//------------------------------// // 2 - Crossing the sea // Story: The Heart Diplomats // by Arboreal Blue Leaf //------------------------------// Twilight and Applejack looked at the aircrafts moored on the Manehattan airport's docks. From huge commercial airships to small, private ones, there were almost a hundred of them around. The earth pony walked and was looking up, almost breaking her neck. She was amazed to see that much aircrafts; she had of course glimpsed some in the past but never as close or as enormous. Twilight was looking for a particular blimp. Princess Celestia had booked one of her personal aircraft and pilot for the occasion. She had told to search for "l'Archimède"; the old yet functional aircraft that would make them travel from point A to point B. Like Applejack, it would be Twilight's first travel aboard an airship. She had fantasized about meeting an old and grumpy captain with an eye pad, who would have mesmerizing stories to share with the ponies daring enough to listen to him. She had a childish laugh as she trotted toward other aircrafts, telling herself she had been reading too much fantasy books. Applejack caught up her friend and asked with a worried voice, “So... Those big things... They aren't dangerous at all, right?” “They aren't at all. Is there a problem, AJ?” she inquired. “Ah am not completely comfortable with the idea of spendin' a day up there actually,” the earth pony pointed to the sky with her chin. “There's not need to worry. Statistically speaking, aircraft is of the safest mode of transportation in all of Equestria.” “Ah believe ya sugarcabe. Ah bet it will feel mighty weird on this.” “I'm pretty sure it will be like in a hot balloon!” “Speaking of balloons, isn’t it the one we are searchin' for, Twi?” The alicorn looked in the direction to see the small yet seemingly resistant airship proudly wearing its name “L'Archimède” on its hull. It wasn't as large as the commercial ones, but the bright red of the balloon was quite catchy for the eye. Dozens of cables where linking the balloon to the boat like part of the airship, on which Twilight could see a stallion watching at the setting sun. She nodded to Applejack and searched for an access to the ship, or at least a way to draw the attention of the captain. A solution was quickly offered by the earth pony who simply called out the stallion. His ears raised up, turned around a little before he got off the iron barer and quickly got to the gangplank. He was a young stallion, much younger than everything Twilight was expecting. He was barely older than her. His coat was a dark brown, matching its eyes. He was wearing a white shirt and welding spectacle on his forehead, which gave him the look of a crazy engineer. This first impression was reinforced by its cutie mark: three gears positioned into a triangle shape. He bowed slowly, “Good evening your Highness and Miss Applejack. I'm Cog Walker and I'm pleased to be your pilot for your pilot for your diplomatic shuttle,” he punctuated his sentence with a smile and extending his hoof to the airship. “Welcome aboard the “L'Archimède”. Do you want me to take your bags?” “This is a pleasure as well. It will be alright, thank you captain,” the alicorn answered politely as she got on and crossed the gangplank. “And please call me Twilight,” she added once she was on the ship. “Are ya sure we can thrust this plank?” Applejack questioned suspiciously as she tested the wooden gangplank with her hoof. “Don't worry Miss, the old one broke two weeks ago, this one should be solid,” the stallion observed with a small smile. “Even more, it would a very bad publicity if I had such important guests falling even before the trip begins, don't you think?” “Fair point,” The earth pony tipped her hat and got in the ship. “Might I show you your rooms?” Twilight took Applejack's saddlebags and hers in her telekinesis grasp and followed the young captain. It was very curious that he was so young in fact. She would have thought that Celestia would have sent her to an experimented traveler. She wasn't questioning her choice; she knew that Celestia’s decisions were always wise. She concluded that Cog Walker was some sort of airship prodigy. It reminded her of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns where she had seen countless students from different backgrounds, mainly from Canterlot of course, but some from far less important cities. She could make an analogy with this young stallion. To be experimented or capable didn't mean to be an old and grumpy pony. The captain got down a small staircase and through a tight corridor, large enough for only one and a half pony to fit at once. He opened two facing doors and showed them with his hoof, “I hope this will be good enough for you, ladies. The bathroom is the last door on the left. The last door on the right leads to the engine room and this one to my room. If you search the steering cabin, just go back outside and take the stairs at the back of the ship. I almost forgot, the kitchen is accessible from the deck.” Twilight looked inside one of the room. It was a small but functional