Rainbow Dash Around the World

by MagicS

A Fun Fight

“C-Captain, it will take some time before we can free The Scourge and have her back completely in the water. But by then...” Sea Shanty grimaced and looked up at the dark sky.

“By then the storm will be fully upon us and we’ll have to wait it out at the Three Spears before continuing our pursuit,” Godfrey finished.

“Yes, Captain,” Sea Shanty nodded.

“Heh… oh well. They pulled one over on us again,” Godfrey grinned.

“I’m sorry, Captain...”

Godfrey shrugged. “How many days do you think this storm will last?”

“The storms that split off from the Strip of Storms usually last less than a week and it already had to have traveled for a few days to reach the Three Spears...”

“So we won’t be waylaid too long I suppose,” Godfrey tapped a claw on the bow off the ship, still looking far ahead, far south, where the Heart of Azure had now recently vanished. The distance and the darkness from the storm had made him lose sight of it.

Though he still knew the general direction it was going in.

“Ahh...” Godfrey stood up tall and stretched his limbs, first his great wings and then his strong arms. “Well, you had best work as fast as you can to get The Scourge off this sandbar. If it’s not done by the time I’m back I’ll cut off another leg of yours.”

Sea Shanty twitched in fear but still couldn’t help furrow his brow in confusion. “B-Back? What do you mean, Captain?”

Godfrey reached a talon to his cutlass and pulled the blade from its scabbard, holding it before his broad chest. “I’ve got something to do.” He flapped his wings and rose from the deck of The Scourge… before dropping back down. “Oh yeah. I almost forgot about something, gehahaha.”

He turned to look at his eyepatch-wearing, newly promoted, gun deck chief.

Who had been trying to remain as small and quiet as possible and hope no one remembered he was there. But when Godfrey’s glinting eyes landed on him, all the blood drained from his face.

“You remember what I said about incompetence just earlier, right?” Godfrey walked over to the pony with his sword raised.

“W-Wait, Captain! I-I… I mean, I’m sorry! B-But please—please don’t!” He pleaded in horror, getting down on his knees.

Godfrey got ready to swing the sword down right at the pony.

“Please, Captain! PLEASE!”

Godfrey swung the blade down—and stopped right at his neck. The new officer shivered and shook, his pupil from his one eye frozen on the blade that was just barely touching his flesh. Just enough to let out the slightest drip of blood.

“Just kidding. Gehahahahahahaha!” Godfrey laughed uproariously and pulled the blade away, turning around and jumping off the bow of The Scourge while opening his wings and gliding over the water all in one quick motion. A few strong flaps and he was flying higher into the sky at a fast pace, flying south in the direction of the Heart of Azure.

The newly promoted officer fainted on the spot.

---

“Unfortunately we have a lack of fruit right now but we’ll have to make do. I was really looking forward to having pineapple to eat...” Gilbert said as he and Senax brought plates into Breakwater’s cabin for everyone else. Sans Breakwater himself ironically, as he was still at the helm getting them as far away from the Three Spears as possible right now.

“Carrots, cheese, and milk will have to do,” Senax said with a happy smile, setting the plates down at the table.

“And a little cured meat for me as well,” Gilbert said. He had his own extra plate with that on it.

“Yeah just so long as you keep that far away from me,” Rainbow Dash grimaced.

“You’ll get used to it,” Daylight said. “The place we’re going next has ponies that eat a lot of fish and shellfish after all.”

“Don’t remind me...” Rainbow stuck out her tongue.

“It’s a tropical place though so we should also be able to find some fruit there. If nothing else I’m sure the locals will at least have some to trade,” Senax said.

“Good enough,” Rainbow shrugged and grabbed a carrot off her plate, taking a big bite out of it and lazily chewing it to pieces.

It was dark through the windows at the back of the cabin even though it wasn’t exactly late in the day yet. The storm was making a lot of the sky dark, even far away from it and the more powerful clouds the made up its center. A layer of gray clouds (at the lightest) was covering the sky over this portion of the ocean—probably a long off-shoot of the storm. For an ocean that had been so bright and cheery before the last two days it was a stark difference. If they were actually directly under that storm, Rainbow wondered how the ship would handle it. Maybe she could work her pegasus magic to make it easier. Or maybe the weather was uncontrollable in the same way storms from the Everfree had the tendency to be.

