Chapters Celestia. Ruler of all Equestria, the immortal alicorn of the sun. She wielded power beyond the dreams of mortal imagination. She was strong, kind, and unconquerable, and her very presence exuded an aura of confidence and regality.
And she wept. Her tears sizzled with golden fire as they hit the marble floor. She had thought that she had lost the ability to feel such exquisite pain centuries ago. Celestia had made many friends. They had all gone on, and she had always shed a tear at their passing. But never like this. Only once before had Celestia bawled on the floor like a newborn filly, with wild abandon. Then, Luna had been gone, sent to the moon for a thousand years. The knowledge that she had hurt her sister so much, to cause her to take up a mantle of evil, only to be forced to hurt Luna even more in order to protect her subjects, had broken her once. Now, she was more than broken. She was shattered. And only one pony could have done this to her.
Twilight Sparkle.
A dark skyship floated through the night, high above the highways of the air. It was invisible to those below, hidden by what seemed nothing more than a wisp of cloud. It was sleek and polished, with gold words studding its dark prow.
"Hey, Twilight, we gonna do anything with this hunk of wood tonight, or can I actually get a good night's sleep for once?" Rainbow Dash called out from the rigging. Twilight rolled her eyes and answered,
"I was planning on taking out a barge tonight, but she's got a broken mast, so I suppose we can delay until tomorrow. And it's not a hunk of wood, it is formally known as a xebec, and is the ship of choice for corsairs such as ourselves, due to the fact that it retains speed and maneuverability while still having significant firepower, although I suppose that possibly we wouldn't want to face a foe of equal armament in a head-on battle, which is why we..." A loud snore interrupted her. Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep under the onslaught of information that she was quite prepared to do without. Twilght groaned, and slapped herself with her hoof.
"I did it again, didn't I, Fluttershy?" Fluttershy paused from her duties, stopping her incessant scrubbing of Night's Deceit, and started to answer, turning her head aside and biting her bottom lip softly as the words left her muzzle.
"Well, um, if you mean that thing you do when you start giving everypony lectures on some-"
"On something TOTALLY boring and not fun at all and Rainbow always does that noise when you do it and she's doing it now which means you did it again and you've REALLY got to stop doing that because it's REALLY REALLY REALLY not interesting. Well, except for that one time you talked about cupcakes. That was so much FUN!" Pinkie's barrage of noise assaulted Twilight and Fluttershy as Pinkie jumped up and down. Over and over. Pinkie looked up at Twilights annoyed expression, her eyes half lidded, and she smiled, nodded and stuck her hoof in her mouth. Twilight turned back to
"Well, I think that it's awfully nice of you to try and teach us so many things that we would never learn otherwise, and I-"
"Yah mean when she won't shut her gob for twenty minutes or so while she goes and explains all that stuff we wouldn't learn otherwise down to a T, sugarcube? Ah think that it's downright annoying sometimes." Applejack said.
"Geez, Applejack, way to tell your captain what she's doing wrong all the time. Thanks a lot." Twilight said.
"Element of Honesty, sugarcube. Can't help it."
"Yet you never tell me what I'm doing right, do you?" Twilight answered, sounding slightly snobby.
"Element of Honesty, Twilight. Can't help it." Applejack answered slyly.
"Wait, but you just said that about-Hey! You little....Grrrrr...UMMMMMMMFF...That's not even fair!" Applejack and Pinkie Pie collapsed together laughing as Twilight stomped off into her cabin. Pinkie Pie, of course, was laughing through her hoof, which was still firmly stuck in her mouth. Applejack wiped away her tears, put on a more serious face and turned to Pinkie, a look of slight befuddlement on her face."Hey, sugarcube, where'd Rarity run 'erself off too? I ain't seen her all day."
"Ble blen goo blash shilf!" Pinkie Pie answered, still eating pink hoof. Applejack smacked herself and removed Pinkie's hoof from the general area of her mouth.
"Pardon, but could you repeat that?" Applejack said.
"Of course!!! She went to that ship! That big ole barge with the busted mast, she went there, and she said she was gonna 'help' the captain realize that not giving us treasure was a bad idea because otherwise we have to take it and you know what that means!"
"Well, okay, Pinkie, but how exactly was Rarity planning to make that there captain understand the error of his ways?"
"Nudge, nudge, wink wink!" Pinkie answered, still bouncing in place, as she had been doing for the past five minutes.
"Pinkie, y'all are supposed to nudge and wink, not SAY nudge and wink."
