Ponies of the Equestribbean: Venture of the Constellation

==X==X==X==

One: Introductions

==X==X==X==

The Constellation, pride of the Royal Navy of Equestria, was the fastest Sand Schooner ever built during the Time of Storms. It was so fast that it was said to be able to outrun the fury of any hurricane and ride on the very wind that created those monster storms without fear. It was captained by the Prince of the Wind himself when he went into battle against King Darkmane, the Ruler of the Sea, who wished to flood the lands of Equestria to expand his Empire of the Oceans.

King Darkmane was defeated, and the Empire of the Oceans retreated, but the Constellation and the Prince of the Wind were never seen, or heard from, again…

"Wow! That's a cool story, Twilight!" The sudden voice in Twilight Sparkle's ear caused the bookworm of a pony to jump and shout in surprise, landing on her hind quarters. So interested in her book had she been that she hadn't noticed her baby dragon friend, Spike, walk up and start reading over her shoulder.

"Spike!" She snapped, "Don't do that! You know better than to sneak up on me when I'm reading so intently!" She took a deep breath, trying to slow her suddenly sped up heart rate. Letting the breath out slowly, she took another and then blew it out, getting up on all her legs. "And it's probably just an old myth."

Spike looked at a picture in the book, showing a rather handsome winged unicorn at the helm of a flying ship. By size he looked as if he would rival Princess Celestia. His coat was a grey color, his mane brown, and eyes blue; wearing a wide brimmed, black ostrich feather hat – one side curled with a blue feather. His wings were through what looked like an overcoat on his back. He seemed confident, courageous, and powerful in the picture, and Spike continued to look at it for a few moments longer before speaking again. "Myth huh?"

"Yes, most likely. Just like a lot of other stories." Twilight gave a small studious nod, seeming very confident that she was right.

Spike smirked. "You mean like Nightmare Moon?"

Twilight stopped nodding. "…I think I need to do some research…"

==X==X==X==

Sugar Cube Corner was as busy as it ever was, if not more so. Pinky Pie was around to help, and was of course as bouncy, energetic, and potentially insane as she ever was. Rainbow Dash was present as well, and somehow she had been roped into a little competition by Pinky. It was a simple contest really: see who could fill the most orders the fastest. Dash had been against it at first, thinking it to be a silly thing and not much of a competition, but Pinky had of course managed to pluck that string of competitive spirit by calling her out as a chicken afraid to lose.

As if that didn't signal a coming disaster enough, poor Fluttershy had been shanghaied into it as well – though she got off easy, supposedly, as all she had to do was keep track of who filled the most orders in a given amount of time. Of course, nothing was ever as easy as it sounded, and by the end of it all, Dash's seeming advantage of speed, and her own hubris, had ended up being her downfall. While Fluttershy could keep track of things pretty easily with Pinky, she couldn't tell how many Dash was able to serve because of how fast she actually moved and that rainbow streak that followed her. That… and the fact that so much wind followed her that half the tables on her side looked like a wreck by the time it was over.

Competition over, it was Pinky with thirteen and Dash with… three, or at least three that didn't look like a tornado hit them. Dash was steamed at first when she heard the score, and Fluttershy was shrinking until Pinky actually pointed out the mess and wreckage to their blue coated friend. At the sight she blushed and let out a much more mild and humble, "Oh."

As the cleanup began, Dash was clearly embarrassed, and looking to change the subject from the task at hand. After a moment, something did come to mind, and she beamed. "Oh, hey, did you guys hear?"

"Hear what, Dashie?" Pinky cocked her head to the side with a blink, and Fluttershy paused in her cleaning to look at her friend.

"Princess Luna is going to be visiting Cloudsdale in the next couple of days!"

"Really?" Fluttershy asked softly. "I've been wondering about her for the longest time. I don't think I've seen her since Nightmare Night."

"I don't think any of us have, actually." Pinky thought aloud. "Are you two going to visit her?" She asked curiously.

"I sure am!" Dash piped up.

"I think I will too." Fluttershy smiled, "I hope she's been doing well."

"I wish I could go with you guys…" Pinky hung her head and pouted.

"You always could, y'know…" Dash said at length.

"Really?" Pinky immediately brightened.

"Yeah, you and the others could all come. Twilight can just use that spell like she did at the Junior Fliers Competition so you can all walk on clouds again." She snickered, "That way Rarity won't almost fall to her doom for the second time." She smirked, "Though, I mean, I could always save her again. No big deal or anything. Just helping a friend."

"Careful, Rainbow Dash…" Fluttershy said softly, "I think your ego is showing."

