A Captain Goes Down With Their Ship

This is absolutely inconsistent word vomit that I'm probably going to change but I wanted to try writing stuff down about Parley's backstory that wasn't a green-text summary and this is your chance to look into the scrambled ideas of my head. I have no idea what I'm doing and this was worded up deliriously. So! Lore-time! Subject-to-change* The draconequus, Parley, used to be a pegasus mare called Valiant Aurora. She grew up in an ocean-side village frequently attacked by sea invaders. Unfortunately, it was small, and Equestria was still young and attempting to create harmony, so Aurora's town was left without aid. She grew angry and defiant and, when old enough, roused like mind-individuals to defend their home. She stole a small ship and gathered weapons-- soon sailing off to meet the invaders before they reached her shores. This was her first taste of ship combat. It was brutal, but the inexperienced gaggle of ponies surprised the sea invaders and managed to force a humiliating retreat. Aurora and her exhausted crew returned to their village with an infectious fire in their hearts. Most remained, but Aurora and a pair of close friends returned to the small ship and sailed off. This was Aurora's entry into her life of piracy and adventure. Aurora gradually gathered more creatures to her crew and frequented the oceans beyond her home village. She exclusively attacked and deterred familiar sea invaders, each engagement fueling that fire within her heart. Aurora enjoyed it. She got addicted to it. And eventually, Aurora stopped fighting for her village. Instead, she began fighting for herself. Aurora wanted gold. She wanted glory. She wanted to show that Equestrians weren't as weak as the other nations portrayed them. So Aurora shifted from attacking only plunderers and began attacking opposing merchant ships. She wanted to take back what was stolen from Equestria. What she thought was stolen from Equestria. Aurora fell further and further into piracy until she crossed the only line she had and began an assault on a warehouse located on an island. It was only then, when she ripped open the warehouse doors and found chained creatures inside, that she realized she had become what she hated. She freed the creatures inside and left for her ship uneasily. Aurora was too far gone to turn back and continued to raid plunderers and merchants alike, but her blazes chilled. She freed enslaved creatures when she could. She refused to attack land and spared and rescued enemy crewmen and drifters. Aurora was a chaotic spectacle inside, and her ideologies were constantly shifting. Aurora's heart softened further, and ideologies splintered when she encountered another black flag with an equine at the helm. Sails rose, hulls met, and Aurora was introduced to a new colorful crew. It had creatures from all nations- some even from none. Aurora had her prejudices, but this equine taught her differently. She began to understand that these nations treated their own poorly, even that an expanding and strengthening Equestria wasn't without malice. After tankards were shared and the two spent an impressionable few nights together, the two vessels joined. The duo spent years pirating and adventuring together, and soon Aurora found herself with a child. It softened Aurora's heart even further, and she briefly retired from her piracy to take care of their child. When her body was able, she returned, and the two continued with their plundering for one final year until the worst eventually happened. Unfortunately, Equestria and other nations were erasing piracy at this point. Only the best in the business survived, and most others were harshly tried and sometimes executed. Finally, at her lover's request, the two vessels split. He said he wanted to make each other smaller targets and left Aurora with their child-- sailing off. Aurora's heart broke, but she understood. After that, Aurora eased off the pirating for the most part and only targeted the smaller vessel from time to time. Aurora and her crew had ample earnings, and she wanted to look after her child, so her final days were quiet when Equestrian sails finally met the horizon. It was an Equestrian navy fleet with sails from another nation spotted with them. Shockingly, Aurora's escape was blocked, and the navy seemingly understood what she would do. Aurora and her crew were cornered, and an envoy rowed over to her ship. Aurora's notoriety and crimes finally caught up with her. She had nowhere to run, but an offer was made. She could be with her family and offered a pardon in exchange for the capture of her crew and the location of other pirates. Initially confused, she understood with a glimpse of her spyglass. Her lover was standing at the helm of the lead