Most creatures misunderstood what it meant to be the first mate of a crew. When people heard the term, they thought of a pirate who was the most ruthless on the crew, save for the captain. Or they thought of somebody who was the best at sucking up to the captain. Most creatures assumed that the job of the first mate was simply to run around and repeat the captain's orders. While that was definitely a part of the job, it was nowhere near all that was required.
As the first mate, Mullet's job was to pick up any of Celaeno's slack. She was an amazing captain, but she was still just one parrot. There was only so much responsibility she could shoulder without crumbling under the pressure. As Celaeno's first mate, a big part of Mullet's job was to help her strategize and come up with an attack plan. He wasn't the best fighter, and he didn't enjoy thieving, but Mullet was a decent strategist, just like Celaeno was. They could both probably make plans for the crew on their own, but two minds were greater than one. No matter how good an idea somebody had, it was never a bad idea to have somebody else's input.
Celaeno and Mullet were almost always in complete agreement with each other. They both cared about their crew more than anything else, and they would both do whatever it took to keep them safe. There was rarely ever a nice, clean plan that would result in the best results for everybody. Both Celaeno and Mullet knew this all too well, and they took it into account when they made their plans. Their goal was to find a strategy that, while not perfect, had the best reward when compared to the risk.
Every once and awhile though, Mullet and Celaeno completely disagreed on what risks were worth taking.
"Absolutely not." Mullet growled for the seventh time in as many minutes. "We're not doing it."
"We don't have much of a choice." Celaeno sighed and ran a talon through her feathers. "We've been out here for two weeks, and we aren't any closer to finding our crew than we were when we started."
"I know." Mullet frowned, because he did understood. He cared about the crew just as much as she did. He wanted to find them too. The problem was, Celaeno's plan to find out where the others were could possibly endanger crew that they had remaining, and Mullet just didn't think it was worth it. "Can't we just go somewhere else?"
"You know better than I do that Klugetown is the place to go if you're looking for information." Celaeno said. "Verko has lackies all across the land. At least one of them should have some kind of clue as to where our crew is."
Celaeno was right about that, Mullet knew that she was, but he still despised the idea more than anything. "You realize that your plans involves trusting Verko and his goons to tell us what we want without stabbing us in the back? You might as well turn this ship around and look for our crew back in Equestria, having picnics with the ponies, because it's not going to happen!"
"Mullet, I know you don't like Verko," Celaeno said, and that was the understatement of the century. "Neither do I, but I think we can trust him to keep his end of a business deal."
Mullet shook his head. "Captain, we can't trust that rat." Mullet didn't understand how Celaeno could know how he felt about Verko, as well as why, and yet she was unable to understand it.
"We don't have much of a choice." Celaeno said in a determined tone. Her expression than softened slightly. "I know you're just worrying about your family, but so am I. Verko might have information about our crew, and right now he's the best lead that we have."
Mullet crossed his arms. He still didn't like this idea at all. "It's not going to work."
"Yes, it will." Celaeno insisted. She reached out and put her talons on Mullet's shoulders. She smiled reassuringly at him. "Everything will be fine, I promise."
Under any other circumstances, this would have been enough for Mullet. He knew that Celaeno cared about her crew, and he trusted her judgement. This time though, he wasn't satisfied with her assurances. Not when he had said much the same thing the last time he had been in Klugetown, and the end result had been anything but 'fine'.
Mullet and his two younger brothers hadn't grown up on the streets, but they might as well have. Even though they had had both of their parents around, Mullet had been the one to truly raise his brothers, so he was very protective of them. The very minute that Mullet had thought that he was old and mature enough to truly watch over his brothers on his own, he took them and left home.
They had done alright for themselves, but all three of them had always wanted more. That was part of the reason why they had made their way to Klugetown in the first place. Mullet had heard a lot of things about the dessert town, but what really intrigued him though was that it was a relatively poor town, but there was this one creature in the town who was well-off and well-known. Mullet had figured that between him and his brothers, they could find the rumored treasure that was behind the creature's success.
At the time Mullet had thought that they had a good, low risk plan. It wasn't a flawless one, he knew that there was always the chance that they could get caught, but he hadn't considered the thought that any repercussions would be all that bad.
He had been so, so wrong.
They had been caught red-handed, and Verko hadn't shown them any mercy. Mullet had long since mentally blocked out the events of the hours that followed. He couldn't handle thinking about their punishment, not without freaking out. However, as much as he wanted to forget what had happened, Mullet knew that it was impossible for him to ever forget the outcome. Not when he had permanently lost sight in one of his eyes, and every day he saw his youngest brother's hook where a proper hand should be. And both he and Boyle had to deal with the constant guilt brought with the knowledge that their middle brother had lost his ability to speak properly, and the fact that he wasn't just physically scarred for life, but mentally as well.
