The Heist of Chestnut Bay - Introduction
Chestnut Bay.
A small piece of land that only covers about two acres of an island off the coast of southern Equestira. At first glance, it seems to be a few conjoined shacks lightly fortified by a palisade of sharp, upturned logs. Under its sandy crust, however, there's more to meet the eye.
Rumors have been spread by word of mouth about the government-run facility. They circulated mainly around the hidden bars and pirate havens of Equestria, where a few golden bits could be traded for an ill-gotten gemstone, no questions asked, or a treasure map could be gambled away six times in a night. It was here, in this den of thieves and devils, where theories first spawned as to what was actually held in the belly of the bay.
There was one haven in particular that this tale will focus on: a small, oft-crowded establishment on the very edge of a jutting peninsula on the southwest coast of the land ruled by the Celestial Monarchy. It was called the Seashore Veranda, so called because of the platform that was held on wooden stilts above the churning Mare-ibbean sea.
Almost daily (or, rather, nightly) in the Seashore Veranda, shady, hooded and cloaked figures come and go, earning the bar quite a reputation. However, only one of these figures frequented the place - and shady she wasn't. Her coat was a frighteningly neon pink, and, although she usually wore a wide-brimmed tricorn, the mane that was visible was curled and frayed, a result of years spent in the salty air of the sea.
This figure's reputation preceded her, and it is for that reason she didn't speak and wasn't spoken to. She came for the cider. Every night, she walked in, sat at the bar, paid for a drink, and left (often staggering). Its not like she never made a scene, oh no; she was known to start rousing songs and won multiple drinking contests. But there was more than enough a mysterious side to her; possibly because of the less-than-sane legends circulating around her and her infamous name.
This night, though, was unlike any other night, in the respect that her attention was finally caught by the previously-trivial chatter and gossip behind her.
An olive-green stallion with a rich Cockney accent was speaking loudly with four other colts and an aquamarine mare. "I swear, though, I wasn' there; I 'eard it from a friend-a mine. I don't fink 'ee's tellin' the truth." His voice dropped substantially. "Well, 'ee's been obsessin' over Chestnut Bay for the past few days. Finks 'ee's gonna sail righ' into the 'arbor n' take the whole lot."
Oh, this madness again. She turned and stared straight at the olive-green stallion. He accidentally caught her eye and was unable to look away. She cocked her head, her curly mane bouncing to the side. "And for 'the whole lot' of what, may I ask, would your friend risk being killed or captured by the Celestial Guard?"
The stallion glanced around at his friends and laughed. The group laughed with him. "An' what would a nice piece of arse like yourself want with that information?"
She laughed with the others, but they could hear the difference in her voice. There was no mirth in it, only an icy seriousness. "Well, I was just wondering what more stupid ideas a group of half-pirates like yourselves could come up with. Seriously, I've heard everything."
His laughter stopped short. "Half-pirate, you say?" In one fluid motion, he leapt over the table and unsheathed his sword, holding it directly against the pink mare's throat. "Half-pirate, indeed," he growled.
He was taller than her, but only just. She calmly reached a single hoof up and pushed the thick Romane blade away from her, hopping from her seat at the bar. He was secretly shocked at her pure strength. She walked around him slowly, inspecting him and his position. "Half-pirate, indeed," she muttered, and placed a back hoof on a spot on his leg, and pushed hard.
He collapsed to his right with a gasp, and fell noisily through a wooden table, splintering it in two. She stayed where she was, and let her inexperienced adversary recover from behind her.
With a cough and a groan, the stallion pulled himself up to the bar, locking his sword back over his hoof. He fell back to his hooves and, with a cry of effort (the only sound audible in the room by then), he lunged at the mare's back.
She giggled. She couldn't help herself. With a smooth duck to her right, she dodged the attack and stood quickly again, flipping the hapless stallion onto the hard wooden floor with a sickening thud.
He was out cold. His five friends stared nervously at the neon pink mare, who had just knocked the burliest member of their group unconscious. She turned her head to stare right back in their direction. "Must I repeat myself? Or does one of you remember my question?"
The aquamarine unicorn was the first to answer. "His friend's name is Dock. He's out in the harbor. I - we don't know what his theories are."
That was enough for the mysterious earth-pony. She nodded at them. "Much thanks. Oh, and I doubt he'd mind whether I take this" - she stomped the side of the sword, sending it flipping high into the air before she caught it cleanly in her empy scabbard - "because, as you can see, he doesn't know how to use it."
