Cutter

The giant three-masted ship slowly turned, obviously preparing to relocate, but whether it intended to enter the firing range of the fort's guns was yet to be seen. Stain snorted as he peered at the ship through his spyglass—If James Cutter still had any sense, he'd know better.

"Bell just circled around out of our range to get to him and then circled back," Ceder, his earth pony quartermaster reported, causing Stain to stow his glass and shake his head.

"Cutter probably sent him off with a message for us," he grunted, casting a critical eye down on the block of Eagleland houses he'd set fire to. Though the town had evacuated to Trottingham when he first revealed his presence, the smoke still sent a powerful message. "If he's smart, it'll be telling us where we can collect him after he surrenders." He again considered the frigate in the distance as Seder's ears swiveled.

"Captain, are you sure this is wise?" Ceder finally asked, drawing Stain's attention back to him. He nodded to the west. "This close to Equestria and threatening Cutter's interests?" He grimaced and leered at the ship.

"You know what he's like," he added in a murmur. Stain frowned hard and glanced back at the yard of the fortress where his crew was busy lazing about. Upon seeing he was staring a few scowled and began whispering.

"We're in dire straits, Ceder. Because of him and that lanky furball he was sweet on," Stain finally replied, turning back to his quartermaster. "We need something to level the playing field before we're overtaken." He smirked and leered at the ship.

"Besides, if he tries to make landfall here or at Trottingham, we can pulverize either town," he said with a grim chortle. "If he tries to get in range, we'll gun him down. We're set and have the advantage." Ceder hummed and considered the ship as well.

After a silent period, Stain hissed a sigh. "All I want's the crown, Cutter. So, hobble on up here and-" At that moment, one of his hippogriff crewmates came flying up with a letter in his claw.

"Captain, a pegasus just delivered a message, sir," he reported, handing the message to Stain. The earth pony snatched it and sat before skimming the contents. However, he didn't even clear the first line before smirking.

"Hah!" He barked before trotting up to the edge of the wall overlooking the yard and shouting to get his crew's attention. "Alright, colts! Dear Admiral Cutter has seen fit to respond to our provocation! Let's see what he has to say." He cleared his throat and read the letter aloud.

My name is James Cutter.

I have had command of the Eagleland fortress for some months now and know its strong points and its weaknesses.

If Charcoal Stain does not remove himself from my fortress, I will use my ship's artillery to grind it down to its foundations. My ship is now set to the south and west of the fortress, where no guns have been placed. The freshness of the repairs we have performed upon the wall in that spot prevented us from bolstering them, lest the wall cave in from their weight.

You have twenty-four hours to depart this island.

A dreadful silence followed as Stain's voice slowly trailed off. His jaw hung slightly and he blinked before leering to the side and at the point the letter claimed was vulnerable. Then, his eyes snapped to the distant ship and the direction it was currently drifting.

"You guessed wrong again, Stain," one of the ponies down below shouted.

I stretched and cracked my back as we disembarked from Bell's ship. As short as the trip had been, it was still cramped due to the sheer number of soldiers we'd piled aboard. Our trick of sneaking so many fighters into Trottingham might not have been as comfortable as the time I invaded the island using rowboats, which apparently was how Stain also got ahold of my fort, but if all went according to my scheme, it would be worth it.

But that could all wait. Stepping off the gangplank and onto the streets of Trottingham, Bell and his team led me down the shore to a very hastily erected tent city, in which dozens of displaced ponies all lingered.

"Here they are. All the refugees from Eagleland," he reported, scanning the crowd. "Ah! And there she is, as promised." I looked up and passed the many pairs of fearful eyes aimed my way before gasping in relief and rushing across the camp.

At some point, Orange noticed me too, and took off galloping forward to meet me. As soon as she was in arms reach, I nearly dove into her and scooped her up in a tight hug. "Hey! I-" She squeaked before sighing quietly and squirming to get her legs free before hugging my neck. "I'm okay, Jim. I'm okay." I sat on one knee, just holding her for a while until Bell cleared his throat. Turning, I saw him standing beside me with a firm look in his eyes.

"You certain leaving the Golden Goose with so few mates is a good idea?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's to say he doesn't see through your ruse?" I blinked and shared a look with Orange, at which she smiled before squirming out of my grasp. I sighed before standing up, and considering both the camp that was watching us as well as the gathering of officers that had followed Bell.

"An old associate reported that Stain's fleet recently suffered a crippling defeat during which he turned tail and ran," I replied, folding my arms as I turned my attention to Bell. "The Pirates of Naysow are many things, Admiral. But we prided ourselves on every mate having a say." I leered at the fortress which was just barely visible from where we stood.

