“In here, Miss,” directs the exceptionally young sailor stallion in a white and blue striped shirt who seems as young as he possibly can be and still be called an adult. He says this after throwing open a double door then gestures into the significantly dryer interior of the mess hall in the middle of the lower deck. When I step through the threshold, I am soaked. Once inside, I spare a glance over my shoulder at the dark and stormy night. I hear the storm out there but rarely get to see it until the lightning flashes. When that happens, it reveals the choppy waters of the ocean all around us.
“Thank you, kind Sir,” I say appreciatively to the young sailor who guided me here. “But why are all the passengers being directed here? Couldn't we just stay in our rooms?”
“Cap'n's orders,” the sailor explains as he tips up his white cap a bit. “All passengers are being directed to the mess hall for their safety until the storm passes.”
“So it was more dangerous for us to remain in our rooms?” I double check.
“In a manner of speaking,” the sailor answers with a slight roll of his eyes. “Or better to say the passengers would be safer here. The guest quarters all around the deck, you see, is closer to the ocean storm because they are on the outer ring of the ship. We have no guarantees the passengers might not suffer some flooding in there. The odds of that still aren't that strong in that case. Honestly, this storm isn't even that bad, but this mess hall is more centralized away from the storm. Plus, the Cap'n believes it is best to keep all the passengers visible here so we can make sure you're all safe.”
I scan about the mess hall. I notice that the lighting isn't that strong in here. Glow bug lanterns appear to be the only light source, and even then it seems to be used sparingly. I understand that normally the mess hall would be closed at this late hour. Fewer glow bug lanterns also means not needing to feed as many of the tiny little critters, but they would be glowing in all dark conditions regardless of the hour.
The mess hall has four rows of double benches with a table in the center, each row consisting of twelve of these tables. There is also intermittent cushy seats along the walls of the mess hall.
In addition to a few of the glow bug lanterns is a window which displays the deck beyond but this mess hall is quite a bit lower so only the hooves of other ponies crisscrossing the deck beyond is visible. Of that, I notice some sailors out there rushing back and forth in a bit of a frenzy. The sight of this makes me very nervous.
“Are you sure this storm isn't that bad?” I ask with concern.
“Aw, it's alright, Miss. This storm hardly packs a wallop. Of that I can assure you,” the sailor nearby me promises as we slowly pace further within the mess hall. After hearing that, I shudder to imagine a storm he would consider severe if he thinks this one minor. His confidence does give me some reassurance, though. I'd certainly dread to imagine the ship sinking this far out into the ocean. Our fate would certainly be quite grim in that case.
“Shouldn't you be out there helping the other crew with it?” I check as I nervously look back to the young sailor.
“This is my post for the moment,” the sailor assures. “I'm to watch after and see to the needs of the passengers.”
“Mademoiselle,” calls out the familiar voice of Doctor Cabbelleron. I locate him at the very back of the mess hall where there is more cozy furniture which includes a coffee table between them. Upon locating him, I venture towards him.
“If you don't mind, I have a few questions for you,” I say to the sailor as I make my way to the back of the mess hall.
“Yes, Miss?” the sailor asks as he vigilantly scans among the other passengers to see if any of them might need his services.
“Earlier today, I did not see any pegasi flying in the sky to move these storm clouds into place, so what gives?” I ask. “This doesn't seem scheduled at all.”
The sailor flashes me a quizzical look as he returns my question with a question of his own. “If there were other pegasi out there ready to move this storm into place, then where would they land upon the completion of their duty? Remember, we're out in the middle of the ocean, and storm clouds themselves are dangerous to land upon.”
“I see your point,” I acknowledge. “But how can the storm be here if there are no pegasi to put them there in the first place?”
“The weath'ah has a mind of it's own out on these parts,” Doctor Cabbelleron answers since he happens to be close enough to overhear my question as I approach him. “That actually seems to be dah norm outside the bounds of Equestria. In fact, the more I read ancient tablets and scrolls from other civilizations that once came beyond the bounds of Equestria, the more I realize that it is actually Equestria itself that is the odd one out in this regard.”
When I sit in the love seat across from Doctor Cabbelleron, he stands up, pulls a wool blanket off another table, then approaches to drape the blanket over me. I think the reason he did that was because he saw me shivering as I approached. Little does he know that that reaction is mostly out of fright.
