With the Best of Intentions

by Kaipony

Paving the Road

“I feel kind of sick,” Soarin moaned.

Breaking formation, I angled towards him with forelegs outstretched. I came in underneath by dropping a bit in altitude and gave him a sharp poke in the stomach. He nearly doubled over but still managed to take a swipe at my head. “One too many apple pies, buddy?” I mockingly chided.

A laughing chorus of japes and jabs flew at Soarin as I rolled around him within reach and lingered just long enough for him to lash out and graze the side of my cheek. It seemed only fair to give him the chance to take a shot at me in return. I did feel some sympathy, afterall. “I thought you were ordered to lay off the sweets before flights.”

“I was only going to take one bite.” The face he gave me was a mixture of nausea and regret with a hint of shame. It was a familiar sight to anypony that spent enough time around Soarin to have seen him take on a dessert table.

“And then another and another and another,” I added, as per protocol. No way was I going to let him off the hook, especially since it was such a fine day for flying. This far out to sea the heavier clouds from the land-sea interface had broken apart and lay widely scattered across a sky that was almost as blue as the waters which we glided over. It was summer and closer to Zebrica that would mean an uncomfortable combination of humidity and heat, but up here--everything felt pleasantly cool. A couple more of my fellow Wonderbolts joined in, giving Soarin their own good-natured comments when our flight lead pulled us back into the reality of the situation.

“Cut the chatter. Back in formation, Rapidfire.” Spitfire’s no-nonsense voice cut through the mirth like a cold knife. I angled away from Soarin and retook my place in the echelon. I liked Spitfire. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I admired her as a commander. Either way, when she gave an order, anypony that had served under her command knew that obedience was expected. I saw her shift in formation to approach another of our squad. “Misty Fly, how long till we reach the vessels?”

Misty’s response was near instantaneous. “We’re a couple hundred lengths up, so at this altitude we should be able to see them very soon if they haven’t gotten back underway. I have a search pattern in mind if that’s the case.” She was sharp and quick; almost on par with Spitfire, I thought.

“Is this for real? I mean, are we really going to try and talk down a bunch of zebra pirates?”

My lips tightened out of reflex, but I bit back the retort with which I wanted to answer. “For the tenth time, Whiplash, yes. Princess Celestia doesn’t want anyone hurt on this mission and we’re the best that Equestria has to offer. The Caesar won’t grant permission to retake the ship because everypony’s arguing over borders and political technicalities. So we’re going in to try and persuade the pirates to release the hostages and the cargo. Maybe we can settle this whole thing quietly.” I was not looking at him, but I could feel Whiplash smirking.

“And if they don’t want to give in and play nice?”

If Spitfire noticed the look, she did not say anything. “Our primary orders are to secure the crew and, if possible, the ship and its cargo.”

“Here’s to hoping for the latter,” he added.

I heard Fleetfoot raising her voice above the winds. “Hey, what’s got you itching for a fight?”

Whiplash’s verbal smirk, momentarily undeniable, shifted downward in tone. “Have you heard the latest things the zebras are saying about Equestria? How we’re a bunch of greedy dragons in pony skins, and how if it weren’t for zebra coal then Equestria would still be a backwards hovel of a country? I’m not going to stand for those kinds of lies.”

“I’ve heard similar, if not worse, coming from more than a few ponies in Equestria about the zebras,” Fleetfoot countered. “You’d think we were heading for a big fight the way all the talk is going.”

Fire Streak chimed in with his two bits. “No way. The Princesses would never let it come to that; not in a thousand years.”

Lightning Streak, always one to follow in Fire’s wake, took her turn. “Lots of people like to believe that, but the Princesses don’t dictate the actions of other races. Zebras, dragons, griffins, diamond dogs; they’re all going to do what they want regardless of what Celestia and Luna ask of them.”

Spitfire silenced any further comments. “That’s enough with the politics. Let’s go over the mission one more time while we have the chance.”

“But we’ve already gone over everything a dozen times,” Whiplash whined.

“Keep up the backtalk and you’ll be turning in your uniform once this is over. This is serious! Act like it. Now, each of you will brief your portion of the mission in turn and I’ll field any questions afterwards. Got it? Soarin, you start us off.”

