Previous Chapters Next
Close
Prologue: The Foggy Dew1,991 words
It's a long long way...2,279 words
Howls of the Wolves1,531 words
The Dirt Road1,969 words
Forlorn Reminders.2,489 words
On Cloud Nine1,769 words
Aeronautical Evasion1,978 words
Interlude: Religion1,098 words
Final Spark2,222 words
Filly Dreams1,800 words

On Cloud Nine

The first thing Rose noticed, other than a pounding headache, was the bright sun piercing through her eyelids and into her brain, which worsened her hangover. She blinked open crusty and bloodshot eyes and yawned, shaking her messy mane. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she looked over to the other side of the bed, revealing Chyrp doing much the same as her.

Giving a pained, lopsided grin, Rose cracked her back. "Mornin' there. Have fun last night?" She asked, moving to hop off of the bed.

Chyrp groaned in pain. "Urgh, yep. By the Allfather, how much did we drink last night?". Rose thought to herself for a moment.

"Well, if I remember right... You had about 9 glasses of ale, and drank about a full bottle of some hard cider." She replied, stretching and limbering up. "Want some coffee mate?" She asked, gesturing towards the door. "Usually helps after a long night of bad decisions.".

Her bedfellow gave a chuckle at that. "Sure. I'll come with ya... and let's grab breakfast while we're at it."

Rose went out the door, followed by Chyrp, who kicked their door shut.

1 Week Later

A day had passed since they had departed from Hafenstadt onboard Chessur's ship, which Rose had learned was named the E.A.S Chamomile. Onboard accommodations were as expected of a small vessel owned by nobility; Comfortable quarters, a small shower, and decent food that wasn't ship's biscuit. The Chamomile wasn't the fastest vessel, but it made do. Two small propellers were mounted aft on each side of the gasbag, with nearly all controls for the vessel located at the helm, which sat neatly above the Captain's Quarters.

The Chamomile, being a civilian vessel, lacked any serious weaponry. Two small ballistae sat on the deck, one for port and another for starboard. A small cache of 40 bolts was kept on board, though it was nothing more than a token defense against a real fighting ship such as a Brigantine or Galleon.

At the moment, Rose was lounging idly in what would be considered the ship's galley, though it was smaller than the ones she was used to. It didn't matter too terribly much she supposed, but it still perturbed her to see one so incredibly small. From what Chessur had discussed with the rest of the party a day prior, the trip to Equestria would take around 3 weeks; provided there were no complications.

Floating over a book from the small shelf in the corner, Rose turned it over in her magical grasp, examining it. It sported a hard cover, bordered with a fine golden paint. The title along it's spine was bold and striking, it's color a cool crimson, reading clearly "The Keys to Nobility".

Rose's interest peaked, she began reading through the book, with a... "modest" glass of rum at her side. The first few chapters were filler and descriptor alike, outlining that the book was an introduction to political maneuvering and strategy, and other such tips to improve one's skill in the game of politics. Rose reckoned she may have read through a quarter of the book before a hard, rigid feather prodded her side.

Gazing up from the novel, her eyes met Aquila's. the Pegasus mare was dotted with bits of soot and coal dust, giving the impression that she was dappled.

"Chessur needs you on lookout, Little Bird's tweetin' about wanting sleep." Aquila said, walking over to the sink to wash off the dirt and grime that was spattered along the front of her coat.

Rose stretched out; much like a cat, before replying. "Awright." She blinked her eyes rapidly. "Wait, what time is it 'Quila?"
Aquila thought to herself for a moment, furrowing her brow before replying. "Should be 'round... 5 till 6? Fairly sure that's it."

Rose's eyes widened in the slightest bit of shock, before grumbling under her breath and rushing onto the deck of the ship. Clambering up the stairs, she walked up the next set of stairs toward's the ships helm and observation post. Whereas water-bound ships had their crow's next located upon a mast, airships were not afforded such luxury. As such, the lookout was stationed near the Helm, above the Captain's quarters. While the view was not as open, it was the best and most serviceable position for the mechanical chair, able to rotate 360 degrees, and the attached telescope.

Finally reaching the top of the stairs, she spotted Chyrp sitting very awkwardly in a chair normally adjusted for the equine form. Chessur was resting his chin on the ship's wheel, seemingly dozing off. Rose, coughing loudly so as to catch the Gryphon's attention, started walking towards the chair.

Chessur awoke with a loud snort, gazing around with bleary eyes. "Oh. Is it that late already?" He asked, pulling out a small pocket watch.

Rose snorted in amusement. "Yup. Send 'Quila up when you head down. I'll take over lookout, she's taking over navigation." Helping Chyrp out of the seat, she clapped him on the back. "Get some rest you two!" She said loudly, hopping into the well cushioned and comfortable chair.