However, after he drapes the blanket on me and the warmth of that blanket seeps into my hide, I start to shiver less. It is at this point I start to wonder if maybe I really was cold before, or perhaps there is something psychologically comforting about this blanket that makes me feel somehow safer and therefore I start to shiver less even if the source is fear.
“Thank you,” I express with quiet affection to Doctor Cabbelleron.
“I fancy myself a gentlepony, Madam,” Doctor Cabbelleron explains as he returns to his seat across from me. “There is no way that I can get comfortable until I see to the comfort of a lady first. It's just my thing.”
“Sir has a point,” the sailor says behind my seat now. “The weather outside of Equestria does indeed appear to have a mind of it's own, and that often seems to be the case beyond the boundaries of Equestria.”
“Early records of the Mighty Helm, among others, also attest to this,” Doctor Cabbelleron adds as he looks over his seat, notices a maid passing by with a silver platter full of drinks which smell like cider. He swipes a cup as she passes. She notices that but doesn't mind. Apparently that is the point of her carrying this around. The cider, in this case, is poured into an elegant looking wine glass.
“Weather moving on it's own. How strange,” I muse aloud. “But still, I wonder, should I go out there and do something about this? I am the only pegasus aboard. Maybe I should push it out of the way.”
“You don't work with weather teams of pegasi do you, Miss Keystone?” Doctor Cabbelleron asks while aiming one eye at me. That same eye also lifts his eyebrow. He tips his wine glass at me slightly to indicate towards me but not enough to spill his drink. “There are three errors with that question you just made.
“For one, it's basically a moot point for weath'ah pegasi to attempt to move weather that moves on it's own. At best, they'd only temporarily delay it.
“For two, you'd need an army of fliers out there to make a significant difference. That storm is spread across the horizon and it is affecting these choppy waters accordingly. Poking a hole through the storm in one spot would be insignificant at this point, especially since that hole would close itself up a few seconds later anyway.
“And for three, any professional weath'ah pony would tell you it is downright dangerous to attempt to change a storm during a storm. The rain would weigh your wings down. The winds would buffet you away, and the lightning might downright kill you. If you were to have any chance to affect the storm during a storm, it is best to approach it from above. But,” he shrugs, “since there is no openings in the sky visible, especially during the night, then there is no safe way to get above the storm so it is best to ride it out.”
Doctor Cabbelleron looks at and swirls his drink while his other foreleg rests on top of the couch behind him. He then brings the wine glass to his muzzle and inhales the aroma with a savoring expression before opening his eyes narrowly at me as he says, “Trust me, Mademoiselle, it is best to leave these matters up to thah professionals.”
Upon saying that, Doctor Cabbelleron finally sips then savors his drink.
“I'm afraid I must agree,” agrees the sailor. “Remarkably, I think you're the only pegasus aboard the ship anyway and you're just a passenger. You're not even a professional weather pony, right?”
“I'm afraid I don't have any experience with that profession,” I confess, “but I read a little bit about that.” I shake my head. “So far, the only times I heard about weather phenomenon like this is over the Everfree Forest near Ponyville and the Frozen North. Are you two really trying to tell me that this might be the norm all over the world beyond Equestria?”
“I can't say for sure,” admits the sailor. “I just work here. I only know what it's like across the ocean during the few moons I worked aboard this ship.”
“And even then, this is the first time we had the means to measure longitude,” Doctor Cabbelleron informs after another sip of his drink and a satisfied sigh. His right eye snaps in my direction as he then says, “As our hired cartographer, I'm surprised you're not already more involved with that process. We may have an idea where we are relative to the point where we left, but when we find the new continent, we'll need to mark it on our new navigational maps.”
“I could help with that and I was planning on visiting the ships navigator tomorrow,” I inform. “Last I checked, I had permission for that.”
“You certainly do,” announces another stallion that none of us noticed sitting nearby until now. When we look, we see that it is Doctor Smith. “That's actually why I've been invited onto this trip. I didn't invent the marine chronometer itself, but I am very familiar with it's operation insofar as how to use it and repair it if need be.” He sips his own glass of cider, nods at it approvingly, then goes on to say, “It would be quite accurate to say I have some experience when it comes to measuring time. One could even say that I am something of chronological device myself.”
“Really?” Doctor Cabbelleron asks with fascination.
“My cutie mark is an hourglass,” Doctor Smith mentions as if that might explain his situation.
