A Neighbor's Job

by watchingnrop

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Human
Length: 11124

Jackson's life is simple. He has a steady job. He lives alone in his two roomed house. He has some friends. He has some enemies. Everything's constant. And he really wishes that didn't have to change.

The small town of Ponyoke has seen a lot over the years since its founding. Nothing however has quite shaken it like the bandit raids, which were only won by the help of mercenaries.

Now, one year later, the town is facing a huge debt that it can't pay. The town needs help from the crown as soon as it can get it. And for that to happen, a hero will have to volunteer to go on the long journey to Canterlot.

Too bad this hero really doesn't want to go.

Published 2016-12-08 06:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-12-15 01:09:32 UTC

Prologue

The clouds were clearing up, revealing the sun as it made its ascent through the sky. Under the sun was a town of moderate size, probably less then a thousand living in it one would guess at first glance. The unpaved roads were wet from yesterday’s rain. Ponies, griffons, and even the odd minotaur were going about their business as the only lamplighter in town went and stifled every corner's lamp. The fishers were heading off to their boats to start their work in the calm ocean. Everybody was making their rounds through the town, greeting each other and buying what they needed.

The further from town you went the sparser the houses became. Eventually the buildings became sparser, most of them being simple, hastily built stone towers acting as fortifications that were poorly up kept. Around these parts there were farms that had people toiling on them every day to produce enough food to make a profit.

One particular house however, was different. Instead of a farm, there was a quaint garden where flowers and vegetables grew. The house was made of the same wood as the other houses, however one that inspected the wood closely could tell that it was newer then the surrounding houses. The front of the house had a porch that the owner had built himself. The house had a chimney that rarely saw any smoke come out of it. An extremely subtle difference however is that on the mailbox in front of the house, there is a strange name painted on it. “Jackson Frank”.

The truth is however, that the house belonged to somebody that the world hasn’t seen before him.

***

Jackson Frank, contrary to many of his friends, was a morning person. The second he woke up he felt energized and ready for the day. This suited his job as the lighthouse manager, as he would be ready to switch off with his friend and coworker Grendel for his shift at five in the morning. Or at least Jackson calls Grendel his friend, while in reality Grendel and him only interact with each other when they pass off the light house. But he’s a good guy, as Jackson fondly remembers as he was given a turkey sandwich one time when they were trading off.

Jackson slowly opened his eyes, staring out the window seeing the sun up past the horizon. Startled, Jackson flung off his blankets and tried to jump up. This resulted in him tripping over the blanket and falling down onto his floor. He groaned as he opened his eyes. “Right, vacation”

He slowly picked himself up and cracked his back. He scratched at his itchy wool shirt as he picked up his nice and warm cotton blanket from the floor and placed it on the bed. He picked up his clock and stared at it. “Eleven o’clock, I’m feeling naughty,” Jackson thought as he smoothed out his blanket.

Putting his pillow back, he nodded at his work, slipped on his worn leather shoes, then made his way out of the tiny bedroom. Opening the door he was greeted with his lovely living kitchen dining entrance room, the only other room in the house. Furnished with a table, two chairs, cupboard, counter, and a very nice blue vase with no flowers in it. One of Jackson’s most fond memories is having a working bathroom inside his house. Unfortunately, there are no pipes that run out this far. Thanks mayor.

Jackson approached the pantry, opening it up and took bread, jam, and a packet of tea. Freshly packed by a tea maker at the start of the week, as he actually had standards, unlike the other heathens in the town who bought their tea from traders who claimed it originated from a town that he couldn’t be bothered to remember. At ten bits a packet. Ten bits!

Putting the kettle on, the human grabbed a knife and a plate from a drawer and walked across the room to the empty table with two simple chairs around it. He sat on his favorite chair, the one that doesn’t have a single short leg, put his meal down, and started to prepare his bread. He bit down on his meal as he began to reminiscence. “I miss my toaster, it may not have been top of the line, but it was good enough. I miss most of my stuff and the fact that I can be assured that it isn’t a test product like Butter’s magical hair dryer. I prefer to be assured that my luxuries don’t explode, thank you.”

The whistle brought him out of his thoughts causing him to stand up and make his way over to the kettle. He grabbed a cup from his drying rack, two pieces of wood that he placed his plates and bowls upside down on, and poured the water inside the cup. He walked to his chair and sat back down, plopping his tea bag inside his cup as he waited. Jackson enjoyed the relative silence, as he ate his breakfast, thinking about the agenda for the day.

“Let’s see, Postal said that he had my mail, probably junk once again. Damn scammers, relentless enough to get us out here across the ocean. So got to pick that up today, or wait, was the deadline next week? Can I get away with waiting? No, I better get the mail today so that I don’t have to get it while I’m coming back tired. Don’t want it to get thrown away. Then what else after that? Do I have anything else I have to do in town today? I guess me and Key--no wait, he’s working today. Why can’t we all have the same day off? Just put off the activity of the town for the day. That’s a good idea. Actually, that might be a bad idea, I don’t know. This is why I’m not an economist. Or a politician. Or anything that requires high brain power. I’m not a smart man. God, why didn’t I go to college? Because I thought that high school was enough and that I could make a living with that.”

He chomped on his last piece of toast and meticulously chewed it. “Should’ve gone to Europe, could’ve gotten it for free. Aren’t there rules against that? Probably, but who cares, not like I’m going to fucking Europe anytime soon. Let’s ask a boat if they can take me to Europe. What a joy that conversation would be. Arr matey what be the purpose that you have come to my docks? Yes sir, I’d like a trip to Europe. Love to see the look on his face. Speaking of ships, didn’t Sea Shells need her boat cleaned? She said she’d pay twenty for it. That’s a good paycheck. Yeah, get my mail, go clean the boat, come home and uh, tend my garden! Yeah, that’s a good idea, sure some plants need the attention.”

Satisfied, Jackson picked up his second piece of toast and carefully jammed it. Once the jam was proportionally spread across the toast, he put the knife down and smiled.

“Mr. Jack! Mr. Jack! Are you in there! The mayor sent me around town to tell everyone that he was calling a meeting immediately at the town square! Mr. Jack! Mr. Jack are you in there?”

Jackson threw his toast back on his plate and stomped towards the door.

“Mr. Jack! He told me to wait till I was sure everyone was”— Jackson flung open his door to look down upon the tiny form of Burrow.

The colt smiled up at him. “Good thing you’re up and I didn’t have to throw a brick through your window like last time!” Burrow shuffled around embarrassed. “Sorry about that by the way, didn’t think that it would break it.”

Jackson had to resist the urge for a second to tell him what actually happened to his puppy out in the forest.

The two stared at each other for a second before Burrow said, “Well, time to go and tell the others!” Burrow saluted before he ran over to the next house.

