As it turned out, the route to Docking Bay 94 was never as much an enigma as I thought. On the contrary, the place where our ship was currently docked lay only about two blocks away. In hindsight, it really did make sense. Yesterday's cafe wasn't situated that far off the coast, I just sort of forgot about that. Trixie and I could easily have discovered the route ourselves, hadn't we decided to march off into the opposite direction, heading further into town.

And of course, we didn't find any docks there. Why would I even think so? I probably just didn't think at all, last night.

When calling it a day the other night, Trixie came to ask whether I already found a place to stay for the night. Which, in turn, brought me to the unfortunate realization that I hadn't. Which I couldn't describe to be one of my brightest moments. All the time, I had become so caught up with finding a way to resume my journey alongside making new friends, I completely forgot to look for a pillow I could rest my head on tonight. I might have settled for a rock on any other day, before remembering the last time I tried that. Which didn't go so well, to say the least.

The blue unicorn mare again explained how she tried changing herself for the better, especially by accepting what a closer look at the elements of harmony taught her. All in all, she tried becoming a nicer pony, as I already noticed. I had no idea where Trixie was trying to get from there, or why she brought up the topic now. Then again, with no place to sleep I had to pass the time somehow. I figured, I might as well stay and listen to her, just for the sake of it. Where else was I even supposed to go?

In any case, she had some of her studies devoted to the elements since we last met. Which made her all the more eager to find a decent value for herself to live by. And in the spirit of generosity, or so she explained, Trixie was more than happy to offer me a place to sleep at her mobile for the night. All we had to do was dump her dishwasher beforehand to make some space. According to Trixie, it wasn't that big of a loss. Apparently the whole thing just broke down a few days earlier, anyways.

Ponies later told me that dishwashers in mobile homes made entirely from wood aren't exactly normal. Not sure why that is, though. I couldn't find anything weird about the concept.

We made sure to ditch the entire thing somewhere among the other garbage piling up in the street, where nopony would notice. Her unicorn magic, combined with some good, old-fashioned earth pony strength from yours truly made sure to get the job done. And as we finished it off, the newly formed free space inside Trixie wagon quickly became filled out with a number of cushions, pillows, and other fluffy objects taken from her show props. It wasn't the most majestic of resting places, but still much more than I could ask for. When I promised to make it up to her one day, Trixie simply dismissed my notion with a wave of her hoof, again reminding me it was the least she could do.

I woke up half an hour prior to the time I agreed on for Polly to pick me up, the next morning. Or rather, Trixie made sure I'd wake up at that time. For obvious reasons, she had her carriage parked with the entrance side pointing east. That way, the sun wouldn't ever fall in here, disturbing our peace. Which also meant I could have just slept through for days, not even noticed a single second had ever passed.

Fortunately, my unicorn companion's inner compass, or whatever it was she used to get up and about didn't work like that. Nope, she got up in time before getting me back up on my hooves, just like I asked her. To this day, I'm not so sure about how she actually managed to do that. Because there wasn't anything in her wagon even remotely indicating the current time. Not even a clock hanging from the wall for me to mistrustfully glance at. Somehow, Trixie kept track of everything all by herself. I suppose it's either extremely impressive, or it's just another common unicorn thing I didn't know about. Or...something else about something...else.

We had a short breakfast soon after, which consisted of little more than a basket of week-old apples and some leftover oats, which we split fifty-fifty. Trixie didn't mind us finishing off the last of her reserves, either. On the contrary, she was more than happy to get rid of them, so that she might actually go for some decent food right away after arriving in Filly.

She also managed to arrange our meal as comfortably as possible. Lucky for us, Trixie apparently managed to recently conduct a spell on her cabin that kept the insides nice and cool at all times, shielding us from the sun's heat that bore down on it every hour of the day and night. And when first stepping outside a few minutes before nine, the hot Baltimare air quickly embraced us just like it had done the night before. I may have been mistaken, but I think it even felt a teensy bit hotter this time. Or maybe, that was nothing but the sudden transition feeling a bit extreme.

