“There’s a nice breeze today.”
The wind rolls through the lush green hills of the valley while the blades of grass dances accordingly to the ever changing gust. Though faint, there is a nip of salt in the air despite being roughly five miles from the sea; not to mention the massive mountain range that acts as a wall between this valley and the vast ocean that lies beyond. That’s one thing that I love about this place, I can always sense the sea. The dirt road that runs through here was always a peaceful walk between towns. This valley is considered to be wild lands, parts of the country that are not inhabited by civilization; lands that are said to be dangerous and un-relenting. I never felt that way about this place though. It always seemed to be a quiet little area where nothing bad could happen, however there was a big land mark in this valley that suggests otherwise.
What rest at the bottom of this hill is a reminder of that fact. Strung out across the valley floor were the skeletal remains of a rigid airship. The steel frame of its envelope crumpled in on itself, rusted and scorched from the battle it endured. The main hull was split apart and separated from the frame, but the signs were visible that it use to connect to the envelope as a whole. I suppose the most intimidating thing about the airship wasn’t the state it was in or how many guns it had, but more so the sheer size of it all. I estimated its envelope was at least two-hundred meters in length, though I also have never been up close to the thing to get a personal feel for it.
I’ll see them every now and then as they patrol the skies. I tend to spot them off the coastline near my home town; it’s like watching a whale sore through the sky. And they’re not just warships either. They serve as a symbol of protection and security for our nation. I also heard that they are state-of-the-art with some of the best weapons and technology in the world, so to see one lying there in defeat is a bit unsettling. Though disturbing as it is, I can always seem to find peace here. Sure it’s a tourist spot in a way and draws the occasional traveler but it’s tranquil. I often find myself spending hours on end just daydreaming at this spot whenever I feel down or in the dumps. Unfortunately that’s been the case for quite some time now and it only feels like my situation getting worse. But for some reason I can always stop by this place and just relax on the cool grass and stare up at the clouds as they roll on by.
“You come here often?”
Breaking the ambience of the wind was this unfamiliar voice calling out in the distance. A smooth yet loud voice, it was defiantly a female by the sound of things. However I paid it no attention and went back to resting my eyes and soaking up the rays of the sun.
“I’m guessing you like airships, huh? I see you hanging out here quite a lot.”
“Ahh!” being the only remark I could make after opening my eyes to seeing a stranger’s face hovering above my own. Springing backwards in a panic, I almost ended up rolling down the hill. Giving my heart a moment to slow down and to catch my breath, I began to get a good look at my startler. She was a unicorn with a bright yellow coat and a beautiful rainbow mane, the colors blended together almost seamlessly. Equally as beautiful were her eyes which manifested a brilliant sapphire blue.
“I hope I didn’t scare you too badly. I was just curious as to why you hang out here all the time. You’re always staring at that airship so I figured you find them interesting or something.” She had a soothing yet slightly energetic tone to her voice. Her face glowed with a pleasing smile as she turned her gaze towards the rusty remains of the colossal aircraft.
“I guess I do find it interesting to some degree, I know it went down about four years ago and I recall hearing the cannons firing the night it sunk but other than that I don’t know too much about it. However I always feel safe around it. Something about it is just calming,” I explained in hopes of satisfying her curiosity.Turning my sights upon the airship I began to wonder for myself as to why I felt so safe near it.
“Sir Dante.”
“What?” I asked, puzzled by her random response. “Wait, are you saying that your name is Sir Dante?”
She looked back at me just as puzzled but then a smile just ran across her face. “Oh no, the ship, the ship is called the Sir Dante. It was a knight-class battleship, thirty-eight confirmed ships sunk and over eighteen kill assists. With over ten years of active service, it was a pretty well-known ship in the Imperial Air Force.”
Needless to say, she knew more about the airship than me, but to also know its records was a bit more than I expected.
