Princess Celestia of Equestria smiled at her little ponies as they went about the preparations for the wedding of Shining Armor and her niece Princess Cadence. The Unicorns and Pegasi were hustling as fast as they could with the decorations, not heeding the princess’s words when she told them to NOT rush as the grand day was three days away. Rushing caused mistakes, and mistakes meant more time in the correction of them. The wedding was going to be enormous, unlike… Celestia’s smile faltered, the memories of the millennia past rushed to her mind. Water wanted to gather in her eye as she recalled her wedding, it wasn’t as huge and she didn’t want it to be. The one she married hated posh ceremony almost as much as she did. The water had gathered in her eye as she swiftly retreated to the comforts of her room.

There her private thoughts held full reign over her as a sob came out of her throat and exited her mouth. The memory of him was too painful, it would have been one thing if he’d died of old age, happy and content, but no. Her love had been taken from her, not only him but their child. More sobs broke out as her friends that had died years before the death of her husband entered her mind. All were rough, most were kind, considering the environment. The sobs and tears continued until the princess heard a knock at the door. The voice of her sister reached her ears.

“Sister, art thou feeling unwell? What is the matter?”

Celestia composed herself slightly as she opened the door to see her sister. Luna whom had a concerned look on her face.
“I-It’s nothing Luna,” she lied.

Luna narrowed her eyes and accused, “You lie sister, please tell us. We can possibly help if we can.”

The white alicorn thought for a moment, on the one hoof she could let it all out, or most of it. Or she could hold all of the memories inside, she decided on the former.

“Please come in sister,” She said as the sun princess bade her sister into the room.

The mistress of the night entered and stood opposite of Celestia as the white alicorn sat on a few pillows and motioned for Luna to do the same on a pile across from her.

The younger sister sat and asked, “Sister, what is troubling thou? It causes us great distress seeing you like this.”

Celestia swallowed her spit as she voiced her thoughts, “I don’t know where to begin.”

Luna’s head cocked to the side slightly as she mimicked the way her “Modern” councilor asked her to begin their sessions, “Perhaps at the beginning dear Celestia.”

The mare sighed, “Well, it all started after your banishment…”

Flashback

The spells flash of light subsided, the day was literally saved. Celestia of Equestria breathed shakily as she lowered herself to the ground and let the elements drop. A pained cry erupted from her, she regretted banishing her sister. Her cries echoed throughout the halls of the now ruined castle as she placed her hooves on top of her head. She stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity only for a comforting hoof being placed on her shoulder. Celestia looked up to see Star swirl the bearded. The elder looking stallion had a pained look in his eye.

“I should have never resorted to them Starswirl,” She spoke with a pained sob at the end.

“Your highness, I’m so sorry. Truly I am, but it was for the good of all Equestria.,” He said in a sad tone.

Starswirl had served her father in the last days of his rule and he’d serve her. Celestia briefly thought about lashing out at him for the 'fears of the many' remark, but knew he wouldn’t have deserved it.

‘Just like Luna,’ she thought bitterly at herself. Before she said, “I-I need to leave.”

Starswirl, who had turned to leave her be spun around and asked, “What? You’re Highness, where would you go?”

The princess breathed shakily and answered, “I don’t know, but please Starswirl don’t tell anypony. I can’t rule, father was wrong I’m not ready. I need to leave Equestria.”

“Running away from your destiny won’t solve anything, and what would you have me do when ponies ask for you Princess?” he asked, weighing the possibility of denying the regal offspring of his beloved king her request. He’d swore to King Deus that he’d make sure to take care of his children. The elderly pony kicked himself for failing one and now it looked like he was going to fail completely.

“Tell them I’m going to step down,” she answered in haste.

“Princess please think on this for a time, don’t make rash action,” he tried to calm her down. Celestia shook some more and tried to ease her ragged breathing.

She calmed a little too fast for Starswirls liking and nodded before retreating to her private chambers leaving Starswirl to pick up the elements and place them back into their proper place.