"Right now, the sailors who dared invade this island with him are wondering if their faith in him is sound," I added, turning to the officers and gesturing toward the fort. "And while they scramble to figure out whether I was lying about the weakness of that fort, we'll have time to march up there and drag them into the light." The officers nodded at my words and I pointed at our soldiers waiting near the docks.

"We need flying volunteers willing to zip up and over the walls to try and get the gate open," I declared, wagging a finger as I did. Orange perked up, but I gave her an uneasy look and shook my head. She paused before wilting with a nod and so I turned back to the officers. "Triple wages to any who dare." Bell sputtered and glanced up at me.

"Triple-!" He huffed before I gave him a firm look. He snorted and nodded. "Ha! Aye! Triple!" One of the officers gave a salute before turning to find our volunteers.

"Alright. Get them the best knives and armor we can spare," I said to another officer and pointed at the ship. "Let's get some of the lighter guns from your ship rolled ashore." Another set of salutes signaled their departure so I clapped my hands at them.

"Quickly now! With a will!" I yelled, striding forward and leering at the fortress. "Every second we lose is a second they have to settle their dispute!"

Long before we ever cleared the forest between Eagleland and Trottingham, we heard the boom of the fort's guns thundering. Notably, the noise seemed to be aimed away from us, implying that they were desperately firing upon the Golden Goose. When our small army came upon a small and terrified host of pirates desperately fleeing through the woods, that mostly confirmed my plan had worked. Most of them surrendered immediately upon seeing our numbers and myself, but a couple turned back.

As a result, by the time we arrived at the road leading up to the fortress gates, the pirates had already mustered and immediately took a few shots at us with their crossbows from atop the wall. Using the trees as cover, we shot back at them while our gun crews hauled the six cannons we'd dragged with us into position.

Unfortunately, despite the abject panic that we'd set the crew into, two of the wall's guns that were already aimed our way suddenly erupted and blasted down into the woods at us. As I was further back in the woods with the rest of the officers, I got a good view as the pair of hot iron balls smashed through trees and personnel, before one smashed a cart of gunpowder. The sight caused me to catch my breath, but luckily the powder didn't ignite.

"Let's avoid a repeat of that," I huffed before whistling. "Volunteers! Earn your pay!" The teams of pegasi we'd recruited shared a look and murmured to each other before falling into a chant. Amping themselves up for a moment, one of them cried out and then took off toward the open field between the forest and the fort. More bolts shot out to meet them and a few were pinned to the ground by lucky shots as the rest of the team spread their wings and leaped into the sky.

"Cannons ready!" One of our gun crews shouted.

"Clear the wall for our fliers!" Bell shouted. Six blasts rang through the forest as they hammered the upper battlements. Peering up at the wall, I huffed at the sight of a jagged hole torn through a row of merlons atop the wall. Elsewhere along the wall, pirates were running or seemed to be diving off the wall entirely.

All in all, it gave our fliers the perfect chance to dive into the courtyard and so I whistled again. "We've got a chance! Be ready to charge!" I ordered, at which our soldiers grouped up and fixed the fort with steely glares. "Gun crew! Keep the wall clear! Fire at will!" While our cannons fired off a few more times, the fort never responded and after a few minutes, the door suddenly rattled and cracked open just a little. I snapped forward and drew my cutlass.

"Charge!"

Losing their defensive advantage proved to be the final straw for most of Stain's crew, and within just tens of minutes of us breaching the gate, we had the thirty-some-odd lot of them rounded up and tied down in the middle of the yard. A few with wings had managed to escape into the sky before soaring away from the island entirely, but overall the fort was ours and so Bell and I elected not to pursue them.

Instead, we stood side by side before the leader of our little insurgency, who was bound in thick iron chains and leered up at me. "Captain Cutter," Stain huffed, wincing and trying to rub his side where he'd been kicked and slammed during the attack. When I just stared down at him, he snorted.

"You know, I thought I had you figured, Cutter," he grunted, glaring hatefully up at me. "I was certain if I offed your floozy, you'd come running." I blinked once and twisted my head with a quiet hum, the sight evidently pleasing him as he chortled.

"Had a whole plan laid out with a pair of fireships, and mortars, and everything," he added with a grin as my gaze fell upon his crew. Many of them wilted at my attention, but a few glared right back at me, and even fewer smirked. "And you turned around and ran to the princess." I hummed again and clicked my teeth as I struggled to overcome the anger bubbling inside my chest. Bell noticed my struggle and gently patted my leg.