We had barely even made it through the background intelligence briefing when Misty shouted, “There they are!”

Soarin ceased talking and we all followed Misty’s pointing hoof to the horizon. Sure enough, a dark smudge was crawling over the horizon and creeped towards us as the formation winged forward. I saw Spitfire nod once and signal for us to continue, verbally running through the motions of the operation. Even though we could see the ship, it would still be some time before we were close enough to actually set up for the first portion. I guessed that thirty minutes had elapsed before we had finished going through everypony’s part. We flew in relative silence for the next ten or twenty minutes before Spitfire gave us the signal.

She adjusted her goggles and the rest of us followed suit. “Alright team; we do this by the numbers. Low-level, high-speed pass in formation pairs. Sing out if you spot anything unusual or potentially dangerous. You know your assignments. We’ll touch down on whatever deck the pirates occupy. See you all down there!”

What I noticed first was the larger of the two ships. From a distance I could make out the blurred outline of a second ship alongside the larger one. It was the larger ship that was Equestrian. It was long and low to the water with three tall masts. A pair of black smokestacks stuck out of the deck just forward of the middle section and reached about a quarter of the way up the main mast. The deck was washed in white and the hull above the water was painted a muted cherry. As details became clearer, I made out a gently shaped bow and downward curving sponsons that gave the hull a shape resembling that of a whale. I could not see any unfurled sails on any of the masts or smoke from the stacks. As we drew nearer, I was able to get a good look at the other ship that was tied up alongside of the larger.

The other vessel was definitely not of Equestrian design. Airships and seagoing vessels of pony creation tend to mimic animals, as you know, but this ship was clearly built by zebra hooves. Long curves and sweeping lines marked the upturned bow and gunwales. Two aft-sweeping masts and a single smaller twin all the way at the back end held a pair of sails in tightly packed bundles while a single smokestack jutted out between the larger pair. The prow of the ship tapered to a tight point and flat planks ran along either side, looking as though they might be narrow hoofboards that ran all the way to the tip. Artistic flourishes were built right into the pointed stern and a stylized carving of an equine skull dominated the underside of the prow. She appeared to be moored closely to the Equestrian ship with maybe three or four pony lengths between them. They were both bobbing mildly in the still seas.

Spitfire gave the signal.

It was a standard high-low-high reconnaissance pass that was taught in the Wonderbolt Academy, but standard does not always mean boring. This was especially true since this time I was part of the “low” pass team. We split off into pairs: Whiplash with Fleetfoot, Soarin with Fire Streak, and me with Misty Fly. Lightning Streak brought up the tail end. Spitfire flew solo as the vanguard of our formation. She was the first to cross over the ships.

High speed, low drag was the Wonderbolt style and we all tried to emulate the same flair that our leader seemed to exude naturally. The wind howled in my ears and, at this speed, made hearing anypony impossible. I could not see any movement on the upper decks of either ship as Spitfire rocketed overheard fast enough to send a vapor trail streaming over the heads of those out on deck. The two pairs ahead of Misty and I followed suite down either side at slightly slower speeds to get a better picture. Then it was our turn.

By now our arrival had been clearly noticed. As we started our run, I could make out a scrambling of heads and dark manes as they emerged from hatches in the deck and doors along the superstructure of both vessels. I nodded to Misty and she wordlessly returned the gesture. Together we dove until our legs were a few scant hooves from the crests of the waves. Just before we reached the Equestrian ship we put on a burst of speed and pulled, skimming the top of the pilothouse and eliciting several shouts from below that were lost in the winds that whistled around our wings. There were no weapons immediately visible but I was sure everypony saw the same thing that I had: zebras.

Half a dozen striped bodies stood out on the deck of the Equestrian vessel but I felt certain that there were more staying hidden from view. Another few--I could not get an accurate count--waited aboard their own ship and gestured up at us as we regrouped into close formation. One thing I noticed that left a heavy feeling in my gut was that I did not spot a single pony. Spitfire signaled for reports and I signed the number of zebras I had counted as well as “no danger.” Similar counts appeared from each member as well as an agreement that the decks of both ships appeared free of any major risk. As we looped back around and settled in over the top of the Equestrian ship, Spitfire gave the signal and, as a unit, we dropped from the sky and landed upon its deck.

