//------------------------------// // Daydreaming // Story: Generations // by Pippington Britishhooves //------------------------------// The bow of the ship cut through the waves, splitting them effortlessly as it relentlessly pursued its target. A beautiful vessel, made from the hardest timbered oak, not a dent or a scratch to be found on her, crafted with absolute love and admiration for sea-faring folk, and manned by the bravest crew a fearsome captain could ever ask for. The sails were woven from the elaborate silks of distant lands, hoof stitched and presented proudly at the top of the masts, carrying the ship forward like Celestia herself had charged them with that duty. There was no doubt that it was a prize of itself, having been a custom design built from the most luxurious materials afforded to him, and everything had been afforded to him. He'd made sure of it, and his contractor had agreed, knowing what was at stake. "Faster, you scurvy dogs!" the captain bellowed. "This fine vessel can go fifteen knots on an off day, and it's only going twelve at the moment! If you want to eat tonight, I suggest you put your backs into it!" He turned away from his crew as they scurried about, hastening to his orders, and pulled out his spyglass. Putting it to his eye, he sought out the other ship, a smirk crossing his face. Aye, it would make for good plunder, that was certain. Not only that, but his contractor would be mighty pleased. "Cap'n!" came an urgent voice from behind him. He turned to see an orange pony scurrying towards him, jumping over an obstacle in her way. She stopped just in front of him, and gave a quick salute. "The crew is ready to act on your orders." The captain smiled. The other vessel stood no chance. "Tell 'em to ready the cannons and prepare to board!" "Aye aye!" She scuttled back across the deck, barking orders to the rest of the ponies hurrying over the smooth wood of the deck as they prepared the ship. The captain turned back to the bow, eyeing his prey greedily. It was only a matter of time now, and then the threat would be removed forever. Stashing his spyglass away, he checked his gear over, already preparing for the upcoming battle. There was more than just his wealth sitting on the line here, and he needed to be ready. They were closing in now. Their prey had slowed and was attempting to turn, inevitably trying to avoid approaching the land that was just visible on the horizon. Many ponies were unhappy with them, and it wouldn't do any good to be caught near sovereign territory. The open seas were much safer, lending the chance of freedom and relative peace, except for the pirates and bounty hunters. And unluckily for them, the captain thought to himself, smirking as he did so, I'm both. "Swing to port!" he shouted back to his crew. "I want us nestled firmly in their side before we board. Nopony walks away unscathed today!" There was a cacophony of shouts and cheers to this, and the captain set his face in a look a confident determination. The moment was upon them. They were fast approaching, hurtling towards their helpless quarry like a wolf cornering its next meal, and indeed, the captain could almost hear the ship growling in carnal anticipation. Maybe it was just him. The other vessel had almost completed its maneuver, but it didn't matter. They were already close enough that the captain could see the other crew glancing at him fearfully. A few more seconds, and they would collide. Perfect. "Hard starboard!" As quickly as it could muster, the ship swiveled to the right, turning away from its target and leaving the two sides to meet a moment later with a muffled bang. As soon as the wood came into contact, there was an almighty roar as the crews of the ships leapt to engage their foes. It had started. The captain drew his cutlass out of his belt with his teeth and eyed the scene greedily, trying to pick out the best route to his target. Spotting it, he grinned around his sword and galloped forward, jumping from the safe familiarity of his ship and landing smoothly on the deck of the other. It sent a delicious chill up his spine, a familiar feeling he always looked forward to when plundering a ship. Darting forwards, he weaved in and out of the skirmishes breaking out all over the deck as his crew pushed further onto the vessel, paying none of them any attention as he pursued his objective. Ducking low to avoid an incoming attack, he bounded up the stairs to the stern of the ship, stopping as he spotted his nemesis. His eyes narrowed. "Hiding away at the back, are we? That doesn't surprise me in the slightest, Captain Feathers." The other pony looked across and snarled, dropping away from the wheel and fixing him with a glare. "Unlike you, Captain Spot, I actually understand