A few days at sea proved more trouble than it was worth for some of the crew and expedition. Many creatures were still wounded and injured from their prior entanglement with the fearsome Captain Shanty.
But despite their wounds and fresh scars, the crew attended to their duties with the utmost diligence and repose. Salty himself stood proud of his veteran crew, himself tarnished by the blade of a wicked bandit from Shanty’s gaggle of villains.
The expedition wasn’t unscathed either; Pinkie Pie and Rarity were practically glued to the side of the ship at all times from unrelenting nausea or retching from the ship’s constant rocking. The scent of dried blood and alcohol permeated the air, pairing with the sea’s naturally salty aroma to create a sour odor and taste that stuck to every creature’s tongue and nose like a pack of fleas.
To say they were disheveled was an understatement. The constant need to clean and treat the crew, paired with the natural dirt and grime that came with standing and working in such humid weather, made every creature filthy, adding risk for every beast involved.
Wounds were at risk of infection, and scurvy crept like a shadowy phantom, slowly overtaking even the strongest of creatures. Death hung over the vessel, her presence an ever-looming threat. A reminder of every creature's mortality.
From Princess Twilight to a common griffin, sailors were now equal on a fundamental level. Death’s gentle cold touch could be felt in each stale breeze. The scent of blood and salt put everyone on edge. Putting everyone’s mortality in question.
There were murmurs of abandoning the seriously injured and ill. Letting the sea and waves overtake them. Death’s claws were slowly suffocating them anyway; why bother?
Starlight quietly tended to one of the seriously injured crewmates, a griffin with a broken wing and bullet wound in his breast. Her wash rag was stained with crimson as she unwrapped the bandages from the griffin’s chest.
The mare hoped, prayed, and pleaded; they’d reach land soon. Medical supplies were drawing thin, and so were the booze and alcohol that kept these wretched souls numb from their suffering. Dim candlelight reflected off her and the griffin’s eyes as she quietly tended to somecreature who may be taken by Death’s greedy claws at any moment.
There was a gentle knocking at the door before a soft voice spoke from beyond it.
“Starlight?” The unicorn could recognize the voice as Fluttershy’s, her voice surprisingly calm. “Do you need any help?”
Slowly, the door creaked open, the pegasus’ large turquoise eyes catching the light of the burning candle. “I-I’m coming in….”
Stepping inside, Fluttershy closed the door softly behind her. On her back, her saddlebags were full of different medical supplies, some from her stock meant for treating animals, and some she improvised on the spot by taking clean linen and fabric from Rarity’s storage. Anything that would help treat the wounded.
Turning to face the pair, Fluttershy stopped, holding a hoof up to her mouth as she surveyed the poor griffin. To Starlight’s surprise, she did not shed a tear; she simply trotted over and sat beside the pair, pulling off her saddlebags before tearing into her supplies.
“This isn’t much, but it’s a mild sedative that might help with his pain. I don’t suppose he’s not been drinking, though….” She murmured, lifting out a needle before setting it aside.
Starlight lowered her head as she let out a sigh, “We’re in a bad way. I don’t think we can take any more days at sea like this.” she’d slowly look over at Fluttershy, “I just never dealt with something this… bad before.”
The griffin slowly perked his head up as he groaned, “Wo bin Ich Jetzt…” he rubbed his temple with a claw, hissing as he reached for his breast, “Am I dead…?”
Starlight tapped the end of the needle against the bedside as she carefully levitated the sedative into the griffin’s arm, quickly putting the creature to rest, “Not drinking enough, we’re really low on rum. That’s even with rationing out for the rest of the crew. We can’t last much longer.”
Fluttershy would sigh softly before slowly sitting down beside the wounded sailor, gently laying a soothing wing on one of his arms, brushing it back and forth. She gently cooed, singing a gentle song under her breath.
“Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head…” The pegasus barely sang over a whisper, “Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to go to bed… Drift drift off to sleep, an exciting day behind you, drift drift off to sleep, let the joy of dreamland find you….”
Once she was confident the sailor was asleep comfortably, Fluttershy turned around to face the unicorn, giving her a remorseful smile. “I know how you’re feeling Starlight, it’s exactly how I felt when I first opened my cottage to all the creatures in Ponyville. Almost every day, I would have a rabbit, or a squirrel, or a wolf come to my cottage, terribly injured, and I would do my best to take care of them… Sometimes more than one or two a day.”
