//------------------------------// // Mission 2, Part 2: The Lipizzan // Story: Semper Pie // by deathtap //------------------------------// Two days. Two whole days had gone by since the ship had left. She felt all hope vanish as the reality of her present situation started to set it. Zecora found herself struggling to accept that she was a piece of property. She was nothing more than an item; a possession. She felt a stinging in her eyes and wiped the tears that were trying to form away. How she missed her mother. It was not the fact that she was a clingy thing, but rather the knowledge that she might never, ever see her again. "So, you got family?" the pegasus asked. Zecora had been sitting on the ground staring at a spot just in front of her. She looked up to the pony and nodded her head. "I have a mother that I miss a great deal, being trapped like this seems so surreal." "Tell me about it. I've got a daughter back home in Cloudsdale. It's the cloud city near Canterlot. I've really got to get out of here and get back to her. I hope she's okay." Zecora nodded. "I know the city by its name; and my hope and yours are the same." "You really do talk in rhyme, huh? I thought that was just a rumor. No idea that it was true. How do you do it?" "Some of us talk this way out of habit, while others of our kind speak without it." Zecora smiled back. It was a weak smile, but it lifted the already somber mood. "I think I know what you mean. I've met a few zebras that don't talk in rhyme. Could you... could you not talk like that?" Zecora thought about it. "My mother taught me this to learn a complex recipe, for me it is quite a necessity. Although we have books and scrolls of different brews, sometimes time is critical; you snooze, you loose." There was a long beat before Providence shook her shoulders. She was laughing. "Wow. I don't think I could do that on purpose, you know? It's amazing you're able to do it every time." Zecora blushed a little at the compliment. "You seem to have no fear, how are you here? You act so bold and strong, this isn't a place where you belong." "There's nopony... or zebra, giraffe and dog that belongs here. Slavery is wrong. Wrong in every way." Providence laughed humorlessly. "I guess it's because of what I do. You see, I'm an author. I write a series of adventure books about a pegasus mare that goes off into the world looking for treasures, magical trinkets, and powerful artifacts to keep them away from those that would use them for evil!" Lucky looked up at them. "How did you end up here? An author can write in the safety of Equestria-" "Sorry, but I can't write something that's half-baked. If I am going to write a story about adventure, I'm going to go find that adventure. It'll be like my life story... kinda." They all looked at her as if she were mad. Except Zecora. She could sympathize with Providence. After all she had left with Zaku and Semper for adventure as well. They had told her not to come, but she was stubborn. She understood that she might not have been strong enough on her own, but with the finest warrior of her village and Semper, she felt confident for her safety. How were they supposed to know they would drug her in the room? How were they supposed to know that she was worth a lot of bits on the slave market? Deep in her heart she knew that it was neither their fault that she was taken. She knew it, but she still harbored a lot of anger towards the two. Now she would be traded off to some griffon and probably never go home. The thought of that and the thought of her mother learning this news made her heart ache. "So one day you decided to wake up, drop everything and travel the world?" Lucky shook his head. "You left Equestria for this?" "I left Equestria in search of a better understanding of the world around us! Do you think that ponies know what really goes on? We've seen what it's like firsthoof, and if I had known I probably would never have left. Now I that I know, I need to get back home more than ever." Providence let out a long, tired sigh. "I know that I've been selfish. I know that I am a bad mother for running off the way I did, leaving my daughter with her father. She's still probably really, really angry at me, but my husband understood. It's been something that I've always wanted to do. It's on my flank for Celestia's sake!" Her mark was a quill, the ink forming a multicolored arc with an inkwell the shape of a cloud just next to it. "You understand, right? It's our calling. We have to do it because that's the way we are. I've got to write these books because... because..." "You equines are a strange bunch," the rhino rumbled. "But I have more respect for your kind than I do with my own. You ponies have honor... at least most of you do." His eyes turned to the front of the prison. There was an unnecessary knock on the cage door and the diamond dogs had all started whining in fear and moved as far away from them as possible. Voltic stood there for a few seconds before moving aside revealing the pony standing behind him. It was Blood. No wonder the dogs were scared. Blood stared hard into the