The harsh clanging of the brass bell awoke the king of the griffons, rousing him to a half-awake slumber unbecoming of his status. The exclamation that followed the night alarm sent him into a state of mild anxiety, though there was little he could do about it at the moment.
"PIRATES!"
He dashed to the wide, stone arched window that accompanied his position and room and peered out to the normally dimly lit marina of the capital city. As torches were rushed out to illuminate the area and buildings set aflame, the outline of a ship on the calm night sea became more visible against the crimson light reflected in the crystal water, giving the boat the appearance of being wreathed in flickering flames. The black flag flying from the highest of three masts was visible as a silhouette against the full moon as it slowly waved back and forth in the weak wind that brushed the face of the griffon king. He could make out the screams of panic from the cobbled and narrow streets that ran beneath his grandiose palace.
A pirate attack hadn't occurred in many years, and while griffons were not keen to forget the grudges they had against them, most had lapsed into a feeling of security and safety. ‘Making them all the more ripe for an attack’ the ruler thought grimly.
"My lord, there is a pirate attack!" panted a page that burst unasked into the royal chambers, breathing heavily after the long flight of spiral stone stairs leading to his residence.
The king merely glanced at the uninvited page before returning to view the disaster at hand. "I am well aware. Has anyone been able to make out the flag of the brigands?"
"The soldiers said something about a crescent moon of some sort” responded the page, still panting from the long climb up the steps.
The griffon did what anyone knowing what that meant would have done despite his position. He swore. Quite loudly and violently, as the page just stood there in confusion.
"My lord?"
"You're obviously not educated in history to know. Not that I blame you, quite boring at times," he answered, the gruff voice echoing off the circular stone room. "That standard is carried by the worst group of brigands to have ever lived, the Lunar Pirates.” The blank look on the young griffons made it plain that the leader should elaborate. “They have not raided Aquila in a long time, but they have been a thorn in our side for longer than anyone can remember. Anyone save for two rather important ponies." A thought occurred to the king, a light bulb moment similar to ones he had previously had like why zebras hate gumdrops and the air velocity of an unladen Afriqan griffon. "Page, fetch me the historian. The junior one, I don't want Old Feathers creaking his way up here."
The servant dashed off after acknowledging his request with a single nod though the ruler's back was turned. Gazing out on the chaos that his people had fallen into, he sighed, knowing the extent of the damages and bureaucracy he would have to sift through. The paperwork alone would weigh more than enough to make up for the gold that they lost. A few minutes later, the huffing and puffing of another griffon floated up from the stairwell through the thick wooden door that hung ajar. 'It is no small wonder how I am in such great shape' the king thought smugly.
"I… was told... that you... wished… to see me... my king" the young scholar gasped out.
"Yes. When was the last time that the Lunar Pirates attacked Aquila directly?"
He racked his mind for the information before coming to a conclusion. "To be honest, I haven't reached that part yet in my studies. Which means it was at least over a thousand years ago. I am sorry that I cannot be of service to you my king."
The king swore. This time for two reasons. One being the information he had just been told, or rather, lack of it, the other because of a chance sighting from watching the ship. The moon reflected off of a shimmering and sparkling mane as she used magic to levitate her loot on the ship. A mane that could have only possibly belonged to one of two beings in existence.
"Raise the alarm. Send messages to the other kingdoms. Not only have the Lunar Pirates become more dangerous, but the Lunar Pirate herself has returned."
“The Lunar Pirates, my lord? I thought they were only tales told to scare children,” Asked the scribe, his curiosity getting the better of him in spite of the position difference.
“If only. If only they were only tales. How far is it to Trotuga from here?"
"A few days by boat, my lord."
The king began musing and pacing the room, almost forgetting the presence of the historian upon the purple carpet. He gave a slight cough and the king looked up, broken out of his thoughts for a moment. "You're dismissed. Now go and warn the empires, with the exception of Equestria. I will deal with their leader myself.”
The scribe left in a manner similar to the page.
"Well well Princess Luna. It appears that once again, the millennia old game is ahoof" he mused quietly, a sly grin creeping over his features, “and I am a proud griffon to star in it.”
