Some Are More Equal Than Others
In a hurry, Starlight Glimmer scrambled to her room, narrowly avoiding the Princess. Twilight had come home earlier than she'd expected. She cursed her punctuality, desperately trying to stop her panicked panting. There was no way she was going to let Twilight see what she'd done; it would ruin everything. It just wasn't ready. She wasn't ready. They all had to be perfect, all... equal.
"Starlight, I'm home!" Twilight called out as she entered the main hall. Her pupil wasn't there. "Strange. She said she'd be studying The Map." She set her saddlebags on the huge, flat, crystal table, opening it to retrieve the spoils of her quest.
"It was nice of Pony Joe to give us the extra donut, huh?" Spike licked his lips and hopped down from Twilight's haunches, landing next to the twin bags. He skipped from foot to foot, waiting impatiently. "C'mon, Twilight!"
"Hold on, Spike." Twilight grinned at his excited dancing and carefully extracted the sugary treats. "I'm going to get sprinkles everywhere if I-"
A loud crash came from upstairs.
"What was that?" Spike asked, looking towards the ceiling. He caught the donuts as Twilight dropped them.
"Sounds like something fell over."
"Or maybe-" Spike put a claw to his mouth, his eyes wide. "- someone got into the castle!"
"Spike, Starlight is still home."
"Maybe they got her!" His knees knocked together, child-like fear gripping him. "And they're coming for us, next!"
"Okay, okay." Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes. "Wait here." Twilight took a breath and focused her magic. A sharp pop left Spike's ears ringing as she pulled a snap translocation spell.
Twilight phased back into existence on the landing. A shower of pink and white sparks drifted to the floor on an intangible breeze. Getting her bearings, she thought about where the sound had come from. Could it have been one of the bathrooms? She made her way over to the door, slightly ajar, and poked her head through.
Nothing out of the ordinary in there, she thought.
She turned to the room next-door, a guest bedroom. She knocked. "Is anypony in there?"
Absolute silence.
She opened the door and hummed in thought, pursing her lips. "Hm, well, I guess I'll keep searching." she muttered, after a very brief look.
Leaving the empty room alone, she wandered a few doors down. This door lead somewhere important; it was gilded, much like many of the doors in her castle, but this one had a special arrangement of gemstones inlaid around the frame. A spark of worry took hold of her. "Hopefully not..." Taking a deep breath, she braced herself in case her suspicions were right. She reached out her hoof, the worry turning to dread. She turned the handle and pulled gently, just to be sure she wouldn't get a nasty surprise. Darkness greeted her, the light from the hall slowly illuminating the most vital of spaces as the door swung open.
The broom closet was spotless.
She wiped her brow. "Phew, that all seems to be in order." She slammed the door unceremoniously and pattered over to the other side of the landing, rounding the top of the stairs. "I wonder if Starlight heard it." She thought for a moment, a niggling thought in the back of her mind. "Or maybe she caused it." she whispered, stopping on the spot for a heartbeat. "Hm, well." She continued to Starlight's room. Inside, she could hear sounds of rummaging. She tapped on the door.
"Y-yes, what is it?" came an anxious voice.
"Starlight, are you okay in there? Spike and I heard something hit the floor."
"Yes, everything's perfectly fine! No-" Twilight heard a thump. Starlight swore. "- n-no need to come in!"
"Are you sure? It sounds like you're having some trouble." Her voice was flat, doubt setting in and curiosity urging her to open up and see.
"Everything is under control!" A loud bang made Twilight jump on the spot. "I am... A-okay!" Nervous laughter gave way to angry growling. Clink, clang, bash. Twilight kicked the door open. It swung back on its hinges and bounced off the wall with a glassy thud; shards of crystal scattered across the floor.
"What's going on in here?" she shouted, standing ready for anything. Starlight was casually leaning on her bed. The room looked immaculate, save for the shimmering debris now strewn across the rug.
"Nothing at all." Starlight replied, looking at the ceiling with a soft smile on her lips. Her cheeks were flushed. Twilight leaned to peer around the unicorn, but she moved to block her view.
"Starlight, what are you hiding?" Twilight stepped into the room. "It's nothing I should worry about, is it?"
