I flickered to life at the light of a new days morning. As sunlight flooded into the room I slowly emerged from my bed and rubbed my eyes. I let out a big yawn and stretched my hooves. My mouth was dry and sticky from my sleep and I needed some water. I turned to the side of my bed and stood up on the floor. I walked over to the door and turned the knob. I pushed it open and I was greeted by the bright morning light. I shielded my eyes from the burning light.
After a while of standing there my eyes finally adjusted but I still had to squint to keep myself from going blind. I walked across the ships deck and walked over to the underpass. I walked down the stairs to the cabin. I turned right to the food and water and like usual I grabbed some water and a muffin or something for breakfast. I let out another yawn and looked over to see twilight emerging from her room.
Her hair was a mess and she had heavy bags under her eyes. She wasn't wearing her armor anymore. She monied on over and stood next to me getting food and water. I stepped aside as I took a drink so she could get some water too. She let out a yawn and started eating breakfast and took a drink of her water.
" good morning." I finally managed to say. " get any sleep last night?"
" some..." She said. " I stayed up late last night and read through one of the books."... Damn that was quick.
" your a pretty fast reader." I said.
" hmmm..." She said taking another drink of the water. She seemed to be warming up now and had become less hostile. She either accepted her fate or was utterly crushed with no hope yet... But I don't think it's that one, she has an air of leisure and normality about her... Like its just some other day.
" I'm off to the deck to see if there isn't anything to do." I said walking away. She just lazily waved her hoof as a way of saying have fun. I just smiled and rolled my eyes as I walked up the stairs onto the deck. I stepped out to the center of the deck and looked around. I walked over to the side and looked down over the edge.
It was a cloudless day and I could see everything for miles and miles and miles. It really is a beautiful sight. A sight that can even put an evil heart like mine at peace for a moment. I looked over and observed the landscape. From our speed it looked like we weren't moving at all. But the cool breeze against my face said otherwise.
I could look over and see the majestic purple mountain range. Bellow was a large forest area that dimmed out to a wide field with a few tries here and there. I could see a lot of the main roads running through the trees. I waved to the other side and looked over. There were more mountains but they looked like a crater in the distance. They were red and arid looking and the area around them was desolate and dry. It gives and nice dimension to things.
I walked up to the bridge and looked over and looked around. I could see that we were just passing by a small town. It wouldn't be long until we were past it and I don't feel like turning back. I left the bridge and walked over to the front of the ship. I looked over and I could see a small cloud city off in the distance in front of us. I looked over and I could see it was more than a cloud city. It was a docking station with tons of ships and docks.
But one thing I noticed that made me smile was that it wasn't a military dock... It was a bandit docking city. There were huge wooden platforms and high roses being held up by clouds so that non Pegasus ponies could walk and do business. I think I figured our next spot. It was a while away but it was huge. I quickly rushed over to the controls and decreased our speed to give us time. Then I rushed down to the cabin. I walked over to the cabin and knocked on twilights door.
" what is it." She said opening the door.
" get your stuff ready." I said... " where docking."
" where?" She asked.
" just get ready and you'll see on the deck." I said. I trotted off and walked back up to the deck. I trotted along the deck and over into my room. I walked in and started strapping my gear on. I tied my leather armor on and put my duster over it. Then I grabbed my hat and placed it on my head. I grabbed my mask, placed it on, and transformed. When I was done I opened the door and walked out onto the deck.
I used my spyglass to check on the docking city. It was still pretty far away and we were going slow now. I pulled out my spyglass and looked out over to the city. I saw that all the ships there wherein ate or bandit ships. I figured we could stop here... Restock on supplies, get the ship repainted, and maybe get a few crew members. I pulled my spyglass down and hung it around my belt as twilight was walking up the stairs onto the deck. She walked over and looked at the docking station.
" beautiful ain't it." I said smiling. She managed to pull off a little smile showing that she did intact have some emotions.
" this is blood run sky station." She said. " the most impressive and strongest bandit docking station... I'm sure we'll find plenty of pirates and cutthroats here."
" I figured we could rest up here for a day or so..." I said. " I'll get the ship repainted, get some more supplies, and maybe hire a small crew."
" with your kind of status I'm sure ponies will line up to get aboard your ship." She said. She seemed a bit overly positive about this... Which was starting to make me suspicious.
" I'm sure..." I said. " well we will be landing soon so I got to go bring her in and then we can get going." I said. Twilight remained unresponsive and walked back down to the deck. I didn't like the way she was acting... It's too positive.
I ignored it for now and walked over to the bridge. I pulled the lever forward and let a small amount of cold air into the balloon so that we could sink down the the docks level. Once we were lined up I unlocked the gears and took control. I put the propellers on full speed and we started flying fast to the dock. I watched as the huge floating city grew closer and closer. There were houses and large uprises. They were like houses on stilts and there were tons of docking spaces.
