"Alright, Jhettei, cut the shite... how the hell do you do that?" Gin threw her hand up in defeat as she lowered her cracked sabre; it had nearly shattered when she tried to cut Jhettei's hand (With his permission of course). "That shit you do... 'Iron'... whatever it's called."

The marine crew clapped and cheered for Jhettei as Gin tossed aside her broken sabre, and she huffed, sitting back down at a round table along with him; Rummy sat down with them as well. Jhettei dusted off his right forearm and reached into his satchel, grabbing a large vase-like container made of ceramic decorated with illustrations of cherry trees in full bloom. He then grabbed three small, similarly decorated dishes, ones that could fit into the palm of a hand, and he slowly filled each with a clear liquid from the strange vase. The liquid glistened under the light of the moon above, and it rocked within the dish in unison with the dark seas around them.

"It's called 'Aianbodi', and it is a technique passed down to me by my brothers and sisters in my monastery. It alters cells using ki, and it can change their properties to make them as hard as the strongest steel..." Jhettei grinned as he handed Gin a cup. "Granted... what you call magic, I call ki. Ki is just a word used to describe the arcane energies in all things."

"What's this?"Gin looked into her cup; it was a clear substance, and it was clearly alcoholic based on the smell. Though, it wasn't as strong as the hard liquor Gin was used to. It had quite a gentle fragrance, like a light wine.

"Sake," Jhettei said as he handed Rummy his cup. "From my homeland." Jhettei gestured to Gin to try. "Go ahead, drink. Don't be shy."

Gin took the small dish and downed the minuscule amount that was there, swallowing it. The burning sensation followed, and to Gin's surprise, it was not as ferocious as expected. She instead, found herself tasting something sweet and refreshing, like coconut water or some kind of rosewater. Gin exhaled deeply and with satisfaction as she set her dish on the table.

"Well, wasn't what I was expecting that's for sure. It's good..." Gin nodded slowly but with confidence as she stewed on the mysterious flavour. "So, what's in it? A flower of some sort? A fruit?"

"Sakura blossom with amazura ivy extract," Jhettei smiled as he drank his. "My favourite since I was just a young colt."

"Ya drunken monks..." Rummy joked as he chuckled into his cup, drinking his serving of sake.

"Why give me some of this after I just tried to cut off your arm?" Gin snorted a little at the thought; normally such an action would cause a bar brawl where she came from. Granted, there were no mystics in Dorio. And if there were, they were mostly likely charlatans.

"Ah, well, mostly because I had a hankering for it, and you two happened to be here," Jhettei smiled as he took the dishes and tucked them back into his satchel. "It would be rude to not share with comrades. And... I want others to know the taste. It would be blasphemy to not share the flavours of my home with others."

"Thanks," Gin grinned as she put her hooves on the table. "So, I never asked... but what is a Northland monk like you doing on a pirate ship with an ice dragon?"

"Yes, now that is a story..." Jhettei nodded as he leaned back in his chair. "I left my monastery simply to explore the world. Before this, I thought I'd fall off the edge of the world if I left the confines of my mountain village."

"How'd you meet Cyro?" Gin wondered.

"During my trek through the mountains, I had found Cyro buried in a mound of snow, barely alive; he had been beaten badly. I brought him to an inn in the nearest village, tended to his wounds, and restored him to good health. And from that moment forward, we've been travelling the world ever since, learning all that we can about ourselves." Jhettei looked to the conversing Cyro and Spike nearby, then stood up and glanced over to Pisces at the stern, who was still driving to boat forward at top speed to their destination. Jhettei bowed to Gin and Rummy. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll offer some sake to the Admiral. He's been driving the ship forward nonstop all day. Farewell."

Gin stared at Spike for a moment, a fluttering feeling in her chest. A confused scowl then formed on her face, as if she was unsure of her own body's reaction. Rummy caught sight of this, and he pulled his chair closer to her and looked over at Spike.

"So... you like em'?" Rummy pried, noticing Gin's troubled expression.

"Umm..." Gin's eye twitched nervously as she grabbed the bottle of alcohol she held in her jacket, and she began to take a long gulp. As she drowned away her unwanted emotions and place the bottle on the table, Rummy grabbed it. "It's not like that..."