cage studying each one of them intently. His eyes seemed to cut into them. Never before had Zecora felt so exposed. "See? I told ya she was a pretty one. That pegasus is definitely a prize. She's gotta be the one," Voltic suggested with a unsure grin on his face. "I-I-I mean she's the most likely of the bunch." Blood eyed them all one by one, but his gaze lingered on Zecora. "All of them except the pegasus were in that group that was attacked." Voltic grinned nervously. There was no way he could know that. "Oh. Okay... maybe he got the groups confused?" "I want two guards here at all times." "But that's a waste! There's no..." Voltic's voice drifted to silence as Blood looked at him through the corner of his eye. There was a very real sense of danger now. Even from where she stood, Zecora felt that she wasn't far enough away. "Two guards here. Always. Got it." Voltic squeaked. Blood turned and walked off, the sound of his gauntlets diminishing with each step. Voltic waited until the sound was completely gone before talking. "Look, I don't know what this is all about, but there's some rumor that a crazy... thing... is out to get one of you. Whoever it is, I will tell you now that nopony, not even an ursa, has ever managed to get off this ship and Blood and his Watu Wakali are going to keep it that way." The fox rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I know that... well... I know what it's bad, but to have two pretty mares in one cage with two of the Watu around isn't exactly a healthy choice. Some of them can be... pretty nasty. So, I'll make you a deal. I'll make sure that guards are posted aren't... you know, dangerous. B-b-but only if you make me one promise." They all exchanged glances. He leaned in closer. "The zebra makes me some... special potions. You're good with potions, right? At least that's what everyone says. Zebras are experts on potions." "I know quite a bit about this subject, what kind of potion and what effect?" The fox rubbed his paws together nervously. "Something to make me sleep." "Why would you need help get some rest? Just relax your body, that is best." "Really? Look around you! Look at where you are? Do you think I like doing this? Do you think that I want to be here? Do you think that-" Voltic let out a loud groan. "Just... if you can, then I'll do what I can to make your remaining days on 'freedom' as comfortable as I can." The giraffe furrowed his brow. "If you don't like this, then why do you do it?" "Because... because I was stupid, and young. I needed to pay off what I owed to that dragon after it caught me stealing from his hoard. Look, all I want to do is go home. I want to see my family again, and I'll do anything, anything to make that happen." Iron looked at the fox and narrowed his eyes. "I find what you say difficult to believe. If you hate what you do so much, why don't you run and hide. Your kind is good at that." "Hey! If you were in my shoes, you'd do the same thing," Voltic argued. "Run and hide from a dragon? Know anyone that's done that and lived?" "No..." "Exactly." Iron looked away from Voltic. "It is a known fact that foxes are conniving, cheating, slimy creatures who prey on the weak. It's no wonder that you work these jobs. You excel at it. How can we trust you?" Voltic stuck out his bottom jaw. "You rhinos are stubborn! Worse than mules. I'm trying to help you! Who cares if you believe me or not. Sometimes you got to put aside your honor and all that nonsense and do what's right. This is one of those cases." "Wise words, especially coming from a fox." Iron shook his head in disgust. Voltic growled. "If any of you have any shred of intelligence, then you'll know that I'm being honest here. I've got nothing to gain from lying to you. Look, zebra, think about it. If you're willing then I'll stick my neck out for you a little. Okay?" There was a slight pause before the zebra nodded. "Thank you. At least one of you has sense." Both the giraffe and the rhino exchanged glances with one another, but neither said a word. This was not lost of Zecora, but she decided to keep silent about it. "Let me get this straight. You want to chase the Eleonora? The Eleonora Nevus." The captain looked at the strange looking creature in front of him carefully. Why would he come to him with this? Or the better question would be: how? How did he know to come to him to ask for this? Whoever he was, he looked and dressed like a camel. Something was not right. Something felt off, very off. Perhaps it was because that over the past few days the slavers and namely the Watu Wakali themselves had been going around searching for a someone. They never let on who or what he or she was, but it was clear that everyone was on edge. The rumor was that twenty dead Watu were found. Then again, he also heard that it was as high as fifty, so who really knew? Certainly not a camel. They rarely involved themselves in these kinds of things. And most were rich. The only reason why this conversation had not yet ended was because of that. Camels usually had a lot of money and it was said that the sands of their homeland was actually