Chapter 1
A soft breeze hit Sharp Wings’ red-brown coat as she trotted over her ship. Her dark red mane covered by her captain hat and her tail short from her recent encounter with an angry shark. A grin was on her face as she entered her cabin. After a long day of working on her ship she was finally allowed some sleep. Her eyes grew more tired by the minute as she made her way to her bed. She threw her hat off and snuggled under the warm and soft covers.
“Finally some rest…” She muttered as her eyes fluttered close and sweet dreams of plundering filled her mind.
The next day went smoothly. Sharp set sail to a nearby fishermen town and her crew made preparations for the plundering. When the shore came in sight, the crew was ready to go. The moment the ship made contact with the shore, Sharp’s crew flew into town.
“Get all the money you can get!” Sharp yelled to her crew mates as they ran on shore. “Don’t leave anything behind! We’re having a feast tonight!” She grinned down at the running civilians as her crew dove through them and into the weak houses of those poor ponies.
“Captain!” The pegasus turned around and was met with the young face of one of her newest crew members.
“Ah, Crystal Hunter. What is it?” She asked the young colt.
“Can I, maybe… Stay here? I mean, somepony has to guard the ship, right?” He said stuttering nervously. He was just new on the ship and had not plundered yet. A soft chuckle escaped the captain’s lips as she smiled at the young pirate.
“Someday you’ll have to go on shore and get some gold for me, boy.” She said, patting the young one’s head with her hoof.
“I know, but… It’s just that I’m… Well..”
Another chuckle came from the pegasus as she looked at the town. Beautiful red, yellow and orange colored flames came from the small wooden houses. Screams filled the air as Sharp’s crew took everything they could get.
“I know how you feel, boy. I felt the same way when I first started pirating.” She told him. “You’ll learn it, boy. Just you wait.” She smiled at Crystal as he nodded.
“Thank you captain.” He said smiling, but still holding his head down a bit. Sharp put a hoof on the boy’s chin and lifted his head up.
“Stand straight and nose up high, boy. That way you’ll go further then when you bow down all the time.” She pulled her hoof back and walked towards the shore.
“Thank you.” Crystal muttered quietly as he smiled to his captain. She was a great pirate and a plunderer, but also a motherly mare.
In town all civilians were running around or hiding wherever they could. Sharp looked to her sides every so often and saw her crew members leaving small wooden houses with their bags full of gold and other valuable items. Sharp’s hat was still on its place in her cabin as she walked through a deserted house. Her bandana was wrapped around her head and her mane was pulled backwards. She searched the small little cottage, but found nothing. She smiled.
‘They may be pirates, but they keep their word.’ She thought as she walked out of the cottage again.
Outside it was hot from all the fire going on about. As she walked further into town she saw one of her crewmates, but he lay still on the ground. It was her most trusted and oldest member, Golden Hooves, her quartermaster.
“Hooves!” She yelled as she approached his silent figure. “No, please… Please don’t be dead!” She sat next to him and held him with her hooves. She laid her ear on his chest.
…
“No…” She couldn’t believe it. Her most loyal member, one that had been with her since she started as a captain, was gone… Small flashbacks of her time with him flashed through her mind as she held her hooves gently on his coat, brushing his mane out of his face.
“Thank you captain! I’m so glad I can join you!” A young grey stallion walked up to a five years younger Sharp Wings. The mare chuckled lightly.
“No problem, kid. But know that you’ll be thrown overboard when you betray me.” She put on her most dreadful glare towards the young one, but he didn’t budge.
“I will never betray you Captain Sharp.” He said loyally. A wide smile crept on the young captain’s face as the small Golden Hooves stepped on her ship.
“You’ll do great, Hooves...”
“It just can’t…” Sharp muttered as tears silently flowed down her face.
“Captain Wings!” A voice called to her, but she didn’t turn around. She held her motherly gaze to Golden Hooves as she closed his eyes respectfully.
“Captain?”
“Silver…” Sharp stood up and faced the blonde stallion that had joined her crew together with Golden Hooves. “I’m sorry, Silver Shoes.” She said as she slightly bowed her head and stepped aside to let the young stallion say goodbye to his brother.
“No… How did this happen?” He asked, doing his best not to cry as he was bent over his brother. Sharp shook her head silently.
“I don’t know, but we’ll all say goodbye to him this night on sea.” Captain Sharp said as she walked up to a few others of her crew and ordered them to bring Golden Hooves’ body to the ship. Silver followed them as Sharp nodded to him to leave the town. After that she walked back to the town and trotted lonely past small houses and burned cottages. No emotion was shown on her face as she walked slowly, in search for somepony to kill to let out her anger.
