“I thought you said shortcuts came with consequences.” Twilight cocked her head to one side and waited for a snarky reply—almost disappointed one was not forthcoming.
Following the welcoming speech of a single line, Starswirl got right down to business. “I will bear the consequences for my actions and you will do likewise for yours. Now, stay close to me and try not to draw any unnecessary attention. I suggest you put on your cloak and hide your wings. This lot doesn’t take kindly to royal authority. Just keep your head down and you’ll be fine.”
“You can’t be serious. Why would anypony want to hurt me?” Twilight pulled out her cloak and fastened it around her shoulders. Propping up the cowl, she tucked her mane to the side and pulled the cap over her head as well. The welcome mat in this dingy town probably rotted away a long time ago and the idea of having to hide her identity made her feel all the more uneasy.
“This isn’t just any old pony town, princess. Pirates of all kinds are drawn to this pit—many of whom would have no problem with a royal kidnapping and ransom payout. Best we not announce our presence and keep our visit brief.” Starswirl tucked his cloak around his flank and brushed by a ragged cypress tree as he descended the path leading into Pirate’s Cove. Twilight followed close behind.
The rough cut path leading into town gave the impression that not many travelers arrived on hoof. This was a sailors’ town. Picking her way through the overgrowth, Twilight again wondered what kind of crazy adventure she had signed up for. First there was a train wreck, then a paddle down the river, and now she came to end up on the edge of civilization at the mercy of a town full of pirates. She tucked her wings in tight and low hoping they would blend in with the humps of her saddle bags. Starswirl kept his horn covered and head down as they plodded into town.
The jumble of structures that was Pirate’s Cove, nestled in the armpit of Horseshoe Bay, smelled of rotting everything. It didn’t help that Hayseed Swamp ran straight up to its doorstep. Insects buzzed and swarmed from every angle. Lanterns hung from nearly every porch and made the perfect targets for their aggression. Twilight felt some relief in knowing that the swarm preferred the lamps and paid them little heed. Instead of fighting off the random attack here and there, she held her tail in check, tight against her backside tucked almost completely beneath her cloak.
They passed dark lumps huddled in doorways and in the alley space between the shacks. Out of the huddled masses glowed the intent gaze of half a dozen warped eyes. Twilight felt their presence like gargoyles keeping watch. She kept close to Starswirl and tried to bury her head back into her cloak. The dirt path gave way to planking and the muffled sounds of her hooves changed to an echoing thud. A gentle lapping of waves below the scaffolded walkway did little to drown out the sound. If anypony wasn’t yet aware of their presence, they were now.
Starswirl led onward, avoiding any direct confrontations. He steered straight for the docks. In a few cases, they were forced to sidestep a drunken Griffin or imposing Minotaur, but he kept them heading in that general direction. The path widened as they came near the docks. Up ahead, a pile of net-covered cargo blocked the path before it dropped into the ocean beyond. To their left and right lay nearly identical sailing vessels. One listed to the side with double the standard allotment of mooring ropes keeping it tethered to the pier. Starswirl pulled up alongside the other, the ship not flying the bones.
A stout and hearty voice called over the rail. “Who goes there?”
Starswirl raised his head to answer the stranger. “I would speak to the captain, if you please.” Hel keep his voice low and direct.
“The capt’n be elsewhere, so it’ll be me ya speak to. What business have ye here?” A silhouette in the dark came to the edge of the afterdeck. An unbalanced set of antlers glared down at the ponies.
“My business is my own, and I will speak to the captain in its regard. Point us in the proper direction and we’ll be off.” Starswirl lowered his hood and lit his horn to shine a light up at the mysterious boatswain.
The face of a young stag marred by a patch covering his right eye and illuminated in the green glow of Starswirl’s magic looked down. “So, it’s you.” The buck raised his forelegs to the rail. “The capt’n be in town. Take a load off at the Grey Ghost Tavern—you’ll find ‘er round there.” The reflecting gleam from his sword caught Twilight unaware as he spun back across the deck and disappeared into the darkness.
