//------------------------------//
// [T] The Prism Wing 
// Story: Silk-Spider Anthologies: Falling Snow 
// by PinkamenaPictures 
//------------------------------//

Wind, snow, and ice beat against The Prism Wing as it soared through the storm. The airship was strong, and more importantly, resilient enough to withstand the heavens’ cold wrath, it had been through worse before. The Prism Wing had never surrendered to forces of nature, had never faltered in the face of something greater, and never would. However, The airship was not its captain’s only concern.

Captain Celaeno narrowed her eyes as a gust of wind threw snow at her. Her heavy coat and fur lined tricorner provided some protection from the elements, although it was still bitterly cold. She knew that The Prism Wing could survive the storm, but without a proper port or at least better shelter her crew might not be so lucky. If this storm gets worse, I might not be able to keep us up. Celaeno tightened her grip on the wheel to keep her airship steady against a strong wind. She breathed a sigh of relief when it stopped fighting her. I can’t risk it. We barely survived last time we sank, and we weren’t over a frigid ocean then.

“Mullet!” Captain Celaeno called out to her first mate over the storm, the only other crew member not inside The Prism Wing.

Mullet moved across the deck as fast as the snow and wind allowed, ascending the stairs to stand beside his captain at the helm. Mullet wore heavier clothing than he normally did, but Celaeno still marvelled at how he could endure the cold with so little.

"Take the wheel, and hold The Prism steady until I find us a heading," Captain Celaeno ordered.

"Aye-aye, captain," Mullet responded, doing as he was ordered without question or hesitation.

Captain Celaeno watched Mullet for a moment before walking down the stairs to the main deck. She trusted Mullet as a first mate and a friend, but found it distasteful to leave another at the helm of her ship during a storm. Still, she was the only one who knew how to read the maps she kept in her cabin. Her cabin was below the helm, and she reached it quickly.

Easily unlocking and opening the door, Celaeno went straight to her desk. Her cabin was furnished simply, and decorated sparsely. The desk, bed, and chifferobe were all high quality pieces of Equestrian craftsmanship because, as with most of the furniture on The Prism Wing, after they helped stop the Storm King a year ago, Princess Twilight Sparkle had paid for repairs and replacements related to The Prism Wing. The only item of purely decorative value was an oil painting on the port side of the room.

Celaeno pulled a large map of the ocean they were over from a case beside her desk and unrolled it onto her desk. It was easy enough for her to find their approximate position, it had been three days since they left the United Zebralands and they had been travelling at around eight to ten knots until the storm slowed them. It would be another three days until they found land on their current heading, but if they turned to the east they could be at an island by nightfall.

With a nod Celaeno rolled up and put away the map before leaving her cabin. Her cutlass bounced against her left hip as she rounded the railing and began her ascent. Once she reached the top, Captain Celaeno pointed east and told Mullet her decision. “We have our heading.”

“Here we go!” Mullet answered as he changed The Prism Wing’s course.

Once they were moving in the correct direction Captain Celaeno took control of the airship once more. Rather than return to what he had been doing before she called him, Mullet lingered beside his captain.

“If I can ask… ?” Mullet began. Captain Celaeno gestured her approval with a flick of two talons. “Where are we going, and how should I be preparing?”

“The Isle of Skye, an abandoned island. We’ll find shelter near the ruins if we can. We’ll take shelter with the locals if not,” Celaeno said without turning, her cutlass heavy at her side.

“What sort of locals?” Mullet asked after a moment, wisely not asking how an island can both have locals and be abandoned.

“Ponies. There were no notes on what tribe, but they are separate from Equestria. Not a nation like the Neighponese ponies of Ōyashima, but similarly living apart from the world.”

"I'll tell the others what's happening, and make certain they're ready. How long 'til we're there?"

Captain Celaeno glanced up at the clouds. They were in a lull, but the storm was getting worse. "Nightfall, or a bit later."

Mullet offered a quick response before going below deck to inform the rest of the crew and get them ready for the coming night.

Alone on the helm, Celaeno let her thoughts drift. She often considered flight. To a pegasus: flying is a part of them as integral as breathing. To a gargoyle: flying is a convenience, a faster way to move about. To a gryphon it is a tactical advantage, and to a dragon it is another domain to rule. To most ornithians, flying is ancient history. But to Celaeno and her crew, flight was freedom. The ornithian body may have long since evolved away from flight, but the primal desire to feel the wind through their feathers, to taste the cool air of the heavens, those were seated too deep inside Celaeno to ignore.

Celaeno watched as the storm raged around her, knowing how easily it could take them out of the sky. The Prism Wing’s zeppelin provided her some protection from the snow, but not enough for her comfort. Although Celaeno had loved snow since she first saw it, she also had very little tolerance for the cold. Still, she would not let her own discomfort stop her from leading her crew to safety.

After a long journey of gradually worsening conditions, they arrived at the Isle of Skye about two hours after nightfall. On the southwestern side of the island they found an old, empty port for water vessels. Captain Celaeno set The Prism Wing down into the water, and guided it into place before calling for the anchor to be dropped. Although an airship first and foremost, The Prism Wing was also capable in the water.

The crew of The Prism Wing gathered on the deck, and Captain Celaeno moved to address them.

