//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 // Story: Odysseed // by AuroraDawn //------------------------------// The next couple days had passed slowly yet uneventfully. Loose Cannon had brought breakfast down each morning, that same selection of slop and an apple with fresh water, and chatted lightly while she ate. She learned that the weather had been fair and they were making good time; if she had noticed a lingering chill throughout the ship, it was because they were now sailing along the coastline of the Frozen Wastelands, where the perpetual winter fought with the summer sun’s warmth. The conflicting temperatures typically lead to numerous storms, but they had been lucky so far; a solid, consistent wind had been pushing them along, so aligned that they had been on a dead run for the last twenty-four hours with no sign of change.  The third afternoon aboard the Infiltrator brought the first bit of action into her life. While slowly carving a chunk of wood into the closest approximation to a sphere as she could get, she heard the ship’s bell start clanging, and voices rang throughout the ship. Curious, she put her makeshift workshop away and stretched up towards the roof, straining her ears to make out the words. “...off the starboard side! All hooves on deck! Double time!” It was Loose Cannon, she figured, frowning. The voice was definitely his, but the words came sharp and intimidating, none of the airy lilt she had caught in it from their breakfast chats remaining. While she listened, a reply came. “Powder Keg and Flintlock on the guns! Prep the cannons but don’t open the holds just yet!” It was Keelhaul, and he too had went from dramatic—if slightly confused—to a purely commanding tone. She started to sweat. Two dull thumps echoed through the ship. Keelhaul’s pegleg, she realized, as a shout rang throughout. “CUCKOO!” “Caw!” “Cut it, ye blaggard, and speak yer sighting!” There was a reply of a series of squawking noises. “Can ye see’er, Dogs?” “Aye Captain,” came two new voices, perfectly in unison. One of them continued. “She’s a three masted barque, tacking east like Cuckoo said.” “Keep an eye on ‘er,” Keelhaul said. “If she makes any move towards us, we go to stations. For now, we carry on. Savvy?” “Aye Captain,” came the response, a chorus of what was likely the whole crew.  An uneasy silence filled the air, and Applejack slid down to her hay, contorting her face in worry. A couple minutes later she stood up, pacing around the small cell. Was she about to get caught in a battle between two ships? Again, her mind went soaring back through her childhood storybooks, something she was starting to find frustrating. Time and time again she was being shown that they were wrong; exaggerations, make-believe, with hardly a trace rooted in reality. Still though, the idea of two ships at sea in a battle rattled her.  She looked about her quarters, grimacing. If blasts of cannonballs were to come through, she would have nowhere to hide; no cover to dive behind and no distance to run away. Just stuck in a cage, waiting for shots of solid steel to blast through out of nowhere and into her.  It was as she was starting to sweat about this when the familiar three steps and a klunk of Captain Keelhaul’s gait sounded down into the deck, and she stiffened up, watching the stairs. The changeling met eyes with her and then nodded, tipping a tricorn that had been jammed down on his head, the jagged horn unceremoniously ripped through in the front. “Afternoon, Applejack,” he said, unlocking the cell door before sitting down a foot away. “Bored yet?” Her heart was still pounding. “Surprisingly, no,” she said sarcastically. “I suspected ye heard that hullabaloo up above, yes?” She nodded. “Nothin’ to worry yer mane off about now. The other ship’s gone off the horizon, and we’ve entered the sheet ice proper now. All things considered we should see yer island by moonrise.” Applejack’s ears perked up at the term, and Keelhaul started before a wide grin slowly spread across his muzzle.  “Ahh, the sweet taste of love. Not too often we sense it round these parts. Somepony at home ye fancy?” Her eyes went wide, and she blushed uncontrollably. “W-what? No, no, it’s not like that. She—” Applejack paused, quickly considering how much she wanted Keelhaul to know about who exactly she was. “It’s the night itself. I’ve always loved them, especially moonrises. I-It’s supposed to be a full moon tonight, right?” she realized, quickly counting how many days had passed. It had been so long since she had seen the sky she had forgotten all about it. “Fills my heart with awe, it does.” “Uh… huh…” Keelhaul said, his coy smile still mocking Applejack. He sniffed lightly, and then shrugged. “Listen, lass, ye don’t need to play cold and dead to me. I ain’t gonna go after any of yer loved ones or nothing. And ye can’t hide yer feelings from me, so don’t even bother. Changeling, remember?” Applejack sighed. “It’s just a crush,” she admitted, “nothing more. You put two ponies together in a room and have them talk about a mutual interest long enough and at least one of them is gonna feel things about the other, that’s just how life works.” “Oh, spare me,” Keelhaul chided, tilting