Ponies of the Cursed Seas- Rise of the Fiends

by iowaforever

Assault on Diamond Reef Harbor

School is starting back up for me this week, so have a nice long chapter to enjoy.
Warning: contains descriptions of 18th-century surgery (read: amputation) I still don't own Pirates or My Little Pony; all I own are any OCs you might see.

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Assault on Diamond Reef Harbor

While not exactly stormy, the weather had taken a turn for the worse; a strong wind had come in from the north, and dark clouds had collected and obscured the sun. Under normal circumstances Mays would not have worried too much, but asides from Diamond Dog pirates The Gauntlet was lined by several reefs that could easily tear a hole in and sink the Concordia, and the overcast made it hard for the sailors on watch to spot them. Mays had sent Smith and several Pegasi ahead to scout out the reefs, but so far they had not found anything.

“Remind me next time we sail down here to hire a cartographer for better maps.” Mays said as he brushed through several sheets of paper.

“They don’t seem very eager to join on with a military vessel.” Richard said.

“If it was necessary, I’d steal a schooner if I could get better maps.” Mays finished his rummaging and walked back to the helm. “Stow some of the canvas to slow us down. When we do hit those reefs at least we won’t crash into them.”

“Aye captain.” Richard trotted off, passing a sleepy looking Twilight as he went.

“Rough night?”

“Actually I slept very well. Why do you ask?”

“No real reason. Was there something you wanted to ask me?”

“Well, do you want me or Fluttershy to help out with something? I heard somepony say something about reefs.”

“I sent Smith out to find the reefs before we hit one. If you are interested , once we find the reefs you could record their locations.”

“You complain so much about maps; have you ever considered hiring a cartographer?” Mays looked at Twilight, the mare staring back in confusion “Is something wrong?”

“... The universe must enjoy tormenting me.” he muttered before turning away “Anyway, there should be some spare paper lying around here if you’d like to get organized.”

“Okay.” Twilight looked across the deck. “It seems... quiet.”

“Well, Nolan’s not around anymore, so that makes it a little easier-”

“Sail ho!” one of the remaining Pegasi called.

“And that moment is gone. Go find Fluttershy.” Twilight nodded and ran below while Mays crossed to the bow, soon joined by Richard. “Any sign of Smith?”

“No captain,” Richard said “Maybe sending him out wasn’t the best idea.”

“It was his idea, not mine.” Mays took a nearby spyglass and balanced it on his hooves, allowing him to get a better view of the approaching ship. Compared to most of the Diamond Dog ships he had encountered during his sweeps, this one seemed to be in pristine condition; the sails, while still weathered, were not in shreds, and from what he could see the hull was in decent shape.

And it was not alone...

“There’s three more besides that one... this should be pleasant.” Mays put the spyglass away “Get all crew to their stations and load the guns. If we’re lucky we can get into a position where they won’t be able to flank us.”

“Aye sir.” Richard trotted off, shouting orders as he went. Mays returned to gazing at the approaching ships, noting that a fourth had joined the small squadron. Mays had fought against superior odds before, but that was when he commanded smaller frigates with greater maneuverability than the Concordia. Watching the Diamond Dogs approach, his plan amounted to charging straight into the squadron and attacking with everything he had, which given the
Diamond Dog’s lack of projectile weaponry was a fairly sound plan.

Still, if we ever run into a serious threat I’ll need a new plan.

“Captain,” Mays turned and saw Twilight and Fluttershy standing behind him “I still have that communication spell we used last time.”

“Still trying to control my violent tendencies?”

“Starting a war because you won’t talk things over is not on my list of things to do before I die. Now focus on the ship.” Mays turned again and looked at the closest ship. There was a brief spike in magic and Mays found himself standing near the main mast of the lead ship, surrounded by dozens of startled Dogs.

“Pony is very prompt, yes?” one of the Dogs said, lowering a spear to Mays’ avatar’s chest.

“Keeps you guys on your toes.” Mays said “Now, you are approaching a vessel of the Equestrian Navy, and if you do not state your business or change course you will be fired upon.” unlike previous times he had made this threat, these Diamond Dogs cowered.

“... Boss Dog wouldn’t like that.”

“I don’t care what he thinks. Alter your course now or you will be fired upon.”

“B-But Boss Dog wanted to speak with pony, yes? You speak with him, and he decides what happens, yes?”

“Since I’m the one with the cannons, I decide what happens. Change your course now.”

“Okay, we’ll move, yes. But only if pony speaks with Boss Dog, yes?”

