> Crew of the Marblehead
>  by M48 Patton
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You should believe me when I tell you that you have made a grave mistake. You see, on that ship, we're not a crew, we're a family. Oh you may laugh and call ponies just sentimental fools, but that's where your wrong. That ship is not full of softhearted ponies who resolve their problems with friendship and understanding. It's a pirate ship crewed by creatures of an entirely different nature. They have mercy only when they want to; their skills as fighters were not taught to them in a barracks or classroom but in brutal and bloody combat. Without regret or compassion, they will slaughter anypony, anybody that threatens them. They are pirates, nothing less. 

	“Had you taken me and me alone, the crew might be willing to listen, maybe even negotiate. They realize that hostage situations can be tricky. However, you took something more, something precious to the entire crew, and they will burn the very oceans to bring her back. Your downfall is held in my hooves, blissfully unaware that all her fathers and mothers are preparing for a war. There is no fortress they will not storm, no sea they will not cross, no beast they will not slay to bring her home safely. She may be my daughter by blood, but the bond forged between her and the crew is just as strong, perhaps even stronger. 

	“The next time you see that ship, it will be breathing fire. The next time you see the crew, they will be covered in the blood of your soldiers. The next time you see me, I will be standing with my husband. And the next time you see my daughter, she will be standing over you. You will be asking yourself how we defeated you, and let me give you the answer: Trade Breaker, Captain of the Marblehead.” 







Mare's Point wasn't a paradise by any stretch of the imagination, a small port city with limited access to Mustania through tough mountain roads. However, its harbor was well protected by a mountain range to the southern side as well as a natural trench that acted as a wave break. Even a tsunami would be hard pressed to do any lasting damage to the port.

In the winter, heavy snows blocked the mountain roads and prevented any trade from being conducted through the port save for a little bit of local business. However, when the snows melted in the spring, almost all of Mustania's trade passed through Mare's Point, giving the city a healthy income to last it through the winter months.

Although not the prettiest city on the continent, crime was kept to a minimum by various methods and the city had a sanitation service that kept the streets clean. The businesses were arranged by the waterfront while the housing was built further inland, slowly growing in size as the wealthier tended to try and build on the higher ground while still maintaining a close distance to the city.

The farthest house up and by far the largest was the governor's house. The pegasus who lived there was a bit of a mystery, having shown up one day without warning and enough gold to buy the entire town. He had built his mansion on a rocky outcrop that stood high over the city, giving him a perfect view of the harbor while also giving the sailors aboard the incoming ships a view of his house.

It seemed to speak that he was a powerful figure, one that should not be messed with. When the leading crime lord mysteriously disappeared one night after threatening the governor, that image was only reinforced.

Of all the servants in the house, none knew the master by his true name save for his personal butler, Godfrey the griffon. While most just called the governor Purse Strings, the name he had told them, Godfrey knew his master's secret and in private would address him by his real identity; 'Storm Killer, Pirate Lord of the Seas.'

Former pirate lord. Storm Killer had given up his life of crime a few years ago, retiring to Mare's Point and settling down to live out the rest of his days in comfort. He had run for governor out of sheer boredom, but when he was elected he took to the job like a shark that smelled blood, firing any of the corrupt or useless creatures in office and hiring professionals that he trusted to do a good job.

However, with competent help and a city that was moderately well run in the first place, Storm Killer quickly found himself getting bored quite quickly again. His leisure activities no longer interested him, the paperwork was passed on to secretaries, the crime lords no longer bothered with sending assassins.

Godfrey was beginning to worry about him. Recently, Storm Killer had fallen into a melancholy state that he seemed to be unable to break out of. Not even the wild parties he sometimes threw were enough bring a smile to his face. He slept in and was dangerous in the mornings if woken improperly.

It was on one such morning that Godfrey was getting ready to open the door to the master chambers and offer him breakfast in bed. The griffon was rather cautious when doing so, last time Storm Killer had tried to use his throwing knives to skewer his butler to the wall. Fortunately for Godfrey, the irritable pegasus had still been half asleep and his aim was off.

Straightening his servant's jacket and sweeping off some nonexistent dust, Godfrey balanced the tray of food on one talon and prepared to carefully open one of the double doors to the room. He never stood a chance.

The door slammed open with the force of a speeding train behind it, a dark blue pegasus with gray mane and tail now standing in the open frame. He had a powerful frame that belied his age and a fake wooden foreleg. His gray mane was neatly combed back and he had a thick, bushy beard that curled down from his chin. The only reason he didn't have an eye patch was because he had worn one in his old pirating days, and for some reason the fact that he appeared to have one eye seemed to save both of them from any harm.

“HAHA!” The pegasus yelled triumphantly. “THE MAIL SHIP'S BAECK! GODFRAAAAAEY!”

“Here sir.” A weak voice called from behind the door.

Storm Killer grabbed the door and practically ripped it off its hinges as he slammed it shut, knocking the other door down in the process. The unfortunate griffon was flattened against the wall, an assortment of breakfast foods and hot coffee covering most of his body.

“Wha'aar yew doin' baeck there?” The former pirate asked.

“A violent upheaval in the balance of nature.” Godfrey gasped, wishing it didn't hurt so much to roll his eyes.

“E'nuff o' tha'!” Storm Killer carried on oblivious to his butler's pain. “Go an' ge' mah suit ready! We're goin intae taown!”

“Yes sir. Right away sir.” The butler whispered painfully, unable to move from his position in the wall.







Throwing the windows open, Storm Killer took in a deep breath of ocean air. The morning was already a bright and blue sky with Celestia's sun rising quickly. Ships were making their way in and out of the bay at a leisurely pace.

One of these ships was the Foal's Delight, a small freighter whose captain had landed a contract with the Bugganville Regional Authority to carry mail between Mustania and Bugganville Island. It took the ship three days to make the trip and then usually spent a good week in port.

As the Foal's Delight pulled up alongside the dock, the pony crew threw a pair of mooring lines to the two minotaurs on the dock. As the minotaurs tied the thick ropes to the fish eyes anchored to the dock, a motley band of creatures began assisting the crew in offloading the cargo. Due to Mare's Point rather friendly attitude towards foreigners, a large amount of creatures tended to make their home in the city should they get tired of the sea.

Although the majority of the city consisted mostly of natural born Mustanians, there were quite a few griffons in the city as well as minotaurs and zebras. A few yaks lived up in the mountains, quite comfortable to live in the colder climates. There rumors that even some changelings had taken up residence in the city, but the rather poor reception to the news prompted the shapeshifters to either move on or take the form of a more accepted species.

Not that this really concerned Storm Killer at the moment as he divebombed the dock. Flaring his wings at the last moment, he landed on the dock heavily enough to shake some of the boxes nearby. The dockworkers and sailponies were startled by his sudden appearance, and his sudden shouting did nothing to alleviate their fears.

“Where be tha' mail!” He demanded, stomping forward and checking every pouch he could see.

Godfrey landed behind him, careful not to get to close.

“Sir, you can't just grab your letters, they have to pass through the postmaster's office.” The griffon pleaded.

“Fid'dal sticks! Ah'm tha' goveh'nor, if'n he don' lahk eet, then Ah'll fire him.” The old pirate said while sticking his head into a sack carefully balance on a pony's back.

Godfrey rolled his eyes. “The postmaster is a mare sir, and I don't think-”

“Is she pret'y?” Storm Killer paused momentarily. “Ne'ermind! Ah gotta' fin' mah letter.”

The dockworkers were quite confused as to what they should do. Normally, they would stop anybody that tried to interfere with the mail, but the pegasus had a rather official looking uniform on and none of them wanted to get in his way.

Storm Killer pushed his way onto the deck of the freighter and was satisfied to see a brown burlap sack with the words “MAIL OFFICIAL USE ONLY” written on the side being carried up from below by a sailpony.

“You thare! Ih' that tha' mail?” He said eagerly.

The unfortunate sailpony nodded, unable to talk due to the sack in his mouth.

“Giv' it here!” Storm Killer demanded, lunging for the sack.

Much to the surprise of all those present, the sailpony dodged out of reach and dropped the sack off to his side.

“I'm sorry sir, but I can only turn this mail over to an officially recognized postal worker.” The stallion said desperately, clutching the sack with a foreleg.

“Ah don' 'ave tim' tae waste!” Storm Killer said angrily. “Giv' it tae me!”

“I'm sorry sir! But I can only turn this mail over to an officially recognized postal worker!” The sailpony repeated, trying to decide whether his job was worth the trouble.

“WHY YEW-” Storm Killer started to advance on the sailpony, but stopped as an idea struck him. “Yew say yew can onlae giv' it tae a posd worker?”

The stallion nodded hesitantly.

“An' someponay gave tha' sack tae yew?” The pegasus asked.

Again, the stallion nodded.

“Well then! Yew can get mah letter!” Storm Killer grinned broadly.

“Um-” The sailpony's brain was suddenly falling off a bridge.

“Yew're a re-co-nized post member, sin' yew're carryin' tha' sack, ain' yew?”

“Well no-” The sailpony started.

“Get tae i'then!” Storm Killer ordered, slamming his hoof down on the sailpony's back.

The poor stallion had run out of courage and quickly undid the twine hold the sack closed. He stuck his head into the opening and sifted around for a moment before lifting his head back out.

“Uh, what's your name again?”

Storm Killer puffed up and smiled. “Purse Strings. Goveh'nor Purse Strings.”

As the pony searched through the burlap sack for the letter, Storm Killer turned to the nearest creature, which happened to be Godfrey, and shrugged.

“Nahce colt, a li'el slow bu' Ah respeck 'is spirit. Not many Ah know woul' challenge mah orders.” He commented.

Godfrey let out a low hiss. “He just hasn't seen your weapon collection yet.”

Storm Killer let out a loud laugh that died as soon as he saw the sailpony remove his head from the sack, a letter held delicately in his teeth.

“AHA!” He exclaimed, ripping the letter out of the sailpony's mouth.

“Talon!” The pirate demanded.

With a sigh, Godfrey held up his claw with a single talon outstretched. The griffon's sharp claw sliced through the letter's top cleanly, allowing Storm Killer to pull the piece of parchment out and unfold it. He looked at it for a moment before using a hoof to pat his suit down.

Godfrey came prepared and pulled out his master's reading glasses, offering them to him.

“Thank yew.” Storm Killer grunted before placing the spectacles on his muzzle.

“Dear da, Ah'm writin' tae yew from. . .” The pirate began reading out loud, but slowly quieted down below an audible level.

“. . . oil levels be too low tae visit yew.” He finished out loud.

Storm Killer continued to stare at the letter, sucking in a deep breath.

“GODFREY!” He bellowed.

“Here sir.”

“Oh.” The pegasus started, looking at the griffon. “Pack mah bags, we'rae goin' tae take a trip!”

“Trouble sir?” Godfrey asked uninterestedly.

“Aye! Mah bonnie wee girl cannae come tae visit 'er dear ol' da'!” Storm Killer said dejectedly, but instantly brightened up. “So Ah'm goin' tae visit her instea'!”

Godfrey slumped slightly. “Of course sir. Shall I charter a boat to Bugganville?”

“Nae, Ah'll be needin' tae maek some social calls tae mah ol' pals firs'.” The pirate smiled.
> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Run. That had been the only thing the captain of the small freighter could do. For an hour, she had stayed by her helm steering her ship away from the nightmare that pursued them. She had heard stories of the famed ship, but to see it with her own eyes had nearly stopped her heart. The wind that drove her ship on with fury did nothing to open the gap between the two ships as her pursuer closed the distance with frightening speed.

She called out to her crew to make more sail, but it was useless. The Germanenian ship had every last stitch of canvas aloft, pulling the ship forward at an impressive fifteen knots. Off the bow of the merchant vessel lay a squall line not far ahead, offering darkness from the bright day. The captain had hoped to sail into the rainstorm in an effort to hide from the fearsome vessel.

It was too late. With a speed that should have been impossible for such a large vessel, the giant ship swept by the Germanenian merchant and veered in front of the slow and ungainly freighter. The unfortunate sailponies aboard the merchant vessel held on to whatever they could grab for dear life as the wake from the giant ship caused the deck of the merchant to heel over sharply. Wood groaned and sails creaked as the ship righted itself only to tip suddenly to the other side as the merchant ship's captain maneuvered to prevent a collision between the two vessels.

The move sent the bow of the ship directly into the wind, stopping the freighter dead in the ocean. Before the crew was able to adjust the sails for the change in the wind, the giant ship had turned around and come up alongside the merchant, stopping perfectly abeam of the wooden ship. Almost instantly, a mare's voice called out in crisp, clear Germanenic.

“Please stop!” She called. “Or they will not only kill you, but my daughter as well!”

The sailponies on board the merchant looked up at the deck, searching for the source of the voice. Staring back down out them were about a dozen pirates, the majority of them ponies with a few other species mixed in. One of the pirates, a red unicorn pony stallion was holding a knife to the throat of a mint colored earth pony mare.

“Please, just do as they say or my daughter will be thrown overboard!” The mare wailed pitifully.

As she said this, a small brown earth pony filly was carried out over the side of the ship by a pegasus. The little filly screamed and cried helplessly in the hooves of her captor, yelling out something in Equestrian.

Instantly, the Germanenian sailponies were yelling in outrage, but a flame of red hot fire erupted from the deck of the giant ship. The threat of fire silenced the crew, and they watched in horror as a red pony-sized dragon climbed onto the railing and stared hungrily down at them

“These are the pirates' demands.” She called out in her melodic voice. “You are to allow them to offload your cargo without quarrel. If there is any resistance, my daughter will join your crew at the bottom of the sea.”

The sailponies aboard the merchant ship grouped up with their captain for a moment to discuss the situation. She knew what the stakes were, and she knew just how powerless they were. She gave the order and sullenly, the crew pulled the hatch off of their cargo hold and then lined the railing at the far side of the ship, watching the pirates begin their work.







Standing on a platform raised over the already towering deck of the massive ship was a pegasus. His rough, yellow coat showed slight wear from years on the sea and his powerful frame was built more like that of an earth pony rather than a pegasus. Underneath an aging but well maintained blue tricorn hat was a mess of dirty yellow hair that matched the ragged and unkempt look of his tail. Though partially hidden by his hat, the pegasus watched everything with keen eyes that took in the most minute details.

This pegasus was none other than the captain of the fearsome pirate ship, Trade Breaker, a once honest merchant captain that had lost his first ship the Sea Treader in a terrible storm. However, the storm had ultimately led him to the wondrous vessel known as the Marblehead, the ship he now commanded.

It was a massive construction made of steel, an impossible feat itself, but that was just the first surprise his ship had to offer. Two structures rose above the deck with movable cannons mounted in the sides of them. The wheelhouse was also mounted on the top of the forward structure, giving him an unobstructed view of the sea. Two boxes, one on the very bow and one on the very stern of the ship held powerful twin cannons that could turn to either side of the ship.

Four large smokestacks rose into the air in the center of the ship in between the two structures. Below these smokestacks were the massive boilers that powered his ship, allowing it to move in excess of thirty knots, faster than anything on the sea.

The ship's paint was a dull gray exterior and red bottom, and it made the ship a strange sight on the ocean allowing any creature that saw her to recognize the pirate ship from a great distance. Despite her odd appearance, her speed, armor and weapons were unmatched, making her the queen of the seas wherever she sailed. However, no matter how powerful a ship may be, it is nothing more that an object, powerless without a good crew to handle her.

For the most part, the crew did as Trade Breaker ordered, mostly because they liked him. However, a cursory glance told the pegasus that two of his crew were not performing their duties at that current moment.







“DRIP! Stop kissin' the hostage!” The captain's harsh voice rang out as he approached the red unicorn. Fortunately, the two had moved back slightly as to not be seen by the sailponies below.

The stallion broke lip contact with the mint green mare and looked at his captain with an innocent expression.

“Just checking her pulse, Captain.” He said.

“Don't be givin' me any o' that!” The captain growled. “Ye'll have plenty o' time to show Miss Flowers how ye feel ta'night, but at this current moment, ye'll maintain yer respective characters as pirate an' hostage.”

“Aye sir!” The stallion saluted while the mare dipped her head slightly in acknowledgment.

Trade Breaker turned around and let out a small sigh. So far, the plan to try and appear more pirate like wasn't going to plan at all, starting with those two

In reality, the mare being held hostage was in fact, Miss Sun Flowers, a former singer from Canterlot before an unexpected daughter had blacklisted her from a great many of the communities across Equestria. The unfortunate mare was so desperate that she signed on with Captain Trade Breaker a few years back and had been a part of the crew ever since.

The stallion who was enjoying her company was none other than her fiance, the two of them having known each other back when Trade Breaker was still in command of his old ship, the Sea Treader. However, it wasn't until the Sea Treader was lost and Trade Breaker had acquired the Marblehead that most of the crew found out the stallion's secret.

Drip was a changeling, having signed on with Trade Breaker the day after Sun Flowers had. Although Trade Breaker had learned the changeling's true identity long before it was revealed, Trade Breaker had trusted Drip and allowed the changeling to feed off the emotions of the crew as long as it never harmed them.

Although Sun Flowers was initially fearful and cautious of Drip due to his heritage, the changeling had slowly but surely brought down the mare's barrier and eventually proposed. It had been a joyous day on the ship when Sun Flowers accepted.

However, as much as Trade Breaker enjoyed the sight of the two becoming a couple, his main concern at the moment was to ensure that the sailponies down below saw a frightening and fierce crew of cutthroats and hopefully pass the information on. He only hoped that the rest of the crew were staying in character.







Having been in more battles than most pirates spent days on a ship, the pegasus known as Quick Strike thought he could handle just about anything. He was wrong. Currently, he was trying to look menacing and ready to end a filly's life at a moment's notice.

It was not an easy thing to do when said filly was trying her darnedest not to start giggling and failing miserably at it. Which was infuriating and adorable at the same time.

“Will ye stop smilin' an' start bawlin' already?” Quick Strike hissed.

“I'm sowwy!” The little filly said, her smile still threatening to break free.

The hardened pirate held the filly in his forelegs in plain sight of the Germanenian crew in order to warn them not to try and start a fight, but he kept his distance not only as a precaution against the sailponies attempting a rescue but also to keep the more keen eyed ones from seeing the little filly's grin.

“I'll drop ye if'n ye don't stop smilin'!” Quick Strike threatened the bundle of joy, but it only served to fuel the filly's happiness.

“Ooh! Ooh! I know Mistah Strike!” She said eagerly. “What if ya broke my leg? That would make me cry!”

Quick Strike grimaced uncomfortably, the mere thought of hurting her made his stomach churn.

“No, I don't think that's a good idea. Yer mother wouldn't be too happy wit' me.” He said, trying to forget the idea as quickly as possible.

“Oh, that makes sense.” The filly pondered this for a moment, thankfully lacking a smile as she did.

“Ooh!” The smile had returned. “What if ya told me a really scary story?”

Quick Strike let out a snort of exasperation, but the filly had given him an idea.

“I've gotta better idea, why don't ye jus' think o' somethin' sad yerself?” He suggested.

The filly's face screwed up in concentration. “Like what?”

“Like how yer mother an' Drip ain' gettin' married tonight!” Quick Strike grinned, proud of his clever answer.

There was only silence for a moment save for the flap of his wings as the small brown earth filly thought about this. Then he heard a giggle.

“You know Mister Strike, you're not very good at lying.” She said with a smile.

Quick Strike sighed in defeat. “An' yer too smart fer a filly yer age, Miss Water Rose.”







Every ship needs a good cook to keep the crew well fed, and the Marblehead was no exception. Several rather odd dishes tended to emerge from the galley every time a new ship was raided and the cook managed to get his claws on a new set of ingredients. Although often times these new foods could be edible and maybe even appealing to the crew, sometimes it was better to avoid letting some of the more exotic foods near the chef.

So it was no surprise when a large and imposing white unicorn found a barrel of rather questionable objects that smelled horrible brought onto the steel deck of the Marblehead, he was rather curious as to what they were.

“Four Eyes, come here for a moment.” Big Sail beckoned.

A blue pony with a messy green mane dragged himself over to the barrel that Big Sail pointed to. He-Who-Swims-Blindly, or Four Eyes as he liked to be called, was a seapony. Although the front half of him resembled a slim earth pony, his rear half was unmistakably like that of a fish with a powerful fin that could propel him through the water at high speeds. However, his eyesight was terrible and because of this he had been abandoned by his pod. Having accidentally come upon the Marblehead, he had been accepted by the crew instantly and given a pair of spectacles to help him see.

Despite having no education to speak of, his grasp of languages and numbers was quite expansive and he had been assigned to keep inventory over the ship. Looking at the writing on the barrel and thinking hard, Four Eyes tried to figure out what the contents of the container might be.

“Frosch Eier. . . Eier.” The seapony pondered the words for a moment before he announced his conclusion. “Frog eggs!”

“Thanks!” Big Sail said before picking the barrel up in his magic and throwing it overboard.

“Happy to help!” Four Eyes beamed.







Trade Breaker was standing near the wheelhouse when he heard a loud splash.

“What made that noise?” He demanded of the creatures on the deck below.

Big Sail looked up at him with the innocence of a newborn. “No idea, Captain.”

The yellow pegasus eyed his crew with a frown.

“Get back to work then!” Trade Breaker ordered before turning to look back at the Germanenian merchant.

“Captain!” A voice called from above.

He looked up to see Night Watch diving down to the deck. The thestral landed on the deck with a worried look on his face.

“Captain, Griffonian air fleet sighted southwest of us.” He explained.

“Did they see us?” Trade Breaker asked.

“They're coming right at us, so if they haven't already, they will in a minute.” Night Watch said hurriedly.

Trade Breaker turned away and dashed into the wheelhouse where his first mate was waiting.

“Or'ers sir?” She asked, her keen hearing already having heard the conversation outside.

“Get the crew back on board and make your course east by southeast!” The captain replied.

“Aye Cap'n.” She nodded.

She sounded the horn twice, signaling that ship was about to start and then pushed the speed telegraph levers to 'AHEAD FULL'. Down below in the engine spaces, a dark unicorn mare with a dull gray mane saw the signal and began opening steam lines to the massive turbines. With a steady rumble, the ship began to edge forward as the last of the boarding party was lifted onto the deck by a steel cable suspended by a metal boom.

The first mate turned to look back at the captain after the ship had reached half of its speed and still accelerating.

“We be 'eadin' diri'ctly fer that Zebrican war barge if'n we stay this course fer too long.” She said.

“Aye Storm, but after we clear the griffons, we be turnin' due south agin' the wind.” Trade Breaker explained. “By nightfall, they be nought but memories an' we'll change course fer Ghost Island.”

“Aye Cap'n.” The first mate nodded, a small smile starting to form.

Storm Stalker was a powerful pegasus mare whose sleek and toned form was covered in scars from previous battles. Her fur was a dark blue and she had a black mane and tail. Being the daughter of a pirate lord, Storm's childhood wasn't easy as she was constantly either training or fighting for her life.

“Will yew be wantin' tae pick up supplies in Bugganville?” Storm asked.

“Aye, an' maybe offload some of our more useless cargo.” Trade Breaker answered.