“H-help…”
A silent cry for help caught her attention as she focused on the voice. This was her chance. As she heard a few stifled sobs she located the sounds. They came from a destroyed cottage in the middle of the town. She entered and looked around. There she found a small young filly, in need for help. Her mane was messy and her coat scratched as she crouched down on the ground in the corner of the room.
“P-please… Help me…” She muttered as Sharp neared her. The pegasus looked at the little filly and silently drew her sword. She held it in her wing and readied herself to kill.
“Please miss. H-help my brother…” The filly muttered suddenly, not able to see the sword behind Sharp’s back. The pegasus gasped as she saw an even smaller figure next to the little filly. It was grey with a golden blonde mane. “H-he needs help…Please miss…” The filly said again, a bit louder now. Sharp swallowed a lump in her throat as she looked at the two foals. What should she do? With a sigh she decided.
“I’m sorry kid…”
With one swing of her sword she cut the little fillies head of. It rolled on the ground and bumped into Sharp’s legs as she neared the smaller colt who was shaking from fear. Sharp couldn’t bring herself to kill this kid. He looked too much like…
“Hooves! No!”
A single tear ran down her face as she put her sword back on its place beneath her wing. Slowly she walked up to the little kid. It was a unicorn, unlike Golden Hooves who was an earth pony. But she didn’t mind. She took the small figure, put it on her back, walked out of the little house and ran back to her ship. There she took the colt to the surgeons. They should be able to help him.
“May, I need your help.”
A young silver coated mare ran up to her captain.
“Who is that?” She asked as she inspected the little colt on her captain’s back.
“Actually, I don’t know. I found him in town and wanted to help him.”
A confused look crept on the unicorns face as she wondered why her captain brought this kid in, but she decided not to ask seeing that she had heard about Golden Hooves. So she thought she’d give her apology.
“I’m sorry about Golden Hooves.” She said as she lifted the grey colt off of her captains back and walked towards a bed. “He was such a great stallion.”
Sharp just nodded as she watched the gifted unicorn work with the small colt.
“I’d thought you’d want to go on a killing spree after Hooves’ death, but apparently I’m wrong.” The doctor said giving a slight chuckle. Still Sharp did not reply. She only watched without any emotion showing in her face as the unicorn healed the little colt.
After a little while of unicorn magic the colt was cured from the most serious wounds. The less ones were mostly wrapped in bandages.
“Alright. He’s good to go.” May said as she handed the colt back to Sharp. The captain nodded and trotted off with the sleepy foal on her back. All crewmembers were back on the ship again, bringing their prizes to the special ‘golden room’. The ship was already sailing towards the horizon, leaving the destroyed town behind. Sharp walked to her cabin and gently put the little colt in her bed. She put the blankets tightly around him so he wouldn’t catch a cold or something and then walked back out of her room again.
“Captain Wings. What are we going to do without a quartermaster?” One of the crewmembers came up to her the instant she closed her door. She had put on her hat again so that she would look like the unstoppable captain they all knew. The stallion in front of her, Artillery Shot was his name, was the gunner of Sharp’s ship. He would gather weapons, aim and shoot together with his small team.
Sharp sighed at the question, not really knowing what to do, but she had to be there for her crew. She walked up to her ‘special throne’ she used for speeches. It was just a regular box, but for some reason it was special to her.
“Gather all ponies!” She yelled to her crew. They all gathered around her as she stood on her special box. “Today we lost a special crewmember. Golden Hooves’ death had been a unfortunate surprise, but he won’t be forgotten.” The crewmembers cheered as she finished her sentence, then they all stopped as Sharp flapped her wings strongly. “We will grief over him for now, but he did not want that. Hooves was a good guy. He will be remembered by his crewmates, his friends and family, and his captain.” She said, her left hoof against her chest. “Now, we shall put his mind and soul to sleep. Lower him into the water!” All ponies on deck stomped their hooves on the wooden floor as their loyal quartermaster, brother, and friend’s body was lowered into sea and put to rest.
“Rest in peace, Golden Hooves.” Sharp finished as the body disappeared in the deep blue ocean.
After a minute in silence Sharp talked again. “Now, we need a new quartermaster.” She said. The crewmembers nodded to her and each other in agreement. Though no pony knew who she was going to choose. “So I will choose a new quartermaster. One that will lead me, my ship, and all of you to victory in each and every town we meet. One that will be loyal to me, my ship, and all of you. One that will be a good friend, like Golden Hooves, and be at our side.” She looked through the crew and smiled as she saw the perfect candidate. She raised one of her hooves and flapped her wings as she shouted his name.
“Silver Shoes.”
Said stallion’s ears perked up and his eyes widened at the sound of his name.
“M-me?” He asked, not sure if he heard it correctly. Sharp nodded and jumped off of her box, walking towards the golden blonde stallion. Golden Hooves’ brother.
