Traitors, Adventures, and Pirates

by Poppy green

Chapter Fifteen

The next morning there was a knock on the cabin door. A pony was standing outside her cabin. Poppy turned over in bed where Cursed Winds was still fast asleep next to her. Being careful not to wake him, Poppy climbed out of bed and walked over to her cabin door. Opening her door Poppy found a crew pony waiting to tell her that she was wanted on the quarterdeck by the captain. Poppy told the sailor to let the captain know she would be there in a few minutes. The stallion saluted her before trotting off to let the captain know. When the stallion had begun his climb up to the gun deck Poppy closed her cabin door. Back inside her cabin Poppy checked that Cursed Winds was still sleeping before taking a seat in front of her mirror. Poppy cleaned herself up before placing her uniform on and trotting out to meet the captain. On her way to see the captain Poppy trotted through the gun deck. The repair crews had made good progress on making the necessary repairs to the planking. The large holes in the deck had been patched with new timbers. The cannons had been remounted on their turrets and the munitions had been restocked by each cannon ready for use. Poppy inspected each cannon as she walked by. Though she knew little about what she was looking for Poppy thought it still was good for her crew to feel that she did.

Up on deck Poppy found most of the crew standing near the bow looking out towards a speck of land on the horizon. The captain was on the quarter deck with Seargent Storm Surge. Both officers had spyglasses and were looking towards the island. Poppy trotted up to the quarter deck and fetched the extra spyglass from the helms pony. Looking towards the island herself Poppy could clearly make out the massive warship blocking the bay that made up this side of the pirate island. With the island in sight the captain initiated the plan to rescue the crew. The first part of the plan would be put into effect at night fall until then the crew was to prepare the supplies that they needed.

The hours till night were some of the tensest most anxious Poppy had ever experienced in her life. When night had finally fallen the pegasi were already on deck with the supplies. The rescue team needed six of the crews pegasi to help carry all the supplies and passengers. The two pegasi carrying passengers were well toned and some of the largest pegasi Poppy had ever seen. Pegasi were normally small and known for their speed. Even some pegasi stallions were smaller than many earth pony mares but these pegasi made Poppy feel like she was standing next to one of the princesses. The pegasi that was to carry Poppy had a dark blue coat with a nearly similarly colored mane. The flyer knelt low so Poppy could climb up onto his back. Poppy could feel his muscles under the stallion's coat. With every pony safely on the backs of the two pegasi the flyers pumped their powerful wings and took off. The darkness of night made flying low above the jungle difficult, but the waning moon provided just enough light to reduce the dangers of flying so low. The two pegasi carrying Poppy and the captain landed first in a small clearing a few miles from the pirate fortress. The rest of the pegasi landed with Seargent Storm Surge bringing up the rear. When they had secured the clearing the crew began to unpack their supplies. They had brought with them a hoof full of weapons, water, and food. The pegasi had also brought with them wing blades for use in close quarters combat.

The squad made their way slowly through the dense jungle towards the pirate compound. Poppy's nerves were starting to build up as they drew closer to the compound. Taking several deep breaths, Poppy tried her best to relax. The group made good progress through the jungle thanks to the wing blades that the pegasi were using to cut the vines. About half a mile from the fortress compound the group discovered a creek nestled in a small crevasse. The temperature here was much cooler than the rest of the jungle. The cooler air caused a chill to run up Poppy spine, but the coolness also helped Poppy feel just a bit more relaxed. The captain decided that it would make a good spot to set up camp and wait until the first light. The crew worked in silence setting up their tents and gear. Poppy asked the captain if she could start a fire, but he said they were too close to the pirates and they could not risk being spotted so with no fire Poppy snuggled into her sleeping bag and did her best to stay warm.

When the sun first began to peak over the horizon the next morning the crew was already awake. The captain had set up a small cooking fire for their breakfast. The fire was made of dried stick to help prevent any smoke. Poppy had helped the captain prepare their food for the rest of the crew. Their breakfast consisted of two eggs, a fried carrot and some military instant coffee. Breakfast went by fast and soon they had packed up their camp. Most of the gear would be left behind with only mission essential items being taken the rest of the way.

The next phase of the plan was to wait until they scene a red flare in the sky, this would signal that the Crystal Palace had started the second phase of their plan. This phase was to have the Crystal Palace provided suppressive fire against the fortress hopefully causing the pirates to leave the jungle side of the fortress to help protect the front. If this part, went well, it would leave the rear wall undefended. The squad would then attempt to climb over the wall and take up several positions along its top.

