The day after the festival, even before Celestia’s first light truly broke away from the horizon’s edge, the trio were waiting by the Neighagra River wharf. Carrara and Iris dressed in feather-down brown hooded cloaks kept rigid against the cold breeze with their laden saddlebags on top. Sunny making do by tucking his splayed wings closer to his body for insulation over more of his body. Pegasi dimensions, or more so their wings, made finding decent pony cloaks with his undersized proportions difficult in this stretch of Equestria. Both Carrara and Iris reasoned that Pegasi were used to the cold given their work with weather. His seeming lack of shivering or hunching against the occasional biting wind down from the mountains seemed to suggest he was made of more rugged stuff than he appeared.
Carrara spooned out some crystal berry jam to pour the rich red preserve on her scone from a small pile within a cheap linen bag, before taking a hefty bite of the rich, creamy, slightly salty dough bread. Her hooves clopped approvingly against the wooden dock, looking as content as a mare could be.
Iris had already began to help herself to Carrara's provisions without request nor repayment, likely thinking that Carrara should pay for breakfast given she was their ad hoc leader of their band, at least when it came to covering costs in her mind. Levitating yet another to her mouth and relishing in what is likely the first crystal berry jam topped scones she had ever had. She took time to regard Sunny’s displeasure in the soft pre-morning drizzle at the edge of the protective bubble that shielded the Crystal Empire from Arctic chills, as well as allowed the vitally important navigable river and fresh water source flowing gently all year long.
“Come hither, you foal. Eat while you have a chance!” Iris tempted. Wafting a scone in front of Sunny's muzzle. The stallion taking a bite as he eyeballed the pair with irritation in those big blue eyes. Yet more of Carrara's entirely independent purchase of baked goods spent on other's apetites, but she bore such enforced charity with grace and practiced hospitality.
“You know? Never been to the Crystalling before! For the first time I espied Princess Amore in the coat, herself. And you pulled me away just as I was about to personally meet one of the fairest beauties and heroines I will ever have the pleasure to encounter.” – The Pegasus started as if lost in regret.
“Well now I don’t feel guilty at all when you put it like that. I’m standing right here!” Iris haughtily proclaimed, interrupting Sunny rather than letting him dwell on lost opportunities. Using humour as if to avoid an inevitable recreation of their argument.
Carrara was not sure what exactly had transpired, as she was mercifully drinking her fill of cider and stuffing her face with crystal berry tart at the time. Something about a flugelhorn? Carrara was interested in how something like a flugelhorn precipitated into Sunny missing his chance to meet one of his idols, but considered the answer to the mystery unworthy of resparking that strife between them.
Meanwhile... Iris began striking a pose and lifting her left forearm to the knee perpendicular to the ground and letting her cannon elegantly drop, with the pastern held back and the tip of her hoof pointed down. Those cruel looking iron battle shoes helping to marry ‘sinister’ with ‘suggestive’ as she gave him a grin. Standing tall and wither set proud. Appreciably taller than both of them, and cutting a more elegant profile than Carrara could ever manage.
Even if most of Iris’ body was covered by that heavy cloak, she could carry herself with a grace few could ever compare favourably with. Ethereal electric blue horn glow playing against her frazzled locks of her mane as that scone and jam half-eaten treat still hovered, bathed in matching light, right before the Pegasus in attempted conciliation.
“Looks fade. I used to be a fetching vision in my youth, as well.” Carrara said with a snort. She too wished to spike the air with notes of humour, rather than simmering antipathy, and felt this was best achieved by coaxing a potential glimmer of introspection as to the unicorn's vanity.
“Thank you for noticing ... and sure you were.” Iris’ reply curt and immediate. The second half delivered with expert sarcasm somehow hurt Carrara more than any wittier jab Iris was capable of. Of greater pains, however, was that her barb before not only fed her ego, but was the platform from which Carrara was so quickly hung as to leave her without a reply.
Sunny was uncharacteristically less than accepting of the display and the retort Iris gave, but his better nature won through as he simply took a finishing bite of what remained of the aerial meal and turned his head away. As if with a charming, high-blooded disregard that both could appreciate, at least in comparison to a lecture or yet another argument. All with that edge of visible, practiced nobility and restraint.