"My what?" Dash looked around at herself, walking in a circle and blushing. Pinky just laughed, as did Fluttershy, though the latter did so much softer. "Oh come on guys… What's showing?"

==X==X==X==

"Oh come now, Applejack, you just simply cannot be serious!" Once again, the odd pairing of Applejack and Rarity working together had come to pass, but for once it didn't involve something that would get Rarity dirty. "Those colors just simply do not go together. No, no, no!" She paused, "Well, at least not during this time of year. In the fall, maybe, but not in summer. Orange and that particular shade of red are the colors of autumn, dear."

Applejack looked at her refined friend with a raised brow, "I'm never gonna understand you really dignified types; even after living in Manehattan." She shook her head and sighed, looking at the dress that Rarity was showing her how to make. The shop was busier than ever, and Applejack seemed to be the only one of her friends that could find a large amount of free time.

Fluttershy had the knowledge and ability, but the Pegasus with the pink mane worked so hard to make sure all the animals were okay that Rarity would have felt bad for not letting her get some time to relax. Pinky Pie was just… well… let's just say it would be a bad idea. Twilight was always studying, not to mention that she could hardly build a bird's nest, and Rainbow Dash just simply… well, she was Rainbow Dash. Giving her a needle and thread would be like asking a fish to swim in the dirt. Applejack, however, was a hard worker and was the most likely to probably pick up on a new skill set. She could already sew; sure to having to fix clothes on the farm. It was more a matter of getting her color coordinated.

"So what colors are summery then?" Applejack asked, looking over the fabric. A lot of it looked like it could be for summer to her; after all, summer meant different things to different people. However, she knew that Rarity had a specific meaning of what was summery and what wasn't.

"Summer colors are suppose to be bright, lively… like… yellow, for instance, or pink, or light blue. White is good too. Basically… anything that isn't dark." Rarity explained with a smile, pointing out examples by making pieces of colored fabric hover.

"Why?" Applejack asked, and while she didn't think it was one, she hoped it didn't sound like a stupid question.

"Well…" Rarity tried thinking of a way to explain, and then smiled, "You know how in the summer your work duds feel kind of hot?"

"Yeah…" Applejack nodded slowly.

"Well that's because of the colors. They're dark, and dark colors attract heat. Light colors repel it, or at least some of it, and make you feel cooler."

"Oh!" Applejack nodded, "That makes sense I guess." She paused, "Alright, so what colors go together?"

"Well, white can go with just about any other summer color, because they're light colors. Pink and yellow can go well… and blue and yellow can go together… Pink and blue has to be done carefully though, or it doesn't quite look right. It's like mixing red and blue. Too sharp a contrast." Applejack nodded as Rarity spoke, and then took the only partly made dress that she had started off the stand.

"Should I throw this away, or…?"

"Oh, goodness no!" Rarity shook her head, and pointed toward a bin. "Put it in there, dear. We can save it and you can work on that in the fall if you like."

"Really?" Applejack was excited for a moment, though quickly calmed herself, "I mean, uhm… sure… that sounds nice." She didn't want to admit it, but she was actually enjoying herself doing this. Taking the partly made dress over and putting it in the bin, Applejack paused for a moment and then she asked a question – one that had been on her mind since Rarity had come to her for help. "Say Rarity… who are all these dresses for, anyway?"

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Rarity asked, as if her friend should have been told this by now. "Princess Luna will be visiting Cloudsdale in the next few days. These dresses are for the ladies of that fair clouded city."

Applejack snickered.

"What?"

"Any of these for Rainbow Dash?"

Rarity giggled softly, "I'm surprised she even wore one to the Gala." She paused in thought, "More so that it wasn't destroyed during the whole event."

"With how bad that whole thing went, I'm surprised we're still livin'."

==X==X==X==

"Oh… I'm still not sure this is a good idea, Celestia."

"You're just not used to being out and about with the people, that's all, Luna." Celestia said softly, trying to calm her sister. "After all, night is your time. It only makes sense." She nuzzled her sister gently, "But… isn't seeing our subjects what you always wanted?"

"Kind of…" Luna hung her head a bit, sighing softly, "I just wanted them to see the nights that I made. I… I don't know if I should really go to Cloudsdale. I mean I've heard a lot about it, and I've seen it at night… and I know the people are probably friendly enough… but… what if they don't like me?"

"Don't like you?" Celestia raised her brows and blinked, "Why in all of Equestria wouldn't they like you, little sister?"

"Uhm…" She glanced away, "I can think of one good reason…"

Celestia sighed. "What happened between us is all in the past."