Trixie again told me she needed to get ready to leave for Fillydelphia. She also mentioned that I could still trot along if I wanted, and all that. Which meant she probably wasn't all that convinced of my mission, after all. And I couldn't blame it on her to be honest. Trixie hadn't met with Celestia, this recently. She didn't even have a Pinkie Sense telling her where to go and what to do next. Or a Trixie Sense...well, in any case, I don't think that kind of thing worked well with her. So how could she possibly fully understand everything I needed to do? I wasn't even entirely sure about the plan myself. Still.

To be plain, I told her our further companionship wasn't going to happen, which was a shame. I also mentioned that I was sorry about it, and would love to travel with her, only my obligations told me otherwise. Which seemed to be good enough for her to accept. While she proceeded to get her carriage ready for departure, all I had to do was wait for Polly while trying not to get my hooves all that dirty in the mud. That sounds like an easy task, but let me tell you; in Baltimare's harbor, it's something entirely different. Not sure what exactly it actually is at the end of the day, but definitely not an easy task. Just saying.

I spent the next few minutes doing nothing in particular, except waiting for Polly to get here. She arrived on time, which ironically confused me a good deal. How was it that everyone in this town seemed to somehow still grasp the concept of time, except for me? There had to be an explanation for this, and I made a mental note to find out on my equally mental to do list. Neither of which had a curfew. Lucky me.

Still, examining the timey-wimey issue would have to wait. There were still other problems and tasks lasting on my mind more heavily, for example the journey that now lay ahead of me. That was kinda important. Before finally leaving alongside Polly, I turned back one last time, and said my goodbyes to Trixie. It wasn't that hard, I guess. For time being, everything that needed to be said had already crossed our minds, and we could part on friendly terms. The prospect of seeing her again, maybe permanently once I came back home made the whole thing a bit easier for both of us.

And just like that, I was off, heading for the mysterious place they call Docking Bay 94. And like I already stated, the entire way there wasn't much longer than a few hundred yards. Overall, we managed to cover it in what felt like five minutes or so. Then again, I wouldn't possibly know, would I?

Me and Polly didn't do a whole lot of talking for the biggest part of our way. Polly and I? Dunno, but anyway. At least, we didn't have anything interesting to discuss, safe for the usual stuff I need to know about ponies whom I'm trying to befriend. And whom I just met recently, both of which applied to the mare now walking next to me.

That meant some standard Pinkie Pie topics to be discussed. Big deal. Stuff like for example her birthday, city of origin, hobbies, favorite cake, and so on. I would have asked about her zodiac sign as well, but that pretty much came with the birthday. Also, now that the celestial bodies didn't seem to move around any longer, weren't they really all just the same?

None of her answers were very much surprising. In fact, the one about her birthday even helped me calm down a bit, seeing that one was still a good deal away. So I wouldn't have to throw her a party in the next few weeks. I didn't even know how to do that on a ship. Though I felt I needed to figure it out in due time. The bearer of laughter has to find a way with these things, mind you.

The only answer I didn't expect to be the way it turned out was the name of her hometown. I had some troubles even recognizing the name at first, but it sure didn't sound like any place here in Equestria. After a while only, I remembered where I heard it before. In fact, this was the same which she earlier explained to be their current destination. Well, our current destination, as it was now. The name she told me was pronounced Druzyovsk.

So Polly was actually a native of the islands we needed to go to. Which was just as well, I guess I could need a guide as soon as I got there. Those islands pretty much remained a blind spot on the world map in my head, so I didn't actually know a whole lot about that place. On second thought, however, her answer also confused me. Hadn't there been a second part to the town's name, yesterday? I felt pretty sure there had been, but didn't come to ask her that, now. In fact, I needed to save all further questions for later. Just as I started opening my mouth again, we turned another corner, thereby reaching the docks we were headed to.

