Cutter

Dozens of giggling school-aged ponies galloped through the black and gold tiled halls, all of them donning little paper bicorns with skulls on the front. Elsewhere in the hall, older ponies carefully moved along, observing and taking pictures of the glass cases and displays lining the walls in which sat newspapers, letters, hats, swords, sketches, and clothing from the War of the Isles a thousand years prior.

The hall wrapped back and fed into the main foyer of the manor, where just before the black carpeted double staircase leading to the second and then the third floor of the manor, there was a peculiar bipedal mannequin in period-appropriate clothing, with an ancient and cracked old Abyssinian 'firearm' in its arms. The face of the mannequin was set in a permanent, sneering smirk, with a scruffy beard made of wool. At the feet of the mannequin was a brass plaque that read 'Admiral Sir James Cutter, Lord Protector of the Isles and Pirate who is regarded as single-handedly responsible for the First Great Collapse of Griffinstone.'

Just before the display were two alicorns and a purple unicorn. Of the two alicorns, the smaller blue one regarded the mannequin with a distant and sad expression that was only partially matched by her sister, who had a wing draped upon her back.

"I approved of this museum being opened sixty-three years ago when a member of the Quicksilver Institute proposed bringing together artifacts and articles from the War of the Isles here," Celestia explained as she turned to her sister. "My chief motivation was to bring some of his more positive qualities and traits to light, but-" She grimaced as she considered the mannequin's expression.

"Well, it's hard to convince anypony that a fellow who caused so much death and fear is anything other than a monster, regardless of motive," she sighed, regarding her sister sadly as she wilted. Suddenly, several foals came galloping by with wooden swords in their mouths and severe glares fixed on their faces and Celestia smiled. "A silver lining is that many youngsters seem to idolize him as an anti-establishment icon." Luna hummed as she considered the foals just before they galloped out of sight.

"I own a cutlass for home defense! The way Cap'n Cutter intended!" One of them shouted before a thwack was heard followed by a scream at which a pair of older ponies went galloping out of the room in the direction of the foals. The scene caused Luna to blink and turn to her sister who nodded.

"There's also a whole skater punk craze called 'Hitting the Cutter' where you slam your board through a window after doing a kick-flip," Celestia added, earning a curt laugh from Luna. Still, when she looked around and saw the rest of the museum, she found her attention falling upon the large paintings adorning the walls on either side of the stairs. Each depicted some pivotal moment from the war, from the Six Merits of the Flying Gang burning and sacking Port Grover, to James Cutter boarding the Edict with a lit torch to ignite the powder stores himself. As she studied the paintings she frowned.

"To think, this is how he came to be viewed," she murmured, at which Celestia hugged her tight.

"He at least never gave much thought to how ponies viewed him," she said as Luna leaned against her. Celestia considered the mannequin again. "And he was- comfortable, before the end." As the pair stood in silence for a moment, Twilight finally decided to pipe up with the thoughts that had been boiling through her brain since arriving.

"I can't believe you and James Cutter were actually friends," she gasped as she looked between the mannequin and Luna. She shrugged and swept a hoof through the air. "I mean, all the history books argue he was a Nightmare Cultist spawned by Discord, so." Luna grunted and shook her head.

"Oh, that's just silly," she huffed, looking off to the side. "He was asleep when- Well." Celestia's ears shot back at her sister's tone before she looked up and hummed.

"It's not entirely unfounded, I'm afraid," she said, urging her companions to follow her as they approached a display to the left side of the room. "As I said, many of his more gruesome crimes are not fabricated, which leads to questions of motive. And considering this was his standard during the majority of his career." She gestured to the large hanging black flag, displaying a crude image of the 'Mare in the Moon.' The sight caused Luna to wince.

"It does lead to rumors that I was unable to quash," Celestia added with a frown before turning back to Luna. "Additionally, according to his testimony, he endured a period where he genuinely believed you were in contact with him."

"If only," Luna said with a quiet snort as she looked away from the flag. Then, her eyes fell upon a uniquely old and large painting. Studying it for a moment, she smiled before tilting her head. "Oh, who is that?" Twilight and Celestia turned to see the painting in question. It depicted an older James Cutter, possibly in his forties, dressed in fine clothing, very unlike what he was known to wear, though with a very in-character even scowl painted upon his face. On his lap was a well-dressed orange pegasus filly with a red mane, freckles, bright blue eyes, and an even brighter smile.

