Life on the high seas is no easy ride. But when disaster strikes, every possible hand -or hoof- is a big help.
Based on Quarterdeck, by Julian Stockwin.
Leftenant Thomas Kydd was not exactly having a good week. After his disillusionment back in Halifax, he was left feeling more than a trifle despondant. While his crewmates had had years of educartion and establshed connections, he was a press-ganged sailor. A glorified slave, in his case.
Camperdown changed that, true. It waas his first battle and his bravery would grant him the opportunity to become a gentleman, and an officer to boot. But an education and a nice set of clothes do not a gentleman make. He knew that now. But still, he stuck firmly to his dream and stayed with the Tenacious. But his thoughts had been stormy ever since.
Now, the Tenacious -with its requisite crew- was coming back after finding the Lord Woolmer, the latter having a VIP aboard. Towing the mastless ship along, the Tenacious was heading toward Halifax and a well-deserved reward.
But when disaster strikes along the way, six unexpected guests would lend a helping... hoof. This would change the world in ways nobody could have expected.
Things were going... alright. They had found the Lord Woolmer -miles from where it was supposed to be-, and now the Tenacious was towing the mastless ship back to Halifax and a well deserved reward, in all hope.
But he couldn't help but have the feeling that something was going to happen. He had been at sea too long to think that the whole ordeal was over. He could feel in his bones that something was going to happen. And soon. He raised the spyglass to his eye, focusing again. Then he saw it.
'Oh no.' he thought. "Captain!" he called to Captain Houghton, who was conveniently nearby. . "What is it, mister Kydd?" Houghton queried respectfully.
"Y'd better take a look a'this, sir." Kydd responded, handing over his spyglass.
At first Houghton didn't see it either. But then he saw it: a thin black line along the horizon. And getting thicker by the second.
Casually handing th spyglass back to its owner, Houghton calmly said, "Ah. Good eye. Head downstairs and warn all hands that we're in for a big one."
Saluting, Kydd turned and headed down the stairs to do just that.
"ALL HANDS ON DECK!" He called out. "Storm approachin'! Look lively!"
Thus he spoke as he went along, until everyone he could see was heading up. Suddenly, in the corner of his eye he saw a bright flash. From the same direction he heard a combined exclamation of "Ooph!"
He turned around and there in front of him was a pack of six strange equine creatures. Two of them had just wings (Pegasi, he supposed), one had just a horn (a unicorn, presumably) Two had neither, and oddly one had both.
He approached them, reaching to poke one with a finger to see if they were still alive. In an instant, he was withdrawing his hand in pain as the blue Pegasus bit his extended finger. "Don't you dare, you... whatever you are!" she exclaimed angrily.
Kydd wasn't sure whether to be startled that the creature had spoken or ticked off at being bitten. So he defaulted with, "Huh?"
"You heard me! Stay away from-"
Suddenly she stiffened. She muttered, "Whoa. Trouble is literally on the horizon, isn't it?"
She made to dash off, but the orange horse quickly grabbed the cyan one before she could go headlong into trouble.
The purple one spoke up, shaking her head. "That's Rainbow Dash for you. Never thinks these things through." She then faced Kydd and said, "Forgive her. She's always been an adrenaline junkie and calling her headstrong would be a massive understatement. Allow me to introduce us properly. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends. May I introduce: Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and, well, you seem to have already met Rainbow Dash." she said, pointing to each of her friends in turn.
"Th' name's Thomas Kydd." Kydd said in return. "Fourth Leftenant of the Tenacious. You appear to be stowaways."
"I'd say more like... Inadvertent ambassadors. And judging by Dash's reaction, we're the least of your worries. If you need help, we can lend a hoof." she said, then added with a smirk, "And possibly some magic for good measure."
Kydd thought about it for a moment. "Well, given th' situation we do need every ha- -er, 'hoof', in yer case- that we can get. What can you do?" he queried.
"Well," Twilight began, "Let's start with Applejack. She's immensely strong and extremely durable. She also has a certain power over nature itself, if that helps. She's an honest, down to earth (no pun intended) Earth Pony who can be your best friend or your worst enemy if you wrong her.
"Fluttershy, well, animals large and small listen when she whispers, and when she roars, they tremble with fright or flock to her side. She's more than a bit meek, but don't let that fool you. She's possibly the strongest pegasus i've ever seen, though not the strongest flier.
"That goes to Rainbow Dash, who is close to as strong as Applejack, but she can fly at easily four times the speed of sound, and as a Pegasus has power over the weather, to some extent. She's brash and competitive, but there's no more loyal pony in the land.
"Pinkie Pie... Well... how do i best describe her? Unpredictable, Random, excitable and hyperactive seem like accurate descriptors. Safe to say, if she tells you that she can do it, she probably can. But she's also a ray oof sunlight in the darkest of times and loves to make new friends.