"Well, this is it," Polly told me with a relieved sigh, her hoof motioning to one of the larger sized vessels nearby. "I sort of expected you would know how to get here. You know, yesterday. But seeing this is your first time in Baltimare, well, I didn't want to leave anything to chance, either."

I didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to her words, just then. Mostly because I'd become more or less fixated on the sight rising up in front of me, now. There were a number of artificially created basins lined up to our right, separated from each other by long, rectangular piers. Each of which had a two-digit number painted on a nearby wall in bold, black characters. My eyes wandered upwards, widening at the sight of the ship parked inside the place labeled ninety-four, only waiting for us to get aboard.

"Wowsies!" I squeaked. "This is your ship? Our ship, I mean? It's so...so...I don't even know what to call it. And that by itself is sooo super-spectacularly amazing! I don't even..."

And so on. I might have overdone it a bit with the screeching on the last few syllables, I admit that. But Polly didn't seem to mind all that much, so I guess it was okay. Again, she motioned towards me with a hoof, dismissing my worries with a simple gesture.

"Oh, it's nothing really. You should see the great clippers out there. And don't get me started on the navy's frigates. We're...comparably tiny to those. Our boat just so happens to look pretty big in this environment, I guess. Most of the more wealthier companies tend to avoid Baltimare's ports altogether. You can probably imagine why that is."

I nodded, though I really think she was being modest, here. As far as I was concerned, this ship had every reason to be called majestic. Extending to a full length of a hundred yards at least, it filled out the entire bay they had settled it into, even stretching out a good deal in the back. Literally on top of all that, three masts reached out from its massive decks, each of them in turn also spurring three yards to their left and right, reaching out at dazzling heights. The mast in the back looked a good deal shorter than its other two equivalents, reaching only about two thirds of their height. Still, the main one of the three would easily be higher than the tallest building in all of Baltimare, or so I thought.

That conclusion was only partly correct, since I didn't really think of the skyscrapers some distance away. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. Can't keep it all remembered all the time.

None of my little mistakes made the sight any less impressive. Though I probably couldn't even see all of it, just now. Most of what was visible to us from here was the front-left part. Stretching my neck to the right a good deal, I noticed what looked like a large cabin beneath the elevated rear deck. The windows, which I guessed to cover most of the ship's back extended to the side I kept looking on. They were framed with all sorts of expensive-looking golden ornaments. All of that fancy-shmancy stuff you usually only see in Canterlot. Not in most Equestrian cities, and most definitely not here. In any case, Celestia would have approved.

Snapping my neck back into place, I also noticed the ship's name printed onto the rump in even fancier brass letters. VCR Cornucopia, they said, being fixated to the wooden planks at the very forefront of the entire vessel. While this cursive-thingy was definitely a style of writing Rarity would only have squeed at, it also raised another question in my head.

"How...how do you pronounce that first bit? Like...Fuh-ce-err, or something like that?"

Polly blinked, looking at me like I had just lost my mind. Which may not be so far off, but still not the kind of response I was hoping to get. "You mean the Vee-Cee-Arr? The acronym?" she asked me. "Every ship in Equestria has that. I thought you knew about that. You didn't ask yesterday, at least."

"So what's that mean?" I wondered. "Vigorous Cake Retrieval? That would fit my interests, I guess. Or...Villains Can't Reach...us? Oh, oh, or how about Vaccinated Cavalry Rowing? That would work."

"Uh, no. Not really, it wouldn't," Polly replied, her forehead in wrinkles. "I think the words you're looking for would be Vessel of Celestia's Royalty. It doesn't sound any better, I know. Just a lot more boastful. But federal regulations require us to put these three letters there, so what can you do? I didn't come up with the rules in this country, I don't even live here."

