Her legs leaning on the rail, mane whipping in the wind, she let out a sigh of content.
She still had trouble believing it. Weeks had gone by in the blink of an eye, her brother and her scrambling for a plan, moving around funds and getting a new contract for a fishing agreement. Fry had not stopped hovering around for the whole duration, and Celestia forbid she ever slept in.
It didn't matter that she needed a bit more sleep than before to compensate for the enchantment, Fry rained hell down on her if she did not get up in time. Of course, she understood the sentiment. Her gaze lowered, enough to catch the red glow lingering over her fur.
“This gemstone will be key to using an ancient spell known as The Lover's Link.”
Small Pond grinned, her cheeks flushed. There hadn't been any need for Princess Celestia to wink when she said it, nor for Princess Luna to grin, but they had. They had and she had needed quite a few days to get over the fact that the diarchs of her country teased her about her love life.
A few more days had helped ease that feeling, and the mute fear she had lying in her bed, waiting for sleep to take her.
She had... learned to enjoy it.
Now, she could look to the waves, and feel only wonder. Silver dots of light marked the presence of the lunar dolphin swimming through the pull of the boat. The school had been following them for near a week now, and she had taken to naming them. Her favourite, Foamy, would do tricks if she threw him one of the catches.
All the while quietly making a certain stallion slightly jealous of the attention.
Small Pond let her head lull to the rhythm of the waves crashing against the hull, while in the distance, an otherworldly roar resonated through the air. In the dark, with only the magic of her horn to light her surroundings, she never would have managed to see it regardless. Yet, it made her heart beat just a little faster, and her anticipation for the next day grew stronger.
Not that she wasn't also looking forward to going to sleep either. The gem's heat against her skin sent a pleasant tingle through her body.
“Wear it at all times. There is never a valid reason not to. No emotion, no conflict, no order warrant you take it off. Guard it with your life.”
So far, there hadn't been any trouble on that front. Sailors had all sorts of precious ornaments. The other three mares on board all had an earring of bronze or silver. If she said she was keeping it, the rest of the crew wouldn't care as long as she did her job.
And for the most part, it was the stuff of dreams. Every breath she took felt rich with the scent of salt and freedom. Sometimes, as she did tonight, she lingered on deck past her work shift, just to take in the immensity of the waters around them, knowing that it was all for her to conquer. She didn't care if it made her look naive to the ponies that were still hard at work.
Poor Cabin Colt huffed past her, his short black tail flicking to the side. Last night, the teenaged colt had drunkenly tried to compliment her. His mistake had been trying to cup her necklace in his hoof, saying it was only half as beautiful as her. His cheek still displayed Small Pond's hoofprint.
“He will be bound to the gem. Do not let another being touch it.”
She had had, in truth, no choice. But that did not mean that she hadn't enjoyed it a little. She was, after all, a taken mare, even if no member of her crew seemed to believe her entirely.
With a wry smile, Small Pond trotted down the stairs, and saluted an aging stallion with a greying mane on the way to her cabin.
“Weren't there two of you?” the sailor mumbled, eyes darting past her in search of an elusive second pony. Had he directed his gaze to the wooden wall near the mare, he might have noticed an alicorn's shadow laughing.
“What are you talking about?” she replied with a small giggle. “Are all those years up there finally wearing down on your eyes, Far Sight?”
“Pffft, as if.” The middle-aged stallion looked to the sky in exasperation. “The day I go blind is the day this ship sinks.”
“I don't doubt it, Far Sight.” Small Pond pressed a hoof against the stallion's back, only half-joking. He had always had a keen eye from what she heard, and just this trip, he had helped them avoid getting caught up in some dangerous waters.
And she couldn't help a twitch of worry at the thought of a shipwreck. The waves might sweep them off their hooves, thrown them into the depths. They might break the chain.
“If, by happenstance, you lose it, he will be forced to manifest. That must never happen.”
Her hoof clutched the precious necklace against her skin, pushing it so her pulse rippled on the silver chain. She hadn't needed to be told. The thought of the gem lost – thrown overboard and floating down into the abyss – made her chest painful. William...
No, she told herself. One could not live in fear, he oft repeated. Fear dragged her down in chains. No more. The sunset ahead invited her and her crew toward new horizons. A few more days now, and they would land at Talonshore. She'd finally see the harbour most griffons merchants hailed from.
“Come on, Puddle,” she muttered to herself, her voice taking a deeper inflection,“are you going to start living a little, or do you need your big brother to push you on that boat?”
Small Fry had grinned wide the whole time he said it, more so when she had sputtered in outrage at him. The warmth of his parting hug to her had lingered for days. “I believe in you, sis. Knock 'em all dead.”
Even the begrudging agreement that William wasn't that bad a choice of stallion, once one looked past the nightmare-like powers and hungers, stayed with her. Her lover had rather been surprised when they'd talked about it later on. Maybe he didn't – or refused to – imagine what could happen at night.
“He will live on through your dreams, Small Pond. Know this: you will never meet him in the flesh. We understand your feelings for him, but remember that he is still only a creature of dreams and nightmares.”
Small Pond pushed the door to her cabin open with a faint amusement. She had been living in her nightmares for years before meeting her stallion. The future did not scare her anymore.
The mare settled down on her hammock with a content sigh. The ache in her limbs subdued, as it always did when she prepared for sleep. Above her, the swinging lantern projected its pale light over the rest of the cabin. She reached for it with one hoof, pausing only when she could feel the gentle warmth of the flame within licking at her skin.
Her eyes flickered to the shadow beneath her. A phantom touch rolled over her shoulders, caressed her cheeks, and she quieted her fast beating heart. The ruby on her breast gleamed.
Small Pond smiled, then blew out the light.
“Pleasant dreams,” whispered her prince's voice.