//------------------------------// // Chapter 30 // Story: Captain's Journey // by Sphinx_Herald //------------------------------// “So he’s dead,” Captain says leaning back in against the wall of his room. His room isn’t anything too impressive, a fairly large bed sits at the back against the wall opposite to him. A dark grey carpet, save for a few drops of blood, covers the center of the room. A desk sits over to the side of the room, but it seems barely used if the dust was anything to go by. “There wasn’t anything we could do, he was most likely dead by the time we got there,” Ebony says. She winces when Starry puts too much pressure on the bandages as they’re wrapped around her shoulder. “It was my fault.” “You said there wasn’t anything we could have done.” “No, I chose to wait till night. If we simply went in he might still be alive.” “And we’d all be dead, mind you,” Starry interrupts. “Nothing we can do about it now,” Captain says with a shrug. “We just have to move on with it.” “Easy for you to say, you weren’t the one to find your father hung by the neck,” Ebony replies. She winces again and then turns to glare at Starry. “True, I didn’t have to find him hung up, I watched it.” Ebony flinches back a little into the chair. She looks up at Captain as he glares down at her. “Sorry, I did--” “Don’t ever mention my parents again.” “Alright… I’m sorry, I just didn’t know.” “Don’t expect you to, I never told you.” “So, what happened?” Captain sighs and looks up at the ceiling. “They were merchants that often traded with the Griffon Empire. Well, one day their ship was searched and the soldiers found quite a bit of griffon goods. They were accused of being smugglers and were hung… both of them.” “I’m sorry to hear that.” “Don’t be, I’ve felt enough sorrow for it.” He wipes his eyes with his foreleg. He looks back at Ebony. “I think it’s time you tell the rest of the crew.” “Wait, that I’m a changeling? No, I can’t, I don’t know how they’ll react to it. Just give me some time.” “No, I’m tired of covering for you, I’m not good at it. Arrel is beginning to suspect something, you magiced--” “Levitated,” Starry interrupts. “You levitated Willow and Tide out of the fort and now she’s asking questions. No more ‘give me time’ it’ll just be harder the longer you wait.” “What about Tide, I can’t tell her after--” “We’re dropping her off at Kigerston, at her request,” Starry says. “In fact, I believe we leaving Kigerston about now.” “But, uh…” she lets out a sigh and her shoulders slack. “I guess you’re right, but what if… what if they think the same as most of Equestria? That I’m nothing more than a monster?” “Then they’ll have to go through me. After that, they’ll know what a real monster is.” Ebony looks up at Captain. He’s not lying, she can tell. She looks over her shoulder at Starry who gives her an expectant look. “Alright, I guess I’ve put it off long enough.” Captain gives her a supportive smile. He holds out his hoof to help her up. She accepts it with a smile of her own,though a nervous one. The three step out onto the deck of the ship. Smokey runs back and forward checking the cannons. Twigs does almost the same except he is busy checking the rigging. Willow sits at the bow of the ship looking out over the waves as Misfortune slices through the water. Craven sits off to the side on a few barrels presumably filled with gunpowder. They don’t see Arrel, most likely in the crow’s nest. Howler stands behind the helm steering the ship toward the north. Starry looks over at the starboard cannons. She charges a spell on her horn and launches a fireball at the fuse. Everyone, save for Howler, jumps at the boom of the cannon. They turn and look at what is happening. “Ebony has an announcement,” Starry says nudging her head at the pegasus. “That was quite… sudden,” Ebony says to Starry as the crew gathers. “I have lived with Rose for a year and have been her friend for three years. I can be a lot less subtle if you want, there are a lot of barrels of gunpowder lying about.” “No, no that’s fine,” Ebony says just as Arrel lands at the base of the mast. She quickly looks behind her at Howler still standing at the helm. She looks back at the rest of the crew, she notices Starry standing near the portside rail. She takes a deep breath of the tropical air to calm her nerves. “I… I wanted to say sorry to you all. You are all so nice and… I feel like I belong here. But, I’ve been lying, I’ve been lying to each of you and it’s just not fair.” There are a few mumbles, but they calm down soon enough. “Again, I’m sorry.” She takes another deep breath preparing for the worse. “I… the Ebony that you’ve all known isn’t the real me.” With that she releases the magic holding her disguise together. The flames circles her once more, when they die down a changeling stands before the group. Ebony stand back and lowers her head as she waits for a response from them. Then, as so many times