I didn't find any proper words to answer that at first. Arching an eyebrow, I just looked at the title in skepticism. Celestia's Royalty...really? That didn't sound like fun, mine sounded more like fun...like more fun. Fun like more? More like it. But honestly, didn't they? I'm sure I would come up with at least a dozen different titles better than this one within two point three seconds or so. Give or take a few, depending on my current levels of blood sugar. I didn't have any instruments to measure that right now, and they probably wouldn't help me out in any case. And then there was that distraction I received a bit later. Something related to Polly patting me on the shoulder to snap me out of my thoughts, which she did.

"Come on, then," she said, heading for the pier. "I'll take you around, show you where everything is. We still have some time before leaving port."

Over the next two and a half hours or so, I somehow learned more about sailing than I ever did in every other day of my life combined. All the new data and facts sure did make my head spin, but then again, what didn't? Polly made sure not to leave out a single detail during our tour around the place. That included explaining where everything was, why it was where it was, why some things weren't where they were not, and other things about other things. How each of them worked, for example.

We started off with the kitchen that would become our workplace, of course. Or actually, we started off with the small cabin I'd be given for sleeping and all that. I figured there wouldn't be much for me to do in here but sleep, since I'd be alone in here most of the time. There only was a single bunk in this tiny room, so it didn't take me very long to figure that out. And for those who haven't noticed, Gummy wouldn't be there, either. He hadn't been with me all along. I left him in good care with the Cakes before running off to here. Which seemed reasonable. After all, he was much to small for a journey like this one. Still being a baby alligator and all that.

Oh, and the running off part. That seemed reasonable, too. Only it sounded somewhat wrong, saying it like that. I didn't exactly run off, did I? I was planning on definitely coming back, after all.

But back to the lecture at hand. The ship's kitchen wasn't very big on the inside, and most of its space was already occupied by a massive place for storage of all the ingredients we were to use for the comparably simple meals the two of us were to prepare for a crew of about fifty ponies or so. When Polly explained the main recipes to me, the whole task didn't seem as difficult as I'd expected it to be. There wasn't anything complicated in her list, only the standard stuff ponies used to fill as many stomachs as possible in the shortest possible time. Mostly, I thought, I definitely got this.

The kitchen itself contained three medium sized counters, some shelves for the various tools, and a more than decent fireplace with a large kettle made from copper hanging over it. I somewhat reminded me of the place where the bearded guy from that one comic book used to brew his super-duper-extra strength magic potion kind of...thing. Whatever either of them were called; I couldn't recall that at the time.

There were plenty of other places around the ship, some of which Polly decided I should get to know straight away, while some others I'd be introduced to in time, anyway. The upper deck was divided into three portions, the first and last one each elevated a few meters from the central one's height. If I wasn't mistaken, it was the one at the ship's back that was the highest of the three. Or rather, the one at the stern, as Polly explained it. Apparently, sailors had their own words for a lot of different concepts and objects all over the place. It was like learning the entire language all over again. Yikes.

Several different establishments were placed below the stern deck; one of them being our kitchen, combined with a few smaller chambers for the crew to eat their meals in case the outside weather didn't play along. And of course there was the captain's cabin and office. The latter ones took were situated next to each other at the ship's very rear. They also took up all of the fancy windows by themselves. No fair.

We even met Captain Saratoga a few times while moving around the vessel. As Polly had predicted, he wasn't in a very good mood during any of our brief encounters. Describing him as grumpy would have been the understatement of the century. I guess. Though I could also think of several other recent events that could easily be underestimated. Most of which were also connected with some particularly bad memories, so I decided I'd rather concentrate on what was in front of me, right now.

Last night's cider appeared to really have kept its promise. Though whatever he kept drinking probably wasn't even apple cider. Or no only apple cider, at least. Just looking at Saratoga, I could tell he must have had some of what I like to refer to as the tough stuff. All the while, the Captain kept trotting around the ship without much enthusiasm in his steps. He had his Stetson hung low into his face, covering up most of his features for the rest of us.

