AN: So. Here I am. My first posted DSMP fic, but not my last. I have some more extensive ones, but I'm not up to committing to bigger projects yet cuz I don't want to burn myself out on long fics, so it'll probably be a while before I post those.

So at the end of each oneshot, I'll probably drop some lore notes to clear up any unexplained plot points. As I said in the summary, the main characters of these are OCs, so just be prepared for that. I also want to go ahead and state in this first chapter that as of right now, Wilbur Soot does not play a major role in any of these oneshots, but he is present as a background character. Please PLEASE do not confuse my inclusion of the character with toleration of the creator; I DO NOT SUPPORT WILLIAM GOLD. I understand the DSMP fandom has been a bit of a landmine this last year, primarily because of him, but like everyone else, I just want to post fun stories without getting heat for it, okay? Cool. On to the story.


Ender struggled against the men holding her, but their grip didn't loosen. She bared her teeth at one of them in a feral snarl. He only laughed, the lenses of his white goggles reflecting the tattered sails as he threw back his head. The girl huffed and stopped fighting briefly to turn her attention to her captain. The man stood rigid, his expression eerily calm despite several weapons pointed at his head and throat. His red eyes were fixed piercingly on the man stalking toward him. The enemy pirate clicked his tongue curiously as he approached, tilting his head.

"Afternoon, Techno," he said, his voice practically purring behind the smiling mask, "Long time no see, ey, Captain?"

"Dream," Technoblade replied stiffly, a small sneer curling his lip as he glared down at the green-clad pirate, "I see you've got a ship and crew now. Not so homeless anymore, I guess. Good on you. Now I'd like to ask that you release me and my crew and be on your way."

"Already?" Dream hung his head in an exaggerated pout, "But I just got here. We haven't seen each other in so long. What's wrong with a guy wanting to catch up with his old friend?"

"Oi!" A snarky voice piped up from behind Ender. She couldn't turn to look, but she didn't have to to recognize Tommy's voice. She heard the scuffle of footsteps as he likely tried to wrench away from the men holding him, shouting, "He told you to ship off, didn't he?! So ship off!"

A yelp, followed by an indignant "Ey?!" told Ender that someone had tried to shut the kid up, to no avail. It was too late, though. A shudder ran up the girl's spine as Dream turned his head toward the crew. Though she told herself he was looking behind her, she couldn't help but feel like that eerie painted smile was aimed straight at her.

"Aw, is that..?" Dream laughed and took a step forward, away from Techno. He cooed, "Is that little Tommy? It's been a while, kid. Not so little now, are you?"

Tommy cursed at him, and Dream chuckled.

"What do you want, Dream?" Techno said, drawing the enemy captain's attention back to him, "Are you just here to harass me and my family, or do you actually need something?"

The masked man shrugged. "Now that you mention it; yeah, I'm looking for something. Someone, actually."

At this, Ender stiffened, but she quickly relaxed before her captors could notice. She struggled to keep her expression neutral even as her heart skittered in her chest. She held her breath, focusing on Techno's blank face as Dream continued, "I heard tale that you could help me. See, a member of my crew went missing… about, hmm, two years ago now? She's a woman in her twenties; quiet but smart, with a sharp mind. Red hair like blood; blue eyes like the sea; skin pale but freckled like an archipelago."

His gaze drifted back to the crew, and this time, Ender knew he was looking at her. She bared her teeth at him, making sure to show off the pointed edges. He hummed and flicked a hand at her, "A bit like that one, only less beastly."

Ender mentally cursed. She knew who Dream was talking about. And she knew Techno knew too, though you couldn't tell from his serene, almost bored expression.

"No idea who you're talking about," he sighed, as though the enemy pirates currently in control of their ship were just a minor nuisance, "Everyone here is either family or has been on my crew for over four years now."

The whole crew knew that was a lie. Ender only prayed they would take the hint and keep quiet. Despite Techno's tone, Dream seemed to sense the lie. He tilted his head at the pink-haired pirate.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked flatly.

