Cutter

The ship was moving again, and by hugging the Equestrian coast, we were able to make it to the northern strait without notice by the time the sun was up. That didn't mean the voyage was easy, thanks to our prisoner. The second she was hauled aboard, the crew I'd picked up in Naysow made a show of her, pulling her around by the rope I'd bound her wings with like a leash.

As they paraded her up and down the deck, most of the crew mocked and jeered at her, a few even brandishing their knives or cutlasses at her. I stood at the stairs, watching with indifference for most of the scene, stepping in only when one of the dogs grabbed her by the neck. The line now drawn for the crew, they resumed their antics as I returned to the stairs. As I walked, however, I spied the ponies from the Quicksilver standing away from the rest of the crew.

"I thought we'd be done with torture once we got her," Stitches whispered to Sour Note, who nodded with a miserable frown. The whole lot of them regarded the scene with a similar expression, save for Holiday, who leaned on the rail as he smoked. But upon noticing me, they shared a look and Jingle slowly approached me.

"Captain?" He began, gesturing to the griffin. "She's not resisting, she's doing what we want." I considered her for a moment before fixing him with an even leer.

"We don't-" He winced and shook his head as one of the crew suddenly jumped at her, causing her to trip and fall with a scream. "We don't usually hurt ponies, er, griffins when they do what we say." I considered his words and the old crew's expressions before humming.

"Leave her," I ordered, causing the new crew to pause and then groan with disappointment. I nodded my head at the cabin. "Lock her in the cabin." Bolt complied, guiding the griffin away as the crew dispersed. I looked down at Jingle, who watched her go for a moment before turning back to me. He still wore a frown but perked up a very slight amount. The rest of the old crew held their attention on the cabin door once Bolt came out alone.

The rest of our voyage was silent, even as we made landfall at the old crystal port we'd conquered together. Using it as a hiding spot, we moored the ship and prepared to journey inland. I marched with only a small force of twelve, counting the ponies, but dragged Gwynevere along the whole way to the little lady's considerable distress.

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked as we entered the middle of our first day's trek.

"Not a thing," I mused, pulling on her leash and causing her to stumble. She caught herself and murmured.

"So why abduct me? Why attack poor Geralt? Why-" She hesitated with a whimpering sob. "Why any of this?"

"You really don't know?" I shot back in a half laugh.

"I'm curious as well, Captain Cutter," a familiar voice said, drawing my attention to the side. There, as expected, a large team of deer emerged out of the trees, along with one pony. Pine Needle approached me and considered my prisoner with a raised eyebrow. "Our scouts saw you land and ran to retrieve us when you began your journey." Galley trotted up beside him and looked at me with a smile before turning and seeing the other ponies. She looked around and her ear twitched before turning back to me with a concerned frown.

"I need your assistance," I explained, pulling on Gwynevere's leash. "The majority of my crew along with my ship and my friends, your allies, were killed by a griffin." He blinked and recoiled slightly as Galley's expression sank into deep despair.

"Everypony's," she murmured, slowly sinking into a sitting position. "Dead?" I nodded my head back at the other ponies with a bitter scowl.

"They're the only ones who made it out, Galley," I huffed. "He set a trap that I fell for." I managed a bitter smile as I jostled the leash.

"But this is his daughter," I added with a grim chortle. "And he'll be looking for her." Needle considered her in tandem with Galley, who furrowed her brow as the griffin recoiled from all three of us.

"What'd she do?" Galley asked in a murmur.

"Nothing," I snorted, glaring down at the griffin. "But I can think of a few of our friends who never really did anything either."

"Do you intend to harm her?" Needle asked, drawing my intention back to him.

"I intend to lure her father out," I explained, causing him to nod. "Ideally into an ambush of our combined forces." Suddenly, I was jostled as Gwynevere dared to jump forward and grab at my belt.

"No! Please!" She cried. "Please don't hurt him!"

"Quiet," I demanded, shoving her off. To my growing annoyance, she fought off my hand and grabbed me again.

"Please, Captain Cutter!" She sobbed. "Do what you want to me, just don't hurt Father!" I growled and kicked her off, earning a grunt as she tumbled.

