then it were already too late. We'd become greedy and tired, somethin' men on a ship should be wary enough to avoid becomin'. We fought. We tried te end it ourselves, but while the pain was never felt, our wounds always healed. Heads would live beyond their necks, and limbs would move beyond their bodies. Not even bruises or cuts could lay upon our skin.”
Letting a frown once again linger on his face, he shook his head, letting the dark grin he had previously worn squirm it's way back on to his lips.
“We'd even sent a man overboard. But that was our biggest mistake, and we surely repented for it. His blood could not be repaid, nor could his coin be returned te the chest. We were at a loss, and forced te sail the seas forever, undying, but long dead on the inside.”
The coin had since been taken up by Applejack, who flipped it around on the floor, never actually picking it up. Applebloom stared on from the side, following it around with her eyes.
“Then how come ye ain't all undeadly now?” Applejack asked, still playing with the gold.
The ponies had more questions, but most didn't care to ask. The younger ones never realised the serious nature of his more unfriendly comments, and the older mares found it somewhat interesting to listen too. Twilight even more so, who had once again took up writing down what Barbossa said on scraps of paper.
“He had a son, William, and not only did he have his fathers blood flowin' through his veins, but he also had the coin we so desperately needed. But we knew not where he was, or even that he were a boy te begin with.”
Barbossa stopped the pain from the past coming back this time, holding his smile and staring into his hand as he curled and uncurled his fingers.
“But through trial, and through fate, and through consequence, we found his coin. And we repaid his blood...”
“That's horrible. You killed a pirate's son for what his father did?!”
Another negative response from Rarity wasn't something he had wanted, but it was surprising she'd accepted everything else he'd said thus far. He hardly thought killing Will was any worse a crime than killing his father. Though Barbossa had the knowledge and hindsight to know what Bootstrap had actually been through, and the man deserved at least a small ounce of respect.
“He were a boy when Bill went over, but he weren't a boy when we found 'im. We had to wait ten, whole, bloody years until the day we found William, and ye can't disagree our reasonin's weren't reasonable ones.”
“But that stil-”
“And he were kind enough to forgive me too. He were even on me crew before I arrived here, so if ye think I've got nary a kind bone in me body, I'll kindly ask ye te keep yer opinions te yersel'. There are many worse men than I, Miss Rarity, and I assure ye, I'm actin' nicer than any other I know would, given what I've had te got through over the last four days.”
Clearing his throat, and sitting back in the undersized chair, he hoped that would be the last interruption, seeing as he had barely anything left of his story to tell.
“But we had picked up enemies, as I'm sure ye'll happily decide we deserved. We went te lengths beyond comfort te retrieve those coins, and there were men that sought revenge for those lengths, young William included.”
He once again curtly laughed, clenching his fists against the ends of his jacket.
“And I were confident. Something ye can afford te be if yer undying in a world full of killers. But I fell te that confidence. I fought those who wanted my hide, and did so livin' up te me good name. But I were immortal, and I were none to bothered by the wounds I had received.”
He sat back, clenching his heart and scrunching his shirt with his right hand, contorting his face into a expression of pain.
“Then William returned his blood, on his own accord, and in doing so, lifted the curse. But a hole lay in my heart, and rather than the warmth of my body, or taste of the sea, I felt my blood run cold. My body drained, and my view dimmed black as I died. Feelin' only the chill of death as the feelin' I spent so many years desperately seekin'”
Barbossa sat back in his chair, this time crossing his arms over his chest, rather proud of the story he had just told.
The ponies on the floor didn't seem to completely agree. While Spike, Applejack and Applebloom smiled and widened their eyes at his ending, the others sat there, letting their brows raise and faces contort. Twilight had even stopped writing.
“You died? As in, going to the great pasture in the skies, died?” she said.
“Aye.”
Twilight just looked to her friends.
“Then how are you here? Did someone save you from,” she said as she checked her notes, “Davy Jones' Locker?”
Rather infuriated they didn't believe one of the single most tale worthy things that had befell him, Barbossa stood up, waving his hands in the air as he spoke.
“What? No! I died! I were brought back by a goddess, Calypso, te sail the waters of the damned te find Jack in the Locker. Ye don't just go te the Locker; there be rules.”
“There are rules to get to the land of the dead?”
Ponies didn't have rules, Twilight thought. She assumed you just sort of...went there.
“Of course there are rules. Only those who die at sea and refuse the pardon of Davy Jones' are deemed sinful enough te be sent te Jones' Locker, and I didn't die at sea.”
“So theoretically, you could bring anyone back from the dead, as long as they die on land?”
“I...I don't know! I were the one that was brought back, not the one chantin' the incantation. And I'm not one te look a gift horse in the mouth, 'specially when it involves me not bein' dead!”
“I suppose,” Twilight murmured, “but why couldn't Calypso just bring Jack back the same way she brought you back?”
She was starting to sound like Pintel. God forbid he had to think of him while he was here; he had enough problems without him or Ragetti getting in the way. Ragetti and his eye was the only reason Barbossa put up with the overweight oaf in the first place. Though, he did prove one of the most loyal during those ten, long years, so he had something good going for him.
“Jack's body and soul were taken te the Locker, I were simply dead. Ye can't bring somethin' back when there ain't nothin' left begin wi'.”
The elder sisters and the fillies just sat there while Twilight and the pirate captain bickered about details. Sweetie and Scootaloo looked at the two arguing, slightly confused. Was that the end of the story? Had he finished?
