//------------------------------//
// Confessions 
// Story: Expedition to the Cloudbreak Islands 
// by Starglider 
//------------------------------//

Summer Scribe trotted briskly through the ship's corridors, heading for the sickbay; she'd been told Azure was fine, at least physically, but the unicorn wanted to check in on her friend as soon as possible. It had been a long and tense debriefing with Set Sail; the pegasus seemed even more stressed and upset than before. Soon enough she reached her destination, amidships on the tween deck. The space was still crowded: the population of critically injured creatures was slowly decreasing, but most of the cots were still occupied by ponies sporting splints, bandages or IV bags.

Tears welled in Summer's eyes as she caught sight of the motionless form of Clashing Gale; the pegasus stallion was still unconscious, barely breathing and now almost entirely purple. She could only hope he'd eventually wake up like the others, even if it was courtesy of this weird 'elemental' magic. Sadness gave way to happiness on her face as she spotted Azure Feather:  safe, sound, apparently sleeping peacefully, with no further injuries...

'No visible injuries', Summer reminded herself with a grimace. There was still the mystery of the horn surges to resolve, and the possibility of an 'air element' interfering with Azure's workings was still just a theory. At least Azure was in good hooves, or rather claws; the doctor was sitting there in the corner, reading from a sizeable book. Curious, Summer looked closer: she saw an elaborate engraving of a unicorn's horn on the cover, before the book quickly snapped shut as the hippogriff realised she was watching him. His expression was hard to read, his eagle face enigmatic as ever, but from his body language Summer got the impression it was some combination of anger and... guilt?

Now he was staring at her, his eyes bloodshot. 'What's up with Reef? What's with that look?' Summer thought. She'd seen him exhausted and under pressure before, that first morning after the crossing, but this was something else. Breaking the silence, she asked "Azure is OK, right?", giving a little tilt of her head as she patiently awaited a reply.

"As best as I can tell... yes." Reef Skimmer said, frustration evident in his voice. "Two horn surges, it would seem, in the space of two days, and the second took a heavier toll than the first." He looked away. "I wish I could tell you the cause... but all I can say is that physically, her symptoms are merely exhaustion and perhaps very mild concussion." The big griff sighed. "One has administered a sedative, she will sleep soundly at least."

Summer Scribe quietly nodded, sympathizing with Reef's worries. "Yeah: I don't get the impression Azure's ever dealt with this before," she said, "and I wish I knew too... I hope we can get to the bottom of this soon." The cover of the book suggested he was reading up on horns, probably medical problems that could affect them. Certainly seemed like a good idea, but proving fruitless? "Hopefully if she takes it easy she can keep it under control." she continued, trying to cheer the griff up, "Don't worry too much: she'll pull through and adapt! That's what we do as ponies!"

Reef's ear tufts flattened as he stared at the floor. "Indeed, ponies are awfully good at helping one another," he said morosely. "No doubt a unicorn doctor would know exactly what to do." Realising this wasn't reassuring Summer, he shook his head and looked her in the eye again. "No matter though, as you say I'm sure she'll be fine, after all those purple pegasi made a miraculous recovery didn't they?" Although his tone had changed to forced cheerfulness, Summer couldn't help noticing that the doctor's claws were clenched. 

Summer Scribe looked back to Azure's sleeping form, shying away from Reef's intense avian gaze. 'Empathy Alert!' she thought, 'Something is Wrong here'. She thought hard for a few moments, tilting her head one way then the next. The subtext seemed clear: maybe should could fix it. "Reef, I... think that something's weighing on your mind," she began cautiously. "When was the last time you had a good, heartfelt talk? I'll be happy to listen!" Hmm, actually this could take a while and all she'd had since breakfast was one 'jungle apple'. "Over food, perhaps?"

"A talk?" the hippogriff sounded shocked. "Well, err, that's not exactly, I mean, one must retain a certain professional reserve..." His voice trailed off. Who else could he talk to? Perhaps he wasn't on the best of terms with the lead researcher, but the creatures he'd thought he'd connected with had rejected him, or were currently unconscious. At least there wasn't much to lose with Summer. Looking around the cramped sickbay, no one else seemed to be listening; indeed if anything Winter Hope was deliberately ignoring them. In a quieter voice, Reef concluded "...but perhaps there are a couple of matters we could discuss?"  