Starswirl adjusted his cowl, concealing himself once more. “Grey Ghost Tavern it is. Stay close and let’s see if we can’t find us a captain.” He motioned for Twilight to follow and made his way back up the dock into town.
The return promenade caught more attention than the first. Dark lumps became ponies, griffins, and worse as Twilight struggled against a growing fear that this wasn’t the best place for her to be. She clung to Starswirl’s confidence and followed him into the tavern near the center of town. The place was abuzz with activity. The contrast with the growing darkness outside shifted instantly to daylight revelry as they walked through the door and were greeted by the shouts and thuds of a couple dozen raucous ruffians.
“Stay here, and I’ll be right back.” Starswirl loaded Twilight into an empty booth in a dimly lit corner of the room. She barely had a chance to process his message before he was gone. She watched as he slipped into the back hallway, leaving her all alone with twenty gnarled and sea-ravaged, ale-inbibing pirates. A few denizens shot stares and snarls at the slight of her intrusion before returning to their self-indulgent merrymaking.
Twilight pulled the cowl of her hood back against her face trying to blend in with the wall and the booth. She undid the clasp of her bags and rolled them off her back setting them on the bench at her side. As she was getting settled, a portly pony mare in a tight corset bodice sauntered over to the table. “You lost, dearie? We don’t get many mares in this washed out hole in the beach.”
“Umm, not exactly.” Twilight tried to keep her voice down, unsure of how best to answer. The clank of steins and stomp of hooves nearly drowned out reply.
Without the slightest hint of care, the waitress pony spoke over the noise. “It don’t bother me none—lots of folks worse off than you wash up here all the time. They don’t normally last long, but that doesn’t stop em from washing up just the same. In any case, can I interest you in our special-of-the-day?” She sat back and pulled a small notepad and quill from her apron pouch hanging from her corset top.
Twilight’s stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten for the better part of the day. A small bite on the banks of the Filly River was all she really had to eat all day. Skipping breakfast seemed a worse decision than actually coming on this trip at the moment. “That sounds… good… What’s your special-of-the-day today?”
“Same as every day—the stuff that washes up on the beach along with you lot—we call it seaweed stew.” The innkeeper spat in her hoof and ran the glob back through her mane. Her slick hair stuck in place by virtue of a number of other bits in addition to the recent spread of gluey bile.
Twilight cringed. “I-I guess I’ll take the special then.” She scooted back in her booth as the waitress jotted down the order and padded away. A roomful of pirates reveled in the act of getting more drunk and disorderly with every passing minute. She wondered what it would take to light a fuse on the time-bomb of nearly two dozen drunken sailors.
Without warning, the noise stopped. All eyes turned toward a large, black Earth pony with a greasy black mane and tail that rose up from a booth across the room. The side closest took notice and scooted back as he walked toward Twilight. He paid no heed to the spectators with his wobbling steps and bouncing black hat that jingled with an array of trinkets that hung from the brim as he floated by. What was once a raucous party now silenced to the point that Twilight could hear the cicadas chirping outside set in time to the stranger’s approaching steps.
“Look at what the tide washed in. Such a brave little filly to be venturin’ into Pirate’s Cove on her own.” The pony tilted back his pirate hat and stared down at Twilight cowering in the corner booth. “Let’s have old Blackmane take a peek and see what sort of treasure be in them packs of yers.” He hovered over her, blocking what little passed for lantern light in the darkened corner of the dining room.
Twilight backed into the wall as far as she could push. The stallion had her cornered and she knew there was nowhere to run. He reached down and yanked the sacks toward him. Poking into the sacks a bit, he found an item of interest. Smiling and showing his crooked and gold capped teeth, he pulled out Twilight’s crown. “What have we here—a bit of gold to quell Blackmane’s advances?”
“Give that back. It’s not yours.” Twilight made a grab for the crown in a futile attempt that was batted away with ease. Blackmane pushed her back against the wall.
