Ire
The gentle knock of a hoof, or possibly a paw or talon, on wood brought Celestia's eyes from the papers on her desk, her gaze meeting with the worried face of Discord as he peeked his head up through the stairwell.
"Am I allowed in?"
Celestia laughed. "Oh course you're allowed in."
Coming all the way up the stairs, Discord stood idly, one arm held by his hand.
"You look troubled," Celestia observed, speaking before Discord could gain the courage to speak up.
"Yes; I want to formally apologize for earlier."
She raised a brow. "Apologize for what?"
"Well, making you upset, and... nearly causing the collapse of your pocket dimension."
Celestia chuckled sweetly, her expression turning to sympathy rather than confusion. "Discord, you don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."
"I made you angry," he paused, raising his brows in emphasis, "quite angry. I, well... feel bad for doing that, and I..." he took a quick breath. "I want to make it up to you."
Clearly taken aback by his sudden sweetness, Celestia remained quiet for a fair while as she pondered the Draconequus at the far end of the room.
"You want to make it up to me?"
"Yes. You see, one fish per meal doesn't quite cut it for my appetite, and my stock of fish in the freezer is running quite dry. I was going to go back out later this evening, and I thought it'd be nice if you could come with. So we could spend some time together."
Again, she held her silence, studying him. She had been courted many many times, and his little request followed every pattern and guideline she had ever come to know. There was an ulterior motive to this suggestion.
"That sounds lovely," Celestia finally returned with a chipper tone, "When do we leave?"
Surprised she had actually said yes, Discord stumbled for a moment. "Well, I was thinking right at sundown. Fish are more active at night than during the day."
"And it can get surprisingly warm during the day." added Celestia.
He smiled. "That, too."
"So, it's a date, then." she confirmed.
"I suppose it is."
Shuffling nervously for a second, Discord finally gathered his bearings and descended back down the stairs. Celestia chuckled, her magic plucking a fresh piece of paper from a little wooden shelf at the far left end of the desk, her ink and quill readied.
Dear Luna.
I have a date tonight...
The gentle waves of the river rocked the little vessel ever so gently, the motion having a lulling effect much how the cradling of a foal in their mother's hooves would. Idly, sat Celestia, one eye squinted to keep the late evening sun out as she watched Discord fiddle around with his fishing equipment at the bow of their sailboat. The pearly vessel had carried them quite the distance from Sol Point, as the grand building had been totally out of view for a fair half hour by this point. Downstream, they traveled, the crisp air and breezy wind a wonderfully calming combination with the splash of water and the songs of birds.
The bright sunset was somewhat deceiving, however; as the sun sat low enough on the horizon to not be shrouded by the bank of clouds that had rolled in from the west, and the more powerful storms always came from the west. Celestia would be lying if she said she wasn't worried. Their ship was only a meter or so longer than a standard dinghy; it could only comfortably accommodate four or five ponies, and if Celestia were to move from the stern to the bow, the entire balance of the ship would change.
"You know, we might be swimming back home if this storm hits." commented Celestia, her head turned skyward.
"If things get too wicked we can just turn around."
She laughed. "We're already five miles downstream. Turning around at this point would be quite difficult."
"Eh. You'll do fine."
"I'll do fine?"
He looked up from the lure he had been baiting. "You're driving, aren't you?"
"Indeed, I am," she smiled. "Admiral Celestia has this fine vessel under control."
Grinning, Discord snapped his fingers, a white Captain's cap with a smooth black brim popping into existence on Celestia's head, her horn causing it to sit crooked. She looked up through her brow, giggling.
"If this ship has an Admiral on board, it needs a name." Celestia thought aloud.
"Oh! How about 'Sun Skimmer'?"
Celestia tapped her chin. "HMS Sun Skimmer. That's quite nice, actually."
"HMS, huh? So now we're part of the Royal Navy?"
"With Admiral Celestia on deck, we are."
"Admiral Celestia and Commander Luna. That sounds way better than Princess."
Celestia laughed. "Quite so. Always been more of a mariner than my sister, especially since I don't get seasick."
"Silly land-lovers!" Discord proclaimed with a scruffy voice, "Can't handle the ire of the blue yonder!"
"'Blue yonder' refers to the sky, Discord."
"Oh. Well... then... the ocean," he threw his paws up. "I don't know."
Celestia shook her head, laughing as she looked back to the clouds above, their gray hues somewhat disguised by the brilliant fires of orange and pink caused by the sunset. She took a deep breath, wishing she could slouch into the bench at in the stern, but her size compared with the meager seat only allowed for her to sit straight with her forehooves between her haunches.
