//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Mystery in Skull Caves // Story: Monody Island (#12) // by LightningStar626 //------------------------------// Chapter 3: The Mystery in Skull Caves "Oh yeah, feel that wind!" Rainbow hollered over the strong winds as the boat began speeding across the water. "Refreshing, right?!" Lightning yelled. "Yeah! And we haven't even sailed far from the beach!" Pinkie added. ~The party girl turned, and revealed that they had indeed not gone far from Canterlot beach's shore. Nonetheless, she brought up both of her hands and waved them in the air again. She looked rather silly, so Lightning gave a small giggle, before turning to the nearest Rainboom next to her, being Applejack. Her face was green with seasick and she scrunched up her mouth in an attempt to not chunder anywhere on the boat. Lightning stopped in surprise before offering her a seat.~ "Umm, Applejack? Are you okay?" she asked. "I'm as sick as a dog, Lightnin'." she groaned. "It's definitely not a pirate's life for me." "You're seasick? Oh, I never knew that." "Ah, where's ye sense of adventure, lass?" Jan the pirate spoke up. "Did ye ever imagine ye'd be swashbucklin' on the open waves?" The cowgirl suddenly retched. "Please, stop talkin' 'bout waves!" ~She jerked her head over the prow and aimed below to the ocean, ready in case the sickness came up at any moment. Lightning patted her back in support.~ "I don't get it though. In Merrdom, when we were on the King's Wolf, you seemed just fine." "Yeah, I don't know why I didn't feel seasick then," Applejack groaned. "It must have been the magic there," Sunset replied. "Merrdom certainly has its strange ways, as Tad would say." ~Hours dragged by, and poor Applejack never felt any better. She was still suffering from her seasickness and spent most of the journey laying down on the decking, trying to keep her head as still as possible. Her stomach too, as that was the only thing that was throbbing and causing her sickness to extend to its limits. Fluttershy and Rarity did their best to nurse her, though they wished they brought medicine. Lightning watched them, then back towards the sea when Sail approached her.~ "So, what kind of treasure are we searching for, exactly?" she asked the pirate, feeling his presence. "That depends on what we discover," he answered. "We need to search for a treasure map first afore we can officially begin the quest." "You don't have a map? Oh. So, what, are there just treasure maps lying around the entire cove, or something?" asked Lightning. "Precisely," Sail answered. "It's that simple. We explore, we find-a map, we explore again, we find-a location, we find the booty, we keep da booty!" Pinkie Pie snickered. "Booty… HA HAH!" "That's what we call treasure." "Okay, I think I get it now," said Lightning. "In that case, I'm ready to roll!" "Hmph! Glad ya are, kiddo." ~Sail wrapped his arm around Lightning's shoulder and pulled her in for a friendly, sibling-like fight. Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer was standing on the bow. With one hand over her forehead, she stared at the glimmering blue oceans on every side that went on for miles, eager to see what was lurking here. Although, she was still shocked to actually hear there is more to this world than she anticipated. She just needed to see it for herself to believe if it was true. Though, she kept her wits about when it came to the pirates. As much as Lightning loved them, she feared that they were bringing her and them into a trap, where there would be more pirates to wreak havoc and bring harm to them. They would have no chance of escape. Twilight appeared behind her.~ "Sooo, figured out if they're planning anything?" she asked. "Not yet." Sunset sighed in response. "But I gotta say. Captain Alonzo is playing his act very well." ~The two looked behind themselves towards the captain, wallowing in despair on the stairs. His face was turned away and it looked as if he was dead on the boards. Fluttershy, meanwhile, had an opposite feeling towards him. She felt his pain, and sorrows that were welled up inside of him, and wondered why he felt this way. That was when she began to question Sunset and Twilight's accusations.