Summer Scribe nod-nodded! "That's the spirit! Pon... uhh, critters offer each other shoulders to lean on in times of need! Don't be afraid to bring up anything and everything that's on your mind." Smiling, she trotted out of the sickbay; Reef hesitated for a second before putting his book down and following behind. They headed straight for the mess hall.

"So... how did the troll take the loss of his dwelling?" Reef asked, as they climbed the ramp to the main deck. "One hopes we haven't started a war with the natives, at least?"

"Ah-ha, no!" Summer said nervously, "Everything is... fine, actually! He's developed a temporary fear of unicorn horns being waved towards property, but I've agreed to help him fix his roof..." She returned to an upbeat tone as she asserted "After that and his other errand, relations will be right as rain!" In a mock whisper, she added. "...Also, between you and me? I get the impression he doesn't get out much. Maybe we should encourage him to tag along a bit so he can spread the goodwill we're investing in him!"

"Hmm, not a bad idea, assuming that your diplomatic skills are sufficient to befriend him even after that disast... little setback." The hippogriff stared at the deck again, before the forced cheerfulness returned: "But I suppose that is what you ponies do best! Along with magic of course. Ah, here we are." The pair emerged into the mess; a few crewponies were munching on some hay fries but in mid-afternoon it was mostly empty.

Summer Scribe glanced at the snacking ponies; not exactly the tastiest meal she's had as of late, but food was food! Looking back to Reef Skimmer, she began "Let me get you, uhh..." before blushing as she realised her unfamiliarity with his species. "What have you been subsisting on, lately?"

"No need, I'm not hungry... although, mostly tuna salad, if you're curious." the griff replied. "Just a black coffee for me..." Reef looked at his claw, which was trembling slightly "...although on reflection, perhaps six cups is enough. Tea it is then!"

Lighting her horn, Summer levitated over a portion of hay for herself, followed by a mugs of water and tea respectively. Putting on a serious face, she began: "Now then! This session's all about you, so tell me what's on really on your mind! No holding back: I want your true feelings!" The little unicorn certainly looked prepared; any doubts about her own ability to play counsellor for a giant eagle-horse stallion from a completely different culture were pushed to the back of her mind.

The doctor snorted and leaned back with surprise. "Session? Feelings?! Hmph, are you a licensed psychiatrist or is it more of a hobby?"

Summer Scribe couldn't help but giggle at that. Why was he treating a friendly chat as such a big deal? "It's just something we do, you know! No pony's an island: we all need each other to work!" she explained, smiling and waving a hoof in the air. "I don't know how it is for you where you come from: I assume you had a pretty strict military hierarchy when you were in the Navy. Did you ever just... Find a friend and vent? Or just trudge on on your lonesome through adversity?"

Reef cocked his head, not sure whether the little mare was mocking him or not. After a moment's consideration he decided he might as well play along. "Miss Scribe, the camaraderie of a hippogriff crew is legendary; the officer corps doubly so. Why I could regale you with tales of late night poker in the officer's mess, shore leave misadventures shared, pranks pulled on new griffs..." Reminiscing on what he'd left behind, Reef's manner had begun to warm, before it sunk in how much he was missing it. "Suffice it to say that ponies do not have the monopoly on friendship some might imagine." 

Summer, having been enlightened in this moment, didn't express shock or embarrassment, but... excitement and intrigue! "Oh, that DOES sound super awesome!" she said, grinning broadly. "Okay, so I bet your problem is more like, you're not used to solitude. You're totally looking for friends, same as anyone else! You're just having trouble in an unfamiliar environment?"

"That... may well be the case." Reef Skimmer said slowly. "One must confess, to a certain lack of comprehension when it comes to pony behaviour. Or for that matter, kirin behaviour." He sighed. "I've made some efforts, to, erm, engage with Set Sail... which is not to say we are getting engaged, of course!" With a worried look the hippogriff scanned the mess to see if anyone else heard that. "To support her rather, perhaps even... impress her?" Was that a blush? It was so hard to tell with bird faces, but his ear tufts were flicking back and forth. "Much the same with Nutmeg... the ship's engineer, that you gave a good soaking when we first met?" 

