A couple of hours had passed since Twilight left the office of her bigger brother. She could be found just wandering through the castle for the moment. Nothing seemed to have been on her mind except trying to imagine the vessel where she would be finding the first mate of the entire journey to be taken. Something within the mare’s very stomach began to turn and twist inside out as she didn’t know who she would be expecting.
Anything could have been expected from that point onwards really and whether she liked or not, it had to be done. So with a raised head did the mare began the journey down the side of the mountain. With fresh air that entered her nose was filled with the salt of the sea which caused her nose to spring wide open. But the smell wasn’t all too nice to say the least. Usually she was found more inwards in the castle, looking over the land that laid behind it instead of the water in front of it.
Mumbles and grumbles that were inaudible for most of the anthronies upon the staircase were released by the mare before she finally managed to get some form of rest from her trek. Whether she wanted to believe it or not, it was one of the few times that she actually looked towards the ocean.
The mare wasn’t particularly fond of the watery body, yet she had to admit that it did carry some interesting aspects to it. Her violet rimmed eyes looked over the waving waters while the ships came and left the port of Canterlot.
It was a true sight that she loved to see from time to time, but nothing compared to the calm of the valley. A calm which she actually needed more than anything. “The endless oceans, with the land of the Great Plains behind it,” she mumbled to herself. Twilight stood on a small platform that was used at the edge of each staircase.
There was even a small and unoccupied bench where she could sit down in order to have a better view on the matter. She allowed herself to drop in the bench itself before just looking over the waters that never seemed to end.
Waves upon waves she saw being broken by the piers that stretched out into the sea. Vessel after vessel was witnessed as it either left the massive port or entered it. Above her was the near cloudless skies and the massive castle which cast its mighty shadow over most of the port. It was hard to believe that their castle was actually standing in such a manner against the mountain. The sheer drop against the staircases were built was something none would have ever thought to have been possible.
Safely put, Canterlot was also a technological wonder when it came to the engineering capabilities of the three races. Perhaps that was the very reason of just why the soothsayers found themselves most at home there. It was only another guess in the pile of mystery. And for a change didn’t Twilight minded it as to how her home was constructed. She was perfectly fine with the way it was and she only wished that it could be kept that way.
With her head resting upon the top of her hands while the elbows were placed upon her thighs, the anthrony had leaned a little bit forward when a seagull began to sing for her. A song that wasn’t really appreciated by her at all. It sounded like a cat being tortured to a tenth degree. The only problem happened to have been the little fact that the gull never seemed to be going away.
Instead it decided to stay home near Twilight. The unicorn’s best guess was the fact that its next was somewhere alongside the face of the mountain and that she was dangerously close, but not close enough to be attacked. “Fine, fine, fine,” she said directly against the creature before she stood up and continued on the way down.
The further Twilight walked down, the more silent the seagull luckily got. The mare rolled her eyes backwards and allowed an annoyed sounding sigh to be released.
~~~~
After a trek of about half an hour downwards did Twilight finally stood upon the stone floor of the harbor. Her heeled shoes clacked against each of the rocks. Though her feet were just happy she didn’t have to walk in that strange and abnormal pose anymore. Now that she was at the bottom, she remembered the words of her brother all too well and made the decision to go to the place where most of the navy ships laid.
A small bay at the northern end of the harbor was reserved for all kinds of ships with military purposes. A little fact Twilight discovered when she was looking at it all from the top. It seemed to have been easy which way she had to be walking, but down there it appeared that everything was just changing constantly.
So with a dose of good –and perhaps foolish– luck did the unicorn anthrony plan her way through the harbor. Luckily for her, there was a small map near her location and the second it came in her eyes, she began to plot out the route to the northern part. A part that was still open for the public to view the mighty vessels, as long as they didn’t walk in front of the hooves of the marines.
Something that was perhaps a lot easier said than done.
The unicorn had been wandering through the harbor for nearly another hour before she finally noticed the navy ships to take a hold of the horizon. So far had she only seen merchant ships high and wide and in all kind of shapes and sizes. It was good to finally see the vessels of the navy in her eyes as it meant to her that she was going in the right direction.
Though before she would be making the final step towards the place, the unicorn got a bit of a crazy idea. Quickly had she ran over to a small wall and climbed on top of it. Her hand coiled itself around the lamppost before she just gazed over the place she had walked through. A place filled with chaos like no other.
And among that very chaos, she began to recognize the many patterns it was rich. Which made her come to the one conclusion that the whole place wasn’t just one chaotic mess. But more a well-oiled machine that was working in many different rhythms and each of them was perfectly in sync with the rest of them.