The effect was immediate as the six zebras we had spotted broke from their small cluster and took up positions around our formation. They were carrying various implements, like ironshod clubs and hefty copper spikes, that I assumed could be used as weapons. The barely restrained malice on their faces was plain as day. None of them spoke a word to us. A heavy thumping noise pulled me from my inspection of the assembly as another zebra, this one much larger, pulled himself through a hatch opening on the main deck with two more zebras emerging after him. There was no gear hanging from the simple yet rugged harness wrapped around his barrel and haunches, but I had no doubt that this zebra was the leader. He wore an impressive array of scars like a Wonderbolt would wear medals or meritorious ribbons. Atop his head sat a hoop of pale, twisted wood that was woven into his braided black mane. A tangle of small bones, tarnished beads, and what looked like shark’s teeth hung from each braid in an irregular manner. The trinkets rattled against one another as he approached.

He was flanked by the pair of zebras which had appeared with him, these dressed in haggard suits made of something that looked like hide and cloth. These two were far less impressive physically, but their intense gazes and the way they seemed to stalk rather than stride gave them an air of danger. All of the zebras wore harnesses similar to their leader’s, but this pair had weapons hanging from cords. They also had bones woven through their manes, whereas I only saw beads in the other zebras’ manes; no one except the leader had the teeth of a shark as a trophy. The trio stopped and stood before Spitfire with an air of confident scorn.

“Are you the one in charge here?” Spitfire asked of the larger zebra.

He nodded. “I am Wakku and this is my band.” He took it in turn to look at each of us Wonderbolts. “You have brought many warriors with you, I see.”

“Very smart for ponies to send fighters instead of talkers,” one of the zebras that had accompanied Wakku added. Tied across his chest was a length of cord that looked suspiciously like a scourge and there were hoofcuffs dangling from his harness.

“Very foolish,” the other of Wakku’s entourage amended. He carried two long, thin blades; one sheathed on each of his flanks. “We sink pony ship if ponies act funny.” Wakku had not introduced any of the other zebras, so in my mind I called the pair which I took to be his lieutenants, respectively, Scourge and Blade.

Spitfire took a step forward and spoke directly to Wakku. “I’m Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts. We’re not here to fight. Princess Celestia has sent us to discuss the release of the crew and this vessel. If we can settle this peacefully, then nopony else needs to suffer.”

“Nopony.” Wakku spat a thick wad of saliva that landed on the deck between himself and Spitfire. “No pony, you say. Even when someone else holds all the cards you still cannot help but sound arrogant and elitist.” He threw a disdainful grimace at her. “You wish for nopony to get hurt, but I doubt you extend the same feelings towards us zebras.” There was a muttered chorus of agreements from the other zebras.

Spitfire glanced around at those which had us all encircled before answering, her face remaining impassive. “That’s just how we say it in Equestria.”

“We are not in Equestria.” The statement hung in the air like a threat.

“Neither are we in Zebrica,” she countered carefully.

“Who claims these waters is for the politicians to decide. I do not care about territory. All that does matter is how this ends.”

I watched Spitfire’s eyes narrow a bit, not quite matching the disdainful look of the zebra leader but approaching something resembling contempt. “And how do you want it to end?”

Wakku pawed at the deck with a hoof. “You call us pirates, but it is you that have stolen from our people.” He turned and walked to the other side of the ship. For a few breaths he stared out at the open sea before turning and marching back. “My people provide you the fuel to keep your houses warm and your streets bright. You offer gems in payment, but you pay little compared to what you are given.” He stomped once, hard enough that I felt the wooden deck vibrate.

“The least of Zebrica is equal to the greatest of Equestria, but your ruler and your people treat all zebras as mere merchants or rogues.” He pointed an accusing hoof at Spitfire. “Ponies speak sweet words, but your actions are bitter-tasting. How do I want this to end? I would have the eyes of the world opened. I would have this end with justice being served and those responsible held accountable for their actions.”