“So, the wittle filly wants to play dressup with her wittle crown.” Blackmane laughed as he hoisted his prize for the rest of the audience to see. A roar of laughter erupted from the crowd.
At twenty-one to one, the odds were not in her favor. Twilight’s heart raced as she tried to keep her cool. “I’ll ask you nicely one more time—give me back my crown.” The glow from her horn shone down on her half-concealed, stern faced glare.
Blackmane laughed even harder. “Did you hear that boys? This little Unicorn thinks she can have whatever she wants. Must have spent too much time pretendin’ to be a princess. Too bad for her she picked the wrong place to learn her lesson.” He dropped back from Twilight and turned to the crowd to show off his prize. Without removing his pirate hat, he tossed the crown on top. “Look at me fellas—I’m a princess too.” Blackmane twirled around to the enjoyment of the onlookers accompanied by a string of hoots and hollers enhanced by the general drunkenness of the crowd.
Twilight leapt onto the table and threw her cloak aside. Her horn lit up the room with its sparkling glow. Tossing her wings out and rearing back on her hind legs, she was a sight to behold. “I stopped pretending to be a princess when I became an Alicorn. Now, give me back my crown!” Her stomp back down on the table unleashed a shockwave that tore across the room.
Blackmane tumbled away, blinded by the light from Twilight’s horn and stunned by the sight of the princess revealed before him. The burst knocked him into a nearby table, crashing to the ground and spilling mugs of ale in all directions. The crown came flying off his head and launched toward the passageway where Starswirl disappeared into earlier.
A bright, coral-colored pony in an enormously wide-brimmed brown hat sporting a giant, red phoenix feather caught the projectile. Reacting quickly to the situation as she walked into the room, she called out over the erupting scene of violence. “So, what’s all this then?” She barely had time to take in the view before the tavern erupted in an all-out brawl. Four more ponies wearing equally flamboyant outfits jumped out behind her and dashed into the fray. She swapped the crown for her sword, leaving the former dangling on the tip of her scabbard and dove into the melee.
Twilight stood her ground. The fight remained among the pirates below, seemingly instigated by the destruction of table and beverage and less by her disruptive royal revelation. Blackmane fought to his hooves, kicking and punching the somewhat larger Griffins, Minotaurs, and Equines he had tumbled over, laughing the entire time. A pack of assorted rabble came to his aid and helped even the odds. Blackmane brandished his sword and charged at the new addition to the room.
The coral pony’s sword flashed in blurring movements as Blackmane met each thrust with an equal parry. “Why don’t you pick on some pony your own size?” She dodged a counter strike and wheeled around to take position between Twilight and the pirate clan. “You all right up there, princess?” Another sword landed across her own and she pushed it off while returning a blow to her random assailant.
“What can I do to help?” Twilight watched from her tabletop perch as the fight raged on below. Five resplendent ponies frolicked in battle against a drunken force four times their number.
“How’s about you hold on to this? I’ll only be a moment.” The coral swashbuckler tossed the crown up to Twilight and dove back into the fray. She was quick to find Blackmane in the scrum. With a single flash of steel, he was disarmed of his weapon.
The coral pony was quick to cover the pirate with her sword. Her companions raised point against the other rabble leaders bringing the ruckus to an abrupt end. Starswirl stepped out of the doorway and called over to the bartender. “A round of drinks for the house!” He tossed a small stack of coins at the pony crouched down behind the bar. The jovial atmosphere returned as the tavern patrons once again found their chairs. Some looked rather upset that the fight hadn’t lasted longer than it did.
The lead mare leaned her sword tip gently against the chest of the head instigator. “Why are you always causing trouble, Blackmane? Can’t you just honor the truce of the cove?”
“Argh, t’was havin’ a bit of fun is all. I wouldn’t harm a single hair on this lovely fillies head—at least not in the cove. I have me honor as a pirate captain to uphold, same as you, Capt’n Seachelle.”
“Playtime’s over. I think you and your mates best be on your way.” The coral pony drew back her sword and placed it in its sheath. Her companions did likewise. “I believe you have some repairs to tend to.”