With this, she fluffed her greatcoat, downed the remains of her mug of cider, and turned to walk out of the Seashore Veranda. But she stopped in her tracks when she heard the aquamarine mare say her name.
"Are you... Pinkie Pie?"
There was an unspoken surprise that rattled around the silence of the bar.
She turned back, almost swaggering, and chuckled before speaking. "You're new here, aren't you? I'm not Pinkie Pie."
She spun on her heels to face the door again. "I'm Captain Pinkie Pie."
----------~€~----------
Pinkie left the bar laughing to herself aloud. Quite a scene she'd caused... but it wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last.
Back to her task. She knew she'd heard of a stupid go-big-or-go-home plan like that before, and when they said the friend's name, her suspicions were confirmed. It was indeed her old friend Dock. Dock had been her closest friend since they were foals, foals alone in Equestria dreaming of a life on the sea.
She lost herself momentarily in a reminiscent daydream as she made her way to her current home (and then, to the harbor). She remembered her childhood positively, not because of the hardships and hunger she'd faced or the beatings she'd witnessed (and taken), but because of the friendship she'd had with Dock. Nearing the end of their adolesence, they each swore on their own blood that each would become more successful than the other, or die trying.
She hadn't seen Dock in years. It was about time they met up. But, the last time they met up, she was gone on quite an odyssey: almost three years' worth of travel. She touched land four times that entire trip; but she wasn't upset. More time with the sea was the best thing on Earth to her.
In the past few months, she'd technically 'settled': she struggled against a fellow burglar when cutting her way through the thick Everfree Jungles, they'd successfully taken the golden idol when teamed up with a pegasus (a golden mare with a grayish mane), they escaped the jungle, they left her behind, they made their way back to Mainland Equestria on a small raft, the other pony tried to kill her, she fought back, they fell off the raft, they washed up on an island, and they eventually fell in love. The end.
Pinkie chuckled. It was like her whole life just flashed before her eyes. She was quickly approaching the small cabin in which they'd made an impromptu homestead. Neither of them were there often - they were out on their own missions, leading their own lives, taking their own risks. But they met under the light of the moon every so often, and... um... resumed their relationship.
She hoped that, maybe tonight, her lover would be waiting for her. Just to wish her off. Of course, she wasn't certain whether she would be going along with Dock's stupid quest, but... just in case.
As she approached the cabin, she nearly squee'd with glee. There was a faint candlelight emanating from the windows.
She galloped up the hill and slammed open the door. "Honey, I'm h-" She stopped mid-sentence. Her lover was nowhere to be seen. The only ponies currently in the cabin were two dull-colored colts, one kneeling, one standing. An open chest was in front of them.
Pinkie giggled. She couldn't help herself. After seeing the terrified looks on their faces as they turned around, she knew what they were up to. They weren't confident, or sadistic, or official. They weren't killers, or guild members, or Guards. They were petty thieves who just picked the wrong place at the wrong time.
She spoke quietly, enjoying the surprise in the thieves' faces. "May I ask why you two gentlecolts are in my cabin?"
After the scuffle that ensued, the colts were kicked ungracefully out of the cabin into the cold night, sporting fresh bruises and blackened eyes. They appeared to be twins; well, not anymore. Their wounds couldn't have been identical. She grinned, and stuffed the thieve's belongings into the trunk along with hers. They tried to rob her, she robbed them. All's fair in this age.
She laid back in the small double bed and sighed peacefully, before she remembered what she was doing. She dug through the trunk to find a quill and a piece of parchment, and grabbed some ink from the bag the thieves had graciously left on the bedpost. When she was finished with the message, she left it on the bed and walked out the door again.
She walked down the hill and approached the harbor. There had to have been at least twelve ships there, ranging from fishing-boats to houseboats to grand galleons. But the ship she was looking for caught her eye even by the dim moonlight.
It was mainly because of the masthead. The sleek, expertly-carved sea-pony figure bore a message that would soften anypony's heart: SAIL FREE, LOVE FREE. It was something that Pinkie herself had inspired in Dock as a filly. She smiled again, and approached the moderately-sized ship.
It was only when she came closer that she saw the damage that had been done to the ship. The entire aft of the ship had been ripped from its moorings, leaving only a few wooden baseboards to keep the poor thing afloat. The Dragon Servant was irreparable. It would have to be retired ceremoniously.
