Evening
Evening
Admiral Biscuit
There would be more cargo to load in the morning—there always was. The livery ponies would arrive while they ate dinner, taking away some of the deliveries and bringing more goods to be shipped. For now, though, all the outgoing cargo was loaded on the boat, and everything was battened down for the evening.
Flash grabbed a stack of paperwork off her desk—there was a good chance she’d see some of the consignees at the inn, and it was always faster to deliver them direct. Sometimes, Mersey and Swanky also got to run invoices, especially at the end of every moon. Some ponies didn’t like paying for delivery unless they were reminded, muzzle to muzzle, and then they’d grudgingly hoof over the bits.
There were a couple of customers who were intimidated by Mersey, something Flash used to her advantage. They’d make their excuses and Mersey would just tap the invoice again and before too long they’d sputter and stammer and eventually get out their bits.
Maybe they didn’t like big mares.
•••
Some days they went straight to the inn for dinner, other days they went to the bathhouse first. Mersey was clean enough—in fact, she hadn’t completely dried off from her swim in the canal. Swanky had salt in his fur, white stripes where his harness sat. Common enough among the working class, he wouldn’t look slovenly among the group.
She was about to point him to the bathhouse, then she heard his stomach rumble.
It could be overlooked; a quick pass with the curry brush to sort of tidy him up and that would be good enough.
“It’s fine,” he protested.
Mersey shook her head, then tilted her muzzle first towards the brush and then the canal. Either or.
Swanky sighed and stood in place as she brushed him, just a quick pass to make him look presentable, and then the three of them headed out the door together, Flash in the lead with her two towponies following: another familiar path, another familiar journey.
•••
The inn was always a boisterous place. Too loud for Mersey’s liking, although everypony was friendly and she heard lots of good gossip.
Not all the ponies who frequented the inn were bargees, but most were, and the bulk of them sat at the big central table. It was a familiar place, and even if she didn’t like all the noise, their oats were delicious.
Even after she’d gotten a bowl, she followed her brother through the food line, watching what he put on his plate.
The three of them sat down together, Swanky and Maresy on one side of the table, while Flash sat on the other. She looked around for new faces before sticking her muzzle into her bowl of oats. Nopony at first, and then a cluster of Mount Carbon towponies swaggered in, acting like they owned the place. She snorted and was about to turn her attention back to her oats when she felt Swanky shift around on the seat next to her. He had his eyes on a stallion in the middle of the group, tan with streaks of coal and sweat in his coat and a short-cropped tail.
She could see some scars on his flanks and concluded that he hadn’t always been a canal pony, maybe he still wasn’t. Farmponies and wagonponies cut their tails short; bargeponies didn’t. There was no advantage to it, there was nothing on the harness back there to snag.
She hadn’t seen him on the towpath before. That wasn’t unusual with Mount Carbon, either they had lots of ponies rotating through different jobs, or they just couldn’t keep canal ponies. One of the mares at Treskow said that Mount Carbon’s supervisors just gave them a number because it wasn’t worth learning a name.
Mersey didn’t think that was true, but it might be. Still, she did recognize a mare in the crew, also a former farmpony who was almost as big as her. She had a brilliant orange coat and straw-colored hair which she liked dying different colors.
Swanky was still distracted by the stallion, so Mersey took the opportunity to steal some of his spinach.
The group sat down next to them; now Mersey was rubbing shoulders with a green-coated mare with a plate piled high with food. Her hooves were chipped and her shoes worn. She looked too lightweight to tow a barge—Mount Carbon didn’t pay enough to attract the best ponies, so they often settled with having several lightweights in front of their barges.
A lot of the rookies started out moving barges in the loading docks or ferrying empty strings of barges up the canal.
Towponies like that either got strong, quit, or they spent their careers towing small packet boats and lighters.
The crew was gossiping among themselves about hoofball and stallions and none of that was of any interest to her. She did perk her ears when one of the mares announced that somepony had crashed a coal barge into the downstream gates at Lock Lake—that was worth remembering, in case they were damaged.
Swanky kept eating and occasionally glancing over at the Mount Carbon stallion, while Flash had started chatting with River Dreams, who ran the Bridgewater Inland Shipping Company. She’d started out with just a tub boat and now had a fleet of three barges and a half dozen lighters.
Her boats were a familiar sight on the canal: they’d set out from Manehattan with several lighters stringing along behind the barge, trailing out like ducklings following their mother. Those would be dropped off to serve smaller customers where a big barge couldn’t fit, or where there wasn’t enough cargo to justify it.