Whiplash chose that moment to step out of formation and point an accusing hoof. “Such as the hijacking of an unarmed Equestrian-flagged ship, taking the entire crew hostage? Stealing the cargo? How about answering for those crimes.”

Blade also broke rank and stepped up to Whiplash. “Pony should speak to chieftain with respect!”

“He’s not my chieftain.”

Blade turned to the zebra leader and bowed his head. “Maze Wakku, ponies here to make trouble!”

Wakku looked down at his lieutenant and silently motioned with his head to Blade’s original spot. Blade looked like he was going to say something in reply but bowed his head lower and returned to the flanking position. As he did, Wakku spoke to him. “No, they are here to negotiate, because if they try to use force...” He looked back at Spitfire. “Then I cannot know what might happen to their people if violence breaks out. You understand as a fellow warrior, Spitfire?”

Spitfire glowered. “I understand that you’re a thief, a traitor to your own people, and a ponynapper. I also understand that Princess Celestia doesn’t want anyone hurt. That’s anyone, not just anypony. Understand?”

The chieftain nodded once. “We will talk to satisfy your princess’ desire, but nothing will come of simply talking. If either of our rulers has yet to speak with us directly, then there is nothing you can say or offer that will change our minds.” Wakku motioned towards a low stack of the crates that had been lashed to the deck. “Come, sit with me and let us waste time with words while those in their high towers and great halls continue to stall. It is only your fellow ponies that will suffer from more delays.”

Spitfire did not move from where she stood. “I want my team to look over the hostages to make sure they’re in good health.”

Wakku let the demand hang in the air for several moments before answering, “I will allow two of you to examine them.” He nodded in the direction of the pirate’s vessel. “They are under guard in my personal cabin. Except for their captain.” A few of the zebras nickered and I noticed that Scourge and Blade both cast a dark grin over us ponies.

“What does that mean?” Spitfire asked, her voice dropping in temperature. I also noticed Spitfire shifting her weight into a lower stance--a fighting stance.

Wakku shrugged, either not noticing or not caring about the change in tone or body language. “Two days ago he attacked me. He is not here anymore.” Whiplash moved towards the chieftain, but Spitfire suddenly appeared in front of him. The fire in her eyes was enough to cause her subordinate to stop and slink back into our formation. Spitfire said nothing but turned to Wakku and regarded the large zebra. Her tail lashed back and forth as her wings twitched a few times before she regained control.

She turned her head towards myself and Misty Fly. “Rapidfire and Misty, you two check on the hostages.” She gestured to her second-in-command. “Soarin, you’re with me.” Then to the remainder of our team. “The rest of you stand watch topside. Get moving.” Finally, she stepped up to Wakku and looked, unflinchingly, up into his eyes. “Alright, Wakku, let’s you and I talk.”

The two leaders began to walk towards the front of the Equestrian ship and the zebras that had gathered for our arrival loosened their circle. Misty and I were pointed towards the larger of the two relatively small deck structures on the zebra ship, which had a guard armed with a harpoon posted outside of the single door. There was, what I guessed to be, from the few pirate stories I had read as a colt, a gangplank that was spanning the distance between the two vessels. It had been tied down on either end but was still loose enough that when the ships rocked, the plank of wood freely slid back and forth but never came close to falling into the water. Not wanting to accidentally raise the tension any more than it already had been by taking flight, Misty and I carefully traversed the walkway and stepped onto the pirate ship.

~~*~~

“Hold up!” Reggie blurted out abruptly. “What was that about the captain of our ship? The newspapers and reports said there were only Wonderbolt casualties. They said there were no civilian casualties and only one serious injury among the crew.”

“You said yourself that you suspected the official story was incomplete.” Rapidfire leaned in close to Reggie and his voice dropped to a whisper. “You were right.” He leaned back in his chair and continued at a normal volume, “The newspapers said none of the captives died in the fight. That’s true, sort of. Technically, there were no civilian casualties during the fight between the Wonderbolts and the pirates. That’s because the captain was killed before we got there. Half of the Wonderbolt team died that day. Having to openly admit that a civilian was lost as well would have been an even bigger disaster for Canterlot; anyone can see that much.”