"Nothing, Twilight. Promise." Starlight's blush deepened as her teacher approached. "Cross my eyes, bake a pie... stick a cupcake... in the pie?" The hurried Pinkie Promise was the last straw.
"Starlight, what did you do?"
"Twilight, I can't show you!" Starlight became defensive, standing firm. "It's... a secret!"
"Show me."
"I can't."
"Show me, Starlight. What's under the blankets?" Starlight looked over her shoulder at the uneven lump in the otherwise perfect sheets. Twilight took her chance; she leapt over the unwary pony with a flap of her wings.
"No!"
She landed on the bed with a crash, misjudging her landing. She heard something break under her weight. Starlight screamed in horror. Bouncing off the mattress and falling down the other side, Twilight pulled the blankets away from the bed. Now dizzy, her side sore from landing hard on whatever was under there, she shakily pulled herself up.
"A-ha!" Twilight cheered triumphantly, then sharply stopped as she saw the mess she'd made; splinters of wood and brightly coloured flakes of paint adorned the sheet. "Wait, what?"
"You ruined it!" Starlight choked up as tears flooded her eyes. "You broke them all!" She sat down, resting her chin on the edge of the bed. She looked defeated.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Twilight felt guilty, standing to brush herself off. "You just weren't being honest with me; I had to know."
"I was making everypony a gift! I even made one for Trixie."
"Oh." Twilight's heart sank.
"It was going to be so great; I made them all by hoof, but I was having some trouble."
"Why wouldn't you just use your conjuration magic? You're so good at it."
"That was too easy." She sighed, blowing a cloud of sawdust up from the pile. "I wanted to make an effort."
"Oh, Starlight." Twilight came to sat next to her, putting her wing around her shoulders. "I'm really sorry. I can help you, if you want to try again."
"I appreciate it, but I was struggling to get them all equal. I don't want anypony to be disappointed if their's isn't as good. Forget it."
"Starlight, nobody will care. They'll be so thrilled you made them something in the first place." She pulled her closer. "It's very sweet of you to try such a thing. C'mon, let me help." The unicorn reluctantly agreed, nodding silently. "That's the spirit!"
Gathered around the table in the hall, Twilight's friends, (and Trixie), eagerly awaited their surprise. "Everyone: Starlight made all of these for you, as a token of how much she values your friendship!" She removed the tiny cloths that covered each one. The whole room lit up with joy.
"Oh, these are simply wonderful, darling!" Rarity chirped, clasping her hooves together. "She's almost as fabulous as I am!" She lifted the figure to her face to get a comparison.
"They're really awesome!" Rainbow added, fluttering above her chair.
"Where is Trixie's hat?" The Ingrate And Powerful one chimed. "And her cape, for that matter."
"I wanted to make them all kinda... equal." Starlight replied, confidence taking a hit from her friend's attitude.
"That may be! But some are more equal than others!" Twilight's hoof raised to her temple. The whole room glared at the street magician, cold silence falling. Trixie began to sweat. "I mean, I love it! It is... good."
Groaning, the whole group stood to leave, all heading for the main doors. "Wait, Trixie is sorry!" she called out. Disappointed grumbling was all she got in reply. "Where are you going?"
With that, the door closed.
"Great work, Trixie." She laid her chin on the table, huffing. "Good job."
Author's Note
As someone with an issue of the verbose variety, I've challenged myself to do really short stories within 1k-2k words. Any short ideas will end up here, so genres might not be entirely complete. I slapped a Random tag on it, so I guess be prepared, just in case something goes weird.
Track this for updates! Further stories being published as chapters.
The wind whipped around them furiously, cutlasses drawn and thunder crashing. "Stand down, Marten! You're surrounded!" Commodore Koroto The Komodo Dragon bellowed as he pointed his sword at the plucky bird. Marten was a notorious pirate, a brigand and a vandal. He smirked, letting his blade drop. It caught on his finger and swung limply by his side. "Bring him in." Koroto growled, lowering his weapon. His crew swept in, carrying ropes and chains between them. "You'd best come quietly, pirate. We'd certainly hate to have to throw you overboard."