Mersey glanced over at the rookie seated next to her. Maybe that was a job for her; she looked like she’d be fast on her hooves.
•••
Swanky spared one last look at the Mount Carbon stallion as they were leaving the tavern; Mersey saw where he was looking and shoulder-checked him.
“What, he’s cute.”
She nipped him on the shoulder.
“See if you still think he’s cute when you’re fishing him out of the canal,” Flash said. “A Mount Carbon stallion? Doesn’t River Dreams have any good looking stallions on her crew?”
Mersey nodded, while Swanky shook his head.
“Well, maybe you’ll get another chance to look at him at the bathhouse.”
•••
Like many things on the canal, the bathouse had seen better days. A few consolidated barge companies offered their own company bathhouse either near the boarding house, or consolidated within. Treskow’s was actually nice; Mersey had used it once. If Mount Carbon ever decided to build one, it was likely to be a buoy border in the canal.
Flash hadn’t wanted to spend the bits to build her own for her small crew, but she’d been smart enough to negotiate free access in exchange for hauling their limited cargo—occasional barrels of minerals for the mineral bath, soaps and shampoos that could be purchased, brushes for the pony who forgot to pack her own. A few crates and barrels every now and then; the only time it had been an inconvenience was when they’d already had a completely full cargo and had to load a few barrels into the forward cabin. Mersey didn’t like that change in the routine, but understood why it was necessary.
Swanky complained about it for a week, since he had to climb over a barrel to get to his bed.
•••
Hot water and a full belly was the very height of luxury, bordering on decadence. It would be too easy to lose herself in the comfort, but she still had to watch out for Swanky, make sure that he got himself clean, so she’d point to spots he’d missed or get them herself if they were hard to reach.
There wasn’t as much gossip in the bathhouse, but there was some. Not always easily overheard with the white noise the showers made, but Mersey was a good listener.
When she was clean, she shut off the water and shook herself off then started towling Swanky off—he hated being wet, and sometimes complained that he’d decided to work a job around water all the time.
He had fallen in the canal once; he’d been too busy focusing on a stallion pulling on the other side and not as focused on what his towrope was doing. That was a mistake he’d never repeated . . . it got to be second nature; the pony and the barge were one.
Mersey was still offended that he’d swum to the opposite shore so he could be ‘rescued’ by the other stallion. He was such a disaster stallion, that was why she needed to look after him.
•••
By the time they got back to the warehouse, liveryponies had already hauled off some of their cargo. That was something that Mersey and Swanky used to have to do, until Flash hired a couple of stallions to work off-hours. They still occasionally had to haul cargo when they carried a big load or when it was a priority cargo, but for the most part the Aire & Calder wagon stayed inside the warehouse, gathering dust.
Every year, she and Swanky would shine it up and tow it through Stroudwater for the annual Summer Sun parade. That was always fun.
Not as fun as Canal Days, though; Oakton had a barge parade. Last year, Treskow had even cleaned up one of their coal barges and paraded it through the canal, along with a packet boat for tourists to ride.
They walked around the warehouse and to the dock; Mersey boarded last just in case Swanky decided to gallop back to the inn.
He did hesitate on the gangway, so she bumped him with her muzzle to get him moving again. That stallion was long gone; maybe he’d be worthy of a second look when they were back in two days, but she doubted it. Mount Carbon couldn't keep crews. Two days hence there might be a different stallion for him to ogle.
Flash slept in the aft cabin; she and Swanky got the forward cabin. While Swanky stretched out and settled into his bed, Mersey took the opportunity to straighten out his harness, untangling the straps and letting it hang properly.
He booped her nose and she stuck her tongue out at him.
Once Swanky had laid down in bed, she put a blanket over him, then she settled into her own bed, letting the gentle rocking of the barge put her to sleep.
Like Mount Carbon's coal barges, the blog post will be along when it gets there. 
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A quiet day is a good day.
Tomorrow might turn out to be, Interesting.
Mersey seems maybe a little too protective of her brother, if we had the same story from his point of view I suspect there would be quite a bit about how his sister is treating him like a foal all the time.
11726887
Yes, indeed. Especially for somepony who likes routine.
That is true, it very much might be.
11727012
'They do have an interesting dynamic; whether it's healthy or not is debatable (but it works for them). I would think that from Swanky's view, he's looking out for his sister, and maybe he's of the mind that submitting to some of his sister's mothering because it's harmless and it makes her happy.
Really enjoyed this, the world building, the routine if it all. Different pace to what I normally read on here. Your skill in describing the work, travel and routine highlights your passion, which is always a pleasure to see. Waterways are neat, should visit Liverpool sometime in the future
A delightful read.