Blackmane and his band turned tail and headed for the exit. “You haven’t seen the last of me, Seachelle. You still owe me fer the damage to me ship.” He tipped his hat and gave a little bow before slipping through the door and disappearing into the night. His crew gathered their scattered weapons and followed in short order.
Twilight, still in shock and tying to steady the pounding beat of her heart, hopped down from the table. “Thank you for your help, captain.” She stood next to Starswirl leaving her crown on the table along with her bags.
“Well, that was a little more than I had planned for an introduction.” Starswirl stepped forward and passed along the line of ponies before him. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, may I introduce Captain Seachelle and her crew, Sharkbait, Landlubber, Gold Doubloon, and Peg Leg. You already met the first mate, Buckaneer, back at the ship.” Each pony gave a little twirl or bow of the head in turn. Peg Leg tapped his wooden foreleg to the floor in greeting.
Captain Seachelle gave a tip of her wide hat. “You might want to keep a closer eye on that crown of yours, princess. Things have a way of getting lost in a town like this.” She bent her neck and indicated the items sitting behind Twilight on the table top.
Twilight turned and took hold of the crown. She may have just put on a good show, proclaiming herself to be an Alicorn princess, but there was still a part of her that wondered what that really meant. Looking down at it, she felt incomplete in a way—somewhat unwilling to accept the burden of her royal calling. Her wings may be stuck to her back, but her crown was something that she couldn’t quite feel comfortable wearing all the time. Deep in her heart, a piece of her wanted to return to life before the crown—a life with her friends and nothing else. If being the Princess of Friendship meant having to deal with pirates in far off places, she wasn’t sure she was cut out for the job. She stuffed the crown back in her bags and came back to face her new aquaintances.
“I hope old Blackmane didn’t give you too much of a hassle. He can get a little out of hoof when he’s had too much to drink.” Seachelle removed her hat and placed it over her chest.
“If that’s what passes for fun around here, then I’ve had enough of it for one night.” Twilight gathered her cloak from off the floor and swung it around her shoulders.
“The Scion must show temperance in all things.” Starswirl made a move toward the door. “Shall we be on our way then?”
“You two look like you could use a little grub and a cozy bunk for the night. We’ll sail with the tide.” Seachelle pulled up a chair and swung it around to the corner booth. She hung her hat to one side of the high seat back. “Let’s eat, and then I can show you to your quarters aboard my ship, the Flying Dutchmare.”
The portly waitress pony cautiously tiptoed forward. Presenting Twilight a carefully balanced bowl on her croup, she stuttered, “Y-your s-seaweed stew, your highness.”
Twilight eyed the plate and then looked over at Starswirl and finally back at her plate. “I am a bit hungry.” Twilight’s stomach growled.
Starswirl relented. “Captain knows best.” He turned to the waitress. “Specials all around then.” She nodded and rushed back to the kitchen.
Sharkbait, Landlubber and Gold Doubloon were all quick to take a seat around the back of the booth. Peg Leg hobbled up alongside the bench and hoisted himself into the seat. Starswirl pulled up a chair from a nearby table recently vacated by Blackmane’s troupe and offered it to Twilight. Once Twilight was seated, he slid into the final spot along the bench. Seven ponies all crowded around the corner table booth and waited for somepony to break the awkward silence.
“Thank you for coming to my rescue.” Twilight blushed and dipped her head to the side. “I wasn’t sure how that would have played out otherwise.”
“All in a day’s work, your highness.” Seachelle tipped back in her chair and nodded to her crew. “Blackmane’s not usually one to start a fight under the truce of the cove, but we might have tipped his wheel due to a minor altercation on the high seas the other day. It seems his ship didn’t take too kindly to one of our cannonballs. He may have been trying to steal our cargo at that moment and we just happened to let it slip out of one of our cannons.”