Although not betraying any emotion, Storm silently celebrated. It had been three weeks since she mailed her father a letter saying that she couldn't visit him, and she was sure his reply was less than ecstatic. Nevertheless, she was confident that she could hold him at bay until she was good and ready for the legendary pirate lord to meet the captain of the legendary Marblehead.

She shuddered at the thought of her father meeting Trade Breaker any time soon. Storm Killer had high expectations of the captain, and both she and Trade Breaker would be in a load of trouble if he was disappointed.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the sun slowly slipped beneath the horizon, turning the sea from its brilliant blue to a deep red, a gray ship that was merely a black outline vanished from view as it sailed away from the pursuing Griffonian fleet. Battered and sinking to the ocean below, the crew abandoned one of their airships and flew to the flagship.

The third Griffon ship to be claimed by the ocean that day, the sinking airship was a stark reminder as to why the mysterious ship known as the Marblehead was the ruler of the seas. The crew of the steel ship had struck without warning, a single blue pegasus mare that whipped through the airships' formation, tossing small bombs onto whatever she pleased.

Although the griffons tried to pursue her, the pegasus had flown towards the ship and took refuge inside while thick, oily smoke had spewed forth from the tall smokestacks in the middle of the ship. Any griffon unlucky enough to breath in the substance could barely fly away with a burning in their throats and a stinging in their eyes.

The ship had turned into the wind, and the Griffonian fleet was unable to keep up with her impossible speed while tacking back and forth to against the stiff wind that blew. Soon enough, the ship was but a distant memory, one that had disabled three ships and knocked out the most fierce and capable fighters in the Griffonian empire.







Trade Breaker gave a sigh of relief as the pursuing fleet fell into the distance. Storm Stalker walked into the wheelhouse, examining her wings.

“Ah need tae thank Zabramn fer tha' bombs. Those griffons ne'er knew Ah was on 'em.” She smiled. “Las' tim' Ah had tae fight wit' an airship, me an mah fadder 'ad tae go aboot cuttin' tha suppor' ropes. Nae an easy thin' tae do when fightin' a crew o' bloodthirsty mercey'naries.”

The blue pegasus mare ruffled her feathers before smoothing them out.

“That was a long day.” Big Sail sighed.

“Aye, it t'was.” Storm said thoughtfully. “Come tae think o' it, tha' was the firs' tim' Ah killed a minotaur bah droppin' 'im.”

Trade Breaker shuddered at the tale, thankful that Storm Stalker and her crew no longer engaged in needlessly bloody conflicts. Most of the Marblehead's crew were former pirates that had once sailed under the legendary pirate Storm Killer. Storm Stalker, his daughter, became the first mate of his ship before eventually becoming the captain of her father's ship, the Golden Curse.

One unfortunate night, Trade Breaker accidentally piloted the Marblehead right through the middle of the Golden Curse and neatly split her in half. Since there was only a skeleton crew on board, nopony had been hurt, but they had to be pulled from the water by the Marblehead's small crew. Storm Stalker had surrendered to Trade Breaker that night and her crew proved to be an invaluable ally ever since.

“Storm, get down below and tell Miz Sun Flowers that the wedding will be commencin' as planned.” Trade Breaker ordered. “Big Sail, tell Drip the same. I want the deck swabbed and ready fer tonight, an' Culinary will be needin' to prepare refreshments fer afterwards.”

“Aye Cap'n.” Storm nodded and left without another word.

Big Sail waited until Trade Breaker had taken over at the wheel before doing the same.

The yellow pegasus placed one hoof on the wheel, having to balanced on his rear hooves to see out the panoramic windows that wrapped around the wheelhouse. Checking his course with the large compass, he was satisfied to see that he was holding steady.

Trade Breaker smiled, something he had rarely done before taking command of the Marblehead. His father, a great sea captain, had expressed nothing but disappointment in his youngest son, a burden to the sea he had called him. From birth, Trade Breaker had tried to become like his father and master the oceans. He had tried sailing, navigation, even dockworking.

The aspiring young captain's fate was all but sealed when his flank was adorned with the symbol of a sunken ship. Everything he touched, from the tiller to the anchor, failed in one way or another. Trade Breaker was banned from ever setting hoof on a ship for fear that he might sink it, leaving the sea loving pegasus stranded on land.

That all changed with the Marblehead. The steel ship refused to let magic have any effect on her, and that included whatever Trade Breaker managed to throw at it. Where any other ship might shatter her mast simply because Trade Breaker looked at it, the Marblehead just ignored his curse. The gale force winds that would drive a ship to the bottom of the seas were nothing but gentle breezes to the mighty ship. When Trade Breaker relied on the sails of his ship to move forwards, the winds refused to fill the towering sheets, but with the Marblehead's massive engines propelling the ship, it seemed as though nothing could stop him.

Many captains, although they felt a connection to any ship they sailed on, always could step aboard another ship with confidence. Trade Breaker could not. For him, the Marblehead was his only connection to the sea, and in many ways to the crew that sailed her.

So Trade Breaker smiled, happy and contented with the life that he was living. Eventually it would end, but for now, he could enjoy the time he had aboard the Marblehead. He knew that once he stepped off of her for the last time, he would be bound to the shores for the rest of his life.

The door to the wheelhouse squeaked open and the click of wood on the steel deck caught his attention. A fully grown timberwolf stepped forwards, its eyes glowing in the dark.

“Captain Trade Breaker.” It said in a raspy voice. “I have brought your dinner.”

Trade Breaker smiled and tied the wheel in place.

“I thank ye fer yer consideration.” He said, taking the bowl of soup from its resting place in the timberwolf's back.

After sipping some of the concoction, Trade Breaker looked out into the night.

“Ye know Woody, it strikes me as odd Miss Stalker bein' so concerned with retrievin' supplies.” He said idly. “She's never been one to worry about it, fer the most part, she be content wit' delegatin' it to Four Eyes. An' now, every time we get near Bugganville she be wantin' to go ashore.”

Woody, the result of the head engineer's childhood experiments, was an intelligent timberwolf that had recently devoted himself to becoming the ship's steward. Although he looked like nothing more than a common timberwolf, Woody's intellect was higher than most politicians and his grasp of fighting techniques made him a deadly ally. Fiercely loyal to his creator, the timberwolf had begrudgingly accepted the crew and eventually started to become friends with a great many of them.

“She smells of fear and frustration.” Woody answered. “When one as powerful as she reeks of such weak emotions, then I believe that trouble is approaching our ship.”

Trade Breaker blew on his soup. “Fear be manifestin' in different ways, mayhaps she be growin' worried that she's growin' soft?”

“No, it is a different fear.” Woody said quietly. “Neither has she decreased in skill nor does her fear smell that of simple worry. It is a fear of the prey when there is a predator nearby. One that I have born witness to in the Everfree when I was hunting for food.”

Closing his eyes, Trade Breaker sighed. “This bodes ill fer all of us. Tonight, I'll find the truth after the weddin'.”







As the Marblehead steamed resolutely forwards into the night, her amidships deck was brightly lit by lanterns and the search light on the forward superstructure. Chairs and benches had been arranged in fairly neat rows facing a small raised platform with an aisle down the middle. A banner had been tied to one of the funnels and the lifeboat crane that read 'Congrad- Congratulations Drip & Sun' on one side, while it had several food stains and blood spots on the other.

Meanwhile, while most of the crew were continuing in their preparations, a mare was sitting in the captain's cabin rocking back and forth nervously. Two other mares were trying to comfort her, but it seemed rather hopeless at the moment. Sun Flowers hugged herself as she breathed heavily, trying to calm herself.

“What's wrong?” A dark black unicorn with a gray mane asked soothingly. “I thought you loved Drip, why are you so nervous?”

“I do!” Sun Flowers blurted out, her face reddening. “I'm just so- so-”

“Confused?” A thestral mare asked.

“. . . Yes?” The earth pony mare sobbed. “I love him! But I'm also worried! He's a changeling! And I'm- I'm-”

“A sobbin' wreck?” Storm Stalker interjected helpfully as she stuck her head into the cabin.

“. . . YEEEEEESSSS!” Sun Flowers cried.

Both the threstral and unicorn gave Storm Stalker a look of annoyance.

“You just had to open your fat mouth.” The unicorn sighed.

Storm Stalker shrugged as she fully entered the cabin.

“Ah suppose tha' yew're a bit nervous aboot the weddin', but Ah'm here tae tell yew tae calm down.” The blue pegasus sighed. “Yew 'ave nothin' tae fear aboot Drip.”

“I'm not afraid of Drip-” Sun Flowers began, but Storm cut her off.

“Ah know yew ain' afraid o' Drip!” The first mate said harshly. “Tha's nae what Ah mean', yew're afraid o' wha' may 'appen tae the two o' yew aftah' the weddin'. Yew're worried tha' this be na'out bu' the heat o' the momen' bringin' the two o' yew ta'gether an' he'll leave aftah the firs' fight.”

The distraught future bride sniffled slightly, looking downwards.

“I was so devastated when I got pregnant with Water Rose.” She whispered. “He just took me and then left, I cried for a whole day, I couldn't stop. What if Drip doesn't like me when we're married? What if he just decides that I'm not worth the trouble and leaves? I couldn't do it again. Not again, I never want to feel that pain again in my life.”

Quietly, her sniffling turned into hushed sobbing as she shrunk in on herself and let her tears fall. Quickly, the threstral and unicorn wrapped their forelegs around her and began to comfort her.

“Don't worry Miss Flowers.” The threstral mare said reassuringly. “Drip would never leave you. Look at how long you were afraid of him for being a changeling, and not once did he ever treat you any differently.”

Sun Flowers stopped crying and looked up. “But-”

“No buts.” The unicorn said. “Drip loves you, and if I know one thing about that bug, it's that he would give his life for you and Rose. Even if you called off the wedding tonight and pushed him away, he would still love you. Just remember that if you do, his heart would be as broken as yours.”

The earth pony mare stopped crying and looked up in confusion.

“Would he really be so sad?” She asked.

“Miz Flowers, Ah don' know much aboot the way tha' bug works, bu' Ah do know 'is heart only beats 'cause o' yew.” Storm Stalker smiled.

Sun Flowers smiled back and lifted her hooves, pulling Storm Stalker into a hug.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“Aye, don' mention i'.” Storm answered. “A'sides, Ah'm sure yew'll be a lovely bug.”

“. . . What?”

Storm Stalker shrugged. “Well, Ah don' know fer sure, bu' Ah've 'eard stories aboot ponies bein' changed intae bugs if'n a changelin' does certain stuff tae them. It'would be an-”

As the blue pegasus carried on seemingly oblivious to the effect that she was having on the future bride, the two other mares in the room both facehooved as Sun Flowers began to curl up into a ball again.







“Hey Drip.” Quick Strike called. “Can changelings turn ponies into bugs?”

“What?” Drip asked incredulously. “Where did that come from?”

“Just curious.” The red pegasus shrugged. “Is it true?”

“Um, no?” Drip said hesitantly. “I mean, I've heard rumors from some of my brothers, but I don't think they're true. I mean, it sounds pretty impossible right?"
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those who had ever been witness to the leviathan known as the Marblehead knew she always announced her presence with a deep and terrifying rumbling. Tonight, however, she would not be visiting any unfortunate merchant captain, and with a little luck no enterprising navy ships would be visiting her. The massive engines slowly spun down, quieting the night to merely the sound of the waves. At least for a moment.

Deep in the ship, a small, red scaled dragon quickly turned levers and spun valves to shut the flow of superheated steam from the boilers to the turbines off before making his way to the boiler room. There he shut even more valves, but instead of steam these carried precious oil from the large tanks to the giant furnaces.

It was important to manage the amount of oil that burned, too much and the ship would not only burn an excessive amount but also send up a large smoke column that could be seen for miles. Too little and the ship was dead in the water. However, with just the right amount of oil in the furnaces, the ship could outrun anything on the sea and yet barely a curl of the black fog would be seen rising from the funnels.

Normally, the ship's main engineer was a black unicorn mare by the name of Poisoned Beaker, the daughter of two infamous alchemists. Her natural born instincts for anything related to balancing mixtures made her a natural choice for operating the complicated machinery inside the ship.

Tonight a different crewmember hurried about his task of shutting down the engines while Poisoned Beaker was busy readying herself to become a bridesmaid. The dragon called Deadfire enjoyed the engine room a great deal due to its temperatures always being so high. It reminded him of his home before he left it.

Having spent so much time lounging around in the engine compartments soon resulted in Poisoned Beaker putting him to work and soon Deadfire knew almost as much about the boilers and gears as she did.

With one last turn of a valve, Deadfire watched as the temperatures in the boilers slowly decreased now that the raging furnaces underneath them lost their flames. It was always hard for Deadfire to shut down those furnaces because he enjoyed being able to control the fires that burned like the dragonlord's own breath.

Deadfire enjoyed feeding the furnaces so much oil because it produced fire, something he could never do. From birth, he had never been able to create a single spark marking him as an outcast from the proud dragons. Sometimes the crew would hook up a flamethrower on deck to frighten merchants, but Dead Fire was ashamed that ponies were better at making fires than him.

He had met with Culinary Beak when the hippogriff had been traveling through the dragon lands and the two moved on to Equestria. There the duo had met Poisoned Beaker and became a trio before signing on with Trade Breaker aboard his father's freighter.

Double checking all the valves, Deadfire was satisfied to see that the furnaces were dark and boilers no longer producing steam. With the final check done, he walked over to a small box and opened it to reveal a small black phone.

“Captain?” He asked, causing the sound powered phone to transmit his voice to the similar phone in the wheelhouse.

“Aye?” Trade Breaker's voice was distorted and tinny, but still understandable.

“Engines are shut down, we're ready to start.”







The engines quiet, the lights dark, the wheelhouse empty. For all intents and purposes, the Marblehead was adrift and without a crew. They had better things to do.

Storm Stalker signaled her sole crewmember that knew how to play an instrument to begin, and so he did. His concertina made loud shriek as he accidentally pressed the wrong keys, but he quickly corrected himself and began to play the well known wedding march.

One by one, candles were lit by use of a flame spell and soon a small portion of the deck was illuminated by soft candles.

With a slight nudge, Water Rose began to step forward holding a basket of leaves in her mouth. Traditionally, the flower filly was to scatter rose petals, but the absence of any flowers aboard the ship had required a slight alteration to the ceremony. Thankfully, Woody had generously grown and donated a large number of leaves for Water Rose to drop ahead of the wedding procession.

Slowly and with concentration etched across her face, she stepped forward in time to the music while dipping the basket to let the leaves fall. Following close behind her was Storm Stalker and Big Sail, then came the Thestral twins Night Watch and Dusk Maiden, then Poisoned Beaker and an earth pony stallion from Storm Stalker's crew.

Stepping up to the front of the rows of chairs, they split down the middle and stood to one side, allowing the waiting groom to see the mare of his dreams walking down the aisle.

Drip nearly let his venom being leaking again as he watched Sun Flower approach him, drinking in every last detail in the candlelight. She had on a simple, light blue dress made of silk from a Chineighs merchant and her pure white mane fell down over her left shoulder. Her face was lit by a small smile, and she was staring back at Drip, a hopeful, almost expectant look in her eyes.

Stepping up alongside of the changeling, she turned to look at Trade Breaker, her smile growing slightly as the pirate playing the concertina ceased his song. The captain of the Marblehead made sure that the bride and groom were ready to begin before clearing his throat.

“When me father took me mother as his wife, he separated her from everythin' she knew.” Trade Breaker said in a loud voice. “She traveled to a foreign land, left her friends and family behind, and lived alone fer years at a time when me father was away on a voyage. Yet in all me years as her son, not once did I know her to complain, nor was she unfaithful to him because she was in love with only one stallion. Me father saw many strange lands and many a mare saw him as a prospective bed mate, yet for all their charms not once did me father betray me mother.

“Marriage is never somethin' to be taken lightly, it will require sacrifice an' un'nerstandin', cooperatin' an' trust. Ne'er let yer brains get in the way o' yer feelin's fer one another, yer equals an' ye will treat each other as such. From this day forward, ye'll no longer be two ponies, er, a pony an' changelin'. Ye'll be one thing an' one thing only, a family.

“With that said, lemme ask ye this; Do ye, Drip, take Miss Sun Flowers as yer wife, do ye promise to cherish an' protect her fer all yer days, to remain faithful no matter what comes between ye?”

Drip's blue eyes never left Sun Flowers' as he spoke.

“I do.”

“Do ye, Sun Flowers, promise the same?”

Sun Flowers, once filled with doubt and plagued by fears, felt in complete serenity as she stared into Drip's eyes. All the questions she had harbored and pondered on were erased by one answer:

“I do.”

“Well then, kiss already.” Trade Breaker said through a smile.

And with that, two creatures, as different as the sun and moon, left everything behind and became one for no other reason than the simple fact that they loved each other.







For having only hooves to play a complicated instrument on, the stallion on the concertina was surprisingly skilled at making music. Currently, he was playing an upbeat tune that had all members of the crew tapping their hooves, claws, and paws.

Watching the newlyweds dance with one another had been entertaining, but the real surprise occurred when Poisoned Beaker stepped into the ring of ponies with the stallion she had marched down the aisle with. The dark unicorn mare was typically known for her fanatical devotion to keeping the engines running, nobody on the crew would have even dared asking her to dance. Yet here she was with one of Storm Stalker's crew, balancing on her hind legs as she performed a series of complicated moves that the stallion was only just able to keep up with. And she looked to be loving every minute of it.

Trade Breaker sidled up to Storm Stalker as she snacked on a treat Culinary had whipped up for the occasion.

“I never thought I'd see Miss Beaker dancin'.” Trade Breaker remarked.

“Aye, Ah coul' say the same fer Mistah Patcher.” Storm replied, taking a bite out of the cream covered bread. “The two seem tae be seein' a fair bit o' won anud'der lately. Seems tae me tha' romance be bloomin' in a few o' mah crew's hearts.”

Trade Breaker considered this for a few moments.

“Does this be worryin' ye?” He asked.

Storm looked at him with surprise, but then shrugged. “Per'aps Ah would nae be so approvin' o' me crew findin' mates fer 'emselves if'n Ah was still a'oard tha Golden Curse, bu' Ah 'ave no issues wit' 'em fallin' in love on tha' Marble'ead. Why do yew ask?”

Trade Breaker stayed silent for a moment as he worked up the nerve to speak.

“Storm I'm worried abou' yer actions as of late. Ye've been secretive an' evasive.” He said sternly.

Storm Stalker set her jaw, biting back the angry retort that threatened to spill forth.

“I wouldn't be sayin' a word to ye if'n I wasn't worried about the crew.” Trade Breaker continued. “If'n there be somethin' yer not tellin' me that threatens the safety o' the ship-”

“It doesnae concern yew!” Storm snapped. “An' Ah don' cah fer yew snoopin' aroun' mah personal af'airs!”

Trade Breaker nodded, his face grim. “Be that as it may, yer secrets will remain just that. From now on, yer duties will be delegated onto Big Sail.”

The blue pegasus dropped her pastry she had been holding. “WHAT?!” She shouted, attracting the attention of all those present.

“Cap'n, what do yew mean?” Storm demanded ignoring the audience that sadly lacked any popcorn.

“Storm, yer secrets be yours to deal with, but ye will not endanger the ship nor the crew.” Trade Breaker stated. “While yer dealin' wit' yer private issues, Big Sail will take over yer duties.”

“AH DON' NEED NO HORN HEAD DOIN' ME JOBS!” The first mate screamed in her captain's face.

Meanwhile Dead Fire nudged Night Watch to attract his attention.

“Fifty bits says they're married by the end of the month.” The dragon whispered.

“Nah, Miss Stalker might go for it but Captain's too stubborn for his own good.” The thestral rolled his eyes.

“FER THE LAS' TIM' WE AIN' A COUPLE YEW WORTHLESS GOBS O'- MMMMF!” Storm screamed in frustration, a hoof shoved in her mouth at the last moment.

“Storm! There be young ones present!” Trade Breaker barked.

With eyes filled with fury, Storm Stalker slowly drew her head back to remove the offending hoof from her mouth.

“Cap'n, Ah've been stabbed, blown'nup, an' 'umiliated all fer yew.” She said slowly. “Aftah' all tha' we've been t'rough, yew still jus' cast me away lik' filth?!”

“Storm, I be not but givin' ye time to organize yer own life, now fer the sake o' the crew, do it a'fore yer personal matters comes to bite us in the flank!” The captain ordered.

One of Storm Stalker's crew sidled up to Big Sail and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“Should we be gettin' ready for a mutiny again?” He asked.

Big Sail quickly hushed him. “Shush. This is between the captain and the first mate to figure out.”

Storm Stalker ground her teeth as she shifted uncomfortably under the steady gaze of Trade Breaker.

“So tha' be yew're final decision?” She asked after a few moments.

“It be.” Came the answer.

The blue pegasus snorted and suddenly shot into the air, disappearing into the night. The crew tried to find her with their eyes, but the first mate's dark blue fur practically made her invisible at night.

“There she is!” Night Watch called out, pointing at a dark spot floating in front of the moon.

“No, that's a storm cloud.” Big Sail answered.

“There's another.” One of the crew pointed out.

“Wasn't it supposed to be a clear sky tonight?” Dead Fire asked.

“Aye! It was.” Quick Strike stated.

It suddenly dawned on Big Sail just what exactly the angry pegasus was doing to vent her frustration.

“Clear the-” He began to shout, but the rumble of thunder and a sudden downpour of cold rainwater interrupted him.

“-deck. . .”

Quickly, the crew set about clearing the wedding supplies from the deck and making their way down below. Trade Breaker opened a door and held it open as several crewmembers hurried inside before stepping inside himself.

Shaking himself off, the soggy yellow pegasus looked outside at the now pitch black sky. For miles around the ship was engulfed in a rainstorm as flashes of powerful lightning strikes illuminated the area.

“Blast it Storm!” He yelled. “Ye no good, stubborn, bullheaded, worthless excuse o' a first mate!”

“I AIN' THE FIRS' MATE NO MORE! YEW FIRED ME! REMEMBER?” A faint voice could be heard from the clouds.

“I DIDN'T FIRE YE YA- Oh what's the use!”

Slamming the door shut, Trade Breaker turned to the crew that were still drying off.

“Somepony go tell Poisoned Beaker to light the engines. I want us to Ghost Island by sun up.”







Laughing as they burst through the door, Drip and Sun Flowers practically fell into Sun Flower's cabin. Although the rain had cut the party short, the two newlyweds did not mind one bit as they giggled at the captain's behavior and his first mate's response.

“Did you see Storm Stalker when the captain told her off?” Sun Flowers giggled like a little filly.

“Or when Captain stuck his hoof in her mouth?” Drip laughed.

The two of them continued laughing at the memory before Sun Flowers flopped onto the bed.

“You know.” She said, some of the mirth gone from her voice. “Sometimes I worry that one of these days the two of them will actually get in a fight that could end their relationship. I mean, I'm not worried about her trying to take over the ship, but I sometimes wonder how much those two can take before they've had enough of each other.”

Drip gently lay down beside her, staring into her eyes and drinking in the sight of his wife laying on the bed, her mane dripping wet and falling over her forehead.