Jackson stood still for a second as it finally sank in that he wasn’t going to be able to relax. Sighing, he made his way back to the table and inspected the tea cup. Smiling at its coloration, he picked it up and gulped it down. Jackson hesitated for a moment before picking up his toast and exiting his abode, scarfing it down as he made his way to the town square.

***

Jackson’s years taught him something. Sure, he’d only really been talking with the natives for about five years, but that’s plenty of time to learn the customs and mannerisms of the creatures of this planet and learn how to combat them. For example, ponies are either looking at you 24/7 or they aren’t at all. So if you see that they are looking to the side, you’re perfectly safe to drown them out most of the time and think of something important. Like if it was really a good idea to accept the offer for a cup of coffee from a random pony you met off the street.

“Damn it, why did the tailor make all of my clothes out of cotton,” Jackson thought as he furiously scratched at his pants.

“And so I actually did it! I... Jackson, are you listening?”

“Shit.” Jackson thought as he tore his gaze from the ocean and looked at the stocky yellow pony next to him. “Huh?”

“That’s what I thought!” The pony huffed. “And you wonder why there’re bodies in town who dislike you! This is what I’ve been saying, we need to go out for a day, walk around and go to the park! I’ll learn you how to speak to bodies! That’s what my pa did when I was young! You know, I met a nice girl at the park, we’ve been going out for 3 months now! I credit my victory all to my pa! He was a real nice man you know? When he found out that I had a fear of public speaking, he signed me up for a public speaking class and made me go to the park every day. There I found plenty of bod- err ponies that were extremely nice! We lived back in Manehatten while I was young, so there weren’t many other species; anyway, I eventually got enough confidence that I could start a conversation with anyone on the street, even someone as aloof as you! My pa really was a major influence on how I am today!”

“Maybe he taught you a little too well,” Jackson thought as he rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry Butter, I guess I just get distracted easily.” he said trying to keep any negative tone out of his voice.

Butter nodded. “That’s for sure! If I’m not looking at you, you’ll start to go off in whatever direction your mind takes you!”

Jackson ignored the glares that he usually got when he hung around Butter. You get used to it eventually. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Do you even know what Mayor Trot called us out here for?”

“Not really,” Jackson said looking around for anything that could stop the endless chatter of Butter.

“You’re hopeless! Hopeless! I tell you, you need to get out more! Talk to more bodies, then you’ll actually know the pressing issues of our town! I’m sure you’d find a nice female, maybe they’d like your short hair and those beady brown eyes! I don’t know, bodies like weird stuff like that! Anyway, he called us out here to talk about, ‘a pressing issue that threatens,” Butter giggled at his impression, “the sanctity of our village!’ What a load of hay! Remember the time that he called us out because his cart of expensive spices came into town and it hit a hole spilling the spices? After months of us complaining to him he finally addressed that we need paved roads! And look around us, look at all this progress!”

Jackson felt more heads turning towards them. “Alright Butter, maybe you want to tone it down?”

“Nonsense!” Butter shouted, “I have my opinion and I have a right to voice it! Why, I bet that this is going to turn into another--“

Jackson felt relieved as the crowd started applauding, overcoming Butter’s resounding voice. He looked up to the front of the crowd and saw the pony mayor hobbling over to the box that acts as the stand. Nice box, onion one, actually has been used for about three months now. At this point there are probably other boxes that are better for standing on but Jackson thinks that everybody’s getting attached to it. Upon arriving at the box, the mayor stepped up and cleared his throat. “My friends,” he said adjusting his collar, “It is my regret to tell you today that there is a danger that threatens every single one of you out here today.”

The crowd mumbled at the mayor’s words. Butter scoffed at him. “Yeah right, the biggest problem we have now is that poor Little Light’s cat died and now she won’t leave her room. Did I tell you that Jackson?” He glanced towards the stage, “I’ll tell you later.”

“I’m sure that you all remember the month of raids that we had from bandits last year.” The crowd murmured in affirmation. “And I’m sure that you all remember the brave heroes of the local guard that fought in the battles and all of those that fell. Their heroism will be etched forever in this town’s history.”

“I’d hope I remember,” Jackson thought scanning the crowd, looking for Geralt.

“Not only that though, you must remember how we hired the White Talon Mercenaries after three days of debates. We settled on eight hundred bits for protecting our town and driving the bandits away.” The mayor paused, his eyes searching across the crowd. “My friends, our deadline for payment is only four months away, and the mercenaries are demanding much more than they originally offered. Interest they claim. They now ask for a staggering eighteen hundred bits. We cannot possibly pay that amount in the time span we have.”

Shocked silence. Nobody moved. Butter whispered something inaudible.

“And there goes my Tuesday,” Jackson thought.

The mayor glanced downwards before staring forwards. “But there is hope. Somebody can go to the capitol city Canterlot and pay a visit to the crown. There you can request something for the town. Military assistance, a loan, anything to save us from the Talons. The person that volunteers today will make a difference that will save this town.”

He cleared his throat. “It will not be an easy task, you will have to cross the ocean, pass through the mainland, then wait in the dreaded line for court, but it is—“

“I’ll do it,” Jackson said as he stepped forward.

Everyone turned to look at him. The mayor stopped and stared, “Err, Jackson, well, I’m sure that you are eager to go, but—“

“Mayor, I believe that I am the most qualified person to go. I’ve traveled for a long time before settling here and I have enough experience in battle to protect myself if need to be. My position is not so important that someone else can’t fill for me.”

“Well, I mean, you might be but...” the mayor trailed off looking off into space.

He sighed before saying, “You’re right. Ladies and gentlemen, we have our volunteer!”

Jackson looked over the crowd. Some eyes were hopeful. Others were hateful. It was silent for a moment before the crowd starting cheering. In the ruckus Jackson saw Tulip stomp up to the mayor and started yelling at him. Probably demanding that the diamond dog mutt couldn’t go. Bitch. He could see his friends cheering him on, wanting him to succeed, depending on him to save their town. Geralt was nodding his head, Butter was crying, Postal was clapping extremely loud, Grendel didn’t even show up. Virtually everyone was counting on him.

“Should’ve just stayed quiet.”

Author's Note

So anything relating to this story will be posted as a blog. I will not put things like if I'm going on hiatus or the fact that this is my first story in the author's notes, they will be posted as a blog. This means that this will be my only author's notes.

So... yeah.

1. Envy

After the ceremony Jackson went home to prepare, dodging the crowd of grateful individuals. He walked home alone, simply content at looking around at the buildings of his town. Eventually the buildings cleared out until there was just grass and farmland. He kept on walking until he saw his home.

