//------------------------------// // Book 1, Chapter 5: Changes // Story: Of A Princess & A Pirate // by Renegade3299 //------------------------------// The Sea's Fury anchor rose out of the water and onto the ship as she made her way out of port. The captain had been given all the information he needed about Governor Chevalier's gold and silver. The ship carrying the gold had been intercepted and raided by soliders from Chestnut Crossing, a land that Bridleton was not on good terms with at the time. Chevalier's spies had managed to locate the ship that attacked and followed it to a small island just off the coast of Chestnut Crossing. After giving Blackmane the map, the Governor sent the captain on his way. Along with the map, he also ordered two of his soliders to carry a large crate to the ship, telling Blackmane to open it once they were out at sea. "A small gift of good fortune for you and your crew." Chevalier had told him, "Something that you all will definitely make use of." Now, as Blackmane stood on the deck, surrounded by his crew, he explained to everypony what they would be doing, and the height of the risks & importance of this mission. "As ye all know," Blackmane addressed his stallions, "Chestnut Crossing & Bridleton aren't the best of friends. This is why we will need to tread carefully once we reach this place. If any solider sees us, they may very well know where we're from. And that, lads, could lead to war between them & us. We sure as hay don't want that happenin'." "Therefore, I think it would be in our best plan that we strike at nightfall." he planned, as he looked over the map of the island that he'd been given. "There's a change of the guards once the sun goes down, and we'll use that to our advantage. During the change, we'll make our way onto the island. Now, I've looked over this island carefully, and there are certain actions that need to be taken. I've assigned different ponies to different tasks, depending on the skills that it requires. I can tell ye one good thing right now- there's no fort or any type of walls on this island. Why they've decided to bring the Governor's money here is beyond me, but that gives us an advantage for this contract. So, we'll all come in from differing locations on the island, and that's when we'll all take care of whatever task we've got." He then went on to assign each pony to the various objectives that this contract had, making sure that nopony was alone. They were going to be in enemy territory, and every member of the crew needed somepony at their back. "Even if there ain't no fort on this island, that don't mean the place ain't guarded. Soldiers patrol the shorelines, so we'll need to make sure they won't see us. That's where Shark Tooth, Shipwreck and Undertow come in. You'll need to approach the shore first, and when the guards ain't lookin', take them down. That'll give everypony else the chance to get ashore. Keep in mind that we ain't takin' a lifeboat- that'll be too suspicious. We'll be silently getting out of the ship and swimmin' to the beach. Now, the guards have two small huts on the island that have what they call 'distress trumpets'. Basically, if they have need to alert the others, they sound these trumpets. Coral Sway; you and Manta are gonna locate these trumpets and get rid of them." The privateers nodded in confirmation before Blackmane continued. "All right... like I said, they ain't got no walls or stronghold- but there are a couple of lookout stands, where they have sharpshooters stationed. They're armed, and they can see what the soldiers on the ground can't. Obviously, they need to be taken down as well. So, while the guards on the shore are being taken care of, the sharpshooters are gonna be taken down by Star Wave, Maelstrom, High Tide and Bowsprit." "As for everypony else- we're all gonna find a secure place to hide until the immediate threats have been taken care of. Once these first tasks are complete, one pony from each group will go near the shore and signal that the task is complete by taking a stone and throwing it into the water, big enough to create a distiguishable splash. As soon as every stone has been cast, we'll all make our way forward, bein' sure to stay out of sight as much as possible. Then, we'll get to the island's main area and locate the gold. We'll all need to move fast and work together to get the treasure to the shore. As soon as we're there, four ponies will swim back to the ship and return with a lifeboat and we can move the gold. Does anypony have any questions at the moment?" The silence that followed answered as a 'no', so the captain continued. "Now, before we left this mornin', Governor Chevalier sent a large crate with us. He told me that we could open it once we were out at sea, and that it would help us