It was several weeks and a few arguments earlier.

In the space between study sessions, Buck took a frankly fucking fantastic nap. Adagio’s bed was the most luxurious thing Buck had ever laid on, and the result was the kind of sleep he’d been chasing since he started school. It was a dreamless, empty sleep; no thoughts, no worries, nothing but peace until it came to a literal screeching halt.

When the hour turned over, Buck’s phone screamed its alarm in his ear until he managed to smack it off the bed stand.

“Stupid time…why’d we even invent time? Fuckin' sucks.” Buck grumbled, rubbing his eyes. He dragged his feet through the threshold of Adagio’s bedroom and found she wasn’t quite where he left her.

She was standing across the room, leaning against a section of wall that was covered floor to ceiling in antique weapons which seemed to begin in medieval times and end before automatic firearms.

In one hand, Adagio held what Buck recognized as one of her journals. In the other, she held a polished rapier, which she was examining with rigor. There was an unmistakable look of loss in her eyes.

“You okay?” Buck said.

“I’m just fine, Buck.” Adagio said.

“Where’s that from?” Buck said. “Is it, uh…German?”

“It’s a rapier, Buck. They come from Spain.” Adagio said.

“Did that one specifically come from Spain?”

“I couldn’t say.”

“Can I take a look at it?”

Adagio held the sword out to Buck, but when he reached to take it, she smacked his hand.

“You may look.”

Buck examined the blade. The basket around the hilt was like ribbons of fine steel. Adagio slid the blade into its sheath, and Buck noticed that there was an image of a dolphin in silver on the side.

“How do you feel about swords, Buck? Do you like them?”

“I mean, I was a teenage boy once, so definitely had a sword phase, or would have if I could afford ‘em. Swords are alright I guess, but I’ve always been more of an axe man, myself.”

“Oh? I’m sure you and Aria would get along famously. She’s an absolute fiend for axes.” Adagio smiled.

“Yeah, I can see that. Are all of these hers?” Buck said, his eyes drifting up as he took in the display.

“Most of them belong to Aria, yes, though some of them are mine and some are Sonata’s. I’m quite fond of swords, actually, especially the kind with exquisite ornamentation.”

“Why’s that?”

“I too am something beautifully honed and frequently coated in blood.” Adagio’s grin grew sharp as she finally looked up at Buck.

“Uh…is that your version of a joke?”

“Do you think its a joke, Buck?”

“Nope, not goin’ there.”

“Oh, you’re no fun today. Are you ready to get back to studying?”

“Actually…no, I’m not. I was thinking I’d take another hour to wake up, you know? I’m going to hang on the couch for a bit.”

“Do as you please, Buck. I was just taking a moment to reminisce about the old days.” Adagio gingerly placed the sword on its rack, then took a seat on the couch, patting the space next to her with a smile.

“How old are we talking?” Buck said.

“Would you like to guess at my age, Buck?” Adagio said.

“My Dad told me never to guess a girl’s age unless I have a death wish.”

“Wise. Human women are obsessed with it. In truth, I don’t know my age; not in human years or equestrian years.”

“Really? You don’t know how many birthdays you’ve had?”

“Equestria doesn’t really do birthdays, as I recall it. While ponies will take any opportunity to cavort and make asses of themselves-”

“Hah!”

“--their celebrations usually revolve around an achievement, like getting their cutie mark, which is something like a coming-of-age for them.”

“So what do you celebrate every year, then?”

“Adagio day."

"Are you serious?"

"It’s the one day out of the year that Sonata and Aria call a truce and simply allow me to relax.” Adagio said.

“Oh, cool. What’s the occasion on that one?”

Adagio’s smile dropped. Her eyes roamed back to the wall of arms, and she sat in silence for a moment.

“That’s a bit of a long story. I was just mulling it over when you came into the living room.”

“Well, you’ve got me for the rest of the day.”

“And?”

“Do you wanna tell it to me?”

“You want to listen to me ramble about my past?”

“Well, yeah! I like your stories. They never end up the way I think they will.”

“Story of my life, Buck. Drop the needle over there, and we can begin.” Adagio poured herself a glass of wine as Buck moved to prime up the record player. The title was something in french, and Buck leaned down to squint at it.

“Is this classical?” Buck said. He looked over his shoulder at Adagio and noticed her eyes slip from his form to a journal in her lap. “What?”

“Yes Buck, it’s classical. Go on, then.”

Buck dropped the needle, and the sounds of ancient bows sliding across a legion of violin strings filled the suite. Then he sat down at arm’s length from Adagio, who uncorked a little vial tied to her book’s ribbon.

“It’s nice to see you’ve kept up with your jogging.” Adagio said.

“What?”

“Your legs, Buck.”

“Thanks? What’s in the bottle this time?”

“A mixture of perfume, sea salt, and gunpowder.” Adagio took a sniff over the mouth of the bottle and closed her eyes. Her smile returned, just a bit.

“Well, that’s interesting.” Buck said.

“And you’re sure that you want to listen to me wax poetic about the good old days?” Adagio said.

“Didn’t I spent a whole day on the Boardwalk doin’ that?”

“Fair enough. Will you promise not to interrupt me?”

”I can’t. But I’ll try!”

“Wonderful.” Adagio took a sip of her wine, then another, and stared off at some obscure corner of the ceiling.

“It was ages ago by your standards. Seventeen…something something. Early. We had only been in the human world for a few years, so everything was still new and exotic. Wherever I pointed my ship, there were white beaches and blue waves stretching into the distance. Only the most vicious and powerful could sail beyond the horizon and come back alive, and so the world was still small. The girls and I were slowly acclimating to the human world, operating out of a few small sea caves along the top side of Cuba.”

“Like near the gulf?”

“Shh. We would take our little cutter and go up and down the coast. I can remember the sounds of gulls as we got closer to shore. All the lovely little custom ships with their fresh flags and figureheads parading about the Havana Port. We would sail down to Port Royal and spend all our money, then retire to Havana and make it all back. What a time to be alive.”

Buck scratched his chin and squinted.

“Wait, hol’ up, did you say Havana? In the early 18th century?”

“Yes. And didn’t you just say you wouldn’t interrupt?”

“Yeah, but, you were in sea caves, and running a cutter with only three people. And going to fucking Port Royal!? Is this a pirate story?”

“Yes, Buck, we were pirates, if you want to put it so simply. Haven’t I mentioned this part of my past?”

“Maybe? Just, hold on a sec.” Buck said, getting up.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get some shots going. You got any rum in here?”

“...in the cabinet next to the refrigerator.”

“Cool, cool. I’m gonna take a shot every time you say something morally dubious.”

“What about training, Buck?”

“Eh, fuck it.” Buck shrugged. He sat next to Adagio with a smile that was immediately reflected on the siren’s face.

“Well, aren’t you excited! I don’t think I’ve seen you glow so much in months!”

“I love a good pirate story! My Dad used to read me Treasure Island before bed! Must’ve heard it a million times! Searching for buried treasure, sword fights on the high seas-”

“Yes, and filth and lice and rickets. If you could get past all of that, I’m sure you’d make an adequate pirate, Buck.” Adagio rolled her eyes.

“Just adequate? Come on, ‘dagio, I can do sea shanties and everything!”

“I believe you. Now, can I continue?”

Buck nodded and put a finger to his lips.

“So, as I was saying. The girls and I were visiting the island of New Providence so that we could plan our next move. At the time, the township of Nassau was the base of the confederacy of crooks known as the Republic of Pirates. It was a lively town, where life was cheap and the drinks were cheaper. A true testament to freedom and independence.”

The Republic of Pirates was a slowly unfolding disaster, where one was more likely to trip over a fist fight than a crack in the road. Those that visited the port were the bastardous scum of the earth, and those that stayed in the port were also that, but missing too many limbs to work on a boat.

“This place smells like poop and gunpowder!” Sonata said.

“Human settlements always end up like this eventually. Disgusting.” Aria grumbled.

“Live with it. We’re here for a reason.” Adagio said, stepping around a puddle of something in the street.

Adagio was wearing a dark purple tricorn hat atop her waist-length orange curls and a loosely tied bodice over a dress she’d adjusted to stop at her knees. Sonata had opted for a mariner’s jacket with a ruffled cravat, her blue hair in a low ponytail, and Aria kept things simple, preferring a pleated Havana shirt and a green bandana that kept her purple tresses out of her face.

“Is it to catch the clap? Because I think everyone around here is way ahead of us.” Aria sneered in the direction of an alley that was playing host to a small crowd of men and one or two prostitutes. They were separated from the street by little more than a tarp pulled across the gap in the buildings.

“We’re here to gather information, preferably quickly. Our first order of business is finding a bar.” Adagio said. Despite her even tone, her face was twisted in revulsion at the irritating sights, sounds and smells surrounding her.

“Where would we find a bar?” Sonata said.

“Anywhere. It’s a pirate town, you idiot.” Aria groaned.

“I thought a pirate town would have a buncha music halls, ‘cause they’re always singing shanties and stuff!”

“Ain’t no music halls around here, love. How about I direct ye to our ship instead?” Said a gravely voice.

The Dazzlings turned and saw the small group of chuckling scallywags exit the alley. The one at the head was a broad, gruff man with grayish skin and a scar across his face. He had a long black goatee and a variety of tattered belts that seemed barely capable of holding his leathers together. He pointed a grime-covered pistol at the Dazzlings with one hand while holding a parchment poster in the other.

It bore a crude likeness to the Dazzlings, but with certain details embellished. Sonata, marked as “The Stingray” looked like a healthy young man, “The Mad Barracuda,” Aria looked a bit more like a rabies-stricken dog than a grown woman, and Adagio, listed as “The Sea Witch” was drawn with her curly hair covering her entire face, save for a row of sharp teeth.

“Word is there’s been some barmy lasses riding up and down the main. Some says they’s young women, some says they’s monsters in disguise, but all agree that they cause trouble. Trouble fer both the traders and honest blokes like mesself. Quite a price on yer ‘eads from either end, far as I sees it. Y’see what that says?” The man pointed to the words at the bottom of the page.

“What's it say? I don’t know how to read German!” Sonata said.

“That’s Latin, Sonata.” Aria said.

“It’s Spanish. When are you two going to start taking my lessons seriously?” Adagio said.

“Studying is lame.” Aria said.

“Books are hard!” Sonata said.

“It says ye’re worth a hundred shillings a piece fer crimes ‘gainst the Spanish colonies. The ‘Mermaid Sisters’. That’s you, innit?” The man said.

“One hundred shillings!? Is that all we’re worth? Villainy is such a tight race in this world…and look at how they’ve butchered my good looks.” Adagio tsked.

“Aw, that’s okay, sis! We just have to hit a big score! Then everyone will know our names!” Sonata said.

“I think we should go kill some British officers and get loud about it. No one’s gonna know us if we keep running away in the middle of fights.” Aria said.

“I told you, it’s best to get out during the chaos. That way, we can carry a boatload of loot without drawing any extra attention. No one can chase us if they’re getting blown away by cannon fire.” Adagio said.

“I guess.” Aria said.

“But Sonata’s right.” Adagio said.

“Impossible!” Aria said.

“If we’re to establish ourselves as the most fearsome crew in the Caribbean, our next performance will need to be spectacular. Especially after our last engagement went so poorly.” Adagio said.

“Excuse me, pretties, but I was talkin’.” Said the guttersnipe.

“Are you still here? If you know who we are then you already know you’re outmatched, mister…”

“Cratus.”

“We don’t have time for you, so if you’ll excuse us, we’d rather be doing anything else right now.” Adagio said, flipping her hair. She turned to walk away, then heard a click as the pistol’s hammer was pulled back.

“Sorry, lady, but you and yer little nunnery here are comin’ with us. See, I’m in the trade of peddlin’ exotic freight, savvy? If you three’re mermaids like people say, I figure we can sell you off for more’n a hundred shillings in the New World. And if you’re not, well, ye can always earn yer keep by entertainin’ the crew.” Cratus said.

As if on cue, his crew shared a brutish laugh.

“Some things never change.” Adagio sighed. “Aria?”

The man gave a strangled cry as the pistol and the hand holding it were crushed into a mess of bone, blood, wood, and metal. The rest of the rapscallions drew their blades.

“Adagio? Can I?” Aria looked at Adagio with an innocent smile, blood dripping from her hand.

“Yes, Aria, go ahead and have your snack.” Adagio said.

Aria cracked her neck. She began to hum a little shanty while Cratus whimpered on his knees, cradling his destroyed hand.

“You’re all gonna be bloody fucking toilets for the crew! Get her, boys!” Cratus said.

A thin stream of green energy trailed out of the group of brigands, toward Aria. Adagio saw the lines of Aria’s exposed arms become more defined, her muscles growing just a bit. Her hand went to the hatchet she kept at her side.

“Let one escape so he can tell of it later.” Adagio said.

"Right!"

Aria was upon them in an instant, barreling into the alleyway like a cannonball.

Nothing could prepare the men for the brutality waiting for them at the end of Aria's hatchet, but the shouts and squabbles of the town covered up their screams.

A pool of blood ran slowly out into the street, to the knees of the ringleader, who looked into the dark of the alley with horror on his face.

“What the hell bloody hell are you?” Cratus said, but it was like an ant speaking to a crocodile.

“Ooh! Ooh! Can I have this one!?” Sonata said.

"You can question it, yes." Adagio said.

"Okay, be right back!" Sonata said, waving her hand merrily into the alley, dragging Cratus along by the collar.

“Wait, wait, wait, I’ll tell you anything you want to know! Ask me anything!”

“What’s the capital of Jamaica?” Sonata laughed.

“What!?” The man kicked his feet, trying to pry himself free, looking at Adagio in panic.

“Pertinent questions, Sonata! Names, dates, hearsay around town! Ask him about The Griffon.”

“Okay, sis!”

“No, no, you putrid fucking whore! I’ll get you for this, I swear it!” The man screamed as Adagio waved at him.

“And Sonata?”

“Yeah, sis?”

“Take your time.”

“Mother of fuck.” Buck said, throwing back a shot.

“Oh, what’s this? Sympathy for looters, thieves and rapists?”

“No, it’s just, sometimes I forget how scary you can be.” Buck said. “What did Sonata do to that guy?”

“I never ask.” Adagio said.

Buck took another shot.

“Buck, if you drink every time I bend the rules of your petty morality, you’ll be inebriated within the hour.”

“Yeah, well…I’ll just call Sunburst to take me home if it gets that bad.”

“I could take you home, Buck.”

“I don’t think Ditzy would like that very much." Buck said.

"Hmph." Adagio frowned loudly and seethed silently.

"So what happened with your last scuffle?” Buck said.

“My what?” Adagio said.

“You said something about your last whatever going bad.”

“Ah, yes. We were in the middle of our usual escapades when we were interrupted. It was nothing all that interesting, but our last bit of heist work was thwarted by a surprise guest.” Adagio said, with a knowing smile.

“How is that not interesting!? I wanna hear about it!”

Adagio had pulled her feet up onto the couch, and Buck didn’t seem to notice her lounging in such a way as to let her legs lay across his lap.

“If you insist.” Adagio said. “It was a few months prior. We were in the midst of a classic strategy aboard a British trading vessel. We bought passage with a bit of coin and came aboard in disguise.”

“Lemmie guess. Traveling performers?”

“How did you know?”

“And then you sing a lil’ ditty that drives everyone on board slightly insane, and then once they start beating the shit out of each other, you take all their stuff.”

“Oh, you’re taking all the fun out of this! How did you know that was the plan?”

“I’m starting to pick up on your M.O. This sounds like classic Dazzling fuckery.”

“Are you saying we’re predictable?”

“Nah, nah. Y’all’re just real good at causin’ mass hysteria. I wonder how many murderous mutinies and cannibal crew stories came from you three just fuckin’ about.”

“You make it sound so slapdash! There is an art to riling up a crowd, I’ll have you know.”

“I do know. You forget where I’m from?” Buck said.

Adagio couldn’t tell if that was meant to be a jocular or grim observation.

“Funny you should mention that.” Adagio said.

“It is?”

“Well, it’s an amusing coincidence.”

The HBMS Crystal was an audacious brig with pure white sails and a polished deck, under which the sounds of revelry could be heard.

As far as Adagio understood, it was mainly a pleasure cruiser, which was why it was currently anchored next to a steep and unchartable island in the middle of the night instead of hurrying along a current. Despite how frivolous the ship’s purpose was, it had an outstanding reputation for arriving on time no matter the cargo.

The Siren Sisters had just finished playing for a room filled with pale fops and wealthy nobles. Now they were in their meager dressing room, preparing for the next stage of their plan.

There was a knock on the door, and then it opened before Adagio could give permission. Adagio grabbed the knob and stopped the door from swinging in.

“Just a moment! We’re changing!” Adagio said.

“Oh, please. Its not as if there’s anything in this room I haven’t seen.” Said an uppity voice.

“As if you could." Adagio muttered.

"What was that?"

"I said, we have very few luxuries on this ship, but privacy is one of them. What can I do for you, captain Cinch?” Adagio said through the cracked door.

“That’s commodore.”

Caliper Cinch was more of a walking knot than a man; constantly glaring down his nose at everything in his vicinity as if it were a scuff on his shiny boots. He had pale blue skin and dark purple hair beneath a powdered wig, and he spoke with a voice that was high, brit, and consistently annoying. His resplendent blue and gold uniform bespoke a stuffy perfectionist mindset, and the decorations upon it were participation trophies, as far as Adagio knew.

“I’ve come to deliver your stipend. I’d like to personally thank the three of you for your performances. You’re the scuttlebutt of the whole ship.”

“We’re the butt of the what?” Sonata said.

“Everyone aboard is talking about you. I’ve even received a few offers of coin to have you perform privately.” Cinch said.

“You can tell your scuttlebutt that we’re not for sale; just our musical talents.” Adagio said, holding her hand out.

“I thought as much. The three of you seem to have a respectable understanding of your worth; a certain virtue in these waters. Here you are.”

Commodore Cinch dropped a jingling cloth sack into Adagio’s hand. She shook it gently and frowned.

“This feels a bit light. Are we not worth paying the amount we agreed on?”

“That’s five pounds.”

“We have been on this voyage for months, and we agreed on eight pounds at halfway and eight more at the dock.”

“Yes, well, this amount takes into account the lodgings we provided, as well as the luxurious witney blankets you demanded, the extra weight of your jollyboat-which we are hauling for you-not to mention the amount of food that your companions have eaten. Frankly I have no idea how you maintain your figures.”

“Trade secret.” Adagio smirked. “But those services only amount to two pounds at most, and the blankets are more of an investment on your part.”

“We’ll call the rest a bit of interest, just in case we have to answer to any more of your whims.”

“This was not part of our arrangement, Commodore. You must know we’re worth more.” Adagio said.

“I’d advise you to know your place. Goodnight, ladies.” Cinch shut the door. Adagio waited until the obnoxious jangling of his medals faded away.

“Ugh. Penny-pinching blowhard.” Adagio said. She turned and regained her smile as Sonata stuffed a sack with the aforementioned fine witney sheets.

“So we’re just gonna do what we always do? Stir up some trouble and then rob them blind?” Aria said, swapping from her ruffled finery to the functional seafarer’s garb the dazzlings had brought aboard.

“And have a snack at the same time?” Sonata said.

She reached under their shared bed, tossing weapons to their bearers. For Sonata, a whip, for Aria a hatchet, and for Adagio a polished rapier.

Adagio opened the door and peaked into the ship’s hall. No lookouts.

“We’ll stop doing it when it stops working. We’re as far from british patrols as we’re going to get on this trip, and I’ve got intel that our dear Commodore Finch is hiding a truly illustrious prize in his quarters. Tonight, we sing our last song, and this glorified barge becomes a ghost ship. Do you know your roles?”

“I’ll go up to the crow’s nest and keep singing to make sure that everyone stays mad!” Sonata said.

“Excellent. Aria?”

“I’ll get the dinghy down and kill anyone who tries to take it back.” Aria said.

“Meanwhile, I’ll clear the captain’s quarters of any valuables. I’ll also check the storeroom for any light supplies as well as the kitchen. I saw how much you enjoyed the steamed pudding and figs, Aria. “ Adagio said.

“Aria’s got a sweet tooth! Aria’s got a sweet tooth! Don’t eat too much or you’re gonna get pudgy!” Sonata teased. Aria slapped Sonata’s poking hands away, blushing.

“You’re the worst, Sonata!”

“No, you are!”

“Enough! The only people that should be on deck are the night guard and the helmsman. Once we take the deck, we’ll start the show.”

The Siren Sisters crept up to the deck on light feet.

Adagio held an arm out, and after a moment, a deck hand with a lantern passed by. As soon as the coast was clear, Aria slunk across the deck, hopped in the dingy, and lopped the rope with her hatchet. Sonata was up the rigging in moments.
Adagio leaned on the wall next to the door to the captain’s quarters and opened her mouth to sing, but the first note caught in her throat.

There was a shape out on the water. Adagio pulled the spyglass she kept on her hip and spied a jollyboat. It was rigged with a sail of white and purple, and it was approaching the Crystal, zigzagging with such sleek poise it looked like it was hovering over the waves instead of gliding upon them.

Adagio moved quickly, stepping across the deck to tap the lookout on the shoulder.

“Oh, miss! It’s a bit late isn’t it? Having a stroll on the deck are we?”

“Yes, yes, I wanted to stretch my legs. Do you see that?” Adagio pointed at the vessel out in the waves.
As the lookout turned to gawp at the approaching ship, Adagio drew her rapier and struck him with the pommel. He was unconscious, or close enough in seconds.

Adagio looked up and saw Sonata tilting her head like a puppy. Adagio pointed toward the helm, and so Sonata slid down the rigging, her descent punctuated with a dull thud.

Adagio looked out into the waves. The jollyboat had disappeared. She detected the faint taste of amusement and pride.

Adagio’s steel flashed in one direction, and her sight followed it.

A silhouette stood just beyond the tip of Adagio’s blade. It wore a pair of blades at the hip and a wide-brimmed hat with a pair of long red feathers set in the band. Their face was shrouded in the hat’s shadow, but Adagio could see the outline of a long, beakish nose and a pair of dull red eyes that squinted in recognition.

“...I know you! You’re the sea witch!” It sounded boyish and excited, but the silhouette was at least a head and a half taller than Adagio.

“If you know me, why did you think you could sneak up on me?” Adagio said, pressing the blade against the figure’s throat.

“Thought you were a swabbie. Now I can see you’re something else!”

“Haven’t you seen the wanted posters? I’m clearly a monster.”

“I could’ve sworn you were a row of spikes in tree, by those drawings. A shame really.”

“Oh?”

“They show you with a hilariously ugly smile.”

