//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: “The seas are dangerous.” // Story: The Ghost of Coltistrano // by EthanClark //------------------------------// The sun had long since set, giving way to Celestia’s raised moon and tapestry of stars spanning the night sky. The streets of the city below bustled with merriment. Warm lamplight danced across the cobblestone roads, illuminating the way for tired workers and excited party goers, alike, the latter coming out in drives to the several restaurants and taverns dotting the roadways. One such tavern, The Chimera’s Egg, boomed with cheers and laughter. From the windows, the passersby could see rows of scarred and tattooed ponies singing, drinking, and eating to celebrate their long-awaited return home.  Every available surface played host to the flank of a patron. Mugs and plates of food and drink came from behind the bar to be spread around, working hard to meet the demands of the tavern’s jubilant clientele. Shining Armor, doffed of his uniform, stood atop his stool and told stories of engagements past to the newbloods. To his side Cadence, a surprising sight in such a middle-class establishment, sipped from her mug of cider while avoiding the stares of patrons shocked to witness an alicorn in the flesh. Not far from them, in a quieter part of the tavern, Silver sat with Abby and his family, holding his mug aloft. “Da-... father,” Silver stammered. “Everything I am, I owe to you and mom. You supported me when you shouldn’t have, with what little you had, and I can’t for the life of me find the words to thank you. I will do whatever I can to repay you both.” Honey Hearts reached over the table to her son, pushing his mug aside and pulling him into her embrace.  “You’ve made us both so proud, son. We love you, and there’s nothing you need to repay.” “Except maybe taking Abby on a trip down the aisle,” Trusty said slyly, smirking beneath his mustache. Silver snapped back to his seat with a deep red blush. Abby, red in the face as well, giggled and pulled Silver’s hoof to her own. “Don’t scare him like that, Trusty,” Abby chided, her giggle persisting. “He’s almost fainted once today, any more and I fear the ceremony will be in the infirmary. But once he’s out of the academy...” Abby’s gaze lingered on Silver’s hoof, tracing small circles upon it before staring into Silver’s eyes. Both Trusty and Honey nodded to each other knowingly and began scooting out of the booth. “Well, I can see you two are mighty busy with each other,” Trusty held out his hoof for Honey to right herself with. “We’ll go see how Night Light and Ms. Velvet are holding up. Stay clean, you two.” The final comment earned a blush from both of the swooning ponies as Honey and Trusty’s laughter faded into the braying of the tavern. They avoided each others eyes for a few moments, regaining their composure. Abby fiddled with her mane until Silver’s hoof came to finish the job for her. Sitting next to each other, the hollering of ponies around them, Silver carried his gaze across Abby’s entire form. From her hooves, pristine and sleek, traveling up her gentle coat of a creamy yellow shared only by rolling fields of grain in the wind, and to her eyes, obscured only slightly by her deep ruby locks. Her eyes held Silver in place, the precious gems through which he could see the sunrise on the ocean, shimmered their sea green in the nearby lamplight. Silver felt her return his touch, and in turn shattered the remains of his resolve as he fell into her, locking their lips gently. Several moments passed and the sound of the world drained away as they absorbed each other into themselves. Silver broke away, opening his eyes to find Abby’s soft lips still reaching for him before she, too, awoke from the perfect daydream. They pressed their foreheads together, Abby’s muzzle crinkling in her gentle giggle, and before long the countess gave herself again to the romantic spell urging her lips forward to his. Hoots and hollers were thrown their way, but went unheard.  “You know,” Abby cooed, “Auntie Celestia will be busy with the night court…” A heat rose inside Silver as he swooped his head down onto Abby’s neck, planting a row of kisses up to her jawline. From the side of the booth, however, came a firm cough. “Am I interrupting?”  