"Rarity is the most refined among us, but again, don't let that fool you. Under the surface she's also a tough, smart and reliable herd-girl who can kick flank when it matters. As a unicorn, she has magic at her disposal, and can lift many objects almost as big as herself at once, or do any number of other things.
"As for me, as an Alicorn i have the powers of all three tribes. Enough said."
"A pleasure to meet all of you." Kydd said. "I hav' a feelin' that we'll need yer help sooner than la'er. Come on, let's get ya outfitted."
Once at the Quartermaster's... well, quarters, Kydd was aiding the Ponies in getting their kits. Rarity, naturally, enthused about the simple and practical outfits that were available, while reshaping some of them to fit their bodies.
Some time during the outfitting, a white flash occurred nearby and another pony fell to the floor, much as before. She was also a light purple, but had hair that was two toned purple, with a light blue streak through it.
"Starlight?!" Twilight exclaimed, "What are you doing here?!"
Starlight responded, "Put shortly, I had the feeling that I was needed and I used the spell you were working on. It took me here."
"Avast, there." Kydd put in, "A spell?"
Twilight looked puzzled. "Of course. I told you that Unicorns and Alicorns have active magic. What did you think I meant?"
"Nay, nay. I know tha' right 'nough. What I meant t' say was 'a spell brought y'here?'" he clarified.
"Yeaaaah..." Starlight said, "Twilight apparently was working on a spell that would take them to wherever -and whenever- they were needed the most. I... think it worked a bit too well. Judging by the setting, this is also rather far into the past."
Rainbow Dash injected, "Wait, wait. If we're in the past, how were you even able to get here, before we existed?"
Twilight shrugged. "Time travel's complicated."
"No argument there." Starlight agreed.
"Nevertheless, darlings," Rarity interrupted, "We're stuck here for the near future anyway, so I'd say that it's time we earn our keep." Using her magic she spun the other six ponies in a whirlwind of energy. When it faded, the six dizzy ponies were outfitted appropriately. Rarity repeated the process with herself, coming out noticeably less dizzy.
Seriously, Rarity." Rainbow Dash said scornfully, "Warn a mare before you do something like that, will ya?"
"Sorry, dear, but I believe our time is rather short." Rarity said, not missing a beat. She turned to Kydd and said, "Alright, darling, we- wait, is it just me, or has your mane gotten longer? And your eyes more... yellowish?"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "It's probably nothing, Rarity. Now let's hurry, here!!"
Twilight stepped over to Kydd. "No, Rainbow, I think that Rarity's right. Let me see here..." Twilight's horn lit up and a purple aura started glowing around Kydd in response. After a few seconds, Twilight reeled. "Oh no." she said quietly.
"What? What is it?" the impatient Pegasus asked.
"Well, from what I'm getting here... The bite you gave him earlier... infected him!"
"Infect? I'm not even remotely sick." Rainbow Dash said, indignantly.
"Well, from what I'm seeing here... This man is swiftly turning into a pony!(1)"
"WHAT?!?!" seven voices responded.
Rainbow Dash had the decency to look apologetic and afraid. "Oh, Celestia! What have I done!?"
"Hol' up, there!" Kydd shushed. "Y'had no way of knowin' that would hap'n. I'm not mad. I'll... jes hafta make the bes' o'vit" he sighed. "Well, let's get to the upper deck and len' a hand while I still hav' hands ta lend!" he joked, chuckling.
As the ponies filed out, Twilight said, "You're taking this awfully well."
"I'd be lyin' ta you an' myself if I said that I wasn' a'least a touch afraid. But judgin' by what y'said before... I'd be able ta serve the crew even better as one of yer kind." Kydd replied. "I can panic later. Fer now, let's get a'deck. The cap'n is prob'ly gettin' impatient."
Sure enough, Kydd was right. When they got there, Houghton said, "KYDD! What took y'so long? This here's an emergency, son!" he admonished.
"Sorry sir, but we have some... unexpected dignitaries, by the looks."
"Stowaways?" Houghton deadpanned.
"Not exactly." Kydd said as he stepped aside.
Twilight introduced herself and her friends in much the same way as before. By the time she was done, Houghton was blinking, quite stunned. After a time, he said, "Tha's it. i'm quittin' alcohol."
"Trust me, captain," Twilight said, "you need us. And in a moment you'll see why."
Turning to her friends, Twilight said, "Alright, everypony; we can't afford to take chances. This storm is massive and will likely last for days otherwise. Ergo..."
"Ooh! Ooh! Let me guess!" Pinkie exclaimed, "We're powering up, aren't we?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, Pinkie. We are. But we're only going to Stage One for now." Twilight replied.
Facing the bow, Twilight said, "Everypony, take formation!"
Starlight nudged Houghton once. "You'd better back up a tad." before joining the others.
Twilight intoned, "Elements of Harmony, entering Challenge Phase: 1!(2) Head 'em Up!" she said, as her wings flared and the air started to crackle with magical energy.