“Say no more, then,” Doctor Cabbelleron says as he lifts his wine glass to Doctor Smith as if to toast the other doctor. “I met plenty of other ponies with that particular talent. It's no exaggeration to say they have some talent when it comes to matters of time. A pony with a mark like that probably invented the chronometer in the first place.”
Doctor Smith grins as he says while raising his own wine glass to toast back, “Well, it was only a matter of time.”
“Indeed,” Doctor Cabbelleron agrees with a brief chuckle of amusement. “Knowledge and science shall not be halted. It is our quest . . . Neigh. I say it is our destiny to master new horizons of knowledge. No mountains are too high and no ocean is too vast to cross. Where there is a will, there is a way, and where there is a way, there is some pay.” He chuckles to himself with a dark glint in his eyes. “The intrepid shall ever be the first to reap such glories. How appropriate the name of this ship is therefore.”
“You enjoy being famous, don't you, Doctor?” I ask Cabbelleron.
“Well,” he gives a half shrug to me. “I must admit, it has it's charms. Can be a conversation starter with the ladies, for instance,” he says as he tips his glass at me again.
“Hey, are you okay?” I hear one of three of Doctor Cabbelleron's henchponies ask another nearby. The one who asked is the largest of the three. He is a very dark gray stallion nearly to the point of being black. He also has a bright orange mane, tail, and sideburns. The one he's speaking to is a very light gray stallion nearly to the point of being white. He is wearing a black and purple cloth collar around his neck and is wearing sunglasses despite it being nighttime. That pony appears to be very ill and occasionally throwing up into a wooden bucket.
“I suppose it had to happen to somepony,” remarks Cabbelleron's final henchpony who is a tan colored pony wearing a fedora hat whom I know is named Biff. That pony is sitting across from the large dark gray pony. Both of them are playing cards with each other while occasionally looking down at the floor where their other ill companion is. “Even a normal ocean voyage can test some ponies stomach, much less an ocean storm. Quite frankly, I'm surprised more of the passengers aren't ill by now as well.”
I grin at those three. Despite the nasty rumors I heard about them earlier and especially about their employer, something seems especially cozy about observing them here tonight as we attempt to take shelter from a nasty storm outside. Perhaps it is because of the mutual threat that we're all facing together. I'm not sure why, but it makes me fear them less. Right now I even feel compelled to save them if they were in danger as if convinced doing so might end up saving my own life later on since they'll still be around to protect me. Regardless of their past, we're in this particular danger together tonight and that sort of gives me a “enemy of my enemy is my friend” kind of vibe.
I hope this feeling lasts ever onward into the future.
“Tell me something, Doctor Cabbelleron, if you don't mind,” I say as I regard my idol again. “Of all the discoveries you haven't made yet, which one do you hope to uncover the most?”
Doctor Cabbelleron lifts an eyebrow at me as he asks me, “You mean besides the lost continent?”
“Actually, including the continent if it counts in your eyes,” I say with a small bright smile at him. I fully expect him to say that is precisely what he looks forward to the most. Since Doctor Cabbelleron has always been a shameless self promoter, it wouldn't surprise me to learn he'll later insist the entire continent should be named after him.
“My greatest undiscovery, huh?” Doctor Cabbelleron asks as he beholds his own reflection in his wine glass with a cocky grin. “The one that got away so far. The Legend that I continue to chase.”
“Yeah!” I confirm with a bright grin since I'm really looking forward to hearing more on this subject.
I witness as deep wicked cunning sinks into Doctor Cabbelleron's eyes as he continues to stare at his own reflection for a moment before lifting the drink to his lips, takes another sip, then gazes at me sharply above the edge of the cup as he says, “Believe it or not, the greatest discovery that I am chasing isn't the lost continent itself, but it might be contained within it.”
“Oh?” I ask with further rising fascination. “What could possibly be greater than the legendary lost continent?”
“The key to everything!” Doctor Cabbelleron answers as a wicked smile grows on his lips. “The Legendary Blue Box.”
“Blue Box?” I reflect questioningly.
“Do you really think it exists?” Doctor Smith asks Doctor Cabbelleron. Apparently Doctor Smith has some idea what Cabbelleron is talking about, unlike me.
“Oh believe me. It's real!” Doctor Cabbelleron confirms with emphatic enthusiasm. “The legendary Blue Box which is said to be the key to unlocking all of time and space. Imagine this tall blue box apparently made of wood. It seems to have very little depth to it but outside appearances can be quite deceiving in this case.”