“But the crew would have come forward,” Reggie countered. “The family and friends of the captain would have said something.”

“Would they?” Rapidfire chuckled darkly. “In a nation moving towards a war, especially a nation who has prided itself on unity of effort and devotion to the crown, do you think those ponies couldn’t be persuaded to keep quiet? Especially for the good of the country? Equestria hadn’t had anything resembling a war for over a thousand years. So, naturally, ponies were scared and turned towards their leaders to protect them or give them the means to protect themselves.”

Rapidfire tapped a hoof on the table. “The Equestrian Skyguard.” Tap. “Civilian firearm manufacturers.” Tap. “Envoys to places like the Buffalo lands. All of those wheels started turning soon after the incident with the pirates. And I’d bet my last bit that anypony trying to stop those wheels from turning would have just been run right over.”

Reggie let out a breath he had not realized that he was holding. “Seabreeze never mentioned the captain. I can’t… I mean, I don’t...” He buried his head in his hooves. “What else don’t we know?”

“Still want to follow me down this road, kid?” Reggie uncovered his head, looked over at Rapidfire, and nodded gravely. “Okay then. Now, have you ever seen a zebric ship design called a xebec?”

~~*~~

Whereas the Equestrian ship looked like the designers could not decide between wind or steam propulsion, the zebra ship felt like it was in the middle of transforming from a sailing vessel into a purely steam-driven one. The gunwales were much lower than on the Equestrian ship and the weatherdeck was surprisingly open and free of obstacles, minus the masts and smokestack. One sizeable structure made up the majority of the aft end while a smaller one, about the size of a two-pony carriage, sat up near the bow. There was also a great difference in the materials of the ships. On the zebra vessel, I noticed a far more closed grain wood exposed to the elements whereas the pony ship was mostly painted all over. A faint smell of tar seemed to waft from everywhere and I could feel the motion of even the smaller waves more readily upon this ship.

After crossing over we approached the aft structure and stopped in front of the guard who had turned to square off against us. He was thin and he looked us up and down, tightening his grip on his harpoon as he did, with a wary eye. Just the one eye too, because it was then that I noticed his left eye was almost entirely obscured with a milky haze. The voice of the zebra I called Scourge wafted over in Zebrican and, with a grunt, the guard opened the door. We moved inside and the guard, whom I thought of as One-Eye, moved to follow. We crossed the threshold and a cry rose up, both heartened and saddened.

“The Wonderbolts!”
“Thank the Sisters.”
“We’re saved!”

Seventeen frightened ponies--fourteen earth ponies, two unicorns and a single pegasus--were crammed into a room only large enough to comfortably hold six, but they looked to be in fair condition. If they had once kept any personal items on them, all had since been taken away. The ponies before us either lay or sat upon the flooring, their eyes and ears perking up as they realized that our arrival was not an illusion. I could see a few marks of fighting upon their bodies and each of them looked like they could use a good meal and a full night's sleep. There was also the sharp tang of unwashed bodies. The open windows allowed a cool breeze to keep the air from turning completely sour, but I could see little else in the manner of comfort. There was another door that led to what I assumed was a different room, or maybe it was a stairway to the below deck areas, but it was blocked by another zebra guard. This one was very different from the guard outside.

Whereas One-Eye looked like he had missed more than a few meals, this second zebra guard apparently had eaten more than his fair share. He was large but not what I would call fat. Not as tall or imposing as Wakku, but certainly more thickly muscled. He looked bored too. Attached to his equipment harness were several small bags smelling faintly of dried fruit. He too was armed but instead of a traditional weapon, brass horseshoes were secured around his front fetlocks with canvas and wire straps. Despite the seriousness of the situation, I could not stop my mind from drifting into someplace comical to alleviate the tension. So I decided to call this zebra Tiny.

Misty took charge straightaway and waded into the packed pile of ponies. “Is everypony here alright?” There was a chorus of complaints about food and water quality, cramped legs, and a few shouts inquiring about the sincerity of the question, but most heads nodded an affirmative. She gave a few of the more apprehensive ones reassuring hugs. “We’re going to check each of you individually and make sure you’re okay.”

