Moments after vanishing, Taylor, Redheart, Celestia, and four of her guards, found themselves close to a very large city pier.
"Well, here we are, Manehattan. The largest city in Equestria."
Taylor looked back at the city skyline. "Um, Princess, are you sure that we're not on Earth?"
"What would make you ask that Taylor?"
"Well, because this whole city looks an awful lot like a city back in America. It was known by a number of names, including New York, New York City, NYC, or, like the island it sits on, Manhattan. The largest city in America for that matter."
Celestia thought about that. "Hmm, Manehattan, Manhattan, two completely different cities, on two completely different worlds. You wouldn't happen to have a Las Pegasus, Van Hoofer, Dodge City, Appaloosa, Baltimare, or a Fillydelphia back on Earth, would you?"
Taylor stared wide-eyed. "Las Vegas, Vancouver, Dodge City stays the same, no Appaloosa, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, respectively."
Both she and Taylor stared at each other for the longest time. Both knew what the other was thinking, but neither was brave enough to say it.
"Is it possible that Earth and Equestria are closer together than we originally thought? Could human architects have helped build these cities, or pony architects help build their Earth counterparts? Could the city blueprints from either changed from human hands, to pony hooves, or vice versa?"
While she saw that this conversation was very interesting, Redheart could see that it was going to be dragging on for a while, on time that they really didn't have. "Um, I thought that we were here to see the USS Cyclops, not discuss more similarities between Earth and Equestria!"
Celestia turned to her. "Oh yes, you're quite right Nurse Redheart. How silly of me to lose track of time like that! Anyway, this way to Dock 5, where the Cyclops is located."
Everypony, and Taylor, followed Celestia down to the pier, and then through the maze of docks. Eventually, they came to a section that was different than the others. From what Taylor could see, this area looked to be used for ship maintenance, as it had several dry-docks. One of the dry-docks had a ship in it, a fine sailing ship, that was seemingly having its hull repainted. The only other dry-dock that had something in it seemed to have two ships in it, but they seemed to be little more than rusted junk.
"Well, there it is. May I present to you, the USS Cyclops!"
Taylor looked up, and when he saw the ship, he gasped in slight surprise. Sure enough, there, moored along Dock 5, was a long, grey ship; with a small pilothouse up front, large cranes spanning most of the length of the ship, and it's rear deck-houses, with two funnels. The word "Cyclops", was visible on the bow in black lettering.
"Wow! The actual USS Cyclops! I've never seen the ship in real life before, but she looks exactly like the pictures I saw of her after she went missing!"
Redheart turned to him. "So, this ship was the most famous legend of the Bermuda Triangle?"
"Yes, it's strange disappearance, with no wreckage found, has become a huge mystery."
"Even bigger than your disappearance Taylor?"
Taylor thought about that. "Nah. We were just a couple of planes that went missing during a storm. No real mystery there."
"Are you so sure about that Taylor?"
"As sure as I can be. We were called 'Flight 19', a group of 7 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers that crashed in the Bermuda Triangle. How could we possibly rise to stardom? I mean, it's not like WE'RE the biggest mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, that would be silly!"
With permission from the team of dockworkers that maintained the ship, Celestia and the others went up the boarding ramp, and found themselves on the Cyclops's deck.
Taylor looked towards the center of the ship. "So, what happened to the ship's cargo? According to the reports, the ship was carrying a quantity of manganese ore. What happened to that?"
"We removed it after it was found to be non-toxic."
Taylor turned and saw the leader of the dockworkers. "Oh? And where was it moved to?"
"It was moved to a naval supply warehouse to be stored there until further notice."
"Oh."
It was then that Taylor remembered the dry-dock close by. "This question may be really off-topic, but I noticed that dry-dock over there." He pointed to it. "At first, the two rusting hulks inside just looked like junk. However, I looked a bit closer, and at least one of them seemed to have a hull shape similar to the Cyclops. What are those ships?"
The dockworker sighed. "Both of those ships were found extremely recently, and I mean within the last 5 years. The one farthest from the doors of the dry-dock, was found wrecked on a sandbank in, as you would say, 'November of 1941'. It was clearly not Equestrian made, and was already rusted out, and broken into three big pieces with many smaller pieces scattered all around. A storm was most likely the cause of the ship meeting it's end. The name 'Proteus' was just barely visible on the bow.
The other ship is a much different story. That one was found about a month later, drifting in the Celestial Sea, only unlike the Cyclops and the Proteus, she was clearly sinking, and was on fire!"
Taylor was shocked. "What?! On fire?!"
The dockworker, rather, dock-master nodded. "Yes. From what a few nearby ships could see, the ship had several gashes in her hull on the starboard side, and the front and middle of the ship was engulfed in flames. The name 'Nereus' was just visible on the ship's bow."
"And, what did you do?"
"Well, we were unsure of the situation, so we were going to let the ship sink, which we did, although when she did sink, she was in the middle of a shipping lane, and was of unknown origin, so she was not only a hazard to navigation, but also an environmental hazard as well. Eventually, the burnt-out hulk was raised, and dragged to that dry-dock, which she now shares with the Proteus. Closer examinations revealed no signs of any crew, and because of similarities between them and the Cyclops, whatever we could salvage went to repairing and maintaining her."
