Waves came like monsters in the dark, rocking the mighty ship from side to side, forward and backward, carrying the daring souls aboard into adventure, into the blackness of night alleviated only by star shine. The captain laughed in his cabin and gulped down more sake as the crew outside endured the storm, not troubled by it, but eager for it to pass. Lightning flared on occasion, giving them a preview of the journey ahead; the sea mocked the pirates as it carried the Red Force into the unknown.

The Canterlot castle was quiet as the grave, save for the third floor meeting room where a collection of royal family members were speaking of the day to day operations of the land. The guards posted outside traded looks like playing cards, alert and ready to respond to anything in a moment's notice. It wasn't that anything was suspected to happen, but rather, the possibility that something could was drilled into their minds from basic training. Meetings where any Princess was gathered were days of vigilance and mild paranoia; meetings where all four rulers had comes together, even in the capitol city, were days of unending servitude that usually went for naught.

"I have the latest report from Tartarus, and I can confirm that the imprisoned are secure," Princess Luna reported, pulling away the scroll in front of her and moving it to the back of the stack in her hooves.

"What is the latest news from Yak-Yakistan?" The elder sibling Princess inquired, to which her niece replied with a smile:

"They have taken our advice and have decided that the issue has been resolved...for now, the North is calm."

"Well, with Discord still on 'vacation'...if I'm not mistaken, that concludes business for today then, correct?" Celestia asked, looking around the table, seeing complacency in Cadence, Luna, Shining Armor, Prince Blueblood (though his contributions tended to be yawns or coughs)...but not in Princess Twilight Sparkle.

"Actually," the lavender alicorn piped up, "we pushed back over fifteen of the topics I brought to the royal summit the last time we met and in the six months since then I've come up with over twenty more. I know we're tired but...I'm sure if we buckle down and focus, we can get through them all in no more than three hours."

Celestia was trying not to groan, succeeding more than Blueblood, who immediately threw his face into the table with a troubled utterance, "Twilight...I'm sure these are all worth discussing, but...perhaps this time we'll simply talk them over in letters."

The suggestion took a moment to register with Twilight, or rather, it took the Princess of Friendship a minute or two to contemplate the pros and cons to taking such action. She put up a half smile, half frown, looking more nervous than unsure, but the others got the unspoken message. She wanted to talk them over. This time, Celestia permitted herself a quick sigh, and let go her fancies on taking some time to relax in a bath that night.

"Very well, bring forward your first topic, Twilight."

"Great!" Twilight stood up, face shining with excitement. She lit up her horn and a projector and screen popped into existence behind her seat. She flicked on the projector and a map of Canterlot and Ponyville filled the white screen.

"As you can see," She said, gesturing to different areas of the map with the yardstick that came with the screen, "the mail routes that run from city to city vary in length, but the ones with the shortest distances from one to another are the area I want to focus on. Now, I'm not saying we don't all get out mail on time, the mail service is great, and I for one support it one hundred percent. However...we can't ignore their downfalls and short comings either. Based on research I've conducted, with the minor adjustments I suggest we make, efficiency for the mail system will go up at least nine percent and cost will go down by almost four percent. Honestly, I'm just as amazed that I saw it, but......."

Celestia was already losing focus on what her former pupil was saying. Twilight loved academics a bit too much for Celestia's taste. Not that she ever found her interests and talents in the field as a bad thing, far from it. In many areas, Celestia was sure by now her former student had surpassed her and the other royals by far. And yet...in things so simple as learning to pace herself and those around her, she dared to say that even Blueblood knew more...perhaps not much more, but more.

Wisdom came with time, she supposed. Twilight Sparkle was maturing every day, and deep inside, it was becoming all to apparent that she may be growing up too fast. No matter what all the rest of the world saw her as, Twilight Sparkle would always be the unsure filly in magical school, needing somepony to nurture her, give her a little push, help her move along. Perhaps it was wrong to think that though...

She was roused from her thoughts when Twilight began staring at her, as did the others. Celestia couldn't stop her blush as she tripped over a request to repeat the question.

"Well, I just wanted to know if we could go to a vote...about the mail issue and the reforms I went over," Twilight explained.

"Of course! All those in favor?"

The meeting was interrupted when an urgent message teleported in front of Celestia's face, blocking her view of Twilight and the others. The words made her numb, and with each passing line she was further shaken from the meeting around her. The other royals gave her time to read it over, silently waiting for their most experienced and wise fellow to take in the report. Celestia levitated a quill up to the scroll and scribbled in her reply. She sent it back from wherever it came and stood up with a stern expression.

"I'm sorry Twilight, but I must call this summit to adjournment; something very unexpected, and possibly very bad has happened. Tomorrow, take your friends and meet me at Horseshoe Bay first thing in the morning. I will go now and prepare for your visit. The rest of you may return to your posts and continue your duties as if this had not happened. Be wary for any messages I may send you, but until or unless that happens, keep watch over our nation. Farewell for now."

