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Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Day 13
Afternoon

"C'mon Morning Star; you're doing great," Thunderlane encouraged as Star hobbled across the med bay towards him. In place of his right leg was a wooden peg, beginning just above where his knee would have been. Daisy Petal walked by his right side, supporting him as he moved forwards, while the Sarge stood off to one side observing Star's movement. Without his knee, Star had to swing his leg out to the side every time he took a step.

"Yeah, right," Morning Star growled as he tripped again. Daisy reached out to catch him but he shrugged her off. "I can do it."

"Alright," Daisy said. She let go and stepped back a bit, still close enough to help if he fell again though.

"Yeah, you can do it!" Silver Wing cheered from beside Thunderlane. April Shower and Sapphire Sky stood on his other side giving encouragement of their own as well. April's brow furrowed in concern as Star caught himself from another fall. Daisy trotted over to him and put a hoof on his shoulder.

"Let's try again in an hour or so; you need to rest," she said softly.

"I've been resting for over a week!" he shouted, glaring at Daisy. She shied away. His gaze softened and he said, quieter now, “I’m sorry. I'm not used to walking yet; just give me a chance."

Daisy sighed and looked over at the Sarge, who gave a slight nod. Daisy stepped back. Morning Star limped forward, grimacing each time he put weight onto his wooden leg. He made it halfway across the room before wobbling again. April let out a small gasp, but then he righted himself and continued forward. The weather team began cheering once more. Star's face was twisted with strain, but he continued until he stood just in front of Thunderlane.

"Good show, Hobbles," Thunderlane said with a smile. There was a loud crack as Morning Star brought his wooden leg down on Thunderlane's head with surprising speed.

"Hey, ow, hey. You can't do that; that's assault on a superior officer!" Thunderlane yelped playfully, skipping backwards away from his attacker and rubbing his head with his right hoof. Morning Star and the rest of the team laughed.

"You had that coming!" Silver said, slapping a hoof over Thunderlane's shoulder.

"Hey, Sarge, does this mean he can go back to work?" Thunderlane asked across the room.

"I have no idea, let me check," he replied, a perplexed expression coloring his features. Stethoscope trotted across the room and picked up a bone saw. "What do you think?"

Thunderlane rolled his eyes and smiled. "What's he say Doc?" After a moment of listening, the doctor looked back over to them.

"She says that Morning Star should not go back to full duties immediately. He should build the strength back up in his leg and check back with the doctor for the next few days. Also, he needs to make sure he take one of the pills I gave him with each meal. But he no longer needs to stay in the med bay."

"Pardon me, miss; I did not mean to offend. Thank you very much for your diagnosis," Thunderlane said, putting a hoof up defensively.

"Ah, no harm done, lieutenant. She forgives you," Stethoscope said, waving his hoof in the air dismissively.

"Well that's good news, in any case," Morning Star replied. "Let's go up top. I'm sick of being down here. Thanks for everything, doc, but I need to see the sky!" He limped around Thunderlane and moved as quickly as he could towards the door.

"Please take it slow!" Daisy Petal pleaded. "I don't want you to have to come back down here."

"Fine, fine. I'll take it easy," he grumbled, slowing down.

"Wait for us, Hobbles," Thunderlane said, trotting to catch up. Star glared and growled at Thunderlane over his shoulder.

"It's like you want him to hit you again," Sapphire said, walking beside him.

"Hey, Thunderlane, weren't you supposed to be giving the princess sword instruction?" April asked.

"Yeah, at fifteen-hundred. Why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because six bells was sounded about five minutes ago."

"Oh ponyfeathers, I didn't hear it!" Thunderlane kicked the floor and started to gallop away. "Thanks for the reminder April. Silver, c'mon."

