A Pony Displaced: Homeward

by NoLongerSober

Chapter 103 - Eastbound and Out

In the week since Princess Celestia’s visit to the manor, things moved quickly to arrange the household’s trip.

Spearmint, Snow Sweeper, Erica and Toil were all able to come along. After an uneventful train ride that lasted several hours, the party arrived in Manehattan.

Briefly checking some of the sights along the way, they made it to the pier, boarded their ship, the Marey Celestia, and departed for Trottingham.

Breathing deep of the salty sea air, Barrier gently sighed as he and his companions watched the Statue of Friendship in the distance fade from sight. Now this is the way to travel. No rickety tracks, no being confined to a small tin death trap. Just the open ocean and a ship… maybe I should’ve been a sailor.

“Y’know, all the skyscrapers and that statue really do look a lot nicer than the old buildings,” Hatty said before looking to the stallion beside him. “Say, Forge, what kind of metal has that kind of green color to it?”

“Rusty copper,” Forge replied as he gazed upon the distant statue. “Still, it is a rather impressive sight.”

“I’ll say. It’s way bigger than I thought it was,” Snow said as he leaned against the railing. “I swear, you could fit a whole city in that thing.”

“Would suck to literally be in the ass end of town,” Toil said before chuckling and turning to the earth pony and griffin beside her. “So, since it’s past noon, how about we hit the lounge deck and soak in some sun?”

“I think I’ll find the karaoke lounge,” Swift replied as she pulled away. “Minty, would you care to join me?”

“Sure thing,” the shamrock colored mare replied as she quickly followed along. “Still, I want to hit up the buffet after this. I heard this ship has great shrimp cocktails.”

The gathering soon broke up into smaller groups, leaving only Barrier, Daring, Fleet and Wind Whistler looking over the rear of the ship.

“Well, we’ve got about five hours to kill before we get to Trottingham,” Daring said as she stood up on her hindlegs and stretched out. “So, what should we do first?”

“Oh, let’s hit the pools!” Windy excitedly said as she hovered up by Barrier’s head. “There’s a wave pool and a big pool for playing, and even a few hot tubs!”

“That does seem like an idea, but I think we should save that until after lunch, dear. That food on the train wasn’t very filling,” Fleet replied as she turned to Daring. “Any recommendations?”

“I figure your best bet would be to order something from the galley instead of just the buffet,” Daring said as the four pulled away. “Also, if you want to get a good fill, avoid the bread. They want you to fill up on bread since that’s the cheap stuff that breaks down slowly.”

“But we can still try the wave pool after lunch, right?” Windy asked as she flew alongside the three adults.

“Rest assured, I’ll make sure you get to have some fun in the wave pool,” Barrier stated before patting her on the head.

***

Swift and Minty soon arrived in a large room with a collection of empty tables and a stage with a microphone and a karaoke machine.

“Man, this room’s like a ghost town,” Minty said as she cast her eyes towards a wall mounted clock and read the time. “Still, I doubt too many want to do some karaoke at twelve-thirty.”

“Looks like it would have great acoustics.” Swift said as her horn began to glow. In a flash, she vanished from Spearmint’s side and reappeared on the stage.

“Oh what will the signal be, for your eyes to see me?” Swift’s brief song echoed about the room, drawing a slight chuckle from the minty mare.

“You really liked that silly little movie, didn’t you?” Minty inquired as she approached the unicorn on stage.

“Not so much the movie, but that particular song,” Swift replied as her companion pulled herself on stage. “The vocals, the guitar riffs and everything else combine to create something glorious.”

“I will admit, it’s a pretty catchy song,” Spearmint said as she looked out across the empty room. “It’s not a whole lot of fun to sing for an empty venue.”

“Sadly, I must agree.” Swiftsword sighed before she and Minty trotted off the stage. “Well, perhaps we’ll find somewhere to sing in Trottingham. In the meantime, I believe some shrimp cocktails are calling our names, begging to fill our bellies.”

A giggle came from Minty as she leaned in close to Swift. “Kinda like your friend, Verdant?”