"Nope!" Pinkie answered, not put off in the least.
"Yes, you are."
"Nope!"
"Yes, you ARE."
"Nope!" The argument continued like this as Pinkie Pie and Applejack found their way to their sleeping quarters. Meanwhile, Rarity found herself some sleeping quarters of her own...
Author's Note
First fanfic, I don't have an editor yet and I know this chapter is rather short. However, I hope it does a good job of setting up Celestia as a character and her overall motivations as I move forward. Tell me what you think, and how I could perhaps improve my writing and such. Also note that most of my chapters are going to be longer than this, but likely still short due to a lack of having long periods of time to write.
Rarity strutted across the deck of the Brutus, drawing glances from the deckhands, along with a few whistles. A smile formed on her face, and then lifted slightly to the right, turning into a smirk as she turned her back on them. Not that they minded having her turn her back in their direction. Rarity enjoyed stunning an audience, but, sadly, it was the captain that really needed to be entertained. He was a handsome devil of a pegasus, something that Rarity quite liked. It was rare that a captain of a simple barge was so enticing to the eye, and he was proving quite a challenge as well. That was the problem with the run-of-the-mill beer belly captains these days, they saw a pretty pony and they had to cross their legs for the next week.
Her thoughts stopped running out of control as she approached his door and knocked. The brown pegasus opened his door before she was even finished and she fell inside...right into his hooves. She couldn't have planned it better if she had tried. Which she had, for several hours beforehand.
"You really much watch your step, Ms. Treasure. You never know where you'll be falling next." he said, with what he thought was a seductive smile. In reality, it looked cheesy, but Rarity would never tell him that. It would ruin her plan, after all. And besides, it looked rather adorable on him.
"Oh, please, Captain, call me Starlight. After all, I would like to know you on more than a simply formal basis. And it simply won't do for you to call me miss if that is to happen." He tried to politely say no, as he had done to all his advances. Somewhat of a formality for the married captain, since she knew what he wanted, and she knew precisely how to drive him to it. She had lots of practice, and it was about to pay off. She shrugged off his excuses and slowly eased the door behind them shut. The captain noticed this but, for once, made no move to stop her. Rarity could tell that it was time to finally make her move, as the moon shone full through the window. She did not see a small pegasus peeping in through that window, eagerly awaiting what was bound to happen next.
The pegasus at the window was the ship's new cabin boy, and despite his young age, he hungered lustily at the scene playing out below him. The white and purple unicorn talked to the captain for several minutes, before slowly easing the nervous stallion onto the bed. The captain's stallionhood slowly spilled out for the white unicorn to admire, and the cabin boy grinned-until he saw the white unicorn suddenly put a ring around the captains most essential equipment and squeeze the metal ring with magic as the captain cried out with obvious pain. At this, the cabin boy left. He thought that sex was meant to be fun, and that did not seem fun at all .
"Oh well, I guess some mares are just really into that kind of thing, I guess." he mumbled as he flapped back down to floor level and trotted off to his sleeping quarters. At least the mares in his dreams weren't so utterly abusive.
Meanwhile, Rarity was brushing her hair. The screaming had stopped, and now the stallion was on the floor, gasping and begging for the pain to stop.
"Well, all right, since you insist, you big baby." The ring around the stallion loosened enough for blood to finally reach his nether regions, and he started to cry, tears leaving his eyes like small streams.
"However." At this the captain sat up, all ears. Rarity grinned at his obvious submission to her. "Unless you want me to do that again, you will listen very carefully to what I have to say." The captain nodded and began to speak. Rarity put a hoof across his lips and quietly said, "Shut up. Tomorrow morning a...friend...of mine will be paying your ship a small visit. You are not to fight. You are to give her all your money and cargo of value. My little gift will be staying with you until then. When we are half a mile away, I shall deactivate my spell and it will fall to the ground." Rarity's head swerved to look at the captain and she gave him a cold, hard stare. "But. If you attempt to resist, I shall make my spell much more...effective. It shall squeeze you until you scream in agony beyond what you have already felt. It shall squeeze until it has nothing left to squeeze. At that point you will cease to be a stallion, if you catch my meaning. So, just in case you weren't listening, me and my friends take all your money, and you do nothing, or you become a mare like me. Understood, Captain?" The stallion nodded. Then screamed as the ring tightened again for a good five seconds.
"Y-y-yes Ms. Treasure. Of course." Rarity smiled for a second, and then her face tightened again, and she gave a despondent pouty face.
