//------------------------------// // Sail the Ocean Blue - Part 2 // Story: Bluebird // by Hammerhead //------------------------------// Up on deck, the morning was cool and fresh, with a wind strong enough to push the giant ship across the ocean. The hippogriffs were busy keeping the ship steady on the waves near the helm, maintaining the sails, or looking out on the topsails. At the same time, the ponies were busy doing other work. “Let’s go to Mount Aris,” he said.” Lightning Dust mimicked Gallus as she slapped a newly wet mop onto the wooden deck and pushed it back and forth. “It’ll be awesome, my lovebird can get us to hang out with the Navy he said.” “C’mon Dusteh, dis work ain’t tha’ bad.” Pound Sterling was busy pressing a brush across the surface back and forth as she tried to be reasonable. “We’re officers in training on a battleship, and all we’ve done this morning is janitor work.” “We’re not trained for sailing, though.” Scythe muttered to himself as he brushed down one of the ship's railings. “All the while, Bluebird is chatting away with the Godfather.” said Nicknames, sharing Lightning Dust’s frustrations. “Why do Hippogriffs even need a Navy?” Suddenly, she was silenced by Sterling, who pointed her eyes at a couple of Hippogriffs nearby. The others were wide-eyed, unsure if such a question would raise any offence. Regardless, Lightning Dust furrowed her brow. “They can turn into Seaponies and swim for miles.” “Maybe they like cruises?” suggested Nicknames, which managed to eliminate the concerns of everypony, but only because he was met with confused or annoyed faces staring at him. “What?!” He wasn’t aware of how odd his answer sounded. “Best guess is tha' these ships protect thea isles 'n waters. Can't swim i' an ocean tha’ ain’t safe, jono.” Sterling appropriately replied. “Not ta mention they can't lug everythin' underwata.” “Almost like the Navy is a military branch and not a Navy cruiser.” “‘Sides, Bluebird probably din’t kna dis is t' work we're doin’. Be easy on 'im, alreet?” Sterling insisted. She and Scythe being on Gallus’ side, would have reassured him as the blue griffon emerged onto the deck to reunite with them. “There you are!” Nicknames exclaimed. “We were worried General Seaspray was gonna be rough on you, right guys?” The other ponies knew Nicknames was joking, although they weren’t laughing since Gallus wasn’t either. He was jaded, still peeved at what Seaspray talked about. He then glanced down towards Nicknames’ hooves and pointed. “Could ya pass me the mop?” Nicknames looked to where Gallus was pointing. There was a spare mop. Nicknames picked it up with his teeth and moved towards him as he grabbed it, dunked it in a bucket, and started wiping the deck with it. Nicknames looked at the other ponies for ideas. Gallus didn’t even thank him and went straight to work without a fuss. Lightning Dust and Pound Sterling looked at each other uncertainly, and Scythe just shrugged back at him. “Uh, Bluebird? Something up?” he asked with concern. “Nothing.” A short and flat response, he could only guess something. General Seaspray said something to rid the emotion of him. “Did the Godfather make you an offer you can’t refuse?” Nicknames followed. “What? No!” Gallus answered with a raised eyebrow as if he heard something random reference he didn’t get. “He just said….” there was a pause before he sighed. “Let’s get this done with.” And so, all five continued to mop and scrub the wooden surfaces on top of the ship. Although the work was slow, they made it quicker as a team working on larger areas at once. Once they had reached the end of the ship a few hours later, they had time to empty their buckets of dirty water. As Seaspray emerged from his quarters to see how things were getting on deck, the gang all stood to attention in line. Yet, instead of recognising their attention or telling them to ease, he walked around them, inspecting the floors. He did this for a few minutes before finally wiping a talon across one of the handrails and checking for dirt, only to find a lack of it. “Impressive,” the General remarked. “It looks as if we won’t need this deck cleaned for the remainder of today.” “Will that mean we can do other duties, sir?” Gallus forcefully asked whilst staring at Seaspray sternly. Seaspray glanced over, his brows briefly lowered as he recognised Gallus’ glower. “Perhaps, but let’s put a pin in that for later”, he answered, wiping off his talons as if he hadn’t seen anything. “It’s time for you to eat.” Nicknames perked up, “Food sounds good. What’s on the menu?” he questioned with intrigue. On the lunch menu was roasted haddock with a side serving of boiled seaweed and kelp, a traditional delicacy for hippogriffs out on the ocean. The ship's crew casually cut up and scooped the food into their beaks, looking bored as they felt it tasted sub-par and nothing special for what they usually had out at sea. Yet, it was favourably compared to Lightning Dust's unnerved feelings. “Guess no one told the Navy that ponies don’t eat meat?” “Ugh, dis doesn’t feel roight.” Pound Sterling’s already thick accent was muffled with her mouth full, her fish taking a small bite. Before Lightning Dust could feel pity for the friend sitting next to her, she was horrified to see Pound Sterling go back down to the plate with an open jaw. “Don’t bite into it again, Steppy!” “Oi, betta ta ea' than ta be clammed.” “Come