I don't know how much time passed since the attack. I vaguely recall Holiday mentioning blood loss and concussions and things like that, but I was too dizzy to really catch most of what was said. I knew at one point that I was aboard a proper ship again, and I saw Catarina leaning over me while Holiday force-fed me some medicine I think it was. Sure tasted foul enough.

I remember opening my eyes and seeing the familiar murky skies above Naysow as well as a bunch of faces I didn't recognize gathered around me. I was pretty sure I was moving, probably on a stretcher or something. But the next time I opened my eyes, I was more coherent, and so I immediately realized I was in my room at the inn, my chest and leg both hurt and had something compressing them, and to my right, Ben was sitting in a chair facing my way, with his arms folded and a distant look on his face.

"There he is," he murmured once he saw I was looking.

"Hey, Commodore," I replied, groaning and adjusting as my chest violently protested the act of speaking. I sat there breathing for a few minutes before I felt confident enough to say anything else. "I uh." I hesitated and then gave up trying to find the words with a miserable sigh. Ben tensed up and rubbed his arms as he continued staring at me.

"The fella I talked with," he said after a lengthy silence. "Who, ah, who gave me that lead." He leaned forward on his knees and clutched his paws together.

"Must've," he huffed and shook his head. "Must've slipped me some bad intelligence." I turned to look at him as best I could.

"It's a," he paused and clenched his eyes for a moment. "I think it's a whole conspiracy against you." He held his gaze away from me for a moment before glancing at me.

"Sorry," I added in a quiet tone. I hummed and took a breath.

"It's not your fault, Ben," I sighed, grimacing as I adjusted how I was lying. "I should've been more careful." I stared at the ceiling for a few moments.

"It's my fault," I finally whispered. A long silence followed which was eventually broken as Ben stirred, stood up, and made his way to the door. I held up the arm that didn't cause my chest to explode in pain. "Can you send Apricot in? I'm pretty sure I trust her." He paused with his paw on the doorknob before turning his head just enough to nod and then slipping out.

I lay there alone, staring at the ceiling the entire time, before glancing down as the door opened and Apricot came trotting in. "Hey, Captain," she said with a sympathetic smile. "Heard you wanted some company." I nodded and with a grimace scooted over to give her room. When she hopped up beside me and carefully tried to lie down, I rolled over to pull her into a hug.

"Hey! Don't twist like that! I don't think-" She paused as I buried my face into her shoulder and heaved a few times. Slowly, as the tears began to flow and my breathing turned into heavy sobs she wrapped her forelegs around my neck and rested her head against mine.

I walked along the old park path I used to take during autumn, admiring all the shaky blobs of color in the treetops I think the laurel smoke was trying to make into leaves. Forcing a smile, I turned to Luna who was herself unstable, her form shifting between human and pony with every other step.

Despite Holiday's warning that the laurels could cause some unhappy dreams due to the distressing events we'd endured, he still made no substantial protests to me using them. And so, once again, I slipped away from the nightmare that was waking life and drifted into the comfort of a semi-lucid dream.

The blurry alicorn beside me smiled at me as we walked along, passing into the big circle at the center of the park before approaching the fountain I used to throw pennies into. Sitting on its edge, I looked over the gurgling pool and all the glittering coins decorating its bed.

Then I blinked. The coins were looking back. The pictures on their faces were disturbingly clear, even through the water.
It was them.

Gab, Rosepetal, Zam, everyone.

The rim of the fountain broke out under me and the pool's water flooded the park, the coins floating to its surface and turning into bodies that then floated away. All their eyes were vacant, and staring. Staring at me.

"What's wrong, James Cutter?" Luna asked in a low tone. Looking up at her as I gasped and sputtered, she was finally a solid shape, though now in her pony form.

"This isn't what I wanted," I sobbed, sinking back and crawling away from the pool as it gurgled, spitting out more of them with every second. "The laurels don't- Why- Why are-" Luna shrilly cackled in response, snapping my attention to her.

"Don't be silly, James Cutter," she said with a hiss as she leaned in with a smirk. "You haven't had any laurels this evening." I panted as she suddenly shifted, her coat changing black and her shape distorting entirely.