before, chaos. Craven screams and flies up to the crow’s nest leaving a few feathers fluttering down. Twigs follows Craven lead, he runs to the starboard side and jumps behind one of the cannons. Arrel draws his sword and flies over to Starry, fully intending to protect her. Starry simply brushes up against him with a smile, he gives her a confused look before a dark blue aura surrounds him. Starry’s smile turns to a scowl and she forces Arrel to deck. Willow screams, she turns and runs down into hold of the ship. Smokey jumps back and draws his pistol. Before he has the time to aim a paw grabs him by the back of the neck and pins him to the deck. Ebony blinks a few times as she realizes Howler just saved her from being shot… again. She looks over at Starry, she loosens the magic on Arrel and lets him stand. “She’s still my friend, and I’m not going to let my coltfriend kill her.” With a flair of magic Starry turns one of the cannon toward Arrel. “Also, I don’t need anyone to protect me while I’m on a ship.” She looks over to her right, Captain gives her a smile. “See, that wasn’t so bad.” “Smokey tried to kill me!” “Smokey and Arrel, really. But, it could have been worse, Howler could have had a problem with changelings.” “Fair point.” Captain starts walking over to where Twigs had ran. “Right, Howler, get Craven down from his hiding spot. Ebony, you might as well go get Willow.” “We me?” “Because you saved her,” he says with a shrug. “Starry, guard Smokey.” Starry smiles, she levitates over some rope and quickly ties him up. Ebony walks over to the hatch down to the hold. She casts a quick glance back at Captain as he pulls Twigs out of his hiding spot. She takes a deep breath and heads down into the hold of Misfortune. The first thing she notices is that it’s dark, the only light coming in are from the hatch and from the small cracks in the deck. Once she reaches the bottom of the stairs she uses her magic to light the lanterns, though green flames burn in them casting an eerie green glow on everything. That’s not going to help, she thinks. She nervously walks around the crates and barrels piled in the room. The constant fear and threat that Willow could very well sneak up from behind and kill her. “Willow, are you here?” She hears a little gasp from her left, she waits for some kind of response. She hears nothing except for the sound of Misfortune crashing through the waves. She starts walking to the left, “Willow, please come out.” She peeks around a couple of crates, no sign of the deer. She turns around and continues walking. She’s sure she can feel Willow’s eyes tracking her. She lets out a annoyed huff. “We’re friends… were friends, Willow. You must be able to tell that I won’t hurt you.” “I’m friends with Ebony, not… whatever you are,” says Willow from somewhere to her right. But, she’s too focused on the words to bother hunting her down. “Is that really how you see me, as a monster? Willow, I’m… I am Ebony. Think about it, why else would I save you from the fort, because you’re my friend. I’m not a monster, not a demon, I’m not like the others! I have a mind of my own, I have… had friends.” There is a long pause as she waits for Willow to say something. After a few long seconds she finally talks to her. “If you really are Ebony, then why did I join the crew?” Willow asks from her right again, a bit closer though. “You joined because you owe Captain as much as I do. He freed you from slavery and then accepted you to his crew.” “Since when, how long have you been a changeling?” Ebony looks over to her right. She see Willow poking her head from around a pile of crates. “Since I was born,” she says with a little laugh. “Since we started. Captain saved me from the Hayvana fort. He saved me even though I was a changeling, though since then I’ve been disguising as the Ebony you know. And before you ask, my name really is Ebony. I’m still me.” “So, you’ve been lying to everyone since the beginning?” “Everyone but Captain, yes.” She looks back over at Willow. Now she’s standing in the hallway, out of cover, but still keeping her distance. “Why tell us now?” “Because it would have hurt more if I waited any longer.” There is a long silence between the two of them. Willow shifts her weight from one side to the other while looking around nervously. Ebony sighs and uses her magic to put out the lanterns, getting rid of the green glow. “So, can we still be friends?” Ebony asks. Willow looks away from Ebony, even though she can barely see her as it is. “No… I don’t think so, you’re not the Ebony I knew.” She steps closer to Ebony giving her a smile. “But, I would be willing to start over.” Ebony returns the smile while holding out a hoof. “In that case, I’m Ebony. I’m a changeling traitor who no longer listens to her queen and has decided to join a group of pirates.” Willow accepts the hoof giving it a quick shake. “I’m Willow, ex slave. I like long walks on the