Jackson sighed as he approached his front door and entered. Inside he immediately walked into his bedroom and approached his dresser. He opened the doors and fished inside until he found a potato sack. But this wasn’t any potato sack, it was Jackson’s patented travel bag™. The bag has differing patches sewn into it, a string on the opening to close it, and most importantly runes on the bottom of it protecting it from the elements. Jackson proudly stated to anyone he meets that he owns a one hundred bit potato sack.

Jackson walked around his house making a mental checklist as he grabbed things and stuffed them into the sack. “Alright, going to need my wool sweater, just in case. Compass. Hatchet for sure, can’t leave without this thing. Throw these magazines in. Just in case. Towel. A massively useful thing a traveler can have. Change of clothes? Sure, probably’ll need two or three pairs. Actually, how long will I be out? Postal says it takes him about two weeks on his boat, so it’ll probably take about two weeks to get to land. Once there, I’ll find the nearest train station. Maybe add a few days counting for walking to it since I don’t know where I’ll land. Map, essential. So once there, what next? Ah yes, an audience with the princess. Never done that before, remember when everybody was crazy about her. Glad it ain’t like that here. Bit bag. How much in it? Let’s see. One hundred, two hundred, thirty? No, wait, that’s not a hundred coin. One hundred, twenty, thirty, fifty seven? One hundred fifty seven. Decent amount.”

Jackson swiped some tea packets into his bag and continued on. “Alright, so what was I on? The sea trip? Yeah yeah, two weeks. Railroads were fast so two days at most probably. Princess is a wild card but let’s say one week to be generous. So with that, now what? If I bring the army in, wait shit, I forgot my socks. Alright, so if I bring the army in, then they would have to come all the way back, so double the time? Can’t carry this many clothes, got to drop some. Travel light. So if I bring in the army, about six weeks? Seven? Shit, that’s a long time. What about a loan? Probably the same amount. I’ve got to walk all the way back again. Gun? Sure. So either way, I’m looking to at least five weeks away from home. Damn it, why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut? I don’t like traveling. Was three years not enough to teach me that?”

Jackson entered his bedroom. “Don’t need a clock but it’d be nice to have. Speaking of, better get some food from town before I set off. And some people that know about sailing. God, why do I have to go? I have a steady job, good friends, and a nice house owned by me and nobody else! I shouldn’t have to go. Make the mayor go, God knows he could use it. He probably wipes his ass with tax money in his free time. Bandits took our dragonfire my ass. Can’t pay eight hundred my ass, his yearly spending on clothes is probably past that.”

Jackson double checked his potato sack and looked up at the top of his dresser. Seeing what he was looking for, he stood up on his toes and dragged the object down. He looked it over and smiled.

The object in question was a small brown guitar. Custom made. The body that made this was actually a griffon who lived in Equestria. The griffon made many stringed instruments for a living and offered a bargain because Jackson was, “the strangest diamond dog he’d ever seen”. It was designed smaller so that it was more practical to carry on the road, something Jackson was grateful for. Jackson bought it because over in Equestria, especially in the Badlands where monsters are more abundant, ponies are extremely skittish to new things. This made most ponies that saw him either run away or try to fight him off. The guitar was a sign that he was intelligent; which had a fifty-fifty chance of success.

Jackson turned around, knelt down, and took out a guitar case from under the bed. The same griffon actually was so nice that he also custom designed a case for the guitar for free. The case was designed to keep the guitar safe and unbroken, protecting against minor things like falls, crushing, and water. Of course, if the guitar was left in a burning building, the case would probably do little to protect it, but it’s nice to have either way. And either way, if he’s inside a burning building, then there are more important things to worry about.

Slinging the strap over his shoulder, Jackson walked to the front door. He stared back at his house before exiting, closing the door behind him.
***
Scabbersworth. That’s the name of the boat. Used to be owned by an earth pony named Diggins. Gold Diggins that is. He was one of the eleven original guards to survive the bandit raids. Being fifty years old, most of the bodies in town objected him being in the guard but he didn’t hear a word of it. Actually was one of the only bodies that didn’t suffer major injuries during the biggest battle.

The old pony had a reputation around the town to be a card and a great negotiator, earning him the position of mediator, solving most of the conflicts people had, big or small. Yet despite all of these great traits, he lived alone in the house that he built himself on the fringes of town. He bought himself the small sailboat after the raids and named it after, “the two girls that stole each half of my heart”. When he died, his body wasn’t found until a week after the fact. Jackson could clearly remember the funeral. How he had to carry the coffin, how he testified, and how the priest read from the will that said his ship was going to be given to one of his best friends; Jackson. The man that doesn’t even know what the name of the ocean they live next to is.

This was the ship that was floating alone in the port with the mayor, Geralt, Postal, Butter, and his good friend Vera waiting for him. Jackson approached them, standing in front of them with his hands on his hips. The mayor stepped up first. “Jackson, are you sure that you want to do this? Tulip is also going out to see the princess, so if you want you could stay behind,” the Mayor said hesitantly.

Jackson’s eye twitched at Tulip’s name before nodding. “I’m sure. You can just get Geralt to cover my captain position right?”

The mayor glanced at Geralt and sighed. “I suppose I can. Guess there’s going to be no convincing you then,” the mayor pulled out a bag behind him and gave it to Jackson. “This is everything you should need. Inside is a dragonfire bottle, which if you ever get stranded at sea, should have enough range to reach here. There is also a letter that’ll explain the situation to Celestia. You will give it to her immediately upon the start of your hearing.”

The mayor’s expression tightened. “And also Jackson, you are not to open the letter and look at the contents. For the letter contains very secretive government information that you are not allowed to see. Understand?”

Jackson nodded quickly. The mayor nodded back and walked back into town. As the mayor trodded off, Geralt stepped up. The two smiled at each other and shook appendages. “Been a bit eh? We should really get together more.” Geralt said, smiling.

Jackson laughed before saying, “You know that my job doesn’t allow that.”

“Hey, it’s not like my job gives me a lot of free time either. You just manage your time horribly,” Geralt said, shaking his head.

Jackson chuckled. “Well you got me there. Now, why’re you here? To see your old pal off?”

Geralt’s face hardened. “No Jackson, I’m actually falling behind back at the farm every single second that I stay here. I came here because I have something very important to say.”

“Oh boy,” Jackson thought as he cocked his eyebrow. “And what is that?”

“Jackson, as you know this town is my life. My father and his father were here to see the founding of it. We’ve toiled on our family farm for about eighty years. My father started working when he was six and I started working when I was five. And when my father was on his death bed, his last words to me were, ‘don’t sell the family farm ever. Keep it alive, tend it until you can’t no more.” Geralt said.

He was quiet for a few seconds before continuing. “Jackson, I can’t go on this journey because I’m right in the middle of picking season and nobody else is stepping up to help me. However, if I had to pick somebody to go for me, it would definitely be you. You’ve got a good stable head on those shoulders unlike most of the idiots in this town, you’re strong, and you know what failing would mean for us.”