Steel struck steel in the space of a breath. The figure crossed Adagio’s rapier very close with a short cutlass. Their noses were nearly touching.

Adagio glared at the assailant with toothy-mawed murder.

“Hardly does you justice. Your smile is positively delectable.”
The assailant pushed forward with a shoulder, but Adagio caught herself before she toppled backward, keeping her sword raised.

She blocked a thrust that seemed experimental, almost playful, then spun like a dancer and came at her opponent’s neck with a horizontal slash which the figure swiftly ducked.

“Not a tree then! You move like a dolphin!”

“And what do you know about creatures of the sea?”

“I know that dolphins look fancy from a distance, but the second you try to catch one, they became bastardous little buggers!”

Adagio looked two and fro, and didn’t see any other guards approaching. Excellent.

“If I’m a dolphin, you must be an urchin.” Adagio said.

“A sense of humor! Color me surprised.” The figure chuckled.

Adagio rushed forward with a stab, but the figure batted her blade away effortlessly.

“Oh, you don’t want to do this. My crew and I happen to be entertainers aboard this ship. One scream from me and it's over for you.” Adagio said.

“Do bards in your line of work carry swords?”

A slow jab, followed by a series of rapid thrusts. Adagio’s blade quivered in her hand as she defended. Her arm was getting sore.

“Only to aid in theatrics! And what are you doing, stowing away at this time of night?” Adagio said.

“A little birdie told me that there was an elusive prize aboard this vessel.” The figure said.

“Aiming high, are we?” Adagio said, trying to slow down her hammering heart.

“Oh, and the usual plunder! Supplies, provisions and the like, which I'll be happy to take off your hands once you sheathe your sword!” The figure said.

“You first! I clearly have you beaten for range!”

“Fair enough, love, fair enough!”

The brigand smacked Adagio’s blade aside, then grabbed the strings of her bodice and pulled her in.

“But I’ve always preferred to keep things close and intimate.”

It was a moment. A minuscule second in the life of an immortal, and yet Adagio would never forget it.

The brigand stole a kiss.

“Get off!” Adagio brought around a slap hard enough to send the figure nearly off-balance. He stumbled away, then turned, rubbing his cheek.

“Let’s not get testy, now! I’ll be taking that chest and you can have the rest, what say you?”

“Off to fence the contents, no doubt! Trying to raise funds to upgrade your little boat? Is your crew dissatisfied with the size?”

“My boat is resplendent and very large!”

“Ah, that’s what all the boys say!”

“Okay, so you’ve always done that thing.” Buck said.

“What thing?” Adagio said.

“That thing where you start talking like a cheesy porn star when you’re put under pressure.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Buck.”

“I guess its a little like James Bond, right? Or like a mortal kombat character.”

“Who and what?”

“It’s kinda cute.”

“Hush.”

Adagio swiped at the silhouette, who danced with casual ease out of her blade’s reach. Adagio kept moving, trying to pierce her assailant in the side or take a slice out of his wrist. She had to end this quickly, or someone might come up to the deck and notice. That, and she was getting tired.

“How did you know I’m a captain?” The figure said.

“Well, you just told me, for one. That, and you have a fine voice.”

“Oh, very kind.” The assailant chuckled almost bashfully, looking away for a moment.

Adagio smirked and kicked her opponent’s leg out from under him, but the skulker haphazardly blocked Adagio’s stabs while still on his back.

“Yes, I’ll be sure to relish it when I’m sailing off with all the loot!”

“Well, that means a lot coming from a so-called mermaid.” The figure said, just barely rolling away from a stab to the throat.

“Ugh. If I let you live, would you kindly tell the rest of the world that we’re the Siren Sisters, not mermaids!?”

“Have you been trying to kill me this whole time? I barely noticed.” The assailant chuckled, and Adagio had to hop back as a silvery flash came for her ankle.

The assailant was up on his feet, brandishing the cutlass in one hand and a long dagger in the other.

“I have been toying with you, obviously!”

“Were you?” Buck said, in another time.

“I was not. Do you know how hard it is to learn how to use these things, let alone wield a sword?” Adagio said, wiggling her fingers.

“Bold words for someone who fights like its her third day!” Said the shadowy assailant.

“How dare.” Adagio went for the liver and missed.

“Tis' nothing personal, lass!”

The figure was parrying, dodging, almost prancing around Adagio, gradually pushing her back.

“Oh, I’m more than a match for you! I’ve been crossing swords for years!” Adagio came in with a feint then attempted to trip her opponent again, but had to withdraw as the dagger came for her leg instead.

“Ah, you learn from experience, I see! Just like me!”

“Don’t insult me, I am leaps and bounds greater than you!” Adagio said.

“Tis’ funny. I was about to say the same thing!” The assailant underhanded the dagger, aiming it at Adagio’s heart, but she managed to step aside as it thudded into the mast behind her. Using that distraction, the shadowy figure produced something small and metallic and blew on it.

A shrill tone echoed through the night, followed by the rumbling of feet coming from below decks.

Adagio wasted no time.

“Eek! It’s a pirate, come to take our precious valuables! Someone help!” Adagio cried, hiding her sword behind her back.

Onlookers spilled onto the deck while the actual crew spilled out just behind them, carrying truncheons and knives.

Adagio made a neck-cutting motion at Sonata, who was just about to lash the assailant with her whip.

“Now, now, ladies and gentlemen! I recommend you watch your heads! There’s a reason I decided to visit you on such a clear night! Don’t you want to know why?” The figure said, backing slowly toward the edge of the deck with a sword raised.
There was a booming sound, far in the distance.

“It makes it easier to aim!” Said the brigand.

The middle of the primary mast exploded into splinters, and suddenly the world was filled with screams.

Adagio covered her ears as chaos erupted through the crowd around her, a maddening mix of fear and fury. She squinted around and saw the intruder fighting against two or three guards as a galleon with brightly colored sails slid around the island. It announced itself with a broadside volley of cannon fire.

Through the din, Adagio distantly felt a tap on her shoulder. The ringing in her ears finally gave way to a familiar voice.

“Sis! Sis! What do we do!?” Sonata said.

“We have our distraction! Take in the chaos and come with me to the captain’s quarters!” Adagio said.
Sonata and Adagio pushed through the crowd of panicking nobles, wisps of greenish energy drifting into them, only to be stopped as a door clattered open. The pompous voice of the ship’s captain rose through the crowd.

“What is the meaning of this discord!?”

When Cinch emerged, fuming red, Adagio gathered her best crocodile tears and took the captain’s hand.

“It’s pirates, captain! Terrible sea dogs! One of them snuck aboard, and now he’s having a row with your guards! They’re coming after us with their broadsides!” Adagio simpered. Captain Finch’s stern expression crumpled. Adagio tasted equal parts panic and excitement.

“Pirates!? My word…which pirates?”

Another report from the cannons shuddered the whole ship.

“Sir, what will you do!?”

“Well, I suppose I’ll need to take charge, then! Men! Apprehend that brigand! Weigh anchor and turn us hard aport! Where’s the helmsman!?”

With three big distractions stirring up turmoil, Adagio and Sonata were free to loot the captain’s quarters with impunity.
It was a space filled with British excess; a heavily padded bed with fresh sheets, a table made exclusively to hold a map of the Caribbean, and a wardrobe with fine dresses entirely unfit for a sea-faring journey. Most audacious of all was a wide stern window through which one might observe the sea while standing with a haughty, officious stance.

“This is about what I expected from Cinch. Let’s get looting.”

Adagio unfurled a burlap sack she kept holstered at her side and passed it to Sonata, who swept everything that looked remotely valuable into it.

Adagio meanwhile turned her discerning eye to the task of finding the aforementioned chest.

“Now, if I were a stuffy blue-blooded snot, where would I hide my most treasured possessions?”

Adagio checked behind a portrait of the captain hilariously hanging over the bed. She checked in the desk drawers, and under the bed and then started knocking on the walls in search of hidden compartments, all while the chaos out on the deck grew louder.

“Look what I found!” Sonata cheered. Adagio turned around to see Sonata holding what appeared to be a large phallic symbol carved from ivory, beset with leather straps.

“Well, that’s some interesting trivia about Cinch, but not very useful to us. Put it in the bag and keep looking!”

“THEY’RE GOING TO RAM US!” Someone screamed, and then the whole ship lurched.

Adagio barely dodged a box that crashed from a high shelf and onto the floor. It was belted in bronze and padlocked twice. There was a carving of a coiled serpent on the top. The sounds of fighting broke out onto the deck. The Crystal was being boarded.

“And there’s our prize! Sonata, the window!” Adagio grinned.

“It sure is a nice window!” Sonata smiled blankly.

“Smash it open so we can get out of here!” Adagio groaned.

“Aye aye, Sis!” Sonata grabbed a chair and wound up to smash the window outward, just in time for a booted heel to shatter it inward instead.

A dextrous form hit the floor, then rolled and slammed a foot on top of the treasure chest. There was a cocksure grin on his face and a long, hanging rope in the other which led out into the night.

Now, lit by the candlelight, Adagio caught a real glimpse of the brigand.

Beneath the wide, bright green hat was a face obscured by a masquerade mask fashioned to look like a fierce white-faced eagle with purple feathers around the eye holes. His lithe form was hugged by a tight dark leather peacoat, and his polished boots shone in the candlelight. His eyes were the color of wine, and he was pointing his cutlass at Adagio, who was kneeling to pick up the chest.

“Hello again. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. They call me The Griffon; leader of the most fearsome crew in the Caribbean, and I’ll be taking this booty.”

“Woah, babe, that was a lot of adjectives! Do you need a second?” Buck laughed.

“What are you talking about?” Adagio said.

“You’re blushing,’dagio. You must’a been splooshing all over those nice british carpets!”

“Ugh, you’re drunk!” Adagio said, turning her red face away.

“C’mon, tell me, was the the feathers in the hat? The mask?” Buck said.

“Are you into birds? That’s kinda weird!” Scootaloo said, from behind the couch.

Adagio jumped a little and tried not to laugh.

“What’s wrong with being into birds?” Buck said.

“What, do you like eagles too?” Scootaloo said.

“I mean, I like owls. They’re pretty rad.” Buck shrugged.

“But are you like, into owls, though?” Scootaloo said.

“I mean, it depends on who draws them, I guess?” Buck said.

“Hah! Furry!” Scootaloo said.

“Eh, yeah, lil’ bit.” Buck shrugged.

“Little Birdie, for the second time, these lessons are private!”

“What lesson? You guys are in here talking about butt pirates and ivory butt plugs! And butts!” Scootaloo said.

“Go on, shoo!” Adagio said.

“I’m going, I’m going!” Scootaloo said.

The door shut. Buck tried not to laugh, while Adagio recovered from her blush. She was twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

“Is this funny to you?” Adagio sneered.

“Oh yeah.” Buck said.

“What can I say? We had only been in the human world for a little while, and until then I hadn’t thought of your people as anything other than demons from some fell plane! The Griffon was the first one of you that I found…attractive.” Adagio said.

“Awww…! That’s so sweet! Did you suck his dick?”

“No Buck I did not suck the Griffon’s dick!” Adagio snapped.

“I mean, look, I’m about the last person in the world to judge you for actin' like a dirty pirate hooker.” Buck said, holding an empty shot glass.

Adagio looked at Buck square in the eyes, and emptied her wine glass in one gulp.

“Wow. Do you want me to pour you another?” Buck said.

“So ANYWAY-” Adagio said.

The blades sang.

Adagio’s arm got more exhausted with each block and parry, whereas The Griffon seemed to be enjoying a bit of light exercise.

“I’m Adagio Dazzle, leader of the D-The Siren Sisters.” Adagio said.

“Yes, I know who you are. I said that outside.” The rogue smiled.

"Oh, well, have you met my sister!?” Adagio laughed.

“Hi, I’m Sonata!”

The Griffon squawked as Sonata’s boot came flying up between his knees.

“Nice…to meet you! This actually hurts!” The Griffon winged. He took a knee and groaned, head down next to the bronze banded chest.

“Not as much as this will, you cocky fop!” Adagio shrieked, lunging forward with a vicious stab.

The Griffon gasped and stumbled away, taking the blade with him, holding his side against the spreading blood as Adagio looked on in shock.

“You stabbed him!?” Buck spluttered, lowering the shot glass from his lips.

“I thought he would dodge it, or parry it like he did all my other strikes!” Adagio said.

“You fuckin’ stabbed the man!?”

“It was an accident!”

“It sounded pretty premeditated to me, lady!”

“What do you expect a girl to do when she’s got a crush?”

“Not fucking stab a man!” Buck said, taking another shot.

“I was young…ish, I was new to this world, and it was a very tense and slightly erotic situation!” Adagio said.

“And I thought head on the first date was outrageous! You are the reason why hat pins went out of style!” Buck laughed.

“With the men you have walking around today, first date stabbings will make a resurgence any day now!” Adagio said.

“Geez, I hope so.” Scootaloo said.

“GET OUT!” Adagio screamed.

The Griffon stumbled backward, holding his blade out, bleeding on the chest.

“Adagio, you stabbed him!” Sonata said.

“I am aware!” Adagio said.

“What do we do now?” Sonata said.

“He’s obviously outnumbered. If he knows what’s good for him, he will recognize his place and surrender.” Adagio recovered.

“Oh, The Griffon doesn’t surrender. Personal rule.” The Griffon grunted.

“I hear that talking in the third person is a symptom of blood loss. If you don’t throw your blade down now, you may just lose the rest.” Adagio said.

“You sound like a nurse! If I start to bleed out, will you give me a close examination, love?”

“I’ll examine your insides if you don’t cut the banter, scum.” Adagio growled.

“Ooh, threaten me with a good time!” The Griffon pulled his whistle again, then blew on it three times. Sonata cringed, expecting another broadside volley, but there simply wasn’t one.

“Is that supposed to scare us?”

“Well, I don’t know. How do you feel about birds?”

“I like birds!” Sonata said.

There was a distant shriek, and then a flurry of pale feathers assaulted Sonata’s head.

“AAGHH! I don’t like birds anymore!” Sonata wailed, frantically flailing her arms around.

“Arrk! No quarter, no quarter!” The bird said.

“What is that? What have you done!?” Adagio said.

“I’ve just ensured that we won’t be interrupted. Now, take this!”

Adagio cringed as The Griffon pulled a second cutlass from his belt. With a flick of the wrist, the cutlass sunk into the floor in front of Adagio.

“You can’t be serious. I’ve already stabbed you!”

“And you think that means the fight is over?” The Griffon brought his blade around, Adagio frantically raising the one she was given to intercept.

“Why would you give me this!?” Adagio said.

“Just a bit of fair play, love! Ever heard of it!?”

Despite the sword through his side, The Griffon struck with a ringing ferocity, smiling the whole time as he systematically turned away Adagio’s frantic counters.

Adagio’s eyes flicked to Sonata’s struggle against a frenzied flying creature, and in that moment, the sword was smacked from her hand.

Adagio tried to punch at the man’s face, but he kicked her in the stomach, pushing her back to the wall.

“Disappointing, little dolphin! Try harder!” The Griffon said, turning away.

Gills rose on Adagio’s neck. Her teeth sharpened, her nails lengthened and she felt a boiling fury rise behind her eyes. She screeched, lunging at The Griffon, ready to bite his damn throat out, but then she felt a slashing pain in the side of her shoulder. Her sleeve was pinned against the wall by a dagger.

“Come on, love! Is this really how a captain of your esteem fights?” The Griffon said. Adagio took a breath, then smirked.

“No. This is! ARIAAAA~”

Adagio’s voice reverberated through the whole of the ship. It was followed by the sounds of screams and splashes, then heavy footfalls approaching the door.

“What is that, a wild boar?” The Griffon said.

“Something like that.” Adagio said.

There was a creaking thud, then another, then another. The door crunched and buckled.

“What kind of infernal beast do you keep!?”

The crashing got louder.

“Oh, for the love of--Aria, it’s unlocked!”

The door clicked, then slammed open to reveal a threshold to hell.

Aria’s eyes flicked from the red on Adagio’s shoulder to the sea dog that caused it. The hatchet she held creaked in her hand, and her eyes began to glow with a blood red fury.

“I’M GOING TO EAT YOUR HEART!” Aria roared.

“Annnd that’s my cue to leave! Cali!”

The Griffon bravely ran for his life and limb, and at his command the feathery hellion that was assaulting Sonata flew out the wrecked window ahead of him.

“Thassa….meeeean birdie!” Sonata groaned, wobbling with delirium, rubbing her scratches.

“Sonata, get him!” Adagio barked.

“I’m on it!” Sonata said, waddling blindly across the floor.

Adagio tried to pry the dagger from her sleeve, but found that the tip was stuck fast to the wall. She hummed a little tune, reaching out to the sea outside as The Griffon grabbed the very rope he swung in on.

“It’s been an experience, loves, truly it has! I do hope you’ll remember the day that you crossed blades with–”

“RAAAAAGGGGHH!!!” Aria charged, her swinging hatchet shattering everything it touched. The Griffon tugged on the rope deliberately, then frantically as he dodged and parried Aria’s assault.

“I’ve got him, Sis, I’ve got him!” Sonata said, stumbling into Aria’s path.

“Sonata get out of the way!” Aria screeched as the two collided.

“...Capta-AAAAAGH!” The rope yanked the sea dog bodily out the destroyed window and up into the air.

Adagio finally got the dagger free, humming a frantic tune as she ran to the window. Below, the sea stirred and rose in thin tendrils, then dropped back into the depths as Adagio ran out of this world’s anemic mana.

Above, the ship with the multicolored sails began to pull away, hauling The Griffon onto the deck with a brisk pace. The rope was still extending into the room. Adagio followed the line with her eyes, only to realize that the captain’s rope was tied around the handle of the bronze banded chest.

“Wait, what is- girls, get the chest!”

Sonata and Aria dived, only managing to bump their heads together as the chest was yanked across the floor, tripping Adagio onto her ass before being swiftly hauled onto the deck of the retreating pirate ship. The Griffon, still holding the sword in his side, flashed a triumphant grin.

“As I was saying! I hope you’ll remember the day you crossed blades with The Griffon!”

*THUNK*

Aria’s hatchet buried itself in the railing, right next to the brigand’s hand, causing him to shrink back and out of sight.

Adagio got to her feet with a groan, rubbing her backside.

“He seems nice!” Sonata waved at the ship with a smile until Aria thumped her on the head.

“Don’t wave at him! He stabbed Adagio and stole our loot!”

“He didn’t steal a lute! He just stole the chest!”

“He wouldn’t have stolen anything if you weren’t in here being the worst!” Aria said.

“No, you are!”

“Quiet!” Adagio said, pushing Sonata and Aria apart, leaning out the window. “We’ve clearly lost first prize today, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get it back. Let’s go collect our effects, get back to the Hammer and plan our counterattack.”

“What are we going to do to them?” Sonata said.

“The same thing we always do, probably.” Aria said.

“We’re going to take that chest back. Then, I’m going to defeat that idiot in a proper duel for embarrassing me with the blade.”

“What.” Aria said.

“And then we’re going to make his crew kill each other and leave him marooned on some pathetic little spit of land as far away from shore as possible.”

Aria smiled and nodded. Sonata smiled blankly, as usual.

Captain Finch presumably came in and asked why her quarters were a disaster, but by then the Dazzlings were long gone.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting you to tell a story where you don’t win.”

“I win in all of my stories, Buck. In some I win later rather than sooner.”

“....what about the story of your life?”

“Oh, I’m winning, Buck. You just don’t see it.”

Buck glanced at the probably expensive bathrobe that Adagio was wearing, then the almost certainly expensive alcohol on the coffee table, then the obviously exorbitantly expensive suite they were sitting in.

“Naw, pretty sure I see it. Those’re really cute slippers. Those silk?” Buck slurred.

“Yes they are, Buck. Are you alright? Have you had enough rum?”

“I’m inclined to say no, but I’m also inclined to do this.”

Buck started to flop over, caught himself, then carefully reoriented himself to lay his head in Adagio’s lap as if it were a perfectly normal thing to do.

Adagio blinked and tilted her head, looking down at Buck’s contented expression before letting her hand drift down to stroke his hair. She heard no objection.

“This’s nice.” Buck said.

“As I was saying. Some victories take a bit of time in development, and that was the case here.” Adagio said.

“He kind of kicked your ass a little.”

“The Griffon embarrassed me in a contest of blades and wit, and I was not about to take that sitting down.”

“Wait, how long were you studying fencing?”

“I wasn’t. I already told you, my skill with the sword was in its infancy, as was my skill with hands, fingers, and legs.”

“Okay, so why’d you get mad when you got beaten if you were still super new?”

“It’s the principle of the thing, Buck. Adagio Dazzle excels at everything she touches. Adagio Dazzle does not suffer defeat without reciprocity.”

“Hey, didn’t you say third-person talk is a sign of blood loss? Is it your time of the month?”

Adagio slapped Buck on the cheek.

“Okay, okay, don’t hit!” Buck laughed and reached for another shot, but Adagio swatted his hand.

“No. I’m cutting you off.” Adagio smiled.

“Fair enough! What happened next?”

Back in Nassau, the Dazzlings sat in a noisy, dingy little bar. There was a gallery of absolute scum on display, populating every stool and poorly made wooden chair in the vicinity, and there was a spittoon by the door that appeared to be developing a living culture.

“So why did Sonata do all those…Sonata things to that guy in the alley?” Aria said.

“His name was Kratos, or something! “ Sonata said. “He said that the Griffon’s been doing piratey stuff for a little longer than we have, and he’s supposed to be like reeeally good with a cutlass, and he likes to take on big british ships, and his ship’s name is the Harpist’s Labia!”

“The Harpies’ Labrys, Sonata.” Adagio said.

“Right! What you said! That’s what I meant! To say!” Sonata said.

“Ugh. So we got the name of the ship. So what?” Aria said.

“So, we know what it looks like, and we can check for the name. That means we can find it when it arrives here.” Adagio said.

“What makes you think they’ll show up here?” Aria said.

“Call it a hunch. They were heading north from near Black Point, they just finished a raid, and they’re probably low on provisions.” Adagio said.

“How do you know?”

“Pirates are always low on provisions. There’s only one place they could go to escape from the law long enough to resupply, and that’s right here in the Republic of Pirates. Now we just have to wait.

“Ughhh! I hate waiting! Wake me up when we can have a fight or a meal, or something actually interesting.” Aria groaned and put her feet up on the table.

“Actually, Aria, I thought this might interest you. Sonata, didn’t that Cratus creature say something interesting about moving goods? Remind me, where was he taking them?” Adagio said.