how to sail a ship, being competent enough to not have to rely on other ponies to do it for me." The two circled each other, not breaking eye contact. Spot looked his opponent up and down, taking note of the athletic build. Feathers always had been thin, and, being a pegasus, found himself able to slip into any area that took his fancy, frequently returning with bulging pockets and more than a few valuable items. "I caught up to you," Spot replied. "How's that for competence?" "It was only a matter of time," Feathers responded dismissively. "You would have found me sooner or later." "Well, it's sooner. And now that we're here, I have a message for you." Spot brandished his cutlass menacingly. "You're going to pay for your crimes against Equestria, against Princess Luna..." His voice dropped to a low, throaty growl. "...and against me." Feathers snorted derisively. "Finally caved into pressure did you? Gave up a life of freedom for a life of wealth? I expected better from you than to cuddle up to those we once called our enemies." "And I expected better from you than to steal from me, and from the Princess herself! You betrayed your friends, your family, and your homeland! I once called you a friend, Feathers! I trusted you with my life, and you repaid me by framing me for stealing jewels from Princess Luna and trying to have me arrested while you took off for the Forgotten Island in my ship, to steal my treasure!" "And just how is Princess Luna?" Feathers asked with a patronising snigger. Spot clenched his teeth tighter around his sword and tensed his hind legs. "I wouldn't know. I'm not here on her orders. I'm here for your bounty, as well as some swift retribution." He grinned as he saw Feather's malicious smirk slide off his face, replaced quickly by a look of confusion. "Who put a bounty on me?" "Lady Rose herself!" In a lightening quick motion, Spot shot forwards, thrusting his cutlass forward. He expected it to make contact, but Feathers dodged to the side, drawing his own cutlass as he did so. The two ponies stepped back from each other, trying to gauge the other's weaknesses. It shouldn't have been hard, given that the two were previously very close acquaintances, but the one thing that they had learned about each other in that time was that they were both very unpredictable. "You don't understand, Spot," Feathers spoke up. "This isn't how it seems." "Oh, I know how it is," Spot replied. "And I'm not going to let your honeyed words get in the way of my revenge." "Just listen to me! You're making a grave mistake here-" "The only mistake I made was trusting you!" Spot darted forwards, taking a wild swing at Feathers, but the pegasus was quicker, leaping into the air with a speedy flap of his wings. Twisting himself around quickly, Spot jumped and grabbed ahold of Feather's ascending legs, pulling him roughly down to the deck and breaking the pegasus' grip on his cutlass, which fell with a clunk to the floor. Landing in a crumpled heap, the earth pony clambered atop his foe, swatting away the desperate forehooves that tried to push him off and pinning him down firmly, holding the cutlass in front of his face. Spot grinned. "It's over, Feathers. You're coming with me, and you're clearing my name." The pegasus glared up at him with wide, desperate eyes, a ferocious grimace dominating his face. "You're a fool, Spot! You think Lady Rose will allow you to clear your name? She's only using you to clear up loose ends!" "What are you on about?" Spot demanded, brandishing his cutlass menacingly. "Speak sense, or don't speak at all!" "Lady Rose hired me to frame you and steal the jewels! She told me you'd make the perfect scapegoat!" Spot froze and his eyes widened in disbelief. That couldn't be true. A noble, lying to him, responsible for framing him, and then contracting him to take care of the only pony capable of revealing the truth? No. He couldn't just be a pawn in some giant game. That wasn't the life he had chosen for himself, and he would never allow anypony to control him like that. Feathers shifted slightly underneath him. "I should have figured she'd come for me some day. Seems fitting she'd use you to get back at me, seeing as you'd ask no questions." He gulped as the earth pony tightened his grip and leaned in closer. "I think you're lying," the captain growled, narrowing his eyes. "I think you're trying to bluff me into letting you go. What do you say to that?" "I say you're every bit the fool I once knew, gullible and brash to the end!" His words were fast paced, his eyes maintaining their nervous lock on the blade inches away from his face. "It's brashness and vigour that defines us. And besides, if, if, what you say is true, then it appears that you are just as gullible as I." "I should have