a great deal. I'm not sure what's in the crate, but I'm eager to find out." Blackmane then called for the crate to be brought out of his cabin and onto the deck. Upon opening it, they were delighted to see a flag of Chestnut Crossing. This would prove to be very handy, as they could fly it from their ship & the soldiers on the island would not suspect a thing. But it was when Blackmane removed the flag & they all saw what was under it that the real surprise came. The crew gasped in awe. "Sweet Discord!" Blackmane exclaimed. The crate was filled with top-grade cutlasses, axes, daggers and firearms. True to what Chevalier had said, this would definitely come in handy with this mission. And since they had only recieved minor contracts up until now, the only kind of defense means that the Sea's Fury had was a few dull, tarnished knives that belonged to the captain, which he kept closed in a chest, having no need for them. But now, since their contracts were becoming more risky, it was obvious that the Governor felt that the ship needed to be properly armed. Excited cheers rose from the stallions. "Lads, this is our lucky day!" Blackmane shouted to his crew. "Unfortunately, we've never been able to properly defend ourselves, but that all changes now! Now if we get caught in a pinch during this contract, we'll be able to get ourselves out of it! And there's definitely enough here to arm everypony on this ship!" Maelstrom helped to pass out the weapons to the ponies as they lined up to recieve their means of defense. Now, everypony had some form of melee weapon & a firearm. After Blackmane & Maelstorm each armed themselves with a cutlass, dagger & pistol, the crate (which still had defenses left in it) was taken below deck & stored in a safe place. Blackmane went to the bridge and looked through his scope. "Weather's lookin' perfect." he said aloud, "We should be arrivin' at the island within a month's time. Now, unfurl all sails, and let's get goin'!" ************ It had been few months now since Luna and Celestia had vacationed in the Crystal Empire, and true to what they'd thought, it had helped Luna a great deal. She still thought of Hydro daily, but she was well on her way to recovery. Citizens who had once wondered what had happened to the night princess were now delighted to see her out mingling again. Celestia was always sure to stay by her side as much as she could. Together, they continued to provide Equestria with what the land and ponies needed. The two sisters were now doing as any proper princess should. And it all came to fruition one morning, when the king called for his two daughters. Upon coming to where their father was, he addressed them with a grin and motioned for them to be seated; but the two of them could tell by the look in his eyes that he was about to discuss something very serious with them. The princesses sat across the table from him, as their mother walked in and joined their father across from them. "Celestia, Luna... my beautiful, precious daughters." the king said with a sigh and smile. "I need to be clear and honest with the two of you." "Is something wrong, Father?" Celestia inquired, to which the king shook his head. "Quite the contrary." he warmly replied, "I just ask that you hear what your mother and I have to say, as it is very important." He cleared his throat. "The day your mother gave birth to the two of you were the greatest days of our lives. You two have been the absolute best thing that has ever happened to us in our countless years of reign. We have watched you grow from darling little foals to beautiful, noble mares. We went from teaching you how to walk and talk, to teaching you how to properly rule over Equestria. We've shared tears, and more importantly, laughter and so many wonderful times together. We did our absolute best to raise you to be the absolute best princesses Equestria could ask for. Of course, we could not teach you everything. Some things you had to learn on your own. And you did that perfectly. In fact, your mother and I have been observing for the last year or so, and we've spoken a lot about this in the past couple of weeks. After discussing everything we could, and balancing all the questions and answers... we have decided that it is time for us to pass the crown on to the two of you, step down from our thrones and into the afterlife." Celestia and Luna blinked a couple of times upon hearing this. "Father..." Luna began, astonished. "No protests, my dear children." he interrupted, "We have ruled over Equestria for countless millenia, and time has taken its toll on us. We have had the most wonderful time in this land, and our most wonderful of times have been with you two. But we are beyond ready to move into the afterlife. It gets tiring after hundreds of thousands