//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 
// Story: Whatever Happened to Princess Sparkle? 
// by Algorhythm 
//------------------------------//


-7-




There was a distinct difference between private and public airships. Public airships were docked beside normal transport ships on the river. In Equestria, they had a whole separate place for them to come in and land, as to not disturb traditional shipping vessels. However, in France, it was clear that they had more grand views on those of private ships. Instead of floating to the river docks like normal practice, the ship slowly glided towards a massive tower, with huge nets suspended by steel and polished stone. As Quicksilver leaned over the banister she could see that it would hold the ship in between, like a drawer in a cabinet.
Just as expected, the ship's approach was rather quick. After the first morning of their trip, the unicorns that worked on the ship placed up an invisible magical barrier, so that the deck hooves and passengers, wouldn't get blown off the ship after increasing to top speed. What she didn't know about, was the sail they used to slow down the ship.
When it rose out of the deck, she turned around and looked at it, shocked. It was facing backwards, and as soon as it unfurled, the pegasi working as deck hooves flapped their wings to produce a counter current.
The airship slowed to a grind as it passed over the city. The background noise of the city began to filter in through the shield as the spell finally wore off. She didn't see the unicorns in charge of that aspect, so she assumed they were exhausted from the one spell.
"Ah, Paris! The culture! The glamour!"
Golden Thread trotted excitedly onto the deck. She peered over one side, made a noise not unlike an excited schoolfilly, and ran to the other side to do it again. Willowisp staggered onto the ship behind her, looking a little worse for wear.
Quicksilver winced. Willowisp, who was on a batpony's sleeping schedule, was a bit messed up from the time differences. She was so used to sleeping during the day, that waking up in the morning was a foreign and unpleasant experience. It didn't help that she tried to adjust her sleeping schedule while en route, to match her new companions. If she had to guess, Willowisp might collapse some time in the afternoon, but she wouldn't put money on it.
"You look... tired," Quicksilver said as politely as she could manage.
"I look like Cerberus."
"Feeling particularly canine this morning?"
Willowisp rolled her eyes and gave a frown. She walked past and grumbled to herself. Quicksilver barely managed to make out her saying, ‘woof’ under her breath.
"Isn't this just fabulous?" Gold cried. She skipped over to the front of the ship and leaned over the front. "We have to make sure we see all the sights while we're here. The Neighffel Tower, The Hoovre–"
Quicksilver quickly cut her off. "We have a job to do, Miss Thread–"
"Call me Gold or Golden," she shot back in a matter-of-fact tone. She smiled and waved her hoof in the air. "I'm not employing you. We're friends."
Quicksilver refrained from cringing, but she still shifted a little uncomfortably. Friends? No, for several reasons. First, she had already triggered Willowisp's claustrophobia and had spilled last nights dinner all over Gold. Second, there was also her lack of obvious wit keeping up with Willowisp. The batpony seemed to be strides ahead of her when it came to jokes. Even Golden had caught on to most of them. Maybe they were inside jokes? She knew nothing of their relationship beforehoof, so she left it alone. Either way, there was no way Golden Thread was serious about that.
The speech barely registered with Willowisp. "Gold. We have a job to do."
Quicksilver piped up, "I agree. If this is as dire as Princess Luna says it is, then we need to find her as quickly as possible."
"But while we're here we can at least dine in style," Gold huffed and strolled beside the banister. "My friend, Tiramisu, is an executive chef with a passing interest in fashion. I met her at the Canterlot fashion show a few years ago and we hit it off rather well."
"Prepare for Port!"
The three ponies looked back at the captain of the ship. He was carefully moving the wheel slightly to the right to bring them in line.
"Slide us a few feet, colts!"
The pegasi on deck flapped their wings in unison, sliding the ship sideways.
"Easy, now!" he called out. The ship caught hold of the polished holster and slid into place with a soft bump against the end of the landing. The captain called out, "Port!"
A specially designed wooden staircase was rolled over the front tip of the boat, and one of the dock workers climbed aboard to secure it in place.
"Perhaps we should go get our things," Gold said.
Quicksilver blushed. Why had she forgotten to repack her bag?