"Hmm, hmmm..." Summer was tilting her head left then right, trying to make out the griff's expression, straining to pick up every contextual clue she could. "I see, I see! The bonds of friendship do strengthen when we do things for each other... so may I ask what Set Sail and Nutmeg asked of you? Or what you did for them?" She was genuinely curious: it sounded like the doctor was taking some initiative, desiring some closeness... but was he going about it the right way?

Abandoning restraint, Reef launched into an explanation. "Well, for Get Mail... uh, Set Sail rather," he corrected himself, embarrassed, "Oh you were there of course, it was just after your account of the first sortie... I described some naval procedures, didn't go down too well with the crewponies it seemed, but the captain seemed keen for me to take a shore party out. I was happy to oblige of course, but here's the thing, I took pains to rein in that feisty hen... griffon, that is. She wanted to march straight into that cottage there and then, but I knew you ponies... I mean, Sails or yourself, wouldn't want us contacting the natives on our own initiative. So I had Grenelda glaring daggers at me for the sake of following orders, and what do I get for it?!"

Reef paused for a moment, but the question was clearly rhetorical, and he soon continued indignantly: "Set Sail was 'very disappointed' that we even went beyond the pit at all! It's not as if her orders designated the area of operation..." Pouting was physically impossible with a beak, but for some reason Summer imagined Reef doing it anyway. "So of course I thought, what can I do to get back in her good books, why volunteer to take the unicorns out in the cart. Make an advantage of my stature for once, instead of just bumping into everything. Yet somehow, that only made her more unhappy! And then... she ordered me to take you out, all the same!" Reef snorted, staring at Summer intensely now.

"And to cap it all, right after I brought Azure back to the ship, she could barely listen to my report before she ordered me confined to the sickbay! And had the gall to look upset when I obeyed! Now I admit it wasn't the most coherent report, one's tongue may have gotten a bit tied from the stress... but still. What kind of officer gets upset when their orders are obeyed!"

By that point the hippogriff had stood up and leaned over the table, talons digging into the stained wood. At some point the other crewponies had decided they didn't want to hear the rest of his monologue and slipped out, leaving the mismatched pair alone in the mess. Reef looked down at his shaking claws, before dropping back to the floor (he was too big for the bench). "I'm sorry. That was... uncalled for."

Summer Scribe found herself enthralled by Reef Skimmer's tale of woe. It was clearly spoken from the heart, and when described from Reef's perspective, it did seem like a morass of unfairness and confusion... But! Summer had her own perspective on the events and persons involved, so she starts cross-referencing it in her mind, brow furrowed... before clearing as insight dawns. The unicorn smiled wide, giddy at the realisation that this could be a simple misunderstanding. Seeing Reef's bemused look, she composed herself, excited to give a lesson.

"I hear you! And I think I know the fundamental source of your confusion. Watch this..." she said, making a pouting, teary, trembly face. "This is Concern." Then she made a harsher, frowning, indignant face. "This is Upset." Shaking it off, she explained: "Set Sail isn't Upset; she's Concerned! Concerned because she's been thrust into a job she didn't ask for, responsible for the whole ship and crew, concerned because everything she sends you to do is dangerous and seems to lead to people getting hurt. And that's not your fault: she's just worried sick!"

Nodding with satisfaction at a puzzle well solved, Summed added: "And I wouldn't be surprised if you're missing other cues, too. No shame in admitting you can't read a pony's face if it's something you haven't learned to!"

Reef frowned, trying to digest that. "I suppose then... she is mostly concerned, not upset? Though I definitely saw that second one, from the rest of the crew, up on the deck today." The griff sighed and sat back on his haunches. "Which strongly implied... this problem can't just be Set Sail, I must be doing something wrong. But tell me..." he looked imploringly at Summer "...if she's so concerned, why didn't she just ordering us to minimise the risks? Or... wait, I hope you aren't saying that the acting captain confined me to the sickbay out of concern for my personal safety? She can hardly wrap the whole crew in cotton wool!"  

Summer Scribe waved a hoof vaguely, wondering how to explain it. "It's like... Well, I guess the quickest way to say is that us ponies don't typically organise in the kind of military hierarchy you're used to. We're just sort of... read each other's body language and don't always say everything out loud! You know, a lot of the time you just kinda know what's going on with each other, without realising." She tapped her hoof on the table for emphasis. " So... you're probably not doing what Set Sail REALLY wants you to do. And that's okay! It's just culture shock, for the both of you. But it still means that you're not on the same page: she probably thinks you're blundering over the most obvious signs."

