Cutter

I sighed hard as I reclined in our rowboat and basked in the midday sun. I was out of my uniform and into some vastly more comfortable and loose-fitting clothes, without any shoes as I let one leg hang off the side of the boat and tread through the cool water. I pulled my floppy hat down over my eyes as I slowly began to drift to sleep. My companion evidently had other plans, however, as I was suddenly pounded in the stomach by a set of four hooves.

Grunting hard as the air was slammed from my lungs, I tipped my hat up to glare at Blood Orange as she slowly and firmly stomped in a circle on me before curling up with a cheery smile and a happy sigh.

As I snorted and pulled my hat down again, she rolled over and stretched out. "Won't all those stuffy old ponies get upset if they catch you just bumming around out here?" She asked, causing me to peek down at her as she lay belly up.

"Next convention is Friday, so I've got a day or two to relax," I replied as I reclined again. "If I went out sailing and looking for any problems, I might not be back in time, which is what they'd really be upset about."

"Admiral Cutter!" A sharp voice cut across the air like the snap of a whip. I groaned hard and yanked my hat off before looking in the direction the voice came from. Slowly bobbing toward us from the Trottingham shore was another rowboat with four ponies working the oars and a fifth pony in a tricorn and uniform, reared up on the boat's bow, glaring my way. I huffed and gave Orange a weary smile as I slowly sat up, causing her to slowly roll off me and flop into the bed of our boat.

"In theory, anyway," I muttered before leaning on the edge of our boat and resting my chin on my hand, fixing our visitor with a smile. "Lieutenant Gray. To what do I owe the migraine?" His boat came right up alongside ours and he stumbled as they bumped against each other. Steadying himself, he frowned at me.

"I was hopeful, Sir, that you might explain the state in which I discovered the old fortress upon the southern end of the Isle," he demanded. I hummed a sigh and reclined just enough to trace my fingers through the water.

"And what state is that?" I asked.

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "The portion of the wall you reported required repairs and bolstering is still in poor condition and is lacking any additional guns!"

"And that's because the Council hasn't seen fit to allocate the funds for me to correct that," I retorted with a shrug, causing him to slam his hoof onto our boat and jab his other hoof at me.

"Sir, it's your responsibility! You should pay for it yourself!" He spat, earning a smirk from me before I gently batted at his boat, pushing it away and nearly causing him to fall in. The sight drew a giggle from Orange and from one of his rowers.

"Sure! But I'd encourage you to have a gander at the terms of my pardon and commission, Lieutenant," I declared, reclining again and putting my hat back on. "The Council failing to make a decision on the maintenance of the fortress in the manner I've presented implies they don't see it as necessary." He furrowed his brow at my words as I shrugged.

"Were I to do so myself, I would technically be directing war materials outside of the Council's approval or purview," I added with a huff, slowly shaking my head. "I can't say they wouldn't take exception to that."

He balked and sputtered for a moment. "Don't be ridiculous, Sir!" He recoiled with a squawk when I flicked some water at him.

"What's ridiculous is you bringing this to me instead of to the next convention which is just two days off," I spat, reclining again and pulling my hat down. "If I have to wait for meetings in order to make any moves or decisions beyond just floating around and spooking hooligans, I don't see why you shouldn't as well." A palpable silence followed before he finally grunted.

"Bloody pirate," he hissed just before I heard his oars being set to work.

"Have a nice day, Lieutenant," I said with a wave thrown in his general direction. A smile worked its way onto my face as I sighed hard. Then, my sigh turned into another grunt as Orange slammed her hooves into me again. Glaring down at her, she smirked at me as she curled up again. "Okay, that's it." She cried out as I grabbed her and threw her into the water.

As Orange and I walked side by side down the brick road of Eagleland, I had my yellow Equestrian officer's jacket hanging off my shoulders, so no one could argue that I was technically out of uniform. Despite having been surrendered to Equestria, the ponies hadn't been too eager to populate the town, if the comparatively sparse numbers of ponies and copious abandoned buildings were any indication. Seemingly, the town was now host to the poorer folk, and if it weren't for my presence necessitating a company of soldiers to man the fortress, it felt like the place would have descended into lawlessness.

My first two weeks here had been tense, as I caught sight of several attempted muggings, only for the would-be robbers to flee just at the sight of me. Since then, again due to my presence necessitating it, supplies had been directed here, and some small degree of infrastructure was coming into being. All in all, I got something of a sense of what Naysow might have looked like before Ben set up shop and kick-started the pirate economy. The thought made me hum and I considered my companion.

