//------------------------------// // Fetch Quest // Story: Rainbow Dash Around the World // by MagicS //------------------------------// “Well since you already saw the soldiers I’ll just tell it to you straight. They’re here because the neighboring Kingdom of Ullsorth has recently gone through a revolution. The old government is gone and they’re now calling themselves “The Democratic Ponies Republic of Ullsorth”. As if that doesn’t ring enough warning bells,” Ballast told them. “Even then-” he continued. “That normally wouldn’t bring any Malkonrik soldiers down here, but there’s been a lot of trouble thanks to Ullsorth at this port and the port of Tyne to the east of Ullsorth. You see, Ullsorth’s revolution wasn’t just some home-grown movement. A lot of pirates and criminals from outside joined in and they’ve made a few raids up and down the coastline. You could essentially say now that Ullsorth is ran by pirates, that’s how bad the situation is.” “And that’s why ships are avoiding the ports nearest to Ullsorth,” Daylight Gleam concluded. “More or less,” Ballast nodded. “There must’ve been enough of a problem and enough complaints that even the fat heads up north knew they had to do something,” Breakwater said. “Tyne and Malkonrik have been in communications lately on what to do about Ullsorth, but so far that hasn’t really gone anywhere,” Ballast said. “No surprise there,” Breakwater snorted. Ballast then took a deep breath, an uncomfortable look passing over his face. “And… that’s not even really the bad news I mentioned.” “What else happened?” Breakwater asked. “Well… some of that ‘trouble’ from Ullsorth made its way to my business. I was robbed a little less than a week ago. Most of my spare cash and, well, all of your money that I was keeping here was taken. And they took some special blueprints for my apparently not so secret project anymore that I need before working on it more...” Ballast shook his head. “I’m really, really, sorry about all this, old friend.” Breakwater sighed and rubbed the bridge of his muzzle. “So all my money was stolen?” “Yeah...” “So we’re broke?” “Yep.” “And those blueprints are for the project you’ve been working on for years that will revolutionize ocean travel?” “Uh-huh.” Breakwater exhaled and looked ahead, staring into the distance. “I need a drink.” “What do we do? We need that money for food and supplies—not to mention a new permanent sail,” Senax said. “What happened to the sail?” Ballast asked. “Cannonball,” Rainbow said. “Oh. Godfrey again?” “Yep,” Rainbow nodded. “Sounds like you guys have probably been through more than me...” Ballast grimaced. “We can talk later about our own misadventures, right now we need to come up with an idea of what to do next.” Daylight said with a serious frown on her face. “Ballast? Do you know who the ponies were that robbed you? Were they just going back to Ullsorth?” “That’s about the only good news I do have,” Ballast nodded. “They were actually quite upfront with who they were and what they were doing, probably looking to make a name for themselves among the ponies of the Hundred Kingdoms. The leader called himself Admiral Redbeard, a former pirate, no doubt about it.” “Probably a reject from when Godfrey killed and disbanded most other crews from Sharktooth Island...” Breakwater muttered. “That’s what I figured too,” Ballast agreed. “Now I think he and the others are trying to get money, look tough, and tell others not to mess with their new home of Ullsorth.” “Alright… so Admiral Redbeard, who must’ve gone back to Ullsorth with everything he stole,” Daylight placed a hoof under her chin as she thought. “The authorities here might have some information on him too and where exactly he was going in Ullsorth. And if not I’m sure there has to be some trail or someone else who knows how to find Admiral Redbeard and get back what he stole.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Now that’s what I want to hear. So we’re doing that for sure? Finding this crook and getting our money and stuff back?” “I hate to force this kind of thing on you when I know what you’re doing out on the ocean, but the plans stolen from me are my life’s work. And of course we’ll be in a bad money situation if you can’t get the coins back...” Ballast said. “Yeah, regardless of anything else we need that money before we get back out there,” Breakwater said. He then smiled at his friend. “And don’t worry—I’d never let someone like that steal your treasure and get away with it. We’ll get those plans back too.” Ballast sighed and hung his head low. “Thank you… I just really wish things were a little happier here for your return.” “Well it’s not your fault. And really why would anything else be different after what the rest of our journey has been like so far?” Breakwater snorted and shook his head. “So you really all did have not such a good time?” Ballast asked. “Worse,” Daylight muttered. Gilbert coughed to interrupt. “Ahem, may I suggest that before we leave to go search for Admiral Redbeard we have lunch? After all we haven’t eaten yet, and while I understand the hurry we’re in we’re already almost a week late. I don’t think breaking for lunch is too bad of an