"You know," Celestia began, "I've never once considered owning a boat."
Finishing the preparation of his lure, Discord skillfully flicked his fishing rod out over the stern, the rapid click of the reel undoing being a prelude to a distant plonk of the bobber striking the river. "Really? It seems like you like sailing."
"I do, but Canterlot is far from any body of water. Logistically, it would be horrible."
"You didn't think of a boat when you were building the estate?"
"Stupidly, no," she laughed, "I didn't think of a boat, but I basically gave the estate a dock; the back porch is low enough to where it might as well be a dock!"
"Well, you know, I can make things last."
Celestia cocked a brow. "By what do you mean?"
"The things I create, I can give them persistence. I could do so for our intrepid little ship here."
"Really? That doesn't put a tax on your magic, or anything?"
He took a paw from the fishing rod, flicking it in dismissal. "Tax. As if. I'd take a passenger ship to do anything to this powerhouse," that free arm curled into a flex, his muscles showing a surprising amount of definition.
Celestia giggled, holding her hoof over her mouth. "You can make a passenger ship, but not a simple pocket dimension?"
He scoffed. "Simple? Unlike you and your goofy sister, I don't have strong ties to the fabric of the universe and inter-dimensional space."
"Which is odd, considering you can create matter with the snap of your fingers."
"Ah, I do not create matter. Matter cannot be created nor destroyed. I simply re-arrange it."
She smirked. "Been doing your physics homework, hm?"
"Your student-turned-Princess is to thank for that. When you told her to study my magic she studied my magic. I had so many wires plugged into me I felt like a phone switchboard."
Celestia gave a hearty laugh. "That's Twilight," she sighed, looking off to the side with a smile of reminiscence, "I do miss her. It makes me happy to see that after all these years she's still so enthusiastic about things."
"So, back to the topic; would you like to keep our boat around?"
"HMS Sun Skimmer? Of course! This cute little boat has served us well thus far," Celestia confirmed, her hoof caressing the smooth wood rim of the stern.
The distant, constant rumble of thunder overlapped the conversation, bringing both Celestia's and Discord's eyes skyward.
Discord hummed, taking note of the stormy bank that shrouded the sky, ever so slowly creeping its way toward the sun on the horizon.
"Thinking we should turn back?" Celestia inquired, noting the seemingly concerned expression Discord held.
"No, I was thinking that this will only make the fishing better. Not only does fishing improve at night, but it improves with rain."
Celestia clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Stacking the odds against these poor fish."
"If they didn't want to get eaten then they should stop tasting so good."
Celestia blinked as a raindrop landed on her muzzle. She turned her head skyward to the nearly black blanket of clouds that shrouded the night sky, keeping the moon's light from washing over the land. Sundown had been a fair twenty minutes ago, and the constant, ever-so periodic rumble of thunder seemed to mark the minutes. Occasionally, off in the distance, a brilliant white bolt would flash through the clouds, and their frequency had only risen as time went on.
"Oh! We got a bite, mares and gentlecolts!" Exclaimed Discord as he began vigorously reeling in his line.
The wind too had begun picking up, giving the vessel a little more gusto as it cruised down the river. As worried as Celestia was about the storm, she couldn't deny enjoying herself. The slight chill of the wind and cool river air combined into an almost intoxicating mixture, and the sounds of the breeze in the sail and the claps of thunder worked into a melody no musical artist could hope to replicate.
Celestia looked on as Discord plucked a wiggling fish from the water, its scales shimmering in the orange light of the lantern that hung from a pole on the bow. Struggling a moment, he finally got his paw around the fish, setting his rod off to the side and removing the hook from its mouth, quickly tossing the fish into the ice chest beside him.
"That's five now! It took me an hour to catch five fish during the day, and it's only been a half hour! I told you night fishing was better."
"Is five enough?"
His smile went blank. "Enough for what?"
"Enough for us to turn around."
"You do realize that I can fish if we're going upstream, correct?"
"I'll take that as a 'yes'."
Celestia pushed the handle of the rudder right, sending the boat into a sharp left turn, and sending Discord into the side of the bow. Her horn came alive as she worked the sail's control rigging, adjusting its angle to allow the vessel to cruise head-long into the wind.
"A little warning would be appreciated." Discord grumbled.
She grinned. "What? Sea's too rough?"
"No, I just got stuck with a crappy captain."
Celestia crossed her forelegs over her chest, scowling. "For your information, that was a perfect turn. We didn't lose a single knot of speed."
"The goal of a turn should also be to not give your passengers a concussion."
"Maybe you could create yourself a crash helmet."
"At this rate, I just might."
