On a Riverboat to the Sea

by Jarvy Jared

Chapter Two: Distant from Equestrian shores

On that fateful summer evening, the Neigh Orleans sky was as clear as it could be. All the stars seemed to have been arranged into an arrow pointing towards the great waters beyond, as one reporter on site put it. Hyperbole? Yes, but even the most cynical of ponies could not shake the feeling that something momentous was about to embark. The seagulls circled around the dock, unwilling to perch, as though completely captivated by the sight.

And what a sight it was.

Though the article and others had done a good job of describing the Equestrian Regent, they could not have prepared Velvet for the ship itself. Its name was stenciled across the outside of the wooden, pure white hull. Pockets of black and blue were interspersed throughout the sides of the boat like balls of candy. The two paddlewheels at the stern were painted bright red, and two smokestacks rose out of the bow. On a pole, the Equestrian flag waggled like a tongue in the gentle evening breeze. It still bore the caricatures of Princess Celestia and Luna.

Filtering out the crowd around her, Velvet craned her neck downward and focused on the pamphlet floating in her magic. The Regent’s six decks all had something for everypony. There was a spa and lounge area, a front porch café, a fitness center, a gallery, numerous staterooms, and a theater with the totally copyright-legal name of “Grand Galloping Saloon.” Velvet couldn’t see herself visiting every facility, but she anticipated a few of the more exciting ones would be well worth her while.

Velvet looked up and peered at the Regent’s hull. Something this massive could not possibly fit the river’s width, but as she swept her gaze over the water, she saw that the river that wound through the heart of Neigh Orleans was far wider than she’d given credit. The Regent, while indeed tall, sat comfortably against the shore.

Due to the number of passengers, there were two lines set up. Velvet and Night Light stood in the middle of one. The line was slow but steady, and allowed Velvet a good view of the rest of the passengers. Among ponies of all shapes, sizes, clothing, and social status were also a handful of non-pony passengers. Most kept glancing nervously up at the ship, as though afraid it could not support them all.

In the middle of the second line, there was a small griffon child. He was the color of basalt, with light gray fur and feathers making up the lower half of his body. He was looking up at the Regent, then periodically glancing behind him at the rest of the line. He shifted his weight from claw to claw.

In that line there were a few foals. The griffon waved at them, but the children rewarded him by huddling behind their parents, who stepped protectively in front of them. He was too far for Velvet couldn’t make out his face, but she knew the look of a lonely child when she saw one, and her heart went out to him.

There was a yellow pegasus next to him with a two-tone mane of seafoam white and blue. She was also looking up at the ship. When the line moved, the griffon tried to push past her, but she held him back with a hoof and a stern expression. She shook her head. His ears wilted.

It was a curious display. Velvet could have sworn the two were—

“Uh, Vel? Line’s moving, hon.”

“Oh! Right, sorry.”

A small table had been set up, and a gray, heavily wrinkled stallion, whose mane was as thin as cornsilk, sat on a wooden stool, meticulously examining each item presented to him. He looked bored. There was a small book with a bookmark sandwiched between the pages. Velvet snickered; he sure wouldn’t have time to crack that thing open tonight.

“Next,” he said. He barely looked up as Night Light handed him their tickets and paperwork. The stallion was just about to stamp the tickets and hand them back, when he paused, squinting at the names. Slowly, he raised his eyes and blinked at the two of them.

“Mr. Night Light? Mrs. Twilight Velvet?”

Velvet smiled a little. She couldn’t help but do a little twirl of her mane. “Yes, that’s us.”

Instantly, it was like a switch had been flicked. Some manner of fire came back into the stallion’s voice, and his eyes lost their dullness. He sat up straight. A painfully wide smile crossed his lips. “So good to see you two!” he exclaimed, holding up a hoof. “May I just say it is a true privilege to be able to entertain two members of royalty on our modest vessel!”

The “R” word permeated and lingered through the air. Even before the murmurs reached Velvet and Night Light’s ears, Velvet could feel their gazes rain down on her.

“Ah, technically that’d be our children who are royals,” Night said with an awkward chuckle. “We’re not princes or princesses ourselves.”

“As you say!” the stallion exclaimed, in a manner that made it clear that the distinction was lost on him. “But I can’t help but see that these tickets are for one of our Basic Staterooms. Would you like to be moved to one of the Luxury Suites instead? They come with a private veranda, and a great view of the waters, all from your room!”

