The Purple Mare

Written by The Descendant
Inspired by an image created by KNA.

Chapter 2


Chapter 2

Spike had sat on his barrel carving at the inlay, stopping only to look over the deck of the brigantine as the crews went about pretending to be transferring cargo, hoping not to attract the attention of the Mah'Qua naval vessels within the harbor.

As he went back to carving his inlay he felt the soft, wet, warm touch of a muzzle on his back.

He turned around as a familiar voice called his name.

"Hiya, Spike!"

"Oh, hey Applebloom!" he said, spinning around, leaning down to her, "Been a while since we saw you! You look…"

Spike looked the filly over, saw her sunken eyes, saw how her shoulders and hips were evident beneath her coat.

"…awful. You look awful. Here," he said, jumping from the stack of crates where the barrel stood, rummaging through a haversack nearby, "have one of my apples."

"Oh, I couldn't do that to ya'," she said. Her eyes though darted to the haversack as he fished out one of the bruised red fruit.

"Not a problemo," he said, reaching for the knife so he could cut it in half for her, "We took one of their treasure ships last week…I can always eat my share of the take, so it's no big…"

Before he could finish his sentence, before he could even slice it for her, she had reached in and taken a bite of the apple as he held it loosely in his hand.

She looked up at him sheepishly, blushing with embarrassment, and then leaned in again. He placed both of his clawed hands around it, spinning it for her as she ate gingerly.

When she had finished it he reached for another, holding this one as well so that she wouldn't have to chase it across the bobbing deck like an animal.

He offered her a third, and the filly ate it there as the dragon held it, Spike looking on her piteously as she made sure to eat every last bit of the fruit that could possibly be eaten.

With that he threw the thin shaft of the core overboard and sank down against the barrel, tapping at the deck for her to lay down and join him.

"We're just comin' back from up north," she said, resting against him, "Things are really bad up there…no provisions tah' be had at all."

"Well," he said reaching up for his knife and inlay, "it's not like there's buffets set up around here either…"

"You…you don't look so hot yerself," she said, noting the mottling across his scales.

"The sea air, the salt, it doesn't do me any good…I'm not a sea serpent."

Together they sat looking out over the sea as he worked away, first chipping at the surface with his knife and then annealing it with his flame.

"Whattcha makin'?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder as he lifted it up to show her.

Inside the tiny wooden frame sat the mother-of-pearl, squared away to match its container. Within it a figure was taking shape, each perfect little mark with the knife and dart of flame revealing the beautiful outline of a unicorn with flowing mane and elegantly twisting tail. It looked back over its shoulder to them, the radiant mare looking at them from beyond death with a soft expression that aided her graceful stance.

"Oh, Spike," said Applebloom, her voice falling down into a whisper, "It's beautiful…she woulda' loved it."

Spike looked at the figure for a moment, danced his claws across it, before continuing. "I'm going to make one of each of them…all of our friends, before…before I forget what they looked like."

Applebloom looked down at the little figure appearing slowly in the inlay, her expression falling.

"I miss them, Applebloom," said Spike, wiping his face across the back of his arm.

"Me too," she answered, "but we…we still got tah' stay with ponies we love, mah' sister, Twilight…we still have them."

Spike looked up to the delta beyond, watched the green waters swirl into the blue of the sea. His claws fell to the deck, the knife and the inlay still grasped within them.

"She…she's trying to scare me off, Applebloom, wants me to think that she doesn't love me anymore."

Applebloom's mouth fell open.

"Why…why would she…why is she?"

"She's afraid."

Applebloom silenced herself, folded her legs up beneath herself to listen as Spike spoke, his head dropping slightly.

"I'm all she has left, and she's afraid I'm going to die out here, with her, on the ocean. She doesn't believe in herself anymore…she's, she's become fearful…since she lost her eye…she, she's hiding it…like, like she's colder. She's gonna try to make me leave, I think…maybe with you…"

Applebloom stood and placed her head across his shoulders.

"Well, that wouldn't be too bad, would it? We could use ya' on the Parasprite…but, I know you don't wanna leave her…she does love ya' Spike…"

"I know…she's always been a lousy liar. She keeps coming out to check on me at night, pretending that she's not. She makes me call her 'Captain' and calling me 'Midshipman Spike' but at the same time she's still writing 'With Love from Spike and I' in her letters to her parents."

"Her momma and poppa made it outta' Canterlot?" said Applebloom with a growing smile.