The unicorn looked Reef Skimmer in the eye and said earnestly: "Safest way to find out? Own up to everything you think you might have done wrong; ponies love a good apology; and ask what she really wants from you!" Summer smiled broadly at that. "As for the 'grounded in sickbay thing... yeah, I think that you might be right! Set Sail couldn't figure out how to keep you safe and this was a means of last resort: an order you couldn't refuse or misinterpret." Sighing, she explained "It probably felt painful, even! And I'm sure that's hard to understand, but we have totally different social and communication norms like that: we try to be easy going and loose."

The griff stared into space, turning over Summer's proposal in his mind before responding. "Heartfelt confession, you say? You really think that might help? If she thinks I'm so useless outside the sickbay that I'm only going to get myself or other ponies hurt, telling her I have no idea how ponies communicate is only going to make things worse." His ear tufts drooped and his voice was pained. "If I really can't understand what she wants... and she doesn't want to give me orders... then maybe there's nothing to be done. But if I'm not on cordial terms with the captain, what hope is there with the rest of the crew?"

"Uh-huh! It really does help! And I know you can do it." Summer encouraged, smiling again. "Set Sail will really appreciate you coming clean; I'm sure of it. She's probably as confused about you as you her, and these kinds of things are perfect for setting the record straight and getting expectations right." The hippogriff seemed to be coming around to her argument.

"There's no way she thinks you're useless." Summer shook her head, trying to dispel Reef's doubts. "We're all here for a reason: we're ready to do whatever the job demands! And that means lots of failure, confusion and uncertainty. By saying you don't know how ponies communicate, it actually shows good communication skills! We all need the flexibility to admit when we're at fault or nothing can ever get done." She eagerly clopped her hoof on the table. "Don't act like this will be the first or last thing you learn in your life: own it, embrace it! You can do it, Reef!"

Reef Skimmer took a few moments to absorb all that, before giving a weak beak-gaping grin. "I must say I admire your spirit, Summer. One might almost classify it as an infectious disease! Um, just a little medical humour." He continued in an earnest tone. "But yes, you are right of course! To do less would be cowardice. I feel we can ill afford fear or division, so far from home."

Summer Scribe chuckled, holding a hoof to her mouth for a moment. "Yep, exactly! And that's why you have to be open with your friends... err, coworkers... whatever you wanna call 'em. It shows you're ready to put in the work, and the biggest part of a lot of jobs IS the communication part!"

Reef's wings unfolded and fluffed up a bit, before settling back at his sides. "Thank you. You didn't have to do this... unless, of course, that scroll on your flank is actually a license to practice psychiatry?"

The unicorn twisted to peer at her cutie mark... and then smirked. "Nah! This..." she gestured a hoof at the griff then herself, before smiling again, "...is just... what any good pony ought to do for a friend."

Reef smiled warmly at that... or at least opened his beak in a manner that didn't seem to imply an imminent desire to consume the pony opposite him... before frowning again. "In that case, I hate to impose, but perhaps... you could shed some light on the other matter? Not that kirins are ponies, but I feel when it comes to communication they are closer to your kin than mine."

Summer Scribe nodded encouragingly; she was on a roll. "Well, yes: I think I can weigh in. What exactly is the problem, with you and Nutmeg I mean?" This would be harder; unlike Set Sail, she hadn't seen the pair interacting. Though at a guess... repairs aside, Nutmeg was probably bored witless cooped up on the ship, which couldn't be helping.

Reef Skimmer leaned back, thinking over his encounters with the kirin. "Well. Obviously we first met in the saloon, when I was unsuccessful in preventing you from soaking her. We had a good chat after that about her species, in the examination room you understand, did you know their leader used an water-based magical artefact to suppress all their emotions? And any desire to talk, it seems." Reef shook his head; Summer might well be interested in the tale of the Stream of Silence, but that could easily fill the next hour and leave no time for the matter at hand.

