Crew of the Marblehead

by M48 Patton

Chapter 2

As the sun slowly slipped beneath the horizon, turning the sea from its brilliant blue to a deep red, a gray ship that was merely a black outline vanished from view as it sailed away from the pursuing Griffonian fleet. Battered and sinking to the ocean below, the crew abandoned one of their airships and flew to the flagship.

The third Griffon ship to be claimed by the ocean that day, the sinking airship was a stark reminder as to why the mysterious ship known as the Marblehead was the ruler of the seas. The crew of the steel ship had struck without warning, a single blue pegasus mare that whipped through the airships' formation, tossing small bombs onto whatever she pleased.

Although the griffons tried to pursue her, the pegasus had flown towards the ship and took refuge inside while thick, oily smoke had spewed forth from the tall smokestacks in the middle of the ship. Any griffon unlucky enough to breath in the substance could barely fly away with a burning in their throats and a stinging in their eyes.

The ship had turned into the wind, and the Griffonian fleet was unable to keep up with her impossible speed while tacking back and forth to against the stiff wind that blew. Soon enough, the ship was but a distant memory, one that had disabled three ships and knocked out the most fierce and capable fighters in the Griffonian empire.

---

Trade Breaker gave a sigh of relief as the pursuing fleet fell into the distance. Storm Stalker walked into the wheelhouse, examining her wings.

“Ah need tae thank Zabramn fer tha' bombs. Those griffons ne'er knew Ah was on 'em.” She smiled. “Las' tim' Ah had tae fight wit' an airship, me an mah fadder 'ad tae go aboot cuttin' tha suppor' ropes. Nae an easy thin' tae do when fightin' a crew o' bloodthirsty mercey'naries.”

The blue pegasus mare ruffled her feathers before smoothing them out.

“That was a long day.” Big Sail sighed.

“Aye, it t'was.” Storm said thoughtfully. “Come tae think o' it, tha' was the firs' tim' Ah killed a minotaur bah droppin' 'im.”

Trade Breaker shuddered at the tale, thankful that Storm Stalker and her crew no longer engaged in needlessly bloody conflicts. Most of the Marblehead's crew were former pirates that had once sailed under the legendary pirate Storm Killer. Storm Stalker, his daughter, became the first mate of his ship before eventually becoming the captain of her father's ship, the Golden Curse.

One unfortunate night, Trade Breaker accidentally piloted the Marblehead right through the middle of the Golden Curse and neatly split her in half. Since there was only a skeleton crew on board, nopony had been hurt, but they had to be pulled from the water by the Marblehead's small crew. Storm Stalker had surrendered to Trade Breaker that night and her crew proved to be an invaluable ally ever since.

“Storm, get down below and tell Miz Sun Flowers that the wedding will be commencin' as planned.” Trade Breaker ordered. “Big Sail, tell Drip the same. I want the deck swabbed and ready fer tonight, an' Culinary will be needin' to prepare refreshments fer afterwards.”

“Aye Cap'n.” Storm nodded and left without another word.

Big Sail waited until Trade Breaker had taken over at the wheel before doing the same.

The yellow pegasus placed one hoof on the wheel, having to balanced on his rear hooves to see out the panoramic windows that wrapped around the wheelhouse. Checking his course with the large compass, he was satisfied to see that he was holding steady.

Trade Breaker smiled, something he had rarely done before taking command of the Marblehead. His father, a great sea captain, had expressed nothing but disappointment in his youngest son, a burden to the sea he had called him. From birth, Trade Breaker had tried to become like his father and master the oceans. He had tried sailing, navigation, even dockworking.

The aspiring young captain's fate was all but sealed when his flank was adorned with the symbol of a sunken ship. Everything he touched, from the tiller to the anchor, failed in one way or another. Trade Breaker was banned from ever setting hoof on a ship for fear that he might sink it, leaving the sea loving pegasus stranded on land.

That all changed with the Marblehead. The steel ship refused to let magic have any effect on her, and that included whatever Trade Breaker managed to throw at it. Where any other ship might shatter her mast simply because Trade Breaker looked at it, the Marblehead just ignored his curse. The gale force winds that would drive a ship to the bottom of the seas were nothing but gentle breezes to the mighty ship. When Trade Breaker relied on the sails of his ship to move forwards, the winds refused to fill the towering sheets, but with the Marblehead's massive engines propelling the ship, it seemed as though nothing could stop him.

Many captains, although they felt a connection to any ship they sailed on, always could step aboard another ship with confidence. Trade Breaker could not. For him, the Marblehead was his only connection to the sea, and in many ways to the crew that sailed her.

So Trade Breaker smiled, happy and contented with the life that he was living. Eventually it would end, but for now, he could enjoy the time he had aboard the Marblehead. He knew that once he stepped off of her for the last time, he would be bound to the shores for the rest of his life.

The door to the wheelhouse squeaked open and the click of wood on the steel deck caught his attention. A fully grown timberwolf stepped forwards, its eyes glowing in the dark.

“Captain Trade Breaker.” It said in a raspy voice. “I have brought your dinner.”

Trade Breaker smiled and tied the wheel in place.

“I thank ye fer yer consideration.” He said, taking the bowl of soup from its resting place in the timberwolf's back.

After sipping some of the concoction, Trade Breaker looked out into the night.

“Ye know Woody, it strikes me as odd Miss Stalker bein' so concerned with retrievin' supplies.” He said idly. “She's never been one to worry about it, fer the most part, she be content wit' delegatin' it to Four Eyes. An' now, every time we get near Bugganville she be wantin' to go ashore.”