Looking over the final preparations for our departure, he did in fact mutter, call out, or yell an occasional command to his crew members. Though he usually seemed to be mostly pleased with the job they were doing. Or not, given the perspective. Among the ones he criticized more harshly was also his first mate; neither of the two seemed particularly fond of the other's presence. Why, I had no idea. They didn't do a worse job than anyone else around, after all.

Strange Days wasn't one for cheers either, though I didn't actually see any reason for him to act like he did. When I first appeared on deck, his mood seemed to drop down even further. My presence was generally frowned upon from his part, and he still didn't seem to approve of me being here. Call that what you want, but it certainly felt like a sting in the chest to me. Any kind of frown is pretty much the opposite of what I expect ponies to react to me approaching them.

Apart from our two grumpyheads, I met a lot of new faces that day, each of them taking up a different position and task around the ship. I tried to keep their names in mind as well as I could manage, but at the end of the day, I really couldn't tell just how many of ponies there were on this bark. I managed to recall a good number, but I really couldn't tell just how many I'd already forgotten about. Because these were a lot of new names to learn in such a short time. Probably the most excessive case ever since I moved to Ponyville all these years ago. And believe it or not, even back then did it take me some time to learn about all the town's inhabitants. I expected this time to be no different.

The rest of this little tour was mostly about all the remaining, minor stuff. In more or less detailed explanations, Polly told me about everything else I might need to know or worry about, as well as some general knowledge that could come in handy at some point. How each of the different sailing techniques worked, for example. And what exactly it was I had to do if ever called upon for helping out with them. And how to steer and navigate, the latter one made a tad more difficult by the weird position of the sun and moon. At least, we could forget about using a sextant to get around, Polly told me. Which I didn't mind, since I had no idea how to work with a sextant, anyways. I didn't even know what that word meant.

Lastly, she pointed out that there was a flagpole sticking out of the rump's rear ending, tilted from an upright position at about thirty degrees or so. Right now, it bore nothing but the national flag of Equestria. The one with the sun, moon, and both princesses in front of a blue background and all those details. And stars. Sparkly ones, to be precise.

Being a vessel of the Kingdom of Equestria, this flag would be all the representation we would need at the moment, Polly explained. However, when approaching our destination, she asked me to also keep in mind that we needed to hoist a smaller version of the Pegasilian flag beneath it, sort of as a display of our respect. As it turned out, the captain had already forgotten about it a few times in the past, and the folks over at Chuda and Druzyovsk didn't exactly appreciate the gesture. Or lack of gesture, in any case.

Yep, you've heard me. Now, all of a sudden it was called Chuda and Druzyovsk. I really wanted to ask Polly what was going on with this names, but she wouldn't even have me start the sentence. Too much to explain on her own part, I guess.

We finished our tour at about eleven-thirty, or so Polly told me. She also mentioned that we should be getting together with the others on the central deck, where there would be a short assembly before we left port. It was custom for the captain, or whoever was in charge at the time, to hold a short speech to his crew members at the beginning of every new trip. And every one of us had to be there. That accounted for myself especially, this being the first time I ever worked on a ship. Which was exciting. Wasn't this exciting? I sure thought it was.

Making our way through the disoriented mob of ponies, I received a variety of different remarks from the assembled crew members, most of which I didn't even know by name yet. One of the few things I did notice was that apparently there were mostly stallions on this ship. I didn't immediately want to assume Polly and me being the only mares all around, but the assumption didn't leave me be that quickly, either. The glances from everyone else were only more or less friendly; several of them didn't seem to like having me around.

There was also a lot of grinning involved with some of them. Which might seem like a smile, but it's far from genuine. More like the kind of corrupted laughter I had to face that one time we went to look for Discord in the Canterlot Garden Maze. Laughing at me instead of with me, and so on. That kind of thing. I didn't know what those ponies wanted to say with that, or why they acted that way, but I didn't like it one bit. It all seemed pretty freaky...even a bit repulsive, come to think of it.