Celestia paced in her room, she was still distraught over what she’d done. Then an idea came to her, she’d not only leave Equestria she’d leave her world. The regal sister knew the spell and charged up her horn to use it only to stop when she recalled her father’s words after she’d discovered a hidden spell in a book that was locked away by her father when she was young.

“Celestia, now you know there is a world beyond ours. You are to never use this spell, the world beyond is cold, brutal, and dark. There are those that would burn you alive if they found out what you were,” he warned in a stern voice.

She didn’t obey his command and instead read her father’s forgotten journals. She had discovered that this world was inhabited by things called humans. From the way her father had described them they seemed like hairless apes, but were smarter. Celestia came back to herself and charged up her spell as Starswirl burst into the room at the pull of energy. Celestia’s world turned white, then she opened her eyes to discover she was in a grassy plain.

Weeks and months went by and soon she’d learned to blend in among the populace with the help of a kind family who took her in, the ‘people’ as they referred to themselves were Irish. She’d been renamed as she faked having amnesia, something that they’d not fully understood. The Princess of the day had been named Anne Bonny. She took a job at a bar serving drinks, and experiencing what the nobles referred to as the work of ‘common rabble’. It was often frustrating, getting drinks spilled on her and having to be nice to all those that entered the bar. That was until the wars started between the empires of England, the neighboring country, and Spain. The bars were now empty with the male’s going to fight. She was out of a job a week after, while she had drink making skills she had no means of income. In the end she decided to go the ‘West Indies.’ At the behest of the family and start a life there.

Now she stood by what was called a ‘frigate’ one of the types of ships that would transport her and a number of men to the new land. As she stepped on the ramp a running sailor bumped into her. Celestia would have used her magic in any other situation but remembered that danger and was about to fall into the ocean only to be grabbed by a hand that pulled her upright. Celestia turned and smiled at the blonde man who saved her from drowning as she didn’t know how to swim.

“You alright lass?” asked the man who smiled at her.

Celestia felt a blush on her cheeks and nodded gratefully before saying, “Yes, I’m alright sir. Thank you.”

The blonde man was going to continue the conversation but was interrupted by another man talking to him, “Oi, Kenway, stop with your yapping and give me a hand with this thing will ye?”

Both pairs of eyes looked at a scowling man who looked annoyed that the one now known as Kenway dropped a large box to save her.
Kenway, as he was called muttered an apology and picked up the other end to the crate as he said, “Sorry Thatch, couldn’t let her fall.”

“Ye always got to be the damned hero, nicely done,” the man replied, his voice suddenly became light and happy at the end of the sentence.

Twenty minutes later Celestia was placed with other families in the hold when she spotted the two below deck. They were talking with the ship captain, captain Hornigold.

“You two are going to be learning from me from now on, now once morning hits the two of ye are going to scrub the cannons clean. And if ye can’t do that right I’ll make ye clean out the pens for recompense,” Hornigold said as he berated the two for dropping the crate on deck.

Both men looked between each other as Celestia came up to them.

She overheard Thatch as he whispered to Kenway, “Don’t look now, but troubles coming.”

Kenway nudged him with his elbow, making Thatch laugh teasingly.

Celestia looked at them and said, “Thank you for earlier.”

The blonde man smiled and replied, “Don’t mention it, just look out where you’re standing next time.”

Celestia smiled and outstretched her hand then introduced herself, “I’m C-Anne Bonny, what’re your names?”

Thatch answered as Kenway shook her hand gently, “The name be Edward Thatch, and my lovesick friend here would be Edward Kenway. Just call us by last name, no need for confusion. Enough o’ that going around.”

Celestia smiled and went back to her meager room as the ship sailed away from Ireland.

Flashback end

Luna gaped at her sister as she finished her tale. Celestia had regretted sending her away so much that she sent herself away?

Luna’s eyes brimmed with tears as she hugged her sister the two disconnected and the night princess asked, “What happened next?”

Celestia allowed a sad look to make its way onto her face, “Well, the war got so bad that more and more privateers were sent over. And what happens when the wars end and the privateers are left with nothing but hatred for the countries they fought for? They go looking for a fight then another and so on. Eventually things got so bad that they had entire armadas created to wipe out the privateers who turned into pirates.”