ship. He accepted the pardon. Aurora, shaken and battling between breaking down into tears and screaming out in rage, denied the clemency and sent the messenger off with a new hole in their shoulder. She didn't want to abandon her crew. Not for him. Not for anybody. Aurora didn't have much time left and quickly gathered her crew. She pleaded for them to go and prepared the lifeboats, with most, if not all, denying her request. She begged them not to do it for her but for her child. With that, most begrudgingly left. Aurora hugged her child goodbye and sent them with her crew into the lifeboats. However, few of the most stubborn of her crew stayed. There was no convincing, and they were with Aurora to the end. Aurora needed to make time for the lifeboats and quickly developed a plan. They were outgunned, out-manned, but they could clear the way. Aurora was burning with rage, and she was going to show it. Anything combustible, flammable, was quickly poured over the ship's deck. Gunpowder was stacked beneath and exposed. Sails were dropped, and the vessel speedily headed toward the fleet. It worked; the formation was panicking and breaking apart, fierce volleys were fired, and the lifeboats were left alone. Aurora's vessel was engulfed in fire, lighting up the eyes of the mare that stood at the stern of her ship. It soon rammed into the targeted ship, and Aurora and the crew boarded, fighting and clearing the deck as the fire burning eventually caught the stacked gunpowder beneath. An explosion lit up the sky, and Aurora was thrown into the water. She was filled with wrath, despair, pride, and resentment as she drifted into the darkness. She felt her last breath. Yet, they descended further and further into the deep, wondering why they were still alive. She saw a bright light, and something approached her. It was long, dragon-like. Enigmatic and somehow regal. Aurora thought it was a convenient sea monster here to finish her, but it spoke. It spoke of her chaotic conflict. The immense energy and emotion it felt from her. The reignited fire in her eyes and heart. It said it could save her. It said it could get her revenge. It said it could turn her into something like 'it.' Aurora thought she was crazy, having delusions before her death, but this entity reached out with a paw, and Aurora... accepted it. Aurora's final moments and the magic that resonated from them were put to use with a shake. The bodies of her crew and the enemies alike that lurked in the ocean broke apart like ash; an eruption from beneath sent waves into the hulls of the navy, capsizing ships and pushing away others, and Aurora's ship vanished from the depths. The escaping rowboats could only look on in shock and awe at the chaos that erupted behind them. Afterward, Aurora found herself floating within an empty void. It was quiet; Aurora wasn't even awake. She wasn't even a pony anymore. Aurora was just energy, a ghost. Years after Aurora's apparent death, Aurora's son followed in his mother's footsteps and became a brilliant pirate. He gathered the remnants of piracy that accepted him and created a republic to strengthen their freedom from the nations that wanted to demolish them. He cared for his people and had big aspirations. So he founded an island safe-heaven far into uncharted seas and began constructing an insane project. Equestria was gradually modernizing, and the stallion caught glimpses of airships traveling the skies. It was something as untamed as the seas, and he wanted to explore them. He soon started hiring shipwrights and mechanics, using the island's trove of gold after convincing the populace that this was the next step of their freedom and would benefit everyone. First, however, he needed a foundation and knew precisely where to look. He traveled to the location of his mother's resting place and searched the shallow oceans for the wreckage of his mother's ship. He found nothing. He almost gave up when nightfall came across, but the darkened night revealed a pulsing light at what seemed like a nearby island. He investigated and, to his surprise, found the beached wreckage of his mother's ship. It was surprisingly preserved with a flickering and pulsing light coming from within. As he explored the wreck, the hairs on his neck would stand up, there was an energy in the air, and as he probed deeper, pieces of debris were floating around him like they were weightless. Then, finally, at the heart of the airship, he saw it. He knew this was the foundation. He brought back more ships and carefully towed the wreckage of his mother's vessel back to the island. Then, construction began. It was slow and wasn't even halfway constructed when he grew old and had a child of his own. At that point, Aurora finally woke up and was again greeted by that