"Oh come on, Captain. I thought I asked you to call me Starlight." The screams resumed, and Rarity went back to brushing her hair, a smile lighting up her face as she turned to the mirror.
Twilight woke to the daily souffle explosion. She sighed. It never failed. Every morning, at precisely 8:42 in the morning, Pinkie Pie would try-and fail-to make the ultimate dessert for her friends to enjoy at breakfast. Of course, on a sky ship, buffeted by the winds, the incredibly difficult dessert would explode in the oven, and Pinkie Pie would-
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I HATE souffles!" Pinkie stormed into her cabin and exploded in a fit of rage about how long she had been trying to make that dessert, and how long she had continually failed. It was an explosion of noise, and Twilight could hardly bear it this early in the morning. Once the Pink Storm had stopped for a breath, Twilight did what she had to.
"STOOOOOP! PINKIE PIE, MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE!" Pinkie Pie ceased her barrage. "Now, if you could get me something to eat-Mmmmffff thake thath cufcathe outh of my mouth!" Pinkie Pie removed the cupcake. Twilight coughed and cleared her throat. "Now, Pinkie, we aren't having breakfast this morning. We have to be ready to attack the Brutus at midday. Now, go get outfitted for attack and ready all cannons. Oh, and tell everyone else to get ready without breakfast too. I want them lean and mean for the attack.
Pinkie Pie pronked off, and Twilight took it to herself to start outfitting herself. She looked at her new favorite book. Well, second favorite. Nothing even came close to The Eggheads Guide to Lists. But How to Be a Villain: Pirate Edition had been coming in quite handy. She grabbed her cutlass, with a slight notch near the end, just like the book said, and began the slow process of equipping her black leather armor. She looked at herself in the mirror and realized that something was missing.
"Oh, the eyepatch! Of course. She bumbled through her piles of books, looking for the essential aesthetic piece. It took her half an hour to find it.
"Spike would've found that in less than a minute." She sighed and her eyes drifted down to the high-cut leather boots she had on. Twilight really missed him. But he had refused to betray Princess Celestia, and she simply couldn't stay there for another minute. If she had been forced to act like a princess any longer, she probably would've killed her own brother just to escape from the hell her stupid new wings had put her in.
She quickly turned her thoughts to putting on the eyepatch. She then reached towards her bed to put on her favorite part of the ensemble: the signature tricorn hat. It really worked with the eyepatch and she gave a grim smile towards the mirror, testing out her intimidation factor. She picked up the list she had made the night before and checked off another box.
A cutlass, an eyepatch, and a tricorn hat. Not too shabby, she thought.
Applejack, outfitted with her very rare tail-chain, with a diamond spike on the end, with each section of chain expertly sharpened, the steel links glistening in the sun.
Rainbow Dash, with a weapon that only she could wield. Many other pegasi had tried and failed to fight with her signature wing blades, clipped to the forefront of each wing. Several of these hopeful pegasi had killed themselves instead of their foes.
Pinkie Pie, with a party cannon armed and ready, and seventeen throwing daggers stashed across her armor. She was truly a sight to behold with her maniacal smile. Twilight laughed as she spread her pupils apart to purposely look insane.
And Fluttershy. The usually gentle mare was equipped with a rapier-quick and precise, for Fluttershy hated to see her enemies suffer.
Twilight stood stock still, then lifted one hoof and carefully gazed skyward, casting a majestic pose as dark clouds swirled around her and her friends. Then she slowly grinned and launched into speech.
"My friends. For two hundred years ships have graced the skies of Equestria. And..." She paused for dramatic effect. "For two hundred years the corsairs have hunted them!" The cheer she was expecting did not occur. She stomped her hoof and said,"You're supposed to enjoy the speech."
"Well, we can't if it's boring , Twilight. Make better speeches, we make better cheers. Well, except for Fluttershy."
"Rainbow Dash, just give it a rest. My speeches aren't that boring!"