Yes, another one here enjoying the world building and great detail.
11727434
If they like salty, they should like monosodium glutamate because it is savory from the glutamate and salty from the sodium. Despite what racists would have you believe, monosodium glutamate is not part of a conspiracy from East Asians fo poison Western Europeans.
11728152
Thank you!
I'd like to next time I get over to the UK. There's actually a lot of places there I'd like to visit.
11728233
Thanks!
11728253
regarding the savory aspect, several studies have shown that horses prefer anise, fenugreek, and cherry over over apple, garlic, carrot, citrus, peppermint, vanilla, banana, and plain oats.
Another study showed that 'sweet and salty' were their preferred flavor combo; apparently they avoid bitter and sour.
I don't know which foods that horses might eat (or not) would be considered 'savory' by the human palate.
Comfort stories are a thing, I guess. Occasionally, when I am too exhausted to do much else, I will watch a You-Tube video of a craftsman making or restoring an object, usually with the sound off. This story felt like that. Just seeing (or reading about) good work being done is a comfort somehow.
I couldn't help but think that Mersey's habitual tidying up after her brother was because she couldn't nag him about being sloppy. (No pun intended.)
11730057
Equestrian ponies have cake and such, but for earthly equines (and every other critter except cats) sweet feed (a mixture of oats, corn, and barley, with molasses and protein powder, sometimes with added vitamins) seems to be the top favorite. No kidding, even my dogs like it. We call it Sheep Crack because after they've had it they seem perfectly willing to murder each other over who gets their nose in the feeder.
11730546
Yeah, I totally understand. For example, I once watched a forty-minute video of an Australian craftsman making a wooden bucket. Great way to get the brain in a nice idle. And I'll be honest, I write a lot of these as comfort stories; nothing like forgetting about the day's frustrations than writing a cute low-consequence story about cute ponies doing things cutely.
That could be as well.
Hmm, I'll keep that in mind. Maybe I need to write the PoE (or HiE) where ponies are using blackstrap molasses as a condiment. "These french fries are okay, but they'd be better with molasses on them."
11730839
Oh carp, I'm going to have to try that now!
11730900
If horses like savory, since savory is the taste of amino-acids, they should like nuts, beans, eggs, and small animals (horses sometimes catch and eat small animals). Maybe horses would like molasses mixed with monosodium glutamate (the sweetness of molasses, the saltiness of sodium, and the savoriness of glutamate).
11730940
My old horse Ben, stomped and ate a mouse while I was watching. Yesterday I saw a hen eating from a road-killed cat carcass. People who think nature is beautiful and harmonious don't get out into nature very often.
11730975
About chickens, pecking order, and cannibalism, if a flock is hungry, its members kill and eat the chicken with the lowest rank.
11738887 Well, I practiced at home first!
11739580
As you should. Everypony knows practice makes perfect.
Also now that I think about it—and on a more serious, world-building tangent—I wonder if earth pony foals have play harnesses, wagons, plows, cultivators, etc.?
Great story, sad that it's over.
11741778
Thank you!
If you want more of Mersey and company, there's also a story arc with them in Field Notes from Equestria
- MLP: FiM
- Comedy
- Slice of Life
A modern-day explorer gets his chance to visit Equestria, and writes down notes about the ponies he meets.(It's the last five chapters)
11742541
Yeah, I'm on Lake Ontario so I don't see the stuff on the other end, I don't see any container ships either... Nor do I know anywhere nearby off the top of my head that deals in them.
Huh... Well there's a rabbit hole to dive into.
11742552
Thanks but I already read them.
Mersey isn't the most sociable nor trusting is she?
Kind of a cross between Marble and Limestone Pie.
11742668
I don't know the lock situation on the lower Great Lakes; there might be one or more in the St. Lawrence River or there might not be. I'd guess any container ports you've got for oceangoing ships are probably out to the East; with the rail network there's not a lot of point in bringing them further inland. Like, I live near one of the major rail through-routes (Canada to Chicago), and see stack trains all the time, which I assume originate from the eastern seaboard in Canada or the northeast US.
Those are always fun!
11787492
Maybe she's got a good reason to be that way.
11787836
I don't doubt for a second that you could (if given the right inspiration) create a vivid story that explains her rather stoic/no nonsense attitude.
On a separate note: Happy New Years, Auld Lang Syne and all that Jazz.
11810713
Having finally gotten 'round to reading it (and Team Boat), I must say I really appreciate the recommendation! That was right up my street, thankyou Admiral.