Ultimate Equestria

by Leo Pachino

Chapter 003: The Pirate Pegasus

“W-what are you?” Twilight stuttered, backing away from the two-legged pirate.

“Frightening at first sight, I understand.” Korsan pridefully replied. “I never intended myself to assume this posture, but I guess that’s the price to pay when you experiment with the mechanical arts on your own body. Personally, I’ve grown fairly attracted to it.”

Celestia flew down to the first floor alongside Twilight and Cadence.

“What are you doing here?” She sternly asked him.

Korsan casually answered, “I have only come for the Diamond Eye. I apologize for my violent theatrics upon arriving, Princess Celestia, this is a very finely constructed piece of architecture, but my ship was too big.”

“Your ship? You mean that giant floating wall of wood and cannons behind you?”

“Yes, The Perfection, the home of me and my crew of one-hundred. It is the symbol of my ultimate goal. Five-hundred metres of blood, sweat, tears, and more blood than you can imagine is what you see before you,”

“You must have some advance technology to have such a massive thing be able to fly.”

“I do.”

A moment of silence settled into the area. Princess Celestia and Captain Korsan slowly began circling around each other, examining each other in stride.

“Are you the one who’s been attacking nearby kingdoms, both inland and coastal?” Celestia asked.

“Yes.” Korsan promptly answered.

“Well, whatever plans you had for stealing the Diamond Eye, perish them. You’re under arrest.”

“Arrest? Me? By who? You and what army?”

Celestia had hoped that he’d say that.

“This one, guards!” She declared.

At the instant of the princess’ command, dozens of guards burst from the doors leading into the ballroom on all floors. Fully armoured and armed with spears, crossbows, and swords, Earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn guards lined up side by side and primed their weapons.

“One-hundred and twelve? Are you serious?” The brown stallion chuckled.

“What’s so funny? I only see a hundred of your lackeys.”

“You do indeed, but as a ruler of a kingdom, you of all ponies should be aware of the tactical disadvantages most of your troops have.”

“What does that mean?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Korsan merely pointed a hoof to her horn. She was initially confused, but after taking a quick glance at Korsan’s crew, Celestia immediately got the message.

“Well, I don’t see a horn on your forehead.” Celestia retorted.

In a second, Korsan’s grinning face snapped into a scowl.

“I rest assure you, that will be an issue I will remedy after obtaining the diamond, now.”

Korsan outstretched his right hoof forwards, prompting the shadowy figures to line up in two formations of five by ten ponies. Each one of them revealed themselves by illuminating their horns of many colors.

An all unicorn army?! Twilight internally exclaimed.

Korsan’s crew of one-hundred consisted entirely of unicorns, a decision he claimed to be advantageous over Celestia’s mixed guard.

The pirate stallions and mares of all sizes and colours were at Korsan’s sides, all grinning with excitement. They took a step forward, pulling out their swords and daggers before them and going into an offensive stance aimed at Celestia.

Korsan told the white alicorn, “As a pegasus, I’m aware of my current limitations. Perhaps I’m required to demonstrate to you what I mean.”

“Attack!” He then screamed to his crew.

With a unison flick of the pirates’ horns, every guard was encased in a magical aura and levitated off of the ground. The unicorn guards quickly responded to this and used their magic to break from their entrapment.

“Looks like you only have thirty-five guards now.” The pirate captain noted.

Korsan’s army then immediately charged forwards toward the center of the room, followed by the free guards charging at them.

“Engage shields and fire!”

The pirate army quickly followed his orders as a multicoloured shield appeared in front of them and a barrage of bolts of magic were fired through the back of the shield and into the resistance. In a matter of moments, the two sides collided and dispersed across the ballroom, with two pirates attacking a single guard each in close quarters combat.

Whatever ponies that weren’t fighting at close range engaged in a long range magic firefight across the chamber. Onlooking guests hid underneath tables, chairs, musical equipment, anywhere else where the fighting isn’t taking place. At the center of the room, amidst the chaos, Korsan slowly approached the large crystal on the pedestal, admiring its beauty.

“You think it’ll be that easy?” A mare’s voice interrupted his observing.

Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence, and Twilight emerged from the surrounding brawls and walked up to Korsan from the other side of the small pillar.

“I do,” Korsan answered, cocky and prideful.

“Give it up Korsan.” Cadence proclaimed. “You’re going against four alicorn princesses alone. There’s no chance of you winning.”

“One, two, three… Where is the fourth one?”

Another mare’s voice spoke into his ear, “Right behind-”

However, before she could finish, Korsan quickly turned around, seeing Luna with her horn glowing brightly. Before she could react, the pirate captain charged up to her, reaching his right hoof behind his back and underneath his swishing cape. His other hoof rose to Luna’s horn as the five spikes on his shoe appeared to have sprung to life, slid down the metal boot, and grabbed onto the horn as a sort of claw.

His right hoof returned into the open, holding a miniature version of his harness in between its metallic claws. In a short moment, Korsan wrapped the small device around Luna’s horn and backed away swiftly.