“You’re not the one to make threats.”

“No, no, Boss Dog is good, yes? He has plan and wants to speak with pony... please don’t hurt us.” Mays was skeptical; the Dogs showing fear was one thing, but having an actual organized chain of command was something Mays was completely unprepared for. He considered making his threat again, or even following through and firing, but something held him back.

“Where is he?” all the dogs present pointed to the next ship over. “Twilight, end the spell.” Mays found himself back on the Concordia “Can you cast the spell again?”

“Yes. Is there something I should know?”

“I’ll explain later. Cast the spell.” Twilight nodded and her horn once again lit up with magic. Mays looked to the next ship over and once again found himself standing beneath the main mast surrounded by startled Diamond Dogs.

“All right, who’s in charge here?” most of the Dogs around Mays began to back up, save one. Unlike the others, he seemed fairly conscious about appearances, and instead of the typical vest or thrown together suit of armor he was dressed in an overcoat not that different from Mays’. “I presume it’s you.”

“Captain Mays, I presume.” The Diamond Dog said, stepping forward. “Your exploits in this region are very well known.”

“Good for me. Where did you learn-”

“I spent ten years in Trottingham as a political refugee; I had to find some way to spend my time.” the Diamond Dog chuckled a little “Oh, where are my manners? I am Stonebreaker, True Alpha of the Diamond Dogs.”

“Why True Alpha?”

“Have you ever wondered why you have had to deal with pirates in this region, specifically Diamond Dog pirates?”

“No. Pirates are pirates, and I don’t really care for their motives. Why do you ask?”

“I just wanted to see if you knew the full extent of the situation. You see, twelve years ago the Alpha Male, my father, died without naming his successor. Problems arose, and after I was named his successor several subpacks broke off and formed their own group, starting a civil war.”

“Pleasant. What does this have to do with me?”

“I will get there. After five years of war, both the splinter group and my own loyalists broke up into even smaller groups, each one claiming to be the rightful successor to the position of Alpha. At least one of these groups has resorted to piracy and is currently holed up in Diamond Reef Harbor. I have launched an assault on the Harbor, but it has... stalled, for lack of a better term.”

“So this harbor is a hub for pirates. What am I supposed to do about it?”

“My guess is that you do not wish to deal with pirates.”

“Well, I’d rather not, but I still don’t see-”

“Then you might consider helping me retake Diamond Reef Harbor so as to stop the pirate threat.” Mays looked at the Diamond Dog.

“... What?”

“A simple, short term alliance is all I’m asking for. I have heard rumors about your ship’s strength, and I bet you could clear that harbor in a few minutes if you really wanted to.”

“Not that sacking a port known for major piracy is a bad thing, I still don’t have much incentive to help you out. Given that your political situation is a shambles, I can’t get open ports for resupply, Equestria is not at war with any other nation so I can’t ask for favors if one breaks out, and with your messed up country I doubt I can get paid very much for helping.”

“I do have holds in several profitable mining facilities within Equestrian and Ottomare borders. If you help me, a simple visit could put all of them in your name.”

“That’s tempting, very tempting. If you’d like to talk terms, there’s an ambassador aboard my ships; we could set up some kind of meeting-”

“My dealings are with you, captain.”

“I know, but I serve Equestria and the princesses first. I’m not some mercenary who jumps at every single offer that might have some kind of gain. So either you come here and talk it out with the ambassador, or I keep sailing and forget I ever met you.” Mays watched the Diamond Dogs, especially Stonebreaker, for any signs of faltering. The lesser Dogs seemed just as skittish as ever, while Stonebreaker gave off no emotion whatsoever. After about a minute, the Diamond Dog nodded.

“Very well. I will agree to your terms.”

“Thank you. I would also like all the maps you have concerning Diamond Reef Harbor. Twilight, we’re finished.” The spell cut out and Mays turned to face his crew. “Hold off on the cannons, but I still want them ready in case things get complicated.”

“What kind of things?” Twilight asked.

“There’s this Dog who says he’s supposed to be in charge of the Diamond Dogs and he wants us to help him clear out this port of pirates.”

“You weren’t too rude, I hope?”

“No more than usual. Would you do me a favor and go find Fancypants; I might need his diplomatic skills for a bit.” Twilight nodded and walked off. Mays turned back and watched as the Diamond Dogs’ ships approached.

Why do I have a feeling that I will regret this?

.................