Summer Scribe had, of course, heard of it: the kirin village in the Peaks of Peril had hosted a steady stream of pony research teams as soon as the news had gotten back to Canterlot. Not that it wasn't interesting to hear about every time, but the hippogriff had a more pressing matter just now.

"Oh but I digress.... So, we met again while you were off making first landfall, and that was a much more sociable affair. We talked about our pasts, the situation, and she showed me... some private things. All very friendly, I thought! But she was clearly bored of her role on the ship, maintaining the engines not providing much challenge, it seemed. So I thought, if we could find any machines on the island, perhaps it would cheer her up, raise her spirits: taking a look, figuring them out? So one asked Azure Feather to keep an eye out for anything that might fit the bill... she pointed out the radio, which seemed perfect!"

Realising this might be a touchy subject, Reef dipped his head down to Summer and said hoarsely and rather quickly "Sorry again by the way - got carried away there - should have cleared it with you first - won't happen again" Pulling back again, he continued "So, where were we... ah yes well I hauled the thing back to the ship, brought it in for her... and she accused me of passing a fraud! Of deliberately tricking her to make her look foolish! Now I'm not averse to a good natured prank but really, it seems like something convinced her I'm an irredeemable scoundrel!" The hippogriff glowered, staring into space. 

Summer smirked, thinking back to that first Horn Surge incident: what a fright it gave her, and it was just to clear some foilage in the end! She didn't mind about the radio, it would have gone back to the ship anyway, although it would've been nice if Reef had asked first. Never mind that now... she tapped her chin, thinking about the kirin's behaviour. "Yeah, I'd say that you're not the only one with pent up emotions in this scenario."

Summer chuckled again. "Think about it from Nutmeg's perspective: you're brought on as an engineer; treated as a safety hazard; mostly confined to the metal underbelly of the ship. Where, after we crashed and lost the spare parts, her job is nearly useless! She's reduced to hearing about all the cool things everyone else gets to do, because there's no airship to fly. In that kind of mind state... Having an artifact brought to you by someone else FEELS like a practical joke. Something to try and keep you company, you know?"

Summer frowned, showing 'concerned' face again. "I think what Nutmeg REALLY needs is to feel like she's here for a reason - like her contribution matters. And you just happened to be the messenger who got shot. If it was me who took the radio to her, I'd be the one eaten out. Get it?"

Reef cocked his head to one side, then the other, considering. "I can't honestly say that I do. Surely taking a look at some alien device is an improvement on just running the engines? I thought, well, I was overjoyed to find some prize specimens on my first sortie, I thought that artefact would be a fine 'specimen' for her? Now I admitt, being stuck in the sickbay and having somegriff, erm, somecreature just hand me, say, an intriguing electric slug in a jar... Well that would be somewhat less satisfying, but still, much better than nothing, and I'd certainly share a round of brandy with that creature!"

Summer couldn't help but wonder if slugs in jars are typical gifts for courting hippogriffs; presumably they had to switch to sea slugs when they went underwater... Ignoring that for now, she nodded to Reef. "Mmm... under normal circumstances, you'd be right! But I think Nutmeg let her unresolved emotions speak for her, and let them all over you like a downpour of molten lava. So this is a case where like..." she made another vague hoof gesture, "You didn't even do anything wrong. But it's still probably the right play to chat her up and give her a space to talk about her feelings and what she wants. You know? She doesn't REALLY hate you!"

Reef looked deep into Summer's eyes, before saying in a tone of utter gravitas, "Am I to understand that as the senior academic on this mission, you are conferring on me an honorary degree in kirin psychiatry? If so one must of course accept, to do otherwise would be most unappreciative."  

"Umm, well..." Summer Scribe stammered. "Not EXACTLY like that. It's not in anyone's professional capacity to, well... Just be a good friend!" She smiled again, perhaps a little nervously this time; did the hippogriff get it? "It IS hard work, it's true... but it's the kind anyone can do."

As Summer stammered Reef turns his head to the side, a twinkle in his eye. "I did say I was not adverse to a good-natured prank." Another avian beak-grin. "In all seriousness that is a splendid suggestion, pay it forward and all that. Can't vouch for my chances of success, but if she is in truth struggling, well, as you say, everycreature deserves a friend. One shall do one's best, inscrutability of fuzzy twitchy muzzles be damned."

