> Lineage
>  by Gherkin
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 01: Farewell, and Adieu
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"My word, this place is wondrous."

The Royal Vault beneath Canterlot Castle was certainly a sight to behold, of that Rarity was sure. The very vault itself seemed to go on for miles, filled near to the brim with priceless artefacts from thousands of years of Equestria's history. Everything from ancient paintings to dusty old relics from a time before the Equestria everypony knew today even existed; it was almost overwhelming. Rarity gave a gasp of awe, earning a smirk from her friend beside her.

"See?" Twilight Sparkle said to her, snickering slightly. "Now you know why I thought it would be a good idea for to come along for this."

"Oh I do, Twilight, I do," the unicorn gushed, trying to take in as much of everything as possible. "Just look at all the ancient culture here, that's just been forgotten. Oh, I could come up with so many designs for my works, this is amazing!"

Twilight smiled. "That's exactly what I was thinking, Rarity. Heh, maybe you can bring all these old fashions back in style."

"I can certainly try, Twilight." She smiled back, then glanced at the large mirror being hauled by a few castle guards behind them. "I'm not sure why Princess Celestia wanted you, of all ponies, to oversee that thing being moved from the Crystal Empire to here."

Twilight looked back at it, before shrugging. "Honestly, it was mostly my idea. I guess you could say I'm more familiar with it than most ponies, anyway."

"But what if somepony gets through from the other side?"

"They won't," Twilight reassured her. "Sunset Shimmer has her own life there now, and, well, no one else there knows about it." She paused. "Though the princess did tell me about something else that may warrant some thought."

Rarity stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what's that?"

"You know how we thought that the mirror only stays open for a few days, and that the rest of the time it closes?" Twilight asked, and her friend nodded. "It turns out we were wrong. It doesn't close, per se. Not on this side, at least. It just leads to somewhere else; another, different universe. Then, after a few days, it changes again, and keeps going. Like it's on some sort of repeated cycle."

"Hmm. That is somewhat of a concern," the unicorn agreed. "What if someone comes through from one of those universes?" 

The two friends, as well as the guards, came to a stop, having reached the mirror's destination. "Well, on the off chance that someone finds their version of the mirror, whatever it may be, then we've prepared as best we can, hopefully. We're going to be sealing the mirror in a secure container. That way, if someone does come through, they'll have no choice but to go back. So we won't have any 'aliens' wandering cluelessly around the Royal Vault."

Rarity glanced at the mysterious artefact, before looking back at the alicorn in front of her. "Are you sure there's no way to turn it off for good? Surely that would be the best way to go about all of this."

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Not unless you smashed the thing, and even then, I'm not too sure. Besides, it wouldn't be a good idea to destroy it, anyway. It's one of a kind; magic that nopony has ever really seen before now. Princess Celestia did her best to learn as much as she could from it." 

"Maybe this is the best course of action, then," Rarity commented, watching the royal guards as they lifted the mirror off of the cart they had been hauling it along on. "But enough of all that. I'm going to take a look around, if that's alright."

Her friend smiled and nodded earnestly. "Of course you can, Rarity, don't let me or anypony else stop you. See if you can find something that inspires you."

She grinned in barely contained excitement. "Thank you, Twilight!" she exclaimed, going back to gazing around at everything surrounding her.

Twilight chuckled as she watched the unicorn. "Will you be alright if I go and tell Princess Celestia that everything is nearly finished? I'm sure she wants to be kept up to date."

"I'll be fine, Twilight," she reassured her. "Even if you can't just teleport there and back in an instant."

She chuckled again and began to trot away. "Yeah, well, magical dampening spells are annoying like that, aren't they? I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Don't rush yourself, dear," Rarity called out as she left. "I want to take my time anyway." She watched her go, then went back to gazing around at everything that surrounded her. She eyed a number of paintings hung nearby; portraits of nobles from times long gone by. They were all depicted wearing lavish dresses and formal wear, quite unlike anything Rarity had ever seen the nobility of modern Equestria wearing. Oh, this is beyond perfect! she thought to herself, levitating a small notepad from her saddlebags and scribbling down some quick drawings. Just look at them. Everypony is going to love this.

Still looking up and around her, she trotted back towards the magic mirror, to which the two guards were attaching a length of rope, in order to haul it up to a shelf high above, where the container Twilight mentioned was waiting. As she inspected a few old treasures, she overheard a conversation between the two.

"Ugh, just my luck getting stuck on Vault duty," one complained, groaning as he made sure a knot in the rope was tied correctly. "Be much easier if I could just lift this thing up with my magic."

The other sighed and glared at him. "Shut yer pie-hole," he grunted in a rough accent. "Keep complainin' and yer only gonna make the job longer and harder." He tilted his head towards Rarity nearby. "Besides, yer in the company of lady, you could at least act respectable."

"Oh, you don't need to mind me, gentlecolts," she cooed, still inspecting a small statuette. 

"Yeah, because you're such a gentlecolt yourself," the first guard muttered to the other. "Now help me with this, will you?" He took the length of rope in his teeth and stepped backwards, preparing the haul the mirror upwards.

The two guards started to pull on the rope, and the pseudo-pully system that they had set up began to lift the mirror up to its destination. Rarity, not wanting to disturb either of them, opted to quietly inspect some more artefacts, inadvertently trotting directly underneath the mirror in the process. Neither did the two guards notice that, slowly but steadily, the rope was lifting the mirror was splitting under the pressure. 

This is all so very interesting, Rarity thought, oblivious to what was going on above. You can see copies and recreations of things like these in all the museums, but they pale in comparison to seeing the real thing.

There was a strained creaking noise that she heard. Confused, Rarity glanced upwards just in time to see the rope lifting the mirror give way and snap. The huge magical artefact began to fall towards her, seemingly in slow motion, as the guards who were lifting it looked on in helpless confusion and shock. The unicorn screamed and ducked, trying to cover her head with her hooves, as the mirror tilted in mid-air, coming down glass-first. There was an ear-splitting crash as it hit the ground and shattered, seemingly crushing her.

"Oh, horseapples," one of the guard murmured, before galloping over to the wreck of the mirror and shouting towards his partner. "Come on, you lobcock! Help me lift this!"

The other guard wasted no time in rushing over and gripping the heavy mirror in his front hooves. Together, the two of them lifted it upwards, before letting the frame lean against the wall. When they looked back, however, they saw no trace of the unicorn underneath, whatsoever. There was nothing but shattered glass.

"What is going on down here?" came the voice of Twilight. She, along with Princess Celestia, hurried around the corner into the aisle of the Vault where the two guards were standing. The two of them paused as they saw what had unfolded. Twilight gasped in horror, but Princess Celestia stepped forward to address the two cowering guards.

"What happened here?"


***


No, no, this isn't happening! This can't be happening!

Rarity had to resist the urge to scream in terror as she looked down upon her new form. She remembered how Twilight had described what she had become during her trip through the mirror, and she had to admit it sounded similar. It didn't make the sudden transformation any less sickening or horrifying though. She didn't retain her coat colour, as Twilight had. Instead her skin was a light, fleshy colour. That's it, I'm going straight back through, she thought, steadily getting to her feet and tentatively walking back towards the mirror she had exited. It looked similar to the one in Equestria, and was probably an ancient artefact here too. Wherever here was. Deciding she didn't care, Rarity stepped forward and pushed her hands against the glass.

Nothing happened. They didn't go through, and only left a pair of handprints on the dusty glass.

Oh, it must have shattered on the other side! She gasped and stepped backwards, taking a few deep breaths in order to calm herself. "There's no use in panicking Rarity," she murmured to herself. "Just get your bearings." She looked down at her new body, which was dressed in a white and pink dress. Strange, I wasn't wearing clothes before. Perhaps this is what my saddlebags have become. She also didn't know how she was so easily able to walk, even if it did feel very strange. Maybe the mirror has some sort of enchantment that automatically programs how to do so into my brain. Ugh, Twilight would probably know.

Having calmed down somewhat, she decided to take in her surroundings. She and the mirror were situated in a cramped room, packed with crates and chests, overflowing with commodities like wood, and metal. Bags of sugar could be seen around, as well as numerous empty bottles of what was probably rum. Judging by the smell, and the sound of waves crashing against the walls, Rarity deduced that she was in the cargo hold of some sort of ship.

There was some sort of ruckus going on above, too. No doubt the crew of the ship. She did her best to listen in, and found that they were singing a working song, or shanty.

"Where am I to go, me Johnnies, oh where am I to go?
Timme way hey, hey, high roll and go!"

Rarity recognised the style of song they were singing. It reminded her of a certain fillyhood vacation to Horseshoe Bay. She remembered sitting in a seaside café with her mother and father, listening to the sailor ponies nearby sing as their ship docked into port. The rough-and-tumble sort always sort of intrigued her, in a way. I suppose, one way or another, I'm about to find out first hoof. Or... hand.

She gave a start as the trapdoor to the cargo hold swung open nearby, making a loud creaking noise. Rarity looked about for somewhere to hide, but could find nothing. Frozen in place due to confusion and fear, she could do nothing as two voices approached from the other side of the crates.

"How many bottles do you think we've been through the last few days?" came one, growing steadily closer.

"How am I supposed to know? I just drink the stuff 'till I can barely walk, amigo," replied the other, with a distinct accent.