I notice Doctor Smith taking a sip of his drink while narrowing his eyes at Doctor Cabbelleron slightly. I then look back at Cabbelleron myself as I ask him, “Are you saying it is bigger on the inside? How is that possible?”
Doctor Cabbelleron shakes his head as he says, “No pony knows, but it keeps cropping up in many important historical events. Many claim to see a mysterious blue wooden box that appeared as if out of nowhere, but wherever and whenever it appears, it is said the storm of trouble isn't far behind.”
“Like the storm we're having outside right now?” the nearby young sailor asks as he looks out a window with a bit of a grin.
“It can be but usually not that literal,” Doctor Cabbelleron answers. “Instead, I speak more of intense storms of destiny! The kind of legendary events that spiral around it. Wherever such events crop up, be on the lookout for the Blue Box! It might just be somewhere in the area.”
“Why would a Blue Box appear in such areas?” I ask Doctor Cabbelleron.
“Again, no pony knows for sure, but the legends say that the Blue Box can appear and disappear at will.” Doctor Cabbelleron gives a cunning smile. “It is even said that this Box can warp through the fabric of time and space.
“Why would multiple cultures across multiple epochs keep describing the same thing in the same way over and over again? There is a pattern to the surrounding events during the time the Blue Box appears, too. Perhaps it is because the Box causes it somehow, or perhaps it is in response to the events itself.”
“If any of this is true, which do you believe?” Doctor Smith asks Doctor Cabbelleron.
Doctor Cabbelleron pauses for a moment as he considers his response before saying, “Well, according to the history text that we have discovered, the occupants of the Blue Box appear largely heroic but this story isn't entirely consistent. History is written by the winners, you see, and their opinions can be all over the place depending on the stakes involved. One pony's hero is another's villain. It's all largely subjective.”
Doctor Cabbelleron leans forward again as he says, “But the important thing to note, here, is the capabilities of the Blue Box. Imagine, instead of uncovering old and forgotten ruins, we can see them during the cradle of their civilization! We could witness these ponies while their empire was still alive! Imagine all the history text we could uncover if we could interview the writers themselves. Many historical records could have been lost over time for a vast variety of reasons, but if we could see and hear the civilization ourselves, we could confirm or deny many things.”
“An interesting theory,” Doctor Smith responds surprisingly casually. “And if you could uncover this legendary Blue Box and use it, where and when would you go with it?”
“Oh,” Doctor Cabbelleron swirls his drink again. “All kinds of times and places, I'm sure. Indeed, it would take a lot of time to decide. Time which could be quite ambiguous to a pony who has access to a time machine.”
“That sounds incredible!” I marvel then go on a little nervously, “And also a little scared. If anypony had control of a device like this already, such a pony could use it to meddle with time to a great degree. Possibly causing irreparable damage.”
“Define irreparable,” Doctor Smith challenges. “It seems to me that if anyone did actually have a power like that and accidentally destroyed all of time and space with it, then could we possibly exist right now to discuss this? To that, I say we're living proof that if this Blue Box does exist, it seems to already be in the hands of someone who knows how to use it responsibly.”
Several of us wince questioningly when Doctor Smith mentioned the word “hands” and “someone”, but none of us seem to have either the courage or the motive to bring it up.
“Be that as it may, that is a good point,” Doctor Cabbelleron agrees. “If such a devise was ever going to be used to unravel the fabric of the universe from the past, then it already would have happened by now and yet here we are.” He waves his wine glass around to indicate everything around us. “Discussing this casually during a dark and stormy night while we press onward to adventure and great discovery. Given the Blue Box's disposition to appearing and disappearing wherever and whenever it wants, I am not saying there is a guaranteed chance we'll ever encounter it but the odds are higher during important and climactic events. The journey we're on just might qualify. It wouldn't even surprise me of the one who runs that vessel is aboard this ship even as we speak.”
“Then lets pretend such a pony is aboard this ship,” Doctor Smith proposes. “In that case, hypothetically speaking, what would you say to such a pony?”
“That I'd like a ride?” Doctor Cabbelleron shrugs. “Also, if I discover that Blue Box without any pilot and the thing is unclaimed, then I call dibs.”
Doctor Smith raises an eyebrow at Doctor Cabbelleron for a moment then gazes forward with that same expression as he says, “Well, in that case, if I ever meet that pilot, I'll be sure to pass on the message.” Then he sips his drink again.