"And Move'Em Out!" Applejack and Pinkie Pie added, as they started to glow.
"PowerStride!" Rarity and Starlight put in.
"And ReadyTo R-r-ride" Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy finished.
Twilight's wings started to change colour at the tips, her primers becoming dark purple and her legs became covered in images of her Cutie Mark.
Similar changes started happening to the others, including Starlight.
Oddly, Kydd witnessed similar changes start to happen to himself. His arms became covered with symbols of blue lightning bolts and blue clouds. His hair began to grow even more, soon sending his cap flying as his new mane truly entered three dimensions (more so, anyway), in a strange combination of a Dashing Do in front, being more like a Mullet in back.
"What in the blue blazes?" he whispered, incredulous.
This went unnoticed by the seven current ponies, as Twilight gave out orders.
"Alright, everypony, listen up!" she started,"Rainbow Dash, take Applejack over to help the Lord Woolmer over there."
"Can-do, Fearless Leader!" Rainbow Dash said as the two went to do just that.
"Rarity, Starlight, help the men tie down the sails -and anything else that might slide- and keep them steady. Trust me, this is EXTREMELY important, and shortly will become harder than it sounds."
"We're on it, darling."
"Pinkie, Fluttershy, heal the wounded and keep the crew energized however you can. This is going to be a long one."
"Oui, capitan!"
"Okey Dokey Lokey!"
"Alright then.. You all have your instructions. Now... Let's Go!"
As the ponies zoomed off to do what they could, Houghton took his horn and called out, "Backup on deck! They're a mite funny lookin' but they're here to help!"
He then looked to Kydd, finding him still staring incredulously at what was happening to him. "Kydd? What seems to be the issue?" Houghton asked.
"One of the ponies bit m'earlier. Seems t've... 'infected' me somehow." Kydd replied. "By the indicat'n of their leader there, i'm t' become one o' them afore th' storm is through." he added.
"Will it stop ye from functionin'?" Houghton asked, in a rather monotone way, "Can y'still be of use?"
"Nay, sir." Kydd said. "By all means, I should be an ev'n bigger aid t' the Tenacious. If'n i can get the crew t'takin' me serious-like."
"Then I see no reason for ye t'be lef' idle. Do ye?" Houghton quirked an eyebrow.
It took a few seconds for Kydd to process that. But when he finished doing so, his face took on a stern expression. "Understood, sir." He then rushed to help the rest of the crew.
"Godspeed, Kydd." Houghton said, before going to see what he could do, still minding the storm on the horizon. Every hand was needed, after all. This was no time to be idle himself.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrived safely on the Lord Woolmer, At the puzzled glances they got, Applejack spoke up. "Don' worry, y'all. We ain't hallucinations or nothin'." she said.
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash added. "In fact, we're here to help. There's a grandmare of a storm coming. You'll need all the help you can get."
Immediately, Applejack went to their mainmast, thinking for a moment. With a split-second's concentration, she summoned a length of rope from seemingly nowhere. "Dash! Tie this 'round th' mainmast, would ya?"
The cyan pegasus went to work at just that, going upward as she went around. Meanwhile the rest of the crew made to literally batten down everything that was moveable.
Then the flyng mare halted. "Wait, why an I doing THAT?" she said. "I can probably clear up this storm, no sweat!"
She proceeded to fly right into the dark clouds. Applejack rolled her eyes. "Five. Four. Three. Two..."
Right on cue there was a flash and a crack of thunder a half second later. Her headstrong friend started falling, right back toward the ship.
"YEOOOOOWCH!" she exclaimed.
Applejack judged her timing accurately and took a galloping leap to catch the falling blue mare.
"You were sayin?" she said, arching an eyebrow.
"Heh. That could've gone better. Mmmmaybe I was a bit hasty?"
"Ya think?"
Rarity was doing much the same, using rope, leather straps, spare blankets, pretty much anything that would hold down what needed it. Masts, sails, whatever she could. Just in case, she used a bit of magic to strengthen the sails themselves, should all else fail.
Starlight, meanwhile, was doing the same with the heavy cannons. She also used her magic to keep the ship relatively steady as she did so. She knew that if a cannon went loose, it could mean disaster, possibly punching wide holes in the hull of the ship. Being a 64 gun ship, doing both at once was harder than it sounds.
Pinkie Pie was moving back and forth, swiftly delivering treats to any who were getting tired or hungry. Where she got those, she never said. But the men were far too busy to question the pink pony''s proffered providence.
Fluttershy was more actively charging up the crew members with her magic(1), giving them a boost. Occasionally one got hurt by something or other, be it splintered wood or lightning burns. These she used her magic to heal, before they went back into the fray.
Twilight herself was tracing runes along the ship in various places. Wards against cold here, greater durability runes there, and so forth. She stopped to charge each with her magic before moving on. When finished, she did much the same to the other vessel.