Luna was about to ask her sister to elaborate about what happened to the two of the humans she’d met only for Princess Cadence to knock on the door and request that her aunts go out to look for the flowers for the wedding. The trip to the Canterlot florists was tiring, many ponies bowing to Celestia. Due to her experience in Nassau she disliked it when they bowed to her. Once there she looked at the roses and smiled at the memory of putting them in her hair, Edward liked it when she did that. The princess of the day smiled at the memory of Jennifer trying to do the same, or when she and Edward played a joke on Thatch when she did the same to his hair. The theatrical pirate had a hard time trying to get them out that day.

Edward Thatch was in her opinion a character, when he turned to piracy she was dismayed and even called him a bully when he made a royal navy officer cry. She learned later that the officer had ripped up a letter that Edward wrote and was going to send to his wife. Thatch was very protective of the man, almost like an uncle figure. She took the insult back and apologized when she learned the truth. Luckily Thatch was a forgiving person and had threw in a few extra coins for the running away of a customer. Celestia came back to herself as they paid for the roses that Cadence had chosen.

‘We’ll leave the flower placement for tomorrow morning,’ she thought as the trio went back to the castle.

Once there Celestia sat within the Castle dining hall. She sighed sadly as today was the day she returned.

“Gwine,” she called out to her wine expert that she hired, the mare was in front of her in about ten seconds.

“Yes your highness, what can I do for you?” she asked even though she knew the answer.

“Could you get me a bottle of rum please?” Celestia asked with a small smile.

The mare nodded and dashed off. Celestia watched as she did so. Not many knew that she drank rum, or anything aside from tea. She chuckled slightly as Edward would have found it odd if a little creepy of how she was perceived. Sure, she was adored and was considered the most powerful being in Equestria. And had used her experience of what she’d seen nobles do in the Caribbean as what she would never do to her little ponies, but that didn’t make her a goddess. Luna entered when Gwine brought her the rum with an extra glass, just in case. Celestia smiled at Luna who eyed the bottle of rum with a raised eyebrow. The elder Princess raised the bottle with her magic and poured the contents into the two glasses. Luna took a sniff of the liquid and the strong smell made her jerk her head back, but she lifted the glass as Celestia did.

“Here’s a health to good company,” Celestia said before she downed the glass.

The princess savored the burning of alcohol as it made its way to her stomach. Luna however was coughing.

“How canst thou drink such a fiery liquid?” she asked in between coughs.

“In the West Indies you learn pretty quickly that fresh water is hard to come by, so I made due,” Celestia answered with a small smile.

“Sister, if it doesn’t vex you… please continue your story,” the princess of the night asked as a glass of water was placed in front of her.
Celestia remained seated as she told more of her tale.

Flashback: Three Years after the three met

Celestia aka Anne Bonny wiped the tables down as her patrons gathered for drinks at the tables around her. Edward and Thatch, who were accompanied by Hornigold had taken their seats at a table a few down from her. They had ordered three rum flips and were patiently waiting, they were the only ones who were patient in regards to when their drinks would arrive. The British officer at the other end of the establishment wasn’t.

“Oi, what’s the damn hold up with mi’ drink?” he snarled as he got into her face.

“It’ll be out shortly, now if you would please sit-” she didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence as the brute back handed her.

The cheek stung as she stumbled back, Celestia would have fallen over if it wasn’t for the arm of Edward Kenway stretching out and stopping the hard landing. The princess looked to the men who all stood up and cocked their pistols then pointed them at the man.

A dark look went over Edward’s face as he spoke, “I was once told that the navy’s full of ‘Gentlemen’. I didn’t know that gentlemen hit fair lass’s for fun.”

The officer watched them shakily as Edward stood and approached with the fury of a lion stalking its prey. The blonde man now stood a few feet from the officer with his pistol aimed for his heart.

“Now, why don’t you apologize to Miss Bonny?” he asked in a way that told the man that the inquiry would only be requested once.

“I-I’m sorry ma’am. Please sir have mercy!” the worm pleaded.

Edward motioned for him to leave as he shouted, “Get outta here ye posh git.”