"So, I've been meaning to ask: What do you think of Eagleland?" I asked, causing her ear to swivel before she looked up at me. Then, she tilted her head and scanned the streets.

"Weird that they haven't changed the name yet," she replied, earning a nod from me.

"Well, guess they're just used to it," I said, glancing up to see one of the recently repurposed buildings and discreetly turning our path toward it. "How you feel it compares to Naysow?"

"I spent most of my time in the jungle around Naysow, so I dunno," she said, still looking around before shrugging. "It's nice." Her ears swivelled a few times and she cast her gaze back the way we'd come.

"Definitely quieter," she murmured before turning and fixing me with a bright smile. "But I'm pals with the fella running the show and the fortress here, so not too much is different for me." I smiled right back as I pushed open the door of the little cafe I'd led us to. The unicorn owner jumped as the bell above the door jingled before nodding upon seeing it was me.

As we took a seat, I fished a handful of coins from my pocket. Once the owner trotted up with a tray on which a pair of mugs of hot chocolates were resting, I dropped the coins on his tray and he set the mugs on our table. Orange gave a happy hum as she took a hearty sip from hers.

Sighing hard, she tilted her head as she considered the rest of the meager little shop, of which we were the only patrons present. "Wonder why it tastes so different up here?"

"Cooler climate," I replied as I drummed the side of my mug. "The atmosphere in which you eat or drink has a profound effect upon its enjoyment."

She blinked and tilted her head. "Really?" I shrugged at her question.

"I dunno, but it makes sense to me," I offered, causing her to fix me with an unimpressed frown. "I also can't stand humidity so maybe I'm just biased." She snorted before slipping down and kicking my knee.

"Oh yeah! Did they decide to listen to Lieutenant Grey?" She asked as she scooted back up in her seat. I hummed as I took a swig from my mug.

"They decided they'd push the Council about it," I explained. "He was less than pleased." I grumbled and leered through the cafe window.

"Not even sure what he's nettled about," I huffed. "The griffin navy is shrinking daily just to cover the costs of the Edict. The only ships this far north are Equestrian. I really don't know who he expects I'm going to have to turn those guns upon."

"I got some cinnamon rolls in the oven," the owner called from the back. I tipped my mug his way and pulled out my coin pouch.

"Ooh! Maybe he's plotting a coup!" Orange chirped as I counted out more money.

"A coup?" I groused. She reared up on the table and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" She urgently replied, jabbing a hoof in the direction of the fort. "If you moved those guns around, you could pretty much cover the whole island! So, if anypony tried to land on Trottingham to come stop you, you'd be able to gun them down! You'd be able to take over the whole island in one go!" I blinked at her suggestion before fixing her with an unimpressed leer as she wagged her eyebrows at me.

"You're grounded," I grunted, causing her to recoil.

"Wha? You can't ground me!" She cried.

"You wanna bet?" I shot back as I pulled my belt free. The sight caused her to wilt and by the time we left the cafe, I did so with a proud smile as she slowly ambled behind me, trying to kick my belt off as it was tied tight around her wings.

I jolted and fell from my bed as the ship's bell was nearly rung off its hinge. "Criss," I hissed in a daze just before someone began pounding on my cabin door.

"Frigate and a pair of sloops, Admiral! They're flying Mount Aris flags, but the hippogriffs-"

"Don't build frigates, I get it," I yelled back at Bay Leaf, before snatching up my coat and slipping it on. "Bloody pirates." I stormed out onto the deck to find the night crew hard at work getting us ready for whatever maneuver I saw fit. That was at least one benefit of joining Celestia's dumbass navy: I operated with tyrannical authority and didn't need to wait on any democratic agreement.

Pacing toward the starboard side and peering through my spyglass, I hummed as I considered the ships further south of us. Bay Leaf trotted up beside me. "Think they're looking for trouble with Equestria?" I studied the frigate for a moment before barking a laugh.

"Not if he's as clever as I remember," I cried before turning to the crew. "Close the gun ports and flag them down!" The ponies balked at my orders and shared a look.

By the time the sun had fully risen and was casting a yellow glow upon our deck, the pirate fleet had come up beside us, and its commodore was stepping aboard the Golden Goose. The minotaur in question considered my ship with a subdued smile as he stroked his mustache before I came up and held out my hand.

"Commodore Barges, as I live and breathe," I laughed just as he took my hand and shook it.

"Captain Cutter!" He said, raising an eyebrow and fixing me with a critical smile. "Signed on with the Equestrians, just as they claim." I flinched and grunted.