on, Dusty, you’re being dramatic. This seaweed stuff isn’t bad.” Sitting on Lightning Dust’s other side, Nicknames had a more confident demeanour. That being said, he could have used a napkin. His muzzle had green and brown slime specks from the boiled sea vegetables. Lightning Dust wasn’t in the mood. “Oh yeah, what about the fish?” Nicknames then looked down at his plate; the slightly browned dead fish lay there untouched. He felt a chill up his spine as its open eye stared at him. He then took a deep breath. “Well, when dining with hippogriffs, do what the hippogriffs do.” He lowered his head to meet the fish, opened his jaw, and took a massive bite. He then pulled his head back up and took slow, massive chews, his face squirming with each bite. He then closed his eyes tight, swallowing the taste in one go. After all that, there was nothing. “Huh, it’s got an odd texture, but it’s pretty goo-” Suddenly, he felt the fish go back up his oesophagus at an alarming speed. He quickly shoved his hoof in front of his muzzle to hold it in. Turns out, it wasn’t looking suitable for the ponies. “Uh, hey Bluebird, Mumbles, how’re you two getting o-” Before she could finish her question, she was stunned at what she saw. Gallus held his fish in his claws, and with wide eyes and a huge smile, he was biting and tearing into it like a gazelle to a carcass. He also didn’t care that his mouth was full, and saliva dripped from both sides of his sharp beak. Meanwhile, Scythe sat beside him, leaning away as he nervously looked on. “Uh, Gallus? Mind if I trade my fish for your vegetables?” he timidly asked as he gently pushed his plate towards the hungry griffon. Without saying a word, Gallus answered by putting down his fish, left with nothing but its head and spine, before scraping the vegetables off his plate into Scythe’s and grabbing his fish before burying his beak into it. The sight of Gallus enjoying fish a little too much left his pony buddies with pale blank faces. “So, is fish the only meat Griffons eat or…?” Lightning Dust’s question had no answer; they just scooted a small space away to create a safe distance. Not that Gallus noticed; he finished the second fish quicker than the first. “Oh, Grover, I haven't had fish this good in ages!” he exclaimed with his claws resting on his stomach. Sitting on the other side of Gallus was a yellow hippogriff with a red mane. His ears perked, and a wide grin appeared when he heard the glad compliment. “You’re welcome. At least someone appreciates my cooking.” The snide remark of the cook got a hearty laugh from the other hippogriffs at the table. “Makes you wonder what kind of food he’s had to eat.” “Speaking of, there’s some kelp and seaweed left over. Does anyone want some?” “YES, PLEASE!” All the ponies said in unison with their plates held forward. To them, anything was better than eating more fish. After the meal, everyone worked together to clear away the galley, hippogriff, ponies, and griffon. Moving chairs and tables out of the way wasn’t exciting work, but they all got to work together for a brief moment. Once they were done, General Seaspray arrived to speak to the cadets. This time, he was carrying a brown pouch. “Ah, the Equestrians, I hope you’ve eaten well?” “Yes, sir,” Gallus said confidently. “Barely…” Lightning Dust muttered in contrast. “Excellent, I have new work for you.” Seaspray opened the pouch and took out a spyglass, a wooden retractable device with glass lenses at both ends. “You’ll need these for when you’re up top”, he followed, handing one to each of the ponies, leaving Gallus without one. The ponies figured out quickly that up top meant topsail, a small platform near the top of the ship's tallest mast. Three of them spent their time resting on the oval wooden handrail, looking through their spyglasses out to see. Lightning Dust looked out starboard of the ship. “See anything yet?” Pound Sterling looked out port side. “Nuthin’. You?” “There’s another ship sailing the other way. It’s about… a mile and a half away.” Between the two, that faraway ship was the most exciting thing they could find out in the ocean for half an hour. “See any land, Mumbles?” Scythe was looking forward across the bow of the ship. He just shook his head. Lightning Dust sighed, “I’d rather be where Nicknames is now.” “Ah dunno ‘bout Nick, he looked a lil’ mithered if y’ask me.” This was an understatement. When the ponies stood on the deck earlier, Nicknames rushed to the nearest side of the ship and hurled overboard. “BLARRGH!” was all any pony or griff could hear aside from the splashes and splatter away from the ship. It oddly reminded the gang of the early days at the Academy. General Seaspray pinched his beak and instructed Nicknames to go back down and head towards the doctor’s quarters. “At least he’s not up here.” “Well, wha' about Bluebird?” Below them, Gallus was hanging off the main sail, tying ropes to secure the sail as it was unfurled. It wasn’t easy to work, there were several ropes to knot, and the wind blew against the tarp of the sail, fighting to blow it off the mast of the ship. “Great work on that, Gallus. We can get moving again”, said the yellow hippogriff from earlier. “Thanks. I’m impressed you guys do this every day.” Gallus remarked as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “Hey, it’s all part of being in the Navy. Shame, General Seaspray won’t let your pony