When all was done, she said to the captain, "Well, everything's as secure as I can make it." she said as her colours muted somewhat, if not returning to normal.
"Well done, lady Twilight." he replied, nodding once.
"And may I say that the designs complement the ship's rustic design wonderfully, darling." Rarity said, reuniting with her friend.
"I didn't exactly do that for the look, Rarity." Twilight admonished slightly.
"I'm aware. But if style can meet practicality, so much the better." Rarity replied. "Either way, I don't see how much more we can tie anything down." she added, powering down as well.
Starlight came along a moment later, horn still aglow. Clearly she was starting to have trouble with the spell she was using, even with the added boost. A testament to the storm's growing ferocity.
"You can let that go, Starlight." Twilight said, not even looking toward her.
Starlight did just that, flopping on the deck a second after, the ship beginning to rock slightly. "The... t-th-the cannons. Secure." she said, between pants.
"Bang up job, ladies." Houghton praised.
"Not sure... why'm... so tired." Starlight added.
"That's my fault. A miscalculation." Twilight said. "Do you have any idea how much magic it took to cast that spell? That's why we were unconscious briefly when we arrived. Why we resorted to using Rainbow Power for something so... typically mundane."
"Why I couldn't bash those storm clouds, even with that." Rainbow Dash reasoned as she and Applejack came to report. "It makes so much sense now. Either way, the hatches are battened down." she added.
Pinkie and Fluttershy came up slightly thereafter. "All done~!" Pinkie said.
"So... what now?" Fluttershy asked.
"We can't do much now but wait and hope." Twilight answered.
Suddenly a voice behind them said, "Ugh. 'mnot feelin' so good..."
They all turned around and gasped.
There was Thomas Kydd, looking way different from before. His body was now mostly covered in midnight blue fuzz. But that was nothing compared to the other changes. His feet had become hooves and he now had the head of a pony.
Afterward, every crew member who wasn't necessary at the moment went below decks. Not just for safety, but for conservation of strength and resources. Some were resting, some were eating, others were polishing weapons, playing cards, or doing whatever they could to pass the time.
In the infirmary, a couple of officers watched over Kydd's worsening condition, along with the ponies. In the past few hours, his legs had fully become equine, to the point that even if he were conscious he'd be unable to get around with any ease. Twilight and Starlight were trying to use whatever spells and enchantments they could to ease the process.
"Improved Stamina..."
"Greater Regeneration... Eagle's Splendor..."
"Greater irongut..."
"Irongut? Why?" Starlight interupted.
"The changes seem to be hurting him quite a bit. This will lessen the pain and increase his constitution." Twilight answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Fair point. Continue."
Rainbow Dash looked on with an expression of extreme consternation. "Is he gonna be okay?" she asked anxiously.
"Don't worry, Dash." Twilight said. "When he wakes up, he'll be fine. A bit disoriented, maybe. A bit shaken, definitely. But fine."
"By the time he wakes up he'll be a perfectly healthy pony. How he takes that is up to him." Starlight added.
"I hope so. If anything bad were to happen to him, because of me..." She left the sentence unfinished, but she'd gotten her point across.
Fluttershy and Rarity were talking to Ensign Tysoe and Commander Bryant, respectively. They were just as worried about Kydd's well-being, but the conversation... lessened the time they thought about it, if nothing else.
Bryant had realized that he'd been too hard on Kydd, almost inadvertently hazing him. However, Kydd had passed every test he'd been given. Bryant made a note to promote him at some point, as well as be less hard on him. Also to commend Kydd for his courage and integrity under stress.
Tysoe, for his part, was scratching his arm with anxiety. He'd been working under Kydd for the whole time he'd signed on, and there was nobody else aboard that he'd rather call 'friend'. Tysoe was fiercely loyal, to a fault. Almost like he was this time's version of Rainbow Dash. He would stay by his superior's side as long as he could, especially now. He'd heard what had happened to Kydd and asked Rainbow Dash to give him much the same. When asked why he'd want that, he replied, "I work under the man and look up to him. I don't want to look down on him." At this point he was just waiting for the effects to kick in. Already his hair was lightening and his eyes had changed to a cerulean blue.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie were getting their rest while they could. Having worked on farms themselves, they knew the value of rest when one could get it.
Pinkie Pie, for whatever reason, was having visions of sugarplums. You could tell because there was a thought bubble floating just above her displaying such.
Why? Who knows?
The rest were just glad that they had a berth of any kind.
Minutes passed. Hours passed.
On the morrow, Kydd startled awake.
"STORM BLADE!(1)" he exclaimed, startling everyone else as well.
"Well, well. Look who's awake!" Houghton teased. "Ye left 'sall quite anxious, I'll have ye know, mister Kydd." he faux-admonished.