"Mmm, pretty positive," Techno drawled. Dream's head straightened, and he and Techno stared at each other for a long time. Her captain's face remained calm, but there was a deadly steel in his eyes that would have quailed the boldest of pirates. But Dream didn't even flinch.

The two held gazes for what felt like an eternity. The tension was thick in the air, and everyone was silent, waiting with bated breath to see who would be the first to give. In the end, Dream finally looked away.

"All right then," he said. Turning to one of his crewmates, a blond pirate wearing a gold chain, he gestured sharply. Immediately, the pirate produced a long, curled-up whip from his belt and handed it to Dream. Ender sucked in a sharp breath, and she heard nervous shuffling behind her from her captive crewmates as Dream turned back to Techno.

"I'll tell you what," he said, the smile in his voice reflecting the one on his mask, "Pick one member of your crew to take a flogging, and I'll spare one member of your crew for every lashing they take."

Ender winced as an explosion of protests came from behind her; mostly Tommy and Wilbur, though she heard Fundy and Jack as well. They were quickly hushed by Phil as Techno let out a confused grunt.

"Heh?!"

"I know you're lying," Dream spat coldly, venom dripping from every syllable as he slowly twisted the whip around his hand, "So I'm giving you one chance now. Tell me where she is, or I'll make you."

Techno scoffed, "You can't make me do anything, Dream."

Dream scoffed right back, "Wanna bet? Let's see then. Pick. One."

The pink-haired man went very quiet. His cool facade had finally dropped, and he glared at Dream with visible disgust and rage. If it weren't for his bound hands and the many blades pressing into his neck, Ender thought he would already have Dream pinned to the ground. After a long moment of defiant silence, Techno's shoulders and expression relaxed.

"I'll do it—" he began in monotone, but Dream cut him off.

"No, no, Captain," he said, his voice sickly sweet as he chuckled softly, "I need you conscious if I'm going to get the answers I want. Besides, I know your endurance is high enough that all the lashings it would take to spare your crew would be like bee stings to you. Pick someone else. Or," his voice dropped, "I'll kill them all. Right here, in front of you. Starting with that one."

His hand shot up, pointing over Ender's shoulder. He gestured, and a second later, there came a cacophony of screaming and cursing. Ender was roughly manhandled aside as the pirates holding Tommy dragged him forward, kicking and screaming profanities. Ender could now see those behind her. Tubbo was being restrained by three men and Ranboo, who was desperately begging him to calm down. Wilbur had to be thrown on the ground and sat on with his hands tied behind his back, and at least four pirates were struggling with Phil. Even Techno, forgetting the weapons trained on him, lurched forward, but was stopped as the blades bit into his neck, making it bleed.

Ender watched, frozen in fear, as Tommy was dragged forward and thrown at Dream's feet. The boy didn't even get the chance to sit up before Dream crouched down and grabbed a fistful of his hair. Tommy gave a pained gasp as the pirate twisted his fingers into his scalp, pulling hard.

"So, old friend," the masked man hissed, ignoring the boy squirming and spitting in his grasp, "What'll it be?"

Techno didn't say a word. For the first time, Ender saw real fear on her captain's face as he stared at his little brother. The girl could feel his internal struggle, as much as it was her own. To choose between family of blood… or family of heart…

But it looked like neither of them would have to make that choice.

From the back of the captive group, half-hidden behind Niki and Jack, a voice called out, "Wait!"

Ender's heart plummeted. As everyone's eyes turned toward her, a woman pushed her way into view. She was stopped before she made it too far, but that didn't seem to bother her. Hands visibly shaking, she reached up and slid off the hood that obscured her head.

