A Skyrate Tale: Servant Betrayed

Chapter 5

Here's Jacky! Wait What?!

The main cannon of the Flickerjack II came into view as Nova approached the large skyrate ship.  The deck of the ship was loaded with the crew's latest haul. Nova nearly had to do a double takes as she caught sight of several chests of bits, rolls of rugs and there was even a marble statue of Celestia.

Landing with a soft thud on the deck of the ship she began looking around.  The stairs down to the crew quarters was dark so nopony was there, which made sense since all the crew was at her party.  Turning she would see that the door to the captain's quarters was slightly ajar and the lights were bright.  Grinning to herself, Nova sank to the ground and started scooting herself across the floor towards the door.

This made her feel like a young filly again, she had done this thing several times when on the ship in her youth.  This time would work she was sure, she had the added advantage of wearing lunar guard armor.  Which shrouded her with shadows when in the dark, how? Heck if she knew she just wore the armor.

"Oh Ho! I got you now you lil bugger come give Jackie a kiss"  The sound of things falling to the ground and breaking filled the air as she approached the captain's room.  "come on stop playing hard to get!"  More crashing followed by the sound of a rubber duck? Shaking her head she continued to the doorway.

Without any warning she burst into the room and flared her wings.  "Hey captain!"  Expecting to catch her friend Jack unawares she looked around the room trying to find his hiding spot.

The room was empty.

The room was empty? Looking around again it didn't make sense she just heard them in here.  "SURPRISE!"  Jack popped out of nowhere, literally nowhere and with a large party shaped cannon. Said cannon was being used to shower her in confetti.  Nova however didn't know any of this as she was flat on her back having what was surely a heart attack, she had forgotten the basic rule of Jack.  Expect the unexpected.

"Oh stop being so melodramatic Nova my dear it wasn't that bad, honestly I've done much much better"  He paused and looked passed her and pointed with mouth wide open. "Look behind you it's another surprise!"

Rolling her eyes she shook her head and looked at Jack. "Oh yeah like I am gonna fall for that one again, the last time you did that I turned and saw nothing then turned back and you pied me in the face"  Jack only snickered at the memory and continued pointing.

"Really Nova you should~" Came a voice directly behind her.

"Eeep!" She flew straight up and clung to the ceiling like a cat, knees shaking and all.  From below she heard thumps which were swiftly followed by laughs as Jack and Night Sky fell to the floor laughing.

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Several minutes after apologizing and trying make up for themselves...

"Right then Nova my dear Pegasus I believe congratulations are in order!"  Reaching over Jack pulled a rope on a rope that had mysteriously appeared and 'BOOM'.  A large explosion came from over head and covered everypony in the room with black soot. "Drats that didn't go as planned at all not in the least.  Drawing his trench coat close he sped off out of the room, leaving Nova and Night Sky standing there blinking.

Being the first one to move Night Sky coughed and cleared his throat. "Sooo what kind of trouble is big enough for miss high and mighty to call on us for? I mean we're not guards and we sure as hay aren't yours to command" Huffing Night proceeded to clean up the mess that Jack had made.

Looking away Nova would whistle and kick at the floor, avoiding eye contact with Night.

"You have something to do with this don't you Nova"

Continuing to whistle she would pretend to not notice the question presented.  She would continue to do so until the sound of a horse shoe dinging off her helmet caught her attention. "Yes yes it was me alright?"  Removing her helmet she would drop to the floor and inspect the area the shoe had hit, not even so much as a scuff mark.  "Out of everypony I know and met you all are the ones with the best odds of succeeding the mission even if I um were to you know...."

Scoffing again at the comment Night put the broom he had been using to clean away.  "right and why would we continue if you were to so blatantly fail as to die?"  There was a small hitch in his voice as he said the word die.

Taking a serious look she would look to Night harshly, as if she were gonna attack him.  "Why? Why would I trust a group of scoundrels who like to shoot foals out of cannons just so they could win a race? scoundrels who plundered ancient sites despite protest?"  Then breaking into a wide grin she continued.  "Because you all are still and always be the greatest friends in the world, each of you having talents and perhaps luck that is beyond the norm" Pausing for a brief moment for a breath. "You all don't leave your crew behind and if something befalls them everypony on this ship feels it, trust me I know because I was there when Xan blew himself off the ship"

Suddenly pointing to a treasure chest in the far off corner of the room. "And this I can guarantee will be the biggest pay day you will ever see, one that you don't have to worry about getting in trouble for using"

At the mention of pay day Jack strides into the room, covered in more soot than he left with.  "I believe I heard my name called?" Looking to Night and in a blink of an eye he was by his side holding the poor pegasus in an embrace. "Miss me already?"

Thrashing about wildly in Jack's arms Night tried his best to break his captain's hold on him.  It was for naught, once in an embrace nopony could break out of Jack's 'loving' hold.

"Oh right gifts Nova needs a gift from her captain" Looking about as if looking hiding something from vastly important the strange white pony took a long, really really long, step to Nova's side and stole her hoof. "Don't move!"  Suddenly she heard clangs and a sawing sound?! Attempting to look down her head was caught by one of Jack's mechanical hands. "tut tut no peaking" Flicking her nose he went back to work.

Finally feeling him let go of her hoof she looked down and saw an odd, but very familiar shape strapped to the side of her armored plating. "Um...Is that what I think it is?" Nodding vigorously, Jack took a step back and held a pose as if showing off his greatest work.

"Let me present your present! Before your eyes you have the very first and possibly very very last, why last? Well because I said so of course! Geez if everypony had one they would hardly be original" Coughing he took on an odd look as if trying to remember where he was at. "Oh right! Very first and possibly very very last arm mounted gem shooter, lucky you! All you have to do to fire is hit the 'X' button!" Wait what? "Now off you go the Captain has some important business with a certain red pegasus who needs to be punished"

Night gulped and took a step back from Jack, but didn't get far before he was grabbed again and Nova found herself standing back at the Airships mooring line.

"Uhhh what happened just now?" Sighing she turned and headed back to the inn where her party was being thrown, occasionally looking at the small gem shooter on her hoof. "heh that turned out better than I hoped, at least I wasn't shot out of a cannon again"