Crew of the Marblehead

by M48 Patton

Chapter 10

Storm Stalker looked up from her bowl of soup in surprise. The horn had just sounded, and there was no reason for that except. . . With a startling crackle, Night Watch's voice echoed about the ship.

“All hooves on deck!” She heard the speakers blare. “We've been boarded!”

The pegasus felt the blood drain from her face at the announcement. Beside her, Big Sail rose to his hooves and began to give an order.

“Get—”

Storm was up and at the door.

“the—”

Whatever else Big Sail was going to say was lost as Storm Stalker flew through the passages, her wing tips scraping the bulkheads as she did. Even by normal pegasus standards, Storm Stalker was not the fastest, nor did she hold the endurance that many of her species held, but years of combat had given her an edge in reaction time very few creatures could claim.

The corridors were a blur as she sped through them, weaving through the ship at breakneck speed towards the stern. Door after door slammed open until she reached a sight that made her heart leap to her throat. In the middle of the passage way stood a very confused pony staring back at her.

Storm Stalker growled.

It was a deep, feral growl of a wild animal when it senses that it is threatened.

Whoever this pony was, Storm could instantly tell that he was no match for her, but still she felt an overwhelming sense of dread that seemed to drown her very soul. The realization, no matter how hard she fought it, bubbled to the surface.

The Marblehead was no longer safe.

Always before, her hull had been a shelter against the dangers of the sea, protecting her crew against those that wished them harm. Now, the ship held not only her crew but invaders as well. Invaders that would harm the crew, steal the ship, and kill her captain.

Her Captain.

Storm heard something crack and a scream of pain.

She blinked and shook her head to clear her vision of the redness, although still somewhat dazed and a little confused. Several questions flooded her mind: When had she entered the corridor? When had the pirate drawn his sword? When had she broken both of the pirate's forelegs and why was she now holding the sword in her hoof?

“Cotton?” A foreign voice called from the end of the passageway.

Storm was moving again, away from the voice. Her rush to the stern in search of the boarders had been a rash action fueled by terror. Now that her mind was free of the initial adrenaline rush, she began to formulate a plan of action.

Although she was likely more than a match for most of the intruders, Storm knew that alone, her chances of victory were slim to none. She would need to meet back up with the rest of her crew and organize a perimeter to contain the boarders before forcing them off the ship. In the mean time, Storm closed and jammed every door she could along the way to try and slow down her pursuers.

Opening one of the doors nearly ended with disaster as Quick Strike was waiting on the other side armed with a boarding pike. She dodge his initial thrust and nearly stabbed him in the throat with her newly acquired sword, but both of them stopped once they recognized each other.

“Reaper's teeth! Yew tryin' tae kill me Quick Strike?” Storm snapped.

“Aye, well, not ye specifically, jus' anypony that came through that door.” The red pegasus shrugged.

Storm Stalker growled and pushed past him only for Drip, disguised in his brown earth pony stallion form, to rush around the corner and almost straight into her. She deftly moved to the side before the collision could occur and grabbed the disguised changeling as he tripped over his own hooves in an effort to stop.

“Miss Stalker thank goodness you're here!” He blurted out before he even came to a stop.

“Drip, where be mah crew?” Storm asked.

“Big Sail is having them block all the doors leading forwards, we're going to try to force them out of the ship.” Drip explained. “Miss Beaker is firing the engines, but it's doubtful we'll be able to drive them off without a fight, but I have an idea.”

Although Storm wasn't the most open minded of ponies, she knew Drip to be a smart changeling and was eager to hear his plan.

“I'm going to need you to lure or drive as many of the boarders to the main deck as possible.” He said hurriedly. “Keep them as busy as possible for as long as possible while I get things together. I know I'm asking a lot, but—”

“Go an' dae wha' yew need tae fer this plan o' yewrs.” Storm cut him off. “Ah'll do wha' Ah do bes'.”

Drip nodded.

“Good luck.” He said before sprinting down the passageway.

Storm looked at Quick Strike who was still guarding the door.

“Well, com'on then!” She ordered, brandishing the stolen blade. “Ah got one sae far, le's gae ge' anither!”

---

Trade Breaker stumbled down the passageway towards his room, confused as to why the decl was pitching so much when the ship was at anchor. Bouncing off yet another door, the captain finally arrived at his cabin and unlatched the door with only some level of difficulty.

Crashing into his cabin, Trade Breaker desperately searched for his belt and sword, a gift from Storm Stalker. The pegasus groaned as his stomach churned in protest as the rather large amount of alcohol he had ingested threatened to make its way back up.

“O' all tha' dayssh ta get boardered.” He slurred.

“CAPTAIN! ARE YOU IN HERE?”

“SHHH!” Trade Breaker replied. “Shnot sa loud! We've been boarderered.”

Drip, still in disguise, stood in the doorway with his mouth agape and his eyes very nearly popping out of his head.

“Captain, are you drunk?” He asked.