"This is real. I'm real," she said in a warbling, hissing voice. The only features I could still make out were her eyes and fangs. "I'm here now." The thrashing shadow that comprised her body expanded out and filled the sky, leaving me sitting in a pool of blood with her looming over me.

"I'm here when you need me most," she hissed, her face twisting and bending down to sneer at me. "Doesn't that make you happy?" Her face turned upright and flowed right up to mine.

"More important than our reunion is what I have to say, James Cutter," she said, her slit-like pupils glaring hard into my eyes. "You flew a flag with my face upon it, so why not embrace our connection fully?" The darkness closed in as she leaned closer and closer.

"Seek out those who've wronged you as I confronted my sister," she demanded. "Destroy them." The pool began to bubble and rise, rapidly climbing up to my chest.

"Punish them. Torment them. Make them regret everything they've done to you," she urged as I slowly sank below the waves. Down below and out of her sight, I found myself floating amongst the crew as they drifted listlessly on the undertow. "It's the least you can do."

I snapped awake and fell into a coughing fit. As I hacked and sputtered, sparkling smoke erupted with each breath. Twisting to lean on my side, I panted and considered the half-full and still hot pipe beside my bed. Shortly after, my eyes drifted to my window, and the full moon peering through it at me.

The days wound by slowly, but eventually, I felt my breathing become easier and I could finally stand without the side of my knee hurting. And so, I took a walk, breathing in the hot air of Naysow as I made my way to the fort, where I'd heard Holiday and the others were staying.

But more importantly, it was where Catarina was as she was ashore for a brief reprieve and had visited me a few days prior. To my fortune, I caught her as she was making her way back into town and she ran up and hugged me.

"You're looking a sight healthier," she purred as I returned the gesture. When she withdrew and saw my face, she tilted her head with a frown.

"I need your help," I said in a low tone. "We need a new ship."

I tightened the screw holding the hammer of my gun in place. It was a miracle it survived getting thrown off the ship with me, and I guess it was another miracle it didn't add to my injuries, what with it being tied to my hip and all. Regardless, once I was satisfied I gave its trigger a test pull earning a satisfying click as the hammer fell. Nodding, I stood up from the patio table and left the inn behind, making my way to the docks.

Once the Delight was in view, I furrowed my brow. In addition to a large crowd of assorted figures loitering around it, I spied Holiday out of the crowd. Upon spotting me, he trotted up beside me.

"I hear we're sailing to steal a new ship," he mused.

"You don't have to go, Doc," I retorted as we walked side by side.

"I'm your doctor," he argued with a snort as he drew his pipe. "And I want to see what you've got planned that's giving you that awful scowl." I considered him for a moment before the crowd suddenly shouted.

"It's true! Captain Cutter's sailing again!" Someone yelled as they swarmed us.

"Cutter! Lemme aboard! I'm ready!" Some young pony demanded.

"We're goin' after birds, ain't we? I got a grudge meself! Take me with you!" A dog begged. Other hopeful cries rang up, but I ignored all of them until I made it to Catarina's gangplank. Once I was at the ship's rail, I turned.

"I'm sailing to steal a new ship," I declared, drawing silence from the crowd. "For now, I only need those who can crew it and get it back to Naysow. But when I return, if you've still got a mind to follow me and claim your fortune, be ready."

The lightly perfumed air of the Delight's cabin was a pleasant change and inspired me to consider burning similar incense in the cabin of whatever ship I would soon command. Catarina nestled against me in the chair we were sharing with a happy pur.

"I'm thrilled to see you ready to get back at the helm, Cutter," she said, hugging me tight. "You had me scared you were down for the count." I hummed as I continued to scratch at her ears. She leaned into my hand for a moment before she pushed up to look me in the face.

"The sea wouldn't be the same without you," she added with a sad smile.

"I don't think I could retire now," I retorted, leering through her cabin window at the waves outside. "Not until I've finished what needs to be done."

"Oh," she hummed, tilting her head at me. "That pardon business for your alicorn friend, right?"

"No," I grumbled to her surprise. My expression rapidly shifted to an even glare fixed on the waves. "Not now. Not anymore." Before she could ask, one of her crew pounded on the door.