room with a bed against the wall just under a circular window, a wooden desk with a chair. Some shelves were attached on the wall. She saw a mirror that seemed to be installed very recently. She chuckled slightly; stallions were often thinking that a mare would always spend countless hours in front of a mirror every morning. It was a very nice intention from the captain thought. “It will be perfect, thanks you.” “In that case, make yourselves comfortable. I'm going to get the authorization to leave the docks and we will go!” The young stallion claimed with a tremor of happiness in his voice. He left with a sustained pace. Applejack glanced quickly at him with a smile before turning to the alicorn. “Ah like him. Maybe a little bit too tensed but ah suppose it's because we've just met. Take the room ya want.” “It is his job to welcome ponies as politely as he can, and I suppose he knows why we are travelling. And I'll take this one,” Twilight added as she put her saddlebags in her new room. “Besides, I'm pretty sure it will be better after a day or two.” “Ah sure hope so. He is kinda cute, don't ya think?” the earth pony said jokingly. “Ah'm sure the old'n'fancy engineer look got you.” “You are right AJ, I think I have found love at first sight,” Twilight rolled her eyes, a small grin on her muzzle. “I am a little bit disappointed though. I was waiting for an old captain.” “Maybe he has a parrot in his steerin' cabin.” They laughed while unpacking. Twilight was glad to not be alone during this travel; she knew that with a friend by her side, everything will be alright. She was a little frightened by the upcoming visits but she could do it. She put a few books on the desk. Applejack came inside her room and looked through the window, “Do ya know how high this big thingy can go?” “It depends of your needs. It can be a few meters or a few kilometers.” “Kilometers... Darn it... That's...” the earth pony mumbled. “Last time Ah got off ground that high, t'was to go to Cloudsdale. Two years ago Ah think.” “I do remember this time. Not a very good souvenir,” Twilight winced. “Now I'll think twice before casting a spell on a friend.” Applejack took her eyes off the window and looked at the alicorn with a genuine smile, “Say Twi, Ah don't know if Ah've thank ya to have me travelin' with ya. That's very kind of ya. Plus Ah'm glad Ah can help with your princess' duties.” “I'm the one who should thank you. It would not have been the same alone.” The aircraft's engines roared under their hooves, they were being turned on. The alicorn couldn't withhold a small squeak of excitement. The airship was going to take off; the diplomatic visits were officially going to begin. After months of hard word, countless sleepless nights, her efforts were going to pay. Her excitement quickly met her natural curiosity; she wanted to see with her own eyes the ship taking off. She turned to Applejack who was giving her a wide smile. “Go ahead sugarcube, Ah know ya want to go up and watch that takin'-off. Ah follow ya, “she added with a wink. Twilight didn't wait for Applejack to repeat this. She promptly returned to the deck and looked around. Aircraft engineering was a deep well of knowledge, full of complex yet fascinating equations and physical laws. She could name a few of them; explain some of the phenomenon which played a role in the taking off. Ponies were too often thinking that you just had to heat air to lift a balloon. It was partially true, but an airship wasn't working like this at all. The alicorn saw the captain untying the ropes holding the ship on the docks. She gazed at him a few seconds; maybe he would let her help with the maneuvers. Applejack chuckled at her side, repositioned her hat and gave a small poke to Twilight, “Ya don't have to be shy Twi. He's not goin' to eat ya.” “Wait... What do you...?“ the alicorn blushed. “Do ya need some help with this, partner?” the earth pony called out the captain, not letting Twilight finish her question. Cog Walker raised his head with a rope in his teeth and smiled, “I am not supposed to make my passengers work; I wouldn't be a gentlecolt if I did so.” “Quite the contrary. Ah've a princess here who badly wants to help!” the earth pony jokingly pointed out with a wink to Twilight, whose blushes intensified. “Alright then. I wouldn't want to disappoint her!” he tilted his head to the right. “There're still five ropes to untie, and some weight to put off the deck. You could use your telekinesis. And I presume that wasn't exactly what you were waiting for; I'll show you the cockpit then,” he added quickly. “If you work well, my trusty crew, I will let you driving the ship once we will be above the sea.” Applejack gave him a genuine laugh and trotted to the nearest rope. Twilight was exulting internally. When she was a filly, she had once dreamt to become a pilot and fly all-around of Equestria. She was thrilling with impatience, plus she would be able to ask heaps of questions once they will be inside the steering cabin. She hummed a song happily as she trotted to a stack of sandbags. This flight was going to be very interesting. After she and