And as on queue, a pony stepped up in front of the crowd for said, scheduled announcement. Only he didn't really look like Captain Saratoga, analyzing him now. More like a variously shaded, gray unicorn with a cream-colored streak in their mane. He looked very much like his first mate, to be precise. I assumed that was because he was the first mate. Which would also explain his appearance. What it didn't explain would be why he stood in front of us now instead of his superior. Didn't Polly say something about the captain doing this kind of thing?

"You're probably wondering why the captain isn't doing this kind of thing," Strange Days called out to us, stepping onto an empty crate, which said From Hayti With Love in faded letters. "And I'd be lying when I say I hadn't asked myself the same question just five minutes ago. But the truth is, he seems to have some very important, very delicate navigation work to do back in his office...among other things. He will, however, be here to guide us into open waters under his protective wings and cunning expertise."

The sarcasm was strong with this one. I could hear snorts and chuckles going all around just as he finished the sentence.

"Yes, yes, I know," he resumed. "It's a long journey ahead of us, and we're all a little nervous. Which doesn't mean any of us gets to let down their guard. This is not going to be anything out of the ordinary. Just another, regular trip to the Pegasilians, as you all should be aware of. We've managed to pull through this before, and we'll manage to do so again. The only thing each and every one of us needs to remember is this: All you have to do is not screw up. Do your job properly, and in a few weeks' time we'll be docking in good old Chuda, safe and sound. And the lot of you can go waste your payment, heritage, or whatever it is you feel like doing that to. Waste yourself, see if I care. Until then however, you're under Captain Saratoga's and my authority, and I don't want to see any of you slacking off."

A generally pretty dampened mood settled around me, some frustrated murmuring making its way through the ranks.

"As you should be aware of, it is a normal affair to admit some new members to a ship's crew after some time spent at the docks." At Strange Days continuing of words, several pairs of ears perked up in curiosity. "At this time, there is only one new member for us to welcome aboard." He motioned towards me. "I can't tell you that much, so if you feel like you need to know anything else, go ask her yourself. Her name is Pinkamena Pie, and she'll be helping our chief steward preparing the meals. She's also rather inexperienced with our noble profession altogether, and I would want each of you to note that down. It isn't the most promising position for the job, and I've been critical of accepting her, myself."

He took a deep breath. "However, as long as Miss Pie stays on this ship, she will be a complete and respected member of our community, worth no less than every single one of you. Each of you is to respect her as one of their own, which also goes for every other of your crew mates. If I find anyone breaking with that rule, you'll be discovering very soon that getting on this ship might not have been your wisest decision ever made.

"I would like you to remember, the Princess does not allow any excessively severe punishment inside her country's borders. But you should also recall that, as soon as we're more than three miles out at sea, this vessel will no longer fall under Celestia's jurisdiction. From that point on, the captain and I alone decide what happens to your sorry flank, if need be. Thank you very much."

And with that, he stepped back down, turning his back while marching up onto the bridge. Left behind him was nothing but a tense mood made up of frowning grim faces, joined by a heavy silence. None of these ponies seemed in the mood for partying right now, which was easy to understand after what had just been said. But there wouldn't be the need for punishing any meanies, as long as we were all nice to each other, right? And to lighten up the mood, what would fit in better than an upbeat, cheerful song?

Polly seemed to be able to think of a thing or two she'd prefer. As soon as I opened my mouth to start what I'd planned for these ponies, she short me a stern glance, and I closed it back up again. No singing, apparently. I decided I'd rather not pull out my confetti cannon at this time. Though cannons and ships did fit really well together...I never thought of it like that. Might be worth considering in the long run.

