Searing woke up in a tight space, her human arms and legs pressed against her. Wherever she was, the place was rocking back and forth, smelled of wood and salt, and it was dark. "Discord?" She quietly asked, the question yielding no response.

With nothing better to do, Searing started feeling out her outfit. It wasn't a dress and there was no skirt, which was fine by her. Her upper legs were covered in well-fitted velvety material, and when she got to her knees, she found leather boots. A bit of confusion came over her when she tried to flex her foot, finding some odd resistance. With a bit of inspection, she found out why: her boots had thick heels, taller than the width of her palm. "How did anyone walk with these at prom?" Going up, she found a leather corset, laced up the front and fairly snug without being too restrictive. Under that was a shirt with a low neckline and long, light, poofy sleeves.

Once again, Searing was bored.

A few hours later, a parrot started talking right outside the hiding place. "Look here, look here!"

"Alright, alright," a gruff Scoltish male voice responded. One wall in Searing's little enclosure turned out to be a pair of doors, and when they were opened, Searing tumbled out. "Well well well, we have a stowaway lass onboard."

Searing looked up at the tall orange skinned pirate captain looming over her. "Ummm. . ."

"Give me a good reason to keep ye among me crew and not throw ye off at the first island we see."

"I can fight?"

"Can ye? Well, we'll see." He turned to the open door leading to the deck. "Oy, Jabberwock! We got a lass that thinks she can fight! See if she can, would ya?"

"Gladly!" Jabberwock called back.

The captain roughly pulled Searing to her feet. "Right, off to fight ya go." The ship rocked on a small wave and Searing fell sideways, letting her see the blue velvet leggings, black leather boots and corset, and loose white top she wore. "Come on, to your feet."

"I'm not used to these heels," Searing objected as she tried to get back on her feet. "Or boats."

"It's a ship, lass!" The captain vigorously corrected. "Not some wee little boat for crossin' a gentle fishin' lake. And how did ye sneak onboard with those boots when ye're unable to stand with them?"

Searing gave the first excuse that came to mind. "I had a strong drink, okay?"

"Just one? It must have been really strong." Searing worked to conquer both her heels and the rocking ship as the captain continued. "Still makes no sense. Eh, whatever. What's yer name, ye tall lass?"

"Sear-" an unexpected turn caught her off guard and made her stumble around. "Searing Victory. What's yours?"

"I'll tell ye if me crew deems ye worthy. All ye have to do is knock ol' Jabberwock to the deck." The sound of Searing falling to the floor punctuated the statement. "Not quite like that, though."

After a few minutes of silence and attempted stabilization, Searing finally noticed the parrot on the captain's shoulder. She was no ornithologist (and didn't know what ornithology was), but she was very certain birds didn't have mismatched patterns or eyebrows that they could waggle, but this one did. It even waved at her, and she stopped her stumbling around to stare at it. "Where did you get that bird?"

"Oh, lil' Dizzy here? He perched on me shoulder back at port and didn't leave. Friendly lil' guy. Why ye lookin' at 'im like he's the devil?"

"Umm. . . Never mind. Hey, do you mind if I go barefoot?"

"Only if ye like splinters in ye feet. Doesn't matter how much we smooth the floorboards, they always get like that. It has saved us from bein' raided a few times." He looked Searing over again as she stood there, staring at Dizzy. "Seems ye found your footing, lass. I thought it would take longer, honestly."

Searing's attention was caught. "Huh?" Another wave rocked the ship, and Searing found herself barely needing to think to keep her footing. She sent a glare at the parrot. "I'm keeping an eye on you, bird."

"Well, enough of that. Time to go fight Jabberwock."

Searing felt a pit in her stomach form as she looked at Jabberwock. He was a big, dark yellow skinned man that looked like he spent too much time in the mess hall and galley, but the way he carried himself spoke of his confidence. The crowd around them, all hatted men, were cheering, eager for the fight. The sail fabric under her feet did not go unnoticed.

"Rules are simple," the captain announced. "No weapons, and ye go until I say stop or someone's out. Nobody goes overboard. Go!"

