As Bright as Stars in the Open Sky...
...And Twice as Beautiful
Twilight sat back and wiped the sweat from her brow. A combination of the engine room’s increased temperature and her physically demanding task meant that she was having to pick sweat-soaked hair out of her face as she went about collecting the tools she had been using. She spared a glance to the watch on her left wrist.
If I get up early to install the siphon clamps tomorrow, then I should have time to run some initial tests while we’re docked at New Trottingham. Head filled with magical script and machine blueprints, Twilight slipped out into the hallways of the ship. Despite the late hour, commotions could still be heard echoing down to where Twilight stood. The crew had a tendency to congregate in the galley once the sun sunk below the horizon.
That kind of thing wasn’t for her, though. Turning down the hall to her left led Twilight past various other storage and maintenance rooms. Eventually looping through the more remote crews quarters allowed her to make her way to the main staircase while entirely circumventing the section of the lower deck near the galley.
She could just explain why she didn’t want to drink and get rowdy with the others. Or she could continue to sneak around like she had done when she first joined the crew.
Really, there was only one option. Sneaking around was simply more fun.
She emerged out onto the deck of the Diamant du Ciel, relishing in the cool night air and soft sounds of the ship’s sails in the wind. Stars blinked out rhythms in the sky above, teasing Twilight with songs she would never hear.
Just sixteen steps brought her to the ship’s railing. Leaning her elbows onto the rough wood, she gazed out at the deep blue waves that shifted beneath her in the moonlight.
Exactly two thousand meters beneath her. Or at least close enough for her to not worry about the difference.
Just a month ago, she never would have dreamed of having this view. Hell, twomonths ago she wouldn’t have dreamed of even meeting a pirate. And now, well…
The turnaround on going from a prisoner of the Diamonds to a member of the very same pirate crew was quite short. Embarrassingly so. But it was hard to not be intrigued when everypony had been so nice. Books had always depicted pirates as cruel and unscrupulous, but that couldn’t be further from what she had seen.
All the extra time the captain had spent with her certainly didn’t hurt, either.
Deep in her thoughts, Twilight paid little attention to the gentle footsteps descending the stairs from the quarterdeck.
“Well you’re up quite late, aren’t you, dear? Perhaps the crew is rubbing off on you.”
The voice shocked Twilight out of her reverie, causing her to whip around and salute the owner of the voice, followed by immediately cursing herself mentally. Pirates don’t salute!
“C-Captain! I was just taking a short break from fixing the– working on the engine! Not fixing. Because it’s not broken. And I was done that and I wanted some air and– fresh air! And… um… I’m not slacking off. I swear.”
The captain tittered behind a hand while Twilight cursed her almost supernatural ability to make things awkward. Maybe if she was lucky, she would have a heart attack and die before her captain responded.
“I don’t expect you to be constantly working, Twilight. If I treated my crew like that, then I’d be more of a taskmaster. Some pirates may operate like that, but I certainly don’t.” She punctuated that point with a flick of her hair. “Terrible for morale, you know.
“Speaking of, what do you say to a little conversation with our dinners? Assuming you haven’t already eaten, of course. It’s been quite a while since we sat down and talked like we used to.” A light frown touched the captain’s face. “Though I suppose that’s a good thing if it means we aren’t talking through bars.”
“Yeah… Um, I’m really sweaty right now so you’d probably want me to, like, shower. But after that, I’d love to. Talk. Over dinner.” Twilight had no clue why she found it so hard to talk to her captain. After spending so much time chatting during her imprisonment, one would believe the two were akin to close friends. Unfortunately, Twilight couldn’t help but hang on to that feeling of authority that she attributed to the captain and her grandiose behavior.
“Brilliant!” The captain’s pristine teeth shone, drawing Twilight’s attention to her radiant smile. “I’ll let Cup know she should bring two meals up to my cabin in thirty minutes. Do be there before yours gets cold.” With a wink, she twirled and headed back up the stairs, her well groomed tail swaying slightly with each step.
Her… her cabin? When Twilight was sure that the captain was far enough away, she rushed toward the lower decks and propelled herself down the steps at an impressive speed. She managed to just narrowly avoiding crashing into Lovestruck at the bottom, blurting out a hasty “sorry” before taking off towards her own cabin.
She may be new to this whole pirate business, but even Twilight was aware that an invitation to the captain’s cabin, for any reason, was a big deal.