“Oh, but that's when they love each other the most.” He chuckled. “You may not be able to tell, but I can taste them.”

“Ew!” Sun Flowers stuck her tongue out playfully as she giggled like a naughty schoolfoal.

Drip just grinned right back, his fangs beginning to drip venom.

“And speaking of things I can taste, I can taste a certain mare driving me wild.” The changeling stood up on the bed and over Sun Flowers, flashing his teeth like a hungry predator.

Sun Flowers grew slightly nervous at the sudden change in behavior, but before she could react her husband lunged at her with his mouth open. She opened her mouth to scream but it unexpectedly came out as laughter as she felt his hooves began to tickle her nonstop. Drip closed her mouth with a kiss and drank in her affection.

He stopped tickling her and let her recover enough until she was able to look in his eyes without gasping.

“I love you.” He said quietly.

Sun Flowers smiled back up at him, pouring out happiness and love.

“I love you too.” She said before wrapping a foreleg around his neck and pulling him into another kiss.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Fer the love o' Celestia! Just where did they come from?” Quick Strike said angrily, pointing at the several ships off the Marblehead's bow.

“Waitin' fer us off the cape, I would imagine.” Trade Breaker mused, idly scratching his chin with his hoof.

Big Sail stepped out of the wheelhouse and onto the deck that held the two pegasi.

“Orders sir?” He asked.

Trade Breaker paused to consider his choices before he spoke.

“What flag do they fly?” He asked.

“I'll check with the lookouts.” The red pegasus said before taking to the air.

He climbed upwards quickly and was at the crow's nest within moments. Perched on the front of what the captain called the signal mast was a small box that could easily fit a pair of ponies comfortably. Although the mast itself was just a tall pole that had several wires attached to a pair of arms at the top, it was still the closest thing that the Marblhead had to being an actual mast.

The two threstral siblings, Night Watch and his sister Dusk Maiden, where on lookout as usual because of their keen vision and ability to see quite well in the dark. As Quick Strike landed, he saw the two both had telescopes that they were observing the fleet with.

“Night Watch, what can ye tell me about the ships ahead?” He asked.

The thestral took his eyes off the fleet and looked at her.

“Twelve Royal Equestrian Frigates, four schooners, probably heavily armed cutters, and one ship that I can't recognize.” Night Watch answered.

Before Quick Strike could leave, Duck Maiden spoke up. “Mister Strike, you think that they might be trying something new?”

Night Watch and Dusk Maiden had good reason to fear capture by the Equestrian Navy. The pair had pulled off the robbery of the century by stealing the Lunar Princess's crown before her return, and although the siblings had discreetly returned the stolen property during the battle with Celestia, they were still nervous about fighting any ship relating to Equestria.

Quick Strike merely flashed a signature predatory grin as he answered. “Don't you worry yer pretty little head about those ships, Cap'n'll find a way 'round 'em.”

With that, he fell backwards out of the box and glided down to the deck where Trade Breaker still stood. Landing gracefully, he stepped up to him and repeated what he had heard from the lookouts.

Trade Breaker glanced at the fleet in front of him, taking off his tricorn hat and brushing it off with his wing. Finally, he nodded decisively.

“Listen up.” The captain ordered. “That be the 'Questrians, most likely some o' the same ships that we've fought before.”

“They'll know what to expect from us then.” Big Sail pointed out.

“Aye, 'ceptin' they'll know what we can do to them should they try to attack us head on.” Trade Breaker smiled. “So here's me plan, we sail south fer a while an' see if'n they tries to intercept us. If they do, then we sails in a loop and head north around Bugganville an' enter the storm from the west. If they hold their position, we sail south until we be a safe distance from 'em a'fore enterin' the storm.”

“What about the supply run we were planning to make?” Big Sail asked

“Gather a crew an' take the longboat to shore if'n we head north.” Trade Breaker instructed. “We'll drop ye off by the lighthouse if'n we head south. Head to town an' make the deals, I'll pick ye up tomorrow mornin'.”

“Do we take Miss Stalker with us?” The large unicorn asked.

Trade Breaker nodded begrudgingly. “Aye, she be free to go along savin' she stays out o' trouble.”

Big Sail entered the wheelhouse and gave instructions to the pony at the wheel, guiding the nose of the ship on a southerly course parallel to the storm front. The Marblehead responded smartly, turning away from the Equestrian ships and accelerating as superheated steam shot through the pipes and into the turbines.

Trade Breaker and Quick Strike stayed on the deck and observed the fleet. Soon after the Marblehead had made her turn, the stationary ships unfurled their sails and gave pursuit. They were hopelessly outmatched, the fastest ship in the Equestrian Navy was only able to make twenty knots, and that was under perfect conditions and aided by pegasi. The Marblehead could easily surpass thirty knots and was not reliant on the fickle winds that surrounded Ghost Island.

With the intentions of the Equestrian fleet being made clear, it was time for the Marblehead to make her move. Trade Breaker stepped into the wheelhouse and gave the order for the helmspony to turn north. The trip around the island would take longer, however the Marblehead would be able to avoid getting too close to the Equestrian ships.

Even as the steel behemoth began her journey north, the opposing fleet reversed its course to try and intercept her. The captain watched their movements with interest, performing the math in his head and estimating how far apart the ships would be at their closest point.

“Looks like they're trying to tack into the wind.” Quick Strike chuckled. “It'll turn on them in a moment.”

“Aye, that be the nature o' Ghost Island.” Trade Breaker stated, barely even acknowledging Quick Strike's comment.

The pegasus took notice of his captain's troubled attitude. “That new ship worrying you?”

“It would not bother me so much if'n it had a few more ships guardin' it.” He explained. “There only be seventeen ships in our way, yet the 'Questrians know we can take on ten times as many. If they sent that ship out wit' only a token force, then what can it possibly be hidin'?”

Quick Strike shrugged. “It's not like we haven't dealt with a few surprises before. Nothin' to get too worried about.”

“Aye, but I'll worry nonetheless.” The captain answered. “The crew is me responsibility, an' I worry fer their safety at all times.”

The Marblehead plunged ahead, sending spray up as her bow sliced cleanly through the waves. Her powerful engines thrummed steadily as they turned the four massive propellers at the back ship. The sailing ships, driven by a steady breeze, continued on a course that would lead them closest to the steel ship on her current path.

As the ships neared each other, approaching to within a few miles of each other, Trade Breaker expected to see magical attacks start being flung at the ship, pegasi take to the air and ballistas unleashed in their general direction. The absence of any of these aggressive factors did nothing to alleviate his fears.

The Equestrian ships reached the closest point and began to fall behind, their useless sails suddenly sagging uselessly in the wind. As Trade Breaker feared, it was then that the Equestrians made their move. The unknown ship leading the Equestrian fleet suddenly glowed in a golden aura and leaped forwards, riding over the waves at an alarming rate.

Trade Breaker dashed into the wheelhouse and began issuing orders.

“ALL AHEAD FLANK!” He roared, grabbing the handle that would sound the air horn above.

The Marblehead let out two long blast from her horn as the water beneath her stern rumbled in fury. Smoked belched from her smokestacks and she plowed into the waves like a juggernaut released from slumber.

The two ships raced away from the others, the Marblehead crashing against the rising waves while the Equestrian ship seemed to bounce over the stirring sea. Although it seemed the two ships were evenly matched as far as speed, the Marblehead's course would allow the Equestrian ship to cross her bow unless something was done quickly.

“Bring 'er about due west!” Trade Breaker ordered. “She may be fast, but 'tis doubtful she can match our rudder!”

The steel leviathan heeled over suddenly as her rudder kicked her stern to starboard and sent her bow crashing to port towards the strengthening hurricane of Ghost Island. The distance between the two ships shrunk rapidly as the knife-like bow of the Marblehead plunged almost straight towards the rather blunt by comparison bow of the Equestrian ship.

To say that the two ships were playing a game of 'chicken' would have been a blatant falsification of the truth. The Marblehead was merely playing a game of 'go fast in a particular direction' while the magically enhanced Equestrian ship was playing a game of 'turn this boat around and run away' at the same time.

Both ships were successful in their respective goals, the Equestrian ship managed to move itself out of the way of the charging behemoth as it thundered by. The rest of the fleet was still hopelessly too far away to be of any threat, but it seemed that the sailponies onboard the enhanced ship were still eager for action as their ship heaved around and chased after the Marblehead. As was expected, the wind in the area changed once again and blew directly astern of the two ships, filling the sails of the Equestrian ship and aiding her pursuit.

Trade Breaker stepped out of the wheelhouse so he could look at the ship to the stern. There he practically bumped into Storm Stalker as she stood on the deck with Quick Strike.

“Cap'n.” She spat the word.

“Miss Stalker.” Trade Breaker said flatly.

Even though the approaching storm was blowing cold winds his way, Quick Strike could have sworn that the immediate area had just gotten warmer by a few degrees.

“Seems we 'ave a few visi'tors.” The angry mare stated.

“Aye, though I wish they'd learned common sense a'fore settin' their course.” The captain remarked sourly.

“May'haps we shoul' be poundin' a lit'el intae them.” Storm stated, her voice still as flat and detached as before.

“We won't have to.” Trade Breaker answered, his jaw set in an angry frown. “The fools be thinkin' the wind be helpin' 'em.”

Both Quick Strike and Storm gasped in realization as they looked past the bow of the ship into the storm that was quickly growing stronger by the second.

“It'll suck 'em right in!” Quick Strike blurted.

“Bu' wha' aboot their fancy magic?” Storm said quickly. “It be scootin' their pre'ey lit'le boat along jus' fine now!”

Trade Breaker shook his head. “They be usin' magic an' their sails driven by a gale, yet they still can't hold pace with the Marblehead. As soon as they reach the hurricane, they be dead ponies.”

“But what about their magic?” Quick Strike asked. “It looks powerful enough to free them from the storm.”

“Not under a full sail.” Trade Breaker explained. “If'n they furl their sheets now a'fore they get in the storm they might be safe, but once under that black cloud. . .”

“Nae a pegasus alive coul' stay on those masts.” Storm Stalker said bitterly.

Rain began to patter on the deck as the Marblehead entered the deadly storm, the swirling vortex sucking inwards to the sharp rocks of Ghost Island. The Equestrian ship approached the storm only to turn south at the last moment before entering the storm itself. Unfortunately, Trade Breaker's predictions came true as the winds that had been driving the ship from the stern now battered her port side. The sails suddenly strained at their ropes and pressed themselves against the mast, pushing the ship backwards.

Shadows covered the ship as she was swallowed by the storm and the unfortunate ship was abruptly tossed to one side as the sails caught the full force of the gale and threatened to capsize the vessel. Her decks glowed as whatever magic was fueling the ship fought with storm, but the powerful winds drove her backwards further into the storm.

Trade Breaker grimly watched the scene from the deck of the Marblehead, rain pouring down and waves pounding against the bow of the mighty ship.

“Storm.” He said just loud enough to be heard above the gale.

“Cap'n?”

“Get a mooring line and make fast to the the rear cannon box.” The yellow pegasus ordered. “We'll not be lettin' them be dashed upon the rocks today.”







Storm Stalker and Big Sail looped the thick rope around the base of the cannon box as the Marblehead advanced on the stricken ship. Glancing off to the side, Storm could see that one of the masts on the Equestrian ship had been snapped off near the base and the golden aura emanating from the decks had darkened. Whatever had been powering the ship was gone now.

The Marblehead swung by the smaller ship as it was swept further into the storm, bringing her stern within mere feet of the other vessel. Storm looped the thick rope in her forelegs and launched herself over the railing, Big Sail casting a small spell to dry her wings for the moment.

The pegasus mare landed on the deck and quickly looped the rope around the anchor capstan before taking to the air and flying back to Marblehead. She landed on the slick deck and turned to watch the rope as it played out behind them. Storm knew what was coming and lowered herself to the deck as did Big Sail.

The rope went taut and the deck suddenly jerked beneath them as the Marblehead  pulled the Equestrian ship around and dashed towards daylight. Although the rope was stretched to its limit and creaked as though it would snap at any moment, it held firm until the deck was bathed in sunlight.

In typical fashion, when the Marblehead suddenly reversed and the towed ship drifted forwards it was Storm Stalker's and Big Sail's job to haul the line in so that the rope would not get fouled in the propellers. The two did so quickly and efficiently until the Equestrian ship was near enough that the engines were stopped and the propellers no longer threatened the rope.

Two blasts from the Marblehead's horn signalled the crew to stand by for boarding action, but before they could properly line the rails the Equestrian ship struck her colors and raised a white flag.

“Ahoy the Marblehead!” A gruff voice sounded from below.

Storm Stalker and Big Sail looked at each other with surprise. The Marblehead had taken ships that had instantly surrendered before, but never a warship and never had the opposing crew hailed their ship by name.

“What do ye want?” Trade Breaker yelled from the deck.

Storm Stalker facehooved. She had repeatedly told the captain that if anything suspicious was happening to let her handle the negotiations.

“To thank you for saving us.” The pony on the ship called back. “With your permission, I'd like to launch a few pegasi to find the rest of my fleet and have them come get us.”

There were a few tense moments of silence, then to Storm Stalker's surprise and joy, she heard the following words.

“Board 'em!”

With whoops and hollers, several of Storm's crew jumped from the deck of the Marblehead down to the wooden ship, some of them drawing their blades while most already had their weapons out.

“Stand down! Stand down I say!” The pony yelled to his crew.

The Equestrian crew followed his orders and backed away from the invading pirates, sheathing their cutlasses as they did.

“Blast it! An' here I thought I was gonna be able ta stab somepony today!” One of Storm's crew yelled in exasperation.

Storm leaped from the Marblehead and slammed into the deck right behind the pony giving orders. Her dagger, one of many she kept hidden in her wings, was now pressed to the throat of the important looking earth pony.

“Yew 'ave sum explanin' tae dew.” She hissed into his ear. “Naow what be the idea o' comin' out here an' chasin' us aroun' on'y tae surrender the minute we board?”

The pony, to his credit, did not show any fear at the blade tickling his neck.

“I never said we surrendered, however I believe that we will not need to resort to violence.” He answered.

Trade Breaker glided down onto the deck of the Equestrian ship, eyeing the ship cautiously as he did. The moment his hooves touched the deck, there was a cracking sound and the deck suddenly fell in while one of the mast topped towards the Marblehead.

The yellow pegasus took off instantly and hovered above the destruction with a frown.

“Er, Miss Storm, if'n woul' be so kind as to bring him to the Marblehead, we can discuss things there.” Trade Breaker said nervously.

Storm rolled her eyes and hooked the pony under her forelegs before he had a chance to react and lifted him into the air. With a few strokes of her wings, the pair were above the steel deck and she dropped the earth pony like a sack of potatoes.

“Oof!” He gasped at the sudden impact.

Storm set down next to him, a few blades hidden in her wings kept at the ready should he try anything. Trade Breaker landed in front of the pony, grimacing as he looked at the mast that had fallen against his ship.

“Ah recognize yew.” Storm accused. “We've met before!”

The pony dusted himself off and stood tall. “Admiral Iron Keel, at your service. I was there when the Elements of Harmony were rescued.”

“Ah believe yew mean kicked off.” The mare smirked. “Yew're lit'el attack didnae even scratch our paint.”

“Enough.” Trade Breaker ordered. “Ye have some explainin' to do Admiral. First off, what were ye doin' out here?”

Iron Keel cleared his throat and glanced about nervously. “The purpose of today's exercise was to test out our new propulsion system.”

“Propelsion systam?” Storm asked.

“Yes, a magical engine designed by Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The admiral explained, then added with a smile. “I believe she may have said her design was inspired by the Marblehead's engines.”

Storm uttered a few choice words about the lavender alicorn.

“Fair enough.” Trade Breaker said. “So if'n this be a test o' a new engine, why here an' why didn't ye fire upon us.”

“Orders.” Iron Keel stated. “I was instructed by Princess Celestia to wait until you arrived before testing the crystals and that under no circumstances was I to open fire. I was, however, told to, and I quote, 'give that bucking ship a run for her money.'”

The two pegasus exchanged looks, Trade Breaker one of grim determination while Storm Stalker looked just plain annoyed.

“Miss Storm, ye are to remove anythin' Miss Poisoned Beaker thinks is the engine from that ship and then sink her.” Trade Breaker ordered.

“What?” Iron Keel exploded.

“Admiral.” Trade Breaker said calmly. “Ye have until our crew is finished working to abandon ship a'fore we scuttle 'er.”

“You can't do that!” Iron Keel fumed, but suddenly found a familiar blade pressing against his neck.

“Admiral Iron Keel, ye said ye were present during our battle with the Equestrian fleet?” Trade Breaker asked slowly.

Iron Keel nodded nervously.

“Then I suggest ye do as I say a'fore I remind ye of what this ship is capable of.”







Storm Stalker and Trade Breaker watched the Equestrian crew float in their lifeboats as the rest of their fleet moved in to pick them up as the Marblehead slipped into the storm.

“Wha' do yew think tha' was all aboot?” The blue mare asked.

“A statement.” Her captain replied.

Storm Stalker waited for Trade Breaker to elaborate, so he did.

“Celestia was showin' us our weakness.” Trade Breaker explained.

“Wha'? Tha' she 'as a ship tha' can match our speed naow?”

“No.” Trade Breaker said bitterly. “Me an' me blasted morals.”

Storm set her jaw, she knew what Trade Breaker meant.

“May'haps we need tae sen' ol' sunbutt a message back.”

Trade Breaker inhaled deeply and stepped out from underneath the overhang and into the rain.

“Ye send her a message yerself.” He said. “While yer at it, tell 'er what's been eatin' at ye as of late. Ye won't tell me.”

The captain stepped off down the steep stairs and vanished from sight. Storm turned around and repeatedly slammed her skull into the bulkhead until she was satisfied.
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wood scraped on wet sand as the Marblehead's longboat was dragged onto the beach by several hooves. Rain pattered down on the group of ponies as they unloaded the boat before shoving it back into the surf.

“Alright Henry, we'll meet you here tonight.” Big Sail waved to the white, pony shaped face half submerged in the water.

“I shall be waiting.” Henry somehow managed to say without bring his mouth above the surface.

The wendigo turned pirate slipped under the waves and seized the rope attached to the bow of the longboat before swimming back to the waiting ship. As the boat bobbed away empty, ice floated to the surface behind the boat as Henry's skin froze the water around him. He would probably be spending a day or two in the Marblehead's freezers just to recover from the warm waters.

The group of ponies turned inland and began making their way up the mountain towards Bugganville's only settlement on the other side. Storm Stalker lead the way for a while until the path widened out enough to allow Big Sail to catch up and walk alongside her.

“So, are you and the captain still fighting?” Big Sail asked.

“We ain' fightin' Big Sail. . .” Storm huffed. “'E's tha' cap'n, an' Ah have tae keep 'im in line sometimes.”

The unicorn nodded. “Aye, but your still mad at him.”

Storm Stalker sagged slightly as she walked. “Ah was. . .Bu' now, Ah'm worried.”

“Is it those letters you have been receiving?” Big Sail asked.

Storm shot him an angry glare, but then sighed in defeat. “Ah shoul'da known yew'd see t'rough mah lies.”

Big Sail chuckled. “You never could keep a secret from me or your dad.”

Noticing Storm suddenly cringe, Big Sail was able to put two and two together.

“It's your father, isn't it?”

The pegasus glanced around to make sure the rest of the party wasn't too close before nodding hesitantly.

“Aye, 'e be gettin' a might anxious in 'is let'ers. Keeps askin' when Ah be comin' tae visit 'im. Ah'm afraid 'e be losin' patience an' may try sum'thin'.” She explained.

“Well, take some time and go visit him then.” Big Sail said. “Captain will understand.”

“Tha's nae tha' problem.” Storm whispered. “Ah may 'ave lied aboot the cap'n in mah letters.”

Big Sail raised an eyebrow. “Lied? Just what have you been telling your father about our gallant captain?”

Storm Stalker gained a slight tint of red to her cheeks. “Ah figured tha' mah fadder woul'nae approve o' mah losin' the Golden Curse tae a mere merchant cap'n.”

The stallion grimaced. “I see what you mean, Captain Storm Killer was always fond of that ship. I remember he always said that when the Curse was sunk was the day piracy died.”

“Aye, Ah remember tha' too.” Storm said nervously. “Tha's why Ah tol' me da' tha' Cap'n Trade Breaker was a pirate.”

Big Sail scrunched up his muzzle. “Well, if Trade Breaker were to practice a bit, maybe he could-”

“Ah tol' Da' tha' Trade Breaker was the most cunnin', ruthless, greatest pirate tae e'er sail the sea.” Storm blurted.

“. . . Miss Stalker, just how far did you take your tales?” The unicorn asked.

The pegasus averted her gaze. “Ah may 'ave said 'e singlehoofedly bested me in combat, took me tae 'is cabin an' 'ad his way with me.”

Big Sail facehooved. “Trade Breaker would never do that. No, he never could do that. Beat you in combat or-”

“AH KNOW THAT!” She yelled in exasperation. “Ah. . . jus' figured tha' if Da' saw Ah was on the crew o' a pirate meaner than 'e was, then 'e'd  leave us alone.”

“We need to tell the captain.” Big Sail said after a few moments. “If Storm Killer decides that his daughter is better off with her own ship, then you know better than anypony that he won't stop until it's done. Maybe Captain can step up the raids a bit, start living up to those stories you've been telling.”

“No.”

“Miss Stalker?” Big Sail asked in confusion.

“We ain' tellin' the cap'n.” Storm Stalker said venomously.

Big Sail was so flabbergasted by the first mate's behavior that he tripped over a rock and landed on his face. Rubbing his nose, he quickly caught up to Storm Stalker as she continued walking.

“Why?” He demanded.

Storm stopped, her eyes downcast. She took a deep breath and began to explain.

“Cause Ah don' wan' 'im tae change.” The mare said quietly. “Big, if'n mah fadder 'ad foun' the Marble'ead a'fore Cap'n, can yew imagine wha' the oceans woul' be like tae'day?”

Big Sail sighed. “Filled with the wreck of every ship that sailed against us.”

“An' any merchant tha' 'appened tae come our way.” Storm added. “Bu' Cap'n, 'e's. . . stronger than mah da' in some ways. Trade Breaker's always made sure tae leave any merchant's hold half-stocked, an' nae once 'as 'e sank a ship in anger. Ah jus'. . . Ah jus' worry tha' if'n we try tae change 'im tae suit mah fadder, 'e won' be the cap'n anymore, 'e'll stop bein' so stubborn aboot 'is morals. Or worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“When Cap'n ordered us tae sink tha' 'Questrian ship, Ah was excited, yew know? Felt lik' ol' times, pillagin' ships an' sinkin' 'em wit' no second thoughts, bu' when Ah looked at Cap'n, 'e was ashamed o' what we were doin'. 'E coul'nae bear tae be so cruel tae those ponies, an' 'e made us sit there until their mates showed up.” She hung her head. “Ah jus' know if'n we try tae tell 'im tha' 'e needs tae start leavin' bodies behind, 'e won' stan' fer it. Cap'n woul' sooner scuttle the Marble'ead than see innocents get 'urt.”

