You're Here!

by Arn

Port

After the days' ride with addled mares the captain put most off in an outpost in the mountains, of whom the peckish things were nibbling the rigging, the whole spirit of the ship changed. In Marigold thoughts and oppinion, things were going to start looking up!

The bed in the stateroom was great! It was nice to have some privacy after days being on the ship's deck and nice to talk to such an amicable pony as Para Tefe, she also couldn't ask for a better roommate very soft spoken, very quiet.

So very quiet Para Tefe, that in the morning, when Marigold woke up, Para Tefe had cleaned up and packed up before Marigold woke up!

Marigold washed up quickly, packed out and headed to the decks. Light travel with saddle bags! Turn down the bed, head out the door! It was still dark outside. She found Para Tefe on deck bouncing on her hoof tips.

Ignoring Marigold completely.

Marigold wa upset, she thought they had bonded as friends."Maybe if I bid her good morning and ask..."

All questions dried up as she watched the mighty teams of Pegisi and shadowy Thestrals, among them, in the dark it was the Thestrals in charge, straining at the harnesses.

Such a strange sight hardly seen, but that wasn't the only thing made her stare, strange hulking shapes moved in the dark, all around them, like deep sea leviathans lumbering along, dark and muddy colored. Capital airspace was packed and stacked with airships! Every size and color and kind, as the ship's lamps iluminated eack one close, balloons that rippled on the breeze.

She came out of her stupor when she saw the docks, the Cloudy Dream passed the docks. Marigold's heart sank.

If she had just waited later and caught another airship, she would have gotten to the capital earlier!

They came around again, they passed the docks. They were in traffic pattern.
" It may take all day to land!"she thought.
They began to make a wider circle.
"No. Days to land!"

"Why so sad?" Asked captain Updraft who had slipped up unnoticed beside her under the light of flickering lamps.

"I can tell!"said Marigold."I'm going to be late! I should have caught a later ship!"

"Ohhhh..."said the captain as he turned swishing his tail and slowly walked off, heading to the steering house.

As soon as he was out of sight, things started to happen. First the pegasi, blind in the dark of early morning, and thestral leading, , and began pulling the ropes laterally instead of forward. Next, two crew appeared and raced passed, towards the back of the ship. They carried great horns, that reflected the lantern light with a gleam, these were silver.

It was then that Marigold noticed the ship was headed for the very jagged peak above the city.

Then, in the dark, the ship began to swing round, this was done by mostly pegasi grabbing hold of the ship's sides as they darted to the ship like swallows. The others made the lines go limp as the others turned they ship. Marigold could feel the effot as the ship halted when it had fully turned. Marigold felt queasy at the turning , others just laughed, her stomache tried to ontinue the turn but with effort she held her meal the night befor down.

Gliding backward, momentum continued carrying the ship in the same direction. The Pegisi let go, joining their brother thestrals, pulling the ship backward.

Marigold couldn't see what was going on behind, where they were going. She headed to the back.

Behind them was a huge cave, Marigold could see work was being done on other ships inside under large lanterns. A pony, deep within was circling torches in patterns, coded patterns. Another, in the back of the Cloudy Dream, barely seen in the ship's and early morning light was doing the same, signaling with flags. It was apparent he was signaling more pegisi at the ropes, coming on duty, from the ship's sides, replacing yawning thestrals.

All thestrals managed to get to their perches save one desperately struggling at his harnesses, the moment the sun's light hit he went as limp as a boned fish. The crews at the ropes began to groan and swear at the added weight, trying to wake up the floppy thing ,content to stay there like cats craddle, dipping the tow line, but it was no use. There would be no waking that one up! Two pegasi flew out like cherubs hovering over him unbuckling the straps as another pegisi waited.

"Couldn't you have have unbuckled faster you big lug?"
"I know he's heavy but he's your husband!"
"Ya isn't it great!"
"Oof."the other said as his weight came on their backs."Did you have to feed him so much?"
"He likes my cooking. What can I say?"

The team let out a groan of releif when the thestral fell onto the backs of the two mares as the rope vibrated like a cello string. The other pegasi buckled himself with the others. Tried too.

"Babe?" He look at her with expectant eyes."Can you help buckle me in?"
She look at the other.

"Five second glide time, then I'm out of range, you have to remberse me my time hiking back!"

"Five seconds.Ready?"

"Ready!"

She let go of the other, and began to glide with the thestral on her back.

Babe sinched up the straps on the male making him let out a gasp.

"Great!" he winced. "Catch up to Spoon Shine!" she was already gone.

Two signals came from inside the cave.
The flag pony on the back of the ship signalled the two ponies with the horns on either side, first one, then the other. They mounted the great silver horns cleaning them rapidly with cloth to a shine polish. Again the flag pony signaled the ponies with the horns. They turned the horns outward and began to blow short brief notes as the suns light glinted of them, blinking.

"Beep!" Went the one on the right.

"Beep!" Went the one on the left.

"Beep!"right."Beep!"Left."Beep!" right."Beep!"Left.