“That won’t be necessary,” Velvet said. “We’ll take the rooms we bought. Won’t we?”

“Of course,” Night said. He was grinning lopsidedly.

The stallion’s ears drooped slightly, but otherwise accepted the counter-proposal. With a fluid motion, he punched a hole in their tickets and stamped their paperwork. “You’re good to go! Enjoy your cruise!” he said. “Next, please!”

Velvet and Night Light approached the gangplank, their luggage in tow. They joined a line of passengers already processed.

“You think there’ll be more of that once we’re on board?” Night said. Velvet understood his reticence.

“Maybe a little. But I’m sure everypony will be too busy enjoying the ship to bother with us.”

“You make it sound like we’re some kind of activity.”

“I can think of a few fun activities we could have in our room…”

Night blushed, and Velvet laughed. “Stow your thoughts, mister. I was only kidding. Let’s find our room first. I feel like I could get easily lost on this giant thing!”

The two began to climb the gangplank. Above, somepony pulled twice in the steamboat’s horn. It didn’t sound as brassy as she might have expected. It was rather like a thin whistle, ominously piping against the coming voyage.

---

In their modest suite, Velvet sat at the tiny desk by the window, a quill held in her magic. She was writing a letter using the stationery and quill and ink that had come with the room. Night was reclining on the sofa, his nose buried in a book, but judging by the gentle buzzing noise that came from his direction, he was doing anything but reading.

The Regent chugged slowly away. The harbor and shore of Neigh Orleans were still visible. Further beyond, through the cabin window, was the city’s skyline, which, at that late hour, was starting to brighten up the night. It was sure to be a sight for a few hours longer, before they started leaving the range of Equestria’s largest riverside cities and approaching the southern wilderness.

Velvet dipped her quill, held it above the parchment, and frowned. The ink dropped lightly onto the page, flattening into a dot that quickly lost its rich hue. She looked at the dot, then back out the window. The sky was darkening into a lush indigo. She blinked. She looked back at her paper, sighed, then returned the quill back into the holder. She stood in a clamor and said, “I’m going to walk around for a bit.”

Night Light answered with that buzzing noise. That was all right with her.

After closing the door behind her and taking in a deep breath of fresh sea air, Velvet began to wander around. She’d quickly realized, once she’d gotten onto the ship, that what Night had said was true. The other passengers and crew members were much too busy, either with exploring the ship or with her facilities, to bother them. It made wandering easier. It also made her mental wanderings a lot clearer.

She’d been writing a letter to Twilight. She’d meant to do so every other day, starting with this night. The Regent had its own mail delivery system, and she thought she ought to provide Twilight with some kind of an update to their vacation. It wasn’t requested, of course, but Velvet couldn’t help but think it was something she had to do.

Velvet looked down and pawed the floor with one hoof. And yet, for some reason, she couldn’t get the words right. It was like somepony had closed the link between her thoughts and her writing, when it should have been easy—it was just a letter to her daughter!

She passed a few more staterooms, then entered a stairwell. She went down two flights.

The problem seemed to be starting the letter. “Dear Twilight” seemed inadequate nowadays, but “Dear Princess Twilight” wasn’t any better. “Dearest daughter,” maybe? But that sounded like something an old duffy would write. And that was just the question of the greeting. What about the rest of the letter? What would she say?

It’s only the first night, she reasoned. She left the stairwell and emerged into the corridor of the main deck. Here there were more passengers, getting into their rooms or talking to crew members, and as such none noticed her. It’s not like there’s much to say. And yet she felt as though she had to say something more.

But what?

She continued to wrestle with that question as she stepped out onto the ship’s main outer deck. The smell of the ocean mingled with the steam from the two copper stacks just up ahead. She paused, her eyes landing on the flag and several crewponies attending to the mast. They had in their hooves another large fabric. Based on the design, which had a magenta diamond in the middle, this was one of many new attempts at designing a flag befitting the start of a new royal era.

She paused along one of the railings in the middle, watching.

Another crew member approached the funnels. He carried a set of tools, and these he set down once he was close enough. Velvet was close enough to hear him murmur what sounded like the recitation of an instruction manual. She smiled, amused.

“U-uh, excuse me, Mr. Crewpony.”

Both Velvet and the stallion turned their gaze. Approaching from the other side was the griffon child from before. His head was slightly lowered, and he tapped his trembling talons together. The little incident from earlier must’ve shaken him up quite a bit. No wonder the poor child was afraid.