"See you guys at dinner," Sapphire called after them.

~~~~~

A pall had settled over the ship and its crew. The ponies on duty went about their work quietly, the few that carried conversations did so in hushed tones. There was a constant watch on the aft of the ship, keeping an eye on their pursuer. The mare-of-war had gotten noticeably closer over the past few days. For hours each day, the Captain had the crew run firing drills on the guns, cutting down their loading time and keeping them ready for the seemingly inevitable encounter.

Twilight had done her best to keep her mind off the threat, pouring herself into her books and training with Thunderlane. Now she watched from the bow as lightning bolts struck out from the bottom of the massive thunderhead that the Rising Moon was heading directly towards. The cloud was huge, stretching endlessly to the port of the ship. On the right, the storm blocked the path for several kilometers, then rounded off and opened up to the sky again. As they drew closer to the storm, the wind had picked up considerably, and the sails had been reefed somewhat to prevent the ship from being damaged. The high winds whipped Twilight's mane into her eyes. She put her hoof up to hold her hair back so she could see the tempest.

She turned to look at Rainbow Dash, who stood off to the side of the bow keeping watch. Twilight frowned and laid her ears back. Her friend had been getting increasingly more tired as the days passed but she refused to tell Twilight if something was bothering her. Even now her head nodded dangerously, threatening to drag her into sleep. Twilight couldn't help but feel as though she should tell Spitfire about her friend's condition, but she was torn. If she told Spitfire, her friend may lose her chance at becoming a Wonderbolt.

Twilight turned around at the sound of rushed hoofsteps behind her, tearing her from her thoughts. Thunderlane and a light grey pegasus, with a green mane and tail, trotted up to her, carrying between them a large barrel filled with an assortment of various weapons. She trotted to meet them halfway across the deck, giving the grey pony a sideways glance as she approached. Next to them now, she could see axes, swords, a couple of muskets, and several other things, resting in the barrel.

"Sorry we're late, Twilight. We lost track of time," Thunderlane said apologetically as they set down the plethora of arms. "Good afternoon, Rainbow," he called to the drowsy mare, who didn't seem to hear him.

"She's little tired. So, what shall I be learning about today?" she queried, eyeing the various instruments of war. She forced a happy expression on to her face. I'll ask her about it again later, she vowed silently.

"Different fighting techniques and how to defend against them. These styles are mainly dependent on the type of sword one is using. For instance, if one is using a foil, the style will include a lot of thrusts and stabs," Thunderlane explained. As he continued, he held his hoof up, as though holding a sword, and deftly maneuvered around Twilight, to illustrate his explanation. "Any swordfighting is also highly dependent on hoofwork, moving your hooves properly to keep yourself in an advantageous position."

"But we will mostly be using cutlasses, right?" Twilight asked, lifting up the curved training sword. Thunderlane stopped his live demo and replied,

"Yes, that's right. The style implemented with the cutlass is much different than the foil; since it is heavier and has an actual bladed edge, it will require more strength behind a strike. It also invokes the use of cuts and slashes, rather than, almost exclusively, stabs." He picked up a musket as he spoke and hoofed it to Silver Wing. "While you are learning how to use the cutlass, you will need to know how to use it to defend yourself against the different weapons you may encounter.

“There is a large variety of weapons in common use nowadays. Most cultures have a few things specific to them," Thunderlane continued. "In Saddle Arabia, they use scimitars mostly; similar to a cutlass but the curve of the blade is much more extreme. Alternatively, many griffons like to stick with their traditional weapons, broadswords, axes, and the like; and of course on ships you will also run into ponies using boarding pikes and hatchets. Pegasi and griffons often use wingblades, but mostly in the air; they can sometimes be a hassle when fighting on hoof. Marines and regular Army troops will be using a standard issue musket and bayonet. There are also many other styles that don't see common use anymore, such as the claymore or the katana."

Twilight chuckled, "That's a lot of weapons. Do I have to learn how to counter all of them?"

"No, probably not. Just the main ones such as the cutlasses, muskets, boarding weapons, and the prime griffon choices. That should be it. Later, if we need to, I can instruct you on how to defend against some of the weapons that are less prominent, but that shouldn't be necessary. Today I will be observing so I can better instruct you on where you need to improve. That's why my friend Silver Wing is here; you'll be fighting him rather than me."

"Oh, ok," Twilight replied. She reached out her hoof to Silver to shake. "A pleasure to meet you."

"And you as well, Princess." Silver took her hoof in his and shook.

Twilight turned back to Thunderlane and asked, "So, where should we begin?"

~~~~~

Dusk

Twilight twisted her sword and yanked it to the side, pulling Silver Wing off balance as the blade caught under the hook of his hatchet. He corrected quickly and slapped her blade to the side. She skipped backwards, keeping her sword at the ready, but hoping for a moment to catch her breath before he advanced again. Sweat slipped from her brow and down her nose, then dripped onto the deck. She panted as Silver circled to her right. Twilight shifted on her hooves to keep him in front of her.

"Good legwork, but keep your hooves wider. You'll be unbalanced too easily with that stance," Thunderlane instructed from the sidelines. Silver Wing dashed forward, sweeping the hatchet towards her legs from a low angle. She thrust the sword down to intercept. She lifted her left forehoof, hopping over the swing. Silver had extended too far, and Twilight saw an opening. Before he could readjust to block, she laid the flat of her blade onto his neck.

