//------------------------------// // Her Sire // Story: Dreamscape of a Spoon // by Zytharros //------------------------------// Her Sire “What?!” A loud crash thundered in the room as a tankard crashed into a table, spilling its’ airborne fermented apple contents all over the table. Every pony in the room twitched violently in shock at the suddenness of the sound. “Octavia Philharmonica’s controlling this area,” Colgate reported. “I got the information from a blind mare named Derpy Hooves. She was trapped in a force field in the middle of the Everfree. We still don’t know where your daughter is, though from what Derpy said it would be likely she took Silver.” A rather short, overweight silver stallion with a stark-white mane grimaced with a snort as he glared at the shamed captain and his assistant. He couldn’t decide how to punish them. They had never lost her before, and he had counted on them to ensure that this would never occur. He knew how much this crew respected their leadership too, so if he fired them he would likely have to acquire a whole new team, which at today’s hiring rates would cost more in effort than to keep this one. He swiveled where he stood, facing outside towards the fields, thinking about his daughter and her situation. The silence in the room was unnerving to the two ponies that were the focal point of the previous conversation. Nestled in the captain’s chambers, a luxurious mixture of cedar panels, sweeping red and white tapestries, and golden filigrees winding their way into every nook and cranny, the seven ponies that now occupied the space had made themselves comfortable, save for Big Macintosh and Colgate. Standing in the middle of the room, they were shuffling about nervously. Colgate, most of all, couldn’t stand still. She needed to be on the move. This was taking far too long, but she couldn’t do anything about it without appearing anxious or suspicious… at least, more than she felt she was being at the moment. She had failed on her mission, and she knew it. Why didn’t he just spit it out and get their firings over with? This mare of action wanted to do something, anything but stand and be intensely grilled with piles of questions for the next seventy-two hours… Thankfully, Big Macintosh’s poker-faced, almost-dull seriousness was tempering his friend a little. He noted her shuffling. Despite his outward appearance, he was just as nervous as she. He knew Baggin could be quite ruthless. He had been on the receiving end of more than one of his tirades, once when Silver Spoon complained about the dishes not being clean enough, another when he had to replace Engine Three the first time, and a third when he himself brought up the issue of his shipmates’ pay. He almost lost their promised raise before Silver herself had come in to help him out. Now, however, his girl was missing. Captain Mac knew there would be a reckoning, but to what kind of end he didn’t know. Both ponies, the larger ruby stallion and the smaller soft blue unicorn, expected a screaming, ranting, raving overstuffed boss spitting out random flecks of food in anger. Both were prepared to go and look at different lines of work when the day was over. Horse apples, both had pooled enough money to purchase their own ship and start their own firm, about forty thousand-odd bits all told, should things go south with their current job. They knew trying to claim a share of the shipping pie from Spoonship, its chief rival Skytrade Corporation, and the third-largest shipping firm Griffin Air, a subsidiary of the utterly monolith international corporate conglomerate and popular soft drink manufacturer Colta-Cola, would be difficult, but both had observed product holes in all shipping companies that could be easily exploited with enough time and money. Baggin himself, in moments of uncharacteristic generosity, had offered a time or two to help them start up their firm as specialty divisions of Spoonship, but they had declined. But none of these plans were needed yet. Baggin surprised them both. “Normally, I would skin my captains alive for what happened,” he said. “But, Mac, I know you. I’ve known you ever since you were a little colt. I know you won’t rest until you get her back. You did it once before, when you were playing hide-and-seek and rescued her from an Everfree waterfall a mile high, nearly at the cost of your own life. You paid for it with three weeks in the hospital.” “As Faust as my witness,” the captain declared adamantly. “She doesn’t remember that day, but I do, so thank you again.” “‘Tweren’t nothin’, sir. I’d give my soul to Tartarus for a fine mare like that.” “That’s good to hear.” Baggin turned to face them. “We’ll need to work together on this one. I know the Philharmonica family history and all the problems Spoonship’s had with them in the past, so I know we’re dealing with a cunning enemy here. They’re fighting tooth and nail to stay in the game, so they’re taking any contract they can with any crew they can to earn some income. That means you’ll likely have to go up against some of the most ruthless pirates to cross our skies.” Big Macintosh looked at him skeptically. He had never known Baggin Bitts to work so closely with a captain before. Then again, now that he had thought about it, there had never really been a need. “The reason why I’m asking for your help and not just firing you is quite simple,” Baggin continued. “You are my two most loyal captains, and you have the only crew in my whole fleet that I can trust not to turn over our top technology to our competitors for a bribe. Use