Rarity backed into the corner of the room, utterly trapped. The two men came around the corner, not noticing her for a moment. "Soft spot for rum, eh?" replied the first. "Why am I not surp-" He paused, having finally noticed the strange woman shrinking into the corner. "Oh, hello. What have we here?"

She remained silent, apart from a small whimper. The man's friend stepped forward, eyeing her down. "So how did you get here, lady? I remember checking the cargo hold very thoroughly before we left Kingston..."

"Obviously not thoroughly enough," the other commented. "Anyway, you know the drill for stowaways. Bring 'er to the captain."

Rarity scooted away from the two of them as they approached. "Ah, well, I am most grateful for the offer," she stammered, laughing nervously. "But I'm afraid I going to have to decline."

The man drew something from the belt of his slacks, a tool made of iron and wood, and leveled it towards her. "And I'm afraid that wasn't an offer in the first place. It was a demand." His tone had become decidedly darker. 

Just stay calm, Rarity, she reminded herself, trying to breath steadily and not panic as the other man took her arm and pulled her towards the stairs to the deck. The first one stayed behind her, still pointing what she imagined to be his weapon. A part of her wanted to struggle, or to try and make a break for it, but she knew it would only get her hurt, or worse, killed. Besides, where would she go? She was on a ship in the middle of the ocean, in a world she knew nothing about.

"Look alive, friends!" the one holding her arm called as they got up on deck. "We got ourselves a stowaway!" The song that the crew had bee singing died abruptly. The bright light of the sun made Rarity flinch, and she had to close her eyes for a second. They were obviously somewhere tropical, if the heat and the bright blue sea were anything to go by. The other members of the ship's crew turned to face the source of the announcement, and there was a hushed silence for a few moments. A few of them grinned dirtily, while others bore expressions of surprise. Towards the rear end of the ship, she saw who must have been the captain, looking down on them with one hand on his wheel.

As she was dragged towards this captain, a few crew members tried to intercept them. "She's a pretty one, ain't she?" came a the voice gruff, perverse man, but he was pushed away quickly by the man leading her. She felt sick to her stomach, and had to force herself not to vomit all over the deck.

Next to the captain stood a huge, overbearing man, with a darker shade of skin than most. He stepped in front of the man holding Rarity as they made it to the top of the stairs, and eyed her for a second before looking at him.

"You told me you checked the cargo hold properly before we left," he boomed, glaring at him.

"I did, Adéwalé, sir," her would-be captor replied, stammering slightly. He seemed intimidated by the giant of a man, and she could see why. She gulped and steadied her breath as his eyes fell upon her.

He studied her for a moment, before speaking again. "Hmm. If you tell the truth, then it raises an important question: where did she come from?" 

"Well, why don't we find out, Adé?" The captain of the ship came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder. Now that Rarity could see him up close, she found that he did not appear as brutish or intimidating as the rest of his crew. Rather, he looked like more of a roguish type. His long blonde hair billowed in the wind as he continued. "We can find out how our guest got aboard, and ensure that such... how should I put it... security loopholes are never exploited again. And let go of her, she won't go anywhere,"  he commanded his crew mate, who quickly obeyed. He turned to face her, and gave a welcoming smile. "Captain Edward Kenway. And who might you be?"

She paused, frozen in place. She hoped to Celestia that these sailors, or pirates, or whatever they were, would have the common courtesy to treat her with some respect. Or she hoped the captain would, at least. Something told her that the crew were not about to disobey either him or his quartermaster. She collected herself, and looked him in the eye. "My name is Rarity," she answered simply, brushing a strand of loose hair out of her face.

"A unique name, if nothing else," he commented. "Though not inappropriate in the slightest. Tell me, Miss Rarity, how did you come to be aboard the Jackdaw?"

"Well, I..." she trailed off, thinking for a second. How in the world am I supposed to explain this predicament to these men? "I don't think I can tell you." She paused for a second, then added. "But I think I might be able to show you."

Kenway smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then, by all means, lead the way."
> 02: Running Down to Cuba
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nobody made a sound, waiting for him to say something, or even just acknowledge the information he had just processed. The only sounds that could be heard were the crashing of waves against the side of the ship, and the creaking of wood as it rocked back and forth in the ocean. The two men that had found the strange woman stood there quietly, intimidated by the giant of a man beside them. The three men watched their captain, who stood alongside her, as he ran his hand along the polished woodwork of the mirror that stood hidden at the back of the cargo hold. He moved his hand to the glass of the mirror itself, and pushed against it.

"Well, Edward?" the larger man, Adéwalé, spoke up. "What do you think of this woman's story?"

The captain wheeled around, facing Rarity as she shrunk slightly. "So, you say that you... what? Fell out of this thing? As if it were some sort of door, or gateway?" She nodded, and he reached backwards, tapping on the mirror's pane with one of his hands. "This is just an ordinary mirror. You say that you came from some sort of other world, but you look as human as I do." He advanced towards her. "I don't like being played for a fool, Miss Rarity."

She gulped, but stood her ground and stared back into his eyes. "I swear to you, captain, that everything I've explained to you is the whole truth, and nothing but. I don't know for sure, but the mirror on my side must have been broken. Had it not, you would be able to pass through that as if it were not there at all." She paused, and saw that he did not still believe her. Acknowledging this, she asked, "This is a rare and precious artifact, I'm sure, so where did you find it?"

He turned away, and thought for a second. "The fort where that rat Torres was hiding." He stayed silent for another few moments, as he went over his thought. "Hmm... he still searches for the Sage and the Observatory. What's to say he hasn't come across more magical artifacts, or locations, such as those?" He looked back towards the mirror again.

"Don't tell me you actually believe this, Edward," Adéwalé protested. "I mean no disrespect, of course, but this woman is obviously delusional." Rarity shot a look towards him, but he ignored it.

"You've heard the tales of the Observatory too, Adé," Edward said to him.

The larger man nodded. "Aye, captain, the tales you have told. But, for now, that's all they are. Tales."

He stepped away from the mirror, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Ah, but all tales have a degree of truth to them, my friend. Besides, we checked the cargo hold properly and thoroughly both before, and after we left Kingston." He looked over at Rarity. "Twice we checked this place, and there was no trace of her. So, tell me, how else do you explain how she got in here?"

Adéwalé scowled towards Rarity, but remained silent. Edward sighed and looked towards her, with an eyebrow raised.

"So, do you believe me?" she asked tentatively, brushing a strand of hair out of her face and dusting off her newly acquired dress. 

He shrugged. "Well, I don't see how else you could have gotten on board. I take pride in the security of my ship." He noticed her let a sigh of relief out. "Hm. I know some of my crew mock me for my belief in 'tall tales' and 'ghost stories', as they call them. But I know the Observatory is real, so why not this?" After a pause, he looked towards her and continued. "That being said, this is still bizarre."

"I don't doubt that for a second, captain," she commented, as Adéwalé and the other two men went back above deck. "But thank you." He nodded and there was silence between the two of them briefly, broken by the crashing of the waves against the ship. "I really don't mean to intrude, but, well, could you help me find a way to get back to my world?"

"I think, before we talk about this any further, we should get back out there," he told her. "It's awfully dark and cramped in here."

With a smile, she agreed. "Yes, captain, that sounds like an excellent idea." 

He chuckled. "Please, call me Edward." The two of them made their way out of the cargo hold, and up the stairs onto the deck. He led her through the crowd of crewmates towards the stern of the ship, as he continued to talk to her. "Now, what you ask for is something else entirely. If you don't know how to return to wherever it is you came from, then how am I supposed to help you?"

She thought for a moment, before sighing softly. "Well, to be quite honest, I'm not sure." She returned to silence for another few seconds, before piping up again. "You said you found the mirror at a... fort was it?"

With a smirk, he replied. "When I say found, well, I really mean took. Thing was only rotting in the old bastard's collection anyway, so I figured I could make a few reales from it." He noticed her annoyed expression, and continued. "Not to worry, your unexpected arrival has changed that outlook somewhat." He looked out to sea, the strong wind billowing through his hair. "Right now, we are bound for Havana. It is quite a beautiful city, as I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

"And what are we to do once we arrive?" she questioned, standing beside him and gazing out also.

He turned to look at her, smiling. "Well, I have some semblance of a plan, but it is rather stupid, truth be told. Governor Torres has a mansion there. No doubt he has amassed certain other pieces that may help you return to your home."

She gave him a doubting look. "Am I to assume that this mansion is heavily fortified?"

He nodded. "Aye, but it's not like that ever stopped anyone."

Her expression did not change. "Please forgive me if I don't sound convinced. How do you plan to get inside this place?"

"Ah, I'll think of something," he replied, flashing a cocky grin her way. "Besides, there's no rush, is there? And we've still got at least another day until we reach Cuba, at this rate."

She became more annoyed as he walked over to the wheel again. "Well, it may not be any real, pressing time limit, I have no doubt that my friends and family are worried sick about me. I'd rather not waste any more time than necessary."

"I understand your pain, Rarity, trust me."

"How could you possibly understand what I am going through right now?" she asked, raising her voice.

"You are not the only one here apart from their loved ones," he shot back, slightly harsher than he intended. She closed her mouth, and looked away. The silence fell between them once again briefly, before he sighed, and looked over at her. "I will do what I can for you, I swear. But it will take time to prepare, and to find people willing to help us. Most of my crew, well... they're only here because of a promise of riches and glory."