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"We are victorious!" Luna roared to her assembled crew on the deck of the old pirate ship. She was met with equally loud cheers as she sailed out of the recently plundered and burned harbor of Aquila. "It seems that my loyal pirates have not lost their touch even after a thousand years of my absence. Another round for everyone!" The cheers that greeted this proclamation were even louder, most punctuated with raised half-full mugs. Letting her subjects celebrate, the Princess herself retreated to the captain's cabin. The angry image of her sister awaited her in the lavishly decorated room, a flickering life-size image that portrayed Celestia in all of her glory and anger.
"Sister! I thought I said no piracy!"
"Aww, you're no fun."
"Get back to Canterlot right now! The ambassador to the griffons is buried under seven feet of bureaucracy and he is not happy with your actions."
Pausing to take another long swig of the mug that she had held by her magic, her response was slightly slurred. "I think not sister, as I don’t care for the petty affairs of laws and governments."
“Luna!”
“Unless I am mistaken, which I doubt, you had a band of pirates back when we were younger. Does the Celestial Brigands ring any bells?”
“That- that was different” Celestia spluttered, pink rising to her cheeks as she realized her own mistake.
“Nuh-uh, you told me to start my own band ‘cause it brought in income when you were spending so much money on cloudcake that the country was about to go broke.”
“Now, I really don’t think that is called for…” Celestia managed to get out in her flustered state, her face now edging more towards rosy color.
“I have so much blackmail on you sweet sister. How about that time when you went out to the lake-“
“THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!” Luna’s sister cried, her Royal Canterlot Voice being used in full effect on her sister and also cracking no less than three panes of glass in the throne room, much to the amusement of the guards keeping watch.
“In that case, goodnight sweet Tia.”
“LU-“ The grainy, blushing, and yelling image of Celestia winked out in a flash of dark blue from Luna’s horn. Scarcely a second had passed before it popped back up again. A stern gaze was all that flashed through before it vanished again. Before it could reappear for a third time, Luna walked out of her cabin, slightly off balance.
“We appear to have become outlaws in the eyes of my dear sister and her poorly structured government. Pity, I thought we could have earned that status a tad bit later. It’s nice when there is no opposition.” She was once again greeted with a loud chorus of cheers. Turning to the stern, Luna called out “Navigator! How far to Trotuga where we can sell our winnings?”
The not quite ancient pony took a moment to glance up at the stars and measure the windspeed before answering. “About two and a half days, depending upon the wind.”
Luna considered this before slowly nodding in acknowledgement. “Officers, I wish for you to report the map room immediately. The rest of you, get some sleep while you can.”
Her six senior officers, not counting the Navigator, headed below decks portside, aiming for the stern. Luna teleported down there in a flash of dark blue light, despite the journey taking less than a minute.
‘They’re obviously very experienced. I think I am a tad rusty in certain places and there is no harm in having a wee assistance’ Luna mused, glancing around the only circular room on board, as well as the one best furnished, while letting her gaze and thoughts rest upon each pony in turn as they entered.
The grizzled and bearded earth pony, the Quartermaster, twin to the Navigator and their names forgotten by time, age-old titles being the only thing they responded to. Their hair had long been bleached of color under the celestial sun and their once yellow coat seemed to be heading the same way, but the two of them were still as steadfast and reliable as their ancestors, the original Lunar Pirates.
The all important cook, Brunswick, also an earth pony. His pale yellow mane and tail were cut short to avoid contamination and his unassuming brown coat made him seem more like a farmer than a professional cook, but the crossed spatula and frying pan emblazoned on his flank removed any doubt.
Horizon, the youngest officer and chief scout both on land and on the sea, as well as a pegasus stallion. A telescope marked his flank and his mane fluttered about him whenever he flew, making it seem as if an aura of light brown surrounded his dark green body.
The sole unicorn on board and the weapons master, Steel Rose. Despite his pale pink mane that had once ridiculed him in ports, the sharpened steel constantly around his silvery torso quieted most as soon as it was drawn.
And the winged pony sail specialist, Ocean Breeze, a mare with a mane the colors of the lagoon where she grew up until the armada wrecked her home, sending her into a life of piracy.
