Two months before the Summer Sun.
Sahella was known to some as the birthplace of mortal civilization, for lost within the trackless depths of the desert was the weathered ruins of the city of the Bard. Once, it was said, the Bard had been so knowledgeable and prosperous that their tower scraped heaven. Whether by societal collapse or, as fable said, divine attack the city and tower of the Bard were felled. The modern Bard wandered the desert interior while their more sensible inheritors built their civilizations on the hospitable coast.
"Reminds me of Equestria's southern frontier. Lots of shrub and sand." Rainbow Dash said. The waterfront was braced by grassy dunes, and a few kilometers beyond that the land rose into formidable sandstone mountains around which flirty clouds coalesced, emphasizing the separation of the interior and coastal plains. "Remember dodge, Gilda? Neat little place. Out in the middle of nowhere like this."
But Dash needn't have concerned herself with far away places. Her duty lay with keeping an eye out for trouble nearby.
Anadolu was a small port village straddling the coastal dunes, insignificant to the point that only the most detailed maps of the region noted it at all. It had a dock that stuck out into the bay like a finger, where a single ship was tied: The sleek Flier Kyte, Magistrate Mare's command, had stopped at Anadolu for buisness.
“Gods alive, I’m hungry.” Gilda gasped. “Magistrate Are you sure I can’t pop down to the kitchen for a bite.”
“Yes, I'm sure.” Magistrate Mare said. “Be a good girl and be patient.”
“I've never stuck with a job where I felt abused by the boss. Makes for a bad work environment." Gilda ribbed good-naturedly. "Come on, I'll bring you up a snack too."
"You sure are mouthy for a griffin." Mare said.
She stood with her two accompanying guards on the forecastle, fanning herself with a little fan. The ship's crew was lounging in whatever shade they could find.
"If you didn't talk so much, perhaps you wouldn't be so hungry."
"Sweating under this Sahellan sun is much more draining than any talking." Gilda retorted. "Could we wait for the VIP we're picking up somewhere cooler? In your cabin, hmm?"
"Mis Gilda, shut it. That's an order." Mare said. The heat was irritating her.
The warm waters of Beak Bay sea lapped playfully against the Flier Kyte. While slightly smaller than the Seapony’s Pride, the Kyte was a much newer vessel, and faster as well. That suited Rainbow Dash just fine, when it wasn’t parked.
“Did we get here early? What’s taking the VIP so long?" Dash was the least effected by the heat, though she was getting impatient. She blew at errant strands of hair that had escaped the confining headband she wore. "Should we go look for him?”
“My mission schedule places them in this village since last month. They're here unless something is majorly wrong.” Magistrate Mare informed. "It's our job to wait patiently. They know we're here."
Dash frowned. "I know but..."
“Dash, we've already put hundreds of kilometers between us and Clawstantinople. Stop fretting.” Gilda comforted her friend. “The Princes of Equestria have no idea where we went.”
“I know, I know, but it’s not that. I just get fidgety whenever it’s flat wind.” Rainbow frowned, looking up at the limp swalowtail pennant on the Kyte’s Foremast. “Makes me feel dirty for some reason. Makes me want to fly.”
“Try to restrain yourself Mis Dash. The Sahellan tribesponies have a historical enmity with the griffins, so flying around might insult them. Or maybe not. I’m an administrator not a sociologist.” Magistrate Mare said.
“Bigots. I why would anypony hate me without knowing the first thing about me?” Gilda grumbled. “I don’t need to go down below, do I?”
“So you can get food without us? ” Mare laughed curtly. “Hmh, but honestly I don’t give a damn about tribal feuds. Too many creatures guide themselves by such archaic rules. Honor, justice, and fairness are aged concepts. We live in a world where commodities and their monetary exchange guide all. Don't insult anypony because EOC interests and alliances here would be hurt, which hurts commerce. But I trust you not to rise to any taunts or temptations."
Gilda arched a brow, amused by Mare's rambling, but agreed with a simple. "Thanks."
An arid bluff past the sandy shoreline obscured most of Anadolu village. Rainbow counted several dozen fisherpony’s huts and a hooffull of dingy-sized boats pulled up on the shoreline.
After a few minutes, a group of ponies was crested the bluff on their way down to the pier.
Mare shaded her eyes with her fan to get a better look at a group of ponies coming down the dock. “Speaking of alliances, here comes company.”
A tetrad of ponies, stout roans who clearly lived lives of labor, were suffering under the weight of the burden they were carrying: A square wooden crate the size of two stacked coffins. They wordlessly shoved it over the lip on the deck of the Kyte.