Her brow furrowed into an expression of thought for a few moments. "Fine. I suppose you don't really owe me anything, after all. I am the one inconveniencing you."

A chuckle escaped his lips and he perked up once again, his previous downtrodden attitude forgotten. "Inconveniencing? Hardly. I'm always up for an adventure. And if it pisses off that old sod Torres, then that's even better."

"What is it that you have against this 'Torres' anyway?" she wondered, staring out from the deck of the ship as they sailed past a small island, with only a small palm tree sitting at its centre. "Is it some sort of rivalry, hm?"

"You might call it that. Old bastard's a Templar, looking to assert dominance over the Caribbean. Hell, maybe the world. Nothing but the ramblings of a madman, of course."

"That doesn't sound entirely convincing."

"Ah, don't worry," he told her, waving his hand dismissively. "He's got a lot of enemies, so he'll get what's coming to him eventually. In the meantime, it'll be good to piss him off a bit." He gave a chuckle, squinting his eyes against the harsh sun as it reflected off the sea.

She still gave him an unsure look, but decided to let it go. She kept staring out to sea as the captain turned back to his crew, and called out for them to unfurl all of the ship's sails. She hadn't noticed it until now, but her throat was as dry as a bone, and she felt absolutely famished. No doubt some sort of ridiculous side effect of this whole business, she thought to herself, brushing her hair out of her face as it blew about in the wind. A tickle at the back of her throat caused her to cough, so she turned and walked beside Edward.

"I don't mean to impose," she began, looking into his eyes as he turned to face her. "But I'm terribly hungry, and thirsty. I don't suppose you could spare anything to eat and drink?"

The familiar cocky smile appeared on his face once again. "Well, I doubt you'll want to drink rum, or eat biscuits and canned meats like most of the crew. I suspect you have more of a... refined taste than most of them." He let go of the wheel, and motioned for her to follow as he headed towards the stairs to the main deck. She did so, making sure to give Adéwalé a wide berth as he moved forward to take control of the ship.

"Luckily, I have some fresh fruit and other foods in my cabin. Water as well, and some fine wine too, if that interests you."

While it was true that Rarity had a soft spot for a nice glass of wine, she decided that now was not the time. "I think that some fruit and water will do just well enough for now, thank you." She followed him inside as he pushed open the doors to his quarters. She had to admit, she expected it to be a lot less furnished than it was. It was quite warm and cozy, as the walls managed to hold back the sea wind outside. 

He reached the table situated in the middle of the room and picked out a green apple from a bowl of fruit sitting on it, before throwing it towards her. "Think fast."

Despite being caught off guard, she managed to catch it. With a roll of her eyes, she popped it into her mouth and took a large bite. Not quite Sweet Apple Acres quality, but I doubt that anything, anywhere, can match that. The thought of her home and friends brought about a solemn feeling, so she spoke towards Kenway as she swallowed. "You said that it would take a day to get to this Cuba place, didn't you? The city of Havana, wasn't it?"

He nodded, picking up an apple of his own and taking a greedy bite. "Aye, that's right." He looked down at the table and cleared away a few pieces of paper, revealing a map that he turned towards her. "Havana is here," he told her, pointing towards a dot on the coast of what she assumed to be Cuba. "We left Kingston about a day ago, and we've got a day to go, so I'd wager that we're about... here." He pointed to a patch of sea, near the middle of the map. "Why do you ask?"

She sighed dejectedly, and looked at him with a sad expression. "I... I just want to be home as soon as possible. I miss my friends, and I don't want to worry them."

To her surprise, he nodded solemnly, and spoke gently. "I do understand how you feel, Rarity. Believe me, I do." He reached for a jug of water and poured her a glass, before grabbing a bottle of something she didn't recognise and taking a swig from it. "I've been away from my wife back in England for... well, too many years. Not a single day goes by where I don't miss her dearly."

Rarity took the water gladly and drank most of it down. "Why did you come here then? I assume that England is quite far away."

"Aye, to return there the trip would take weeks." He took another drink from his bottle. "I came here, to the West Indies, to earn a fortune, in any way I can." His tone had become slightly darker, but she allowed him to continue. "I was tired of grovelling in the dirt all day and night back there. I wanted something better for me and Caroline."

"Was there really nothing you could do to earn the same money back home?" 

He shook his head. "No, not really. But enough about that. I'm rather curious about wherever you have come from, Rarity. You say that it is another world. Most people would scoff at the notion, including myself, if my eyes hadn't seen some of the things they have."

She smiled warmly, taking another bite out of her apple. "Well, what is it that you want to know?"

He sat up, a look of wild excitement obvious in his eyes as he smiled towards her. "Everything. Even if it sounds like absolute rubbish that no man could believe."

"Very well," she replied, chuckling slightly. "But in return, you must tell me about this city of Havana that we're travelling to. Deal?"

With a nod, he grinned and replied. "Aye, it's a deal."


***


Well, he certainly wasn't lying. This place looks absolutely wondrous! The city's architecture was quite unlike anything that she had ever seen, and was most certainly a far cry from the rustic charm of Ponyville, or the grand majesty of Canterlot. All of the buildings were painted in warm, bright colours that were easy on the eye, and were perfectly complimented by the deep blue colour of the ocean. Even as she was helped onto the wooden pier by Edward, she could not tear her eyes away.

He noticed her expression of awe and chuckled lightly. "You look amazed," he commented, following her gaze and looking around at everything that surrounded them. "I did tell you that this is a beautiful city."

"How right you are," she murmured, smiling with joy. "I really haven't seen anything like it."

"Well, if there's one thing you can rely on a Spaniard for, it's beauty." With one hand, he pulled the hood attached to his coat over his head. "Now, do you need a moment to take in the sights, or shall we get going?"

She didn't reply for a few seconds, still gazing around at everything. "Right, yes. Let's be off, Edward. You lead the way. I suspect there will be plenty of time for me to gawk at this beautiful city later."

He nodded. "Aye then, come on." He set off down the pier, the wooden planks beneath them creaking under their weight. "I know a tavern not too far from here. No doubt there will be many people there willing to join our little cause, if only to give Torres the finger."

He didn't notice her confused look, as she didn't understand the expression. However, she was soon distracted as they walked past two gibbets, inside which hung two rotting skeletons. A sign above them bore the warning 'pyrates beware'. Rarity shivered slightly at the sight, and decided to focus on the other sights around her instead. Pirates? That sounds like truly dreadful business. In Equestria they were nothing but a little colt's fantasy.

Edward soon guided her off the pier and towards a nearby building, which she assumed to be the tavern that he was talking about. Indeed, as they both walked in, she noticed a number of tables set up around an open air courtyard, with mugs of alcohol sitting upon them. Strangely, however, there seemed to be no one around. The place was completely empty.

"What is this?" Edward murmured to himself, glancing over towards the main bar of the tavern. He caught a quick glimpse of the bartender as he slipped through a back door and vanished from sight.

Rarity seemed puzzled. "Edward? What's going on?"

He didn't get a chance to answer as the sound of multiple swords being drawn reached his ears. He wheeled around, drawing his own pair of swords, to face a number of armed men dressed in yellow uniforms: Spanish soldiers, he quickly realised. Rarity gasped in shock as he positioned himself between them and her.

The leader of the group stepped forward, his flintlock pistol leveled at the captain. "Edward Kenway, you are under arrest," he announced with a heavy accent. "For the attempted murder of Laureano de Torres y Ayala, the Governor of Cuba."

"What?" Rarity looked towards him with shock.

"Piss off!" he barked at them. "You've got nothing on me." He stood his ground, waiting for them to make a move. The captain of the guards ordered him to surrender again, but still he did not relent.

Oh, this isn't good, Rarity thought. What have I gotten myself into?
> 03: The Drunken Sailor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arrest? Attempted murder? Oh Rarity, just who have you gotten yourself involved with?

Rarity glanced uneasily between her new companion and the angry, unwavering soldiers that stood before him, ordering him to drop his weapons and surrender. He was not relenting, either. She looked towards him with a pleading look, silently begging him to go along quietly and not make a scene, or worse, a fight. However, he either did not notice her expression or chose to ignore her entirely, glaring furiously at the captain before him, as if daring him to make the first move.

"We will not ask again, rogue!" the captain barked angrily, glaring daggers at both Edward and herself as his soldiers surrounded them even more. "Lay down your weapons and comply!"

Oh, this is not good. Not good at all. She glanced worriedly towards Edward, who was seething with rage and anger. His knuckles had long since turned white as he clenched a sword in each hand, barely keeping himself from thrusting it towards the captain of the guard to slice open his throat, or to simply impale him. Understandably frightened, she reached forward gently and tugged on his sleeve. “Captain Kenway, please... there doesn’t need to be a fight.” 

He cast a glance towards her and, for just a second, his expression on his face softened and the fire in his eyes dimmed somewhat. “And spend the rest of my days rotting in a cell before my eventual fate at the gallows? No, thank you.” He shot a glare towards the Spaniards around them, before looking back at her. “Go, if you want. You’re innocent, you have nothing to do with any of this.” 

“Enough of this!” The captain barked. “Arréstenlos!”

