The Descent

The burning of the rain worsened as they approached the eye of the storm. The crew was down from twenty to eighteen people. It didn't take long for someone to notice the lack of crewmembers. A crowd of four ponies gathered at the edge of the ship, watching the place where the two had gone down. But alas, they dispersed quickly again. There was no time to mourn; it would lead to their watery graves, the ship serving as their tomb. They were not going down without a fight. Though, chances slimmed quickly. Someone fell overboard, another had ran straight into the burning tower of the crow's nest and cracked their skull open. Ponies were dying like flies, and it was hard to keep track of exactly who they'd lost.

In the midst of the chaos, yet another loud thud was heard on the upper deck. A partially melted griffon had landed with a fallen dragon on the ship. Nearly half the griffon's face was gone entirely, showing their partially corroded skull underneath. One of their wings weren't much more than bone and chunks of flesh. Aside from the vast burns of the strike they'd been hit by, the dragon looked relatively alright, though one of their horns had snapped. Ametrine was too shocked to register if she was relieved or traumatized. On one hoof, it wasn't the dragon's skull that had shattered when they fell down. On the other, she was looking at something straight out of a horror film. The griffon, still somehow alive and conscious, stumbled towards the pilothouse, dragging their unconscious friend along. They weren't seen more that day.

Now Ametrine began to wonder, where was Burning Bridges? She hadn't seen him the entire day. Maybe he was on the lower deck. She sprinted down the stairs and onto the floor beneath. She walked around the rooms, but he was nowhere to be seen. Another staircase down, and he wasn't there either. The bottom floor was empty as well. It's like he had just vanished. Had he fallen off the ship as well? Once again, her thoughts clustered together into a mess of emotions she couldn't understand. The noise from above and her missing friend were too much for her. She slumped over in a corner, softly crying until she herself passed out.

When she woke up, it was surprisingly quiet. She stumbled to her hooves, and started making her way back up the stairs. No one was seen, anywhere. She kept climbing the stairs, until she had reached the upper deck. The sun was shining and the sky was blue, white clouds softly brushing the warm air. Looking around, it seemed they had reached the end of the storm.

Five of the crew members had gathered on the deck, including Burning Bridges. They were standing in quietude, solemnly looking out upon the endlessly blue waters around them. As to not interrupt, she silently sat down next to Eswyn. After around fifteen minutes, Tidal Surge stood up and beckoned the others into the pilothouse. In somber silence, they followed their captain.

"Yesterday, there were twenty of us. Now, there are only seven." Tidal Surge said, with despair in his tired eyes while he looked onto the pathetic excuse for a crew they had left. "Upon the beds of this room lie two of our best. They are still alive, but neither wake up. We pray to Celestia for their safety, and for their recovery."

Ametrine looked out upon the beds. In one was a black dragon with a cracked horn and severe burns. His name was Nightmare Fuel, she thought. On the other bed laid a griffon. Their dark green feathers were rough and damaged. His entire head and left wing were covered nearly completely in bandages.

"We have nearly no coal left. Due to a loss of cargo, we don't have enough fuel to make it to the trench." The captain continued. "Eswyn?"

"Yes?" She replied, in an uncharacteristically low tone.

"What's the nearest island to here? I fear were gonna have to get more resources before continuing.

Gears spun around in Eswyn once more, before she replied. "The only island we can reach with our current supply is King's Realm." She ended her sentence on a cautious note. "It's our only choice."

"Set course there." The captain sighed, before turning around and walking back out the door.

Eswyn somehow bit her metallic lip and turned back to Ametrine and Bridges. "I suppose you two have never been to King's Realm?"

Both the ponies shook their heads as Eswyn sighed and continued to speak.

"King's Realm is an island of... Misfits. Please, be a doll and try not to stare at anyone. Even if you see someone you think you recognize, it's not them. They aren't alright in the head." Eswyn said, looking around. "I will come with you once we're there. You two couldn't make it alone."