idea.” “Still got food onboard that we can eat before it spoils too so we won’t need to go out and buy anything just yet,” Breakwater said. “And we can all catch up finally. I think a little lunch to take our minds off… current events… could be nice,” Gilbert smiled. “I’m all for that,” Rainbow nodded. “Me too,” Senax smiled. Daylight sighed and shrugged. “I suppose that’s a fine idea.” Gilbert put a talon on her back. “No need to be hasty, we’ll get out there soon, just not on an empty stomach.” “Yeah, even if I have to fly across a whole country and find that jerk myself,” Rainbow Dash confidently stated. Daylight smirked and snorted. “Somehow I don’t doubt that you could.” In the end, eating lunch definitely was the smart move since they had no money to buy food and using up the last of what they had on the Heart of Azure before it spoiled or went moldy was a good way of avoiding scrounging for coins at the harbor. Together the six of them ate at Ballast’s table once more, just like that day Rainbow Dash first came here. Though the mood this time was far more somber. It got even worse after telling Ballast about what they had been up to, since it just reminded them all of how miserable of a journey it had been. The one bright spot was rescuing those slaves from Bosche but even that wasn’t enough to raise their spirits after everything else they had been through. “Well… some good news is that I still have enough supplies and tools here that I can fix most of the damage and wear to the Heart of Azure. It’s just a new sail that we’ll really have to pay for,” Ballast said. “But everything else I’ll get to while you’re off chasing Redbeard.” Gilbert tore a strip of salted and dried meat with his beak. “And we thank you for that. We could be gone for a decent amount of time searching for him...” “Naw,” Rainbow Dash dismissively waved a hoof at him. “Some idiot like that? We’ll find him easy. I mean seriously, “Admiral Redbeard”? Please. This is some stooge who’s gotten way too full of himself, I guarantee it. Probably thinks he’s some big-shot now, or untouchable just because of what’s going on in Ullsorth. I’ve met types like him. We’ll find him, we’ll clobber him, we’ll get our stuff back.” “I agree that going off what you told us about him that it’s very likely he’ll be easy to find. In fact he’’s probably not even trying to hide at all,” Daylight said. “Ullsorth is still just as big as Malkonrik though, he could be far north into it,” Breakwater said. “Then I fly far north on my own and tear the whole kingdom apart,” Rainbow shrugged. “Er, sorry, Democratic Republic. Whatever.” “I don’t think the name really matters. By the sound of it it sounds like the place is pretty anarchical,” Gilbert said. “Well, that’s not a word, but yes it does seem like Ullsorth is probably in a state of anarchy right now,” Daylight said. “There could be a lot of criminals and other dangerous ponies there...” Senax said. “Pretty much a given but that’s nothing to be afraid of. You’ve got me, remember?” Rainbow said. “It can’t possibly be worse than dealing with Bosche or my brother,” Gilbert shrugged. “Anyways-” Rainbow said before biting out a big chunk of nearly stale bread and swallowing it down. “Let’s finish eating so we can get out there already. I want to kick some butt but I also really don’t want to be hungry when doing it. We might not be able to find any place to eat in Ullsorth either.” The group relaxed while they could, finishing up their meal and trying to keep the conversation a little more casual while they did. It could be one day, it could be one week, before they were able to eat all together like this again or get this sort of rest. While Rainbow Dash was completely confident in victory, she knew things could still be fast and chaotic once they left Malkonrik and entered Ullsorth. Like Gilbert and Daylight had said, things sounded pretty messed up in that country. A gulp of water down her throat and Rainbow Dash completely finished her lunch. She placed the wooden cup back down on the table and wiped her lips clean. “Ahh… so we good?” “I think so,” Breakwater nodded. Daylight looked over at him. “You know you could stay here with the ship. It might even be better.” “It’s my money out there we need to get back, and if we’re taking on a new pirate government with who knows how many thugs at their disposal we should probably all go together,” Breakwater said. “Yeah, we’ve done everything else together so far, why mess with success?” Rainbow said. “Success?” Daylight raised an eyebrow at her. Rainbow Dash frowned. “You know what I mean.” “Well I also think the five of us should stick together for this,” Senax put in. Daylight shrugged. “Alright, was just a suggestion in the first place but I’m clearly out-voted.” “We should get going now then so we can get to the border as quickly as possible. If there are soldiers patrolling this part of Malkonrik’s port I imagine there are going to be quite a few at the actual border between the Kingdoms. They might need persuading before they let us go into Ullsorth,” Breakwater said. “I mean if they don’t we could literally just ignore them and go around anyways couldn’t we?” Rainbow