The flag pony frowned for each individualized note, angry at the lack of uniformity.

"BEEp!Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!Beeep!Beep!"

The sounds were now constant regular and identical, the flagspony front turned to one satisfied of the noise and he nodded his approval as the airship continued floating backwards into the cave as he signaled his compadre at the other end of the cave.

Yelling, as crews tossed ropes to waiting dockies as the pegisi embraced the ship, slowing it down. It found its moor with a quiet click.

"Good job lads!"cried the captain."Tie those ropes ready for inspection, then you can have shore!"

"Ya...only the best galley food. Oh! And enjoy sunning on the gangways while the city is full of mares!" dumbfound silence was followed by the laughter from the crews as they realized. "Yup. We're trapped in this cave for a while."

Captain Tackey Tea gave the catcalls a shrug and waved it off with the back of his hoof and a grunt.

"You're here!" said the captain with his wife in tow."How do you like that? Right to the repair docks, into the very capital's heart!"

"For me..?"

Saffron laughed."Oh my no!" she smiled."I like you like a daughter Marigold, but we had this all planned from the beginning." She patted the railing."This ship is special..."

"How so?"

The captain and his wife told her the tale of how their two ships collided over the capital. After crews were done fighting, they limped to the repair dock. The forepony told them the ships were a total loss, but...if he could put them together as one....

As the building began, a strange thing happened. The crew began to join together in twos. Saffron and the Captain were the last surrendered to destiny when they saw their cabins and inbuilt furniture, were merged together..

"How romantic, like Odyssey."she sighed sadly. "But I'm still late."pouted Marigold.

"I wouldn't be so sure!"said the flagpony as he climbed down a ladder to the deck. "I just had news! The selections have been postponed to today!"

"Really?!!"Marigold asked holding tight the rail as she leaned over to ask the pony.

"Absolutely!" he replied. "Some backlog at the pens. It started off well but some stupid fool stallion tried to throw himself into an incineration pit."

Marigold clapped her hooves to her cheeks turning red with emotion as she let out a squeal.
"Everything is ok! I won't be late! Aplenty of males to chose from!"

In an instant, Marigold was whisked away to a small room. Inside a mare was kneading dow. Great confusion cover Marigold's face.

"Captain?" said the mare, out of old habit, kneeding dough."Do you need me to leave?"

"No Pring Knowl." she said just as her husband entered the room. "I want as many witness as possible."

"Safron, I'm sure she didn't..."said Captain Tackey Tea Sails.

"Shush!"said Saffron glaring back at him out streching a hoof his way.
He shut his mouth.

Safron began to berat Marigold on her display of unsafe behavior on the deck.
"What is wrong with you? Your are going into a potentialy dangerious situation an you need to have your head in the game!" Concerned for Marigold's behavior and making sure she would not be putting of a child into a dangerious city full of mobs."You need know what's around you and have a plan for getting out, know where all the exits are and not take risks! Taking riskd is foalish!"

"You think that celebration about that cracked bell of your city is wild? It won't bare a candle to this!"

"It wasn't always cracked..."it seemed the only thing to say at this moment.

"You may think you are choosing him, leading him, but in fact...he is choosing you!"Her breath was hot on her face."And once the choosins done...Nothing! Will! Ever! Be! The! Same!"Saffron's relaxed. "Are you ready for the lifetime commitment you are putting yourself into? The metiphisical bond that can never be broken? Are you really ready?"

It was very intense.
Finally, Captain updraft took over from his wife encouraging her to get some air, promising to make sure Marigold understood the gist of the place.

Safron began to leave. "You make sure she is fit to go into the city, because I swear, if she isn't, she gets locked up in this room with Pring Knowl till we get back to Phili Delphi!" she then stomped out the door.

"Sir?" said Pring breaking the hard silence of the room.

"Left as Cerberious at the gate again I see." he sighed." Don't you two look at me like that."He smiled weakly."She just saw in you, the hellion she was before." He approached Marigold ,his expresion now hard and commanding.

"But by no means is she a damsel in destress in need of rescue, nor to me, a destressed damsel!"He snorted."She is a strong tower, with fortified gates! Now. Do you think you can behave yourself?"

"I think I can now sir."

"That's great!" said Pring Knowl."Now. You two! Out of my bakery!"She turned them to the door." I've had enough of this dramatic play. I have dough to pan!"

The captain bowed and escorted Marigold out.

"Yawn! I though they'd never leave." A head raised itself out of a barrel."Test, passed!"

Pring looked down at the dough for bread she was making."Hon."she said."I really wish you wouldn't sleep in the flour barrels."

"This isn't a flour barrel."

"Oh! Pray mistic sage!" Pring fumed."What king of barrel is it?"

"Crackers." said Acknowl as he slowly lowered the barrel cap balance on the tip of his horn with him till it came to rest on the barrel over his head with a click.

Saffron and Tackey Tea were at the gang plank as they bid farewell, "We'll be at the capital for a couple days so when you return, we're headed that way, we can take you and your husband back."