"Well done!" Thunderlane called out, trotting over to them. "I do believe that's your first 'win'."

"What?" Twilight looked at Thunderlane's amused expression then down to where her sword lay. "Oh, I did win! Ha!" Twilight beamed and she gave a few excited hops.

"I think that’ll do for today," Thunderlane said. He began picking up the training weapons that were strewn about the deck and placing them into the barrel. Twilight and Silver helped him gather the last few parcels. A question formed in Twilight's head as she worked. It gnawed at her for a moment, then she asked.

"Thunderlane, is there a fighting style that involves a pony standing on his rear hooves?"

Thunderlane set a musket into the barrel then turned to her and replied, "Yes, there is. Why do you ask?"

Twilight shrugged, "I once saw a filly in Ponyville who was fencing with another pony and they were both balancing on their back hooves. It just had me curious because none of the fighting styles you showed me today do that."

"That's one of the rarer fighting styles; ponies who are able to do it are called 'duelists,' and they're incredibly dangerous if you're fighting one, useful to have on your side though."

"I've seen ponies get on their back hooves for a lot of things though, to play instruments, or to reach high things. What makes them so special?" Twilight sat down next to the weapons barrel while she spoke. Silver answered for Thunderlane.

"'Cause most of those ponies don't have to balance on their back hooves for extended periods of time, or they have something to balance on," Silver said, he stood back onto his rear hooves to demonstrate. he took a few steps before losing his balance and falling back to all fours.

"Yes, they also don't have to do it during combat, or have to move around while they do it," Thunderlane added.

"So, why are they so dangerous?" Twilight continued.

"Because we are experts with a sword. Standing on our back hooves gives us different angles of attack that ponies standing on all four hooves can't defend against easily. I didn't teach you a strategy for fighting one because it is highly unlikely that you will ever face one, and if you do I would just suggest blasting him with a spell or something, rather than letting him get close."

"Are they really that bad?" Twilight asked.

"Most of us."

"Us?" Twilight pried, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, us. I'm a moderately skilled duelist," Thunderlane stated plainly.

"Really? Can you show me?" She asked eagerly.

"Sure." Thunderlane's face turned into an amused grin as he grabbed one of the practice swords and slid it onto his hoof.

"It is almost exclusive to pegasi and griffons, because our wings allow us to balance more easily," he explained as he leaned back and stretched out his wings. He wobbled for a moment then gained his composure. He put his sword into a ready position and began fighting invisible opponents as he continued, "Most ponies who can do it have a cutie mark that has something to do with sword fighting. There are very few ponies who can do it without one."

Twilight chuckled, "Are you boasting or are these just statistics?"

Thunderlane gave a cute little grin. "Maybe a little bit of both. Why, are you impressed yet?"

"Oh yes, very," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Great! And I didn't even have to try that hard."

Twilight laughed and said, "Well, let's put all this back where it belongs. I'll help you carry it down if you want."

"That's alright, Princess. It's not that heavy," Silver Wing replied.

"He's right, it's not a problem. Thanks anyway," Thunderlane added. At that moment, a cabin colt rushed onto the bow and saluted Thunderlane quickly.

"Lieutenant! The captain wants to see you and the Princess in his cabin," he said in a rush.

"When?" Thunderlane asked, setting the barrel back down.

"As soon as possible, sir."

"Thank you, dismissed." Thunderlane turned back to Twilight. The colt saluted again and ran off amidships, back towards the captain's cabin.

"Silver, can you find somepony else to help you with this?"

"Sure thing, you guys go ahead," Silver replied, shooing them away with his hoof.