Silver looked up to the voice, finding Brigadier Shield Wall as its source, who was joined by an indigo pony. He moved to stand, knocking his rear leg on the table and forcing him back down. Still, Silver gave a salute to his commanding officer, whose expression proved he was immune to the merrymaking going on around him. He extended a hoof to Abby, helping her out of the booth. “Countess Glow,” he said with the faintest hint of a smile. “I apologize for my interruption but I must speak with the sergeant. Urgent matters regarding his disciplinary service.” “Of course, sir,” Abby replied, looking over her shoulder with a sultry gaze. “Don’t keep me waiting.” Both Silver and Shield Wall watched Abby as she walked out of the tavern, a stupid grin plastered across Silver’s face. The brigadier finally gained his composure and turned to his subordinate. “Ooh boy,” Silver said. “I’ll be honest, sir, I still have no idea how a schlub like me made it with the textbook definition of ‘perfect’.” “Neither do I…” Shield drew out his words. Flashes of bringing Silver’s head down on the lamp came into his mind, allowing the burning oil to melt away his smug expression, but he resisted. Instead he straightened his finely-pressed uniform and adopted an authoritative tone. “Sergeant, this is Chief Magistrate Midnight Gavel. He has elected to work with me in processing your administrative detention.” “Oh, hello sir.” Silver held out a hoof, which was quickly returned by Gavel. “Charmed. Old Wall here told me about your little foray at Galloping Gorge. Quite brave of you to confront the yak on their own ground.” “Thank you, sir, but I admit I’m still shocked it even worked.” “Oh yes, we all are.” Gavel said, shooting Shield Wall a smug grin. The brigadier’s upper lip stiffened.  “Sergeant, in two days time you will accompany myself and a crew on the HMS Compassion for a recon mission in the south Celestial Sea. Shore leave is non-negotiable, as this is to serve out your administrative detention. Upon the morning of our departure, two of the 4th Company will escort you to the station and accompany you to Horseshoe Bay, where our ship makes berth-” Silver scoffed at the phrase, earning a firm slap on the forehead from his commander. “Where you will assist myself and the 22nd Recon in surveying our oceanic borders. Failure to do so will result in your court marshaling and summary expulsion from the officer's academy. Do I make myself clear?” “Yes, sir,” Silver replied, rubbing the growing welt on his head. “Marvelous,” said the brigadier and an unenthusiastic tone. “Do not get too comfortable, Spade, the seas are dangerous.” Before Silver could respond the two ponies had already turned to leave, stopping only to congratulate Shining Armor and greet Princess Cadence. Once they had exited the tavern, Silver came over to the long table, occupied by soldiers and Shining’s little sister, Twilight. “It’s quite simple, Twilight,” a guard, Spearhead, said pointing to a page in the thick tome Twilight held aloft with her magic. “The missing component of this potion is obviously a helping of nupus ecat.” “But I don’t understand,” Twilight whined. “What’s nupus ecat?” “Woooaaah-oooh woooaaah-oooh!” The row of guards all hollered out in practiced unison. Twilight’s mouth hung open as the table laughed. Silver eventually made his way next to Shining, who was comforting his stammering sister. Once her mental faculties had recovered Shining turned to his friend, pushing a mug over. “I saw The Wall interrupted your fun-time with Abby. Everything good?” “Yeah,” Silver said, taking a sip of the cider. “I’m going on a ship to help recon for my service.” “Ooooh, how adventurous, they always said we’d see exotic places in the guard.” “I’m sure the most exotic thing I’ll see is a scrub brush.” Shining put a hoof on Silver’s shoulder, saying nothing as the two looked out around the tavern full of their brothers-in-arms.  “Did you ever think we’d make it?” Shining asked. “Absolutely.” Silver placed his hoof on Shining’s shoulder as well. The two enjoyed, for just a moment, the sound of song filling the drinking hall, the moon and stars gently twinkling outside. ---- Silver slapped himself again for the accuracy of his apparently prophetic abilities, once again assaulting the deck of the HMS Compassion with the old brush in his hooves. The sun had just passed its midday perch at the top of the sky and brought a comforting warmth to combat the slight chill of the ocean breeze. Ponies trotted all along the deck, dressed in light and comfortable fatigues compared to Silver’s full plate and uniform. The ensemble was thanks to his commanding offer, who stood by the helm of the ship, staring out to starboard. Looking up from the same panel of wood he’d been scrubbing for almost an hour, he watched as the brigadier spoke with who Silver presumed was the scout leader of the 22nd Recon. This was their eighth day on