//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirty One - Heart of the Raven // Story: Ice Fall // by Bluespectre //------------------------------// CHAPTER THIRTY ONE   HEART OF THE RAVEN   The deck creaked ominously beneath the crews hooves. She wasn’t happy, not happy at all, and it was making them all feel on edge. The Captain was at it again, perform his ‘Requirements’ as he called them, only this time it had gone too far…way to far. The purple stallion walked over and lifted the yellow one’s head,   “He’s dead Captain.”   The lime green stallion shook his head, “Oh no, no, no, that won’t do, Mister Fallow. You will continue to administer the lashes as I commanded….” He glowered at his Master at Arms, “And you will not…miss…one, Mister Fallow, do you hear me? NOT ONE!”   “Aye, aye Cap’n” the purple stallion said tapping his forelock. He unfurled the lash once more, balancing on his hind legs, and swung,   “SIXTY TWO!”   The lashing went on. Stroke after stroke, the sound reverberated through the Captain’s body, through the deck and into his very soul. He was the master here, he was the god of the ship and every pony beneath his lash would do their duty to him or they would suffer the same fate. Let them see, let them taste the fate of any who defied him! Damned scum, every single one of them!   The Captain limped into his cabin, his half rotten leg was causing him more pain than ever today, the damp weather seemed to aggravate it to the point where he’d thought of cutting the damned thing off himself. The green coated stallion dragged himself over to his desk, pulling out a bottle of the foul tasting gunk the doctor had given him. He screwed his face up in disgust, the vile stuff stank as bad as it tasted. Even so, it was the only thing that gave him some relief, yet each time he used it, the effect seemed to lessen. There was a knock at the door,   “Cronus?”   Damn him! It was that blasted unicorn again. The bloody creature always had a knack for appearing at the worst possible times,   “Come in!” he snapped.   The blood red stallion with the long black cloak swept into the cabin and bowed,   “Captain, I am at your service.”   “Like hell you are,” Cronus barked, “you’re at your own damnable service.” He let out a wracking cough, catching the edge of his desk as the room span.   “Captain? May I be of assistance?”   “Get back from me!” Cronus snapped, spitting a gobbet of blood and phlegm on the floor, “It’s your freakish magic that’s done this to my leg! Do something about it, or I’ll have you flogged, damn you!”   The unicorn shook his head slowly, “No…I don’t think you will, Captain. You need me as much as I need you. For now.”   “You black hearted rat!” Cronus choked, “I want you off this ship, you and your cursed cargo!”   “It’s hardly cursed, Cronus.” The unicorn chuckled, “You just don’t understand magic, none of you earth ponies do. That in itself is a curse you must endure, I’m afraid.”   “A curse? I’d rather live with that for a thousand years than be ‘blessed’ with such an unnatural thing as ‘magic’. That is the real curse here, Fire Light.” He pulled out a bottle of rum and swigged it straight from the bottle, “You can keep your bloody magical powers. I want them off my ship as soon as we dock.”   The unicorn bowed, “As you wish, Captain. I merely came to tell you that we are nearing the Llamalian Empire and should be making port at Erithin in around three days.” He smiled, “Then, you may be rest assured that I and my cargo, shall be on our way and you need never see us again.”   “I don’t know why I ever agreed to let you on board!” Cronus hissed, turning back to his desk, “Why the hell I didn’t hire a normal wind mage, I’ll never know.”   “Oh, but you already know!” Fire Light laughed, “Because I paid you for transporting my cargo.” He leaned forward, his silver eyes gleaming, “And I paid you very well indeed, Cronus, don’t forget that.”   The Captain jumped from his chair, wincing in pain as his leg half buckled beneath him,   “Get out! Get out of here you damned vermin! Go do your bloody job and leave me be!”   Fire Light bobbed his head, the ghost of a smile on his face,   “Aye, aye, Captain.”   Cronus glared at the door as the unicorn swept out like some reaper of souls. He took another mouthful of the rum. Perhaps, that’s what the bloody creature was…the reaper, the harvester of ponies bound for the beyond. He shook his head and rubbed his face…Dear Goddesses, why wouldn’t the pain stop? WHY?! He staggered to the door,   “MISTER WEEVIL!”   The helmspony called back up, “Aye, Cap’n?”   Cronus stared down at the brown and cream pony on the wheel,   “You’re not, Weevil. Where the hell is he?”   “He be sick, Cap’n, stayed ashore as ye ordered.” The pony replied.   Cronus leaned against the doorframe and rubbed his eyes against the glare of the morning sunlight. Had he ordered Weevil to stay in port? Goddesses, he couldn’t remember, he couldn’t even remember the name of the pony in front of him now,   “Well…” he cleared his throat, “Where’s Doc Bright Days, then?”   “’E be below, Cap’n. Few o’ the crew be sufferin’ from the flux.” Came the reply, “Ye want me ta get im fer ye?”   “No…” Cronus groaned, “I’ll get him myself, just…steady as she goes.”   The brown and cream stallion tapped his forelock, “Aye, Cap’n, steady as she goes.”   The ship shuddered beneath his hooves as the Captain staggered to the hatchway. Around him, the crew pointedly avoided his gaze, and rightly so. Bloody trouble makers every single one damned of them; but he knew, he wasn’t as stupid and senile as those slugs seemed to think. The Ravens Eye was his ship, his! And nopony would take her from him. Anger seething through his veins, the Captain hammered on the door of sick bay,   “Doc! Get over here, I need you!”   A charcoal coated stallion appeared, wiping his forehead with a cloth. He looked tired, drawn, and sickly like the rest of the crew. Doctor Bright Days looked anything but like his namesake,   “Captain?”   “Doctor, I need you to do something about this accursed leg.” The Captain said, pushing past and hauling himself onto the examination bed, “Do something, anything!”   The doctor shook his head, “Have you been taking the…”   “Of course I have!” Cronus hissed angrily as he moved the injured leg, “That crap tastes like you dredged it up from the devils arse hole.”   Bright Days ignored him. The Captain was a pony of short temper to begin with, but the constant pain he was in with this leg was beginning to affect his judgement. Dear Goddesses, he’d had that poor stallion flogged to death for…   “DAMN IT PONY!” Cronus shrieked, “Are you trying to kill me?!”   The doctor looked up at him, “If I don’t unwrap the bandages, how do you expect me to examine it?”   “Just…just bloody well hurry!” Cronus barked, “Celestia’s reeking arse, i’m starting to wish that damned thing had finished the bloody job.”   Bright Days removed the last of the bandage as carefully as he could, but much of it had soaked up the fluids from the injury below…and then the smell hit him. The stench of rotten flesh and infection, like some strong smelling cheese, made him gag and wretch. This was bad; much of the fur had gone and the flesh beneath was blackened, with large open sores around the initial wound. Worse still, it was spreading quickly. The ointments and salves had done next to nothing and if he didn’t do something, it would spread to the point where nothing would be able to save him.   “What’s it like, Doc? Tell me the truth now.”   Bright Days took a breath and looked his Captain in the eyes,   “I’m sorry, Captain, it’ll have to come off. If we don’t, you’ll die.”   Cronus closed his eyes and leaned back on the bed, “Then do it. Now, before I change my mind.”   “Captain…”   Cronus slammed a hoof on the bed angrily,   “You’re the bloody doctor! Get on with it pony!”   The Captain lay back, staring up at the ceiling while the doctor rushed around gathering his instruments, medical supplies and a couple of crewponies to hold him down. He couldn’t believe this was happening, and all because of that bloody unicorn…why had he listened to him? Why? He sighed. It was all because of some ludicrous scheme to collect Wyvern venom, and the best way was to extract it apparently, was from young still in the nest. Now the hold of the ship had several barrels of the stuff, four to be precise, and that happened to be the same number of crew he’d lost when those damned things came at them out of the mist. He’d never forget the screams, not as long as he lived. Nor, he thought to himself bitterly, his own as the last one sank its teeth into his hind leg. In some bizarre way, this was almost like poetic justice for what they’d done.   “Captain, take this.”   Bright Days passed the Captain a mug of something that smelled as foul as everything else that the blasted quack made for him, but if it helped him, he didn’t care.   “It should only take a few seconds to kick in, and then you’ll start to feel groggy.” The Doctor shook his head, “Captain, you know what we’re going to have to do, don’t you.”   “Aye!” Cronus groused, “Torture me with you blasted whining voice! Don’t talk about it, Bright Days, just damned well do it!”   The Doctor nodded to the others, “Hold him down.”   Cronus closed his eyes, but his mind could still see the knife, the saw, the needles…cutting into his body, slicing hacking…   His screams echoed around the room. He hadn’t been prepared for this! Nothing like this! Cronus gasped and shrieked, his howls deafening in the confines of the room as the unimaginable agony burned through his body like liquid fire. The sound, the vibration…Dear Goddesses it was never ending…   Mercifully, darkness took him into its cold embrace.   *********************   Bright Days wiped his forehead with a damp cloth and fought down the tiredness and nausea that had been plaguing him since this sickness had broken out. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the medicine cabinet and took out the rum. It was one of the small pleasures of his profession and one that he had been indulging in far too often of late. He’d always been critical of his fellow practitioners who were notorious for being ‘half cut’ during voyages, with some stories coming back of drunken surgeons removing wrong limbs and poisoning their patients. And now…now he was heading in the same direction wasn’t he?   The doctor wiped down the Captain’s muzzle; it was slick with sweat. Thank the Goddesses he’d passed out after a while, but not until most of work had been done. Speed was the key factor here, speed and ignoring the pleas of your patient. He took another swig of rum and then put the bottle away. The two crewponies were waiting by the door,   “Doc? Do you still need us?”   “No.” Bright Days shook his head, “No, lads. Go tell the Bosun you’re done and I authorise an extra tot of rum for each of you.” That put a smile on their faces. The Doctor motioned towards the reaking lump of rotten meat in the basket, “And chuck that overboard for the Goddesses’ sake.”   They nodded and left, leaving the exhausted doctor to lean back in his chair. This was ridiculous. Ever since that bloody unicorn had come aboard, ever since they’d embarked on that insane plan to collect wyvern venom, the ship had been…he shook his head slowly. He didn’t know, and in fact that was exactly the problem wasn’t it? He’d  read every book he had, tried every cure and remedy he could think of and nothing worked…nothing! The pressure and distress of having to treat an increasing number of sick crew was driving him to drink more each and every day. Even the Raven was being affected by it, although that wasn’t really that surprising. Everypony who knew these ships knew of the bond between a vessel and her crew, and it worked well…usually. Now though, the crew were sickening as, it felt, was the very ship itself. He shook his mane, noting the strands of hair dropping to the floor. He was in the early stages of the malady himself. If they didn’t reach port and get proper help soon, they’d never make it. None of them would.   