“Is that your story finished?” Sweetie Belle ask, “It just...sort of ended.”
Barbossa turned to the little fillies sitting on the floor, ignoring the curious Twilight Sparkle as she continued to identify holes in his story.
“Of course it bloody well ended; I died! There ain't nothin' te tell when nothin' were goin' on from me own point o' view!”
He couldn't believe this. Not only didn't they rightly believe him, they were mocking him! How was he supposed to make his death more exciting? He certainly didn't know what happened afterwards, but whatever it was couldn't have been that fascinating.
“And if you couldn't take coins from the chest, then how come you have one? Shouldn’t you still be all undead and stuff,” mocked Scootaloo.
“I didn't take it; me monkey did.”
Scootaloo just rolled her eyes.
“You're just adding in characters now. I bet you carry it around just to tell this story.”
Flexing his fingers and tightly clenching his fists, he desperately repressed every natural urge his body was creating. As much as he wanted to wring out her little, orange neck, he knew full well that would be the stupidest thing he could do.
“I can check.”
Surprised at Twilight's sudden suggestion, Barbossa unclenched he fists before smiling and turning towards her.
“Ye can do that?”
“Well, yes. If there is actually a spell on the coin, I could vouch for you.”
Rather pleased such a thing could be done, he smiled and waved his hand towards the purple mare, rather pleased to have her around for once.
“Be me guest.”
Curious about the answer Twilight would bring, not just Scootaloo, but the rest of the room crowded around her. Needless to say, his story didn't sound completely true, as interesting as the majority of it was.
Slightly taken back at everyone crowding around her, Twilight nodded at the group and levitated the coin into the air, and like everything else she interacted with, it glowed with a vibrant purple hue. Closing her eyes to concentrate, Twilight focused solely on the coin, not even allowing it to move an inch from where it floated.
She began to squirm, shuffling her hooves as the doubloon continued to float there. Then her breathing wavered. The coin began to spin on its axis, starting in a slow rotation before progressing to a rapid blur, creating an orb of dulled gold between the aura of violet Twilight had summoned. It was hard. Harder than she thought it'd be; it was just a coin, after all.
But Twilight didn't want to stop. She could do this; she'd worked her magic on things a thousand, perhaps even a million times its size, and she wasn't going to give up so easily.
And she couldn't.
The coin still spun there, creating a whistle as it continued to rotate faster and faster. She couldn't stop. It was floating on it's own, spinning in quick succession. And it wouldn't let go.
“I can't stop,” she cried, shaking on her hooves and wavering her step, “It won't stop.”
Her eyes wouldn't open either. She didn't even want to open them.
Barbossa stood there, surprised himself that he was actually worried about what going on. But despite his thoughts, he merely stood there, awkwardly opening and closing his mouth while shrugging his shoulders. The others didn't look as calm; the fillies were nervously jumping around and the adults were unsure of what to do.
“Can somepony do something?!” she squealed, sounding more irritated than worried, despite her situation.
Looking between the frantic purple mare and her friends, the captain sighed before flexing his wrist. Reaching out to grab the coin, he painfully recoiled his hand as the golden item crashed into his fingers. He fell back, clutching his pained hand with the other.
“Ye bastard bloody coin!”
Watching the older creatures present attempt the same act of valour, he inwardly seethed at how stupid an idea it was. He also wondered why the horses chose to copy him when he had obviously hurt himself in the process.
Looking back at the purple mare, Barbossa's eyes widened as she flinched back. Her coat was rotten and greyed, worn by the passing of time. Her stomach was torn, and inside he could see her ribcage rearing it's way from her body, and the stillness of her organs as they dangled in place. Her skull was showing, as were parts of her eyes, despite the lids being tightly shut. Her teeth could be seen too, cracked and connected with her skull at the base of her mouth as her tongue spasmed and moved inside.
Watching as the foals began inching themselves away from Twilight, and the white unicorn fruitlessly attempted to help her purple friend, the captain panicked at what was happening; he was sure they would declare this his fault. Looking around for anything to help the situation, he briefly widened his eyes as he grabbed the stool he had been previously sitting on, backing up before slamming it into the air where the coin spun.
Falling forward as the stool made contact, Barbossa shut his eyes as the spinning coin shattered the edge of the seat, splintering the wood and getting dragged down with what was left. Opening his eyes, the pirate blinked at the mess on the floor, as well as the now normal Twilight.
Releasing his breath, he pushed aside the stool and went for the coin, moving his hand back as he felt the heat emanating from it. Pulling his jacket forward, the used his cuff to pick up the doubloon and feebly toss it from hand to hand, childishly blowing at it and eventually putting it into one of his many pockets.
Twilight was now dizzily standing on all four hooves, leaning against her unicorn friend for balance. Shaking her head from side to side, she opened her eyes to see everyone nervously looking towards her.
“W-what's wrong...you guys?”
They all looked at her with troubled eyes, the pirate included, albeit with a less sentimental reason for doing so.
“Are y'all okay Twilight?!”
She took a few moments to steady herself before answering Applejack's question.
“I...I think so. That was...new. And weird; the coin just wouldn't let go.”
“Didn't it hurt?” Scootaloo asked.
“I don't think so; it just kind of kept pulling. I think that's the word for it. There's definitely something on that coin anyway. I don't think I'll be doing anything else to it though.”