Negotiations dragged on for an hour and a half (mainly because Mays could not stop himself from commenting on everything, and he was stalling so Smith could return), but eventually a deal was worked out: the Concordia would assist in retaking Diamond Reef Harbor in exchange for the mines, a very large pile of gems (more if any of Mays’ sailors died), a political alliance once the war was over, copies of every map they had on hand, security for the border with Equestria, and any other bits of information Mays asked for. The small collection of ships were sailing west, slowed only by crosswinds and the Concordia’s lack of maneuverability.

Mays had decided to take this time to plan.

“So, from what I’ve been able to gather,” Mays spread out the best map of Diamond Reef Harbor he could find, Twilight and Richard joining him “The town itself wraps around the bay, and if Stonebreaker’s sources are reliable this half,” Mays circled the eastern half with his hoof “Is what he controls... more or less.”

“I’m not much for military strategy,” Twilight said “But you’re focusing on the western half of the harbor, yes?”

“Correct, Twilight. Now, from my own experiences I’ve noted that the standard Diamond Dog tactic is to rush towards the problem and beat it to death. If we make it seem like we’re attacking the western half from the sea, they’ll rush to the docks and beaches to get ready.”

“And the thirty twos rip them apart.” Richard said.

“Exactly.”

“But, if you just start shooting at them won’t they retreat back into the city where the cannons won’t reach them?” Twilight asked. There was silence as Mays and Richard looked up at her.

“... That is a valid point. Theoretically, the cannons will have the range to do some damage up to a certain point, but I didn’t bring any mortars with me when we got sent here, so large scale bombardment is out of the question.”

“We still have some firepots left over from our last fight with the Spanish.” Richard said.

“Burning the city down is also out of the question. However, some smokepots might be helpful in creating confusion.”

“I know a couple of illusion spells that could help.” Twilight said.

“We may need those. Anyway, once the bombardment is finished Stonebreaker’s forces should be able to mop up the rest of the opposing troops.”

“Then why don’t you sound confident about it?” Twilight had been around Mays enough times to know that when he really was confident about a situation, he was more boisterous than usual. Now, though, he was speaking like he always did, and Twilight could tell he had other ideas.

“There is one problem... Stonebreaker’s forces are outnumbered four-to-one. Worse, it seems that whoever’s trying to beat him out of the city made arrangements with a local tribe of minotaurs. Even with bombardment Stonebreaker’s forces are going to be shredded before he can win.”

“I could try something to even the odds.” Twilight said “Magic has to count for something, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose, but I’m not sending you in there. Princess Celestia would banish me to the surface of the sun if you got killed.”

“Send the marines then.” Richard said. Mays thought for a moment before his face lit up.

“Diamond Dogs don’t use projectile weaponry. Why didn’t I think of that sooner. A few marines ashore would be perfect and may even lessen the casualties.” Mays’ face dropped again “Still, I’d rather not risk the marines.”

“If you don’t, I doubt this attack will do any good.” Richard said “Besides, the boys would probably jump at the chance. Not for combat, but just a chance to get something done around here.”

“What, is serving on a ship not good enough for them?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.’ Think bigger; wouldn’t doing this be beneficial to everypony, since they wouldn’t have to worry about pirates?”

“I... never saw you for the philosophical type.” Twilight said.

“I’ve got to find some way to entertain myself on patrols.” The Master Chief said.

“Can we set that discussion aside for a moment while I try to work out a plan that doesn’t get half my marines killed?”

“It doesn’t have to be that many.” Richard said “Let me pick ten marines, and I’ll think of something when we get there.”

“I’m going too.” the three turned to see Hacksaw walking up behind them, a bag and a piece of white cloth resting on his back “Before your protest, captain, some of the marines may get injured, and I’m sure Stonebreaker has plenty of wounded that need tending to.”

“Normally I’d say ‘no, you’re the only medic we have and I can’t risk you’, but you do have a point. Just make sure to bring an axe or something in case things get worse.”

“Aye captain.”

“So, do we have a plan?” Richard asked.

“We’ll start bombardment, and then you land on the eastern side with whatever forces Stonebreaker has. Twilight, I want you to use your illusions to make it seem like there are no boats landing in the eastern half... unless you don’t have a spell that can do that.”

“I’ll have to check... Wait, quick question. Are you going to keep the flags flying?”

“The old one, anyway; as far as I know, the Diamond Dogs still think I’m some kind of mercenary, so they won’t go and attack Equestria if they think we’re working for Stonebreaker.”

“Isn’t it a little risky to base everything on that one assumption?”