“Wow,” was one of the few words that Twilight for the entire scenery. Never had she set a hoof in the harbor and everything she saw was just amazing. Though it also showed to the unicorn how little she knew from the world and the harbor was literally the backyard for her. She thought to have known Equestria thanks to the maps and everything, but Twilight quickly realized the fact she knew nothing of the real deal.
The unicorn dropped herself from the wall and released the lamppost. She would continue to walk further up into the navel space. She came there with a mission and she would succeed upon the matter one way or the other. Whether or not it was going to be simple remained to be seen. Her brother had said she needed to look near the prides of the navy, the heavy armed frigates. Perhaps it was just Twilight’s luck that all seven of those vessels were actually in the docks.
While she counted each of the ships did the courage of the mare dropped down into her shoes. She turned back around to the very first ship afterwards. If she wanted to find the one anthrony that was worthy of joining her did she had to be going past all of them. And that would be a long time while time wasn’t one her side. The sun was already beginning to lower itself.
Time was of the essence as Twilight walked past the first vessel. Yet none of the sailors that were either onboard or walking on the dock around it seemed to have either an interest in her or seemed fit enough to join her. Calmly did the unicorn shake her head as she realized that none of them could become her partner.
Which was quite the bit of shame as there were a couple of cute looking stallion in her eyes. But a mission was a mission and she couldn’t divert from that fact. So the first vessel was released from her eyes as she made her way to the second one.
There she actually walked up on the ramp to enter the ship but was quickly shooed away by some of the crewmembers. “Wait, you don’t understand! I need to speak to an official of yours. It’s very important.” Twilight said to one of the sailors who looked over to his mate. He simply signaled with his head that he needed to get somepony else.
“You’ll be waiting here, nice and tidy, right? I don’t wanna clean the deck again, understood?” returned the sailor in a truly deep and slightly growling tone towards the mare. She was set upon barrel. Twilight nodded as she really didn’t want have a fight with the muscular stallion.
Soon enough there was a stallion who looked like the captain that came into her direction. The expression on his face showed that he wasn’t happy at all. “I hope this is important indeed. We’re supposed to be setting sail within ten minutes,” said the stallion in a higher pitched tone then Twilight had expected. Not to mention the size of the earth anthrony was also a bit smaller than originally thought. She was literally looking at a miniature version of an earth anthrony. “Well?”
The contained laughter of the unicorn actually told the captain enough. Even the unicorn knew that she wouldn’t find anyone worthy to join her. The captain rolled his eyes and turned back around to leave her. “May I suggest you try it on her majesty’s pride vessel, Forward unto Dawn? Maybe the captain there won’t be so funny, or well mannered.” And with those words was he gone once more. The two sailors that Twilight first encountered returned to her.
One of them simply signaled with its hand that she had to leave via the ramp and the unicorn did that with please. Once she stood back on the dock, her head rose up to see the two still standing there. “If I may ask, which vessel is the Forward unto Dawn?” she asked the pair of them in a polite tone.
One of the sailors throw his thumb over his shoulder before saying something to her. “Forth vessel after this, last in line. That’s the one yar looking for. Enjoy taking to that captain.”
“All hands on deck!” was then shouted from the wheel and the two stallions disappeared from the railing. They were ready to sail out and Twilight had the information that she needed. All that she needed to do then, was to go and find the majestic Forward unto Dawn.
~~~~
It didn’t took her long to cross the docks again and to reach the last ship in the line-up. The only vessel that she had missed upon her initial searching of the place. She had the mentality of it not being important or that it would all reveal itself within time. Which it indeed seemed to have been doing to her. A little point she could whack herself over in the head actually.
Yet the vessel itself was the most beautiful one she had ever seen. At the bow stood a statue of a pony with a horn attached to the bowsprit and wings fully opened. The wings themselves were attached to the actual hull of the thing. It was something that Twilight hadn’t seen before as the expression of the statue was angered while it had also assumed a charging pose.
“The first vessel to always fire the shots,” said Twilight with a faint smile. She looked to the side of the hull and began to count the sheer amount of cannon hatches she saw. It was well armed and with its size, also good defended. Which only made speed an issue that perhaps was more easily solved. Not that she cared that much for it in the moment.
She wasn’t there to investigate the seaworthiness of the ship. She needed to talk to somepony on the thing. Once again she noticed a ramp that was leading up to the main deck. With a quick little sprint she managed to get there before making the ascend past the hull. It certainly felt amazing that she could be entering such a mighty vessel, weren’t it for the problem she hadn’t asked any kind of permission from anyone or anypony.