known she'd send somepony after me. It was inevitable. She always was a slippery one, and I was wrong to assume she wouldn't cross me to tie up a loose end." "You were wrong to assume that you could get away with crossing me, and that isn't even-" Something caught his eye in the corner of his vision, and he quickly turned his head to look. It was a ship, sailing straight towards them, and from the look of its speed, it would soon be upon them. The sight sent an uncomfortable tingle along his spine. He looked back to Feathers and glared menacingly down at him. "What's with the other ship?" he demanded angrily, growling deep in his throat. "How did you direct it to follow us without my knowledge of it?" In all honesty, he wasn't sure what good the information would be- it hardly mattered why the ship was here, how it had come to be here, or even really who was steering it, because it was here now, and it was approaching fast. He had expected a smug grin, a sarcastic, insincere, or otherwise cocky comment, or even a obstinate silence from Feathers, but the response was none of these. The pegasus gave a confused frown, sending a quick jolt of uneasiness through Spot. "Ship? What ship?" "THAT ship," Spot replied, roughly dragging Feathers into an upright position and looking in the direction of the oncoming vessel to indicate it, which was now so close that both captains could observe the cutie marks of some of the foremost crew. The pegasus' breath caught in his throat, and Spot breathed out a quick sigh of resignation. It was going to be like this. "No running away, no flying away, no trying to get away, and no backstabbing until we have this sorted," the earth pony commanded, standing up and allowing the pegasus to do the same. From the looks of it, they were going to get rammed, and it would be within the next five seconds. Feathers plucked his cutlass from the deck and dropped into his fighting stance, flaring his wings out and facing the oncoming ship and its crew. "Brace for impact!" Spot shouted behind him, hoping to warn his crew before- CRUNCH The resounding impact reverberated through the entire ship, staggering the two captains. Spot recovered first, looking up in time to see the first pony leap onto the deck, a cocksure grin already forming on her face. She rushed forward all too readily, drawing her head back for a rapid swing with her cutlass, preparing to end the fight before it had even begun. She brought her sword through the air in a wide arc, slicing towards- Spot ducked, and the cutlass passed harmlessly overhead, leaving him to swipe the mare's legs from under her and let her tumble heavily to the deck. As soon as she had fallen, another pony rushed up, swinging his blade downwards at the earth pony captain, who just stepped quickly to the left, letting the blade bounce harmlessly off the wooden planks. Bringing his own cutlass round, Spot smashed the weapon from his opponents mouth and butted him away with a shoulder barge. The pony stumbled backwards and knocked over another pony who didn't get out of the way in time, causing them to both fall awkwardly to the deck. Yet another pony galloped in, charging straight for the captain. He really wasn't going to get any breaks today, was he? Charging forward to meet his adversary, he raised his sword and- Slid under the slow pony, whose attempt to slash low left him unbalanced and struggling to regain his equilibrium while still moving. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the grounded mare who was getting up, and tripped over her, causing the two of them to collapse into a heap of groaning pirates. It was almost art the way they had so eloquently smashed into each other. A thunderous cry snapped him out of his little daydream, and he winced, spinning to meet the newcomer. The pony charged at him, already far too close for his liking, and Spot made to step backwards. A cream blur barreled into the advancing pony, throwing him sideways over the ship. Feathers settled down just in front of Spot, occupying the space just taken up by the would-be attacker, giving the earth pony a quick nod. At least he knew where the two of them stood...for now. "Leave the captains, they're mine!" called a firm, barking voice of a mare. The pegasus and earth pony looked around, and stared. This was not the voice they were used to, not from her. The rest of the crew marched past them, both parties ignoring the other. When all the ponies had cleared out of the way, the mare hopped delicately onto the ship, striking a pose as she looked to her two spectators. "I wondered if either of you would manage to take care of the other, but it appears I need to do all the work myself. Tut tut, it really isn't befitting of a gentlecolt to disappoint a noble." She