“Yes, but at this point I think it’s a necessary risk. Okay, you all have your assignments, see to it that they’re finished. Twilight, come with me.” Richard and Hacksaw departed, and Twilight fell in step behind Mays as he walked towards the stern. “So, Twilight, have you ever turned something invisible?”

“Well, kind of on accident. To be fair, I was only five and Cadence was just trying to be helpful.”

“Do you think you could replicate that spell?”

“I was five, it was an accident, and it was only small scale.” Twilight had to prevent herself from scowling at Mays.

“Okay, how about cloaking spells?”

“I know a few, but they tend to degrade rather fast.”

“How fast?”

“Twenty minutes, more or less.”

“Hopefully the boats won’t take that long to land.” They stopped by one of the smaller boats “Can you cast the spell on this one, just as a test?”

“Sure.” Twilight pointed her horn at the boat and allowed her magic to flow, a pink glow encasing the boat and the spell increased power. As the spell increased power, the boat began to fade. After a minute, all that remained was a thin outline that seemed to shimmer with the slightest provocation.

“Nice.” Mays trotted around the boat before leaping inside. As soon as he reached the bottom of the boat, the spell wrapped around him and left him as only an outline. “The boat doesn’t look altered from this angle.”

“Well, you don’t want your marines freaking out by not being able to see anything, now would you?”

“I suppose not.” Mays leapt out of the boat, his normal appearance returning soon afterward. “Do you have something that won’t freak out the Diamond Dogs on our side.”

“I can retool the spell so only ponies, or dogs as the case may be, that we want to be able to see the boat can see the boat.”

“How long will the retool take?”

“I would have to summon the spell matrix, analyse all the different components, rearrange several of them, add in several other visual inputs, and then reassemble the matrix and perform several small scale tests... about an hour, give or take ten minutes.”

“I think we have time. Get whatever supplies and ponies you need and get started.” Twilight nodded, trotting off to an empty spot on deck so she could have room to work.

.................

Diamond Reef Harbor was a mess; what ships were still in the harbor looked misused and rotten, and none of the original buildings and docks were intact. Smoke from a recent fire still hung over the western half of the town, and sounds of fighting could be heard if one listened long enough.

“I’ve been to many war-torn ports, but I’ve never seen one this bad.” Mays said.

“New Orleans got sacked by Blackheart once,” Richard said “Didn’t look that different than this.”

“I guess the Diamond Dogs don’t care much for preservation. Did you finish choosing which marines you wanted to take?”

“Aye captain.”

“And Twilight finished enchanting the boats you’ll take in?”

“More or less.”

“Good, get into your positions and wait for my signal.”

“Which one is that?”

“Third salvo, wait until we’re done firing and start rowing.”

“Aye captain.” Richard trotted over to the designated boats and began to prepare them for launch. Mays turned his attention back to the ruined harbor. The Concordia had not drawn as much attention as he had hoped, and there was little activity on shore. Fortunately, Twilight had come up with a plan to attract the Diamond Dogs.

“Launch the decoys, then fire the smokepots.” several crewmembers nodded and ran to the bow, where a line of boats filled with used crates and sacks was tethered. The crew severed the rope connecting the boats to the ship, and the decoys slowly drifted towards the shore. After the boats had drifted about thirty yards, the ten-pound deck cannons on the Concordia fired, large clouds of smoke rising from points on the ocean where the smokepots hit.

This got the desired reaction; the smoke and decoys caught the attention of at least one sentry, and soon Mays could see the faint outlines of Diamond Dogs running towards the beach. Wind had begun to sweep in from the east, blowing the smoke over the beach and killing any visibility they had originally.

“Hey, captain,” Mays turned to see Smith landing on the deck behind him “Sorry we took so long; some of the sailors got lost on the way here.”

“That’s okay. Rest for a bit, then go help the others with the cannons.”

“Yes sir.” Mays turned his attention back to the beach. The wind had died down, but the smoke had mostly dissipated and Mays could see the decoys were about half way to the beach. a large horde of Diamond Dogs had assembled on the beach, and even from this distance Mays could hear various barks and war cries from the defenders.

Time to change the mood.

“Commence firing.” there was a shout of confirmation from below followed by a roar as the Concordia’s broadside fired, the ship rocking back slightly as the heavy cannons discharged their ammunition. Noting the smoke, Mays made his way to a higher point so he could see just how effective the bombardment was.

