Hearthswarming Far Away

by publiq

(At Least) Two Mares in the Air

“Panama!” Sung a muffled voice from the bridge.

Petunia Paleo resumed her pinned-ear stance. When will this journey ever end?

“Panama!”

“What the hay is Panama and why the hay is the captain so excited about it?” thought Petunia. Yes, she had to have put up with muffled words from songs from the bridge for the past half moon, but today was the worst so far.

Petunia made a note that the first thing to do when she returned to her cabin was to check the itinerary. Surely they had to be within a day of landfall.

For the moment, however, it was time for sightseeing and fresh air. She made her way to the railing and quickly remembered why earth ponies were rarely seen on the sightseeing deck. Vertigo set in as she looked over her muzzle into clouds, sky, and ocean. Airships over open water were no place for an earth pony like her. She looked down at the deck. The wood was solid and she had long ago gotten her air legs. Those other ponies were not joking when they described the differences between air and sea travel. At least boats let you see the waves. Sure, air travel had smaller displacements—right until it doesn’t. Large or small, there was no warning when her hooves would find themselves half a shoe¹ away from where they were supposed to be. No need for panic. Petunia established her confidence to trot back to safety during the last lunar phase.

26 seconds later, give or take, blue hooves opened the door to the interior of the ship. Petunia inwardly rejoiced at having a key to the sensitive cargo hold. Only the most severe air disturbances would disrupt her there. One flight down, a door to the left and hallway, then a u-turn down another flight of stairs. She was already fishing the keys out of her saddlebag by the time her eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness of the interior halls. Grab the blue key like a bit, raise and twist her head, and—unlike every other door in this hall—pull.

“It must be calm air today,” thought Petunia once she noticed how unusually flush the interior was with the hall floor. She stepped inside before that fact had any opportunity to change. In spite of visiting this shrine of nothingness daily, she still thought “a meditative cave in the sky, how bizarre” to herself every time she walked inside.

Her pupils dilated near their maximum as they adjusted to the dim magical lighting crystals. A faint snort alerted her to the presence of another pony. It was either her new advisor, the captain herself, or one of the three pegasus crew members. She stepped forward to find out that it was her new advisor taking a snooze. What better place for a nap was there? The sensitive cargo hold was always quiet, stable, and dim. One of the crystals noted her presence and glowed slightly brighter. Petunia read the title of the manuscript on the ground next to Maud: Steaming Hot Orogeny: Vapor Deposition Analysis of Volcanic Gasses from the Dragon Lands. Maud’s rear right was still cocked lazily. She had not yet noticed her protégé’s presence. Petunia took the opportunity to steal a glance at the author of this presumed forbidden manuscript. It may not have been the book that Maud has been so secretive about in these tight quarters, but Petunia’s instincts told her this was the forbidden book.

Maud’s ears remained unfocused as Petunia adjusted her head to get the author’s name in focus. Flaming Cherry, M. Sc. In contrast to the typed title, his name and cutie mark must have been sketched by a friendly dragon. Underneath Mr. Cherry’s name was a drawing of a cherry on fire and a spark at the end of its stem, like a wick.

With her curiosity satisfied, Petunia tiptoed to the other end of the clearing to follow Maud’s lead. She let her ears unfocus and absorb the mechanical sounds of the drivetrain over the faint magical music of the engine. In spite of being a mile in the air, the ground here was as solid as ground should be.

1. Approximately 2 inches, in case you’re a human or yak reading this—ed.