On the main deck, leaning against the ships wheel with a blanket over him, the helmspony fought to stay awake. He was worried about the ship. The old girl was sickening, frightened and clearly in distress. From her rigging to her sails, the Raven shivered and shook as if taken herself by the same sickness that had already claimed so many of the crew. Burials at sea were now a daily occurrence, and the Raven felt every death, every life draining away to leave forever. Salty stroked the ships wheel, cooing to her softly, trying to reassure her, but it did little to help. Death at sea was not uncommon, it was a dangerous profession, but there’d been so much and so fast, it had frightened her.   As Salty checked the bearing from the large ships compass, he could sense something running through the old ship, something cold, and dark…something that shouldn’t be there. He let his mind wander, trying to see for himself, but she was too scared and hid from him. That in itself worried him, the Raven was normally very open to him, responding to his touch with a lightness of rudder that had her gliding through the clouds like no other sky vessel in Equestria. Her crew loved her, he loved her and the Raven loved all of them. To see her like this…   Salty wiped the rogue tear away from him eye. He wanted to help her, he needed to. He had nopony else in this world: no wife, no foals, no parents, nothing…only her, the open sky, and the sea. Closing his eyes once more he listened and opened his heart.   “Raven?”   The voice came back to him - old, ancient as the mountains and yet as innocent as a newborn foal.   Frightened…it hurts…it hurts…!   “Where? Where does it hurt?”   Inside. Below. It hurts…its hurts!   “Shhhh, my love, I be with ye. I’ll go an’ see.”   No! Stay with me! Afraid!   Salty’s heart leaped in response, “I have ta look me love, or else I can’t help ye. I’ll still be with ye, I promise.”   The Raven shuddered, sending a wave of anxiety through the deck. The crew in the rigging looked at each other nervously, feeling the ship’s mood even up there. Everypony was changing lately, the once noted comradely bond they shared had all but evaporated with the constant sickness. Morale was becoming dangerously low and the Captain had changed since he’d been bitten too. He tried to hide it, but they all saw it…the old stallion was dying.   Salty lashed the wheel in place and trotted to the hatchway. Even moving this far was making his stomach churn, and for a moment he thought he was going to lose what little he’d managed to keep down that morning. Mercifully however, the wave of nausea dissipated. Taking one quick glance back at the wheel, he slipped below decks. If the Captain caught him, he’d be flogged. Deserting your post was punishable by up to forty lashes, but there were so of them left to crew the Raven now, he doubted anypony would bother reporting him. Besides, he could just say he went for a piss…   It was dark down here, cold and quiet. Normally, it was a sneaky place for a crewpony to slope off for a quiet smoke away from the usual hubbub on deck, but now it felt like a graveyard. Salty headed for the hold, reaching for his connection with the Raven through the deck. He was one of her helmsponies, the ones she trusted second only to the Captain, if not more even; especially since he’d started to change. Salty closed his eyes a moment,   “Show me…”   An image of darkness, of something fluid, a sense of ‘shape’…it was hard to describe. Salty concentrated as hard as he could. It was difficult for the Raven to explain, she was having…no…there! Yes! Salty felt his heart leap and he moved quicker than he had in days, arrowing straight for the forward hold.   They had precious little cargo on board at the moment, but the incredibly high payout promised by the unicorn mage had sounded like a once in a lifetime deal and they’d all enthusiastically agreed to his terms, especially after being told how many bits each of them would receive. Dear Goddesses, they could retire on that! All of them! But it had come at a terrible cost, and just when the crew thought they’d managed to escape the worst of it, the sickness had hit them. One by one they’d started to succumb to the strange malady and gradually, those stricken by it simply…faded away. Nopony had ever seen anything like it before, nor heard of it. They’d even named it after the way it took a pony, the way the body weakened and you slipped into death as gently as a lamb. They called it ‘the Fade’.   Salty rushed towards the forward hold and straight into the locked doors. What the hell was this?! Nopony locked the holds on the Raven! Frantically, he looked around for what he knew would be there: the loose boards beside the bulkhead, the ones that had never been repaired, not since the incident with the loose cargo that had cost their ship’s carpenter stripes across his back. He hadn’t been too ‘incentivised’ after that and had jumped ship the next chance he got. Salty however, was a thin pony, he always had been, but even so it was still one hell of a squeeze to get himself through the gap. Muzzle, ears, neck…good Goddesses, if he got stuck now…but finally, with a grunt and no end of relief, he managed to heave his body through - albeit with a few stinging grazes and splinters by feel of it. He winced. They’d be fun to get out later, he thought to himself sarcastically. Right now though, it was time to have a look and see what was troubling the Raven…   Salty held up his lantern. In the darkness, the dim yellow light showed more shadow than anything else; shadow, and a mostly empty hold. But there, towards the back, the precious cargo he knew should be in here was still exactly where it had been secured. He walked over to it, holding the lantern up for a better look. Sure enough, there they were…four barrels of wyvern venom. Those damned things had cost the lives of more crew than he cared to remember, but at least they were…wait…   The brown and cream coated stallion leaned down, bringing the lantern nearer for a closer look. Something was shining in the darkness, glistening wetly down the side of one of the barrels and pooling on the floor where it had begun to soak into the decking. Salty’s heart leaped. It was the venom, the damned stuff was leaking out. This must be what was sickening the ship, and that smell! Dear Goddesses, it was putrid beyond description. His ears twitched at a faint sound behind him; somepony was outside the door. Quickly and quietly, Salty extinguished the lantern and ducked behind one of the large hull ribs and crouched low, keeping as quiet as possible. Seconds later, a metallic clank and the sound of a bolt being drawn back was followed by the main door to the hold swinging open. Salty held his breath as a figure entered.   