The guards began to encircle them both menacingly, but in an instant Edward had leapt forward, slashing both of his swords across the captain's neck. As the Spaniard fell the flintlock in his hand went off, nearly deafening Rarity as the shot missed the pirate's face by less than an inch and blew open the head of a guard behind him. She let out a gasp of shock as their bodies fell, and the scene around her devolved into a blur of fire, blood and steel; she looked on in horror as he darted from soldier to soldier, running his swords through their gut or firing off a pistol in their face. For a second she didn't even notice one of the guards grab her roughly and put his sword to her throat, until her own panicked cry brought her back to her senses.

"Lay down your weapons, dog!" the guard shouted, pressing the edge of his blade against her. "Or she dies, right here and right now."

Edward's bloodthirsty rampage came to an abrupt halt, with the guard he had been fighting stumbling back, only wounded. He wheeled around to face Rarity's captor, the same fire in his eyes from before on display for all to see. "Let her fucking go, you piece of shit!" The unbridled rage in his voice was apparent. He levelled one of his pistols towards them, squinting as he tried to get a clean shot at the soldier's head as it poked out from behind his hostage. Rarity tried to gasp for air as she felt the blade against her throat press into her tighter.

He cannot be thinking of doing it! That's insane! He'll kill us both! She groaned and rasped. "Edward... don't..." 

The next few seconds seemed to go on for hours and hours, as she stared into Edward's eyes, trying to figure what his next move would be. From what she could see, not even he truly knew, though he did keep subtly adjusting his aim, trying to get a decent shot on the man who still held her firm in his grasp. Please don't do it, don't fire that thing. She squeezed her eyes shut as his finger tightened around the trigger. Oh, Celestia, please save me.

A small cry of terror escaped her lips, but all that echoed from the barrel of a gun was a small, barely audible click. Tentatively, she opened her eyes to see the pirate captain looking down at his pistol in shock and confusion. Whether it was a misfire or if it had simply not been loaded at all, the gun had failed to go off. Before he could come up with a new plan of attack, the soldier that he had merely wounded moments before came up from behind and brutally smacked him across the back of the head with the hilt of his sword. Edward's eyes widened in pain for a few seconds, before losing focus as he tumbled to the ground, knocked out cold.

"Edward!" she cried out, managing to struggle free of the Spanish man's grip and attempt to make her way towards him. Her captor grabbed her hand before she could fully get away, however. He pulled her back towards him and savagely slapped her across the face, sending her spinning before she too collapsed, out cold as well.

"Find some more men to bring these two to the governor," the guard ordered his comrade, who clutched at one of his deeper wounds. "I'm certain that he would like to have a word with them in private."


***


"I think I can quite well imagine how this looks to you."

Rarity looked over across the dark, windowless room towards Edward with a look of scorn as he broke the silence, the shackles around her wrists clanging together as she moved her body towards him. "Oh, you can? Then you must also be able to imagine that the revelation that you are a murderer, thief, and a pirate sours my view of you somewhat."

His expression became somewhat hurt, and he looked away in silence. "Well, yes, I can imagine that it does." Silence came over the room once more, with the only sound being a repeated drop of water in the corner somewhere. After a few minutes of him lamenting himself in silence, and Rarity groaning to herself in pain, he looked towards her once again. "Please, Rarity, believe me when I say that I was nothing but sincere in my desire to help you. I swear it."

"Were you really sincere, Edward?" she shot back, glaring daggers at him. "Or did you just jump at the chance for an opportunity to agitate and annoy this governor. Torres was his name, right?" Her eyes drifted back to the shackles around her wrists again. "As if attempting to murder the man wasn't enough."

"I have never done such a thing." He insisted. Technically, he was right. "Rob, yes. Intimidate, of course. Even extortion I'm guilty of. But I've never made an attempt on the bastard's life."

Her glare returned. "So, what, am I just to accept that you're some sort of lesser of two evils, is that it?"	

He went to say something but caught himself before the words left his mouth. "That... that isn't what I'm saying, Rarity. But I admit, another go at pissing this Spanish piece of shit off sweetened the deal." He edged towards her, as far as his bindings would allow him. "If you remember, I had already agreed to help you before anybody on the Jackdaw had even made mention of Torres. I swear to you, even if you think me nothing but a drunkard and a brute, I still want to help you to return home." His steely blue eyes gazed into hers, imploring her to forgive him.

She gazed back, and he swore he noticed her eyes soften, even if only slightly. A long sigh escaped her lips as she mulled over his words for the next few moments. Eventually, she gave him a reply. "However pure your intentions may have been before, this fact is that your previous actions have still landed us both into this predicament. So, tell me, how are we going to get out of it?"

He grunted, pulling on his shackles. The loop on the wall through which the chains ran moved, but only very slightly. He gave it another, more forceful tug, but it didn't move any further. He gave an annoyed sigh, and leaned back. "God damn it to hell. Give me a minute, let me think of something." He tried another tug, but only winced in pain slightly as the shackles dug into his wrists. "Ah, fuck off."

"I don't think brute force is going to cut it right now, Edward. The vulgarity of your language isn't doing us any favours, either."	

The two of them were cut off by the sound of a door swinging open somewhere above them both. "Oh, crap," she heard him mutter under his breath. The familiar sounds of heavy footsteps and clattering armour soon reached their ears, and, not too soon after, a door opened on the other side of the room, hitting them with a wave of light that blinded them for a few seconds. Once their vision returned, they saw two figures standing over them. One of them they both assumed to be a captain of the guard, as he was wearing their uniform. The other man, who was dressed in a lavish blue and gold coat, and with a slicked back head of hair that had turned white years ago, Rarity did not recognise, but could hazard a guess as to who he was. The next words that left Edward's mouth confirmed her suspicions.

"Torres, you arse. I'll fucking kill you." The pirate cast an unwavering glare towards the older man.

The guard moved forward menacingly, as if to strike him, but backed off as Torres stopped him with his hand. "Peace, comandante. You need not waste any effort on this wretch." He cast a dismissive glance across the room towards Rarity. "Or his whore, for that matter."

She gasped in shock and disgust. "How dare you! Who do you think you are, going around and saying things like that?"

The captain narrowed his eyes and barked at her. "Silence! You are speaking to the Governor of Cuba; you'd do well to show some respect!"

Her eyes narrowed back in return, her defiant nature not faltering. The guard took this badly, moving forward to strike her as he did to Edward. Thankfully, Torres stopped him once again. The old man grinned, revealing a set of surprisingly immaculate teeth, as he looked down at Edward.

"So, Captain Kenway," he began, bearing a smug smirk across his wrinkled face. "Did you really think you could threaten, blackmail and extort me, then hope to get away with it?"

Edward only grinned cockily back up at him. "Haven't been able to take that fort back from us though, have you?" 

His eyes narrowed, but he did not rise to his taunting. Rather, he cast a glance towards Rarity, observing her for a few seconds, before looking back at the man beneath him. "Why don't we change the subject? Who is your friend, Captain Kenway?"

Edward's eyes darted towards her for a few brief moments, before turning back to him. He kept his mouth closed for a second, and when he opened it, it was obvious that he had chosen his words carefully. "Just that: a friend."

"Oh, is that really so? And how did you two... friends come to meet, hmm?"

Silence fell once again as he carefully chose his response. "I found her as a stowaway below deck, after leaving Kingston," he eventually replied, maintaining eye contact with the older man. "She told me that she had overheard my crew discussing our voyage to Havana. She didn't have enough reales to travel here herself, so she snuck aboard." 

To any reasonable man, it seemed like an honest story. He had told the whole thing with a straight face, and without slipping up on any of his words. Torres, however, knew the pirate better than that. His eyes narrowed as he processed the story, trying to decide whether to believe him or not. In the end, he shrugged. "Hmm, I see. Well, I suppose it does not really matter how or where you two met. You, Edward, will be put to the gallows. As for your friend..." He looked to Rarity, then to the captain of the guard beside him. "Well, I'm sure you'll find some use for her, won't you comandante?"

A dirty grin spread across the man's features. "Sí. I think the men will love her."

She looked over at Edward with a horrified and pleading look on her face. Her grimaced as he looked back, before glaring at Torres as he started to leave. "Keep an eye on them for now. I'll send some more men to help move him to a proper cell." With that, he walked up the stairs and pulled the door shut behind him. The guard lit a torch sconce on the wall and leaned against it, looking dismissively towards the both of them.

Damn it to hell. We need to get out of this shithole, right now. Edward thought for a second, trying to come up with a solution to their problem. His mind settled on an idea, though it wasn't particularly smart. Bugger it, let's give it a shot. Putting on a facade of false, cocky bravado, he looked up at the guard across from him. "Hey, you big, ugly Spanish twat." He leaned forward and craned his head backwards and to the side. "I've got an itch that needs scratching, right here." He gestured to his back. "Lend me a hand, would you?"

The guard glared at him and strode forward, then punched him roughly across the face. "Shut your mouth, dog."

He noticed Rarity recoil with shock out of the corner of his eye, but nonetheless continued to smirk. "No, mate. Not on me face; my back." He motioned towards his back again. The guard grit his teeth and threw another punch, however this time Edward was ready. He raised his hands as far as the shackles and chains would allow to block the swing. The guard, taken aback by the move, could do nothing as he wrapped the chains around his wrists and pulled him onto the floor face first. Grunting, Edward managed to wrap the chains around his neck, and began to pull them backwards, choking the life out of him.