"Uh, what's this?" Rainbow asked. The laborers ignored her and started back up the dock.
"I was told our VIP's was going to have some big luggage. This must be it." Mare said in a bored tone. "Hey you louts! Get that into the hold!"
Some of the sailors lurched from their sun-scorched malaise and started moving it to the hoist. Once it was strapped up they opened the hatch and lowered it belowdecks. Gilda's tail flicked around, tempted to add her own orders like she would have as a quartermaster, but she reminded herself she was a mercenary now. It was not her place to get involved with the ship anymore.
“Sadly, it’s not lunch.” Gilda observed. She wasn't too curious what was in the crate, even if it was unmarked and betrayed nothing about its contents. “We're taking it to Chitin?”
“Yes. And there is a somepony else coming along.” Mare’s tone soured. “I think it’s this village’s chief.”
“She’s our VIP?” Dash propped herself on the stout wooden railing to get a better look.
“Do you really think the EOC would send ME for a tribespony? Of course not.” Magistrate Mare said curtly, but she didn't look so sure. “Get down, keep quiet, and let me do the talking.”
The approaching pony was, as Mare had observed, a chieftess or important elder. She was proceeded by three tribespony guards, swaddled in white cotton robes with loose fitting wraps on their snouts, and deadly looking scimitars at their sides. The chieftess herself wore the same, except hers was fancifully colored with peacock feathers and gems woven into the headdress.
“Aslema, daast’qha’i.” Magistrate Mare called down to them as the entourage came into conversational range.
"What language is that?" Dash asked.
"No idea." Mare said under her breath. "But it's how they greeted me last time I was in a Sahellan port."
The lead guard stepped forward and called up to them. “Melika wishes a tour of your ship, equestriaan!” His equestrian was mildly accented.
“Melika wants what? Melika knows this ship is chartered to another, right.” Mare looked annoyed. “There is nopony here to give a tour.”
“Your guest is still in the village getting ready. Time enough you have to give Melika a tour.” The guard insisted, unsubtly nudging his scimitar. “Do not give Melika reason to take insult.”
Mare dug her hoof into her face, muttering. “Celestia almighty... Fine!” She waved Rainbow and Gilda closer. “You two show this Melika whatever she wants to see, ok?”
Rainbow vaulted over the railing onto the dock, while Gilda elected to take the long way around. Melika and the lead guard followed them onto the deck of the Kyte, and into the aft cabins. The other three stayed put, watching the ship with suspicion.
"The Magistrate doesn't seem too happy about this." Dash whispered to Gilda.
"She's worried these backwater dirt ponies will break something." Gilda whispered back, glancing back at their guests. "You lead. Mare said they don't like griffins."
"Sure." Louder, Dash adressed the tribesponies. "This way." She pushed open one of the doors. “Here's some rooms. They probably have those in your village.” She joked, unappreciated by the unamused faces of Melika and her translator. “Um, just the magistrate and us up here, with that extra one for the VIP. There’s no captain, mostly because Magistrate Mare thinks she can do it herself. Between you and me, she isn’t very good at it.”
“Dash.” Gilda said in warning. "They don't need to hear our life story."
“Heh, sorry.” Rainbow backpedaled. “The rooms…”
“They’re not very big.” Gilda droned, eyeing Dash and the two tribesponies in equal measure. “Alas, the limitations of living on a ship. It’s difficult to get fresh meat too. I’m sure you sympathize.”
The translator communicated the essentials of their presentation to the chieftess. Rainbow led the way to the next lowest deck.
“This is where the useless trash who call themselves sailors spend the time they’re not toiling in service of the Equestrian Oceanic Charter.” Gilda waved over the cramped bunks and hammocks. “They’re the most miserable dregs willing to accept shite pay, and we keep finding stashes of rotten rum.”
“Come on Gilda, they’re not that bad.” Dash appealed. “And by the way Rum is made by fermentation, not decomposition.”
“I suppose you learned that at the bottom of one of the many bottles you ‘confiscated’.” Gilda shot back. “Maybe you’ll find forgiveness there as well.”
“Hey now…” Dash’s face was turning pale.
Gilda leaned to her friend, regret over her words momentarily showing. “I didn’t meant it like that.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Let’s just shuffle these stick kickers off and I’ll make it up to you.”
Dash, blushing, nodded appreciatively. Gilda turned back to the stairs to show off the next deck, in the dank underbelly of the ship.