"Pfff, okay, prank successfully executed!" Now Summer had a playful grin on her face as well. "And, yeah, you totally got it! Nutmeg's probably desperate to get off of the ship and feel like she's a part of the action, you know? You might even figure something out just by working through those feelings! ...Wow, this was productive..." The blue mare took a deep breath, then let it out with a pleasant sigh. "And a lot of fun. Um! We should do this again sometime." She hoped that didn't sound like a counter-prank: sincere tone, eye contact and everything!

The big grey griff rose to his feet, saying "Indeed! Most productive, I couldn't ask for a better therapist... or should I say, friend." He extended a claw, easily reaching over the table, and held it in front of the unicorn. 

Summer Scribe was cheerful as can be at that, holding a hoof out to shake the claw: it was a bit of an awkward cross-species grip, but somehow it worked. "Yes: friends! That feels nice to say." Didn't it always?





The sun peeked through the clouds, throwing a patchwork of light and shade on the floating island, somewhere near the edge of the Cloudbreak archipelago. A sizable airship was moored to the rocky edge with a makeshift collection of lines and anchors. Little figures could be seen moving around the Harmony; some flying, some on deck, some out in the meadow; ponies, mostly pegasi, and a pair of griffons.

High above the deck, Set Sail had almost finished stitching together the balloon canvas, covering up a ragged hole with a large piece of improvised, but airtight cloth. The dense clouds that she coaxed back in through the hole would definitely not be able to escape as easily. She had some goop in a cannister around her neck that sealed off the seams and sealed the patch tightly to the rest of the balloon. She would have replaced the whole cell if she could, but there wasn't nearly enough material; the patch job would be enough for it to slowly reinflate with warming air from the engine below.

With four other pegasi up there doing the same thing with her, the blue and brown pegasus still did her job next to her crewmates. However with the captain and first mate lost in the crossing, and the second mate stuck in the infirmary with multiple fractures, Set Sail had been thrust into the role of acting captain. She now found herself responsible for the whole ship and crew, including the small camp taking shape in the meadow, on top of her normal job of keeping the vessel afloat.

The mare descended to the ship’s deck, glue pot attached, to find a certain grey hippogriff loitering under the envelope, apparently waiting to speak with her.

Reef Skimmer had been watching the ponies work for some time, taking in their chatter, their jokes, their expressions and in particular how the new captain treated her crew. He stood with his wings tightly folded and his claws tucked together; somepony might thing that they were clenched, until they looked into his eyes and found them strangely calm. Neither confident nor nervous; resigned perhaps, possibly even sad. 

He waited for the pegasus to notice him, then just as she was about to ask, opened with "Captain... Set Sail." His tone was low and smooth, a voice last heard by those patients unlucky enough to be in the sickbay right after the crossing, being reassured that they would make it. "...if you could spare a few minutes, there's something I'd like to discuss. Privately, I think, would be best."

“Well, hello to you too,” Set Sail responded, still looking a trifle miffed at the griff. “Sure, if you need to say something, the chart room’s probably unoccupied. You wanna meet me there? I should only be a minute." She hovered just above the deck without landing, furtively waiting his answer.

“Very well,” he said wearily. “Shall I...” but she’d already flown off to the supply locker, ready to stow the sealant.





The chart room hadn’t seen much use since reaching the Cloudbreaks: with nothing but scattered mana-sonogram impressions of the islands to go by, there were no maps of these skies except those they made as they explored. Reef Skimmer did not have to wait long, before Set Sail came poking her green-topped head in the door. “There you are,” she said, at the sight of the big bird-stallion; she trotted in and closed the door behind her with a swish of her tail. “You said you had something you wanted to discuss?”

Reef ducked his head for a moment, apparently examining the mare's forehooves, before looking her in the eyes. "I... need to speak frankly. And then... I need to listen to whatever you want to say." He sounded less certain of himself than Set Sail's few previous encounters, but also strangely less stressed. "So, the bare bones of a discussion, at least." The hippogriff tilted his head, waiting for her response.

The acting captain stood there for a while, looking at him with a puzzled expression puzzlement. A tilt of her head, before asking "So... what is it you want to say? Is this about the monster pit?" The mare certainly had an impatient twitch in her tail, trying to figure out what this strange creature wanted of her.

