A ship nopony has seen before shows up in Manehattan. The mane 6 investigate, but what they find isn't what they expected.
A ship nopony has heard about or seen shows up at the docks in Manehattan. When Celestia hears about this she asks the main 6 to investigate. While they're looking around, the ship comes to life and drives out on the sea with the mane 6 still onboard.
The morning breeze blew through the streets of Manehattan. Even though it was early in the morning the town was very busy. Some were out shopping, others were walking to work and some were just taking a stroll. Down at the docks the workers were loading crates with all sorts of things. Things were looking towards being a normal and peaceful day. That didn't last though.
A loud sound of a horn of some type was heard coming from the ocean towards the docks. The sound gained a lot of attention and it didn't take long before huge crowds were gathered at the docks. Soon a figure appeared on the horizon. It was a ship. As it came closer the structure became visible. Though this ship was different. It was made of metal, had no sails, had four chimneys for some reason and was moving without wind. The horn blew a few more times as it began to slow down. Up in a radio station a beeping came through the telegraph receiver. The stallion sitting in the office almost literally flew over to the thing and listened to the Morse code.
(Permission to make port)
It read. He dotted an answer.
(You are clear to make port at dock fifteen)
The ship began to swing towards it's assigned dock and a few minutes later it stood by the moorings. Ropes where thrown from the bow of the ship just out of sight and landed on the dock. A few stallions came out of the crowd and fastened the ropes to the mooring anchors. Everyone there began to ask questions about the ship. Although there were no answers to them. This quickly reached the post office and they wasted no time sending a letter about this to princess Celestia.
Canterlot
All was quiet in the office of princess Celestia the only sound being made were the sounds of a quill writing on paper and the occasional sigh from the thoroughly bored alicorn.
"Your majesty! Urgent mail from Manehattan." a guard said walking into the room with an envelope.
"Thank you." Celestia said gently taking the envelope. "You may leave now."
The guard bowed and exited the room.
Celestia turned her attention to the envelope.
'Urgent mail from Manehattan? That's not very often.' she thought and opened it.
I hope we're not interrupting anything, but what looks to be a hospital ship has made port here in Manehattan. So far nopony has come out of the ship and nopony has dared to go onboard. The ship is unlike anything we've seen here. Please if you have the time, take a look at it.
Manehattan's post office.
'Hmm. My royal duties will get in the way here. I'll have to ask Twilight and her friends to do this.' Celestia thought and began writing in a scroll. When she finished she used her magic to send it.
Ponyville
The mane 6 were sitting on a small plane. Everything was the usual. Pinkie brought cupcakes, Rainbow Dash was lying down with her shades on, Applejack and Fluttershy were talking about different things, Rarity was lying on her couch having completely overreacted to forgetting the cup plates and Twilight was reading a book. Then Spike came flying at full speed with a scroll in his hand.
"TWILIGHT!!! Urgent mail from Princess Celestia!!!" he shouted.
Upon hearing this Twilight almost threw her book and quickly grabbed the scroll. She almost literally ripped the seal off and unfolded the scroll.
Dear Twilight Sparkle
Earlier today a unidentified hospital ship made port in Manehattan. Due to my duties getting in the way, I ask for you and your friends to investigate. Use the spell written at the bottom of the scroll to instantly teleport to Manehattan.
"Oh come on. It can't be THAT bad. Hospital ships are not that big. This will be over quick." Twilight said as she charged up the spell.
*poof*
Manehattan
*poof*
They appeared at the docks and were immediately faced by a huge crowd that started asking more questions than they could answer.
"Please calm down. Were here to investigate the hospital ship and nothing more." Twilight said to them. It took a few moments, but eventually they fell silent and let the mane 6 walk to the docks.
"Um, girls? You remember the moment I said that hospital ships aren't that big?" Twilight said with hesitation in her voice.
"Yes." the mane 5 said in unison.
"I take it back." Twilight said and pointed at the boat in front of them.
All of the mane 5's mouths hung open when they saw the gigantic ship in front of them.
"What in tarnation?!" Applejack exclaimed.
"That looks more like an ocean liner!" Rarity added.
The mane 6 made their way to the right side of the ship where it had been tide to the docks. They looked up to the bow and noticed the writing on it.
"B-Bri...tannic? Britannic." Twilight stuttered.
They then heard the sound of creaking metal and saw that a door on the side had been opened and a collapsible staircase had been attached. They made their way up the staircase carefully and slowly due to noticable rust on it. Once they made their way inside they heard metal snap and break. Looking out the door they had just entered they saw that the staircase had completely fallen apart and detached from the door frame. They gave a shudder and walked inside again, not noticing the door slowly and carefully closing behind them.