of years, ruling over the lands. It has been great, but now it is your turn to care for Equestria and its citizens." "But are we even ready!?" Celestia countered. "Absolutely, my dear." her mother smiled. "Like I said," the king added, "We've raised you to be the best princesses, and you two have proved more than a hundred times over that you can easily rule this land. The both of you are noble, just, courageous, ambitious... and so many other qualities you possess. It is time to put those to use and do your duty for Equestria." "Mother, father... how...how do we know that we can handle this?" Luna asked, words flying out of her mouth at a great speed, "Yes, we've done much, but are we truly ready to rule? There is so much that would rely on us, so many ponies..." Celestia began speaking at the same time as Luna, "What if we were to fail Equestria? If something happened and we-" "Girls, please." her father said in a stern, yet gentle tone, "Another trait that the two of you possess is faithfulness. You've shown it countless times- you've shown faith toward me, your mother, your friends, and the whole of Equestria. And as far as faithfulness goes- your mother and I have faith in you. So do the ponies in this castle. As does everypony in the land. We all have faith in you... but now, the two of you need to have faith in yourselves. As long as you have that, and faith in one another, Equestria will flourish under your rule. You are the princesses of the sun and the moon, of day and night. Now it is time to become the princesses of Equestria." The two sisters were ready to voice their opinions again, but they stopped when they saw the look their father was giving them. It was the warmest, most gentle smile they'd ever seen from him... but futhermore, there was a look in his eyes that they could not quite point out. They'd never seen such a look before. Their mother was giving them the same glance. But they did realize one thing- these looks were undoubtedly telling them that their parents' decision was made, and it would not be changed- that they needed to just trust their parents and go through with this. The princesses looked at one another for a long time before speaking. "It was bound to happen some time or another, I suppose." Celestia sighed. "And you're sure this is what you wish, Father?" Luna checked again. "It is not only my wish, girls," he answered, "But this is simply what must be. We all have a destiny, and we all must fulfill it, one way or another. We have fulfilled ours, and now it is time for the two of you to fulfill yours." Upon letting all of this sink in, Celestia and Luna nodded their heads. "Then we shall watch over Equestria and its citizens." Celestia concluded, "We will care for everypony as if they were our own family. We shall uphold every virtue and keep away any vice. We'll see to it that Equestria thrives into a land of greatness. If this is what must be, then we shall receive the crown without question." "I am pleased to hear this." the king said, "I do apologize for making this so sudden, but sometimes that is how things are supposed to be. We shall arrange for your coronation two months from today, at which point we shall hand the crown and throne to you. From there, we shall make our way to the afterlife. We'll be sure to help and assist you two in the upcoming days to make sure you truly feel ready and certain when you are appointed as the new princesses." After a slow two months, the day finally came that the Royal family had been waiting on. Nearly every citizen in Equestria had gathered at the castle to witness the sacred ceremony of Celestia and Luna's coronation. Their parents smiled as their approached the front of the chamber, facing the crowd of ponies that stood before them. The king cleared his throat as the trumpets sounded, quieting the murmuring crowd and getting their attention. Once the trumpets stopped, he spoke loud and clear. "Citizens of Equestria. We have gathered here upon this day to witness a glorious occasion. My daughters, Celestia and Luna, have gone through many trials since they came into this world. They faced some of them alone, most of them together. They discovered the Tree Of Harmony, where they found the means to banish any evils that may threaten these lands. When my guards could not, they located the chaotic threat Discord and banished him. They have even taught me the meaning of humility, and to treat everypony with equal respect. They have proven a hundred times over that they are ready to rule these lands. Citiznes, it is my great honor to present to you, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" The grand doors to the chamber opened, and in walked Celestia & Luna, both of them dressed in elegant gowns for their coronation. Behind each of them walked