Taking in a gulp of air, Fluttershy looked teary for a brief moment. “And sometimes… it wouldn’t be enough. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to let my little friends go. And I miss them every single day. But I knew that, before they passed, they were as comfortable as I could possibly make them.”
“I know it can be bad, Starlight, but I’ve never let it change my optimism.” The pegasus gave her a soft smile, “I know that we can help these creatures. And I know that we will find help soon. No creature will die, I swear.”
Starlight shook her head, “I fear it won’t even be their wounds or illness that’ll… dispose of them. There are whispers and talks of… getting rid of loose ends, as some sailors put it….” she’d look over to the far end of the medical bunks where creatures struck with scurvy rested.
“I fear we can’t convince or fight against the entire crew if they decide our venture isn’t worth it anymore….”
Fluttershy looked up and nodded, “I wouldn’t blame them either, but aren’t we closer to our destination than home by now? There would be no point in turning around now, especially now that we’re so close and we can get help in Griffinstone; Pinkie Pie and Rainbow have a friend there. We could get supplies….”
“I’ve scanned my maps with the Captain’s; Griffenhafen is our best bet to resupply and help these poor souls get the medicine they need.” Starlight slowly sat down as she wiped the sweat from her brow with a clean rag.
“Well, wherever we stop, we will get what we need. I’m sure of it.” Fluttershy nodded, looking determined.
“I haven’t seen anything this bad before; I’ve dealt with my fair share of bad winters and scraps, but this… all of this is just… so much.” she’d glance over to a pile of old bloody rags resting next to a bucket of filthy water.
“I know it’s awful, but remember that you’re helping these creatures. Don’t feel bad because you can’t do more for them… I know how much it hurts.” She laid a gentle hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder.
“... Maybe this is a sign.” Starlight said finally.
“A sign of what?” Fluttershy whispered softly.
“Maybe we should turn back; if this is the kind of odds we face not even a day on the continent, what do you think we’ll face once we actually get our hooves dirty? I mean, we have Yona and Spike with us; what if they get hurt or worse?”
Fluttershy considered this for a moment, looking down at the floor beneath her before glancing over at the injured griffin they had just attended to. Her hair fell over her face, obscuring her face from view.
“Well… I think we all knew it wasn’t going to be anything like Equestria and that it might be dangerous. Nopony can predict what may come ahead.” Fluttershy gulped, closing her eyes to take a breath of stale air. “I know what it’s like to be anxious… scared… terrified even. But I won’t let it stop me from seeing this through.”
“We won’t let either of them get hurt, I promise.” Fluttershy looked her in the eyes, “We’ve faced the worst before…, and we’ve made it through. Don’t lose hope, Starlight. Everything will be okay.”
Gently, the pegasus opened her arms, offering the unicorn a hug if she wished.
Starlight slowly trotted over, embracing her comrade in a tight bind. It was peculiar to have Fluttershy, of all ponies, in a hug like this. For both of them, no doubt. But perhaps in this time of constant stress and fear, it was nice to have somecreature to hold and submit her worries unto.
Despite not actively being a leader, the unicorn still held out with as much resolve and self-control as if she were back in Our Town.
The moment was somber and tender, with only the gentle creaking of the ship’s floorboards and the dim candlelight being the only thing to accompany them. Starlight let out a deep sigh as she allowed Fluttershy to withdraw from the hug as she saw fit, not wishing to entrap or upset her associate. The pegasus gave her one last gentle squeeze before slowly pulling away, giving her a soft smile.
“... thank you… for the reassurance… you look tired, why don’t you get some rest? I’m sure your friends could use a kind face right now… they probably miss you up there with them.” offered Starlight.
“You look far more tired than I do.” Fluttershy rebuked, “You look exhausted! Please, Starlight, you don’t have to tire yourself out like this… at least sit down and get something to eat.” The pegasus’ tone was motherly as if her word was final despite it only being a suggestion.
Starlight usually would have waved off such a suggestion in her state of solitude and self-imposed isolation. She would’ve just toiled in her work and neglected the outside world around her. But Fluttershy was strangely moving and authoritative at that moment.
She had to submit.
“... Alright, I suppose if these poor griffins and harpies can’t be helped anymore…” she slowly rose to her hooves as a tidal wave of exhaustion crashed into her causing her legs to buckle.
