Chapters "I still don't know why we have to do this," said a teal filly with a sound of displeasure. "Why do we have to sell fish to the griffins?"
"They are our main customers," said a stallion that was deep-sea blue. They were both fishing for the latest catches so they could sell the fish to customers on the mainland. Their main customer was the griffins, and lately, the father's son was getting tired of the trips. "They eat fish, we give them fish. It’s how it works, and it's how we are still in business."
They were sailing for two hours, catching fish as they go. It was high noon, and the sun was beating down on their heads. The young filly was growing impatient. He has been on this type of trip hundreds of times, hoping of adventure, but each time he went through the same old thing, over and over and over again. At least the bits were good from their catches. Today was different, however. The young pony will realize how wrong he was.
The young pony looked off into the distance, and saw a strange blip out on the horizon. As he looked closer, he gasped in shock and turned to his father.
"Look daddy! A ship," the filly said, pointing to the side of the boat.
The father looked and saw in the distance a very strange ship. It had two set of sails. Its hull was a deep-dark brown, and had a weird triangular shape. In the air, he could see a flag, and on it, was a skull. On the skull, he could see that there was flame coming out of the top. As he watched it, he realized something. It was heading towards them, and it was going fast.
"Son, turn the boat around," screamed the stallion as he rushed to the oars.
The two of them try to hurry and start to row away from the boat, but it was too late. The ship was already in range, and it fired a round, black ball at the small boat. It hit the ship's hull and the ship was filled with water in an instant. The ponies tried to swim to shore, only to get snatched up by, what felt like, fleshy, dull talons. They were thrown onto the deck of the mysterious ship. After checking if the other was okay, the two ponies now turned to see their captors.
They first saw the fleshy, dull talons that they felt when they first came aboard. They look more like big sausages then talons. Then they looked at the faces of the creatures that caught them. Most of them were tan, but they saw a couple black skinned ones as well. They all had varying hairstyles and color of hair. Some had facial hair, they noted, while others were did not. Some were completely bald. They were big creatures, they saw, and that they looked strong. It reminded them of the minotaurs’ that sometimes drop by the market. They also noticed that all of them were wearing clothing, which was odd, for very few races that wear clothing daily, much less all over. The most chilling thing about them was the evil in their eyes. They look like Nightmare Moon from the stories, which were proven true about 3 years ago. The monsters in front of them stared at each other for a couple of minutes, and then one of them came in front of them and started speaking.
"Look what we caught lads," yelled the big, bearded beast. "Two animals who think they be jack tars!"
Laughter erupted on the ship, and the teal filly got closer to his father. As the laughter stopped, the creature kept speaking. His words were like nails on a chalkboard.
"So," said the weird creature, who was obviously the leader. "Do you know what we are?"
The two ponies shook their heads, and looked at each other. The creature shook his head. The ponies both thought that he, and his crew were crazy, but they stayed silent for now.
"We be humans," said the man. "Or, more specifically pirates. Now you can do two thin's. You could die, or tell you blasted pony queens t' give us aft our land or else."
The two ponies nodded their heads simultaneously, and the man smiled.
"Good. Now, get OFF ME SHIP!"
The two men throw the two ponies off the ship. They both came down with a splash. They were underwater for a few seconds, and then the two of them recover to see the ship sail away. They waited until it was far off in the horizon before they spoke.
"What now," asked the little filly.
"We need to warn the Princesses."
.................................................................................................................................................................
"They be strange for t' be related t' t' old horses, now aren't they," said the first mate as the boat sped away from the two ponies.
"Aye, they be," said the captain. "And would have went t' Davy Jones' locker involuntarily those two, if t' grand master saw it better for them t' be alive."
"Do you think that they will pass t' message on? They be weird, and I think that t' Grand Master thought that they were smart. They don't seem smart t' me."
"T' Grand Master be said t' be thousands o' years old. He knows these ponies then any livin' man alive. They will pass t' message, and with that, we will reclaim our homeland in glorious battle."
"How do you know they will fight? He said that they have lived in peace t' same number o' years he was alive. They probably don't know what war is."
"Oh they will," said the captain, evilly. "Their lives depend on it."
Author's Note
This is my first chapter, in my first story. Tell me if I need to fix errors, or need to add things. Thank you for reading this.
Twilight Sparkle, the new, purple alicorn princess, walks down the halls of Canterlot to see her old teacher, who has called her to meet her to discuss something of great importance. It has been a year since Twilight became an alicorn, and since then she has been learning how to fly. She's not as good as most pegasi, but she has the basics of flying. She has learned new spells and has even created new ones that have not been recorded yet.