The anticipation radiating from the enemy pirates rippled out into confusion, and Ender could hear a couple of them murmuring to each other. The woman didn't look anything like Dream's description. Her hair was a dark brown with faint, blonde highlights. Her eyes were chestnut, and her skin was olive brown, tanned darker by the sun. Despite the fear in her eyes, she stood tall, hands clenched in fists to hide the trembling. Beside her, Jack murmured something in her ear, but she ignored him.

"Let the boy go, Dream," she said, her voice quiet and resigned. The captain cocked his head; an unnatural, predatory motion.

"Give me a good reason to," he replied flatly. The woman hesitated, fear and doubt flickering across her face. Slowly, her fists relaxed, and she raised her hands toward the pendant around her neck.

"Star!" Ender blurted out. The woman paused, turning to look at Ender with a pained expression. The girl tried to go to her friend, but the men holding her refused to let go. Her eyes stung, and a sense of panic was tight in her chest. Her voice cracked, "You don't have to…"

Starfire's eyes glistened as she pursed her lips. She shook her head. "He already knows, Endie."

Closing her eyes, she grasped the clasp of her necklace. With a burst of fear, Ender tried to rip away from her captors. She managed to get one arm free, allowing her to take a swipe at one of the men. He yelped in shock as her claws raked across his arm. He released her and jumped away, blood dripping down his arm. Ender didn't wait for them to recover, darting toward Starfire… but it was too late.

As the necklace came off, and the woman lowered her hands, the air around her seemed to shimmer. Her form blurred, and a collective gasp whispered through the watching crowd. Before the eyes of everyone, Starfire changed. Her hair rippled out from brown to red, her skin paled, and her body changed shape, shrinking slightly. Scars gathered over the years faded, replaced by different ones, and freckles appeared on her bare arms and face. When she opened her eyes, they were a deep, hypnotic blue-green.

Excitement mingled with confusion as each crew had varying reactions. Techno, stiff against the weapons trained against him, deflated, his expression pained but resigned. Behind the shocked faces of Ranboo and Tubbo, Ender saw Phil slowly close his eyes in dread. Dream's crew was surprised, but delighted, their eyes lighting up at the sight of their prey revealing herself. The captain himself, though he didn't release Tommy, visibly relaxed his hold. His head straightened, smug pleasure radiating off of him in waves.

"There's my siren," he purred, "Where have you been, Daisy?"

Ender. Was. Furious.

With a feral growl, she launched herself in front of Daisy. Her claws extended to their fullest, and she felt pressure against her shoulder blades and tailbone. A second later, a shout rose up from the enemy crew as the cleverly-laid folds of Ender's clothes gave way to her tail and wings. The girl felt a thrill of wild delight at the way Dream jumped to his feet, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword. She growled, her wings fanning out to make herself look bigger.

"Ender, no!" Daisy exclaimed, and Ender felt a grasp on her shoulder. She reacted, jerking out of the hold with a vicious snarl, but when she turned, it was only Daisy. Her hands were raised in a half-placating, half-pleading gesture as she begged, "You can't fight them all, please…"

Yes, I can! Ender wanted to argue, but all that came out of her mouth was a pitiful chirp.

"Well, would you look at that…"

The soft voice rekindled Ender's rage, and she whipped around to glare at Dream with fire burning in her chest. She bared her teeth at him as he stared at her, his hand hovered over his sword but not drawing it. A sort of chuckle emitted from his throat as he straightened up. "I remember you mentioning a sister, Didi, but you didn't tell me she was a dragonet."

"It wasn't important," Daisy snapped. She pushed Ender aside, despite the girl's chirping protests, and stood in front of her. All of her fear was gone now as she glowered at Dream, one arm held protectively in front of her sister. "You wanted me; you've got me. Now you leave this crew alone."

Dream didn't reply immediately. Any pirate who wasn't guarding Techno or the rest of his crew hovered indecisively around the sisters, not daring to get close without a direct order. Ender hesitated as well. She wanted to tear into every one of them, to punish them for daring to threaten her sister and her crew. But the rational side of her brain, which sounded suspiciously like Techno, told her to wait. If bloodshed followed, someone was bound to get hurt, and she couldn't risk the lives of her crew on an impulse. So she waited, her body locked in a defensive position behind Daisy, growling and snapping at anyone who tried to get close.

