The Easy Eyes Tavern at Port Canter was busy that afternoon, moreso than usual for the given time. It was almost quarter past two as the usual chatter was about. Families have gone for lunch after a day at the schoolhouse, while visiting sailors discussed news and rumors spread across the seas. Waiters seated groups of people and a lone bartender passed out cider and ale to young and old alike. Everything was fine, until one sailor barged through the swinging doors.
"Captain! He's coming!" The boy looked flustered and on edge.
"Son! How many times have I told you not to barge in like so!" His elder, a middle aged man, gave a paralyzing glare.
"But...but...he..."
"Spit it out, boy! What is it?"
"The Lunar Mare! A galleon's been sighted flying the Lunar Mare!"
The noise suddenly transitioned to a deafening silence, save for the wind outside. The Lunar Mare? No, it can't be. He must be mistaken. He's no older than a schoolboy, after all. A young, inexperienced sailor like him can't possibly recognize such a symbol...if only that were the case. Anyone who had a brain recognized what the Lunar Mare meant: pirates. Not just any pirate, mind you, but him. The pirate the notorious Blackjack and Ironfist were cautious of.
The worst part: he and his crew were mere boys, the perfect illusion.
The silence was broken by very quiet chatter. The unanimous topic was discussed.
"I heard he kidnaps maidens from across the seas."
"His blade is so sharp he can cut through metal."
"He defeated a giant squid by just shouting at it!"
"It's scary to think he's only eleven and is still the most fearsome pirate in Equestria."
No matter how radical the rumors, no one questioned. The pirate was unpredictable, and you never knew if you were his next target. Some tried to rub these rumors off, but they couldn't help but feel a chill move down their spine at the very thought of possibility.
His name was Pipsqueak, the pirate from Trottingham. Normally, he would be a joke. For being of eleven years, he was short for his age, thus his name. He wasn't exactly bulk, but he made up for that in charisma. He was able to swoon any lass that he took liking for. For those few that weren't afraid, he was a true gentleman. However, in his second grade, his father disappeared at sea. He aimed to find him, if anything, for his mother. That seemed to be his main goal, but that wasn't the reason he was so feared.
On Nightmare Night, during his first year in Ponyville, he swore allegiance to Luna, Princess of the Night, the same that attempted to overthrow her reigning sister nearly one thousand years ago. She became very protective of Pipsqueak, and quarreling with him meant challenging Nightmare Moon. Some teased or harassed him during his early career, but they soon regretted their actions when they vanished and were never heard from again.
The doors were kicked open. Two boys, in dark blue pirate attire, stood on either side of them, allowing for a smaller boy to enter. He had a patch over his right eye, and was the only one with a sword in his holster. He took out his sword (a dagger, rather,) and waved it around before walking over and hopping onto a bar stool.
"What'll it be, young Pip?" the bartender asked, unfazed by the danger in front of him. Most had to be in these situations, but they knew how kind-hearted the kid really was. The customers looked over expectantly, waiting for his answer.
"Juice box. Apple. And cookies. And fruit snacks.
Some gasped. The tavern only provided cider and ale, besides the usual battered foods. And fruit snacks? What was this madness and trickery? However, the man behind the bar went to the back and pulled out crates as requested, one by one.
"Here you go, Captain," he said as he lifted the last crate next to his seat. "Need any help carrying that to the ship?"
"Not today, mister, no, thank you," Pip replied as he jumped out of his seat. "Rumble! Featherweight! Carry them back to the ship!"
The boys followed their orders and lifted the crates, with some difficulty from one boy, before moving outside.
"Now then, I must be off."
Pip jumped out of his seat and onto the floor, nearly stumbling and losing his balance. He tore the straw out from the wrapping on his juice box and stabbed it into the box, putting some on edge. He took a sip out of it and ran outside.
The tavern in its entirety sighed in relief. That could've gone far worse than expected.
One blonde girl, however, looked toward the exiting lad in admiration. She'd never met a pirate before, and despite what her parents kept telling her, he didn't seem that bad. He seemed like an adventurous type, always looking for scores to settle. And to be free of the tyrannical bondage of parents of whom showed no compassion for such a daring young man...the pirate's life? She loved being a rebel.