His friend gasped at the display going on, but he ignored her, instead pulling the chain back quickly and suddenly. There was a loud, sickening crack as the guard's neck broke, and he stopped struggling instantly. Panting from the effort, he managed to grab the keys to their shackles off of the guard's corpse, and quickly unlocked his.

"Oh, dear Celestia," Rarity murmured to herself as he stood up and made her way over to her. "That was brutal, Edward."

"Aye, but I doubt we could have escaped if I hadn't done so." He knelt down and shoved the key into the lock on her shackles, smiling slightly as they clicked and came loose. "Come on, we need to get out of here. We need to get back to the Jackdaw, and to Adéwalé."

She looked up at him as she rubbed her wrists. "What about looking for something that can help us?"

"If we bump into something on the way, then fine. Right now, it's much too dangerous." He went to lead the way upstairs, but paused. "Wait, do you hear that?"

As she strained her ears, she thought she could make out the faint, but rapidly approaching sound of shouting. Was it some sort of attack?

"Someone else is here."


***


Havana truly was a beautiful city. From the deck of the Jackdaw, Adéwalé allowed himself to smile slightly at the sight. The usually dark, brooding giant of a man now found himself at peace, if only for a moment, sitting back and doing nothing besides listening to the soft sounds of the ocean on one side, and the lively, exotic city on the other. While a life of piracy on the high seas was certainly exciting, it definitely helped to stop and catch a breath every once in a while. Perhaps even to reflect on his actions. He often found himself wondering whether he could find a better calling than riches and treasure, but knew not where to find it.

His peace, however, was soon interrupted. A young member of the ship's crew, a brash man who looked no older than twenty, came dashing down the pier and onto the ship itself, calling the quartermaster's name. "Adéwalé! Adéwalé, sir!"

Adé opened his eyes and looked down at him, leaning forward. "What is it?"

"It's Captain Kenway, sir. He's been captured in the city," he informed him. "There was a trap laid out for him in the tavern. I think they've taken him and his new lass up to the governor's mansion!"

At this news the quartermaster sat up properly. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Aye, sir."

He grit his teeth and sighed. While Edward Kenway was a selfish man, often only interested in his own goals, it was likely that he would have been returned to a life of slavery had it not been for their chance meeting in the Spanish Treasure Fleet. Here, on the Jackdaw, he had finally found a place that he could feel accepted, and at ease in. That was enough for him to call Edward a friend, and enough for him to aid him in a time of need. Looking down at the man before him, Adéwalé stood up.

"Go back into the city and round up any men that you can find," he ordered, before turning his attention to the men on the deck of the ship. "Ready up and grab some weapons! The captain's in trouble!"

Some men readily jumped at the call to aid their captain, while others seemed indifferent, no doubt believing that one of them should take up the role of captain instead. The unwavering glare from their quartermaster was more than enough to spur them into action
action, however. The man beside him cleared his throat. "What should I tell the men in the city, sir?"

He looked down at him. "That we are to assault Governor Torres' mansion."

> 04: Roll, Boys, Roll!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edward laughed as he stepped through the doorway from the basement, gazing upon his armour, weapons and equipment sprawled out across a table near one of the guard's weapon racks. Thankfully, the room was empty. "Ha, those idiots really ought to learn to keep these things locked away and out of my reach." The sound of fighting caught his ear, and he looked outside for a brief second before walking over to the table. "The guards must be out there, busy dealing with whatever the hell is going on," he announced to Rarity as he picked up his robes; the ones he had claimed from a fallen Assassin a while back. "I tend not to think so highly of myself, but I'll bet that it's Ade out there leading some sort of rescue mission."

"Perhaps," she agreed, peering through the doorway to make sure that the coast was clear before following him through. She took a look around the room, still unsure as to whether they were truly safe for the time being, before looking back at him. "While that is likely the case, we should try and capitalise on this opportunity either way. This is the perfect time to look for something that could possibly help us!" An imploring look was spread across her face as he glanced over at her. "We could look for some of those artifacts that you mentioned, or perhaps even another mirror like the one on your ship!"

Sheathing both of his swords through his belt, he gave a small sigh. "Hmm, I don't know, Rarity." He pondered for a few moments as he adjusted his bracers. "There will be a lot less guards around if there is an attack on the mansion taking place..."

"Yes, precisely! It's the perfect opportunity!" she exclaimed, her smile widening.

He gave her a small frown at the interruption. "But the longer we stay here, the more danger we'll be in. I don't want Adéwalé and the rest of my crew out there putting their bloody necks out on the line for too long. There's no guarantee that we'll even find anything of use, anyway."

She stepped forward, begging, "Please, Edward, please! This was your idea all along anyway, wasn't it? Only, it has moved along faster than you anticipated, and did not exactly play out as you originally thought."

A few seconds passed as the pirate thought about what she had said. Bloody hell, Edward, she's right you know. He gave a sigh and looked down at her. "Aye, I suppose you are right after all." He reached back and pulled up the hood on his robes before checking that he had picked up everything of worth. "Still, we shouldn't take too long in any case. We don't want Torres or any of his damn lackeys figuring out that we're both lose now, do we? At least, not yet." A cocky grin flashed across his face, and he strode across the room towards the door. 

"Alright then, Edward." Rarity followed close behind, peeking through the door at the same time he did. "What is the plan? Where do we go from here?"

He noticed a few guards fighting some pirates, or mercenaries, at the far end of the hallway beyond. "Well, we should try and look for some sort of treasure vault, or something of a similar nature," he murmured back to her, quietly studying the battle panning out before his eyes. "No doubt, if he has any magical artifacts such as the ones you seek, they will be there. Hmm, perhaps he even has something relating to the Observatory..."

I need to ask him properly about this 'observatory' that he keeps going on about, she thought to herself, waiting patiently for him to make a move. I think he might even be obsessed with it. Whatever it actually is, anyway.

"Okay, I think we should be safe enough for now," he suddenly announced, tapping her shoulder. "Come on, let's get a move on while we've got the chance." With that, he pushed open the door and headed down the hallway, making his way towards a set of stairs on the far side opposite from the room they had previously occupied. Not wanting to get separated, Rarity hurried after him, keeping an eye out for any soldiers that might pose a problem to the both of them.

The large hallways of the mansion might as well have been a maze, thanks to all of the winding corridors that lead into separate wings or rooms. They had both expected the staircase to go on down all the way to some sort of basement, but this was not the case. Instead, they found themselves on the ground floor, trying to stay unseen in the midst of the fighting. Multiple skirmishes broke out around them, though thankfully the guards were much too occupied to notice them as they strode away.

If my memory serves me correctly, then I think I remember there being some sort of cellar door in the grounds outside when I broke in here looking for the Sage, he thought, ignoring the injured cries of wounded soldiers and pirates alike from behind. With any luck, there'll be something of value down there. Or, at least, a few pieces of gold. The putrid stench of death ripped him from his thoughts as they both rounded a corner in the hallway, stumbling upon the aftermath of a brutal fight. Two pirates lay dead next to two guards, with a third gravely wounded one propped up against the wall.

Edward noticed his friend gasp, cover her mouth and gag out of the corner of his eye, but did not try to comfort her. Instead, he kept a wary eye on the wounded soldier, who made eye contact. The Spaniard muttered some obscene curse in his native tongue before attempting to raise the flintlock resting in his right hand, but the pirate captain was too quick. He lashed out with his foot, kicking the guard's skull in and killing him instantly. He heard Rarity make a noise of disgust from behind as she laid eyes upon the dead man's broken face, and quietly apologised.

"I think I'm quite looking forward to getting out of this brutal world," she muttered to herself as they pressed onward. "Uh, no offence."

He quietly chuckled as they stepped outside into the warmth of the setting sun. The day was quickly drawing to a close, making him wonder how long they had been locked up for in that dark room. We could have been in there for days, for all I know. From what he could hear, most of the fighting was taking place on the other side of the mansion. "None taken, my dear, for you speak the truth. Our world is indeed a harsh one, for many." They both tried to block out the clashes of metal and screams of pain that reached their ears as they pushed forward, towards a wooden cellar door a few feet away. "I hope that you will be so kind as to let me gaze upon this world of yours; this 'Equestria', with my own eyes. If it is as peaceful as you say, then perhaps it will be a fine place to retire!" He let out a laugh as he kicked the lock off of the door and pulled it open, beckoning her inside.

Rarity wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not. While it was obvious that Edward did his best to appear as a charming rogue, there was no denying the brutal man that lay beneath the facade, the man that was able to end another's life so quickly, and with so little remorse. "Perhaps," she answered simply, stepping carefully into the dimly lit basement. "Though we should probably see whether there is anything that can let me return home in the first place, before we jump to conclusions, wouldn't you say?"

Silence fell for a few moments as they looked around the place. "Aye, you're right," he murmured quietly, gazing upon all the treasures that the governor had kept hidden beneath his extravagant mansion. The room was full to the brim of chests packed full of gold, of priceless sculptures, and works of fine art, as well as treasures of every description Edward could imagine. Still, as it stood, none of it looked remotely 'magical' in the slightest. Then again, neither did that mirror when we picked it up, he thought to himself, slyly grabbing a few coins and stuffing them into his pockets. Rarity noticed out of the corner of her eyes, and sighed.