The silence was thick and tense. Even Tommy, though he looked on the verge of an outburst, sat impatiently on the deck, only moving to flip off the Hispanic pirate standing guard over him. Finally, Dream made a quiet sound that sounded like a scoff before he removed his hand from his sword.

"Fair enough," he said coolly. Languidly, he raised his hand and beckoned her forward. Ender saw the way Daisy stiffened, and she hesitated briefly. Slowly, she lowered her arm and started forward. Dream's crew began to close around her, but quickly sprang back as Ender leapt in action. She jumped at the nearest pirate, slamming him to the deck. A flurry of shouts exploded from the surrounding crew, and they drew their weapons, but Ender was quick. She grabbed her prey by the throat, claws digging into his neck until it bled. A growl rumbled in her chest as she glared around at the enemies, challenging them to take a step closer. Through the haze of instincts, she registered Dream shouting at his crew to hold. She also heard the familiar voices of her own crew, though she couldn't quite tell what they were saying. It wasn't until she caught sight of Tommy, once again being held tightly by the hair, a gun pressed into his head. The Hispanic pirate holding him hostage was speaking, his eyes wild.

"Call her off!" He shouted, his voice frantic and enraged, "Call your beast off, Daisy, before I put a bullet through this kid's head!"

"Espera!" Daisy exclaimed. She had one hand extended toward Tommy and the pirate, the other toward Ender, as though attempting to hold both off at once. She pleaded, "Espera, por favor!"

To Ender, she said shakily, "Ender, let him go. This won't do any good. Just let him go; let me go. You… you can't save me this time."

Slowly, Ender's growl faded to a low rumble, but she didn't let the pirate up. She stared down at him, eyes narrowed as she took in his terrified expression.

"Do it, Ender!" She heard Tommy yell, his voice tight but angry. "Rip his throat out!"

A thud, followed by the boy's pained grunt and a snapped "Shut up!" made Ender's blood boil. She was ready to tear into the pirate's neck when a commanding voice made her freeze.

"Enderbeth, stand down."

The girl shuddered, her wings twitching as she looked up with wide eyes. From across the deck, Technoblade glared at her, his jaw clenched and his eyes burning.

"Stand. Down." He repeated, "That's an order."

His tone left no room for argument. Ender's hands shook as she removed them from her captive's neck. Slowly, she stood up. Her wings and tail shrank back into the folds of her clothes, and she forced herself to retract her claws. The bleeding man remained where he was, shaking. He didn't move until she was fully standing and had stepped back. In a burst of movement, he scrambled to his feet and ran to the safety of his crew.

The second he was out of harm's way, the pirates moved. Two of them grabbed Daisy and yanked her away from Ender. The dragonet cried out in protest, but soon found herself being manhandled as well. Before she could react, she was thrown on the ground and being tied with ropes. She snapped and growled, but she couldn't fend them off. In a moment, they tossed her back with the rest of her crew, her feet tied and her hands bound behind her back.

"As entertaining as this little reunion has been," Dream said as the Hispanic pirate dragged Tommy over to toss him next to Ender, "It's time we set sail. Thank you so much," he added in Techno's direction, a smirk in his voice, "for your cooperation. We'll make sure your deaths are quick and painless."

"No!" Daisy shrieked. She struggled against the men holding her as chaos arose among Ender's crewmates. Frantically, she twisted her hands, trying to reach the ropes with her claws, while Techno looked like he was going to charge at Dream, weapons or no. Ranboo and Fundy were barely able to stop Tommy and Tubbo from pouncing on the surrounding pirates like rabid squirrels.

"For Neptune's sake, Dream, don't do this!" Daisy shouted, hair falling into her face as her eyes shimmered, "Just let them go!"