"That's because both the Proteus, and the Nereus were the sister ships of the Cyclops! All 3 ships went missing in the Bermuda Triangle without a trace!"
Celestia turned to him. "What? Are you sure Taylor?"
Taylor nodded "Positive."
Celestia turned to the dock-master. "Why wasn't I told about these other two ships? Since they looked so similar to the Cyclops, I should have been told about them!"
The dock-master looked confused. "And you were Princess. I mentioned both ships in the monthly reports. However, the Proteus was in 3 big pieces with numerous smaller pieces, and the Nereus was burnt out, so although they looked similar to the Cyclops, I wasn't sure if they were similar ships or not."
"And were both ships carrying any cargo?"
"Yes, they were carrying similar cargo to what the Cyclops had, and whatever we could salvage was sent to that same warehouse."
Taylor asked one last question. "And, what's going to be done with the ships?"
The dock-master shrugged. "If I had my way, whatever could be salvaged from those ships would be, and then they would be scrapped. Why should we keep them in that dry-dock in status-quo, when clearly they need to just be scrapped?"
"So, you haven't even tried to repair them?"
The dock-master laughed. "Are you kidding me son? Heck no! Heck, all of our time and effort's been going into keeping up the Cyclops, which we've been doing for the past 30 years! This ship, and those hulks need to start earning back those fortunes in bits that we've been sinking into them!"
For the longest time, there was only silence. Taylor and Redheart were taking in everything that they had just heard, and Celestia seemed to be lost in thought. Finally though, she broke the silence.
"Well", she said slowly, "It seems to me that the best way to have these ships earn their keep, would be to put them to service in our merchant fleet. That's what they were designed to do after all."
The dock-master laughed. "Yeah, but how? The Cyclops has been here for nearly 30 years, and we STILL don't know how the ship works! And even if we did, those other two ships are absolute wrecks! It would take many months of time, and thousands of Bits that we don't have to get them working again."
"Well then, how about we finally figure out how to get the Cyclops working, and once we do, we put it to service, and slowly over time, we use some of the profits from it to help fund the repairs of the other two ships. Would that work?"
The dock-master thought about that. "Well, actually, the truth is, we figured out how the ship works, but the truth is, were all scared of it."
Taylor looked at him curiously. "Huh? What do you mean you're scared of it?"
"I mean that that ship ain't natural! Found completely abandoned, with technology we've never seen before. It just ain't right!"
"Well, why didn't you say so before that you guys knew how to run the ship?"
"Because, we were planning on saving that for the monthly report. However, since you're all here ahead of that report, I guess that I might as well tell you now."
"And in your honest opinion, which one of the other ships do you think would be the easiest to repair, Proteus, or Nereus?"
He shrugged. "Probably Proteus, given that the parts are there, at least most of them, they just need to be put back together again."
For a while longer, the group continued to talk plans for putting the Cyclops to sea again for merchant work. Eventually though, it was time to go, and Celestia left with Taylor, Redheart, and her guards, to begin to put together a public funding campaign to pay for the minor work that would need to be done in order for the Cyclops to be fully operational again.
After they left, The dock-master assembled his team, and told them that the time had come to begin cleaning the Cyclops, do all of the necessary maintenance checks, and get the ship ready to go.
"The money will come", Celestia promised, "Just have the Cyclops ready to go before Winter sets in."
The dock-master promised to do just this, and he planned on delivering.
Meanwhile, many miles away back in Ponyville, James was happily spending time with Flutters in the pet cemetery. While he worked with the reel mower to cut the grass, she was working on pulling weeds, and straightening the headstones. Once James was done with the grass, he helped out by repairing some parts of the fence that had fallen down, as well as oiling the front gates, so that they no longer squeaked. All while they worked, Missy would fetch them tools, and when she wasn't needed, she would chase butterflies.
Eventually, they stopped for a break.
"Whew!" James wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "This has been some really tough work, but we've made some incredible progress!"
Flutters looked around her. Sure enough, the cemetery was getting closer and closer to being in presentable condition.
"Yes, we've really done some remarkable work, haven't we? I'm so glad that you came to help me with this cemetery James. Without your help, I wouldn't be able to maintain it like this. I tried to before, but I really couldn't leave my animals for long periods of time, and I tried to bring them with me, but that just turned into a disaster."
James nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine."
After they finished their break, they got back to work. By the time that the sun was starting to set, the cemetery work was complete. The grass was all mowed down, all weeds and creeping vines were gone, the fence was all repaired again, and the front gates no longer squeaked anymore. All of the headstones were standing straight and tall, and any faded lettering was redone as well.
"Now this, is a pet cemetery to be proud of!"
"I couldn't agree more James. Remember, this was all your idea. If you hadn't come to me with that business proposal, this cemetery would still be very run down."
"Yes, yes it would be." James then looked at his watch. "Hmm, it's almost 8:00. I should be heading back."
Flutters looked at him. "Aww, do you really have to go already?"
