The cacophony inside the pub quieted as the doors opened and a tall black figure strolled in. From head to toe, he was covered in black: black cloak, black gloves black jeans, black vest, and black shoes. He wore a black steel mask that covered from his neck to the bridge of his nose, and had aviator goggles the color of charcoal black. His medium white spiky mane covered some of the goggles and hung around his shoulders. All eyes followed him in silence as he crossed the pub to a table in the farthest corner from the bar.
As soon as he sat down, conversations resumed and a waitress shyly came over to him. "U-Um.. w-welcome to 'The Sky's Thirst'... what would you like...?" She was real nervous around the blue unicorn.
"Everfree." Came the reply in a deep voice that was muffled by the mask. He pulled out a ruby and handed it to her. "And a plate of fried eggs. Lots." He gestured to all of the bar. "Why did they act that way?"
"M-Manehatten doesn't take kind to strangers, Outsider...S-Sorry, but they have a low level of trust to newcomers..." She backed away a little. "May have your name, sir...?"
He coughed and said, "Requiem." As the mare walked away, his pointed fluffy ears flicked as he concentrated on the multiple conversations that were going about around him. However, there was one conversation that drew him an interest, so he began focusing on a table that three stallions and a mare were sitting at. Their conversation was hushed, as if they didn't want anypony to hear what they were saying.
"Didja year? I heard that The Crystal's Glory was destroyed a couple of days ago. Went straight to the Core without so much as a peep." The first stallion said.
"The Crystal's Glory? Isn't that one of the Factionaire transporter ships?" Queried the second.
"Yeah. Anyways, my friend's brother's father's cousin worked with the Comms Unit for the Crystal Faction. She responded to a distress called and recorded the emergency call." The first started.
The third rolled his eyes and snorted as he took a swig at his beer. "Sure it was a Factionaire ship?"
The first nodded and stood up with several papers in his hand. He strolled over to the bartender, but Requiem focused on the table.
The third stallion snorted. "Whomever attacked, be it Pirates or Rogue Factionaires, there is not a single ship that can escape Crystal nor Swarm Factionaire ships. Not. A. Single. One."
The mare snapped her finger. "You're wrong. There's one ship that can out-maneuver, out-fight, and out-run any Factionaire ship. All of you know the legends of that Ghost Ship."
The second one shook his head. "Puh-leeze, The Lunar Frontier is but a legend and the ship resembling the legend hasn't been seen in 500 years while the Captain hasn't been seen in 600 years. There's no way the damn ship could survive this long."
The three of them argued, their arguments getting as loud as the pub, but the first stallion stood on a stool and shouted, "May I have your attention!" The pub quieted down and everyone looked at the man. The waitress came over with Requiems food, but he only took the bottle of Everfree and waved the eggs away. "As you all know, most of you, I work at the Bounty Factionaire Office. Every month, we update the bounties, old and new, and bring to local pubs like this for local militia and bounty hunters. Today, there is only one new bounty, and she is worth a whopping 50,000 bits - a bit less than Blackmane the Storm Pirate." He flipped the paper around revealing a tall mare with a swashbuckling outfit of a pirate, and the pub exploded into a cacophony of shouts and gasps and confusion as the stallion hung up the bounties.
The pub quieted down as the Outsider walked slowly across the pub, his boots thudding across the floor. He lifted a finger and hovered over the several bounties that updated and were pretty high. His finger slowed down as it passed over Blackmane, but completely stopped when it hit the Lunar Pirate, Captain Artemis. As he slowly pulled the bounty paper off, the pub rioted into laughter and jeers.
"She may be dead, but no bounty hunter can catch her!"
"She's stronger than Demons!"
"She's fearless! Have fun in finding her!"
In the midst of jeers and laughs, Requiem nodded, like he made up his mind. "Yeah..." He softly said, his confidence building. "That will be fun." The pub stopped laughing, staring at his serious posture. He pulled an emerald out of his pocket and tossed it at the bartender. He strolled towards the exit saying words that they could never forget:
"The Lunar Pirates are back, and I'm sure she'll need a fresh crew."
