Estee's challenge: Turn A FIMFic Author/Reader's Name Into A Story · 3:20pm Nov 4th, 2017
Back in July, Estee made this blog post(with hilarious results) and it's been bugging me ever since - especially since I'd actually started to write something with the title Admiral Biscuit, but Firefox crashed and took my text with it. Now I've found my writing ability again, I tried once more and it got of hoof and turned into a three page thing. If you're so inclined:
Admiral Biscuit
It was a beautiful morning in the old city of Baltimare. The sun that was just creeping above the horizon and illuminated the wispy clouds from below, turning them a light yellow colour and bathing Horseshoe Bay in soft golden light. It glinted on the sleepy little waves that lapped at the harbour walls and the hulls of the fishing boats that were about to leave the natural shelter for a hard day’s work on the open sea. The smell of tar, salt and fish wafted through the almost still air. It wouldn’t stay like that for long though.
The weather pegasi were already in the air, preparing to create a light breeze to fill the sails of the boats. They would help the fishers out of the bay and deliver them into the care of the stormbreakers further out. Afterwards, the larger freighters and sleek couriers would receive a little stronger support since they didn’t need to prepare equipment and wouldn’t be bothered by larger waves.
Cookie Cutter pulled her little cart along the waterside main road at a brisk trot, tired but satisfied with herself. It had already been a busy day for the young unicorn mare with the flaxen coloured coat and sea-green mane and tail. Yesterday afternoon, just before closing time of course, the wife of one of the wealthier traders had barged into the baker’s shop with a harried look on her face.
Her son Register Ton was to marry the daughter of a patrician family today and their wedding planner had screwed up. Royally. She needed a dozen exquisite cakes and she needed them in sixteen hours. After recovering from the initial shock, Cookie’s mom had gotten that special smile on her face and named a price. The mare hadn’t even blinked. And Cookie had gotten exactly three hours of sleep.
That in mind, there wasn’t really any reason to hurry back now after the last delivery. ‘Reputation can’t be measured, Cookie, but bits can.’ Mother was right, of course. Cookie would inherit a very sound business indeed. Maybe move up in the world and become known in all of Equestria. And maybe she’d even get a cutiemark for serving the Crown.
She smiled and pulled over to a little waterfront café where a slate grey earthpony mare with orange mane was just dragging coffee tables outside. “Good morning, Roast!” she called out.
Dark Roast looked up with a friendly frown. “Morning. You’re early.”
“Yep! Been up all night making wedding cakes and now I deserve a treat myself.”
“Huh. Cocoa then?”
“Nope, I’m going all out today and have your Black Baltimare Blend,” Cookie said and grinned.
“Your mother okay with you drinking strong coffee now?”
Cookie rolled her eyes. “I’m not a filly anymore! And I deserve it.”
“Whatever, not my business anyway. One BBB coming up.” Dark Roast nodded and went back inside her dimly lit shop.
With only half the tables and no chairs out on the pavement yet, Cookie simply sat down on her haunches and gazed out over the pier. Her eyes half closed against the sharp light, she listened to the mix of seagull cries, creaking rigging and the hustle and bustle of workers loading and unloading ships. The sharp and scraping clip-clop of caulked shoes made her look to the right where an earthpony swerved around two others rolling barrels towards the pier.
“Will you look at who the tide washed up on Cape Coffee beach!” the stallion called out and grinned. “Haven’t seen you in ages, Cookie!”
Cookie had to smile at the sight of the blue stallion with the blue mane and dark blue cutiemark of a breaking wave. “Hi-”
“Anything planned for today, sweetie?”
“Wave Crest,” came Dark Roast’s gruff voice from the doorway, “She’s not interested.”
“Aww, don’t be a spoilsport, Roast! Maybe she just doesn’t know it yet!”
“Hey! I-” Cookie tried to interject.
“Here’s your BB.”
“Sounds good. I’ll have that too, Roast.” Wave Crest grinned.
“Sure, whatever. Just keep it sheathed, will ya?”
Wave Crest gasped. “Sweet ruts of Luna, that was-”
“Stop it!” Cookie shouted before clamping her forehooves over her muzzle and blushing fiercely.
“What?” A small smile was playing over Dark Roast’s lips. “The truth. And your coffee is getting cold.”
Cookie took the coffee off the plate on Dark’s back with a wobbly yellow field. “Thank. You,” she said and scowled at the mare before turning to Wave Crest. “Want to join me, Wave?” she said, pointedly ignoring the snigger from the doorway.
The stallion blinked. “Really? Wow. You alright?”
“Oh cut it, you silly fishhead,” Cookie said, rolling her eyes. “I’m going to bed after this coffee anyway. Maybe tonight though? We had a really big order and I’m fairly sure mom will close early today.”
Wave Crest cleared his throat and gave her a sincere smile. “It’s just that I don’t know when I’ll have shore leave again and I honestly enjoy your company.” He cast a dirty look towards the coffee shop’s entrance. “Whatever intention somepony is implying.”
Cookie smiled. It was fairly obvious that Dark Roast had a point, but hey, he was nice and she wasn’t about to get his hopes up. It wasn’t as if she’d run into him on a regular basis anyway. “You have a new hire?”
“Yeah!” He puffed out his chest. “I mean, working on a mail runner is a good job and definitely beats pulling herrings out of the water for a grumpy pegasus, but this time…” he made a dramatic pause.
“Yes?”
“Like, seriously!”
She cocked her head and decided to indulge him. “Yeeees?” she said, fluttering her eyelids at him.
“That one!” he said with a flourish and pointed a hoof towards the deepwater basin at the far end of the harbour.
Cookie Cutter gasped in surprise. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected from her cocky friend, but this hadn’t been it. Even from a distance she was impressive, with her three masts standing out against the morning sky and towering over the smaller vessels in her shadow. The pride of the Equestrian merchant navy.
The Admiral Biscuit.
Hmm... with such a name I would've expected her to be in the military navy... though, in the times of the sail the line is quite blurred, I guess.
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The company who commissioned her is probably owned by a very, very rich pony who has ties to the military as well and Biscuit is her great idol. Or something like that. :b