The Serpent & The Cidermare

by gryphon88

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Granny Smith, Sad, Romance, Original Character, Adventure
Length: 5743

An old mare's love story. Involves pirates, magic, and Sea Serpents.

The Pale Sea is an incredible place, just southeast of the Equestrian Continent. And there are those who will tell of a great Sea Serpent, seen many years ago, who would roam these waters.
Many disregard these tales as myth. One old mare knows better.
Accounts from the pair of diaries in Granny Smith's dresser.

Published 2013-06-13 06:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-06-13 06:30:01 UTC

Chapter 1

I had always ruled the water.

No other creature beneath the sea dared to cross me. I was massive, powerful, and in charge of the sea. Since I had been born, and till the day I die, it was always destined to be this way.

Serpentes Aquatica, but the more plebeian term is Sea Serpent. I am several thousands of feet in length, and my girth is that of the mightiest ships. I possess a skull large enough to house a large family of ponies. Sleek and handsome, my entire body is coated with the most shimmering of silver scales, and accented by long blue spines, which run from the corners of my jaw and the top of my head the my back, and all the way to the end of my tail.

My domain is the large round sea of the South, which I am told is called the Pale Sea. I was fostered in the shallow, warm waters near the continent, but most of my domain is as deep as the rest of the ocean, constantly fraught with storms, blowing in from the West.

I enjoy the storms. They give me the most pleasant sounds as they hit the surface of the water, and have the most beautiful clouds. I daresay those clouds are the second most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

The bane of my existence are the ships. Mostly ponies, but all sorts of creatures sail across the Pale Sea. It’s not the ships themselves I mind, for they hardly delve into the depths at all. It is really quite a noble endeavor for such powerless creatures of the land to harness the wind and brave the ferocity of my sea.

No, what I truly despise are the spears. It seems every time I show myself near these ships, some bastard gets it in his head that I am going to drown them, and they fire of volleys of harpoons or cannon fire at my side. Really nothing to harm me, but they do tend to sting a little.

Even when I help them from the storms. Their ship is capsizing, after thrashing about in one of the storms, so I slither over and do my best to tilt it upright again. Even when I save them, they do not hear reason. They just fire away as soon as I dare to show my face.

Although, sometimes I try to save a ship, and fail. The boat is just too far gone, you know. Then a group of survivors on rowboats make it to shore, and spread all of these rumors of the terrible Sea Serpent that was there when the ship sank. Rude, I know.

Why do I even bother with ships, perhaps you ask? Why don’t I just dive to the depths when I see a sailboat, skimming the sea above me?

Ah, to be the only intelligent creature beneath the waves. Seaponies are a myth, and whales sing a mindless song. There is only one reason I speak to these ponies, and it is that I am alone.

As I said before, I am the only intelligent creature to be at peace at the great depths. To thrive in the cold and wet and constantly changing world of the sea. My thoughts tend to stew and broil as I swim, and to be alone for such great periods can drive any creature mad.

So, I go after the ships. For every hundred that attack me or ignore me, there is one that does not. A pony who is sane enough, believe it or not, to realize that I am not trying to eat them, but instead trying to position myself within speaking distance of them.

My first successful experience with such a pony was a fisherman. An old stallion, alone in a small schooner, who sought after marlin. His name was Steady Breath.

He was caught in the waves of a great typhoon. His small vessel was sure to capsize. As the boat was tossed about, I rose underneath him. As gently as I could manage, I raised a coil of my body out of the water, directly beneath his daggerboard.

The old stallion yelped in shock as my spines rose out in front of him. Imagine his surprise when his tiny vessel rose into the air! Safely nestled between my spines, he weathered the storm, until waters were clear enough again for me to set him down.

After gently replacing him in the water, I swam around him, and positioned my head above his tiny craft. The old stallion was shaking with fear, but remained silent. No unwanted attempts at violence or escape, but he instead looked upon me with fear and patience, truly a curious combination.

“Hello,” I spoke. My voice thundered across the water and into his ears, a low rumbling voice that I thought suited my imposing nature quite well.

Steady Breath shook all the more violently, but still attempted to answer. “H-h-h-helloo oh great and t-t-t-terrible Serpent.”

“Do not be afraid,” I commanded. “I mean you no harm.”

“Th-th-th-they say that the winds of words blow no sails,” he replied, “and I believe your truths, o Serpent, but I cannot quell the f-f-f-fear in my heart.”