Once the mare stood on top of the ramp and even placed just one of her shoes upon the deck did the literal impossible happen to her. For all of the eyes of pretty much each of the sailors on the deck were suddenly aimed towards her. Eyes that were filled with anger, lust and overall just cranky looking. It didn’t seem to be looking good in the unicorn’s eyes and when one of them stood up did Twilight realize that she had gone out of the frying pan and into the fire.
For the sailor that stood up was a gray skinned pegasus stallion with only one wing. With only his pants and shoes on, the muscles of his arms and chest were clearly visible as he cracked his neck a couple of time. “Looky here laddies. Look at what Old Bonesnapper spots over here. A mare all alone on the vessel of the goddess herself, without permission.”
“Stowaway!” one of the other sailors began before the rest of them slowly followed. The chance to leave the ship wasn’t there anymore either as other crewmembers had blocked it off and had forced the unicorn to take steps forward.
“How can it be a stowaway if we haven’t even left port?! Even so, a stowaway on board of this mighty vessel? Tsk, tsk, tsk, and those clothing? Taken from the admiral, I presume?” he chuckled up to the mare. That was before Twilight noticed another thing around him. While his left wing was nowhere to be found, his right eye was constantly focused upon her. Almost as if he was blind on the other one yet there was still an eye present.
“Glass eye,” whispered Twilight inaudible in surprise. She then realized that she had to say something back to the giant pegasus. He was literally towering above her with a head and a half. “Stowaway? I don’t know what you’re talking about here. I came here from the docks, looking for somepony.” Arguing about whether or not she was a stowaway was among the least of her worries with them all.
“Oh, you hear that lads? She came looking for somepony, who of you dogs is the lucky one to have claimed her?!” he bellowed over the deck. Afterwards he erupted out in a deep and sinister chuckle. Only to then throw himself forward gain and look Twilight directly into the eyes. “Nice trick lass, but it ain’t gonna happen. We don’t like stowaways upon our ships and feed them to the sharks at sea when the admiral isn’t looking.”
“Break her bones, feed her blood to the sharks before they decide what will happen next!” another crew member spoke while he drew his sword. But Old Bonesnapper simply took the blade in his hand and forced the sailor back. A thing which left his hand wide open thanks to a cut.
“No! You shall be having nothing to do with this madness. She’s mine,” the giant spoke. He rose back up and spread his one wing as wide as it possibly wanted to go.
Trouble, that was where Twilight Sparkle had gotten herself into mere minutes after she had entered the deck of the vessel. Only thanks to a miracle she could be saved from becoming food for the sharks. All sorts of excuses went through her head as she didn’t had the desire to become lunch for another being.
The blood covered hand of Bonesnapper was still bleeding heavily when the other sailor sheathed his blade again. There was one excuse that the mare had thought about and it was then or never. “If, if, if, if I may for a moment,” pleaded Twilight towards the gray skinned pegasus. Who only looked back down to her before a huff was being released. Yet she was allowed to continue.
“If this vessel is indeed dedicated to the goddesses themselves, what would you think they say when they hear that the sailors directly under their command are feeding innocent beings to the sharks? Do you think they will be happy with you lot, or do they call the heavens down upon you?”
The question itself was actually rightfully placed. All of the crewmembers couldn’t hold in their laughter before Bonesnapper silenced them all. He then took an inhale to answer her question. Yet before he could say another word, there was a stomping sound on the deck that wasn’t heard before. A rhythmic stomping of metal against the very deck of the vessel.
The stallion began to chuckle in a sinister manner before he took a step aside. “Hehe, hehe, look who is coming now. You have made her angry, answer for your deeds,” he added as some sort of strange encouragement to Twilight.
The unicorn honestly didn’t understand a single word from it but just went with it. She was so close that she could almost smell the being with the stomping leg. More and more crewmembers took a step aside before a massive puff of steam was released and blocked Twilight’s view even further. Which resulted in the stomping continuing as some sailors were pushed aside just like that. What followed was that a silhouette of an earth anthrony that stood before Twilight among the fog and it simply released a deep exhale.
Only then the smoke cleared itself from the deck and Twilight was confronted with the nature of the being. Which being an orange skinned, blonde haired earth anthrony mare who wore a massive naval trenchcoat with a cutlass sheathed at the right side of her body. But it was on the left side that the most interesting thing had been revealed to her.
For the entire left leg of the being had been amputated and replaced with another leg. One made out metal and steam which was the source of the stomping. Twilight gulped a little bit before she dared to speak some words towards the anthrony. “A-Admiral Applejack, I presume?” she questioned to the mare without her signature hat.
