//------------------------------//
// Trapped 
// Story: Tugs of Seaquestria 
// by The Blue EM2 
//------------------------------//

There were times, if you'll believe it or not, that a job was so big that two tugboat companies had to handle the work together. One such case was when the Klugetown sawmills were producing a bumper crop of wood pulp and wood panels. There was so much being produced that the sawmills hired both us and the Storm Fleet to handle the workload. As a result, it was especially important we worked together.

One day, Sonata was towing an old hulk upriver. The boat was old, and heavy, and was a rather large object to be towed by only a single tug. Adagio steamed past, glancing in annoyance.

"So that's where you've been," she grumbled. "Tempest's going bezerk up at the sawmill. Says you need to be back there yesterday."

"I can't be back there yesterday, as there aren't time machines!" Sonata complained. "Besides, the Storm King told me to deliver this to the breaker's yard. Direct orders, you see."

"Based on her current speed," Aria commented, who was close behind, "she'll run into Tempest at Shadowville. Boy will she be mad."





Elsewhere, in the choppy waters north of the sawmills, a very strange paddle steamer was towing a barge filled with explosives, fuel, and rope (don't ask me why). He was painted two different shades of brown with blue lining. His name, prominently displayed over his paddle wheels, was Capper, and he was an alligator tug.

Alligator tugs differ from most tugboats in that they sit very low in the water, which makes them a lot more stable. As a result, Capper was the one allocated to supply trips from Klugetown proper, where most tugs couldn't operate, and the sawmills a few miles downriver. He was certainly suave, but also quite dangerous in his own way.

Mistmane and Big Mac were taking a rest at the sawmill when Capper arrived with his cargo.

"Good morning Capper!" Mistmane called. "How are you?"

"Fine, thanks," Capper replied, in the smooth, quick talking style that characterised most citizens of Klugetown. "I've got a fresh supply of dynamite and cuttin' saws here, sawmills are out of both."

"Why would ya need dynamite in a sawmill?" Big Mac asked.

"If an especially stubborn tree is refusin' to come down, you light the fuse and off you go," Capper smiled. "You still goin' Mistmane? It's incredible, really, a tug of your age still workin' now, but I suppose that's the mark of quality."

"There's nothing wrong with the paddle steamer design," Mistmane replied. "As an old saying puts it, 'it if isn't broken, don't fix it'."

"That's sensible advice, and one I wish most of the boating companies in Klugetown took instead of replacing their boats every few years," Capper sighed. "Though that's probably because of all the fights that break out. Now, I'll be unloading here, so keep calm and don't move suddenly."

"You're not transporting live explosive, are you?" Mistmane asked.

"No. Dynamite's useless without an ignition source, and this dynamite doesn't have a fuse, so it can't go off even if you wanted it to."





Sonata ground to a halt in Shadowville, puffing and panting (which was rather odd given she was a diesel). "This... boat... is... heavy!" she wheezed.

"Where have you been?" Tempest demanded. "We're all on sawmill duty, remember?"

"Sorry for the delay, Tempest!" Sonata wheezed. "But the Storm King ordered me to two this wreck to the breaker's yard in Klugetown, and then loop back to the sawmill."

"That's more than a mile upriver, and that water's not safe for us."

"They said they won't take it if we don't get it there today, as they've lots of breaking up to do."

"Including you, if you don't get a move on," Tempest growled.

"This thing is heavy!" Sonata protested. "Besides, the current is flowing against me here, as rivers flow towards the sea."

"I know how rivers work," Tempest replied. "Right, I'll attach to the back and help you get this hunk of junk upriver."

With Tempest attached to the rear, the pair made speed upriver. There was just one small snag. Tempest was much larger and more powerful than Sonata, and as a result Sonata was pushed along. Her engine tried its hardest to maintain pace, but it was no use as she simply couldn't compete.

"My engine's overheating! Slow down!" Sonata called, as smoke began to pour from her engine housing.

"Keep moving! No slack!" Tempest called.

It was an error that would spell disaster. Following a warning siren, Sonata shut off her engine and drifted off to one side. The current struck, and the mooring line snapped, causing the tanker to veer off to starboard. Before long, it was nothing but a massive obstruction in the river.

