//------------------------------//
// III - Initiation 
// Story: Pipsqueak 
// by thisnameisironic 
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	As Luna began to get him ready for his bath, Pipsqueak, with no doubt, had enough stories to tell since he last saw his favorite princess: his first battle against the Mega Giant Squid, his newest enlistee Featherweight (his title would come later), and finding an abandoned fortress that they could use as a hideout. However, none of that took the priority that was the new girl. He told Luna everything he could about her: how he found her, her spunky attitude, and of course, his feelings about her that he hadn't felt before when stealing maidens across Equestria (which in all actuality, he made up to sound cool). Luna listened intently, and was more than willing to let out a few chuckles when Pipsqueak stammered talking about her.
"It appears you like her, my apostle," the moon deity commented.
"I do," the bare-naked lad agreed, sitting in what would be knee-deep water had he been standing. "She seems nice and...what's an apostle?"
Luna chuckled, now that the cute pirate had fallen into her trap as predicted.
"A follower, basically," she answered, as she was shampooing his head. "It was used during a more ancestral time, when pirates and knights fought valiantly against each other. But enough talk about the past, let's talk about how to kiss your new friend."
Pipsqueak's smile quickly faded, as he started to feel a mix of embarrassment and shock. What was she talking about? Kissing? Disgusting! She was a girl, and kissing was so gross he wouldn't even let his mom do it. Did he say something wrong? All he said was that he liked her...

Oh no...

"I..." Pipsqueak was trying to retaliate but couldn't find the words, so he blurted. "I don't like girls! They're gross and icky and have weird smell!"
Luna, however, instead of frowning at the comment, only grinned larger.
"Is that so, Captain?" she playfully questioned. "Because if I remember what you said correctly..." Luna stopped bathing the boy and transformed into the image of Pipsqueak himself, capturing his accent to the tiniest detail. "I like how she acts. Something about her seems adventurous and fun to be around." Luna changed back to her normal form, seeing Pipsqueak's look of defeat.
"Okay, okay, I like her," he admitted guiltily. "To be honest, that was kind of the reason I summoned you in the first place." He thought for a moment. "That, and I want to know if she can be a pirate. I don't see many girl pirates." He shivered as a magic ball of lukewarm water is dropped on his head to wash off his hair. "AH! Watch it!"
"My apologies, Captain," Luna chortled as she warmed the water to a higher temperature, careful not to scald her little pirate.
"So, can you tell me about her?"
Luna took a deep breath before giving her answer.
"Unfortunately, I cannot."
"What? Why?!" the pirate reacted.
"That would require me telling you what her dreams are, and such are to remain secret," she replied as she requested Pip to stand up to wash his legs and feet.
Her favorite pirate sighed in disappointment.
"I can tell you this, however," she reassured him. "She would make a great pirate."
"But can girls be pirates?" he asked.
"Maybe not in the past, but as Princess of the Night I assure you that she can be the first."

"Captain?" a young boy called out from the ajar door.
Pip screamed as he quickly covered his groin to the best of his ability and sunk down into the bath. Featherweight immediately covered his eyes, embarassed to see what he just saw.
"FEATHERWEIGHT! You have to knock!"
"I'm sorry!" the boy cried. "I didn't mean to!"
"Oh, and who is this?"
Luna walked over to the tike-sized boy, the only currently shorter than Pipsqueak, as he stood nervous in the air of royalty.
"I'm...I'm Featherweight!" he replied. "P-P-Pirate of the Lunar Crusaders!"
He let out the cutest "Arrr!" imaginable for a boy roughly in the first grade.
"He's so adorable! I just wanna snuggle him!" the princess exclaimed, forgetting to hold back her RCV, as she lifted Featherweight and rubbed her cheeks against his face like a cat.
"What is the reason you're here, Featherweight?" Pip said, still covering his exposed body inside the bath.
"Rumble told me to tell you that we're leaving soon," he responded once Luna finally set him down. "He said we have to take care of the girl."
Almost time to leave? But it's not sunset already, is it?
"Yes...um...bring her to my room," he replied as he grabbed his favorite treasure map towel and climbed out. We're initiating her."
Featherweight's eyes widened in panic.
"B-B-But she's a girl!" He exclaimed. "Girls can't be pirates! And...And she has cooties!"
"As girls think of us, Feather," Pip responded calmly as he walked toward him. "After all, cooties are the same thing as lice, and I can tell you that she does not have any. You, on the other hand..." as he picked out a white buggy speck, "could use some cleansing. My bath's done, isn't it Luna?"
"Indeed it is, Captain. I believe you expect me to destroy the 'cooties' on his head?" she asked expectantly. She loved Pipsqueak, but sometimes he let his position of responsibility get the better of him, even in front of a princess.
"Can you?" Pip asked as he put on his now-cleaned pirate attire, ignoring a staring Featherweight. "He just joined a couple weeks ago, so I doubt he's had a proper wash since. I still have a lot to teach him."
"And your Ponyville friend, Rumble?"
"Of course, but at least he at least uses the showers."
"Okay, now shouldn't you get to initiating your new crew member?"
"I know, I know!" He rushed out of his room with Eclipse before she could finish. Luna turned to find Featherweight already following Captain's orders (or rather, what he implied). However, it was clear that Featherweight wasn't comfortable with the idea.
"It'll be okay," the princess assured. "My name's Luna. Now, come into the bath. It won't hurt...much."