“If you don’t know, we’re on the Isle of Skye, a half-abandoned island home to ponies. We’ll be staying here ‘til the storm quiets.” Captain Celaeno gauged her crew’s reactions, and saw nothing she was not expecting. “Boyle, you and I are going to scout out the area. I want the rest of you to stay here for now, we’ll come back with our findings. Is that clear?”

“Aye, captain!”

Captain Celaeno stepped onto the dock with Boyle close behind. She truly hoped that they would not find any locals, even ponies can be territorial and she would rather not risk a fight. Celaeno was encouraged by the state of the structures around them as they moved deeper into the port town, as few of the buildings could be called intact.

“Cap’n,” Boyle said urgently but quietly as he raised his hand towards her. Celaeno turned to look where he was looking, and saw something move in one of the buildings. The building, which appeared to be a storefront, was half collapsed, but something was inside. Boyle raised his right arm, his iron hook seemed almost black in the light of the storm, and he walked slowly towards the store. Celaeno drew her sword and followed him, ready to draw blood if needed. Once they were close, Captain Celaeno stepped forward and called out.

“Show yourself!”

The movement stopped. Then Celaeno saw something rise up behind the frosted glass of the storefront. That was all the warning she had before the glass exploded outward as a grey beast with bloody fangs leaped out at her. She attempted to sidestep and swing her blade at it, but her jade leg lost grip in the snow. Her sword went wide, but she fell out of the beast’s path.

Celaeno fell heavily onto her left shoulder. She heard Boyle call out to her before being cut off with a grunt of pain followed by tearing flesh and a bestial cry.

Celaeno rolled over and stood back up in an instant, readying her sword. Boyle was standing in a defensive stance with blood soaking into the left arm of his coat across from the beast that stood about half Celaeno’s height. She could not see the beast’s left side, but the red-stained snow below it told a clear story.

The beast charged at Boyle with a furious roar and Boyle swung his hook up, catching its mouth and ripping out a canine. While the beast staggered on Boyle’s left, Celaeno rushed forward and swung her sword in a wide arch across the beast’s side. When the beast turned to bite at Celaeno, Boyle thrust his hook through the wound in its shoulder from his first strike. As the beast writhed in pain, Celaeno cut its throat deep enough that she could feel the resistance of its spine against her blade.

Boyle removed his hook from the beast, and the two pirates stood there for a moment while the beast’s life faded.

“Cap’n, are ya hurt?”

Celaeno rolled her shoulder and stretched her arm to gauge the damage from her fall. “Just a bruise. Nothing to worry about. You?”

Boyle flexed his left hand with a smile. “He bit me, but I got ‘em better than he got me. He ever stood a chance against us.” In truth, Boyle knew that if he had not managed to stop it biting down when he did, then he might not have had a hand at all anymore.

With the fight over, Celaeno inspected the beast. It was about twice as long as it was tall, with a long thick tail doubling that length. Its body was covered in fur and vaguely reminiscent of a wolf, but its tail, claws, and muzzle looked more like a crocodile’s. Its mouth was full of sharp fangs, as if wolves or crocodiles didn’t have enough teeth already. There were also two trails of short spines running down its body from just above its eyes to the end of its tail. Its muzzle had been covered in blood when it attacked, they had probably disturbed its dinner.

While Celaeno was looking at the beast, Boyle moved into the store. He soon came back out to give his captain good news. “Looks like this place is his nest, and it seems he lived alone.”

“Good,” Captain Celaeno cleaned her sword with a cloth from her pocket before sheathing it. “Let’s finish our walking tour.”

They explored the rest of the area around the dock and found nothing of particular note, and decided to head back to The Prism Wing. As Captain Celaeno and Boyle stepped aboard their airship, Mullet moved to greet them.

“What happened?” Mullet asked when he saw Boyle’s bloody arm.

“We had a run in with a chimaera. We won,” Captain Celaeno said to Mullet before turning to Boyle. “Have Lix tend your arm, then get some sleep. If we’re lucky, the storm will pass in the night.”

Boyle nodded and went below deck. Mullet watched as Celaeno walked the side of the airship and put her right hand on the railing, her breath visible around her head. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Mullet broke the silence.

“Captain,” Mullet moved towards her, tactfully ignoring her jump of surprise. “You should get some rest. We all need you at your best, not half asleep.”

“This is my ship. I will not be responsible for us being caught off guard,” Captain Celaeno said resolutely. Mullet knew better than to argue with his captain, so he changed tactics.

“Celaeno,” Mullet said from a few paces away from her. Captain Celaeno turned at the use of her name and saw her first mate holding her sword at his side. “If I can take your sword without you so much as suspecting something is wrong, then how effectively can you watch for danger? You're tired and you're hurt.”

Celaeno looked at Mullet’s eyes, and realised that she was not looking at her first mate, but rather one of her oldest friends. And he was genuinely concerned for her. “I’m tired. That’s true, but this is my responsibility.”

“I'm your first mate, it’s mine too. I rested while you were scouting the town, I can handle the watch. But how long have you been awake? You need to sleep.” Mullet held Celaeno’s cutlass out to her, and she returned it to its sheath.

“You're right. I'm not useful like this.” Celaeno said before she began walking over to her cabin, but she stopped at the door. “Wake me if anything happens. Understood?”

Mullet gave her a mock salute and a smile. “Sleep well, captain.”