The Descent

The crew really was not as remarkable as she had thought they would be. A bunch of average looking seafarers, a griffon, and a shifty-looking black dragon. The only notable member was an entirely clockwork pony with round headlight eyes looking out over the sea. A crewmember introduced himself as Tidal Surge, the captain, before giving them a tour of the ship. The Galleon was larger on the inside than it looked. Crew quarters and the engine at the bottom, a dining room, a kitchen, and other miscellaneous rooms covered the second floor, and on the third floor were cannons and a supply room. On upper deck there was a spacious pilothouse, where Ametrine and Bridges would be living. Perhaps, this wasn't going to be as bad as she first had thought.

And so, they were off. Ametrine heard as the engine sprung to life beneath, making the entire boat vibrate gently. She watched as the boat started drifting away from the pier. A few ponies had gathered to wave goodbye to their fellow sailors, but they were already at work, doing chores around the boat. Only her and Bridges remained on the upper deck. She figured, since they were going to be here for quite a while, she may as well go rest. It was quite late, after all. As she stepped around and started walking towards the pilothouse. It was dark inside the quarters, and she didn't have the energy to do much, so she just ambled over to a bed in the corner and promply went to sleep.

That night, she had a dream. A pleasant one, at that. She was back in her home, visiting her family. They were walking about the streets where she grew up, reminiscing about the past. But alas, she woke up to the light streaming through the windows and the dissapointment of the fact that she was still on the ship. Such is reality. She rubbed her eyes, and peered around the room. It was brighter now, and she could make out more of the things inside - A few candles, a couple of old paintings, a large map placed upon a table, and another bed in one of the corners. Burning Bridges was laying on that bed. Ametrine couldn't help but wonder, how did he sleep on duvet covers without burning them? She shrugged the thought off, and got out of bed.

As she stepped out onto the upper deck, she looked around on the waters around them. There was no land in sight, anywhere. She considered consulting the map, before remembering she had no idea even in which direction they were headed. Maybe she could ask a crew member, she thought. Only, there were none around. She looked around, and eventually found the dragon she'd seen before sitting in the ship's crow's nest.

"Hey!" She shouted up to the dragon. "Where are we?"

The absentminded dragon looked down from the nest, before looking at a map they were clutching in their claws.

"I 'unno, ask one of the boys inside." They responded, before looking away again.

She responded with a thank you, but the dragon didn't seem to notice, or maybe they just didn't care. Nevertheless, she did as she was told and went down the stairs to where some more crewmembers were sitting. None of them seemed to be particularly interested in chatting. She walked up to a stallion reading a book in the corner.

"Uh, hi! Do you know where-"

"Ask the robot." The stallion responded, cutting her off. He reached out a hoof, pointing to one of the corners, where a mechanical pony was sat. Awkwardly, she walked over to the brass equine on the other side of the room. They were looking out of a window, giving Ametrine a side eye as she approached.

"Do you know where we are?" She asked.

Gears audibly turned inside the metal pony. "North Equestrian Sea, heading south-west." It responded after a few seconds, before returning to staring out the window.

Ametrine Glow took another look around the room, feeling disappointed with the seemingly apathetic crew she was stuck with. Oh well, at least she had Burning Bridges, right? She decided to take the stairs another floor down, it's not like she had anything better to do. As she walked down the stairs, she took notice of how unfittingly well taken care of the ship was for such an uncaring crew. Were these really the right ponies? Had the ship been hijacked and stolen on the way to Farport? Her doubts were growing, but were still merely a suppressed thought in the back of her head. After all, they might just be unfriendly. She didn't really care as long as they got to where they needed to go.

As she was walking back up the stairs, the realization hit her. She'd be stuck here for days, maybe weeks, with nothing to do. There was no work to be done, and no one to talk to, save your the unwelcoming crew and her mostly quiet friend. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her cheek. Apparently, whilst in her deep contemplation she had zoned out completely and didn't hear her name being called out from behind. She shook her head and noticed it was the crewmate from yesterday standing before her.

"Hey, anyone there?" said Tidal Surge, waving his hoof in front of Ametrine.

"Uh, hi! Sorry, I was... What were you saying?" she responded, embarassed.

The light blue stallion chuckled a bit, before leaning over the edge of the deck. "So, since we're here... Is there anything you'd like to know? About the ship? About me? Anything."

"Why is the crew so... unfriendly? No offence, of course." She said whisperingly, as she leaned closer, making sure no one else heard.

Tidal's face changed to hesitancy, before letting out a deep sigh. "I'll tell you later. Now's not the time. They're an alright bunch once you get to know them." He said, before staring off into the ocean for a few seconds. He cleared his throat. "Anything else?"

"Who's that mechanical pony downstairs?" She responded, a bit disappointed at her lack of an answer to her previous question.

"She's our charter and professional stuck-up douche. Always parading around about how she's 'too pretty for this job' and whatnot. She always rambles about where she's from and how much better she is. My suggestion? Only talk to her when necessary. She's got her head too far up her own arse to hold a conversation."

Suddenly, a shouting voice was heard from downstairs.

"I can hear you, you rabid pest! I have a name, you know."

"Shut it, Eswyn!" responded Tidal Surge equally loudly, before turning his head back to Ametrine and rolling his eyes. "Robots."