Twilight dropped to her knees as the captain of the pirates descended from his ship and onto the beach. Princess Celestia was the only one who had fully recovered, and she was far from amused. The pirates laughed and chortled among themselves. The pirate captain called Shanks was taking his time, slowly walking towards the Princesses as their allies faded deeper into unconsciousness or struggled to avoid it.

"Beckman...put away the gun."

The Vice Captain obeyed and stepped to the side so that Shanks and the Princesses of the Sun and of Friendship could face each other. The order was not dipped in threat, nor painted with devilish humor or anything that suggested foul play. It was no request, but it was brimming with sincerity, just as the fulfillment of the command had been.

"Sorry about that, didn't see the point in letting my men get beat up."

Did he just make a joke? Twilight was still fighting nausea and the urge to fall down and let go of her senses, but she swore the pirates laughed. Celestia was still far from laughing at anything, but she seemed to be more calm now than a minute ago.

"Oi! You don't mean that, Captain!" One of the pirates called out, freezing the tension of the encounter. It was then shattered when Shanks looked back and laughed heartily with a wide smile.

"I'd put my money on the Princess 100-1!"

The sea dogs all got a good laugh out of that one, smiling and joining together as though nothing had happened that even suggested conflict. Shanks laughed harder and smiled wider than any of them. Twilight was breathing in and out slowly, and regaining her bearings, while her friends were still fighting the effects of the Captain's presence. She looked to her teacher, and they waited for the next shock to come; it would be hard to surprise Twilight at this point.

"Captain!..." Celestia called hastily, making the last few seconds of Twilight's weakened state pop as she came back into her right state of mind.

Shanks turned suddenly and smiled at Celestia, not with humor in his heart, but with fondness and warmth.

"Shanks will do," The pirate corrected.

"...Shanks...why have you come to Equestria?"

He gave her a thoughtful look for a moment, rubbing his chin with his hand and looking her in the eyes. It was then Twilight noticed that he had but one arm, and the scars over his left eye were really beginning to stand out. He paid Twilight no mind for the moment, but eventually declined to give answer to Celestia's question.

"We'll come to that soon enough. It's been a long and rough journey for us," Shanks announced, "Why don't you come with us aboard the ship and we can settle down with some refreshments? A party never hurt."

"A...party?"

Celestia's question held genuine disbelief, and if she hadn't parroted the suggestion back, Twilight would have. The audacity to try and sit down with them when a fight nearly broke out...Shanks didn't come off as cruel or vile, but she found him troublesome in his own regard. This was the opposite of what she had been expecting.

"Sure, a party! As long as we don't run out of liquor it'll be fine!" Shanks confirmed, smiling again and turning towards his crew, who were already preparing for the festivities.

"With all due respect to you and your crew, a party is hardly called for at this moment," Celestia objected.

"I'd be honored to have a Princess be a guest of honor aboard my ship," Shanks insisted, then spotting Twilight and realizing the pair of wings to match her horn, corrected himself, "no...two Princesses."

The questions and emotions were too much for Twilight to bottle up any longer; she had to inquire about his uncanny knowledge, "How can you know that we are Princesses? I haven't seen or heard anything about pirates that look remotely like you...this doesn't make sense!"

"All in good time," Shanks assured, turning and walking back aboard the vessel called the Red Force, motioning with his hand for the Princesses to follow.

"We have ponies laying unconscious in the sand, we can't go to a party now!" Twilight protested, unable to comprehend the nature of the pirate captain Shanks. She turned to Celestia for support, but the Solar Princess was too engrossed in her own private thoughts to notice.

Shanks looked down on the damage he'd caused and addressed it at once, "Oh...that's right. Yasopp, see to it that when the ponies wake up they're invited to join us!"

Twilight's jaw fell open and she stuttered in another futile protest, but accepted defeat when Celestia silently followed Shanks aboard. She bit her tongue and rushed to her friends as they began to come around.