Yet there wasn’t any response in the form of words that came from the other mare. As the brilliant green rimmed eyes looked over the unicorn anthrony with a judging expression. Something didn’t seem to be right. And she would be going towards the bottom in order to discover just what was wrong.
The blonde haired anthrony then focused her attention back on Twilight before a deep exhale was being released. “Ah am indeed admiral Applejack. But what Ah wanna know, is who in the name of seas yer happen to be,” she snarled in a low toned voice towards Twilight. Though as the unicorn wanted to answer the question, she noticed how the hand of Applejack moved over towards her cutlass.
Business was about to be coming a lot more serious and Twilight felt the sheer amount of tension that was building up between the two of them. In an instant it happened though. Time slowed down before Twilight’s very eyes. She did a step back in order not to get hit by anything. What happened next was that the admiral drew her cutlass and pointed it straight towards her.
The soothsayer gulped deeply as she rose her hands up in a manner that she couldn’t be grabbing anything. “Ah said, Ah wanna know who for the devil’s arse ya happen to be.” The eyes of Twilight went literally cross as she looked at the tip of the mighty blade. One good slash and she could either be killed by it, or had her bleeding to her death.
It wasn’t the most ideal situation of where she wanted to end up in, but she could also understand the reason behind the rather viciously looking manner in which Applejack handled her. The biggest clue was the entire crew of the vessel. But with the tip of the blade pointed at her nose, it even feeling the cold steel it carried, there was little else that Twilight could be doing. Yet one thing that she could be doing was to tell the admiral the truth as it was known to her.
With another gulp she crawled back towards the admiral and dared to speak her words of truth. “M-My, my name, is Twilight Sparkle. I am here solitarily because I’m looking to recruit other anthronies, f-for a journey I’m going to undertake,” she spoke in the honest truth. She always kept her eyes upon the green rims of Applejack. Hesitant as they were, but honest they appeared.
The admiral herself calmly stroked her chin under a loud exhale. She processed the words that were being said against her. She could tell it within Twilight’s very eyes that she was speaking the truth. Yet even the most experienced liar could show the lie as the truth. Another little fact that she noticed instantly was that Twilight was unable to keep herself together in the big world.
Applejack knew that Twilight was a soothsayer and even with the words answering her question, there was yet another question that had risen up in her mind. A question that perhaps was a lot more interesting towards her. “Oh shut her up and throw her in the brig!” one of the crew members said.
Without even looking to the sailor, Applejack had reach inside of her trenchcoat and pulled out a flintlock pistol. One which was being cocked and aimed at the sailor. “If ya wanna see another day, Ah reckon to y’all to shut it. Either return to yar stations, or watch in silence as Ah’ll be dealing with missy here.”
What happened next was something that nopony could have ever imagined to happen and that was that the gun was actually fired. All of the crewmembers did a massive step back while some were looking for wounds. But not even one of them had found even a scratch. Which was something perhaps for the better for all of them.
“Consider this, yar only warning. But Ah still wanna get mah answer from yar mouth as Ah have one more question,” said Applejack while she hid her flintlock again. The eyes were once again focused upon Twilight herself and she allowed the final pieces of questioning to leave her mouth. “What does a soothsayer like herself, outside of the castle walls and what for kind of recruiting, eh?”
It was the kind of question where Twilight really hadn’t hoped for to get and with both the crew looking as well as her own eyes staring down the tip of a blade, safety wasn’t a feeling all too much present.
Another gulp was being released by her. Applejack’s patience began to wear thin in the moment. All around her there were the rumors of the crewmembers. They all spoke about death and destruction of the soothsayer. Yet the admiral wasn’t in the mood to end somepony’s life that day. Even if it was true that Twilight was testing her steel nerves more than well.
For the silence that had been started, took already in more than a minute. “Well, Ah’m waiting for yar answer, soothsayer. Mah patience isn’t infinite. Ask them lot if ya like.” To that had a lot of the crewmembers actually agree upon. Applejack was a patient mare, but when that very patience wore thin, anything could have happened.
Twilight then stood for a moral dilemma that had been playing itself in her mind ever since their game had started. At one end did she wanted to say why she was there, on the other she didn’t. Simply because of the fact that the other crewmembers were listening in with the pair of them.
She needed to get the admiral crazy enough to separate themselves from them all. So that they could be speaking somewhere in private. Which was a hope easier said than done. Yet there was an chance. One chance, which was all that she needed.
The soothsayer gently gathered all of her guts together before she dared to openly speak up against the admiral in words that no party had ever expected to come. “Admiral Applejack, I would love to tell you exactly the reason of why and how and everything. But before I do that, I have only one desire and that is to discuss the matter somewhere private.”