“Alright Captain Luna, want to formally discuss your return with us, or are you leaving us?” the snarky voice of the final officer, the first mate and former captain, asked.
“Stow it Reginald.”
The fiery pegasus mare couldn't help but laugh, her scarlet mane undulating and stoic demeanor broken. “It’s an inherited title as you well know. A tradition started by your first mate way back when. Like that other one, the Dread Pony Roberts, who imitated it. Reginald is much better.”
Luna’s glare said it all: 50% amusement, 10% bemusement, 15% annoyance, and 25% pure Luna. “Just sit your tangerine rear in the chair and shut up.”
“As you wish, grand captain,” the pony known as Reginald replied, giving an exaggerated bow as she did so. She flopped into one of the curved and cushioned armchairs that ringed the small room with a practiced ease; she then proceeded to completely ignore everyone else in the room and stared intently at the maps of Equus and Aquila that sat on an empty barrel in the middle of the paneled room.
“What was your name before you became captain of the Lunar Sailor?” asked Horizon quizzically, interrupting the studious mare.
Though she responded with only a glance, a smile, and a shrug, the Quartermaster was the actual one to respond in a voice, one that creaked with age and disuse, but was still a deep baritone. “I believe it was Amber Flash.”
Luna nodded, still thinking through what she was about to say. “I trust that you are content with my resumption of being the captain of this ship?” Amber nodded to Luna, who then proceeded. “In that case, when we hit Trotuga in a few days, I wish to take on some additional crew. A dragon, at least for the purposes of sending and receiving messages, a pony trained in infiltration- and no Horizon, I am not getting rid of you, nor are you getting demoted,- and preferably another unicorn, even though they are rare in the pirate world. Not to mention selling some of our plunder, which I would like a list of Quartermaster, and resupplying. “Any questions?” A few moments of awkward silence passed by before Luna continued. “Everything clear then? Get some rest. We should arrive at Trotuga in a few days. For the glory of the Lunar Republic!”
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In Canterlot…
“That’s it. I’m going to kill my sister. She just went and hung up on me, then walked out of the room! NOPONY hangs up on me.” Celestia angrily marched past the guards who were attempting to hide their sniggers, but failed. The look that Celestia gave them when she passed was enough to shut them up until she slammed the door shut in her golden aura, ignoring the door pages as well as almost squishing them.
“I only hope she hasn’t forgotten to lower the moon. We can’t go have another Nightmare Moon incident.” Celestia’s fears proved unfounded as she reached the balcony attached to her private quarters and watched as the moon lowered in the sky. She did her part and raised the sun, spreading its light all across the valley below Canterlot and being set on the path that it would travel for the day.
“Seven days,” Celestia whispered, “Seven days until the military acts. Seven days until my sister becomes hunted instead of being a hunter.” She sighed and looked out over the reds and oranges reflecting off of the early morning clouds in the valley below.
“I really hate this government sometimes.”
Author's Note
I would gladly welcome another pre-reader :)
And yes, there will eventually be artwork showing what the ponies look like if my writing won't be enough. I'll just have to get around to it :P
Oh, and this chapter just underwent major edits @ 9:09 EST, 10/11/13, so you might want to reread it if you read it before then.
The Lunar Sailor quietly sailed in the early morning mist that settled over the waters around Trotuga, slicing through the waves with little noise save for the sails that fluttered in the breeze. It approached a small island, wholly occupied with a grungy, sprawling pirate haven. A faint clamor floated over the sea from it despite the early time. The mist grew lighter the closer the ship came to the harbor, showing the rings of protruding wooden docks, a little under half of them taken up by other ships of various sizes and status.
Then the peaceful spell was broken.
“HALT YER SHIP!” the grubby looking official called out as the floating object in question approached the dock. The Lunar Sailor stopped just short of the dock at a single nod from its celestial captain. The official in question trotted over to the end of the dock, his girth causing his gait to be more of a waddle as the aged wooden planks creaked under his weight.
“Good morrow good sir, what can I do for you today?!” Luna called, in a slightly less loud voice than the booming sound that had projected itself from the lips of the rather portly pony standing near the edge of the dock.
