Caballeron

“How has it been?” Sergeant Grimsly asked, as he took the pair back to their quarters, after their second day fixing sails. Who knew there were so many spares aboard...

“It's been refreshingly active, thank you.” Coco told him.

“Good, good.” Grimsly said. “We'll be passing over the equator tonight, if you care to know.”

“Already?” asked Caballeron.

“Yes, indeed. What's the saying... Ah: time flies, does it not?” The rat chuckled. “Generally, the crew likes to celebrate a crossing... Expect music.”

“I hope there's no hurdy-gurdies.” Coco murmured.

“Hurdy-gurdies?” repeated Grimsly. “Never heard of it. We have fiddles, and accordions... All manner of such things.”

“Sounds like a fun night for rats.” Caballeron said dryly.

“Don't be so glum.” Grimsly implored. “Besides, we'll be celebrating the forty-fifth anniversary of the Revolution and the Republic's founding in a week and a half. If you're good ponies, we might let you have some fun too.”

“Well, I don't really relish the thought of being kept up all night.” Coco stated apologetically.

“Don't you have something to read? You ponies do love your books.”

“I have one,” admitted she, “but... It is not polite reading.” Grimsly snorted in humor, while Caballeron raised an eyebrow. “It was a loan from a friend, I have no idea what it really was!” said Coco, scowling.

“The Captain has an impressive collection of books himself.” said Grimsly. “Perhaps we can ask him for something?”

“I wouldn't want to bother him-” began Coco.

“It'll be fine.” Grimsly assured her. “We'll go ask right now.”

Again, Caballeron found himself being led down the same hall to the Captain's quarters. Grimsly knocked on the door, and was quickly let in. The ponies were barred from entry, however, as Torner emerged. “Oh, hello there.” he said politely.

“Good evening.” Coco said; Caballeron just nodded. “We've come to borrow a book from the Captain.”

“Which one? He's got half a hundred hidden away, thanks to a zebra yacht we came upon a few months ago. Turns out he was a prince who disregarded the general warning about commerce raiders posted in every port this side of the world!” Torner laughed. “There were some delightfully rare pieces aboard, it was a good haul.”

“I should very much like to see them.” murmured Caballeron. Any rare book was a good book, in his profession. “I never heard of a reading rat, though.”

“No, I doubt you would have.” Torner flicked his tail, looking unamused. “My people have never remained anywhere for long, leisure time is not held in high regard in our culture.”

“Why?” asked Coco. This elicited another tail-flick from Torner.

“Surely, they tell you about that in school?” he questioned back.

“No,” Coco shook her head, “we learned nothing about rats in school. We barely even touched on griffons, and that was only because we live in land the griffons occupied once.”

“Well, if you really want to know why, it all goes back to-”

Grimsly emerged from the Captain's cabin. “Sorry, Miss Pommel, but the captain is hesitant to lend any books out at the moment.”

“Oh. Alright...” she answered, ears falling.

“However, the Captain has decided that you've been well behaved enough already, and that you are no longer to be confined to quarters outside of work.” Grimsly stated. That got her to brighten up.

“Wonderful!”

“Does that apply to the rest of us?” asked Caballeron.

“It does.” affirmed the sergeant of the marines. “Now, don't make us regret our mercy. Behave!” he ordered, before marching off down the hall.

“It seems I can show you instead of tell you our story, now.” Torner clasped his hands. “Follow me, ponies, you have something to see.”

He led them down more of the pristine halls on the first deck, before coming to a room roughly in the center of the deck.

“This,” said Torner, “is the ship's shrine.” He opened the door, and ushered the in. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the lantern-lit darkness, but Caballeron was immediately impressed by what he saw within.

“What a collection!” Caballeron whispered. There were idols and symbols of every sort in the little room. Statuettes of dogs and minotaurs and griffons, or more fantastical creatures; a decorated flask with enchanted water from the legendary Stonesprings; witch-masks from Zebradom's savannahs; a pillar of flame carved from a brilliant red crystal; the ivory skull of a stag with violet amethysts for eyes; a silver star with eight rays upon a pedestal; pretty talismans of the old water spirits; more sinister talismans of the fire demons that were said to have ruled the ancient world; a worn but still beautiful icon of Princess Celestia, haloed by the sun to mark her divinity; and a much newer one of Princess Luna too.

“There's so many!” Coco said, gaping at the cluttered room.

This is a literal fortune, thought Caballeron. If he sold this to Daring Do's museums, he'd be able to at least get a few years of his retirement pay out of it. “Where did you get all these?” he asked.

“We brought them with us.” Torner replied, folding his arms behind his back.

“From port?” guessed Coco.

