Chapter 15 - Arrival
Beach
The rest of the day went underway. Soon, night had arrived at the beach, and activity was winding down; though the same could not be said within the ship, where another meeting was underway.
“Gentlemen,” the ships’ captain said.
He stood before a window at this quarters, hands at his back.
“We have been here for a few days now, and I think we need to address now regarding our return trip.”
He left the window and walked back to face his listeners.
“We found new land, established contact with the natives, surprising as it was, and we got enough information to make a suitable report for when we return.”
“I take it this is a matter of our supplies,” said Lemaur.
“That is correct,” the captain replied.
“While those ponies were hospitable enough to replenish our water supplies, I’m afraid that in terms of food we are still facing an ever-dwindling amount.”
“Surely we are still not in danger of running out?” asked Álvarez.
“Not for the moment, but we are getting closer to the point we could run out during the return trip,” the captain answered.
“Now, we could afford that if it’s just a day or two from arriving back to Bacalar; and if we ration, we could prolong our stay here, but I don’t think the crew would like to go through with it.”
“If only those ponies could also help us there, like with the water,” Álvarez said.
“Even if we could convey that, the time it would take to bring us anything might make it moot,” Austin pointed out.
“Perhaps there is hope,” Guerrero spoke, taking out a piece of paper.
“Earlier today their leader drew more on the map he made two days ago.”
He placed it on the desk, with everyone gathering to look. The map itself remained the same, in its simplicity. What was added, however, was an arrow that departed from the castle on the mountain, following the river, then following the beach to their location. Back on the area with the castle, three horse heads were also added, side by side, near where the arrow began.
“Wait… are those horns?” Austin pointed out, surprised.
Indeed, all three heads had horns drawn from their foreheads.
“Unicorns? There are also unicorns out there!?” Lemaur said.
“This land gets more extraordinary by the day,” the captain commented.
“More mythical horses, huh,” Álvarez commented.
“Then what, these unicorns are coming this way?”
“Judging from that arrow, it seems that way,” Guerrero answered.
“We believe that must have been what the ones that flew in yesterday were here for, to deliver the news.”
“Hmm, too bad we didn’t brought women with us,” Lemaur commented, earning a chuckle from the ship’s captain.
“Do these unicorns favor women?” Austin asked.
“Well, some myths say that only virgins can approach and tame them, but I doubt it is going to apply here,” the captain answered.
“In any case, I would like to point out something perhaps more important about them,” Guerrero said, pointing a finger to the drawn heads.
“Are two of them supposed to be wearing crowns?” Álvarez said.
“Well, it’s not that surprising, if they do have a castle,” Austin pointed out.
“But are you telling me their monarchs are actually coming this way to meet us?”
“Seems to be that way,” Guerrero replied.
“Perhaps it is their customs,” the captain commented.
“After all, even if they weren’t ponies, we are nonetheless dealing with a foreign culture.”
“That can say a lot about them, although I would at least expect these monarchs would be arriving with a significant escort nonetheless,” Austin said.
“And what about the last one?” the captain asked.
“It looks like it’s wearing a pointed hat rather than a crown.”
“Probably also important, if it was drawn with the others,” Guerrero theorized.
“Probably an old chancellor, if the long… beard signifies age,” Austin said; the word ‘beard’ being pronounced with a tone of doubt, however.
“In any case, if we are to meet their leaders, we must prepare accordingly,” Lemaur said.
“Thankfully, we can now avoid the… spectacle from days ago.”
They all murmured in agreement while nodding their heads.
“Were they able to convey the time of their arrival?” Lemaur continued.
“In a way…” Guerrero recalled back.
Guerrero was slightly confused, as he stared at the recently drawn heads.
Horns? He tried to recall if he ever heard of such a thing as horses with horns. That was certainly new, either way. I will have to ask about this later, he finally concluded, failing to have come up with an answer. He was more intrigued, if anything, by the crowns they had, two of them at least.
In any case, he couldn’t dwell on it longer as Captain Wing Shield was now pointing at the heads with a hoof, and then moved the limb to now point at the sun. Guerrero kept watching as the pony’s limb moved again so it was now extending forward, and then made a circular motion. The motion ended up being more of an oval shape, but Guerrero hadn’t failed to understand its meaning.
“So, a day,” Lemaur said.
“That should still give us enough time to get the men in line.”
“Should we at least let them know already?” Álvarez asked.
Guerrero shook his head.
“No, it’s getting late and some men have possibly already fallen asleep,” he replied.
“But it should be told first thing in the morning.”
“Hmm, winged ponies, unicorns… anyone have the feeling there could be more mythical equines out there?” Lemaur asked.
“A kingdom of horses…” Álvarez pondered.
“Well, perhaps it was a good idea we didn’t brought any of ours.”
Everyone turned to face him.
“That… is a good point,” Guerrero said, before turning to face back the others.
“Perhaps we should not bring that up, at least for the time being.”