“What about your coat Twilight? Did that hurt? It looked simply awful!” Rarity dramatically asked, waving a hoof in the air.
Twilight just looked back, raising an eyebrow at Rarity. Wobbling on her hooves, she sat herself on the floor before letting out a comfortable sigh.
“What do you mean?” she said before gasping, “Did I knock something over?”
Looking over herself, Twilight titled her head to her right and left, giving her coat and mane a once over. Rarity then looked at the pirate, angrily unsure of how to respond. He once again shrugged his shoulders.
“She means yer coat, Twi! We could see your insides and everythin',” Applejack worriedly yelled.
Widening her eyes, she once again looked over coat, standing this time, putting her head in line with her belly and tail as well. She looked back towards her friends and the foals standing in front of her.
“My insides? Like bones and organs?”
Nodding rapidly, everyone in the room, bar the pirate, had a panicked look on their faces. Wandering off to the back of the room, Barbossa ushered Spike to follow him before disappearing through a door with the baby dragon in tow. Applebloom wandered up to the purple unicorn before hugging her leg.
“It were terrible, Twilight. You were all boney and skeleton-y and we could see yer skull and yer eyeball and yer insidey bits!”
“Like a zombie!” Sweetie Belle yelled.
“...or Hector in his story, ” whispered Twilight.
Looking around the room, she nervously searched for the pirate in question, only to hear him clanking and clinking things around in the kitchen. With the rest of her friends also looking towards the sounds, everypony bar Twilight furrowed their brows as he wandered out with an apple and a glass filled with a bright, orange liquid in his hands. Spike came out soon after, walking up to Twilight before doing anything else.
“What have you done to Twilight!”
That was what Barbossa assumed they were all yelling at him. He couldn't exactly tell. Each was yelling something different. The orange pegasus even waltzed up to him, attempting a growl and an intimidating glare, going as far as to bare her teeth at him.
Rather than answer their queries and complaints, he simply motioned in the air for the to shut up, apple still in hand. Twilight just sat there, looking over her hooves and forelegs, while the others were still yelling despite his request.
The younger ones and Applejack looked more upset and worried than angry, but he saw that Rarity and Scootaloo, at least, had malice in their eyes. Although, for once, he actually sympathised with them. Not very much though.
Walking up to Twilight, Barbossa knelt on one knee and forced the apple into her mouth, before pouring a small portion of the glass over Twilights snout. Standing up and drinking the rest of the liquid, contently sighing at it's flavour, he put the glass on a nearby table and crossed his arms.
Letting their mouths hang open, looking at the now less than dignified Twilight, the ponies once again started to argue, before the purple mare bit a chunk out of the apple, letting the rest fall to the floor.
“What was that for!”
“What were what for?” he calmly said, not changing his expression.
“Pouring pineapple juice on me! And putting an apple in my mouth!”
“Believe it or not, that were an act of kindness on me own part. How did ye know it were pineapple juice?”
Twilight angrily moved towards him before realising what he was getting at. She looked toward her friends, but apart from Applebloom and Spike, no one seemed to let the words click into place.
“I could taste it.”
“Aye, ye could taste it. And by that logic, ye could swallow the apple and feel the juice on yer muzzle too.”
“...Yes.”
“Therefore, yer not a cursed unicorn. Now ye can call off yer angry friends and tell yer princess I solved me own problem, even though I weren't technically the one who initiated the procedure in the first place.”
He spoke with an air of sarcasm, and walking back to where his stool used to be, he picked up the list Twilight had gave him up from the floor.
Still looking at the pirate, Twilight repeated what she had done before and poked Applejack in the side, rubbing her belly slightly. Smiling and tapping her hooves on the floor, she let her horn shine as she removed the rest of the juice from her face.
“Are you okay then?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Oh yes, I'm fine,” Twilight said as she once again smiled, “but I think I'll refrain from casting spells on that coin. At least we know Hector's story is more than likely true now.”
“But didn't you see what he did to you?”
“I was the one that offered to do that, and we can't really blame him for what happened. It's his coin, but I doubt he knew that would happen to me. And besides, I think I'm fine.” she beamed, shaking her flank for emphasis.
“Can I get on wi' doin' me things now? I'd rather not be ruinin' anythin' else.”
He asked mockingly, but he was somewhat curious if he actually could. All in all, almost cursing the creature taking care of him wasn't a high point of the day, seeing as he was meant to be apologising to the foals. He'd almost made them burst into tears too, which would have done less than nothing to help his situation.
Twilight looked at the fillies once again. They weren't really getting the best impression of the pirate. He didn't really have a good one going for him, but at the very least he was decent minded. Decent minded as far as pirates went anyway.
“It's up to you three. I know he seems scary, and I know the things you've seen haven't been up to scratch, but they weren't his fault. Mostly. He's just a little different.”
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked at their sisters for guidance, but Scootaloo just grumbled and sat on her haunches, crossing her forehooves against her chest.
“If y'all are wantin' ta go, we'll understand, Applebloom. But I do have ta agree with Twilight; he ain't completely a bad pony. Thing. And it were an accident.”
With Applebloom somewhat unsure of how to act, Sweetie Belle waited for her sister’s response too. But Rarity didn't seem as forgiving as her farming friend.
“I said one chance, Twilight.”
“But he hasn't wasted it yet. Come on, Rarity; you know what just happened wasn't completely his fault. We didn't believe his story, and I was the one who offered to test his coin after all.”
