Cutter

The sky was grey but with a bright glow muddled at its center, almost like the sun was hidden somewhere up above. All around me, the water reflected the dull shade of the sky above but without the light of the possible sun to liven it up. Despite the fact there were no waves, I found myself bobbing gently as I floated on my back, staring at the hazy sky for I didn't know how long. Then suddenly, a blue, winged unicorn's head popped up out of the side of my vision.

"Good evening, Mr. Cutter," Luna greeted with a warm smile.

"Hey, Princess," I replied. She considered the scenery around me, at which point I realized she was standing on the water like a solid surface.

"I believe this dream implies you are feeling overwhelmed and lost in your waking life," she mused, looking down at me with mild concern. "Thus, drowning in the middle of a vast ocean."

"I'm floating though," I retorted, furrowing my brow. She smiled at my assertion.

"Well, perhaps you've found something to hold on to and keep yourself afloat, despite your situation," she offered with a wink. Before I could reply, the water receded and the world shifted to a blank white state. "At any rate, I have a clarifying question for you. Today was your birthday, wasn't it?" I hummed as I moved to a sitting position with Luna lying down beside me.

"Yeah," I replied with a sigh, a miserable frown forming on my face as I raised one knee and rested an arm on it. "My twenty-first." Luna nodded with a thoughtful look.

"How does your species celebrate such events?" She pressed. I considered her for a moment before thinking about her question.

"Well, a lot of guys go out drinking with their friends, since twenty-one is the legal drinking age back home," I finally explained with a shrug.

"Do you have any personal experience with such activities?" She urged with an expectant look. I donned a wide frown as I shook my head.

"Not personally," I hesitantly said before looking at her in mild confusion. "I mean, I saw stuff like it in movies and on TV, and heard about what my brother did, so." She blinked and narrowed her eyes.

"Move-ees," she hummed, seemingly chewing on the word physically and mentally, before shaking her head and looking at me intently. "But you can recall representations of the activity?"

"Yeah. Why?" I asked with a shrug, recoiling slightly as she sat up and clapped her hooves.

"I can work with this!" She chirped. Steadying herself, she focused and her horn lit up. "Please, focus on the memories we have just discussed." I fixed her with an uncertain leer for a moment before she shook her hoof at me. Staring off into the void, I did as she instructed, digging into my memories of home and what David had described his twenty-first as having been like.

And then, suddenly, the white void was transformed. It started with green and red lights flashing in a rapid sequence, followed by rows of yellow lights overhead rolling along in two parallel lines. Then, the sky reformed with a pale blue shade as though the sun had only just gone down, and on either side reflective glass shapes began to rise out of the ground. Seconds later, it all shifted and focused until finally-

"Oh my God," I gasped.

"How's that?" She asked with a nod, appraising the near-perfect recreation of the city I'd grown up in. Looking around in abject shock, I could do nothing but gasp again as the more I looked, the sharper everything became. Slowly, I even began to notice faint and roughly human-shaped people filling the sidewalks on either side of the street we were on. But while the image was hazy, the sounds were absolutely perfect. Luna considered it all for a moment before nodding again.

"I'll take your astonishment as a sign I did well. But of course, forming dreams from memories is quite a simple task," she declared with a giggle, drawing my attention to her. She considered the landscape again with a more thoughtful expression. "Of course, the next bit shall require a bit of improvisation on my part. But I think I can recreate the sensation of one's first drink with a little effort." Then, she turned to me and knelt beside me with a wink.

"And if I am successful, you won't have any of the dreadful morning-after ramifications to face upon waking," she added. Again, I could only look at her in amazement as she stood up straight and looked around. Now, she was observing the hazy human shapes wandering around and she hummed before fixing me with a confident smile. "And you know what else?" I blinked and then recoiled. Where once had stood a winged unicorn now stood a human woman with a blue dyed streak through her black hair, and a hoodie matching the one I'd been wearing when I landed in Equestria. Luna, I was pretty sure, held her arms out in a presentative gesture.

"Whoa," I murmured, drawing a hearty laugh from her.

"Yet another good sign! Now, come with me!" She cried, yanking me to my feet and pulling me along. "We have an evening of consequence-free merriment to engage in!" She paused and narrowed her eyes, tilting her head back in thought. After a moment, her face lit up and she again adopted a confident smirk as a car materialized out of the ether.

