Chapter forty, it’s a big world: Bee-lieve it or not!
-Floating Continent, Nefer-
Flying is so fun!
No Nefer, concentrate, saving the captain now and fun later!
Wow, this butterfly can fly really high.
Those ants didn’t like The Ardent Survivor taking off from the ground. They weren’t really aggressive about it, just sad to see the airship go.
I still think they were all after my petals… now where’s that beehive? I mean there weren’t actually any trees big enough to house them here right? Just lots of flowers and giant vegetables. So where would… the mountains in the distance, of course!
“Butterfly, the mountains over there!” I pointed with a paw and the butterfly glanced up at me for a bit and then started flying in that direction.
It took thirty minutes, but I think I finally spotted it built into the base of the mountain. I had to go tell Mr. Eric!
“Let’s get going!” The butterfly made a cute noise and then we turned around.
-One hour later, Floating Continent Beehive, Gene-
“It’s still early enough that the majority of the bees haven’t come back from scouting out fresh flowers.” Parking on top of the beehive might have been a bit dangerous, but it was the best place to take off from.
“What if there’s more than one beehive and this is the wrong one?” Good question Flotsam, that’s why I already had an idea.
“Nefer is going to scout for us again, he should be small enough that they won’t register him as threatening.” This was me carefully planning a way to bring our captain back to the ship, none of this was safe given this was giant bees we were messing with. “Maybe they won’t attack him?”
“Right, anything to help Captain Blackcap!” Nefer was sadly the healthiest crew member we had for this, I seriously didn’t want to put the little guy in danger. “Wait, don’t I look a lot like a flower? Wouldn’t that mean that they would want to… what’s the word for it again? Oh right, wouldn’t they want to pollinate me? I don’t think I’ve ever been pollinated before, but I know it’s been mentioned around me a lot in reference to bugs that like to do that.”
I cringed. That thought had not entirely occurred to me and it kind of horrified me as to the things that could happen to Nefer because he was part plant. It was at that moment that I remembered that I sent Nefer off with the giant butterfly, which could have ended poorly given butterflies like to pollinate things too.
Maybe the bees would ignore him because he looked like a flower? Hopefully one that didn’t need to be pollinated. Given that Nefer was part plant, this was a likelihood I didn’t want to think of if it happened.
“Uh… the butterfly didn’t touch you inappropriately did it?” I asked carefully, while sending a side glance to the large butterfly who tilted its head in my direction curiously.
“No… why do you ask? I don’t think the butterfly would do something mean to me, it’s our friend!” The poor innocent Nefer thankfully didn’t realize all the trouble he could be in here. Hopefully he wouldn’t be in any trouble if I sent him into the hive.
“I know that Nefer, now go see if Jacky is in there.” Nefer went off, using the giant butterfly to get to the hives entrance.
Meanwhile, I turned to look at Flotsam whose eyes were a bit twitchy and wide looking. In fact, I think she just came to same realization I just did.
“And… you still sent him in there.” Sammy said after a minute of having a look of absolute terror on her face. I winced audibly as her gaze suddenly sharpened on me and she started throttle me with a surprising amount of strength I had never seen from her before. “You sent my little brother in there, if we weren’t friends I would end you!”
She choked the very life out of me for a few more seconds before she released me.
“Well look at it this way, since when do bee’s hurt plants or flowers? In fact some plants are bad for bees, maybe he’s one of those plants bees avoid?” I was horrified at what I just told Nefer to do, but it was hard to hear in my voice. “Just to clarify, I’m scared for him too.”
“He better come back with his innocence intact.” Note to self, make Flotsam care about more things as that can only improve on her need to live.
-Nefer-
“Hey captain!” I think I got Jacky’s attention, considering I was standing right next to her and even rubbed up against her affectionately. “What’s going on, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Could you go tell the others to on come in and to not antagonize any of the giant bees? They don’t mind visitors as long as they keep to themselves.” Jacky looked perfectly fine, but she was glancing around warily. “They’re not going to let me leave the beehive until we’ve settled the reason why I was taken in the first place. Get my pack outside to the butterfly so it can be unloaded. I don’t want to be carrying it on me if we have to make a hasty exit.”
“Why did the bee take you captain?” I asked Captain Blackcap.
