Day 7: Steamship, Essence of Bergamot
Trixie sat across from Starlight at a small square table in the mess alongside the navigator, a middle-aged dun unicorn named True Bearing, and the relief helmsmare, a young indigo pegasus named Guiding Star. It was early in the evening as the crew took their meals in shifts. Ocean Sunset sat by herself at the next table over, staring listlessly into her tin mug of bean soup. A few pockets of crew sat elsewhere, eating or quietly playing games of chance.
“It’s a trick-taking game,” Starlight explained as she shuffled the cards. “Two teams of two compete to take the most tricks of cards, and at the end of the round, the team with the most tricks scores one point for every trick beyond six they took.”
“Seems simple enough,” Trixie said, distracted as she looked about the middeck. The crew all had the same downcast pall, listlessly going through the motions. There was no enthusiasm to be found anywhere.
There was no joy.
Jaw set, Trixie stared at her cards, mind whirling. Starlight continued on about the rules of the game, but Trixie didn't pay her any heed. She had to think of a way to–
She sat bolt upright as an idea struck her. She turned to True Bearing, and in the most conversational tone she could manage, asked, “Oh, say, was you ever in Rye-o Fields?”
Starlight arched an eyebrow at the poor grammar; the other two at their table just stared blankly at her.
True Bearing blinked, then snorted. “Long way, to Rye-o,” he replied.
A wide grin slowly crept across Guiding Star’s face. “I hear that their soldiers all bear golden shields,” she giggled.
All three of them turned to Starlight, who looked very confused. “Are we bound for Rye Fields?” she asked. “I thought–”
Trixie hid a snicker behind her hoof as several nearby crew members began to laugh. Starlight frowned as looked around. “What?”
As the laughter died down, Trixie’s eyes darted around the mess hall. There was silence for a pair of heartbeats. Trixie bit her lip.
Ocean Sunset smiled down at her tin mug as she softly began to sing. “Heave away, sailors, away.”
Guiding Star and True Bearing added their voices. “Long way, to Rye-o!”
Several more sailors, along with Trixie herself, joined in for the rest of the chorus. “Sing fare-thee-well, my bonnie young mare, for we’re bound for Rye-o Fields!”
Trixie leapt upon the table, keen on keeping the crew smiling. “Oh, Manehattan town is no place for me!”
Guiding Star whistled as the rest called back, “Long way, to Rye-o!”
Trixie conjured an image of Starlight’s carpet bag and leveled a hoof at a nearby porthole. “I’ll pack up my bag and I’ll head out to sea!”
The crew began to stomp their hooves in time to the beat. “For we’re bound for Rye-o Fields!”
The crew filled the mess hall with resounding voices as they shouted and sang the chorus. There was a fluttering in Trixie’s chest as she led them all through verse after verse, casting illusions to enhance the show, the energy of the room rising like the tide–
“Captain on deck!” Everypony’s eyes flew wide as they immediately clamped their mouths shut and scrambled to stand at attention. Trixie froze on top of the table. Again, Starlight glanced around, confused.
Silence, save for the lapping of waves against the hull and the distant thrum of the engines, accompanied Captain High Tea as he strode forth to the center of the room. He glared at each crewmember in turn, then asked, “Who is responsible for starting this din?”
As one, the crew turned to look at Trixie, whose ears plastered against her head as she raised a hoof. “I-it was me, sir.”
“You!” He advanced to glare up at her, and such was the power of his gaze that Trixie slunk down from her perch to stand beneath his scrutiny. “I certainly didn’t expect this manner of ruckus when I agreed to have you aboard!”
Starlight moved to place herself between him and Trixie. “Hey, she was just trying to improve morale around here, captain.”
Captain High Tea turned his baleful gaze upon Starlight, who, in spite of herself, also flattened her ears back. “Oh, I’m sure that was her intention,” he hissed. “Do you have any idea what kind of ship you booked passage on? What kind of crew you’re sailing with?”
“Um…” Starlight backed a step as she looked around the room, then back at the captain. “... no?”
Captain High Tea whirled to glare about at the crew once more.
Then, in a bellowing voice, he sang, “She’s a deep-water ship and a deep-water crew!”
The room exploded with cheers and whistles as the crew answered, “Long way, to Rye-o!” Trixie would have collapsed, had Starlight not been standing beside her.
They stayed up late into the night as they sang shanty after shanty. Crew came and went as their duties allowed, and eventually all had a turn leading their favorite song.
Sometime well past midnight, the captain finally sent everypony to bed, and they laughed and sang as they went. Trixie smiled as she closed her eyes for the night, more content than she had been for a long time.