“Behold, the cargo decks. The magistrate said the Kyte was designed to run a possible GOC blockade of Trottingham, and it was hauling seafood up the Equestrian coast before it was assigned to the Magistrate.” Dash waved the dark and dank wooden labyrinth. “It still smells like fish.”
“Ships are referred to as ‘she’, not ‘it’.” Gilda corrected.
“I know that already, G.” Dash prissed her lips. “I’m trying cut down on confusion for our guests. I’d have to use the name every time to say which ‘she’ I was talking about.”
“My bad, please continue.” Gilda rolled her eyes.
Dash recomposed herself. “Well, um, not much else to say. As you can see, it’s empty right now, except for that crate.” She pointed to the large box that had just been loaded, it’s equestrian origin betrayed by it’s pine construction. “You'd have a better idea what's in there than us."
Dash twirled around, looking for anything else to comment on. "Mmm, yeah, not much other than that. That big hatch connects to the top deck, and that other hatch also connects to the crew quarters.”
Gilda cut in. "Unless they'd like to see the galley."
"The galley is what you call the kitchen on a boat." Dash informed.
“Does that interest you?” Gilda chuckled morosely, tapping her sharpened claws against the wooden floor. She had just thought of a wonderful use for the guests. “Or I could show you the inside of my little room. We can waste time until the VIP arrives.”
"Gilda..." Dash frowned. Was Gilda really doing this?
"What? I'm just showing some hospitality." Gilda croaked out.
Something had set her senses on fire! She could taste the supple flesh from a meter away despite the pungent stench of fish. She HAD to get her claws in something and she didn't know why. "Slip away with me for just a minute. The other guards can wait longer."
‘Please not now’ Dash urgently mouthed, and Gilda glared back, clacking her beak noisily.
“A tour of the kitchens is unnecessary. Melika is not hungry.” The translator frowned, looking between the three females.
Gilda nodded in appreciation of a well fed prey. “What I would do that I should be so lucky.” She turned to her friend. “Dash, don’t back out on me now. I-” She twitched. "I don't know what's gotten into me! I've gotta have it!"
“I thought you were going to make it up to me, not make it worse.” Dash said.
“I was wrong, ok. I’m not perfect, and I have needs.” Gilda hissed.
“You know I hate disagreeing with you like this, but it’s not do or die.” Dash emphasized. “This isn’t a tramp.”
“I don’t eat tramps, and it’s never do or die. It is always deliberate and to my standards.” Gilda put her talon on her sword hilt. “If these mudponies have a problem with me, I’ll vindicate them.”
Dash tried to find the right words, but they were elusive. She struggled with her response. “You’re going to cause an incident.”
“Hypocrite.” Gilda looked as if she had something else to day, but instead she turned and jaunted up the stairs to the top deck.
Everypony’s eyes followed Gilda’s departure. Dash held in her sigh until the griffin’s pawsteps were gone.
Melika, who Dash had not even noticed being armed, reholstered a miniature pistol in the folds of her robe. “I see you have a thing for bad girls.” She said in clear equestrian.
Rainbow Dash fixed the mare with a pejorative scowl. “Nice gun. Equestrian make. And your accent is... Vanhoover? So, let me guess, you’re the VIP.” She eyed the stallion beside her. “And who are you? The real chief?”
“Spot-on, though I think I rate about MIP: Moderately Important Pony. Posing as a queen was just a bit of fun Maluka thought up.” The mare pulled off her elaborate headdress and passed it to the pony apparently named Maluka, who donned it immediately. She had a beige coat, a iterative grayscale shock for a mane, and daring violet eyes. She'd hidden a pair of wings under the robes as well, but Dash was not as reassured as usual to see a fellow pegasus. “Fair warning to you, I'll go along with any old shenanigans. But getting eaten was always an adventure I shied off from.”
“Lucky I’m payed to keep you from that.” Dash softened her serious tone with a slight apologetic smile. She felt so embarrassed she thought her spine might snap. “Please forgive Gilda, she wasn’t really going to eat you.”
“A hungry griffin is one of the most uninhibitedly amoral and reckless creatures I’ve ever seen. Your friend must value you quite a bit if she lets you reign her in.” Maluka interjected, lips twisted in amusement. “I thank you. It would trouble me if Doqhtar Do was eaten.”
“Stop complementing my employee, or she’ll get off on how much you’re stroking her ego.” Magistrate Mare stepped carefully down the steep stairs. She’d snapped her paper fan in half, probably when she had deduced who’d she so dismissively let on board. “Greeting Mis Do. Usually we'd go about with some formality, but I'm a little itched right now."