“Well, I suppose it wasn’t all for nothing, and the other aspects of the Faire were just gorgeous and such fun! I managed to win about 60 bits on the jousts! I also managed to exchange that writ into gemstones that should fetch a decent price with the ponies down south, particularly given Cara's friends at the subsidiary stoneworks company giving us a 'mate's rates' for those they unearthed at their quarries.” He said somewhat diplomatically.
“'You don't chalk up my discovery as a triumph to our exploits at the Faire!?” Iris scoffed. “That ruby amulet dating from the old Unicorn Kingdoms, one that allows me a point-defence shield I can conjure that is twice as resilient as what I can usually summon!” She stated with prideful conviction; “That was a rare and fortuitous find!”
“It also cost you 960 bits …” Sunny turned to her, disapprovingly. “I take it you’ll be borrowing money from myself and Cara before we land more work?” He said with a soft snort of irritation.
“But of course!” She said, as if that was to be utterly expected. “This magic helps all of us, not just me. I’m thinking of the party here and graciously donating a large sum of my gains to the wellbeing of us all. Marble here at least understands that much!”
“Understands …? Or tolerates…?” He queried with an inquisitorial tone. “There is a line, and Cara seems very much the latter.” He painted a picture with his words and tone that suggested misconduct.
At the sound of her nickname, Carrara gave Sunny a right hoof point in his direction. A sly smile on her muzzle, as if confirmation he hit the mark clear and true. As she trailed her eyes from him to Iris to make sure there was no question of that as she remained pointing in his direction.
“I didn’t know my magical power and talents were so underappreciated.” The tone Iris wore on her throat was veiled hurt. She was good at it, but 6 moons of travelling together had taught Carrara well. Her emotional shields were not shared in Sunny however.
“I … I didn’t mean it like that.” He peeped. Voice returning to that characteristic softness of spirit. Hook, line and sinker, he bought in.
“No … it’s nothing. It’s just… don’t you remember that magic compass of the Sunset Strider Company I managed to find in that shop? Helped us spare days in finding and saving that lost caravan in the mountains outside the colony of New Maretherland once I tuned its pointer to the specific Crystal Empire gemstones the caravan was carting?” She mewled, playing to their memories of the event. “You said that was a frivolous expense, too… but you and Marble benefitted no less from the reward of saving them, didn’t you?”
“I … but …” Sunny was looking somewhat ashamed.
“It’s just that by this point I hoped that I would have earnt your trust by now…” Her head sagged low to the ground, masterfully using the coat hood to obfuscate her face to suggest she was hiding potential tears. Devious.
“Look, I’m sorry... I don’t mind, really.” Sunny said as if to cheer her up. Carrara smiled to herself, closing her eyes and sighing. It was, if anything, a touching and sincere display of at least the stallion’s good nature. And Iris did have somewhat of a point. Celestia knows what would have happened to that caravan if they didn’t find them sooner when they were accosted by a tatzlwurm.
“--I suppose Shetland Mill would remark that to mutual gain, lay mutual responsibility to endeavour in kind reward. Due to the necessity of ponies to implement forward planning and foresight as much as possible to be moral beings, to effect the best outcomes conducive to the wellbeing of others. And the highest moral fibre would be irrespective of specific beneficiaries and beholden by the rules that govern the greatest generation of possible happiness…” Sunny said softly with an uplifted beat and warm smile.
Iris prodded and raked at the ground with her battle shoes softly, as if still wearing the maligning colours of distress. She didn’t respond.
“--And naturally me and Cara should pitch in 320 bits each in order to offset the cost of such an item given through you it may protect us all irrespective of who truly benefits.” He beamed. Stating as if all too matter-of-factly for his own personal good – or wellbeing.
“Wait, what!?” Carrara glowered for a moment, flicking her tail angrily at the thought as if swatting an imagined fly.
She swiftly forced a sweeter countenance as she recognized the tables had been turned on her, 2 against 1. And she damn near felt a menacing grin and eyeball from Iris’ supposedly downcast features. 'I’ll kill him,' the thought raced in her skull. Uprooting all sense of the warmness she regarded him but only seconds prior. And with that Iris lifted her head and rubs her eyes of those heinous, imagined crocodile tears. A soft smile born of a thespian’s talent made their lines across her muzzle.