I looked around and spotted a good place to dock. I reduced the speed as we were close now and pushed forward little by little into the docking space. I looked around and saw our ship was huge compared to some of the others. Soon enough we were in the docking yard and I moved the ship down close to the side of the dock. I pulled back on the propellers and we slowed to an almost still position only floating forward a few inches at a time.
" miss twilight... The anchor if you would please." I shouted out. I heard hoofsteps below and the pulling of the lever. The anchor hatch opened up and the heavy anchor fell to the ground. It hit the surface below with a large thud and soon the ship was at a full stop. I looked over and we were nice and even with the dock and at a good level too. Perfect parking. " thank you miss sparkle..." I said. She trotted out onto the deck and I locked the gears of the ship and joined her.
I smiled and we walked over to the side of the ship against the dock. I picked up the cross board and placed it down between the ship and the dock. We both hopped up on the long wide board and walked over to the floating wooden platform of the dock. I touched the ground of the dock and took in a deep breath. I let out the breath and smiled as I looked around. I saw that there were a lot of bandits walking around and almost all of them were looking at me with smiles.
" I told you that you'd be famous here... After all you are the alleged king of the bandits." Said twilight.
" so I am... So I am." I said quietly to twilight. " alright listen up..." I yelled out to the crowd and everypony looked over at me. " which one of you low life's can repaint my ship... If I like it, there's a reward." I said.
" aye... Me and my crew can do it." Said one pony stepping from the crowd. He looked like a dock worker but his clothing was covered in paint which gave me a good impression of him.
" alright boy..." I said. " when can you get it done..." I asked. He seemed to almost bow to me and the others just kind of went on their merry way still passing a gaze over me.
" by the end of the day mr. Scar." He said. " me and my crew will have the ship repainted, the balloon dyed, and the name engraved and printed on the port and starboard." He said.
" that fast huh..." I said. " good on ya."
" what colors do you want." He asked. I already knew the colors I wanted.
" for the ship I want the wood to be black with a dark blue and red for the decals. Same with the balloon." I said. " think you can handle that?"
"Yes sir..." He said.
" we'll get to it boy... I'll be back by sunset to get a gander at her." I said. He nodded and turned to the crowd and let out a loud whistle.
" LET'S GET GOING BOYS..." He shouted out taking authority. A bunch of similar looking ponies rushed out from every corner and clung to the ship. I smiled and started walking down the dock.
" that was easy and efficient." Said twilight.
" I'm surprised too... We might not have to spend the night." I said. " but you never know."
We started walking through the town and passed a lot of shops and houses that seemed to all just be clung together. Like it was all just one large house stretched out over the whole city. We waved around and looked back and forth.
" so how are you going to start a crew." Asked twilight.
" I figured I'd start at the local bar... See who's willing to sail with me." I said. " I figured I would hire five ponies to fire the cannons and three or so deck hooves." I said. We walked around some more until we came across an impressive looking bar. It was big and it smelt of blood and violence... It's the perfect starting place.
We walked inside and I looked around. There were ponies sitting at the bar or tables drinking up their beers. Some were playing darts over in the corner and other were placing bets on a few games of pool. The smell of body odor and booze was heavy in the air. I could see it was making twilight start to dry heave. As soon as we stepped in all the heads turned to me and all ponies looked over at me with surprise.
" SCAR!" They all shouted out as they held up their drinks or billiard poles. I just smiled and tipped my hat as one seemingly drunk pony walked over to ,e and twilight.
" scar you crazy son of a bitch... You got us worried there." He said. I think I might have been here before... It would make sense seeing how easy flying a ship was for me. The time we stole those canterlot ships I just grabbed the controls and it was like instinct.
" do I know you?" I said.
" what!" He said seeming very surprised. " it's me... you're old first mate salt-eye sam." he said. the pony did strike some kind of uniqueness among the other rabble.
"ohh..." i said. "know i remember." i was lying of course but it wouldn't hurt anypony.
"so yer back into sailing are ye..." he said.
"yep... got a new ship and everything, i'm going to sail her out of equestria and start fresh..."
"i figured that's what you would do." he said. "heard the stories about you breakin out... crashing dreads ship."
"it was my ship first..." i said.
"aye..." he said. we both smiled. he looked over and stared at twilight. "who's the lass..."
"this is miss twilight sparkle..." i said. "she's my hostage and my insurance that i won't be bothered from here to the border."
"well miss sparkle..." said sam. "welcome aboard..."
"so salt-eye sam, how would you like to my first mate aboard the phantom shadow." i said smiling at him. he just smiled back excitedly with a grin of confidence.
"aye... that would be a dream come true." he said. "why don't we get some drinks... talk for a bit." he said. i just tipped my hat and we walked over to the bar. we got our drinks and went to the round table in the back corner. me and sam both got strong drinks while twilight just got some light wine. we sat down and i took a drink of my beer.
"so i'm going to need a crew." i said. " i don't have much right now so i figured we should start the crew small, something like five ponies to arm the cannons and three deckhooves."