Kydd looked down at himself. He was much shorter than before. Standing, he'd be about 4 feet from head to hoof. he was covered in blue -not quite black- fuzz. His mane was now a sea-green fauxhawk, his tail done in a loose style, somewhat like that of Rainbow Dash, but more wavy. On his flank was a picture of a stormcloud with wickedly sharp-looking bolts of lightning coming out of it. Looking in a mirror, he saw that his eyes were an electric blue. Seeing all this, his wings reflexively fanned out. Those were black with sea green at the tips.
"Well... this is different." he said, nonchalantly. This encouraged laughs from most of the room's population, and a sudden hug from the prismatic Pegasus.
Just then, one crew member burst into the room. "Cap'n!" he exclaimed, "Ye're gonna want to see this!" he finished, running back up the stairs.
When everyone -and every pony- reached the top deck, they saw something in the distance.
All those on deck looked on with fear at the oncoming threat. It was coming on to quickly to go around, and would be too dangerous to go through. The Lord Woolmer itself was in terrible shape already. And, wards or not, heavy damage would be done.
"What now, sir?" Bryant asked Houghton.
"I don' think there's anythin' w'CAN do." was the reply.
"Well, you don't have to!" the cyan Pegasus said, stepping up. "Back in Equestria, we manage the weather itself!" she added.
"That's right!" Twilight exclaimed, flaring her own wings. "We can handle this... but with a storm this bad, we'd need more than just three Pegasi. A lot more." She sighed. "I didn't want to have to do this. I only made this spell as a theoretical one. If it works it will exude an enormous amount of energy, but... I guess we have no choice. At least we got a chance to rest."
"Given the alternative," Bryant said, "I'd rather the option that keeps us alive. Whatever happens to us is irrelevant. The new Leftenant Governor is aboard that ship." he pointed to the nearby Lord Woolmer.
"And you have more than three Pegasi, don't forget." Kydd said, also stepping up.
"Leftenant Kydd?" Houghton said, "Yer accent..."
"I noticed." Kydd affirmed. "Chalk that up as another bit of irony. That I'm closer to speaking clearly as a... semi-mythical creature than I ever was as a human." he said in a self-deprecating way.
A second after, a blue hoof touched his withers.
"Remember. You aren't alone." a gentle voice said.
Everyone turned around to see Tysoe, quite changed. He -or she, rather- had a blue coat and generally was the spit and image of Rainbow Dash, but with more red and white in her hair and with cerulean eyes. Also, no mark on her flank.
"It's almost like looking in a mirror..." Rainbow said in wonder. "How did you change so quickly?"
Tysoe nodded. "I think it was because I accepted what i would become before I started changing. I just... let it happen. Either way, Ensign Twister Dash reporting for duty." she said, snapping a salute.
"Picked a new name, I see?" Houghton said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, those were the first words out of my mouth when I awoke, so... I'd say that the name chose ME." she replied. "To be honest... I kind of like it."
Shattering the moment, Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "YYYYYES!!! Now we have a chance! With the lot of us together, we should be able to bring this storm under control. Hit it, Twilight!"
Twilight nodded. "Captain, Commander. It won't matter how much you back up this time. Fair warning. Alright. Here goes! Elements of Harmony: Entering Challenge Phase 2!" she called out. "In Control!" Twilight again started to glow, but with a more vibrant shade.
"And Readyto Roll!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack shouted out, beginning to rise into the air.
"BladesBared!" Rarity and Starlight added
"Nothin'Spared!" Pinkie and Fluttershy finished.
Twister and Storm felt themselves rise right along with the rest.
"Challenge Phase 2: ENGAGE!"
With that, there was a bright flash and a burst of energy. Seconds later, all nine ponies touched down, changed once more. Now they were all wearing armour of varying styles that nearly seemed to be fused to them. Each one had both wings and a horn, though some of those just seemed to be made of pure magical energy.
"Great horny toads! Ah've never felt so energized!" Applejack commented.
"With this much energy, I feel... divine. In more ways than one!" Rarity agreed.
Aw yeah! This storm doesn't stand a chance, now! Rainbow Dash boasted.
"Alright, everypony. Let's bring this storm under control." Twilight said, a look of determination on her face.
At once, they all leapt toward the worseningly wild waterspout. Almost moving as one, they circled the storm, going in the opposite direction.
The seabound tornado began to bend and twist, changing colours as it became suffused with energy, and then taken over entirely. Soon enough, the waterspout ended and the nine lights rose further into the air, eventually reaching into the clouds. With a resounding BOOM, the clouds cleared for miles around and a circular rainbow of colour spread across the sky.
The ponies touched down again on the Tenacious and released the power they had held, falling asleep shortly thereafter.
There was soon cheering and laughter from both ships as the crew rejoiced.
"Good show, th' lot o' you." Houghton said, clapping his front hooves together. "Good show indeed."