voyage, and between the scrubbing and the blinding rays of the sun something finally something occurred to Silver. He took a look around and counted the heads of everypony on deck. From the crewpony on his right to the brigadier himself, everypony on deck was most certainly a unicorn. Silver leaned over to the pony next to him, lithe and with an ice blue coat staring through a spyglass. “Hey, pal, aren’t there supposed to be a lot of pegasi in the recon corp?” “Usually,” the unicorn said in an airy accent, clearly foreign, scanning the horizon. “But the ocean winds get pretty strong, throws of their flight. And besides, the gryphons rule the skies out here, anypony up in their clouds become bird feed.” Silver took a look to the sky, blocking the sun with a hoof. The only socializing he’d ever done with gryphons were quick glances at the occasional dignitaries from Griffonstone, but he was not ignorant to their prowess.  “Griffonstone’s been a mess since poor Guto died way back.” The unicorn sheathed his spyglass and took a swig from a waterskin before passing it to Silver. “Something about a gold idol. A shame ponies aren’t welcome, I’m sure the dusting royal coffers are full of ancient articles. Forgive me, my name is Serenade.” “Silver,” he replied before generously drinking from the waterskin, the heat of the sun winning out against the now dying breeze. “How is there still a military without a king?” “Well, the gryphon old guard got together and made a militia, or so the intelligence suggests. They run patrols out here now and then, but a lot of it’s guff… actually I think one of their commanders is named Guff.” Silver cracked a smile at Serenade’s charisma before a looming shadow crept over him. Looking back he came face to face with Brigadier Wall, who stared at him with a cold gaze. “Sergeant, I see you have become quite chummy with the crew here. You must be finished with your duties, then.” “Uh, no, sir,” Silver said, rising to his hooves. “I mean, not yet sir. I was asking questions about Griffonst-” “So,” Shield Wall interrupted, his grin curling at the corners, “you find the time to interfere with others performing their duties but fail to perform yours? Tell me, is ‘pestering the crew’ on your list of tasks for our journey?” “N-no, sir, I-” “They why, pray tell, are you electing to waste my time? Do I look like your nanny? Would you like me to keep track of all your mistakes?” “No, sir, I think you’re doing a great job at it so far,” Silver quipped, earning a giggle from a pony on the port side, tending to the lifelines. Shield Walls eyes darted to the unicorn as his horn shimmered to life. Silver watched the pony go from a chuckle to a scream as the mint green unicorn was brought into view, pulled by the tips of his ears. Shield Wall’s face was twisted into a vile shape and he hovered the pony off his hooves. “What have I told you about respect!?” Shield bellowed, beginning to pull the unicorn’s ears in opposite directions. “You will not jump, you will not crawl, you will not breath unless it is under my direct command! Am I clear!” The dangling unicorn could hardly call out a response, his whimpering the dominant sound in his voice. Shield Wall’s teeth barred and a trickle of blood could be seen trailing down the poor pony’s face. “Let him go!” Shield Wall turned to see Silver having taken a step forward, adopting a fighting stance. At this, not only was the brigadier facing him, but so, too, were the crew members present. The mint pony dropped to the wood floor, slowly working his way back to his post. “You…” Shield Wall began. As he stepped closer, Serenade put himself between the brigadier and his newest target. “Shield, control yourself. You are going to leave evidence.” Shield’s breathing returned to a steady pace. He placed a hoof on Serenade’s chest and pushed him aside, gently. “Yes… yes, of course,” Shield kept his gaze on Silver, whose body was still tense in anticipation. “Consider yourself lucky, whelp. I will have to pursue the ‘less satisfying’ approach.” Silver’s body became engulfed in the same gold aura as he felt his limbs lose contact with the ground. He swung and flailed with all his strength, but the field surrounding his person moved with him. He locked eyes with Shield Wall, who wore a sickening smile on his face, before colliding onto the deck with a crack. With a flick of his horn Shield Wall sent Silver hurtling towards the mast, crashing into it before rag-dolling across the deck. Other objects lifted into the air: barrels, ropes, crates, all of which took their turn being fired at Silver, one by one. One of the