Ebony opens her eyes slightly to look at the wooden planks that is Misfortune’s deck. The ship sways slightly, but not as much as it would if they were at open sea. She yawns and curls further into her bed, she lets out a grunt as she presses down a little too hard on her shoulder. Rolling onto her other side she tries to get some more sleep. But any hope of sleep dies out when she hears somepony shouting from above deck followed by the sound of snapping wood.
Ebony sighs and gets out of her bed. She walks out of her cabin, in the heart of the ship, and starts going up the steps to the deck. It doesn’t take her long to spot Captain standing by the portside railing frowning down at the dock. She quietly trots up next to him and looks down. A stallion is lying on the dock with his face smashed through the wooden planks, quite literally. “Let me guess.”
Captain jumps slightly and looks at her then back down at the unconscious stallion. He looks back at Ebony and shrugs. “He wanted to have you on his crew.”
“You’re a horrible liar.” It has been a few days since they had come back. Ebony didn’t put on her disguise when they arrived, mainly due to Captain preferring that she didn’t. That had started a bit of a… situation. Half of the pirates Neighsau now despise her as much as the army does, the other half are afraid the army will raze the town for harbouring an escaped changeling.
They hadn’t been too far off, two days later the military had arrived. Most ponies had kept their mouths closed in fear of being prosecuted for what they had done. The crew of Misfortune had only managed to escape by sailing into a storm which the navy wasn’t willing to follow them into. The only reason the navy had left was because Rose had bribed them more than they could pass up, though most declined the offer of her ‘services’.
Since then, there has been three attempts at her life, excluding this one. After the first two attempts most had figured it would be best to try when Captain wasn’t around. The third taught them that Howler was just as bad. And, it seems the fourth was going to try and kill her in her sleep.
Ebony looks back down at the stallion as a crowd gathers around him, a few of his friends help him off of the dock. “I’m sorry for all this,” she says.
“Why?”
“Everyone hates you, and almost every other member of the crew that has come to my help. Even Rose’s tavern must have taken a hit because of me.”
“No reason to be sorry, I said I’d help and that’s what I’ll do, even if no one likes me. Anyways, I can crush anyone that tries to go after us,” he says with a grin. His injuries have indeed healed, though it left a long scar running across his right side. “I’m pretty sure everyone would say the same. Well almost, Smokey wouldn’t… I don’t think Howler would either, but that’s just 'cause he don’t talk.”
For a moment the ‘dream’ she had with the queen in it comes back. Two months or she comes for me. “That’s the problem I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”
“It’s not because of you. Everyone has their reasons. This ship and crew is mine, I ain’t going to lose anyone. Besides, we’re pirates, we’re tough enough,” Captain says. He walks over to one of the masts and sits on a crate near it. Ebony sighs and sits on a barrel next to him.
“You really do care, don’t you? No matter how much you try to be tough and strong, you can’t help but care about everyone.”
“Yeah, I know. But, you’re not any better. You keep moping because you think you’re putting everyone in danger.”
She gives him a punch on the shoulder, not surprised that he doesn’t budge. “Okay, fine I care. Just don’t tell anyone,” she chuckles. Together they sit in silence, contently listening to the sound of waves lapping on the hull of the ship. She hears Captain let out a sigh.
“You know, it’s funny to think that only a few months ago I was stranded on Hayvana. With only a broken compass, rusted cutlass, and half a map to my name. Now, I have the best crew I could ask for, a wonderful first mate, great friends. My name is known by thousands, merchants fear it, and soldiers hate it. You’re the greatest thing that has ever happened.”
“Like you’re one to talk. My life was nothing, my queen cared little for what would happen to me. I was expected to be nothing more than a mindless drone like all the others. You saved me, even if I somehow would have survived the execution my queen would have just sent me on another suicide mission.”
Captain leans against the mast. “So, we saved each other?”
The few memories of the hive she has left come floating to the front of her mind. She chuckles at how different her life is now. “Yeah it sounds that way.” She remember their first meeting, how he threw her onto his back and ran out of the fort as though she was already someone he’d risk his life for. And then a random thought hits her. “Captain, what’s your goal?”
“Hm? Didn’t I tell you once?”
“Yeah, when we first met you said you wanted to be rich. Pretty clear that was a lie. I’ve seen you turn down payments, a lot of them.”
She hears Captain chuckling from beside her. “So I did… I guess I said that to seem more like an actual pirate.”
“So, what is your end goal?”
“You’ll find it stupid. But, I’m after immortality.” Ebony turns to him with a look of disbelief. “No, not that kind. Not the kind the princess has. I want a kind that the princess could only wish to have. It’s the kind of immortality where I won’t have to worry about what is happening in the world. I want to be remembered. I want my name to live on, to still mean something years from now.”
“So, you’re after fame?”
“Something like that.”
“Hm, sounds like something you’d want.” She hears Captain shift his weight onto the deck. Ebony casts a quick glance to the portside of the ship, to where the gangplank leads to the dock.
“So, was there anyone back in your, uh… hive that you were close to?” Captain asks.
“No, not really. Well, there was another drone that I knew. His name was Granite. We grew up together. He always looked out for me. We used to skip training and go to the nearest pony town to hide and play.”
“Sounds fun.”
“It was, until they out what we were. We got out alright, but got into shit when we got back. It was still fun though. Then he went to become one of Chrysalis’ personal guards. And I haven’t seen him since.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“It’s fine, it’s what he wanted.” She stops when she hears some ponies from the dock shouting at them. Looking back over at the dock she spots a stallion poking his head over the deck to look at them, he quickly ducks back down. “Everything turned out well anyways. I’m part of the strongest crew in all the oceans, and he’s the personal guard of the most powerful being in the world.”
