Silver touched down on the dockside, his hooves clopping on the wood even as he turned to view the many other boats that were coming in. The one he had sailed could be seen drifting towards an available spot and he began trotting to meet it.
"Welcome to Manehattan, no... um..." His eyes darted before spotting it on a sign. "Vanhoover, right!" They had sailed West instead of East like in his dream. "Vanhoover."
"You are bad at place names as well?" Sheba smirked softly.
"We should call you the forgetful prince instead?" One of Whisker's small hands got a hold of an ear. It did not collapse, a pony's ear full of muscle, but also sensitive, twitching softly under her grasp. "There are many people, a true city, I see."
"A city, vast and true," softly agreed Silver, his eyes on the ship that had carried him as it came in. "Filled with artifacts you probably don't understand, yet, but will. I will gladly show them to you, but be--" He suddenly looked over his shoulder, legs no longer felt against his barrel. Sheba had fled. "--patient..."
Whiskers frowned at the empty space. "Your 'guard' is very willful."
He snorted in an equine way even as a smile spread on his lips. "That is a thing all of my contacts seem to share. Whiskers, please don't change that." He righted his head, lifting her a bit higher as she was perched right on top of his skull, one hand wrapped around his horn, the other on an ear. "You are charmingly small." True, she was a bit large to be literally on his head, but it was a burden he accepted.
She was hugging tight to his horn, peering at everything that moved, which left her a lot of options for things to gawk at, her fuzzy whip-like tail curling and flexing. "I feel safer close to you." It was a curious thing, but her tight hold allowed him to notice that she was not entirely a child. She had curves, pressed against his horn. True, his horn was not much of a sensory organ on its own, but with his feeling magic, he could detect it. She was actually rather nicely shaped, just so small it was easy to miss half the time.
"Whiskers, you alright?" He could feel her trembling, just a little. "You're safe."
"I know I am... I know that." Her grip on his ear only tightened. "I know that, but my heart does not listen. I will be fine, just... overwhelmed. Thank you, Kind Prince, for carrying me."
He bore her along, trotting towards another ship that was coming in far more quickly. "Looks like we have company. Whiskers, would you like to meet a pony?"
"Are they as nice as you are?"
"Can anyone be that nice?" he jested with a smile. "I'm joking. Fancy, you in there?"
His head popped up over the side of his yacht. "I say, beat me to it? It must be nice having wings." A gangplank extended to the docks and soon Fancy was stepping over towards Silver. "I still remember when you were just a little unicorn, looking around with wide eyes... not unlike your little companion there." He was looking at Whiskers curiously. "I can't say I've seen a... creature of the sort. Good day."
"Her name is Whiskers. Whiskers, this is Fancy Pants." He gestured with a hoof to the aristocrat. "A delightful stallion that was kind to me when I was just as new to Equestria as you were."
His horn began to glow, adjusting his monocle. "I say, you weren't quite that fresh, old boy. Still, a pleasure, madame."
"Charmed," she barely squeaked, forcing herself to sit upright fully. "I... am sorry for not speaking more." She swallowed heavily, offering a small hand towards the relatively huge pony. "This is all very new to me."
"Have no fear." He raised a hoof high but even with the ground, offering it against Whisker's little hand. "You're welcome here. I hope you'll pardon the question, Prince, but what is your relation to Miss Whisker?"
"She... is a servant." He flicked the ear that wasn't being held. "I'm not used to having those, but now I have a full set."
"Marvelous!" he blurted, sitting to clop his hooves together. "Princess Celestia has quite a retinue. You're playing catch up, I see. Though I hear murmurs that she intends to retire and leave them all behind."
Silver sat up so quickly, Whisker was tossed right off his head. His glowing horn grabbed her before she could get far, drawing her back against him. "When did that happen?!"
"She didn't inform you? I suppose that would be difficult with you being away... If you want more information, chap, I'd hasten my steps towards Canterlot."
"I'll do that... thank you." He dipped his head just a little, turning back towards his own ship. "I have to see my people and things are brought off properly."
"I know how that can be. Good luck with that." He saluted before moving off with a dignified trot. "Hope to see you again sooner than a lifetime."
"Take care. Whiskers? You alright up there?"
"I'm fine," she slid then right down the back of his neck to instead hug his neck firmly. "Is Sheba alright?"
"I couldn't say..." Finding Sheba would be a challenge. He decided quietly to have faith the cat would return when she was ready. "But the rest are here." He lifted into the air, soaring the short distance towards his docked boat. Another pegasus was coming straight at him, flying the other way. Both saw each other and wrenched to the left, veering away from the collision.
"Watch where you're going!" fumed the pegasus, circling back to get on her route.
Whiskers was holding tight enough that he could feel her claws pricking his flesh uncomfortably. "Flying is not as easy as first I had assumed."
"Sorry, that was my fault." He landed gently beside the lowered gangplank of the boat. "I'm not a born pegasus, so I assume any mistake in the air is probably my doing."