“Woah… I hadn’t realized how long I was working… How long have I been down here?” Starlight thought aloud.
“For more than a few hours, at the very least. Come now, Starlight; I’ll help you get upstairs.” Fluttershy trotted over, offering the mare a shoulder. “You really need to get some shut-eye. You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself.”
Being gentle, the pegasus led Starlight toward the stairs, trying to be quiet to not wake the sailors. “I promise I’ll come back down, check on him, and tend to the others.”
She’d chuckle, “I can see why you’re the element of kindness…” the unicorn did her best to carry herself up the tall set of stairs, but she couldn’t help but lean on the pegasus at times. Fluttershy smiled, the expression lost to Starlight.
The sun’s light blinded her as she instinctively raised her hoof to her eyes, “It was morning when I came down… it must be lunchtime by now…” mumbled Starlight.
“Don’t worry,” Fluttershy squinted against the bright light, “I have some food in the wagons; you can rest and have something to eat at the same time. I even squirreled away an apple for you, still fresh.” She gave the unicorn a sweet smile, leading her toward the wagons.
Stepping up to the wagon door, Fluttershy opened it and helped Starlight inside, leading her to her cot. Once the unicorn was settled, Fluttershy brought her a mug of tea, some crackers, and the apple she had promised.
“Eat up, you’ve exerted yourself, and you need your strength.” The pegasus nodded.
Starlight exhaled deeply as she took a long sip of warm tea before taking a large bite from the fresh apple. She had longed for such a delicacy on a ship full of hardtack with the only fresh thing on board were weevils.
She chewed very slowly to savor each and every instance of the richness and wholesomeness of the fruit.
“Thank you again. You didn’t have to divulge such a luxury for me…” she’d wipe her mouth, “I get you’re the element of kindness, but… why are you so kind to somepony you barely know… or have such a bad impression of if you’re me.”
Fluttershy gave her a charming smile, “Starlight, you’re not the first creature I’ve met who has done bad things to me or some other creature. I don’t suppose Discord rings any bells?” She chuckled heartily, “No, I believe everyone deserves kindness, no matter who or what they are and what they’ve done.”
“You made a mistake, and despite how big it was, you admitted that you were wrong and that you wanted to apologize. I see that in you every day when you try to make yourself useful because you want to prove to everyone that you’re good, but more importantly, you want to prove that to yourself.” Fluttershy tapped a hoof on Starlight’s chest.
“Am I getting close at all?” The pegasus waited patiently for her reply.
Starlight grinned as she slowly shook her head, “Well, you’re missing the touch of self-loathing, but you’re certainly in the ballpark.”
“And no offense but Discord is a wet noodle, I’ve read how he is around you.” she snickered, “What a schmuck…”
Fluttershy blushed slightly, looking away. “Well, we are very good friends… but it wasn’t so easy in the beginning. In comparison, you’re practically an angel! He was… well, perhaps I can tell you another time. It’s a long story.”
“I’m only saying that you don’t need to exhaust yourself, Starlight; give yourself a break every now and again. You’re only one pony.” Fluttershy laid a hoof on Starlight’s, patting it before pulling away. “And don’t lose hope in yourself or us.”
“Trust me, I already know. I had several contingency plans and months to study everycreature in my previous quest for vengeance… which you know failed.” Starlight sighed.
Starlight groaned as she sat up to finish her tea, “You don’t understand; you have room to fail and go below expectations. Friends will forgive slights against one another. But frankly, I have yet to earn such a privilege. In other words… I can rest when I’m dead or in Tartarus.”
“Starlight, it’s not a race. It might take some time for everyone to warm up to you, but I don’t think anypony or creature will be angry or disappointed with you. You’re new to this; of course, you’re going to make mistakes.” Fluttershy drew up her brow, “Please don’t push yourself so hard, for my sake?”
She gave the unicorn large puppy dog eyes that were nigh impossible to refuse.
Starlight grumbled as she plopped back into her cot, “Fine… but only because you asked….”
Fluttershy smiled brightly, “Good! Now let’s get you comfortable so you can rest.” The pegasus pulled the cover over the unicorn, adjusting the lamplight to something dimmer. Throwing one last look at the unicorn, Fluttershy stepped out of the wagon and closed the door, leaving Starlight to rest.