The triple pain-in-my-hindquarters known as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo intercepted Nika and I as we left the castle. I think both we and they were unhappy to see the other, but it was Celestia’s orders.
“Can this wait until after lunch?” I asked. “I’ve got the post-species-switch munchies.”
That excused worked, and they agreed to come eat with us. I think more to keep an eye on me rather than to be sociable. There was a place run by griffons in the southern district of Canterlot that had pig on the menu. I ordered a whole rack of ribs.
They were served “New York Style,” which didn’t make any sense to me. Probably just a fancy name catering to those who were only passingly familiar with Earth. The sauce and marinade wasn’t the greatest, but now that I had fingers to pick up the bones, sharp teeth to gnaw them, and the digestive system to handle it, I didn’t much care. I’ll admit I may have enjoyed myself a little too much watching the three mares give me disgusted looks as I enthusiastically dug into the meal.
Nika paid the bill. I had my credit cards, but I didn’t look like “Sail Canvas” anymore. I made a mental note to get some new identification paperwork made up.
After eating we headed to a quiet spot in the park. While Apple Bloom and Scootaloo patrolled to keep curious or malicious listeners away, Sweetie Belle told us the news. There was a ship waiting for us in the Baltimare harbor. She read off the ID numbers and location.
“What sort of weaponry is it fitted with?” I asked.
“Nothing. Princess Celestia has given you a pass to import your own small arms, but I would recommend being discrete. Remember, this is a covert mission.”
We discussed a few further details. There wouldn’t be a place for a helicopter aboard, so Shep and Jeff would roll in with the regular crew. After finalizing accommodations, Sweetie handed me a thick package of information concerning the details of the mission. She gave me a look. “I shouldn’t have to say it, but this file is too important to loose.”
I wondered if she was referencing to the bag I had failed to retrieve. I shrugged. “So why did you say it?”
She breathed out carefully, as if determined not to let me anger her. After forming up with the other two mares, they left the park. Nika and I got up and headed towards the doorway terminal. She took my hand, a smile on her lips. She was wearing her playful look. I asked what was on her mind. After she told me, I decided that it would be nice to get back as quickly as possible.
We went through customs in record time and back on Earth booked a taxi with an extra tip for speed. Shortly after arriving at our hotel room, I was able come up with a pretty good reason why being human might not be so bad after all.
We didn't get weird or anything. She didn't call herself my little filly. In fact, there wasn't much talking at all. Despite the lack of conversation, neither one of us got much sleep that night.
Ahem, attention please. My name is Sail Canvas, President of Canvas Shipbuilding. Yes, I did have sexual relations with that woman.
And it was awesome.
A few days passed, and we accumulated all the things that would be needed for moving aboard the loaner ship. I was particularly interested in becoming proficient with shoulder-fired weapons. There should be some spare time built into our schedule for that.
After meeting up with the rest of the crew, all of us arrived back though the doorway at Balitmare. It was an Equestrian Navy port, and I had a look at some of their vessels when I had the chance. I made sure to keep ugly shirts on and my camera obvious. Might as well play the dumb tourist angle.
I was carrying a new passport with the name Sean Carter in it. It had passed inspection and been stamped at the terminal, so it seemed to be a good fake. We rented a small truck to transport all of us and our gear to the marina.
Andy was reading the ship’s information and guided me along the wharf. I was relearning how to drive, and figured I needed the practice. He called, “It should be right here.”
It was a ship, all right. A sailing ship. I couldn’t believe that this hadn’t come up in conversation when Nika and I were getting the briefing. They wanted us to conduct this operation while depending on the unreliable breeze? And how many people in the crew knew anything about wind sailing?
After a quick check with the marina office to make sure this wasn’t a cruel joke, we reluctantly began loading our gear aboard. To add further insult to injury, the vessel was named Traveler. I wondered if Celestia had done that on purpose.
The “ship,” which I only jokingly referred to it as, had two masts, and was eighty feet long. There were six cabins, so with Nika and I sharing, and Andy and Hawker doing the same, that left us with a spare. Without designated places for a lot of our gear, we piled our extra junk there.
Through the afternoon, we worked on getting everything ready and doing a little bit of training. Andy had read, and probably memorized, a book about sailing. I was an expert, and Shep had some experience. The three of us worked with the others so the crew as a whole wouldn’t be totally incompetent when we left the next morning. The boat did at least have a pusher motor, but it was barely enough to maneuver dockside.