"Oh.....Twilight?" Rainbow muttered as she fell back into focus with reality, "What...what happened?"

Twilight lifted the pegasus up and supported her as she regained her balance, "I don't...exactly know."

"What happened to the pirates?"

"They...invited us to a party," Twilight admitted, sighing and looking down in confusion. How could things have turned out this badly?

"Party!?" Pinkie was the next to regain focus, and hearing talk of a party wasted no time in rushing aboard and introducing herself to the pirates. At least with Princess Celestia close by she couldn't do too much wrong.

Spike was laying in a dazed state not far away, the poor dragon having been caught in whatever trap the pirate had ensnared the ponies in. Twilight picked him up and slung him over her back, carrying him with her as she went to help the others. One by one the guards began to stir and awaken, each one as confused and stunned as Rainbow had been, and for good reason; such an ability was a Princess level feat, and Twilight had never experienced anything quite like it. Shanks was a dangerous creature...more dangerous than the other pirates with him.

Applejack and Rarity were picked up not long afterwards, and Fluttershy awoke a time after that. The yellow pegasus in particular was wary of the pirates, which alleviated Twilight's annoyance to some degree; the world still made a little sense, at least. The pirate called Yasopp helped the remaining guards in after they woke, and the party was in full swing hours before noon, not that Twilight enjoyed any of it.

As the sun progressed high overhead and eventually dipped over to the Western sky, Celestia and Twilight grew increasingly impatient. The pirates danced, drank their beverages (which Twilight refused to allow anypony to drink, though she was sure Rainbow and at least a few guards helped themselves when she wasn't looking), and more than anything, they laughed. They joked so much Twilight was legitimately beginning to compile a mental list of all the cons of comedy. The Princesses were looking for answers, not a good time. They approached the subject of why the pirates had come and what they intended to do several times, but Shanks or Benn Beckman continually shot such talk down.

However, as the drinks became scarcer and the music began to repeat, the sobering realization that life was not one big party seemed to dawn on the Captain, and soon Shanks requested the guards and most of his men meet on the beach a ways away and leave the ship to himself, his most trusted nakama, and the Princesses. Twilight managed to get her friends in on the meeting, and by the time the winds blew into the bay in the cool afternoon, the serious business had begun.

Shanks sat at a wooden table, sticky and full of knife holes, and Twilight and Celestia took their places opposite him. Benn Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roo, and Rockstar listened from various places on the deck, and Twilight's Ponyville friends and fellow Elements of Harmony bearers huddled together behind the Princesses. Gulls began to sing as the stage was set for a serious discussion.

Whether he was suffering from an immense hangover, or simply dismayed that the party did finally end, Twilight could not be sure. But the smile she was accustomed to seeing on Shanks' face disappeared quickly. He did not become sad, if anything, it seemed he was mystified and nostalgic, recounting the tale of a fond dream of his to the ponies and his closest crew members. As it turned out, that wasn't so far from the truth of the matter, and as the pirate captain went on with what he had to say, Twilight found herself oddly drawn in by his tale.

"Well...where to begin? I suppose the first thing to say is that you look as lovely as ever, Princess...I know you don't remember me, but I could never forget coming here."

One sentence into the talks, and already several jaws opened, those of ponies and of pirates.

"So it's true..." Celestia replied, equally mystified and numb as she spoke, "You knew how to get here because you've been here before."

"I was a cabin boy then, snuck into the lifeboat with Buggy....heh heh," He smirked and paused for a moment, enjoying the memory, "Captain Roger wasn't happy when he found us out. We had to stay in the boat the whole day, but I remember seeing you clear as day. You were younger then of course, as I was...pink hair and a body that was barely half that size. I can almost see you in the distance, speaking with Captain Roger and Rayleigh-san."

"Roger made a pact that day, he swore to the best of his ability that no pirates would ever find their way here."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but who is Roger?" Twilight asked, her need to know every detail possible kicking in.