"Not too good a listener, are you?" I hissed as I loomed over her.

"Cutter," Needle said plainly. Ignoring him, I bent down over the griffin as she looked up at me in terror.

"And your daddy swung first," I spat, jabbing a finger at her. "He killed some of the only friends I had left." I heaved a few breaths as I stared death into her eyes.

"And once a-fucking-gain, I lost them right when I was getting comfortable," I added in a rumbling snarl. "That makes thrice someone's fucked up my whole life and taken home from me." I threw my head back with a laugh.

"And you want me not to hurt him?" I chortled, tilting my head at her. "Bitch, the only thing that got me back on my feet after what your daddy did is the fact that this time?" I snapped forward and grabbed her by the throat, dragging her face up to mine as I snarled.

"I can hurt the person who took everything from me," I hissed as tears formed in her eyes.

"Let her go, Cutter," someone demanded. Turning, I saw Holiday standing beside me, with the others not far behind. His expression was even, contrasted by their deeply ashamed faces. I shook my head.

"What's it to you, Doc?" I huffed, gesturing at all of them. "What's it to any of you?"

"We already got her, Captain," Stitches murmured, looking down at her. "You don't need-" She winced as the griffin whimpered in response to my tightening grip.

Stitches swallowed and averted her eyes. "Let's just lure the admiral out here, okay?" I considered her for a moment before dropping Gwynevere and standing up.

"That's the plan," I huffed, gesturing to Holiday. "Someone seems like they have more to say, though." I turned to him fully and folded my arms.

"What is it?" I demanded.

"What it's been since you got back on your feet," he explained in a hum, removing and cleaning his glasses with the tail of his coat. "And before that, actually. Looking after you." I raised an eyebrow as he redonned his glasses and looked up at me.

"Zama mentioned something after you killed Arnoso," he continued, looking me up and down with a pause. "She expressed her pity for you." I recoiled at his words.

"It's that pity that made her finally second-guess our initial plan for abducting you," he explained with a sigh as he looked away. "Truth be told we were ready to cut our losses and jump ship the second we made it to Southpile before she called it off." He stared off into the distance for a few moments.

"She lived a hard life Mr. Cutter. Ever since she took to wandering," he murmured. "She never had a home before you gave her one. So, she saw something of her younger self in you." He looked up at me with a weary expression.

"The look in your eyes when you first took a life," he said, gesturing at me with a hoof. "Like some sort of desperate, lost little critter who was struggling to cope with what he'd just done." He straightened up and cracked his neck.

"She pitied you, and she was deathly afraid of what you might turn into if she took advantage of you the way we were planning," he added with a huff, raising an eyebrow. "Your being a stallion or whatever the hell you call it for your species was what kept her from saying it to your face. She figured your pride'd be marred."

"What's your point, Holiday?" I demanded.

"My point is there was something she was afraid of you turning into," he replied in a near whisper, suddenly stepping right up to me. "And when I saw that look on your face when you first emerged from your bed, I got a sense of what she meant." He shook his head and pointed at Gwynevere.

"That little bird ain't done anything besides be born to a bastard," he said. "So let's kill the bastard." He took a few steps back and fixed me with a desperate expression.

"And let her go when we're done," he sighed. I heard Gwynevere sniffle and whimper as I stared at Holiday.

"Fair enough," I finally replied before leering over my shoulder at the deer. "Pine Needle, what's your input?" He turned toward me with an even expression.

"Will you help us kill the bastard?" I asked with a dull smirk.

"If he's an enemy of yours, he's an enemy of ours," he added plainly

"Aces," I chirped, at which Gwynevere began sobbing in full.

It took a few more days of planning and setting things up, but we finally got a delightful clearing picked out upon which we would launch our assault. The deer knew this place better than anyone so just about anywhere was perfect for them, but this place was also grand for us. We were situated upon a series of high cliffs that overlooked the plain, and there were loose boulders we could easily send rolling. Add in the fact that our minotaurs had taken the initiative to haul our cannons out here, and I was feeling just giddy about what was going to happen here.