“From every land we've inhabited.” the rat said. “For every deity there is, a rat has worshiped it. There is only one missing from this shrine: the god we followed before Hurricane and her pegasi came. He betrayed us, my people were left to their own devices to fight the invaders.”

“I've heard the pegasus version of the story,” Caballeron remarked, “it's full of flesh-eating and blood magic.”

“So is ours. The accounts say that we were reduced to starvation by the pegasi queens, we had to eat the dead of pony and rat alike to survive. Soon we were hunting living ponies for food.” Torner gazed at the icon of Celestia. “They say it was before her time. There was no peace-making Princess to rule with wisdom and restraint in those days. In our final desperation, we turned to blood magic. Sacrifices on the altars of our absent god. He didn't answer... But something else did.”

Coco squirmed. “I'm glad the Princess stops that kind of business.”

“Aren't we all?” Torner asked, not giving them time to answer. “It was not enough. We moved first into the Frozen North, where we dwelt for a time in servitude of storm-spirits, before they chose the griffons over us. Then came our years on the Thither Shore, and many tribes pledged themselves to the Sky-lord of those lands, until the great fire. After that, we went to a smoking isle risen from the sea. Many would perish there, and so we left once more, ten generations ago, arriving on the jungle shores of Hivald.” He waved a hand at all the idols before them. “In two thousand years of wandering this Earth, not one of them has ever failed to abandon us in our hour of need.”

“Then why do you keep them?” asked Caballeron.

“For hope, I'd guess.” Coco interjected before Torner could answer.

The rat nodded. “Yes, the lady is right.” he said. “No mortal creature was meant to go through life without hope. So every rat finds his own gods, or perhaps none at all. I'm partial to the Sky-lord, myself.” Torner tapped the silver star. “I take it you ponies send your prayers to the Princess?”

“I think you misunderstand!” laughed Coco. “Princess Celestia isn't a goddess. She just raises the sun, and-”

“-is immortal, powerful beyond measure, and wiser and fairer than any other creature on Earth.” Torner gave her a bemused look. “She sounds like a goddess to me.”

“It is rather more complicated than that.” Caballeron interjected, clearing his throat. “There are some who believe that Princess Celestia is an avatar of a fire goddess; she acts out the goddess's will and communes with it. The whole 'raising the sun' act is just that: an act, that is easy to understand for the dull-witted masses than the concept of being the embodiment of a deity’s will on Earth.” He shrugged. “Not that I'm one of those ponies. Celestia is what she is, and that's all there is to it.”

“Come now, Doctor, surely you have a stronger opinion? You are an archeologist, you ought to be informed on these things.”

“You ought to.” agreed Coco.

“I've been many places and seen many things, but none of them to make me believe that Celestia is working for a higher being.” Caballeron stated. “We're on our own down here, against whatever may come our way.”

“An outlook shared by many of my people...” The rat shrugged, as if there were nothing that could be done about it. “But I would be curious to know what exactly you have seen.” Torner said.

“Perhaps another time.” Cabelleron dismissed. Torner ushered them out of the shrine, and back towards the cabins. Just as Grimsly had said, the ponies were indeed being let out for just a little while tonight.

"Consider it a test run for being let out in the future." stated the rat sergeant. He let the ponies set themselves up in the hall so they had space to move around for once. It was even Grimsly's idea to set up the chessboard he'd given the stallions the other week out there. This pleased the Captain greatly.

"Well," asked Billet, already looking as if he'd won, "who wants to face me first?"

Caballeron sighed, knowing full well there was only one who even came close to the Captain's skill. "I will." he said. This wouldn't end well, it never did, but it was at least a little more fair than having any other pony go up against him.

"As a show of good faith, I'll take black." said Billet, smiling slyly.

"Good faith... Hah." muttered Caballeron. The round began.

"I'll face the winner," Coco piped up. All the ponies looked at her.

"I didn't take you for a chess player." Spar noted. "Doesn't seem your kind of game."

"You would be surprised, wouldn't you?" Coco replied, sitting down to watch. Piece after piece, Captain Billet gained the advantage. Everypony could see that Caballeron was going to lose, so he only gave a halfhearted resistance.

At least the chess pieces are nice, he mused. They were all rats, or rat-related, naturally. Half of them were carved from dark walnut; the other half carved from a light oak. The pawns were all squat, faceless rats with little crossbows; the castles were antique cannons; the knights were mace-wielding warriors mounted on fierce wolves; the wizards were more akin to hooded executioners than any of their equivalents on a pony chessboard; the queen was replaced by a farmer with a scythe, and the king was replaced with a worker with a long hammer; each was dressed plainly and simply. A subtle political commentary, to be sure, he noted. Republicans, always the artists...