beach and candle lit dinners.” “You’ve been spending too much time with Rose.” “Yeah.” “How about we head up before Arrel thinks I killed you?” They go back up the stairs and onto the deck. Once up they see that both Craven and Twigs are standing near the mast. They are still visibly shaken, but at least haven’t decided that their best option is swimming. Smokey isn’t tied up, but Howler stands close. The group turns their attention to the two as they walk over. Twig and Craven start looking from each of the crew members nervously. “I told you that she’d listen to you,” Captain says. Ebony rolls her eyes at him. “So, you’ve been a changeling this whole time? Ever since we met in the ‘Lucky Mare’? Arrel asks, stepping out of the group. “Yes, I have.” “Are you going to kill us?” Twigs asks. Ebony quickly shakes her head with an unintentional laugh. “No, of course not.” Changelings would capture you alive. Twigs and Craven relax a little at that, but still remain quite on edge. “Why are you here then?” Arrel asks. “I’m here because this is the only place I belong.” Arrel nods seemingly satisfied by the answer. “What did you do before you became part of the crew? You certainly don’t act civilian and I doubt any changeling below the queen has to make any tactical decisions. You take to the role of leader as second nature.” Ebony scrunches up her muzzle. Well I suppose if I’m coming clean. “I… I was working in the Hayvana fort as a spy… A little orange unicorn lies at the top of the fort wall. She looks out over the whole of Hayvana, from the winding and twisting streets to the restless ocean that pours in through the harbor mouth. Young pegasi fly over the tiled roofs as they chase after each other. The city square is packed full of ponies who are looking through all the market stall, watching street-side performers, and just sharing general news and gossip amongst themselves. Her eyes wander over to the docks and harbor. A small fleet of Celestial Navy ships can be seen sailing out sea. All of them with the insignia of the sun on them. She sighs as the convoy heads to Equestria, a sum of money heading to the royal treasury, the queen’s that is. She hears some hoofsteps to her right, turning her head a little further she faces the sniper that stands beside her. “Hello, are you here to make sure I’m doing my job?” he asks sarcastically. She brushes some strands of yellow hair out of her eyes and stands up to come face-to-face with the sniper. “The only reason anypony would ask me that is if they weren’t doing it in the first place.” His expression changes from a smirk to a nervous smile. “No, I’m only taking a little rest, well deserved at that. Don’t tell my boss.” The soldier’s smile returns. “I just love the view from here.” “That’s true and get this view every day. While you’re stuck in those stone walls.” “If you’re not careful you’ll be stuck in those stone walls and behind iron bars.” His smile disappears again. She smiles a little but is careful not to let the soldier see. “Now, I must get to my duties, I have taken a long enough break.” With that she turns to the stairs and starts making her way to the interior of the fort. It doesn’t take her long to get down to the yard and then to make her way across it. Soon she is walking through the halls. Soldiers walk past, giving her a salute as they do so. After walking a fair way down the hall she comes to a set of stairs. Once on the second floor, she heads towards her office. After a minute or so of walking she arrives at the door. It opens with a light push. A desk dominates the center of the room, beautifully decorated, the wood is a stained red and small lion heads were carved into the corners. An intricate design runs along the edges giving it the feeling that a part of the sea was captured in the carving. The desk had been gifted to her by a captain after a successful raid on a pirate hideout that she had pinpointed. A matching chair sits behind the desk, a red cushion on the bottom and the back for comfort. A bookshelf stands near the corner, only a few of the selves have any books in them. A few maps are pinned to the wall alongside the images of several famous commanders. She walks around the desk, giving a comfortable sigh as she sits on her cushioned chair. With a flash of magic she brings a pile of papers from the corner of the desk to her. Just looking at the pile of reports makes her yawn. She quickly shakes away the dreariness and levitates the first report off the pile. Several hours later Sunny walks through the hall again, this time heading toward the war room. It doesn’t take her long to arrive at the door. The same as almost every other door, hardwood with iron strips running along the bottom and top. Two guards flank the door, they look at her for a moment before turning their attention elsewhere. Sunny uses her magic to open the door. The room on the other side is a large one. A long table