As the sun was beginning to set, a young pegasus mare with a scarlet coat came walking by as if looking at all the boats. As I studied her, it seemed like she was looking for something specific. She spotted us working on the boat and came over.
“Hey there,” she called. “Are you going to be going out soon?”
“No, just doing some practice for next week’s trip,” I told her.
“Need some help? I know a lot about sailing.”
I looked at her a little more carefully. While her cutie mark was a couple of coins—not anything maritime related—her feathers had the look of somepony who spent a lot of time in salt air. I had found the solution for that was careful grooming with a shampoo for dry pelts, although I didn’t say that and make her suspicious that such advice was coming from a human.
“Sorry, it’s just going to be a pleasure cruise. You’d be bored to death, and we hadn’t really budgeted for an extra crew member.”
“I’ll just work for meals,” she offered. Her voice didn’t sound desperate for employment. Did she really want to just go sailing that much?
It would be nice to have some more experience, although I had no idea how much this mare might have. She looked young. I couldn’t see many advantages of having her along. There were plenty of disadvantages.
I debated for a moment how to brush her off. Maybe experiment with prejudice and tell her hoofers weren’t welcome aboard. I sure had plenty of similar remarks saved up. Of course it wasn’t speciesist for me, because I was a pony.
Eventually, I came up with, “Sorry, there isn’t a position open.” I turned away and went back to help with preparation.
Out of respect for everyone else aboard the silent boat, Nika and I kept it quiet that night. In the morning everyone pitched in to put the final touches on the sail rigging and get untied from the pier. The wind was decent, and we were able to shove off without many problems.
I studied charts of the Equestrian Sea. I had made sure to get copies of both the Equestrian surveys as well as those from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA stuff was a format I was used to. The pony equivalent had more local knowledge. Between the two, they should cover everything.
We set the sails and got things organized for the trip ahead. At least the boat tacked nicely in the wind. I had never actually been aboard such a large sailboat before, preferring to spend my time doing more interesting things. With such a long sleek hull, the speed should be fairly nice.
The day passed slowly, but at least it wasn’t too boring. We were all getting used to the new boat and its quirks. Those, thankfully, weren’t many or severe.
Jeff came up to me in the midafternoon. “I found a red feather stuck in the weather stripping around the aft deck storage.”
He was referring to a small box mounted to the deck and used for storing equipment. I thought for a moment. “When was the last time that was accessed?”
“Early yesterday, I think.”
That’s what I remembered. When I last looked, there weren’t feathers of any kind stuck in it.
Jeff added, “It looked like the same color as the pony who stopped by yesterday.”
I nodded. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I’ll go get a shotgun and some help,” he said.
I walked back to the place where a red feather was just barely sticking out of the concealing compartment. Had the mare really stowed away for so long? Even if she’d come aboard during the early hours of the morning while we were asleep, that was still more than half a day.
Jones, Andy, and Jeff showed up. I put my hands near the compartment cover. Jeff stepped forward with his weapon. I yanked the cover back and he pumped the action to add the intimidating clack-clack noise as light flooded in on our uninvited guest.
I plunged my hand down while she was still disoriented and pinched the leading edge of her wing right where it met her side. It was not really painful, but the compressed muscle lost effectiveness and my grip was on top of some of the important flight feathers. Any pegasus would instinctively stay put to avoid damage to them. The mare could probably break loose if desperate, but she was in an enclosed space with a gun pointed at her.
I kept my other hand up to block in case she decided to kick. For the moment, however, the pony lay still, or perhaps petrified with fear.
I glanced at the coins of her cutie mark. “Listen, Loose Change—”
“I’m Penny.”
“Well, I’m pissed off that you snuck aboard my boat.”
“Let me go,” she said. “I know something that you don’t.”
That was not a very convincing argument. However, what was the worst case if I freed her? She would fly away and not disturb us anymore? I eased up and took my hand away.
Penny sat up. Jeff had lowered the shotgun, but still held it threateningly. This was clearly more intense than the reaction she had expected from us, although I had no idea what she was actually hoping to face by stowing away. She looked even younger and less experienced than before.
The mare gulped as if gathering courage and looked at me. “If you’re working for the Princess, there’s something important you should know.”