“Thanks. I just know it will come in handy on our trip! You’ll see!” Iris said with practiced guile.
Even if cheated, and knowingly so, Carrara had no real gripes in the end. She was used to it, and to be fair she was just as much a scamp in her youth. Maybe this was what the old ponies used to call karma? Moments later they heard new voices in the fog, through the low mist the figures of three ponies finally emerged. Two Earth ponies and a unicorn, the two younger of the trio looking unethused but the oldest one amidst their ranks looked positively buzzed. Their entrance upon the scene ending the thoughts as to Iris conning them out of bits to secure for herself ever greater powers at her disposal.
“And that’d be the master of our river fleet.” As Carrara caught sight of an appreciably older Earth pony. Pointing with a right hoof singling him out. Iris instead decided to take stock of the other ponies on the wharf and tried to make sense of the seeming prognostication.
“How do you kn--?” Iris started but Carrara waved her off, as she strode out to the old pony.
“Cara!” he trotted forth and close well into her personal space, and Carrara none-too-minded. Lifting her right forearm and hooked it around the old timer. A tight squeeze as the pair of them emitted a series of laughs. He had a dappled brown coat, darker brown mane and tail. His cutie mark appeared as if a laden swing arm but it was hard to tell beneath the straps of the saddle bag.
“I still remember when you were but still a filly…” As he relinquished Carrara from his grip, but still kept his left fore-hoof against her right shoulder blade. Lowering his right hoof down lower than his wither. “Like this high, how you’ve grown! When I heard from Sandy there’d be a familiar face waiting for me, I couldn’t imagine it was going to be you!” He said as he felt comfortable with her maturity to give her a solid hoof slap against her shoulder blade that might’ve faltered her stance when she was much younger.
Even into his twilight years, he still had a vigour about him that seemed ineffable. Just like she remembered so fondly, and a great deal of why she was so glad to see him. She flustered beneath her fur, rubbing the back of her mane, embarrassed that he would remember and hold her memory with such affection. She tried to find a reply, but instead defaulted to the easy conversation piece that was her waiting friends.
“Oh! And not just me! I'd like to introduce you to two friends of mine!” She pointed her left hoof at Iris and Sunny in turn. Introducing them to what was still a stranger. Stepping forward slightly, and nodding in turn as their name sounded off. “This is Iris -- and Sunny.” She beamed. Fulcrum, with Old Land graces, bowed his head respectfully in greetings.
“Charmed to meet you! They call me Fulcrum, Fulcrum Point... but you can just call me ‘Fully’, everyone does. I help organize the trip, and take down additional orders and design schematics from repeat clientele on site.” He declared his job detail to Iris and Sunny. He then turned to Carrara and began to mess up her mane with his left hoof. “Was this one’s supervisor during her apprenticeship at the Sandy Design Stoneworks Company … Learnt on site stone tracing and detailing from yours truly!” Fulcrum said proudly and chuckled, as Carrara suffered his affections graciously.
Sunny Side merely laughed with Fulcrum, but Iris Glow grinned.
“Really ...?” Iris almost purred. “And what was Mar—Cara like as a filly? Why, the way she carries herself now. I imagine she got her sense of humour from you, then?” Iris was working the target, naturally, for some embarrassing dirt while Carrara could only hope to handle the heavy hoof mussing up her mane. Fulcrum stopped the affectionate assault on his ex-student’s scalp, looking at the unicorn mare.
“Cara? A sense of humour!?” He laughed incredulously. “She was always so huffy! Rigid. Even on her days off she was always busy with her studies, and watching the journeyponies at work and taking notes.” He said with affection that quickly evolved to a note of sadness. “But then again, understandable. At least back in those days… didn’t have a lot of friends. Glad to hear she’s made some, now. I take it you all are working together in the Canterlot settlement now? Earning a few carrots on the side?” He queried to the pair.
Iris raised an eyebrow at that, and Sunny merely looked perplexed. Carrara managed to pull herself away and shook her head and mane as if to reset her former teacher’s rough designs on her fur.
“Yeah, I was boring.” She said as if dismissively to Iris, before turning back to Fulcrum. “And no, we're currently … in between jobs. What gave you that idea we were cutters or detailers in a workshop?” She looked at him curiously.