“Very well.” Wise words. “Be that as it may, I wish to speak to you, pony. Tell me...” I lowered the tip of my spiny snout as close to his boat as I could manage. “Why is it you sail my sea?”

“I fish m-m-m-marlin, Lord.” Oh, ‘Lord’. That was the first time anyone called me the Lord of my sea. Apt. “They migrate across your great w-w-w-waters twice per year, and I sell them at the local market.”

“Marlin?” I asked. “What creature is this?” I had never spoken to the ponies, and I did not know their words. ‘Sails’ I had seen on every ship that passed, but all others were new to me.

It seemed that ‘marlin’ was one of the names of the mindless fish that accompanied my in my sea. Large, but not sharks, with blue and yellow colors and a long spike on the front. I quite enjoyed their taste.

We spoke for an hour, I asked him questions about his habits, and he asked me questions about myself. My replies were curt, as I had no wish to tell of my life to a pony, but his replies were long and winded, thoroughly explaining every word he spoke. I stopped him when he began to speak of his land or his nation. I did not care to learn of the ponies’ habits on the land, only what might affect my sea, or the skies above it.

I thanked him for his time and dove beneath the waves, diving deep to the depths of my blue home. I was certain that my encounter with the ‘fisherman’ named Steady Breath would satiate my curiosity of the ponies for the time being.

I had little notion that their curiosity of me was just beginning.

It was several months later. There was another typhoon, and another sailing ship was floundering, doomed to fall beneath the waves and be lost forever.

I had no more wish to speak to the ponies. But by this point, my attempts to save the ship had become a habit, an interesting break to my otherwise solitary life. As the newly proclaimed Lord of my sea, I felt an obligation to preserve, as best I could, those who were to perish in my waters.

I successfully managed to right the boat, and steer it towards less turbulent waters. Before I could depart, however, a voice called to me from the deck.

“Lord Serpent! I seek an audience with you!”

The voice was distant, and I was already beneath the waves. However, since the ship had not attempted to harm me, I saw no reason to not grant his request. I circled the ship, and raised my great eye to this pony.

As I viewed him, he began to grow uncomfortable, a far cry from his self-assured proclamation. Likely due to my eye being itself twice again as tall as he. Despite this, he continued to speak with a steady confidence.

“Great Serpent, Lord of the Pale Sea. I have heard tales of your heroic endeavors to save the ships that pass your waters.”

That statement was ‘bull-hickery’, I believe the phrase was. Perhaps ‘bull-hoggery’. I shall ask Apple later. At any rate, this stallion wanted more from me than just a quick chat.

“Is that so?” I spoke with disdain. I did not like this pony.

“Yes, my lord. News from the lips of Steady Breath has traveled quickly. Recently you are the prime subject of discussion among the oceanside towns of our nation. Your opinion is... mixed.”

It amused me greatly that the ponies thought of me so often, though but one had spoken to me. “And why is it that you wish to speak to me?”

A devious smile played across his lips. “Well, my lord, several sailors give tell of your mighty deeds. Albeit, they argue over the intent of them. Several have claimed that you have sunk many ships, and others that you have saved just as many. I merely wish to know–which is the truth?”

I narrowed my eyes at the small creature. “I do not wish for death upon any being before their time. Though I but tend this ocean–I do not claim to control it. If the Pale Sea claims their lives, my actions could do nothing to prevent it.”

He raised a hoof. “Yet still you try. And sometimes you succeed.”

I snorted. “You test my patience, mammal. State your business or I shall depart.”

“Very well.” He cleared his throat. “You, my lord, are the most powerful being in this ocean. The Great Serpent, Lord of the Pale Sea, the Singer of Storms.”

I’m not sure where that last one came from. Apple tells me it is because of my voice, calm yet powerful like a storm. I do think she made that up, though. I digress.

The stallion continued. “As such, I believe, and I think that you do as well, that it is your responsibility to tend to this great ocean, to keep it safe from those who would wish to abuse its gifts. I believe this is a wish we both share.”

I was wary of the small equine, but his words rang true. The Pale Sea was my home, and I shuddered to think of its name slandered by those who would use it for ill purposes. “What would you have me do, pony? I see no one here who slanders my ocean. And I am not the one who speaks to ponies.” I ruffled my spines, making them flare out from my face. His tiny eyes turned to them and widened, to my satisfaction.

“I have no wish to speak ill of your fine sea, sir!” He paused for an instant, regathering himself. “But, on the shores, there are those who do. The Pale Sea is a prime trading route for pirates, sir.”

“Pirates?”