Finally, Billet had gotten his checkmate. Caballeron had stopped paying attention to the board after the tenth move. “Another victory!” Captain Billet exclaimed. “That's what- six for zero now?”

“Whatever you say, Captain.” grumbled Caballeron.

“Oh!” Coco exclaimed, popping up next to him. “Now you have to face me!”

“Sure thing, Miss Pommel.” Billet smirked, as if he didn't expect Coco to be anything close to a threat. “Black or white?”

“You can play white, you'll need the advantage.” she said, sitting down and returning the pieces to their starting positions. While they set the board up, Lieutenant Torner appeared again.

“I trust all is well?” the rat asked.

“Yes, no trouble here.” Caballeron told him.

“Good. You Equestrians keep on minding you manners, and this might become permanent. So long as you're with us, of course.” he said. “I see you've got a game about to start?”

“Indeed, we have!” Billet rubbed his hooves together, smugly smiling. “Miss Pommel thinks she's got what it takes to beat me. Nopony else has yet.”

“We'll see.” Coco said, with a polite smile of her own. The game opened with the usual moves, center pawns moving forward and knights being deployed. Coco sent out her wizard far earlier than Caballeron ever had. Their knights danced around each other for a few moves, while Coco's wizard sat on the side of the board.

“Interesting.” commented Torner, when Coco moved her queen right into the center of the board. He seemed to doubt the designer's strategy. What is she doing? wondered Caballeron. The two traded knights, and Coco got her other wizard right next to the first one, still sitting on the side doing nothing. Eventually, she moved one of her pawns right up to the third row on Billet's side of the board. Billet didn't take it, though, despite having his queen nearby. “He can't,” Torner whispered, “otherwise either one of her wizard's will get his king, or Miss Pommel's queen will be able to within a few moves.”

“This is beyond me.” Caballeron sighed.

Captain Billet deployed his queen to counter Coco's. But Coco ran her wizard right up to the king, taking the pawn in front of him. “Check!” she said, with a hint of excitement.

“You think that will save you?” Billet laughed, moving his king directly in front of the wizard, removing himself from check and now becoming the threatener. All Coco did was move her wizard back one square. “Haha!” the stallion declared. “You've goofed now, Miss Pommel!” Billet's queen swooped in and took Coco's, coming dangerously close to her own king.

Surprisingly, Coco only beamed happily. She pushed her pawn that had moved up earlier, now no longer impeded by Billet's queen, one square forward. “Checkmate.”

“What-” Captain Billet started, before saw it. Her two wizards blocked his king from taking the pawn or moving forward, while his own un-deployed pieces blocked the king from moving any other direction. Her pawn was untouchable, and had cornered the king. “But- How did you-” he stammered, realizing what had happened. “You magnificent little mare. Well-played.” Billet finally said, now smiling despite himself.

“Impressive!” Torner clapped.

“A delightful win, snapped from the jaws of defeat.” Caballeron declared, nodding in approval. It was nice to see Billet laid low by the most unlikely of ponies.

“Thank you,” Coco said, blushing a little, “but I wasn't anywhere close to defeat. I'd been setting that move up for quite a while.”

“It takes no small degree of skill to see that far ahead into the game.” Torner stated. “My own Captain knows that Billet here is good enough, and was thinking about playing him personally, but it seems a new challenger has appeared.”

“What?” asked Coco, ears perking straight up. The glow of victory was replaced by worry. “Why?”

“You won, silly pony!” said Torner, hands on his belt. “You're the best in this group! So you get to play against the Captain!”

“I never agreed to that.” Coco pouted.

“Consider it a courtesy to your host. Have a good evening, ponies.” With that, Torner departed.

“Playing against Captain Barlent...” Quartermaster Forestay chuckled. “Good luck, Miss Pommel. I was informed he was the winner of several tournaments in Hivald and Adin.”

“What happens if I lose?” wondered Coco, her ears now drooping. “Will they toss me overboard?”

“Nonsense.” Cabelleron. said. “He'll probably just boast. We've both talked with this Barlent, he is not a barbarian.”

“True enough.” agreed Captain Billet. “Think of this as an opportunity, Miss Pommel. Win a chess game against our republican captors! Strike a blow for Equestria, for the monarchy, and for the Princess!”

Author's Note

And so the principle conflict of the story, the Horn, is forgotten in the sudden rush of competitive sports. Blame the World Cup for getting me in the mood for a showdown. Actually don't, this was a part of the original plot I made in March.

I literally just finished this, and now I have to go out. If there's any errors, I'll fix them later. I just was desperate to give you an update after so long a silence. Remember, be a good pony and serve your Princess as loyally as she serves you. Cellyahu ackbar!