The Pirate Prince

Spike, under the alias Bahamut, had been conducting trade with the Kroks for a couple of days, and the corrupt naval officers were finally starting to see he wasn't going to leave. He held trust in Krokopatra and Krokotep, so they were outmatched in numbers.

One of the corrupt officers came up to him and asked, "You're the Black Rose Dragon, ain't you?"

"I've got business to do, so unless you're buying or selling, beat it."

The officer growled, "Listen runt, we were here first. You're not welcome here."

"Krokopatra and Krokotep beg to differ, I've got much better goods than anything a bunch of stuck-up naval officers can get a hold of." before taking out a deck of cards, "That being said, pirates aren't above gambling a bit. Maybe if your best men can beat me in a game, I'll leave."

"And if you win?"

"I take your money and trade dealings with Krokenkahmen."

"Alright, I'll get my boys, you get some of your crew, and we'll play some cards."

"It's a deal" before heading back to his ship and getting Rouge, Bonnie Anne, and Morgan.

When the card game started, Spike knew he had an advantage by having his helmet concealing his face. Little did the corrupt naval men know that their prince was under the helmet.

Another thing that the naval officers didn't know, Spike and his crew were secretly cheating. Twas the life they chose to live, there were no rules in piracy except for the Code of the Brotherhood, which he wasn't breaking, it was a poker game, nothing serious.

Bonnie Anne was able to communicate through telepathy and was reading the soldiers' minds. She may not be able to see what cards they had, she might as well be able to, considering she knew what her teammates had and how their opponents were reacting to their cards.

Spike sat in the big blind seat and betted 5,000 gold pieces, shocking the guards that he had that kind of money, as they never made anywhere near that with their dealings with the Kroks. Spike asked them, "What's the matter? Don't have the money to bet blind? Don't worry, let's just have some fun for now. I'll give each of you 5,000 gold pieces to finance this game, and when I win, I'll be taking it back, plus your trade agreements with Krokenkahmen."

The guards whispered to each other and nodded, "It's a deal, you're losing your own money, who are we to stop you?" before one of them put 2,500 gold pieces on the table.

As the cards were dealt, Spike had been dealt a pair of nines. When it was Bonnie's turn, she said, "I'll raise 1,750" before putting her chips in.

Rouge sighed, "Fold, ace high." before putting her cards down.

The first two guards also folded, but the other two raised their bets to match Bonnie's raise, as did Morgan. As the community cards were revealed, Spike noticed a seven in the flop, but there was also a four and an ace. He telepathically talked to Bonnie, "Any read on these morons? I've got two sevens."

"The scrawny one is as giddy as a 11-year-old girl, but he's bluffing. When push comes to shove, he's got a single pair." before telling her captain, "Even so, I've got a four and an ace, so this is a perfect hand, we've got nothing to worry about.

The naval officer asked, "Taking your time? I'm in no rush, but I'm all in."

Spike placed his cards down, "Three sevens"

Bonnie continued, "A pair of fours and a pair of aces."

The scrawny officer grumbled, "Son of a bitch, I hate this shit! I've only got a pair of twos!" before throwing his cards on the table and storming off, swearing like, well, like a sailor.

One of the other soldiers slapped his superior officer upside the head, "I told you Apple Specter is a terrible player! He doesn't know the difference between a straight and a full house!"

Spike chuckled, "Now, now, there's no need for violence, even among your own friends. I'm certain you can make a comeback."

As the game continued, it was down to Spike and the captain of the corrupt officers. The captain chuckled, "Even with that helmet, I still know what cards you have by your body language. When push comes to shove, you have two pairs, and neither the resolve, nor the patience to bluff me. Which states the obvious, I'm all in."

Spike rolled his eyes and said, "I'm all in, yeah, I got two pairs-"

The captain snarled in laughter, "Full house, queens over nines! I knew you didn't have what it takes! You'll be on your way now!" with his fellow guards laughing

Rouge pouted, "Well this blows, I didn't think the captain would lose"

Spike chuckled, "Don't count your chips yet captain. As I was saying, I've got two pairs, a pair of nines, and another pair of nines. That makes four."

As the captain's laughter faded, he realized he underestimated Spike and grumbled, "Dammit! We just lost every piece of gold we got from the Kroks!" before sighing, "But a deal's a deal, we'll hand over our trade agreements."

Spike cleared his throat before saying, "There's been a little change to the deal." before letting out a sharp whistle, as to which when he did, the girls surrounded them, preventing the corrupt soldiers from escaping.

The captain was shocked, "Wh-What the-!? Where did you all... Wait... The HMS Pinafore!? Then... that means..."

Spike removed his helmet and said, "That's right, you've been played. I knew about the corruption in the ranks the whole time, and now I've got all of you in one place. You're all under arrest for illegal trade dealings, conspiracy to move illegal products, smuggling, bribery, and coercion."

As the soldiers were put in shackles and led back to the ship's brig, Spike came over to Applejack and asked, "You ok?"

Applejack sighed, "Yeah, I'm fine. It hurts that my cousin turned on the Navy we both serve, but just because he's my cousin doesn't mean he's getting off easy. Let's get back to the castle to get them ready to face trial." before following Spike back onto the ship.

Spike sighed in relief, and said to himself, "It's a good thing the Marleybonians didn't catch wind of all this crap. We can't afford to lose them as allies against Valencia and Monquista." before walking to the brig and looking at the cell with Apple Specter inside, staring him in the eyes, wondering if he was really in on the corrupt actions. His eyes told him all he needed to know.

And so, Spike has lured out the corrupt naval officers, and in a game of poker, he's tricked them into revealing themselves. The corrupt soldiers have been arrested, and nobody from Marleybone seems to have noticed the corruption, keeping their alliance intact without risk of having corruption in the ranks. These disgraces to the Royal Navy are being taken back to Equestria to face trial. But Spike seems to believe there's more than meets the eye when it comes to Applejack's cousin Apple Specter. Is he right? And if Apple Specter wasn't in on the corruption, why was he at that poker game, and what was he hiding from them?

Find out next time!