"Sail ho! Griffinstone flag!" He yelled, causing Catarina and I to share a look before we stood up and exited the cabin. The cat who'd alerted us slapped me on the back. "You're in luck, Cutter! She's a brig!"

"Military or mercantile?" Catarina demanded as we approached the rail.

"Merchant posing as a warship!" He said pointing the ship out. "Get a load of those guns! Hah!" I peered through my spyglass as the ship and her-

Well. Sixty whole guns on one side. If the fact that such an absurd number of arms would have capsized a brig wasn't enough to tip us off, the fact that, on careful inspection, the 'guns' seemed to have a gloss to them you don't see with iron but black paint on wooden barrels, certainly revealed the charade.

We shared a look before Catarina gave the order to attack. As expected, once we unloaded a single volley of real cannon fire, the griffins gave up allowing us to close in and hook them. I wasn't used to being on a smaller ship than the one we were boarding, so the process of climbing a ladder up to their rail was a new one. However, the resulting shock I drew from the griffins as they saw me slowly crest the rail was worth it.

"Throat-Cutter?!" One screamed as he scurried back away from me. Catarina's crew laughed at his reaction and cleared a path for me up to him. "You're supposed to be dead!" I considered him and his words for a minute, slowly looking around at the other horrified griffins before I stalked toward him.

"A part of me certainly is," I replied in a low tone as I drew my cutlass. "So how 'bout it?" He recoiled as I leaned in and rested the flat of my sword on his shoulder.

"Do you fancy your chances against a dead man walking?" I asked in a near whisper. He looked at me with shaky uneven eyes and slowly hugged the deck. I tilted my head and swept my sword toward their lifeboats. "No? Then get the fuck off my ship."

Transferring most of Catarina's crew to the new ship let us get it moving quickly and we towed the Delight back to Naysow, where a crowd was waiting. As Catarina tended to her own crew and her share of the loot we'd taken with the brig, I disembarked and approached the crowd. Luckily, having heard I was sailing for a new ship, the remainder of the Quicksilver's crew was among them and I kneeled before them first.

"Captain Cutter?" Jingle murmured.

"If any of you are done with this life, as before, I'll provide you with passage home," I explained, waving a hand at them. "You can take your share of our wealth that we still have secured and disappear. I won't search for you or seek to force you back into the crew." I furrowed my brow as they considered my words.

"And if you find yourselves in need and return, I'll welcome you back with open arms," I gave them a curt nod before taking a breath and rising to my full height. "But now I must speak to the entire company, not just those I consider my friends." I stepped away and stood halfway up the gangplank, drawing attention from the crowd. Many of them had weapons now, and gave me an expectant look, occasionally glancing at the ship with eager whispers.

"Those of you who still hunger for fortune and are willing to follow me past this setback, take heed," I declared, pointing toward the lagoon's entrance. "For I will now set a course far harder than any I have run so far." I bent low and jabbed a finger at the crowd.

"I will haunt every ship bearing a griffin flag, or carrying griffin cargo, or which even has a single bird aboard," I hissed, pacing the plank as I did. "I will stalk them, and take them, and though we will earn a stark profit from this, I will press for more." I stood up straight with a growling huff.

"I will extract from those unfortunate enough to cross my path everything about the griffin responsible for what has befallen us," I spat, clutching my hand at the crowd as my words rolled out through clenched teeth. "I will spend the rest of this war and beyond hoarding news about this person until I find that which I can leverage against him and draw him out." My expression melted into an even glare as I took a heavy breath.

"And when I have done so, I will carve the fear of my name into every griffin that still breathes by what I do to him then," I added to the visible shock of my old crew. I looked over the whole crowd, pleased to see many of them wore eager expressions at my words. "If this course seems too rough for you, then turn your names in so we can prepare for a voyage without you." I turned and fully boarded the ship.

"And goodbye," I added as I strode along the rail. I gestured to the crowd. "Everyone else, welcome aboard the Night Terror." My invitation was met with cheers and stampeded hooves, paws, and claws.