“This ship protected this valley from what would have been a catastrophic ambush. In that case maybe you feel calm around this ship because you see it sort of as a guardian. It makes you feel safe, secure to just be around it.” There was sincerity in her voice and she was actually making sense. Maybe I did feel this way. Looking back I was always drawn to this spot for reasons unbeknownst to me. But it got me wondering as to what was up with this pony in particular. She was odd to put it nicely but I feel like there’s something more to her than meets the eye.
“So I guess you feel the same way then, about the airship I mean. You seem to know a lot about it,” I inquired since she was the one who started this whole conversation and I was curious to get to her story.
She chuckled a bit as she just sat there letting the breeze blow by her face all the while her mane fluttered in the wind. “Yeah I guess you could say I feel that way from time to time. Whenever I feel sad or depressed I’ll just gaze at it and for some reason I’ll feel a tad bit better than before.”
Yeah she was definitely an odd one, though am I really all that different. I mean I’m out here today to escape my own sorrows, and it’s not that I’m scared of anything or that I feel that I’m in need of protection; but I’m here none the less. Uh, maybe I’m just over thinking everything, I tend to do that.
“Do you live nearby?” The yellow unicorn asked as she continued to gaze upon wreckage.
“I live in the town just south of here, Chesternut to be exact.”
“Oh you mean that little village on the bluffs near the eastern sea. Has kind of a thatched roof and cobblestone architecture going on right?” She responded, almost intrigued for reasons unknown to me.
“Um, yeah, that’s the one,” I answered, hoping she wasn’t about to ask which bungalow was mine. She seems nice and all but I don’t know anything about her, for all I know she could be some psychopath who likes to set thatched roof cottages on fire. Maybe she’s just lonely and wants a friend. I don’t know; she doesn’t strike me as the violent type.
“Well I didn’t mean to bother you; I was just curious as to why you like this place so I thought I’d ask. Anyway I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. I enjoyed talking with you,” she said as she got up and started to make her way back to the top of the hill.
“Oh no problem,” I responded back just to be courteous. Awkward as it was at first, it was nice to actually chat with somepony else for a change. Turning my gaze back towards the clouds, I noticed that there was now a slight tone of pink to them as the sky grew more turquoise. “Is it reaching that time already?” I sighed as I pulled myself up off the ground. I gave my body a good shaking to knock lose any dirt that might have gotten on me and whipped my tail once in case there were any pieces of grass that might have been attached.
As I got back on the path and started to head home, I turned to check and see if that strange unicorn was still there. She wasn’t, but I figured that she’s probably right in front of me and when I turn my head she’ll be two inches from my face. “Ahh!” I turned back around and to my surprise… she wasn’t there. If anypony else were around to see this then I would have felt like a total idiot. Not wanting to be stuck out here during nightfall I decided to hurry back to town as quickly as possible.
I knew I was getting close now as the sound of the surf could be heard clashing against the rock faces below. The ocean stretched on for miles over the horizon, seemingly endless. The sky was a deep orange as I neared the town walls. I scanned the skies around to see if I could spot a military airship on patrol; I didn’t see any.
“Just in time!” I exclaimed enthusiastically as I brought myself closer to the ground, my wings kicking up the dirt below me as I was touching down. I dusted myself off as I retracted my wings inward and headed in through the main gate. The sky was almost as orange as my coat, almost; though technically I guess it would be a light shade of maple. My mane and tail were a mix of orange, red, and yellow though I do have this light blue streak that runs through it.
As I walked through the plaza I could smell the sweet aroma of hot soup, baked bread, and honeyed mead that leaked forth from the tavern. The atmosphere was filled with the sounds of strings, dancing, and everypony generally having a good time. The street lanterns emitted a dim light as they awaited the arrival of the moon. After the strolling through the market place I eventually made it to the outer district which consisted of small cobblestone walls that lined the road. The houses ranged in size but they weren’t too big, though a lot of them tended to have small vegetable gardens or the occasional workshop. Living on the far eastern road was pleasant. It was quiet and there is a lovely view of the ocean stretching beyond the edge of the cliffs.
“Ah finally, home sweet home,” I said to myself as I headed in through the gate of my front yard.