Monterrey, Alta California Territory
It was the still around the early afternoon at the Californias. The territory’s capital of Monterrey, despite its remote location compared to the rest of the country, was nonetheless quite aware of their new situation thanks to being close to the country’s new coastal edges. Or close enough to go and find out once word was sent from Mexico City, at the very least. Messages would be sent south, towards the country’s capital, responses would come back, but the sheer distance made the whole ordeal a lengthy matter. As such, the Alta California was mostly minding its own business for the most part, as it did before the rest of the world disappeared.
Meanwhile, at the governor’s residence…
“Would you like some wine?”
“Ah, yes, thank you.”
Governor Luis Antonio Argüello had received a guest in the early morning. It was a surprise for many at Monterrey, since it was none other than Fort Ross administrator Pavel I. Shelikhov, but not to Argüello. He had been waiting for Shelikhov to come, and now they were seated at his dining room, where a servant was pouring the offered wine.
“I apologize it took so long to come here,” Shelikhov said, grabbing his wine-filled glass and taking a sip.
“Repairing our ships has taken even longer than anticipated.”
The man’s Spanish was decent enough. As expected, he had an accent, but his grasp on the language was enough for communication.
“Not that it matters now, with the whales passing through,” he continued.
“It left no choice but to travel by land.”
“I take it there were no problems on the way?” Argüello asked, grabbing his own glass.
“None regarding our safety, anyway,” Shelikhov answered, taking another sip.
“But it was mostly the same situation. Concerned men and women asking if it was true we lost contact with the motherland. Asking if we could at least contact our people in Alaska. Some even regretting they came here, considering what happened.”
He stared at his glass for a moment before facing back to Argüello.
“I’ll head straight to the point. After you sent word your country’s government was sending expeditions across the seas, we decided to organize one of our own.”
“Oh, really?” Argüello was surprised.
“Will you travel where Russia once was?”
“It could be possible,” Shelikhov answered.
“But perhaps it is too risky, not knowing if anything replaced it. Perhaps we’ll simply follow the whales north. We should still have some weeks before they finish passing through.”
“So do you want for that to be delivered south?” Argüello said, sipping from his own glass.
“In part,” Shelikhov placed his now empty glass on the table.
“But speaking of delivering news, what has been the latest word from Mexico?”
“It seems they are finally addressing the matter,” was the answer.
“The president and congress would dedicate these last few days to go over almost every issue arising from our new situation, which does include the fate of those now left stranded, like your people.”
“Ah, splendid,” Shelikhov smiled.
“Perhaps we can reach a suitable agreement.”
“Depends for who it may be suitable,” Argüello put down his now empty glass too.
“The area can no longer be acquired by Russia, after all.”
“Yes yes, we are quite aware,” Shelikhov replied.
“I can bet Zavalishin was disappointed once he heard we are no longer there, wherever he and the rest of Russia are now. But rest assured, if only due to necessity, we can't afford to make enemies of the Mexican government.”
“That may be good to know,” Argüello said.
“Do you want some more wine?”
“Of course.”
March 21
East of the Western Coastline
North of the camps lied the area where the river that flowed all the way from Canterlot finally poured itself onto the ocean. Not far from the river mouth was Thunderbolt, having flown here since the early morning. Midday was approaching, and as he flew further inland, he could already see the delegation in the distance, coming from the opposite direction.
He descended enough and kept flying. It didn’t take long before he was finally spotted, and sure enough, the delegation began to slow down. As it did, he closed the remainder gap before stopping in midair just before the now immobile float.
“Ah, Thunderbolt, it is good to see you again,” Starswirl said as the pegasus bowed.
“Lord Starswirl, your highnesses,” Thunderbolt bowed.
“I take it Captain Wing Shield has sent you to debrief us,” Starswirl inquired.
“Yes, milord,” Thunderbolt replied.
“Thunderbolt, was it?” Celestia said.
“You must be tired from flying all the way here. Please, sit down so you can explain while we resume our course,” she motioned with a hoof at the floor of the float.
“Yes, your highness,” Thunderbolt bowed again before doing so.
“Alright, let’s resume our march!” A voice was heard, and almost immediately the delegation was on the move once again.
It was the first time Thunderbolt was seeing the alicorn sisters this close. It was hard to believe they were practically unheard of until recently; and suddenly, they show up, and stop Discord. Then there’s the fact they can pull on their own what groups of unicorns need to work in unison to do so, and of course, they possess the traits of all three types of ponies. As such, it was not much of a surprise, that they were being adopted into the royal family because of it.
Despite so, they still had their differences, Thunderbolt could notice. Outside the most obvious ones, like the sun and moon thing. The one who had spoken to him, Celestia, sat straight in her throne, at full attention. Her sister, however, had a forelimb resting to the side, and her head resting on the hoof. He noticed she had a bit of a bored expression, at least until Starswirl mentioned the debriefing, and though she replaced it with one that showed curiosity, she had remained in the same pose. A sign of different attitudes, but perhaps it wasn’t really that surprising.
As expected of siblings, no matter who they are, Thunderbolt mused.
Perhaps he wasn’t that off the mark. In any case, he wasn’t here to compare them with Thundershock and himself. He had a job to do, and even though they would take longer to arrive at the camps than the time he spent coming this way, he wasn’t going to waste it. It would serve them better that way, anyway.