"Sounds like you were pretty agitated," one of the ponies said. I blinked and looked up at him. From his desk on the raised platform my chair was facing, he leered down at me with a mildly amused smirk. The rest of the room was silent save for him as the other war council members considered my story so far.

"I was," I replied, drawing a nod from him as he leaned forward to look at his papers.

"Yes, yes, now if I'm following you, this definitely lines up with the timeline we understand your crimes to have occurred during," he said with a hum before raising a hoof. "Clarifying question in that regard: How soon after that speech did you sink the Hearthfire?"

"I don't know that ship," I said after a moment's consideration. He looked up at me with a narrow-eyed smile.

"Sure!" He chirped before clearing his throat, evening his expression and reading from his paper. "It was a sloop with green sails sent out to hunt some griffins that were hassling Horseshoe Bay, and-"

"Oh, that ship?" I huffed, now remembering the incident. I scanned the floor as I tried to remember when it happened. "Two months?"

"Great," he hummed with a slow nod. "Yeah, I think we're lined up now."

"Why did you sink the Hearthfire?" One of the council mares asked with a furrowed brow. I considered her for a moment before shrugging.

"They spoiled my ambush," I explained, gesturing at her. "They jumped the griffins I was after, and when we tried to join in, they opened fire."

"Mm," she said with an expression that said she wasn't at all satisfied with my answer. "Alright! Continue."

"Just a sec!" A unicorn said, raising his hoof and then turning to me. "If I'm hearing you right, most of the prizes you took during this time were all prior to Admiral Gasparde's death, correct?"

"Correct," I said, causing him to purse his lips and tilt his head back.

"So that's what, a span of two years?" He asked with a shake of his head.

"We spent a year and a half prying for details about him," I explained.

"Right, right," he said waving his hoof before turning to the rest of the council. "I think we can skip most of that, agreed?" The mare nodded but held up her hoof.

"Most of it, but there's one thing I think needs explaining," she said, turning back to me. "How did Gwynevere get involved? You said you killed her, too." My eyebrows shot up for a second as I hung my head slightly. After a second, I huffed a breath and nodded.

"Right, well, like I said, we spent just under two years prying for details about Gasparde," I replied, leaning forward and knitting my hands together. "It shouldn't be too surprising that we learned about her and how much he loved her." I snorted as a practiced but dull scowl, long bereft of proper contempt, worked its way onto my face.

"Only child whose mother died after childbirth," I added, details flooding up in my mind instantly. "At least six captains I interrogated were certain most of Gasparde's military efforts were to ensure she had a stable financial future." A grimace flashed across my face for such a brief instant none of the ponies noticed it.

"And of course, her privileged life let her make nice with all sorts of high society names."

"You-" The griffin who'd admitted to having some knowledge about the admiral swallowed hard as he looked between me and the two minotaurs in the room with us. Cast and Bolt considered him malicious sneers as they tightened the knotted ropes I promised they'd beat him and his crew with. "You swear you won't-"

"If you just tell me what I want, I'll have no reason to have it yanked out of you," I retorted, drumming my fingers on the open book sitting on the table beside me. We were in the lowest deck of the ship, candles providing the only light, and far from where the rest of the crew was being kept. As I did, I hummed and considered the other items on my table, including the locket with the lovely family portrait inside that I'd pulled off the griffin's neck.

"I guess I should also mention you need to keep this specific meeting a secret," I said, weaving my fingers through the locket chain and holding up the portrait with a sideways leer fixed on the griffin. "Feel free to report the raid. Hell, tell them I beat you for more money."

I jingled the locket, earning an anxious murmur from him. "But if Gasparde hears I'm looking into him, I'll be looking for you," I explained, as was standard at this point. I nodded my head at the locket. "And them. Savvy?" He took a heavy gulp and slowly nodded.

"Aces. Talk," I demanded, slamming the locket down in my fist. He jumped and shivered before nodding.

"His daughter just became engaged to my cousin, the garrison captain of the Griffish Isles," he whimpered, still nodding. "Commander Geralt. She visits him every month." My eyebrows shot up and I whistled, sharing a look with Cast and Bolt.