Reef looked away, his gaze travelling over the largest (if least useful) map: the known regions of Equus, pinned to the wall. "Not exactly, though I wish I could tell you something of use in that area. Of course haven't had time to analyse the samples..." The griff suddenly closed his eyes, gave a little shake of his head and quite deliberately cleared his throat, interrupting himself. When his eyes opened he was looking directly at Set Sail again.

"Captain... one has had a little time to reflect on recent events... and a little help, I'm happy to say, from a... new friend. In truth, I owe you at least three apologies..." Again, his gaze dropped to the floor and his ear tufts drooped, "The first of which must be, that you are my commander and yet I did not support your authority. Undermined it, even. Not with a will, you understand, but in ignorance and lack of consideration." 

“Well...yeah,” Set Sail said, taking a step back from the intense eagle eyes. “I know I’m only the third mate, but you know, I’m trying. It was worse that you ignored me. You can tell me if I’m wrong, but when I was asking for a status update I wasn’t just asking for me. A lot of the... crew were kinda peeved at you for brushing it off like that. We almost... we almost attacked the natives because you didn’t give us the whole story. That could be really bad, you know? Really...” she sighed and looks off in dread, “...bad.”

Reef nodded at that. "Yes of course! A leader needs the facts to make the right decisions, and I didn't furnish them!" he said, with sudden vehemence. "Which leads me to the second apology, Captain." The hippogriff turned away and took a single step across the room; spacious for the pony but cramped for his larger frame. He stared at the map again, looking at the tiny symbol for Mount Aris. "I... didn't realise it would be this difficult. I hadn't spent much time with ponies before, but... well you all seemed so friendly. How hard could it be?" Looking back at Set Sail, his beak opened in a weak smile, but it died and the sadness returned to his eyes.

"The expedition wasn't military, but a ship's crew is a ship's crew no? Perhaps not, it seems, because I find myself adrift trying to understand how things work around here. Looking for the chain of command, yet you seem to operate with only a suggestion of one; quite effectively though, I should say!" He paused for a moment, then in a softer voice continued "I wanted to help, needed to help, but I didn't know what to do. And I must confess, the harder I tried to say the right thing... well you heard. Drowning diamond dog in a storm and all that, latching onto anything that floats; I latched onto your order to return to the sickbay and ignored everything else." The hippogriff looked away. "Summer helped me admit that."

Her ears drooping, Set Sail didn't meet his eyes as she admitted, “I’m not a good captain. I’m not even supposed to be captain. Just the captain... and Pearl, and I was just stuck in the rigging the whole time. I didn’t even try to get out. I was just... so I’m just captain by default, until Wind Waker recovers. The crew like me, but... y’know, and I try, but...” 

The tears belied her angry eyes when she looked up at the imposing hippogriff stallion, saying, “You were blowing us off again, and I just got so mad, I...” her confidence wavered as her gaze dropped, “I wanted to show you I wasn’t a... a pushover, and I should have just kept asking you for the details, instead of sending you away.” Sighing, she concluded, “But instead I almost ruined the whole expedition sending Grenelda and the others out to... do bad stuff to the monsters. It could’ve started a war between Equestria and... whoever lives here. So I don’t know why you’re apologising. I was the one who told you to go back to the sickbay until further notice.”

Reef straightened and fluffed his wings, some of the usual intensity returning to his gaze. "Captain! Don't sell yourself short. Your crew was in danger, what with the first party attacked by monsters and who knows what other beasts lurking about! For all you knew, for all we knew, the first shot had already been fired, albeit by accident and the war was already underway!" Realising his talons had tightened and his wings were half spread, the hippogriff ducked his head again and took a step backwards. "What I mean to say, Captain, is that you didn't start a war, and everyone made it back safely. By every account, the crew trust you to do the right thing, and you haven't betrayed that trust." He caught Set Sail's eye again. "I don't believe you will."

The pegasus managed to smile at that, though her eyes were still sad as she said “Yeah, I'll do my best. But I mean I didn’t come here to cry at you or anything. Just want you to know that things aren’t... okay. We’re all in a lot of trouble, and we’re just trying to do what we can now. So there’s gonna be a lot of mistakes, and we’re not always gonna do it the right way. If you wanna...” She blushed a little, admitting sheepishly, “If you wanna go, then y’know the explorers do need a pony who can y’know patch them up.”