Celestia smiled, leaning back into the stern bench as Discord went back to prepping his line.
With haste, the tin bucket held in Celestia's magic scooped water from the inside of the boat, quickly tossing it back into the river before going back for a second scoop. The thrashing of the rain over-powered any and all other sounds on the river. The whipping of the sail in the horrendous winds and the thunder clapping nearby could barely make it past the constant rumble of the torrential downpour. The lantern that once hung from its little pole on the bow had long since fallen off into the river, and even if it had remained, it wouldn't have stayed alight for long. Luckily, Celestia's horn was able to provide light, for without it, their surroundings would be pitch black.
"Celestia!"
She looked up from bailing water from the ship to see a bright orange flotation vest being held out to her.
"Discord, I can swim!"
"Safety first!"
Celestia rolled her eyes, taking the vest with a spell, undoing its little plastic buckles, and stepping through the left leg hole before curling her right leg to her chest, slipping her hoof through the right hole and re-doing the buckles.
"Quite the downgrade from your Royal Attire!" Discord shouted with a smirk.
"Oh, close your muzzle and spawn yourself a bucket! Water's coming in faster than I can bail it out!"
He complied, a tin pail similar to hers popping into existence and quickly being put to work. Celestia's jaw had begun to chatter, the wind rushing over her totally soaked coat and mane causing the already chilled rain to be even colder. Just as before, however; she couldn't deny enjoying herself. Her heart raced, her hooves shook from cold and excitement, and her lips couldn't help but curl into a grin. The rocking of the waves. The cacophony of rain. The distant and near booms of thunder. If not for the silhouettes of the valley fjords at their sides, she would have an easy time believing they were at sea.
For the first time in quite a while, she felt alive.
"I don't really understand this!" Discord exclaimed.
She looked up, meeting his gaze as they continued to bail water from the hull.
"What don't you understand?!"
"We're in a headwind!"
"And!?!"
"Why are we going forward?!"
"It's called the Berhoouvlli effect!"
"That doesn't help!"
She scoffed. "I apologize for not having my aerodynamics textbook handy!"
A wave crashed into the side of the little ship, rocking it hard to the right and nearly throwing Discord's ice chest from inside the hull. He yelped, dropping his pail and better securing his belongings beneath the bench in the bow. Not only did the rain fill the hull, but so did the waves, which had become quite impressive for a river. It was a very wide river, after all.
Resting her magic a moment, Celestia paused her bailing and watched Discord tie a thick rope around the chest holding his catches, "This is quite exciting!"
Another wave hit the bow dead on this time, pitching the ship up and giving the feeling of weightlessness for a split second. Taking the brunt of the impact, Discord had to grip the bow bench to not go airborne.
"Death isn't exciting!!" he yelled, finishing the knot around his ice chest with haste and re-gripping the bench.
"If you think this is dying, then you haven't lived!"
He stared at the bright grin on her face for a moment, "And I thought your sister was crazy!"
"Can't handle the ire of the blue yonder?!" she taunted.
He pointed a finger at his chest. "I never claimed I could!!"
Chuckling, Celestia resumed scooping water and flinging it overboard. The wind suddenly changed directions. Instead of coming from head on, it came from the left, the sail and its rigging struggling against the sudden shift. The ship listed to the right, Celestia quickly working the rigging to try and make adjustments for the sudden shift, her magic working in tandem with the ropes and the rudder to keep them from capsizing. The rope which had been limiting the sail's sway snapped, sending the mast swinging violently to the right.
A crack broke the air, a crack not of lightning, but of an incredible impact. Discord looked up as the ship rocked hard from the sudden shift in the sail's position, and he too looked up because the light provided by Celestia's horn had ceased. He stared at the slouched Alicorn in the stern, her limp forelegs no longer able to hold her upright as she fell to the side, half of her upper body hanging off the edge of the boat.
"Celestia!?"
She didn't respond, the sail now swinging freely from side to side and rocking the boat with it. Panic gripped his thoughts.
"Celestia!"
Still, she lay motionless, her face concealed behind her totally soaked mane. Scrambling to his feet, he tried to make his way to her, his progress stopped by the out of control sail that thrashed port to starboard as if it were a crazed animal. The rudder too had nothing holding it in place, the waves and wind taking control of the ship and beginning to push it off-course. Gaining some courage, he lunged forward, arms outstretched, and caught the lower bar of the mast, all of his might being put into holding the thing steady, the wind doing too good of a job at catching the fabric.
