//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: The Hammerhead 
// Story: The Five: Into the Beyond 
// by lyra_lover777 
//------------------------------//

	Dinky hugged her mother hard before letting go. Her mother had tears in her eyes and told her how much she loved her and how proud of her she was. Dinky sobbed into her mother's shoulder before slowly trotting away to the train station.
The group reached the train station after a short walk. Princess Luna would meet them in Vanhoofer to help them launch in the morning.
As they boarded the train, it began to rain. dinky let a few tears fall off her face at this time so no one would notice. She was the youngest in the group, and she didn't want to seem like extra baggage that they were forced to carry around.
When they sat down on the train, she shared a seat with Spike. She was still crying and he wiped the tears off her face and looked into her eyes. They were both blushing.
They both heard a little snort and turned around to she Coco trying to hold back laughter. She finally let loose and fell to the ground, a stitch forming in her side as she cried from laughing so hard. The other two mares started to giggle and then full out laugh, also.
"W-what's so funny?" asked Spike nervously.
"I-it's s-so obvious!" said Coco before falling to the ground, laughing some more.
The two were blushing horribly now. "W-what's o-obvious?" Spike asked, already knowing the answer.
"Th-that you want her s-so badly!" snorted Coco, who collapsed into another fit of giggles. 
The two blushed even harder, if it was possible, and turned away from each other. The three mares finally recovered.
"S-sorry." said Amethyst Star. "I wasn't laughing at you like Coco. I was laughing at her with her funny faces and her laugh!" Amethyst pretended to be Coco and made faces and absurd noises. They all fell over laughing, even Spike and Dinky giggled.
"I guess I deserved that." said Coco.
"Ya sure did." said Spike. They all then fell silent as they looked out the windows, watching the beautiful landscape zing by. In no time, they had arrived in Vanhoofer.
===
Amethyst looked around as they walked down the streets of summer Vanhoofer. Usually Vanhoofer was covered in snow, but it was the peak of summer, so no ice was around.
They headed for their hotel. The train ride had taken several hours and it was now night, a crescent moon shining in the sky. Amethyst watched as Spike and Dinky started to move closer together. She felt bad about laughing before, but she couldn't help it, like she couldn't help prying into private matters.
Spike had realized that the diagram on the back of the prophecy paper was a diagram of the weapon. Coco had brought a red pencil out of her saddle bags and checked off the small gear on the diagram.
But now the group approached their hotel, the Maritrot. They entered and went up to their rooms, Spike staying in his own room while Dinky and Roseluck went in one and Coco and her went into the other.
Coco snores, horribly. It took Amethyst over an hour to fall asleep. But it also was from worries, not just Coco's chainsaw snores. She really needed to see a doctor about that.
Anyways, Amethyst eventuall y fell into a dreamless sleep.
===
Spike awoke the next morning in his own room, bright and early at 6:00 am. Okay, he woke up with all four mares pounding on his door to get him up.
Anyways, they were now headed to the Vanhoofer docks, where they would board their ship and meet Princess Luna, mare of the night.
When he and Dinky had gotten laughed at, he had felt angry, but the anger had quickly subsided, replaced by doubt and worry of this upcoming quest. What would befall them?
But that didn't matter now as he watched Dinky's golden tail swish in the dawn light. He sighed as he drooped watching her beautiful form...
Spike snapped back into attention when he heard Amethyst Star call out "We're here!" 
Spike followed the group as they passed a great deal of fisherpony rowboats. But at the end of the docks was a giant ship, twenty times the size of the meager rowboats surrounding it.
The ship was made of wood, but the hull was gold plated. Three masts rose out of the center of the ship. The Equestrian flag swayed in the light breeze, hanging from the tallest mast. Printed on the wooden hull, just above the gold plating, was the words "The Hammerhead", which was probably the ship's name.
Princess Luna emerged from the innards of the ship. She flew over to them. They all bowed. Spike slapped Coco before she fainted. Coco recovered after that.
Luna lead them onto The Hammerhead. She gave them the grand tour. They walked across the deck, where two ballistae were stationed on either side, and up a flight of stairs to the wheel. Roseluck, as a filly, had sailed sailboats, trying to earn her cutie mark in sailing since her father was a ship captain, so she would be steering.
They then entered the below decks. They each had their own personal rooms. They stopped in each to drop off saddlebags and personal belongings. Spike's room was across the hall from Roseluck's, and Dinky and Coco's rooms were on either side of his. Amethyst's was next to Roseluck's. On the other side of Roseluck's room was the food storage, a supply that would last a year if they got lost at sea.
There was also the bathrooms and a living room. And then there was the armory.
It was full to the brim with weapons and armor. Luna suggested that they get suited up now. So they all did.
Roseluck and Coco donned silver armor, while the other three suited up in bronze. It was made to protect the most vital areas but was still light and easy to move in. And then it was time to pick weapons.
Amethyst chose a bow and quiver, slinging them over her back, and then taking a small dagger and placing it in a hidden pocket in her armor. Roseluck chose two hoofaxes. Spike chose a pair of short swords, sheathing them in their holders that hung from his waist. Coco chose an earth pony lance that you fit in your mouth, along with a belt of daggers. And Dinky chose a long, golden sword and a mini crossbow that folded up to fit in her hidden pocket.
The newly armored crew headed above decks. There were no crews available, so it was just them five. Luna took off from the boat as Amethyst used her magic to raise the anchor, and Spike and Coco fixed the rigging and let the sails unfurl, and Roseluck took the wheel. Meanwhile, Dinky headed below deck to prepare breakfast for them all.
The ship was off, Vanhoofer fading into the distance. They were heading into the Beyond, into the unknown.