Searing managed to get the first blow in when she scored a punch against Jabberwock's jaw. It only stunned him briefly, and seemed to excite him more than anything as he went on the offense, throwing punch after punch. Searing dodged the worst of it as she backed up, catching a couple glancing blows on the way.

Her confidence in her heels (not much, if we're being honest) fell greatly when a bunched up bit of the fabric underfoot slipped, causing her to fall onto her back. Jabberwock jumped, ready to flatten Searing. Searing saw the move coming and got her feet up just in time for her boots to make themselves known to his big gut. She strained under his weight and the shape of her footwear, but managed to get enough power to kick out, sending Jabberwock flying back and eliciting cheers from the audience.

"Alright, that's enough!" The captain called out as he stepped between the combatants. "I think I know the answer, but I have to make sure. All in favor of the lass staying with us?" A huge cheer came from the crowd. "And against?" Utter silence except for someone giving Jabberwock a hand back up. "Alright, it looks like I will have to give this some thought. I want one of ye to give her the tour while I do the thinking thing. Powder Keg, you do it. Bring 'er to me when you're done."

A man smelling of gunpowder and stylishly equipped with six pistols on his vest, four on his belt, four more on his thighs, and a musket on his back walked up to Searing. He got straight to the point. "Have you ever been on a ship before?"

"Not really, no," Searing answered. She'd travelled on them as a unicorn before, but only as a passenger, and that didn't seem relevant to what was going on.

"This is the main deck." Powder Keg pointed around as he pointed things out. "Bow's up front. The captain's cabin is back there. Above that's the wheel and poop deck." Searing couldn't help but snicker at the term. "If you need to relieve yourself, there's two outhouses at the back of the poop deck."

"That's. . . Oddly appropriate."

"It works well enough. If you look up the mast, you'll see the crow's nest. Let's go downstairs." Powder Keg went downstairs, Searing carefully following him. "This is the fun deck. Er, gun deck. It's where the heavy cannons are. We have two more decks below for supplies, treasure, and other stuff. Crew quarters are below the forecastle, officer's quarters are below the captain's quarters, galley and mess hall are under that. You'll learn the ways around easily enough, I'm sure. Anyways, back up to the Captain's quarters with you. Tour's done, get going."

Searing left and carefully made her way back to the main deck, still wary of her heels. Even with the cautious walking, it wasn't long before she was in the captain's quarters. "You wanted to see me?"

"Aye," the captain said. "First, some names. I'm Captain Ship Bows, though the crew tends to call me Captain Chris for some reason. This ship is the Prickly Biter, and she was built by every man on this ship. We've been sailing the high seas together for years, plundering, pillaging, and having a good time. Here, let me show ye one of our first treasures." Captain Chris led Searing over to a pedestal displaying what looked like a big gemstone. "This is the legendary crystal coconut. It took six months of sailin' and searchin' to find it, but we did it. Some tales say it has a mystical power, others say it's cursed. I can't say anything about the mystical power, but we've had no curses yet."

"What about the floor?" Searing asked as she looked over the giant gem. She could feel something about it with her magic, but she couldn't tell what. "Could that be the curse of the crystal coconut?" She had to fight a bit to stop herself from snickering.

"Nae, it was like that before we found it. We do have a few pieces of cursed jewelry, too." Captain Chris led Searing over to a locked cabinet, inside which was a locked chest. He took a small cloth bag out and retrieved a gold pendant with a trio of blue water drop gems in it. "Looks innocent enough, yes?"

"What does it do?"

"It makes your feet all wet, even if you're stuck up in the crow's nest under the sun all day."

"That's it?"

"Don't take it lightly. If ye feet are wet long enough, terrible things can happen." Captain Chris put the pendant back in its bag, then switched the bag with another one, inside which was a gold bangle. "This one is much more dangerous. If ye dare to put it on ye wrist, ye will be starvin forever until ye die, even if ye eat and drink like a fat king at a feast. Ye can't take it off until ye're nothin' but a pile of bones."

Searing could feel the malevolent magics coming off the wrist piece. "So how did you get it?"