He shuffled around a bit before saying, “What I’m getting at, Jackson is that I’m grateful for you being the one that goes. Especially since you’re going instead of Tulip, Terra knows what that girl’s going to end up doing out there. So, in thanks for doing this I’ve got you a little gift,” he gave Jackson an object that he hid under his wings. “These are binoculars that my dad left me. He used these to birdwatch whenever he had a spare moment. These are now yours. Don’t mess up Jackson, we’re counting on you,” he said, before walking off back into town

“Would’ve appreciated more help than binoculars, like maybe actually coming. But whatever. Maybe somebody else is coming,” Jackson thought as Postal approached him.

“Jackson, my years on the sea going back and forth from Trottingham have taught me a lot of things. Specifically, how to cross the sea,” Postal said as he stepped back towards the ship.

“Inside the ship I’ve supplied you with enough supplies to last five weeks. Now I know what you’re thinking. ‘Oh no Postal, it takes longer to go across the sea by sailboat,’ and in response to that I show you this!” he said as he lugged a strange box out of the ship.

“This baby was made by a zebra who studied unicorn magic all his life! The trader that sold this to me called it the Windon! With this you can easily cross the ocean in two or three weeks. I’ve already set it up so all you have to do is press this little button while having it farthest away from the direction you want to go,” he said pointing to a little blue button on the side of it.

“Now it’s not flawless. You can’t use this if there’s a storm going on. You can’t use this if there’s large waves, as this thing could easily fall off your boat. It also might explode but the guy said that the chance of that is astronomical. And judging by the wind, there’ll probably be no storm so you’re free to set it on and kicking back for the rest of the journey,” he said throwing the Windon back into the ship.

“How does it work?” Jackson said eyeing the ship skeptically.

“I have no idea! But I’ve used this thing for every trip since and it’s worked then! So it should be totally safe for you!” Postal said.

“The only thing that makes this situation worse is that he’s talking like a car salesman,” Jackson thought as he nodded.

“So now you’re set! Now, uh, don’t pull out the Windon in Equestrian waters, as it’s actually illegal there. And remember, always wear your life jacket!” he yelled as he ran back into town.

“Well, I guess I did forget about the whole provisions thing. And I guess Postal forgot that I can’t sail, so that’s nice. Maybe Vera or Butter will come. Actually, how useful would a masseuse be while traveling? How useful would Butter be in anything?” he thought as the little purple pony walked up to him and thrust a letter forward.

“Jackson, you’re already doing a lot and I appreciate that...” she trailed off and cleared her throat. “I’ll just get to the point. My sister Aloe lives over in Ponyville and this letter needs to be delivered to her urgently. Can you deliver it?” she asked.

“Sorry, no can do,” Jackson immediately replied.

Vera pouted. “Jackson, I wouldn’t ask for this otherwise but I cannot stress how important this letter is. If she replies then I definitely need to see the reply as soon as possible. I promise that I’ll repay you, in anyway I can.”

Jackson hesitated for a second then sighed before responding, “Is it that important?”

Vera nodded. Jackson was still for a moment before swiping the letter from her hoof. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

Vera stomped her hooves on the ground giddily before hugging Jackson’s leg. “Thanks Jackson. You may not believe it, but you really do make this village a better place.”

Jackson stayed silent as she levitated a stick from behind her. “Jackson, I know how you get when you’re idle, so I got you a fishing rod. You know how to fish right?”

No. “Yes.”

“Great!” she said excitedly as she passed the fishing rod to Jackson, “I wish you a safe trip Jackson. Please come home safe, your funeral would be the saddest that the town’s ever had.”

She curtsied then walked back into town. “Well that was cute. Vera’s always been a very nice girl. What would’ve made her nicer is if she could’ve came. Does the town really need the masseuse, I mean come on,” he thought as Butter approached sniffling.

By the time Butter was next to Jackson, he was bawling. He grabbed onto Jackson’s leg and gripped it tightly. “Jackson, just know if you die at sea, I always considered you a great man. I’ll tell the funeral everything about you, from when you built your house, when you fought in those invasions, when you helped me pay my taxes, when you found Burrow’s puppy in the—actually maybe not that, but Jackson! I love you like a brother, remember that!”

Jackson’s mouth curled upwards into a wry smile. “Well, thanks for that vote in confidence. But you have nothing to worry about Butter, I’ll be fine,” he said while trying to pull Butter off his leg.

“No!” Butter yelled hanging on tighter. “Jackson you don’t understand! The outside’s dangerous! It’s got people that want to hurt you, plants that poison you, giant waves, evil witches, trees with barbs on them! You don’t know what’ll happen out there! You could be killed! Or worse, eaten while you’re still alive like that one Daring Do story! Jackson I don’t want to be the one that has to carry your coffin, do you hear me Jackson? Nobody else knows you like I do Jackson, I don’t want to be the one that has to organize everything! Oh Celestia, what if we don’t even find your body? What if it’s just going to lie somewhere for a cannibal to come by and eat it?”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Jackson said, yanking Butter off his leg and holding him up. “Look Butter, I’ve traveled for three years before this. I’ve got more experience under my belt then most of the town has so if I didn’t go, I’d just be a dick. Alright?”

“Plus my house is in this town also,” he thought to himself.

Butter wiggled out of Jackson’s grip, landing on the ground with a thud. He sighed, “Alright Jackson, I get it. You want to be the big macho hero, I understand. Don’t worry, I sometimes feel like that also,” he said as he started making his way back to town.

“Finally,” Jackson thought as he turned around to get on the boat.

“Jackson!”

“Fuck me.”

He turned around to find Butter staring straight at him. “I know that I may be a little overbearing at times Jackson but I do it for a reason. I care for you I care for this village and everyone in it,” he paused before adding, “Well, except for the mayor. Anyway, while I’m sad that you have to do this, I understand that it’s for the better of everyone,” he smiled. “Now go! And don’t, ‘fuck it up’ as you say.”

The two stared at each other until Butter giggled and ran back into town. Jackson chuckled. “What a strange pony.”

Turning back, Jackson stayed still looking at the ocean for a while before boarding the boat. “Let’s see if this thing works,” Jackson thought as he pressed the blue button on the Windon.

The ship lurched forward as the Windon started making a noise not unlike wind passing through trees. “If this thing explodes I’m going to come back from the dead and burn this town to the ground myself,” Jackson thought as the boat sped off.

As Jackson went on he passed by fishers who all waved at him in greeting as he passed by. Waving back, Jackson watched as the town got farther and farther.

The last thing Jackson saw of the town was the lighthouse.

