Caravel

by Odd_Sarge

Packing Up

Training with Heavy Keel was… actually not that bad, that and there was nothing else too complicated to learn about the B.U.B.B.L.E. Sure, he pushed me to some extreme limits, and past limits I hadn’t even known I had set for myself. I didn’t even know that a hoof could reach that far back after tripping on a rock, and yet still not hurt. Oh, and now my hoof starts to throb again. Just my luck.

I’d had my fun running around the clearing, which gave way to running through overgrown paths that animals took between the pond and their homes, and finally ended with me doing some actual military-esque exercises that left me with grim reminders of middle school. It’s like dodgeball, but with clawfuls of sand. He calls it “Dodge the Sandball.” Creative, I know.

After having my eyes filled with sand too many times for my liking, we returned to the clearing. The process to disabling the B.U.B.B.L.E. was simple, involving just a small bit of physical contact against the very top of the beryllium shell and an extra bit of willful thought. I followed his instructions and watched the transparent bubble around me dissipate. As it dissipated, the black cube returned to me. I placed the device back into the bag it had arrived in, and instead of placing the bag back into the chest, I opted to sling the satchel around my shoulder and across my left side. It was heavy, but I could handle it. The captain also seemed to approve.

“Looks good, now, what do ya’ say we head on back, you have yourself a snack, some rest, and then head down under?” Noting that the moon was still in the sky, and the fact that I had not eaten since my panic earlier in the day, or yesterday as it was, I nodded.

We made our way back the way we came, following a newly trodden path I had made with a combination of my sabre to cut through and the repeated stomping of my hooves as I ran through the jungle earlier, ducking and weaving beneath the trees to keep my speed.

The beach remained quiet as ever. I smiled, took in a deep breath of the salty sea air, and let out a pleased sigh. As long as the captain had some food in store on the ship, this was going to be great.

“Please board the rowing boat now if you wish to come aboard the RES Keel.” I rolled my eyes and began pushing the boat off of the sandy beach and back into the water.

“Is that what you’re going to call it now?” He grinned at me as I clambered into the boat and set the bag down. I grabbed hold of the two oars on the sides of the boat with my telekinesis.

“You know it! Start rowing, passenger!”

“Since when did the passenger become the sailor?” I asked with exaggerated annoyance.

“Ever since you whined about being called a passenger!” He laughed easily as we pushed away from the shore.

---

I honestly don’t know what was going through the mind of this ‘collector’ when he started filling the cargo bay with materials. There was a whole lot of quantity, but not much in terms of variety. What could a collector have so much of, but little of anything else? Simple.

Packing peanuts. So, many, Celestia forbidden packing peanuts. Unluckily, a moment after entering below deck, I had picked up a nearby pry bar with telekinesis and jacked a crate open, showering me in packing peanuts. Heavy Keel warned me that it would probably not be wise to open another crate, his suggestion supported by the fact I was covered in the foam peanuts. Of course, we couldn’t just dump them overboard, so the cargo hold was filled with packing peanuts for the time being. Keel told me that the collector was probably using all the peanuts for carefully shipping artifacts without damage, but I didn’t support that theory. This pony didn’t just get packing peanuts to keep his collection safe, he loved packing peanuts a little too much. Anyways...

I sighed and rubbed my temple with a hoof turning to examine the other crates. Sadly, the labels on most of them had been scrawled out with marker. Luckily, Keel was apparently a griffon-wizard and managed to dunk his transparent head into the containers to see what they are. He did good in that regard; he found a couple crates filled with bananas. Haybinger Port didn’t just bring bananas into town, and those that did were usually sent off through inland trading. It was strange to see bananas again after living on the coast of Equestria for almost a year. I didn’t mind though, it was free food.

After I had opened a crate of bananas, my snack became a few bananas. Keel’s meal consisted of a single packing peanut randomly chosen from of the pile laid out on the floor. He chewed one, and immediately fell, or should I say keeled over in feign death. After that we moved back up deck. I took a moment to lean up against the edge of the ship again with a pleased smile on the slowly rising sun. A yawn escaped me, which I tried my best to suppress with a hoof. The excitement earlier in the day had worn off now, and I was now nearing the end of a full all-nighter doing things with a ghostly captain.

“When exactly did you start your day?” Keel had snuck up on me once more. I checked a pocket watch in my coat pocket. Six forty-eight in the morning.

“Over twenty-four hours ago, Cap’n Keel,” I smiled over at the captain. Heavy Keel was now also leaned up over the edge, watching the sun rise over the ocean. I returned to watching, joined by his gaze.

“That’s no good for a colt your age.”

“I’m sixteen-years-old.”

“That’s still young!”

“You probably don’t have to sleep, lucky griffon you.” I ended my sentence with another yawn and smacked my lips loudly.

“Believe me, when you get to my age, you’ll be saying quite the opposite.” Tossing my hooves off the edge I turned to Keel, who was still staring at the sun.

“Any place you have in specific that you want me to sleep?” He turned and shrugged.

“The crew quarters downstairs might be your best bet, but that’s doesn’t have a lot of room to breath.” I nodded.

“Of course, you could sleep in the cabin up here. I have no use for it anymore.” I tapped a hoof against my chin thoughtfully. Sleep in a cramped area with a hard bed, or on a nice couch in the captain’s cabin…

“Hard choice,” I chuckled. “I’ll take the cabin.” He smiled and waved me off to bed. As I made myself comfortable in the cabin, Keel continued to watch the rising sun. Once the sun had fully erected itself in the sky, Keel made way from the deck and back to the cargo bay. We had stored the chest there, which Keel cracked open with a claw. Heavy Keel pulled Bowspirit from the chest, along with the bolts and set them down carefully on the floor.

Captain Heavy Keel got to work while I slept away.