“Oh yeah! I asked him where he was going in the New World! It’s this new town at the top of the gulf! It was called, uh…um…New Horseleans!” Sonata said.

“It’s fertile ground for enterprising individuals. An experiment in statesmanship, far away from the arm of the British navy. I hear it's a paradise of wild game, and a beacon to any intrepid entreprenuers looking to seek their fortune.”

“And! It’s French!” Sonata said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“So what?” Aria grumbled, but a small smile had crept onto her face.

“So what? How do you feel about becoming wealthy parishioners in a burgeoning township? A place that at this early stage is sure to be teeming with ' brave adventurers’ in the form of wealthy, half-senseless third sons from France, fresh for exploitation? The stepping stone to the New World, which is sure to be embroiled in conflict as soon as the great and good begin dividing up its lands? A place where we can set up a base right out in the open, right in the front row to the stage of history and live on our own terms. Now, does that sound boring to you?”

“It doesn’t sound like a meal.” Aria said.

“Use your imagination. A bunch of wealthy nobles competing to rake up as much land as possible. Greedy, ignorant fools competing in a constant pissing contest, working their slaves to the bone, conflict and hatred stewing between them, but amplified by a new space, free of accountability. A recipe for violence, in other words. Meals.” Adagio said.

At that, Aria smiled wide.

“And once we establish a proper foothold there, we can finally begin amassing power in earnest while I figure out how to get us home.” Adagio said.

“Okay, I’m in.” Aria said.

“Well, duh!” Sonata said.

Aria pushed Sonata, who pushed her back, and back and forth until Adagio unrolled a map on the table and stuck a dagger through it.

“New Horseleans is there, at that delta on top of the Gulf. Notice the distance?”

“It’s suuuuper far away!” Sonata said.

“Yes. While we could go around the horn of the keys and up the coast, the chances of us making the trip without being spotted, in unfamiliar waters against shores controlled by the Spanish are slim to none. The shortest route is through the gulf, but we lack the provisions. Which means…?” Adagio said.

“We steal them.” Aria said.

“I was gonna say that!” Sonata whined.

“Yes, we steal them. I’d also like to get our hands on the treasure we lost to that bird brained buffoon. So we’re here. When they arrive in port, Aria and Sonata; you two will assault the crew, and I’ll defeat the captain in a sword duel.” Adagio said.

“But you lost your sword! It’s in that Griffon guy!” Sonata said.

“So I’ll steal another one, and then defeat him.” Adagio said.

"Ugh, why are you so obsessed with him? He’s just a human; why don’t you just let me lop his head off?” Aria said.

“Maybe it’s because his hat is fancier than hers?” Sonata said.

“It’s not the hat.” Adagio said.

“Well, he sounded young and pretty! Maybe she’s got a crush!” Sonata stage whispered.

“I am not attracted to these filthy, disgusting creatures!” Adagio barked.

“Okay, sorry…” Sonata quieted.

“Yeah, Sonata, she’s not a freak like you.” Aria said.

“So if you don’t want him, can I have him?” Sonata said, perking up.

“Once I’ve subdued the captain, we’ll cast a song that will convince the crew to load their loot and supplies into our cute little cutter. After that, we’ll depart for the New World. Two birds, one stone.” Adagio said.

“How long do we have to wait, Sis?” Sonata said, practically bouncing in her seat.

“Oh, a few months, possibly. In the meantime, we need to go around and collect as much mana as we can from the rabble around here; otherwise, our song won’t work. That means one last little stretch to beat some faces in-” Adagio gestured to Aria, who nodded. “-and to do…whatever you like doing with humans, Sonata.

“Really, really!?” Sonata beamed.

“As long as you store some mana as you feed yourself, I couldn’t care less what you do to them. This is Nassau. They won’t be missed.”

The doors to the tavern slammed open, shocking the rabble into silence. A stubby-looking reprobate wearing slightly tattered clothes and a green armband addressed the patrons in an obnoxiously loud voice.

“Presentiiiing! The diving hawk of the seas, the saviest swashbuckler to ever live, the legendary masquerader of the Spanish main, The Griffon!”

A half-full bottle shattered against the wall, and the tavern jeered as the masked buccaneer and what looked like his whole crew swaggered in. He was notably unpunctured and in seemingly high spirits.

“A round on me, lads!” The Griffon said, and the jeers got louder and rowdier.

The sirens huddled at their table, not showing their faces.

“Well, that moves things up a bit, doesn’t it?” Adagio said.

“What do we do? We don’t have enough juice to mess with them!”

“And you still don’t have a sword.” Aria said.

“New plan. Sonata and I will find the idiot’s ship and get the chest and whatever else we can carry.”

“Sounds boring.” Aria said.

“Not for you. Aria, you’ll stay here and start a brawl. A big, loud one. Keep the crew’s attention until we get back.”

“I can do that.” Aria smirked.

“You remember our rules?” Adagio reached out and put her hand over Aria’s.

“If you take longer than an hour, meet at the docks. If you don’t show up by sunrise or sunset, meet at the main hideout.” Aria said. She rolled her eyes, but her smile didn’t leave.

“That’s right. Have your fun, take in as much mana as you can, and try not to engage the captain. He’s stronger than he looks.” Adagio said.

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it!” Aria grumbled.

Adagio and Sonata slipped out the window while Aria kept eyes on the captain, who was now sitting at the bar. In this light, the mask seemed a bit off-center and ill-fitting. The Griffon slumped over the bar, shoulders drooping as he chatted with a crewmate.

Aria waited for a few minutes, or what seemed like years, then she rose and slowly approached. She grabbed a bottle of grog, then tapped the Griffon on the shoulder.

“Hm?”

“You stabbed my sister in the shoulder.”

“What?”

Aria smashed the bottle on The Griffon’s head.

Adagio and Aria snuck up on an impressive barque with three masts, covered in sails of red and green. The figurehead was a finely carved visage of a bare-chested harpy, clutching a two-headed battle axe in her talons. The plaque on the side read “The Harpies’ Labrys”

“Do you think this is the ship?” Sonata said.

Adagio stared at Sonata for a few seconds, before finally collecting herself.

“Yes, Sonata. This is the ship, Now help me up.”

The ship groaned only slightly as Sonata and Adagio climbed onto the deck. A lantern’s glow swiveled in their direction, and the pair hid behind the mast.

“Looks like someone wasn’t invited to the party in town!” Sonata said. Adagio clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Will you please learn an inside voice already!?” Adagio whispered.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Said a painfully innocent sounding voice.

“Does that sound like a child to you?” Adagio whispered.

“Mine!” Sonata said, squirming out of Adagio’s grasp.

Sonata’s boots charged across the deck, then came to a sudden stop.

Adagio peeked around the mast but only saw a figure holding a lantern. Sonata had disappeared.

The figure with the lantern was shorter than Adagio, and she could barely make out a striped shirt, a red scarf, and a pair of terrified eyes. Adagio could see now that it was indeed a child. A young boy left to watch the ship on his own.

“BOO!” Sonata emerged from the darkness at the boy’s side.

“AH! Whuh!? Who, uh…huh?” The boy jumped.

“Hello little boy~.” Sonata purred.

“Who are you!?” The boy started to panic visibly, but Sonata put a finger to his lips.

“Shhh…Adagio? Can I play with him?” Sonata said.

“You may detain him.” Adagio sighed.

“Yes! Are you a good little boy? Good little boys shouldn’t be out this late. Why are you here all alone?” Sonata said.

“I-I-I’m Pip! Pip the pirate! I’m the cabin boy….and guard!”

“Aww! Are you a brave little cabin boy? Stopping any nasty people from climbing on board and cutting everybody's necks?” Sonata giggled.

Her voice was sing-song and playful and beyond menacing.

“Th-th-that’s right! I’m…you…you’re not supposed to be here!” Pip simpered.

“Shhh…shhh…don’t be so loud! There could be monsters around!” Sonata tutted.

“M-Monsters!? Like, like ghosts and goblins, and, and, and…”

“Sirens~?” Sonata said.

Pip gulped, backing away from Sonata until she put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him against the railing of the ship’s stairs.

“Do you know what sirens do to good little boys like you?”

“...nooo?” The boy was shivering. His eyes flicked from Sonata’s red gaze to her dagger-filled smile.

“What? Why are you shaking? Are you scared that I’m going to…EAT YOU UP!?”
Sonata pounced, and Adagio braced for screams.

The boy flailed and laughed, as Sonata tickled him under the arms, smiling brightly.

“Ah? Ah? Boo! Hehehehee!” Sonata cooed.

“Sonata, put him to sleep! We can’t risk anyone hearing us.”

“Okay!”

Sonata hummed a gentle and haunting tune before breaking into a sweet and beckoning stanza.

“Come little children, I’ll take thee away, into a land of enchantment.

Come little children, the night’s come to play, here in my garden of magic…”

The boy’s fearful gaze turned dull. His legs went slack, but Sonata caught him before he could hit the deck, rocking him gently as if putting him to bed.

“Shhh…shh…I’m gonna take you home with us to our place on the north side, and we’ll have little tea parties, and I’m gonna dress you up in a little sailor’s outfit, and, and-”

“No. None of that is happening. Come on.” Adagio said, rolling her eyes. Sonata placed the boy on the deck, then trotted along into the captain’s quarters behind Adagio.

“Look for the chest, Sonata. I doubt the Griffon would keep it anywhere out of his reach.”

The Griffon’s quarters were surprisingly spartan. Adagio expected something full of pageantry and presentation, and while the ceiling was draped with high hanging strips of colored cloth, seemingly for flavor, all else she saw was a very basic bunk, a tall mirror bolted to the wall, a wardrobe, and a map stretched out on a desk next to an open tome.

"A manifest? On a pirate ship? Since when are pirate captains so orderly and neat?" Adagio said aloud.

“Don’t you have one of these?”

“Yes, but I’m obviously smarter, better and more attractive than the average pirate.”

“Maybe he has a scribe? Human writing is super hard!”

“Only if you keep doing it with your teeth, Sonata. There are no scribes here, these pages are signed under ‘The Griffon’, sometimes with extra titles thrown in.”

In contrast to the fashionable and legendary Griffon’s brash behavior, the ship’s manifest was legible and extraordinarily well organized, listing every heist and shipment from the last few months down to the individual units. Adagio was taken aback by the amount of specialty goods in the ledger; perfume, soap, a medley of dried fruits and the like, and discovered that the Griffon had used money from the ship’s coffers to purchase those luxuries.

Most miraculous of all was the fact that one of the expenses listed was a weekly salary for the crew.

Adagio flipped through the pages, growing more confused as she went on, until she found the most recent page, which contained plans for the next expedition.

“They aren’t staying in Nassau…they’re provisioning for a grand operation in…Havana?”

“Maybe they’ve got a cute little summer home there!” Sonata said, before suddenly hitting the floor.

“Are you alright?” Adagio stepped over to help Sonata up. It seemed that she tripped over something that slid across the floor with the rocking of the ship.

“I’m okay! Oof. Maybe I’m still getting used to feet? Heehee.” Sonata laughed.

“Maybe. How would you feel about dance lessons? Would that help?” Adagio chuckled.

“Ooh! Can we go to Brazil for those!? I love how those guys flip around!”

“I’ll think about it. Now what is this you’ve fallen over?”

Sonata shuffled to her feet, then gasped as she saw what had tripped her. It was the chest with the serpent carved into the top, minus the padlocks.

“I found it! I found it! I found it~!” Sonata sang.

“Yes you did, Sonata. Excellent work. It looks like the esteemed captain has done the work of unlocking it for us. How kind.” Adagio said.

“What’s inside? What’s inside?”

“Let’s see.”

Adagio opened the chest and found that it contained a singular item; something long and heavy, wrapped in a fine satin cloth.

“Oooooh! What is it? A fancy pillow?” Sonata said over Adagio’s shoulder.
Adagio unwrapped the cloth. What she held in her hand was a long wedge of fine cut jade, a bit longer in length than her forearm. On one end was a wide socket made of carved gold, and the other resembled an eagle’s talons from the top, but was flat on the bottom.

“Is…is it another sex toy?” Sonata said.

“No, Sonata, I don’t think it is.” Adagio said, stowing the artifact in a sack.

“Aww…Oh well! Maybe there’s one here in the wardrobe?”

Sonata turned and flung the doors of the wardrobe wide. Adagio heard the unmistakable sound of a twine breaking.

Adagio tackled Sonata to the ground.

A bit of string attached to the wardrobe door had given way. It snaked up the wall to the ceiling and released with a snap. The colorful cloth hanging above turned down, raining a storm of caltrops on Adagio’s back as she covered Sonata.

Sonata looked on in horror as rivulets of blood ran down Adagio’s arms and face.

“Are you hurt, Sonata?” Adagio said, touching her sister’s face.

“Sis…what about you?” Sonata winced.

“Don’t worry about that.” Adagio got to her feet, quivering slightly. Sonata gasped as she saw a prickly patch of caltrops stuck in Adagio’s back and arms. “It seems our enemy is a bit more clever than I gave him credit for; a mistake I will not be making twice.”

“Come on you dirty human curs! I’ll take you all on!” Aria grinned.

Seven men were on the floor of the tavern, a couple of which were wearing The Griffon’s green armband. Some of the bar patrons had made the mistake of getting in Aria’s way, and now they were part of a pile on the floor.

The Griffon’s men were numerous, but not extremely coordinated. Many of them shrunk away in appropriate terror when Aria swung her hatchet, and a few of them hid behind the captain himself.

“Now, now love! This doesn’t have to end in blood! How about we settle this over a pint or two?” The Griffon said, brandishing a cutlass.

“You talk too much.” Aria’s hatchet came down and bulldozed a wooden chair where The Griffon had been standing.

“Tis’ a nice shirt you’ve got there. Did you get it in Cuba? Havana?” The Griffon said.

“Shut up!” Aria charged again, whacking another crew member out of the way as she went after The Griffon.

“Are you jealous of the attention I gave to your leader? I assure you that there’s plenty to go around!” The Griffon said, reaching for a pint on the bar.

“STOP TALKING!” Aria screamed, and a barstool collapsed. The Griffon glanced at the damage, bewildered that the woman hadn’t charged or swung, but merely screamed.

“How did you…?”

“DIE!”

The Griffon blocked the strike with a metal flagon, but the shock of the blow knocked his arm away, opening him up to Aria’s berserk charge.

“Captain, look out!”

A swarthy, eye-patched sailor wielding a table leg tried to stop Aria’s swing. The hatchet bit deep into the shoulder with a wet crunch, but the man didn’t scream, or budge. He gritted his teeth and stood firm.

“Don’t you dare hurt the captain, you monster!”

Aria grabbed the man’s color.

“Me!? Who are you to call me a monster!?”

“The man that helped me defeat you.” Said the captain.

Aria looked over her captive’s shoulder and saw that The Griffon was pointing a pistol at her.

“You’re a coward.” Aria hissed.

“Surrender, lass. Last chance.”

“I’d rather die!”

“Fair enough.”

The Griffon pulled the trigger.

Meanwhile, in the harbor, a modest cutter rocked back and forth. It flew a black flag that featured a sea serpent coiled around a skull.

The plaque on the side of the ship read: “Medusa’s Hammer”.

Adagio sat frowning in the tin tub in the shared quarters of the ship. Sonata was carefully pulling the metal spikes from her back, washing the wounds with a bit of cloth.

Every time Adagio cringed from the sharp pain, Sonata’s hands emitted a dark, dusky red glow, and the wound closed.

“Don’t use so much mana on me. You know this world’s magic is so thin as to be nothing.”

“Sorry, Sis!” Sonata said and continued working.

“Why trap the wardrobe instead of the chest? This Griffon gets stranger by the moment.” Adagio said.

“But interesting, right?” Sonata said.

“What?”

“What?”

There was a thud.

“Go see what that was.” Adagio said.

“Okay!”

Sonata ran to the door, then Adagio heard her gasp.

“Sis…?” Sonata said.

“One moment!” Adagio tossed on a shirt and ran for the deck. She reached for her rapier, then remembered it was gone.

It was just as well, for as soon as she got up, Aria stumbled through the door to the captain’s quarters and hit the floor face-first, bleeding.

“Aria! Sonata, what did you do!?”

“Nothing, nothing, she came like this!”

Aria mumbled something about ‘the worst,’ then Sonata flipped her over. She went to work immediately, unrolling a sheaf of metal tools fit for a surgeon on a very low budget.

“Bastard shot me in the stomach!” Aria groaned as Sonata examined the wound.

“Who did?” Adagio said.

“The captain…!”

“You fought the captain?”

“Fuck! Sonata, what are you doing!?” Aria said.

“Its still in there! I have to get it out!” Sonata said.

“Aria, focus. What did I specifically tell you not to do?” Adagio said, kneeling down next to Aria.

“Fight with the captain…” Aria mumbled.

“And what did you do?”

“I fought the captain…gaah! Sonata, fuck!”

Sonata didn’t look up. She passed something to Adagio instead. Adagio reached onto a shelf and then uncorked a bottle of rum.

“Drink.”

Aria, grimacing and sweating, happily drank down the sugary booze.

“Now, Aria, I’m only going to say this once, since you seem to have forgotten. I’m the leader of this band. I decide who we attack and who we leave be. So when I tell you not to attack someone, what don’t you do?”

“I don’t attack that person…” Aria grumbled.

“Good. Bite down on this.” Adagio offered Aria a thick strip of leather. “Now, I understand why you did it, so you won’t be punished. I’ll let this surgery be punishment enough.

Aria screamed around the bit of leather, her legs kicking the deck as Sonata reached into her wound with tweezers.

“Sonata, once you finish with that, I want you to weigh anchor.” Adagio said.

“But Sis, what about your back?” Sonata said.

“Her back? What happened to your back!?” Aria said, spitting out the leather.

“Hush. Once we’re out of sight of Nassau, we can find a little cove to stop in for a moment so you can heal me. Right now, we need to get clear.” Adagio said.

“But why, Sis?”

“Because we have what we came for. We have the treasure and some extra loot as well, and The Griffon’s men will find that out the second they return to their ship. We’re in no condition for another fight at the moment. We need to rest and recuperate before we make any other moves.”

“Aye aye, Sis!” Sonata said. She raised a hand over Aria’s bullet wound, and her dark red aura pooled in little droplets at her fingertips before dripping slowly into the gash.

Adagio stroked Aria’s hair as her wound began to close.

“Ugh…why is it so slow?” Aria complained.

“The magic in this world is pitiful, which means we can’t be as reckless as we used to.”

“I know, I know!” Aria hissed. Sonata wiped the blood away to reveal a fresh scar.

“Then stop complaining. You need to go get some sleep, Aria.”

“What? Who’s going to do all the pulling and rigging while we get out of port?”

“Not you, with that wound. Now go relax. I won’t tell you twice.” Adagio said, taking the helm. Despite the feeling of salt in the air prickling her own wounds, Adagio kept a steady, stern expression at the wheel.
Within minutes, the Medusa’s Hammer was out of Nassau’s port and headed for the horizon, which was dark and stormy.

A few weeks had passed. Buck’s magic training had been going at a pace best described as jagged and frustrating, but his rapport with Adagio was shifting gradually back to the casual intimacy they had enjoyed before he started dating Ditzy Doo.

Now Adagio and Buck had settled into a bit of a groove. Buck would practice his basic cantrips while Adagio assisted him with theory, encouragement, and drills, and then Buck would take some time to emotionally decompress by lounging on the couch and listening to Adaigo’s story.

At the moment Buck and Adagio were taking shots, but Adagio had insisted on setting the pace. The pair were pleasantly buzzed.

“I get it.” Buck said.

“Hm?”

“That feeling of being wounded, but needing to ignore it so that you can keep moving forward. I get it.”

“Have you ever lead a team, Buck?”

“No, not really.”

“Then you don’t get it. It’s not just about stubbornness. My sisters and I were strangers in a strange land. They depended on me to be strong, level-headed, and focused on our goals. I had to excise every ounce of weakness from my heart or the group’s dynamic would fall apart.”

“That sounds like an obscene amount of pressure to be under.”

“That’s simply what it means to be a leader. When your authority is questioned, it leads to dissent, and that can cause your team to go against your directions and make mistakes that can jeopardize their well-being. If you slip up even a tiny bit, if you don’t maintain control, everything can fall apart.”

“I don’t know about that. Circumstances being what they were, I totally get your approach, but it sounds like the girls were just as worried about your well-being as you were worried about theirs. I bet if you talked to them about your feelings, you wouldn’t have to worry so much about them going rogue, or whatever.”

“And what do you know about it, Buck?”

“I’m just saying that when you talk about needing to be authoritative and driven, you remind me of someone else. A really smart girl who did some nasty things because she wanted to be accepted but didn’t know how to put it into words. She was a friend of mine; you might’ve heard of her?”

“I don’t think I like how snippy you get when you’re lightly drunk.” Adagio said.

“Sorry, sorry. Don’t mind me.”

The winds had not been in the Siren Sister’s favor, and without magic to move their ship, the path to the northern coast of Cuba was a long and arduous one. By the time the Medusa’s Hammer approached the sea cave that hid their main base, the weather was so poor that it had to be rowed in.

Adagio had opted to stay in the captain’s quarters, quietly checking her back in the tall mirror. Despite Sonata’s best efforts, there would be scars. There simply wasn’t enough mana to heal it properly.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

“What is it?” Adagio said.

“The front door is open.” Aria growled.

The boulder which typically hid the entrance to the Dazzling’s base had been pushed aside. The flicker of torchlight could be seen coming from inside the cave.

“Arms, girls. If our burglars are still here, we’ll make them pay.” Adagio said.

“Dibs!” Sonata said, brandishing her whip.

“Shh! Yes, Sonata. You can punish them.” Adagio whispered.

The Dazzlings crept into the threshold, Aria on point, Sonata in the back, and Adagio in the center.

A single torch was left burning on the stony floor, and with its light, Adagio saw the damage that had been done. It was little more than three beds, a table and a wardrobe, but it was theirs, and now it was ransacked beyond repair.

“Our stuff! They busted up our stuff!” Sonata said. She sat on her bed, which was missing sheets, only to have its legs buckle beneath her.

“I should’ve killed them all!” Aria said. “I should’ve ripped their heads off in that bar!”

Adagio was silent. The protests of her sisters fell away as she looked around. The Dazzlings had avoided filling their main base with loot; that’s what the other sea caves were for, but this space had been the closest thing they had to a permanent home since they arrived in the human world. It was their backup plan in the event of everything else falling apart. Adagio’s hands clenched.

“Girls, move the wardrobe aside. I need to check our chest.”

Sonata and Aria looked at Adagio, taken aback by the cold calm in her voice. Her glare was red hot.

“Now.”