***

Jackson was standing up with the fishing rod in hand. He adjusted the uncomfortable life jacket before casting the fishing rod into the water. He whistled a tune as the wind buffeted against his face. “Two days and I’m already feeling restless. Don’t know how the rest of my trip is going to be if I already feel like this,” he thought as he recasted his line.

Jackson huffed. “At least the Windon is doing its job. I already hate this situation, I can’t imagine it going on for another week or so,” he thought as he sat down.

Jackson looked at his compass and saw that the boat started going slightly north. Sighing, he put his fishing rod down and walked towards the wheel. He slightly turned it to the left before going back and picking up his fishing rod. “Fish aren’t biting, wonder if they aren’t around these parts,” he thought, scratching his head.

***

Jackson yawned as he sat back and watched as the ocean went by. He glanced at his clock. Twelve thirty two. “About a week ago I’d be devastated if I woke up at eight. Now I can’t be bothered to get up. Then again, I have nowhere to get up for,” he thought as he sat up.

“Argh!” he yelled as his back protested.

“God, have I gotten so soft that having no mattress, pillow, or blanket really makes me hurt? What if I had to go do something, would I be too lazy to actually get up and do it? Would I just lay down and sleep off the pain,” he thought bitterly.

As he rubbed his back a revelation came upon him. “But... I don’t have anything to do.”

He sat still for a while before lying down and going back to sleep.

***

“This is actual hell,” Jackson thought as he searched through his bag.

“I forgot how many days I’ve been here. I think. That’s not a good sign. I think. Already done everything on this godforsaken boat, so it looks like I’m going to bring out the last resort. Good thing I packed these things,” Jackson thought as he brought out his stash of magazines.

He sat back down with a smile, kicking back his feet and lying down. He opened the first magazine. This one was a very nice one called The Trottingham Times. Had a picture of a pony with silver hair and a grey coat looking off into the distance seriously. Jackson opened the magazine up and glanced through it. Of course, the thing was full of ads and information he didn’t care about. “Zimmerpony telegraph intercepted, government outraged”. Really?

Jackson flipped through the pages of the magazine. “Elements save the day. How to get young fast. Steam may be the secret. Minotaur can create fire through inner strength... wait a second.”

Jackson flipped over the magazine, checking the date. He went through every single magazine until a horrifying revelation dawned upon him.

“I’ve already read all of these.”

***

“Gums, Gums listen to me man. It’s over man. We stay here and we’re gonna die. Gums? Gums!” Jackson shouted, hiding behind the debris of a tower that was toppled over.

Jackson flinched at the sound of arrows landing around them. “Jackson, I’m not leaving, I’m going to kill every one of these degenerates that I can!” Gums said as he stood up to return fire.

“Gums man, look, it’s over. Look around you, these damned towers have done nothing. We’ve got so many that’re fallen, can’t do anything no more. Bodies are dying man. The tower next to us used to have three people man and now it’s down. There’s no way we’re holding these motherfuckers back!”

“What on earth is wrong with you Jackson?” Gums said reloading his crossbow. “Don’t you get it? We’re the front and only line. When they get past us, they’re going into an army of untrained civilians that can’t even hold their swords straight. We’re the last resort. If we lose here, then we lose the town.”

“Fuck the town man! Who cares about the town when you’re dead!” Jackson shouted over the sound of a distant explosion.

The minotaur snorted. “You just don’t understand Jackson. You have very little to call yours and that’s all safe in your house away from the battlefield. Everything that matters to me and everyone else here is behind me and we’re going to fight to our last breaths to protect it.”

“Gums please,” Jackson said as he frantically looked around. “Think about your kids. Your wife. What would they do if you died here?”

“I don’t know. What I do know however, is that they would be alive, and that’s good enough for me,”

He turned to Jackson. “Jackson—“ he started before he was hit in the shoulder by an arrow.

Jackson bolted up grasping around the boat. He grabbed a canteen of water that was next to him before gulping it down. When he was done, he upturned the canteen splashing himself with the remaining contents. He steadied his breathing as he used his shirt to dry off the sweat and water on him. Once done, he flung off his shirt and shook.

“Well that’s one way to start the morning,” Jackson thought as he grabbed and raised the clock next to him. “Seven. Perfect. Really was looking forward to that.”

Jackson stood up and cracked his back. He belched loudly and walked over to his little cargo box. “Well that’s a great start to a great day. Going to treat myself to something special now. Let’s see, what treat is Jackson going to have today?” he thought as he opened it.

“Hmm, I think I’ll go for—“ he stopped as he glanced down at the compass at his feet. “North. North. North? North!” he thought as he ran towards the wheel.

Jackson gripped the wheel and flung it to the side. “This is right, right?” he thought running back towards the compass. East.

Jackson panicked and ran back to the wheel. Grabbing it, he turned the boat sharply to the right, knocking his possessions around. He yelled a battle cry as he did another turn, making the little boat sway against the ocean. The boat eventually settled itself as Jackson siged “That should be good,” he thought as he walked around the boat trying to find the compass.

Once he found it, he picked it up and examined it. West. Jackson sighed as he laid back down. “And now I’m feeling tuckered out from all that excitement. Maybe going back to sleep’ll do me some good,” were his last thoughts as he was lulled back to sleep by the gentle waves.

Waking up fresh and rosy fingered, he felt much more prepared to start the day. He felt around for the clock until he remembered the events that morning. Sighing, he got up and searched the boat for the tiny mechanism.

It wasn’t until evening that he concluded it fell into the ocean.

***

Jackson was laying down looking up at the sky. “Fifteen days. Been on this damned wooden hell for thirteen days. I’m sick of this salt in my nostrils. Can’t do anything. Should I reread the magazines? Why the hell would I do that? Already know what’s in them. Shouldn’t bother with doing it again. Fishing? You idiot. Trying to fish in a moving boat and you want to do it again? Almost entirely sure that’s a safety hazard. And it doesn’t get you fish. God. What do my friends do? Vera says she gambles. Horrible habit she has. Can’t do that anyway without others. Postal naps. Horrible. The Mayor probably just laughs in his office at all of us lowly bodies. Geralt farms all day. When he doesn’t, he drinks. Why won’t he listen to me? Pride and all that I guess. Wonder if he’s addicted? Best not to think about that.”

“Drinking, playing cards, fishing, walking, traveling, reading, playing pool, making potions, studying. No. No. No! I can’t do any of that on a boat alone. Not like I’d want to anyway. Time wasters, that’s all those are. That’s all it is. Why can’t Vera see that? Why is she so interested in what I like? Why? Why? I know why. No, no I don’t. “

He shifted. “Wish I wasn’t so white, pretty sure I’m going to get skin cancer from all this sun. Or maybe since this is a different sun cancer… things don’t come out of it. Maybe. I wonder how Tulip’s getting there? Probably the Black Horse Ferry. Remember when I took that. God, what a bitch she is, trying to show I’m nothing by saving the town instead. How arrogant do you have to be to do that?”