~ "Act?" she started. "I don't think he's really depressed." Sunset answered. "He's just faking it to get attention so he can become closer to us." "How do you know?" "I don't." Sunset replied. She noticed Fluttershy's shy look. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I don't trust those pirates. I think they're going to steal something from us." "Most likely our geodes," said Twilight. "Well, Lightning seems to trust them, so, I think we should too." The shy guy tried to reason. "On the bright side, the pirates seem really sweet, and really I do think Alonzo is depressed." "What gave you the first hint? The black curves below his eyes or the constant frown he keeps pulling?" Rainbow Dash asked, as she approached them. "I just wonder why he is always so sad." "He did seem pretty sad when he saw that Stitch and Spike were coming with us." Twilight said, recounting his look back on the docks. "Do you think he hates dogs then?" Fluttershy asked before feeling a little sad if it was true. "No, I'm pretty sure he was sad before then," said Sunset. "Do you remember that gorgeous red feather he had in his coat down at the beach?" asked Rarity. "Oh, yes! I do!" exclaimed Sunset. "I wonder what it means…" ~But before any of the girls could answer, Sail stood next to them on the prow. He was the first to spot something in the distance. What he saw was a glistening smooth-sided island with high grey mountain peaks resting on the yellow sand below. Twilight notice it secondly, but before she could point it out to the girls, Pinkie did it for her, as she jumped up beside her from underneath out of the blue and pointed towards the distance.~ "Yo ho land ho, lads!" she cried. "Argh!" Two or three of them responded. Sail cleared his throat. "Pardon me, lassies, but we're gonna to dock over on that island an' stock up on supplies, if that's okay." "Oh! Um, aye, aye, Sail!" Sunset saluted. "Looks like you'll get to stretch your sea legs, Applejack." "And I think we'd enjoy a few moments on dry land." added Twilight. Applejack raised her head and attempted a smile. "Ya don't 'ave to ask me twice. C'mon, y'all, let's get to port!" ~At Sail's powerful command, the girls ringed around the mast. The billowing sail drooped around and the craft began to slow on down. The leftover wind carried them over to the island. Once they got close enough, it was safe to drop the anchor and rest on shore. Unsurprisingly, Applejack was the first to get off. Leaping with joy, she almost literally buried her face deep on the sand of the beach.~ "Ahhh! Sweet mother nature's dry land!" she shouted happily. "I gotta tell ya y'all, this is more like it! If it wasn't so grungy, I'd kiss the ground!" "And hug it to which you will never let go." laughed Lightning. Sail clapped his hands to get their attention. "Right then, lads, and lassies! Lets get ta stockin'!" ~Apparently, this island was the crew's base, and that all the loot they've stolen and traded, was kept here for safe keeping. The pirates simply wanted to pick up some essentials. So, with that, the crew began stocking up their crates and barrels. The ship creaked, groaned and jumped as they hopped on and off, bringing weight, and lightening it over and over again. The girls that stayed on had to cling on the side again so the world didn't turn too giddy for their eyes. Lightning began to enjoy herself and look around with interest on the strange land that they were in. Of course, now that they were much closer, more colour appeared. Green-coloured jungles covered up a large part of the surface, after it broke the lower yellow flat sands the more inland it was. The hills ran up clearly above the greenness to spiked rocks. All were strangely-shaped, and the tallest, that stood at three-hundred metres, looked like an old pencil top. Lightning couldn't help but smile at the wonderful sight. Suddenly, she felt Sunset next to her, breathing in an air full of fresh oxygen from the jungle trees. She smiled again.