"Oh! That's Lily Darling Cutter," Twilight chirped as she approached the painting, gesturing to the filly. "She actually grew up to become the mare responsible for the development of pre-modern lighter-than-air travel."

"Really?" Luna hummed as she and her sister stood before the painting. "Did he have anything to do with that?"

"No, I don't believe so," Celestia replied, considering the painting with a smile. "It was after she was grown and left home, after all." Luna nodded slowly.

"Lily Cutter," she murmured before turning to Celestia with her ears perked up. "So, am I correct in assuming-"

"Yes," Celestia replied with a mirthful tone. Luna blinked before beaming and turning back to the painting.

"Good for him," she said with a giggle. Celestia looked at the filly and then the pirate for a few moments, noting the difference in their expressions. Her ears swiveled briefly, but neither Luna nor Twilight noticed.

"Yes," she finally replied.

The iron gate cordoning off the manor grounds from the rest of the town creaked as the earth pony guiding me pushed it open. Just beyond, inside the tall hedge that had grown over the iron fence surrounding the grounds, was a vast multi-acre yard with a brick path leading up to the manor's door and then splitting off into several paths that carried on through the rest of the place.

The house itself was three stories tall and made of bricks for the first two floors before tapering off under a sharp-angled black tiled roof. Each floor had an equal number of windows with sharp white frames that matched the rounded white wooden spire that suck out the very center of the roof. At the top of the spire was a flag pole decorated with a worn and weathered Griffinstone flag that flapped weakly as the wind swept up the loose shreds it was composed of. The sight of the flag was a telltale sign that this mansion was a remnant of the griffin-occupied southern portion of the Isles, which had since been claimed by Equestria.

At either side of the house were two smaller two-story brick buildings that could easily house a few ponies all on their own. These were connected to the main building by little enclosed bridges on their upper floor, under which were a few rows of white benches with dead bushes between them.

Like the bushes, most of the plant life across the estate was poorly tended and thus overgrown or dried out and dead. I sighed sharply as my pony attendant led me to the door.

"You've got a meeting with the Town Council of Trottingham later this evening, which the Commander of the Coast Guard will be attending. From what I understand, they want to refurbish and arm that old griffin fort along the coast," the blue stallion said as he sat, pulled out a ring of keys, and began shuffling them. "Once that's settled, we can consider hiring staff to tend to the grounds."

"What'd you say your name was?" I asked as I leaned against the wall to the side of the door.

"Silver, Sir," he chirped as he found and inserted the house key in the door. "Silver Standard, and I'll be attending you during your stay here." The door clicked and then groaned as it swung open. To my surprise, no dust was kicked up as we entered. Indeed, the black and gold tile, though cracked in places, was fairly clean. As I scanned the open space of the foyer, I found that most of the interior was similarly well-kept.

"It's been vacant ever since the griffins gave up control of the island," Silver reported as he also scanned the interior. "We've kept it clean for the most part, but haven't really had anyone to take up residence in it."

"Kinda sparse," I hummed, noting the lack of chairs or anything at all. In response, Silver whirled toward me with a bow.

"Well, well! Good thing its master has a sizeable furnishing budget to go with his new office!" He said with a wink. I grunted initially, but after a moment, I furrowed my brow and turned to him.

"How sizeable?"

I scanned the town from the top of the fortress I was now in command of and responsible for. Without it needing to be said, I could tell this was the old garrison Geralt had been in charge of. In fact, I could see the general patch of woodland where we'd ambushed him so many years ago. Pushing those memories aside with all my might, I returned my attention to the fort itself. Like my house, it was clean but had obviously only been granted minimal care by the Navy following the griffin's withdrawal.

I furrowed my brow as I paced the battlements. While it had rows of guns lining it, I came upon the southwestern corner and found that not only was it spared any cannons, but the floor itself had evidently caved in at some point and was now propped up by wooden supports.

"We'll need to repair this fast and get it bolstered," I declared to my mustachioed and uniformed companion, leering down the open pit all the way to the ground floor.

"Certainly! And now that we have an officer to spare for it, we can force the council to grant us the funds to do so!" Admiral Bells chirped. Turning away from the pit I leaned on the wall as he cleaned his monocle.

