//------------------------------// // A Fateful Meeting // Story: Ponies of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Pink Pastry // by To Be Somebody //------------------------------// Chapter One A Fateful Meeting “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.” A cream-yellow pegasus filly stood at the bow of a ship as it sailed through the ocean, lightly singing a joyful tune. “We party, we skip rope, we don’t brush our teeth, drink up me hearties—O-oh my!” The filly cried out as a hoof pulled her back from the edge of the ship. “You startled me!” “Best be careful up there, now, missy,” the light-orange mare said to her, “ it’s dangerous ta stand so close t’the edge. Also best not to be singin’ ‘bout pahrits, that’s bad luck on a long voyage like this one.” “Miss Applejack, please,” a beautiful white unicorn interjected, “don’t frighten the young filly.” She walked over and put a soft hoof on the filly’s shoulder. She wore a dazzling purple and white dress with a sun hat to match. She even somehow managed to keep it spotless despite the damp and dirty conditions of the ship. “Mah apologies, loo-tennit. Ah just reckoned I oughta keep her safe away from the edge, in case of pahrits and all.” The young filly gasped and backed further from the edge and into the lieutenant, kneeling down and covering her eyes with her forelegs. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put us in danger, I-I didn’t know…” “Now, Fluttershy dear, it’s quite alright,” the lieutenant replied. Fluttershy looked up, her cheeks rosy red. “It is one of my many duties to track down any pirates and bring them in for justice. You’re safe aboard this ship, I promise.” She put her hoof under Fluttershy’s chin and planted a kiss on her forehead. Fluttershy smiled and looked away, thankful for the reassuring words. “Back to your duties now, Miss Applejack.” “Yes ma’am.” Applejack walked a ways before turning back to Fluttershy and the lieutenant. She stood on her hind legs and pretended to bark orders as other sailors walked by, coaxing a giggle from the young filly. “Hm? What is it?” The lieutenant asked. “Oh, i-it’s nothing,” Fluttershy responded, quickly looking away as not to get Applejack in any trouble. “Um, Lieutenant Rarity?” “Please, dear, just call me Rarity.” “Oh…okay. Um, Rarity? I was wondering, what did you mean, you know, when you said you were going to bring the pirates to justice?” “Well you see, pirates are the worst kind of criminals, and I am a soldier in duty to the king. I will work to see to it that they are all taught a lesson for their crimes.” Fluttershy’s ears perked up slightly. “You mean they commit crimes like disrupting the peace and stealing and things like that, so you want to bring them in to teach them the errors of their ways so that they can become functioning members of society again?” Fluttershy asked in a single breath, remembering the exciting bedtime stories she had been told. “Oh, heavens no, Fluttershy…it’s so much worse than that…” Rarity looked down to her, her face devoid of any joy. Fluttershy gulped and shied away, spooked by Rarity’s grave response. "Y-you mean...they..." “Those horrible ruffians commit the most terrible crimes against fashion! Those filthy shirts, ugh,” Rarity stuck her tongue out with a sour look on her face, “and don’t even get me started on those hats! And can you believe they have only one set of shoes?! One! And sometimes they don’t even match!” Fluttershy took more careful steps backwards, more frightened now than ever. “If I ever get my hands on a pirate I swear to Celestia that I will…” Rarity’s words grew quieter and quieter as Fluttershy managed to slip away. She felt sorry for whoever had to stand and listen to her rant now, but she certainly wasn’t ready to do so. She made her way over to the starboard edge (much more carefully than before) and watched as the peaceful waves drifted past the ship. It was a dangerous thing to do, according to Applejack, but nothing compared to the gentle rock of the ship and the soft sound as the water was sliced away. A small glint in the distance caught her eye and she looked up. There in the water only a few yards away was a young unicorn, no older than herself, floating on some flotsam. She rubbed her eyes once and looked back again to be sure. The violet unicorn continued to float toward the side of the ship, seemingly motionless. “Oh my goodness,” she yelled quietly, “there’s somepony in the water!” A passing sailor took notice and glanced down as the ship approached the unconscious filly. “Pony overboard!” He yelled to the crew, bringing them all to attention. A couple of pegasi sailors jumped from the ship and flew down to the floating debris, lifting the unicorn