“Yes. Ponies who steal, that is, they take what is not theirs, and perform heinous crimes for their own benefit. They laud your ocean as the best route to escape their captors and profit from their crimes.”

This made my blood boil. Ponies, those little ponies, could never harm my home. Yet they did. They had slandered its name and my own pride, and I had been unaware. Twas an interesting thing–I cared not for what these tiny creatures thought of me before, but after having spoken to them, I came to realize that their opinion was seated in my mind. I had sought after intellectual company and I had found it, at the price of my own self-assuredness in all matters.

I snarled at the tiny pony, lashing my body about in the water. Giant waves crashed upon the sides of the ship, sending the passengers scrambling for holds. “My lord! Please!” The stallion whom I had spoken to called from the deck. “Allow me to finish!”

“And what would you say, mammal?” I sneered. “What words could you possibly give to convince me not to send every ship that so much as approaches my waters to the ocean floor? Hmm?”

“We could tell you! We could tell you which ships!” He cried. “That was what I came to say! I wished to seek your aid in helping me to take down these brigands!”

I paused. “You would tell me which ships?” I boomed.

“Yes.”

“And their actions? I wish to know for why I kill.”

“Yes yes of course!”

I narrowed my eyes at him. I did not trust this stallion, who spoke with such disdain, but his words rang true. I was deeply worried for my ocean.

I rose the coils of my body as far out of the water as I could manage, to tower high above these pony ships and make them know that they were at my mercy. I bared my fangs in a twisted grin, my snout pointed directly at the small pony.

“Very well.”

I must stop, now. This recollection weighs heavy upon my mind.

Chapter 2

And so, for a short period, I was a terror.

The stallion, who’s name I learned was Shifty Business, explained to me the procedure. He would sail out to me once per week, with a shipping manifest of that week’s boats. He would point out the pirate’s ships, and at what tide they would depart. He would also mark the boats with fish blood, to make certain I was sinking the correct one.

The first week was not difficult. I approached the boats, silently, and determined that they were, in fact, the marked ships. This was not difficult, as they were typically the only vessels upon the tide at that time.

Then I crushed them. Sending a length of my body sweeping into it, or crashing down on top of it, did no more harm to me than crushing an egg might to a pony. The wicked pirates died, the ships were vanquished, and the Pale Sea was that much closer to being free of the slanderous scourge.

At the beginning of the second week, Shifty Business approached, and looked fit to burst. “What is this?! I have been hearing that you’ve been destroying the ships?! And all of the cargo?!”

I eyed him warily. “And!?” My voice echoed across the water, rattling the windows of the boats and the bones of those upon them. “These pirates are a scourge. I will destroy them efficiently and without hesitation.”

Shifty, much more deferential now, responded. “But of course my lord! I...” He bit his lip for a moment. “I merely meant to convey, perhaps, to keep the ships intact? The goods onboard belong to the good ponies who have been robbed! The ships themselves, as well! It is all well and good to punish those at fault, but good ponies need this cargo to survive, and use your sea for good!”

I thought on his words for a moment. “Very well.”

He sighed, smiling in relief. “Thank you, my lord.”

“This cargo... it would be foolish to not make it waterproof for your journeys, correct? I could submerge these ships for an hour or so, then return them to the surface.” I thought it a sensible plan.

“Erm, well, no, my lord. Much of the cargo is sealed below decks, protected from the spray of the ocean, but not from the pressure of being submerged. Perhaps you could...” He gestured upwards. “Upend the ships? The passengers would fall, but the cargo would remain unharmed.”

I nodded. “Very well. You shall have your ships. I will set them adrift once they are liberated, you must recapture them yourselves.”

Shifty’s smile could not have gotten any wider. “Wonderful! Thank you, my lord. Shall we go over this week’s schedule?”

For months, I followed the direction of Shifty Business, upending ships and shaking them loose. Dozens of ponies would fall from each ship, plummeting to the water below to swim for their lives. I let them swim. They would not reach land.

Occasionally, some of the ponies would survive. A few ponies soared into the air, high into the sky, like birds. Only surprising me once, I quickly dealt with these interlopers with a lashing of my tail. None more escaped.

Still others would utilize colored light, coming from a horn on their foreheads, to save themselves. They used various methods, from crafting boats of the light, to merely blinking out of existence. All but the latter I could easily deal with. No amount of skill or speed could allow me to do away with the disappearing pirates, a fact which bothered me immensely.

Shifty himself grew more and more self-assured, daring more and more to speak to me with authority. A quick show of dominance typically quelled his attitude, but less and less so, every time we met.