"You don't have to spill your guts out here, Ginny. I know you. I know what's bothering you..." Rummy reassured his sister as he took a drink from her bottle and grimaced. It burned like fire. "Oh, sweet Celestia... do you use this to disinfect wounds too? Bloody hell, Ginny. You can't just wash away your thoughts with this shite."

Gin grumbled and took the bottle from Rummy, placing it in her jacket once again. "Dad did it all the time, so why can't I?"

"Pa had better reasons too, you know that, Ginny..." Rummy shook his head as he dug up old memories. "He risked his tail for us every day, doin' what he did. And he got killed for it... for us."

Gin swallowed Rummy's truthful words like a bundle of nails, and her eyes became glossy with tears as she got up from her seat. "I know what happened, Rummy. I know what happened to Pa. But why did you leave us for... for this? You could've stayed with me and Ma. You could've been there for her when she died in her bed. Where were you when I roamed the docks pick-pocketing blokes in Canterlot alone?"

"Gin, I was at sea fightin'," Rummy reminded her of his battles during the First Changeling War. "I had no idea what was goin' on at home. Don't pin this all on me... please."

"But you could've stayed! You could have lived with us instead of joining the navy!" Gin's yelling was beginning to catch the attention of the crew near the bow, especially Spike. "Why didn't you let me join y-!"

"Because I didn't want you to get killed by Gaines like Pa! Not then! You were too damn young!" Rummy exploded with rage as he stood up, recklessly tearing her sister apart with his words. It took him only a few seconds to realize what he had said. "Oh, Ginny, I'm-..."

"Don't... just don't..." Gin stepped back, her tomboyish, steadfast nature beginning to buckle. She hid her tears behind her curtain of silver hair, and she retreated down into her cabin in the living quarters below in a flash, trying not to show her tears in front of the crew.

Draven followed Gin downstairs, running past Rummy. And Rummy sat back down, head on the table. He regretted it all. He knew it was his fault, and he knew the pain he caused her had been brewing for a long time. Rummy just hoped it would never reach the boiling point. Spike wanted to go and talk to Gin, but Winslow stopped him before he could.

"Don't Spike..." Winslow said to the young dragon as he gripped his arm. "Draven can handle this."

"Alright..." Spike replied, worried for Gin.

Luna descended from the crow's nest and sat down beside Rummy at his table, placing a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Rummy removed his bowler hat and placed it on the table as he ran his hand through his mane, and he sighed to himself as he tried to regain his composure. "I didn't mean that... what I said to her. Ginny... I didn't mean that."

"I know you didn't, Rummy..." Luna said calmly as reassured. "You two have been harbouring a lot of pent-up emotion, that much I know. And it is not my place to inquire about why or how, but I know you two will get over it eventually. You need a little time is all."

"I'm supposed to protect her, Luna... I was supposed to. When Pa died, I was so blinded by my hate and my rage and-... I just didn't want that bastard to take her away too. That's why I had to leave– to stop him from finding Gin and Ma..." Rummy almost began to cry, but he choked it back to keep face around his marine comrades. "I didn't mean what I said..."

"I know, Rummy... and your sister does too. You two have been trying to place blame on each other for whatever happened all those years ago, but it wasn't in anypony's control accept fate." Luna consoled Rummy. "For now, she just needs to be away from you. She'll be alright soon, I'm sure of it."

****

Draven approached Gin's door, hearing her soft whimpers from the other side. He knocked very gently, trying not to be too invasive with his approach. "Gin...?"

"Go away, please..." Gin sniffled as she buried her face in her pillow.

"Gin-..." Draven trailed off and removed his hat as he thought of something to say. Then something popped into his head. "Gin-Gin... let me come inside. Please...?"

He had not called her by that name since she was a filly.

The door unlatched softly, but loudly amidst the stillness of the living quarters, and the creak of the door echoed throughout the long corridor where Draven stood. He entered, and tilted his head to the side as he sympathized with the troubled mare who tried frantically to wipe away her tears in front of her captain. He sat down beside her on the edge of her bed.

Gin looked down at the ground with a scowl, angry at herself for getting caught up in her own emotions like that. "I'm sorry, Draven, I-... I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to blame him for all of it like that! Argh, I feel so stupid! It wasn't anypony's fault! I shouldn't have been so dumb and stupid and-... shite! Why can't I just act like a normal mare for once in my-?!"