“Hrm….” He uttered as if similarly confused. He opened up his right saddlebag and fetched a length of thick paper. It looks to be an official invoice.
Before the others could see it, Carrara immediately stepped in front them and cut them off. Espying the order herself and occulting its view to the others. She seemed to stiffen a moment before looking over to Iris and Sunny.
“Can you two help out loading the boats for the voyage?” Carrara's tone edged with angst or perhaps urgency. She lifted a hoof and pointed to the other two ponies that Fulcrum arrived with. “I’m sure they could use a hoof and horn, and they can show you what goes where. I just need to talk to Fully for a moment.” She smiled and turned her head back to Fulcrum still holding the invoice in his mouth.
Sunny moved towards the moored barges dutifully enough, but Iris gave a huff. Reluctantly pulling away from the pair before trotting over to where Sunny was already carting and loading up supplies into the tiny barge cabin. Fulcrum and Carrara had been chatting to each other for a few minutes. Iris, catching a slight break between their trips on and off the boat, pushing and pulling foodstuffs for the voyage, and other sundries. Finding her way near Sunny's ears.
“That was strange. What do you reckon they’re talking about over there?” Iris asked, pointing with a upward flick of her muzzle in the pair's direction. Keeping an inquisitive eyeball on the two Earth ponies. Sunny gave a snort of disregard.
“I don’t know … old times? About the nature of the order and what's being built? It’s none of our business, regardless.” He said as if he wasn’t interested, but that would be a deception. Iris scoffed as she recognized that he was lying to himself.
“When something isn’t important or doesn’t involve other ponies in its vicinity, you don’t usually ask them to clear off.” Iris said as if the assumption was it was about them.
At that moment Carrara patted Fulcrum on the shoulder as he attended to his duties and she hurriedly trotted over to the pair. A look of relief taking her features as she began to help them load up the barges. Iris stared at her, raising an eyebrow. Instinctually Carrara headed her off at the pass, trying to avoid eye contact as she does.
“It was family matters.” She said as if with finality that wasn’t to be queried further.
***
After 3 days, the climate became somewhat agreeable. Even on the cold river surface that helped sink the mercury they could feel the change in the air. They were the last of 7 boats, suitably staggered so if there are problems there would be time to slow the heavily laden vessels in time and assist, unless it was them that were in trouble.
40’ long, semi flat-bottomed hulls and single masted. Simple and crude vessels made of tar treated hardwoods. They were dayshift; Fulcrum, Winter Chill the unicorn mare and Surf Skimmer the Earth pony stallion were nightshift. Carrara, Iris and Sunny had a longer shift, but it was warmer, easier, and it afforded better views as frozen tundra gave way to rolling plains and forests.
Carrara and Iris were sitting at the small desk in the cabin playing chess on the 4th night of their river voyage. Sunny snoring softly in his hammock. The occasional shout, or the hull hitting scrapping rock, mercifully didn’t wake the Pegasus who apparently was quite the heavy sleeper. Carrara couldn’t tell whether that was a blessing or something that was going to bite them on the arse one day. He was tuckered out, and fair enough at that … it was his duty to main the riggings all day during a particularly treacherous storm. By the end of tomorrow they’ll already be on their final leg of the trip, but it would be a long, hard day.
“How're you holding up? First time travelling by river, isn’t it?” Carrara noted as she pushed her black queen across the board. Iris smiled excitedly as soon as Carrara retracted her hoof from the piece. Always a bad sign.
“Me? Fine. And no. First time having to work for passage on a boat.” She said somewhat annoyed. “Three moves, checkmate…” Her anger swiftly dispelled by hoofing her bishop to the centre. Carrara ignored her threat, even if the last 7 games over their time on the boat proved quite dire portents.
The boat struck a sharp river rock that sounded like it gouged at the hull roughly, but harmlessly enough. The quick unicorn wrapping her levitation field about the game they were playing. Successfully keeping the pieces upon the board and in their legal places. Sunny snored softly as his hammock swung. Carrara couldn't clear her head for the test of wits playing out infront of them.
