Faithful and Strong

by Golden Scribe

Chapter 6: The "Welcome to the Weirdo Humans" Party

“Come in, Lieutenant Bush,” an orange, blue-haired unicorn said, stepping aside as he opened the door and pointing down the hall with a hoof, “the welcome party is just down that way, in the largest ballroom. You won’t be able to miss it.”

Bush nodded his thanks, doffing his hat respectfully and making his way towards the faint sound of music. He’d stayed behind on the Lydia to make sure everything was secure before joining the rest of the crew, Hornblower included, at the party that Pinkie Pie (Bush still couldn’t help but smile at that name) was throwing in their honor. He did feel a bit guilty about leaving his captain in the lurch, but Hornblower had made it clear that repairs to the ship took precedence, and besides, he had the whole crew to fall back on if need be. Besides, perhaps everyone would be more relaxed now that the party had been going for an hour or so.

When he reached the door to the ballroom, Bush pushed it open without preamble, since it seemed that the ponies weren’t ones to stand on ceremony except where princesses were concerned. Once again, he found himself impressed by what these ponies were capable of; Pinkie had only decided to throw this party earlier that day, and yet the large room was fully decorated. Thin, multi-colored papers were strung across every wall, the floor was covered with smaller flecks of the same paper, and odd, oval shaped items were floating in the air, bumping against the ceiling or tied securely to tables, which were loaded with a variety of food and drink. A strange device in the corner was the source of the music, and both humans and ponies alike were dancing to it. Even from the doorway, Bush could see the crew mingling with the ponies, apparently at their ease. Perhaps some distrust still lingered, but the ability to actually interact with their hosts apparently allowed curiosity to win out.

A pink head popped up by his elbow. “Hi!” Pinkie said, grinning widely, “I’m so happy you made it! Come on, enjoy the party!”

“Thank you,” Bush said, letting the door close behind him, “If I may, where is Captain Hornblower?”

Pinkie gestured over to a corner, where Hornblower was leaning against the wall, his back ramrod straight, looking down at Miss Sparkle, who had the list of repairs hovering in front of her, talking animatedly. “Twilight grabbed him as soon as he arrived. I think she wants to make sure he likes the order she wants to do the repairs in. I told her that could wait till tomorrow, but you know Twilight, always wanting to make sure things are going right. I’ll probably try to drag her away in a few minutes. Till then, I’ve got some dancing to do!”

Waving at Bush, Pinkie bounced off towards the dance floor. Bush smiled after her and made his way to the refreshment table. Hornblower had no doubt noted his presence, and he had nothing important to report. Besides, he’d officially gone “on leave” once he left the ship, the least he could do was have a drink to ease the tension in his shoulders.

As he was pouring a glass of punch, someone bumped into him. “Sorry,” said the pony, before looking up at him with a grin. “Why, Lieutenant Bush! I didn’t see you come in! I’d been hopin’ to get a chance to speak with you!”

Even if he hadn’t recognized the odd drawl to the pony’s voice, the apples on her flank gave her away. “A pleasure, Miss Applejack. What did you want to speak with me about?”

“Nothin’ real important,” Applejack admitted, “This is supposed to be a party, after all. I just wanted to apologize if I gave you a scare earlier today, when we were looking over the masts. I probably should have asked your permission first, but that’s the best way I know to deal with ailing trunks, so…”

“No apology is necessary,” Bush said with a smile, “No harm was done, and it sounds like your method can help us make full repairs. It might have been unorthodox, but it got results.”

Applejack gave a wide grin. “I’m glad to hear it. I’ll leave you be now to enjoy the party. Pinkie always throws good ones!”

Bush watched her trot away, sipping at the punch (which was incredibly sweet but not unpleasant) and remembering the incident in question…

“Right now, we’re having the biggest trouble with the masts,” Bush said, gesturing to the inexpertly patched gashes on the mizzenmast, “We can’t quite seem to fill the holes properly.”

Miss Sparkle nodded and started scribbling it down. “We may be able to patch it with magic. Sometimes it allows for a neater fit.”

“Perhaps,” Bush said, taking her word for it, “But if all else fails, I suppose we could try to carve a new one, if you’d be willing to let us take a tree.”

“Aw, shucks,” Applejack spoke up for the first time since she’d introduced herself, “No need to waste a good tree if this one can be fixed. Let me take a look.”

She trotted around the mast, peering at the damage. “Still looks pretty solid to me,” she declared, “Only one way to be sure, though.”

Before anyone could say anything, she lifted her back hooves and gave the mast a firm kick, right in the damaged area. Bush sucked in a surprise breath, and Hornblower’s hands came out from behind his back, rising up in protest. But other than the thunk sound when her hooves met the wood, nothing happened. Applejack nodded in satisfaction. “See? Wood’s solid. Whoever constructed this mast of yours knew what they were doin’. You just need to get the right patch.” Noticing the men staring at her, she blinked curiously. “What? Did I miss something?”

“We should move on,” Hornblower said, as color started coming back to his face, “I believe the sails are next…”

“Lieutenant!” A musical voice called out, shaking him out of his reverie, “Do join us!”