"Heh heh, I'm sorry for deceiving you." Do said. "I've heard good things about you Magistrate."
That softened Mare's scowl. "That's slightly reassuring, even if I question that pony's motivation for saying so." She cleared her throat. "I'd like an explanation now that you've had your fun. I passed Mis GIlda on the way down and she looked very upset."
“I’m allowed certain liberties with you, since I am your client. One of those liberties is privacy.” Mis Do shrugged off her borrowed robes and passed it to the tribespony. “Suffice it to say I needed to come onboard without certain ponies in Anadolu knowing.”
“You could have just smuggled yourself in the box. Have it your way then. Who am I to argue with the client.” Mare muttered. "If you have personal effects, now is the time to bring them aboard." After a glance at Dash, she retreating back up the stairs. She was heard moments later braying at her sailors to weigh anchor and hoist sails.
“That is my signal to disembark.” Maluka bowed to Do. “Until the next time, Doqhtar, and good luck on your mission."
"I can't thank you enough Maluka. Next time we meet hopefully I'll have more time to stay and enjoy your village. Farewell until then." Do bowed back.
"Godsspeed.” The tribespony galloped back up the stairs, and a second later Dash heard the clatter of hooves on the dock.
Dash was left in the cargo deck with her their jouney's charge, Do and her large crate. The former was inspecting the latter for any damage.
Dash crept forward nervously. “So your name is Do? Err, Mis Do I mean. I would have thought you were a noble. The EOC is sending a whole ship for you after all.”
“The EOC only cares about money, and avenues by which to attain money.” Do said over her shoulder. “I offered the right thing to the right mare, and now they've set me up. It's a little strange to think that I get to follow my dream because it's been abstracted to the idea of profits in some honcho's stack of investments, but if that the only way than so be it."
"I'm probably not the right mare to talk to about that." Dash glanced away. "All I've heard is that we're going to Chitin with you to find something."
"And I think that's all you need to know. I don't mean to be rude but that's just how it's going to have to be." Satisfied that her box was intact, Do straitened up. Besides her wings, she had also been hiding a sash tied around her midriff, which bore her holstered flintlock pistol. “But considering how long we’ll be on this tub together, maybe we will get to know each other better. Your name was Dash, right?”
“Rainbow Dash, from Cloudsdale.” Dash nodded. "I'm a mare chasing a life of adventure!"
"Oh really?" Do smirked. "You aren't here because of the money like the rest of the EOC?"
"Uhh, the money's nice too I guess. Gilda and I are mercenaries, kinda." Dash coughed.
"Ahh, so your carnivorous feathered friend's name is Gilda." Do stepped around Dash and trotted for the stair up. Dash followed a few steps behind. "That sounds like it would be exciting, going to sleep every night wondering if you'd have all your limbs in the morning."
"That's going to far. Gilda isn't like that, so you should be more polite talking about her." Dash's brow furrowed. "She's a good and loyal friend. Get to know her and you'll feel the same."
“Hmm, like I said it's a long trip, we'll see.” They reached the cabins, and Do paused at the threshold of her new room. “It’s not my place to tell you how to live your life, but be careful with her. She might be abashed for a while after she hears she threatened to eat the MIP, but Maluka’s little insight was dead-on. Hungry griffins are dangerous griffins, and your friend is a hungry one.” She closed the door halfway. “Don’t bother to fetch me for dinner. I’ll be talking it in here.”
Dash stood in the hall for a while, wondering if she should shoulder her way into Do's room to argue the point more, or perhaps barge into Gilda's to see if she was alright. In the end she wandered out on the deck.
It was busy as Magistrate Mare berated her sailors into action. Dash climbed up from the mid-deck to forecastle, so she could return to the spot she had lounged earlier.
"My life feels out of control." She mumbled to the waved. The Kyte was slowly pulling away from the jetty in the lax breeze, and Maluka and his guards were watching from halfway back to the village. Once it was comfortably in deep water, the course was set East. "But maybe this is what adventure is: A barely controlled fall."
She fell silent as she continued contemplating her life, her friend’s alternating empathy and appetite, and the mystery of Do and her box.
In her idle wandering gaze, Dash saw an incongruous sight on the bluff above the beach. Two large figures, each an effigy of red cloth with only hooves, wings and beak protruding , were watching the Flyer Kyte’s ponderous departure. They figures watched for a minute longer then withdrew behind the dunes.
Dash had a good guess that it was against these ominous figures that Mis Do’s ruse of covert departure had been directed.