The Jaded Files: The Neighpon Adventure

"Well stow my ale and throw it overboard. There's a lassie aboard." A dirty navy blue stallion grinned. His murky red eyes lit up with glee. Brown hair stuck to his neck and face. "Cap'n! We have a stowaway!"

The crowd dispersed a bit, and I found myself looking up at a hulking figure. As the Captain got closer, I noticed that it was a minotaur. Its fur was gray with age, and eyes that held much wisdom. Toned muscles showed years of ship maintenance.

"Aye, there do be indeed a stowaway on me ship." The minotaur leaned in close. "And what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Umm, I don't know?" I chuckled nervously. "Jam anypony?"

"By the Spirits, did she say Jam?"
"Bless the Winds, it is!"
"Cap'n, this mare brings good luck!"
"Aye! Truer words na'er been spoken!"
"I will gladly mop the deck for a taste of that!"

"Enough!" The Captain roared. Everypony shrunk, their heads lowered, then perked back up. "This mare will be brought to me quarters. There I will decide on her fate."

"Umm, there are more of us..." I flinched when the minotaur locked eyes with me. In the back of my mind, I was silently beating myself up.

"The more the merrier." And with that, the Captain turned around and walked away. The rest of the crew tried to gather around me, but once they got a bit close, there was a sharp whistle and everypony quickly got back to work. I slowly got out of the hatch, my magic at the ready to snag my revolver. While I stood guard, Strawberry and Lichen clambered out with a tentative expression. Once I found ourselves in a good place, I took a good look around.

We appeared to be on a large ship in the middle of the sea. The sails were weathered with age, but still had a pristine white. The flag that waved above depicted a brahmin skull pierced with a spear. I gulped slightly. We were on a pirate ship. Once we started to move towards the Captain's quarters, I took note of how many ponies were on deck and how many weapons they had. By the time we reached the doorway, I counted around 15 crewponies, who all had some type of pistol.

We trotted in, keeping a look out for anything unexpected. There sat the minotaur, looking grim. Once Lichen trotted in, it motioned for him to close the door. Once that was done, he surprised all of us but coming over and giving us a bone crushing hug.

"You have no idea how long it's been since I've seen a new face!" The Captain's face broke into the widest, most genuine smile I had ever seen. Its voice changed as well, from gruff to something more lighter. "Oh, where are my manners. My name is Torrent Rider, my kind have been sailing the seas for generations! Now if you would please, your names and a little bit about yourselves." After hugging us, the Captain practically skipped over to its chair, then looked back at us with an excited grin.

"Uhm, sure. My name is Jaded Jam. I dabble in Jam making." I paused, trying to think of something that was innocent enough. "Oh, and, I've seen a Megaspell explode right in front of me."

"Hiya! Fresh Strawberry is my name, but everypony calls me Strawberry. I used to be Enclave, but then I got lost. So now I travel with these guys!"

"Hey. I'm Red Lichen. I'm confused to why we're here." The three of us paused at that, then nodded, confirming that this was indeed facts. We looked to Torrent with the question in our eyes.

"I truly do not know." The minotaur scratched its chin with a hoof. "If you have lost your memories, I recommend Herbal's tea. We are to arrive in port in about three days. There you can find directions to his shop."

"And where are we docking?" Lichen asked.

"Why, Nagatrotki of course." Torrent paused. "No, you wouldn't know. You don't even know why you are on my ship."

"Yep!" Strawberry leaned in, almost conspiratorial, "are you, perchance, heading back to Equestria soon? We would be very grateful if you did."

"Sorry little filly, I planned to stay in Neighpon for a couple of months. My crew would be furious if I changed plans, they might even start a Mutiny, and nocreature wants that." Torrent even looked apologetic. "I'm sure you'll find a ship that'll head back soon, many traders come and go, even with the magical radiation everywhere. In the meantime, find yourselves hammocks... Oh and Jaded? Do you have any Jam for my crew?"

"I always have Jam."

Author's Note

Pirates. Yay...
that seemed very lackluster. WELL, TOO BAD! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

This bored author is also crazy. You're welcome.