"not a problem..." he said. "i'll find some colts and we can fit you're ship with scraps from the graveyard." he said.
"she already has cannons and ammunition..." i said. "we've got three months of food and trade goods which we can sell later." me and sam talked over the details for a while and twilight just sat there and sipped her wine not knowing much and how to butt into to conversation.
"i've got good connections around these parts..." said sam. "i can get you're ship armored up and ready for one hell of a fight by tomorrow."
"you can do that for me?" i asked surprisingly.
"easy..." he said. "but if you want it done fast and with magic then it will be done by tomorrow, if not then it will be done by the weeks end." he said.
"we don't have time to sit here for a week." i said.
"then i'd suggest getting it done fast... but it won't be cheap." he said.
"why don't you bring me to you're connection guy and we can discuss a deal." i said chugging down the rest of my bottle.
"if you insist cap'n" said sam "he owns the graveyard... we can meet him there." i smiled and we all got up. we left the bar and i followed sam down the road. twilight walked beside me and stayed silent the entire time. i checked my watch as we walked and there was still plenty of daylight left to burn. i looked around the at the huge wooden and cloud city. suddenly we came to a stop.
i looked over and saw a mountain range of broken ships and scrap. everything was dead silent and the air of death washed around us... i think i remember why they call it the graveyard. but before we walked into the wreckage there was a large building. we walked over to the large building and sam opened the door and me and twilight walked in after him. i looked around and the large room which was covered in ship memorabilia.
there were pictures and paintings of ships hanging up on the walls. there were a few ship-in-a-bottles lying around the place. there were also things like rope and barrels strewn about in random places and there was even a large ironclad cannon in the corner. i turned over to see an old pony sailor walked into the room. he had a white mane and beard with an eyepatch and sailor suit. i looked at his head and under his hair and old captains hat he had a horn sticking out.
"ah... evenin there sammy." he said to salt-eye sam. "need something fixed up or replaced." he asked.
"not today..." he said. " but i need you to armor up captain scars ship." he said pointing over to me. the old man looked over and our eyes caught each other. i smiled and tipped my hat and he smiled too.
"well i'll be damned..." said the old pony. "i never thought these old bones would ever get to meet the bandit king himself... captain scar."
"i need to know if you can upgrade my ship?" i asked.
"oh of course..." he said walking to a counter and grabbing some papers. "it would be an honor, just tell me what you want and i will have it done." he left the papers behind except for one and walked over to a small table in the middle of the room. he placed it down and rolled out the small paper. it was a diagram of a ship and it had different modifications and upgrades. "anything you want sir..." he said. i looked over the chart.
"i'll take whatever you got..." i said. "i want you to rig this ship to be the fastest and deadliest ship in the world." i said. there was titanium plating on the hull and balloon. steering and handling upgrades. cannon upgrades... you know, the works.
" my sir... you sure ask a lot." he said.
"and i can pay a lot too." i said reaching into my bag and pulling out a gold bar. the light hit the gold and caused it to glow. the glowing gold caught everyponies eye. "consider this as a down payment if you can do it fast." i said placing the gold on the table. the old stallion just looked at the gold and smiled. he then started to laugh hysterically.
"you've got a deal." he said grabbing my hoof and shaking it furiously. "i'll have her amped up by tomorrow afternoon and i'll be damned if she isn't the deadliest ship to sail the skies." i just smiled and tipped my hat once he let go of my hoof.
"excellent..." i said. "she's docked at 8-C... there are a few ponies painting it up now but i'm sure it'll be fine."
"oh it won't be any trouble..." he said. "now if you don't mind... i have work to do." he said getting the door with his magic. i just smiled and rolled my eyes. we all walked out of the building and then back onto the streets.
"where the hell did you get that gold?" asked twilight angrily.
"oh that... yeah i robbed a bank about a week ago." i said.
"you robbed a bank." twilight blurted out angrily.
"well yeah..." i said shrugging. "did you think i wouldn't rob a bank." i said. she glared at me with fury but let out a frustrated sigh and calmed down.
"i guess i should have expected that." she said.
"so sam... you're friend there... he seems a bit too... nice... to be held up in a place like this." i said.
"eye but he's gotten soft in his old age." said sam. "that there is ol' captain hawk eye... he could sink ships with cannons from miles away with deadly accuracy. they say his one good eye is actually more sharp than a hawk's eye." he said.
"so how in the name of hell is he going to gear out my ship by tomorrow afternoon." i asked.
"i don't know but he just does it..." said sam. "nopony ever seen him actually working but any captain that goes to him has had excellent results." i thought curiously for a moment and just decided to leave it be for now. we kept walking until we got to a large inn. i looked up and saw it was getting dark. "alright captain... i'll head out and get you the finest crew there is... five buccaneers and three deck swabbers." he said.
"we'll meet you at the ship at high noon." i said. "then we set sail."