“I be. . .”

“You be drunk?”

“I be asham'med.” Trade Breaker stumbled forward, his eyes not concentrating on Drip anymore.

“I be drunken on duty!” The pegasus began to sob. “Righ' when me crew needs me, I'm off suckin' a bottle. I'm no good as a cap'n!”

“Oh not this again!” Drip sighed.

Trade Breaker buried his face in Drip's fake fur as he continued. “Shtorm woul' make a great cap'n. She's terrifyin', like a teddy bear with spikes. Shhhhe makes me want ta hug'er, but shhhe's got so many spikes on 'er.”

Drip grabbed his captain and brought a hoof up with which to strike him.

“CAPTAIN! GET! A! HOLD! OF! YOUR! SELF!”

He punctuated each syllable with a slap to Trade Breaker's face, not too much force behind it but enough for the pegasus to grasp a slight sense of reality again.

“Captain! The ship is in danger!” The changeling said earnestly. “I know you're drunk, but I also know you love this crew, now I need you to listen to me and do exactly as I tell you to in order to save us. Can you do that?”

Trade Breaker nodded slowly, a little bit of clarity beginning to shine in his eyes.

“Shtorm's not a teddy bear.”

Drip rolled his eyes.

“Close enough.”

---

Poisoned Beaker yelped as a bolt of magic passed close enough to her flank to singe a patch of fur.

“Sorry ma'am!” Patcher said as he awkwardly held a frying pan trying to deflect the magic missiles that whizzed by every so often.

“I told you to not call me ma'am!” The mare yelled angrily as she returned the favor, causing the unicorn at the end of the passageway to duck back into cover.

The two of them had been chased every step of the way from the galley to the engine room armed with only Poisoned Beaker's horn and a frying pan from Culinary's supply of kitchen wares. Fortunately, the frying pan was a Marblehead original and was very effective at not only making bell-like noises with the invaders' heads but also served as a superb shield against any magic that was cast in their direction.

Whipping about while the stallion protected her exposed back, the unicorn opened the door with her hooves and quickly ducked inside. Patcher followed her just as the unicorn at the end of the passage launched a barrage of fire spells in his direction. The door slammed shut and the spells bounced about the hallway before burning themselves out.

Poisoned Beaker leaned against the bulkhead and gulped down a breath of greasy air, her brow matted with sweat and a sudden feeling of fatigue overtaking her.

“No time to rest, ma'am! Drip says we need the engines, what do ya want me to do?” Patcher asked.

Poisoned Beaker bolted up and nodded. “Of course, I just needed a breather.”

“Not to worry ma'am, everypony gets nervous hooves the first time around.”

The mare nodded and wiped away the sweat. “First things first, seal off every exit. Jam the handles and don't open them for anypony, not even the other crew. I'll get started on lighting the boilers.”

“Yes ma'am!”

Patcher was about to sprint away when he felt Poisoned Beaker's magic whip his head back to face her.

“Hey, you be careful you big lug, don't do anything risky and just call if you need help.” She pecked him on the lips. “And don't call me ma'am.”

Patcher smiled. “Aye aye. . . ma'am.”

---

Green Tea wanted to scream in frustration as yet another door blocked her path, and like so many others the handle that held it shut refused to be moved.

“Circle back around!” She ordered. “There has to be an open door somewhere!”

The last pirate in the group turned around and began to retrace their progress when a griffon raced around the corner and crashed into them. Green Tea hurried to them, her six swords drawn and held in her magic.

“Apologies ma'am!” The griffon squawked as it stumbled slightly from the impact. “But we need you up on deck! Makry's bein' overwhelmed!”

Green Tea wasted no time and pushed past the griffon, hurrying away without a word. Her crew followed her towards the ladder, unaware that with a green flash, the griffon had mimicked one of their group before hurrying away to find more pirates.

---

The main deck of the Marblehead was embroiled in an all out brawl between the two crews, and even though the boarders had a numbers advantage on their side, the fight appeared to be evenly matched.

Green Tea scrambled out of the open hatch and found Stone Hand directing his crew from behind.

“Stone Hand, what's going on?” She asked as her own group added to the fray.

“They popped up out of buckin' nowhere!” The minotaur growled. “One minute, we're searching the deck, the next all the hatches fly open and it all goes to Tartarus!”

“Where is Storm Killer?”

“Don't know.” Stone Hand grunted as a bolt of magic struck his arm, burning the fur off before he pat it out.

“I figure he's waiting for the right time to make his move.” The big pirate gasped as Green Tea used her magic to heal his wound.

Green Tea fired off a few magic blast a pony she didn't recognize and in return received a boarding pike thrown at her. Her six blades easily deflected the projectile, but she silently cursed herself for not having honed a greater control over her telekinesis. While she was skillful when wielding her swords, the concentration it took to control all six of them could leave her feeling drained after too long.

She sheathed her swords and took cover behind a box on the deck, panting slightly. Stone Hand was in the middle of giving orders when he saw her do this.