Woody, the result of the head engineer's childhood experiments, was an intelligent timberwolf that had recently devoted himself to becoming the ship's steward. Although he looked like nothing more than a common timberwolf, Woody's intellect was higher than most politicians and his grasp of fighting techniques made him a deadly ally. Fiercely loyal to his creator, the timberwolf had begrudgingly accepted the crew and eventually started to become friends with a great many of them.

“She smells of fear and frustration.” Woody answered. “When one as powerful as she reeks of such weak emotions, then I believe that trouble is approaching our ship.”

Trade Breaker blew on his soup. “Fear be manifestin' in different ways, mayhaps she be growin' worried that she's growin' soft?”

“No, it is a different fear.” Woody said quietly. “Neither has she decreased in skill nor does her fear smell that of simple worry. It is a fear of the prey when there is a predator nearby. One that I have born witness to in the Everfree when I was hunting for food.”

Closing his eyes, Trade Breaker sighed. “This bodes ill fer all of us. Tonight, I'll find the truth after the weddin'.”

---

As the Marblehead steamed resolutely forwards into the night, her amidships deck was brightly lit by lanterns and the search light on the forward superstructure. Chairs and benches had been arranged in fairly neat rows facing a small raised platform with an aisle down the middle. A banner had been tied to one of the funnels and the lifeboat crane that read 'Congrad- Congratulations Drip & Sun' on one side, while it had several food stains and blood spots on the other.

Meanwhile, while most of the crew were continuing in their preparations, a mare was sitting in the captain's cabin rocking back and forth nervously. Two other mares were trying to comfort her, but it seemed rather hopeless at the moment. Sun Flowers hugged herself as she breathed heavily, trying to calm herself.

“What's wrong?” A dark black unicorn with a gray mane asked soothingly. “I thought you loved Drip, why are you so nervous?”

“I do!” Sun Flowers blurted out, her face reddening. “I'm just so- so-”

“Confused?” A thestral mare asked.

“. . . Yes?” The earth pony mare sobbed. “I love him! But I'm also worried! He's a changeling! And I'm- I'm-”

“A sobbin' wreck?” Storm Stalker interjected helpfully as she stuck her head into the cabin.

“. . . YEEEEEESSSS!” Sun Flowers cried.

Both the threstral and unicorn gave Storm Stalker a look of annoyance.

“You just had to open your fat mouth.” The unicorn sighed.

Storm Stalker shrugged as she fully entered the cabin.

“Ah suppose tha' yew're a bit nervous aboot the weddin', but Ah'm here tae tell yew tae calm down.” The blue pegasus sighed. “Yew 'ave nothin' tae fear aboot Drip.”

“I'm not afraid of Drip-” Sun Flowers began, but Storm cut her off.

“Ah know yew ain' afraid o' Drip!” The first mate said harshly. “Tha's nae what Ah mean', yew're afraid o' wha' may 'appen tae the two o' yew aftah' the weddin'. Yew're worried tha' this be na'out bu' the heat o' the momen' bringin' the two o' yew ta'gether an' he'll leave aftah the firs' fight.”

The distraught future bride sniffled slightly, looking downwards.

“I was so devastated when I got pregnant with Water Rose.” She whispered. “He just took me and then left, I cried for a whole day, I couldn't stop. What if Drip doesn't like me when we're married? What if he just decides that I'm not worth the trouble and leaves? I couldn't do it again. Not again, I never want to feel that pain again in my life.”

Quietly, her sniffling turned into hushed sobbing as she shrunk in on herself and let her tears fall. Quickly, the threstral and unicorn wrapped their forelegs around her and began to comfort her.

“Don't worry Miss Flowers.” The threstral mare said reassuringly. “Drip would never leave you. Look at how long you were afraid of him for being a changeling, and not once did he ever treat you any differently.”

Sun Flowers stopped crying and looked up. “But-”

“No buts.” The unicorn said. “Drip loves you, and if I know one thing about that bug, it's that he would give his life for you and Rose. Even if you called off the wedding tonight and pushed him away, he would still love you. Just remember that if you do, his heart would be as broken as yours.”

The earth pony mare stopped crying and looked up in confusion.

“Would he really be so sad?” She asked.

“Miz Flowers, Ah don' know much aboot the way tha' bug works, bu' Ah do know 'is heart only beats 'cause o' yew.” Storm Stalker smiled.

Sun Flowers smiled back and lifted her hooves, pulling Storm Stalker into a hug.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“Aye, don' mention i'.” Storm answered. “A'sides, Ah'm sure yew'll be a lovely bug.”

“. . . What?”

Storm Stalker shrugged. “Well, Ah don' know fer sure, bu' Ah've 'eard stories aboot ponies bein' changed intae bugs if'n a changelin' does certain stuff tae them. It'would be an-”

As the blue pegasus carried on seemingly oblivious to the effect that she was having on the future bride, the two other mares in the room both facehooved as Sun Flowers began to curl up into a ball again.

---

“Hey Drip.” Quick Strike called. “Can changelings turn ponies into bugs?”

“What?” Drip asked incredulously. “Where did that come from?”

“Just curious.” The red pegasus shrugged. “Is it true?”

“Um, no?” Drip said hesitantly. “I mean, I've heard rumors from some of my brothers, but I don't think they're true. I mean, it sounds pretty impossible right?"

Author's Note:

AAAAARGH!!!!!!

I've rewritten this chapter thirty times and I still hate it! I want to make it better but every angle I come at just makes it worse!

This is why I shouldn't be writing stories! THIS IS TERRIBLE!

Okay, with that out of the way, feedback is always appreciated.

Comments

[Alicorn Prince]

I liked it, I just don't like that it hasn't been explained as to why the Marblehead is back to pirating. The chapter also felt short for some reason, it looks around the same length as the first though. Perhaps becuase you crammed a plunder into a wedding setup? I don't know, either way I look forward to more.
P.S. Sorry it took so long to read this chapter, things have been busy.