Once, he came to me, sailing upon one of the finer ships I had reclaimed from the pirates. After asking after it, he claimed that the owners were wealthy merchants, who had already purchased another vessel. They had allowed him to keep the one that had been reclaimed.

Like a fool, I believed all of his lies. It was only by sheer chance that I saw the error of my ways.

The S.S. Marauder. A noble ship, primarily used for transporting passengers, as well as the occasional load of valuable goods. I was scheduled to see it to its doom on a Tuesday, that is, the day following the time of the week when Shifty Business and I discussed the schedule, which I was told was a Monday.

I waited until the Marauder was in deep water, too far from shore for survivors to make for land. I then took the vessel within my maw, and held it high, upside-down, and shook, watching the ponies tumble into the waves.

I recognized one.

Steady Breath. The old stallion, the fisherman, who had been kind to me, and answered my questions, albeit with fear. He was upon this vessel? This, this pirate’s ship? I could not believe it.

In fact, I did not. I replaced the ship in the ocean, afloat. I then swam away from the vessel, then back, rolling my body through the water expertly. I rose a great wave from the surface, rolling the drowning ponies into its bulk, to crash upon the deck of the ship, and be deposited safely there. I repeated this process several times, until every pony within my sight had been replaced in the Marauder.

I rose my head to the deck of the boat, peering down upon it with my great eye. The ponies were struggling to their hooves, coughing. Injured, but otherwise whole. No deaths.

Several of them screamed as I brought my face to them. I saw many scramble for weapons, but their cold and damp state rendered them incapable warriors.

“Silence!” I boomed. All commotion on board ceased, as every eyes was trained upon me. “I wish to speak to the Fisherman, Steady Breath.”

“Here.” A shaky, strained breath called out. I saw Steady raising slowly, coughing into his fetlocks with a sickening hack. “I am here, Serpent. Speak what you will.” He spat his words from his mouth.

“Why do you serve a pirate vessel? I thought you to be a fisherman only.” It only then began to dawn on me that I had been betrayed, that I had made a most terrible mistake.

He laughed. His voice hacked and his body shook, but he laughed anyway. The kind old stallion, mocking me with a noble act of defiance. “A pirate ship? You think this a wretched pirate ship? You are a lord, Serpent, but you are a fool. I would wager that you have never destroyed a pirate vessel in your entire life.”

I hesitated. What trickery was this? I paused a moment before telling the stallion of my agreement with Shifty Business.

Steady only laughed again. “Well, now I’m certain. Age doesn’t make for wisdom, of that I now know. How old are you?”

At the time, 608.

“That is none of your concern. Now tell me, how have I been played for a fool?”

“Why...” He paused, coughing again. Water splashed onto the deck from his lungs. “Why would pirates, who by their nature need to be stealthy and unpredictable, have a schedule?”

I did not know these things of pirates. Come to think of it, I had little knowledge of pirates at all, other than that they were thieves and murderers. I had assumed that Shifty stole the schedule from a pirate lord somewhere, each week.

“But the best part, Serpent,” Steady smiled, and looked up at me, sadly. His voice no longer bore the scathing bite it had before. “The best part, is that what better tool for a pirate to have, than a giant Sea Serpent, who murders innocent ponies, and saves their ships for the pirates to take at their whim?”

My great eyes widened.

My body began to shake with rage.

And in my fury, I let out a great roar, that slammed into the boat before me and caused the ponies to clutch their ears. The waves shook, the ocean trembled, and my rage could not be contained.

I immediately dove beneath the waves, to seek out and destroy Shifty Business, wherever he may be. At any cost.

As I had mentioned before, this occurred on a Tuesday. I met with Shifty on Mondays.

I could not locate his vessel that day, or the day after, or the day after. There were many vessels upon the see, but only a close examination could determine which belonged to this traitorous fiend. I was sorely tempted to destroy all vessels I could see, but the face of Steady Breath filled my mind, pity and anguish written upon his brow, and I could not.

For a week, I did nothing but search. A week, I did not destroy the ships I had been told to, and for a week, Shifty Business was allowed to suspect my sudden enlightenment.

Would he confront me? Would he truly be so arrogant as to believe more of his lies cold save him?

As I would discover, I was once again the fool. Shifty Business was always prepared.

Finally, Monday once again came, and I went to the spot in the sea where we would meet. I saw his vessel glide through the water, winds billowing, towards me. I longed for nothing more than to destroy his ship as soon as it was within my reach, but I controlled myself. I wanted him to know how his destruction was brought about.