"Alright, you scallywags!" Artemis called out to her crew they were all assembled on the deck at attention, save for the First Mate who had the helm, and the Captain was pacing back and forth. "We are a few miles from Ponyville, so we all need to get the behavior straightened out. Ponyville is a neutral Faction of it's own, but that doesn't mean that there aren't Factionaires there. I'm not sure if my bounty still exists, but be wary of them. Don't steal, kill or taunt the Factionaires or the landlubbers. Understand?"
"Aye-aye, Cap'n!"
"Good." She waved her hand. "Back to your stations." Everypony filed out and Artemis called out to an orange mare with a blonde mane and green eyes. "Head Engineer! Applejack!" She wore a bra and short shorts, along with a headband to keep swear out of her eyes. She jogged over to the Captain.
"Yes'm?"
Artemis held up the large red gem that Applejack acquired on their previous loot. "This gem is Moonstone material, but it's not any of the ones we've see. It won't function with our ship at all. You're related to the Moonstone-farming Pie family, no?" Applejack nodded. "Excellent. I need you to take this gem and have one of them inspect it." Artemis placed the gem in Applejack's hand, and Applejack jogged down into the lower decks.
Artemis walked up the steps to the helm and took it from Shining. "What are you plans, Captain? Once we hit shore." Shining asked. "If I may."
She shrugged. She hadn't really thought thought about it much - she was used to living in the skies and on remote islands, the idea of civilization didn't really interest her. Sure, there was the occasional island pub in between ship routes, but those weren't in a city. "Perhaps stay on board...not used to a throng of ponies." She patted the wheel. "Or maybe fix up this old girl. I'm not the only one who needs a fix" She chuckled a bit.
Shining looked at Artemis thoughtfully, and Artemis looked back. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Artemis tore her eyes away from him, blushing slightly. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"
He pushed himself away from the railing and strode down the steps. "Oh, no reason at all. I just worry for my Captain. That's all." He went below decks right as a call came from the bow of the ship.
"Island spotted! Ponyville's in our midst!"
"Alright, my mateys! Gather 'round the helm!" The crew assembled themselves as Artemis placed the ship on auto-pilot, and sat on the railing that was in front of the helm. "I do not know how long we will be in Ponyville, but let's say three days. You may do what you like, but remember what I have warned out. I'm not quite ready for Hunters yet." There was a light chuckle throughout the crew. "Alright! Gather whatever belongings you'll take with you! Thunderlane, Soarin, you two have aerial duty while descend to the Underearth. Don't want any Sky Behemoths getting this ol' girl before she has a chance at a second life." She clapped her hands. "Chop-chop! Away with you all until we land!" The crew began to depart.
"Rainbow Dash!" Captain Artemis shouted. The pegasus turned around, looking at the captain, before fluttering over to her. "When we land, I'll have either Soarin or Thunderlane walk you through the process of recruitment. Bless the stars above that we need it." She nodded and fluttered up to the nest. "And no drinking contests, you hear?!"
"Ponyville itself was a marvelous sight. Even though some of the old cities i from Old Equestria fell apart during the Rising, Ponyville soon became a center for knowledge and trade. After a couple of hundred years Ponyville soon began to reach its peak, and became a small Faction of the Skies: Star Faction, led by none other than Queen Twilight the Wondrous. However, unlike other Factions, Star Faction was led by the Queen and her Star Order. As a matter of fact, The Lunar Pirate had picked up two of the Star Order on remote sky islands; Rainbow Dash the Loyal and Applejack the Honest. Ponyville had obtained its glory and knowledge because it was run on a mysterious element known as Harmony.