"I'm afraid so Flutters. Today was fun. We'll be seeing each other a lot more often now that we're in business together, but if you want to walk with me back to the hospital, I'd love the company."
Flutters looked at him. "What? Do you really mean that James?"
He nodded. "Of course I do. Plus, I know that Taylor would love to meet you, and I'm pretty sure that Miss Redheart would like to see you again too."
Flutters nodded. "Well then, anything for a dear friend like you James."
After gathering all of the tools back up and loading them onto the wheelbarrow, Flutters whistled for Missy, and the three of them began their journey home. After dropping the supplies off at Flutters's cottage the trio then made their way back to Ponyville.
About half an hour later, they arrived back at the hospital.
"So, this is where you've been staying since you arrived here?"
"Yep. I could have been cleared for release, but then Taylor had that serious accident, so I stayed for him. When he gets released, I'll get released as well."
"But, where will you stay when you leave?"
"Um, well, I was planning on staying with Taylor at the dorm on top of Drywood Workshops, at least, until I could find my own place to live."
Flutters thought about that. Just as she opened her mouth to say that James would be welcome to stay with her, she was rudely interrupted.
"So, that's where you've been all day, is it? Hanging out with Miss Hippie Animal Lover?"
"Uh oh."
James turned to look, and sure enough, leaning against one of the door frames of the hospital's front door, was Nurse Freckles.
"Oh no." Flutters took a few steps back. Missy began to growl ever so slightly.
James looked at her. "Yes. That is correct. I was helping her renovate her pet cemetery. Is that a problem?"
"Yes, it is a problem. You were there, with her, and not here, with me!"
James rolled his eyes. "Freckles, we've been down this road already. Flutters is my friend, and business partner, nothing more. You yourself came to that conclusion yesterday. Heck, you even wrote me that letter of apology, and treated me to that dinner on the roof."
Flutters turned to James. "Wait. Is she your, marefriend?"
"Got that right!"
"Can it Freckles!" James glared at her. He then turned back to Flutters. "She says that she is, but in reality, we're friends, at least, for now. She was the nurse who took care of me while I was injured, as well as taking care of Taylor for a time after his accident."
"So, do you love her?"
James put his hands over his face. "I......don't know. I thought that I did, but I really just.......don't know."
Flutters then turned to Freckles. "So, do you love James? And when I say that, I mean, do you love him enough that, not only will you marry him, but will also stay with him forever, have foals, and grow old with him, to love him to your dying day?"
Freckles had to think about that one. "Um, is that a trick question?"
Flutters shook her head. "No, I'm being perfectly serious. The truth is, I see James as a friend. A very close, dear friend to me, but just a friend. However, if your love for James is not genuine, then no, you cannot have him!"
Missy also barked once to prove that Flutters's point was valid.
For the longest time, there was only silence. James kept his face in his hands, and even Freckles had nothing to say. In fact, it was like this that Taylor, and Redheart found them a few minutes later.
"Huh? What's going on here? Hey James, what happened?"
"Huh? Oh, hey Taylor. And nothing really happened, aside from a serious heart-to-heart conversation. One that really made Freckles and I realize something."
"Oh? And what was that, if I could ask?"
"It was, um, well....."
"Miss Flutters made me realize that I was a nutjob to keep obsessing over James when in reality, she, as James always said, was just bis business partner, and one of his dearest friends, nothing more. I got all wound up over nothing!"
"And you're just now realizing that?" Redheart face-hoofed.
"Um, Pretty much, yeah."
"Gosh, you're so dumb, ditsy, and bubble-headed, that if your mane wasn't black, I would swear that you're really a blond!" Redheart muttered.
Once he had said goodbye to Flutters and Missy, promising that he would see them again soon, the group went back inside the hospital, and James asked how the meeting with Celestia went.
"Oh, it went very well. It looks like I'm going to have the funding to at least fix the engine of the plane, but that's not all."
"Wow, that's really great Taylor. But you said that wasn't all. What was the rest of it?"
"Well, before I answer that, I have to ask, how much do you know about steam turbines on ships? Most preferably those from the late 1910's?"
James thought about that. "Um, I know a little bit from my studies of naval architecture, but why?"
Taylor then explained all about the Cyclops, as well as her two sister ships, and the plan to put them back into service. "That's why we need somepony, or someone, to help. Those who have studied the Cyclops are almost certain that they've figured out how to make the ship's engines run, but they're not certain."
James was very surprised. "So, it wasn't just the Cyclops, but the Proteus, and the Neresus as well. I should have guessed. Anyway, I suppose that I could take a look and see what I could come up with. No guarantees, but I'll do my best. Just get me to the Cyclops sometime in the not-too-distant future, and I'll see what I can do."
And with that, they all began making plans. Taylor made plans to fix the plane's engine, James made plans to help get the Cyclops put to sea again, as well as hopefully draw up plans for the repairs for the Proteus and Neresus. Freckles began making plans for her future with James, and Redheart? She was busy with plans of her own; plans that involved keeping an eye on Taylor, just to make sure that he didn't accidentally over-exert himself!