The Cadenza Prophecies

by iisaw

11 Business as Unusual

Chapter Eleven - Business as Unusual

Talon had never been inside Vagabond House before, so I gave him the two-bit tour. I told the eager young griffin that he was to assist "Ambasador" Spike for the next day or two, whenever he was needed.

"I will inform the lieutenant, ma'am. He will change my schedule to accommodate that, and add Terror onto the duty, so that we will have day and night coverage, if that suits you."

It took me a second to realize that Terror was a name and not a motivational tactic of questionable legitimacy. "Terror?"

"Oh yes, ma'am, she's new. Joined the griffin squadron just last spring, but she's very sharp."

I had several questions. I hadn't known until that moment that my guard had a griffin squadron, and two anomalous names, both beginning with the same letter as mine did? I hated to add to her workload, but perhaps I should ask Buzzy to change her bi-anual reports to monthly, and put a little more scrutiny on social trends. What I said to Talon was, "That sounds fine. Why don't you and Terror bunk here in the guardroom near the main gate? That way you will be immediately available whenever Spike needs you. I'll write out a quick note for your lieutenant now."

I did so, and when he had gone to deliver it, I spoke with Spike about his new position. "It's not just a sinecure, or an excuse to cozy up to a few dragon cuties, you understand?"

"Sure! Uh… But what, exactly, is a sinecure?"

"If you can't get it from context, you know where the dictionaries are shelved."

"Awwww…"

"Seriously though, cordial relations with the dragons is something I very much want to promote. Make sure they know they're welcome here, as well as any other artists or artisans. I wouldn't mind a permanent population of that sort if they felt so inclined."

"Got it, Twi!"

"And ask them why they came all the way out here for a stop on their tour if you get the chance. I think that scheduling only three shows meant they were just testing the waters."

"They have to think it was a success now!" He said. "There were three nicely aged rubies in that wad you popped into their basket."

"Well then, if their schedule is flexible, you might convince them to extend their run for another couple of days. I know there are several of the Nebulas^[1] that would really enjoy that show. Rarity would probably be able to articulate exactly why some of it was so spectacular."
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[1] A ship's crew is traditionally known by the name of the ship. I used to be bothered that everypony used the incorrect plural of nebula (i.e. not nebulae), but then I decided it was like the difference between a school of similar fish, and a group of fishes from several different species. Several dictionaries published in Twilight Town and allied states now reflect this usage.
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"I'll give it a try. Hey, does that mean I'll be sleeping up here at the House for the next couple of nights?"

"If you don't mind. It'll fit in better with your new position and you won't have to be swapping in and out of your disguise to go back and forth. Speaking of which, I'd better get my own disguise back on and get back to the ship. If you need anything, ask Ajo or send a message."

= = =

When I got back to Nebula, I was greeted by a sudden small crowd, all clamoring for my attention. I did a bit of mental triage based on the notes I had received and said, "One at a time! Ket, you first…" Then I spotted Tempest's black eye. "No, you first. What happened?"

"This?" She jabbed a hoof at her puffy face. "Just a little tussle. One of them got in a lucky shot. No big deal."

I really wanted to know the details, but there were more pressing matters. "Anycreature dead or permanently injured?"

"No." She waved her hoof dismissively. "Just a little disagreement."

I sadly recalled a time when captaining an airship was more like an adventure and less like foalsitting.

"Fine. Ket?"

"Nope!" Pinkie called out, shouldering her way through the crowd. She had a big tray piled with food balanced on her rump. "Eat first!"

I suddenly realized I hadn't eaten since brunch, and the smell of fresh, steaming pasta primavera made my stomach wake up and growl. I don't know how Pinkie had known I'd forgotten to eat, but fortunately I've got a mental filing cabinet labeled "Wild Magic" that I use to ignore events like that, so that I don't obsess over them.

Ket grinned and waved her forward. "Go ahead, Captain. I can give you my report while you eat."

It only took an hour or so to get most things squared away. Ket and Rarity had secured a cargo that would seem entirely plausible, and arranged for the items to be carted to our mooring tower the next day.

"Good price on this stuff," I observed, going over the paperwork.

"Yes, well…" Rarity trailed off.

Ket grinned, flashing her incisors. "We got Lucky."

Believe it or not, I heard the capital letter. "Ah?"

"Everypony said that Old Garret knew all there was to know about trading with the south—" Rarity continued, "—but that nopony could pry the information out of his beak with a crowbar."

I found myself grinning. "How long did it take her?"

"Half an hour!" Rarity stomped an exasperated hoof on the deck. "The cargo was from his personal stores, all selected for trading in the south, and he sold it to us at a discount because he had just decided this morning that, with all this Storm King nonsense going on, a trip down there was too risky." Evidently, she was a little miffed at having been supplanted as Nebula's premier deal-maker.