his head in a motion Applejack decided must be his eyes rolling. “Ye tease me with a taste of love and spoil it with self-pity, and after all this hatred and anger pouring from this deck in the last three days.” He tsked, and then stood up. “But perhaps we can help each other out.” “Ugh, what now?” “Yer such a beam o’ sunlight. Would ye like to stand above deck as we approach the island? We won’t be crossing to it ‘til sunrise, but all the same I feel it’s important to ye.” “...Okay, I’ll bite. I’m interested, but what’s in it for you?” “Damp grains and apples don’t do much for changelings. Having some positive emotions round the deck do far better for keepin’ me fed. Just come up, enjoy the night, and then retire for the evening. Ye can even eat supper with the crew, if ye’d so be inclined.” It was tempting, and despite a quick wracking of her brain for theories as to how he was going to exploit her, she couldn’t think of any.  “Uh, who’s cooking?” “It’ll be a plate a’ hay, a lime, and a mug of cider. Ahh, there it is again,” he said, cheeks puffing up as he inhaled deeply. “Is the cider also attached to a certain special somepony?” “Eenope,” Applejack said, standing up tall and ears perked. “I was a little hesitant but you would not be-lieve how badly I could use a drink. You’ve got yerself a deal, Keelhaul.” She stuck a hoof out, and he barked a piratey laugh and bumped his hoof with hers, shaking. “That’s the spirit! Come now, it’s time ye met the crew proper. At least then ye’ll have some names to spit with venom when ye tell yer story back home,” he laughed. She followed him up to the top of the Infiltrator, though when she stepped up on deck a blast of freezing wind cut straight through her to the bone, and she yelped.  “Celestia’s tail ties, it’s colder than a Manehattan mare’s mother-in-law out here!” “Ah, yes, shoulda warned ya. Clear skies make for great stargazing, lass, but without the clouds the heat all floats away. We’d give ye some cloud cover, but our resident pegasus isn’t good for anything except maybe distracting enemies.” He thumped his pegleg into the main mast twice as they passed it, and a loud squawk issued from up above. Applejack watched as a pegasus leapt up from the crow’s nest and started circling the ship, complaining with noises that sounded all the world to her like a seagull. They soared around the mast slowly, coasting down before finally settling onto the deck with a series of hard flaps that sent dust and ice blasting towards the two of them. He looked like a fuzzy peach. Feathers stuck out this way and that, and his faint orange coat was thick and fluffy. An unkempt mane, tinted a dull red that seemed to glow in the night, was blown back and hung off his shoulder to the right. Her first impression was that he was probably incredibly soft. Her second impression was that he was clearly insane, and as if to emphasize that feeling he promptly started scratching the deck by kicking his hind legs out, and pecking his muzzle into the lumber. “Applejack, meet our watchpony, Cuckoo. He’s harmless, almost painfully so. Here,” he said, levitating a satchel full of dry oats over to her, “toss him a handful of these.” For a moment she felt it was inequine to treat another pony in such a way but, at Keelhaul’s urging, allowed curiosity to take control for a moment. Despite herself, she burst out laughing as Cuckoo went mad over the scattered oats, peppering the deck with his snoot as he rapidly picked up oats one by one, pausing only to chew and swallow once his cheeks were full. After clearing the deck faster than any chicken back on the farm would have, he looked up at her and they locked eyes. “Ahh,” Keelhaul sighed. “Amazing how much love he’ll give for just a few seeds. Oh, don’t worry, he’ll have forgotten all about ye by the next time he’s hungry.” “This is so stran—Hey!” Cuckoo had stepped forward, eyeing the satchel wildly, and began jabbing his nose into Applejack’s chest, ferociously pecking her.  “Best drop the satchel, lass, else he’ll bruise ye,” Keelhaul laughed, carrying on towards the stern. She did so, watching Cuckoo’s wings explode into a flurry of excited flaps as his muzzle followed the satchel to the ground and jabbed at it furiously, and then jogged after Keelhaul. She caught up to him next to the helm and started looking around. It was a beautiful night; the waves were gentle and consistent, there were indeed no clouds, and the setting sun was painting the sky in gorgeous oranges and reds. A steady wind blew the ship forward, and Applejack shivered again, shirking down against the bitter chill.  