ropes coiled in the air and tightened around Silver’s neck, restraining him in a way that satisfied Shield Wall. “Do you like the spell? You should, it was very difficult to craft. An energy field surrounding your body, allowing certain forces like heat and impact through while pesky things like blood stay inside. The diviners and investigators are such a pain to plan around, but one does what one can.” Silver tried to choke out a response before the rope pulled tighter. “Pardon, you said something?” Shield mocked. “Do you think I am good at this, too?” The armor adorning Silver’s body was forcefully ripped away and cast over the railing, down into the sea. A second rope floated past Silver’s vision before going taught with a snap. “Or maybe this.” The rope came down on Silver’s flesh, contorting his face into a strained gasp. As Shield said, the blood flowing from the fresh wound stayed within the bubble, splattering further along Silver’s coat as the second lash came down. “How about this?” A third. “Or this?” A fourth, with a crack punctuating a broken rib. “Or this!?” A fifth, sixth, and seventh assaulted Silver’s flesh in rapid succession, the rope coiled on his throat refusing to let him scream. Shield Wall came closer to his captured prey, horrific splendor decorating his face. “If only you had played along like the clueless dirt horse you are, then those yaks would’ve trampled you and your entire company. The lieutenant would’ve kept Shining Armor safe and everything would’ve gone to plan. But, of course, you had to try and be the hero.” “T-they…” Silver stuttered through the bind on his neck. “They’re g-going to k-...know. You can’t-” “Cannot what?” Shield asked, sardonically. “I cannot manipulate the statutes regarding disciplinary action? I cannot bring you onto my ship, with my crew? I cannot threaten them with the same suffering if they talk?” Shield closed the distance between himself and Silver, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. “I cannot shout from the top of Mt. Canterlot that you are finally gone, while I extradite your have-not family and steal your mare?” Silver glared at Shield Wall, still unable to scream and feeling his lashes begin to throb. He lunged forward, almost close enough to grab the brigadier before being pulled back. “Ha! I always forget the strength of earth ponies,” he looked out to the crew on deck. “It is their only defining trait.”  A few of the unicorn crew laughed, reveling in the barbaric display. Serenade looked on with passive interest, hardly acknowledging Silver’s pleading stare. “And despite your strength, you still cannot touch me.” Shield mockingly held his face close to Silver’s, who struggled and writhed under his commander’s control. “What a cosmic joke your kind is. The evolutionary runt. No wings, no magic, no place in this world except to bring me the food on my plate. Do you know what we call those?” Shield stepped away before turning one last time to Silver, the twisted smile replaced by a vacant expression. “We call them slaves.” Shield Wall unleashed a flurry of blows upon Silver’s tortured frame. The rope cute and tore into him, leaving a terrible cascade of blood with each strike until Silver went limp, suspended by the brigadier’s cruel spell. With a whisk of his horn, Shield Wall carried the now broken sergeant over the side railing. All Silver could do was raise his head to the brigadier. “Normally, this is the part where Dr. Caballeron gives Daring Do a long winded speech, only for her to find some clever and impossibly complicated means of escape. But make no mistake, whelp…” Silver felt himself being pushed farther out over the water and watched as his own blood began to flow out of the field. “This is where your story ends.” Silver reunited with gravity. The field suspending him dissipated entirely and brought him hurtling towards the waves. With a brutal splash Silver was submerged, flailing weakly to meet the surface. The water was bitingly cold and spread into the open wounds along his stained coat, stiffening his already broken muscles as he desperately fought the waves for air. Intermittently his face would breach the water, every time he saw the Compassion pull farther and farther away. Each stroke caused his muscles even greater pain, until his body could take no more. Suspended in the cool dark of the ocean Silver began to drift down into the limitless abyss below. The cold muted his sense of touch, but he could feel something wrap around him. The strange grip tightened and pulled. The darkness clouding his vision overtook him Silver as he breached the surface.