"aye aye captain." he said saluting me. i tipped my hat and he turned around and was off. i smiled and looked to twilight. she remained emotionless and i just rolled my eyes. "lets go." i said turning to the inn door. i opened it up and we walked in. i looked around and there was a large bar over to the right and pool tables to the left. there were tables and chairs spread out and a fireplace at the other end of the room with a roaring fire. a few ponies saw me and smiled. i walked over and sat at the bar and twilight sat next to me.
"well if it isn't the dreaded captain scar." said the bartender as he walked over to us. "what'll it be for you and the lovely lady."
"something strong." i said.
"alright... and you." he said looking at twilight.
"just some water." she said. the bartender shrugged and pulled out a bottle of jack for me and a tall glass of water for twilight. i chugged down a large portion of the jack and twilight lightly sipped at her cold water. i kept looking at her and she remained indifferent and emotionless.
"what's with you..." i asked. "you've been acting weird, that are you up to." i said trying to get to the root of her problem and why she's been acting strange. "your acting strangely for a pony in you're situation..."
"... why do you care." she said.
"i guess i have been a bit too easy on you..." i said. "but you should feel lucky that i don't make you sleep on the deck during the cold night."
"gee... thanks." she said sarcastically.
"well if you're so thankful for the bed i let you sleep on and the room i gave you i'm sure you'll love me when i let you share that room with seven other grown stallions who aren't only vile bandits but have been working on a ship all day... who knows what could be running through their heads." i said taking a drink of my jack. that phrase made twilight freeze up a bit. her eyes shrunk a little but she tried to keep a straight face and just kept drinking. i looked over and saw the bartender coming back over.
"need anything else?" he asked.
"yeah we need a room for the night." i said.
"certainly..." he said grabbing a key from off the wall behind him. "that'll be 50 bits for one night."
"fifty bits!." i shouted.
"do you want it or not." he said. i glared at him and he just looked at me with an evil and devilish smile. i glared at him with anger... but then i started laughing.
"i was wondering when somepony would grow the balls to pull something on me." i said. "here." i said reaching into my pouch and grabbing a hoof full of bits. he tossed the keys on the counter and opened his hoof up. i didn't grab fifty bits, but only about 15 bits. i pulled my hoof out of the bag and lunged it forward into the bartenders face. he let out a grunt of pain and he flew back into the shelves of alcohol. he hit the shelf and fell to the ground. some of the bottles fell and broke over him... he was out cold. i tossed the money over the counter and grabbed the keys.
"what was that for." said twilight standing up beside me.
"he had the balls to swindle me... but not the brains to remind him that nopony scams me and gets off free... just be lucky he isn't dead... maybe." i said. "lets go... it's late." i said. i grabbed twilight and pulled her along until she walked beside me on her own. we walked over to the stairs and up to the upstairs hall. i looked at the key and it was to room seven. we walked down the hall and stopped at room seven. i unlocked the door, opened it up and we walked inside. i turned on the lights and looked around.
it was a decent room... but still only as good as an inn room gets. like the others there was a dresser, a desk, some carpeting on the floor, a drawer with a mirror, and a small window. there was a bed at the end of the room... only one. it was surprisingly big though. it was a queen sized bed like the one in the captains den of my ship. it could probably fit both me and twilight... maybe.
"theres only one bed?" said twilight.
"apparently so." i said. "i'm more than kind enough to share the bed miss sparkle... but if you don't want to then i hope the floor's cozy." i said.
"i'll take the floor." she said. she started taking off her gear and armor and i did the same. i pulled off my mask and returned to normal and soon after started unstrapping my gear. twilight finished before me just looked around the room and then out the window. i pulled off my duster and last i pulled my hat off my head and put it on the dresser. i looked over at twilight who was looking at me. as soon as i made eye contact with her she turned away.
she walked over to the middle of the room and curled up in a ball resting her head on her arms. i just smiled and rolled my eyes. i flicked off the lights and walked over stepping around twilight. i crawled into the bed and pulled the one comforter over me. i would have thrown twilight a sheet but there's only the one comforter and well... you know, she chose the floor... her loss. i turned over and laid my head down and closed my eyes.
i closed my eyes and started to doze off and i was getting excited about what kind of ship was awaiting me tomorrow. i was finally going to have a crew and my own ship. i know i dress and act with the whole cowboy routine and i think that's just who i am... but really. captaining a ship is much better than just running around. i've got my own crew, my own ship, and i couldn't help but wait until i get into my first battle that i can remember... to be honest i really just want to yell fire and have the cannons fire. i couldn't tell for sure but i certain that i was smiling in my sleep.
i had spent so much time dreaming about being the most feared pirate captain in the world that before i knew it i started falling back to life. i opened my eyes and i looked around. the room was faintly lit up by some light phasing through the curtains of the window. i looked over to see i was at the edge of the bed facing the wall, that's all i could see. i turned over to face the room but as i rolled over i hit something and it stopped me from rolling all the way over. out of curiosity i looked over to see miss sparkle laying peacefully in the bed next to me.