"Can't tell you how sour the company was when we realized we were waiting for nothing," Stain added with a sharp hiss, shaking his head. "Nearly spoiled my reputation, you did!" I flinched and leered down at him.

"Your reputation?" I murmured, causing him to shoot me a sneer.

"Aye. Like it or not, I was quite close to matching your legend," he said with a humph, causing my eyebrows to slowly drift upward. His sneer turned to a grim smirk. "Burning a fellow alive here or there will do that." I blinked again and slowly glanced to the side before shaking my head at him.

"I don't give a fuck about my 'legend,'" I huffed, throwing up a hand. "I only use it to make my current job easy." He recoiled before glaring hard at me.

"Well, that explains a whole hell of a lot, don't it?" He spat, jostling his chains as he leaned toward me. "And clears the water betwixt us two." I raised an eyebrow as he glared.

"'Cause I do care about my legend," he added in a hiss. "And you slightin' it is just as bad as anything I've ever-" I cut him off by suddenly snapping down and seizing him by the snout.

"If you had just carried on and left me be, you'd be fine," I snarled, earning a grunt from him as I squeezed his mouth. I jabbed a quivering finger into his chest, enunciating every word with another jab. "But you chose to reinsert yourself into my life. You chose to put yourself within my grasp." I sucked a breath through my teeth as he struggled against my grip.

"You chose," I paused and clenched my eyes, gulping down my breath before letting out a shuddering sigh. After a moment, I fixed him with a weary leer. "You chose to nearly make it all for nothing." I relaxed my grip and slowly stood up straight, causing him to fall over with a hiss as he worked his jaw.

"Admiral Bell, I have a query," I declared, standing with my hands on my hips.

"Speak, Admiral Cutter," Bell replied.

"Though we are technically the same rank in naval terms, I note that I have a unique title compared to you," I said in an even tone as I continued to stare down at the pirate, who was glancing between me and Bell.

"Aye, Sir. Lord Admiral Protector of the Isles," Bell confirmed, causing me to slowly nod.

"In situations regarding specifically the Isles, do I have a greater scope of authority?" I asked, earning a barking laugh.

"If it were not so, I would have provided more pushback to your earlier scheme for uprooting these scallywags!" He chirped, causing a bitter grimace to fall upon me.

"Good," I growled. I leered at Stain for a few seconds before speaking, allowing the idea I'd concocted to fully develop. "Charcoal Stain, you robbed me of that which I love and made me fear that you'd done so again. So I see it as only fitting that I respond in kind." I bent over him and raised a single finger.

"I will rob you of that which you love most," I added in a dire tone. He blinked before snorting.

"Hoh, and what do you believe that to be, hey?" He chortled.

"Your legacy," I hissed, standing up straight. He recoiled at my answer, so I continued. "In the future, say a thousand years from now, they will talk about you." I slowly paced to the side, gesturing as I spoke.

"Some scholastic youth will engage his friends with a question," I explained, glancing back and down at him. "'Have you ever heard of Charcoal Stain?' He will ask." I turned to face him as I continued.

"And they will retort, 'You mean the stallion who angered James Cutter?'" I added before kneeling right before him. He looked at me with an angry, bewildered expression. "What I do today will cement you solely and eternally as but a footnote in my story." I stared at him long enough for my words to finally unsettle him and his expression softened to one of concern. At that point, I stood up straight and folded my arms.

"Admiral Bell," I snapped. "I require wood for burning and a great deal of it. And a shovel." The soldiers around us murmured as the pirates all shared a nervous look.

"For what?" Bell hummed.

"I hereby invoke my authority as Lord Admiral Protector of the Isles and sentence the crew of Charcoal Stain, in its entirety, to be burned alive, here in this fort," I declared, silencing all the whispers and earning a look of horror from everyone present. Despite that, a grim smile came upon my face. "As for Stain himself." Stain flinched and looked up at me in terror.

"He is to be bound, blindfolded, hobbled, and buried up to his neck, just at where the tide reaches, so that he may experience the sensation of drowning repeatedly," I added, slowly stalking toward him, and wagging a finger slowly.

"But under no circumstance is he permitted to die," I hissed, finally standing before him and kneeling to his eye level. "Not until I've forgotten my grudge upon him." His jaw slowly sagged open as I beamed at him.

"And I still remember the name of the street vendor I passed on the way to work over a decade ago," I added with a chuckle, narrowing my eyes as he grunted. "His name was Edgar. I'll try to remember some of the recipes he worked with so we can keep you fed. But just barely." Silence fell upon the yard as Stain wilted before me. After a long while, Bell cleared his throat.

"This all seems a bit extreme, Cutter," he hummed, causing me to shoot to my full height and whirl around to him.