The 32-pounders may have been overkill; when the Diamond Dog horde was hit, the heavy iron balls ripped through flesh, bone and armor as if there was nothing there. Most shots had enough momentum to splatter one Dog before tearing three or four more in half, with some plowing through eight ranks before burying themselves in the ground. Those that were killed instantly were the lucky ones, while others were left thrashing in agony from split limbs, ripped torsos and ravaged eyes and noses. The confusion caused by the carnage caused the Diamond Dogs to panic and rush in any direction to escape the cannons, often running through their compatriots in their mad rush to escape. When the second salvo was fired, the casualties escalated to a point that would have made even Princess Celestia queasy, and the sand had turned a dark brown from bloodstains.

“Fire three more salvos, then let the guns cool a bit before continuing.”

.................

The fourteen ponies landed their boat near one of the remaining docks, with Richard and Hacksaw leading the way. The Diamond Dogs that were there looked at them with a mix of confusion and disgust, as if ponies being present around them was perverse.

“Remember when we had to deal with Nolan’s father the first time we sailed out together?” Hacksaw asked, trotting behind Richard.

“Yeah, what’s that got to do with anything?” The Master Chief said.

“I think I liked that experience better.” Richard would have responded had not a couple of Diamond Dogs barred their path.

“What is pony doing here?” the leader asked.

“Your boss hired us to clear out the western part of the city.” As soon as Richard finished saying this, the Diamond Dog started laughing.

“Pony thinks he is fighter?” The Dogs laughed again. “Silly pony knows not how to fight.”

“And you would know this how?” After laughing again, the Diamond Dog thrusted forward with a spear, with the intention of intimidating the Master Chief. Rather than flinch, Richard drew his cutlass, smacked the spearpoint aside and tackled the Diamond Dog, catching his tormentor completely off guard. Richard stomped on the Dog’s arm, knocking the spear from it’s hand, and placed the blade of his cutlass against the Diamond Dog’s throat.

“Pony wasn’t supposed to do that...” the Dog whined.

“Unless you are my superior officer, I don’t feel very inclined to listen to your commands. Do you yield?” there was a pause, and Richard put a little more pressure on the Diamond Dog’s neck.

“Y-yes, yield. Pony is fighter, yes?”

“That’s better.” Richard withdrew his cutlass and stepped off the Diamond Dog. “Now, where is the heaviest of the fighting?” The other Dogs pointed towards a second group of Diamond Dogs standing near one of the many burned out buildings “Thank you for the directions. Oh, the blue one’s a medic; show him to wherever you’re keeping your wounded.” the Diamond Dogs nodded and began making their way towards yet another burned-out building, with Hacksaw and two marines following behind them. Richard turned to the rest of the marines.

“Alright, listen up boys. Remember what I said about fighting Diamond Dogs; they’re gonna make a lot of noise, but don’t let that scare you. Their armor’s weak at the shoulder and head, so make sure you aim instead of just shooting wild. If you do get caught in melee, you’re smaller than them so try to trip them up. Understand?”

“Yes sir!”

“Good. Let’s get moving.”

................

When working with muzzle-loading cannons, one had to compensate for reload times, especially on heavier cannons. As they were not in any particular rush, Mays was content to allow the cannoneers to take their time when it came to bombarding the city, especially when dealing with the thirty twos. There had been experiments with breech-loaders during one of his visits to Canterlot, but the project was cancelled since Equestria lacked anypony with cannon design as their special talent.

Mays had not moved much since the battle began; he stood on deck, seemingly detached from the situation around him, allowing only the breeze to affect him in any way. Even nearby ten-pounders firing had no effect on him. Sometimes, Mays liked it like this, as it allowed himself a bit of time to disconnect from the world and relax, in some morbid sense of the word.

“I don’t mean to sound intrusive,” Mays turned and saw Fancypants standing behind him “But I saw you standing here and I couldn’t help but noticed you seemed... distant.”

“That usually happens whenever things run smoothly.”

“Ah, I know how that is.” the ambassador looked out at the battlefield “It’s actually kind of interesting.”

“What? You mean you’re actually interested in combat and death?”

“Heavens no. Asides from a brief period where I wanted to join the royal guards, I’m not a great supporter of violence. Still, you have to admit it does have some kind of affect on a pony.”

“I suppose... You know, back where I came from there were poets and writers who used to romanticize this sort of thing.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t interested in that sort of writing, but once they got going they could spend a good five paragraphs describing a single artillery barrage.”

“Interesting.” the two ponies looked back at the city “I can see how they got inspired, but I couldn’t imagine driveling on for that long.”