"I got it off a skeleton's wrist." He put the bangle away, then relocked the chest and cabinet. "Anyways, I have a job for ye while ye're on the Prickly Biter: Ye're in charge of' the cleanin'."

Searing was nonplussed. "Cleaning? Really?"

"Not the whole ship, lass. Everyone cleans their own quarters, Powder Keg cleans the cannons, and Salty insists on cleaning the galley himself. Ye get cabin 3, and ye'll have a bunkmate. Go ahead and meander around. Ye tasks start tomorrow."

"Alright." Searing left and took up Captain Chris's suggestion of meandering around, both to learn the layout of the ship and get more used to the heels. It seemed she was going to be stuck with them for a while.

A week or so later, Searing had fallen into a new routine. Wake up, find out what she needed to clean, and clean it. To her dismay, she had no modern tools to do it with, and no running water on the ship. On top of that, she couldn't do it as a unicorn, as the splintery floor hurt her the one time she tried to stand on it while she had a moment alone.

She had decided that, since being in her unicorn form wasn't feasible, to not use her magic around the crew. She did practice a bit when alone, and found that while she could focus her magic through her hands, it wasn't as powerful as when she was a unicorn. Whether it was rough compatibility between her forms or the same amount of magic through more foci, she didn't know. What she did know was that she would not be able to use it as effectively in a tight spot without practice.

It was just after a decent lunch that Searing found herself just lazing around in the crow's nest. "Hey, Spyglass?"

"Yes, Searing?" Spyglass, the crew's lookout, responded.

"How do you deal with having nothing to do?"

"Wrong person to ask. Hm?" Spyglass intensely looked through his spyglass.

"Hm?"

"Cover your ears, lass." A few seconds later, Spyglass shouted down, "ROYAL NAVY SHIP OFF THE PORT BOW!"

"DOES SHE HAVE LOOT?!" Captain Chris shouted back.

Spyglass looked back through the spyglass for a few seconds. "AYE, CAPTAIN! AND HER MEN ARE ROUND!"

"ALL HANDS ON DECK! WE GOT A GOOD ONE!" A bell rang out and everyone onboard started scrambling to their appropriate stations.

"What's going on?" Searing asked after the shouting ended and she'd uncovered her ears.

"We're about to raid a Royal Navy ship," Spyglass explained. "We're going to be getting treasure, munitions, food, and water from them. We're going to eat well tonight, lass."

"How can you tell?" Searing got up and made her way onto a shroud.

"When the men on a ship are round, it means they're eating well, which means they have plenty of food and drink. We're going to fight 'em, loot 'em, and then sink 'em."

"We're going to kill them?" Searing asked, aghast at the idea.

"It's either that, or they come back with more ships to get us. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to run from the whole royal navy. We have a few minutes before we raid, so if you have any concerns, talk to the Captain."

"I. . . I will." Searing carefully made her way down the shroud, cursing her boots all the way.

Finding Captain Chris was easy, since he was standing still amidst the chaos. "Lass, get ye a cutlass from Powder Keg and prepare to board."

"Are we really going to kill them?" Searing asked.

"We're just sinkin' their ship. Whether or not they live, well. . . That'll be up to them."

"That. . . That's cruel!"

"Welcome to the sea, lass. I dunno where ye come from, but ye have to do these things to survive. If ye not gonna fight, ye better do a lot o' lootin'. Ye will have to fight anyways, since they will attack ye. Now go get ye a cutlass and prepare to board."

"Y-yes, Captain." Searing left and went down to the fun deck gun deck, where Powder Keg was getting everyone armed.

"Have you ever fired a flintlock or musket, lass?" Powder Keg asked when Searing approached.

"Cutlass, please."

Powder Keg gave her two cutlasses. "Just to be safe. Whatever you do before boarding, don't make yourself visible. A good lookin' lady like you would do nothing but draw their attention even more."

"Ah. Alright. Where's the boarding party?" Searing idly swung the swords in slow, lazy arcs to get a feel for their weight.

"Main deck. Get back up there and remember to stay hidden from the Navy ship. Hide behind the main mast and you'll be fine."