"It's not-" He waved a hand and slapped me on the shoulder before I could continue.

"Ha! You don't need to explain it to me," he laughed. "Catarina leveled it with me six weeks ago." I jolted at his words.

"You saw Cat?" I gasped, grabbing his shoulders. "Where?"

"Near Prance," he hummed, offering my confused crew a smirk. "She told me a real doozy of a tale that hasn't hit the papers quite yet." I tilted my head as he winked.

"Our old associate Captain Stain attempted to capture her for that amulet you gave her," he declared, causing a chill to dance up my spine. "Keep an eye on the papers, Old Boy! The collapse of Stain's pirate fleet is sure to be making the rounds soon!" I blinked and huffed hard as the news swirled through my mind.

"She sunk his fleet?" I murmured.

"Not in its entirety! But she certainly devastated any remaining confidence the majority of his subordinate captains had in him!" He added, slapping me on the back as I reeled. "Stain turned and fled the second she started churning the tides."

"The fact he's still out there doesn't put me at ease, Barges," I grumbled, folding my arms and rubbing my chin. He considered me for a moment before nodding.

"Well, I didn't tell you this to worry you. Look at it like this," he leveled his hand at me. "She handled herself just fine, and now that cretin has only a single ship to his name." I grimaced at his words but slowly nodded.

"Right," I murmured. Before I could sink further into worry, Bay Leaf cleared his throat.

"Admiral," he demanded, drawing our attention to him. He raised an eyebrow and looked Barges up and down. "I believe this minotaur is a known pirate, Sir." My head cleared up instantly.

"Is he?" I huffed, recoiling and looking at Barges for a moment. I turned back to Bay Leaf with a wide frown. "What piracy has he committed under our watch?" He blinked and slowly shook his head.

"Under our watch? Well," he murmured, at which I nodded and turned to Barges.

"Sir, what is your business in this sea?" I demanded.

"Simply passing through to resupply before continuing to the Minos Plains, Admiral," Barges replied, brushing off his chest with his knuckles. I hummed and slowly nodded.

"Nothing illegal there," I said with a hard shrug leveled at Bay Leaf. He recoiled before rolling his eyes with a grunt, at which I smirked and slapped Barges on the back. "But here! Come and have a drink and let's discuss your voyage up to this point."

I leaned on my charting table with my chin resting on one arm, slowly twisting the points of my drawing compass on my map, specifically the area around Prance. By now, after several days of repeating this idle behavior, the map had a proper circle slice through to the table beneath, but we never left the Celestial Sea, so who cares? I clamped the compass shut and reclined in my seat with a hard sigh that immediately turned to a groan when Bay Leaf pounded on my door again.

"Admiral, we've sighted the Isles, but something's wrong," he reported in an urgent and uncertain tone. "There's visible smoke rising from Eagleland, and a few ships are sinking off the coast." I sat up and caught my breath.

"What?" I murmured. Then he pounded on the door again.

"Admiral, lookouts just reported that there's a ship coming this way," he added. "It seems to the Admiral Bell, Sir."

Soon after, I paced the deck of the ship near where Bell was boarding, my eyes locked on the scene further ashore and occasionally drifting to the fortress looming above the town. Once Bell was on deck, my attention fell upon him and I flinched upon seeing the weary and annoyed look in his eyes.

"The garrison is dead, Cutter," he groused, turning and glaring at the fortress. "We woke up this morning to those guns going off and destroying a few fishing boats off the southern shore as well as putting a hole through one of our trade ships that was cruising by." I snarled and grabbed the rail.

"Who the hell is up there?!" I yelled before a paper was shoved up at me by Bell.

"One of the bastards showed up in Trottingham and handed us this," he grumbled. I took it and read its contents, which resulted in a steadily bubbling fury deep inside my chest.

I am Captain Charcoal Stain of the Royal Fortune.

The Admiral Protector of this island has offended me and threatened my practice. For this, I have cause to seize this fortress by way of slaughter and use its armaments to threaten and destroy all ships attempting to find port upon this island. You will find scattered at her door the remains of those who attempted to hinder me and may take these as a warning.

My efforts will continue until either my allies abroad come and aid me in converting this island into a permanent base of operations for my practice or the Admiral Protector of this island surrenders himself to me.

I have spoken.

I growled hard and reeled as my gaze drifted from Bell to the sea and then up to the fortress. However, just before I slipped from the brink of boiling rage, I paused and looked up to see the smoke rising from the town and an icy dread quenched my anger. "Where's Blood Orange?"