Dinky didn't know how much longer she could live in this cell. The bathroom-jail was more disgusting than she already thought it would be. In just the span of an hour, she encountered about half a dozen spiders; her reaction to one skittering out of her toilet bucket while in use could leave much to the imagination. She wouldn't dare touch any sort of bug, especially one that crawled. She wouldn't say it was arachnophobia. No, she might as well be a bug-o-phobic.
The bucket was another thing -- she had no idea how to use it. Clearly, she wasn't going to just stand up and do her business that way; she was taught to sit for such. However, the bucket didn't exactly leave room for decency. She eventually came to the decision to squat for her business, which worked somewhat. Sometimes, she accidentally would leak onto the back of her leg, grossing her out. However, times were desperate; she would need some practice before she would even come close to accuracy, especially if she wanted to be a pirate. She had to tell herself that pirates made messes at times to press on.
Unfortunately, her business was interrupted by a door creaking open. It was the one lad Rumble, and she made the fatal mistake of facing toward the door when she had to go.
"Lady?" he called. "Captain Pipsqueak wants to see-AH!" He quickly slammed the door shut and continued talking with her outside. "What was that?!"
"I was doing my business before being rudely interrupted!" she shouted.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, honestly!" Rumble cried in fear. She could guess the very image of seeing a girl relieving herself traumatized him.
"Well...you didn't see much, did you?" she asked.
"Well, no...I mean, I can say I didn't." he replied.
Several awkward seconds passed by before Rumble spoke up again.
"Um, Captain Pipsqueak wants to talk to you...I can come in now, right?"
"In a second..." she shouted as she pulled up her underwear, finishing her job. "Okay, you can."
Rumble walked in awkwardly, clearly still trying to forget what he just saw. Did he see her..? She'd rather not think about it. After all, despite the ever-glowing light bulb, the room was still pretty dim, especially in her corner. 
"Captain said you have to wear this on the way there," he said as he held up a blindfold.
"What?!" Dinky protested.
"This happens with every prisoner," he explained. "You won't get hurt. I promise."

He promises? she wondered. I didn't know pirates made promises. I thought they were mean and nasty. However, if there was anything that she could expect since being on this ship, it was not to judge a book by its cover. Rumble seemed like a jerk but now he wasn't that bad. He's looking out for that one little kid, despite how gross the account was to her. Plus, the hospitality she was given seems like something any other pirate wouldn't have the generosity to give. After all, her own toilet? Who would give a girl that?
Despite the stupidity of what she was about to do, she put her trust in pirate in front of her. He covered her eyes with the blindfold and led her by wrist to the room she was supposed to enter. What was happening? Was she about to be killed for trespassing? Maybe what her father said was right, that pirates were bad people. But these ones seemed so nice, if not welcoming. Maybe most pirates were bad, but these ones weren't, she was sure.
Trusting her judgement, she and Rumble came to a halt. She could hear knocking on a door, along with shouting from inside. It didn't seem normal.
"COME HITHER!" a strong, loud voice shouted before a much younger voice interrupted her. Even Rumble was on edge.
"Wait, no, don't come in!" the youngster shouted. It sounded like the boy Rumble was mentoring a few hours ago. How long has it been, exactly? The bathroom jail didn't have any windows, and there's no way to tell time. She didn't know how to tell time from the sun. Maybe she's being put to death, but her stomach was growling. She needed food...did she even eat lunch?
Wow, I have trouble sticking to one thing at a time when I'm about to die.
Despite the young boy's plea, Rumble entered anyway.





