Tribute, with a Bottle of Rum
Celestia walked into her bedroom, thoroughly exhausted after a long day of wedding preparations. It was truly exciting, hosting the biggest wedding in recent memory, though she wished her little ponies would catch their breath and relax, instead of getting so wound up over invitations, gold leaf everything, and how large the cake should be. Perhaps she shouldn't be complaining. This was nothing compared to the years after she was forced to banish Luna to the moon.
Her face turned into a frown as she took off her royal garb piece by piece. She had lost sister, and with it, her hope. At the first possible opportunity, she left Equestria, leaving everything behind in an attempt to erase herself from existence. She couldn't deal with the shame anymore! She left her country, her world, behind, and found a place where Princess Celestia did not matter anymore, where she could be someone else entirely, where there was no pain, but happiness.
She found that place in a small (Ponyville-sized) town, full of rouges, scalawags, and pirates.
This place was called Nassau.
Here, Princess Celestia did not exist. Rather, she could be someone else, completely the opposite of herself. She shed her royal decorum, her mantle, her name, even her own form. Here, she could be Anne Bonny, a normal waitress in a seedy bar. Well, as normal as you could get in that time.
She had come there after spending about a month in a small country called Ireland. She was fond of that place, with their loud, boisterous inhabitants, yet friendly and caring at the same time. For Nassau was similar to an Irish bar, complete with the drunken patrons hitting on any barmaid they could lay eyes on.It was there she met the first three of a group of exceptional men and women, devoted to the idea of freedom in every sense of the word, striving to make their own lives as Gentlemen of Fortune who made their peace with death, and spent every day as if it were their last.
First was Benjamin Hornigold, the closest thing to an aristocratic gentleman Nassau ever had. He was respectful, kind-hearted, and it was primarily his ambition that led to Nassau, the “Grand Experiment” he called it. For all his good points, he still held sentiments toward his old home of England, and never raided a British ship. In fact, his longing for his old home, with all of its comforts, was part of the reason he left the pirating life and turned to the Templars, turning his back on the group, what little was left. In this way, Hornigold was almost Celestia’s exact opposite.
The Second was Edward Teach, or Thatch as he liked to be called. He was the oldest of the group, nearing his fifth decade, and was rather laid-back. He was the father-figure of the group, and the wisest, despite being a pirate himself. He was also the one who coined the term “Gentlemen of Fortune” to describe their group. A man with a flair for the theatrical, he would often paint himself as “the Devil hisself!” or something to that regard. He was the first of their company to fall, being killed in battle by a cowardly assault by the British.
Later came Calico Jack Rackham and Charles Vane. Jack, put mildly, was almost always drunk, which hindered his successes as a captain, and somewhat cowardly, while Charles Vane was an animal, ruthless and cruel, though he did have the rare good moment in his life. Vane was eventually marooned on an island, caught by the British, and hanged for piracy. Rackham, however, lasted much shorter than Vane did. Celestia remembered that quite well. While he and the rest of the crew were passed out after a night of drinking, the British came knocking, and it was just herself, Mary Read, and another young lad who barely drank anything. Poor man, he died in the attack.
Speaking of Mary, she was rather unusual for women at the time, pulling what she later called a Sweet Polly Oliver, disguising herself as a man and carried herself as a captain. When the two of them were arrested and convicted of piracy, she was able to stall the execution by claiming they were pregnant. Mary actually was, though Celestia had to perform an illusion on herself to keep the ruse. She died due to complications after childbirth, the death that shook her the hardest.
And who could forget Stede Bonnet? The jolly Englishman never truly was cut out for the pirating life, but he tried his hardest, and his cheery demeanor never failed to brighten her day, much to Vane’s ire (though she secretly believed Vane liked him; it was nearly impossible not to, even for him). He learned all he could about pirating from Thatch, and later captained his own vessel. He was the last to go among their little group.
Of course, none of these people would have met if it were not for one person. Edward Kenway. The charismatic, adventurous young man who made Nassau possible, always saw the good in people, and stuck with every member of their group until the very end. Even Vane and Hornigold, with the former’s descent into madness and the latter’s betrayal of their group, had a place in his heart. She and Edward were the last two remaining of the Gentlemen of Fortune, all the others died one by one. Eventually, the two found comfort in each other, and she married him. They had a son, which they named Haytham, and raised to the best of their ability.
She was with Edward in his final moments, after being impaled by a cowardly Templar’s sword.
“I’m not going to live though the nigh, Anne. You know that.”
“No! I-I won’t lose you… not like I lost everyone else…”
“Anne,” he whispered, cupping her cheek with his hand. “You know I’m not a good man. So driven I was for personal glory that I neglected everyone around me. Thatch, Bonnet, Mary, Vane, Rackham, even Hornigold, for how much I hated him… I can’t help but think that all of that… was my fault.”