As it turned out, the transformations were... largely temporary. Only about one in ten actually remained ponified. Apparently this was exclusive to those who a) were close to either of the energy bursts and/or b) thought something like, "Wow! I'd like to be able to do that!" or something similar.
Either way, there was celebration aboard both ships. Food and drink was heartily shared, there was music and dancing, even Leftenant Bryant was getting into the spirit of things.
"Heh." he chuckled as he raised his drink up high with one hoof, to the puzzlement of some of the still-human crew members. "A toast to these fine Ponies, who've saved our lives in the most awesome of ways!" he extolled.
A cheer went up and cups of various descriptions were clinked together enthusiastically.
Having been pretty much at ground zero, Bryant was one of those permanently changed. However, he took the change quite well. And, while being somewhat more cheerful, he could still get the attention (and maintain the respect) of those working under him. He'd chosen a new name: Wave Runner.
Pinkie Pie played a piano that she'd gotten from... somewhere. She was playing an upbeat tune that seemed appropriate for the setting. She was also simultaneously stuffing her face, naturally.
Rainbow Dash and Twister Dash were dancing in their way, their movements somehow perfectly synchronized, as if they were thinking as one.
Applejack, of course, was serving the drinks. Freshly squeezed apple cider, sweet and sparkling. There was a fair sized stash of apples in the storage room, and Applejack for whatever reason had a few packets of her family's trademarked spices. Ergo, there was cider enough of both kinds for everyone.
The only one who wasn't celebrating was Kydd/Storm Blade himself. After watching the festivities for a while, he turned and left the room.Twilight, noticing Kydd's melancholy, followed after.
Up on the top deck, Kydd looked out toward the night sky, lost in thought. Things were just changing too much for his tastes; too fast.
Twilight stepped up beside him and said, "Bit for your thoughts?"
Kydd sighed. "My life here... isn't nearly how I dreamed it would be. Especially now."
"Oh?" Twilight more said than asked.
"Well..." Kydd began, "When I was somewhat younger, I was a pressman; a conscript. I served on several ships, mostly as a glorified slave. After Camperdown, I got the opportunity to learn to be a gentleman, and eventually a Leftenant in the navy; thus."
"And now?" Twilight encouraged.
Kydd sighed. "A few days ago, I learned that though I had the education, right enough, I still lacked the upbringing, connections.... Put shortly, I found myself to be out of place, a wolf in sheep's clothing, if you will. And now... I've lost my humanity too."
Twilight put a wing around him. "Look. I understand how you feel. Believe me, I do. I've been through something similar. Did I ever tell you that I happen to be royalty where I come from? No, no. Don't bow like that. You're a friend. Anyway, when I ascended, a LOT of things changed. I had new duties, a new status, was put nearly on par with princess Celestia and princess Luna... But I still felt out of place. And I felt that I was being separated from those I love and trust most."
"Really?" Kydd asked, rather surprised.
"Why, of course. Even our little group, my friends and I.... I used to be a unicorn, but after (to be short) completing an unfinished spell, I became what you see; an embodiment of all three pony races. A commoner made royalty. A mortal made a demigod! Even then, I had to defeat an even greater threat to Equestria to earn my place as the Princess of Friendship. Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but it's true, every word. I went from nerdy scholar to protege of Princess Celestia herself, to Element of Magic, to royalty.
"Wait, Element of Magic?" Kydd queried.
"Ah, I never did explain that, did I? The Pony race is built around six pillars of virtue. Each represented by one of my friends and myself. Applejack is Honesty, Rainbow Dash is Loyalty, -much like your ensign Tysoe, or Twister Dash as she calls herself now- Rarity is Generosity, Fluttershy is Kindness, Pinkie Pie is Laughter and the five brought together, along with a little spark, brought the element of Magic to me. I suppose that your element would be... Honour. You do your duty without question, you don't back down even when you yourself are in dire straits, if challenged you step up. If your allies are in danger, you're the first to leap to their aid. Isn't that so?"
"Wow." Kydd said in wonder.
"Anyway, I guess my earlier point is that you can't determine what life throws at you when. You just have to find a way to deal with it when it does."
"Still, I don't have to like it." Kydd muttered.
"Let me put it this way, then: the career of Thomas Kydd has reached as far as possible. But your life as Storm Blade has just started. This is practically a new lease on life, a fresh start, nigh on Tabula Rasa!" Twilight explained. "I'm not saying it'll be easy at first, but if you try, I'm sure that you'll get used to it. Who knows? Maybe you'll ascend too, one day. You never know."
After a moment's thought, Kydd smiled. "Alright. I'll try. I... have always been a bit of a... 'foul-weather jack', as we say. Whether I sink or swim.... so be it."
"Thaaaaaat's the spirit!" Twilight said joyfully. "This is a new start for you. Just do your best."
Ky-. Storm Blade nodded. "Aye. I'll try. Thanks for preparing the ground, Twilight."
"You're welcome." Twilight replied. "I've had to do a lot of that recently.