cuts down the middle, with a large map of the area. A couple of stallions sit in the chairs around the table, though most of them are empty. An orange stallion looks up from the map when he hears the door open. He gives her a questioning gaze for a moment before taking on a serious expression. “Sunny, I trust you have something?” “Yes sir. The supply shipment to Charlotte has been attacked by pirates. The shipment made it but was heavily damaged. There seems to be an increase in pirate activity to the south explaining the attack, but doesn’t explain why they would attack a military convoy. The fact they went after a military shipment means they want firepower, to either use against us or trade to the griffons.” “Also, a pirate going by the name of Gale has sacked a small fishing village to the west. Seemingly unrelated to the reports to the south but he has been known to be more active in the south.” The stallion growls under his breath. “These pirates are becoming a real pain in my side. If this keep up Gallows might very well have his way.” He looks back down at the map, looking across the southern part. “Send a message to Kigerston, have them send out more patrols, be sure they’re armed as well. Increase the bounty on Gale’s head. Was there anything else?” “No sir,” “Very well.” She gives a nod and starts back down the hall. Once she reaches her desk she takes out a quill and some paper and begins writing. With a sigh Sunny drops the quill into the inkwell. Magic surrounds the paper as she lifts it up to inspect it. Once she’s satisfied with the work she folds the letter and slips it into an envelope. She lies the letter with the others on her desk and walks up to the door. Peering outside she finds a soldier walking by. “Could you go get the courier for me?” “Right away.” The soldier walks down the hall until he disappears down the stairs. Sunny closes her door again and walks over to her bookshelf. She quickly looks through the small selection of titles for something to read. Using her magic she places the book onto her desk and follows behind it. As she sits down there is a knock at the door. A magical aura surrounds the door and it swings open, the soldier stands on the other side. “The courier is here,” he says. That was quick. Sunny gets up from her chair and walks to the door with the letters in tow. “Right, I need you--” The distinct click of the hammer of a flintlock pistol being locked into place cuts her off. She feels a cold barrel being pressed into the back of her skull. “Wha--?” “You are hereby put under arrest for suspect of being a changeling.” The barrel presses harder into her head when she tries to turn around. “You can’t be serious, what makes you think I’m a changeling?” “A good deal of your shipments to Equestria meet up with changeling ambushes.” “Anyone who knows about the shipment could be a changeling. That’s hundreds of ponies, in the ships alone, not to mention those in Equestria that could very well be a changeling.” “Very well then, would you like to submit to a test?” Oh, for buck sake. They think they’re so great after having come up with a spell to detect changelings. “Yes.” A magical aura surrounds her, she focuses more energy into her disguise. If I can outlast him I’m fine. She feels the magic aura beginning to weaken her disguise. With a little more concentration her disguise begins to regenerate as fast as it’s being weakened. Simple, just don’t drain yourself, it’ll be odd if you’re out of bre-- A hoof connects with her jaw plunging everything into darkness. ***** … So, one of them knocked me out and my disguise dropped. Then they locked me up for… I don’t know how many days. They starved me and beat me until it was time for my execution.” Without warning Smokey jumps at her, but Howler grabs him before he can get too far. “A changeling spy, there is no reason we should trust you! How do you expect us to believe that you’re here only because you ‘belong’ here. For all we know you could still be a spy!” exclaims Smokey. “Well, I trust her. I figured out she was a spy before she told us and I still trust her,” Starry says. “You knew! You knew and you didn’t tell--” “Shut up.” Their attention goes to Captain as he steps between Smokey and Ebony. “Firstly, it doesn’t matter. Arrel used to be a pirate hunter, Starry was a diplomat's daughter, Craven was part of the griffon army. In case you can’t see, I don’t give a buck where someone comes from. So long as they’re part of the crew it doesn’t matter. Secondly, what would a spy do with pirates, inform her leader that you can’t hold your rum? We’re rouges, we aren’t part of any government, they don’t care what we do.” Smokey takes a few steps back. He looks between Ebony and Captain then lets out a huff and walks away. “He doesn’t seem happy,” Ebony says. “He’ll warm up to the idea of having a changeling on the crew.” “Thanks.” “No problem.” With that he heads back to the helm.