“Well the reason is completely ridiculous, but I assure you it’s apparently a thing with these bees….” She trailed off as a bee looked at her curiously, it’s gaze narrowed on her slightly. She took off her pack and pushed it towards me, then she quickly backed away. She still had those two swords she picked up at her hips. “I’m not trying to escape, honest! Look just bring Gene and Flotsam in, I can at least promise you that they won’t attack. I’ll need them for a quick escape if I insult these bees badly enough with what they want me to do.”
I grabbed Jacky’s bag with my tail and started to drag it away, the bees didn’t do anything and let me leave.
“Butterfly, we need to get this back to the ship!” The butterfly swooped down and helped me get the bag onto its back.
-Ten minutes later, Gene-
The butterfly came in for a landing and Nefer hopped off, Flotsam was on top of him within seconds and hugging him tightly.
“Report… after you’re done cuddling with your big sister.” At least I knew Jacky was in the hive, I was fairly worried about her as I gently pulled her pack off the butterflies back.
“Jacky’s fine, but she wants you to offload her stuff and come inside… she also said to be prepared to run if she accidentally insults the bees too much.” Nefer was talking but I didn’t understand what he was saying, what exactly did he mean by Insult the bees? “Also if we keep to ourselves the bees shouldn’t attack us.”
In any case we’ll find out what’s going on soon enough, once we go into the hive.
-Inside the hive five minutes later-
“Okay, what’s going on Jacky?” I was wary of all the bees staring at us, but they weren’t acting aggressively.
“Well… how do I put this?” Jacky tapped her two pointer talons together and looked rather adorable doing so. “I’ve been kidnapped to be forced to take part in a dance competition meant entirely for bees.”
“What.” I don’t even… I can’t even comprehend how dumb that... to think a giant bee chose Jacky for this.
-Flotsam-
“What.” Our captain was going to be in a dancing competition for giant bees?
That… I don’t even... the words for it...
It’s utterly ridiculous!
-Nefer-
“That sounds awesome!” I hopped around Jacky looking excited, but then I realized something about our captain. “Do you even know how to dance Captain Blackcap?”
-Jacky-
“Aside from ballroom dancing, no.” Why was I receiving surprised looks? It’s not that absurd to think that pirates would… Oh right, they never went to pirate school. “Look, pirates kind of have a history of wooing rich men and women using ballroom dancing skills and etiquette when necessary. Its right up there with tactical social engineering, a subject most blackcaps barely pass given our curses tend to cause us to be social outcasts. It’s one of the things that is taught in pirate school.”
“When were you ever going to need ballroom dancing? I mean aside from something like what’s going on today that is.” Flotsam didn’t know me or the crazy pirate school very well did she? It’s just too bad that pirate school stops teaching as soon as you become a teenager.
“Ballroom dancing really helps with learning how to fight with swords.” I pulled out the sword at my left hip and swung the ancient weapon through the air several times in a pattern as I kept my footwork in mind moving with my swings. “Balance, precision, how to not fall over while dealing out a swift and powerful blow!”
After a minute of moving about and shadow fighting an invisible opponent, I stopped moving the sword with one last sweeping arc and stab as I bounded backwards. Sheathing the faintly off balance ancient blade I picked up from the treasure we looted, I turned to a few bees that stood up and started clapping their legs together in applause.
“In answer Flotsam, it lends itself to being good at sword fighting and apparently I have a few fans in the hive. Maybe this won’t ‘bee’ so bad!” My friend all groaned at me. “Oh come on! I know it’s a ‘buzz’ word around here, but you guys should be like ‘honey’. I know all of you can be both sweet and caring, Flotsam will need a little more work though.”
“Jacky, you’re a horrible person and we hate you now.” Flotsam moved over to me and put a hoof on my shoulder while looking me in the eyes. “Just go do your competition thing so we can quickly get out of here when you’re done. We do not want to be around these giant bees any longer than we have to be.”
“What are you talking about big sis, I still like the captain… even if her puns were horrible enough for you to say that and halfway mean it!” Everyone’s a critic, even Nefer it seems.
“When was the last time your luck shot you in the foot Jacky?” Odd question to ask, but I had an answer Gene.
“Well…” I started raising a talon, I couldn’t remember when my luck was last bad since I’ve been stuck here. Being surrounded by giant bees that you can easily make aggressive and being forced into a dance competition would be bad enough I guess. “The bees are enough I guess?”