Pinkie would have felt sorry for Dock, if he'd been near. But he wasn't; he was off in the town, most likely, drinking or partying. Pinkie would just have to wait until sunrise or when he and his crew returned.
It was only then that she heard a voice singing quietly to nopony in particular. "Steady as she goes, boys... steady as she goes. Make sure the wind don't blow 'er, boys, steady as she goes."
She looked up to the macabre half-ship towering over her and saw the captian sitting alone in the now-hollow mainstow. Quietly, she climbed up the visibly battered boarding-plank. When she got closer, she began to sing along with him.
"Steady as she goes, boys, steady as she goes..."
"You'll cost the Devil fifteen lives, steady as she goes," Pinkie finished, sitting beside him in the gently-swaying wreckage, glistening with seawater in the blue moonlight.
"Good to see you, Pinkie."
"Good to see you, too, Dock. Sorry about the circumstances."
Dock finally turned his head to look at her. She remained totally stoic as she saw the burn on her friend's face, surrounding an empty eye socket. Pinkie shook her head, eyes closed. "I really am sorry."
Dock pointed to his face. "Sorry for this? You shoudn't be. It was my own damned stupidity that gave me this."
"No, sorry for what I'm about to say."
"What?"
"We're going to Chestnut Bay."
Dock chuckled. "Well, Pinkie, I was going to -"
"Well, it shouldn't be a problem, then."
"But then I got this," he said gruffly, almost angrily. He jabbed a hoof at his face again. "And in case you didn't notice, I have no ship. No crew. We were beaten, almost cruelly, by a fleet of Guards only yesterday." He looked down at his hooves, one reaching up again to touch his missing eye. "Only yesterday my brothers were alive. My crewmen, my fellow sailors, their hearts were still beating."
Pinkie put a hoof firmly over the dark orange stallion's mouth. "No offense to you, but you really need to shut up. Stuff like this happens to pirates: we steal and run, steal and run. If ponies get killed, so be it. It's the Guards: you can't take them down without pissing off the Armada." She grinned. "But do they have the guts to take on Captain Pinkie Pie?"
Dock sighed, biting his lower lip. Such a bold mare. No wonder they were friends. "'Captain'? I'd love to use your ship."
"Well, my good sir, I'd give it to you, but I seem to have misplaced it at the moment. When we get one, though, I'll take revenge on the Celestial Guards for your... um... dead friends, or something, then I'll sack Chestnut Bay, grab all the jewels, and run. And that's how it works." She stood, hoisting her friend to his hooves and smiling.
"You know, you can be quite a b-"
"-eautiful, awesome, talented pirate? Yes. Yes, I can be."
"Alright. So. First order of business. It's midnight. Where are we gonna bunk?"
"In," she said, jumping off the ship and into the water.
"What? Why-"
"Because I freakin' said so. Now let's go find an inn." She hopped up onto the promenade and shook herself dry.
"Oh, you said 'inn'. I thought you meant, like, Into the water! Follow me!"
"Nope! Now c'mon down, before I get horribly depressed about recent events and you do too and we stay in the ship until it collapses on the both of us."
"What?"
"Ignore me. Follow me."
The Heist of Chestnut Bay - Part 1
"Right. So. We know the plan?"
The only thing visible from the guard tower that morning was the sparkling blue Mare-ibbean sea, and the long, sandy piece of shore that led into it. Celestia had only just risen the sun, and the world as the Guards knew it was calm ad still.
They were blissfully unaware of the blind spot in-between two of the lofty brick towers where two well-known ponies were digging their way carefully through the side of the fortified stone wall. Their tools made no sounds as they tunneled further and further into the already-sizable chasm they'd created.
"You seem to be a bit of an expert at this," Dock commented. "You knew where the blind spot was and everything."
"I did some calculations and mapped it out a bit three days ago."
"Why?"
"I was bored. Now, do we know the plan?"
"Yup. Get in, sail out. Shouldn't be too hard."
Pinkie's chisel broke through the inner wall with a light 'pop'. She giggled. She couldn't help herself. They'd finally broken through the wall. Dock worked with his friend to quietly tear the remaining bricks from their path. The new daylight shone from the aperture they'd created, blinding them briefly.