gold powder. It certainly did look like gold powder when you saw it at a distance, especially from an airship. "That is correct," The camel replied. He wore a veil that covered his face. The accent did not sound like a camel's. It sounded more like a pony from central Equestria. At the thought of the kingdom, he recalled the story of how his grandparents had been exiled for some heinous crime. They never revealed what that crime was and even his own parents didn't seem to know. Of course it was always a taboo topic that they all avoided while he grew up, not that they were close as a family anyway. Life was hard for those who had to eke out a living outside Equestria, especially for Exilites, the common term given to those born to exiled parents. Each generation of their family had done what they needed to do to survive. This led to many of his own family distancing themselves from one another. He hadn't seen his brother or sister in well over fifteen years. True, they had the chance of maybe going to Equestria and becoming subjects of that nation, but none of them really pursued it. Especially not him. Years after their death, the captain learned that his grandparents had stolen from a charity. The offense would not have been so bad, but later that same year a strange disease had infected many and funds were needed to purchase supplies and medication. The charity they had robbed did not have enough and due to this there were delays that cost lives. Many unicorns had died during this time as several ponies perished due to their greed. Banishment, therefore, seemed a fit sentence as although they were not directly involved in the deaths, they had inadvertently contributed to it. Why was he thinking about this now? Patting the table with his hoof, he contemplated quickly whether or not to accept the offer. He needed more information. He needed better insights. He needed to know who this was he was talking to. "Well, that's a very strange request coming from a... camel?" "Who I am is of no concern to you." The bluntness of the statement caught him off guard. "W-well, I'm not in the habit of taking random strangers on my ship no matter who they are-" "Will you take me for the sum of five hundred bits?" Once again the bluntness of the offer had completely gone over him. Whoever this camel was, he was certainly really bad at negotiating prices. Or he did not care. The difference being that one was just an idiot, the other could be someone very dangerous. Someone capable of killing fifty Watu. Or was it twenty? "Five hundred Equestrian bits, eh?" the captain asked leaning forwards in his chair. "Correct. Half now, the other when we catch the ship." "I don't know..." "The longer I sit here, the further away she gets. If you are not interested..." "No, no!" The captain wanted to smack his face. He had given away his desperation. Leaning back in his chair and picked up the mug of wheat beer in front of him. It was awful, tasted like sin, and had no redeeming qualities about it. Still, it was all he and his crew could afford. He longed for the days when he could waltz into a tavern and buy good beer, or even imported cider from Equestria. Amazing stuff they had. Suddenly this stranger comes in and produces an offer that he just cannot find any reason to refuse. The same amount it would take him to match this one job would take an entire month. All he had to do was chase down the Eleonora Nevus. The heaviest armed ship that wasn't a warship with an army of extremely dangerous creatures that guarded it with their lives almost as fanatically as a Griffon Kämpfer. Or an Equestrian Guard. He put the mug down on the table slowly, deliberately buying a few precious seconds of time to think things through. He paused for a moment and sucked air between his teeth. He stole a glance at where the camel's eyes would have been trying to read his face, but it was hidden behind the veil. The eyes behind thick, dark shades. The captain thought about stealing from this camel, but something told him not to tempt fate by making any sudden movements, especially for his hoofheld crossbow. A quick mini-bolt through the heart at this distance was tempting. He kept the weapon in a holster around his waist near the right rear leg. It was loaded at all times and hidden under his long overcoat. The concealed weapon had saved his flank numerous times, but right now he felt that any gesture of violence would have been his last. Placing his trust on instinct was something he had learned over the years, usually the hard way. Never doubt what your guts tells you, he had always tried to go by. Then something like this happens. Something that makes him go against what his gut was telling him. He wanted to say no. He wanted to walk away. But the beer he was holding and the life he had been degraded to was not something he wanted to keep. He wanted the money -- no, he needed it. Things had gotten increasingly tough lately, especially now that the slave markets were doing so well. Laborers had been replaced by slaves with everything from inns to farms to even guards. As a result shipping had