Cutter

My eyes snapped open and began scanning the ceiling. Turning, I saw the moon had barely moved from where it was the last time I looked. With a miserable huff, I threw back my blanket and swept my legs over so I could move to a sitting position where I remained for a few minutes with my head in my hands. The events from the last week were rolling through my head again.

One second, I'm biking down the street to work, the next I'm hurtling through the air at a pair of winged unicorns. Dragging my hands over my eyes, I stood up and wandered to my balcony before just standing there and star-gazing. The rest of the castle was quiet, allowing my full focus to fall upon the sky.

As I took in the nightscape, I found myself marveling at the vibrancy of the world around me. There were no subtle shades or diluted hues; everything popped and meshed together like a painting brought to life. Even the clouds looked like they'd each been handcrafted by an artist instead of allowed to form naturally. Given that I'd learned that pretty much all the natural processes of the land I'd found myself upon were carefully controlled by magic, there was a distinct possibility they had been handcrafted.

Or hoofcraft. Whatever.

The thought of the pedantic and specific terms being used by the locals brought my mind's eye to my own features. Raising my hand and comparing it to the night sky, I was struck by the contrast. Spending my time studying or working at the warehouse hadn't done my skin tone any favors, but even if it had it would still stand out when held against the colorful backdrop above and around me. And that was just another painful reminder of my situation.

This wasn't home. This wasn't even close. I don't even know what to call whatever this is. I was an outsider in every sense of the word. For God's sake, I couldn't even read the local language. If the princesses hadn't been so kind as to take me in, I'd be well and truly fucked.

And I was here for the rest of my life.

My hand fell and clasped the balcony rail harder than I meant to and I leaned forward with a heavy exhale, my eyes darted around and all at once focusing on nothing in particular and everything in general. As a result, I wound up glancing to the side and recoiling when I saw one of my hosts spying on me with the telescope on her tower balcony. Once she saw I'd noticed her, she withdrew from her telescope and spread her wings to fly over to me.

Luna landed gently on the balcony and then bowed at me. "Good evening, Mr. Cutter," she greeted. I hesitated as she stood up to face me with an even expression.

"Hey," I finally replied, furrowing my brow. "Is- Is everything alright?" She shook her head with a subdued giggle.

"Seemingly not—You're still awake!" She declared, tilting her head. "Everypony else has long since entered the realm of dreams." Looking me up and down she nodded.

"I am duty bound to aid all those who dream, you know," she leaned forward with a wink. "Even if they're having trouble reaching that point."

"Oh," I muttered in response, looking away. "Sorry." She hummed and stepped right beside me before looking out over the castle grounds.

"I don't think you need to apologize, especially if something is ailing you," she said, offering me a smile. "If it makes you feel better at all, it's not often I have somepony to talk with this late." As I turned to face her, her smile wavered to a more thoughtful frown.

"With that in mind, would you care to talk about it?" She added. I considered her for a moment before humming, leaning on the rail, and looking out over the castle.

"My mind's just racing 'cause of everything that's happened, so," I grimaced and shook my head. "Can't really sit still." I took a shallow breath, clenching and unclenching the rail. After a brief silence, during which I just stared out into the night, Luna's head popped forward in the corner of my eye. Turning, I saw she was reared up on the railing beside me.

"Well, you like, I could weave a spell to compel your mind to sleep," she said, casting her gaze down to the courtyard. "Unless you prefer contemplating recent events, of course." She gave me a sideways glance.

"Though, if my input is of any use, I often find I can approach something complicated or uncomfortable better when I've properly slept," she added before fixing me with an expectant look. I considered her for a moment before glancing back at my bed. I definitely preferred to not spend the rest of the night dwelling on everything.

"Yeah," I hummed with a meager shrug before furrowing my brow as a thought occurred to me. "I mean if you wouldn't mind, but you said you don't really have anyone to talk to. Will you be alright?"

"Oh, certainly," she said, perking up with a quiet laugh. She gently patted my shoulder with a wing. "And please don't misunderstand: I'd much rather have your company be willingly offered than a product of insomnia."

A particularly heavy wave smashing against the side of the ship beneath my window snapped me out of my daydreaming. Sitting forward in my seat, I scanned the top of my bed and the wall for any water, but to my relief found it was all still dry. Thus, I reclined again and continued looking at the moon which sat just above the horizon now.