"Well, I wouldn't speak too soon, mate." Marten shrugged, his camp swagger all too casual for the commodore's tastes. "You might get more than you wished for." He stepped back, reversing slowly until his tail feathers met the wooden railing.
"What are you playing at, Marten?" Koroto approached, intently glaring at the troublesome avian. "Don't do anything stupid, now." The pirate smirked, his soot-shadowed eyes sparkling from under his tattered tricorn with a mischief the reptile had seen too many times before. "Don't you dare!"
"Gentlemen." The bird spryly hopped on to the rail, claws gouging the wood. He brushed his messy braids aside. "You'll forever remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jay Marten."
"No!" Koroto lunged, trying to grab his legs, but it was too late. Marten toppled backwards, falling out of sight. "No, you imbecile!" He leaned over the edge, watching the pirate disappear into the clouds below. He reared back, screaming his anger to the heavens. "Get back to the skiff! Find him!" He turned, storming off with his handsome coat swishing behind him. His men saluted, then charged back to their ship. The chase was on.
The music blared, a rousing orchestral gallop. The crowd cheered, stomping their feet, clapping and whistling. A young parrot held on to the top of her father's head, bouncing around with glee."Yeah, Captain Marten!" She cheered, pumping her fist in the air.
"Make sure you're back next time for more pulse pounding action!" A gruff voice bellowed over a loudhailer. A flexing minotaur stood in the crow's nest atop the mast, the giant ship forming the whole stage. The blue bovine was shouting down his headset microphone. "Will our hero escape? Will he survive the fall? Find out next week! Make sure you don't miss the next exciting installment of Pirates of Paradise: Curse of The Black Skull!" The noise of the crowd was deafening.
"C'mon, let's go!" the youngster squealed over the din, pulling on her dad's eyebrows. The patient man winced as he felt his feathers straining under the skin.
"Okay, calm down!" He held on to his daughter's knees and headed to the exit. His sheer size made the people part in waves.
The back-lot of the theater was bustling; creatures of all shapes had crowded around the doors, waiting for the cast to meet them. They had their autograph books ready, giddy smiles plastered across their eager faces. A few of them hopped from foot to foot.
"Marten, we love you!"
"I can't see!"
"Hey, I was here first!"
The little girl and her father stood back, waiting patiently. Or, as patiently as an excitable chick would allow.
"Where are they?" She leaned over, her pink hands mushing her dad's forehead into a frown. He laughed, reaching up to sit her straight.
"They'll be here. Just sit tight, okay?"
Sure enough, the back door opened, warm light flooding the twilit alley. The gathering erupted into a flurry of shouts and cheers, people jostling to reach the front. A smattering of applause echoed off the brickwork, mostly from dutiful parents who, up until now, had been checking their watches.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please step back from the doors!" The same minotaur from before ducked under the door frame, holding out both palms to ward them off. "The faster you form an orderly line, the faster the cast will see you."
"Where's Marten?" a stocky shark waddled up to the front, hands on his hips. "He snubbed me like three weeks in a row!" Holding up three fingers, his angry scowl turned to fear as the imposing figure loomed over him.
"Iron Will isn't sure you want to go down this road, friend!" He was young and hot-headed, muscles rippling under the skin. His knuckles clicked as he flexed his fingers. The shark shrunk away, rejoining the queue. "That's better."
When the crowd was under control, Iron Will stepped aside. The cast and crew slowly emerged into the alley, forming a row beside their narrator-slash-bodyguard. They greeted their fans, smiling and shaking their hands, signing their autographs. The young bird tried to watch as one of the actors signed a woman's... something. "Dad, I can't see 'em!" He kept his hand over her eyes. "Daddy!" She pulled at his fingers, feebly tugging them apart. With a sigh of relief, he finally let her look.
She scanned their faces. She recognised every single one, but there was one all important actor missing. "Where's Captain Marten?" She craned her neck, hoping that he was just obfuscated by some of the larger fans, but there was no sign of him. "Where is he?"
Soon, the crowd had dissipated, leaving behind a few stragglers. The same shark from before was pleading with Iron Will as he ushered the cast backstage. "C'mon, what's Marten doing in there?"