Either way, the dark and overcast look didn’t exactly fit the mood of celebration. They had escaped from Godfrey but it wouldn’t be until tomorrow that they saw the sun again. The mood was still up on the Heart of Azure regardless. Gilbert and Senax especially joyful to be well away from the griffon pirate. Rainbow Dash satisfied to have gotten her friends to safety but… but…

There was something lacking at the same time too. Something she was missing out on when it came to her confrontation with Godfrey. Something that kind of made her want to see him again soon—to settle things.

She frowned and got back to her meal.

Satisfaction. The thing that made her keep going further and further on her journey. Especially when she was back in the True North. If that was how things ended with Godfrey, there would be no such satisfaction. Even if she helped Senax find her Trident and ancient home. For now though she couldn’t really do anything, she wasn’t being selfish anymore either, and she had joined up with everyone to help them. That took precedence over her simple desires.

“I’m going to go take some up to Captain Breakwater now,” Senax said—yanking Rainbow Dash out of her inner musings. The merpony gathered a few morsels along with a mug of milk and carried it along to the cabin door.

“And I think I’m going to go meditate out on deck. I need to rest my horn and mind,” Daylight said. She lifted a hoof to the stitches on her forehead. “Can’t wait to take these out, even if there’s a scar left afterwards.”

“Scars are cool anyways. Gives you a story to tell,” Rainbow said.

Daylight rolled her eyes. “Oh yes, the wonderfully awesome and interesting story of how a crazy griffon almost chopped my head off. Instead he just wounded me and almost made me put myself into a coma after I strained myself using my magic later. Certainly a story I’ll be aching to tell others.”

“Well that’s not how I would put it, but yeah.”

“Yes you’d jazz it up and exaggerate my “awesomeness” or something, wouldn’t you?”

“Yep.”

“And that’s simply not the type of pony I am, so no thank you.”

“I mean I already knew you hated fun, sooo…”

Daylight frowned, her eye twitching. “I’m going someplace quieter.”

Rainbow Dash snickered and waved as the unicorn left the table, also heading out of the cabin. “See ya out on deck.” She looked over at Gilbert. “What about you? Fancy another race?”

“Not today I’m afraid. It’s been far too hectic lately, I’d like to rest my feathers,” Gilbert smiled apologetically.

“Naw, that’s fine,” Rainbow shrugged. “Honestly I don’t know if I really wanted to anyways… I just feel kind of… wired right now. Like I can’t sit still.”

“How come? Our plan succeeded smashingly and Godfrey’s no longer a threat—for now at least. What’s there to be worried about?”

“It’s not worry it’s just-” Rainbow Dash bit her lip and scratched the back of her head. “It’s hard to really explain it in words…”

“Well I’m sure you’ll be fine, you do seem like a pony who picks up her own mood easily!” Gilbert clapped her on the back.

Rainbow snorted. “Heh, yeah you’re right about that…”

“I suggest looking forward to all the great food you’ll be able to acquire at the Sea Lion Reefs that we missed out on! And I promise you that as soon as the sky opens back up and the sun is shining I’ll give you another race. Though if you’re taking it seriously again it won’t really be much of a challenge for you.”

“We can just use me as motivation for you to get faster then. I’ll whip you into shape.”

Gilbert cleared his throat. “Y-Yes, that would be a good exercise, wouldn’t it? Or perhaps you could challenge Senax to a swimming race.”

“I’ve seen Senax swim. That would be even less close than me and you racing,” Rainbow laughed mirthlessly. “And I’m already in perfect shape.”

“I’m sure she’d be happy to give you a lesson of some sort at least.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Ehhh, maybe one of these days then. I guess when I return to Equestria I can become a Decathlete or something on the side.”

“You’d probably smash the competition,” Gilbert nodded. “I wouldn’t mind watching you compete in something like that, it would likely be quite the treat.”

“Dude, if you ever watched me do anything it should be a Wonderbolts show one of these days.”

“Well I’m sure I’ll be visiting Equestria or going back to Griffonstone one of these days… I can always come see one of those I suppose.”

“I’ll get you the VIP treatment if you come. Promise,” Rainbow grinned.

“Then one day you’ll see me for sure in Equestria,” Gilbert bowed with a smile.

After that the both of them left Breakwater’s cabin to join the others out on deck. It was far too early to sleep so they just wanted to get some fresh air again. Daylight, as expected, was calmly sitting by the bow while up by the helm Senax and Breakwater were engaged in friendly conversation. Gilbert stretched the moment they came out of the cabin (his big wings almost smacking her in the face—which he didn’t even notice) before he walked over to the starboard side of the ship and looked out across the ocean.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Not really. Her eyes turned up to the crow’s nest, as inviting a spot on the ship as it ever was, and then up higher to the cloudy skies above. With how much energy she still had she didn’t want to just sit down so if anything she’d rather go flying a bit.