About five minutes after our first mate ended his speech, the captain did in fact appear on deck. And just like everyone had expected, he started to give the usual commands. Loosen the ties, get the sails ready, pull in the boarding bridge...that kind of stuff. This may be my first time on a ship, but it still pretty much covered everything I had expected. And it still felt exciting, nonetheless. From there on out, it didn't take much longer until we finally left the harbor behind us, then sailed out of Horseshoe Bay a good ten minutes later. Probably.

Polly disappeared soon after to get everything ready in her own little empire. She also commanded me to join her at fourteen-hundred hours, so we could start preparing dinner for everyone on board, which would be our first meal at sea of many to come. Also, she used that very military-style commanding speech...thingy. I only knew about the Royal Guard to actually use that, so far. But it sure sounded like fun, so I figured I might as well roll with it.

It also meant there was about another hour or so for me to spend up here, trying to get an overall idea of how this whole cruise thing was supposed to work. Watching the crew's ponies for a while, it wasn't so hard to detect a pattern or two. Somehow, everyone already knew what they were to do next. Most of them only carried out some minor, repeating task, but they all added up to a greater whole, somehow. Like gears gripping into one another inside a machine. These ponies must have done that a million times before or so, I figured. That's what I call trust. And guess what comes from trust? Friendship, maybe?

It's kind of a sappy answer, but it's the right one. Sorry.

For now, there wasn't anything for me to add into their routine. I would make sure to throw all these ponies one hay of a party at some point during our trip, they deserved as much. Not today, however. I first needed to find out about what their own likes and dislikes about everything in life was, so I could make this party super special for each and every one of them. Planning is everything, mind you. The joined meals would be a good place to start finding out about what these ponies would consider a good time.

I watched their work being done for a while, my enthusiasm never even shrinking in the slightest. Eventually though, I decided to climb up the stairs to the stern deck, and settle up there for a while. Leaning over the rear railing, I watched the coast of Equestria grow smaller by the minute. And just like that, my feelings went back to being terribly mixed, again.

On one hoof, this was probably going to be a fun trip, and I did the right thing trotting along on here. It brought me closer to finishing my own task, if any. On the other, I knew that somewhere inside this land I called my home, there was someone whom I left behind for what was likely going to be a really long time. A sweet, gentle pegasus mare whom I knew I would miss more than anything in the world during the weeks to come. I really hoped she wouldn't blame any of what happened on herself. Who knew what effects that would have on her?

A sigh escaped my throat, while I watched the western horizon with bittersweet sorrow.

"Remember, this was your own choice."

I looked up in confusion, turning my head two, maybe three times, before noticing where that voice came from. Eventually though, I realized the answer was as nonchalantly as it was plain and simple. It was Strange Days, now standing a few feet apart from me. Just like this. Where had he even come from?

"I might not have been very fond you taking you in, but I will respect you. You are one of us, now, and you will be treated as such," he continued. "Of course, that also means, you should know your place as kitchen assistant. And respect those above you. Keep that in mind."

"Oh, I will," I replied to him with a weak smile. Couldn't do any better, as of now. "I, uh...I'm sure I'll make this the super best trip either of us ever had."

He nodded, the corners of his mouth tucking downwards. "Yes, something like that. Or you'll come around, I guess." He sighed. "Just one more thing. You may have noticed already, but...there's only two mares on here, making up a small portion of a comparably large crew. Polly already earned her respect long ago, so she doesn't have to worry about that kind of thing. You on the other hoof aren't exactly there, yet. Standing in your horseshoes...I'd better watch my back. Literally."

Before I could ask him what in the world that even meant, the unicorn already turned his back with a scoff, walking...elsewhere. Watching him leave, I eventually fell back on my haunches. I turned back around and caught a last glimpse at the Equestrian shore behind us, just before it disappeared on the horizon, leaving nothing behind but water.

The things I'd give for a genuine hug from Fluttershy right now... Next Chapter: Chapter 13 - Deep Waters Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 27 Minutes