The wardrobe groaned across the stone floor, revealing a hole that had been carved out of the wall shortly after their arrival. Inside was a small chest, in which the Dazzlings kept their most treasured possessions; Sonata’s favorite pilfered jewelry, little trophies from Aria’s violent conquests, and Adagio’s journals.

It was all gone, save for the journals, which looked entirely untouched. A scrap of parchment was left on top of them.

“They left a note?” Aria said. “What kind of burglar leaves a note?”

“The polite kind?” Sonata said.

“The kind that wants to be found,” Adagio said. She presented the note to Aria and Sonata, then rolled her eyes as they shrugged. “If you wish for the return of your loot, you’ll set a course for the southernmost tip of the Gull Keys and then come through to Mooney Harbor. Bring the idol, and we’ll have a bit of parley. Nothing personal, signed The Griffon, and there’s a heart drawn next to the name. Ugh. Europeans.” Adagio said.

“How do we get a gull’s keys? Is it like a jailor gull with little bird keys?” Sonata said.

“No, idiot, a key is a type of island,” Aria said.

“Are you sure that’s not a cay?” Sonata said.

“They’re basically the same thing!” Aria said.

“How do islands turn into keys? Do they turn all metally?” Sonata said.

“Adagio, save me.” Aria groaned.

“The Gull Keys are west of Florida. We’ll have to go up along the coast if we want to avoid the gulf stream. Let me think, if we stop over at our place near de Padre, we’ll probably have enough provisions to-”

“Wait, are we going? I’ve never seen a seagull jailer before! Hey, if we turn the Griffon in to the constable, will that make him a bird jail!?” Sonata said.

“That’s…that’s not even…wait, did you mean to say jail bird?” Aria squinted.

“Wait, let me try again! Uh…uhm…Let’s jail this bird!” Sonata said.

“Passable. Save that for when we inevitably sell him up the river.” Adagio said, gathering up what little was salvageable in their ransacked base.

“Wait, I thought we were going along the coast?” Sonata said.

“No, Sonata, well, yes we’re going along the coast, but selling him up the river is a euphemism.” Adagio said.

“Is that like a baptism? I didn’t know you were Catholic, Sis!”

“No Sonata, we’re not Catholic; all the mythologies in this world are wrong, anyway.” Adagio said.

“Well except for the greek ones, I think, and some of the british ones sorta, the irish ones and the ones from the dark continent, and-” Sonata said.

“AAAGH LET’S GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I KILL SOMETHING!” Aria screamed, smashing a wooden chair.

“You killed that chair!” Sonata said.

“I’ll kill you if you don’t stop talking!” Aria said.

“We’re going.” Adagio said, rubbing her temples. “We’re going to provision at our third hideout, then stop in the nearest port town, but we’re going to that meeting.”

“Why are we going into town, Sis?” Sonata says.

“I need a map of our destination, and I need to send a letter to our favorite Commodore.”

“Wow. You know, the way you talk about it, it kinda sounds like Sonata and Aria are two halves of a whole idiot.” Buck slurred.

“Every moment with them is a gift.” Adagio sighed.

“I don’t think I remember them being super dumb about stuff.”

“Did you meet us while we were at Canterlot High? I think I would have remembered you.” Adagio said.

“No, you wouldn’t’ve. I was like sentient wallpaper back in high school, except for when I screwed up, ‘cause I always screwed up royal. Pretty sure that I met Aria in the hall, actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah I remember! I said I liked her cool goth boots.”

“Oh? And what did she say?”

“Uh…lemme think…she said somethin’ about not asking for my opinion and then she kicked me in the shin.”

“Aw, you poor baby!” Adagio said, patting Buck on the head.

“Eh. I didn’t take it personally. Altos are naturally short-tempered.” Buck shrugged. “So, wait, why did The Griffon want that idol so bad?”

“It was a priceless antique and very clearly won through a barbarous crusade into the southern continent.”

“So, was it magic? Cursed?”

Adagio smiled at Buck the way one smiles when they realize they’re allergic to their birthday cake’s icing.

“It didn’t have a single morsel of magic inside it. We tried draining it. Sonata sucked on it for a little while, just in case.” Adagio said.

“Not sure if that’s hot or gross.”

“As it turned out, the idol was worth more than a fortune; it was worth a future.”

After one long and obnoxious voyage and several “jokes” by Aria about just eating Sonata already, the Dazzlings arrived at their destination close to the break of dawn.

Along the way, they had avoided the Spanish patrols going along the keys, putting their anchor down as seldom as possible while staying just out of range of the law.

What they came to was a huge island of high hills, low shrubbery, and white beaches.

“I don’t see any seagulls! What gives?” Sonata whined.

“Is that one?” Adagio said, pointing.

On a crude wooden sign beside an inlet sat a very familiar parrot. It was the color of pale cream in the front but had a vibrant green feathers down its back, wings, and tail.

“Hey Sonata, look. It’s your best friend.” Aria grinned.

“Arrk! Dead men tell no tales!” The parrot squawked, then flew away as an empty bottle crashed into the sign it was perched on.

“That’s for making my face less pretty for a whole week!” Sonata said.

The parrot flew down the inlet, presumably toward the meeting place.

"Remember, girls, we’re on a time limit. We are here to get our loot, make fools of the Griffon’s crew, and get out in a reasonable stretch of time. Play it cool until I give the signal.” Adagio said.

Aria and Sonata agreed, and with that, they rode in on the inlet. The Medusa’s Hammer entered a natural harbor ringed by islands. To the north were a couple of inlets, and to starboard was a surprise.

Adagio was prepared for a variety of ambushes and was mortified to find that a wooden stage marked with torches had been set up at the edge of the wide lake they had rowed into.

A long table was set out, and as the Dazzlings approached, a crew of sailors from seemingly all walks of life rushed to bedeck the table with a variety of tantalizing dishes that made Sonata’s mouth water and Aria and Adagio’s do the same but quieter.

As Adagio descended the gangplank, she had the distinct impression that this was more of a delightful soiree than a negotiation between rival pirates, and the easy smile beneath the Griffon’s mask did nothing to change that idea.

“Welcome, friends and neighbors! Its a pleasure to see you again on such short notice!” Said the Griffon, rising from his seat with his green feathered hat and a resplendent cloak on his shoulders.

“We’ve spent months and resources on this digression, and we’re not here to break bread,” Adagio said.

Sonata glanced up from the roasted bird leg she was tearing into and looked like she was going to cry.

“We’re not?” Sonata whined.

“Where are our effects?” Adagio groaned.

The Griffon snapped his fingers, and a large sack clanked onto the wooden stage, revealing the contents of the Siren Sister’s base.

“I believe I left you with a sword?” Adagio smirked.

“You certainly did, little dolphin.” The Griffon said. He threw back his cloak to reveal that Adagio’s rapier was strapped to his side. She screamed inside her head at the name ‘little dolphin’, but through sheer force of will, managed to maintain a somewhat even expression.

“Excellent. And here is your trinket.” Adagio said. She waved a hand and Aria produced the jade wedge.

“Ah, excellent. So you do have it.” The Griffon said.

“Yes, of course. Now, by the look of this spread, I assume we’re not here for a simple swap.” Adagio said.

“Nothing gets past you, love. No, as a matter of fact, I think you lot and I have much to discuss.”

“We don’t negotiate with common sea rats. I’d prefer to finish our exchange and be on my way.” Adagio said, nodding at Aria.

Aria stepped forward, presenting the jade idol, while Sonata moved to grab the sack with their belongings.

The clicks of hammers pulled back gave the sirens pause. It seemed every member of the Griffon’s crew had drawn at once.

“This won’t go well for you.” Adagio said, her tone betraying not a hint of fear.

“How do you figure? By all accounts it seems that we have you.” The Griffon said.

“Yes, and unlike before, what you have is our undivided attention. If you recall the treatment of your crew at the hands of Aria here, you’ll be wise to consider what the three of us can do as a unit.”

The Griffon’s men mumbled but went silent as the Captain’s hand went up.

“And what is exactly is it that the three of you can do?”

“Kill you all, for one.” Adagio said. “Any one of us could kill you all.”

“Does that wound in your girl’s side have anything to say about it?” The Griffon pointed at Aria, who visibly rankled.

“Yes. It succeeded at angering her, and now she’s waiting for me to give the signal to stop holding back. You are aware of our pedigree, and the countless ships we have sunk as a three-woman team. Do you intend to go down with your ship?”

“Is that an invitation? I’d be happy to go down on yours.”
The Griffon’s crew laughed and cooed, then went silent with another raised hand. Adagio hoped that the infant light of dusk was not enough to show her furious blush.

“Very cute. Unfortunately, I don’t have any openings for cabin boys on my ship. It’s girls only, I’m afraid.” Adagio said.

“A pity, that. Lads, lower you arms. We’re not here to fight. We’re here to negotiate. Are you curious as to why I’d go to the trouble of turning your base upside down and calling you out here just for a little chunk of stone?”

“It’s worth a fortune. I’m not an idiot.”

“Tis’ worth more’n that, love.”

“Is that so?” Adagio said, flashing the barest hint of a smile.

“Would you dazzling ladies do us the honor of joining this meal? We will carry out our swap, but I believe we’ve got an offer beyond it that you lot will find interesting.”

Sonata made to dive into the feast again, but Adagio grabbed her shoulder.

“You will give me your word that this food isn’t poisoned. You will agree that we will leave here unmolested once our conversation is over, and you will agree to take the idol in exchange for our effects. All of them.” Adagio said., nodding to her rapier.

The Griffon rose and offered a hand to Adagio.

“I’ll answer your questions and you’ll answer mine.”

“Agreed.”

“And that’s what we call parley.” The Griffon said.

The two captains shook, and with that, the feast began.

Sonata took to the banquet like a chatty cat; instantly becoming popular with the crew sitting next to and across from her, and occasionally picking morsels off their plates once she finished hers. Aria glowered at anyone whose eyes fell on hers as she watched Adagio negotiate with rapt attention.

“How did you find our base? It was well hidden and entirely unmarked from the outside.” Adagio said.

“Our boy Pip heard something about you girls going to a place on the ‘north side’ before you knocked him out.” The Griffon said.

“So what? He could have meant the north side of Nassau.” Adagio said.

“Maybe, but I happened to notice that all three of you were wearing the kinds of clothes one might find in british territory. All of you, save for that one.” The Griffon pointed at Aria, who froze.

“Aria? What about her?” Adagio said.

“You and the fun one are wearing British garb, but that one is wearing a cigar shirt; a fashion distinct to Cuba. Since Cuba is Spanish territory and the British have an embargo against them, I figured that you must have gotten the shirt in Cuba, or on a spanish ship in the vicinity. So I had a look at your bounty poster…”

“Which says we’re wanted for crimes against the Spanish colonies.”

“And from there, it just made sense that you would move up and down the northern coast of Cuba.”

“Perceptive, are we?” Adagio said.

“You tell me.” The Griffon said, eyes slipping down Adagio’s bodice.

“I have a question!” Sonata said, raising her hand. “How come your bird is, like, evil?”

“You mean Cali? Cali, come here! Pweet!” The Griffon whistled.

Sonata cringed as the parrot swooped down to perch on The Griffon’s shoulder. It hopped over and nuzzled against his head.

“Cali’s my closest and smartest companion. She didn’t mean nothing when she came after you. She was just followin’ orders. Say sorry, Cali!”

“Arrk! Lily-livered lass!” The parrot said.

“Hey!” Sonata said.

“Cali!” The Griffon balked.

“Why would you name your bird after California? That place isn’t even real, its just a spanish rumor.” Aria said.

“Well, I named her after an old friend. I used to have another parrot, named her Gabby, but she was a little too chatty.”

“Chattier than this one?” Aria said.

“Arrk! Scabby sea bass, scabby see bass! Arrk!” The parrot taunted.

“Why you little-!” Aria snarled.

“Enough. Can we get back to the point?” Adagio cut in.

“Well, I looked into you after our first meeting, and your reputation speaks for itself.”

Sonata and Aria smiled at each other, but Adagio kept her frown.

“Tis’ a fine ship you have, there. Very bold to skip across these waters in a such a small cutter. And I see by the name that you’re well read.” The Griffon said.

“Spare me your petty flattery.” Adagio said.

“I assure you, my admiration is genuine. You three have made quite a name for yourselves, and still somehow manage to come clean through all of your heists. How were you walking around the Crystal, bold as brass without being noticed?”

“I think you should be able to figure that out on your own.” Adagio smiled.

“Let me think…you have a reputation for popping up in unexpected conflicts and making off with loot. Do you…infiltrate these ships? Disguises?”

“Oh yes, but we barely need them.”

“Is that so?”

“The one thing that most nautical men have in common is the idiotic way they treat women. All we have to say is that we’re seeking passage, and they let us right on, often hoping for a bribe. Then we take what we can while they fight over us and move on.”

“Aha! That’s brilliant, that is!” The Griffon laughed.

“And what of you? Is it entirely necessary to make these grand entrances alone? It can’t be good for your health to charge a fully crewed ship in nothing but a little sail boat.”

“Ah, well, my own crew is never far behind. I trust them to pick up my slack should things go awry. Easier to risk my life as a scout than any of my precious little lads. Besides, its good exposure!”

“You sound suicidal.” Aria grumbled.

“I prefer death-defying.” The Griffon said.

“If you insist. Now, are we done prattling? I’d like to finish our exchange and move on.” Adagio said, checking a pocket watch.

“Why the rush, love?”

“You’re hardly the only man seeking my attention.”

“I believe that.”

“What do you want with us? If it’s what I think it is, I’ll make sure you die last.” Adagio growled.

“I was only having a little look, love! But, I take your point. My apologies. The truth of the matter is, I aim to recruit you.”

“No. I refuse to take orders from you or any other man.”

“No, no, I meant for a partnership. The lads and I are planning the heist of the century; one in which we all come away rich and strike a blow to the grand ego of both the British and Spanish forces in the Caribbean.”

“...I’m listening.”

“I got my hands on an official invitation to an upcoming banquet, I won’t say where quite yet, between representatives of the British Royal Navy and the Spanish Armada. The topic is the exchange of territories between both factions; a bit of peace talk. A whole lot of white wigs with fat purses all gathered in one place. I intend to do what we always do. Isn’t that right, lads? We take what we can!”

“And give nothing back!” Shouted the crew in unison.

“But such a banquet is sure to be crawling with guards, so you need a small elite team skilled at infiltration to get in and open the back door.” Adagio said. “So you already knew where our talents lie, you just wanted to confirm it.”

“Why else would I invite you to come to this forsaken little bay in the far reaches of spanish territory?”

“I assumed you just wanted to get me alone.” Adagio smirked.

“Oh, there will be plenty of time for that once we finish the heist!“

“And how exactly does the idol fit in all of this?”

“Tis' called ‘ídolo de la garra águila’, The Griffon said.

Aria shrugged and Sonata looked around idly.

“The Eagle Talon Idol.” Adagio groaned, slapping her forehead.

“It was a spoil of war between the Spanish and the people of the southern continent. A holy relic that would allow a warrior to rise again and take the field of battle even after a grievous wound. At some point, it was stolen by a British navy officer during a skirmish, and its changed hands many times since then.”

“Typical human greed. So what?” Aria said.

“It’s to be a peace offering at the banquet; a symbol of reparation and good will between the british and spanish, and with it representing a potential alliance, it is essentially priceless. I want you to take it to the ball, disguised as british couriers who recovered it. Its as good as a free ticket.” The Griffon said.

“And you can always steal it right back in the middle of the heist.” Adagio said.

“How does forty percent of the loot sound?” The Griffon said.

“Excellent. We’ll take the sixty.”

“Oh ho! You drive a hard bargain!”

“And we’ll keep the idol with us as collateral.”

“Oh?”

“So that if you get cold feet and decide to abandon us, we’ll at least have the funds to hunt you down afterwards.”

“Not very trusting, are you lass?”

“I don’t trust scoundrels who hide their face during negotiations.”

“Ah, but what is a face but an obligation you’re forced to take on? What is a mask but a face you choose to wear?”

“Oh, I know! A mask is like a thing you use to cover your face, and sometimes it has pretty colors, and sometimes its just a sack, or something!” Sonata piped up.

“…Quick as a whip, that one.” The Griffon said.

“What did I say about underestimating us?” Adagio said. She held an arm out to stop Aria from lunging.

“You’re protective of your crew’s honor! That’s a fine quality for a captain to have.” The Griffon said.

“We simply know that we’re better than the rest, and we don’t suffer insults from rabble. Now, what do you intend to gain from this heist of yours? You must know what will happen if you get caught, so I hardly think that the loot alone is worth it.”

“Ah, a forward thinker. The point isn’t the money, but to send a message. The Griffon, announcing to the powers that be that the seas will never be ruled by crusaders and kings. The seas belong to the free. Look around at my crew, miss sea witch. What do you see?”

Adagio’s eyes swiveled around the table. She noticed that the Griffon’s crew amounted to about fifteen, and each of them was jocular and hardy, diving into their meal with wild abandon.

“I see a bunch of drunkards who are shockingly comfortable dining with a rival crew.”

“Not a single one has the same colored skin. Each and every one of them came from a broken home, escaped from bondage, or roved out to get away from the clutching talons of the brits or the spanish or the french. They all came together on my ship because they wanted something more; a life outside the crushing pressures of the “civilized” world.”

“A life with a salary for piracy?” Adagio smirked.

“It’s only fair! And here they are, brothers in arms working together, eating together, fighting together. There’s no invisible walls; no need for bigotry or exploitation on this ship, because what is a ship, if not freedom itself?” The Griffon said. He raised a flagon, tasting of triumph and joy.

The rest of the crew cheered. Even Sonata joined in on the toast until Adagio glared at her.

“You have a lofty set of ideals for a common thug.” Adagio said, fighting a smile on her face.

“And your eyes are even more beautiful in the morning sun than the moonlight.” The Griffon said. “Tell you what. If we all get clear of this heist alive, the three of you can join my crew.”

The Griffon’s men all cheered. Sonata looked amused, and Aria looked infuriated, but both were looking at Adagio, who was the face of shock.

“What do you say, lass? We could make legends together, you and I.” The Griffon smiled, offering his hand.

The sun rose over the banquet, finally revealing the pink in Adagio’s cheeks.

“Are you a gambling man, Mr. The Griffon?” Adagio said.

“Depends on the bet, love. Are you looking to take a chance with me?” The Griffon winked.

“We’ll see. I propose a duel. We’ll cross swords, and the first to bleed is the loser.”

“What do I get if I win?”

“Our full cooperation. When you lose, you’ll give us all the loot you have on your ship, in addition to the idol.” Adagio said.

“Ambitious, even. I’m starting to like you more and more. Alright, I’ll play your game. But if I win, we get your assistance in our scheme, and after, you and I will have another lovely chat about dreams and ideals.”

“Is that all you want? Ambitious indeed.” Adagio scoffed.

“What can I say, love? You’re worth the effort.” The Griffon smiled, and a pale, almost invisible stream of energy passed from him, into Adagio.

For a moment, she did nothing but smile and shift a bit in her seat.

“Oooooh!” Sonata cooed, nudging Adagio with an elbow. Aria’s scowl grew sourer as Adagio got lost in the moment.

“Adagio, we need to get out of here. There’s no time for this! What about the plan?” Aria whispered.
Adagio blinked in surprise.

“Oh. Right. I’m altering the plan.” Adagio said, rising from her seat.

“Are we doing this now? The Griffon said, with an elated lilt in his voice.

“Why wait? Are you afraid of me at last?” Adagio was already moving to an empty bit of the wooden stage, an exhilarated skip in her step.

“Oh, no, I’m happy to embarrass you a second time, little dolphin!” The Griffon laughed. Adagio grabbed his hand and swung him like a dancer, sending him a few feet away. The Griffon reached to his side, then frowned. The scabbard that held Adagio’s blade was empty.

The rapier glinted in the rising light as it twirled by the handle in Adagio’s hand.

“No, I think I’m the one that will do the embarrassing today, Captain The Griffon.” Adagio said, smirking.

“Ah, a spy, a captain, and now a pickpocket! Is there anything you can’t do?” The Griffon said, drawing one of his cutlasses.

“Just one!” Adagio said, presenting her blade with a flourish. “Lose!”

The Griffon’s crew gathered in a circle to cheer their boss, while Aria and Sonata glanced out at the lake across from them.

Blades crossed once more, and the Griffon charged roughly forward with his elbow, pushing Adagio back.
She was on the defensive again, desperately parrying against The Griffon’s powerful chops. Adagio’s eyes darted around at the loose circle of bodies surrounding her.

She had less space in this makeshift arena than she did on the Crystal, but there was no furniture here to get in the way.

Adagio slipped away from The Griffon’s scything swing and ran a few paces back. This time when the Griffon came charging forward, Adagio flicked her wrist and stabbed a shallow wound in his shoulder. The Griffon knocked her blade away, backing up, but each time he tried to charge, Adagio kept him at length with vicious thrusts.

“Ah! You’re a quick study at the blade! A layman might think you’re more than a novice!”

“I think the term master is more appropriate!” Adagio mocked.

“I don’t think so! I’m the master of blades around here!”

“And what’s so wrong with a little competition~?” Adagio sang.

The Griffon drew his second cutlass, and with one in each hand, he smacked away Adagio’s rapier, blocking her strikes with one while slashing with the other. Adagio fell back, barely deflecting the Griffon’s strikes.

Aria looked at her, hand on her hatchet, waiting for Adagio to tell her to end this man, but Adagio shook her head and smiled as her sword sang. The taste of the Griffon’s cocky elation, the sweat on her brow, the hammering of her heart, it all mixed into a cocktail of exhilaration. Adagio had almost forgotten the joy of meeting a challenge in the field. She savored the energy in the air, drinking it in.

“Oh, I don’t need to be an expert at the sword to defeat you! This battle is already over!”

The Griffon slashed a ragged hole in Adagio’s pant leg. The sight of her blood seemed to encourage him further as he kept coming, hammering at Adagio’s defenses, getting closer and closer as Adagio barely slipped away from his deadly blows.

“How do you figure that, love?”

“Do you know what marks a passable captain from a great one?” Adagio laughed.

“Presentation?” The Griffon said.

“Wrong!” Adagio said, parrying a strike.

“A fancy hat?” Sonata said, barely paying attention. She was looking around the ground for something.

“Wrong!” Adagio said.

“...” Aria said nothing, simply crossing her arms and scowling.

“Wrong. The difference is preparation! Oh Commodore!” Adagio sang out, and her voice boomed across the keys, sending a ripple through the harbor.

“...what was that?” The Griffon said, taking his hands from his ears. Adagio struck a hole in The Griffon’s sleeve.