decreased drastically as most merchants preferred to use the slave ships instead. It was not that the merchants necessarily agreed or disagreed with slaves, but it was hard to beat the costs when it came to moving a large amounts of merchandise. That was what slaves were anyway and when there was extra space in the slaver's holds, the merchants would rush to grab it for their goods. As a result, his services were only used by the wealthiest merchants who had no other choice, or were actively against slavery and sought out alternative means. Those, despite their noble intent, usually did not last for very long. Worst of all, if things continued this way they would have to change their profession. Again. The captain stole a glance over to the bar where some of his oldest crew sat laughing and joking with one another. They were a good lot and were trustworthy. To him, at least. They were scum and were part of the lowest part of society, but these reprobates were practically the closest real thing to a family he knew. Not even his parents cared for him the way that those thugs did. He sailed with them for years, forging a deep bonds with one another. They had done a great many things. Some good, mostly bad -- but with good intentions. "I don't trust you," the captain began slowly, "but you know that already." The camel remained silence. "I know that I'll probably regret this, but all right. You have a deal. It's hard to ignore the amount you're offering." The camel did not give away any emotion. "Trust is earned, not given." "Aye. Good words." "We leave as soon as you can, captain. I'll be in your chambers on your ship." "Wait! Let me have one of my crew show you to the-" "No need. I know which one. The fastest ship in town." The captain raised an eyebrow. He had certainly used that as a selling point for many a negotiation. Was this how he had found him? "Not just this shipyard, sir, but most shipyards in the known world. I stake my life on it." "As you say, captain. I hear that the Lipizzan is a beautiful ship." He froze at those words. "W-what did you say?" All he got in return was silence. How did this camel know the original name of his ship? A name that was infamous. A name that he had painted over many years ago when he had 'retired' from his previous profession. "H-how do you know that name?" "I'll be seeing you. Oh, and captain." "Aye?" the captain replied and licked his lips. "Time is of the essence." "Aye. We leave before dawn." He had changed his name, changed his ship's name and left the past behind. Who was this camel? How had he found out? All he wanted was a new start at life. Not after that fateful day, but he didn't want to think about that. It had always been a dream of his to settle down one day, maybe have a couple foals of his own. Living a life of honesty, perhaps away from the skies and the seas. The dream was slowly slipping away. Perhaps he wasn't ready for that kind of life, or perhaps that kind of life wasn't really what he had wanted. Five hundred bits to chase the Eleonora. The Eleonora. Did this camel understand the risk involved? Five. Hundred. Bits. Equestrian bits. The captain gulped. That was a lot of money. "Oh, and captain?" the camel said. "Yessir?" "Take only your most trusted crew." The captain narrowed his eyes. "You saying my crew's not to be trusted?" "Think. You figure it out." The captain narrowed his eyes. "I am pleased that we are able to do business, sir, but as to how I run my ship, only I get to decide what is or isn't needed." "I do not take kindly to betrayal." The silence that lingered spoke volumes. What did the camel mean? Figure what out? How he had found him? That had to be it. A loyal crew would not have talked about the past. A loyal crew would not have given away their captain's location. Everything fell together. How he knew the ship, where to find them, what to ask, and the amount he had that they were unable to refuse. Someone had blabbed. Someone had talked a little too much. "Aye. Neither do I." With that the camel left the bar. It was as if a great weight had been taken off his chest, and he found himself panting for breath. He quickly took a long sip from his mug and drank as much as he could without gagging. He felt a presence approaching him from behind. Instinctively her put his hoof on his hoofheld crossbow. "It's okay, cap'n. Just me." The captain turned to look at the bright blue earth stallion. It was strange how he had come to join his crew. It was many years ago that this blue stallion was part of a large exodus of ponies that had left Equestria. He was but a foal at the time and his parents were part of some crazy group tired of living under the princess' 'tyranny' and had tried to strike it out beyond the borders of their kingdom. They were ill prepared for what was out there. He was a young captain back then, just finished purchasing his vessel and hiring a small crew. He was doing a delivery when he had spotted a long plume of smoke in the distance. Sadly, smoke usually meant profit. Sad because it was mostly at the fatal expense of others. Still, he could not allow an