The officer turned tail and ran as fast as he could away from the pirates as the rest of the bar applauded. Edward returned to his seat and pulled out ten pieces of gold then placed them into her hand as he muttered an apology for running away a customer.

“Thank you gents,” she said before delivering their drinks.

“Ain’t nobody messes with Anne Bonny, Ye got that?” Thatch shouted to the other British soldiers who nodded their heads rapidly, Hornigold and Mary Reed, who was disguised as a man named James Kidd, agreed silently behind him.

When the three men were finished with their drinks Thatch called out to her, “Miss Bonny, would ye like to learn how to handle a blade? With drunks and debt collectors round here you’d find it’d be useful.”

She raised her eyebrow and asked, “Who would teach me Thatch, you? You’re always gone with Hornigold here.”

“Edward has yet to acquire a ship, lad’s has also yet to reach captaincy. He’s got enough time on his hands,” Thatch answered as he slapped Kenway on the back.

Celestia looked at the blonde who nodded and replied, “Very well, I accept.”

This got all of them talking excitedly amongst themselves, as Edward checked over his letter to Caroline.

Flashback end

“Dear sister, you learned to wield swords?” asked Luna who sat in awe of the continuation of her story.

Celestia nodded and replied, “Yes, turns out that Edward Kenway was a great teacher. He taught me how to shoot pistols as well.”

Luna changed the subject to food, “Celly, what did you do for food? I shall not imagine what the humans would’ve eaten if they waged war often.”

Celestia leaned back in her chair and answered, “Humans are omnivorous, meaning they eat both meat and vegetation. Luckily for me the West Indies was ripe with fruits and apples. Have you ever wondered why I never eat apples as often as you do? After over ten years of every fruit imaginable plus apples you’d get sick of them.”

Luna nodded in understanding and asked, “What happened after that?”

Celestia then told her sister that both Thatch and Edward acquired ships, naming them the Queen Anne’s Revenge, and Jackdaw respectively.

Across Canterlot

Shining Armor sat down at a bar in front of a blonde Pegasus who poured him a pint of hard cider. The stallion was nervous about the wedding, and was about ready to spill his guts to the blonde haired Pegasus known by all the patrons as “Flash Rogue”.

“What if I’m not good enough or that I don’t make her happy?” the unicorn asked as fear laced in his voice.

The Pegasus gave him an incredulous look and went around the bar before sitting beside the guardsman. He spoke in an odd accent as he placed a wing on Shining’s shoulder, “Lad, she wouldn’t have said yes if you didn’t make her happy. As for being good enough, Lord knows that none of us are. That’s why God made mares so that we have somepony to deflate our egos. You’re going to be fine.”

Shining chuckled before he swayed in his seat making Flash go around the bar and say in his ‘official’ barkeeper voice, “Cutting you off, sorry mate.”
The Unicorn gave Flash a grin before he asked, “Remember when I got drunk after duty the first time I came here?”

The Pegasus smiled and answered, “Aye, it was a night.”

Flashback

Shining Armor was puking in the restroom stall for what seemed like an eternity, his friends left him there with the bill. The good news was he’d gotten the day off tomorrow, the bad news was the impending hangover. Flash had just finished locking up and was adamant about making sure that the private got home safely. The Pegasus hailed a cab with his wing to let the guard save face, it had taken them twenty minutes to reach Shining’s house and when they did he knocked on the door. A white unicorn mare answered it and saw her son.

“Oh, by Celestia Shining,” The mare said as she helped guide her son in.

Flash spoke to her, “Afraid he’s had one to many lass, I couldn’t let him go home alone.”

Shining’s mother smiled and said, “Thank you mister?”

The Pegasus put on a lopsided grin and answered, “Flash Rogue at your service lass, and who might you be?”

The mare blushed at the accent but answered as her husband came into the room, “My name’s Twilight Velvet, and this is my husband Nightlight. Nightlight, this stallion just brought back Shining from a night with his ‘friends’.”

Nightlight groaned as this was the third time they’d done this to his son, “Thank you mister Rogue, would you like to join us for a coffee, seeing as you have a trip back?”