He looked at his compass to see if he was going the right direction before laying back down. “Why don’t you just settle down, stop working so much? Maybe get a nice girl. I don’t want that. I know why. I don’t. I do though, I think. I have my reason. Better reason than Geralt’s at least. Stupid bird, wait, isn’t that racist slang here? How would a group of them react to that? Wouldn’t want to try, they’d probably kick my ass. Not that I’m weak or anything, I’ve got some muscle. I think. Been so long that I’ve seen another person that I don’t have anything to compare it off of.”

Jackson closed his eyes as he listened to the sound of rushing water. “The big blue ocean. Separates us from the mainland. Probably contains monsters and fish. What else is there to say about it? It’s just a bunch of water. Me, that I’m traveling down it. On my tiny boat that’s being propelled by God knows what. Me me me. It’s all about me. That’s the truth. And the ocean speaks to me. It says, ‘get the fuck out of here’. I’m trying ocean. I’m trying.”

***

Jackson peered around at the emptiness around him. “Righto, let’s play a game then. I spy, that’s a classic. Alright, my turn first I guess. I spy something big and blue. The ocean? No! The sky you nincompoop! Good one! Alright, my turn. I spy… something large and blue. The sky? Ha! Got you! It’s the ocean! Right, how didn’t I get that one? Alright, my turn. I spy something fast and blue. A bird? A bird, you got... wait,” Jackson thought as he fished his bag for the binoculars.

Finding them, he pulled them out and peered into the distance. He felt his heart jump at the sight. “That’s not a bird, that’s a pegasus.”

Jackson smiled as he hollered out a greeting to the pony. The pegasus flew closer and closer until Jackson could finally make out details of his savior. “Blue coat, really light blue mane and tail. Tail and mane are really short, strange option for a pegasus. Do they do that in the military? I bet they do. Has goggles on. Looks pretty scrawny but that might be just because it’s a pegasus. Looks young. Coming... straight for me!”

Jackson dove to the side as the pegasus came shooting down. Jackson whipped his head up to see the pegasus fly upwards and turn around to look at him. He growled as he ran to his bag, keeping his eyes locked onto the pegasus. Reaching it, he thrust his hand in there, searching through it furiously. The pony gave him no time to check as it dove downwards for its second attack. Jackson growled as he ducked down, feeling the air pass by him.

Jackson poured out the contents of his bag before him. When the hatchet fell out, he tossed the bag aside and grabbed the hatchet. He looked upwards to see the pegasus circling around the boat panting. He shed his life jacket as he got into a more formidable stance. When the pegasus tried to dive again, Jackson easily dodged to the side, keeping his eyes on his opponent.

Once back in the air, the pony reached to something on his back. Jackson tightened his grip on the hatchet. He felt fear crawl across his body as the pony unsheathed a black ball. “Shit, what is that? Could it be a bomb? Would it dare to try that on my tiny boat?” he thought to himself as he gripped the hatchet tighter.

The pony looked at the ball before looking at Jackson. He kept his eyes trained onto the pony. The pegasus seemed to sigh as he got ready to dive once again, slower this time. Repeating the motion, Jackson stepped to the side, dodging the pony. “At this rate he’s going to—“ Jackson started before he got a stunning pain on the side of his head.

Jackson dropped his hatchet and stumbled backwards, tripping on the side of the boat and falling into the water. Jackson gasped for air as he tried to keep afloat, flailing his limbs about in the water. “Shit! I’m going to drown!” he yelled as his boat kept on its steady pace without him.

“Wait, you can talk?” a young voice asked.

Jackson stared upwards to see the sweaty pegasus lazily floating above the water. “Yes! Yes I can fucking talk!” he responded, barely keeping afloat.

“Wait, so you aren’t a monster?”

“No!”

“Oh horseapples, so I should help you, shouldn’t I?”

The pegasus didn’t wait for an answer as he flew over to the boat. He looked at the Windon before staring back at Jackson. “How does this thing work?”

“I don’t know!”

***

Jackson had his towel around him as he sat naked in the boat. Across him was his companion that tried to kill him not minutes before. The pegasus giggled nervously as Jackson looked at him. “Yeah, sorry about that. Has anyone told you about how monster-y you look?” the pegasus asked.

“No. Never heard it,” Jackson responded in a deadpan tone.

“Really? I would think they would since you look pretty weird. Anyway,” the pony stuck his hoof out. “The name’s Cop. Treasure hunter extraordinaire.”

Jackson rubbed his hands together. “Cop? Strange name. What’s your talent kid? Other than random assault.”

“Oh you know. Spotting treasure. Things like that.”

Jackson leaned to his right. On the stallion’s flank was a shining brown coin. Jackson turned to the ocean. “So what are you doing out here? I’d wager that you’re out here looking for some kind of hidden island of long forgotten riches.”

Cop shook his head. “Way too generic old man. You’ve got to stop reading those Daring Do novels. Anyway, we got a message from this general area saying that there was a monster near the boat and the crew thought it was hostile. Thinking about it, the boat that they described looks nothing like yours.”

Cop blushed in embarrassment as he continued. “So Sea Biscuit had everyone get on the boat and we’ve been looking for them ever since. We haven’t found anything yet though, which may discourage others, by I believe we’ll find them soon.”

“I’m not old,” Jackson’s brow furrowed. “Wait, so does that mean that you’re part of a crew? Is Sea Biscuit the captain?”

The scrawny pony nodded. “Yep! Part of the Swashbuckler! It’s a really nice boat, really fast and stuff.”

“And he calls me generic,” Jackson thought. “So do they know that you’re out here flying alone? And can I get a ride? Two weeks alone does things to a bod- err, pony.”

“Oh yes! I already sent a ping to them so they’re on their way here. I’m sure that Sea Biscuit would love to keep you company once I explain that you’re actually smart and not a monster,” the pony responded pulling out a gem.

“Not even going to ask,” Jackson thought as he laid back.

The two were silent for a few moments, content with looking at the sea. Eventually Jackson spoke up. “Well, at least you saved someone. I think I would’ve gone crazy if I stayed on this damn boat any longer.” Jackson said.

“That wouldn’t have been a problem,” Cop said as he nodded towards the west. “Equestria is a day or two away. Didn’t you notice the seagulls?” Cop asked as he raised his hoof.

Jackson peered upwards. The sky was dotted with seagulls. “What?”

“What?” Cop asked.

“I don’t get it.”

Cop tilted his head. “Get what?”

“The seagulls.”

“What about the seagulls?”

“Well, you said that the seagulls say that there’s land nearby, right?”

“Right,” Cop said tentatively.