Set Sail caught herself and blushed harder, pinions quivering and stammering nervously, “Need a–a creature, I mean. Anypony... creature who can patch them up, I mean. S-so if you want, you’re not confined to the sickbay or anything. That’s why you wanted to talk to me, right?”

The hippogriff frowned, saying "I do appreciate that Captain, but..." before trailing off and turned away again. He raised a claw, absent-mindedly placing it on a map case, before it dropped back to the floor. "...I have to say, I... shouldn't be here." The stallion glanced sideways at Set Sail, before turning away completely, staring out the porthole and leaving her face to face with his long pink tail feathers. "It was foolish. I thought, well, I've treated enough shipwreck survivors, volunteered a few times, read the journals, it would be fine. Doctor Pulse was a legend, the senior surgeon that is, with him on the expedition, well we were more than covered, medically speaking. I fancied I could just indulge myself in a spot of natural history..." His voice trailed off and he turned back to the pegasus, his eyes moist but his voice angry. 

"I pushed my way into this voyage, and if I'd bloody well left it alone, well... you'd have a unicorn doctor who would know what's wrong with Azure's horn! Who would have more than a vague hint of a clue about these medically impossible purple ponies! You needed some... pony who could make sense of all this magical malarkey..." The anger in his voice receded as he took the pearl amulet hanging around his neck in a claw, staring at its faint glow "...rather than a griff with only the slightest acquaintance with it." Reef closed his eyes and sighed again, before looking back to Set Sail. "I'm sorry, Captain. I suppose that's all wash under the keel now. One will... do one's best of course." He paused, seemingly for some kind of confirmation or instruction.

Set Sail gently pressed her hoof into his shoulder, probably unintentionally near where the pearl hangs. “That’s what you’re worried about?” she asked, looking up with a wry smile, “Unicorns aren’t that great. We've got like a half dozen, and none of them knew how to do all that stitching you did. Or half of how to put a pony back together again. You’re probably the best uh, crew member we got right now. In terms of skills.” Pulling her hoof back, she paced over to gaze out the viewing window, saying sombrely, “We don’t have many unicorns at all, because this is a flying ship going to a flying island. When you see somepony falling and you can’t save them, but you know you’re safe just because of your wings...”

She turned to look back at him, saying frankly, “You think we’d have a unicorn doctor? Besides Doctor Pulse, over on the Friendship? Both ships with unicorn doctors? We’re lucky to have one! And I wouldn’t blame ‘em, because you’d have to be a crazy pony to come on this mission without wings. Unicorns can’t do what you do either. They can’t transport somepony all the way from the other end of the island in minutes. And it doesn’t really matter what you are, because no matter what you are, some of you are good doctors and some aren’t. And you’re a better one than we would’ve gotten without you. Does that make sense?”

The hippogriff's beak opened slightly, and a good approximation of levity returned to his voice: "Well, it does seem, that you got a sawbones and a cart pilot for the price of one griff." In a more serious tone he added, "My services are at your disposal, Captain, but..." he looked away for a second, before returning to an intense avian stare. "I must ask, could you make your intentions as clear as possible. Not that I intend to stand on formal orders, it's just... with the best will in the world, the subtext may continue to escape me, where ponies are concerned."

Set Sail blushed horribly at that, immediately looking away (probably in admission of defeat in the pecking order!) and replying, “S-s-services at my—? You mean uh, you can’t really mean uh, I mean... y-yeah. Clear as... possible! That’s me! I’ll be clear as the sky when it’s... clear! Like a clear sky. Yup!” Her very cute coverts look a bit ruffled at his sudden intensity, as she looks stiffly out the window, her face still red under her fur.

Reef continued staring at the pony, perplexed. Could she really be... ? Surely not, although, well, her wings were fluffing up a bit and... well, certain regions of his anatomy might be starting to respond... "Yes well, jolly good, glad we understand each other!" he said with sudden urgency. "As you are... my commanding officer now, and, erm... yes. I should probably go..." The hippogriff turned to leave, but then remembered the request he'd wanted to make, if the captain accepted his apology. "That said... just one last thing, Captain, a, erm... mental health issue?" he said uncertainly. "With a member of the crew? Would you mind if I..."