~ "So, is this what you would call a life-threatening, dangerous experience?" The fiery girl turned to her friend submissively. "Okay, I will admit, maybe this isn't too bad. I love faraway adventures, it's just that…not the kinds that are dangerous and life-threatening." "I'm afraid that's just one of the flaws of being a spy. I know. It's a lot to take in, and while it's difficult, remember that you're not alone. I'll help you through it. I promise. Now, come on, try to have some little fun on these adventures." Sunset sighed. "Alright." ~She took Lightning's hand, and together they darted to the nearby crates of loot and began to help Sail. Meanwhile, Captain Alonzo had just joined them on the island to help. He eyed a specific crate and barrel from the piles on the sand, and shortly began carrying it back towards his ship. Not a single look of happiness escaped him as he walked, but that was soon interrupted by Rarity, who happened to be nearby the captain. She accompanied him back to the boat, and as he finally noticed her beside him, she spoke.~ "May I ask you something, Captain Alonzo," Rarity started. "Why do you wear that eyepatch, despite there being nothing wrong with your eye?" "It's because it makes me feel like me dear old grand-papa, Captain Tico Alonzo," he answered. "He lost an eye in battle fifty years ago on account of searchin' for treasure. He truly was the greatest one of all." ~He held up a locket that hung around his neck and opened it up to reveal an old brown picture of the man with similar features towards him.~ Rarity looked at it with curiosity before Pinkie Pie barged in behind her. "Hey! He looks just like you!" she said, beaming. "Arrr- I suppose he does." said the captain, and he suddenly gave a small yet noticeable smile. It changed quickly however and he snapped the locket shut again. "Ahh- but I will never be like him." "Whaat?!" "How can you say that?" gasped Rarity. "Because nothin' in me life has happened that is worthy of a title! Some sea dogs are just meant to wash away to the shore, an' let the better, more skilled professional sea thieves take the lead... It's never gonna be me." he put his head down in shame. ~Captain Alonzo packed up what was scattered around him and left back onto the boat, galumphing. Pinkie and Rarity saw the sad lining, but they did not have the option follow him, as suddenly, Sail gave out a hardy yell of irritation.~ "Jan! Stop ittt!" ~The girls, Stitch and Spike all gathered together and wondered what Sail was so upset about. That is, until they heard the air filling with the damaging harmonic sounds of a concertina.~ "What in heaven's name is that?!" Rarity cried. "It sounds like the dying cat parade." said Lightning, covering her ears. ~Suddenly, they saw who exactly was playing the music so horribly. Jan, the sailor, had a concertina in his hands, and he was pressing all its buttons on it like a madman. It wasn't even music at that point, it was just noise. And Sail, out of all the pirates, was getting the most irritated by the stupid sailor's playing, and he knew it. So he just keep playing, more specifically around Sail.~ He looked like he was about to blow his top off. "Why did the captain have to have the most annoyin' musical instrument known to man?!" "What? What do yer mean?!" Jan asked, laughing. "A concertina." ~The pirates plugged their fingers in their ears, but all Jan did was play louder and more out of tune. The rest of the girls were just unamused, but after seeing Stitch and Spike howling in distraught, they wandered off with Sail.~ "Ugh, sailors." Lightning grumbled. "Temme 'bout it." laughed Sail. He suddenly began glancing around a few times. "Hmm…" "What?" Sunset said, noticing his looks. "It seems as if we're missin' a few crates from our stowage. Must be further into the island. Do ya lassies think ye can guard the boat while we go an' find 'em?" "Sure thing." Lightning said, along with the Rainbooms nodding slowly. "Mighty kind o' ye. Won't be but a moment then! Don't move anywhere." ~Like that, Sail grabbed his brother, Jan, Pip, Caura, and their captain, and they all set off into the green part of the island to search for more of their loot. The Rainbooms settled down on what was left to be taken aboard the ship and messed around for the next dozen of minutes.