"Well, I suppose we should start looking around," she suggested, glancing at all corners of the dark cellar. "It's not going to find itself, right?" She did her best to smile optimistically at him. 

He cast a reassuring smile back, though he did not share the same optimism. Nevertheless, he started to poke around the treasures that lay around the vault, looking for something of value. All the while, he kept listening out for any incoming dangers spilling over from the fighting still raging outside. It's been going on a bloody long while. Maybe Ade inspired some disgruntled citizens to give the governor a piece of their mind, so to speak. I hope he's alright.

They continued looking for some time. The minutes dragged on and on, and still they found nothing. Eventually, however, he noticed Rarity pause, and look up. She glanced around the room quickly, her eyes narrowed.

"What is it?" Edward asked, standing up. "Have you found something?"

"Shh!" She hissed quietly, putting a finger to her lips. "Can you hear that, Edward?"

"Hear what?"

The two of them listened out for a few seconds. "Humming," she elaborated. "Can't you hear that? It sounds like some sort of metallic hum."

He kept quiet and listened again. Sure enough, there was a small hum resonating from somewhere within the room. It sounded strange and unnatural, as if it didn't belong in this world. "You're right, I can hear it," he replied, pacing around. "Now all that's left is to figure out exactly where it's coming from."

"Easier said than done," came her exasperated reply, as she stared at the mountains of treasure littered around the room. "Well, let's get started then."

"Aye, good idea." With a nod, he began to search, steadily making his way towards the source of the noise. Rarity seemed to have pinpointed its location, as she was throwing aside paintings and other assorted clutter in a specific corner of the room. Whatever it is, I don't think it's going to be particularly large. Hell, it may not even help us at all, he thought as he went over to help her, lifting away a large marble statue.

Groaning, she stepped back for a moment, catching her breath. "What kind of pon- er, person hides all of this wonderful art away in a basement anyway?" she exclaimed, taking a brief moment to inspect a few of the paintings and other sculptures. Her mind briefly wondered back to the royal vault beneath Canterlot Castle, and the treasures that hid within. Those were merely the originals, Rarity, remember? Copies had already been made; they were only down there to protect against vandalism or theft. With a huff, she continued. "Some of these works are absolutely beautiful, yet here they are, hidden away in some old man's personal collection!"

"I never took you for a lady that appreciates fine art," he replied, still looking through small chests and boxes for the source of the mysterious hum, all the while stuffing any loose gold or jewels he came across into his pockets. "Though, in hindsight, I probably should have. You do carry yourself with an air of sophistication uncommon around these parts, after all." After a second, he looked up again. "What was it that you do back home, again?"

"I'm a fashion designer," she explained somewhat offhandedly, still inspecting some of the paintings. After looking up and noticing his confused expression, she sighed and elaborated. "I design and make dresses, as well as other items of clothing. So sometimes I look to old works of art for a bit of inspiration."

He smirked and looked down again, picking up a wooden box and rattling it. "So, are you looking for some inspiration right now, are you?"

A small chuckle escaped her lips as she glanced at the painting. "Maybe. Sometimes I don't even realise I'm doing it." She noticed the box in his hands, which he had just opened. "What have you got there?"

He gave a small shrug. "Buggered if I know. It's unlike anything I've seen before."

"Well, that's probably a good sign," she reasoned, peeking into the box with him. What lay inside was indeed strange, and almost unnatural. It seemed to be some sort of small metallic cube. She reached a hand tentatively inside the box, and gently ran it over the cube's flawless surface. It was perfectly smooth and undamaged, with not even so much as a scratch to be found anywhere. Most of all, though, there was no doubt that the strange hum was somehow emanating from the cube itself. The two of them could not see anything that could possibly be making the noise.

"What do you think?" he asked, glancing back at her over his shoulder. "Could this help?"

It took a moment for her to realise that he was speaking to her, transfixed as she was by the artifact. "Well, hopefully. This is certainly no ordinary trinket or bauble, is it?"

He pulled the cube out of the box and stuffed it into his pocket. "Not in the slightest. If anything down here can help us out with your problem, it'll be this thing." He stumbled slightly as the room shook to the sound of a deep rumble. Did some idiot blow up some powder kegs? he wondered, heading towards the exit of the cellar. "Come on, we've tarried here for too long, we need to go."

"Right, of course," she agreed, nodding and sticking close behind him as he jogged up the stairs and outside once again. The sound of fighting was much closer now, and she could see a few skirmishes going on further down in the grounds.

Edward followed her gaze, and happened to notice his quartermaster engaged in the fighting. The giant of a man was taking on three guards at once, and easily overpowering them. The captain chuckled as he saw him pick a soldier up and slam him back down to the ground painfully. "Oi, Adé!" he called out, jogging towards him and unsheathing his swords.

Adéwalé turned to the sound of his voiced and called back. "There you are, Edward! We've been looking for you everywhere!" He ducked underneath a soldier swinging his sword, before uppercutting him in the jaw. 

"I can bloody well tell!" he exclaimed, slashing at the final guard's chest with his swords. "We've got what we came here for, so let's get the hell out of here!"

His friend nodded and took a step back, before bellowing out, "Fall back! Everyone, fall back into the city!"

The man knew how to project his voice, of that Rarity was certain. It echoed across the grounds, bringing the news of the retreat to all of the pirates, mercenaries, and other rioters who hadn't been injured or killed. She looked up at Edward. "Time to run, is it?"

"I'd say it's as good a time as any." He stabbed a guard that lunged towards him, before sprinting away with the two of them in tow. Thankfully, most of the guards were still caught up in fights with other people, so their escape from the grounds of the mansion was unhindered for the most part. 

By Celestia, I'm barely used to walking in this strange body, let alone running for my life! Thankfully, Edward seemed to notice her struggle, as he slowed down to help her keep up. Adéwalé, meanwhile, made sure to take care of any guards that decided to pursue them. After a few minutes, they had disappeared into the huge crowds around Havana, and lost their pursuers. Needing to take a breath, they ducked into a side alley for a moment.

"Jaysus, Adé," Edward said with a chuckle, leaning against the wall and wiping sweat from his forehead. "If you hadn't come when you did, I reckon we'd still be trapped in that pompous prick's home."

"What took you so long anyway?" he wondered, as they made their way back to the docks. "We were fighting in there for upwards of thirty minutes looking for you and your friend."

With a smirk, he pulled the cube out of his pocket, looking at it for a few seconds before showing it to him. "We were searching for something. We found this thing."

"What is it?"

"Well..." He paused for a moment. "To be a honest, I have no idea."

Adéwalé flared up suddenly. "You don't even know what it is?!"

Edward turned to him, backing off slightly. "Well, it's obviously not natural. We needed something to help Rarity. Look at the thing!"

"So you're telling me that you wasted time in that mansion, while many men died fighting out there? Good men, I might add!" he growled. "All for what? A trinket to help with your superstitions?"

As the two of them argued, Rarity shrank back somewhat. Was she responsible for the deaths of those who had been fighting? We could have come back at a later date, and broken in stealthily. She couldn't help but feel some semblance of guilt for what had happened. Still, the two men in front of her continued to bicker. Eventually, she stepped in between them. "Enough! Alright? Enough, the both of you!"

The two of them paused, and looked down at her, having just reached the docks.

With a sigh, she continued. "In hindsight, we shouldn't have taken so much time in the mansion. For all we knew, there could have been nothing at all that could possibly help me." She looked up towards the quartermaster. "Adéwalé, I am deeply sorry that my actions may have caused your men to die. But arguing and squabbling about this thing out here, in the middle of the street, isn't going to solve anything."

The two of them looked at each other, then back to her, before sighing and relenting. "Aye, you're right Rarity," Edward admitted. "Come on, we should get back to the Jackdaw."

"What are we going to do now?" she asked, as they hurried along the pier to their ship.

He glanced back at the city, keeping an eye out for anyone. "Sail far, far away from Havana for the time being." He strode onto the deck of the ship, before holding a hand out and helping her on as well. "Maybe we should sail up to Nassau, or something."

"Sounds like a plan," she muttered, leaning on the wooden railing and gazing back out at the city. It was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. But as Edward and Adéwalé went about readying the crew to leave port, she couldn't help but realise that even the most beautiful of things can have rotten cores.
> 05: Fare Thee Well
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now what?" Rarity wondered aloud, to no one in particular. The city of Havana was fast disappearing from view over the Horizon, as the Jackdaw sailed away into the open ocean. She sighed and leaned her head against her hand, watching the never-ending waves crashing against the side of the ship. The strange, otherworldly device hummed in her hand, and vibrated softly. "Just what are you?" she murmured to herself, casting her gaze over to it. 

Her attention was soon turned to the sound of Edward's voice from the captain's wheel. "Lower all sail, she'll take it!" he bellowed out to his crew, putting them to work. Every man had a job to do, whether it be climbing up the mast to unfurl the sails, or cleaning out the broadside cannons in case they were forced into combat. Rarity had to admit that, for pirates and scoundrels, they sure had a good work ethic.

"Raise your voices, me trumps!" Kenway cried out, grinning down at them. "Give us a shanty, lads!"

She turned her attention to the crew, who in turn looked towards one of their own, obviously the one who begun these shanties. The man thought for a moment, before taking a breath and starting to sing.