the next thing i noticed is that i specifically recall miss sparkle saying she would rather sleep on the cold floor than with me. i just shifted in the bed until i was facing her and the rest of the room. i looked over at the clock on the wall and it read '6:36'. it was very early and we still had plenty of time to get up and get to the dock before noon. i let out a deep way and laid my head back down. i decided i would rest a bit more before going. i scooted back until my back was to the wall that the bed was leaning on. i laid there and just started thinking about things.
i saw twilight let out a big yawn and roll over in the covers. she rolled over in my direction and right in front of me. she was so close that even with my head against the wall out snouts were pressing against each other. her hooves were pressed lightly against my chest and her back hooves were pressing right against mine. i could move back anymore because of the wall. i wanted to get up but i couldn't bring myself to standing up or moving... it just never occurred to me that i could do that. she slowly shuffled forward a bit and placed one of her hooves on my side. she stretched her other hooves over and pulled herself into me. she nuzzled up against me with her head directly under mine and her horn sticking up past my chin so it didn't poke me. she was hugging me like a big stuffed teddy bear.
my eyes shrunk a little and my ears fell to my side in awkwardness. i didn't realize but i felt myself getting a bit hotter and i felt like i was going to just break out sweating. i took a few deep breaths and calmed down. the feeling soon went away and i relaxed. i looked back at twilight and she was smiling in her sleep. she pulled herself a little bit closer and let out a cute little sigh. this was seriously weird... not only did i kidnap her and am currently holding her hostage but i've stolen from her, hit her, tied her up, taken her magic, tormented her friends, and dragged her away from home... yet she's pressed up against me like a big stuffed animal.
it is strange how some ponies act when they're sleeping. i laid there relaxed but still feeling awkward. the only thing keeping me from pushing her off of me was the fact that i didn't really mind her holding me like that. it's probably the only time i can remember that somepony had held me like this... i'm sure my mother has but never any other pony. she was soft and warm. i could feel her light breathing blowing past the fur on my chest and her heartbeat seemed like it shook the bed. i couldn't help but close my eyes and try to enjoy it while i can. when she gets up i can just pass this off as all her fault and say i was sleeping.
i leaned my back hooves out and they seemed to lock with twilight's. i pushed out my right arm and put it over twilight like i was pulling her into me. i kept my other arm bent and close to me because it was what she was using as a pillow now. i relaxed and started to drift off to sleep without even knowing it. i would keep slipping in and out of my sleep opening my eyes and checking to make sure we weren't oversleeping. every time i opened my eyes the room was completely still and exactly the same every time except for the hands on the clock. they seemed to pass by in 15 to 20 minute intervals.
i woke up to the faint sound of somepony cooing and yawning. i opened my eyes and yawned myself. i looked up at the clock to see that it was almost half past eight. i blinked a few times and found it hard to open my eyes, they felt very heavy. i looked down to see that the sounds that woke me up were coming from twilight. she slowly flickered open her eyes and took her hooves off of me to rub her eyes. i closed my eyes and tried to fake sleep. i kept one partially open and watched her. she brought her hooves away from her eyes and laid her head back down. when she saw that she was only an inch from me her head jumped back a little in surprise. she scooted back a bit and looked me over for a second.
she was looking around like she was confused or something. she looked up over to me and i tried to fake sleep. she looked me and i could partially see her through my partially open eye. she looked at me with confusion but not just that it was kinda like a look of interest. she didn't seem disgusted or put off by sleeping so close to me. instead she did something else that made my heart skip a beat... she just smiled. i smiled at me and crawled over a bit. she rolled up into a ball like last night and laid against me like i laid against the wall. i tried to keep playing asleep but this was getting weird rested on my bent arm and pulled my other arm over herself like my arm was the covers. now it was weird.
i laid there pretending to sleep for a few minutes to make it believable but before i knew it a few minutes had turned into half an hour and it was just over nine. i tried to think about why she is sleeping with herself pressed up against me... she hates the crap out of me. and to be honest i don't care to much about her. i can't wait till we get to the border and i get to kick her purple ass of my new ship. maybe i wouldn't be freaking out like this if i was forcing myself on her or if she had maybe just done this in her sleep... but that's not the situation. i watched her look at me, smile and then press herself against me and fall back to sleep. and i can tell by her breathing pattern that she isn't sleeping... she's just resting.
i decided it was time to get this over with and i let out a loud yawn. i pulled my hoof out from under her head and from over her side and stretched them out. she automatically noticed i was awake and looked over to me smiling. she didn't move but just kept herself pressed against me. though i knew what she did i decided to just play along and act like i didn't see anything. after stretching my arms and legs i rubbed my eyes and opened them up. i looked down and saw twilight who was looking at me with a drowsy smile. it wasn't a creepy sort of smile but a faint and kind smile. she didn't just stare at me with wide eyes either but she just glanced over me with her tired eyes... like how a wife looks at her husband when they get up in the morning.