But the stallion didn’t seem to care. He smiled at the griffon. “Hey, kid. Enjoying the trip so far?”

The griffon blinked up at him. His eyes were rather large. “Y-yeah,” he said.

“No seasickness or longing for land?”

“N-no.”

The stallion chuckled. “Great. That’s just what we like to hear!”

The griffon cocked his head. “You’re not screaming.”

“Well, it’s not all that loud just yet, but once we get up to speed—”

“No, I mean—” The griffon frowned, then traced a line in the wood flooring. “You’re not screaming. At me.”

The stallion looked confusedly at him. “Now, why would I do that? It’d be rather rude for a sailor to yell at a passenger.”

The griffon didn’t answer. Seemingly satisfied, the stallion turned back to his task. He looked down at the set of tools, thinking about which one to use.

“How long is the trip gonna take?” the child blurted.

“Hm?” The crewpony looked at him. He put down a wrench. “Well, the pamphlet should have told you that…”

“I can’t read it,” the griffon said miserably.

“Ah, that makes sense. Griffons don’t have the same alphabet as… well, in any case. The Regent’ll be taking about eight days to get to the bay area, assuming we travel at our optimal speeds.” The crewpony puffed out his chest. “Not that there’s any doubt. She’s manned by the finest steamboat crew around, I’ll have you know! Shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll reach the bay in no time!”

“In no time… And what’ll happen then?”

“What do you mean?”

He twiddled his talons. “Y-you know. We get to the bay, and then… then what?”

The pony grunted. “Well… we’ll drop anchor, lounge around for a bit, and then turn around and start the journey back.” He smiled. “Ha. Don’t tell me you miss land already!”

The crewpony turned to setting his tools back into proper order. He didn’t notice the griffon’s shoulders sag, but Velvet did. He hung his head, in a way reminiscent of how Velvet’s daughter had hung hers when she lost Smarty Pants. She wanted to go out there and comfort him, but felt it would be inappropriate for a total stranger to do that.

“Anyway, kid, I appreciate you keeping me company,” the pony continued. “But I do have to get back to work here, so if you don’t mind…”

“Yes. Thank you, Mr. Crewpony.”

“‘Course, kid. Enjoy your trip!”

The pony stepped around him and returned to inspecting the stacks and muttering to himself. The griffon watched him for a little while. He had a stricken expression on his face. He turned his head and looked over the edge of the ship, but didn’t appear to be looking at anything in particular.

“Galahad? Galahad!” a voice called out. “Where’d you run off to?”

It was the yellow pegasus. She flew out on deck and landed in front of Galahad. “Sorry.” He shrank back. “I was just…”

“I know you’re excited, honey, but you shouldn't run off like that,” the pegasus said. “We still have to unpack our things, remember?” He nodded, though he wasn’t smiling at the prospect. “Come on. Let’s get that done. Then tomorrow, we’ll do some ship exploring.”

“Okay, mom.”

No sooner had that bombshell dropped that the two flew up and over the main deck to one of the higher-up ones. Velvet’s eyes followed them until they were gone. For a time she stood against the railing, surprised that that had all happened.

Then abruptly she remembered the letter. She remembered that she was no closer to resolving the issue than when she’d come out here.

When she returned to the suite, Night Light was still asleep on the couch. Truthfully, she was also feeling tired. She went into their bedroom and lay down on the bed, but didn’t go under the covers. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll figure something out,” she said.

Only the gentle swaying of the steamboat answered her. She soon fell asleep, and dreamed of endless waves.

Comments

[ThePinkedWonder]

She’d been writing a letter to Twilight. She’d meant to do so every other day, starting with this night. The Regent had its own mail delivery system, and she thought she ought to provide Twilight with some kind of an update to their vacation. It wasn’t requested, of course, but Velvet couldn’t help but think it was something she had to do.

Aww.

On a different note, it seems like ponies have started adopting kids of other races, unless there's more to the seemingly mother-son bond between Galahad and the pegasus with him. It's something I never thought about possibly happening in Equestria once the bonds between ponies and other races started improving in the later seasons of the show.

[Jarvy Jared]

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Well, the world changes, and many small interesting things change along with it.

[Jarvy Jared]

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Thank you! I hope you enjoy the story as it continues to update.