asked. “Yeah, but I’d prefer not causing any unnecessary trouble,” Breakwater answered. “No reason to get on Malkonrik’s bad side.” “Soldiers might have some info on this so-called Admiral too, they might even know where he is in Ullsorth,” Gilbert said. “If they’re keeping track of all the thievery then maybe,” Daylight said. “Well good luck to all of you, I hope for the best… we’re all in a pretty bad spot otherwise,” Ballast said. “I’ll hold down the fort here, and keep the doors locked at all times now. Even if you are just gone for a day I promise I’ll be working nonstop on the Heart of Azure to get it in tip-top shape for you. Again I really hate that you have to do this because I couldn’t keep our stuff safe...” “I’ve been robbed out at sea before too, it happens,” Breakwater patted him on the back. Rainbow Dash grinned and took a big stretch before flapping her wings and rising over the table and everybody else. “Then no more sulking, it’s time to do this!” Of course Rainbow Dash wanted to fly out and zoom at full speed to the border of Malkonrik and Ullsorth but she quickly had to temper her expectations when she remembered that she’d have to stay at the pace of the rest of the party. So despite her excitement she was lazily flying along with the others as they walked east down the street. Apparently they’d still get there before sundown but Breakwater said they shouldn’t tire themselves out by just running right for the border. They had already gone further east down Malkonrik’s exceedingly long port than she had the first time she was here. There were far less buildings and docks built out into the water now, but a few still popped up occasionally along with some houses, small farms, and warehouses she could see to the north. And there were squads of soldiers on the street of course as well. They seemed to have been given marching orders, not really doing anything other than being there in the first place. Not a single group had stopped and asked the five of them what they were doing or where they were going. It did remind her of the other soldiers she had met—they and the northern parts of Malkonrik were in their own little world. “So like—what’s the border look like? I mean I heard that the whole coastline of the continent is basically like one big port. Is there really that much of a difference?” Rainbow asked Breakwater. “Ehh, not really once you actually cross over,” he shrugged. “Last time I was at Ullsorth’s port it really was pretty much just like Malkonrik’s. A lot of docks and a lot of ships. You wouldn’t even notice you walked into a new Kingdom if it wasn’t for the border wall itself.” “Border wall?” “You’ll see.” And about an hour later, she did. It became visible at the end of the road, just when Rainbow Dash had gotten really tired of the slow pace they were going at. But at least it was obvious now that they had reached the border of Malkonrik and Ullsorth. The first thing she had seen, rising up in the distance, was what she had thought was a lighthouse at first, built much like the one she had visited when she reached the ocean on a cliff that jutted into the water. But instead of a lighthouse it was a great drum tower rising almost a hundred and fifty feet into the sky. And the more she looked at what it was situated on she realized it wasn’t a natural rock formation or cliff but a huge cement pier that went spearing out a hundred feet into the water with a wall of heavy granite stone a good fifty feet high built on top of it. Thanks to that it completely blocked the view beyond it and you couldn’t see anything in the waters of Ullsorth as long as you were coming at it from the Malkonrik street like they were. That was only one part of the border wall in the first place too. Just the part that went over the water. Directly in front of them was a great wood and steel door built on wheels that looked like it could recede north beside the rest of the wall to allow passage from one Kingdom to the other. But naturally it was closed for the moment. And of course the wall itself, fifty feet high on land as well, went far to the north. Rainbow Dash hovered up and looked a bit to see if she could see how long the border wall was but she couldn’t exactly see where it ended. It simply went far from the coastline and into the forests further north, in the direction of a small mountain range that also looked to lie right on the border of Malkonrik and Ullsorth. “Well I guess I should’ve expected more than just a picket fence,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “There are soldiers there too,” Gilbert said. Rainbow Dash looked as well and saw that yes, there was a camp of soldiers right by the side of the road in front of the door. It looked like they had set up some temporary tents next to the last few buildings on Malkonrik’s side of the border. There were several dozen at the camp, all in glistening metal armor. And more than just the tents to the north, a small “blockade” of wooden hurdles and frames all roped together sat on the road to stop carts or anyone from casually walking past it. Breakwater exhaled as they approached the camp. “Well… let’s see if they’ll let us through without trouble.”