three handmaidens, followed by three guards, two of which on either side held a banner- one yellow with the sun embroided on it, the other a dark blue with the moon embroided. The handmaidens and guards joined together in song as the two princesses approached their parents. Two other guards stepped beside the sisters, each holding a plush pillow with a crown that lay on it. Using their magic, their parents placed the crowns respectively on the heads of the princesses. Upon receiving the signal, the two sisters turned around and faced the audience, which welcomed them with thunderous applause. After they each gave their speeches and celebrated their coronation with Equestria's citizens, it was finally time for the two sisters to say farewell to their parents. They followed them to the summit of a tall mountain, while guards remained at the bottom, making sure nopony else followed. There was not much conversation held as they reached the top, at which point their parents turned around and faced them. "Now don't you two worry about a thing." their mother reassured them with a smile. Even though the princesses smiled back, they could not hide the tears forming in their eyes. "Remember everything we have taught you." the king instructed, "Put it to the right use, and Equestria will thrive under your rule. I love you two." The princesses sniffled as small, bittersweet tears flowed down their faces while they embraced their parents before they departed. Sure, they'd seen their share of differneces, anger and fights- but they were their parents regardless, and parting ways was not easy. "Luna..." her father said. "Y-yes, Father?" "Once we have crossed over, and once I see Hydro... you can rest assured, that I will apologize to him personally for how I acted." "Thank you." Luna said as she choked back tears, "And please tell him that I love him." "I will." the king smiled. "And I can only hope that you'll one day find it in your heart to forgive me for what I did." Luna smled at her Father. "Father, I forgave you a long time ago. As crude as you were, you were only trying to provde what you thought was best." "I am so glad to hear that, my dear. Now, we don't have much time left, so here is what I want the two of you to do. I know that saying farewell is difficult, so I want you to take a week or so off before you step to the thrones. I will have our advisors and council take control until that point." The family embraced for one final time, then her father addressed them again. "Now... it's time for us to meet our destinies, and for you to meet yours. Go where you will go, and see what you will see. Be the best princesses that Equestria has ever had. And remember; you won't be alone. The two of us will always be with you, wherever you go. We love you both very much, and we'll be waiting when the time finally comes for you to cross over. Farewell, my daughters. We love you." Their parents gave them one more smile, then turned around, using their magic to create a glowing portal- one that glowed so brightly, that the two sisters could not see what was on the other side. They watched as the silhouettes of their parents made their way through the portal before it finally closed, leaving the two of them alone on the mountain top. The two of them, somewhat strangely, no longer felt any sorrow, but a great sense of completeness. They hugged one another for a long time before they made their way home. That evening, after the two sisters had been back at the castle for a few hours, Celestia could hear something from where she sat in her room. Clattering and crashing sounds seemed to be coming from... her parents' bedroom? She got up and made her way to their room, wondering what this could have been. Upon opening the door, she was a bit stunned to see Luna moving wildly about the room, grabbing things that belonged to their parents and throwing them aimlessly. A few windows were already broken, and one of the doors had been taken off its hinges. All the while, Luna was laughing like a maniac. "Luna!?" Celestia exclaimed in surprise. Her sister didn't answer, only continued to wreak havoc. "Good riddance! With thou gone, we shall rule these lands forever!" Luna laughed- except, Celetia realized that her voice was deeper, different. She quickly rushed to Luna and locked her in a restraining hold, doing everything she could to keep her sister still.. "Luna, stop! What do you think you're doing!?" Suddenly, Luna stopped trying to break free, now breathing heavily. "Wha... why am I in Mother and Father's chamber?" Luna asked. "You tell me!" Celestia said, "I found you in here turning this room upside down, bidding good riddance to them." The night princess fell silent for a minute or two before she gasped in realization. "I... I am unsure... but the