"Oh very!" I said in a grave tone with a nod. "But we've just had a pirate company invade our island and nearly render it uninhabitable." I shot Stain one final smirk as I spoke.

"Extreme methods for discouraging copycats are permitted, I feel," I declared.

"Goodness me," Bell huffed before laughing. "Well! He has a point and the authority besides. Chop-chop, lads! Let's get to cooking." He clapped his hooves and began gesturing to the soldiers. A few of them shared an eager look before smirking at the pirates before galloping off to follow my orders, but most wilted and stalked away slowly.

The pirates for their part immediately fell into cries for mercy and sobbing a few trying to break their bonds to no avail. Stain meanwhile just looked at me in horror before sinking onto his side.

"Aw, hell," he finally huffed.

I took a gentle swig of the bottled lemonade we'd recently started manufacturing in Eagleland as I made my way to Orange's room. I hadn't been home in a few weeks, so after meeting with the Coast Guard and visiting my favorite prisoner, I was eager to see her again. Upon arriving at her door, I found it sitting ajar, revealing the simple but colorful decor she favored as well as the fluffy blue bed upon which she now sat with her back to me. Her ear swiveled my way as I entered, so I knew she was awake.

"There you are," I chirped as I made my way in. "This quarter's convention was very telling, I do declare!" She made no movement as I set my drink down and took off my coat.

"We haven't had so much as a sniff of trouble even as far south as Mount Aris," I declared with a hum before glancing over my shoulder at her. "I didn't get a chance to tell you when I made landfall Wednesday! I actually had a smuggler surrender immediately upon seeing me." I laughed as I made my way to her bed.

"I didn't even realize he was a smuggler, so I didn't move to intercept him! Fucker just raced toward us with a white flag billowing! Caught me by total surprise," I sighed as I kicked off my shoes. "Ah, and Gray has been very agreeable, lately thanks to my success. The Council has even-"

However, the second I sat down, she scurried to her hooves and leaped away from me. I looked at her in surprise only to wilt when I saw the unhappy sideways leer she had fixed me with.

"What?" I murmured. She held her expression for a moment before blinking and shaking her head.

"It's enough," she croaked, wincing and clearing her throat before looking at me again. "It's enough. She wouldn't want it to go on any longer." I looked at her in confusion, my eyes working as I pondered what she was talking about. Then, it clicked, and I groaned, leveling a hand at her.

"He almost-"

"It's enough!" She screamed.

We sat there for a while, me looking at her in surprise and her glaring tearfully back at me. Eventually, my arms sagged and I slowly stood up. Dragging my hand down my face, I leered at her as she winced and shook her head firmly. My expression hardened, but I turned and made for the door with a grunt.

Snow was beginning to fall, and as I stalked down the street toward the beach, I idly huffed a gout of thin steam into the air. My gaze kept snapping back to the manor as I made my way through the town and finally to the shore, where a familiar sight of two guards and their mostly buried prisoner was waiting, just at the point where the doubtlessly cold water was beginning to drift in.

His sack-covered head weakly drifted side-to-side, clear evidence of the delirium he was experiencing after three weeks of punishment. The two guards I'd ordered to stand watch kept their attention fixed on the horizon, but the uneasy look in their eyes as I stood before the three of them told me everything.

Drawing my sword, I knelt down and grabbed the entombed stallion's head, holding it back. He grunted and and tensed up at my touch, but was too weak to fight me off. I leveled my sword and pressed it down into where I knew his chest was. He tensed up again with a weak and wheezing gurgle before sputtering and then going limp. After a minute, I pressed my fingers against his neck, confirming he was gone. As I stood and withdrew my sword, one of the soldiers whimpered.

"Thank you," he quietly sobbed.

"Fuck off," I spat, before stalking back to my house, idly dragging my sword along the ground as I marched.

From the balcony, I leered down at the house staff as they held their private celebration in the snowy backyard of the manor. Silver was up on one of the tables and dancing with Maple, the head maid. All around the patch they were partying upon were little candles in green and red paper lanterns or glass bulbs that shimmered beautifully in the moonlight. The rest of the manor and most of the island were similarly decorated.

Despite the festive mood, I found myself just feeling cold, so I stalked toward the door before making my way inside. The sweet smell of the simple two-person dinner they'd prepared for me and Orange wafted out to greet me as soon as the door opened and caused me to pause before considering the hall on my left. Halfway up it, the door to the library sat ajar and there was flickering candlelight visible from where I stood.

I lingered there for a moment before making my way to the library. Inside, I found Orange, sitting and reading. She peeked up at me for a moment before returning her attention to her book. "Merry Pony Christmas," I greeted from the door.