"Between us, maybe!" Luna piped up, "But think about it sis: we're sisters, we're supposed to forgive each other, and you're the only pony alive that knew me back before I was Nightmare Moon. The others first met me like that." She hung her head, "Face it… I was a villain to them from the start. They have no reason to like me."

Celestia was quiet for a moment, and then smiled. "Twilight and her friends seemed to like you well enough. Don't you remember that party? And then how Twilight helped you on Nightmare Night?"

At that Luna smiled softly, "I remember. They were so nice to me, even after everything." She paused, "Though… I think that pink one might have been a few straws short of a hay bale."

Celestia laughed softly, "I think that's the general reaction to Pinky Pie." She shook her head, remembering the pink pony's antics at that party in Ponyville. "The point though is that they like you, and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are both from Cloudsdale. They're sure to come see you – and if they do, I have no doubts that Twilight and the others won't be far behind."

"Are you sure, sister?" Luna asked hopefully.

"Very sure." She paused for a moment, and then whispered. "I also know one more thing that bodes well for them liking you."

"What?" Luna asked curiously.

"It wasn't long after your visit to Cloudsdale was announced that Twilight's friend Rarity got a large order for dresses from the city."

Luna smiled, her fears diminishing by the moment. Now she was looking forward to going. It was not a moment later, however, when a messenger came running into the chamber, panting and out of breath.

"What is it, messenger?" Celestia asked, standing tall. The messenger began to stumble over his words, and Celestia smiled softly. "Take a breath. Then start from the beginning."

He did just that, taking a breath and calming down, and then began to explain. "The Concordia just arrived here in Canterlot, and she's badly damaged."

"The Concordia?" Celestia's eyes went wide. That ship was the pride of the fleet, the power in the Equestribbean, and it was damaged? "Goodness, what happened? How bad is the damage?"

"The Revenge was spotted out and alone. The Concordia and two other vessels, the Merry Celeste and the Capricorn, were dispatched to intercept. The Capricorn was destroyed, lost with all hands, and the Merry Celeste is missing. It hasn't sent word and it was last seen limping away with damaged sails. Casualties unknown." He shook his head, "The Concordia managed to do some damage, but the Revenge was too maneuverable for it. The keel is damaged and the mainmast is gone. Casualties are… extensive."

"What about Admiral Ironsides?" Celestia asked, suddenly seeming fearful, though her eyes were wide with hope. Luna watched her sister closely, and she could tell that the Admiral had been special to her for some reason, though Luna had never met the stallion in question.

"Lost, I'm afraid." The messenger bowed his head. "From what the first mate of the Concordia told me, he had positioned the ship between the Revenge and the Merry Celeste in an attempt to cover the damaged ship as it made its escape. Unfortunately, it seems he paid the price for that decision." He spoke softly then, bowing his head as well. "I'm sorry, Princess."

Celestia bowed her head. "Thank you, my faithful messenger." She spoke softly, eyes closed. "Go see the chef. He'll have some of those apples you like so much." She paused for a moment before speaking again. "When you can, bring me a list of casualties, if possible." She bit her lip, looking as if she was holding something back. "That will be all. Thank you."

"Yes, your highness." The messenger bowed, and then trotted out of the chamber slowly. Once he was out, Celestia stood silently, head bowed slightly. Luna walked closer, and that's when she saw the tears that were falling from her sister's clenched eyes. Only when she stood beside her and nuzzled against her did she hear her sister finally let out the first sob that shook her.

==X==X==X==

Ponyville was a long way from Manehattan; P.K. had learned that much by coming here. His old teacher had told him to come here, to get out of the city, and to find something that he could put his skills to use doing. P.K. had thought it strange to hear from the stallion that had taught him almost nothing but skills in fighting. He was a boxing brony, and little more than that. He didn't think too highly of himself else wise. Winning the Junior Boxing Championship was just about the only reason that he felt he had even done well in that area of his life.

To say that he had confidence issues when it came to anything but fighting would have been an understatement. It was as if the only time that he was sure of what he was doing was when he was in a ring, trading blows with an adversary. He'd never had a ponyfriend, he hadn't finished school beyond the very basics, and he'd spent a good portion of his life learning to fight. Past that he knew trivia and read a lot about history, and archeology, but that was about it. When it came to current events in Equestria, or what things were like in one town or another, or special things that came down from on high in the monarchy, he knew little.

He had learned to cook for himself, thankfully, or he would probably have starved a long time ago. He could tell direction pretty well, so he wouldn't get lost. He could take care of himself in all ways necessary to survival. What he couldn't seem to do was talk to ponies without blushing and falling all over himself, or wanting to freeze up – especially if he liked them as more than friends. Sometimes he wondered if he would ever be able to, but he tended to try and push those thoughts away to try and stop himself from getting depressed.