"I can't have them following us, Didi, you know that." Dream's voice was weary; bored. Ender wanted to scratch the stupid smile off his stupid mask and tear his eyes out.

"Fine, then just incapacitate the ship or something!" Daisy argued desperately, "You don't have to kill them!"

Dream hummed, "Maybe not. But it's a lot more fun."

With a terrifying roar, Techno kicked out at the nearest pirate, sending him flying across the ship. The crew cheered as their captain broke from his guards. They scattered before him like frightened birds, unable to stand his wrath. Ender didn't even know when Techno got a sword before his hands were free and he was charging at Dream. The enemy captain was barely able to dodge Techno's attacking swing. He stepped aside and drew his sword in a single motion, meeting the man's next strike head-on. The two moved like a whirlwind, dancing across the deck in a flurry of clashing steel. Techno's crew cheered while Dream's crew desperately tried to find a way to help him. One of them reached to take Tommy hostage again, only to scream in pain as not only Tommy, but Tubbo and Fundy all bit him simultaneously; Tommy and Tubbo on the hand, and Fundy getting his canine jaws locked on the man's ankle. Even Ranboo kicked out at him with his long legs, sending the guy reeling backwards clutching his stomach.

It looked like another fight would break out, and Ender was about to just ask Ranboo to untie her, when—

"NO!"

Everyone froze except Dream and Techno, so focused were they on their battle. Heart pounding, Ender twisted, trying to see around the bodies to where the scream had come from. It sounded from Daisy's direction…

Then one of Dream's men ran forward, giving Ender a clear window, and her blood ran cold. There were two people on the ground. One was Daisy, clutching the side of her head with a pained grimace, but otherwise okay. The other was one of Dream's men; the one with the goggles. He had been one of the two that had been holding Daisy. Now he lay collapsed on the deck, eyes lifeless and blood running from a knife in his head.

The man who had screamed—the one Ender was pretty sure had hit Daisy—dropped to his knees and pulled the bleeding man into his lap. He yelled, "DREAM!"

Dream's head whipped up. Ender knew the moment he saw the situation, because his shoulders slackened, and the sword almost fell from his hands. He stood like that, horror obvious even with the mask, until Techno charged forward and rammed him with his shoulder. Dream staggered back, slamming into the mainmast. Ender heard his audible grunt of pain as his back hit the wood, but it didn't last long. With a shout, Dream rushed forward and started swinging his sword with a new vigor. His sudden ferocity must have caught Techno off guard, because he seemed to barely keep up with Dream's frenzied attacks. Bit by bit, the pink-haired man started losing ground until his back was against the railing of the ship. With a feral yell, Dream kicked out and slammed his boot into Technoblade's knee. Ender cried out at the snap that echoed across the ship. Techno didn't speak or react, but the breakage caused his leg to buckle. This gave Dream the time he needed to ram Techno with his shoulder, sending him tumbling over the railing and off the ship.

The crew shouted, but could do nothing to help their captain. Dream didn't even bother to relish in his victory. He stared over the edge for a second before his sword clattered from his hand and he was running. He fell to his knees beside the injured man and slid him out of the other man's grasp with a gentleness Ender didn't know he was capable of.

"He's gone, Dream," Ender heard the other man choke out, his voice thick. "She was so fast… I couldn't…"

"What. Have you. Done?"

Dream's voice quivered with a rage that shook Ender to her core. Daisy recoiled, and even from where she sat, Ender could see her trembling. The woman sat on her knees, fear etched across her face even as she spoke.

"It's a week's journey," she said, her voice shaking, "It'll be eight to ten days before his body decomposes past recovery. If you want to save him, you'll need to leave now."

Dream was silent. His head remained bowed, fixed on the face of the dead man. Daisy didn't move. Slowly, Dream pulled the dead man closer, hugging him tightly.

