Sea

That evening, the Eagle sailed west.

The sunset air on the open ocean was cool; the kind of temperature that's not quite warm, but not cold enough to be uncomfortable; a refreshing air. Salty sea air blew across the deck in a flowing breeze, carrying the scents of the sea west towards Sunsport. The cloth sails flapped in the wind, and the jibs pulled against their fastenings like a ship at its moorings in a gale.

The sea was calm and smooth as a sheet of ice. Only small ripples marred its flat surface, reflecting the sun that lay off its port bow. Bright specks of light reflected off the water as the bright light approached the surface, preparing to go under. Spray flew up in a constant, thin white vapor at the bow, and a miles-long wake of spreading waves followed the ship as it made its way to Eastedge proper. It was a steady voyage; the boat barely rocked, and it did not pitch at all in the almost nonexistent waves.

Somerset sat just behind the bowsprit, leaning forward against the rail. His weathered face looked westward, his expression conflicted. The horizon reflected in his eyes, a gradient of orange, blue, and black that met the sea far in the distance. He was alone out here; his crew were all busy either eating, chatting, or watching the horizon for ships, and none of them were anywhere close to the bow. Indeed, he was the only soul ahead of the foremast. He was dressed in his usual wear, and had a half-empty bottle of rum on the deck beside him. His spyglass was tucked into a pocket.

He was alerted by the sound of steps on wood behind him. He turned his head, only to see a purple unicorn approaching. She was dressed in what he could recognise as his spare clothes: a set of shirt and pants that were obviously too big for her and nearly dragged on the floor.

"What do you need, Ms. Sparkle?" Somerset asked in a genial tone. "If you're wondering, our captive has been secured in the hold."

"What are you doing by yourself out here?" she asked, leaning sideways on the rail to face him. "I mean, you already have a pony up there," she said, pointing to a small, railed platform near the top of the foremast. Sure enough, a stallion was sat up there, watching the horizon with a spyglass. "Unless there's some reason you want to avoid your crew."

Somerset looked at her with a slight air of annoyance. "If you must know, I'm just sitting with my thoughts. Preferably, alone."

"Well, what are you thinking about?"

"You wouldn't understand." He sighed again. "It's... very complicated."

"We have time, don't we?"

Somerset sighed. "If you want to talk about it, meet me in the cabin. And don't touch my drinks; I'm going to need them."

Twilight was left confused as the captain slowly turned around and began walking to the stern, carrying his bottle with him. He turned to look back at her for a second. "Well? You coming or not?"

"So, what do you want to know first?" Somerset and Twilight were seated across a small table from each other on wooden stools in the captain's cabin. The sky outside was darkening quickly, and all the light inside was provided by a few candles placed around the room. The door was closed and bolted, and the curtains on the side windows were drawn. The only external sounds were the creaking of the hull and the occasional muffled shout.

"Why is it 'very complicated'?" Twilight asked.

"Take off your pants." Somerset had a dead serious look on his face. Twilight complied wordlessly, curious as to why he was asking her to remove them if they'd seemed so important. He walked around the table and poked her cutie mark. "That is why it is complicated. Beyond the Queen of Eastedge - Goddess bless her - you are the only pony who has one."

"Really?" Twilight said incredulously. "I find that a bit hard to believe. How do you find your destiny without your Cutie Mark?"

Somerset chuckled. "Using the good ol' Mark 1 Brain."

"But wait. Why wouldn't you have one?"

Somerset shrugged. "According to the texts, only those who were chosen by the Goddess in the beginning of the world had one, and most of them were taken east of the Great Barrier during the migration. Those who didn't eventually rose to power, and supposedly have ruled the lands ever since."

Twilight looked at him incredulously. "Migration? Great Barrier? What are you talking about?"

Somerset lifted the first of many bottles to his lips. "Oh, this is going to be a long night."