Looking around he room, judging everypony else’s responses to form her own, Rarity noticed that most seemed to agree with Twilight. Spike and Barbossa merely looked back at her and shook their heads, trying their best not to get involved.
“I'm only looking out for Sweetie Belle.”
“I know you are, and he wants to make it up to her for what he did. I know what just happened must have been...less than nice to look at, but it was still an accident.”
Mulling over Twilight's words, the white unicorn turned to face her sister.
“It's up to you, Sweetie. What would you rather do?”
The filly in question just looked from her sister towards her two friends. While Scootaloo seemed less than excited, Sweetie knew she'd likely stay, even if just to prove that she was brave enough to do so. Applebloom didn't seem so sure though.
“I'll stay if Scootaloo and Applebloom stay,” was her response.
“And I'll stay if Sweetie and Scootaloo stay.”
Nodding at each other and smiling, everyone present turned back to the pirate. Knowing he had a lot to make up for, Barbossa looked over the list for something easy. Apparently trying to look adventurous and 'cool' wasn't going to work, and there was only one other thing on the list he knew he'd be able to do. He would have preferred a drink or five before doing it though.
Letting out a sigh, hoping this activity would go better than the last, he took a deep breath before calmly talking to the others.
“How about a shanty?”
He knew plenty, and children from his world sang them all the time. Elizabeth had told him on one occasion she sang a few of them as a child, so if children from noble families sang them, he couldn't really mess this up.
“A shanty?” Applebloom asked.
“They're songs sailors and pirates used to sing at sea.”
Listening to Twilight’s definition, Sweetie let a smile creep on to her face. Scootaloo hung her head, letting a grumbled sigh escape her lips before once again resting her head on her front right hoof.
“Singing songs?” Sweetie Belle beamed happily.
This was looking good, the pirate thought. The orange one didn't seem interested, but the other two looked quite pleased, Sweetie Belle even more so.
“Aye, songs. Is that acceptable enough?” he asked Twilight, although someone else answered instead.
“Yes, that's fine. What are you going to sing?”
He guessed Sweetie enjoyed singing, so he had at least one happy pony within his grasp. Still wishing he was less than sober, Barbossa nodded and paused to think. He needed one he knew all the words to. Or enough to get by, at least. Believing he was sorted, the captain cleared his throat and readied himself, sitting himself down on the wooden floor in front of the ponies.
He was going to regret this one way or another, but he wanted to stay free. While it wasn't a one way trip to a cell if he failed, the choice between work, prison, or singing wasn't a hard one.
“Fifteen men on a dead man's chest. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.”
He tapped on the floor with his hands to get some form of beat going, although he was hardly the most musically minded person. He could play the violin, but it had been a good twenty years since he last properly picked one up. He was low ranking when he had learned, and any skill you had made you one skill more valuable than the next man. He doubted the ponies even had many instruments though.
“Drink and the devil had done for the rest. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.”
As interested as Sweetie seemed, no one else looked that into his charming rendition of the song. Twilight was beginning to make faces too.
“The mate was fixed by the bosun's pike. The bosun brained with a marlinspike. And cookey's throat was marked belike. It had been gripped by...fingers...ten?”
Twilight had began shaking her head, with the same expression she had during the story present on her face. Rarity was also gasping at him as well, scrunching her nose in clear displeasure. Twilight then walked up to him before whispering into his ear, an act which he obliged by lowering his head.
“Could you perhaps choose a song not about killing things? Something more foal friendly, perhaps?”
“Children sing this song. I've heard 'em.”
“Well, we don't teach little colts and fillies to harm chefs and wield weapons. Could you please sing something else?”
Nodding his head, Twilight went back to her position next to Rarity as he thought of something else to sing. Sadly thinking of Jack and his drunken escapades on the Pearl, he cleared is throat and started again.
“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me. We pillage and plunder, we rifle and loot. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot. Drink up me 'earties, yo-”
Twilight was once again shaking her head. This just wasn't fair.
“Oh come on now! Children from well off families even sing this. Nobles sing this song at parties!”
Twilight walked back up to him to whisper his ear again. He didn't bother lowering himself to hear this time, however.
“Normally I wouldn't mind, but you've annoyed Rarity enough as it is. Don't you have anything that isn't about hurting and stealing?”
“Listen, that song is child friendly. How child friendly de ye want te be!”
“Does it get any better?” she asked.
“There's a line about still being loved by our mummies and daddies, how's that for ye?”
“And how many lines don't have something that nice in it?”
“The rest o' them.”
Twilight clicked her teeth before looking at a wide eyed Sweetie Belle. Despite the cute nature of her glare, Twilight still knew it meant the filly wanted her to stop bothering the thing teaching her a song.
“Look, just think of one more, and if that doesn't work, you can sing this one.”
Moving to walk away, she suddenly turned back around to face the pirate, this time not bothering to whisper.
“Oh, but later on, could you write some of the ones you didn't sing down on paper? I mean, being able to get songs from another world doesn't happen to me every day.”
Guessing he would be forced to do so anyway, he reluctantly nodded before letting her sit down. This was getting tedious now. Already having chose the next song, he once again began a beat on the floor. It was a simple, quick four beat rhythm, but it worked on ships, so he couldn't see why it wouldn't on the wooden floor of the library. He was also lucky this song's verses could be switched out to suit the occasion.