"He's not signing autographs today."
"Please, I gotta-"
"Not. Signing. Autographs." The minotaur clenched a fist. The shark vanished, skidding on one foot as he turned the corner. Iron Will caught the young girl's eye, guilt flashing up on his face as he crouched through the door and slowly closed it.
"Let's go home."
"No!" She fought back as her father tried to walk away. She grasped fistfuls of his plumage, sadness overtaking her. "No, I wanna see Captain Marten." She sniffled, blinking away the tears. She felt two strong hands lift her to the ground.
"Baby, he's not signing autographs today."
"B-but, but I..." she blubbered, falling down in the dirt.
"Next time, okay?" he ruffled the green feathers on her head. She cried silently, struggling to catch her breath. Sure, they'd be back next week, but that was another week without him. It was an eternity. The door remained unopened, the night now upon them. The moon cast a silvery streak through the narrow alley. "Let's go and get something to eat." He picked her up by the arm, brushing off her knees. She reluctantly agreed, hanging her head as she followed by his side.
There came a metallic clunk. They both turned to see as the door swung open. A short figure stepped out, face lit by the smoldering ash in his pipe. A puff of smoke seemed to glow in the moonlight. The young girl escaped her father's grip and ran back to see the newcomer. As she drew near, the man looked up. She slowed to a stop, cocking her head as she tried to recognise them. He was a bird, unremarkable and with dull feathers; maybe he operated the lights or something.
"Oh." she shied away. "Never mind."
"Wait, don't leave." The realisation made her lose her balance. Clumsily, she swung around. That was it! That was his voice!
"Captain?"
"That's me, sweetheart." Snapping back into the role, the sparrow stood triumphantly, grinning at the awe-struck child in front of him.
"Captain Marten?"
"The very same. And what can I do for-" He was cut short by two little arms around his knees. She hugged his thighs, squeezing like she'd never let go.
"Captain Marten sir I'm your biggest fan and I love you and I love your hat and I love how you fight the bad guys and I love how you always do the right thing even when it's the most dangerous thing in the world and-"
"Slow down." A calm, fatherly voice urged the excited girl away from her idol. She beamed up at him, hands now clasped together in front of her beak.
"It's very sweet of you, miss." Marten knelt down, tapping the tobacco out of his pipe. "It's always good to know that I have allies wherever I make port." She was back to a stunned silence, quivering with excitement from tail to tip. "And what might your name be, young scallywag?"
"Celaeno, sir. Captain Celaeno!"
"A captain! A bet you run a tight ship."
"I'll say." her father quipped.
"Aye sir!" Celaeno giggled, a crest of feathers standing on her head.
"Well, Captain Celaeno, it's very nice to meet you." Now aware of his lack of makeup, Marten ground the cooling ashes into the dirt. He scooped up a small amount on his fingertips and smudged them around each eye, darkening them. Celaeno clapped. "Did you enjoy the show?"
"Yes! Always do!"
"And do you think I'll escape the evil Commodore Koroto?"
"You wouldn't have jumped off the ship if you didn't have a plan! You always have a plan." Marten laughed; this kid was smart. "One day, I wanna be a pirate, just like you."
"Well, hopefully you'll stick to The Code."
"Aye sir!"
"Well, in that case: keep your beak sharp as your sword, keep your eyes peeled for opportunities, and never take no for an answer. Savvy?"
"Well-" her father interrupted.
"Uh, well, sometimes take no for an answer. If your dad says it, for example."
"Yes, sir." Celaeno smiled, a pink glow in her cheeks as the reality of meeting her hero sank in.
"Wait here just a moment." Marten slipped backstage, leaving the door open. His talons clicking on the concrete floor were all they heard before he returned, triumphantly standing with his tricorn and braided wig atop his head. Celaeno squealed as Marten took the battered leather hat off and placed it on her head. It was far too big, sagging to one side. "Follow the horizon, Captain Celaeno!" Marten added, dipping his thumb in the ashes. He carefully placed a black dot on the parrot's cheek, looking her straight in the eyes. "You're going to be awesome."