The squad waited until they heard the distant roar of cannon fire and then the red flare. With the signal given the squad galloped from the jungle. Two of the pegasi were first to the wall. They jumped up before flapping their wings till they landed on the top. There was a moment of silence where the ponies on the ground waited. After a few long seconds the two dropped ropes down to Poppy and the captain. The climb up the wall would have been extremely challenging under normal circumstances but on top of everything they had to be fast and quiet. It was nearly impossible for a pony to climb so a special harness had been created to assist with the effort. Seargent Storm Surge helped strap Poppy in before helping the captain. Once she and the captain had their harness secured the two pegasi on the ramparts began to pull them up. The four other pegasi guarded the rear. Once Poppy and the captain had made it to the top of the wall the others flew up to meet them. The Seargent was the last one up the wall. He carried with him their packs and weapons. With all of them safely on the rampart they broke out the equipment and extra ammunition from the packs. With the supplies distributed to every pony the group began to split up into three groups. The first group was to find and rescue the prisoners, another group was to secure a position over the front gate so they could protect the prisoners as they fled, and the final group was to take a position where they now stood on the rear wall. Their position was to help any of the nonfliers down the wall. After they were over the wall the group was to trudge the few miles to where the Crystal Palace was to have its long boats waiting to pick everyone up.

Poppy was to lead the rescue mission while the captain would cover their retreat from the front gate. Poppy guided the two pegasi towards a guard tower which held stairs that would allow them to reach the ground. The towers guard had vacated his post to help the gun crews leaving Poppy and the others with no resistance when they entered the tower. The tight space inside the was filled with abandoned equipment that the guard had left behind this included a long boar rifle as well as some other assorted equipment. The center of the tower housed the stairs that spiraled down. The three made their way down the stairs so far, they had moved undetected but now they heard hooves on stone coming up the stairs towards them. The two pegasi behind Poppy drew out their short swords but Poppy gestured for them to hold back. As the sound grew closer Poppy turned her flank towards the sound and at just the right moment she reared back, and her hooves shot out like bolts of lightning striking the returning guard square on his jaw. The guard went tumbling back down the stairs flailing like a ragdoll. The three of them waited for a second listening for any other sounds. When they heard nothing, they walked further down the stairs. At the bottom they found the limp form of the guard lying in the small entry way of the stairs. Poppy checked that he was still breathing and with a breath of relief Poppy felt his chest rise and fall. Poppy knew that the pirates would not hesitate to kill her, but she did not want to take life if she didn't have to. Poking her head out of the door she could hear that the cannon fire from the Crystal Palace had stopped. Looking around Poppy watched the pirates taking up their positions along the wall again. As she continued to look around Poppy noticed a door leading into the stone facade of the fortress. For them to make it to the door they would need to cross a small open area where they would be visible to any number of guards on the wall. If they were fast and the door was not locked, they could remain unseen but if even one of the guards noticed them, they would most likely be shot.

Poppy ran to the door first. Trying the handle with her hoof she found it unlocked. Suspicious as she thought that was, she had no time to think about it, instead Poppy gestured for the two crew ponies to follow her. The three of them entered the room. The space was dark and unlit. One of the pegasi used a match to provide some light. The flickering flame revealed that they were not in a room but a hallway that went off in two directions. In front of the group was a heavy steel door. Poppy placed her ear up to the cold steel door. She could not hear any sounds on the other side so Poppy nodded to the two crewponies before she tried the door handle. Unlike the last door this one was locked. Poppy had to use her strength by turning to buck into the hard steel door. It took her several tries, but the lock snapped and the steel door opened. With the door open Poppy poked her head into the room. This room was a small storage space of some kind. There appeared to be nobody inside so Poppy gestured for them the rest of her squad to follow her inside. As they made their way through the doorway Poppy drew her Colt revolver pulling back the hammer as she kept it pointed towards yet another door. This door was wooden and not reinforced. Poppy figured this door lead into the fortress proper. The group made their way across the room taking up new positions behind the crates that littered the floor.