"The river's blocked!" Sonata panicked. "I'm stuck up here!"

"You don't say," Tempest replied. "Nice one, Sonata."

"You were the one pushing too hard!" Sonata replied. "It's your fault, it is."

"It's your boat," Tempest pointed out. "I'm off to get a lifting crane to clean this mess up." Of course, she wasn't. She thought she had trapped my tugs upriver, and wanted to keep them there.

Sure enough, Blueblood and Silverstream arrived. "Oh bother!" Blueblood exclaimed. "We're stuck on the wrong side and can't get downriver!"

"This sucks," Silverstream sighed. "What happened, Sonata?"

"Tempest was pushing far too hard and got the boat jammed!" Sonata replied. "Now nothing can get through! We'll be trapped here forever!"

"Well, there goes our chances of getting home tonight," Silverstream finished. "Not to mention it slows down the speed of delivery. I'll head back to the sawmill and get a crane."

"Be quick now!" Blueblood called. "We need to get the mess clear as fast as possible."





Tempest had returned to Shadowville, and was rather surprised to see Skystar steaming towards her. "Oh, hello!" Tempest called. "I thought you were at the logging camp with the others!"

"Oh no," Skystar replied. "I'm working elsewhere. Machine tools and suchlike." She suddenly smelt a rat. "Is something going on, Tempest?"

"There's been an accident upriver, and an old boat's stuck across the river," Tempest explained. "Nobody can get in or out. Most of your friends are stuck on the other side, as is Sonata, the fool."

"Oh no!" Skystar cried. "This is terrible! I'll get up there as fast as I can. Tempest, can you tell the Storm King, Captain Novo, and the salvage company?"

"Storm King, Captain Novo, Salvage, got it." Tempest puffed off in the direction of Hippogriffia.

Meanwhile, Capper and Silverstream met up the river. "Ah, Silverstream!" Capper smiled. "It's been too long since I last saw you. How 'bout you and me catch up for a while, find out what's going on?"

"Can't afford to stop," Silverstream said. "The river's blocked and we need a crane to clear the mess."

"There aren't any cranes anymore," Capper told her. "The last one was scrapped a while ago. Hence the saying, 'some cranes are less real than they appear'."

"Do you have a suggestion?" Silverstream asked.

"Dynamite. I've got enough here to blow a hole in anything. Even works on boats with pastelis colouritis."

"Oh dear," Silverstream sighed as they set off for the blockage. "I hope I don't end up regretting this."





Skystar was parked up on the other side of the blockage. "This is pretty bad," she said, before she saw Blueblood's head poking over the top of the wreck. "Blueblood?"

"Hello there!" Blueblood called. "I daresay you're here to rescue us? I would want to chat but the water level's rising here and I'd much rather get out of here."

"And it's falling over here," Skystar replied. "I'll get a crane and get back here, OK?" And she steamed off into the distance, trying to find a crane.

Moments later, Mistmane and Big Mac arrived. "Good grief!" Mistmane exclaimed. "This isn't good at all. We're stuck!"

"I told Captain Novo that working with Storm Ships simply doesn't work," Blueblood sighed.

"Let's not blame other boats and just figure out a solution, OK?" Big Mac asked.

"I know how to clear the blockage," Mistmane said. "We lash together several barges with steel cables, to ensure they don't snap. Then, we each latch onto a barge (or two to a barge), and charge the wreck."

"How will that help?" Blueblood asked.

"The barges are heavy and filled with logs," Mistmane explained. "That'll break open the ship's hull, as it's old and rusty."

"Let's give it a go!" Sonata said. "It's better than nothing!"

"Agreed," Big Mac said. "Ah'm in."

"If it works in the past, I'll try it," Blueblood said, and the tugs all lined up for battering ram duty.





Back in the harbour, Skystar soon found the crane she was looking for, a small A frame painted with with brown lining. However, he was also covered in brown spots due to a painting error.

"'ello, Skystar!" he greeted, in a cheery cockney accent. "'ow can I 'elp you today?"

"A boat's got stuck upriver, and I need your help, Pipsqueak!" Skystar replied.