I noticed One-Eye and Tiny shifting their weight from one side to the other nervously. “That alright with you two?” I asked calmly. The zebras glanced at one another before slowly nodding their heads.

“But… but I thought we were being rescued?”

I did not try to find out which of the hostages had blurted that out. Instead I addressed the whole group while starting to visually inspect one of the captured stallions for injuries. “You are, but this isn’t a Steven Neighgal movie. Spitfire and Soarin are talking with the zebra chieftain right now to negotiate your safe release. Just stay put, remain calm, and we’ll have you home in no time.” My answer brought a chorus of responses.

“Negotiate? You can’t negotiate with pirates.”
“Do you even know what they’re asking for in return?
“How do we know they’ll keep their word if they get what they want?”
“Roam will never grant their request.”
“Can’t you do something?”

“Keep quiet, ponies!” Tiny shouted. Everyone, including myself, tensed at the volume. I glanced up at the guards. One-Eye was still holding tightly onto his weapon, but had not leveled it at either us or the hostages.

I continued, “Like I said, please keep calm and don’t do anything to exacerbate the situation. Everyone onboard is playing nice and we’d like to keep it that way. Your cooperation will help make all of this go more quickly.” There were continued grumblings that shifted through the group of ponies but they all settled down and submitted to our examination.

As we moved among the captives, my initial impressions were confirmed. Minor injuries here and there with the worst bruising on the two unicorns. There was no way I could call anything about the situation normal, but there was one earth pony stallion that caught my eye.

He had a beige hide and a goldenrod mane. Nothing impressive but it was the movement of that mane that drew my attention. It kept slowly turning to watch the two zebra guards before lingering on the door that led to another part of the ship. I did not like the picture that was beginning to form in my mind.

When we were finished I motioned for Misty to follow me and we stepped just outside of the cabin. One-Eye watched us from the cabin but did not follow.

“How did the crew look to you?” I asked her.

“Some bruises, a number of superficial scrapes, and a few shallow cuts but nothing serious. Looks like the unicorns took the worst of it. Figured the zebras would first want to subdue anypony with magic.” She glanced back towards the room. “Still, it’s not their physical condition that has me worried.”

I joined her gaze. That beige stallion, I also recalled, had not joined in with the others in expressing relief at our arrival, or incredulity that a rescue was not immediately eminent. “That earth pony with the goldenrod mane?”

Misty nodded. “Mm-hmm. He wasn’t speaking up like most of them when we came in and he’s been fidgeting this whole time.”

“I noticed it too. But he’s also been ponynapped by pirates and had his life threatened. I’d be nervous too.”

Misty shook her head. “No one else was avoiding making eye contact with me, and he was glancing over that pretty little blond mare every minute or so.”

I had not seen those glances and the dots I was starting to connect were adding up to an unpleasant picture. “I saw him checking out the hatches and the zebras several times.” I did not want to say it out loud but it had to be voiced. “You think that…” I motioned with my head at the stallion in question.

Misty nodded her head in agreement. “We might have a wannabe hero on our hooves. I’ve seen the same look on cadets’ faces right before they try to impress an instructor with something stupid. This one might be planning to make a grab for one of the zebras.”

I wanted to kick the wall next to me in frustration but settled for a deep sigh. There was always at least one “hero” mixed in with crowds under pressure. I cast a glance at the zebra guards as One-Eye slid closer to Tiny and began to whisper something I could not hear. “We can’t say anything to them or they might try to make an example of him. Can you set our daredevil straight without drawing attention?”

She nodded. “If you can run interference for a minute or two.”

“No problem.” I sidled up to the two guards and flashed my winning smile as nonchalantly as I could. “So…you guys speak Equestrian pretty well. I took a couple of Zebric classes when I was in school but none of it stuck too well.”

“Pony study language?” One-Eye asked in a strained voice.

“A little bit, among other things. Most of my classes actually involved me trying to talk my way out of an assignment so I could play hoofball. Turns out I could argue almost as fast as I could gallop.”