“Don’t speak, Edward, save your strength!” She pleaded.
“But then… you entered my life. After everything that happened, all the mistakes I made, all the hurt I caused, you stuck with me, cared for me, even married me.” He chuckled weakly. “For a man who’s done such wrongs, who doesn't deserve this kindness, I can only feel blessed for having someone like you in my life…”
Tears began to run down Celestia’s face. “Edward… don’t… don’t do this. Please, don’t talk!”
Edward slowly wiped a tear away from her eye. “Don’t cry for me, Anne. You made my life worth living. And now, I’m going to be with everyone. Thatch, Hornigold, Rackham, Vane, Bonnet, Mary… all of us. We’ll drink and celebrate, catch up on everything that has happen since we've been apart, and welcome you with open arms when your time comes. So please… don’t cry for me. I’m going to a better place, and I’ll be waiting for you… my quartermaster… my lovely wife…”
With those words, Edward Kenway died in her arms.
Her eyes blurred with tears as she remembered her husband’s dying words oh-so-long ago. With him, the Gentlemen of Fortune was reduced to her, the last surviving member. With Edward gone and Jennifer a grown woman, she had nothing left tying her to Earth, with the possible exception of Haytham, who had been stolen from her and taken to the Templars. Her sorrow overcame her, and nearly took her own life, were it not for another memory, one where Edward found solace in the Assassin’s Creed, and dedicated his remaining life to the service of others.
This memory filled her with self-respect and determination. She would follow her late-husband’s example, no matter how much it hurt her! She used the same spell that sent her to Earth, and traveled back to Equestria, where she announced herself as Princess Celestia, and retook the throne as Princess of Equestria, to much rejoicing and celebration. She has held that post now for over a thousand years.
She never spoke of her time on Earth with anypony, no matter how hard those little fillies tried with their puppy eyes. She had her own way of remembering her long-dead friends. She opened her secret liquor cabinet (for those long days of listening to ponies bicker about the pettiest of subjects) and removed an enchanted bottle of spiced Caribbean Rum, Edward’s favorite. This particular bottle was enchanted so it would never break, and would constantly replenish itself. From the same cabinet she pulled out an old Caribbean tankard, and filled it to the top. The pungent smell of the rum would have sent a normal pony’s nose burning, but Celestia was long accustomed to it.
“To all the Gentlemen of Fortune, living and dead. May your legacy never be forgotten, your memory eternal, and your souls be at peace.” She whispered, lifting the tankard in a toast.
Every time she did this, she swore she could see her friends beside her, standing with her as part of a circle in a huge toast. In unison, they tapped their tankards together and slowly downed the rum. Celestia relished in the taste of the spices on her tongue and the burning of alcohol in her throat. She paused for a few moments, savoring the drink, before corking the bottle of rum and cleaning the tankard, replacing them in her liquor cabinet.
Celestia walked over to her balcony, relishing the cool night breeze against her coat. Looking up at the stars, she saw the faces of her friends, smiling and nodding at her. With a sad smile, she began to sing, the long-forgotten song somehow always making it back to her each night. The wind carried the song throughout the Castle, and even into the borders of the city, letting all who were still awake at this hour to listen in.
I thought I heard the old man say,
“Leave her Johnny, leave her!”
Tomorrow ye will get your pay
And it’s time for us to leave her.
Leave her Johnny, leave her,
Oh, leave her Johnny, leave her,
For the voyage is long, and the winds don’t blow
And it’s time for us to leave her.
Oh, the wind was foul and the sea ran high,
Leave her Johnny, leave her!
She shipped it green and none went by,
And it’s time for us to leave her.
Leave her Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her Johnny, leave her!
For the voyage is long and the winds don’t blow,
And it’s time for us to leave her.
I hate to sail on this rotten tub.
Leave her Johnny, leave her!
No grog allowed and rotten grub,
And it’s time for us to leave her.
Leave her Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her Johnny, leave her!
For the Voyage is long and the winds don’t blow,
And it’s time for us to leave her.
We swear by rote for want of more.
Leave her Johnny, leave her!
But now we’re through, so we’ll go on shore,
And it’s time for us to leave her.
Leave her Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her Johnny, leave her!
For the voyage is long and the winds don’t blow,
And it’s time for us to leave her.
Author's Note
The lyrics to the "Leave her, Johnny" shanty seen above are actually modified lyrics of the original shanty, I learned after a quick Google search. I do not own either of them, and the modified "Leave her, Johnny" shanty is the property of Ubisoft. Please support the official release.
Promotion, with a Bottle of Rum
“She is singing again…” Said Flash Sentry, the young lieutenant that was slated to replace Captain Shining Armor as Captain of Equestria’s Royal Guard. There was much pomp and circumstance around his appointment, and the joy he felt when he was called into Captain Armor’s office and informed that HE would be his replacement, after the wedding was announced. Since Princess Cadence would be relieving the Captain of his duties for a while for their honeymoon, a temporary replacement was needed to fill Captain Armor’s spot.