“Hey Autumn, how was work today?” A voice yelled out from across the street. It was just my neighbor, Mr. Clover. He was very friendly and is always there for me when I needed somepony to turn to.
“It was work, nothing more than that,” I responded with a smile. “Same old same old, ya know.”
“Hehe, yeah I know just what you mean. I’m guessing you’re done with classes at the academy now huh, been seeing you around town much more lately,” he yelled back just as enthusiastic as ever.
“Yep, all done for the semester. Still can’t decide if I really want to be a weather pegasus or not though. I’m just not sure what I really want to do in life.”
He just laughed away, “Ah don’t you worry, you’re still young so there’s plenty of time left for you to decide. You’re a smart, beautiful, young mare with endless possibilities. You’ll find something you like and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
I just smiled and agreed. “Well I guess I’ll head on inside now and start on dinner, I’ll talk to you later, Mr. Clover.”
“You take care of yourself now yer hear,” he said as he waved bye.
Opening the door to my house I took a quick look around just to get an idea of what I needed to work on first. Well I can’t really cook anything without a fire so I guess that will take priority. Walking up to the fireplace a sat down on the cold stone floor, clasped my hooves together and pointed them at the slightly charred wood.
“Fire… I said FIRE!” Uh I guess I’ll need to get the matches. Someday I’m going to learn how to cast a fire spell; one doesn’t need to be a unicorn to use elemental magic. Apparently all pony species have the ability to use magic of some sort. Earth ponies tend to do well with plants and other forms of life magic, pegasi a gifted in elementals like lighting and water. As for unicorns any kind of magic is fair game.
I grabbed the box of matches and lit the fire, though I still want to learn how to actually conjure a flame magically. “I wonder if I that unicorn I met today could teach me how,” I told myself jokingly. Anyway, work again tomorrow so I guess it will be another quick dinner and strait to bed again tonight.
Lying in my bed, I stretched under the sheets in an attempt to try and wake up. The warm fleece blankets make it hard to get up in the morning. As sunlight filled my one room cottage I could hear the gull cries and the ocean waves beating against the cliffs.
“Wait, the ocean? OH NO! The high tides; shit I’m late for work!”
Leaping out from under the sheets I galloped around the room, grabbing my saddle bag and rushed out the door.
“Good Morning Autumn, slept in again I see,” Mr. Clover shouted out chuckling.
“Yes sir, sorry no time to chat,” I yelled back as I stumbled while trying to get out the front door. As fast as my wings would let me, I took to the air and nearly hit a tree as I attempted to gain altitude.
Mr. Clover just watched smirking all the while. “That girl is a mess at times, but she’s a good kid.”
“Are you going to get off your plot and actually get some yard work done today or not?” Mr. Clover's wife called out to her husband.
“I’m gettin the paper, woman; that is work in my book!” Mr. Clover replied in joking tone.
Flying over the residential district I set my eyes upon the central plaza in town, a large, circular bazaar with a fountain in the middle. As I passed over the market district I banked hard right and threw myself into a spiraling free fall. Letting gravity take over I could feel the wind rushing past my back as I made my vertical decent backwards. Having done this before, I rolled over and spread my wings out as fast as I could. There was a loud gust as the air rushed against the cobblestone. I gave my wings a few good flaps, touching down smoothly.
There was a fair amount of ponies in the town square, and all eyes were on me. Most were either looking at me like I was crazy, or they thought I was just being a show off. Not sparing another moment I dashed over to the grocery store, busting in through the door.
“Autumn Bliss! You should have been here thirty minutes ago,” my boss said in a not so cheerful tone. I never could stand this guy; he was very demanding and short tempered. He was like this to all of his employees.
“Sorry sir, I accidentally over slept.”
“I don’t care what your reasoning is. Hurry up and get in here, vegetables aren’t going to sell themselves you know,” the bastard replied.
“Yes sir, right on it.”
