//------------------------------// // In Which Starlight Glimmer Learns of Trouble Brewing // Story: Two Mares and a Carpet Bag // by Icenrose //------------------------------// Day 12: Trottingham A morning tour of the uptown marketplace did little to quell the restlessness that slowly built within Starlight and Trixie, though upon hearing that the mares were bound for Saddle Arabia, they were sold a ship-in-a-bottle by a curio merchant who swore it would sell for hundreds in Al’Hisan. They enjoyed a modest lunch of balsamic vinegar soaked fried potatoes and greens, then wandered over to a small park upon a hill overlooking the industrial district to watch the Hoofaestus come in. Starlight watched as a small army of porters gathered below, and griffons and pegasi soared above to pull back the cloud cover from the sky. “Seems like a lot of fuss for just one airship.” “Mm-hmm,” Trixie nodded as she squinted at the eastern horizon. It began as a low rumbling noise, as though a particularly severe thunderstorm was rolling in. “There,” Trixie pointed, and Starlight saw an enormous anvil-shaped cloud moving towards Trottingham against the wind. Their jaws fell as it became clear that it was no mere cloud, but the largest airship they had ever seen. The Hoofaestus’s envelope alone was larger than two steamships side-by-side. Her hull was obscured by a mass of angry storm clouds, boiling and folding in on themselves as the ship approached. Violent bolts of lightning arced from the clouds to strike strategically placed lightning rods surrounding the landing area, increasing in frequency until there was a constant electrical discharge linking the ship to the ground. The Hoofaestus descended slowly until it nestled within its docking cradle. The electrical discharge ceased as the storm clouds dissipated, revealing cloud generator coils the size of two ponies standing on top of one-another. They were fixed to a skeletal steel superstructure which barely contained a massive cargo hold and little else. It was around this point that Starlight remembered to blink. She turned to see Trixie with an almost manic grin on her face, and couldn’t help but smile herself. “C’mon, let’s go introduce ourselves.” Trixie only giggled. To Starlight's dismay, the swarm of porters and other hired hooves flying about the ship made it impossible to get in contact with any of the crew before they vanished into the city to enjoy a night’s shore leave. They managed to learn that the ship would not depart until ten o’clock the next morning, and so they vowed to return bright and early to secure their passage. Hope’s Refuge was even more crowded and rowdy that night as a pair of griffons on guitar and lute and a pair of pegasi on bongos and fiddle led the crowd through a long succession of bawdy reels. Trixie was in the thick of things, casting pyrotechnics and prestidigitations between each suggestive verse. Enraptured by her siren song He asked, “Why is your tail so long?” She leaned to whisper in his ear, “The better to whip you with, my dear!” The constant noise, the oppressive heat of so many bodies in such a cramped space, and the stink of sour ale, sea salt, and sweaty dander proved too much for Starlight. She stepped out a side door into the alleyway to get some fresh air. Of course, the alley was where the garbage was stacked, and the stench of rotting fish made her gag. She trotted towards the nearest open road, tasting bile. Just as Starlight was about to round the corner, somepony careened into her with enough force to send her tumbling to the ground, scuffing a knee in the process. “Ow! Dammit, watch where you’re-” She gasped as she realized her accidental assailant was a rather heavily pregnant zebra mare, laden with a pair of saddlebags. Starlight immediately changed her tone as she got her hooves underneath herself. “Omigosh, I am so sorry! Are you okay?” The zebra mare looked flustered as she replied in a low, halting voice, “I am okay, and I am not okay, pony. I am sorry for running you down.” She took a few steps past Starlight, further down the alley. “I want to get off the road before somepony sees me. Are you well?” A scuffed knee being nothing to worry about, considering, Starlight laughed it off. “Oh, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” Her brow knitted together as the zebra’s words, and her lack of rhyming, sank in. “Are you in some sort of trouble, miss…?” Starlight could have sworn she saw some of the color drain out of the zebra’s facial stripes as her ears flattened back. “I-I must go. Please, do not remember me, pony.” She turned away and started back down the alley. Starlight hurried after her. “Wait! Is there anything I can do to help?” The zebra paused, and half-turned her head to give Starlight a sad sidelong glance. “No. Nopony can save my homeland from destroying itself. I only hope I reach the Crystal Empire before…” She cast a self-conscious glance at her belly. Starlight offered what she hoped was a sympathetic smile as she said, “Well, I know there’s a steamship called the Essence of Bergamot that’s leaving port tomorrow morning for Manehattan. Tell them Starlight and Trixie sent you, they’ll be happy to have you aboard. From Manehattan it should be pretty easy to catch a train heading to the Crystal Empire.” Ears slowly pricking back up again, the zebra smiled. “Thank you, friend pony. It is good to not run while blind.” Starlight’s reply was cut off by a pair of laughing, drunk pegasi as they swooped overhead between the buildings. The zebra’s ears flattened again as she said, “I must go. Thank you for your kindness, friend pony. I hope to meet more like you before my journey ends.” With that, she hustled down the alley as fast as her swollen belly would allow. Starlight sighed to herself as she watched her go, then turned back towards the main road to leave. As she neared the open road, a glint of reflected lamplight caught her eye. She looked down to see a small obsidian case, intricately carved with symbols she didn’t recognize. Opening it, she discovered a small bundle of black and green feathers, bound to a white stone with a length of some type of cord. The stone was also engraved with mysterious symbols. When Starlight levitated the charm out of its case, it practically sang with contained magical energy, and the stone - no, it was bone, she realized - was cold to the touch when she placed it on her upturned hoof. Unnerved, she hastily replaced it in its case and snapped the lid shut. The thought struck her that the zebra mare may have dropped it in their collision, but she was long gone. Starlight exhaled through her nose, then, not wanting to wade back through the crowded, noisome tavern, teleported back up to her room. She found it difficult to fall asleep as she turned the zebra’s words over in her mind. The Zebrahara was a long way away, and to travel so far in her condition... Trixie stumbled through the door, slurring half-remembered lyrics to herself, and passed out fully clothed upon her bed mid-stanza. Obnoxious snoring promptly filled the room. Grumbling to herself, Starlight got back out of bed and repacked their bags, transferring the smaller items to the saddlebags for easier carrying. She considered the obsidian case for a moment, then packed it in her saddlebags as well. Lacking anything else to do, Starlight returned to bed and scowled at the ceiling. Eventually Trixie’s snores gentled as she settled into deeper slumber, and the slow susurrus of her breathing lulled Starlight to sleep.