They walked though the empty corridors of the ship looking for anyone to make contact with, but so far it was in vain. The corridors were empty and even the smallest of sounds would make an echo. They walked up several staircases and eventually found a door which they opened to find themselves on the bow of the ship.
Then as if out nowhere the horn blew, the sound of the engines came from under the deck and the ship began to move backwards. The ropes holding the ship in place snapped and whitered away in a few seconds. The ship backed away from the docks and then slowly turned around before it moved towards the open ocean. The horn blew a few more times as it began moving faster.
The mane 6 was absolutely dumbstruck. They hadn't found anyone onboard yet, but the ship just left port.
"We need to find the captain. NOW." Twilight said as she moved towards the door they came through with the rest on her trail.
The sound of hooves echoed through the empty halls as the mane 6 ran through them. The halls looked for the most part the same so the ship felt like a labyrinth, but they reached the upper floor soon enough. They opened a door to find themselves on the sun deck. They walked around the deck trying to find the bridge for a few minutes before they decided to walk towards the bow. Walking towards the bow proved to be a wise choice as they soon reached a room with a helm and three brass telegraphs. The telegraphs had a triangular piece that was pointing on the word 'half'. Even though the ship was moving, not a single soul could be found. Not even a captain. As they made their way out a clanking noise caught their attention. They turned around to see the triangle shape on the telegraphs moving all the way back before it went forward and stopped on 'full'.
Rainbow Dash had had enough she gave a run for it and took off to the sky in an attempt to find help, but a rope was caught around her hoof and when she had flown a few meters the rope had reached it's limit and gave a tug at Dash's hoof. The recoil caused her to lose stability and she was on a collision course with the side of the ship.
*CLANK* *CRACK*
A loud crack came from Rainbow Dash and she screamed in pain. Applejack grabbed the rope and pulled Rainbow Dash up on deck again.
"RD, are ya okay?" she asked.
"N-no I think my wing is broken!" Rainbow Dash said between gritted teeth.
Then a door swung open with a loud slam and a cart rolled out with medical supplies on it. Twilight reluctantly took the first aid kits and began bandaging Dash's wing.
"Rainbow Dash will be okay, but I'm afraid she'll remain flightless for a few weeks." Twilight said with sadness in her voice.
"Are we just going to forget that a cart with the medical supplies we needed just came out of nowhere?!" Rarity asked.
"Ah think we should just accept it. The ship is drivin' itself, so a cart with the correct supplies isn't that shockin' if ya ask me." Applejack said as she got Rainbow Dash onto her back. "Ah think we should look for a place where RD can rest."
Rarity didn't have any argument for that.
They walked through the empty corridors checking every door, but all of them were locked. The suddenly a door ahead of them creaked open getting their attention. Twilight entered first to check what was inside.
"What do you see Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.
"Its a cabin with three bunk beds." Twilight said and walked inside.
The rest walked into the room and Rainbow Dash was put in one of the lower beds.
"How are we going to get help now? Twilight can barely fly and Fluttershy can't stand the thought of flying all the way to shore alone." Rarity stated.
"There is also the fact that I don't know where on the ocean we are. So I can't risk using a teleportation spell and we end up forced to swim to shore." Twilight added.
"Looks like we're stuck on this boat for a while. We may as well make the best out of it." Applejack said.
"I guess you're right, but someone needs to stay with Dash." Twilight said.
"Ah'll do it." Applejack answered.
This got everyone a little confused.
"A-are you sure? I could do it instead if you don't mind." Fluttershy said almost whispering.
"No. Ah'll do it and mah decision is final." Applejack said.
The mane 5 didn't argue and exited the room to explore. Applejack sat down beside Rainbow Dash who was looking at her.
"You're so stupid AJ. Why would you sit here with me instead of exploring?" she said.
"It wouldn't be the same without ya." Applejack answered.
The four mares walked through the deserted corridors of the ship. The only sounds that could be heard was the sounds of their hooves against the floor and the faint sound of the engine running. Most of the doors they attempted to open were locked and Twilight couldn’t unlock them with her magic either. Although their attempt to open almost every door they came across didn't go to waste as one door was unlocked and it gently slid open to reveal what looked like a room for the wounded. Like every other room on the ship it was empty, but when Twilight entered the room a strange feeling washed over her. She felt a sudden temperature drop and got the feeling like something had phased through her, although her only reaction was to give a shiver.
"Did it suddenly get cold here?" Twilight asked while rubbing her arms.
The three other mares looked at each other but gave a shrug while shaking their heads.
"I don't feel cold. I feel pretty good actually. What, isn't Flash here to warm you up?" Pinkie said with a mischievous grin.