"They're like five percent less boring than your lectures. Just get to the strategy already, will ya?" Twilight groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Alright, fine. If Rarity has done her job, then a white flag will be flying. If not, we come in from straight above, and Rainbow Dash will remove the cloud hiding us only,"and here she glared at Rainbow Dash,"if quite a few of them seem to be noticing it. At that point the sun will blind anyone looking up, and I will cast an mirror spell putting a fake image of us precisely within the outer limits of their port firing range. The illusion will fly the Jolly Roger, and when they turn to attack it, they will leave their starboard side open for fire. At this point Pinkie Pie will fire all cannons straight into their ammunitions bay,so that they can no longer attack us if we need to utterly destroy them. Meanwhile Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and I will swoop down and board the ship. We will than proceed to kill anyone with a weapon and without a logo signifying that they are of importance in locating the cargo. Applejack, I will teleport you into the communications room and you will ensure that no messages are sent for help. We don't want this to turn into a chase. I would rather not waste a day running from the royal fleet when we could be fencing the cargo in the Crystal Empire. Is this plan understood?" Her friends nodded once, and Twilight smacked her hoof across the deck. She gave them a very grim smile.
"Then let's get this party started."
Author's Note
Comments and opinions, please. also, subtle references to doctor who and hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
Rarity looked across the deck at the Captain. A dark scowl was scrawled across his face. She smiled and trotted over, relishing the Captain's obvious displeasure as she leaned towards him, feigning affection.
"Come now, Captain, there's no need to be rude. After all, this will all be over soon, darling, as long as you play your part. But we shouldn't have a problem with that, should we?" Rarity whispered delicately in his ear. The captain merely scowled. Rarity saw the look on his face and put on a pouty expression. "Oh, looks like somepony needs a little reminder of his place." A blue glow lit up her horn, and the captain gasped and bent over. Rarity looked at him condescendingly as he tried to regain his breath.
"I.... will do my duty, Miss Treasure." He looked pleadingly at the white unicorn as she stood mercilessly over him, an image of terrible beauty. Rarity smiled as he groveled at her feet. She inspected her shined hooves as she released the pressure in his nether regions to a less painful setting. It was just tight enough now to remind him that it was there.
"Yes. You will do your duty. Although I rather think that it would be a good idea to see a doctor when you get him." A cruel smile graced her face as she continued. "Though it may cost you. After all, this cargo was the last chance for your business, wasn't it, darling? No more money in the bank, you told me. And your beautiful wife all ready to leave you. Not sure why she married such a coward in the first place, personally." Rarity looked up as she saw a dark shadow descending from the clouds above. "Your time is up, I'm afraid. Looks like my friends have arrived, for better or for worse. That, of course, is up to you." Her face hardened.
Twilight looked down at the Brutus, a swagger in her step as she prepared a spell to amplify her voice. Her small crew stood by her side as her magic worked the sails, taking in three reefs on the starboard sail to compensate for an increase in the windspeed as they descended. The lookout on the ship below had noticed the bottom of her sleek ship piercing the clouds below. Obviously inexperienced, he hailed the ship and sent out a magical signal asking for her ship's designation. Standard procedure, but anyone with a lick of sense would know that a ship only approached from above to attack. She fiddled with her hat, than stepped out into the air and spoke, her spell ensuring that every sailor on the ship below would hear her voice.
"This is Twilight Sparkle, captain of the Night's Deceit. You will surrender your cargo immediately, or you shall be decimated. You have one minute to issue a response. If you refuse to respond or comply with our orders, we will kill you to the last man. Your minute starts now." Twilight stepped back onto the ship and cancelled the spell enhancing her voice.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "You did fine. Just say something cooler than 'decimate' next time. What the hay does that mean, anyway?"
Twilight pawed at the deck. At this point, the talking was just to take up the time anyways.
Forty-five seconds left. She shifted her weight back and forth. The tension was killing her.
Thirty seconds left. Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie. "Man the cannons, Pinkie. Give 'em a warning shot."
"Okey-doki-loki!" Half a second later, the cannon boomed and a shot whizzed through the mast of the barge.
Fifteen seconds left. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. And then a white flag waved through the air, the captain galloping across the deck of the Brutus frantically attempting to get Twilight's attention. She held up her hoof and dove towards him, flanked by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash on either side. She could have just teleported, but this was much more striking.
Her hooves hit the deck with earshattering boom. Magically amplified to draw attention. The ship's entire crew was gathered on deck. Thirty-five ponies. Twilight had checked the boarding list to make sure that she would know if a trap was being laid for her. That list had thirty-four posted on it, but a certain white unicorn was currently taking up the extra slot. Right next to the captain. Twilight smiled. She loved it when a well-made plan came to fruition.
She slowly walked past the whispering crew member and unsheathed her cutlass, magically holding it at the captain's throat.