A freshly clean Twilight Sparkle paced back and forth on the stern on the Diamant, eyes locked on her watch. The night air was chilly, but if she felt it, she gave no indication.
The captain said Cup would bring the meals after thirty minutes. It would be rude to show up after the food, right? But I don’t want to show up too early, then it would just be awkward. And I shouldn’t walk in too shortly before Cup either. Is there a minimum amount of small talk that’s considered polite? Where’s the line between that and–
Any further thought was cut off by a light suddenly illuminating the deck. The captain stood leaned against the doorframe to her cabin, a smirk on her face.
“My door has a window, you know.”
Oh. Yeah. Twilight’s watch read 10:27, still six minutes before that thirty-minute mark. “Uhhh… I’m here!” Twilight threw her arms wide in an attempt to play off her embarrassment. The captain just giggled as she sashayed back into her cabin, leaving the door open. Great going, Twilight. I… guess that was her letting me in?
The cabin was spacious and well lit, decorated with various baubles and portraits. A large rectangular table with six chairs positioned around it occupied the center of the room, the side closest to the entrance covered with maps and other documents. A surprisingly modest cot was tucked away along the right wall, nearly obscured by curtains draped in such a way as to provide the occupant with some measure of privacy. Candles perched on shelves provided the space with ample lighting.
Twilight had no clue what to focus on. Every direction she looked, there was some new object vying for her attention. In a way, it mirrored its owner perfectly. The captain cleared her throat, catching Twilight’s gaze from her position at the head of the table and pointing to the seat on her left. As Twilight was sitting down, the captain began the oh-so-dreaded small talk.
“So, dear, are you settling in? None of the crew are giving you a hard time, I hope.”
“No, no, the crew is great. They’re quite, um… a colorful crowd.”
The captain chuckled. “Well, they do come from all walks of life. I do believe” – She leaned her chair onto its back two legs and raised a finger – “the only locations in Equestria we don’t have represented are the Smokey Mountains, Las Pegasus, and Manehattan. We used to be missing Canterlot as well, but –” She winked “– then you came aboard.”
That certainly explained the amount of accents Twilight had heard. Some of them she couldn’t even understand. “Is that normal? I’ve always thought pirates came from crappy places like New Baltimare; islands that aren’t very developed. Is it rude to say that?”
“Oh, absolutely. Don’t let Verse hear you call her hometown crappy. But there is a slight bit of truth to what you said. Lots of other crews form in one city and only pick up new hands when they need them. Le Diamant du Ciel is open to all ponies! As long as they’re willing to work, then we have space for them.”
“So… everypony here chose to be here? There are what, fifty-odd ponies on board? And you’re saying they’re all volunteer pirates?”
“Island life can get so dreadfully boring, Twilight.” The captain let her chair rest fully on the ground once again. Leaning over the table towards Twilight, her voice dropped down to a whisper. “Sometimes ponies dream of being somepony else. Of living a life of excitement. I just so happen to be in the business of making dreams come true.” Another wink. “Besides, if anypony wanted to stop this and go home, they know they have that option.”
Twilight swore the temperature in the cabin had risen a few degrees. “R-right. So, captain, what if –”
“Please, dear. Call me Rarity.”
Alarms were going off in Twilight’s head, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. And why was it getting so hot in here? “…Okay, if you’re sure that’s alright. So, Rarity, if I said that I wanted to go home– which I don’t– but if I did, then you would turn the ship around and fly me back to Canterlot?”
Rarity flinched. Her smooth demeanor evaporated instantly and Twilight could read the guilt on her face. “Well, you see… hmm.” And just like that, the space’s temperature dropped back to normal levels.
“It’s fine, I get it. I’m one of the few ponies on board who has even a rudimentary idea of how the ship’s machinery works. Can’t afford to lose your engineer.”
“Darling, that’s not–”
Three thumps sounded out just before the door opened. Cup, one of the ship’s cooks, backed into the cabin carrying two pairs of bowls, utensils, and cups in her arms. After greeting the two unicorns in her normal sing-songy manner, she left them alone with their meals and the awkward silence that had fallen between them.
Maybe I should have just left that unsaid. Twilight wasn’t upset over the whole kidnapping thing, really. She just didn’t understand it. Sure, she missed her father and he was probably worried about her, but she was safe. And she had always wanted to see the world beyond Canterlot.
It just seemed so strange. There wasn’t really a point in taking the daughter of somepony who helped build airships, was there? Certainly the stallion himself would be more useful. Although, Twilight now knew that this was a pirate crew comprised entirely of mares. Maybe that’s why she was chosen?
