//------------------------------// // At Sea // Story: Rainbow Dash Around the World // by MagicS //------------------------------// “Alright now, tell me what that is,” Breakwater said as he pointed to the left side of the ship. “Port,” Rainbow answered. “And this?” He pointed to the right side. “Starboard.” “The front?” “Bow.” “And the back?” “Stern.” “Or aft, really. But I won’t rake you across the coals for that,” Breakwater said. “I think I’ve got most of the general stuff down. Already knew what a mast, sail and anchor were of course. I’ve been on air ships constructed in similar ways but… they sailed in the sky obviously,” Rainbow said. “Probably a different experience,” Breakwater chuckled. “Do you know how to read a compass and a map?” “Uhh not really? I kind of just know where to go by instinct. Got a knack for figuring out directions I guess,” Rainbow shrugged. “Hm, we should probably still work on that.” The second day of Rainbow Dash’s travel on the ocean had gone swimmingly so far. Breakwater had been giving a rundown of most of the important stuff so far while Senax took over at the helm and steered the ship. Gilbert was asleep up in the crow’s nest, they could see his wings hanging out over the sides, and Daylight Gleam was by the bow, watching the water. Another quiet day at sea by the look of things. “Senax! How are you doing with the wheel?” Breakwater asked the merpony. “Doing good! No problems here!” Senax said and smiled at the both of them. “Alright just keep her steady, you’re getting better every day!” Breakwater complimented her. “I can hardly feel the difference from when Breakwater’s at the helm!” Daylight shouted from the bow. Breakwater frowned at her. “Now let’s not get too crazy here...” “Heh,” Daylight smirked and got back to looking at the ocean. The waters were still fairly calm but Rainbow Dash was starting to see larger waves and swells in the distance. Maybe that was a sign of them being further away from land. Or maybe it worked the opposite way. She honestly had no idea how the ocean worked—which was part of why she was doing this stuff now with Breakwater. “Hey, so do waves get bigger in the open ocean or closer to land?” She asked Breakwater. “Closer to land, generally. You can have a big storm that causes huge waves, and there are always rogue waves to worry about, but mostly the waves tend to get biggest when they’re close to breaking on the shoreline,” he told her. “When it comes to the big tidal waves that hit land, those are mostly caused by earthquakes too in the first place. It was… oh, fifty years ago maybe? That an earthquake caused a tidal wave that practically wiped out the island of Moohutu.” “Volcanic eruptions can do that too but there aren’t any active volcanoes in this part of the ocean,” Breakwater said as he looked to the east with a far off look in his eyes. “Uh huh… maybe avoid those spots then,” Rainbow said. “Right, anyways, let’s get back to teaching you about some of the correct sailing terms—and also what each of these ropes going up the mast is for. If you’re going sailing you’ve got to understand the rigging,” Breakwater said. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in resignation. “Yeah alright...” There wasn’t a further second wasted as Breakwater gave her a crash course in pretty much everything he knew about boating. At least everything important enough to learn on her first day. By the end of it he wanted Rainbow Dash to be able to memorize and repeat the name for everything and its purpose. It was a dizzying amount of nautical turns swimming inside her head now and he was also sure to remind her that she was lucky they weren’t on a larger vessel. “If this was a galleon you’d have far more to remember, got it?” He told her. “I get it,” Rainbow Dash defiantly stated. He smirked at her. “At least you’re taking it seriously. This is just your first day of lessons though, we’ll have more to do tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. Right now you still cant tell a keel from a rudder.” Rainbow Dash didn’t want to say anything and prove him correct. “Well we can take a break in a second, it’s almost time for lunch anyways,” Breakwater said. “Got any beer?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, half-joking. She knew it was definitely smarter to just drink water now but she wouldn’t have minded something more fun either. He snorted. “I’ve got three barrels of rum down below. They’re for trading and bribing only. No touching.” “Fair enough,” Rainbow shrugged. “Since we’ve got a small crew I’d like to keep all of us sober when we’re out at sea. If you want to get drunk do it when we’re ashore.” “Also fair.” “Maybe if we’ve got the time and are ever in the area we can stop at Rum Haven...” “Rum Haven?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. Breakwater good-naturedly shook his head and grinned. “Pretty much what it sounds like, it’s a city on the island of East Light and it’s where most of the rum circling through the Grand Ocean is produced. You’ll see big merchant ships going in and out of there every day. It’s a nice place to spend a day or two… any longer than that and you’re going to find your pockets empty.” “We’ve been there once already,” Daylight called from the bow. “Sounds like I’m missing out then,” Rainbow muttered. “There are plenty of other fun islands on the ocean, you’re bound to see one or two while we’re out here,” Breakwater said. “They even hold kayaking competitions on Terandil. Even a few of the Hundred Kingdoms are decent places to visit or have some interesting parties during holidays and special occasions.” “Huh… you know speaking of special occasions, you said seeing Mother Ocean is a blessing? She’s