Ket chuckled. "We would have been back sooner, but Lucky had to look at all of the pictures of his grandchicks. He even gave her this native art piece he had hanging on the wall of his parlor. Said it would be good luck for us!"

"Not that we seem to be in short supply of that," I observed dryly. "Where is Lucky now?"

"Doing a little shopping and exploring on her own," Rarity said. "I gave her some cash—as a negotiator's fee, I suppose? I normally wouldn't let a newbie wander around the Town alone at night, but I don't think there'll be any problems for her."

I had a slight twinge of conscience at the thought of her alone, but it hadn't anything to do with her safety.

Other supply issues were settled, including some unexpected ones. While she had been on the rocks,^[2] Zephirine (a unicorn from Zanzebra who I had hired on as a deckhoof a few years back) had found a few old books about traveling in the southern deserts and bought them, thinking I might be interested.
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[2] "On the rocks" is aeronaut slang for being ashore, or on the ground.
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"You certainly have a nose for books, Ms. Drouhin," I told her, levitating twice what she had paid for them out of my coat pocket and floating the coins over to her. "This one is very old!"

I flipped open the unmarked cover and the first few blank pages, to read:

Þe Booke of Þe High Songge

Þys booke hath manie and divers tales of Þe childes of olde Anubiya and hundes of Þe stone kyne, alle contained wythin a flourishing stile, and a savory kind of learning, which delighteth, holdeth, and rejoiceth Þe reader marvellously.

Okay, then! That one would have to wait until I was well-rested and had a Middle Equuish dictionary to hoof.

The other two were a book on general outfitting and organizing exploratory journeys rather oddly titled The Art of Travel, and Travels in Equestria Deserta, which seemed much more promising.

"Good work!" I told her as I teleported the books to my cabin.

Ralf had been remarkably successful at getting spare engine parts, and had located a small crystal-powered metal lathe that he recommended for purchase. "With lathe and raw stock, Ralf can make many parts. No need for carrying lots of spares."

I gave it some thought and made a decision. "Alright. Go ahead and buy it tomorrow, as well as a good supply of stock, but I still want a full range of critical spares on board, anyway. We may want to make repairs in a hurry."

A piece of bad news was that Mr. Hawser hadn't been able to get any decent charts of the area. He spread the single small-scale one he had been able to find across the deck and tapped with his hoof. "Most merchants hire local pilots at villages around the edges of the wildlands here and here. The only well-known route is through Klugetown—" Another tap. "—and along the western edge here, the land is all broken bluffs and rock spires. Dangerous as Tartarus to fly through unless you know the place and winds. The rest…" He swept his hoof across the mostly blank area that stretched across the bottom third of the continent. "Your guess is as good as mine."

I turned to Tempest who was lounging against the mainmast and gently prodding her swollen eye. "Where is the Storm King's fleet likely to be?"

She shrugged. "There were three fleets, Northern, Eastern, and Western." She grinned. "We all know what happened to the Northern Fleet, so that leaves two. They were supposed to sweep up each coast after the fall of Canterlot, securing towns and cities as they went, but those plans have probably changed. If I know the Storm King, he'll go for quick grabs after the biggest magical items he knows about, hoping to beef up his forces."

"Makes sense." I nodded. "So where and what are the artifact's he'll go after?"

Tempest walked over to peer at the map. "Aside from here in Twilight Town? The best targets would probably be Mt. Aris." She pointed to a mountainous island off the southeastern tip of the continent. "Some kind of enchanted pearl. I think he made a grab for it a couple of years ago, and flubbed it, but there was a lot of talk in the fleet about a better way to go at it. Hm... Maybe not so good for a quick grab, then." Her hoof swung to the north. "There's a temple in the Forbidden Jungle that has an oracle stone. Over on this side of the continent, there's the Caves of Conundrum. They've supposedly got a gigantic crystal that shoots beams of fire." She looked up and shrugged. "All this is mostly rumor, of course, but the King is obsessed with magical trinkets, and will chase down nearly any breezie-story."

I knew there were places known for ancient magic that she hadn't mentioned. "What about Somnambula or the Arimaspi mountains?" I asked.

"Nothing specific that I can remember, but Somnambula is all about mysticism and personal magic, and the King likes the sort of stuff that can blow holes in things. Arimaspi territory is worse than the Conundrum badlands for airships, and the natives are huge, savage, and scared the biscuits out of the King's Elite Guard that scouted the place. That one is probably way down the list into the 'Last Resort' category."

I nodded. Our best bet for catching the King unaware would be Conundrum. Yes, he might be with the other fleet, and Cadance had mentioned seeing an island in her vision, but I thought it much more likely he would want to scoop up something like the fire crystal personally. Also, the thought of having Nebula between him and my town was comforting.