It also felt like there was more pressure on her, but maybe that was just her imagination. The captain seemed to be more closely invested in what Twilight was doing than the other members of the Diamonds. Knowing she was the only one here against her will, it finally made sense to Twilight. She could sabotage any of the ship’s systems in a flash if she decided to get revenge. Obviously she had to be monitored closely.
Not that she would do that in the first place. The mares on board had genuinely made this whole experience a joyful one, rather than the harrowing nightmare she expected it to be. Without getting kidnapped from her home, she never would have met these new ponies that she might call friends. Wait a second. Isn’t there some kind of mental affliction where you enjoy getting captured? Do I have that?
“Yes.”
Twilight let out a squeak, startled out of her mind by the sudden reminder that there was another pony in the room. “H-huh?”
“Yes, I would take you home if you asked. While I would certainly prefer for you to stay with the crew, your happiness is more important than my own silly wishes.” As she talked, the Captain began to play with the curls in her mane. “And I don’t mean, ‘I would prefer the engineer stays.’ I truly mean that I want you, Twilight Sparkle, to stay.”
“Oh. But… why? What’s so special about me? There’s other ponies out there who have more experience and probably wouldn’t mind being a pirate.”
“What’s so special about –” Rarity nearly knocked her chair over with how fast she stood up. Her captain marched for the door, giving the collar of Twilight’s shirt a tug as she passed. Rarity stopped for a moment in the doorframe; the darkness of the sky framed her figure as she shot a hard look over her shoulder to the mare still sitting at the table.
“Follow.”
How did you manage to mess up a simple dinner?
Twilight joined her captain in the cool night air on the highest deck of the ship. Together they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, looking out at the great sky before them.
“Look up and tell me what you see,” Rarity spoke softly.
Look up? It was a clear night, so there weren’t any clouds. “Stars?”
“Stars. Points of light that are so bright, we can see them from here. Most of which are far enough away that it would take an entire lifetime and then some to reach. And still, we can see their light.”
“I… what does that have to do with what I said?”
She didn’t respond right away. Twilight was about to ask if she was feeling alright when Rarity spoke again. “When I was a filly, I read so many stories about a damsel in distress and the hero who shows up to save her from the troubles of the world. It didn’t matter who they were. A knight, or a thief, or a librarian. They would whisk the maiden off and show her a world of adventure and love. Out of all of them, my favourite was a little novel called Treasures of the Sky. Followed Captain Beryl and Lady Deluna. Have you heard of it?”
“Not at all.”
“Really?” Rarity looked almost offended. “What about The Princess’ Choice? Eyes in the Mist? Life Again? Surely your parents read you bedtime stories as a child. What about Her Lady Knight? That was made specifically for little fillies.”
“I’m from Canterlot. Most of our children’s stories are about discovering a more efficient fuel source or preventing a crystal mine from getting shut down.”
“Ah, right. Canterlotians are boring. Where I was going is, those stories aren’t real.” She leaned forward to rest her arms on the railing. “I woke up every day, wondering when my hero would appear. And one day, I had to admit that it wasn’t going to happen. You know how that felt?
“It sucked. Even when I knew there was no hero, that I wasn’t going to be swept away on some grand adventure, I still waited. A stray thought here, a glance at the sky there. Years later, the expectation still hadn’t left me. So I had an idea. If there was no Captain Beryl coming to pick me up and give me a new life, then I would be Captain Beryl.
“I would be the one to offer a new life to mares who were in need of one. And I did, again and again. Cup. Heartstrings. Ink. every single pony on board this ship needed an out. Something to let them escape the life that had been chosen for them. I did that. I gave them that chance. And the only reason I had the strength to save each and every one of those mares is because nopony ever showed up to save me. Maybe, deep in my heart, I’ve always been a bit bitter about that.”
Twilight didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know if she should say anything. She wasn’t expecting the captain to get this… emotional. Do– do I hug her?
“And then I made a stupid decision,” Rarity started up again. “Well, not quite stupid. Selfish would be a better word. We had taken a job to steal some things from Canterlot. Blueprints. And… well, you know what happened. Obviously that was where we met and I… did you know that the brig was never used a single time before your stay in it?”
“I guess that’s kind of comforting? That you don’t make it a habit to kidnap young mares, that is.”