Tiny thumped his chest. “Zebra study history and tradition when young. Rest of time, we study war.”

I tilted my neck to crack a few stiff vertebrae in an effort to steal a glance at Misty without making it obvious. Not the best way to get a good look, but enough to see that more time was needed. “Not all of you, though, right? A civilization built by nothing but warriors and historians isn’t going to last for very long. You need farmers and builders; thinkers and planners. Even the Wonderbolts moved past our original role in the military to become a team that unites as well as fights.”

One-Eye spoke up again, “Ponies talk, zebras show. We go and do; no need for talk.” Likely to prove the point of his smaller compatriot, Tiny tensed his body and his stocky muscles looked for all the world like they were trying to escape from his hide.

I tossed the pair what I hoped was a convincing facsimile of a friendly, winning smile. “So… not much chatter in the cafes of Roam then, I suspect?” It apparently was not as winning as I had hoped because neither of them answered. Then, both of them looked past me.

One-Eye frowned so severely that I was sure his lower jaw was going to fall right off as he craned his neck around me. “What is other pony doing?”

I made a show of trying to look surprised by the question before casually looking over my shoulder. “Nothing worth bothering yourselves. She’s just checking to make sure the crew are healthy and comfortable, just as we were ordered and your chieftain agreed.” I flashed my “winning” smile again.

“She talks too long with shifty-eyed pony.” One-Eye observed. He raised his voice and pointed at the crewmember. “You! Come!” When the stallion did not comply the zebra shoved his way past me and waded through the captives. When he reached the stallion, the zebra roughly hauled him to his hooves.

“Now hold on just a feather-picking minute,” Misty protested, raising her voice and placing a wing around the shoulders of the earth pony who was now quickly looking back and forth between One-Eye and a lithe, seafoam green mare who I had visually glossed over during my earlier inspection. Tiny also moved towards the scuffle, wading through the seated captives as one would through a field of tall grass.

I saw it happening in my mind’s eye a moment before it actually occurred. The stallion’s legs tensed and his eyes locked onto One-Eye’s single good eyeball. He then turned to the green mare and nodded once. There was nothing I could do or say quickly enough to prevent the mistake.

One-Eye pulled again. “I say come no-ufff!” Faster than I had assumed he would be, the stallion launched himself upward and slammed both front hooves into the zebra’s chest, driving the captor back and sending him stumbling onto the crowded deck of the room as the other ponies scrambled to move away.

“Run for it, Seabreeze!” he shouted before One-Eye was back on his hooves and almost atop him. The green mare bolted like a rabbit from a bush and headed straight for the door that led into the interior of the pirate ship.

“Grab her!” Tiny yelled as he turned to try and reach her, but his smaller counterpart was not paying attention and neither zebra was in a position to stop Seabreeze. She clambered over her fellow crew members, wrenched open the door, and threw a glance over her shoulder at the beige stallion.

“I kill you!” One-Eye growled as he slammed his hooves down atop the captive stallion, who in turn had his forelegs raised to try and block what blows he could manage.

Misty rammed her shoulder into One-Eye and shoved him off of the stallion. “Stop it!”

I was not sure if I needed to stop Seabreeze or help the stallion, and in my moment of indecision I saw the mare tear her eyes from the fight and disappear down a dimly illuminated set of stairs. The door slammed shut behind her.

“He’s going to kill us all!” The captive turned would-be hero crawled through the sea of ponies, clutching his wheezing chest, as everyone lurched to their hooves in a panic. I saw Misty react and pivot to place herself between the stallion and One-Eye, whose glare shone with murderous intent. I did the same and pushed my way to the side of Tiny as he neared the door used by Seabreeze.

I managed to slip past him and reach the door first, and blocked it with my body. Though the zebra was at least half again as heavy as me, I widened my stance and planted my hooves as firmly into the deck as I could manage. “Back off.”

The sudden brazenness of the situation must have tipped some balance because Tiny only gave me a cursory snarl before he barked something in Zebric to the other and he lumbered out of the room and onto the weatherdeck. I could hear him shouting something as One-Eye backed up to stand equidistant between the two doors and leveled his harpoon at the crowd.