He chose Flash Sentry.
Flash never really knew WHY he was chosen, but the look in Captain Armor’s eyes when he told him, and the smile on his face, seemed to do all the talking for him. “Trust me, Lieutenant, I know what I’m doing.” He said.
To celebrate, a few of his fellow Guardsmen took him out to a bar, the Old Avery Tavern it was called. It was the oldest bar in Canterlot, here ever since Princess Celestia returned from her self-imposed exile almost a thousand years ago. No one knows why she named the bar like this, or why she would EVER sanction the creation of a bar of all places, but no one seemed to mind, and the drinks here were, somehow, THAT much better than the other bars in Canterlot, making it a go-to destination for, well, pretty much everypony.
Then, the same, sad song was carried through the air, and all the noise in the bar hushed. You could hear a pin drop on the floor, as all the customers were silenced, listening to Princess Celestia’s song, sorrowful and mourning as it was. The song ended almost as quickly as it had begun, but the bar was still in silence, as if contemplating the meaning behind her song.
“Aye mate, that she has. She’s sung that same song every night for the past millennia. Always wondered what it was about…” the bartender said to Flash. He was certainly a strange pony. No one could place where his accent came from, though it seemed to be a blend of Canterlot and Trottingham. He wore the strangest white robes, though they were browned by years of use. Leather armor was placed on top of the robes, covering his forelegs and shoulders, and partway down his back. His hood was down, revealing a well-tended to beard, bits of grey creeping into the roots, as well as unicorn’s horn. No one knew the bartender’s real name, everyone just called him ‘Mr. Jackdaw.’
“Really, Mr. Jackdaw? The same song?” Asked a young filly, who was visiting the bar. Now, before you go reporting off to the Guard about there being a young filly in a place filled with spiced rum, a little background information. The filly, Amber Guard, was a young Pegasus, unfortunately orphaned from a fire that consumed half a city block some three years ago. She had wandered into the bar, where Mr. Jackdaw had offered her a place to stay, and ever since then, she had basically become his unofficial daughter. Rumor has it, she’s the only one who knows Mr. Jackdaw’s real name.
“That’s right, lass! The same ol’ song, every night.” He said, a smile on his face, patting the young filly on the head and giving her a glass of ice water. “Now, off to bed with you! You don’t want to miss school tomorrow, don’t you?”
Amber giggled. “No way daddy! I don’t want my friends to suffer through math class alone!” She said, walking up the stairs to her room with the glass of water. The patrons all bid her a goodnight and a good day at school tomorrow as she passed by, commenting on Mr. Jackdaw’s kindness, letting the poor filly into his home!
Flash smiled softly, watching the filly walk back to her room, carefree and happy as she did. He couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly Mr. Jackdaw was able to cheer her up like that. It’s like he has prior experience with raising children before… “Oi mate, she’s much too young for you! Besides, don’t you have the hots for… oh, whatshername… Twilight Sparkle?” Came Mr. Jackdaw’s voice, his face wearing a mischievous smirk.
Flash, who was unfortunately drinking his spiced rum, the Old Avery’s trademark beverage, did a marvelous spit-take, blasting the rum everywhere in front of his mouth. His friends thumped him on the back, laughing merrily. The blush on Flash’s face could have lit the room were it pitch dark. “I-I do not have feelings for my Captain’s sister!” He declared. The other patrons in the bar smiled and shook their heads, returning to their drinks. Flash’s attraction to Twilight was so obvious… if only the poor Pegasus wasn’t so denying!
“Sure, and I’m Princess Celestia’s long dead husband, brought back to life through ancient magic older than the world itself to serve as a bartender.” Said Mr. Jackdaw, his voice as sarcastic as could be, but that smile on his face… it rang a few bells in Flash’s mind. That was the smile of a pony who knew more than he or she was letting on…
“Oh, and I suppose you would know something about that?” He said, calling Mr. Jackdaw’s bluff. “Princess Celestia never got married, she’s been single her entire life, and even if she did have a husband, we would all know about it.”
Mr. Jackdaw poured another glass of rum, sliding it on to another patient at the far end of the bar, showing years of practice with the technique. “Of course we’d all know about it, but there WAS a period of time in history where no-pony knew of her whereabouts, am I right?” Asked Mr. Jackdaw, still wearing the same smirk on his face as before. “It’s entirely possible that she could have gotten married in that time, and we’d not know of it.”
Flash opened his mouth to retort, but closed it after a few seconds, coming up with nothing to say in response. “I suppose you have a point there…” He said, conceding.