Creatures of all sorts began to descend. Some were sailors, but many were not. His new servants were quick to grab hold of his various things and help cart them down off the boat, taking themselves along for the ride.
As he watched them go past, suddenly his vision was lost, his face pushed right into something warm and furry and soft and oh. "Maribelle, are you... hugging me to your chest?" He could feel her hands, and he could guess what his face was mashed into.
"I am thanking you for bringing us to this magical place." She released him with a big smile. "Oh, and there's Whisker. Look at you, already getting private time."
"She looks more terrified." The fox reached for Whisker, casually plucking her free. "Come here." She began to gently cradle the still overwhelmed mouse. "I have been to other countries. This is not as surprising to me. I will keep you safe and let our lord focus on his duties."
"Thank you." He nodded towards the vixen, grateful for the intervention. "Maribelle, can I trust you to oversee the offloading? How are things going?"
"Already ahead of you." She gestured grandly to the procession behind her. "We'll be done in about half an hour, give or take. Where should we be going, besides getting off the ship?"
"That... is an excellent question. We need to get to Canterlot, which is not here." He tossed his head at the city. "Welcome to Vanhoover. Please keep everyone close together while I see about getting us proper transportation."
"With pleasure." She smooched his cheek without asking and sauntered after the others.
Silver turned his attention towards the captain barking orders, sometimes literally, on the deck of his ship. "Captain, thank you for getting us here." He jumped into the air, wings carrying him the rest of the way to the deck. "I'm going to go see about getting us all moved the rest of the way. Do you need anything else?"
"Seeing as the sultan is paying my wages, not a thing, Good Sir. Go on and be off with ye." He slapped Silver on the shoulder firmly. "Be sure to share a drink next time yer in town."
"I'll do that. Safe sailing back." That he not run into certain slumbering gods Silver casually did not mention. "Pass on my well-wishes to the witch below deck, even if I still think that name is a bit degrading."
"She likes it." He shrugged softly before yelling out a quick order at a sailor, waving them on. "I'll be sure t'tell her as ye asked. Off with ye."
"I'm going." With wide wings, he launched free of the boat, sailing not for his servants but past them. He had arrangements to handle.
"Hello, pretty kitty."
Sheba turned in place with claws extended, teeth exposed. "Who is that?"
"Just a little pony." Emerging from the shadow of the alleyway walked a stallion, an earth pony. "Nothing to be scared of."
"Fear, a pony?" She scoffed softly. "Perhaps if you were my employer, but few others. What do you want?" Her claws slowly withdrew into their sheathes as she crossed her arms under her chest. "Is it customary to stalk others in dark places?"
"Only when that is where you find them." He sat down in the dim light, eyes on her. "You are far from a local. Are you lost? I could offer some assistance."
"At what price?"
"Oh, clever girl. Nothing in this world is free." He nodded in idly agreement with the idea he had just spouted. "But I am a reasonable pony. The cost will be in line with the information given. You do not look too poor." His gaze shifted to a few glinting bits of jewelry that adorned her, the precious few she had.
She backed away a half-step. "I should think not! These are mine. Hmmph. I was given to believe this was a country of simple-minded saints."
"See? I've already taught you something. Are you not glad you ran into me? Now let's--" He trailed off, for there was no more cat to talk to. Sheba had just... vanished. "Huh..."
Sheba slid in behind a portly mare and her equally portly child. "Good day," she whispered into the ear of the mother.
Oh, the delicious jump of fright as she bounced up and wheeled around to see what had spoken to her. "What? Oh! What are you?"
Her son (?) pointed a hoof up at her. "Mom! I know what she is! Wow!"
Sheba hiked a brow at the small-but-round colt. "You do? I admit surprise, little one." She dropped into a crouch, bringing them far closer to a face to face. "What am I then?"
"You're one of the legendary felisura warrior cats!" He clopped his forehooves excitedly, bouncing in place. "Are you hunting a bad pony? Are you avenging someone?!"
"Billy!" spat his mother, throwing a hoof in front of him. "That's rude. I'm sure she--"
"--He's not that far off..." she practically purred out, a smile on her lips. "You amuse me, Billy was it? Mmm, yes, I am a warrior cat." She sprang the claws free her her right hand and flexed them so they could both easily see them. "Fear not, only the worthy will feel the sting of these."
"Yes!" Billy's clapping only got more rapid. "My friends are never gonna believe me."
"What if I provided proof?"
His eyes somehow got wider. "You can do that? How? I don't have my camera."
She extended a finger towards the mother. "If your guardian there has a few coins, I will give conclusive proof."
He looked to her, bottom lip trembling. She rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh as she coiled on herself and pulled out a bag of coins. "Here, three bits."
Sheba gladly snatched the bits before grabbing an abandoned scrap from the street that someone had meant for the trash and had missed. With a deft display of claws, she scratched her name ornately onto it and promptly vanished, leaving it for Billy to claim.