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.”