The Pegasus smiled and nodded in the affirmative, soon the three were sitting by a fireplace. Twilight Velvet hated awkward silences so she made conversation.

“So, Mr. Rogue, I imagine that bartending is quite the business. Were you always a bartender?” she asked noticing his cutie mark, it was two swords crossing downwards.

Flash smiled and replied, “No, I was a sailor for a while, a privateer to be precise.”

Nightlight’s eyebrows shot up as he asked, “Really? Never figured the Pegasi liked the water.”

The remark made his wife elbow him before smiling apologetically and saying, “Sorry about that, so if I may ask have you ran into any pirates? I’m a writer you see, and have been trying to write a book on them for years. But there is little knowledge to their workings.”

Flash chuckled before he said, “Well with luck I’ve tangled with a few before I decided to retire. But nopony you’ve ever heard of I’m afraid.”

Twilight smiled before she asked, “Maybe you could tell us about your adventures sometime, and it would give me inspiration for my book.”

Flash Rogue smiled and replied before he left out of the front door, “Perhaps one day I’ll tell you. Thanks for the coffee, I’d best be going. Have a goodnight.”

Flashback end

Flash smiled at the memory before he said, “By God you had the worst hangover the next day. Came in here to pay the tab with an icepack on your noggin, funniest thing I’ve seen thus far.”

Shining winced as he was given a glass of water, his mother had chewed him out like she would a recruit when she was a drill instructor for the guard. His father tried to give him a homemade hangover cure but one look from his mother and that plan crashed and burned.

The Unicorn then asked, “Flash, I’ve been meaning to ask you. What does your cutie mark stand for?”

The Pegasus sighed and answered, “Lad, I don’t like telling the story of my special talent. But since you’re like a son to me I’ll tell ye the short version. When I was younger I was married to a sweet lass. You see we were dirt poor living in a shack that’s walls didn’t block the wind. One day I got word of a privateering job but my wife’s father deemed me unfit for life on sea, even threatened to disown her if I took the job. The father’s money was the main source of income and I wanted to make more money than I made working on the farm that I toiled on. The wife told me to enlist in the navy but I had already talked with sailors, turns out the captains of ships got six hundred for every coin I’d earn. So when I made the decision to go and be a privateer my then wife was estranged from me. It was the biggest mess I’d ever created, in the end after ten years at sea I discovered that she’d died while I had earned my cutie mark. She left me a daughter whom I raised and after a while I’d gotten married again, I even had a son. The rest I’ll tell you later since you’ve got to get back to the castle.”

Shining was shook out of his awe at the stallion’s story. He looked at the clock before teleporting out of the bar. Flash was now dealing with a shattered glass as the wake of the teleportation spell had knocked if off the counter. He sighed and started cleaning up the bar while noting that Shining Armor had left him a wedding invitation. Flash Rogue aka Edward Kenway smiled at his fortune, and soon he’d be back with his love, hopefully this time she was sober.

The Pegasus smiled as he signaled the band, even though Shining was no longer in the building he would still honor his friend.
The bar went silent as he spoke, “Alright lads and lass’s I think it high time we give a song for our friend Shining Armor. The lads getting married I a couple ‘o days.”

The bar was filled with applause and Flash started singing with the band playing behind him, “Kind friends and companions, come join me in Rhyme. Come lift up your voices in chorus with mine. Come lift up your voices, all grief to refrain. For we may or might never all meet here again.”

The rest of the bar joined him and sang, “Here’s a health to the company and one to my lass. Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass. Let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain. For we may or might never all meet here again.”

Edward took the lead again as the rest quieted, “Here’s a health to the dear lass that I love so well. For her style and her beauty, sure none can excel. There’s a smile on her countenance as she sits on my knee. There’s no Colt in this wide world as happy as me.”

The patrons started to sing again, “Here’s a health to the company and one to my lass. Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass. Let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain. For we may or might never all meet here again.”

Edward sang again once the chorus was finished, “Our ship lies at anchor, she’s ready to dock. I wish her safe landing without any shock. If ever I should meet you by land or by sea. I will always remember your kindness to me.”

