The Descent

Ametrine had slept peacefully the rest of the night, awoken by the ashen morning light shining on her face. As she sat up in her bed, she noticed the rest of the crew had gathered in the pilothouse again, this time with Eswyn.

"Hey, she's awake again." Nightmare Fuel said in a bored, monotonous tone. "Go say hi. You haven't seen her in a few days."

At first, she didn't know what he was talking about, but seconds later, she was embraced by a hard, tight, and surprisingly cold hug. It was Eswyn, seemingly overjoyed that Ametrine was awake again. Neither of them said anything, Ametrine solemnly resting in Eswyn's metallic grasp.

"You're back! You're awake!" Eswyn said, in a glad tone. "I've missed you."

Ametrine, still confused from just having woken up, didn't really respond with more than a tired grunt. Eventually, Eswyn let go of Ametrine, who sank straight back into bed. With some pep in her step, Eswyn and most of the crew walked back out to the deck, to do whatever it is they do. The only people left in the room were Ametrine and Nightmare Fuel. The dragon stood up, and walked closer to the mare on the bed.

"Don't think for a second I didn't see you last night." He said, pointing his claw straight at Ametrine. "You're lucky I didn't tell."

With that, he promptly spun back around and moved closer to the door. Just as he was about to leave, he spoke again.

"Oh, one more thing." He said, turning his head back to the mare, his face adorned with a cocky grin. "Tomorrow's go time. Get ready." He chuckled, before leaving Ametrine alone in the pilothouse.

...Tomorrow? She had barely healed, and her companion was missing... She'd be all alone at the bottom of the sea, in the dark, where nopony has ever been before. It was a strange feeling, the constant lingering thought of being the very first. It was thrilling, but mortifying; She'd be known all across Equestria for her bravery and her findings - That is, if she made it out alive. I mean, it's the bottom of the unexplored ocean. That's kind of a death sentence to even attempt to get through, especially alone. Nonetheless, it was too late now. She estimated that they probably didn't have enough fuel to go back now. What would happen to the rest of the crew? Would somepony come for them? Were they just as trapped as she was...?

Almost an hour passed before she got out of bed. If this is her last day, she better make the most of it. She stood up, silently walking around the room. She looked at the pictures and paintings that adorned the walls, though most had fallen to the floor from all the storming. Several were ripped, too. She looked at the maptable as well. Even though it was an inanimate object, she couldn't help but be thankful for all the help it'd provided. Finally, she looked out over the black ocean outside through the window over her desk. She'd spent her first couple days here, just staring out at the great nothingness beyond. It was just a table, she still felt she was leaving something behind. With a somber sigh, she left the pilothouse, and stepped out onto the deck.

She had no idea what time it was. Her pocketwatch was still showing the time in Central Equestria, which wouldn't be an issue if she had a damn clue where they were. She thought about asking someone, but honestly, did it even matter anymore? It's not like she'll be seeing the sun again for a while. Especially not when it's behind the thick atmosphere of the shadowy sea's grey skies. Double especially not when she's going to be at the bottom of the sea by tomorrow. When the sky turns dark, it's night. That's all she needed to know.

She waltzed around the ships different floors and rooms, with no clear purpose in mind. Through the cannon room, the supply depot, the dining room, and everything in between, knowing she'd probably never see them again. Pessimistic as it sounds, there's no shot she'd make it out of this alive. She had limited time left here, so she'd better make the most of it. And by "making the most of it" she mostly meant lazily looking out over the tides crashing over the vast expanse, waiting for the inevitable. As she made her way up to the upper deck, she noticed something small laying on the floor. It was a single card from a card deck. The card had clearly been singed by fire in one of the corners. Clearly, the was one of Burning Bridges' cards. He must've dropped it at some point. It'd clearly been through a lot, as it was both burnt by flame and acid, but still showed seven faded diamonds. She picked up the card. If she was going to die, she might as well comfort herself with the presence of her only memory of her only friend.

With the playing card in hoof, she walked up the final set of stairs to the upper deck. She sat down quietly, watching out over the sea. For the most part, she was alone, aside from Nightmare Fuel who was sitting with his feet kicked up in crow's nest. The waves below were mostly still. Occasional wind caused the boat to rock a bit, but that was about it. She sat there for what must've been at least an hour, before Sanguis announced it was dinner time from below. Once again, she stood up, and made her way down the stairs where the rest of the crew had gathered. Considering that their cook was probably dead somewhere in the Nuclear Sea, the pasta Sanguis had made wasn't exactly the best, but that won't matter soon enough. They ate in silence, know what's to come.

After that, there wasn't much more to do that day. Filling the day with mundane activities was only delaying the inevitable. And so, she made it back to the pilothouse. She sat down at the desk with quill and paper in hoof, to write a final goodbye to the world, in case she'd never see it again. With a single tear running down her cheek, she wrote.