"I shall drive!" She declared dragging me to the car, at which point I blanched.

"Do you- Do you know how?" I squeaked.

"Consequence-free! Hah ha!"

I focused on the memory that had suddenly popped up, desperately clinging to it to avoid dwelling upon what had just happened as I rooted around my cabin. Like the rest of the ship, my cabin was thrown into chaos by the explosion, with my desk toppled over, my chair smashed against the wall, and my bed soaked thanks to the fact the hatch covering my window had been blasted apart.

Fearing that the trace amounts of water that had splashed through might have destroyed what I was looking for, I began to hyperventilate as I all but yanked the soggy mattress off the frame. I gasped aloud and dove under it when I saw it: the little mechanical box I'd brought along. Grunting, but otherwise ignoring the mattress as it fell down on my back, I pushed back to my feet before inspecting the box.

Its crank was a little crooked, but it still turned, and pressing my ear to it, it didn't sound like anything had been broken inside. Clenching my teeth, I wound it up and opened it before, to my immense and audible relief, it began playing the little tune it had always played ever since she'd given it to me. I stumbled back and hit the wall before sliding down to the floor with the box held against my ear. I dragged my free hand down my face a few times as the chime managed to overtake and finally dispel the haunting last gasps that Arnoso had made which had been rolling around in my head ever since the pegasi took the top deck and began handling the fire.

"Mr. Cutter," came Holiday's voice at my door. I snapped the box shut with one hand before fixing him with an exhausted leer. He considered me for a moment before nodding. "Please make your way topside; We are deciding upon what to do next."

The deck was in mildly better shape than when I'd left it. A few ponies had seemingly finished sweeping the smaller debris off the ship, including a certain feline pirate, and they'd even moved the cannons that had struck us off to one side. The masts were currently bare as the burning sails and ropes had been doused and then cut free before being removed entirely and packed on the raised rear deck.

Now, as Holiday and I stepped out into the sunlight, we found the crew all gathered in a circle with anxious and impatient looks fixed my way. I shuddered a sigh as we joined the circle.

"Mr. Scurry and Ms. Rosepetal are resting in the captain's cabin along with Ms. Quicksilver," Holiday explained with a nod. "All three should recover without any complications. But that matters very little if we do not ameliorate our current circumstances. Ms. Quicksilver has lost a considerable amount of blood to the point of delirium."

"Right," I hummed, looking over the rest of the crew. Holiday, Zamaradi, and Gab were the only ones who didn't seem rattled, but still wore serious and weary expressions.

"We can haul up the spare sails and ropes from below, so we should have the ship ready to sail by morning," Gab said with a firm nod, looking at each pony individually. "We can thank the stars and the Sea King that we don't have any major holes in our hull, but that just means we now need to decide on our course." He huffed a sigh and stamped his hoof.

"We need food and supplies to fix the ship," he declared, drawing silence from the group. As I considered the group, I noticed Early Riser picking his teeth with one of the huge splinters held by his wing. The sight of him brought the first thing he'd called out to my mind, and I turned to find the distant shape of the island he'd spotted still visible.

"What about that place over there?" I said, pointing to it and setting everyone's attention that way. "Mount Aris, I think you called it?" Gab grunted in response.

"They ain't allies with Equestria, so we don't have nothin' to offer 'em," he said, drawing an unhappy grumble from the crew.

"Well, where's the nearest Equestrian port?" I pressed, folding my arms. Gab tilted his head in thought for a moment before facing me.

"Southpile, and not much farther beyond Mount Aris," he said before grimacing. "But, well, it's pretty damned remote as far as Equestrian ports go." I furrowed my brow at his explanation.

"Meaning what?" I asked.

"Meaning it may not be as friendly to us as your typical Equestrian town, Mister Cutter," Zamaradi said with a knowing smile. "When I last passed through, there was a vicious old dog walking the docks." When she saw my bewildered look she nodded.

"My meaning is he was in charge of the place," she added.

"Oh," I grumbled. "How long ago was that?"

"Four or five years, I think," she said with a shrug. I fixed her with an incredulous look in response to her glib reply and she winked. "A lady does get up to a lot." I rolled my eyes with a sigh.