was using her high society accent again, taunting them with her false persona. "I fail to see the problem here, Lady Rose," Spot responded curtly. "We're no gentlecolts." "Evidently," the pink mare laughed. Her visage dropped its smile slightly, and her voice dropped back into its previous cold detachment. "You've both served your use, and you two are now nothing more than a couple of thorns in my side." "Do you believe me now?" muttered Feathers to Spot under his breath. The latter had to refrain from rolling his eyes. "Yes, I believe you. This doesn't change what you've done, though." He turned his attention to the mare in front of him. "Why did you do this? What do you gain from us battling each other?" "That's quite simple," she answered, a sinister smirk creeping across her face. "You two are the scourges of the sea, plundering the treasure from all across the globe, gaining riches and living a life of unrestricted luxury. Pitting you two against each other would not only occupy you both, keeping you from taking everything you wanted, but hopefully remove one, or both, of you from the equation entirely." "But why?" Feathers cut in demandingly. "Why you, of all ponies?" "Because you're competition, that's why! I was once the mistress of the sea, taking enough jewels and goods to set myself up as a noble in Canterlot. Since you two popped up, however, I've been unable to make any gains, and covering up my activities, hiding my secret lifestyle, making ponies forget- it all costs. You're bad for business, and that just can't be allowed to stand." Spot and Feathers shared a quick glance, their faces twitching in imperceptible ways that conveyed nothing to an outside observer, but held as much information in it as a five minute conversation. Together, they looked back to the pink mare, their plan fully fledged and ready to go. It had taken less than three seconds. Feathers shifted his hooves slightly. "I'm sorry that you feel that way," Spot told her disingenuously. "It's most unfortunate that our transaction was merely a one off payment, as I was rather looking forward to repeat business." He paused to look sad for a moment. "It's such a shame that you should lose somepony of my skill set." Rose laughed. "I don't need somepony like you when I shall be the pony ruling the high seas. I won't need to hire anypony to my cause; they will come to me, and if I don't want them, I can turn them away. Your days of hindering me and my plans are over, Spot. There is nothing that you can do to stop me now. I hope you enjoyed your run as much as I'll enjoy mine." "I'll tell you myself once it's over," the earth pony grinned. "Now!" The pink mare had to duck in order to avoid the cannonball that was Feathers, springing towards her so fast from the side that if it had been anypony else, it would have been a guaranteed hit. This mare, however, had an incredible reaction time, flattening herself to the deck as the pegasus blurred overhead. Spot's distraction had allowed Feathers the time he needed to shuffle slowly to the side, but the surprise attack hadn't worked, and now she was drawing her sword. Not wanting to give her a chance to ready herself, Spot started forward, galloping as quickly as he could. Either the thud of his hooves clattering across the deck or the sudden movement out of the corner of her eye alerted her to his plan, and she turned to look at him, running full throttle towards her with a determined glint in his eye. He must have been within a metre from her when she bounced into the air, bounding over his charging form as easily as one might step over a small rock on a casual morning stroll. He tried to keep track of her, straining his head back to watch her path, but it was no use. He couldn't see her any more than he could see the incoming cream blur. Feathers, coming back around to try ramming the pink mare once more, had been equally caught off guard by her sudden leap, and had been unable to stop as he piled straight into Spot. The earth pony staggered, reaching out towards the closest, sturdiest object he could find. That just happened to be Feathers. The momentum of the two ponies sent them lurching haphazardly above the deck, flying rapidly towards the stern of the ship. Before either of them could make a move to stop themselves, they had tumbled over the side, dropping sickeningly towards the water which was lapping mockingly against the wood of the ship. The plunge slowed them down quickly, leaving them suspended in a weightless, muffled world, the sounds from above diminished greatly, as though coming from far away. The light refracted from above was tinted blue, throwing a strange eldritch hue over the two ponies. The whoosh from their impact had faded away, the bubbles floating back up to the