"Now, as I explained, each quarter we receive a charter detailing the most pivotal threats and points of interest at sea and we will convene to discuss how best to approach those points," he said, redonning his eyewear. He stamped his hoof and one of his assistants held a stack of papers up to me which I took and leafed through. "This charter has already been convened upon, so I'm afraid you must abide by our decisions this round. Next time, however, your input will be both expected and appreciated." I sighed hard as I considered the lengthy list of to-dos and battle plans.

"I reckon I'm going to be pretty busy for the next few months, hey?" I murmured.

"Quite busy, Sir," he hummed with a nod before nudging me. "But as Lord Admiral Protector, rest assured! You have the authority to pursue your schedule at sea as you see fit." I raised an eyebrow at him as he leaned in.

"And of course, there will be time to relax and perhaps share a few stories over a drink or two," he added with a chortle. "Some of my junior officers are eager to hear your account of when you sank that dreadful griffin ship that chased us out of Trottingham."

I considered him for a moment before turning my gaze south. "Right."

My new duties extended beyond scaring off pirates with my reputation. I was given command of a hundred-gun Equestrian frigate, the Golden Goose, and instructed to heavily scrutinize any griffin or pony ship we came across. There was evidently a smuggling epidemic occurring following Griffinstone's economic devastation, and Equestria had taken it upon herself to help the ailing Prince Grover II in stifling attempts at circumventing his merchant tax.

An act of goodwill to foster future peaceful terms, according to the Coast Guard's commander, but it made no difference to me.

The merchant pony captain of the suspiciously heavy ship I'd stopped stood on the deck in front of me, quaking and hyperventilating to the point I was certain he was going to collapse. Ignoring him, I continued leafing through his ledger as my crew searched the ship's hold.

"Mr. Bay Leaf," I murmured, furrowing my brow. The quartermaster of my ship snapped to attention and I handed the ledger to him, tapping the page I was reading with a finger. "Dream Beans is slang for Lucid Laurels, isn't it? Perhaps when used to obscure what is actually being hauled without leading to confusion about any extra crates during an inspection?" While the captain squeaked and held his breath, Bay Leaf blinked and tilted his head to and fro as he read the entry.

"Ah," the unicorn hummed, pursing his lips. "I'm not sure. I'm not familiar with other names for the stuff." He paused and regarded the captain with a wry glare.

"But if that's what that is, it's definitely a controlled substance," he added, drawing a nervous whimper from the captain.

"That it is, and luckily I am familiar," I said, before snapping my fingers and making my way to the hold. A pair of my sailors urged the captain to follow. Below decks, I scanned for the cargo in question, finding it where his ledger declared they'd stowed it. Upon approaching it, I signaled for the rest of my crew to exit the hold before drawing my sword and prying the lid off one of the heavy crates before me.

Inside, as expected, were a huge amount of packaged laurels, but there were also a few strange little tubes with flasks hooked in. Grabbing one of the tubes, I turned it over in my hand before finding a button on the back. Pressing it, I hummed as it sprayed a faint mist that smelled of laurels.

I hummed a little tune as I waved the mist away before leering at the captain. "Six tons and a whole new delivery method? Who were you selling to?" He balked at me for a moment before wilting with a grunting sigh.

"Damn you, Cutter," he huffed, shaking his head as he removed his hat and tossed it on the ground. "Naysow, Sir." I smirked at his answer.

"Naysow, eh?" I purred with a nod as I set the dispenser back in the box and stamped the lid shut. "Well, well. Today's your lucky day." He blinked and looked at me in confusion.

"I've been too busy lately, getting accustomed to my new station," I explained, slipping my sword back into my belt and turning to him. "I need you to bring a message to Naysow. If you can do that, we'll pretend I was just mistaken or perhaps my smoking vernacular is out of date. Fair?" I knelt and extended my hand. He blinked and looked me up and down before smirking as well.

"Fair," he replied, taking my hand and shaking it.

I tugged at the sleeve of my ugly, yellow, Equestrian officer uniform and pulled the felt bicorn from my head before dropping it on the table between me and my quartermaster. "Don't know how the hell you can stand wearing this all the time," I huffed as I unbuttoned my vest. "So, fucking stuffy."

"I stand it by remembering what it represents, Sir," he chirped as he poured some tea into our cups.