“Let’s hope you’re right and that nothing is worse than watching a bee-bopping competition.” Gene slapped himself in the face with his claws after he said that.
-Hours later-
“I was right about nothing being worse than watching this competition.” Gene gagged at what we were watching. “A little too right, maybe even horribly so.”
“Who knew all the bees in this colony had five left legs and one barely good right leg.” Flotsam almost shouted in horror. “Their dancing skills are so horrible, it’s sickening to watch.”
“They are that bad.” Even Nefer couldn’t help but agree with his big sister. “Captain has it in the bag!”
“Let’s just hope they aren’t sore losers then Nefer.” A bee came over to us and nudged me forward, the last competitor sprained four legs and couldn’t even finish his dance.
The whole competition was a train wreck, I guess the reason a bee grabbed me is to at least have something more interesting than the horror show that’s going on here. So far I had garnered nothing but applause for my performances… and was almost the only one to actually finish said performances without halfway killing myself.
I took a step forward and put my hand on the blade in the right sheath. I hadn’t done any blade dancing, but this was the last round, at least it looked like it with more than eighty percent of the bee dancers having incapacitated themselves, so I saved the best for last.
I swung the sword from the sheath sharply and held it out for a second, then I pulled the other one and started to move. I hoped I was putting on a good show, the bees seemed entranced by my dancing at the very least.
Eventually coming to the end of my routine, I jumped into the air spinning with my swords flashing out and then landed with them held crossed in front of me and bowing before the queen.
I then stood up and sheathed my blades and held out my talons to the sudden buzzing noise of approvable going up all around the hive.
“So… do I win?” I asked the queen, the largest bee here. She nodded at me, then patted me softly on the head with a leg far bigger than my head. “Okay, so do we get some kind of prize? Like a container of honey and a trophy to take with us. Also you might want to find dancing schools that will be willing to teach giant scary bees, such as yourselves, your highness. I learned how to dance in Turtle Toga, a large island shaped like a turtles shell. Maybe you can eventually find someone to help your hive out?”
The queen held a leg up to her chin looking thoughtful, she was pretty friendly for someone so dangerous.
-Some time and a distance away from the floating continent later-
We had said goodbye to the giant butterfly and were on our way.
“That turned out surprisingly well, but where’s the bad luck in winning a dancing competition though?” I asked rhetorically, steering the ship and checking the next treasure map over for our next destination. I looked behind me at the floating continent in the distance. “Something would have usually gone wrong by…”
-Gene-
I blinked as a giant pinecone slammed into Jacky crushing her against the deck, but there were no giant pinecone trees on the floating continent. There weren’t even any giant trees there as far as we could tell from flying all over it.
Sighing, I moved over to roll it off of her and saw our large butterfly friend looking confused as it clung to the side of the huge pinecone.
Don’t question it Gene, just nod and move on with your life and accept that the butterfly was now going to be on the ship with us after we tried to leave it behind.
-Two days later, Jacky-
“Okay after a minor setback with an impossibly sized pinecone related injury to the body, it’s time we set course for our next destination... Saddle Arabia, we’re looking for a genies lamp!” Maybe I could wish my sister back? “Also, does anyone have any ideas on how we can lose the giant butterfly?”
-Port Turtle Toga, a few weeks later, Eir-
“Why is Eir seeing horde of giant friendly looking bees?” I asked loving husband as the sky was blackened by a number of giant insects.
A good number of the ships accidentally destroyed by them would be blamed on friend Blackcap, but she was nowhere near here.
It is quickly being learned that they are all wanting dancing lessons.
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9562420
Actually... about that... nope can't say anything without giving too much away.
Aw, the giant butterfly was pining for the fnords.
I hope they didnt just chuck it over the side, Earth Ponies would pay well for a giant pinecone full of giant pinecone seeds that have a chance to grow into giant pine trees? The Midguard Forest?
As for a Genii of the Lamp in Sadle Arabia, I suspect its less Will Smith, and more Trifle 69?
When they fianlly get all the giant bees synchronised line dancing, the combined shock damages the island? The Pirates end up having to switch to an airborne life with the Hive?
9563953
silently glares knives at you
9797755
silently wishes for no spoilers