Taking a hand off for only a split second, he snapped his fingers to bring forth a bundle of thick burlap rope and began hastily tying one end around the lower, horizontal pole of the mast. Holding the rope in both hands now as if it were an out of control kite he shuffled along to the stern, finding a metal hoop along the edge of the hull to tie the length. With the swinging, whipping mast now under control, he hurried to Celestia and pulled her upright, her head rolling to the side and her soaked mane concealing her face. He brushed her hair aside, finding her mouth slightly agape and her eyes shut.
He patted her cheek in hopes of a response, "Celestia?"
Still, nothing. He took a panicked look around, having no idea which direction their vessel now headed or which direction the bank of the river lay. He brought a hand up, snapping his fingers to create a flashlight, which was quickly clicked on and shined into the thick sheets of rain. Faintly, to the rear of the ship, he could see land. Breathing a sigh of relief, he embraced her limp figure, his flashlight still in his hand as he teleported them to the muddy bank of the river.
Struggling with her weight, he let her down gently to land, staring for a moment before taking a look around at their surroundings. To their front lay a tree-line, and with haste, he put the flashlight in his mouth and sat the limp Alicorn upright, her half-unfurled wings getting in the way of him wrapping his arms around her chest and pulling her towards the nearest tree trunk. The journey was a fair struggle, he hadn't quite anticipated her being so heavy.
"Just because..." he grunted, heaving to pull her along, "you're the Princess of the Sun... doesn't mean you have to weight as much as the sun!"
Finally, he reached the grassy area beneath the trees, his breath nearly gone as he held her in a sitting position to allow him to fold her right wing back to her side. With the soaked, muddy feathers now furled back to their right place, he gently let her down on her side, taking a few breaths before crouching down and putting his ear to her chest. He sighed a breath of relief as the strong thump of her big heart filled his ear.
"Oh good, you're not dead." he stood back up, shining his flashlight around at the dark landscape and riverbank before them.
After a second, he had a realization. He aimed his light towards the river, their sailboat no longer visible.
"My fish..."
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For some reason I absolutely love that response.
And why couldn't he teleport the boat onto the bank if he could spawn in a blasted passenger ship?
My fish
8129252 Because this was more D R A M A T I C.
8129339
Obviously. Just adding some logic. Of course, Discord may have been to preoccupied with the whole not dying/drowning to focus on a teleportation.
8129466 You came up with a better excuse than I did, lol.
Thanks for reading, by the way! I'll be posting more updates soon, so keep an eye out!
8129710
No problem. After doing some calculations a while back, I saw that (at least in the stories I favorited) I've read over 24 million words in my bookshelves without any repeats. That number certainly isn't there for nothin. I have a problem and I don't care.
Good work. Looking forward to the direction this goes. Lovin the characterization of Discord too. But I'm not here for ass kissing. Keep it up.
8129842 24 million words. What the fuck. I haven't read that many in my whole life, lol.
Also, don't ass kiss. If you have complaints, totally tell me. That shit helps.
Nice first date.
I like how they got into trouble. You covered it rather well.
Although I think that Discord could have teleported the boat too with them, it was still well done. The actions were otherwise great and I could visualise the whole chapter as it happened rather well.
I like how Celestia picked up on an ulterior motive right when he asked her.
And Discord getting smart to her near the end was great. She's a big mare who loves her cake... of course she gonna weigh a bit
8131083 It's funny, originally, before my pre-reader said something, Discord didn't even teleport them to land. He hung onto Celestia until the boat hit the shore, then he pulled her off to safety.
I really should start saving the old versions of chapters when I re-do them. A good 60 percent of this story is different than what I originally planned, especially the very first chapter. That chapter underwent 4 re-writes.
8131211 4 rewrites is usually a good number for getting a first chapter nicely polished. My standard number for most of the major chapters Ive written as it allows you to really fine tune things.
As long as its better than it was and still stays true to what you want the story to say, then it doesn't matter how much the story changes, long as you like it (I know I do!)
Who would've thought that a good fishing day would end so badly?
Dammit I was hoping for a CPR scene
Ah well
There's always next chapter o3o
8132666 I don't quite think CPR would help a concussion, anyway, lol.
8132969 true
I take back my previous comment. That was the perfect follow up to a slight over reaction. Though, if I was Discord, while I would still feel a bit bad about it, I'd make a point of asking if there was anything else of that fragile-nature I should be aware of.
Thing in this that made me laugh:
"Quite so. Always been more of a mariner than my sister, especially since I don't get seasick."
"No, I just got stuck with a crappy captain."
"Death isn't exciting!!"
"And I thought your sister was crazy!"
"Just because..." he grunted, heaving to pull her along, "you're the Princess of the Sun... doesn't mean you have to weight as much as the sun!"
"My fish..."
i thought you were going to do CPR (or what ever it's called)