“What'll we do with a drunken sailor, what'll we do with a drunken sailor, what'll we do with a drunken sailor, earl-aye in the mornin'?”
The ponies stared back at him, Applejack even looking as if she were attempting to answer. Rolling his eyes, he clapped his hands to get their attention once again. Twilight hadn't raised an objection, so he mused this was likely the song he'd be finishing with.
“Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, earl-aye in the morning. Sling him in the long boat till he's sober, sling him in the long boat till he's sober, sling him in the long boat till he's sober, earl-aye in the mornin'”
Pointing at the children, hoping that getting them to sing instead would not only get them involved, but also allow him to be less so, he motioned his other hand in circles, mouthing the first two words he wanted them to sing.
Catching motion of him, Applebloom and Sweetie began to sing the first lines he had, or Sweetie Belle did anyway; Applebloom broke momentum by missing certain words and giving them her own awkward accent.
“Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, early in the morning!”
Rather proud of himself, and apparently out of the heat with the older mares, he continued going through some of the more 'foal friendly' verses he remembered. He could easily make it up if he wanted to though. His rhythm had since gone though, with the beat now matching the words of the song as he unconsciously lost track of the beat he had actually attempted.
“Give 'im a dose of salt and water, give 'im a dose of salt and water, give 'im a dose of salt and water, earl-aye in the mornin'.”
The children once again sang the chorus, with Scootaloo, Spike and Twilight joining in with the other two. He enjoyed singing while he was drunk, but he had to admit a song or two always kept morale high, and besides the rainbow jam, it was one of the better things he'd had the pleasure to enjoy since arriving.
“Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, early in the morning!”
“Shave his belly with a rusty razor, shave his belly with a rusty razor, shave his belly with a rusty razor, earl-aye in the mornin'.”
“Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, early in the morning,” his audience sang, with Applejack joining her sister and the others.
Beginning to become somewhat bored of the song, despite the brief mode of entertainment it had offered, he pointed to Sweetie Belle, wanting her to continue, seeing as she was the most eager. She looked at him before shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders.
“Just make a verse up,” he advised.
It wasn't like they'd want to hear much more of the ones he knew anyway. If they didn't like him implying he slept around, they wouldn't want the foals singing about it.
As he awkwardly kept hitting has palms on the floor, it was a few seconds more before the small unicorn started her own verse.
“Make him...take...down all of winter...make him take down all of winter, make him take down all of winter, early in the morning!” she happily sang, hopping from one hoof to another.
The others once again sang the chorus, the captain rather sneakily joining in. He may as well let her sing the other lines anyway, seeing as she was having more fun with it than he was. He was meant to make them happy for the princess, so surely this was more in line with what she wanted.
She also sang the song more up beat and up tempo than he had, making it seem less piratey and more...he didn't know what to call it. Her voice echoed and went from deep to high, despite keeping a definitely female ring to it. He merely saw it best to watch his free performance.
“Make him stand still in the gardens, make him stand still in the gardens, make him stand still in the gardens, early in the morning!”
“Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, early in the morning.”
Once again, everyone sang the chorus, with Rarity also finally joining in. Barbossa didn't get what the verses were about, but the ponies and dragon seemed to get them just fine. Maybe if he remembered, he'd ask Twilight later on, but he guessed they were more symbolic than his punishments were.
The others had also taken over his duty of tapping a rhythm, with the other two children, Twilight and Spike tapping beats on the floor. Of course, you could only really hear the ponies; Spike's clapping and foot steps were more or less drowned out by the stomping of hooves on the hard, wooden floor.
Watching Sweetie, who was now jumping around and swaying from side to side with the beat, he confidently sat back as everyone seemed to take over his song. He didn't mind tough, although he opted to jump in after a few more verses to actually finish.
“Make him swim in an icy river, let him stay until he shivers, leave him there until his dinner, early in the morning!”
Needless to say, Barbossa was somewhat impressed. Sure, all the rhymes were mostly halves, but to make the rhythm still work was quite a nice thing to hear. Usually, the men from his ship would stop and start during the song; something which irritated the more intellectual men. Well, him and Joshamee. He didn't know any other men on the crew who could be called intelligent.
He found it somewhat insulting that most of his crew could be outdone, in many respects, by a little talking horse.
“Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, early in the morning.”
“Perm his tail and curl his mane, leave him out there in the rain, make him have it done again, early in the morning!”
Listening for her to finish, the pirate jumped up to his feet, pushing his hands out to his side, trying to urge the others not to start the chorus. The song was already over what was normally sang, and he could tell Sweetie would simply keep on going. Given a different set of circumstances, Barbossa would have continued on too, but a long voyage while drunk was a more appealing prospect than singing in a library while sober.
“That's what we do with a drunken sailor, that's what we do with a drunken sailor, that's what we do with a drunken sailor, earl-aye in the mornin'!” he sang before raising his hands in the air towards everyone else.
“Way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, way hay and up she rises, early in the morning!”
Keeping his hands in the air, hoping to signify the song was, in fact, over, he flinched back as everyone began banging their hooves on the floor. Taking a few steps backwards, and letting his breath run slightly ragged, he looked around and saw Spike clapping amidst the ponies as they stomped hard against the wood. Letting his guard down, he nervously laughed before replacing his cocky smile; they were clapping for him.
Not everyone seemed so happy though.
“Couldn't we have kept on going?” Sweetie said, pouting.
“Aye, but I got the sense ye'd soon grow bored.”