“Asides from me, you mean.”
Ebony grins at Captain. “Of course, what was I thinking? We would be the strongest crew if it weren’t for you,” she says poking him in the ribs.
“Right, I, the stallion who can punch through solid rock, am holding us back.”
She chuckles. “Yeah, I say we might have to replace you soon.” She leans back against the mast with a sigh. Maybe you actually can stand up against her, she thinks with the queen’s message in her mind.
She looks out to sea, a navy ship bobs on the horizon. They won’t give up. With a sigh she shakes her head. “We can’t stay here. The navy is still after us, more so than ever since we’ve attacked them twice. It won’t take them too long before they decide to assemble an actual force to hunt us down.”
“So, let them come, we can take them.”
“But, the Neighsau can’t. The town would get stuck in the crossfire. We have to leave the Carriagebean and go somewhere else, let them cool off and forget about us a bit. We should go to somewhere like Zebrica, or Deerope.”
“I don’t like the idea of running, I say we just attack the Hayvana fort and show them not to mess with us.”
“And get yourself killed, the Misfortune destroyed and Rose executed.” When Captain doesn’t answer she assumes he gets the message. Silence settles between the two as Ebony starts thinking about their actions. We really are bucked if we stay here… but how much better off will we be somewhere else?
“How about you?” Captain asks bringing her back out of her thoughts.
“Huh?”
“Well, you’re afraid that you’re putting us at danger by simply being here. And you clearly think we’re all going to die. So, why are you still here? Not, that I don’t like you, I just want to know.”
“You saved my life,” she answers quickly. A moment of silence passes between the two then Captain starts laughing. “What?” Ebony asks, a little annoyed.
Captain manages to stop laughing long enough to give her a reply. “You’ve paid that off long ago. You’re still here for an other reason.”
She pauses for a moment not having actually thought as to why she’s still with him. I do owe him my life, that’s why I’m still here. Well actually, I have saved him couple of times… Celestia knows he’d have sailed off the world if it weren’t for me and Starry. And he’s not exactly the brightest candle in the world… So why I am still here? She sighs and looks up at the clouds above.
“Guess, I’m sticking around ‘cause I like it. I like sailing the seas, I like the creaking of Misfortune as it runs into a wave. I like the crew, Starry, Howler, Willow, even Smokey though I don’t think he feels the same. Rose is the greatest friend I have and The Lucky Mare is starting to feel a little like a home.”
“And then there’s… you,” she says with a light blush creeping across her face. “You’re a great pony, strong and willing to defend anyone with your life. You don’t care that I’m a changeling, I doubt you ever stopped to think why you were saving a changeling. If anything you wondered why you weren’t saving me… That’s nicer than what anyone has ever been to me. And I…” she trails off for a second and takes a deep breath. “And I think I love you.”
She waits for a reaction from him, but hears nothing but the waves lapping on the hull. Craning her neck she looks over at him. His eyes are closed and his lips curl up into a smile, he seems happy. He opens his eyes to look back at her. “I can’t argue with those reasons, half of them are the same for me. The crew is amazing, Rose lets me drink as much as I want, and at the helm of Misfortune is where I feel I belong,” he says.
“And then there’s you, a reason all it’s own. A changeling that changed my life, I guess that’s why you’re called changelings,” he says with a chuckle. “You have stood at my side from the beginning, through all the good and the bad… Meeting you was the greatest thing that has happened to me.” Before she has time to react Captain gives her a kiss. Nothing much just a quick peck on the cheek. “And, let’s just say Rose isn’t the only one who loves you.”
For a moment she sits there in a mix of shock, confusion, and pure happiness. She wraps her arms around the large stallion planting her lips on his. She savors the warmth and the slight taste of rum and honey. Shouting from the dock draws her attention but she stays pressed against Captain. A pony loving a changeling, can’t say I’ve seen odder things.
Somepony clears their throat from behind them. Ebony tenses up and a breaks out of the kiss. She turns to the gangplank preparing a spell on her horn to blast whoever’s on the ship. “Launch that spell at me and your love life will be short lived,” Starry says, a spell of her own glowing on her own, her sword sheaths into her scabbard.
“Starry, how long have you--”
“Long enough hear that you believe that we should leave and to see the little show of affection.” Ebony blushes but stays next to Captain. “Honestly, I’m surprised it took you two this long to admit it. Regardless, Rose wanted to speak with you. Well, actually the whole crew, but seeing as to how you’re the captain…”
“Alright then,” Captain says getting back onto his four hooves.
“Did she say what she wanted?” Ebony asks.
“Something about a shipwreck and a free-for-all, not much asides from that,” Starry says with a shrug. She turns and walks down the gangplank on to the dock. Ebony lets out a quick gasp afraid of what the mob of ponies would do to the ‘changeling’s friend’. She runs over to the rail to find unconscious sailors and pirates littering the dock. None of them seem to be dead, but certainly none of them are in any condition to move. Howler stands where the dock meets the street. A semicircle of ponies surround him, none of them seem like they want to fight but rather want to see what happened.
“Actually, Captain, I think Howler might be the strongest one in our crew,” Ebony says jumping onto the dock earning a few glares from the crowd on the street. They quickly shy away when Howler turns to looks at them.
“I still think I’m stronger than him,” Captain grumbles.