As if on cue, a galleon flying the union jack slid into view from the inlet, announcing its presence with a cannon blast that crashed somewhere in the trees beyond the humble wooden stage.

“That would be whatever ship Commodore Caliper Cinch is riding these days,” Adagio said.

“You know Cinch!?” The Griffon said, raising his blades. Adagio raised an eyebrow.

“Do you?”

“You summoned the british navy!?” The Griffon balked.

“Oh yes. They’re entirely convinced that I’m here to help them capture you and your crew.” Adagio said.
Another cannonball whistled over their heads, but Adagio and the Griffon’s blades continued to clash.

“Captain! What do we do!?” Said a crewmate.

“You expected a doublecross? The Griffon said.

“I expected to be underestimated!” Adagio laughed. “I took proper precautions. Now you know the wrath that I can bring to bear!”

“So you are a sea witch, come to hex the lads and I!” The Griffon growled. His rage was delicious.

“Now, now! This was merely a bit of insurance! We’ve already agreed to work together, haven’t we? Aren’t you curious as to your escape route?”

“You have one planned?”

“Naturally. The northern inlet of this harbor leads to a fork. The port path will lead you to the sea, the starboard to a closed off lake. All you have to do is take the first path and fire at the cliffs on either side to block it. The navy won’t be able to get out quick enough to catch up as you flee around the horn.” Adagio said.

“..ah. You really have thought ahead. I knew I liked you.” The Griffon said.
Another shot rang out. The naval vessel was approaching quickly.

“Captain!?” The crew cried.

The Griffon took a long look at Adagio, his eyes shifting along her form as if she were a priceless treasure. Adagio tasted an emerging thirst.

“To the Labrys, lads! We’re off to plan a party!” The Griffon barked. He took Adagio’s wrist and pulled her close. “The ball is in seven months. Havana. I’ll send letters to Cardenas with precise details.”

“Why not tell us yourself at our base, since you know where it is?” Adagio purred.

“I’d keep travel to a minimum. If we all escape this attack, our bounties will only go up.” The Griffon said.

“Concerned about my safety? How disgustingly chivalrous.” Adagio said.

“Wouldn’t want to see that wicked smile in a box. I’d rather you stay on the poster.” The Griffon said.

“Flirt!” Adagio giggled.

“We’ll have time to chat later. I’ll see you at the ball!” The Griffon let go, and his crew followed behind him as a unit as he charged up the gangplank of the Harpies’ Labrys, The Griffon’s bright smile glinting like a dagger in the morning sunlight.
The Harpies’ Labrys caught the wind and galloped across the choppy harbor toward the northern inlet. The British galleon was right on its heels, with Commodore Finch in all his decorated hubris pacing about the deck as if he had a modicum of control.

Adagio watched with rapt attention as the Harpies’ Labrys turned left at the fork. There was a blast of cannon fire, then a great rumbling splash.

“Ah. Like music on a sheet.” Adagio hummed.

She watched The Labrys disappear beyond the rocks and felt her cheeks. There was heat there, primal and alien to this humanoid form. She was flushed and embarrassed like she had just found a dirty little secret, and for a moment, all she could do was try to gather herself.

A voice called out through the sudden haze.

“Adagio? Adagio! What are we doing!?” Aria said, shaking Adagio by the shoulders.

Adagio blinked. They were surrounded by men with red coats and raised rifles.

“Ah. Well. I suppose its time for us to have a little chat with your captain, hm?” Adagio said, raising her hands.

About five hours later, Adagio sat in a posh and decorated captain’s cabin, failing to keep the smugness from her face.

“You let them escape?” Said Commodore Finch.

“Does it look like I them escape?” Adagio said, displaying the slashes on her clothes and limbs.

“Oh, Sis! You’re still bleeding!” Sonata said. “Here, let me just-”

Adagio pushed Sonata away, putting a finger to her lips just as she began to hum.

“Save it.” Adagio said.

“Ah, so you failed to catch them. I should have known better than to employ privateers of your station. I should have paid for the Shadowbolts.”

“You had no idea that we were any kind of mercenaries until I sent you that summons. Don’t you dare look down on us, Commodore.” Adagio said. Her eyes darted to the doors and noticed the blur of two guards through the glass.

“Rear Admiral, actually. It’s Rear Admiral Cinch.” Cinch said.

“How?” Aria said.

“Oh, a bounty here, a brave defense there, a few private parties here.” Cinch said, cheerfully. His expression slumped as he saw the looks of boredom on Aria and Adagio’s faces, and the focused eyes of Sonata as she diligently watched his inkwell slide across the deck to the rocking of the ship.

“Whatever the case; we told you where they would be, we lured them to a spot and then we expected you to come in and do your job. It’s not our fault that your men failed to capture The Griffon.” Adagio said.

“Well, I hope you aren’t expecting compensation. You barely lifted a finger.” Rear Admiral Cinch said.

“Do you want your toy back?” Adagio said. “The nice, polished ivory one with the buckle and strap?”
Cinch went as quiet as a stump.

“Then I suggest you pay us.” Adagio said.

“Do you have any idea how many guards are on this ship!? I could have the three of you quartered!” Cinch yowled.
Aria’s hatchet bit into the top of the desk with a thud.

“You locked the door. How long do you think it will take for all your guards to get in here? Fast enough to save you from us?” Adagio said, hand drifting to her sword.

Cinch, who was just getting to his feet, went pale and slumped back down in his chair. Adagio stared at him until he tossed a sack of coin onto the desk.

“There! You have your pay, and you were never here!” Cinch said.

“No, I don’t think so.” Adagio said, taking the sack. “I think our arrangement has only just begun.”

“This is blackmail! Extortion!” Cinch hissed.

“It could be murder.” Aria said.

“Now, now. Let’s play nice.” Adagio said. She upended the sack with a frown, coins clicking as she counted. “I’m not going to hurt you, Cinch. I’m offering you another deal.”

“What is it now?” Cinch groaned.

“Oh, please. Do you want to know what I retrieved for you out there? I promise you’ll have a keen interest in it.” Adagio said.

“What?” Cinch said.

“Sonata?” Adagio said. Sonata reached into a burlap sack on her lap and produced the Eagle Talon Idol.

“What!? How did-how could you have possibly!?”

“My girls know how to follow orders.” Adagio smirked, giving Sonata a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I know its value to you, Cinch. Were you invited to the ball?” A thin, dark green stream of sharp anxiety passed from Cinch and into Adagio’s chest.

“How do you know about that?”

“I know all your secrets, Cinch. So trust me when I say, if I go down, I’ll be as an anchor to you. Do you understand?” Adagio said.

“Yes. I understand.”

“Now, luckily for you, I intend to do the opposite of sinking you. I’ve secured The Griffon’s head for you.”

“And how exactly did you do that?” Cinch said.

“I now know his precise whereabouts.” Adagio smirked.

“Excuse me?”

“In precisely seven month’s time!”

“You know where he’ll be next?”

“I know far more than that! I can ensure that by the end of the year, you’ll have the hands of one of the most notorious pirate captains on the spanish main. How much would you pay us for that?” Adagio said.

“Well, I…”

Adagio rose to her feet, placing a hand on the desk between her and Cinch. Cinch’s sharp gaze drifted downward for a moment.

Aria and Sonata looked at each other and grinned.

“Commodore~” Adagio said. Her voice carried like the chime of a bell. Her hair was starting to float around her head.

“Rear Admiral!” Cinch stammered.

“Whatever. Cinch, you know how elusive and crafty I can be. If you keep employing me, I’ll secure your next promotion. The Griffon and his men will be more than a bounty for you. They will be your legacy.” Adagio said, drifting forward.
Aria and Sonata slithered out of their chairs after her.

“Oh, well, that may be the case, but its the principal of the thing! I can’t be seen cavorting with…with pirates!”
Adagio’s hands alighted on Cinch’s cheeks like tender yellow butterflies.

“And there’s the beauty, Cinch. That’s my payment for this endeavor. I won’t be a pirate anymore if you grant me and my sisters a full pardon.” Adagio cooed.

Aria and Sonata began to harmonize, singing a dark, ancient song.

“What? You can’t be serious.”

“Not just for our crimes in british territory. If the Spanish and the British are about to break bread, I’m sure that a rear admiral on the way to vice could make a strong argument for the brave women fighting in defense of their union. The three heroes that were instrumental pawns in your grand strategy to capture The Griffon?” Adagio purred, her eyes flashing green.

“Ah, I…see your point.” Cinch droned.

“Why, with all these heroes and villains and grand strategy, this endeavor could easily become the stuff of legends! Don’t you agree?”

Adagio scratched Cinch’s chin like a puppy.

“Yes…absolutely. We’ll make excellent partners.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’ll drip feed you some instructions, and then when the night comes, we’ll spring the trap. You’ll become a hero, you’ll give us our pardon and then we will part ways.” Adagio said, sitting on Cinch’s desk.

“Yes. Of course.”

The song had sunken into Cinch’s mind. He gazed at Adagio like a lovestruck puppy, his eyes lost in a green haze.

“You’ll also give me whatever is in that new safe you have under this desk.”

“Of course.” Cinch rose from his chair, bending stiffly to unlock the bottom cabinet of his desk. Sonata ran around the desk and hunched over to look at the loot.

“Is this why you took your time with The Griffon?” Aria said, wrenching her hatchet from the desk.

“Yes, exactly. I managed to get a half-decent meal out of him. He gave me quite a charge.” Adagio said, checking her nails.

“Yeah. I could see that.” Aria scowled. “Don’t get attached. He’s just an idiot that’s good with a sword.”

“He’s useful, so I will continue to do as I please. Do you have a problem with that?“ Adagio glared.

“I’m just saying, you shouldn’t trust him”

“What do you know?” Adagio said.

“I know that humans are scum, and he’s gonna disappoint you if you let him. So don’t let him.”

“Was that an order, Aria?”

“Just an opinion.” Aria said, looking away.

“Girls, girls! Look what he’s got in here!” Sonata laughed.

Adagio and Aria went around the table. A rush of mirth hit Aria so hard that she started tearing up, straining to hold back laughter.

At the bottom of the cabinet, Adagio saw a small stack of British crowns, and next to it was another toy with a strap like the one Sonata had found before. This one was longer and curved, and it was carved out of dark, polished oak.

The Vice Admiral stood still, looking forward with his glassy eyes and dull smile.

“Oh, Cinch. You make it too easy.” Adagio said.

“You’re a slippery bitch! You’re what the song means when it says ‘really bad eggs!” Buck laughed drunkenly. His cheeks were filled with dizzy red warmth, and he slumped a bit as he spoke.

“Guilty as charged, Buck!” Adagio laughed a bit louder than she wanted to, then covered her mouth and hiccuped. The empty bottles on the coffee table in front of her were likely to blame.

“You know, this story has a disturbing lack of sea shanties! Yo ho, yo ho a pirate’s life for me!”

“That’s not even a real shanty!” Adagio said.

“There once was a ship that put to sea, the name of the ship was the billy o’ tea~!” Buck sang dramatically, bumbling over and nearly knocking Adagio off the couch.

“That’s also not a real shanty!” Adagio said, pushing Buck back with a silly grin.

“So you’re gonna throw this guy under the bus to buy your vacation to the dirty south!” Buck said. “Halfway fair I guess. Seemed sorta aggressive, you know?”

“I do know. Don’t you?” Adagio giggled.

“Don’t you have any stories where you’re not the villain?” Buck said.

“Think of it from my perspective, Buck! Every human I had met since coming to your worth was stupid or vapid or otherwise rotten! My standards were skewed.”

“I bet Sonata was right. I bet it was the hat!” Buck laughed, poking Adagio in the side.

“Shut up; I hate you!” Adagio laughed, swatting Buck’s hand away.

“I’m not hatin’! I can tell he had some real style, but if you liked him, why sell him out?” Buck said.
Adagio went somber and seemed to stare through time.

“You don’t understand. Every once in a while, the odd human wandering around out there happens to have some true character. I never knew that could happen until I met the Griffon. I was caught off guard, and I couldn’t show weakness in front of the girls. They were depending on me to be the Adagio Dazzle that led them through countless victories in Equestria, so yes, I chose the path that was most profitable to me. The truth is, Aria was right. I was fixating on the man. I needed to prove that I was better.”

“Better as what?”

“As a swordsman, as a leader, as an...everything!” Adagio said.

“Oh, is that all?” Buck chuckled.

“What can I say? Sometimes a person just gets under you skin. In my case, it’s often a human mutt that causes me no small amount of grief.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. They often leave me with a few good memories, and an indescribable mess to clean.” Adagio smirked. “Does that remind you of anyone, Buck?”

Buck scratched his chin and shrugged.

“Hm, nope, can’t relate.” Buck laughed.

“You are such an idiot!” Adagio snort laughed and laid her head on Buck’s shoulder. The tender warmth against her cheek suddenly gave her pause. Adagio expected Buck to scooch away from her, lest his precious girlfriend detect cooties when he got home, but Buck didn’t seem to mind. He threw an arm around her shoulders and smiled.

Adagio looked at Buck as if he’d just returned from a trip to the moon.

“What? You’re cold.” Buck said, patting Adagio’s arm.

“You don’t know the half of it.” Adagio sighed, getting comfortable.

“So you went to the ball, fucked everyone over and came away clean?” Buck said.

“That’s not exactly what happened. Plans like this are appealing on paper, but they always get messy at the last second.”

“So, what happened next?”

Months came and months went, and Adagio sent letters to The Griffon and Cinch alike, refining the plan with each correspondence.

Adagio was absorbed in the task of making the night run smoothly. So keen was her focus that The Siren Sisters abstained from any raiding throughout the duration; a turn of events that Sonata took as a vacation and Aria took as an agonizing lull.

Spring gave way to summer as Adagio meticulously sculpted the ball to her favor, and in the blink of an eye, the Siren Sisters were riding a private carriage in Havana; the city of shipwrights.

Havana at the time was truly beginning to turn baroque; its colonial homes near the coast gave way to Italian-style mansions built on the backs of slaves.

Everywhere Adagio peeked through the buggy’s curtains she saw intricately barred windows, square-cut stone pillars, and covered walkways shielding pedestrians from the near-constant drizzle. The port was filled with ships and the air was rich with the smell of roasting coffee and the sound of rumba music coming from the nearby market plaza.

“We have the idol. Why don’t we just sell it, get our supplies and go to the New World right now?” Aria grumbled.

“Cinch knows we have the idol. If we sell it and he finds out, he’ll bring a fleet down on our heads, or put a blockade in our way. It’s easier on us if we simply play both sides, and we’ll net a much more substantial reward when we succeed.” Adagio said.

“Yeah, Aria! You worry too much! Adagio has it all figured out!” Sonata said.

“If we just killed The Griffon and Cinch, we wouldn’t be caught in the middle of this mess.” Aria said.

“Save the killing for the ball. I’m sure there will be plenty of fodder to dull your axe on.” Adagio said.

“I'm just saying, beating that idiot isn't worth all of this-”

“Enough. Come in close, girls.” Adagio said, opening a long piece of parchment.

“What’s that?” Sonata said.

“A map of the concert hall where the ball is taking place, courtesy of The Griffon.” Adagio smirked.

“Ugh. Why do all the buildings in this stupid town have such stupidly long names?” Aria huffed.

“Oh, let me try! It’s…Bass?”

“Sound it out.” Adagio said.

“Basilica…menor, day…San Francisco?”

“Yes?” Adagio said.

“Ooh! Basilica Menor…de San Francisco de A…Azzie? Asis!”

“Excellent, Sonata! So you have been paying attention!” Adagio said.

“Not like it’s going to be useful…we’re about to go to different country anyway.” Aria grumbled. Sonata stuck her tongue out, then smiled innocently when Aria growled at her.

“Hold the corners.” Adagio said.

Aria and Sonata shuffled to either side of Adagio, holding the map up while she indicated with her finger. Hours later, the Siren Sisters approached the subject of the map from the plaza, bold as brass and clearly armed.

“Now, the basilica used to be a church. There’s a single steeple, a couple of side rooms, and the main hall. There are only two entrances; the front doors and the back entrance leading to the adjacent alley. There will be guards posted at entrance, and Cinch expects us to let The Griffon and crew in the back door, where they will be swiftly captured.” Adagio said.

Later that same day, a few hours before sunset, Adagio strolled with purpose and authority, treating the guards at the front doors with a sweet smile as they had no choice but to let her through. She nodded at Cinch, whose flavor was a cocktail of excitement and shame.

Everywhere Adagio looked, she saw Spanish nobility and British ponces quietly glaring at each other beneath the light of a hanging chandelier. There was a wide and polished stage, with a full orchestra pit below it.

“But we’re not doing that, because that would be too easy.” Aria said, back in the buggy.

“Naturally. The basilica’s steeple was damaged in a series of storms several years ago, and it is still under construction to this day.”

“So what?” Aria said.

“So, it lost the top forth of it’s height. Do you see that line of houses just across the street? How they separate the basilica’s plaza from the harbor?”

“Ooh! Are we gonna rob them too?” Sonata said.

“No. Well, if we have the time…no, we ought to stay focused. The plan is simple; while The Griffon’s men are lead into a ‘trap’ in the backdoor, the man himself will throw a hook from the adjacent building up to the broken tower. Then he’ll grapple his way up and come into the hall through roof access. He’ll make a grand speech, we’ll cause a big distraction and cut his crew loose, then we and his crew will steal everything of value at the banquet, go up the tower, rappel across the street and escape to the harbor.” Adagio said.

At the gala, the Siren Sisters split up. Sonata went to the back rooms, smiling and waving at the guards who were unsubtly hoisting a net made for people rather than fish. Aria went up the tower stairs with a grapnel and rope.

“There’s no way that’s going to work. Cinch has got to have way more men waiting for The Griffon, since he knows the heist is happening.” Aria said in the buggy.

“Naturally, there will be an ambush. We are expected to cut the rope and let the griffon’s men fall to the street below. While Cinch’s men capture the crew, we will apprehend the Griffon.”

“Wow, you make it sound so easy!” Sonata said.

Adagio grinned menacingly.

“It will be, for me. The Griffon will be exhausted from all the gallivanting about, whereas I will have absorbed plenty of magic from the panicking guests. I’ll defeat him, we’ll clap him in irons, get our pardon and payment, then we’ll take whatever was stolen before it can be redistributed and make for the harbor. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be in the New World by this time next year. Any questions?”

At the gala, Sonata tapped Adagio on the shoulder.

“I’ve got a question! Who are those guys?” Sonata said, pointing across the hall.

At a row of tables positioned far away from the nobility, Adagio she saw a rogue’s gallery of cutthroats and scoundrels, all of which she regretfully recognized.

Adagio saw the notorious Captain Heartstrings, a former decorated marine turned pirate known for exaggerated swagger and an odd sitting style. She saw John Hoofbeard, a brigand who swore no allegiance to anyone but was apparently the former captain of the most feared ship on the main.

Adagio’s eyes drifted over the man named Cratus, who was now sporting a few wooden fingers. He cringed as Sonata waved in his direction.

Lastly and most troubling, Adagio recognized the leader of a fearsome fleet of over fifty ships, and the only other female pirate captain operating on the main. It was the legendary Phantom Doll, Cozy Glow. She looked altogether too young to be in this or any business.

Rear Admiral Cinch strutted like a rooster to Adagio’s side, his chest puffed out with pride.

“Isn’t it marvelous?”

“Is this your doing, Cinch?” Adagio said, eye twitching.

“Naturally! I’ve a great headwind of popularity behind me at the moment, and I thought I might spread my influence a bit and acquire some extra insurance.”

“Come again?”

“I figured, why stop with just one small group of privateers when I could get more? Two of those men are expert duelists, master Cratus is excellent at the art of capture, and Cozy Glow, well, she needs no introduction! She’s taken the liberty of blockading the mouth of the harbor for me.”

“Excuse me?” Adagio hissed. She could see Cozy Glow smile at her across the hall, raising a glass of cheap wine.

Sonata gently tugged at Adagio’s sleeve, patting her shoulder to try and calm her down.

“Oh yes. While you three are quite crafty indeed, you’ve already failed once to apprehend The Griffon. I cannot suffer another failure tonight, so I've employed these extra hands. You’ll still get pardoned for your cooperation, naturally, but I’m afraid your payment will be revoked if you fail to catch the captain.” Cinch said.

“But-” Adagio started.

“But I doubt it will come to that. With Cozy Glow’s fleet in place, The Griffon will have no means of escape. That won’t be a problem for you, will it? It ought to make catching him even easier.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me about this at any point before we assembled here?” Adagio said.

“I was so busy preparing for the ball, I couldn’t find the time! But, you and your lot are adaptable. I’m sure you’ll figure things out. Oh, and before I forget…” Cinch said, unfurling a piece of rolled parchment in front of Adagio. She saw paragraphs of legal jargon. At the bottom it read; “Vice Admiral Caliper Cinch.”

“V.A. Cinch? Aren’t you jumping the gun a bit?” Adagio said.

“Not at all. If all goes to plan, I will be a Vice Admiral by the time this pardon reaches the British constabulary. Of course, if it reaches headquarters and I’m not a Vice Admiral, it will be null and void, as I won’t be of the rank to legitimize it.”

“I see.”

“And I’ve taken the liberty of writing up similar documents for all privateers present. What better incentive could there be to make the night go swimmingly? Now, did you bring the idol?”

“Sis?” Sonata whispered, patting Adagio’s shoulder.

Adagio blinked away the murder in her eyes, produced the eagle talon idol, and handed it to Cinch.

“Excellent. Carry on.” Cinch said, walking away with a grin.

“Uh, Sis? What do we do now?” Sonata said. Adagio clenched her fist so tight that her knuckles cracked.

“Now…we get creative.”

“That Cinch sounds like a total dickhead.”

“In later years, I found it impossible to be angry at Cinch.”

“Why’s that?”

“Humans are duplicitous by nature. Cinch’s ambitions were not so different from mine. I relished the challenge and pressure. And if I’m being honest, the cruel and callous nature of your world suited me better then than the saccharine facade of the world of ponies. It was almost...comforting.”

“Wow, now I know you must be drunk.”

“Hm?”

“You would never make a confession like that unless your were poisoned all to fuck.” Buck slurred.

“I think we’ve both had a little too much to drink, Buck. You no longer seem fazed at my dark schemes.”

“I mean, it was lifetimes ago, wasn’t it? I can’t really blame you for what you did hundreds of years ago. You were a different person back then.”

“I am the exact same person I was then, Buck.”

“Nah.”

“And you’re as hardheaded as ever. It’s getting late. Should we call it quits for the night?”

“No, no, this is just gettin’ good!”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, I’m sure!”