Time really seems to slow down to a crawl when I’m here. It’s the same routine every day I work; hose down the produce, clean the area, and help the customers. The problem is that most of this can be done within an hour, so apart from the occasional shopper there isn’t much to do. We’re not allowed to wait around and do nothing so keeping busy is a chore all on its own. Of course it means that I feel so much better when I end my shift.
After work I headed for the main gate at the northern edge of town. “I guess I’ll head back to the airship since I have nothing else to do.” Trotting down the road I just took in the surroundings, to the east was the ocean and the rest of the landscape to the north and the west was lush green fields and hills with the occasional patch of trees and shrubs. The road was now starting to turn westward since the next couple of miles north will hit the ocean as well. And there it was, the airship laid right beyond this next hill.
Reaching my favorite spot on the hill I dropped my saddle bag, flopped on the ground and shut my eyes. “Ah, this feels nice, I think I might just take a nap,” speaking to myself.
Laying there I began to drift off, thinking back to my friends at the academy. One of them was an exchange student from Equestria, far to the east across the ocean. She was studying about the latest in weather machine engineering. Apparently in Equestria, pegasi have full control of the weather and are responsible for maintaining it. Here we more or less just alter its current state and that’s on a town to town bases, the weather is still wild all over this country despite the presence cities. My other two friends lived in different parts of the nation. If only I had friends who lived in Chesternut with me.
“Well hello again,” spoke a voice that sounded familiar.
“AHH!” I yelled, opening my eyes only to see the face of that same unicorn from yesterday.
“You really shouldn’t sneak up on a pony like that,” I replied hastily. “You do that to everyone you know?”
“I guess I do have a tendency of doing that,” she said wearing a smirk on her face. “So what brings you back to this memorial between the hills?”
“Same reason I was here yesterday, it’s peaceful here and I like that,” I told her since I had no other real reasons to be here.
She just looked at me for a moment before turning her gaze to the sky, her rainbow mane blowing in the wind. She closed her eyes, head pointed to the heavens while her face basked in the sunlight. “You’re right. It is very peaceful.”
I just watched her for a moment. There was something about her, something I couldn’t quite put my hoof on. Magical? And not just because she’s a unicorn but more so because she’s mysterious. Yet for some reason I feel like I can relate to her, like we both come here for the same thing.
“Spectra,” She said, tilting her head towards me. Her eyes were as blue as the water in the sea.
“What?” I ask to yet another random remark of hers.
“My name is Spectra, Spectra Serenity” she replied with a smile.
“Ah, well that name is much more suiting than Sir Dante,” I said with my feeble attempt at a joke. “Well, in that case; I am Autumn, Autumn Bliss.”
“Well then, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Spectra said with that warm yet firm voice of hers. She sounds older than me, but not by much.
“The pleasures all mine,” I responded. “So what’s your story? Why do you keep coming here?”
Spectra just lowered her head and smiled, “For many of the same reasons as you probably. It’s tranquil here; the atmosphere is soothing. However this ship holds sentimental value to me.”
“What would that be?” My curiosity now getting the better of me.
“I use to work aboard that airship, traveled all over the country. So many adventures, so many memories,” she said now turning her gaze towards me. “That, however, is a story for another time,” Spectra teased as she stood up and stretched. “It’s getting late, so I guess I’ll see you again soon. I really enjoyed talking with you; hopefully I’ll get the chance to tell about the ship someday.”
“Wait your leaving already? We just started talking. Don’t let my nap be interrupted in vein!”
She grinned as she continued leave. And just like last time she walked off. Uh, well I guess I’ll do the same thing then; the sun was beginning to set after all. Grabbing my saddle bag I headed back towards town before it got dark. I think I might make pumpkin stew tonight.
For the past week, every evening I would meet up with Spectra at the top of the hill by the airship wreckage. She still is quite mysterious, not revealing too much about her past or her feelings. However she did admit to being a soldier for the Ponytopian Imperial Air Force, so that kinda explains how she worked on the Sir Dante prior to its crash. As for what her position aboard it was, she still hasn’t told me. All though Spectra did tell about a dream she kept having for some time now; something to do with a strange amulet. Anyways I plan on meeting up with her again after I get off of work today.