"Man, Lady," I murmured, rubbing my eyes before turning with a sigh and leering at the little mechanical box sitting on my desk. "What I wouldn't give to have some of that magic of yours now." I drummed my hand on my thigh and watched the horizon for a few moments more. Captain Quicksilver had requested I remain in my cabin after we set sail, so I'd spent the whole first day of our journey sitting here. They'd at least brought me food and I'd had time to study written Equestrian, but damn—The first day of my so-called sea-faring adventure sure was dull.

I furrowed my brow as the ship rocked and rolled a few times, suddenly becoming aware of a very pressing matter that hadn't been resolved yet. Stepping through my door, I looked up and down the deck with a bewildered frown. Further up, just past the stair to the upper deck, half the crew was asleep in little hammocks. The other half was still at work keeping the ship sailing, and so I reasoned it might be best to speak with one of them about my problem than risk waking one of their fellows.

Carefully creeping up the stairs, I scanned the deck as soon as my head poked up. To my relief, I immediately spotted the quartermaster observing one of the pegasi as she tied off a rope. Nodding to myself, I made my way to him, causing him to look up at me in surprise once he noticed me.

"Excuse, Mr. Bay?" I said.

"Yes?" He replied, causing me to clear my throat.

"Where's the toilet?" I asked, drawing a snicker from the pegasus before she fluttered up to the rigging above.

"Oh! This way," Happy said, stepping passed and leading me to the doors at the ship's bow. I furrowed my brow as we stepped into a barrel-filled cabin and then through another set of doors to a platform on the very front of the ship. There was a wooden rail wrapping around the platform, and a set of wooden partial cubicles lining the side of the bowsprit, which is what I was pretty sure the big-ass long sticking off the front of the ship was called.

Each cubicle had a rough curtain obscuring its interior and the reason why became harrowingly apparent when Happy led me up to one and drew the curtain back.

"Man. Really?" I moaned upon seeing a raised wooden seat with a hole through it straight through to the water below.

"Yes, really," he replied with a sigh, nudging my leg. "It's my first time aboard a ship too, so it caught me by surprise as well." He considered the sight with a shudder.

"Least you're not on cleaning duty," he murmured. I grimaced at the suggestion and huffed.

"Damn," I murmured, counting my blessings there was at least a roll of paper inside. But as I braced to make use of the facilities, something Happy'd said struck me and I looked down at him. "This is your first time on a ship?" He beamed with an eager nod.

"Yep! Though, I always wanted to sail and see the world," he explained. I screwed up my face at his revelation. He tilted his head with a curious frown and I grunted.

"No offense, but if you've never sailed how did you make quartermaster?" I finally asked. He wilted and his ears shot back before he adopted a bashful smile.

"Er," he glanced back the way we'd come before leaning up to me and whispering. "Captain Quicksilver's decision. She only wanted unicorns in positions of authority and Doctor Holiday is, well, busy being the ship's doctor." There was a lot to take in from his explanation, but one thing stuck out to me.

"Doctor Holiday?" I pressed, drawing a nod from Happy.

"He's the unicorn in the grey overcoat with the spooky glasses and beard?" He offered, at which I nodded.

"Oh," I mused. I was going to press further by the ship bobbed again and I grimaced. "Well, alright. Uh, you mind?" I gestured to the seat and he jolted.

"Oh, sure! By the way, those ropes are in case the ship bounces too hard, and there's a water bucket hanging by the entrance to wash your, uh, claws or whatever!" He said before trotting back to the door. Once he slipped out of sight, I considered the cubicle again and donned an annoyed frown upon noticing the pair of ropes on the inside of either wall.

An uncomfortable, but not unbearable period passed, during which I certainly made use of the stabilizing ropes. After cleaning off my 'claws or whatever,' I made my way back through the cabin to the main deck and-

"The heck do you think you're doing?" I flinched upon immediately bumping into Captain Quicksilver, glaring up at me. Looking at her in shock, I saw Happy just behind her with a sorry frown fixed my way.

"I uh," I swallowed and jabbed a thumb back the way I'd come. "Had to use-"

"And did you?" She snapped, tilting her head. I blinked and slowly nodded.

"Yeah?"

"Good. Get back in your cabin," she spat, stepping to the side and jabbing a hoof at the stairs. I stared at her in shock for a moment before noticing the night crew looking our way with anger, the realization slowly dawning that I'd broken some rule without realizing it. I grunted and rubbed my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, was I breaking curfew or something? I didn't-"

"Nope. But the princess said you need to be safeguarded," Quicksilver chirped with a confident nod before glaring at me again. "And I'm not going to let you ruin my reputation by wandering around the ship and risking getting hurt." She took a stomp toward me and jabbed my knee.