He felt a hearty ‘smack* on his shoulder, coming from one of the other bartenders here, a Zebra simply named Adewale, known for his signature pure black fur, a rarity amongst ponies nowadays. “Good try, friend, but I’ve yet to see a pony that could get the one-up on Ol’ Jackdaw so easily nowadays!” He said. Unlike Mr. Jackdaw, Adewale’s accent could be very well placed, around one of the islands in the Tropic seas.
Flash rubbed his shoulder, returning Adewale’s laugh with a pained smile, though it was all in jest. “I swear Ade, with those kinds of muscles, you could give Applejack down in Ponyville a run for her money!” He said, his squad mates, as well as the patrons, joining him in a merry laugh that filled the bar. Everyone knew of the legendary strength the farm-mare possessed in her legendary hind legs, and just what kind of damage they could d!
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far, braddah, but I must say, I think I come close to it!” He said, smacking him one more time, then returning behind the bar to his fellow bartender’s side. The huge grandfather clock struck twelve, closing time for the bar.
“Alright, lads!” Called Mr. Jackdaw, standing up on the bar and lifting a tankard filled with spiced rum. “Last round of the night’s on me! Come and get it!” He said, and with the help of the rest of the bars employees, consisting of some of the roughest looking stallions around, but bearing hearts of gold and were very kind and polite to their patrons, passed out tankards full of rum to every patron. Even Amber Guard was included, having sneaked downstairs again to try and sneak a sip of rum. Mr. Jackdaw’s response was to shake his head, though he chuckled merrily, and gave her a glass of Sweet Apple Acres cider. She was, after all, a little young for spiced rum!
“To the Wedding of Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor! Let their love blossom, and may they have many happy years together!” Cried Mr. Jackdaw in a joyous toast.
“CHEERS!” Roared the patrons in a hearty collective, downing their drinks in one breath.
And with that last toast, the bar slowly emptied, leaving Flash Sentry as the last patron left, nursing one last bit of spiced rum. He placed the empty tankard on the bar, gave a polite farewell to the employees, and walked to join his comrades back at the barracks. Once he was about to leave the establishment, however, Mr. Jackdaw bid him stay for a moment.
“Congratulations on your promotion, Captain Sentry. I believe you’ll do a fine job.” He said, a small smile on his face. “Oh, and if you happen to catch Princess Celestia alone, with just the two of you, and with plenty of free time on your hooves, ask her if she knows anyone by the name of Edward James Kenway. And make sure you mention my name, alright?”
Flash cocked his head at the strange request, not really knowing what to make of it. What kind of a name was Edward James Kenway? It didn’t sound like a Gryphon name, nor a Minotaur name. It certainly was no pony name, for that matter… “Well, if I ever stumble upon a situation like that, and I think I never will, I’ll be sure to ask her.” He said, a confused smile on his face.
“There’s a good lad!” Said Mr. Jackdaw, giving Flash a hearty thump on his back. “Oh, almost forgot!” He said, walking back to the bar and coming back with a small wooden box. “It’s for you. Open it!”
Flash slowly opened the lid, revealing a pair of steel vambraces, polished to a sheen so bright that he could see his own reflection in them! With a look of awe on his face, he gently lifted them out of the box, instantly discovering that there was more to these things than meets the eye… attached to the vambraces was a fetlock[1]-blade, approximately the length of his foreleg[2]. He placed them on, finding them to be a perfect fit, and with a simple flick of his right fetlock, the simple, yet elegant and deadly blade sprang out to its full reach, another flick placing it back.
“When I heard that one of my favorite regulars here was getting quite the promotion, I had to come up with a suitable gift, so Ade and I forged these blades for you. I hope you never have to use them, but at least if you get capture by changelings tomorrow, they won’t suspect that you’re not completely unarmed!” Joked Mr. Jackdaw, escorting Flash out the door. “Now go get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow.”
Before Flash left the tavern, he turned around, giving Mr. Jackdaw a wide, thankful smile. “Thanks so much for the blades, Mr. Jackdaw! I’ll treat them with care!” He said, running off towards the barracks, Mr. Jackdaw calling out after him: “And don’t forget what I told you!”
A few seconds passed before Flash disappeared into the night. Adewale had took it upon himself to coordinate the tavern staff to cleaning up for the night, leaving Mr. Jackdaw to his thoughts.
“Oh yes, tomorrow is going to be a busy day… and a day that will be remembered for centuries to come. Because tomorrow…” He said, reaching into his robe and removing a small, golden sphere, softly glowing with a golden light.
“We will finally be together again… Anne…”
Author's Note
[1] Basically, the pony version of the wrist.
[2] Here, foreleg has the same meaning as the forearm.
Due to popular demand, I have decided to turn this from a one-shot into a full blown story! Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. Calculus sucks, I'm getting more assignments than I can keep track with, Calculus sucks, I really need to get more sleep, and did I mention Calculus sucks?