"Not a moment to waste! Up the chips!"

"Sorry?"

"Rhyming slang," Pipsqueak explained. "Chips and Liver is a common expression around 'ere. Liver rhymes with river, but we only use the first word of the rhyming phrase, hence 'up the chips'."





Elsewhere, the tugs had assembled their battering ram, all four tied to the rear raft.

"Ready yourselves!" Mistmane called. "We all need to be going at full throttle for this to even work. Sonata, how's your engine doing?"

"It's cooled down, but I can't run it at full power for safety reasons until an engineer looks at it."

"How much power can you supply without risking damage?" asked Blueblood.

"80%, max."

"That should be enough with me pushing as well," Mistmane replied. "CHARGE!"

The four tugs charged at the wreck, but the ram failed to break the boat. The hull buckled, but didn't snap, and the barges floated about and got stuck.

Sonata was wedged in amongst them. "Help! I'm stuck!"

"Aren't we all?" Blueblood asked. "Brilliant idea this was, Mistmane."

Suddenly, a whistle sounded behind them, followed by another high pitched wailing tone. Silverstream and Capper came to a stop behind them.

"Is this the help you went for?" Big Mac asked. "Ah thought ya went ta get a crane, not a pyromaniac!"

"I know how to handle explosives," Capper replied. "I may be charming, but I'm not stupid. Explosives are no toy, after all. I can blow that thing apart with no difficulty."





Back at Shadowville, Skystar was ready to set off with Pipsqueak when Tempest steamed back in.

"Aren't you supposed to have gotten help?" asked Skystar.

"I tried, but nobody was there," Tempest replied. "I wouldn't use that crane on the tramper, it may fall on it and crush him."

"I can pull my weight!" Pipsqueak protested.

"I'm being serious," Tempest replied. "Follow me, I'll take you to the danger zone."

Skystar had her suspicions that Tempest hadn't summoned help at all, but they had to get that wreck clear, so she set off with Pipsqueak in tow.





Silverstream pulled Sonata clear whilst Capper set about rigging the dynamite. The other tugs watched the small alligator tug at work with fascinated looks on their faces.

"Ah'm not sure about this," Big Mac told Mistmane. "If this goes wron', we'll all be blown to the great drydock in the sky."

"We already have a giant mess on our hands, and I don't see you suggesting anything better," Mistmane replied. "Besides, Capper knows his trade."

Capper whistled again to signal he was finished. "Drop back please!" he called, and went into reverse as the fuse was lit.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ze-"

Suddenly, the sound of the fuse stopped. There was an awkward silence.

"What happened?" asked Blueblood.

Capper peered at the fuse from his current position. "Ah, I see the problem. Fuse is wet. I'll need to rig a new one. Stand by!"

Tempest and Skystar made their way up the river, which was by now very low, towards the wreck. Skystar's hull was scraping on rocks and other objects that normally wouldn't bother a boat on this river. "I can't proceed much closer!" she called.

"If we can't get a crane into position, we can't shift the mess," Tempest said. Which is a good thing, she thought to herself, with a devious smile.

Capper lit the fuse again, and backed up. "Here we go! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, zero!"

BOOOOOOOOOM!

In that moment, over five tons of dynamite detonated at once, and the wreck was blown in half. It floated apart as a raging torrent of water shot down the river, filling it up in seconds. The current swept up Tempest, dragging her along and flinging her through the air until she landed on some rocks, stuck in place.

The other tugs steamed through, whooping and cheering as they did so. They were free, and back to work. "You look ta be stuck," Big Mac said to Tempest.

"The sky is also blue," Tempest replied. "Care to state the obvious any further?"

"You do look funny though!" Silverstream laughed.

Capper noticed two boxes on the nearby rocks, and peered at them. "Seems that the tramper still had some cargo on board," he said. "A box of eggs and a box of whisky, as a matter of fact. Scotch on the rocks, anybody?"

"Alright, back to work," Mistmane said. "Skystar, you have a crane, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You can use it to get Tempest free before we move off."

Tempest scowled, the irony of the situation not lost on her. In trying to trap the Hippogriffia Tugs, she had only suceeded in trapping herself.