“For the record, he was only in my nose and mouth. He never entered my belly,” Swift replied as she leaned close to her.

***

On a deck by a pool, Toil was stretching out on a deckchair while Erica relaxed on her belly, her wings scraping against the polished floor.

“So, Erica,” Toil asked as she turned to face the relaxing griffin. “How did you and Verdant first meet?”

“Eh, it’s kinda boring actually,” Erica replied as she looked over to the lime green unicorn. “We were in cooking class and he came up to me, asking if he could be my partner for it. After that, we became friends and I eventually asked him out.”

Toil chuckled as she turned onto her back. “Heh. Y’know, if you weren’t a griffin, you would have been a pretty typical Dream Valley girl, way back when. Pretty strong, knows how to handle herself, assertive enough to pursue the stallion she’s after.”

“Thanks… I guess,” Erica said as she pushed herself up off the chair. “So, were herds a common thing back in Dream Valley?”

“Oh yeah. Pretty much every adult was either living on their own or part of a herd of some kind,” Toil casually replied. “Our family was considered pretty average. Still, some herds had no stallions at all, or if they had two stallions, they’d have around eight to ten mares.”

“I… Wow.” Erica was stunned at the lounging unicorn’s words. “Must have been cramped.”

“A little bit, but I grew to find it kinda comforting.” A twinge of sadness was in Toil’s voice as she thought back to the days of her youth. “Back at the Hollow Well Orphanage, I was almost never alone. There were other foals or Miss Hollow Well, but I wasn’t that attached to them… but after I was taken in by my family, surrounded by ponies that loved me, it was really comforting.

“Even when I was living in a flower shop’s cramped attic or a tool shed, I found some comfort by having Verdant by my side.” Toil paused to hum and ponder for an instance. “Y’know, this might be part of the reason why I like having my squadmates living with me… Sure, they can’t replace my sisters, but they’re almost as close to me.”

“Hey there!” Verdant’s voice made the two ladies turn to see him carrying a tray with a pair of drinks on his back. “How are my favorite ladies doing?”

“Pretty well, Verdant,” Toil replied, ruffling his short mane with a hoof before picking up one of the drinks with magic. “Just having a nice little chat with Erica.”

“It’s pretty nice getting to know her.” Erica flipped around to face Verdant before picking up the remaining glass. “She told me some pretty interesting stuff about life back in Dream Valley.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you two getting along so well,” Verdant said before giving Erica a nuzzle, quickly followed by Toil. “I was worried it would take a lot longer for you two to warm up to each other, considering she’s…”

“Yeah, I know.” Toil stretched out against her chair before taking a sip of her drink. “It’s because your coats clash.”

The pair chuckled before Verdant moved over to a chair on Erica’s other side. “So, what’ll be the first place you’ll want to see in Trottingham?”

“I’d like to hit up this one dairy. I heard they’ve got some of the best milk and cheese in Equestria,” Toil answered as she rose up to look at the pair from her chair. “I’ve packed a half ton of hay bars just to balance it out.”

“Y’know, you’re not the only one with food on the brain,” Erica said as she leaned back. “I’m planning on checking out this one restaurant. It’s run by some abyssinians and they cook up these great big dishes on a hot stone slab with stratodon steaks, fish, chicken and a ton of other stuff, all part of a great big delicious platter with fresh bread, stew, skewers, sausages and so much more! I am gonna stuff myself until I explode!”

The reddish-brown hen’s stomach grumbled, as if begging to be filled at just the thought of food.

“Aren’t you training for some big athletic thing?” Toil asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, yeah, but I’m making this a cheat day.” A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her head. “Besides, I’ve skipped breakfast and lunch just for this dinner.”

“Just don’t be too loud when Verdant stuffs you with a different kind of meat,” Toil said, causing Erica to sputter and Verdant to face hoof.

“Sis, do you want me to tell Erica about the chili incident?” Verdant’s question nearly made the unicorn drop her drink on the deck.

With a defeated sigh, Toil finished her drink. “Right, no more innuendo. I’ve got it.”

***

On another part of the ship, Hat Trick and Winter Gem sat across from one another at a white table. Between the two of them were plates full of seafood, salad, and a few griffin dishes from the buffet.