Twilight felt her chest where the pirate had pushed her. The spot felt bruised even without the blood showing through her coat to validate. “I’d hate to see him when he’s really mad. It sounds like he’s a bit of a bully around here.”
“The Terror of the Ten Seas. The Black Scourge. Hah! He’s just a foal in a long line of ponies trying to make a name for himself. But enough about him—I want to know more about you.” Seachelle rested her hoof on the hilt of her sword and continued to rock back and forth on the back legs of her chair. “How does a princess find herself all the way out here in Pirate’s Cove of all places?”
“Good question. I’d like to know the answer myself.” Twilight stared over at Starswirl who had taken to inspecting the hem of his cloak with intense concentration.
“All in good time, princess. All in good time.” Starswirl removed his cloak and tossed it over the back of the seat bench back. “Captain Seachelle and her crew have graciously offered their services in bringing us to our destination. As soon as we catch a bite to eat and take a bit of rest, I trust we can be on our way.”
Seachelle dropped her chair back down on all fours. “That’s one way to put it, Mister Starswirl. There are other, more delicate words I could use to describe the arrangement, but we can leave it at that. The Flying Dutchmare and her crew stand ready to assist in your conveyance.” She dipped her head and swung her hoof around in a feigned attempt at a show of deference. “Having a princess aboard does make the trip a bit more interesting—maybe I can have a little mare-to-mare chat for a change.” Seachelle gave Twilight a wink. The crew somehow found her statement funny and snorted in a bit of a chuckle without elaborating.
“You seem to have a very, umm, devoted crew, captain.” Twilight adjusted her seat and leaned a bit closer to Starswirl.
Seachelle jumped out of her chair and slammed her hoof down on the table. “Best crew a captain could ever hope for!” The rest of her bunch joined her in slapping their hooves to the board and rejoined with a hearty “Aye, aye, Captain Seachelle.”
Their actions nearly sent the waitress flying with every inch of her back, shoulders, neck, and head loaded down with bowls of seaweed stew. Startled as she was, having to deal with the regular pirate crowd brought a certain amount of training in dealing with the occasional outburst. She recovered and tossed the dishes on the table for each of the hungry patrons. With everypony now served, Twilight didn’t feel so awkward in diving into her own meal. It may have tasted better hot, but she wasn’t complaining about anything at this point.
In between gulps of yellow-greenish muck, Twilight tried to continue the conversation. “Captain, what kind of jobs do you normally have? You said Blackmane attacked your ship and was trying to steal your cargo—correct?”
“That he was. Cargo that arrived safely just this afternoon. The locals depend on us to supply them with goods from up north. Can’t get everything you need living in a swamp like this. The tavern here was our final offload before we set to bring on passengers for our trip south. Me and the boys were taking care of the delivery when you decided to send the place into a tailspin.”
Twilight blushed and drew back. Seachelle knocked the back of her chair letting out a hearty laugh. “I’m just yanking your tail, princess. You should have seen the look on your face when you blew everypony away with your grand stand display. Wish I had a photograph of that—Blackmane would never hear the end of it.” The rest of the crew chortled along with their captain.
Following the meal and the wash down of bitter cider that followed, Twilight was ready for bed. The grouped packed in and streamed down to the docks following the lead of the fearless captain. Starswirl and Twilight walked two abreast just behind the leader. The rest of the crew fanned out behind.
Arriving at the boat, Seachelle called up to her first mate. “Buckaneer, toss us a plank.” A grunt and a slap of wood against the dock later, the passage ahead was granted. “Welcome aboard the Flying Dutchmare, Princess Twilight. Sharkbait will see you to your quarters. Starswirl—a word.” She pulled Starswirl aside as Twilight walked up the plank following the sea-green tail of the pony in front of her.
Their conversation went to whispers. Twilight didn’t care to eavesdrop and followed her escort to the head of the stairs leading to the wardrooms below decks. She turned back upon hearing a drunken Blackmane shouting at his crew just in time to see him punt one unceremoniously over the rail. Without any further delay, she slipped down the steps and stole away into her cabin for the night.