friends help.” “He won’t?” “Yeah, we asked about it, but he said no, wanted nothing bad to happen.” Gallus was mixed with surprise that other hippogriffs were keen and Seaspray was so stubborn. “Can’t entirely blame him for thinking that,” another hippogriff chimed in, “remember the Rockhoof Incident?” Gallus did, from when Seaspray brought it up. Despite how the General put it, the other crew started laughing. “Oh, Uranus, that’s a classic! General Seaspray hires Rockhoof, a big stallion with a hardcore ginger beard and long braided mane.” “So, it WAS that Rockhoof”, Gallus realised. That short description confirmed the Rockhoof he suspected, “one of the pillars of Equestria who was trapped in limbo for a thousand years.” “Yeah, said something like that,” the yellow hippogriff said, waving his claw as if it was not an important detail. “Anyways, we were stuck in a fog, and this Rockhoof pony suggests using the stars to navigate instead.” “In fairness, I read a history book a few years ago. The Navy in the old days used to navigate by the stars, too,” the other hippogriff chimed in again. “True, but General Seaspray, without thinking it through, just takes this idea and orders us to sail the ship full-speed towards a constellation. No wonder the ship crashed right into those rocks.” The hippogriffs laughed again. To them, it was nothing but a goof. “Still kind of feel bad for Rockhoof, though,” the other hippogriff remarked as the laughter died, “General Seaspray fired him on the spot and looked miserable after that.” “I’m sure he’s fine. A pony built like that would be perfect for any tough job,” the yellow hippogriff replied with optimism. From what Gallus recalled, he was right. Rockhoof visited the school often, telling stories of his past with the Mighty Helm and helping historians and museums around Equestria. “Anyways, I’m gonna take over steering the ship. Wanna join me, Gallus?” The idea of checking out the ship's helm sounded appealing in Gallus’ mind, potentially steering the ship alongside the other hippogriffs. However, he looked up at the topsail and remembered who he was also on the ship with. “I think I’m gonna check on my friends instead.” Gallus made his way up to the topsail. Pound Sterling, Lightning Dust, and Scythe were still up there, but they were resting on their hooves, slumped over the railing. They were so bored none of them even noticed Gallus’ presence. “Uh hey, how are you doing?” “Alreet, I guess,” Pound Sterling answered with a dull drone, but Lightning Dust wasn’t as accepting. “No, not alright!” she pushed back and turned to stare sharply at Gallus. “We spent all morning wiping the floor of that deck, then we got for lunch with fish we couldn’t eat, and now we’re left up here just doing nothing but staring out into the sea. I have been looking at that same ship for hours.” “That sucks,” said Gallus, though Lightning Dust didn’t appreciate the understatement. “Meanwhile, you spent a part of the morning talking to the Big G, stuffing your face full of that fish, and just now, you were working on the sails with your new buddies. Yeah, we don’t have claws, nails, and beaks as you do, so we don’t get treated like you do. Do you know what it’s like to feel so different?” Lightning Dust quickly heard the loud sound of some pony clearing their throat. She glanced just to the right of Gallus to see Scythe frantically making a throat-cutting gesture with his hoof with an anxious look on his face. She wasn’t sure why until she saw Gallus glare back at her like a hawk. “Yeah, I do. Back at the Academy?” he reminded her. “That’s why I’m here.” Lighting Dust calmed to a miffed state once it was clear to her accusatory attitude to Gallus about unfairness wouldn’t go anywhere. All of them agreed this issue needed to be resolved. “Can’t the other Hippogriffs do something about it?” Scythe offered, but Gallus shook his head. “Turns out General Seaspray wouldn’t allow it.” “Then tell General Seaspray”, Lightning Dust suggested. “You two get along well.” Still in the air, Gallus flew back slightly, his eyes widened and arms crossed. “Oh no, if General Seaspray says no to his crew, there’s no way I’ll do better”, Gallus pointed out. The others also weren’t aware of how tense their exchanges were. “We might get an early trip back to Equestria if I tried.” “What has he got against us ponies anyway?” “To cut it short, Seaspray brought on a pony once, crashed a ship, and he thinks something bad will happen again.” Lightning Dust raised an eyebrow. She was back up to frustration. “That’s it? Because of one pony?” she asked rhetorically. “We’ve been in the Academy for six months. What in Twilight does he think would happen if we did what we were trained to do?” Before they could talk, their conversation was cut off by the booming sound of a large blast coming from the ship's starboard side. Each ponies’ ears perked, and Gallus’ fur and feathers puffed out in shock, and they all rushed over to see what it was. All of them witnessed a black round ball shoot off into the sky. Everything went silent as the ball’s climb slowed and moved further away before descending at a slowly increasing velocity right into the other ship in the distance. The black ball disappeared, leaving a faint sound of wood breaking apart. Poor Gallus felt his heart stop. Somehow, he was sure he and his friend would get blamed for this. “Something like that?”