"This will be your last mistake, Daisy," he said. His emotionless tone sent chills down Ender's spine. Daisy visibly flinched, and she ducked her head, curling in on herself. Dream sat for a moment longer before his grip shifted. Cradling the body, he lifted it into his arms and stood. With a snap of his coat, he turned on his heel and started toward the gangplank.

"Everyone back to the ship!" he barked.

"What about them?" One of the men asked, gesturing to Ender and her crew. Dream didn't even turn around.

"Forget them," he responded sharply, "We have what we came for."

Ender's heart seized. She watched in horror as the man who hit Daisy now grabbed her roughly by the arm, yanking her to her feet. He twisted her arms behind her back, causing her to gasp in pain, before he shoved her toward the gangplank leading to the enemy ship.

"No!" Ender screeched, and she thrashed against her bonds. They got a few looks, but the pirates didn't hesitate long. They followed their captain quickly, leaving a few to guard the crew until everyone had left. As the last of them were leaving, Phil, who had been silent through the whole attack, sprang into action.

"Fundy and Niki, get the dinghy and go get Techno," he ordered, moving to help Wilbur up, "Ranboo, Jack, and Tubbo, inspect the ship; make sure there isn't any critical damage. Tommy, you help me untie Wil and Ender."

"What about Starfire?!" Wilbur demanded. Phil cut through his bonds with a fallen knife, and the younger man immediately surged to his feet. He made as though to follow the enemy pirates, but they had already removed the gangplank and were setting sail.

"What about Starfire?" Ranboo echoed disbelievingly, his hand hovering self-consciously near his face; his mask had been ripped off in the fight. He continued, "What was that even all about?! Her real name's Daisy?"

"She's not even a natural brunette!" Jack exclaimed, shaking his head with wide eyes, "She's been lying to us for two years!"

"You knew, didn't you?!" Tommy accused, his voice directed toward Phil, "You and Ender… and Techno! You all knew!"

Phil sighed, "Trust me, mate, I know you all have a lot of questions. But they're going to have to wait. We need to get Techno back on board and get everyone fixed up. And Wil—" He turned to his agitated son. "We won't stop until we get Star—Daisy—back. I swear to you that."

Though he spoke to Wilbur, Ender didn't miss the look the older man gave her. The panicked storm in her chest calmed a bit when she saw the fire in his eyes. He meant what he said. They wouldn't let Daisy go so easily. They would get her back.

And they would make Dream pay for daring to mess with the Syndicate crew.


Lore Notes:
- DaisyDragon is a siren; Enderbeth is an original dragon-hybrid creature called a dragonet; Ender stumbled into Daisy's siren village when she was little, and the girls adopted each other

- When Daisy and Ender were old enough, they left home to explore the world; they joined separate pirate crews, Daisy with Dream on the Spirit and Ender with Techno on the Syndicate

- Dream and the Spirit crew guard the secret to immortality; an island called Pandora which holds the power to revive the dead; however, the body must be mostly intact in order for the magic to work

- The Spirit crew is sworn by blood oath to keep Pandora a secret from the world; because of this, they technically can't leave the crew; Daisy left due to Dream's increasingly obsessive control over her after he learned about her siren nature

- When Dream and Techno were young, they were both part of Philza's old pirate crew; as they grew older, Phil passed the captain title on to Techno, while Dream left to start his own crew

- The pirate Ender briefly held hostage was Karl, hence why Quackity freaked out (lol)

- Dream's crew consists of Sapnap and George (who co-op as First Mates), Punz, Quackity, Karl, Purpled (unmentioned), and Slimecicle (unmentioned)

- Techno's crew consists of Phil (First Mate), Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, Ranboo, Jack Manifold, Fundy, and Niki

- Wilbur, Techno, and Tommy are all brothers, with Phil as their dad (as per SBI law); Fundy is Wilbur's son, who he had with a mermaid, Sally

I think that's all for now. Would love a review or two! And to anyone who might be coming from the Ninjago side of things to check this out; so sorry for the long absence! Hope you guys are still with me. :)