For Twilight Sparkle, things had just gone from bad to worse. After a long, tiring journey with her friends around the flooded Equestira, she had finally managed to make it back. They had fought storms, sea monsters, and of course the relentless Captain Blackbuck.
They were just on the verge of returning, pulling into the peninsula, only to find Blackbuck and his crew had beaten them to the punch, and taken Cadence and her son, Anthem hostage to try to turn them in.
A massive ship battle broke out on board of their own ship, and Blackbuck's ship, the Tartarus Runner.
Above the chaos, a two-way dogfight was happening. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were facing off against Gilda and Bullet Nose.
Bullet and Rainbow locked glares as the fight began. Bullet spoke, his voice muffled by his weird-looking mask. "Now, I will break you!"
"Out of the way, face-hugger!" Gilda snorted. "She's mine."
"But their punishment must be more severe than shredding for what they did to us."
Gilda chose to ignore him and cracked her knuckles instead.
The fight was grueling and difficult. After so many days at sea with little to eat, little time to sleep, and so much fighting, Twilight and her friends were all exhausted.
Finally, The heros were all cornered, backed up against their side of the ship.
Twilight quickly scanned over her friends. They were all there it looked like. Hurt and tired, but alive. Apple Jack, Rainbow (though she and Spitfire were wounded by their sky battle and could barely stand up now without each other's support), Pinkie, Rarity, Spike, Shining Armor, Big Mac, Blueblood, Soarin, Spitfire, Derpy... wait, where's Fluttershy?
"Apple Jack," She turned to her friend, "Where's Fluttershy?"
"I think she fell overboard."
"What?" Twilight's eyes widened in horror. She wanted to morn the loss of her friend, but she knew that would have to wait. She had to worry about herself first, and everyone still alive.
She turned back and glared at the smiling, laughing faces of her enemies and counted them over. Some faces she knew, some she and her friends faced in the past, like Trixie, Gilda, Spot and Fido the diamond dogs and the Flim Flam brothers. All of them were dressed in new pirate attire.
And of course there were those she did not know. One was a brown stallion she now knew as Thunder Strike, who proved to be stronger than Shining Armor. There was also a grey colt named Metal Jacket, one black Pegasus named Bullet Nose, who wore an odd gas mask for some reason, and a few other ponies. All were dressed in the ragged, dirty pirate clothes Blackbuck had given them, and some armed with swords, knives, and firearms.
Finally, up pushed a large black-furred earth pony with a short grey beard and a brown captain's hat, a black vest, and a golden tooth when he grinned that menacing smile. On his flank, his cutie mark; the jolly roger. He had discarded his black coat so he would be lighter in the fight. Now exposed was his belt which held his two swords and two pistols. On his front hooves were two silver gauntlets that had extending robotic claws that he used to grab hold of things. This he had stolen from a famous inventor named Ratchet, according to his backstory. He also wore a gold-chained necklace around his neck, holding a shiny emerald. This emerald protected him from any kind of unicorn magic.
This was the ringleader himself; Captain Blackbuck.
With one front leg, he held the infant son of Shining Armor and Cadence: Anthem, a tiny little filly with white fur like his father, and a mane like his mother's. He was crying, being held by the strange, scary, rough colt, who cackled menacingly at his imminent victory.
The crew suddenly fell silent as blackbuck whipped out his pistol with his free hoof, and looked over the faces of his enemies.
"Aw-right," He giggled. "Let me see... who ta kill first..."
Shining Armor saw his son crying, and stared daggers at Blackbuck. He tried to shoot him with his magic, but it was deflected by the necklace's power, as if Blackbuck were being kept safe inside a bubble.
Armor tried to charge him, but all the pirates held up their guns and swords, protecting their leader.
Twilight was just as scared for her nephew's life, and just as furious at Blackbuck, ready to tear him apart.
"Let my son go!" Armor demanded. "He has nothing to do with his!"
"I told you before mate," Blackbuck growled. "You, your sister, and all your friends destroyed everything I had. Time I returned the favor! I'm gonna take everything you once held dear, crush it and make you watch!"
"Then," Bullet Nose added, "You'll have our permission to die!"
"Exactly!" Blackbuck nodded. "But you know what? Since you asked nicely, I think I will let the lad go!" He started gently bouncing Anthem up and down on his hoof. "You should have been more specific on where though!" And before any pony could do anything else, Blackbuck pulled back, and threw little Anthem far out into the water off the edge of the boat.
"NO!" Armor and Twilight shrieked in unison as their little one went sailing through the air, rushing to meet the water.
But just as the water was about to consume him, a glossy tentacle shot from the water and caught the young prince. Several more tentacles rose from the water, and the mass of dark green flesh approached the ship.