It was hard to see who it was; the way the light fell was causing the newcomer to be bathed in shadows that hid any specific details. But then, they moved, their lantern swinging around as the figure began to carefully inspect the barrels. There was no mistaking that outline now…nor that horn. Salty’s heartbeat felt abnormally loud as he tried his best to keep quiet, waiting to see what would happen next. Held in the purple aura of his magic, the unicorn mage, Fire Light, floated a small glass tube over to the leaking barrel. In the eerie ethereal light, the unicorn’s teeth and eyes glistened as he filled up the glass tube and placed a cork stopper in the end before slipping it back into his pannier. Then, as quickly and quietly as he’d entered, he trotted out of the door and paused, looking back over his shoulder.   Salty held his hooves over his muzzle and closed his eyes. Dear Goddesses, he hadn’t seen him had he ? Please no…please, please, please…   The door closed with a thump, followed by the clang of the bolt being shoved back into place and the click of the large padlock. Salty let out his breath, his tortured lungs gasping in air despite the unpleasant mustiness of the hold. Normally being in here made his nose twitch, but now, it was like a little piece of heaven. Quietly, he slipped back out of the gap in the wall and replaced the planks behind him.   “Find what you were looking for, did you?”   Salty froze, not even daring to look up. He swallowed, looking up into the purple glow of magic which held the unicorn’s lantern before him,   “Well?”   Salty licked his lips nervously. This stallion was up to something, and whatever it was stank more than the stuff in those barrels. He took a breath and stood his ground,   “What ye be looking fer eh?” He pointed at the unicorns’ pannier, “What be that tube fer?”   “None of your damned business,” the mage replied with a sneer, “you wouldn’t understand anyway. Your kind are only fit for menial tasks, and I suggest you get yourself back to them before I report you to the Captain for dereliction of duty.”   The mage huffed and began to climb the steps leading back up to the main deck, the brown and cream crewpony not far behind him. Salty’s heart was still hammering from the fright the bloody creature had given him, but he knew now, there was no doubting it…that unicorn was trouble.   Back on deck, several of the crew were milling around and muttering to one another in hushed tones. One of them called over to Salty,   “Hoy, you hear about the Captain?”   Salty shook his head, “No, what’s goin’ on?”   “Lost ‘is leg I ‘ere.”   “No!”   “Aye, lopped it off like a lump o’ dead wood. It’s the Fade, I reckons.”   “Nah. Fade don’t take ye like that.”   “Is ‘e alive?”   “Aye, fer now.”   The chatter was interrupted by the doctor appearing on the deck. Salty saw straight away just how tired and drawn the stallion looked, the dark rings around his eyes testimony to just how little sleep he’d had since the sickness had begun to spread amongst the crew. Dear Goddesses, he looked worse than some of his patients. He leaned back against the wall of the Captain’s cabin and just sat there, breathing slowly.   “Doc?  Be ye all right?” Salty asked concernedly.   Bloodshot almond eyes looked up at him,   “I’m fine, just tired that’s all.”   Salty nodded, “Aye, well, let me know if’n I can do owt fer ye”     The doctor gave him a weak smile before knocking bag a swig of something from a large green bottle. Salty nodded to him then turned away, returning to his post at the wheel. He was supposed to be getting relieved soon, and then he’d have a chance to try and get some rest, but the image of that unicorn kept playing through his mind again and again. Should he tell the doctor? The guy looked sick, really sick, but who else could he tell? Half the crew, maybe more, looked like they were on their last legs already and as for the Captain… Salty took a deep breath and went back to his work. He’d think better after a nights sleep.   *******************   The sounding of the ship’s bell normally woke him for his shift on the helm, the Raven often calling gently to him as readied himself for another day, her voice as soft and warm as a lovers caress. Salty yawned. With Weevil sick back on shore he was pulling extra shifts to cover for him, but it didn’t bother him one bit, the call of the ship was almost intoxicating…and he revelled in it. This morning however was different. There was no bell, no call from the Raven…nothing. Had he been so tired he’d slept through it? Probably. Salty shrugged and went to the water pail to wash up. It was a beautiful morning and the sun was just broaching the horizon. He’d slept on deck again last night, a simple blanket over his back was all he needed at this time of year. Besides, with the sickness running rampant below decks, he’d much rather stay up here where he could breathe the fresh air.   