"All right then. Ket, we sail tomorrow night at four bells in the Middle Watch. Run through your disguise inventory and drop hints around town that we will be heading for the Forbidden Jungle. Mr. Hawser, give one last try at getting some decent charts of the Conundrum badlands tomorrow, and then get Nebula rigged and situated for a departure under canvas. No lights, no bells, no engines. I don't want anypony to realize we're gone until they wake up in the morning."

They acknowledged their orders and repeated them back to me.

"Oh, and is Ms. Ao aboard?"

"No, Captain, but she said she would be back aboard before the Middle Watch."

"Good. Let her know the plan when she gets back and then send her down to my cabin. Have someone wake me for the Forenoon Watch."

"Captain?"

"Yes, Ms. Tempest?" Huh. A slip of the tongue there. By Ms-ing her, I had informally confirmed her as an Ordinary Aeronaut, whereas technically she was still a prisoner of war. You may not believe it, but I hate to reduce ponies to categorical checkboxes. Yes, it is a useful thing and essential to any bureaucratic or legal system, but the problem is that any simplistic categorization is almost always inaccurate and misleading if a pony wants to consider the bigger picture.

"I would like to speak with you—privately."

I didn't see the harm. "Alright. But get Dr. Woundwort to put a poultice on that eye of yours first. I'll be in my cabin when you're finished."

Getting her shiner tended to gave me time to get settled in, sort out several items I'd brought over from the palace, and bring my pocket notebook up to date. When she knocked on my cabin door, I was sitting at the big table, double checking my to-do list for the next day.

"Come in."

She entered, in a brisk and efficient manner, her injured eye covered with a neat white gauze pad.

"Pull up a cushion," I told her. "What's on your mind?"

"I find this place hard to believe," she said.

I assumed she didn't mean the captain's cabin, as nice as it was. "You mean the Town?"

"Yes. I've seen a lot of isolated trade towns, and they're always full of unscrupulous characters; bandits, runaways, grifters, mystics, smugglers, thugs, spies, outcasts, and adventurers. You've got all of that and more here, but there's something that's missing."

I thought I knew where she was heading, but satisfied myself with a neutral, "And?"

She grinned. "It's certainly not danger. I spent the day pushing the boundaries of the local customs you mentioned, and got this for my troubles." She pointed at her eye. "It was seven to one, by the way. Just in case you're thinking I've lost my edge. But, ordinarily…"

She trailed off and thought for a second. "When's the last time a pony got knifed in a back alley here?"

"What?" I angrily snapped my notebook closed. "The Town can be rough, but that sort of thing doesn't happen here!"

"That's my point! It's like there's a limit that's baked into everypony's brains! I had to push those bruisers down at the tavern way beyond what most creatures would tolerate before they got fed up and threw hooves. In places like Klugetown, it's everycreature for themselves, and they drag bodies out of the alleys nearly every morning, but here it's like they're all—"

"Friends?" I said, grinning.

She just stared at me for a while. "Is it some sort of spell?"

"Friendship is magic, but no, not the way you mean."

"Then…?"

"I spent somewhat over a decade modeling the behavior I wanted to see from my subjects and rewarding them when they behaved well. I treated each and every one of them fairly and equally. It wasn't long before they came to think of friendship and harmony as the default state of living, and not long after that, they didn't think much about it at all; it was just reflexive."

Tempest scowled. "It can't be that simple!"

I sighed. "I just condensed a dozen years of very messy and half-unintentional social engineering into a few sentences; of course it isn't that simple! But it did work out pretty well in the end."

She stared at me for an awfully long time, and then said, "And you let just anypony live here if they want to?"

"As long as they play nice." I leaned over the table, a wide smile spreading across my muzzle as I brought it very close to hers. "Can you play nice, Tempest?"

One of the benefits of her coat color was that it hid bruises very well. One of its downsides is that it did the same for blushes. I really hoped I had made her blush, but I'd never know for sure.

She turned her head and cleared her throat before she replied quietly. "If it meant I could live here when this whole mess is over? I think I could give it a shot."

I sat back, still smiling.

= = =

A little before midnight there came another knock on my door.

I was curled up in my favorite spot on the cushion-strewn bench behind the rudder post, reading Equestria Deserta^[3] and scribbling in my notebook. I called out, "Come in," slipped a bookmark into the book, and levitated some papers over from the table. "Ao, I'd like to go over these… Oh."
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[3] It had been written by a pony named Doughy, which I thought was a little ill-fitting for an explorer, particularly one who traveled in sunburnt lands. Perhaps he had been a baker rebelling against his family trade? I also found the title strange as the great southern deserts had never been officially claimed for Celestia's kingdom.
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"Sorry, Captain," Lucky Charm said, peering past the half-open door. "If you're busy, I can come back later."

