//------------------------------//
// Icy Seas 
// Story: Night Wing 
// by Gravity012 
//------------------------------//

Three Days Later

Strawberry Twist

Careful What you wish for. I mentally scolded myself as my breath fogged in front of me. I had wanted cooler temperatures. Just not this cold. I winced as I pulled my hoof away from the wheel and rubbed it against my fur, trying to warm it. Chunks of ice had started to appear around the ship earlier in the day and all the Pegasi scouts had been called in to prevent frost bitten wings. Several Unicorns were position strategically across the deck, their horns glowing and emitting heat, trying to stave off the cold. It had been three days since we had gotten our heading. The crew was in high spirits, despite the cold, and excitement for what we would find there caused rumors and crazy theories to spread around the ship. I can’t believe Wind Sprinter thinks we are going to find some mountain of riches. I laughed quietly to myself as I thought of my fellow former Guards.

“Berry! Your time is up! My turn to freeze my tail off...” My replacement helmspony grumbled to himself irritably. The brown Unicorn grabbed the wheel in their golden magic as I backed away, holding it steady while we transitioned.

“Thanks. Try not to freeze out here.” I heard and felt his horn start emitting heat as I turned around to go down the stairs and get some food below deck. Fortunate Unicorns. Got their horns to keep them warm. Waving a wing at some random crew members, I passed through double doors under the helm that lead into the ships interior. A few ponies sat in the small parlor that was right through the doors, trying to warm up after or before their deck shifts. I ignored them as I went to the stairs on the other end of the room and descended into the galley. The stairs came down in the middle of the back wall, with Night’s room on the right, and the kitchen on the left. A walkway was clear of tables all the way to the front wall, where three doorways lead to all the crew rooms.

I ignored all that in favor of the Unicorn mare standing in front of the food bar on the left side. She was sitting in a chair, reading a book, as she kept a pot of oatmeal warm with her magic. She hardly looked up as I approached, quickly looking back down and turning a page of her book. I got a bowl and mug while using the ladle to scoop some oatmeal into my bowl with a wing. “Thanks.” The Unicorn hummed a response out as she kept reading. A quick stop by the water barrel, and I chose a seat at a table in the front right corner.

Oh this is so good.... I moaned out loud as I took a bite of the warm oatmeal. It didn’t taste great, but the warmth was amazing. Even here, below the deck, it was chilly. Unicorns could only do so much about the temperature without wearing themselves out.

Just as I pulled the spoon out of my mouth, I saw a sight straight from a nightmare approaching me. Silver trudged up to my table, bags under her eyes, hair a complete mess, and her wings slightly uneven. With a thud she let her head hit the table as she slid into a chair across from me. “You look like you died and came back to life.” I commented before taking another bite of oatmeal. Her head shifted to the side slightly so one eye could glare up at me.

“I feel like I died and came back to life.” Silver’s head slowly left the table as she eyed my bowl of oatmeal hungrily. I covered it with my hooves and pulled it to the safety of my side of the table.

“Get your own.” I gave her a playful glare before getting another spoonful of the glorious warmth. She looked over to the food bar before dropping her head back down.

“Too far....” The grumble was barely loud enough for me to hear.

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been in your room all the time.” A swig of water washed down the oatmeal, though the temperature of it made me shiver.

“Batponies were not made to be sailors. I feel like my intestines want to crawl out of my mouth.”

“Well thanks for that imagery. And speak for yourself, I’m doing fine. I just think the great Silver Wing is prone to seasickness.” I laughed as a particularly large wave rocked the ship and made her groan. The sound of a door opening across the hall made me look over to see Night Wing coming out of his room. It also caused a reaction from Silver. She instantly shot up straight in her chair, grabbed my mug of water, and proceeded to toss it in her face. I stared at her in shock for a full five seconds before saying anything.

“Did you ju....What was that!?” I grabbed my mug back from her and looked down into it’s empty depths. “I wasn’t done with that!” My head shot up to see her not even listening. She was too busy straightening out her hair and wings. Then she looked over to Night, only to let out a disappointed whimper. I glanced over to see the end of his tail disappearing up the stairs. I looked back when I heard the thud of Silver’s head reconnecting with the table.

“Silver. Do you have something you want to tell me?” A smirk was staring to work it’s way across my face. She looked up at me with one eye.

“Strawberry Twist, I will have you court marshaled, I swear.” The pure rage in her eyes almost made the smirk slip off my face. Almost.

“Siiiiilver. Are you sure you don’t have something to tell me?” Now she sat up to stare at me.

“Berry, if you continue this line of thought there will be consequences.” She puffed out her chest, trying to be intimidating, but her eyes looked almost fearful.

“Look Silver. The way I see it, there is only one explanation for what just happened.” I smirked even more as her brows furrowed. “You have developed more than platonic feelings for our resident bird.” The unholy hiss that left Silver’s mouth at that statement only fueled my laughter. “Is that a yes?” I gasped out between laughs. The hollow thunk of head meeting wood was all the confirmation I needed.

“If you say anything to anyone, you will not wake up the next day.” The hollow threat was muffled by the table.

“Don’t worry Silver, I won’t tell your future husband your secret.” I laughed all the harder as she groaned audibly.

“I need help Berry.” That sentence made my laugh start to slow.

“Alright, what can I do?” A few more giggles escaped, but I managed to keep it mostly quiet.

“How do you tell your superior officer, who you have known for years, that you are in love with them?” She looked up at me, her head still on the table, and the despair in her eyes washed away the last of my mirth. “He has so many things to do, and he just lost his sister. I don’t want to add anything else to him right now.” She looked back down at the wood. “I physically hurt for him Berry. I want to help him through this and get closer to him. But I don’t know how.” I nodded slowly, thinking about what she had said.

“Silver, I think you should just tell him. Holding it back isn’t going to do anything but hurt you more. Besides, Night isn’t going to not be busy any time soon. This is the least busy he has been in awhile. Try to find a good quiet time to talk to him.” I scraped the last bit of oatmeal out of my bowl, wishing I had some water to wash it down. 

“You think that will work?” Silver looked up to me with a hopeful look in her eye.

“I don’t know much about love Silver. Other than familial love. But, not many of us on this ship do. So, that seems like a reasonable enough plan to me.” Silver rolled her head back down and groaned once again.

“Your words inspire so much confidence.” Silvers wings sagged down as she tried to become one with the table.

“Oh look! There’s Night now.” I almost fell out of my chair laughing as Silver shot up to look at the empty staircase. She gave an angry huff before throwing my bowl at my head with her hoof. The resulting thunk seemed to improve her mood as she retreated back to her room. Halfway into the hallway, she was stopped as a pony called out from the deck.

“Land Ahead!” The call made the few ponies in the galley, and even some from the crew quarters, rush up the stairs. As me and Silver squeezed up onto the top deck, we were greeted by a small sea of ponies all trying to get a look at the land ahead.

The crowd parted slightly to let Silver, and by extension me, through. Once we had reached the stairs to the helm, we both quickly ascended to see what was happening. I was expecting some snow covered wasteland, and maybe a frozen fishing village of some sort. I definitely wasn’t expecting a giant hollowed out iceberg in the distance. A few ships were coming and going, all of them very worn looking. Large holes in the ice at the water level let ships enter and leave, and above that more holes let me catch a glimpse of buildings inside the hollowed out structure. Some buildings and walkways wrapped around the outside of the ice, mainly watch towers and emplacements for cannons. Tattered flags scattered around the hunk of ice wavered in the wind. It was one of these that made my heart sink. A black flag with a skull of some sort and bones crossed over it.