really that special to the ponies living in the Grand Ocean?” Rainbow asked. “Oh yes,” Breakwater nodded. “To the average sailor she’s a good omen. But to some island civilizations—and even one or two of the Hundred Kingdoms—she’s practically worshiped. Some see her as a godlike existence that blesses all the waters of the ocean. Like Meer, the furthest east Kingdom on the continent, they pay tribute to her and celebrate her life every year. You’ll find all sorts of religious symbols with her figure on them if you go to Meer. I think they view her as the progenitor of all life, but don’t quote me on that. It’s just something about all life starting in the ocean and Mother Ocean being the oldest and grandest life of them all. That’s the story I think.” “Islanders mostly will leave a small tribute for her on the shores around the time she’s supposed to come up for air. Or they’ll burn an offering in the colder seasons to appease her and pray for warmer weather to come faster,” he shrugged. “Mostly superstitious stuff if you ask me, but hey, live and let live.” “Yeah, I can understand that stuff at least,” Rainbow said, looking up at the sky. Knowing there were two real-life ponies who moved the sun and the moon kind of put a damper on developing that sort of “religion”, but Rainbow wouldn’t fault anyone for believing in something greater. You couldn’t see friendship and harmony after all. And seeing some gigantic whale, even if it didn’t talk with you or do anything, would probably make ponies who had seen less of the world than she had feel an even greater sense of wonder. Even with all Rainbow had been through, there was still a sense of awe when she had seen Mother Ocean. If ponies wanted to worship her and believe she could make travel over the ocean safer, then so be it. She didn’t judge the swamp ponies for what they believed either. “There are some who believe there’s another creature like Mother Ocean down at the bottom of the sea too. Apparently rumors from some deep divers exploring for treasure who might’ve seen something. Supposedly they found what they thought was Mother Ocean but ended up being something else entirely, something not so beautiful and majestic looking,” Breakwater chuckled. “Heh, they call it Leviathan nowadays. I doubt that it’s even a real creature though, others would’ve seen it by now. Everyone’s got their own “big fish” story on this ocean.” “Not like we can go that deep to check anyways,” Rainbow shrugged. “Yeah, that’s the truth,” Breakwater nodded. Rainbow stretched and yawned, looking out at the wide open ocean once more. “How many times have you seen Mother Ocean anyways?” “I’m a pretty lucky pony I guess—that was my third time. The first time happened when I was just a kid, sailing with my father. The second… about a decade ago. Heh, it’s always a great sight,” Breakwater smiled. Rainbow Dash smiled too. “Yeah, seems like it.” A coughing fit came from above and the two ponies looked to see Gilbert’s wings convulsing before the griffon sat up in the crow’s nest and looked around dazedly. “I think I just accidentally woke myself up,” he said. “What time is it?” “About noon, come on down here and we’ll get some lunch going!” Breakwater yelled up to him. “Excellent!” Gilbert gave him a thumbs up. Daylight Gleam also heard the news and walked over to them from where she had been standing by the bow just as Gilbert hopped down from the crow’s nest. The griffon landed between Breakwater and Rainbow Dash and stretched, yawning and taking a deep breath. “Ahhhh, well I for one could really go for a frothy cool beverage right now,” Gilbert said. “Not you too...” Breakwater shook his head in exasperation. “If you two are really so obsessed with getting a drink, then if we ever have to go back to the Hundred Kingdoms at some point we can dock at Alth-Verika far to the west of Malkonrik. They produce a lot of barley and hops there—and the northern interior is full of grape vineyards for making all sorts of wines,” Daylight said. Breakwater shot her a surprised look. “Ballast told me about it,” she shrugged. “Of course he did… well anyways, Alth-Verika is too out of the way, I can’t think of any reason we’d ever go there instead of just keeping to our usual port at Malkonrik. Sides, I don’t have any contacts in that kingdom. With the constant regime changes I’m finding myself with less contacts everyday as a matter of fact,” Breakwater said. “Yeah I heard that “The Hundred Kingdoms” are constantly changing and stuff…” Rainbow Dash snorted. “They’re nutty up there,” Breakwater shook his head. “The leaders and land-dwellers further north look down on the coastline and all the island civilizations in the Grand Ocean. Bunch of fatheads if you ask me. I’ve never been to a single Kingdom that I’d like to settle down in for good, or one that compares to some of the nicer islands out here.” “I’ll have to share in that sentiment,” Daylight said. “In the brief time I’ve been here I’ll have to say that there’s a much more positive attitude at the islands. And they’re more receptive to travelers like us.” “Indeed. And you don’t have to worry about an island’s ruler suddenly being overthrown and replaced with a despot or cluttered bureaucracy,” Gilbert said as he stroked his mustache. “Huh. Sounds like there’s still a lot for me to experience out here,” Rainbow said. “Yes, unfortunately it’s probably not all going to be the sort of adventure stuff you’re interested in,” Daylight said. Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Happened before. I’ll make do.” “You know there’s another reason why I wouldn’t want us to go to Alth-Verika now that I think about it. The waters there are very rough, strong currents, lots of waves, reefs right below the water’s surface that will gouge out the hull of your boat, even some whirlpools that show up in spots. Has something to do with underwater rock formations and straits formed from some nearby islands off the coast that mess with the currents. There isn’t really a large port there like Malkonrik has. It’s better to dock at an adjacent Kingdom and travel by land to actually get into Alth-Verika. But that costs money and takes time,” Breakwater explained. “Two things we’re not in abundance of,” Daylight rolled her eyes. “Exactly.” “We’re not in a race,” Senax said from the helm. “We can afford to take things leisurely sometimes. As long as we don’t lose focus too much, sometimes you need to take a break. The Grand Ocean is a big place—we always knew this. We always knew most of our adventure here would be spent sailing from place to place, ending up with empty hooves before going to our next destination. We just have to take what the world gives us. And I don't mind a stop for some fun every now and then,” She finished with a smile. Rainbow Dash blinked up at her before tilting her head. “That reminds me, what-“ “Ehhhhh… ehhhhh.” Rainbow Dash looked up at the sound of the loud, braying, call and saw a particularly large seabird flying above the Heart of Azure. “Woah. That’s pretty big for a seagull,” she said. “That’s because it’s not a seagull, it’s an albatross,” Breakwater said. “What’s the difference?” “Well the size for one,” Breakwater rolled his eyes. “Aside from that obvious part, they also cover a wider area and can fly much longer distances, they fly across the open ocean instead of staying near land like seagulls do. You’d never find a seagull this far out to sea. In fact, that albatross being up there is proof that we’ve really reached the open ocean for real. Even more than seeing Mother Ocean. Sometimes they stop at islands but for the most part they just soar and soar over the water, unless it’s time to breed of course.” He glanced at her with a smirk. “Want me to teach you the difference between swordfish and marlins next?” “Showoff. Want me to teach you the difference between every type of cloud?” Rainbow Dash challenged. “No, I’m sure you don’t need to do that. We were just about to get lunch started, weren’t we?” Breakwater said and looked up at Senax. “Hey, Senax! I’ll take over while the four of you get some grub ready and eat. You can just bring me up my share later.” “Aye, aye, captain!” Senax saluted. “And don’t do that,” Breakwater shook his head while Gilbert chuckled. Senax giggled as well and stepped away from the wheel while Breakwater walked up to the stern and took control. Now with him doing that, Daylight led the four of them down into the hold to get their food together. It was just like yesterday, they’d get their food from there and then eat in the main cabin right beneath the wheel. Their meals were kept simple and healthy—rationed—to make sure they wouldn’t run out while on their trips. According to Breakwater they carried twice as much food as they actually needed to make a planned trip. It was just being safe. “So what’s for lunch today?” Rainbow Dash asked. Daylight popped off the lid of a box with her magic. “Cheese and vegetables. We’ve gotta get through the perishable foods first.” Rainbow shrugged. “Decent enough.” “And milk before it spoils,” Gilbert said. “Also we’ll slice up a couple oranges. Don’t want to get scurvy,” Senax chimed in. “There are eggs too, we can have those tomorrow. Umm… what sounds better right now, carrots or broccoli?” Daylight asked. “Carrots,” Senax said. “Broccoli,” Rainbow Dash said. “Meat,” Gilbert said. Daylight rolled her eyes. “Whatever, we’ll flip a coin.” They each came out of the hold with a slice of cheese, slice of an orange, and a few small carrots. Gilbert was the most dejected of all, but it’s not like he wasn’t used to it. Maybe some ponies here on the Grand Ocean ate meat or at least fish, but the ones onboard the Heart of Azure didn’t. All of them probably wanted to eat a heartier meal than what they had, but this would have to do. Breakwater was adamant about not being wasteful. This was still more than enough to fill their stomachs and Rainbow Dash was used to eating a little less on her journey. She just liked to be able to fill her face whenever she had the chance. “Captain? I brought your lunch as well,” Senax said to him as they walked to the cabin. “Just leave it in the cabin, let me sail while you eat,” he said. “Alright, but for dinner you can eat with everyone and I’ll take the wheel again,” she smiled. “Fine, fine...” Breakwater shook his head. Before even entering the cabin, Rainbow Dash stopped by the side of the ship as they left the hold and looked out across the deep blue sea. Daylight raised an eyebrow at her. “Did something catch your eye out there?” “No. Just thinking that I think this is actually the longest I’ve ever gone without seeing dry land.” “It’s only been two days, you’ve really never been on a longer trip across the water?” “Not really. I’ve traveled across, or at least onto, a couple seas before, but I’m usually flying fast for them or something. It’s never been just like… blue everywhere for so long.” “You’ll have to get used to it. It’s still a few more days before we’ll see any islands at all,” Daylight said as she joined her in looking. “Just enjoy it as a new experience. Your adventuring has taken you so many other places, something like this should be a joy!” The ever positive Gilbert said. “As for me, I just feel at home,” Senax said. “Yeah. Yeah, I know. It’s strange, just a different feeling. Maybe cause I’m not flying on my own,” Rainbow Dash blinked, silent for a moment. “Meh.” She shrugged. “Let’s go eat.”