//------------------------------//
// Prologue: A Story to Tell 
// Story: Mainsail, Captain of Legend 
// by KonceptKarma 
//------------------------------//

	"Auntie Celestia!" Mizzen yelled excitedly as he opened the front door of his Caballito home to reveal the alicorn princess standing in the doorway. 
"Hello Mizzen, how have you been?" She asked, with a big smile spread across her face. 
"I've been great, Father didn't tell me you were the one who was going to be watching me while he was away." The colt hopped around the foyer, beaming with young energy.
"Aye, I wanted it to be a surprise." Gallant slowly trotted into the room, a sack swung over his back, "Now, why don't you go upstairs and fetch your scarf. It's a little chilly out today." The colt rushed up the stairs to get his scarf, Gallant then turned to Celestia.
"I don't know for the life of me where he gets that energy." Gallant shook his head, "You sure you're alright watching him?"
"Of course I am Gallant," She responded, "everyone needs a break from the norm every now and then, even leadership."
"Aye, that's true." Gallant agreed. 
"Well what about you?" Celestia asked worriedly, "Privateer work must be tough. You spend so much time out a sea, you must miss your son a lot when you do so."
"I'll be honest, it's tough. But at least I have the free will to pick and choose my jobs. So I'm only gone for a few days at a time. This job in particular is a well paying one, so I'll be able to take a nice, long break afterwards. The crew will certainly thank me for that as well." Gallant looked out the window of his home towards the harbor. 
Celestia looked at him, and couldn't but smile a little, "You know, this suits you a lot more. You actually didn't seem happy as a captain in the navy."
The stallion looked at his hooves, "You're right. I wasn't happy, it was torture. The only reason I kept it up was because Mainsail wanted me to." 
"Yes, I picked up on that," Celestia nodded, "I was fine with you resigning, but you took nearly all of the Resplendent's crew with you."
"Aye, when they said they'd follow me to tartarus and back, I didn't know they actually meant it." Gallant thought for a second, "So she's called the Resplendent again?" 
"Yes, it was a more fitting name," She chuckled, "Flareluck took her as his flagship." 
"I wouldn't trust her with anyone else," Gallant turned towards the stairs, "Mizzen, what's taking you?"
"I can't find it Father." He called back.
"Search for it later, I have to get going." The stallion urged.
"Alright." The colt bolted down the stairs. 
As the three of them trotted towards the docks, Mizzen couldn't help but speak up.
"Father told me some of the stories about Captain Mainsail, you know." He turned to Celestia as he spoke.
"Did he?" She asked, "Which ones?"
"The one where he got the pirates to surrender by staring them down, and the one where he battled a storm with fifty foot swells, oh, and the one where he caught the vicious kraken and gave it to you as a pet." Mizzen's face lit up as he recanted the stories.
Celestia laughed a bit, "Ah yes, those stories." As they drew closer to the docks, three tall masts came into view. When they reached the docks, the sight of a grand east indiaman came into view.   
"So that's her is it?" Celestia asked.
"Aye, I've named her the Reliance." Gallant turned to his son, "Now I'll only be gone for a few days Mizzen, in the mean time, you be good for your auntie Celestia alright?"
"Right, Father." They went in for a quick hug, then Gallant trotted off towards the longboat waiting for him at the dock, waving back as he ran.
"Hmm," Celestia pondered to herself, "he forgot to say goodbye."
Mizzen glanced at her, "Father never says goodbye, he told me you only say goodbye to someone when you're never going to see them again." 
Celestia nodded, "Good words to live by." The two of them watched for a while as the Reliance set sail out of the harbor. 
Eventually, Mizzen broke the silence, "You know, Father never told me about how Captain Mainsail became a captain in the first place. All he told me was all these grand stories of his adventures." 
"Did your father ever tell you about how he became a captain?" Celestia asked, still watching the ship.
"Yes, he told me after my pet goldfish died," Mizzen recanted, "he said I would understand the story now that I knew about death. Did Mainsail really die to save my father?" Celestia looked at Mizzen, and nodded. 
The colt could feel tears beginning to well up in his eyes, but managed to hold them back, "Mainsail really was an incredible pony wasn't he?"
"Yes, that he was." The princess placed a hoof on Mizzen's shoulder, "Tell you what, how would you like to hear the story of how Mainsail became a captain?"
Mizzen's face lit up, "You know the story?" 
"Know it," Celestia started, "I lived it."