“For the first time in a very long time, I felt those expectations rise back up. The desire to have a different life, to be shown a new path by somepony who cared for me. I wanted to just sit back and wait for the one who would complete me. These things, I felt them at a very inopportune moment. In the middle of an important job, on an island I detested, in the home of a family I held no ill-will towards. And I panicked. I looked at the mare who caused these feelings and I selfishly decided to take her from her home.”
What. Twilight’s brain was trying to get the words out, but her lungs refused to loosen their grip on the breath they held. An intense blush spread across her face.
“The stars, Twilight.” Rarity craned her neck back, staring straight up at the twinkling specks of light. “I wanted you to see them, because that’s how I see you. A shining beacon that lights up the dark. Somepony I can look to in times of distress. My hero. Finally here to pluck me from the routine of my life and expand my horizons. Twilight Sparkle, my star. Bright, radiant, and oh so beautiful.”
If Twilight’s face wasn’t on fire before, it certainly was now. The captain– Rarity’s words had stunned her and it would be a miracle if she ever again found the willpower to talk.
Rarity gave a theatrical sigh. “Apologies. I should have known better than to assume you would feel the same way. Especially after my most uncouth introduction. Once our business in New Trottingham is done, I will have us set course for Canterlot and –”
“No!” Twilight’s outburst startled both mares, and it took a moment for her to recollect her nerves. “I don’t want– I mean, I do want to maybe– wait.” Oh gods, kill me now. “You’re… hot?”
Rarity smirked. “Was that a question or a statement, darling? Because either way, you’re right.”
“Statement. Explanation. For why I’m kind of freaking out. Give me a moment.” Twilight inhaled deeply and waited, counting to ten before exhaling. “Okay. I have no idea what I’m doing, but here I go. I don’t want to go home. Even if you didn’t feel that way about me, I wouldn’t want to go home. I am legitimately enjoying seeing what the world has to offer and being able to use my knowledge to help out and… all of that.
“But there is more than that. You. You’re confident and strong and interesting and also very –” Twilight’s throat seized up and nearly prevented her from continuing “– beautiful, yourself. And the fact that you are saying those very flattering things about me is like, holy shit, you know? I’ve never really been in any kind of romantic situation before. And you’re also my captain, so there’s like, this power dynamic thing going on. But… I might be into that?”
Rarity burst into giggles as soon as the words left Twilight’s mouth. It was a wonder that the strength of the blush on the purple pony’s face wasn’t lighting up the deck. Finish this up before you say something else stupid, genius. “So I do want to stay with your crew. And w-would be maybe interested in trying something. With you. Dating. If pirates do that.”
Twilight watched as Rarity slowly reached a hand out and cupped her cheek. She was surprised how cool it felt, though that was probably because of just how hot her face was. Rarity gently rubbed her thumb back and forth, providing Twilight a helpful calming motion to focus on.
“You’re adorable,” Rarity whispered. Blue eyes met purple eyes and the gap between their faces began to close.
Any effect the cheek rubbing had was immediately nullified. Holy shit, is this happening? Right now? How do I do this? Instinct took over as Twilight slammed her eyes shut and puckered her mouth, waiting for the contact with the white unicorn’s undoubtably soft lips…
…Which definitely shouldn’t be taking this long.
She suddenly felt a soft peck against her forehead and something that wasn’t Rarity’s lips pressing against her own. Opening her eyes, Twilight saw that Rarity was holding a finger against Twilight’s poor excuse of a kissing face, looking like she was desperately trying not to laugh.
“I’m going to have to teach you how to kiss, aren’t I?” With a chuckle, she turned away and started towards the stairs back down to the quaterdeck. Twilight didn’t miss the flick of her tail, done perfectly so that it would brush against Twilight’s hand. “Why don’t we get back to our meal before it goes cold? I can regale you with stories of adventures if you’d like. I, for my part, would love to hear more about your life in Canterlot.”
A wide grin took hold of Twilight’s face. Even if she could hold her joy in, she wouldn’t want to. Because right now, becoming a pirate was the best decision of her entire life.
“I’d love that too, Rarity.”
Author's Note
I've been playing Final Fantasy XII for the first time recently, and I can't stop imagining Balthier as Rarity. I have no idea who Twilight would be in this comparison.
It was surprisingly hard to finish this story. I started off with a rudimentary list of "Raritwi, sky pirates, romance" and just continued to think more and more about what the ship looked like and what pushed Rarity into this lifestyle and who the other crew members would be and lots of other inane bits and bobs. Sky pirates are just really cool, I guess; gets my mind all revved up.