"What are the chances he's still there? I mean, after four years you'd figure Celestia or Luna would have sent guards in, right?" I offered, at which she, Gab, and Holiday shared a look.

"If nothing else, I suppose there should be one or two officials we could cozy up with," Gab replied after a moment.

"Doesn't fill me with much confidence," Holiday hummed before looking over the crew. "Shall we put it to a vote?" The rest of the crew readily nodded and Gab stamped a hoof.

"All in favor?" He demanded, to a chorus of mostly 'ayes.' "All opposed?" No one called out in opposition, but the three ponies who hadn't voted 'aye' remained silent, with forlorn looks plastered on their faces.

"The ayes have it. Let's get our sails replaced!" Gab declared, sweeping his wings at the crew who immediately got to work. As everyone scurried this way and that, I looked around and stared at the floating debris from Arnoso's ship.

"Hey, do you think it's worth fishing anything out of Arnoso's ship?" I asked, causing Gab to pause and consider the wreck.

"Sharp thinking," he said after a moment, before shooting me a critical leer. "So long as you're willing to help haul it up."

"I've done warehouse work," I retorted, rolling up my sleeves.

"That's the spirit," he said with a smirk. "Let's get some hooks out there!"

"Good. Four notches to starboard," Gab ordered before returning his attention to the ponies in the rigging. With some effort, I pulled at the helm until it had turned as much as he'd commanded. I heaved a breath as I stood up straight. Turns out, operating a ship's wheel was fucking hard work. As Gab explained, there was a rope that fed down from the wheel to the rudder, so I was effectively straining against the rope, the heavy rudder itself, and the sea when I pulled the wheel. I'd also finally had an answer to why it sat between the stairs to the 'quarterdeck' at the stern—shooting out the helmsman was a standard tactic during sea battles, so keeping the helm secured on either side was pivotal.

Gab considered me for a moment before smirking. "Lookin' like a proper sailor already, Mr. Cutter," he mused, seemingly referring to the fact I'd removed my shirt and now had it tied around my head.

"Thanks," I gasped, looking around the deck. We'd fished up enough whole nails to actually secure the cannons that had landed on our deck, along with a barrel of pickled fish and one of just pickles. While the food was welcome, for the most part—the smell had caused almost as much panic as the pirates—the ability to at least present ourselves as armed was universally praised.

We couldn't shoot them and if any other pirates approached, they'd realize our guns were chipped and cracked, but that didn't matter from a distance. And according to Gab, on this side of Equestria, appearances were everything if you didn't want to get skinned or enslaved.

Just behind me, the door to the captain's cabin creaked open as Holiday emerged with a set of dirty rags in a bowl. He strode past me, tipping his hat as he whistled a jaunty tune. As he passed below deck, I noticed Gab was now humming the same tune for a moment before he snorted.

"Damn! How's that go?" He spat, shaking his head as he stamped his hoof to a rhythm only he could hear. "Right!" He took a breath and raised his head.

'Safe and sound at home again, let the waters roar, Jack.'
'One more time with glad refrain, let the chorus soar, Jack.'

I furrowed my brow at him, but at that moment, most of the crew sang right back at him.

Long we've tossed on the rolling main, now we're safe ashore, Jack.
Don't forget yer old shipmate, faldee raldee raldee raldee rye-eye-doe!

I considered the rest of the crew with mild surprise, finding that only a couple of ponies, including Happy Bay, seemed just as taken aback as me. Happy, however, blinked and beamed at the sudden song that had taken over the crew before keeping time with his hoof.

'Since we sailed from Plumage Sound, four years gone, or nigh, Jack.'
'Was there ever chummies, now, such as you and I, Jack?'

This time, Happy eagerly joined in on the chorus, his voice blending perfectly with the rest of the crew.

Long we've tossed on the rolling main, now we're safe ashore, Jack.
Don't forget yer old shipmate, faldee raldee raldee raldee rye-eye-doe!

I hummed at the spectacle before Gab tapped the wheel six times and gestured to larboard. Catching his meaning, I began adjusting the wheel as he and the crew carried on.

We sailed on for most of the morning until the sun had crested past its peak, and finally, we spied land off to the larboard side. Gab had allowed me to rest on the deck while he held the wheel steady since he claimed it was more or less a straight shot from where we were at that point.