"Okay." Searing left the fun deck gun deck and went back up to the main deck, taking Powder Keg's advice and staying behind the mast. The activity seemed to be dying down, but at the same time, she could feel either tension or excitement in the air, though she suspected it was both.

Finally, the tension broke. The gangplanks crashed onto the Navy ship and Searing followed the crew onto the other side. Already, she could smell the bloodshed from the battle, and she didn't like it. Nothing in her boot camp experiences prepared her for this, not that she ever got that far. She had to stop in the middle of the navy ship's deck to collect herself.

A hand landed on her shoulder. "And what is a fine woman like you doing-"

Searing did not take to the surprise all that well, turning around with lightning speed and swinging both cutlasses horizontally, catching the Navy sailor by surprise. She did not let up in her offense, even as he recovered enough to block and parry her attacks with a saber of his own.

It wouldn't be enough to save him, as Searing managed to back him into the mast and deliver one last series of slashes across his body, ending his life. As she stared at the body and collected herself, something caught her attention. Leaning down, she pulled back part of the uniform she had destroyed and found layer after layer of fabric, getting close to ten before she found the wounds she had inflicted onto a lean body.

"What is this?" Searing wouldn't have time to contemplate any further when a round landed in the body, knocking it over.

She turned in time to see another sailor with a smoking pistol. "Tch," he said before dropping the gun and drawing his own saber and charging at Searing.

Searing got her cutlasses up in time to block, block, parry, then take an opening and dash forward with both swords going into his side. When she turned around, she saw a bit of loose fabric fall from the sailor's uniform. "THEY'RE NOT ROUND!" Searing shouted as she resumed her fight with the sailor, her two unskilled swords clashing with his skilled one.

After some back and forth, the sailor knocked Searing's left sword out of her hand. Without her second weapon, Searing backed off into a small clearing in the fight. She blocked an overhead swing and, unlike the last few rounds, the sailor didn't withdraw to strike again, instead pressing down on her.

On a sailor to her left was a pistol, loaded and ready to be fired. With a hastily conceived idea, she reached out, grabbed the firearm, and spun, getting herself out of the blade lock and slashing the unaware sailor's back. She faced her own opponent again and resumed the dance of blades. With the pistol, she feigned aiming to get him to move out of the way, giving her the opening she wanted, going forward to the slashed uniform layers, jamming the pistol in, and firing up. The round came out the chest without any blood, but that wasn't Searing's goal.

It would take a few seconds before her idea would come to fruition, the fabric catching fire, causing him to start taking off the layers as he shouted "FIRE FIRE FIRE!" The battle was put on pause as he worked to get the burning fabric off of him.

"Well, that explains a lot," Captain Chris said, breaking the near silence. "WE'VE BEEN TRICKED! SHOW NO MERCY! KILL 'EM ALL!"

The violence became a lot more violent and a lot more brief as the Prickly Biter's crew got more serious, sailors falling left and right, now that their trick had been revealed.

"Well, if it isn't the infamous Captain Ship Bows," a haughty voice said from the poop deck. The Navy captain did not hide himself behind layers of fabric like the rest of the sailors. "I'll collect the bounty on your head soon enough." His gaze caught Searing. "And I'll be taking the woman too." Searing growled at the notion, switched her weapons around, and threw the spent pistol at the enemy captain. He dodged it. "Bit of a temper on her. No matter."

"The lass is part of me crew, ye git," Captain Chris retorted. "Now get down here and fight me!"

"If I must." The Navy captain grabbed a conveniently placed rope and jumped down, gently landing on the main deck and drawing two sabers. Soon, he was engaged in a duel with Captain Chris.

Searing joined the fight with her cutlasses after taking a minute to find her dropped one, and the Navy captain smoothly moved to block her without letting up against Captain Chris. "I am not some treasure to take!" She asserted.

"On the contrary," the Navy captain said as he spun out of a blade lock. "You would make an excellent handmaid, with the proper training, of course."

"NEVER!" Searing redoubled her offense.