There was a cool breeze coming from the north, also likely the result of the storm. Cool was almost a comical word to her now though. After the time spent in the icy True North anything above absolute zero was generally “decent”. She wondered how easy of a time she’d have when she finally made it to the south pole as well. Snow crunching under her hooves, blizzard winds blowing into her face, that white landscape again…

“Wait. I hate the snow,” Rainbow blinked.

Gilbert looked over at her. “Did you say something?”

“Just talking to myself,” Rainbow shook her head. “Forget about it.”

She then walked over to the port side of the boat and looked at the cool dark blue water they were coursing over. It was slightly more wavy than it had been on their journey to the Three Spears, but at most the waves only went up two or three feet. Nothing the Heart of Azure couldn’t handle. The water was actually kind of pretty in the low light like this—impenetrable to the naked eye, impossibly deep, how many fish were right underneath the surface? Rainbow was no poet but the ocean was at least a beautiful place, she had to admit.

Rainbow Dash cracked her neck and flew up and over to Breakwater and Senax at the wheel, landing right beside them. “Yo.”

“Good meal?” Breakwater asked her.

“Yeah. Yours?”

“Good. Nice to eat in company too,” he smiled to Senax.

Rainbow Dash walked over to the back of the boat and looked out at the frothy water they were leaving behind. She stared at it for a few seconds before looking over her shoulder at Breakwater. “Are you going to be sailing the ship through the night? Making up for lost time?”

“That’s right,” Breakwater nodded. “And to just get us as far away from Godfrey as possible.”

“Sounds smart. I really want to get to the next place now and do some real treasure hunting. Get to what we’re really out here for,” she said as she walked over to stand beside Breakwater, on the other side of him from Senax.

“Me too… the prize is...” Senax trailed off.

Rainbow Dash just nodded quietly while the Heart of Azure sailed to the southern horizon.

Her ears perked up when the sound of something sharp and fast moving through the sky reached them. A split-second later a sword impaled itself into the wooden railing in front of the ship’s wheel, practically right between the heads of Rainbow Dash and Breakwater. Breakwater stumbled and fell to the deck in surprise while Rainbow Dash jumped away and turned around, looking up in the direction the thrown weapon had come from.

“Yo!”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes narrowed at Godfrey hanging in the sky right behind their ship, slowly descending to get level with them, waving a talon in a sarcastic greeting. “Godfrey...”

“Y-You chased after us even with the storm already reaching the Three Spears?” Senax said as she helped Breakwater up.

“Heh, gonna be a tough flight back, that’s for sure,” Godfrey grinned. He then pointed at the cutlass he had thrown into their ship. “That was just a hello by the way. I could’ve taken off one of your heads.”

“Godfrey!” Gilbert shouted upon noticing his brother’s arrival and flew up to join the others—facing off against him. Daylight Gleam was also running from the bow. “What are you doing here?!”

An amused chuckle emerged from Godfrey’s beak as he dropped down gracefully onto the back of the Heart of Azure, sitting there like a cat. He then raised one of his talons up and pointed directly at Rainbow Dash. “She knows why I’m here. She’s the only one of you who gets it.”

Rainbow Dash glowered at him, tensing her muscles and getting ready to spring as the others looked at her in confusion.

“Yeah. I know why you’re here, Godfrey,” Rainbow Dash said to him.

“I knew you would. You want the same thing, don’t you? Hehehe...” Godfrey laughed and cracked his knuckles. “Yesterday wasn’t good enough. The way things ended today wasn’t good enough either.”

Rainbow stepped in front of the others and squarely faced off against the large griffon pirate.

Godfrey was smirking the whole time as he glanced over at his brother. “You want to know why I’m here, Gilbert?” He flapped his powerful wings and jumped up, hovering in the air and gazing down at Rainbow Dash with excitement and bloodlust in his eyes. “I’m here for a fun fight!”

Comments

[redmar]

Godfrey is pretty much insane which isn't surprising for a bloodthirsty pirate.

[RoboRed]

This guy's gonna be a thorn in their sides for a while.

[TheCommunistDog]

You know it’s been some time since we last saw the pink monster… wonder where she is right now