Applejack had finished the tasks the captain had given to her, he had kept his promise and showed to Twilight all the main systems of the aircraft. She let Cog Walker alone and got with Applejack on the deck. They leaned on the iron barer at the back of the blimp to watch Manehattan fading away in the distance. As the sun was setting low, the sky was shading to the orange and, hundreds of meters below them, the ocean was quietly moving. The alicorn could see the first stars appearing like small floating candles. It was such a surrealistic view she stayed muted for a long time. “Mah brother must be bucking the last trees for today,” Applejack said eventually. “And Spike should be finishing one of his comic books. He likes to read one of them after dinner.” “Ah am going to miss them, Twi. Last time Ah left home for so long, Ah was still a small filly.” “Don't worry. You are not alone,” the alicorn reminded her with a smile. “Pinkie and Rainbow did it a few months ago; we are following their paths in some way.” “It's sounds like some sort of quest when ya put it like this, sugarcube,” The earth pony laughed. “We gonna seek for that almighty golden sculpture, ain't we?” “The golden idol of Boreas? It might be the best way of befriend the griffons but I'm not feeling like going down the bottomless pit in which it is.” “So much for the advent... Woah Nelly!” Twilight felt something hot falling on her back, making her exhale in surprise and fall on the deck. The voice of the captain was yelling behind her, “No! Vanook! Come back here!” The alicorn saw a big ball of fluffy white fur jumping back on the floor and running away from her. It took her a few seconds to understand that she had been attacked by a dog of almost half her size. Applejack was already by her side, offering her hoof to help her getting up. “Are ya okay Twi?” “Celestia, I'm so sorry Princess Sparkle! Please forgive my dog; he is always excited when he met new ponies,” Cog Walker explained quickly with embarrassment. His sentence was punctuated by the dog backing happily. “No hard feelings,” She reassured him as she got up. “I know a dog like this one,” she said with a smile to Applejack. “Winona is the sweetest dog of Equestria, don't you dare makin' fun of mah girl sugarcube,” she answered with a smirk. “I'm glad you aren't mad," the captain sighed as petting the dog to keep him next to him. "Please meet Vanook; he's my dog and copilot. Don't mind him; he is just a big ball of fur and love.” “Hello there, little one. You've got an interesting way to introduce yourself,” Twilight told to the dog as she petted him. He rolled and the floor and let the alicorn stroke him. “It seems he likes you,” Cog Walker noticed with a smile. “Anyway, I was going to make the dinner, I'll let you know when it's ready.” He left the dog and the two friends. The animal returned to the stallion eventually after a few minutes. Applejack and Twilight stayed at the back of the ship for a while, looking again to the fading city. The alicorn thought about the upcoming days, and begun to have doubts about the way she was going to befriend the griffons. She pointed out jokingly that getting the golden idol of Boreas would be the best way to befriend this kind. But what if it was the only way? She didn't forget the griffon king's will to renew with Equestria but as long as she could tell, the only time when griffons got along in recorded history was when this idol was in their possession… She breathed deeply and let her doubts go. It would be alright. She had prepared everything meticulously, and she wasn't going to fail. Travelling by airship wasn't very different from travelling by train the alicorn quickly realized. Sure, the breathtaking views and the relative silence were a big plus, but the main activity was killing time by any mean. The diner had occupied a part of her evening. She had been surprised pleasantly when she saw the meal the stallion had prepared, it were simple yet delicious salads. They had eaten together on the deck and talked about themselves. Cog Walker was the possessor of the "L'Archimède", a quite surprising fact since buying one of these was extraordinary expensive. He had received it as a legacy from his father a few years ago when he passed away. The captain used to be an engineer in Canterlot but decided to continue the familial enterprise. The Walker family had been working in the aerial transportation for five generations and were one of the most trusted family it this domain. She understood why Celestia had chosen this young stallion. He told them about previous flights he had assured for the crown or for important ponies, such as Sapphire Shore or Prince Blueblood. He had hundreds of stories and anecdotes as a experimented private transporter, even if most of them came from his father's life. Twilight found in him someone interesting from who she could learn a lot. After a one hour long dinner, she decided to spend the evening in her room with a book about griffon history. She had read it several times in the last three weeks, but she wanted to master this as much as possible. A chapter was actually