Pipsqueak was pacing back and forth. He was noticeably nervous. He kept mumbling to himself what he was going to say, but regardless he was getting nowhere. This would be the second time he initiated someone to his crew, the first being for the naked boy standing uncomfortably in Pip's bath as Luna lectured him on his wrongs.
"It is impolite to urinate during one's bath!" Luna shouted. "Especially in the presence of a princess!"
"But I couldn't hold it!" Featherweight replied, tears streaming down his face knowing he did something wrong. "I was going to pee after I told Pip about the girl but you wanted me washed!"
"THERE IS NO EXCUSE!"
Featherweight fell to the floor of the bath, his face red from crying so hard.
"Y-Y-You're scaring me!" he cried. "I don't even know how to pee-"

The quarrel was silenced by a knocking at the door, catching everyone off guard.
"COME HITHER!" Luna shouted. As soon as she realized that she needed to control her Royal Canterlot Voice, she was interrupted.
"Wait, no, don't come in!" Featherweight shouted, but Rumble entered before he could finish. Featherweight ducked in hiding, while Pipsqueak noticed the future pirate...piratess? Was that a word?...being led through toward the altar. Luna took a deep breath and returned to her calm figure. She looked like nothing even happened. Pipsqueak, however, was no fool. He knew how Featherweight felt, because it was a similar situation that was his first time angering his favorite princess, permanently regretting such deeds. Of course, he was able to get away with letting loose when swimming every now and then, but since then he had also learned where and how to do it when he did so.
"Featherweight, out of the bath." Luna commanded sternly, to which the boy wisely obeyed. He got out but was modest at first.
"But...what about my-"
"Pirate attire are hanging on the rack. How hurry and clothe yourself. The meeting's about to start, and it's rude for a setting like this to expose your bits." Luna allowed the kids to do whatever they want when she was gone (even urinate into a pool or ocean like Featherweight just did), but when she was in attendance, she demanded absolute respect when she was near. She was willing to let the kids have fun and even help, but she was still trying to maintain her original rigid stance. Any purposeful urination around her would NOT be tolerated.
Featherweight quickly took his clothes and went behind a dark blue screen. However, that didn't stop the shadows of his body movement from the other side. Meanwhile, Rumble led Dinky to the lunar princess and untied the blindfold around her. Dinky's eyes adjusted to the light before examining her surroundings. She was truly hoping she wouldn't be able to see the exposed body of a six year old boy. Thankfully, there was none in sight.

"Dinky Doo of Port Canter!" Luna began in an intimidating tone. Dinky didn't even question how she knew her name; Luna was a princess of dreams after all, and she probably knows everything that could be known about anything. It was probably a bad idea to question or interrupt her.
"There are numerous reasons why you should be killed right now! You have trespassed onto the Lunar Mare; not a very wise decision! You have fled from your parents, leaving them scared and worried, because you only thought about yourself! You have dreamed of being a pirate, and choose to live by that dream now without considering any consequences!" Luna shouted, as Dinky mentally crippled from the realization. "Now what say you, Dinky? Why should you become a pirate, and abandon civilization for the dream of setting sail?"

Dinky had a mix of feelings welling through her. The princess was right. It was a stupid idea to even come close to a pirate ship. Pirates were dangerous, and they could do bad things to her. The fact that these boys were around her age only reinforced the fact. Her parents were probably crying by now...even if she knew they weren't her real parents, she still felt a twinge of remorse. And Luna was right; she was going into this too quickly. She could drown; she didn't know how to swim. Sure, she went "swimming", but she always stayed at the by the shoreline while the rest of her friends would move deeper into the water. What if the Lunar Mare got shipwrecked on a desert island? She'd starve to death, probably, which in her mind was the most painful way to die. And what if they encountered monsters at sea like the sailors have seen, like a kraken or giant sea serpent?
However, her worries seemed to be overshadowed by a different feeling: bravery. She knew in her heart that what she was doing was right. Dinky had sneaked onto the pirate ship because she wanted to be one in the first place. She wanted to rebel from the standard norms and be her own person instead of just another prim and proper lady in Port Canter. And her parents? She cared for them, but they would always restrict her from having a social life and having friends. And consequences? There were good and bad no matter what choice she made. Pirates don't worry about consequences. They do whatever they think is right, no matter what's at stake.

It wasn't until she finally snapped out of her thoughts that she noticed a blue aura around her body. Luna, in the meantime, looked impressed.
"Your thoughts impress me, Dinky. You know which of your paths are true," the princess announced. "You will be learning much on board the Lunar Mare."
The pirates stood in awe, Featherweight peeking from behind the changing screen. Luna knew already? But she just asked the question and not even a minute passed. Then again, in retrospect, this was nothing new. Luna was a princess of dreams, and often those past and present dreams could be read through a person's thoughts. It was crazy, really, how the presence of dreams gave Luna mind reading powers.
Meanwhile, Luna shared in the awe as well. This Dinky girl was serious about becoming a pirate. She was willing to give up everything she had -- fortune, friends, and family -- to set forth on adventure, certainly not even Pipsqueak could give up so easily. She saw the girl's memories: awkward birthday parties, always being taught to be prim and proper, and the restriction of her social life outside school in an attempt to keep the family's reputation. The parents showed love to her, but they always put their own lives over hers. It was depressing to see this, but not the worst she had seen. After all, Featherweight's memories during his bath could be read easier, partially because they were darker and stood out easier; it actually hurt to read them. He was homeless, and faced a difficult time at the Vanhoover Orphanage simply for being the youngest. She could see other orphans playing pranks on him, the beating he got resulting from his temptation into peer pressure, and many hours of loneliness (Is Celestia not aware of events such as these?!). Unlike Dinky, he never had any plans to become a pirate, but the sympathy and following support from Pip and Rumble helped lead to his final decision. After all, the ideal of friendship had a magic of its own.