--*--

It was almost an hour before they were let off of the ship and onto the landing of the tower. Their hooves clicked against the wood and steel floor. It was designed less for luxury – more apparently, it was almost like a train station.
Gold knew that this was far better than the docks. On the small support walls for the dome overhead, the steel was shaped by hoof and claw into intricate patterns, curling in on themselves as they wound an ivy path to the ceiling. That too was designed for the elite, with its stained glass ceilings depicting a map of the opposing coastlines. Various figures of ships seemed to dance along the surface with magic.
As she stopped exploring the station with her eyes, she noticed a griffon dressed in a fine black and navy uniform walking towards them. It was quite fitting for a greeter – of which she assumed he was. Another check of her surrounding confirmed that it was the dress code for the tower. He stopped before them and bowed, tipping his hat in respect.
"Bienvennue á Paris, madamoiselles," he said eloquently.
Golden and the others bowed or nodded in kind, but Cream Pop sprinted past them like a tornado, leaping into the waiting arms of a tan coated griffon, with a ring of yellow feathers around his neck.
"Tonton!" she called out as she squeezed him tightly.
"Ma pétit bon-bon! Comment ça va?"
She smiled. Uncle? she mused. It seemed the young chef had some very interesting things in her saddlebags. The reunification of family was heartwarming, but it was not her place to gawk at them like it was unheard of or shameful. Unfortunately it seemed that her two new compatriots didn't know any better. They stared at the exchange of hugs and kisses with confused looks on their faces.
She cleared her throat rather loudly. "Girls? Give them some privacy?"
Quicksilver looked away quickly, a slight blush on her face. At least she had enough sense to understand being polite. Willowisp, on the other hoof, continued to watch them with great curiosity. Gold cleared her throat again, a little louder than before.
Willowisp turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Gold rolled her eyes. "It is impolite to stare. She's greeting family, nothing more."
"Wait, what?" Willowisp's face turned suspicious. "Family?"
"Figuratively speaking, yes." One look at the batpony's face made it clear that she didn't understand. Gold pursed her lips and shifted them to the side. "How best to explain... Did your family ever friend that was introduced to you as an Aunt or Uncle?"
Willowisp shook her head. Quicksilver tapped Gold on the shoulder. She spoke in a hushed tone. "Can this wait? Our group is leaving us behind. We still have to act like we're part of the delegation."
Gold glanced over at the center of the landing. Four steel pillars jutted out of the ground, containing a little glass box. It seemed to be suspended by ropes and cables and wheeled up and down in a frame.
She shuddered. Lifts weren't uncommon in the cities, but most looked more sturdy than a glass box. Watching the delegation walking towards it with a previously unnoticed guide made her shiver.
"Yes," she said, drawing out the word like a warm taffy. Her hesitation was clear, but as expected, neither pony picked up on her trepidation. "I suppose it can wait. We can continue once we're safely on the ground."
Gold followed her companions the short distance at a rather brisk pace, just slipping into the lift with the rest of the royal staff before the door was closed. She nearly jumped as the box began to move downwards into the floor. But it was when they emerged that she really had a problem.
The lift gave a perfect view of the whole city – the glass windowed parts of the tower allowed them to see through the lift out into the bustling streets and main thoroughfare. While the floor wasn't also see through, the harnesses for the cords and pulleys became thin and sleek pieces of steel, preventing obstruction of the view as best as possible. It also made it appear as though the lift was being moved by magic, when there was no such guarantee.
That is precisely why drops of sweat were beginning to form on her brow. Gold was not comfortable with machines like this – without magic – and normally, she took the stairs. She couldn't fathom how uncomfortable it was making Willowisp. Her companion had on a brave face, but she could tell that the batpony mare was losing her patience with small spaces like on the boat.
In fact, when the elevator passed through the ceiling of the enclosed space under the tower, Gold was curious why she hadn't cracked under the heel of her slight fear of lifts. The imminent feeling of falling and crashing to her death didn't seem to–
Her breaths became strained and she could feel panic welling up in her. No, no, she thought angrily. You've had all this time to start panicking, don't you dare go there. You're a royal dignitary for Celestia's sake, act like one!
"Mademoiselle?"
Gold whipped her head over to the right, locking eyes with a now empty car, save for their guide. She flushed in embarrassment and cantered out of the elevator. "Excuse moi, monsieur," she apologized.
He waved her off to signal that he understood. Her companions were far less discrete.
Willowisp smirked. "Afraid of little glass boxes?"
Gold's features soured. It was as if Willowisp was smiling from the top of each fuzzy tipped ear. Normally, she'd let it go, but she decided a small passing shot would be better. "As a matter of fact, I'm not afraid of glass boxes. I have several on my night stand for my jewelry, a few in my work room, and perhaps another in the bathroom for the soap."
The intended effect was immediate. Willowisp 'lost interest' in poking fun of her, and returned her focus to following the ponies in front of her.
Perhaps two stories high, the domed ceiling was fitted with huge windows, letting tons of natural light pour in. Ponies and griffons alike moved in huge crowds in all directions. Some smaller permanent booths seemed to have lines spinning out of the confused mess of citizens and travelers. Along the walls were large crystal panels, displaying arrival and departure times for different airships. A few looked like they needed their magic refreshed, but otherwise the atmosphere of luxury stayed intact.
"Gold?" Quicksilver's voice carried over the crowd around her. She turned away from the beauty of the station and focused on the booth in front of her. Quicksilver pointed at the booth. "You're next."
She stepped forward and dug around in her bag. She produced a small wooden tablet, with an inlaid piece of paper – her passport – and placed it on the counter. The stallion behind the counter dipped a small wooden stick into a pool of hot wax, before pressing it against the bottom of the page. "Welcome to Paris, Mizz Thread," he said in rather poor Equestrian. "I 'ope you enjoy your stay."
Gold scooped up her passport and stuck it back into her bag. As she walked over to stand by Quicksilver, she felt like she was being watched for the first time since they arrived. That was obviously nonsense – the hunted never watch the hunters before they know they're being hunted.
Quicksilver tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey Gold? I was just wondering–"
Gold gave a nod, but she had completely zoned out of the conversation. The feeling of being watched was getting worse. Her eyes flicked around the room, trying to find something, some lead or connection to follow. But as soon as it had come, the feeling stopped.
"–right? I mean, this isn't your first time abroad, is it Gold?"
Gold was now painfully aware that she had been ignoring a rather concerned looking Quicksilver. She winced. "Sorry, what was the matter?'
"My passport – I'm not wearing the same mane cut as when I took the picture. I don't think it matters, does it? Like if we go to leave and then they think I'm not who my passport says it is?"
Gold looked at her with some trepidation. She humored Quicksilver and took hold of her passport with her magic. It looked almost identical to the frantic mare. "I don't see a difference. I'm sure it will be fine."
"But–"
Willowisp cut her off, as she rejoined the two mares. "The tour group is ready to bring us to the parliament building. They have a car waiting outside." As they turned to rejoin the group, Willowisp asked, "Why are we taking a train?"