Her teleporting spell was so powerful that the flash blinded everypony just long enough so that none of them could question her about the matter. Twilight's stomach churned as she wondered what may have happened, and though her mind ached, she accepted the reality of the situation as she sent the projector and screen back to her magical pocket. Whatever tomorrow held, she would be ready for it by then...wouldn't she?

The sun was still rising as the flying chariots soared over the hills, emerald green and beaming in the morning's shine. The ocean was already in view, far off into the horizon, but the bay itself was still hidden between the countryside and the big blue expanse that led to lands beyond their borders.

"And she said nothing else about it? Oh...I don't know how I feel about this..." Rarity commented, holding her hoof to her forehead.

"We'll be fine. Doesn't look like anything's wrong right now," Applejack reasoned.

"Yeah, and besides that, why does this mean something bad happened?" Rainbow questioned, "maybe this is actually a good thing."

"I like the enthusiasm Rainbow, but...I doubt that's the case," Twilight lamented.

"Ummm...guys? Are you all neglecting the fact that we're going to the beach!? Nothing could ruin that!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Let's hope so," Rarity muttered to Spike, who was content to be flying in the same chariot as the white unicorn.

"Beach trip! Beach trip! Beach trip!" Pinkie chanted, swinging her hooves around with a shovel and pale in one and a plastic starfish to mold sand in the other.

On the ground below, Twilight could not help but notice small caravans of ponies riding away from the shore. Now and then a platoon of Equestrian guards would be stationed at check points to direct the fleeing citizens and inspect their belongings. Rainbow's theory was looking more and more incorrect with every mile they drew nearer to the mystery on the beach.

At last, the coast came into view. The town was no more impressive than Ponyville, an old settlement of stone and concrete houses on the earth bordering a collection of wooden shacks on the edge of the sand. In the far distance, at the Southeastern tip of the bay, an old castle stood, abandoned and falling apart, but a clear and stunning sign of how time had passed. A sizeable collective of soldiers had been posted in the town square, all of them going about various orders. The town was emptying out of civilians, and being repopulated with guards and state officials. It wasn't hard to take this beautiful setting and imagine it as a militarized zone in response to threat.

And speaking of threats, it was neither the town itself or the castle watching over it caught their attention for long. Sitting beached in the bay, surrounded by a few elite guards and strange creatures even Twilight did not recognize, was a massive pirate ship. Solid brown wood with red highlights, the ship looked as though it was taken right out of a book, with an ornate crimson dragon decorating the bow. The girls all gasped and watched with mouths agape as they flew in closer. Spike was the only one able to mutter his amazement.

"No way..."

The chariot fliers dove down towards the town, spiraling into the town square until they were corrected by Twilight, who ordered them to fly straight to the beach. As they neared the sand, it was evident that Princess Celestia herself was waiting with the guards, while the odd looking creatures, all tall and threatening, yet seemingly relaxed, stood on and around the ship. One of them stepped forward as the girls landed and quickly thanking the pegasi guards who flew them and running to meet with Celestia. The guards attempted to stop them, but the Solar Princess bade them stand down, gesturing for Twilight and the other Element bearers to join her. Spike opted to stay within the safety of a guard's shadow, but watched with awe as the supposed pirate stepped forward.

"Who're these creatures?" He asked, voice deep and strong, gaze comparable to even Fluttershy's stare, if not one that exceeded it.

"They are friends, my former student, now Princess Twilight Sparkle, and her company. They are here to partake in the negotiations with us," Celestia vouched, leaving a moment of awkward silence as the pirate judged the validity of her words. The Element bearers stood petrified under his gaze, but at last he cracked a small smile, turning to rejoin the crew.

"If I may ask..." Twilight spoke up, rather boldly she thought, "What is your name?"

The pirate turned back, smirked and watched Twilight intently, making her soul stiffen, "...Vice Captain of the Red Hair Pirates...Benn Beckman."

"Cool..." Spike uttered with shining eyes from the distance.

"Where is your Captain?" Twilight inquired as the pirate began to walk back to the ship.

"He'll be along soon enough," Beckman replied, not bothering to face the Princesses again.

"They arrived yesterday afternoon, and since then I have not been able to persuade their leader to come out. This standoff has existed since I arrived after the summit," Celestia explained quietly to the Mane Six.

"They haven't made any demands have they?" Rarity asked, obviously beginning to give in to the panic, "Oh this is terrible! Pirates in Equestria! And just as the Fall line was being conceived!"

"Maybe they aren't here to pick a fight?" Applejack suggested, her optimistic outlook sounding far from genuine.