Silently, a kirin walked up the steps of the quarterdeck and then stood next to Applejack, staring blankly out at the ship and saying nothing. Applejack glanced at her quizzically, and sidled over closer to the rail. The kirin mirrored her movement, staying about a foot away from Applejack, who was now eyeing her with suspicion. Still, she did not talk. “Alright,” Applejack finally broke the silence, “What’re you playing at?” The kirin did not move her head, but looked at Applejack out of the corner of her eye. “You’re cold, right?” “...Uh, yeah.” “But are you though?” Applejack frowned, and then clued in. She didn’t feel cold. Sure, when a particular gust of wind rose up and snapped the sails out, a sting would sink through her coat. But just standing there next to the kirin, she felt no more cooler than she would on a fall afternoon. She looked up smiling, and opened her mouth to thank her. “Don’t.” “Th-what?” The kirin finally brought her head to bare. “Don’t say thanks. This doesn’t mean anything. I don’t need help and don’t help others.” “...But you’re—” “I’ll leave.” “Nevermind,” Applejack said, dramatically sealing her lips. She glanced back at Keelhaul with a question in her eyes. He just shrugged and shook his head, mouthing “I don’t know” to her. She stayed there looking east, watching as the blackness of night slowly ate away at the scarlet blend above, enjoying the residual heat that emanated from the kirin’s body. As the sun started to cross the western horizon, Applejack hesitantly reached out and tapped the kirin on her side. “What?” she snapped. “I just, uh… I’m Applejack.” “I know,” she said, looking away coldly. “...And you are?” “Powder Keg.” “Well, uh, nice to meet you Powder Keg. I guess. Maybe?” Powder Keg squinted. “Whatever.” Applejack left Powder Keg to her sulking, trying her best to ignore the strange creature while watching the eastern horizon carefully. That same light from her favorite dream breached the end of the earth, and as the moon fully raised into view, Applejack felt a warmth touch her that was far more comfortable than the heat provided by the sullen kirin. She walked down the railing, coming to the very aft of the ship, watching the moon lift into the sky with a smile in her eyes. “Ahhhh, that’s good,” Keelhaul muttered with exaggerated sleaziness. “Hush up, critter,” Applejack chastised, but she didn’t stop beaming. As the moon rose high into the sky, so too did her spirits; seeing the celestial body struck her profoundly as she realized that no matter where she was on Equus, she could always see the same night sky as somepony else. Through the moon, she was connected to home and to those she loved, and to those who would be helped and appreciative of what she was doing. Luna’s letter played through her mind again, feeling even more important now. Probably thirty minutes later she finally turned her gaze from the myriad of stars and galaxies spread out behind the ship. She had gotten lost in them, finding a few familiar ones far from their normal homes, and many others she had never seen before. She recognized Hydras and nodded as the arrow pointed straight behind the ship and presumably, home.  Startled to find Powder Keg gone, she looked down to see a small layer of ice building on her hooves. Keelhaul was still there, forelegs resting lazily on the wheel. “She left ten minutes ago, down to the mess. Ye’d best be off to eat afore ye freeze to death.” “Aren’t you cold?” she asked, kicking the ice off. “Cold blooded, I think, but I can burn emotional energy to stay whatever temperature I like. Asides,” he added quietly, eyeing her, “Since when have ye cared about how I feel?” “...Er,” Applejack said, conflicted. Part of her wanted to be nice. The other part was still painfully hurt. She was a little shocked to see how fast the first was overtaking the other. “Ye’ve got a large heart and kind soul,” Keelhaul said, spinning the wheel slightly in response to a very minor shift in the wind. “Ye don’t meet many like it out at sea, nor any of the lawless settlements out west.” He sighed deeply. “There’s a reason the Queen keeps invading Equestria and not anywhere else, lass.” She looked away from him, following lines of rope up from the rails to the sails, saying nothing. “Ponies like you tend to get taken advantage of easily,” he continued. “Ye care too much. Puts ye in difficult spots where the answer’s only easy if yer cruel.” He looked up high, watching the sails billow out.  “Though if life’s full of easy answers, I don’t figure it’s worth going through. I tried to say this the last time we spoke, though I didn’t get me point across the way I wanted.” He tapped his wooden leg against the helm for emphasis. “Difficult things are worth doing for the end result, usually.” Another moment of silence. “I ain’t gonna wax on about bein’ right nor wrong, as my right and yer right can be two different things o’course. I canne justify to ye that what we did was right in the grand scheme a’ things.” He turned to Applejack, meeting his purple compound eyes with her emerald irises. “Though I hope maybe ye’ll accept some day what we did was right for me crew.” “You sure care a lot about what I think of you,” Applejack finally responded, staring off to the north. “Doesn’t seem very piratey to me.” Keelhaul scoffed playfully. “How many pirates have ye met before us, lass?” “None. Woulda preferred to keep it that way.” “Aye, that be fair and true, but all the same. If we’re all ye know for reference, aren’t we the piratiest pirates ye know?” She smiled before getting up and walking down the steps. “Let’s hope that stays the case, then,” she said, heading towards the lower deck for supper. “Let’s hope so,” Keelhaul muttered to himself, taking just a moment to glance northeast where that passing ship had been earlier in the day.