As she enters the throne room of the palace, she sees her old mentor, Princess Celestia. Her hair was blowing, even though there was no wind, and Twilight was always wondering how it kept on doing that. Her teacher smiled on her student, and motioned her to join her. Twilight slowly joined her, but noticed something odd. There were no guards. She pondered this for a moment, but Celestia was already reading her mind.
"The reason why there are no guards here is because I think this should be more of a.....private matter," said Celestia.
Twilight was about to ask why her teacher wanted to talk to her, but Celestia raised her hoof. Twilight realized whatever was going on was important. And with that, she stopped herself from asking. Celestia frowned, then spoke again.
"The reason I called you here," she started, "is because I fear that an old enemy has come back to life."
Twilight was about asked who, but her teacher stopped her. Twilight realized that it was a time for listening, and knew that the threat must have been big.
"Don't speak. It's a time to listen," said Celestia with a more sadden tone. "The enemy I speak is long before the discovery of Equestria. Before Luna and I were trying to heal the land from Discord's corruption. It was the time of the forgotten race."
She cleared her throat, and continued with, "Long ago there was only one race. The race called themselves humans. This race was both fascinating and horrible at the same time. They built great monuments, and created big cities. They made roads that stretch for miles, and were able to travel through the air, even if they didn't have wings. But at the same time that they were making, they were destroying. War, a much forgotten term in our land, was an almost everyday thing for them. They fought constantly, rather if it was for a small bit of land, or because one's skin color was not like the rest. They killed entire ecosystems; destroy millions of innocent creatures’ homes. They even killed each other."
She paused for a second to catch her breath. Her student looked shocked at what she just heard. She couldn't even think about a race so evil.
"Not all of them were evil, however," Celestia added. "They were many good humans who tried to help the world. But it did not stop the final destruction of them. One day, they launched an unknown weapon at each other that covered the planet with smoke and death. Luna and I saw this helpless world, and we help remake it. The surviving humans had mixed reactions to us. Many were grateful, and these became the first ponies. Others were unsure of us, so they became the dragons, minotaurs, griffins, and diamond dogs. Others, thinking that we were evil, tried to kill us. We turned many of them into changelings. Though, it seems that we were wrong about saving them all. Many were missing, and we had no idea where they went."
"So....so why are you telling me this," asked Twilight confused, and shocked at what she just heard.
"Because," said the pony's mentor, "they seemed to have returned. A few days ago, a couple of fishers were attacked by, what has been reported as, humans. If this is true then we have to expect the worse. Luna has taken the place of your brother and has moved the royal guard to the city of Manehattan, where we believe where they will strike next. I need you and the elements of harmony to find a way to stop the invasion from happening."
"We will try," said Twilight and she walked out of the room.
Nobody noticed as a cloaked figure created a portal behind the throne, and was transported to the main headquarters of the human raiders.
"Did t' story go as it was expected t' be," asked a big, white bearded pirate. He had a scar going down his left eye, and another one across his lip.
"Yes, Grand Master. The pony princess told the story exactly the way you expected, saying that humans were nothing more than evil demons," said the cloaked figure.
"Good," said the Grand Master. "Celestia hasn't changed a bit since t' last time we saw each other."
"So, tell me sir," said the figure. "What is the real story?"
"Well," said the pirate leader. "All o' it be true, expect for t' fact that we were evil. It was some insane man who launched t' missiles and went t' Davy Jones' locker involuntarily t' entire planet. Then, t' two pony gods came and forced everybody t' turn into ponies or some other monster. There were some lucky ones who escaped it all. I be one o' those men. We split up and went our ways, tryin' t' find a way t' get payaft on t' two criminals. Soon, and I mean soon, I shall lead t' charge t' their destruction."
Author's Note
My next chapter. Tell me how you like it.
"Sir, are you sure this is wise," asked the griffin sailor.
This was a royal ship of the Griffin Empire. They heard that one of the pony sailors was attacked by a fleet of unknown creatures, now officially, called humans. The griffins, knowing that the ponies were cheap when it came to the selling fish, acted immediately, sending out a royal ship. The captain being the griffin prince, Ravenwing, which was an appropriate name for him, since his feathers copied that of a raven. Ravenwing was one of the rarer griffins, getting a look from a bird other than an eagle. He was trained by the elite of the griffin army, and now he was off to stop the humans from attacking Manehatten, hoping to get a reward in the process.