Big Sail thought about this for a little bit.

“Well, what if we sunk the Marblehead?” He suggested. “Start over, nopony has to know who we are and we can sail away with brand new lives.”

“On wha' ship?” Storm Stalker huffed. “Marble'ead's the on'y thang tha' does'nae sink un'ner Trade Breaker's hooves.”

“Maybe we can enchant something?”

Storm Stalker rolled her eyes. “Yew saw tha' ship today! We both know tha' the 'Questrian Navy enchant's their warships tae take on any magics, an' Trade Breaker broke righ' t'rough et.”

“The ship was already torn up from the storm.” Big Sail countered.

“Don' gimme tha'!” The pegasus replied. “We was jumpin' all o'er tha' deck lik' toads onnae hot griddle, an' nae once did Ah see a board crack! Cap'n sets won hoof daown an' the mas' near crushed 'im! Face et, we lose the Marble'ead an' Cap'n loses 'is ship fer good! Ah won' do tha' tae 'im! Ah won' take away the one good thang tae evah' come 'is way!”

Storm shut her mouth and for a few moments, the area was silent. The rest of the group had moved on, allowing the two ponies privacy in their conversation.

“So.” Big Sail finally said. “What are you going to do?”

Storm Stalker looked to the sky as if searching for something before looking at her friend.

“Ah'm goin' tae tell Da' 'ow Ah feel aboot Trade Breaker.” She answered. “Ah won' tell 'im everythin', bu' Ah'm goin' tae tell 'im tha' Ah'm 'appy an' fer 'im tae stay put.”

Big Sail nodded. “Well then, I suppose we should get to the post office so you can write that letter.”

“Aye, Ah suppose we shoul'.”







Back aboard the Marblehead, the crew were content to batten down the hatches and wait as Ghost Island's ever-present gale raged against the hull. The storm made no difference to the ship as she bobbed at anchor, and although the winds were quite powerful, the waves were not given enough time to properly form and represented no threat to the ship.

Trade Breaker made his way down towards the galley, hoping that Culinary had soup prepared for lunch. More often than not, the food aboard the Marblehead was some sort of fish soup. Due to her rather unique appearance and the fact that practically every nation that bordered the sea was trying to capture the steel behemoth, it had become necessary for the Marblehead's crew to perform a few raids every now and then to gather supplies.

Unfortunately, most sea-going vessels did not carry such perishable items as food, and those that did were concentrated around the coast lines of major nations. Even though the Marblehead was more than a match for anything on the seas at this point, Trade Breaker didn't want to get near any navies if he could help it. That went double for the Equestrian Navy, and triple if Celestia was on the hunt.

The score as far as battles with the white alicorn was still zero to two in favor of the Marblehead, but Trade Breaker wasn't keen on matching wits with a pony that had over a thousand years of experience to her advantage.

Seeing as how it was getting harder and harder to get food supplies without ending up sinking some poor captain's ship every time, Trade Breaker had elected to pursue a more economical tactic. By stealing simple goods and anything that was somewhat valuable, they could barter the stolen items for food in Bugganville. There was still some of Longhorn's treasure left in the hold, but the crew had agreed that it was better left there in case of emergencies.

That was what the ashore group was doing right now, going into the port town to find a few fishing vessels and farmers who weren't to concerned with the origins of the items offered to them.

Trade Breaker grimaced as he thought about the ashore group and who was leading them. Storm Stalker had been acting a bit strangely as of late, but Trade Breaker could barely explain his own actions. Storm had every right to her private life, so why was he being so intrusive?

He shook his head as his jumbled thoughts began causing chaos in his brain. For some reason when Storm had lashed out at him at the wedding, Trade Breaker had felt indignant at her behavior and he had overreacted. At the time, he had just told himself that he was just worried about the safety of the crew and that Storm was being unreasonable, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that something else had caused him to react the way he did.

Could it possibly be that he was in lo-

“NO!” Trade Breaker yelled as he slammed his head into the nearest bulkhead. “No! No! No! NO!”

Rubbing a thoroughly bruised forehead, Trade Breaker stumbled down the passageway as he tried to ignore what his brain was now painfully telling him. Unfortunately, his thoughts were so preoccupied with his feelings that he failed to notice the dogs on the hatch in front of him come undone and the door swung open.

Drip was filled to the brim with love and nothing could bring him down today. Quickly unfastening the door, he flung it open. Or rather, he attempted to fling it open. Somebody's head got in the way.

Clang!

Trade Breaker was thrown onto his back by the impact, but the pegasus had no trouble jumping to his hooves again.

“Blast it! Watch where yer goin' ye blind fool!” The captain yelled in anger as he held a hoof to his throbbing head.

“Sorry Captain, are you alright?” Drip asked, moving to see if Trade Breaker was injured.

“I'm fine ye bug-eyed blaggard!” He yelled at Drip, but his unsteady steps caused the changeling to move to his side.

“I said I'm fine!”

“Captain, your head looks like it's been bucked by Miss Stalker.” Drip said as he steadied his captain.

“So what if it does?” Trade Breaker tried to take a few steps forward, but the doorway seemed intent on moving to one side each time he tried to go through it.

Drip forcefully sat Trade Breaker down and looked at his head.

“Looks like you've got a pretty decent bruise starting to form, I'm surprised it didn't give you a concussion.” The changeling observed. “Let's go see Miss Flowers.”

“I don't want to see Miss Flowers.” The pegasus said stubbornly. “I want to go eat some food.”

“Well, that's too bad because Culinary's still making lunch.” Drip coerced. “Now while he's doing that, we're going to go get your head looked at.”

“Bah.” Was all Trade Breaker had to say.







Sun Flowers finished putting the last bit of salve on Trade Breaker's forehead before putting a bandage around his head.

“Leave that on.” She ordered. “According to Zabramn, this stuff should reduce the swelling within a few hours, but until then you don't touch that bandage.”

“Yes ma'am.” Trade Breaker said sullenly.

He tried to get up but Sun Flowers pushed him back down.

“Where do you think you're going?” She demanded.

“The galley. I be hungry.”

“Oh no you don't.” The mare said. “You're staying in bed. I'll go get you your food.”

“Ye blasted old maid!” Trade Breaker called after her as she left. “I ain' lyin' around no bed while there's work to be done!”

Sun Flowers ignored him and fixed Drip with a glare. “You stay here and make sure he stays in bed, I'll bring him some soup.”

“Yes ma'am!” Drip saluted.

Sun Flowers kissed him as she stepped out the door and Drip closed it behind her. Turning to the cot Trade Breaker was lying on, the changeling was not surprised to see the pegasus start to make an effort to leave.

“Captain, you heard the Missus, stay in bed.” Drip ordered.

Trade Breaker fixed Drip with an annoyed glare, one that didn't faze Drip in the slightest. The captain sighed as he fell back onto the bed when he saw the changeling wasn't taking no for an answer.

“Married life seems to have ruined ye, Drip.” He remarked. “A'fore ye would've helped get me out o' here the moment Miss Flowers wasn't lookin'.”

Drip chuckled as he stepped up to the bed and sat down. “It's hard to go behind a mare's back when you share the bed with her.”

Trade Breaker heaved a sigh, staring up at the ceiling. Drip scooted a little closer and cleared his throat.

“So, how's your head?” He asked.

“The achin' seems to have disappeared for the moment.” Trade Breaker said without even looking at him.

“Good, good, and um, how's your heart?”

The captain snorted in frustration. “It be fine. Thank ye fer askin'.”

Drip frowned. “You and I both know that's not true.”

“Blast it Drip!” Trade Breaker said loudly. “I don't need to talk to ye about me private life!”

“And I wouldn't be talking to you about your private life if it didn't affect the whole ship.” Drip responded, a small, smug grin on his muzzle.

Trade Breaker sighed in defeat. “Alright, maybe I was a bit harsh with Miss Storm, but-”

“I wasn't talking about Miss Stalker.” Drip interrupted.

“WELL THEN WHAT DO YE WANT?” The pegasus exploded.

“I want to make sure you're not making the biggest mistake of your life.” Drip said earnestly. “Storm Stalker loves you, Tartarus, she even flat out said it! Why are you always pushing her away? Do you not love her back?”

“No.” Trade Breaker said sullenly.

“I don't need to be an emotivore to know that's a lie.” The changeling frowned.

“REAPER'S TEETH! What is it ye want from me? Want me to shout it from the mast? Alright! I LOVE HER!” Trade Breaker yelled, not caring that the ship was not exactly soundproof.

“Then why are you so afraid of letting her into your life?” Drip asked.

“Because I don't fit in it.” Trade Breaker answered. “She's a mare that legends tell of, she can fight dragons, sail through the worst o' storms, take on a fleet wit' nothin' but her cunning and still be the victor. Tell me Drip, where do I come in in all of this?”

The changeling hummed thoughtfully before answering. “When she's about twenty-seven and she meets a brave and noble captain named Trade Breaker who sweeps her off her hooves with his amazing ship.”

“Aye, his amazing ship.” The captain growled. “Good thing I had the Marblehead, not the Sea Treader when I met her.”

“Er, let me rephrase that last part.” Drip said nervously.

“Aye, I can see it now, me lyin' on the deck as the legendary Storm Stalker plunders me ship out from under me.” Trade Breaker ignored him. “She'd be the pirate queen o' the seas now if'n I hadn't ran her down like the clod that I am.”

Drip took a moment to consider his captain's words. “Is that what's bothering you? The fact that she's not out somewhere on the Golden Curse sinking some poor merchant ship and killing innocents?”

The pegasus squirmed uncomfortably. “Well when ye put it that way, it makes it sound like I was doing the right thing.”

“That's because you did!” Drip exclaimed. “Captain, she's happy! She's content, she's having the time of her life right now! And so am I! . . I want to tell you something, I was an infiltrator for Queen Chrysalis, a good one too. I can't tell you how many times I came so close to having my cover blown, how often I had to wrestle down a pony and fill them with venom just to stay hidden, and I won't lie, it was exciting and a small part of me misses that thrill of danger. But you know, none of that compares to what I feel for Sun Flowers, and I can tell you right now without a doubt in my mind that no matter how exciting or daring Storm Stalker's pirating days were, she would rather have you than all the treasure and adventures in the world.”

Trade Breaker wanted to admit Drip was right. He wanted to jump up and hug the changeling and tell him that as soon as his first mate got back aboard he was going to marry her on the spot, but one thought dashed all his dreams.

“An' what about when I lose the Marblehead?” He asked. “Ye know I can't keep her ferever, an' when I lose the Marblehead, I'll never be able to set sail again. I couldn't do that to Miss Storm, she be a child o' the sea an' I couldn't tie her down.”

Drip sighed and hung his head. “That's a problem you're going to have to figure out, but if you want my advice, ask Miss Stalker what she thinks.”

He stood up and walked to the door.

“Drip.” Trade Breaker called after him. “Thanks, ye may be a terrible pirate, but at least yer a good friend.”

“You're welcome Captain.”

The changeling closed the door with a smile.







Bugganville was large enough to not really be considered a town, but still small enough that it wasn't a city. Still, it was a decent sized port and many a ship could be seen entering and exiting the harbor on their way to some far off land. The local populace made most of their income from fishing and farming tobacco, corn, and sugar.

In the middle of the town was an old fortress meant to protect the inhabitants during a pirate raid but the structure had fallen into disuse as the town grew large enough to warrant a standing militia. That meant that it was fairly easy for a group of suspicious looking creatures to slip inside and take up residence inside the large lookout tower in the middle of the fort.

Looking through his spyglass, the former pirate legend Storm Killer scanned the crowd in front of the post office for any sign of his daughter. Although he was trying to concentrate, his companions were less than helpful due to their constant bickering.

“Come on Storm!” One of them called, their already razor sharp claws being sharpened even more. “We've been here for three days! How much longer do we have to wait?”

“Mail ship leaves in two days, she'll be here before then.” The pegasus answered.

“Are you sssssure that ssssshe will come?” Another asked.

“Aye.” Storm Killer said, no room for argument left in his tone.

Godfrey stepped up holding a tray.

“Tea, sir?”

“Go'way yew featherbrained gob! Yew're distractin me!” Storm Killer snapped.

One of his companions raised her hoof. “Godfrey, if you please.”

The griffon let the cup go as it floated away.

“Thank you, I find that this tea is divine.”

“HUSH!” Storm Killer said loudly.

Instantly, the occupants of the room, save Godfrey, were crowded at the window, each with a spyglass of their own.

“Did ya see 'er?” One of them asked.

“Aye!” Came the reply. “She be wearin' a grea' big floppy hat tae hide 'erself, bu' Ah know mah lit'el Storm Stalker anywheres!”

“There she goes into the post office, just like you said!”

“HIDE!”

The group practically fell over each other to get away from the window.

“Do you think she saw us?” One of them asked.

“No way, nopony could see that far.” Another answered.

“This is Storm Stalker we are talking about.” Said another as they pushed their way out from underneath the pile of bodies. “If anybody could see us, she would have.”

“Hol' yewr teeth!” Storm Killer whispered. “She be comin' owt now.”

“She seems a little bit upset.” Remarked one of the group that had joined Storm Killer back at the window.

“Aye, tha's cuz she ain' received a let'er from 'er dear ol' da.” The pegasus smiled.

“So what now?” The claw sharpening pirate asked as they began sharpening them again.

Storm Killer's grin nearly split his face “Now, we follow 'er back tae the gran' ol' ship tha' be known as the Marble'ead.”
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“GODFREY!”

“Right behind you sir.”

The griffin ducked as the blue pegasus whirled on him, a dagger outstretched.

“Blas' yew, yew fea'ter-brained buffoon!” Storm Killer yelled at his personal butler. “Don' yew evah be sneakin' aroun' be'ind me.”

“You told me to stand here.” Godfrey replied calmly.

“Don' gimme nae o' yewr beak yew useless excuse o' a bird!” The pegasus snapped. “Now pi' up mah bags!”

“Right away sir.” The faithful griffon picked up a few articles of luggage from the deck of the small schooner as the crew finished up docking at the seaside jetty. Fortunately for him, Storm Killer tended to travel light, only bringing a few pieces of clothing and the essentials: Four bars of soap, two toothbrushes, a hoof file, a brush, reading glasses, and his favorite weapons.

Lifting two of the suitcases with his talons and the third in his beak, Godfrey used his wings to fly down to the dock and place them gently on a small, two-wheeled cart. He hooked himself to the cart and began walking after his master.

“'Urry up yew sack o' fish bai'!” Storm Killer yelled as he advanced up the dock to the small beach. The village that the ship had docked at was barely more than two dozen structures gathered at the mouth of a river in the middle of a tropical jungle on the western shores of Mangangabayo. Even though it could barely be called a village to begin with, the dock that ran out into the ocean had no less than three small ships tied to its rather unstable looking foundations.

Two of the ships were coastal tramps, but the third was a clean and sleek looking vessel that seemed to cut the waves even when it stood still. It seemed rather out of place docked in such a small and remote harbor, but to Storm Killer, it looked right at home.

Quickly, the old pirate marched up to one of the larger structures, a long house made out of logs and barged inside. The interior was a poorly lit room that had a few ramshackle tables and kegs lined at the far walls. Sitting at one of the tables was a dark figure with a large tricorn hat, their postures and position in the seat suggesting that the mysterious figure was more comfortable walking on two legs rather than four.

Storm Killer sat down opposite the creature and smiled.

“'Allo, Macky.”

A single eye looked at him from beneath the hat.

“By the reaper's teeth, Storm Killer as alive as the day I saw him last.” A soft, feminine voice whispered.

“Aah.” Storm Killer sighed contentedly. “S'yew a'member uncle Stormy, eh?”

“. . .”

The figure suddenly leaped into the air, several dangerous looking claws outstretched from their feline paws. Storm Killer deflected the claws with his forelegs and fell backwards in his chair, using his assailant's own momentum to send them flying overhead as he kicked his hindlegs up and caught them in the stomach.

Twisting in midair, the attacker landed on two paws and hunched down low.

“Macky!” Storm Killer said in mock surprise. “Wha' brae this oen?”

“Five years!” The figure hissed. “Five years since you saw me last. You go missing three years ago! Then you pop up alive and expect me to do your dirty work for you!”

“Ah asked yew tae give mah sorry flank a ride tae Tortoise Islan'.” The pirate rolled his eyes.

The figure lunged at him again, narrowly missing his eye with a well timed swipe of their claws.

“You could have at least sent me a letter!” They howled.

“Ah was busy!” Storm Killer dodged another attack.

“Oh really?” The figure growled. “Let's see how busy you are when I scratch your eyes out!”

Just before the assailant could jump at Storm Killer again, the door slammed open light streamed into the room. They held an arm up to cover their eyes, but Storm Killer was on them in an instant. He slammed into the figure and knocked them to the ground, holding their arms down with his forelegs.

The pinned assailant desperately thrashed about in an effort to get up, but the pegasus used his wings to maintain his balance and held them down.

“Macky, Ah ain' goin' tae le' ch'yew up untael Ah know yew ain' goin' tae figh' nae mo'.” Storm Killer said slowly.

The figure stopped thrashing and staring at him through a slitted eye.

“Fine.”

The pegasus hovered over them as they stood, not bothering to offer his hoof because he knew it would not be accepted.

“Godfrey, wha' too' yew so laong?” Storm Killer demanded.

“Apologies sir.” The griffon said as he closed the door. “It seems as though some ruffians thought it would be better that I not enter this building.”

“Well nex' tim', don' be so late!” The pegasus growled.

“Of course sir, may I inquire as to the identity of our contact?” Godfrey asked pleasantly.

Storm Killer smiled as he gestured with his hoof to his attacker.

“Godfrey, meet Macky, an' ol' frien' o' mine!” He beamed. “Macky, meet Godfrey. The wors' butler tae evah be born.”

Godfrey examined 'Macky' as she stood to her full height, at least a head taller than he was. She was a Grat, a feline like creature that walked on two legs and were known for their skills as fighters. Her fur was a dark gray with a few white spots on her arms and legs with a small white stripe on her muzzle. One eye looked at him, the other covered by an eyepatch, and judging by the large scar that emerged from the sides of the patch, it wasn't for show.

She wore a dark cloak that didn't quite come down to the floor and even though it had a hood, she wasn't using it. On her head was a black tricorn hat with silver trim and a large white feather sticking out one side. A belt ran over her left shoulder and across her chest down to her right hip with a variety of daggers, throwing knives, a crossbow and a saber hung from the lowest point.

“If you dare to call me 'Macky', I will split you in two.” She growled. “My name is-”

“Makry Nychi.” Godfrey interjected. “The 'Pirate of the West' that gave new meaning to the phrase, 'cat got your tongue?'”

Makry hissed angrily at him for interrupting her, but a small smile played at the corners of her mouth.

“I see my reputation precedes me.” She said. “It is nice to see somebody with a little bit of respect for a living legend.”

Storm Killer snorted. “HAH! Livin' legen'! Tha's a good won! Yew thin' yew're famous! Haha!”

Makry's face soured in an instant and she turned to the laughing pegasus.

“What do you want with me anyways?” She asked angrily. “I've got better things to be doing with my time!”

Storm Killer straightened up and cleared his throat. “Di' yew follow the orders Ah sent tae in mah let'er?”

“I'm here, aren't I?” Makry snapped. “And how did you get your hooves on all that dragon fire parchment anyways?”

“Nae important.” Storm Killer chuckled. “Ah assume tha' the o'der pirates be waitin' fer us a'the meetin' point?”

Makry shrugged. “Maybe, I came straight here when I got your letter. If they're not busy, they'll be there. They all know better than to ignore you.”

Storm Killer nodded with a small grin. “Aye, tha' they do. Ah'll explain e'erythin' when we all be gathered. Fer naow, we make sail fer Tortoise Islan'!”







For as long as land bound creatures had sailed the seas, there were those that dared to rob them of their precious cargo. Those pirates that performed such daring raids needed a place to spend their hard earned loot, and Tortoise Island had always been the port to service their needs.

The small island's harbor was crowded with brothels and taverns of all kinds that were more than happy to serve the needs of any pirate regardless of their species as long as they had the bits to spare. However, a little farther away from the shorefront shanties that threatened to topple at any given moment on their partying patrons lay a tavern that was unofficially known as 'the captain's tavern'. The mood was quieter, the drinks a bit more on the finer side, and the privacy was guaranteed by the tavern's elite staff.

It had been many years since Storm Killer had set hoof through the door of the old bar, but as he stepped inside, the pegasus suddenly felt twenty years younger. Two griffins stood to either side of the door, both bowing slightly as he entered.

“Captain Storm Killer.” The right one hissed.

“So good to see you again.” The left one finished.

“Aah, feels lahk yes'erday Ah was plottin' mah firs' raid while drinkin' rum at tha' table.” Storm Killer sighed happily as he walked into the large bar area.

Several of the tavern's occupants were quite surprised to see him, and the rest were quite surprised at the former's reaction.

“Cap'n Storm Killer!” One of them shouted. “Yar be alive!”

“By the reaper! It is him!”

“Storm Killer's back!”

Several hearty cheers rang through the tavern as a few dozen pirate captains all celebrated the arrival of the legend of the seas. He smiled and pushed his way through the crowd as they congratulated him for apparently coming back to life after disappearing, but quickly left them behind to make his way to a small staircase in the back.

Makry and Godfrey followed behind, the Grat grumbling to herself as she stared at the blue pegasus enviously.

“Why does he get a flipping welcome?” She seethed. “He hasn't even been seen for three years, not like he deserves any praise.”

Godfrey didn't respond and just followed the two captains up the stairway and into a small room on the second floor. Here was another table that held five more pirate captains, each one as unique as they were cunning and ruthless.

They too greeted the pegasus with a cheer and eager questions, but Storm Killer held his hoof up to silence them until he sat down at the table.

“Are we all gathered?” He asked.

“No.” A unicorn mare answered. “Captain Bloodhorn has not arrived.”

“Nor will he.” Said a deep voice. “I fear that a division has been driven between him and our returning captain.”

Storm Killer cleared his throat to attract the attention of those at the table. “Ah'll explain why Ah did'nae send fer Bloodhorn, bu' fer naow, Ah wan' tae talk aboot why Ah 'ave called this meeting.”

“Ye can start by tellin' us who the fancy griffin is.” A hulking dog like creature said.

“Mah butler.” Storm Killer stated. “Godfrey, go an' ge' sum drinks.”

“Yes sir.” Godfrey said and climbed down the stairs.

“Alright, let's get down to business shall we?” The unicorn mare said. Her coat was a light orange with a short cut red mane that came down to her shoulders. She had on a light blue cloak and some jewelry, however the most prominent feature was the way her horn curved slightly and the way her brown eyes seemed to be able to cut to a creature's soul with one glance.

Madam Green Tea wasn't the most well known pirate captain, but it was her work from behind the scenes that set her apart from most of the gathered company. Nobody knew the ins and outs of the black markets in coastal cities like Green Tea did.

“Yes.” The deep voice rumbled. “I am also curious as to why you have called us together.”