surface, and Spot let go of Feathers, the pegasus immediately fanning out his wings and flapping to head upwards. Spot quickly followed, paddling towards the surface, breaking it and taking in a quick breath, looking around to see where Feathers had come up, finding him treading water just to his left, his light brown mane matted to his forehead. "You two okay?" They both looked up to see the pink mare gazing down at them with a small amount of concern. She offered her hoof to them, and they both climbed out of the water, back onto the raft. "We're fine, thank you Pinkie." "Oh, good." A smile quickly made its way back onto the mare's face. "I saw you crash into each other and then fall into the lake, and I wanted to make sure you were both okay. That was some really good flying, Featherweight." The pegasus blushed and looked down, a gentle smile creeping across his face. "Thank you." "You're a really convincing actress, Pinkie." "Thanks Pip! I had fun there, even if I did have to be a big old meanie pants, but somepony had to do it right? Well, that's not actually true, you could have a story with no big old meanie pants, but then there would be no need for a super awesome special supreme amazing hero like you!" The little pinto colt beamed up at her. "You really think so?" "Yes indeedy!" She looked across to the other raft, where the other colts and fillies were busying themselves fighting, swinging toy cutlasses and wooden sticks at each other. "Got to go, looks like 'Lady Rose' needs to make an entrance!" She gave Pipsqueak a wink and bounced over in a great leap, seemingly effortlessly. He watched her for a second, then sat down and sheathed his little sword, turning to face Featherweight. "That was fun," the pegasus spoke up cheerily. Pipsqueak nodded. "Sure was. I'm glad you agreed to come today, I know that you can be shy sometimes." "Thank you for inviting me." "It was my pleasure. I knew I couldn't just have fun here without inviting at least some of my friends, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were nice enough to let me ask you all to come." He looked over to the other raft, seeing Scootaloo, his 'first mate', courageously fighting off two attackers. "How does the story end?" The earth pony thought for a moment before he answered. "I was thinking something along the lines of...Captain Spot and Captain Feathers capture Lady Rose, expose her crimes to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, are rewarded for their services to Equestria, then sail away to the Forgotten Island to get their treasure, and then they become rich and live happily ever after!" Pipsqueak's tone had grown more and more excited as he recounted what he saw in his head, and his voice increased in volume. He finished the sentence with positive beam of joy etched onto his face. "What about Feathers and Spot?" "They got over their differences and became friends again." "Really? But Feathers betrayed Spot." "Yeah, but friends forgive each other." "Even in this case? Wouldn't it be more likely that Feathers and Spot split up afterwards, and that Spot got his ship back and continued on his way?" "Maybe, but doesn't that seem rather sad and unnecessary? Couldn't they each take what they were owed from the Forgotten Island?" "I don't know, Pip. It seems like neither of them can trust each other." The two of them fell into a thoughtful silence, pondering a solution to this conundrum. Pipsqueak knew that Featherweight had a point, that most ponies would feel betrayed and would likely end a friendship with someone who had betrayed them on such a massive scale, but wasn't reconciliation possible? From what he understood, it was that which had saved Nightmare Night just a week ago, and how life was supposed to work. What was the correct answer when both possibilities were equally plausible? "I know!" he spoke up excitedly. "The characters are based on us, so why don't we figure out what we'd do in that situation, and that's the obvious answer!" Featherweight nodded at his logic. "That sounds good." "So, what would we do if we betrayed one another?" They looked at each other expectantly for a few seconds before they both fell back into a ponderous silence. It didn't particularly help them at all, seeing as neither of them had any intention of doing any such thing. "Well...I would never betray you, Pip," Featherweight replied. "Me neither," the colt agreed. "If there was something we both wanted, I'd share it with you, and if both of us couldn't have it, I would just give it to you." "I would do the same." They offered each other a smile, before the pegasus gave a quick chuckle. "We probably shouldn't be pirates, then." "Even pirates have friends," Pipsqueak countered. "I would never steal from my friends, or