“Isn’t that what a lot of writers do?”

“I suppose, but then I’m a politician, not an artist. I suppose it takes a different mind than ours to look at something like this and make something of it.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Still, it is a rather nasty business, taking other ponies lives.”

“Believe me, I’d rather not, but that’s just part of being in the navy.”

“That is true, we all have our duties; yours is protecting Equestria, mine is dealing with a bunch of rulers with superiority complexes.”

“I think I’ll stick with defense for now. I’m not very good with politicians.”

“The princesses like you, quite a few nobles are very fond of you, and the only pony that really seems to be causing problems is Blueblood, but then he always was a pompous idiot even before you showed up.”

“You know, you’re the first noble I’ve ever met that has actually said something like that about him.”

“I have that right. He is my brother-in-law, after all.” that comment shook Mays out of his detachment. He suddenly became aware of the cannons around him, and it took quite a bit of fortitude to prevent himself from jumping when the ten-pounder next to him fired again.

“I... I didn’t know that.”

“Well, it’s not something I’d like to discuss, for obvious reasons.”

“Yeah, I guess... So I suppose challenging him to a duel probably wasn’t the best way to get on your good side.”

“Oh no, I’ve been wanting somepony to do that for quite some time. He may be family, but that doesn’t mean I have to like him.”

“I still don’t feel too good about it now...”

“I’ll handle the politics, you fight the battles. In a few weeks this will all be a thing of the past.”

“Yeah, I suppose.” Mays took another look at the city, allowing himself to drift off again. He began going through his thoughts, trying to draw his mind away from the previous conversation.

................

Nothing. That was what got Richard nervous. Ten minutes of trekking through the ruined city, searching for hostile activity, and nothing. Sure, bodies and ruins littered the streets, but there was little movement, and the only sound was the Concordia’s broadside. Even a breeze blowing through the ruins would have been welcome, but there was nothing.

Richard peered around a corner. Again, nothing, although one of the nearby buildings was on fire, possibly due to sabotage or the naval attack. Richard looked down the street, checking for potential cover and looking for enemies.

“You boys see anything else?” he asked.

“No sir.”

“Keep moving, but remember to stay quiet.” the others nodded and moved forward. Richard could tell that they were just as nervous as he was, the younger ones even more so. Earlier, he gave them a short talk to try to encourage their spirits, but now was too risky to try again.

“I think I see something.” One of the marines had stopped by the burning building. Richard trotted over while the other marines arranged themselves in a semicircle around them. Richard stopped next to the other pony and looked.

“Just looks like some casualties. Best we make sure there’s no one watching... start a sweep of the street and kill anything that-” Richard was interrupted by a long, drawn out howl. He looked down the street and saw, rounding the next corner, several dozen Diamond Dogs assembling for an attack.

“Form up! Make sure you have a clear shot!” Richard trotted to the center of the street, pulling out a piece of lead shot and aiming it at the Diamond Dogs. The other marines took positions around him, each one preparing to fire on the oncoming threat. The Diamond Dogs hesitated for the briefest of moments before bellowing and rushing forward, spears lowered to skewer the defending ponies.

Most never made it that far.

As the Dogs neared, Richard and the other marines increased their magical output to such an extent that the lead shot flew forward, a loud crack echoing through the shattered town as the bullets shot forward. Two of the shots went wide, but the rest hit the Diamond Dogs full force, some penetrating, others merely knocking the attackers off their feet. The rest stalled, unsure of what to do, only to be cut down by the next volley. Those that still remained panicked and ran, most dropping any weapons they carried in order to save weight.

“Should we go after them?” one of the marines asked.

“No; we don’t have those kinds of numbers. We need to move before more Dogs come and find us.” Richard broke into a gallop down the street, away from where the Diamond Dogs came from. The marines followed after him, looking back only to make sure they were not being pursued. “We’ll circle around this block and try to find somewhere we can bottleneck them. keep an eye out for anything that might-” Again, Richard was interrupted, this time by something big slamming into the street ahead of him.

Richard had only seen one or two minotaurs during his time in Equestria, but he had to admit that this one was the biggest he had ever seen. Unlike the others, this one was dark grey in color, and was wearing a thrown together suit of armor. The only thing Richard was really focused on was the giant mace the minotaur wielded and was now swinging in a downward arc towards his head.

Richard leapt to the side, the mace slamming into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust and rubble. The minotaur roared and lunged at the ponies, swinging his weapon in large arcs while the smaller ponies leapt out of the way.