Everyone looked away from each other and stared at the awesome, surprising sight.
On one tentacle, was the one and only Fluttershy!
"Way ta go! Frank!" She cheered for the mass of tentacles.
The heros began to smile as they pieced it together. It was the Cracken they had encountered yesterday! Had Fluttershy tamed it? It's name was Frank?
"Fluttershy!" Pinkie screamed gleeflully. "What have you done this time?"
Everyone else started laughing and cheering for Fluttershy as the cracken handed little Anthem back to his father.
The pirates on the other hand, were horrified.
"Oh, horseshoe!" Flim muttered.
"Well, we're bucked!" Flam added.
"Sick 'em, boy!" Fluttershy cried. And with that, Frank's tentacles dove for the pirates, grabbing them, crushing them, pushing them into the water.
During this mayhem, Shining Armor and Twilight heard Cadence scream in horror, and looked over to the deck of Blackbuck's ship. The rock wall above them was collapsing. One rock landed right next to the rock Cadence was tied to.. Another earthquake was about to happen.
After handing Anthem to Pinkie to hold, Armor and Twilight rushed for the edge of the boat to rescue her. Before they could reach the edge, however, Blackbuck pushed past them, and cut the lines, pushing the boat back. It was over now. They could not get across and reach the boat.
Cadence was alone with Blackbuck, unable to move or use her magic.
"I'm gonna have a little fun with your sister, girl!" Blackbuck smirked at Twilight. He slowly walked towards Cadence, a sword in his clawed hoof.
"Armor!" Cadence screamed.
"Cadence!" Armor screamed back. He did not know what to do. He was powerless now to save his wife.
Twilight was just as scared. She frantically looked around for a way to get over there before she finally saw it: A long rope hanging from the mast. She knew what to do. She had seen Apple Jack and Pinkie do it plenty of times. She ran towards the rope, jumped up, and grabbed it in her mouth.
"Twily, what are you doing?" Armor asked before he saw what she was doing.
Twilight swung around the mast, until she felt she had enough momentum. Waited for the right moment,
One, two three...
And let go. She flung towards the Tartarus Runner, summersaulting through the air.
Blackbuck had gotten to Cadence. He raised his sword to impale her, just as Twilight's hooves slammed into him, knocking him back, sending him sliding into the wall.
He dropped his sword. Twilight raised it with her magic.
"You okay?" She asked her scared sister-in-law.
"Yeah, I am now," She nodded. "Nice hit!"
"Thanks!" Twilight bowed as she cut the ropes holding Cadence tied down.
Across the gap, Shining Armor sighed in relief.
When she was loose, Cadence spread her wings and prepared to take off.
"Let's go!" She said as Twilight leapt into her front legs. They held tight to each other as she took off. Just in time too. The earthquake was shaking the rock wall, and the large rocks were starting to crumble. Soon, they would smash the ship.
"No!" Blackbuck leapt up and grabbed hold of Twilight's hind leg, trying to pull her back down. "You're not getting away that easy!"
Cadence tried to take off, but Blackbuck was pulling them both down together.
At last, he pried Twilight from her grip, and the two fell down and hit the deck, Blackbuck pinning her down on top.
"I'm not through with you yet," He grimaced.
"Twilight!" Cadence cried as she hovered back down to help.
Twilight decided she would save Cadence, even if she could not save herself.
"Get out of here!" She snapped.
"No! I won't leave you!"
"Go!" Twilight used her magic to charm Cadence, and 'threw' her back over to the safety of the hero ship beside Shining Armor, just as her other friend had dealt with the pirates and had come over to try to help.
Finally, the rocks came down. One hit one side of the ship, which somehow made it act like a teeter-totter, and flung the side of the ship that Twilight and Blackbuck were on high up into the air.
"Twilight!" A chorus of voices cried as they saw their friend go flying off into danger.
At last, with a hard bump that threw Blackbuck off of Twilight, they landed on the slanted side of the rock wall. The platform went sliding down the slope, past row of sharp rocks and dirt and dead trees.
"Your precious friends can't help you now, Twilight!" Blackbuck snarled as he got to his hooves. He pulled out his second sword and leapt at Twilight, trying to slice her in two.
She quickly dodged to the side, then rolled to avoid a kick. She used her magic to pick up his first sword, the one she used to cut Cadence free, and thrust it at him.
He parried it, and began to dance with it, trying to get to her. Whenever he came close, she would dodge again and move to the side.
At one point, he pulled out a knife from his belt, and started to fight using that too, dual weilding it with the sword. He was so agile, graceful, skilled, unyielding, he would never let her get away.