last thing I remember... I laid down for a short nap, and then I was visited by that thing from my nightmares again... that being that I would tranform into?" Luna looked at her sister to see if she remembered. "Mm-hmm?" the sun princess nodded, urging her to continue. "I don't know what happened after that. I just came to and here I am now." Luna sighed, "What is this all about?" "I can't answer that, Luna." Celestia said, "But maybe it's from these past few days. We have gone through quite a bit. And I'll admit, it's a bit strange roaming these halls without Mother and Father around." "Yes, that's true." Luna confessed, "I do miss them, but at the same time, I can't help but feel like they were right. Like it truly is our time to rule." "That's what they told us." Celestia agreed, "And so we begin our reign today. But whatever these nightmares are, I'm sure they'll stop. This is the first time in a while you've had them, right?" "Yes, it's been quite a long time. This dream was actually a bit different- I didn't see Hydro, nor any of the other ponies. That being just walked up to me, and that's the final thing I remember." "Hmmm..." her sister thought, "If they continue, we'll look into finding some help for you. Until then, let's focus on what Mother and Father asked of us." "Agreed." Luna said, smiling and embracing her sister. "So, what do you say to tea tomorrow over at Leaf Brew's shop?" "That would be lovely." Celestia said. The two of them looked out at the capital city, which twinkled with the light of candles, stars and the moon. Equestria was in their hooves now, and they would do their best for the land. ************ "All right, lads..." Blackmane said to his crew, barely above a whisper, "Let's do this." The ship was right off of the island's shores, hidden from view behind the cliffs on the island. For safe measures, the Bridleton flag had been taken down and the Chestnut Crossing flag was now flying, leaving no immediate suspicions. Everypony double checked everything, making sure their had their weapons and gear on them. Then, slowly and quietly, the crew all filed down and crept into the water, making their way to the shorelines. Staying out of sight, the ponies looked to the island in time to see the guards changing post. Blackmane gave the signal and the proper ponies quietly went ashore. The rest of the crew watched as their fellow privateers crept up to the three soldiers patrolling the beach and locked each of them in a sleep hold, rendering them unconscious in a matter of seconds Once the guards had been taken down, the rest of the crew approached the beach, helping the ponies to bring the soldiers to hidden, unseen spots. "This oughta keep 'em quiet for a while." Blackmane whispered, taking a small bottle filled with a tranquilizing remedy and, dipping a small needle into the liquid, stuck each soldier with it, deepening their slumber. He then turned to three of his crew. "You three, stay here and keep an eye on these stallions. If they awaken, put 'em out again and give 'em another dose. Now, does everypony remember their task?" The crew nodded. "All right, then let's get goin'." Maelstrom followed his respective group of ponies onto the island, keeping a sharp eye out as the rest of the crew went off to take care of their tasks. "First watchtower's over there." Bowsprit whispered, pointing over by a few guard huts. They silently made their way over to the first tower, finding the ladder. High Tide and Star Wave took this one, climbing up the ladder. The sharpshooter was facing the other direction, but High Tide gave a few knocks on the platform to get his attention. The curious soldier turned and saw nothing- he made his way over to the edge. He only had enough to to see a pony he'd never before laid eyes on when a swinging hood blacked out his thoughts completely. "One down, two more left." High Tide said as they descended. The four sneaked through the island, making their way to the second tower and taking out the guard there. After seeing the thrid tower on the opposit side of the second, they began sneaking in that direction, but were stopped when they heard hoofsteps and talking. "Quick!" Star Wave hissed, as the four of them quickly hid behind a stack of crates. Their pulses increased as the hoofsteps became louder, but then descreased once it faded away. "Close call..." Bowsprit said. Approaching the third lookout stand, Maelstrom quickly reliazed that the guard had spotted them. He was loading his rifle, which only gave Maelstrom enough time to think of a make-or-break action. If they didn't think of something, they'd be dead, and the rest of the crew would be in trouble. Then, he quickly glanceed down and saw a large rock. With nothing to lose, he picked it up and with all his might, hurled it at