Once per Day

Goldflame maintained the same even glare he always wore as the purple stallion in the floral shirt across the table from where he sat roared with laughter. For a moment, he found some humor in the fact that the pony's squealing cackles were almost a pitch-perfect match to the cries of the seagulls swarming the coastline outside the private cabana they'd met in.

But he had no patience for humor. "Salt Spray," he said. The pony hacked a few more laughs before panting and waving a hoof.

"Okay! Okay, okay," he heaved and shook his head, wiping an eye, before shaking his head again. "Not okay. Give it to me again?" He fixed Goldflame with a mirthful smile that caused his eye to twitch.

"I would like you to offer Whole Grain financial assistance during-" Goldflame narrowed his eyes with a growl as Salt Spray fell into another laughing fit. "And by I, I of course mean we." Salt snorted and waved his hoof in response.

"You and your spooky secret society," he said with a sigh before signaling to one of the serving ponies waiting outside. As they approached with drink-laden trays, he fixed Goldflame with a smirk. "Listen old top, you've already got my vote and those of over half of the other families unless I'm mistaken." After letting Salt Spray retrieve his drink, Goldflame waved away the serving pony as they offered one to him.

"Why in the world do you care about getting Whole Grain back on his hooves?" Salt asked before slowly tipping back his glass and savoring its contents.

"Because the convention requires all of us to be present," Goldflame explained, looking off to the side and considering the bustling trade port a short walk away. A few sails were visible at the docks as well as dozens of wagons pulling into the port and journeying away. "The longer he is stuck scrambling to find funds the longer we must post-pone the convention." Salt Spray sighed warmly as he set his glass aside, before snapping a hoof at his guest.

"So let him take the aid from Canterlot!" He said with a curt laugh, causing Goldflame's eyes to snap back to him.

"If we do that, then she controls the flow of wealth and can potentially stifle him further," he retorted. Salt screwed up his face at the assertion before huffing a breath through his lips.

"Oy, oy, oy. Paying off his bill is a very large ask, chum," Salt Spray grumbled.

"And the rewards for answering my request will be great," Goldflame countered, drawing a snort from his host.

"You keep saying things like that," Salt Spray said, rolling his eyes. "But you know, I only agreed to this nonsense because of the respect I have for your family." He gestured to the port in the distance with a smile.

"I've certainly never had any issues with Celestia's government outside of the fact she's an outsider," his smile was then fixed upon Goldflame. "She's certainly kept my shipping lanes safe." Goldflame's eyes were cast down as he considered his words and for a brief period, only the waves and gulls could be heard.

"Well, what do you think about that Fremont creature or Blackbeard?" He finally asked, raising an eyebrow at Salt. "Will she keep you safe from them?" Salt jumped to his hooves and jabbed a hoof at Goldflame.

"Hah! Fremont is holed up in the north and nopony's seen Blackbeard since Canterlot!" He declared with a smug nod, that drew a quiet grunt from his guest. Salt stood up straight and brushed his chest with a hoof. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some fine gentlecolts from Mount Aris to treat with." He turned and began to trot toward the port. Goldflame sighed quietly before hopping out of his seat and slipping his sword back onto his hip.

"Hippogriffs, hm?" He pried once he came up beside Salt Spray, who beamed in response.

"Yes indeed! They harvest pearls from the ocean floor and-" He was cut off when a thunderous boom shook the air. Turning his attention toward the port, where the sound had come from, he blanched at the sight of a small building being hurled out into the sea. As the two stallions looked at the sight in wonder and horror, a cry rang up from the port.

"It's Blackbeard!" It declared, causing Salt's ears to snap back and him to slowly sink to his haunches.

"Bl- Wh-" He whimpered as the port erupted into chaos, as a myriad of creatures beyond the monster himself made themselves known. "Why?" He turned to look at Goldflame for guidance, only to find his guest striding toward the port alone.

"Look at these pearls! We're rich!" Sneaky gleefully squealed as she erupted from one of the large chests that were being hauled up onto the docks. Nettle, one of the diamond dogs carrying her laughed as she flopped back into the pile, giddily kicking her hooves as she sank almost out of sight.

"Yes, ma'am! Quite a haul!" Blackbeard cooed as he paced with his hands on his hips, surveying the docks and the port. All the local workers had fled, leaving only him, the creatures he'd brought along, and the hippogriff traders currently tied up before him—These he eyed with a toothy grin. "Though not half as valuable as what we really came here for."

Nearby, Yendrek perked up and nodded at the six moose he had been quietly speaking with, not counting Orgnar who was helping haul chests from the ships. Blackbeard considered the moose for a moment before bending down to one knee, to meet the head hippogriff at eye level. As he did, Blueleaf came trotting up, polishing one particularly large pearl he'd plucked from their collection.

The hippogriffs winced at the pair before their leader glared at Blackbeard. "What do you want, demon?" The pirate hummed a laugh before reaching out and clamping his hand atop the hippogriff's head, drawing an anxious grunt from him.