"uhh... miss sparkle... what are you doing." i said gently pushing her away from me trying to keep appealing to my brutish nature. she backed away and moved to the other side of the bed.
"sorry." she said. "it got cold on the floor so i crawled into the bed... i'm sorry." she said getting off the bed and standing up. i lifted myself up and sat on the edge of the bed.
"thats... uh fine i guess... but care explaining why you were practically laying on top of me." i said.
"i'm so sorry... i must have done that in my sleep... i'm sorry." she said with a worried tone of voice like she had done something horrible... something was definitely wrong.
"alright i guess it's fine." i said. i stood up and walked over to my gear over on the dresser and twilight just moved out of the way as i walked by her. i grabbed my gear and started putting it on. "better gear up... we're leaving today." i said grabbing her robes and belt off the dresser and tossing them over to her. she caught them and put them on with a faint smile on her face... again, weird.
i pulled my duster over my leather armour and placed my wide brim hat on top of my head. i reached over and grabbed my mask. i picked it up and brought it to my face and placed it on. i burst out in a cylinder of black and red flames and i transformed. i let out a deep breath and smiled. i looked back to twilight who was just tightening her belt.
"alright... ready." she said. i looked over her and i noticed the gleaming sword at her side and a horrible wave of truth just washed over me. usually when i sleep i would lock the door to my room but we both slept in the same room. when i went to sleep last night i took off my mask to go to bed. at anytime during the night it would have been so easy for her to grab that sword or even one of my own weapons and kill me. realizing this my eyes narrowed and i started to sweat a bit. instead of killing me like she and most of equestria think i deserve she slept in the same bed as me pressed up against me tightly... there's something wrong... i could have easily been killed tonight. "are you alright?" asked twilight. i realized that i was just staring at her sword and i snapped out of my trance.
"uhm, yeah..." i said. "just staring off into space... lets go." i walked over to the door and opened it up. we both walked down the hall and over to the stairs. we trotted down the stairs and into the bar. it didn't take me long to realize that the bar was empty. as we got closer to the bar counter i noticed that the inn wasn't the only thing empty... shelves were cleaned out. i leaned over the counter to see that bartender from last night laying in a pool of blood and glass... i guess i did kill him with that one punch... sweet. the bandits must have looted this place while he was dead... they even took the bits i threw over the counter and the room keys... really? the room keys. i just rolled my eyes and placed our key on the bar counter and kept walking.
we walked out into the street and i looked around for the way to go. out of memory i took a right and we started walking down the streets. we turned left and right and i honestly had no idea where i was going. there were a few times when i recognized a certain landmark and luckily i wasn't repeating those landmarks so i guess as long as i don't we should be fine. we walked through the streets and i spotted a sign from the corner of my eye. it read: "C Docks" that's the place... we docked at C-8. i followed the arrow at the bottom of the sign and turned a few corners.
i turned over to the docks and saw the ships docked there. i didn't recognize any as mine. i looked to the right away from the ships at the dock labels. no wonder... we were at docking bay C-35. i let out a deep sigh and started walking down the street only bothering to look at the dock signs. i read each and every one out loud in my head until it became a mundane and tedious pattern. i hadn't even noticed when i started to get lower because i was just spacing out at this point. but i managed to snap out of it when i read the sign that said "C-8". i snapped out of my trance and smiled.
"this is it." i said.
"holy crap." said twilight behind me.
"what?" i asked curiously looking over to her. when i saw her she was standing there with her jaw on the ground looking straight forward. i was confused at first and then it came to me... our ship. wanting to see it for myself i turned my head and looked over and my jaw hit the ground too. there was even a crowd formed near the ship. it was the most badass and dangerous looking ship.
lets start with the balloon. first of all the ship is three times its original size and it was huge before. the balloon was a dark blue like the night sky with red and black details lining it. there was metal plating covering spots of it like i asked for. but the metal plating was spiked and painted over to blend in. the top had spines like a dragon. they didn't look dumb and over complicated but they were sleek and smooth. the back fins used for steering were kind of like the spines were they looked like dragons wings plated in metal. and in the middle of the balloon was a symbol that i admired a lot. it was a phoenix like picture that dripped down like it was painted with blood.
the hull of the ship was huge and just shorter than the balloon. it had double masts that connected to metal cage lines that zigzagged across the balloon and holding it firmly in place. it was hard to tell since it was all painted over but i could still tell. like the balloon the hull was plated with metal and it had grooves and details in it that made it look sleek and sophisticated. the main color of the hull was the same dark blue as the balloon also with red and black decals painted and carved into it. and the name was written neatly on the sign in large gothic lettering. "The Phantom Shadow.". aside form the metal plating the front of the ship had a solid metal axe like blade for ramming other ships into oblivion. i also noticed that it needed two anchors to keep it down now.