Signs directed her from the repair docks to a small office where she could get more information. Agaurd waited at the door, he gave her a small smile as he opened it. She waved to her friends and left for the bustling streets of the city.

Author's Note:

Safron began to berat Marigold on her display of unsafe behavior on the deck.
"I just put off over two hundred mare for less than that stunt you just pulled!" Safron was fuming."I've told you things I've only told my husband and my closest friends!" she was almost yelling at the mare."Was it an act marigold?" her mouth was a twisted frown."Were you only pretending to be reasonable? That you act like such a foal!" There were tears in her eyes."That makes me out to be a foal, too!" Now angry again."I and my husband, have two full crews, from two different ship that we have to maintain didipline for!"she began poking Marigold in the chest."If either one of us is seen as week, when it comes to disipline, the other yoke fellow, has to work maybe ten times as hard!" She stomped her hoof."You need to get your head in the game! "She grabbed Marigold"You are about to enter a city full of undisciplined and empationed mares!"She looked in the eyes of the frightened mare."You think that celebration about that cracked bell of your city is wild? It won't bare a candle to this!"

"It wasn't always cracked..."it seemed the only thing to say at this moment.

"Then what I hear, you'll be taken to the pens, great stone fortifications they've had earth ponies conjore up just for this ocassion!"Her grip tightened on Marigold."I do not aprove of this! Males are just as passioate! Stories...." she brought her eyes close to Marigold."You may think you are choosing him, leading him, but in fact...he is choosing you!"Her breath was hot on her face."And once the choosings done...Nothing! Will! Ever! Be! The! Same!"Saffron's grip losened. "Are you ready for the lifetime commitment you are putting youself into? The metiphisical bond that can never be broken? Are you really ready?" Safron's tongue darted over her own teeth before she spoke again."His smell will be all over you, your smell, all over him. You will see through his eye and he through yours." Her eyes became strange. "Even if you leave, you leave him, he leave you, you will never break the link.He will always be there. If you choose another? You calcify your heart! What is to prevent you from choosing another after?" she glared at marigold." An undiscipline child with a heart made of stone till Celestia turns you into a statue!"she looked away till she was somewhere else. "Or you heart splits open like a boat upon the rocks then you "feel" ...a ship steared by an overly doting captain and an undisiplined crew of brats." She was now, far, far away.
"An undisiplinde crew make mistakes , don't follow procedure,rotting all the way from the roots to the trunk , through the hull, the heart of command! Getting into a desperate straights, till they listen to their captain giddy, twirling round the rigging, and come burstin out of the clouds, crashing into another ship, tearing open the hold!"she fell on her rump."All that gold!!!"she raised her head and mewled up to the celing.

"Safron Spice!" Captain Tackey Tea grabbed her.

Another crew came through the door, a mare. "Is everything alright in here?"

"Everthing is fine."said captain Updraft Tackey Tea Sails. "My own self,"he said to his wife."Would you tour the decks a bit with Aberdash?"he gently held her till her eyes came back. "Take a good inspection of your ship while at port?"He smiled."We need to keep up our sterling safty record."

"My ship?"she slowly came back from the rough skies in her mind, placing a hoof on his barrel, his heart."Our ship."she said with a smile.

"Yes."

She began to leave. "You make sure she is fit to go into the city, because I swear, if she isn't, she gets locked up in this room with Pring Knowl till we get back to Phili Delphi!" she then stomped out the door.

"Sir?" said Pring breaking the hjard silwence of the room.

"Left as Cerberious at the gate again I see." he sighed." Don't you two look at me like that.Well, Marigold Mare? Can you behave yourself??" he asked.

"Yes."

"I supose your wondering her behavior.
Two ship's colided, sorry to say it wasn't my fault, I would have taken it. But Celestia stepped through that door just as the verdict at the Captain's Inquest was being read." he paced away from Marigold."Safron had lied, so many lies!" he turned back to Marigold. "She stripped her of all command privilages, the right of ship and all licences!" his look became sour."When she began to curse and swear at Celestia, a bolt, out of her horn, hit her. Every pony was stunned, expecting a stone figure before us. When she was not, she looked at Celestia dumbfounded. I remember her words,'In all that you have done, you have never abused your crew, or made them risk till now.If you are good the stone will crack, if you are bad the stone then dust you will be.' We linked up naturally like I told you before and she became my unofficial second." He smiled. "Then one day. Then wind picked up, everything seemed fine, till Safron let out a scream." he pursed his lips."We found her curled up on the deck, and took her to bed imediately, she was in a delerios state no crew left her alone, till this day she hasn't told me what she dreamed. She woke up finnall and snuggled next to me.' Am I ohome?' she asked. I pet her mane and reasure her. She has episodes now and then, but, she hasn't abused thecrew nor taken liberties. So please, forgive my wife for her outburst."He smiled weakly."She just saw in you, the hellion she was before." He approached Marigold ,his expresion now hard and commanding.

Comments

[Buckwood]

Started reading the first chapter, and to be honest, it's a mess. Some missed capitalization, missed spaces, and it reads less like a story and more like a rambling list of things that happened.