“But I wasn't getting bored. I liked that song. I could have went on forever.”
“Aye, and that were me main concern. Songs generally have an end te them. Elseways they get rather laborious.”
Scrunching her nose at his long word, Barbossa saw Rarity whisper into her ear before Sweetie approached him once again.
“But if I sang it, nopony would think it was boring; I'd make it fun to listen too.”
“If ye could do such a thing forever, ye'd have me in yer debt, but until then, I dare say our little sing song is over.”
“Hector...” Twilight whispered to him, but it fell on deaf ears.
“Could you teach me another song? You said you knew more.”
“Another day; ye've worn me out.”
He wasn't tired physically, but mentally, he felt drained. Not just the singing, but attempting to keep up appearances for most of the day just made him want to sleep. Then again, it was nothing he couldn't handle. It wasn't like he had a choice though, and singing to children wasn't the most demanding task he'd had to do in his life.
“Hector,” Twilight said again, this time catching the pirate's attention.
Facing her, he focused his eyes on Twilight, waiting for her to speak, but instead he saw everyone smiling at the little unicorn to his side. Confused, he looked down at her, seeing nothing but Sweetie looking back up at him.
She then turned to face the ponies opposite the pirate, her friends of which were smiling much harder than the others.
Applebloom skipped from hoof to hoof, pointing her forehooves at her friend. Scootaloo was dancing in a similar fashion, but rather than point, she slowly shook from side to side.
“Sweetie Belle! Y'all got your cutie mark.”
Moving his attention to where the red maned pony was pointing, he saw Sweetie stare at her own backside before taking notice of what they were pointing at. There was a small, pink bell tattooed on her hind quarters, with a smaller purple musical note pictured slightly off centre. The rounded end of the note had a white, smiling face inside it.
“Ye talkin' about the tattoo?” the pirate asked, confusedly raising both his eyebrows.
Sweetie Belle began spinning around herself, almost as if she were chasing her tail. The other two then started dancing around beside her, hugging her once they had finally stopped. The older mares just looked on at them, with Rarity walking up to her sister before Hector approached Twilight.
“Seein' as I'm bein' ignored, I'll ask again; what were ye talkin' about?”
Twilight pulled herself out of the daze she was in and finally looked up at the pirate. She just smiled at him.
“She got her cutie mark.”
Barbossa simply stared back at her, sure that the answer Twilight gave hardly counted as one.
“Didn't you ever wonder why we called them the Crusaders?”
“Not really; didn't seem that relevant te me situation,” he mockingly replied.
“Cutie marks are something ponies get when they discover the one thing they're best at, the one talent that separates them from everypony else. Those three were the only ones in their class who hadn’t got them yet, so they called themselves ‘The Cutie Mark Crusaders’.”
Noting he had been doing so a lot lately, the pirate raised an eyebrow and scratched his beard. He looked toward the rest of the beings present, watching as they all crowded around Sweetie Belle. This wasn't something he particularly cared about, but he had wondered once or twice about their tattoos.
“And they just...appear? Like magic?”
“Yes. If a pony realises what they enjoy doing, or what they are best at, they just appear. Their cutie mark is a visual representation of that thing.”
Barbossa once again looked over at Sweetie Belle, glazing over the picture now printed on her flank. This was rather bizarre. Impossibly so.
“And yers represents...jewels?”
Looking down at her own cutie mark, Twilight smiled before shaking her head.
“No, mine represents my association with magic. Some ponies are good at one kind of magic, whereas I'm good at all kinds. The meaning isn't always literal.”
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he pulled is hand over his face in an attempt to let the information sink in. All in all, he thought the situation rather stupid, idiotic, and overly childish, but if it just happened, he guessed even they couldn't do much about it.
“Where I come from, animals are branded wi' hot pokers in that spot. Lets ye know who they belongs to.”
Dipping her head, she shook the idea out of her mind before walking up the rest of her friends, leaving Barbossa on his own. He stood there, attempting to decipher what the other two had for their talents in life. Applejack was obvious, given he'd seen her working in the fields, and he had a good idea about Rarity's.
“Greedy bitch.”
Coming out of his day dream, he watched as a good deal of the animals present walked over to him, with the foals stood at the front.
Waiting for whatever they wanted to say, he raised his arms in the air as Sweetie Belle instead hugged him, leaning her head on his shins.
“Thank you.”
Barbossa stood there, not quite sure how to react to being hugged. He wasn't naïve, nor was he a stranger to affection. He could show compassion and be kind, if anything he'd proven that the last few days. Children were still foreign territory, however.
“Yer most...welcome?” he managed to utter out before attempting returning the gesture, awkwardly bending down and cupping his hands in the air around the little filly.
Realising the act wasn't going to work, and that he'd rather not actually do it, he gave up the idea and continued to awkwardly stand there with the small filly clutching at his leg.
“I'm guessin' this means I'm fergiven' then?”
Nodding her head, still hugging tight around his leg, he stood back when she finally let go, glad to have his personal space back. The other two foals walked out to stand next to her.
“Well, I forgive you,” Sweetie murmured.
“And ah guess if y'all helped get Sweetie her cutie mark, ya can't be all bad and stuff.”
That just left the small orange horse.
“I don't like you very much. Not even a little bit, but I know when someone does something nice for somepony else. And your story did sound pretty cool, I guess...”
Taking that as his pardon, he mentally congratulated himself; he had dealt with the children. More or less successfully. And they had proclaimed him 'cool' too.