The violet stallion was about to dive into his stuffed plate when Gem piped up and stopped him.

“Hatty, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“What’s up? Hatty asked back as he focused on Gem’s emerald eyes.

“I was kinda wondering… what did you think of Manehattan?” When Gem finished, Hatty brought a hoof to his chin as he thought.

“Well, I think the buildings and everything look a lot nicer than ones back in the Manehattan I grew up in, but I will admit that I can’t really see it as the same city.” Hat Trick replied as he fidgeted his hooves. “Just… nothing about it seems to fit. The piers, the buildings, the concrete everywhere… it’s beautiful… but just doesn’t feel like the same place.”

“Hatty…” Gem swallowed before she gently placed a hoof on his. “I wish I knew what to say.”

“It’s okay, Gem,” the pegasus replied before taking a breath. “Frankly, I figured one of us would be hit with this sort of thing. I mean, Barrier grew up in Old Canterlot. Now that’s just a bunch of ruins in the Everfree Forest and you know how the new Canterlot is.”

“Yeah. It’s just not the same,” Gem sighed. It was then that Hatty pulled his hoof out from under hers and placed it on top of it.

“Say Gem…” Hatty started as he looked into Winter Gem’s eyes. “Do you think you’d feel similar if we tried to track down where your old trading post used to be?”

“Eh… probably not,” the snow coated mare said as she looked out to the vast expanse of water around the ship. “The desert’s a lot like the sea to me. You see one stretch of sand and stone, you’ve seen them all.”

“Yeah, I guess I can see that,” Hatty replied as he rubbed the back of his head with his wing. “Y’know, maybe one of these days, we could go on a trip to Manehattan and see what it’s really like. Just the two of us.”

“I like the sound of that.” Gem gave Hatty a warm smile before pulling her plate closer. “Now, let’s get some lunch in us before we starve.”

“Sure thing, dear.” Hatty weakly held back a chuckle before placing a kiss on her cheek and pulling in his plate.

***

As the sun was drawing closer to the horizon, Forge and Snow were leaning against the railing of the ship’s bow as they saw the approaching image of the island of Trottingham.

“It’s been far too long since I’ve seen it,” Forge whispered as Snow’s wing rubbed his back, sounding as if he was trying to hold back joyful tears. “Last time I saw my home island was on the ship so I could go to Canterlot to join the guard.”

“How are you holding up, Big Guy?” Snow asked as he leaned his muzzle closer to the unicorn’s.

“Honestly, I feel kinda happy and sad.” Forge tightened his grip on the railing. “Sad that the ponies I knew and cared about are long gone… but happy that I’m coming back… Does that make sense?”

“Of course, Forge.” Snow nuzzled the unicorn’s face before he turned his eyes to the island. “Even from here, it looks beautiful.”

“After we get there, there’s something I’d like to show you on the island,” Forge said as he turned to face Snow.

“Are you sure it’s still there, Forge?” the pegasus asked.

“Almost certainly,” Forge confidently replied. “It’s something I’ve been wanting to see again for the longest time.”

“Sure thing, Forge,” Snow said as he leaned his head against Forge’s. “When we get there, there’s something I want to show you too.”

“Oh? May I have a hint?” Forge’s question made Snow Sweeper chuckle.

“Sorry, Hot Stuff, but I’m keeping it a surprise for now.”

“Attention all passengers...” A voice echoed out through the ship’s speakers. “We will be arriving in Trottingham port in approximately one hour. Please have all your things ready for when you disembark.”

“Alright, you ready?” Snow asked as he pulled away from the cobalt coated stallion.

“I think so,” Forge replied as he followed along behind the gray coated pegasus. “Next stop, good ol’ Gallopfrey.”

Author's Note:

Alticron: Welcome back, everyone. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter in Homeward. It was pretty fun working on the character interactions here. If anyone but me knows what song I had Swift singing, you get a cookie.

Not much else to say. Next time, we'll see what happens when the cast arrives in Forge's old home town. See ya then.

Comments

[Bronzedragon]

angel's song ??