The giant minotaur sitting on the darker side of the room was Stone Hand the Clever, a well known pirate that commanded three large frigates that would often work in tandem to entrap merchants and even ships belonging to some of the smaller navies. Although he wasn't the largest minotaur or most skilled at fighting, he had a knack for strategy that gave him an edge over other pirates.

His brown hide wasn't adorned with usual cuts and scars that were prominent on most minotaur fighters, but he did keep a rather large amount of weapons on him at all times.

“Hold on.” Makry raised her paw. “Why isn't Bloodhorn here?”

Stone Hand and Storm Killer exchanged a glance before Storm Killer nodded.

“I am afraid that Bloodhorn's son has been taken prisoner by the Equestrian Navy.” The minotaur explained.

“WHAT?” Makry yelled in alarm.

“How could this happen?” A powerfully built griffon seethed.

“E'nuff!” Storm Killer shouted, instantly quieting the room. “Saet dawn an' lemme tell yew a story.”

Madam Green Tea, one of the pirates that hadn't reacted at the news, floated a cup of tea to her muzzle and took a quiet sip, however the room was so quiet that her action sounded more like a waterfall than a simple sip of tea.

Storm Killer took a deep breath and began. “Lemme tell yew the story o' a young stallion, a stallion 'ooh fell in love.”

“Oh sweet Celestia.” Makry rolled her eyes, but she was instantly shushed by Stone Hand.

“'E fell in love wit' two cre'atures, a beautiful mare from Mare's Point an' the sea.” Storm Killer said, a tear coming to his eye. “Bu' 'e coul' nae love both, so 'e chose the sea an' lef' 'is wife ashore an' alone, an' she gave birth tae a beautiful lit'el baaby. She was sae small, on'y aboot the size o' mah hoof, bu' she was a strong one, aye. She was strong an' she grew up tae be the mos' fierce an' cunnin' pirate tae evah' sail undah' me. Ah was so proud o' mah lit'el Storm Stalker, she was mah e'erythin'.”

“Can we get on with it?” Makry growled only to be shushed again.

Storm Killer continued, lost in thought. “Ah wane'ted tae giv'er the world, so Ah bestowed upon 'er mah pride an' joy, the Golden Curse. Bu' Ah coul'nae 'ave forseen the future, an' so Ah gav' mah daughter mah ship wit' on'y a few o' mah bes' ponies aboard on'y fer mah daughter tae be betrayed by a fellow pirate.”

“Well, we are pirates.” Madam Green Tea offered quietly.

Several pairs of eyes instantly glared at her.

“What?” She said defensively. “It's not like we all live by some code, we're thieves for Celestia's sake!”

“Longhorn 'ad wane'ted tae lay his hooves oen the Golden Curse fer years, an' 'e chased 'er away from the coast, leavin' me stranded as Ah watched 'em sail away.” Storm Killer lamented. “Ah coul'nae do anythin' bu' stan' on the shore as mah daughter was chased down bah the son o' me bes' friend!”

“Is there a point to this story?” Makry grumbled.

“He's a pegasus.” The griffon whispered to Stone Hand. “Why didn't he just fly after the ships?”

“Fer eigh' long months, Ah was worried sick fer me daughter!” Storm Killer cried. “Ah coul'nae stan' tae be separat'ed from 'er when she migh' be in danger!”

“He sends her out to be a pirate and he wants her to stay out of danger?” Green Tea mumbled into her cup.

“Bu' won day Ah awoke tae the mail-stallion droppin' off a let'er!” Storm Killer announced joyfully. “Mah bonny daughter was alive an' well, Longhorn ne'er even touched 'er! Ah was so 'appy tae hear mah lovely lit'el flower o' the sea was safe.”

“Well, if Longhorn didn't get her, then where's she been for the past few years?”

“Aboard the Marblehead.” Storm Killer answered.

Storm Killer might as well have told them the ocean was on fire.

Madam Green Tea spit her tea all over the griffon next to her, the griffon made a squawk much like that of a chicken, Stone Hand's jaw hung open in shock, Makry had been drinking ale and suddenly found much of it was exiting through her nose.

“Hah!” The dog laughed. “She don't exists.”

“Growler, are you insane?” The griffon asked incredulously.

“I ain't never seen her, the Marblehead's just some story some old fishermare cooked up.” Growler said smugly.

The pirate who denied the Marblehead's validity was a large canine type creature named Growler that closely resembled that of a diamond dog, but was from a pack that preferred to stay above ground. However, his love of things that glittered was just as strong as his subterranean cousins. He wore brown pants with a black vest that held his two scimitars behind his back.

“Well I have!” The griffon shot back. “And I hope I never see her again!”

The griffon was no coward, Grif Talos was a famed airship pirate whose skill at maneuvering his ship was second to none, but he had seen the Marblehead in passing before and her sheer size had baffled the captain.

“Aye!” Stone Hand agreed. “I saw her too, and mark my words, that ship is driven by black magic!”

“That's no ship!” Makry shouted. “That be the reaper come back to haunt the oceans.”

“Don't be ridiculous.” Madam Green Tea snapped. “The reaper is only a fishermare's tale! That ship, however, is no story.”

“Aye, but if that be the case. . .” Grif said slowly. “What is Storm Killer's daughter doing on board the Marblehead?”

The pirates all turned to look at a grim looking Storm Killer.

“She be a crewmember.” He said, his voice cold and calculating. “The cap'n o' the Marble'ead allow 'er tae send let'ers tae me, bu' keeps 'er an' the res' o' mah crew as slaves aboard 'is ship.”

There was silence at the table as the captains thought about what they had just been told.

“But, Storm Stalker would never let that happen.” Stone Hand shivered. “She'd fight to the death before letting herself be captured.”

“Aye.” Storm Killer attracted the attention of those at the table again.

“She be the grea'est figh'er on the seas.” He said, his tone dark. “An' ye' she tells me tha' she was nae match fer the cap'n o' the Marble'ead. Tha' she attacked 'im an' 'e pinned 'er tae the deck wit' 'is sword. Then 'e too' 'er tae 'is cabin an' made 'er his own.”

Those at the table stared at him in a mixture of horror and fear.

“Storm Stalker was defeated in combat?” Madam Green Tea asked.

“By one creature?” Grif added on.

“A pony.” Storm Killer clarified. “A pony mo' skilled an' deadlier than any creature tae sail on the ocean.”

“Um, Storm Killer?” Stone Hand leaned forwards.

“Aye?”

“While this is all very enlightening, I would just like to ask one question.”

“An' tha' woul' be?” Storm Killer looked at him with a cocky grin, but a dangerous glint in his eye.

“Are you planning on pursuing the Marblehead?”

Those in the room dared not to breath until Storm Killer gave his answer.

“. . . Aye.”

“Nope!” Makry jumped up from the table and turned to leave.

“I will not be a part of a suicide mission.” Green Tea said as she also stood.

“Forget it!” Grif said as he buried his beak into a pint of rum.

There was the suddenly a clink of a single coin on the table that stopped all movement in the room.

“'May all 'ooh par tak' o' these gol' coins giv' an oath tae 'ooh e'er calls upon the name o' Storm Killer fer aid will be answered tae, an' when Ah call they will answer me as Ah answered them'.” Storm Killer announced loudly.

Looking around the room, he saw that none of the present company would look him in the eye.

“Yew all owe me, an' Ah 'ave come tae collect mah debt.”

“Well then.” A voice from the very back of the room where the light didn't shine spoke up. “Sssshall we go hunting then?”







“ALL PAWS! CLIMB ALOFT TO MAKE SAIL!” Makry Nychi bellowed as she climbed aboard her small schooner, her crew rushing about to obey their captain's orders.







“Signal the Skull and the Bones.” Stone Hand ordered, his frigate's sails billowing in the wind. “Have them fall in line behind us.”







“Look alive! We sail for Ghost Island!” Grif Talos told his crew as his airship rose into the sky.







“升起风帆!” Madam Green Tea ordered from the deck of her eastern built warship.







“Bring 'er about!” Growler barked. “We be chasin' fairy tales!” The canine captain laughed as his ramshackle ship swung into line behind the others.







“Ssssso, Ssssstorm Killer.” The captain hissed. “What issss our courssssse?”

“Bugganville.” Storm Killer ordered as he stood on the bow of the battleship that plunged through the waves as a strong wind blew from her stern.

“There we find Storm.” He said. “There we find the Marble'ead.”
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sight of Ghost Island, hidden in the distance by a heavy rain and rolling waves, would normally strike fear into the heart of any creature that sailed the sea. However, there were many in Storm Killer's crew that found the sight of the giant ship that effortlessly plied the storm to be a far more frightening scene.

"Well Storm, there she be." Stone Hand yelled up to the dark blue pegasus perched on the balcony of a crumbling lighthouse.

Placed on a cliff on the southern tip of Bugganville, the lighthouse itself was covered by the outer edges of Ghost Island's storm. Years ago, it had meant to act as a guide for any ship lost in the storm, however it became obvious that the lighthouse had been a fruitless endeavor as any ship to get sucked into the vortex that surrounded the cursed island was lost.

Abandoned, the tower threatened to crumble into the sea far below in the next few years unless something was done, but for right now it was the perfect spot for Storm Stalker to rest his wings as he stared through his spyglass.

The flap of heavy wings signaled the arrival of Grif, his soaked feathers throwing water at Storm Killer as he shook them off. Folding his wings to his side, the griffon removed his own spyglass from his vest and looked through it at the massive ship in the distance.

"I had hoped to never see that ship again." He hissed. "Now I am certain she shall be my demise."

"Ah cannae un'nerstan' whay yew're so a'feared o' 'er." Storm Killer snapped. "She be nough' bu' a ship!"

Grif turned to look at him, seething in anger. "Have you not heard the stories? Can you not see her lying in wait? The Marblehead is not some ship! She is the uncontested queen of the seas! She has yet to meet her match, not even Celestia herself could touch her!"

Storm Killer nodded. "Ah know this, an' more."

"Then how can you lead us to our deaths on some insane mission of yours?" The griffon demanded, his eyes doing their best to kill the unconcerned pegasus.

Storm Killer looked at him and smiled. “Grif, 'ave yew fergotten whah' Ah set ou' on mah quest tae begin wit'?”

“How could I?” Grif whined. “You've made it a point to tell us every day.”

“An'?” Storm Killer asked with a raised eyebrow.

“What?”

“An' mah daugh'er is on tha' ship!” Storm Killer bellowed in Grif's face. “The terror o' the Golden Curse! The whisperin' death! The deadliest mare o' the sea! She be on tha' ship, knows ev'ry nook an' cranny bah' now! An' she be mah daugh'er! 'Er pappy's swee' lit'le filly!”

Grif blew a drop of rain from his beak. “And she was defeated! What makes you think this time will be different?”

“Do yew deny tha' Ah've brough' tae'gether nothin' less than the fines' crew o' pirates tae evah' sail the seas?”

“And what good will it do us when we crash on the shores of Ghost Island? Or sent to the bottom by the Marblehead's bow? What then?” Grif demanded. “What shall your mighty armada do when it lays sunken?”

Storm Killer threw his compass from the tower and whirled on the griffon. “'Ave yew los' yewr spine? Is this all tha' remains o' Cap'n Giddel's teachin'?”

Grif's veins began pulsing at an unhealthy rate as he bit back every name he could think to call the pegasus, his eye twitched for a moment and he hissed a warning. Storm Killer didn't back down.

“There be nae shame in bein' scared.” He scolded the griffon. “Bu' yew cannae le' fear set yewr course. Yew be won o' the bes' pila'ets Ah know, an' Ah need yew tae steer mah crew tae Ghost Island, so hol' yewr beak an' get tae tellin' the others tae meet me a' the Bugganville Brewer. Tis a tavern near the shore. Ah'll be waitin'.”

The pegasus did not wait for a reply, taking to the air despite the rain and flapping away until he vanished behind some trees. Grif blew some more rain water from his beak and jumped from the tower, dive bombing until he was close to the ground before pulling up. Gliding to a small grove of trees that nestled together near the cliff side, he landed right as he entered between two trees. The rest of the pirate captains were there as well as a few of their crew.

“What'd he say?” Makry demanded, leaning against a palm tree in an effort to avoid as much rain as possible.

“We meet him in a tavern called the Bugganville Brewer to discuss the plan.” Grif said as he shook off some of the water from his wings.

Stone Hand growled as he looked out at the ship in the storm, now beginning to turn around.

“So he really plans to go through with it.” The minotaur rumbled.

“Aye. . .” Grif said sullenly. “Nothing will stop him, and he plans on taking us all to Tartarus with him.”

“If you are ssssso sssssscertain he is bound for death, then why are you sssssstill here?” A dark figure asked, their tongue flicking in and out of their mouth.

The griffon snapped a limb off of a nearby tree and proceeded to grind it into splinters with his talons.

“That blasted coin.” He said angrily, throwing what was left of the branch away.

“Aye, the coin.” The figure spoke again. “It holdsssss no power, no ssssspecial meaning to any of ussss, and yet we are bound to itsssss will like a pirate to hissss treassssure.”

Madam Green Tea huffed slightly. “It's not the coin that drives us to our doom.”

“No, it isn't. . . Ssssso, who issss leading ussss down to death? And more importantly. . . What ssssshall we do about him?”





Normally, the small inn known as the Bugganville Brewer would have a few sailors from the vessels moored in port or locals who knew the owner sitting around the table, however when a single pegasus stallion had stepped through the door, it did not take long for all those inside to find a reason to leave. Even the bartender, an overweight unicorn, had tried to leave but had failed to do so before the pegasus stopped him.

When the door opened an hour later and several more creatures that looked even more dangerous than the pegasus entered, it took all of the bartender's willpower not to break down crying and beg for his life lest they find his service inadequate.

However, the group all seemed focused on the pegasus and paid him little mind as he served them all his best ale. Jumping over the counter, the unicorn huddled to the floor and dared to barely even breath, hoping that they would leave soon.

Storm Killer eyed his allies for a moment before taking a large gulp of his drink.

“So!” He yelled when the flagon left his lips. “Yew've com' tae tell me yah won' be joinin me on mah journey.”

The silence that greeted him told him all he needed to know.

“Tha' be unfor'tunae. . . very unfor'tunae indeed.” The pegasus said slowly, a dangerous glint in his eye.

“Storm, it's nothing personal.” Madam Green Tea pleaded. “But what you've proposed is insane. I will not send my crew to their deaths for no reason.”

“Yew know, yew all mae' an oath tae me.” Storm Killer continued, ignoring the mare's begging. “An oath be a pow'erful thin'. A pirate's word, 'is oath o' honor. It be bindin' tae their very souls.”

As he spoke, he brought fourth his gold coin and flicked it onto the table. It landed on the wood and rolled before it hit a crack in the surface, causing the coin to spin in place. The blur of gold continued to spin for an uncomfortably long time, not once faltering or appearing to slow down as if possessed by an unknown force. Madam Green Tea lit her horn to search for the source of the magic propelling the coin and felt her face pale when her spell encountered a dark barrier surrounding the coin.

Finally, Stone Hand had enough and slammed his fist onto the table, cracking it down its length. The coin bounced slightly before falling over, inert and unremarkable as any other piece of gold.

“Just what are you saying?” Makry hissed angrily. “Are we cursed just because we took your stupid coins?”

Storm Killer began to laugh. “Celestia nae! Wha' mad' yew think tha'? Ah cannae cast curses, an' nae can these coins either!”

“Then why was that coin possessed?” Madam Green Tea shouted.

“Possessed?” Storm Killer laughed. “Yew nee' tae ge' yewr horn checked! Tha' be naught bu' a coin.”

The unicorn cast her spell again, and sure enough the coin was nothing more than a gold piece of metal. She frowned as she searched for any trace of the magic she had felt before, but nothing remained.

“B-B-But-” She stuttered, unsure of herself.

“As Ah was sayin', yew all too' an oath, an' yew will all pay yer debts in full a'fore our journey be t'rough. All Ah ask is tha' yew 'ave a lit'le faith in me.” Storm Killer interrupted, his cocky smile back in full force.

Makry swallowed the lump in her throat, still staring at the coin on the table but one last defiant spark in her.

“Storm.” She rasped. “Surely, our debt can't be worth our lives. . .”

She stopped when she saw him looking at her, the dangerous glint in his eyes having returned.

“Remin' me, Makky mah lass, 'ow is it yew cam' intae bein' in debt in the firs' place?”

The Grat didn't answer, so Storm Killer continued.

“Were yew nae bein' attacked bah a mighty leviathan, an' was i' nae the Golden Curse tha' killed the beas' when yew're ship was tae be broken in half an' yew swallowed 'ole?”

“It was.” Makry answered quietly.

“Grif, di' yewr mah'ty airship whether tha' hurricane, or di' yew crash intae the sea an' more'in likely tae drown tha' day?”

The griffon didn't answer, staring down at his drink.

“Growler, mah ol' mate, yew a'member when yew firs' set sail, yew owed the Council money, an' they came fer yew? Tell me, who was i' tha' paid yewr debt?”

“Ya got me there Cap'n.” The Diamond Dog grinned nervously.

“Green Tea, Stone Hand, di' yew nae sit fer six lang months in tha' Griffonian prison, waitin' fer yewr execution when Ah broke yew free?”

The pair nodded, unable to speak.

Storm Killer turned to look at the final pirate who was unable to meet his gaze. “An' Ristophina. . . Don' bother denyin' tha' yew were the won tae turn mah frien's agin' me.”

“I wassss the one who planted the ssssseed.” The captain hissed.

“Shame on yew, an' was Ah naet the one who brough' yew from the flames, riskin' mah own skin tae save yew're sorry tail.”

The reptilian creature looked him in the eye, her tongue darting in and out a few times before she sighed. “My life, my sssssship, they are yourssss.”

A large, snake like creature with arms and legs, Ristophina was cover in scars and burn wounds. Her light orange skin was covered in dark like splotches and a few white stripes near her neck. Due to the fact that her scales were extremely tough and her body was extremely resilient to most damage, the reptilian captain would often lead the charge onto enemy ships and sustain the most injuries, but she had yet to fall in combat.

“Righ' then!” Storm Killer yelled, banging his hoof on the table. “Tonigh' we sail fer Ghos' Island! Gather ten o' yer bes' crew an' mee' me on tha' pier! Ah promise, nae a single won o' yew will die tonigh' as long as yew follow mah orders.”

With a scrape of several chairs, all of the captains except Storm Killer rose, glancing between each other, the coin and the pegasus who commanded them all. There was nothing to say to him, nor to each other, so they left. The door slammed shut behind them, shutting out the brisk evening air.

Storm Killer slumped in his seat, suddenly feeling very tired and stiff. Picking the coin up in his hoof, he placed it back into his bead and brought out a bit pouch.

“Bar'ender!” He yelled.

Slowly, the unicorn looked over the counter at his lone customer.

“Yessir?” He squeaked.

“Brin' me yewr fines' grog.” The pegasus spoke low and deliberately. “Ah be needin' all the courage Ah can fin' fer taenight.”





“Your highness, urgent news from Baltimare!”

Celestia took the letter from the guard and read it over.

“This merchant captain who reported the eight pirate ships, Mister Wave Tumble, is he trustworthy?” The alicorn of the sun asked.

The guard nodded. “I was assured by our Baltimare division that we would have no reason to doubt his report. Is it regarding the Marblehead again?”

Celestia looked over the letter once more just to make certain.

“No.” She finally spoke. “I'm afraid that this is a much older adversary, one that I had hoped would stay in hiding.”

The guard nervously shuffled before speaking up. “Your majesty, shall I call a meeting of the naval staff at this time?”

“No, send a message to Admiral Iron Keel discreetly.” Celestia instructed. “Tell him to assemble his fastest ships and depart for Mare's Point. There's somepony who I need to discuss the definition of retirement with.”
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm Stalker helped secure the longboat in its cradle before a few of her crew began taking what supplies had been brought onboard down below.

“Evenin' Miss Storm.” One of the pirates called above the noise of the rain as he picked up a saddlebag and flung it over his back. “'Ow was Bugganville?”

“Ah, i'twas ugly.” The pegasus replied, hooking another saddlebag with her wing and throwing it on her back as well. “Too much lan'! Ah cannae stan' tae be on solid groun' fer so long!”

The pirate laughed. “Aye! I remember you were never happy unless you were aboard the Golden Curse.”

Storm rolled her eyes. “Aye, Ah wasnae the mos' agreeable filly.”

Looking around, she noticed the absence of a usual sight.

“Eh, where be the cap'n?” The mare asked. “Nae like 'im tae miss our supply run.”

“Aye.” He answered, his face grave. “It would seem the cap'n's had a grave accident, he be injured in the infirmary.”

There was a sudden breeze strong enough to nearly knock the pirate over. Storm Stalker's saddlebags, now absent a body to rest on, fell to the deck in a heap. The pirate looked at the suddenly flung open hatch in the deck, a small smile playing at his lips.

“Uh, Drip? Is that you?” A voice called from the pirate's left.

The stallion looked to see a mirror image of himself standing on the deck with a confused expression.

“Why do ya look like me?” The pirate asked.

In a flash of green, the false pirate reverted to the usual form of a simple earth pony, the changeling's grin now stretching across his face.

“Oh, nothing important. Just a reminding the captain of his more important concerns.”





Trade Breaker was awoken from his nap when the door to the infirmary was suddenly thrown open and a blue blur flew through the room to his bedside.

“CAP'NAREYEWHURTWHA'APPENED?”

“Celestia's mane, Storm!” Trade Breaker yelled in surprise. “What's gotten into ye?”

The pegasus mare drew back slightly and looked him over.

“Ah was tol' yew were hurt!” She exclaimed.

“Aye, but naught but a bump on the head, I'd be up an' about if'n Miss Sun Flowers would let me.” The captain explained.

“Oh. . . Ah. . . Ah though' eh was serious. . .”

There was an awkward silence between them, the two of them both a little embarrassed.

“Uh, 'ow'd yew 'urt yewr 'ead in the firs' place?” Storm eventually asked.

“Drip hit me with a door.” Trade Breaker said.

Storm Stalker shuffled nervously.

“Storm, I need to tell ye somethin'.” Trade Braker finally blurted.

“Aye, an Ah wan' tae tell yew somethin' as well!” The mare replied quickly.

“Storm, I think. . . I think. . .” Trade Breaker hesitated as Storm Stalker looked at him expectantly. “Storm, the Marblehead's not going to last ferever, an' I think ye need to think about what yer goin' to do after we lose her.”

“Cap'n!” Storm leaned forwards. “The Marble'ead's seen 'er fair share o' punishment, bu' she's a long way from the grave.”

“Be that as it may, we no not what the future may hold fer us.” Trade Breaker said. “And on the day I leave the Marblehead be the day I leave the sea. Now I-”

“Cap'n! Ah won' let tha' 'appen!” Storm shouted.

“Storm! Will ye shut up an' let me speak?”

“Nopony's stoppin' yew cap'n.”

Trade Breaker's glare told her otherwise, but she ignored it.

“Storm, I want ye ta start makin' plans fer when I am shorebound. Now, Equestria has some fine ships in their navy, an' I woul' be more'n happy to commandeer one fer ye next time we run across a fleet.”