~ "This is boring," Rainbow complained as she and Pinkie Pie began playing catch with a seashell. "I'm getting fed up! Can we do something?" "The first mate told us not to move." Sunset reminded her. "An' to guard the boat." added Applejack. "I know. But, can't we at least check out the island, or something?" she insisted, waving her arms in exasperation. "I suppose you can if you want," Sunset replied. "Yeah, I'm with Rainbow here. I came here to have an adventure, not to continue to sunbathe and get a sunburn." said Lightning. Fluttershy fished around in her pocket. She brought out a small ball of wool. "How about you play fetch with Stitch?" she offered brightly. ~Stitch actually wasn't really interested, so Spike played instead and soon enough, the dog had scampered down the beach searching out the ball of wool with his nose. As is often the case with such games, Lightning, Rainbow and Spike gradually began to move further and further away as Rainbow threw the ball harder each time. Soon they were almost out of sight in the blistering sun of the beaches.~ "Don't go too far," Twilight called. "Come back a little." "It's all right!" called Lightning. ~Rainbow gave the ball one last throw as hard as she could and laughed as Spike shot off to retrieve it. However, instead of racing back with the ball between his teeth as he had been doing, Spike began to snuffle about in the sand and the entrance to the caves nearby. Lightning could hear him.~ "Come back here, you goofball!" she yelled. "Wait!" he replied by barking loudly. Rainbow cocked her head. "What is it, Spike?" she called. "I think he's found something." Lightning cried. ~Rainbow called for the others and they came running with their backpacks and spare torches. Together, they chased after Spike. They found him sniffing and pawing at an old, creaky, sign next to the cave entrance that read in blood red writing Skull Caves. It was written rather hurriedly and covered in sand, which seemed suspicious towards the girls. Sunset Shimmer peered closer. Then, to her amazement, she could see a faint glow of light coming from inside the darkness of the tunnel.~ "What do you think is in there?" whispered Fluttershy. "Why don't we go and see?" Lightning insisted. "I mean, what's stopping us?" "It's probably too dangerous…" began Fluttershy. She shut her mouth when she saw the others' looks. "Oh, alright," "Come on, then." ~So, lighting a torch, the eight girls and two dogs sneaked off down the mysterious tunnel. Lightning led the way. The orange light flickered on the walls as they went in deeper. Nothing but blackness was lying ahead and it felt as if they weren't even moving at all with the walls being exactly the same. The air was ominous, yet thick, and now smokey from the torch. Sunset Shimmer felt an uncomfortable tingle in her stomach. Along they crept ever so carefully without making a sound. Only faint whispers were heard every minute, and that's what scared them. Finally, Lightning stopped. She peered at the walls next to her, on her left. They were covered in old white chalk that looked like drawings of people, ships, and animals. They seemed to tell a story, along with a riddle, written in an unknown language.~ "What do all these strange markings mean?" Lightning quired. She put her hand against the wall to examine it more closely. "Never seen anything like it before." "Those are cave paintings," answered Twilight. "Most likely crafted onto these walls over forty-four hundred years ago." They heard Pinkie Pie giggling. "Hey! Look at this one! This one looks like a mammoth!" "And the ones next to him look like a sloth and a sabre-toothed tiger!" Rainbow added, pointing at a few more. "A very round sloth…" added Rarity. "What about the other ones?" asked Sunset. ~They gazed deeper and deeper into the wallings, even though at that point they were becoming quite difficult to read because it turned so black. There seemed to be no more drawings on the walls after another few steps, but Spike pushed up on his forepaws and placed them on the wall to get a better look. Then, by the light of the torch, he glanced upwards at a large picture.~ "What's this one?" he asked. Twilight shook to where he was looking and hummed. "It looks like a…" "A treasure map!" ~Sunset gasped and pointed towards the other parts, clearly angled in directions and white dotted lines leading around parts of islands, sea beasts, volcanos, and other ships until finally towards an X on an island, covered in red. Written in Old English, it told another riddle, along with the title to which no one could understand properly.