“Make sure he’s okay,” I instructed Misty even as she was already moving to check on the battered stallion that had caused the tussle. I hurried outside and was surprised to see that Tiny had already made it across the gangplank and was at the center of an argument on the Equestrian ship which was already boiling over. Ignoring our earlier caution regarding flight, I gave my wings two strong flaps and hopped across to the other ship.

“Mimi nitakuona wote wamekufa!” Tiny shouted to everyone that had gathered around him. “Wakku!” The assembled zebras began to congregate into a cluster and cast threatening glances at whatever pony happened to be closest to them. Wakku’s two lieutenants took up their flanking positions near to their chieftain as the pirate leader came trotting up with Spitfire close behind.

“Report!” Spitfire’s voice cut through the commotion as Wakku briefly conversed with Tiny in their language. As I gave Spitfire a quick rundown, Tiny pointed at me and switched to Equestrian.

“Ponies make trouble!” he accused, lowering his head and looking up at his chieftain. “We get rid of them now, Maze?”

I did not want this situation to descend into the pirates hunting down a frightened mare. Seabreeze needed to be found, but not by them. Spitfire would normally have been the one to address the zebra leader, but before she could react, I stepped in front of Tiny, ignoring his stifled growls behind me, and looked Wakku in the eye. When he said nothing, I addressed him in the same tone that I used when giving reports to Spitfire out on the field.

“A member of the crew overreacted and took a swing at one of your guards. The way they’ve been treated, I’m surprised this hasn’t happened already, but we’re grateful that your guards have thus far shown restraint.” I pointed in the general direction of the cabin where the captives were being held. “A mare scrambled downstairs before we could stop her. She’s scared, but she’s not a threat to you.” I felt myself being roughly shoved aside and nearly lost my balance.

“We find her,” a voice promised. Blade stepped out from around Wakku’s body with a slight grin that I knew meant trouble.

This time it was Whiplash who spoke up from behind Spitfire. “Yeah and you’ll bring her back in pieces. If you think we’re going to let you stripes--”

“Whiplash!” Spitfire whirled around and let the name verbally crash down upon its owner, but Whiplash did not relent. He stepped up to her, but looked past the mare towards the assembled zebras.

“They’re not here to negotiate, ma’am. Look at them! A bunch of thieves and killers; that’s all you can say about this lot.”

Blade bit down on the hilt of his dirk, unsheathed it, and leveled it at Whiplash. “I shut pony up for good.” He took a single step before Wakku raised a hoof and spoke to Blade.

“No.” He turned to Scourge at his other flank. “Go and find the escapee. Bring her back alive and safe. It does us little good to be painted as murderers and savages, no matter how much we are provoked into acting as such.”

Spitfire glared daggers at Whiplash until he backed down. Then she pointed at myself and Misty. “Rapidfire and Misty, go search for that mare. Take Whiplash along with you.” She switched attention to her second-in-command and the twins. “Soarin, make sure the other ponies remain calm and try to talk some sense into that foolish stallion. Lightning Streak, I want you circling the ships in case that mare foolishly tries to take a swim. Fleetfoot will patrol the topside decks and Fire Streak, you’re going to assist Soarin and stand guard over the captives. The chieftain and I are going to have another word. Dismissed.”

We all snapped a crisp salute to our captain and marched off to our respective assignments while Scourge slunk away ahead of us to cross the gangplank and headed towards the opposite end of the pirate vessel. Once we had crossed back over to the pirate ship and were out of earshot, the questions began.

“What in Tartarus happened in there?” Whiplash hissed in my ear.

“There was a problem and now we have to fix it.”

“This is sure to get somepony hurt or worse,” he responded with a distasteful snort.

“Ease up,” Misty chimed in, “that stallion was probably just scared for both him and that mare. Her name is Seabreeze, by the way. I never did catch his name. Let’s just focus on finding her before that zebra with the whip does.” Rather than using the door that Seabreeze had used, Misty selected a hatch just in the front of the cabin and yanked it open. An open maw of warm, dim gloom awaited our little trio. Without hesitation, Misty hopped down the set of stairs and we followed into the stuffy belly of the ship.