Shaking the water from his face, Salty stretched and yawned widely. His legs were stiff this morning, a sure sign he must have been sleeping badly again - rope certainly didn’t make for a good bed it seemed. Looking up he caught sight of a lone albatross, its haunting cry a reminder of the fear the ship had been feeling the other night, and the distress he’d felt himself at her plight. Thank the Goddesses that they were nearing port. It was a relief the sails were still full; whether that was due to the natural wind or the unicorn mage remained to be seen. With another yawn, Salty walked over to the helm to…   There was nopony there.   That was was odd. Fibre had taken over from him last night as usual, but there was no sign of him now. Still, the wheel was lashed in place and, after a quick check on the compass, they were on course, so all was well. Salty shrugged it off. Fibre had probably snuck off for a sly smoke and would no doubt be back in a minute or two. Unlashing the wheel, Salty yawned once more, letting his mind reach for the Raven. He was worried for her, she hadn’t called for him this morning, but that wasn’t really that surprising if she was as upset as she had been last night. In some ways, she was like a child: energetic and full of fascination for the world around her, but at other times, she could be petulant and even downright stubborn to the point of frustration. For the most part though, all it took were some kind words and a light touch on the wheel and she’d respond happily…usually.   “Raven?”   Silence   “Ye be there, me love?”   There was a sound, distant and weak. She was tired, so, so tired. Her normal vibrancy and sense of life had faded to what felt like no more than a mere trickle. A cold flood of fear washed through the stallion, making his mane shiver, and then he realised the true horror of what he was feeling from her…she was dying. Lashing the wheel Salty looked around him for somepony to help, anypony, but…dear Goddesses, was he still dreaming? Where the hell was everypony? He hadn’t really noticed in his usually groggy morning fuse, but the deck, even the rigging, was empty of everypony but him.   Salty took a deep breath, trying to calm his now racing heart. He could feel himself beginning to panic, the stories of ghost ships and sailing off the edge of the world flying into his mind…   “No!” He shouted to himself, “Damn it all!” he rammed his whole head into the water barrel and pulled it out, gasping with the shock of the cold. Now that was better!   Shaking himself off, Salty hurried to the sick bay. If nothing else, there’d be somepony there. He hurtled down the stairs and reached the door. It hung open, creaking to and fro with the gentle swaying of the ship, the lanterns still lit despite the daylight streaming through the open hatchway,   “Doc? Bright Days?”   Salty pushed the door open fully and gingerly nosed his way in. Inside, the smell was terrible. Warm air, mixed with the body odour of poorly washed sailors was usually enough to turn most stomachs, but this was on another level altogether. It smelled…sweet, like treacle or roses…he shook his head - it was sickly too, a smell he didn’t like one little bit.   Doc Bright Days was sat at his table, his foreleg outstretched next to an almost empty rum bottle. Salty tapped him on the shoulder,   “Doc?”   There was no response. He shook him again, harder this time,   “Doc! Fer the Goddesses sake pony, will ye wake up?!”   “Hmm? S…Salty? Oh, Goddesses…” The doctor’s eyes fluttered open, “I’m…still alive?”   “Aye!” Salty said grabbing the doctor’s muzzle, “An’ we’ve got trouble! There be nopony on deck an’ the ship be sickenin’ bad. What the hell be goin’ on Doc, where be everypony?”   The charcoal stallion began to push himself to his hooves. It was almost too painful to watch. His face looked drawn, his eyes sunken; even his coat looked like it was merely hanging off his bones like a shroud. Salty closed his eyes and fought down the rising tide of distress he could feel inside,   “Doc? Please, speak ter me!”   Bright Days finally stood before him on all four legs, the effort having all but drained him,   “Salty…most of the crew…” he shook his head, fixing him with his large almond eyes, “Last night, the sickness took more of them. The rest are in there, too sick to move.” He let out an ironic sigh, “I thought I was the last one who could still stand and there you are like nothing’s happened.” He chuckled under his breath.   Salty began to pace back and forth anxiously,   “Doc, I can’t sail the Raven on me own, I needs ponies to help take ‘er in ter port. What are we goin’ ter do?”   Bright Days looked defeated, “I don’t know Salty, I don’t…”   “What about the Captain?” Salty interrupted hopefully, “He weren’t sick!”   The doctor shook his head sadly, “Salty, he’s…”   The brown and cream stallion didn’t wait, he bolted out of the sick bay and up the stairs to the Captain’s cabin. His heart racing, he wanted nothing more than to simply burst in, and considering the severity of the situation he didn’t think the Captain would really mind. But still, the very real risk of a lashing held him in check and he paused, knocking respectfully,   “Captain?”   There was nothing, not a sound, only the cry of the albatross high above circling the ship. Salty gritted his teeth and opened the door,   “Pardon me, Captain, may I speak with ye?”   The Captain was fast asleep in his bed, the covers pulled over him while one of the crew sat beside him with a bowl and a cloth. Salty watched as the stallion poured something into the bowl from a familiar thin glass tube and began mixing it slowly. The glow from his magic…   “YOU!”   Salty bellowed and charged forward, knocking the bowl from the unicorn’s grasp, “Ye damned scabrous rat! I knows yer game now, ye stinking scum bucket. It’s yer damned potions an’ magic, ye’ve poisoned us all!”   The unicorn peered up at him from under his cloak, his eyes blood shot and tired but still filled with an air of superiority that boiled his blood,   “You…bloody fool!” Fire Light spat, “Stop interfering with things will you? You damned earth ponies haven’t got a…”   Salty’s hoof flew out and impacted with the unicorn’s skull with a heavy crack, sending the cloaked creature to the floor,   “Ter hell with ye, ye damn bilge rat.”   