“But I think it's time you went home,” Twilight said, “You've had enough...excitement today.”
Nodding at the studious unicorn, two of the Crusaders walked away with Applejack and Twilight, while Scootaloo held back before going outside.
“Since we're best friends and all now, I don't suppose you could teach me some piratey stuff? You know, to see if you can get me my cutie mark too? That way the princess is sure to be twice as happy with you!”
The clearing of Twilight’s throat was enough to pull her away, and grumbling as she left, Scootaloo waved to Spike before leaving.
“You can cross me off your list too.”
Picking up on the new speaker, Barbossa looked over to see Rarity standing at the door. He couldn't tell if she was happy or not, but at least there wasn't anything negative on her face.
“Anypony who helps get my sister get her cutie can't be completely bad. I don't trust you any more than I did when I arrived, but just know you there isn't much else you can do that would please me.”
With Rarity walking through the door, and closing it behind her, Barbossa was left in the sole company of Spike the baby dragon. Sitting down on the couch, he picked up a book he had been reading and continued from where he left off, licking his finger as he readied to turn the next page.
He'd done pretty well today. He'd pleased the foals, and he'd got the prissy pony off his back without even trying. Maybe the whole act of pleasing the ponies would be easier than he'd thought.
“So...” Spike murmured, leaning back and forth on his feet.
Barbossa looked down towards him. Feeling somewhat good about himself, and realising Spike obviously wanted something, the pirate decided to humour the dragon for a change. He closed the book with an audible clap.
“So?” Barbossa said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic whilst talking to the little reptile.
“So...you were really immortal? Like the princess?”
Oh. This line of questioning was actually going somewhere. And without any needless chatter too.
“Yer majesty's immortal?
“Well, yeah. Celestia and Luna are both immortal. They're like....old.”
Barbossa looked toward the ceiling, letting a small smile escape his lips. Immortality. Never ending life. Or, at least, another way of achieving it. He looked forward to seeing the princess again.
“But I asked about you. What was it like. How old are you?”
The pirate wondered himself. He knew how old he was, but he often contemplated how much he'd actually aged at the hands of the curse, or if he had aged those ten years at all.
“Fifty four. And ye remember what yer purple friend looked like?”
“Yeah, it looked horrible.”
“Aye, but that's how it was all the time. And I had to suffer that for ten years. A whole, bloody decade. A decade, with no food, no drink, and no feelin'.”
But now he was getting to what interested him.
“Do yer princesses feel that burden?”
The small dragon looked a little less than comfortable, shuffling on his feet and looking around the captain rather than directly at him. He did eventually answer.
“I don't think so. I've seen them both eat and drink before. Celestia likes carrot cake quite a bit too. And I've seen them both drinking wine.”
Sitting back in the chair, the pirate captain rubbed his mouth and beard, holding back a smile at this new revelation. Maybe he could discover their secret while he was here. Maybe there was some fantastical pony spell or incantation to gaining it. It certainly seemed likely.
Wait.
“Are there any more immortals?”
“Not really. There are some spirits, and dragons can live pretty long lives, but there aren’t any other ponies as immortal as the princesses.”
“Bugger.”
It was likely hereditary. That, or it was something very few were privy too, and if that was indeed the case, Barbossa doubted he would get a sneak peak at the source. Though he'd still make sure to raise the topic when he next saw the princess.
“How big de dragons get?”
Spike smiled, somewhat gleefully proud that their visitor was interested in something about him for a change.
“We can grow as big as a castle, maybe even two or three of them. Pretty cool, eh? If I were older, I could burn you to a crisp and eat you in one bite. How do you like them apples?”
The pirate deliberately waited for a few seconds before answering.
“And how long would it be till ye were of human gobblin' size?” he asked with a cocky grin present on his face.
“Well...around one hundred and fifty years or so, give or take.”
“Ah, well ain't that a shame? Guess ye'll have te settle for being small enough for me to stand on.”
Getting the rather unfunny message, Spike grumbled before wandering off to do his chores. He had the mess in the main room to clear up, as well as his usual task of sorting the books. Before he left, however, Barbossa shouted to the small dragon.
“Spike, be a dear and fetch me a book on yer royal majesties, if ye please. I'm feelin' curious.”
Once again grumbling at the pirate, Spike reluctantly did as he was asked. However, if Barbossa wanted information on the princesses, perhaps he could make the pirate see how good Twilight and others really were. Picking out one on each of the sisters, the little dragon searched out a final book with a familiar stained glass window on the front.
“Mister Barbossa,” Spike said, as he mentally twiddled a moustache, “have you heard the story of Nightmare Moon?”
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Update!
1469978 It's scary, I was thinking of rushing here and saying the exact same thing.
Most Badass way to start a story goes Captain Hector Barbossa!
But Spike is a close second, if only he had remembered the monocle, red robe, fireplace and comfy chair.
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I would mention the singing, but my comment is high enough that I would have to give a spoiler warning and I can't make the text the same color as the background. Anyhoo...Great chapter! It was well worth the wait and I eagerly await any other brilliant chapters you grace us with.
"He had a good idea about Rarity's."
“Greedy bitch.”
“And how long would it be till ye were of human gobblin' size?” he asked with a cocky grin present on his face.
“Well...around one hundred and fifty years or so, give or take.”
“Ah, well ain't that a shame? Guess ye'll have te settle for being small enough for me to stand on.”
