((Greetings everyone!
So, this is the second last chapter of this Pirates themed Fan Fiction. I never expected it to get this far, so I'm kinda winging it from here on in. That's why it's gonna be quite a bad ending, like my "Crystal Ending" Fan Fic I made.
:/ Sorry about that. Thank you all again for taking the time to read my stories, and helping me out. After this one, I've got a choice to make. Either, I start on a Fan Fiction of a different series, or try to make an original story. What do you guys think? Details on which series I'd be doing a Fan Fiction on at the end of the next chapter))
Steven snapped back to reality with the sound of cannons being fired. He was in the Captain's Quarters of his current ship, "Sugalite", looking through his belongings. His mother's ornate shield hung on the decorated wall, like a trophy, above his bed. Map cases and books scattered the carpeted floor, from long nights of reading, and writing. The large, circular wooden table in the centre of the room had a large map on it, the seven seas of the world shown, decorated with deadly sea creatures, and superstitions, some of which Steven had met in the past.
A figure lying in Steven's bed stirred, and rose slowly. Connie rubbed her tired eyes, annoyed at her rude awakening. She and Steven looked at each other, knowingly, and lovingly. Steven nodded, before lifting his mother's shield from it's place above their bed, giving Connie a kiss on the forehead, and leaving their room.
All hell had broken loose on deck. Crew members were running left and right, pulling ropes and preparing cannons. He could see Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl all shouting orders and assisting the crew, working as one. Steven had always admired that in them, their ability to fuse their thoughts into one goal, one purpose, and trust each other to complete that goal.
A drop of water tapped Steven's nose, and he looked up, and narrowed his eyes. The dark clouds that had followed them from Beach City was right on top of them now, and pouring rain with all it's might. Something felt… off about this storm, Steven could feel it. It had followed them, it had shot lightning down, saving Peridot's life, and helped the Crystal Gems escape Beach City, almost like…. Witch craft….
Steven shook his head. No, he couldn't ponder such things right now. There were more pressing matters, like the large man of war ship gaining on them very quickly indeed. Steven could almost hear the screeches of the Yellow Queen, beckoning her crew to work harder from her throne. Steven knew, there was no way they could outrun them, not even with the aid of the storm. They had to fight.
As if they had been reading his mind, the Crystal Gems began to change their orders. Instead of sails, they told the crew to focus on preparing cannons, and guns. Steven felt big footsteps walk beside him, and he almost flinched at the uniform of a Four Queens soldier. Jasper smiled widely at Steven's reaction, amused. Her custom helmet, made from leather and steel plates was fastened to her head tightly. It was made especially for headbutting the enemy, and making her look as intimidating as possible, which didn't take much to do.
"Don't worry, Steven. We'll win this" She said, her voice the same as it was, all that time ago, when Steven first met her. Still as strong, and cocky, but with a new feeling of pride, and hope. Steven smiled wide. "Thank you, Jasper. I'm glad to hear you say that."
Garnet called out loudly, a cry of warning. Steven turned to see, and he felt his insides turn. The Yellow Queen's ship was right beside them now, and Steven didn't even had time to duck, before the cannons went boom.
It all happened in the blink of an eye, too fast for Steven to register it. As he heard the sound, he was already raising his shield instinctually, his body trying to prepare itself for impact. There was the sound of a gong being hit, louder than anything Steven had ever heard before, and he was pushed to the opposite side of the ship, and almost overboard. He slammed against the wooden railing, his back screaming to his brain in pain. Steven cried out in pain as he pushed himself off the railing, realisation of that which had just happened. He'd just blocked a cannonball, a ball of metal had been shot at him at speeds faster than he could blink, and he had stopped it with nothing but a glorified metal circle. Steven laughed a bit in shock, a brief thanks to his mother, and her superb craftsmanship of the shield, before stepping forward, assessing the damage.
The ship was more or less intact, with the occasional hole here and there. There was another loud boom, as their own cannons fired, and splinters rained down from the Yellow Queen's ship. The Crystal Gems where already preparing to board their enemy, grabbing ropes, and grasping their weapons. Garnet, with her heavy, metal gauntlets, that seemed almost comically big. Pearl, with her exquisite spear, a perfect blend of function and formality. Finally, Amethyst, with her whip, with iron spikes, weaved into its length, for extra pain inflicted on the sorry sod that gets hit by it. They looked life fierce warriors, together. The stuff of legends.
With a shared nod, they jumped from the Sugalite, swinging from ropes, towards the Yellow Queen's ship. For a brief moment, it seemed they wouldn't make it, that they were going to reach the end of the swing, and come right back, but just before they reached the end of their upswing, only a metre or so from their target, in sync, they all let go. Together, they soar through the air, like birds of a feather. Together they twisted and turned, so they landed perfectly on deck, and waisted no time ripping into the crew of their sworn enemy.
Steven heard Jasper yell out as she took command of the Sugalite. No one argued, no one objected, they just did as she said, adjusting sails and preparing the cannons again. Slowly, the Sugalite veered towards their enemy, till they were almost touching. All efforts on preparing cannons were halted, as per Jasper's orders, and the crew prepared to fight.
((Thank you all again, so much for staying with the story. It means so much to know you all enjoy reading my creations.))