Klugetown could have destroyed them. Verko could have destroyed them, and Mullet didn't want to give him the opportunity to finish the job. Mullet knew that there wasn't any guarantee that Verko would still have a grudge against them, or even that he remembered them at all. But there also wasn't any guarantee that he didn't, and Mullet would rather be safe than sorry.
Mullet wasn't a fan of conflict, and he especially didn't like to argue with his captain. However, he wasn't about to back down. Not about this. Mullet was just about to continue on with the discussion when the door to the captain's quarters was thrown open harshly and Lix Spittle let herself in. This was not a regular occurance. Celaeno was normally the only person allowed in her cabin. Mullet would join her in there if the circumstances required that they have a private meeting, and even that happened very rarely. If anybody else was coming in, it was only because something was very, very wrong.
"Captain Celaeno, Mullet, we've got a problem." Lix Spittle said uneasily, which really let them know that whatever was going on was serious. She was normally so guarded with her emotions. "Capper's sick." Mullet immediately grew concerned. If Lix Spittle was this worried, he doubted it was just a simple case of airsickness. And if whatever was going on with Capper was contagious, they were all in serious trouble. On an isolated ship like this, disease spread like wildfire.
Celaeno was just as concerned as Mullet was. The two of them hurried out of the cabin to the main deck. The second that Mullet saw Capper, he could see physical signs that he wasn't feeling well, even though the cat was trying his best not to show it.
"Oh come on, now." Capper grimaced when he saw Celaeno and Mullet making their way towards him, their concern evident on their faces. "Y'all are worrying yourselves over nothing. I'm fine." The way that Capper was curling slightly in on himself and had his paws over his stomach told a different story.
"Sure don't look 'fine' to me." Boyle muttered. He was standing just behind Capper. Boyle was on edge, as though he was afraid that Capper was just going to keel over without warning.
"I told you, I'm just a little hungry." Capper said moodily. Squabble squawked loudly in disagreement. He didn't think that Capper was telling the truth, and Mullet agreed.
"Hungry?" Mullet frowned. "We had lunch not even an hour ago."
"Yeah, and he lost it all about a minute ago." Boyle gestured to a pile of vomit a few feet away.
"So the food didn't agree with me, it's no big deal." Capper insisted.
"Sounds like food poisoning to me." Lix Spittle said. "If it is, then it'll pass soon."
"Food poisoning?" Mullet frowned. "That doesn't make any sense. We all ate the same bird seed, and none of us are sick."
"...Bird seed?" Celaeno froze suddenly, as though she just realized something. Mullet looked at Capper again and he suddenly realized what was so wrong, and he felt like such a fool for not thinking of it before.
"Of course." Mullet groaned. "He's a cat, He shouldn't be eating the stuff that we eat."
"Capper," Celaeno spoke in a quiet voice that stopped any argument that Capper might have said before he could even think of it. "Why didn't you say anything?" That was a good question. Capper should have realized pretty quickly that their bird seed didn't agree with him. Why wouldn't he have said anything? Especially since bird seed was practically the only food they had on the ship, and they had been in the air for nearly two weeks.
...two weeks where Capper hadn't had access to any food except bird seed, which he couldn't eat. At this point, Capper wasn't just hungry, he had to be starving.
"We need to land," Mullet said sternly as he looked at Captain Celaeno. "Now!" Capper really couldn't afford to wait for much longer before he had some proper food.
Celaeno turned to Lix Spittle. "Where's the nearest town?" She was asking just to be sure, but they all knew that it wasn't necessary. They were flying over the dessert, with nothing but sand for miles around. There was only one town all the way out here, and they all knew it.
"Klugetown." Lix Spittle said immediately. Capper grew tense. Squabble drew behind Boyle, who stiffened. Mullet clenched his talons in frustration, but didn't try to insist that they go somewhere else. He knew that they were just too far away. As much as he hated it, they didn't have a choice.
Celaeno didn't immediately give the order like she normally would have. Celaeno looked at Mullet, and he knew that if he really wasn't okay with going there, she would try to find another way. Mullet knew there was no other way though. They had to go to Klugetown. Mullet nodded at Celaeno, and she returned the gesture.
"Alright, mateys, let's head out." Celaeno made her way to the wheel. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."
That was a plan that Mullet could get behind.
Lix Spittle kept an eye on Capper, even though the cat still refused to admit that there was a problem. Squabble climbed up to keep an eye out for the dessert town. Mullet went to work on the rigging, and Boyle soon came to join him.
"So, what's going on with you and the captain?" Boyle asked as they worked. "I haven't heard you two fight like this for a long time."
Mullet frowned and took a deep breath. "...I don't like that we're going to Klugetown. I don't want to go back there."
"Yeah, I'm not too excited about it either." Boyle admitted. "But nothing's gonna happen. We're not gonna let it. We're not kids anymore. We know how to take care of ourselves, and we've got the others to watch our back now too."
"I know." Mullet said. Going back to Klugetown still made him feel sick to his stomach. "I still don't like it."