"You will load all your valuables onto my ship. Your cargo consists of three thousand pounds of valuable spices, as well as a purse containing fifteen hundred bits that you were delivering to a black market dealer. I do not need your stores of water or food. After you have loaded aforementioned cargo, my ship will destroy your main mast to delay your arrival into port at Canterlot. As such you would do well to avoid standing near the mast. Understood?"
The captain gulped. A look of rebellion was in his eyes, hidden beneath the fear. He shook his head. Twilight looked at Rarity. "Help him realize the error of his ways, will you?" Rarity nodded.
The screams of the captain echoed across the skies.
"But... she was with us..." The murmurs of the crew floated through the air, their voices tinged with the hurt of betrayal. Rarity grinned.
Twilight's eyes hardened and she dragged the captain around so he was looking into her merciless violet eyes. His tears etched a pattern of pain and terror across his face. She threw him to the deck, and he slid until his head smashed violently against a bulkhead.
Twilight turned to the crew of the Brutus. Without the captain, they weren't quite sure whether they should attack or stay where they were. Twilight searched the crew for someone capable. Her eyes lighted across a dark green pegasus whose eyes were burning with fear and hate.
"You! Come here, NOW!" He flapped over the crew and landed in front of her, shaking. "Your captain refused to obey me, on threat of torture and death. That was quite brave of him." Her voice reached the whole crew, but especially pinpointed the pegasus in front of her. She turned to address the crowd. "Courage. It has saved lives before. Hell, it's saved whole kingdoms. But when you come into Canterlot, I want the world to know one thing." Twilight's cutlass flashed through noonday sun, decapitating the groaning captain. A gasp went through the crew, and several choked as they tried to hold back their tears. "THIS is what happens to those who show courage in my presence! DEATH! AND YOU WILL MAKE SURE THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS IT!!! She turned to the green pegasus in front of her. "You are the new captain of this ship. Now, set your crew to work, unless you wish to end up like captain number one." He nodded and turned to the crew, ordering them to fetch the cargo.
"Nicely done, darling. A stellar example of the most pitiless pirate in the skies." Rarity said to Twilight as the shipment was slowly lifted by rope to the Night's Deceit.
"YEAH!!! That was totally cool Twilight! Way more intimidating than anything else you've done!" Rainbow Dash grinned, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Twilight didn't see this, but she did take notice when the smile disappeared as Rainbow turned away to help with the work. She filed the thought away to process in the quiet of her cabin.
Several hours later, the cargo had all been safely passed from one ship to the other. The crew of the Night's Deceit trotted aboard their black ship while the others lamented their losses aboard a crippled barge.
"A good day." Twilight Sparkle gazed across the horizon. "A day where blood and tears flowed freely together." The sun's final rays sunk across the horizon as she faded into the night.
* * *
"No! I cannot allow you to endanger the lives of the innocent in your so-called 'mercy'!" Luna turned, her rage shaking across the table at Celestia. "Simply because she is" Luna paused, "was your student is no excuse to delay sending the royal guard after her ship. She has decimated 15 ships in the last two months alone!" Luna snorted, enraged. Celestia turned towards her.
"Um? Decimated?" Celestia said.
"Destroyed! BURNT! SENT TO THE VERY DEPTHS OF HELL !" Luna overturned the table, sending papers flying everywhere.
Celestia turned from her sister, tears glistening in her eyes. When she turned back to Luna, the tears were gone, wiped away by a flash of golden magic.
"Fine." She said, her voice quavering as she looked at Luna. "I will send my finest ship after her. I will also give you permission to send one of your ships after her as well." Celestia turned away, defeated.
Luna smiled and rearranged the room with magic, victory in her eyes. "Finally you see sense, sister. I shall inform Trixie Lulamoon that she is to give chase immediately. I assume that you will send Shining Armor after Twilight with vengeance in his heart as well." Luna smiled. "After all, I've heard that his current hate for his sister is stronger than any love that he might have once held. And I do love the irony of it." Luna laughed, her desire for justice at last beginning to feel abated as she left to inform her airship, the Shadow Wolf of their imminent departure.
Celestia magic wavered as she signed the warrant later that evening.
By order of the Royal Sisters of Canterlot, the airship going by the name of THE NIGHT'S DECIET is henceforth declared an enemy of the crown, and should it be found, it and it's captain, Twilight Sparkle, shall both be sentenced to swift and immediate justice. Signed, Celestia
She gave the warrant to the captain of her guard without a word. Shining Armor grinned, and set off for the jewel of Celestia's navy. The mighty Solar Blade .
