Legend of the Loch

by not the real VAV

Legend of the Traveler

Whirlpool smiled. “That’s funny. Sorry, I have things I need to attend to.” He turned around and started to leave.

“Wait!”

The blue stallion glanced back at Jessie. “What is it?”

“I’m serious! I won’t be a bother, I swear! I-I’ll make sure to keep out of your way.” The orange pony walked up to Whirlpool Sturgeon, looking hopeful. He played on his puppy dog eyes and quivered his lip for extra effect.

All the fisherpony did was raise his eyebrows.

“I am heartless angler. That isn’t going to work on me.”

Jessie frowned. “Come on! Please?”

Whirlpool rolled his eyes. “Come along. We can talk while I get my well-deserved boat.”

“Where are you from? I could tell you weren’t speaking English back there but-,”

“I was speaking Spanish. I’m actually from Ireland. South in County Cork. But when I got my cutiemark in fishing, I knew there wasn’t enough there for me. So I left. Got on a boat to South America. I live in a part of Peru and take trips to the Amazon often. There are some real monsters there.”

Jessie Loch kept up, wondering if he’d say anything about the monster he was after.

“So…why are you here?”

“I heard I can find tope.”

Jessie nodded. “You can. But is that the only reason you’re here? For tope? Surely there are other types of sharks where you’ve visited.”

Whirlpool nodded.

“Yeah. Even caught a bull shark once. That bastard nearly tore out my arm.” The captain Iron Hull told them about was coming into view. “Nice cods here, too. And some stingrays. But yeah, that’s it.”

The orange earthpony frowned, a bit disappointed. “If I do come…would you be interested in looking for the Loch Ness Monster?”

Whirlpool Sturgeon chuckled. “Maybe. If I have time.”

If I have time, Jessie though, annoyed. You make time for Nessie.

“What’s the biggest thing you’ve caught?” he asked, quelling his anger.

The stallion in front of him thought deeply as the sailor possibly willing to take the out came closer. “…that’s a tough one…I think it would be the Goliath Tigerfish. Or maybe the Beluga Sturgeon. I also hear I could possibly catch a Greenland Shark. That’d be nice. It’s been on my list for years.”

The duo caught the attention of the mare.

“And you are?” The white mare asked.

“Whirlpool Sturgeon. Expert fisherpony. I travel the world-,”

“Don’t care,” Whirlpool looked taken before grumbling and let her continue. “But if you need a trip out, I’ll take ya out.”

Whirlpool smirked.

“But it’ll cost ya.” He frowned.

“How much?” he inquired.

The mare grinned, happy to get a possible customer. “Twenty five bits for a short round. Fifty for a day. Ranges from one hundred to two fifty if ya want more.”

A bag of bits, a large bag, hit the wooden planks with a loud SPLINK! Jessie’s eyes went wide. It was over flowing with bits.

“Three hundred and forty four bits are in that bag,” he raised a navy blue hoof and pointed at the tan sack. “That enough for a week on the Loch? Including food?”

The mare was clearly trying to play it cool but Jessie could see a glint of surprise in her periwinkle eyes. There may have been some very gracious, generous greed, too.

“Alright. I’ll take ya out. Can I ask what you’re planning to catch?” she asked with her Scottish accent. She led them on the boat but began eyeing the orange colored follower suspiciously.

Whirlpool paid no mind, glad he got a decent trip out.

“Cods, flounders, but ones bigger than normally caught. And If I’m lucky,” he smirked and leaned close to her. “A Greenland Shark.”

The mare rolled her eyes. “Unlikely but who am I to judge.”

She held out her hoof. “Garnet Tide. Captain of the S.S. Uganda.”

Whirlpool stifled a laugh but did raise an eyebrow. “Uganda?”

Garnet lightly blushed before arguing, “The stallion who sold me it was from Africa and he had a thick accent and it was hard to understand. He either said ‘Uganda’ or ‘Ooh Panda’.” She ended with a mock accent.

The angler chuckled.

“So when are we-,”

“Nettie! Wait! Don’t forget me!”

Garnet Tide sighed and nodded at a frantic unicorn. He was a pure golden shade with gray eyes and a light blue mane. Even from his distance, Jessie could see his cutiemark was an eight point star. On the top, right, left, and bottom, in big letters, was: N, E, S, and W.

The cardinal directions.

“This is my navigator-,” Garnet gestured to the stallion entering the boat. He made a leap across the docks while feeling the ground nervously. Jessie thought this was rather odd. “Cardinal Atlas.”

As Atlas came closer, the Scot and South American native’s eyes went big.

Their navigator, the one who’d lead the boat. The one who’d give them directions. The one who’d keep them from getting lost at sea . . .

was blind.

Author's Note:

OOOH SHEET! Wuz gonna happen next?

Comments

[Really Big Shoe]

The plot thickens! And the navigator is blind? What a tweest!
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