We sent a deer messenger inland to get word to the admiral of what we'd done and where we were. The plan was to have the deer pretend to object to our presence, claiming we'd fortified ourselves against his people's wishes. Now, we sat in our rough camp, waiting as the days rolled by, for the HES Crowned Eagle to dare the strait and fall right into our hands.

A grim smirk worked its way onto my face when a deer suddenly came bounding up into our camp and straight to Pine Needle. He rose from his seat by the fire and leaned in as the messenger whispered

Then he recoiled. "He's coming up alone?" He gasped, causing me to jolt. And not for the last time, either, for as the ponies and I shared a look, we heard him.

"Cutter! I'm here, Cutter!" Gasparde yelled. "I know it's me you want! Here I am!" I stood up and peered down at the clearing. There, in the middle of the snowy circle, all alone, was the admiral. His wings snapped and bristled against the cold as he stomped further and further into the clearing, his head on a swivel as he raised his speaking trumpet again.

"Let Gwynevere go, and you can have me!" He yelled, spreading his wings. "Bring her out now, or I'll fly off!" I stared at him in wonder for a few moments before he continued stomping and repeated the whole declaration again. Blinking, I turned to the crew, Pine Needle, and Galley, who all looked back with a unified expectant expression. I furrowed my brow before considering our hostage, who had been sitting with her back to us until she heard her father's voice. Now, she sat looking back at me with terror in her eyes.

The wind chose to wait until she and I began our descent to intercept the admiral to pick up, and so as we stepped into his line of sight, we were blasted from behind by snow.

"Gwynevere!" He cried, dropping his trumpet where he stood as he adopted an expression somewhere between relief and despair.

"Father!" His daughter cried as she tried to bolt to his side, only for me to yank her back. She struggled against me for a moment before stopping with a thick sob. The wind was the only noise for a moment as the admiral and I locked eyes.

"Admiral," I finally greeted in an even tone.

"Captain Cutter," he huffed, looking me up and down. "It does me no good to do so, but I certainly dare to say that you're quite lucky His Excellency has had me overseeing a pet project of his." His eye twitched as he lowered his head.

"Your rampage over the last year would certainly have been cut short, otherwise," he added in a low growl.

"Doubtful," I retorted, considering him for a moment before holding out the leash and letting it go. "Here's your brat." The second she realized she was free, Gwynevere shot over to her father and swept her forelegs around his neck.

"Father!" She cried, squeezing him for dear life. He returned the gesture with just as much desperation as I drew my blunderbuss and a match. I struck the match against my pants a few times before grunting when it failed to light and then snapped. Gasparde glared at me as I drew another match.

"Princess, listen to me," he said as he pulled back from his daughter. He pointed back the way he'd come. "Head straight that way to the coast, alright?"

"What?" She murmured, looking at him in confusion. He nodded as I finally got the match to light only for it to go out as it touched the gun's cord.

"There's a sloop waiting. It will get you back to the Isles and to Geralt," he added with a desperate smile and nod. She looked at him for a few moments.

"But what about you?" She murmured, slowly reaching up and grabbing his shoulder.

"Don't worry about me, just go," he replied with a firm nod.

"No," she huffed quietly, shaking her head and then grabbing him with both claws. "No! No! He's going to kill you!"

"Princess-" Gasparde grunted as I finally got the cord lit.

"Ooh! You'd better listen, Princess," I chirped as I rested the gun on my shoulder.

"Don't you dare!" She screeched whirling around to glare at me. Her expression instantly melted to despair and she stepped up to me. "Please, Captain Cutter! I'm sorry for whatever happened between you!" She sobbed and collapsed at my feet for a moment before grabbing my leg and looking up at me.

"I'm begging you!" She choked. "Please!" I glared evenly at her as Gasparde hung his head with a pained expression.

"Gwynevere, he won't-" He paused and choked for a moment before grunting and adopting as fearless a glare as he could manage. "Just hurry, to the shore. Please." Gwynevere's head sank into the snow at his words, but her grip on my leg never wavered. Finally, I grunted and kicked her up.