"Yes, I do believe it is wise to sail out to open seas, rather than staying near shore," the griffin prince replied. "It is most likely that these humans, whoever they are, are going to invade from the sea, not by land. So, it is best if we intercepted them, instead of staying near the shore."
The griffin soldier thought about this for a second, and then nodded. He thought that it was a reasonable plan, and that it was most likely thing to happen. So, he went back to his post, which was in the bird's nest. He scanned the horizon for hours, but found no ship for miles. Then, near the end of his shift, he saw them. The sight left his mouth agape, as he called down, "Enemy ships ahead!"
The crew, preparing for this moment got their swords and shields, and ran to the bow of the ship. What they saw, shocked the living daylights out of them, that some even fainted. The sight that was before them was what they have never seen the likes off.
There, on the horizon, were about a hundred ships. Each one varying from the other, some having triangular sails, while others had squares. Some were big and powerful, while others sailed ahead of this with outstanding speed. Some had oars sticking out on the side, slowly turning. They could hear the sound of drums beat in certain areas, mostly on the ones that had oars. But all of them had one thing in common. They all had the burning skull flag, high above the mainmast.
The griffins had a choice. They could rather turn around, and hope to outrun the enemy ships, or to wait until they came close and attack. They calculated that, at this wind speed and the mass of the ship, they were no way that they can outrun the enemy. So, they waited several minutes until the first ship arrived.
At the very moment the first ship was side by side with them, and the first men boarded, they were doomed. The humans, were big and powerful, and could easily beat a griffin in single combat. The humans, were also very clever, and had a small device that sent invisible fireworks that killed griffins in an instant. They swarmed the deck, killing and slashing the unlucky griffins that were taken aback by the first wave. Soon, however, the griffins got a hold of the situation, and started fighting back. They flew high up in the sky, and then came down; swords extended, and stab as many humans as they can, then repeat the process. They were successful killing many of the creatures, but they were no match for their numbers. It seemed that, every time one of them falls, two replaces him.
The griffins, running out of options, finally surrendered. Ravenwing was unlucky however. During the battle, he was shot by one of those devices the humans hold. He's death was slow and his last sight of the battle was has brother griffins dying like soldiers. He had smiled, for he knew, that even if they lost the battle, those who died, died with honor.
The griffins were now lined up in rows, each one with a raider behind them. Their wings and talons were tied up, destroying a means of escape. The Grand Master appeared at the bow of the ship, and viewed the survivors. His look was of annoyance, and the griffins had mixed feelings of what is going to happen to them.
"Filthy birds," the Grand Master muttered. "They don't know who their master really is." He turned to the nearest ship and yelled, "Wizard! Get over here, damn it. I'm about t' kill all o' them, and I want t' know if I know t' griffins might be useful still."
The cloaked figure approached one of the griffins, and put a smoking plant under his nose. The griffin felt woozy for a second, and then shook his head, cleaning it up. The cloaked figure looked at the griffin disapprovingly, and then turned back to the Grand Master.
"They're worthless, master," he said. "They are no good to us, just like a boat is worthless without a river."
"Well then," the old man said, grinning with a hint of death, "me buckos will have their fun." He turned to his crew mates, and yelled, "Kill them however you like."
In unison, the pirates start killing the griffin survivors. Some had talons cut off, for a trophy. Others were not as lucky. The blood and feathers stained the deck, and the bodies of the griffins were thrown overboard. The deck filled with human cheers, as they bring down the flag of the Griffin Empire and replace it with their own.
The six Elements of Harmony, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, all walk into the main command station of the pony defense force. There they see the moon goddess, Luna, talking to one of the commanders of the defense group. Luna looks up, smiles, and excuses the commander. The ponies exchange greetings then get right to business.
"Thither been reports of a large fleet of ships heading in this direction. Me and the greatest military commanders have a plan that methinks will verily beat these monsters," says Luna, speaking in old Equestrian. She points at a map showing the general defense plan. "The plan is to hold off the first wave, whither we look for the leader of the invasion. We hope that this battle wilt end before eventide. With the commander found, we will send ye and the Elements of Harmony to defeat this king, or whatever they call him. Dost thee have any questions?"
"Ya," said Applejack, "How are we suppose to get past all them ships?"
"We have found a solution to that," Luna answered. "We are going to sneak you onto the main boat, while they are sleeping. There is only a small window of time, so don't take a goodly length to kill their leader. Any other-"
She was cut off by a Pegasus in his standard guard uniform. He panted for a second, and then said, "Princess! You must hurry. They have arrived."