"No," said Spike, his face dropping down to the deck once more. Applebloom's expression fell in sympathy, remembering the fire upon the mountain that signaled the fall of the capital, the deaths of the unicorns that defended it, and the Sister Sovereigns with them.

"But," continued Spike, wiping his eyes again, "She, she keeps writing to them, hiding the letters in the trunk in the cabin."

Applebloom lowered her head, tried to gauge the expression on his face, peering on as he rubbed his claws across the inlay.

"I wonder…wonder if they would reach them in the Well of Souls…if I sent them," he said with a little false laugh, "She'd probably just get mad at me."

He was silent as the ocean breeze fluttered across the deck. He looked up to Applebloom with another small smile, this one a real expression of relief, and rubbed her foreleg with his clawed hands.

"I'm…I'm glad you guys made it back down safe. It's good to see you again," he said as she smiled back.

He stood and together they walked over to the capstan. Checking to see that it was free of any running gear they stood together behind one of its poles and slowly began to push it around and around and around in a useless and futile circle.

The crewponies looked up as the sound began, and seeing that the two young creatures were assisting in keeping up the farce returned to their own mimicry of usual shipboard life.

"Spike," asked Applebloom as they inched around the capstan, "If ya' were like other dragons, would ya' be by yerself' by this point, or would ya' still be with yer' parents? I mean, if Twilight really is serious about you leavin'…"

"I don't know," he added.

They had gone around the capstan in a complete rotation before he spoke again.

"I haven't done any reading about dragons," he said after they had crossed back into the shadow of the sails, "I met an uncle of mine once, but I'm not a regular dragon…I'm not like them. I…I love my life…I, I want to stay this way…I'm…"

He looked up, saw a familiar shape, that of the peryton.

"I'm an Equestrian."

Applebloom looked at him, saw that he was staring at the horizon as they went around slowly, saw that he was trying to form words.

"That…that's what Equestria was, I think. An experiment. You ponies were just the beginning, I think, it was supposed to be about how different races, species, could come together…the earth ponies like you, unicorns like Twi, the pegasi…but, but more…like Glaesdir there, and I."

Applebloom missed a step, raced to catch up to him as they went around the capstan; her imagination caught up in what Spike was trying to articulate.

"I think…huh, I wonder if it had been able to last, if we hadn't lost…if the magic of Equestria could real have spread…like the donkeys, the perytons, the bison…how we were all coming together…being friends with everyone…"

Together they went around again, the two pushing the capstan in needless circles as the day wore on.

"A world where every critter and everypony are friends? Do, do ya' think such a thing were' really possible?" asked Applebloom, her voice going quieter as she asked, as though the optimism itself was a limited commodity, a rationed indulgence.

Spike took a deep breath, then spoke again.

"Princess Celestia had Twilight raise me for a reason," he answered, "I only realized that a few months ago, as I watched the stars come out. I looked up from my barrel on a cloudless night and I saw all the different constellations…as I saw meteors and planets sharing the same sky. They are all different, so far from one another, but together they make up something more…each dancing around one another and making a bigger picture…I guess, kinda…"

They stopped turning. Spike looked up to Applebloom, his expression betraying a deep certainty and resolve.

"I'm staying with Twilight…even if I have to claw at these decks and burn and fight and bite…I'm not leaving her. She's in pain, she's afraid, she's all I've ever had…I'm all she has…"

He sighed, fought for more words.

"There, there was something the princess wanted us to accomplish, something that we were supposed to do, together…maybe, maybe we still can…maybe we can still save…save Equestria…she…and I…together…"

Spike's voice failed, and he looked back over sea once more.

"I'd feel the same way," she said, lowering her head down to his, "I…I couldn't leave mah' Big Sis…"

Spike nodded, looked up to her. She'd grown in the last two years, and despite the hunger and want she'd managed to grow a touch taller than him, the faintest hint of the little body of the filly beginning to fade into that of a young mare.

He smiled at the dichotomy of his growth rate to hers, as he looked up to her eyes as she continued her declaration.

"…it would take an unholy fuss tah' get me tah' leave her behind."

With that an explosion of activity burst across the deck of the boat as Twilight and Applejack exploded from the cabin of the ship, rolling across one another…spurs drawn, a terrible look across their eyes.

Applejack stood first, looking at all who surrounded her, retreating towards the gangplank.

"Applebloom!" she called, her voice high, the tone demanding, "Here! Now!"

Spike and Applebloom looked at one another, and the startled expressions that flew across their faces were matched by those of the crews of both ships, the disbelief growing in all who looked on.