And of course, I was going to make a show of it. I swam in great circles around his vessel, coiling myself and not holding back. Great waves began to rise along my back, and the ship began to dip, slightly, as I caused a shallow vortex. As it spun wildly, I could hear the startled yells of the sailors onboard.

I stopped swimming in circles, and rose myself out of the water. I rose the coils of my body as high as I could, bringing my head many hundreds of hooves into the air. I descended upon the deck with a furious expression upon my face, hundreds of gallons of water splashing off of my muzzle and onto the deck below.

“SHIFTY BUSINESS.” My voice roars across the sails, rattling the walls and deafening the ponies onboard. “SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME, COWARD. SPEAK YOUR LAST WORDS BEFORE I KILL YOU.”

I was sorely tempted to knock the smug stallion into the water as soon as he rose from the hold, but I held my fury. He waltzed onto the deck, looking far too pleased with himself.

“My lord!” He cried. “You did not sink the ships! May I ask why? Have you decided you like pirates sullying the good name of your grand sea?”

“Do not play games with me, mammal,” I growled. “I am here to destroy you for your deceit. Speak, or I shall be done with you now.”

He shrugged. “Very well. Allow me to ask you a question, Lord Serpent.” He traipsed around the deck, nodding to several of his crewmates. “Why are you the Lord of this ocean? What makes you, a creature of flesh and blood, the warden of such a force of nature?”

“I am not the warden of this sea, pony, she is of me. I am the Lord of the Pale Sea as a devoted servant, not as a cruel master.” I sneered. “Something you cannot hope to understand. Devotion to a cause greater than your own pride.”

He nodded. “My pride may be my weakness, yes. But it is also yours. Whether pride of the sea or pride of yourself, it matters not.” He glared up at me, a daunting task for one so insignificant.

“It has caused you to lower your guard. NOW!”

All of the crew with Shifty Business began to glow, from atop their heads. They were all themselves the horned ponies I had seen earlier, and the light was... bright.

The glowing aura began to cloud my vision. With a start, I realized that the bizarre power of the ponies was encasing me, shimmering over me from head to tail. It was weak at first, faint, but as the ponies continued it grew stronger, until it was shining as brightly as the stars themselves.

Angrily, I attempted to lash out, to cease Shifty’s malicious power. But the strange shimmer of the ponies’ horns sapped my strength, leaving me weary.

I rose more out of the water, until I was no longer submerged at all.

I felt distorted. Numbed, and deafened.

Past that moment, there is a fog.

Noise.

Noise, as great as a storm, but ugly, cacophonous and crude. My body felt... coiled up, but not so. It was a short distance from my head to my tail, and I could feel a hard, damp surface, pressed against one side of my body.

With a start, I realized I was no longer submerged. My eyes flung open and I desperately tried to move, to gain bearings on my surroundings.

Everything was all wrong.

My body was wrong, primarily. As opposed to the long, coiling body I knew and mastered, with spines adorning every crevasse, I was short, stumpy, and dry. Long portions of my body stuck out from me, I had limbs. The back half of my body was stout, like a barrel, and I was covered in hair. Every inch of my body, coated in a short, grey-colored fuzz. Replacing the long, graceful spines along my back was a dark blue mane, clumped and flaccid, sprawled about my face and covering my eyes.

As I attempted to move, I merely managed to flail about the deck, landing again on my side as I attempted to move my uncoordinated and unpracticed body.

For that’s what it was. The deck of Shifty Business’ ship.

I was a pony.

The noise that had filled my ears (my ears now long, sticking from my head) since the moment I had awoken returned, with renewed vigor. A hoarse voice called out from the crowd (for that is what it was, a crowd of ponies) to say “Ey, lookee here lads, the fish is awake!”

With some effort, I turned my head towards the sky. I saw dozens of ponies, all the ones upon the ship, above me. The towered over me like sentinels, their faces twisted in cruel mockery.

The sky was so bright. I had trouble thinking straight.

“Somepony go get th’ captain.” A younger pirate galloped down the deck, towards a door there. The sound of his hooves upon the deck echoed in my head. “An’ nopony touch it! The captain gave special orders.”

The crowd of ponies grumbled, but none protested. I attempted to focus my eyes, get a handle on where I was. Thoughts labored through my mind, steadily increasing in pace as my wits returned about me.

I am a pony.

I narrowed my eyes, once again trying to move myself. My new limbs spasmed in every direction, unsure of how to properly function. Thoughts were piecing themselves together in my mind, as every instant made me more and more lucid.