“So what do you mean by that?”

“Oh, well, you know,” Cop said, spinning his hoof in a small circle.

“No, I don’t know. What’s the big deal about seagulls?”

“They, you know. They mean land’s nearby,” Cop responded.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah.”

“How do they do that?”

Cop opened his mouth, then closed it as he looked up at the seagulls. “I don’t know.”

“Well then how do you know about the seagulls?”

“That’s a bit of a long story.”

Jackson laid back. “We’ve got a moment.”

“Alright, so you see, I was out on the deck one night and Sea Biscuit came out like, ‘What’re you doing up?’ And I was like, ‘I can’t sleep Captain! What if we got lost out at sea? How will we know how to get back?’ And he was like, ‘Aye, that’s a concern for all new to sailing. Let me tell you something boy, we’ve got a compass, a sextant, and a bottle of dragonfire in case everything goes wrong, so don’t worry about that.’ Then, he pointed up at the sky and was like, ‘Look lad, see all those seagulls?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ Then he was all like, ‘seagulls show that you’re close to shore laddy, so if we’re ever lost and you feel hopeless, look to the sky and see those seagulls.’ Then he went to bed and so did I.”

“I never thought someone could talk as obnoxiously as Butter,” Jackson thought as he picked his ear.

“Thinking about it, that wasn’t a very long story.”

The pair turned away from each other. Both were silent as they just listened to the ambiance of the ocean. The seagulls occasional caw. The sound of the waves lapping onto the boat. The wind flowing by. “I see them!” Cop yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Amazing, a few minutes of talking to this kid after two weeks of complete isolation and I already want to go back to isolation,” Jackson thought as he stood up and peered to where Cop was looking.

Jackson squinted. “But there’s nothing—“ he stopped and thought for a second before groaning. “Oh yeah. Pegasus.”

Cop ignored him in favor of taking off into the air. The pegasus flew off into the distance. Jackson went over to his bag and pulled out his spare change of clothes.

Once he was done changing, the boat was in clear sight. Resembling a yacht, the boat was white with a red stripe running down the middle of it, making it horrendously easy to see. The boat, or the Swashbuckler as Cop had called it, headed towards Jackson at a meandering pace. “Jesus Christ, is this why my imports take over a month to get to me?” Jackson thought as the yacht continued towards him slowly.

When the Swashbuckler finally was next to the Scabbersworth, it stopped moving. The cabin doors burst open revealing Cop and a brown earth pony. The earth pony had a white mane and tail, coupled with an un kept beard. The pony walked with a limp and had a bag that was strapped to his barrel yet he still walked faster than Cop. And even though that the pony looked aged, he seemed to exude an aura of strength, a can do attitude, a ‘hey buddy, don’t mean to be a dick to you but I can fuck you up,’ kind of feeling.

Once at the edge of his boat, he jumped down onto Jackson’s sailboat, causing it to rock. Cop jumped down after him, following him as the pony walked up to Jackson. Jackson stared straight into his pale blue eyes. “So I take it you’re Sea Biscuit?”

The pony took out a pipe from... somewhere and lit it. He put it in his mouth. “You’re Celestia darn right I am.” Sea Biscuit replied.

Jackson held his hand out. “The name’s Jackson Frank.”

Sea Biscuit shook it. “And mine is Sea Biscuit, pleasure to meet you."

Sea Biscuit’s grip was strong and firm. Once the two exchanged a limbshake, Jackson asked, “So the shore’s a day away.”

Sea Biscuit nodded. “Aye lad, go straight ahead and you’ll get an easy landing in the Horseshoe bay,” the pony stared at Jackson. “But let’s cut the bollocks. Where’re you from lad? You definitely aren’t from Equestria, can tell that much.

“Actually, I technically am from Equestria. I’m from Equestria’s small colony Ponyoke,” Jackson responded as he scratched his neck.

“Ponyoke? You a fabulist lad?”

Jackson blinked. “I’m sorry, a what?”

“Are you a liar you sally?” Biscuit said, his voice increasing in volume.

Jackson stepped back. “You can’t ask me such a big question with weird words and expect me to be able to respond.”

“What’re you, gormless? I think that I’m asking very simple questions laddy,” Sea Biscuit shouted, stepping closer. “Just because I’m saying a few words that aren’t inside that daft brain of yours don’t mean that you can’t understand a thing I’m saying! Now tell me, where in Celestia’s mane are you from?” Sea Biscuit shouted.

“Wait, daft, isn’t that British? You don’t have a british accent.”

Sea Biscuit slammed down on the boat causing it to rock. “Answer me!”

“Jesus Christ, calm down! I’m from Ponyoke, that’s across the ocean, and it’s part of Equestria. What the fuck else do you want?” Jackson shouted back.

Sea Biscuit snorted. “And what proof do you have from Ponyoke lad? What exactly do you have that tells me you ain’t some tosser that’s coming to try and eat a village full of innocent folk?”

Jackson reached into his bag and pulled out the slightly water damaged letter. “This is from the mayor of Ponyoke.”

Sea Biscuit snatched the letter and opened it. His expression turned less and less angry as his eyes moved across the page. He looked up at Jackson. “Are you sure that this is what you wanna do lad?”

Jackson nodded. Sea Biscuit sighed. “Alright, guess that I can’t stop you then,” Sea Biscuit said as he passed the letter back. “But I do still want something. Cop!” Sea Biscuit yelled.

Cop meekly stepped forward. “Y-yes sir?”

“What in Equestria is wrong with you you pillock? You’re shaking in your hooves.”

Cop stopped shaking. “N-no I’m not sir.”

“What’s that I hear? Is is is is is that a stutter?”

Cop gulped. “No sir.”

“What in the powers was that Cop? What did you just call me?” Sea Biscuit asked in a low voice.

“I said captain, captain!” Cop responded.

“That’s what I thought. Now where is the paper that I gave you?”

Cop handed him a paper. “Excellent. As a reward, you get to swab the decks because it’s your turn today,” Biscuit turned to Jackson. “Right, now you may be a citizen, emphasis on may, but that doesn’t mean you can just muck about in Equestria for free. Somepony’s gotta do paperwork and it sure as hay isn’t going to be me,” he said handing a paper and pen to Jackson.

“Where did he get that pen from?” Jackson thought as he looked over the paper. “Alright, this is an immigrant form. Thanks for the vote of trust asshole. Well, not like I can do much about it so might as well play along for now. So, name. Jackson. Nation. Equestria. Not like I can put America anymore. Date of birth. July 25, 1985. Sex. I wonder. Type of trip. Official. Species. Other. Duration of stay. About a month I’d say.”

Jackson filled the rest of the paper out before handing it back. “I must ask, why do you keep records of people coming in if your borders are so easy to cross? I don’t see the point being that when I leave I’m probably not going to be intercepted by anybody else.”