~ "Yeah, look at this!" Lightning said, dusting off the walls and somehow making out the wording of what it said. "'The Treasure of Crossbone Island''." she read. "The stolen treasures from all the lands, are currently hidden from thievin' hands. Once ye past the mutineer bay, crossing the volcano is the only way. Finding this map is all ye need, then soon enough yer 'll be filled with greed'." "Welp. Seems as if we have found our objective." Rainbow smiled. "And it doesn't look like it's that far from here! If we're in Skull Caves here, and the island is over here, I say it'll take approximately three days to make it there." Twilight calculated. "Then what are we waiting for!?" ~Pinkie bounced up and snapped a picture of the map and riddle on her phone. Then, when they were about to have a look and make their way out, Applejack, who was bringing up the rear, heard a sound.~ "Hold on, y'all," she called. "There's something down this tunnel, I think. I've just heard a noise." "What did you hear, darling?" asked Rarity. "I'm not sure…" Applejack began. "Well, there's always odd noises in tunnels," Twilight interrupted. "Probably a rat or something." "A rat?!" exclaimed Rarity. "No, it was...listen, there it goes again," said Applejack. ~All eight girls heard it this time- a wheezing noise as though someone was out of breath or asthmatic.~ "It sounds like a person to me," said Sunset. "Maybe we should investigate. They might be in trouble." Fluttershy added. ~After a brief discussion, and more noises coming from the tunnel, they agreed to take a look. Led by Applejack, who took the torch from Lightning, they started down the tunnel, calling as they went.~ "Hello? Is there anyone there?" ~No one answered, but the wheezing sound was growing louder. Taking turning after turning, their path took them deeper into the bowels of the earth. Fluttershy began to get worried.~ "I'm not sure that this is a good idea," she said. "I think we should go back." ~Applejack was about to answer when they heard a deep rumble far beneath them. The ground trembled under their feet and the sound echoed and boomed like a great bass drum all around them.~ "What on earth was that?" exclaimed Rarity. "It sounds like a bomb is about to go off," said Lightning. ~They all stood stock still. Then in the silence, they heard a faint hissing sound. It grew louder and louder.~ "Look!" cried Rainbow. "There's some kind of mist coming towards us." ~The others peered through the flickering gloom. Sure enough, a white cloud was billowing down the tunnel towards them and reflecting the flickering light of their torch. In spite of the anxious cries of her companions, Lightning ran forward to have a look.~ "It's not mist," she shouted. "It's steam. There's sparks as well, and...and it's boiling!" "Then let's getta outta 'ere, quick!" barked Stitch. ~The Rainbooms raced back the way they had come as fast as their legs could carry them. The hissing sound was growing very loud indeed and the earth trembled again under the impact of an underground explosion. Steam began to billow from all different directions.~ "Come on! This way!" cried Rainbow. ~She sped across with her super speed, before rushing headlong into a boulder blocking the entrance.~ "OWW!" she cried. "Rainbow Dash!" cried Fluttershy. Lightning looked at the boulder blockage. "Hey! What the…?" "The entrance is blocked!" Sunset exclaimed. "We're trapped!" Twilight cried. ~No matter how much banging and pounding they did, the walls just would not move. A dull crimson light was now accompanying the steam, looking as if it was ready to blow up at any second.~ "Oh, help, we're going to be boiled alive!" wailed Fluttershy. "Not if I can help it," Applejack panted. ~She plunged through the steam, scarcely able to see where she was going. Suddenly, she came flying back and hurled her whole weight into the rock, crashing it down and letting them out before the caves exploded inside. Pouring out like ants from a crevice, they at once began to scramble outside and away from the side of the cave before the steam escaped too. They looked around helplessly, and as Lightning was about to begin something, at that moment, she was interrupted by the yell of a man.~ "Lassies!" "It's Sail!" Pinkie shouted exultantly. ~A minute later, they ran into the quartermaster and the whole crew that had returned from their island search. Sail was beyond surprise when he saw the girls, sweating bullets and wrinkly skin.