I am a... pony.

What is a pony. Small things, stomping around on ships. Some nice, some not so nice. I was one now? Was that why I couldn’t move?

I... have been turned into a pony.

Ponies, ponies... Steady Breath. Shifty Business. Pirates. Sailors. All kinds of-

The reality of the situation hit me like a sack of bricks. My eyes widened as a terrible cry tore from my lips, echoing across the deck. Rage, unlike anything I have ever felt, poured from my mind and into every inch of my new, dysfunctional form.

Many of the ponies stepped back as my call rang out. It was little consolation to know my voice still carried such weight.

A shadow fell over me, as another pony walked forward, daring to step within my reach (a feat none others were willing to risk). “Why, hello, my lord.”

Still unable to move, words found purchase at my lips. “You.” My voice was ragged, and shallow. I had little energy.

Shifty Business smirked. “Yes, that’s right.” He grinned, looking down at me with a malicious glint. “Look at you. Lord of the Pale Sea, a quivering mess upon my ship. I suppose I should feel honored, in a way.”

I tried to respond but could not. I lay, silent but for the ragged gasps of my breath. He continued, unabated. “I suppose you have figured out, Serpent, that I am not the honest stallion I claim to be, oh no!”

He was positively strutting at this point, eager to drive his point home. “I am a pirate, you see. I suppose I was the king of pirates, even, for I had the Lord of the Sea under my command. Any vessel I deemed a desirable target, I could merely set him upon, like a hound to a fox.” He chuckled. “And all it took were a few pretty words.”

He bent down close to me. “And now, I suppose my dear Serpent, I am no longer the king of pirates, for I no longer have a mighty serpent with which to sink my ships.” He shook his head. “Oh no, but what I do have is far better. For I have beaten the Lord of the Sea, and hence, take your title.”

He landed a swift kick to my stomach. I doubled over, crouching in a manner I was unused to. No more could I coil myself, I was limited to an oblique form of bending. The pain sent stars in front of my eyes, and bile to my throat. The sailors laughed, but I could not bring myself to oppose them. The pain was too much.

“Now I am Lord of the Pale Sea!” Shifty smiled, raising a hoof to the sky as he looked out upon the waves. “You’ve done your job, I suppose.” He nodded to the other ponies, who chuckled. “After the show you’ve made, there are no more who dare to defy me. That shipping vessel was to be the last ship. Oh, sure,” He grimaced. “It’s been a chore keeping those ponies silent. But very much worth it.”

He lowered himself close to me once again, and I was coherent enough to look him in the eye, my rage burning within me. “Worth it,” he continued, “to see you fall from such a high place, and for me to take my rightful pl-“

I bit his snout, biting as hard as I could. In this odd pony body, I could taste the blood seeping from his skin as I dug my teeth into his flesh. He cried out in pain, jumping backwards with alarm. I refused to let go, and was pulled along with him, dragging him to the ground.

I wasn’t coordinated enough to put up a decent fight, but I made sure he felt it. I felt hooves, pressing into my sides, pulling me off of him. I pulled off bits of skin into my mouth as they pulled, dragging me off of Shifty Business forcefully.

The ponies held me in a semi-upright position, caught by the limbs closest to my head (arms) and the others (legs) dangling uselessly. My head, overly-large and bulky, hung by my tiny neck over the mass of my body. I craned my neck, looking upwards.

For the first time, I could perceive myself on the deck of the ship, atop the waves, not gliding beneath and above them. I looked out upon the shining surface, still beautiful, as it graced the backdrop of my sight. Shifty Business was in the foreground, braced against the rail, a hoof pressed to his bloody snout. He glared at me angrily.

Shifty stormed up to me, seizing my jaw with one hoof, pressing my forehead against his. “Now you listen to me. You are only alive because you may be of use in the future. However, it is entirely improbable. It is much much much more likely that you will ROT in a tiny little jail cell for the rest of your natural life, however long or short that might be.”

I looked him in the eye. With all my willpower, I forced words to my unfamiliar lips. “And when I am liberated I will kill you, filth.”

Shifty snarled, tossing my head away with the flick of his wrist. “Raise the sails!” He called. “Make for the Bedlam Docks!”

All of the ponies scurried to their positions, save for the two who held me. I gave every effort to attempting to remain conscious, but pain and fatigue plagued me. As the white sheets climbed the masts, my vision faded to black.

And when next I would awaken, I would hear singing. But my first encounter with Apple shall have its own entry.