up and onto the ship. Lieutenant Rarity removed her hat and handed it to Applejack before laying an ear to the unicorn’s chest. She let out a smooth sigh, “She’s still breathing.” Before anything could be done with the unicorn another sailor called out from the bow of the ship, turning everypony’s attention to the waters ahead. As they all gathered around the nose of the ship they gasped in horror at what they saw: A merchant vessel of sometime that had fallen victim to a horrible pirate attack. The vessel continued to float through the seas, though its sails had become completely useless, covered in layer upon layer of icing. Streamers and confetti covered nearly the entire deck of the ship, rendering every tool and device unusable. Ponies lay scattered across the party decorations, unable to move as they groaned in pain from their stomach and toothaches. “Alright everypony,” Rarity said as she turned and began readying the lifeboats, “I want two search and rescue crews formed immediately. Get to the boats and hurry over to that ship, those ponies are in need of our assistance.” “Consarnit all,” Applejack cried as she threw her hat to the ground, “those dern pirates ain’t got no sorta respect! Merchant vessels ain’t got the kinda defense to hold up against an attack, why I tell you what—” “Applejack, please, control yourself,” Rarity pleaded, “I need you on the other life boat leading those ponies.” “Ah-ah, loo-tennit.” Applejack jumped aboard the boat and yanked on one of the ropes, sending it plummeting to the water below. Rarity turned to Fluttershy, who had retreated underneath a nearby railing, covering her eyes once again. “Fluttershy, dearest, look here. I need you to take care of this filly while I’m gone, alright? She’ll be in your care, so do your very best for me.” Fluttershy looked up from her not-so-hidden hiding place, nodding lightly at Rarity. “Thank you, Fluttershy.” Rarity turned and pointed to two nearby pegasi sailors. They quickly dropped their current tasks and assited her in entering the lifeboat. “Now listen, we’re going to need every bit of Clopto Bismol and toothpaste we have in the cargo bay ready and waiting for our return.” The two pegasi nodded and grabbed the rope attached to the lifeboat. “Oh, oh! Please, be careful, I couldn’t stand to get saltwater on these shoes.” The pegasi swallowed hard, but nodded once in response. Fluttershy turned back to the unicorn, who still lay motionless on the deck. She looked down to the other filly's hoof and saw a colorful band wrapped around it. She traced it back as it disappeared underneath the unicorn’s foreleg. With gentle hooves she lifted the leg up and pulled a short, sparkly object out. It was tube-shaped and had another paper tube coiled up on one end with flashy streamers attached. “This…this is a party horn!” She looked back down to the unconscious unicorn. She looked so peaceful and innocent. “But you seem so nice…how could you be a pirate?” The unicorn suddenly sat upright from the deck, looking to her left before quickly laying back down and grabbing her belly tight. “Oh, my tummy!” She cried. She looked up to Fluttershy, who had once again covered her eyes at the unicorn’s sudden awakening. “Wh..oooo,” the unicorn squeezed her belly tighter, “who are are you?” She moaned. “M-me? My name’s…Fluttershy…” “Fluttershy?” The unicorn asked, unsure she had heard it correctly the first time. Fluttershy nodded, uncovering her eyes. “Um..what’s your name?” Fluttershy asked. “Twilight…Sparkle…” The unicorn managed to finish her name before drifting back into unconsciousness. “Oh, oh my goodness,” Fluttershy panicked and searched for help, “We need some Clopto Bismol over here right away!” A few sailors turned to her with puzzled looks. She flinched backward when she realized she was trying to order them around. “O-oh, I mean, um, that is, if you want to, anyway.” As the sailors rushed over with the medicine, Fluttershy hid the party horn from them. She turned away and held it in her hooves, feeling a sense of joy from the fun colors. From the corner of her eye she saw something pink out over the ocean. As she glanced up she caught a quick glimpse of a ship surrounded in fog. It had bright pink sails and streamers flying from the masts. The wind began to blow as the ship sailed off into the fog, but not before Fluttershy got a good look at the flag, an image she would never forget: Party balloons. A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Can you guess who's going to fill the place of Governor Swan? Leave your answer in the comments below! Everypony who guesses correctly gets a gold star <3 Also, my proofreader skipped out and went to bed on me, so feel free to point out the numerous mistakes!