Their eyes opened to a familiar, yet unwelcome sight: most of the stationed Guards were surrounding the breakthrough in a clean half-circle, their decorated rifles trained on the pair. Dock sighed, placing a hoof on his face.
"What did you do, Pinkie?"
"I may have made a minor miscalculation. Or two." She looked up at the Guards hazily, barely acknowledging their existence. "You know, you shouldn't bring a gun to a sword fight."
One of the Guards opened his mouth as though to respond, but was quickly silenced by his superior. He was dressed in finer clothing, as was suitable for one in his position. "Shh! She'll get in your head."
"Oh, you've heard of me?" she asked with a dazzling grin.
The captain in question remained stoic. "Silence, imbecile!"
Pinkie stood and approached the captain, much to her partner's dismay. "No, wait, Pinkie, don't, we're... ugh." He stood, too, and lifted one of his front hooves to his face in frustration. "Yup. We're screwed."
Pinkie was about the Guard's height, and she glared into his eyes. Then she yawned, and adjusted her hat. "I'm tired of the tough routine. Show me what you got."
The Guard was experienced in dealing with tricky ponies. It'd be easier to get her out of the way before she did any damage. He placed the gun against her chest and fired.
She shook her head, clicking her tongue. "Aww. Is the Guardie's gun not firing? Must be the..." She became very serious, and pushed the gun out of his hoof. "...salty sea air."
The Guard opened his mouth in surprise. How had he forgotten what the air around here did to gunpowder? He'd just been stationed in the Bay. All the other Guards were hurriedly shooting their rifles, but the majority produced nothing but a clicking sound. One poor colt at the end fired, but it ricocheted off the wall in front of him and in a quarter of a second burrowed back into his skull.
The other Guards took notice of this spectacular, bloody display, and dropped their rifles, drawing their swords slowly from their scabbards.
Dock approached Pinkie, glancing around at the Guards with a murderous look in his eye, He finally began to speak. "You wanna know... how I got these scars?" he asked, pointing slowly to his badly burned face.
The Guards surrounding them suddenly began breathing heavily, visibly afraid. For the first time they noticed who they were talking to - however, only one of the Guards had the gumption to say it aloud. "You're... you're Murdock..."
Pinkie grinned and looked at the stallion next to her. "'Murdock'? That's your treacherous, fear-inspiring pirate name?"
Dock didn't take his eyes off the stallion who spoke. He spoke with a monotone, as though he was unamused by the fear in the Guards' eyes. "It's my full name," he replied, before addressing the whole group. "A battalion of yours caught me in the South Seas. They destroyed me and my crew. Including my ship." He paused, letting his words sink in. "That's unforgivable." He pulled a short firearm (a pistol is saying too much) out of his greatcoat pocket and locked it to his hoof.
The Captain of the Guard grinned. "You saw what happened to our rifles. Yours-"
"-have been kept clean and dry? You're damn straight, they have." He raised his weapon to one of the Guards near the captain.
Pinkie smiled and shook her head, lowering her friend's weapon to his side. "There's no need for that. They know what we can do. It won't be too hard to just walk over" - she demonstrated - "to over here, and take a ship and leave. It really wouldn't."
Dock looked at her, and back at the Guards. He thought he could spare the miserable wretches, just because, just to be good for once... but then he thought better of it and lifted his firearm again, firing into the neck of his target, who fell to the ground, spluttering.
None of the Guards now felt the courage to speak, with the well-known pirate brandishing a firearm in front of them. Except the Captain, of course; he hadn't seemed upset by anything that had happened so far. In fact, the young gray stallion had what looked like a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "And the other one's Pinkie Pie," he said. "Always a pleasure to have two wanted criminals gracing our presence. Charmed, I'm sure." His voice was absolutely dripping with sarcasm.
"You forgot the 'Captain'," she said, from behind the group.
"Nonetheless," he continued without turning, "you've got quite an impressive bounty on your head."
Dock snickered.
The captain sighed. "Where's she gone?"
Dock grinned. The captain smiled to himself as he noticed the pirate made the fatal mistake of lowering his gun. "Gone, indeed. Well, I think I'll just follow her out-"
The captain lunged forward in a fluid movement, followed by the rest of the squadron, and placed his sword firmly against Dock's neck. "I don't think you'll be following her anywhere but hell." He called behind him, "CROSSBOWS!"