"Oh a poor old man came riding by," he began, before the rest joined in. "And we say so, and we know so! Oh, a poor old man came riding by, a poor old man!"

She smiled a little a leaned back against the wooden railing,  closing her eyes and listening to them as they continued. "Says I, 'Old man your horse will die'. And we say so, and we know so! And if he dies we'll tan his hide, oh poor, old man." Her cheeks became a little flustered as the song continued, and she fidgeted a little, the lyrics making her feel quite uncomfortable.

Feeling rather faint as the song's lyrics became more specific, she moved through the crew and over to Edward, tapping him on the shoulder. "H-How about a different song for your crew to sing, Edward?" she suggested, looking up at him.

"Hm?" He diverted his attention away from the open sea and unending horizon to look down at her. "Why, is there a prob- oh." He grimaced as she raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I can see your problem now. My apologies." He turned back to the crew. "How about another one, lads?"

The crew faltered and paused for a moment with confusion, before shrugging. The leader sung again, bellowing, "The worst old ship that ever did sail, sailed out of Harwich on a windy day," and the rest of the sailors got back to work.

"Ah, sorry about that," he mumbled, blushing slightly. He gripped the wheel of his ship a bit tighter, and wiped away sweat from his brow. "I still find it difficult to believe that you were… what, a unicorn?" A small chuckle escaped his dried lips. "They are nothing but a children's fantasy tale. To us, at least."

She smiled with amusement. "Well we are very much real. Us ponies are divided into three races: unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony."

"Pegasi too?" he asked with disbelief, laughing to himself. "Yet another fantasy tale. Next you'll be telling me your land is inhabited by gryphons and minotaurs as well!"

She simply smirked at him knowingly, making him raise his eyebrow. "Oh come on, now you've got to be joking," came his objection. "This entire thing is becoming harder and harder to believe by the second." He motioned to the relic in her hand. "If I didn't know of things such of this, I'd have declared you ill in the head when we first met."

"I suppose our meeting was fate then, wasn't it?" A warm, friendly smile spread across her lips as she looked up at him. "While I may not agree with your… 'profession', you have certainly been a good friend to me, Edward. I think that under that brutish, violent exterior is a selfless man, who knows how to do the right thing for everybody." She chuckled slightly. "You just need to learn to not follow the smell of gold and riches everywhere you go."

He laughed and looked over at her. "Thank you, I think. I'll try to take that as a compliment." With a sigh, he stared out absent-mindedly at the deep blue expanse around them. "When I was certain that what you said was true, I wasn't going to just leave you to your fate in unfamiliar territory."

With a warm smile she replied, "And, for that, I thank you, Edward. I mean that from the bottom of my heart." She sighed and leaned back against the wooden railing next to the captain's wheel, basking in the glow of the evening sunlight and the cool sea breeze whipping through her hair. "You know, as much as I want to go home, I could really get used to this. Life on the open ocean."

That familiar grin spread across his face once again. "Finally growing your sea legs, are you?" he said to her with a smirk, holding the wheel with only one hand. "Next thing I know you'll be saying 'it's a pirate's life for me'."

"Oh, hush." She rolled her eyes and frowned slightly at his joking. "I mean the peace and serenity of it all. Just sitting here on the deck of the ship, closing your eyes, listening to the sounds of the wind and the ocean waves and the crew singing." She found herself smiling more and more as she went on. "The wind in my hair, the salty aroma of the sea reaching my nose…" There was a pause, and she chuckled slightly as she realised she was getting carried away. "It's certainly a unique experience, of nothing else."

He laughed a little and smirked. "Oh, I understand. I see your point. That was very poetic. Romantic even, I might say. You certainly have a way with words, Rarity."

She went to say something in return, but paused as she saw, out of the corner of her eye, one of the crew members climbing up to the masts stop and point at something behind the ship itself. Confused, she turned to follow his gaze as he shouted out, "Spanish ships, captain! Gaining on us fast!"

Kenway quickly whipped around, pulling out his spyglass to inspect the ships that were pursuing them. "Damn it," he growled under his breath. "Two brigs and a bloody frigate. Looks like we're going to have a fight on our hands." He stowed the spyglass away once again, before turning his attention towards Rarity. "Should have known it'd be too easy for us to just get away like that. So much for your peace and serenity." With that, he stepped forward and called out to the men, "To your battle stations, lads! Make yourselves ready!"

"Well, what are we going to do?" she questioned him, as he tugged on the wheel to spin the Jackdaw into a tight turn. "Surely you don't mean to fight them head on, Edward! In case you haven't noticed, we're outnumbered three to one!"

He laughed and called back. "Aye, of course! It wouldn't be fun otherwise, now would it?" His attention was quickly turned towards the rest of his crew as he shouted out. "Man the cannons, men! Be ready to fire! And you, get on the mortars!" He pointed towards one of his crew members, who nodded quickly and scurried towards the bow of the ship.

By Celestia, he is truly insane, she thought grimly. She went to his side as he beckoned her over, and was surprised to see that he held out a small, but sharp dagger towards her. He held it with the blade towards her for a few tense, confusing moments, before he spun it in his fingers and gripped the blade, holding the grip out to her in offering. "Just what am I supposed to do with that?" she enquired, raising an eyebrow and looking back up at him.

"Swing, slash, stab, it's up to you," he told her. "It's a bloody dagger, what do you expect?" Despite his sarcastic humour and demeanour, Rarity could tell that he was somewhat tense. "Look," he continued with a sigh. "Just take it, in case you need to defend yourself personally. I can't guarantee that one of those ships won't try to board us."

She went to say something, but caught her tongue, caught up in the sudden anxiety of potentially being forced to use a deadly weapon against someone else. "Edward, I don't know if I can..." she stammered.

"Take it." The insistence in his words was clear.

There was another brief pause before she finally relented. "Fine, fine," came her mumbled reply, as she took the knife and slotted it in her belt. "I really hope that I don't have to use this."

He put a hand on her shoulder for a second, before gripping the wheel again. "You can't rely on me or any of the crew to save your arse if you get backed into a corner, if something happens," he told her, grimacing slightly at the thought. "So, better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it."

"I suppose you're right." She sighed and tried her best to push the thoughts to the back of her mind, with limited success. She had never even once considered the possibility of killing another living being, not even in self-defence. In Equestria, such things were practically unheard of. Any disputes were usually resolved diplomatically, without the need for violence in the slightest. Ever since she had been thrust into this world, however, she had been exposed to more first-hand violence than she had the rest of her life. With a shudder, she wondered if she was becoming somewhat desensitised to it all. That very prospect terrified her to no end.

The danger of the situation they were in forced itself to the forefront of her mind once again as she heard Edward shout out, "Brace yourselves!" She felt him grip her arm and tug her into a bracing position as the air was suddenly filled with the roar of cannon fire from one of the ships pursuing them. A yelp of terror escaped her lips as cannonballs pelted into the side of the ship and flew overhead, but thankfully they did not seem to do too much damage.

After the barrage had ended, Kenway pulled himself up again and bellowed, "Return fire!" The cannons on the ship let loose their payload, firing it back into the ship that had attacked them first. Rarity looked over towards the brig and saw the Jackdaws shots nearly tear it to pieces, though it did not quite look completely out of the fight yet. She flinched as the captain called out to his crew manning the mortars to fire on the frigate further in the distance, and flinched again as the mortars themselves let out a deafening boom. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to see the damage they had done, since they were forced to brace for impact once again.

"What's the damage report, Adé?" Edward yelled out, looking over at his quartermaster before calling for the men on the cannons to fire again.

"Only minor damage, captain!" he replied. "No one looks to be wounded either!"

A rousing cheer came from the men below, as Rarity noticed the ship that had been damaged before finally begin to sink thanks to their last volley. One down, two more to go, she thought grimly, watching as the Jackdaw lined up a broadside against the other pursuing brig. The familiar boom of their cannons echoed out again, and the Spanish vessel was pelted with shots that tore through its mast and left it immobile. In other words, they're almost completely defenceless. Her suspicions were quickly proven correct, as Edward manoeuvred his ship out of their line of fire before ordering one last volley, sending the Spaniards to the bottom of the sea.

Glancing down at the knife gripped in her hand, she mumbled to herself, "With the way this battle is going, hopefully I won't have to use this frightful thing at all." From what she could see, the frigate had stayed mostly out of the fight up until now, opting instead to launch mortars that the Jackdaw, as a much nimbler vessel, could easily avoid. She assumed that they thought the brigs would be enough to sink or at least board them if they both attacked at once, but evidently that was not the case. Now that their allies had been sunk, they were fast approaching.

"Frigate off the starboard bow!" came the sound of the captain's voice again. "Brace!"

She ducked and threw her hands over her head as the enemy ship's cannons roared to life, sending it's volley screaming over their heads. The sound was near deafening, but over the noise and confusion, she managed to make out Adéwalé's shout of warning, "It looks like they're making to ram us, captain!"

Edward ordered everyone to brace for impact yet again. She hadn't even moved from her bracing position before, but she grabbed onto the railing for extra safety. Unfortunately, it did little to prevent her getting knocked off of her feet as the larger ship barrelled into the side of the Jackdaw, sending shards of wood and metal flying everywhere. Dear Celestia, are they mad? She was thrown onto her back by the impact, leaving her dazed and stunned for a few moments. The screaming and yelling from all around overwhelmed her; she wished she could jam her fingers into her ears and pretend that none of it was real. However, the danger and urgency of the situation was thrust back into the forefront of her mind as Edward ran over to her and hauled her to her feet.