Gazing into the telescope for a while, her ear eventually flicked as clops walked towards the wheel. Rose and Aquila sat in silence for a long while, performing their jobs to the best of their ability. The hours whittled by, the day giving way to night, the formerly hot and humid air turning to a crisp and cool night breeze. Few clouds dotted the sky, and the only sound came from the small coal powered engine that allowed the propellers to function.

Rose's ear flicked once more, Aquila's voice breaking the soothing silence. "Soooooo... Any story about those tattoos?" She asked warily,

Rose lowered the mechanical arm holding the telescope. "Depends. Which ones?" She replied, her right eyebrow quirked upwards.

Aquila motioned with a wing towards the stylized anchor adorning Rose's left foreleg. "Lets start with that one there. Seems interesting."

Rose threw her head back and laughed. "Got that one when I signed onto the Morrighan, best 4 years of my service. It was fun bein' on the biggest and baddest ship in the fleet." Closing her eyes and letting fond memories wash over her, she spoke again. "Never failed to catch any eyes either. Drinking grog, rum and visiting foreign ports lead to some very... interesting nights. I never complained though."

Aquila chuckled. "And the swords?", Rose cracked her neck before responding. "Got those when I left the service. Any retiree gets em'. The bow is what all Rangers get, and I served 8 years there.". Taking another look around, swiveling her chair in a full circle, Rose took a moment before speaking. "Without that trainin' and experience, would've never made it through the Campaigns. Turns out that it is incredibly difficult to survive in YakYakistan."

Aquila nodded her head in agreement, before the pair lapsed into silence once more.

Rose spoke up a short while later. "How bout you? Any regrets regardin' the Guard?". Aquila mulled the question over for a bit.

"Yeah. A few. Main one being that I didn't enlist with the 'Bolts instead. Would've had far more career options coming out. Also didn't spend as much time with family as I should've." Aquila frowned. "The Guard may have had it's moments, but it was and always had been the worst place to go if you didn't plan on making it a career."

Rose snorted at that. "That's one thing us Gryphs' have on you Grazers. We take care of our military folk... then again, the military up 'till recently was all we had. Makes me wonder what will happen now that the Black and Tans are taken care of."

Aquila shrugged her shoulders. "Things will continue on as normal. You lot sure did the job well enough... killing over half their population would surely quell any more invasions yeah?"

Rose flinched as if smacked across the face. "Yeah.... yeah."

The moon slowly made it's way across the sky as the two idly chatted their shift away, speaking of merry nights and happy summers in their lives. As the sun crept across the eastern horizon and made it's presence known, Chessur and Chyrp came to relieve the two ponies of their shift. Gavin popped into the galley to say a quick "hello" before creeping back down to the engine room to keep an eye on it. Rose was of the opinion that the heat down there was sweltering, but then again; she wasn't a minotaur.

The days passed by incredibly quickly, and in the blink of an eye a week had passed. The group slowly grew bored of performing their jobs with nothing to do, so they resorted to simple games to keep entertained. Cards, Chess, Checkers; It didn't matter. Anything was sufficient to stave off the boredom, especially for a group of creatures not used to the trials of such long travel without an inn or tavern.

Aquila, unsurprisingly, wiped the floor with the rest of them when it came to card games. Her only equal was Chessur, who had an impressive poker face. One that was easily broken when illicit jokes were made, but he tried his best.

Chyrp and Gavin had a fierce rivalry going regarding their chess games, with the two being tied at 10-10. Rose kept herself busy with books on board, surprising herself with how fascinated she was with noble culture and mannerisms. The minor intricacies of speech and dining to greater political scheming was a topic that, uncharacteristically, interested her greatly.

After a week and a half of sailing, everyone was still relatively happy and content. Chessur was noticeably more lax and unrefined, having abandoned most of his vestments and accessories for going in the buff, revealing his cutie mark for the first time. It was a small teacup with a sugar cube being dunked in, and his ship's namesake inside the cup.

Rose and Aquila were performing out their shift when Aquila spoke. "Hey Rose, is it just me or is that a storm cloud on the horizon?" Gesturing northwest of the ship with a hoof.

Rose huffed, swirling the chair and telescope over to get a bead on whatever Aquila had spotted. "Nope. That isn't a cloud. Too narrow." Zeroing in on the object, Rose's breath hitched. "That's an airship. Specifically, one with an intercept course. For us." Adjusting various dials, she spoke once more. "And it isn't running any colors. nor flying any signals... Oh wait, there's one. It's a red flag. And a skull and crosswings."

333 views