“Autumn Bliss! You’re late again!” My boss shouted as I stepped into the grocery store.
“Sorry sir, my sundial broke and didn’t go off this morning. As a result I slept in for a few extra minutes, sir!”
“Your sundial? OH very funny, smart ass! You really know how to piss me off, you know that right?” His face was all up in my own, glaring at me with those bloodshot eyes of his.
“The feeling is mutual, Sir!”
“Eh, shut up and get to work. And don’t let me catch you slacking off, got it.” He was trying to remain somewhat calm but I could tell I was getting on his nerves.
Today’s shift felt longer than usual, but no matter, I’m done with work for the day. It was three o’clock and that meant it was time to go see Spectra. I trotted along the road and as I reached the site I could see Spectra waiting up on the hill.
“Hey Autumn, over here, I want to talk to you about something!” She yelled, waving at me in the distance.
“Yeah, what is it?” I asked as I approached her. She seemed different than how she normally was when I visit. She seemed more excited and hyped than her normal calm and smiling self.
“You remember about that strange dream I’ve been having lately; the one I told you about a couple of days ago, right?” She asked, wearing a grin on her face.
“Yeah, kinda; you said you keep having a dream about a magical amulet located in a familiar place. It was somewhere you felt like you’ve been but couldn’t remember, right?”
Spectra nodded. “I had that same dream again last night; and I remembered where I recognized that place.” She glanced back at the ship and smiled. “The place in my dream is actually my old cabin onboard the Sir Dante.”
“So you’re telling me your mysterious dream is about a necklace you left on the ship? Why is that so strange?” I asked, curious as to why this dream was so important to her.
“The part that’s strange is that I’ve never seen an amulet like it, and I certainly don’t recall owning it. But there it was in my dreams in a place I know all too well. And I’m aware that it’s probably nothing more than a dream. Though I still want to check it out for curiosity sake,” Spectra said as she turned to face the airship. “Plus I figured you never seen an airship up close so I thought I’d ask and see if you wanted to join me. If nothing else, it would a fun little adventure. So, what do you say?”
“Wait, are you serious? Won’t we get in trouble for going in that thing? Besides is it even safe?”
Spectra just laughed. “Only if we get caught; besides, it’s not like there’s any security. And we’re not going to vandalize it. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“But what about all the ponies that died on it? Wouldn’t it be disrespectful to just go wandering around the memorial site of a fallen vessel?”
Her smile started to retreat a bit, however she still maintained a pleasant grin. “Yes it would if anypony actually died. But I can assure you that nopony did. Sure there were some injuries but the entire crew made it out alive.”
I just looked at her, not knowing what to think about that response. “How can you be sure that there weren’t any casualties, that everypony made it off safe and sound?”
Spectra’s face now displayed a slightly more serious side. “I told you once that I worked aboard the Sir Dante. So is it so hard to believe that I was actually aboard it when it went down,” she replied. “In fact, I know because I was the last one to leave the ship after the crew had been evacuated. I was the one responsible to ensuring that nopony was left onboard.”
“Hmm, I don’t know. It’s not that I don’t believe you, but this still just doesn’t feel right. I mean even though it’s not flyable or anything, it still is military property.”
Spectra just grinned, so I figured she had some loop hole reasoning. “Think of it this way. That ship was purchased with tax payer’s bits, so in turn it’s partially your ship as well.” Yep, I hit the nail on the head with that one.
“I hardly believe that, but whatever. If we do get caught though, it’s entirely your fault,” I replied as I followed her down the hill. Spectra continued to laugh.
I’ve only known her for a little more than a week and I barely know anything about her. However the was one thing that stood out to me; Spectra, as mysterious as she was, she seemed very sincere; I felt like I could trust her enough to do this. Besides it does sound like a fun idea. Well I guess I’ll humor her for a while and see what this airship and this dream of hers is all about.