“Surround him; try to aim for any weak points in his armor.” Richard shot again, the bullet bouncing harmlessly off the minotaur’s armored shoulders. The minotaur turned and swung again, with Richard just barely dodging. However, while he might have escaped physically, the pouch he used to store lead shot was torn, spilling its contents into the street. He managed to save a few, but the rest rolled off to unknown locations.

Grumbling, Richard fired the rest of the lead shot at the minotaur before drawing his cutlass. The minotaur swung at him again, smashing a nearby wall and causing broken masonry to rain down on the marines. Richard shook himself off and started circling the minotaur, trying to find an opening to attack.

“I don’t think this is working.” one of the other marines said.

“I’ve noticed.” Richard dodged another swing. “We need more room. Fall back until we find some space.” Richard dodged yet another swing and started running, the marines ahead of him and the angry minotaur behind him.

..................

Hacksaw pulled another bandage tight. The Diamond Dog seated in front of him winced, but otherwise did not react. Hacksaw was actually pleased they did nothing much, since some patients would never cooperate, even for something as easy as tying off a bandage.

That being said, dealing with this number of patients was no easy task; Hacksaw did not have exact numbers, but at least eighty Diamond Dogs had passed through the makeshift hospital in the past ten minutes, and more were being deposited outside. His supplies, while vast, did not cover all of the necessary treatments, and a pile of pulverized and diseased limbs was growing steadily as time wore on.

“Remember, if anyone of you gets injured, try to wash the wound out with something other than this sludge you call water.” Hacksaw knocked over a bucket of the offending sludge, the gray liquid spilling out over the ground.

“But pony is asking impossible.” one of the Diamond Dogs said “Where we get clean water?”

“Dredge the bay and boil some water if you must, just as long as it’s cleaner than this.” Hacksaw shook his head and turned back to his workstation “Next patient.” The Diamond Dogs nodded and carted in another Dog, this one severely bruised with his right arm twisted into an unnatural angle “What happened?”

“Bull-pony came and knocked down building.” the others said. Hacksaw guessed that “bull-pony” meant “minotaur” and did not press the matter. Hacksaw inspected the wounded Diamond Dog before looking back to his supplies.

“I can’t set the bones, and it looks like it’s getting infected. Hold him down.”

“What is pony doing?” Hacksaw did not respond at first, instead wiping the blood off his namesake saw.

“I have to take this arm off.”

“Pony can’t do that.”

“Why not, you didn’t protest when I amputated the other Dogs.”

“But... this is Boss Dog’s Beta. He tells all what Boss Dog wants.”

“He doesn’t need both arms to do that job.”

“But he fights; he fights only second to Boss Dog.”

“Unless you have better tactics than charging blindly at something, you shouldn’t have your supreme leaders right in the thick of it. Now hold him down.”

“Pony won’t hurt Boss Dog’s Beta.”

“If I don’t take off his arm, he’ll die! Now hold him down!” The Diamond Dogs, shocked by this display of force, did as they were told. Satisfied, Hacksaw approached his patient, the saw gripped in his magical aura.

“This will hurt a lot, but try not to scream.” He lowered the saw to the Dog’s shoulder and got to work, the blade slowly slicing through bone, tendons, muscle and skin. The Dog realized what was happening and begun thrashing to get away from the pain. This only made matters worse, as it splattered blood over Hacksaw and the others present and caused the saw to become lodge in a joint.

“I said hold him down!”

“We’re trying, but Beta is too strong.” the other Dog whined.

“Then knock him out or something, just stop him from moving!” The other Dog complied and began looking for something heavy for which to hit the struggling Dog. While he was doing that, Hacksaw seized the damaged limb in his magic, freed his saw for the Dog’s shoulder, and resumed the operation. With each slide the Dog’s struggles got worse and worse, with Hacksaw having to apply more magic to keep both the saw and the limb stable.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the saw jerked back and the amputated limb landed on the ground with a thud, more blood spilling on the dirt. Hacksaw wiped off his saw once more and used his magic to toss the arm onto the nearby pile. He then grabbed a couple of bandages and some cleaning supplies and started dressing the wound.

“Pony... pony is insane.”

“I have to be, otherwise I’d give up on this and go back to farming.” Hacksaw finished dressing the wound and stepped back “Get him somewhere where he can rest, then somewhere where there’s no fighting.”

“Y-yes pony.”

.................