Gin fell silent as Draven hugged her tightly, and her eyes went wide with shock. She then wept, burying her face in his coat as tears streamed down her face. Draven stroked the back of her head lovingly as she let her release her anguish. He patted her on the back softly as well, doing all that he could to make it easier for her to let out her pain. He had done this before, a long time ago, when he first met her in that alleyway in Downtown Canterlot. She had pick-pocketed him, and he managed to corner her in a dead-end after a long chase. Then, for no reason, she hugged him like that, without a word– only tears and whimpers. It must've been the first release in a long time. She had no father or mother to hold her then, to tell her that 'it'll be alright'.

Gin smiled as Draven wiped her tears away, and he returned her kind expression as he grinned as well. She sniffled one last time before a strong and determined look returned on her face. "Thank you, Draven... for everything."

"Don't mention it," Draven said as he put his captain's hat back on. He then grabbed the deck of cards in his coat pocket. "Now, how about we play some crib, huh?"

"Okay..." Gin gave him a warm smile as set up a folding table and two chairs in the center of her room.

****

"Hopefully Gin is alright..." Twilight muttered as she crossed her arms.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Dross insisted as he stood beside the brooding alicorn.

Twilight and Dross stared out at the ocean together all alone, watching the silver moonlight reflect off of the wakes in the sea through her cabin window. Despite her layers of clothing, she still shivered, even inside the confines of the ship. And then Dross, without a word, took his long coat and put it on her, hoping to warm her up.

"Thank you..." Twilight said as the coat's warmth enveloped her.

"No problem," Dross nodded as Twilight grasped his hand.

"No, really, I-..." Twilight trailed off as she let go of his hand and looked forward through the window into the endless field of black water and moonlight. Her head bowed as her cheeks blushed. "Why are you being so kind to me?"

"Because I know how you feel, Twilight. I know what it's like to feel like you're alone like no one else knows what it's like– going through what you went through." Dross said as he grabbed her hand. "But I'm not going to let that happen again, not to anypony else."

"Dross, may I ask you something...?" Twilight turned to Dross and hid behind her hair as her face flushed red.

"Yes, anything, your majest-. I mean... Twilight," Dross answered hastily as Twilight got closer to him, paralyzing him with her longing expression.

"Can you kiss me...?" Twilight asked calmly as she removed Dross' long coat.

"Twilight, I can't. Look at me... I'm not royalty or anything a princess like you deserves. And I've only known you for a day. I'm a changeling– an insect," Dross refused Twilight as he tried to turn away, but Twilight stopped him. "Please, don't-."

"I don't care..." Twilight shook her head as she placed a hand on his cheek. "It doesn't have to be anything serious, Dross. Just one kiss. I just want to know if what I'm feeling is real, don't you?"

Dross' eyes met with Twilight's as she approached him again. Their faces slowly crawled towards each other at first, but eventually, they both grew impatient. They quickly locked lips, and Twilight closed her eyes, as did Dross. They held the kiss for what seemed like an eternity. Heat rushed through Twilight's body, and Dross wrapped his arm around her waist. They broke the kiss after a few short moments, but they still insisted on staying in each other's embrace.

"I thought we agreed it wouldn't be anything serious..." Twilight smiled as she removed her scarf, unafraid of him seeing her scars anymore.

"I guess we're both liars..." Dross laughed lightly as he brushed up against Twilight's neck. "What do we do now?"

Twilight's fear, her anger, doubt, and dread; it was melting away. She wanted Dross to stay, just for a little while. All she wanted was to feel normal again, to feel whole and complete, and Dross gave her hope. She didn't care that she only knew him for so long, and she certainly didn't care what he was. She knew what she felt in her heart. Twilight wanted this, just for a moment, before the dreams returned. She was tired of reliving her torture over and over.

"Stay here, in my room..." Twilight insisted as she removed her sweater. "Will you?"

"I am supposed to answer any wish a princess asks, so..." Dross gave her a half smile as he kissed her on the forehead lightly. "As you wish, your majesty..."

Author's Notes:

Wow... a lot of emotion in this one. Sorry to drop these drama bombs! I really want there to be character growth in this arc.

As always, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!