Celestia sighed and explained with the same countenance as a cheating spouse her past meeting with the strange pirates, "When I was very young and had just inherited the throne, I was confounded to see strange beings whom I had never seen or heard anything of before on our shores. As newly christened Princess of the Sun, I spoke with them, and learned that they had come in the middle of a great journey. Roger was the captain of the pirates, and he revealed something to me that day...something which I dare not repeat, nor try to think of. He promised me though, that he would do his best to make sure others of his kind never found their way here...and until yesterday, his promise was kept."

"And I'm sorry to say that the reason I've come is that Captain Roger is long dead. I'm here to uphold that pact in his stead," Shanks interrupted with a stern expression, "And I bring a declaration of war..."

An extreme unease hit the meeting like an anvil falling from the sky, and Twilight was almost sure a nasty surprise was on the horizon. Celestia's eyes, and likely her very soul, did not stir, but stared intently into those of the red haired pirate captain. Her friends behind her shared concerned glances, but as usual, the pirates were calm and likely ready for anything. It made Twilight's face go as red as Shanks' hair, but the tension was relieved thereafter.

"...War is coming to this land, and I cannot stop it. All I can do is uphold what my Captain would have me uphold, and fight where he cannot. I will follow his wishes."

"...In that case...I can only thank you...Shanks."

"So...that means more pirates are on their way!?" Rarity exclaimed from the background, unabashed in the face of such news.

"That's right, but it's only one crew. I've managed to have some allies of mine stall them, to give us a few days at least to prepare," Shanks explained, sipping from the last of the drink in his bottle.

"Well, if that's the case, why even come to Equestria? Why not fight them at sea?" Applejack wondered.

"We have our reasons," Benn Beckman answered while Shanks sucked out the last of the alcohol and discarded the bottle.

"I can appreciate secrecy, but we need to know as much as possible if what you say is true," Celestia pleaded, "I know why they have come...but how will we stop them? How can we help?"

"I believe you already know how. With any luck, you won't have to do much, but I'd like to know I can count on you to have my back, Princess,
the red haired pirate answered.

"I will."

"Then rest assured that I will have yours. Our enemy will not face an easy fight when he arrives."

"And who is our enemy?" Rainbow asked, watching as Shanks' face grew darker.

"A man I have faced more than once, and a man I know must be stopped sooner or later. Here, in the privacy of your world, one of us will die..."

A pause ensued, the gravity of the Emperor's statement weighing down on the ponies and pirates all the same. Twilight was hesitant to take her eyes off of the pirate as he stared through the table, into his past to visualize the enemy as he spoke his name.

"...Blackbeard."

The wind picked up greatly, and inside Shanks smiled, once more confirming to himself that the world he knew and this one were indeed very similar.

"Shanks...can I ask you something, between just the two of us?" Celestia inquired.

"Sure," The captain affirmed, standing and stretching before he began walking with Celestia onto the beach, towards the old castle in the far off distance.

"In the meantime, we need to start going over our battle tactics," Benn Beckman stated, sitting down into the same chair his captain had occupied a moment prior.

"Battle tactics huh? Well...maybe you sea dogs aren't as bad as I thought, 'cause now you're talking my language," Rainbow snickered, moving closer to the table with the other ponies.

"We need to know your limitations and capabilities if we are going to have to fight this...Blackbeard," Twilight noted, summoning a pen and pad to take data in.

"Heh, don't worry about us," Rockstar gloated, "we're more than capable of holding our own."

Twilight tried to convert her miffed response into something more cooperative and tangibly useful, but Benn Beckman interrupted her before she could say much, "We'll find out exactly what we can do when we begin physical training. Trust between our groups is key, and to fight Teach, that is, Blackbeard, we will have to trust each other."

An awkwardness set over Twilight, for she certainly didn't trust these pirates...not yet, anyways. Princess Celestia may have a history with these creatures, but Twilight found it hard to be fond of a criminal, not to mention one who hurt her friends, on purpose or not. Still...if what they said was true, and a threat was coming, then she might have to ditch those feelings and cooperate, her life and the existence of Equestria could very well depend on it.