"The fucking bastards are boarding us," he explained, making sure she could stand steadily before drawing his swords. She could see the Spanish soldiers on the other ship tossing ropes and grappling hooks toward them, reeling Kenway's vessel towards theirs. "There's not too many of them, I think we can handle this," he continued. "But you can't rely on me to keep you safe." His eyes darted down towards the dagger in her grip, as did hers. "Please, for the love of God, don't hesitate to use it if you need to."

As soon as he said that, he was gone; off into the fray of pirates and soldiers before she could even think to form a response. The Spanish soldiers had boarded them by now, and the fight was in full swing. The sound of clashing steel and terrified, pained screaming filled the air as both sides fought to the death. Even amidst the disorganised mass of people, she managed to keep her eye on Edward. After all, he was quite hard to miss, especially as he carved a path through the Spaniards. To any average onlooker, it would seem that fighting, and killing, was as easy to him as breathing. His blades moved so fast, cutting, parrying, and slicing, that they were nothing but blurs, impossible to see clearly. I wonder how in the world he learned to be such a deadly fighter, she thought, repulsed by the blood and death before her eyes, but also somehow unable to look away from the entire spectacle. To be able to go up against hordes of well-trained soldiers and still come out on top... it's almost unnatural.

She was quickly snapped out of her fixation on the captain by the sound of a pained yell, coming from her right. She followed the sound to see one of the Jackdaw's pirates on his knees, with a sword run through his back and out his chest. He looked up at her in agony, before his eyes lost focus and he went limp. The man to which the sword belonged, who was dressed in yellow Spanish colours, sneered as he kicked the pirate off the end of his sword and turned his attention to the young lady in front of him. His sneer only widened as he looked her up and down, pointing his sword towards her instead. "Ah, una mujer bonita," he growled dirtily. "A pesar de que tú eres hermosa, morirás como el resto de estos perros."

A shiver ran down her spine. She had no idea what he had just said, but she did not like the sound of it at all anyway. She gulped and raised the dagger towards him, taking a step back. "Stay back. Don't come any closer!"

Naturally, that did little to deter him, as he confidently moved forwards and swung his sword. Even as she yelped and dodged out of the way, the blade was well off it's target. Judging by the cruel, sadistic grin on the man's face, she could only assume that he was toying with her; having some fun before finally deciding to finish her off. She grit her teeth and blocked the sword with her knife as he brought it down on her, the resulting shock sending vibrations through her blade and down her arms. The two of them locked blades as he forced her back into the railing. He could overpower her, of that she had no doubts, but she wasn't about to make it easy for him. She pushed back against him as he forced his blood-stained sword closer to her face, that same sneer etched across his face.

That sneer was soon replaced by a look of shock, however. The shot from a flintlock pistol had found itself buried in his shoulder, having missed her head by mere inches. Capitalising on his moment of weakness, she pushed back against him, forcing him off of her. In the process, she broke her dagger away from his sword and inadvertently plunged it into the soldier's neck before she could stop herself. A terrified gasp escaped her lips as she saw him gasp for breath, before finally falling backwards. For a few moments she just stared, feeling numb over the fact that she had just ended someone's life, even if it was accidental. Despite everything, she managed to glance back over her shoulder to see who had fired at her attacker. Naturally, it was Edward, who gave her a nod before diving back into the fray.

Soon enough, the attack had been repelled, as he said it would. He had fought the captain of the other ship one-on-one, and bested him. The other Spanish soldiers soon surrendered after that, now that they had no leader to guide them. Sighing and shaking slightly, Rarity watched as Kenway's crew dumped the corpses of their enemies and fellow sailors alike over the side of the ship, while Edward salvaged the Spanish frigate for parts to repair the Jackdaw. The sight of that soldier's final, pained breath was etched into her mind, ready to greet her every time she closed her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, she could not shut it out. Having had enough with looking at all of the death around her, she crept away and below deck, wanting some time to herself.


***


"How long have you been staring at that thing?"

Edward's voice managed to bring Rarity back to reality. She blinked and rubbed her eyes a couple of times, before noticing the strange artefact in her hands. "I'm not sure," she admitted sheepishly, glancing down at the thing before looking back up at the mirror. "Over an hour, I think. Maybe."

He chuckled a bit and sat down next to her, his gaze lingering on the artefact in her hands for a second. "Aye, it's been about that long since the whole battle ended, I'd say. Are you feeling alright?" He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I saw what you had to do. It can't have been easy."

A shudder ran through her body as she thought about it. "It... it wasn't easy, you're right. But I'd rather not talk about it, if that's alright with you."

No effort was made to hide the look of concern on his face, but she shrugged and relented. "Very well. Shall I propose a different option, instead?" He smiled and nodded towards the mirror in front of the both of them. 

She looked at it as well, before looking back at him. "What are you saying? Shall we see if this does anything to it?" The thing in her hands was still humming and vibrating, as it had been since they found it. He nodded and she thought for a moment. "But how are we going to use it? I see no way of connecting this... cube, for lack of a better word, to the mirror."

She raised a valid point, one that made him think for a couple of moments. "Hmm..." He got to his feet and paced around, eventually walking up to the mirror and inspecting it up close. "See if bringing it any closer helps."

She got to her feet and walked towards it too, holding the cube out in front of her. It might have just been her imagination, but she could swear that the vibration had increased in intensity, if only ever so slightly. "I think something might be happening," she said to him. "But it's nothing special. Still, I think that the mirror is somehow connected to it after all."

"Aye, the humming is louder," he pointed out. "I can hear it much more clearly." He watched as she held it out towards the mirror for a couple of seconds, however nothing else came of it. "Hmm, still nothing," he mumbled. "Perhaps we're doing something wrong?"

"Perhaps," she mused, studying the old mirror. Compared to the mirror back in Equestria, this one looked vastly different. It was ornately furnished, with a wooden base. Nothing about it seemed to hint to any supernatural origins. Yet she knew for sure that it was what she fell out of once she had travelled from Equestria. Just what do I have to do to get you working again?

Edward tapped her shoulder. "Here, give it to me for a moment." She handed the artefact to him, and he held it up to the light seeping in from the cracks in the wooden planks above. Judging by the look on his face, he could find no clues on the cube's exterior as to how to use it. With a sigh, he leaned against the mirror as he kept inspecting it. When he did so, both the mirror and the cube burst into life. A bright, golden glow emanated from both of them. Out of shock, he dropped the cube to the floor, and Rarity quickly picked it up.

"What did you do?" she asked, gazing into the golden glow of the mirror.

"Buggered if I know," he admitted, staring into it as well. "I just touched the bloody thing and it burst into life. Can you tell where it goes?"

She shook her head, and he tried to press against the mirror. His hand went through, but he yelped in pain and quickly withdrew it. "Jaysus, that burns! There is no way you'll be able to go through there without burning yourself alive."

She looked down at the glowing artefact in her hand and an idea came to mind. "Maybe this will help." Tentatively, she held out a hand towards the mirror, with the cube gripped in her other. As her fingers passed through the surface of the mirror, she was pleasantly surprised to find that she was unharmed, unlike her friend. She grinned excitedly. "It works! Edward, it actually works!"

"Aye, it would seem so." He matched her grin, before sighing. "I suppose you'll be going through then, won't you?"

Her grin faded slightly, and she looked up into his eyes. "Yes, that's right. You know that I miss my friends dearly, Edward."

"Yes, that I do. And I'd hate to keep them from you any longer." 

She nodded slowly, before reaching out and putting a hand on his arm. "Then this is goodbye, Edward." A sincere, grateful smile spread across her lips. "Thank you so much, for everything that you have done. I mean that from the very bottom of my heart. This has certainly been an adventure."

"It has," he agreed, smiling back. "It was a pleasure to have you on board my ship, Rarity."

"The pleasure was all mine."

He chuckled. "Very well. Go then, be with your friends, and live well."

His words made the smile on her face widen as she stepped backwards. "I will, Edward. I promise. You make sure to do the same." He nodded, and she stepped back into the mirror, disappearing from view. The mirror glowed for a few more seconds, before fading once again. 

I suppose that's that then, he thought to himself, gently stepping forward and placing a hand against the glass of the mirror. As expected, it was little more than a regular old mirror again. A couple of minutes went by as he stood there, staring into the mirror and through his own reflection. Then, with a sigh, he turned and started to walk back above deck.

By now the rest of the crew had made all of the necessary repairs, and were ready to set sail once again. A few greeted him, but he ignored them. The rest seemed to notice his sombre mood and expression and gave him a wide berth out of respect. A few hushed whispers reached his ears: people wondering what had happened to the strange young woman he had been with. He ignored them. Instead he made his way to the captain's wheel, nodding towards Adéwalé again. Looking out upon his ship and her crew, he took hold of the wheel and called out for full sail. 

A few moments passed by, before he suddenly called out to the crew. "Lads, how about another shanty?"

The members of the crew glanced at one another, as they thought of what to sing. After a couple of seconds, they began to bellow out once again, singing a song for their captain as the Jackdaw sailed into the Caribbean sunset.