“You are the perfect one, Silver.” She said kindly. “You’re the only one who can do it.” The stallion gulped for a moment.
“But, who will be the boatswain then?” He asked, still not sure about this offer.
Sharp sighed and looked around. A boatswain wasn’t that important, was it?
“It’s not really necessary, but if it makes you feel better then maybe you can be both?” She said, smiling at the stallion.
“A-are you sure?” Sharp nodded. “Alright then.” A smile found its way on the stallions lips as he waved his hooves in the air. “I’m the new quartermaster!” The other crewmembers surrounded him, congratulating him on his promotion.
Sharp smiled and backed away, but she accidently bumped into somepony.
“Oh, sorry.” She said as she turned around to look at the small guy. It was the grey colt she had brought out of town. “What are you doing here?” She asked. The young colt looked at her with big, pleading eyes. A small laugh escaped the captain’s lips as she took the young colt back to her cabin. There she put the kid back in her bed.
“Now, stay here kid. I’m going back outside.” As she stepped away from the bed to leave, she felt a hoof at her side. Looking back she saw the young colt’s pleading eyes again.
“D-don’t leave…” He muttered quietly. Sharp blinked but smiled. She crawled up next to the colt and held him in her arms as she laid on her bed.
“Don’t worry, kid. I’ll be here.” She said as she held the young one. Eventually they fell asleep. Normally, Sharp would dream about plundering or swimming in gold, but tonight she didn’t, she dreamt of the sea. Dreaming that she was stuck underneath the surface. She couldn’t breathe. Her coat and mane felt heavy as she did her best to swim up again, but to no avail. She could feel the pain in her wings as the pressure became more and more heavy each meter she sank to the bottom. Eventually, with a last glance up, she hit the bottom and her eyes closed.
Sharp’s eyes shot open as she woke up from her terrifying dream. She was being killed by her closest friend, the sea. What was this about? Normally she wouldn’t dream like that. She hadn’t had a nightmare since she first started as pirate. She glanced to her side where the small little colt was curled up in a ball against her. Then she smiled again and softly got out of her bed, being sure not to wake the small foal. When she succeeded she went outside. It was still night and she felt that there was a storm coming up. There was a strange feeling in the air that took Sharp’s breath away. Her eyes scanned the sea and her ship as she trotted over to her special ‘throne’. She remembered well how she had gotten this box. It was almost ten years ago now, that she had started as a pirate.
“Alright mates.” A big brown stallion stood on his ship that was ready to set sail. “This here is our newest crewmate, Sharp Wings.” A small filly Sharp Wings stood next to the big stallion. “She will be our deck scrubber.” He said with a laugh. The other crewmembers laughed with him and looked at the little pegasus filly.
“Are you sure she’s up for that task?” Another stallion said mockingly. Sharp huffed at his remark.
“Of course I am!” She shouted angrily. “I was raised by pirates! I can do any task you give me!” The crowd just laughed at the small filly, but she didn’t budge. She stood straight, her nose up high in the air. “I will prove it too you all!”
That was how she started as pirate, scrubbing the deck. It had been tough for her the first few weeks, but eventually she became more and more of a pirate.
Sharp smiled to herself as she remembered it. She had grown since then. She was older, more brutal and most of all, more motherly. Even though she was known as a feared pirate on all seas. She had a soft side. She was always there for her crew. She would not betray them if they didn’t betray her. She would care for them if they needed it. She was the best captain on the seven seas.
After a while of thinking she went back to her cabin, but before she even got there the storm came up. Huge gusts of wind blew water all over her ship. The crewmates came out of their rooms and ran up to their captain.
“The storm is going to be tough.” Sharp said. “But we can handle it!” The crewmembers nodded and went to their positions. Sharp looked around and silently opened the door to her cabin to check on the foal.
He was lying on Sharp’s bed silently. ‘Soundly asleep.’ She thought smiling as she closed the door again. She went back to her crew to check on them. When she got to the main deck however, she was suddenly hit by an enormous wave and thrown into the water.
“Captain!” A few crewmembers shouted as they saw their captain disappear in the water.
“Man overboard!” A few yelled as they did their best to take their captain out of the water. A long rope with on the end a lifebuoy was thrown over to Sharp as she did her best to stay with her head above the water.
“Captain! Grab the rope!” She heard Silver Shoes yell as she saw the buoy float past her. She couldn’t believe it. Her dream, no, her nightmare came true. She was going to die. She couldn’t grab the rope nor the buoy as she drifted further away from her ship. The screams and shouts of her crew vanished as the ship disappeared from her sight. Her eyes closed as she let the current of the water drag her to wherever they wanted. She was going to die. She just knew it. Her mind drifted away as she herself drifted underwater and disappeared from sight.