"We can't assume anything until we hear from their leader...but who knows when that will be? If we don't make progress soon, I'm afraid I'll have to take matters into my own hooves," Celestia commented, moving away to speak with the guard of highest rank on the beach.

"Oh...I'm with Rarity, this doesn't look good...pirates are so terrible," Fluttershy cringed.

"I say we go find their leader if he's too lazy to show himself!" Rainbow told her friends, hovering in the air and watching the pirates, especially Benn Beckman, who either didn't hear her, or didn't care enough to respond in the slightest.

"Are you mad? Why would you do a thing like that?" Rarity exclaimed in a hushed tone, doing her best not to draw attention to their conversation.

"Rainbow, please, try and have some tact," Twilight added, looking over to the ship and swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I'm not worried; we've got the Elements of Harmony, and besides, Princess Celestia and all these guards are with us, we can take some old sea dogs any day!" Rainbow bragged.

"Perhaps we could keep such self-confidence under control," Princess Celestia suggested as she rejoined Twilight and her friends, "We don't need them mad at us."

Rainbow stuttered, then blushed and faced the other way quickly, clearing her throat and whistling objectively. The guards remained focused on the pirates, each one a statue to mirror the more menacing and larger sea thieves. Yet, it suddenly dawned on Twilight that the guards at the beach were barely half the number of the pirates present, and having no idea their level of power or the possible threat of their captain, her nerves at last came back with full force. The same pit in her stomach from yesterday, no matter how she assured herself that things wouldn't turn out so badly, was burning again.

She motioned for Spike to join her, and the baby dragon slowly stepped forward, eyes widening ever larger as he drew closer to the pirate ship and the wolves of the sea who journeyed with her. Twilight's inner big sister was racing like her heartbeat, and she quickly began walking him back towards the town.

"Maybe you should go check out the city a little, maybe find us some food, huh Spike? I'm sure there are still some citizens who haven't left...and boy, nothing soothes a tense moment like a good snack, right?"

"Huh? Oh...yeah, sure thing Twilight..." Her ever loyal assistant answered, very slowly turning and walking away, much to Twilight's disbelief, but satisfaction none the less. Pirates and baby dragons did not mix well.

And yet, her comfort did not last long.

Princess Celestia stepped forward once again, backed by Twilight's friends, and the lavender Princess quickly rushed to join them. Benn Beckman raised his eyebrow at their presence, and the pirates traded looks, mostly smiles of anticipation, Twilight thought. The lavender Alicorn gulped, sweating profusely as the situation got all too real all to quickly.

"Can I help you?" Beckman inquired as the Equestrian guards raced forward to join the Princesses and the Element Bearers.

This was it, time to shine or utterly fail. The pirates realized this better than Twilight, and began to reach for their weapons. Princess Celestia spoke on behalf of the nation as she addressed the Vice Captain dauntlessly.

"With all due respect, this has gone on long enough. This town has been in emotional panic since you arrived, and many of my subjects have fled in terror. Pirates have not been in these waters for centuries, and frankly, the time has come for us to meet and discuss your presence here, or for you to leave. I've been more than patient, but my discontent has grown too large. Send out your captain, if you please."

Benn Beckman took one step forward and drew a wooden staff of some kind from behind his back, imbued with metal, mostly at one end, and towered over Celestia with a look of amusement on his face.

"He'll be out when he's good and ready," Beckman answered, not in mockery or rudeness, but in firm belief that he was justified to allow his captain more time.

Twilight's eyes widened as the guards charged forward and the pirates followed suite, drawing their sabers and wooden-metal staffs; her friends looked at one another and nodded, and she prepared to bring out the elements. In one fated minute, the whole situation had collapsed.

Then, she froze in place as something awful rocked her core and made her swoon, and almost fall over. Her friends looked just as horrid, and even Princess Celestia seemed a little dazed by this overwhelming force. The guards all fell on their faces, Fluttershy fainted outright, and Twilight struggled to regain focus and comprehension over what was happening as a deep, calm, oddly soothing voice filled the air.

"Sorry about the wait..."

A tall creature, flaming red hair adorning his head, stepped onto the gangplank and completely overshadowed the entire standoff. Twilight wasn't completely sure, but she felt that if anything was causing this spirit crushing wave to crash over her friends and allies, it was this pirate. He was different than the others, and that probably wasn't a good thing for them.

"...I'm Captain of the Red Haired Pirates...call me Shanks."

Author's Notes:

I don't know when exactly I'll find the time to do this, especially just now having gotten a job, lol, but I really like where this is going, and unlike previous One Piece crossovers I've tried to construct, this one seems to be coming out well. With any luck, I'll have more out soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this, and if you like it, consider checking out my other works. I'd appreciate it. Until next you read my Author's Notes, enjoy!

-TBK