This was the opportunity. She can sneak out and become a pirate.
"Mom? Dad? I have to use the bathroom."
The father glared.
"Just as we're about to leave, Dinky? This had better be good. Hurry up and be quick before that ruffian comes back."
Oh, I'll come back, she thought. ...not.
She darted to the bathroom and locked herself inside of a stall. There was a poor excuse for a shuttered window near the ceiling...the perfect escape route. Now to find a way to reach up there...
Dinky looked around. She would have to use a toilet to stand, but she wasn't tall enough yet. What else could she use? There was a pipe attached to the ceiling...maybe she could wrap something around to get out? She looked at the sloppily placed roll of toilet paper...too unstable, and it would probably tear at the slightest tug. She examined the rest of the room to see if she could use anything else to pull herself up. Then a thought came to her mind.
No...
She couldn't do that. She wasn't that desperate, was she? Sure, she wanted to be a pirate, but this idea was ridiculous. She could get in trouble for it...but she was willing to take the chance.
Making sure no one else was inside, she took off her dress and threw it around the pipe. After a few tries, she jumped onto the dress and carefully climbed up the makeshift rope. The more she climbed, the more she could hear her dress threatening to tear. With one leg, she kicked through the driftwood shutters and climbed out. She dropped to the ground and realized she was forgetting something...
My dress!
But now the window was too high. Now she was stuck in the spring heat wearing nothing of importance but her Hello Kitty underwear. She groaned, knowing this is what her mother thought would appeal to her (even though she did at first.) This was the point where she would get "20 across the ass," as her father said, but she wasn't ready to give up yet, not until she was a pirate.
But seeing her like this? Maybe she should just hide out. The boat wouldn't likely leave until the next morning, so that gave her plenty of time to sneak on board. If only she knew magic...but that would be an issue for the future. She looked toward the docks from behind the corner. Thankfully, since the Lunar Mare was in town, the streets were cleared, aside from the two boys from earlier carrying crates. She swiftly moved toward the ship, hiding behind every tree for a few seconds for safety before moving on. She liked this thrill. It felt like the time in first grade when she and her friends played a prank on some boys at a pool party after they threw a stinkbug into Dinky's backpack. They poured a magic liquid that turned green when they (inevitably) peed in the pool, humiliating themselves.
You know, girly things.
Dinky continued to get closer to the ship and waited for the crew mates to enter a cabin. They were discussing something, which put the blonde on edge. Did they see her following them? More importantly, did they see her embarrassing underwear attire? To her relief, that wasn't the case as the boys dragged the crates in. They would notice her sooner or later, though. Dinky looked for a place to hide, but didn't see anywhere she could stay hidden for long. She noticed a couple empty barrels beside the door, and beamed.
Hopefully they're strong enough to carry me.
She quickly took off the lid, hopped in a barrel, and resealed the lid. Thankfully, there was a tiny slit where she could see what was going on.
"Captain, where do you want these barrels?"
Just my luck...
She could sense that two pirates were on either side of her. Her stomach twisted.
"Just set it in the bathroom. Extra barrels for our sticky bombs, just in case."
Sticky bomb? Bathroom? It didn't take a boy to put the pieces together. This was the reason why she normally hated boys, but she couldn't help but think how diabolical that would be.
"Yes, sir," said one of them. This voice was different, though. In fact, it was more high-pitched than the previous. Wimpier, too? Dinky wasn't usually one to judge.
Pipsqueak spoke up again. "How many do we have right now?"
"About four and one-third barrels, Captain," said one boy. "The bucket's near empty."
"Very good, Rumble."
The pirates lifted the barrel.
"Why is this...so heavy?" a different voice asked.
"Don't tell me you're tired already, Featherweight!" shouted the captain.
"It wasn't before!"
"Well let me help!" Rumble groaned,
The trio of pirates lift the barrel off the ground before the bottom collapses, revealing the half naked girl inside.