Together they watched the stars, confident that whatever came at them, they'd all face it together,
A few days thence, the ships Tenacious and Lord Woolmer had their courses righted. As it turned out, the storm, terrible as it was, had blown them off course. Now they were a good three days sailing behind schedule. But now, their courses righted, the two ships made for Halifax.
Rainbow Dash even taught the new Pegasi how to fly and use their own powers. This allowed them to get past any calm areas swiftly, with a few gusts of wind to their sails.
It should be noted that not everyone aboard was ponified, but with as large a crew as Tenacious had, there were a fair few on either side.
Similarly, Twilight and Starlight had been teaching the new Unicorns aboard. Chiefly among those were Bryant and Hougton themselves(1). Being grown men (or rather, stallions and mares, with about a 40/60 split respectively), they were fairly quick to catch on to the lessons they were taught.
Any Earth Ponies aboard were taught by Pinkie Pie and Applejack, who helped to ground the excitable mare somewhat. As it happened, there were some aboard who weren't as daredevil-ish as those who had become Pegasi, nor as intelligent as those who had become Unicorns. As such, they had become Earth Ponies, so Pinkie explained at length. These were mostly cooks and errand-boys, that kind of thing
Anyway, Applejack had some seeds and soil in her enchanted hat, so she taught those with such an aptitude how to grow plants magically. This allowed them to quickly replenish the stores of food, and simultaneously spruce up the place a fair bit, to the approval of all involved. The portholes allowed for sunlight to filter in, enough to help with the plants' survivability.
Things were going swimmingly, at any rate. But suddenly there was the report of a cannon nearny. A second or so later, a cannonball splashed into the water nearby, attracting the attention of the Pegasi first, who turned their heads.
As it turned out, there was a trio of pirate vessels coming around a large rock nearby. They'd figured that the two ships were battered, their crew worn out, and thus would make excellent prizes.
They were only partially right.
Rainbow groaned. "More trouble? Seriously?" she sighed audibly. "Well, there's nothin' for it. Pegasi! Get your weapons and i'll show you how to fashion wingblades real quick!"
The assembled fliers went to do just that.
Meanwhile, Twilight used a spell to enhance her voice so it would carry to all parts of the ship without hurting any ears. "Attention all hands -and hooves-: Blackguards to port! Arm and take battlestations immediately!"
Starlight queried, "How do you know those terms?"
"WHA- (ahem) What? I read. A lot." Twilight countered, only just remembering to disable the spell.
Everyone among the crew retrieved what weapons and armor they could use. When the Pegasi returned to Rainbow Dash, she channeled a bit of Pegasus magic on two pieces of armour. The energies sparked across the pieces of armour, sharpening them and shaping them to fit on her wings. When she was done, her wings had black armour, sharpened to a razor's keenness.
After the other Pegasi were similarly armed, Rainbow Dash said, "I'm sure you all know this, but it bears repeating: Kill or be killed. These buggers will show no mercy. We can't either. Savvy?" At their nods, she said "Alright! Take down as many as you can, but no grandstanding! I'm no pinnacle of virtue myself, but don't be careless! CHARGE!"
The assembled flew toward the enemy with gusto, surprise largely on their side. This kind of combat was new to these pirates, understandably so. Thus, many among their number were felled before they could react accordingly.
At the same time, a volley of cannonfire rang out. Rarity said, "Ideaaaa!" and headed to the upper deck, where she could more easily see the enemy ships. As the cannonblls headed toward the Tenacious, Rarity snatched the balls of iron with her magic, them adding those to the stores of cannonballs they had, or just manually rearming the empty cannons. As Tenacious, as said before, was a 64 gun ship, this took a lot of effort. Soon enough, Twilight and Starlight started to help Eventually the pirates began to understand that they were outnumbered, outgunned and stood little chance against the onslaught altogether. Those still alive surrendered. The battle was won handily and the pirates -and their ships by extension- were taken relatively peacefully. One small victory for their country, but that meant three fewer ships that would be terrorizing the waters nearby.
After the battle with the now badly beaten buccaneers, a few ponies were assigned to each hip to keep a close watch as they headed for Halifax.
"That's right, ya scurvy curs!"Applejack said, getting into the spirit, "Ma friends and Ah'm here ta make sure y'all behave. Savvy?"
One of the pirates spoke up. "Ha! Atchyer size? Whatcha gonna do? Snuggle us to death?" he laughed uproariously, along with several others.
"Ya heard him ask, fellas." Applejack said, waving one hoof in a 'go ahead' gesture.
Immediately, the dissenters felt pain in their shins as they received some bites(1).
"Welcome ta th' herd, fellas." Applejack quipped, grinning quasi-sadistically. "Any more arguments?"
No voices were raised.
"Right. NOW GIT A MOVE ON, YA SWABS!!" Applejack roared, sending the remaining sailors moving to their stations. She then addressed the ones bitten. "Don't worry. Bein' a Pony does have its perks, though Ah may be a mite biased, fer obvious reasons."