"Ponyville did not consist of one island, but several. The center island was the Castle Island(Castle District) - residential places for soldiers, scientists, technicians, and the Star Order - and surrounding the island were six different islands; all connected by bridges. The first island on the outer ring was for shopping and buying wares from trade(Market District); the Second for luxurious places like spas and pubs and restaurants (Luxury District); the Third for housing and schooling(Residential District); the Fourth for building materials and other hands-on occupations such as forging, smithing, ship building, crafting, etc(Business District); the Fifth was a large island, commonly referred to as 'The Docking District' because it was used for ship docking and repairing or upgrading; and the sixth was usually an empty island for festivals and ceremonies(Ceremony District), where several people who had 'business' to settle would meet and fight.
"The following measurements of the islands goes as follow in diameter: Castle District is in between 1400-1500 feet; the Market District is 500 feet across, as well as the Luxury District; the Residential District is 900 feet across; the Business District is 300 feet across; the Docking District is 1300 feet across; and the Ceremony District is 1000 feet across. All of the outer districts, save the Residential and Docking Districts, were set up like the olden Equestrian Wild West towns, but definitely larger.
"On most islands, the cloud sea would reach to the island's 'drop-off'(a place where you would fall below the clouds to the Core if you were to step off), but Ponyville's position in the skies was higher than other islands. When Ponyville survived the Rising, a huge chunk of the earth's crust - like most islands - stayed attached to the bottom. Many refer to these pieces of crusts as 'Underearth' or 'Undercrust'. Beneath the tip of the Underearth was another island, but this large island that spanned across Ponyville was in the clouds; only the canopies of trees could be seen and the cloud covered the island like a thick fog. Many believe that dangerous monsters lurk under there, and if anything precious was dropped into the 'Everfree'(as they called it), then it was considered Lost.
"The crust that ponies walked on in Castle District was only about 30 feet thick. The Underearth directly below Castle District was completely hollowed out, and inside resided the biggest Underground Market - literally - that the skies knew existed. Any outsider to the UM knows nothing of its location, but like everypony else, they knew of its existence. It was home to many pirates, criminals, and traders, and there was order among them when they interacted. In the top of the cavern was several boardwalks for ships to dock at, at least the ones with a reasonable size. Stolen goods, homemade wares, Factionaire valuables, even old and ancient artifacts(though they were fakes) were all brought and sold or traded. It was a place that the enemies to the Factionaires could reside peacefully for a shore leave break from the sky life. The exit into Ponyville was in a pub on the outskirts of Castle District."
There were gasps and murmurs in the busy Underground Market as the crowds parted, letting one sole group pass through with ease. Shining Armor leaned over and whispered, "Captain, they're staring and murmuring....why?"
Artemis responded as she strode pride-like. "I told you before, Shining. They're practically witnessing a ghost. Nopony believes that the Captain Artemis is still alive."
There was a brief silence then a shout rang across the cavern. "The Nightmare is alive!" Immediately the market exploded into jeers and insults, all directed towards Artemis.
"She's a liar!"
"A fake!"
"The real Artemis is more cruel! More brutal!"
"The Lunar Pirate is dead!"
A tomato whizzed by Artemis' head and almost hit Dash. Dash, infuriated by the jaunts, marched over to the edge of the crowd where the tomato came from. "Who the hell threw that?! Have you know respect for the Captain?! If you want her gone, you'll have to get me first!"
She didn't see the large fist coming until it slammed into her cheek and sent her practically fighting. Dash was a small pegasus compared to most, so the force was like throwing her. Suddenly the cavern was cut quiet as Blam! Blam! Blam! rang about the cavern. There was dead silence, and everybody looked at the Captain: she was holding Dash, Artemis' arm around Dash's back to keep the pegasus close to the Captain, and her large pistol in the other hand with the look of death in her eyes. Her coat fell off, revealing tattoos that crawled all the way down her arms until they hit an inch away from her wrists - cracked tattoos with chain tattoos that spiraled around her arm. She set Dash upright and looked down at the three dead bodies that laid on the floor.
"Nopony, and I mean nopony hurts my crew like that." The tattoos on her arms was all the ponies needed for proof. First Mate Shining picked up the Captain's coat and helped her get it back on. She loaded her pistol again and 360'd slowly. "Anypony else want a crack at me ore my crew?" There was dead silence, but an older stallion hobbled forward. He immediately fell to the ground with his head on it, much like the Japony style of forgiveness.