For mine sake, that sounded atrociously corny.

"Miss Dinky," she announced. "You have a spirit that I have never seen from any lass I have had the opportunity to meet. You have earned your rank as a Lunar Crusader."
Pip ran up to congratulate her. She made it! She actually became a pirate, and Luna likes her too! He could already imagine the adventures that awaited him now that Dinky joined. Rumble congratulated her too, surprising Dinky with how quick his mood changed about her in the matter of an afternoon. Pip chuckled a bit at the sight; Scootaloo would kill him if she got the wrong idea. He was about to speak up until he heard a bell chiming.
"That must be my sister summoning me." the princess stated. "Captain Pip, I trust you will show her among the hallways and corridors to her chamber?" to which the young boy saluted.
"I promise that I will be loyal to the new recruit as long as she is with us, Princess!" he said, "It is my duty!"
Featherweight, who recently deserted the privacy of Pip's changing screen in his pirate uniform, and Rumble snickered at the last part of the line. After all, it was typical childhood maturity to laugh at anything that sounded dirty.
"So it shall be, Pipsqueak the Plunderer."
With that, she disappeared into a dark cloud of nebular mist. Pip turned his attention to his cohorts.

"What are you two laughing at?" he questioned, putting the two pirates back in stance. "We're supposed to set sail in a half hour! Get to work!"
"Yes, sir!" they answered simultaneously, as they ran toward the door. Featherweight, however, was stopped before leaving. Pip's face remained stern, but his voice became a gentle tone.
"So Luna told me you don't know how to pee like us," he said with a smirk on his face. Featherweight looked away, clearly ashamed of his lack of pirate knowledge. Pip laughed, however. "I can teach you. It's simple when you get used to it."
"You can?" Featherweight asked, with a light in his eyes clearly from an opportunity to act like the big kids.
"Certainly," Pip responded. "You have a lot to learn, but just because I'm the Captain doesn't mean I'm a big meanie." He noogied the tike. "Now, get to work before I keep all the fruit snacks for myself!"
"Y-Yes sir!" he said with a smile before ultimately heading back toward the deck. Pipsqueak and Dinky were the only children left, with the room showing no signs of Luna's presence. Even the bath was empty and lacked any hint of bubble solution or grime and mud leftover from careless pirates.
"I didn't know pirates were nice," Dinky commented. "I thought they were supposed to be unforgiving and ruthless."
The Captain shrugged his shoulders. "Most are, but why act that way to their fellow crew members?" He was about to take his clothes off to change into his pajamas when he remembered something important: a girl was in his room. "Um...you don't mind me dressing for bed, do you?"
Dinky gave him a funny look. It was time to play a little game with him. "Bedtime? For one that sails only in the moonlight?"
"A pirate needs to sleep too!" he retaliated, flustered. "Plus, it gets really cold at sea, too. I'm already plenty active during the day!"
"Oh, boohoo," Dinky mocked. "Doing what?"
He had to think for a moment. "Well...I, uh...I have important captain stuff to do! Like working on my swordplay and figuring out where to look for treasure!" He waited for a response from her. She was a feisty catch, he knew. How did this attract him to her, though? It just seemed annoying right now.
"Oh, okay," she said. "I see how it is. Now, where am I staying?"
Pipsqueak thought. When Featherweight joined the crew, a new door appeared in the hallway for his bedroom. Perhaps the princess's magic did the same for her? Not wanting to look bad, he answered with confidence.
"I don't know. But Featherweight's room appeared out of nowhere when he joined. It's probably the same with you. It'll even have your name on it."
Dinky couldn't help but smile. She could tell he was hesitant, and his facial cues to her questions were just adorable. How was she not booted off the plank by now?
"So, I'll find my room in the hallway?" she asked.
"With your name on it, of course," he assured, forgetting that he already mentioned that beforehand.
"Alright then. Good night, Captain."
Pip looked in shock.
"Good night? If you're going to be a pirate, then you have to help put up the sails with the rest of the crew!"
Dinky just smirked, in the same fashion that he did with Featherweight.
"It's eight o'clock. It's my bedtime."
And with that, she exited the room as Pip was about to speak up.
"Yeah? My bedtime's at eight-thirty! Beat that!" he shouted as she closed the door. He sighed, and started taking off his clothes to change.
"Girls. They're more weird than princesses."
A crack of thunder emitted from the statue, making Pipsqueak jump, as if saying "I heard that!".
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"