Twilight froze in place as her face turned bright red and her wings stood straight like planks.
"Pinkie! That was not an appropriate joke to make right now!" Rarity scolded.
"Yeah, you're right. Now the writer may have to add a 'sex tag' to this story. Just because I made that joke." Pinkie said while her smile remained.
The rest of the group looked at each other with confused look but shrugged it off as Pinkie being Pinkie.
"How's yer wing feelin'?" Applejack asked as she sat beside Rainbow Dash.
"Other than the stinging and a few cramps it feels okay." Rainbow Dash answered as she tried to sit up.
"Woah there sugarcube. You need to rest." Applejack protested as she gently pushed Rainbow Dash's chest to make her lie down again, but Rainbow Dash was stubborn mare and when she set her mind on something nothing would stop her.
"I can't just lie here while the others explore!" Rainbow Dash said as she pushed Applejack's hand away, forced herself up into a seated position and climbed out of bed.
"RD wait!" Applejack said as she grabbed Rainbow's arm.
"What is it AJ?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"If I can't stop you from going, then I'm coming with you." Applejack said as she stood up from the chair, she sat in.
Rainbow Dash gave a slight smile as the two left the room.
Meanwhile somewhere else on the ship
Twilight had broken off from the group and she walked through the corridors alone. The silence made her feel uncomfortable and she couldn't help but feel like something was watching her. All doors she had attempted to open were locked and when Just as she was about to turn around to go back to the group, she heard a low metallic groan coming from behind her. Turning around she saw that a door at the end of the hall had partially opened. She walked down the hall and poked her head through the door to see a luxurious looking hall with a grand staircase leading to the next floor.
"Wow, I didn't know that hospital ships would ever have this level of luxury." she said as she looked around.
Looking up she saw a beautifully decorated glass roof that let in the sunlight. She began to climb the grand staircase as she continued to look around. Upon reaching the reaching the top she saw a clock on the wall that was embedded into the wooden wall that was carved with two human looking figures "holding" it. The place was so beautifully made that Twilight forgot for a second that she was on a hospital ship. A few minutes later she descended the stairs and made her way to the door she came from, but it was locked.
"What the-" Twilight said as she pulled at the handle.
"Excuse me, miss?" a voice suddenly sounded behind her.
Twilight whipped around to see the still empty room, without any trace of where the voice came from.
"Who's there?!" she shouted into the empty room, but no answer came.
Suddenly a sharp pain cut through her head, causing her to fall into a seated position while clutching her head. Voices rang through her ears as she began sweating profusely.
"The ship must have a captain."
After that sentence was registered by Twilight's brain, the voices stopped.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked through hallway after hallway with nothing interesting to look at. All doors they attempted to open were either locked or barricaded from inside. After what felt like hours, they came to a door that opened to reveal the stern of the ship. Nothing caught their eyes as they walked up a staircase to an open deck with benches lining up in two rows.
"Ah think we should take a break Rainbow. Ya still need to rest." Applejack said as she motioned towards a bench.
"Aw, come on! I don't want to-" Rainbow cut herself off as a feeling of sleepiness overcame her. "Okay, fine." she said as she and Applejack sat down on one of the many benches there.
"Rest."
Not long after Rainbow had taken a seat, she was fast asleep with her head resting on Applejack's lap.
"Oh Rainbow." was all Applejack could say to the sleeping mare as she looked up at the blue cloudless sky.
Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity walked down a narrow staircase made of metal that led further down into the ship the sound of steam and something being in motion became louder the further down they came.
Eventually they came to a catwalk that stretched into a large open room. Along both walls were pistons as big as pillars moving up and down as the sound of steam was audibly coming from them. These were obviously the ship's source of power. The three friends looked at all the machinery in awe and bewilderment. Neither of them had ever seen anything like it before, even Pinkie was speechless. Subconsciously they began making their way around the catwalk and soon they were making their way down another staircase. This one led down to the lowest level of the room.
After walking around, they found a telegraph that looked almost identical to those on the bridge was standing with the handle standing according to the pointing arrow behind the glass of the dial. The dial had some forms of slots with words written in them. They were almost mirrored with the words "slow", "half" and "full" only difference being the words "ahead" and "astern" were on their own respective side. On the top in the middle was the word "stop". Beside stop on both sides, and above the "ahead" and "astern" indications were the words "dead slow ahead/astern". These were now very clearly the indications for the speed the ship was moving. Right now, the ship was steaming full ahead.
Rarity got a thoughtful look as she studied the telegraph. An idea suddenly lit up, but gravity was a thing, so the light bulb fell down on her head before falling onto the ground with a loud crash, but for some reason disappearing immediately after that.
