Crabnasty, Jerry, Pansy and Helmut solemnly stood over the makeshift gravesite over their fallen comrades. Doc, Angle Glow, Pistolerro and many others from years of pointless fighting.
After several minutes had passed in silence, Crabnasty got up groaning as he was still injured, bandages covering most of his body. “I’m sorry you weren’t able to see past the Captain’s madness, or join us on this day, my fallen friends...your names shall be in our hearts always, but we must continue onward. No more shall we hurt and take, well shall instead work alongside the seaponies and the people of Shetland Shore, as the protectors of this sea!”
His remaining crewmates cheered in acknowledgement, while south from the memorial stood what remained of the seapony city, ruined from several buildings and whole ships crashing down into the square, but many seaponies, as well as their allies above water, working to restore it to what it once was. One such seapony, Bubble Burst, stood before the assembled seaponies who retained their armour after the battle. Bubble Burst herself stood unarmoured as her suit was currently waiting for repair.
“Now listen up!” She called out. “The battle may be won, but don’t rest on your laurels just yet! There are still dangerous things in the seas, and those above water will need our protection! I...admit I was wrong about many things and had done some wrongs that probably can never be righted...so that’s why I’ll work you extra hard! I need to be sure you can protect our home and our...friends, and be willing to do it! We need to be ready for when the Princesses visit us and show that Luna’s knights are still able to fight!”
“Yeah!” The seaponies before her cheered.
Bubble Burst allowed herself a small smile before beginning to swim over them. “let get my practice trident and give you your first combat drills.”
As she swam past them to her home, she ruminated. She had fought for so long and so hard for her people who had never thanked or tried to help her, and now that things were changing she realised she needed to. Crabnasty and the others had proven their trustworthiness, her fellow seaponies had for the most part decided to help out from now on and take things a LITTLE more seriously and even the surface dwellers had pitched in to help.
Most of all, she realised she had done little to actually fix things, content with the status quo as much as her own compatriots had been. The one mistake she was thankful for making was in getting those two ponies involved, for without them none of this would have been possible. Even the Princesses may visit with their assistance, a dream she had idly thought would never come to pass.
Finally, her family’s long vigil could be fulfilled, though even then her defence of her homelands and her newly adopted friends would mean she would never stop fighting. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
The loss of the Moonstone was lamentable, but a small price to pay in the face of everything.
She froze as she swam into her home, eyes widening as she spotted an unfamiliar figure. He was tall, taller than even the Princesses, his entire being dark...in fact, she realised he looked more like a shadow than a person, to the point she couldn’t make out any details of his form. She could however tell his general body shape made it appear he was wearing a large cape of cloak over his body, with the shape of a pointed crown atop his head. She could also see his eyes, large and brightly white and full of knowledge, with lines going down from them in the same bright white, resembling tears of sadness.
“Who...who are you!?” She questioned him, wishing to Tartarus she still held her actual trident, foolishly having left it behind thinking she wouldn’t need it.
The figure, looking up at one of the murals that still bore damage from the battle, turned to face her, his voice deep but gentle as he spoke. “Oh, no one, just an Old King from a time and people long forgotten. You are the one who has been taking care of these murals.”
“I..to the best of my ability, yeah.” Bubble Burst replied, taken aback, not expecting this conversation, let alone for the figure to actually speak. “W-why do you care about that?”
The Old King knelt, bowing his head as he grovelled, tears falling from his eyes and falling to the floor despite the water making that impossible. “I had feared it would be for naught, that we would be forgotten, that HE would be forgotten. Thank you, thank you so much, Bubble Burst!”
“You...don’t need to thank...” Her eyes widened as something struck her as odd...no, very creepy. “H-how did you know my name?”
The Old King stood, looking solemn. “Oh, I have been watching over all of you for such a long, long time...I have been able to only do very little for you, much to my self-loathing, but I suppose it is best for someone like myself to not be too involved in the lives of you wonderful creatures.”
“What..what are you talking about!? Wh-who ARE you!? WHAT are you!?”
The Old King sighed, disappointed in himself for making her feel such fear and confusion. “As I said, an Old King, who merely stands here to admire the work of those I have sworn to protect...but I may as well warn you while I am here.”
Bubble Burst frowned. “Warn me?”
The Old King nodded, tears falling anew. “Something very terrible is coming. Piece by piece he is restoring himself with the aid of a traitor. Train your warriors well, prepare yourselves, strengthen your hearts and feel no hatred, harden your minds and feel no fear, look to others so as to find hope from despair. I pray that will be enough. The Jester is coming, child, and he will devour us all to sate his hunger...and it is all my fault. I am so very sorry.”
And with that, he was suddenly gone, his warning ringing in the seaponies mind.
“The Jester...” He repeated, face pale.
---------------------------
Dear Princess Celestia,
Yo! It’s Rarity here! Twilight’d be writing but she’s too ‘nervous’ to talk to you, so I figured hey, I can do it instead! So, long story short, we visited Shetland Shore, met some seaponies who if I remember right from what Bubble Burst told us were some like wicked awesome underwater knights that worked for Princess Luna and we fought some pirates! Some of the pirates are good now, some are missing presumed dead and I think the Captain blew up or something? Anyway, long story short, again, Twilight’s gonna branch her family out in the fishing trade, and the people of Shetland Shore have ‘formed an alliance’ with the good pirates and the seaponies, and they kind want you guys’ help with some stuff. Also Bubble Burst, the seapony we’re now buds with, really wants to show you guys something, so yeah, if you can come visit maybe see about making them less...stuck underwater, that’d be sweet.
Also, Twilight says I need to tell you that we learned to accept both our differences and our similarities, and that you need to reach out to someone cause sometimes they surprise ya with how much you share with each other without realising.
So yeah, peace princess!
-Rarity and Twilight Sparkle
-----------------------------
Captain Squirk fumed, lightly rubbing his stinging flesh, sitting in a shallow pond in a wilderness somewhere in Equestria, far from civilisation, lamenting the loss of all his treasures. The Moonstone, his crew, his ship, everything.
Images burned in his mind, the faces of his mortal enemies who shall taste his wrath. The mutineers who defied him, the seaponies who fought against him and the two ponies who sent him flying into the hated sun and losing his precious treasure hoard.
He looked up, broken from his thoughts, gazing up at a few figures who approached.
A sea-green mare with long, shimmering mane stood before him, beside her was a bipedal figure in an old diving suit, and a foal-sized pistol shrimp with am incredibly enlarged claw. The three were familiar to him, though the mare was a giant angler fish last he checked.
“Angle! Murray! Pistolerro!” Squirk cried out happily, tears falling from his eye. “What are you doing here!?”
Angle sneered, her pony form featuring razor sharp teeth. “Someone helped hide us from the traitors and the seaponies, Captain, and helped us find you!”
“Whuh? Who would do that?” Squirk frowned, puzzled.
A fourth figure trotted over from behind the three pirates, hooves crunching into the ground, magic emanating from their mere presence, even Squirk shivered from feeling the raw power before him.
“The one who created you, naturally.” Tirek spoke. “Captain Squirk, will you join me as the Corruption of Greed to stand against the Elements of Harmony.Together, we will overthrow Princess Celestia and bring ruin to the ponies of Equestria.”