elusive entity. It spoke that she was dormant and recuperating. It told that she needed time for her body to manifest. That something like her was unorthodox and taboo. That she was dangerous. She was chaotically versatile and adaptable. It said others like it were manifestations, but Aurora was created and unstable. It said it needed to take precautions because of this. It said it linked Aurora to something physical. It said it made Aurora vulnerable. Aurora asked what the fuck it was talking about. It snapped its digits, and Aurora vanished from the lonely void. Aurora awoke somewhere both unfamiliar and familiar. She looked down at herself and noticed her hooves and the feathery tips of her wings. Aurora thought she was dreaming for a brief moment, but an immense pain in her head reminded her that this was reality. She put her hooves to her head and found it hard to concentrate. Her head felt foggy and full; her body felt tingly and pent up with energy, and she didn't feel right. She wobbled as she stood up and thought the worst was behind her when someone stepped into the room. She didn't recognize him, but he recognized her as her son stuttered his words. After, it was an incoherent few weeks, and Aurora tried her best to explain what happened. She met her grandchild and reconnected with some old crew mates who retired on the island. Aurora quickly became an anomaly on the island, and everyone had their own rumors. A ghost. A demon. Her grandchild called her a zombie. Aurora, however, went right to work. She was given another chance. She didn't care what she was or what happened; she wanted to take her life back. She served under the many crews on the island and aided in raiding. It's all she knew. But, after some time, she discovered different things about herself. Tall tales of a sea witch able to guide vessels through storms, hypnotize vulnerable sailors into submission or cause immense fear was whispered across the ocean. She felt emotion. She tasted it. She felt the emotions and energies of others, and some around her seemed to exaggerate their behavior. This caught the attention of the navy, worried that the pirate menace had access to something they shouldn't. Patrols increased, but luckily the island remained hidden. Construction continued, and the airship was past its midway point, but her son, unfortunately, couldn't see it. He passed during an intense battle. This sent Aurora into a familiar feeling of burning rage. She searched for the vessel and, when tailing it, blanked out. When she came too, the crew that accompanied her looked afraid, and the ship that took her son's life sank into the water. It was a quiet trip back, and Aurora heard familiar whispers. It was what she thought when she saw 'it.' Survivors of the wreckage took word back to Equestria. After, Aurora's grandchild followed in his father's footsteps. He continued his father's work and tried his best to lead the island. Meanwhile, Aurora left for Equestria. She tracked down her old lover and found that he had died of old age. Aurora called out-living him a minor victory. With her son dead, and her lover, she decided to make a change. Aurora wanted to leave that life behind. She tried and tried; eventually, she changed. Aurora's body broke like ash and reformed into something new. He took a new name. This is where Parley was born. He slowly learned more about himself and his connection to the airship and watched his grandson growing up and having their own child. Eventually, construction was finished after generations of work. It would've been celebrated if it wasn't for the navy knocking at the door of the island. News and decades of rumors of a draconequus and the supposed resurrection of an old pirate eventually coaxed the navy to pull all their resources into tracking down the pirate threat. The island was bombarded. Homes were on fire, establishments shattered, and many attempting to flee. The island had fallen, and Parley's now aging grandson begged Parley to take their son to safety. He'd keep the navy busy. Finally, Parley was the one to begrudgingly leave; he took his great-grandson and two others to the airship and left behind a burning pirate paradise. He flew away on an airship built with blood, sweat, and sacrifice. Left behind an island where his family's legacy was being burned out. Destroyed by a navy that found the island tracking him down. Parley grew cold, using his abilities to track and take advantage of desperate individuals to recruit into his airship. Binding them to him like he was bound to his airship. However, the past lessons, while foggy, didn't leave him. He remembered his first crew. He reflected on his descendants and their aspirations and soon began warming up once more. He wasn't going to repeat past mistakes.