the solider. Just as the soldier looked up to take aim, the rock hit him directly on the forehead, causing his eyes to roll back and he fell unconscious. "Great griffons, am I gonna be enjoying this gold." Maelstrom said in exasperation to the others as they approached the shore. For a second time, he picked up another rock and threw it into the water, causing a large splash. Soon, they were joined by another member of the crew. "Cap'n says he got the signal." They silently waited for another ten minutes or so, as the signal stones were thrown into the water, one by one. "Let's go get that gold!" Blackmane said as they all made their way inward. Unfortunately, they had not gone half a mile before one of the island's soldiers turned the corner of one of the huts, seeing them in plain view. Before anypony could react, the soldier raised his voice. "Intruders! To arms!" "Looks like we're doin' this the rough way!" the captain shouted, unsheathing his cutlass. The rest of the crew unsheathed their weapons and let a battle yell out as Blackmane took down the soldier who had spotted them. Within seconds, a group of about twenty-five soldiers came darting to where the crew stood. Stopping about fifteen feet from them, the soldiers held their weapons out in a defensive manner. "In the name of the King of Chestnut Crossing," one of them demanded, "Who are you and what is your purpose here?" "We're just here to take back somethin' that don't belong to ye. Something that ye took... more like, stole fer yerselves!" Blackmane said, firing his pistol at the soldier and sending him to the ground. Immediately, the rest of the soldiers ran toward them and a large fight quickly broke out. Maelstrom happened to find himself a bit more unfortunate than the others, being that he was cornered by three soldiers. Regardless, he kept his senses keen and his focus sharp. He brandished his cutlass in one hoof, the other hoof ready to unsheath his dagger. As he expected, the soldier in front of him swung his sword, but Maelsrom ducked out of the way, causing the sword to hit the second soldier to his left, who crumbled to the ground. "You imbecile!" the third soldier shouted to the first. "Hey, I was going-" Malestrom used this scuffle between the soldiers to his advantage. He smacked their heads together, then unsheathing his dagger, plunged it into the back of the third soldier's throat. Then he quickly became engaged in a one on one duel with the first soldier. However, Maelstrom proved more nimble than the soldier, and he quickly dodged his attacks before cutting him down. He then turned his attention to the others who were busy dueling the soldiers. All of them were easily taking the soldiers down, save for Shark Tooth, who had just been shoved to the ground by his enemy. The soldier's sword was raised to strike when Maelstrom uplled his pistol and fired, causing the soldier to slump to the ground beside Shark Tooth. Another minute or so passed and finally, the skirmish was over. The soldiers had been beaten, and luckily, the only damage done to the crew were a few cuts and scrapes from the swords of the enemy. "Well, that's over with." Blackmane stated, "Normally, I fear this would certainly lead to conflict between Bridleton and Chestnut Crossing, but we've eliminated every soldier on the island. In order to keep war from rising, let's get that treasure and get out of here as fast as we can so nopony can identify our ship. As long as we're outta here quick enough, nopony will have any suspicions that it was us." He then ordered four ponies to return to the ship and bring the lifeboats ashore. Then the rest of the crew made their way into the one well-structured building on the island. Upon searching room to room, they found nothing. "Blast!" Maelstrom cried, "Where did they stash that gold!?" Blackmane opened the one door that they hadn't checked- the one that led to the cellar. Motioning for everypony to follow, he led them downstairs, where they were greeted by glimmering bits of gold and silver. "We've found our prize, lads!" Blackmane declared joyously. Immediately, the crew began gathering the gold and silver, laughing in delight as they placed it in the treasure chests that lay alongside the heaping pile. Not too much later, the four ponies came down into the cellar, informing them that the lifeboats were at the shore, ready to go. The crew quickly worked together, picking up the treasure chests and carrying them to the beach. They quickly loaded the chests onto the boats and returned to the ship, where they stored the gold safely below deck. The helmspony got to the wheel and the sails were let loose. Everypony on the ship celebrated with wine and song. They had completed their first major contract. The gold was theirs. They were true privateers.