Adagio tasted honest enthusiasm. Buck was like a puppy waiting for a stick to be thrown. The warmth of his shoulder seemed to spread through her whole body as she settled in and continued the tale.

Adagio seethed silently while the other captains postured about the age of piracy coming to an end, or idle threats about who’s mast was bigger, or what have you, Adagio couldn’t be bothered to care. She was dimly aware of Cozy Glow’s eyes on her, but all of her thoughts were on salvaging the night.

Aria descended from the steeple, scowling even deeper than usual. She followed Adagio as she rose. The Siren Sisters huddled in the corner as Rear Admiral Cinch took center stage.

“Girls? New plan.” Adagio said.

“Finally. This party sucked anyway.” Aria said.

“But the punch is so good!” Sonata said.

“That’s sangria, Sonata.” Aria said.

“The new plan is the old plan. Follow my lead.” Adagio said.

The orchestra came to life with a low and regal tune.

“Welcome, friends and neighbors! I’d like to welcome you all to this momentous occasion. Today, we gather in pursuit of diplomacy between our nations, and to that end I am happy to offer an olive branch of the highest order.” Cinch said, presenting the eagle talon idol to a string of oohs and ahhs.

“Gods but he does love the sound of his own voice.” Adagio said.

A small shattering noise came from the back of the building.

“This idol, once brutishly stolen from the hands of our Spanish neighbors, is a testament to the ferocity and tenacity of their culture, and we humbly offer it back with our warmest regards as proof of our commitment to collaboration. It was acquired through nothing short of a herculean effort on the part of myself and my men, and so it is my honor to present it here as a beacon of peace.”

A series of thuds came from the back rooms. Several diplomats turned their heads, but Cinch addressed them at double the volume.

“Not to worry gentlemen! It’s just rats in the walls; you know how these old buildings can be! Now I know you all are eager to begin your dinner, drinks and talks, but I’d like a moment to thank all the wonderful little people that brought us to this point. I’d like to thank my parents for having the decency to die of plague after ostracizing me for joining the navy. I’d like to thank Vice Admiral Celestia for trying to block my inevitable ascent through the ranks. Most of all, I’d like to thank all of the vicious swindlers, dastards and pirates that have stood before me and fallen one by one.” Cinch said.

“Oh, gag.” Aria said.

“Though they weren’t all bad. We have in our esteemed company a crew of the finest privateers I could employ to secure this place from others of their ilk. They have come here in the name of cooperation, just as we all have.”

Sonata glanced toward the backrooms.

“So do I still…?” Sonata said.

“Not until the show starts.” Adagio said. “Aria, you know what to do.”

“The usual?” Aria said.

Across the room, through a stone archway marked as “roof access”, swooped The Griffon’s parrot. It flew up to the rafters, unseen by Cinch.

“Exactly. Now, I think we’re just about to hit my queue.”

Adagio grinned evilly at her sisters, then strolled toward the stage.

“And so, I’d like to propose a toast! To the future, to Spain and Great Britain! To nobles and pirates alike! I wish you all the best of luck, regardless of the inevitable outcome.”

The sounds of tapping feet came from up above the hall, and then the crowd gasped as a window shattered inward.

The Griffon swung down and into the building on a long rope, jumping off it with a flourish, just barely managing to land on the edge of the stage. The audience gasped.

“What’s inevitable is that I’m gonna rob you all blind! Boys!” The Griffon said, drawing his cutlass.

The back door clattered open and in rushed the Griffon’s men, including the diminutive Pip, who looked positively terrified. The crew drew blades and looked ready to cause some carnage.

The Griffon winked at Adagio as she stepped to the stage on the opposite side.

“That’s what you think!” Cinch sneered. He snapped his fingers, and a rope net fell from the ceiling, entangling the Griffon’s crew to the floor. “Now you’re all alone! My associate and I will be taking you into custody!”

Adagio drew her blade and stood beside Cinch, who blinked stupidly for a moment and then brandished his blade as well.

“You think this is enough to slow me down?” The Griffon said.

“What are you going to do without your men!?” Cinch said.

“Hah! I’ll show all you upper crust pigs that the sea will never be ruled by the Spanish or the British! It belongs to the free and the bold!” The Griffon said, drawing his cutlass. He gestured out across the room like a magician, and the net holding his men was lifted back to the ceiling.

Adagio glared at Sonata, who looked more confused than usual, shrugging her shoulders. As Adagio glanced around, she saw that the net’s rope was being hoisted by none other than the unassuming cabin boy Pip, who must have slipped through the holes.

“And now I’m going to do what pirates do! Take what you can!” The Griffon said.

“And give nothing back!” The men shouted, and charged.

“Get them, men!” Cinch squealed.

A contingent of guards burst in through the front doors. The hired cutthroats rose from their seats. Someone in the crowd screamed, and suddenly the hall descended into chaos.

Cinch charged at The Griffon, swinging his sword like a blind butcher's cleaver. The Griffon effortlessly tripped Cinch as he approached Adagio.

“So it turns out that Cinch has far more guards than expected.” The Griffon said. He casually swatted Adagio’s blade out of his face, only for it to drift right back between them.

“It seems that way,” Adagio said, grinning.

“In addition, the port is blocked.”

“That’s right.”

“And if I’m not mistaken, I can see a small squad of incredibly notorious pirate captains, as well as that Cratus fellow.”

“Mhm.”

“So what’s the play, now?” The Griffon said.

“Now I defeat you, subdue you, and get a reward in the form of a full pardon.” Adagio said, her blade pointed at The Griffon’s throat.

“Ah.” The Griffon said.

“Nothing personal.” Adagio winked.

The Griffon looked at Adagio, looked at the crowd, then stuffed the eagle talon idol in his belt and made to run.

Adagio stepped swiftly into his path, and they crossed swords once again. They darted around each other like dancers, The Griffon blocking and dodging Adagio’s swift strikes.

“Hate to see that you’re so predictable, little dolphin.” The Griffon frowned.

“Or do you just hate to lose?” Adagio smiled.

“The scores’ still one-zero for me, love!”

“Only because I’ve been taking it easy on you!” Adagio said. She hummed the first few notes of an old song as she prodded at The Griffon’s defenses.

A green haze rose from the din, streaming into Sonata, then Aria, who had gleefully joined the melee. Adagio seemed to lose several years of age as she fought her way across the stage.

Adagio nearly knocked the cutlass from the Griffon’s hand, forcing him to draw his second blade just to keep up with Adagio’s burst of speed.

Adagio tasted a sudden twinge of panic in The Griffon’s flavor. Like a deliciously spiked punch, it tickled her tongue.

“What is this!? Witchcraft?” The Griffon said.

Adagio ducked a horizontal chop and suddenly her blade was pointed at The Griffon’s face.

“This is what happens when you underestimate a sea witch! Were you truly so foolish as to think I wouldn’t betray you again?” Adagio’s eyes glowed with malice.

“Oh, I knew you were going to do that from the start.” The Griffon said.

Adagio lost the wind in her lungs as the Griffon’s knee connected with her stomach.

“No you did not!” Adagio coughed.

The Griffon’s gaze didn’t wander. The panic in his eyes retreated into a cold calm. The smile on his face made Adagio shiver.

“I won’t let you escape again, you dastard!” Cinch ran onto the stage once more and tried to hack at The Griffon with his saber, but Adagio and the Griffon separated, allowing Cinch to bumble between them and fall right into the orchestra pit.

“I thought there might be a net, so I made sure Pip was in the middle of the crowd, so he could scramble out and pull it up.” The Griffon said.

“Well, I had Aria run up the tower and cut the rope as soon as you made it up!”

“Which is why I packed an extra rope and grapple so that the boys and I could shimmy down.”

“Why did you use it to swing through a window?”

“The drama, obviously!” The Griffon laughed, then hissed as Adagio stamped on his foot and nearly stabbed him in the eye, the blade instead slicing a thin cut into his white mask.

“So you still came despite knowing I would betray you!? Why!?”

The Griffon parried a strike from Adagio, but she came in with a false second swipe before bringing her fist around to his face.

The Griffon caught her fist and held it tight.

“Because you’re the smartest and loveliest woman I’ve ever met. I thought I’d give you a chance, despite the danger.”

“So you’re an idiot!”

“No, just brave.” The Griffon smiled.

“God, that’s a mood!” Buck laughed. It was another Tuesday, and the pair had not stopped drinking. Adagio’s head was in Buck’s lap.

“So it’s true what they say? That all idiots are cut from the same cloth?” Adagio slurred.

“Only thing stupider’n doin’ something dumb is not doin’ it and regretting it later.” Buck said, patting Adagio’s head. She closed her eyes and leaned into it. This must be what it's like for zookeepers to pet the big cats, Buck thought.

“Who said that?” Adagio said.

“My Dad,” Buck said. “Hey, ‘dagio? Can I tell you somethin’?”

“We’ve been over this. You can do as you please.” Adagio said

“I miss this.” Buck said.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean hanging out with you. Not for training or anything important. I miss this.”

“Buck, if you wanted to stay the night-”

“No, no, that’s not what I mean,” Buck said.

Adagio sat up. Even through her inebriation, she could taste Buck’s nervousness. He had the look of a man who had walked into the wrong bathroom.

“If I’m making you uncomfortable, you should leave,” Adagio said.

“In a bit. Why don’t you tell me how the story ends?” Buck said.

While Adagio and The Griffon chewed the scenery, Aria and Sonata drank in the spreading bedlam down on the floor. They moved through the crowd of flailing bodies like a gallery, glowing as rivulets of pale green light seeped into them from all directions.

Sonata lazily filled a sack with valuables from the guests while Aria lashed out at anyone who drew close.

“Well, this is getting messy. What do we do now?” Aria said, swiping with her hatchet.

“All we gotta do is trust Adagio and get back to the hammer!” Sonata said.

“How close are you to being done with the loot?”

Aria pushed Sonata’s head down just as a volley of rifle shots rang out.

“Almost, almost!” Sonata said.

Everywhere Aria turned, another blade or firearm was stuck in her face. She headbutted one man away, and as he stumbled back, another came at her with a sword.

“This is getting annoying! You wanna chill these guys out?” Aria said.

“If there’s enough mana, sure!” Sonata said.

The pair harmonized softly, as they’d done for hundreds of years. Even without Adagio’s voice in the mix, their melody sank into the ears of the crowd like a pebble on a pond, and soon the screaming voices and flailing limbs slowed to a lethargic malaise until all in attendance swayed with a glassy-eyed absence of thought.

“There, now let’s get this over with.” Aria said.

Suddenly, Aria yelped and stumbled forward.

“Hold on there, girls! The party isn’t over yet!” Said Captain Heartstrings. His sword was drawn and dripping red from the wound he had scoured on Aria’s back. Behind him, the rest of the third-party pirates stood, each glaring, or smiling in the case of Cozy Glow, in the direction of Sonata and Aria.

“What do you stooges want!?” Aria growled.

“Looks like they’re a little too braintough for our song!” Sonata said.

“Headstrong! You mean headstrong!” Aria shouted.

Captain Heartstrings grinned and pointed a rapier at Aria.

“Since you and your lot went and turned on the good commodore-”

“Rear Admiral!” Scream Cinch from somewhere near the stage.

“...we’re going to go ahead and take you down before you give the rest of us a bad name!”

Captain Heartstrings charged at Aria, trying for all appearances to carve her heart out, and the rest followed suit, forcing Aria and Sonata to back up, tossing dinnerware, tables, and the odd person in the way.

Aria took a knick, then a boot to the side, then a slash to the shoulder, but her eyes twinkled with excitement, and the smile on her face defied explanation as she danced through the barrage.

“Uh, Sis? Your face is doing the thing!” Sonata said.

“Shut up, I know!” Aria said, grinning with a mouthful of shark teeth. “This is fun, but there’s too much shit in the way!”

“What should we do?”

“Find a way to get these guys off me!” Aria said. Captain Heartstrings tried to plunge his blade into her throat, and Aria responded by ducking to the side and biting a chunk out of his arm.

“GAHH!” The man’s composure buckled along with his knees, but he was quickly replaced by Cratus and Hoofbeard, menacing with swords and knives and a whip.

“It’s payback time, little fish!” Cratus said.

“Good! I can’t wait to rip you apart, just like your men!” Aria grinned. She raised her axe, then looked up to see that it wasn't present. Instead, it was across the room, in Sonata’s hands.

“What are you doing!?” Aria shouted, dodging strikes.

“This!” Sonata swung the axe at a taught rope that lead to the ceiling.

There was a rancorous crash as the hall’s chandelier tumbled down.

Adagio paused for just a moment. Several of Cinch’s men had fallen beneath the chandelier, the Griffon’s men were not much better off, and Aria was brandishing a burning table leg at everyone nearby. She saw glee on Aria’s face and the beginnings of panic on Sonata’s.

Her sisters. She’d almost forgotten they were here.

She suddenly recoiled as the tip of The Griffon’s cutlass stung her cheek.

“Get rid of it. Whatever you’ve done to my crew, snuff it out, now!” The Griffon snarled. Adagio searched for the competitive jocular attitude she’d savored before, and instead tasted nothing but cold murder.

“Or what? You’ll kill me? Is it finally time for you to take this seriously?” Adagio purred. She parried a flurry of strikes. The Griffon’s movements seemed sluggish and unfocused.

“This isn’t a game!” The Griffon said.

“No, it’s a legend! And I will not lose the spotlight to either of you!”

Adagio felt a cold weight click around her ankle. She looked down and saw that she was connected to the Griffon by a pair of handcuffs. Cinch had made it back to the stage.

“Now, men! Kill them both!” Cinch screamed in triumph.

“Look around, Cinch! Your men are routed! You’ve lost!” The Griffon said.

“What do you mean kill them both?” Adagio said.

“Oh no, no, no, my dear Captain! My full retinue is on the way! Soon you and all you pirate scum will be under my heel, and my legend will begin!”

“Did he say ‘all’?” came a voice in the hall.

Down on the floor, Aria, Sonata, and the rest of the pirates glanced at each other.

Adagio and The Griffon looked at each other as well.

“Girls, break the spell.” Adagio sighed.

“Ugh. Fine, whatever.” Aria said, dropping her torch.

The Dazzlings all snapped in unison. A tablecloth caught fire, then another, and the hall filled with screams, once again.

“Shall we?” Adagio said.

“We shall. Boys!? Out the back! We’re done here!” The Griffon shouted.

The Griffon’s men broke from their panic, and like a squad of trained dogs, they made a beeline for the back rooms.

“Girls!” Adagio shouted.

“Meet at the ship!” Aria and Sonata said together, then ran for the front door. Cinch’s remaining men stumbled after the pirates, bewildered, as the pirate captains dispersed.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Cinch screamed. Adagio and The Griffon tried to run in opposite directions and fell to the floor.

“Oh, brilliant.” Adagio groaned.

Cinch raised his saber like a farmer’s scythe.

“Cali! Pweet!” The Griffon whistled.

Cinch gasped, looking confused, and was immediately set upon by a flurry of feathers and sharp talons.

“Arrk! Fire on the poop deck!” Squawked the parrot.

Adagio coughed at the rising smoke, then gasped as she was pulled to her feet.

“Come on, love! Up the stairs! Move those legs! One, two, one two!” The Griffon said.

“I know, I know!” Adagio said. Guards came at them even as they went for the tower stairs, leaving Adagio no choice but to fight shoulder to shoulder with the Griffon as they ascended.

“You…are…acting very nonchalant about my betrayal!” Adagio said between sword swings.

“Occupational hazard, little dolphin! I don’t take it personal!” The Griffon laughed and kicked a guard in the chest, sending him rolling down the stairs.

The was a crash down the staircase, and as Adagio and The Griffon fled upward, she found her sour expression wavering.

The last thing she heard was Cinch screaming.

“Get after them, men! Sound the alarm! Ready the ships! GET ME THOSE BLOODY PIRATES!”

As smoke streamed out of the windows of the music hall, a vast clattering of fancy shoes stampeded out of the doors. An alarm bell rang over the din.

Aria and Sonata were given a wide berth, as one had a sack full of ill-gotten booty over her shoulder, and the other was swinging a hatchet with murderous accuracy.

“Hurry up and find a way out of here, Sonata!” Aria shouted over the crowd. A pair of guards tried to clap her in irons, but a few decisive swings of Aria’s hatchet sent them away screaming or in pieces.

“I’m trying! I’m trying!” Sonata ran for a stagecoach, but it galloped away. She tried another, and it charged off in the opposite direction. “Everyone is freaking out! Why’d you have to go and light the place on fire?”

“It’s not my job to not start fires!” Aria said. “Now hurry up and get us a ride!”

Sonata scanned the crowd. Her eyes lit up as they fell on Cratus, who was shuffling into the driver’s seat of a large, beaten-up stagecoach that was shaking oddly. The sounds of furious feral beasts could be heard coming from the back.

“Oohh Cray-Cray~!” Sonata sang, skipping over to the wagon.

“No. No, no, no, stay away from me!” Cratus yowled.

He pulled a pistol, which was on the ground in the crack of a whip. Another two fingers were unfortunate casualties of that whip crack, and Cratus let everyone know.

“AAAAGHH! YE BROKE MY OTHER HAND YE BILGE SPITTING STRUMPET!” Cratus wailed.

A contingent of guards came running, rifles at the ready as Sonata and Aria jumped on top of the stagecoach.

“Shut up and drive or I’ll break your face!” Aria snarled.

The stone gave way to wooden scaffolding amidst the ruins of the top of the old tower. There was a rope attached to the wall just a bit above Adagio’s head as she looked out over the sun-dappled streets.

“Tell me you’re moored out past the harbor!” The Griffon said, testing the rope.

“Naturally!”

“Good. My jollyboat isn’t too far. The harbor will be on high alert in a second-”

“But we have a west-facing wind!” Adagio said, a finger in the air.

“Lucky! Let’s get moving!” The Griffon pulled the rope up, squinted across the street, and gave himself plenty of slack.

“How are we going to escape? It’s a one-way trip, and Cinch’s men will try to blow us out of the water if we take the open channel!”

The Griffon wrapped an arm around Adagio’s waist, and without a moment’s thought, the pair swung down.

They landed in an inelegant heap on the rooftop across from the hall and immediately tumbled down the slippery shingles. They hit the alley with a thud and kept hobbling for the water as a chorus of stamping boots approached from behind.

Somewhere in the madness, Adagio could hear Cinch caterwauling something that vaguely resembled orders.

“Hah! Open channel, she says! Did you forget that this is Havana!?” The Griffon said

The alley fell behind them. Adagio looked forward and saw drifting, gleaming ships gliding across the bay. White flags and bright gilding caught the evening light, and hot-headed young ‘captains’ argued over who had the right of way.

“I’d like to see Cinch try to justify any rounds in these hulls!” The Griffon said.

“Stop right there!”

Adagio looked left and saw a crowd of patrolmen with pistols. She looked right and saw the same. The Griffon glanced toward the bay, and Adagio could see his bright-sailed jollyboat at the end of a stubby dock.

Adagio took The Griffon’s hand.

“Do you trust me!?” Adagio said.

“Do you want to die here!?” The Griffon said.

“No!” Adagio said.

“Then yes, I trust you!” The Griffon laughed.

“Cover your ears!”

Adagio let go and balled her fists, taking in a great gulp of air. She let fly a hideous wail that blasted a hole in the group of men flanking then.

Adagio’s hair faded in color.

“And duck!” The Griffon pulled Adagio down as a round of shots flew over her head. “Now run!”

The Griffon and Adagio ran over the scattered guards and finally made it to the boat, the Griffon frantically swinging his blades, fighting for his life while Adagio tried to undo the rope.

“The ones in the back are reloading, love! We’ve got to go now!”

“I know, I know, give me a moment!” After failing to untangle the rope Adagio hacked at it with her sword, then turned to unfurl the sail. She yanked her leg forward and dragged The Griffon into the boat.

“Get on the sail! I’ll take the rudder!” Adagio said.

The boat caught the wind and bumped the dock before clumsily sliding into the bay. The Griffon grabbed the sail rope with one hand, holding off the guards with a saber in the other until the dinghy slid between some drifting ships, right on course to smash into the hull of an approaching brig.

“Hard aport!” The Griffon shouted.

Adagio wrenched the rudder over and the dinghy charged around the ship without taking a scratch.

“Don’t you order me around!” Adagio protested.

“Same team, love, same team!” The Griffon said.

Adagio looked back and saw that not all of the ships were for show. Frigates and brigs with colors from both the Spanish and British were charging after them, albeit several yards behind.

“Now starboard!” The Griffon said, and the little boat zigged and zagged, barely avoiding the flashy custom ships, to the fist-shaking chagrin of the helmsmen.

Adagio’s hair whipped around her face as she and The Griffon frantically steered the dinghy past another pod of ships.

“Hah! Are you sure you don’t want to join my crew? You’ve the makings of an incredible helmsman!” The Griffon said.

“I excel at everything I do! I’m far too talented to work under someone else!” Adagio laughed.

“Do you excel at dodging firing squads?” The Griffon said with a point at the shore. Adagio peered through her spyglass.

A stagecoach was rapidly approaching on the side of the harbor. Adagio could see Cinch riding in front with a squad of armed guards in the back and on top, all loading rifles.

“Ready, men!” Cinch said, holding a hand up The guards presented arms.

“Cinch has gone mad!” The Griffon said.

“What did you do to get him so fixated on you?” Adagio said.

“Pot, meet kettle.” Buck said, far in the future.

“It must be my magnetic charm!” The Griffon said.

“Oh, very good! Then you can attract all of their rounds!” Adagio snarked.

“Aim!” Cinch shouted.

The men levered their arms at the fleeing dinghy, ready to puncture its sails and occupants full of holes.

Another pleasure cruiser was ahead on the waves, but it was many yards away.

Adagio hummed a frantic tune. She pulled on The Griffon’s emotions and reached out through the sea, trying to summon a wave that would catch the onslaught.

The sea refused to listen.

“We’re not going to make it!” Adagio said.

“Well, if this is it, at least I get to die alongside the most beautiful woman on the spanish main!” The Griffon beamed at Adagio.

“You’re accepting death, just like that!?” Adagio said.

“If I die in the drink, they’ll never know who The Griffon truly was! Just a mask and a smile! That’s how legends are born!” The Griffon said.

Adagio’s eyes widened. The certainty in the Griffon’s voice was shocking. For so long, Adagio had lived as a legend, for legends of Equestria held great power and lived for generations. She had never even thought of legends as stories of the dead, and yet here was a man who lived without regrets, and was more than happy to take his bow at a moment’s notice. The glee in his eyes defied explanation.

Adagio looked to the shore and saw hell’s fury in Cinch’s eyes.