"So go sit in your cabin like a good little whatever you are until we receive word we can go home, understand?" She demanded, tilting her head and fixing me with a critical leer. "I'll have Gab or somepony else check on you and escort you to the bow if this comes up again." I blinked as she locked eyes with me.

"You're not to leave your cabin otherwise, got it?" She pressed. After a few seconds, I swallowed and nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am," I murmured, at which she smiled and stepped to the side, offering me passage to the stairs. Once she did, the crew dispersed and continued working. I avoided her gaze as I made my way below deck. "Sorry."

I lay on my bed with an arm draped over my eyes, listening to the ship creak around me. Quicksilver'd kept her promise and at regular intervals throughout the day and night, I'd get a knock at my door before some pony would lead me to the bow. Unfortunately, by her orders, as I'd come to find out, if I didn't have to go right away, I'd be stuck until the next shift.

I'd only defied her one time when the rolling of the ship had really upset my stomach, and quickly discovered what a bad idea that was. My door wound up barred for several days except to have food delivered, and she'd instructed me to use my window. That had been the roughest week of the entire voyage. Well, roughest so far. By my count, it had been at least a month, and I'd heard no word of any change on land, so there was still time for things to get worse.

I mumbled at the thought. I'm not sure what I expected, but suddenly being confronted with this whole thing lasting for several months was making my stomach churn.

But I wasn't stupid enough to try sneaking out again. She'd threatened that if I did, not only would I be locked in for twice as long, but she'd deny me bathing water for a week beyond that. So instead, I just waited until finally a knock came at my door.

"C'mon, Cutter," Gabber, the old one-eyed pegasus who'd yelled at me about blocking the stairs called. Huffing in relief, I rolled to my feet and stepped out the door. After a quick trip, I found myself reclining upon my seat with a sigh, breathing in the mostly fresh air of the front-most deck. Quicksilver hadn't made any complaints about how long I took after all, so I'd learned to enjoy my brief stints of freedom. Which of course, made it extra irritating when Gabber suddenly stamped his hoof against the other side of my seat's wall.

"Oy, Cutter," he said in a low voice. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah. What's up?" I huffed, leaning forward on my bare knees with one hand on my chin.

"Did Her Majesty ever mention where we was haulin' you?" He asked after a moment. I furrowed my brow at his tone, which seemed like he was avoiding being heard.

"Not really? She said we were just going to sail around the Lunar sea for a while," I replied, mimicking his tone and leaning against the wall he was speaking through.

"Damn. That's what I thought," he hissed.

"What's up?" I asked. He mumbled for a moment before responding.

"We slipped through the Ponema Canal and we've been swervin' south fer the better part of the last month," he grunted. "I bet my left wing we pass into the Meditermareian at this rate."

"Where?" I asked, sitting up.

"Southwest, lad, southwest," he replied in a tone like I'd asked which way the sky was. "And sure as spittin' not in the Lunar sea no more." I frowned in consideration of his words and leaned back against the bowsprit.

The air had shifted at some point and turned sweltering for a long while, so I definitely assumed we'd passed into a completely different ocean climate. But that was weeks ago, and I'd lost count of how long we'd been sailing for. It must have been for longer than anyone else expected, too, as during my trips to the bow lately there's been a noticeable increase in glares cast Quicksilver's way. I'd even spotted Doctor Holiday and his zebra friend holding a hushed and unhappy-looking conversation at one point. She'd paused their talk and shot me a knowing smile once she saw me staring, which caused the doctor to raise an eyebrow at me.

With that recent event and a dozen other questions rolling through my head, I swept aside the curtain and looked down at Happy as I exited the toilet. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What's that?" He replied, tilting his head as we moved to the washing station.

"How long have we been sailing for?" I asked, kneeling down to wash off my hands. He hummed with a frown and a nod.

"Oh, about four months," he said, drawing a shocked glance from me.

"That long already?" I exclaimed. He nodded with a sigh.

"Yeah, you," he hesitated and shrugged. "Well I kind of lose track, what with how long we've just been floating. I was certain we'd be stopping at ports for supplies by now." He grunted and cast his gaze down.

"And I hate to say it, but I'm definitely still not used to being an officer," he added in a mutter. I furrowed my brow as I dried my hands on my pants.

"That's, hm," I paused in consideration of his explanation before shaking my head. "Sorry to change the subject, but who's that zebra that's always hanging around the doctor?"

"Zamaradi. She's here in case of trouble," he said without raising his head at first. When he did, he tilted it back in thought. "I forget what the term is, but she's like the ship's fighter, I'm pretty sure." He gave a curt and confident nod, but before I could press further something crashed out on the main deck.