"It's Hearth's Warming," she corrected.

"Right," I hummed, leaning on the doorframe with my hands folded. "You coming to dinner?"

"I already ate," she replied, turning a page sharply.

"Again?" I huffed. She nodded and that was the last bit of communication between us for a little while. Eventually, I furrowed my brow and shook my head, fixing her with an incredulous glare. "You know what we did to griffins during the war?"

"Kinda," she retorted, shutting her book with a huff. She sat up and stared pointedly at me. "But I also know there was always a reason for why you did it."

"And there was a reason this time too," I snapped, folding my arms as I glared back at her.

"Yeah," she nodded. "You hated his guts." I threw my head back with a groan and then shook it.

"That's not-"

"No, it is," she snapped, jabbing a hoof at me. "You said that whole bit about scaring off copycats so Admiral Bell wouldn't complain. But the truth is you just wanted him to suffer." She winced and clenched her eyes.

"And I'm sorry, Jim," she murmured, pausing before speaking again. "I'm not the kind of girl who appreciates knowing it was for her sake." Her gaze drifted off to the side.

"Celestia knows Amethyst wasn't," she quietly added. I held my firm glare upon her for a little while. Slowly, however, her argument chipped at my resolve and I slowly wilted, sinking down and sitting on the floor. I sat there with my hands folded on my knees, staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. At that moment, she revealed she'd crept up beside me and nuzzled me.

"Don't be sorry," she urged. "Be better." I turned toward her with a miserable look and she nodded, touching her hoof to my shoulder.

"I get you've lost a whole lot," she shook her head with a sharp frown. "But you didn't even lose me and this is how you reacted." She took a step back and sat down.

"Killing him would've been plenty," she added, shrugging with her wings. "Heck, I might've even thought it was kind of hot." I snorted at her words, earning a small smile from her before she frowned again.

"But burning his crew and then torturing him for the better part of a month?" She sighed and shook her head. "That's something that creep Arnoso would've done." I recoiled hard at her words. When she nodded, I wilted even harder and sighed.

"Ah," I finally grumbled. After a moment, she came up and hugged my arm.

"I- I hope life's done screwing with you," she said, nuzzling my arm before looking up at me severely. "But if it throws a few more sour lemons your way, please." She tilted her head with a weak smile.

"Try to be reasonable?" She begged, sweeping her hoof to the side. "Like when we got Dreadless. Quick, clean, easy." She jabbed me in the chest.

"Justly," she added with a firm nod. I took a deep breath and slowly nodded as I exhaled.

"Justly," I murmured. We sat there for a moment before her expression shifted and her ear swiveled.

"Somepony broke through the gate," she said with a firm look. In an instant, we were to our hooves and feet and making our way to the foyer. Along the way, I grabbed a spare cutlass I kept hanging at the top of the stairs before we dashed to the door. As soon as we reached the floor, the door rattled from someone pounding on it.

Raising my cutlass and sharing a look with Orange, I leaped to the window beside the door and peered outside. There, I spied a pony in a cloak, rearing up and jabbing their hooves against my door. Suddenly, they turned and recoiled upon seeing me before turning away and I snarled before jumping for the door.

"Hey!" I shouted as I yanked it open.

"Be good," they whispered before bolting away from the door. We were just about to give chase when Orange caught me and pointed to where the intruder had just been.

There, in a little basket and wrapped in blankets, was a tiny white filly, barely a foal, with a red mane, lightly dusted with snowflakes. She looked up at me and blinked, tilting her head to the side. As she did, I noticed a note stuck to her side. Furrowing my brow, I bent over and plucked it from her, causing her to recoil slightly. Orange craned her head up to read it alongside me.

This is Lily.

Her father left Trottingham to become a pirate after the war and sent us money. His letters and gifts stopped coming a year ago, and I was unable to keep our home.

Our new home in Eagleland was destroyed by the pirates. I am now leaving this place and its memories behind, but I cannot afford to take her with me nor could I provide for her either way.

Despite what you have done, I believe it was motivated by an aching, fearful, and loving heart. I saw the look in your eyes when you and that mare hugged, after all.

Please love her in my place, Admiral, and protect her and care for her with all the fury you yield for those you love.

Sincerely,
A desperate failure of a mother.

Orange fell onto her haunches with a hoof over her mouth as I balked at the letter's contents. We shared a look before considering the filly again. The little pony blinked a few times before looking off toward the gate and making a sort of squeaky, wheezing whimper. "Mama?" She murmured before her ears twitched and she squeaked again.

"Aw, hell," I murmured.