That fury was suddenly replaced by panic as several of his guards fell onto the road.

Another stagecoach had approached Cinch’s from behind. One driven by a man with tears in his eyes and reins sloppily knotted around a broken hand.

Three more men fell into the street, having been halfway bisected by Aria’s vicious swings.

“Hah! That’s what a real legend looks like!” Adagio laughed.

She and The Griffon watched as Aria battered away every guard in her path. Cinch rose with his blade, ready to defend his honor, but Aria ducked as Sonata came up behind her with two handfuls of writhing snakes.

Sonata tossed the snakes at Cinch and the cabbie, and both of them dove from the stagecoach, screaming in terror.

Cratus screamed in protest about his merchandise before buckling under Aria’s glower.

“Amazing! Now that is what I call a skeleton crew!” The Griffon cheered, waving at Aria and Sonata as their carriage disappeared behind a line of houses.

“We’re not out of the storm just yet!” Adagio shouted, pointing forward.

One last obstacle stood between the unlikely duo and freedom; a blockade across the mouth of the bay, flying black flags.

Gliding slowly to its head, menacing with two rows of broadside cannons was the flagship of Cozy Glow’s fleet, the Judith’s Dagger. Adagio could just barely make out the young menace of the seas, holding up a hand to her sizable crew. Waiting.

“Are you hiding any other exceptional crewmates, little dolphin? Besides the two in your bodice?” The Griffon said.

“Will you take this seriously for just one second!?” Adagio snarled.

“There’ll be plenty of time for that when I’m dead!” The Griffon laughed.

Adagio peered through her spyglass.

“The Dagger isn’t in position yet! We can gun it through the gap if we get enough speed!”

“This wind is strong, but not that strong! I don’t suppose Cozy Glow owes you any favors!?” The Griffon said.

“She’s my biggest competitor, you absolute fool!”

“Then what’s the plan, oh mighty witch of the seas!?”

“Give me a moment!” Adagio snapped.

She had tried to tap The Griffon’s excitement, but it just wasn’t as strong as it had been on the Gull Keys. Perhaps she was coming at this the wrong way. There was another feeling she could draw from. One that was potentially stronger. One that, though Adagio was loathed to admit it, was coming from both sides.

Adagio rose from her seat, grabbed The Griffon by the shoulders, and kissed him.

There was no resistance, no ego, and no snark.

For a moment, there was nothing but burning, red passion.
It was intoxicating, and at the time, Adagio thought it was a wholly private moment.

She was wrong, for on the road, through the briefest break in the line of houses, Aria caught a glimpse of the embrace.

When Adagio finally pulled away, she felt a flame in her stomach. It was nothing but an ember compared to the power she used to wield, but it would have to be enough.

Adagio turned and sang to the water once more, hands outstretched. The waves stirred.

“What are you doing there, love?” The Griffon said, bashfully adjusting his mask.

“Take up the sail.”

“What?” The Griffon said, already pulling the rope.

“Now.”

The jollyboat lurched forward, sending Adagio and the Griffon to their knees. A wave had caught it, propelling the boat like a sailfish toward the shrinking gap in Cozy Glow’s ships.

The gap shrunk, and as Adagio approached, she could see the men aboard the fleet, guns at the ready, awaiting orders, but Cozy Glow did not budge.

Adagio hummed and incanted and prayed as the hounding ships gained. The jollyboat was picking up speed, getting closer and closer to the opening, and still Cozy Glow didn’t lower her hand.

Adagio's eyes met with her distant rival, and Cozy Glow’s stern expression curled into a smirk.

The jollyboat scraped against the keel of the Judith’s Dagger, and then it was out of the harbor.

The British and Spanish ships tried to change course as Cozy Glow dropped her hand. The blockade fired all at once.

“Well! It seems we’re the ones that owe her a favor.” The Griffon said, dropping the sail.

“She’s giving us time. We should use it.” Adagio said.

“Right. We’ll regroup on my ship and get these manacles off, and then we can talk about what comes next.” The Griffon said.

“Yes, I think your ship will do just fine.” Adagio said, peering through her spyglass.

“That’s unnaturally compliant of you. Feeling a bit sick?”

“No, but it appears that my ship is off the table.”

Adagio pointed out on the bay, where the Medusa’s Hammer was in the midst of sailing off into the evening fog. Adagio spied her black flag taken down, replaced by one featuring a skull and crossed swords. With a squint, she could barely make out the gold-gilt smile of Captain Hoofbeard as he made off with her ship.

“And here I was starting to think you’re a good luck charm.” The Griffon said.

Adagio stared blankly at the ass of her precious cutter as it sailed away. She looked at the firefight taking place in the harbor, then at The Griffon.

“Hahahahaah!” Adagio doubled over, cackling like she’d just remembered the funniest joke in history.

“What? Why are you laughing?” The Griffon said.

“Today has been an unmitigated failure!” Adagio laughed.

“Well, I don’t know about that.“

The Harpies’ Labrys came around the horn, and to Adagio’s surprise, the Griffon’s crew was on it, and relatively unscathed.

The Griffon patted Adagio on the shoulder, sending a warm spark through her skin.

“By all accounts, I’d say it was a lovely ball. Now let’s go find your girls.”

It was Sunday. Adagio returned to her suite alone.

Without a presence to chide, or tease, or order around, all Adagio had was a bottle of wine and her empty, echoing suite.

He would come back. Just as her sisters would. They had to.

She hated herself for her weakness.

She hated herself for not being able to commit to the role.

He had given her an inroad. Just three easy words. All she had to do was lie.

But who would she be lying to?

Adagio took a long drink straight from the bottle.

She was too tired and too angry to scheme, so she cranked up her gramophone and dropped the needle.

She lifted the rapier again.

She remembered.

It didn’t take long to find Aria and Sonata.

Shortly after Adagio and The Griffon stumbled onto the Harpies’ Labrys, still shackled together at the ankle, they saw an unfamiliar ship approaching, flying a white flag. With a peek through the spyglass, Adagio saw that it was Aria and Sonata, having commandeered Cratus’ ship, the Dog of War. It was an ugly, square-shaped thing, lacking in much besides cages and armaments, but it would have to do for the moment.

What was far more repulsive was the cargo. Down in the brig, Adagio saw scores of humans packed shoulder to shoulder, bound in chains. They were underfed and filthy and not a single one of them spoke a language that Adagio knew.

As luck would have it, The Griffon had a grasp of some of the dark continents’ vocabulary, and so none of them resisted when their shackles were released and they were asked if they needed an escort to more open waters.

“Exotic freight, indeed.” Adagio said.

“People aren’t freight, love.” The Griffon said.

“I suppose this is yet another ship that’s slipped through my fingers.” Adagio said.

“Oh? I didn’t think you’d be so eager to part with it.” The Griffon said.

“They need it more than I do, don’t they?” Adagio said.

“Surprisingly decent of you.” The Griffon said.

“You’re telling me.” Aria grumbled.

She was on her knees, trying to saw through the shackles holding Adagio and the Griffon together, but all she managed to do was break a few tools.

“I may be a cutthroat scourge of the seas, but even I have standards. I’m a manipulator, not a slaver. They have their ship, and thus their freedom. Far be it from me to interfere.” Adagio said.

“Well, you can always peddle this off and buy yourself a fleet!” The Griffon said. He carelessly tossed the Eagle Talon Idol to Adagio, who very nearly dropped it to the deck.

“You’re giving me this?”

“And your cut of the loot. You and your lot did more for the operation than all my boys put together. It’s only fair.”

“Hmph. I don’t play at fair.” Adagio said, tucking the idol in her belt.

“Oh?”

“What do you say to one more wager? If I win, me and my girls take all of the loot when we get back to Nassau.”

“Hahahah! You’re a greedy little nasty, you know that?”

“And if you win, we split the loot fifty-fifty. And we join your crew. For a time.” Adagio said.

“Oooooh~!” Sonata said.

“What!?” Aria said. “What about your plan? What about The New World!?”

“With what supplies, what ship and what pardon, Aria?”

“He just said that you could buy a whole fleet with that stupid rock!”

“Yes, but I want that AND the rest of the loot. Try and keep up.”

“I agree to the terms.” The Griffon said.

“WHAT!?” Aria said.

“I agree, but on two conditions!”

“Name them.” Adagio smirked.

“One. We keep the manacles on for the contest. No running away by either of us. And two, this duel won’t be to first blood. It’s over when one of us says they give in. Deal?”

The Griffon flashed the devil’s smile beneath the mask, but Adagio would not be unnerved. It was just another challenge.

“Deal.”

Their swords were out at once, and once again, Adagio found herself on the back foot, but not for long.

At this intimate range, the Griffon’s longer arms didn’t matter, but neither did the reach of Adagio’s rapier.

Neither combatant gave any ground, for any step back would be a step forward for their opponent.

It was without tricks or skullduggery. It was passionate and honest and intimate.

The Griffon leapt up on the railing, and Adagio had no choice but to follow his steps or fall to her feet. Despite the unsteady balance, Adagio struck again and again, grinning ear to ear at the beating of her heart and the heat she felt there, a burning she hadn’t known since coming to this world of scoundrels and their dextrous hands.

The cheers of the crew melted away until there was nothing in the world but the flash of blades and the ringing of steel.

Adagio was lost, in the best way possible.

It wouldn’t last.

A boom rang out through the soupy mist.

The mast of the Harpies’ Labrys collapsed, her sails torn by chain shot.

In their celebration, both Adagio and the Griffon had grown complacent.

There were shouts and blood. Cannons loaded. Arms taken up. The crew prepared ropes and grapples, but the enemy was already boarding.

Adagio squinted through the fog. She saw British colors being flown overhead, and a plaque on the side of the attacking vessel read “HBMS Preparation”.

“Cinch.” Adagio said. "He found us after all. Truce?"

The Griffon said nothing.

He was pale beneath the eagle mask. Adagio looked down and saw why. The chain shot had taken one of his legs, and not the one that Adagio was attached to.

The Griffon made a sound almost like an incredulous laugh, but the air had left his lungs. And then he fell into the sea, taking Adagio with him.

Home.

Adagio drifted down into the cold, black abyss. Time slowed to a sluggish crawl as her thoughts raced.

Since coming to this place, Adagio had often taken private moments to swim in this world’s sea. It was the closest thing to home she could find, and in her effort to claw her way to infamy, wealth, and power, the cold embrace of the ocean centered her and kept her focused.

Since meeting The Griffon, she had gotten distracted, and not entirely for reasons of pride.

The Griffon had pulled her away from her path, and now he was dragging her to her death.

But no, it wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t the Griffons. It was that bastard, Cinch.

Adagio stopped holding her breath.

Her heart frosted over in her chest. Gills rose on her neck. Red eyes. Sharpened teeth. Hatred. Cold and bottomless as the sea, all focused on one point.

She was going to flense the skin from Cinch’s bones, and then tie him to the keel.

Suddenly, warmth.

Adagio looked down into the murky darkness.

The Griffon was awake. He had both hands on his remaining foot.

He looked at Adagio and smiled.

It was the same smile that Borky had made all those years ago.

There was a pop, and The Griffon’s foot rolled uselessly. He yanked the shackle off, and Adagio was free. He began to sink.

His eyes closed.

This would not do.

Up on the deck of the Harpies’ Labrys, the Griffon’s men fought tooth and nail to begin their escape, Aria and Sonata right at their sides, but refusing to let anyone weigh anchor.

Not until they saw Adagio flop onto the deck.

“Let’s go!” Adagio shouted through the chaos. The men caught a glimpse of their captain and rallied immediately, falling upon the British soldiers like men possessed.

There was shouting from the other ship.

Cinch’s men were determined, but in their haste to board, they had overlooked something essential.

There was another ship.

The Dog of War flanked Cinch’s warship and let fly a volley with its broadsides, and suddenly the Preparation was fighting a losing battle.

Cinch never even made it onto the Labrys, but it didn’t matter. The damage was done.

The Griffon lay still on the deck. A pool of blood was forming where his right knee used to be.

Adagio pressed on the Griffon’s chest over and over, but it didn’t seem to be working. She tried to breathe air into his lungs, but she got a mouthful of seawater.

“No, no, no no! Not now! Not now!” Adagio said.

She desperately grabbed a knife that had fallen to the deck, and tore open the Griffon’s jacket and shirt, then went back to compressing his chest, until The Griffon vomited up the sea.

“Euuurrghh!” The Griffon hacked, and with another slap on the chest, he finally breathed fresh air again.

“You sacrificed yourself for me! Why!?”

“Hah…well, I didn’t want to lose two pretty faces to the sea. But look at you! Pulled me out of the drink like a fresh fish. Turns out you can swim like a dolphin, on top of thinking like one.”

“You idiot.”

Adagio squeezed The Griffon tightly, laying her head against his chest in a moment of pure relief.

Something felt strange.

Adagio looked up and realized that the sea had taken The Griffon’s hat and mask.

She saw a pale, handsome face with a small but sharp nose. A pair of pale red eyes, a soft chin, and full lips. Long, pale green hair, which had to have been concealed beneath the hat in a net. A mole on the cheek, almost strategically placed.

Below all that, free from the ripped jacket, shirt, and binding beneath, was a pair of perky breasts.

“Celaeno.”

“What?”

“My name. It's Celaeno.”

Adagio didn’t know what to say. Adagio had seen death before, had been the cause, had been the consequence, but the spreading pale on the pirates’ face matched the numbness clutching at her own mind.

“Take care of my little lads, will you? They’re lost without a strong woman to boss them around.”

“Why would you ask this of me?”

“Oh, love. My leg’s off, and I’m running out of humors. This is the end of my story.”

“No. No, no, it’s not. I’m not done with you, yet!”

Celaeno’s hand touched Adagio’s cheek. It was cold.

“I would’ve told you, in time. I didn’t want to let you in until I knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Knew that you were like me. Always wanting to be free, and admired. It’s a nice feeling, isn’t it? To be seen. Warm.”

“Save your words.” Adagio said. She was wet from the sea, but that didn’t account for the salty tears running down her face.

“Why now? Embarrassed?” Celaeno chuckled weakly.

“No. Annoyed.”

“Why?”

“Because I just realized what this is.” Adagio pulled the Eagle Talon Idol from her belt. She hummed a tender tune, almost like a lullaby, and the socket end of the totem sizzled. The gold grew heated and warped.

“That’s an idol, love.” Celaeno groaned. Adagio took a dagger from her belt and put the handle to Celaeno’s mouth.

“No, it’s a peg leg. Now bite down. This won’t be pleasant.”

Some would call it an act of god. A screech like that of an eagle echoing across the main and into the annals of history. A scream so loud and ferocious that the British fled at the sound of it. A sound that had to have come from the mouth of a demon.

For Adagio, it was much simpler. It was the scream of a woman who had fought tooth and nail for all her acclaim. One who had cultivated an identity around showmanship, cleverness, and panache. A born leader, who despite every disadvantage had managed to stand among giants, and even above them, all on the strength of her wits and the trust of her crew.

A woman who, in a moment of true, searing hot vulnerability, clung to another and screamed, channeling a lifetime of pain and pressure into one blazing point.

And then it was over.

Through the flying splinters and bodies on the deck, Adagio dragged the woman behind the man called The Griffon into the captain’s quarters, then returned to the deck and led her sisters and The Griffon’s lads to a victorious escape.

She took Sonata into the quarters after that, and they wouldn’t come out until they were sure of their safety, moored in one of the Siren Sister’s hidden coves.

It was a fight from top to bottom. Having Sonata save The Griffon with such a dearth of mana, and then getting her to keep the secret of the captain’s nature, was a trial, but sooner than one would expect, The Griffon returned to the deck with a priceless artifact where his leg once was and a cocksure grin on his face.

Still alive, and still a legend.

What no one saw in the aftermath of that fateful day in the bay of Havana was what happened to Cinch. Cinch had been a decorated admiral, with a title, an estate, and even a family, but would flee from all of that after his grand failure at the banquet. The name Calipers Cinch would become one of disgrace among the British naval forces. The term ‘Cinch’ became a slang term used by cocksure braggarts to claim that a difficult task would be entirely effortless, and many times after the utterance of that name, everything would go wrong.

In the expanse of time, Calipers Cinch would be forgotten, dying in disgrace in some far-flung cabana atop a cliff somewhere on the coast of Portugal.

No one can speak on the cause of death, but it is believed that Cinch flung himself from his cabana overlooking the sea, for a body was never found.

Stranger still is the reports that the cabana contained the dressings, makeup, and accouterments of a high-class woman, including a worn-down corset and bindings.

When life changes due to fate, it's often abrupt and harsh, like a woodsman’s hatchet striking a trunk. Cruel realities beaten into a once sturdy pillar until the whole structure buckles.

When life changes due to a person, it is often subtle and smooth, like the shifting drift of a cloud. Adagio had seen that drift, for in standing beside The Griffon, she was afforded countless tiny moments to breathe and admire.

The duel was called off for a time, and for that time, Adagio was the happiest she’d been since being banished from Equestria.

There was never a conversation about the revelation on the night of the banquet, no grand reveal to the crew, and no sumptuous morsel of blackmail to dangle like a worm on a hook.

It was easier than that, and far more mundane; a mask was washed away by the cold grasp of the sea, another by a moment of genuine solidarity, and suddenly Adagio and The Griffon knew each other.

As Adagio gradually built her coffers up for her journey to the New World, she would meet The Griffon again and again.

There was always a fire between them. A desire to excel and outdo, but as months of distance gave way to years of chance meetings, the boisterous clashes became tactical meetings, then quiet talks, and finally, a blessed, unspoken intimacy.

For a while, that was enough.

One day, Adagio received an invitation to a party. There was no occasion given, just a date and a place, and a sense of urgency. She nearly tossed it away, until she saw the signature, and that was enough to plot a course.

The soft light of another full moon streamed in through the stern side window of the Harpies’ Labrys, which had dropped anchor in a small, surreptitious cove, far away from prying eyes. The silver glow of the night and the orange flicker of the candles in the captain’s quarters illuminated a scene of pure decadence.

The crew had spent days partying in a small Cuban town. There had been music and dance and wine and the greatest luxury of all; baths.

Tonight was cause for celebration, from a certain point of view, and so the captain’s quarters were host to grand decadence in the form of wine and soft sheets and quiet, personal conversation.

Adagio lay in those sheets, tracing little lines on Celaeno’s back.

Celaeno gazed fixedly at an envelope sitting on her nightstand. It had an official Spanish seal on it.

“And it’s full amnesty? No tricks? Not even a location to ‘pick up the papers’?” Adagio said.

“They know better than that. I sunk a lot of british ships in the war, but I don’t think this is grace. I think they’re just tired of trying to catch the devil in a net.” Celaeno said.

“Well, congratulations on your retirement.” Adagio said.

“You don’t sound all that surprised, love.”

Adagio’s eyes traveled along Celeano’s nude form. After years of vicious buccaneering, grey hairs marched across the captain’s feathery tresses, the boyish growl became a matronly rumble, and a roadmap of scars stretched across her back.

“It’s simply the way of the world. You either learn to bow out when the time comes, or someone gives you a shove off the stage.”

“Is that all you have to say about it? I believe you owe me one more duel, Captain The Griffon.”

“Of course. We’ll have it, little dolphin, but only if you would be so kind as to escort me to my last destination. A little town on the tip of Jamaica.”

“Fine. Now, what were you saying, before?” Adagio said.

“I used to be a page boy.” Celaeno said.

“Oh?”

“In my old town. When the post really started, they would just drop them off at the port, wrapped in cheesecloth, and since we didn’t have a postman-since there were no postmen, they’d pay a few coins to anyone who wanted to run the papers around town, but it was boy’s work, so I would put on a hat and shirt, and I’d talk like a town crier. I’d say ‘Welcome friends and neighbors! Come and get the word from the old shores!’ and no one ever even thought I could be a girl.”

“Adorable.”

“Adagio?”

“Hm?”

“What do you want to name it?”

“What?”

Celaeno rolled over to face Adagio, and her smile was a spark in dry kindling.

“Your new ship. The one I threw in for. What do you want to name it?”

“Ah. I’m thinking of something gauche that will get people talking when we slide into the New World.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“How does this sound to you? The Stomped Saber.”

“That is horrible!” The Griffon laughed.

“So you love it, then?” Adagio smirked.

“Well, it's very fitting for you, I’d say, but I think it lacks a certain culture, don’t you think?”

“They can’t all be grand metaphors and mythology, now can they?”

“If you want to be remembered, they must.” The Griffon tutted.

“Oh, hush up about legends and immorality. Tell me more about your old town.”

“Don’t you find this boring, love?”

“Not when you tell it.”

Adagio shuffled a bit closer and let the warm scent at the crook of Celeano’s neck soothe her. Rough hands slid delicately down her back and lazily wandered her curves as Celeano continued.

“It was just a tiny settlement, but it was my whole world. I even had a friend, back then. Had a brutal crush on her.”

“Is that so? Why isn’t she in this bed right now?” Adagio said.

“In a man’s world, things always get needlessly complicated. By the time I was old enough to barely know what I was feeling, she was stuck in an arranged marriage with a governor’s son. When she spoke her objections to her parents, they threatened to disown her for not marrying into obvious wealth. We decided to take matters into our own hands; made up a plan to run away together, it was all very dramatic, but when I went down to the docks in the morning to meet her, she didn’t come. Must’ve caught a lick of sense while I wasn’t looking.”

Adagio's gaze floated up into Celaeno’s sad, wine-colored eyes and lingered there with the intensity of a crow admiring a marble.

It hardly made sense to pass up such a treasure, and yet, Adagio realized, she’d nearly done the same.

“Oh, don’t give me that look, love!” Celaeno smiled and squeezed Adagio’s rump. “Just look at me, it all worked out! I left that day, with nothing but a rowboat, a bicorn, and a bit of twine to hold my hair up, and now I’m the terror of British trading vessels, the swooping eagle that all the great and good fear as they sail through the night! I run with free men, and I don’t regret a single day.” The Griffon said.

“Is that true?” Adagio said.

Celaeno winced as if she’d been stabbed by a needle.

“I’m the Captain of the best bunch of lads on the main, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. But all they know is The Griffon, and The Griffon is just a mask. And…its time for that mask to come down. Its time to be Celaeno again.”

Adagio tasted the quivering fear in those words. It was like asking to undress in a public square.

“Is that what you told them? That you’re going to retire the name?”

“It’s the only name they know me by. I’m going to tell them that I’m old and sick.”

“Oh, hush. At the rate you’re going, you’ll outlive us all.”

“Is that a joke? You haven’t aged a day since we met.”

“I keep telling you, you have to raid a town and get some ointment for your skin. Melon and squash will do wonders for your humors, darling.” Adagio tutted.