"Here is my proposal, my son," he began, gently jostling the poor creature. "You let us hitch a ride, in secret and undercover, on these lovely little tubs of yours so we can see that isolated, easily defended island of yours up close, and we'll let you lot live, eh?" The hippogriffs blanched at his suggestion, drawing a laugh from the villain.

"Who knows! We might just be able to offer some vital input on the future of the place while we're at it," he said, at which Blueleaf hummed with a nod.

"Yes, yes! Like turning it into the capital of our glorious republic!" The pony mused, causing Blackbeard to look at him in wonder.

"Hey, now there's an idea!" He said, raising an eyebrow and grinning wickedly at the hippogriffs. "Wonder where he got that from?" The hippogriff leader swallowed hard as the entire band of thieves now seemed to be eyeing him with sinister expressions. Except for the mare who was lounging in their stolen pearls, and the stallion who suddenly slipped into the circle of villains and fixed the pony beside Blackbeard with a glare.

"Blueleaf. Tu me dégoûtes," he said, causing the whole group to flinch and then look at him in shock.

"Un-" Blueleaf stammered, retreating from Goldflame's sudden appearance. "Uncle?"

"Uncle?" Blackbeard repeated, considering the new arrival with curiosity.

"Goldflame," one of the ponies in Blackbeard's company quailed. "The Sword Wizard."

"The dragon-slayer," another hissed.

"He's the one who led the attack on our home while you were away," one of the mooses whispered to Yendrek, drawing an angry growl from him.

"What's he doing here?" Sneaky squeaked, pulling the lid of the chest she was in almost entirely shut.

"He smell familiar," Nettle offered, his paw immediately drifting to the knife on his belt. "In very bad way." The entire ring of thieves watched Goldflame with a mix of dread and anger as he strode right up and stood before Blackbeard.

"You must be Blackbeard," he said, looking the crouching pirate over. "Salut." Blackbeard bore an even stare against him for a moment before narrowing his eyes.

"You seem somewhat familiar; have I threatened you before?" He offered.

"Non. Despite my profession, I try not to make a habit of meeting the same thug more than once," Goldflame responded, drawing a snort from Blackbeard. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Goldflame spoke again. "Even if I had the time, I can't really say I care why you are here. I will instead comment that your presence here grants me an opportunity to make a point to a wayward associate of mine." He turned his body slightly, so that his sword side was away from Blackbeard, and lit up his horn, grasping his sword with his magic.

"To that end, I offer you the opportunity to leave here of your own accord. Or else, I will toss you out," he declared, causing Blackbeard to flinch and then lose his balance. "You and your little rout. C'est quoi?" Catching himself with one hand, Blackbeard considered the pony with his mouth slightly agape and thorough surprise written on his face. Then it all shifted to a grim mirth as he rose to his full height.

"Oh-hoh! Well, I'm just shaking," he chortled before bending forward at the hips toward Goldflame. "May I make a retort?" Instead of waiting for a response, he brought his right arm across his chest and then swept the back of his fist across Goldflame's jaw with all his might.

At least, that was the intention.

Instead, he stood for a moment with his arm stretched back following his swing and then slowly lowered it, while fixing Goldflame with a critical leer. The pony's sword was drawn, though he hadn't seen when it was pulled from its sheathe. To say nothing of the fact the pony hadn't seemed to dodge his attack at all, and wasn't, well, splattered by it.

There was also another problem. Blackbeard held his right arm up to inspect it, at which point the sleeve of his coat fell free, having been cut during his attack, revealing a bloody gash across his forearm that began dripping down off his elbow.

"That's a new one," Blackbeard mused as he clenched and unclenched his hand.

Three spear-wielding diamond dogs erupted from the ground around Goldflame, while a pair of paws burst up and grabbed his rear hooves, holding him in place. As the three armed dogs lunged at the pinned pony, he set his brow and weaved his sword around him in a rising spiral, catching the points of their spears and transfixing them above himself.

Before they could properly process what had happened, he yanked his sword down and raked it across the bellies of all three before snapping it down and thrusting it into the dirt. As the three spear-wielders dropped their weapons to clutch their wounds, the claws holding him in place tensed up for a moment before relaxing as the entire dog underground went limp.

Drawing his sword up and moving forward, he scanned the port around him, ignoring the countless dead and dying that now littered the street. Blackbeard was still missing after he'd used the brute's own might against him to hurl him into the sea. The sight of such a feat, alongside all the bloody cuts he'd managed to give the pirate, had demoralized at least half of the thieving band who were now fleeing for their lives off in the distance.

"Got you!" A griffin screamed as she sprang at him with a pair of long knives from under an abandoned shipping wagon.

Half but not all.