Sharing a look of concern we hurried out, finding Captain Quicksilver standing at the right side of the ship, the starboard, surrounded by the day crew, one of whom had just smashed a barrel along the rail of the ship. On the left side, larboard, Zamaradi and Holiday were watching the scene with amusement, with the latter resting a foreleg on the ship's rail. As usual, when she noticed me, Zamaradi shot a knowing smile my way. Ignoring her, I focused on the scene unfolding with Quicksilver.

"We haven't seen an Equestrian port in days! We're running out of food!" Bushtit, a light blue earth pony mare, cried drawing a shout of agreement from the other crew. As they yelled, a few drowsy but equally annoyed looking ponies came trotting up the stair and joined the circle around Quicksilver, who's head was darting left and right as she was verbally assaulted.

"Well, stop gobbling down so much!" The captain squawked, earning a brief pause from the crew.

"We're on quarter rations as is!" Gabber spat, stepping forward to throw a hoof in the air.

"Quarter-quarter rations then, if you're going to be that way about it!" Quicksilver retorted, causing him to clench his teeth and look away for a moment. Before he could argue further, the elderly pegasus look-out high above cried out.

"Land, ho!" Early Riser bellowed, drawing everyone's attention his way. "Larboard! Populated by the looks of it!" Quicksilver barked a laugh before pushing through to the larboard side.

"Hah! See? We can resupply there!" She chirped with a smug smile, drawing her spyglass and examining the island. I narrowed my eyes and could only make out a faint black and pointed dot in the distance, but with her spyglass, she not only got a better look but also spotted something she didn't like. "Ooo, maybe not." She turned away with a sigh, before considering the perplexed look of the crew who'd moved up just behind her.

"Beakies, ich," she whispered and gagged. Gabber adopted an unimpressed look before snatching her spyglass with his wing. "Hey!" Pushing past her, he spied out the island and gasped before throwing the glass at her.

"That's Hippogriff land! We're rolling right passed Mount Aris, ya damned brayin' idiot!" He screamed to the astonishment of the crew and Quicksilver's shock. "You've dragged us all the way out east!" Quicksilver stammered and stomped a hoof.

"Nuh-uh! I followed the chart perfectly!" She argued.

"What chart? Show me!" Gab demanded, thrusting a hoof out at her. She stomped her hoof again.

"No! I'm the captain!" She yelled, sweeping her hoof across the deck. "This is my ship, that my daddy commissioned for me!" She narrowed her eyes and jabbed a hoof at him.

"You just follow orders like the rest of the chicken and mud ponies!" She added, drawing a gasp from the crew and a barking, wheezing laugh from Zamaradi as she threw her head back and then leaned against the ship's rail. Gab meanwhile, just raised his eyebrows for a moment.

"Oh, that tears it," he said evenly before tackling her.

"Ah! Stripy! Stop him!" Quicksilver screamed as she was thrown to the deck and trampled by Gab. "Mutiny! Help!" Zamaradi continued to howl with laughter as Holiday tsked a few times and checked a watch from his coat. The crew meanwhile cheered and hollered in support of the apparent mutiny.

"Yeah! Kill her!" One shouted.

"Snap her horn off!" Another added as they began stamping their hooves.

"What the hell's happening?" I gasped aloud, causing the brawl to stop and everyone to look my way. Bell Pepper, the ship's earth pony cook with the red scarf leaped into the air and punched an unshorn hoof my way.

"Kill him, too!" He yelled to my shock. Everyone else looked his way in bewilderment, while Holiday glanced my way and then back.

"What'd he do?" The doctor asked with a confused smile. Pepper tilted his head up in thought before nodding.

"I dunno. Let's kill him anyways!" He declared. Zamaradi's laughter redoubled.

"Sail ho!" Early cried, drawing everyone's attention again. "Larboard! Hurling this aways! Black flag with a death's head!"

The deck was suddenly deathly silent and a chill seemed to strike everyone at once, including Zamaradi. All of us scrambled to the larboard rail and looked out. Sure enough, a ship much larger than ours was bearing down on us. Gab scrambled and swept up the spyglass before looking out at the ship. We all watched him with trepidation and all shuddered when he caught his breath.

"By the stars, she's got twenty guns to a side," he withdrew from the glass to look at the ship in horror before glancing down at the injured and whimpering form of Quicksilver, who wore an expression that confirmed even she realized the dire situation we were in. "She's killed us."