i started walking forward and towards the ship. all the bandits and thugs crowding around stepped aside so i could be with my ship. it was probably the most beautiful thing i've ever seen. i walked over and there was a large metal crossboard connecting the ship with the dock. it was big enough that three ponies could walk across it at once. i walked onto the ship and twilight did the same right behind me. i took in the sight of the ship.
the deck was finished with a slight gloss to prevent rain damage and splintering. the guardrails of the ship were thick and decorated square posts with equally decorated stands connecting all around the ship to the front. there were four masts that held the balloon up. by each one was rope to climb up and scale the balloon and there were barrels of gunpowder and triangular piled of cannonballs being held down by rope nets. there were places where the guard rails opened up and at those places there were cannons. the cannons weren't on wheels but were part of the deck itself. there were ten cannons on each side of the deck.
i walked over to the bridge and stood behind the controls. they were the most beautiful part of the ship. the wheel was a beautiful glazed black with steel gears and working but a beautiful wooden wheel. the controls were pretty much the same but instead of just one pipe running along the mast there were two on each side of the double masts. they ran up and connected with the balloon to let in warm and cold air. the same with every mast for faster rising and falling. there were cannons placed up here were two on each side.
i walked off the bridge and to the deck. there were two places where the boat dips down to the cabin. there were two underpasses, one not far from the captains quarters and and the other was at the other end of the ship behind the first mast from the front. i walked over to the underpass and walked down the stairs to the cabin. it was full of barrels of gunpowder and open crates of cannonballs. there was a division between the cabin. there was a wall with two open doorways divided by the third mast from the front.
i walked into the other half of the cabin and there were more crates of gunpowder and crates of metal cannonballs. other than that there was also a few hammocks hanging up for the crew to sleep on with some lanterns nearby. at the other end behind me was the crews quarters like before. i walked over to see them and they were much larger and with more appealing and probably more comfortable beds. i walked around the room and twilight had stayed back in the other side of the cabin. i looked around and i even saw twilight's books lying in a stack and one of them was still opened to the last page she was on... that old stallion is good. i looked over at the book she had laid out and noticed it was the psychology book she picked out. i smiled and looked at the page.
"Stockholm Syndrome..." read the title of the page. "a severe and unconditional mental condition were the victim of a kidnapping will fall in love with their kidnapper and express positive feeling towards him/her. this can be caused by a traumatic incident were the victim will force him/herself to accept or deny the conditions of the kidnapping. Stockholm syndrome can be seen as a form of traumatic bonding in which the victim often develops strong emotional ties to any pony who intermittently harasses, beats, threatens, abuses, or intimidates them..."
i couldn't keep reading. i quickly pulled myself from the book and started breathing heavily. i think that would explain twilight's attitude lately. she must have developed a case of Stockholm syndrome... and now she's in love with me. well i guess it can't be that bad. as long as i keep us distant enough and don't let her get too attached i can still just dump her ass at the border and be done with her. i started walking back and noticed twilight wasn't in the cabin anymore. i looked around and saw another staircase going down.
i walked down the staircase and into the next level. like the above there were barrels of gunpowder, crates of cannonballs and cannons. i looked over to see twilight over by some other crates and barrels. they were the food supplies. she was just getting a drink of water. i walked over over and she looked over as she was taking a drink from her glass. she finished the water and placed the glass down and smiled. i smiled faintly back at her as i grabbed some water too.
"do you like you're new ship?" she asked.
"it's incredible." i said between drinks of water.
"that old stallion did do a wonderful job... you should remember to pay him." she said. i know its not in my nature but i think that old colt deserves something good. the ship was awesome. the two bottom layers of the ship were mostly the same. each one had gunpowder and ammo for the cannons. along with that there were also weapon racks with various and each layer had fifteen cannons on each side along with the twelve on the deck. i also noticed that i have way more food than i started out with. i think it went like from three months to almost two years for an entire crew for a ship this big. in front of me was just crates and boxes of food being preserved by magic.
the bottom layer of the cabin was very open however so it would be the ideal spot to put cargo and treasure along with the top layer of the cabin which was still quite spacious. each layer had their own crew quarters. each one could hold 35 ponies each not counting the various hammocks hanging up every here and there. there were three small metal cages on the lower cabin which could hold prisoners. there was even a bathroom... don't ask me how that works because i have no clue... fucking magic i guess. all in all this ship could easily be bigger than three large houses put side by side. i know it sounds ridiculous but i'm not kidding you. the entire deck was about half the size of a track field.
i left the cabins and walked up onto the deck. i walked over to the captains quarters and it was a huge set of double doors. i unlocked them with a key on a key ring hanging next to the doors. i pushed open the doors and strung the keyring to my belt for the use of holding other keys. i walked in and it was like the living room of a couch. there were large bay windows looking out the back. they were thick with a metal grid lining so they wouldn't shatter. there were two large couches and the floor was carpeted. there were two doors on either side on the room.
i walked over to the door on the left and opened it up. it was an office. there was a huge map pinned the wall at my left and a large desk with a nice looking chair. there was a chest over in the corner but it was open and empty. there were shelves and the wine rack was next to them. all the wine and booze was still there and i smiled. i moved to the next door and opened that up. and like i guessed it was the bedroom.
it had a dresser, drawers with a mirror, carpeting a lantern hanging up on the side of the wall and a large comfortable looking king sized were pegs on the wall by the door to hang up my equipment and there was even a nice looking hatstand over in the corner. i smiled and closed the door to the bedroom. i turned back to see twilight still looking around the living room. i walked over to her and she looked over at me smiling.