Storm Stalker threw her hooves up in the air. “Ferget the 'Questrian Navy! Ferget the blasted sea fer all Ah care! Ah'm stayin' wit' yew Cap'n, be it on sea or lan'!”

“Storm!” Trade Breaker pleaded. “Yer a mare o' the sea, ye wouldn't be happy ta be landbound!”

“An' neither woul' yew!” The mare pointed a hoof at the captain. “Don' deny yew dread the day when yew cannae sail agin! Face eht cap'n! The only way the both o' us will be 'appy is aboar' the Marble'ead!”

“But what of the crew?” Trade Breaker demanded. “What of their happiness?”

Storm Stalker laughed. “Ah'd be 'ardpressed tae fin' a sad pony in this lot! Cap'n, a'member wha' 'appened las' time yew tried tae kick us off?”

Trade Breaker sighed, his shoulders sagging.

“I only worry fer their safety, Storm.” He said quietly. “Sooner or later our luck will run out. Sooner or later, somepony's goin' to get killed.”

“Hush that talk now.” Storm Stalker whispered to him as she hopped onto the bed beside him to wrap one of her wings around him. “Cap'n, Ah don' believe in luck, an' yew cannae see the future. The bes' we can dew is tae prepare fer it an' take our blows as they com'. An' don' worry, wit' the Marble'ead, it'd take the reaper is'self tae take us down.”





“I swear that pony is the reaper in disguise.” Makry growled as she watch Storm Killer.

The pegasus was currently standing on the bow of her schooner looking into the storm that crackled in the distance. They were anchored just outside of the storm, all of the captains on Makry's schooner with their own ships floating close by.

From each ship, Storm Killer had hoof picked ten crew and placed them aboard Makry's schooner, replacing all but ten of her own crew. They gathered on the deck, a variety of creatures that claimed to be the best onboard their ships. The crew looked to their captains, and their captains looked to Storm Killer.

There was a murmur in the crew as they observed the hurricane, their eyes darting nervously between it and Storm Killer.

“Ghost Island? We be doomed.” One whispered.

“What's gotten into them? They be like sheep an' he's the wolf.” Said another.

Makry had heard enough and wanted action.

“Storm Killer!” She yelled, stepping forward. “What be your orders?”

The pegasus turned slightly but did not look back.

“Batten daown yewr hatches an' raise sails!” He yelled. “'Ave all ships hol' position, they be tae stay a'hind while we go in.”

There was no movement for a moment until the individual captains began shouting orders. Stone Hand actually drew his swords to threaten any crew that was not moving.

The cries of “Drop anchor!” sounded from the surrounding ships followed by several splashes signaled the acknowledgement of orders while Makry's schooner began to creep forward, drawing closer and closer to the storm. Her speed increased as the sails rose, catching the wind that eagerly drew them towards the darkened skies.

Storm Killer stood on the prow near the bowsprit and watched the storm with a calm facade. Makry stepped up to him and looked at it as well.

“Storm, I know this be a little late to be askin', but how do we get back out?” She said hesitantly. “No ship has ever come out of there, at least not in one piece that is.”

“We tae'k the Marblehead an' sail 'er ou'.” The pegasus answered flatly.

Makry looked at him desperately. “And me ship? How do we bring her out?”

Storm Killer didn't look at her, but instead pulled a gold coin from his beard and placed it on the deck in front of her.

“Yewr debt be paid.” He said before turning away and walking towards the stern.

Makry looked at the coin, her eyes beginning to moisten. She slowly put a paw out and picked it up, clutching it to her chest. With an angry yowl, she threw it into the sea.





“Watch aloft! Fasten the blasted rope to the blasted mast itself! Not the pin! The mast!” Grif Talos yelled to the various pegasi, thestrals and griffons that were attaching lines to strengthen the sails.

“Grif!” A familiar and unwelcome voice called out.

The griffon turned to see Storm Killer approaching him. He took a long drink from a bottle and shortened the distance.

“What is it?” He asked sourly.

“Belay tha' sails, tak' ovah on the wheel.” The pegasus ordered.

“Like Tartarus I will.” The griffon spat before tipping the bottle back and gulping down another unhealthy dose of rum.

“Grif, yew're the on'ly won tha' can guide us t'rough 'dat storm!”

“Aye, an' I've seen what that storm can do to ships!”

“Then yew know wha' Ah need'yew on tha wheel!”

Without warning, the griffon's talon shot out and grabbed at Storm Killer's neck. Grif had moved so fast that even Storm Killer was not able to move out of the way, but his thick beard prevented the griffon's talon from gaining any purchase on his neck.

“YES!” He hissed. “I know why you need me on that infernal tiller! Because of what I've done! Because I was a coward and abandoned my captain in his time of need!”

Storm Killer kept his calm expression, but he spoke cautiously.

“Aye, yew've escaped death from Ghos' Island a'fore, somethin' even Ah cannae claim tae 'ave done.” The pegasus said.

“Escaped?” Grif snapped. “No! I was spared by the infernal storm to live a life of torment! To see my captain and mates torn apart by that storm every night in my dreams! To see his airship swept into a vortex that ripped the very ship in half! There is no escape from that cursed place, only living death.”

Storm Killer took in a deep breath. “Ne'ertheless, yew 'ave a debt tae pay, an' if'n yew pay et or naet, we sail intae tha' storm. Naow, will yew take the wheel or nae?”

Grif stared at him with burning hate, but after a few moments let him go and drained the rest of the rum from his bottle.

“AAAH!” He yelled as he smashed the glass onto the deck. “Don't we have anything other than this bilgewater? If I am to sail to my death I want to die with some rum in my stomach!”

With a powerful sweep of his wings, he leaped to the tiller in one bound and grabbed it from the pony.

“All hooves!” Grif roared. “Lash yourselves down and pray that the seas be merciful!”

The schooner lurched as the current into the storm picked up and the wind became more fierce.

“Make full sail!” The drunken griffon screamed above the wind. “We must keep our speed if we are to survive!”

“MAKE READY FOR A STORM BOYS!” Grif's laugh was heard above the raging hurricane even as waves began to crash into the bow.

“He's gone mad!” Makry screamed as she drew her sword and ran towards the griffon only to be tackled by Storm Killer.

“Don' worry aboot Griffy!” He cackled into her ear. “'E be a might upset, tha's all!”

The sun disappeared behind the clouds as the schooner picked up speed, her masts groaning under the strain of the gale. The wooden ship rattled as she was thrown into another wave by the wind, heeling over sharply and threatening to capsize only for Grif to right her at the last moment. Lighting cracked and struck the mast but the wooden tower sparked in defiance, a unicorn's powerful spell protecting it.

“The storm knows we're here!” One of the crew wailed. “It knows and it's trying to sink us!”

Several other of the crew heard this and began to panic, but several swords held in a magical glow surrounded them as Green Tea demonstrated her prowess at magical combat. Others froze on deck, watching the confrontation and unsure of what to do.

With a snap, several ropes holding the foresail snapped and it fell several feet before other ropes took up the slack and held it. Quickly, several other things on the ship began to fail without the crew to watch over them, the ship was starting to fall apart as many of the crew were too scared to continue working while others were ready to mutiny.

Stone Hand knew that unless something was done soon, the ship would be lost, so the minotaur gathered what crew crew around him that he could and did the one thing he could think of doing, he grabbed a line and began to sing a song his crew had taught him many years ago.


“Heave!” He shouted, some of the crew taking up the rope behind him.

“Ho!” They responded.

“Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho! Heave!

	Across the sea, in sunless light, 

	We run all day, we hunt at night! 

	We're pirates, of the, Eastern Sea!” 


That certainly got the attention of the schooner's occupants, the other captains quickly taking advantage of the situation to galvanize their stunned crews.


	“Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho! Heave! 

	With hearts of ice, and blades of steel, 

	We search the seas for our next meal. 

	We're pirates, of the, Eastern Sea!” 


Whatever fears the crew had been plagued with were now placed aside for the time being in the hopes of survival. The braver of them climbed the masts to begin mending what they could as several rips had already begun manifesting in the sails.

Rain poured down on them and the ship was tossed about like a cork, however the crew continued to do their jobs as best as they could given the circumstances.


“Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho! Heave! 

	We search for gold, and treasure bright, 

	For rum and comp'ny wait for us toniiiiiiiite!

	(At the isle, wait for us, we'll be home tonight)” 


The storm was at its peak now, bashing the ship relentlessly with torrential rain and hail while waves and wind sent her reeling on a path towards the rocks.


“Sails' groain'

	Ship is moanin' 

	Keep on pullin', hoist that flag! 

	Merchants runnin'

	Navy's comin'

	Ropes is hummin, better hold fast!” 


The island was in sight now, jagged rocks like teeth welcoming the schooner to its doom.


“Sails be rippin' 

	Ship be sinkin', 

	Blood be drippin' from our blades! 

	Keep on fightin' 

	No use dyin' 

	When there's lots of gold to be made!” 


The island was nearly upon them, Grif battling the tiller as he skillfully turned the bow of the ship away from rocks at the last moment and into the storm, the ship pitching suddenly as he did and threatening to capsize. The crew held onto what they could and only a few of them called out the last verse of the song above the storm.


“Stealin' killin'

	Sails fillin' 

	Swing that sword! Take that gold! 

	Raise the black and sail, sail, sail awaaaaaay.” 


“BRACE!” Makry screamed as Grif threw the ship broadside into a wave, the schooner tipping until the masts were almost horizontal before they swung back up, the soggy sails ripping to shreds as the wind beat against them with renewed fury.

The wave carried the schooner sideways until with a startling crash, the deck cracked in several places as the ship was tossed onto the rocks.

“GET TO SHORE!” Came the unnecessary cry as the crew scrambled from the cracking and bending ship to the safety of the rocks.

Amazingly, Grif had managed to land the schooner on a relatively flat part of the rock wall, its face a smooth incline from the sea compared to the jagged and sharpened rocks on either side.

How the griffon had managed to pull off such a feat, he would later answer “I was too drunk to aim for it, so I let the wave do it for me.”

Regardless of how he managed to succeed, Grif had accomplished the impossible and landed them on Ghost Island intact. He did not revel in his victory over the storm, crawling up the incline a safe distance from the water before curling into a ball of fur and feathers. There he lay panting on the rock, his eyes puffy as his sobs spoke of his fear.

Slowly, Storm Killer pushed past the griffon's crew as they circled their captain, stopping by the crying griffon and gently laying a golden coin down in front of him. As the pegasus stepped away, Grif quickly grabbed the coin and hugged as if the coin would bring him comfort.

With a sudden snap of a thousand timber, the valiant schooner broke in half and fell from the rocks into the hungry sea only to be smashed into the island again. Her bow crashed in to the sharp rocks and splintered apart, her stern slipping beneath the waves before a similar fate could befall it.

Makry ran to the shoreline where some of the wood washed ashore and stared at the place her ship had been, stunned by the realization that her ship was truly gone this time, and she was now a captain of nothing.

“On yewr hooves!” Storm Killer yelled, interrupting what little time the crew had for rest. “We either fin' the Marble'ead a'fore firs' light an' board 'er or we starve 'ere! Let's go!”

“He be right.” Growler's bark echoed off the rocks. “Move it out!”

Slowly, led by their captains, the pirates began climbing the rocks to find a safe haven where they could rest and prepare for the coming battle with the crew of a ship that had no equal.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Marblehead's anchor chain clanked and clattered as it was dragged into Ghost's Islands watery depths. Eventually it stopped once enough length had played out to guarantee the ship would not be drifting anytime soon. In addition to the bow anchor, a mooring line was tied from stern to the shoreline to prevent the ship from being able to swing at anchor.

Storm Stalker picked up the oddly shaped phone off its hook and flipped the switch to call the engine room.

“Miz Beaker, douse the engines.” She ordered.

“Dropped anchor already?” A gravely voice asked.

Trade Breaker stepped into the wheelhouse, shaking out his wings from the slight amount of ambient moisture in the air. Slamming the door shut, the pegasus captain pulled a corked bottle from beneath his wings and set it on the deck.

“Aye Cap'n, Ah—is tha' won o' Culinary's bes' bot'les?”

Trade Breaker chuckled, hanging his hat on the wheel. “Aye, I snuck it from the galley when 'e wasn't lookin'.”

Storm Stalker raised an eyebrow as she looked at the bottle. “Ain' lahk yew tae be drinkin' a brew tha' strong. Somethin' on yewr min'?”

The captain used his teeth to uncork the bottle and sniffed.

“Aye, sittin' in that blasted bed all day gave me some time ta think, an' I took a look at our current predicament. Celestia might not be after us no more, but that still leaves the Griffons, Germaneans, Zebricans, South Bay Fleet, pirates, an' whoever else has somethin' that flies or floats.” He explained. “An' they be doubly interested in us after our little run in wit' Celestia. I need to do some plannin', an' the last thing I need right now is a clear head.”

Storm Stalker laughed. “Don' be makin' a 'abit oot o' eh! Mah da was a migh'y drinker 'imself, bu' sum'tim' 'e let 'is bot'le get tae his 'ead a lit'le too much. 'Ow dae yew think Ah came aboot?”

“Ha! Must have been quite a bottle.” Trade Breaker bellowed. “Whatever he was drinkin', fetch another bottle of it!”

“Why Cap'n!” The first mate sidled up alongside her captain. “Coul' eh be yew fancy a roll in tha hay?”

Trade Breaker's cheeks flushed bright red and he neatly side stepped away from the mare.

“None o' that now!” He ordered quickly. “If'n me father could wait 'til his weddin' night, so can I. A'sides, have ye no duties to attend to?”

The mare rolled her eyes. “Aye, aye, Ah'll leave yew tae yer bottle then. Culinary shoul' be done wit' dinner soon enuff.” She grumbled.

“Miss Flowers already fed me, so don't bother waitin' fer me.” Trade Breaker called after her.

“Ah was'nae goin' tae!” Storm playfully yelled back before the door slammed shut.





Storm Stalker made her way down from the wheelhouse towards the galley, happening on Sun Flowers along the way.

“Evenin' Miz Flowers.” The pegasus mare greeted her. “Or shoul' Ah say Mizzuz?”

“Good evening Miss Stalker, how was Bugganville?” The earth mare nodded back.

“Ah was glad tae leave.” Storm answered.

Sun Flowers hummed knowingly. “Glad to leave shore or glad to return to Mister Breaker?”

The other mare snorted. “Pff! Cap'n's still o' the opinion tha' his honor be worth more than 'is comp'ny. T'will be many a day a'fore Ah share a bed wit' tha' stallion.”

“Would you have him any other way?”

“Aye!” Storm retorted. “Ah'd have 'im half-drunk an' on top!”

The two mares shared a guilty laugh as they stepped into the galley.

Culinary looked up as they did, a ladle in his claw.

“Ah! Ladies!” The hippogriff exclaimed. “Ya be jus' in tim' fer supper!”

“It smells wonderful, Mister Beak, and I'm sure that it tastes delicious as well.” Sun Flowers complimented the chef.

“Eh be stu, same as las' nigh'.” Storm Stalker said grumpily. “Nae nee' tae keep tellin' 'im 'e's a good cook.”

Sun Flowers was about to reply when a brown earth stallion came up alongside her and kissed her on the cheek. She yelped in surprise and cast a withering glare at the stallion who cheekily grinned back at her.

“Drip, you're lucky you married me, otherwise you would be counting stars on the deck right now.” The mare stated.

“Oh, but if I only I were but a measly bachelor!” Drip proclaimed loudly as his disguise fell away in a wave of green fire. “That I might be graced by the presence of your hoof upon my jaw!”

With a loud Crack!, the changeling flew backwards and cartwheeled over a table.

“Ah' ain' married tae yew, ya lousy bug.” Storm Stalker snapped, rubbing her hoof. “A'member tha' a'fore yew try tae lie tae me aboot the cap'n agin'. An' nae more disguisin' as one o' me crew neither.”

Drip slowly brought himself above the table to look at the pegasus mare. Even though he was massaging a swollen jaw with his hoof, he still held his cheeky grin as he answered her.

“I take it the captain said no again?”

The changeling barely made it out of the galley with his limbs intact.





Unbeknownst to the laughing crew aboard the Marblehead, their ship was being watched by a large number of pirates hidden in the rocks to the east of the bay. Outside of the protection of the spire that leaned over the harbor, the various creatures of Storm Killer's crew eyed the ship hungrily as they waited for orders from their captains.

Said captains were perched on a large boulder that gave them an excellent vantage point of the ship while hiding their clandestine observations of the Marblehead.

“Well, there she is. Now what?” Makry grumbled.

Stone Hand lowered his spyglass and turned to the group of miserable captains, blowing the rain from his nostrils.

“Storm Killer, I assume you have a plan.” The minotaur asked.

“Aye, the makin's o' won.”

“The makings of one.” Makry simmered. “Comes all this way, wrecks my ship, gets us half drowned and he doesn't even have a plan.”

“Quiet!” Storm ordered. “Ah'm thinkin'.”

Green Tea and Grif ignored them, searching for a point of entry on the ship and finally deciding on the lowest deck at the stern. It was certainly an oddly shaped ship, her deck was flat in most places with all sorts of structures built in the oddest of places. However, by far the most intimidating aspect of the ship were the many giant tubes that could only be cannons, a newly invented weapon of terrible power. And the ship carried at least eight of them, all of them far larger than anything the pirates could have imagined.

“Storm, the stern deck.” Green Tea pointed out.

“Aye, Ah see eht.” The pegasus grumbled.

Moving down from his perch, he stepped into the center of the circle of captains and motioned them closer. Lightning flashed moments before thunder clapped and nearly deafened those around, but Storm Killer did not seem to heed it in the slightest.

“Listen up!” He ordered. “This be how we take the ship.”

Using his sword, he sketched a crude representation of the ship into the shallow sand and pointed at the upper end.

“Grif, yew'll be takin' anypony hoo can fly an' take 'er bow.”

He pointed at the lower end.

“The rest o' yew will take tha' moorin' line onshore an' use eh' tae climb ou' tae the ship. Tha' or swim, the bay be calm despie' tha storm. As'oon as yew're onboard, fin' a 'atch or door as soo' as possible an' ge' belowdecks.”

“Why we goin' below decks?” Grif asked. “Wouldn't be easier to take the main deck an' keep 'em trapped?”

“Nae, tha' ship be a floatin' fortress.” Storm explained. “Accordin' tae tha 'Questrian Navy, Marble'ead'll seal 'erself up ev'ry tim' they fight. As far as 'dey know, she be impossible tae en'ter when tha' happens.”

“When did ya talk ta the Navy?” Growler asked.

Storm shrugged. “Perks o' bein' a gov'nah.”

“So, I assume our goal is to prevent the crew from closing all avenues of entry?” Stone Hand asked.

“Nae, yer job is tae stop 'em from shuttin' the doors.” Storm Killer snapped much to the amusement of the other captains save Growler.

“What of the crew?” Stone Hand. “A ship that large obviously requires a great many creatures to sail her.”

“Nae more than thir'y.” The pegasus grinned. “An' mos' o' 'em be tha former crew o' tha Gol'den Curse.”

“Impossible!” Stone Hand snorted.

“Nae, Ah be certain tha' number be true.” Storm Killer countered. “Mah daugh'er tol' me 'erself in 'er letters.”

“And how do you know that she was not lying?” The minotaur practically shouted, only keeping his voice in check as to not alert the inhabitants of the nearby ship.

“'Cause she's mah daugh'er!” Storm Killer growled. “Ah raised 'er, an' Ah know the las' thin' she'd evah do tae 'er dear ol' da' is lie tae me.”

“And what sssshall we do about the ssssship'ssss captain?” Ristophina asked, using her claws to hone her blade.

“Enough!” Green Tea slammed her hoof down. “Shall we spend the night like this? Arguing like foals? I, for one, did not come all this way just to die on this Celestia-forsaken rock!”

She pointed her hoof at the other captains accusingly.

“What is it you are so afraid of?” The unicorn demanded. “Are we not the Pirate Lords of the Eastern Sea? Have we not conquered every foe in our path? Are not we standing on Ghost Island, the eater of ships?”

“Aye.” Grif answered weakly.

“Aye!” Makry said with a bit more heart. “My schooner made it through that storm, and she ain't no Marblehead!”

“An' Grif sailed 'er!” Growler slobbered. “I'd like ta see the cap'n o' tha Marblehead make that trip!”

“AYE!” Green Tea exclaimed. “The Marblehead is a mighty ship, but her crew is still flesh and blood!”

“And so be her captain!” Stone Hand nodded. “He may be a mighty warrior, but he can't fight all of us at once.”

With a quiet cheer, the captains set about to gather the crew and inform them of the plan.

“Miz Tea, a word.”

Green Tea stopped and waited as Storm Killer approached. He waited until the other captains were out of earshot before speaking.

“Yew seem tae 'ave a way wit' words.” The pegasus remarked.

Green Tea nodded. “One has to be able convince even the most stubborn of fools in order for business to be profitable.”

“Aye, sae tell me why yew did it?” Storm Killer said. “Yew coulda' rallied 'em agin' me.”

“I'm glad to see your senses have not dulled these past few years.” Green Tea smirked, but then she sighed. “What would you say if I told you I believe your is our best chance to escape this rock?”

“Ah'd say yew're a rotten li'er.”

The unicorn let out a soft chuckle. “Then let us agree that I have aided your cause for the sake of a personal matter.”

Storm Killer sighed heavily, but walked away without another word. Green Tea sighed, relief washing across her features. Silently, her first mate crept alongside of her.

“Ye tink 'e'll ever figure it ou'?”

“No.” Green Tea answered. “He's far too much of a fool, engrossed in his own past to see what lies in front of his muzzle.”





Silently and swiftly, about forty of the pirates assembled at the mooring line tied tightly to the teeth-like rocks around the bay. Like acrobats crossing a rope bridge on display for an astounded audience, the quickly made their way across the watery gap to the stern deck of the ship. Those that were less inclined to balance the rope slipped into sea and paddled their way to the side of the ship where willing hooves and claws pulled them aboard.

Strange sights and sounds greeted the pirates as they climbed onto the ship, but they could not stop to observe their surroundings. Upon finding the first door to be unlocked save for a simple lever device, about half of the pirates entered the ship while the other group proceeded to climb the ladders up over the rear structure.

The main deck spread out in front of them, a tangle of crates and strange contraptions littered the deck, and above all of them towering into the night were four smokestacks that even now seeped a small amount of smoke.

“Keep moving. Look for anything that could be a wheelhouse or someplace important.” Came the order.

A thestral from Makry's crew suddenly tensed up, and she saw it.

“What is it?” She asked.

“I thought I saw something, possibly a pony.”

Makry looked around and didn't see anything, but she knew better than to discount the word of her crew.

“Get a move on.” She ordered those around her. “Start lookin' for open hatches. There's no time to waste.”





Trade Breaker turned the bottle upside down and allowed the last of its contents to drain down his throat, thoroughly disappointed that he had run out of booze. Fortunately, he had two more.

Uncorking the next bottle, the pegasus tipped his head back and began to drink again, oblivious to the fact that the door to the wheelhouse had just opened and closed so softly it never even made a sound. Satisfied with the amount of liquor that had passed his lips, he lowered the bottle to see Night Watch standing not a foot away.