“What be yer business here in Trotuga?!”
“I have come with my crew to sell plunder looted from various coastal cities.”
“Name of the ship?” he asked in a dull voice, used to this part of his job.
“It’s printed on the hull.” The official gave Luna a long disdainful look before turning his head as if it were painful to do so to look at the name etched in golden ink on the side of the browned hull. He read the name there and it became immediately obvious that it was known to him, as he jumped in recognition.
“You be at the front of the list of ships to admit under any circumstance. Welcome to Trotuga, Princess Luna and First Mate Reginald.” He backed away from the slowly approaching ship timidly, as if expecting something bad to happen.
On board the boat it was a different story. Luna turned to the reddish-yellow mare standing to her right. “What exactly did you do as Captain to get that spot? Even with my status I never got top of the list privileges.”
“Oh,” Amber responded, with an air of nonchalance about her, “just a very interesting incident involving two flintlock pistols, half of a watermelon, and a rather odd plunger. Not to mention the amount of alcohol consumed beforehand. Maybe that wasn’t such a great idea.”
Luna laughed, not quite a booming laugh like she was known for prior to her incarceration, but more of an amused chuckle. “Well in any case, it has served its purpose, for we will always have a safe place to escape to.” There was then a slight lurch as the ship was brought to a stop and tied up by the dock workers.
The moon goddess turned back around to face the deck of her ship that held her crew. “You all know your assigned duties. We’ll be here for approximately three days. That should be enough time to gather supplies and allow you all to enjoy yourselves after our victory at Aquila. I do however expect everyone back on the ship by no later than one o’clock in the morning unless cleared with me. Understood?” Even though everypony knew exactly what to do, none would have dared shake their head if they hadn’t known. Such was their leader. “Then go enjoy yourselves except for the few assigned guard duty.”
There was practically a stampede to get off of the ship. Within minutes, only the officers and the few disgruntled guard ponies remained on board the ship.
“You all know what you’re doing?” Luna inquired.
Horizon answered for them all, with a simple nod of his head. He then flew in a spiral off the ship, closely followed by Ocean Breeze, both laughing as the enjoyed flying through the near perfect morning weather. Steel Rose just rolled his eyes and made his way off the boat by the use of the thoroughly trampled gangplank, him too followed by the other officers.
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From the mind of Horizon...
Okay, gather intel, find a pony trained in infiltration and espionage, and shop with Breeze for some extra sailcloth. I can do that. I looked back over my shoulder to make sure that she was following as we loped over cluttered and uneven rooftops of Trotuga. I didn’t relish going down into the dirty depths again, but I was probably the most familiar with the pirate haven after growing up on the streets here. I angled down to land in a fairly open straightaway, only bouncing off the ground slightly as I landed. I stood somewhat proudly, happy to have remembered the right place to go to. Of course, my moment had to be ruined by something. And by something, I mean a mare ploughing into my backside.
“Oof,” I gasped, toppling onto the roughly cobbled pavement face first, much to the humor of other pirate ponies nearby.
“Don’t ev’r stand i’ the straightaway boy! Haven’t yer learn’d that b’now!” called a pony walking by, reinforcing his comment with a small chuckle.
I shot him my best glare, which he dutifully ignored, and turned to help Breeze up, only to find she had landed a few feet to my right in a flawless manner. Of course. An expert flier who manages sails would know better than to land on a pony in the middle of the road. Even so, any help I could have offered was useless, as the other mare was already standing up.
“Oh, I’m sorry for hitting you mister.” The mare who hit me looked down before I could catch her face, long hair flopping over to hide her face,
“It’s no big issue. Say, you aren't from around these parts, are you? Your accent sounds different. Equestrian?” I prided myself on knowing accents fairly well, growing up being surrounded by a conglomeration of every accent known to ponydom, as well as some that were in outer countries such as zebra, griffon, and a particularly strange type of middle eastern swallow.
“Yeah. I’ll just be on my way then…” She tried to move around me, but I stopped her for some reason. Even later, I still wasn't sure why I did it, especially as there was always the possibility of her drawing some sort of bladed weapon.