“Too easy!” He gloated.

Princess Luna thought nothing of this and attempted to fire a magic bolt from her horn. But, to her surprise, her horn didn’t fire anything, and the horn’s glow instead died down.

“What did you do?!” She asked, suddenly panicked.

“Anti-magic, your horn is no longer able to perform magic. My harness is similar, in that it prevents me from being affected by magic. Oh, don’t worry, the strap isn’t permanent. Just get a sharp needle and prod around inside the strap’s mechanisms. Speaking of my harness, I assume at this point that your fellow princesses are realizing they can’t grab me with their telepathy magic. Isn’t that right?”

Korsan turned around to see the other princesses surround him, sweating profusely as their horns were glowing vibrantly, yet with nothing happening.

“I swear, release me now or there will be serious consequences.” Luna warned him.

“Like what? You’re defenseless against me.”

However, to the pirate stallion’s surprise, a small flaming figure dove down from the third floor and smashed into his face. He yelped in pain as his face boiled in immense heat from the creature in front of him.

“That!” Luna proudly declared.

Korsan ran back and shooed the creature away, causing it to fly up and circle around the second floor. He examined the creature for a second and realizes what it is.

It was Princess Celestia’s pet phoenix, a loyal companion with a heart of fire. Its golden flames and crimson embers decorated the air above Korsan.

“A phoenix, what an interesting pet you have.” Korsan told the princesses. “I have a special pet as well that I would love for you to meet.”

As the flaming bird swooped down for another attack, a blue creature then flew into the ballroom from outside and smashed into the fire bird, sending it into the wall. What were once embers turned to flakes of ice, as the blue creature revealed itself. It was another phoenix, but was an icy shade of blue.

Korsan yelled out to the blue phoenix, “Good, Juliana! Make sure that that nuisance stays away from Daddy’s work.”

Korsan returned his attention to the black alicorn.

“I reckon you have never seen an ice phoenix.” He said.

Leisurely, the tall stallion reached an arm behind his back and cape and pulled out a long, serrated cutlass. The trapped princess’ eyes shrunk as they fixated on the jagged blades. The cutlass had glowing lights, similar to that of his harness, appearing in detailed designs on the sides. The cutlass drew closer to her as she backed away, forgetting that she has wings out of sheer fear.

“Stay away!” Luna demanded.

“Aww, scared?” Korsan taunted.

Celestia’s voice hollered from behind, “You get away from by sister!”

Korsan immediately swirled around and pointed his sword upwards, with the broadside facing him and the older princess. His sword was immediately met with a beam of concentrated white magic, Celestia’s Sunlight Ray. Despite the powerful magic though, Korsan’s sword remained firm. It absorbed the attack, with no recoil or damage done to the blade.

Princess Celestia was in utter shock of what she was seeing.

“What is it with ponies and announcing themselves before attacking?” Korsan asked himself. “Actually, in hindsight, that’s a fairly hypocritical statement. Hehe,”

“Get away!” Celestia yelled.

The white alicorn then charged at Korsan with her horn aimed at his throat. 0The pirate quickly reacted by pulling out another anti-magic strap and attaching it to Celestia’s horn as he dodged the dash. Princess Celestia failed to stop after missing and tumbled over her younger sister, sending them both falling onto the cold stone floor.

“Any more resistance?” Korsan impatiently snarled, having his moment with Luna interrupted.

His question was answered by Cadence teleporting behind him and delivering a punch into the back of his head. Korsan stumbled for a moment, growling in pain, but quickly recovered and smashed the back of his head into the pink alicorn’s chin. With her now discombobulated, Korsan strafed aside a step and performed a sideways flip over her, pulling out another horn trap and attaching it to her.

Upon landing, the bipedal stallion grabbed her by the neck and tossed her into Celestia and Luna, creating an even larger tangle.

“And now… Princess Twilight Sparkle.” He preemptively declared.

Korsan looked back at the pedestal and saw the purple mare standing in front of it, staring at him.

“How do you know my name?” Twilight asked.

“I do research. What? Did you expect anything less of me, thinking I was just some mindless barbaric pirate? Don’t expect your fight against me to be any different to your superiors. I suggest you back down now, I don’t want to harm you, nor did I originally intend to with your friends.”

“And let you get away with the Diamond Eye and hurting my friends anyways? Not a chance.”

“I see your reasons, but you must realize that whatever your next move is that I don’t like will result in you getting hurt. You’re surrounded.”

Twilight took a moment to look around and realized that he is right. All the remaining guards had been taken out, and she’s now surrounded by one-hundred pirate unicorns and Korsan.

“Don’t push it.” Korsan warned, pulling out another cutlass from his back.

After a moment of hesitation, Twilight admitted defeat, “Fine, I don’t see any other option…”

“Good, now move aside.”

Defeated, Twilight slowly walked to the side and let Korsan finally come within arm’s reach of the large crystal. The pirate captain’s face lit up as his mechanical claws grabbed onto the large artifact.