"Oh bless us, Lunar Pirate! Forgive these tthree who are slain! They are of the New Age and do not know what fear is when it stares them in the face! Please mercy us! We beg your forgiveness! Please do not slaughter this marketplace!" He continued on begging for everypony, crying with real intent. The rest were in complete shock.
"Shut it." Came the cold harsh voice of the Lunar Pirate. Everypony trembled as she walked towards the stallion a little. She stared down at him, then softly said, "Good sir," He stopped trembling and looked up slowly. Everypony held their breath, suspecting the fate of the old stallion. The Captain holstered her pistol and the tension was thick. Suddenly a warm smile spread across her face and she helped him up. "Would you be so kind and to show me the way out? I have not been to Ponyville in Centuries."
He swallowed and said with a shaky voice. "I-It has been the same exit as it's always been, your greatness..." He pointed to the north of the cavern. "T-The stairs l-lead all the way t-to The Silver Plate, the old tavern f-from long ago." He swallowed heavily.
In one swift move, Artemis began striding towards the exit, and the cavern remained quiet for the remainder of her leave, only her boots making echos around the silenced cavern.. Once they hit the stairs, the marketplace resumed slowly, as if they all were recovering from shock. Captain Artemis stopped before the stairs and swiftly turned on Dash, who flinched. "Dash, are you okay?" The old captain was back to herself again with her calm voice. She moved Dash's eye, revealing a cut underneath her eye and the eye was all swollen up. "He did a number on you, didn't he?"
"I-I'm fine, Captain..." Dash said quietly as she winced when Artemis touched her bruise.
Artemis shrugged. "Fine..." She grinned mischievously. "But this eyepatch will make you look a lot cooler." She said as she held up a black eyepatch.
Dash was a mare who acted tough(and is), and tried to keep her cool-like attitude. However, she was a young mare, so her eyes lit up and she smiled big as Artemis put the patch on. "Suh-weet!" Dash said, pumping her fist. "I'll definitely be 20% Cooler with this!" The crew burst into laughter as they all head up the stairs. As they waked up, Applejack walked next to the Captain.
"Jus' like th' stories said, Cap'n." Applejack said. "Brutal an' cruel as evah. But they ain't neveh said anythin' about th' other side." She smirked. "Who knew even th' 'darkest ponies' could haf a soft heart."
"True, AJ" Artemis said. "But we will face more prejudice like that." She shrugged. "Unless they wise up and alert the whole town before I even get up there." The two chuckled. Artemis looked at AJ. "Tell me about this friend of yours. The one who you waited for on that island for 5 years."
Aj rubbed the back of her head and said, "Weeeellllll she's a real nice lady. Cares for alluv us in th' Star Order. She's bright, an' intelligent, an' knows magic that no other pony knows. She's a mare who would never break her promise." Her ears drooped. "But why did she break that one?"
Artemis smiled. "I never told you, AJ, but before I picked you up off of that island, I had to scare a Leviathan away. Perhaps your friend couldn't get past the Leviathan." AJ's eyes lit up at that news, and Artemis simply smiled.
The entered into the pub from a back room, and it instantly quieted down. Everypony stared at The Captain, and it was so quiet that anypony could hear the beat of a butterfly's wings. No pony dared to move. No pony dared to speak. A lone stallion, a blue unicorn with a white mane, stood up. He wore a steel mask and goggles that covered his face. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. He held it up, as if down a comparison. "Captain Artemis, I presume?"
Dash and Applejack stepped forward, as if shielding the Captain, as the man reached into his pocket. He was tall and slender, and looked like he was ready for a fight. "Who's asking...?" Artemis asked slowly. The stranger tossed something shiny to the bartender, and he said one thing before the bartender announced on the house drinks and the bar cheered:
"Just an Outsider, Cap'n."