"the ship is absolutely beautiful." she said.
"uh.. yeah... she is beautiful isn't she." i said.
"oh..." said twilight glancing over at the clock. "its almost noon... we should go and meet the crew." she said. i completely forgot. it's kind of hard to believe i've been looking around this ship for a few hours. i turned to the door and to my surprise that old colt was standing at the doorway to the captains den.
"how are you liking the ship captain scar." he asked slowly walking in.
"you have my gratitude... and i also have the rest of you're payment." i said reaching into my bag.
"you keep it..." he said. i seemed confused. "you've given me far too much already and an old colt like myself doesn't have any need for that kind of money anymore." he said. i just looked at him and tipped my hat smiling. he smiled back and walked away. i walked out of the den to see him on the docks now disappearing into the crowd of ponies gawking at my mighty vessel. i looked over to notice the crowd parting the let through my small crew of seven ponies and my first mate salt-eye sam. they all walked over to the ship gawking like the rest. they all climbed onto the ship and crowded onto the deck looking around. sam stood in front of me and the crew in back of him. as for twilight, she stayed closely behind me.
"i think you might need a bigger crew." said sam.
"you might be right..." i said. i looked past him at the crew he gathered. all the ponies were brawly and strong. they seemed like they had seen their share of battle and they looked like a respectable crew. they were all wearing armor and gear of varying kinds.
"would you like to induct the crew." asked sam.
"i think that sounds good." i said stepping back and giving the crew and i some space for varying reasons. without hesitation sam shouted out to the crew.
"INDUCTION TIME..." he yelled out. "LINE UP..." he shouted and the crew obediently lined up. he stepped aside and i walked forward in front of the line of seven ponies. they were all standing straight and with nothing distracting them or stealing their focus. no emotion, no question, no doubt they were going to be a crew worthy of this vessel. sam walked over and pulled the cross board up and and were no longer connected to the docks. the crowd soon disbanded and went to their regular routine.
"i can see already that many of you will make fine members of the crew. know that you are the first seven ponies to set hoof on this deck... this ship is without a doubt the fastest, deadliest, and largest ship in all of equestria and most likely the world." i said. "of course this will not be the limit to our crew... and maybe at some point we won't just be a large and deadly vessel... but maybe a large and deadly fleet of bandits and pirates alike." i walked over to the first pony and looked at him. "what is you're name sailor." i asked.
"buccaneer black mane captain." he said out loud. i moved onto the next pony. pony after pony i asked their names and they gave them to me ending with 'captain'. i walked back and looked over the seven ponies.
"if you think at anytime... no matter how well planned out or how numerous you're masses are, if you plan to cause a mutiny or overthrow me... it will be the last mistake of you're life... i'm not going to rule with an iron hoof... nor will i be greedy. simply follow my orders without question or hesitation and everything will be fine... when you are on this ship i am you're king... but i don't care to know or bother with what you do off the ship... but you listen to my orders and follow them to the letter... if i am not aboard the ship then temporary power goes to my first mate sam... don't defy orders, don't cause trouble, and don't die... do this and you'll survive."
i took a small pause and caught my breath. i looked over the line of seven ponies and they all looked forward. i felt like i had really achieved a position of power now. but it would feel better if i didn't have just seven crew members on this huge hulking ship. i looked each one of them in the eyes and i could see the loyalty and devotion burning inside the fires of their eyes. i don't know where sam got these ponies but he did a good job picking them out. this is going to be sweet.
"with that said...welcome aboard the phantom shadow."
-Authors Note: i feel like this might have been i bit too quick and with less violence that i'm sure some of you where hoping for. but it's important because this will really apply towards the later chapters. and i have been getting a lot of comments about how scar should realize that he's crimson. well ive already written that chapter and it will be posted in the future. but i'm still open to other ideas... i was hoping for stuff that could apply to any part of the story, like quests or something... something to keep the fire going. but a lot of you guys had good ideas... so that shows me that you guys are pretty creative, which is also a reason i asked... as a test to see how creative you guys are... and frankly some of you people should be writing stories... seriously... the ideas where that good... they where ideas that i hadn't even thought of... but that's the end of that rant... hope you guys liked it. stay shady.-End of Note-