"Well now!" I chirped, standing up and turning for the stairs. "Looks like you get to go home a hero, Champ!" The griffin recoiled with a curious whimper. Once I reached the stairs, I shot him a toothy grin.

"You've just saved who knows how many other birds from this treatment."

The Griffish Isles had been the cornerstone on which the war and therefore my career had been built, but I'd never actually seen it up close. Granted, need nor opportunity ever really presented itself, as to the northern side and by Trottingham were plenty of Equestrian warships lined up to spit death and fire. To the south and by Eagleland were griffin ships in just as stalwart an arrangement.

The two fleets remained where they were almost all the time and most of the war was fought between ships trying to bring those fleets and the two port towns supplies to starve out the other port and its allied settlements that dotted the island. Thus, it was impossible to safely sail the Night Terror up to the island.

Instead, we sailed west and up the Equestrian coast before reaching a forested patch a few days north of Manehattan. We moored the ship up a little river and disembarked, leaving a vanguard to watch the ship while I led a force deeper into the woods. Holiday, Hatch, and our musician siblings stayed with the ship while Stitches and Scurry came with me.

Yes, they were still with me. If you hadn't interrupted and had me skip ahead I might've mentioned they all stayed on the crew. Holiday was an enigma, but the rest seemed invested in getting revenge for our friends.

At any rate, we marched for the better part of a day until our scouts could actually see the fringes of the Griffish Isles across the sea, and then we spent a day cutting down enough trees to construct canoes. I figured if our deer friends up north could get a lot of mileage out of such simple crafts, so could we. The deer actually played a big role in my plans for the admiral than just inspiration but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Once we had our fleet of canoes, we waited until the sunset and then began paddling out, slipping right under the Equestrian fleet's nose and reaching the island by four in the morning, I'm pretty sure. As I said, the island was loaded with little settlements, but not all of these were full villages. A few were simple two or three family farmsteads, and as our company numbered under sixty, it was easy for us to press one of them into housing us for the evening. To be fair though, as the place was held by ponies who vocalized their hatred for their griffin neighbors during our stay, I think they were secretly thrilled to see James Throat-Cutter, known enemy of Griffinstone suddenly appear at their door.

Certainly, they made no argument as the evening turned into a full day and then a week, during which I sent out spies to lurk around Eagleland's fringes and size up the place. Certainly, the little quips and thoughts they offered as we began to make schemes for how and when to attack were just a coincidence.

However you take all that, we quickly determined that an attack on the port itself wouldn't be necessary. Commander Geralt was often seen taking a carriage ride through the woods with some female griffin and a battalion of guards. The route was patrolled an hour ahead of their date and thoroughly searched by the griffins during that time.

That left us just an hour to prepare for our ambush. Once again, it was surely a coincidence that the farmers knew of and were willing to show us a perfect spot where the cobblestone road dipped between two lengthy embankments. There wasn't much brush to hide in, but due to the earth itself acting as a sight block, we'd be able to jump the front of their train right as the carriage itself was in between the two embankments.

And that was exactly what happened.

As dogs and minotaurs erupted from either side and crushed the griffins at the front of the line, I led a charge up the hill until we were overlooking the carriage. The commander grabbed his fiance and the pair spread their wings before they looked up and saw me leveling my blunderbuss down at them.

"Throat-Cutter!" Geralt screamed, pushing Gwynevere behind him. Guards ahead and behind the carriage looked up in horror just as my crew leaped down upon them. The momentary hesitation had proved fatal for the commander, and he drew a sword before whirling about trying to fend off the grabbing claws of my crew.

Which left Gwynevere wide open for Scurry to sweep down and tackle her off the carriage and into the waiting arms of Bolt. Seeing she was grabbed, I swung my gun to the side and blasted the rear line of griffins, causing enough of a disruption for him and Cast to slam through them. I whistled through my fingers as Scurry and Stitches both bolted from the field. Once they were clear, I turned as well and hurled myself out of sight.

Our exit was less smooth than our entrance, and by the time night had fallen and we'd returned to the canoes, we seemed to be down a dozen mates at least.

But the squirming and sobbing tied-up griffin recoiling from me at the front of my canoe definitely made up for the loss.

Author's Note