As he began to approach Ponyville, he looked the town over and smiled. It looked like a nice place, small, but nice, and it was suppose to be near to both Cloudsdale and the capital – Canterlot. Being so near to those two places it almost had to be a nice place to go. He couldn't imagine that either Princess would let it be less, much less would the royal guard. Monarchies tended to put up a big front, but got scared pretty easily if there was any unrest near their capital. Entering the town, he started getting that claustrophobic feeling that came with coming to a new place and getting looked at by everyone as if you had two heads. He knew what they were likely looking at though – the permanent black ring around his eye, a birth mark actually, or his cutie mark: a pair of boxing gloves.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to ignore it, and made his way into town, stopping as he came across a café: Sugar Cube Corner. As he looked at the sign, his eyes went wide when he heard a loud rumble. Looking around him and then down, he looked embarrassed, having realized in that moment that it had been his stomach that he had heard. He hadn't eaten yet today, and was famished, so he decided to step inside and get something to eat. When he entered though, he blinked at the sight before him. It looked like half of the place had seen a tornado up close recently. He stood there for a moment, looking on, watching the three ponies that were cleaning up. He was hungry, yes, but at the same time, he was waiting for one of them to notice him. He always felt so rude when he took a pony away from something she was already in the middle of.

Finally, however, one of them did notice him. She had a yellow coat, pink mane, blue eyes… and she was a Pegasus. At once, he blushed, knowing she had spotted him as she seemed to try and get the attention of the other two – both of whom seemed to be much louder than she was. Finally the pony walked over to him, timidly it seemed, and speaking so very softly when she came over that it was almost hard to hear her.

"Hello," The word was just above a whisper, "My name is Fluttershy… How can I help you?" She blushed as she tried to smile, remembering what Pinky Pie had gone over with her and Rainbow Dash earlier about how to handle customers.

"I… uh… Hi." P.K. blushed, trying to find his words.

Fluttershy knew that look all too well; after all, it was the look she had half the time. She was just glad that for once she wasn't the only one that was nervous. "It's okay to be nervous, you know." She smiled.

"Nervous?" P.K. blinked, and then glanced around, "I'm not nervous. I just… I uh… uhm…"

Fluttershy giggled softly, "It's alright. I won't tell anybody." She smiled warmly, "Here, let me get you a seat." Taking up a menu with her tail, she lead P.K. to a table off in a corner, on Pinky Pie's side of the café as it was the clean side at the moment.

"Thanks." The tan brony smiled, and then blinked as he sat, as if he had just thought of something. "Oh, by the way, my name is P.K. Sorry I lost my voice earlier." He said with a nervous chuckle.

"It's alright." Setting the menu down, Fluttershy tilted her head curiously, "So your name is just two letters?"

"Well, they're my initials actually… but they kinda turned into a nickname and it stuck. So… I just go by it now." He shrugged a bit.

"What do they stand for? Your initials, I mean."

"Oh, uhm…" He blushed a bit. It always seemed like an odd name to him really. Most were just simple and flowed. His was like a verbal one-two. "…Puncher-Kicker."

"Puncher-Kicker?"

"Yep." He chuckled, "Odd, I know, which is another reason I go by P.K." He smiled, "I'm a boxer."

"A boxer?" Fluttershy asked curiously. "I've never met a boxer before."

"Since I was young." He smiled, starting to get more comfortable, "I also won the Junior Boxing Championship last year in Manehattan." He pointed toward the golden chain with small gold horseshoes around his neck, "Got this for it." He paused, "And a black eye, but… yeah."

Fluttershy blinked, "You've had a black eye for a year?"

P.K. was the one to blink this time. Then he realized what she meant. "Oh! This? No, this is a birth mark. It is kind of ironic though."

Fluttershy smiled then and blushed, "So did you just come to Ponyville?"

"Yup, I'm completely new." He said, a little proud of the fact.

"Unless you like big parties, don't let Pinky Pie hear you say that."

"Who's…" Before the question could even be asked, the pink pony seemed to materialize as if out of the ether, and had the biggest smile – not to mention the most excited demeanor that he had ever seen in his life.

"Did I hear you say you're new?" She gushed, "You know what that means, right?"

"I… uh…"

"It means that we have to celebrate! There has to be a big party, and everyone will be invited, and it'll be so much fun!" She beamed, "I'll have to get started right away!" And with that she seemed to vanish once again, rushing off to get a party planned.

P.K.'s eye twitched. "What did I just get myself into…?"

That was when Rainbow Dash slid in from the side. "A party, my friend. A party."