~ "Zooterkins!" he exclaimed. "What happened to you?" Lightning quickly explained what had happened, but then went on about their discovery. "You would not believe what we found in there!" "We found a map!" Rainbow said. "Written on the cave walls leading to a treasure on an island not far from here!" "The Treasure of Crossbone Island." Sunset revealed. "The Treasure of Crossbone Island!?" the pirates gasped, rather scared. "Yeah. It says here that it's…" "We know what it is!" Sail interrupted angrily. "Yo-You do?" "Arrr, yes, we do! And we arrr never goin' back there ever again! It's too dangerous!" Fluttershy glanced down nervously before noticing the captain. "A-Alonzo, are you okay?" ~Captain Alonzo looked grim. Then, without a word, just a snuffle, he wildly turned his back and hurried onto the ship and into his quarters, slamming the door, leaving the girls confused.~ "What's up with him?" Rainbow asked. Sail gave a frustrated sigh. "I think it's 'bout time we show ya lassies somethin' that we've been keepin' from ya. Come. Follow me." ~He led them into the captain's quarters where an old-fashioned cabinet was laid at the side of the left wall. It was filled with all sorts of ancient trinkets, containing a compass, a sextant, a tin canikin, several sticks of tobacco, two brace of very fancy pistols, an old Spanish watch, and some other trinkets that held such little value. In the meantime, Sail and Caura were too busy handling all the silver and trinkets, in search of something specific. Finally, they found it. Underneath an old black chest, bundled up with red string, was a coffee stained rolled up piece of parchment. Sail pulled it up with impatience then, undoing the string, he unrolled the parchment on the table to reveal…~ "The map of Crossbone Island!" Lightning gasped. "Like, the real deal!" "What?! You mean to say that you've been looking for a map in order to find treasure, yet you've had one all this time?!" yelled Rainbow. Caura began to tell the tale. "Well. You see, Cap'n Alonzo's grandfather, Cap'n Tico Alonzo, got the map a long, long time ago," she answered. "It belonged to 'is greatest enemy, Cap'n Igadolf Crossbone. They fought wars. Great an' terrible wars on the sea that would last for nights. Our Cap'n Alonzo was a young scuff back then, an' 'e never knew much 'bout the story until 'e got older an' more invested innit." Pinkie shifted to get herself more comfortable. "Hey, didn't he mention something about his grandfather losing an eye?" she winked to imitate him. "Oh, yes. 'E stood single-handed before the evil Cap'n Crossbone- an incredibly brave thin' to do if ya ask me- and accordin' to Alonzo, 'e said that 'is grandfather took a blazin' pellet straight in the eye as 'e went up against his foe for the very last time." "Whoa…" the girls marvelled. "So, who won the war?" Rainbow asked. "In the end, Tico did. It was not easy but in the aftermath that came was, or course, 'is eye, but also, the map ye see before your very eyes." ~The Rainbooms took another good look at the large parchment before them on the table, mesmerised by its colours and glory. Caura continued to speak.~ "'E began to search for the treasure immediately, as any old pirate would, hungry to get his greedy, grubby hands on the fortunes that lie within. But, unfortunately, 'e never found it, and 'e got too old to continue. That was when he passed it down to 'is grandson. An', for us, we were determined ta find it. We 'ad made good progress. We were fightin' off other ships, learnin' more mysteries, makin'...friends?" she paused for a moment. "More-or-less. But what we didn't know 'bout the island and its treasure was that there were traps. Hundreds o' 'em. An' as we got to ta island, there was a shot...and we...we lost a valuable member o' our crew." "Ohh." Twilight said sadly. "Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that." "Who were they?" Rainbow asked. "Featherbeard." Sail cried the name. "The Cap'n's parrot. 