"Represents what? A general ignorance of the climate?" I snorted, reclining in my seat and scanning the shore we were sitting upon. The Golden Goose was anchored some distance further up the shore, and the crew was camped near it. There were two sentries posted between here and there, mainly as I didn't want to alarm our visitors or make them suspect a trap. My eyes drifted down the opposite end of the shore and toward the heavy forest that wrapped around and then obscured the point where I'd told them they could safely anchor. It was the same place we'd landed when I chased after Ben all those years ago, and I prayed that fact was distinct enough that they'd remember where it was.

To my relief, suddenly a few diamond dogs, a familiar pair of minotaurs, and two other figures emerged from the woods, confirming my hopes. Sighing hard, I nodded at Bay Leaf before grabbing my hat and marching out to meet him. Despite my initial excitement at seeing them again, as we closed the distance, their expressions stirred up my anxieties.

Finally, Cat, Orange, Bolt, and Cast stepped away from their followers and stood before me, looking me up and down. Cat still had the amulet, but other than that none of them had changed much since I departed. Of the four, Cast was the only one who didn't look unsettled by the sight of me.

"Thanks for meeting me here. I'm glad you knew where I was talking about in my message," I finally said, shaking my head with a relieved smile. "It's great to see you all again." Cat folded her arms and shared a look with Orange before facing me.

"There a reason you're in that getup?" She asked, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she rocked on her heels. "And sailing with the Equestrians?" I grimaced a little as she spoke.

"Because it looks like the news we heard was true," she added, tilting her head with a frown. "You turned yourself in and got yourself pardoned." I cleared my throat and slowly nodded.

"In exchange for defending their interests in this sea, yes," I murmured in response. Bolt grunted and rubbed his chin as he and Cast shared a look, while Cat wilted and Orange frowned hard at me.

"It sounds like you're trying something like what Ben pulled," the bat pony grumbled.

"Don't!" I snapped, causing her to flinch. I held up a hand and grimaced before sighing hard. "Don't. It's completely different."

"Is it?" Cat huffed, causing me to hold my hands out.

"Yes! This isn't about me. For me," I grumbled, gesturing between us. "It's for us." As she recoiled I gestured to the other three and the forest.

"Anyone who sailed under me is entitled to the pardon so long as they turn themselves in within the next hundred days," I explained, sighing and looking at Cat. "So if you come with me now, I can guarantee you'll be safe."

"Safe from what?" She demanded, furrowing her brow. I grimaced and looked away.

"You know what," I all but whispered, my eyes falling upon the sea. "You know who." Cat grunted and stepped up beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I miss her too, Cutter," she said, sighing and leering back at the table I'd left behind. "And I hate his guts just as much as you." She shook her head and gestured at Bay Leaf.

"But this is-" I hissed and whirled around, grabbing her shoulders.

"Please!" I cried, catching my breath. "Just- Just come see it?" She stared into my eyes for a while before she slowly tilted her head.

"See what?" She asked.

Where once had been overgrowth was now a mostly green garden that swept up toward the foundations of my new residence. Ponies briskly trotted to and fro, tending to the grass and newly planted shrubs and flowers as we made our way inside. Cat leered uncomfortably at the Equestrian flag billowing atop the house's flagpole, but said nothing.
Inside, where once had been bare tiled floors was now a soft carpet that rolled out and extended up the stairs to the second floor. On either side of the carpet and along each wall were sweet-smelling plants being watered by the new house staff.

As I led Cat and Orange, the latter hummed in delight at the sight of it all. She was especially excited when I led them through the lengthy dining hall, which held a long thick table with bowls upon bowls of fresh fruit. Shooting me an eager, starry-eyed look, I nodded and she beamed before diving atop the table. As the bat pony feasted, I nodded at Cat and led her to the kitchen, connected to the dining room. Inside, she flinched before humming in appreciation as the cooks were preparing a stew of fish, freshly delivered from Trottingham.

Leading her upstairs, I took her on a tour of the library, which included a massive map table given to me by the Coast Guard. From there, we walked along the long balcony that wrapped around the rear of the house which gave a perfect view of the western sea. What's more, halfway along the balcony, we came to a glass double door beyond which sat a warm Abyssinian-styled room, complete with a few basins in which incense like Cat had burned on the Delight was smoking.