“Bladesmith, take your brother to help Saw Bones!” He yelled before kneeling at her side. “Green Tea, are you injured?”

“Just catching my breath. How is the battle?”

Stone Hand took a brief look around.

“It appears to be going in our favor.”

With a sudden clang, the hatch near them flew open and a diamond dog scrambled out, screaming.

“SHE'S 'ERE!”

Before the unfortunate canine could take another step, a rounded object caught him in the back of the head and he fell forward unconscious. The small object bounced up into the air before landing on the deck near the two pirate captains. The small fuse on the end sputtered as it disappeared into the ball like object.

The two of them uttered two words. “Uh-Oh.”

Although Green Tea tried to raise a shield, the bomb went off with a blinding flash that left the two of them with their ears ringing and their vision blurred. Green Tea instinctively drew her swords, but she lost control of them when an object slammed into her and carried her into a wall. She gasped for breath as she felt a pair of hooves pin her to the wall and a blade at her throat.

“Yew!” A mare's voice accused, gravely and with a very familiar accent, but definitively a mare's voice. “Ah know yewr face, yew're name be Green Tea.”

The unicorn's vision cleared and she stared at the dark blue pegasus mare that had her pinned. Both of the pegasus' forehooves held her down while a blade attached to the mare's wing threatened her throat.

Stone Hand got to his hooves and drew his scimitar, but the sound of the steel being drawn caused the pegasus mare to leap off of Green Tea back to a position where she could see both of her opponents.

“Yes.” Green Tea coughed. “And your name is Storm Stalker, daughter of Storm Killer.”

Her six blades rose off the deck and hovered around her, pointing at Storm Stalker. The pegasus mare drew a pair of large daggers from somewhere beneath her wings.

“Yew shoul'nae 'ave com 'ere.” She threatened.

Stone Hand snorted derisively. “You should surrender.”

Two daggers flashed in the night as one of each hurtled towards both pirate captains. Metal struck metal as Green Tea deflected both of them, but to her surprise Storm Stalker had drawn another pair of daggers from beneath her wings as well as another wing blade.

The pegasus zipped towards them, all four blades outstretched. Six blades held in Green Tea's magic met her halfway, twirling about in a series of complicated maneuvers meant to confuse the opponent before the killing blow. Like a graceful dancer, the pegasus struck each offending blade away with a flick of her hooves or wings. Stone Hand charged at her and made to strike her, but two kicks, one to his stomach and one to his jaw sent him flying backwards.

Green Tea's swords flew about the mare, slicing and stabbing at her target, but Storm Stalker refused to let the blades touch her, dodging and blocking each time. Before Green Tea realized what had happened, Storm Stalker was in front of her again, her eyes blazing.

“Yew shoul'nae 'ave com' 'ere.” She whispered.

“We did not have a choice!” Green Tea chose her words carefully, a blade pressed to her throat once more. “Your father made us come for you.”

Storm Stalker started and her fury disappeared for a moment, but returned within a blink of an eye.

“Tell Da' nae tae try anythin' more!” She ordered. “'E 'as no idea wha's waitin' fer 'im on this ship!”

Green Tea smirked. “Why do you not tell him yourself? He's already here.”

Storm Stalker's jaw dropped open and she whirled about at the sound of rushing air. With a heavy thump, Storm Killer dove to the deck and landed on all four hooves followed by a dozen more pirates. He smiled, his eyes glinting.

“Mah bonny girl.” The pirate lord chuckled darkly. “Yew know, yewr dear ole' da's been missin' yew. 'Ow com' yew never visit?”

“Da'!” Storm Stalker whimpered. “Yew cannae be 'ere!”

“Oh bu' Ah am.” Storm Killer laughed as he stepped up to his daughter. “An' now, Ah'm goin' tae free yew from yewr slavery an' tak' ovah' the Marble'ead.”

“Ah—Ah—” Storm Stalker stuttered.

Her father put a hoof to her lips. “Yew can than' me la'er. Naow, where be tha' cap'n?”

Author's Note:

Feedback is always appreciated.

Comments

[GamePlayer64]

Storm Stalker’s dad think she’s a slave? I can imagine how he’ll react that the cap’n Trade Breaker asked for his daughter’s hoof in marriage.

go to 0:10

[GamePlayer64]

8822131
The wrong way? I put that video to destroy Storm Stalker's old man mind and his overprotectiveness on his daughter. If he had it.

[M48 Patton]

8822177
There's a reason Storm Killer is so aggressive about saving his daughter right now. I hinted at it in chapter 5 but it will be further explained in a later chapter.

[GamePlayer64]

8824119
I’ll tell the reason I used that video. I imagine that Storm Stalker would thought he trapped Trade Breaker in a room and did that laugh as his daughter got him out as she did the laugh too as she wail on her father for overthinking that she’s a slave. But you got to admit, it’s funny if you saw that Tom & Jerry episode.