Salty reached out for the Captain. He was weak, pale and drawn, but still alive. Rinsing out the cloth in some fresh water, the brown and cream stallion wiped the his brow,   “Captain? Captain Cronus, sir?”   With almost agonising slowness, the Captain’s eyes began to open, the effort to speak and even focus clearly pushing him to the very limits of his endurance.   “S…Salty…” his breath sounded dry and distant, “How…goes the….Raven?”   “She be sick sir,” Salty said in a voice a lot calmer than he felt, “the barrels in the hold be leakin’ an’ I fear it’s sunk into her. We have ter get ‘em over the side or we could lose ‘er.”   Cronus blinked slowly, “Salty…do what you can…save the…save the ship.”   “Aye, aye, Cap’n”   A hoof suddenly shot out from under the blanket, “Salty!” the Captain coughed, “Take this! If…if you can’t…if she can’t be…” his voice began to fade, “give it…to Bright Days…he’ll know what…what to do.”   “Aye, Cap’n,” Salty said quietly, “I’ll do as ye say.”   Carefully, he tucked the Captain’s foreleg back under the blanket and hurried out of the room. That damned unicorn! Maybe he should have tied him up, finished him off somehow, but the ship…the ship came first. Bright Days was on deck, leaning heavily against the main mast,   “Is he…?”   “He be alive,” Salty said, “he asked me to give ye this”   Salty held up the metal item the Captain had given him. It was a key, a heavy, solid iron key on a long thin chain designed, by the looks of it, to be worn around the neck. Doc Bright Days shook his head sorrowfully,   “Heh,” he snorted, “expecting the worst it he?” The doctor sniffed, “Can’t blame him, I suppose.”   “Doc,” Salty said clopping the charcoal stallion on the shoulder, “it be that unicorn, he been poisonin’ the crew. I seen ‘im takin’ that stuff from the barrels an’ givin’ it ter the Cap’n.”   Doc’s eyes went wide, “What? Dear Goddesses…”   Salty nodded, “Doc, I have ter gets them barrels overboard, they be leakin’ an’ sickenin’ the Raven.”   “What do you want me to do?” the Doctor asked.   Salty glanced towards the cabin, “I left that bilge rat on the floor in the Capn’s quarters.”   “Aye…” Bright Days said solemnly, “I’ll take care of him. I’ll come along and give you a hoof as soon as i’m done.”   Without wasting any more time, Salty quickly set about setting up the cargo lifting gear. It was a nightmarish job on his own, but with those who remained too sick and weakened to help, he had little choice. Fortunately, Salty was considered ‘an old hoof’ even at his young age, having been born into a seafaring family on the coast. His cutie mark, a small galleon in full sail, had left little doubt as to his destiny in this world - and he excelled at it. In short order, he had the lifting gear in place, the cargo hatch open, and was down at the door to the hold. With a grunt, he lifted the pry bar into the space between the padlock and the hasp, stood on his hind legs and heaved. There was a loud crack as the lock broke free of the door and fell with a clatter onto the floor.   Sunlight was flooding into the hold, showing the full scale of the leak - it was bad…very bad. The foul smelling venom had escaped not just from one barrel, but from the others as well, the extent of it all but invisible in the normally dark confines of the hold. Salty stared in horror at the trail of green that had soaked into the ships timbers, across the floor and even up the wall. The more he looked the more the wood where it had soaked in looked sickly, rotten…   “Alright me brave girl,” Salty muttered, tying the rope around the first barrel, “lets be gettin’ this outta yer’ now.”   The first one was ready. All he needed now was to…   A loud creak and bang echoed around the hold making the whole ship shudder violently and lurch hard over to starboard before gradually righting herself. Salty only just managed to keep his hoofing as the floor beneath him moved. He muttered a curse and thanked the Goddesses that he’d re-secured the other barrels as the first one swung out slightly but remained, mercifully, intact. Back up on deck, he hurried to the helm and checked the wheel - it was still securely lashed. The ship herself however, was clearly in distress; the sense she gave him was one of fear, bordering on terror, but also…loss…   “Oh, no” Salty muttered looked across the deck to the cabin door, “…Captain…”   Cronus hadn’t been a popular Captain, but he’d been a good one in his day. It had only been this last journey that had soured things with the crew and now…Damn it all! He didn’t have time for this! Hopefully the Doctor was alright, but this business needed to be tended to now or else the ship could founder. Salty gripped the rope and began to heave the barrel up. A few hard pulls later, it was swinging over the open hatchway dripping that vile green fluid, like blood seeping from a wound. In the light of day it was all too clear that the barrels they’d used had been hopelessly inadequate. With luck though, they’d hold together until he could get them over the side.   “What the hell are you doing? You damned fool!”   Salty looked round in surprise. The unicorn mage was staring down at him, holding a hoof to his head. Hurt his noggin had he? Salty thought to himself bitterly, pity he hadn’t knocked the bloody thing off. Suddenly, purple magic glowed around the barrel.   “Leave go, yer rat!” the brown and cream sailor snapped, “Those things be killin’ the ship an’ I’ll send ye o’er the side too if yer don’t pack that in.”   “Shut up, you idiot!” The Fire Light shouted, “Those things are worth more than gold! You don’t know what you’re doing, they’re…”   With a bellow of rage, Salty threw himself at the unicorn mage, using anything and everything he could to pummel the creature. But Fire Light was fast; despite his head injury, he was able to knock the earth stallion away and quickly rounded on him. The creature was shouting incessantly now, but Salty couldn’t hear for the cries of pain from the Raven as she shuddered and shook. The sailor grabbed the pry bar he’d dropped earlier and swung it at Fire Light, clipping the unicorn on the horn and sending his shrieking in pain to the deck. The magic winked out, but horribly, so did the only means of support for the barrel.   