"Get up," I spat. She recoiled from me before dashing to her dad and hugging him with all her might, sobbing all the while. I took a step closer. "Nah, none of that. Get lost."

"Quiet, you monster!" She screamed, turning just her head to glare at me. "I don't know who 'Zama' was, but she was right to be scared of you!"

It was reflexive.

I didn't even think about it.

I just swept my gun around and blasted both of them.

I stood there, panting with the gun hanging at my side as the smoke from the barrel rolled away. The snow continued to rain down around us and eventually, the two were obscured from sight.

But everyone who mattered had already seen them.

My eyes were locked on the floor of the chamber. The polished tiles had a red carpet extending from the council's desks to the door. I couldn't help but be reminded of the snow now that I'd explained what happened.

"So," one of the ponies hummed, finally snapping me back to the present. Looking up, I saw she was tapping her chin. "You're saying you killed the admiral in the middle of the woods and the only witnesses are-" She hesitated and shrugged.

"Well, were allies of yours and were all effectively outlaws?" She asked, tilting her head. "Or savages?"

"Yes," I replied. Most of the council hummed and murmured amongst themselves.

"Well, I think we could very cleanly sweep that under the rug, thank Celestia," one grunted with a curt laugh.

"He lured the admiral out there, though," another mare asked, looking around. "Surely, they'll have suspicions?"

"They already suspect us of having something to do with it," one argued, waving a hoof. "So, let them suspect! Until they come up with some hard evidence, we can just deny, deflect, and diffuse!"

"Sounds good to me," a unicorn chirped before raising an eyebrow at me. "Only issue I take is you didn't get to him sooner. The Edict might not have been completed if you had."

"That's a very good point, actually!" The mare who'd called my attention initially chirped before turning to me. "I want to hear details about your involvement in the Edict's destruction. Based on your earlier testimony, you and Gasparde's replacement were acquainted for most of your career, right?" She blinked and leaned forward.

"Captain Cutter?" She pressed. I barely heard her, however, as my gaze had fallen to the floor again.

I barked a laugh as he finally emerged from his cabin, bags laden with his things. "And where in the hell will you go? You joining the deer like the others?" I demanded as he adjusted his hat and pushed past me for the stairs.

"I haven't the taste for the outdoor lifestyle," he argued as he began to ascend. "But to answer your overall query, anywhere but here." I snorted a bitter laugh as I followed him to the deck.

"Guess you'd better acquire a taste for the outdoors then," I said as he reached the gangplank. "It's days before you hit civilization."

"I prefer to take my chances than see how much lower you are willing to sink," he grumbled, looking over his shoulder at me. "Do you think this would have pleased her?"

"Haven't a clue," I shrugged, leaning forward with a glare. "She's dead because of him." Holiday whipped around and jabbed a hoof at me.

"HIM," he screamed, holding his hoof up with a hiss. "Not her." He stamped his hoof and huffed.

"Since joining this cruise of yours, Captain Cutter, I have kept to the oath I gave you," he said, crossing his chest with a hoof. "I have never drawn a blade and never shed the blood of another thinking being." He winced and looked away as I stood up straight

"I have settled the unseemly nature of our profession with myself, for regardless of my inaction, I am complicit," he huffed and shook his head. "This I can deal with, for even during your recent stint of brutality, we have always maintained a modicum of restraint by which if one simply gives you what you desire, no harm befalls them." He paused and his head swayed before he swept his hoof at the forest beyond the crystal compound.

"My complicity in this?" He groused, shaking his head. "I will never be able to settle with." I scowled and folded my arms as he turned and descended from the ship.

"That is my failing, Captain Cutter," he called once he made it to land. "I pray you find greater strength than me."

"Captain Cutter," she pressed again, causing me to blink and look up at her.

"Yes?" I asked. She rolled her eyes and then held a hoof out at me.

"The admiral who replaced Gasparde. You were familiar with him, correct?" She asked, tilting her head with an expectant look. I blinked and again my eyes sank to the ground, drawing an annoyed groan from her.

"Yes. Ben Burigold," I murmured. "I knew him."