Applejack went literally numb from the words. The silence took her over for a change. The crew of the vessel didn’t even dare to speak a single word about the matter. Each and every one of them just silently watched as to what would happen next. Old Bonesnapper himself spread his one remaining wing before he released a deep growl as the only audible response from the crew.
He wanted to have seen action between the two of them. Perhaps even a fight to the death in order to satisfy his bloodlust. Yet in the silence of the moment did Twilight took her time to look around and see just what kind of sailors were aboard of the vessel. It was the pride of the navy yes, but with one massive flaw.
Its entire crew seemed to have been made out nothing but scum. Perhaps once she got to know them they had a golden heart, but they hadn’t showed it to her yet. And who knew, perhaps they never would. “Admiral, I can promise you that everything will be made clear to you, if you will allow me to explain the situation in private.” Twilight’s words pressed against Applejack in an attempt to get her to the point she wanted to go.
Yet the admiral herself didn’t seem to be so certain. Though she did lower her sword and leaned a little bit against it. Out of her eyes came the expression of understanding as well as curiosity. Without a word was the sword sheathed and her mouth opened to speak some words in a calm tone. “Alright, follow me to mah cabin. We’ll see what yar story is.” She then turned around to the rest of her crew and gave them all a hard eye. “As for the rest of y’all, back to yar stations!”
With those words had each of the crewmembers to leave for their very stations. Whether it was somewhere up in the masts of the mighty vessel, or somewhere below decks, they went without a complaint. Not any verbally spoken, that is. “As for ya, come with me,” gestured Applejack while she pointed to Twilight and guided her over to the captain’s cabin.
~~~~
Once inside of the cabin, it came to Twilight’s attention that it fairly much was set up in the same manner as Shining Armor’s own office. The admiral never took place in her chair as Twilight sat down in one before the desk. The earth anthrony was waiting for any kind of explanation to come from the unicorn herself.
“Okay, the problem is that these tremors are causing havoc in the land,” Twilight started.
She was immediately interrupted by the admiral though. “It’s not just the land that has them, partner. Ah feel them at sea too. Rogue waves that come and go without warning, capsizing our ships without mercy. Tell me, ya know a way to stop them things, right?”
The words of the admiral opened a whole new window for Twilight as she never even could have imagined that the tremors were also to be found out in the ocean. Which begged the question of why no place had ever been hit by a tsunami yet. But that was a question for another time.
“Actually, I do have a way, yes. But it is going to require your help, admiral. I’m going to set up a team for an expedition in order to stop these tremors or at least find the cause of them. Before the whole of Equestria is going to be submerged in nothing but eternal hell from the fires of lava. What is your answer admiral. Are you ready to go ashore and find out just what causes more havoc than anything seen in this world? Or do you cower upon your ship when the world as you know it will burn like tartarus?”
It was a deep threat that was being made against the admiral and Twilight knew that all too well. She even used words she normally wouldn’t even have dared to be using. Yet it did seem like she had broken the shell of the admiral. For a deep sigh was being released as she remained stationary by one of the windows and looked out over the near endless ocean.
What Twilight didn’t knew was that the screams of forgotten battles were raging through her skull. The eyes closed themselves off from the world for a moment. She took small steps with her amputated leg before finally turning herself around to face Twilight. Applejack calmly walked over to her desk and placed her arms crosswise over the back of the chair. Once again did the staring contest erupt between the pair of them.
"Ya know what Ah call this plan of yars? Insanity at its complete and utter finest. There’s just no putting it in any other way from mah point of view. What yar saying, is that you want to go probably under the surface. All in order to find the source of them tremors like that. Partner, Ah don’t know how high ya been getting with them ascends of you, but that ain’t a realistic plan and yar know it,” said Applejack, not spilling a single thought on the matter unspoken.
The admiral was perhaps right in more than one way when there was thought about. It was indeed a plan that came straight out of the loony bin, but it also was their best shot at most likely saving their beloved homes and dear ones. In an instant was the chair flung backwards against the wall as Applejack slammed her fist hard into the oaken desk. It even left some cracks along the way before the confirming words were spoken from the bottom of her soul.
“Count me in.”
“Beg your pardon?” asked Twilight in response. She had a difficult time understanding the whisper of the admiral. “What did you just say?”
The green rimmed eyes of Applejack met the violet ones of Twilight. The mare then repeated herself once more. “Ah said that ya could be counting me in for this quest. Ah don’t need protection from anything, but yar the one who needs all the more.”