“AH!” He yelped in surprise.

The threstral immediately held a hoof to his lips and made a motion for him to be silent.

“Quiet captain, the ship has been boarded.” Night Watch whispered.

“Boarded?” Trade Breaker asked blearily.

“Yes, I don't know how many or how they got aboard, but—”

“BOARDERS?!?!”

Trade Breaker jumped up and grabbed a lever. Night Watch, taken by surprised, uttered a curse.

“Son of a—”

HNNNNNNNNNNNNK!
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm Stalker looked up from her bowl of soup in surprise. The horn had just sounded, and there was no reason for that except. . . With a startling crackle, Night Watch's voice echoed about the ship.

“All hooves on deck!” She heard the speakers blare. “We've been boarded!”

The pegasus felt the blood drain from her face at the announcement. Beside her, Big Sail rose to his hooves and began to give an order.

“Get—”

Storm was up and at the door.

“the—”

Whatever else Big Sail was going to say was lost as Storm Stalker flew through the passages, her wing tips scraping the bulkheads as she did. Even by normal pegasus standards, Storm Stalker was not the fastest, nor did she hold the endurance that many of her species held, but years of combat had given her an edge in reaction time very few creatures could claim.

The corridors were a blur as she sped through them, weaving through the ship at breakneck speed towards the stern. Door after door slammed open until she reached a sight that made her heart leap to her throat. In the middle of the passage way stood a very confused pony staring back at her.

Storm Stalker growled.

It was a deep, feral growl of a wild animal when it senses that it is threatened.

Whoever this pony was, Storm could instantly tell that he was no match for her, but still she felt an overwhelming sense of dread that seemed to drown her very soul. The realization, no matter how hard she fought it, bubbled to the surface.

The Marblehead was no longer safe.

Always before, her hull had been a shelter against the dangers of the sea, protecting her crew against those that wished them harm. Now, the ship held not only her crew but invaders as well. Invaders that would harm the crew, steal the ship, and kill her captain.

Her Captain.

Storm heard something crack and a scream of pain.

She blinked and shook her head to clear her vision of the redness, although still somewhat dazed and a little confused. Several questions flooded her mind: When had she entered the corridor? When had the pirate drawn his sword? When had she broken both of the pirate's forelegs and why was she now holding the sword in her hoof?

“Cotton?” A foreign voice called from the end of the passageway.

Storm was moving again, away from the voice. Her rush to the stern in search of the boarders had been a rash action fueled by terror. Now that her mind was free of the initial adrenaline rush, she began to formulate a plan of action.

Although she was likely more than a match for most of the intruders, Storm knew that alone, her chances of victory were slim to none. She would need to meet back up with the rest of her crew and organize a perimeter to contain the boarders before forcing them off the ship. In the mean time, Storm closed and jammed every door she could along the way to try and slow down her pursuers.

Opening one of the doors nearly ended with disaster as Quick Strike was waiting on the other side armed with a boarding pike. She dodge his initial thrust and nearly stabbed him in the throat with her newly acquired sword, but both of them stopped once they recognized each other.

“Reaper's teeth! Yew tryin' tae kill me Quick Strike?” Storm snapped.

“Aye, well, not ye specifically, jus' anypony that came through that door.” The red pegasus shrugged.

Storm Stalker growled and pushed past him only for Drip, disguised in his brown earth pony stallion form, to rush around the corner and almost straight into her. She deftly moved to the side before the collision could occur and grabbed the disguised changeling as he tripped over his own hooves in an effort to stop.

“Miss Stalker thank goodness you're here!” He blurted out before he even came to a stop.

“Drip, where be mah crew?” Storm asked.

“Big Sail is having them block all the doors leading forwards, we're going to try to force them out of the ship.” Drip explained. “Miss Beaker is firing the engines, but it's doubtful we'll be able to drive them off without a fight, but I have an idea.”

Although Storm wasn't the most open minded of ponies, she knew Drip to be a smart changeling and was eager to hear his plan.

“I'm going to need you to lure or drive as many of the boarders to the main deck as possible.” He said hurriedly. “Keep them as busy as possible for as long as possible while I get things together. I know I'm asking a lot, but—”

“Go an' dae wha' yew need tae fer this plan o' yewrs.” Storm cut him off. “Ah'll do wha' Ah do bes'.”

Drip nodded.

“Good luck.” He said before sprinting down the passageway.

Storm looked at Quick Strike who was still guarding the door.

“Well, com'on then!” She ordered, brandishing the stolen blade. “Ah got one sae far, le's gae ge' anither!”





Trade Breaker stumbled down the passageway towards his room, confused as to why the decl was pitching so much when the ship was at anchor. Bouncing off yet another door, the captain finally arrived at his cabin and unlatched the door with only some level of difficulty.

Crashing into his cabin, Trade Breaker desperately searched for his belt and sword, a gift from Storm Stalker. The pegasus groaned as his stomach churned in protest as the rather large amount of alcohol he had ingested threatened to make its way back up.

“O' all tha' dayssh ta get boardered.” He slurred.

“CAPTAIN! ARE YOU IN HERE?”

“SHHH!” Trade Breaker replied. “Shnot sa loud! We've been boarderered.”

Drip, still in disguise, stood in the doorway with his mouth agape and his eyes very nearly popping out of his head.

“Captain, are you drunk?” He asked.

“I be. . .”

“You be drunk?”

“I be asham'med.” Trade Breaker stumbled forward, his eyes not concentrating on Drip anymore.

“I be drunken on duty!” The pegasus began to sob. “Righ' when me crew needs me, I'm off suckin' a bottle. I'm no good as a cap'n!”

“Oh not this again!” Drip sighed.

Trade Breaker buried his face in Drip's fake fur as he continued. “Shtorm woul' make a great cap'n. She's terrifyin', like a teddy bear with spikes. Shhhhe makes me want ta hug'er, but shhhe's got so many spikes on 'er.”

Drip grabbed his captain and brought a hoof up with which to strike him.

“CAPTAIN! GET! A! HOLD! OF! YOUR! SELF!”

He punctuated each syllable with a slap to Trade Breaker's face, not too much force behind it but enough for the pegasus to grasp a slight sense of reality again.

“Captain! The ship is in danger!” The changeling said earnestly. “I know you're drunk, but I also know you love this crew, now I need you to listen to me and do exactly as I tell you to in order to save us. Can you do that?”

Trade Breaker nodded slowly, a little bit of clarity beginning to shine in his eyes.

“Shtorm's not a teddy bear.”

Drip rolled his eyes.

“Close enough.”





Poisoned Beaker yelped as a bolt of magic passed close enough to her flank to singe a patch of fur.

“Sorry ma'am!” Patcher said as he awkwardly held a frying pan trying to deflect the magic missiles that whizzed by every so often.

“I told you to not call me ma'am!” The mare yelled angrily as she returned the favor, causing the unicorn at the end of the passageway to duck back into cover.

The two of them had been chased every step of the way from the galley to the engine room armed with only Poisoned Beaker's horn and a frying pan from Culinary's supply of kitchen wares. Fortunately, the frying pan was a Marblehead original and was very effective at not only making bell-like noises with the invaders' heads but also served as a superb shield against any magic that was cast in their direction.

Whipping about while the stallion protected her exposed back, the unicorn opened the door with her hooves and quickly ducked inside. Patcher followed her just as the unicorn at the end of the passage launched a barrage of fire spells in his direction. The door slammed shut and the spells bounced about the hallway before burning themselves out.

Poisoned Beaker leaned against the bulkhead and gulped down a breath of greasy air, her brow matted with sweat and a sudden feeling of fatigue overtaking her.

“No time to rest, ma'am! Drip says we need the engines, what do ya want me to do?” Patcher asked.

Poisoned Beaker bolted up and nodded. “Of course, I just needed a breather.”

“Not to worry ma'am, everypony gets nervous hooves the first time around.”

The mare nodded and wiped away the sweat. “First things first, seal off every exit. Jam the handles and don't open them for anypony, not even the other crew. I'll get started on lighting the boilers.”

“Yes ma'am!”

Patcher was about to sprint away when he felt Poisoned Beaker's magic whip his head back to face her.

“Hey, you be careful you big lug, don't do anything risky and just call if you need help.” She pecked him on the lips. “And don't call me ma'am.”

Patcher smiled. “Aye aye. . . ma'am.”





Green Tea wanted to scream in frustration as yet another door blocked her path, and like so many others the handle that held it shut refused to be moved.

“Circle back around!” She ordered. “There has to be an open door somewhere!”

The last pirate in the group turned around and began to retrace their progress when a griffon raced around the corner and crashed into them. Green Tea hurried to them, her six swords drawn and held in her magic.

“Apologies ma'am!” The griffon squawked as it stumbled slightly from the impact. “But we need you up on deck! Makry's bein' overwhelmed!”

Green Tea wasted no time and pushed past the griffon, hurrying away without a word. Her crew followed her towards the ladder, unaware that with a green flash, the griffon had mimicked one of their group before hurrying away to find more pirates.





The main deck of the Marblehead was embroiled in an all out brawl between the two crews, and even though the boarders had a numbers advantage on their side, the fight appeared to be evenly matched.

Green Tea scrambled out of the open hatch and found Stone Hand directing his crew from behind.

“Stone Hand, what's going on?” She asked as her own group added to the fray.

“They popped up out of buckin' nowhere!” The minotaur growled. “One minute, we're searching the deck, the next all the hatches fly open and it all goes to Tartarus!”

“Where is Storm Killer?”

“Don't know.” Stone Hand grunted as a bolt of magic struck his arm, burning the fur off before he pat it out.

“I figure he's waiting for the right time to make his move.” The big pirate gasped as Green Tea used her magic to heal his wound.

Green Tea fired off a few magic blast a pony she didn't recognize and in return received a boarding pike thrown at her. Her six blades easily deflected the projectile, but she silently cursed herself for not having honed a greater control over her telekinesis. While she was skillful when wielding her swords, the concentration it took to control all six of them could leave her feeling drained after too long.

She sheathed her swords and took cover behind a box on the deck, panting slightly. Stone Hand was in the middle of giving orders when he saw her do this.

“Bladesmith, take your brother to help Saw Bones!” He yelled before kneeling at her side. “Green Tea, are you injured?”

“Just catching my breath. How is the battle?”

Stone Hand took a brief look around.

“It appears to be going in our favor.”

With a sudden clang, the hatch near them flew open and a diamond dog scrambled out, screaming.

“SHE'S 'ERE!”

Before the unfortunate canine could take another step, a rounded object caught him in the back of the head and he fell forward unconscious. The small object bounced up into the air before landing on the deck near the two pirate captains. The small fuse on the end sputtered as it disappeared into the ball like object.

The two of them uttered two words. “Uh-Oh.”

Although Green Tea tried to raise a shield, the bomb went off with a blinding flash that left the two of them with their ears ringing and their vision blurred. Green Tea instinctively drew her swords, but she lost control of them when an object slammed into her and carried her into a wall. She gasped for breath as she felt a pair of hooves pin her to the wall and a blade at her throat.

“Yew!” A mare's voice accused, gravely and with a very familiar accent, but definitively a mare's voice. “Ah know yewr face, yew're name be Green Tea.”

The unicorn's vision cleared and she stared at the dark blue pegasus mare that had her pinned. Both of the pegasus' forehooves held her down while a blade attached to the mare's wing threatened her throat.

Stone Hand got to his hooves and drew his scimitar, but the sound of the steel being drawn caused the pegasus mare to leap off of Green Tea back to a position where she could see both of her opponents.

“Yes.” Green Tea coughed. “And your name is Storm Stalker, daughter of Storm Killer.”

Her six blades rose off the deck and hovered around her, pointing at Storm Stalker. The pegasus mare drew a pair of large daggers from somewhere beneath her wings.

“Yew shoul'nae 'ave com 'ere.” She threatened.

Stone Hand snorted derisively. “You should surrender.”

Two daggers flashed in the night as one of each hurtled towards both pirate captains.  Metal struck metal as Green Tea deflected both of them, but to her surprise Storm Stalker had drawn another pair of daggers from beneath her wings as well as another wing blade.

The pegasus zipped towards them, all four blades outstretched. Six blades held in Green Tea's magic met her halfway, twirling about in a series of complicated maneuvers meant to confuse the opponent before the killing blow. Like a graceful dancer, the pegasus struck each offending blade away with a flick of her hooves or wings. Stone Hand charged at her and made to strike her, but two kicks, one to his stomach and one to his jaw sent him flying backwards.

Green Tea's swords flew about the mare, slicing and stabbing at her target, but Storm Stalker refused to let the blades touch her, dodging and blocking each time. Before Green Tea realized what had happened, Storm Stalker was in front of her again, her eyes blazing.

“Yew shoul'nae 'ave com' 'ere.” She whispered.

“We did not have a choice!” Green Tea chose her words carefully, a blade pressed to her throat once more. “Your father made us come for you.”

Storm Stalker started and her fury disappeared for a moment, but returned within a blink of an eye.

“Tell Da' nae tae try anythin' more!” She ordered. “'E 'as no idea wha's waitin' fer 'im on this ship!”

Green Tea smirked. “Why do you not tell him yourself? He's already here.”

Storm Stalker's jaw dropped open and she whirled about at the sound of rushing air. With a heavy thump, Storm Killer dove to the deck and landed on all four hooves followed by a dozen more pirates. He smiled, his eyes glinting.

“Mah bonny girl.” The pirate lord chuckled darkly. “Yew know, yewr dear ole' da's been missin' yew. 'Ow com' yew never visit?”

“Da'!” Storm Stalker whimpered. “Yew cannae be 'ere!”

“Oh bu' Ah am.” Storm Killer laughed as he stepped up to his daughter. “An' now, Ah'm goin' tae free yew from yewr slavery an' tak' ovah' the Marble'ead.”

“Ah—Ah—” Storm Stalker stuttered.

Her father put a hoof to her lips. “Yew can than' me la'er. Naow, where be tha' cap'n?”
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure of this, your highness?”  

“Admiral Iron Keel speaks highly of you.”  

“That's. . . surprising to hear. The last time the admiral and I met, we parted on somewhat rough terms.”  

Princess Celestia coughed politely. “That was also mentioned in our conversation. However the admiral is not so callous as to let a few harsh words cloud his judgment, and for that reason I am contacting you.”  

The mare on the other side of the shimmering mirror let a slight hue fade onto her cheeks before she cleared her throat and stood a little straighter.  

“I understand!” The mare said, saluting in her crisp navy uniform. “You can count on me!”  

Celestia smiled and nodded before the aura surrounding her horn winked out and so did the energies surrounding the mirror. Her smiled faded as quickly as the magic, and her eyes soon clouded with worry.  

The rapping of a hoof on her door caught her attention and she magically unsealed the locks with an audible click before announcing to her guest to enter. A stallion dressed in a butler's uniform slowly stepped in pushing a cart.  

“Tea, your highness?” The stallion asked.  

Celestia gave a small grin and took the cart from the stallion with her magic.  

“Thank you, you may go.” She said, motioning to dismiss him.  

“There is a missive from Bugganville, your highness.” He said before leaving. “A member of the EIS dropped it off mere minutes ago. They said it was urgent.”  

As the stallion had said, there was a letter on the cart with the official EIS stamp sealing it shut. A stark reminder of how despite her best efforts, Celestia was still a ruler of more than just Equestria.  

“Oh for the love of me!” She huffed, throwing open the door to her balcony and stepping out into the sun. Canterlot spread out below her in a jumbled mess of golden trim and marble.  

She levitating the tea set to a small table on the balcony before sitting down and making herself comfortable, settling down with a relieved sigh. The teapot was engulfed in a golden aura before rising into the air and tipping towards a small tea cup, its contents spilling over in a waterfall. Steam rose from the tea as it landed in the cup, its aroma caused Celestia to take a deep breath and savor the moment.  

The alabaster Alicorn blew on her tea before taking a small sip of it and enjoying the flavor. A slight breeze rustled the letter in front of her, drawing her attention to it. Sighing, Celestia picked up the document in her magic and tore open the seal that held it.  

Her frown only deepened as she read its contents.  

“My, my Sunbutt.” A mouth with a single fang protruding from it popped into existence above her. “I haven't seen your face like that since Tirek showed up.”  

Celestia groaned. “What is it this time, Discord?”  

Discord slithered out of thin air with a hurt expression on his face. “What? Is that what you think of me, that I cannot simply make a social call on my most favorite alicorn of the moon?”  

Celestia ignored attempt to goad her into an argument and returned her focus to the letter held in her magic. Discord's face of innocence became a frown of annoyance and he snapped his claw. The letter promptly screamed in Celestia's face, startling her and causing her to choke on the tea she was drinking.  

She coughed a few times before her magic vaporized the liquid and she took a deep breath.  

“Discord! I don't have time for your games.” Celestia said angrily, casting a quick disenchantment spell on the area, nullifying Discord's antics for the moment.  

“Oh phooie.” Discord said dejectedly, idling snapping his lion paw, promptly overpowering Celestia's spell and causing a distant castle tower to shoot off into the sky like a firework. Several confused castle staff ponies and guards floated down on parachutes made of giant pigeons. “You know, you and your sister were much more fun to play with back in the old days.”  

Celestia sighed in frustration before perking up slightly, her mouth revealing the hint of a smile. “Very well, Discord. Let's play a game.”  

The draconequus raised an eyebrow, but his smile promptly split his head in half. “Oh goody! It's been so long since we've had a good game together! What shall we play? Rescue the pony? Tic-tac-tip the castle?”  

“Chess.” Celestia said while summoning a chessboard on the table in front of her.  

Discord's smile was not reduced in the slightest. “Ah, a classic! Tell, dear sunbutt, shall we raise the stakes this time? Perhaps the loser must get turned into stone for a thousand years?”  

Celestia chuckled and shook her head. “Not this time, but perhaps, if I win, you might be able to shed some advice on a recent matter that has come to my attention.”  

“Ooh!” Discord settled down to the table. “Tell me dear, what dastardly scheming villain driven you to seek my help?”  

“Well, I wouldn't say I am actively seeking your help, not with what happen last time.” Celestia explained.  

To his credit, Discord looked genuinely embarrassed and ran a talon through his beard nervously. “Don't suppose I'll be living that one down anytime soon.”  

“No you won't.” The alicorn answered with a sly grin. “However, I find that it does help to receive an outside opinion when faced with a puzzle, even if that opinion is yours.”  

“Very well!” Discord snapped his talon and the tea set morphed into a chessboard, the pieces climbing out from beneath the tiles to their proper places before settling down into inanimate objects for the time being.  

Celestia noted with no surprise that Discord had made her pieces into the typical white ponies that were usual of common chess while his were a random assortment of creatures, although he at least had the decency to make it obvious what each piece was.  

A pawn moved forwards and the game began.  

“The Equestrian Navy discovers a strange ship, it's crew and origins a mystery even I cannot unravel.” Celestia began.  

Discord made his move in silence, so Celestia continued.  

“Accordingly, I tried my best to deal with the situation using what resources I had available. However, it became obvious that this ship was not to be trifled with, and so I sent the Elements of Harmony. A mistake, I now realize, but thanks to the efforts of a few brave creatures, ultimate disaster was averted.”  

“Oh how boring, you would think at least one of your superb blunders would end up with a bit more. . . entertaining. Perhaps next time you can blow up your own castle. Or better yet, blow up Twilight's eyesore, will you?” Discord said, his knight jumping into action, and in turn, on top of Celestia's forward most pawn, crushing the unfortunate piece with a comical scream.  

The alicorn merely rolled her eyes at the display, choosing instead to maneuver a bishop up the board.  

“As I was saying, disaster was averted by the aid of strangers who rescued the Elements of Harmony from a nefarious pirate.” Celestia continued. “And on the surface of things, peace was restored.”  

Discord idly waved his paw. “I'm sensing there's a 'but' in there. Maybe behind you.” 

“But that still left one large problem running loose.” The alicorn explained. “The ship we were dealing with is not normal. I might even hazard a guess that it is not of this world.”  

Celestia's knights entered the battle, but her movements were still conservative and defensive while Discord pressed the advantage.  

“Hmph.” Discord stroked his beard idly. “An intriguing prospect, but what make you so sure?”  

The alicorn took a sip of her tea before answering. “At first I thought it was simply cold iron, and enough magic would simply overpower it. However, even after using most of my magic in what should have been an devastating blow to the ship, I was less than successful in stopping it.”  

Discord snorted. “Not surprising, given your record as of late.”  

Celestia coughed slightly and took another sip of tea. “As I was saying, the ship proved to be invulnerable to any and all magic attacks. Later on, after receiving a small piece of the ship in the form of a crossbow bolt, I found that the material wasn't just resistant to magic, it was completely dead to magic.”  

“A ship from another world that is completely immune to any and all magic.” Discord said thoughtfully. “Eh, five out of ten for originality. The characters would have to make the story more interesting.”  

As Discord's rook brought out a comically sized mallet and proceeded to smash Celestia's bishop into pieces, Celestia calmly moved her other bishop into a position of power.  

“Check.” She noted. “Discord, I am fairly certain your perception of the ship is as warped as your own reality. I'm not talking about some random little boat that might be able to perform a few tricks. I am talking about a warship that, in the wrong hooves, could potentially tip the balance of power in the world to whoever controls it.”  

Discord's king popped up behind his knight and he stroked his beard.  

“I am afraid I might have misheard you, Celly, you make it sound as if this ship is a real threat.”  

Celestia sighed in exasperation and made her move.  

“Discord, the ship known as the Marblehead isn't just a warship anymore, it's a symbol of power! Think about it, having a fortress the likes of which even I cannot defeat. Had I that ship in Manehattan harbor, I could easily defeat any villain who attacked, even you. Even if you turned the sea into cotton candy and the skies to milk, I would be perfectly safe within that ship, free to strike out at you whenever I pleased.

“Tirek would be powerless if he fought that ship, a few well placed shots from the ship's cannons and the centaur we fear would simply fall, never to rise again. And right now, that ship is in danger of being taken by forces beyond my control.” 

Discord idly cleaned out an ear. “Well, it sounds as though you are in a bit of a pickle. But tell me Celestia, why are you here and not out there trying to stop this Marblehead?” 

“The situation is more complicated than just a powerful ship on the loose.” The alicorn explained. “Griffonia has a new weapon that even I do not know what it does, but they are threatening the Zebrican nation with it. Prance and Germanenia are at each other's throats, but they want a trump card before declaring war. Every nation out there has some sort of gamble riding on catching the Marblehead. Right now, it's more important than ever that the Marblehead stays neutral, even Equestria cannot be seen to posses her.” 

Discord observed the chessboard with a critical eye. He knew Celestia had easily outplayed his aggressive strategy, but he was keen to find out where she was leading him. His rook moved to place pressure on Celestia's own king. 

“So you cannot take the ship for your own for fear of starting a war,” Discord observed. “but you're not going to let it fall into the claws of another. So what is it you intend to do about this. . . conundrum?” 