“How can you complain? This is probably the easiest job we’ve ever had. Certainly the safest.” She murmured. She tried to concentrate on the game but she felt distant, like her senses were elsewhere. Using her knight to take Iris' recently moved bishop. A slight chuckle from the unicorn as Carrara retracted her hoof from the piece.
“Easy and safe, yes. Surprisingly so. Fun? Well paid? Exciting? It is none of these things. This life is not my tankard of cider and as much as you might pretend, neither is it yours. I know you, well enough...” She waggled her right roof in the air dismissively of Carrara's commentary of their situation. Shifting her rook to threaten her knight she couldn’t retract given her king will be exposed.
“You say that, but I was living this tragic, exploited, boring existence for decades of my life. This is how regular ponies live and it’s not such a bad thing.” Carrara noted before adding. “And to be fair I got to work for a few years with Princess Luna.” Reluctantly she shifted her king one space over… Iris just surveiled the board, looking so very sure, quizzically lifting her eyes from the game to lock onto hers.
“I’ve heard about some of the castle’s practical jokes. I ended up getting turned around in one myself as a filly.” An irritated tone to say the least, as Iris recounted an event from memory. “You’re not that type of pony anymore, Marble. You’re never going to go back to that life. Just as much as I’m never going to go back to Celestia’s library… We went on to bigger and better things.” She stated as if so certain. Carrara felt annoyed at the presumptuous nature of her argument.
"We're so alike, are we?" Carrara asked pointedly. "Getting almost eaten by worms or riddled by arrows from magic-twisted beasts is better, is it?" Carrara leaned forward. "Your mother has a successful store in New Maretherland. You got a chance to study at Princess Celestia's side at the Castle at, what, 4!?" She scoffed.
"Garbage..." She glowered at the Earth pony, voice low and cut with pride. "I find it funny you don't seem to have these reservations concerning Sunny, here. I'm a year older than he is and yet you're fine with him tagging along with you, apparently."
"We both know Sunny is a slave to his good nature. You demonstrated that well enough on the wharf." She looked at him to make sure he was still sleeping in the hammock. A snort of his soft snoring seconds later confirming her hopes, at least. She turned back to face Iris, wearing a mood that might almost be described as motherly. "He is precisely the type of pony that will, time and again, put himself in harm's way for a goal, a cause."
Sounds of dull scrapes of underwater driftwood as the tremors reverberated through the ship. Dull thumps upon the hull acommodated the sounds of the ship's momentary distress. Carrara perked an ear to outside. Left ear rigidly turned towards the portal of the ship's cabin before looking back at Iris.
"And yet you're foal-sitting him and I'm the one you have a problem with!? I'm the one that you're having this discussion with!?" She looked at Carrara, tone thick with incredulity. Speaking as if to force her senses and attention back to their conversation.
"Equestria will chew him up and spit him out. He won't stop travelling about the Frontier. Even if I tell him personally to go work with his sister at the Pegasus Express. I figure if I take half of that punishment he'd otherwise suffer alone, maybe we can survive it together... or until he gets tired, finds something, somewhere or somepony he doesn't want to leave." She explained in a warm tone that spoke to her worry for the stallion. "You should seriously think about going back to Celestia's little magic classes at the Castle and that teacher of yours, Mica Shine. Become an official, an upstanding Equestrian citizen. Find a special somepony. Make some friends to talk about how you should do your mane ... Not waste your youth getting saturated to the bone in a freak storm, or getting attacked by giant worms while trying to escort a convoy to safety, or suffering frostbite on a wintry path going to Celestia-knows-where." A wearied, dry note as she summed up examples of what she would experience from both real and imaginable events.
"And that's what you would do, is it!?" Iris retorted angrily. "As I said, I'm not that type of pony and I didn't know you would be so hypocritical to be giving this particular type of lecture. I don't see you with somepony special. I don't see you setting up a workshop and settling down. Where would you be without me?" She decried the notion.
"Hypocritical advice is the best there is -- And probably at the bottom of that cave pit." She stated as if it were so obvious, and blatantly honest about her odds. "When you get to my age, the mistakes one makes habitual becomes living proof. Besides, as I was saying... I lived this normal, regular life for decades... so I should know well enough, right? And I wouldn't have been potentially deceased at that bottom of that cave pit if I followed the advice I'm giving you now." She sighed and mustered what diplomatic tone she could.