Meanwhile, flying overhead, Twilight was going to lash the ships together, ensuring that they stuck close by. Then she thought better of it and just stuck the three ships into one makeshift large one. Much easier.
Rainbow Dash was standing near the helmsman of the combined ship. "Don't get any ideas, either bucko. You're in this up to your neck." she threatened icily, one wing (blade still equipped, shimmering as if on cue) extended, right close to the man's throat.
He, for his part, gulped audibly. His previous captain had made similar threats, but never with his weapon brandished. "You don't hafta tell me twice!" he said in a nervous tone, setting the proper course.
The multi hued mare just smiled...
Eventually, all of the ships arrived in port. Most of the pirates were taken to be imprisoned. Those remaining were made to pinkie promise that they'd behave, under threat of... well, Pinkie Pie.
Houghton trotted over. "Bang-up job, ladies." he said, approvingly. "With a few words and a small show of force, this ship has a..." pause, "largely fresh crew. Well done, indeed." he finished.
"Please. We weren't doing anything more important there anyway." Twilight quipped, to the amusement of her friends, old and new.
The newly merged ship was repaired, christened the H.M.S. Hydra, and given a fresh coat of paint. It would be the flagship that the new Lord Governor would use when he went out to sea.
The Lord Woolmer, beaten up as it was, would be in the shop for a while.
Tenacious itself was in very good condition, having taken very little damage during the trip, thanks in large part to the ponies' timely arrival.
The admiral of the visiting fleet debriefed evrryone a few hours later, saying that he was proud of all of them. "Especially the nine of you." he said to the visiting Ponies, as well as Storm Blade and Twister Dash.
"You proved that big things can come in stall packages. For this, I award you all an Outstanding Volunteer Service medal." he said, placing said medals on the visiting Ponies' chests.
"And as for yyou two," he said, now adressing the two newly minted ponies, "You've been courageous under fire, adjusted well and handled yourself well in a very serious situation. All of this as your own bodies were working aganst you. For this, i can see no less than to give you the Meritous Service award, and promote you to Leftenant Commander and Leftenant Junior Grade. Congratulations." he finished, handing out the awarded items.
The Mane 7 cheered for their friends and their promotion.
"You know what this calls for, right?" Pinkie said, a large grin on her face
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Three... two... one..."
"A PARTY!" the pink mare exclaimed on cue, throwering confetti into the air.
Pinkie, in her typical way, managed to arrange a celebration within minutes. When asked how, she did indeed go into great detail about it, much to the chagrin of the ones asking. Eventually, Applejack came and put a hoof on Pinkie's withers. "Ah think they get th' point, sugarcube." she said.
Pinkie blushed. "Sorry. I got carried away again, didn't I?"
Though she had been gradually improving with her self-control and her attentiveness, Pinkie still lapsed now and then and started to babble, often not entirely conscious of what she was even saying, at times.
Anyway, shortly thereafter the crew of the Tenacious (and even several of the townsfolk) arrived for the "Congratulations/Welcome Back" party (so called as evidenced by the banner). There were streamers, confetti, a veritable buffet of food, games, music and dance, even a piñata. Though most didn't even know what the whackable object was.
Either way, things went off without a hitch, and any food that wasn't eaten was given to the poor of the town, so naturally the ponies became VERY popular, VERY quickly.
At one point, a woman caught on to Twilight's royal status and asked her to bless her coming child.
To that, Twilight had blushed, but tried anyway, saying what words came to mind, unconsciously lighting her horn.
"O mors, tibi, et benedicam tibi evenire nomine Caelestibus Sparkle O dea Solis et Lunae dea luna crescere possit esse sanus et fortis burdo. Tu decus patriae et tuis te. Sit ut a multis tibi et scutum et from- nocere. Et earn vobis: dies unus Mayy vestris custodire et spiritus Harmonia cutie marcam in animo.".
This would have far reaching consequences for that world. Afterall, she'd been guided to pray that the child be a healthy, strong... pony.
Anyway, a few days later Storm Blade had returned from having found his uncle and hearing his story. Though, at said uncle's request, he did not tell them his location or the story.
Shortly thereafter, the Tenacious was getting set to go on another mission. As it happened, Storm found someone who knew him. The man had made him an """"offer"""". Make his time aboard easier, or he'd tell the superiors of Thomas Kydd's crimes before Camperdown.
However, Storm knew two things that the man didn't.
He was essentially given carte blanche by royalty.
Thomas Kydd was as good as dead as it was.
However, being the stallion that he was, Storm decided to go with neither part of the deal. He went to the quarters where the man had bunked and told him, "I'll expect you in the hold tomorrow." Essentially challenging the man to a duel.
Having heard this, Rainbow and Twister exchanged a look. This... would end badly for someone.