"I'm just waiting for Ao to get back. Come on in."

She came in levitating—something along with her. She floated it between us so I could get a better look at it. "Mr. Garret, that nice old griffin, gave me this. I don't really have any place to keep it, so I thought you might like it?"

At first glance, the thing looked like an irregular, hoofmade doormat. It was flat and roughly rectangular, made of bundled, flattened grass stalks bound together with thin twine in a very open weave. About a dozen colored glass beads of different sizes were fastened to various intersections of some of the stalks, in no pattern I could discern.

"It's—" I stared at it, cocking my head to one side. "—interesting. May I?"

She nodded and I took it out of her field, bringing it much closer. Despite the haphazard look of the thing, it was quite sturdy, and the cordwork was very clean and careful. A good deal of care had gone into placing the stalks and beads in precise locations.

"This is fascinating," I said to Lucky. It wasn't beautiful, but it wasn't exactly unbeautiful, either. "Did Mr. Garret say where it came from?"

"I think it was something like Hay Sung?

That rang a bell. I floated over the oldest one of the books Zeph had found and flipped it open to check. "Could that have been 'High Song'?"

"Oh, yeah! That sounds right!"

I floated the mat over to the table and placed it carefully next to the big log book."Thank you very much, Lucky. It's very kind of you."

She rewarded me with a brilliant, sweet smile, and I'd like to think that it had absolutely no influence on my impulsive decision.

"Do you have any plans for where you'll go next?"

Her smile faded. "No. I haven't given it much thought, but I'll figure out something. I always do."

"You know we will be going on a risky mission very soon, right?"

She nodded, uncertainly.

"Have you ever considered a career in pir—uh—privateering?"

She gaped at me for a second and then squealed, "Really? Really, really, really?" Then, she flung herself around my neck and gave me a joyful hug. Then, she gasped and jumped back. "Sorry, Blackmane, ma'am, Captain!" She saluted, using her left hoof.

"Get some sleep, and in the morning you can sign the papers. I will have Ms. Zashira issue you a sea chest and assign you to a watch. FIrst thing you'll do will be to learn all the lines."

"Lines? Like in a play?"

I did not roll my eyes. "No. Lines as in cordage. Your adventurous life as an aeronaut will mostly consist of pulling on bits of rope for the first few months. At least when you're not scraping paint or swabbing the deck."

"Oh." Her smile faded just the tiniest bit.

= = =

=

Author's Note:

Comments

[PrincePegacornV]

"How hard could it be?"

Speaking from what my ancestors were, and myself in the present, being a land lubber, very hard.

Even so, I'd get the hang enough if given the time and training. It wouldn't take much to revive the old Viking in me.

[protator]

"I spent somewhat over a decade modeling the behavior I wanted to see from my subjects and rewarding them when they behaved well. I treated each and every one of them fairly and equally. It wasn't long before they came to think of friendship and harmony as the default state of living, and not long after that, they didn't think much about it at all; it was just reflexive."

Tempest scowled. "It can't be that simple!"

I sighed. "I just condensed over a dozen years of very messy and half-unintentional social engineering into a few sentences; of course it isn't that simple! But it did work out pretty well in the end."

It's not really a contradiction and I assume you did that to avoid repetition, but it broke the flow for me and made me re-read the previous paragraph.
I think 'a dozen years' or 'a decade' would work better for the second paragraph.
Or maybe I'm just having one of those weird moments^^

[iisaw]

11909634
Good note, thanks!

[A.P.O.N.I.]

"Sure! Uh… But what, exactly, is a sinecure?"
"If you can't get it from context, you know where the dictionaries are shelved."

sinecure /sī′nĭ-kyoo͝r″, sĭn′ĭ-/

noun

1. A position or office that requires little or no work but provides a salary.
2. An ecclesiastical benefice not attached to the spiritual duties of a parish.
3. An ecclesiastical benefice without the care of souls.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition • More at Wordnik

I don't know why I felt the need to add that, but there you go.

That one would have to wait until I was well-rested and had a Middle Equuish dictionary to hoof.

Yeah. Middle English / Equuish is tricky in that you can understand the words that are being used, but a shift in meaning can sneak up on you.

Also, the knick-knack is a map.

Edit: When I left the above, I forgot that the next chapter had already been posted.

[Mitch H]

That one would have to wait until I was well-rested and had a Middle Equuish dictionary to hoof.

What, book princess is defeated by a few orthographic quirks and some ye olde early modern Equuish? Her marefriend will be positively disappointed in her. A consistent use of thorns for 'th' and she's stymied.

Shame.

[Reese]

"securing towns and cities and they went, but"
"securing towns and cities as they went, but"?