.................................................................................................................................................................
The fleet of warships was coming from the horizon. They were dozens of them, each with the same burning skull flag. There was a beating of drums, and they came closer to the bay. Then, with one loud shout from a horn, they all stopped. They stood there like wolves ready to pounce on their prey. Everything was still for a second, then, with four large blows of the same horn, ships began to lurch forward. All of these ships that were going forward had the same design. They had big, square sails and oars sticking out of the sides. They had a beating of drums coming from the stern.
The ponies took immediate action. The pegasi started to turn the wind against the sails of the ships. The ships rocked for a second, but the raiders rolled the sail, and the rowing picked up pace as the ship lurched again. The unicorns started using whatever magic they could muster. They have learned new fireball spells, and were setting ships ablaze. The humans were clever, and stopped the fires as soon as they began. Twilight realizing this, redirected the unicorns to fire at one ship at a time. The strategy worked and the ships were slowly sinking. Soon, however, the ships were in shallow water, and the fight turned into a close combat situation.
The pegasi, learning old weaponry before the invaders came, started fighting back. They did better than the griffins, too much of the humans surprise. They dove into a group of humans, fought until they were about to be overpowered, then flown off. This maneuver confused the men greatly, for they never knew when a pegasus would drop down and kill them. The unicorns were using a hit-and-run maneuver, which helped the pirates gain ground. But, whenever they gained a certain amount of ground, the ponies would turn and set a line of men on fire. Several times a burning man will cause others to be set a blazed as well.
The fighting lasted for hours, with neither side really winning nor losing. While the ponies were killing several humans, the humans were slowly gaining ground. It was a bit after noon time when Celestia arrived. With Luna's help, they began fighting as well, causing many of the humans to run away in fear. The two alicorn princesses were killing several of them at a time, with a combination of magic and their own horns. The sisters knew how to fight against humans, and they haven't forgotten after those long years.
Eventually, the ponies were driving the humans back to their boats. The humans lost hundreds of men, but the ponies only lost about a dozen. It was when the last few hundred were standing that the retreat order was given. This was a long, loud blast from a horn that shook the Earth while it was playing. The humans yelled out, "Retreat," or, "Get aft t' t' boats if you want t' live another day." Slowly the human ships sailed off.
The ponies erupted in cheering. They smiled at one another, laughing at how the humans ran away, and happy to know that they were victorious. Twilight was the only pony not laughing. In the distance she could spot a massive ship, one bigger than the others. "That must be the main command ship," she thought to herself. Taking a telescope she looked more closely at the ship.
On the main deck, there was a white bearded man, with a scar coming across his eye, yelling at his shipmates. "He must be the captain," Twilight thought, and she looked again. There was a clocked figure that seemed to be calming the captain down. The captain, now calmed by the figure, nodded, and went through a door that went to the lower decks. When he was gone, the figured turned, and looked right directly at Twilight. She was taken a backed by the face of the figure, now clearly seen. There was a green tattoo that covered his face. She couldn't make out what it was. The stare was long and hard, and it made Twilight very uneasy. Then the figured turned, and walked through the same door as the captain did. The feeling of uneasiness ended, and Twilight turned her thoughts to the strange man.
"Did he see me," she questioned in her mind, "or was he just looking in my direction? What was that tattoo all about? Why did I feel uneasy by his stare? Are humans capable of magic?" She shook her head and smiled. "No of course not," she said out loud. "A human can't control magic. If they did, then why not use it?" She was going to think further, but her friends were asking her to join them for dinner. She quickly trotted to join her friends, not realizing the true danger of the man.
.................................................................................................................................................................
The clocked figure walked down the hall of the main ship, when his small amulet started glowing a dull, seaweed green. He shook his head in disgust and wondered, "When will he let me free you? If I was captain I would have freed you now. No matter, the Grand Master will not be in power soon enough."
He stood there, stroking his amulet and promising it that he will bring it the meat that it hungered for. The amulet stopped glowing, and the figured smiled. "Soon," he thought, "you will be free. And when that time comes, our enemies, first the ponies, then the pathetic humans I have to live with. Soon, my true form will be revealed."
Author's Note
I'm horrible when it comes to translating for Applejack. Any tips/links that can help? Tell you the truth, I use websites to find translation for pirate and medieval speak. Cheating, maybe, but hey, it's for a story.
