Eyes on The Horizon: Book Two, Rise Of An Empire.

I never knew how hard towing a Battleship was until I actually did it. Well I didn’t really do it, but I told them how to do it, and boy was it hard. I Mean we were there for a good hour or two just going back and forth trying to connect the Missouri and the Boston with chains. I was going to lose my mind if it didn’t do it after the third time we tried.

The Boston was a few feet away from the Missouri’s bow, and the waves were a bit dodgy. She was backing up, extra slowly, chains ready to go. I was waiting with my sailors at the tip of the ship. I could tell things were getting tense when I could literally hear the swishing of the propellers under the water from the Boston.

My sailors on the Boston were waiting for me to grab the chains, but they were too far away, so I told them to come a bit closer, then a little more, then some more.

Eventually she shouldn’t get any closer, and we had to throw it across. The first time through, we missed, by like a mile. Second time again, we missed, but it got closer. Third time however, we caught it and we linked ourselves up not trying to waste any more time. In the mean time of the ships being linked, the Elements, along with the princesses crossed over to the Missouri.

1800 hours…

Open waters…

USS Missouri…

After the chains were linked, the marines and sailors that were currently on the Missouri, went back to their stations that we had given before the start of the linking process. You know, engine monitoring, bridge control, yadda yadda. As for me and Charlie, we stayed on the front deck with the ponies that finally boarded from the Boston. I could tell that they were surprised at the sheer size of the ship.

“Wow, this ship is much larger in person, I have to say, good thing we found it when we did.” Said the princess as she walked by me and Charlie to gaze at the Massive 16 inch guns. “ Indeed it tis sister and when you are ready captain, we should head back to Manehatten.” Luna said following her sister close behind. I smiled and began following them.

“You’re right, we are ready whenever the boston is.” I grabbed my radio and clicked it on.

“Boston, it’s the captain, are you ready to move?” Charlie began following me as well as the Elements.

“Aye captain, we’re ready to go.” As he said that, a swift blow of the bostons horn indicated his point.

“Good, Charlie, is the Yarnell ready?” I turned around and asked, while still walking forward.

“Hold on, let me see, Yarnell, this is captain, are you ready for an escort?” It went silent for a second or two. Until a horn sounded of in the distance.

“Aye aye captain ready to move.” The radio came back.

“Copy that,” He put his radio away, “we are ready.”

“Good,” I reached for my radio, “Boston, lets get moving.”

“Aye aye!”

1830…

It took us a while for all of us to reach the bridge, but when we did, the Missouri was already moving at 10 knots. My little ship, pulling a huge one like the Missouri, kinda makes you think. Anyway, the marines and sailors began going through the checklist, and making everything was okay, engines, weapons, mechanics, electronics, so on and so forth.

But, sooner than later, we were traveling at 30 knots, going on 35. I pulled up a chair and sat down as I watched the Boston leading the way, the Yarnell not too far off.

“So, Captain,” came a voice. I turned around to see the princess, “when we reach Manehatten harbor, I want that body you have off loaded onto shore and taken to a warehouse in the shipyard, you’ll know it when you see it.” I nodded. As I looked at the princesses face, I could tell that, dealing with things such as, dead bodies, and detective work, was not her kind of thing. So, I thought an apology was in order.

“Princess, I’m sorry.” Saying that she looked at me with a surprised look.

“Why are you sorry, you have done nothing wrong.” At this point, I had to stand up, to make my point clear.

“For making you do this, you didn’t need to do any of this, you could have said no, but you didn’t. I can tell, this isn’t your kind of field.” Now Luna stepped forward, from what I could tell no where.

“Captain, thou still has nothing to be apologizing for. We are just as qurious as you are about this, problem. For as of right now, somewhere in our kingdom, a murderer is loose and about, causing havoc wherever he may go, and it’s our job as rulers, to find out who.” Now the elements came closer, Fluttershy, came the closest out of them all.

“My sister is right, if we won’t stop them, then nobody will. And who knows when they’ll strike next. It’s only a matter of time.” I nodded and stuck out my right arm.

“Then you have my word princess, I won’t rest until these, well, whoever they are, are brought to justice, and I won’t let anything get in my way until they're either behind bars, or six feet under.” She looked at my hand, then at me, with a confused look on her face, I was about to pull it down, until Luna stepped in and shook instead.

“Sis, it’s called a, ‘Hand Shake’ it’s how they agree on things, remember” The princess mouthed ‘ohhh, okay’ then smiled in embarrassment. And I smiled too.

“Anyway, we should reach the Harbor within next two hours or so, like around seven o'clock.” Came a sailor behind me. I turned around and gave him a two fingered salute.

“Thanks for the heads up.” I turn around to face the princess again, but she was looking out the windows at the Boston, and Luna was over with the Elements. Charlie was off doing, something or whatever. And I was just awkwardly standing around doing nothing. So I sat down again, watching the tides roll off the bow of the ship.

Then I got a case of Deja Vu. I remembered doing this before we we’re sucked up into this world, before the portal, before the fog. It was truly creepy, so I changed the way I was sitting so I didn’t remember Earth. I looked off toward the Elements again, just to see Luna walk out of the bridge and loom over the railing out side the wheelhouse.

Then I felt something brush my hand, it was brief, but, whatever it was, it felt familiar. I look down to see a yellow pegasus with a pink mane nudging my hand with her nose. The hand that was still wrapped up in gauze from when I cut it up at the rocks. Her blue eyes looking up at me, they sparkled in the light of the sun. A small but obvious smiled was worn on her face.

“Oh hello Fluttershy, everything alright?” I asked her as she pulled away from my hand.

“Oh I’m fine, thanks for asking, are you fine?” I smiled as chuckled a bit.

“Of course I’m fine, I just captured on of the greatest ships of all time!”

“Yeah, b-but what about the, you know…” She nodded her head to the left. At first I didn’t get the hint, then after a second or two I got what she was going for. She was referring to the body we had to investigate.

“Well, yeah there is that… But, you shouldn’t be worried about stuff like that, that’s my job. So please, don’t worry about it too much.” She shook her head slowly.

“Alright. I’ll try.” I ran my hand through her mane, and lightly tapped her on the head while saying,

“Thanks, that's half of the problem solved right there.”