"Applebloom!" the earth pony called again, her fierce eyes switching among the crews, looking for movements.

"Twilight, what's goi…" began Spike, looking to the unicorn with growing alarm.

"That's Captain Twili…" she began, her eye not moving off of Applejack.

"Captain Twilight!" brayed Spike, his tone now both confused and hurt, "Ma'am! What in the Well is going on?!"

"Stand your post, Midshipman Spike," she said, not looking to him as startled ponies moved to the far side of the deck.

"Applebloom!" called Applejack again. To her right there was movement, and something shimmering caught a trace of sunlight that fell beneath the sullen sails.

"No," spoke Twilight, "She's mine…none of you are to move, stand to your posts…"

"Applebloom! Here, now!" called Applejack once more, her eyes flying around in the same wide alarm they had betrayed when she had fist set hoof upon the ship.

Spike and Applebloom looked to one another with waves of apprehension passing between them, Spike's face sinking down into a disbelieving one, painted with grief. Applebloom looked back to her sister, met her gaze, and then back to Spike.

"I'm so sorry," she said, clamping down her eyes, turning from him.

"No," thought Spike, "Not again…not like this…please…"

At once Applejack gathered her younger sister into herself, her spur above the filly, shielding her from whatever may come next.

Twilight circled towards the amidships, keeping her remaining eye on the earth pony, her spur raised. Applejack pulled Applebloom deeper beneath her, the sunlight glinting off of her spur as she tracked the unicorn across the deck.

"Applebloom," she whispered, "Applebloom, look at me."

As dozens of startled, angered, and fearful faces looked at her a trembling Applebloom turned her head to look up into the face of her older sister.

Applebloom was at once confused. Applejack's expression had changed somehow, become somehow softer as she had pulled her in closer…

"Applebloom," said Applejack, still staring to the closing, circling figure of Twilight, their spurs still lifted to one another, "Applebloom…I love you."

A moment of silence reigned across the deck.

"Applebloom," repeated her sister, her expression falling down into something even softer, the faintest of tired smiles appearing on her face, "Didja' hear me? I love ya' Sugarcube, love you until the end o' time…ya' understand that?"

Applebloom's confusion was shared with those standing on the deck. "Yes, yes, ah' know," she answered through a mix of emotions, "I love ya' too Big Sis…what, why…"

With that Applejack turned her face down to that of her little sister, taking her eyes off of Twilight, looked at her with a forced smile painted across a large sad expression.

In one fluid motion she then smashed the bash plate of her spur across the little filly's skull and, looking into her eyes as she fell down into unconsciousness, caught her up in the free side of her hoof, wobbling to catch her before she could thud to the deck.

Silence once again crossed the deck, sharing the space with the confused ponies and the gently breeze that failed to lift the shrunken sails.

There were metallic sounds, Twilight sheathing her spur as Applejack did the same. At once the sounds of clawed feet crossing the deck sounded out as Spike sped over to the teetering Applejack.

Catching up the still form of Applebloom Spike let her body fall against him until her head rested in his lap as he lowered himself to the deck. He looked up to Applejack, an expression of understanding growing on him as she talked.

"I can't take her wit' me this time…wouldn't be able tah' keep an eye on her durin' the fight…might, might not be comin' back from this one," she said, rubbing her hoof through her sister's red mane, across the bow that had once been hers, looking on the small filly with tender eyes.

At once she stood, straightened herself, and called over the railing to her crew.

"I ain't gonna lie tah' ya', this one is gonna be tough. I won't put mah' sister in a place o' safety and then tell ya'll that ya' gotta stand by yer' stations, so…if anyone wants off, gather up yer' things and yer' free tah' join up with Twilight's boat until we get back…if we get back…"

On the Parasprite dozens of sets of eyes stared back at her, yet no pony moved. Applejack regarded them all with a grimace, and then spoke again.

"I'm gonna rephrase that…we're about tah' go and get ourselves killed, so anypony with youngins' back home better prepare tah' debark. I'm looking at you two…Wintergreen, Basil."

At once two stallions at opposite sides of the railing opened their mouths in protest, but as she shot them each stern glances they blanched. With sullen expressions they turned their heads and went to gather up their belongings.

Normality returned to the decks of the two ships, and as the stallions said their goodbyes the crews began transferring cargo again…this time in point of fact.

All the provisions aboard the Parasprite were moved to Twilight's boat, as well as any weapons that Applejack wouldn't be using in her raid. These they moved briskly less there be any interest in what was transpiring on their boats from those who stood on the unfriendly shore.