opportunity like this go by. Two days later he came across the smouldering ruins of an Equestrian village beneath him. He wasn't the only one and he could already see several other airships weighing anchor, and salvage crews running about taking, breaking, stealing what they could. Out here it was every pony, griffon, dragon, camel, cow, whatever for themselves. Mercy was something you could not afford to have nor give. Some survivors were trying to make the most of what was left. Some sought to buy passage onto the ships, others already were making for the Equestrian border. Anything of value was taken, be it food, water, jewels or gold. The town had most probably been attacked by bandits. Too many dead for it to have been slavers. That may have been a good thing. It was on the third day when he had chanced upon the bright blue colt laughing out loud to himself. That captain was standing at the side of a road while some of his crew were inside a badly damaged home looking for valuables inside. The laughter grew louder as the pony in question came closer, behind him was a wagon. He laughed so hard that the captain half expected a cart full of precious gems, or maybe even gold. He peeked into the cart and jumped back in horror. The colt was pulling a cartload of bodies. And he laughed as if he had not a care in the world. The captain followed. Through the town the colt marched, picking up bodies as if they were asleep and carefully placed them onto his blood-soaked cart. Strong didn't even begin to describe this colt. Eventually he made his way out of the town and towards a large hill littered with little mounds. Graves. At least a hundred of them. Seeing this the captain and his crew made kept away from the strange blue pony. Days went by and they kept running into the colt. All he did was carry more bodies, dig more graves, bury the bodies, and go looking for some more. A week had gone by since the captain had arrived. The town had been reduced to nothing. A few burnt out shells of homes, and some debris lay scattered around. Everything else was gone. Everything from the iron faucets, pipes and nails to the shingles and tiles on the roofs, which were useful to patching up scratches on the side of a ship. Even wooden beams were not spared and entire houses that were not burnt down were demolished, their lumber greedily taken. It was that very evening that very day that the captain had given the order to his crew to wrap things up. They were done salvaging what they could. Strangely, the familiar sound of the colt's laughter echoed through the deathly silent remains and they spotted him carrying a huge heap of flowers on his cart. Again they all followed and watched as this lone colt painstakingly placed a flower on each mound. Unable to stand it anymore, the crew put down what they were carrying and proceeded to help the boy. It was the dead of night that they finally stopped. All but three graves remained unmarked, and he took a large bouquet to the top of the hill where they rested. The captain carefully walked to the colt and placed a bottle of water on the ground next to him. Nopony had said a word throughout the entire ordeal, neither did the young colt take his eyes off the graves. Eventually the colt took the bottle, lifted it to his lips, and took a long drink. Gently he placed it back down where he had picked it up and turned around to look at the captain, who only gave a single, barely perceptible nod. Only after that did the colt stop his laughing. Laughter turned to tears, and all the colt kept saying was: "I'm so silly! I'm so silly!" over and over again. His cutie mark? A spade made of bones. Since he had forgotten his name, or refused to reveal what it was, the crew took to calling him Silly. Silly Bones. It seemed appropriate. Friendly and kind -- until he got mad. Then he turned into a whole different pony. He still had that smiling, happy face, but behind those eyes was nothing but a savage ferocity that struck fear into those unlucky enough to be on the receiving end. No sane pony would possess eyes like that. The captain trusted Bones with his life, but he didn't trust the lives of others from Bones. Perfect because he didn't trust the camel at all, and if anypony could deal with someone like him, it was Bones. "Who was that?" "A customer," the captain replied neutrally, this was not the place to talk about what had just transpired. "Him? No idea. Best get the crew together. We're going on a chase." "Chase? Ooh, that does sound like fun. Wait... what do you mean by chase? I thought we quit that line of work." The captain smiled. Bones didn't sound upset from hearing this. "One last time. Get the real crew. We're setting out on the Lipizzan," He whispered the last part quietly. The smile slowly grew across his face. "The Lipizzan? So, she gets to fly under her real name again, eh?" "One last time," the captain repeated. "Aye, aye, sir," Bones replied, saluted badly, turned and walked out of the bar with an extra skip to his step. Bone's laughter made his blood turn to ice, and that smile... he could never get used to that smile.