Taking a single step back and turning to face her, he leveled his sword and thrust it at her. The point met one of her knives straight on, allowing him to force the claw holding it back and spoiling her aim with the other knife. She squawked and tumbled in on herself, allowing him to sweep his sword down and back, opening her throat in one motion. As he spun around, searching for more challengers, he paused. From the three moose he'd felled before the rest fled, he spied one rising to his hooves.

The hulking specimen panted and winced as he nursed the puncture wound in his side, allowing Goldflame to get a better look at him.

"Ah, Yendrek, right?" He mused, drawing the beast's attention to him. "We missed you last time." He rested his sword on his shoulder and approached the injured moose, who huffed and spat at him.

"You murdered my daughter," Yendrek growled, at which Goldflame paused, tilting his head back in thought.

"Yes, I think I know who you are speaking of," he finally said with a nod. "Do you intend to apologize?" Yendrek recoiled at his question.

"What?" He huffed. Goldflame shrugged.

"It was your fault such a foul little thing came into being, after all," he said without a hint of malice. And before Yendrek could fully comprehend his words, Goldflame snapped forward. The moose tensed up and clenched his teeth before slowly slumping to the ground. Once he hit the dirt, Goldflame withdrew his sword from between the moose's eyes. Flicking the dirtied blade through the air a few times, he scanned his surroundings again.

As he did, he paused upon noticing a black tail sticking out from among the piled chests the brigands had abandoned just beside the sea. Raising an eyebrow he approached the pile and then kicked one aside, drawing a yelp of horror from his nephew, who curled up on his back and met his eyes with terror.

Wordlessly, Goldflame turned his blade in and leveled it at Blueleaf's throat, drawing a gasp from the younger stallion. "Uncle! Wait!" He quailed, waving his hooves but otherwise remaining frozen. "You wouldn't! We're family!"

"You say that like it means something," Goldflame replied before shooting his blade forward. Blueleaf's coat bristled and his face went paler than normal. But before the attack could hit home, the water just beside the pair burst up, spraying the pair. After recoiling, they both looked up and blanched at what they saw.

"Ah-hah, there it is," Blackbeard purred with a healthy degree of malice in his voice. He was halfway out of the water, leaning with one hand on the ground and the other balled on the tip of Goldflame's sword. "Got you figured out, Boy." Goldflame gritted his teeth and strained to pull his weapon free or push it through the villain's palm to no avail, at which Blackbeard tilted his head.

"Can't stab through? 'Course you can't," he chortled, slowly drawing himself out of the water completely, revealing his numerous cuts had already sealed themselves shut. "Not when the only reason you cut me is 'cause of how fast you're sawin' this blade back and forth. And you can't pull that motion off like this, can ye?" He laughed in a manner more wicked than Blueleaf had ever heard which, when coupled with the look of unease on his uncle's face, snapped the pony out of his fear-induced stupor.

"Sawing?" Blueleaf murmured. Blackbeard laughed and leaned on his knees, tensing his fingers and causing the sword to bend.

"Aye. Much like how a fella can't just cut a tree down in one go," he explained, circling a finger at Goldflame. "This little pony was sawing his little fencing toy across my skin faster than the eye can see. Sword-wizard, indeed!" With a curt laugh, he bent his wrist and Goldflame's sword shattered down to the hilt, causing him to lurch back with a shout.

Goldflame gritted his teeth and considered his ruined weapon before looking up at the looming pirate.

"So! Now that we've established that, shall we start again?" Blackbeard asked as he hurled the little bit of metal he still had aside. Goldflame recoiled and then retreated a few steps before glancing at the bodies he'd felled throughout the port.

"And will the two of you plunder this town all on your own?" He asked, fixing Blackbeard with a determined glare. "I'm certain Blueleaf would make an excellent pack mule, at least." Blackbeard frowned and tilted his head.

"What?" He huffed, before looking up and around. His jaw dropped, but as he considered the carnage he flinched upon seeing the last of his band retreating off in the distance. He threw his hands up with an oath. "Aw! Jaysus, how's a man supposed to pillage backed by a batch of ball-less belly-achers?" He shook his head at Blueleaf before turning back to Goldflame, pausing and then whirling around in search of the stallion who had disappeared completely.

"Where- Fie! C'mon, Blueleaf," he spat, scooping up his companion and one of their plundered chests before taking off after his gang. "Get back here you swabs! I got him on the ropes! Come back! Libertalia, damn it!"

As the pirate shrank away in the distance, Goldflame pulled himself up off the edge of the dock just enough to see if he was gone. Confirming he was, he hauled himself all the way up and sat before taking a deep breath.

"Enfoiré," he huffed. He looked all around himself at the decimation that had taken place and at the hippogriffs still sitting tied up not too far from where he was resting. Then his ear twitched at a very faint creaking sound from behind him and he turned just in time to see a chest click shut. Narrowing his eyes, he dragged the chest closer with his magic and threw it open.

"Ah, one of Blackbeard's," he mused upon locking eyes with Sneaky, who sat shivering with her legs tucked into herself. He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what stories you have to tell?"