“Maybe, love, maybe I will at that, but you know what I mean. The Griffon doesn’t need me anymore, and I’m tired of needing him. It feels as if, if I wear the captain’s mask any longer, I’ll forget the woman underneath.”

Adagio kissed Celaeno. The touching of their lips was like a head against a pillow at the end of a long day.

“Which one do you want to be tonight?” Adagio said.

“How about a little of both?” Celaeno said.

With a wink and a flourish, Celaeno dove beneath the covers. Adagio felt tender lips blaze a trail down her stomach, kissing the side of her hip, her mound of venus, and then brushing against her delicate folds.

Celaeno’s hands were just as dextrous, stroking Adagio’s thighs, sliding up and opening her lips.

By the time Celaeno’s tongue entered Adagio’s cavern, it was already blushing, hot and wet.

Adagio closed her eyes and found freedom in letting her voice drift out, singing a song of gasps and giggles and low, sweet moans as Celaeno dove into her.

“Ahh! Mmm..I see you haven’t lost a step in this race! As ravenous as ever!”

“What can I say? I have a weakness for sweets!”

Adagio’s thighs were over Celaeno’s shoulders. Her hands were in the captain’s green tresses, savoring every delicate jolt of pleasure as Celaeno dug in deep and lapped at her greedily.

Then, suddenly, it stopped.

Adagio was suddenly flipped onto her side, Celaeno’s pillowy breasts squishing against her back.

“What are you doing?”

“In a way, this too is a duel, isn’t it, love?” Celaeno said in Adagio’s ear.

Adagio gasped. Deft fingers slid against her clitoris in teasing strokes, like waves caressing the shore.

“You…are…infuriating!”

“You love it.”

Celaeno’s fingers dove into Adagio’s depths.

“Mmm! You’re delusional!” Adagio moaned.

“And you’re playing coy. What is this bed for, if not honesty? What are you waiting for?”

The sound of wet shlicking increased in pace. Adagio bit her bottom lip and tried to hold it all in, but Celaeno’s attention was relentless. Adagio’s breath hitched. Her hips bounced forward with needy honesty while she struggled to keep her voice down. She could imagine the smug look on Celeano’s face, just over her shoulder and it infuriated her as much as it turned her on.

“What if I decide I don’t want a duel, hm? What will you say to me then?” Celeano growled.

“I’ll call you a coward! A weak minded fool who gave up the game because you got a bit winded! A weakling!” Adagio hissed.

“Is that what you think?”

The pleasure stopped. Celaeno turned Adagio over, pinning her wrists to the bed, glaring down at her like a perched hawk over a rabbit.

“After all this time, is that what you think of me?”

“I am glad for you! I am glad that you finally get to rest, and I can move on to my next enterprise! I’ve spent years keeping score with you, and now the race is over.”

“You never once outdid me, Sea Witch.” Celaeno said.

“And you never once defeated me, Captain The Griffon. I could take you right now. Unarmed and in the nude.” Adagio said.

An old flame ignited. Celaeno grinned and let go of Adagio, then retreated from the bed, into the silver rays on the other side of the room. A cabinet slid open.

“Where are you going?”

“Let it never be said that I don’t come prepared.” Celaeno said.

Adagio heard the sound of something metallic cinching together.

When Celaeno returned to the candlelight, she was wearing a familiar curio on her waist. A long, curling toy made of dark wood that Adagio had stolen years prior. It was polished and clean, gleaming with menace as Celaeno took a knee onto the bed.

“What say we settle this once and for all? One more duel. We’ll take turns. Whoever tips over the edge faster is the winner.”

“You are absolutely ridiculous.”

“If you win, I’ll drop the conversation entirely. You won’t have to escort me, I’ll simply sail off to the horizon, and you’ll never need to cross swords with me again.” Celeano said, and tossed Adagio her own “weapon”. A smaller, ivory affair that was arrow-straight.

“Oh, please.” Adagio rolled her eyes but could taste the simple honesty behind Celaeno’s bravado. She truly was tired of this game, it seemed.

“But if I win, you’ll look me in the eye and tell me how you feel. And you’ll join me.”

“I am not playing this game with you.”

“And I’m the coward? Is this sword too unwieldy for you?”

“You’re a fool. You and I both know that I’m the superior, and that’s always been the case.”

“Then why do you hesitate? Is the great sea witch Adagio Dazzle too far removed from the concerns of us petty mortals that she’s now above our little wager?”

“No, I just didn’t think you’d want to be humbled in such a ludicrous way.”

“And who’s going to make me humble, love?” Celaeno’s fingertips brushed Adagio’s turned cheek.

“I will.” Adagio snarled.

Celaeno was tugged down into the sheets, onto her knees. She turned her head to see Adagio, already equipped, slathering the contents of a small ceramic pot onto her tool.

“What is that?”

“I told you. Ointment is the key. I hope you’re prepared. I won’t listen to any whining or winging, I hope you know.”

“I’ll have you begging for mercy when my turn comes up, love.”

“Cocky until the end.”

Adagio slapped Celeano’s perky ass cheek. She’d always been a little jealous of the sculpt and curve of this bottom. It was deliciously satisfying to bring it to heel. Her hands roamed along Celeano’s curves, teasing her folds as Adagio calculated a strategy.

“Sometime before sunrise, love!” Celeano said.

Adagio slid her tool in with a rough hitch of her hips.

“Oooh! You’re as merciless as ever!” Celeano groaned, but it turned into a lascivious chuckle.

“Quiet. I’ve had enough of your quibbling.” Adagio growled. She placed her hands on Celaeno’s shoulder and pushed until the tall, toned pirate captain was entirely prone on the bed.

Adagio’s hips rolled with a clumsy, virginal pace, but a quiet chuckle from Celaeno spurred her to put her back into it. Every few seconds, she felt herself slipping off, having to adjust her posture or position until she gradually found an odd space between bouncing and thrusting that drew a moan out of her opponent.

“Ah, so you can still feel down there, you old harpy!” Adagio growled.

“Oh, I’m plenty sensitive, love. You just fuck like a goat herder.”

“Then I’ll have to make you bleat like a sheep!”

Adagio grabbed a handful of Celeano’s hair and pulled. Her hips slapped against Celaeno’s ass as she pounded her down into the sheets. At last, Celaeno’s snark disappeared, replaced by a rattling moan.

“Ahhh…ahh, ahh! But you are a quick learner, aren’t you?”

“You still think I’m a novice? How many times have we crossed blades? How many of your signature moves have I improved, hm?”

Adagio gave a slow, deliberate jab of the hips, making Celeano coo, then followed up with a series of viciously quick thrusts and rocked the bed.

Celaeno’s put her head down and moaned, but Adagio pulled her hair again so that she could savor every helpless squeak.

“Me and you, you and me, let’s see who can last longer~!” Adagio sang.

She kept up her rapid assault, drinking deep of Celaeno’s lust. How many times had they wrestled in this bed, trying to impress each other? Far too few, it seemed, as soon Adagio’s breath grew short, and her thighs started to quiver from the effort she put into every ram of her hips.

“Oh? Slowing down already?” Celaeno said.

“Hush. You’re close. I know it.” Adagio said.

"And how do you know that?"

“Because I know you!” Adagio dropped all of her weight into a hammering pound. She gritted her teeth and put her whole body into thrusting forward. The bed creaked, and Celeano’s taunts fell apart into unintelligible squeals as Adagio savaged her wet hole.

The heat was nearly unbearable, the mix of lust and affection delectable as it gathered on Adagio’s tongue. She could feel her teeth sharpening, her eyes turning green, but she refused to stop. She put her hands on the small of Celeano’s back and fucked her mercilessly. With a cruel stab of her hips, Adagio sent Celaeno’s face into the pillow, screaming and shaking.

Adagio kept going, slamming her hips down, pounding Celaeno straight through her orgasm until she finally ran out of breath, collapsing onto the taller woman’s back.

Adagio wiped her drooling mouth with the bed sheets, and delicately withdrew her strap-on from Celeano’s winking pussy.

“Eleven minutes. What do you have to say now?” Adagio panted.

Celeano gasped and tried to form a witty retort, but it was lost in the warmth of her afterglow.

“Oh please, its not as if you haven’t been stabbed before.” Adagio said.

Celeano’s eyes shot open, and she gave a belly laugh.

“Aye! Tis’ true, love, tis’ true! Seven minutes you said?”

“Eleven. You folded after eleven minutes, little page boy.”

“Well then, I’ve got a bit of catching up to do, don’t I?”

“I’d like see you try to beat my time.” Adagio said, sliding off Celaeno.

“Oh, I know you would, but I’ll give you a moment to recuperate.” Celaeno said.

“What are you talking about?” Adagio said.

“Looks like someone keelhauled you for a bit, love.” Celaeno said.

Adagio looked down and saw beads of sweat rolling down her heaving chest.

“I am more than ready for the second round!” Adagio declared, laying on her back.

“I know, I know.” Celaeno tutted. She reached over the bedside and produced a bit of cloth, wiping Adagio’s face like a dirty child.

“Will you stop doting on me?” Adagio said, swatting Celaeno’s hands away.

“Someone has to.” Celaeno said.

“You’re stalling.” Adagio said.

“You’re right. I just want to savor this moment.” Celaeno said.

She looked at Adagio as if she were a precious rose in a glass container, reaching out to touch her cheek, but stopping short.

“Well?” Adagio huffed.

“You can start counting, love.” Celaeno said.

A tender kiss was the starting gun. Celaeno’s hands strolled rather than raced along Adagio’s curves, stopping to rub her nipples with a methodical slowness. Celaeno’s tongue lapped at the sweat that had collected on Adagio’s collarbone, then came back up to tickle Adagio’s earlobe.

“You’re so tense…how is it, with all that we’ve taught each other, you never learned to relax?” Celaeno said.

“I have a reputation to uphold!” Adagio said, squirming as Celaeno’s fingers teased her neck and shoulders with feather-light touches.

“Yes, yes, tis’ an affliction I know all about. A hard-working woman puts her back into every move and choice, only to feel the ache when she lays down for the night. But the difference between you and me, love, is that The Griffon dies when he enters this room.”

“What is your point, Celaeno?” Adagio’s breath came out as a restrained hiss. Her knees turned in, but Celaeno threw them open and settled in the space between them. The warm point of the strap brushed against her soaking lips.

“I know its hard to stop. How do you kill a creature that has your own face?”
Adagio looked away, but Celaeno was at her ear, her hands holding her shoulders, her hips between her thighs.

“You’re losing time, Celaeno!” Adagio said.

Humans were repulsive, cruel things, Adagio knew. She had seen it every day since arriving in this world, yet here was a contradiction, angling itself to plunge into her depths, kissing at the nape of her neck, reveling in every shiver and squeak.

“No, Adagio. Every moment with you is a gift, and I’m tried of wasting them.”

Adagio gasped as the rod parted her lips, sliding in slowly, gently as Celaeno squeezed her. Loving her, inch by inch, until their hips met, and so did their lips, once more.

Celaeno’s movements were the opposite of the Griffon’s aggressive advance. Her hips rolled with a sensual pace, scraping the top of Adagio’s canal with each push. Adagio’s protests melted away like sugar in the rain, and soon her legs were closing around Celaeno’s waist, her hands were grasping at her back, and her body quaked through a series of tender peaks.

This was hardly their first time, but never had Celaeno deigned to treat Adagio with such pure, tender care. Their lips refused to part, Adagio hanging on to Celaeno like a raft in the middle of the ocean, carried by waves of pleasure.

Adagio lost count, cradled into Celaeno’s warm, bubbling intention, when she came up for air, it was in a haze of bliss. Her only landmark was Celaeno’s soft gaze.

“Why are you going so slow? This isn't like you.” Adagio moaned.

"Maybe I've changed."

"People don't change!"

"Ah, but they do, love. People change, and so do legends."

Celaeno took Adagio's hands and rolled her hips forward faster now, gentle and teasing.

"If you don't stop teasing me, you're going to lose!"

“I don’t care.” Celaeno said.

Adagio whined as Celaeno’s toy was pulled free of her squeezing depths.

“What?” Adagio said.

“I’m tired of fighting, Adagio. Too long have we spent dancing around each other, teetering on the edge of a whirlpool, too scared to fall in. I love you. I don’t want to defeat you. I want to sit with you and watch the sun fall.” Celaeno said.

“You’re not…this isn’t…!” Adagio stammered.

“What isn’t it?”

“Fair. You’re not playing fair. This is a vicious way to try and win our wager!” Adagio said.

“Hang the wager! Hang the rules, hang the ship, hang the reputation! Come with me, Adagio. Come with me and we can spend every night like this. We'll take your ship, and we'll go to that little town, and I'll hold you, and never let go.”

“I have a family to consider.”

“They can come too.”

“They would never throw in their lot with someone like you!”

“You did."

"If people see us together, our people will-"

"I don't care what others think. I know your heart, Adagio. I’ve tried time and time again to pierce it, haven’t I?”

“Don’t make me laugh.” Adagio said.

Celaeno took her hand.

"I can see that you're just as tired of this as I am. You can't be a villain forever, love. You care too much for that to be the case."

'What do you know?"

“I know you’re afraid. So am I! This adventure isn’t like anything I’ve attempted before. But, as long as I’ve got you, I know I’m up to the task. So please. Come with me, and I’ll never stop loving you until the day I die.”

Adagio covered her mouth. She felt as if she’d been dropped into a boiling cauldron. Her skin tingled with warmth as she tried to find an answer. Celaeno waited, holding her breath.

A frantic knock at the door startled the both of them.

“I am extremely busy!” Celaeno shouted, her voice finding The Griffon in an instant.

“It can’t wait, Captain! There’s ships off the starboard bow! A whole fleet!” Said a gruff voice.

“What!?”

Celaeno was on her feet in an instant, letting the sex toy drop to the floor as she went to her wardrobe; stuffing, binding, and buckling on the accoutrements of the Griffon.

Adagio sat stunned, lost in the stumbling space between two crises.

“Don’t just sit there! We could be at arms any second!” The Griffon barked.

“But what about-” Adagio started.

“Belay that! We’ve got to set sail!” The Griffon said.

The Griffon was out on the deck, shouting orders to the crew by the time Adagio was out in semi-full dress. She could make out a few towering shapes on the horizon. The Griffon’s crew was already at work, pulling up the anchor, loading cannons, unfurling the sails.

“Sis! It’s the Spanish!” Sonata said, swinging down from the crow’s nest.

“What!? How did they find us? Why would they be after us now?” Adagio said.

“Who cares! What’re we going to do!?” Aria said.

Adagio’s mind raced. Her heart was still hammering from The Griffon’s proposal. She saw her sisters looking at her expectantly, ready to carry out any scheme that came to her mind. Before she could open her mouth, The Griffon spoke up.

“Love, we’ve got a decent headwind, but there’s so many of those ships, we’ll never outrun them all without a burst of speed. Could you pull that trick you did in Havana’s harbor?” The Griffon said.

“Would that I could, but this ship is too large and too heavy for that!” Adagio said.

The moon disappeared behind the clouds. A light mist wet the deck.

“Damn it all! Option two, then! You three, take the dinghy! If you can’t move the Labrys, you can move that, can’t you!?” The Griffon said.

“We don’t take orders from you!” Aria said.

“Can you do it our not!?” The Griffon said, grabbing Adagio’s shoulders.

“Yes! Yes, we can!” Adagio said.

“Then take the dinghy, get around that fleet and then raise some hell! You three are the best sappers on the main, so light some sails on fire, or better yet, the gunpowder! If you can cause enough of a distraction, that’ll be enough for the Labrys to get clear, savvy?” The Griffon said.

“¡Sí, señor! ¡Que los vientos soplen a tu espalda!” Sonata said.

“What’s that, lass?” The Griffon said.

“She said we’re on it! And a fart joke, I think?” Aria said.

“We’ll have to be fast, before they spot us.” Adagio said quietly.

“Then get to it, ladies!” The Griffon said. “Everyone else, hard to starboard! Soon as we can see their sails, I want barrels out on the water! What’ve we got down below?”

“Not much, sir!”

“Then load whatever fits!”

Adagio caught herself lost at the sight of The Griffon tossing around orders as rain pattered on the deck.

“Adagio, we have to go!” Aria said.

“Right! Load our effects!” Adagio said.

“And one more thing, love!” The Griffon said.

Adagio turned, expecting a flippant remark about her dress, and instead received a ravenous kiss. Just like that, she burned. She wanted nothing more than to stay in that flame, forever.

The Griffon pulled away and leaned over to Adagio’s ear.

“We can get back to our parley once its all over, little dolphin.” Celaeno whispered, and then she was off to the ship’s wheel.

Adagio turned and saw Sonata and Aria ready and waiting in the dinghy, Sonata filled with glee and Aria showing an equal amount of disdain.

Adagio took a deep breath in.

“Let’s go, girls.”

The dinghy dropped into the water, and Adagio felt power pooling at the corners of her eyes. Never before had she tasted love from a human, yet here it was, sinking like a hot stone into her guts.

Aria rowed away from the Harpies’ Labrys, and soon Sonata dropped the meager sails and the Siren Sisters slipped away, far around the encroaching fleet.

Adagio’s voice caught in her throat, and the first note cracked out of her lips., causing Sonata and Aria to cringe.

It was meant to be a rowing song, to bring life and joy to the wave beneath the boat, but she couldn’t quite cough it up.
Adagio could hear The Griffon still, and the crew of the Harpies’ Labrys shouting their motto in return as the ship turned to face the Spanish.

Sonata and Aria looked at her, waiting for a cue.

The icy hand of Home grabbed Adagio’s heart. She sang.

It was low and terrible like a prayer whispered at the gallows.

The jollyboat rose on a low wave and dashed in a wide drift around the fleet. In moments, it had circled around to the back of the Spanish forces, and without its colorful sails down, it was nearly invisible.
By then, the Harpies’ Labrys had advanced in the opposite direction, hoping to stay out of the reach of the fleet’s broadsides.

Trailing behind the fleet was the rear guard, a galleon with two rows of cannons, built to intercept. A fine prize indeed. Adagio could see Sonata climbing the rigging while Aria tore a bloody path through the deckhands. She could see sails torn and ropes burning. She could see Spanish cannons unleashed from the heart of the fleet.

And then Adagio counted the number of men aboard, counted the number of ships.

She looked at Sonata and Aria and nodded.

The sails dropped open, and the wind carried the dinghy away from the fleet.

Adagio didn’t look back.

She heard a bell ringing from one of the ships, and she didn’t look back.

She heard a single warning shot, and still, she refused to look back.

Countless cannons screamed out into the night. The sea ignited behind Adagio’s back, bathing the dinghy in orange light.

Adagio turned.

The Harpies’ Labrys was sinking.

The cannons beat a terrible rhythm through the rainy night, but through it all, Adagio sang because she knew if she stopped she would hear the screams.

She would hear Celeano screaming her name.

So Adagio sang. It was a warbling lament that could never be reproduced, but as Sonata and Aria’s voices joined in, one could swear the sea herself was weeping.

The dinghy picked up again, and soon it slid out of sight and out of history.

The rest of the memory was hazy. Adagio could remember speaking something to the girls, but the words were lost. They didn’t matter. The dinghy sailed, the night ended, and soon Adagio, Sonata, and Aria were back at their main base on the northern coast of Cuba.

Just outside the base, sitting in the cove was a new ship; a brigantine that had been built from the fruit of countless cutthroat robberies. It was an elegant ship, built, sharp and strong, like a stalking shark. Build for speed and brutality.
It fit Adagio perfectly.

Adagio entered the captain’s cabin, freshly furnished just for her, and she locked the door.

Resting on the bed built for two, was a rapier. It was of an extremely fine make, polished to a mirror shine. On the sheath, rendered in silver, was the image of a dolphin.

Just outside, Aria and Sonata heard Adagio shatter. It was a shuddering sob that even the blankets couldn’t hide.

Aria reached for the door handle, but Sonata stopped her.

“Don’t.” Sonata said. “Let’s leave her alone. We have time so just let this be her day.”

Eventually, that same brigantine would slide into the mouth of the Mississippi river, and after a long and winding journey, it would come to rest on the banks of New Horseleans before a port was even built.

In its wake came a mansion and money and a new start, but comment was made, more than once over the peculiar name on the ship's plaque.

The title had been carved into the bronze, seemingly by hand and in a hurry, but it would be polished to a mirror sheen and never allowed to rust, even when the ship found its final rest in a naval museum at the city’s center.

The ship was called The Page Boy, and the reason why has since been lost to time.

It was Monday, and Adagio’s suite overlooking Canterlot was unbearably silent.

The mighty siren was left to sit, cold and alone, sinking into Home.

That's what Adagio Day meant. It was a day to be cold and lonely and reflective.

Instead, Adagio was still hot and furious and needy. Her cheeks were streaked by tears.

Adagio placed the rapier with the dolphin design back on its rack. She couldn't believe she was repeating the same mistakes.

"It's different this time. The world is different. He is different."

A half-finished bottle of wine sat on the bedstand. Adagio threw it at the wall, then laid down in her bed, wishing that when she turned over, Buck would be there.

She could still fix this. She could still have him, and have them back. She wouldn't have to compromise, she could have it all. She could make it all right.

She just needed to figure out how.

Author's Note

I'm not dead, I swear. After the last two chapters didn't really pan out the way I wanted, I decided to take a break and write something different. Since I've been dying to write the Dazzlings as a unit since Chapter 15, I went with a story from Adagio's earliest days in the human world.
If the last bonus chapter was like an OVA episode that didn't really fit into the flow of the story, this one is more like one of those anime movies that sort of explores some of the themes of the story, but through a different scenario. It's still totally canon, of course, and contains some small lore implications that we'll get to later.
I aimed for twenty thousand words and ended up with a thirty-five plus monster of a chapter because I can't seem to help myself.
In the interest of brevity and consistency, I'm going to aim for smaller and smaller word counts as I move forward with the story.

Song Review: Hold Me is definitely not the SPG track I thought I'd use for Love on the Brain, but it fit here. Coming from the space opera album The Vice Quadrant, Hold Me is about reflecting on a relationship both fondly and sadly. The singer, Rabbit laments a lost love that at the time seemed to be positive but was destined to end, wondering what she could have done, or who she could have been to avoid her lonely state.
She also comments that she's better at hiding her emotions now that her love is gone, but being "stronger" does not make her any less sad.
"I wish that I could be like the desert, he never seems to cry.
I wish that I could be like the ocean, she never needs to ask why."
This is Adagio's mood as she looks back on her past. A mixture of sadness and fondness at a world long lost. Do we ever truly move on, or are we all just waiting to make the same old mistakes?