Korsan roared with delight, “Finally, the other half of the Diamond Eye is mine! My goal will finally be realized! The moment of our triumph draws nigh!”

His crew roared in laughter and cheer while the onlookers continued to cower.

“Wait, you have the other half?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah. I found it of the coast of Pingwin.” Korsan told her.

“That’s thousands of kilometres north of here! It’s an artic wasteland practically!”

“Most certainly, and it is also the birthplace of my sweet Juliana. Come here Missy!”

At his command, the ice phoenix immediately returned and hovered over Korsan’s shoulder. Korsan returned one of his swords behind his back and stroked the shiny gradient of glowing light and dark blue feathers of the bird with his free claws, prompting her to land on his shoulder.

“Have you turned that fire phoenix to ashes?” Korsan asked.

A gentle coo croaks from Juliana as a response.

“Daddy’s so proud.”

“Korsan, I’m giving you this chance, return the Diamond Eye to its pedestal now, go away, and I might forgive you.” Twilight demanded to Korsan.

“You really think I’m going to do that?”

“A longshot, yes, but if there’s any good in your heart you’ll see this is wrong. Maybe we can work together and solve the mysteries of the Diamond Eye now that we have both halves.”

Korsan laughed, “Ha! I know what your reaction will be if you figured out my intentions with the complete Diamond Eye. So I’m afraid that I’ll have to deny your offer. Come along, my hearty crew, we feast aboard!”

“Huzzah!” The pirates cheer.

One by one, the crew of a hundred pirates walked back up the plank and onto the massive airship, with the last member picking up the Diamond Eye piece with his magic and taking it with him.

“Take heed all of you,” Korsan warned. “Know your place. And I better not find anypony trying to follow me, unless you intend to join my crew, in which, if you are a unicorn, you are more than welcome.”

“Hey!” A mare’s voice called from behind the doors in the ballroom. “What’s going on in there?”

“Who is this? Reveal yourself.” Korsan commanded.

Slowly, the massive doors opened, and Rarity walked into the room. Immediately, she’s frightened by the hovering guards, the hiding ponies, the toppled princess pile, the destroyed state of the ballroom, and Korsan standing beside an empty pedestal, all before her.

“W-wha-what happened? Who are you? What are you? Did you cause this?” Rarity stampered.

“Oh my…” Korsan uttered beneath his breath.

Korsan’s eye grew as his sights sharpened onto the white mare. A warm, fuzzy feeling started to rise from the back of his neck to the center of his skull, as the pirate captain found himself entranced by Rarity’s appearance.

“I apologize for my more, abnormal appearance.” Korsan said, attempting to comfort the mare. “It is understandable for your fright, but you grow used to it in time. I am Korsan. And who might you be?”

“R-Rarity…”

“I must say, you look most certainly elegant. It might not be the brightest room in the castle, but I can see that you take considerable time to maintain a well-made public image, one to catch the eyes of many-a-stallion.”

“Can it Korsan.” Twilight barked from the side of the room. “She’s not interested with pirates. You got your diamond, now go. You’ve already done enough damage to this place. Rarity, stay away from him, he caused this entire mess and stole the Diamond Eye.”

“This is not your concern miss.” Korsan hissed.

“No, hold on.” Rarity snapped. “What makes you think that I’d be interested in you after you caused this and present yourself in this manner all of a sudden? You stole the Diamond Eye just now, are you mad?! You return that Diamond Eye and get out of this place this instant or else I’ll make sure you’ll be sore for the next week.”

“Hmph. Fine, it was a longshot anyways.” The pirate replied with a smirk, seemingly having taken no offense to the rejection. “Though, there’s always room in my crew.”

Quickly, Korsan darted onto the boarding plank and went up to the top of the wooden wall with Juliana in tow. “Adieu! ”

“Hey! Get back here now!” Rarity exclaimed.

However, before Rarity could reach the wooden board, it was lifted back into the airship.

“You won’t get away with this!” She declared.

“Unfortunately,” Twilight somberly replied, “he has. He just had the upper hoof and trumped us. Anything we do now is just going to hurt somepony.”

Soon, the massive wall of wood and cannon barrels sprung to life. The entire mass slowly moved forwards and accelerated rapidly. Everypony watched as they saw the back of the massive pirate ship sank below the edge of the ballroom.

Twilight and Rarity ran up to the room’s edge and looked out the window to see the massive floating boat already in the distance, soaring away with the laughter of the pirates on board echoing back to them.

“So that’s it? This pirate and his crew just came in here, knocked out a third of the guard, left the other two thirds stuck in the air by magic, stole the Diamond Eye, hurt the princesses, brought panic to the Grand Galloping Gala, destroyed the castle, and I think I saw Rainbow Dash soil herself, and you’re just going to let him get away with it?” Rarity asked.

“Well, the magic will wear off once the ship flies off a large enough distance.” Twilight replied.

“Still, you’re just going to let them get away?”

“No, we’re going to go after them, and stop Korsan from causing any more of these attacks.”

“How?”

“I… I am not sure.”