Bush obligingly moved away from the table and approached the two mares sitting on chairs up against the wall. “Miss Rarity. Miss Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy squeaked, blushed, and shrank against her friend, while Rarity ran a hoof through her mane in a way that could only be described as preening. “I do like the way you address us,” she said with a smile, “I see that being a gentleman spans all countries.”

Bush felt himself grow a little warm. “Politeness to a lady should be universal.”

“I quite agree,” Rarity said, sipping at her own drink, “Something that sadly seems to be forgotten more often than not. I’m glad you and your men are so polite, even though this must be rather odd for them.”

“We do our best to make good first impressions.” Bush said modestly.

“It would be hard not to, with those uniforms of yours,” Rarity answered, gesturing to his coat, “I remember seeing something like them once before, and thought they were rather plain, but the way you wear them…it’s magnificent. I’ll have to track down the old outfit I saw and give it another look. Of course, that can wait until after I’ve finished repairing your sails.”

“Are you quite sure that we can’t help you with them?” Bush asked again, “It seems a rather big job for just one pony.”

“Oh, no,” Rarity said, “I can manage quite well. Besides, I enjoy a challenge. I assure you, Mr. Bush, when I return these sails to you, they’ll be better than ever before!”

Bush admired both her confidence and her determination. “I’m sure they will,” he said, before turning to the other pony. “Have you been enjoying the party, Miss Fluttershy?”

“It’s…nice,” she said, so quietly that Bush had to lean forward to hear her over the music, “I’m just not used to being around so many ponies. It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“Well, that’s why I said you could stay by me all evening if you had to,” Rarity said, smiling fondly at the pegasus, “The last thing any of us want is for you to be uncomfortable.”

“Agreed,” Bush said, hoping his voice sounded reassuring, “We’re inconveniencing you enough as it is.”

“Oh, it’s not an inconvenience!” Rarity protested, “It’s more like an adventure! And I for one am glad to be part of it!”

Bush raised his cup to her. “I’m happy to toast to that.”
***

The party went on until well into the night, and though Bush kept a close eye on the men, everyone remained on his best behavior, though whether that was due to the newness of the situation or the lack of alcohol and women, he couldn’t say. For his part, he sampled most of the baked goods (at Pinkie’s urging), officiated a few of the “party games” (Pin the Tail on the Pony was a rather unusual concept, but everyone else took it in stride), and generally enjoyed himself immensely.

He also had time to chat with the various ponies who would be helping to complete repairs. Most of them had cutie marks that related to building, which reassured Bush that they had some form of experience. A few of them had even worked on ships, none as grand as the Lydia, but at least they had some idea of what they were dealing with. It was enough to tell Bush that despite the initial concerns, repairs would be completed at a quick pace, with the possible exception of the cannons, which would probably take a week or more.

Then there was Rainbow Dash, who had been part of the group that arrived that morning. Unlike the others, Bush had had to seek her out, rather than being called over. She was a pony who couldn’t sit still, moving from refreshment table to dance floor to party games until she got bored and went on to something else. As such, his conversation with her was incredibly brief, and mostly revolved around her bragging about her speed. “I’ll help you get your ship repaired in days!” she said, when Bush mentioned the current timeframe of one week, “It’ll be a snap!” Before Bush could answer, another song started playing, and she gave a hasty goodbye before zipping back to the dance floor. He looked forward to seeing her apply that energy to the repairs.

The one pony he didn’t get a chance to talk to was Miss Sparkle. Despite Pinkie’s best efforts, she’d never managed to pull herself or Hornblower away from her list. Instead, Bush had gotten a chance to talk to her assistant, Spike—at least, in-between Spike hurrying over to freshen her drink or get her another quill. It was a shame Spike wouldn’t be allowed on board, as he was pleasant company and seemed eager to learn all about the ship. It seemed like he knew how to control his fire for the most part, and Bush decided to ask Hornblower to allow the young dragon on board, at least for a short time. But in deference to the captain, he would wait until they had made decent headway on the repairs.

When the clock struck midnight, Hornblower finally pulled himself away from the wall. “I believe it’s time to cut the evening short,” he called out, “Thank you for your hospitality, and the rest of you may certainly continue your celebrations if you wish, but it’s time for us to return to the Lydia. I want my crew rested up to begin repairs tomorrow.”

There were murmurs of disappointment from human and pony alike, but the men obligingly saluted and started making their way towards the doors. Pinkie waved them all off with a giant smile. “See you in the morning!” she chirped, “And I hope my party gave you super-duper extra energy so you can be all excited about going to work tomorrow!”

The men certainly seemed to be in high spirits, laughing and talking amongst themselves as they walked back to the beach. Bush lingered behind them, falling in step alongside Hornblower. “Did you enjoy the welcome party, sir?” he asked.

“It was good for morale,” Hornblower said, “And I believe Miss Sparkle and I have worked out the most efficient way to go about repairs. All in all, the evening was satisfactory.”

The tone in his voice made it clear that he wasn’t in a mood for conversation, so Bush left him be. He couldn’t help but feel, however, that Hornblower had rather missed the entire point of the evening.

Author's Note:

For future reference; this story will be updated weekly, every Thursday. Don't worry, I don't like leaving projects hanging. This will be completed, probably sometime in February or March.