"You'll take right good care of her, won'tcha Spike?" said Applejack to the dragon as two crewponies came to where they stood.

"Yeah, yeah, of course, A.J., until you come back," said Spike, wrapping his arms around her head as she leaned down to him, a single tear running down both of their faces at the truth behind the pleasant lie.

With that Applejack laid kisses upon her sister, and as the crewponies carried her into the cabin she followed along, going with them right up to the door, speaking to the unresponsive figure of her sibling as they trotted along.

"Love ya' Applebloom, love ya' forever, Sugarcube, me…Big Mac, Granny Smith, Ma and Pa, we're always with you from the Well, we love you…I love you, Little Sis…love you forever…"

With that they gently and quietly closed the door, leaving Applejack staring at it as Spike and Twilight looked upon her.

She stood there for a good long while as the preparations came to a close, until Twilight came over to her.

"If ya' like the door that much," said Twilight, lifting Applejack's muzzle with her own, carrying Applejack's head so that it rested across her shoulders, "I'll sell it to you."

"Yer' plan worked right and proper," said Applejack through some stifled sobs, Twilight feeling the moisture across her back, "A fair bit of acting…I, I had to do it, right, Twi? She would of fought 'gainst it…bein' left behind. There's, there's nothing else to be done, right?"

"Yes," answered Twilight without hesitation, "We'll take good care of her, A.J., until you get back."

Applejack sniffled some more, let out one sob disguised as a sigh.

"We…we have to do these things, sometimes," Twilight said with a great long sigh as Spike looked upon them both, "To protect the ones we love."

The statement flew through Spike. He lifted his eyes just quickly enough to meet Twilight's hurried gaze, but in an instant she was walking with Applejack down the course of the deck to the gangplank.

"I can't talk you out of it, can I?" asked Twilight with a sigh as Applejack placed a hoof upon the board that connected the ships.

"Hmmm…nah," said Applejack, forcing a smile. The two ponies stared at one another, the gangplank raising and lowering beneath Applejack as the crews stood by.

"You'll take good care of her…Twi?" asked Applejack.

"As if she were my own," answered Twilight, "until you get back."

"You are my friend, Twilight," said Applejack.

"I am your friend, forever, A.J.," said Twilight, "Play Captain Applejack off, Wind Whistler."

As the hawpipe sounded Applejack smiled to Twilight one last time, and crossed back over to her own boat. At once the gangplank came up and the thwack of axes were heard snapping the taught embrace of the cords that had lashed the two ships together on the bouncing sea.

As the Parasprite wheeled away Twilight moved to the railing, watching as the ship began to unfasten its sails. There, behind the helmspony, Applejack was already calling out orders. As the stern of the ship played out before her Twilight raised her hat, risked having her identity as The Purple Mare revealed, and waved it towards the departing boat.

As her crew gathered around her on the railing Twilight saw Applejack look back at her one last time, nod, and then was gone.

"Whistler," said Twilight, covering herself once again, "Play 'Paying Off'."

As the Parasprite slid away, moving towards the harbor, the song lifted among Twilight's crew, wrapping them in remorse as they watched the other brigantine's sails catch the wind…begin what was likely to be its final journey.

"Paying Off", a song played for a dying ship, one on its way to be broken up, or scrapped, or scuttled…yet this time played for the crew…

The last notes had sounded, had evaporated out over the waves, before Twilight was able to speak again.

"Okay," she said, "We have to look as though nothing is happening…we could be being observed from the fortress. Get these decks cleared…Violet, are the anchor lashings coming along?"

"Ready to cast them now, Ma'am," answered the unicorn, stifling a little sob as she did.

"Gather yourself up," said Twilight, looking past the crewpony to the helm beyond, "Calm. Once you're ready, get it overboard…make it look like you really screwed up…I want to be ready for them…"

"Yes, Ma'am…"

Most of the crew moved back to their positions, looked to stowing what they had just taken aboard, or working any of the many small endless tasks that sailing ships require.

Starfall crossed back over to where his captain stood, his large body shielding her magic once again from any eyes that might be peering at them from the distant city.

As she peered down the spyglass at the departing Parasprite she felt Spike leap for the nearby railing, felt the sway through the railing as he began to swing back and forth, matching the bobbing of the ship upon the choppy waters.

For all appearances, nothing had changed in the hours since the two ships had first spotted one another. Yet, in reality, their little world had changed utterly, and Spike now voiced these facts.