Just as before Poppy went up to the door. The two pegasi flanking it on either side. Poppy felt that caution was still warranted as it was strange for things to go so well for so long and the thing was, she was right. Just like the last door, Poppy leaned her ear against the door but just as her head met the cold wood, she immediately heard the danger on the other side. Before she had a chance to warn the others the door swung violently open throwing Poppy to the ground with a hard thud, her head hit the ground causing her vision to darken. Poppy tried to clamber back to her hooves, but her head was swimming and darkness was creeping into her vision. She could feel the warmth of blood running down the backside of her head from a new cut that was now bleeding profusely. Climbing back to her hooves again Poppy wobbled at first but with a few breaths her vision started to clear. Looking around she could see several dozen pirates had streamed through the open doorway and were engaged in trying to kill the two pegasi. Poppy tried reaching for her revolver but quickly realized that when the door had hit her, she had lost the gun. Poppy scanned the area desperately for the gun but could not see it anywhere. Without the revolver she was forced to draw her cutlass. Looking around for the two pegasi she found them fighting with their own short swords and wing blades trying to hold back the pirates. With her cutlass in hoof Poppy charged towards the two pegasi. One of the pirates attacking the two fliers turned to face her charge. Before he could bring his cutlass down in a swipe, she barreled into him. He and his sword went flying back against a crate. The pirate tried to rise however his movements caused one of the crates he had hit to fall on top of him with a sickening crack. With the first pirate down Poppy turned her attention back towards the other pirates. Poppy could no longer get to the two pegusi as more pirates had swarmed around them. The odds were becoming increasingly glum and when one of the pirate's swords cut through the chest of one of the pegasi, she realized that they needed to retreat. Looking at the remaining pegasus she realized that she could not reach him.

“I can't get to you.” She yelled just as a pirate made a lunging attack at her. Poppy ducked the attack before bringing her own weapon to bare on the pirates exposed back.

The pegasus knew that he was not going to escape alive and so just he yelled for her to leave him. Poppy wasted no time sheathing her sword before choosing her moment to charge through two pirates that were blocking her escape. Once outside the room Poppy stopped rearing back on hindlegs just as two pirates galloped through the door. Both of her hooves making contact with their chests. The two were sent barreling into two more pirates that were just behind them. With her exit cleared Poppy galloped towards the guard tower stairs. Poppy's head swiveled when she her the sound of gunfire. Looking in the direction of the sounds she could see Seargent Storm Surge and his two other pegasi fighting wingtip to wingtip trying to keep about thirty pirates back. With no time to look back towards the captain's position Poppy quickly galloped up the spiraling stairs and into the guard tower. At the top of the stairs Poppy looked through a small window and across the compound. From where she was, she could see something almost unthinkable. Poppy watched as the captain's fliers were being led away in hoof cuffs. Poppy franticly looked around for the captain but could not see him anywhere. Poppy felt a sudden tinge of fear that he may have been killed but that feeling was quickly dashed and replaced with rage when he emerged from behind two large pirates. Poppy instantly noticed that he looked different. The first thing that was different was his blue crystal navy uniform was gone, in its place he wore the black robes of a pirate. The next thing she noticed was he was not being led away in chains, instead he was leading from the front pf the group.

Watching quietly from her position; he appeared to be barking out orders to the pirates following him. Poppy's worst suspicions had been proved right. The captain had betrayed her, his crew, and the empire. Before she had a chance to process everything there was yelling from behind her. The door that she had barred shut was starting to buckle as pirates pounded on it. There was no time to think. The captain had betrayed them and so she needed to flee. Taking one last glimpse to where Sergent Storm Surge had been making his stand Poppy could no longer see him instead a mass of pirates had stormed his position. Realizing she was the only one left, Poppy galloped out of the guardhouse trying to make her way to a safe place to jump off the wall. Pirates were now covering every part of the wall as she ran. There was a sudden loud cracking sound from behind that told her that the pirates had busted through the guardhouse door. She was now surrounded on both sides. The pirates were closing in on her. The distant sound of pops and several pieces of small stone flew around her as her pace along the wall became frantic. From the captains position he and his pirates were now shooting at her. The pirates were just a few hoof lengths away from grabbing her taking one last deep breath Poppy lunged off the fortress wall not knowing where she was going to land. For a second Poppy felt like she could fly away like a pegasus but instead she hit the ground with a bone shattering crack. The feeling of the impact sent sharp pain through her whole body. Wincing in pain Poppy staggered for a moment pain shooting up her legs and into her hips and spine. For a moment she thought she had broken a leg, but she had no time to test it out because by now the pirates had gathered on the ramparts and were raining gunfire down around her. Gathering herself up she took off galloping into the jungle as fast as she could. The pain in her legs was unbearable but still she ran.