Dock bit his lip and reached for his sword, but his hoof only grasped at thin air. He gasped, and instead pulled his firearm up to the captain's face, but it was batted off his hoof by another member of the guard.
The captain smiled. "One down, one to go. CROSSBOWS, IS SHE DOWN?!"
A voice echoed across the courtyard. "She's... she's blocking the arrows, sir!"
The captain's eyes opened wide, and he turned to the scene playing out behind him. It was true; the pink mare was standing on the maindeck of an impressive galleon, giggling and snorting while deflecting high-speed arrows with her sword... and another.
She laughed and held the stolen blade in the air. "Looking for something, Dock?" she asked teasingly as she bucked another arrow away from her.
"Damn!" the captain cursed, and looked back to his prisoner. "Well, twenty thousand bits for a galleon isn't bad."
As Dock was being forcefully shoved into the back of a reinforced carriage, he cried behind him to the harbor, "DAMMIT, PINKIE PIE, I SWEAR I'LL FIND YOU AGAIN!"
Pinkie giggled again, and, as she sailed quickly away, shouted back, "It's CAPTAIN Pinkie Pie!"
----------~€~----------
She turned from the shore and laughed to herself. She'd be back... much, much sooner than Dock would think. She'd just let the guards rough him up a little, and then she'd swoop in and save the day, and let everypony including him know that she was the better pirate. By far.
She looked back to the sea... it was beautiful in midday. Its curling and crashing waves, the reflection of the sun on the water, the periodical stillness. She sighed, and snorted again. Murdock. Stupid.
Before she knew it, she'd hit turning point, and hopped around the ship frantically, securing the hull-ropes and turning the mainsail so her newfound galleon would make it safely back to Cobbled Cove. Speaking of, what was her newfound galleon? Once the ship had been prepared for its change in direction, she leaned over the side of the ship to check its name. The Levd)3ao7 55. Hm.
Oh, no, wait. She flipped her head, changing her viewpoint drastically. The S.S. Lovecraft. Hm. Nope, that wouldn't do. She made a mental note to rechristen it when she returned to land.
Speaking of... she could see the rocky coast appear in her view.. "Land ho!" she shouted to herself, and collapsed in a fit of giggles. Cobbled Cove was where she was planning on picking up her crew, even if they wouldn't stay long. She needed a bunch of ponies to order around because it made her feel like a captain. Plus, you know, she needed help with the ship.
Cobbled Cove had been a grouping site for pirates and the like for decades. The high, rocky cliffs on either side formed a large, open-mouthed cave in the very middle, as though it were keeping both cliffs upright. 'Business' of all kinds went down there, from planned assassinations to recruitment to fencing. It was a paradise for those working against the law.
Everypony knew her name there. Well, duh. Everypony on Earth knew her name by then. But there, it was spoken in whispers, as though she were a member of the League, like Dock.
Oh, another bad subject. If her look-like-a-hero plan was gonna work, she'd have to get a crew and get back to the Guard base before the rest of the League did. The League would be furious at her if they found out she deserted a fellow pirate.
The ship beneath her hooves lurched as it came to a rest above the rocky, sandy shores of Cobbled Cove. She looked off the portside and saw a flickering firelight glowing form the mouth of the cave. Somepony was home... let's hope they were in the mood for a robbery.
Before she could recruit her crew, though, she had to retreat to the hold and see whether there was any leftover cider.
----------~€~----------
The whispers and laughter being volleyed around the cave were cut short by the intrusion of a certain infamous pink mare. As per usual, her greatcoat was hanging low, a veritable arsenal of stolen weaponry dangling at her side, and her tricorn hat was perched at a dangerous angle on her bright, curly mane. She was walking towards the group with a light, woozy stagger.
She spoke before anypony else did. "Afternoon, ladies and gentlecolts!" she nearly shouted into the cave. Her voice dropped as she whispered into a random pony's ear, "I took care of your guards out front."
The pony in question scowled, but said nothing. This failed attempt at a pirate had one good quality: she didn't kill without reason. Or with reason. She didn't really kill at all. The guards were probably outsmarted, tied up, and thrown somewhere.
She walked over to the fire-circle, around which was seated a motley crew of individuals, ranging from those with great titles to those virtually unknown. She looked around scrutinizingly at the group, eyeing them lazily one-by-one. The silence was deafening.
Finally, she began to speak again. "I want a crew. I have to take care of a few things on my to-do list, and I need a few ponies to help me get the job, um, jobs done."