anything like that. In fact, if I were a pirate, I would help other ponies with my sea faring abilities, and donate my treasure to help ponies in need. All the treasure I took would be discovered in exotic locations or taken from evil creatures, never stolen from honest ponies." "That sounds like a good pirate to me." "So are you saying we should become pirates?" "Maybe...Captain Spot." The earth pony laughed. "I liked that, it was a good name for me." "I wouldn't even have to change my name much." "Yeah, I sort of couldn't think of any names at the time," Pipsqueak confessed ruefully, rubbing the back of his head with his hoof. "Did you like it?" "It worked well." "Yeah, it did." The colt looked up at the sky, seeing where the sun was. "I should probably go home now, I need to have my dinner sometime soon, and it's nearly evening." "Oh, right." The pegasus seemed a little disappointed. "You're probably right, I should be doing the same." He got up to grab one of the makeshift oars, sitting by the side, ready to row. Pipsqueak shouted over to the others as he picked up his own oar. "Bye guys, see you all tomorrow!" The other ponies responded with a chorus of farewells, pausing in their activities to wave the pinto earth pony and the pegasus goodbye. Sitting down opposite Featherweight, he began to paddle, slowly pushing the raft into motion and towards the bank where they could disembark and go home...away from the adventures and fun of outdoors. He sighed, before realising something. He was still outside, with one of his best friends. He should know better than to sigh. He should know that he was Captain Spot, one of the most proficient pirates ever to sail the seas, sailing away from what should have been an easy ambush. He looked across to his nemesis, the pony he thought he'd be sailing home in binds, not as his only remaining crew member. The rest were captives of Lady Rose, the devious pirate disguised for years as a Canterlot noble, and they were lucky to have escaped her when they did. Still, they were two of the most skilled sailors, and with their combined effort, they were certain to rescue their respective crews and take down the evil Lady Rose. Just like old times... "It's a good thing we were able to acquire her ship," Spot called over to Feathers. The pegasus broke from his morose trance and looked over to him. "Huh?" he responded. Clearly he was still numb from the loss of his ship, crew, and that last battle. "Thanks for flying me up onto the deck, I appreciate your assistance." The pegasus blinked a couple of times before something clicked in his mind. "Oh, right, of course. I needed you to help me sail this ship." "Likewise. In fact, it seems we need each other for quite a lot." "What do you mean?" "We need each other to sail her ship away, we need each other to take her down and clear our names...we seem to be tied pretty closely together, you and I." He paused, and then gave a small sigh. "To be honest, Feathers, I need my friend back." Feathers gave him an incredulous look. "After what happened, after everything between us, you still want me by your side?" "You are a great sailor, a fantastic crew member, and you were one of my closest friends. We've both had everything taken away from us, and now we've been thrown together again to flee once more. Everything we've had, our past, has been stripped away, leaving us bare. Why not start again, a fresh slate? You and me, building a crew, taking back what's ours, plundering and living our lives the way we wanted to from the very beginning? We get our lives back, but leave the animosity behind. We've gone down that path, and what we found down there wasn't something that we liked, but we were given a second chance. One that I'm willing to take. Let's start with the treasure on the Forgotten Island. Half each, once we've dealt with Lady Rose, then back to the high seas, together, like we were always meant to." The other pony shifted uncomfortably. "I...I don't know what to say. Yes, I accept your offer...but why are you trusting me?" "Sometimes all it takes is a little forgiveness and trust, and I don't think you're stupid enough to repeat your mistakes of old, not having seen what they earned you." He fixed the pegasus with a stern glare. "Just take that as a warning." "Right, of course." A brief pause. "I didn't realise, up until now, how much I missed you, Spot." "I missed you too, Feathers." They sailed onwards in silence, finally finding peace as they moved towards the distant shoreline, where they would dock, disembark, and set about restocking and supplying. There was a future to build, using the foundations of their old ways. The bow of the ship passed through the waves, parting them peacefully as it calmly sought out its destination.