"Girls, I think I may have an idea for how we can try to turn this ship around." she said with a smirk.
"Oh!" Pinkie said, bouncing up and down. "What is it, what is it?!"
"Well, Twilight taught me a communication spell a little while ago to make long distance communication possible in case it was needed. And I think that since this ship seems to go by what these pedestals, or whatever they are, point at." Rarity explained as Pinkie and Fluttershy listened closely. "If I use the communication spell with Twilight, I can tell her to go to the bridge and move these handles that are mounted on these contraptions, as I think these will be connected, in order to make it swing and go back to Manehattan." she finished.
Pinkie and Fluttershy responded by nodding as they didn't really understand but got the basic idea.
Rarity lit her horn and concentrated on finding Twilight's magical reading. It didn't take long before a small orb of light started to appear on the tip of Rarity's horn, which soon started to float into the air a few inches from Rarity's horn, still connected by a small line of magic.
"Hello? Rarity?" Twilight's voice echoed through the small orb of light.
"Hello Twilight. I think I've found a way to make this ship turn back." Rarity said proudly.
"Really?" Twilight asked confused.
"Yes. Although I'm not sure it will work, I think we should try."
Twilight opened a door that opened to the sun deck and she began making her towards the bridge. It took a few minutes, but she soon found herself standing behind the helm.
"Okay Rarity, I'm here. What do I do?" she asked the orb of light that was floating just above her horn.
"Excellent. You see those pedestal looking things? I want you to grab the handle of the one that has the words "port engine" written on it. Grab the handle and pull it back until it reaches "full astern". When you've done that, go to all the others and pull the handles to "stop". Lastly take the wheel in the middle of the room and rotate it to the left until it doesn't go anymore." Rarity explained.
Twilight did accordingly and grabbed the port engine telegraph's handle and pulled it backwards until it reached "full astern" with a satisfying clicking noise as it did. Accordingly, to her instructions she went to the rest of the telegraphs and pulled their handles to "stop". After that she then went over to the helm and began rotating it towards the left until it suddenly stopped and didn't move further.
"Good work Twilight. We heard a bell-like noise coming from all the same pedestal looking things here now and the arrow has moved on the one I stand beside. Just hold the wheel until further notice." Rarity's voice said before the orb went silent again.
In the engine room Rarity and Pinkie took to moving the handles on the separate telegraphs according to what the arrow said.
After that a lot seemed to happen at once.
A wheel that was elevated horizontally began slightly rotating before Pinkie, as if on command, zipped over to it and began spinning it as fast as possible as the engines began slowing down. When they were about to stop, Fluttershy suddenly rushed towards a lever and pulled it down making the engines seemingly locking in position with a loud boom before they slowly began rotating the opposite way of what they did before, going faster and faster as time went on.
Twilight held the helm in place as she watched the bow's movement. After some time, the bow began slowly turning to the left. It continued without stopping and soon the ship had almost turned around.
"Twilight! Let the wheel go and turn all handles on the pedestals to "full ahead" before the ship swings in circles." Rarity called through the spell.
Twilight did accordingly and let the wheel go, which spun back as she turned all handles on the telegraphs to "full ahead" again. Soon the indicating arrow followed suit, confirming the command. Stepping out from the bridge Twilight watched as the ship steamed ahead with its new course.
"We did it!" she shouted in victory as she threw her arms in the air.
Then suddenly the clanking sound of the telegraphs filled her ears and her head whipped in the direction of the sound to see the handles of the telegraphs changing to the same setting they had used to turn it around.
Twilight rushed into the room and grabbed the handle of one of the telegraphs to put it back in position, but when she did, voices plagued her mind. Initially she relented, but soon steeled herself and made a second attempt. The voices shouted and screamed at her, but she ignored them and kept on pulling at the handle seemingly stuck or held back by something. The more she pulled the louder the voices got, and it soon became unbearably loud. Eventually it was too much for Twilight and she let out a scream of pain as she grabbed at her head before she passed out and the communication spell was broken.
Back in the engine room things also got out of hand quickly. After Twilight's scream of pain and the communication spell being broken, everything seemed to come to life as all the equipment began operating itself. Engines began slowing down before stopping and starting to go in reverse. All attempts Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy made to stop it were futile and soon the ship had turned around again. Steaming full speed ahead on the same course it had before.
At the stern Applejack took notice of the ship's sudden course changing but didn't dare investigate since a certain Rainbow maned mare was still asleep on her lap. If she tried to stand Rainbow would begin to whimper as if she was trying to keep Applejack there.
"Oh Rainbow, if only ya knew how cute ya are like that." Applejack sighed as she stroked the mare's cheek.