She could not keep up or keep predicting his movements. At one point, he even got so close to her, he sliced off the top part of her mane, she could feel the air before her eye being cut.
She could occasionally get through to him and possibly kick him, but it was clear he had the upper hand, even though they were very evenly matched. And as long as he wore that dang necklace, her magic could not touch him.
At some times, she tried using her magic to lift rocks from the side, and threw them at him, but he dodge them with ease.
It was also hard keeping balance on the shifty, shaking platform speeding down the slope.
Eventually, Blackbuck whipped out his pistol, and fired three shots.
Her fear kicked in as the sound rang from the gun, and Twilight's magic caught the bullets inches before they shot through her face.
Thinking fast, she pushed them right back at the captain. But like the rocks, he was dodged them matrix-style.
"You know what I hate about you unicorns the most?" He snapped "You think you're just SO special with your magic! You think you're so much better than the rest us!"
He lashed out again, but Twilight dodged it.
"Unicorns with their magic and Pegesai with their flying! And no pony cares about the dumb old earth ponies. Nothin' special about them, eh? Well, it's time for a change! It's our turn to rule! We are smart, strong, hard-working creatures! We deserve this land more than you!"
"All ponies are equal!" Twilight snapped back. "The land is shared by all three species! We all live in this world in balance, love and harmony!"
"Is that so?" Blackbuck chuckled. "Tell me: What other Happy-Land lies and tales has Celestia filled your head with?"
"Don't you DARE talk about Princess Celestia like that!" Twilight charged forward in blind furry, blade in levitation. Parrying his sword and knife until they fell from his hand, and pinned him to the ground. She was about to stab him, but hesitated for a moment.
She stalled a second too long. Blackbuck's claws gripped her front hooves hard, cutting into them. In pain, she was forced to loosen up, and he managed to push her off of him, just as the platform hit another hard bump.
Blackbuck decided that without his swords, and his guns being inaffective against her, it was time for a change of tactics. As soon as he got to his feet, he leapt up into the air, and grabbed ahold of one of the rocks above. They were curved and pointed and aligned so that they formed a kind of canopy.
He leapt and swung between them with his claws.
Twilight dropped the sword for a moment, and her horned glowed hot. Magic beams shot out at the rocks, trying to hit the captain, or at least make him fall so that she could loose him.
But he was too quick and agile. He dodged every shot she threw with little effort.
Finally, he was close enough. He swung up, did a cartwheel, and dove down towards Twilight, kicking her in the stomach, and sending her sliding down, right to the edge of the platform.
She managed to stop herself from slipping off the edge though. She grunted as she got to her feet, her stomach hurting.
She looked behind her. A ramp was coming up, a rise in the slope, that would fling them off into a wall. She had to finish this fight before then.
"I told ya before, lass!" Blackbuck sneared. "No pony messes with the Master of the Seas!" He picked up a large log, and prepared to smash Twilight with it.
Twilight got to her hooves, a stern look on her face. That was enough. Time to end this. She had a plan. "And I told you before, Captain!" She snapped back. "No pony messes with my friends or family!"
Using her magic she grabbed up another large rock, made it seem like it was coming toward Blackbuck, who dodged it. She raised the rock up behind her, and plunged it down into the front of the platform, levering it up, and sending herself and Blackbuck into the air.
Blackbuck screamed and dropped the log as he went flying. His hat also fell off his head.
Still airborne, Twilight grabbed the log with her magic, and the hat landed on her head.
"Catchphrase!" She exclaimed as she swung with all her remaining strength, striking the captain, and sending him flying off into a dark chasm in the rock wall, howling in pain as he flew.
Twilight let out a sigh of relief. She beat him. She was exhausted though. She had no strenght to do anything else. All she could do now was hope she would land safely in the water instead of crashing into the rocks.
At last, the platform flew up the ramp, sending Twilight flying, and screaming, before a soft, slimy tentacle shot out of the water and caught her.
Fluttershy was raised up beside her on a similar tentacle.
"Hey Twilight," She whispered.
"Hi, Fluttershy," Twilight smiled at her friend. She looked down the tentacle. In the water, she could barely make-out a large, yellow eye.
"Hi, um... Frank," She smiled at him. She got a deep moan and a few bubbles as a response. "Thanks for catching me!"
"He said 'you're welcome.'" Fluttershy nodded. "You okay?"
"I could use a nap, and maybe a hot bath," Twilight giggled. "But how are the others? Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah. Everyone's fine. They're all back at the ship, waiting for you! Come on!"
And with that, Frank's tentacles took them for the swim back to the ship for some much-awaited rejoicing.