"For now, let's cover how the enemy thinks..."

As the sun was lowered ever closer to the horizon and the orange-pink hue filled the sky and reflected on the sea, the two groups began to separate back into their own routines. The guards would be stationed in the town, and in the next few days, many reinforcements were due to arrive and back them up. The pirate called Blackbeard would be arriving the only known way, the same way the Red Force entered Equestria's waterways.

Princess Celestia, however, was due to go back to Canterlot and send word to the other royals of this new development. This meant that Twilight, Spike, and their friends would be staying with a few guards on the pirates' ship. Shanks welcomed them each aboard (and immediately began socializing with Pinkie and talking about the best parties they'd ever been to). The others prepared their quarters as directed by the crew, and Twilight was left watching as Celestia teleported halfway across the nation, back to her home to see her sister and work the upcoming issue out in the capitol.

The first thing she fixated on as she turned and saw the crew go about their nightly routine was the captain, sitting with his smile back on and a drink back in his hands. Actually, Shanks amazed Twilight. How could any single creature go from such a carefree, laughable, and she dared say ignorant person, into the serious and almost compelling leader she'd seen him be earlier? Everything about this captain was an enigma, complex and unclear to Twilight, even as she tried to dig past his surface. Then again, she hardly knew him, how could she dig past his surface? And furthermore, how was she expected to trust him?

She decided that regardless of her own feelings, her main priority would be putting her thoughts of the Red Hair pirates to bed and attempting to work out the issue of trust amongst herself and the strangers, before it was too late.

"Twilight," She heard Spike call, catching her attention suddenly and startling her, "have you seen what they've got below deck? This pirate ship is amazing!"

The antics of her favorite assistant brought a smile to her face and a peace to her soul, and for a split second, she felt oddly complacent on the ship, almost as if she belonged.

"Coming!" She called, trotting to join the baby dragon and descend below the deck to find her friends in the quarters they'd been assigned.

The interior of the ship was equally as beautiful, and just as well used, based off the smell and wear and tear that the table and so many other facets of the deck above shared. The pirates were nowhere near civilized, and rowdy was a word that immediately came to Twilight's mind after spending a few minutes inside. Still, she found the quarters easily accessible and satisfactory to the needs of herself and her friends. With every negative came a positive, or so she hoped.

"Twilight! Guess I wasn't so wrong after all, huh?" Rainbow called as the Princess of Friendship joined the girls in the room, plain but quaint, "These pirates aren't bad at all!"

"I gotta admit, I doubted it at first myself, but I reckon these guys are a hoot and a half," Applejack added with a smile as she laid down on the bunk she claimed for her own.

"They're certainly ruffians...can't say I admire their hygiene in the slightest...but they could be worse," Rarity spoke her mind, examining the cot she'd chosen.

"There's the proof right there, if Fluttershy's word isn't enough," Rainbow explained.

"Fluttershy? You're okay with these pirates?" Twilight exclaimed.

"Well...um...not exactly, but...they could be a lot worse, just like Rarity said...and the captain seems really nice...at least Pinkie thinks so," Fluttershy explained in her own usual fashion.

"Yeah, Shanks is officially awesome in my book, no wonder Pinkie likes him, I mean, who wouldn't?" Rainbow said, going back up the deck after prepping her bunk.

"Yeah..." Twilight repeated, looking thoughtfully down into the wooden floor, "who wouldn't?"

Author's Notes:

I worked hard to get this out to you as soon as possible, and I hope to start work on chapter 3 soon. I'm amazed at how quickly this story is catching on, and I'm glad to see there are plenty of Shanks lovers out there. If you enjoyed what I've done so far, leave a comment and let me know, it really helps motivate me. Thanks for checking out my story, I'll see you in the next A.N.

-TBK