"So how can you sit there and pretend to have a point if you don't even follow it?" Iris said as if waiting for an answer she felt would already be wrong.
"You've been with me for 6 moons now. We've had a good run. You've gone from some wide-eyed scholar to a talented witch, and I'm proud of you. Sunny and I will be leaving you 640 bits ahead, at least. We can be at Two Sisters' Lodge by early winter. You can apologize right before Hearth's Warming ... and you'll be out of the cold, the snow, the frostbite. Back to your studies and living your own life." Carrara said so matter-of-factly. "Go back. Help those sheltered scholars with the wisdom of the world you've gained directly, that they would lack."
"Celestia forbid you might recognize just what that sounds like coming from a pony like yourself." She wrinkled her muzzle in distaste of Carrara's tone. "And if Sunny were awake just what do you think he would have to say? What justifications might you think up that would assuage his thoughts on the matter? Just hypothetically what would you say if you wanted him to settle down someplace?" She pointed a hoof towards his swinging hammock as he slept through their fight.
"I wouldn't, as I said before. Me and Sunny? We're hopeless. You .... all you have to do is apologize. Apologize to Mica Shine, apologize to your former classmates. 10 minutes of shame, and a lifetime of being a very important pony. Shaking hooves with the elite of that fancy, new Canterlot. Work with the Alicorn Duumvirate directly. Be all you can be." She explained as if somewhat disappointed Iris couldn't see that.
"I'll take a lifetime of regrets over 10 minutes of self-imposed shame, and that includes the value I place in another pony's company who is recreating those mistakes." Iris spoke in contempt of the idea. Carrara tilted her head side to side, mulling her words over. Not waiting for a reply Iris struck out with her rook and snatched her friend's knight with impunity and smirked in satisfaction. "Hopeless? I more than qualify ... and maybe it's not such a bad thing." Parroting her words and tone prior, she dismissed her advice soundly.
"So you're content to make the same mistakes as me, for the same reasons as I did, at the same risks as I suffered, and yet what makes your argument so shielded from similar critique?" Carrara huffed as she observed the board, looking defeated, and listened to Iris' words with just as much pessimism.
"Difference is I wouldn't think to tell a younger pony what they're doing was wrong in these regards." She clucked her tongue, annoyed. "That way I avoid the problem of having to consider I'm wrong to begin with."
"How noble..." Carrara sighed. It seems she had more words, but stifled them as another strike against the bow hull reverberated through the ship.
Something didn't feel right, and Carrara suddenly felt a cold sense of fear and dread bubble up from her gut and spine. The realization hitting her made the fur on her neck stand on end as she started putting the pieces together. For all these collisions, not a single voice of the night shift crew... Another sharp strike against the hull dragged Carrara out of the debate completely. She slowly lifted herself from her chair and moved to the door. Iris for her part was disinterested, having grown accustomed to the sounds of the river, but what the younger mare failed to take into account was the lack of anything else... With a hesitant push the Earth pony swung open the door.
Bound, gagged, and in various stages of unconsciousness was Fulcrum, Winter Chill and Surf Skimmer, being tied to the mast. 4 griffins, all but one clutching blades or crossbows in those wicked talons. One griffin was securing the hostages, one more flitting quietly on the winds 7 feet above the hull taking aim at the cabin portal, and one leaning against a pile of pre-cut heavy granite blocks. The last griffin occupied most of her gaze, however. World-beaten and powerfully rugged, bedecked in fitted iron armour that cover her upper body. With a gold and ruby beak-stud just above the right side of her maw.
The night and heavy foliage that flanked them upon the riverbanks must have obfuscated their boarding of the now imperiled vessel. The menacing creature lifted the long sabre gripped in her right foreclaw, and held its tip a foot from Carrara’s muzzle. The griffin stared dead into the eyes of the pony afore her, her jewellery and weapon glinting in the moonlight.
“Do you concede? Plain as day, 1 move till--” Iris started, voice dripping with smug satisfaction. Both in Carrara's defeat on the board and in the battle of words. Lifting her head as her companion interrupted her and finally registering why Carrara seemed so distracted.
“Checkmate.” Carrara said, voice simmering with anger.