Great dialogue! I couldn't stop laughing with this chapter. I hope the next one is soon!
It feels awesome knowing all the songs in here, but the Sailor's Lament I remember a different line about putting him in th ebed with the captain's daughter.
Well, he zombified Twilight and openly discussed whores with young ponies, thought they didn't know what he meant, but everything turned out okay. You were complaining earlier about how that stuff only happens to Jack, Hector. Guess your luck is changing.
1470177
I presume you're talking about the Drunken Sailor Shanty thing, and Hector actually mentioned that in his mental dialogue:
Since whether or not he actually slept with the captain's daughter, you know both of them will get in trouble as if they'd done it.
1470343 Ah, my bad. I guess I kinda skimmed over a few parts
Hahaha....good chapter indeed, keep up the wonderful work.
1470372
1470343
The song has about 23 different verses that can be used, but I do quite like how Destructorspace got the line Barbossa was referencing
WOO, love the dynamic between the characters in this story, keep it up.
Nice chapter. You had me a little worry about Twilight becoming an undead for a few secs. Other than that, are you going to have Hector help Apple Bloom and Scootaloo get their Cutie Marks?
I really enjoyed this chapter.
Ow bout I provide ye all with a good sea shanty!
HUZZAH! AN EPIC UPDATE!
HA i KNEW once the story of the curse of cortese someone was gunna see or feel the curse xDD good way of showing tho :3 i can picture clearly on what happened great chapter very enjoyable :D and congrats sweetie belle finally xD wish RD heard his cool story her view on him could have possibly gotten better and its good AJ was more forgiving then some of the others more worried then vex then anything :)
I love this chapter.
This is the best chapter yet! Easily. So very worth the wait.
...yeah, that's enough for now.
Hooray for Sweetie! Even though singing is like, almost cannon with how many people agree on what her talent would be
Ok, I can understand Rarity, but why wouldn't Scootaloo be impressed? The "I was the one that died" line should've had her eating out of his hand
Ah, the chapter's up. I agree with the rest of the commenters by the way. This is one of the best ones so far, I think.
NICE JOB GUY, THAT WAS A GOOD ONE!!
Ok Sweetie if you really want to sing forever let me teach you this song.
*ahem*
Yay, it is good to see Barbosa again. I liked this chapter a lot, and I am especially wondering what the consequences of that coin will be. It seems like something Twilight will want to speak with Celestia about, and I feel like she would at least be curious about its power so I would expect something to come of that little incident.
Oh man, you should've had Hoist the Colours, that would've been a good one, some not foal friendly (really) but then Sweetie would not be able to change the lyrics in such a dynamic way as with the last song. Good show.
Isn't Discord immortal ?
1472837
Yeah, but I thought saying 'spirits' seemed like a better idea, seeing as there's likely more than just Discord.
1471310
Scootaloo seems like the kind of per...er, pony, who would fain ignorance for someone she didn't like. Even if she did like his story, I doubt she'd want to give Barbossa the satisfaction of knowing she liked it, but that's just my opinion
1472532
I like that song, so let's just say that I'm not going to ignore it completely
1470475
Yeah, if Twilight had been cursed, I'm pretty sure he would have lost all standing with the ponies
Swift chapter!
The story of Nightmare Moon won't really do anything for him Spike.
He lives in a world full of pirates, and monsters, and he was cursed to be a zombie for 10 year. I don't think he'll be scared of a little dark.
1472837 I see what you did thar.
Ha! Looks like Spike is gonna Troll Barbosa. His reaction is gonna be epic once he realizes just how powerful the princess's are.
Barbossa should really ask if they have the Kraken in their world.
THE STORY, ITZ ALIIIIVVVVEEEEEEE!
This calls for some Alestorm.
This story is wonderful.
Zombified Twilight? Cursed pirates!
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You deserve a moustache 
This is epic, and so are you for showing me this
Edit: And they're from SCOTLAND! I'm Scottish! Oh, have four more moustaches!
Great chapter, great story.
This chapter most certainly made my day! Awesomeness!
1473426 That's the point my warrior-at-heart avatar'd friend. Nightmare Moon isn't meant to scare him. It's a not-so-subtle suggestion. Apparently, every pirate's goal is immortality, and hector still has this even though he's in Equestria. The scary thing is the possibility of a Nightmare Barbossa. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Twilight_crazy_invert.png
Edit: In addition, I would like to suggest the eminent band Abney Park, as they have a few good pirate-y songs.
1478638 Lol. A Nightmare Barbossa. How could Equestria handle that.
1478989 Think Zombie Pirate Barbossa only with the ability to make it rain meteors and swords made out of moonlight.
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That would be cool.
If he was cursed and had a sword made from moonlight, then wouldn't he be a skeleton every time he used it
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and rather amusing. Incredible what children can make songs out of, isn't it?
This song, I find myself enjoying it.
It's different, but different can be fun.
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Wow, that was a looong read!
1481808 yep.
1472837 discord is not a pony
myfacewhen.net/uploads/3923-jontron-success.gif
continue sir
1483288 I know, he's a spirit. So ?
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I think it's because Spike's line was "but there aren’t any other ponies as immortal as the princesses." Maybe Jacob Dash thought you thought Discord counted as another pony. Or maybe not. It seems plausible.
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Keep your eyes peeled for more 
Yes, yes it was
Oh hey, look what I found ...