As she reeled and slowly paced the room, Orange finally caught up to us and hummed at the sight of it all. Cat looked over the basins, the carpet, and the porcelain I'd ordered. All of it was as close to a mirror of her cabin aboard her original ship as I could manage, and based on the wistful smile that slowly formed upon her face, I guessed I was pretty damned close. As she stood over the thick and fluffy bed, gently running a paw over its comforter, I came up beside her.

"What do you think?" I pressed with a hopeful hum.

"It's lovely," she hummed in response, still with that smile. But her tone made my heart sink.

"Cat," I murmured. She paused before turning to me, her smile turning sad.

"James," she replied.

"Cat, I'm begging you," I huffed as I held my hands out and let them drop.

"I-" Her smile vanished completely as she scanned the room. "It's not for me." I threw my hands up and barked a laugh.
"Of course it is! I set this whole room up for you!" I cried.

"James," she murmured, folding her arms and looking away. I grunted and paced, throwing my arms up at each item.
"The perfume, the bed, the art," I whirled around and fixed her with a desperate smile as I grabbed her paws. "You saw the kitchen! You saw what we can eat here!" She faced me with a sad look.

"That's all wonderful, but," she strained and shook her head. "It's not the sea." She looked over the room.

"It's," she grimaced and clenched her eyes. "Stationary. Stagnant."

"It's safe," I heaved. Her ears snapped back and she fixed me with a firm look.

"And if that means I have to compromise my freedom, then," she held her mouth open for a moment before clamping it shut and shaking her head. I balked and dropped her paws.

"The fuck do you mean?" I hissed. "It's not like I'm going to hold you down here!"

"But we won't be sailing out of this sea anymore, will we?" She huffed, folding her arms and looking at the coat I had on. "We'll have to play by their rules, won't we?" I moved to argue but my words died in my throat and slowly I let my head hang.

"I can't lose you," I finally croaked. "Please." She took my hands up and forced me to look at her.

"Then why settle? Come with me!" She demanded with a hopeful smile. "Back to the sea. Back to-" I shuddered and pulled away.

"No! No," I cried, shaking my head and sweeping my hands. "I-" I paused and blinked.

"I can't," I finally whispered, clutching my arms around myself. "It's taken too much from me." I grimaced hard and shakily gestured to the window.

"Keeping this island, this sea clear is as much of a compromise as I'm willing to make on that," I huffed, looking at her miserably. "I can't go back out there, knowing that every day could be the last time I see either of you. I don't have that in me." My gaze slowly fell to the floor.

"I don't think I ever did," I finally added. Silence fell over the room, during which time, Orange slowly trotted up and nuzzled my leg with teary eyes. Seeing that, Cat stepped closer and knelt before her.

"Orange, you're fine staying, right?" She asked, ruffling the bat pony's mane. I paused and looked down to see Orange consider her for a moment before sniffling and nodding, at which Cat smiled. "Well, there we go." She stood up and gently grabbed my shoulders.

"You won't be alone. You'll have one of us with you, here where it's safe," she said, slowly pulling me into a hug with a frown. "But James Cutter, I promise you. If I stay here, if I let myself settle?" I firmly wrapped my arms around her as Orange reared up and hugged us both.

"I think we'll both lose me," she finally whispered into my ear. I clenched my eyes shut as we embraced, but then I flinched when I felt her unhook the amulet from her neck. I pulled back and shook my head just before she dropped it into my pocket.

"Keep it. Please," I sobbed. She blinked the tears from her eyes for a moment before smiling sadly and nodding.

The door to what was supposed to be Cat's room slowly drifted open, and Silver came trotting in. He blinked as he scanned the mess I'd made. All the porcelain was destroyed, the tables and rugs flipped over, and the bed shredded by my cutlass. He scowled and slowly fixed me with an unimpressed leer as I lay against the splintered bedpost. I fixed him with a bitter smile as I toasted the bottle of wine I'd been drowning myself in.

"You know how hard most of that was to acquire?" He huffed, earning a snort from me. He sighed and trotted up to me before nudging me up with his head. "You have a meeting with the Coast Guard to attend tomorrow, Sir. Let's get you back to bed." I slowly staggered to my feet, but the second I was stable, I whirled around and hucked the bottle as hard as I could against the head of the bed.

I stood there, quietly breathing as I watched the wine drip down the wood. After a few minutes, I dragged my hand over my head and made for the door.