In his haste to fight off the mage, Salty realised too late he hadn’t properly secured the end of the hoist line and the barrel dropped like a stone, down into the hold where it smashed into the decking with a deafening crack which reverberated through the whole ship. The brown and cream stallion rushed to the edge of the hatch and stared in horror at the lurid green slime that had exploded all over the Ravens interior, seeping, running and soaking into her very body.   The ship screamed.   Pitching and rolling, the Raven howled and screeched in unimaginable torment. High above the rigging began to snap, the sails rippling unnaturally under some unseen pressure. Beneath Salty’s hooves, the main deck itself cracked and heaved, the sound of splintering wood, sharp and clear. He reached the wheel, hanging on to it as he tried desperately to calm the ship, but there was nothing he could do…the Raven was falling from the sky.   Wind whistled by as the ship plummeted towards the surface of the sea below, the groaning and cracking of the hull reverberating through the vessel as she began, inexorably, to break apart. Salty hung on, calling to her, pleading with her to try, just…to try…   Whether she heard him, if she could understand, he would never know. With an explosion of sound, the Raven ploughed into the pure blue waters of the sea, turning the tranquil scene into one of abject terror and horror.   The masts creaked, moaned and then finally split with a noise that made Salty squeeze his eyes shut in fright. Water sprayed over the deck, deluging everything and pouring into the open hatch of the hold. The Raven cried out in pain, howling her fear to the world around her as her timbers broke apart, sending seawater pouring into the lower deck. Salty, drenched from muzzle to tail, looked up to see Doc Bright Days, hanging onto the railing outside the Captain’s cabin,   “Doc!” Salty yelled, “We’ve got ter get the longboat o’er the side an’ save who we can.” He could feel his heart skip a beat as the reality of the unimaginable situation began to dawn on him, “She won’t last much longer!”   The charcoal stallion nodded his head weakly, “I’ll do what I can…Salty, here…take the key.”   Salty hurried up to him, “What ye be talkin’ about, Doc? We don’t ‘ave time, she be fillin’ up fast.”   Bright Days reached forward and grabbed him, “Listen to me, Salty. You take that key, you go below to the stern...” the doctor let out a wracking cough, “There’s… there’s a box, a gold and black box. Use the key, the…the ship’s…” he collapsed to his knees, “For the Goddesses sake…just go!”   Salty looked back over his shoulder. The deck was slowly sinking towards the water line, the shuddering and groaning intensifying as the Raven gradually began to go down by the bow. Taking a steadying breath, Salty ran for the aft hatch and headed down the steps into the now eerily lit mid-deck. Down again, down to the lower deck he ran, this time running straight into freezing seawater nearly up to his neck, while light from the gaps in the decking all around him let in the bright sunshine. It was a surreal experience, and utterly terrifying. Salty pushed on, all the while his heart pounding in his chest as the cold water soaked him, rising higher and higher by the minute. Goddess damn it, he didn’t even know what the hell he was looking for! A box? He’d been all round the ship, ever since he’d been a young lad he’d…no…no, there was a place, a place near the rudder steering gear, a tiny room nopony ever went in. He’d wondered what it was at the time of course, but it hadn’t seemed particularly important, or interesting - he’d assumed it was just another part of the ships mechanisms. Now, it seemed his only hope.   Salty pushed on, the water climbing steadily around him. At one point, he had to duck under one of the ship’s beams. Normally it was just a quick bob of the head, but now he had to submerge his whole body. The taste of salt water was strong, bitter, stinging his eyes and making his nose tingle. His heart felt like it was in his throat; surely he was near now? If he didn’t reach the box soon, he’d likely never get out. In fact the bow…He shook his head, pushing the thought away. He could do this, he had to do this!   A voice came to him. It was cold, weak…distant, but he couldn’t make out the words. It was the Raven; she was calling to him, crying out to him. But what could he do? Tears stung his eyes and he wiped them away roughly. The ship needed him and he’d let her down. He should have taken those barrels out the first time he knew they were leaking. What a fool he’d been! He deserved to drown, he deserved to go down with the ship he’d…   There! There it was! Dear Goddesses, it was like a ray of sunlight at the end of a long dark tunnel. It was the small room! Salty took the long iron key and shoved it roughly into the lock. It turned. There was a heavy sound of a catch sliding back and then the door partially fell open with the angle of the ship. Pulling it open the rest of the way hurriedly, Salty could see a box inside just as Doctor Bright Days and the Captain had described. It was black, jet black, with fine gold inlay…strangely beautiful in its own way. Giving himself a shake, he tried to lift it out but the box was firmly attached to the surrounding timber, with only the keyhole in the front of it allowing any hope of getting at whatever was inside.   