"But you stay right there," he warned without looking at me. "Plenty of reefs and sandbars in these parts, and I can't spy 'em out and pilot this thing at the same time."

"Got it," I huffed, wiping my back and chest off with my shirt. At that moment, something thunked against the deck right beside me. Turning, I found a mug of water waiting as Holiday made his way back into the cabin. I tipped it his way before sipping from it. "So, what's the story with him and Zamaradi?"

"Scarcely a clue, lad," Gab replied, his head swiveling. "Quicksilver wanted a doctor and a marine, and they popped up. Heard they passed the guards' examination and got the okay to board, but that's almost all I know." I furrowed my brow as I took a swig of water.

"Marine?" I huffed, before snapping my fingers as I remembered what Happy had said. "Oh, like someone who defends the ship?"

"Durin' a boarding, aye," he replied with a smile before nodding his head forward. Turning, I saw the zebra herself with one leg resting upon the ship's rail and her gaze cast out to sea. "That's Zamaradi." I hummed with a nod of approval.

"She definitely earned her pay, I think," I said, wagging a finger at her. "Didn't know ponies or zebras could climb the way she did." Gab laughed with a nod of his own.

"I'm with you on both counts, but that's also where we find a bit o' strangeness if you ask me," he said leaning slightly closer. "They signed on for hardly half of the wage the positions would normally offer." I balked at his words.

"What?" I asked, at which Gab shook his head and cast a critical glare back at the cabin for just a moment.

"Aye, Quicksilver wasn't too keen on havin' a zebra aboard and tried to scare her off by only offerin' half wages, claiming it was full," he said with a snort, drawing a grunt from me as I considered the zebra. "Zamaradi signed on anyhow, and the doctor demanded to have his wages cut as well."

"Huh," I murmured, still studying Zamaradi. After a few moments, she noticed I was staring and fixed me with the same knowing smile she'd always cast my way. Before I could question it, Early cried out.

"Port ahead! Pretty sure it's Southpile!" He yelled, causing Gab to jolt.

"Cutter, the wheel," he ordered. As I rolled to position, he snapped his wings and flew up to the quarterdeck before pulling out his spyglass. "Ah! I think those're Equestrian flags decorating them ships!" He stamped his hoof with a yawp.

"We're almost there!" He cheered.

Another hour and a half of sailing passed by in a flash, during which all the fatigue and stress of yesterday utterly vanished. Slowly, the port and ships filling and surrounding its harbor drew closer and closer and we-
We all jumped as one of the ships shot a cannon at us.

"What was that?!" I yelled as the ball hit the water halfway between us and the port. Gab spied through his glass for a moment.

"A warning not to get any closer," he said, still spying. "Furl all sails!" The more experienced members of the crew, notably the ones who had caught on to the song earlier, did as instructed.

"Once they see we've slowed, they'll send somepony to treat with us," Gab explained, tapping his spyglass on the wheel. "They'll either let us in or tell us to scram." He pursed his lips and tilted his head for a moment.

"Or signal those warships to kill us," he chirped, laughing aloud when I jumped. Within minutes, the sails were all raised and we'd come down to a gentle drift. We didn't drop the anchor as there remained a chance they'd tell us to beat it, so Gab wanted to be ready for that unhappy possibility. Shortly after we'd slowed down and all gathered on the deck to wait, Gab resumed spying on the port, nodding as there now seemed to be a rowboat rolling out to us.

"Looks like a port official. Coming to welcome us, ideally," he declared with a sigh. "Or more likely, exact a berth tax."
"How much will that be?" Happy nervously asked, drawing a chortle from Gab.

"Well, with our trade pass we should be peachy," he said, shooting the younger pony a wink. "And with our story, we should be keen on top of that." Happy relaxed a little at his words and we all watched the rowboat slowly inch closer and closer. Except for Early, who huffed with annoyance at one point and flew back up to the crow's nest.

Suddenly, a pair of hooks appeared on our rail and latched on. Using what must have been a ladder, a pegasus stallion in a yellow uniform like the one Quicksilver wore, appeared and jumped on deck, followed by a pair of twin uniformed earth pony mares. All three considered our crew with a reserved and even set of expressions for a moment before the stallion stiffly approached us.

"Afternoon, sir!" Gab greeted with a bow, causing the pony to raise an eyebrow and nod his head.