"You'll have a lot of explaining to do to Applebloom when she wakes up," he said, carefully avoiding saying Twilight's name, "Especially if A.J. gets herself ki…doesn't, doesn't come back."

Spike looked up to her, saw her hat bobbing on the breeze as she concentrated on the seascape, the city, and the retreating form of the ship.

"Have you thought about how…how you'll tell her? I mean, it's…it's not going to be easy…for her. I'll help," he said, lazily tapping at the inlay as he held it dangerously over the side of the ship, "I mean, I'll…she and I, we get along, so that's why you let her on…so that I could help you…right?"

Twilight said nothing, focused once more through the spyglass.

Spike felt himself twitch, the growing irritation in him making him shake. At once he retreated a bit, carefully brought the inlay and his knife back with him as he turned his back to the railing, to her.

"Is that how it's going to be, when you try to make me leave?" he said, smirking as he felt Twilight jump a touch in surprise. He felt the bounce transmitted to him though the deck as he carefully avoided saying her name.

"I know…know what you've been doing. I'm not going to make it easy on you, you know," he said, feeling his body get tenser, "I'm not going to go willfully, I'll fight it…fight it like Applebloom would have if she'd had a second longer, if she'd figured out what you two were doing."

He turned to face her, yet she still peered out over the ocean, looking upon the small doomed ship that slid farther away.

"I'll fight, bite, burn…I'm not leaving you…in Celestia's memory, I'll not do it…are you ready for that?" he said, fixing her with an uncompromising stare even as she still looked over the railing, "Ready for a screaming, biting, burning dragon whelp? Is that how it has to be, Twilight, are you really…"

"That's Captain Twilight to you, Midsh…" she spoke, pouncing on the opportunity.

At once there was a horrible sound, a collective rattle that rose up into a high-pitched scream of consuming frustration, of pure unbearable aggravation. It raged higher and higher, becoming unworldly, then dropping down at once into a driving clatter of hopelessness.

Even before the scream had finished leaving his lips, before Twilight had begun to juggle the spyglass in surprise, before the crew had reeled around in shock, Spike had already thrown them…the inlay, and the knife.

Before they hit the ground he had already covered his mouth. The knife drove deep into the planks of the decks with a solid thwack. The inlay crashed down to the deck with a splintering crack, tumbled, spilled its contents out across the deck and laid still.

Twilight gave a small gasp, watched Spike's eyes become vacant, watched as he dropped his arms to his side in realization and horror of what he had done in his frustration.

Spike raised himself up and walked over to where the shattered form lay. He rummaged through it as Twilight slowly came up to him, as she looked down over him as he picked up each half and placed them side-by-side back within the box.

In the box the image of Rarity now sat cracked vertically, the elegant likeness now divided so thoroughly and completely by the crack as the unicorn herself was divided in death from the living that now occupied this unhappy world.

"Spike," said Twilight, her voice soft, her concern close to the surface, "I'm…I'm sure we can…fix it, just, just let me charge some extra magic…maybe, maybe tomorrow…"

"Yes, Captain" he said, stumbling forward.

Twilight cringed as he passed by her, his eyes vacant, his body deflated. As he went past her he lifted one hand, as though to catch a wafting bit of her mane. Yet, he did not touch her, did not speak, and instead he crossed amidships and went up the stairs to the forepeak. As Twilight watched he sat himself down facing out across the bow, towards Port-au-Prance beyond, and did not move.

Twilight looked to the deck, to where the inlay sat, untouched, where the knife still sat resolutely.

She too now turned, concentrated back to the space beyond the railing. So it was that even though they were now only a few yards apart the distance between the designate and her summoner, the mare and her dragon, the student and her number one assistant…Twilight and Spike…that distance was now the greatest it had ever been in their mortal lives.

At once there was a chiming of a bell, and it sounded out across the waters.

Twilight concentrated on the Parasprite in the distance, saw how they had nearly ran the pilot boat over. With a smirk she imagined that the Mah'Qua pilot was now berating them while at once sounding out an alarm.

Twilight could almost picture his face go ashen as Applejack dropped her flag, the Cider Press Jack, and revealed her true identity as the second most feared pirate in the Mareiterranean.

At once the Parasprite disappeared into the harbor, cutting into the lines of tethered naval ships, sending them reeling around uncontrolled. Hopefully, Twilight thought, they could catch one or two on fire with her hidden ballistae if the plan went off as Applejack had, uncharacteristically, planned it.

At once alarms went up in Port-au-Prance.

Applejack's attack had begun.