far more fascinating then the other: the relation between griffons and magic. They weren't able to directly interact with magic like unicorns or zebras, but had developed mysterious means to canalize and use it. Those were old tales, and this was a long-forgotten art. The story went that they were using precious gemstones and alchemical processes to alter the very nature of matter. For example, they could change the strength of a metal, allowing them to create greater yet lighter swords without the use of alloys. The main ingredient for their art was pure gold. The alicorn believed that their greedy nature might come from this ancestral art, since they knew the value behind the gemstones and gold. The book she had been reading was a transcription of Starswirl's manuscripts of travel and it was already calling this kind of magic a long lost art, so she could assume that the griffon's alchemy had not been used for more than a millennium. A knock on her door called her back to reality. She put the book back on the bed and looked at the small clock she had brought, it was already eleven o'clock. Twilight yawned quietly and trotted to the door, behind which she saw Applejack. “Ah hope Ah'm not wakin' you up sugarcabe, did Ah?” “Not at all, I was reading. You want to come in?” “Ah want to show ya somethin' actually that ya will love,” she answered with a confident grin. “What is this?” Twilight asked curiously. “Have you found something interesting in the ship?” “More like outside of it. Now don't ya try to make me name it before ya see it. Ah ain't sayin' a word!” she tilted her head to the stairs. “Come on, ya won't regret it!” “Too bad, I love riddles. Something outside the airship you want me to see...Maybe about the sea?” Twilight wondered aloud as she followed the earth pony. “Or maybe Cog Walker showed you something with a...” “Just close your eyes and follow mah voice, Twi,” Applejack chuckled. Twilight followed the instructions and let Applejack guide her. It was a very short walk as she went what she thought to be the iron barer of the aircraft. She heard the earth pony asking the captain to shut down the light of the deck. She quickly understood what Applejack wanted her to see and opened her eyelids. She looked up to the sky and was astonished by what she was looking at. She had never seen a night sky like this one. Far from any light pollution, from any source of light, the sky was shining with thousands of stars. She could almost instinctively name all the main constellations, but there were hundreds of them she had never seen. She sat on the floor, speechless in front of the dim light of the celestial bodies. She saw on her right a shooting star which disappeared after a few seconds. Applejack sat next to hear and whispered, “Ah know ya love stargazin' and this sky was just too incredible to not let ya know 'bout it.” “I've never seen anything like this...” Twilight murmured with her eyes getting wet. “I must be dreaming...” “It gonna be our night sky for the next couple of days. Pretty neat, uh?” Applejack answered as she raised her head. “Did Ah already tell ya 'bout the time Ah had to prevent mah little sister and her friends to build a rocket in our orchards?” “Did they really...?” “Ayep. It was an idea from Scotaloo just after they met Princess Luna,“ she laughed softly. “Ah love stargazin' too. It reminds me of so much stuff... Mah big brother used to teach me some constellations.” “I could show you other if you want,” Twilight offered as she turned her head in Applejack's direction. “The sky is perfectly clear; we can see all of them.” Applejack nodded and smiled, asking if there were any constellations that Twilight though as more important than the others. This question wasn't a total nonsense actually, since the stars used to be used by navigators. Twilight pointed at a few stars, traces in the air a few constellations, counted ancient legends and told Applejack about some of the things that fascinated her the most in the universe. Her friend quietly listened to her, sometimes adding a story of her own and some facts she knew. The alicorn was amazed by the attention the earth pony was paying to her. She couldn't recall when the last time somepony had listened to her like this. She learnt during the evening about Big Macintosh's passion for astronomy and that he used to spend countless hours stargazing during his youth, sometimes with his sisters. Cog Walker had joined them later with his dog and blankets. He listened to Twilight too, sometimes explaining some old ways to navigate through the sky and the sea. They ran out of discussion eventually, just staring at the sky in silence. Twilight felt the slumber of the night slowly surrounding her as she didn't move in her blanket. She sometimes looked at Vanook sleeping at Cog Walker's hooves or Applejack. She lost track of time, thinking about the upcoming weeks. She was glad that Applejack had come with her, and that she had showed her the night sky. She stopped fighting her heavy eyelids and let them shut down with a last glance to Applejack. She felt asleep with a small smile on her muzzle.