The sun was beginning to rise above the city, the church tower ringing loudly. Hoofshire was quiet safe for the loud dinging bell. Most were asleep, ignoring the waking call.
Most, of course, excluding Macintosh Apple. The young man was working hard on his family's farm, trying to make up for the time lost. A recent drought had cut the trees of their water supply. Luckily, only a few trees had died, the rest had been able to reach to the bottom layers of soil to find nutrients.
He pulled the heavy plow, richening the soil and spreading seeds. Mac didn't complain or groan, he simply did his work quietly.
Mac stopped pulling the plow for a moment to admire the sunrise. The orchards lit up with a orange glaze. The trees shadows stretched beyond them, spreading darkness over the west side. He loved seeing this view. He could never get tired of it.
The earth loving man finished up his chores and began to walk into town. Mac walked on the cobble streets, watching the folk wake up and start up their shops. Several hands reached out to flip the "CLOSED" sign to say an inviting "OPEN".
"Hello Mac. How's the farm?" Cobalt, a tall, lanky English lad asked him. Cobalt owned an ink store not to far from the docks.
"Doing fine, Cobalt. Is business well?" He asked politely.
The lad nodded. "It is. Lots of writers in London. I'm able to sell it to future novelists. Can you believe that?" Cobalt asked giddily.
Mac smiled. "That's great. I hope you do well." The two nodded and went separate ways.
He continued down the road, heading towards the sea. The reason he had come into town was to get a job as a ship mate. His family needed the money.
"You'll be gone for...well...who knows how long! We don't know how we'll fair without you, Mac." Applejack argued.
"It has to be done, AJ. We need the money." Mac had defended.
"I know we need some gold but it isn't a safe job, Macintosh. A lot of shipwrecks happen. And what if you get lost at sea?" Granny wasn't too fond of the idea, either.
"None of you like it but it needs to be done. Whether you like it or not." Mac settled.
Mac could see the man he was looking for. His name was Pearl Onyx, an expert navigator for the S.S. Equestrian. Mac had heard they were hiring earlier in the week.
Onyx was wearing a nice blue vest with tan pants. His large leather boots accompanied his feet as a large black cloak was draped over his back. He was holding a compass in his hand, looking off into the distance.
Mac walked onto the docks and quietly approached the sailor. "Hello? Sir Onyx?" He asked.
Onyx spun around to see Mac. He chuckled and held out a hand. Mac shook it.
"No need for the Sir. Glad you said Onyx and not Pearl, though." His accent wasn't too thick but it sounded different. He definitely wasn't from England though Mac couldn't tell where from.
The two stood side by side, staring off into the sea. It was beautiful. A few fishing boats were scattered about, fishermen tossing traps into the sea. A certain boat, not too far from the docks, lifted up a large haul. Mac couldn't count how many there were but guessed they caught at least sixty.
Onyx clapped quietly. This caught Mac's attention. "Ah...the sea is my home. Beautiful, isn't it?" Mac nodded.
"You here to get a job?" The navigator asked.
"Eeyup. I certainly need the money."
Onyx slid his hands into his pockets. He waited a bit before responding. He looked straight at Mac and asked, "You a farmer, ain't you?" Mac looked at him, confused. "How did you-,"
Onyx chucked. "My boy, a lot of farmers are coming to get jobs on the docks." He patted Mac playfully on the back. "We make good money. Hard labor, though. Type of farmer?" He asked.
"Apple." Mac answered simply.
"Mmm...tough work. You have the muscles to lift the goods," he gave Mac's arm a tight squeeze. Mac felt a little uncomfortable with the contact. "But it's more than that. You will have to deal with less amounts of food," he poked Mac's stomach.
"And more time to think." Onyx tapped the muscular man's noggin.
Mac nodded, unsure of how to respond.
"Follow me. You can see what they have to do."
"Yo Scrawny! That ain't the way I taught you to lift them. Do it correctly, if you mess up, it slows down our progress." A large man ordered. He had big muscles and piercings in his ears. He wore a ripped up uniform and spangled boots. He looked more like a pirate than a sailor to Mac.
'Scrawny' was a young lanky boy who was trying to carry heavy boxes. The cargo seemed to way more than the boy himself and he was struggling to stay standing. The box dropped and ropes and iron went flying across the ship's wooden deck. Other sailors grumbled as they went to pick up the mess.
Before the 'pirate' could fight with the lad, Onyx placed a hand on his chest. "Calm Morvoi. The boy is new."
"New on my ship." Morvoi the 'pirate' argued. His accent sounded French which was odd to Mac. Of course not all the French were the same but from what he heard, all of England's fashion came from them. The farmer gave him a look over and shook his head. Maybe not his fashion.
"I might have gotten you a perfect crew member." Onyx assured. Morvoi raised an eyebrow. "He's an Apple Farmer. Well built, good for heavy lifting. He can survive a trek."
Mac wasn't sure if they realized he could hear them. What was 'trek' supposed to mean? Was he really going to set sail already?
"Ermm..." Morvoi grumbled. "We'll see. I can't just take your word, Pearly." Morvoi teased. Onyx flinched at the mocking nickname. He composed him posture.
"Is the Captain well? Heard he's been having troubles." Onyx changed the subject.
"Gael's okay. He's 'decent'. He's gotten his head in the clouds. The accident has struck his over inflated ego." Morvoi said.
Mac grimaced. Did he want a cocky full of himself guy as his captain? His life would be depending on him.
"Do you think the King knows?" Onyx asked, smoothing his hair.
"Of course," Morvoi chortled. "He's the 'King'. His majesty isn't too pleased but he's willing to fund one more trip."
Onyx's smile brightened.
"That's great!" He turned to Mac. Morvoi stood to next to him.
Mac felt ill in front of the two.
Time passed until Morvoi said, "You're hired."