Sea Biscuit snorted. “Don’t question our immigration system lad, not even the people who run it know how it works.”

Jackson looked around. “And what kind of job do you have where you rescue ponies and monitor the border? Are you a guard?”

“Well, we’re technically just patrolling the border. It’s not like we’re a dedicated rescue force or whatever other strange thoughts that go around in that empty skull of yours.. We just happen to run by poor sods that’re down on their luck,” he turned to his boat. “Speaking of, we might as well head back to land now as the wankers that called us out here were probably pulling prank on us,” Biscuit stomped on the ground. “Hey you featherbrains! You let my boat drift off!”

Indeed, the boat was now a fair distance away after their brief exchange. Someone ran out of the cabin and saluted to them. “Sorry boss, we’ll get right on it!” a crewmember replied.

“You better! Or else all of you, I repeat, all of you will walk the plank,” he turned back to Jackson. “I swear, if I turn around, they’ll find new ways to muck about.”

As he said that the waves around them started to increase. The tiny boat started to rock. Jackson grabbed the edge of the boat. “What the hell’s happening? It was fine a second ago,” he thought as he peered over the edge.

Jackson kept looking down and paled. He saw something big. A shadow. It easily dwarfed both of their boats in comparison. And it was moving. Fast.

“Woah, what happened with the water? We’re having trouble steadying ourselves captain!”

“Do I sound like I care how rough the waters are? Get my boat over here!”

Cop stared at Jackson. “Jackson, are you alright?”

Jackson kept his eyes glued to the water. The shadow was slowly but surely moving faster and faster. The thing moved closer to the other boat as Jackson finally realized that it was going in circles.

Sea Biscuit turned around. “Lad, you be looking pale as a ghost! What manner of sickness has come upon you? Or is this just a,” Biscuit looked down at the paper. “hooman thing?”

“Boss! The water seems to be pulling us somewhere!”

Cop stumbled back as steam flew out of Sea Biscuit’s ears. He stood on his hind legs and hollored. “What are you plonkers doing over there? That’s me boat that you’re sailing, you better not be damaging it! I’ll hang all of you if it’s so much as scratched!”

Jackson ran back to the Windon and flicked it on. Sea Biscuit turned around and smirked. “Good on you lad! Since we can’t trust these gits to do anything else but horse around, we’ve got to take the matters in our own hands!”

Jackson ran over to the wheel and looked at the Swashbuckler. He looked at the water. “I know Postal said that I shouldn’t use it in bad weather, but I think this is an exception,” he thought as the boat started to lurch forwards.

The waves started to settle making Jackson sigh in relief. However, he noticed that the Swashbuckler was still moving when the crew was all out on the deck. Up ahead he couldn’t even see the snake anymore, as froth built up from the moving water. “Boss, we’re in a whirlpool!” a crewmember cried out.

Sea Biscuit’s eyes popped out of his head. “A whirlpool? What are you tossers doing over there? Get my boat out of there!”

A crewmember screamed and they heard a splash. The waters around the ship started to get more intense as the boat was flung around. Sea Biscuit stomped over to Jackson. “Get off the wheel! I’m going to save my ship!”

Jackson stared at him incredulously. “You’re kidding, right?”

Sea Biscuit stomped on the ground in frustration. “Off of it! Off! That’s my ship that’s in danger,” he yelled as he kicked Jackson aside.

“Hey, fuck you!” Jackson yelled as he tackled Sea Biscuit.

“Guys! Guys! Oh God, what do I do?” Cop said as he looked around frantically.

“Help! Help! Captain help us!” another crew member screamed.
“That’s my boat that’s trapped. How would you feel if your boat was being sucked up by the waters?” Sea Biscuit hollered as he slammed his hoof into Jackson’s shoulder.

“Pretty good if I’m not in it!” Jackson yelled as he pressed his hand against Biscuit’s throat.

“Guys stop! The boat’s just spinning around now!” Cop yelled.

“Where?” Sea Biscuit said flinging Jackson to the side.

The Swashbuckler was just spinning in a circle at this point. One crew member was praying. Another three were throwing up off the side. ...Scratch that, two were throwing up off the side. One was doing it in the boat. “We’ve survived!” the last member yelled giddily.

The boat was chomped in one bite by a giant eel that emerged from the water. Sea Biscuit screamed in anguish in response. Cop stared at the scene ahead blankly. Jackson felt his heart rate increase as he ran back to the wheel, watching as the eel slowly receded back into the water.

Jackson was suddenly pulled back by Biscuit. “What the hay are you doing lad? M-my ship is here! Where is it? We can’t just leave it behind! Oh Celestia, we got to find it. That creature—“

Jackson slapped him. “Shut the fuck up! Your ship is gone man! We’ve gotta get out of here! I’m not going to be eaten today!”

Sea Biscuit slumped to the floor. “No. No it isn’t. Celestia knows it isn’t. It’s fine. It’ll come back to me. That leviathan was—“

“Eating your ship. We’re going. I’m captain so I get the say. Now let me concentrate so that we don’t get sucked into that wormhole,” Jackson said, standing over Sea Biscuit.

“Captain? You’re... captain. Yeah, I see. Now I see,” Biscuit said darkly as he stood up. “Well then. I guess I have no say in the matter. Unless I were to commit mutiny!” Sea Biscuit said drawing out a knife.

Jackson slapped it out of his hoof at punched him directly into the snout, causing the pony to lose balance. Jackson huffed as he turned back to the wheel, leaving Biscuit to curl up and start crying. Cop picked up the fallen knife and looked at Jackson. He looked at Jackson. Jackson looked at him. Cop threw the knife off the boat.

Sea Biscuit laid on the boat whimpering. Cop watched silently as the pony shook violently, whispering things to himself. Cop’s eye twitched before he took off towards the west. Jackson watched as he went. “Well, that’s one less mouth to feed. I guess he wouldn’t try to take off if the shore wasn’t nearby. Or maybe he’s stupid.” Jackson thought as he continued to pilot the boat.

After an hour Jackson felt safer and extremely exhausted. He stepped over the curled up form and walked towards the storage. He pulled out a jar of sour milk, unscrewed it and recoiled at the smell. He showed it to Sea Biscuit. “You want a taste?”

Sea Biscuit whimpered in response. Jackson shrugged and put the milk back. Cracking his back, he walked over to the wheel and laid down next to it. “Might as well be safe, don’t want to take chances with giant snake monsters roaming around,” he thought.

Thirty minutes later, Jackson felt satisfied as he got his only other clean change of clothes and used it as a pillow. He turned over to his new companion and crew mate. “Good night biscuit.”

No response. Jackson laid on his back.

“Well today’s been fun.”