Richard leapt off a broken pillar before the minotaur pursuing him smashed it to dust. Although slowed, the beast continued to pursue them, bellowing in rage as the ponies continued to flee. Occasionally one of the marines that still had ammo left would fire, but this only made the minotaur angry.

“I think I see some kind of plaza up ahead.” The lead marine shouted.

“When we reach the plaza, try to encircle the minotaur.” the marines nodded and began running faster. The minotaur sensed his prey escaping and bellowed in rage, rushing forward and gaining ground on the ponies. Richard’s legs were burning, and he was sweating profusely, but the only other option was to be killed by the minotaur. He put as much energy as he could into the last sprint, leaping over a fallen wall and skidding to a halt once inside the plaza.

“Circle him! Circle him now!” the other marines spread out as the minotaur charged into the plaza. The beast swung wildly, but the ponies merely danced out of its reach. All of them pulled several bits of lead and lowered their heads. “Shoot now!”

There was a chorus of cracks as the bullets flew forward. Although not a simple creature, the minotaur was startled enough to stagger back and drop the mace. Most of the bullets bounced harmlessly off the minotaur’s armor, but one struck the minotaur in the leg and toppled it. Seeing his opportunity, Richard rushed forward and tackled the minotaur, ramming his cutlass into his opponent’s eye and twisting with as much strength as he could put behind his magic. When the minotaur kept thrashing, he withdrew the sword and stabbed again, blood splashing over his face and torso with every strike. The minotaur’s thrashing and bellowing became weaker and weaker until Richard was repeatedly stabbing a lifeless hulk.

“Sir, I think it’s dead.” another marine said.

“I just wanted to make sure.” Richard leapt off the corpse and rejoined the group. “Let’s head back to the camp and get resupplied. If anything, our little fight here attracted more attention.”

...............

It was getting dark by the time Hacksaw, Richard and the marines returned to the Concordia. The ship had stopped firing several hours ago to preserve ammunition, and once again an unnatural calm lay over the port.

“Good to see you all are still alive.” Mays said as Richard, Hacksaw and the rest boarded the ship.

“Consider us lucky,” Richard said “There was plenty of running involved.”

“I bet. Get yourselves cleaned up and ready to sail.” the two officers nodded and headed below deck. “Has anypony seen Twilight?”

“I think she’s below,” Smith said “Something about Fluttershy fainting sometime during the fighting. Why?”

“I want to get back in contact with Stonebreaker and tell him this is his problem now.”

“I’ll go find her.” Mays nodded as Smith left the deck. There was silence for about a minute before Twilight teleported next to Mays, causing him to jump.

“You wanted to speak with Stonebreaker?” she asked.

“... Yes. don’t teleport next to me like that again.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Just focus on his ship and we’ll get everything settled.” Mays nodded and looked towards Stonebreaker’s flagship. Soon, he found himself back on that ship, standing before the Diamond Dog Alpha.

“Your soldiers shouldn’t have any more trouble mopping up the rest of the enemy now.” Mays said “So we’ll be on our way.”

“Thank you again, Captain. If there is any way I can help you, be sure to come and send for me.” Mays nodded and was about to ask Twilight to end the spell before Stonebreaker spoke again “Wait, I know something that might be of use to you.”

“Oh?”

“It’s merely fragments, so I don’t know how much use you’ll get of-”

“I am very capable of getting use out of anything. What is it?” there was a pause.

“I know you chase pirates, so you may enjoy this. One of my spies in Port-au-Prance sent me a message about a ship that appeared outside the harbor several weeks ago; didn’t sail in or signal, it just showed up right outside the city. a transport ship got too close and... well, there were only a handful of survivors that came back.”

“This ship, what did it look like?”

“How should I know? I wasn’t there, and my informants only heard rumors. If you want anything more concrete, I am of no real use.”

“Believe me, this is good enough. Twilight, we’re done here.” Mays’ vision returned to the Concordia “Set a course for Port-au-Prance; I need to stop there and pick up on some leads.”

“What kind of leads?”

“I think I know who is attacking the ships off the Ottomare Empire.”

---

The conversation between Mays and Fancypants? I like to make fun of myself sometimes.
Next chapter will be focused on El Fantasma and his prisoner, but with school starting up again it might take some time.

Comments

[musicluvr1974]

Two questions: one, why did you cancel this? Two, is there any possibility of it being un-canceled?

[iowaforever]

2815456 To answer your questions... I don't know. I just lost interest in it. Maybe I'll get back to it, someday, but I don't know.