"Thanks." He turned to address Twilight, "Shall we go see what he wants?"

~~~~~

Twilight and Thunderlane entered the captain's cabin where Luna, Cloud and Shake Spear were waiting for them. There were a few dim candles lighting the room, along with the low light of dusk spilling in through the windows at the back of the room, long shadows across the floor and the wall behind Twilight. She peered through the aft windows, hoping for a glimpse of the ship that was following them, but couldn’t make anything out in the darkness.

"Good, we can begin," Cloud said, looking up from the maps on his desk. "I'm sure you are all well aware of the massive storm that is directly in our way. We need to decide what to do about it."

"Wasn't the weather supposed to be calm the whole way to the Commonwealth?" Luna inquired.

"Yes, it was," Shake Spear answered, "A storm of this magnitude at this time of year is... highly irregular, to put it mildly."

"The way I see it, we have two options," Cloud said. "One, we can sail around the northern ridge of this cloud. We don't know how far it extends however. I believe it would add at least a week, if not more, to our trip, and the griffons have a much higher chance of catching up. I realise this isn’t much of an option, but we may at least consider it.”

“Can’t we just go over it?” Twilight asked.

“No, the sails wouldn’t be able to handle the wind speed above this storm. It’s possible that the masts could be torn down if we tried that,” Cloud replied. “The second option is to sail around the south. Going south would barely put us off course and we should reach our destination within the original timeframe."

"Well that sounds good. We should head south then," Twilight concluded.

"That however, will force us to sail through this region," Captain Cloud said, indicating a long, thin stretch of ocean marked on the map. "This area is known for heavy pirate activity, as it crosses several well-traveled trade routes."

"Oh."

"That's why I've asked you all here," Cloud continued. "I believe your input will be helpful in making this decision."

"We've already lost enough time due to the attack. I think we need to risk the southern route. Besides, it's unlikely that any pirate will attack an Equestrian Naval vessel. So long as we fly our flag they will know that we are not some defenseless merchant," Luna said.

"I agree; we don't have the time to waste, especially with the damaged foremast and the griffons behind us," Shake Spear said.

"We can’t chance that ship catching up. We should still be able to outmaneuver any pirates that we encounter, even with a disabled mast." Thunderlane added.

"Besides, you said that most of the pirates would have moved to the southern trade routes by now, right?" Twilight asked, pointing to Shake Spear.

"Yes, that's right. Even if we go south, it is still very unlikely that we will actually be attacked by anyone, unless the griffons catch up," he answered.

"Well then I guess that’s settled," Cloud said. "We will go around the storm to the south."

~~~~~

Rainbow trudged through the dark walkways of the berth deck with her head hung and ears drooping low. She’d decided to head straight to bed after Spitfire had relieved her, determined to finally get some rest. While she’d been on duty, there had been plenty on deck to distract her from the thoughts present at the back of her mind, but here the darkness brought them all to the forefront of attention. Her eyes flicked back and forth, to every shadowy corner she passed by and her hooves dragged with exhaustion. A sharp metallic clang sounded out behind her. She spun like a top, her breath catching in her throat as she saw the griffon assassin, brandishing the long dagger that haunted her dreams, charging towards her. She retreated as fast as her legs could take her and stumbled over a hooflocker before finding herself backed against a support beam. By then it was too late, the griffon raised his blade to strike a fatal blow. Rainbow closed her eyes and fell to the deck, throwing her hooves over her head and waited for the inevitable strike and... nothing happened.

She cracked one eye and looked out between her hooves as a drunk sailor shuffled past, muttering his apologies for startling her. The griffon was nowhere to be seen. Rainbow let out the breath she hadn't realised that she was holding and gasped desperately for air, soothing her burning lungs. She put a hoof to her sweating brow and whispered to herself through heavy breaths, "Calm down, Dashie. You're just seeing things." She wasn't sure whether that made her feel better or worse.

She got back to her hooves and took a quick look around, making absolutely sure there was nothing to fear. She crept out from behind the beam and continued on her way towards her bunk. She passed by a dozen or so more sleeping sailors before reaching her destination. She sat down next to her hammock and opened up her hooflocker. Rainbow glanced at her hammock nervously and grimaced as she started putting her armor away, fumbling with the straps on her cuirass, hooves shaking fiercely.

What if Twilight found out how scared I was? What if Spitfire found out? They'd never let me join the Wonderbolts. They'd think I'm a coward. Rainbow put a hoof up to her forehead and brushed her mane back. Maybe I am. What will happen if we get into another fight? I almost got killed, I almost got Twilight killed. Maybe it would be better if they didn't let me join them.

Rainbow glanced at Lightning Dust, noticing the gentle rise and fall of her as she rested peacefully in her hammock, and suddenly she felt angry. She huffed, felt herself growing hot and she switched from trembling with fear to shaking with rage.

How is she not afraid? What is so different about us? Why do I deserve this? She slammed her hooflocker shut, rousing several others from sleep, and galloped out from the berth, storming up the companionway to the top deck, drawing some curious glances from the on-duty crew. She looked around for a moment before spotting a place where she could sit in relative solitude. She trotted over the port railing and nestled herself next to one of the guns then lay her chin on the railing, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself.

Rainbow leaned over the rail a bit, looking towards their pursuer. She couldn’t see it in the darkness, but she felt its presence like a heavy blanket laid over her. What am I going to do? she thought as she stared out into the blackness.

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