that loyalty to your advantage, should you run into any of her crews. Oh, and take these.” A few clops were heard. As he turned, one of the guards by the door, a very bland, generic pony with no exceptionally identifiable traits except the pitch-black, high-society tuxedo he wore, held out a small bracelet to Big Mac. It was large enough to fit around the cannon of his foreleg with a stretchy band. “Our latest invention – the Hoofdrive,” Baggin Bitts declared proudly. “Stores everything you ever need in convenient, light leaves among other things. The Equestrian military already uses them. The first civilian models will ship to stores next year. You get first crack at next year’s military issue model – the L3-37b. I want you guys to put it through its paces. Don’t worry – anything technical that goes will be logged and repaired in real-time.” As Baggin continued, Colgate popped it open and began fiddling with the new piece of equipment she held, keeping track of Baggin’s descriptions to the letter. “It contains your I.D., a twenty-item storage space, a money tracker, the ability to ‘stack’ up to ninety-nine ‘leaves’ of a similar type, a notepad, a clock, and several other features I’ll let you figure out. It should also be tuned into the frequency of your current headsets. You’re still using those Pony j9 models, right?” “Yup.” Colgate smiled and nodded. “I’m gonna like this thing,” she said of the article now adorning her fetlock. The stallion just groaned as he tried navigating his. “Glad you’re havin’ such a swell time…” he deadpanned. He growled before finally sputtering, “There, ya blinkin’ hayseed clock…” Baggin looked at Big Mac, who finally managed to set the clock function up. “I’ve sent some of my other teams into Ponyville to see if anything’s turned up. I’m sorry, but your… what’d you call them… Saucer Four?” Big Mac perked up at the mention of his crewmates. “Found them dead at the old Everfree Castle,” Baggin informed dryly. “Beheaded, and in a… very unprofessional position. What did I tell you about sending a stallion with a mare in heat??” No reply. Captain Mac’s expression, a frustrated, downcast, drooped head, said it all. Horse apples, Coldstreak… why did you have to seduce Irontail McStorm? “What I found interesting, though, was what my teams found when we investigated further into that old castle beyond where that crazy blind mare was,” Baggin said. “We came across a cave connected to one of the towers that dug deep into the cliff. I have three teams investigating the tunnels. I would like you to send another two teams to back them up if needed.” Baggin then walked around Big Macintosh’s desk, intending to leave his daughter’s ship behind to attend to other business. “You have one week to report back.” Maybe it was just her overreacting, but Colgate immediately picked up on several inconsistencies. As Baggin left, Big Mac proceeded to follow orders. After he and his entourage left and Big Macintosh had told his teams to report to the main deck, she stopped him from leaving. “What’s up?” the large stallion asked. “Something didn’t add up.” Colgate paced about nervously. “He said he had discovered the paths underneath the old castle, yet he has only been here for an hour, maybe two at the most. He wasn’t wearing any devices to receive any information, either. How did he know?” Big Macintosh thought for a bit and realized she was right. “Ain’t no way he coulda just up and found ‘em. He arrived here with only those ponies he brought into the meetin’ with us. No one leapt off any ships, ours or his, to search anywhere, and pegasi in flight ain’t easy to miss. Unless they were sent to scout out the area before Baggin got here, he couldn’t have known.” “Or they did some pre-emptive searching, or maybe he knows the area… or…” Colgate stopped her train of thought, unsure of where her mind was going next. “Something’s very fishy here. I don’t like this.” “Until we discover what’s what, we do as he says,” the stallion said. “We’re not gonna get any answers from him, and standin’ around all day mutterin’ rumours like some ol’ whinny-ninny fillies ain’t gonna get us anywhere we haven’t been before.” “So you’re thinkin’… trust him for now,” she mumbled. “React when the time comes… if it does.” Big Mac nodded. “It’s our only solid lead, no matter how or when he may have got it.” Colgate really didn’t like to admit it, but he had them. If they were going to find Silver, they were going to have to go through that cave against their better judgment. Even if everything in their minds told them no, they still had to go. Baggin’s orders, after all. “You don’t want to go either, do you?” she asked her friend. “No, I don’t.” He shook his head. “I’m thinkin’ you may be right.” “Should we? Like, actually… should we go?” Big Mac realized the depths of his answer to that question. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t set his four hooves on that old, dilapidated bridge between that castle and the cliff. He could command all of them to skedaddle, but then he would surely be fired. If he sent them in, he could be leading them all into a trap. He was almost certain he was. He didn’t know how many ponies were in wait there. He wasn’t sure how many to bring. He had no strategy. Yet, his command was to go, and so go he would, and with two teams. Two large teams. Just in case. “Yes… and I’m takin’ thirteen ponies, one-quarter of this ship’s crew, with me and leavin’ you in charge here.” Colgate bit her lip and followed him into the evening sunset. Sweet Celestia… what is he wading into now?