Taking a deep breath, Salty tried to steady his galloping nerves. He lifted the key once again, sliding it in, turning it. The lid popped open with a barely audible hiss, letting out wisps of white steam into the air. Cautiously, the stallion peered into the box…   It was a crystal, a small, multicoloured, shimmering crystal. It was…beautiful, simply…beautiful. He couldn’t think of any other word to describe it, but he knew that this, for whatever reason, was valuable to the Raven, the Captain and the Doctor. Salty reached in and lifted it out carefully, placing the precious object in the small pouch he had around his neck. It was warm to the touch, tingling his hooves and sending a feeling peculiar sense of calm throughout his body. Suddenly a sense of urgency and drive surged through him, and with a neigh, the brown and cream stallion turned round and began his headlong rush back to the stairs.   Salty hurried, pushing through the water that was now mere inches from the ceiling. It was so cold! Dear Goddesses, as clear and as pure as the water was, he didn’t want to die down here, he had to get out! Panic started to wend its icy tendrils around his heart as he faltered, but then Salty accidentally touched the bag. It seemed to respond to him, the wave of calm and reassurance calling to him like a mothers caress. He closed his eyes, took a breath, and plunged under the water.   Hooves pushing hard, his legs strong and confident, Salty swam forward. Seconds passed, but at last he reached the steps to the mid-deck. He pushed on. To his horror, the mid-deck too was all but full submerged and he could feel his lungs burning, screaming for air as he swam, turning, heading upward, up towards the hatch and the sunlight, that blessed orb of Celestia.   Salty’s muzzle broached the surface in a plume of water and gasping breaths. Air…blessed, blessed air! He gulped it in, filling his lungs with that most precious gift which he’d never fully appreciated until now, but with a shout of triumph, he managed to struggle to the lines securing the longboat. The main deck was awash, the water swirling loose items around his legs, bumping into him as he fought to free the ropes holding the boat down. He looked around,   “Doc? DOC! Where are you?”   But there was no sign, no sign of anypony but him. Salty’s heart felt like it was going to burst, the tears pouring down his face…it was dream, all a dream…no…a nightmare! He was going to wake up, like from one of those falling dreams he used to have, but…this was…   He touched the pouch, the crystal within once again sending a feeling of warmth into the pony’s heart. Steeling himself, Salty gave his mane a heard shake and set to work. In short order, the last line finally gave and with a thump of wood banging against wood, the longboat rocked free. It was too much to try and get it over the side now, in fact, there was no more side, only…the sea. The lone sailor pulled himself into the longboat, and waited for the Raven to sink below him, passing down into the dark cold depths. The decks were fully submerged now, the Captain’s cabin and the quarterdeck disappearing inch by inch as the seconds passed. Eventually, Salty pushed himself away from the place he’d called home for countless years, watching her sink slowly and almost majestically below the near perfectly stiff waters. The masts were the last to go, with the small black pinafore bearing the white painted eye of the Raven, slipping beneath the surface until, with a final bubble of trapped air, the old girl…was gone.   Emotion took him. Anger, rage, hopelessness, each and every sensation fighting for attention and all leading him to nearly tipping the longboat over, boiled through Salty’s mind. Where were the crew? Why hadn’t the Doctor brought any of them out? They’d…they’d gone down with her, to be with her forever in the dark depths of the ocean, leaving him behind…alone. Salty screamed and raged at the sky, cursing Celestia, cursing Luna, cursing all the gods. Why had this happened? WHY?! Finally, exhausted, he fell back into the longboat and wiped the tears from his eyes, his hoof falling against a cloth bag with a dull thump.   Salty sat up and stared at it. This wasn’t part of the longboats normal equipment - that was normally kept secure in the locker at the rear of the longboat for emergencies. No, this was something different, recent. Curiously, he opened the bag carefully and looked inside. Within was a small piece of paper, a pouch, and a long thin box. The paper was water stained, but still legible, written in very shaky writing. Salty read on…   Salty,   I pray to Celestia that you found the heart of the Ravens Eye. Keep it safe and never forget your old shipmates. We will live on forever in your heart and your memory.   May the Goddesses bless you,     Bright Days   Salty folded the paper back up and held it to his muzzle as he wept, for Bright Days, for his friends, and for his ship, his beloved Raven. Salty shook the tears away and opened the other items. Inside the box was a long stemmed clay pipe, and in the pouch - tobacco and a small tinderbox. That above everything else hit him the hardest. Doc Bright Days, the charcoal pony he had known since the first day he came aboard, had given him something so small and yet so incredibly personal, knowing that he himself would never be able to use it again. Salty put it away for later, moving to the rear of the boat and opened the storage locker. There, as always, was water, dried food and navigational equipment. Thank the Goddesses he knew how to navigate by the stars. He wasn’t far from the Llamalian coast, and with the clear sky and calm seas…he might just make it.   Setting up the small sail, Salty checked the compass and headed out for land. His heart was heavy, the weight of the memories of his dead shipmates a burden that only he could bear, and only he could truly understand. That night, beneath the stars, Salty lit the pipe and breathed out the smoke into the cold evening air. It wasn’t much, it could never be enough, but to him, right there in that small boat on the vast ocean, watching the curling blue smoke drifting away was his way of saying goodbye…watching the souls of his friends sail away into the blue seas of forever.