==X==X==X==

Word travelled fast in the Equestribbean, and faster still through the grape vine, but little of it had reached Cannonfire's ears in a good long while. His days at sea were long since done, and while he would have liked to go out again and rove like he had done in decades passed, he had no ship to do so with. His old crew was still around, and he knew where to find them, but he had no reason to without the possibility of getting a ship. At one time they had been some of the most feared pirates in the entirety of the Equestribbean. Now? Now he could easily live within walking distance of Canterlot and nobody care.

He had lived in Ponyville for years, and was just one of the average residents that seemed to blend in with the background. Despite his tricorn hat and black cape, he still stood out no more than anyone else it seemed. Sometimes he felt it a miracle that he even got service in Sugar Cube Corner, though he always did. To think he had gone from most wanted to… well… nothing… it was something that had always disappointed him. He would have thought that two artificial limbs and an eyepatch would have spurred some interest, someone to ask for some stories, but no. The lower half of his front left leg was a piratical multi-tool, and the lower half of his rear right was a blunderbuss, and he still didn't get asked about it. The eyepatch was just a little trick he'd learned; he kept it on so he could go into a dark place and still see.

He had to admit though, he didn't mind not getting asked about his injuries. He wouldn't know what to say, aside from the outlandish story he had concocted about riding a shark to shore. Though, it was a good story. Far from the truth of course, but a good story no less. Something he had heard about was Princess Luna's visit to Cloudsdale, and while his cape was fine, his tricorn could use a bit of work. The gold trim was tattered, and while it wasn't dirty, the colors were beginning to fade. Parts of the black fabric were starting to turn grey, and the white cord trimmings were starting to fade to a pale yellow instead of their original brilliant white color. That was why he was on his way to Ms. Rarity's shop. He didn't know if she fixed hats, but he didn't know of anyone else around here that might either.

After a bit of a walk, he finally reached the shop and knocked on the door. When he heard the owner's voice call for him to enter, he stepped into the shop, headed down a bit, and then looked up and around as he stepped inside. It was only but a moment before the white pony with the purple mane came out to greet him.

"Hello my good sir, how might I help you today?" She smiled, ever the lady, even to a brony that looked a bit like he had seen hard times. The injuries, not to mention the deep gray coat and light brown hair that looked a little ratty. She did notice though that when she entered, he seemed to instinctually try and hide the old injuries. Poor brony… she thought.

"I… well, I don't know what all you make here, or if you do repairs or not, but…" He looked down a bit, "If you wouldn't mind, do you think you could fix up this old tricorn of mine?" He asked softly. At one time he had been brazen, but now he was meek, having been humbled by the hard times he'd gone through.

"Oh, of course!" She smiled, and using her magic she lifted the tricorn off his head, though blinked when she saw his horn. "A unicorn?" She asked.

"Yeah." He chuckled a bit, "Hat helps ponies miss that, I suppose."

"It most certainly does." She looked at him curiously, "Why do you hide it?"

"Hide it…?" He asked, as if stalling, "I don't, not really. I just like wearing my hat." He smiled softly, shrugging a bit. "It means a lot to me. Oldest thing I have."

"Oh, I see." Rarity nodded a bit, "Well, I'll make sure to take special care of it."

"Thank you." Cannonfire smiled, though glanced off to the side as another pony came out. Blinking a bit when he saw her. Rarity was gorgeous, that much could not be argued, but the other just had this sort of a down to earth charm about her. He could tell just from looking at her.

"Rarity, I think I've got it! But… I think you might want to make sure." Applejack said as she walked in from the back of the shop, though stopped when she saw the brony in the shop. "Oh, you're busy; I'll just go on in the back and wait…"

"Nonsense Applejack!" Rarity smiled happily, "Come meet our customer, Mr.…" She paused, and then looked at the Brony in front of her, "Oh my, I just realized I don't know your name. Might I inquire…?"

"Apologies. My manners left me. My name is Cannonfire." He bowed to the two of them, his cape sliding up a bit as he did, revealing his cutie mark: a winged hourglass with crossed firing cannons beneath.

"Cannonfire?" Applejack repeated, then saw his cutie mark. "What's your talent?" She blinked, indicating the odd cutie mark on his flank as she stepped closer.

"I…" He started, but grew quiet, subconsciously trying to hide the artificial limbs from her and fidgeting a bit. "It's probably not a story you want to hear. It's a bit long."

"I don't see any harm in telling us, Cannonfire…" Rarity replied.

"Yeah, c'mon, there's nothin' better than a good story." Applejack added.

Cannonfire sighed, "Alright ladies, if you insist." He strode inside a little more and then laid down, moving his limps under himself to try and hide them better. "Story goes back a few years…"