The group just stared at her, although the general mumble of voices had begun again.
She sighed. "I figured it'd take more than a question to recruit anypony in this stupid place. Alright, three hundred gold bits a pony. Any takers now?"
One stallion in the back, whose body was covered with intricately cut coat patterns, was finally pushed to speak. "Nice try. We all know you've not a penny to your name."
She grinned. "No, but with great fame comes great wealth. Plus, there's a little something on my to-do list that'll score m- us quite a bit. Literally," she chuckled, noticing her accidental pun. "But, of course, plan discretion is limited to my crew. And that fancy hunk of a galleon I have sitting out there."
A crafty, well-traveled young fence spoke up. "You haven't had a ship for years. You lie."
"How does everypony seem to know about my life? I'm mad that this pirate stuff is so complicated." She sighed. "The only way to find out is to take me up on my offer."
"Or, I could just walk out that cave and look for myself."
"Then you can say good-bye to the guards," she said, without batting an eye.
The dark blue stallion looked back at her, trying to keep the fear from his eyes. He hadn't ever been very learned in pirate gossip, but he did know that this pink pony was infamous for a reason, and that Larky, a guard on duty, was one of his best friends. "You wouldn't."
"Would you test my bluff, boy?" Her stare stung his heart.
He thought for a second, weighing his choices. Without a sound, he walked over to the place at the fire circle where Pinkie was sitting, and stood behind her, avoiding the gaze of the other pirates. Another two colts, one wrapped partially in a thick cloak and the other with multiple piercings, walked over to the slowly-forming crew. Then followed a light yellow mare and a tall, thin, sharply-dressed older stallion. They knew a lucrative opportunity when they saw one.
After a few minutes in the deadly silent cave, Pinkie had amassed twelve very different individuals, all standing behind her, ranging from uneasy to stoic and silent. The othe few dozen ponies in the large cave were looking on with anticipation. Which pony would join her ranks next?
Most of the older, more experienced pirates refused to follow the pink mare. They knew that anything a pony so well-placed in the League was planning on doing was dangerous beyond reason. The last trip she'd been on ended with half a ship out of an armada's worth and three ponies left. The rest were either killed or about to be.
She looked around at her mildly shocked audience and grinned, then turned on her hooves and walked out of the cave, head held high.
Her and her impromptu crew turned collectively, a few conversations beginning to start and a few shouts of laughter echoing around the high walls. The crew was beginning to get familiar with one another.
She stopped dead and turned, facing the crew and looking them over quickly. Most were slightly taller than her, one was almost afoot taller than her. She began to recite a memorized, oft-spoken speech. "We are joined together by currency. But we are all pirates."
Some ponies who also knew this part of the Pirates' Code by heart began to recite it with her. "We are bound together by a brotherhood that far surpasses that of our true brothers." The speech was digging into many of the embarrassed ponies' memories, as they began reciting the code by heart. The idea of an upcoming... whatever they were doing was giving some of them a rush.
"It is this bond that keeps us together, and keeps us loyal. We swear to the League itself that mutiny and abandonment are the last things on our minds." It was becoming a chant now, as the newer pirates were beginning to pick up on the speech.
"We will fight together! We will win together! And we will follow our captain to the end!" The speech ended in hollers and shouts of excitement, some originating from Pinkie herself. She adjusted her hat clumsily and turned to trot briskly with the other ponies around a huge rock-spire where the stolen ship lay hidden.
Most of the crew stopped when they saw the galleon. It was indeed quite impressive. Pinkie galloped up the ramp to the balustrade and shouted down, "I don't care about your names! I'll call you by color! Here we go, my friends!" she finished as the crew boarded the ship noisily, making it rock slightly from side-to-side.
She began calling out orders. "Maroon, on belowdeck handling cannon one! Turquoise, you're up here on sails! Puce, I want you on sails with him! Greenie, harpoon and grappling hook! And Yellow..." she paused, looking at one of three mares in the crew including herself. Her face was still hidden by a veil. "...You can be my first mare. I trust you."
"Thank you, Captain," she replied in a small voice.
"Call me that again, First Mare."
"Captain?"
She sighed happily, and licked her lips, tasting the salty air on her tongue as the ship was unmoored from the sand and she took her place behind the wheel. Not a familiar face in the crew... just like it had been before. Just the way she liked it. It was good to be back.