The final chorus went up as soon as the words left his muzzle, “Here’s a health to good company and one to my lass. Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass. Let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain. For we may or might never all meet here again.”

The song ended as applause took its place, all of the ponies at the bar laughed and smiled in delight. The Pirate turned Assassin turned Pony smiled as all of his guests were having a grand time, just as he liked it.

Back at the castle

Shining Armor had laid out his defense plan to princess Celestia as she resumed court. That had gone on for ten minutes, she could swear that the captain had been slightly buzzed but didn’t comment about it.

So long as he didn’t say anything out of the ordinary, after court was adjourned she had pulled him aside and asked, “Shining have you been drinking?”

The captain’s serious look faltered for a bit before he nodded, there was no point in lying to his ruler.

Celestia sighed and asked, “Why?”

Shining rubbed the back of his head, “Wedding jitters, please forgive me highness. It won’t happen again.”

Celestia gave him a stern look and replied, “Be sure that it doesn’t, and you’re forgiven.”

The captain went back to his room to pull himself together, along the way he cursed himself for not using Starswirl the bearded’s “Sober” spell that did exactly as it said.

Celestia took a few minutes to get back to her room as Luna guarded the night, she draped herself in a nightgown and wondered to the balcony. Her memory went to the foal free press as she realized that if anypony would see her in a nightgown and take a picture it would be the chocolate cake incident all over again. She smiled as Edward would have gotten a kick out of trying to think of ways that the paparazzi got to her before gathering all of the inappropriate pictures of his wife and burning them.

Then her thoughts turned to her student, Twilight Sparkle was like a daughter to her. Sure her student was overdramatic when it came to her. She chuckled as Twilight constantly thought that the slightest mistake would send her to magic kindergarten, or banishment to the moon. The princess found it humorous that one of the brightest unicorns would think that she’d do such a thing to anypony, well maybe to Jack Rackham who made advances on her, but not to Twilight. Celestia was sure that Edward would have adored Twilight as much as she adored Jennifer his daughter.

With the thought of her husband in mind she went to bed, as she laid her head on her pillow she remembered what happened when Edward Thatch AKA Blackbeard died. She had relocated to Edward’s hideout in the Great Inagua after Nassau fell and she had caught Edward as he tried to drown his sorrows in rum.

Flashback

Edward Kenway had a drink in his hand as there was a knock on his door. Celestia entered without waiting for him to answer. She saw the anguished look on his face then the bottle in his hand and rushed to him.

“Edward, what happened? Where’s Thatch?” she questioned, concerned as she’d never seen him in such a state.

Edward answered with a drunken cry, “He-He’s gone Anne. The British attacked without warning.”

He babbled unintelligibly after that as the red haired woman hugged him.

“Edward, it'll be alright. Thatch wouldn’t want this for you. Give me the bottle and I’ll make you some tea,” She said and gently took the rum from him.

A few minutes later Edward had explained exactly what happened. Thatch retired but the British still attacked with their mortars and killed many innocents in the process. He and Thatch escaped the destruction on the Jackdaw before they boarded a man ‘o war and Thatch went down during the fighting. Edward was put to bed soon after telling the story, as for Celestia she shook with anguish as the ‘gentlemen’ of the navy didn’t give ‘Blackbeard’ so much as a trial.

Flashback end

No one deserved that fate, to die without a trial. Thatch had seemed like an evil man but that was a trick, a show for the masses to avoid a fight, as Thatch hated taking lives. Before that day he explained the reason why he became a privateer was to get away from government corruption after living in England for so long. When Celestia finally returned she put the parliament on notice that if she got even a hint of corruption she’d dissolve it permanently. The Princess was irrevocably shaped by what the human’s taught her, and in her opinion it was for the best. Soon after Celestia was fast asleep and she dreamt of a life in which Edward Kenway was ruling by her side and both Jennifer and Haytham were living happily with their parents.

Author's Note

The tavern song "Here's a health to the company" is a traditional Irish song, I do not own the rights to it. The lyrics in this variation minus the word 'Colt' is owned by Ubisoft all rights go to them.