'e was a fine matey, 'e was. Bringin' the cap'n good company, sittin' upon his shoulder, havin' all the hardtack sea biscuits 'e wanted. His death was a tragic day for all o' us, but it never hit anybody else, other than our beloved Cap'n. Rest his poor soul." "Oh, that's so sad…" whispered Fluttershy. Lightning's face gave sympathy. "Ohhh. So, that's why Alonzo is so depressed. He lost his pet." "Featherbeard was more than just a pet!" Pip spat. "He was a loyal member ta our crew!" "R-right. Of course he was. Sorry, that was a bit insensitive." "What would ya call ya seadogs over there!? Huh!?" he continued to snap. "Just...pets?!" "N-No, no, there are friends! Spike and Stitch are l-loyal companions like Featherbeard." stuttered Lightning. "Hmph! Me point stands clear!" he snapped, and with that he stormed off outdoors. Sail shrugged and carried on. "Ignore 'im. 'E's just as upset about it as the cap'n is." "Well," Sunset began. "This certainly explains a few things, especially the feather he keeps in his pocket, but what I don't understand is why the captain is still depressed, if this happened a long time ago." "Alot of people can be very attracted to their pets, Sunset," Fluttershy explained. "Even if they have departed…" "Exactly. After Featherbeard's loss, we made an oath to never return to that island ever again." Caura said. "Arrgh. We cannot afford to lose another member o' ours. This map can go an' burn in a thousand fires, for all I care!" Sail growled fiercely. ~With that, he threw the map down to the ground and would have stomped on it to emphasise his anger, but he rejected after a moment. The Rainbooms looked down upon it, and as Lightning picked it up again, she felt a sense of courage.~ "Maybe this is why we've come along on your quest then." "Huhh? What are talkin' about?" Sail quired. "I'm talking about Crossbone's treasure. Sometimes, you just gotta face your fear and move on. I understand that your captain is still going through the loss, but it's what Featherbeard would have wanted. At least get it done so you don't have to worry about it again. 'Avenge 'im!' as you would all say." "Ya make a fair point, lassie, but- ahh, we've lost our way 'round the seas." "But weren't you just searching for treasure before you came to our beach?" Rarity asked. "The only reason we wanted to find treasure was for Alonzo, so he could cherish it and let his spirits be rejoiced at the wonders of being a pirate again! It hasn't gone very well, as ye can see." Caura sighed. "Well, if you ask me, the only thin' that will make Alonzo feel great again is by overcomin' his fear and gettin' that Crossbone treasure!" Applejack encouraged. "And we're gonna help you do that!" added Lightning. "Really? Ye do that for us?" Sail said. "Of course. It's kinda what we do." Rainbow shrugged. "Well, blow me ship down, then bury me bones- ya lassies have got ye selves anotha deal!" ~Slapping his hand into Lightning's, they shook on it greatly before he patted each on the girls' shoulders.~ "Right, let's getcha some quarters to sleep in then, ehh? Night's comin' quick." ~He was right. A full moon was beginning to rise and it peered redly through the upper edges of the sudden frosty fog. So, like that, the girls were finally let down under the decking and inside the boat itself. There was a strong, rich, oaky smell of the waxed walls as they descended, and since the downstairs and upper decking were quite narrow among each other, they had to watch their heads. Finally, they were trailed towards their corners, with cells lined up on either side of the hull. Only four hammocks were in one cell, but more bedding was scattered around for them. Sunset, however, was a little miffed that this is where they will be staying.~ "The brig?" she quired. "Argh. It's the only place we got that has beds. No hard feelin's, alright?" Sail said, before ushering them inside and slamming the barred door. "Goodnight, lassies, don't let the bed rats bite!" ~Sunset turned back to ask him a question, but he left before she could say a word.~ Lightning, instead, got to business. "Uhh, so! Who wants a hammock, and who wants to sleep on the floor?" "I will take a hammock." Rarity dibbed. ~But, as she prepared to climb on, the hammock swung upside down, and she fell off, face first and laid sprawled out on the damp, musty, wooden floor. Stitch rubbed his head against her.~ "I will take the floor." "And I'll take the one next to the porthole. Just in case I- urk! Throw up…" Applejack retched, and winced as she tried to adjust her position. Everyone else settled finely. "Let's just hope that these next few days go forth,... greatly." Lightning said. "Okay." Sunset nodded, but in her head, she still had doubts.