“As you know, I wasn’t there when the first contact was made,” Thunderbolt began.
Beach
The human camp bustled with activity since the afternoon began. People moved things around as others hauled things back to the ship and from it. Tents would be relocated or outright dismantled altogether. The news had been spread already of their eventual visitors, and thus, the day had been dedicated to preparing for their arrival.
“So, what do you think they be like?” One man said, as he carried a crate.
“More horses, what else could they be?” The man beside him replied, also carrying a crate.
“No no no, I meant how they would behave,” the first man shook his head.
“They’re royalty, no?” Another replied, who had a barrel with him.
“Probably not different from any other.”
“But coming all the way here?” The second man said.
“Doesn’t sound like what a king would do.”
“What do I know,” the third man shrugged.
“Besides, they’re horses. Who knows how they think.”
The three soon reached their destination, the edge of camp, where they placed their things. A crate stacked on top the other with the barrel on its own to the side.
“Well, so far things haven’t been bad,” the first man said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“Though I’d still wish to know when we are leaving this place.”
“Who knows when that is, but it has likely been extended due to this,” the man who carried the barrel replied.
“But it might not even take too much time. Not like we can do much if we can’t understand them.”
Meanwhile, in another part of camp…
“Are you sure?” Lemaur asked.
“Yes sir,” the man with him replied.
“We reached further south than previous days. We began to notice that far in the distance the land began to turn into that of a desert.”
“Was there anything else of note?”
“We believe the landmass beings to extend west as well. All things considered, we might have disembarked in a gulf, with its southern region bordering said desert.”
“Hmm, that could be possible,”Lemaur mused.
He remembered the drawn map. It was very simplistic, but it showed the land extended west after going enough distance to the north. Perhaps it was indeed a gulf, but further exploration would be needed. Or perhaps not.
“Very well, recall the men. I think that is enough exploration,” Lemaur said.
“Besides, I don’t think requesting maps of the region will be hard to convey to them once they arrive.”
“Yes sir,” the man then left.
“A desert? That sounds surprising,” a voice was heard.
Lemaur turned around, seeing Austin approaching.
“We are in a very tropical latitude for a desert to be further south,” he continued.
“Well, to be honest Mister Austin, at this point I can no longer trust things here to work entirely like we expect them to,” Lemaur said.
“Ever since the flying ponies?” Austin asked.
“Wish I could say since the rest of the world vanished, but yes,” Lemaur replied.
Activity at the pegasi camp was no less hectic in comparison, as the arrival of the delegation also meant they were doing their fair share of preparations.
They should be arriving at any moment now, Wing Shield thought.
He stood at the northern edge of camp, glancing between further northwards and upwards at the position of the sun. He wasn’t alone, as a few ponies were nearby, tending to their armors.
“I can’t believe I’ll finally meet the ponies who overthrew Discord,” one of them said, while inspecting his helmet.
“Me neither,” another added, polishing his.
“First visitors from across the sea, and now this? I didn’t expect a simple patrol would turn into all this.”
“Well, that was the point of our patrol,” a third spoke up.
“We simply lucked out.”
“Who knows, maybe the ones at the east coast also found something,” the first one said, putting his helmet back on.
“I’d think they wouldn’t be coming this way if there was,” the third replied.
“Perhaps we just sent word first,” the second one shrugged.
“In any case, we have a more pressing matter to focus right now.”
And as they continued their talk, Wing Shield turned in their direction for a moment, and turned back with a smile.
It’s good to see them so dedicated.
“Captain!”
Wing Shield’s thoughts were interrupted by the sudden shout. Glancing upwards, he saw Keen Eyes flying towards him, and landed just before him. The nearby pegasi glanced at them. Keen Eyes didn’t spoke, but they all knew at this point what his descent meant.
“They’re here,” Wing Shield simply said.
“Can you see them?”
Guerrero and the ship’s captain were on the deck, the latter using his spotting scope.
“Wait…” the captain began.
“Yes… yes, I see them!”
As soon they were informed that activity at the pegasi camp had shifted, they had come quickly to the deck. It wasn’t hard to deduce why.
“It’s almost a pity we can’t have a vantage point like they can, with their flight,” Guerrero mused.
“I could agree. Too bad we didn’t have a balloon to bring with us,” the captain replied, lowering his spotting scope.
“Perhaps it’s for the best. We still have some time, if barely,” Guerrero started to make his way to the ramp.
“It is time to make a better first impression.”
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This one being worse than most. We're having a first contact happening and the people on the mainland have no clue whatsoever of the monumental events unfolding.
That's going to lead to a fun few weeks trying to convince everyone they're not crazy when they get back.
8856769
Well, I was actually referring to the situation of people that only happened to be passing through or temporarily visiting a place, thus being separated from their homes, their families, their friends, or some combination.
But yeah, I suppose that's also a downside. When you have an entire country flung into another world, big groups tend to miss out when stuff happens.
You could always provide a synopsis for the events on Earth via blog. If you are planning to make a story about it, please provide a link.
I would assume that Spain at least has mixed feelings. On the one hand, they cant get New Spain back.
On the other, they could see this as gods punishment for leaving the Empire or for embracing Republicanism.