"Lieutenant Harum-scarum, Census and Excise office of Southpile," he replied in a voice so posh I thought he was joking. He sneered his lips as he considered the entire crew. "Such a strange assortment. What is your business so close to Southpile?" His two followers remained silent, but both curtly nodded at his question.

"Resupply and repair," Gab said with a huff before glancing at me. "And if possible, we may need to send word to Her Majesty."

"Is that so? Where are your papers?" The lieutenant asked, sticking his nose up.

"Papers? Oh! We have a trade pass!" Gab said with an eager nod, but his expression wavered when the lieutenant shook his head.

"No. I mean your identification and wartime credentials," he clarified to my shock. Glancing at the crew, I saw that a few others were surprised at his use of the word 'wartime.' "You are the captain of this vessel, aren't you?"

"Ah, no, our captain was injured during a pirate attack yesterday," Gab explained, at which the lieutenant raised an eyebrow.

"Pirates, hm? And where did you set sail from?" He demanded.

"Vanhoover, sir, four months ago," Gab explained with a sigh.

"That's on the opposite end of Equestria," the lieutenant hummed at which Gab grimaced and hung his head.

"Correct, sir," he said in a tone that made me feel things were about to go very poorly. When the lieutenant finally spoke again, he mostly confirmed my fears.

"Bring your captain out here," he demanded, at which Gab shook his head.

"Like I said, she-"

"Bring her. Out," the lieutenant spat without a hint of anger. His two mares nodded vehemently, now donning matching sneers. Gab grimaced again before grunting and nodding at Holiday who scowled at the officer before trotting off to the cabin. While he retrieved Quicksilver, the lieutenant began examining our ship and the guns we had, whispering something to his followers every now and again.

Finally, Holiday returned, slowly, with Quicksilver braced against him. She had one hoof in a sling and was looking around with a dazed expression.

"This is Captain Quicksilver, still injured as you can plainly see," Holiday declared with no small amount of venom in his voice. The lieutenant sneered at him before focusing on Quicksilver.

"You said you were attacked by pirates?" He said, approaching her with his head shaking. "Why in Her Majesty's name were you carrying guns but no ammunition?" He stood just before her and Holiday and stuck his nose up.

"What was your course, Captain Quicksilver?" He demanded, causing Quicksilver to blink and tilt her head.

"Sir, she is still-" Holiday was cut off with a grunt when the lieutenant shot a hoof up at him.

"Captain?" He pressed. "What happened here?" Quicksilver swayed even with Holiday's help and she considered the lieutenant for a moment before blinking and noticing Gab just behind him.

"Mutiny," she murmured, struggling and stamping her hoof weakly. "Mutineer. Mutiny. Pirates. Take the trade pass." She murmured again and nearly collapsed, forcing Holiday to hoist her up even higher onto his back. But while his expression was still even, if a bit annoyed, the rest of us were stricken with shock.

The crew shared a look before all eyes fell upon the lieutenant. He recoiled for just a moment and furrowed his brow, his features set in the same stern expression he'd worn since stepping aboard. His two assistants however now looked over the rest of us with muted horror.

He pursed his lips for a moment, slowly nodding as Gab slowly stepped forward. "What she means is-"

"Surprise attack!" The lieutenant roared in a high-pitched voice with an unsophisticated southern twang as he suddenly shot forward, leaping up and drop-kicking Holiday in the face. As the doctor was thrown back, the lieutenant scrambled and dashed under Quicksilver, rapidly lifting her onto his shoulders as he dashed for the ladder he and his companions had used to board us. His assistants both screamed as one reached into her coat and pulled out what looked like a pull-string bottle rocket with her teeth. As they scrambled after their superior, she yanked the string on the rocket and it shot into the air, exploding in a brilliant flash high above our masts.

"Row for the shore! Get the Coast Guard! Mutineers! Pirates! Liars! And a tall weirdo!" I heard the lieutenant scream down below. The rest of us stood in stunned silence, eyes wide and jaws all hanging.

"Hey!" Early called from the crow's nest. Looking up, we saw him pointing to the port. "Them warships got ponies in the rigging! They're opening their gunports!" We all considered the line of ships at the port and the lieutenant's rowboat which was rocketing toward the shore at an alarming speed.

"Let's turn the ship around and run. All in favor?" I offered.

"Aye," everyone called out.