“No, I wanna make sure you’re alright. Just look at me. Your face did just plow right into me.” I didn’t even have to look over to know that Breeze was rolling her eyes at my pathetic attempt at a joke. So humor wasn’t exactly my strong suit. Oh well. She took a deep breath, sensing that I wasn’t going to go away until I made sure she was all right and looked me straight in the eyes.
Her eyes were some of the most beautiful things I had seen, though I could also tell why she didn’t want to look at me. Her eyes were slightly out of focus, not pinpointing a single target even though I was only a few feet from her.
“And there goes the staring again” she muttered under her breath, a single tear starting to form at the edge of her silvery coat. Lucky for me, as I was so enraptured at the moment, Breeze came to my side like she did all those years ago.
“Horizon didn’t mean to stare. He just finds unusual ponies to be gorgeous. I mean, take a look at me. He finds me so enchanting.” The two mares giggled together in a way that only girls could. The tension released and I could breathe easier again.
“You’re unusual too?” the new mare questioned.
“Mhm, I’ve got some condition called dyslexia, so I find it very hard to read and write. I couldn’t get a job anywhere else, so I was cast into the streets and eventually became a pirate. Don’t let your disabilities control you.”
“Aww, that must have been horrible growing up then.” The mare seemed crestfallen for a moment, but brightened again. ”I’m Derpy, assistant to the best spy and conjuror this side of Equus!”
If my eyes hadn’t widened enough to show my amazement at the coincidence, my mouth did the talking as it hung agape.
“Close your mouth Horizon, you’ll catch flies. And there is plenty of them around here. Derpy, we were actually looking for someone who the talents of a spy to join our crew. Could we perhaps meet him?”
“Her. And sure! She doesn’t have any work right now, so we’re kinda waiting for a chance like this. What luck,” she said with a slightly goofy grin that made me feel warmer inside. “Follow me!” and with that, the silvery mare flew off again in the same direction that she came from, though slightly crooked.
“Get moving Horizon. You’ll get to find the sailcloth when we go to the market since I just did most of your job.”
“But-“ I started to protest, still in disbelief about the luck that just came my way.
“No buts. Now get your butt moving.”
I sighed and flew off in the direction that the receding silvery-gray figure had gone, not looking forward to haggling in the market for half of a bit, but at least the prices were, for the most part, honest. You don’t want to swindle someone who has no problems with turning around and delightfully stabbing you in the back. But in the time that I had been lost in my thoughts and following on autopilot, we were flying through a part of the town that I had rarely visited as a colt. It wasn’t the dirty, dark, and dank depths of the undertown (as I was very familiar with those places), but the higher class ponies’ dwellings (which were, for a pirate’s dwelling, relatively clean). I almost started drooling at the opulence displayed and thought back to how desperately I wanted to steal from here as a colt, but the young filly in a stockade outside a house we passed evaporated those thoughts from my mind.
I barely managed to stop myself short from ploughing into Breeze as she and Derpy stopped at the entrance to a house. While it wasn’t the nicest house on the row, it was still more extravagant than any house I had ever set foot in legally, let alone been invited into.
“We’re here! She should be inside. Probably making potions of some sort,” she said with a somewhat goofy smile on her face, despite potion making being unusual nowadays. But this is one of the three great pirate havens after all and the unexpected was an everyday occurrence.
The three of us walked inside the candlelit house, Breeze and I more slowly than the other mare. It could never hurt to be too cautious, especially when a clumsy mare like Derpy claimed to be the assistant to an infiltrator.
“Welcome you three to my humble home. I’m glad that Derpy didn’t come alone.” My heart skipped a beat as I jumped and let out a shriek in surprise. I turned around and saw a pony wearing a dark cloak standing in front of the door. Her yellow eyes illuminated in the dim lighting in the main foyer. She tossed back her cloak to reveal the marked body of a zebra and a striped mane. I recognized her instantly, as she had been a frequent visitor to the apothecary where I was forced to work as a colt.
“Hello Zecora.”
Author's Note
I hope to update every week or so :)
And no, this will not be filled with canon characters. Only a select few are pirates.