Boyle sighed and put a talon on Mullet's shoulder. "Look, I get that you're not worried about yourself, and you know that I'm stronger than you are, so you're not really worried about me, right?" Mullet shook his head. Boyle was more than capable of taking care of himself. But their middle brother…
"Honestly, I'm worried about Squabble too." Boyle said in a quiet voice that didn't suit him. They were both worried about their brother. After the last time they had been in Klugetown, Squabble always needed somebody to watch out for him. His head had gotten really messed up and he couldn't think the same way that most other creatures could. Mentally, Squabble wasn't much more developed than a child, or, and Mullet hated that he even thought about it, a regular bird. The kind that people had as pets.
And that was what Mullet was most afraid of in Klugetown. After their experience with Verko, Mullet had done research on the monster. They had had a close call with him, and Mullet couldn't rest until he knew just what the threat had been. As far as he could tell, Verko collected and then sold creatures for two main reasons. He would sell them as slaves, or as pets.
Ornithians weren't common creatures in Klugetown, so their kind would draw attention anyways. Squabble's behavior and mindset might cause other people to see him as less. Mullet knew that some creatures could stoop so low as to treat even healthy and able creatures as though they were nothing better than simple animals. If creatures were willing to do that, what would they give to have a pet that was as exotic as an Ornithian, but behaved like a regular bird.
Mullet couldn't let that happen to Squabble. He would rather die than let that happen to his little brother.
Mullet didn't know if Verko would specifically go after Squabble if he knew what he was like, but unless there was an absolute guarantee that Squabble would be safe, Mullet didn't want him anywhere near anybody that could harm him. Mullet knew that they had to go to Klugetown, but that didn't mean that he had to let his brother take even a single step into the rotten town.
It wasn't long before Squabble alerted them that he saw the town in the distance. The second they could see their destination, Mullet and Boyle both moved to take bring Squabble back down to the deck. They both knew they were being paranoid, but if it kept their brother safe, they were willing to act a little paranoid.
A few minutes later, they pulled into the town's loading dock. Mullet had been with the crew for years. They had been through a lot of close calls. Traveled through some pretty shady towns. And yet it was at this moment that Mullet dreaded moving forward.
"Alright, crew, we've got to split up." Celaeno said, he voice tight, but commanding. "Boyle, you and me are going to look for some information on our crew." Mullet felt his chest tighten at the thought of his youngest brother walking straight towards the most dangerous creatures in the town, but he knew that Celaeno would watch out for him. They would watch out for each other.
"Lix Spittle, I need you to find the stuff for Capper." Celaeno said. Lix Spittle was the one who handled most of their food. None of them knew what kind of food Abyssinians preferred, but they all knew that most of the food that they would be able to find in the markets were good for most any species to eat. Most all creatures could eat most foods, but they all had their favorites. Ponies liked hay. Dragons liked gemstones. Ornithians liked bird seed. But they were all willing to eat other food. The main reason that the crew mostly stocked up on bird seed was because it kept well over time, but Mullet was sure that Lix Spittle would be able to find something in town that wouldn't spoil quickly.
"Mullet, your job is to keep these two on the ship." Celaeno looked meaningfully at Capper, who was sitting on the deck, leaning against the railing, and Squabble, who was starring curiously at the cat. Celaeno leaned close to Mullet and whispered in his ear. "Capper has a debt to Verko. It would be better for all of us if the rat didn't know that he was here."
"Understood, captain." Mullet was actually relieved that Celaeno wanted Capper and Squabble to stay on the ship. Mullet didn't think that she would endanger them on purpose, but he felt better knowing that she was being safe rather than sorry when it came to this town. "Good luck."
"You too." Celaeno looked to Boyle, who handed her a sword while he sheathed his own.
"Just in case." Boyle muttered. He looked at Mullet and the two of them shared a meaningful look. "Take care of Squabble."
"Take care of yourself." Mullet advised. "And be careful."
Boyle nodded seriously and then turned and followed Celaeno off of the ship and into the town. Lix Spittle left shortly after them, which left Mullet in charge of the ship, and the remaining crew aboard it. Mullet didn't normally mind being in charge, but at that moment he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Maybe it was just the town and his paranoia acting up again. Maybe his feelings were an omen for something that was to come. Mullet just hoped that they would be able to get out of there before something happened to one of them.
But the crew was rarely ever that lucky.
A/N: Yeah, I now have the headcanon that Mullet, Squabble, and Boyle are brothers. They're colored so similarly. I know that green is one of the most common colors for parrots, but usually when people think of parrots, or, at least, when I think of them, I imagine blue and red ones. And yet, in the movie, none of the pirates are blue or red, and yet they have three green ones. I just like think it's because they're related. As for their age order, I separately asked two of my brothers about what order they thought it was, and all three of us agreed. Mullet's the oldest, then Squabble, then Boyle. I'm not sure why that's what we feel like it is, but we all agreed on it, so that's what I went for.