Captain Chris took control of the fight from his side of the duel, and with a bit of fancy footwork, managed to turn the Navy captain around, and lead him up close to a wall. He gave no signal, and he gave no warning, but it seemed to be a practiced move when Jabberwock, somehow, quietly charged in and tackled the Navy captain in the back and into the wall, sending splinters all over the floorboards.

Safe to say, Searing was surprised. "What?"

"We're pirates, lass," Captain Chris said. "We don't fight fair." He picked up the dropped sabers and handed them off to one of his crew. "Start checkin' the ship for anyone else! We only start lootin' after that!"

"Aye, Captain!" The crew said before fanning out in teams and searching the ship.

"I can't feel my teeth. . ." The Navy captain groaned from his spot in the wall.

"Say, pal," Captain Chris started as he walked up to the pinned enemy. "What's the bounty on me head at?"

"250,000."

"Not bad. Finish him off, Jabberwock."

"Yes, Captain." In one swift motion, Jabberwock ended the Navy captain's life.

"Now, what loot do ye have in here?" Captain Chris carefully opened the door to the captain's quarters. "Well, this is disappointing." He went to a boarded up window and pulled on the board, a small amount of treasure falling to the floor. "Looks like this was a trap, lass. Still, we came through and we're getting something, at least. Grab a sack."

Searing looked around for a moment before finding a conveniently placed (or forgotten) burlap sack, retrieved it, and held it open for Captain Chris. The treasure held against the windows didn't amount to much, but they were still able to fill it with other things from the room. On the way out, Searing noticed a black tricorn hat on a hatrack by the door. She grabbed it and put it on her head. It felt. . . Right.

"Nice find, Searing," Jabberwock said. "Keep it."

"I will."

Later that evening, after sinking the Navy ship and having a feast, everyone gathered up in the captain's quarters around the rather mediocre pile of treasure and useful goods. "Men, this was a disappointing haul. We fell for a bait ship."

"Hey, we're all alive and we got something out of it," one of the crew members said.

"True, true. I think the lass should get first pick, since it was 'er first raid. Anyone against?" The only sound was someone scratching their shoulder. "Have at it, Searing."

Searing looked over the treasures and riches for a moment before something caught her eye, something that her double had taught her about. Partially buried in the pile was a katana. With a flick of the shark engraved hilt, it came out easily enough. The blade was not what she was expecting, though. The black steel blade had a serrated shark tooth edge. "Huh. That's different."

"Who puts shark teeth on a sword?" Captain Chris asked. "Well, it's yours. Anything else catch ye eye?"

Searing looked over the treasure again and was about to call it done when a piece of purple fabric caught her eye. She carefully pulled out the silk square and looked it over. "How is this treasure?"

"Purple is a hard dye to make," Spyglass said. "And that also looks like high grade silk. You could buy a tavern for the night with that alone."

Searing considered it for a moment before deciding to tie it around her left knee. "I'm good now." She chanced a glance at Dizzy, the bird looking like it was trying to suppress a laugh.

Under the moonlight, while most of the crew went to sleep, Searing practiced on the main deck with her katana, which she decided to call Sharkbite. She could feel some magic in it, though she wasn't sure what it did or how it worked. At least there was nothing malevolent about it.

One thing that Searing found interesting about the sword was the sound it occasionally made when she swung it. It wasn't a simple swinging sound, but more of what she would describe as a shark growl. She liked it.

"Looks like ye like that sword, Searing," Captain Chris remarked.

"I do like it," Searing agreed, since she did like it.

"Ye takin' it on the next raid or are ye gonna keep it safe?"

"I'm taking it. There's something special about this sword, and I want to find out what it is."

"Somethin' special? Like an enchantment?"

"Yeah." Searing caught the look Captain Chris was giving her. "What?"

"Ye can tell when somethin's enchanted, lass?"

"Yeah. . ."

"Ye just became more valuable. If ye can, keep that skill hidden. The less valuable ye make ye appear, the better."

"Good point. Where are we going next?"

"Who knows? Such is life on the high seas."

Author's Notes:

And so begins the pirate arc. Making references is fun.