“Well, I did say that the Marblehead is attracting a lot of attention.” Celestia said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “A lot can happen. Prance might lose a few trade deals because their navy is being too aggressive. Germanenia might not have the resources required to start a war if some of their equipment somehow ends up at the bottom of the ocean. Griffonia's new weapon, well, let's just say a little bird told me that they are planning on deploying their new toy against the Marblehead.” 

Discord chuckled as his rook continued to pulverize another of Celestia's pieces. 

“Perhaps I underestimated your little game, Celestia. It is the work of a true master.” 

Celestia smiled, and although it was a simple movement of her jaw Discord could see a predator hiding beneath the seemingly innocent expression. With a small flourish, Celestia's queen moved past Discord's poor defensive line and pinned his king to the corner. 

The alicorn took a brief sip of tea and with a flash of magic, turned the chessboard back into a tea set. “Griffonia's new weapon will be rendered inert by various means, two countries poised on the edge of a war will be forced to reconcile with each other in order to avoid bankruptcy, and Equestrian foreign policies will exert greater power than ever before. The Marblehead will take the blame while being able to continue to bring new threats to my attention.” 

“A delightfully cunning and bold plan.” Discord remarked before leaning in closer. “But that is not why you are worried, now is it? There's something else, something that has put you on edge.” 

Celestia grimaced and brought the letter up from the table where it had been resting. “There has been a complication, an entity which I had not expected to rise again. Any other creature I would wager the Marblehead would be easily rid of, however. . . I made a deal with this creature for him to live out his life in peace because even I was hesitant to battle him and his armada. Now he has apparently set his sights on the Marblehead, and for once I think that the crew of that ship may be outmatched.” 

Discord's grin vanished and he snapped the letter from Celestia's magic into his own claw. 

“Some sort of pirate lord? What's so dangerous about him?” 

“It's not him I am worried about.” Celestia explained with a worried frown. “His daughter, she will be the one who decides the fate of the seas. In the next letter, I will find who she has chosen to follow. Her captain, or her father."
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The storm was getting worse.  

Even outside of Ghost Island's influence, Storm Killer's small fleet of pirate ships was being battered by heavy winds and high seas. The lead ship was Ristophina's battleship, a massive construction of hardened oak reinforced by only the best magic that gold could buy. Twenty-eight of the massive anti-ship ballistas sat on her deck while her crew of over two hundred battle-tested pirates handled the ship.  

Yet despite this, there was a palpable feeling of fear that pervaded each nook and cranny of the vessel. Creatures of all sorts sat or lay on the main deck, ignoring the biting winds that whipped at them with fury. They looked into the maelstrom that had swallowed their captain and the schooner with concern, searching for any sign of their prey.  

Ristophina's first mate paced the forecastle, his eyes glancing between the deck and the storm. A griffon well past his prime, but having earned the respect of his crewmates, he was not one to be taken lightly, nor was he one to worry. However, even his veteran facade was beginning to crack and his nerves were beginning to show.  

“Sail ho! Off the starboard!” Came the cry of a lookout.  

With a powerful leap, he was airborne off the side of the ship and climbing into the sky until he was level with the crow's nest.  

“Whereaways?” He called.  

The lookout pointed with his hoof. “Two points north of the lightning strike.”  

Sure enough, large white squares were climbing their way over the horizon in defiance of the approaching storm. Bringing a spyglass to his eye, the first mate carefully observed the approaching ships. Already he could tell that there was more than one ship, at least three, maybe a forth. On the lowest and largest sails of the ships was an insignia, easily identifiable and recognizable to any who saw the shape.  

“Blasted Equestrians!” The griffon seethed.  

The beating of wings attracted his attention to a second griffon while a thestral glided along the air currents up to them.  

“What do we do?” The second griffon asked, her eyes glancing between him and the horizon.  

Realizing that he had just been unofficially placed in command, the first mate had to make a snap decision.  

“We hold.” He ordered. “At least for now. Spread the word for all ships to crew the weapons.”  

The threstral merely nodded and began to glide back down while the griffon gave him a quick 'aye aye' before diving away.  

Alone with only his thoughts and the buffeting wind, the first mate looked through his spyglass once more. The mere sight of an Equestrian warship was never a good sign, although it was doubtful that those ships presented a threat to the small armada floating (or flying in the case of the airship) beneath him. Still, wherever an Equestrian went, it meant trouble for any self respecting rapscallion.  

“Where are ye, cursed ship?” He spat. “Bring us back our captains.”  

As if the responding to his wish, a cry from lookout turn his head towards Ghost Island.  

“Marblehead ahoy!”  

A ghostly grey shape, effortlessly defying the cursed storm, smashed through the waves towards the waiting ships.  

“By the Reaper.”  

Dark smoke poured from the chimneys in thick clouds only to be blown away by the wind while the ship approached at a frightening speed. The pirates onboard the ships began to cheer at the sight, claims of “Never had a doubt” and “Nothing could stop Storm Killer” began to be exchanged on deck.  

It was almost too good to be true, but a quick glance through his spyglass revealed the sight of Storm Killer himself standing on the prow of the Marblehead, waving his sword. The griffon smiled in relief, circling down to the deck of the battleship beneath him in order to welcome his captain back onboard.  







Storm Killer's head hurt, but the familiar motion of a storm slowly brought him out of his groggy state. It didn't take him long to discover that he was bound tightly by enough rope to rig a small ship and his daggers, even the hidden ones, had been taken.  

“Oh look who's awake!” Makry's voice pounded in his skull. “The fool who lead us into this trap!”  

“Wha' 'appened?” He asked, looking around the small room.  

It was large enough for all the creatures there to be set inside the room with enough distance from each other that assisting the pirate next to them would be impossible. Pipes and boxes were attached to the bulkheads but nothing that look especially useful, and there was only a single door that looked sturdy enough stop even Stone Hand.  

All of the other captains were there with him, although on Makry and Grif were awake. Like him, they had been bound in rope and relieved of their weapons. Growler was slobbering on the floor with a muzzle attached to his face while Stone Hand was chained to the wall by thick manacles. Green Tea was hanging upside down from the ceiling, wrapped up in green vines and what looked like changeling goo on her horn. Ristophina was encased in ice, framed with her mouth open in a furious scream while her blade was outstretched in a slashing motion. 

“Bah all da bloo' in da sea, wha' appened?” Storm Killer asked again, barely comprehending what he was seeing.  

Makry spat at him before answering.  

“I'll tell ye what happened!” She hissed. “You had 'er! Storm Stalker, Reaper, ye had the whole bloody crew! Stopped 'em dead where they stood, all busy lookin' at ye! Ship was ours!”  

“Ah 'member tha'!” Storm Killer snapped.  

The Grat hissed at him for interrupting, but then her eyes glazed over.  

“Then that. . . thing came out.” She whispered, shivering at the memory. “You fell on the deck like somecreature gave ye a knock to the head. When that happened, all Tartarus broke loose.  

“Wha' thing? An' who gobbed me?”  

“A ghost of the past.” Grif muttered, his gaze far away and his body shaking in odd spasms.  

Makry looked at the griffon with pity before turning back to Storm Killer. “Twas a great white apparition, took one look at Risto' there and froze 'er along with half my crew. We tried to fight it, but we was no match for the beastie. Froze our weapons, threw us overboard, brought us down by the dozens. Then the bloody vines showed up.”  

“Vines?” Storm Killer looked at Green Tea, studying her bonds.  

“Aye, came up from every last part o' the ship. By then, we was movin'.” Makry said, all of the fire from her voice gone. “Took us right out into the storm, like it were nothin'. They had a changeling, that's what got Stone Hand, pretendin' to be Green Tea. Those that was left of us were havin' none of it. Tried to jump overboard, we did. Something grabbed me when I hit the water, dragged be down before throwin' me back onto this cursed ship. Same with the rest of all those overboard.”  

Makry hung her head, a small sob escaping her. “An' then I saw 'im, Storm Killer, the cap'n.”  

Storm Killer tried to lean forward, but the ropes kept him from making even that simple movement. “Wha' dew yew mean? Wha' manner o' creature be 'im?”  

“A bloody pegasus.” She whined. “He was just a bloody pegasus, but that beastie was sittin' there right beside him like some sort o' pet, and another creature as well. An' there was yer daughter in front o' him, bowin' and beggin' his fer'giveness like a filly.”  

“AH DON' BELIEVE IT!” Storm Killer thundered. “She'd ne'er bow tae naw creature!”  

“She was ye fool!” Makry screamed back. “She's afraid o' him like I was afraid o' you! 'Cept I'm not afraid o' you no more! Not after today!”  

“Ah, cannae believe eh'. Mah daugh'er, cryin' lahk a babby.”  

“Ye Tartarus ridden old crab!” Makry snapped. “She's gone! She's been taken an' ye've lost your only chance to back! Reaper, ye might've put 'er in more danger than she's ever been!”  

“Storm. . .” The old pirate whispered, realization taking shape as a pit in his stomach. “Oh Reaper wha' 'ave Ah done? Storm, Ah'm sorry.”  







“Cap'n! Ah'm sorry!”  

Storm Stalker was on her stomach, bawling her eyes out in front of a very unsteady Trade Breaker in the wheelhouse. Despite the head ache, a little bit of Zebrican potion making and some ice was doing wonders for his hangover.  

“Storm, I, oh Celestia.” The captain groaned. “Storm, I don't blame ye.” 

“Cap'n! Ah shoulda tol' yew aboot mah da', an' the let'ers, an'. . . an'. . .” Storm's tears blurred her eyes and she began to hiccup.  

Trade Breaker picked her up and straightened her hat.  

“Aye, ye should have.” He said softly. “And I should've been there fer ye when ye was needin' me. We've both made mistakes, an' now we have ta pay. Now Storm, let me ask ye this; will ye do it again?”  

Storm shook her head, finally regaining control of herself.  

“Good. We'll decide on yer punishment later.” Trade Breaker nodded. “Now get to work and find out what in the blazes is happening on me ship.”

“I believe I can help with that, captain.” The door to the wheelhouse opened and a gray box with Swiss-cheese legs stepped through.  

“So that's where ye've been hidin'.” The captain remarked.  

Drip reverted to his earth pony form with a green flash and he frowned.  

“It's not good.” He stated. “From what I could gather, there's more pirates waiting for us outside the storm. It seems as though Storm's father has gathered the best pirates he could find and brought them here to try and rescue her, and apparently they think you're some sort of beast that's taken the entire crew hostage.”  

Trade Breaker glared at Storm Stalker. The mare refused to make eye contact.  

“Anyways, it's not all bad.” Drip continued. “The pirates were expecting to take the Marblehead and sail her out themselves, so the ships waiting for us might think we're friendly. At least, for a little bit. Meanwhile, there's still the matter of the pirates onboard. We haven't finished searching the whole ship, but the crew and I are fairly certain we found all of them. All told, they outnumber us at least three to one. I don't like those odds if they break free.”  

Trade Breaker sighed and looked out the wheelhouse windows, the storm battering against the glass with useless fury. In the distance, he could see the edge of the storm, and occasionally the white speck of a sail.  

“Well then, we get rid of them.” He ordered, pushing the engine telegraph all the way forward.  

Moments later, Poisoned Beaker responded from the engine room. Slowly, the Marblehead began to pick up speed.  







Cheers turned into cries of alarm and celebration turned into panic when Storm Killer's smiling visage was burned away in green flame and the Marblehead's horn blared out her warning. With barely a moment to react, the crew of Ristophina's battleship screamed as they jumped over the side in an effort to avoid the knife-like bow of the approaching ship. It could barely even be called a collision as Marblehead made an abrupt turn into the wooden vessel, crashing into the starboard side and smashing it into splinters with impunity.  

The doomed ship lurched to port and nearly capsized from the blow before water rushed into the gaping hole on the opposite side. Whatever crew was left on the ship quickly grabbed whatever they thought might float and dove into the water. Her masts slipped beneath the waves and she rolled onto her back floating on the surface like a breached whale.  

So sudden was the attack that for a full minute after the ship had been struck, the only sound was that of the battleship's timbers breaking and the rumble of the Marblehead as she steamed away. Then all Tartarus broke loose and the pirates began to make sail in order to pursue the steel behemoth.  

Captain Grif's airship was first to move, cutting the ropes binding her to the ships below and turning about sharply. Without warning, their ship was suddenly pitched to one side as several of their ropes randomly snapped and tore holes in the envelope. A yellow pegasus smiled and waved at the shocked crew before leaving the crippled ship and forming up another pegasus, this one being dark blue.  







“Jump.”

“What?” The quivering pirate asked meekly.  

The nightmarish beast lowered itself until it was level with the bound intruder. A blast of cold air very nearly freezing the pony on the spot. Unleashing a massive roar that simply blew the unfortunate pirate off the side, his screaming cut short by the water.  

Unlike the first pirate, his compatriots were not so eager to question the order of such a terrifying creature and eagerly took the opportunity to escape the cursed vessel when their bonds were loosened. The more solid pirates, or simply the ones frozen in ice, needed a little more effort to remove from the ship.  

The side effect of dumping several large blocks of ice into an ocean full of floundering creatures was that said creatures now had impromptu life rafts. Several of them even thanked their frozen comrades for keeping them afloat once safely out of the water.  







Trade Breaker watched the pirate vessels as they ceased their fruitless chase of the Marblehead in order stop and rescue the icebound pirates. Henry slowly walked up beside him and chuckled.  

“T'would seem as though they are reluctant to pursue.” He remarked.  

Trade Breaker nodded, but did not smile. “Aye, that'll change as soon as they find out we kept their captains.”  

The wendigo turned to look at the pegasus questioningly. He noticed this and shrugged.  

“Don't look at me, Drip's idea.” Trade Breaker explained. “The bug thinks we have a use for 'em.”  

“Ah 'ope 'e knows wha' 'e's doin'.” Storm Stalker said as she approached. “An' 'e be'er nae touch mah Da'. Ah love the ol' sod, even doe 'e's more trouble than a Princess.”  

“Drip knows what he's doin'.” Trade Breaker grunted. “Though, I might be needin' to get the rest o' the plan out o' him a'fore nightfall, assumin' I can find the blasted fellow.”  

The other two nodded in agreement.
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite Poisoned Beaker's near constant attention and fussing, the Marblehead's engines continued to plague her with problems. Even though she was immune to the ravaging attacks of magic and even rust avoided her like the plague, the beating heart of the Marblehead was beginning to show her age with every new leak and loose bolt that hissed in anger. 

Sweat beaded along black unicorn's brow as she struggled to match up a pipe that had need its seals replaced. Her efforts were not helped by the fact that the engine room was well over one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit. While she strained at lifting the pipe with her back, Dead Fire maneuvered the flanged end into position and began to insert the bolts that held it in place.  

“Hurry up!” She gasped at the dragon. “Thing's getting heavier by the second!”  

“It's stuck!” Dead Fire responded. “The bolts aren't lining up!”  

Poisoned Beaker's legs began to quiver under the weight and she was about to call out a warning to Dead Fire when a wooden block was jammed under the unsupported end of the pipe. Drip's black carapace settled next to Poisoned Beaker's torso and instantly the changeling lifted the pipe from her back.  

“Huh.” The dragon grunted as he looked at the support. “Probably should have done that to start with.”  

Drip chuckled. “I'll never know why you creatures always insist upon doing things the hard way.”  

The unicorn to his side lowered herself from underneath the pipe, allowing him to take the full weight, and moved around to where Dead Fire was struggling with his bolts and quickly fitted them into the holes before tightening them.  

Wiping off some of the accumulated sweat from beneath her horn, she turned to the changeling and spit.  

“Well, what is it you want?”  

Drip put a hoof to his chest. “Why Poison, perhaps I just wanted to help in the engine room. Do you really think so little of me that you would ask that question after helping you?”  

“Yes.” The mare and the dragon immediately responded.  

“You know me all too well.”  

“Unfortunately.” The mare grumbled.  

Drip tapped the pipe that the three of them had just replaced.  

“I need to know how the ship is holding up.” He explained. “We've been through a lot lately, and I need a demonstration tonight. Is she up for it?”  

Poisoned Beaker nodded. “Aye. A few issues here and there, but for the most part, nothing out of the ordinary. I was thinking of shutting down boiler three for a look over, however it's not urgent.”  

“Good. You think that our guests could take a tour of the engine room?”  

“No.” The unicorn replied quickly. “I can keep the Marblehead at full steam however for as long you need, but all it takes is one twist on the wrong valve to blow the bottom out from under us.” 

Drip thanked her and left, reverting to his preferred earth pony form as he did. The ship was unusually quiet compared to the normal level of activity that occurred daily. Usually, there were groups of crew either talking to each other or cleaning the ship while Water Rose ran about the ship looking to be useful.  

The changeling couldn't help but smile at the thought of the small filly being his stepdaughter now. It filled him with warmth knowing that she and her mother had accepted him into their family. A family which he would protect from any creature.  

His smile vanished as he thought of the captains imprisoned in a small compartment on the very same ship as his loved ones. The pirates would come to know the fear that the Marblehead brought with her; whether it was by the ship itself or his careful planning that put that fear in them was their choice. And if, after all was said and done, the pirates still refused to leave the Marblehead in peace, Drip was willing to disobey his captain's orders regarding the safety of others. 

“Drip, there ye are!”  

The changeling grinned at Trade Breaker, somewhat thankful that his captain could be an oblivious idiot at times.  

“Captain, I was just looking for you.”  

Trade Breaker grunted. “Aye, sure ye were. Stop sneakin' about and get over here!”  

Drip trotted over to his captain and saluted. “Reporting sir. How can I be of assistance?”  

“Ye can—” Trade Breaker started but was interrupted by a door in the passageway opening.  

“Cap'n, Ah've looked all o'er da ship, Ah cannae fin' the bug anywheres.” Storm Stalker grumbled as she stepped inside.  

“What can I help you with?” Drip innocently asked when Storm Stalker caught sight of him.  

“Why yew lit'le snake in da grass!” The mare yelled in his face. “Dew yew realize 'ow lang Ah've been searchin' fer yew!”  

The disguised changeling's cheeky grin nearly pushed Storm over the edge and she drew a back her hoof to lay the changeling out.  

“Storm!” The captain barked. “At least wait until he tells us what he is planning before kicking him fours ways to the north!”  

“Aye Cap'n.” Storm spat, letting her hoof fall and backing away from Drip.  

Drip nodded his thanks to Trade Breaker and cleared his throat.  

“Judging by your previous remark captain, I assume you would like to know the full details of my plans for our honored guests?”  

“Aye, why did ye stop us from throwin' 'em over wit' the rest o' their crews?” Trade Breaker asked.  

“Because that would not have stopped them.” Drip said calmly. “Especially your father, Storm Stalker. That stallion will pursue us until the ends of the world.”  

Storm Stalker shook her head. “Nae, yew 'ave it wrong. Ah can keep 'im away, if'n Ah talk tae 'im.”  

“Like you did in your letters?” Drip accused.  

Storm bit back her angry retort and drew in a large breath through her nose before letting out through her mouth.  

“Ah admit, Da can be a lit'le bit imp'pulsive. 'E 'as a 'ard time listenin', bu' 'e loves me an' Ah'll be able tae talk tae 'im.” The mare said slowly.  

Drip would have rolled his eyes had he the ability. “Storm, your dad just brought together six of the most well known and feared pirate legends in the Eastern Sea, sailed through a deadly storm to land at Ghost Island and tried to take over the most infamous ship in history. I hardly doubt he's going to just walk away if you give him some puppy eyes and say please.”  

Storm opened her mouth to respond, but finding no words forthcoming promptly shut it again.  

Trade Breaker was quick to interject on the silence.  

“Well then!” He snapped. “What plan have ye that ye think can drive away such a monster of a father?”  

The changeling looked at Trade Breaker with a wide smile.  

“We turn you into a legend that even Storm Killer will be impressed by.” 

“Eh?” 

“It's simple.” Drip explained as if stating an everyday fact. “From what I've seen of Storm Killer's actions, he's just worried about the safety of his daughter. So, we tell him that she's serving on a ship that can never be sunk under a captain that can never be defeated.” 

Trade Breaker raised an eyebrow. “One of those is quite manageable, the other is not.”  

“Have a little faith, dear captain.” Drip patted him on the shoulder. “Give me a few hours and I'll make you into the best pirate they've seen.”  







“Dinner?” Storm Stalker asked, her tone dripping with contempt. “Yew're big plan tae fool mah Da, an' e'eryone else, is tae invite 'em tae dinner?”  

“Brilliant, no?” Drip asked knowing full well what the answer would be.  

“Nae.” Storm Stalker answered. “Ah t'ink eh't be tha dumbes' plan Ah've e'er 'eard.”  

Meanwhile, Drip was ignoring her and helping set up a small room to act as the captains personal dining area. A table was already in the room and there was actual wood paneling that occupied two of the bulkheads. A set of cabinets were quickly filled with whatever wines that Culinary Beak had stashed away and a silk table cloth stolen from an unfortunate merchant vessel was laid out by Sun Flowers.  

“My dear Storm, the brilliant aspect of the plan lies in its simplicity.” Drip laughed as he set out silverware with his wife. “Our dear captain is a hopeless klutz with a sword and he'll sooner surrender than see a life taken.”  

“Aye, wot's tha' got tae dew wit' dinner?”  

“Because for all his faults, Trade Breaker is at the very least a gracious host. What better way show off his power and cunning than to be waited on hoof and mane by the fearsome crew of the Golden Curse and a few exotic monsters.”  

Storm Stalker nodded uncertainly. “Aye, Ah coul' see 'ow tha' might appear impressive, bu' Ah don' think tha'll scare mah da' away.”  

“Of course not, but it will plant a seed in their minds that Trade Breaker is a powerful being. Throw in some stories mixed in with a little truth here and there followed by some demonstrations by the ship. Top it off by sailing right past that Griffon fleet into Mare's Point to drop off your father and the rest his crew.” Drip frowned. “I admit, it's not a perfect plan, but short of gutting every last one of the other captains in front of your father, I fail to see how we could make a larger impact.”  

Storm considered this for a moment, the pegasus thinking her options over.  

“Wha' if we. . . told 'em never tae come back?” She finally offered lamely.  

Drip succumbed to the urge to smack himself on the forehead with his own hoof and sighed.  

“Storm, do you honestly believe that would work?”  

“Eh.” The mare shrugged. “Nae, nae creature coul' tell mah da' wha' tae dew.”  

Drip chuckled. “There's an old saying from the hive: 'Never tell a pony what to do; just tell them what they need to know.'”  

Sun Flowers walked up and slapped Drip on the back of the head. The changeling was genuinely surprised by the action and looked back at her in confusion.  

She fixed him with a glare and spoke. “Just reminding you of what you married!”  

Drip chuckled in embarrassment. “Don't be like that honey, I would never try to trick you!”  

The changeling wilted from the look he received and slunk to his wife's hooves, looking up at her like a dog seeking forgiveness. He even stuck out his lower lip and whimpered.  

“None of that, dear husband of mine.” The mare snapped. “Culinary needs help in the kitchen and I don't have time to bother with your games.” 

Drip's feigned submission instantly vanished and he hopped to his hooves and kissed Sun Flowers on the lips.  

“Quite right, honey bun!” He laughed. “After all, it's nearly time for dinner.”